We continue on our journey towards the North Pole, making regular stops along the way for supplies and to camp. Sokka and Aang take a little time to get used to my new look, despite the numerous compliments that Aang gives me to reassure me that I don't look weird. But they're soon distracted from our journey, when Aang finds something interesting sitting on the ground. "Hey, look! A sword made out of a whale's tooth."

"Let me see that." Sokka grabs the weapon, looking at it carefully. "This is a Water Tribe weapon. See if you can find anything else."

Aang looks at me, shrugs, then starts to rummage around in the bushes for something, anything. Katara walks into the clearing, confused. "Did someone lose something?"

Aang pokes his head happily out of the bushes. "No, we found something!"

Sokka finds a spearhead on the ground. "It's burned. There was a battle!" And he woprks around the scene, looking for clues, and he finds them on the trees. "Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders. The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill."

Sokka leads us down the hill, following the clues. But Aang wants to know more. "So, then what happened?"

"I don't know." Sokka sighs with disappointment. "The trail ends here."

But Katara spots something else. "Wait, look!"

"It's one of our boats!" Sokka and Katara start running towards it. "Is this dad's boat?"

Sokka examines the boat as we approach it. "No, but it's from his fleet. Dad was here." That means that there is, or was, a member of their tribe nearby. So, in the hopes of finding more clues, we set up our next camp right next to the boat.

In the middle of the night, a figure approaches out camp, and Sokka goes on the defensive. "Who's there?"

The stranger approaches. "Sokka?"

Sokka is stunned. "Bato?"

Aang and I are confused, of course, but Sokka and Katara run into the newcomer's arms like they know him. And judging by his clothes, they do. Probably a friend of their father's or maybe a relative, judging by the hug-fest they have going on. I keep my distance, since it would be wrong of me to intrude on their reunion. Aang, however, goes over to introduce himself.

Bato invites us along to an abbey, where he's been staying to recuperate from his injuries. The nuns welcome us happily and set us up with a place to stay. Sokka and Katara go into Bato's room to listen to stories and stuff, but I just bunk back down and go back to sleep. All I hear before I fall asleep is that Katara and Sokka might get the chance to see their father, since Bato is expecting a message and a map.

My sleep isn't peaceful, and I find myself having a vivid nightmare. It replays the events of my past, showing me the day of the massacre, covering my hands in blood. It terrifies me awake, and I shiver and shake in a corner, snuggled against Appa.

In the morning, Bato tells us about how his father built his boat, and how it was the boat that he went ice-dodging in, a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. But instead of explaining it, Bato decides that we're going to find out firsthand what ice dodging is.

We all get in the boat, but I decide to be a spectator, since I know absolutely nothing about boats. Katara takes the main sail, Sokka has steering, and Aang is on the jib. I sit down at the bow with Bato, and I look over the prow at the water and sharp rocks ahead of us. "Well, that looks dangerous." I grin. "This should be fun."

Almost immediately Sokka starts barking orders. "Aang, ease up on the jib, Katara, steady. Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room." And with the boat pointed the right way, we start dodging between the spires of rock that jut up from the water.

We starts gaining speed. "Aang, helm to lee, helm to lee."

"What does that even mean?" Aang just pulls hard on the rope and somehow he did what he was supposed to.

"Great Job!"

Now, Katara is worried about the huge wall of rocks in front of us. "There's no way through!"

Bato now looks concerned. "Sokka, you've already proven yourself, maybe we should-"

But Sokka isn't going to take no for an answer. "Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail. Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks." And a few seconds later, they get the timing. "Now!"

Katara makes the water rise and Aang propels the boat higher on the waves. We approach the rocks at high speed, and because of the added height of the water, we sail right over them without even scratching the boat.

When all is said and done, Sokka, Katara and Aang receive the marks that shows that they have completed their ice dodging. "The spirits of the water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the mark of the brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the mark of the trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe."

"I can't." Aang wipes away the mark.

"Of course you can!" Katara smiles encouragingly, unsure as to why Aang would turn down the honor.

Aang backs away guiltily. "No, you can't trust me."

Katara's face falls. "Aang, what are you talking about?"

Aang pulls out a piece of paper from his clothes. "A messenger gave this to me for Bato." Katara takes the paper, and Aang panics. "You have to understand. I was afraid that you would-"

Sokka sees the paper and it all goes to hell. "This is a map to our father! You had it this whole time? How could you? Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own. I'm going to find Dad." Sokka completely blows up at him, and our group splits in two, with Katara and Sokka determined to go find their father, and me wanting to continue on to the North Pole with Aang.

After saying our goodbyes, Aang and I leave the abbey on Appa. Aang seems very sad, so I give him a hug. "Aang, don't worry, we'll see them again."

"Yeah, I know." Aang plays with the reins on Appa's horns, not wanting to leave the beach quite so soon.

But trouble has come to find us, one of the nuns runs up to us. "Avatar! You must leave! A group of people came to the abbey looking for you."

Aang looks surprised. "Who?"

"A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster, and a young man with a scar. The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you."

Aang looks at me, horrified. So I nod at him. "Zuko is tracking us using Katara's necklace. Let's go."

So we fly off in a hurry, searching for Katara, and making our way over the forest and towards Katara and Sokka. Aang gets on his glider, so I ride on Appa's head and hold the reins. We sail towards the abbey and we fly around until they finally come to us.

While Aang deals with the hunter and Zuko, I ride on Appa's head and drive him at the beast, the Shirshu, knocking it right into a wall. Of course, I have my hood up, since it would be bad if Zuko saw me right now.

Aang and Zuko trade blows, until a small explosion throws them in opposite directions. But my problem involves holding on to Appa while that hunter and her pet try to fight him. They get him with a paralytic toxin, and nearly hit me with it as well. So I jump off of Appa and look around for a way to end this fight before it gets much worse.

Finally, I get a brilliant idea. I quickly run to the mother superior. "Hey, that thing uses its nose to see, right? You've got perfume here, let's use it!"

Sokka and Katara run over as well. "Ciara, the perfume!"

I nod, reassured by Sokka thinking up the exact same plan. "I know! Katara, can you do this?" She smiles and raises her arms. When the nuns spill over the perfume, Katara waterbends it through the air and covers the beast in it, causing it to go completely wild, thrashing and shooting that dangerous tongue all over. And it takes down both Zuko and the bounty hunter.

Of course, we don't stick around to find out how long the paralytic toxin lasts, and we're out of there as quickly as possible. This crazy little adventure doesn't end badly though, because Katara and Sokka decide that they're going to stick around and come along with us to the North Pole. They're willing to wait to see their father. Which means that our little family isn't going to be breaking up so soon.

And Katara is more than happy to get her necklace back, after Aang swiped it from Zuko during their little duel that almost drowned the abbey.

I snicker quietly when Katara gives Aang a sweet little kiss on the cheek. Ah…kids…so cute…