~~ The girls went out into the woods a few yards away from the tents to speak in private.

"What's going on Suki? Is something wrong with Sokka?" Katara asked.

"Well no," the other girl replied. "Not exactly. It's just that ever since the whole group got back together I've been noticing something different with him. He's not as...affectionate with me as he used to be."

As she explained what was going on, Katara noticed the warrior becoming quieter, very unlike her usual peppy self. She put her hand on the older girl's shoulder and smiled, which did comfort her, even if a little bit. She took a deep breath and spoke up again.

"I think Sokka's in love with Toph."

Katara stared at Suki for a second before bursting out laughing. She covered her mouth quickly to avoid waking the others.

"You think that he's in love with Toph? Come on Suki, you know he only has eyes for you! You're the only girl he ever talks about!"

"I thought you would react like that." Suki said, becoming quiet once again. "I see the way he's looked at her. And they've had their moments in the past. What about that time I saved Toph from drowning at the Serpent's Pass and she nearly kissed me, thinking I was Sokka?"

"Oh I'm sure Toph has a little bit of a crush on my brother, but I mean she's a little young for him isn't she?"

"Katara, you're not really listening to me! I'm worried! I think that they might-" Suki suddenly stopped, and Katara stared at her for a second.

"Suki? What's wrong?"

"Do you hear that?"

The waterbender listened before the sound of burning and crackling wood reached her ears.

"Oh no. They're burning down the whole forest!" she exclaimed as they bolted back to the others. "Everyone wake up! We have to move now!"

Aang jumped up so quickly that his tent burst around him. The others groggily climbed out from under their tent flaps.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked with a yawn. "What's everybody doing up?"

"The Fire Nation are burning down this whole forest to get to us!" Suki exclaimed. "There's no time for sleep!"

"There's never any time for sleep." Toph grumbled as the others gathered their things and climbed on Appa's back.

Once they were in the air, they realized how close they had come to death as the blimps blasted fire down upon the trees. There was a trail of scorched earth behind them, and the camp was almost out of sight when the tents were caught up in the blaze. Momo poked his head out from the satchel at Appa's side and looked around before going back down to sleep. Aang turned to the others.

"You guys get some sleep. I'll try to lose them."

"Aang, you realize you can't run forever right?" Zuko asked as the others fashioned their bags into makeshift pillows.

"I know. I also know that I can't fight the Fire Lord with no energy. I don't know about you guys but I haven't slept in a couple of days."

"Well I have." Sokka said as he crawled up next to Aang. "You get some sleep Aang. I know how to fly this thing." He patted Appa's head as he said this, and the bison shook his head, causing Sokka to hold the reins for dear life. "See? Nothing to it!"

Aang smiled as he crawled into the saddle next to Katara, who put her arm around him and her head on his neck. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

~~ It wasn't too long before Aang was woken up by the motion of the saddle. He sat up and ducked again just in time to avoid a fireball, which nearly hit Sokka as well.

"Sokka, how long has this been going on?" Aang shouted as the others woke up as well.

"Well, Appa started to dip a little while ago, so the firebenders kind of caught up with us."

Appa cried out in pain as a large fireball made contact with his back. Suki gasped and backed away as the corner of the saddle went up. It was put out with a splash from Katara's hip pouch, but two more fireballs hit the bison and the saddle simultaneously. One of the straps burned quickly, so quickly in fact, that no one noticed it until it snapped.

There were more gasps from the gang as the saddle suddenly shifted to the right. Toph was especially terrified. Being on Appa was one thing, but being on him while the only thing keeping you from plummeting to your death was being burned away? That was another thing entirely.

"Sokka keep Appa awake! I'll try to distract them!" Aang was trying to shout over the sound of flames crackling and explosions happening all around them.

He retrieved his glider and bent down to give Katara a quick peck on the lips before leaping over the side of the saddle. He plummeted down towards the trees before extending the wings from the staff, making an arch that just barely touched the treetops. He manipulated the air below him to push himself upwards, moving at breakneck speed and piercing one of the war balloons flanking the blimps.

Moving quicker, he skimmed the front decks of the blimps, slicing the metal with concentrated air currents. The firebenders on the front of the half dozen blimps all plummeted below, and cut down on the fire being blasted at the others. Then, Aang approached the center balloon, where the deck was oddly empty. An enormous fireball suddenly registered in the corner of his eye and Aang spun to avoid it. The flames managed to lick the sensitive wings, which quickly burnt away. As he lost control of his glider and flew towards the earth, he tried to steer towards a softer surface, which he managed to find on one of the blimps, sliding towards the edge, but grabbing a nearby ladder. He sighed as he watched his staff fall out of sight.

~~ Katara released a breath that she had been holding in as she saw Aang catch himself on the blimp. Then noticed more men climbing on each of the blimps in turn. More fireballs pelted them, twice as many as before. Sokka had noticed Toph clutching the side of the saddle for dear life, her breathing fast and erratic. She was definitely out of her element, and she was trying hard to hold back her tears. He reached over and lightly touched the young girl's hand, which she grabbed and squeezed tightly in response.

The fireballs were getting uncomfortably close, even burning off some of Appa's fur as it flew by. Katara got into a kneeling position on the unstable saddle and readied some of her water, using it as a shield to block some of the attacks. Each fireball was reduced to steam against the bubble, but each one also knocked Katara off her balance. Her defenses were starting to weaken, so Zuko got up next to her, using fireballs of his own to cancel out the other ones.

That's when one of them slipped by the gang, catching the only remaining strap on Appa's left side. Like before, no one seemed to notice it at first, then Toph felt the heat emanating from beside her.

"Guys, I think we might have a problem." she shouted over the commotion, but it was far too late.

The strap broke, and what little weight still remained on the right side quickly threw it off balance. It slipped off, and the gang screamed as they tried desperately to hold on. Momo shrieked and flew to the other side, trying to pull the saddle in the other direction, but it was too little too late. Mai and Suki managed to grab a hold of Appa's fur, Suki trying to grab anyone she could, but failing. The saddle fell to the forest floor below, with Katara, Zuko, and Toph still clinging for dear life.

Sokka pulled on Appa's reins and the bison roared as he changed directions. They were starting to go down when a giant fireball was fired from the central blimp. It seemed to follow the bison wherever he went, and Appa managed to turn around before it struck him, taking the full blast to his underside. The girls hung onto Appa's fur as long as they could, but when the fireball hit, they lost their grip, falling like the others. Appa finally closed his his eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open as he sunk like a stone. Sokka lost his grip on the reins and went flying off just like everyone else. Appa fell towards a nearby river, but Sokka wasn't having nearly the same luck. He looked behind him, seeing behind him that the protection of the forest was quickly being burned away.

~~ Aang managed to climb to the top of the blimp just as several firebenders climbed out of a hatch and started firing down on his friends. He charged towards them and jumped into the air, coming down and creating a shockwave that sent them flying. He saw the same thing happening on the other blimps as well, and there was now hundreds of fireballs flying towards Appa. Katara had created a bubble that was blocking a few of them, but she couldn't keep it up forever.

He jumped over to the next blimp in line, tackling one of the firebenders in the process. He delivered a swift kick to another's stomach and took a deep breath, blowing a huge gust at the others. He had dealt with two blimps, but four more still remained, and he knew he was running out of time. As he took care of the third group of firebenders, he saw Katara's bubble give out and Appa's saddle start to slide. He gasped and nearly jumped over to Appa, but realized that he didn't have his glider anymore. They were too far to reach.

It almost seemed like he was paralyzed as he watched the saddle slide completely off. Two people, he couldn't tell who, grabbed Appa's back, but everyone else who was on the saddle fell. As another huge fireball flew towards them, Aang finally made his decision. The Fire Lord could wait a little longer. He ran to the back of the blimp, then, building up his strength, he ran with a burst of wind behind him. By the time he jumped off the edged, it was too late for him to notice that Appa had fallen as well, and Aang turned his body into a missile, shooting towards the first person within reach.

"Aang? What are you-" Sokka cried out as he was caught.

"Don't worry about it! Just hang on!"

Sokka felt a little strange about wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's neck, but he did, and he felt the wind whipping against his face as Aang seemed to go faster. They crashed through the treetops and Aang stirred up a pillow of air to catch them. As soon as Sokka's feet were on the ground, Aang jumped into the treeline again, scanning for any sign of the others.

~~ Mai had used one of her daggers to pierce the trunk of a tree, and Suki hung from her waist. She dropped and grabbed a nearby branch, following the pattern until she was on the ground again. Mai followed suit. Suki's emotions finally caught up with her and she fell against another tree, sliding to the ground.

"I can't believe this! We have no idea if the others are even still alive! The last thought I had of Sokka was that he might be thinking of cheating on me? What kind of girlfriend am I? After all he went through to save me from that awful prison-"

"I'm going to stop you there." Mai said, walking over to the other girl and kneeling beside her. "I'm not going to even try to comfort you. That's not what I do. All I'm going to say is that you shouldn't blame yourself for this stuff...I guess. That ponytail dork obviously likes you. Just appreciate what you have."

Suki smiled and moved to hug Mai, but she put up her hand to stop her.

"One thing at a time." she said, offering the same hand to help Suki to her feet.

"Thanks Mai."

A rustling in the nearby brush got their attention, and they turned to see Sokka burst out of the trees. Suki gasped when she saw him, embracing him instantly. Sokka returned it.

"Sokka, I want you to know that-"

"I know Suki. I love you too." Sokka said before she could even utter the words.

Their lips came together and Suki leaned against a tree to support herself and their hands caressed each other's backs. They finally broke apart when Mai cleared her throat.

"I think we have some bigger things to worry about right now." she stated plainly.

They blushed and after some minor 'adjusting' on Sokka's part, they headed deeper into the forest, following the sound of the river.

~~ It wasn't too hard to find the spot where the others landed. The saddle had left a large imprint in the forest, and the flames were getting dangerously close to them. Aang landed in the clearing that they had created and called out for anyone to hear him. Katara was kneeling next to Toph and Aang ran over to greet them. Zuko was gathering supplies from the saddle.

"Guys! I'm so glad you're alright!" Aang said as he ran to Katara.

"I'm glad you're okay too Aang, but I'm a little busy right now." Katara replied.

Toph's teeth were clenched in pain as Katara used a small pool of water to surround her ankle, which was twisted at an odd angle.

"Toph was the only one who was hurt when we landed." Katara continued. "Her foot caught on a branch as we were coming down, but the saddle cushioned most of the fall." She dissipated the water around Toph's ankle and grabbed it with both hands. "Alright Toph, this is going to hurt a little."

"Please Katara, I'm a big girl. I think I can handAHHHHHHHH!" Toph shrieked as Katara snapped her ankle back into place. She took quick, shallow breaths before finally composing herself. "S-see? I'm fine!"

Katara laughed and helped Toph back to her feet. Zuko had just finished gathering what he could from the saddlebags as well.

"I think we should get to higher ground. Those blimps are getting awfully close." he said.

The others agreed and they headed in the opposite direction.

~~ Sokka was the first one out of the woods, coming up on the river they had been following by ear. He stopped at the bank and was soon joined by Mai and Suki.

"No..." Sokka muttered.

Even Mai was unprepared for what they saw. Lying in the riverbed, was Appa. The bison was lying motionless on his side, various burn marks covering his once snow white fur, the most notable being the enormous one that covered nearly his entire underside. Sokka waded into the river which was ice cold and up to his waist. He got up to Appa's head and rubbed his forehead, eliciting no response from the giant creature. Sokka bit his lip and was soon joined by Suki.

"Sokka, I don't think he-"

"Suki please. I know. I just...he's always been there for us. I want to try and be there for him for once."

After a few moments, Mai was joined at the bank by the others. Aang's eyes were instantly drawn to Appa, and he jumped onto his side that was sticking out of the water.

"Appa? Come on boy...wake up!" Aang shook him as best as he could, when he noticed Momo curled up by Appa's tail. The lemur was whimpering, and it almost sounded like he was crying. He crawled up to Aang's side and curled up in a ball next to him, his ears drooping. "Katara! You can help him right? There's plenty of water around here!"

Katara looked at him with tear filled eyes and simply shook her head. Aang jumped off Appa's side and began pushing him.

"Aang, what are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"I want to get him out of the water. Appa hates the water."

Katara stood next to Aang and took his hand. The young Avatar buried his face in Appa's fur and sobbed, releasing days of pent up emotion. After a short time, he backed up and wiped his eyes.

"Let's get him on dry land." Katara said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

Aang nodded, and they made a sort of wave motion with their waterbending that managed to push Appa's body onto the other side of the bank. Then, with Toph's help, he made a grave big enough for the enormous bison and shifted the dirt enough to get his body inside, sealing it above him.

"If there was a way I could make sure you stayed in the sky forever, I would make it happen buddy." Aang said.

The others offered their words of comfort, but Aang was completely numb to their sympathy. The only ones that truly made him feel better were Katara and Momo, who had sat by his friend the whole time he was buried. Toph stomped on the ground and shifted the earth underneath her, raising an incredibly realistic statue of Appa made from dirt and stones. Katara coated it in water and Zuko blasted it with fire, rapidly drying it and hardening it from the elements.

"We should say something." Toph said quietly once her sculpture was complete.

They looked at Aang, who was staring at the life-size replica of his companion, then to Sokka, who cleared his throat in response.

"Appa...what can you say about him? He was always ready to lend a helping...paw to a friend in need. Always ready to get us out of a jam, carry our stuff, and bring us around all over the world, all without ever expecting anything in return. He was a loyal companion and friend, and he will be sorely missed."

"That was beatiful Sokka." Suki said as she put her head on his shoulder.

A familiar sound caught their attention, and they turned to see the forest fire catching up with them.

"Wow, they are really not letting up on that are they?" Sokka said as they started backing away.

"Aang, we need to go." Katara said as the others started moving towards a rocky outcropping.

"I'm ready." Aang mumbled.

"What?" Katara asked, getting closer.

"I'm ready to fight the Fire Lord. I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt."

Katara smiled and took Aang's hand, bringing him to regroup with the others.