Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The whistle of the biting wind paired with the blurriness of the ongoing snowfall could almost shadow the tiny huts of the South Pole, though hidden in the blizzard is a small village consisting of mostly women and children. At the heart of the village a woman and a girl sit side by side, the girl stoking a fire barely clinging to slightly damp firewood and the woman occasionally dropping in more while breathing out puffs of cold air.

“Gran, I swear I told him multiple times to get the firewood off the ground, but he insisted he didn’t need me to “remind him” and that he “was a soldier with more important responsibilities”. Its not my fault the wood got wet when he’s so stubborn and pigheaded and-“

“Y/N, don’t get yourself heated.” Kanna stops adding the wood and stands up. “You know Sokka is dealing with a lot. You might not understand his way of thinking, but being left behind by his father and the other men was a hit to his pride.” Kanna tries to reason with Y/N, but it’s nothing she hasn’t heard before. With the traditions and customs of her tribe, Y/N would be shocked if any man in the village hadn’t reacted the same way. Kanna puts a hand on her shoulder and looks into her eyes.

“Just go easy on him.” She pauses a moment, bringing her hand up from her shoulder to gently brush a fallen eyelash off the girl’s cheekbone with a small smile on her face before speaking again. “Also, theres a load of laundry that needs to be washed. Kio threw up again.” With that Kanna pats her cheek, narrowly missing her eye with her smooth fingertips and making Y/N’s face scrunch, turns around and leaves the hut. The girl still sitting by the fire huffs out a sigh into the white fur of her hood’s collar and mutters under her breath about responsible soldier man Sokka and stinky children’s clothes with puke on them. When she brings her eyes up to the fire again, the floating embers almost seem to dance in the air, the glow from the fire warming her face. She inhales and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she gets up from her crosslegged position and heads for the laundry basket.

.

On a small wooden canoe a girl and a boy with blue eyes and blue parkas float down the current.

“It’s not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish.”

Katara glances over at Sokka with doubt in her eyes, when she spots a fish circling in the water below and removes her glove. She takes a breath to steady herself and starts bending the water around the fish. When she gets it in the air, the fish starts swimming in frantic circles inside the blob.

“Sokka, look!”

“Shh, Katara, you’re gonna scare it away.” Sokka whispers to not scare away the fish. “Mmm, I can already smell it cooking.”

“But, Sokka, I caught one!” Katara says while bending the water around her. The water slowly makes its way over Sokka’s head, and as he raises his spear behind him it pierces the blob of water, drenching him.

“Hey!” Katara exclaims.

“Why is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?”

“It’s not magic, it’s water bending.” Katara corrects him. “And it’s-“

“Yeah, yeah, an ancient art unique to our culture, blah blah blah. Look, I’m just saying that if I had your powers, I’d keep my weirdness to myself.”

“You’re calling me weird? I’m not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water.”

Sokka stops making muscles at his reflection in the water and looks back at her when the canoe slams into a stray piece of ice. Both siblings are jostled, but Sokka quickly grabs the oar to attempt to get the canoe under control. He tries to steer them to safety, narrowly escaping the pieces that come towards them.

“Watch out!” Katara yells. “Go left, go left!” She is frantically trying to help when the canoe gets caught in between two big pieces. They jump out of the canoe, onto the ice right as it splinters into pieces. They sit up and look around, realising they’re stuck.

“You call that left?” Katara questions her brother.

“You don’t like my steering? Well, maybe you should have waterbended us out of the ice. “

“So it’s my fault?”

“I knew I should have left you home. Leave it to a girl to screw things up.”

Katara feels her blood boil and her eye twitch.

“You are the most sexist,” Katara exclaims with her arms, moving the water behind her in between each word “immature, nut-brained- Ugh, I’m embarrassed to be related to you!” The iceberg behind her cracks a little at her movements. “Ever since mom died, I’ve been doing all the work around camp while you’ve been off playing soldier!” Another crack. Sokka hears the cracks and tries to get her attention.

“Er… Katara?”

“I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks?” She asks while pointing at him. “Let me tell you, not pleasant!” At her final word, she motions again and the iceberg makes another audible crack.

“Katara, settle down!”

“No, that’s it, I’m done helping you! From now on, you’re on your own!” With one last frustrated motion Katara makes the iceberg crack in half and both the siblings are hit by a wave that washes them away on a smaller piece of ice. After the piece the siblings are laying on stops moving, Sokka unwraps his arm that had found its way around Katara when the wave hit them.

“Ok, you’ve gone from weird to freakish, Katara.”

“You mean I did that?”

“Yep, congratulations.” After a second of silence the water underneath them starts to bubble and a glow starts to emerge as they both stand up in awe.

The glowing iceberg emerges, a figure inside with glowing arrows on his head and hands. He opens his eyes, Sokka and Katara gasping at the sight.

“He’s alive! We have to help.” Katara grabs Sokka’s club and runs over to the glowing iceberg. “Katara, get back here!” Sokka runs after her. “We don’t know what that thing is.”

Katara starts hitting the iceberg with the club until it bursts with air. It starts cracking up the middle and out comes a beam of light that shoots up into the sky. As Katara and Sokka cover their eyes, creatures all around react to the beam of light, and far away on a steel ship a Fire Nation prince finally finds the sign he’d been searching for.

Chapter Text

At the edge of a small village in the South Pole, a girl dressed in a blue, fur-lined coat sits hunched over a washboard furiously scrubbing a pair of pants seemingly too small herself.

“Ugh, I can’t believe this kid. Why can’t he aim for something other than himself and everyone around him?” Y/N grumbles to herself while cringing at the colour the ice cold water she’s using to wash Kio’s pants has turned. At this point she’s been washing toddler clothes for at least forty minutes, and it’s definitely not getting more enjoyable the longer she stays hunched over in the same position.

After scrubbing at a particularly stubborn spot on the pants, Y/N dunks the pair one last time in the cold water, before wringing them out and throwing them back into the woven basket of now clean clothes. She grabs the water basin she’d been washing the clothes in and dumps it out into the stream of water to the left of her. After rinsing it out with ocean water and putting it aside, and finally getting a break, the pain from gripping the clothes and scrubbing them up and down hits her. The pain starts out in her fingertips, the cold finally setting in, and slowly moves to the palms of her hands, that are completely red and sore. Slowly easing them into the water she flinches, bringing them back for a second, and then fully submerges them to get them clean. She thinks about Katara, and how the waterbender probably wouldn’t have minded the cold water on her skin.

Slowly moving them around in the water, she thinks of how their village used to house great water benders, and great healers. She starts imagining herself as one of them, fighting with the element, healing her own wounds with a power gifted to her from birth.

But she isn’t one of them, and never will be. Although her mother had, supposedly, been a great waterbender, the gift wasn’t passed on to her daughter. Although she tried so hard when she was younger. She used to spend hours in the freezing waters trying to prove she could do it. With enough practice, enough familiarity with the element she would get it one day.

She never did.

All she really achieved was mild hypothermia, blue lips and an overpowering exhaustion. Even when she practiced her breathing and the few waterbending moves they knew of in the village, it had never worked. She sometimes finds herself thinking too much about what could have been, what could have been for her, her mother, Katara’s mother-

and not enough about the great big beast wading towards her in the distance.

“What is that?” She says, her brown eyes widening ever so slowly as the beast lets out a growl so powerful she feels it in her bones. Along with the screams of the rest of the village as they also seem to take notice of the beast. As she moves to stand up she feels an ache in her knees from sitting in the same position for too long. Standing up fully she tentatively steps closer to the waters edge, admiring the size of the beast, the arrow on its forehead and its 6 legs. As she keeps admiring it and its massive horns, her eyes rake over the… saddle atop its back? And subsequently the head of her blue eyed friend.

“Katara?” She yells out.

“Hey, Y/N, give us a hand with this!” Katara yells back.

“You know, Katara, I’d really love to help you, but first I need to know what this is.” As the beast moves closer and closer to the shore, so does the rest of the village.

“Y/N, what is that?” A girl no older than four screams while also crying snot. She goes to reach for Y/N’s pants leg but ultimately decides to try to hide behind her for protection. She had no idea how she could compete with a ten ton monster, yet she still puts a protective hand on her back and over her hands covering her own eyes.

“Don’t worry, Kima. Look! Katara is sitting on it-“ She remembers who Katara left to go fishing with in the first place, and spots Sokka snoring away further towards the back of the beast. “-and Sokka as well. Well, then you should feel even more confident in yourself!” She gently grabs the girl’s hands and removes them so she can get another look. Looking back towards the rest of the village, Y/N catches Kanna’s disapproving gaze towards Katara and Sokka who are now attempting to get down from the beast and gives her her best innocent smile.

“I finished doing the laundry.”

.

“Aang, Aang wake up!” Katara sits hunched over a restless boy with arrow tattoos.

Aang shoots up, throwing the covers off his body and gasping for air as if having woken up from a nightmare. “It’s okay, we’re in the village now.” Katara tries to reassure the boy. “Come on, get ready. Everyone’s waiting to meet you.” Aang shoots up from the bed and quickly starts to put on his clothes when Katara spots the arrows all over his body. Before being allowed to get fully dressed, Katara grabs his arm and drags him out of the tent. As they leave the tent they pass a not-so-happy Sokka who’s sharpening his boomerang and Y/N attempting to open the fist of the baby she’s holding who has a powergrip on a huge chunk of her hair. Katara stops Aang in front of the entire village and introduces him.

“Aang, this is the entire village.” She points to the village. “Entire village, Aang.” Aang starts to bow in greeting when the people of the village cower away in fear. Aang stops dumbfounded.

“Uh, why are they looking at me like that? Did Appa sneeze on me?” He starts to look himself over to see what the problem is.

Kanna steps out from the crowd. “Well, no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you.”

“Extinct?” Aang says shocked.

Katara decides to introduce her grandmother and gestures to her. “Aang, this is my grandmother.” Kanna keeps her expression as dull as always and introduces herself.

“Call me Gran Gran.”

Sokka decides he’s heard enough and gets up from his spot to grab Aang’s staff out of his hands. He starts to examine it like he’s an expert on weaponry, which he really isn't.

“What is this, a weapon? You can’t stab anything with this!” Aang uses his air bending to get his staff back from Sokka’s grubby hands.

“It’s not for stabbing! It’s for airbending.” He opens his staff into a glider, making Sokka jump and cover his head while Kima jumps and claps. “Magic trick! Do it again.”

“Not magic, air bending.” He moves his glider around, demonstrating how he uses it. “It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly.”

“You know, last time I checked, humans can’t fly!” Y/N whispers something about him never having checked anything in his life to the baby who then grabs onto another piece of hair making her grimace.

Aang seems to have accepted some unspoken challenge Sokka must have laid out and smiles. “Check again!”

Aang grabs his glider and sets off the ground with a burst of wind that stuns Sokka and Katara. The rest of the village stare in awe as he makes multiple loops in the sky. Y/N looks on with awe at Aang gliding around in the open sky so weightlessly. The rest of the village is amazed as he keeps going and speeding up. He makes eye contact with Katara who’s laughing and decides he wants to impress her even further. He flies sideways and by a stroke of luck ends up crashing into Sokka’s “watchtower”. Katara rushes over to Aang to check on him while Sokka, emotionally inflicted, looks at his now damaged watchtower.

“My watchtower!”

Katara offers her hand to Aang to get him out of the snow. “That was amazing!” She gleefully says to Aang while Sokka runs over to try to salvage his watchtower. He gets knocked down by a pack of snow.

“Great. You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender. Together you can just waste time all day long.” Sokka manages to get himself free from under the snow and stalks off like a sulking toddler.

“You’re a waterbender?” Aang turns to Katara with surprise on his face.

“Well, sort of. Not yet.“ Kanna decides to step in at that moment after having observed the conversation. “All right, no more playing. Come on, Katara. You have chores.” Kanna leads Katara away from the airbender and gives Y/N a look that implies more chores for her as well.

“I’m coming, Gran.” She passes the baby off to one of the other village women and jogs a little to catch up to Katara, grabbing her and interlocking their arms as they walk.

.

On a coal powered steel ship in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean, the breeze on deck is salty and stings pale upturned noses hidden beneath spiked helmets.

“No!” A voice exclaims from his seat. “Power in firebending comes from the breath-“ Ex-general Iroh gets up and moves his hands up as he inhales deeply to emphasize the breath “-not the muscles.” He stretches his arm out to imitate a fire blast. “The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes: fire!” Iroh inhales before exhaling and sending a calculated blast of fire that extinguishes before it can reach his nephew. “Get it right this time.” Is what he finishes his lecture off with, before Zuko grits his teeth to suppress his anger and approaches his uncle. “Enough! I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set! I'm more than ready!”

“No, you are impatient.” Iroh sits back down in his seat. “You have yet to master your basics.”

“Now. Drill it again!”

.

“Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a firebender. In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing! For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?” As she listens to Sokka prepare his army of 4 year olds, Y/N snorts to herself and turns back to the basket she was weaving outside of her hut. Sitting with it between her legs, she weaves the pieces in between each other and thinks of the past few days. From seeing Appa for the first time, to meeting Aang and now going back to her regular routine, Y/N doesn't feel all that inspired. Chores are a constant, and so is Kanna’s distrust of Aang.

Scratch that, Kanna’s distrust was of Katara spending as much time as she had been with the bald monk. Thinking of it, Y/N wonders where they are as she finishes up weaving the basket, brushing stray pieces of grass off her lap as she stands up. Looking around, she hears Sokka finish his rant, only to be interrupted by one of the boys.

“I have to pee!” Sokka immediately gears up for another reprimanding about war and manhood when he hears laughing from a little away. Standing on the sidelines Y/N is covering her mouth with her shoulders shaking the slighest bit.

Sokka feels his pulse rise and the need to instill some courage into these soldiers even more. Squaring his shoulders he barks out another command.

“Listen! Until your fathers return from the War, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe, and that means no potty breaks!” Gesturing with his hands and working himself up to emphasize the importance of training.

“But I really gotta go!” The boy exclaims. Sokka visibly deflates from Y/N’s line of sight.

Sighing, he gives up. “Alright, who else has to go?” Every kid raises their hand, making Sokka cover his face with his hands in frustration. As the children leave Y/N walks up to him still grinning a bit. Sokka still has his hands on his face, making her grab his hands to look him in the eye.

“Listen, I’m sorry for laughing. Really, I am.” She smiles at him though he doesn't want to catch her gaze. “You need to remember that they’re kids, Sokka. They can’t be your killer machines just yet.”

“We need to be prepared in case of an attack. Dad left me in charge, so it’s my responsibility to make sure I can keep this village safe.” Sokka finally looks her in the eye as she realizes what he really wants when he tries to “motivate” the kids. She thinks back to what Kanna told her about feeling left behind by his father, and Y/N can see what it did to Sokka, Hakoda leaving him in the village because he didn’t think Sokka fit to go with him. As she looks at him she remembers when they were younger and the raiders came. He was different then. Younger.

“The fire nation aren’t going to come around here again, Sokka. So, you don’t need to carry that weight around all the time. You know, the "what if" they come. They got what they wanted last time.” She feels an itch on her wrist. The look in Sokka’s eyes changes as he puts his hand on her arm.

Looking over at the kids queued for the bathroom with a solemn smile she feels the need to say something to him.

“You used to interrupt Hakoda when you had to go as well.”

Sokka lightly punches her shoulder as she lets out an exaggerated "ow!"

.

A ways away from the village, a red flare shoots into the sky and explodes. On the steel ship, an unscarred eye looks into a telescope and sees a surprisingly light-footed figure in the distance.

“Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the Avatar.” As he looks into the telescope again and looks around, he sees it. “As well as his hiding place…”

Chapter Text

When the red flare had shot into the sky and exploded from the direction of the abandoned Fire Nation ship, there hadn’t been any uncertainty in the village. Something had been triggered, and one of the many Fire Nation ships patrolling the Antarctic waters would definitely have caught sight of it. Now, it was only a matter of time before the Fire Nation came knocking at the edge of their waters again.

The women in the village who were sitting outside in a circle conversing and cleaning sea prunes for dinner had looked each other in the eye, with the same knowing dread. They knew, soon, the white snow would change, just as it had the last time the Fire Nation came. Immediately, they stood to go round up the children and pushed open the flaps of the tents filled with children learning to read and write to tell them to prepare. Y/N had looked up with a smile on her face and a paintbrush made from the horn of a buffalo yak in hand, only to see the look of the village women’s faces. Dropping the brush and her smile, she hurried to stand up, stumbling a bit as she ran as fast as she could to the opening of the tent. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but one look at the trail of the flare’s red powder and she knew it was true. They were coming.

“But… They wouldn’t come back just because of a flare, right? What’s left for them to take?” She asks one of the women, who looks at her with a familiar sorrow in her eyes. Every woman still present in the village had experienced a raid, felt the loss of a brother, a sister, a father, a mother.

There aren’t any waterbenders left. Y/N’s mother had been the last-

Katara.

She hurriedly leaves the hut to look for Katara, hoping to the spirits she hadn’t left the village. Running around, weaving in between each hut she feels the panic set in more and more, when she in her distress runs into a chest. Looking up at Sokka, she knows he’s had the same realization.

“Have you seen her anywhere?” Sokka asks her while steadying her with his hands on her arms.

“No, I’ve looked basically everywhere, and for Aang as well, but no one’s seen him either.”

“Aang’s missing as well?” Sokka seems to come to another realization she doesn’t catch right away before his expression changes into one of anger. Behind them the entire village has gathered at the edge of the village, and at the sound of the children’s cheers, Sokka turns around and starts approaching them with his shoulders squared and fists clenched at his side. Y/N huffs a sigh of relief and hurries after him knowing who has returned.

Shouldering his way through the line of women surrounding Aang and Katara, Sokka accusingly raises a finger at Aang.

“I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?”

Katara rushes to defend Aang. “Aang didn't do anything! It was an accident.”

“Yeah. We were on the ship and there was this booby trap, and, well-“ Aang stops to rub his head awkwardly. “-we booby’ed right into it.” Kanna steps forward, worry seeping from her entire figure. “Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger!”

“Don't blame Katara. I brought her there. It's my fault.” Aang tries to save Katara, but at his words, Sokka speaks up again.

“Aha! The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemy.” The children back away from Aang sadly as Sokka puts his hand out. “The foreigner is banished from our village.”

“Sokka, you're making a mistake.” Katara clenches her fists getting more and more irritated.

“No, I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you, from threats like him!”

Katara only seems to get even more agitated at his words. “Aang is not our enemy!” She tries to reason with Sokka in a calmer voice. “Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun.”

Sokka scoffs at her words. “Fun?! We can't fight firebenders with fun!” Aang butts in to try and alleviate the tension. “You should try it sometime.” He says with his usual optimism.

Sokka rounds on him. “Get out of our village! Now!”

“Gran-Gran, please. Don’t let Sokka do this!” Katara tries to plead with Kanna, but Kanna only looks down while shaking her head slowly.

“Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it best if the airbender leaves.”

At her grandmother’s words, Katara’s pleading eyes turn angry again.

“Fine! Then I'm banished, too!” She grabs Aang to drag him with her. “Come on Aang, let's go.”

“Where do you think you're going?” Sokka yells after his sister.

“To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.”

“I am? Great!”

Sokka tries again. “Katara! Would you really choose him over your tribe?” The entire tribe seems to shift where they’re standing, and Y/N looks at the exchange between the siblings with somber eyes. “Your own family?” His words make Katara stop in her tracks, her back to the village.

“Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family.” Aang comes up to her side.

“So, you're leaving the South Pole?” In a quieter tone, she asks him. “This is goodbye?”

Aang doesn’t answer her question, only shooting her a small smile. “Thanks for penguin sledding with me.”

“Where will you go?” Katara looks him in the eye, voice still small.

“Guess I'll go back home and look for the airbenders.” He places one hand on Appa and seems to remember something. “Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that.” Using his airbending he hops onto Appa’s head, where he gathers the reins. “It was nice meeting everyone.”

“Let's see your bison fly now, air boy.” Sokka crosses his arms.

From the line of villagers, Kima runs up to stand beside Katara. “Aang, don't go! I'll miss you!”

Aang takes one last look at the village. “I'll miss you, too.” Finally, he looks at Katara. Taking a breath, he tightens his hold on Appa’s reigns and leads him away from the village. Still watching him, Katara stands in the snow when Kanna walks up to her. “Katara, you'll feel better after you-“ She stops after Katara rounds on her.

“You happy now? There goes my one chance at becoming a waterbender!” Katara marches away, brushing past the hand Y/N tries to put on her arm. Sighing, Y/N brushes her hand over her forehead, running it further up to push back her hair and leaves to follow Katara.

Meanwhile, Sokka prepares the defenses and readies his warriors for the Fire Nation. Standing in the tent where the soldiers of the village keep their weapons and armor, Sokka makes sure his boots are tight, rolling bindings around his forearm, and applying the war paint of the tribe. He reaches for his boomerang and secures it to his back.

Before leaving the tent he grabs his club and pauses, glancing at the candle that lights up the space, flickering at his motions.

.

Standing surrounded by servants, a perfectly still Prince Zuko is dressed in Fire Nation armor, his eyes set on the wall in front of him. As the helmet is lowered over his head, a small flicker in the amber of his eyes matches the flicker of the candles scattered around the room.

.

The steam from the ship pushing full throttle towards the tiny village of the South Pole pollutes the falling snow before it manages to reach the ground.

Aang looks around, eyes wide in wonder never having seen snow that colour. He jumps up when he sees the ship heading for the village.

“The village!” He slides off the ice he was resting on and hopes he isn’t too late.

.

Y/N couldn’t decide whether to run towards or away from the snow enforced wall surrounding the village, Sokka’s boomerang clad back turned towards her. In one hand he held his club, and the other he clenched into a fist so tight she saw the veins on the back of his hands.

She decided within herself and moved to stand up, but was stopped by Kanna grabbing her wrist and bringing her back down on the log they were sitting on, the campfire in the middle roaring like it also was preparing itself for the oncoming storm.

“Y/N, do not go up there.” Kanna’s words made Y/N struggle even more, feeling the need to do something.

“Gran, I have to help him. We don’t know how many are coming, and I’m more than capable-“

“I said no, Y/N.”

“But I can help!-“

“Y/N, let Sokka handle this! You need to mind the children.”

At her words, Y/N felt fire crawling in her veins, the want to shrug Kanna’s hand off her wrist and run up there clouding her mind, but she ultimately decides not to agitate the already tense situation, seeing the looks of the terrified children. She sees Kanna looking at her from the corner of her eye, but crosses her arms, Kanna's hand falling away from her wrist, and turns away from her on the log. Katara, sitting across from them on a log on the other side of the campfire, looks at Y/N wishing she could tell her she understands her, understands her want to do her part in protecting the village, but knows how things are divided in the tribe. Roles, expectations.

Just as Katara finishes her thought, a loud crack sounds and gasps are heard from the entire village. Kanna rises from the log and looks around, when the ground starts to shake and from the distance, a rumble so loud it shakes Y/N to her core sounds. Sokka, still perched on the wall, feels the wall underneath him slowly crack and break off, and watches as his watchtower collapses under the pressure of the massive steel ship ramming its way through the ice, the smoke coming out the top creating a black cloud of dread. Katara runs up to where her brother is still standing, and feels the dread hit her.

“Oh man…”

“Sokka, get out of the way!” Katara yells to her brother, who stays rooted, raising his club in preparation. As the ship comes closer, it pierces the wall he’s standing on and makes the snow collapse, Sokka sliding down with the snow. The siblings stand with open mouths at the height of the ship’s bow, and as it creaks a little, it opens and starts lowering onto the ice, steam pouring out from the sides.

When the bow is fully lowered, Katara and Sokka look at the shrouded figures standing in formation. The steam that conceals their faces is broken as Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation takes a step forward, a scowl on his pale face and eyes narrowed as he looks out at the village. Guards flank his sides as he ascends further down the bow. Sokka, who sits on his knees in the snow, lets out a battle cry and charges at the prince with his club raised over his head. Nearing the prince he gets ready to strike when Zuko swiftly raises a leg, knocking the club out of Sokka’s hand and without lowering it to the ground, knocks Sokka to the side. He lands in the snow head first, desperately trying to free himself. Prince Zuko continues down and reaches the village who are standing huddled together, watching the entire ordeal. Katara and Y/N stand side by side, Katara clutching her grandmother while Y/N bristles at the Fire Nation Prince’s scrutinizing look.
As his eyes rove over the group of women with different kinds of beading and braids in their hair, and children clutching their mother’s hands, he stops at a girl with brown eyes filled with so much quiet hatred, his gaze stutters for a second. Taking in her dark hair braided at the front, a staple in water tribe culture, he takes notice of how she's the only one who looks the slightest bit out of place. Not resembling any of the other women, their only similarities being their choice of clothing and hairstyles. At his prolonged gaze, the girl’s eyes narrow. Steeling himself, he yanks his gaze away from the girl, not having seen the avatar he came for.

“Where are you hiding him?” Zuko asks angrily, not getting an answer from the village. Without warning he grabs onto Kanna’s fur hood, yanking her from Katara’s arms as she reaches out for her grandmother with a cry. His hand holds onto Kanna’s hood so tightly as he lifts her up the parka tightens around her neck.

“He'd be about this age, master of all elements?” He barks out, shoving Kanna back into the crowd when he again doesn’t receive an answer. Katara hurries to hold her grandmother as she angrily glares at Zuko. Y/N’s hands tremor by her side, and the itch on her wrist returns, begging for her to reach down and scratch at it till her skin starts beading with blood.

“I know you're hiding him!” As Zuko throws out an arc of fire that just about passes over the heads of her tribe, Y/N feels her blood boil over.

Rushing forward she puts all her strength into pushing the Prince by the shoulders, his eyes widening in shock as he looks at the girl. Sokka utilizes Zuko’s diverted attention to charge towards him with his club raised, but is quickly hurled forward as Zuko, whose reflexes are faster than that, ducks under his swing. A guard moves towards Y/N, intending to grab a hold of her after her attack on the prince. Kanna, wanting to protect the children she cares for, steps forward still winded from being shoved.
“Lady, you intervene, we stop you.” He says this as summons fire in his hands, holding them up towards her. The sight of the fire in the guards hands makes Y/N cast a worried glance at Katara. “Katara, don’t let her go.”

Katara nods her head and puts her arms around her grandmother, whispering to her about not agitating the guards further. The older woman knows to step down, and so does Y/N who refuses to see Kanna get hurt because of her rashness. She lets the guard grab her arms and put them behind her. She feels the cold metal of the guard’s armor digging into her back, and shifts uncomfortably.

Sokka, with his unbeatable spirit, gathers his boomerang from his back and throws it after the prince, who narrowly dodges it. The boomerang flies past his head and into the sky, where it disappears from sight. His face twists in anger at the near hit, and as one of the village boys throws Sokka a spear, he catches it and gets up to face the prince.

“Show no fear!”

Sokka charges again, spear raised when Zuko in succeeding hits breaks it down to the spearhead and butts Sokka’s head with the end of it three times. He rubs his head in pain, before a glint in the sky comes barreling closer to the back of Zuko’s head and knocks him off balance. Y/N exhales from her nose as she attempts to hold back her laugh.

As Zuko rearranges his helmet, the boomerang fallen to the ground at Sokka’s feet, from the prince’s clenched fists he summons two fire daggers, ready to strike Sokka. The sight makes her stop laughing, but the entrance of a bald airbender gliding on the back of a penguin summons a smile on both her and Katara’s faces. He slams into Zuko, making him fall on his face, his helmet landing on his rear. The village erupts in cheers as Aang comes to a stop in front of the tribe.

“Hey Katara, hey Sokka.” He greets the siblings cheerfully despite the situation. After looking around to make sure everyone is safe, he spots the girl held by the guard. “Hey Y/N.”

Sokka, moody from being bested by the prince, replies. “Hey, Aang. Thanks for coming.”

Looking back at the soldiers surrounding the village, Aang sees Zuko get on his feet again. Zuko waves a signal at the guards, making them all spread out to surround the avatar. The guard holding onto Y/N shoves her towards the rest of the village before getting into position.

Aang lifts his staff as Zuko lifts his hands in front of him. “Looking for me?” As Zuko takes a good look at Aang, the shock spreads on his face.

“You're the airbender? You're the Avatar?” Katara and Sokka look at each other in shock.

“Aang?”

“No way!” Sokka utters as Zuko and Aang starts circling each other.

“I’ve spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating. You're just a child!”

“Well, you're just a teenager.”

At his words, Zuko blasts fire at Aang who dissipates the flames with his staff. Zuko attacks again, his fire bigger this time, and as Aang uses his staff once again to dissipate the fire, the fire reaches over the heads of the tribe. Seeing the village cower in fear, Aang’s eyes widen, and Y/N can see the fight leaving his body.

“If I go with you,” He holds out his staff in front of him. “will you promise to leave everyone alone?” Zuko’s guards close in on Aang, and after a moment, Zuko nods. The guard surround him, grabbing his staff and leading him away. Katara runs forward at the sight.

“No! Aang, don’t do this!”

“Don't worry, Katara. It'll be okay.” He smiles to comfort her. The guards shove him as the smile drops from his face. “Take care of Appa for me until I get back.” Katara’s blue eyes quiver with tears.

“Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.”

.

Standing on the edge of the shore away from the village, Katara’s hair moves in the wind as determination fills her being. She was going after the ship, after Aang and there wasn’t anyone who could stop her. Behind her, Sokka walks with a bag slung over his shoulder and Katara turns around, ready to tell him off.

“We have to go after that ship, Sokka. Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him.” She starts out when Sokka opens his mouth to speak. “Katara, I-“

“Why can't you realize that he's on our side? If we don't help him, no one will. I know you don't like Aang, but we owe him and-“

“Katara!” He cuts her off. “Are you gonna talk all day, or are you comin' with me?” As he finishes his sentence, gesturing to the canoe waiting in the water, Katara says his name with glee and reaches her arms around him in a hug. Shrugging her arms off, he slides the bag down from his shoulder and drops it in the canoe.

“Get in, we're going to save your boyfriend.”

“He's not my-“

Cutting her off again, he shrugs. “Whatever.”

During their conversation, Kanna had made her way up to the pair of siblings unnoticed, and only when she spoke did they turn around in shock.
“What do you two think you're doing?”

They both tried to smile as innocently as possible, Katara’s eyes wide and blinking while Sokka sported a big grin.

Kanna looks at them for a moment with expressionless eyes, before a smile slowly grows on her face.

“You'll need these.” She holds up their sleeping bags. “You have a long journey ahead of you.”

“Yeah you do!” From behind Kanna Y/N hurries towards the siblings, waving her hand at them wildly.

“Y/N!” Katara exclaims with a smile on her face. Kanna looks behind her and sighs, albeit with a smile on her face. She turns back to Katara as Y/N catches up to stand beside Kanna with her own bag in hand.

“Y/N decided she couldn’t live without the two of you, and insisted I didn’t try to stop you. I guess the children will have to find a new person to climb all over.” Katara smiles at her words while Y/N’s own smile drops at the mention of her being the children’s slave. She grumbles a bit while kicking at the snow.

“You’re coming with us?” Katara asks her friend.

“I guess I am.” Y/N says while giving her a dimpled smile.

“ It's been so long since I've had hope, but you brought it back to life, my little waterbender.” Kanna reaches out for Katara to give her a hug.

“And you, my brave warrior, be nice to your sister and Y/N.” She turns to Sokka and does the same. Sokka, a little embarrassed, pats her on the back. “Yeah, okay Gran.”

“Aang is the Avatar. He's the world's only chance. You both found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his.” The three look at each other.

“There's no way we're going to catch a warship with a canoe.” Katara points out.

Over the snow covered hill, the kids hear a growl that rumbles through the ice and up their feet. As Appa makes his way over and shows his face, Katara starts running towards him. “Appa!”

“You just looove taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you?” Y/N nudges Sokka with her shoulder.

.

Sailing over the icy waters spotted with glaciers, the steel ship inscribed with the Fire Nation insignia blows black smoke into the air, polluting its path. At the pointy deck, Fire Nation soldiers and the nation’s prince surround a bound avatar, who stands with his hands behind his back and his head bowed.

Zuko holds the avatar’s staff in his hands, turning it over to inspect it further. His fingers, callouses accumulating over the years of firebending practice glide over the details engraved in the wood, covered in different swirls that represent the air in which the staff is used to bend.

“This staff will make an excellent gift for my father.“ His eyes glide further up the staff, to the indents on both sides. He squints his eyes and tries to figure out how the mechanisms work. His eyes move back to the avatar, standing in silence. “I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks.” He sneers out the last word, clearly attempting to mock Aang. To his soldiers, he gestures with the staff in hand. “Take the Avatar to the prison hold,” and to his uncle, he holds out the staff. “and take this to my quarters.” Iroh grabs the staff from his nephew’s hand, giving it a look over before gazing at the avatar. His eyes pause for a moment, before he casually turns to the guard nearest to him.

“Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?” The guard grabs hold of Aang’s staff, bringing it with him as he follows Zuko, going to the upper decks of the ship. Two guards station Aang, one in front of him and one behind. They lead him down a flight of stairs, his eyes stuck to the view of the slowly disappearing sky, and his slowly disappearing staff.

Aang sighs to himself as he thinks back to how he left the village, the desperation he had felt when he realized he couldn’t get out of this. Remembering the sight of Katara’s sad eyes watching him as he walked up the bow to the fire nation ship made him feel worse than he thought. He turns his wrist underneath the ropes binding his hands together to figure out how much mobility he has, and looks around at the corridor the guards are leading him down. Deeper under the ship, it seems.

“So, I guess you've never fought an airbender before. I bet I can take you both with my hands tied behind my back.” He slyly remarks, shooting the soldier behind him a look.

His face remains unchanged, unamused. “Silence.”

Aang looks forward again, upset at the guard for being so dull. As they come to a stop, Aang sees the guard reach for a bundle of keys fastened on his left belt hook. When he brings the key up to the lock, Aang smiles to himself as he feels an idea forming. Taking a deep breath, he brings as much air as possible into his lungs, and unleashes a breath so powerful the guard in front of him slams into the door, slumping to the ground. Aang himself is sent back by the blast, and slams into the now stunned guard behind him. They both slide several feet, before slamming into the stairs, which knocks out the last guard. Aang quickly gathers himself, looking at the chaos he caused for a second before propelling himself back up, slamming open the door to an upper level of the ship. Outside, the helmsman overlooking the ship is addressed by a soldier from below.

“The avatar has escaped!”

.

In the shallow edges of the Antarctic sea, a massive beast trudges through the icy water. Every time its feet drag forward, the water ripples and creates tiny waves that disturb the otherwise quiet ocean. On top of the beast, two girls and a boy wearing sky blue parkas.

“Go. Fly.” Katara glances back at her brother with annoyance from her spot on Appa’s head. Sitting in the saddle, his foot kicked over the other, Sokka adjusts his arms behind his head. “Soar.” Ignoring her brother, Katara tries to motivate Appa. “Please, Appa. We need your help. Aang needs your help.” Beside Sokka, Y/N sits crosslegged with her hand holding her chin. Her eyes wander over the sea, trying to catch the dark steam ship anywhere on the horizon.

“Up. Ascend. Elevate.”

“Sokka doesn't believe you can fly, but I do, Appa.” Katara puts her hand out to reach down to Appa. Petting him, she tries again. “Come on, don't you want to save Aang?” Appa only grunts in reply.

Having had enough, Sokka stops his spiel and actually tries to remember what Aang said to make Appa fly. “What was it that kid said? Yee-haw? Hup-hup? Wah-hoo? Uh…” Pausing for a second, he tries one last phrase. “Yip yip?” The growl Appa lets out in response startles Sokka so much his arms drop from behind his head, scrambling to sit up so it doesn’t roll back and hit the saddle. Beside him, Y/N grabs the side of the saddle in surprise, a breathy laugh escaping her lungs as Appa sets off from the ground with a splash of his tail. As Appa soars further up in the air, Katara lets out a cheer, turning to her brother. “You did it, Sokka!” He looks over the side of the saddle, eyes wide in new found excitement and fingers pointing down at the quickly disappearing water. “He's flying! He's flying! Katara, he’s-“ Sokka senses gazes on him, and stops mid sentence to turn around where he sees both Katara and Y/N smirking at him. “I mean, big deal. He's flying.” At his words, Katara turns back and Y/N shakes her head still grinning smugly at Sokka’s quick change in disposition.

.

Back on the Fire Nation ship, Aang’s footsteps are light yet hurried, his form moving down yet another corridor that looks the same as all the others. Heavy steel doors that, to Aang, look like they would make him claustrophobic to be on the other side of. As he grabs the handle of the door at the end of the corridor, he checks behind him to make sure a guard hasn’t caught up to him and hurries to open it, sliding between the narrow opening as he quickly closes it after himself. Facing the door he has just shut, he pauses to let out a breath before turning around, the new corridor turning to the left. Picking up the pace again, he turns the corner, not expecting the 3 guards all brandishing massive swords on their belts. His heels dig into the ground as he comes to a complete stop, goofy smile taking over his face.

“You haven't seen my staff around, have you?” The sound of the guards drawing their swords makes Aang’s smile drop from his face, and as they move to attack, Aang makes his escape by sprinting across the corridor, spiraling up the walls and through the legs of the guards. Dumbfounded, they can only blink at the dust in the air. “Thanks anyway!” Can be heard from Aang, who’s now hurrying down the hallways of the ship.

Again, he encounters another guard who throws a blast of fire at him, Aang leaping forward to jump over the guard using a blast of air. The guards outstretched fists follow Aang’s form in an upward curve, the flames just barely reaching Aang’s feet. Using the guard’s helmet, Aang cuts the ropes tied around his wrists and proceeds down the hall as the guard falls to the ground.

He hurries down the hallways opening every door to look for his staff, when he opens a third door that houses a sleeping Iroh, his hands resting on his stomach that moves up and down in gentle breaths. A snore follows each breath, his expression blissful. Aang quietly moves to close the door again, whispering a low “Sorry!”

Now moving down another hallway, Aang almost passes the well lit room, it’s door open. Backing up, he takes a look inside and spots his staff, his expression lighting up. “My staff!” He moves into the room, approaching his staff with outstretched hands, when the sound of the door’s screeching hinges makes him freeze. Turning around, the banished prince stands with his hand on the door’s handle, having just shut it behind the airbender. He’d been waiting to corner Aang, patiently staring at the flames of the candles scattered around his living quarters. As Aang meets the prince’s eyes, the tension in the room reaches a boiling point, sweat beading on Aang’s forehead.

“Looks like I underestimated you.” The moment Zuko utters the last word, he launches a blast at Aang, who yells out in surprise and moves to the side to dodge the attack. Zuko advances, launching another burst of fire at Aang, who is backed into the corner of the room, attempting to dodge the scorching heat. Zuko keeps firing, Aang narrowly dodging each blast as they move about the room in the fight. After dodging another attack, Aang rolls to the side and keeps behind the prince, who throws fire in every direction trying to get Aang. Every time he turns around to catch him, the airbender follows his movements, making the prince’s fire throws increasingly desperate, the fire lighting up the room in bursts. As Zuko manages to get a hit on Aang that forces him to dissipate the flames with his airbending, he sets off from the ground, using his air scooter to avoid the incoming flames. He moves up the walls and over the ceiling, before Zuko manages to bend an arc of flame at his moving form, making him lose control of the air scooter and slam into the wall. A hanging tapestry falls down from the impact, landing on Aang as he grabs onto it to shield himself from Zuko’s flames. Getting an idea, he takes the tapestry and runs around to wrap it around the prince, his arms stuck to his sides. Zuko struggles with freeing himself from the tapestry, while Aang uses the pause to grab his glider, turning around just in time to see Zuko angrily yell as he frees himself from the tapestry, his flames disintegrating it. The prince, now angrier than ever, summons flames in his hands as he stands in front of Aang. The airbender acts before stopping to think, using his staff to airbend the red mattress in the room up, and slams it into Zuko, who flies into the wall. He slams Zuko into the other wall, before sending one last blast up, so the mattress slams into the ceiling. Before the mattress even reaches the ground again, Aang runs out of the room, the prince lying face down on top of it. He lifts his head, glancing around the now empty room with fury.

Aang makes his way up to the control room, avoiding the helmsman who looks on in shock as he leaps over the table in the middle of the room, throwing open the door to the outside. As he feels the ocean breeze on his face, he throws out his arms in joy, sending his glider over the balcony railing and running to jump on it. He grabs hold of the handles, feeling himself soar in the air and to freedom. His freedom is short-lived, for Zuko throws himself out from the balcony, jumping to grab hold of Aang’s ankle as he yelps, the glider losing altitude because of the added weight. As Aang tries to shake Zuko’s grip from his foot, the pair fall to the ground, their sudden descent making them both roll a bit before coming to a stop. As Aang starts to get up, Zuko moves up on his elbows with his eyes narrowing in anger as he catches sight of the avatar. Both rise, gazes never leaving the other as they ready themselves for another fight. Before they can begin fighting, the sound of a loud growl distracts them both, and Zuko’s eyes widen.

“What is that?”

As Appa flies closer to the bow of the ship, Katara, Y/N and Sokka mounted on the saddle, Aang grins and turns around to face his companion. “Appa!” Y/N sees Katara’s shoulders raise and her hands clutch each other in front of her in relief at seeing the airbender again, and Y/N’s lips part to make way for a small, sentimental smile. Since the boy monk had entered her friend’s life, she had seen the light in her eyes return every time he was around. He made her hopeful. Y/N could see it clear as day in her head. Katara, her greatest friend, a master of the near extinct art of their tribe.

As her brown eyes look at the scene in front of her from her seat on Appa’s back, the sight of an infuriated, red clad figure rising behind Aang with his fist poised in front of him tears he away from her thoughts. She feels the time slow down as scorching fire summons itself in the prince’s hands, cocking his left hand behind him, he swings his arm forward to unleash an arc of fire at Aang’s back. Katara’s eyes, crinkled from the smile on her face taking over, shift to the side of Aang, slowly widening in fear as she sees the flames approaching the boy. As Aang sees the smile from her face drop, his own disappears and he feels the hairs on his neck raise.

Her hand reaches for him, body almost slipping off the front of Appa. “Aang, look out!”

Time seems to return to normal when Aang turns around, avoiding Zuko’s fire by swiftly grabbing his staff from where it lay on the steel deck, arms raising and spinning it to deflect the flames. Zuko doesn’t let up on Aang who’s crouched on the deck, throwing a blast of fire before following up with another one before the first ever lands. Aang keeps deflecting by using his staff, his feet bringing him further and further back towards the edge of the deck, when Zuko breathes in and with a running start turns his body to kick a flame bigger and stronger than his others. This forces Aang up on the railing as he bears the brunt of Zuko’s attack. His body rocks back and forward with his arms flailing in the air as he attempts to regain balance. Just as his feet steady on the railing, Zuko throws another punch of fire that makes Aang’s glider fly out of his hands and land far away from him on the deck of the ship. Zuko’s gaze follows the staff where it lands to his left, and as his eyes turn back to the avatar, he fires three consecutive times, the last attack knocking the airbender’s arms that were covering his face into his head, and Katara watches as Aang falls backwards off the ship, landing in the water head first.

“Aang, no!” Both Sokka and Y/N hurry on either side of Katara, watching as Aang’s body goes deeper into the dark blue waters, his form getting smaller and smaller as he slowly sinks. Katara’s voice echoes throughout the ice covered ocean as she calls out for him. Y/N sits beside her with one hand covering her mouth, not believing what she’s just seen. Sokka reaches a tentative hand up on Katara’s shoulder, the girl frozen in shock like she doesn’t know how to move.

In the cold depths, Aang’s body engulfed by the cold arctic water drifts further and further away from the light of the sun.

The avatar’s eyes shoot open, glowing a bright white as his brows furrow and an angry frown takes over his face. He starts swiveling around in the water, bending the water around him as he shoots up into the air. Zuko stands wide eyed on the deck, Aang’s waterbending casting a shadow over the ship and showering the crew in horror at the sight in front of them. Aang uses the water around him to bring him back to the ship, landing on deck and bringing his arms over his head as he bends the water to form a protective circle, before he brings his hands outwards as the water slams into the ship’s crew and the fire nation prince. Zuko’s side hits the railing of the ship before he gets pushed over and into the water below. On top of Appa, the three sit in shock, having just watched Aang’s waterbending feat.

“Did you see what he just did?!” Katara turns to Sokka, who is also watching Aang with a new look on his face.

“Now that was some waterbending!” Y/N chuckles at how impressed Sokka is. Back on the deck, the water drops from Aang’s hands as his knees buckle from exhaustion. Y/N quickly grabs a hold of Appa’s reigns as he growls at the sight of Aang dropping, bringing them down on the deck. Katara, Sokka and Y/N all slide down from Appa to hurry over to Aang, whose tattoos and eyes have stopped glowing. Katara drops on her knees, bringing her arms around Aang to steady him where he lay.

“Aang! Are you okay?” Aang’s eyes look up at Katara whose face is scrunched up in concern. “Hey Katara.” Although he’s exhausted, he musters up a smile and looks around at Sokka and Y/N who stand behind Katara. “Hey Sokka, hey Y/N. Thanks for coming.” Y/N smiles down at him.

Sokka shrugs with a smile on his face. “Well, I couldn't let you have all the glory.” Weakly, Aang musters up. “I dropped my staff.”

Sokka starts looking around for the staff, seeing it near the edge of the ship. “Got it!” He runs over to it and bends down to grab it off the ground, when a hand grabs the other end. Zuko’s knuckles are white as his fingers grip the handle of the staff, attempting to bring himself over the railing and back on the ship. Sokka yells in surprise before attempting to wring the staff out of the prince’s hand, but Zuko places his other hand further up on the staff to get a better grip. Sokka’s face changes as he stops putting force into pulling the staff towards him, and starts using force to butt Zuko in the head as he did to Sokka earlier. His hands lose the grip they had on the staff as he plummets into the waters below, and Y/N sighs in relief that another fight with the fire nation prince has been avoided.

“Ha! That's for the Water Tribe!” Sokka yells out, clearly proud of his small victory.

Aang gets up on Appa with the help of Katara, who stands surrounded by a puddle of water from Aang earlier attack on the ship’s crew. Y/N holds out her hand for him to grab onto as she hoists him up onto Appa. As soon as he sits down in the saddle, fire nation soldiers who had climbed their way back on the ship start walking towards the group, making Katara who still hasn’t made it up on Appa freeze. Y/N shouts to Katara as she holds out her hand to the girl. “Katara, grab my hand! We have to hurry.” Katara moves her arm up to reach for Y/N’s outstretched hand, when she instead retracts her hand to bend the water around her and freeze it at the soldiers’ feet. They are halted in their step, gasping as they look at the ice encasing their feet. Feeling emboldened by her success, Katara draws more water, arms moving to form a water whip that she tries to hit the soldiers with. The water goes the completely wrong way though and behind her Sokka is frozen in place, his legs covered in ice.

“Katara!” Y/N winces at her friend’s failed attempt. At this point the soldiers have already melted the ice around their feet with their flames, and they resume their advance on Katara, when she turns around to seek more water. Gathering the last bit of water on deck in her hands, she tightly closes her eyes and throws her arms out behind her in an attempt to stop the soldiers. Katara waits for warm, rough hands to grab her, yet they never come as she lowers her hands and opens her eyes to the sight of a frozen hand inches from her face. It twitches in place, the soldier still trying to grab the blue eyed girl, who now looks at her hands with a giddy smile. She turns her head to Aang and Y/N who look at her with pride, and quickly grabs Y/N’s outstretched hand to climb up on Appa. As she sits in the saddle beside the brown eyed girl, Y/N places her arms around Katara’s shoulders in a hug as she laughs in excitement at her friend’s success. “That was so good, Katara.” Katara looks up at the older girl, blue eyes gleaming with pride. Down on the deck, Sokka keeps chopping away at the ice with his boomerang.

“Hurry up, Sokka!” Katara yells at him, remembering the urgency of the situation. Sokka starts muttering to himself in response to his sister’s words. “I'm just a guy, with a boomerang.” He manages to free his left foot. “I didn't ask for all this flying and magic!” With a final hit, Sokka frees his right foot and takes off towards Appa’s tail, racing up it and landing on his side on the saddle. “Yip yip! Yip yip!” With a groan Appa takes off, flying past a newly awoken Iroh, who rubs his eyes against the harshness of the sun. “D…Huh?” Appa’s shadow passes Iroh’s form, before Iroh hurries over to the side of the ship, hands reaching down to heft his nephew back up on the deck. As soon as the prince is back on his feet, he barks out an order to his uncle. “Shoot them down!” Standing beside his nephew, Iroh and Zuko both channel their energy into summoning a ball of fire that they launch at the retreating sky bison. As it nears the group they all stare at the fireball hurling towards them in horror, before Aang leaps up and swings his staff to hit it with a swipe of air that changes its direction into the side of the cliff. The impact of the fireball causes a chunk of ice to break off the glacier, before more start falling, causing an avalanche that buries the front of the ship in ice. Zuko stumbles in his stance as the ship comes to a stop, his rage manifesting itself in the way he throws a flame from his clenched fist and lets out a yell.

Katara, Aang and Sokka all laugh as Appa continues to ascend further and further from the ship, while Y/N sighs in relief at having the avatar back on the bison, and away from the angry prince currently yelling at his crew down on the snow covered ship. From her view on top the airborne bison, she can see him more clearly with him also not clad in the war armor he had been wearing when he attacked their village. A scar takes up most of the left side of his face, crawling all the way back to his ear. The sight makes her wonder how he’d acquired the scar. Firebenders usually don’t torch their own.

“Good news for the Fire Lord. The Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid.” The newly awoken Iroh takes a step closer to his still fuming nephew. Zuko lifts his head and turns to his uncle, fire blazing in his golden eyes. “That "kid", Uncle, just did this.” Throwing out his hand to gesture to the bow of the ship stuck in the snow. “I won't underestimate him again.” Turning to his soldiers, he barks out an order. “Dig the ship out and follow them!” As he surveys the ship, seeing the soldiers’ hands already lit and working on the snow, he sheepishly retracts. “As soon as you're done with that.”

.

The feeling of clouds between her outstretched fingers is a first for Y/N, but she knows it’s a feeling she won’t get bored of any time soon. Along with the weightlessness that comes with flying on an air bison, it’s more than what she expected to know as a girl from a village on the South Pole. At the sound of Katara’s voice, she retracts her hand from where it was slowly weaving up and down in the air.

“How did you do that? With the water? It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!” Aang shrinks into himself a little at Katara’s question.

“I don't know. I just sort of ... did it.”

“Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?”

“Because…” he turns his body away a little as he can’t seem to meet any of their eyes. “I never wanted to be.”

“But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war.” Katara’s voice is quiet and her eyes are trying to catch Aang’s.

“And how am I going to do that?”

Katara clears her throat as she sits up a little straighter. “According to legend, you need to first master water, then earth, then fire, right?” Aang’s eyes finally look up at Katara as he nods slightly.

“That's what the monks told me.” Katara brightens a bit at his response, an idea coming to her.

“Well, if we go to the North Pole, you can master waterbending!”

A smile takes over Aang’s face as he hears her idea, eyes sparkling. “We can learn it together!”

Katara turns to her brother and the dark haired girl sitting next to each other. “And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some firebender heads on the way.”

Sokka seems content with the idea, smile appearing on his lips at the thought. “I'd like that. I'd reeeally like that.” Katara now shifts her eyes to her friend who’s fiddling uneasily with the edge of her pants leg, legs tucked to the side. “Y/N, I know there hasn’t been any signs…” She pauses as the girl’s eyes turn downcast. “But, you could always train with us. Maybe practicing actual waterbending moves with masters will help!” She knows Katara is just trying to encourage her, but Y/N can tell the effort would be wasted. Her gaze turns from Katara’s bright eyes to the avatar’s, his gaze sympathetic.

“I have always wanted to visit the Northern tribe.” She smiles at Aang, and beside him Katara excitedly claps her hands together.

“Then we're in this together!”

Chapter Text

At the edge of the South Sea’s waters, a group of two girls and two boys rise from their slumber, sleeping bags set up on the ground surrounding a campfire. Dying embers still glow a bit as the last of the smoke draws upwards and disappears. The morning sun’s beams reflect off the water; the group bathed in a warm, yellow light.

Katara ties off a knot that secures their bags to Appa’s saddle, and on Appa’s head Aang sits, his hands looping the sky bison’s reigns around his horns a couple of times, before securing them with a tight knot. The boy turns around to Katara, excitement radiating off his entire being.

“Wait 'til you see it, Katara! The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!”
Katara winces a bit at his excitement, thinking of how the air nomads went silent as the war progressed further, until at last they were dead to the rest of the world. She takes a breath and forces herself to steel her somber expression as she turns around to address Aang.

“Aang, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home.” Aang keeps the broad smile on his face, not discouraged by her words.

“That's why I'm so excited!”

“It's just that... a lot can change in all that time.”

“I know, but I need to see it for myself.” With that, he uses his airbending to soften his landing off Appa, and makes his way over to Sokka who still lies nestled up in his sleeping bag. “Wake up, Sokka! Air Temple, here we come!” Sokka groans as his head pops up from where it was covered by his sleeping bag, sleepy annoyance on his face.

“Uggh! Sleep now. Temple later.” Aang eyes are wide and blinking as Sokka rolls over to turn his back on the airbender, snores slowly getting louder as he quickly goes back to sleep. A few feet away, Y/N folds up her sleeping bag, rolling her eyes at her friend and his obnoxious snoring. Aang turns his eyes over to the girl, astonished at what he’d just seen. She laughs a little to herself as she forcefully shoves her sleeping bag into the rest of her belongings, before she sits up and looks around. Spotting something, she turns back to Aang and sends him a look.

“Watch and learn, kid. This is how you wake a brute.” She gets up and walks over to pick something off the ground, coming back to the airbender to show him the stick she’d grabbed. “Back in the village, Sokka and Katara’s dad used to take me with them on hunting trips. We’d have to set up camp for multiple days at a time, and Sokka’s unwillingness to wake up made me so mad, I taught myself a trick.” She slowly runs the stick over the ground, moving it side to side to emulate a snake slithering. His eyes narrow in mischief as he catches on to what the older girl is implying. Holding it out to Aang, she nods him over to where Sokka is innocently snoring away, his back open.

“Sokka! Wake up! There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!”

The yell Sokka lets out is so loud, and as he finally wakes up enough to register the feeling of Aang dragging the stick up and down his sleeping back, he jumps up and hops around to get it off.
“Get it off! Get it off!” In his panic he makes it to two hops before he falls flat on his face, groaning at the pain. Y/N barks out a laugh, and from on top of Appa, Katara giggles at the sight of her brother. Aang drops the stick to put his hands on his hips as he succeeds in waking the now angry Sokka, a happy smile on his face.

“Great! You're awake! Let's go!”

.

Docked at Ketu Harbor are countless massive steel ships all brandishing the Fire Nation logo wherever there’s space, and in between two of these ships is another, albeit smaller, Fire Nation-emblem covered ship. 2 figures are walking down the lowered bow, one shorter and stubbier, and the other taller and leaner.

“Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail.” Zuko addresses his uncle beside him, who seems disinterested in hurrying after the avatar.

“You mean the Avatar?” At the mention of the young boy, Zuko sharply turns to his uncle and gets up in his face. “Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive, every firebender will be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way!” Behind the pair, a person clears their throat, sounding wholly unamused.

“Getting in the way of what,” As Zuko fully turns around to take in the person, he starts with the person’s pointy boots, legbrace clad legs, going up to the chestplate covered chest and finally stops at massive sideburns and a topknot holding up a receding hairline. Approaching the pair is Captain Zhao of the Fire Nation, and Zuko’s eyes widen in recognition. “Prince Zuko?”

“Captain Zhao.” As Zhao nears the pair with his hands held leisurely behind his back, Zuko feels his own cross over in front of him and his eyes narrow in irritation when he comes face to face with the Captain.

Zhao’s lips widen into a smirk at the Prince’s words. “It's commander now. And,” He turns to Iroh to bow. “General Iroh. Great hero of our nation.”

“Retired general.” As he says the words, he bows back to the man, though Zuko takes notice of how he doesn’t lean as far down as the Commander.

“The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests anytime. What brings you to my harbor?”

Iroh gestures to the broken ship behind him with an outstretched hand. “Our ship is being repaired.”

“That's quite a bit of damage.” Zuko jumps in, attempting to deliver an explanation without revealing the actual cause of the damage. “Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened.” He turns to his uncle. “Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened.”

Iroh’s eyes widen comically as he’s put on the spot. “Yes. I will do that. It was incredible!” He enthusiastically holds his hand up to tell the thrilling tale. Falling short, he addresses Zuko from the side of his mouth. “What? Did we crash or something?”

“Yes! Right into... an Earth Kingdom ship!”

Zhao cocks his brow at Zuko’s explanation. “Really? You must regale me with all of the thrilling details.” With a stupid smirk on his face, he gets closer to the Prince, looking down at the shorter boy from over his upturned nose. “Join me for a drink?” Zuko turns his face away from Zhao’s gaze, eyes blazing with fury.

“Sorry, but we have to go.” He utters the sorry through gritted teeth and turns to leave, when his uncle stops him with a hand on his shoulder. “Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect.” Iroh shoots a smile at Zhao in faux remorse, the corners of his eyes forcefully wrinkling as he really sells it to Zhao.

“We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favorite.”

.

On top of the great sky bison the group sit, Aang and Katara sat up front by the reigns and Sokka and Y/N in the saddle behind. The passing clouds and wind rustle past Appa’s fur, air colder the higher they soar. Sokka throws his head back in annoyance as his stomach growls for the fifth time this hour.

“Hey, stomach? Be quiet, all right? I'm trying to find us some food.” He turns his body towards his bag, shoving a hand down it with his tongue out as he focuses on feeling around the items haphazardly thrown in there. His eyes widen as he seems to find what he’s looking for, getting the brown bag out as he smiles in satisfaction. Turning it upside down, he pours it into his hands, only to find himself looking at leftover crumbs.

“Hey! Who ate all of my blubbered seal jerky?!” His head suddenly turns to the girl beside him, pointing an accusing finger at her face. “Was it you?”

Y/N slaps his finger out of her face and crosses her arms, grumbling at his accusation. “No, Sokka, I did not eat your blubbered seal jerky. Who would willingly do that?” Sokka’s scowl turns even deeper as he throws the empty bag to the wind. The girl gasps as she turns to where the bag flies away, loose hair getting in her face. “And don’t litter!”

“Oh. That was food? I used it to start the campfire last night.” Aang pipes in from the front of Appa. “Sorry.”

“You what?!” Sokka shoots up from where he’d been slouching, scowl still on his face. He looks up as he remembers the fire from last night. “No wonder the flames smelled so good.”

Beneath them Appa growls as the group ascend up to some mountains.

“The Patola Mountain range! We're almost there!” Aang excitedly quips. Beside him, Katara shifts uneasily as she turns to address the airbender.

“Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders.”

“What about 'em?”

“Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless.” A sadness sweeps over her face. “They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people.” Aang seems to ponder for a bit, before he responds with his usual optimism. “Just because no one has seen an airbender, doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!”

Katara places an empathetic hand on his shoulder. “I know it's hard to accept.”

“You don't understand, Katara. The only way to get to an airbender temple is on a flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison!” His hand reaches down to caress Appa. “Right, Appa?” Appa grunts in response.

Gathering the reigns in his hands, he motions Appa up as they ascend further. “Yip yip!”

Appa beats his tail as he readies to ascend even further up the mountain side, weaving side to side as he avoids spiky rocks and at last, flies over an area scattered with trees. The group enter the clouds, their sight hindered by the fogginess. As they finally emerge from the clouds and the fog clears, they float closer and closer to the great monument, a temple hidden in the sky.

“There it is. The Southern Air Temple.”

“Aang, it's amazing!”

A sentimental smile spreads on Aang’s face, his eyes turning cloudy as emotions roll over him. “We're home, buddy! We're home.”

.

Back at Ketu harbor, steel ships are still lined up at the waters edge, and further inshore tents also bearing the Fire Nation emblem line the railroad, one tent in particular guarded by armor clad soldiers. Inside, the nation’s prince, a retired general, a handful more soldiers and a newly anointed commander surround a map laid out in the middle of the room.

“...And by the year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule.” Commander Zhao walks around with his hands behind his back, turning to address the Prince and his uncle sat at a table. “The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war.” Zuko’s already tight expression turns angry at the mention of the Fire lord.

“If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool!”

Zhao stops at where Zuko is sitting, smirk on his face. “Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue. So, how is your search for the Avatar going?”

A clang sounds from behind them, Iroh standing frozen with a guilty expression on his face having just gotten up and knocked over a weapon display. Zhao’s shoulders jump the slightest bit in surprise, before he turns around to shoot daggers at the man for interrupting.

“Eh.. My fault, entirely.” Iroh places his hands back in his sleeves and puts on the most innocent smile he can procure.

“We haven't found him yet.” Zuko answers Zhao’s question, nostrils flared as he gets more and more worked up.

“Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago. Along with the rest of the airbenders.” Zhao pauses as his expression turns even more evil. “Unless you have found some evidence that the Avatar is alive?” “No.” A glint passes over his golden eyes as the two stare each other down. “Nothing.”

“Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war.” Zhao learns in closer to Zuko, mouth turned down in a scowl. “If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found.” The prince brings himself up on his palms on the table as he rises to meet Zhao’s eyes. “I haven't found-“ His nails dig into the table as he spits out the last word. “-anything. It's like you said. The Avatar probably died a long time ago.” He lifts his palms from the table as he gets up, gesturing to his uncle. “Come on, Uncle, we're going.” Before Zuko can leave the tent, he is stopped by the guards crossing their spears in front of him. Stopped in his tracks, a third guard enters the room and walks up the commander.

“Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape.” A smug smile returns to Zhao’s face as he walks up to stand behind Zuko, leaning in to speak in his ear. “Now remind me how, exactly, was your ship damaged?”

.

At the Southern Air temple, Appa rests at the base of snow covered stairs, his paws folded in front of him as he yawns. Further up, 4 figures move up a mountain trail.

Aang is excitedly running ahead of the group, Y/N trying her best to keep up with the speed of the airbender, a smile spread on her lips. Behind them, the two siblings walk side by side.

Sokka Is clutching his stomach, pained expression on his scrunched up face. “So where do I get something to eat?”

“You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an airbender temple, and all you can think about is food?” Katara glances at her brother incredulously, meanwhile Y/N has caught up to Aang who waits for the rest of the group to catch up with him. The two are talking, the shorter boy pointing at something while Y/N looks in that direction, taking in whatever information he was sharing with her about the temple.

“I’m just a simple guy, with simple needs.” As the siblings approach, they hear the end of Aang’s sentence.

“So that's where my friends and I would play airball, and over there is where the bison would sleep, and…” He slowly stops talking, a sigh replacing his words. His expression suddenly turns sad.

“What’s wrong?” Katara steps closer to him, moving to stand beside him.

“This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison. Now there's just a bunch of weeds.” The wind rustles his clothes as he stands with a downturned head, dead trees flanking him on both sides. “I can't believe how much things have changed.” Sokka and Y/N share a sympathetic look, moving up to stand on the other side of the airbender. In an attempt to cheer him up, Sokka puts on a cheerful tone.

“So uh, this airball game. How do you play?”

.

Sokka grunts in pain as a ball slams into his stomach, forcing him backwards and right into the goal behind him. He groans into the snow he’d crashed into at the force of Aang’s throw. Aang laughs from where he’s standing on one leg on his pole, putting a hand over his eyes to make up where Sokka had landed.

“Aang, seven!” With his arms, he forms a zero above his head. “Sokka, zero!” Sokka lifts his head out of the snow, brushing a twig from his head. Katara watches her brother, laughing to herself quietly.

“Making him feel better is putting me in a world of hurt.” He gets up on his elbows, steadying his arms to lift himself upright, but before he can do so, a flash of red in the snow in front of him catches his eye. He crawls closer to the snow, brushing some snow away, revealing a battered and cracked Fire Nation helmet. His eyes widen as he turns to his sister. “Katara, check this out.”

The girl’s eyes widen as well, taking in the spiked ends of the metal. “Fire Nation.”

“We should tell him.”

“Aang, there’s something you should see!” The airbender turns away from where he and Y/N had been throwing the ball to each other and runs towards the siblings. “Okay!”

As Katara watches Aang approach them with a smile on his face, the determination on hers turns to uncertainty, and she quickly brings her arms up, bending the snow as she brings her hands down. The snow covers the helmet, and Sokka, from view.

“What is it?” When he nears the pair, Katara innocently holds her hands behind her back as she smiles at the boy. “Uh... Just a new waterbending move I learned.”

“Nice one! But enough practicing, we have a whole temple to see!” With that Aang turns to walk away, a spring in his step. Now up from the ground, Sokka brushes away the last bit of snow from his head and shoulders.

“You know, you can't protect him forever.” Katara’s eyes sadden as she follows after Aang. They near a courtyard with a frozen fountain in the middle, Y/N sitting at the edge with her hands folded in her lap. She smiles as the group nears, standing up and brushing off her skirt to follow an excited Aang.

Sokka crosses his arms as he addresses his sister again, taking on a sterner tone. “Katara, firebenders were here. You can't pretend they weren’t.” Katara moves past her brother, moving further into the courtyard and after the pair ahead of them. “I can for Aang's sake. If he finds out that the Fire Nation invaded his home, he'll be devastated.”

“Hey guys! I want you to meet somebody!” Aang stands in front of a statue of a monk, looking up.

Katara, Y/N and Sokka near Aang, stopping to admire the statue.

“Who's that?” Sokka asks the airbender.

“Monk Gyatso! The greatest airbender in the world.” He gestures to him with a proud smile on his face. ”He taught me everything I know.” Aang brings his fists together in front of him as he bows to his master, eyes closed. When he rights himself, his eyes are sad as they open again.

“You must miss him.” Katara puts her hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah.” He takes a breath before walking away.

“Where are you going?”

He stops walking, turning around to look at the group. “The air temple sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet.” Turning back around, he continues up a flight of stairs that lead into a corridor. The three exchange glances, Sokka shrugging his shoulders as they all walk after Aang. As they all move into the corridor, the floor embedded with a symbol of intertwined air currents, they make it to the entrance of the sanctuary. The entrance is closed by a door that has three blue metal pipes swirled into each other on the front. The lack of upkeep the last 100 years has made the tree beside the door’s branches grow and crawl all over and from a nearby window sunlight hits the door. Y/N’s eyes move to take in the entirety of it, as she tentatively reaches a hand up to gently glide her fingertips over the engravings, feeling the soft edges of the wood. “It’s beautifully made.”

Aang’s eyes shift to the girl, a gleam of pride in them. “The monks made all sorts of art, spending years perfecting different crafts. I bet there’s more to see inside!” Behind him, Katara pipes in.

“But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years.”

“It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long.”

She nods at his words. “Good point.”

Aang glances at her with a turn of his head. “Katara, whoever's in there might help figure out this Avatar thing!” Sokka pops in suddenly and the three turn to him in surprise.

“And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats!” His hands rub together at the thought, and before they can react, he charges at the door, smashing into it head first. Not seeming to work, he pushes at the door with his back against it for a bit before he gives up and dejectedly slides down to rest against it. “I don't suppose you have a key?”

“The key, Sokka, is airbending.” Aang takes a deep breath, spreading his arms and then thrusts them forward, a powerful air current leaving his hands and going into the tubes on the door. One by one, the tubes fill with air and turn purple, turning to unlock the door’s lock mechanism. Slowly, the door cracks open, the light reaching into the room for the first time in a while.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Aang takes a step in through the door, eyes roaming around as he takes in as much as he can. The three behind him all take unsure steps after the airbender, also observing. As they move further throughout the sanctuary, they find themselves in front of hundreds of statues all positioned in a circle, more covering the walls as they stretch all the way to the top of the room. The only light in the room comes from where they had all entered, a sliver of that light casting the shadows away from the statues closest to the door. The group all move in between the statues, examining their faces. Sokka stops in front of a statue clad in what looks like Earth Kingdom clothing.

“Statues? That's it? Where's the meat?” Further down, Aang, Katara and Y/N all stop to gaze up at the same statue.

“Who are all these people?” Aang tilts his head at Katara’s question. “I'm not sure. But it feels like I know them somehow. Look!” He points to a statue that bears the same tattoos he has. “That one's an airbender.”

Katara pipes in, pointing to a male dressed in Water tribe clothing. “And this one's a waterbender!” Two statues down, Y/N looks up at a woman wearing her hair half up half down; top part of her hair held up by a pin resembling a flame. “This one is a firebender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth and fire.” A look of understanding spreads on Aang’s face.

“That’s the avatar cycle.”

“Of course. They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang.” Katara turns her head to Aang.

“Wow! There are so many!” He keeps going past more statues, admiring every one. Sokka stops beside his sister, arms crossed as he has a skeptical look on his face.

“Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?”

“It's true. When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle.”

Aang stops in front of one of the avatars, an elderly man. As he looks at the man’s face, his eyes widen as a gleam passes over the statue’s eyes for a second. He’s staring quietly at the statue when Katara takes notice and walks up behind Aang, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him out of it.

“Aang! Snap out of it!” He’s still smiling as he barely reacts to her touch. “Huh?”

“Who is that?”

“That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me.” Sokka and Y/N move towards the pair, before Sokka looks up at the statue and then at Aang.

“You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met.” Y/N nudges an elbow into his side, smiling as she shakes her head. “Right, because you’re usually so open and sociable.”

“Hey, I’m just saying.” He shrugs, throwing his hands up.

Katara leans down to look at the base of the statue, not seeing a name engraved. “There's no writing. How do you know his name?”

“I’m not sure. I just know it somehow.” Sokka shoots him a look out of the corner of his eye. “You just couldn’t get any weirder.”

Suddenly, they all startle at a noise behind them. As they turn around, the shadow of a being with two long ears moves closer and closer, and they all scramble to hide behind the statues. Y/N holds her breath in anticipation, and beside her Sokka slowly brings his club up, ready to strike. He turns to address the group, holding a hand over his mouth. “Firebender. Nobody make a sound.”

“You're making a sound!”

Both Aang and Sokka shush Katara with a finger over their mouths. “Shhh!” Sokka raises his club again. “That firebender won't know what hit him.” At this point, the being has moved closer, making a chittering sound, and Sokka slowly rises to attack.

He shifts forward, before he’s stopped by the sight of a small animal, big eyes blinking and ears standing straight up. Aang peeks around the statue, seeing the animal.

“Lemur!”

“Dinner!” The lemur’s ears lower, head tilting to the side. Aang smiles at the animal.

“Don’t listen to him. You’re going to be my new pet.”

“Not if I get him first!” Sokka and Aang both set off after the lemur, the poor thing screeching in fright as it takes off.

“Wait! Come back!”

“I want to eat you!” Both boys run out of the sanctuary, Sokka trying to trip Aang with his club on the way and Aang avoiding his swing. They both run out of sight, chasing the horrified animal. Y/N shouts at them, trying to get them to stop. “Hey!” They don’t hear her, and she lets out an annoyed huff. She turns to Katara beside her, who only returns her sentiment, covering her face with her hands.

.

Somewhere further inside the temple, the lemur escapes Aang hot on it’s heels past ripped drapes, into a tent that’s borderline about to collapse. The airbender follows it, pushing past the drapes. 

“Hey! Come back! Come on out, little lemur! That hungry guy won't bother you anymore.” He keeps going further past another set of drapes, looking around when he takes a sharp breath at the sight in front of him. Several skeletons clad in Fire Nation armor lay scattered on the floor, setting a grim scene. Aang looks further up, a skeleton dressed as a monk surrounded by even more Fire Nation skeletons.

“Firebenders? They were here?” His eyes are wide in shock, and as he takes in the skeleton dressed in shades of yellow, he notices the necklace with the air symbol engraved in the pendant. His breath trembles, and his eyes shine with tears.

“Gyatso.”

The boy falls to his knees in the snow, not feeling the cold as his form is wrecked with devastation. Over his shoulder, Sokka pushes past the drapes, looking around with a grin on his face.

“Hey, Aang! You find my dinner yet?” As he moves closer to Aang, he sees how the boy is hunched over with his head cupped in his hands.

“Aang, I wasn't really going to eat the lemur, okay?” The smile on his face is wiped off as he does a double take around the room, seeing all the corpses. “Oh, man…” He pauses for a second, before gearing up to put a reassuring hand on Aang’s shoulder.

In a quiet voice, he beckons Aang. “Come on, Aang. Everything will be all right. Let's get out of here.”

Suddenly, the arrow on Aang’s head lights up, and Sokka looks in shock as he finally lifts his head, angry eyes lit in the same glow. Sokka gasps and lets go of Aang’s shoulder as he takes a step back.

.

Back in the sanctuary, Katara and Y/N have taken to wandering around to look at the different statues, when Katara stops in front of Avatar Roku. His eyes suddenly light up, and Katara feels the light cast itself on her face as she gasps. She looks up at Avatar Roku, when the statues beside him light up, and then the next, and then it keeps going for all the former avatars, all of them with the same glowing eyes. Katara’s worried eyes turn from Avatar Roku to Y/N behind her, who also looks on in shock at the statues. Their eyes lock and Katara’s eyes flicker with worry.

“Aang!” Both girls turn and sprint towards the exit.

.

Far away, a man in green clothing sits in front of an unfinished painting, paintbrush raised to an image of past Earth Kingdom avatars, when their eyes start to emit a bright glow. He gasps and drops his paintbrush, hurrying to stand up from his crosslegged position.

In the North Pole, two women dressed in blue gaze up at the bluish light coming from the tip of the Water Temple with wide eyes.

In a Fire Temple deep in the Fire Nation’s territory, reddish light glows from the tip of the temple, and beneath a Fire Sage leans out of a doorway, calling out to his fellow sages.

“Send word to the Fire Lord immediately! The Avatar has returned!”

.

Aang’s feet lift from the ground as the wind starts to pick up around him. A femur lying abandoned on the ground slowly starts to glide against the floor, eventually getting dragged further as the wind kicks up even more. A whirlwind forms around Aang’s body, his clothes fluttering and debris and dust flying around the room making Sokka cover his face with hims arms, eyes tightly shut.

“Aang! Come on! Snap out of it!” The raging winds swallow up Sokka’s words, barely being heard as a sphere forms around Aang, growing further and expanding with a snap that hits Sokka and makes him fly backwards. He yells as his body hits the ground, and the roof above them explodes with the force of the now hurricane like winds. Aang keeps ascending, and from behind the cover of a rock, Sokka peeks out to look at Aang in concern.

Katara and Y/N hurry into the room, running over to Sokka while covering their faces with their arms. Katara worriedly gives her brother a look over.
“What happened?”

“He found out firebenders killed Gyatso!”

“Oh no! It's his Avatar Spirit!” Debris flies past their heads as they all cower behind the rock for protection. Katara keeps her arms up as she peeks out again. “He must have triggered it! I'm going to try and calm him down!” She slowly moves past the rock and trudges against the harsh winds, one eye closed shut.

“Well, do it! Before he blows us off the mountain!” Sokka throws a protective arm over Y/N, pulling her closer to him as she narrowly doges a piece of rubble being thrown around by the winds. The pair keep concerned eyes on Katara from behind the rock as she moves closer to Aang.

“Aang! I know you're upset and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom.” Her words barely carry over the harsh winds, but she shouts as loud as she can. “Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family.” Sokka and Y/N make their way closer to Katara as she glances back at them. “Sokka, Y/N and I! We’re your family now!”

Aang’s emotionless face stays that way, though he slowly begins to descend down before his feet graze the ground, and finally touch down. The winds around them starts to calm down and the sphere around Aang dissipates. The three pull up to surround the now kneeling Aang, his head down.

As gently as he can, Sokka looks at Aang and opens his mouth. “Katara, Y/N and I aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise.” Katara reaches her hand out to grasp onto Aang’s. The bright glow from his tattoos and eyes starts to fade as he collapses in Katara’s arms, his eyes carrying so much sadness. “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. It wasn't your fault.”

“But you were right. And if the firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones, too.” His eyes close as reality seeps in. “I really am the last airbender.” Katara’s arms tighten around Aang, and Sokka reaches up to grasp onto his shoulder with a comforting grip. Y/N gently brings her arms around Katara and shakily exhales.

.

Back inside the sanctuary, Aang stands in front of Roku’s statue, gazing at it quietly. Katara pulls up beside him.

“Everything's packed. You ready to go?”

“How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?”

“Maybe you'll find a way.” At a sound from behind them, they glance at each other and turn around. In the middle of the door, the lemur stands on its back legs before dashing over to Sokka to drop fruits at his feet. It quickly dashes away again as Sokka drops to his knees and starts stuffing his face, a fruit in each hand. Y/N stands beside him, looking down with distaste and a hand on her cocked hip. Katara and Aang smile at the sight.

“Looks like you made a new friend Sokka!”

“Can't talk! Must eat!” He talks before having swallowed his bites, and Y/N reaches down to slap him on the back of the neck. “Don’t talk with your mouth full!”

The lemur scurries over to Aang, jumping up on his shoulders and wrapping his tail around his neck. “Hey, little guy!”

.

The group have moved outside, packing their belongings. Aang stands with the lemur on his arm, facing Appa. “You, me and Appa; we're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together. Katara, Y/N, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our family.” They all turn back to look at the airbender. Aang approaches the three, and Y/N looks at the lemur with a smile.

“What are you going to name him?”

“Momo.”

.

Appa flies steadily just below the clouds as the dusking sun bathes the group in a serene, pink and orange light. Aang leans against their luggage at the back of Appa, sad eyes gazing at the disappearing Southern Air Temple.

Dark clouds slowly move in front of the Temple, at last obscuring his view.

Chapter Text

The warm glow in the room fades, lights up again, dims and then grows stronger, casting moving shadows on the steel walls of the room. Zuko brings his breath all the way to the bottom of his stomach, exhaling fully before repeating in a relaxed rhythm, his hands resting on his knees. The flames of the four candles in front of him all follow the motions of his meditation, his face cast in that warm glow. His focus is broken by the sound of his door screeching open, Iroh peeking in his head, and the prince opens his eyes to acknowledge the older man.

“The only reason you should be interrupting me, is if you have news about the Avatar.” Despite his usual quick temper, he says the words calmly.

“Well, there is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it. Don't get too upset.” Iroh steps into the room fully, bringing with him a rolled up scroll.

“Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now, whatever you have to say, I'm sure I can take it.”

“Okay then.” Iroh tugs at his beard. “We have no idea where he is.”

The candles in the room all erupt into massive flames, licking the ceiling as Zuko’s nostrils flare and his enraged face is shadowed by them.

“What!?” He gets to his feet, rounding on his uncle who shields his face from the flames, grabbing a fan from the sleeve of his robe and starting to fan himself.

“You really should open a window in here.” The scroll is snatched from Iroh’s hands.

“Give me the map!” Zuko’s amber eyes scan through the scroll.

“Well, there have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down.”

“How am I going to find him, Uncle?” The map shows different markers, all seemingly random. “He is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering.”

.

“You have no idea where you're going, do you?”

Aang turns around from where he’s sitting atop Appa’s head to glance at Sokka. “Well… I know it's near water.”

Appa, whose fur is dirty and slightly matted, steadily flies over a vast body of water.

Sokka sighs as he glances at the waves beneath them. “I guess we're getting close then.” Beside him Katara is quietly sewing shut a hole in a pair of Sokka’s pants, and Y/N trying to thread a needle, the wind making it vastly harder than it is on land. She thinks her palm may not survive the amount of pricks she’s gotten from trying to keep the thread steady. Aang glances at the blue eyed girl from the corner of his eye, an idea to impress her coming to him. He nods to Momo who’s been sitting on his shoulder the entire ride, licking his palms and holding them up in the air.

“Momo, marbles please.” The lemur dives down Aang’s shirt, emerging with 2 grey marbles held out in his hands.

“Hey Katara, check out this airbending trick!” He throws the marbles in the air, using his airbending to catch them and make them spin around, grin on his face. The girl doesn’t seem to react, intently focused on patching the hole in Sokka’s pants.

“That's great, Aang.” The boy deflates and stops doing the trick when she doesn’t even glance up as she says it. “You didn't even look.”

Her head lifts to look at him, trying to show some enthusiasm. “That’s great!”

“But I'm not doing it now.” Sokka looks up, waving his hand dismissively at Aang.

“Stop bugging her, airhead. You need to give girls space when they do their sewing.”

At her brother’s words, Katara gives him a pointed glare. “What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?” Y/N stops fiddling with the needle she’d been trying to thread.

“Yeah, Sokka. What does being a girl have to do with sewing?” She repeats Katara’s question, eyes narrowed.

“Simple. Girls are better at fixing pants than guys and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that.” His arms rest behind his head lazily. “It's just the natural order of things.” A smile suddenly spreads on Katara’s lips, eyes still pointed.

“All done with your pants!” She holds them up in the air. “And look what a great job I did!” She angrily chucks the pants at his face, and as he scrambles to get them off his face, he sticks his arm through the hole, mortified look on his face. 

“Wait! I was just kidding. I can't wear these! Katara, please!”

From his place in front of the three, Aang joins in. “Relax, Sokka. Where we're going, you won't need any pants.” He abruptly yanks Appa’s reigns to the left, tongue sticking out in concentration. Appa picks up speed, flying further towards an island covered in green mountains, landing on the beach. The group dismount from Appa, and Sokka kicks at the sand beneath his feet.

“We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?”

“He's right. At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring.” Katara looks around, Aang standing further away as he gazes at something.

He moves back to the group and turns to the sky bison. “But Appa's tired, aren't you boy?”

Appa lets out a mild grunt, not looking all that tired. Aang nudges Appa’s leg with his elbow. “I said, aren't you boy?” This time, Appa lets out a louder grunt, opening his mouth to let out a yawn.

“Yeah, that was real convincing.” Sokka looks at Appa. “Still, hard to argue with a ten-ton magical monster.” Aang suddenly runs closer to the shore, seemingly having spotted something in the water.

“Look!” He points at the water, where a massive elephant koi jumps out of the water, landing back in with a giant splash. The three behind Aang all look in awe at the fish.

“That's why we're here.” He starts sliding his clothes off, leaving them at bunched up at his feet. “Elephant koi, and I'm gonna ride it. Katara, you've got to watch me!” He runs off towards the water, diving in before he jumps up again, teeth clenched. “Cold!”

Katara, Y/N and Sokka all stand on the shore, watching Aang as he swims around. Sokka looks at the girls, bringing his finger up to his left temple to swirl it around, and both girls give him a look before turning their attention back to Aang. He seems to have caught onto a fish, riding on its back while holding onto a fin. He’s laughing loudly while waving his hand at his friends on shore, and Katara enthusiastically waves back to him. She turns to Sokka who has his arms crossed in front of him, unimpressed look on his face.

“He looks pretty good out there.”

“Are you kidding?” He dismissively gestures at the water. “The fish is doing all the work.”

Y/N suddenly turns around, noticing something behind the pair. “What’s that in Appa’s mouth?” Katara turns as well, seeing Appa chewing on something.

“No, Appa. Don't eat that!” Both girls hurry over to the bison, and from his place on the elephant koi, Aang notices Katara’s diverted attention. The smile fades off his face.

“Oh man…”

Beneath the avatar, a shadow larger than the koi slowly makes its way closer, and from the shore, Sokka’s eyes widen at the sight. He yells out to Aang. “There's something in the water!”

He keeps surfing on the back of the koi not having heard Sokka, unknowing smile still on his face. Katara and Y/N make their way over to Sokka again.

“What's wrong?” The brown eyed girl asks Sokka, brushing her hands on her skirt as she wipes off Appa’s spit.

“Aang's in trouble. Aang!”

Katara finally turns to look at the water, seeing the shadow following the airbender. “Get out of there!” He keeps holding onto the fin, not thinking too much of the commotion back on the shore, seeing their flailing arms as them cheering him on. Sokka shouts louder, desperately hoping Aang hears him.

“Get back here, Aang!” He raises a hand to wave back, when the smile on his face drops as he feels himself getting flung off the koi. He splashes around, gasping for breath when he turns around and sees a massive fin coming towards him. He shouts as he hurriedly starts running on the water, fueled by his airbending. The fin keeps gaining on him, almost nipping at his heels when he finally makes it to shore, slamming straight into Sokka who falls back and slides all the way into the trunk of a tree.

They both groan as they gather themselves, Sokka rubbing his lower back and Aang limping to get his clothes back on. Katara and Y/N approach them, concern evident in their eyes.

“What was that thing?” Katara asks Aang, who only shakes his head.

“I don’t know.”

Sokka stands up and pats down his clothes, brushing off sand from where he’d slid across the beach and further into the treelike. “Well, let's not stick around to find out. Time to hit the road.” As he utters the last word, a group of warriors drop from the trees, stunning the group as they overpower them one by one. Sokka is grabbed under his arms, Katara has her hood pulled down over her face, Aang gets pulled by his collar, Y/N’s arms grabbed behind her and Momo imprisoned in a bag. They unceremoniously get dropped on the ground one by one, all bound by rope. Sokka lets out an “oof” as he’s dropped last.

“Or, we could stay a while.”

.

The rough rope around Y/N’s wrists chafes her skin, and as she adjusts them to try and alleviate some of the pressure, a man’s voice hidden from her sight by a piece of fabric around her eyes makes her freeze.

“You four have some explaining to do.”

“And if you don't answer all our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the Unagi.” This time, it’s a woman speaking. Sokka, ever so confrontational, starts trying to free his bound hands.

“Show yourselves, cowards!” His blindfold is swiftly dragged down by a gloved hand. His eyes blink as they adjust to the light again, and in front of him stand five girls dressed in green kimonos with white and red paint covering their faces.

“Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?”

One of the girls steps forward, gesturing with a clenched fist. “There were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Wait a second,” Sokka glances at Aang beside him with a smug grin. “there's no way that a bunch of girls took us down.”

Y/N shifts in place, glaring daggers at her friend’s stupid mouth. “Shut up, Sokka.” The warrior who had taken off their blindfolds steps forward, grabbing Sokka’s collar and getting in his face.

“A bunch of girls, huh? The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight.”

“No, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes.” Katara pleads with the warriors, and the one holding Sokka by the collar releases her grip, albeit still staring at him in dismay.

“It's my fault.” Katara, Y/N and Sokka all turn to Aang in surprise. “I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi.”

The man who spoke before steps in again. “How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies? Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far. And we intend to keep it that way!”

“This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!” The man scoffs at Aang’s words.

“Ha! How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago.” Y/N glances up at the pole they’d been bound to, now noticing the woman bearing fans and the same kimono as the warriors in front of her. “She's been dead for centuries.”

“I know her because I'm the Avatar.” Both the man and the warrior’s expressions change, adapting into ones of shock. The warrior doesn’t seem to believe Aang, fists still clenched as she gestures at him.

“That's impossible! The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago.” Her words makes Aang smile sheepishly.

“That’s me!”

The man’s expression turns angry as he points at Aang, addressing the warriors. “Throw the impostor to the Unagi!” Obeying his command, the warriors snap open their fans, advancing on the group bound by the pole. Katara nervously leans forward to glance at Aang.

“Aang... do some airbending.”

The airbender leans forward, before using his airbending to shoot into the air and out of the ropes. He lands softly in front of the statue, a suddenly gathered crowd standing in awe at the sight.

“Wow! Did you see that? Airbender!”

The man’s mouth is wide in shock, and so are the warriors’ around him. “It's true... you are the Avatar!”

“Now…” he pats around his robes, smiling as he finds what he was looking for. “Check this out!” He performs his earlier trick again, the marbles spinning around in his hand as he shoots a toothy grin at the crowd, who all start cheering. One guy completely loses it, letting out a high pitched squeal and throwing up his arms in excitement as he starts to foam at the mouth, before face planting on the ground.

Y/N’s face scrunches up in disgust, while the villagers ignore him and keep cheering.

.

On the harbor of Kyoshi island, a little girl runs down the dock, her feet padding on the wood and stopping behind a fisherman.
“Did you hear the news?” The fisherman turns to the girl, basket in hand. “The Avatar's on Kyoshi!”

The fisherman drops his basket, mouth round in surprise. “Huh?” He bends down to pick it back up, turning around.

.

The fisherman walks up to another man, delivering the basket of fish as he tells him the news. He grabs the basket, turning around.

.

The fishmonger sets the basket of fish down at his stand, grabbing a fish to hand over to a servant dressed in red robes, while telling him the news. The servant grabs the fish, turning around.

.

The servant steps inside the dimly lit room, carrying a plate of cooked fish and puts it on the table in front of the Fire Nation’s prince. Zuko slams his hands on the table as he stand up.

“The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?” He asks, turning to address his uncle. “Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time.”

Iroh points a finger at the fist in front of them. “Are you going to finish that?”

Zuko snatches the plate off the table. “ I was going to save it for later!”

.

The entirety of Kyoshi island seems to be brimming with new life, all villagers tending to different forms of upkeep. The statue of Kyoshi is being repainted, the worn off paint on her face being refreshed and the back being washed by a villager with a broom. The houses lined up on the sides of the big street house conversing villagers, all talking about the new addition to the island. Outside one of the bigger houses Appa has laid down on his side, lazily eating hay from the ground as people groom his fur. Y/N smiles at the luxury treatment he’s receiving, her arms resting on the window as she looks out at the village. Turning around at the sound of a plate being set down on the table, she sees Aang and Katara sat as they prepare to dig in. She walks over to sit crosslegged beside the avatar, as he throws his arms up in excitement at the big display of dishes.

“All right! Dessert for breakfast!” Momo chitters, and on the other side of Aang, Katara looks uneasily at the food, poking at a squishy orange puff. It bounces back unnaturally, and Y/N eyes the dish skeptically. Aang doesn’t seem to share the girls’ reluctance, and immediately starts shoving desserts in his mouth.

“These people sure know how to treat an Avatar!” Katara glances at him sideways.

“ Mmm… Katara, Y/N you've got to try these!” He holds out desserts to them in both hands. Katara takes one, still eyeing it a bit.

“Well, maybe just a bite.”

Aang turns to Y/N fully, still expectantly holding out a dessert to her.

“Thanks, Aang… But uhh, I think I’m okay for now.” She sends him a smile, and he shrugs, moving to plop it in his own mouth. Before the dessert can make it to his mouth, Momo jumps down and steals it out of his hand, quickly dashing away again. The boy pauses for a second, smiling as he doesn’t let it bother him and reaches for another cake.

His eyes turn to Sokka who sulks in the corner, his arms crossed.

“Sokka, what's your problem? Eat!”

He doesn’t look up, staring intently at the floor. “Not hungry.”

“But you're always hungry!” Katara smugly grins at his words. “He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday.”

“They snuck up on me!”

“Right. And then they kicked your butt.” Y/N laughs to herself at Katara’s words, brushing back Momo’s ears as he sits in her lap, lapping up frosting from one of the desserts. Sokka stands up, his arms thrown in the air.

“Sneak attacks don't count!” He keeps rambling to himself. “Tie me up with ropes! I'll show them a thing or two.” He comes to face the group at the table. “I’m not scared of any girls. Who do they think they are anyway?” His hand reaches down to grab a dessert off the table, shoving it in his mouth as he stalks off. “Mmm... this is tasty.”

Aang looks at Sokka’s retrieving back, turning to the girls at his sides. “What's he so angry about? It's great here. They're giving us the royal treatment!”

Katara wipes crumbs from the corners of her mouth. “Hey, don't get too comfortable. It's risky for us to stay in one place for very long.”

“I'm sure we'll be fine.” Momo’s hand reaches up from under the table and feels around for a pastry, when Y/N grabs one and hands it to him, the lemur quickly snatching it. “Besides, did you see how happy I'm making this town?” Aang looks out the window at the statue currently being washed. “They're even cleaning up that statue in my honor!”

“Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar.” Katara’s eyebrows are slightly scrunched in concern. “I just hope it doesn't all go to your head.”

Aang waves a hand. “Come on, you know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk.”

.

Y/N steps out from the house, arms in the air as she stretches her back, feeling stiffness from sitting still for too long. She looks around on the street, admiring the houses and all the villagers going about their day. She continues down the wide street, going further out the village and down a smaller path surrounded by trees. She breathes in the smell of the grass, enjoying the warm sun. Compared to the South Pole’s, frankly boring landscape, the blooming flowers and leafy green trees make for a nice change. She stops in her tracks, seeing Sokka pacing around outside a smaller house. Walking up to him angrily grunting and pacing back and forth, she waits eagerly to see if he notices she’s there.

“I can't believe I got beat up by a bunch of girls.” She shakes her head at his words, ever so not misogynistic.

“That bunch of girls are trained warriors, Sokka.” He jumps in place, turning to look at the approaching girl, her arms crossed in front of her and a sarcastic smile on her face.

“Yeah, whatever. I could have beat them if they hadn’t surprised us.” She rolls her eyes at his words, coming to stand next to him.

“You know there isn’t any shame in losing to them, right? I mean, they’ve probably been training their whole lives.” The pair turn to look inside the house, six Kyoshi warriors performing a routine in perfect unison. It’s like he doesn’t hear her though, turning to walk inside with a determined gait in his step. “Sorry ladies, didn't mean to interrupt your dance lesson.” She slaps her hands over her face, groaning into them at what she knows is coming.

“I was just looking for somewhere to get a little workout?” The warriors all halt their routine, staring at him.

“Well, you're in the right place.” The girl from earlier, who Y/N learnt was named Suki, looks at Sokka stretching. “Sorry about yesterday. I didn't know that you guys were friends with the Avatar.” Her eyes shift from Sokka, turning to the girl still stood in the doorway. The brown eyed girl smiles at her.

“No need to apologize. You were just protecting your village.” Suki nods at her words, a look of understanding passing between the two girls. Sokka jumps in again, ruining their moment. 

“Yeah, it's all right. I mean, normally I'd hold a grudge, but seeing as you guys are a bunch of girls, I'll make an exception.” Y/N sighs to herself.

“I should hope so. A big strong man like you? We wouldn't stand a chance.” The corners of Suki’s mouth quirk up. Sokka’s chest swells a bit, feeling smug at her words.

“True. But don't feel bad. After all, I'm the best warrior in my village.”

“Wow! Best warrior, huh?” She leans in further towards him, quirking a brow as she glances at the other Kyoshi warriors. “In your whole village?Maybe you'd be kind enough to give us a little demonstration.” His eyes widen, suddenly backing down.

“Oh… Well- I mean... I…” Suki doesn’t let up as he stutters, turning to the other girls. “Come on, girls! Wouldn't you like him to show us some moves?” They giggle and smile in agreement, and Y/N feels an impending sense of doom.

Sokka squares his shoulders as he finds his confidence. “Well, if that's what you want, I'd be happy to.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, he pushes her back a little. “All right, you stand over there. Now, this may be a little tough, but try to block me.” He takes on a fighting stance, bending his knees and rushing at her with a raised fist. Without moving, Suki brings up her left hand, jabbing at his shoulder with her fan. He cries out in pain, stumbling back and gripping his shoulder.

“Aw! Heh heh... Good. Of course, I was going easy on you.” The girl smiles, crossing her arms in front of her. “Of course.”

“Let's see if you can-“ He gears up to do a roundhouse kick. “-handle this!” Suki quickly ducks under his leg, disrupting his balance with a shove as he falls to the floor with a thud. She snaps open her fan, lazily waving it in her face. Sokka gets up on his elbows, breathing heavily as he angrily looks up at her.
“That does it!” He charges at her again, yet she moves out of his way again, grabbing him by the arm and spinning him around. She lets go, and right before he topples over from the force, she loosens his belt, tying it to his left hand and then tying it around his right foot behind him. He hops around on one leg, trying to keep his balance. His form becomes more unsteady as he wobbles, finally falling and landing flat on his face. The warriors all laugh, and his face burns pink in humiliation.
“Anything else you want to teach us?”

.

Sokka, after that terrifyingly embarrassing ordeal, stands outside the house with his head down, kicking a rock around dejectedly. Y/N takes a step down the stairs, pausing for a second to take in the embarrassed Sokka. She sighs as she slowly makes her way over to him, softly bringing her hand up to his arm to alert him.

“Hey, Sokka…” He turns to look at her, shying away from her touch. She retracts her hand, lowering it to her side as she clenches her fingers, and then unclenches them again, uncertain how to approach him with what happened.

“Will you talk to me?” She tries to catch his gaze, but his eyes stay downcast. She gestures for him to sit down on a large rock a little away, and he sluggishly makes his way over, plopping down on the rock with his shoulders hunched.

“So, that was kinda-“ He interrupts her, gritting out his words. “I know, Y/N, it was humiliating. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“I wasn’t trying to do that, Sokka. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, whatever. Not like I just made a huge fool of myself in a room full of girls who all could best me, even if I was trying my hardest.” He gets even more agitated, teeth gritted. “I don’t know why dad left me in charge, I can’t do anything! I bet he didn’t take me with him because he knew I wouldn’t be any help out there.” Y/N’s throat gets tight at the way her usually so confident friend seems so far away at the moment.

“Come on, Sokka. You know that’s not true. Hakoda trusted you to care for the village. He knew you would do everything to protect everyone.”

“Look how that turned out! When the Firebenders finally came, I couldn’t do anything. Couldn’t defeat even a single soldier.”

“You were outnumbered, what? Seven to one?” She tries to shake some sense into him. “Even your dad would have been unable to do anything with those odds.” He doesn’t say anything, only keeps staring at his clenched hands. “And, it’s not like those girls in there are just girls. They’re warriors disciplined in a whole different way. I think you could learn from them, instead of trying to prove yourself.” He finally lifts his head, gazing up at the house with a thoughtful look.

“You’re a quick learner, you’re creative and you’re determined. That’s what makes you a great warrior.” She nudges him in the side, shooting him a dimpled smile. “You just need to think before you speak sometimes. I mean, even I wanted to throw you around in there.” He lets out a sigh, at last looking her in the eye.

“I know. Thanks.” A small, timid smile finally spreads on his lips. “I think I should maybe apologize.” Y/N lets out a gentle laugh, pushing him off the rock and back towards the house. “You think?”

As he walks closer to the house where the Kyoshi warriors are still training, he makes his way inside quietly, not wanting to interrupt. Y/N follows behind him, staying in the doorway. Sokka opens his mouth to softly announce his presence.

“Uh… Hey, Suki.” They stop their motions as they take notice of him, and Suki turns towards him with her arms crossed.

“Hoping for another dance lesson?”

“ No... I... well, let me explain.”

Her annoyed expression doesn’t change, shouting at him. “Spit it out! What do you want?”

He suddenly drops to his knees in front of her, his head bowed. “I would be honored if you would teach me.”

Suki’s eyes widen, looking him up and down. “Even if I'm a girl?”

“I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was... wrong.”

“We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys.” Her arms stay crossed as she looks down at him.

“Please make an exception.” His head bows down even further, his tone pleading. “I won't let you down.” She pauses for a second, seeming to consider it.

“All right. But you have to follow all of our traditions.” Sokka shoots up, bright smile on his face.

“Of course!”

“And I mean all of them.” Suki’s lips spread in a smug smile.

.

Sokka’s arms are awkwardly held out at his sides, not knowing where to put them with the kimono on his frame. His now painted face is looking down at the Kyoshi warrior uniform, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Do I really have to wear this? It feels a little…” His arms drop to his sides. “girly.”

“It's a warrior's uniform, you should be proud.” She looks him over. “The silk threads symbolize the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart.” Her words seem to stick, Sokka’s face brightening and his shoulders squaring. Outside the house, Aang walks by to look in with interest, smiling at Y/N who’s still stood leaning against the doorframe, silently observing the scene in front of her.

“Bravery and honor.” Sokka proudly repeats Suki’s words.

“Hey Sokka!” He winces at the sound of Aang’s voice, flinching into himself again. “Nice dress!”

Suki glances at the avatar, and then turns back to the embarrassed Sokka, a broad smile on her face.

Y/N moves off from the doorframe, turning to leave as she thinks about how far Sokka had come already, for once leaving behind his pride.

“Hey, wait.” One of the Kyoshi warriors, a girl with green eyes and black hair braided down her back hurries over to her, stopping her with a hand on her arm. Y/N looks up expectantly at the girl, eyes questioning. The Kyoshi warrior’s green eyes shift back and forth between the water tribe girl’s brown ones. “The girls and I were just wondering if you wanted to join us in our training? We’d love to exchange techniques with you.” Y/N’s eyes widen at the girl’s question.

“Oh, uhm. I’m not a warrior.” She smiles gently at the black haired girl. “I just wanted to be here to support Sokka, I guess. And I really admire how strong you all are.” Her hand soothingly rubs down her arm, straightening her sleeve.

“Huh, we just all thought you were.”

Y/N laughs a little. “No, the only thing I’m fighting back in my village is laundry and children’s diapers.”

The Kyoshi warrior frowns a little at her words, quirking a brow. “You’d rather change diapers than be a warrior?”

“Well, it’s not that I’d rather. We just have a certain way of doing things back home. The men fight and hunt, and the women help out wherever they can.”

“That’s stupid. You’ve never tried?” Y/N’s smile falters, thinking back to when she was 11 and she’d marched into the warriors’ tent, demanding they let her train with them. It had been after the Southern raiders’ attack on her village, after the death of her mother. She was turned away, told it was dangerous for her.

“No, the idea never came to me. Though,” The smile slowly returns to her lips. “I think I’d love to join you. If you’re willing to teach me, of course.” The Kyoshi warrior smiles back, and waves Y/N along to return back the other girls, and Sokka. She stops to turn back to her, remembering something.

“I’m Hime, by the way.”

“Y/N.”

.

Hime runs her fingers over Y/N’s eyelid, painting the finals details of red on her eyes, before she leans back to inspect her face. She nods in satisfaction, her faceprint deemed acceptable. The brown eyed girl has also changed into their uniform, the padding adding a foreign weight to her shoulders and chest. The other girls helped her pin her hair up, saying it would get in the way in a fight. They return back to the main room, seeing Sokka perform some exercises with a fan in hand. His gaze turns to Y/N when she steps in, eyes widening at the sight of her in the uniform. The smile on her face contains a new kind of confidence, and Sokka is only snapped out of his stupor by the sound of Suki’s voice.

“You're not going to master it in one day. Even I'm not that good.” He blinks as he returns his attention to his training.

“I think I'm starting to get it.” Sokka’s arms move around with the fan, closing it and putting all his strength into throwing it into a tree outside, knocking down some snow. Behind them, the other girls show Y/N different stances and familiarize her with the fan. She snaps it open, getting more and more comfortable with the weapon.

“It's not about strength. Our technique is about using your opponents' force against them. Loosen up.” She gets out her own fan, pointing it at Sokka as he takes on a battle stance. “Think of the fan as an extension of your arm.” Sokka’s eyes are intently focused on her. “Wait for an opening and then-“ Before she can finish her sentence, she charges at Sokka but he evades, pushing at her shoulder as she falls to the floor. Her eyes widen in shock, looking up at Sokka who’s sporting a smug grin, his arms crossed.

“Hmm…”

Suki quickly gets to her feet again. “I fell on purpose to make you feel better!”

Sokka points his finger at her, exclaiming excitedly. “I got you! Admit I got you!”

She quickly grabs his finger, twisting it as his face scrunches up in pain. “Okay, it was a lucky shot.” She releases his finger with a smile on her face. “Let's see if you can do it again.”

She snaps open her fan again, and the pair start to circle each other.

.

While Sokka and Y/N had spent the day hidden way in the house, training with the Kyoshi warriors, Aang had spent the day not being a simple monk. The younger girls of the village had been running around, “oohing” and “aahing” at every thing he did, and it definitely didn’t amuse Katara.

Now though, as Aang swims around in the water waiting for the Unagi to show again, the fangirls are getting bored. They all either stand or sit down on the shore, uninterested in watching him just swim around.

“What's taking so long?” A girl who had spent much of the day clinging to the avatar, Koko, rests her chin in her hand impatiently.

“I'm sure it will be here any second!” Aang yells out to the girls, thinking of a way to catch their attention again. “What about this?” He does the same trick he did earlier, spinning marbles around in his hands.

“Not that again. Boring!” One of the other girls shouts back.

“Where's Unagi? It's getting late.” Koko stands up, waving her arms. They all get up, turning to leave.

“Where're you going? Don't leave!”

“Sorry, Aang! Maybe next time.” He lowers himself under the water as the girls leave, blowing bubbles disappointedly. His eyes catches a figure nearing the beach though, dressed in blue. His face brightens as he jumps up.

“Katara! You showed up!” The girl smiles, rubbing her arm sheepishly as she looks at him in the water. “I wanted to make sure you were safe. You really had me worried.”

“Back there you acted like you didn't care.”

“I'm sorry.”

Aang lowers his gaze, regretfully. “Me too. I did let all that attention go to my head. I was being a jerk.”

Katara shoots him a smile, putting her hands around her mouth to yell. “Well, get out of the water before you catch a cold, you big jerk!”

A broad smile spreads on his face as he starts swimming towards the shore. “On my way!” As he’s swimming back, a massive fin emerges from the water behind him, and a look of horror crosses Katara’s face. A wave sweeps Aang away as he yells in shock, and suddenly he’s brought in the air, finding himself on the back of the Unagi. It starts shooting water everywhere, attempting to throw him off, though his grip on its whiskers keeps him on. He’s screaming as it starts to throw its head side to side, and Katara yells out.

“Hang on, Aang!”

The Unagi keeps throwing its head back and forth, and Aang feels his fingers slipping from its whiskers from the force, getting thrown in the air and landing in the water with a smack. He emerges in the water near the shore, unconscious from the blow. Katara hurries after him, trudging into the water fully clothed.

“Aang!” Behind them, the Unagi lets out a shriek as it dives under, rapidly making it’s way closer to Aang’s still body. Katara is panting as she hurries as fast as she can towards him, grabbing his arm and throwing her hand out behind her, propelling herself forward with her bending. The Unagi tries to snatch the pair, launching into the air then diving down where they had just been. It misses them, though the impact causes a huge wave that slams the pair back to the rocks on shore. Katara is breathing heavily as she drops Aang against the rock, his form slouched. The sound of waves crashing alerts her attention, not sounding like the Unagi.

She peeks her head over the rock, seeing the massive steel ship pushing full throttle, and at the front, spots the Fire Nation prince angrily looking out at the island.

“Zuko!”

The prince turns to three of his soldiers, all mounted on top of Komodo rhinos and ready to set off from the ship. “I want the Avatar alive.”

The prince and the soldiers all ride off the ship on their Komodo rhinos, nearing Katara and Aang’s hiding place. The girl protectively throws her body over Aang’s, shrinking into herself as much as possible to hide from the view of the passing riders. When she’s certain she can’t hear them anymore, she lays Aang on his back.

“Wake up, Aang!” She looks around for a while, before she leans down to listen for his breathing. Not hearing anything, and not seeing his chest move, she moves her hand to support his head. With her other hand, she moves it over his chest, bending the water he had swallowed out of his mouth. He finally wakes as the water leaves his body, coughing up the rest.

“Katara…” She smiles at him in relief as his eyes blink open, looking up at her. “don't ride Unagi. Not fun.”

.

Back inside the house, the Kyoshi warriors are still training, Y/N sparring on the ground with one of the girls, and Suki and Sokka with each other. Suki thrusts her fan forward, only for Sokka to block it.

The girl smiles, impressed. “Not bad.” Sokka smiles back, feeling confident, when Oyaji suddenly appears in the door.

“Firebenders have landed on our shores!” They both turn to him, alarmed. “Girls, come quickly!” Suki immediately sets off after Oyaji, followed by the rest of the Kyoshi warriors.

Sokka starts to protest. “Hey, I'm not a…” He stops talking. “oh, whatever!” As he turns to leave, he remembers the brown eyed girl, now standing alone in the room, worry on her face. She nears the door to follow the rest, but he blocks it with his body.

“I don’t think you should go out there.” He puts his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye.

“What? But we’re being attacked!”

“I know, but you’ve only started training today. It’s too dangerous. I need you to stay here, where it’s safe.”

Her lips part as she goes to say something again but ultimately closes her mouth. “Okay.”

His face fills with relief. Silently, he lowers his hands from her shoulders. “Thank you.”

She slowly steps back, arms holding herself around her midriff as he turns to leave. He steps out, and just before closing the door behind him, he looks back.

The door slides shut, and Y/N is alone.

.

The big street at the center of the village is deserted, the past days’ busyness nowhere to be felt. The Komodo rhinos’ heavy stomps leave massive hoof prints in the dirt as they stand at the base of Kyoshi’s statue. Zuko’s narrowed eyes survey the area, searching for the avatar.

“Come out, Avatar! You can't hide from me forever!” The villagers hiding in their respective houses huddle up against each other, looking around in fear at the prince’s words outside. Zuko turns to his guards, spitting out a command.

“Find him.” Two of the riders move forward further into town, the last one branching out and going another way.

On top of a nearby roof, a Kyoshi warrior snaps open her fan, following the rhinos as they move through the town. Running feet pad against the roof of a house opposite the warrior, silently making her way closer to the rhinos, and as Hime leaps off the roof, the other girl follows her down, both of them working to knock off the riders. Hime lands in front of one of the rhinos, opening her fans as the rider takes a stab at her with his spear. She moves to the right, grabbing his spear under her arm as she disarms him, then jumps up to knock the soldier off his steed with a spinning kick.

Suki runs towards the prince who’s by now caught up to his companions, and as he throws a blast of fire at her, she moves left to dodge it. He throws another blast that she jumps over, leaping up to attack him from the air, but before she can strike him, he grabs the reigns on his rhino and turns it. The beast’s tail slams into Suki, knocking her to the ground.

As she groans on the ground, Zuko fires at her, but is saved by Sokka jumping in front of her, stopping the flames with his fan. He prepares for another blast, but before they can start fighting, Hime jumps off a nearby roof to knock the surprised prince off the rhino. The beast dashes away, growling and wildly throwing its head around.

Sokka stands up, glancing down at Suki. “I guess training's over.”

Him, Suki and Hime all move to surround the downed prince, hands held out in from of them as they take cautious steps. Zuko angrily groans as he gets up on his elbow, not even raising his head before he spins around on one hand, throwing a ring of fire around him with his feet. Suki and Hime are both slammed back, the former hitting a wooden pole and the latter knocked into one of the houses on the street. Sokka ducks under the fire, as Zuko kicks a flame in his direction that he barely jumps over. Using his unsteadiness, Zuko sweeps Sokka’s feet from under him. Angrily looking around, he yells out to the empty street.

“Nice try, Avatar! But these little girls can't save you.”

“Hey! Over here!”

.

Y/N sighs heavily as she paces back and forth in the house, not hearing anything outside. Sokka had been gone for a while, and so had the other Kyoshi warriors. The uniform she’d been put in feels heavy and wrong, ashamed at herself as she hides away instead of fighting alongside the others. Although she hadn’t gotten any formal training back in the village, it quickly came easy to her, fueled by Hime and the other girls’ patience.

Y/N picks at the skin around her nails, soothing her unrest. The sound of a thump outside the window makes her stop, quiet as she anticipatingly waits for more commotion. A minute goes by in silence, and her tensed shoulders loosen as she lets out the breath she’d been holding.

A deep voice makes her gasp, freezing her in her tracks. She soon hears another male voice, the two conversing. She can see their outlines at the door, and when they start to walk around closer to the window, she quickly throws herself to the ground to hide from view. Holding her hand over her mouth she holds her breath, hearing their voices right above her.

“Check all the houses. Prince Zuko expects us to find the little pest.”

The other soldier scoffs, dryly laughing. “Little generous there with the title, ain’t cha? Last I checked, he was banished.”

“He is still the Firelord’s son. See what happens when he finds out you disrespected his lineage.”

“Oh, whatever. He’s the one who sent him away on an impossible mission. I mean, if he somehow knew the avatar was actually alive back then, he would have just sent him away to one of the colonies to rot.” Y/N frowns at the soldier’s words, confused at what he said about Zuko. His father sent him away?

The older sounding solider just grunts in reply. “You talk too much. Come, there’s nothing here.” Y/N lets out a sigh as she hears their footsteps retreating. Peeking her head up, she doesn’t see their shadows through the screen over the window. She slowly gets up on her feet, turning towards the door. She needed to leave, too much time having gone by since Sokka and the Kyoshi warriors had left. The girl stops in front of the door, listening for any sounds, and when she doesn’t hear anything, she quickly slides the door open and takes a step outside.

Only to run straight into the hard chest of a Fire Nation soldier. Her eyes widen as she looks up and the soldier grabs her by her arms, looking down at her with a smug grin on his lips.

“Going somewhere, little lady?”

.

The prince turns around, looking down the street at the airbender standing with his staff in hand.

“Finally!” Zuko yells out, shooting fireballs in Aang’s direction which he avoids by jumping over the first, dissipating the second with his staff. He spins the staff above his head, jumping up in the air as he lands in front of the firebender who immediately kicks it out of his hands.

Y/N is met with the sight of Aang and Zuko sizing each other up as she comes running, panting heavily with her uniform disheveled and her face paint slightly smudged. Zuko’s eyes turn to the girl, growling angrily at the interruption. He kicks an arc of fire at her that she dodges by moving to the right, arms raised to protect her face. She narrowly avoids the flames, feeling the heat on her neck as Zuko’s arms raise again, preparing for another attack.

“Do you girls ever give up?” He growls out, punching more fire at the approaching girl. She dashes to the side, and then ducks to avoid the fist he throws at her, her little training enough to make her able to avoid, but not enough to best him. Though she manages to duck under the swing, he quickly brings up his leg, kicking her in the stomach and sending her rolling across the ground as she comes to a stop. He walks over to the girl, standing over her with his fists raised to fire again. Y/N raises her head to look up at his angry face, her hands shaking as they hold her face off the ground.

His gaze turns from her uniform up her brown eyes. Zuko’s angry expression falters for a second as his eyes widen, recognition softening the hard glare in his eyes.

They slowly narrow again, his expression hardening. Before he can raise his hand to strike, Aang sends a blast of air at him, taking his focus away from the girl. Zuko turns to Aang, frowning at the boy as he shoots a fireball in his direction.

Aang quickly jumps out of the way, picking up a pair of fans from the ground and using them to send a blast of air at the incoming Zuko, sending him slamming into a nearby house. Aang’s face is downcast as he lowers the fans, throwing them to the side and running over to help up Y/N.

“Are you okay?” Aang looks worried, his brows furrowed as he looks up at the girl.

“I’m fine. Thanks, Aang.” She smiles at the boy, bending down to pick up his staff and hold it out to him.

He grabs it from her hand, throwing it in front of him and running as he jumps up to grab it. As he glides over the village, he can see the smoke rising from the burning houses and the statue of Avatar Kyoshi, and it sends a jolt of guilt to his gut.

Y/N looks over at the collapsed house Zuko had been thrown into, frowning at their exchange. He had hesitated, even if it was just for a second. She doesn’t know if the thought surprises her, or scares her to death.

.

“There's no time to say goodbye.” Suki and Sokka are crouched behind a house, the sounds of fighting not far away from them. Sokka looks up at Suki’s words.

“What about,” His eyes flicker, shifting back and forth between hers. “I’m sorry?”

She blinks in surprise. “For what?”

“I treated you like a girl when I should've treated you like a warrior.”

“I am a warrior.” She leans closer to him, putting a kiss on his cheek. Sokka’s face turns red, his hand coming up to where her lips had touched his skin. “But I'm a girl, too.”

She gets up, snapping open her fan as the stunned Sokka can only look up at her. “Now get out of here! We'll hold them off.”

He stands up, looking at her one last time before turning around and running towards where Appa is waiting a few feet away. Aang pulls Appa’s reigns once everyone is on.

“Appa, yip yip!” The sky bison lifts from the ground, soaring into the sky and flying past all the burning buildings.

Beneath them, the scarred prince is darkly staring at the retreating bison.
He turns to his fighting soldiers. “Back to the ship! Don't lose sight of them!”

Atop Appa, Sokka uses his sleeve to wipe off the rest of his face paint, Y/N helping him with the spots he’s missed. Sokka winces as she rubs at a particularly stubborn spot, pushing her hand away. 

“Ow! You hit my eye.”

The dark haired girl rolls her eyes. “Don’t be a baby.”

Aang’s eyes are downcast, his gaze roving over the burning town. Katara peeks her head over to look at the saddened avatar.

“I know it's hard, but you did the right thing. Zuko would have destroyed the whole place if we had stayed.” She breathes in, turning to look at the town again. “They're going to be okay, Aang.”

Aang raises his head in the corner of her eye, suddenly getting up from his crosslegged position to jump off Appa, free falling towards the water. Katara’s eyes widen as she follows his form from the side of the saddle. “What are you doing?”

He plummets into the water below, the surface rippling from the plunge, and nothing happens for a few seconds after that. Bubbles start surfacing from underneath the water, when the Unagi shoots up, Aang controlling it by its barbels. He reels it back, shooting water from its mouth and drenching the village. The flames slowly die down as the Unagi shakes its head, Aang letting go and landing on Appa.

“I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous.”

“Yes, it was.” Katara shakes her head, surging forward to envelop him in a hug. He smiles, inhaling deeply and as he closes his eyes, the Unagi disappears back into the depths.

Chapter Text

“The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!” Aang excitedly spreads his arms in front of the gated pyramid city. “I used to always come here to visit my friend Bumi.”

Katara’s eyes take in the sight of the enormous city, countless houses spotting the hills. “Wow. We don't have buildings like this in the South Pole!”

“They have buildings here that don't melt!” Sokka feels a bit nauseous as his eyes follow the buildings all the way to the pointed top. Beside him, Y/N quietly takes in the view, her mouth parted slightly in wonder.

“Well let's go, slow pokes. The real fun's inside the city!” Aang leaps off the top of the hill the group were standing on, sliding down the snow on his rear.

Katara cries out to Aang, stretching her hand out to stop the airbender. “Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar.”

“You need a disguise.”

Aang looks up at Sokka, quirking a brow at the boy. “So what am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?”

.

Aang nose scrunches as Appa’s fur on his upper lip tickles him. He lifts his hand to his head to scratch at the wig Y/N had fashioned for him. The girl tugs on a few of the strands, making sure it covers his arrow. “This is so itchy.” He turns to Appa at his side. “How do you live in this stuff?”

Appa slowly turns his head to Aang, letting out a snort as if he was scoffing at the question. Y/N finishes tugging at the makeshift wig, turning Aang by the shoulders to Katara and Sokka who sit beside each other on a rock.

“All done! What do you think?” She smiles at the pair, proudly presenting Aang’s fur covered head.

Sokka’s arms are crossed, a scrutinizing look on his face. “Great! Now you look just like my grandfather.”

Katara glances at her brother. “Technically, Aang is 112 years old.”

“Hey, I think he looks cute. Like a real sweet old man!”

Aang grins at her words, looking up at Y/N with a goofy, slightly demented smile. She can almost imagine how Aang would look as an elderly man, an image of him with wrinkles especially pronounced near his eyes and mouth from all the laughter he’d shared throughout his life. The smile on her lips dims a bit as she reminds herself of his actual situation. The image of an older Aang fades, and all she can see now is the 12 year old boy, well-earned imaginary wrinkles missing and replaced with the youthful, hope-filled gleam in his eyes. Her thumb absentmindedly rubs up and down on his shoulder as she gazes at the side of his face with a wistful furrow to her brows.

Aang interrupts her thoughts by nimbly bending over to pick up his staff and putting it upright to use as a walking stick. He hunches his back and leans heavily on the staff.

“Now let's get to skippin', young whipper-snappers. The big city awaits!” Aang shuffles off, Y/N following behind him closely. The siblings shoot each other a questioning look.

.

The group move down the long winding path to Omashu, Aang in the lead. He turns his head to the rest of the group.

“You guys are going to love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the world.”

He’s interrupted by a booming voice shouting angrily at an older man. “Rotten cabbages?! What kind of slum do you think this is?!” The older cabbage merchant quivers in his place as the guard squashes a cabbage in his hand, earth bending the cart into the air and into the depths.

The cabbage merchant screams as the cart tumbles down, leaning over the side of the path and waving his arms.  “No! My cabbages!”

Katara, Y/N, Aang and Sokka’s mouths all drop in shock, hearing the cart crash a few seconds later. Y/N’s eyebrows furrow indignantly as she looks back at the guards. “They’re awful!”

Aang nudges her in the side repeatedly with his elbow, nervously putting a broad smile on his face. “Just keep smiling!” He starts walking towards the guards while Sokka and Katara nervously glance at each other. Katara’s lips part unnaturally, flashing her teeth in an attempt at a smile.

As they near the guards, the one who had thrown the cabbage merchant’s cart down the chasm lifts a piece of the path out of the ground, holding it threateningly over Aang’s head. “State your business!”

Aang shuffles closer to the guard, getting in his face and raising his voice. “My business is my business, young man, and none of yours! I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!” The three behind him all blink in shock as the words keep tumbling out of Aang’s usually polite mouth. Y/N says a prayer in her head and hopes her death will be a quick one.

“Settle down, old timer! Just tell me who you are.” The guard talks to Aang in a calmer voice, blinking at the finger the airbender had pointed in his face.

“Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, the Third-“ He stops to gesture with a flippant hand to the three behind him. “-and these are my grandkids.” Katara walks up to the pair with a polite smile on her face.

“Hi. June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you.” She brings Y/N forward with an arm around her shoulder. “And this is my cousin, Moon Pippinpaddleopsicopolis.” Y/N raises a hand to wave at the guard, an unnaturally charming smile on her face as Katara’s arms tightens around her shoulders when she tries to escape. “The Second.” The older girl adds to the end of Katara’s sentence.

The guard rubs his bearded chin for a second, looking the group over. He points to Katara. “You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!” He steps to the side, allowing for the group to enter the parting gates.

“We will!” Katara, Aang and Y/N all move forward and past the guard, but when Sokka nears, the guard eyes him up suspiciously.

“Wait a minute!” They all stop and hold their breath as the guard grasps Sokka’s shoulder.

“You're a strong young boy! Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!” Sokka sighs in both relief and annoyance as Aang slides his bag down his shoulder, throwing it at Sokka who catches it first with his face and then his arms. “Good idea!” A sour expression spreads on Sokka’s face, though he doesn’t complain further, and only lifts his heavy feet to catch up to the rest of the group. With tensed backs they all move closer to the gates, the city protected by three rock walls that part as they walk through. Y/N can feel the stares of the guards on the back of her neck, the hair on her nape raising in anticipation for a shout, a yell, any indication that the guards had discovered her and her friends, yet the only sound that graces her ears is the grinding of stone against stone as the walls slide shut. The girl’s shoulders drop as she finally looks upon the overbearing city, the tops of the sand colored buildings equipped with vast and intricate stone chutes. The trio in front of her are all staring up with wide eyes as they rove over the great city. Y/N’s legs bring her closer to the trio, stopping beside Aang to join the trio in gazing at the city.

“This is the Omashu delivery system.” Aang speaks over the sound of all Omashu’s residents, a smile creeping up on his face. “Miles and miles of tubes and chutes.”

The carts, filled with various items like vegetables and building materials, are pushed around and redirected by earthbenders standing at the sides of the chutes, all coordinating with each other to transport the carts from one end of the city to another. The use of earthbending and gravity ensures a quick and easy delivery system for the citizens of Omashu, the entire city working in tandem with its foundation.

“Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down.” Aang finishes his explanation, turning to Sokka at his other side.

“Great, so they get their mail on time.” Wholly unimpressed, Sokka only looks with bored eyes at the process.

Aang doesn’t let Sokka’s uninterested answer bother him. “They do get their mail on time,” And as he looks back at the chutes, his excited smile turns a tad bit more mischievous. “but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes.”

.

Almost at the very top of the entire city, the group of four sit in a cart, Aang in front followed by Sokka, Katara and Y/N at the back. While the siblings and their water tribe friend all bear the same open-eyed scared look, Aang only looks down at the steep curve with excitement.

The airbender raises a single finger. “One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor.”

The screeching wind rocks the cart back and forth, making Y/N squeeze her eyes shut and grip the sides of the cart. Her hair whips around, their altitude making the wind unhindered, and that much more powerful. In front of her Katara uneasily looks down the chute.

“It sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second-“ Aang starts leaning forward, tipping the carts balance and starts the descend down the chute. The sudden speed makes Katara scream out her last word. “Th-o-o-oughts!”

The only sound heard past the deafening rush of wind as they descend faster and faster is the sound of Aang’s happy laughter, and the screams of the two girls. Y/N throws her arms around Katara and buries her face in her back, hoping the ride will end sooner than later, and hopefully without any broken bones.

.

Well, certainly no broken bones, but the sight of the ancient bejeweled King gazing down at the group from atop his throne isn’t that much better. Guards flank his sides, and all the way down the sides of the hall they had been brought into. The guard who had led them in bows to address the King while two other guards press down on the group’s backs to push them to their knees. Y/N’s eyes fall from the King upon his throne to the carpeted floor, the threads of the emerald colour suddenly looking very interesting.

“Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages.” Further to the left of the King, the cabbage merchant from earlier, whose cart had unfortunately gotten caught in the middle of the group’s destruction throughout the city. Among other things like a pumpkin cart, hundreds of rooftop tiles, a vase, a parapet, and a handful of stone carts.

“Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!” The elderly cabbage merchant waves his fist angrily in the air as he yells.

“Silence! Only the king can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?”

The King only squints his eyes and grunts pensively as he keeps his eyes locked on the group of children in front of him. Sokka whimpers in fear where he kneels, Katara clasps her hands together and smiles hopefully up at the King, Y/N keeps her gaze locked on her fiddling hands, and Aang looks to the side as he whistles nonchalantly. The King washes his gaze over the four, deciding on a punishment in his head as he finally raises his hand.

“Throw them…” The group freeze in their respective states and gasp at the man’s words. “…a feast!”

The room is filled with the gasps of guards and of the merchant, who grasps his head in agony at the sentencing.

.

A 24 foot long dining table sits in the middle of a richly decorated dining room, even the floor-length curtains donning large jewels. A chandelier hangs over a large array of different foods, the amount enough to feed the southern water tribe for weeks.

Momo chitters contently as he digs his paws into multiple plates at once, stuffing his tiny cheeks till they take up more space than his face. The King puts a hand on the backs of the groups’ chairs, and leans in over Aang to grab a chicken leg from his plate.

“The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin.”

Y/N cringes as she turns her head to be faced with a wrinkly hand donned with multiple gemstone rings grabbing the back of her chair.
“Thanks, but I don't eat meat.”

The King turns to Sokka who is seated at Aang’s side, waving the piece in his face.

“How about you? I bet you like meat.” Before Sokka can respond, the chicken leg is stuffed in his mouth, yet he only stays surprised for a second before he starts munching away appreciatively. The King moves away to his own seat, directly across from the group.

Katara mutters quietly to Y/N at her side. “Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?” Her finger spins at her temple as she speaks. Y/N only nods her head shortly with wide eyes in response.

The King suddenly speaks up, making the girls sit up straighter at the sound.

“So tell me, young bald one, where are you from?” Aang stutters at he hurries to make up an answer. “I'm from... Kangaroo Island!”

“Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!” The silence that follows makes the cough at the back of the room echo as Katara, Aang and Y/N all look at him blankly.

The sound of Sokka bursting out laughing makes Y/N jump as she leans over the table to look at him indignantly. Sokka meets her gaze, his laugh trailing off unsurely. “What? It was pretty funny.”

The King yawns and lazily stretches his arms. “Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay.”

The weird expression on his face suddenly changes as he grabs a chicken leg from the inside of his long sleeve and hurls it across the table towards Aang. The airbender nearly topples over backwards in his chair, the chicken leg suspended in an air ball between the boy’s hands. The entire room breaks out into gasps at the sight.

The King points a crooked finger at Aang as he speaks. “There's an airbender in our presence, and not just any airbender.” He springs up from his chair, yelling. “The Avatar!”

Aang quickly drops the chicken leg back on his plate, putting his hands behind his back guiltily. The King sits down again, a satisfied grin on his face.

“Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?”

.

Y/N huffs as she straightens from the push on her back, looking around the prison cell they’d been escorted to. The “prison cell” houses 4 identical beds, the heads pushed together, and green drapes suspended from the tall ceiling.

“This is a prison cell? But it's so nice.” Katara’s head turns to take in the entirety of the room.

Momo jumps off Aang’s shoulders and lands on a bed. “He did say it was newly refurbished.”

“Nice or not, we're prisoners!”

Aang’s worried face turns to Sokka. “I wonder what these challenges are gonna to be.” The challenges had sounded like a joke when Y/N heard the King utter the words, but it seemed like nothing was outrageous enough for the King.

Determined as ever, Katara wastes no time. “We're not sticking around to find out. There's got to be some way out of here.” Aang jumps excitedly as he points at the other side of the large room.

“The air vents!”

They all move towards the wall, Aang looking up at the hole with a smile. Y/N, Katara and Sokka all eye each other doubtfully.

“If you think we're going to fit through there, you're crazier than that king.” Aang turns to Sokka.

“We can't, but Momo can!”

Aang stalks over to the lemur leisurely laying on his back on the bed, in the midst of licking an apple. The animal’s stomach protrudes from the amount of food he’d ingested earlier.

“Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here!”

Aang holds Momo as he repeatedly tries to push him into the small hole. “Go on, boy, get Appa!” Aang tries one last time to force Momo through, and looks down dejectedly as he realizes he won’t fit. Sokka, always the first to kick back and relax, speaks up from his place on the bed.

“Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?”

“Appa's a ten-ton flying bison; I think he could figure something out.” The sound of the lemur’s paws scratching against the wall as he tries to free himself suddenly die down, and all that’s left to see is his hind legs dangling in the air.

Katara climbs into her bed. “Well, no point arguing about it now. Get some rest, Aang. Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow.”

Y/N shoots a quick smile towards the avatar as he sits sadly at the side of his bed, and throws the covers open to get in.

.

The room is dimly lit, cast in a green glow as the sound of Aang’s snores fill the room. His eyes shoot open as the sound of grinding stone meets his ears. He raises his head quickly to look around the room, the three other beds empty and covers strewn halfway on the ground.

“Sokka? Katara?” He frantically looks around. “Y/N?” He glares as he turns to the guard in the doorway. “Where are my friends?”

“The king will free them if you complete your challenges.”

“And if I fail?”

“He didn't say.” The guard extends his arm towards Aang with an outstretched hand. “Your staff, please?”

Aang lifts his staff with his foot, spins it around and places it upright next to him before tossing it to the guard.

.

Guards flank Aang at his sides as they move towards the throne room, where he’s met by the sight of the King’s purple clad back.

The elderly man turns, a serious look on his face. “First, Avatar, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion.” His arms are spread as Aang stares at him blankly, still a bit slow from the sudden awakening. “I’m waiting.”

The airbender brings a hand up to scratch at his bald head. “I… guess it’s fine.”

“Excellent! You passed the first test.”

“Really?” Aang’s eyes widen.

“Well, not one of the deadly tests.” The King wags his finger side to side. “The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging.”

Aang suddenly dashes forward as he uses his airbending to quickly cross the difference between him and the King. He stops right in front of the Monarch, the wind rustling the hair on the sides of his head and the long sleeves of his purple robe.

“I don't have time for your crazy games! Give me my friends back! We're leaving!”

The King doesn’t waver. “Oh, I thought you might refuse,” a wall to the side screeches open, revealing Katara, Y/N and Sokka struggling in the grasps of the King’s guards. “so I will give your friends some special souvenirs.”

Aang turns to the trio, watching as the guards slide crystal rings over their fingers, the crystals tightening as soon as the guards let go. The trio frantically try to pull at the rings, to no avail.

“Those delightful rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast.” The words tumble out of the King’s mouth with a sinister tone. “By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible thing, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate.”

He looks back at the three. The ring on Sokka’s finger glows, and creeps up his hand an inch.

Sokka panics as he looks down towards his hand. “Ah! It's already creeping!”

Aang, having made up his mind, turns back to the King. “I'll do what you want.”

The grin that spreads on the King’s wrinkled face can only be described as evil.

.

Inside a damp cave covered in stalagmites and stalactites, the sound of rushing water echoes. In the waterfall nestled in the corner of the cave a key hangs on a chain above a ladder. To the left of the waterfall, the King, Sokka, Katara and Y/N stand on a balcony, looking down at the Avatar. The rings have crept up their forearms, bordering their elbows. As the King glances back at the trio with a grin, the jennamite creeps up further.

“It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry. Ooh, there it is!” His crooked finger points towards the key engulfed in the waterfall. “Would you mind fetching it for me?”

Aang takes a deep breath as he looks towards the rushing water, diving in headfirst.

.

After successfully retrieving the key from the waterfall, the new challenge was in a large sunken enclosure.

Aang hops down into the enclosure, tasked with finding the King’s pet, Flopsie. He walks around a bit, spotting a lop-eared bunny hopping around.

“Okay! Found him!”

“Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie!”

“Come here, Flopsie.” A thump sounds behind Aang as he squats in front of the bunny. The following growl that resounds makes the bunny squeal and dart away into a hole.

“Huh?” Aang’s eyes go wide as he turns around.

.

Standing atop the balcony overlooking the earthbending arena, Y/N’s breath has quickened as the crystal creeps to cover her chin. Sokka and Katara stand beside her, similarly covered, except for their faces. Across from them on an adjacent balcony, Aang stands with the King.

“Your final test is a duel. And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent.”

The rock behind them gives way as the wall is parted to reveal two tough looking muscled men. The men walk up to stand beside the King. “Point and choose.”

“So... you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?”

“Choose wisely!”

Aang stops to think for a bit. “I… choose…” his finger darts to point at the king “you!”

A manic grin spreads on the King’s face. “Wrong choice!” The King straightens his normally hunched back, peeling back his robe to reveal a muscled torso. He slams his heel into the ground and earth bends Aang off the balcony, landing him in the arena below. The King jumps down right in front of Aang, the ground beneath him cracking at the force of his feet. He cackles loudly as he looks upon the airbender.

“You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see.”

Aang gulps at the display. “Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?”

“There are no take-backsies in my kingdom. You might need this.” He gestures to the guard standing near Katara, Y/N and Sokka. The guard grabs Aang’s staff and throws it down to him.

As soon as his fingers curl around the staff, the King bends multiple rocks at Aang, who only jumps to evade the attack.

“Typical airbender tactic. Avoid and evade. I hoped the Avatar would be less predictable.”

The King continues his attack, and Aang continues his defense. “Don't you have any surprises for me? Sooner or later you'll have to strike back!”

Aang uses his staff to bring himself up into the air. The King bends a large boulder from the ceiling, using it to rain rocks down onto Aang as he’s knocked from the air. The boy tries to charge at the King on foot, but the older man bends the ground from underneath him.

“You'll have to be a little more creative than that!”

Using his air scooter, Aang charges forward and charges up an air blast at the King. He throws up a stone barrier that shoulders most of the attack.

“Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?”

The King stomps one foot into the ground, sending a blast of rock towards Aang, that sends him halfway across the arena.

“How are you going to get me from way over there?”

Aang yells in frustration as he charges forward again, only to sink into the floor as the King softens the ground, leaving him stuck up to the waist. The King keeps up the attack as Aang narrowly escapes two pieces of rock coming towards him quickly. As the King tears out the biggest piece of the arena yet, lifting it over his head to throw it at the airbender. Sensing what is coming, Aang quickly runs around in circles, conjuring a tornado that whips around the piece that the King throws at him. As the piece nears the King he bends it to sand, but from above the cloud that had formed from the tornado, Aang quickly attacks, landing at the King feet with his staff held above the King’s head.

His arms are raised in defeat.

Aang breathes heavily as he stands poised with the staff, only to feel a pebble fall on his forehead. As he brings his eyes up, he sees a massive boulder suspended above both of them.

“Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart.” The King tosses the boulder to the side, bending his way up to the trio still on the balcony. As Aang joins him, the King turns to him once more.

“You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question.”

“That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests.”

“Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?”

Behind the pair, Sokka groans in exasperation. “Oh, come on!”

“Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What... is my name? From the looks of your friends I'd say you only have a few minutes.” The King leaves with those final few words.

Aang turns towards his friends. “How am I supposed to know his name?”

“Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle.” Katara utters, face almost covered by the crystal.

“I got it!” The group looks over at Sokka.

“Yeah?”

“He's an earthbender, right? Rocky. You know, because of all the rocks.”

A second passes in silence, before Katara breaks it.

“We're going to keep trying, but that is a good back-up.”

“Okay. So back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel.”

Y/N looks over towards Aang. “And what did you learn?”

“Well, everything was different than I expected.”

“And?” Katara’s voice is slightly strained as the jennamite grows further.

“Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think differently than I usually would. I know his name.”

.

Aang stands in front of the King.

“I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities.” The King laughs, and a snort makes its way into the middle of it. “Bumi, you're a mad genius. The two approach, arms thrown tightly around each other as they hug.

“Oh Aang, it's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally.”

“Uh, over here!” Katara yells as the crystal once again creeps further.

“Little help?”

With a clench of his fist, the crystals encasing the trio break into pieces. Bumi catches one.

“Jennamite is made of rock candy." He bites into the piece, sounding a little too much like a tooth breaking to Y/N's liking. "Delicious!”

Katara stretches as she approaches the two. “So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?”

“Who are you calling old?” The group all look at him silently. “Okay, I'm old.”

“Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang who you were?” Sokka asks as he and Y/N move towards them, the girl dusting off the rest of the rock candy from her water tribe dress.

“First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people.” A snort. “But I do have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years that you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius. And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation.” Momo chitters as he climbs up on Aang’s shoulder. “And you’ll need Momo, too.”

“Thank you for your wisdom, but before we leave, I have a challenge for you.”

Slowly, a grin spreads on Aang’s lips.

Chapter Text

Y/N flinches as she runs her hand through her loosened hair, untangling the knots that had formed over the past couple of days. Looking down at her reflection in the running water of the stream, she starts rebraiding her hair, pinning back the front pieces and leaving the rest down. Her arms reach down to cup water in her hands, bringing them up to rinse her face.

Getting up from her squat at the edge of the stream, she turns towards Katara, who is in the middle of rolling up their sleeping blankets.

“Hey, Katara. Can you check the back? I couldn’t see anything.”

“Yeah, of course. Turn around.” Katara grabs the girl by the shoulders and turns her, tugging at some of the strands and fastening her pins tighter.

Lying against the root of a tree not too far away from the group’s camp is Aang, with Momo climbing around in the tree above. The lemur screeches and hops down as soon as Sokka emerges from the tree line, bringing with him a bag. Aang jumps up excitedly at the sight.

“Great, you're back!” He bounds over to where Sokka is hunched over, digging around in his bag.

“What’s for dinner?”

“We've got a few options. First, round nuts. And some kind of oval shaped nuts? And some rock-shaped nuts, that might just be rocks.” He grabs the rock-shaped nuts and tosses them at Momo. “Dig in!”

Katara and Y/N come to stand beside Aang, the three exchanging looks at the assortment.

“Seriously… What else you got?”

Sokka glances up at his sister with furrowed brows, his mouth opening to complain, probably, but is interrupted by the sound of Momo shrieking and the ground quaking.

“What was that?”

“It’s coming from over there!” Aang points at the clearing of the forest. Both him and Katara take off before Sokka can say anything. He turns towards Y/N.

“Shouldn’t we run away from huge booms? Not toward them?” Y/N only shrugs and takes off after the duo, forcing Sokka to follow her.

.

The group hide behind a fallen tree, spying on a boy around their age who’s bending boulders into the air and punching them into the side of a ravine.

Katara gasps at the sight. “An earthbender!”

Aang is practically shaking with excitement. “Let’s go meet him!”

“He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously.”

Y/N starts. “Maybe we shouldn’t be jumping out at him in the middle of nowh-“ As the girl looks up the only thing she sees is Katara’s back as she approaches the earthbender. “Okay, never mind.”

“Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?” The earthbender only gasps in surprise as he drops the boulder he was bending, fleeing immediately and bringing down an avalanche of boulders behind him to block his trail.

As Y/N, Sokka and Aang approach, the latter of the group yells out to him. “Nice to meet you!”

Katara shrugs as the dust of his boulders settle. “I just wanted to say hi.”

Aang jumps up like he’s gotten an idea. “Hey! That guy's gotta be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village? And I bet that village has a market!”

“Which means no nuts for dinner!” Katara excitedly turns to Aang and Y/N.

The older girl looks at Katara and Aang, grabbing both by the arm. “Let’s go. Right now.”

As the three chase after the earthbender, Sokka yells out to their disappearing backs with a raised fist.

“Hey! I worked hard to get those nuts!” Even Momo hurries along, and Sokka drops his fist. “Yeah, I hate 'em too.”

.

Katara, Sokka and Y/N stroll along the streets of the mining village while Aang speaks to a shopkeeper, trying on a hat.

“Great hat! I'll trade you some nuts for it.”

As Katara looks around, she notices the earthbender from earlier enter a small shop.

“Hey…” Katara follows the boy with her eyes for as long as she can.

He approaches a woman inside the shop. “Hi, mom.”

The woman turns towards the boy. “Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores.” The sound of the door’s bell startles the pair, Katara’s hand on the handle.

“Hey. You're that kid. Why did you run away before?”

“Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid.” Haru’s brows furrow in confusion.

Following Katara, Sokka, Aang and Y/N enter the shop. The shortest of the bunch speaks up.

“No, she doesn't. We saw you earthbending.”

Both Haru and his mother gasp at Aang’s words. “They saw you doing what?!”

“They're crazy, Mom! I mean, look at how they're dressed.”

Aang’s eyes nearly cross as they try to look up at his goofy hat, Katara self consciously grasps the ends of her dress, Sokka raises an eyebrow and smoothes out his sleeve, and Y/N pats down her hair.

“You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending!” A heavy knock on the door brings all their gazes towards the door as a deep voice rasps out. “Open up!”

Sokka chances a peek through the curtains. “Fire nation! Act natural!”

Haru’s mother moves towards the door and opens it, allowing the Fire Nation man inside. The sight that meets him is five children all in different positions. Haru grasps his chin in faux contemplation, Sokka stares at an apple, Katara stuffs her mouth with berries, Aang leans on the lid of a barrel that loosens so his hand gets soaked, and Y/N holds a sack of flour in her arms. Haru’s mother angrily regards the Fire Nation man.

“What do you want? I've already paid you this week!” The man only grins arrogantly.

“The tax just doubled. And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?” The man summons a flame in his open hand, the heat and glare making everyone back away slightly. “Fire is sometimes so hard to control.” Haru’s mother can only sigh as she is forced to bend to his hand.

Y/N’s gaze stays on the poor woman as she walks over to the store’s counter and hefts up a small chest to pass a meager handful of Earth Kingdom currency to the man. The resentment the Water tribe girl always feels so deep in her chest surfaces once again. Glaring at the man’s Fire Nation emblem, she clenches her fist and digs her nails into the palm of her hand so hard it distracts her from the ugly feeling brewing inside her.

“You can keep the copper ones.” With that he drops a measly four copper pieces to the floor and slams the door as he leaves.

“Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?” Haru’s mother’s downcast eyes raise to look over at Sokka.

“Five years. Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships.”

“They're thugs. They steal from us. And everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it.” Haru’s words anger his mother.

“Quiet, Haru! Don't talk like that.”

“But, Haru's an earthbender? He can help!” Katara’s curious gaze turns to Haru’s mother.

“Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village! He must never use his abilities.”

“How can you say that? Haru has a gift! Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend. It's a part of who we are.” Katara’s words only serve to make Haru’s mother shake her head.

“You don't understand.”

“I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?” This breaks the woman’s resolve.

“They could take Haru away! Like they took his father.”

.

The setting sun casts an orange glow on a small barn as the group walks towards it, Haru in tow.

“My mom said you can sleep here tonight. But you should leave in the morning.”

“Thanks. I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay.” Appa engulfs a mouthful of hay and turns his head to look at Aang with big, round eyes. There will be no hay left.

Katara leaves the group a little while after, taking off with their new earthbending friend.

.

Back from her walk with Haru, Katara rolls out her bedroll in the barn, cradling a lamp in her lap. Beside her Sokka has laid himself on a bale of hay, his blanket snugly tucked to his chin. Aang is sprawled out on Appa’s head with Momo, and Y/N is deep asleep in her own bedroll.

“It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man.” The waterbender brushes off her bedroll before getting underneath the blanket as she recounts the events of her and Haru’s walk.

Aang turns his head from atop Appa to look at the girl. “You must have really inspired him.”

“I guess so.”

Sokka pipes up from his hay bale. “Everyone should get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn.”

“Dawn?! Can't we sleep in for once?”

“Absolutely not! This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops.” His gaze turns from his sister to the airbender. “If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight.”

Katara mutters through the smirk on her lips. “I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts.”

“Goodnight!” Katara and Aang both chuckle at Sokka for a bit, before Katara blows out the flame roaring away in her lamp.

.

The group had gotten up at dawn just as Sokka had commanded, and with Katara outside fetching water, Sokka, Aang and Y/N are left to clean up and pack the rest of their belongings. Y/N is in the middle of rolling up the last bedroll when Katara bursts in.

“They took him! They took Haru away!” Aang turns around to look at Katara.

“What?”

“The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation, it's all my fault, I forced him into earthbending!”

Sokka steps closer to her, taking her hand in his. “Slow down, Katara. When did this happen?”

“Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight.”

“Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone.”

Her face hardens. “We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru.” Aang looks up at her with confused eyes.

“And... why would they do that?”

“Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending.” Y/N and Sokka’s eyes meet as they share a horrified look.

.

Y/N and Katara heave as they work together to push a boulder on top of an air vent near the road.

“I thought you were crazy at first, Katara, but this might work. There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines. All Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here. The boulder levitates and ta-da! Fake earthbending.”

Katara props her hands on her hips, turning to the airbender. “Aang? Did you get all that?” He doesn’t look up at he answers her.

“Sure, sure. I got it.” Y/N anxiously picks at her cuticles, stuck as a sitting duck in this scenario. No bending, no action.

Sokka turns to address Aang. “Do you remember your cue?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just relax. You're taking all the fun out of this.”

“By this, do you mean intentionally being captured by a group of ruthless firebenders?”

“Exactly! That's fun stuff!” Further down the road a group of firebenders bearing spears approach.

“Here they come! Get in your places!”

Sokka and Katara take their places, making a show out of walking into each other before beginning to angrily shout at one another.

“Get out of my way, pipsqueak!” Sokka’s raised finger and shout stops the firebenders, confusion evident on their faces.

“How dare you call me pipsqueak, you giant-eared cretin!”

“What did you call me?”

“A giant-eared cretin! Look at those things! Do herds of animals use them for shade?!” Sokka starts getting in her face.

“You better back off!” His hand moves to muffle his mouth as he whispers to her. “Seriously, back off.”

“I will not back off! I bet elephants get together and make fun of how large your ears are!”

“That’s it! You’re going down!”

“I’ll show you who’s boss! Earthbending style!” The dramatics in which she leaps towards the boulder and clenches her fist upwards would definitely have been intimidating to witness, if only the boulder had actually moved.

“I said, earthbending style!” Y/N nudges Aang in the side sharply, and as he jumps up he breathes in to blast a jet of air into the air vent. It makes the boulder fly into the air, only to reveal Momo standing behind it with his arms raised, licking himself. One of the firebenders gasps and point at him.

“That lemur! He’s earthbending!” Y/N slaps a red mark into her forehead as she sighs.

Sokka angrily gestures towards Katara. “No, you idiot, it’s the girl!”

“Oh.” The firebender’s cheeks turn red. “Of course.” Sokka moves closer to Katara, exclaiming to the firebenders. “I’ll hold her!”

He lowers his voice to a whisper in his sisters ear. “You've got twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you.”

As the firebenders lead Katara away, she turns to look back at the group a final time.

Sokka unhappily tugs at his earlobes, feeling the sizes of his ears. His gaze turns to eye Momo on Aang’s shoulder, pointing at the lemur accusingly.

“Momo, you have some big ears!” The lemur flinches, cooing as if feeling self conscious.

TWHACK.

“OW!” Sokka brings his hand to the back of his neck as he turns to look indignantly at the older girl.

.

Katara sits with her arms holding her knees to her chest as she glumly looks down at the floor of the cart filled with other earthbender prisoners. In the clouds above the cart Appa stealthily flies after it. Aang’s eyes had been glued stuck to the cart for the entirety of the time they’d been trailing it.

“She'll be fine, Aang. Katara knows what she's doing.” Aang turns his head slightly to nod to Sokka, yet his eyes stay on the cart.

Y/N resists the urge to pick at her cuticles and simply puts her faith in Katara.

.

Aang had made his way onto the prison platform, and to where Katara was sleeping. Tapping her on the shoulder, he urges her awake and tells her to be quiet. The duo makes their way outside, where Sokka, Y/N and Appa are waiting. Sokka pushes off from where he was leaning on Appa and nears his sister.

“Your twelve hours are up. Where's Haru? We've gotta get outta here!”

“I can’t.”

“We don’t have much time. There are guards everywhere. Get on!”

Y/N moves closer to the girl. “Katara, what’s wrong?” Her eyes wander from the metal floor and to the brown eyed girl’s imploring gaze.

“I’m not leaving.” Katara says, determinedly. “I’m not giving up on these people.”

Sokka puts his hands up. “What do you mean you're not leaving?”

“We can't abandon these people! There has to be a way to help them.”

Aang nods. “Maybe she's right. What do you say, Y/N, Sokka?”

“Katara’s right. They don’t deserve to be here.” Y/N looks around at the grim prison.

“I say you're all crazy!” They all duck as a spotlight passes their spot. “Last chance! We need to leave, now!”

Katara’s face twists. “No!”

Sokka sighs and shakes his head. “I hate when you get like this. Come on, we better hide.” Aang hurries over to Appa, clapping him on the stomach. “Go hide.”

Appa bats his tail as he sets off and soars away. Two guards on the catwalk above spot him as he ascends. The Captain points up at the bison.

“Look!”

The Warden turns to the Captain. “Tell me exactly what you saw.”

“Well, Sir, it looked like a flying bison.”

“What?”

“It was a giant flying buffalo, Sir. With an empty saddle.”

“Which was it? A buffalo or a bison?”

“Uh, I'm not sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point, is it, sir?”

Steam basically pours out the Warden’s ears and nose as his face twists into something furiously ugly. “I'll decide what the point is, fool!” With that, the Warden grabs the Captain by his shoulder and throws him upside down over the side of the ship. He screams as he descends, and with a splash, the screaming stops.

The Warden rounds on a second guard. “You! Wake up the captain. Search the entire rig!”

“Uh, Sir.”

“What?”

“That was... the captain you just threw overboard, so…”

“Then wake up someone I haven’t thrown overboard and search the rig! There’s something going on here and I don’t like it.”

The group of four all huddle together behind numerous crates. Sokka whispers as he brings everyone closer.

“We don't have much time. What are we gonna do?”

“I wish I knew how to make a hurricane!” All three look at Aang with unamused expressions. He tries again.

“The warden would run away and we'd steal his keys!”

“Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?”

“I'm just tossing ideas around.” He leans into himself as he sulks, and Y/N can’t stop herself from patting him on the back comfortingly.

Katara brings the focus back. “I tried talking the earthbenders into fighting back but, it didn't work! If there was just a way to help them help themselves.”

Y/N clears her scratchy throat, the smoke of the rig polluting the air around them. “For that they'd need some kind of earth, or some rock. Something they can bend.”

“But this entire place is made of metal!” Katara lays her palm on the floor.

Aang pipes up. “No, it's not.” His gaze turns from Y/N to the smoke in the air. “Look at the smoke! I bet they’re burning coal. In other words, earth.”

.

The morning sun rises as Katara and Sokka inspect an air duct. Sokka is peering down into it, while katara kneels beside it.

“It's almost dawn. We're running out of time! You sure this is gonna work?”

“It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale. There's a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo. And the whole system is ventilated. Aang closed off all the vents except one. When he does his airbending the coal only has one place to go, right back here.”

Sokka then gestures to the barges just off the side of the oil rig. “Once we’ve got this place shut down and the earthbenders out, they’ll go on those barges, and Y/N will bring Appa around to get us.”

“There’s the intruder!” A guard shouts as multiple spear-wielding guards surround the pair.

Sokka pushes Katara behind him as he pulls out his boomerang. “Stay back! I'm warning you!”

Tyro, Haru’s father, shouts to them from the prisoner crowd gathered around the pair. “Katara, stop! You can't win this fight!”

The Warden’s heavy boots sound across the hard metal as he walks closer. “Listen to him well, child. You're one mistake away from dying where you stand.”

A sudden rush of air sounds around the prison, the wind shaking the entire prison’s foundations. The cap of a ventilation cap shakes and finally, it bursts off its hinges as coal shoots into the sky, landing in massive piles. At last, a soot covered Aang leaps out of the ventilation shaft, landing on the coal pile as he coughs. Katara runs to Aang, grabbing a piece of coal and lifting it up for the earthbenders to see.

“Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!”

Haru darts forward immediately to fight back, but is held back by his father. The sound of the Warden bursting into laughter grinds heavily on Katara’s nerves.

“Foolish girl. You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago.” Katara’s face falls as she looks around at all the different, sunken earthbender faces. “Oh, but you still believe in them. How sweet. They’re a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed.” The Warden finishes his speech by turning on his heel and getting ready to leave, but he’s stopped by a single piece of coal flying through the air and hitting him in the back of the head.

The Warden turns back around, enraged as his gaze falls on Haru, the boy bending 3 pieces of coal in his hand. The Warden sends a blast of fire towards him, but is stopped as Tyro brings up a wall of coal, protecting his son.

The Warden yells out. “Show no mercy!”

All the earthbenders work together to bend a massive amount of coal to withstand the firebenders’ attacks. “For the Earth Kingdom, attack!” Chaos breaks out in the prison, blasts of fire and blocks of coal getting thrown around. Sokka, Katara and Aang all rush towards each other, as Tyro and Haru work together to compress a bunch of coal into one lump, using it to force the doors open for their escape. Tyro shouts out. “Get to the ships! We'll hold them off!” The Warden doesn’t let up.

“Do not let them escape!”

Aang generates an air funnel, holding it between his hands as he calls out to Sokka and Katara. “Guys! Throw me some coal!”

Katara and Sokka drop heaps of coal into the funnel, Aang firing the material rapidly at the Warden and the other firebenders, knocking them all to the ground. Tyro and two other earthbenders work together to bend the coal underneath, moving the firebenders away from the rig and over the open ocean. The Warden screams as he tries to plead for mercy.

“No, please! I can’t swim!”

Tyro looks at the Warden through narrowed eyes. “Don’t worry. I hear cowards float.”

.

Haru and Tyro approach Katara on the deck of one of the ships. Haru meets her eyes, a content smile on his face.

“I want to thank you for saving me. For saving us.” Katara turns all the way to face the pair.

“All it took was a little coal.”

“It wasn't the coal, Katara. It was you.” A blush creeps up on Katara’s cheeks at the comment.

Tyro claps his hand on Katara’s shoulder as he comes to stand next to his son.

“Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much.”

“So, I guess you're going home now.”

“Yes. To take back my village.” Tyro turns to raise his voice to the rest of the earthbenders.

“To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!” The crowd fills the air with cheers.

Haru grabs Katara’s attention again. “Come with us.”

“I can't. Your mission is to take back your home. Ours is to get Aang to the North Pole.” She glances over to see Aang join Y/N atop Appa, taking the reins from her hands.

“That's him, isn't it? The Avatar. Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way…”

Katara’s gaze turns downcast. “I know.” Her hand reaches up to grasp her mother’s necklace, only to come into contact with skin.

“My mother’s necklace! It’s gone!”

.

Back on the prison oil rig, a banished prince picks up a blue necklace, holding it up to look at the water tribe symbol engraved in the pendant. He stands alone, the setting sun’s orange light surrounding his form.

Chapter Text

Once again, the group are in the sky, the clouds floating past them as Appa sways side to side. Y/N’s gaze is locked on the horizon, cross-legged and fiddling with her fingers in her lap. The air at this altitude is different from the one back on the ground, the cold a bit more nippy, yet filling the lungs in a good way. Perhaps it’s the freedom associated with flying on a sky bison, no earthly beings able to drag you down.

The screech of a hawk from below drags the girl out of her thoughts, and she turns her attention back to her friends. Katara lies on her stomach, gazing at the clouds in a similar way to herself.

“Those clouds look so soft,” Aang sits in his usual spot, a twig swirling around in his mouth, and towards the back of the saddle, Sokka is carving something with an uninterested look on his face. “don't they? Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft, cottony heap?” Katara sighs dreamily.

Sokka turns to his younger sister with a mocking smile. “Maybe you should give it a try.”

Katara shoots him a glare. “You’re hilarious.”

Y/N uncrosses her legs to reach over and kick him in the shin.

“Hey!” Sokka fumbles with his carving as he rounds on the girl. “You know, you can’t just beat me up whenever you’d like!”

The girl smirks at him. “Oh yeah, who’s gonna stop me?”

Sokka huffs in frustration and crosses his arms as he turns his entire body away from her.

“Oh, come on, Sokka. I’m older than you. It comes with the territory.” She thinks for a second, adding to the injury. “Taller too.”

“You’re barely a year older! And just you wait, I’ll be taller than you before you know it.”

“Mhmm… Can’t wait.” She leans back in her seat, smugly enjoying the view once again as Katara laughs. Aang jumps up from his seat, bringing back the original topic.

“I’ll try it!” He grabs his staff from his bag as he jumps off Appa.

The group hear his “Yeah!” before they see him as they reach over to look over the side of the saddle. He falls for a while, before reaching the clouds, Katara’s worried gaze following him till he goes out of sight. As the trio wait for any sign, the sound of Aang’s glider snapping closed behind them startles them to turn around. Katara breathes a sigh of relief as the airbender settles in his seat again, only dripping wet.

“Turns out, clouds are made of water.” He takes a deep breath and slams his right fist against his left palm, creating an air ball that extends outwards and dries him off. He leans back on his palms, content smile gracing his youthful face. Sokka side eyes the avatar, wholly unimpressed. Katara glances at her brother, but her attention is caught by something over his shoulder.

“Hey, what is that?”

Sokka turns his head to look over his right shoulder as Katara gets up to walk to the front of Appa’s saddle. Beneath the bison a large, dark patch of burned land stands out amongst the blossoming greenery. All four lean over to look at the burned patch.

Sokka’s eyes focus in on the area. “It’s like a scar.”

.

All around them, the burnt trees look about ready to crumble away in the wind, the area so badly scorched the patch they’re standing in looks grey. Dead.

Sokka looks around. “Listen. It’s so quiet. There’s no life anywhere.”

Katara walks up behind the quiet Aang. “Aang? Are you okay?” Sokka’s eyes keep investigating the area, suddenly coming upon footsteps, shaped exactly like the sharp-tipped ones the Fire Nation soldiers wear.

“Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-“

Katara spins around to shush her brother. “Shh!” His voice levels down to a whisper. “What? I’m not allowed to be angry?”

Y/N looks down at the footprints Sokka had found, her shiny eyes looking up at the carnage around them. Everywhere they go, chaos follows.

Katara gestures to her brother as she points to Aang with a concerned look on her face. The quiet boy finally slumps over, falling on his knees at the sight around him.

Aang’s fingers reach down to pick up some of the ash, yet it seeps through his fingers.

“Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?”

Katara comes up to stand behind him. “Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Yes, it does. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature. But I don't know how to do my job.”

Y/N halts in trying to count all the dead trees, turning to address Aang. “No Avatar before you was able to prevent all disasters. Some spent years training before the world even needed them.”

Katara smiles at her friend, and then reaches down to grab Aang’s shoulder.

“And that's why we're going to the North Pole.” She smiles softly at his back. “To find you a teacher.”

“Yeah. A waterbending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me.”

Sokka turns around. “The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago; how are you supposed to talk to him?”

“I don’t know.” Momo shuffles closer to the young avatar, settling in his lap.

.

In another forest in the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation’s banished prince trudges through grass and branches, looking for his uncle.

He yells out. “Uncle! It’s time to leave! Where are you?” He stops for a second. “Uncle Iroh!”

“Over here!” The sound is coming from some feet away, and as Zuko follows the direction it came from, he moves a branch away from his line of sight to be met with the Ex-General relaxing in a steaming hot spring.

“Uncle? We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him.”

“You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?”

“My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go!” Zuko feels his blood starting boil a bit the longer he stands in front of the hot spring.

“You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself.” The satisfied smile on Iroh’s lips and the steam leaving his nose makes Zuko snap, swatting at the air.

“Enough! We need to leave now. Get out of the water!”

“Very well!” The water sloshes around as Iroh drags his body out, standing proud.

Zuko’s hands fly in front of his eyes. “On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in a half-hour or I'm leaving without you!”

Iroh sighs as he slumps back into the water once more.

.

Katara approaches Aang, a spring in her step. “Hey, Aang! You ready to be cheered up?”

The boy remains sad and sullen, though. “No.” An acorn comes flying at his head, and the sound of Sokka chuckling fills the air. “Ow! Hey, how is that cheering me up?”

“Cheered me up.” Another acorn comes flying at Sokka this time. “Ow.” He looks towards the brown eyed girl who’s looking at him with narrowed eyes. Their earlier conversation flashes in Sokka’s head. “Yeah, I probably deserved that.”

Katara’s hand clenches around an acorn. “These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back.” Her hand comes to rest over his as she places the acorn in his hand, curling his fingers over it.

“Thanks, Katara.”

She smiles in response, before her gaze wanders to an elderly man approaching. She gasps as Sokka turns to him.

“Hey, who are you?”

The elderly man looks at Aang, amazement filling his eyes. “When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible! But, those markings... are you the Avatar, child?”

Aang shifts a little, unsure. He gives a glance to Katara, who nods. Turning back to the older man, he nods himself.

“My village desperately needs your help!”

.

The setting sun’s rays would have cast a beautiful picture on Senlin Village, had parts of it not been destroyed. The elderly man who had found them in the woods leads them to the center building, where he sweeps his arms out to gesture at Aang.

“This young person is the Avatar!”

The Senlin Village leader, a middle-aged man, brightens as he looks at Aang. “So, the rumors of your return are true! It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence.”

Aang smiles. “Nice to meet you too! So... is there something I can help you with?”

“I’m not sure…” The elderly man interrupts the Village leader, pleading tone creeping into his words. “Our village is in crisis, he's our only hope!”

He turns to Aang. “For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit.” Sokka’s brows furrow.

“Why is it attacking you?”

The village leader steps in again. “We do not know, but each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near.” Y/N looks curiously at the Village leader.

“What happens then?”

“As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely.”

The Village leader follows up on the elderly man’s tale. “Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen.”

Aang looks upon both the men. “So, what do you want me to do, exactly?”

“Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits.”

“Right... that's me.” Aang shifts uneasily.

“Hey great bridge guy, could I talk to you over here for a second?” Katara steps in as she grabs the airbender’s arm to lead him towards a window. “Aang, you seem a little unsure about all of this.”

“Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World. It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!”

“So... can you help these people?”

“I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just... come to me.” Momo chitters as he flies over to land on Aang’s shoulder, Sokka and Y/N following.

Y/N smiles at the boy. “I think you can do it, Aang.”

Sokka butts in. “Yeah…” The water tribe boy looks around a bit. “We're all going to get eaten by a spirit monster.”

.

Iroh’s snores mix with the sounds of the forest, the birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves. Yet, when something moves near the tree line, he stirs awake.

“Who’s there?” And from the grass sitters a small rat-like animal out. “A meadow vole! I should have known.” He brings his open palm closer to the creature, and after sniffing his hand a bit, it creeps up.

“You startled me, little one.” Iroh lets out a small sigh. “It seems I dozed off and missed my nephew’s deadline, but it was a very sweet nap.”

The meadow vole leaps up and down, surprisingly loud squeaks leaving its body. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, from the ground a patch of dirt starts hurtling towards the ex-general. A rock pops out as it nears the hot spring, entrapping Iroh in stone spikes. Three Earth Kingdom soldiers surround him. One soldier picks up Iroh’s discarded clothes.

“He’s a Fire Nation soldier.”

The Captain of the group grabs Iroh’s chest piece. “He's no ordinary soldier. This is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West. The once-great General Iroh, but now, he's our prisoner.”

Iroh gives the soldiers a hardened look.

.

Back in Senlin, Aang steps outside the center building and starts walking towards the village entrance, the sun nearly setting.

“Hello, Spirit? Can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help stuff.”

Inside the building, the rest of the group look out at Aang’s figure through the windows.

Sokka scowls as he watches impatiently. “This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up.”

The elderly man from earlier sits similarly to the children. “If anyone can save us, he can.”

Sokka’s eyes narrow as he looks out again. “He still shouldn't have to face this alone.”

.

The sun has finally set, darkness creeping in.

“The sun has set. Where are you, Hei Bai? Well... spirit... uhhh... I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace.” He spins his staff and taps it hard on the ground. “Okay… Well… I guess that’s settled, then.”

Aang looks out into the dark for a second, turning around when he doesn’t see anything.

Behind him, however, Hei Bai fades into the real world, bridging in from the spirit world. He walks right behind Aang, who finally turns to face the spirit.

Aang looks up at the massive spirit, starting to bow. “You must be the Hei Bai spirit. My name is–“ The spirit roars as it releases a beam of spirit energy into the sky. It moves past him as it goes to ravage the village.

“My name's Aang! I'm the Avatar and I would like to help. Hey, wait up!”

Hei Bai continues going around, toppling buildings and using energy blasts to destroy even more. Aang looks at the spirit in confusion. “Uhhhh…”

The Village leader, looking at the havoc from afar, tilts his head. “The Avatar’s methods are… Unusual.”

“It doesn't seem too interested in what he's saying. Maybe we should go help him.” Sokka turns to the village leader, but the elderly man is quick to speak.

“No. Only the Avatar stands a chance against the Hei Bai.”

“Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka.” Katara tries to reassure her brother.

Although Katara might sound confident in her faith in Aang, Y/N can tell the sound of Hei Bai smashing another building makes the worry she tries to bury spike. The older girl snakes her pinky around Katara’s, and as she turns to look at her, Y/N smiles gently at her friend, the uneasiness still evident in her eyes, yet a little dimmer now.

.

“Please, would you stop destroying things and listen? I'm trying to do my job as spirit bridge! Excuse me, would you please turn around?” Aang pleading falls on deaf ears, and as his frustration boils over, he shouts up to the spirit. “I command you to turn around now!”

The spirit stops, before it swipes an arm in Aang’s direction, hitting him and sending him flying into the roof of another building.

Sokka slams his hands on the window sill, getting up. “That’s it. He needs help.” As he runs out of the building, Y/N and Katara go to follow him.

“Sokka, wait!”

The village leader grabs Katara and Y/N by the arm. “It’s not safe!”

Sokka runs towards the spirit waving his arms at it. “Hei Bai, over here!” He brings his boomerang out, throwing it at the spirit, yet it remains unaffected by his attack.

“Sokka, go back!”

“We’ll fight him together, Aang.”

“I don't want to fight him unless I–“ Hei Bai has made his way closer, running to grab Sokka. The water tribe boy yells as the spirit starts fleeing, Aang watching in shock. “Sokka!”

Katara and Y/N run out as soon as they see the spirit grab Sokka.

“Sokka!” The moonlight reflects in Katara’s shiny eyes as she watches Aang chase after the spirit.

.

Zuko and two Fire Nation soldiers roam around the area of the hot spring, looking for the lost ex-general.

“Uncle! Uncle, where are you?”

“Sir, maybe he though you left without him.”

Zuko shakes his head, not bothering with the soldier’s words. “Something's not right here. That pile of rocks.”

“It looks like there's been a landslide, sir.”

“Land doesn't slide uphill. Those rocks didn't move naturally.” He straightens as the realization hits him.

“My uncle's been captured by earthbenders!”

.

“Aang! Over here! Help!”

“Hang on, Sokka!”

Aang nearly loses his grip on his glider as he flies after the spirit, reaching his hand out to grab for Sokka’s outstretched one. Their fingertips graze and Aang gets a grip on Sokka’s hand, before the spirit fades away, taking Sokka with it. Aang shouts, falling as he lands face down before a bear totem, surrounded by dead trees. His eyelids suddenly weigh heavily on him, blinking as he desperately tries to stay awake. His half obscured view of the countless dead trees slowly fades, until it at last turns black.

A couple of hours later, Aang awakens.

“Sokka.” He looks around, seeing nothing but the dead trees. “I failed.”

.

“Where are you taking me?” The still naked Iroh sits handcuffed at the back of an ostrich horse led by an Earth Kingdom Captain.

“We're taking you to face justice.”

“Right, but where, specifically?”

“A place you're quite familiar with, actually. You once laid siege to it for 600 days, but it would not yield to you.”

Iroh face blooms in recognition. “Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se.”

“It was greater than you were, apparently.”

“I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After 600 days away from home, my men were tired, and I was tired.” His mouth opens in a yawn.

“And I’m still tired.”

His body starts to slide backwards as he closes his eyes. The Captain looks back in surprise at the retired general laid out on the ground. He grabs the reins of his ostrich horse taut as he brings the transport to a stop. The soldiers work together to bring Iroh back on the back of the animal.

Iroh smiles slightly as the let go of him, his sandal lying abandoned on the ground.

.

Katara and Y/N sit side by side at the entrance gate of the village, shivering slightly.

Behind them, Kay-fon, the elderly man from the forest, approaches the pair. “I'm sure they'll be back.”

“We know.” Katara spares a glance up at the man.

He unravels a shawl from his own shoulders, leaning down to place it over the two.

“You girls should get some rest.”

Y/N grabs the edge of the shawl, bringing it up so she can slide her arms around Katara, securing the shawl tighter around them both. Katara’s cold cheek nestles closer to her friend as Y/N speaks.

“Everything's going to be okay…”

“Your brother is in good hands. I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him. “ The girls turn a bit more to face Kay-fon. Behind them, Aang skulks closer to the village from the path.

“Katara? Y/N, I lost him.”

The rising sun casts more light on the trio, the skies turning a pretty dark orange colour.

Kay-fon keeps speaking. “The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon.”

Aang huffs. “What? No, I’m right here!” He waves his hand in the man’s face, only now noticing the blue tinge to his body.

“I’m in the spirit world!”

.

Zuko walks along a path, looking around as he searches for a sign of his uncle. He pulls the reins on his rhino as he hops down, walking over to pick up a discarded sandal, giving it a sniff for good measure. His face scrunches in disgust.

“Yeah, that’s Uncle Iroh.” With the sandal tucked away in his bag, he remounts his rhino and continues on.

.

“I’ll figure this out, guys. I promise. Like they said, I'm the bridge between the worlds, right? All I have to do is... figure out what I have to do. But once I do that, no problem.” Appa stands in front of the girls, who stare right through him.

“Appa! Hey buddy, I'm right here!” The sky bison only huffs a hot breath at Y/N and Katara.

“But, I guess you can't see me either.”

Katara reaches up to pet Appa on his side. Y/N strokes him on the nose, his eyes closing as the girl leans against him. Katara drops her hands and moves up to where Y/N is standing.

“It's okay, Appa, don't worry. I'm sure they're on their way back. I bet they even found you a bunch of moon peaches for a treat.”

Appa grunts as he gets up from his laid position, the group walking back to the village.

“What am I supposed to do? Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?” He shakes his head, when a sound stops him in his tracks.

“Sokka?”

Aang’s gaze turns towards a large dragon in the sky, it’s form shrouded in the same blue as himself. “That's definitely not Sokka.”

He opens his staff and tries to take off, but is unable to bend. “What? I can't airbend in the Spirit World.”

The dragon has made its way closer, landing with a thud in front of him. “You don't know where Sokka is, do you?” The dragon’s head inches closer to the airbender, Aang’s open hand reaching up and coming into contact with its snout.

“You're Avatar Roku's animal guide! Like Appa is to me! I need to save my friend and I don't know how! Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?” The dragon moves to curl around his body, and Aang stares for a second before he reaches up to climb on top. Aang’s gaze turns back to the village.

“I’ll be back, Katara, Y/N.” Aang feels the large beast move underneath him as it gets up.

“Take me to Roku!”

.

Iroh’s feet halt as he looks up at the sky, a blue dragon and a boy flying overhead. His eyes follow them as he gasps at the sight.

The Captain looks back at Iroh. “What’s the problem?”

Iroh is shaken out of his stupor as he returns his focus to the situation at hand. “Nothing.” He pauses. “Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are sore and aching, and these shackles are too loose.”

“Too loose?”

“That's right. The cuffs move and jangle around and bump my wrists. It would help me if you tighten them so they wouldn't shake around so much.”

The captain stops to think for a bit, his face changing as he makes up his mind. “Very well. Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs.”

The entire entourage stops as the corporal dismounts his ostrich horse and moves towards Iroh. As he brings his hands to Iroh’s cuffs, the ex-general breathes in deeply, exhaling suddenly and heating the cuffs. He pushes the cuffs up to burn the corporal. As the corporal screams at the pain, Iroh jumps free and begins blasting fire at the soldiers. Using their surprise, he throws himself down to roll down the hill as the soldiers try to calm their spooked animals.

Iroh’s rolling form is stopped by one of the soldier’s bending, a rock shooting up form the ground. They all run down, restraining him.

“He's too dangerous, Captain! We just can't just carry him to the Capital! We have to do something now!”

“I agree. He must be dealt with immediately and severely.”

Iroh looks up at them as he opens his mouth and spits out a rock.

.

Y/N’s gaze roams over the land beneath, trying to spot their two missing friends, albeit fruitlessly.

Katara’s hands tighten on Appa’s reins as she prepares to turn around.

“It's no use, Appa. I don't see them anywhere. Our best hope is to go back to the village and wait.”

Appa grunts as he flies back, meanwhile a Fire Nation Prince stops his rhino when he spots the beast flying overhead.

“The Avatar!”

His body begins to turn, but he stops and looks back at the ostrich horse footprints he’d been trailing, internal struggle shadowing his eyes.

.

The sun has once again begun to set. Y/N sits at the steps leading to the center building as Katara paces back and forth. She stops at the sound of a branch and looks towards the path. Aang’s sullen face nears them as she runs to him.

“You’re back!” She throws her arms around him. “Where’s Sokka?”

Aang doesn’t lift his head, unable to meet her hopeful eyes.

“I’m not sure…”

.

The skies turn dark, as the Earth Kingdom captain stares down at Iroh.

“These dangerous hands must be crushed.” His arms lift to hover a boulder over Iroh’s bound hands. Iroh’s eyes drill into the rock, following it as it starts to fall.

Zuko’s foot flies in an arc as he kicks it away right before it can crush his uncle’s hands, the boulder landing with a heavy thud. His heel comes down to shatter Iroh’s chains, effectively freeing the firebender.

“Excellent form, Prince Zuko.”

“You taught me well.”

The Earth Kingdom captain glares as his men surround the pair.

“Surrender yourselves. It's five against two. You're clearly outnumbered.”

Iroh’s unbothered gaze bores into the captain. “Yes, that's true, but you are clearly outmatched.”

The rocks that fly at him are destroyed by Iroh’s chained hands as Zuko throws blasts of fire at two of the soldiers, knocking them down with a slam. Another rock is thrown by a third, but is caught by Iroh as he redirects it and throws it back at the soldiers.

The captain grits his teeth as he punches three consecutive rocks at Zuko, who dodges all. Zuko fires at the man, who darts to the side to avoid the blasts. The captain swiftly brings his hands up, bending a large piece of rock and prepares to throw it, when his efforts are stopped by Iroh throwing his chains around his ankles, knocking him down and causing the rock to fall on top of the earthbender. Only the sound of groaning fills the forest as uncle and nephew look down at the soldiers together. Zuko tears his gaze away as he turns to look anywhere but at his uncle.

“Now would you please put on some clothes?”

.

Aang looks out at the dark path as he waits near the entrance to the village, now back in his physical body. He sighs as no sign of the spirit shows, turning around to return to the center building. Just as he nears it, the spirit appears to his left.

The energy beam it sends his way is swiftly blocked by a shield of air as Aang yelps. Katara stands in the doorway, her hands clenched on the frame.

“Aang, what are you doing?! Run!”

The spirit rears back, preparing for another attack on the building this time, when Aang jumps in front of it, shielding the center building with his body. Y/N’s eyes shift worriedly between Aang’s back and the spirit.

The boy raises his hand as it pauses, feeling it’s forehead. His eyes look deeper, seeing a panda lurking below the hulking form.

“You're the spirit of this forest! Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down. When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friends gave me hope that the forest would grow back.” His fingers dig in his pocket, procuring the acorn Katara had given him. He throws it on the ground at Hei Bai’s feet.

The spirit’s head tilts as it examines the acorn. It reaches a hand out to pick up the acorn, its form suddenly shrinking to its panda form. It quietly turns around, returning to the forest.

As it disappears, a series of branches grow in its wake, revealing 3 villagers, and Sokka. Y/N sighs in relief at the sight of her friend, a shaky smile gracing her face.

“Sokka!” Katara runs to her brother, throwing her arms around him.

“What happened?”

“You were trapped in the Spirit World for 24 hours! How are you feeling?”

“Like I seriously need to use the bathroom.”

Y/N hurries over to the pair as Katara lets go, slamming into the boy and replacing her friend’s arms with her own. Sokka lets out an “oof” at the impact, widendend eyes staring at the side of the brown eyed girl’s head, before he closes his eyes and buries closer.

The Village leader emerges from a building, approaching Aang. “Thank you, Avatar. If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done.”

“You could give us some supplies, and some money.”

“Sokka!” Katara exclaims.

“What? We need stuff?”

The Village leader only smiles. “It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey.”

Katara turns to the airbender beside her. “I’m so proud of you, Aang. You figured out what to do, all on your own.”

“Actually, I did have a little help and there's something else.”

“What is it?” Sokka’s stomach rumbles as he feels the hunger creep in.

“I need to talk to Roku and I think I found a way to contact his spirit.”

Y/N puts a hand on his shoulder as she smiles. “That’s great.”

“Creepy, but great.” Y/N stops smiling as she throws a dismissive glance at Sokka.

“There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him.”

Katara’s eyes widen. “But the solstice is tomorrow!”

“Yeah, and there's one more problem. The island is in the Fire Nation.”

Y/N’s stomach fills with dread at the mention.

The moon shines brighter over the hills.

Chapter Text

The moon is full as its lights brightens the grounds of Senlin Village, where Aang is tugging on Appa’s reins, trying to make the bison move.

“Let's go, Appa! Come on, boy!” Appa roars as he makes his displeasure known. Aang sadly addresses the bison.

“Look, I'm sorry, but Katara, Y/N and Sokka aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us.” He lifts his gaze to look into Appa’s eyes. “If they got hurt, I'd never forgive myself.”

His gaze turns stern as he rights himself. “So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!”

He tries jerking the reins, pulling them taut when his grip loosens and he’s thrown down to the ground from the force. His legs are spread in front of him as he huffs.

“I think his big butt is trying to tell ya something.”

Aang jumps in surprise as he turns to Sokka stood behind him. Katara, Y/N and a handful of the Senlin Villagers stand a little further behind him. Katara takes a step closer.

“Please don't go, Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation.” Her gaze turns pleading as she makes eye contact with the airbender. “Neither can I.”

Aang breaks the eye contact as he looks away sadly, recalling an image of Sozin’s comet.

“But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means!” He hauls himself off the ground to approach his friends. “I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the solstice. That's today!”

He turns around, using his airbending to land on top of Appa’s head. He grabs the reins in his hands, turning his head sadly to look at his friends. As Appa stands up and prepares to leave, the trio run to stand in front of the bison, preventing him from taking off.

Katara’s arms cross in front of her. “We're not letting you go into the Fire Nation, Aang.”

“At least, not without your friends. We got your back.” Momo soars past Sokka as he lands atop Aang’s shoulder. Appa’s tongue rolls out to lick Sokka head to toe. “Ew!”

From behind them, the village leader steps forward. “It's a long journey to the Crescent Island.” He hands Aang a small bundle. “You'll have to fly fast to have any chance of making it before sundown. Good luck.”

Aang smiles as he looks down from his seat. “Thank you for your-“

“Go!” The man yells sharply, pointing towards the ocean. Y/N, Katara and Sokka hurry to climb onto the saddle. Appa grunts as he beats his tail against the ground, taking off into the air.

.

Later that same morning, the village leader exists the center building, but stops in his tracks at the sight of the scarred prince of the Fire Nation.

“Having trouble sleeping?” Zuko pushes the man through the door and to the ground with a harsh shove to the chest.

The man’s field of view is taken over by Zuko’s cold gaze as the prince stands over him.

“Seen the avatar lately?”

.

Appa soars past the water beneath, the waves crashing into each other, filling the silence. Aang urges Appa forward with a jerk to the reins.

“Come on, boy, we've got a long way to go. Faster!”

.

Iroh looks out at the ocean, the Fire Nation ship on the lookout for the avatar’s bison and his friends.

“Sailing into Fire Nation waters... Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!”

“I have no choice, Uncle.” Iroh turns on his nephew angrily.

“Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you?” His voice waivers with fear. “What if you’re caught?”

Zuko breaks away from the telescope he’d been spying through. “I'm chasing the Avatar! My father will understand why I am returning home!”

“You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type!”

Zuko only huffs and turns back to the telescope. He turns it to look over the horizon, when the dark scope reveals Appa in the air.

“There they are. Helmsman! Full steam ahead!”

.

Y/N fiddles with the ends of her dress, distracting her from the journey into the Fire Nation. The thought of going into enemy territory frightens her, although she knows it has to be done.
The winter solstice is Aang’s only chance at connecting with Avatar Roku.

She sniffs a bit as the cold wind bites her nose. The air that fills her nostrils smells odd, though, polluted by something grim. As she breathes in quickly, she realizes something is wrong. Very wrong. Sitting up straight, she looks behind them, the menacing steel ship heading full throttle towards them making her lips part in shock. The boy standing at the helm even more so.

Y/N hurriedly taps Katara on the arm, who looks at her friend in confusion, before her gaze finally turns to the ship.

“Aang. We’ve got trouble!”

Sokka scrambles in panic. “Yeah! And it’s gaining, fast!”

.

The metal on the boat creaks and screeches as it makes way for a catapult to be raised on the deck, the projectile steaming, waiting to be lit.

Iroh waves a fan in his face, the steam invading his nostrils. “Uh, really Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?”

Zuko balls his fist and punches fire towards the projectile, lighting it up. “On my mark. Fire!”

A guard swings down on the rope, slicing it and sending the flaming projectile flying towards the sky bison.

Katara yells at the sight. “Fireball!”

Aang jumps a little as he grasps Appa’s reins, jerking them to the left and steering Appa out of range of the projectile. The group all scrunch their faces and cover their noses as the steam hits them.

“We have to get out of Zuko's range, before he shoots another hot stinker at us!” Katara exclaims as Y/N fans her face beside her, trying unsuccessfully to wave away the smell.

“Can't you make Appa go any faster?”

Aang turns his head to address Sokka. “Yeah. But there's just one little problem.”

Zuko’s eyes widen at the sight in front of him. “A blockade.” A two row line of Fire Nation ships stretches across the ocean as far as the eye can see. Numerous catapults prepared to fire span the ships’ decks.

“Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and they cannot arrest you.” Iroh attempts to reason with his nephew.

Aang’s hands grip Appa’s reins tight as he prepares himself to maneuver. “If we fly north, we can go around the Fire Nation ships and avoid the blockade! It’s the only way.”

Katara’s eyes lift from the blockade below. “There’s no time!”

Aang turns to Katara. “This is exactly why I didn't want you to come! It's too dangerous!”

“And that’s exactly why we’re here.”

“Let’s run this blockade!” Sokka exclaims as he looks around at the group. They all nod, steeling themselves for what’s to come.

“Appa, yip yip!” Their speed picks up at they approach the blockade.

Zuko’s eyes widen as he sees the bison fly even faster towards the blockade. “He’s not turning around!”

“Please, Prince Zuko! If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do! Do not follow the Avatar.”

Zuko lowers his head, closes his eyes and clenches his fists. “I’m sorry, Uncle.” His head raises again as he opens his eyes and thrusts his hand forward, commanding the ship’s crew. “Run the blockade!”

Zhao gazes out at the sea, his eye focused on a telescope’s lens. “The Avatar.” He lowers the telescope as he looks towards the Fire Nation prince’s ship. “And the banished prince. This must be my lucky day.”

“Commander Zhao. What are your orders?”

“Shoot the bison down, Captain.”

The Captain’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “But there's a Fire Navy ship out there, sir! One of our own! What if it's hit?”

“So be it.” The Captain backs away in shock. The corners of Commander Zhao’s mouth turn down slightly. “It belongs to a traitor.” He turns towards his crew. “Ignite. Launch!”

The sky becomes littered with fire, the projectiles flying towards the bison in the sky.

The group all scream at the sight, Aang navigating his way through the onslaught with gritted teeth as he looks toward one that explodes directly in front of them. Appa’s fur darkens as embers catch, Y/N, Sokka, Katara and Momo all slapping out them out.

Aang yells to his companion. “Appa, are you okay?”

Appa roars out in reply as they gain altitude, soaring further into the clouds.

Zuko’s ship keeps its speed as it narrowly misses the many falling projectiles. The water beneath ripples from the impact, slamming on the sides of the vessel. The crew runs around in panic, searching for safety from the fireballs. A single fireball manages to hit the ship, exploding on the aft side.

An engineer calls out to Zuko. “Prince Zuko! The engines are damaged! We need to stop and make repairs!”

Zuko turns away from the engineer, facing the blockade once again. “Do not stop this ship.”

Zhao looks on at the attack, his eyes narrowing. “Launch!”

Flying just above the clouds, fireballs start bursting through everywhere, the group screaming as they duck away. Y/N grips the saddle tightly as Aang attempts to dodge them all, before two fireballs collide with each other and explode right in front of Appa. Sokka slams into the side of the saddle at the impact, before he falls over and down. His body plunges for the ocean as he screams.

Aang cries out. “Sokka!”

The boy grips the reins and brings them down, Appa making a speedy descent to reach Sokka. The sky bison reaches him just in time for Y/N to reach her hand out, grabbing Sokka and pulling him back into the saddle.

Appa skims the ocean surface as Aang tries to right them, a fish jumping up from the water, knocking Sokka square in the face. He falls on his back with a yell. Momo leaps up and grabs the fish as Appa picks up speed, the fireballs continuing to fall down around them.

Zhao holds his hand up to his crew as he looks at the scene. “Ready…”

Appa closes the distance to the ships as Zhao waits for the perfect moment. Aang grips the reins tighter, a look of determination crossing his features.

“Fire!”

A single catapult launches a blast directly towards Appa. Aang’s eyes snap open as he airbends off Appa, kicking a powerful blast of air at the fireball as it explodes into a large smoky blast. Aang falls back onto Appa’s head as the bison soars safely over the blockade.

“We made it!”

Katara and Sokka grimace. “We got into the Fire Nation.” Sokka looks out at the water nervously. “Great.”

Y/N feels her heart in her stomach as she looks back at the blockade. She never thought she’d ever step foot inside the infamous war machine, but she supposes there’s a first time for everything. It couldn’t be all bad, could it?

.

“Where do you think the Avatar is headed, sir?”

Zhao turns to his Captain. “I’m not sure.” His gaze turns to Zuko’s smoking ship. “But I bet a certain banished prince will know.”

Zuko’s smaller vessel approaches two larger ships in the blockade. Their bows are pointed at each other, sailing in the opposite direction of the other. Zuko’s ship is headed towards the meeting point. Iroh looks at the sight with terrified eyes.

“We're on a collision course!”

Zuko doesn’t let it deter him. “We can make it!”

The Captain of Zhao’s crew stands in front of nine firebenders. “The boarding party is ready to apprehend Prince Zuko, sir.”

Zhao holds up his hand. “Wait! Cut the engines, and let them pass.”

“Sir?”

Both of the ships in the blockade halt, allowing Zuko’s ship to sail through untouched. Zhao stands high, his eyes locked with the banished prince.

Zuko and Iroh’s heads turn as they pass by in silence. Iroh strokes his beard curiously as their ship sails further and further into the Fire Nation.

.

Appa flies steadily through blue skies as the group all sit in the saddle. Aang sits up straight on Appa’s head as Sokka slumps in the middle of the saddle, Katara leans her arms over the front and Y/N sits with her legs tucked to the side as she gazes out at the vast waters.

.

The skies have darkened, the sun setting and casting a dark orange glow over the group. Appa’s speed has decreased a bit, Aang sprawled over the bison’s head. Sokka and Katara have each laid down in the saddle, and Y/N has rested her head on tucked knees that are pulled to her chest.

Momo jumps up and starts bouncing up and down at the sight of something ahead. Aang’s head lifts to look.

“There it is!” The rest straighten up to look. “The island where Roku's dragon took me.”

The island consists of a smoking volcano, the entire thing shaped in a crescent. In the middle, a Fire temple.

Appa starts to descend, closing in on the island.

.

Appa’s head rests on the ground as he lays at the base of a stone, the path in front leading up to the island’s mountain. A raised stone bridge spans the side of the mountain, ending at the entrance to the Fire Temple. Lava slowly flows beneath, filling the air on the island with a thick steam. Aang stands by Appa’s head, his hand petting the bison tenderly.

“You did it, buddy. Nice flying.” Appa growls in satisfaction, rolling to the side to wave his legs into the air happily. Katara approaches him as she smiles. She brings a hand up to rub him on the belly.

“Aww, you must be tired.”

Sokka stretches his limbs as he stands beside Y/N, the girl gazing at Appa fondly.

“No! I'm good. Refreshed and ready to fight some firebenders!”

Y/N turns her gaze to Sokka who keeps stretching and flexing his muscles. “She was talking to Appa.”

Katara props a hand on her hip as she shoots her brother a ldry ook.

Sokka stops in his movement. “Well… I was talking to Momo.” He points to the lemur clinging to a dead tree’s branch.

.

The group make their way towards the temple on the bridge, Sokka’s eyes examining the place from top to bottom.

“I don't see any guards.”

They stop to take cover behind a crumbling wall. Katara peeks her head out before turning back to the group.

“The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died.”

Aang’s gaze moves to glance up at the sky, the sun creeping its way closer to the bottom of the horizon.

“It's almost sundown. We better hurry!”

They leap over the wall, quickly moving towards the entrance to the temple. Y/N spares a glance down at the lava, occasionally bubbling to release a burst of heat. She wipes away a bead of sweat at the sight, silently thinking to herself as she reminisces on the safety of the white snow back home.

When they’ve made their way into the temple, they make sure to carefully tip toe their way through. Sokka stops as he turns to look around.

“Wait. I think I heard something.”

They all turn their heads as five men bearing tall hats dressed in all red stand in the hallway behind them.

“We are the Fire Sages. Guardians of the temple of the Avatar.”

“Great! I am the Avatar!” Aang grins at the sages, bringing a hand up to greet them.

“We know.” The sage standing in front inhales quickly before his hand raises to punch a blast of fire at them.

The sages all begin attacking, Aang shrieking as he deflects the fire with his airbending. He turns over his shoulder as he shouts to his friends.

“I’ll hold them off. Run!” Y/N grabs Katara’s hand as the three of them run further down the hall. Aang leaps forward and spins his leg across the ground, sending a blade of air at the Fire Sages’ legs that sweeps them off their feet. He hurries after his friends.

The Great Fire Sage gathers himself as he gets up. “If the Avatar contacts Roku, there's no telling how powerful the boy will become! Split up and find him.”

Aang catches up to his friends, skidding in front of them and continues running. “Follow me!”

“Do you know where you’re going?” Sokka trails behind Aang as he rounds a corner in the hallway.

“Nope!” A moment passes before he comes back around, eyes wide. “Wrong way!” He runs down the hallway, leaving Y/N, Katara and Sokka to look at each other in confusion.

“Come back!” The Fire sage that rounds the same corner spooks the trio into running after Aang. He continues the pursuit as the group reach a dead end. They turn around to face the man, fear on their faces.

He raises a hand cautiously. “I don’t want to fight you! I am a friend.”

Sokka throws his arms out in front of his friends. “Firebenders aren’t our friends!”

Aang steps out from behind Sokka’s arm, raising his hands as he prepares to airbend at the man. The sage takes a step towards the group, before he falls to his knees and bends over to press his palms to the floor. Aang drops his hands to his sides, startled.

“I know why you’re here, Avatar.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” The man rises to stand again. “You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him.”

Aang’s eyes narrow skeptically. “How?”

The Fire Sage brings his hand up to the wall to slide back a lamp. He places his palm on the wall, using his firebending to heat it as the wall slides back and reveals a passage. “This way.”

A deep voice echoes throughout the hall. “Find him.”

The Fire Sage glances down the hall where the voice had come from. “Time is running out! Quickly!”

Aang and Katara exchange a look, nodding as they both decide to trust the firebender. They all move into the passage, descending down steps lined with lit torches into a cave. The Fire Sage follows behind them and closes the entrance behind him.

.

Zuko’s knuckles grip the railing so tight they turn white as he looks out at the water. Smoke billows behind his ship as it trudges on in Fire Nation waters.

“What's he up to, Uncle? Why didn't Commander Zhao arrest me?”

“Because he wants to follow you. He knows you'll lead him to the prize you're both after: the Avatar.”

Zuko’s eyes harden, the scarred side pulling taut on the skin around it.

“If Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke, then that's exactly what I'll let him do.”

.

The sun has nearly set, disappearing behind the horizon as the Fire Sage leads the group through the caverns.

“Avatar Roku once called this temple his home. He formed these secret passages out of the magma.”

Aang’s interest peaks. “Did you know Avatar Roku?”

“No. But my grandfather knew him. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this temple long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place.”

“Is that how you knew I was coming?”

“A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred. The statue of Avatar Roku; its eyes began to glow!” The Fire Sage’s face lights up as he recounts the sight. Katara excitedly turns to look at him.

“That's when we were at the Air Temple. Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there, too!”

“At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world.”

Aang tilts his head. “If this is the Avatar's temple, why did the sages attack me?”

“Things have changed. In the past, the sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came.”

The airbender looks down guiltily. “They were waiting for me.” Y/N looks at the young boy sadly. Beside her, Sokka grins.

“Hey, don't feel bad. You're only a hundred years late!” It only serves to bring a scowl to Aang’s face.

“They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him.” He shakes his head shamefully. “I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were coming, I knew I would have to betray the other sages.”

“Thank you for helping me.” The sage stops to smile at the young avatar.

The group continue following the Fire Sage as he leads them up a spiraling flight of stairs. “We'll follow these stairs to the sanctuary.”

Once they near the top of the stairs, he stops and turns around. “Once you're inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku's statue. Only then will you be able to speak with him.”

He slides back a secret tile and climbs inside the outer sanctuary. Massive columns with dragon statues atop them line the room. A door holding a device with five open-mouthed dragons looms over them. The sage, named Shyu as they’d learned, gasps as he looks upon them.

“No!”

Aang approaches the door. “Shyu, what’s wrong?”

“The sanctuary doors, they're closed!”

Aang tugs at the doors uselessly, Katara looking up at the doors beside him. “Can't you just open them with firebending? Like you opened that other door?”

Shyu shakes his head. “No. Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the sages must open this door together, with five simultaneous fire blasts.”

Sokka, who’d been in deep thought examines the doors closer. “Five fire blasts, huh?” His gaze turns towards a lamp above him.

“I think I can help you out.”

.

Zuko’s body rocks side to side as he sits in a small boat being slid into the choppy waters.

“Uncle, keep heading north. Zhao will follow the smoke trail, while I use it as a cover.”

Iroh only grunts in response, stroking his beard in deep thought.

Zuko’s boat moves forward, disappearing into the smoke that billows from his ship.

A raised telescope lens showing only smoke lowers as Zhao’s mouth tightens in determination.

.

A kneeling Sokka pours oil into a bag in the middle of the sanctuary. “This is a little trick I picked up from my father. I seal the lamp oil inside an animal skin casing, Shyu lights the oil soaked twine and,” He proudly presents the bag. “ta-da! Fake firebending!”

Katara crosses her arms, as she looks at her brother, impressed.

“You've really outdone yourself this time, Sokka.”

Shyu’s eyes shine in determination. “This might actually work.” They all work to place the bags in the dragons’ mouths. Shyu wipes his hands as he places the last.

“The sages will hear the explosion, so as soon as they go off, you rush in!”

Katara, Y/N and Sokka all hide behind the columns in the sanctuary. Katara’s gaze turns to the next column, where Aang stands ready.

“It's almost sunset. Are you ready?”

“Definitely.”

Shyu raises a finger, sending a small flame across the door to light all the bags at once. He hurries behind a column to take cover, when a large explosion sounds, covering the room in smoke. Aang leaps forward and runs for the door, only to tug at it to no avail. The door doesn’t budge.

“They’re still locked! It didn’t work.” Aang falls to his knees, his head bowed. He takes a second, before he gets up and throws an air slice at it, furiously throwing more the less something happens. “Why. Won’t. It. Open?!”

Katara grabs Aang’s arm mid slice. “Aang! Stop!” She drops his arm as the fight leaves his body. “There’s nothing else we can do…”

His shoulders drop as he avoids their gazes. “I'm sorry I put you through all of this for nothing.”

Sokka runs his finger against the black soot on the door as he examines the device. “I don't get it. That fire looked as strong as any firebending I've seen.”

A moment passes, before Katara jumps up in excitement. “Sokka, you’re a genius!”

Aang turns to her, confused. “Wait. How is Sokka a genius? His plan didn't even work.”

Sokka turns to the airbender. “Come on, Aang. Let her dream.”

Y/N’s eyes widen as she catches up to Katara. “You’re right. Sokka’s plan didn’t work. But it looks like it did.”

Aang’s expression doesn’t change, doubt displayed in his eyes. “Did the definition of genius change over the last hundred years?”

Katara locks eyes with her friend, the girls grinning at each other.

.

“Come quickly! The Avatar has entered the sanctuary!” Shyu stands in front of the door as the other Fire Sages rush towards it.

The Great Fire Sage looks up at the door. “How did he get in?”

“I don't know. But look at the scorch marks! And down there!” His finger points to a visible shadow beneath the door, moving around.

“He's inside! Open the doors, immediately! Before he contacts Avatar Roku!”

Aang slides closer to the door behind a column as the five sages firebend at the door, the device’s mechanism locking into place. As the door creaks open, a soot-covered Momo sneezes, blowing the soot off.

“It's the Avatar's lemur. He must have crawled through the pipes! We've been tricked!”

Momo’s body flies through the air as he leaps for the Great Fire Sages head and clings to his hat, knocking it down over his eyes. Katara charges forward to grab the collar of one sage’s tunic to pull it over his head, Sokka grabs the lower skirt of another’s and lifts it over his body to blind him, and Y/N grabs a sleeve, pulling the sage’s arm behind him to tie it to his pant leg, leaving the firebender to hop around on one leg as he tries to keep his balance.

Shyu grabs the last sage and hauls him into his grip, pinning him with his arms. “Now, Aang!”

Katara eyes dart around at the lack of response from Aang. She calls out to him again. “Aang! Now’s your chance!”

Zuko steps out from behind a column, Aang’s arms pinned in his grip. “The Avatar’s coming with me!”

Y/N’s’ eyes widen as her guard is let down, the sages using the surprise to reclaim the upper hand. They all move to capture the group.

“Close the doors! Quickly!”

As Zuko leads Aang towards the stairs, the airbender looks over his shoulder to watch the sages chain the trio to a column. He steels himself as he wrenches his arms out of Zuko’s grip, spinning behind him and sending him tumbling down the stairs with a blast of air.

Aang runs for his friends, but Katara shakes her head. She nods it towards the door as it starts to close. “Go!”

The airbender listens without hesitation, charging towards the door guarded by two sages. Their arms raise as they fire at Aang, the avatar leaping into the air and above their blasts, bouncing off his hands from their heads and through the door just as the doors slam shut.

Y/N huffs out a laugh. “He made it.”

The door seals it self with a blinding flash of white light as everyone shields their eyes.

Zuko and four other sages launch blasts of fire into the door’s locks.

Zuko lets out a frustrated grunt as the door remains shut. “Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut!”

The Great Fire mage looks up at the door. “It must have been the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside.”

Zuko grits his teeth as turns around to kneel before the bound Shyu. “Why did you help the Avatar?”

Shyu quietly, yet proudly looks up at the prince. “Because it was once the sages' duty. It is still our duty.”

A clap interrupts the conversation, Zhao moving into the room with six guards.

“What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him.”

The Great Fire Sage places his palms together as he bows his head to the man. “Commander Zhao.”

“And Prince Zuko. It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work.” Zuko’s face turns in a scowl. The guards step behind him, seizing his arms. “Two traitors in one day, the Fire Lord will be pleased.”

Zuko strains against the hold on his arms, snapping at Zhao. “You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed.”

“No matter.” He grins smugly. “Sooner or later, he has to come out.”

Katara and Sokka share a worried glance, as Y/N’s hands shift around restlessly. The clanking of her chains catches the prince’s attention, his infuriated gaze catching hers. As their eyes lock, his widen slightly. Her brows furrow in confusion, before her gaze hardens to a glare.

The prince snaps himself out of his stupor, turning his head away.

.

Everyone in the room grows more restless the longer Aang stays inside the sanctuary, Zhao’s guards circling around the door with raised fists.

Zhao stands with his arms behind his back, walking back and forth. “When those doors open,” his mouth opens in a shout. “unleash all your firepower!”

Katara shifts worriedly as she looks at her friends. “How's Aang gonna make it out of this?”

Sokka sideeyes her. “How are we gonna make it out of this?”

Sokka is interrupted as the guards exclaim suddenly, the door glowing bright white once again, and smoke streaming out from underneath. The door clicks as it unlocks, a bright white light blinding all as the doors shift open.

Zhao’s fists tighten. “Ready…” The light fades, revealing a pair of glowing white eyes shrouded in darkness.

Sokka struggles against the chains as Katara’s worried voice carries throughout the room. “No! Aang!”

Zhao’s hand raises. “Fire!” Fire bursts from the commander and his guards’ hands.

Avatar Roku appears through the fire, his eyes glowing. Zhao’s face drops in horror.

Shyu looks up in awe at the dead Avatar. “Avatar Roku…”

Avatar Roku’s hand draws the fire circling around him in one motion, sending it forward in one powerful wave that fills the room, blasting the guards off their feet and melting the chains binding Katara, Y/N, Sokka, Shyu and Zuko. They all hurry to stand as the blast destroys the outer wall of the temple. Avatar Roku’s glowing glare turns upon the sages, all staring up in panic.

Shyu shouts to the group. “Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple! We have to get out of here!”

Katara shakes her head. “Not without Aang!”

Avatar Roku shoots fire ay the floor, the heat melting it and turning it bright red. As he lifts his hand, the stream erupts into maddened explosions. Lava soars throughout the temple, steadily tearing it apart. Zhao and his guards flee for the temple’s exit as Katara, Sokka and Y/N all huddle together in protection behind a column. Sokka kneels over the girls, bringing them closer to shield them.

Avatar Roku ceases the destruction as soon as the lava has started streaming throughout the entire temple, exhaling soundly as his eyes shut. All the smoke in the room draws in on him, his form disappearing to reveal an exhausted Aang. The boy sighs weakly as he falls to his knees. Katara, Sokka and Y/N all rush over to him, the siblings lifting him back to his feet with his arms thrown over their shoulders. Sokka grunts as he pats Aang’s hand on his shoulder.

“We got your back.”

He weakly lifts his head a bit. “Thanks. Where’s Shyu?”

Katara looks around at the sanctuary as she hefts him up slightly. “I don’t know.” Y/N spares a glance around as well, Shyu nowhere to be found.

No Zuko either.

She turns her eyes back in front of her as they all stop in their tracks, the lava filling the stairway leading to their exit.

They stare in horror at the sight, but quickly turn to look out the hole Avatar Roku had blown in the wall. The ground is dizzyingly far away, and as Y/N takes a step to look down further, a piece of the floor cracks off and falls down. She jumps back with a shaky inhale just as the other three gasp in surprise, Appa and Momo closing in on the temple ahead of them. Katara and Sokka hurry to help Aang up on the saddle, and as soon as they all settle, Appa takes off.

Zhao angrily looks up at the sky as the bison flies away. “No Prince, no Avatar! Apparently, the only thing I do have is five traitors!”

The Great Fire sage interjects. “But Commander! Only Shyu helped the Avatar!”

“Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I’m concerned, you are all guilty!” He gestures to his guards. “Take them to the prison hold!”

Zuko follows Appa’s flying form with his telescope. He lowers it, hands reaching down to sail off in his boat.

.

Night falls as Appa flies through the clouds. Aang’s chin touches his chest as he hangs his head. Katara, Y/N and Sokka all approach to kneel around the boy in silence.

Katara’s arm reaches up to put it around his shoulder.

Chapter Text

Aang paces around on the saddle, breath heavy as he panics.

“Would you sit down?” Sokka turns around from his seat on Appa’s head. “If we hit a bump, you'll go flying off. What's bugging you anyway?”

“It's what Avatar Roku said. I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives.”

“Well, let's see. You pretty much mastered airbending and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer.”

Aang starts gnawing on his nails as he panics even harder. “I haven't even started waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole. What am I gonna do?”

Katara grabs his arm, pulling his fingers away from his teeth. “Calm down, it's going to be okay.” He sits down in front of her. “If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know.”

“You'd do that?” A smile takes over his face.

Katara nods, moving to look over the side of Appa’s saddle. “We'll need to find a good source of water first.”

Sokka grins sarcastically. “Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in.”

Y/N scoffs, muttering under her breath. “Maybe we can find a puddle for you to drown in.”

.

Aang, Katara, Sokka and Y/N all glance around at the riverbank they’d stopped at, a waterfall streaming peacefully in the background.

A frown makes its way to Sokka’s face. “Nice puddle.”

Appa roars as he flies down into the river, landing with a huge splash that soaks and almost knocks Momo over. The bison flops down, turning around to float about on his back.

Aang starts sliding his shirt over his head as he ecstatically runs towards the water. “Yeah! Don't start without me, boy!”

Katara stops the boy in his tracks. “Remember the reason we’re here.”

He stops and looks at Katara. “Oh right. Time to practice waterbending.” The shirt slips back over his head.

Sokka kicks a rock as he looks around. “Great. So what are we supposed to do?”

“You could... clean the gunk out of Appa's toes.” Aang grabs a fallen branch off the ground as he hands it to Sokka.

Y/N crosses her arms and looks at the branch, barely disguised disgust written on her features. “I’m not doing that.” She turns towards the water. “I’m gonna take a dip while you guys do,” Her hand gestures in front of her. “whatever you’re gonna do.”

The girl walks off, shedding her dress as she nears the water, left clad in a fabric that binds her chest and a shift that falls around her hips.

Sokka frowns. “So, while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison's feet?”

Aang smiles somewhat encouragingly. “Mud and bugs!”

Sokka thinks for a second. “Okay.” He takes the stick from Aang’s hand and walks over to Appa.

.

Zuko grunts as he deflects a blast of fire, sweat beading on his forehead. He prepares to fire back at his opponent, when the ship turns sharply and both he and Lieutenant Lee are thrown to the floor. Zuko’s head lifts towards the control tower as he glares.

“Someone's changing our course.”

Zuko stomps his way to the top as he storms in through the door, his voice raised. “What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!”

Iroh and the rest of the ship’s crew are sat at a low table, placing tiles in a game of Pai Sho.

“Actually, someone did. I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko.” Iroh scratches his beard.

Zuko’s expression changes into something more hopeful. “Is it something to do with the Avatar?”

“Even more urgent. It seems, I-“ His hand lifts to rub his forehead. “I have lost my lotus tile.”

Zuko’s face squints in confusion. “Lotus tile?”

“For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus is insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ.”

“You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?”

“See, you, like most people, underestimate its value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life.” Zuko’s throws his head back in irritation as he huffs out fire from his nostrils.

Iroh only smiles. “I’m lucky to have such an understanding nephew.”

.

Sokka stands atop Appa’s stomach as he brushes in between the bison’s toes. Appa growls happily as he floats on his back.

“Yeah, don't get too happy. You've got to do me next.”

Y/N floats on her back a little ways away from the pair, the noises around her muted as the water covers her ears. She moves her hands back and forth, feeling the water flow through the gaps in her fingers.

Katara and Aang stand by the shore, facing each other.

“This is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect. So don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away.” Katara’s hands move back and forth as she makes small waves in the water. “Just push and pull the water like this. The key is getting the wrist movement right.”

Aang jumps up as he throws his hands out. “Like this?” The water stays still, even as he moves his hands.

Katara smiles kindly at him. “That’s almost right. If you keep practicing I’m sure eventually-“

“Hey, I'm bending it already!” The girl is interrupted as Aang repeats the motion, making much larger waves than her on his first try.

Katara’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Wow, I can't believe you got that so quickly. It took me two months to learn that move.”

Aang shrugs his shoulders as he stops. “Well, you had to figure it all on your own. I'm lucky enough to have a great teacher.”

Katara smiles at him. “Thanks.”

“So, what’s next?”

“This is a more difficult move. I call it streaming the water.” Katara moves her hands and raises a stream of water into the air and moves it around slightly. “It's harder than it looks, so don't be disappointed if-“ When her head turns to look at Aang, he’s already controlling a stream of water, moving it around and above his body. He neatly coils it back into the river.

“Nice work.” Katara frowns slightly. “Though the over-the-head flare was unnecessary.”

“Sorry.” The excitement creeps back into his voice. “Well, don't stop now! Keep 'em coming!”

Katara looks up, slightly disheartened. “Well I kind of know this one other move, but it's pretty hard. I haven't even totally figured it out yet. The idea is to create a big, powerful wave.” Her hands move up as she starts gathering a big mass of water. Her hands start shaking the more water she summons, and the water plops back down into the river before forming into anything.

“So, like this?” Aang raises his hands and creates a massive wave that towers over their heads, casting a shadow on the pair. As he lets go, the wave starts to flow towards Sokka still on top of Appa and Y/N who floats on, peacefully unaware of the oncoming danger.

“Aang?!” Sokka is thrown off Appa as the wave crashes over them.

Both Sokka and Y/N’s heads pop out of the water, the girl’s hair stuck to her face. She moves it out of her face with an annoyed glare, Sokka spitting water out his mouth beside her.

Aang smiles as he turns back to Katara. “Looks like I got the hang of that move! What else do you got?”

Katara scowls. “That's enough practicing for today.”

Sokka pipes up from the water. “Yeah, I’ll say!” He points his finger to the left, where they’d unpacked their bags. “You just ‘practiced’ our supplies down the river.”

“Uh, sorry.” Aang smiles guiltily. “I’m sure we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff.”

“My life was hard enough when you were just an airbender.” Sokka sinks his head back down underwater as Y/N trudges out the river, squeezing the water out of her hair.

.

Katara, Y/N, Sokka and Aang walk through the crowded streets of a small city market and port. The oldest girl glances around uneasily as hordes of armed men stare daggers at the group. Aang only looks around in childlike wonder, ever unaware.

Sokka carries a bag over his shoulder. “We've got exactly three copper pieces left from the money that King Bumi gave us. Let's spend it wisely.”

Aang speaks meekly as he brings something out of his pocket. “Uh, make that two copper pieces, Sokka. I couldn't say no to this whistle!” He pulls out a whistle shaped like a bison. Taking a huge breath in, he blows into it, only to produce no sound.

Sokka’s fingers pull out of his ears as he hears no loud noise. “It doesn't even work.” Momo squawks at the airbender. “See? Even Momo thinks it's a piece of junk.”

Katara holds her hand out to Aang. “No offense Aang, but I'll hold the money from now on.” Aang’s shoulders slump as he hands the remaining coins to Katara.

A man shouts loudly a little ways down, standing in front of a docked boat. “Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here! Don't be shy, come on by!” As the group walks by, he runs up to them.

“Oh! You there, I can see from your clothing that you're world-traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?”

Aang stops and turns around to walk back to the man. “Sure! What are curios?”

The man stops confusedly for a second to think. “I'm not entirely sure. But we got 'em!” He puts his hands on Aang’s shoulders and smiles, leading him into the ship.

They all walk inside the boat, looking around at all the strange collectibles lined on shelves. Aang looks up at a shelf, his head tilted to the side. “Huh?” As Aang passes the shelf, a man standing in a dark doorway steps closer to the boy.

“I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur.” He walks into the light, carrying an iguana parrot on his shoulder. “That beast would fetch me a hefty sum if you'd be interested in bartering.“

Aang uneasily grabs Momo from his shoulder. “Momo’s not for sale.”

Y/N’s gaze wanders over all the exotic wares, stopping at stand carrying all sorts of gem and sea glass jewelry. Just as her hand reaches out to grab a necklace, a voice right over her shoulder makes her jump.

“Fine pieces, wouldn’t you say?” A man wearing a tattered vest and a bandana around his head smiles eagerly at her. He waves a hand over the different jewelry and places his other hand on her shoulder.

“Fine pieces for a pretty lady.” Y/N laughs uneasily as she inches away from the man slowly.

Katara walks over to a shelf lined with a number of scrolls. She grabs one bearing a waterbending symbol and opens it to see lines of waterbending diagrams and writing. A smile spreads on her face as she turns it towards Aang. “Look at this, Aang. It's a waterbending scroll!” Aang walks closer to peer at it. “Check out these crazy moves.”

Aang turns towards the captain of the boat, the man with the iguana parrot. “Where did you get a waterbending scroll?”

The man slams his hand onto the scroll and snatches it out of Katara’s hands. “Let's just say I got it up North, at a most reasonable price, free.” He rolls the scroll back up and puts it away on the shelf.

Sokka looks around and turns to examine the captain from the other side of the room. “Wait a minute... Sea loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise,” His eyebrows raises. “and pet reptile birds?” He turns around the man who’d brought them inside. “You guys are pirates!”

The man, Oh, puts his arm around the terrified Sokka’s shoulders. “We prefer to think of ourselves as "high risk traders.”

Katara holds the two remaining copper pieces in her hand next to Aang, as the Captain leans up against the other side of the counter they are standing at.

“So, how much for the, uh, traded scroll?”

“I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom.” His voice lowers a notch. “Unless of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on you right now.”

Aang turns around and whispers to Katara. “I know how to deal with these guys, Katara. Pirates love to haggle.” Katara drops the coins in Aang’s hand. “Watch and learn.” He turns back to the counter, leaning against it and talks in, what appears to be, a pirate voice. “Let's say to the price of, one copper piece!” He smiles broadly as he dramatically presents the single coin.

The Pirate Captain stares for a second, before bursting out into laughter. “The price is two hundred gold pieces. I don't haggle on items this rare.”

Aang keeps smiling and talking in the same voice. “Okay, two copper pieces!”

The Pirate Captain’s smile drops as he stops laughing. “It's not as amusing the second time, boy!”

Katara nudges Aang as she whispers to him. “Aang, can we get out of here? I feel like we're getting weird looks.”

Aang looks back up at the man. “Aye, we be casting off now!”

.

Outside, Y/N, Katara, Aang and Sokka all walk off the boat and back onto the street.

Aang glances back at the boat as they continue on. “What was that all about, Katara?”

Sokka huffs. “Yeah, I was just starting to browse through their boomerang collection.”

Katara holds her arms around herself. “I'll just feel a lot better once we get away from here.”

Y/N thinks back to the man who’d approached her, shuddering. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Suddenly, a voice shouts at them from behind. “Hey you! Get back here!”

Aang calmly turns around. “Well, well. Look who's come to their senses. Told you the haggling would pay off.”

A big group of armed pirates jump out of the boat, running at them as they swing their weapons angrily.

Katara looks at them with wide eyes as she turns to the group. “I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us.”

They all turn around and start to run, the pirates following behind closely. As they make their way down a street, the group of pirates split up and run down different streets.

Oh yells to the pirates. “This way. Let’s cut ‘em off!”

As they turn a corner, Sokka’s feet skid when he stops up abruptly, a Pirate standing in their way. As they turn away, Katara bends water out of a nearby barrel, freezing it on the ground as the Pirate runs at them. He slips on the ice and falls on his back.

More pirates turn up as they run away, going past a cabbage merchant tending to his cabbage cart. Aang sends a blast of wind at the cart, throwing it at the group of pirates pursuing them.

The Cabbage merchant throws his hands up in anger as he yells. “My cabbages! This place is worse than Omashu!”

The second group of pirates who had split from the main one earlier jump out from a corner, their faces hardening as they spot the group. “I hope that lemur of yours has nine lives!”

As they run past another corner and straight into a dead end, Oh and the other pirates draw their swords once again.
“Now, who gets to taste the steel of my blade first?”

“No thanks.” Aang spins around to hurl a blast of air at the pirates that blows them backwards. He starts running towards them, grabbing his glider and throwing it open.

“Grab on tight!”

“Aang! I thought we were running away from the pirates!” Katara screams out as she jumps onto Aang’s glider with Sokka and Y/N.

“Just hang on!” The glider wobbles a bit at the unbalanced weight, but they manage to fly past the pirates.

Y/N’s hair whips in her face as she turns to look at the pirates, their fists raised angrily in the air. She laughs and grips Aang’s glider tighter as they fly further and further away from the group of angry men.

.

Aang puts his glider away as the group gather their bearings at a river shore.

“I used to kind of look up to pirates, but those guys are terrible.”

Katara smiles mischievously. “I know. That's why I took this.” She brings her hand out from behind her back, proudly presenting the waterbending scroll.

Aang’s eyes widen in shock. “No way!”

She grins even wider. “Isn’t it great?”

Sokka’s jaw drops. “No wonder they were trying to hack us up! You stole their waterbending scroll!”

Y/N laughs in shock as she looks at her innocent seeming friend. “Way to go, Katara.” The two girls grin at each other as Y/N reaches her palm out for a high five.

Katara turns to her brother, whose face remains constipated. “Anyways, I prefer to think of it as high risk trading.”
Aang laughs. “Good one, Katara.”

Sokka crosses his arms as he glares at Aang.

Katara scowls. “Sokka, where do you think they got it? They stole it from a waterbender!”

“It doesn't matter. You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes.”

“These are real waterbending forms. You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending!”

“Whatever.” Sokka huffs as he turns around, walking away.

Aang clears his throat. “Well, what's done is done. We have it, we might as well learn from it.”

.

Zuko and Iroh look around as they stand in the market place.

Iroh turns to his nephew. “I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace.”

The frown on Zuko’s face deepens. “It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!”

“Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for” a crew member of their ship walks past, his arms overflowing with Iroh’s purchases. “is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!” Another crew member walks past, carrying a tsungi horn.

Zuko’s expression changes into one of astonishment. “You bought a tsungi horn?”

“For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds.” He points to the pirate ship, carrying the exotic curios. “Oh, this place looks promising!”

Iroh walks over to look at a monkey statue. “Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?”

Behind them, Oh is standing with the Pirate Captain, their conversation tense. “We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with.”

Zuko’s eyes widen as he turns around. “This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?”

.

Katara’s eyes shift up and down the scroll as she takes in the diagrams. “I just want to try this one move first and then it's all yours.” She hands the scroll to Aang. “Here, hold it open for me. The single water whip. Looks doable.”

She tries copying the move, but ends up whipping herself in the forehead. “Ow!”

Sokka bursts out laughing as he sits on a log. Katara’s head whips around as she glares at her brother.

“What’s so funny?”

“I'm sorry, but you deserved that.” He turns to Aang. “You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself.”

Katara angrily huffs. “Aang will get his turn once I figure out the water whip.” Her hands raise to try the move again, but hits Momo who screeches in pain. “Ugh, why can't I get this stupid move?”

Aang tries to comfort her. “You'll get it.” He gets a glare in response from the blue eyed girl. “You just gotta shift your weight through the stances.”

Aang tries the move, doing it perfectly. “There, see, the key to bending is—“

Katara interrupts him, yelling as her frustration boils over. “Will you please shut your air hole? Believe it or not your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!” Her gaze turns to Sokka who’s glaring at her, and Y/N whose brows are furrowed in disappointment. “What?”

Katara turns back to Aang, the angry expression on her face melting away as she looks at the boy, tears welling up in his eyes. “Oh my god, Aang, I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me. But you know what, it won't happen again.” She shoves the scroll away from her and into his hands. “Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore.”

Aang wipes his tears. “It’s okay, Katara.”

Sokka pipes up. “What about Momo? He’s the real victim here.”

Katara bends down to pet Momo as he rubs his tail. “I’m sorry, Momo.”

“And what about me? There was that time you—“

“No more apologies!”

.

Zuko’s ship and a smaller boat sail down a river, following along the shore.

The Pirate Captain turns to Zuko. “Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?”

“We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?”

The Pirate Captain nods. “Mmhm.”

Zuko turns his eyes back to the river. “Then they'll be on the water.”

.

A campire sits in the middle of the group’s campsite, their bedrolls scattered around it. The wood has turned black, and the flame is getting smaller and smaller, releasing embers into the air. Katara carefully lifts her blanket, getting up to take the scroll from one of the bags. She turns around to sneak away from the camp, when she comes face to face with Momo, who starts chittering.

She whispers harshly as she tries to quieten the lemur. “Shhh, Momo! Go back to sleep. Shh!”

Y/N stirs in her bedroll, rolling around as her eyes peek open the slightest bit. Her hoarse voice calls out to Katara as she gets up on an elbow and rubs her eye.

“Katara, what are you doing?”

Katara freezes as she turns away from Momo. “Nothing. I was just-“ She laughs nervously. “Haha, I was just thirsty, so I wanted to go get some water from the river.” She shoots the older girl a wide smile.

Y/N’s gaze falls onto the scroll she’s carrying, one eye squinted shut. “Were you going to take the waterbending scroll with you as a straw?

Katara’s smile drops as guilt fills her face. “No. I was going to go practice the moves.” Y/N looks at the sullen look on her friend’s face and sighs. She starts to get up, yawning as she walks towards the river.

Katara’s eyes widen in shock as she looks at her. “What are you doing?”

Y/N keeps going as she calls over her shoulder. “You said you wanted to practice the moves, right? Well, come on then.”

Katara’s guilty frown brightens into a smile as she jumps up and runs after her friend.

.

Katara groans as she fails at doing the water whip once again. “Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shoot! Come on water, work with me here! Okay, what if I just,” She tries again, hitting herself this time. “ow! Stupid scroll!”

Y/N unfolds her arms as she approaches the girl. “Katara, you’re not going to get it if you get frustrated. Look at the scroll again, take a deep breath and focus. Try again.”

Katara breathes in as she raises her arms again. She looks back at the older girl, Y/N’s encouraging nod spurring her into action again.

Behind a tree, a Pirate Captain and a Fire Nation prince stare at the water tribe girls with angry glares.

“Okay, Katara, shift your weight through the stances.” The girl mutters to herself as Y/N leans against a tree.

Katara drops the water again, but gasps as she turns towards a noise in the distance. She moves towards the bushes as Y/N pushes off the tree, worry making its way to her features.

“Katara, what is it?” Y/N hears a branch snap behind her, and as she turns around, she hears Katara yell out.

“No! Let go of me!”

Y/N only manages to turn her head in Katara’s direction before her wrists are grabbed and held to her chest as Prince Zuko brings her closer.

His mismatched glare shifts between her frightened brown eyes as she stares up at him.

“I’ll save you from the pirates.”

.

Y/N shifts as her hands are bound behind her, Katara beside her in the same predicament. Zuko stands in front of them.

“Tell me where he is and I won’t hurt you two or your brother.”

Katara angrily yells out. “Go jump in the river!”

“Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor.” Katara jerks her head away from Zuko as he kneels in front of them. His eyes glance towards Y/N briefly before he returns his gaze to Katara. “Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost.”

He brings his hand up to hold up a blue water tribe necklace. Y/N’s eyes widen at the sight, and beside her Katara gasps.

“My mother's necklace! How did you get that?”

“I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is.” He points his finger in her face.

Katara only snaps at him. “No!”

The Pirate Captain stands behind Zuko as he butts in. “Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!”

Zuko frowns angrily as he turns away from the girls. “I wonder how much this is worth.” He brings out the scroll from behind him, holding it out in front of him as he lights a flame underneath it, and all the pirates gasp.

“A lot, apparently.” His hard gaze roves over the group of pirates. “Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!”

The Pirate Captain sighs angrily as he relents. “Fine.”

.

Sokka’s eyes slowly blink open as he awakens. He looks around, noticing the two empty bedrolls. “Huh? Where did they go?” He gets up to look through one of the bags. “I don’t believe it.”

Aang yawns as he rolls over in his bedroll. “What’s wrong?”

“She took the scroll! She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep-“ He yells in surprise before he can finish his sentence, a pirate springing forward and wrapping a rope around his arm to drag him along. Sokka rolls away and charges at the pirate while another pirate throws a net over Aang, dragging him away.

The pirate yells to his fellows. “I got him, come on!”

Sokka looks offended as he stops. “Oh, what? I'm not good enough to kidnap? Ah!” A pirate shoots another net at Sokka and drags him away too.

.

A pirate tugs on the rope binding Aang, making the boy yelp. Sokka stands beside him as Zuko turns to the pirates.

“Nice work.”

Katara speaks up from beside Y/N. “Aang, this is all my fault.”

“No, Katara, it isn’t.”

Iroh interrupts Aang. “Yeah, it kind of is.” Katara shoots a glare at the man.

Zuko turns to the Pirate Captain. “Give me the boy.”

“You give us the scroll.”

Sokka opens his big mouth. “You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?”

Zuko whips around as he glares at Sokka. “Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other!”

The Pirate Captain looks at Aang in surprise. “Your friend is the Avatar?”

“Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll.”

Zuko shouts angrily. “Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!”

Aang shifts on his feet anxiously the more Sokka talks. “Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth.”

Sokka keeps going. “I'm just sayin' it's bad business sense. Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life.”

The Pirate Captain steels his expression as he turns to Zuko. “Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid.”

Zuko grunts angrily. “You'll regret breaking a deal with me.” He and two of his soldiers send a blast of fire at the pirates. They all turn around as they run in to fight, Oh throwing smoke bombs and jumping into the cloud.

Momo chitters as he runs down the tree Katara and Y/N are chained to. Y/N smiles as she feels the lemur muss up her hair as he jumps down on her shoulder.

“Oh, I missed you soooo much, Momo.” The lemur chitters happily as the girl presses a kiss to his head. Momo runs down behind them, freeing them from the binds. Katara rubs her wrists as she turns to Momo.

“Thanks, Momo. I owe you a bushel of apples.” She runs to join the fight, the cover of the smoke bombs making it hard to make out friend from foe.

Y/N runs over to the still bound Sokka, trying to untie the knots around his hands. The spot beside him is empty, Aang having slipped out when the fighting began. Sokka strains to look at the girl behind him impatiently.
“Come on, Y/N! We need to get out of here.”

Y/N’s eyes snap up to glare at Sokka. “Can’t you see I’m trying!”

Just as Sokka goes to open his mouth again, the sound of a knife flying through the air stops him, eyes slowly rolling to the side to look at the knife that had just barely missed his head. Y/N hops up, grinning as she yanks the knife out of the tree.

“This is perfect.”

As soon as the girl has sawed her way through the thicks ropes around Sokka’s hands, he rubs his wrists and looks around for their airbender friend.

“Aang, are you there?”

His voice carries through the sound of fighting and swords clanking coming from within the big smoke cloud. “I’m over here! Follow my voice!”

“Where? We can’t find you!”

“I’m right here!” Aang airbends the smoke away, revealing all the fighting pirates and Fire Nation soldiers around him, and immediately bends it back to cover him. “Uh, never mind! I'll find you guys!”

Y/N grabs Sokka by the arm, dragging him down with her as they enter the cloud on their hands and knees to get across to the other side. They reach the riverbank where Katara is trying to push the pirates’ boat back into the water, just as Aang vaults out of the fight and past the pair.

Aang smiles as he sees her. “Katara, you’re okay!”

“Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get outta here.” They all run over to the girl, pushing at the boat with all their might, but it doesn’t move.

Sokka grunts as he stops pushing at the boat. “We'd need a team of rhinos to budge this ship.”

Aang smiles smugly. “A team of rhinos, or two waterbenders.”

Aang and Katara work together, pushing and pulling the water from the river until it reaches the boat. Katara stops waterbending and turns to the group.
“Everybody in!”

.

Iroh grabs Zuko’s wrist just as he’s about to send a blast of fire at the Pirate Captain, his nephew and the pirate turning to look at him incredulously.

“Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?”

Zuko scowls. “We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!”

“It’s no proverb!” Iroh raises a finger to point at the departing ship, the avatar and his friends hurrying away.

The Pirate Captain’s eyes widen. “Bleeding hog monkeys!”

Prince Zuko lets out a laugh at the sight, pointing a finger at the man. As his gaze turns to his own ship floating along behind it, his laughter dissipates when he sees the pirates hijacking it. They taunt him as they sail past.

“Hey! That’s my boat!” Zuko runs after them.

Iroh ponders with a hand stroking his beard. “Maybe it should be a proverb…”

“Come on, Uncle!” Iroh stops his pondering and follows after his nephew.

Aang anxiously looks back at the boat following them closely. “Sokka, can't you make it go any faster?”

“I don't know how. This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe!” Sokka keeps a tight grip on the wheel when the pirates jump the ship. Aang yelps as he hurries to summon a wave that sweeps them back off.

One pirate remains standing, growling as he advances closer to Katara, who raises her hands and throws the last overboard with a perfect water whip.

“Hey, you did the water whip!” Aang smiles at Katara.

She turns around to face the airbender as the pirate flails his arms in the water below. “I couldn't have done it without your help.”

Behind the pair Sokka and Y/N struggle against two pirates. Sokka groans as he tries to free his arms. “Would you two quit congratulating each other and help us out?”

Aang smiles sheepishly as he turns to help the pair, but is stopped as another pirate jumps on the boat and brandishes his weapon at Aang.

Y/N huffs in anger as the pirate behind her grips her arms tighter. She slams her elbow into his gut, making his grip slacken as he clutches his stomach. She quickly turns around, pushing him by the shoulders off the side of the ship.

The pirate holding Sokka throws him to the ground. Aang jumps down to land behind him and hits him into the water with a blast of air.

Katara yells out as she points at a huge waterfall, the ship heading directly for it. “Aang, look!”

“Oh no…” Aang turns, blowing his bison whistle as Sokka gets up.
“Have you lost your mind? This is no time for flute practice!”

Y/N stares in horror as the waterfall comes closer.

Katara turns to Aang. “We can stop the ship! Aang, together, push and pull the water!” They raise their arms to create a small whirlpool that slows the ship. “It's working, it's slowing down! We're doing it!”

“But we have another problem.” Sokka grips the railing as he looks at Zuko’s ship catching up to them. The prince’s ship rams into their ship as Katara, Aang, Y/N and Sokka are forced to jump as the ship sails over the falls. “Jump!”

Y/N clenches her eyes shut as she screams.

A deep groan sounds as Appa flies towards them. They all land safely on his back, and Y/N opens her tightly shut eyes to look around at the familiar saddle, exhaling in relief with a hand on her chest.

Aang holds up the whistle proudly. “I knew a bison whistle would come in handy! Thanks Appa.”

Sokka pats Appa’s fur. “Yeah, we owe you one.”

Appa roars in appreciation as he flies off.

Zuko runs to the cliff just as his ship goes over the falls. “My ship!”

Iroh comes up behind him with a chuckle. “Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!”

Zuko turns around slowly, steam pouring out of his ears as he snatches the lotus tile from Iroh’s hand, throwing it down the waterfall.

.

Appa flies steadily through the clouds, the group settled in the saddle. Katara rubs her arm as she turns to Aang.

“Aang, I still owe you an apology. You were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger, I'm sorry.”

“That’s okay, Katara.”

“Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway?”

“Is that really how you feel?” Sokka holds up the scroll as Katara’s eyes widen in excitement.

“The scroll!” Her hands dart out to grab it from his hand, but he moves it out of her reach before she can.

“First, what did you learn?”

“Stealing is wrong.” She grins as she quickly snatches the scroll. “Unless it’s from pirates.” Y/N’s eyes crinkle as she smiles fondly, Aang laughing beside her.

“Good one, Katara!”

Chapter Text

Momo chitters as he chases a bug through the trees, jumping through a bush with his hands held out in front of him. As he lands, he slams his hands down on the ground, opening them to reveal empty palms. The lemur chitters sadly, before his attention is caught by a pile of neatly stacked pile of lychee nuts further ahead.

He jumps up and runs for the pile, when ropes spring out from beneath the leaves on the forest floor, catching him inside a cage and pulling him into the air.

.

“Where’s Momo?” Aang stands with his hands on his hips as Katara, Sokka and Y/N sit on the ground, their camp set up in the middle of the forest. The sound of Momo screeching carries through the air as they all look around in surprise.

Aang quickly sets off into the forest as he follows the sound, the trio left at the campsite all left to glance at each other worriedly.

Aang stops short as he looks around the forest floor, before his eyes move to glance up at three cages in the air, all hanging by rope secured to the tree branches. His eyes widen as he spots Momo, who is screeching and poking his arms through the bars to reach for Aang.

Aang scowls a bit at the sight of his companion caught in the cage. “Hang on, Momo!”

The leaves on the bushes around him rustle as he uses his airbending to fly to the top of the tree, jumping from trunk to trunk to get high enough. He jumps onto the branch holding Momo’s cage, scrambling to undo the rope and reaching over to safely cradle the cage in his arms. Beneath the pair, Katara, Sokka and Y/N at last catch up to the airbender, looking up through squinted eyes at the trapped animals.

Aang waves and carefully hops down from the tree, lowering Momo’s cage as soon as he touches the ground again.

Sokka quickly moves to help Aang open the cage, and as soon as the bars swing open, Momo runs out with a lychee nut nestled in his cheek. He gets on his hind legs and munches away as if nothing happened, making Sokka facepalm and groan in frustration at the sight.

The sound of the two remaining animals crying out for help snaps Aang out of his relieved reverie, and his eyes move from Momo back up to the trees.

“All right, you too.” He jumps up as he climbs up the tree again.

Sokka frowns at the sight of Aang hopping from branch to branch. “This is gonna take forever.” He pulls his boomerang out from his back and throws it, his weapon flying in an arc and cutting the animals free in one swoop.

Aang looks down with an outstretched hand as the traps fall to the forest floor. “That works.”

He shrugs and makes his way down, the now freed hog monkeys running out of sight as he lands. Sokka kneels down with furrowed brows to examine the traps.

He runs a finger over the metal as he recalls the traps he’d seen at the outskirts of their village. “These are Fire Nation traps. You can tell from the metalwork. We'd better pack up camp and get moving.”

Y/N looks down at the now empty traps, frowning at the countless locks and tight space.

.

Their camping spot gets emptier and emptier as the group gather all their things, Y/N, Aang and Katara beginning to pack them onto Appa’s saddle. Y/N is dragging a particularly heavy bag against the ground, huffing as she reaches down and prepares to heave it up.

Sokka stops her with a hand thrown out in front of Appa. “Uh-uh! No flying this time.”

The bag thumps against the ground as Y/N drops it, her arms slightly shaky from the effort. Beside her Aang tilts his head, confused. “What? Why wouldn’t we fly?”

Sokka moves forward and takes the sleeping bag Aang is carrying out of his hands. “Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable.”

Katara, who’d been busy securing the strings around her bedroll looks up. “What? Appa's not too noticeable!”

Sokka shoots her a pointed look as he throws up a finger at Appa. “He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head! It's kinda hard to miss him!”

Appa only yawns lazily as Aang makes his way to sit comfortably on the bison’s head. “Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow.”

Sokka rolls his eyes as he turns to Katara and Y/N, who stand next to each other. “I know you all wanna fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk.”

Katara barks out a laugh as she leans forward. “Who made you the boss?”

Sokka points a thumb at his chest. “I'm not the boss, I'm the leader.”

The arrogant look that graces his face makes Katara gape incredulously. “You're the leader? But your voice still cracks!”

His voice decides to crack right as he speaks again. “I’m the most responsible, and I’m a warrior! So,” he coughs and his voice gets a little deeper after. “I’m the leader!”

Katara’s arms cross. “If anyone's the leader, it's Aang. I mean, he is the Avatar.”

“Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid!”

Aang pipes up as he hangs upside down from Appa’s horn, swinging back and forth slightly. “He’s right.”

Y/N puts a hand on her hip and shoots him a look. “Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you had kissed a girl.”

Sokka’s ears turn red at her words, pointedly looking away. “I've kissed a girl, you just haven't met her.”

Y/N smiles, a teasing glint in her eye. “Who? Gran-Gran? I've met Gran-Gran.”

“No!” He throws his arms into the air. “Besides Gran-Gran. Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts.”

Katara gives up and just sarcastically agrees. “Okay, we'll try it your way, oh wise leader.” She turns to walk over to Y/N, who has grabbed a handle of a bag, hoisting it up onto her shoulder.

A low sound of the girls giggling amongst themselves can be heard as Aang hops down from Appa, making his way over to Sokka. “Who knows? Walking might be fun.”

.

“Walking stinks! How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?”

Katara rolls her eyes as she takes a big step to avoid a rock. “Well I don't know, Aang. Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything.”

Sokka turns back to shoot a glare at his sister. “Ha ha, very funny.”

Y/N pushes a strand of her out of her face as she huffs. “My back hurts.”

Aang sends her a sympathetic look as he hefts his own bag up his shoulder a bit. “I'm tired of carrying this pack.”

Katara makes her way up beside him. “You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? Sokka's instincts.”

“That's a great idea. Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind-“

Sokka’s groan interrupts him, getting more annoyed by the second. “Okay, okay, I get it! Look, guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from the Fire-” He freezes as he steps through a bush and sees a Fire Nation campsite, bristling with soldiers. “…Nation.”

Y/N waves a hand in front of her face annoyedly, shooing away a bug as she walks up and stops next to Sokka, brows furrowed in confusion. She brings her hand up to part the bush further, hand stopping in its tracks at the sight in front of them.

Most of the soldiers are seated or crouched near the fire in the middle of the camp with bowls in hand, or dawdling about in and out the tents. She locks eyes, or rather eye, with one of them, a patch covering his left. The remaining eye he has narrows as all the surrounding soldiers spring up from their seats, hands flying to their sides as they draw their weapons. Her lips only manage to part for a second before Sokka’s voice breaks the tense silence.

“Run!” Sokka grabs the girl’s arm and turns around, only to be faced with roaring fire, the bushes all set ablaze around them. “We’re cut off!”

“Sokka, your shirt!” Aang yells as Sokka tries to put the fire out, patting his body frantically.

Katara pulls out her water skin resting on her hip and with one swoop puts out the small flame on Sokka’s shirt. Smoke rises from the small spot as he looks down in relief, before Sokka squares his shoulders and faces the soldiers head on.

“If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you.”

Katara whispers to her brother. “What are you doing?”

He whispers back out the side of his mouth. “Bluffing.”

The soldier huffs out a laugh. “You, promise not to hurt us?” Y/N clenches her hand as she prepares for conflict, the soldiers all holding up their weapons with tensed fists, but it never comes.

For the soldier drops to the ground suddenly, making Aang turn to Sokka, amaze shining in his grey eyes. “Nice work, Sokka! How'd you do that?”

He shrugs in response, evidently confused as he looks over at the keeled over soldier. “Uh, instinct?”

The sound of Katara’s gasp breaks the group out of their stupor as she points up at a tree further down the camp. “Look!”

Up in one of the tall trees a figure fires a blowdart through a bamboo pipe and reaches behind to unsheathe two hooked swords from his back. He jumps down, landing on two soldiers and effectively knocking them out. He runs forward and takes down two more soldiers that had been running towards him with his swords.

“Down you go.”

Katara’s eyes flicker back and forth quickly as she takes in the scene, her lips parting in amazement.

Another soldier charges at the man, but he only evades, striking the man in back and sending him falling face first to the ground.

Another soldiers yells out to his comrades. “They’re in the trees!”

A new figure, a young boy, lands on top of the soldier and turns his helmet around to blind him, riding him around as the boy laughs gleefully. Another taller boy wearing a straw hat and brandishing a bow launches arrows at the soldiers while more people continue to drop down from the trees. Katara and Aang charge into the fight, using their bending to take down the Fire Nation soldiers. A soldier comes charging at Y/N as she evades his blow, dropping down to grab a large log from the forest floor before swinging the log at the man and knocking him unconscious.

Behind her Sokka holds up his boomerang and yells out a battlecry as one approaches him, but stops short when the boy with the hooked swords runs forward to take him down first.

“Hey, he was mine!”

The guy barely spares Sokka a glance. “Gotta be quicker next time.”

Sokka frowns, while a bigger boy falls out of a tree and takes out two soldiers as he lands on them. The boy with the hooked swords takes out another one, ducking down as the soldier swings his spear at him, causing the soldier to hit one of his own. The soldier who is knocked down by the spear also happened to be charging at Sokka, whose frown turns even more angry.

“Man!”

Y/N throws the log aside, running up to Katara to look her over. “You okay?”

Katara nods at her. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Behind them, the guy disarms another soldier, his swords coming up to block a blow and wrenching the spear out of the soldier’s hand. His head turns to the girls’ direction, running over to stand in front of them. His eyes look over Katara, before his gaze turns to Y/N.

“Hey.” Y/N’s eyebrows furrow slightly as his eyes bore into her own.

Katara loops her arm through Y/N’s as she smiles and breathlessly replies to him. “Hi.”

Aang makes his way over to join them, looking around at the now empty camp. “You just took out a whole army almost single-handed.”

Sokka, who has now joined the group as well, scoffs dismissively. “Army?! Pfft! There were only like, twenty guys.”

The guy doesn’t react to Sokka's words. “My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak.”

Aang laughs as he looks at the shortest out of the group. “Ha ha! Pipsqueak, that's a funny name.”

The bigger boy, who’d landed on those two soldiers, steps in front of the short boy and looms over Aang. “You think my name is funny?”

Aang is taken aback for a second, before he replies in an upbeat tone. “It’s hilarious!”

Pipsqueak stays looming over Aang with a frown on his face, before he suddenly starts laughing. Aang and the Duke follow suit in hearty laughter, as Pipsqueak pats Aang on the back in a friendly manner. Though it was meant as a friendly tap, the force is hard enough to knock Aang flat on the ground.

The Duke stops laughing, glancing down at the airbender now laid facedown in the dirt. Aang raises his head and continues laughing, the Duke chuckling again.

.

The Freedom Fighters all make their way around the emptied camp, taking the food and raiding it for other supplies. Sokka looks around, frowning as Smellerbee picks up a crate of weapons.

Katara drops her hand from Y/N’s arm as she goes to depart, moving towards Jet who’s leaning up against a tree a little ways from the camp.

“Um, thanks for saving us, Jet. We're lucky you were there.”

Jet nods shortly as he holds his crossed arms. “I should be thanking you. We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in.”

Katara shoots a glance in Sokka’s direction. “We were relying on instincts.”

Jet stops leaning on the tree, pulling the piece of straw he’d been chewing on out of his mouth. “You'll get yourself killed doing that.”

The Duke and Pipsqueak look through some barrels, the former touching a jelly like substance and sniffing it. “Hey, Jet, these barrels are filled of blasting jelly.”

Jet walks over, nodding in satisfaction as Katara follows behind him. “That’s a great score.”

Pipsqueak holds up a wooden box happily. “And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!”

“Also good. Let’s not get those mixed up.”

The duke grabs the crate in his arms. “We'll take this stuff back to the hideout.”

Aang turns to Jet in surprise. “You guys have a hideout?”

Jet's hooded gaze turns to Aang. “You wanna see it?”

Katara pipes up excitedly. “Yes, we wanna see it!” Y/N glances uneasily at her friend at the overly eager answer.

Jet’s lips part into a smile as he keeps his gaze on Katara.

.

“We’re here.” Jet stops in the middle of the forest floor, the group having walked for a bit through the woods as they moved away from the Fire Nation camp. Sokka looks around and up at the trees.

“Where? There's nothing here.”

Jet’s hand reaches out to grab hold of a rope hanging to his left and holds it out to Sokka. “Hold this.”

Sokka’s fingers close around it, eyeing it skeptically. “Why? What’s this do?” He screams as he flies into the air, past the branches in the tree tops.

Jet chuckles as he holds out another one to Aang. “Aang?”

Aang shakes his head. “I’ll get up on my own.” He crouches down before he leaps up using his airbending, disappearing the same way Sokka went.

The turn comes to Y/N, who holds out her hand for a rope. She looks at Jet quizzically when he doesn’t move to hand her one.

“It might be a little scary, especially when you aren’t used to it. I’ll help you up.” He says it with an infuriatingly lazy grin on his face.

Y/N narrows her eyes, lips quirking in a slight smile. “I think I’ll manage.”

Jet only raises his brow playfully and throws his hands up, the grin never leaving his lips. “Alright, then.”

Y/N’s eyes wander as she looks for another rope, grabbing hold and quickly getting pulled into the air. Jet turns towards Katara and holds out a hand.

“Grab hold of me, Katara.”

.

Aang flies past Y/N on a zipline just as she lands on a wooden platform up in the trees, Katara and Jet following suit behind her. The girl has a slight blush to her cheeks as she steps away from the boy.

“Nice place you got!” Aang holds onto Momo as they glide past the pair.

Katara’s looks around with wide eyes. “It’s beautiful up here!”

Jet steps off the platform. “It's beautiful, and more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us.”

Smellerbee lands near the pair, emerging from a spot near the huts nestled in the branches. “They would love to find you. Wouldn't they, Jet?

Jet smirks. “It's not gonna happen, Smellerbee.”

He moves along as Katara, Y/N, the Freedom Fighters and Sokka follow him across a bridge, Aang zipping by again.

Katara turns to Jet. “Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?”

“I guess you could say I've been causing them a little trouble. See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back.”

Pipsqueak pipes in. “We've been ambushin' their troops, cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with 'em.” Sokka tries to move up next to the group, but can’t get past Pipsqueak’s large frame. Y/N glances back at him and turns her gaze to Pipsqueak, feeling comically small walking next to him.

Jet continues on, moving further inside the hideout as Katara stays at his side.
“One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town.”

Katara’s eyes grow even wider, if possible, the look on her face dreamy. “That’s so brave.”

Sokka finally manages to squeeze past Pipsqueak, moving up to march ahead. “Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house.”

Katara shoots a glare at Sokka before she turns back to Jet. “Don't pay any attention to my brother.”

Jet only shrugs. “No problem. He probably had a rough day.”

“So, you all live here?” Sokka sulks as Katara continues to ignore him, sinking behind the group once again.

“That's right. Longshot over there?” Jet points to Longshot and the Duke standing around in silence. “His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home.”

Katara’s voice grows quieter. “What about you?” The pair stop as the rest of the group pass another bridge.

Jet’s gaze turns down to look at the wood connecting the camp. “The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever.”

Katara eyes him sympathetically. “Sokka, Y/N and I lost our mothers to the Fire Nation.”

Jet’s gaze turns up to look at Katara softly. “I’m so sorry, Katara.”

.

The blue sky has dimmed a bit, the sun setting and making way for nightfall. The air is filled with the sound of birds cawing, and Appa’s drawn out roar. The hideout is lively, ropes with lanterns strewn about on branches, and in the middle a banquet table. The table is filled with the Freedom Fighters, Katara, Y/N, Aang and Sokka.

Jet hops up to stand on the table amidst the chatter. “Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine.” Loud cheers fill the air as Aang and Katara smile, Y/N absentmindedly looks around at the setting and Sokka scowls to himself. “I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face, when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey.”

The Duke climbs up on the table, parading around with his arms in the air. “Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees.” His hand raises a cup to his mouth as he prepares to take a swig. “Maybe they’re right.” Loud boos sound out. “Or maybe... they're dead wrong.” The boos change to loud cheers as Jet takes a swig, hopping down from the table to move back into his seat.

Katara turns to Jet. “Hey, Jet, nice speech.”

He looks over at her with a smile. “Thanks. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today.”

“Well, he's great. He's the Avatar.” A blush blooms on her cheeks. “I could use some more training.”

Jet’s eyes rove over Aang. “Avatar, huh? Very nice.”

Aang, who was in the middle of stuffing his face, stops eating and looks up at Jet from across the table with a smile. “Thanks, Jet.”

Jet turns his attention to all four, his gaze washing over each of them. Y/N averts her gaze when he reaches her, turning her head to look at the rest of the dinner party as she tucks her hair behind her ear. He smiles for a second, before his eyes return to Aang and Katara and his expression turns more serious.

“So I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle.”

Sokka butts in. “Unfortunately, we have to leave tonight.” He puts his hands on the table to lift himself up.

Jet stops him with a groan. “Sokka, you're kidding me! I needed you on an important mission tomorrow.”

Sokka freezes as he looks back up at Jet unsurely. “What mission?”

.

Sokka grips the tree unsurely, Jet standing beside him on the same branch. He cups his hands in front of his mouth and makes a birdcall that echoes throughout the forest. Several trees down from the pair Pipsqueak and Smellerbee come out from behind their cover, replying to Jet’s birdcall with one of their own.

Sokka stabs his jawbone knife into the trunk of the tree they are standing on, and Jet turns to him with a raised brow.

“What are you doing?”

Sokka puts his finger over his mouth. “Shh… It amplifies vibrations.”

Jet looks at him, impressed. “Good trick.”

Sokka puts his ear to the handle of his knife. “Nothing yet.” Sensing vibrations from below, he whispers to Jet. “Wait! Yes, someone's approaching.”

“How many?”

“I think there's just one.”

Jet’s hands raise to make another birdcall. “Good work, Sokka. Ready your weapon.”

Sokka grabs the handle of his knife and tugs it out of the tree trunk. His eyes fall to the forest floor, an elderly man limping along the path.

“Wait, false alarm... He's just an old man.”

Jet doesn’t seem to hear him, leaping down to the ground and landing in front of the traveler as Sokka’s eyes widen.

“What are you doing in our woods, you leech?”

The elderly man puts his hand on his chest in shock as the hand on his cane trembles. “Please sir, I'm just a traveler.”

Jet steps forward threateningly and with one swipe of his sword knocks the man’s cane away from him. The elderly man backs away in fear, trying to flee the way he came, but runs face first into Pipsqueak’s chest. The force of the impact sends him to the ground as Pipsqueak looms over him. He tries to crawl away on his knees, but Pipsqueak’s foot on his back pins him down.

Jet sneers down at the man and gets closer to his face. “Do you like destroying towns? Do you like destroying families? Do you?!”

The man’s eyes shut in fear. “Oh…Please, let me go... have mercy…”

“Does the Fire Nation let people go?! Does the Fire Nation have mercy?!” Jet’s leg raises as he prepares to kick the man, but his foot is snagged by Sokka’s club before it can land.

“Jet, he’s just an old man!”

“He's Fire Nation! Search him!” Pipsqueak reaches down to hold the man up, Smellerbee stepping up to search the terrified man.

Sokka steps closer as he holds his hand out. “But he's not hurting anyone!”

Jet rounds on Sokka angrily. “Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother? Remember why you fight!”

Smellerbee holds up the old man’s bag. “We’ve got his stuff, Jet.” The words signal for Pipsqueak to throw him back down on the ground.

Sokka looks down at the elderly man, face twisted in unease. “This doesn't feel right.”

“It's what has to be done. Now let's get outta here.”

Jet’s shoulder slams into Sokka’s own as he pushes past him, Pipsqueak and Smellerbee following behind. Sokka grimaces as he once again looks down at the elderly man, breathing heavily on his hands and knees.

Jet’s voice calls out to Sokka. “Come on, Sokka!”

Sokka tears his gaze away from the poor man, slowly turning around to catch up to the others.

.

Aang and Momo fly through the air, once again playing on the ziplines. He stops and leaps near Sokka, who sits with his back to a tree trunk, staring blankly at the ground.

“Sokka! Look what The Duke gave me!” Aang pulls out a bag, grabbing a small pellet from within and tosses it next to Momo with a grin. It explodes at the lemur’s feet, Momo puffing up like a startled cat. He hisses and lunges for the bag, tossing several pellets at Aang’s feet. Aang’s feet jump around as he tries to avoid the tiny explosions. “Ow! Quit it!”

Sokka’s eyes stay locked on the ground, even as Y/N walks up next to him and puts her hand on his shoulder.

“Sokka, you alright?” He shrugs in response, and Y/N’s mouth turns in worry.

“Hey, Sokka. Is Jet back?” Katara walks up to the pair.

“Yeah, he's back. But we're leaving.”

Aang turns to Sokka in surprise. “What?”

“But I made him this hat.” Katara pulls out a hat made out of stitched leaves with a flower on top.

“Your boyfriend Jet’s a thug.”

Katara doesn’t seem convinced, though. “What?! No he’s not!”

Sokka looks up at her, his eyes narrowed. “He’s messed up, Katara.”

Aang pipes in. “He's not messed up, he's just got a different way of life, a really fun way of life.”

Sokka stands up in anger. “He beat and robbed a harmless old man!” Y/N’s eyes widen in surprise at the words, before they narrow again. Shocker.

Katara crosses her arms as she glares doubtfully at her brother. “I wanna hear Jet's side of the story.”

.

“Sokka, you told them what happened, but you didn't mention that the guy was Fire Nation?”

Jet is sitting on a hammock, as Katara, Aang, Y/N and Sokka stand around a room in one of the huts. Sokka stands as far away from the Freedom Fighters’ leader as he can, while Aang dons the hat Katara made.

Katara faces Jet with an annoyed look on her face. “No, he conveniently left that part out.”

Sokka throws his hands up. “Fine! But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian!”

“He was an assassin, Sokka.” Jet pulls out a knife and throws it into a nearby stump. The knife is curved, four spikes evenly spaced along the grip, with a ring on the butt of the knife. “See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife.” He pulls on the ring and removes a small glass tube filled with red liquid. “He was sent to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Sokka.”

Katara sighs as she smiles in relief. “I knew there was an explanation.”

Sokka looks at the knife suspiciously. “I didn't see any knife!”

“That's because he was concealing it.” Sokka grimaces even harder at Jet’s words.

Katara turns to her brother. “See, Sokka? I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife.”

“There was no knife! I'm going back to the hut and packing my things.” Sokka stomps away. Y/N’s eyes follow after his departing frame, brows furrowed.

Jet turns to the trio left in the room. “Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help.”

Aang jumps up. “What can we do?”

“The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest. If you two use waterbending to fill the reservoir, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley.”

Aang and Katara turn to look at each other, Y/N shifting uneasily on her feet as she’s obviously counted out of the mission with her lack of waterbending.

.

Sokka angrily ties the knot on his bedroll as he packs their things in the hut. Katara, Y/N and Aang enter as Katara hurries over to her brother.

“We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!”

Sokka keeps his back to her as he continues packing. “I'm sorry, Katara. Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him.”

“You know what I think? You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader!”

He finally turns to face his sister. “Katara, I'm not jealous of Jet. It's just that my instinct-“

She interrupts him. “Well, my instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet. Come on, Aang, Y/N.”

Aang turns to Sokka quietly. “Sorry, Sokka.”

Katara turns to leave with Aang, but stops when the older girl doesn’t follow.

“Katara, I don’t know about this.” She looks at her friend unsurely. “Jet has been kind of…” She thinks back to all the weird looks and all the ways he’d managed to twist situations in his favor. “off.”

Katara frowns. “Off, how? All he’s done is prevent the Fire Nation from destroying more of this world. And given us a place to stay.” She glares at the girl as Y/N sighs.

“I’m just saying, maybe Sokka is right. Maybe there’s more to Jet than just the Freedom Fighter.”

“Well, if you think he’s so bad, you can just stay here with Sokka.” With that she turns around, leaving the hut with Aang.

The pair left behind stand in silence for a second, before Sokka goes up to Y/N, pulling her close to his chest with an arm.

“I’m scared he’s gonna make them do something they’ll regret.”

His chest moves against Y/N’s cheek as he takes a deep breath. “Me too.”

.

Snores fill the room as the group sleep, Y/N tossing and turning, not able to find ease. She groans as she sits up in her bedroll, looking around the room. Aang and Katara had returned after a while, now sound asleep. She huffs out a sigh and stands, careful not to wake Sokka who sleeps propped up against his packed bags.

She rubs her eyes, leaving the hut quietly to get some fresh air, when the sight of Jet and his followers standing around clad in black stops her in her tracks. Jet’s head snaps to the opening to the hut, surprised eyes locking onto Y/N.

Her eyes widen as she tries to hurry back inside, but Jet has already made his way to her, stopping her by grabbing her arm.

“Hey, wait up!” He whispers as she turns around to face him, brows furrowed.

“What do you want?”

Jet lets go of her arm, indents of his fingers slowly blooming on the skin. “I just want to talk. Do you have a second?” He gestures to a more secluded part, overlooking the rest of the forest, the moon shining bright in the sky.

Y/N chews on her bottom lip as she considers just turning around and making a run for it, but ultimately sighs.

“Sure.”

They make their way past a corner, facing each other, half of Jet’s face shadowed by the dark, the other half lit by the moonlight.

“I know you don’t like me.”

Y/N’s eyes snap up to look into his own as she deadpans. “What gave you that idea?”

He chuckles a bit as he looks down at the serene forest. “I know. We live in the trees, enact our own justice on the Fire Nation and don’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum but our own. It’s an unusual lifestyle.”

Y/N scoffs. “I don’t have anything against living on the outskirts of society, or your unusual lifestyle. I take issue with the way you do it.”

He shoots her a lazy look. “And what way is that?”

“I don’t know, maybe the way you made Sokka an accomplice in robbing an old man. Or maybe it’s the way you use Katara’s naive kindness for your own good.” She shoots him a sarcastic smile back.

Jet doesn’t return the smile as he stares into her eyes. “Hey, I’m not using Katara. She’s smart, she can see the meaning of all this. I thought you and Sokka would as well.” He takes a pause. “Considering what the Fire Nation put you through.”

The words make anger bloom in her chest. “Sokka’s mother and my mother both died in a raid. I, more than anyone, wanted revenge for what they did to us. But that doesn’t mean hurting innocent people in the process.” She crosses her arms and averts her gaze sharply.

It’s Jet’s turn to scoff now. “Those ‘innocent people’ aren’t any better. They’re all loyal to the regime. They would torch you where you stand, and they’re gonna do the same to this forest, if we don’t stop them.” He puts his hand on her arms as he turns her to face him fully. “I see potential in you. You could help us save this forest.”

Y/N looks down at his hands, frown still marring her features. “I’m not a bender, and I’m not a fighter. I can’t help you.” She says this more firmly, looking back into his eyes. “I won’t.”

Jet’s eyes harden as he sighs. “I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed. I suppose I’ll have to rely on Katara and Aang. They do get it, after all.”

Y/N’s nostrils flare a little as his lips twitch into the slightest smirk. “If you make them do anything they’ll regret, I swear, I will-“ Her words are cut off as Jet surges forward, pressing his lips to her own and pulling her closer by the arms.

Her eyes widen in shock before she rips her arms out of his grip, shoving him away by the shoulders and shooting him an incredulous look. He only laughs a little, swiping at his bottom lip.

Y/N tears away from him, hurrying away and back to the hut with her arms around her.

Jet returns to his fighters, eyes steeled in determination as he gestures down. “Let’s go.”

Sokka stirs, half asleep before he blinks the sleep out of his eyes and looks up as Y/N slips into the hut, eyes downcast. The sight jolts him all the way awake as he stands up and rushes over to her.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Sokka’s eyes scan over her body to check for any injures, any sign there’s something wrong.

Y/N’s shiny eyes catch his as her lips part.

“Jet is up to something.” Sokka’s face drops in realization as he turns his eyes to the flap covering the entrance into the hut. He hurries outside just in time to watch Jet and his fighters descending down the rope lines.

Y/N stands in the doorway, watching Sokka as he faces her.

“I want to go with you. Jet’s up to something, and it’s serious.”

Sokka sighs. “Y/N, you don’t know what he could be-“

“I don’t care, Sokka. What would I do if something happened to you, knowing I could have stopped it? You’re not going alone.”

Sokka sighs, tired of fighting the same fight. “Okay.”

The corners of Y/N’s mouth lift as she runs over to him, both of them grabbing a rope, stopping to stare at each other for a second. Sokka nods, and they descend down to a lower branch.

They watch from above as Jet’s Freedom Fighters quietly push a loaded wagon out of the camp. Sokka and Y/N jump down and follow after them, stopping in a dark valley. Upstream from it, a man-made dam stands, and further down a Fire Nation town.

Jet and his fighters emerge from the forest, the wagon trailing behind them as Y/N and Sokka watch them from the tree line. Jet stops at the edge of the dam, looking down below at the reservoir. He turns back to the wagon.

“Now listen, you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive.”

The Duke hops off the wagon. “But what about the people in the town? Won't they get wiped out, too?”

Jet reaches up to place a hand on The Duke’s shoulder. “Look, Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation.” Y/N’s lips part in horror as Sokka turns to her, whispering.

“This guy is nuts!”

Jet’s head turns to Longshot, who’s standing to the side silently. “Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?”

Y/N turns to Sokka. “He’s actually gonna kill all those people.”

“Not unless we stop him.” Sokka’s gaze moves from the girl beside him as he hears rustling. He’s dragged backwards before he can react, and Y/N’s shout is cut short by a large hand over her mouth.

Smellerbee puts a knife up to Sokka’s throat. “Where do you think you're going, ponytail?”

.

It’s the early morning, the sun starting to rise, and Jet stands near the edge of a cliff as Smellerbee and Pipsqueak drag Sokka and Y/N in front of them.

Jet looks at the pair with narrowed eyes. “Sokka, Y/N, I’m glad you decided to join us.”

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee shove Y/N and Sokka to their knees. Sokka reaches up to rub his shoulder as he glares up at Jet.

“We heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town.”

“Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation.”

Y/N frowns at him angrily. “There are people living there, Jet. Mothers and fathers and children.”

Jet chuckles dryly at her words. “We can't win without making some sacrifices. I thought I made that clear to you.”

Sokka points a finger at Jet angrily. “You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!”

“Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do.”

Sokka huffs. “I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want.”

Y/N shifts uneasily as she thinks back to her and Jet’s earlier encounter.

“I was hoping you'd have an open mind, but I can see you've made your choice.”

As Pipsqueak and Smellerbee go to grab the pair, Sokka throws a hand out, Jet catching it with his sword and pinning it behind his back. Smellerbee grabs Y/N’s arms and pins them behind her as she struggles.

“I can't let you warn Katara and Aang.” Jet releases Sokka’s hand as Pipsqueak grabs it, forcing it behind his back. “Take them for a walk, a long walk.”

Y/N yells in frustration as Smellerbee forces her up, Sokka fighting fruitlessly against the large Pipsqueak.
“You can't do this!”

“Cheer up, guys. We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today.”

.

Upstream from the dam, Katara, Aang and Jet walk along the riverside. Katara turns to Jet.

“Jet, I'm sorry about how Sokka's been acting.”

Jet smiles at her. “No worries, he already apologized.”

Aang’s eyes widen in surprise. “Really?” Both he and Katara stop to look at each other. “Sokka apologized?”

“Yeah, I was surprised too. I got the sense that maybe you talked to him or something.”

Katara nods, smile gracing her lips. “Yeah, I did.”

“I guess something you said got through to him. Anyhow, he and Y/N went out on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee.”

“I’m glad he cooled off. He’s so stubborn sometimes.”

They reach a different part of the river, Aang stopping to examine something in the ground. He screams as he’s launched into the air by a blast from the geyser he was standing on.

“All right, we're here. Underground water's trying to escape through these vents. I need you guys to help it along.” Katara looks uneasily at Jet.

“I've never used bending on water I can't see. I don't know…” He goes to stand behind her, reaching up and placing his hands on her shoulders. He leans close to her as he speaks.

“Katara. You can do this.”

Aang falls gently back down, using his airbending. “What about me?”

Jet turns to Aang. “I know the Avatar can do this.”

Katara and Aang stand near a geyser, hands raised as they prepare to bend the water up. A few minutes pass, and a stream of water flies up through the geyser. They pull it up to their height, sending it towards the river where it continues to flow like a waterfall.

“Yes! Good job! This river empties into the reservoir--a few more geysers and it'll be full.”

“Look, there's another steam vent.” Aang points towards the geyser. The pair walk over to continue the process.

“Okay. You two keep it up, I'll go check on things at the reservoir.” Jet turns to walk away.

Katara glances towards him. “When we're done, we'll meet you over there.”

Jet stops abruptly. “Actually... probably better if you meet me back at the hideout when you're done.”

Katara and Aang look confused for a second, before they nod, bending the next geyser to flow into the river.

.

Aang huffs as he stops bending the water in the geyser. “I bet that's enough, and I'm not just saying that to be lazy.” Around them, at least a dozen geysers flow into the river.

“Let's catch up with Jet at the reservoir.”

Aang tilts his head in confusion. “I thought we agreed to meet Jet back at the hideout.”

Katara shrugs. “Well, we finished early. I'm sure he'll be happy to see us.”

.

Smellerbee and Pipsqueak lead Y/N and Sokka down a path in the forest, their hands tied behind their backs. Smellerbee gives Sokka a shove as he stumbles.

“Come on, move along!”

Sokka turns his head to try and catch Smellerbee’s eyes. “How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?”

Pipsqueak nudges Y/N along. “Hey, listen, Sokka, Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says, and things always turn out okay.” As she looks around, she notices a couple of traps nearby, identical to the one that caught Momo. She coughs loudly a couple of times, clearing her throat exaggeratedly to catch Sokka’s attention. He turns to her slightly, confused.

Her eyes dart to the traps, and Sokka’s face blooms in understanding.

“If that's how Jet leads…” He nods to Y/N. “then he's got a lot to learn!” The pair bolt off as Smellerbee makes a grab for them, but misses.

“Hey!” They run after them as Y/N and Sokka leap over the piles of leaves. Pipsqueak and Smellerbee run straight through, shouting as they’re caught and shot into the air.

“While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work.” Sokka holds up his loosened bindings, Y/N laughing as they take off.

“Hey, Smellerbee. You gonna eat your lychee nuts?” Smellerbee throws a nut at his head.

“Ooh.” Pipsqueak picks it up and licks his lips.

.

Aang and Katara stands at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the dam as four of Jet’s fighters unload barrels from a wagon and arrange them in front of the dam.

Katara’s eyes squint in confusion as she looks down. “What are they doing?”

“Hey, those are the red barrels he got from the Fire Nation.”

Katara turns even more confused. “Why would they need blasting jelly?”

Aang’s mouth drops open in horror. “Because Jet's gonna blow up the dam.”

Katara’s head snaps over to look at Aang. “What? No, that would destroy the town. Jet wouldn't do that.”

Aang opens his glider. “I’ve gotta stop him.” He throws his glider, flying towards the edge of the cliff.

Katara’s voice quietens. “Jet wouldn’t do that.”

Before Aang can reach the edge, his glider is grabbed from behind. He’s left wobbling precariously on the edge, and uses a blast of air to send him back on stable footing.

“Yes, I would.”

Katara turns to Jet. “Jet, why?”

“Katara, you would too if you just stopped to think. Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother. We can't let them do that to anyone else ever again.”

“This isn't the answer!”

Jet’s hands raise in the air. “I want you to understand me, Katara. I thought your brother would understand, but-“

“Where’s Sokka?” Katara’s voice is shaky as she looks up at him. “Where’s Y/N?” Tears drop from her eyes.

Jet reaches his hand out to touch her face. “Katara.”

Her head lowers as he makes contact, and with an angry shout she sends Jet flying with water from her waterskin. She draws it back in, downcast.

Aang looks at Katara, then back at the edge of the cliff. “I need to get to the dam.”

He runs towards his discarded glider on the ground, reaching a hand out to grab it, when one of Jet’s swords hooks around it and pulls it towards himself. He’d somehow landed close to the pair, already thinking ahead.

“You're not going anywhere without your glider.” Jet swings at Aang as the airbender somersaults backwards to avoid the blades. He airbends into a tree as he looks down at Jet.

“I'm not gonna fight you, Jet!”

Jet throws his hands to the side as he taunts Aang. “You'll have to if you want your glider back.”

Jet hooks his swords into a branch beneath Aang and brings himself up. Aang runs back into the forest, Jet following suit behind him. Katara runs after, Jet attacking and Aang evading.

Jet kicks Aang into a trunk as he catches up to him, the airbender landing with a thud on the ground. Aang groans as he goes to get up, but is too slow as Jet advances on him.

Before he can reach Aang though, Katara slams a stream of water into Jet. She uses the water from the river to force him against a tree, sending multiple streams of water at him as he cuts through them with his swords. Katara is faster though, and manages to break through his swords and pin him to the tree, freezing the water from toe to neck.

“Why, Jet? I can't believe I trusted you. You lied to me, you're sick and I trusted you!” A birdcall echoes throughout the forest, and before Aang or Katara can stop him, Jet replies with his own. “What are you doing?”

Jet’s eyes are devoid of emotion as he looks at Katara. “You’re too late.”

Katara’s face drops in horror. “No!”

Aang hurries up, grabbing his glider and running to the edge of the cliff. As he comes closer to the edge, he opens his glider and tries to fly, but the wings are damaged to the point he can’t fly steadily. He slams back into the ground near the edge as Katara runs over to help him up.

Aang groans as he reaches a hand out towards the edge. “Sokka and Y/N are still out there, they’re our only chance.”

Katara chews on her bottom lip. “Come on, Sokka. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, please.”

Longshot stands on a branch, his bow pulled and back straight. The arrow on the string is ablaze as he takes aim and fires. It flies through the air in an arc to the base of the dam. Katara’s eyes widen in horror at the sight.

“No…”

The center of the dam explodes in a cloud of smoke, giving way to the water as it falls down, streaming violently through the town. The town is buried as a smiling doll in a purple dress floats through the streets.

Aang hangs his head. “Sokka and Y/N didn’t make it in time.”

“All those people…” She rounds on Jet, enraged. “Jet, you monster!”

Jet looks out over the edge, still trapped against the tree. “This was a victory, Katara. Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe.”

“It will be safe, without you.” A roar sounds as Appa rises from below the cliff, Sokka, Y/N and Momo in the saddle.

Katara’s eyes widen in joy at the sight. “Sokka!”

Sokka looks down at Jet with a smile. “We warned the villagers of your plan, just in time.”

Jet’s face turns in rage. “What?!”

“At first they didn't believe us. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed we were spies. But one man vouched for me, the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust us, and we got everyone out in time.”

On a bank opposite of the town, all the townsfolk stand around, safe. A little girl runs to the water’s edge and grabs her doll.

“Mrs. pretty!” She hugs the doll to her chest happily.

Jet’s angry gaze turns to Sokka and Y/N. “You fools! We could've freed this valley!”

Aang leaps up on Appa’s saddle as Sokka prepares to fly off, and Y/N looks down at Jet in disdain. “Who would be free? Everyone would be dead.”

Jet’s face contorts even harder with spite. “You traitors!”

Sokka speaks gently, a smidge of sympathy making its way to his voice. “No, Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people.”

Jet’s gaze turns to Katara now, desperation smeared on his face. “Katara. Please, help me.”

Y/N feels her stomach churn as he tries to mess with Katara’s head once again.

Katara closes her eyes and breathes in sadly. “Goodbye, Jet.” She jumps up into the saddle, and Sokka grips Appa’s reins.

“Yip yip.”

.

The sky is mostly cloudless, save a few wispy ones as Appa flies through them.

Aang turns to Y/N. “We thought you were going to the dam. How come you went to the town instead?”

Katara pipes up. “Let me guess, Sokka’s instincts told you.”

Y/N laughs, leaning back into the saddle. “I suppose so.”

Sokka shrugs his right shoulder as he sits on Appa’s head. “Hey, sometimes they’re right.”

“Um... Sokka? You know we're going the wrong way, right?” Sokka’s back straightens in surprise at Aang’s words.

“And sometimes they’re wrong.” He grins, pulling on Appa’s reins as they turn around, headed for the right direction.

Chapter Text

Aang shoots upright and gasps for air, startling Momo who gets up from his stomach to jump onto Katara’s, Y/N’s and Sokka’s. The latter shoots up sleepily, wielding his dagger and boomerang, looking around drowsily.

“What’s going on? Did we get captured again?”

Aang looks down at his bedroll, turning to his friends dejectedly. “It’s nothing. I just had a bad dream.” He curls up on his side, facing away from the trio. “Go back to sleep.”

Sokka lies back down, snuggling into his blanket. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

Y/N looks over at Aang’s turned back gingerly. “Are you okay, Aang?”

“I’m okay.” His troubled face doesn’t change as Katara looks down at him worriedly.

“You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately. You want to tell me about it?”

Aang closes his eyes briefly, breathing in quietly. “I think I just need some rest.”

Katara turns to look at Y/N, the two shooting each other worried glances.

Sokka sits up behind Y/N suddenly. “You guys want to hear about my dream?”

Katara and Y/N turn to shoot him a glare that makes him frown. “That’s okay. I didn’t want to talk about it anyway.”

Sokka lies back down, Katara and Y/N following suit after a second’s silent contemplation.

.

The waves wash over the sandy shore under the now blue sky. Katara carries one of their bags over to Appa, the bison yawning with Aang on his head.

Y/N secures the bags on the saddle with rope as Sokka walks past Katara, carrying another bag up onto the saddle.

“Look at those clear skies, buddy!” Aang pets Appa’s head, looking up to watch a flock of birds fly overhead in a V. “Should be some smooth flying.”

Katara looks into one of the bags, holding it upside down as crumbs sprinkle to the ground. Momo leaps forward to pick at the crumbs, putting them into his mouth.

She looks up from the bag at Aang. “Well, we better smoothly fly” She steps up Appa’s tail and onto the saddle. “ourselves to a market, 'cause we're out of food.”

Sokka straightens up suddenly, looking serious. “Guys, wait. This was in my dream.” Momo lands on the saddle behind him. “We shouldn't go to the market.”

Y/N turns to him curiously. “What happened in your dream?”

Sokka’s eyes bug out of his head, his face white like he’d seen a ghost. “Food eats people!”

Y/N’s curious expression drops as she rolls her eyes. Katara shakes her head and Aang goes back to readjusting Appa’s reins.

Sokka points at Momo accusingly. “Also, Momo could talk.” He glares and crosses his arms. “You said some very unkind things.”

Momo’s ears droop as he chitters sadly.

.

A flock of birds fly over the ocean, filling the air with honks as Prince Zuko’s ship sails in the water.

Zuko looks through a spyglass on the deck, Iroh standing in front of him, looking up at the sky. He sniffs the air, then turns to his nephew.

“There is a storm coming. A big one.”

Zuko lowers the spyglass. “You're out of your mind, Uncle.” He walks over to stand next to his uncle. “The weather's perfect. There's not a cloud in sight.”

The sky over them is clear, a stretch of light blue filling the horizon.

“A storm is approaching from the north.” Iroh turns to face his nephew. “I suggest we alter our course and head southwest.”

Zuko points north. “We know the Avatar is traveling northward, so we will do the same.”

“Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew.”

“The safety of the crew doesn't matter!” Zuko’s face twists angrily, and behind him Lieutenant Jee walks onto deck, hearing the prince’s words. As Zuko turns and sees the man, his expression briefly loses its anger.

Lieutenant Jee’s brow raises as Zuko approaches him, looking him right in the eye. “Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety.”

Prince Zuko continues to walk off, Jee glaring after him. He huffs angrily when the Prince has finally disappeared from view, Iroh coming over to stand next to him.

“He doesn't mean that. He's just all worked up.” Iroh tries to smile reassuringly, a twinge of uncertainty in his voice as he tries to convince himself of the same.

.

The group have made their way to a seaside hamlet built on the side of a cliff, the roofs of a collection of houses near the waterfront all teal-green. A row of warehouses adjoin the docks, as several ships line next to each other. Beside the ships lies Appa, floating around in the water by himself. Katara and Y/N stand in front of a small stand, doubtfully eyeing a watermelon.

The woman in front of them, a merchant, scowls as she gestures to the watermelon. “Ahhh, it's good. It's perfect, I'm telling you!”

Katara shakes the watermelon next to her ear, the watermelon making a loud sloshing sound. “I don't know if I like the sound of that swishing.”

The merchant woman moves around the stand to stand next to the girls, Sokka and Aang on the other side of them. “Swishing means it's ripe! It's the ripe juices swishing around, eh?”

Aang takes a step towards Katara and Y/N. “I think it's true, Katara. Swishing means it's ripe.”

Y/N shoots him a glance, grabbing the watermelon out of Katara’s hand and putting it back on the stand. “Actually, I just realized we’re out of money.”

The woman snatches a basket full of fruits out of Sokka’s hands annoyedly as Sokka frowns sadly. “Awww!”

As Sokka walks past the merchant to leave she kicks him in the rear, the boy yelping in pain.

They move to stand on the docks, Sokka rubbing his thumping rear. “Out of food and out of money. Now what are we supposed to do?”

Katara turns to her brother. “You could get a job, smart guy.”

Just as Katara says this, a fisherman and his wife walk behind the group, beginning a loud, heated conversation.

“We shouldn't go out there! Please, the fish can wait. There's going to be a terrible storm.” Aang’s eyes widen at the mention of the storm, his dream coming back to him.

The fisherman waves off his wife’s concerns. “You're crazy. It's a nice day.” He gestures up at the sky with both arms. “No clouds, no winds, no nothing. So quit your nagging, woman.”

Aang nervously turns to the trio. “Maybe we should find some shelter?”

Sokka scoffs. “Are you kidding? Shelter from what?”

The couple continue arguing, the wife getting more agitated. “My joints say there's going to be a storm! A bad one.”

“Well, it's your joints against my brain.”

“Then I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't comin’.”

“Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get!” Sokka runs up to the couple at the fisherman’s angry words. “How do you like that?”

Sokka interrupts their discussion, raising his hand. “I’ll go.”

The fisherman barely spares a glance at him. “You’re hired!” The man looks triumphantly at his wife, who scowls and glares daggers at her husband.

Sokka stops smiling as he feels the stares of three people behind him. He turns to Katara, Y/N and Aang with a shrug. “What? You said get a job... and he's paying double.”

The fisherman rounds on Sokka. “Double? Who told you that nonsense?”

.

Zuko’s ship rocks side to side as the waves grow wilder, a massive bank of darkening clouds looming in the horizon. Lieutenant Jee, Iroh and several other crew members stare up at the clouds. They turn to look at Zuko as he comes back up on deck.

Lieutenant Jee spits out his words through gritted teeth. “Looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all.”

Iroh stands between them as he smiles as pleasantly as possible. “Lucky guess.”

Zuko frowns as he whirls around and starts walking towards the Lieutenant. “Lieutenant! You'd better learn some respect” The prince jabs two fingers into Jee’s chest. “or I will teach it to you.”

Zuko turns away from the man, but Jee keeps his cold gaze on him as he walks away. “What do you know about respect?”

Iroh’s expression turns into one of panic as he makes a cutting motion at his throat, trying to signal him to stop. Zuko stops walking, listening to the Lieutenant’s words. “The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle, shows you know nothing about respect!” Iroh moves a hand up to his forehead in resignation as the man keeps going. “You don't care about anyone but yourself! Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?”

Zuko’s face contorts with rage as he rounds on Lieutenant Jee, his arm raised as he prepares to bend at the man. Lieutenant Jee’s hand follows suit, the two staring at each other tensely.

“Easy now.” Iroh grabs both of their arms, smoke rising from the furious prince’s hand. “Enough! We're all a bit tired from being at sea so long. I'm sure after a bowl of noodles, everyone will feel much better.”

Lieutenant Jee snatches his hand away, turning and walking away.

Zuko’s angered gaze turns to Iroh. “I don't need your help keeping order on my ship.”

Iroh puts a comforting hand on his nephew’s right shoulder, but Zuko shrugs it off and stalks away.

.

Sokka hefts up a heavy crate of supplies onto the fisherman’s boat as Y/N, Katara and Aang watch him with trepidation.

Aang shifts uneasily. “Sokka, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Look at the sky.”

Sokka keeps loading supplies onto the boat. “I said I was going to do this job. I can't back out just because of some bad weather.”

Y/N comes to stand behind Aang. “He’s right, Sokka. Who knows what could happen out there?”

The fisherman’s wife stands with crossed arms as she looks disdainfully at the boat. “The boy with the tattoos and your girlfriend have some sense. You should listen to them!”

Y/N’s mouth drops open as she goes to correct the woman. “I’m not his girlfrie-“

“Boy with tattoos?” The fisherman interrupts her, and Y/N scowls as her words go ignored. He turns around to look at Aang closer, eyes squinted. “Airbender tattoos. Well, I'll be a hog monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't ya?”

Katara perks up as she replies to the man. “That’s right.” Both her and Aang smile proudly.

“Well, don't be so smiley about it.” Katara and Aang’s smiles turn into frowns. “The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years! You turned your back on the world!”

Katara’s brows furrow in anger. “Don't yell at him! Aang would never turn his back on anyone.”

“Oh, he wouldn't, huh? Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering.” The fisherman laughs dryly as Aang’s eyes widen. Y/N turns to the boy, putting her hand on his shoulder, but he refuses to meet her worried eyes.

“Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him.” Aang slowly begins to back away as Y/N’s hand falls. “It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?” Katara turns around, only to see his retreating form. “Aang, what’s wrong?”

Horrified guilt spreads over his face, staring forward blankly. He suddenly opens his glider and vaults into the air, hurriedly flying away into the distance.

“That’s right! Keep flying!”

Y/N shoots the man a dirty glare as she turns around and runs over to get on Appa.

“You’re a horrible old man!” Katara says this and follows Y/N onto the bison, the younger girl grabbing Appa’s reins and urging him up. “Appa, yip yip!”

As Appa flies out of the water, his tail creates a big wave that splashes the fisherman. Sokka walks out from below deck on the boat and stares at the flying bison.

“Hey! They left without saying goodbye!”

“Your friends ain't too polite, are they?”

Sokka turns to the fisherman. “I know! This one time, I was-“

The fisherman pushes a crate to his chest. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Get below deck!”

.

The rain pelts against Appa’s fur as Katara and Y/N look around for any sight of Aang.

Y/N hugs her arms around herself as she shivers, soaked from head to toe. The rain has made her hair stick to her forehead, and as she raises a hand to wipe it away, she yells out to Katara who sits on Appa’s head.
“I can barely see anything, maybe we should find some shelter and wait out the rain!”

Katara shakes her head, the rain getting in her eyes and obscuring her view, but she remains steadfast. “He can’t be out here alone. Not after what that old fart said about him!”

Y/N sighs as she blinks the rain out of her eyes, continuing her search as she looks over the side of the saddle. Her eyes rove over the water beneath, and just as Katara is about to fly past, she sees a cave in the side of a cliff. She points as she turns to Katara.

“Katara! Look down there!”

The girl’s head turns to look down, tightening her grip on Appa’s reins and steering him to the cave.

As soon as Appa lands, Katara hops down and hurries over to the entrance of the cave. Y/N follows after the girl, met with the sight of Katara’s back, and further into the cave, a curled up figure.

Katara sighs in relief. “Aang.”

The water soaking through their clothes drips onto the stone floor, echoing throughout the dark cave as the girls approach him tentatively.

His quiet voice breaks the silence. “I’m sorry for running away.”

“It's okay. That fisherman was way out of line.” Katara makes her way closer to his sitting form.

“Actually, he wasn’t.”

Y/N speaks as softly as she can. “What do you mean?”

His brows furrow sadly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It has to do with your dream, doesn't it?” Katara puts her hand on his shoulder. “Talk to us.”

“Well, it's kind of a long story.”

Suddenly, Momo leaps past Y/N, startling the trio. Appa growls as he enters the cave, moving over to nudge Aang’s head with his nose. Aang smiles, patting Appa’s chin.

The corners of Y/N’s lips lift slightly at the sight. “I'm going to try to get a little fire going.”

.

The fire lights up the otherwise dark cave, the flames casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. Katara and Y/N shiver as they huddle close to the campfire. Y/N wrings the water out of her hair as Aang sits with Momo in his lap. He stares somberly at the flames.

“I’ll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar. I was playing with some other kids just outside the South Wall. I was trying to teach them how to do the air scooter.”

-

“First you got to form the ball, then you got to get on quick.” Aang bends the airball, hopping on and riding around the scooter.

One of the boys around him looks with awe at Aang. He stops staring and looks down at his feet. “Okay, here goes.”

He forms the airball and tries getting on, but ends up spinning and falling off. Aang gently stops his air scooter.

“You kind of have to balance on it like it's a top.”

The boy huffs. “Man, that’s hard.”

Another boy turns to Aang. “Where'd you learn that trick, Aang?”

Aang smiles. “I made it up.”

“Wow!”

As the boy says that, the Council of Elders show up. They all turn to Aang, mouths set sternly. “Aang, come with us. We need to speak with you.”

-

“How do you know it's me?” Aang stands in the middle of a meeting room, all the Elder monks lined up in front of him.

A monk named Tashi speaks. “We have known you were the Avatar for some time. Do you remember these?” Monk Tashi uses airbending to float a wrapped up mat over to Aang. It opens, revealing four toys.

“Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little!” Aang picks up a propellor toy excitedly.

“You chose them from among thousands of toys, Aang. The toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belonged to Avatars past. Your own past lives.”

Aang looks down at the toys. “I just chose them because they seemed fun.” He smiles, pulling the cord on the propellor toy and sending it spinning into the air. The toy spins over Monk Tashi’s head.

“You chose them because they were familiar.”

Gyatso pulls Aang’s attention back to the Elders. “Normally we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen, but there are troubling signs. Storm clouds are gathering.”

A third monk, named Pasang, sighs heavily. “I fear that war may be upon us, young Avatar.”

Gyatso looks at Aang. “We need you, Aang.”

The younger Aang’s head lowers, crushing responsibility washing over him.

-

Present Aang’s head lowers as well as he reminisces on that day. Katara looks at him, concern evident in her eyes, and beside her, Y/N looks into the roaring flames, the heat warming her face.

.

Lieutenant Jee scowls in anger as he puts down his teacup, sitting around a table with other crew members.

“I'm sick of taking his orders! I'm tired of chasing his Avatar! I mean, who does Zuko think he is?”

“Do you really want to know?” Iroh’s voice shocks Jee as he hurries to stand up.

“General Iroh. We were just-“

“It's okay. May I join you?” Iroh gestures at the table.

Lieutenant Jee nods quickly. “Of course, sir.”

Iroh takes a seat at the table, rubbing his beard. “Try to understand. My nephew is a complicated young man. He has been through much.”

-

A young zuko, clad in a red robe and both eyes unscarred walks up to tall red curtains, his hand reaching out to part them.

A guard moves in front of the curtain, stopping Zuko as he looks up incredulously. “Let me in!”

Iroh walks up to the young prince, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Prince Zuko, what’s wrong?”

“I want to go into the war chamber” His finger lifts to point at the man blocking his entrance. “but the guard won’t let me pass!”

Iroh leads Zuko away with one hand on his shoulder. “You're not missing anything, trust me. These meetings are dreadfully boring.”

“If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?”

Iroh sighs. “Very well. But you must promise not to speak.” An elder soldier passes by the pair, walking into the war chamber. “These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know?”

Zuko smiles, bowing to his uncle. “Thank you, Uncle.”

They make their way into the war chamber, taking their seats around the strategy table. A map spans the middle of the table, a high ranking soldier pointing at different points marked on the map. “The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here. A dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the forty-first division.”

An Elder General tilts his head curiously. “But the forty-first is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?”

The high ranking soldier glances over at the man quickly, before his gaze turns to the rest of the meeting. “I don't. They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?”

Zuko’s eyes widen as he puts his hands on the table and shoots up from his seat. “You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?”

All heads in the room turn to stare at Zuko in indignation.

-

“Zuko was right, you see,” Iroh rubs his beard again. “but it was not his place to speak out. And there were dire consequences.” He bows his head slightly.

.

Katara turns to Aang. “So you were upset that you were the Avatar? Why wouldn't you be excited about it?”

“Well, I didn't know how to feel about it. All I knew was that after I found out, everything began changing.”

-

Aang walks back to the South wall again, the other Air nomad kids riding around on air scooters.

Aang laughs excitedly at the sight. “Hey, not bad! You guys have been practicing!”

“Not only that! We made up a game you can play with the air scooters!”

“Great!” Aang summons his own, but the other kids make theirs vanish. “What’s going on?”

“Now that you're the Avatar, it's kind of an unfair advantage for whichever team you're on.”

Aang frowns. “But I'm still the same! Nothing's changed! So, what? I can't play?”

“That's the only fair way.”

Aang’s face falls. “Oh, okay.”

“Sorry, Aang.”

The Avatar leaves, and the Air Nomad boy turns to the others. “Okay. Now, who wants Jinju on their team?”

Jinju laughs to himself in a corner, a suspicious green gas around his body.

-

Aang and Gyatso sit around a Pai Sho table, the boy moving a piece as Gyatso tilts his head curiously.

“Very interesting move, young one.”

“What do you mean?”

Gyatso’s hand moves upwards underneath the table as he bends a burst of air, blowing Aang’s shirt over his head. He quickly moves two pieces around as Aang flips his shirt back down.

“Hey!”

They both laugh, and behind them Monk Tashi walks through the doorway.

“You're playing games with him? The Avatar should be training!”

Gyatso turns to the man. “Aang has already trained enough for today.”

“Time is short.” He turns to Aang. “Come with me. I must test you on some high level techniques.”

Gyatso interrupts the man. “No. As long as I'm his guardian, I will decide when he trains... and when he gets his butt kicked at Pai Sho.”

“Hmph.” Tashi crosses his arms as he walks away.

-

“After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him. He said the challenge against the general was an act of complete disrespect! And there was only one way to resolve this.”

Jee’s eyes widen at Iroh’s words. “Agni Kai. A fire duel.”

Iroh nods solemnly. “That's right. Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid. But Zuko misunderstood.” Iroh thinks back to his young nephew, back turned and readying himself to meet his opponent. “When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the general.” The robe covering his bare upper body fell. “Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected.” The young boy turned around, eyes widening and face dropping in fear as he looked upon the man he was going to face.

“Zuko would have to duel his own father.”

.

Momo snores away in Aang’s lap as the boy stares sadly at the campfire.
“Then, just when I was feeling better, something worse happened.”

-

Gyatso stands beside Monk Tashi as they talk to Monk Pasang.

“Aang needs to have freedom and fun. He needs to grow up as a normal boy.”

Tashi doesn’t turn to Gyatso as he replies. “You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny.”

Pasang shakes his head slightly. “Gyatso, I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment.”

Monk Gyatso’s eyes glaze over with sadness as his head lowers. “All I want is what is best for him.”

“But what we need is what's best for the world. You and Aang must be separated! The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training.”

The younger Aang’s eyes widen as he looks through a hole in the ceiling.

-

“That's awful, Aang. I don't know what to say.” Katara looks at the airbender sadly. He stands up suddenly.

“How could they do that to me? They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!” His eyes begin to glow as the air in the cave picks up, violently thrashing around.

Katara and Y/N shield their faces as the campfire roars to life, the embers floating with the wind. “Whoa! Hot cinders!”

Aang’s eyes stop glowing as he calms, walking over to the fire and sitting down again. “I’m sorry I got so mad.”

Y/N shakes her head. “You have the right to be angry after the monks sent you away like that. No matter their intentions.”

“Well, that's not exactly what happened.” Aang thinks back to his younger self, looking out of the window in his bedroom. “I was afraid and confused. I didn't know what to do.”

-

Aang lies in his bed, deep in thought when steps echo throughout the hallway and Gyatso goes to open his door. “Aang, I'm not going to let them take you away from me.” The door swings open fully, Gyatso making his way inside tentatively. “Aang?”

The boy isn’t on his bed anymore, though, the only thing left, a rolled up scroll. Gyatso spots the scroll and opens it, gasping at the contents and looking out the window at an incoming storm.

-

“I never saw Gyatso again.” Past Aang flew through the storm on Appa, the storm bringing them down and into the stormy ocean’s grasp. “Next thing I knew, I was waking up in your arms after you found me in the iceberg.”

Katara blinks, tearing her eyes away from the flame and towards Aang. “You ran away.”

“And then the Fire Nation attacked our temple. My people needed me and I wasn't there to help.”

“You don't know what would have-“

He starts getting more restless, the memories haunting him. “The world needed me and I wasn't there to help.”

“Aang…”

Katara tries to catch his eyes, but he shuts them, the agony spreading on his face. “The fisherman was right! I did turn my back on the world!”

Katara’s voice raises slightly as she tries to plead with him. “You're being too hard on yourself, even if you did run away. I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed, you would have been killed along with all the other airbenders.”

He shakes his head. “You don't know that.”

Y/N lifts her chin from where it was lying on her pulled up knees. Her and Aang’s eyes meet, the fire reflecting in both their pupils. “I know it was meant to be this way, however terrible it was. The world needs you now. You give people hope.”

.

“When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy.”

Younger Zuko looked in fear at his advancing father. “Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!”

His head lowered as his father’s hulking body cast a shadow over his entire body. “You will fight for your honor.”

Zuko kneeled on his knees and forearms, looking at the floor shamefully. “I meant you no disrespect.” His head raised to meet his father’s gaze, tears shimmering in his eyes as his voice began to waiver. “I am your loyal son.”

“Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!” Firelord Ozai sneered down at his son as Zuko lowered his head to the floor again.

“I won't fight you.”

“You will learn respect,” Zuko pushed himself up on his knees and hands again as he started to shake. “and suffering” The tears streamed down Zuko’s unmarred face. “will be your teacher.”

Zhao, Iroh and Azula looked on in the large crowd, the former smirking, Iroh clenching his teeth in fear and Azula smiling as she raised her fist to her chest in anticipation.

The sound of fire roaring, and then Zuko’s screams as he begged for it to stop.

Iroh shut his eyes tight as he turned his face away from the scene.

Present Iroh sits in the same manner, agony filling his features as Jee furrows his brows.

“I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident.”

“It was no accident. After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor.”

“So that's why he's so obsessed. Capturing the Avatar is the only chance he has of things returning to normal.”

Iroh shakes his head. “Things will never return to normal. But the important thing is the Avatar gives Zuko hope.”

Zuko’s chest moves up and down in tandem with his deep breathing as he meditates, brows furrowed in torment. His eyes snap open as the ship around him rattles.

.

“Help! Oh, please help!”

Y/N rushes over to grab the soaked fisherman’s wife, who’d suddenly appeared at the opening of the cave, and brings her closer to the fire. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

The woman grips Y/N’s sleeves tight. “But my husband isn’t.”

Katara shoots up as she approaches the woman. “What do you mean? Where’s Sokka?”

“They haven't returned! They should have been back by now! And this storm is becoming a typhoon! They're caught out at sea!”

Aang grabs his glider. “I’m going to find him!”

Katara and Y/N turn to Aang. “We’re going with you!”

“I’m staying here.” The fisherman’s wife sits down by the fire.

The trio move to get on top of Appa, and Aang turns back around, his face set in determination. “We'll be back soon. I promise.”

.

Zuko runs up to the deck as he looks around. “Where were we hit?”

Lieutenant Jee shouts, his voice barely carrying through the storm, and turns to the prince. “I don’t know!”

“Look!” Iroh points up to the helm of the ship.

Zuko turns his gaze up. “The helmsman!”

Both he and Lieutenant Jee run over to climb up a ladder onto the helm, reaching the man just in time to grab onto his arms and pull him back to safety. The rain and wind beats down on the pair as lighting flashes in the clouds. Iroh looks up at the sky, awaiting the moment the thunder rumbles, and then as it strikes, he points his fingers up at the sky and absorbs the lighting throughout his body, sending it back into the clouds.

.

“Where are they?” Katara covers her eyes from the rain’s onslaught, gazing out at the water below for the fisherman’s boat.

“Come on, Appa! The boat! There!” Aang tightens his hold on Appa’s reins as Appa descends, skimming the water.

Zuko’s eyes widen as he spots the sky bison flying past. “The Avatar!”

Lieutenant Jee turns to Zuko. “What do you want to do, sir?”

Zuko’s squinted eyes follow the bison before he looks around, his features softening. “Let him go. We need to get this ship to safety.”

Iroh smiles slightly. “Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm.”

Sokka’s hands grip the sides of the boat as it rocks back and forth, water at the bottom of the boat soaking through his shoes. “I’m too young to die!”

The fisherman grunts as he tries to steer the boat against the violent waves. “I'm not, but I still don't wanna!”

A crack sounds as a pole in the middle of the boat is struck by lighting and starts falling towards the pair. Both Sokka and the fisherman stare wide-eyed up at the incoming object as they hug each other, before four spouts of water are brought up from the sides of the boat, splitting the pole in half. They look towards Aang in shock as he grabs hold of the rope Y/N throws down from atop Appa.

“Hang onto the rope.”

They rush over to grab the rope, brought up into the air as Appa sets off again. The rope swings up, Sokka and the fisherman landing safely on the saddle. They smile at each other, before the sound of rising water spooks them. A massive wave rises past Appa’s height before he can gain enough altitude, knocking into the group as they all disappear under the water.

Aang’s eyes remain closed for a bit, floating deeper into the depths, before they blink open slowly and the sight of Sokka, Y/N, Katara and the fisherman floating unconsciously shocks him into action.

His hand reaches out for Appa’s reins, and right before he grabs them, the tattoos on his hand light up. The airbender’s eyes glow as he grabs hold, bringing his fists together to form a bubble around Appa and his friends, bringing them up to the surface.

As Appa breaches the water’s surface, flying into the air, Aang looks behind him and down at the Fire Nation prince’s ship. Zuko stands on the deck, and the two make eye contact before Appa disappears into the eye of the storm, above the dark clouds.

“Uncle, I’m sorry.” Zuko turns to Iroh behind him.

“Your apology is accepted.”

.

The fisherman’s wife stands up from her seat at the campfire and runs up to her husband to throw her arms around him. “Oh, you're alive! You owe this boy an apology!”

Aang shakes his head. “He doesn't have to apologize.”

“What if, instead of an apology, I give him a free fish and we call it even?”

Aang turns to the fisherman. “Actually, I don't eat meat.”

The man scowls as he exclaims. “Fish ain’t meat!”

Sokka glances at the man doubtfully. “Seriously, you're still going to pay me, right?”

The fisherman hands Sokka a fish, as Katara, Aang and Y/N watch from a corner in the cave. Aang turns to them resolutely.

“Katara, Y/N, I think you were right before. I'm done dwelling on the past.”

Katara looks at him in surprise. “Really?”

“I can't make guesses about what would have turned out if I hadn't run away. I'm here now and I'm going to make the most out of it.” Y/N puts a hand on his shoulder gently as he turns his head, the corners of his mouth upturned.

Katara smiles. “I don't think you're gonna have those nightmares anymore.”

The fisherman speaks up, his tone different from his usual crudeness. “And if you weren't here now, well, I guess I wouldn't be either. Thank you for saving my life, Avatar.”

“Do you hear that? It stopped raining.” Sokka looks out at the water as the rest approach. The clouds, albeit still dark, are starting to dissipate, revealing small cracks of sunlight that shine on the wet ground. The air around them is humid and heavy with the smell of rain, gracing the group with calm after the storm.

Appa suddenly shakes his wet fur to get the raindrops off, splashing everyone around him as Aang exclaims.

”Appa!”

Chapter Text

A hawk squawks as it flies through the air, approaching a massive fortress in a forest in the Earth Kingdom.

The courtyard beneath the messenger hawk is occupied by a group of archers who stand with their bows drawn. One of the archers draws his bow tighter as he releases three arrows in succession, the first arrow landing dead center in the middle of a target, the next splitting the first in half, and the last arrow going through both arrows. It impales through the target to the wood frame holding it upright.

On a balcony overlooking the courtyard is a short man clad in Fire Nation armor, and next to him Commander Zhao.

There’s a scowl on the stout man’s face as he gestures angrily with his hands. “Absolutely not! The Yuyan Archers stay here. Your request is denied, Commander Zhao.”

“Colonel Shinu, please reconsider… Their precision is legendary. The Yuyan can pin a fly to a tree from one hundred yards away... without killing it.” Zhao’s bushy eyebrows furrow as he grows more and more annoyed at Colonel’s persistent refusal. “You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards.”

“I can do whatever I want with their talents. They're my archers, and what I say goes.”

Zhao turns to face the Colonel as he drags his gaze away from the archers underneath. “But my search for the Avatar is-“

Red hot anger bursts on the Colonel’s face. “Is nothing but a vanity project! We're fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, Commander.”

Shinu gets close to the other man’s face as Zhao scoffs angrily. “But!-“

“That's final! I don't wanna hear another word about it!”

As Zhao fumes in fury at the denial, the cry of a hawk sounds from outside. It flaps its wings as it skillfully glides into the balcony and lands on Colonel Shinu’s forearm. He reaches out to open the container on the hawk’s back, the look on his face turning from confusion to silent resentment as his eyes rove over the message.

Zhao looks in intrigue at the paper over Colonel Shinu’s shoulder. “News from Fire Lord Ozai?

His words make Colonel Shinu huff in anger as he hands it over for Zhao to read.

Commander Zhao smiles smugly as he rolls the message shut. “It appears I've been promoted to Admiral. My request... is now an order.”

Colonel Shinu scowls in silence for a moment, but ultimately has no choice other than to stand down, so he bows in respect to the new admiral and takes his leave.

Zhao turns back to survey the archers in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

A figure clad in all black, except for the blue mask on their face clambers to the roof of the tower, having overheard the conversation between the two men. The figure creeps back and disappears into the shadows.

.

Katara presses a wet rag onto Sokka’s forehead. “This should bring your fever down.”

Sokka smiles up drowsily at his sister as he shivers in his sleeping bag. He lies up against Appa, the group settled in a ruined building in the middle of nowhere.

“You know what I love about Appa the most? His sense of humor.”

Katara nods half heartedly. “That’s nice. I’ll tell him.”

Appa growls, and the sound makes Sokka laugh. “Classic Appa.”

Y/N glances over at her pitiful friend from where she’s rifling through her bag. “How’s Sokka doing?”

Katara turns to the girl. “Not so good. Being out in that storm really did a number on him.”

“I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea, but I found a map.” Sokka sniffles as Aang spreads a map out on the floor. “There's an herbalist institute on top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there.”

“Aang, he's in no condition for travel. Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow.” Katara finishes her sentence by coughing.

Aang’s eyes snap up to look at her. “Not you, too!”

“Relax, it was just a little cough. I'm fi-“ She coughs harder this time, lightly groaning after.

Aang’s hands fly up to shield his face as Y/N backs away from the two hurriedly. “That's how Sokka started yesterday. Now look at him! He thinks he's an earthbender!” Aang’s hand flies out to gesture at Sokka, who starts flailing his arms in the air.

“Take that, you rock!”

Aang turns to Katara. “A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense, too. I'm going to go find some medicine.” He grabs his glider and turns towards the exit of the building, just as a flash of lightning strikes. “Uh, maybe it's safer if I go on foot.”

Y/N stops him with a hand on his shoulder. “Aang, are you sure I shouldn’t go with you?”

Aang shoots her a smile. “No, that’s okay. It’s just over on that mountain, and besides, someone should look after those two.” He nods over to Sokka and Katara, the latter starting to slump against Appa as she wipes her nose. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Y/N glances over at the pair and cringes, before looking over to Aang again, eyes pleading. “Please.”

Aang looks closer at Katara and Sokka as his nose scrunches. “Yeah, okay.”

Y/N shoots him a relieved smile, and the airbender turns around to Appa and Momo. “Keep an eye on them, guys.”

Appa groans while Momo chitters in response, and Sokka laughs again. “You guys are killing me!”

Aang and Y/N glance at each other, before turning around and hurrying out of the building.

.

Lieutenant Jee spreads out a map on the table in front of him as Zuko looks on, leaned against the steel wall of the interior of his ship.

“We haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the storm, but if we continue heading northeast…”

Jee stops talking as a loud burst of steam sounds, the light in the room getting blocked out by a ship suddenly pulling up next to theirs. Zuko turns to look out of the window as they pass by.

“What do they want?”

From another table, Iroh rubs his hands together. “Perhaps, a sporting game of Pai Sho!”

The sound of grinding metal reverberates as a bridge is lowered between the two ships, allowing a messenger and two accompanying soldiers to board Zuko’s ship. The messenger stops in front of Zuko as he pulls out a scroll and presents it to the prince.

Zuko crosses his arms as his eyes rove over the wanted poster of Aang with his glider in hand.

“The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar-” The messenger rolls up the poster and places it behind his back again. “must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao.”

Iroh keeps his focus on the board in front of him as he prepares to make his move. “Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him!” His hand slides the tile to a spot, the man he’s playing against slapping his hand to his forehead and groaning.

Zuko looks down with furrowed brows. “I've got nothing to report to Zhao.” His gaze shifts up to glare at the man. “Now get off my ship and let us pass.”

The messenger stands with his hands behind his back. “Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area.”

Zuko’s face turns in anger as he snaps at the man. “Off my ship!” His hand swings out to gesture to the exit as the messenger and the soldiers leave.

“Excellent! I take the pot!” Iroh smiles as he wins his game of Pai Sho. A crew member punches himself in the head as the two other men stare in disbelief. “But you're all improving! I'm certain you will win if we play again.” He says this as his brow raises.

Zuko stares out of the window glumly, his eyes narrowed in thought.

.

“Says here that the Avatar can create tornadoes and run faster than the wind. Pretty amazing!” A man reads Aang’s wanted poster out loud as he looks it over. In front of him stands another man, using a spyglass to patrol the road beneath their hut hidden in a tree.

He stops looking into the spyglass as he turns to the man behind him. “Ah, that's just a bunch of Fire Lord propaganda. There's no way that's true!”

The scout lifts the spyglass up to his eye again just as a dust cloud weaves through the winding road, his eyes widening as he makes out a figure amidst the dust. Aang passes by the outpost, blowing their cover away and sending the branches they’d covered their hut with falling to the ground. The Avatar is holding a girl in his arms, her own tight around his shoulders. The scout throws the spyglass to the side and fumbles around for a horn, blowing it to signal that the Avatar has been spotted.

.

“Katara, please, water.” Sokka weakly reaches his hand out towards Katara.

“Listen carefully, Momo.” Katara’s voice is hoarse as she holds up her water skin to Momo. “I need you to take this to the river, and fill it with water.”

Momo’s ears flick back and forth as he listens to Katara’s gibberish.

“Got it?” Momo tilts his head and blinks, before he grabs the water skin and flies off.

.

Aang runs up countless stone stairs, panting heavily. He sets Y/N down as they reach the top, a mountain temple in front of them and to the left, a hut.

Y/N looks over Aang’s panting form worriedly and puts her hand on his back as he rests his hands on his knees. “You sure I’m not too heavy? Maybe I should just walk when we go back.”

Aang pants as he tries to catch his breath. He raises his head to look at her, still bent over. “What? You weigh basically nothing. I’m just out of shape.”

The older girl puts her hand on her hip and raises a brow. “Right. Well, let’s go. Shouldn’t keep Katara and Sokka waiting.”

They rush over and into the hut, where an herbalist is standing with her back to the entrance, a mortar and pestle in her hand.

Aang walks over to her, past a cat and starts speaking hurriedly. “Hello, I'm sorry to barge in like this, but we need some medicine for our friends, they have fevers and they were coughing-“

The Herbalist grinds some leaves and roots in the mortar. “Settle down, young man. Your friends are going to be fine. I've been up here for over forty years, you know. Used to be others, but they all left years ago.” She stops grinding the paste and pets her cat. “Now it’s just me and Miyuki.”

Y/N’s eyes rove over the space, filled with shelves of bottled pastes and potions. She stops next to Aang and shoots the herbalist a tense smile. “That’s nice.”

The woman turns to Y/N and smiles broadly, the crow’s feet around her eyes deepening. ”Wounded Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again, brave boys, and thanks to my remedies they always leave in better shape they when they arrive.”

Aang grows restless, rocking back and forth on his feet impatiently. “That’s nice. Are you almost done?”

“Hold on, I just need to add one last ingredient.” The woman turns around and starts looking through all her herbs. “Oh, sandalwood... oh, er, uh, that won't do, banana leaf? Ah, nope, uh, ginger root, uh uh, oh where is that pesky little plant?”

Aang and Y/N turn to each other with exasperated scowls, and a quiet slap sounds out from where Aang has hit his forehead with his palm. He drags the hand down his face as he groans.

.

The last bit of the evening sun casts its orange glow on the water as Zuko’s steel ship trudges forward. Fire bursts fill the air on deck as Zuko punches and kicks in wide arcs. Iroh walks on deck as he gazes at his nephew, brows furrowed.

“Is everything okay? It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order.”

Zuko keeps practicing his firebending. “I don’t care what they do.”

“Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao.”

Zuko stops and turns around, desperation creeping onto his usually steeled features. “How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar. “ He turns back to look out at the sea, his voice quiet. “My honor, my throne, my country, I'm about to lose them all.”

.

“Oh, here's what I was looking for! Plum blossom.” The herbalist grins and plucks a flower from one of the many trees in the hut.

“Finally!” Aang who’d been slumped over the table straightens up, Y/N raising her head from where she’s been resting it on her fist, eyes hooded in boredom.

The herbalist drops the flower into the mixture just as Aang grabs for the bowl. “Thanks for all your help!”

“Hands off!” The woman smacks Aang’s hands away roughly as he jumps back in pain. Y/N rushes forward to bring Aang behind her, holding a protective arm out in front of him and staring at the woman incredulously.

“What are you doing?!”

She holds up her spoon, readying herself for another smack. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Aang’s head pops out from behind Y/N as he rubs his hands. “I was trying to take the cure to our friends.”

She lowers her spoon as she starts laughing. “This isn’t a cure! It’s Miyuki’s dinner. Plum blossom is her favorite.”

Y/N scowls, lowering her arm. “What about our friends?”

“Well, all they need are some frozen wood frogs. There's plenty of them down in the valley swamp.”

Aang’s eyes narrow in confusion. “What are we supposed to do with frozen frogs?”

“Why, suck on them, of course!”

Aang’s eye twitches as Y/N covers her mouth in disgust. “Suck on them?”

“The frog skin excretes a substance that'll cure your friends, but make sure you get plenty. Once those little critters thaw out, they're useless!”

Aang pauses for a second. “You’re insane, aren’t you?” Y/N nudges him in the side as she shoots him a look.

The woman’s smile grows broader, eyes wider. “That’s right! Well, don't stand there all day! Go!” She flings a dollop of green sludge from her spoon in their direction, and Y/N’s eyes widen at the incoming blob, throwing herself to the side, the sludge landing on Aang’s forehead. He blinks as the sludge starts running down his nose and feels himself get tugged along as Y/N pulls his arm to lead him outside.

The wind outside the hut has picked up, Y/N and Aang running when arrows suddenly fly at them. They pin down the legs of both their pants, and from the forest, at least a dozen more arrows rain down on them. Aang throws his hands out as he summons a shield of air around both their bodies, the arrows falling to the ground and onto trees around them. He reaches down to pluck one out of his pants leg.

He holds up the arrow, speaking out loud to no one in particular. “Uh... I think you dropped this…”

Y/N shakes her head slowly as she looks with wide eyes at the forest, the Yuyan archers crouched on branches and holding up their drawn bows. “Aang, I don’t think they dropped anything.” As he screams at the sight, Y/N reaches down to pluck both arrows out of the ground, doing the same to Aang’s just as the archers shoot more arrows at them.

They both turn to run down the stairs, only to see more archers blocking the way. They run to the edge of a nearby cliff, and as they reach the edge, Aang holds out an arm in front of Y/N to stop her from tumbling down. The Yuyan archers shoot more arrows after them, and Aang turns to the girl.

“Hold onto me.”

“What are you doin-“ The rest of her sentence ends in a scream as Aang grabs her around the waist and throws both of them down the cliff, one of his arms spreading out to slow the fall with his sleeves. Y/N hurries to hold onto him so he can spread out the other one, slowing their descent into the trees below. They smack into the trees, Aang fruitlessly attempting to soften the blow with his airbending. Y/N lands on the forest floor roughly as Aang slams onto a branch, gasping for air as he gets the wind knocked out of him. The archers follow behind them closely, and Y/N looks up at Aang as arrows start flying after them.

“Just run!” She doesn’t wait for his response, running towards the riverbank as Aang follows up in the trees.

Aang pants as he avoids the incoming arrows, jumping from a tree branch and landing on the ground, tumbling into the water. He emerges, looking around before he reaches down to grab a frozen frog.

“A frog!” The frog is knocked out of his hand by an arrow, and Aang jumps, looking behind him hurriedly. He trudges through the mud as he tries grabbing frogs at the same time, but more arrows fly at him, pinning his right sleeve to a dead tree behind him. He tries plucking the arrows out, but the Yuyan archers, now stood at the riverbank, take aim at him. He bends a wall of ice in front og him just as an arrow flies towards him. It gets lodged into the ice, but three more follow, and shatter the ice wall.

His left sleeve gets pinned by more arrows, and then a net gets thrown over his body.

.

Aang lifts his narrowed eyes as he sends the four Fire Nation soldiers stationed in front of him angry glares. His fists clench as he struggles against chains that hold him up by the arms. His struggle is cut short by the sight of Zhao walking out from behind the soldiers, his hands held leisurely behind his back.

Their eyes meet for a tense moment, before Zhao starts circling around the chained airbender. “So this is the great Avatar. Master of all the elements. I don't know how you've managed to elude the Fire Nation for a hundred years, but your little game of hide and seek is over.”

Aang huffs in anger and his chains rattle as he struggles against them. “I've never hidden from you! Untie me and I'll fight you right now!”

Zhao comes to a stop in front of him, his back turned to the bound avatar. Aang can only stare at the back of the Admiral’s head, before it turns back to look at him, wholly unbothered. “Uh, no.” His body slowly turns to fully face Aang. “Tell me, how does it feel to be the only airbender left? Do you miss your people?” Zhao leans in close to Aang as the airbender’s angry expression turns sad. He lowers his head. “Don't worry, you won't be killed like they were.”

The words stir up the storm brewing in the airbender’s chest again as his head snaps up to glare at Zhao angrily. “See, if you die you will just be reborn and the Fire Nation would have to start searching all over again. So I'll keep you alive, but just barely.”

With that, Zhao straightens up and starts walking away. Aang furrows his brows, inhaling deeply to blow a blast of air at his retreating back that knocks the Admiral on his hands and knees.

Zhao huffs and reaches a hand up to rub his head as he turns angrily. “Blow all the wind you want, but your situation is futile. There is no escaping this fortress, and no one is coming to rescue you.”

Aang’s face drops as Zhao gets up, walking towards the door and slamming the door shut behind him. The heavy thud echoes throughout the dark room as Aang’s head falls forward, feeling the strain in his arms, the chains the only things keeping him upright.

.

Sokka coughs as he and Katara stay laid up against Appa. “Water…”

Katara turns her head weakly. “Momo should be back any minute.”

The sound of Momo’s chittering fills the crumbling building as he jumps up close to Katara. Her head lifts expectantly as the lemur holds out a dead mouse and drops it on her chest. Katara rears her head back as she looks down at it in disgust.

“Ugh!” She sighs weakly. “No, Momo, water. Wa-ter!” Momo’s ears stand up as he jumps off her and scampers away.

Her eyes weakly lift to look up at the ceiling. “Guys, what in the world is taking you so long?”

.

Y/N groans as she comes to, eyes blinking open to gaze around a dimly lit room, her cheek pressed to cold stone. Her eyes widen suddenly as she jerks up from where she’d been lying on her side, feeling resistance in her wrists. Looking behind her, she sees a hook jammed into the stone wall, chains leading to the metal around her wrists.

She takes a deep breath and maneuvers up to sit on her knees, pulling at the chains desperately.

“Ugh.” She huffs, her breath rustling the strand of her hair in front of her eyes and keeps pulling at the chains, but no matter how hard, the metal doesn’t budge. Her brown eyes rove over the room, lit torches and a single barred window covering the walls. Loud cheering from outside catches her attention.

“We are the sons and daughters of fire, the superior element! Until today only one thing stood our path to victory, the Avatar. I am here to tell you that he is now my prisoner!”

She groans and rolls her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice, struggling even harder at the chains, when a thump from behind the door in front of her stops her in her tracks.

She breathes in shakily, holding her breath as the door opens to the sight of a black clad figure, a blue spirit mask on the person’s face.

The masked figure stops short and her eyes widen, the person seemingly not expecting to see her.

“If you’re here for Aang, you’ve wandered into the wrong cell!” She grunts out.

The figure pauses for a second, before bringing a foot forward, stalking towards her without making a sound.

Y/N narrows her eyes in confusion, before angrily yelling out. “Didn’t you hear me?! I said he’s not here!”

The figure steps closer to her as her eyes strain to look up. Although she steels her features, the fear pools in her eyes. They flick between the eyeholes of the mask as the person just stands there, looking down at her.

Her eyes widen as the figure brings up a hand, sword nestled tightly in their fist. “Hey, wait. I’m not!-“

She shuts her eyes tightly as the masked person brings down their sword, but blinks confusedly at the feel of a shift above her head and the chains around her wrists falling to the floor. She turns her head to look at the fallen chains as she rises to her feet, before turning back to the figure.

Only, the person is much closer now, standing nearly chest to chest with her. Y/N tilts her head slightly, the masked figure not moving a muscle. Breathing seems to come harder for her now, tense silence permeating the little air between them.

The person slowly brings a gloved hand up, gently moving a piece of hair out of her face to reveal a red mark on her cheekbone, steadily blooming into a bruise. Her confused eyes flicker between the person’s, trying to catch their gaze.

As gently as it had come up, the hand lowers again, reaching behind the figure’s back to grab another sword and turn around to walk over to the door. The masked person looks back at her frozen figure, gesturing a sword bearing hand out into the hall.

Y/N lets out the breath she’d been unknowingly holding, slowly brushing off her dress and starting to approach the exit. The person looks left and right down the halls before stepping out cautiously.

“Thank you.” Her quiet voice stops the figure in their tracks as their head turns slightly. A slight smile spreads on her lips, but disappears before the person can catch it fully as she steps out as well. “We have to find Aang.”

The masked figure nods, gesturing to the left as they lead Y/N down the hall.

.

Aang struggles against the chains, groaning as he stops, his breath heavy. Suddenly, a croak sounds and the frogs he’d grabbed earlier start leaping out of his shirt.

“What? No! Don't leave, frogs! My friends are sick and they need you! Please go back to being frozen!”

The frogs jump away, croaking as they creep under the gap between the door and floor. Aang gazes at them leave sadly as he huffs out a sigh. Suddenly, the sound of clank followed by a yell sounds from outside, and his head snaps up. The sound of the locks turning raises his pulse as he expectantly looks to the door. It creaks open as the masked figure enters, brandishing his swords from behind his back. Aang’s eyes widen as the figure springs towards him, swords raised in the air.

Aang shouts as the swords come down, but stops as he jerks his arms and they finally move. He looks up at the masked figure in wonder as they swing down on the remaining cuffs on his wrists and ankles.

Aang looks down at his freed feet and then back up at the person’s retreating back. “Who are you? What's going on? Are you here to rescue me?”

The masked figure only opens the door and motions for him to follow. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Aang follows him out the door, his gaze roving over multiple gagged and tied guards, and finally, up at his friend watching over them with her arms crossed.

“Y/N!” Aang’s lips spread in a broad smile as he rushes forward and hugs her close. He keeps smiling as Y/N pulls away, holding him by the shoulders.

“I thought they had gotten to you already.”

Aang shakes his head. “I didn’t know if they had gotten to you.” He suddenly looks guilty. It’s Y/N’s turn to shake her head gently.

“They had. But blue mask over here freed me.” She looks over at the figure silently observing their interaction. One of the half-frozen frogs croaks suddenly as Aang snaps his head towards them.

“My frogs! Come back! And stop thawing out!” The masked figure walks over to pick up Aang by the collar and drags him away. “Wait! My friends need to suck on those frogs! Y/N!”

Y/N follows after the pair. “They’re barely frozen anymore anyways, Aang.”

.

Katara breathes in through her mouth, her nose stuffy as mountains of junk rustle around her at the motion. Momo jumps up again as he places a crown on her head.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Momo? We need water, wa-ter. Oh forget it. Aang, Y/N, please, hurry.”

Sokka sniffles as he looks up at the ceiling deliriously. “Who's this ‘Aang’ kid you keep talking about, Your Highness?”

Katara scowls as she glares over at Sokka.

.

Y/N’s hands grip the rope tight as Aang climbs up over her, the masked figure beneath, nearly at the top of the wall they’re scaling. Suddenly, alarm bells start ringing throughout the courtyard as a soldier shouts.

“There, on the wall!”

Another soldier pops his head out from atop the wall as he unsheathes his sword and cuts the rope. Aang and Y/N scream as they quickly plummet, before Aang airbends beneath them to soften their landing.

As the dust around them settles, the masked figure points his sword to the right and they all set off running.

Zhao appears on a balcony as he wildly gestures with his hand. “The Avatar has escaped! Close all the gates immediately!”

Aang passes Y/N and the masked figure as he runs forward. “Stay close to me!”

The gate in front of them is closing, and a group of soldiers run to block it, their spears raised. Aang jumps up as he lands with a kick that blows them all away. He runs for the gate, but Y/N has to stop to avoid a spear flying towards her.

The masked figure turns around, brandishing his swords and fending off all the soldiers around the pair. Aang turns around just as the gate is about to close, eyes widening at the sight of trouble. He grabs a spear from a guard near him, blows him out of the way and spins the spear to slam the head of it into the ground. He rushes over as the masked figure is swinging his swords, using his airbending to launch both the figure and Y/N onto the wall.

Guards swarm from both sides of the wall as Y/N and the masked figure stand back to back. The person blocks a spear with his sword as Y/N dodges one on her side. The soldiers knock the pair closer to the edge, standing side by side as the soldiers push further, and just as a soldier is about to thrust his spear at the masked figure, Y/N brings up a leg, kicking it out of the way.

Aang interrupts the fight as he uses the broken spear as a propeller to lift himself up to the same wall, grabbing the masked figure with his feet and Y/N grabbing the person’s hand as they lift off the ground.

Aang groans as they dip slightly, struggling to hold up two people’s bodyweight. Y/N holds onto the masked figure’s hand with both hers as she looks down, the soldiers’ hands drawn back to throw the spears at them beneath. The masked figure uses one hand to wield his sword and knock away the spears, their other hand tightening slightly around Y/N’s as Aang dips again.

They barely make it to the next wall as they crash unceremoniously onto the stone. Aang drops his stick, and just as he’s about to pick it back up, a boot kicks it out of reach and starts swinging at Aang. The masked figure rushes over and throws the guard over the wall as Aang airbends others off.

More soldiers appear underneath, carrying ladders and putting them against the wall to scale it. As they start climbing up, the masked figure knocks them down with his swords, Y/N with a rogue spear and Aang with one powerful blast of airbending.

Aang grabs a ladder as he gestures to Y/N, the pair bringing them over to the masked figure. Aang grabs the ladder out of Y/N’s hand and passes it over to the person.

“Take this. Jump on my back!”

Y/N’s eyes widen as she realizes what he wants to do. “Aang, we can’t both be on there.” She looks around, the wall in front of them the last one. She steps to the edge and looks down as the pair glance over at her.

“Can you send me over?” She turns to Aang, eyebrows raised.

Aang stutters as he looks behind him quickly. “But!-“

“Just do it!”

The airbender nods swiftly in response, using his airbending to send her just over the last wall.

She gasps as she flies through the air, body rolling as she lands on top of the final wall. She looks back as she sees Aang and the masked figure on top of one of the ladders, fire suddenly consuming the bottom of their last one as they descend towards the last wall. They don’t make it all the way over though, so she throws herself closer to the edge of the wall as she lunges for their hands. Aang’s hands manage to hold on for a second, but they start to slip, the masked figure trying to hold on with one hand as well. She claws at the figure’s hand as she tries to grab hold, but they slide down before she can, leaving her grasping at air.

They both land on the ground as the masked figure draws his swords, facing four soldiers. They put their hands out as they send fire at the pair, but Aang steps in front of the figure and airbends to keep the flames away. He chances a look up at Y/N’s worried face. “Go!”

“Fuck.” Y/N runs a hand through her hair as she looks around for a solution.

Admiral Zhao steps out from behind the soldiers. “Hold your fire! The Avatar must be captured alive!”

The masked figure instantly comes up behind Aang and crosses his swords in front of Aang’s throat as the airbender’s eyes widen.

The soldiers stop firebending as they stand still, albeit their eyebrows furrow in confusion.

Zhao’s furious eyes narrow as he grits his teeth. “Open the gate.”

Y/N smiles, turning around to look down the outer wall. Tall Fire Nation banners decorate the outside, and she leans down to tug at one of them. Grabbing hold, she gets on her knees, lowering one leg down at a time and then starts descending. The fabric burns her hands as she slides down, landing on the grass with a thud. She glances back at the forest, feet thudding against the ground as she runs for cover in the woods.

Colonel Shinu turns to Zhao. “Admiral, what are you doing?”

“Let them out, now!” Zhao barks out the order. The gate opens as the masked figure backs out with his swords still crossed at Aang’s throat.

Shinu’s brows furrow. “How could you let them go?”

The corners of Zhao’s mouth turn down. “A situation like this requires... precision.”

The masked figure keeps backing away, further towards the forest.

Zhao looks out from on top of the outer gate. The sound of an arrow being strung sounds, and Zhao looks to his right as he speaks.

“Do you have a clear shot?”

The Yuyan archer tightens his arrow as he closes one eye.

“Knock out the thief. I'll deliver him to the Fire Lord along with the Avatar.”

The archer releases the arrow, flying across the grassy field and straight into the figure’s blue mask. The person collapses backwards as Aang turns around in horror. Y/N’s eyes widen as she looks on from afar, hidden behind a tree in the forest.

The mask is knocked askew, and just as Aang catches a glimpse of red, scarred skin, he looks back to the wall where Zhao stands. He quickly airbends a huge cloud of dust up to shroud him and the masked figure.

“Quick! Recover the Avatar!”

The main gate opens again as soldiers run out. Aang kneels down just as Y/N reaches him, her breath heavy. She looks down at the masked figure as Aang’s hands reach out to the mask.

“Aang, what is…” Her words fade out as Aang lifts the mask, revealing Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Y/N’s eyes widen as Aang jumps back and scoots away on his rear in horror at the sight. He glances up at Y/N who returns his expression, and the airbender jumps up as he starts to run.

Y/N stands frozen as her gaze stays on Zuko’s face. Aang turns around, looking at Y/N, then at Zuko and then up at the approaching soldiers from beyond the dust cloud.

Y/N’s head lifts to send Aang a look, and his eyebrows furrow slightly in response.

When the dust clears, the soldiers run up to find nothing.

.

Deep in the forest, the sun shines through a canopy and onto Zuko who lies on his back. Aang sits on a nearby tree root with his knees pulled to his chest as Zuko slowly blinks his eyes open, weakly groaning as he looks around. His vision clears, the Avatar filling his sight.

“You know what the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago is? I miss all the friends I used to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend Kuzon. The two of us, we'd get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of the best friends I ever had, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?”

Y/N stands with her back to the tree Aang is sitting on as she looks back at him, eyes somber. She stays out of Zuko’s view as a second of silence passes, before flames fill the air as Zuko punches an arc of fire at Aang. The airbender dodges, jumping up onto a tree branch and disappearing into the forest.

Y/N shuts her eyes as warm air from the flames passes, hair falling in front of her face. She stops leaning on the tree as Zuko drops his hand silently, his eyes raising to look up at the sky.

A branch snapping echoes throughout the forest.

.

Aang and Y/N collect frogs from the swamp in silence.

.

Zuko walks past his uncle on the deck in silence.

“Where have you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song.”

“I'm going to bed. No disturbances.”

Iroh rubs his head as his nephew passes by, beginning to blow into his horn again.

.

Aang puts the frogs into both Katara and Sokka’s mouths, his face downcast.

“Suck on these. They'll make you feel better.”

Aang collapses backwards onto Appa’s tail with a sigh. Sokka sucks on the frog noisily as he turns to the boy.

“Aang, how was your guys’ trip? Did you make any new friends?”

Aang looks up at the ceiling. “No, I don’t think I did.”

As Y/N walks over and sits next to Aang, he rolls over. She sighs heavily, leans back and stares up at the cracks in the ceiling.

.

Prince Zuko lies awake in his chamber, staring up at the ceiling. He turns his head to look over at the Fire Nation symbol hanging on his walls, before he drags his gaze away and rolls over.

.

Sokka hums happily as he keeps sucking on the frog in his mouth.

“Mmmm! This is tasty! Mmm!”

It starts to thaw and slowly begins moving around, a guttural croaking sound coming from his mouth. Sokka’s eyes widen as he realizes what it is, and spits it out hurriedly. Next to him, Katara’s frog has also thawed and she cries as she spits it out.

Both siblings start spitting and coughing, Sokka starting to rub his tongue against Appa’s fur in disgust.

Chapter Text

In the middle of a group of large rocks and trees, Katara, Y/N, Aang and Sokka sit near a calm body of water. The water bubbles, before a large green fish breaks the surface, leaping into the air and falling back down the way it emerged.

Y/N’s fingers untangle from Katara’s hair as the younger girl excitedly jumps to her feet and points over at the water. “Look!”

Sokka gets up from beside them as he walks closer to the water, Aang and Y/N staying crosslegged on the ground and looking at their friend curiously.

The fish leaps into the air again, before landing back in with a splash.

“He is taunting us!” Sokka scowls. “You are so going to be dinner!”

He runs over to grab a fishing pole from his tent, in his hurry casting it before he even reaches the shore. No line goes into the water as Sokka stops short and looks at it quizzically.

“Hey, where's the fishing line?”

Aang, who’d been silently observing, raises his shoulders sheepishly. “Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka.” In his hands there’s a woven necklace decorated with a red flower that he fiddles with nervously.

Sokka storms over to examine the necklace. “Aw, it's all tangled!”

A gust of wind ruffles Y/N’s clothes as Aang uses his airbending to lift him back onto his feet beside her. “Not tangled. Woven! I made you a necklace, Katara.” His cheeks redden a bit as he turns to the girl. “I thought since you lost your other one…”

He stops mid sentence to present the necklace, holding it up with a toothy grin.

Katara walks over, smiling at Aang. “Thanks, Aang.” She grabs the necklace, holding it up to her neck. “I love it.”

Y/N gets to her feet as well, leaning closer to Katara to examine the necklace over her shoulder. She shoots the airbender a proud smile that makes crinkles appear at the corners of her eyes. “This is so cute, Aang.”

The praise brings a shine to Aang’s eyes, returning a broad smile to the girls while Sokka scowls behind him. “Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business.”

Aang turns back to Sokka. “I don't see why I can't do both.” Behind the two, Y/N helps Katara put on the necklace as she brings her hands up to lift her braid out of the way.

Sokka grumbles under his breath, turning back to the lake where the fish keeps leaping up and back into the water again. He disappears back into his tent briefly, before he emerges with his fist closed around a shorter spear. With eyes narrowed and newfound determination in his step, he walks back to the edge of the water. He tries throwing the small spear he’d found in the bottom of his bag in an attempt to spear the fish, but misses and grunts angrily as he sees the fish leap out of the water unscathed again.

“Stop taunting me!” He grabs his jawbone dagger out of his pocket and runs into the water, Aang’s eyes following him all the while. They shift from Sokka to Katara as he sees her turn to him in the corner of his eye.

“So, how do I look?”

As soon as he sets eyes on her, the bored expression on his face blooms into awe. Katara smiles, small blush on her cheeks as she touches the necklace lightly with her fingertips.

Aang smiles, awkwardly tugging at his collar. “You mean, all of you or just your neck?” He rubs the back of his neck, speech turning into rambling. “I mean, because both look great!”

Y/N lets out a soft laugh at his nervousness, and in the background, a soaked Sokka emerges from the water holding the fish.

“Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!” He makes more kissing noises at the fish in his hands before it breaks free, slapping Sokka in the face with its tail and disappearing back into the water.

The teasing makes the smile on Aang’s face drop slightly as he shifts awkwardly. “I… Well, uh…”

Katara shoots a glare at her brother. “Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend.” She lifts a hand to pat him on the head. “A sweet, little guy! Just like Momo.” She pets Momo as well, who lands on Aang’s shoulder.

Aang’s smile drops completely as his eyes dejectedly shift away from Katara. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, a loud roar sounds as Momo chitters alarmedly and flies off, landing on a tall rock in the distance. Aang follows his lemur, landing beside Momo on the rock with his airbending.

His eyes shift down to see a man clad in blue and a large platypus bear standing on its hind legs, teeth bared. They widen as he turns to yell back at the group. “Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!”

The bear swings at the man, who only steps to the side with his hands held behind his back merrily. The bear continues swinging at the man as he looks up at Aang.
“Well, hello there!” He dodges another swipe from the bear’s claws. “Nice day, isn't it?”

Katara, Y/N and Sokka run over to the clearing where they stand. Aang puts his hands around his mouth as he yells to the man.

“Make noise! He’ll run off!”

Sokka steps forward. “No, play dead! He'll lose interest!”

The bear swings again, missing the man. “Whoa, close one!” He laughs.

Katara gestures with her hand. “Run downhill, then climb a tree!”

“No, punch him in the bill!” Sokka swings his fist upward.

Aang stays crouched on the rock. “And then run in zig-zags!”

The man just keeps evading calmly. “No need, it’s going to be fine!”

Y/N’s eyes narrow as she looks down at the man in confusion. “Is he crazy?”

The platypus bear attempts to land another blow, but its claws cut a large chunk of wood out of the tree behind the man as he crouches down calmly.

Aang decides he’s had enough and jumps down between the man and the bear, using a blast of air to send the bear back a smidge.

He holds out his hands in front of him as he prepares to airbend again. “Whoa there!”

The platypus bear only rears up on its hind legs further, letting out a loud roar. Just as it’s about to swipe at the pair, Appa gets up behind it and bellows louder, scaring the animal. The platypus bear, in its fear, lays a large, spotted egg and hurries away, gliding into the river and swimming off.

Sokka jumps down as he joyfully picks up the egg. “Mmm, lunch!” He sniffs it as Y/N sends a disgusted glance at him. “Lucky for you we came along.”

The man keeps smiling. “Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey.” He folds his hands together under his sleeves and bows slightly.

Aang raises an eyebrow. “Aunt who?”

“No, Aunt Wu. She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future.”

Katara looks off to the side as she ponders. “Wow, it must be.” She turns to the man, bright expression on her face. “That explains why you were so calm!”

Sokka shouts in indignation. “But the fortuneteller was wrong! You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!”

The cheerful smile on the man’s face stays. “But I wasn't! Alright, have a good one!” He raises a hand to wave goodbye and begins to walk away, only to stop and turn around. “Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this.”

He hands a long, wrapped parcel to Aang and leaves without another word. Sokka’s narrowed eyes keep following the man as Katara smiles excitedly.

“Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes. It could be fun.”

Sokka groans. “Oh, come on. Fortune telling is nonsense!”

Aang quickly unwraps the parcel, pulling the paper away to reveal a red umbrella. He opens it and holds it over his head.

“What do you know? An umbrella!”

As he says this, the sky over them darkens and raindrops start to pile down on the group. A low rumble of thunder sounds as Katara bends a shield of water over her head.

“That proves it.” She says as Y/N ducks under Aang’s umbrella quickly.

Sokka holds the egg above his head as he tries to shield himself from the rain. “No, it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!”

Y/N shoots him a smile. “I guess you're not really getting wet, then.”

Sokka suddenly loses his grip on the egg as he struggles to hold onto it again, the egg landing on his head with a crack, oozing yellow yolk down his face.

.

They continue down a straight path, Y/N, Aang and Katara huddled under the red umbrella as Sokka walks further beside the three, getting drenched by the downpour.

“Of course she predicted it was going to rain. The sky's been gray all day!”

Katara huffs. “Just admit you might be wrong, and you can come under the umbrella.”

“Look, I'm going to predict the future now.” Sokka stops walking to shift side to side on his feet goofily. “It's going to keep drizzling.” The rain continues to pour. “See?”

Suddenly, the rain stops and the sky lightens up slightly. Aang tilts the umbrella back to look up at the sky. “Not everyone has the gift, Sokka.”

Katara, Y/N and Aang keep walking along as Appa trods up next to Sokka, shaking his wet fur and hitting Sokka with the droplets.

Sokka shields his face scrunched in disgust. “Agh!”

.

They continue down the path, coming to a stop as they reach a small village situated near a mountain, its peak covered in snow.

Turkey ducks let out noisy quacks as the group pass the entrance to the village, and in front of one of the buildings a grey haired man dressed fully in black bows his head at them.

“Aunt Wu is expecting you.”

Katara smiles excitedly. “Really?”

They walk through the doorway while Sokka glances around shiftily, the room containing four pillows on the floor to the right of the room. The man from outside shuts the door behind them as a girl, clad in a pink robe and wearing her hair in braids that stick out from the sides of her head, walks up to them.

She bows in greeting, hands folded together in front of her. “My name is Meng and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant.”

Her eyes suddenly widen as she looks upon Aang who’s slumped over slightly with a bored expression, dreamily gazing at him.

“Well, hello there.”

Aang stays slumped over as he rubs his nose in boredom. “Hello.”

Katara, Aang and Y/N seat themselves on the pillows as Meng stands in front of them.

“Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?” She stands directly in front of Aang, but it’s Sokka who brightens at the mention of food.

“I'll try a curd puff.”

“Just a second.” She quickly holds up her index finger to dismiss him, eyes locked on Aang. “So what's your name?”

Aang looks around boredly. “Aang.”

Meng grins cheerfully. “That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?”

Aang’s eyebrow raises as he sends her a quizzical look. “I guess.”

Sokka waves his hand in dismissal as he grins broadly. “Don't be modest!” He spreads his arms out in emphasis. “They’re huge!”

Aang covers his ears self-consciously as he glares at Sokka. Y/N scoffs and reaches out to kick the still standing Sokka in the shin. He doubles over, cradling his shin as he hops around.

He looks down at the girl incredulously. “Y/N! What was that for?!”

Y/N glares up at him. “Don’t play dumb with me, Sokka.”

Meng starts walking away as she keeps her gaze on Aang, Y/N and Sokka’s bickering background noise to the girl. “Well, Aang, it was very nice to meet you.” She smiles slyly and turns around. “Very nice.”

Aang keeps looking around the room, noncommittally responding to Meng. “Likewise.”

Y/N raises an eyebrow as she observes the exchange between the two, laughing silently at Aang’s dry response.

Sokka rubs his shin one last time before he plops down on the pillow and leans back on his arms, looking around with his eyes narrowed in distaste. “I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense.”

Katara turns to her brother. “Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained. Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?”

“It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs.”

Meng holds a tray of bean curd puffs carefully as she walks through a nearby hallway. A door in the hallway opens as a woman clad in green exits, approaching Meng excitedly.

“Oh, Meng! Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love. He's going to give me a rare panda lily.”

“That's so romantic!” Meng looks over her shoulder as she casts a dreamy look over at Aang. “I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower.”

Aang crosses his fingers. “Good luck with that!”

The woman giggles as she looks over at Aang. “Is that the big-eared guy who Aunt Wu predicted you'd marry?”

Meng’s shoulders tense in embarrassment as she hurries the woman along, approaching the group, her eyes fixated on Aang who stares off into space. She trips as she nears him, and in an attempt to help, Aang holds his hands out to stabilize the tray. Meng looks down at his hands covering hers on the handles and blushes.

“Enjoy your snack!” She forces out before she hurriedly turns around to leave.

Sokka reaches over to take the tray from Aang, grabbing a bean curd puff and putting it up to his mouth, but before he can eat it an elderly woman enters the room. She’s clad in a yellow robe, her hair pulled up with a big golden pin.

“Welcome, young travelers. Now, who's next? Don't be shy.”

Sokka looks away uninterested and Aang casts a glance towards Katara and Y/N. The older girl smiles at her friend. “I’ll wait.”

Katara nods, getting up. “I guess that’s me.” She leaves with the woman, the door shutting behind them and leaving the trio alone.

Sokka stuffs his mouth with the curd puffs. “Mm, not bad, not bad!” He holds out the bowl to the two beside him. “Mhm?”

Aang holds a hand up as he pushes the bowl away. “I’m good on puffs.” Y/N just shakes her head. Sokka shrugs in response and continues eating the puffs.

Aang rests his cheek on his fist as he looks over at the door. “So, what do you think they're talking about back there?”

Sokka holds up a puff. “Boring stuff I'm sure. Love, who she's going to marry, how many babies she's going to have.”

Aang nods slowly as his eyes widen slightly. “Yeah, dumb stuff like that…” His fingers lift nervously to his mouth as his eyes shift back and forth. “Well, I've got to find a bathroom.” He gets up and hurries off.

Sokka lies down, relaxing as he puts another puff in his mouth. Momo chitters as Y/N runs her hand down his back lazily. He suddenly jumps up and sneaks over to the bowl, grabbing it and running away. Sokka’s hand feels around for the bowl as he reaches for another puff, opening his eyes in surprise as he realizes it’s gone. He shoots a glare at Y/N as her jaw drops and she raises her hands incredulously.

“It wasn’t me!”

.

Aang tiptoes down the hallway as he heads in the other direction of the bathroom, stopping at the door where Aunt Wu and Katara had entered. He presses his ear to the door expectantly, hearing Aunt Wu’s voice from beyond the wood.

“Your palms are so smooth. Do you use moisturizer?”

Katara’s voice sounds. “Actually, I have this special seaweed lotion. I can get you some if you want.” Aang sticks his tongue out in disgust but pauses when he hears Katara again. “So, do you see anything interesting in my love line?” Aang immediately perks up as he presses closer to the door.

“I feel a great romance for you. The man you are going to marry.”

Katara excitedly exclaims. “Tell me more!”

“I can see that he's a very powerful bender.”

Aang’s eyes widen as he excitedly leaps up, pumping his fist in the air.

.

Sokka picks his teeth as Y/N curls a lock of hair around her finger boredly.

Aang struts back into the room happily as Sokka looks up. “Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break.”

“Yeah... when I was in there…”

The corners of Y/N’s lips turn down in disgust as she holds up a hand to stop him. “We don’t want to know!”

Aunt Wu and Katara walk up behind Aang as they reenter the room.

The fortuneteller places her palms together as she looks over at the seated trio. “Who’s next?”

Y/N glances over at Sokka, the boy still looking away and Aang who keeps smiling. She looks back up at the woman as she shrugs. “I’ll go.”

Katara shoots Y/N a smile as they pass each other.

.

When Y/N steps into the room, the first thing she takes notice of is the fire in the middle, and next a stand filled with bones. Aunt Wu puts a hand out as she gestures to the pillows on the ground.

“Sit.”

Y/N nods, gently lowering herself to sit, legs tucked to the side. Aunt Wu seats herself as well, holding out her hand.

“Oh, right.” Y/N jumps slightly as she quickly puts her hand in the woman’s.

Aunt Wu examines her hand quietly, turning it over with narrowed brows before she looks up at the girl again. “What is it you wish to learn about your future?”

Y/N’s lips part slightly as she looks at her with wide eyes. “Well, I’m not really sure. Can’t you just tell me what you see?”

Aunt Wu hums noncommittally as she just keeps staring at her palm, before looking up at the fire. “Where are you from, girl?”

“Water tribe, Ma’am. Southern.”

Aunt Wu nods, and Y/N’s brows furrow in confusion. Isn’t it her job to tell her about the future? Before her lips can part to ask her what is so odd, Aunt Wu looks her directly in the eye.

“Your mother. She was a water bender?”

“I-“ Y/N’s pupils shake as they search for any sign in the older woman’s eyes. “Yes. But I thought you were going to look into my future. What’s my mother got to do with-“

“And your father?” Aunt Wu quirks a brow.

The flames in between the pair flicker on the side of Y/N’s face as she closes her eyes for a second. “I don’t know. My mother never told me anything about him. My friend’s grandmother, the other girl I’m traveling with, said she kept quiet about it her whole pregnancy. Shut everyone down as soon as they asked.”

Aunt Wu nods mysteriously again as she turns the girl’s hand over again, running her fingertips over the top of her hand. “He is alive.”

Y/N’s eyes shoot open at the words. “What?” She inches closer to the woman eagerly. “Do you know where I can find him?”

“You will find him, in time. Follow the path in front of you, and he will reveal himself to you.”

The corners of the girl’s mouth turn down. “What do you mean?” She thinks for a moment. “Are you saying he’s in the North Pole?”

“The Avatar will lead you to him.”

Y/N scowls even more at the vagueness of her answers as she begins pulling her hand away. “That doesn’t help me at all-“

“I will read your love line now.” Aunt Wu pulls her hand back harshly as she flips her palm over once again, gripping it tightly. “I see a promising future for you.” She runs a finger over the top line on her palm. “You will find a great love in your youth, and then marriage to a sturdy man. Someone you can depend on.”

Y/N’s steeled expression softens a bit. “I’ll marry my great love?”

“You receive what you will for yourself. But, your love doesn’t come cheap. To achieve the great, you will have to sacrifice everything. You will have to sacrifice all that you are.”

It’s as if the flames grow dimmer as the shadows creep over Aunt Wu’s face, her voice unsettlingly low.

.

As the door slides open and Y/N exits the room with Aunt Wu in tow, Katara looks up excitedly, only to falter at the expression on her friend’s face.

“So, what did Aunt Wu see?”

Y/N makes her way over to sit next to Katara, fiddling with her sleeve. “I.. Couldn’t even tell you.”

“Next.”

Sokka rises from his spot as he turns to Aunt Wu. “Okay, let's get this over with.”

“Your future is full of struggle and anguish. Most of it, self-inflicted.” The woman says dryly.

Sokka holds up his hands indignantly. “But you didn't read my palms or anything!”

“I don't need to. It's written all over your face.” Sokka goes back to picking his teeth at Aunt Wu’s words. She holds up a hand to gesture at Aang. “You there, come with me.”

Aang gets up using his airbending, and as they both leave the room, Katara turns back to Y/N.

“Was it that bad?”

Y/N looks over at her and shakes her head slightly. “No, not really. She just kept talking in these weird riddles. I feel like I’m more confused than I was before walking in there.” Her brows furrow again. “She started asking me about my parents.”

Katara’s eyes widen as Sokka turns his head quickly as well. “Your parents? Like mom… And dad?”

Y/N nods quietly to Sokka as she looks down. “Yeah. She said my father is alive.”

Katara puts a hand on her shoulder tentatively. “Well… Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It would have been, if she’d actually told me anything about how I could find him. She just told me to follow the path in front of me. Whatever that means.”

“Well, our path leads to the North Pole. Maybe he’s there!” Katara says excitedly.

“Yeah… maybe.”

The sound of the door sliding open marks the end of their conversation, Aang running out with an unusually happy grin.

.

The entrance door to Aunt Wu’s building slides shut behind the group as they make their way down the street.

“Well, now you got to see for yourselves how fortune telling is just a big, stupid hoax.”

Katara turns to her brother. “You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life.”

Sokka’s voice rises in anger. “That woman is crazy! My life will be calm and happy and joyful!” He kicks a nearby stone that flies through the air, ricocheting off a hanging sign and striking him in the head as he falls to the ground. His finger raises in the air. “That doesn't prove anything!”

Katara rolls her eyes as she smiles humorlessly at the sight. “Well, I liked my predictions.” She clasps her hands together and looks up hopefully. “Certain things are going to turn out very well.”

Aang crosses his arms slyly as he leans in towards Katara. “They sure are…”

Katara turns to the airbender. “Why? What did she tell you?”

“Some stuff. You'll find out.” As Katara shrugs and walks past Aang, he stares after her with a content smile, folding his hands behind his head.

.

In the middle of the village square a large group of townspeople stand around a pagoda, their heads all turned up to gaze at the sky.

Katara stops short next to a man as her eyes raise to the sky as well. “What's with the sky?”

The man keeps his gaze locked on the clouds. “We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village.”

Aang stops next to them as he points up with a smile. “That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny.”

The man snaps his head towards Aang. “You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction.”

Sokka gets in the man’s face as he scowls. “Do you even hear yourself?”

A woman standing in the crowd in front of them pipes up as she gestures up at the mountain. “The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.”

The man beside Sokka holds up a finger. “We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves.” He stops to smile. “But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that.”

Sokka turns to the man incredulously. “I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!”

Katara lays a hand on Sokka’s shoulder as she puts her finger to her mouth. “Shhh! She's coming!”

From behind them, Aunt Wu and her guard, the white-haired man clad in black, make their way up the stairs as the crowd parts for them. Clapping fills the air as Aang and Katara smile when the pair pass the group.

Meng appears next to Aang. “Hey, Aang.” She points up at the sky. “Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?”

Aang shrugs. “Huh? Sure, I guess.” He quickly pushes her away as he turns to Katara. “Hey, Katara, don't you think that cloud look like a flower?”

“Shhh!” Katara frowns as she shushes him harshly.

Aang’s face falls slightly as Y/N shoots an empathetic look at Meng’s back, the girl righting herself silently.

Aunt Wu steps up on a raised platform as the crowd looks up at her expectantly. She folds her arms in front of her before spreading them and lifting them to the sky dramatically. The clouds above form into the shape of an arrow as Aunt Wu looks down at the book in her hand curiously.

“Bending arrow cloud... good crops this year. Nice big harvest.”

A farmer in the crowd throws his arms around an elderly woman gleefully. “Darn good news!”

Wu continues on to another cloud. “Wavy, moon-shaped cloud... let's see.” She pauses thoughtfully, before a smile spreads on her face. “Gonna be a great year for twins!”

A pair of twin boys high-five each other happily. “Yes!”

Aunt Wu looks back up at the sky. “And a cumulus cloud with a twisted nob coming off the end of it…” Her arms lift in the air again as she exclaims. “The village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!”

The crowd erupts in cheers as Aang shifts nervously, turning to Katara. “Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you. I like you, but more than normal.”

Katara grins happily, before she runs off after the fortuneteller, not having heard what Aang said. He slumps sadly at the sight of her retreating back. “Never mind.”

.

Katara walks up to Aunt Wu’s door as she knocks quickly. The door slides open as Katara holds her arms behind her back.

“Hi, Aunt Wu! Sorry to bother you.”

The woman clasps her hands together. “Anytime.”

“About this man I'm supposed to marry…” Katara blushes as she looks down bashfully. “Is he going to be handsome?” Her hands clasp together hopefully. “Oh, I hope he's tall!”

Aunt Wu’s head tilts. “Ah... You want another reading?”

Katara nods eagerly. “Yes, please!”

They both enter the room as the door slides shut.

.

“I can't believe all these saps!” Sokka marches forward angrily as Aang and Y/N follow close behind him. “Someone really needs to scream some sense into them.”

Aang looks up at him. “They seem happy, Sokka.”

Sokka keeps fuming. “Not for long. I'm going to prove Aunt Wu's predictions are nonsense.” He stops as he puts an arm around a man standing nearby’s shoulder. “Hey you, I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn't she?”

The man clasps his hands together hopefully. “Yeah. She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love.”

Y/N leans down to whisper to Aang as she eyes the shoes. “Could have worn red shoes that aren’t ugly.”

Sokka nods shortly, his eyes narrowed. “Uh huh... And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?”

The man smiles sheepishly. “Everyday.”

Sokka’s face turns angrily as he gets in the man’s face. “Then of course it's gonna come true!”

The man surges forward and grabs Sokka’s arms excitedly. “Really? You think so?” He starts walking away. “I’m so excited!”

Sokka watches the man walk away incredulously, before he kicks a rock angrily. It hits a turkey duck as it comes flying, attacking Sokka who flails his arms as he tries to get it off. He crouches over, yelping desperately, and Y/N sighs as she walks over to help him.

“You never learn.”

.

Aunt Wu traces her finger across Katara’s palm. “And then you will have your third great-grandchild before quietly passing away in your sleep.” She looks up unamused. “Is that enough information for you?”

Katara lifts her palm to look at it in wonder. “Wow. Thanks, Aunt Wu.” She gets up from her crosslegged position to leave, but turns back suddenly. “Oh wait, one more thing. How warmly should I dress tomorrow?”

Aunt Wu’s eyebrows raise. “You want me to do a reading for that?”

Katara nods almost crazily, a huge grin spread on her face.

.

Sokka slaps his hands over his face as he stands in front of man. “I don't care what Aunt Wu told you! You have to take a bath sometime!”

The man, covered in dirt and grime just shrugs, grunts and smiles as he walks away. Y/N pinches her nose shut as she slowly eases away from where they are standing, the air still thick with the man’s smell. She turns to a flower stand nearby as she desperately sniffs multiple flowers, the shopkeeper shooting her weird looks.

Aang turns to Sokka. “So, Sokka, you know some stuff about ladies, right?”

Sokka smiles smugly. “Some stuff?” He places his arm around Aang’s shoulders. “You've come to the right place. What can I do you for?”

Aang shifts a bit. “Well, there's this girl.”

In an alleyway a little away, Meng hides behind a barrel as she giggles.

Sokka gaze turns from the direction Meng hides in and back to Aang, nodding. “I think I know who you mean.”

Aang’s eyes widen in surprise as he turns his head to look at Sokka. “You do? And you're okay with it?”

“Of course I am.” Sokka leans in closer to Aang. “And to tell you the truth, I've been picking up a subtle vibe that she likes you, too.”

In the background, Meng waves her hands desperately as she tries to catch Aang’s attention. Aang smiles excitedly. “She does?”

“Oh yeah, she's crazy about you.” Sokka enunciates by tapping Aang on the chest encouragingly. “All you have to do now is not mess it up.”

Aang furrows his brows. “Well, how do I do that?”

“The number one mistake nice guys like you make: being too nice.” Sokka shakes his head.

“You can be too nice?”

“Yep. If you want to keep her interested, you have to act aloof, like you don't really care one way or the other.” Sokka says as Y/N stops trying to clear her nostrils by the flower stand, hurrying over at her friend’s words.

“Aang, don’t listen to hi-“ Sokka slaps a hand over her mouth as Aang nods unsurely.

“Well, okay…” Y/N’s wide eyes try desperately to catch Aang’s as she struggles against Sokka’s hold around her shoulders and mouth.

Meng approaches Aang, her hands held behind her back. “Hey, Aang, I was wondering-“

“See you later…” He waves a hand casually and walks away, making Meng slump sadly as she sighs.

Sokka stares after Aang, impressed. “Wow, that kid is good.”

Y/N finally manages to rip Sokka’s hand off her face as she glares at him. “Why are you giving him advice? I don’t see a girl on your arm.”

Sokka tightens his arm around her shoulder as he grins. “Well, actually-“

He lets out an ‘oof’ and keels over as Y/N punches him in the side.

.

Aunt Wu impatiently shoves Katara out the front door. “And you'll be fine as long as you've got a scarf. Bye-bye now.”

Katara turns to Aunt Wu just before she closes the doors. “Okay, okay, but one more thing.”

Aunt Wu blinks, before she puts a hand to her forehead and surrenders. “Alright, what is it?”

Katara puts her hand to her chin in thought. “Should I eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Papaya!” Aunt Wu angrily slams the door shut.

Katara kicks at the ground as she sulks. “Aww, I hate papaya.”

“Oh, hey, Katara. I didn't see you there.” Aang leans against a window to Katara’s left as he looks at her nonchalantly.

Katara barely spares him a glance as she keeps walking. “Hey, Aang.”

He pushes off the window at the half-hearted response and cups his hand around his mouth as he shouts after her. “That's okay. I'm busy with my own stuff.”

He stands in silence for a moment before a turkey duck flies over and lands near him. He turns his head, locking eyes with the turkey duck as it breaks the silence with a quack.

.

Katara looks over all different kinds of fruit at a fruit stand in the square, before her gaze falls on a papaya, her face scrunching in dismay. “Ugh, papaya please.”

She reaches out to grab the papaya from the shopkeeper’s hand as Aang casually walks up to her, Momo perched on his shoulder. “So… Papaya.”

Katara nods. “Uh huh. Would you like some?”

Aang leans on the stand as he picks up an apple. “You know me. I don't really care what I eat.”

Katara turns as she starts walking away. “Okay, then. See you later.”

Aang follows her with his eyes as she leaves, taking a bite of the apple only to spit it out in disgust. “Maybe aloof isn't my style.”

His gaze turns to a man and the woman from Aunt Wu’s building who had talked with Meng. The man holds something out to the woman as she gasps delightedly. “Oh, a panda lily!”

As the couple embrace each other, Aang’s eyes widen. He turns to Momo, impressed. “Did you see that?” Momo chitters in response as Aang hurries over to the couple, slithering beneath their intertwined arms and breaking them apart as he forces himself right between.

“Excuse me.” He points to the flower. “Where can a guy find one of those things?”

.

Y/N shields her eyes as Aang boosts himself over another rock, fingers gripping the stone beneath her hands tightly and pushing herself up.

Sokka grunts as he does the same beside her. “I can't believe you're dragging us all the way up here for a stupid flower.”

Aang looks down as he holds his staff in his right hand. “Not just any flower, a panda lily. I've seen it in action and boy, does it work.”

Y/N turns to look at Sokka quickly. “I think it’s cute. And you could use a hike, chubby.”

Sokka’s jaw drops as he looks over at Y/N who moves further up the mountain. “I am not chubby!” Receiving no response, he glares up at the girl, now stood beside Aang with a hand on her hip. “Also, flowers are fine once you're married, but at this early stage, it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness.”

“But my heart is telling me to get this flower,” Aang turns his head to look at the rim of the volcano. “and Aunt Wu said if I trusted in my heart, I will be with the one I love.”

Y/N resists the urge to pinch his cheeks as a smile creeps up on the airbender’s lips unknowingly. It was obvious to anyone that Aang had a crush on Katara.

Sokka’s grating voice interrupts her thoughts. “What? Don't tell me you believe in that stuff, too.”

“Well, Aunt Wu hasn't been wrong yet. Why should she be wrong about love?” Aang leaps up another of the large rocks and as he lands he points a finger at the top. “There! On the rim!”

Y/N follows his lead and spots the flowers before she reaches the opening of the volcano, smiling lightly at his back. “Oh, these are beautiful. She’s going to love it, Aang.”

Aang doesn’t respond, and her brows furrow as she steps up another rock, settling next to the boy. Her smile drops, eyes widening at the sight as Aang stares down the volcano in horror, Sokka stopping beside the pair.

“Oh no.” The lava bubbles beneath as Aang blinks at the smoke in his eyes. “Aunt Wu was wrong.”

His fingers uncurl around the panda lily, the flower gently floating down and disappearing in a burst of flames.

“Those people all think they're safe! We've got to warn them!”

Aang shakes his head at Sokka. “There's no time to walk!” He unfolds his glider. “Grab on!” Before Y/N and Sokka can react, Aang takes hold of them and flies off, down the volcano.

.

They land with a bit of a rough landing, righting themselves and looking up to see Katara pace around in front of Aunt Wu’s building.

As they approach the girl, Aang shyly lifts his hand to wave. “Hi, Katara.”

Katara rounds on them, annoyance radiating off her. “Can you believe she won't let me in? And after all the business I've given her?”

Aang tilts his head confusedly. “But she doesn't even charge.”

“I know, but still…”

Sokka steps towards his sister. “Well, we have other things to worry about. Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano.”

Katara raises her finger as her brows furrow. “Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my mind-“

She stops mid sentence when she’s lurched forward a bit, a large explosion sounding not too long after, and the ground rumbling beneath them. Katara turns her head to look up at the volcano, grey smoke pouring out at the top.

“Oh no…”

All the villagers keep mingling around them, not paying any mind to the rapidly increasing smoke at the top of the mountain. Sokka turns to a group in front of them as he tries to urge them along.

“Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second! Aunt Wu was wrong!”

A woman in a light green dress holds her hands together in front of her, the sleeves covering them as she scoffs out a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, we know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. science and reason lover.”

Katara steps forward to defend her brother. “If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother, Y/N and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes.”

An elderly man beside the woman steps forward as well. “Well, I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears.”

Y/N buries her face into her hands as she breathes in deeply. Sokka looks over and puts his hand on her back, shaking his head at the antics.

Aang leaps up onto the roof of a nearby building using his airbending as he imploringly looks out at the villagers. “Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction,” The villagers all gaze up at him silently, seemingly listening. “you have to take fate into your own hands!”

Another larger explosion sounds as it rustles the villagers, the volcano emitting even larger plumes of smoke.

“Look!” Sokka throws his finger up to point at the volcano. “Can your fortune telling explain that?”

The man with red shoes from earlier grins at Sokka, as if the answer is obvious. “Can your science explain why it rains?”

The tips of Sokka’s ears turn red as he angrily turns to the man. “Yes! Yes, it can!”

The villagers around them all disperse as Katara and Y/N shoot each other a look. Katara’s shoulders slump as she looks up at Aang, the boy watching the villagers go silently. “They just won't listen to reason.”

Aang leaps down from the roof suddenly. “But they will listen to Aunt Wu!”

Sokka huffs out a sigh. “I know, that's the problem.”

Aang only smiles. “Well, it's about to become the solution. We're taking fate in our own hands. First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book.”

.

Sokka, Y/N and Katara all casually stand around outside the entrance to Aunt Wu’s building, Sokka’s lips spreading in a big innocent smile as a villager walks by.

Aang sneaks his way down the rooftop, landing on a perch just outside a door on the second floor.

.

Aang makes his way inside Aunt Wu’s chamber, opening various drawers and looking inside to find the book. Momo chirps on his shoulder as he opens another one. Aang turns to his lemur hurriedly as he whispers.
“Shhh! We don't want anyone to hear us.” He keeps snooping around, a mirror above his bowed head suddenly showing a girl’s reflection, her hair standing out at the sides of her head. Aang lifts his head, jumping as he sees Meng in the mirror.

He stands up straight, Momo hiding behind his back. “Oh, I didn't see you there.”

Meng’s face hangs sadly. “You don't like me, do you?”

Aang blinks in confusion. “Of course I like you.”

Meng grows more downcast at his words. “But not the way I like you.”

“Oh… I guess not.”

Meng sighs. “It's okay. It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way.”

Aang’s eyes lower as he casts a sad glance to the side. “I know what you mean.”

“She's beautiful, by the way.”

“Huh?” Aang’s attention snaps back to Meng as he blushes.

“That Water Tribe girl. I can see why you like her so much.” She holds up her fingers as she counts on them. “She's sweet, she's a bender and her hair seems so manageable.” She raises her hands up to try and smooth down her braids, only for them to stick up straight immediately.

“Don't worry. You're going to meet a great guy who's going to completely fall for you.” Aang puts his hands on her shoulders comfortingly. “I know it.”

Meng smiles sadly. “Thanks.” As Aang turns to leave, she holds up her hand to stop him. “Wait! Don't you want this?”

Aang’s eyes widen as she pulls out the cloud reading book. “How did you know?”

Meng nervously fiddles with her fingers. “I've kind of been stalking you.” She smiles sheepishly. “Heh…”

Aang blushes awkwardly as he slowly brings his hand up to grab the book. “Oh, thanks… I guess.”

.

Y/N curls a strand of her hair around a finger absentmindedly as she waits for Katara and Aang to shift the clouds into the symbol for volcanic doom. She sees movement up in the sky, the clouds slowly following the dark shape of a sky bison flying around.

Her eyes drop from the sky to the plaza in front of her just as a boy dressed in a green robe steps in front of her line of sight, his eyes trained on her own. She furrows her brows as she tries to look elsewhere, but feels eyes on her still. Every time she turns her head to see if he’s still ogling her way, their eyes meet shortly.

She looks up again, the clouds slowly being changed into something she can recognize. Shouldn’t be long now. But, the chills down her back from knowing someone is looking at you persist.

Y/N sends another uneasy glance in the boy’s direction, just as he’s turning back from talking to his group of friends, all patting him on the back and shoving him forward. He’s walking now, eyes locked on her.

As he gets closer and closer, bearing a confident smirk, Y/N sighs. “Oh, boy. Here we go.” Y/N brings a hand up to cover her face as he stops in front of her, using a hand to lean against the wall next to her.

“Hey, you’re new in town. Right?” He’s tall and tan and has that rugged earthbender look that she supposes isn’t too terrible to look at. Any time now though, Aang and Katara will finish up their part, and then it’ll be go time for Sokka. She sighs and moves her hand down her face, shooting him a quick smile.

“Yeah, I am. Not staying too long, though.” She tries to sound as uninterested as possible. As luck seems to have it, though, he doesn’t seem to catch the hint.

“That’s too bad. We don’t get many new faces around here.” He flexes a bit, standing up straighter. “Well, I’m Saikhan. What’s your name?”

She really doesn’t have time for pleasantries, and by the looks of it, some of the other villagers have already caught on to the changing clouds. Her eyes shift nervously back and forth between Saikhan’s deep green eyes and the dark clouds.

“I’m Y/N.” She shifts her gaze from this boy’s eyes to the skull shape taking form in the clouds. Behind Saikhan, she can see Sokka looking her way, taking a look at the clouds, and then sending her a nod. He strides over to Aunt Wu’s pagoda, says something to her Y/N can’t make out from here, then points up. Go time.

“That’s a gorgeous name. Where from? The Northern Water Tri-“ He’s moving closer, and Aunt Wu has just put her hands in front of her mouth in shock.

“Yeah, exactly! Well, nice to meet you, Saikhun. See you!” She moves away from the wall so fast she doesn’t catch his shocked expression or the teasing jeers of his friends who’d been watching.

“We still can save the village if we act fast.” Aang is standing in front of the large crowd of villagers. He gestures over to Sokka. “Sokka has a plan.”

Sokka looks out to the crowd, making motions with his hands as he explains. “Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot. If we can dig a deep enough trench we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river.”

Y/N politely shoves her way through the crowd, coming up to stand next to Sokka and Aang. Aang grabs his staff. “If any of you are earthbenders, come with me.”

From the crowd, a tan hand shoots up in the air. “I’m an earthbender!”

Poi’s twin, Ping, raises his hand as well. “I’m not!”

“Everybody else grab a shovel!” An explosion rattles the ground, making everyone stumble to catch their balance again. Sokka waves a hand. “Come on! We’ve gotta hurry!”

The swarm of people all quickly disperse, cries of urgency and sounds of shovels clanking together filling the darkened air. A cloud of ash has covered the clouds as the volcano keeps sputtering in the distance.

.

Twilight came too fast, the ash in the air aiding in making it hard to see even 20 feet ahead. Townspeople and earthbenders work together to dig the trench deeper, while Y/N grabs Appa’s reins and leads him to the edge of the trench, a rope around his body carrying large boulders. Another loud explosion sounds, sending lava into the air and beneath the pair, Sokka looks up.

“Dig faster! Dig faster!” The townspeople surrounding Sokka all gawk at the lava, before they resume digging even faster.

Aang uses a burst of air to leap up onto the edge of the trench, lava steadily flowing down the side of the volcano behind him. “Everyone needs to evacuate! We'll come for you when it's safe!” All the villagers drop their shovels, running while Momo flies to Aang, carrying a rock. He places it on the edge of the trench, before crawling up on Aang’s shoulder.

.

The explosions are getting closer to each other now, all sending more lava spluttering into the air. It’s slowly but surely making its way down through the forest and creeping closer to the trench in front of the village.

The heat is scalding even from this distance as Aang, Y/N, Katara and Sokka face the oncoming lava. It casts an orange glow on their faces, ash in the air as they look up anxiously.

The lava consumes all in its path, including the gate they’d walked in through and headstones that disappear beneath the golden liquid. It reaches the trench, quickly filling it up. The lava keeps pouring, and Katara looks down at it.

“It's too much! It's gonna overflow!”

Another explosions rocks the village, a bigger splutter of lava than ever flying out of the peak. The explosion shoots burning rocks into the air, all descending down on the ground beneath. Katara, Y/N and Sokka all turn around and run, but Aang stays still, facing the downpour. A huge boulder falls out of the sky, landing with such a big splash it throws a fountain of lava that causes a wave to rush towards the village. Aang rushes forward, brows furrowed in determination just as the wave hits the trench and makes a wall of lava that reaches triple his height. He leaps into the air, drawing in huge amounts of air as he descends towards the ground. He blows the air at the wall of lava, and breathes in deeply, before he breathes out, hitting the lava and hardening it to stone. His shoulders fall as he relaxes, bringing his hands over his head and down, exhaling.

Katara, Y/N and Sokka all watch in shock at the massive wall, spanning the entire front of the village. Aang stands with his back to them, while Sokka looks up at him in newfound awe.

“Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is.”

Katara’s face falls slightly as she thinks back to Aunt Wu’s prediction. “Wait, what did you just say?”

Sokka shrugs. “Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender.”

Aang’s clothes blow with the hot air from the lava, as Katara’s eyes slowly widen. “I suppose he is.”

.

The volcano has smoke coming out of the top, but the explosions have ceased and the sky lightened. The wall Aang had procured out of the lava stands tall in front of the village, birds perching on the top.

The villagers have once again gathered at the square, where Aang stands in front of Aunt Wu sheepishly. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.”

Aunt Wu unfolds her arms as she grabs the book out of his hands. “So you messed with the clouds, did you?” Behind Aang, Katara and Y/N both send her guilty glances, while Sokka gestures to the girls with an equally guilty smile on his face.

The down turned corners of Aunt Wu’s lips suddenly lift. “Very clever!”

Sokka has somehow made his way to stand on the pagoda. “No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling.”

A man from the crowd smiles as he lifts a finger. “But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all.”

Sokka gets all up in the man’s face as he mutters through gritted teeth. “I hate you.”

Y/N walks up and grabs Sokka by the shoulders as she slowly leads him away. “It’s okay, Sokka. Everything’s going to be alright.”

Aang turns from the pair to Aunt Wu again. “Can I ask you something?”

Aunt Wu smiles down at him. “Of course, honey.”

Aang’s head drops slightly as he stares down at the ground. “You didn't really see love in my fortune, did you? You just told me what I wanted to hear.”

“I'll tell you a little secret, young airbender.” Aunt Wu gestures to the sky. “Just as you reshaped those clouds, you have the power to shape your own destiny.” The words bring a smile back to the airbender’s face.

Katara grabs Appa’s reins in her hand while she waves at the villagers below. “Goodbye everyone! It was so nice to meet you!” Aang airbends himself onto the saddle as Katara smiles down at Meng. “Take care, Meng.”

Meng has a big smile on her lips as she waves back. “Take care!” Appa groans a bit and turns away, while the smile on Meng’s face drops immediately.

“Floozy.”