Pillars of Sand Chapter 6 (Patreon)

A/N: Gonna be real, this chapter fought me real hard, and is solely responsible for this weeks slow updates. We're gonna try to get more on top of these updates to get the ball rolling again. I'll figure out what we're doing with the story poll in a bit, but I'll probably just write 4 chapters of Pillars and then have another vote or something like that to be fair.

Chapter 6: On the Road Again, I Just Can’t Wait to Get on the Road Again

The wind whipped through my hair.

Below, the world unfolded like a map, so small it was almost as if I could it in the palm of my hand. From up here, things looked so much more manageable, as if one woman’s finger might be enough to shift the scales.

So what if I wasn’t driving, or if I soared over mountains instead of skyscrapers? It was like Da Vinci said, ‘Once you’ve tasted the sky, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.’ How fitting.

I let out a sigh, stretching into the breeze.

“You’re pretty used to flying, huh?”

I looked up towards Appa’s head, where Aang sat at the reigns. He was grinning at me over his shoulder.

I smiled back. “Am I?”

“Yeah!” Aang nodded. “Most people take a while to get used to Appa. I think Sokka might have thrown up once!”

“Did not!” Sokka crossed his arms. “I am a man of the Southern Water Tribe. We don’t puke.”

“Not even after eating raw seal gut?” Katara giggled.

Sokka scowled deeper, hunching over. “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone that story!” His sister just laughed again, shrugging apologetically.

“Whoops. Must’ve slipped my mind!”

“Ugh. You all are so talky.” I glanced over at Toph. She was on her stomach, in the middle of Appa’s back, one hand holding on to his fur. It was clear to see that she wasn’t quite comfortable in the air.

Of course, her feet were also kicking behind her, so I guess even something like being suspended a thousand feet up in the air and cut off from her element couldn’t keep the blind bandit down.

Katara rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who wanted to come.”

“Yeah, with her.” Toph pointed, her finger stabbing through the air about an inch and a half in front of my noise as it pointed off into the wild blue yonder. I guess the vibrations from turbulence threw off her tremor sense. “It’s not like I asked for you to tag along, Prissy Springs.”

“P-prissy springs?” Katara glared at Toph. It didn’t help that Sokka started laughing, either. “Listen here, you—”

I whistled. The sound cut through the air, and Momo chittered angrily on top of Aang’s shoulder. “Children. Not while we’re on top of the sky bison only one wrong move from plummeting to our deaths.”

“Oh, Appa would catch you!” Aang said, obliviously. “He’s a good boy.”

And this was supposed to be the so called ‘Avatar, master of all four elements’? I gave a wry laugh. “And what if they managed to push each other off in opposite directions?”

To their credit, all four of them paled slightly at that. “Umm…” Toph shifted slightly. “How high are we, exactly?”

I hummed, leaning over the side. “You know about how tall your house was, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe two to three times that.” I shrugged. I didn’t have the same eye for distances without my swarm.

“… Oh.”

Well, she didn’t quite apologize, and Katara still looked more than a little annoyed, but at least I wouldn’t have to worry about one of them falling to their deaths. I’d never quite gotten the hang of catching someone before they went over the side.

I turned back to Aang. “To answer your question. I used to have a pet a bit like Appa.” I smiled. “Not a sky bison, but he could carry me around, at least.”

“Ohh, what was he?”

“A giant beetle, actually. The only one of his kind.”

Aang was silent for a second after that, and I blinked, realizing my slip-up. I opened my mouth, to say what, I didn’t quite know, but then Aang shrugged. “That’s just the cycle of all things, after all.” He put back on a cheery grin. “The old is replaced by the new, like deadwood nourishes the rest of the forest.”

Katara leaned forward slightly. “Aang…”

“Hmm?” The boy looked over his other shoulder.

“I, uh.” She shrugged helplessly. “Are you alright?”

“Yep.” He smiled again, but this time it was a bit more genuine.

Before anyone, read: me, could put their foot in their mouth again, Appa let out a low bellow.

“Huh, what’s that boy?” Aang leaned forward, rubbing the bison’s neck. “Starting to get a bit tired?”

I jolted at that, shading my eyes as I glanced towards the horizon. It had been most of the day, hadn’t it?

“What’s up, boy?” Sokka, asked, leaning forward. “Usually you’re good for another hour or two. You feeling okay?”

Appa let out another mournful bellow, and Aang nodded. “I guess he’s not used to so many passengers. I should have thought about that.”

I gave a quiet laugh. “I guess I can always get out and walk.”

“Get out of what?” Katara asked.

I waved a hand. “Never mind. So where do we plan to set up camp?”

Aang rubbed his chin. “I wasn’t really looking for a spot.”

“Oh, just land anywhere, Twinkle Toes.” Toph huffed, rolling over and folding her arms. “I’m tired of all this flying already. I thought we were all gonna learn Bending.”

“Would it kill you to be a little more grown up?” Katara asked. “We have more important things to worry about than Bending, like the entire Fire Nation.”

“Fire Nation, Shmire Nation.” Toph waved a hand. “If they come after us, Sandy Mandy and I will bury ‘em.”

I chuckled, waving Katara off. “I’m glad you have faith in my abilities.”

“Mostly mine.” Toph grinned. “But you can handle the mooks.”

“Generally speaking,” I continued, “a military has support and reach to make life difficult for us, even if you could handle any group of soldiers.” I quirked my lip.

“Then I’ll take the next one too.”

I sighed. “Were it so easy.” Waging one-woman wars were something of a specialty of mine, but even then, without my Passenger…

I rubbed the back of my neck. Or are you still there, Passenger, watching out for me? Did you see sand bending and decide that was the best way you could help me, in an environment where insects were few and far between?

As always, I received no reply.

Aang took us down into a small valley, nestled between two rolling hills to the North of Gaoling. It was just now reaching into evening, and the air smelled fresh and crisp. For that, I think, it was worth it get away from the city. You’d think that the air would be clean in this world, compared to the 21st century. But the 21st century also had plumbing.

But out here? I let out a happy sigh.

There was nothing like it.

“Toph, you’re supposed to help us set up camp?”

“Why? I’m all taken care of.”

Then I let out a very different sigh.