They didn't take me with them.
"Please, Aang. I want to go. I want to see a dragon."
"No," Zuko said for Aang. "Aang, please get on Appa. I'll deal with her. Aang nodded and climbed away from us.
"Zuko, I want to see a dragon." I gripped his shirt. His cold fingers wrapped around my wrists.
"You are still such a child, just like when I first met you."
"That's not a bad thing."
"It is a bad thing."
"Then why do you like me?" I said coyly, and he scowled. I tried winking, but he shook my wrist gently to get my attention.
"You're not coming, end of story."
"Fine," I said, letting go of his shirt, but he didn't let go of my hands. I stood on my tiptoes. "You have to promise me one thing, then."
"What?"
"I'm going with you on the next trip." I gave him a little kiss, making him sigh. "Now get out of here." He climbed Appa. "Stay safe," I called, waving as Aang said the magic words, "yip-yip", and then they were off. I sighed.
"Why does he do that?" Sokka asked.
"Do what?"
"Act so caring when he's around you. We literally saw him as a killer half the time, but as soon as he's standing next to you he's as harmless as a baby badgermole."
"He wasn't that bad," was all I could say, cheeks heating up. "You just need to focus on his good sides to see it."
"You really wanted to see a dragon, didn't you?" Sokka put a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah," I sighed again, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. I sighed deeper.
"Too bad," he teased, and I swatted his arm.
"Thanks," I rolled my eyes. "I have to go practice my bending before I lose it."
"You do that," he nodded.
🔥🔥🔥
Spiritual connections came from peace. I sat in front of the stream and closed my eyes, gently moving my hands. A bubble of water formed, and I slowly turned my wrist in a circular formation. The bubble elongated, wrapping around me like a clear ring. I took a deep breath in, let it out.
Focus. Calm your nerves.
I let go of everything I was feeling. Everything.
Slowly, I started forgetting everything. My butt hurt just a little, but soon that stopped bothering me too.
And then I was flying.
I was scaling the ocean like a shark, drifting like a raft. I was moving. I was floating.
Where on earth am I?
And then there was land under me. I stopped abruplty, tripping and slamming into the ground with a thud. The impact caused me to bounce up, rolling again and again again, over and over till I slammed into a giant tree and stopped. No, this was a tree root. A giant one. Wait, what was I doing?
I groaned, getting to my feet weakly. My arms and legs ached, my clothes dirty. I leaned against the tree root and stretched, hearing my neck crack multiple times.
"Hello?" I heard a voice. I looked around, confused.
"Who's there?"
"Look down here." I looked down to see a rabbit-like creature at my feet. It had tiny stubs for horns on it's head, and extra long front to teeth.
