"That doesn't work here," Aang told him cheerfully. So he was dreaming, Zuko thought, not hallucinating, which was comforting. He'd had those dreams where he couldn't bend before, though usually Azula was there to laugh at him. "Besides, Appa doesn't like fire."
In the back of his mind, Zuko recognized the sky bison from the iceberg. "Appa," he repeated.
The bison rumbled a thunderous greeting as he bent his giant head down to nuzzle Zuko's chest. "He likes you," Aang commented.
A figment of his own mind liked him. "He's dead."
"So am I," Aang shrugged. He swung himself up into Appa's saddle and held his hand down to the Fire Prince. "Climb on, there are some people I want you to meet."
Gingerly, Zuko took the hand and slithered is way into the saddle as the bison eyed him complacently. Aang flicked the reigns, and Appa's tail smacked the ground, sending them lurching into the air. Zuko let out a faint gasp.
The mountain vanished as Appa dove up into the clouds, and Zuko found himself staring back at where he had seen it last, oddly bereft.
"Don't worry, I know the way back," Aang told him, and Zuko hadn't even considered it. "I spend a lot of time here."
Why? Zuko wanted to ask. "Where are we?"
Aang glanced back at him. "The Spirit World."
"My uncle traveled to the Spirit World once," Zuko scoffed. "It took him weeks of ritual and meditation."
"It's a little different for the Avatar." Aang tugged down on the reigns and patted Appa's shoulder. The creature huffed, plunging back down through the clouds. Zuko had always somehow expected clouds to feel like something, but these didn't. When Zuko touched them, it was like they weren't there. He clung to the saddle and ducked his head. He wasn't a coward. He wasn't going to scream.
Appa pulled up out of his dive sharply, and Zuko clung tighter as he lifted his head. The bison's paws skimmed the surface of a broad, mirrorlike lake that spread out seemingly endlessly on nearly every side of them, featureless. But in front of them, growing out of the lake, their roots hidden under the lake surface, stood a grove of trees, flowers hanging from the branches, reds, blues, yellows, purples, pinks, peaches and whites, on vines like brocade ribbons. Appa flopped down into the lake, as the first of the vines brushed his face. His legs lazily pushed them along, under the branches and flowers.
Zuko craned his head back, to look up at the small, occasional breaks in the leaves overhead, revealing the strange, smoky sky. "You okay back there?" Aang asked. "You're really quiet."
Zuko didn't answer. He slid down to lie on his back in the saddle. "Why did you bring me here?"
"I told you." Aang twisted around. "There are people I want you to meet."
~*~
Katara picked her cup up, and then put it down without taking a drink. Her tea had gone cold, and Iroh had packed everything but that one cup away in his basket again. "He's been gone a really long time."
Sokka furrowed his brow and scowled at his sister. "Look, he said he wanted to lay that other Avatar to rest alone, and I for one don't want to interrupt him." He folded his arms. "I'm just glad he's off doing whatever it is he's doing and not yelling at us."
"My nephew is a young man who sometimes needs his space." Iroh plucked the cup out of her hand and poured it out. "This is all still new to him. It is always best to leave him some time alone with his thoughts."
"But it's been a long time," Katara insisted, looking away. "What if he fell in one of the ruins? What if he's out there hurt?"
Iroh, who had been washing her cup with water from the bottle he had brought, jerked, his eyes bulging wide. "My nephew is used to taking care of himself." He dried the cup and settled it in the basket. "But perhaps it is best if we made sure."
Laying Aang to rest at the Southern Air Temple, Part 4/7
In the back of his mind, Zuko recognized the sky bison from the iceberg. "Appa," he repeated.
The bison rumbled a thunderous greeting as he bent his giant head down to nuzzle Zuko's chest. "He likes you," Aang commented.
A figment of his own mind liked him. "He's dead."
"So am I," Aang shrugged. He swung himself up into Appa's saddle and held his hand down to the Fire Prince. "Climb on, there are some people I want you to meet."
Gingerly, Zuko took the hand and slithered is way into the saddle as the bison eyed him complacently. Aang flicked the reigns, and Appa's tail smacked the ground, sending them lurching into the air. Zuko let out a faint gasp.
The mountain vanished as Appa dove up into the clouds, and Zuko found himself staring back at where he had seen it last, oddly bereft.
"Don't worry, I know the way back," Aang told him, and Zuko hadn't even considered it. "I spend a lot of time here."
Why? Zuko wanted to ask. "Where are we?"
Aang glanced back at him. "The Spirit World."
"My uncle traveled to the Spirit World once," Zuko scoffed. "It took him weeks of ritual and meditation."
"It's a little different for the Avatar." Aang tugged down on the reigns and patted Appa's shoulder. The creature huffed, plunging back down through the clouds. Zuko had always somehow expected clouds to feel like something, but these didn't. When Zuko touched them, it was like they weren't there. He clung to the saddle and ducked his head. He wasn't a coward. He wasn't going to scream.
Appa pulled up out of his dive sharply, and Zuko clung tighter as he lifted his head. The bison's paws skimmed the surface of a broad, mirrorlike lake that spread out seemingly endlessly on nearly every side of them, featureless. But in front of them, growing out of the lake, their roots hidden under the lake surface, stood a grove of trees, flowers hanging from the branches, reds, blues, yellows, purples, pinks, peaches and whites, on vines like brocade ribbons. Appa flopped down into the lake, as the first of the vines brushed his face. His legs lazily pushed them along, under the branches and flowers.
Zuko craned his head back, to look up at the small, occasional breaks in the leaves overhead, revealing the strange, smoky sky. "You okay back there?" Aang asked. "You're really quiet."
Zuko didn't answer. He slid down to lie on his back in the saddle. "Why did you bring me here?"
"I told you." Aang twisted around. "There are people I want you to meet."
~*~
Katara picked her cup up, and then put it down without taking a drink. Her tea had gone cold, and Iroh had packed everything but that one cup away in his basket again. "He's been gone a really long time."
Sokka furrowed his brow and scowled at his sister. "Look, he said he wanted to lay that other Avatar to rest alone, and I for one don't want to interrupt him." He folded his arms. "I'm just glad he's off doing whatever it is he's doing and not yelling at us."
"My nephew is a young man who sometimes needs his space." Iroh plucked the cup out of her hand and poured it out. "This is all still new to him. It is always best to leave him some time alone with his thoughts."
"But it's been a long time," Katara insisted, looking away. "What if he fell in one of the ruins? What if he's out there hurt?"
Iroh, who had been washing her cup with water from the bottle he had brought, jerked, his eyes bulging wide. "My nephew is used to taking care of himself." He dried the cup and settled it in the basket. "But perhaps it is best if we made sure."
~*~