I'm so sorry for the extra-long delay between chapters guys! I've started classes and haven't had much time to write. I've also started working on a different story that I'm crazy excited about involving characters I introduced a few chapters back, Nandor and Taika. It's about two Fire Nation Lieutenants forced to work together under General Iroh's command (pre-show) and the chaos, romance, and adventures in the Avatar universe that ensue with some beloved character cameos. If you're interested, I'll be posting the first chapter in a few weeks (the full "adult version" will be posted on 'archive of our own' under my same username).
That story will be the kick-off to my series of post-show Gaang adventures, going through the adult lives of our favorite group. It's focused heavily on Zuko and Sokka with eventual Zukka. FYI, it gets kinda dark and heavy so you've been warned.
All that to say, we're nearing the end of this ride guys. I have another chapter in the works but I feel that might be the last one in this series. Thank you all for sticking with me! Please enjoy this fluffy, goofy chapter! All the love!*********
The mid-morning sun illuminates the cave, warming their temporary home quite comfortably. Suki quietly cleans the used breakfast pans, handing them off to Sokka to dry. Aang teases Momo with breakfast scraps as Katara continues her healing session with Zuko. "Um…guys? Do…do you know anything about uh…about Mai?" Zuko asks, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink as he looks down at his hands; suddenly feeling very vulnerable without his tunic on. Behind him, Katara smirks at the question as she heals his bruised back. Knowing now what she does about his past, she wants nothing more than to bring her friend all the comfort and support in the world.
Distracted by the sudden question, Suki watches her friend fiddle his thumbs uncomfortably as he waits for a reply. "She's your grumpy girlfriend. She throws knives, makes snide remarks, and likes to sigh a lot." Sokka answers lamely, earning a scowl from both Suki and Katara. "Well, you two were dating but you had to break up when you joined us. You didn't want to drag her into you know…treason. Though, I think she probably would have for you. She uh…she helped us escape when you and Sokka came to bust me out of prison." Suki keeps her voice extra sweet and gentle, wanting to smother their firebender with affection. "Why do you ask? Did you have another memory?" She adds curiously, noting the brighter flush of his cheeks.
He bites his lip unconsciously and pointedly avoids eye contact with anyone as if it could reveal the risqué memory. "Um…no…I ah…" He starts only to be interrupted by the little earthbender resting her head on his legs. "You're lyyyying." She announces in a singsong voice, a devilish grin spreading across her face. He jolts the leg her head is resting on which only makes her laugh harder. "OoooOOOhhh, it was a good one huh?!" She teases lightly, feeling his heartrate rapidly accelerating. "Yeah, I've been remembering a few things about her." He confesses sharply, not willing to elaborate on that particular intimate memory.
Sokka shoots him a suspicious look, grinning knowingly. He can feel his face burning and the awkward silence demands a further explanation. "I um…I have a lot of memories with her. We pretty much grew up together. We were um…real close and I ah…I wanted to know what happened to her…to…us." Katara can hear the sadness in his voice and instinctively wraps her arms around his shoulders. The contact startles the Prince but he quickly relaxes into the embrace and flashes an appreciative smile when she pulls away.
"She's a tough one, Zuko, and she loves you a lot! I'm sure you'll get back together once the war's over." Katara soothes, gently bringing the glowing water to his side to focus on the nearly healed rib fracture. "Yeah Zuko! You said that you both liked each other when you were kids. And when you were back in the Fire Nation you finally got together. She's loved you for a long time, she'll forgive you. Besides, you only did what you had to to protect her. She knows that now." Aang chimes confidently, smiling reassuringly at the older boy.
Zuko searches Aang's sincere face and grins fondly back. "Thanks, Aang." The Avatar nods happily at his friend before adopting a more concerned expression. "How're you feeling anyway?" He asks, finally giving the lemur the scrap of fruit and settling near the firebender's side.
"Hm? Oh, uh good, actually. Almost no pain anymore! Katara's pretty amazing." He adds, making the waterbender grin proudly. Aang looks at his crush with a wistful expression as she focuses on her work. "Yeah…she is." He says dreamily, smiling wider when he spots a blush crossing her cheeks. He's snapped from his admiration when Sokka loudly sets down the dried pans and rummages through his bag.
"Yup, she's a real moonpeach. So, what's the plan guys? We can't stay in this cave forever!" Sokka presses authoritatively, pulling out and flattening a map on the cave floor to examine. "Why're you asking us? You're the plan guy." Katara teases, returning her water to its container and corking it as Zuko quickly slips into his tunic. "Because I'm considerate and diplomatic." He counters, raising his chin indignantly. "Well, my ankle's fine now so I'm ready whenever you guys are." Suki announces easily, coming to her boyfriend's side to study the map as well.
"I need a bit more time to work on Zuko's injuries." Katara states firmly. "I'm doing ok though. Can't we have healing sessions while we travel? I mean, we're just gonna be sitting on Appa." Zuko suggests sleepily, before a yawn overtakes him. "Not really Zuko. You'd catch a cold with your shirt off up in the sky. Besides, you need rest, these healing sessions use your body's energy to heal itself faster. That's why you're so tired. You'd be a sitting gooseduck if we were attacked. I'd feel better if we just wait a little longer, at least another day." Katara advises, receiving a disappointed nod from the tired yet restless firebender.
"Yeah, we've gotta make sure you're ok buddy. Alright, so today we rest and patch up Zuko and tomorrow we head out?" Sokka suggests, earning mumbles of agreement. "So, from my calculations, we're around here." He begins, pointing to a spot on the map. "I think it'd be smart to relocate somewhere near a small town or village so we can restock on a few things. It looks like the nearest town is right here…shouldn't take too long to get there…maybe about half a day of flying." Sokka proposes. Receiving no arguments, he decides that's the plan. "Ok, I'm gonna do an inventory count and make a list of the things we need. Suki, you wanna help me?" He asks, turning to his girlfriend who shrugs in agreement. *****
The sun is creeping low in the sky as they lounge around the fire. The plan is to get going at sun rise as that's when Zuko has the most energy and can better tolerate the trip. So, it was agreed they would have an early night. But after two days of rest, no one is quite tired enough yet to turn in. "So, if you lost Appa…how did you get to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asks, trying to draw the lines between his memories and the group's accounts. "Appa was stolen, I didn't lose him!" Aang corrects a bit resentfully, a low growl of agreement rumbling from his massive furry friend.
"We were going to take the ferry but there was this family that needed help. Their passports were stolen and the admissions lady wouldn't let them board." Aang starts. "I remember those old ladies! Uncle flirted with one to get her to let us pass." Zuko adds, grimacing at the thought and eliciting a chorus of "Ewe!" and "Gross!"
"They were mean. They wouldn't let us wear our warriors' uniforms or makeup." Suki adds earning a confused look from Zuko. "Suki and the Kyoshi warriors were helping the refugees there. Cause she's amazing! That's where we found her. Then she helped us get that family across Serpent's Pass." Sokka explains to the older boy at his side. Zuko's eyes widen with the name. "Serpent's Pass!? You know what lives there right?!"
"Well, we do now!" Sokka confirms nonchalantly. "That thing wasn't nearly as scary as the woman having a baby!" He adds, turning a shade green with the memory. "Oh, come on Sokka, it wasn't that bad!" Katara says dismissively, rolling her eyes at her dramatic sibling. "Wait…what?" Zuko asks looking uneasily from one to the other.
"The family we were helping cross the pass; the wife was expecting and the stress of the travel made her go into labor as soon as we were safe." Suki informs the very uncomfortable looking Prince. "Katara's delivered plenty of babies though, so everything was fine." She adds, smiling proudly at her friend. "It was an easy one! I've seen way worse." The waterbender dismisses with feigned humility, grinning widely at the praise and the Prince's astonished expression.
"Sokka fainted." Toph adds receiving a "Heeeey!" from the slighted warrior and a snicker from the Prince. "It was unexpectedly gruesome." Sokka explains to Zuko who nods in understanding. "What were you expecting, Sokka? It's childbirth!" Katara asks exasperated. "I don't know! I've never really thought about it before!" The young warrior defends, subconsciously inching closer to Zuko for solidarity.
"Well, it gets a bit messy." Katara says coolly. "A bit messy?! Katara, it looked like someone butchered a walrusseal! I don't know why anyone would wanna go through that!" Sokka states, his voice getting a pitch higher. "It's just a natural part of life Sokka. And afterward you get to hold your baby in your arms knowing you created a life! It's beautiful." Aang explains, wiping a tear from his eye.
The older boys exchange a look but remain quiet. "Ugh! I'm Never having kids." Toph states, lazily picking her toes. "Too much work!" She adds. "But it's worth it though! Parenthood is one of the most rewarding and beautiful things you can ever do in life!" Katara gushes, Aang nodding fervently by her side, stealing a hopeful glance at his crush. "Eh, I'm with Toph on this one! Kids are too much work!" Sokka agrees, shaking his head.
"Well, according to Aunt Woo, I'm going to have three children." Katara informs proudly as Sokka rolls his eyes dramatically at the mention of the loony old lady's name. "You're probably gonna have ten! You've always been baby crazy." Her brother notes, receiving a half-hearted scowl from Katara. "What about you, Aang?" Katara asks, blushing slightly.
"I'd like to have kids one day. Now that I'm thinking about it…I'm kinda the last chance for the world to have more airbenders…wow. I'm gonna need to have a ton of kids! Um…what…what about you Zuko? Do you want kids when you grow up?" Aang asks, trying to pass on the attention to give himself a moment to process that revelation.
"When I 'grow up'? Aang I'm almost 17 already!" Zuko says indignantly as the kids stifle their giggles. "Sorry Zuko!" Aang chuckles, "Well, when you're married an all…do you want kids?"
"I haven't really thought about it. I mean…if we…you know…defeat the Firelord and my Uncle takes the throne…well, his bloodline ended with my cousin and he's a bit old to have another...but, the crown would have to be passed onto someone. I suppose I would have to have an heir…for my Nation. I don't know. I'd only want one though. Sibling rivalry and favoritism have always been a problem in my family." He says darkly.
"Geesh! Way to make it a 'duty to your Nation'!" Toph teases. "Zuko, I think you'd be an amazing Father!" Aang says encouragingly, his face lighting up at the thought. "There's no way you'd ever favor one of your kids over the other!" Katara reassures gently. "I don't think I would either…but just in case, you know." He ends awkwardly, looking around the group.
"What…what about you Suki?" He asks quietly, trying to divert the attention. She takes a slow breath and adopts a faraway expression. "No, I wouldn't." Katara shoots her a surprised look. "Really?! Why not?" She asks kindly. "Well, my mother died in childbirth…it's actually really common in my village, that's why our population is so small! And Motherhood isn't really the way of the Kyoshi Warriors. I mean, they took me in when my father died. They trained me and fed me, gave me a home. They became my family, my adopted Mothers in a way. But that's a lot different than settling down with a husband and raising a family together apart from the other girls. I doubt I'll ever marry either." She admits, pride mixing with sadness. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko catches the slightly perplexed expression on Sokka's face.
"Well, this got weird. I'm gonna to sleep now before you all talk about what careers you're interested in." Toph announces bluntly, successfully ending the night's conversation. They all tuck into their sleeping bags and settle into the comfortable silence, each getting lost in their own thoughts about what the future might hold. *******
She paces the room like a mad tigerdillo, from one end to the other again and again back and forth back and forth. 'Why? Why would they do it? How could they betray me like that? They were my friends! MY friends! They chose him over me!? Just like everyone always does! Mother, Uncle, Lu Ten! Even the useless guards liked him more than me! Father is the only one to see him for what he is. Weak! Worthless! A traitor! Just like them! But why, why would they choose him over me?! What does he have that I don't? What makes him so special?'
"Tell me Mother!" She screams, pounding her hands on the wall on either side of the mirror. She glares at her reflection, cursing how much she looks like the wretched woman! She twists her face in rage. There. Now she doesn't look a thing like her. Now she looks more like Father. She smiles then pushes away from the mirror to resume her pacing. Her breathing ragged with emotion.
'Mother loved him more than me but Father didn't. He loved me more. He proved it…that day he burned Zuzu's pretty, little face off. He loves me, he would never betray me, he would never abandon me. Not like Mother! And Uncle…he never loved me. Father is all I need. All that matters. He's proud of me. He…he loves me.' Her breath catches painfully as tears stream down her cheeks. She stops pacing and hugs her arms in close, feeling herself trembling.
'No! Crying is for the weak! You're not weak. You can't be! You can't afford it. You're not like Zuko. He was weak and Father burned him for it.' Her breath catches again as her chest tightens. 'Father would never do that to me. He loves me. He's proud of me. He loves me…he's proud of me.' The words repeat over and over in her spiraling mind as her eyes dart nervously around the room.
Without warning a memory resurfaces, a long-repressed moment too jarring for her to keep around. She was so young, so very young and so very desperate to gain Father's approval. She holds up her drawing for inspection, nervously awaiting his critique. He frowns deeply as his eyes scan the bright red and gold image she'd worked so hard on; a lovingly detailed drawing of him and his daughter together in the garden. His cold eyes dart to her face and she recoils under the severe gaze. "You want me to be proud of you? Then you should have been born a bender. I have no use for this…or you." His words are filled with spite and shred through her heart like talons. Tears fill her eyes as she cowers and flees, not knowing where she's heading. Down one hallway then the next, desperately trying to escape her father and his painful words. She turns another corner and runs directly into someone, falling back with a loud thud.
"Ouch! Azula! Watch where you're g…Zula…what's wrong? Are you ok? Are you hurt?!" Her brother rushes to her side, trying to find the source of her sadness. She wipes at her tears but they just keep falling. His soft golden eyes find the drawing she'd dropped before turning back to her. "Father again?" He whispers quietly receiving a nod in response. Coming closer, he scoops her into his arms, cradling her against him and gently rocking like Mother does. "It's ok Zula, he doesn't really mean it. You know mom and I love you. It's ok." He soothes as she cries into his shoulder, wishing their father would be more like her brother.
She's vaguely aware that she's rocking back and forth on her bedroom floor. Completely confused with the memory or what it means or why she would recall the pitiful moment now. 'Zuko's a traitor. He's weak. He's my enemy. Father…Father loves me…he loves me now." She tries reassuring herself, feeling less certain of herself each time it repeats. ******
The trip had gone a lot quicker than Sokka had estimated. The weather was perfect and the breeze was in their favor, getting them to their destination a lot faster than they'd planned. It's a few hours before noon as they find a nice clearing to make camp, nestled comfortably in a forest near a small Earth Kingdom village. "Katara and I will go into town to get supplies. You guys can get camp set up and we'll make lunch when we get back." Suki announces before grabbing the list and supply bags. With a smile, she and Katara head out, chatting happily as they walk.
After helping remove Appa's saddle and making a fire pit, Aang turns to the older boys. "Should we set up the tents?" Aang asks his companions. "Nah! The weather looks fine!" Sokka says dismissively, knowing full well his sister will heatedly disagree when she returns. "So…what should we do now?" Aang asks, feeling a bit lost with the unexpected abundance of time. "We could practice. It's been a few days now and we've got a lot to cover." Zuko suggests keeping his voice authoritative but Aang shakes his head and lifts his hands placatingly. "Sorry Zuko, you heard Katara. She doesn't want you practicing for a few more days." The Avatar says nervously to the clearly disappointed prince.
"Earthbending practice it is!" Toph says forcefully, smirking and punching Aang's arm hard. The prince 'hmphs' his opposition as he slumps on the ground in front of the fire, crossing his arms as he watches the two young benders disappear into the forest. "Looks like you're stuck with me Jerkbender." Sokka teases, sitting next to him to start whittling a fishhook. "Don't call me that!" Zuko shouts angrily, his restless energy turning quickly into frustration. Sokka shoots him a knowing look, unphased by his friend's outburst.
"I'm sorry. I just…I hate feeling so useless!" The feisty fire prince admits, exhaling steam as his shoulders sag. "I get it buddy. There was a night in the Fire Nation where we saw a meteor crash and they all used their bending to put the fire out before it spread to the nearby village…all I could do was watch Momo. I was a lemur-sitter! I feel pretty useless sometimes, you know…compared to everyone else." Sokka admits, his voice sounding uncharacteristically dejected.
"What?! You're Not useless! Don't ever say that about yourself Sokka! You're brilliant! You make All the plans for the group! You're an amazing fighter, I've Seen it so don't even try to argue! You nearly took me out with a boomerang! You hunt and fish and provide for the group! You keep everyone together! And you're the funniest person I've ever met! You're amazing Sokka! Don't ever talk about yourself that way!" Zuko fumes with angry tears in his eyes, furious with his buddy for insulting…well, his buddy!
Sokka is stunned for a few moments and can only stare at his friend, mouth gaping. Then his blue eyes fill with grateful tears as he throws his arms around the fire prince. "Thank you." He says quietly, sniffing and taking a few composing breathes. He had no idea how highly Zuko thought of him or how fiercely protective of him he apparently is! "I guess I am pretty awesome." He adds as he pulls away, just to make the firebender chuckle softly. "What…what are you doing?" Zuko asks sheepishly, all his feisty energy draining as a slight blush crosses his cheeks at his emotional outburst. He points to the nearly finished hook in Sokka's hands for clarification, awkwardly half smiling. Sokka snickers at his strange friend, completely amused at how one second he can be as fierce as a tigerdillo and the next a fluffy turtleduck swimming in circles.
"Hm? Oh, making a hook so I can fish." He explains while putting the finishing touches on the simple object. "Oh…cool. I…tried spearfishing once…I caught the smallest fish in the history of fishes. I'm not much of a hunter, I guess." Zuko admits, laughing quietly at his previous failure. Sokka looks at him for a moment, grinning at his charmingly awkward social manner. "I can teach you…if you want?" Sokka offers, earning a shocked expression from Zuko before he smiles and nods. "Cool! Here, let me make you a hook real quick!" Sokka says enthusiastically, excited to share his skills with his friend.
With confidence renewed, Sokka leads Zuko toward the direction of a lake that he saw before they'd landed. As they approach its edge, Sokka sets down his supply bag and takes out the whittled hooks. "Alright your Fiery Highness, let 'Operation Snatch-a-Fish' begin! Step one…thread your hook to a line, like this." He demonstrates the basic knot for his buddy who intently tries to copy the motions. Zuko's brow knits as he tries a third time to thread it properly. Sokka smirks happily as he watches his buddy, his pride guiltily growing with every failed attempt. "Like…like this?" Zuko asks, holding up the messy knot. "Yeah, that'll work." Sokka says lightly after a moment's inspection, receiving a timid smile from the prince.
"Step two…secure the line to your pole." Sokka says dramatically, as Zuko looks at him with a puzzled expression. He glances to the warrior's hands then back to his face questioningly, cocking his head slightly to the side. Sokka can't help but smile at his friend, who looks just like a confused polarbearpuppy trying to obey orders that it doesn't understand. "We've got to find some poles. Follow me." He says encouragingly. He leads the prince back to the forest's edge and finds a long, relatively straight branch. Following suite, Zuko finds a less straight one and holds it up for Sokka's appraisal.
The warrior flexes the branch gently which instantly snaps under the pressure. Trying again, Zuko finds a shorter yet stronger one that passes Sokka's assessment. "Ok, so take the end of your line, like this, and tie it to your pole…like this. Ta da!" Sokka demonstrates, holding up his fishing rod as an example. The prince bites his lip as he tries to replicate the knot work, getting it close enough on the second try. "ta da." He repeats unenthusiastically, making Sokka laugh as he shows off his handiwork.
"You're a natural." He teases as a slight blush crosses Zuko's cheeks. "Ok, so normally we'd use worms for bait but Aang freed all the ones I caught. So, today we're going to try a tiny bit of the rabbitmongoose jerky we made. Here, take a tiny piece and skewer it through. Make sure it's on tight though, we don't want it to come off easy." Sokka adds, watching his friend's progress and nodding when he's got it secured. "Ok, so this part's fun but kinda tricky. You have to throw the line out. Try to aim for the middle of the lake. You have to flick it kinda hard and be careful not to snag anything…especially yourself buddy! And aim away from any plants in the lake or it'll get all tangled." Sokka shows him how to toss the line out and watches as his friend tries, snagging a tree branch on his first attempt. Growing more frustrated, he tries a few more times before finally hitting the lake, earning an encouraging nod of approval from the young warrior.
"And now, we wait." Sokka says, sitting himself down comfortably. Zuko settles himself close to his friend, watching his line intently as his temper calms. "How do we know if we've caught something?" He asks bashfully, completely out of his element. "You'll feel a tug on the line if it's hooked a fish. If you feel a few hits try to stay still though, it means they're just nibbling and might bite." Sokka explains to the attentive firebender hanging off his every word.
"How long did it take you to learn all this?" Zuko asks, admiration obvious in his tone. Feeling pride welling in his chest Sokka shrugs. "I dunno. My Dad taught me how to hunt and fish pretty early on. It's something all the men learn, just like fighting. All men in the Southern Watertribe are trained warriors." Sokka adds, feeling immensely proud of his heritage. "And the women?" Zuko asks curiously. "What about the women?" The water tribesman asks, confused as to what his question is. "Do the women get trained to hunt and fight too? I mean, Katara seems like she was." Zuko clarifies making Sokka chuckle at the last part.
"Yeah, she's a fighter alright! But that's not the norm in our Water Tribe. The women learn to hunt but they aren't trained fight." He explains casually. "Why not?" Zuko asks, curiously studying the young warrior's face for a moment before returning his gaze to his fishing line. "I…I don't know honestly. I used to think it was because they were more uh…frail? But after meeting Suki and Toph and seeing how strong my sister actually is, I know that's definitely not the case! In the Water Tribe, defense is the men's job; the women raise and take care of the children. It's kinda just how it's always been." Sokka admits lamely earning a thoughtful nod from the prince.
"I've noticed that in the other Nations. Gender doesn't mean much in the Fire Nation. Men and women are considered complete equals. There have been a lot of Female Fire Lords in the past. And anyone can be trained to fight if they want to. That's why we have so many female soldiers. They're tough too! Apparently, my uncle fell in love with my aunt because she beat him in an arm-wrestling match." Zuko adds, smiling fondly at the memory of his beloved uncle. Sokka laughs at the thought. "She sounds like a character!" He notes. "Yeah, everyone said she was." Zuko says delicately, staring at the lake with a far-off look. "What happened to her?" Sokka asks, his voice softening.
"Hm? Oh, she uh…she died giving birth to my cousin, Lu Ten…so I never got to meet her. But mother always said how much she loved her. She was kind and strong…and a lot taller than uncle." He adds snickering at the mental image. Sokka smiles warmly at his friend. Suddenly, a shocked expression crosses the firebender's face and he grips the pole tightly. "I think there's something on the line!" He says, his voice panicking slightly as the pole starts bending under the pressure. Sokka secures his own pole and hastily comes to his aid. ********
"Katara? Have you noticed how uh…red…everything is here?" Suki whispers to the girl pressed into her side. "Why yes Suki…I have noticed how much more red there is than green." She confirms nervously her voice barely audible through her gritted teeth. She takes a deep calming breath, thanking the spirits they didn't let Aang or Zuko come with them! They would've been spotted instantly by the massive amount of Fire Nation soldiers swarming the tiny village.
They quietly approach a store front and quickly pick out the items they need from the list. Having a hard time finding a particular item, Suki decides to risk asking for help. "Um, excuse me Ma'am? Hi, I um, was wondering, do you have argonaloe balm? I can't seem to find it." She asks kindly, receiving a caring smile from the old lady at the counter. "Yes dear, that is in short supply these days. Such a high demand for anything burn related." She adds, shooting a spiteful look at the Fire Nation soldier's backs as a group passes her store. "Lucky for you, I just got some in this morning." She says, disappearing behind the counter for a moment before straightening up again, a small jar in hand.
"Argonaloe balm?" Katara asks curiously, after they pay for their items and say a respectful goodbye. "Zuko asked me for it…for his scar. He said it gets tight and irritated and this stuff is the only thing that really helps. I couldn't leave without it." She adds, ducking her head slightly as they pass yet another group of soldiers in crimson armor. "I had no idea." Katara admits guiltily, she'd never really thought about that before. To be fair, it's not like he goes around talking about his scar and they feel it best not to pay it much attention out of consideration, especially now that they know it's heinous origin and the trauma it symbolizes. "What do we have left?" Katara asks hurriedly, not wanting to spend any longer in the village than necessary.
"Sokka asked for more meat." Suki reads guiltily, glancing sideways at her friend who frowns. "Hey, you there! Stop!" A soldier commands, pointing in their direction. Panicking slightly, the girls freeze as a group of Fire Nation soldiers close in around them. They exchange nervous looks, gripping their bags of supplies before the soldiers pass them and surround a man behind them at a vendor's stand. "I didn't do anything! I swear!" The man pleads, appleberries from the storefront falling from his stuffed pockets. "Thief!" The vendor shouts, frantically collecting the discarded fruit as the soldiers cuff the man's wrists.
"Sokka can hunt for meat. We need to get out of here. Now." Katara hisses firmly, forcing herself to walk away from the commotion at a normal pace. They breathe a measured sigh of relief as they casually make their way out of the village. ********
"You know, when I said I could teach you to fish…I didn't expect you to catch the biggest fish in the lake." Sokka teases as they finally haul the brutish creature into camp. "You're a good teacher." Zuko says, shrugging humbly. Sokka ducks his head to hide his blush and bashful smirk as he wraps the fish in palm leaves to keep the moisture in. He would show Zuko how to properly dress his catch later.
"What next?" Zuko asks enthusiastically, his golden eyes seem to almost sparkle with excitement as he looks to his friend with eager anticipation. "You mean what other manly things can I teach you?" Sokka corrects receiving an eye roll and a playful smirk. "I can show you how to set a trap." The young warrior suggests. "And not one of those fancy-shmancy Fire Nation traps. A real, simple, honest-to-goodness Water Tribe snare." Sokka amends, puffing out his chest slightly.
"Sounds good buddy!" Zuko agrees happily. Sokka shakes his head in amazement. If someone had told him months ago that he'd be showing Prince 'Angryflameyjerkface' Zuko how to fish and hunt, he'd have said they were as crazy as Aunt Woo herself. Yet here the prince is, smiling almost giddily at Sokka, as he waits for his next lesson. "Ok, so we need rope for this trap. Back at home, we would use leathered walrusseal hide but for obvious reasons, we're gonna forgo that. This one's good. Ok, let's head out. Appa, keep an eye on that fish for me buddy!" Sokka requests, receiving a knowing grunt from the bison as he leads the prince back into the trees.
"What are you looking for?" Zuko asks curiously, watching the warrior scan the forest floor. "Hm? Oh, for signs of animal's movements. You see, the animals we're hunting are habitual and will often travel the same routes again and again. I'm looking for well-travelled pathways where there's a good chance an animal will pass through soon." Sokka explains, his keen eyes trained on the ground. "I see." Zuko nods thoughtfully, beginning to look around the forest floor as he walks. "Like this!" The warrior points to a small space between two trees.
Coming closer, he inspects the site, the leaves are well-trodden and he can make out multiple, fresh animal prints. Perfect! "Ok, so this is a simple concept. On one end, we tie a noose, we tie the other to a nearby branch. Once an animal passes through here, the noose will tighten…hopefully around its neck but a lot of times it'll be a leg…and trap the animal. Here, so we tie it like this, then cover it with leaves. You wanna set it quickly though so your scent doesn't settle into the area. That'll scare them off."
Sokka stands back, showing Zuko his handiwork. The prince nods his understanding before looking at the younger teen. "You really are amazing Sokka. Seriously! That's brilliant." He says honestly, in awe of the survival skills of the young warrior. Sokka feels his face burn and he rubs the back of his neck, grinning. "It's stuff I was taught it's not like I came up with this one!" He says, his voice uncharacteristically humble. "Let's find another trail so you can try." He suggests, making the firebender smile broadly. *******
"So, when're you gonna tell Sokka you have a crush on his sister?" Toph asks bluntly, throwing a large chunk of earth toward the momentarily shocked Avatar, completely caught off guard by the comment. He dodges the mass with his airbending instead and gapes at her in mild terror. "What?!" Aang nearly shouts, his voice raising an entire octave. The earthbender cackles mischievously at his tone and accelerated heartbeat.
"You heard me Twinkletoes. Look, I've known about it since I joined you guys, ok? I'm not gonna tell anyone." She reassures, assuming a basic defensive earthbending stance, his cue to practice his attack. He takes a few moments to study her placid face before taking a deep breath, dropping into an offensive stance. "How'd you know?" He asks slowly, his voice now calm and serious as he forces an earth pillar directly at her. She bends it behind and around her, sending it back toward him.
"The things you say, the tone you get with her, how you always sit near her, how you listen to her every command like a whipped polarbearpuppy…honestly, I didn't even need my bending to know your heart rate gets wild every time she's close to you! You make it too easy." Toph states teasingly as he stands his ground and separates the earth pillar in two. "That obvious huh?" He sighs heavily, feeling defeated.
"Honestly, you're lucky Sokka can be thick! Everyone else's noticed." She adds matter-of-factly. "Everyone? You mean Suki knows too?!" Aang asks, panicking slightly. "I'm sure she does but she's nice enough to keep it to herself. She knows Sokka doesn't know." Toph assures, stomping hard and sending a tidal wave of earth toward her pupil.
Aang's stomach does a weird summersault at her comment and he feels a bit nauseous as he rides the earth wave instead of blocking it. "Great. So, everyone knows!" Aang says loudly, frustration suddenly running high. "So, what're you gonna Do about it?" Toph shouts forcefully as he jumps off the wave and slumps down in defeat. Feeling the change in his body, she lets the wave settle down and stands up straight. "What?" She asks, her voice softening slightly.
"I already did something, Toph! On the day of black sun. Now she's acting like nothing happened. Zuko said to give her time…I don't know what else to do." Aang admits, staring down at the ground. "Oh. I…I didn't know that. Wait, you told Sparky and not me?!" She snaps angrily, her hands coming to her hips. "He's a guy and he's dated girls and he won't tease me about it!" Aang retorts, shooting her a resentful look. "Ok, that's fair. Look, I shouldn't tell you this but…her heart rate gets pretty fast when you're near too." She admits, crossing her arms and fixing him with a small sympathetic smile. His grey eyes widen at the information, his mind reeling with excitement.
"Really!? Toph! That's…that's…" Lost for words, he jumps up and punches the air with joy causing her to laugh. "Ok, now square up Twinkletoes!" Toph commands, instantly dropping into her offensive stance and sending a wall of earth toward the completely unprepared Avatar. *******
"Uncle and I tried foraging when we were refugees…he ended up poisoning himself. I don't know how we even made it out of that forest." Zuko laughs grimly on the young warrior's side. "Well, you were in unfamiliar territory." Sokka excuses, shrugging dismissively. "You're in unfamiliar territory." Zuko counters, raising his eyebrow and smirking at his friend. "Uuuuuhhh…well you got me there. But a lot of what I know came from trial and error! I picked these berries one time, me, Aang, and Katara were sick for like three days. Honestly, she couldn't stop throwing up and I…well…I had it on the other end."
The prince pulls a face at the information, quickly deciding to drop that subject. "So…what about these? They look pretty harmless." He says, pointing to a patch of bright blue mushrooms with neon yellow stripes sprouting from the side of a dying tree. Sokka's horrified expression takes him by surprise. "Seriously buddy?! Bright colors are a dead giveaway that something's poisonous! Wow. Ok. It's alright, look, you're learning, don't feel bad! Let's just move on. Oh! These ones are perfectly harmless!" He adds, pointing to tiny, brown, very innocent looking mushrooms. Lightly red from embarrassment, Zuko humbly nods and obediently helps his buddy collect the fungi.
"Alrighty, let's drop these back at camp and have some lunch, then we can check the traps." The water tribesman proposes after they've filled the side pouch of his bag with the fungi. Zuko falls into stride with the young man. "Stick with me buddy! You'll be a wilderness survivor in no time!" He declares boldly, draping his arm around the Fire Prince's shoulders. Zuko smiles back, shaking his head at his friend's brash confidence.
"Where is everyone?" Zuko asks as the approach the empty camp site. "Not…here?" Sokka answers lamely, looking around. Appa lazily raises his giant head to look at the approaching young men, grunting his 'hello'. "Hey buddy, no one's back yet huh?" Sokka asks, receiving a sleepy nod from the massive bison. "Huh…weird." He notes, bringing his hand to his chin thoughtfully as Momo lands on his shoulder. His stomach growls loudly, instantly distracting him and startling the lemur who screeches its surprise. "Well, I'm starving! Let's cook some of those mushrooms while we wait for the others. Ooooh, we can add some of the rabbitmongoose jerky!" Excited by the thought, he jumps to cooking a small meal for the two of them. *******
"Are we the first ones back?" Suki asks her companion as they look around the empty camp. They set the bags down near Appa who grunts lazily to the girls. "Looks like it." Katara notes, scowling angrily at the unwashed frying pan near the fire. "Ugh! Sokka! You'd think hanging around with a Prince would've helped his manners!" She sighs with frustration but is distracted by a sudden movement in the bushes.
"Nice work Twinkletoes. You gave me a run with that rockslide." Toph praises shortly, punching his arm for good measure. "Ouch! Thanks, Sifu Toph! Hey Suki, hey Katara! You're back already! Where's Sokka and Zuko?" The Avatar asks, rubbing his arm and searching the clearing for their missing friends. "Off making more messes for me to clean up, no doubt." Katara fumes, crossing her arms angrily. Aang follows her glare to the used pan and the two plates laying near the fire pit.
"Oh…I'm sure they're going to clean that up!" Aang placates, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling nervously at his fuming crush. "Looks like they did some fishing though, look at the size of this! And they did some foraging! The bags full of appleberries and mangopeaches and…oh no. Tell me they didn't eat these!" Suki notes, picking up a tiny, brown mushroom from the bag. Katara dashes over to the plates where sure enough, there remained a few of the abandoned fungi. "They did! They're not poisonous, are they?!" Katara asks, worry instantly replacing her anger.
"They're hallucinogenic!" Suki corrects, concern on her face. "Uh…guys?" Aang calls uneasily from the side of the forest, holding up Zuko's overtunic. As the girls' approach, they see a mound of red and blue fabric…the boys' discarded clothing. Aang looks at them with big, nervous eyes. "We need to find those idiots." Suki states firmly, noting the lack of undergarments in the pile. "Toph, can you feel where they are?" She asks the earthbender at her side who stomps her foot once and waits. "No, I can't." She notes unhappily. "Monkeyfeathers!" Aang cries, frustration creeping into his normally cheerful tone.
"It's ok, they're probably in the lake…or they could be stuck in a tree I guess." The warrior sighs, shaking her head at the idiocy of the teens. "I think the lake is this way." Katara says taking the lead, the others following quickly behind. It doesn't take long before she hears her brother's manic laughter ringing through the forest. She lets out a sigh of relief but the somewhat crazed sound fills her with annoyance. 'This is gonna be the cactus juice incident all over again! When will that idiot learn!?' She thinks angrily, her eyes narrowing as she stomps toward the lake.
A few feet more and the voices are more decipherable. "Buddy you're hilarious! Really! Who would've thought to catch an ottercat like that!" Sokka says while laughing and she can hear the young prince giggling…giggling! "Momo told me how to do it. He's done it before." Zuko says informatively as Suki and Katara exchange worried glances at the prince's giddy tone. "How many did they eat?!" Suki asks exasperated. As they arrive at the lake's edge, they can see the teens floating on a log further out, thankfully, dressed in their undershorts. They're straddling the log facing each other, Sokka cradling a thick branch and Zuko wearing a clearly hallucinating lemur on his head, belly down with its arms and legs on either side of the prince's head.
Katara takes a steadying breath, reminding herself that it could be much worse. At least they're alive and clothed. "KATARA! Katara! Over here! I know you can't see me cause I'm invisible but look! Look! I caught an ottercat!" Sokka yells, waving the branch madly overhead and causing the log their perched on to wobble violently. "Sokka! It's an earthquake! Hold on, Momo can fly us away!" Zuko shouts, grabbing the other boy's wrist as Momo lazily flaps his wings gently slapping firebender's jaw. Sokka grasps onto his buddy with one hand, the other tightly securing the branch, and squeezes his eyes shut.
"Spirits help me." Katara breathes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Beside her, Suki starts giggling uncontrollably, Aang and Toph joining her. "They're whacked!" Toph states giddily. "This's gonna be good!" She adds, grinning widely. Katara shakes her head but can't help but smirk. At least they're not all in life-threatening danger this time. Slowly, Sokka opens his eyes and grins widely at his buddy. "We're alive! You saved us Momo!" He beams, throwing himself into Zuko for a hug which sends them both tumbling back into the water.
"Oh no! The ottercat's escaping!" Sokka shouts as the tree branch floats away. "It's ok, there's more over there." Zuko assures, pointing to their friends standing on the lake's edge. "And those one's can stand! Sokka! We can start a circus!" He says enthusiastically. "Zuko, we're not ottercats." Katara states firmly, making the prince's eyes grow wide. "They can talk too!" He says loudly in his buddy's ear, cupping his mouth with his hand as if whispering. "Maybe they're friendly!" Sokka suggests, throwing his hands in the air with excitement.
"General Momo…orders Sir?" Zuko asks seriously, golden eyes darting to the lemur on his head. Momo lifts his chin from where it was resting on the prince's forehead, chirps lazily, then grabs at the water as if swimming. "Aye aye captain!" Sokka shouts, beginning to clumsily swim to shore. "You're a pirate!? You never told me!" Zuko says, shocked. "I never told me either!" Sokka says, even more surprised. Katara crosses her arms and watches as they slowly swim closer to shore. When the water is shallow enough to stand and wade, they continue to swim then forget what they were doing and lay on the lake's bed.
"Sokka, feel this, it's so smooth!" Zuko orders, grabbing Sokka's hand and using it to pet the slick stones under the water's surface. Sokka laughs loudly as Zuko guides his hand over the stones. "Guys! Focus!" Suki commands, snapping her fingers a few times and startling the boys. Zuko's head cocks slightly to the side as he stares at her like he's trying to figure out what she is, while Sokka smiles dopily at her. "You're pretty!" He declares, pointing at her and blushing before burying his face in Zuko's shoulder. "Oh no, where'd you go?" Zuko asks, looking up at the sky, the lemur grabbing his hair to keep from toppling off.
"Ok, that's enough." Katara states, using her bending to lift the boys from the lake floor and push them on the grass. "You can bend!?" Zuko asks an equally baffled Sokka, who stares at his own hands in amazement. "I had no idea!" Sokka breathes, meeting his friend's excited gaze. "No, Sokka, that was me. Now come on you two, get up, it's time to go." Katara commands firmly.
Zuko stares at her for a moment, his eyes heavily dilated and confused. "Are you my Mother?" He asks innocently, taking her by surprise. "What?! No! No, I'm not your Mother!" She answers in a slight panic. "Then why're you telling us what to do?" He asks, a bit of sass in his tone. The others snicker as Katara gapes for a few moments. Finally recomposing, her hands come to her hips as she stands up a bit taller. "Because we need to get back to camp." She says authoritatively. "General Momo gives the orders." Zuko reasons, pointing to the lemur dozing on his head. Aang, Suki, and Toph break down laughing at the dumbfounded expression on Katara's face making Sokka and Zuko laugh too, just because.
"General Momo, your Momo-ness, would you and your cadets like to come back to camp with us? We're making lunch." Aang addresses the lemur respectfully, bowing low for good measure. Momo chirps sleepily, perking up with the mention of food. On the lemur's command, the boys gracelessly get to their feet, balancing on each other for support. "You heard the man! Let's move out!" Sokka says seriously pointing in the direction of the lake, Zuko nodding dramatically in agreement making the lemur cling to his shaggy hair for dear life. Aang corrects Sokka's direction and leads the teens back to camp, Katara and Suki flanking them on either side to keep them from wandering off or getting distracted by shiny things. Toph takes up the rear, simply enjoying the show.
"Alright, why don't you two get your clothes back on and Katara and I will start lunch?" Suki suggests kindly as they enter the small clearing, both boys looking around the simple camp as if amazed. Aang bends the water from their shorts and hands them their discarded clothing. Zuko holds up his pants, flipping them over and over, trying to figure out which side is front while Momo makes grabby hands for the fabric, still laying on his head. Sokka puts his arms through his own trouser legs, getting himself stuck as he shoves his head in as well. Aang chuckles at the sight of the bumbling teens before helping. "Sokka, those go on your legs. Here Zuko, that's the front." The prince smiles gratefully at the younger boy as he tries to step into one pant leg, immediately losing balance and grabbing onto Sokka who gracelessly falls to the ground with him.
Toph cackles as she settles herself down by the fire, Katara shakes her head, and Suki stifles her giggles. "Ugh, Agni!" Zuko says, rubbing the sore leg he'd fallen on. "Whose Agnus?" Sokka asks, his voice muffled by his pants. Zuko tugs the pants off Sokka's head. "There you are!" Sokka says excitedly. "Hey buddy." The firebender greets, smiling widely before focusing back on his own pants. "Oh! They're leg sleeves! That's brilliant! Sleeves…but for your legs." Sokka realizes while watching the other teen somewhat successfully pull his trousers on. He quickly tries to imitate him, surprisingly them all as he gets them on the first try.
Momo chirps loudly as he dives into Zuko's over tunic on the ground draping the fabric over his shoulders like a long robe. Chin raised; he slowly walks over to the fire, the tunic dragging behind him. "Sokka! Momo's the Firelord!" Zuko gasps, clinging excitedly to his wide-eyed friend. "I knew there was something fancy about him!" Sokka agrees in awe, nodding approvingly at the lemur. Toph snickers as the loopy lemur approaches. "Your Highness." She bows slightly from her reclined position, receiving a dignified purr from the creature.
"Don't encourage it Toph." Katara says reproachfully but can't help the grin she's fighting. Suki quickly throws the remaining mushrooms into the fire and starts cleaning the used plates while her friend starts preparing their lunch. "Ok guys, you're almost there! Let's just got your shirts and boots on." Aang happily encourages the older boys, corralling their attention back to the task at hand. Sokka laughs giddily, bumping his shoulder into Zuko's. "He said bo..." Sokka's words are cut off as he giggles to his obviously confused friend who chuckles awkwardly anyway. "He said boots, Sokka. Your shoes. Get your mind out of the gutter." Katara reprimands making Toph laugh harder.
Blushing hard as realization dawns, Zuko ducks his head as he picks his shirt up from the ground. He can't quite figure out which side of his tunic is the front and which is the back but this time Aang helps him into it instead. He holds it out for him, guiding his arms into the sleeves, crosses the front for him and ties the sash. "See Sokka, just like that." Aang says happily, grinning at the water tribesman who puts his own shirt on reverse. "Here, let me help." The Avatar says shaking his head but grinning widely. This was like babysitting two large toddlers!
Once Sokka's sash is tied, Aang helps Zuko who's trying to put his right boot on the left foot then turns back to the water tribesman to correct him as well. "Thank you, Agnus." Sokka thanks the younger boy, bowing oddly before falling into Zuko who collapses onto his back. The firebender grins widely as he lays staring up at the sky visible through the treetops. "Woah, how'd the ocean get up there?" He asks, repositioning himself to use Sokka's shoulder as a pillow. "Katara! Why'd you put the ocean up there?" Sokka asks his sibling amusedly as Katara shakes her head.
"Oh look! A platypusbear!" Sokka says excitedly, pointing to a fluffy, shapeless cloud. "Woah…look at it go." Zuko says, staring with rapt attention at the unmoving form. Aang giggles and lays down on the firebender's other side, setting his head next to Zuko's. "Hey, that one looks like Momo!" Aang notes happily, pointing to a smaller, pointy cloud. "You mean the Firelord." Zuko corrects, making Aang chuckle. "Oh yeah! My apologies, Firelord Momo." He says, nodding to the lemur now hanging upside down on Toph's crossed leg.
"Zuko, we got the balm you asked for. Do you need it now or should I just put it with your bag?" Suki asks kindly, sorting through the items from town. Zuko stares at her for a few moments, very obviously lost. "The balm…for your scar. Does it feel ok right now?" She clarifies slowly, receiving a shocked look. "I have a scar?" Zuko asks, looking instead to Sokka for confirmation. "Yeah buddy, a big one on your face." He says casually, grinning goofily, unaware of the impact the words have on his friend. "Oh…is…is it…ugly?" Zuko asks Sokka quietly, a self-conscious expression taking over his features as he ducks his chin to turn his face from them slightly. Katara and Suki exchange sad looks but Sokka quickly sits up and hovers close over his friend's face.
"No way buddy! You're a stud!" He reassures enthusiastically earning a bashful smile and a blush from the firebender. "Where is it?" He asks, a bit more confidence making its way into his voice. "Here, aaaaaaaaaallllll the way to here." Sokka says, gently tracing the outside of his buddy's scar, ending up in the same place on his cheek where he started. Suki smiles fondly at the boys, wondering how she got so lucky to be with such a sweet goofball like Sokka. "Oh…it's…big." Zuko mumbles awkwardly, gently touching his scar. "You know Zuko, it's kinda cool looking." Aang adds, sitting up and smiling encouragingly at the older boy. "Like, when I first saw you, it made you look real intimidating!" He adds, remembering how frightening the young Prince appeared that day in the South Pole.
Zuko smiles gratefully at the younger boy, looking all the world like a homeless polarbearpuppy uneasily receiving the affection it wants but doesn't know what to do with. "Alright guys, lunch is about ready." Katara calls, her voice softening greatly. "Fooooood!" Sokka cheers, shaking Zuko's shoulders before unsteadily jumping to his feet and toppling over into Aang who'd seen the tumble coming. Once steadied, he and Aang offer Zuko their hands to help him up. After a few tries, he finally manages to grab both and Aang pulls him to his feet while Sokka simply shakes his hand, forgetting what they were doing.
On his feet again, Zuko's mouth drops open as he finally notices the giant, ten-ton bison. "Woah! That's a big cat." He notes as Sokka throws himself onto Appa's side, snuggling into his thick fur. "Zuko, you have to pet this cat! He's so soft!" His voice muffled in Appa's fur. "Awe, me too buddy!" Aang calls, bounding to Appa's head and giving him a spread eagle, whole body hug. Zuko tentatively approaches the bison who grunts sweetly before nuzzling his cheek on the firebender. "Don't eat my belly. I need that." Zuko says happily, smiling at the affectionate animal before patting it awkwardly.
"Ok guys, you can snuggle Appa later. Lunch is ready." Suki says firmly, grabbing her loopy boyfriend's wrist and leading him to the fire. Sokka snatches Zuko's arm and drags him to the fire pit as well. Once they've settled in cross legged, Katara hands them their bowls telling them to be careful! Zuko picks up his chopsticks and stares at them, confused by the items as Sokka investigates one of his own by gnawing on it. "Ugh, Katara, this food is stale!" He complains, receiving an exasperated look from his sibling. "Chopsticks Sokka. Those are chopsticks." She explains, receiving puzzled looks from the boys. "You know what, you both can just eat with your hands. It's not hot." She says, snatching the utensils from both teens. *****
Katara shakes her head at the boys huddling with their foreheads together 'whispering' about some hallucination-induced top secret plan they're concocting. She'd hoped they would sleep it off after their meal but they'd gotten themselves all excited again. Thankfully, they seemed to be coming around a bit, at least they could recognize the difference between living things and objects anyway. Unwrapping the massive fish, she gapes at the creature before her. Having grown up in the Southern Water Tribe where the sea was their predominant source of food, she was no stranger to scaling and filleting a fish. However, she'd never even seen one of this size before let alone dressed one! "Suki…can you help me with this?" She calls to her friend, knowing Aang wouldn't be able to handle the heartache of the task.
"Oh wow…yeah, I can help!" The warrior confirms, taking a moment to appreciate the creature's size. "We'll be eating this for a week!" She adds, grinning as she unsheathes a knife and starts scaling the beast. "Wow, these are so thick! It's gonna take all night at this rate." Katara observes, stopping her ministrations after a few minutes of struggling. "What should we do?" Suki asks, removing her knife as well. "Honestly, the only thing we can do is gut it and cook it whole." Katara observes, grimacing against the prospect. Typically, that would be her brother's duty, however, considering his babbling, disoriented state, she wasn't about to give him anything sharp or pointy.
"We should gut it outside of camp. We don't want the smell to attract predators. Here, help me pull it out this way?" Katara orders, Suki obediently following her lead. "You guys need help?" Toph asks casually from the fire side. "No offense Toph…Ugh! But I don't think you can help with this…ugh!" She heaves, already panting as the two girls struggle to drag the beast. "No?" Toph says testily, standing and stomping her foot which creates an earth wave that glides the fish along with the girls easily 20 feet ahead. "On second thought…Toph can you give us a hand?" Katara mends excitedly, earning a satisfied grin from the younger girl. "That's what I thought." She brags haughtily, cracking her knuckles as she gets to her feet.
"Woah Sokka…that fish is earthbending!" Zuko observes, distracted from their planning by the fish riding a wave of earth. He turns his head to watch, causing Sokka to fall into him without the firebender's forehead to lean against. "So, fish can bend now but I can't?! No fair! I wanna be special!" The warrior complains, laying against Zuko's chest as he watches the giant fish pass them. "You are special!" Zuko says reassuringly, patting his head and hugging him tightly. "You're my best friend." He admits, cheeks turning pink with the admission as Sokka moves his head to stare up at him. "You're my best friend." Sokka repeats, hugging him harder. Suki smiles warmly at the sweet, mushroom-induced affection and Katara can't help but grin. "What about me guys!? Geesh, I'm right here!" Aang says indignantly, arms crossing as he pouts.
"You're our friend too! You sweet little guy, come 'ere!" Sokka gushes, gracelessly throwing his arm around Aang's shoulders and drawing him into the lopsided group hug. "What were we talking about again? Before the bending fish?" Zuko asks, scratching his head as the boys release him. "AAAAAaaaaaahhhh…" Sokka starts excitedly raising his finger before quickly trailing off and letting it fall, realizing he doesn't have an answer. "You have a very pretty singing voice." Zuko complements, smiling kindly. "TRAPS!" Sokka shouts excitedly, jumping to his feet. "TRAPS!" Zuko repeats, mirroring his excitement and movement. "Traps?" Aang says inquisitively, scratching his head and raising an eyebrow.
"We're gonna check the traps! Let's go!" Sokka says enthusiastically, sprinting for the trees with Zuko at his heels leaving a shocked Aang to stumble after them. "Guys! I don't think we should be wandering off! Katara wants us to stay in camp!" Aang calls, rushing after them. "She's not the boss of me!" Sokka shouts boldly, jumping over a small bush with surprising coordination. "Firelord Momo is!" Zuko adds proudly, dodging a low hanging tree branch. "Zuko! Katara doesn't want you running!" Aang warns, bounding over a fallen tree with ease. Without warning, Sokka stops abruptly causing Zuko to run right into him, both toppling to the ground.
"Ouch!" Sokka moans. "Sorry." Zuko says sheepishly, removing himself from the warrior and helping him up. "Guys! Are you ok?!" Aang asks, catching up to the teens. "Mhmmm." Zuko responds half smiling innocently at his young chaperone. "Guys! Look!" Sokka says in awe, pointing to the trap and the baby rabbaroo struggling against it. From close by they hear a thumping and a loud grunt of warning. "Uh oh." Zuko mumbles, staring at the clearly agitated mother rabbaroo. "Okay there Momma! It's alright! We're not gonna hurt you or your baby! That's an Avatar promise!" Aang says soothingly, extending his arms in front of the teens as he places himself between them and the angry animal.
"We won't hurt him…we just want to eat him." Sokka says casually as the rabbaroo scratches the earth with its mighty back legs, threatening to charge. "No one's eating anyone today Sokka!" Aang warns, under his breath. "I'm just gonna untie your baby and you can be off, okay?" He presses gently, slowly approaching the baby as the Mother stares him down watching his every move. Zuko wraps his arms around Sokka's waist as he waits for the rabbaroo to be released, briefly getting distracted by a chipmunksquirrel squeaking as it scurries in the treetops above. "There you go little guy! Back to your Momma now." Aang encourages kindly, watching as the baby bounds back to its parent. The sweet reunion bringing a tear to the sensitive boy's eyes.
"Farewell tasty treat." Sokka waves dopily at the receding pair catching Zuko's wandering attention. "I miss my mother." The prince admits, his raspy voice low and soft. Sokka stares at him for a few long moments, his drugged mind slowly processing the comment. He wraps his arms around his buddy's shoulders as Aang snuggles into their sides in a three-way hug. "Me too buddy." Sokka says quietly, sighing heavily. "You knew my mother?" Zuko asks softly, pulling back to look at the water tribesman. "I think he meant he misses his mother, Zuko." Aang clarifies as Sokka slowly nods, tears welling in his eyes. Zuko looks at him sadly, sharing the pain and loss. "I miss monk Giatso…he was like a parent to me." Aang admits, voice straining with emotion. The teens wrap their arms around the younger boy, pulling him in close. ********
"Ugh! Now where'd they go!?" Katara seethes, patience wearing dangerously thin as they return to the empty camp. Appa grunts sleepily in reply, Momo dangling upside down off the bison's horn still clinging to Zuko's over tunic. "I'm sure they're ok, Aang's with them. He's good at corralling them." Suki reassures her friend. "Let's just get this thing cooking and then we can look for our fools." She adds, grinning encouragingly at the waterbender. "No need. They're behind Appa." Toph states, having felt the huddle of boys before she'd first stepped into camp.
The girls exchange a look and leave the fish for a moment to investigate, nervous for what they'll find this time. Appa grunts softly as they near, turning his massive head to the side where the boys are snuggled up against him, sound asleep and nestled close together. Katara can't help but grin, amazed at how sweet and sensitive their guys are. Quietly, they return to their task, wrapping the fish back in the palm leaves after stuffing it with some citrus and herbs. ********
"Why is everything…spinny?" Zuko asks, squinting around camp and stumbling slightly, Aang coming to his side to steady him. "You ate hallucinogenic mushrooms. You and Sokka have been out of it all day!" Katara says reproachfully as Aang helps him settle by the fire. Zuko rubs his temples as he tries to look at the waterbender, trying to figure out what she'd said. "We did what now?" Sokka asks, flopping down next to his buddy, looking half asleep, slightly sick, and dazed. "Mushrooms. You ate hallucinogenic mushrooms Sokka." Suki says firmly, fixing him with a stern look. "You said they were fine!" Zuko rounds on the young warrior, grimacing and bringing a hand to his head as his vision spins again. "I thought they were!" Sokka says sheepishly, his girlfriend planting a kiss on his temple. "I told you they tasted funny." Zuko adds indignantly, scowling halfheartedly at his buddy who smiles guiltily.
"What…what happened?" Zuko asks timidly, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He'd never been out of control like that before and didn't like that he couldn't recall what he'd done the last few hours. Seeing the shameful, nervous look on the young prince, Katara decides to cut him some slack. "Nothing bad. You two were just acting silly." She says dismissively, surprising Suki, Toph, and Aang, who'd all thoroughly expected an overly long, guilt-inducing lecture. "Were we in a lake? I kinda remember catching an ottercat." Sokka asks, looking around for confirmation. "That was a log. But yes, we found you guys in the lake fooling around." Katara confirms shortly, both teens' cheeks flushing a deep pink.
"You had shorts on, don't worry! You just went for a swim is all." Suki clarifies, receiving extremely relieved expressions from the two who pointedly avoid looking at one another for a few minutes. "Then we brought you back here and you just goofed around and laughed a lot." Aang adds sweetly, smiling at his friends. "Sparky you were giggling! It was hilarious!" Toph teases bluntly, cackling at his low, miserable groan as he buries his face in his hands, the others stifling their own giggles at the memory.
"Thank you by the way. For catching this." Katara says, cutting into the fish to serve her friends. "Zuko caught it…I think?" Sokka says, squeezing his eyes shut against his pounding headache. "Seriously?!" Katara says before she can stop herself, staring incredulously at the young prince. Zuko blinks a few times before the memory comes back to him. "I'm not totally useless you know. But yeah…Sokka was teaching me a few things earlier…I think." He adds, his eyes narrowing as he tries to think back, grimacing as his head pounds in protest. "I'm sorry, I can't remember, my head hurts too much to think." Sokka admits, pushing the palms of his hands against his eyes. "Your head must hurt pretty often then." Toph taunts happily, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment the boys had offered that day.
"Well, let's have an early night. You two need to rest and drink lots of water. We can start back out tomorrow. The village is swarming with Fire Nation soldiers, so we really need to move!" Katara warns gravely, receiving nods of agreement around the fire.