Author's Note: If you don't remember, pygmy pumas are the cat-like creatures that followed Momo around in Tales of Ba Sing Se.

I didn't know what to categorize it as. It's not completely funny, and it's not exactly romantic, so... yeah. General. But it satisfies me. D

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

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Toph's Secret

"Do we need mangoes, Toph?" Katara asked, rummaging through a rather heavy cart.

"I dunno. Sokka?"

The warrior shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Wow. You guys are a really big help." She picked up one of the fruits, examining it closely. "I think we're out. I haven't seen anyone eat any in the last few days," she reasoned.

"Ma'am, I hate to rush you, but you're holding up the customers." The vendor didn't sound like he hated to rush them. Katara threw Sokka and Toph quick, annoyed-looking glances as if to tell them that they were responsible for how long she was taking. In truth, however, it was because she just couldn't decide which ones to get.

"I'll... I'll take these four," Katara murmured, a little embarrassed. Sokka gave her a few bronze coins and she paid the man, who didn't seem at all thrilled to have them in the marketplace in the first place. Then she stuck the mangoes in her near-empty basket (they hadn't bought much earlier - losing Joo Dee had taken up most of their time) and scurried to the next stand.

Sokka, Katara and Toph had evaded Joo Dee some time ago. For a while she had seemed unshakable, but apparently the maze of carts and pedestrians was a little useful. Aang was off searching for Appa (for, what, the ninth time that week?). Katara had cheerily suggested that instead of staying cooped up in their house, they step out for some fresh air. "Besides," she'd said, "we need supplies." Any fresh air they had hoped to get, however, had been smothered by Joo Dee's close supervision, and until recently they hadn't believed it possible to make the woman "disappear."

Katara began a meticulous inspection on a bunch of bananas while Sokka bent down to pick up a rolling coin. It was at this moment that Aang chose to come swooping down to greet them, and, unfortunately, Sokka's coin rolled right under where Aang had planned on landing... the crash was, of course, terribly unpleasant.

"Are you guys okay?" Katara asked, her voice holding no emotion but sympathy and concern. She had left her bunch of bananas with the merchant, but he took little heed to her absence and instead took the next customer.

"Ack... watch the leg! ...Aang, what the heck was that? How about a little warning next time?"

"Sorry," Aang said sheepishly. He threw an apologetic glance at the people he had bumped into (or knocked over, depending on how dangerously close they had been) and shook himself off. "That could have gone better."

"Ya think?"

"Any luck?" Katara asked, completely ignoring Sokka as she quickly grabbed her bunch of bananas and stuffed it in her basket. She tossed a few coins at the merchant and he grunted.

"No," Aang replied, his voice now sounding deflated.

"Don't worry, you'll find him," Katara reassured, giving him a quick one-armed hug. "Hey, Toph? Do you know if we have-"

"Um, Katara? Toph's not here," Aang pointed out.

Katara gave him a quizzical look, then said, "Of course she's..." Her voice faded as she looked around and saw no sign of their earthbending companion.

"Oh, great," Sokka murmured. "We lost Toph. Nice going, Katara."

"It's not my fault! Besides, we've just been standing here. I don't think we lost her; I think she ditched us."

"Well, whatever happened to her, I hope we can all agree that it was your fault. After all, you were the one who suggested we go on this 'outing' in the first place."

"You were supposed to be watching her!"

"What am I, her babysitter? Besides... I got distracted."

"By what?"

Sokka looked at her and, though reluctantly, held out his hand. The shiny coin that he'd bent to pick up glistened in his palm, and he didn't think it was possible for Katara to look any angrier.

The waterbender breathed to calm her nerves.

"I suggest we split up," Aang said.

Katara shook her head. "I think we should stick together so that the rest of us don't get lost."

"Well, how about I fly on my glider and you and Sokka can look around the market?"

"I... that sounds okay, I guess. Sokka? What do you think?"

This time both of them looked around, but not a person in blue could be seen.

"Not Sokka, too! Fine. Just great. Okay, we'll search separately - I'll take the ground, you take the sky. It shouldn't be hard to spot Sokka. He's the only one wearing blue. Maybe then he'll lead us to Toph, or at least get us started on a trail. Got it?"

"Got it," Aang agreed.

The two parted ways to look for their companions.

---

Toph jerked her head around. "I know I heard it... augh, I hate the constant footsteps... it's worse than rain! Ugh... wait... there!" Toph took off in the direction of a soft, nearly inaudible sound.

She had, in fact, ditched her friends. The marketplace wasn't her style anyway, and the continuing pitter-patter of feet on her vision was annoying. She should have been used to it, but they hadn't been to many places with lots of people, and only when her parents had hosted parties had she ever felt so many footsteps as she did regularly now that her friends had taken her in.

She had left for those reasons, and for the fact that she had heard something. She wasn't a hundred percent sure what it was, but she had a good idea...

There it was again! This time a low growl had been emitted from... where? Toph turned onto an abandoned street. Rainwater from the night before had gathered in puddles and she stepped in them, hoping to frighten away any predators from her desired target.

"Hey!"

A fully-grown pygmy puma yanked its head to look at the cause of the noise and, seeing that Toph was a whole lot bigger than itself, ran down an alley.

"Aw," Toph murmured in a hushed voice. She approached the small creature slowly and carefully. "Did you lose your mama? No, no, here... it's okay, I won't hurt you..."

---

Sokka glanced around. How in the world could Toph disappear so fast? He didn't see her anywhere in the whole marketplace. Why would she just go off like that? She hadn't even told anyone where she was going! What if something happened to her?

He turned the coin in his hand. What would make Toph think it was okay for her to leave them without saying anything?

"Okay, apparently she's not here. And I don't think she knows the way home from here, so... where?" He turned onto a different street. This one didn't have as many people, but a few carts were still set up. It was plain to see that Toph wasn't there.

He saw a shadow on the ground and slid closer to a building so that its awning might shield him from view. He didn't want Aang to find him just yet - not until Toph was found, and he did kind of feel responsible. If he hadn't picked up that blasted coin, she wouldn't have had the chance to leave without him watching.

He was about to turn another corner when he heard something. Was that...? No, it couldn't be. But the longer he waited, the more Toph-like the voice sounded. And it was cooing! Speaking as if it were talking to a baby. No way. No way...

He turned the corner. The kneeling figure turned toward him immediately, obviously startled. "Snoozles?"

"So it is you!"

"Of course it's me! Does anyone else call you Snoozles? If so, I'd like to know-"

"No, I meant the... way you were talking," Sokka said lamely, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh." Even from where he was standing, he could see the blush on her cheeks. "Well, uh, don't just stand there, then. C'mere."

He obeyed - what else could he do? - and approached Toph. She was holding something...

"What the heck is that?" Sokka demanded.

"It's a baby pygmy puma. And don't talk so loud, you idiot! You'll scare it!"

"But- wha..." He lowered his voice. "So, what? You like animals?"

"No."

"Then why'd you go so far out of your way to get... that?"

"This," Toph said, obviously annoyed by the way he was referring to the creature in her arms, "is a pygmy puma. And it's not a that. It's a girl, and she doesn't like you very much." Toph stroked the cat-like animal. "She lost her mama, and she was about to be eaten, thank you very much."

"So you do like animals."

"No."

"Fine. Of course not. What was I thinking?" Sokka muttered. He grinned, ever-so-slightly. Toph had never struck him as the type to be an animal-lover. "You know, Katara's never going to allow that thing in the house."

Toph glared at him. "I know that."

"Then why are you bonding with it? The longer you stay with it, the harder it will be to leave it out here."

"I'm not leaving it out here," Toph said decidedly.

Sokka gave her a quizzical look that she couldn't see. "Then... what are you going to do with it?"

"Katara would never let it in the house. But if she doesn't know we have it, she can't keep it out."

"Oh, no," he said. "You said 'we,' and there is no 'we.' There is a you, Toph, because you are definitely not dragging me into this."

"C'mon, Sokka. Please?"

"No."

"Fine. But if you tell Katara-"

"-which I will have to-"

"-then I'll tell her what actually happened to the front door. No, Katara, it wasn't hose crazy kids down the street. Sokka was-"

"Okay, okay. Fine." He glared at the animal Toph was holding. "But what if she finds out?"

"Then I'll just say it was all your idea."

"Wow. Great plan," Sokka muttered.

Toph nodded approvingly, then stood up. "Of course, when we finally do leave Ba Sing Se, we will have to leave her. I hope you don't get too attached."

"Me? Attached? To that?" Sokka shook his head. "Not a chance. So... can I name her?"

Toph looked at him as though he had suggested they jump off a bridge. "You, the guy who named a saber-tooth mooselion... what was it?"

"Foo Foo Cuddly Poops," Sokka supplied.

"Right. Never, at any point in my life that I know you, will you ever name anything. Ever." She held the kitten close. "I haven't decided on a name. But when I get one, you'll be the first to know."

"Great."

They started walking out of the alley, then Toph said menacingly, "If you ever tell anyone what you saw here today..."

"You mean... with the baby-talk, and the creature, and the-"

"Yes," she hissed. "If you ever so much as squeak a word to anyone at all, even to me, then you will regret ever being born. Got it?"

Sokka nodded, not about to disagree with the self-proclaimed earthbending prodigy. "Got it."

"Good." Toph held Sokka back (had he stepped forward, he would have ran into a rather displeased-looking woman), then gently laid the creature in his bag. "Don't close that. She needs air. And get her something to eat later. But right now we have to make an appearance to Katara or else she'll go insane. C'mon, let's go."

Sokka began to walk, but Toph stopped him. "And remember... not a word. At all."

"Right. Pygmy puma? What pygmy puma? I haven't seen any-"

"Just let me do the talking," Toph interrupted.

"'K."

Toph brushed away the fur that she was sure to be covered in and walked back onto the street. Katara was close by, and she'd undoubtedly have Aang searching the skies for them, so it was only a matter of time before...

"Toph! Thank goodness, where have you been?"

"I just heard some music and went to find the source. I guess it was my imagination." She shrugged.

"We were so worried..."

Sokka smirked as Toph was washed in concerned comments and lecturing remarks. It had been a productive day, after all. He had learned something about Toph - animals! She liked animals. He knew it wasn't a coincidence that Momo stuck to her so much. He would have never guessed, though, that Toph was an animal person. "Caring" wasn't one of the words he would use to describe Toph, but apparently, there was more to her than he knew.

He suddenly wondered what other secrets she had that he didn't know about, and if he would ever have the chance to learn them all.

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Author's Note: Yep. Toph likes animals. Who knew? ;D Review!