Chapter 12 - The finding of Heal-all
Submitted April 30, 2005 Updated February 28, 2007 Status Complete | UPDATED 2/28/07 Added 14 For full Summery see chapter titled summery. Aang needs a firebending teacher before time runs out. Zuko still wants to capture him. But what happens when he meets an old friend of Uncle Iroh’s and learns . . .
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Chapter 12 - The finding of Heal-all
Chapter 12 - The finding of Heal-all
XI
The finding of Heal-all
Earlier that same day Aang, Sokka, and Katara had found the healer’s house. it hadn’t really been that hard once they figured out what they were looking for. Right in the center of town out side a large square with the market on one side, more houses on the other and the blacksmith straight across, the white washed building had bushels of drying herbs hanging from the edge of the roof, more planted in pots around the door, and a small path that lead to a larger garden around back.. Apparently the healer grew the majority of the medicines she used. Which was just like every other healer Aang had ever known when he paused to think of it. But the house itself had been in a state of chaos. Apparently all the ingredients for the needed cure had been found, all but one. The rare heal-all herb. A small purple flower that grew in large clusters so long as it had a damp dark area to flourish in. The herb was coveted for it’s miraculous ability to heal almost anything, and because of the conditions require to grow the herb, it was extremely rare. Used only in the most potent of antidotes or when all other cures failed. It was no wonder the healer hadn’t had it growing among her other plants. Luckily the herb was native to the island though proving impossible to find.
The patient was dieing, would be dead by the next morning. So desperate was healer Kiata that she was recruiting villagers to the search for the herb. Aang immediately volunteered to help. He needed a teacher, but this man’s life was more important. He didn’t even know who the patient was, but he was determined to help the healer find the rest of the cure.
They’d been wandering around for several hours searching for the herb, but had no luck. It seemed they could find plenty of places the herb had been but every time it was eaten down to the roots. It seemed the flower was a favorite of the local animal life.
Aang found his mind wandering from the task at hand. He found him self missing Bumi and Toph. It was easier to practice his earth bending with them around to invent games or challenges. But with out them he felt alone when he practiced. There was no one to challenge him. It wasn’t the same practicing against Katara. She just turned the earth in to mud and bended it back at him and that wasn’t quite the same as having a bolder thrown at your head. When they had passed by Omashu for the third time that summer, the small group had noticed something different. No longer had the city been flying fire nation flags. Rather the earth nation’s banner was flown from nearly every tower in the city, not to mention that they could see the delivery slides working again. It seemed Bumi had grown tired of living in a box, made contact with his soldiers and retaken the city. The fire nation soldiers and civilians had been treated well provided they were willing to live in peace. Those who had tried to cause trouble very quickly found themselves in prison. But even the prisoners were well kept. Omashu had proved a safe haven for the two weeks they had stayed. Learning new tricks from Bumi had been a blast, and Toph had enjoyed the old King’s company so much that when they had left she remained behind, saying she’d “catch up later.”
“Where could that herb be hiding!” Sokka said in frustration kicking a rock.
“I don’t know.” Katara sighed, “For some reason I thought it’d be easier then this, like finding Appa . . .”
“Like finding Appa . . .” Aang repeated. “Wait a minute!” in a flash he remembered their journey into the swamp. Everything was connected in the world like the swamp was to the tree. Maybe, just maybe he could find the heal-all herb the same way he had found Appa. Taking a deep breath he placed the tips of his fingers against the ground, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
This time it was different. There was no line pointing his direction to the object of the search. Rather there were several brief images. The shore, a cliff, a small cave, the flowers.
“Well? Sokka asked when Aang stood up again.
“They’re on the east side of the island in a cave.” Aang said as he started walking.
“The east side, wait the east side is covered in cliffs!”
“I know.”
“So were looking for a cave in the cliffs?”
“Yeup.” They stopped on the edge of the cliffs in question. It hadn’t taken long to get there, just a couple of minutes. The view was breathtaking. High up at the top of the cliffs with the waves crashing on the shore below them and the sun striking the water so it sparkled, Aang could have sat there and just looked, but they had to find that herb.
“Do you at least know which one?” Sokka asked.
“No the vision didn’t tell me that.” Aang said, “But don’t worry we’ll find it. Come on help me find a way down to shore so we can start looking.
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me we’re looking for one cave on an island full of caves? Did you not pay attention when we were flying in? The Turtles use them for their nests the whole island is full of caves! What are we supposed to do slip on a rock and fall into one?”
“Wow Sokka that’s a great idea why don’t you try it.” Katara said as they picked their way along the edge. “At least it might prove helpful, which your complaining is not!”
“Ok I will!” Sokka retorted. “Here I go guys.” He gave a great leap into the air and came down . . . on nothing. When he landed the ground beneath him gave way and Sokka fell through a hole about two feet by two feet. It had been so overgrown by brush and grass that had Sokka not landed on it they would have walked right past and never even known it was there. ”Uh a little help here!” his voice came floating back up at them.
Aang lay down on his stomach and reached his head and arms into the hole to help his friend back out. But before he had even grabbed hold of Sokka’s hand he stopped.
“Aang?” Sokka asked “what’s wrong?” he turned around to see what Aang was looking at and gaped. The cave stretched for about ten feet before ending in a small opening that let just a little sunlight through. It was high enough up the cliff that the turtles couldn’t get to it, and low enough the see spray could. However that’s not what Aang was looking at. Behind where Sokka was standing was a huge patch of small, clustered, purple, flowers growing in the fertile soil of the cave.
“Sokka,” Aang said finally, “I think it worked!”
The finding of Heal-all
Earlier that same day Aang, Sokka, and Katara had found the healer’s house. it hadn’t really been that hard once they figured out what they were looking for. Right in the center of town out side a large square with the market on one side, more houses on the other and the blacksmith straight across, the white washed building had bushels of drying herbs hanging from the edge of the roof, more planted in pots around the door, and a small path that lead to a larger garden around back.. Apparently the healer grew the majority of the medicines she used. Which was just like every other healer Aang had ever known when he paused to think of it. But the house itself had been in a state of chaos. Apparently all the ingredients for the needed cure had been found, all but one. The rare heal-all herb. A small purple flower that grew in large clusters so long as it had a damp dark area to flourish in. The herb was coveted for it’s miraculous ability to heal almost anything, and because of the conditions require to grow the herb, it was extremely rare. Used only in the most potent of antidotes or when all other cures failed. It was no wonder the healer hadn’t had it growing among her other plants. Luckily the herb was native to the island though proving impossible to find.
The patient was dieing, would be dead by the next morning. So desperate was healer Kiata that she was recruiting villagers to the search for the herb. Aang immediately volunteered to help. He needed a teacher, but this man’s life was more important. He didn’t even know who the patient was, but he was determined to help the healer find the rest of the cure.
They’d been wandering around for several hours searching for the herb, but had no luck. It seemed they could find plenty of places the herb had been but every time it was eaten down to the roots. It seemed the flower was a favorite of the local animal life.
Aang found his mind wandering from the task at hand. He found him self missing Bumi and Toph. It was easier to practice his earth bending with them around to invent games or challenges. But with out them he felt alone when he practiced. There was no one to challenge him. It wasn’t the same practicing against Katara. She just turned the earth in to mud and bended it back at him and that wasn’t quite the same as having a bolder thrown at your head. When they had passed by Omashu for the third time that summer, the small group had noticed something different. No longer had the city been flying fire nation flags. Rather the earth nation’s banner was flown from nearly every tower in the city, not to mention that they could see the delivery slides working again. It seemed Bumi had grown tired of living in a box, made contact with his soldiers and retaken the city. The fire nation soldiers and civilians had been treated well provided they were willing to live in peace. Those who had tried to cause trouble very quickly found themselves in prison. But even the prisoners were well kept. Omashu had proved a safe haven for the two weeks they had stayed. Learning new tricks from Bumi had been a blast, and Toph had enjoyed the old King’s company so much that when they had left she remained behind, saying she’d “catch up later.”
“Where could that herb be hiding!” Sokka said in frustration kicking a rock.
“I don’t know.” Katara sighed, “For some reason I thought it’d be easier then this, like finding Appa . . .”
“Like finding Appa . . .” Aang repeated. “Wait a minute!” in a flash he remembered their journey into the swamp. Everything was connected in the world like the swamp was to the tree. Maybe, just maybe he could find the heal-all herb the same way he had found Appa. Taking a deep breath he placed the tips of his fingers against the ground, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
This time it was different. There was no line pointing his direction to the object of the search. Rather there were several brief images. The shore, a cliff, a small cave, the flowers.
“Well? Sokka asked when Aang stood up again.
“They’re on the east side of the island in a cave.” Aang said as he started walking.
“The east side, wait the east side is covered in cliffs!”
“I know.”
“So were looking for a cave in the cliffs?”
“Yeup.” They stopped on the edge of the cliffs in question. It hadn’t taken long to get there, just a couple of minutes. The view was breathtaking. High up at the top of the cliffs with the waves crashing on the shore below them and the sun striking the water so it sparkled, Aang could have sat there and just looked, but they had to find that herb.
“Do you at least know which one?” Sokka asked.
“No the vision didn’t tell me that.” Aang said, “But don’t worry we’ll find it. Come on help me find a way down to shore so we can start looking.
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me we’re looking for one cave on an island full of caves? Did you not pay attention when we were flying in? The Turtles use them for their nests the whole island is full of caves! What are we supposed to do slip on a rock and fall into one?”
“Wow Sokka that’s a great idea why don’t you try it.” Katara said as they picked their way along the edge. “At least it might prove helpful, which your complaining is not!”
“Ok I will!” Sokka retorted. “Here I go guys.” He gave a great leap into the air and came down . . . on nothing. When he landed the ground beneath him gave way and Sokka fell through a hole about two feet by two feet. It had been so overgrown by brush and grass that had Sokka not landed on it they would have walked right past and never even known it was there. ”Uh a little help here!” his voice came floating back up at them.
Aang lay down on his stomach and reached his head and arms into the hole to help his friend back out. But before he had even grabbed hold of Sokka’s hand he stopped.
“Aang?” Sokka asked “what’s wrong?” he turned around to see what Aang was looking at and gaped. The cave stretched for about ten feet before ending in a small opening that let just a little sunlight through. It was high enough up the cliff that the turtles couldn’t get to it, and low enough the see spray could. However that’s not what Aang was looking at. Behind where Sokka was standing was a huge patch of small, clustered, purple, flowers growing in the fertile soil of the cave.
“Sokka,” Aang said finally, “I think it worked!”
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