A few days after their lesson they were on the road again. Well, actually they were in the air but the meaning is very much the same. Artie insisted on riding that tiny bison of his but Quinn didn't mind and Mercedes found it incredibly cute. Even if the bison was still large enough to crush her under its weight.
It was a still ride. Mercedes was sitting in the saddle for once and gazing at the clouds as they passed by. Quinn sat by the head, hands on Kayla's horns and a bored expression on her face. Artie and Brittany followed behind them, not actually knowing the way by themselves.
Everyone was lost in their own head until Artie suddenly gave a startled cry and Brittany started descending towards the ground.
Mercedes was roused from her daydream and gave the two a confused look. Artie said nothing(as if they could hear him in this wind) but only motioned for them to follow him and Brittany down to wherever they were going. Mercedes was still confused but all her mind could register was that the airbender was getting away and she hastily climbed over to where Quinn was still looking forward, seemingly having not noticed the exchange.
Quinn felt something poking at her shoulder and turned around only to get an eyeful of a fleeing airbender and a hopelessly shrugging Mercedes. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she gave Kayla's horns a harsh tug and made them turn around, pressing down then to make them lose height. Trust the airbender to suddenly dash off without a word.
/
Flying was fun. That much had been decided during the very earliest years of Arthur Abram's life. No matter how many times you did it there was always a new trick to find out or a new place to go and it was oh so much fun to do it.
Now that he had fled the temple, flying was occupying pretty much the bigger part of their days. This pleased him, although it wasn't much different from what he did at the temple. The difference was the view.
As they flew, Artie would do his best to look everywhere and memorize as much of the land as he possibly could. This was probably the reason he was the only one who noticed the moving spots in the landscape beneath them. They were very far up and so he couldn't make out exactly what they were - humans or animals. He could however see the outlines of a boat that was floating along an impossibly long river. It was small enough to pass for a private fishing boat but big enough to pass for a very expensive private fishing boat. That was why Artie could see perfectly the way it suddenly rocked violently and started tilting onto a very dangerous angle. It was obvious they had crashed into something underwater, a small part of Artie's mind thought. The rest of it however was too busy thingking 'Oh sweet winds. Those fishers gone out the deep end!' in that exact wording.
So he cried out in shock and went on autopilot as his hands slackened on Brittany's reins and she started descending to the world below. He looked up at the dragon and saw Mercedes look at him as if he had just grown another head. He gestured for her to follow and slackened his grip further to speed up their diving. Brittany took the hint - the sweetheart - and started going impossibly fast in a straight line downwards. Even as he panicked a little bit he couldn't help but think that this is what he loves about flying dammit!
/
Quinn could only look confusedly at the disappearing spot that was the air bison and rider. Mercedes was sitting next to her now and gaped in shock. Even Kayla seemed to have opened her mouth in silent admiration.
"Did he just?" Mercedes closed her mouth and shook her head.
"Just follow him 'doll, and make sure he teaches you that sometime." Quinn shrugged and dug her heels into Kayla's neck, making them go faster.
/
"Stop that!"
"You started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did-"
"Children please!"
Tom Hanson, father, husband and fisherman extraordinaire turned his head to look at his squabbling family. He told Risa that it would be a bad idea to bring the children, didn't he? He was pretty sure he did.
"But he won't stop pulling my hair mama!"
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
Ah, the joy of family.
He watched as his wife tried to forcibly keep their daughter and son apart and didn't even notice the large rock sticking out of the water until it was too late. Everyone screamed as they got launched to the side of the deck and Tom had to cling to the wheel to keep from slamming painfully into the wall. Unfortunately this pulled the wheel too far to the side, adding to the leaning of the boat tremendously. He scrambled onto his feet and started scanning the water around the boat in search for the perpetrator. He didn't find it but the problem was still there and so he hurried to try and steer the boat into an upright position again. That was the time that another rock appeared, this time hitting was would have been the side in an upright position but was now closer to the underside of the boat.
Risa and the children were screaming and Tommy Jr had started crying now. Both the children were hanging on for dear life to their mother as she did the same to the railing of the boat. By now there was no hope of straightening out again as they were heading for more rocks and a waterfall so Tom abandoned the wheel and hurried to gather his family so that they could get to the only lifeboat together. This was easier said than done as he had to climb through a boat laying on its side within a strong current. He managed to reach them though and he and Risa took on child each before climbing further.
This proved to all have been in vain as the boat suddenly hit what presumably was another rock. The shock was so violent it almost tossed the family off the boat.
It was also violent enough to snap the ropes of the lifeboat.
Tom watched as their only hope for survival floated away and (irritatingly enough) was smashed to pieces against yet another rock.
/
The landing wasn't exctly soft but it was swift. Artie would have to learn to actually slow Brittany down in a dive someday. This wasn't the primary concern right now though so for the moment he settled on landing in some trees. Like he said, it wasn't exactly soft but it was soft enough for him not to get hurt.
Brittany had gotten stuck within the branches of the tree and was now struggling to get loose. There was no time to help her so Artie apologized and promised to return before jumping out of the tree and sprinting towards the river, which had now revealed to be unexpectedly huge.
The boat was taking in water now, judging by the gaping holes in it. The water was too dangerous to swim and even if he got to the boat by jumping there was no way he would be able to get the family(who seemed to be the only ones on deck) to safety.
He cast a panicked glance to the sky and saw that the dragon and its passengers were still too high in the air to get to them in time. He started bouncing in place, a nervous habit, as he tried to think of a way to manage the situation.
Kayla was fast. Mercedes couldn't deny that much. There were however moments when a dragon just wasn't fast enough. They were preciously few but they existed. This was what went through Mercedes' mind as she looked at the boat sinking in the water and the boy hopelessly panicking on the beach of the river. Quinn said nothing, her face a stony mask as she urged her dragon familiar to go faster. Still, Mercedes knew they weren't going to be fast enough.
She patted Quinn's shoulder as a sort of alerting to what she was doing and stood up in place. Quinn looked confused for a moment but it turned to shock as soon as Mercedes took aim and jumped straight off the dragon mid-flight. She quickly angled herself into a dive and tried to make herself as thin as possible. Quinn leaned forward to watch her teacher in shock and fear but Mercedes didn't turn around.
This family wasn't dying today.
/
Tom and his family had now managed to climb to the side of the boat that pointed to the sky but the boat was angling now so that the rear as well as the side was rapidly sinking. They scuffled along the railing as the sinking progressed so as to get as far away from the probably freezing water as possible. Tom knew it was a lost cause though. They were going to die here.
As they moved, he took the time to tightly hug each and every one of his beloved family. It was a little inconvenient to their task but that didn't really matter now. He declared over and over again how mcuh he loved them and they all answered him with the same level of love and devotion.
This was also the time around which Tom was pretty sure your life is supposed to flash before your eyes. It doesn't. Instead he found you hallucinate because that was the only explanation he could find to the woman currently falling out of the sky.
He paused his climb to just watch her as she sailed in a straight line towards the boat and now he really hoped he was hallucinating because if this woman was somehow real then there was no way in tha name of the Sun that she would ever survive that fall. That in turn meant that he would die right next to a bloody mangled corpse. Short version: could this day get any worse?
But then the woman went and blew his mind.
About two thirds of her descent, she volted into what would have been a standing position and thrust all four limbs downwards. Fire sprouted from her hands and feet and the woman started losing speed. By the time she had reached the boat the fire had absorbed all her momentum and she landed safely on the railing from which the family was now hanging.
"Hurry!" She said and reached out a hand to them while crouching low. Tom hurried to hand him little Tommy and then followed Lucy. Risa was next and she went back to clutching her children as Tom was pulled up. The woman surveyed the situation and then motioned to Risa.
"I can only take one person at a time. I promise to come back." She smiled reassuringly as Risa nodded her understanding, though still looking completely terrified, and handed her Tommy. Tommy was in turn instructed to climb onto the woman's back and hold on tight.
Everyone watched in amazement as the woman once more ignited her limbs and went flying towards the beach where a brown haired boy was now jumping in excitement.
/
Artie greeted Mercedes with a relieved smile and hurried to help the boy on her back onto the ground.
"How did you do that?" He asked in admiration. She shrugged.
"Girl has got some tricks. Do you think you can use your airbending to do something similar?" Artie looked hesitant.
"I don't know. I've never carried anyone before."
"Well then you had better find out if you can and fast."
Artie still looked scared but nodded. Mercedes took aim and blasted off the beach again because there was kind of still a sinking boat behind her. This time Artie followed her.
/
Sometimes, Quinn decided, the Avatar can use some help in helping people.
Especially if she was still in midair and her dragon was too slow to be able to help anyone.
So she leaned back and relaxed, watching the spectacle.
/
The woman and the boy had returned now and this time Tom and Risa were ready for them. The boy looked a little nervous but he took Lucy and shot off without using any fire. A small part of Tom's mind was amazed that he got to see a real live airbender. The rest of it was focusing on getting his wife onto the woman before she jumped back to the beach. Women and children first, they always said.
The boy wobbled a little in the air but otherwise was fine and Tom breathed a sigh of relief when he set down Lucy next to Tommy and kneeled down to say something to both kids. Tom smiled as his wife was deposited near them and the woman came flying once more. He took her hand readily and clung tightly to her as they sailed back to the same spot. They had been saved.
/
The reunited family was sharing a tight group hug when Quinn(finally!) landed on the ground next to them. She raised an impressed eyebrow at them both and Artie turned to grin at Mercedes.
"You never told me you could fly. If I knew that much I would have kicked you off my dragon for not teaching me." Quinn said only half-jokingly. Mercedes smiled.
"You're not quite at that level yet 'doll."
Then the man of the family stood up and walked towards Mercedes and Artie.
"Thank you." He said fervently as he shook their hands in turn. "Thank you so much."
Mercedes grinned and Artie shrugged. "No problem." Mercedes said.
"Just don't go fishing in too large rivers." Artie smiled. The man nodded, a smile on his face as well.
"Is there anything we can do to show our gratitude?" The woman had now brought the children closer and taken the man's hand. Mercedes shook her head no.
"But surely there must be something we could give you." The man insisted. He dug into his pocket and fished around for a few moments before extracting a rolled up piece of parchment and a small blue stone.
"This is a map of the area." He held up the archment. Then the stone. "I found this in a fish I caught once. I assure you we cleaned it off." He added the last part as Quinn had immidiately pulled a disgusted face at the statement. He grinned at her, then turned back to Mercedes.
"It's not much but it might be able to help you in some way." He handed her the items. She bowed and he copied the motion. The trio watched as the family departed down the beach, happy to live and fish another day.
"Nice job guys." Quinn smiled as Mercedes started climbing up on the dragon, settling down to sit in the saddle once more. Artie was still smiling until...
"Oh my god, Brittany!" He yelled and dashed away in the direction of the nearby forest. The ladies stared after him, confused and slightly exhasperated.
"What now?" Mercedes groaned. Quinn rolled her eyes.
Airbenders.
/
In another part of the world, things weren't looking quite so well.
"I want you to go out and look for him."
The man sat perfectly still, hands clasped before him as he regarded the boy. The boy blinked.
"Why me?" He asked. "Not that I don't miss him because boy do I miss himbut I don't see why I'm supposed to do it."
The man's eyes softened considerably. "Because he is our responsibility. He was then and he is now. Plus the fact that you are nothing if not the greatest fighter in this whole damn city. We are at war here son and I need you to help me where you are needed."
The boy frowned. He didn't really want to leave home right now. Then he thought of the man he was supposed to find, the face of the man's mother and his own, and made up his mind. It was slightly frightening the amount of thngs he would do for this boy. He looked back up at his father with strong determined eyes.
"I'll do it."
The man smiled and nodded. He stood up and walked out of the room, probably going to arrange a transport into the Earth Kingdom. The boy sighed once he was alone. The things you do for not-quite-yet-family.