A/N: Pro-Bending Circuit Round Three: The Missing Item

Position/Team: Waterbender, Capital City Catgators
Prompts Used: Si Wong Desert, Treasure Hunt
Bonus: waterbending
Total Word Count: 1,975 (chapters 1-2)

"When do you think he'll come back?" Katara scanned the sky for any sign of hope, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the scorching desert sun.

"Well, probably not until he's done with his search," Toph replied while kicking another wave of sand into the air.

"Would you stop that? It's annoying!" Sokka wiped his face with the back of his hand and made a dramatic sputtering noise.

"Aww, what is it, snowflake? Can't see with the sand in your eyes?" Toph taunted.

"I was concerned about Momo! You alright there little buddy?" Sokka stroked the lemur's ears, receiving an affectionate coo from the creature in return.

"In case you were wondering, I can't see A THING out here!" Toph yelled, causing Momo to squawk and coil himself around Sokka's neck.

"Everyone just… calm down, OK? We need to stick together if we're going to get out of the desert alive." Katara continued her skyward gaze hoping to catch a glimpse of something orange and yellow coming toward them.

"Well, if I sweat anymore, I don't think sticking together is going to be a problem!" At this statement, Sokka pried Momo from his shoulders, a string of sweat linking them together. The lemur immediately slurped up the liquid and purred.

"All I gotta say is you and Sugarqueen picked the lamest vacations. If we ever get out of this desert, I'm going to show you what a real vacation is like." Toph folded her arms across her chest and continued kicking at the sand.

Katara sighed. "I just wish I knew where he went."

Sokka's eyes went wide. "Hey! I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Where does he usually go when we can't find him?"

"Uhh, the bathroom?" Toph let out a laugh that sounded more like a snort.

"I dunno, Sokka. There's not many places you can go out here," was Katara's more practical answer.

Sokka smacked a hand on his forehead before rummaging in his bag. "The Spirit World, of course! And I happen to have a map!"

Toph and Katara gathered around him while he brandished a worn piece of parchment and traced a marked pathway with his finger.

"Did you get this in the library?" Katara asked.

"Nope," Sokka said with a grin. "Some guy back at the Misty Palm Oasis bar gave it to me. Said if I was looking for an awakening, this was where to find it."

"So, some guy at a bar gives you a map to the Spirit World, and you expect us to follow it? It doesn't look like the maps from the library, Sokka. It looks like those treasure maps the pirates had." Katara narrowed her eyes at her brother as she spoke.

"Treasure map?" Toph couldn't see what they were looking at, but she liked the sound of it. "Let's do it! I declare this as MY vacation!"

Sokka gave Katara his sad penguin eyes. "Come on, sis. What do we have to lose? Maybe we'll find who we're looking for? Maybe we'll find what he is looking for? Who knows… maybe we'll find treasure!"

"Ughhhh, OK, fine. What do we do first?" Katara had to admit that a diversion from their search and the relentless heat could be nice.

Sokka pointed to a spot on the map. "Well, it says here, 'To start your quest, you don't need to be worried, just follow the fox to where knowledge is buried.'"

"It has riddles, too? Oh, this is even better!" Toph clapped her hands together in delight. "OK, so obviously we start at the library. Which is where we are. Or were? I can't tell anything with all this sand!"

"Okaaaay, so then it says, 'Walk past the cactus, but don't take a drink, and find the boat in the sand before it might sink.'"

They found the cactus easily, but Sokka lingered, contemplating.

"Sokka!" Katara hissed.

"What? I heard the cactus juice was good. That's all."

It was Toph who found the boat by stubbing her toe on it. It was already mostly buried in the sand, so Sokka and Katara tried to make quick work of uncovering it.

"This would be so much easier with an airbender," Sokka huffed.

Once their prize had been revealed, though, Katara added, "Yeah, but now crossing this desert will be so much easier with this! Oh, Sokka! I'm so sorry I doubted you!"

"I don't think we've made it to the good stuff, yet. Next it says, 'Sail on the sand, past the dunes and the hive, but don't linger there, it's where buzzard wasps thrive.'"

"What was that you were saying about the good stuff?" Toph muttered.

They did see the wasps swarming around their rocky nest but thankfully were able to pass by unnoticed. Sokka then read the next clue aloud. "If you see a sandbender here, he can show you the way, he will tell you the code, but will expect you to pay."

As if on cue, a sandbender approached them, acknowledged the map, and told them he had the information they sought. However, he wanted their boat as payment. Katara protested at this, but Sokka reassured her. "If we find the Spirit World, then we won't need this boat. We'll have what we need to get out of here."

"Don't forget the code!" Toph reminded them. The sandbender confided that "cactus juice" was the operative phrase. Then, he sailed away.

"Cactus juice?" they all said in unison while exchanging confused glances.

"Cactus juice? Did someone say cactus juice?" Another sandbender appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ahh, yes. Yes, we did," Sokka affirmed.

"Very well, then. Welcome to the Spirit World." With a wave of his hand, the sand parted beneath their feet to reveal a staircase leading to an underground building.

"Is everything buried under sand out here?" Toph complained as she hesitantly put one foot in front of the other to descend the stairs.

"Only the things worth keeping a secret. I trust our secret is safe with you?" The sandbender surveyed them suspiciously.

"I'm not sure who we would tell," Katara mumbled under her breath. "There's no one else out here."

"Uhh, Katara?" Sokka peered through the door that was now open before them. "Something tells me we're not as alone out here as we thought we were."

"Oh yeah?" Toph leaned into him, pretending to get a better look.

"And something tells me this isn't really the Spirit World, either."