She needed to get away. Her lungs were screaming for air and sweat was trickling steadily down the side of her forehead. But she couldn't stop. She had always enjoyed running, but these days it had become a necessity rather than the early-morning treat it had been on Kyoshi.
Suki's thoughts began to drift, but she quickly focused them back to finding a way through the thick wood. Iroh had told her not to come back. It was too dangerous.
She had escaped from the Fire-nation prison along with Iroh, and as many people as they could save before the guards had come. They had set up a small camp, hidden deep in the forest, and for a long time, they lived peacefully. They almost forgot they were fugitives, hiding from the most dangerous person in all four nations. Princess Azula. But today, they had been forced to remember. They had finally been found, and dispersed like a dandelion as all the escapees ran in a different direction.
Suki was heading west. She didn't know how she would find the place she was heading, but she promised herself she would, one way or another.
She was going to find the Avatar
After running for a long, long time, she came to a small village. She took the chance to get some food. The cheapest food she could buy was at a small cart of cabbages on the street corner. She went over to the merchant and handed him all of the money she had—a few bronze pieces. He handed her some cabbages in return.
"You are wearing traveling attire, yes?" He asked, eying her, "where do you head?"
"Across the Serpent's Pass, then to the west, to the old Air Temple, I'm going across the pass to avoid the mountains there," she answered.
The merchant's eyes lit up. Yes! I head that way again. I have been looking for someone to travel the Serpent's Pass with, for I can't afford a ferry. What do you say, I'll give you a ride and you'll give me some extra hands and eyes?"
Suki considered. "Sounds good," she said. "Why are you heading in that direction?"
"Well I was in Ba Sing Se, but then my cabbages were crushed by these horrible children, eh? So I was then heading back to my farm to get some more cabbage to sell, eh? But I couldn't get back to the city, because when I got back, the Fire Nation had, pickle my pants, the Fire Nation had taken over in Ba Sing Se. And I couldn't get back in, so then I've been sellin in all these small towns since then, but business has not been boomin' so then I would go across the Serpent's Pass to Damashi, which ain't as big as Ba Sing Se but ain't tiny either and now I am, eh?"
Suki nodded and pretended to listen. "So when are we leaving?" she asked.
"As soon as possible!" hollered the little cabbage merchant, doing a little jig, "Purple my pigniggle, we'll be out of here first thing tomorrow!"
They left just as early as the Merchant had promised, packing up the rudely crafted donkey cart well before sun-up. It was a bumpy ride over the dirt road, and Suki was constantly having to listen to the Merchant's stories of Ba Sing Se, none of which could be called entertaining. The only way she entertained herself was by bouncing her legs of the edge of the cart and listening for the strange expressions that the merchant used, such as 'gobble my gufflenug' or 'pummel my pumpernickel". They carried on like this for two days before they reached the pass.
When they came to the arch at the beginning of the pass, Suki turned to the cabbage merchant and told him to let his donkey loose.
"WHAT?!" Roared the merchant. Why would I do that? Edna here is a good, strong donkey, and I've had her for years with no complaints, save that she left a couple of unwanted pies here and there."
Suki insisted that he leave the donkey and cart on this side of the pass, The trail was very narrow in some parts, and an entire section had fallen away, except for a small island in the middle that Toph had earthbended up last time they were there. Very reluctantly, the Merchant left his donkey and cart behind.
They started across the pass, and came to the part where they had to swim.
"I'm not so sure about this." Said the merchant, his voice shaking. "I'll just go back to the entrance, find Edna and my cart, and sell in them little towns I was selling in before, eh? Yes, I think I will."
"NO!," protested Suki. "This could be your only chance to get across, you might not find another traveler to go with you. Please, sir. Please!"
After some time they agreed that if Suki carried him across, he would come. Before they got in the water she warned him not to splash, not to make any sudden movements or loud noises in the water.
"Why would that be bad? He asked.
Suki warned him that unless he wanted to find out why this was called the Serpent's Pass, he wouldn't move a muscle. The warning worked and he was quiet as a mouse the whole swim.
They decided to stop for the night at one of the larger, flatter places on the path. Suki recognized it as the place she had stayed last time she had crossed the path. She fought tears as she thought of Sokka and wondered where he was now. The tears won, and that night, she silently cried herself to sleep.
They were across the pass by noon the next day. They parted ways, splitting the leftover cabbages between them. Suki set off without a backward glance. She walked west, as fast as her legs would carry her. She knew where the Avatar was; she had eavesdropped on every bit of gossip she heard about strange flying bison and boys with arrow tattoos. He was heading to the Air Temple, and so would Suki.
After a few days, she arrived there. She had to swim across a wide channel, but her hope kept her going. She thought of the friendships that she had missed for so long. And she kept going
The sun had just started to kiss the horizon when she got there. But she had an unforeseen problem. She couldn't get there. After all of this work. After so many miles. All for nothing. It was on the bottom of the cliff, and she had no way to got there. Suddenly, she noticed how hungry she was. She licked her cracked, dry lips. Her head was spinning. How long had she gone without food? It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. She gave up.
Sokka needed to head back now, it was dusk and the sun was sinking fast. But his basket was virtually empty. He kept pushing through the bushes, hoping to find something eatable that he could take back to camp.
He found something. It wasn't eatable, but he was definitely going to take it back to camp with him.
He knelt beside the frail figure in the grass, and turned her over so he could see her face. When he did, he almost fainted himself.