Avatar The Last Airbender: "Touched By Fire And Earth" (Toph Beifong)

S2 Ep11: The Desert

Toph (Pov)

As the wind whistled through the desolate area, a heavy sense of guilt weighed upon me for my inability to prevent Appa's kidnapping. I knelt beside Scorpion, his unconscious body a testament to the chaos that had unfolded. Suddenly, Aang's voice pierced the air, filled with accusation and anger.

"How could you let them take Appa? Why didn't you stop them?" Aang's voice boomed, his frustration palpable as he closed in on me.

Frantically, I attempted to defend myself amidst the tumultuous emotions. "I couldn't," I pleaded, my voice tinged with desperation. "The library was sinking, Scorpion had been drugged, and all of you were still trapped inside."

But Aang's relentless fury cut through my words, silencing any attempt at justification. His strides brought him mere feet away, his voice reverberating with anguish and accusation. "You could've come to get us. I could've saved him!"

The weight of his words crashed upon me, a painful realization of the missed opportunity to rescue Appa. Guilt consumed me, intertwining with the tumultuous whirlwind of emotions that surrounded us.

Turning to face Aang, I desperately tried to explain, "I could hardly feel any vibrations out here. The sandbenders snuck up on us... there was no time to react." Before I could finish my sentence, Aang interrupted me once again, his accusations cutting deep.

"You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!" Aang's words pierced through me, magnifying the weight of guilt that already burdened my heart. The accusation stung, for it was far from the truth.

Attempting to diffuse the tension, Katara stepped forward, her voice filled with reason and compassion. "Aang, stop it. You know Toph did everything she could. She saved our lives." Her words carried a gentle plea for understanding, a reminder that blame would only further divide us in this dire situation.

Sokka, ever the pragmatist, voiced his concerns about our predicament. "Who's going to save our lives now? We'll never make it out of here." His words spoke of the very real danger we faced, trapped in the unforgiving desert.

Frustration laced Aang's voice as he retorted, his anger giving way to a sense of resignation. "That's all any of you guys care about, yourselves," he said, his tone growing quieter as he turned away, his emotions in turmoil.

In the midst of the tension, Sokka's practicality shone through. "I'll carry Scorpion," he offered, the sound of rustling indicating that he had already taken the initiative to lift Scorpion and commence our journey through the harsh desert.

With a heavy heart and a renewed determination, I followed Sokka's lead, knowing that we had to push forward.

X (Pov)

As I led the way with Iroh and Zuko following closely behind, riding our Ostrich Horses, my attention was drawn to the surrounding trees. However, my focus quickly shifted when I heard Iroh's distressing sounds of pain and gagging. Sensing his discomfort, Zuko promptly suggested, "We should set up camp and take a break."

Frustration seeped into my voice as I remarked, "At this rate, we'll have more grey hairs than wisdom by the time we reach Ba Sing Se."

Iroh settled himself on a nearby rock, while my instincts heightened as my Ostrich Horse detected something amiss. Emerging from the outskirts were Colonel Mongke and his menacing group, the Rough Rhinos. The five of them encircled us, and it was clear that we needed to take action.

Unfazed by the situation, Iroh chuckled and greeted Mongke, "Colonel Mongke, what a delightful surprise."

Mockingly, Mongke retorted, "If our presence catches you off guard, then the Dragon of the West must have lost his edge."