Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book, words and music by Terry Gilkyson.

Author's Note: This song was requested by nutshak back in August, and doing it around Thanksgiving seemed appropriate because it's time for us to be thankful for even the simple things. It's another chapter set between The Southern Air Temple and The Warriors of Kyoshi.

Bare Necessities

Look for the bare necessities,
The simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife.

"Look, I don't mean to interrupt all these 'errands' of yours, but do you really think it's a good idea to let so many people see you?" asked Sokka as their little group approached yet another island.

"You worry too much, Sokka," Aang dismissed his new friend's concerns.

"Right," returned Sokka sarcastically. "I shouldn't be worrying just because dozens of firebenders are chasing us and we're out of food again."

"That's why we're here," the Avatar explained patiently. "There's plenty of food available." He guided Appa over the ridge into the center of the island and set them down in a meadow near the edge of a forest full of fruit trees. He was gratified when Katara gasped in appreciation.

"This is beautiful, Aang," she remarked as she climbed down the bison's side. "And there's food to last us for weeks!"

I mean the bare necessities,
Or Mother Nature's recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life.

"I'm glad you like it," Aang responded happily. To be honest, Katara was half of the reason he was taking so many detours. He enjoyed showing her new things because she always reacted with such wonder and excitement.

"Hmph," interjected Sokka. "Is there any meat?"

"There should be some small animals in the woods," Aang offered. "Or you could try catching some fish in a lake that's over that way." He didn't really understand the older boy's fascination with meat, but he liked to be helpful.

"I'll try the woods first," Sokka announced after a moment's thought. He gathered the things he thought he would need, and Katara decided to stay with Aang, who spent a pleasant time showing Katara which plants could be safely eaten and how to dig up roots that provided a starchy, filling food.

Wherever I wander,
Wherever I roam,
I couldn't be fonder
Of my big home.

"Do you know something about every place in the world?" Katara asked with awe.

"I'm a nomad, Katara," he shrugged. "The whole world is my home." His smile faltered, but only for a moment. What he'd said was true, yet he had to admit that he'd always held a special place in his heart for the Southern Air Temple. Therefore, he'd been profoundly affected when he'd recently found the temple empty. It had also brought home the truth of what he'd heard about the war.

Still, he tried not to dwell on such things, and with Katara by his side, it was easier to forget about the things he'd lost.

Suddenly, Aang spotted something in a nearby tree that made his grin come back full force.

"Hey, Katara, have you ever had honey?" he said.

"What's that?" she returned.

The bees are buzzing in the trees

To make some honey just for me,

"It'll be better if I show you." With that, Aang jumped up to approach the sparrow-beehive. "Get behind that tree over there, just in case." When Katara was safely hidden, Aang cupped his hands around his mouth and made a noise, manipulating the air so that it vibrated the hive. Disoriented, the sparrow-bees exited the hive in a swarm. Aang quickly grasped some leafy twigs and stuck them into the hive's main opening to sweep out some of the honey inside. He carried his trophies away and gestured for Katara to follow him back to the meadow.

"What is that?" Katara asked uncertainly as he handed her a coated branch.

"Honey," Aang repeated, licking at his own treat. "It's something the sparrow-bees make."

"So it's some kind of bug juice?" she asked him, not looking very enthused about it.

When you look under the rocks and plants,
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few,
The bare necessities of life will come to you.
They'll come to you.

"Does it matter where it comes from, as long as it tastes good?" Aang countered. "It's perfectly safe; trust me." The waterbender frowned, then shrugged, taking a tentative taste. Her eyes widened and lit.

"Mmm!" she mumbled. "This is good!" There was a pause as they both ate. Then Katara asked, "What's the weirdest thing you ever ate?" Aang thought it over for a moment.

"Ants," he decided, and Katara nearly choked on her honey.

"Ants?" she exclaimed. "You mean those little bugs all over the grass?" These were also new to her, since the South Pole was too cold to support insects.

"Yeah," Aang felt himself blushing. "I was younger, and it was a dare."

"What were they like?" Katara wondered.

Look for the bare necessities,
The simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife.

"Crunchy and squirmy," Aang replied, wrinkling his nose. "I don't ever plan to do it again."

Aang thought back to that day, remembering how Monk Gyatso had pulled him aside afterwards to explain why Air Nomads didn't eat animals. Before that, it had just been a fact of life to Aang, but he hadn't attached any significance to it. Gyatso had told him that airbenders did not believe in taking a life to support their own existence. It was part of their belief in non-violence and their goal to be at one with the forces of the universe. Aang had never even considered eating an animal again, although he was accepting of those who did eat meat. His brief time at the South Pole had been a challenge because he was limited to foods made out of seaweed. Maybe that was another reason he wasn't in such a hurry to get to the North Pole; he was afraid his food options would be similarly limited.

Sighing, Aang made an effort to push both his regrets about the past and his concerns for the future out of his mind.

I mean the bare necessities,
That's how a bear can live at ease,
The simple bare necessities of life.

"Sokka does have a point," Katara remarked after a pause. She tossed her twig, now cleaned of honey, to the ground. "We should be making our way to the North Pole."

"There isn't really any hurry, is there?" said Aang, feeling like she had almost read his thoughts.

"Well, the world's been waiting a hundred years, so a few more weeks shouldn't hurt," she conceded. "I'm just eager to start learning some real waterbending."

"Just a few more stops," he promised.

All at once, the peace of the morning was broken by a scream, and Sokka ran out of the woods, pursued by the swarm of sparrow-bees. Aang leapt up immediately, sweeping the bugs away with a gust of wind.

"What happened?" Katara demanded as she observed the welts beginning to form on her brother's face and hands.

Now when you pick a paw paw
Or a prickly pear,
And you get a raw paw,
Next time, beware!

"This bunch of bugs just started attacking me for no reason!" Sokka shouted. Looking him over, Aang could see that he had not only been stung but also pecked by the sparrow-bees' small, sharp beaks. Only the fact that he was still wearing layers of Water Tribe clothing over most of his skin had saved him from further injury.

"Sorry, Sokka," he apologized. "I didn't think you were that close, or I wouldn't have scared the sparrow-bees in that direction."

"You did this?"

"Well, sort of. I was just trying to show Katara what honey was."

"It was an accident," Katara came to Aang's defense. "If you hadn't had to be the big, bad hunter, it never would have happened in the first place. I think I have some cream from home that might help."

Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw,
When you pick a pear, try to use the claw,
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick the pear of the big paw paw.
Have I given you a clue?

As Katara went to Appa to rummage in one of the packs, Sokka turned his baleful gaze onto Aang.

"Why is it that bad things have been happening to me ever since I met you?" said Sokka mournfully.

"I'm sorry," Aang repeated. Licking his lips, he cast about for something else to say. "Did you have any success?"

"I did, but those…things made me drop it."

"Well, don't worry," admonished Katara as she returned and began slathering Sokka's wounds liberally with some brownish concoction. "Aang and I have collected plenty of food for the next stage of the journey. You won't starve."

"I'll bet there's no meat," Sokka grumbled.

The bare necessities of life will come to you.
They'll come to you.

"Oh, grow up!" retorted Katara in exasperation. "With everything Aang's shown me about the wonderful things nature can offer, I can understand why he doesn't eat meat."

"Well I don't understand it, and I never will," Sokka asserted.

"Maybe we could both learn from Aang not to worry so much," Katara continued. "If we just take life one day at a time, things might work out."

"So if we make no plans at all, we'll have plenty of food to eat, the Firelord will retreat to his islands, and the crazy firebender who attacked our village will stop chasing us?" suggested Sokka with heavy sarcasm. Katara made an impatient noise and walked away, so Aang felt pressured to say something.

"You never know," was all he could come up with.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, , Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: Yes, their world does have normal ants. Toph mentioned being able to sense them in The Blind Bandit, and Aang looked at them.

Review responses:

Fusion Blaster: Well, this wasn't exactly madness, but it was good, light fun.

Shinobi Bender: Glad you liked it.

AuroraandRosalieWannabe: I know it might seem like I have plenty of time for Christmas songs, but when I'm updating three different collections, a month goes by pretty fast. I'll try to take some time over the holiday weekend to look up Disney Christmas songs.

Wishing Only Wounds the Heart:

nutshak: I suppose I'm feeling nostalgic, going back to the early episodes, but I think it is important to pull everything together, like you said.

Shahrezad1: Thank you very much! I know sometimes I wander a little from what might have happened into the realm of alternate scenes or things that obviously didn't happen, but I have fun with that.