It was the year 99 AG, not that the spirits cared, when the Wolf returned to the Mother of Faces to escort her migration this season.

It was nice to have the Wolf at her side once more. He was so helpful in keeping away those pesky humans while she was going about her duties in the forest. It seemed he'd been taking a liking to them though. The Wolf was a quiet thing but his affection for the prince and princess he'd saved so long ago was rolling off him like a river's waves over stones.

Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her. Once she found a lake to reside in that suited her preferences, she settled down and turned her mind's eye toward the North Pole to watch the two little humans who'd captured the mind of her beloved companion.

The humans had been so… excited lately. They were like insects, buzzing constantly. It was a bit annoying. She asked the Wolf what was wrong with them. He reminded her of the shift of energy they'd all felt months ago. The Avatar had returned and the humans were filled with hope. The Mother couldn't help but feel amused at that. Humans were so silly. The Avatar couldn't disappear forever. He was a spirit. One in human form but still a spirit. What had they been so worried about? Of course he wouldn't just disappear forever. What a foolish thing to think.

Yue seemed to be at the center of the buzz today so the Mother focused on her for now. She seemed bored. Excited, in some ways, but mostly bored. Why she wasn't relishing in the other humans' adoration for her, Mother did not understand. Normally humans tended to enjoy this kind of attention. Humans were such strange creatures.

Zuko was at her side for most of the day. He didn't seem to share Yue's boredom but he seemed uneasy. Uneasy by the constant shuffle of servants and guards, uneasy by the incoming messengers, uneasy by the attention Yue was receiving- the Mother did not know which it was. He always seemed so nervous and Mother decided it wasn't worth her effort to try to figure out why.

She did, however, realize what some of the fuss was about. The Avatar had arrived to the Northern Water Tribe. Or maybe that wasn't what the fuss was about? The tribesmen seemed to only get even more erratic at the news but they'd been bumbling with the same vigor before they heard. What were they planning? Such silly humans they were…

The excitement seemed to die down when everyone settled down in the dining chambers. They were having a celebration of some sort, it seemed. The Mother of Faces hadn't observed humans in quite some time but she could recall that these gatherings were called banquets. The Northern Water Tribe's leader sat at the head of the room, his most loyal men around him, while the other tribesmen sat farther and farther away depending on importance and status. Barbaric, the Mother of Faces thought, but no one else seemed to be questioning it so she didn't either.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked bluntly when the Avatar's male companion plopped himself down next to him. "You're not supposed to be sitting here."

"Relax. I'm Sokka, from the S-" Sokka choked on his words when he looked up to face the boy he was talking to. "Scar."

"What?"

"Scar-y Southern Water Tribe," Sokka recovered, his sister facepalming behind him. "So scary compared to this place. I'm such a great warrior, you know? Just hoping this place has, um, lots of challenges."

Zuko looked at him like he'd grown two heads, not believing a word he just said. Yue hid a laugh behind her hand before smiling pleasantly and offering a hand in greeting. "I believe proper introductions are in order. I'm Princess Yue and this is my companion, Zuko."

"I'm Aang," the Avatar responded cheerfully before the siblings could. "I'm the Avatar. And these are my friends, Katara and Sokka. I met them in the Southern Water Tribe."

"The Avatar?" Yue echoed quietly, looking surprised. Zuko didn't look any better. "What are you doing here? I'd imagine you have better things to do than attending parties in the north."

"We're here to look for a waterbending teacher," Katara told them. "Aang needs to master all four elements. This was pretty much the only place we could come."

"That's probably why they stuck you here," Zuko realized, nodding thoughtfully.

"You're a waterbender?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow.

"What? No. I-"

"May I have everyone's attention?" Chief Arnook called, interrupting Zuko. The room fell silent. Arnook didn't react at all and continued talking. "We have gathered here today to celebrate the Avatar's arrival, a visit from our sister tribe, and my daughter, Princess Yue, who has just reached marrying age. Before we feast, let me welcome Master Pakku and his students."

The crowd clapped politely and an elderly but fit man stepped up from the sidelines. He raised his arms, water joining his movements, and started forward. His students flanked him, mirroring and augmenting his bending in perfect harmony. Fluidly, they leapt over the tables and took their place in the center of the room.

Aang and Katara looked mesmerized, fascinated by the thing they'd sought for so long and was now within their grasp. Zuko and Yue looked bored, having seen Pakku and his students countless times over the past few years. Sokka looked intrigued for a few moments, then bored, then a server deposited some food in front of him and any hope of him paying attention was lost.

He wasn't technically supposed to be eating yet so Zuko half heartedly tried to get him to stop. Sokka mostly ignored him and kept sneaking strips of bovine seal fat every few seconds. Zuko gave up quickly but the performance was pretty much already over at that point so not much was lost.

"That was amazing!" the Avatar gushed, clapping excitedly as the crowd broke into polite applause. A large-eared creature poked his head out of his parka and murmured his agreement. "Are all waterbenders like that?"

"Just Master Pakku," Yue told him but didn't seem interested in saying anything more. She looked away, distracted by the creature as he launched himself out of Aang's jacket and scrambled to get down Zuko's shirt. The firebender yelped and nearly fell out of his chair, earning a laugh from the people on either side of him. "Looks like you made a friend, Zuko."

"What is this thing?" Zuko grumbled, shifting in his seat to regain his balance. The creature poked his head out, one of his giant ears almost ending up in Zuko's nose. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's Momo," Aang explained, chattering even more than the creature. "He's from the Southern Air Temple, like me. I think he likes you!"

"Great," Zuko grumbled sarcastically as Momo reached out of his pocket to pluck a seaweed cracker off Zuko's plate. The lemur took a few bites before deciding he didn't like it and stuck the rest into Zuko's mouth, chittering curiously at the boy's reaction. "I guess he's kind of warm…"

"So, princess?" Sokka said, trying to start up conversation. He picked up his chopsticks and casually put a piece of meat in his mouth. "You know, in the Southern Water Tribe, I'm something of a prince myself."

Katara choked on her water. Without missing a beat, Yue responded, "I'm sure my father will be pleased to hear that, Prince Sokka."

The joke seemed to go over Sokka's head, judging by his confused reaction to Yue's sultry tone, but Zuko seemed to know exactly what she meant by it. "Tui and La, wipe that look off your face and calm down. Hahn is literally sitting across from us."

The Mother of Faces didn't know who this Hahn character was but she assumed it was the strong jawed boy on the other side of the hall giving Zuko and Sokka hostile looks. Mother decided she didn't like him but his staring shut Sokka up pretty fast so she couldn't complain much.

"So, about finding a waterbending master?" Katara asked as Pakku and his waterbenders cleared the floor. "You can help us find one?"

Zuko nodded, pushing Momo's head down when he reached out blindly to swipe another piece of seaweed from Zuko's plate. "Stick around after the banquet is over. I promise I'll take you to him."

The Mother of Faces wasn't terribly fond of Pakku. Some of the other spirits had taken a liking to him but she personally couldn't see past his gruffness. So cold, so unparentlike. Zuko could do better. The Avatar and his companion could do better. She didn't understand why they didn't turn away the moment they arrived.

"Don't expect any special treatment just because you're the Avatar," Pakku grunted before turning away, completely ignoring Katara. Without so much as a glance over his shoulder, he called, "You begin at dawn. Now, let me train my students in peace. Zuko, show them around the village and find them a place to stay."

Zuko rose from the gatepost he was leaning on with Sokka and nodded. Silently, he beckoned Aang, Katara, and Sokka to follow. Privately, Mother thought he would look quite broody and cool, as the humans say, if not for the lemur wiggling around in his coat. Momo was its name, yes? What a sweet thing. She was already fond of him.

"So," Sokka spoke up, trying to start conversation, as they returned to the main part of the city. Katara and Aang continued gazing at all the canals, towers, and inner workings of the city but Sokka seemed to tire of it quickly. Still interested but his mind just wasn't stimulated enough. This was a sharp one, Mother knew. "Zuko."

"Yes?"

"Zuko. Your name. It's not a Water Tribe name. Not like one I've ever heard."

"I'm not Water Tribe," Zuko grunted in response, sounding more annoyed than scared or angry.

"So where are you from?"

"The Earth Kingdom."

"Really? We went all over the Earth Kingdom and I've never heard a name like that."

"It's my last name," Zuko responded but the lie was far from clean on his tongue. It sounded like a lie he'd repeated many times before but Mother could tell by the tone of his voice that the boy would never be a very good liar. "My first name's Lee. Everyone calls me Zuko because there are a million Lees in the Earth Kingdom. And Fire Nation. Supposedly. I wouldn't know."

By Tui and La, Zuko was truly an atrocious fibber but the Avatar's companions were more gullible than Zuko was awkward. Sokka bought the lie without question, to Zuko's visible relief.

"Who's Hahn?" Aang piped up curiously, expression akin to that of the winged lemur tucked in Zuko's shirt. "You mentioned him earlier. You think he wants to be friends?"

Zuko shrugged. "I don't really know him. He and Yue are supposed to get married. He sees any guy close to her as a rival or whatever so we avoid each other. He's a warrior but not a waterbender so we don't really hang around the same crowd. Except for, y'know, Yue."

"Yeesh. I thought you were just cramping my style but thanks for the warning, buddy," Sokka said, putting his hands on his hips. He leaned back, stretching his back slightly as they walked. "I was totally prepared to ask her if she wanted to… uh, do an activity."

"Activity? Really Sokka?"

"Hey, it's not like you're all that experienced with asking people out either!" Sokka shot back, making his sister roll her eyes.

"So how come you're so close with Master Pakku?" Katara asked as the conversation faded. "You're not a waterbender, are you?"

"Why are you guys asking so many questions? This isn't a classroom. Just take in the sights. Look, over there's the main canal and here's the warriors' training grounds. You'll probably spend a lot of time here, Sokka."

Sokka looked interested but Katara didn't seem willing to drop the subject. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine but if you're training with Master Pakku, we're probably going to see a lot of each other."

Zuko sighed, looking annoyed and frustrated. "Pakku's the one who brought me here. He took me in. I'm not a waterbender but I'm still under his watch. I do… nonbender stuff."

"Nonbender stuff?"

"Yup… Nonbender stuff."

The Mother of Faces's physical form was far away so she withheld from sighing into her hands but she wanted to. By the greater spirits, she wanted to.

Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly. "Let's keep going. I think the nursing centers have extra rooms so you guys will probably be staying there."

"Do they have waterbenders there?" Sokka asked before turning to his sister. "Maybe you can learn more about your magic healy water, Katara."

Katara frowned. "It's not 'magic healy water,' Sokka. It's just a type of waterbending. And I'm here to learn how to fight, not just sit inside all day."

Zuko opened his mouth then wisely shut it. Unfortunately for him, Katara noticed.

"Do you have something to say?"

"No…"

"Do you think I can't waterbend as well as Master Pakku's other students?"

"No," Zuko said quickly, putting his hands up defensively. "It's just…"

"What?" Katara pushed.

"Well, you're a woman."

Katara went silent, fury rolling off her in waves. Sokka coughed into his hand. "Dude. You messed up."

Confusion spread across Zuko's features before he realized his mistake. "No, no. It's not a sexist thing. My sister- I used to have a sister- she was a bender. An earthbender, not a waterbender or a firebender because, y'know, Earth Kingdom. And she was really good. And her friends were good at fighting too. But it's different here in the Northern Water Tribe."

Zuko's frantic hand waving and rambling seemed to ward off Katara's anger somewhat but she didn't let up. "What do you mean?"

"The culture is different here from what you're used to. There are really rigid gender roles," Zuko explained earnestly. "I don't know if anyone's going to let you train under a master."

Katara put her hands on her hips and frowned. "That's stupid. Of course they're going to let me train with Master Pakku."

Zuko shrugged. "I'm not really familiar with waterbending training-"

"You literally live with the best waterbending master in the entire Northern Water Tribe."

"-so I think you should just ask Pakku tomorrow," Zuko finished. He came to a stop. "There are healers here too, by the way. You can ask them about it if you want."

"We're here?" Aang asked as they came to a stop.

Zuko nodded. "Home sweet home. Until you master waterbending, that is."

"Yes!" Sokka cheered, throwing his fists up in the air before shifting into a stretch. "I am so tired. And I gotta use the bathroom so bad. Let's check this place out!"

"Make sure to ask the people who run this place before touching anything!" Zuko called after them but Sokka and Aang were already long gone. Zuko turned to leave but was cut off by Katara, who was staring at him with a piercing and expecting gaze. Zuko stared back, perplexed gold meeting demanding blue, before realization dawned on his face. Gathering as much lemur up in his arms he could, he pulled him out of his coat and dumped the screeching creature in the waterbender's arms like a sea vulture feeding her chicks. "Here."

Katara stared at Momo for a moment, the lemur protesting loudly against the cold, before sighing and tucking him into the warmth of her coat. Clearly, this was not what she wanted but she was too tired to argue. "I'll see you tomorrow, Zuko."

"Tomorrow," Zuko agreed but he didn't sound terribly optimistic.

The next morning, Zuko was not surprised to see Katara storming out of the gate, fuming so much he could practically see the heat rolling off her in the frozen air.

"Don't you dare say you were right!" Katara snapped as she stomped past Zuko's loitering place.

"Pakku didn't let you train with him?"

"He said a woman's place was in the hospital, not the training grounds!" Katara vented loudly, leaving heavy footprints in the even snow with each step. Zuko abandoned his place by the fence to trail after her. "Apparently, a woman's hands are too delicate to handle the power of combative waterbending. Just like a man's hands are too broad to perform the intricacies of healing. That's polar-bull shit!"

Zuko nodded solemnly. "It took me awhile to get used to it too. It seems so strange compared to what I grew up with."

"And what makes it worse, all the women here just take it! They don't try to fight it. They don't even question it!"

"I'm surprised you didn't know," Zuko commented casually as they got farther and farther from the training grounds, "being betrothed and all."

Katara stopped in her one woman path to hell and whirled around to gape at him. "What?"

"Y-You're necklace?" Zuko stuttered, raising an eyebrow. They stopped in the middle of a bridge arching over the main canal. They didn't interrupt any traffic but they got a few curious stares. Mother wasn't there herself but she could practically feel the prying eyes boring into her.

"What about it?"

"It's a betrothal necklace?"

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

They resumed walking.

"No. It's not."

"Yes. It is. Yue's got one just like it. Hahn carved it right when the engagement was announced. I watched him make it. It was, like, the one time we've spent time together."

"Zuko. This isn't a betrothal necklace. We don't even have those in the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko shrugged it off. "Maybe but that's definitely a betrothal necklace. Ask the healers about it if you don't believe me. Oh, did you talk to them yesterday?"

"No."

"You probably should have."

"Well, I know that now, don't I?"

The pair came to a stop, having arrived at their destination. Zuko half heartedly opened the door of the healing center and gestured inside. "Talk to Yagoda. She's pretty much the Pakku of healing. But nicer. I'm sure she can teach you a lot."

"Thanks, Zuko," Katara sighed but she sounded more tired than grateful. Zuko let the door close behind her, something wistful and sad on his face, before turning away and wandering off into the city. Maybe Yue would be able to escape her princess duties long enough for a swim.

It wasn't a full moon but Zuko was restless.

Maybe it was his inner dragon. Maybe it was the Blue Spirit sensing the Mother of Face's presence, trying to reach out. Maybe Zuko was just unsettled by the newcomers. It was near impossible to tell but it didn't matter much. Restless was restless and restless meant wandering the frozen city in the quiet of the night.

The Mother, as a follower of Tui, wasn't terribly familiar with dragons but she wasn't exactly unfamiliar either. Right now, watching Zuko prowl around with such a fixed expression on his face, she missed them. She missed the great beasts that used to roam the lands. When had they begun dying? A hundred years ago? Less? Spirits were never good with time but it felt like just yesterday that dragons, man, animals, and spirits were living in harmony on this plane.

Zuko didn't assume his dragon form. It was clear how much he wanted to but he withheld. It was too risky to shift when he didn't have to. Still, he couldn't help but let some dragonic characteristics bleed into his own. Scales replacing skin, eyes grew a tad sharper, feet replaced by paws- he was still humanoid but clearly not human. The Mother thought this suited him. There really should be more spirit-human hybrids. They were so interesting.

Zuko stuck to the edges of the city. Pakku's home was near the training grounds so he didn't have to go far. Here, there were trees and rocks but the terrain wasn't as barren and cruel as the true tundra lying outside tribe territory. Perhaps it was something like the instinct of a polar bear dog prompting him to do this, some need to make sure his home was safe. The Mother of Face didn't really understand the worries of flesh and blood. She did, however, sense that Zuko was approaching something interesting.

Zuko seemed to sense it as well, his keen hearing pinpointing something abnormal through the ring of night. A barn, that's where the noise was coming from. There were intruders. He let out an inhuman rumble, bellowing for his master's attention, before reclaiming his human form and slinking into the barn.

"What are you three doing?" he growled as he slipped through the window. Aang and Katara stiffened, the water they were bending falling on the ground with a splash. Sokka yelped in surprise and alarm and flung his boomerang blindly.

It all happened so fast that the Mother of Faces wasn't quite exactly sure what had happened. One moment, a boomerang was flying through the air and then there were flames and darkness. It was followed by shouting and fighting and she just couldn't make any sense of it.

"Firebender! Firebender!" Sokka shrieked, seeming to not care about the fact Zuko had just singed his beloved boomerang. Zuko was staring at him with wide eyes, as if his mind hadn't quite caught up with what he did. Katara was trying to pick the puddle of water she'd dropped off the floor. Aang was trying to get everyone to calm down.

Mother blinked and suddenly Zuko and Sokka were tussling. Katara was doing… something with water. She wasn't sure what but it seemed to be helping. The Avatar was yelling but his words were unintelligible and meaningless in the chaos surrounding him.

"Freeze his hands Katara!" Sokka shouted as he tried to wrestle Zuko down. Zuko kneed him roughly in the chest.

"He'll just melt it!" Katara responded as she hit Zuko in the face with a handful of water.

"Oh, because splashing him in the face is so much better."

Zuko spat a mouthful of water in the warrior's face.

"Hey! Gross!"

"Now if we can all just calm down…" Aang started, waving his hands as soothingly as possible. The water he'd been playing with minutes before suddenly lurched off the ground and slapped Zuko in the face. Then Sokka. Then Katara.

"Wha- Aang!"

"It's not me!"

"Then who else is waterbending?!"

"Me," a gruff voice said and Pakku kicked open the door of the barn, hands on his hips and face stern. Zuko paled and quickly dropped into a bow. Pakku sighed. "Get up. Relight the torches, boy. It's pitch black in here."

"Yes, Master Pakku," Zuko said obediently, jumping to his feet to do as he was told.

"You know he's a firebender?" Sokka spluttered, sitting up.

"Yes," Pakku responded unflinchingly, "but the firebender doesn't seem to be the problem here."

"We weren't doing anything!"

"The Avatar was trying to teach the girl how to waterbend," Zuko reported faithfully.

"Snitch!"

"You're the ones who were being disobedient! You broke into this barn and ignored Master Pakku's orders!"

"This is Appa's barn!" Sokka shouted, throwing up his hands. "How do you know we weren't just visiting him?"

Zuko and the Mother of Faces noticed the bison's presence simultaneously with a start. The lemur clambered up onto Appa's head and let out a quiet chatter.

"You've disrespected me as a teacher and the Northern Water Tribe's entire culture," Pakku snapped harshly, interrupting the teenagers' shouting. "I will no longer train you, Avatar Aang."

"What?" Aang cried. "You can't!"

"Can't I?" Pakku wasn't quite snarking but he was definitely snarking. He turned away. "Find a new teacher. Zuko, come. We're leaving."

"He's a firebender!" Sokka emphasized as if that would help their case.

Pakku raised an eyebrow. "A firebender who should not have been firebending in front of strangers."

"It was an accident," Zuko responded guiltily, looking down at his feet. "They attacked me and the torches were right there. My inner fire just… grabbed them."

Pakku sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the foreigners. "You also attacked my ward."

"Um…"

"Leave. You aren't welcome here."

"I'm sor-" Zuko started but was cut off by Pakku.

"Zuko! I said we're leaving."

Zuko dipped his head apologetically and hurried after the waterbender, leaving a trio of confused, hurt, and damp teenagers standing alone in the chill of the barn.

"Yue, I fucked up."

The next morning, the Mother of Faces found Zuko with Yue at the palace. Not in her quarters, the guards were very much opposed to letting Zuko anywhere near Yue's room, but the former prince had found the princess in one of the royal common areas. The Mother found the place cute. Very domestic. Homely. Almost normal. Yue sat on a fur lined chair, pen and paper in hand, so pristinely that she almost looked part of the room itself.

"What did you do? Don't tell me you slept with that Southern Water Tribe girl."

"What? Ew, no. Of course not." Zuko reeled back, seeming to forget his distress for a moment. "But, uh, she does know I'm a firebender. Her brother too. And the Avatar."

Yue blinked at him for a moment. "Are they…"

"I don't know. I didn't really have time to talk to them about it," Zuko groaned, walking over to collapse on the ground next to her chair. "Pakku was pretty pissed."

"You deserve everything he said to you."

"I know. I just… ugh, Aang was trying to teach Katara waterbending. Like, Pakku-style waterbending. They got caught and Pakku said he won't be training the Avatar anymore so I probably won't even get the chance to talk to them. There's nothing stopping them from telling… whoever you're supposed to tell there's a firebender in your city."

"Maybe they won't…" Yue trailed off, cerulean eyes unable to hide her uncertainty. Zuko sighed and opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a loud crash outside. Zuko and Yue exchanged a glance before hurrying outside to see what was happening. The Mother of Faces had sensed some activity out there but she'd assumed it was just normal human affairs. She was as surprised as Zuko and Yue when she saw Katara and Pakku duking it out.

"Katara!" Yue cried. Zuko grabbed her hand in case she ran onto the makeshift battlefield but he too looked alarmed. An amateur waterbender against a master? A young girl dueling a man four times her age? A powerful bender who was pissed at the beginner? This was not going to end well.

But Katara seemed to be turning the tides of battle. With a sharp, inward pull of her hands, she toppled a series of ice-obelisks over Pakku's head. They didn't keep him down for long and he soon erupted from the mist like a phoenix from the ashes. Torso and lower body surrounded by spiraling water, he lifted himself high into the air and lobbed a massive wave of water in Katara's direction.

She handled it well, at first at least. She'd come a long way since that girl uneasily trying to hold a ball of water in the air a night prior. She waved her arms, keeping the water at bay for a moment, but no matter how much of a prodigy she may be, she couldn't hope to wrestle control of the element away from someone so much more experienced than her.

Pakku let himself drop to the ground and waved his arms, redirecting the water to sneak up behind her. It lunged, splashing Katara from behind, and froze everything from the shoulders down. The young waterbender struggled against the ice but it only thickened, further securing its hold around her.

Yue gripped Zuko's hand as Pakku made his way toward Katara. He seemed pissed. The pair was too far to hear any words exchanged in the fight but both knew how scary Pakku could be. But before he could start chewing Katara out, he spotted something on the ground. Yue and Zuko glanced at each other, silently communicating, before deciding to go down to see what was happening.

Sokka looked faintly ill when Zuko and Yue approached. Zuko awkwardly bumped him, trying to get his attention. "What happened?"

"Katara's necklace," Sokka answered weakly, sounding almost ill. "Apparently Pakku made it. He was supposed to marry our Gran Gran. Pakku could've been our Gran-Pakku."

"Don't call me that," Pakku snapped in Sokka's direction before turning to Katara. He held up her necklace like an offering. "I made this for Kanna sixty years ago. She left and… and I never knew why she did. I never imagined she'd make it to the Southern Water Tribe."

"I'm not surprised she left," Katara snorted, crossing her arms, "if this is how you treat women here."

What was it humans did to show comradery and congratulate each other? High five? The Mother of Faces wished she could high five this young waterbender. She had a spirit in her that she liked very much.

"You have a point," Pakku admitted, surprising everyone. He turned to Aang. "Would you still have me as your teacher?"

Aang looked excited but he kept it contained. "Only if you train Katara too."

"I think that's a given." Pakku turned to the girl. "Would you like to join us? I was just about to meet my other students at the training grounds."

Katara beamed so brightly that the Mother of Faces feared she'd melt the whole North Pole.