Balance | Old Version

Chapter 28 (The Fortuneteller)

Elua's POV.

It had been about a week since Aang and I escaped Zhao. We had found a small lake last night and camped here, but now it was early afternoon and we were all sitting around on the white sandy beach.
"Look!" Katara suddenly says, I look up and follow her gaze to see a green fish jumping in and out of the water.
"He is taunting us," Sokka says as he stands up. "You are so gonna be dinner!" He shouts to the fish. He picks up his fishing pole and walks over to the edge of the lake, but when he goes to cast the line, nothing happens.

"Hey! Where's the fishing line?" Sokka asks, seeing that the line is missing.
"Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka," Aang says holding up a necklace made out of the fishing line and a few flowers.
"Ah, it's all tangled!" Sokka whines as his shoulders slump.
"Not tangled, woven," I tell him, Aang nods and smiles.
"I made you a necklace, Katara," Aang says as he stands up. "Since you lost your other one..." He trails off with a sheepish smile.

"Thanks, Aang. I love it." Katara says smiling as she looks at the necklace.
"Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry making business." Sokka says sarcastically.
"I don't see why I can't do both," Aang says, not catching the sarcasm. Sokka sighs as he turns back at the water just as the fish jumps again, he throws his fishing pole in the water but all it does is sink.
"Stop taunting me!" Sokka shouts at the fish as he runs into the water with his knife.

"Sokka you're not gonna catch that fish!" I tell him, I hated the fact that he wanted to kill an innocent creature.
"Yes, I will! watch and learn, Elua," He says dives into the water and tries to stab the fish, needless to say, that doesn't work.
"I don't gonna watch you kill an innocent animal!" I yell at him, shaking my head.
"So, how do I look," I hear Katara ask, I turn around and her wearing the necklace. I look over to Aang and see him blushing.

"You mean all of you or just your neck?" Aang asks her with a small smile. "I mean, uh, both look great." He says nervously as he blushes more. I smile at him, he obviously had a crush on Katara.
"Smoochie, smoochie," I hear Sokka say, I turn around and see him hugging the green fish. "Someone's in love." He says making 'kissing' noises, I roll my eyes at his childishness. The fish suddenly slips out of his grip and slaps him with its tail, making him fall back into the blue river water.

"I...well..." Aang tries to form words as he rubs his head in nervousness.
"Stop teasing him, Sokka," I say as Sokka sits in the river, I give him a small glare.
"Aang's just a good friend," Katara says as she walks over to him, Aang's face falls. "A sweet little guy, just like Momo." She says petting Momo's head.
"Thanks," Aang says clearly unhappy with her words. He looks at me with an miserable look, I give him a smile but he just sighs. I know that he likes Katara, and I'm sure she'll like him back eventually. Sokka walks over to us soaking wet and with a gloomy look on his face.

I'm about to say something but, we hear an impending noise. I frown as Aang jumps up onto a boulder.
"Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" He shouts down to us. We all run into the forest, following the noise. We see a man dodging a Platypus bears strikes, but he seems perfectly calm.
"Well, hello there," The man says smiling at us. "Nice day, isn't it?" He asks us as the bear swings at him again and again.
"Make noise, it'll run off!" I shout to the man.
"No, play dead, he'll lose interest!" Sokka shouts from behind me.
"Whoa! Close one. Haha!" The man laughs at the bear, I frown in confusion.

"Run downhill, then climb a tree!" Katara yells.
"No, punch him in the bill!" Sokka says.
"And then run in zigzags!" Aang shouts. I look at them all confused about what they are saying.
"No need. It's going to be fine," The man says smiling. The bear swings again, hitting a large piece of wood out of a tree behind the man, the calm man ducks just in time. Aang shoots into the air over the head of the bear. He puts himself between the calm man and the bear, airbending a wall of wind that momentarily pushes the beast backward.