Here we are. The Great Divide. *sighs* Let's get this over with.

Just to have it straight, I don't like this episode. There's no such thing as a bad episode of ATLA, but this is as close as they get, the worst of the best. Aang acted very out of character and it always kills me how ridiculous it all feels when you know how wonderful the show usually is. I actually seriously considered skipping this altogether, but I figured the characters needed everything they could get to get the characters to have more bonding. Especially with what I'm about to do... *evil cackling as I steal straws from fast food restaurants*

AngelicaWasTaken- Thank you so much! It means a lot to have support from you guys, and knowing I'm not just writing for myself makes it so much more fulfilling.

Mogor- Here's your update, my bro!

KnightOwl- Bless you, my faithful friend.

Chapter 6: The Great Divide and the Neutral

It had only been a day since they'd left the Freedom Fighters.

Leaving Jet's mess and the town they'd saved, Aika had forgotten about the lack of bandages currently on her arm. Most of the way, she'd had her arms folded behind her head, eyes closed as she contemplated whether it was possible to kill water as the lakes and rivers passed beneath them, Aang interrupted her thoughts, calling over his shoulder. "I think we should set down for the night- Appa's getting tired."

Sitting up, she agreed loudly to be heard over the wind, "It's almost sunset, so the big guy deserves some rest after flying nonstop all day." Looking over the edge, she raised her hand to her eyes, looking toward the falling sun, not realizing what was missing.

Katara's eyes widened at seeing her arm's red color, reaching out to touch. "Aika, you're hurt!"

Aika immediately thought of every cuss word she knew as she put her hand behind her back. "It's nothing."

Sokka frowned. "What's going on?"

Katara's brow creased in worry, the girl scooting toward Aika, the half-blood leaning away in reply. "You bandaged that when we were at the prison and it still hasn't healed? Come on, let me take a look."

Aika pulled away, eyes wide. "I'm fine, Katara! It's just an old scar!"

The Waterbender arched an eyebrow at the half-blood. "A scar from your fingers to your elbow?"

Aika nodded sharply, her voice still low and aggressive. "Yes, now please just drop it!"

Katara's eyes filled with worry and hurt, pulling away from Aika's anger, Sokka giving her an annoyed, aggravated look. "What's up with you? If it's 'just a scar,' why are you getting so touchy?"

Aika roughly growled, "It's just a bad reminder of the past, alright? Now leave me alone already!"

Silence reigned, slightly interrupted by the wind rushing past. Sokka, still as skeptical as ever, felt distrust rising in his throat again- why was Aika hiding something from them? Katara however was glancing away, obviously upset with how Aika was pushing them away, sadness filling her eyes that she wouldn't trust them fully.

Aika simply glared off into the distance, lips curled into a distasteful scowl, her annoyance evident, though the couldn't see what she didn't show- her own anguish. 'The only way to recover your dignity is to kill him, Aika.' 'You're worthless until you can complete this task. Until then, you aren't one of us.'

Lowering her head, Aika's left hand closed around her right wrist, the lightning-like scar still seeming to retain the same heat from when it was first etched into her arm. I have to do this. I have to regain my honor.

Aang, too far forward to have heard most of the argument over the strong winds, turned his head back to Aika's yell, asking obliviously, "Is something wrong?"

A three-way staring contest ensued, all three in the saddle looking between themselves, the tension in the air seeming to block out the wind for a moment, their eyes conveying to one another the frustration they all felt.

Aang, hearing no response, turned around with a slight frown. "Guys? Are you okay?"

Aika, never breaking gaze with Sokka, calmly called up to him, "Yeah, everything's fine. Just set down soon, kid."

Aang, picking up on the conflict, turned back with a concerned frown. "Are you sure? You sound angry."

Aika grit her teeth, forcing her tone to go into a monotonous state. "We're fine, you idiot. Just take us down before we reach the Great Divide."

Aang's ears perked, his attention jumping away from the dark mood. "Great Divide? Are we already that close?"

Aika nodded. "I've been here enough that I know when it's close. Landmarks, the edge of the canyon on the horizon; it's easy enough to tell. It'll take the better part of tomorrow to cross, and there's no way we're spending a night down there."

Aang shrugging, Appa nearing the ground. "If you say so, but what's so bad about the canyon?"

Aika deadpanned, nose crinkling in distaste. "Canyon crawlers. They're like giant little pests, they're attracted to food. If you have any at all, they'll swarm over you."

Aang gave a sharp nod of agreement as they came to a rough stop on the ground. "I guess we'd better make it over tomorrow." Hopping off his bison in a flurry of air, he hugged Appa with a grin, praising the animal as Aika slunk off the saddle, dropping down to the ground. Rubbing her scarred arm, she called over her shoulder, "I'll go see if I can find some food. We're starting to run low again." And with that, she was gone, disappearing into the treeline.

Sokka crawling down Appa's side, he dropped down to the ground, Katara close behind him. Aang looked over to them, asking, "What were you fighting about?"

Sokka, eyes narrowed at the bushes where Aika had disappeared, arms crossed cynically. "Aika has a giant scar on her arm, and wouldn't even let us look. She said it was a 'reminder of the past.' What is she hiding from us?"

Katara's lips tightened, worry still overriding the suspicion growing in her chest. "We all have bad memories, guys. Maybe Aika's just not feeling ready to share with us yet."

Sokka insisted, "She should be able to trust us! How can we trust her if she won't even let us see what happened?"

Aang frowned, looking to the ground. "Maybe we should just trust her regardless. I mean, it's not like she knows everything about us. We should give her some space."

Sokka sighed. "Yeah yeah, it's just I think that she's lying to us, and if I've learned anything, it's that my instincts lead me the right way, most of the time."

Katara cracked a smile, nudging her brother. "Yeah, most of the time. Like when you lead us into a Fire Nation camp?"

"That was one time!"

Aang let out a laugh, smiling. "See? Back to normal!"

Katara responded with a matching smile, saying, "I'm going to go get some wood for the fire. Sokka, mind putting up the tent?"

The boy nodded, climbing back up to the saddle and pulling it down. "I'll have it ready in a minute!"

Everyone scattering their different ways, a short squabble between the Water Tribe siblings broke out, the fire started by the time Aika returned with a sharpened stick, five fish speared on the wood. With a convincing smirk, she tried to put up a more friendly face, hoping not to let them see how she truly felt. "You'd all better be hungry, because I almost fell into the river for your dinner!"

Katara laughed, Sokka's eyes glittering at the sight of meat. "Dinner!"

The corner of Aika's lip tugged upward, she chuckled a bit. "Since you're so ecstatic about food, I'll leave cooking to you." Handing over the stick, Katara couldn't help but notice that the sleeves of her shirt were gone, her scarred arm now wrapped in the same dark green fabric. Still, she didn't push it. She had faith that Aika would tell them when she was ready.

Seating herself next to Katara, Sokka quickly cooked the fish to perfection, the girls each chopping down a fish, Aang doing the same as Sokka devoured the final two. Despite all of Aang's playfulness and Sokka's jokes, it was a rather calm night as they set down for the night.

They woke up quickly as the dawn rose, packing and quickly reloading onto Appa's back. By the time the sun was just brushing the horizon, they were already flying through the air, a giant gorge appearing in front of them.

Aang immediately grinned, pulling Appa down to the edge of the gorge. "Come on, let's get a closer look!"

Aika yelled into the wind, "A look! I'm not going down there!"

They quickly landed, Aang, Sokka, and Katara hopping off to admire the view from the cliff's edge overlooking the Great Divide, the chasm extending farther than the eye could see. A grab-bag of valleys, cliffs, plateaus, and sharp slopes made up the tan and orange expanse.

Aang introduced, "Here it is, guys! The Great Divide!"

Katara, eyes wide and hair fluttering behind her in the breeze, gushed in awe, "Wow... I could just stand here and look at it forever."

Sokka cut in, "Okay. I've seen enough."

He turned away and walked toward Appa, Aika calling from Appa's saddle, "Sokka's got the right idea, guys! The canyon is nothing but trouble! You'll have a great view of it as we cross by bison."

Katara inquired, "How can you two not be fascinated? This is the largest canyon in the entire world!"

Sokka dryly responded, "Then I'm sure we'll be able to see pretty clearly from the air as we fly away."

As Aika opened her mouth to respond, a voice, male and gruff, cried out behind them. "Hey, if you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!" A boy in clean white and yellow robes rushed toward Katara and Aang, nearly knocking over Sokka as he pushed past.

Katara, oblivious to the man's obvious annoyance, blissfully cooed. "Canyon guide? Sounds informative!"

The cleanly boy quickly insisted, "Believe me, he's more than a tour guide! He's an Earthbender, and the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help! And he's taking my tribe across next!"

As the boy angrily ranted, Sokka had begun mockingly imitating him, opening and closing his hand to signify the boy's yammering as he made faces- that is, until the boy looked at him, Sokka immediately avoiding eye contact. Sokka attempted to pretend that hadn't happened, walking back over to Katara and Aang. "Calm down, we know you're next."

The boy didn't calm down. "You wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee!"

Aika, eyes lidded and slightly annoyed, effectively hid the compassion she felt for the boy's predicament. "Wow, no one else here could possibly understand what you're feeling right now."

The boy ignored her, gesturing to the canyon. "My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se!"

Katara realized, "You're a refugee!"

The boy scoffed. "Tell me something I don't know."

Aang and Katara shared a sidelong look as Aika dropped down from Appa's saddle, looking over the boy. "Wait a second, are you from the Gan Jin clan? You're robes are way too clean to be a Zhang."

The boy scoffed. "How dare you insinuate I'm one of those barbarians!"

Aika rolled her eyes. "Yep, definitely Gan Jin. Got it." Laying back in the saddle, she slid onto her back, looking up at the sky with annoyance. She listened in irritation to the boy's complaint to the arrival of the Zhang tribe, maintaining her complete detachment from the situation until the rumbling of rocks managed to draw her attention. Sitting up, someone she could only assume was the canyon guide had levitated a pile of rocks away, now proudly announcing, "Sorry about the wait, youngsters! Who's ready to cross this here canyon?"

Aika waved a hand to the Gan Jin boy and the Zhang tribe, calling, "One of them, we'll be flying."

The Gan Jin boy rushed forward, insisting, "I was here first! My party is on their way as we speak!"

Aika, taking in the old man in his lime and forest green clothes and straw hand, listened as the man simply answered, "I can't guide people who aren't here."

As the Zhangs moved for the guide, Aika leaned down in the saddle, obviously annoyed as she spoke down to the rest of the group. "Guys, we should get out of here while we can. Clan rivalries in the Earth Kingdom can get really nasty, especially when between two clans like the Gan Jin and Zhangs."

Sokka, bypassing her advice and instead focusing on details, asked, "You know about them?"

Aika sighed. "Obviously, dimwit. I've been wandering the Earth Kingdom all of my life. Now, why don't we just-"

The newly arrived Gan Jin's argument with the Zhangs escalated, angry yelling cutting off Aika's pleas. Katara turned to Aang, asking, "Well, Aang? Ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?"

Aang nervously answered, "I don't know... A fight over chores is one thing. These people have been at war for over one hundred years."

Aika interjected, "And that's exactly why we should leave! They don't want us in their business, and if they could've gotten over this feud, then they would've already."

Still, the arguing grew louder, Aang warily admitting, "This is bigger than me, but I have to try."

Katara immediately caught on, stepping forward as Aika groaned and laid on her back in the saddle with an irritated glare at the clouds. The Waterbender announced, "Everyone, listen up! This is the Avatar, and I'm sure if you give him a chance, he can find a compromise that will work for everyone!"

The yelling hushing, Aang timidly suggested, "Well, you could share the Earthbender and travel together?"

The Gan Jin's elder furiously refused, "Absolutely not! We'd rather be captured by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves!"

The Zhang woman shot back, "We wouldn't travel with you pompous fools anyway!"

Jeering and fighting building up, Aika let out a sigh as Aang burst out, "Alright, here's the deal! You'll all go down together and Appa will fly your sick and elderly across! Does that seem fair?"

The two tribe leaders gave hesitant nods as Aika's eyes jolted fully open again, the girl dropping down. "Uh, Aang? Did you entirely forget what I said about the canyon?!"

Aang apologized, "Sorry, but we have to help these people!"

Aika scoffed. "No, you don't. You're the Avatar Aang, not everyone's referee."

Aang glanced away, feet shifting in the light dirt. "I was missing for a hundred years, Aika. I have to make up for what I've missed. You can go across with Appa, you know."

Aika wanted to say yes. She really, really wanted to. Yet... there was something holding her back. Damn it... I'm starting to get soft. I need to stop this pathetic nonsense before I find Zhao. I can't lose to him again!

"I'll come into the canyon, but I want you to remember that I said not to, and when this gets bad, I want 'I told you so' rights."

Aang chuckled a bit. "You're free to say it all you want, but I don't think it'll be too horrible."

Aika glanced to the two clans warily. "... If you say so."

It wasn't long before they'd helped some ten elderly Gan Jin and wheezing Zhangs into the sky bison's saddle, Aika looking after the bison with regret. "... I've made a horrible mistake."

Sokka patted her shoulder sympathetically. "We all have."

The Earthbender announced, "Okay, here comes the bad news! No food in the canyon- it attracts dangerous predators!"

As the two clans hollered in outrage, Aika muttered under her breath about "creepy crawlers" and words that made Aang discreetly cover his ears.

Responding to the dismay of his tourists, the Earthbender taunted, "Aw, you babies can go a day without food! Would you rather be hungry, or dead?" Pulling his arms up from his hips to his chest quickly, he summoned a pillar of stone twice as high as he stood before. Hands cupping his mouth, he yelled, "Now, we're headin' down in ten minutes! All food should be in your gut or in the garbage!"

Aika had already eaten a roll, Sokka and Katara splitting the last one at Aang's insistence. The Zhangs brutally tearing into their food, the Gan Jin's eating slowly and carefully, the guide pointed to the canyon. "Let's go, girlies!"

Aika grumbled a long string of well-worded insults under her breath as she slung a pack onto her shoulder, golden flecks in her green eyes almost orange against the canyon's red.

The Gaang descending right behind the guide, the Gan Jin took up the rear in their slow, careful steps as they slowly walked down a path alongside the canyon's edge. Coming to a cliff, the guide quickly made a bridge connecting to where the rest of the path continued.

Aang complimented, "Nice bending!"

The guide replied, "This job is more than bending- people want information!" Turning to the group, he proclaimed, "You all are probably wondering how canyons are formed. Experts tell us this canyon was most likely carved by earth spirits, who were angry at local farmers for not making the correct sacrifices to them!"

A rumbling up above them, a pile of rocks came tumbling downward, the guide quickly deflecting them with a laugh. "Guess the spirits are still angry! Hope you brought the right sacrifices!"

Their walk continuing, Aika stared worriedly at the bottom. "He's freaking insane."

Katara pointed out, "But he's getting us across."

It was a quiet walk to the bottom, the Earthbender flinging a boulder to destroy the path they'd taken after them once they'd safely reached the bottom. Aang inquired as to why he'd done so, yet Aika's attention was grabbed by something different. In the dust cloud from the boulder's impact, something massive was moving, right by Aang and the guide. Racing toward them, she yelled, "Behind you!"

Yet just as the Earthbender turned, a hairy leg reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, lifting him into the air. Aang quickly swung his staff, clearing away the dust to show an enormous, spider-like monster. Four hairy legs with clawed toes, its long abdomen was coated in thick black fur, its many red eyes glared around with the canyon guide now clutched between its fangs. Swinging the guide around, Sokka yelled and threw his boomerang, the weapon bouncing uselessly off the monster's head, yet annoyed it enough to drop the guide and rush at Sokka.

Aika snatched the back of Aang's shirt, pulling him out of the creature's way as it rushed forward, hissing and spitting as it quickly chased Sokka through the canyon. Katara rushed to her brother's aid, pulling the water from her pouch and whipping the monster's face, yet it seemed completely unaffected by the action. Snapping forward at her, Aang rushed forward, swiping his staff with a gust of air that sent the crawler spinning backwards, yet coming right back at him.

The Avatar quickly began to turn his staff in a circular motion, the end pointed at the monster as a cyclone formed, quickly picking up the monster and tossing it into the side of the canyon. The creature gave one last hiss, clinging to the wall before it crawled into one of the many cracks in the canyon wall.

Aang turned to the others, eyes wide. "What was that?"

Aika glared after the monster, standing above the canyon guide. "Canyon crawlers. I think this is the point where I'm allowed to say I told you so."

Katara quickly knelt at the man's side, taking quick stock of his condition. "Your arms... they're both broken."

The guide fussed, "Without my arms, I've got no bending! In other words..."

Aang looked around in horror. "We're trapped in this canyon."

As Katara began to splint and sling the guide's arms, Sokka demanded, "I thought the point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers."

Aika crossed her arms, glaring at the two tribes. "Well, I'm guessing someone decided they didn't need to listen."

It took the Gan Jin leader half a second to pounce on the opportunity to accuse the Zhangs, the ensuing argument of no interest to Aika, the impure instead deeming to completely tune out the fighting, looking at the canyon wall.

No Earthbending to get us in or out. Maybe Aang could fly us out one by one, but I'm not sure if he has the strength. There's at least thirty of us... Damn, I wish I could use weapons of some sort. At least then, I could maybe have something to help us get up. I mean, the Fire Nation Rough Rhino troupe has a chain-user. Why couldn't I be a badass with metal links of freaking death? No fighting style I've picked up works against the crawlers... So I'm essentially useless down here, unless some other idiot humans are down here I'll need to fight. Her eyes turned back to the two clans, yet she quickly dismissed the thought. Even these idiots wouldn't be dumb enough to pick a fight with each other or anyone with the Avatar. No, it was nothing but crawlers down here.

The Zhangs going around one side of a long wall, the Gan Jins on the other, Aang looked to his friends. "That should keep them from fighting for now, but we need to find out why they're fighting at all. Sokka, you go with the Zhangs. Katara, you're with the Gan Jins. Aika-"

"Count me out," Aika quickly shut him down, arms crossed and chin in the air stubbornly.

Aang frowned. "What?"

"Count me out of your plan. I've told you before Aang, I don't get in the middle of fights that aren't my business. I'm a neutral, like you're supposed to be."

Aang tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I am neutral."

Aika pointed out, "You say as you try to meddle in isolated clan affairs and find out about the past so you can choose a side." Before Aang could even answer, she started walking behind the Zhangs, slowing her usual pace to keep distance between them. "If you really wanna play the usual Avatar game, don't mess with it. Just back off and let them sort out their own troubles."

Aang watched Aika for a moment, worry creasing his brow as Katara soothed, "It's alright, Aang. You're doing the right thing, keeping balance and making peace. Aika's just a bit of a pessimist."

Aang slowly nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right." Still, he couldn't shake what she had said. If I'm the Avatar, do I keep balance by stopping the fighting, or... or do I just let them figure it out?

It was a taxing walk until sundown, everyone ready to pitch their tents and rest by the time the rambling canyon guide announced this was the best campsite. The Gan Jin pitching their camp a good valley away from the Zhang, you could barely see the firelight of one camp from the other. However, Aang and Aika had split off from the rest, settling down together on a small, rocky hilltop. Aika had eagerly tossed down her sleeping roll, yet Aang could only longingly look out at the campfires.

As Aika straightened out her bedroll, Aang sullenly remarked, "It sure would be nice to be around one of those campfires. Telling stories, laughing..."

Aika sighed. "It's hard being a neutral, Arrows. Sometimes, it's harder to stay out of a fight than to get into one."

Aang didn't even move his longing gaze from the fires. "Yeah... I just don't know what to do."

Aika, looking up at the boy, huffed with a hint of annoyance, yet she still seemed sympathetic. "You know, I could start a fire for us up here, maybe exchange a story or two. Sure, there's not a whole tribe of people, but it's something."

Aang brightened a bit. "Yeah, that sounds awesome!"

Aika cracked a smile, rummaging in her bag until she pulled out a set of spark stones, Aang having quickly pulled together a small pile of brush. Aika sparked up a fire, the two sitting cross-legged opposite from each other. Aika smirked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I guess I'll go first. Hmm... Well, I could tell you about my stint as a pirate."

Aang grinned. "That sounds awesome!"

"Well, you know a good chunk of it, but I can tell you about one of my first escapades with them. I think it was the second time we pulled into port after I'd stowed away. Gara had already found me out, but I was made a temporary crew member as long as I could help them make money." Suddenly, Aika's lips were twisted in a sly smile. "So, I decided I would make them more money than they'd ever made in a day before. I couldn't only thieve enough in a day, so I instead came up with a better plan. I put on a show in the middle of the town market where I danced for anyone who would throw me a coin." She burst out laughing, Aang giving her an odd look as the sly grin seemed to grow.

"And then, just when the market was shutting down for the night, I made a challenge. I lifted my bag of gold and I said that anyone who could beat me in a fight could take it all, but anyone who lost would have to give me the same amount as what was in the bag. I fought probably six guys that day, and when I started out that fight with ten gold coins, I ended the day with four hundred in gold. I would've had more, but a few of them were short of the money."

Aang was smothering giggles, hugging his stomach as he couldn't hold back his laughter. "That's hilarious! I didn't know you could dance!"

Aika's smile was suddenly a lot more awkward. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit shit- "I'm not that good. I only made ten gold in a whole day, after all." Clearing her throat, she quickly moved on, "So, your turn."

Aang grinned, latching onto the chance to share quickly. "Have you ever been to Omashu?"

Aika snorted. "Yeah, the town of the mad king."

"Yeah, Bumi! He was my best friend a hundred years ago!"

Aika seemed to develop a sudden knot in her throat, clearly it awkwardly. "Oh wow, he's..."

Aang let out a chuckle. "A hundred years ago, we used to slide down the mail system all the time! I went back a few weeks ago, just before you joined our team. He reminded me how to think like him with a bunch of crazy challenges, like getting a key from a waterfall or fighting him."

Aika smirked. "I like the moral of my story better."

The two looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing.

Aang, stomach rumbling, looked back to Aika. "I'm going to eat a pile of lechee nuts when we get out of here."

Aika snorted. "Speak for yourself, I like something a little hotter. Maybe the next town over will have some real heat for me."

The two laughed at their own hunger, Aang yawning after a minute, Aika admitting, "It's late, Arrows. We should get some rest for tomorrow."

Aang nodded, interweaving and twisting his hands, using air to lift a pile of dirt, dropping it on the fire, the flames quickly puttering low to barely existent cinders. "Goodnight, Aika."

Aika laid back, smirking to the moon like she'd told it a joke. "Night, Arrows."

Aang quickly fell asleep, the cinders of the fire glowing warmer and starting to grow again. Aika glared at the slowly reigniting weeds, reaching out her non-bandaged hand and closing it into a fist, the cinders darkening immediately.

It didn't take long for the Zhangs and the Gaang to pack up, though a little annoyance was aimed at the Gan Jin's pickiness in packing techniques. It was another long day of walking, Aika walking the ridge with the Earthbender and Aang above the two tribes throughout the day. The sun was luckily blotted out by clouds occasionally, yet it couldn't take away from the heat of the day.

If anyone had asked, Aika would've said it took an eternity to get across the canyon. When the guide announced they'd almost reached the other side, it was a relief she'd rarely felt before. Aang hung back for a moment to speak with their friends, Aika falling behind as well.

The young Avatar asked, "Katara, Sokka, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?"

Katara seriously answered, "I don't think so, Aang, the Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb."

Aang frowned, obviously confused. "What are you talking about?

Sokka agreed, "Yeah Katara, what are you talking about? Wei Jin didn't steal the orb, he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."

Katara shot back, "Not punished enough if you ask me."

Aika interjected, "Guys, you've gotten pulled into this private feud! Who cares what some guys one hundred years ago did? Especially to you two, who aren't involved with those old geezers anyway!"

Katara still stubbornly insisted, "Because these people deserve to have the truth!"

Sokka retorted, "Yeah, about how Wei Jin was wrongly imprisoned!"

Aang scowled, stomping his staff in frustration. "Okay, okay I get it! Now I need your help, I need everyone together at the base of the canyon wall."

Aang took off with his glider, quickly landing between the two tribes before any fighting could inevitably break out, Aika and the Water Tribe siblings running after him.

Aang yelled to the crowd, "Please everyone, as soon as we get out of here we can eat and then go our separate ways, but I need you all to put your heads together and figure out a way up this cliff."

The Gan Jin leader sneered, "Maybe the Zhang can climb the wall with their long disgusting fingernails."

The Zhang woman scoffed, voice dripping sarcasm as she replied, "Oh sorry, I forgot that to the Gan Jin unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail!"

"Why you dirty thief!"

"You pompous fool!"

Arriving just in time to hear this, Katara and Sokka quickly took their own sides, Aika left to facepalm between them all. One of these days, they'll actually listen to me and it'll be a fucking miracle.

Aang cried out in his frustration. "Guys, focus! How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, action will!"

The Zhang leader thoughtfully admitted, "Perhaps the Avatar is right."

The Gan Jin elder agreed "Yes, perhaps he is."

It took Aika about half a second to see where this was going, and how fast Aang's smile was about to evaporate.

The woman growled, "Harsh words will never solve our problems."

The Gan Jin leader hissed back, "Action will!"

Both of the tribal leaders drew their swords, Aika quickly stepping away as their weapons clashed and rang, Aang yelping at the sudden violence.

The Gan Jin man announced, "To the death! And let this be the end of this rivalry!"

Aang weakly suggested, "You know, I take it back. Harsh words aren't so bad!"

Yet Aang was being completely ignored, the two circling with swords still scraping against one another. Exchanging a few blows, Aika snuck around the edge of the fight as one of the woman's pigtails fell off, the Gan Jin man suddenly short a foot of beard.

The half-blood now next to Aang, she asked with a slightly superior tone, "And now I once again get to say 'I told you so.'"

Aang shook his head. "I won't allow this." Stepping forward rapidly, he gave a single swipe with his staff, blasting the members of both tribes. Stumbling away, their bags came loose- along with a stockpile of food from both sides.

Aang, looking around in quiet outrage, asked in awe, "Is that ... food? Everyone smuggled food down here? Unbelievable! You guys put our lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day? You're all awful!" Suddenly, at seeing a custard tart, he clutched at his stomach, eyes shining. "So hungry. Is that an egg custard in that tart?"

Aika, who's forehead must've been flame red from all the times her palm had connected, suddenly heard an all-too-familiar hissing sound. "Uh, Aang? Not a big concern right now!" Pointing up the cliffside, over a dozen canyon crawlers were emerging from cracks in the walls, chattering and hissing to one another as they easily navigated down the straight wall to the canyon floor.

Turning, Aang's wide eyes were suddenly filled with less adoration of the tart and more terror of the incoming monsters.

As the creatures began to chase the humans, Katara nervously fretted, "Oh no, that's a lot of canyon crawlers..."

Sokka quickly drew his boomerang, exclaiming, "We barely survived one!"

The canyon guide started hobbling away behind them, screaming, "They're coming back for me! They've had a taste and they're coming back for me!"

Running past him and looking for some way up the cliffside with two canyon crawlers close behind, Aika yelled back, "I doubt it, you salty old bastard!"

Sokka, about to run forward to fight, suddenly found himself held in place by a gentle hand on his arm. Katara's soft voice emerged, despite all the chaos, obviously ashamed. "Sokka, wait. I don't care about this stupid feud, I just want us to get out of here alive."

Sokka agreed, "Me too. I only took their side 'cause they fed me."

Running back to them, Aika clutched a bean roll to her chest with another crawler following her. Biting into the roll, she tossed the rest over her shoulder, two crawlers pausing to fight over it. "And you two jerks couldn't be bothered to share?! I don't get how this friendship shit is supposed to work, but I don't think it's this!"

The three of them running toward Aang, the Avatar seemed to have the situation pretty controlled. A small pile of food had gathered, the crawlers gravitating toward it, every one that came close, Aang blasting into the canyon wall. As a handful of them pounced at him together, he leapt into the air and out of their reach, blasting them from above, yet it could only knock them away. They always stood back up again, shaking it off and coming back just as determined.

Katara and Sokka did their best to play defense for the tribal members, Aika simply grabbing food, waving it around and screaming, and hoping she'd accomplish something. Eventually, she had a herd of eight crawlers chasing her for two bags of food she held, running and dodging around the pillars of rocks throughout the canyon.

Racing past Aang, she handed off a bag, calling, "Use it wisely!"

Aang's answer to this was to announce, "Everyone, watch me and do what I do!"

He pounced on one of the crawlers chasing Aika, slipping the bag over its long snout and quickly settling on its head as if it were a thinner model of Appa. Using the drawstrings of the bag as reins, he began to steer the crawler straight up the canyon wall.

It didn't take long for the idea to catch on. Within another minute, every human had wrangled a crawler, Aika clinging to the back of one with a mumbling canyon guide behind her as they ascended directly up the canyon wall.

In a wave of furry monstrosities, they were up the wall in seconds, the humans ditching their mounts and tossing the last of the food off the cliff's edge, the crawlers chasing after it.

Aika immediately let out a deep breath as she flopped onto her back with eyes closed, completely ready for a peaceful few hours of riding Appa. But it wasn't over.

The Zhang woman turned to the Gan Jin elder, smirking. "I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that."

The man replied grudgingly, "And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch."

"Perhaps we're not so different after all."

Aang dared to hope as the two shared a small smile, that hope quickly shattered.

The man drew his sword once more, sliding into a stance. "Too bad we can't rewrite history. You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei!"

The Zhang leader yelled back, "You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!"

And that was it. Aika's eyes shot open, she pushed to her feet, and she stomped in between them, all within the span of a few seconds. Aang knew forevermore, the way Aika yelled that day would haunt him forever.

"That's enough! I've put up with you idiots fighting for an entire day, and it's not even for a good reason! I mean, you all are letting events from decades ago ruin your lives! Who cares if Win Jei or Jizz Pay took an orb? You idiots are just holding onto things that need to be let go of! Tell me, what impact does this have on your life? Did you lose something dear to you because of this ridiculous past?" When no answer came, she then inquired with angry demand, "And exactly how much of your lives have you lost to this stupid feud?! Now, you can either stop fighting, and realize that nothing that these guys a hundred years ago is hurting you now, or you can waste days and years you could spend with your family instead bickering over a fucking ball!"

The Gan Jin and Zhang were completely silent, the Gaang staring at her in shock and awe. Aika let out a few angry breaths before simply walking away, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to go get Appa. If I come back and you're fighting, I'm shoving every one of you back into the Divide!"

Disappearing into the trees, Aang laughed nervously as he started, "Ha ha... Aika's such a joker, I mean-"

"A ball?" The Gan Jin leader spoke through grit teeth.

The Zhang woman scowled. "Impact on our lives?!"

The two leaders glared off for a few, tense seconds, the remaining Gaang unsure of what to do.

The woman sighed. "Maybe... Maybe we have been overdramatic."

The Gan Jin slowly nodded. "Perhaps... We dwell on the past and limit our future."

The woman made eye contact for a moment before quickly back-pedaling, "That doesn't mean you wimpy Gan Jins are forgiven!"

The Gan Jin leader scoffed. "The same goes for you filthy ruffians. But... perhaps we could consider the idea of a truce at the least."

The woman nodded in response. "Only consideration, old man."

The two continued this passive aggressive argument as they walked off, their tribes filtering out behind them, leaving the Gaang in a completely shell-shocked condition. Another half hour later, and Appa came stomping in, Aika sitting on his head. Much calmer now, she called, "Where'd Clan Dumb and Clan Dumber go?"

Aang slowly responded, "They... listened to you."

Aika snorted. "Sure they did. I probably just prolonged their arguments. Still, they're not our problem anymore. Now get on the bison, guys. I got the old people out of here, so we can get on our way to the North Pole now."

Aika quickly gave up her spot on Appa's head to Aang, the boy asking, "How did you do that? I mean, they never listened to me!"

Aika shook her head. "They did, Aang. It's just that sometimes, people like them can sometimes take a bit more than inspirational words, and you simply weren't willing to use the harsh words to get all the way through. Still, like I said, they'll be back to fighting in a week." Giving Aang a small smile, she chuckled. "But hey, maybe because of you, they'll stick to harsh words instead of action."

Aang laughed, the Water Tribe siblings jumping into the joke, their laughter picking up as Appa lifted off.

Still, Aika couldn't shake the irony of her words. Let go of the past... One of these days, I'll be able to. Soon, I'll let go. And I'll let you go too, Zhao. Forever.

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