Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 One night in our camp, Toph rushed from her tent and woke us all. "There's something coming toward us." Her supersensitive feet were picking up vibrations of something rumbling closer and closer. "Should we leave?" Katara asked. "Nature seems to think so," I said, watching tons of animals flee from the woods in terror. "Let's go." We all climbed onto Appa and took off into the night sky. I caught a glimpse of what was chasing us. It was this strange machine made of metal and shaped like a tank, coughing up black smoke. I didn't know what it was, but I had a really bad feeling about it. No matter how far or fast we went, it kept finding us! I finally guided Appa up a high mountain to a steep cliff. It followed us to three different places before we finally decided to stand our ground and see who or what it was. Turns out it was these three Fire Nation girls who we had dealt with in Omashu, including the Firebender who had chased Bumi and me through the Omashu mail chutes. They began galloping

toward us. Toph unleashed some spectacular Earthbending moves to block them, but they dodged the huge rocks and kept on coming. It was clear to me that we weren't going to stop them. So once again we climbed aboard Appa and took off. I know how tired I am. I can only imagine how exhausted Appa must be, carrying all of us, flying all night with no sleep. Hmm… I wonder why it feels like we're flying downward? Appa! He's dozing off! Okay, now we have to land, no matter what. Appa needs to rest! On the ground, Katara and Toph started arguing about whose fault all of this was. "If this is anyone's fault, it's 'sheddy' over there," Toph yelled, pointing at Appa. "He's been shedding his fur and leaving a trail for those girls to follow!" I can't believe my ears! That's so unfair! I don't care if she is my Earthbending teacher. Nobody talks about Appa like that when I'm around. "How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! You always talk about how you carry your own weight, but you don't. Appa does. He carries your weight. And you know what? He never had a problem flying when it was just the three of us!" Oops. I think I went a bit too far. I didn't really mean it. I'm just exhausted, and I don't like anyone

saying bad things about Appa. Still, I was a bit harsh.… I wonder what she'll say.… "See ya," she said finally. Then she picked up her bag and disappeared into the forest. "I can't believe I yelled at my Earthbending teacher and now she's gone. I just tossed away my best chance of beating the Fire lord, of saving the world… of doing my job as the Avatar." "I was pretty mean to her too," Katara admitted. "We need to find her and apologize." The worst part is, it turns out Toph is right! Appa is shedding like crazy. Now that I look I can see his fur everywhere. I need to come up with a plan.… First we washed Appa's shedding fur off in the river so that he wouldn't leave another trail. Then I told Katara and Sokka to take Appa and go find Toph. Meanwhile I grabbed a bunch of Appa's fur and flew around, leaving a fake trail in a totally different direction. This way if the tank follows the fur, it will be way off course. I hope I can make things right with Toph, but first I've got to stop those girls. After flying around spreading Appa's fur, I landed in this town in the middle of nowhere. It's completely deserted. I should probably leave, but the thing is, I

can't keep running forever, can I? I can't lose sight of my bigger mission. The time has come to face whoever is after me. I think I'll just sit here and wait for them to find me, and find out what they're after. What's that sound? It's the Firebender! "All right, you've caught up with me. Now, who are you and what do you want?" It's time to settle this once and for all. "Don't you see the family resemblance?" she asked. Then she covered one eye with her hand and said in a low gravelly voice, "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor." Zuko! She sounds just like him. And now that I look closely, she looks kind of like him too. Is she Zuko's sister? Did they send her to track me down now? Did something bad happen to Zuko, and she took his place? Come to think of it, I haven't run into Zuko in a while.… Wait a minute, why am I worried about Zuko? He's devoted his life to trying to capture me for the Fire Nation. Besides, I'm the one in danger! I wonder if she's as powerful as he is. "So, what now?" Let's see what she's made of. "Now it's over," she said. "You can run, but I'll always catch you." Like brother, like sister. "I'm not running." "Do you really want to fight me?"

"Yes, I really do." Okay, I know I didn't say that. Who—Zuko? Where did he come from? Has he been following me too? Are they going to team up against me? "Back off, Azula," Zuko threatened. "He's mine." Just back away slowly. The last thing I need is to face two Firebenders at the same time. Still, it doesn't seem like they're going to fight me as a team. They don't seem to like each other very much. It must be tough for Zuko to have a sister who seems so coldhearted. Wait a second—do I actually feel sorry for Zuko? Is that possible? "I can see you two have a lot of catching up to do," I said. "So I'll just be going." I guess I shouldn't have said anything. Just then, both Zuko and Azula turned toward me. I can't escape. I'll have to battle them both. Zuko looks more anxious than me. Is he afraid of his sister? Azula is just smiling—her smile makes my skin crawl. There's no way out of this without fighting—I just hope I have the strength to make it out alive. Azula just struck—but not me. I'm okay. She's attacking Zuko! Why are they so bent on attacking each other? Never mind, there's no time now. I have to protect myself. Actually, I think the only thing keeping me alive