A/N: be sure to consult one of the many wonderfully detailed maps out there for a particular scene in this chapter. You'll know when you need it. It'll help, I promise.

For reference, Agna Qel'a is the canon name of the North Pole capital city, just in case you read down and wonder WTF I'm blabbering on about ;)

Chapter XXIII: The Burned Forest

The first one was a girl, of olive skin, with beautiful brown hail styled high, just like hers. Two forelocks framed her elegant features – a thin, regal nose, soft lips pressed into a stern, straight line, and eyes so gold they looked like twin late afternoon suns.

Her twin brother was porcelain and raven haired with a wolf's tail, but his features weren't stern like his sister's. He seemed, if not happier, more accustomed to smiling and laughing. His grin was toothy, mischievous, even. And his eyes were bluer than the brightest of skies.

The girl ran into the arms of a man, who picked her up playfully, tossing her around, eliciting squeals of laughter from her.

Her brother stood watching from the sidelines, not inching closer. His smile had faded and had been replaced by a look of grim determination. His right hand nervously fluttered over a scabbard of blue leather, where a sword with a lotus pommel was sheathed. He drew it ever so slightly out, and the blade was blacker than the void, as if light seemed to die in its vicinity. His left hand played with a globule of water that floated between his fingers in a never-ending figure eight.

The man let go of the girl, bringing her back down.

Azula froze when she saw him. It was not the man she thought would be the father. It was that cruel and face she was so familiar with, with piercing golden eyes and lips drawn into a cold sneer.

"Zara… why don't you show your brother your new skill?" he asked. The girl nodded, eager to please.

Lightning crackled forth from the child's fingertips, headed straight for her brother. The boy sidestepped and the water between his fingers turned into a deadly icicle, screaming straight for Zara.

No, not the girl. He'd aimed it straight for the sneering man, who melted the icicle as soon as it neared him.

The boy's eyes were still trained on his sister. "Zara… don't listen to him. Dad said never to listen to him. Mom said that too."

The girl blinked back tears. "Mom and Dad are gone. He's the only family we have left."

"He KILLED Dad. He locked Mom away. It's HIS fault they're gone."

"Grandfather said you'd say that. He said you'd be a weakling. If I don't want to end up like Mom and Dad, I have to get rid of you, Sorrin."

Their grandfather watched the siblings battle. Of course, Zara came out victorious – she usually did. Everything about her was perfection and control. Her brother was more wild, unpredictable, but not nearly as in control as her.

Her grandfather rewarded her victory by making her blast the side of her brother's face with blue flames.

The boy screamed as his skin blistered and burned, a horrid red scar marring the left side of his face.

XXXXX

Azula rose with a jolt, her bleary eyes catching the first rays of dawn peeking through her window. She was sweating, slightly, though the cotton sheets drawn around her naked skin were still cool to the touch. She found her head nestled into the crook of a tawny, muscular arm, and extricated it with minimal effort. A pair of azure eyes met hers, blinking at her owlishly, and then a pair of soft lips creased into a small smile for her.

"Good morning, little dragon," he murmured, his voice groggy with sleep.

Agni, his voice shouldn't make her quake with want, not like this in the morning. All thoughts of her dream were pushed aside for the moment as she remembered last night, feeling a fire begin to pool in her belly. Her nipples hardened against the soft cotton sheets that were immodestly draped over her and Sokka.

She traced one of the scars on his chest with her finger. "Good morning, my wolf," she breathed. It was difficult to do anything else, as his wandering hands found a perch by her breasts, cupping them gently before moving upwards. One hand was particularly cruel, toying with the puffed nipple, rolling it back and forth between two fingers. She cried out softly.

A rapping noise from the doorway should have interrupted his ministrations, but he continued at an infuriatingly languid pace.

"Who is it?" he boomed, still not ceasing his attention.

"Sokka, it's me." Katara's voice was a like a splash of cold water; his hand fell away from her breast, and the desire that had been inflamed in Azula as a result of his attentions melted away.

"Ugh, fuck," he grumbled. Azula lay back and let out a groan of frustration.

"Go bathe. I need to talk to Azula," the voice called out commandingly.

"Sorry about that, love," he said, pressing a kiss to Azula's forehead. He lazily rolled out of the bed, landing on his feet and walking unashamedly naked to the restroom. He gave her the smallest little wink before closing the door behind him. When Azula heard the shower turn on, she finally spoke up.

"Come in, Katara. He went to bathe." As soon as she said it, she instantly regretted it, realizing that she was still completely naked.

Oh Agni, my clothes are strewn across the fucking room. Sokka had tossed the robe across the room last night, but her panties – a nondescript affair handed over courtesy of the palace staff - were still nearby. She pulled them on hurriedly as Katara came into the room.

The look on the Waterbender's face was priceless. She crinkled her nose in slight disgust as the unmistakable smell of sex assaulted her senses, and the look didn't get any better when she saw Azula's night robe laying next to the door.

"Open the window, for fuck's sake, before you keel over," Azula grumbled. To her surprise, Katara just giggled. She carried a small kettle with her, but only one cup. Azula's eyes narrowed.

"How did you know?" she asked, exasperatedly. "The walls can't possibly be thin enough here, and…" she trailed off as she realized the answer to her own question. "The fucking window."

"Interesting choice of words," Katara said with a laugh. "Ours was open and we heard everything. You're lucky Aang slept through the show."

"Kill me, please, Kat," Azula moaned, falling back into the bed.

"For a moment, it sounded like you were dying in here," Katara said with a giggle. "Not to worry. I bring libations."

"Ugh. Let me guess. Tansy-"

"Wormwood, mint, honey, and pennyroyal, yes." Katara said soothingly. "Now drink your medicine, dear." She poured some into the cup and handed it to the Princess.

Azula glared at her over the rim of her cup as she took slow sips. "You're being awfully blasé about this, you know."

Katara shrugged as she went back to the door and tossed Azula the night robe. "It's easier when it's just you. If Sokka was still in here, I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. Besides, it's not like I've never walked into the aftermath of what Saira and Sokka used to get up to."

Azula froze, cup on its way to her mouth.

"Ah, sorry. Probably an awkward thing to bring up…" Katara mumbled, apologetically. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Azula said quickly, averting her eyes.

"No, it's not. I don't mean to make you feel like the second woman or an interloper, because that's not how I think of you. And I hope Sokka didn't make you feel like that, either," she said.

For a moment, Azula felt a stab of gratefulness pierce her heart. As good as Sokka was, she appreciated Katara's company on their travels. It felt good to have another feminine touch, and Katara was comforting in her own way, even if Azula had to limit what she could share with her lover's sister.

"He didn't," Azula said, taking another sip. "It was… wonderful, actually."

Now Katara had the shame to blush. "Well… I'm happy for him, and I'm happy for you, too. I like to think of you as my friend." She eyed the cup with a small smile tugging at her lips. "Just don't make me an aunt yet."

Azula almost choked on her tea, remembering Sokka's words from last night in the haze of their lovemaking, and her subsequent nightmare as she woke up. Her children? Sokka's children? Their family?

You promise me, Azula, right now. You will never, EVER, let that monster near my grandchildren, Ursa's voice hissed at her with venom. You will die before you let him near them. Do you hear me?

For once, Ursa's voice didn't seem a projection of her subconscious; it was as if her mother was truly passing on a message. She buried the thought for the moment, wanting to discuss it with Sokka.

Katara patted her shoulder gently, and with a smile, departed the room.

Sokka came in, tugging a fresh tunic down from his head to complement the breeches he now wore. Is she gone? he mouthed at Azula, and when she nodded, he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Did Katara threaten you not to break my heart?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Opposite, actually."

Sokka laughed. "Makes sense. I'm actually surprised she's warmed up so much to you. Didn't think that was gonna happen, not after the way you two met."

Azula smiled over her tea. "I like her. She's much like you, only better. Sokka, can we talk?"

He looked like she'd shocked him, a wariness setting into his eyes. "What about?"

She sighed, patting the bed, asking him to come closer to her. Sokka acquiesced cautiously at first, but when he saw the hurt in her eyes, he closed the distance quickly, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. His clean smell, like crushed pine, filled her senses.

"What's wrong? Is it about last night?" he asked, his voice quiet and calm in her ear.

"No. Yes," she said, pausing. "I'm not sure."

Sokka sighed. "I'm sorry, it was too early, wasn't it? I should have thought it through-"

"No, Sokka, that's not it. I… I had a dream about our children."

To her surprise, he laughed huskily. "Were they as beautiful as their mother?

Agni, yes, and as wonderful as their father. Why did he always say things like this, making her feel fuzzy inside?

"They were both powerful benders, but it wasn't a pleasant dream," she said. "I think… you and I were gone, or dead. My father was training them. He had one maim the other like he scarred Zuzu." Azula shuddered. "I saw so much of what my father wanted me to be in our child, Sokka."

His embrace tightened more, and his hands rubbed her shoulders and back soothingly. "I swear to you, by all the gods and spirits, 'Zula, as long as I live and breathe, I will never let that monster harm us."

He pulled apart slightly, only to touch his forehead to hers.

"Tell me about the kids," he whispered.

She smiled. That part of the dream, she didn't mind remembering.

XXXXX

The King bade them farewell after a hearty breakfast, and a promise to Aang that one day they'd commandeer one of the delivery carts and ride it from the postmaster's office near the Palace down to the lowest ring of the city one day, for old time's sakes. Sokka had gotten a good laugh out of Katara's disapproving glare at Aang for this, and even Azula was smiling through the meal.

Before they left, Bumi pressed something into Aang's hand. The Airbender smiled hugely to see what it was.

"You remembered?" he asked the King.

"I promised I would get you one, didn't I? But I never got the chance to see you after, so here I am making up for it."

"You're a true friend, Bumi."

"As are you, my dear Aang. As are you."

The two men shared a long embrace before parting ways. As they left the palace, Aang stared out behind them, contemplating whether he'd have the chance to see his friend ever again.

When they arrived at the tram station in the lower ring, Suki was there to greet them.

"Find what you were looking for?" she asked, brightly.

Aang smiled. Perhaps he hadn't come away with an Earthbending master, like he'd hoped, but seeing Bumi had injected a new hope into him. "No... but also, yes," he answered sagely.

"Mm, cryptic Avatar answer," joked Sokka. "Listen, Suki, we're about to leave for the North Pole, and we just wanted to say-"

"Goodbye?" she interrupted with a smile. "Turns out, no need. Commander Haru has asked me to accompany you as far as the Northern Air Temple before rendezvousing with the rest of my girls outside Ba Sing Se."

"You're joining us? That's great news, Suki!" Katara exclaimed "But… what about you and your commander?"

Suki frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sokka gave her a light elbow. "You know what we mean, Suki. You and Haru, sitting in a tree…" He proceeded to make infantile smooching noises. Suki blushed a deep red, visible even through the face paint.

Azula pinched Sokka's arm, making him yowl. He protested his innocence, but the Princess ignored him. "Fair warning, though, Captain, Katara and I plan on extracting every delicious detail out of you on the flight," Azula said with a smirk. "Out of the boys' hearing, of course."

After leaving the city, Sokka was the first to complain about the distance they had to cross. The causeway was long, and Appa's resting spot was well on the other side. Aang waved a small, lightly colored piece of wood in front of his face.

"Don't worry, lazy, I'm planning on putting Bumi's gift to good use."

"Is that what the King gave you? What is it?" Azula asked, quizzically. Aang handed it to her, and she examined the object. "Holes here... in the shape of Appa? A whistle of some sort?"

Aang nodded. "A bison whistle. We used to have them in the Air Temples, but I never had one made for Appa. He was never far enough away for me to need one, really." He took it out of the Princess's hands and blew it.

Nothing happened. No sound came out of the whistle. Sokka groaned, rubbing his head with his palm. "Great, it's useless. Time to walk."

No sooner had he taken three or four steps did a shadow hurtle out from behind a peak, flying towards them with the sun at its back. Appa let out a huge braying noise as he tore through the sky. He looped over and under the causeway, before coming to a hover by the path, staring intently at his friends. Momo chirped gleefully from the saddle.

"How did it... there wasn't even any noise!" Sokka muttered, puzzled, as he helped Katara onto the saddle.

Aang laughed. "We can't hear the pitch, but Appa sure can."

Sokka stared intently at the whistle. "I think one day, that thing might just come in handy."

XXXXX

The five of them sat around an unfurled map.

"What's the best path to take to get to the North Pole?" Aang asked. "I'm going to guess it's not a straight line, or we wouldn't be looking at a map..."

"Very perceptive, Aang," Azula remarked drily. "I imagine our route will have to work around the current front lines of the war. The Captain is best suited to assist us here."

Suki nodded. "The Princess is right. Normally, it would be fastest to go in as straight a line as possible to Agna Qel'a, with small allowances to restock and resupply at the nearest villages, but..." she placed a finger at the four peaks, representing Omashu on the map. "This is where we are." Her finger traced a little northwards. "This is the Blue River, and beyond it are two towns we could restock at. This one," she said, pointing to a small dot by the coast, "is Khangai, an old mining town. Commander Haru's father is the leader there. There used to be an old-"

"Labor camp and prison there," Azula finished, murmuring. "I remember discussing it in Father's war council. There was a riot four years ago." She looked at Suki with a slightly guilty smile on her face. "That was Haru?"

Suki smiled proudly. "He worked with the Freedom Fighters to orchestrate a prison break. Got him summoned to Omashu, where he rose through the ranks."

"Who are the Freedom Fighters?" Sokka asked.

"A band of rebels working in and around Gaipan Forest. Nasty pieces of work," Suki said, shuddering. "They're on our side, at least on paper, and their leader is a bit of a legend. Kind of like Sokka, except..."

"Except?" Katara asked quizzically.

"Except he doesn't give a damn about civilian casualties," Azula finished. "I've heard of whom you speak. Twin Hook? He flooded Gaipan Town two and a half years ago by destroying the dam that used to be on the tributary. Killed near three hundred villagers to take out a forty man occupation garrison. Last I heard, General Shingen sent troops after them. Didn't get Hook, but they managed to kill enough of his operatives and cut his supply lines. He's active again?"

Suki nodded. "They went really silent over two years ago, but recently they've orchestrated a few smaller operations. Nothing like they used to, but yes, the latest reports in Omashu were that Twin Hook is still alive. Haru told me that he wasn't always so brutal, not when they first met... but that was over four years ago."

"I think I've heard of him," Sokka cut in quietly. "Zuko told me that his company was hired to hunt down some resistance fighters in Gaipan Forest."

Azula grimaced. "It was Zuzu's unit they sent after him?" She could see Katara shiver a little from the corner of her eye, no doubt reliving her captivity in Zuko's camp. "Whoever it was, they burned down half the forest and pillaged two towns along the way. Lord Shingen was incensed when he found out, but I didn't know he hired Zuzu to do the job. I always assumed, given the brutality, it would be the Rough Rhinos, or the 501st..." Seeing Sokka's skeptical look, she added, "not all the Fire Nation high command are complete bastards, Sokka. Shingen is one of the good ones. In fact... if we could ever get him to turn on Father, he would be a good ally. Shingen is honorable."

"What about the other town?" Aang inquired.

"The other is Senlin. It's more inland, so we don't have to worry about brushes with the Fire Navy. It's also not strategically important, so we don't have to worry about raids either... but there are some bad rumors that come out of that town. Muddled reports of a fire in the nearby Hiragana Forest, and then missing patrols, villagers who were taken. Senlin is along our natural route though, and from there we'd go up past the Great Divide, over the ruins of Taku, and follow the spine of the Pohuai Mountains along the White River on the right bank." Suki traced her finger through these areas of the map. "From there, we stop at the Northern Air Temple, which is where I'll head back to Ba Sing Se, and you guys go on to Agna Qel'a."

Sokka scratched his chin. "Uh... Suki, just one question. How are you going to get from the Northern Air Temple to Ba Sing Se? That's a lot of mountain between those two places," he said, gesturing to the numerous ranges south of the Temple.

She smiled. "The Northern Air Temple isn't abandoned."

Everyone turned their heads to Aang, whose jaw had dropped. "You m-mean-?"

Suki's bright expression fell as she realized her faux pas. "Oh, no, Aang, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. There's a small colony of refugees there that trades with the North Pole. Ships usually stop there before heading down the coast towards Ba Sing Se."

"Oh." Aang looked crestfallen. Katara leaned her head onto his shoulder and slipped an arm around his waist in a gesture of comfort.

Sokka cleared his throat. "I guess now is the best time to tell you all about my conversation with the King. The Fire Nation is going to invade the North Pole in a matter of a few months with three fleets."

For the first time, Azula blanched. "An entire armada? Fuck."

"You didn't know?" Suki asked sharply.

"No. Father never discussed it. I don't even know where this plan came from."

"There are two related points," Sokka said, cutting in before Suki could say anything further. "One, we have bigger problems than Azula's father. There is a shadow faction in the Fire Nation that will make a play soon. Second, the King believes they may attempt to kill Azula... and may attempt an overthrow of her father in the Fire Nation itself."

"That's a good thing, right? Not the assassins, mind," Katara said, shooting Azula an apologetic look. "But getting rid of Ozai can't be bad."

Sokka shook his head glumly. "No. If they get rid of Ozai, they'll be worse. They're the ones that are truly responsible for the genocide of Aang's people."

"Is this the Temple you spoke to me of before?" Azula asked, her voice deceptively calm.

"Yeah."

"Very well. Our first priority ought to be defeating the attack at Agna Qel'a. We can't deal with the Temple right now, and perhaps it might be a boon in disguise. If I mean to spark a rebellion against my father, a civil war would provide a better opportunity." Her analysis was cold, but in her mind, she couldn't help but think of the cost in lives. A three way civil war in the Fire Nation would be disastrous. "Which means that we should head to Senlin. The faster we get to the North Pole, the better."

XXXXX

Aang was quiet for much of the trip to Senlin, but even he was taken aback when they flew over what remained of Hiragana Forest.

"Spirits... it's worse than I thought," Suki muttered.

A horrid scar stretched through the forest along a river. Where there were lush, green trees on either side, everything in the scar had been scorched and destroyed. Trees were reduced to darkened trunks, and there was no hint of color left anywhere. Aang guided Appa down to the ground, who brayed balefully at his surroundings. Even Momo chirped fearfully.

Aang jumped down from Appa's saddle to the ground. He walked listlessly among the corpses of the trees, occasionally running his hands over the scorched trunks and the devastated roots. Animal skulls and bones littered the ground. He fell to his knees, devastated by the loss of life all around him.

Katara gently touched his shoulder in a gesture of comfort when she caught up to him.

"Look, Katara... everything here is dead," he said, morosely.

"Listen, guys," Sokka said, his voice somber.

"I don't hear anything," Suki said, after a moment of silence.

"Exactly. There's nothing. A forest like this should hum with life," Azula muttered.

Suki's expression darkened. "What's the word you Water Tribesmen use for Fire Nation? Ash makers? Seems appropriate here. This makes me sick. How can people have no respect for-"

Sokka put his arm on her shoulder. "Hey, Suki. It's alright."

She whipped her head to look at him, her eyes blazing with fury. "Am I not allowed to be angry?"

"You are," Sokka said, his eyes gentle. "But..." he pointed at Aang.

Suki had to admit; even though she was hurting - it was her country, after all - Aang was clearly taking it harder than anyone else.

The Avatar grasped some of the scorched soil, picking it up in his fist and studying it. The ash and dirt seeped through his fingers, falling back down to the ground. "Why would anyone do this?"

Azula's stance became a little defensive. "I burned down part of the forest I was in with Sokka, else we would have died in a hail of arrows."

Katara sighed. "No one can blame you for that, Azula. It was in the middle of a battle, and if you hadn't, you'd both likely be dead. This is something else. This kind of destruction doesn't happen on accident."

"I let this happen," said Aang.

"Hey, no, bud. Trust me," Sokka said, cutting in. "The whole 'take all the blame' thing isn't going to help you here, and it really isn't your fault."

"I didn't say it was," Aang said. "I said I let it happen. It's my duty to protect nature, but I tried so hard to run from my duty that I don't know how to accomplish it."

"Well, that's why we're headed to Agna Qel'a. To find you a teacher," Katara offered helpfully.

"A Waterbending teacher. Who's going to teach me how to be the Avatar?" Aang said, snorting derisively. "Gyatso always told me that Avatar Roku would help me, but-"

"Roku, your predecessor? But he's..." Suki said.

"Dead. And for a hundred years, Aang," Katara finished.

Sokka shifted his weight. "Actually, about that..."

Azula swiveled her head towards him. "Please don't tell me that Roku is actually alive somewhere."

"No, he's dead as a doornail. But the King told me that we had to figure out a way for Aang to talk to Roku," Sokka said. "I'm not spiritually attuned, so I wouldn't know where to beg-"

"Roku's temple," Azula said, with an edge in her voice.

Aang perked up at this. "Roku has a temple?"

"Yes. It's actually... not even that far from here," Azula said, but her voice lost none of its strange tone. "The island is only a few days flight, if that."

"So we can go. It's not much of a detour," Katara said, smiling.

"The temple is in the Fire Nation," Azula interjected, flatly.

It was as if all the air had been sucked away from them. No one spoke for a minute, though Sokka climbed on top of Appa's saddle and fetched the map.

"We can go," he said firmly.

"Sokka..." Azula began, but she stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He stealthily mouthed Shu Jing at her.

"It's worth it if we can get some insight into what Aang needs to do to gain mastery over the elements. And maybe Roku will have advice that could come in handy for the war, too. Secret firebending knowledge that only an Avatar would know," Sokka insisted. "It's risky as hell, but the potential benefits outweigh the risks, I think. Besides, it's on an island, not on the Fire Nation mainland."

Suki shrugged. "Roku was no Kyoshi, but it could help. Besides, maybe communing with Roku could help Aang talk to other Avatars, too. Kyoshi, and Kuruk who came before her..."

"If we all agree, let's get to Senlin and stock up for the trip. Probably best if we don't have to resupply anywhere near the Fire Nation," Sokka added. He, Azula, and Suki climbed back onto Appa, but Aang remained on the ground, still aimlessly running his hands through the scorched earth.

Katara knelt by him, staring at the earth as well. She spotted an acorn, and an idea grew in her head.

Aang grimaced a little when the acorn softly hit his cheek. Sokka, even from Appa's back, saw, guffawing loudly.

"What was that for?" Aang muttered.

"To cheer you up," Katara said, sweetly.

"Sure cheered me up!" Sokka shouted at them. For his troubles, he was rewarded with another acorn flung at his head, though he managed to dodge just in time. "Probably deserved that," he said, cheekily.

"These acorns are everywhere, Aang," said Katara. "The rains will come and these will become new trees, and all the living things will return. It'll all be made whole again."

"She has a point, Aang," Azula added. "Fires burn forests, but often times the forest grows back stronger, more alive."

Aang looked at Katara, gratefulness in his eyes. She crinkled her mouth into a smile, and cupped Aang's cheek with her hand. They leaned into each other, their lips meeting softly in the middle. The tenderness in the kiss was enough to mask out Sokka's loud 'bleh!' noise.

A shaky voice interrupted them. "Y-young man! Hail! Hail! Please, a moment of your time, if you will!" An old man walked towards them, limping, but quickly. He was bald and bearded. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the bison, but now I see the tattoos... you're him, aren't you? The Avatar, the one about whom the rumors have been flying around!"

Katara defensively stepped in front of Aang. "Do you need help?"

The old man bowed his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, but it's my village, Senlin. It's being attacked by a monster. The creature has taken villagers already. Please, Avatar. We desperately need your help."

"A monster?" Azula asked, a slight undercurrent of disbelief in her voice.

"A spirit," the old man said, correcting himself. "The spirit of Hei Bai, the guardian of Hiragana. With the Winter Solstice approaching... I fear what he may do to us with the Spirit World so close to the physical. Please, Avatar. You are the bridge. You must help us, or else we are lost."

Aang stood up straight, steeling his voice. "I will help. Please, climb aboard Appa. We were headed to your village anyway." The old man shook Aang's hand, offering profuse thanks. Sokka clambered off the saddle to help the old man up. Katara pulled Aang aside.

"Are you sure about all this, Aang?" she asked, concernedly.

"No. Not at all. But I have to do something, don't I? I have to live up to my duties."

Katara pecked his cheek. "I believe that you will."

XXXXX

"Hold up, Aang. You're not doing this alone," Sokka said, his voice heavy with determination. He put a hand on the Airbender's shoulder, giving him pause before he left.

They had arrived at the village several hours earlier. Now, it was near sunset, and the villagers and their headman cowered in the large town hall, huddled together in the hopes that they might escape abduction in greater numbers. Aang had made ready to walk out alone, but Sokka did not intend for him to face Hei Bai without support.

Azula protested, but Sokka silenced her worries with a few kisses and assurances. Katara, too, had disapproved, but hers was silent. She gave Aang and Sokka hugs. When she embraced her brother, she said, "Sokka, please be careful. Don't break Azula's heart again, like after the siege."

Sokka's eyes flitted towards his lover, whose calm face belied the trepidation in her eyes.

"I won't," he affirmed.

XXXXX

"You've got a plan, right?" Sokka whispered.

"No," said Aang curtly, voice taut with nervousness. They stood together in the central street of the town, facing the gate. Sunset was nigh.

"Oh. Me neither."

"That actually kind of makes me feel better," Aang muttered.

"How?" hissed Sokka.

"You're the plans guy. If you've got nothing, I don't feel so bad."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"When are you going to tell Katara that you love her?" Aang nearly laughed at the randomness of the question, before he realized that Sokka had used the L-word.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"Don't make me say it again, for spirits' sake, Aang. And don't deny it."

"I don't know."

"You probably should."

"Yeah," Aang murmured.

"I'm just saying. The stupid stuff we get involved in... death could be around the corner. You don't want to leave anything unsaid."

Aang let out a snicker, despite himself. "Or undone, as it were."

Before Sokka had a chance to respond, the sun finally descended completely below the horizon, and a loud growling noise erupted from the tree line outside the village gate. A monstrous thing, colored black and white, came out of the trees. It was twenty feet tall, at least, and it walked on fours with powerful, muscular limbs. It had a pair of arms, shorter than the other limbs, that hung from its shoulders. Its head and mouth reminded Sokka of the killer whales that prowled the South Pole's waters, both in the coloring and in the rows of razor sharp teeth inside its gaping maw.

"Shit," Aang gulped. "I think... I'm going to try to talk to him."

Sokka wordlessly bounded up one of the abandoned houses, taking cover under the roof with his boomerang brandished, as Aang approached the spirit.

"Hei Bai?"

The spirit paid Aang no attention. Instead, he stared at one of the empty houses. He opened his mouth and a blasting scream issued forth, shattering the wooden walls and glass windows.

Azula couldn't bear to watch from the sidelines anymore. She burst out of the town hall and made a bee-line towards Sokka. The sudden movement caught the eye of the spirit.

Rather than moving, the creature almost flitted from place to place, as if by transmission rather than physical travel. Hei Bai shimmered in the air in front of Sokka as soon as Azula arrived. Before she could so much as think of firebending at the spirit, Hei Bai grasped both her and Sokka in his free hands and bounded away back to the forest.

Aang turned his staff into a glider and blasted off after Hei Bai. The forest had a high canopy, letting Aang trail after the spirit through the trees. He wove from trunk to trunk, following the sound of Sokka and Azula's struggle.

The forest gave way to the scorched earth, as Hei Bai made his way into the scar of burned forest they had originally passed by on Appa's back. Sokka screamed at Aang.

"Aang! Remember your promise!"

If the Princess and I are both in danger and you can only save one, save her.

Aang gritted his teeth. If the worst were to pass, Katara would never forgive him... but he had promised Sokka.

He flipped in the air from Hei Bai's left to his right, towards the side of the hand that held Azula. As he reached out an arm for the Princess, and she reached back for him, Hei Bai shimmered once again in the air, disappearing.

Aang lost his balance in the air, tipping too far forward from the glider staff, and careened into the ground. He softened his landing with a push of air, and stared up, right into the unmoving figure of a giant forest bear.

XXXXX

Sokka blinked, unsure of where he was. Roots dug into his back, as if he was laying on the ground in some forest, but there was something wrong. There was no sound - no noise of animals or insects, no buzzing of cicadas or flies. Birds did not chirp. Most of all, there was no wind. Even the air was as still as the grave.

A small rustling noise finally broke the silence. Sokka got up, craning his neck, and saw the Princess next to him, who seemed similarly dazed.

"Thank the spirits, Azula."

"Where... where are we?" she asked, her voice groggy, as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"No clue. It looks like a forest of some kind." Sokka stood and offered Azula his arm, which she took. He hoisted her off the ground and onto her feet.

"There's something wrong," she said. "The forest is full of trees... but there's no life. No wind." They were in a small clearing in the forest, pervaded by moonlight. Sokka looked up, hoping to see familiar stars, but instead, he saw something indescribable.

The night "sky" - if one could call it that - was alive. Rather than providing a pitch black canvas for the stars and the moon, it was indigo in color, and there were no stars or moon. Instead, the sky roiled and curled, as if it was a living thing, pitching back and forth and rolling in on itself. And then, when it shifted imperceptibly, only then did Sokka realize that he was not staring at the sky, but rather a giant serpent, coiled around the world. He saw the shimmering scales now, little silver breaks in the indigo that reflected like metal armor.

Terrifyingly, a giant eye opened up in the "sky", and where Sokka expected something like the eye of a polar leopard, cat-like, instead he saw the stars. The creature's eye was black, but also blue, red, gold and orange. The great nebulae of the cosmos were reflected in the creature's orb, sucking Sokka in. He didn't know how long he stared at it, but the spell was only broken when Azula shook him violently.

The sheer terror in her eyes brought him back to reality. He'd never seen her so afraid.

"Don't look at it, Sokka. I can feel its eye on me, and I can feel the creeping madness at the edge of my mind. Don't look at anything too long here, or we'll be lost."

"But... it's so-"

"Sokka, please. Look at me," she said. "I'm real. You're real. But everything else isn't. Please, Sokka, stay with me, or we're going to lose our minds in this place."

That snapped him back to her completely. "Are we-"

She nodded yes. "This is the spirit world, I think. We have to be careful. There are things here that mortal eyes were never meant to see. Things in dimensions we can't even comprehend. Even looking at them might cause us to go insane."

A small rustling at the edge of the tree line caught their attention. Sokka dropped into a battle stance, reaching for his weapons - only to realize there was nothing attached to his belt.

A woman stepped out of the trees, and all Sokka's limbs went slack. Azula saw him completely drop his guard, as if he'd seen a ghost.

She stared at the woman who'd had this effect on Sokka. She was Water Tribe, but a little older - possibly in her mid thirties. Slight wrinkles had appeared on her face, but she still had a youthful countenance. Her smile was friendly, loving, and devoid of any sinister intention, but her eyes were trained entirely on Sokka, as if she couldn't even see Azula standing there. Her hair was black, and tied in the same loops that Katara liked to wear.

Azula's eyes trailed down to the woman's neckline, where a choker with a pendant sat against her skin. She jerked back a step when she realized what the design was - she'd seen it multiple times.

It was the exact same one that Katara wore.

Her eyes flitted back to the woman, who was still looking at Sokka with a kind of love that not even Azula had. She knew that look so well; it was the same one that Ursa had in her eyes every time she had looked at Zuko, but never with her - a mother's love.

"Hello, my beautiful boy," the woman said, softly. Her voice was gentle, like the lapping waves of a calm ocean.

"M-mom?" Sokka gasped.

A/N: I'm sorry, I know, shorter chapter this time, but I was super busy this weekend :( luckily my work week this week is going to be significantly less busy, which means multiple chapters! You'll get one on Friday but also probably one in between.

Will get to all guest reviews in the next chapter, and I'll PM those of you that I can.

Also this chapter was super canon compliant, but the next one won't be. I never understood why they completely glossed over Sokka being in the spirit world for 24 hours.

The sky serpent was inspired by Jormungandr.