I'm an aging wolf who lost the taste for blood

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A little story written in one sitting again, so don't expect anything amazing from it haha

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The only sounds that accompany your morning training session are the chirping of the birds, rustling of the trees, and the river flowing. But most importantly, the quiet snoring of your friends – Aang, Katara and Sokka – sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags nearby. If not for them, you certainly wouldn't feel so safe in the middle of the big, quite dark forest, with no powers, and only a small knife to protect yourself.

Yoga, as you learned to call this practice during your visit in one of the foreign cities, is something you do every morning, right before everyone wakes up, to keep yourself strong and not lag behind your more powerful friends – an airbender and a waterbender. Obviously, you're not the only one without magic powers. There's also Sokka, but with his fighting skills, he's still so much better than you.

You always practice alone and this morning it isn't any different.

You don't expect any company, so when you hear a sudden crunch, most likely a twig breaking under the weight of shoes, you freeze with your right leg pressed to the inside of your left thigh and hands clasped together at the heart level.

"Um..." a murmur. "Are you comfortable like that?"

Sokka.

You're so suprised you immediately lose your focus, as well as your balance – your leg slides down your thigh, and if it wasn't for Sokka's strong hands catching your arm, you'd fall into the water flowing steadily down below.

"Thanks." You breath out as you regain your balance. Sokka lets go of your arm with the faintest blush on his face. "How long have you been awake?"

Sokka shrugs. "Five minutes? Maybe ten."

You groan. "Oh my gosh, Sokka, don't tell me you've been watching me practice."

It wouldn't be an exasperation to say that Sokka looks like a tomato right now.

Extremely red. Extremely guilty.

"Creep." You murmur when he remains silent for longer than he probably should've. "If you ogle me like that again–"

"Hey! I wasn't ogling you!" Sokka tries to defend himself, although poorly. "I was just...admiring, okay?"

Your eyebrows shot up. "Admiring?"

Sokka nods vehemently. "Yeah. I've never seen...whatever you were doing."

"It's called yoga, Sokka." You explain. "I imagine you've never tried it, given how, hm, impulsive you are."

Sokka grimaces. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

You smirk. "Nothing. You can just never stay still and be quiet for a moment, can you?"

Sokka looks quite offended. "Try me, then. Teach me one of your...poses."

You nod, pleased with yourself – you know Sokka would never pass up a chance to prove you wrong.

He follows you to your practice spot without a word. As you stand arm to arm and leg to leg, you realise how hard it might actually be to teach him something. He's not stupid by any means, no. He's just goofing around too much. And complaining, that too.

"Okay, so..." you breathe out. "We're gonna start with something easy to get you used to being still and quiet. A mountain pose. We're gonna do it for five minutes."

Sokka murmurs something along the lines of how hard it might be to stay still and quiet? What a nonsense, but you choose to ignore it.

"First, straighten your spine. Keep your arms by your sides." Again, Sokka complies without a word. His hands are tightly curled into fists, which isn't exactly what you're looking for, so you advise. "Don't curl your hands, Sokka, keep them open."

Sokka huffs, but does what you say anyway.

"Now, close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Connect with yourself."

Barely a minute of silence passes before Sokka speaks up, interrupting your practice once more.

"Are we done? I'm bored." He complains. "Something bit me, i can tell. My leg itches."

You roll your eyes. "Do you want to learn or not?"

"I do, but–"

"Then shut up."

This successfully shuts him up. He corrects his posture, opens his hands, closes his eyes. There's a funny grimace on his face, but other than that, he's doing pretty good.

It's blissfully quiet – just you, your practice and the calming sounds of forest – until Sokka decides to ruin it all again. This time, he lasted two minutes. One minute more than before.

"That's boring." He murmus to himself. "And stupid. So stupid. Why would anyone want to stand in silence for five minutes?"

You can't stand it any longer. You really can't. What was supposed to be a nice, energising practice turned into this mess, all thanks to Sokka.

"I thought Aang was bad at it, but you're even worse!" You snap despite your usual perfect self control.

Sokka looks at you – eyes-wide, lips slightly parted – before a goofy smile crosses his lips. You know, just by this look, that he is going to say something absurd in a second.

"So you taught Aang before, hm?"

You shake your head. "You're so annoying, Sokka."

"I'm just asking! Is there anything wrong in being curious?"

You pick up your water sack and coat from the ground and turn around, ready to walk away. There's a knife in the back pocket of your trousers, just in case anything unwanted happens while you're on your own.

Sokka's smile immediately fades. He knows he has gone a bit too far. "Hey, where are you going?"

"For a walk. Far away from you." You grumble. You don't wait for his response. Instead, you wander away, not even looking back to check his reaction.

He has really gotten on your nerves today – like never before, and it's not even his the most annoying behaviour. He can be so much worse when he wants to.

"Wait, Y/N." His voice reaches your ears. "I'm sorry for teasing you!"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When you come back from your small walk, five or seven minutes later, Aang and Katara are not only awake, but also watching Sokka as he...does the mountain pose.

Eyes closed, palms open, perfect posture. Just like you instructed.

It's so quiet you could hear the pin drop.

"What have you done to my brother, y/n?" Katara asks. Both she and Aang are trying to hold back laughter.

"I have no idea." You murmur, surprised beyond belief, watching as Sokka breathes deeply. "Trust me, i don't."

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﹒⭒﹒⭒﹒⭒﹒

A little story written in one sitting again, so don't expect anything amazing from it haha

────୨ৎ────

The only sounds that accompany your morning training session are the chirping of the birds, rustling of the trees, and the river flowing. But most importantly, the quiet snoring of your friends – Aang, Katara and Sokka – sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags nearby. If not for them, you certainly wouldn't feel so safe in the middle of the big, quite dark forest, with no powers, and only a small knife to protect yourself.

Yoga, as you learned to call this practice during your visit in one of the foreign cities, is something you do every morning, right before everyone wakes up, to keep yourself strong and not lag behind your more powerful friends – an airbender and a waterbender. Obviously, you're not the only one without magic powers. There's also Sokka, but with his fighting skills, he's still so much better than you.

You always practice alone and this morning it isn't any different.

You don't expect any company, so when you hear a sudden crunch, most likely a twig breaking under the weight of shoes, you freeze with your right leg pressed to the inside of your left thigh and hands clasped together at the heart level.

"Um..." a murmur. "Are you comfortable like that?"

Sokka.

You're so suprised you immediately lose your focus, as well as your balance – your leg slides down your thigh, and if it wasn't for Sokka's strong hands catching your arm, you'd fall into the water flowing steadily down below.

"Thanks." You breath out as you regain your balance. Sokka lets go of your arm with the faintest blush on his face. "How long have you been awake?"

Sokka shrugs. "Five minutes? Maybe ten."

You groan. "Oh my gosh, Sokka, don't tell me you've been watching me practice."

It wouldn't be an exasperation to say that Sokka looks like a tomato right now.

Extremely red. Extremely guilty.

"Creep." You murmur when he remains silent for longer than he probably should've. "If you ogle me like that again–"

"Hey! I wasn't ogling you!" Sokka tries to defend himself, although poorly. "I was just...admiring, okay?"

Your eyebrows shot up. "Admiring?"

Sokka nods vehemently. "Yeah. I've never seen...whatever you were doing."

"It's called yoga, Sokka." You explain. "I imagine you've never tried it, given how, hm, impulsive you are."

Sokka grimaces. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

You smirk. "Nothing. You can just never stay still and be quiet for a moment, can you?"

Sokka looks quite offended. "Try me, then. Teach me one of your...poses."

You nod, pleased with yourself – you know Sokka would never pass up a chance to prove you wrong.

He follows you to your practice spot without a word. As you stand arm to arm and leg to leg, you realise how hard it might actually be to teach him something. He's not stupid by any means, no. He's just goofing around too much. And complaining, that too.

"Okay, so..." you breathe out. "We're gonna start with something easy to get you used to being still and quiet. A mountain pose. We're gonna do it for five minutes."

Sokka murmurs something along the lines of how hard it might be to stay still and quiet? What a nonsense, but you choose to ignore it.

"First, straighten your spine. Keep your arms by your sides." Again, Sokka complies without a word. His hands are tightly curled into fists, which isn't exactly what you're looking for, so you advise. "Don't curl your hands, Sokka, keep them open."

Sokka huffs, but does what you say anyway.

"Now, close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Connect with yourself."

Barely a minute of silence passes before Sokka speaks up, interrupting your practice once more.

"Are we done? I'm bored." He complains. "Something bit me, i can tell. My leg itches."

You roll your eyes. "Do you want to learn or not?"

"I do, but–"

"Then shut up."

This successfully shuts him up. He corrects his posture, opens his hands, closes his eyes. There's a funny grimace on his face, but other than that, he's doing pretty good.

It's blissfully quiet – just you, your practice and the calming sounds of forest – until Sokka decides to ruin it all again. This time, he lasted two minutes. One minute more than before.

"That's boring." He murmus to himself. "And stupid. So stupid. Why would anyone want to stand in silence for five minutes?"

You can't stand it any longer. You really can't. What was supposed to be a nice, energising practice turned into this mess, all thanks to Sokka.

"I thought Aang was bad at it, but you're even worse!" You snap despite your usual perfect self control.

Sokka looks at you – eyes-wide, lips slightly parted – before a goofy smile crosses his lips. You know, just by this look, that he is going to say something absurd in a second.

"So you taught Aang before, hm?"

You shake your head. "You're so annoying, Sokka."

"I'm just asking! Is there anything wrong in being curious?"

You pick up your water sack and coat from the ground and turn around, ready to walk away. There's a knife in the back pocket of your trousers, just in case anything unwanted happens while you're on your own.

Sokka's smile immediately fades. He knows he has gone a bit too far. "Hey, where are you going?"

"For a walk. Far away from you." You grumble. You don't wait for his response. Instead, you wander away, not even looking back to check his reaction.

He has really gotten on your nerves today – like never before, and it's not even his the most annoying behaviour. He can be so much worse when he wants to.

"Wait, Y/N." His voice reaches your ears. "I'm sorry for teasing you!"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When you come back from your small walk, five or seven minutes later, Aang and Katara are not only awake, but also watching Sokka as he...does the mountain pose.

Eyes closed, palms open, perfect posture. Just like you instructed.

It's so quiet you could hear the pin drop.

"What have you done to my brother, y/n?" Katara asks. Both she and Aang are trying to hold back laughter.

"I have no idea." You murmur, surprised beyond belief, watching as Sokka breathes deeply. "Trust me, i don't."

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active drawing time: 8.5 h

idk if it's interesting to see the canvas stats too?

it says 15 hours in the stats, but that's because i was drawing while watching a movie in bed and then fell asleep with my ipad still on lol. i've also turned off auto-lock on my ipad, so procreate just happily kept tracking time while i was unconscious. the timelapse is 8.5 hours, which is how long i actually spent drawing

song reference for the time-lapse:

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First time writing for both Sokka and ATLA #scared 😬 i've watched ATLA as a kid (probably some reruns on TV), and now I'm rewatching it, which means i don't remember anything beyond first season, so my Sokka and Katara might be totally out of character. Also, I wrote it in one sitting (that's why it's short), didn't really proofread it, so don't expect anything good from it haha. Still, i'd appreciate some feedback!

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"I'll be back soon." Aang promises and soon enough, before you can respond or hurry him up, he's gone. A wave of cold air hits your face as he takes off.

He'll be fine one part of your brain reassures.

But Sokka won't if he doesn't get any medicine soon the other part of your brain, the menacing one, convinces.

His pained groans are a perfect reminder of it.

Your eyes meet Katara's. They're a reflection of yours – terrified and unsure. Neither of you know what will come next. Sokka's babbling only gets worse – more delirious with every passing moment. On top of that, he's dehydrated and shivering from cold, despite the thick coat he has on.

And well, that's not even the worst thing. Katara's coughing, too, and you know that she'll be in the same state as her brother soon. Too soon. You'll be left alone with two very sick people. No water, no medicine.

Where are you, Aang?

"Let me." You say to Katara, taking a small cloth from her hand. She wants to protest, you can tell – after all, that's her brother we're talking about – but you give her a reassuring smile and she eventually backs down.

You take Katara's place in front of Sokka. The cold tiles hurt your knees, Momo climbs up your right arm, and cold wind bites into the uncovered skin of your face, but you pay it no mind, focusing on the sick boy in front of you.Your friend. At least that's what you think he's to you. Or rather, you try to convince yourself of it.

Sokka comes around when he sees you. A lopsided smile appears on his face. "What's your name, gorgeous?"

"You know my name, Sokka." You smile, even though it's a strained smile, as you wipe off sweat that has gathered on his pale forehead. Not long after, his face is damp again.

Sokka shakes his head. "No, i don't." He insists. His hand raises, then falls back down, before raising again and getting hold of yours. You gasp in surprise.

"What are you doing?" You ask. Katara coughs once more, but you don't know if she's actually getting worse or just trying to stop Sokka's delirious shenanigans.

"Your name, gorgeous. What is it?" He questions again. He brings your hand closer to his face, turns it from left to right, traces the lines on your palm with the highest interest.

It feels oddly intimate, but you don't let your long suppressed feelings for him take over. He's sick. He doesn't know what he's doing, what kind of effect he has on you with his silly words and innocent touches.

Sokka doesn't wait for your response, though – it seems he has already forgotten that he "doesn't" know your name. He lets go of your hand, leaving behind a weirdly unpleasant, cold feeling.

"I'm a earthbender. did you know that?" He smiles proudly a moment later.

"Sokka, you're not a earthbender." You reason with him.

Frankly, he looks quite offended at your words. "Of course i am. Let me show you."

He raises his hands and does some odd movements that look nothing like earthbending, all while looking at you with anticipation.

"Great, right?" Sokka prompts, looking all smug. "I'm the best earthbender on this planet."

You shake your head with resignation. "Sure you are."

Sokka puffs up with pride at your "confirmation" of his skills – you can also hear him whispering something to Appa, convinced the bison is talking back to him – but you're not looking at him anymore. Your attention is focused on Katara, who looks weaker and weaker with every moment. Beads of sweat roll down her forehead, her lips are dry and cracked.

Please, Aang. We don't have much time.

"Are you my girlfriend, gorgeous?"

Your attention is pulled back to Sokka. Your heart starts beating just a bit faster at his question – my God, he's just your friend. You shouldn't be reacting like this to his sick ramblings. Yet, it makes you feel all fuzzy inside.

And just slightly sad you're not actually together.

"No, Sokka. I am your friend. You are my friend."

Sokka's lips turn downwards in a pitiful smile. Oh, Sokka. Don't do this to me. You think to yourself.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" He asks hopefully. His blue eyes are huge, pupils dilated, as he stares at you.

"Sokka, Y/N doesn't want to be your girlfriend." Katara chimes in despite being on her last legs and for the first time in your life, you are grateful for her witty way of being.

"But why..." Sokka moans. "Appa says we'd make a great couple. Right, big boy?" He glances at the animal beside him, which looks like it wants nothing to do with him. "I've always known you are my best friend, Appa."

You shake your head. Katara looks at you pleadingly.

"Can you get us some water? I'm so thirsty..."

You catch the water sack she throws your way. You shake it – it's depressingly empty. Not a single drop of liquid left.

"Will you be fine, Katara? I don't want to leave you two all alone here." You ask anxiously.

Katara nods. "I'm not that sick, Y/N. Just hurry."

You have no choice. If you want to keep them awake for a bit longer, you need to do what she says.

You get up from the floor, determined to find some water and help Sokka and Katara. Momo crawls up your leg, then arm, and eventually settles on your shoulder. You pat his head – he might not be the smartest, but it's good to have a companion other than your sick, delirious friends.

"Hey!" Sokka suddenly exclaims. "Why are you leaving us, gorgeous?"

You sigh. "I'll be back soon, Sokka."

But just as you are about to leave for your hunt for water, a voice resonates through the room.

Aang.

"I've got it!"

You've been through a lot together, way more than regular fifteen year olds – and Aang, of course – but this moment is one of the happiest of your life. You swear it is.

"Oh, finally!" You're so excited you can't stop yourself from giving Aang a kiss on the cheek. It makes the boy blush. "Thank you, Aang."

Sokka yelps. "That's your boyfriend?!"

Both of you laugh – you from relief that has washed over you, and Aang from sheer confusion.

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