Here it is—my first Avatar fanfiction! I'm so excited to work with these characters and am already having a blast writing them. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!

I've sadly never read any of the Avatar graphic novels, so if I contradict anything in the comics, I apologize. I've read about the books, so I've placed this fanfiction after the most recent series, North and South.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters, settings, etc.

Chapter One: The Detour

"The year is 103 AG. Three years have passed since the end of the Hundred Year War, and peace grips the land like never before. Our heroes—four non-benders plus Zuko, who's basically just a non-bender with five angry flamethrowers—make their way to Republic City, the pinnacle of peace, the city where all five nations thrive, the land of—"

"Ugh," Mai loudly interjected. "Just because you're bored doesn't mean you have to bore us, too."

"Well excuse me for trying to add fun and adventure to your life," Sokka responded. "I thought that's what you always wanted! Anyway, you just have to be patient—I'm about to get to the good part."

"That explains it," Zuko droned from behind Sokka. "You started out with the bad part."

"A poor narrative choice," Suki added. "You should always hook your audience with a strong intro."

"Ok, what would your intro be like?"

Suki pretended to rub her chin in contemplation. "I'd probably start out with thrilling descriptions of 'our heroes.'" She clasped her hands together and dramatically narrated: "'Led by Sokka, the bravest warrior ever seen betwixt the North and South Poles, whose mighty boomerang carved out the Great Divide and ended the tyranny of countless turtle ducks.'"

Sokka threw his arms around Suki. "I love it! You should tell the rest of the story!" Suki laughed and held his hand as they continued walking forward.

Mai looked away with a disgusted sigh. "And to think: you were complaining about Aang and Katara giving you the oogies."

"Look!" Ty Lee exclaimed, pointing ahead. A large group of people were coming toward them, all carrying packs and personal belongings. Ty Lee turned sad at the familiar sight. "Are those…are those refugees?"

It certainly looked that way to Sokka, but he nonetheless said, "Maybe not. They could be travelers—like us!"

Shaking her head, Ty Lee responded, "No way. Their aura's way too green." Throwing her pack into the air, she cartwheeled and flipped to the top of an overlook, where she grabbed the pack just as it was about to touch the ground. "There's so many of them…"

At least a hundred men, women, and children lined the path, following the coastal trail up into the mountains. Sokka, Suki, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko had journeyed through the mountains for a few days and seen very few travelers—and those travelers had been heading toward Republic City. "They're probably going to Ba Sing Se," Zuko theorized. "Not everyone's eager to move to Republic City while it's still under development."

"Let's check it out," Sokka said, leading the group down the hill.

They intercepted the refugees at the start of the mountain pass. "Is everything alright?" Sokka immediately asked.

The woman leading the refugees looked down. "We'll be fine. It's just…" She turned back to look over her people. "It's hard leaving our home."

"What happened?" Suki asked.

"A monster attacked our village. We've had to change our fishing spots over the past month because it would ransack our boats, but…yesterday it found our town. I'm sure it'll come back, so…we had to evacuate."

"It crawled straight out of the sea!" the man behind her added. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Hm." Sokka glanced at his friends before giving the strangers a winning smile and a thumbs up. "We'll take care of the problem!"

"You will?"

"Of course! Unless you think the town isn't worth rebuilding. But we can't just let that monster destroy your homes!"

"We'd love to go home!" The woman glanced confusedly at the heroes. "But…do you really think you can defeat a monster like that?"

Sokka nodded with a grin. "Don't you know who we are? We're—"

He plummeted face first into the sand when Ty Lee suddenly pushed him into the ground. She balanced atop his back on one hand. "We're just travelers who are happy to help!" she told the villagers with an upside-down grin.

The woman hesitated before nodding and pointing down the path. "You'll see the village soon on the left. You can't miss it." She glanced apologetically at the heroes. "We'd offer to help, but none of us really know how to fight…"

"Don't worry," Suki said with a serious nod. "You wait here. We've got this."

Once they'd left the group behind, Sokka turned to Ty Lee with a pout. "What was that for?"

Ty Lee giggled. "We're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

Sokka glanced at Zuko. The Fire Lord was dressed in red and yellow traveler robes, his kingly outfit packed away in his bag. They'd decided to backpack rather than sail to Republic City specifically to give Zuko a break. "Right," Sokka murmured. "Sorry about that."

Zuko shrugged. "Considering their situation, I doubt any of those people would've cared."

Nodding, Suki said, "It's time we changed their situation."

Sokka sighed as they continued walking. "First the Unagi, then the Serpent's Pass, now this. Are we the only people capable of taking care of sea monster…thingies?"

Ty Lee's face lit up. "Sea monster thingies? Sounds like I've been missing out."

Grinning, Sokka replied: "That's just with Team Avatar! At the South Pole I took on a whale seal, a flying dolphin fish, and a whole flock of otter penguins," he bragged, lifting a finger for each harrowing experience.

Ty Lee frowned. "Wouldn't it be a rookery? Or…a bevy?"

"How about a murder," Mai said, voicing the sentence as a sarcastic statement rather than a genuine question.

Suki glanced at her companions with a slight glare. "Are you done?" Sokka's grin instantly vanished. "Let's go," Suki said as she moved ahead of Sokka and led the way.


The fishing village was nestled between a beach and an evergreen forest. While the wooden huts were completely intact, the docks and boats had been completely destroyed. Wood shards and fish skeletons lay scattered across the beach, making the area look more like a battlefield than a settlement.

Sokka knelt amidst the beach debris. "There are large, uneven patches in the sand. I bet they were tracks until the tide smoothed them out."

Zuko emerged from the abandoned village. "Only the villagers' tracks up here."

"So we can't track it," Mai concluded.

Sokka nodded. "The safest option is to wait here and see if it returns." Agreeing to wait an hour or two, the travelers stored their packs in the nearby forest and formed a perimeter around the town.

They didn't have to wait long. Mai spotted movement in the ocean and called the others over. After arranging themselves in a practiced formation, Suki, Mai, and Sokka silently drew their weapons while Ty Lee and Zuko shifted into defensive stances.

The water rippled, disrupting the ocean waves. Yellow scales flashed in the sunlight as a massive sea monster slithered through the sea, heading straight for the five humans. When it neared the beach, the creature jumped out of the water. It appeared to be a massive, twenty-foot moray eel—until four thin legs split off its body. Landing on its scaled feet—which looked a lot like human hands—the gangly monster thrust its eel-head forward and roared.

"An eel monkey!" Sokka shouted.

The giant eel monkey growled in response and ran at Sokka. He threw his boomerang, which spun into the eel monkey's side. The monster groaned but otherwise seemed unaffected as it continued charging. Sokka and Suki both dove out of the way. Sokka rolled across the sand onto one knee and swung his club at the eel monkey's hind leg. On the opposite side, Suki struck the other hind leg with the hilt of her katana. Their combined attack forced the eel monkey to trip and tumble across the beach toward the others. Mai jumped to the side while Ty Lee flipped over the creature.

Zuko took a deep breath and maintained his stance. The eel monkey rolled to a stop only a few feet away from Zuko. It stood, towering over Zuko as it roared in his face. It took a step toward him, its massive foot shaking the earth.

Planting one foot in the sand, the Fire Lord spun around and shoved his other foot toward the eel monkey's head. Fire burst from his foot, roaring as loudly as the eel monkey. The eel monkey cowered before the flames and backed up on its scaled monkey-legs.

Zuko pushed the animal back, using a firebending attack with each step. Orange flames reflected in the creature's fish eyes as it whimpered and growled.

"That's it, Zuko!" Sokka cheered. "Keep pushing it toward the water!" He and the other non-benders flanked the eel monkey, moving with Zuko in a semi-circular formation.

The eel monkey growled at the newcomers but kept retreating. When it reached the sea, the monster dipped its tail in the water and spun around. Water slammed into the five heroes, knocking them into the sand. The eel monkey hopped over them and charged toward the village.

While the humans rose and ran after the eel monkey, it sniffed the debris bordering the town. The eel monkey growled in disappointment and started to move toward the intact buildings.

Mai's daggers flashed through the air and landed just in front of the eel monkey. The creature yelped in fright and retreated from the town and the daggers. Mai's smug smile turned to a frown when the eel monkey headed for the forest instead of the ocean. The eel monkey extended its monkey hands and tore a branch off the nearest tree. Seeing Ty Lee and Sokka rushing forward, the eel monkey chucked the branch at them.

"Look out!" Sokka yelled. Before Ty Lee could actually react and dodge the branch, Sokka tackled her to the ground. The branch flew past them, only a couple feet above their bodies.

Sokka raised his head to make sure Ty Lee was ok—and he was greeted with Ty Lee amusedly grinning at him. "How can I look out if you're the only thing I can look at?"

Realizing he had fallen atop her, Sokka started to get up. This time Ty Lee reacted faster: she pulled her knees to her chest and shoved her feet against Suko's shoulders. The move pushed him up onto his feet, while Ty Lee used the backward momentum to cartwheel into a defensive stance.

Seeing the eel monkey perched on a high branch, Ty Lee hopped from branch to branch until she balanced next to it. "Stop, please! We don't want to fight you." Roaring, the eel monkey swung a scaled hand at her. She flipped onto another branch as the eel monkey smashed the branch she'd just been standing on. "It's ok." Ty Lee extended a hand. Growling, the eel monkey watched her, ready to pounce. When she didn't move, the animal visually eased its muscles and curiously poked her hand with its finger. Ty Lee laughed at the feeling of slimy scales. "There you go."

The eel monkey's fish eyes suddenly seemed to widen. Turning and sniffing, it swung from branch to branch and landed next to the heroes' gear. The animal sniffed and subsequently tossed aside each pack until it reached Sokka's pack, which it tore open and started consuming.

"Hey!" Sokka shouted as he desperately ran at the eel monkey. "That's my stuff!"

Sokka's boomerang spun through the air and into the eel monkey's head. Groaning, the animal whipped its head around, saw Sokka approaching, and sprinted at him with a roar. Sokka roared back and charged.

Ty Lee landed between the two. The eel monkey immediately tried to stop, its hands digging into the beach. Sand cascaded into Ty Lee, but she didn't seem to notice. While the eel monkey came to a halt only inches from Ty Lee, Sokka kept charging. She held up a hand and caught his head. He tried in vain to move forward, swinging his club in the direction of the eel monkey.

"Come on, Sokka. Why can't you be nice like this eel monkey?"

"It's not nice! It ate my stuff!"

"Oh, you mean this?" She held up a foot-long tiger bass.

Both Sokka and the eel monkey lunged at the tiger bass. Ty Lee tossed the fish into the air, pushed Sokka out of harm's way, and cartwheeled away. The eel monkey's fangs closed around the fish. Following the scent of tiger bass, the eel monkey looked up and saw Ty Lee dangling another fish over the ocean. "Come on!" As the creature ran toward her, Ty Lee tossed the fish into the water. The eel monkey gobbled up the tiger bass and turned to Ty Lee for more. When she showed it her empty hands, the eel monkey grumbled and slunk into the ocean. Pressing its limbs against its body, the eel monkey slithered through the water in search of more food.

"Great," Zuko said as he and the others joined Ty Lee. "You made friends with it instead of frightening it away. So it'll probably be back for more!"

"What's it matter?" Everyone turned to see Sokka lying on the sand in a fetal position. "It took everything dear to me."

Suki put her hands on her hips. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." She looked at Zuko. "Actually, I think it'll stay gone—as long as it doesn't smell anymore fish in the village. It knows there's nothing left for it here." Suki nodded at Ty Lee. "Good thinking."

As Ty Lee grinned and bowed to Suki, Zuko rubbed his chin. "So it wasn't attacking the fishermen—it was taking their fish!"

Mai looked disappointed as she said, "You'd think the fishermen would have thought of that."

Zuko shrugged. "It's hard to think when something like that's charging at you with an open maw."

Mai rolled her eyes while Suki knelt next to Sokka. "Don't worry," Suki said as she patted his shoulder. "I'll get you more tiger bass in Republic City."

Sokka jumped to his feet. "You will!?" He kissed Suki and tightly embraced her. She laughed, shaking her head as she returned his embrace.


The villagers dispersed when they reached the fishing town, happily returning their gear to their respective homes.

"So the monster just wanted our fish?"

Suki nodded to the woman leading the village. "You'll have to hunt on land instead, or figure out a way to cover up the smell of fish. If you do that, that eel monkey shouldn't be a problem any longer."

The woman sighed. "We'll do our best." She bowed to the five heroes. "Thank you for your help. Is there any way we can repay you? We don't have much, but…"

Sokka popped into the conversation. "You don't happen to have any tiger bass, do you?"

Rubbing the back of her head, the leader replied, "Well, we did pack some for our journey…"

Suki glared at Sokka and stepped in front of him. "No, we can't accept that. We're just glad we could help."

Suki and the village leader exchanged bows, and Suki led the others away. As they continued down the coast and the village disappeared from sight, Sokka said, "Well, I'm glad that went so well! For us, anyway. I don't know about them—how are they going to manage without any fish?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "Maybe they can be friends with the eel monkey." She grinned as she cartwheeled across the sand. "He could become one of their own! Could guard the village instead of raiding it."

Sokka frowned. "What, in exchange for fish? A waste of meat, if you ask me."

Suki—who'd quietly led the way this whole time— suddenly spun around to face Sokka. "Why can't you take this seriously?" she almost shouted at him.

Ty Lee stepped slowly between the two, her hands raised. "Come on Suki, there's no need—"

"Same goes for you!" Suki snapped. "It'd be great if, for once, you wouldn't smile at somebody else's distress!"

Mai joined the standoff across from Ty Lee, glaring at Suki. "Leave her alone!" She stepped closer to Suki. "Just because she's cheerful and funny doesn't mean she doesn't worry about people."

Suki glared back. After a few silent, tense seconds, she deflated and sighed. "I know. You're right." She glanced at Ty Lee. "I'm sorry."

Frantically waving her hands with an uneasy grin, Ty Lee exclaimed, "It's fine!"

Suki glanced at Sokka before looking at the setting sun. "It's getting late. We should set up camp here."

"Good thinking!" Sokka replied. Suki didn't look at him as she unpacked her bag.

Zuko cautiously backed away. "I'll…I'll go get some firewood." He demonstrated an incredibly fast speedwalk and disappeared around the corner.

"Me too," Suki said as she walked into the forest.

Sokka glanced at Ty Lee and Mai and sighed. "I guess I will, too."


When Sokka couldn't pack any more wood into his arms, he sighed and headed back toward camp. As he walked back along the beach, a few sticks slipped out and landed on his foot. Growling, he kicked the sticks away and threw his bundle into the sand. He sat on a long, twisting piece of driftwood, leaned forward, and held his head in his hands.

Sokka looked up when he heard approaching footsteps. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when Mai popped into view. "Hey," she said in her monotone voice.

"Hey."

Mai sat down several feet away from him. When neither of them spoke, she loudly sighed and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shrugged. "I just don't understand. Suki and I never argued or yelled until a few months ago. It doesn't happen very often! But it's still weird and stressful, you know? It just feels like we're both trying our best but can't quite…I don't know."

Mai returned the shrug. "I'm not surprised. She leads with quiet endurance, whereas you're loud and clever."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Um…thanks?"

The Fire Nation girl smirked. "Don't worry. You're a good person, and a good friend. And you do make Suki happy." She frowned and stared at the ocean. "Now that the war's over, Suki wants eventless peace. But you're always looking for a challenge." She shrugged. "I'm just saying you might have some hurdles to overcome. Or you might not. Obviously I don't know everything that goes on between you two. And it's probably way more complicated. And I could be completely wrong."

"So basically I should listen to what you just said and ignore what you just said?"

"Yep."

Sokka chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Mai stood. "Come on. We should get back to the others."

Sokka smiled as he stood. "Thanks, Mai."

When he took a step forward, Mai raised her hands in a defensive stance. "Don't you dare. I get enough hugs from Ty Lee."


Ty Lee found Suki sitting at the top of a small coastal cliff. The overhang offered a gorgeous view of the sea—although Ty Lee couldn't see the beach unless she stood at the very edge of the cliff.

Suki nodded to the acrobat. Ty Lee sat beside her and watched the waves. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Suki smiled sadly at Ty Lee. "I'm really sorry about what I said."

Ty Lee gave her a surprisingly genuine grin. "Don't worry about it! Most people don't take me seriously."

Suki shook her head and quickly responded, "I do take you seriously! Really! I know you treat your job as seriously as the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. I admire that you can do that and keep on smiling. I'm not sure why I said what I said earlier—I was just angry." She halfheartedly chuckled. "I guess I just can't handle a huge number of jokes. At work or home. I'm dull and boring."

"I don't think so! You make a great leader. We'd be lost and undisciplined without you." She closed her eyes and grinned. "And I think you add the perfect amount of sarcasm to keep things fresh."

They both laughed. Now resting on their backs, they watched the sea and sky drift slowly by. After a couple peaceful minutes, Suki stood. "Thank you," she said as she hugged Ty Lee.

When they separated, Ty Lee gestured toward the trees. "Want some help with the firewood?"

Suki nodded gratefully. The two moved slowly through the forest, taking their time as the sky faded from a bright, fiery pink to the dark blue color of the sea.


When Suki and Ty Lee returned, Zuko had already lit a fire and boiled a pot of water for the group. They added the water to bags of dried backpacking food and ate in silence. Nobody spoke until an hour later, when Ty Lee and Mai bid the group good night. Suki followed suit a few minutes later. Sokka nervously watched her go—until Suki glanced back and gestured for him to follow. He nodded to Zuko; the Fire Lord made no move to leave, watching the fire alone while Sokka slipped away.

Sokka and Suki entered their tent and set up their sleeping bags in silence. But when they finally laid down, Suki grasped his hands and closed her eyes. Sokka gently placed his forehead against hers and instantly fell asleep.


In the morning, the group ate and packed in silence. As they hiked west and the temperature rose, the mood gradually lightened. Ty Lee and Mai reminisced about a week-long camping trip they and Azula took as children, against their parents' wishes.

Sokka couldn't help but nudge Zuko. "Not invited?"

The Fire Lord glanced coldly at Sokka. "I didn't like camping."

"You don't like anything," Mai replied just as coldly.

Sokka, Ty Lee, and Suki visibly stiffened, expecting Zuko to snap at his ex-girlfriend. Instead, Zuko chuckled, and Mai smirked.

"Well, I'm glad you're more comfortable with camping now!" Sokka said.

Ty Lee leaned toward him, Suki, and Mai and whispered, "That's cause he's a master firebender now. Back then he'd always burn our s'mores! By accident, of course."

"Azula's goading didn't help," Mai added. "Besides, I like mine burnt."

"But why? They should be gold and poofy!" Ty Lee hummed contentedly as she imagined a perfectly cooked marshmallow. "Like a baked cloud."

As Mai silently retched, Zuko stopped ahead at the top of the pass. "There it is!"

Ahead and beneath the group stood Republic City, nestled between tall mountains and the sea. Much of the capital was under construction, yet nowhere in the five nations held as much life as Republic City. Colorful wooden and metal ships filled the harbor, where travelers were greeted by a bustling fish market. From there, the masses of people filed into a massive arena, where the first Olympends in 103 years were about to begin.

"Wow!" Sokka exclaimed. "I know we wanted a crowd, but I didn't expect this many people to show up!"

'Of course!" Ty Lee chimed. "Who wouldn't come to this? The greatest non-benders from around the world are competing. I can't wait to see the new Olympenders!"

"I'm still surprised you didn't compete at the Trials," Mai said to Ty Lee. "You'd ace the acrobatic events."

Ty Lee blushed. "Aw, thanks Mai. But I couldn't just up and leave—I'm a Kyoshi Warrior now!"

Suki placed a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder. "I appreciate it. We all do."

As Ty Lee grinned and nodded, Zuko frowned. "I just hope Aang makes it on time. This is too big a moment for the Avatar to miss…"

"He'll be here," Sokka added reassuringly. He blinked when Appa popped out of a distant cloud right on cue. "There they are!" Aang, Katara, and Toph sat atop the flying bison, resting as Appa carried them into the heart of the city. "I wonder how their mission went."

"I'm sure we'll find out all about it," Zuko replied with a smile. "Let's not keep them waiting."

They descended toward the city, eager to see their friends.