Me: okay are you guys ready for this episode.

All: yeah.

Me: okay lets start.

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BOOK 2: EARTH

CHPATER 16: APPA'S LOST DAYS.

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All: oh.

Aang: so are we going to find out what happened to appa when he was lost.

Me: yup.

Aang: :0

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(The scene opens to a flashback of the open desert, as Wan Shi Tong's library sinks into the sands. In a closer shot, we see Toph struggling to prevent the tower from submerging entirely.)

(straining) No, stop sinking!

(Cuts to Appa, surrounded by sandbenders who have him ensnared with a number of ropes. The cowled desert nomads are desperately holding on to the ropes in an attempt to control a snarling Appa. With a powerful toss of his head, Appa sends one of his assailants flying over his head to tumble into the sand.)

( Two more of the Sandbenders narrowly avoid being crushed by the bison's powerful tail slap. Appa sends yet another nomad flying overhead, and strains mightily against the ropes of the remaining attackers. The view pans over to show Toph , hands pressed against the tower in an attempt to halt its descent with earthbending.)

Don't make me put this down!

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Sokka: we've seen this already.

Me: yes but remember this is where it starts.

Sokka: right.

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(Turning from the tower, she tries to launch an earthbending attack at the sandbenders, but it misses them harmlessly. Behind her, the building containing her friends begins to sink rapidly, and Toph quickly turns and braces against it, straining her powers to slow its descent. Behind her, the sandbenders continue struggling with the sky-bison.)

Put a muzzle on him!

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Aang: 😡😡😡

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(One of the raiders loops a rope around Appa's jaws, which he promptly snaps. Appa lunges forward at him, and he falls backward to avoid the bison's massive jaws. Another rope, weighted with a pouch of sand, loops over Appa's right horn, and all of the raiders pull downward in an attempt to subdue him.)

( A powerful head butt sends one of the sandbenders hurtling into the air, and Appa launches himself skyward. Yet another nomad snares one of the sky-bison's legs, and he uses sandbending to anchor himself into the sand. )

(Even as this bender is drug forward, a further rope is looped around another leg, until Appa, hovering above the heads of the anchored nomads, is finally brought crashing down to the ground. From above we see eight of the sandbenders holding a splayed Appa against the ground with ropes, while a sand-skiff glides close. )

(Two of the vessels, propelled by sandbenders, begin dragging the subdued bison away from the library tower. We cut to a shot of Toph, still holding the tower.)

I'm sorry Appa. (she is grief-stricken, and closes her eyes sorrowfully)

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Toph: 🙁🙁🙁

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(Behind her, we see Appa growing distant, and cut to a shot of him closing wearing a look of mournful resignation. Cut to a shot of the sun shining above the desert sands, as the sand-skiffs slide by, hauling Appa behind them. The young leader of the sandbender lowers his facemask, and signals for the three skiffs to come to a halt in an open stretch of desert.)

(dropping to the ground) Ransack his saddle. Who knows what treasures are stashed in there? (two nomads rush towards the bound Appa)

(Appa roars menacingly, and the two nomads stop short of him looking back to their leader)

He's tied up good, he can't hurt you.

(The two sandbenders leap up onto Appa's saddle, kicking up a cloud of dust in his face that causes him to snuffle and let loose a tremendous sneeze.

The blast of air impacts against the center skiff, sending it rocketing through the air to wreck against a sand dune.)

(turning to Gashuin) What's your father going to do when he finds out we lost a sand sailor?

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katara: so that's how the sailor ended up there.

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Nothing. (thumbs back to the wreck) It's the one we stole from the Hammi tribe. (turns back to Appa) Did you empty the saddle? (walks up to the pile of gear)

That's it! Nothing but garbage! (Frustrated, he kicks away a pair of items) Ahh! It doesn't matter.

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Sokka: That is not trash. 😤😤😤

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We'll still make a profit from selling him to those beetle-headed merchants! (his companion picks up a parasol and opens it up, shading himself)

(The scene fades into a shot of the remaining two skiffs dragging Appa to a trio of large tents grouped out in the open desert. He is drug into the camp past a group of three well dressed men. Once the skiffs stop, the men walk around to the front of Appa stopping to his head to appraise him.)

: How's his temper?

Uhhhh, pretty good.

(Appa abruptly roars ferociously, causing the merchants to jump back in fear, then falls silent again)

(sheepishly) Uh, most of the time.

(turning to the first merchant) I bet someone will pay a fortune for him in Ba Sing Se.

All right. You've got a deal.

(Gashuin, flanked by two of his fellows, accepts a small ornate chest. He opens it and looks into it smiling before closing it and walking away. Cut to a giant green stag beetle ridden by one of the camp followers. )

(It strains at a series of lines attached to its saddle, and drags a bound Appa onto a large sled. Six wooden arms lever over from the sides of the sled, caging the bison. A final shot shows the beetle harnessed to the sled, as the merchants look on.

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Aang: Appa! 😥🥺🥺😥😥

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(shouting) Appa! Appa!

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Sokka: friendly mushroom part.

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(A close-up of Aang's angry face, as he begins to blow furiously on the bison whistle. We cut to a shot of Appa's face as his eyes snap open upon hearing the ultrasonic note. We see the stag beetle, the array of ropes and a pair of merchants from Appa's point-of-view. Appa starts moaning and struggling, rocking the entire sled back and forth. A view of the Sandbender skiffs shows them preparing to depart.)

(calling back) He's your problem now. Ha ha ha! (the two skiffs slide away into the distance)

What!?

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Aang: if appa was able to hear that he must've been nearer than I thought.

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(He and a fellow merchant turn back to the sled, which is now rocking side to side dangerously. Appa's tail breaks the rope holding it down, and with a powerful tail slap he launches himself, sled and all, into the air and over the stag beetle. He fillips over the beetle, and begins dragging it through the camp, destroying a tent in the process.)

(shouting) We need the shirshu spit darts!

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Suki: This just gets worse and worse for appa.

Aang: 😥

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(whips out a blowgun) Got'em! Ok big fella, you're gonna take a nice little snoozle. (he loads the blowgun and brings it to his lips as he says this)

(He fires the blowgun up at Appa, piercing his foot with three small blowgun needles. Instantly, Appa's eyes begin to droop, and he comes to a sliding crash back onto the desert floor.

Cut to Aang, swooping down to a landing upon a sand dune.)

(yelling) Appa! (he looks out over a seemingly endless expanse of empty desert, lowers his face sadly) No... NOOOO!

(With this final cry of outrage, Aang leaps forward and sends an incredible blast of air down into the desert sand. Viewed from afar, we see a towering mushroom cloud of sand and dust explode into the sky. Switching again to Appa's point-of-view, we can see the cloud far, far in the distance. The two merchants step into view as the groaning bison's vision begins to blur and darken.)

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Aang: Appa saw that! if I just looked more we could've gotten appa back earlier!!!

Katara: Come down aang.

Aang calms down.

Katara: Yes maybe if you looked more we could've gotten appa back faster but the important thing to remember is that you learned from this experience and we did get appa back and Appa is safe.

Aang thanks katara.

Katara smiles softly.

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We've gotta get rid of this one! He's too much trouble.

We could sell him for parts.

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Aang: PARTS!

Toph: These people...!

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(Fade to black. After a moment, we begin to hear a new voice in the darkness. Appa's vision begins to recover, and we see through his eyes the bars of a cage, with a man in fire nation garb regarding him from the other side with arms crossed.)

(softly) Oh. I understand you've had a rather hard time lately. That's too bad. You probably felt you had no choice but to behave outrageously. Like a wild animal. (walks up and strokes Appa's forehead through the bars) But don't worry, you won't anymore. (in a sinister voice) Because I am going to break you.

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Aang: Appa..😥😠😥

Sokka: Wow. why are people this mean.

Zuko: I have no idea.

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(From above, we see that Appa is enclosed in a circus wagon, and a number of other creatures lie in cages nearby. From the outside, pennants wave in the wind on the enormous red tent of the Fire nation circus.

Returning to the inside of the animal tent, we see the Trainer pushing a cart of cabbages past a reclining platypus-bear. He tosses one of the cabbages back to the bear, who catches it in his bill and munches on it. )

( He pushes it past Appa's cage, and the bison rises slowly, his attention on the cart. As he gains his feet, he finds that he has been chained and manacled. Rumbling with displeasure, he begins gnawing at the manacle on his forepaw.)

( The Trainer walks past to the cage containing a vulture-griffon, who cries out in anticipation. As he feeds the beast, he turns to address Appa, who is watching him and drooling.

Hungry? Don't worry, I'm going to feed you too. (holds cabbage out to Appa) But not yet. First I am going to show you how you'll earn it.

(He pulls the cabbage back away from Appa's outstretched tongue, walks back to the Vulture-Griffon and feeds it the cabbage. He opens it's cage, and the griffon flies out and up hovers overhead. Summoning a whip of fire, the Trainer cracks it at the griffon then rushes forward to guide its performance.)

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Aang: The bird.😥 Is he going to do that to appa?!

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( As he steps away, Appa uses his air bending skills and sucks in a stream of air that pulls the cart full of cabbages closer to him. He successfully lifts one from the pile and devours it. We see the vulture-griffon performing aerial acrobatics involving a series of hoops, tossing one to the Trainer.)

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Aang: YEAH Appa.

Sokka: Appa is really smart.

Aang: Of course.

Toph: if he wasn't we would probably be dead by now.

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Or course, when you perform, the hoops will be flaming. (Appa vacuums another cabbage) And if you are careful, you won't get burned.

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Katara: people are crazy. Flaming hoops!?

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(Appa releases an loud belch from behind him)

(wheeling around angrily) You're about to be sorry.

(Summoning his fire whip, the Trainer creates a blaze in front of Appa's cage. Appa rears back and groans and roars in distress. The Trainer approaches his cage, heedless of the flames between them.)

All:😡😡😡😡😡

Suki (Thoughts): that explains things.

Aang: HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT! poor appa. 😥😥

Sokka: WHY??!!

Katara: Zuko you have to do something about this circus.

Zuko: I will.

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It's obvious that whoever your previous owner was, he had no idea how to handle you properly. (Appa ,cowed by the flames, glares at the Trainer)

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Toph: No. Just NO.

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(Cut to the outside of the Main Circus Tent. Lit against the nighttime sky, a large crowd has gathered outside the entrance. Circus style music can be heard playing. We cut to a fire nation boy about Aang's age, who walks past an open tent flap. )

(He quickly reappears, eyes wide in amazement. He sees the caged Appa inside the tent, trying to pull a bale of hay towards himself with his wind breath. His attempts to bring it to him come to nothing. Turning, Appa exchanges looks with the amazed lad, and makes a licking gesture with his tongue. The boy smiles, and seem ready to enter, when a hulking adult shows up behind him abruptly.)

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Sokka: The kid seems to be fond with appa.

Aang: that's nice.😀😀

Katara: At least there is someone decent.

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I am gonna get a bag of sizzle-crisps. (points commandingly) Stay here and stay away from that monster. Behave yourself, or you'll regret it.

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Aang: monster?!

Katara holds aangs hand.

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(The boy watches him walk off with a meek look, then turns back to the tent opening. Rushing inside, he starts rolling the bale toward Appa, who gives him a friendly lick before chowing down on the hay bail. Hearing someone approaching, the boy quickly dashes back outside.)

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Aang: he looks familiar. We need to find him to thank him.

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(approaching from the other direction) He's a difficult creature, stubborn and willful. I need more time with him. It's too risky right now. (he and the ringmaster step fully into view)

(angrily) Too Risky? What are you talking about? (gestures dramatically) This is the circus, home of fear and danger. I want the Wind Buffalo to perform tonight. (he stalks off-scene)

(turns to glare at Appa) If you don't behave yourself, you'll regret it.

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Sokka: he might regret saying that.

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(Stepping forward, he creates a large torch of flame before Appa's face, who shrinks back in his cage and growls in fear and anger. He stomps off, and we see that the small boy has watched the entire scene from the edge of the tent flap. He looks sad, then exchanges another friendly look with Appa. The large man comes up behind him and starts guiding him away.)

Let's go!

(waving) See ya later buddy.

(As the boy's waving hand disappears, Appa turns and settles down in his cage with a deep sorrowful sigh. A quick cut to the outside of the Main Tent, then inside where we find the circus underway. )