Chosen by the Spirits | A male reader x Avatar the Last Airbender story

Chapter 21- The Serpent's Pass (part 1)

When I finally became conscious again, it wasn't in the desert. I groggily opened my eyelids, only to immediately shut them after the blinding daylight shone brightly into my eyes. I could hear all sorts of sounds around me: the chatting and laughing of my friends, and a loud splashing. From the sound of it, we definitely weren't in the desert anymore. I seemed to be lying on some sort of rock or sandstone. I slowly tried to open my eyes, letting them get used to the light gradually. After a few minutes I managed to see my surroundings.

I was at what appeared to be a rocky oasis, with a large waterfall coursing into a small, wide river. It reminded me a bit of the spirit oasis, just less spiritual. I saw Sokka and Toph sat on nearby rocks, and could hear Katara and Aang splashing around in the river. There was also a strange pain in my left arm, and I looked at it to see my whole arm covered in bandages. The events of the desert started coming back to me. I remembered my defeat to Zhao, and how I just about managed to get away. I also recalled my long, injured trip through the desert, where I must have passed out. At least now I had more energy, so I pushed myself up from the rock that I was lying on and walked towards Sokka and Toph. Toph must have sensed me coming over, as she turned around and shouted at Sokka.

"Hey, water boy is back!" she yelled, and I saw Sokka immediately turn his head to look at me. There was an expression of relief on his face as he saw me stagger over to them.

"(Y/N)! You're awake!" he exclaimed happily. I couldn't tell how long I had been unconscious for, but it was clearly enough time for the gang to escape the desert.

"How long have I been out for?" I asked Sokka as I rubbed my eyes.

"Three days," Sokka told me seriously, which took me aback. I had been unconscious for three straight days?? I suppose that would explain how starving I am. "We were starting to get worried," he continued genuinely.

"What the hell happened to you in the desert?" Toph asked me, and I could tell that Sokka looked curious, too.

"Well I was looking for water for everyone, and I eventually found some," I started to explain. "But then Zhao showed up,"

"Zhao was in the desert?!" Sokka shouted at me in surprise.

"Yeah, and it turns out he knows how to bend lightning, now," I admitted glumly, nodding my head at my bandaged left arm.

"That's not good..." Sokka said miserably. "But at least you're okay,"

"Was the water I found helpful at least?" I asked him. I wouldn't be too pleased if I had gone through all the trouble to find the water, and it had turned out they hadn't needed it.

"It was a lifesaver," Sokka confessed. "Katara used half of it to heal your arm, though. It didn't look too good," he admitted. By this time, Aang and Katara had left the river and walked up to us. They were both very pleased to see that I was awake and doing okay.

"(Y/N)! It's good to see that you're doing alright," Aang smiled at me.

"Thanks, Aang," I grinned at him before turning to Katara. "And thanks for healing my arm up," I said to her, and she smiled at me.

"You're welcome, but I would advise you not to bend for the next few days," she instructed me. "It's best if you just rest your arms for now,". This news sucked to hear, as I used my waterbending every single day. But it was better than not having an arm, I suppose...

"So what's the plan now?" I asked the gang. "How do we get to Ba Sing Se?". Sokka had been studying a map, which he gestured to as he spoke.

"Okay, we just got out of the desert, so we must be around here," he said as he placed his finger on the map. "And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here," he continued as he pointed to a structure on the map that seemed to be surrounded by two walls. "It looks like the only passage connecting the south to the north is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass,".