Tokka Week: Rumble

Sokka wouldn't tell him where he was taking her, and that was not like him at all. Usually, if he was taking her somewhere new, Sokka talked her ear off about their destination: the way the market smelled at midday; how hot or cold it got, and what the sunlight felt like on your face; the way people talked to each other.

(He still forgot she was blind all the time, but when he remembered, he was much better at explaining things than Aang or Katara, just as he was much better at making her feel good about herself or teaching her how to do something. The others just got stymied by her blindness, as though, since it wasn't a stumbling block for her, it had to be one for them.)

But today he wouldn't say anything; he just kept laughing softly to himself and telling her it would be the best birthday present she ever had. And Toph kept telling him that wouldn't be much of an achievement, since most of her birthday presents had consisted of dresses, pretty shoes, and things for her hair. Sokka, however, just chuckled and told her to keep waiting.

He wouldn't even tell her what nation it was in, so Toph tried to figure it out herself. It was around noon, so she couldn't use the heat of the sun to judge what direction they were going in. But the air smelled of salt, and she tasted the ocean with each breath, and it was getting warmer, not cooler. So they were heading toward the Fire Nation. What could possibly surprise her about the Fire Nation? They'd been all over that place during the reconstruction efforts. Aang and Zuko couldn't be everywhere, after all—in fact, they usually couldn't even be in the places that needed them most because they had to be in bigger, more populated areas, where people were more likely to riot and had more visible things to destroy.

Toph made an irritated noise and turned her face away from him and the oncoming wind. "You know if this sucks I'm going to punch you, right?"

But that only made him laugh. She would have to put something horrible and slimy in his bed tonight, so he wouldn't think he could mess with her.

***

Finally, after what felt like hours because of his proximity, he brought them down somewhere hot. He helped her off Appa's back, and she got a start the moment her feet touched the ground. Sometimes, when she was very lucky, the earth itself would shake under her feet like a person turning over in his sleep. Whenever it happened, she would throw her whole body on the ground and embrace the dirt, pressing her face into it like a child seeking the comfort of her mother's arms. She loved any reminder that the earth beneath her feet really was alive, that it had moods just like the people she dealt with every day.

Here… it was like she stood on the surface of a drum that someone beat upon; the earth twitched beneath her feet like Appa's skin when she tickled him. And it was hot, warmer by far than body temperature. She lifted her head and took in a deep breath; smoke and sulfur stung her nose. The earth beneath her feet was not soil or gravel. It was much more solid and hard, and yet also porous, like pumice. She grabbed Sokka's arm. It was harder than usual to see him because the constant tremor of the earth was much louder than his movement, but she could smell him, and she had a good sense for the position of things around her even without her earth sight. "Sokka," she said, her voice bright, "where are we?"

"The Fire Nation," said Sokka innocently. Toph slugged him; he yelped. The sound was so satisfying it almost drew her attention from the steady rumbles of the earth—almost. A particularly large one rumbled through, and Toph shivered all over. "All right, all right. We're in a little island near the equator. It's brand new. Zuko told me about it a few days ago. I figured you might like it. Come on." He took her arm and led her forward, his steps careful across the rough stone.

Toph kept digging her nails into his skin; she couldn't help it. It was like the earth beneath her was excited, and so she was excited too. She could tell by the tension in Sokka's shoulders that he was also excited, which made her happy. He was more or less back to his old self, but ever since Suki died, he had never been quite right. He came close, though, and today he was better than usual.

He led her up a crest. The air smelled smoky and thick. Before they reached the summit, he passed her a mask to tie over her mouth and nose so she wouldn't choke. "Now come up here," he said, leading her, "and tell me what you see."

The earth was alive. She knew it was magma before she even smelled the melted stone and the sulfur, before she felt the heat stretch her face tight like old leather. She could feel it moving—not like she felt the tremors in the earth right now, or like she felt other vibrations, but like her friends moved. It reminded her of lying atop Appa's stomach as he basked in the sun: the gentle motion of his breathing, the slow rumble of his heartbeat and digestion. The ledge they stood on was clearly defined by the movement of the magma, so Toph did not fear to move forward and take a deep breath in.

"I could bend this," she breathed, dropping to one knee. "It's just like any other earth, even though it's hot."

Sokka put a hand on her shoulder. "We shouldn't stay too long," he said softly. "Even with the masks, the smoke will get in our lungs, and then Katara will make us drink that nasty smoke tea."

Toph made a face. The smoke tea made it much easier to breathe, but it also made her cough up smoke-flavored loogies for hours afterward. But the vision in front of her was too beautiful. It was a revelation, like the first time she had slammed her hands against metal and gotten an answer from the earth within. Her heart was pounding; she had never felt more alive.

***

"Good birthday present?" Sokka asked when they finally went back to Appa. Toph slugged him again, but she knew he got the idea.