"Aang?" Katara asked. Katara approaches Aang, who is looking out over the ocean. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Nah. Just a nightmare." He pauses. "I was in the Avatar state, but I was outside my body watching myself. It was scary. I was scary."
Katara puts her hand on Aang's shoulder and looks out over the ocean.
…
Master Pakku is on the deck of the ship with several other men from the Northern Water Tribe. He reaches into a bag and pulls out a triangle-shaped amulet.
"Katara, I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis. The water has unique properties. Don't lose it.
"Thank you, Master Pakku."
She embraces him and then walks off screen. Aang steps forward and Master Pakku produces an intricately-decorated brown box.
"Aang, these scrolls will help you master water bending, but remember they're no substitute for a real master."
Aang looks up at Katara, who is on top of Appa, and leaves as Sokka steps forward.
"Sokka. Take care, son."
Pakku pats Sokka's arm, giving him nothing. Sokka's expression becomes very dejected and embarrassed. He walks towards Appa and Ari and Cadi bow in time with each other like they always have.
"Pleasure to meet you Master Pakku, I hope it won't be too long before we are greeted with such a pleasure." Cadi smiled. She had a way with words whether they are good or bad.
"There is only one thing I could ever give the Prince and Princess of the Earth Lord." He paused. "I will send him a message explaining how well you are and that you should be returning home safely any time." Pakku bowed and Ari and Cadi smiled.
"Thank you." Ari bowed again and walked towards Appa.
"Not to be asking too much of your already highly appreciated kindness, but could you please ask my father if a girl, Kyoki, is still in waiting for her fiancé?"
"Yes, I will." He smiled and they bowed.
"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There you'll be safe to begin your earth bending training with King Bumi."
"Appa, yip yip!"
Aang pulls the reigns and Appa lifts off.
"Say hi to Gran Gran for me!"
…
Iroh is content, as he receives a massage from two attendants. "Aaahhh... this is what I've been missing. Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?"
He casts a glance at Zuko and walks over to sit beside him on the floor.
"I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?"
Zuko's face is still hidden under the wide-brimmed hat.
"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all." He looks up suddenly. "I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, and I want my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless."
"I'm sure he doesn't! Why would he banish you if he didn't care?"
Zuko gets up and walks away.
"Erg... that came out wrong, didn't it?"
…
Two lines of red armor-clad Fire Nation soldiers are standing on the deck, and fall to their knees as the elaborate cabin opens at the edge of the ship. Four servants are carrying a curtained platform between the lines of soldiers. They stop at the top of the stairs and pull apart the curtains, revealing Azula. She raises a hand, and then looks at the two rows. They rise and she begins to walk between them.
"My brother and my uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us. You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family; I understand. But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will not hesitate to bring you down. Dismissed."
The troops quickly run off to the left, and a lone soldier approaches
"Princess, I'm afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship in to port before nightfall."
She turns and walks to the left as she speaks.
"I'm sorry, Captain, but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me?
"Of course, Your Highness."
"Do the tides command this ship?"
"Uh... I'm afraid I do not understand."
"You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in. Do the tides command this ship?"
"No, Princess."
"And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?"
"No, Princess."
She pushes a strand of hair from her face, then turns around while speaking.
"Well, then, maybe you should worry less about the tides who've already made up their mind about killing you and worry more about me, who's still mulling it over."
"I'll pull us in." The captain bows respectfully and runs off toward the cabin. Azula glares at him as he leaves.
…
Sokka leans on the edge looking bored, then suddenly stands up, looking excited. A circular, walled tower comes into view.
"There it is!" Sokka exclaimed.
Appa flew down toward it. Appa lands inside.
"Welcome, Avatar Aang! "
Sokka is stretching, Katara and Cadi are bringing their supplies down from Appa, and Ari is going through his things looking for nothing in particular and Aang rubbing his behind. They stop and look up at the General Fong. Fong bows along with numerous soldiers behind him, then spreads his arms in greeting.
"I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes! (Cut to the heroes as he mentions their names.) Appa, Momo, two brave men, Sokka and Ariston, the mighty two female water benders, Katara and Arcadia.
""Mighty Katara"? I like that."
Fireworks explode behind them, and the three turn to look at them. A group of four Earth benders step forward, lifting small, green orbs from the ground and launching them into the air with their fists.
"Not bad, not bad." Ari said.
…
The room is large, with green-lit columns on each side of a central walkway. A desk is seen at the far end, with a large banner showing a green circle and a brown square inside of it hanging from the ceiling. The five of them sit in the center of the room on mats, with Fong at the desk.
"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."
"I try not to think about it too much." Aang says humbly.
"Avatar... you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."
He seems content at first, but his expression quickly changes to one of surprised disbelief.
"What? No I'm not!" Aang said alarmed.
"Aang still needs to master all four elements." Katara stated.
"Why? With the kind of power he possesses—power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes—he could defeat the Fire Lord now!" Fong is getting more worked up as he speaks.
"But, sir, the thing is Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar state." Ari said.
"See, it's this special state where—" Aang kept going on with Ari's thoughts.
He interrupts heatedly. "I'm well aware. Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores. But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation.
"Right... but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar state, much less what to do once I'm there."
"So it's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state, and then you'll face your destiny."
The five stand up. Sokka and Aang look surprised while Katara, Ari and Cadi seem angry.
"No, nothing's decided. We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing his destiny his way."
"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?"
Fong and Aang walk over to a circular window overlooking two orange-roofed buildings. A large crowd is standing outside one.
"That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying, Aang! You could end it, now! Think about it."
…
Azula is on her battle ship and she's in the middle of lightning bending practice. The sun is setting in the background. Azula stands on the deck and brings her arms down in front of her. Azula swings an arm around, electricity sparking from her left hand. She brings it around in a circle, and then begins to mimic the motion with her right hand, electricity shooting from her index and middle fingers. She brings her fingers together, and then lunges forward, launching a lightning bolt from her left hand. The lightning arcs over the edge of the ship.
"Almost perfect."
"One hair out of place."
Azula glares angrily at the one strand of hair. She wipes it from her eyes.
"'Almost' isn't good enough!"
She begins the training again and shoots lighting wherever she pleases.
…
"General Fong?" Aang said.
Fong looks up, smiling. Come in, Aang. Have you thought about our discussion?"
"I'm in. I'll fight the Fire Lord."
…
Aang enters the dimly-lit room from a door at the right. He walks across the room as Katara rises from her bed in the background, Momo sitting on her lap. Aang sits down on his bed.)
"I told the general I'd help him... by going into the Avatar state."
"Aang, no. This is not the right way."
(Cut to Sokka, who is lounging with his arms behind his head.)
"Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible." Sokka said.
"There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline. There's no way they could make you enter the Avatar state. They won't be able to control you like they think they will. It's more complicated than they can imagine." Cadi said lying on the ground.
"One thing first," Sokka said. "Why are you on the ground?"
"How many beds are there?" Sokka sat up a little and looked around. "Four."
"How many of us are there?"
"Five."
"Exactly." Cadi smiled.
"Let her in your bed Sokka." Aang said seductively.
"You lay a hand on her and you will be dead on the ground before you can blink." Ari growled.
"I won't touch! Besides, you should've said that to Zuko." Sokka winked before scooting over.
"Why?" Ari said angrily.
"Oh calm down, he's kidding." Cadi laughed as she lay down on the bed next to Sokka and elbowing him in the gut.
"Back to what we were talking about!" Katara said.
"You could just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord." Sokka said.
"If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine. Go ahead and glow it up! She exits the room and Aang rises and starts after her.
"Katara, I'm just being realistic. I don't have time to do this the right way."
…
"This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant. In an ordinary warrior it improves strength and energy ten-fold. In you, it may induce the Avatar state."
The teacher pours the team into a cup in front of Aang, who is sitting at the small table across from him and next to Fong. Cadi and Ari stand farther away while Sokka and Katara sit side-by-side a few feet behind Aang.
"Ten-fold energy, huh?" He slurps. (Twitch, twitch, twitch)
Aang begins to race around the small structure on his air ball while the others remain motionless.
Aang speaks in a fast, high-pitched, hyper voice while zipping everywhere on his air-scooter. "Is it working, is it working? I can't tell! Somebody tell me if I'm in the Avatar state 'cause I don't have a good view of myself! Am I talking too loud?"
"I guess he could talk the Fire Lord to death."
Aang collides with a column, his air ball disappear and his shawl falling over his head. "Ooof!"
Aang and Katara sit on the ground while Fong stands behind them, stroking his beard
"Maybe I can shock you into the Avatar state." Sokka said.
"I love surprises."
Katara covers his eyes with her hands. When she removes them, Momo's head has replaced Sokka's.
"Raahh!"
"Aaahhh!" He looks at his hands and holds them up. "Still not glowing."
Sokka loses his balance. He yells while Momo chatters and they both topple over.
…
Aang stands in the center wearing a ridiculous hat with leaves coming out of the top and a blue cape. Fong, Sokka, and Katara stand off to the right while Cadi and Ari are nowhere in sight. A priest is in the distance near a stairway.
"You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations. Now I will join the four elements into one!" As he mentions each element, he throws a pan of water, dirt, a torch, and blows air into a mixture. "Water, earth, fire, air! Four elements together as one!" He throws mixture at Aang. The mixture splatters over Aang, covering him in mud.
"This is just mud!"
"So... do you feel anything?"
Aang's nose begins to twitch. He lifts up a finger. Fong, Sokka, and Katara, look hopeful. But Aang just sneezes. "Aaaaachoooo!"
The others got sprayed by mud from Aang's sneeze. Fong wipes his face.
"We have to find a way." Fong said determined.
…
Iroh empties a bag of seashells on a table. He lifts a few, inspecting them.
"Look at these magnificent shells! I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."
"We don't need any more useless things. You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now."
"Hello, brother. Uncle." Azula said, surprising them.
Azula is at a table in the foreground, her hand on a seashell.
"What are you doing here?"
She seems utterly unaffected by their glares. She toys with the seashell in her hand.
"In my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions." She said arrogantly before getting up and walking over to face Zuko. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?
"Don't call me that!"
"To what do we owe this honor?
"Hmm... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point." She shatters one of Iroh's shells with her sharp nails on this last word. Iroh's face darkens. "I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him—treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." Her voice and face soften. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."
Zuko looks out the window.
"Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news."
"I'm sure your brother just needs a moment to—"
"Don't interrupt, Uncle! I still haven't heard my thank you. I am not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."
"Father regrets? He... wants me back?"
"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."
…
"Can we talk about something?" Katara said to Aang.
"Sure."
"Do you remember when we were at the air temple and you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton? It must have been so horrible and traumatic for you. I saw you get so upset that you weren't even you anymore. I'm not saying the Avatar state doesn't have incredible—and helpful power. But you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary."
"I'm really glad you told me that. But I still need to do this."
"I don't understand."
"No, you don't. Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war. I have to try it."
"I can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm not coming tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Aang said sadly.
…
"We're going home. After three long years. It's unbelievable.
"It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything."
"Did you listen to Azula? Father's realized how important family is to him. He cares about me."
"I care about you. And if Ozai wants you back... well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine."
"You don't know how my father feels about me. You don't know anything."
"Zuko, I only meant that in our family things are not always what they seem."
Zuko whirls around angrily and faces Iroh, leaning in as he accuses him.
"I think you are exactly what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother."
Zuko turns and walks away. Iroh looks on sadly, then closes his eyes.
…
Zuko is descending quickly, a bag over his shoulder. He pauses for a moment and looks down at the Fire Nation ship in the bay below, then turns to continue on.
"Wait!" Iroh descending the stairs and waving behind Zuko. "Don't leave without me!"
"Uncle! You've changed your mind!"
"Family sticks together, right?"
"We're finally going home."
Zuko continues on, but Iroh takes a second glance at the ship looking skeptical.
…
Aang stands inside the base in front of Fong's desk.
"The thing is, I don't think we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose. So, I guess that's it."
"Sure I can't change your mind?"
"I'm sure. I can only reach the Avatar state when I'm in genuine danger."
"I see. I was afraid you'd say that."
Fong's foot steps back, causing a small shock wave. He pushes forward, sending his desk flying at Aang. Aang gets hit with the desk. The desk rockets toward a window. The desk crashes through the wall. Both Aang and the desk fall toward the ground.
Using his Air bender abilities, Aang slows his fall with a gust of air. He tumbles forward, and the desk crashes and breaks apart behind him. Fong runs to the destroyed wall and points angrily at Aang.
"Men! Attack the Avatar!"
Aang's eyes widen in surprise as four groups of three guards close in around him.
Aang looks up in surprise. Fong leaps down from the Tower and lands in front of Aang, sending a wave of moving earth toward Aang. He leaps over the wave.
"What are you doing?"
"I believe we are about to get results."
The six Earth benders on either side of Aang lift circular discs of earth with square holes in the middle around themselves, then hurl them at Aang.
Behind Aang, The first two roll toward him from both sides, and he steps backward, avoiding them. He leaps into the air and spreads his body horizontally as two discs fly above and below him. Other Earth benders stand ready with more discs behind him.
"I am not your enemy! I won't fight you!"
Four discs are launched at Aang, and he leaps over them as they collide right where he was standing. He lands on one of the upright discs, and another flies from the left and knocks it over. As he falls, two of the other upright discs close in around him. The discs roll into an Earth bender, who shatters them. Aang goes flying and skids along the ground. He stands up, surveying the troops around him.
Sokka is still being held by two guards in the tower. He lifts up his legs and slams his feet down on those of the guards. They look pained, and Sokka escapes as they fall down. He runs to the broken wall that Aang fell out of and looks down.
Four Earth benders surround Aang, throwing their stone discs. Two collide horizontally and Aang leaps over them. The other two try to smash him between them, and he leaps through the hole in the middle of the one on the right. He zooms off on his ball of air while three Earth benders try to raise walls of earth to stop him. He zigzags between them. He shoots past two spear-wielding guards on ostrich-like creatures. They begin to chase after him. He starts up the wall of the base with the creatures in pursuit. He begins to tire out toward the top, his ball of wind disappearing and he just runs. The creatures close, and Aang barely misses their spears and begins to fall.
Aang hits the ground and tumbles forward, the creatures jumping down behind him. He stumbles forward onto one of the disc-shaped portions of the floor. Fong lifts it up with his Earth bending skills, trapping Aang in the center hold and bringing him to him.
"You can't run forever!"
"You can't fight forever!"
Fong leaps forward, smashing the ring with his foot. Aang leaps away.
…
A group of Fire Nation soldiers form two ranks along the path leading to the ship. Zuko and Iroh walk toward them. Azula is standing at the top of the stairs leading onto her ship, a soldier on each side. Zuko looks content, while Iroh eyes them suspiciously. Azula raises her arms in greeting and bows to them.
"Brother! Uncle!" Iroh opens one eye slightly while bowing, watching the soldiers beside him. "Welcome. I'm so glad you decided to come."
The two files of soldiers close in behind Zuko and Iroh.
"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?"
"Set our course for home, Captain."
"Home..." Zuko said wistfully.
Zuko and Iroh begin to climb the stairs onto the ship, the captain leading the way.
"You heard the princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners ho—" The Captain stops abruptly, realizing his mistake
Zuko and Iroh stop, looking surprised. Azula looks enraged.
"Your Highness... I..."
Iroh looks to his left, then spins around, backhanding a guard off of the ship and kicking another down the incline. Another guard approaches from his left. He elbows him off the incline. He punches another that approaches from his right and grabs another, spinning him around and tossing him.
Zuko grabs one guard, throwing him off the incline and into the water. He stalks up the incline, furious.
"You lied to me!"
"Like I've never done that before."
She turns and walks away, and two guards launch fire. Zuko brushes the fire aside and charges forward, screaming.
…
Katara sits on her bed, her knees tucked up. The room shakes.
"I wonder what crazy thing they're trying now. Maybe we should just make sure Aang's okay."
She gets up and leaves the room.
…
Both Katara and Sokka are running down the stairs. They meet at the bottom.
"What's going on?"
"The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!"
Sokka and Katara watch as Aang runs between two groups of soldiers. Sokka pulls out his boomerang and tosses it.
Right as Earth bender is about to throw his disc at Aang, the Boomerang hits his helmet and knocks him out cold. His disc falls over.
Sokka is approaching one of the birdlike creatures, its rider unconscious on the ground. He has his arms lifted in the air as he slowly approaches.
"Good bird/horse thingy."
He grabs the reins and leaps on the back of the creature. It takes off running. Katara remains stationary. Aang climbs the stairway of the tower behind him. He looks over his shoulder.
"Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't."
The Earth benders use their discs to create a v-shaped wall, making sure that the only means of escape is by General Fong. Katara throws her stream of water at Fong, but he raises a patch of dirt, creating a patch of mud. He takes up a fighting stance. Katara spins around and begins to sink into the ground. She is up to her knees in dirt. She struggles to escape but doesn't budge.
"I can't move!"
"Don't hurt her!"
He leaps down from the staircase and shoots a stream of air at Fong. Fong quickly raises a wall of earth to protect himself. He lowers the wall, the turns back to Katara, who sinks deeper into the ground.
Sokka rides out from behind one of the discs on his birdlike creature. He charges toward Fong.
"Katara! No!" Fong sinks the bird creature's legs into the dirt and Sokka gets tossed from his ostrich, landing in the hole of one of the discs. Aang runs to Fong, grabbing his arm.
"Stop this! You have to let her go."
Fong looks down at Aang angrily.
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state."
"I'm trying... I'm trying!"
"Aang, I'm sinking!"
"I don't see glowing."
Fong pushes his fist toward the ground, and Katara sinks further, only her head remaining above ground.
Aang drops to the ground at Fong's feet, still clutching his hand.
"You don't need to do this!"
"Apparently I do."
Fong clenches his fist and Katara disappears totally into the ground. Aang dives for her, just barely missing her hands. The arrow mark on his head begins to glow, and he turns around, revealing that the Avatar State has been activated. He glares angrily at Fong as he rises.
Fong lifts his fist into the air in victory.
"It worked. It worked!"
A strong blast of wind hits Fong and he shields himself with his arms. The grin quickly fades as he becomes terrified.
…
Zuko leaps on board, knocking two guards on either side out of the way with flames shooting from his arm and leg. Zuko takes up a fighting stance at the left while Azula remains motionless, her back to her brother. She glances to her left and grins evilly.
Iroh is fighting soldiers on the path leading to the ship. A soldier launches a kick at him, but a blast of fire from Iroh sends him flying. Two other soldiers approach from each side, and Iroh sends two blasts of fire at them, knocking them from the path. Another guard launches a fireball at Iroh's face, but he avoids it, grabbing the soldier's arm and putting a hand on his neck. Holding the guard, he turns toward the ship.
"Zuko! Let's go!"
He tosses the guard off the side of the path. Another approaches, throwing fire, but Iroh steps to the side and pushes him away with a palm to the face.
Zuko swings his fire daggers at Azula repeatedly, but she simply avoid them. She grabs his arm and spins him around. Zuko is breathing hard.
"You know Father blames Uncle for the loss at the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"
Zuko brings out his fire daggers again and leaps at Azula, throwing a flaming kick at her head. She leaps back, nimbly dodging his blows. She swipes at his face with her fingernails. Zuko staggers back, revealing three cuts on his forehead. He charges forward and screams, swiping his daggers at Azula. She blocks his blows effortlessly and the fight continues up the stairs toward the cabin of the ship. She kicks Zuko, knocking him down the stairs a bit. He recovers quickly and charges back toward Azula. She blocks his fist and grabs his arm, bringing it down harmlessly. She glares at him, and Zuko's eyes widen. She tosses a blue flame at his head, sending him tumbling down the incline. He lands with a thud and pulls himself up, looking back at the incline. His vision is blurry and shaky as he tries to locate Azula. She is standing at the top of the incline and begins to swing her arms in arcs around, lightning arcing around her. It is the same maneuver she was practicing earlier. She aims her fingers at Zuko and a lightning bolt shoots toward him.
Iroh suddenly appears and grabs Azula's fingers in his hand. He channels the electricity through his body and shoots it from his other hand, letting it explode harmlessly into the cliff side. He turns back to Azula and kicks her, sending her flying overboard. She splashes into the water.
…
Aang is still swirling in his vortex of dust with General Fong in the foreground
"Avatar Aang, can you hear me? Your friend is safe!" He raises his arms and Katara emerges from the ground, gasping. "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar state, AND IT WORKED!"
Aang whirls around, his face angry. The vortex suddenly collapses and Aang slams into the ground, a cloud of dust shooting forward. Fong is sent flying. Large chunks of earth rise from the ground, sending Earth Kingdom soldiers into the air. The wave of destruction crashes into the buildings around the base, cracking them apart.
Aang is hovering. His body suddenly glows blue, a surprised expression on his face. This blue spirit form leaves his glowing body and rises into the sky.
…
"I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have to see me like that again. "The two look up as Fong begins to speak.
"Hah! Are you joking? That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that."
"You're out of your mind."
"I guess we'll figure that out on the way to the Fire Nation."
"General Fong," Cadi steps down from the stairs. "You are no longer general. I've contacted the Earth Lord and he has given me and my brother permission to take away your position and be one of the civilians in a other village."
"How would you contact him?"
"I may be a banished princess but my father could never love another girl more than his own daughter."
"Princess Arcadia." Fong bowed.
"Sokka." Ari said. Sokka looked at him and nodded.
Sokka rode up behind Fong on the birdlike creature, holding his boomerang. He bonks Fong on the head and knocks him out. "Anybody got a problem with that?" The soldiers all shake their heads in unison.
"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?"
"I think we're all set."
Momo lands in Aang's arms.
Appa flies off with the gang on his back
…
Azula is standing in the foreground, holding up a poster with pictures of Iroh and Zuko and some writing.
"Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord." Civilians cower in fear. "There will be no place left to hide." Azula said.
…
Zuko and Iroh are on the run. Zuko's shadow is seen in a river. The two run down a path, pausing at a small body of water at the side of the river. They collapse onto their knees.
"I think we're safe here."
Zuko brings out a knife with some writing on the blade. He stares at it for a moment. Iroh nods solemnly and turns to Zuko. Zuko takes the knife and brings it behind his head and cuts off his pony tail. He passes the knife to Iroh, who does the same. Zuko and Iroh's hair are seen floating down the river.