Aang and Katara - A Wedding Tale

Chapter 22: Azula Alone Part 4

Azula's Point of View
I kept my fires going untill I left the village. The vast desert expanding before me. It's a good thing I stocked up, it was going to be a long few days of walking before I reached any form of civilization. It would be hard without Storm, but it's for the best.

She's bound to find a traveling merchant of some kind who would feed her and take better care of her than I could right now. The cabbage salesman perhaps - she would be happier with her own kind. She will do well without me. She will forget about me in a matter of weeks and could never be dragged into my mess ever again.

She will be better off without me.

After all I'm the one who tore her away from her comfortable, safe, old life, made her an accessory to my crimes against her will, forced her to put up with my madness, and scared her off. She probably hated me - and she had every right to.

She will be happier without me.

I was now a good half mile away from the village and getting tired and too hot from the fire bending with growing desert heat, so I decided to walk.
"Spirits this is going to be a long day." I mumbled whilst heading in the valley of two sand dunes the size of mountains. "At least I'll be hidden, you can't be seen from the town from here."

Since it was still early the shadows cast were larger than the dunes themselves, engulfing the valley in darkness. The sharp drop in temperature, seemed to amplify my jittering hands. I just need to breathe. I just need time to collect myself, to take stock.

So, where to begin? I robbed another store, used stolen money to legally acquire more supplies, got shot at, lost Storm - an ostrich-horse that was never even mine to lose, got shot at more, won, she shot lighting at me in a desperate attempt to win but I redirected it single handedly saving not only my life but also prevented the injury of those ungrateful peasants, who had the gall to pin this all on me, then it turns out this was all a cruel plot to capture me.

I had been played.

I'll give them that, they won this round. But this is never going to happen again.

From now on I will avoid as many people as my situation allows, I won't talk to anyone, I won't be seen, I will leave no trace.

I can't trust anyone.

They could all be a threat.

I need to keep myself safe.

I need to deal with this Mr X situation then I can heal.

One last mission then I'm done.

My train of thought came crashing to a stand still when I thought I heard a noise. With my eyes still adjusting to the darkness, I struggled to make anything out. Feeling more vulnerable and exposed, I lit a small fire in the palm of my hand. "Who's there?" I called, my voice sounding more uncertain than I would have liked. A faint neigh replied.

Hang on, what?

I sent a small, harmless flame to illuminate the path and the numerous clawed footprints. As my eyes squinted against the glow of blue light, a tall, feathery figure was illuminated. My chest tightened when I saw the familiar dirt gray feathers and beak.

Storm.

She waited for me?

I quickly put out the fire, seeing she parried around it, poor things probably traumatised by it now. Another thing to add to my list: I will never fire bend around her. I - for lack of a more dignified word - practically leaped closer, and tentatively offered my hand to her. Ignoring that, she nuzzled her head right into my side, and seemed to sigh with relief when I started stroking her neck.