Oh, boy did I back myself into a corner with this one. Endless Waltz isn't really inspiring me right now, so I haven't done anything. This may be a pretty bad chapter, but I'll do my best.

The trade route that they were supposed to be following wasn't exactly the most clear. The area they were in was heavily forested and the pat was merely worn into the forest floor. Because they'd lose the trail if they flew, they had to walk under the canopy to Appa's chagrin. It was slow going and tiring.

The group stopped for a lunch break in a clearing. For all the feeling that they were hot on the trail of the Earth King, it was hard being optimistic wandering through a forest hoping they were following the right trail. As they ate and chatted, they heard the sound of several ostrich-horses approaching. Aang was the first up to meet whoever was passing by.

A rather large caravan of Earth Kingdom traders, about twenty of them, hauling their wears on three large carts. It was a rather impressive sight. The party had enough to stock a small market for a week.

"Hello, there," Aang popped over cheerily. The group seemed startled by his sudden appearance, and by his approaching friends. When the traders saw that it was a group of clearly harmless kids, they relaxed.

"Hello, son," a middle aged man in the lead smiled. He had expensive-looking green robes and was graying around his temples. "You and your friends should be careful around here," he warned, "There are some dangerous bandits plaguing these woods."

"We can handle ourselves," Sokka assured. He looked at the impressive haul and whistled. "You've got quite a lot of stuff there…"

"And all at great prices!" one of the traders piped up.

Their leader spoke up again, "Many merchants traveling through this area have taken to moving in large groups to discourage bandits."

"Does that work?" Toph asked bluntly.

"It's better than being alone…"

Suki smiled, "Well than it's your lucky day! You can travel with us."

"There's not a bandit in the world that can handle us," Toph added.

"You just seem so young…"

"Wait," one of the merchants spoke up, "I know you." The twenty something year old hopped off one of the wagons. The young man walked right up to Aang next to the caravan leader, "You're the Avatar. I saw your battle with the Fire Lord! Well, a little part of it…"

Aang shifted bashfully. It didn't matter how much he was praised for his exploits, he'd never get used to it. "Well, we were looking for someone along this trade route, so we'd be happy to travel with you for a while."

"And we can get rid of the bandits along the way," Katara added

"An escort from the Avatar?" he said glancing at his companions for confirmation. As if he really needed to. "How could we refuse?"

The group traveled together, chatting and swapping stories for the rest of the day. Sokka was a surprise hit, even if his embellishing of his own adventures earned a few eye rolls from his friends. The sun began to sink slowly toward the distant hills the group readied to make camp. As the work was winding down, the young man who had recognized Aang stepped up to him.

"Um… Mr. Avatar?"

Aang looked up from the tent he was helping erect. Someone else's, of course. "Oh, you can just call me Aang," he smiled.

"T-thank you, Aang. My name is Pansheng." He seemed not quite nervous, but certainly gleeful about meeting the Avatar. "I'd like to ask you something. I want to learn to bend like you do. I want to use my gift to help people in need. I knew it was what I was meant to do with my life the moment I saw you standing up to that villain the Fire Lord!"

"Um… thanks? So you're a bender?"

"Yes, sir! I'm an earthbender." It was like he was applying for a job. Aang could see how desperate he wanted… lessons he guessed? And he could see that he was more than ready to jump right into it.

"Well, I don't mean to disappoint you, but earth is actually my worst element," Aang said with a coy smile. He didn't let the disappointment sink in before he continued, "But maybe you could get lessons from my teacher."

"Really?"

"Absolutely not."

It didn't take Toph long to shoot down her temporary student to be. Aang had barely gotten the question out before she refused.

"Come on, Toph," Aang pleaded, "Why not?"

"Because I don't know this guy. I'm not going to teach every random earthbender that asks you!"

"What can I do to prove to you I'm worth your time?" Pansheng asked. He had no idea what a big mistake he had just made. And he was too determined to notice the devilish grin on Toph's face.

"Okay," she said loud enough to draw at least the partial attention of many of the other merchants, "I'll give you a test." She took a cursory glance around the area, or rather what constitutes a cursory glance for a blind earthbender. "Lift that rock," she pointed at a boulder that one might have thought was a small hill. "If you can't so something simple like that, then there's no point in teaching you."

A rock like that, fused with the bedrock below the soil would be a challenge even for Toph, but she wasn't about to say that. Aang tried to warn Pansheng, but Toph shushed him. Pansheng sunk into an earthbending stance. It was clear he had a little training, but that he wasn't exactly an expert. He struggled to lift the rock to the amusement of the other merchants. He looked silly struggling against nothing and he was making no visible progress. Still Toph found herself unexpectedly impressed. Pansheng had already figured out that the boulder was anchored to the bedrock below them and had broke the bond there. It would still be no mean feat to lift the rock, however. It was still massive and half buried in the soil.

"Give it up," Toph dismissed convincingly. Oddly she had started to come to root for the determined earthbender at some point. Everyone else but Aang had lost interest. "You're never going to do it."

"I- Have- To- TRY!" With one last pull, he yanked the boulder about an inch from its resting place. The bottom of the rock was still a good few feet from breaking the surface. Pansheng dropped to the ground, panting and sweating from the effort. "That's it. That's all I can do."

"Well…" Toph started, not a hundred percent sure of her decision. "I didn't say how high you had to lift the rock. So I guess you passed my test. But after a performance like that, you only get one lesson, got it?"

Pansheng looked like he was glowing in the dusk, "Yes, Sifu-Toph! That would be the honor of a life time!"

"You bet it would b-!" Toph stopped when she sensed it. Aang noticed it too. Something was coming for them. And it didn't feel friendly.

Oh, yeah. This is pretty terrible. It's a place to start when I go back and fix it after it's finished, but yeah… Sorry about this one. In more badish news, the updates are going to slow down a bit in a little while. I'm not feeling Endless Waltz right now and it's getting in the way of my other stories. It's not going to be postponed, but it won't be coming out quickly either. Good news is my other stories are better! (Low bar, I know…)