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Sokka has traveled a lot in his life, definitely more than most people ever would. And he loves seeing different places and meeting new people; loves that his work takes him all over the world. But there’s something about being home that will never grow old, especially now as he sits near the fire with his husband and his daughter, all three of them huddled close and enjoying Zuko’s heat.
He knows Zuko loves it here, too. Probably would like to spend more time here, if he could, away from the stress and hustle of the palace, free to simply be Zuko , and not Firelord Zuko .
And Izumi is happy as ever here, especially when Katara and Aang are around and she gets to play with her cousins. Sokka didn’t realize how much he would enjoy seeing her here, watching her grow and learn and experience so many things that Sokka never got the chance to in his own childhood.
Now that she’s five, she’s incredibly curious and inquisitive. She wants to devour the world and know about everything in it. Zuko always says she reminds him of Sokka, in that way.
Izumi spends her days here trying out all kinds of things, asking questions, and playing with the other kids. She’s already surpassed him in her weaving skills and has recently been begging to come along for a hunting trip. Sokka loves seeing her here, thriving and confident.
Tonight, Sokka’s little family sits beneath the stars. It’s a clear, windy night. Izumi’s cheeks are pink with the cold, and the hood of her atayuq keeps falling down and exposing her ears to the chilly night air.
Izumi, as usual, asks for a story.
In the Fire Nation, that’s usually Zuko’s department. He has scrolls and scrolls of his favorite plays, and has been reading them to Izumi since she was a baby. Sokka’s pretty sure all three of them have Love Amongst the Dragons memorized by this point.
But here in the Southern Water Tribe, the role of storyteller falls to Sokka’s shoulders, not that he minds.
He points upwards, singling out a cluster of stars.
“See those three stars together? Those are the Qimmit , the fox-dogs. They’re hunting Nanurjuk , the great big polar bear.”
“Wow,” Izumi gasps. Zuko smiles, rubbing her shoulders.
Sokka continues: “Once, long ago, four men went hunting after a polar bear, Nanurjuk. Nanurjuk was so strong and fast that he was able to climb into the sky. The four men followed with their fox-dogs. It was an incredible chase. One of the men dropped his mitten, and decided to leave the group and search for it. He left the sky, and the three men continued their chase.
Nanurjuk was fast, but so were the Qimmit, and the hunters soon caught up with him. But Nanurjuk was also clever, and powerful; he knew if he tricked them, the hunters would give up. So, he quickly shed his bearskin, and transformed into an owl.
Suddenly changed, Nanurjuk was able to escape, the three hunters trailing behind him. When he was far enough away, he turned back into a bear, safe.”
“Did they ever come back to Earth?” Izumi asks.
“No, they got stuck up there. See, those three stars? Those are the Ullaktut , the runners. And above them? Nanurjuk.”
“Wow,” Izumi says again, staring up at the sky in awe. Sokka tugs her hood back up and glances over at Zuko, who’s looking down at her, fondness in his eyes. Sokka brings a knuckle up to Zuko’s cheek, a soft, teasing nudge to let him know he’s been caught staring. Zuko looks back at him, sheepish but smiling, and Sokka can’t resist leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Papa?”
“Yes, honey?”
“You tell so many stories about the stars. What about the moon?”
Sokka looks back up at the sky. The moon is nearly full tonight, beautiful and bright. Zuko places a hand gently on his back, and Sokka appreciates him so, so much.
“The moon is a very special spirit, Izumi. She’s a good friend of mine.”
Izumi whips her head around in delighted shock. “You know the moon?”
“I do,” Sokka smiles. “Her name is Yue, and when you’re a bit older, I’ll tell you all about her, okay?”
Izumi nods, her wide smile revealing the two missing front teeth she’d lost last week. She turns back up to the sky, and Sokka pulls her closer, letting her lean against him as she gazes upwards. Zuko moves in a bit closer, too, and gently warms the air so that they could stay out there all night, had they wanted to.
Sokka smiles, warmth in his chest. There’s absolutely nothing that could be better than this, he thinks. At home, under the stars, the two people he loves most in the world cuddled up against him. The night air cold, but the three of them together, warm.