Heimat | Aang

FOUR

The rays of the sun were unbearably hot on Aang's skin as the hours passed while he stayed in that small beach in one of the uncharted islands in the middle of the invisible watery path from the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom. There was no shade anywhere nearby for him to take cover under and the water he had in his disposal wasn't much either. Despite his uneasiness, though, he didn't leave. And his reason for staying was right beside him.

Tapeesa was still sleeping, her breaths light and hardly heard, her head tilted back to rest against the rock behind her, facing the sky, but if the rays of the sun made it harder for her to sleep it wasn't evident on her face. She seemed peaceful, not a single wrinkle seen on her expression. Aang had to force himself to not steal any glances at her—she seemed absolutely perfect—and after a while, when it became clear he couldn't keep himself from looking, he forced himself to stand up and walk away. Now he wasn't standing right beside her, it was easier to focus on other matters that needed his attention.

He looked at the horizon as he thought of any way he could leave this island. The waves seemed compelling enough, and for just a moment, he thought of getting in the water and escaping from this island. There was a slim chance he could do it, even though it would exhaust him greatly, and he was almost about to try it when he seemed to freeze, a reminder coming to mind. He turned his head, observed Tapeesa's sleeping figure for a while before he let out a sigh and walked away from the sea. He couldn't leave her alone.

If Aang were to leave this island, he would do so with Tapeesa by his side. Which meant they were going to be staying in this island for a while.

Aang left the beach, got up to the jungle in the distance and started looking around. It wasn't long before he noticed a place they could stay at while they were in the island. On a hill a few ways away from the beach, he could see a cave. Aang hurried inside, took a moment to assess his surroundings before he nodded to himself, pleased with what he had found. He turned around, prepared to take the route back to the beach to show Tapeesa what he had found when he heard the faint sound of water.

Aang stopped in his tracks, brows furrowed as he followed the sound. He was getting closer to the running water the more he walked, and after a few minutes, he found himself stopping in front of a river. Eager to see where the water was coming from, he walked against the current, climbing the hill, getting deeper in the jungle. He lost track of time as he walked, and what felt like a few minutes to him but could be hours, he came to a stop in front of a few small waterfalls. His face split into a grin as he walked closer, dipping a finger in the cool water. Aang couldn't resist.

He discarded most of his clothes and jumped in the water.

He resurfaced with a small laugh as he swam deeper, enjoying the sensation after he had spent so many hours under the sun. The thought of the sun's warmth led to the beach, though, and the thought of the beach led to Tapeesa, his companion he had left behind alone for long enough already. With a sigh, reluctant to leave the water just yet, Aang got out, drew the water off of his body without thinking much about it—it had become a motion he could do no matter what at this point—put on his clothes and took the route back to the beach.

He got lost a couple of times on his way to the beach, but eventually, he found the path he had taken in the woods and finally saw the beach. He didn't feel all that pleased with the sand under his feet once more but his thoughts were hardly on the sand before he raised his gaze to the rock Tapeesa was, only to realise she was no longer there. His eyes widened, panic setting in as he looked around, but his fears were extinguished at once the moment he saw her in the water.

Tapeesa caught his gaze and left the water, and Aang looked away at once, his cheeks flushing at the sight of her. He heard her coming over and dared to look up to see her clothes dry this time, an eyebrow slightly raised as she assessed him.