The Elements With In (Book Of Fire And Air)

Jet

I fly through the pale blue sky above the tops of a vast deciduous forest with Aang's glider. The trees are blanketed in leaves of fiery reds and oranges; there is just a hint of green left on one or two. The air is alive with the chirps and whirs of insects. I find the clearing in the woods where Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa are visible at the far end, taking a break from travel. I land almost on top of Sokka and spin the glider to close it, Aang takes his staff back as I look around.

"Where's Momo?" I ask.

Momo's yowl echoes through the forest, I move to stand by Aang as Katara and Sokka sit on the ground. We look around, trying to tell where the call came from.

Aang and I wander in the direction we think it came from, drawn by Momo's urgent calls. With a sweep of his arms Aang airbends to leap, climbing to Momo's height by rebounding up off close-by tree trunks.

"Hang on Momo." Aang tells the Lemar as he climbs out onto a tree branch. It extends out of a main part of the tree. Attached to the trunk is a small winch. A rope enters the winch from lower on the trunk, then continues up to an eyeloop bolt attached to the underside of the branch, before hanging straight down. Aang sits then flips over the branch, and dangles beneath it like an acrobat on a trapeze. He grabs the rope, releases a latch on the winch, and carefully feeds more line.

Sokka and I ease the snare down to the ground between us and together pull the squeaky slats apart enough to make an exit. Momo immediately hops out and runs to the foreground to finish a handful of the nuts, his peril forgotten. Sokka and I release the snare, and Sokka groans and slaps his forehead at the lack of gratitude. Aang jumps down from above and looks up.

I look up as well. " Aang we can't leave them."

In the two other snares, the Hog Monkeys in them moan pleadingly. The traps are suspended near each other on a different branch.

"All right—you too." Aang crouches, then springs up in a spiraling column of airbent wind that carries him up to the branch.

I sigh and grab Sokka's boomerang. "This is gonna take forever." I throw the boomerang in one fluid move at the ropes. After cutting the both ropes they fall away. The snares hit the ground with a loud crash followed by panicked beast barks.

Aang hang below the branch hugging it as he inches over to the first staple. He pauses to look upside-down at the ground below. "That works..."

Sokka approaches one of the busted snares and kneels to examine it, as Aang skids down the trunk and root of a tree in the background. "These are Fire Nation traps—you can tell from the metalwork. We'd better pack up camp, and get moving."

I watch as Sokka's hands pull taught the bindings on a roll of gear. He smiles at me, once he's done he leans in and presses a short kiss to my lips.

Katara hands a gear roll up to Aang, who is sitting on Appa's head. Sokka leaves his roll and walks over to them.

"Ah-ah...no flying this time." Sokka shakes his head.

"What?" Katara turns shocked.

Aang hands the roll to me, I put it on the ground. "Why wouldn't we fly?"

I shrug. "I have to agree with Sokka on this one. Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us."

"It's because they spot Appa—he's just too noticeable." Sokka finishes my point.

"What! Appa's not too noticeable!" Katara disagrees.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head—it's kinda hard to miss him!" Appa turns his head and groans at Sokka.