"With all this fur, I suggest we split into three groups," I said as Toph slowly manipulated the earth around her, concealing Appa's saddle and our belongings.
Using a rough map I'd sketched earlier, I pointed at a large river.
"Aang says Appa can still fly if he's only carrying a few people. So we'll send Group A toward this river and periodically drop some of Appa's fur along the way to leave a trail for them to follow."
I then drew a second line heading south.
"Meanwhile, Group B—Aang—flies in the opposite direction."
Sokka's eyes immediately lit up.
"They'll have to split up to follow both trails."
I nodded. "Exactly."
"And while they're busy chasing Appa and Aang..."
"Group C stays hidden," I finished, tapping a point between the two routes. "Once they commit to one trail, we ambush the group that's pursuing Appa and Group B."
Katara frowned.
"Wait. If Appa can carry a few of us, why don't we reinforce Aang instead?"
"Because Aang doesn't need reinforcements." Before I could answer, Sokka spoke up, causing everyone to look at him.
Sokka tapped the southern route. "Aang's an Air Bender, and the Avatar. He's the fastest person here and the hardest to pin down. If anyone can waste their time and stay out of trouble, it's him."
His finger moved to Appa's route.
"The real fight is here. We hit the group chasing Appa with our numbers, finish it quickly, then use Appa to regroup with Aang. Then suddenly, the people who split up to hunt us are the ones getting outnumbered."
"Exactly!" I smiled and gave his shoulder a pat.
"Not bad, kid."
His chest immediately puffed up with his nose held high.
"I know! ... Wait, you're just a year older than me!"
"Well," Toph intervened. "All I know is that I'm on Group C. I don't like it when we fly. Ren, you're carrying me the whole way."
I glanced at the map. Mongoose lizards had decent tracking abilities, so we'd need to avoid them from a distance. And considering the ground I'd have to cover—plus the extra detours to stay off their radar...
I let out a quiet sigh. "Aye-aye, my lady."
"Then I guess that's everyone sorted." Aang picked up a sack filled full of Appa's fur and tied it around his waist. He then clicked open his staff, the wooden glider unfolding with a snap.
"Katara, Sokka, you guys are with Appa. Toph and Renji are Group C."
A moment later, we waved Katara and Sokka goodbye as they guided Appa toward the large river. The sky bison, still exhausted, unintentionally crashed through the treetops along the way, leaving a clear trail of destruction behind.
Hmm... That'd work in our favor.
Turning back toward us one last time, Aang gave a tired smile.
"See you guys later."
With a running start, Aang leapt into the air. A powerful gust exploded beneath his feet, sending dust and loose grass scattering as his glider caught the wind.
Moments later, he was soaring across the sky, rapidly shrinking into the distance.
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We had to mask our scent the old-fashioned way to avoid detection from mongoose lizards—covering ourselves in mud, dirt, and crushed rocks.
Toph seemed to enjoy it, smearing mud across her face and clothes without hesitation. At one point, she even dropped to the ground and rolled through it completely.
As for me, I was already used to it. Badgermoles were fond of mud baths, after all.
I silently coated myself as well, working the mud into my clothes and skin without complaint.
Good thing I packed five sets of clothing for both her and me; this set would be decommissioned and burned once we're done with this whole fiasco.
Crouching slightly to lift Toph onto my back, I adjusted my grip and footing before breaking into a sprint.
The plan was to get beyond the tracking range of the mongoose lizards Princess Azula and her companions rode. From what I could recall, their scent range extended up to five miles, so I'd need to cover at least that distance before circling back to Appa.
By now, he was already out of sight.
"Sooooo..." I began, breaking the silence. "How are you doing, my lady?"
Toph hummed softly, tightening her grip around my neck slightly.
"... I'm a bit worried," she admitted. "Just a bit. I can handle them, but I didn't think we'd end up being chased by royalty."
I held back a chuckle as I hopped over a narrow creek. "Yeah, I didn't have that on my bingo card either, but that's life."
I adjusted my grip slightly as I kept running. "How are you holding up with the others? Anything worth noting?"
"..." She stayed quiet for a moment.
"Aang, Sokka... Katara, they're nice people."
"We've been together these past few days... I really want to be good friends with them."
"... I'm sure they feel the same way, Toph."
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A limping Sokka hopped toward Katara, who was immobilized against a tree. Halfway there, his face met the ground with a thud.
He looked up from the dirt. "So, how you doing?"
"I mean, you know!" Katara replied, a little too quickly.
Their attention shifted as the two girls facing them stepped closer.
"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you," the black-haired girl said flatly, arms crossed, "it would be more exciting... Oh well. Victory is boring—"
"Mai, look out!" Ty Lee suddenly called out.
She yanked Mai backward just as a large chunk of earth soared past them, slamming into a nearby tree.
A moment later, a splash erupted from the water nearby as someone landed hard into it.
"Sorry for the wait," Toph said as she was set down onto solid ground, immediately rolling her shoulders into a fighting stance. "Ren's kind of slow."
"They moved faster than I predicted," I replied calmly, eyes trained on the two.
"Renji! Toph!" Katara called out in relief. Sokka, crawling up beside his sister, flailed his loose arm. "Kick their butts, guys!"
For a brief moment, everyone stood frozen, tension hanging in the air.
Then Mai moved first. With a flick of her sleeves, a volley of darts shot forward.
Toph reacted instantly, slamming up a wall of earth to block them as I stepped forward. Taking a steady breath, I focused inward—circulating my Chi to the limit—and drove my fist into the wall.
The impact sent it shattering outward, fragments of stone erupting forward like shrapnel.
The two girls moved instantly, dodging the shrapnel as they split to attack from both sides.
"You take the ponytail girl. I'll handle her."
Choosing her opponent, Toph slammed her foot into the ground and surged forward toward Mai.
Meeting Ty Lee's gaze, I raised my guard as well, settling into a fighting stance.
We circled each other slowly, neither willing to make the first move as we waited for an opening.
Her eyes narrowed as she threw a knife-handed jab, trying to pry an opening out of my guard. I tilted my head to barely avoid the jab and retaliated with a jab of my own towards her body.
She backed away instantly, creating space between us. I used the chance to throw out punches, sending small bursts of fire through the air. Weaving through the barrage of fire strikes, she closed the distance with her index and middle finger pointed outwards.
"Lightning fast" was the only way I could describe her sudden shift in fighting style.
Fast jabs and thrusts came in rapid succession, all aimed primarily at my arms. Alarm bells rang in my head as I chose evasion over blocking, narrowly slipping each strike instead of meeting them head-on.
"Azula said you're a Fire Bender," she remarked mid-combination, "but you fight like a non-Bender."
"I don't really have anything to say about that—" I redirected one of her strikes and threw a counterjab, only for it to cut through empty air. "—I've never needed Fire Bending to fight my battles."
I suddenly pivoted, driving a palm strike toward her side.
Her eyes snapped to it, widening as a faint yellow glow flickered in my open palm.
Then—
BOOOM!
A loud boom erupted as an explosion tore through the air.
"But that doesn't mean I can't start now," I quipped with a smirk, my open palm sparking with miniature explosions as her body was sent flying back, smoke rising from a scorched patch on her side.
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NEXT UPDATE: 24 June, Wednesday
A/N: Sorry for the late chapter again! Really busy with IRL stuff! Here you go!
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