High School Sweethearts Chp. 16

Chapter 16

    "Fighting isn't all about strength," Aang was saying. "It's about using your opponent’s energy against them." He gestured for Suki to take a stance before he did so himself. No matter what kind of fighting style it is, there is always a kind of balance. "You have to be quick and accurate." As he talked, Aang moved in and tried a quick jab. Suki dodged; but Aang was a second quicker. While she was moving, Aang had his foot around Suki's ankle. She started flailing a little and Aang punched a series of points in her body. She was flailing more, trying to keep herself from falling. "After you hit some points in your opponent’s body, they start to lose their balance." He struck one more time, a light blow on the side of the head, and Suki crumpled to the ground, the grass breaking her fall. It was over as soon as it had started. Their friends had awed looked on their faces. "In the end, their own weight becomes their downfall; quite literally," Aang concluded.

    There was silence before Sokka snorted. "That's it? It looked pretty easy from what I saw."

    Toph shook her head. "Now I feel bad for you. Looking is different from feeling. The vibrations I got were light, but very strong. It's more complicated than you think."

    Sokka scowled before standing up defiantly. "Well, if it's so hard, I want to try. Come on, Aang. You and me; right now." Aang frowned and looked at his soul mate.

    Katata shrugged. 'You might as well show him' she said.

    Aang shrugged too and gestured for Sokka to come and take a stance. He did so; he had his arms up and his tongue was sticking out. His feet were spread awkwardly, like he couldn't find his center of balance. It was all anyone could do not to burst out laughing. Even Toph managed to keep her laughter in. Aang took a steadier stance. Sokka was the first to move. He swung his right fist, while running, toward Aang's face. Aang easily dodged, bringing his head while at the same time twisting on his left foot, and slammed his foot into Sokka's stomach. He doubled up, winded. Aang didn't wait for him to recover. He grabbed Sokka's left arm and swung him to the ground. He landed on his chest with his arm twisted behind his back. The next second, he felt a knee in his back. The fight was over; Aang won. Their friends cheered and Aang got up and helped Sokka to his feet. The older boy rubbed his shoulder and sulked back to his spot on the grass.

    Toph laughed out loud. "I told you it was harder than you thought!" She was rolling all over the ground, clutching her sides as she tried to regain her breath. Everyone else was snorting, trying to appear sympathetic. And failing miserably at it. Everyone knew Sokka didn't have a chance.

    Aang turned to Sokka. "So you see; this isn't easy to do. It requires a lot of concentration and determination. You have the determination already; it's just the concentration you need to work on." A few more snorts and Aang half smiled before becoming serious again. He turned to everyone. "We're going learn Ba Gua, Tai Chi, Northern Shaolin, and Hun Gar. We'll each try one and see which one is stronger for us. Let's get started with Ba Gua." They tried it. At first it was sloppy.

    After an hour some of them seem to get it. It mainly involves dodging. The only ones with the trouble was Sokka and Toph. Sokka kept trying to hit Toph and Toph had been taking some of the hits, and vice versa. Aang called his friends to stop.

    "Okay; not bad for a first time. But Sokka and Toph, you guys need to stop hitting each other. Ba Gua is about being evasive; wait for your opponent to weaken themselves before striking back. Katara, no offense, but you need to work on your stance. It looked a little stiff. Suki; you have to be a bit quicker. That was what I noticed when we faced each other the first time. Zuko and Mai; you guys were a little aggressive when striking. Don't put too much force into your attacks or else you might kill someone. Try to work on your weak points. Once you guys overcome them, you'll get better. So let's have a five minute break and we'll try again."

    ***

    By the time they were done, it was almost sun set, so Aang called to his friends that they have done enough for today before going home. He and Katara had decided to hang out a little while longer by taking a short walk.

    "That was a great lesson, Aang," Katara said.

    Aang smiled at her. "Thanks! I have to say, I was impressed by everyone. They progressed pretty quickly. Even you. I think I might know what you might be better at."

    Katara looked at him curiously. "What would that be?" she asked.

    Aang squeezed her hand. "I was thinking Tai Chi. Your movements seemed graceful in some parts. I was actually thinking of trying Tai Chi tomorrow to see if it would suit anyone else. Then after that we could do Hun Gar, then Northern Shaolin. From what I saw, Hun Gar could be with Toph, Shaolin for Mai and Zuko. I'm not sure about Suki and Sokka. Suki knows karate, so I'm not really worried about her. Sokka would probably do better in weaponry or hand to hand combat. Near the end of those lessons, I'll show some basic fighting techniques that could help. What do you think?"

    Katara smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a great lesson plan, Sifu Aang," she added as a joke. Aang grinned. All of a sudden, there was a rustling in the shrubs. Aang and Katara had been walking on the sidewalk close to the woods. Aang pushed Katara behind him and waited, his eyes on the shrubs that had moved. Then the last thing they expected to see came out. It was a young dog, maybe 1 or 3 years old. It was looking around, the fur white and brown. Its eyes were dark brown, intelligent yet scared at the same time. The dog spotted the teenagers and froze, shivering and whimpering. Aang gazed at the dog, his body relaxing. Their eyes met and the dog seemed to relax a little. Where did this dog come from? How did it get here?

    Katara grabbed his arm, yanking him back. He didn't even know he was walking toward the animal.

    "Aang, what are you doing?" Katara asked. "The dog could be wild and it might attack us."

    Aang shook his head. "He won't do anything to us. Look at him; he's more scared of us right now." He tried to move, but Katara held him back. He smiled gently and patted her hand. "Don't worry. I promise he won't hurt us. Trust me on this, okay?" Katara hesitated, then let go of his arm and he walked slowly toward the dog. His tail twitched as Aang knelt in front of him. They looked at each other. Aang studied the animal. He could almost make out his ribs under the dirty fur. The dog's eyes looked a little curious as he looked back.

    "Hey there, little guy," Aang said softly. The dog stared at him. "Where did you come from?" Then he had a thought, and reached into his backpack slowly, not wanting to alarm the dog. That said dog stiffened with fear. Aang brought out a baggie of cut up apple. He opened it, the dog watching. "Are you hungry?" he asked. He pulled out a piece and showed him the food. The dog whimpered; but it wasn't with fear. It was a hungry whimper. He came closer and sniffed it. The dog licked it; then took it into his mouth and started chewing. Katara watched this with amazement. She had no idea Aang was good with animals. And the dog was too tamed to be dangerous. She felt a twinge of guilt. Aang was right; the dog was scared, but he seemed gentle. She continued watching.

    Aang brought out another piece of fruit and the dog ate it quickly. It wasn't too long before the bag was empty. He looked at Aang with something that might have been gratefulness. Then Aang did something that really surprised Katara. He reached his hand out slowly, and the dog came a bit closer, not sure what to expect. Aang stilled, waiting for the dog to come closer. When he did, the dog sniffed his hand before rubbing his dark nose against his palm. Aang started petting his head, the tail started wagging and a long pink tongue fell out of an elongated muzzle.

    Aang looked at Katara with a huge grin on his face. He gestured. "Come here, Kat. Come meet my new friend." Katara smiled, but she walked slowly, not wanting to scare the animal. But he seems to understand that these people will not hurt him. He turned to her with a happy expression as she knelt down before jumping on her. Katara reeled back with wide eyes before the dog started licking her. She started laughing and scratched his head. The dog got off of her and went back to Aang. That was when she noticed the slight limp on his back left leg.

    She pointed at it. "What's wrong with his leg?" she asked in concern.

    Aang examined it, probing it gently. The dog yelped. He frowned. "He must have been hit at some point. Maybe a car hit him." Suddenly he looked determined. "We have to take him back."

    Katara frowned. "Back?"

    Aang nodded. "We have to take him back home, to my uncle. He'll know what to do."

    She shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Even though he seems tamed, he could still bite. What if he has rabies? What if he has some kind of disease?"

    Aang sighed, but didn't give in. "Look, I know it's risky. But if you really look at him, you'll see he needs help. Take a look." He started shifting the fur. Katara watched. She saw there were scabs and cuts, some of them still leaking a little blood. Her concern grew. Who would do this to such a sweet creature?

    She patted the dog's head. "You're right; he needs help. But what if your uncle decided to send him away?"

    Aang smiled. "If there's one thing I know about Gyatso; he would never abandon a living thing in need. Just wait; Appa will stay with us as part of the family."

    "Appa? Is that what you're calling him?" Katara asked.

    He shrugged. "I started thinking apple because he ate some. Only I replaced 'le' with 'a' at the end. The name stuck in my mind." They laughed. "So, I'm calling him Appa."

    Katara patted the dog on his head and smiled when he nudged her hand to lick it. She giggled. "Okay, Appa it is." Then she stood up; Aang followed with Appa close behind them as they walked to Aang's house first.

    When they walked into Aang's house, they saw Gyatso sitting on the couch reading an old book. He looked up as they came in. His intelligent gray eyes spotted the dog, but he didn't show any emotion as Aang sat down and explained the situation. When he was done, Gyatso noticed how close the dog was to the boy, like he was a guardian. His big brown eyes looked into Gyatso's gray ones and seem to talk. The older man can tell the animal has been through a lot. He broke the eye contact and looked at Aang, his face serious. Aang gulped. Then Gyatso smiled and nodded; Aang released his breath and smiled back.

    Then Gyatso said, "But I have a condition. When the dog is better, you are the one who is to take care of him."

    Aang nodded enthusiastically. "I promise I will!" He hugged the dog. "You can stay Appa!" The dog panted with happiness as his tail thumped on the floor.

    Gyatso continued. "Now, I want you to take Katara home. Then when you come back, give Appa a bath and clean his wounds. By the time you're done, I'll have some remedies made that will help him feel better."

    Aang got up and hugged his uncle before grabbing Katara's hand. They left the house as Gyatso chuckled. Then he got up and, with Appa following, went into the kitchen to get the medicine ready.