"Hey, check this out," Teo called out. Toph and Yun came running over to see what it was.
"It's a bunch of hay for Appa," Teo said, wheeling around what seemed like a large dome like room.
"This must be where all the sky bison where kept," Yun said, wander around. It was so empty without the sky bison, and Yun felt sad and angry at how much the Fire Nation had ruined the world.
"We can bring Appa some for dinner, so he won't have to scrounge around the woods again," Teo said, holding up a big pile.
"How do we know if it's still good," Toph asked, picking her nose. Yun wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Toph," she said exasperatedly. Toph shrugged, her finger still up her nose.
"Well, I encountered this in the Northern Air Temple. Somehow the airbenders made it so air circulation helped everything in the bison stables stay fresh. My father tried to figure out how they did it, but he never got time to really check it out," Teo explained. He looked sad when he talked about his father. Yun started carrying piles of hay and put them on Teo's lap and ruffled his hair. Then, she and Toph took an armful each and brought it to Appa. Yun bowed as she approached.
"Here you go, your Majesty," she said, keeping her head down as she placed the hay in front of Appa. Teo laughed and Toph rolled her eyes. Appa lowed in greeting. Yun straightened up and kissed Appa between his eyes.
"Hi, buddy. We got some hay for you. Eat well." She then helped Teo get all the hay off his lap and Toph threw her hay into the pile. They then all went to sit in the circle. Yun's stomach gave a loud growl, and Teo looked at her with constrained laughter. Yun shoved his shoulder playfully. She then saw Zuko walk in.
"Listen everybody. I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff," he said, looking down. Yun looked at Zuko, confused. The obvious culprit was probably Momo, so they would have to check on him first.
"Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff," Toph said, holding her hands up in surrender.
"It's obviously Momo's fault," Yun reasoned.
"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone," Zuko interrupted. Katara started laughing, and they all turned to her.
"I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice if you'd lost your firebending a long time ago," she said flippantly.
"Well, it's not lost. It's just . . . weaker for some reason."
"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are," Katara said.
"Ouch," Toph said at the same time Yun said, "Burn." Zuko did not look happy. Well, he looked grumpier than usual.
"I bet it's because I changed sides," he said.
"That's ridiculous," Katara said.
"I don't know," Aang said thoughtfully. "Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."
"So all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough," Sokka reasoned. He then went on to poke Zuko with his sword sheath and laugh obnoxiously. Yun fully expected Zuko to explode into a fiery explosion and leaned back. Instead he yelled.
"Okay, cut it out! Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."
"You need to learn to draw your firebending from another source. I recommend the original source," Toph said.
"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano," Sokka asked.
"No," Toph said. "Zuko needs to go back to the original source of firebending."
"So is it jumping into a volcano," Sokka asked hopefully.
"I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world," Toph explained.
"That's amazing, Toph," Aang said. "I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were sky bison. Maybe you could give me a lesson sometime, buddy."
"Well, this doesn't help me," Zuko said. "The original firebenders were dragons and they're extinct."
"What do you mean," Aang asked. "Roku had a dragon and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid."
"Well they aren't around anymore, okay," Zuko snapped.
"Okay, okay. Sorry," Aang said meekly. Zuko turned his back on the group and began to walk away.
"But maybe there's another way," he said. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." Aang rose to follow him.
"Sun Warriors? They weren't around when I was a kid," Aang commented.
"No, they died out thousands of years ago, but their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we could learn by poking around their ruins."
"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."
"So what? Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood thousands of years ago," Sokka asked.
"More or less," Zuko replied. "Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." He walked off after that, and the rest of dinner continued in silence. When they finished dinner and began piling bowls, Yun noticed there was enough soup for one more bowl.
"Zuko didn't have dinner," she said. Immediately, there was a flurry of activity and everyone present had their finger on their nose.
"Seriously guys," she asked, throwing her hands up. "Every time we have to decide something? Even you, Aang?" He shrugged sheepishly.
"You're just mad because you're bad at it," Toph teased. Yun groaned and waterbended the soup into a bowl.
"I hate you all," she groaned out, preparing to walk to Zuko's room.
"Even me," Teo asked.
"Not you," she amended.
"What about me," The Duke asked.
"Well, not you either."
"What about me," Sokka said, looking exaggeratedly innocent.
"I hate you the most," Yun grumped before heading to Zuko's room. She knocked on the door and stepped in at the "Come in."
"You didn't have dinner," she commented, holding out the soup. Zuko looked like he was going to argue, but then sighed and accepted the bowl.
"Thanks," he grumbled.
"Just put the bowl with the others. We're probably just going to wash it in the morning." Zuko inhaled as if he was about to say something, so Yun looked at him expectantly.
"Nothing," he murmured, looking down at his bowl. Yun shrugged and said goodnight before leaving the room. Zuko was a strange, grumpy guy. She went back to the group and struck an exaggeratedly triumphant pose.
"Mission accomplished," she said, before settling into her bed roll.
Zuko and Aang left early the next morning on Appa, while Katara and Yun watched them go. Katara was already fretting.
"Maybe we shouldn't have let them go off on their own. Someone should be with Aang incase- incase Zuko-,"
"Zuko does what," Yun asked. "He can't really bend, while Aang is the literal Avatar. He's fine Katara." Yun put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we check out the bath house. Teo and I found it the other day and it works pretty well."
"But-," Katara tried to protest.
"Nope," Yun said, steering Katara towards the bathhouse. "I'll call Toph and we can have a girls day. My mother used to have those with her friends. It's an adult thing that women do. We are adults, therefore we shall have a girls day."
"Are we adults," Katara pondered.
"I mean, after all we've been through, I think we should be," Yun said. Katara hummed in agreement.
When they got Toph, the girls went into the bathhouse. It had a giant communal pool that Katara and Yun warmed up. The girls shed their outer clothing and relaxed in the hot water. Yun let a long sigh of content as she sunk deeper into the water.
"It's been so long since we hung out," she said.
"It has been a long time," Katara said with her eyes closed. "I didn't realize how much I missed it, honestly."
"We should explore the temple today," Yun said after a moment of silence. "Toph and I found so many interesting rooms. We even found the echo chamber Aang was talking about."
"I'd rather stay here," Toph said, fully in relaxation mode.
"All day," Yun asked incredulously. "Even when we start pruning and looking like old ladies?"
"Yup," Toph said, making a popping sound on the 'p'.
They all relaxed in the water for a bit, Yun making a tiny dragon that splashed in and out of the water around her. Katara noticed what she was doing and sat up straighter to face Yun.
"I've been meaning to ask, where did you learn to do that," she asked, her eyes on the dancing dragon.
"When I was at the North Pole, I found a scroll talking about how there was this guy who could firebend messenger hawks or some sort of bird. So his multiple blasts took the form of birds, and they would swoop and strike quickly and accurately. So I kinda did the same thing, but with an ocean dragon," Yun said, shrugging.
"But how," Toph said, curious.
"Well when I was traveling from the North Pole to Master Piandao's place in Shu Jing Village," Yun said, letting her tiny dragon dance around her pruning fingers. "I was reading the scroll, and I knew that I wanted to make an ocean dragon. Then I met a sailor, Tigok, who actually met an ocean dragon and he gave me a journal with all of his findings. And then on my way to Ba Sing Se, I was going across the Serpent's Pass and got attacked by the Serpent and then I summoned an ocean dragon and yeah. That's it."
"Why an ocean dragon," Katara asked. Yun laughed nervously.
"What is this, an interrogation," she asked.
"Well, Yun, I just feel like we don't know much about you," Katara said crossing her arms. "You know a lot about us. My dad, Toph's family problems, Aang's Avatar stuff."
"You never asked," Yun exclaimed.
"We're asking you now," Toph reminded her. When Katara and Toph worked together, they were really quite scary.
"Ask away," Yun mumbled meekly, splashing water around.
"Stop splashing water, and don't mumble," Katara scolded. Yun scowled but stopped splashing around the bath water.
"First things first, it seems everyone knows what happened to your parents but me," Toph said, waiting for an explanation. Yun chewed on her bottom lip, unsure on how to start.
"I guess that was my whole reason for joining this adventure. I knew Katara was going to the North Pole, and um, let me start from the beginning. I lived in the Southern Islands for most of my life. Then the Fire Nation came and burned my village to the ground. I escaped but my parents were left on the island. They said they'd meet me in the North Pole, but they weren't there."
"So are they. . .," Toph said.
"Dead? I'm sure they made it out. Once the war's over, the first thing I'm going to do is search the world for them. Maybe I can ask Zuko for some tips," Yun joked. Katara groaned.
"Don't remind me of that."
"Is that all the questions," Yun asked, eager to shift the attention elsewhere.
"Nope," Katara said. "Why an ocean dragon?"
"Well, they were my dad's favorite creature and our village animal."
"Village animal," Toph asked.
"Yeah, there were four villages living on the Southern Islands. Each one had an animal, and ours was the Ocean Dragon. Pretty cool, huh? My dad would tell me so many stories about ocean dragons and how they have protected the village for centuries."
"How did you know Master Piandao," Katara asked. This was an easy one.
"My father sold him daggers. In fact, my father was the one who made my daggers. He's the best when it comes to super short range weapons, and Master Piandao is the best when it comes to swords."
"What's going on with you and Teo," Toph asked.
"We explore the palace together," Yun asked, unsure about the question. "We met at the Northern Air Temple?"
"No, is he your boyfriend," Toph asked bluntly.
"No! We're friends," Yun said, shocked. She knew girls in her village dated, but she never understood the need to.
"Boring," Toph huffed.
"If you want something interesting, you should ask Katara about Aang," Yun said, dying to let someone else have the spotlight. "They kissed and all."
"You saw that," Katara squawked.
"I was on Appa, so yeah," Yun said, awkwardly. It was hard to not see it. She did try her best.
"Wow, Katara," Toph drawled.
"You know, I'm definitely feeling pruny," Katara said, standing up suddenly. "I'm going to get out."
"Me too," Yun said. They all got out, and Yun and Katara waterbended them dry.
"What should we do for the rest of the day," Yun asked once they were dressed. The two other girls shrugged.
"Let's go find Sokka," Katara suggested. Yun and Toph both shrugged and so they went to go find Sokka.
They found Sokka and Teo fiddling with something they hid behind their backs when they saw Katara, Toph, and Yun arrive.
"Hey guys," Sokka said, his eyes darting around. "What's going on?"
"Nothing much," Katara said. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Sokka said, his eyes darting to Yun and then away.
"Do you want to spar, Sokka," Yun asked. "I could help with your sword practice, if you'd like?"
"Why don't you spar with Katara or Toph for now. I have something really quick to do with Teo," he said. Yun could take a hint. They weren't wanted. She looked at Katara and she shrugged, so they decided to go to the fountain. They all lay on their backs.
"I'm bored," Toph said, picking at her toes.
"It is odd not having anything to do," Katara said. Yun flipped from her back on to her side to see the other two girls.
"Do you want to spar," she asked. She really didn't want to, but at least it was something. The other girls hummed noncommittally.
Yun settled down to take a nap. At least the stone tile was cool and nice to sleep on. She dreamt of her mother and father who smiled and beckoned her closer. She did so laughing, but then they suddenly were wearing the Dai Li uniforms. They separated and a shadowy figure walked out. She held out her hand and her parents erupted into flames. They still staggered towards her. Yun tried to stumble back, but she was rooted in place. She felt them come closer, the fire burning her skin. They were about to embrace her when she woke up with a gasp. It was nighttime, the sky dark. She saw everyone already on their bed rolls, but out of the corner of her eye she saw someone sitting in the dark. She walked towards them and took a seat.
"Hey Katara," she said, announcing her presence.
"Hey," she said simply.
"It's kind of late to be up, isn't it," Yun asked, putting a hand on Katara's shoulder.
"I was waiting to see if Aang would get back," Katara sighed. Yun looked out at the night sky, seeing if she could spot a bison.
"Sometimes," Yun said, before pausing. "Sometimes, soul searching takes time." Katara looked at her and ruffled her hair.
"When did you get so wise," she teased.
"You know I'm only four months younger than you," Yun deadpanned.
"I know, I know. Sometimes, the way Sokka acts towards you is contagious," Katara explained.
"You know, I was always the baby of the family," Yun said, shifting to sit cross legged, before realizing she said too much. She quieted after that but luckily unfortunately Katara noticed.
"Baby of the family? You had a sibling," Katara exclaimed, turning to face Yun. She sighed, looking up at the stars. She didn't want to talk about it, but at the same time, she wanted to.
"Estranged. She kinda ran away from home. Haven't seen her since," Yun said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh, Yun. I'm so sorry," Katara said, putting her hand on Yun's shoulder and squeezing lightly.
"It's fine, honestly. I was never close to her. She was so . . . angry all the time. I could never get close to her without getting scared I'd make her mad in some sort of way."
Yun and Katara spent the rest of the night swapping stories about their parents. Yun told Katara about how they met in the Southern Islands, and how her father became the village chief. Katara told her about how her mother loved to tell Katara about how she and Hakoda met.
"I heard it about a thousand times," Katara said laughing.
Yun told her about how her father used to show her how to forge daggers, and how he used his firebending to control how the metal formed its shape.
"Your father's a firebender," Katara asked incredulously.
"Yeah, and my mama's a waterbender. The Southern Islands are where people run away to. To start a new life. So there's a whole bunch of people, all types of benders and non-benders. It's pretty cool."
"Sounds pretty cool," Katara agreed.
Katara told her about how Hakoda used to show Sokka how to fight with weapons and how her mother used to do some of the chores with her waterbending. She also told Yun about all the stories her mom would tell her about love and destiny. They talked late into the night and fell asleep to the first rays of sunshine peeking out. Yun woke up to hear Appa land on the stone tile.
Stretching and rubbing her eyes blearily, she got up and stumbled over to Appa.
"Hey buddy," Yun said, hugging Appa as best she could.
"I can see your glad to have us back," Aang chuckled as he floated down from Appa.
"Hi guys," Yun said in between a large yawn. Zuko looked at her and then at the still sleeping Katara.
"Did you wait for us all night," he asked. Yun stopped hugging Appa to look at him.
"Nah," she said. "We were just talking." Zuko scowled suspiciously before stalking over to where the rest of the group was beginning to wake up. Aang began walking Appa over as well, while Yun woke a sleeping Katara.
"Let's go, sleepyhead," she said, gently shaking Katara.
"What," she mumbled, squinting her eyes up at Yun.
"We fell asleep waiting for Aang," Yun explained, helping Katara to her feet. "They're here now. I think they want to show us what they learned." Sure enough, they were looking at Yun and Katara expectantly, waiting for them to join the others. Yun and Katara made their way over, taking a seat next to Sokka. Aang and Zuko began going through their forms.
"With this technique the dragons showed us," Aang said, while going through different movements. "Zuko and I will be unstoppable." When they finished, the group clapped. It was cool to look at.
"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there," Sokka commented.
"It's not a dance. It's a firebending form," Zuko said angrily.
"We'll tapdance our way to victory over the Fire Lord," Sokka said, riling Zuko up even further.
"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old," Zuko protested, stepping towards Sokka.
"Oh, yeah," Katara challenged. "What's your little form called?"
"The Dancing Dragon," Zuko admitted, his shoulders hunching forward in defeat. That got a good laugh out of everyone.