Courting a Prince: Book 1 (Complete)

ch. 30: Stealth? Why? pt. 1

I needed some time to myself, well, myself and Kai, so I left to fly solo for a bit. I didn't tell Zuko, because I know how he'll get about it. I don't plan to be away for very long, I'll probably meet with them at a market or something.

"Kai, it feels like rain. The tips of my fingers are aching."

Kai looks up at the sky, cooing.

"Yeah... Today was a bad day for a ride... Ugh.. that ship is so smokey.. and Zuko is distracting me.

Kai chirped and flew higher, above the dark clouds that we were met with. Over them, the sun was shining bright and it was warm and safe.

"Ah... I've missed this. This is what I want... My freedom."

Under us, the storm was beginning, and the lightning jumped at us. Kai dodged it, and tried to fly higher, but couldn't manage it and ended up rolling instead.

"Wooah! Kai, are you okay?"

He cooed again shaking his head.

"Alright, we'll go back to the ship. I'd say dive, but that's probably not a good-"

Before I can finish my sentence, Kai dove into the dark clouds in a spiral, cutting through them with ease. He didn't pull up until we were just over the violent waters. I look around for the ship that appeared to be heading towards the center of the storm, which is smart, but something else catches my eye.

"Appa...? Kai, go!"

My feathered friend took off, both of us soaked from the rain. I guess Sokka did something stupid again, because he's not on Appa's back when I get close to them.

"Shit! That brat is probably drowning by now!" I shouted, in spite of myself. I felt the eyes of a person I call my sister on me, but even if she had said something, in this weather, I highly doubt I'd be able to hear her. The storm is vicious, like I'm pretty sure this is hurricane weather, or at the very least a tornado touched down on the island near here.

With the waves rocking the way they are, if anyone is dumb enough to stay and navigate through this storm with a small boat, they might just die.

"Kai! Do you see anything on the water?!" I shouted while gripping my friend's feathers. The rain makes it hard to see as well. I could bend a lot of this, but it's too much and I'd get tired too fast. Curse my elderly stamina....

"Over here!" A nearly drowned out shout came from the distance.

Kai immediately dove into the waves coming his way, cutting through them like they weren't even there and getting us soaked in sea water in the process. We come across a lone fishing boat with my idiot brother and some strange old man in it. It wasn't too long before Appa came in next to us, and we all did our best to try and get the old man, and my idiot brother to safety.

The Avatar seemed to have a handle on things, to I had Kai head back to the ship. If we stay in the rain any longer, we'll both catch colds. Kai being sick is not very fun, or funny. He gets all miserable and that hurts my everything!

That, and if I get sick, I'm gonna be nagged again by mamma Zuko....

I don't really mind that though.

He just wants me to be okay.