Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( all righty then X P
don't worry I understand. Though to be quite honest I don't really see how Demona could not notice your awakening before hand. I mean I think the giant serpentine dragon of water and the withering of vines would be a rather big clue. That and how Katara would move about under Demona's wing undetected. Nevertheless you are right the show must go on! ))

It was the sudden pain in her impailed wing that made Demona realize that Katara had recovered so suddenly. She watched some of the blood from her wing splatter about, perhapse even on Katara. The smell of it tickled Demona's nose and made her lean forward furiosly and quickly to give a swipe with her claw, however due to pain her swipe wasn't fast enough to do any damage. Instead she fell to her knees with a grunt and began a violent cough, while coughing she reached for the only part in a plant which carried no water, a thorn. Since Katara's back was turned the retrieval of the razor sharp thorn was indetectable.

"I am begginig to question your mortality Moon Lover." called out the monster with a snarll to get Katara's attention once again.

Then in a blink of an eye she through the thorn towards her hidden within a giant mass of flame. While the thorn would penetrate her like a pinch in the legs, making it hard to detect since it was allready in pain and could easily be confused with anouther wave of pain, the flame would continue on in hopes of scorting Katara. Which in her state could be fatal.

Meanwhile the monster once again fell to her knees and slowly folded up her massive wolf bat wings. A blinding golden glow swolowed Demona into a blob which shrunk and dimmed into something else. Demon's was now in the body of a seemingly nine year old wild child. She gave a inhailing screech, the pain from the bloodbending had finnaly cought up with Demona. Clutching her heart over she began to cough again, this time with blood, in time Demona relaxed the pain had dimmed. Face down, Zuko's sword stuck out from her back and gashes could be easily seen from her back even at a distance. If anything the obscure child looked like a bull who had just finished a fight with a bullfighter.

The sun had finnaly arrived, dawn had now passed. Oh how fragile and sensitive the wild child now looked. Almost even vulnerable in her sun kissed innocence.

The obscure child gave a faint smile.
"Tit for tat, this for that... I woe to say that I hold no power nor do I have the ability to grant you, and your friends, fredom.." Demona coughed a bit, while Zuko's sword swayed from her back, "However," continued the wild child while tapping her bony index figure on the ground, "I can give this..."
Suddenly from the ground that Demona tapped on sprouted a simple looking plant with average looking leaves. The plant streched and growed until it reached inside the wild child's mouth. Biteing off a bit and chewing quickly and thoroughly, Demona then spat the plant onto Katara's injured legs.
Instead of feeling pain what followed was a cooling wave of releif, no more pain. That was when roots began to grow about her legs acting as splinters to help keep the bones in proper check, the vines would also feel around taking out stray objects of rubble such as rocks and thorns from her legs. Thus with the raise of her index finger the roots detached themselves from the earth holding no more bounds to the soil, yet still maintained their cast like form. Katara was free to walk as she pleased.
"I Demona the Trickster may be a beast of beasts, but I am one to keep my word. You may have noticed this Moon Lover since you are still alive." this was true since there were moments when Demona could have easily killed Katara or even let her die and suffer, "Thus I the merceful spirit of the wood grant you releif from your pain....tit for tat, this for that"

(( that is quite allright I understand : ] ))

Sakura gazed awestruck as Katara pulled Zuko's sword out of Demona's back. "Why?" And that was her question. Why did Katara do that? It must had been compassion. Sakura had never felt compassion, due to the fact that her parents despised her, throwing her out on the streets to die, just because she was a female. She only suvived, barely, because she had been found by a poor homeless woman. She taught her to fight, to live, to hate. She did this only because she didn't want the baby to die. That was not love. Only a sense of duty. Once she knew how to survive in the streets, she was abandoned a second time, by the old woman. She stole, she fought, she smuggled, just to eat three times a day. Until she was recruited by Azula. Her hate grew with age, until Sakura was a demon herself, with no heart, only a brain and all the major organs. She had no heart, and until now, did not believe in needing one. Now, she had a heart. Although she did not know how, she felt compassion for Katara, even though they were enemies. And she could not help but pity her, for her legs must hurt without the vines making a frame for them. Sakura felt pity for Demona, for she must hurt too. And she felt pity for herself, for she had not known how to love.

(Okay...I totally attacked your puppet and either you brushed me off or didn't notice. Either way, I'm going to have to post again, and you probably won't like it -_-)

Toph, unknowingly using Katara's distraction to her advantage, had soon tore a large enough hole in the puppet that she could do some major damage inside. She curled her fingers around the nearest set of gears and levers and crushed them, rendering the puppet useless. Just to be sure, she did the same with others, completely decimating the inside of the weapon. With a smirk, the Metalbender leapt back and surveyed her work, awaiting to see the "Puppet Master's" Reaction

:Most would have attempted to turn and face their opponent's, possibly deflecting an attack and placing themselves on the offensive. However, it was very rare to succeed, and Rage instead leaped forward with the thrust in a frontward somersault, landing on the ball of his left foot and letting his right slide clockwise so he could efficiently face his opponent. In the same movement, he swung his sword out and a blade of flame stretched towards Zuko.

Rage followed his instincts with clenched teeth, tossing his only dagger above the flame and to the prince's head. He expected to land Zuko in his belly when the fire bender jumped, seeing as left or right dodges would be futile. The dagger was thrown fast and hard, enough to slip through an explosive defense.:

The wild child stood up to her feet, swaying a bit side to side, she leaned slightly around and looked at Katara straight in the face even if her eyes were purposely avoiding her insightful eyes.
“Reason be this; Thou haft promised thy help in return for a free passage home. I could not give thee that, instead I gave relief, giving in hopes of still receiving help. Besides haft thou forgotten my promise after thy valiant fight against me, O Moon Loving foe? I vowed not to kill you that night, I may be a beast of beasts, but I am one to keep my word….tit for tat, this for that..”
Watching Katara become paler by the second, the child gave a reassuring smile that would bring any sunflower to shame. With that said and done the obscure child made her way towards the window where the sun now glowed brightly, and on her way she grinned and sang loudly with a voice of a lark;
“On the trail that thou must tread
To the thresholds of our dread,
Where the Flower blossoms red;
Through the nights when thou shalt lie
Prisoned from our Mother-sky,
Hearing us, thy loves, go by;
In the dawns when thou shalt wake
To the toil thou canst not break,
Heartsick for the Jungle's sake:
Wood and Water, Wind and Tree,
Wisdom, Strength, and Courtesy,
Jungle-Favour go with thee!”
The tune was rather catchy and the lyrics were slightly easy to remember. Did they have meaning? Or was it randomly sung in an enchanting and alluring way?

The wild child, known the humans as Demona, leaned her wet back against the wall and smiled as she felt the glow of the sun upon her weak body. Eyes fluttering to a light slumber she tapped the ground and out sprouted roots. They grew and grew and grew and grew. Roots held bark with branches and leaves, while the metal ground pushed aside to make room for wildflowers and soft grass. The area near the window had come to life, and was spreading in a very fast motion, roots grew through out the building grass sprouted here and there, moss began to hang from the rafters above, and beside Demona was a fairly large Stag made of roots knitted together holding firm rocks and soil and leaves in place to construct the free moving body that would protect, the earth bound spirit of the wood known as, Demona while she slept.

(OK, TOPH YOU ARE ON MY BLACK DEATH LIST NOW SISTA!!!!!!!)
Sakura screamed as Toph shredded her creation. "But of course," said Sakura, after loosing control. "I knew the puppet would not serve my uses, even though it was supposed to be indestructable. It was to amuse rather than to fight with." Sakura looked at Toph's handywork. Then she pulled out a blade made of iron, made a twirling motion with it, and it ignited. Her eyes seemed to glow with anger and rage. And she waited, waited for Toph to make a move.