"Okay, here's the plan," Aang finished meditating and motioned for Sokka and Toph to come over. Sokka ran over excitedly, asking, "Ooooh, it is a battle strategy? Lemme guess, you came up with an idea how to invade the Fire Nation on the Darkest Day! Let me hear it!"
Aang laughed at his friend and said, "No, Sokka! It's Katara's birthday tomorrow and we're gonna celebrate!"
Sokka stopped in his tracks. "Wah?! You're planning for…a birthday party?! Aang, this is serious! If you haven't noticed, there's a WAR going on!"
"Sokka, come on! It's your sister's birthday! Don't you think you could at least do something nice for her?" The Avatar questioned him.
"Yeah, I'm with Twinkle-Toes here. If you ever wanna have a girlfriend, you gotta be at least a little considerate, " Toph said, and tripped Sokka with her Earthbending.
"Ow! Okay! Fine, I'll help! But we have to think up of something to win this war afterwards! And I have had a girlfriend! Lots in fact!" he finished this by yelling in Toph's face.
Toph simply tripped him again. "You have a one-track mind, Sokka. I don't see how anyone could be attracted to a war horse."
"Why, you!" Sokka got to his feet and ran after her.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Toph mocked, but the chase was short-lived. Aang used his Airbending to blow them both over. Sokka landed hard on his rear and Toph landed in a puddle of mud (which wasn't a bad punishment, in her opinion).
"Guys, cut it out! Let's get to work!" Aang summoned the two over to where he was sitting. "Here's what I have in mind," and he began to explain what his idea was.
………………………………………………………………………………
Zuko looked up at the sky and cursed. Rain was on the horizon; he could tell. Firebenders didn't like water; it reminded them of Waterbenders, and this sky reminded Zuko of that cocky girl that traveled with the Avatar. Just thinking about them and their cockiness made his blood boil. The boy was enough, but that girl thought she was so great; who cared if she could do a few tricks with a puddle? What was her name again? It was K-something. Oh, well. It didn't matter.
The reason Zuko was outside with the threat of rain, in this place he considered a wasteland, was because he was…what else? He was chasing the Avatar, of course. Uncle Iroh was holding down the fort at their small campsite, probably busy making tea. They weren't actually in a wasteland, but in a dense forest lush with vegetation. To Zuko, this place was just a fire hazard.
The banished prince angrily brushed some stubborn branches from his path, but as soon as he released them, they swung back and whacked him on the head. Zuko shouted in frustration. He hated this place! He stomped off, crushing several plants underfoot along the way, as if to show his obvious displeasure.
………………………………………………………………………………
"Wow! This is perfect! Thanks, Toph!" Aang cried and leaped into the bed of flowers.
"Glad to be of service. There's so many of them, so it wasn't hard to feel where they were," Toph placed her hands behind her head as if to use as a pillow and flashed a victory grin.
Sokka scoffed under his breath, "Anyone could find a stupid field of flowers."
Toph heard his little comment, and Earthbended the ground beneath his feet into a slick landslide.
"WAHHHHHHH!!" Sokka screamed as he slipped, landed on his behind, and shot like a bullet from the slimy trail of mushy earth into the field of flowers. Aang laughed happily and began gathering the bright flowers.
The field of flowers was more than just a field; it was a vast ocean of poppies, daises, sunflowers, tulips, geraniums, roses, and hundreds of other kinds, all different sizes and colors. It was a completely open meadow, free of shrubs or trees or any other plant life. Flowers stretched as far as the eye could see, and the trees of the nearby forest surrounded the outskirts of the field, all except for one side. This open end of the meadow was where a hill sloped downward to an enormous lake.
Toph and Aang flopped down on their stomachs at the edge of the hill. The sun glinted off the water of the lake, and the soft breeze stirred the grass and flowers, making it look like one giant swaying quilt. The two sighed happily as Sokka staggered over, attempting to brush the filthy mud and bits of earth from his clothes.
"Hey! This is gonna stain! Toph!!" Sokka whined.
"Shh! Just enjoy the moment. I can get it off later," Toph commanded.
"Yeah, Sokka," Aang said dreamily, looking at the shimmering lake. He sighed contentedly and said, "Katara would love it here."
"THEN WHY DIDN'T WE JUST BRING HER HERE INSTEAD OF LEAVING HER BEHIND?!" Sokka bellowed, feeling sulky over his soiled clothes.
"You idiot," Toph told him, feeling slightly vexed that she was being bothered when she was perfectly relaxed. She closed her eyes and let the balmy breeze wash over her. "If we took Katara with us, then the surprise would be ruined."
"Remind me again why we're here," Sokka said miserably, putting a hand over his eyes.
"I'll explain it again," Aang Airbended into a sitting position.
"Make sure to use small words," Toph said, her eyes still closed. The grass was so soft and it was putting her to sleep.
"Hey!" Sokka yelled defensively.
Aang ignored his outburst and began explaining. "We're going to collect a bunch of flowers and put them into this sack." He pointed to the large satchel tied around his waist. "When it's sunset tomorrow on her birthday, I'll fly on my glider and release the flowers into the air! It'll be just having balloons and streamers, but better!" Aang exclaimed, getting excited.
"Then, with some smoke in the air, I'll Airbend it to say in big letters, 'Happy Birthday Katara!' And since it'll be sunset, it will be light enough to see the flowers, but dark enough to see the smoke." Aang finished proudly.
Sokka, being the negative one, asked blatantly, "Where's the smoke coming from? To get smoke you need fire, and you can't Firebend."
Aang looked like he would fall over; he had been so excited by the idea he hadn't even thought of that.
But Toph, coming to the rescue, shot at Sokka, "Ever heard of matches?"
Now it was Sokka's turn to fall over.