Appa soared through the skies, passing over a large mountain range. Sokka was sitting on Appa's head, taking the reins for once since Aang was otherwise occupied. Ever since his conversation with Roku, and the knowledge of the coming terror that threatened the world, he had become a bit on edge. At the moment, he was pacing around Appa's saddle, just barely keeping himself from hyperventilating.
"Aang, you need to sit down." Min insisted. "If we hit a bump, you'll go flying off."
"Roku's still bugging you, isn't he?" Sokka questioned, turning back towards Aang.
"Of course Roku's still bugging me." Aang replied. "I have to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord before a giant comet comes and gives the Fire Nation untold power. I have no idea how I'm gonna pull this off."
"Well you've already mastered airbending." Katara pointed out. "That's one element down, only three to go."
"Yeah and that first one only took you a hundred and twelve years." Sokka added sarcastically. "Three more by the end of the summer, piece of cake."
"Sokka, if you're not going to be helpful, shut up." Min told him.
"What?" Sokka let out. "I'm just kidding."
"I haven't even started Waterbending yet." Aang reminded them, working himself into a panic. "And we're still weeks away from the North Pole. What am I gonna do?!"
Katara grabbed Aang's arm, pulling him down in front of her.
"First, you need to calm down." She insisted. "Everything will be okay."
"You know, if you're so anxious about learning Waterbending, maybe you can have Katara show you a few moves." Min suggested.
Both Katara and Aang were surprised by the suggestion.
"Really?" They both asked, Katara confused and Aang excited.
"Yeah, I mean, I've seen Katara in action." Min remarked. "She's a powerful bender, and knows quite a few moves for someone with no formal training."
"Katara, can you please show me?" Aang pleaded.
"Well, I suppose I could show you some of the moves I know." she decided, visibly straightening. "However, we'll need a good source of water."
"Maybe we can find you a nice puddle for you to splash in." Sokka suggested.
…
The gang stood in front of a large waterfall that led into a long, lazy river. Both Aang and Katara stared at it happily, Min looking it over with a small smirk. Sokka looked more than a little annoyed, turning towards his sister and Aang.
"Nice puddle." He muttered.
Appa flew above the river, letting out a roar as he belly flopped onto the water, creating a huge splash that nearly knocked Momo from a rock he was perched on. He turned over onto his back, floating contently. Aang grinned at the sight, pulling off his shirt and then his pants.
"Yeah!" he cheered. "I'm right behind you, boy!"
Min let out a small cough.
"What happened to learning some Waterbending?" she questioned.
"Yeah, let's not forget why we're here." Katara agreed.
Aang stopped short, blushing somewhat as she slowly put his clothes back on.
"Right, sorry." he apologized.
"In the meantime, I'm going to meditate over there." Min declared, gesturing to a sunny area.
"And what am I supposed to do?" Sokka questioned sarcastically. "Because I am NOT meditating."
"You could…" Aang thought for a second before picking up a loose branch with a bushel of leaves on the end. "Clean the gunk out of Appa's toes."
Sokka crossed his arms, frowning.
"So, while you two play in the water and Min does her meditation thingy, I'm supposed to be hard at work, picking mud and bugs out of a giant bison's feet?" he asked.
"Mud and bugs!" Aang cheerfully corrected.
Sokka stared for a minute, then snatched the stick out of Aang's hands.
"Okay." he decided, marching towards the water where Appa was waiting.
…
Elsewhere, Zuko was in the midst of some firebending training on the deck of his ship. He practiced with one of his Lieutenants, a man by the name of Lee as the two had a friendly firebending duel. All of a sudden, the ship lurched hard, knocking nearly everyone off their feet.
"What happened?" Lieutenant Lee questioned, getting to his feet.
"Someone's changing our course." Zuko growled in response, looking up at the control deck.
He stormed up to the deck, throwing the doors open in pure rage.
"What is the meaning of this mutiny?!" he demanded. "No one told you to chance course!"
"Actually, someone did." Iroh corrected.
Zuko turned to see his uncle playing a game of Pai Sho with the other members of the crew.
"I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko." he promised his nephew, not looking up from his game.
"Did you learn something about the Avatar and his Guardian?" Zuko questioned, a note of hope in his voice.
"Even more urgent." Iroh told him. "It seems I… I have lost my lotus tile."
Zuko blinked in confusion, staring at his uncle.
"Lotus tile?" he repeated.
"For my Pai Sho game." Iroh explained. "You see, most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy I employ."
"You changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?" Zuko asked in disbelief.
"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value." Iroh retorted. "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life."
Zuko let out a harsh growl, then breathed a large plume of fire up at the ceiling, filling the entire cabin with smoke.
"I'm so lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh complimented, waving the smoke away before resuming his game once more.
…
Sokka stood on Appa's stomach, brushing in between the bison's toes with the branch. Appa let out a pleased growl, spreading his toes accommodatingly.
"Yeah, don't get too happy." Sokka warned. "You've got to do me next."
Over on the shore, Min was deep in a meditative trance, facing the sun and doing some breathing exercises. A bit further down, Katara and Aang stood along the beach.
"This is a pretty basic move," Katara explained. "But it still took me months to perfect, so don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away."
Aang gave a small nod, then Katara began moving her hands back and forth in a repetitive motion. A small wave began to form in the water in front of her, following the motion of her hands.
"Just push and pull the water like this." Katara instructed. "The key is getting the wrist movements right."
"Like this?" Aang asked, mimicking her motions.
Nothing seemed to be happening as Aang tried the move.
"That's almost right." Katara told him. "If you keep practicing I'm sure eventually-"
"Hey, I'm bending it already!" Aang suddenly cheered.
Katara looked up, surprised to see that Aang was indeed creating waves. More than that, they seemed to be much bigger than her own.
"Wow." Katara let out in surprise, stopping her move as she watched Aang. "I can't believe you got that so quickly. It took me two months to learn that move."
"Well, you had to figure it out all on your own." Aang told her, shrugging a bit as he too stopped Waterbending. "I'm lucky enough to have a great teacher."
"Thanks." Katara said gratefully.
"So, what's next?" Aang asked eagerly.
"Well, this is a more difficult move." Katara continued. "I call it 'streaming the water'."
She moved her hands and raised a long stream of water from the river. She lifted it into the air, manipulating it so it moved almost like a snake.
"It's harder than it looks," she warned, "so don't be disappointed if-"
Katara looked up and saw Aang already mastering the move and moving the stream of water around and over his body, much to Katara's dismay. He even managed to put it back in the water without creating so much as a ripple. Katara merely lost control of her stream, the water falling down into the sand at her feet.
"Nice work." She said bluntly. "Though the over-the-head flare was unnecessary."
"Sorry." Aang apologized. "But don't stop now. Keep 'em coming!"
"Well I kind of know this one other move," Katara decided. "But, it's pretty hard. I haven't event totally figured it out yet. The idea is to create a big, powerful wave."
Katara then proceeded to move her hands up, causing a big mass of water to rise up. Unfortunately, her control was shaky at best, and she quickly lost her concentration. The water popped, returning to the water with barely a splash.
"So, like this?" Aang asked as he repeated the action.
This time however, the mass of water was so much bigger that it towered over them. Over with Sokka still cleaning Appa, he looked up and saw the massive wave crashing towards him.
"Aang?!" He cried out before the wave collided with him and tossed him into the water.
Sokka slowly rose out of the river quite annoyed.
"Looks like I got the hang of that move!" Aang cheered. "What else you got?"
That's when Min came up, having heard the deafening splash.
"What the heck just happened?!" she questioned.
"I was just calling an end to the Waterbending lesson." Katara replied, clearly upset with Aang's progress.
"You better!" Sokka called out, his head sticking out of the water. "Your 'lesson' just sent our supplies down the river!"
"Uh, sorry." Aang apologized, smiling nervously. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace all our stuff."
"And life was hard enough when you were just an airbender." Sokka lamented.
…
It didn't take the four of them long to find a portside market. It was definitely a rougher market, with almost everyone armed and dangerous. Min suddenly felt very naked without her swords, having lost them back at the Fire Temple.
"Hey Sokka, you think we have enough money to get me a new pair of swords?" she asked curiously.
"Sorry Min, but we're down to three copper pieces after getting food and new sleeping bags." Sokka answered.
"Uh, make that two copper pieces." Aang admitted, walking up to them.
"What?" Sokka let out. "But that was the last of our money!"
"Sorry, but I couldn't say no to this whistle." Aang explained, pulling out a whistle shaped like a bison.
He took the whistle and blew into it, but it barely made a sound. Momo, however, seemed to shriek a bit, chittering angrily at Aang.
"Aang, I think you got swindled." Min informed him.
"Yeah, no offense Aang, but I'll hold the money from now on." Katara decided.
Reluctantly, Aang handed over the remaining two coins.
…
On the other side of the port, a very extravagant ship lacking any specific nation's markings was docked alone. A rather strange looking man by the name of Oh stood at the base of the ship, calling out to any and all passerbyers.
"Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here!" he declared, moving his arms about dramatically. "Don't be shy, come on by!"
The gang passed by the ship and Oh immediately brightened. He ran up to them.
"You there!" he shouted. "I can see from your clothing that you're world traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"
"Sure!" Aang answered, then after a beat asked, "What are curios?"
Oh blinked a bit, then shrugged.
"I'm not entirely sure, but we got 'em!" He declared, putting his hand on Aang's shoulder and ushering him towards the ship.
The gang quickly followed after the two, Min pulling Oh's arm off of Aang with a glare. To his credit, Oh took it in stride, though he did stick his tongue out at Min when her back was turned. He then settled into a corner of the ship as the gang looked around the rather odd assortment of collectables strewn across the shelves.
There was a little bit of everything on the shelves from tiny baubles to a ruby encrusted statue of a monkey. Min looked over the wide array of weapons, wishing she had money to get some new swords.
Aang happened to walk past a small counter, Momo clinging to his back, when a voice called out from the shadows.
"I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur." a gruff man proclaimed.
Aang turned to see the captain of the ship walking into the light. He was a rough looking man with a tricorn hat, and an iguana parrot perched on his shoulder.
"The beast would fetch me a hefty sum if you'd be interested in bartering." the captain offered.
Aang pulled Momo off his back, holding him close as the frightening bird let out a loud caw.
"Momo's not for sale." he replied bluntly.
Katara passed by a small scroll holder, seeing a number of different scrolls scattered across it. One stood out the most, being the thinnest amongst them, and having the symbol for the water tribe on the side. She pulled it out curiously, opening it to reveal lines of drawings depicting Waterbending moves. Her eyes widened as she turned to Aang.
"Aang, look at this." she called out, the airbender practically materializing by her side. "It's a Waterbending scroll! Check out these crazy moves."
Aang turned towards the captain excitedly.
"Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?" he inquired happily.
The Captain slammed his hand down on the scroll, snatching it from Katara's grasp.
"Let's just say I got it up north at a most reasonable price: free." he answered.
He slid the scroll closed and put it back on the shelf. As he did, Min mulled over his words.
"Wait a minute..." she let out. "You guys aren't traders, are you?"
"What makes you say that?" Oh questioned, feigning innocence.
"Oh, I don't know." Min replied dryly, listing off reasons on her fingers. "Suspiciously acquired merchandise, your general attire, the fact that your ship bears no markings for any specific nation, and honestly, the iguana parrot is a bit stereotypical, don't you think?"
Sokka suddenly perked up, catching on to what Min was insinuating.
"You guys are pirates!" He suddenly exclaimed, turning towards Oh and nearly spitting in his face.
Oh merely wrapped his arm around Sokka, grinning maliciously.
"We prefer to think of ourselves as 'high risk traders'." He corrected, Sokka slipping out of his grasp with a barely contained yelp.
Katara fished out the two copper pieces from her pocket, looking at them, then over at the Captain.
"So, how much for the 'traded' scroll?" she questioned, emphasizing the word traded with air quotes.
"I've already got a buyer." The Captain answered, leaning against his counter. "A nobleman in the Earth kingdom has offered me two hundred gold pieces for it. However, if you kids have a better offer, I'm all ears."
His mood seemed less serious at the end, betraying his belief that they didn't have the funds. Of course, he was correct, but Aang wasn't about to let that stop them.
"I know how to deal with these guys, Katara." he whispered to Katara. "Pirates love to haggle."
With nothing to lose, Katara dropped the two coins into Aang's hand.
"Watch and learn." He told her before marching up to the counter and taking on a pirate-like voice. "Let's say to the price of, one copper piece!"
He dramatically held out one of the copper pieces for the Captain to see, which elicited a hysterical laugh from both the Captain and Oh.
"The price is two hundred gold pieces." The captain declared as he stopped laughing. "I don't haggle on items this rare."
Aang just kept up his smirk, as well as his pirate voice.
"Okay, two copper pieces." he declared, holding up both coins this time.
This time, the Captain seemed more annoyed than amused.
"It's not as funny the second time, boy!" he snapped.
Katara walked over to Aang, holding herself and looking around nervously.
"C'mon Aang." she whispered. "I'm getting the feeling we've overstayed our welcome."
"Katara's right." Min agreed. "Let's go."
"Aye, we be casting off now." Aang declared, still in pirate.
"And for spirits sake, stop with the pirate talk!" Sokka begged as they walked off the ship.
…
As the group walked back towards the street, Min glanced back at the ship wearily.
"Good idea getting out of there, Katara." she complimented. "I'm pretty sure Aang's pirate act was about to become violent."
"Yeah..." Katara agreed, still holding herself. "Let's just get back to the camp. I'll feel a lot safer once we put some distance between us and that ship."
Back on the deck of the ship, Oh came running out, looking practically livid.
"Hey you!" He shouted. "Get back here."
Katara turned pale, backing away slowly. Min reached for her absent swords on instinct, cursing her luck when she grabbed only air. Sokka was instantly on edge as well, though Aang seemed somewhat pleased.
"Well, well." he let out, turning towards the ship smugly. "Look whose come to their senses. Told you the haggling would pay off."
Suddenly, at least a dozen pirates jumped out of the boat, landing on the dock and running towards the group with weapons drawn. Seeing the oncoming threat, the entire gang backed away in terror.
"I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us!" Katara shouted.
"RUN!" Min ordered.
They all took off running into the market, the pirates right behind them. Half of the pirates followed after them while Oh took the other half down an adjacent street.
"This way!" he declared. "Let's cut 'em off!"
The gang kept running, rounding a corner quickly and jumping over a puddle. Katara seized her chance and quickly froze the puddle, tripping up the pirates behind them and buying them a few precious seconds.
"Quick thinking, Katara." Sokka remarked as they kept running.
Up ahead, the cabbage merchant from Omashu was pushing his latest cart of cabbages through the alleyway. Sokka, Min, and Katara pushed past him, nearly knocking over the cart. The merchant was able to prevent that, even catching the few cabbages that threatened to roll off. Aang then dove in between the cart and its built-in awning, using airbending to propel the cart back at the pirates still chasing them. It collided with them in a large crash, the merchant dropping his rescued cabbages in shock.
"My cabbages!" he exclaimed angrily. "This place is worse than Omashu!"
With their pursuers successfully taken down, the gang made a beeline for the entrance of the market, hoping to disappear into the woods. Unfortunately, Oh's group came out of the adjacent street, cutting them off and running towards them.
"I hope that lemur of yours has nine lives!" one of the pirates shouted.
The group tried to escape down a nearby alley, but found themselves caught in a dead end. They turned around, gasping in horror as the pirates closed in on them.
"Now, who gets to taste my steel first?" Oh taunted, brandishing a pair of butterfly swords.
"No thanks!" Aang declared, sending a blade of wind right at them and knocking them off their feet. "Katara, Sokka, grab on tight!"
Aang opened his glider, pushing himself into the air as Katara and Sokka grabbed onto either side. The added weight prevented them from taking off too far off the ground. However, they were high enough that the two Water Tribe siblings could easily kick at the pirates, knocking them out. Min plowed through those who were still conscious, seeing one of the pirates drop a pair of Dao swords.
"Perfect." she declared, picking them up. "Thank you."
She then took off after her friends, leaving all of the pirates behind in the marketplace.
…
The group made it back to their camp by the river all of them a bit frazzled and worn out. Aang stowed his staff, sagging against a rock as Min finally caught up with the group. When Sokka saw the swords in her hands, his jaw dropped.
"Min, where did you get those?" He questioned.
"I took them off one of the pirates as we were running." she answered, sliding them into her empty sheath.
"You what?!" Sokka exclaimed.
"What?" Min asked defensively. "I needed swords, and frankly, those guys were the worst."
"Yeah, they attacked us for no good reason." Aang agreed.
"Actually, they had a reason." Katara corrected.
Everyone turned to her, watching as she pulled the Waterbending scroll out of her shirt. Everyone's jaws hit the ground as she grinned triumphantly.
"No way." Min gasped.
"I know, isn't it great?" Katara replied.
"No wonder they were trying to hack us up!" Sokka proclaimed. You stole their Waterbending scroll!"
"I prefer to think of it as high risk trading." Katara replied jokingly.
Aang snorted slightly.
"Good one Katara." he complimented.
"It's not a good one." Sokka stepped in. "It was a big, huge, very insanely bad one!"
"Sokka, those pirates stole this scroll from a waterbender in the North Pole." Katara argued. "If anything, I did the right thing taking it back."
"It doesn't matter." Sokka dismissed. "You put all our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes."
"These are real Waterbending forms." Katara retorted, shaking the scroll in her brother's face.
"Besides, with the scroll, Aang can learn some proper Waterbending techniques." Min added. "It's a win-win actually. Pirates don't have the scroll, and it can be put to some good use."
"Fine!" Sokka let out walking off. "Don't listen to me. Whatever."
Aang stood up, approaching Katara eagerly.
"Well, what's done is done." he declared. "Like Min said, let's put this scroll to good use."
…
Back in the marketplace, Zuko and Iroh stood in the center of the street. The Prince looked incredibly annoyed, and his uncle looked disappointed.
"I've checked all the shops on this pier." Iroh lamented. "Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace."
"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" Zuko fumed.
"Quite the contrary." Iroh corrected. "I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"
Several members of the crew then marched past, their arms laden with various purchases Iroh had made. Amongst these purchases were several musical instruments, including a tsungi horn, must to Zuko's confusion.
"You bought a tsungi horn?" He asked in disbelief.
"For music night on the ship." Iroh explained. "Now if we only had some woodwinds."
He walked off down the pier, noticing the same pirate ship the gang had visited. Iroh's face brightened at the sight of the ship.
"This place looks promising." he declared, walking onto the ship with his nephew in tow.
He browsed through the various oddities, taking a look at the ruby encrusted monkey statue as Oh came walking in. Zuko eyed the man suspiciously as he approached the Captain.
"We lost the water tribe girl." Oh informed the captain. "She escaped with that little bald monk she was with, and the earth kingdom girl stole Jin's Dao swords."
"This monk." Zuko spoke up, walking over to them eagerly. "Did he have an arrow on his head?
…
Back with the gang, Katara looked over the scroll, examining the various moves illustrated on it. She found one that looked promising, handing the scroll to Aang.
"I just want to try this one move first, then it's all yours." she told him. "Just hold it open for me, please."
He did as he was told, the two moving towards the water. Katara glanced at the scroll, looking at the drawings again.
"The single water whip." she read. "Looks doable."
She then did her best to mimic the movements. Unfortunately, she only succeeded in whipping herself in the forehead. She yelped in pain as Sokka began laughing.
"That wasn't funny, Sokka." Min chastised.
"Oh come on, she asked for that." He replied before turning to Aang. "You've been duped, she's only interested in teaching herself."
"Aang will get his turn once I figure out the water whip." Katara snapped.
Min let out a whistle, backing away from the irate waterbender. Katara then attempted the move again, only this time, she struck Momo right on the butt. The lemur screeched, scampering away from Katara in pain. She let out a groan of frustration, throwing her arms down.
"Ugh, why can't I get this stupid move?!" she screamed.
"You'll get it." Aang reassured. "You just gotta shift your weight through the stances."
Aang then tried his hand at the move and pulled it off flawlessly.
"There, see, the key to bending is-"
"Will you please shut your air hole?!" Katara suddenly interrupted, getting right up in Aang's face. "Believe it or not your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted?!"
"Hey!" Min shouted, standing up. "That was uncalled for, Katara."
Katara glared at her, then looked back at Aang. Her gaze softened once she saw the tears in the young airbender's eyes.
"Oh my gosh, Aang." she said softly, realizing what she had done. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
She rolled up the scroll, holding it out for Aang.
"But you know what?" she told him. "It won't happen again. This should be yours anyway. You need it more than I do, and I don't want anything to do with it."
"It's ok Katara." Aang reassured her.
"What about Momo?" Sokka asked. "He's the real victim here."
Katara approached Mom, who was still rubbing his hind end. She petted him gently and soothingly.
"I'm sorry Momo." she told the lemur.
"And what about me?" Sokka added. "There was that time you-"
"No more apologies!" Katara snapped.
…
Zuko and the Pirate captain sailed down the river, the former riding in a smaller boat pulled off of his ship.
"Shouldn't we stop and search the woods?" The captain questioned, looking out at the expanse of trees.
"We don't need to stop." Zuko told him. "They stole a Waterbending scroll, right?"
The Captain nodded silently.
"Then they'll be on the water." Zuko explained.
…
That night, the entire gang gathered in front of a campfire. Sokka and Aang were fast asleep, both of them snoring contently. Katara peaked over at them, making sure they were asleep before slowly getting out of her sleeping bag. She tiptoed over to Aang's bag, pulling the scroll out of it. She then turned to walk out of the camp, only to come face to face with Min.
"You don't want anything to do with it, huh?" Min asked incredulously.
Katara jumped, stumbling back in shock.
"Min!" She let out. "Uh… what are you doing up so late?"
"Couldn't sleep." Min replied, crossing her arms. "Going to try and master the water whip again?"
"Are you going to stop me?" Katara countered.
"Would it matter if I did?" Min retorted.
"I… guess not." Katara replied.
"Exactly, so if I can't stop you, at least I can watch your back." Min told her. "After all, those pirates may still come looking for that scroll."
Seeing no real choice in the matter, Katara relented and the two girls walked back over to the river.
…
Katara tried again and again to get the water whip to work. Unfortunately, it always either backfired, or whipped her in the face.
"Shoot! Come on water, work with me here!" She let out, summoning another stream of water. "Okay, what if I just- ow! Stupid scroll!"
"Katara, try to remember what Aang said." Min suggested.
"Right." Katara remembered. "Shift my weight through the stances."
She began to try again, then Min's ears perked. She slipped off, her hands on her swords as she peered through the bushes. On the other side, she saw the pirates scanning the beach.
"Oh fire-ferrets." Min cursed.
She turned to run out of the bush, but was grabbed by a pirate.
"Katara, run!" Min shouted. "It's a-!"
Oh clocked her hard on the back of the head, knocking her out. Luckily, Katara heard her cry and quickly tried to escape. Unfortunately, she ended up running right into Zuko, who grabbed her wrists and glared at her.
"I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko said.
…
Before long, Zuko had Katara bound tightly to a tree. Min was still unconscious, her hands bound behind her as Iroh stood over her.
"Uncle, take her on board." Zuko ordered, gesturing to Min. "Keep an eye on her at all times. I'm going to have a chat with the Avatar's girlfriend."
Iroh picked up Min, carrying her off as Katara watched.
"I'm sorry, Min..." she whispered.
Once Iroh disappeared onto Zuko's boat, the prince turned his attention to Katara. She met his gaze, glaring at him coldly.
"Now that we're alone, where is the rest of your little group?" Zuko asked.
Katara maintained her glare, keeping quiet.
"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you, or your brother." Zuko promised.
"You think I believe that?" Katara snarled. "You firebenders are all the same. You don't know the meaning of the word honor."
Zuko clenched his fists at that remark, but quickly recovered.
"I suppose you're right." he allowed, walking around her tree. "I lost my honor a long time ago, but capturing your friend will restore it. Help me, and perhaps I can restore something you've lost in exchange."
He then help up Katara's necklace, the one she lost back on the Fire Nation prison. She gasped at the sight, her eyes widening.
"My mother's necklace." she let out. "Where did you get that?!"
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering." Zuko replied. "Tell me where he is."
"Never." Katara swore.
The pirate captain then stepped forward, looking more than a little annoyed.
"Enough of this necklace garbage!" He snapped. "You found who you were looking for, so we fulfilled our end of the bargain. Give us the scroll!"
Zuko smirked, pulling the scroll off of his belt and summoning a small flame in his hand.
"I wonder how much this is worth." he remarked, dangling the scroll over the flame.
The pirates all gasped and stepped forward, but didn't dare get any closer for fear of provoking the prince.
"A lot, apparently." he mused, extinguishing the flame. "Now, you'll help me find the bald monk she was with. Only then will you get the scroll. Now search the woods. Their camp can't be that far."
"Fine." The captain relented.
…
Back at the gang's campsite, Sokka was the first to awaken. As he rubbed sleep from his eyes, he noticed that both Katara and Min's sleeping bags were empty.
"Huh?" he let out. "Where'd they go?"
His eyes then drifted over to Aang's bag, where he noted a distinct lack of scrolls.
"I don't believe it." Sokka let out.
Aang slowly sat up, yawning widely.
"What's wrong?" he questioned groggily.
"Katara took the scroll!" He exclaimed, throwing the bag on the ground. "And worse, she dragged Min into her scheme!"
"Huh?" Aang let out.
"I'm telling you, she's obsessed with that thing!" Sokka declared. "It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep-"
All of a sudden, a rope wrapped around his wrists, yanking him forward and off balance. He managed to get to his knees, only to roll out of the way as the pirate wielding the rope attempted to strike him with the weighted end. While Sokka dealt with that, another pirate aimed dual crossbows at Aang, a net strung between the two of them. The pirate fired, and though Aang tried to use airbending to divert its course, the net snagged him anyhow.
"I got him!" the pirate shouted as he grabbed Aang's net. "Come on!"
The pirates all took off, dragging Aang with them and leaving Sokka behind. He stood up, staring in the direction the pirates had gone.
"Oh what?" he called out to them "I'm not good enough to kidnap?"
The pirates shot another net at Sokka, catching him and dragging him off as well.
…
The pirates brought Sokka and Aang over to the river where Zuko and Katara were waiting. Sokka had his hands tied, and Aang had both his hands and arms tied for good measure.
"Nice work." Zuko remarked.
"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara lamented. "He got Min, and how he has you."
"It's not your fault, Katara." Aang tried to assure her.
"Yeah, it kinda is." Sokka pointed out, earning him a glare from his sister.
"Give me the boy." Zuko demanded, pointing at Aang.
"Give us the scroll." the captain retorted.
"You're seriously gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" Sokka asked in disbelief.
Zuko flinched at the word Avatar, turning to Sokka in a rage.
"Don't listen to him!" the prince warned. "He's trying to turn us against one another!"
The pirate captain hadn't heard what Zuko had said. All he had heard was what Sokka had called Aang
"Your friend is the Avatar?" the captain asked.
"Sure is," Sokka confirmed. "And I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."
"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant." Zuko snapped.
"Yeah Sokka." Aang agreed through clenched teeth. "You really should shut your mouth."
"I'm just saying, he's already got the Guardian." Sokka pointed out. "It's only fair that you take the Avatar. I mean, you've done all the work, and just imagine how much the Fire Lord will pay for him. You guys would be set for life."
The pirates were hooked on every word, and the captain turned to Zuko with a pleased grin.
"Keep the scroll!" He decided, placing a hand possessively on Aang's shoulder. "We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid."
The pirates turned to leave as Zuko exhaled a plume of smoke.
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me." he snarled.
With that, he and two of his men launched fireballs at the pirates.
…
The sounds of the beginning battle outside pulled Min from her forced slumber. She groaned and tried to reach for her smarting head, only to find her arms pinned behind her back. She sat up, finding herself in a tiny little room, laid out on a cot. Sitting beside her, sipping on a cup of tea, was Iroh.
"You!" she exclaimed, sitting up.
"Oh, you're awake." Iroh realized.
"Where am I?" Min demanded. "Where's Katara?!
"She is with my nephew and our new friends." Iroh told her, pouring a cup of tea. "Tea?"
"Kinda hard to drink tea with my hands tied behind my back." Min retorted. "Don't suppose I can convince you to untie me."
"I'm afraid Zuko would be quite upset if I did." Iroh lamented.
"Right." Min let out, snapping her finger behind her back.
After about three snaps, a small flame appeared on the tip of her thumb, which she began using to burn through the ropes. Iroh sniffed the air, smelling the rope burning as he looked around the room.
"Do you smell smoke?" he asked.
"This is a fire nation vessel." Min told him, trying to burn through the ropes faster. "Don't they always smell like smoke? Or maybe you're just burning your tea."
Iroh seemed offended by the very idea.
"I'll have you know that I have never burned my tea." He told her.
"What about that one time on Ember Island?" Min ribbed, immediately blanching as the words left her lips.
Iroh went wide eyed at the reference.
"Of… course…" he let out, confused.
"Well, that was stupid." Min admitted, taking a deep breath.
All of a sudden, she released the breath, unleashing a large torrent of flames from her mouth. As Iroh blocked the attack, the ropes holding min finally snapped. She wasted no time jumping to her feet, pushing past Iroh and bolting off of the ship. Iroh watched her go, shock and recognition on his face.
"It can't be..." he gasped.
…
Min managed to get off of Zuko's ship just as the battle was beginning. Oh ran forward, throwing multiple smoke bombs to create a smoke screen around the firebenders. He then jumped into the cloud of smoke, prepared to fight. Several soldiers tried to charge at Sokka and Aang, who were struggling against their bonds, but they were quickly intercepted by more pirates. Said pirates quickly threw down more smoke bombs, engulfing the entire shore in smoke.
Min surveyed this, then saw Katara tied to the tree. She vaulted over the side, running over to the captive waterbender.
"Hold on Katara." Min insisted as she began untying the knot. "I'll have you free in no time."
"Thanks Min." Katara told her gratefully. "I owe you big time."
"Let's save that for after we get out of here in one piece." Min replied, the rope falling away.
Inside the smoke cloud, Aang stumbled around, coughing slightly. A knife went flying through the air, narrowly missing him but severing his bonds. A spear then nearly stabbed right through him, but he was able to dodge it easily now that he was free.
Zuko was forced out of the smoke cloud, where he slid the scroll safely onto his belt. However, he was then forced to duck under a potentially deadly blow from the pirate captain's sword. He recovered quickly, then he and the captain faced off. They traded blow after blow, Zuko using his wrist bands to block the sword as he shot balls of fire at the captain.
While they struggled against one another, one pirate used his weighted rope to snag the scroll off Zuko's belt. As he pulled it back towards him though, Momo intercepted it, flying off with it. The iguana parrot spotted him, letting out a loud caw before chasing after the lemur. It struck Momo from below, the two animals going flying while the scroll went plummeting down into the smoke cloud.
Elsewhere in the smoke, Sokka was crawling along the ground, trying to escape the fight without getting stabbed. One of Oh's butterfly swords came flying towards him, nearly hitting his head before stabbing into the ground in front of him. After getting over the initial shock, Sokka quickly used the sword to cut through the bindings on his wrists.
"Aang!" He shouted. "Are you there?"
"I'm over here!" Aang called back, using his airbending to jump above the cloud of smoke. "Follow my voice!"
"Where?" Sokka inquired. "I can't find you!"
"I'm right here!" Aang shouted.
Hoping to make finding his friend easier, Aang spread his arms, using airbending to smoke away. Unfortunately for him, this quickly revealed that he was surrounded on all sides by fire benders and pirates alike. H quickly put the cloud back, jumping away in a panic.
"Never mind!" he quickly decided. "I'll find you!"
Sokka finally managed to crawl out of the smoke cloud, looking up to see Aang faulting over him, landing in a full sprint.
"Run!" Aang shouted.
The two boys did just that, finding Min and Katara over by the pirate boat. The two were trying to push the boat into the water with no avail.
"You two are okay!" Aang cheered.
"Help us get this boat back in the water so we can get outta here!" Katara insisted.
The four of them tried to push the boat, but they couldn't even make it budge.
"It's no use." Min lamented. "We'd need a team of rhinos to make this thing move."
"A team of rhinos, or two waterbenders." Aang corrected, looking over at Katara.
Katara smiled, then she and Aang got on either side of the boat. Using Katara's push-pull maneuver, the two manipulated the water, causing it to rise up around the boat and pull it back into the river.
"Everybody in!" Katara declared.
…
Zuko and the Pirate captain were still going at it, neither of them showing signs of letting up. All of a sudden, Iroh stepped in, catching the pirate captain's wrist and Zuko's ponytail. He forced them apart, giving them both hard glares.
"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" he questioned.
"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko snapped.
"It's not a proverb!" Iroh corrected, pointing out at the river.
Both Zuko and the captain turned to see the pirate ship sailing down the river. The captain's eyes widen as he quickly ran after it.
"Bleeding hog monkeys!" He cursed.
Zuko laughed, pointing at the captain in amusement. His laughter quickly died as he saw that his boat had been hijacked as well. The pirates taunted and jeered at him, one even going so far as to moon the prince.
"Hey!" Zuko let out in shock and anger. "That's my boat!"
He chased after it, leaving his uncle behind. The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Maybe it should be a proverb." he pondered.
"C'mon uncle!" Zuko called back to him, spurring Iroh into motion.
…
Zuko's ship proved to be much faster than the pirate vessel, quickly catching up to the escaping gang. Aang saw them approaching, looking back at his friends in terror.
"Can't we make this go any faster?" He questioned.
"I don't know how!" Sokka answered. "This thing wasn't made in the water tribe!"
"Sorry Aang." Min lamented. "Looks like we fight."
The pirates began jumping onto the ship, climbing onto the deck. With a quick roll of his arms, Aang swept most of them off with a large wave of water. One managed to stay on the deck, but Katara was able to get rid of him with a perfected water whip.
"Hey, you did the water whip!" Aang declared.
"I couldn't have done it without your help." Katara replied.
Off to the side, Min and Sokka were back to back, trying to keep Oh and another pirate at bay.
"Would you two stop congratulating each other and help us?!" Sokka snapped.
As the two continued their struggles, Momo swooped past, still being chased by the iguana parrot. No matter what maneuvers the lemur tried, the reptile bird kept right on his tail. Finally, Momo scampered up the mainsail of the pirate ship, flying around the flag before using it to successfully entangle the creature.
Down below, Oh and the other pirate had managed to get the upper hand on Sokka and Min. Sokka ended up getting thrown down onto the lower deck as Min was pinned to the ground.
"Whatcha gonna do now?" Oh taunted.
That's when Aang touched down behind him, blowing Oh off of Min. This allowed Min to turn and knock the other pirate over. She saw he was wielding the Dao swords she had stolen earlier and she quickly reclaimed them.
"I'll take these." she proclaimed before kicking him over the side.
As she slid the swords into her sheath, Aang jumped down to check on Sokka.
"Aang look!" Katara let out, pointing forward.
The other three looked and saw that the ship was heading towards a huge waterfall.
"Oh no…" Aang let out before reaching into his shirt and pulling out his bison whistle.
"Aang, now is not the time to be playing with that thing!" Min shouted.
"We can stop the boat!" Katara declared, running up to Aang. "Push and pull the water, quickly!"
Aang followed suit and the two created a small whirlpool that slowly stopped the boat.
"It's working." Katara realized. "It's slowing down! We're doing it!"
"That's great and all, but we have another problem!" Sokka screamed, pointing at Zuko's ship.
The others looked up to see the ship sailing straight at them. Their boat collided with theirs, forcing the heroes to jump from the boat. They screamed as they began their descent, then much to their relief, Appa came swooping in for the rescue. They all landed safely on his saddle, Appa grinning as he held up his whistle.
"I knew this whistle wasn't junk." he declared, running his hands through the bison's fur.
"Yeah, we owe you one." Sokka told the bison.
Zuko and Iroh ran up to the cliff just as the gang left, leaving the destroyed ruins of his vessel.
"My boat!" Zuko let out before turning to Iroh. "The guardian was onboard!"
"Actually, she managed to get away." Iroh replied, catching his breath.
"How could you let the Guardian escape?!" Zuko practically screamed.
"Let's just say that girl is full of surprises." Iroh answered, sliding his hand into his sleeve before chuckling slightly. "Speaking of surprises, you're going to get a kick out of this one. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"
Zuko stared at his uncle, then snatched the tile from his hand, lobbing it over the waterfall with an angry yell. It bounced off Oh's head, further humiliating the defeated pirate.
…
Appa flew through the clouds, putting some distance between the gang and their enemies. As they did, Katara turned to Aang remorsefully.
"Aang, I still owe you an apology." she told him softly. "You were just so good at Waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger, I'm sorry."
"That's ok Katara." Aang reassured.
"Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway?" she declared dismissively.
"Is that really how you feel?" Sokka asked, holding up the scroll.
Her face lit up at the sight as she instinctively reached for it.
"The scroll!" she cried out happily.
She tried reaching for it, but Sokka put his hand in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks.
"First, what did you learn?" Sokka asked.
"Stealing is wrong." Katara recited.
With a smile, Sokka held out the scroll, only for Katara to snatch it out of his grasp.
"Unless it's from pirates." she amended.
This elicited laughter from both Min and Aang.
"Good one Katara." Aang complimented.