Sokka trekked through the wilderness, trying to spot his mentor. Him and his men were currently docked at a nearby Earth Kingdom port and while the ship's crew disembarked to resupply, Pakku headed towards the forest explaining that he was going to meditate.

Their current stop was neither allied nor against the Water Tribes, so Sokka wasn't too keen on staying too long, and it had already been about an hour since they'd docked.

"Gramps! Where are you? Grampa Pakku?"

Sokka cupped his hands to project his voice. He was surrounded by trees and a lot of foliage. Really, it was the perfect spot for an Earthbender ambush. He could hear running water, but saw no hint of a river.

Initially, there was no response, and Sokka began to worry until he heard a familiar voice.

"Over here," Pakku's voice replied in it's usual drawling tone. Sokka walked deeper into the treelines, pushing aside overhanging leaves and branches, and spotted Pakku seated in a lotus position in front of a waterfall, meditating. Sokka realized that was the source of the sound.

The view of the spot Pakku had chosen was eye-catching, Sokka had to admit. The landscape was naturally arranged on such a way that the river in front of them naturally flowed from a higher elevation through the waterfall. The riverbank had natural rock formations that made the area look like a spring. It vaguely reminded him of when his father brought him along to visit the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole when he was younger.

"And please, stop calling me that," Pakku added. There was only the slightest hint of annoyance on his voice, though. He was sure Sokka would go back to calling him 'Gramps' in a few hours all over again and he sighed to himself. Yes, Pakku and Kanna were married, but that didn't mean he had to like the nicknames that Sokka insisted on using every chance he got.

Sokka only lightly laughed at the half hearted demand, and he shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts of Princess Yue. "So you were over here? Almost thought you got lost or something."

"I may be getting old, but I'm not senile," Pakku retorted smoothly, his voice even as he continued to meditate. There was a brief pause before Pakku continued. "Is it time to leave already?"

"Not necessarily," Sokka admitted, folding his arms. "But we can't be too sure of the alliegance of this area," he confided, serious now. "We don't know if they might be helping the Fire Nation here. That, and we don't want to lose track of the Avatar's trail."

"Hmm," Pakku grunted in thought, eyes still closed. "Tell me, Sokka, what's the real reason you're chasing the Avatar?" he asked. "Besides the obvious, of course."

Sokka broke his gaze, even though Pakku's eyes were closed the whole time. He sighed. "Well, you know, to prove that I'm fit to lead-"

"I know that's only part of the reason," Pakku urged, his eyes now open, studying the young warrior with a rare intensity. "The Chief's never had any problems with you."

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "I know," he admitted.

"It's not just about your father," Pakku ventured. Sokka's shoulders slumped.

"I may not show it, but I am a good listener," Pakku ventured. "And I didn't join you on your quest just to capture the Avatar," he added, waiting for a reply from Sokka that didn't come. "You've been brooding ever since we left port where Bato is." Pakku didn't elaborate, but Sokka understood. Of course he'd pick up on his withdrawn attitude.

"Yeah." Sokka exhaled. "You deserve to know the truth," he said after some internal deliberation. He sighed.

"After Mom died, Dad hasn't been the same. And after what Bato told me about what they've done to invaded lands..." Sokka sat down next to Pakku, exhaling. "That just doesn't sound like him!" he exclaimed. He paused for a moment, thinking over the conversation with Bato.

"But I've seen the way those villagers looked at us in the Fire Nation. And Yeah, I get it, we look like invaders to them. But they looked like they thought I was gonna do something unreasonably horrible to them."

"In a war, rarely does the other side look merciful to the other," Pakku supplied. "So, why are you really tracking the Avatar?"

"I wasn't sure when we first left the capital, but what Bato said made me think." He looked to Pakku.

"I think someone is taking advantage of Dad."

Pakku raised an eyebrow. Sokka nodded at his unspoken question.

"Think about it, Dad barely shows up to to the War Meetings anymore, and he just let's the council do whatever they want. And I don't know how Katara is holding up." Sokka looked down, an invisible weight bearing down on his shoulders.

"She must hate me, she thinks I ran away." There was another brief pause. "Ever since mom-" Sokka paused. Pakku patted his shoulder.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I need the Avatar's help," he settled on saying. He appreciated that Pakku wasn't pushing him to explain.

Pakku hummed in thought. "If you were trying to get his help, you didn't leave a very good first impression."

"I know, but I can't be sure all of our men have the same line of thinking. I don't want them to assume I'm a traitor or something."

"So you can think things through occasionally."

Sokka looked incredulous at Pakku's statement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pakku waved away Sokka's concern, instead returning to the topic.

"I don't think you have to worry so much about your men, Sokka," he assured. "You treat them with respect, and in turn they follow your orders." He squeezed Sokka's shoulder reassuringly.

"You are the Water Chief's son, after all. Sure, you're eccentric at times, but they follow you for a reason."

A smile slowly began to form on Sokka's face. "You think I'm eccentric?"

I wouldn't necessarily call it a compliment. Pakku simply shrugged. "Sure."

Sokka laughed, pulling Pakku into a sudden hug, catching him off guard. "Aw, thanks Gramp-Gramp! You always know just the right thing to say!"

Pakku peeled Sokka off of him with a roll of his eyes. "You and your nicknames," he grumbled. "Anyway, I'm going to continue meditating. Let me know when you're ready to set sail."

"Got it," Sokka acknowledged, standing up and heading back into the trees. "I'll be back in half an hour." Sokka glanced around. "Just keep an eye out, this place kind of gives me the creeps."

Pakku waved him away. "Ill be fine," he assured, settling back into his meditation.


Aang, Zuko, and Azula were marched down the steps from the Temple and into a large, open courtyard, where dozens of these Sun Warriors stood in waiting, all spread out in a large circle that surrounded them.

The sun had already reached its zenith some time ago, and was now on its daily descent. The sky was a muddied orange as the star slowly made it's way toward the horizon. Because of this, long shadows were cast by the temples, now looking inexplicably more ominous now that the team was surrounded. Some of these cast shadows fell over the surrounding warriors, obscuring some of their faces.

The Chief Sun Warrior amongst them studied the group of teenagers for a moment. His eyes fell on the stone nestled in the crook of Azula's arm.

"Those who attempt to steal the Sunstone must be punished!" He announced.

Zuko glanced between Azula and Aang, before noticing the stone in his sister's arm.

"Azula..!" he said with grit teeth. She only shrugged, a guilty smile on her face.

"I didn't think they needed it," Azula whispered harshly. The man that stood next to the Chief stepped forward, swiping the stone from the Princess.

"Mr. Chief, we weren't trying to steal your stone," Aang spoke up. "We were trying to find a firebending teacher."

"The chief's apparent right hand man scoffed at the claim. "That's what they'd have us believe. They're obviously thieves, here to steal our treasures!" he claimed, gesturing to the stone before eyeing Azula with suspicion. Azula looked away imperiously with folded arms.

"We're telling the truth," Aang implored. "Im the Avatar," he added, and could suddenly feel nearly all eyes were on him. Suddenly, he didn't feel as confident. "Please hear us out?" he managed to ask with a weak smile.

Zuko stepped forward. "My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation," he said. briefly looking down at the ground. "Honestly, I thought the Sun Warriors were a myth. But we came to find a firebending master for ourselves and the Avatar."

Zuko, Aang, and the Sun Warrior Chief turned their heads towards Azula, who'd been checking her nails. Noticing the sudden silence, Azula looked up.

"What?"

When no response came, she sighed. "Oh, very well," she said dramatically before folding her arms. "I am Azula, princess of the Fire Nation. I've also come to learn Firebending."

The Chief and his second in command didn't seem necessarily impressed by the group's individual titles, although the Chief's assistant gave him a questioning look at the mention of the Avatar.

The Chief studied their faces for a moment before making a slow sweeping gesture with his hand before folding his arms. The surrounding Firebenders dropped their stances and stepped back a few paces, giving the team some breathing room.

They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun," he said, gazing at each of them intensely, "You must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw." His liutenant regarded him skeptically, but didn't protest.

Zuko, Aang, and Azula all shared a look.

"There's two of them?" Zuko asked aloud.

The Chief nodded.

"Normally, we'd have you go through a trial to see them," he said, rubbing his chin. "But they're not at the top of the mountain right now, and they've already eaten..."

Azula raised a brow at this.

The chief seemed to consider something in his mind before regarding them again. "Follow me," he gestured with his head as he turned away and began to walk.

The other warrior remained in step with him. "Is it a good idea to let them see the masters?" he asked aloud, well within earshot of Aang and and his friends. "Especially the girl," he continued, this time, at a whisper. "There's something devious about her."

The Chief studied him for a moment with mild annoyance. "Ham Ghao," he began. "Perhaps it was because you caught her stealing?" he asked sarcastically. Ham Ghao grumbled and the Chief continued. "Ran and Shaw will decide if they are worthy."

Ham Ghao shrugged, relenting to his statement.

The trip to their destination was brief, and he did not reveal where exactly they were going.

They arrived to an open courtyard. The ground was of the same smooth material the roads were made of; sturdy and smooth stonework that easily reflected the light from the soon to be setting sun. The only fixtures that stood out were an assortment of drums that were placed near the four walls surrounding the courtyard, creating an abstract fence of sorts. The warriors stood near them.

Azula, Aang, and Zuko followed the Chief into the center of the courtyard, and Azula noticed the brooding expression on Zuko's face and the worried one on Aang's.

"Nervous?" Azula asked them half-teasingly.

"No," Zuko replied, looking at the Chief and the gathered warriors. "I was just thinking, wouldn't the place's leader be the one to teach us firebending?"

"While I am the chief, I am really more of an intermediary," the older man said, apparently having heard Zuko. He raised an arm, nodding to one of the warriors that stood along the perimeter. One of the warriors nodded in acknowledgement, before nodding to yet another warrior. By some unseen cue, the bystanders took positions in front of the drums, seating themselves in combinations of lotus positions or simply kneeling. A hand struck one of the drums, and suddenly, a forceful rhythm was traveling across the courtyard. The drumming had a tribal ring to it that seemed to reverberate all through the courtyard that was then accompanied by chanting of some dialect the team was unfamiliar with.

"Ran and Shaw will decide if you're worthy to be trained." He looked at Zuko and Azula. "They aren't exactly on good terms with the Fire Nation, you know" he said, gesturing for them to take a seat on the ground. The warriors along the perimeter continued their drumming and chanting, and it didn't seem as if the volume would let up. Even Azula was uncomfortable at the intensity of it all. It was awfully elaborate to introduce some firebenders.

"Why is that?" Aang asked after they all settled themselves on the ground. The Chief rubbed his chin in thought.

"The same reason that the dragons do not fill the skies in this region," he answered knowingly, his eyes on the siblings.

"Dragons aren't native to western side of the Fire Nation," Azula retorted. "And what does that have to do with whoever the firebending teachers are?"

"So that's what you've been told," the chief replied cryptically.

"Now that I think about it," Aang ventured, looking to Azula, "I used to see Dragons all the time when I visited Kuzon." He immediately scratched his head. "But to be fair, I've never been near the Capital until I met you guys, so..."

Aang let his comment hang in the air, not sure himself of what he was trying to say.

"How very enlightening," Azula deadpanned, making Aang's face color in embarrassment.

"It was only for a brief time, but the Fire Nation made a sport of hunting dragons, during Sozin's reign I believe."

"That's absurd," Azula countered with confidence.

Zuko looked unsure, though. "Wasn't Uncle's nickname the 'Dragon of the West'?" he asked aloud. The implication of the title gave him a gnawing feeling in his gut.

"Ah, that's a name I haven't heard in a while," the Chief said, standing up. He almost sounded nostalgic, and Zuko thought it sounded strange for the Chief to sound happy at hearing Iroh's title. Didn't he say the Fire Nation had hunted dragons? Before he could form these into a question, the Chief raised his voice. "Sound the call!" he bellowed.

Belatedly, the team realized that the warriors were passing something between them all the way down to where they were. It was a flame that changed hands, never staying with one person longer than a second. This chain continued until it finally reached the Chief, who passed it along to Zuko, and then another to Azula. As he approached Aang, the Avatar raised his hands placatingly.

"Uh, I've never actually firebent before..?"

The Chief looked at Aang, unimpressed. "Think of it as a ball of life, not fire," he said, surprisingly patient. "It will react to your own inner Fire; your passion."

"My passion?" Aang parroted. The Chief held out the flame to him, and Aang accepted the flame as if it were a delicate ball. "Hey, it's warm," he realized, cradling the fire. The Chief nodded his head once.

He checked to make sure they were all given a flame and for just a moment, the fire being cradled in Azula's hands flickered blue for just a moment. It was much too quickly to be intentional, and the Chief raised a curious brow, but made no comment.

The sound of a horn reverberated through the courtyard.

"These are flames from the first fire created," the Chief said, pausing to let his words sink in. "Once they arrive, they will judge based on those flames you hold in your hands."

"These masters seem to be very fond of performances," Azula sighed.

The Chief, to Azula's surprise, laughed at her comment. "Oh yes, they're quite dramatic."

Suddenly, the wind seemed to shift. The loose folds of everyone's clothing flapped wildly. The Chief stepped back, affording some space between him and the group of children.

"Now present your flame to the masters," he instructed, pointing to the sky.

The wind picked up, and up above, two massive shadows dropped down to the ground.

"It should have been obvious now that I think about it," Azula said, shielding her eyes from the whipping wind being kicked up, using her shoulder as she tried to keep her flame from going out. Aang and Zuko did the same, trying their best to keep their own flames from going out.

The shapes revealed themselves as two massive dragons, one red and one blue.

Aang noticed that the chanting and drumming had stopped.

Even with these two massive creatures standing before them, it seemed deathly quiet. The Dragons stood on either side of the team, the Blue one nearest to Zuko and the Red closest to Azula and Aang.

Zuko broke the silence.

"Uh, Zuko here."