"Is it on? Are we- Oh. Right," a voice began, and then cleared its throat.
The footage was slightly shaky and a bit fuzzy, but a young man could be clearly seen standing alone in the midst of a dry, arid land.
His skin was light-brown, his eyes deep blue and a wide grin on his face. He was wearing a faded tan jacket with many pockets on the front, and dark green shorts and a brown backpack.
"Hello, world! As you may or may not know, my name is Sokka. Behind the camera is my so very lovely assistant, Suki. Say hi, Suki."
A woman's voice could clearly be heard, greeting the world at large.
"Great. Now, after that whole fiasco with that giant eel near Suki's place, I figured it would be nice to be somewhere dry. So, today we're in the middle of… some place I can't pronounce. I dunno, I'm sure we can put subtitles up saying where, maybe? It's near some place called 'the Great Divide'." Sokka pulled his hands apart to demonstrate a gap.
"Suki, pan around a bit, would you? Let them take in the lovely vista." He requested.
The camera turned away from him, capturing the surrounding landscape. Withered, gnarled trees were dotted here and there. Bushes and grasses sprouted up, but only reached ankle height, the dry conditions too harsh for them to thrive. The camera zoomed in, focusing on the sun-bleached skull of some large, horned animal.
After a few sweeps of the scorched earth, the camera returned to Sokka, who was reading a small, yellowed piece of paper. He hurriedly put it back into his pocket when he noticed he was once more on film.
"Ahah. So, as you can see it's not the nicest place to live in. Only a little while ago, I was almost killed by this giant, horrible bug!" He went off into a rant about insects, his arms waving about sporadically.
The camera turned away from him to reveal a red-haired young woman's face, who rolled her blue-purple eyes.
"It was tiny; barely any bigger than his thumbnail. It didn't even get within a foot of him before he ran off, the wuss. I had to kill it for him," she whispered.
She turned the camera back to Sokka, and called his name. His head jerked up, having completely forgotten she was there. He coughed slightly, straightening up.
"Um. Yes. Anyway, we're here for a reason, aren't we? It wouldn't be Sokka and Suki's Wild Adventures without something exciting in it. And what exactly are we after today, Suki?" Sokka asked.
The camera shook slightly as Suki pulled something out of her pocket. There was a rustling noise for a moment.
"Canyon crawlers," she told him.
Sokka clicked his fingers in remembrance.
"Yep, that was it. I spoke to a guy near here, he's a guide or something. He seemed to think this was a really bad idea, actually, but I'm sure he's exaggerating. Apparently they're drawn to food from miles off-"
"Reminds me of someone." Suki giggled.
Sokka mock-glared at her before chuckling.
"Yeah. So I brought along a bit of jerky, hopefully we'll be able to tempt one out." Sokka said.
He pulled out a small cloth sack and tipped it out onto his palm. A few crumbs landed on his skin. Frowning, he shook the bag, before holding it up to his palm.
"Sokka, did you eat the jerky?" Suki questioned him.
He froze, before rubbing his the back of his neck. He smiled sheepishly at her.
"Um. Maybe? I thought we had more than that…"
A deep sigh was audible from the woman behind the camera, which shivered along with her.
"Sometimes, Sokka, I really do wonder about you. Thankfully I brought along another bag, just in case something happened to the other one," Suki said.
Sokka grinned, perking up at this news.
"Suki, you're amazing. Okay, anything else? No? Right, which way to the Divide?" He turned around and looked out across the landscape.
"You have the map, Sokka. Though Kyoshi knows why I trusted you with it," Suki reminded him.
Flashing her a quick grin, he pulled out his piece of paper again. He studied it for a moment, before opening a pouch on his jacket and retrieving a small compass. He tapped on it for a moment.
"I think we go… north-east. Just east? No, definitely north-east," he decided.
"Let me have a look, Sokka," Suki requested.
"Why? It's definitely north-east. When have I ever steered us wrong?" He asked.
"Sokka." There was a definite warning note in her voice.
He pouted, handing her the map and compass.
"You might as well give me the camera then, if you want to lead the way," Sokka muttered petulantly. "At least then I might get some footage of something interesting - besides me, I mean."
The footage shook for a moment as the camera swapped hands. When it stabilised, it focused on the redhead who was carefully studying the map.
"Okay, while she's off being Miss Careful, let's take a look at something interesting," Sokka whispered.
He wandered off a few steps, the camera movements jerky in his inexperienced hands.
Sokka unsuccessfully attempted to capture a few moments of a small blue lizard who gazed up at the camera with contempt in its reptilian eyes, before scuttling into a hole.
"Oh wow, have a look at this!" Sokka muttered excitedly.
The camera zoomed in on a disturbed patch of dirt.
"What manner of terrifying creature made these prints? Could it be sneaking up on me as I speak, ready to devour me whole?" He said.
"Sokka, those are your footprints. You made them twenty minutes ago." Suki said, slightly exasperated.
The camera juddered, rising up to bring her back into focus. She had finished with the map, and was smiling gently at her goofy boyfriend.
"Just trying to add some dramatic tension, Suki. Have you figured out where we're going?"
She nodded, pocketing the compass.
"East. Ever so slightly north too," she directed.
The camera trembled as its operator let out a whoop of vindication.
"Ha! What did I say? You've got to let that whole Glider Incident stuff go, Suki. I do learn from my mistakes, you know," Sokka remarked.
Suki rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on then, oh great explorer. Turn that off for now, we've got a long trek ahead."
The footage quivered as Sokka fumbled with the controls.
"Um. Which one's the off button?" Sokka asked.
"The red one. On the top."
The footage stopped abruptly.
"-you sure? I can go back to holding it if you want." Suki's voice sounded a moment before vision returned.
"No, I got it. You can be the centrepiece for once, you deserve it." Sokka told her.
She snorted in amusement, raising her eyebrow at him before looking directly into the camera.
"Fine. So, as you can see behind me," she waved an arm out. "We're now on the edge of the Great Divide - so named because it separates the two neighbouring villages of Zhang and Gan Jin."
The camera began to pull away from her in a somewhat volatile manner, instead focusing on a vast canyon.
"Man, that is one big hole." Sokka remarked.
"Yes, it's the largest gap in the entire world - the local people believe it was caused by angry spirits, who tore a great fissure in the world when people stopped giving them sacrificial offerings." Suki explained.
"That's just superstitious talk. I'm sure it's a perfectly natural phenomenon." Sokka mumbled.
"Maybe. Whatever caused it, it's breathtaking," said Suki, turning to view it.
"Ohh, it's breathtaking alright," Sokka agreed.
The camera dipped a bit, zooming in on the redhead's backside. She glanced back at him.
"Are you- you're videoing my butt, aren't you?!" She hissed in outrage.
"Hey, can't blame me for wanting to give the viewers something pleasant to look at. The gap's nice and all but it doesn't compare," he laughed.
Suki growled under her breath and charged forwards. The camera dropped to the ground as she barrelled into him.
The screen went black.
"Now that we're done with that, can we continue with some semblance of professionalism?"
The voice behind the camera was clearly female. Visuals kicked in again, though the bottom left of the screen was slightly cracked.
The focus was again on the Great Divide for a moment, before the camera swung back to feature Sokka. He looked worse for wear, but not necessarily injured.
He smoothed his ruffled hair down a bit, a disgruntled expression clear on his face. As was a red smudge. He coughed for a moment before straightening up.
"Okay, so it's me again. Now, we came here for canyon crawlers and by Tui and La, we're gonna find some. Thankfully, we are prepared with the jerky," he wiggled a small sack. "So things ought to be relatively simple.
"The thing about Canyon Crawlers is that they're not known to be especially docile. The guide I spoke to earlier told me that food is barred on the trips he leads through the Divide, in case they're attracted to it. Apparently someone was actually eaten by one many years ago.
"But Suki and I are trained in combat and well-equipped to deal with any issues that might arise. As always, do not try this at home. Though where you'll find a canyon crawler is anyone's guess." Sokka concluded.
He began to walk forward, climbing down a path made of rough stone slightly hewn into a stair shape. It was crude, but proved effective enough. The camera rocked as Suki followed him.
After a little while, they came to a relatively flat piece of ground. It certainly wasn't the deepest part of the Divide, but it would suit their purposes well enough.
Sokka produced the bag of jerky, opening the drawstring and tipping it over. He watched it impact against the ground with a mournful expression, clearly lamenting the loss of his beloved food.
The camera backed away from the bait, turning around and heading for a scrubby clump of bushes. The footage jerked as the pair settled in, Sokka just within focusing distance.
"Should we stop rolling while we wait?" Sokka whispered, but before Suki could respond a piercing cry filled the air and he jumped.
"Oh damn. Was that it?" Sokka muttered.
A dark shape began to move at the mouth of a fairly wide hole in a bank not too far away. The features were indistinct, but it was dark brown and scuttled along on four legs.
Suki followed the crawler as it made its way to the abandoned jerky. It snuffled at the meat, before eagerly snapping it up.
"Wow. As you can see, it's quite big. Got a fair set of teeth on him - though not as nasty as the polar dog I wrestled with… well, never mind. Suki, zoom in a bit on its head, will you?" Sokka's voice was hardly audible.
Suki obediently obliged, the camera focusing on the still eating crawler's face.
"Look at all those eyes, there must be ten or so each side. I'm surprised it hasn't seen us, to be honest. Still, probably for the best. What do you reckon Suki, should we go for a closer look?" Sokka asked.
"Don't be stupid, Sokka. It's never a good idea to startle an animal, particularly if it's eating," Suki admonished.
Sokka laughed, shifting on his feet as he crouched.
"Wish you held that position with me sometimes," he said, smiling.
The canyon crawler finished the jerky off. For a moment it snuffled around some more, before letting out more shrill screeches.
"What's it doing?" Sokka said.
"I don't know Sokka, I don't speak canyon crawler," Suki replied. "I hope it's not-"
She cut herself off, gaping in shock and fear as more canyon crawlers appeared, some climbing the sides of the Divide, others popping out of holes. Where once there had been only one crawler, now there were over a dozen.
"Oh dear, that's quite a lot of them. Sokka, I think we should go," Suki said.
"I'm sure we can wait a little longer, they don't know we're here," he remarked.
Sadly his casual attitude proved wrong, as the crawler began to sniff excitedly. As one, they turned towards the bush, and began to converge on the two in a black horde.
"Okay, I've changed my mind, let's go!" Sokka exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.
The closest crawler was several metres away, the red of its beady eyes visible even in the suddenly quaking picture of the screen.
Sokka thrust a hand behind his back into his pack a withdrew a long, bright blue and bent strip of metal. He cocked his arm back and let it fly, the projectile spinning through the air and impacting against the crawler's snout.
It hissed in pain or annoyance, pausing in its tracks. The boomerang curved back to Sokka, and he caught it.
"Turn off the camera, we've gotta run!" Sokka yelled, turning and fleeing.
The screen went black.
Sokka's face filled the screen. A small scratch was now on his cheek, but he was fine beyond that. The crack in the bottom of the screen was more pronounced.
"Hi guys, Sokka here. Suki's… well, she's not too happy at the moment. But she'll come around, she always does. Anyway, that was the Great Divide! Nice place to visit, just don't bring any food. And remember, if you see a canyon crawler, there's always more nearby.
"Hopefully next time we'll be travelling to a forest in search of a sabre-tooth Moose Lion. Although I think Suki wants us to go and look at iguana seals or something. Bleh.
"But this has been yet another episode of Sokka and Suki's Wild Adventures, see you next time!"
Sokka grinned widely and the screen went black.