Something is wrong with Toph

You and Toph trudge through the forest as it became thicker and the ground got muddy, occasionally tripping over rude logs and roots. Toph wasn’t spared as you had to occasionally warn her about branches and hanging moss she was about to walk into. Speaking of which, you used a good long stick you had picked up to move aside some vines with spikes that hung over the path. You couldn’t help but wonder if the plants were purposefully attempting to hinder you; you hope it was only mischief instead of enemy action.

“How far is this house? And careful about those bushes, they’re poison oak.” You warned, turning your head towards Toph while you carefully started going around the patch of bushes that were infesting the clearing you had just stepped into.

Toph navigated around the poison oak before frowning. “It’s up ahead, maybe three minutes?”

Toph abruptly stopped in her tracks causing you to stop as well and shift your backpack in confusion as you faced her. Going to ask her why she stopped, she stomped her left foot a couple of times. She tsk’ed before addressing you. “What else does that Cry Sickness thing you mentioned do?”

“Well I’m not really a medical doctor (at a stretch I might count as an herbalist), so other than the potential amnesia,” you raked your brain for what your brother said at trivia night, “cryo sickness can cause nausea, soreness and weakness in the limbs, and I think some vulnerability to heat. Maybe? Why do you ask?”

“Because something is messing with me, my range is getting smaller,” she gritted her teeth and glared at thin air. “The house is at the edge of my range now and I don’t know why! I never had a problem with seeing through mud before and we’re definitely not on sand.” She punched out a fist and a pillar of earthbending shot out and knocked over a bald cypress tree. A bald cypress that you just noticed had a fanged face and claw like branches.

“Wow, I didn’t even notice ‘em,” you carefully quickly approached the fallen tree. You poked it once with your walking stick but it didn’t do anything. “Looks like it’s just a scare tree. Mostly harmless except to small animals and people with bad hearts. You got it before it was gonna jump out at us.” You beam at her only to tilt your head; Toph had a wide eyed expression that really showed off her milky green blind eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I lost a bunch of my range after that pillar! My earthbending is disappearing!”

Acting quickly, you approached and stood in front of the blind girl. “Try reducing your area of focus. If the more you use it the less you can do earthbending, then maybe sensing a smaller area will—“

“It doesn’t work like that!” Toph snapped, finally turning so she was actually facing you. “This doesn’t make any sense, when Katara said her waterbending disappeared, it was because some dweeb killed a fish and the moon disappeared.” You stood there as she seemed to start talking to herself instead of you. She frowned before pointing at you. “Hey! Does that cryo sickness mess with chi?! Am I being chi blocked?”

“No clue,” you replied flatly. “I have no real chi training; I’m not a medical doctor nor an energy healer.” Avatar style Chi wasn’t something that really came up in your life much, chakra and mana, yes, but not chi.

“Whatever, I need to think,” she grumbled as she started walking in the direction she had previously said the house was. You looked at her back in concern before adjusting your pack and following, sparing a look at the remains of the scare tree. You quickly break off some of its bark and stuff it into your backpack before hurrying after Toph as roots pull the scare tree underground.