*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
˚ ₊ ♡ ❰  MIRACULUM ❱
*✧ ─── ❝ ❪ A PROMISE MADE,
A PROMISE KEPT ❫ ❞

⋆ 🌪. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚ ₊ ♡ 112 a.a ─── book two: earth

UKI JOLTED AWAKE AS SHE FELT HERSELF BEING LIFTED FROM APPA'S SADDLE. SHE BLINKED, HEART RACING TO SEE APPA asleep—rapidly plummeting to the ground. "Aang!" She cried out, clutching on to the side of the skybison's saddle. "This is why I don't like flying!" she spluttered out, spitting out her hair as it wafted in her face due to the harsh winds.

"What's going on?" Toph shouted, her voice laced with panic as she grabbed onto Uki's tunic, clutching it with a white-knuckle grip.

Aang dangling in the air and struggling to keep his grip on the reins, shouted over the rushing wind, "Appa fell asleep!"

"Wake up, buddy!" Aang urged, his voice full of desperation as he crawled down Appa's head to speak directly in his face.

To their luck, Appa's eyes fluttered open just moments before crashing into a dense cluster of trees. The impact jolted everyone, scattering their gear and causing chaos.

"Ouch."

"Appa's exhausted," Aang commented, surveying the wreckage, dragging his feet tiredly.

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them," Sokka said, trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. "The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep." He slung his sleeping bag over his shoulder, looking like he could collapse at any moment.

Uki despite the unease she still felt nodded in agreement. "We can't stay awake forever..."

"Of course, we could've gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues," Katara retorted cuttingly.

Uki groaned rubbing her temple as the argument between Katara and Toph reignited once again. Dropping down on the ground, she rested her back against one of the more sturdy trees and resigned herself to another shouting match.

"What?" Toph yelled, her voice echoing with anger.

"All right, all right, everyone's exhausted!" Aang interjected, stepping in to defuse the mounting tension. "Let's just get some rest."

"No, I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have issues?" Toph demanded, rising to confront Katara, angrily jutting her finger at the girl

"I'm just saying," Katara snapped back, "Maybe if you had helped out earlier, we could've set up camp faster, gotten some sleep, and wouldn't be in this situation!"

"You're blaming me for this?" Toph's voice was a thunderclap of indignation.

Katara tossed her sleeping bag aside, daring Toph to come closer.

"ladies..." Uki groaned out, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aang jumped between them to placate. "No! No, she's not blaming you." He said assumingly to Toph.

"No, I'm blaming her," Katara said defiantly, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Hey!" Toph shoved Aang aside with a burst of earthbending, "I never asked for your help. I carry my own weight. Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here." She pointed an accusing finger at Appa.

"What? You're blaming Appa?" Aang's voice rose, filled with hurt.

"You wanna know why?" Toph threaded her finger's through Appa's fur and as she pulled back a tuft of shed fur fluttered in the wind. "He's shedding and leaving a trail everywhere we go."

"How dare you blame Appa! He's saved your life three times today! If anyone's to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not. He is! Appa never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!"

"Hey!" Uki pushed herself back up as slowly the whole argument started to escalate, "Let's just all take a moment—"

"I'm out of here," Toph declared, her voice cold as she began to gather her belongings with a series of sharp earthbending movements.

"Wait, Toph!"

Toph ignored her plea.

Sokka stepped in front of Toph, his voice urgent. "Wait!"

Toph used her earthbending to shove Sokka aside as she stormed off into the night.

"What did I just do?" Aang cried out, his voice filled with regret as he sank down onto the ground, his shoulders slumped. "I can't believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher. Now she's gone."

"I know," Katara said sorrowfully, her gaze softening. "We're all just trying to get used to each other, and I was so mean to her."

"You two were pretty much jerks," Sokka said, taking a seat beside Uki.

"Thanks." Katara said, her tone a bland.

"No problem," Sokka replied, attempting a reassuring smile, clearly not picking up on his sister's tone.

"Hey, cut it out. Everyone is just tired... we're all a bit to blame alright." Uki stated before yawning.

"We need to find Toph and apologize," Katara looked at Aang.

"Okay, but what are we going to do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aang grabbed a handful of Appa's fur, letting it blow away in the wind as he looked up, his expression thoughtful.

"I have a plan," he said, his voice steadying with resolve.

Uki clapped her hands, resigning herself to whatever plan the boy came up with. "Well, let's hit the road then."

If Uki had known that her efforts would culminate in giving Appa a bath, she would have protested more vigorously.

Aang explained as he wiped his hands clean, "Toph was right. The fur was leaving a trail straight to us. But now that he's clean, we won't leave any more traces." He glanced at the freshly washed bison, who was looking much better.

Uki noticed Sokka struggling to wring out his soaked shirt. With a quick flick of her wrist, she used her waterbending to expel the excess water, leaving Sokka's shirt almost dry. He looked at her gratefully and gave a tired smile.

"Are you sure he's okay to fly?" Katara asked, her brow furrowed with concern as she checked on Appa.

"He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here," Aang said, kneeling to gather scatter pieces of Appa's fur. "I'm going to use this fur to create a fake trail to lead the tank off our scent."

"Stay safe, Aang," Uki said, squeezing the airbender's shoulder affectionately.

giving him a brief but firm hug. Despite her exhaustion, she made sure her concern was evident.

Aang returned her gesture with an appreciative smile before Uki joined Katara and Sokka onto Appa's back and the skybison took off in the opposite direction.

The warmth of the sun on her tan skin, did revitalize Uki slightly as they soared through the sky, her eyes peering over Appa's saddle and keeping an eye out for their pursuers.

"Toph couldn't have made it too far," Sokka said, scanning the woods as they fled.

Just then, Momo began to chitter anxiously and retreat.

"What is it, Momo--Oh no," Sokka screeched out.

"How did they find us?" Katara exclaimed in shock as she spotted two of the girls from Omashu hot on their trail.

"Appa, we need to go faster!" Sokka urged.

"He's too tired!" Katara shouted back.

"Well he's got to hurry up if we want to lose them!" Uki shouted.

"Not good, not good! We just need to make it across that river!" Sokka's voice was tinged with panic.

"Come on, Appa, just a little further," Uki pleaded.

Appa strained to pick up speed, but his exhaustion was evident as he crashed through treetops and snapped off branches. He skimmed the surface of the river before plunging onto the opposite bank with a jarring thud.

"We made it! We're safe!" Sokka cheered, his relief palpable.

"You did it, Appa!" Katara smiled, her worry momentarily lifting.

Uki patted Appa's head.

However, her relief was short-lived. She glanced back and saw the mongoose lizards making swift progress across the water. Katara reacted quickly, conjuring a massive wave to strike at the girl in pink. The girl nimbly jumped off her mount and somersaulted onto the riverbank, landing near the treetops. She grinned as she approached Katara.

Skidding down Appa, while raising the water from her pouch, Uki managed to raise a wall of ice just before the other girl could skewer Katara with her tiny arrows.

Kicking up, Uki twirled in the air, turning the ice into shards that went hurling toward the tall teenager.

Not pausing to catch her breath, Uki swiftly twisted her body in the air, her waterbending shifting into a more aggressive form. She gathered her remaining water, channeling her energy into the ice wall she had created. With a sharp, decisive motion, she fractured the ice, causing it to break apart into a flurry of deadly shards.

The ice shards flew through the air with a chilling swiftness, each one glinting ominously as it hurtled toward the tall teenager

As the shards closed in, the girl ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding some of the ice projectiles. Her nimbleness allowed her to dodge most of them, but a few shards grazed her, leaving small but painful cuts.

Uki watched intently, her gaze unwavering. She was determined to protect her friends.

The girl threw her arm out, and more small arrows flew toward her—Uki barely managed to dodge them and send a tendril of water to snap them in half.

"Sokka!" Uki cried out as the pink acrobat jabbed the boy's arm—who in turn let his weapon fall.

Leaving the shuriken user to Katara, Uki quickly leaped toward the girl in pink, sending quick whips of water as they twirled around one another's attacks.

"Arg—" Uki cried out as the chi-blocker managed to land a hit, immobilizing her right arm.

"Uki!" Katara shouted, her voice laced with worry. She summoned several discs of water from her pouch and threw them at the girl. The attacker cartwheeled out of the way, narrowly escaping the onslaught.

Katara moved to a nearby tree, drawing a powerful stream of water to use as a weapon. However, the dark-haired girl hurled two shuriken, pinning Katara's wrists to the tree trunk. Sokka, who had been knocked to the ground and immobilized, hobbled to his sister before falling down.

Pushing herself toward her friends, Uki protectively stood in front of the younger kids, her left arm raised despite her fatigue kicking in.

"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys, it would be more exciting." She crossed her arms, "Oh well, victory is boring..."

"It is not over yet!" Uki denied, kicking her leg up to send a large burst of water at the two girls—but despite her efforts, her tiredness slowed her down and made her predictable.

The girl—Tye Lee jumped up, and darted toward her, jabbing her other arm and legs.

Uki crumbled to the ground.

"Oh well." the knife-wielding girl said dryly.

The girls readied their next attack, but suddenly a powerful gust of wind swept them off their feet. Appa's tail had created a massive whirlwind, sending the girls tumbling several yards into the river.

Sokka looked at the bison with a mix of relief and gratitude. "Thanks, Appa. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Uki, her breath coming in heavy gasps, managed to push herself up from the ground. She glanced around, relieved to see that the immediate threat had been neutralized. "Let's not waste any more time. We need to get moving before they regroup."

AFTER THEIR SENSES HAD RETURNED, THE TRIO HAD QUICKLY SET OUT ONCE AGAIN WITH APPA TO TRACK DOWN AANG'S LOCATION. As the winding woods made way for a desolate, sandy landscape and the wind picked up, Uki surveyed the broken and deserted town up ahead with a nervous flutter in her chest.

Her heart raced when she spotted Princess Azula with her hand outstretched, preparing to launch a lethal attack on the Avatar. Without hesitation, Uki jumped off of Appa and send a strong burst of water at the firebender, knockong her of balance—her deadly lightning strike hitting the building instead.

The princess glared, and shot her fist toward Uki, sizzling blue flames heading straight toward her, only for the fire to be cut off by a more familiar orange one.

Zuko appeared from an alleyway, kicking his leg out, his boot arching as flames propelled toward Uki.

"Hey!"

She dodged, rolling onto the ground, the heat unbearably above her.

Meanwhile, Katara was working furiously to free Aang from the wooden planks that restrained him. She unleashed a powerful stream of water, slicing through the wood and freeing Aang from his bindings.

They shared a quick smile before running outside where Uki stood facing off both Zuko and Azula.

"Uki!" Aang shouted.

Azula's eyes narrowed in fury and she pivoted swiftly, sending a fierce blast of blue fire toward Uki. With quick reflexes, Uki raised her hands, manipulating the water to form a barrier that extinguished the searing flames before they could engulf her.

As Aang charged forward to engage Azula, she retaliated with a blistering fire blast aimed directly at him. Uki, anticipating the threat, used her waterbending to erect a shield of ice in front of Aang, quenching the flames before they could reach him.

The ice shield cracked and steamed from the intensity of the fire, but it held firm.

Uki panted, and let her barrier drop.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Azula's feet began to shift and tremble. She stumbled and fell as the earth moved violently. "I thought you guys could use a little help," Toph's voice rang out, her figure emerging from the shifting terrain.

"Toph! I'm so glad to see you back!" Uki exclaimed with relief.

"Thanks, Toph," Katara added, her tone full of appreciation.

Azula, regaining her footing, attempted to escape. But before she could make a move, another familiar man appeared—the one who had saved her from the Fire Nation soldier in the North Pole.

With a swift and powerful motion, Iroh struck Azula, sending her sprawling to the ground.

The entire team—Aang, Katara, Sokka, Uki, Iroh, and Zuko—formed a circle around Azula, who was backed up against the remnants of a crumbling stone wall.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors, all working together," Azula taunted, her voice dripping in contempt. "I'm done. I know when I'm beaten. A Princess surrenders with honor."

The group remained cautious, distrustful of Azula's words. Her smirk betrayed her true intentions. In a sudden, ruthless move, Azula took a step forward and unleashed a powerful fire blast aimed directly at Iroh.

The attack struck him with devastating force, causing him to cry out in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

"No!" Aang, Katara, and Uki shouted in unison as they sprang into action. They fired their combined attacks at Azula, creating a massive explosion that sent a thick cloud of smoke billowing into the air.

As the smoke began to clear, burning embers fell from the sky, creating a dramatic backdrop of destruction.

Azula had vanished, her figure nowhere to be seen amidst the haze.

Uki turned her attention to Prince Zuko, who was kneeling beside Iroh.

"Get away from us!" Zuko shouted fiercely, his voice laced with pain and anger the moment he noticed them approach.

"Zuko, we can help," Katara said gently as she stepped closer

But Zuko was adamant. He unleashed a scorching arc of fire in their direction, his expression hardened. "Leave!"

They all stumbled back to avoid the heat of Zuko's flames.

"Let's go..." Sokka tugged on Uki's tunic as the girl remained firmly planted on the ground, her eyes never once leaving Iroh.

"Toph—" Her eyes remained fixated on the duo, "Is he alive?"

A moment passed as the Earthbender shifted her feet on the ground. "Barely."

Uki nodded and looked over her shoulder at the group. "Alright, you four go on."

"What?" Katara spluttered with wide eyes, "Why?"

"I'll stay here."

"Uki you can't seriously—"

"I know it sounds crazy, "She sighed, "but that man saved my life during the Siege... I owe it to him to try."

"You saw what Zuko did, he's dangerous." Sokka denied.

He'll cool off. " She smiled surely , "Go, I'll find you later, I promise."

Aang glanced nervously between her and Appa before reluctantly nodding.

Uki waited a moment as they left, watching Appa soar up into the sky growing smaller and smaller.

Turning back, Uki swallowed anxiously as she watched the Fire Nation prince hunch over Iroh, his shoulder's shaking slightly.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Uki didn't hesitate to twist her arms out.

The puddle of water close by shot at Zuko and froze him to the ground, "What!"

Rushing to Iroh's side, and ignoring Zuko's shouting, Uki gathered the last bit of water from her pouch and directed it toward's Iroh's wound.

"Stop it! What are you doing!?" Zuko's voice was sharp and frantic, but Uki remained focused, her brow furrowed in determination.

As Uki continued to work, she could feel Iroh's breath becoming steadier. The erratic twitching of his brow ceased, a sign that he was starting to regain control of his body. Exhausted but resolute, Uki lifted her gaze to Zuko, her voice steady despite the strain.

"I'm healing him," she said firmly, her eyes meeting Zuko's.

Zuko's glare was intense, filled with anger and confusion. Uki saw that he had managed to melt the ice around himself. He was still simmering with frustration, but at least he hadn't resorted to setting her on fire.

A win is a win she guessed.

"Why?" Zuko demanded, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Because I made a promise," Uki shot back, her voice hard. "Now help me pick him up. We need to get him somewhere shaded and safe."

Zuko's expression remained blank as he processed her words. Without another word, he moved to assist, his movements careful but determined.

Together, they gently lifted Iroh, making sure not to jostle him too much. Uki led the way, guiding them towards a nearby houses that hadn't completely been destroyed.

As they carefully placed Iroh on the ground, Uki quickly began her healing once more, continuing to monitor his condition.

Zuko stood off to the side, his expression conflicted.

Glaring up at him over her shoulder she demanded; "Get me some more water. We are going to need it."

Zuko didn't protest, but by the sound of his heavy footsteps, Uki wouldn't be surprised if steam was wafting from his ears.

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