A/N: Bit of a transition chapter this time, hope you'll bear with me.
Thanks for reading, and see you at the end!
Chapter 7: Hunter
Katara's eyes snapped open, and she sat up sharply. It took her a moment to register her surroundings—her eyes took in the light streaming in through a nearby window, and as she turned her eyes to Suki's side of the bed, she found it empty.
Katara jumped to her feet, as the silk sheets fell to the floor. She had meant to get up early, hoping to catch Aang alone to talk. There wouldn't be any privacy once they were up on Appa—they would be moving closer to the capital today, getting Aang into position so he could face Ozai before the comet. There wasn't much time left.
Katara went from room to room, searching. Suki and Sokka were busy gathering everyone's things together and hefting them onto the saddle. Zuko appeared to be inspecting the rations, and even Toph was busying herself smoothing out the sand around the house to wipe away any evidence they had been here.
Katara's eyes felt swollen, but as she glanced down at her reflection in one of the water basins, as she paused briefly to fill all the water pouches, there was only a bit of visible redness, and it was already fading. Katara deposited the pouches by Appa with the other gear for Sokka and Suki to handle, then continued with her search. She had to talk to him before they left. If they just talked things through—even if she still couldn't tell him what to do about Ozai—things would at least be okay between them again. Then everything would be okay.
She combed through the house. The room where Sokka had stayed, and Zuko, and Toph, the kitchen, the attic—but each time she expected to turn a corner to find Aang, sitting brooding, or meditating, he was nowhere to be found.
As she went out to the porch overlooking the beach and knelt down beside a bowl of fruit, next to four burned-out meditation candles melted nearly to their bases, anxiety prickled at her mind. Had he gone somewhere to be alone before they left? How far could he have gone?
"Katara?"
Katara half turned to find Suki, standing just at the entrance.
Katara glanced away self-consciously, wiping at any grit that might still be in her eyes. After returning from the beach the evening before, she'd gone straight to bed, and Suki hadn't tried to talk to her.
"You haven't seen Aang, have you?" Suki asked.
Katara blinked and looked up. "No, I was just looking for him. Why? Hasn't anyone else seen him?"
Suki shook her head. "Everyone's split up to look for him."
Katara glanced out toward the beach, and blinked as she noticed something. Propped up against the balcony railing was a familiar object, tall and long. Aang's staff.
Katara got up and approached, picking it up gingerly. Something felt—wrong. Very wrong.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Suki regarding her with concern. "Come on," Suki said. "Let's go down to the beach. Maybe we'll find some clues there."
Katara took the glider with her, and they passed by Sokka, Zuko and Toph in the hall, who seemingly hadn't been any more successful than Suki. As a group they all headed down to the beach. As they approached, Sokka spotted a fresh trail of footprints leading down to the water.
"Could he have been… captured?" Katara suggested tentatively. She gripped the staff. She didn't even want to think it, but they were on an island of Fire Nation nobles and important military people, who would all have reason to want the Avatar to take to the capital as a trophy. Aang only covered his tattoos when they went into town, and none of them had been particularly careful to hide who they were here at the house. Toph should have sensed anyone who got close enough to see them, but—
"There's no sign of a struggle," Sokka pointed out.
"And who would have the power to hold the Avatar anyway?" Zuko asked. "I would know."
"He could have been drugged somehow," Katara said, trying to keep her voice calm, but already feeling the panic prickling at her insides. She thought suddenly of the woman with the giant mole-creature they had once met, and how the creature could paralyze enemies with its tongue. She shivered.
"And the footprints?" Sokka said skeptically.
Katara considered. "I don't know. They… could have been planted to throw us off." Her eyes were already roving over the trees, back in the direction of the village—searching for something, anything that could tell them where he might be.
"And who would be smart enough to… oh." Sokka's eyes slid toward Zuko.
Zuko folded his arms. "It couldn't have been Azula. There's no way she would have caught us all here sleeping and just taken Aang, and left me here, alive. She'll be in the capital, getting ready to go with Father to the Earth Kingdom when the comet arrives."
Sokka stroked an invisible beard, bending down to examine the footprints more closely. Then he straightened. "Well then, I think it's pretty obvious."
"It is?" Toph asked, frowning.
Sokka puffed out his chest, single finger raised in mystery-solving triumph. "Aang, mysteriously disappearing before an important battle? It's got to be a Spirit World journey."
Zuko frowned. "But wouldn't his body still be here?"
Sokka slumped, finger going limp. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."
Katara clenched her hands around the staff, and she turned to face them. "He's—got to be here on Ember Island somewhere. We'll just—all split up and find him." Katara turned her eyes in the direction of the village. "I'm going into town."
She saw out of the corner of her eye Zuko half raise a hand toward her as though meaning to come with her—but then Toph was suddenly latching onto his arm.
Everyone stared at her, and Toph answered, "What? Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn."
Zuko met Katara's eyes briefly, as though there was still something he wanted to say—but she turned away, striding up the beach.
Even at a distance, Katara could see the town was, as usual, bustling with activity. The place was a little like a neverending festival, children playing games in the streets, some teenagers in swimsuits as they headed down to the shore, others in various costumes. The old and young alike strolled leisurely about, laughing and joking.
"Katara—" Suki began, where she drew up just behind her. Suki could have gone with Sokka on Appa to search the uninhabited part of the island, but had decided to follow Katara instead. "What do you think is going on? Where is he?"
Katara shook her head. "I don't know, Suki."
"Did you—talk to him again?" she asked awkwardly. "I mean after, you know, in the courtyard…"
Katara didn't turn to look at her. "...No."
She should have gone to find him after talking with Sokka. If she had, then maybe—maybe she could have stopped whatever had happened from happening. But then, in spite of her own conspiracy theories, according to the evidence it didn't look like he'd been attacked or kidnapped. Didn't that mean the most likely option—they had all been pretty hard on him. Pushed him into a corner. Not unlike a hundred years ago, when the monks at the Southern Air Temple...
Katara stopped walking.
Suki's feet scuffed the ground behind her, apparently having to shift sideways to avoid running into her. Suki turned and drew up next to her, eyes falling on her face, watching her.
Katara glanced away. "He… might have run," she said slowly. "Away from what he has to do about Ozai. And—maybe it's my fault." He had lost all his people, everyone he ever knew. But she'd always been on his side, done her best to shield him, even if it was just from Sokka's sarcasm or Toph's bluntness. Make sure he didn't feel alone. She had been thinking so much about herself, her own feelings, she hadn't stopped to think about how she was making him feel. Alone, with no one to understand.
"He couldn't have run away," Suki said, shaking her head. "His glider is still here, and Appa. He couldn't have gotten far without them."
Katara remembered the staff—she had left it on Appa's saddle, wanting to make sure it wasn't left behind. It was true, Aang wouldn't get far without it, or Appa.
Katara took a deep, steadying breath. "Let's go look."
Just inside the town perimeter, they were met with a clustered ring of people. They were chanting something, over and over. Only when they drew close enough could Katara finally make out what it was.
"Aang! Aang! Aang! Aang…"
Katara and Suki stared at each other, then raced forward. He surely couldn't be here showing off, but if he'd snuck into town and been spotted—
They shoved past the people in the ring, until they suddenly found themselves at the front, to see a figure with their back to them, in familiar orange and yellow—
The actress from the Ember Island play spun around to beam at them, her makeup and fake bald pate gleaming in the late morning light. "Avatar State! Yip-Yip!" The actor who had played Toph lifted her into the air, so the crowd could see her, and another round of cheers went up.
Suki glanced tentatively at Katara, who growled and swiped at the air in frustration.
Katara and Suki were the first to make it back to the beach house, followed soon after by Zuko and Toph. Toph had her arms folded, and was looking grouchy for some reason.
Katara scanned the horizon for Sokka—he had taken Appa to search the uninhabited parts of the island from the skies, but he would have to stick low to the cliffs, to avoid being spotted by the townspeople on the island.
At last Appa appeared, low over the trees, Sokka landing him in the sand in front of the house. He leaped off Appa's head and approached.
"Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you didn't find Aang either."
Zuko shook his head. "No. It's like he just... disappeared."
Toph had been reclining sideways on the stairs, head on hand, but now she sat up straight in surprise. "Hey, wait a minute. Has anyone noticed Momo is missing, too?"
Katara blinked, startled, then quickly looked around. It was true—they hadn't seen any sign of Momo all morning either. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sokka got there first.
"No! I knew it was only a matter of time!" He threw up his hands, face twisting in an expression of such overdone agony that the Ember Island Players probably would have hired him on the spot. Spinning, he half dove for Appa's mouth, prying it open. "Appa ate Momo! Momo, I'm coming for you, buddy!"
Katara felt her hands close into fists against her knees, wondering how Sokka could still be joking at a time like this.
Suki, who perhaps sensed the likely explosion coming on, placed a calming hand on Katara's shoulder. "Come on, Sokka," she said. "Momo is probably with Aang, wherever he is."
Katara blinked in surprise—and she suddenly felt some of the tightness in her chest ease. If Momo was with Aang, that meant Aang wasn't alone.
"That's just what Appa wants you to think," came Sokka's muffled reply.
Zuko was apparently out of patience too, because he snapped, "Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka, we have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away."
The comet was coming—and the Earth Kingdom would burn. What would they do if Aang didn't make it back in time? She knew he would if he could, but when they didn't know where he was or if he needed their help—
Katara felt her eyes slowly turn toward Zuko.
"Zuko," she began, staring back at him, where he sat on the stairs behind them. "What do you think we should do?"
Zuko hesitated, glancing around as he saw all the attention suddenly on him. He climbed to his feet uneasily. "I don't know." He glared around at them defensively. "Why are you all looking at me?"
"Well, you are kind of an expert on tracking Aang," Katara pointed out. She knew she was probably grasping at straws—Zuko had likely found Aang through Appa most of the time; it was hard to hide a ten-ton bison. Or possibly through various witnesses in towns. But, they didn't have much else to go on.
However, Zuko frowned in thought. Then, without a word, he raced to Appa, pulling himself atop Appa's head and seizing the reins.
"Come on," he said gruffly. "I have an idea."
The tightness in Katara's chest had returned—only now it wasn't from fear of what might have happened to Aang so much as from tentative hope. She had to believe they would find him—they had to.
Sokka had emerged from Appa's mouth, covered in bison saliva.
"Great," he said, trying to climb to his feet, and slipping. "Just—give me a chance to wash up."
Everyone gave him a look. Katara opened her waterbending pouch, and with a shove of her hand, dumped the contents all over him. He stared back at them all, dripping wet.
"Okay," Suki said. "You kind of deserved that."
Sokka answered with a sheepish grin.
After Katara dried Sokka off, mostly so he wouldn't get the supplies wet, they took off.
It quickly became apparent that Zuko was taking them to the Earth Kingdom—which seemed the last possible place Aang would go, at least before he knew exactly where Ozai planned to strike. Though Sokka tried more than once to get Zuko to tell them his plan, Zuko just stared straight ahead at the sky, face set with grim determination.
Katara was too busy trying to find a calm center to join in any of the conversation. She clutched Aang's glider to her knees—she hoped to give it to him directly when they found him. Every time she thought about their last interaction, the hurt she imagined in his face, her throat would close, and all she wanted was to see him, and talk. It still felt like they were in the middle of another fight, and she wanted to make everything all right again.
The sun had nearly set when Appa began to descend. Katara leaned over the side of the saddle, gazing down. They appeared to be in a dense forest, save one building. The place was several floors high, and might have been impressive, but for the well-worn roof and walls. Lit only by the glow of lamps, the sound of raucous voices and laughter wafted up from the open windows.
Appa landed in the clearing of grass just before the building, and they all slid off. Zuko led them to the entrance, and he pushed open the door. It was a tavern—as shabby on the inside as on the out, rickety wooden tables lay scattered about, the walls scuffed and scored as though the place had seen more than its share of fights. Many of the clients wore slightly ragged clothing, their faces half covered, and as Katara entered with the others a few turned to glance at them with suspicion.
"Um, Zuko," Katara began. "What are we doing—"
Before she could finish, Zuko pointed to the center of the room, at a table where sat a lone figure that seemed to have garnered the attention of the other patrons. It was a woman, clad in black leathers, her long black hair half obscuring her face, coiling crimson snake tattoos on either shoulder. She held a cup of tea in one hand.
"June," Zuko said simply.
As they looked on, a man with bulging biceps and thick gauntlets suddenly charged across the bar, straight for the middle table. Before Katara could think about suggesting they do something, the woman brought one of her crossed legs up and around, connecting with the man's shoulder, bringing him instantly to his knees.
Another man took up where the first had left off, hurling himself forward, fists swinging. June casually rose from the table to dodge him, though not bothering to set down her tea. He swung at her again and again, red fist wraps flashing, but June always stayed just out of reach, tea still in hand.
"Oh yeah," Sokka said. "That weird bounty hunter with the giant mole."
"Mole?" Suki repeated uncertainly, peering at the woman's face as though trying to see it. "But—"
"Yeah," Sokka said, frowning. "She's got this giant mole creature she rides around on."
"A shirshu," Zuko said. "It can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him."
The guy threw a particularly nasty punch, and June pulled back, the tea she had been holding finally leaving her hand—it hung suspended in the air above them, and Katara winced, waiting for the crash.
The man surged forward, pressing his advantage—just before June seized him by the arm, and used his momentum to hurl him over her head, where he crashed into a table in the corner, out cold. She neatly caught the cup of tea, and took a sip.
Toph stepped forward, grinning hugely. "I don't know who this June lady is—but I like her."
Katara wondered if it was routine for bounty hunters to be attacked out of nowhere like this, maybe by other bounty hunters hoping to take their winnings or just to whittle down the competition. Or maybe it was just routine here in this establishment—because even though some of the other clients were looking on in amazement, many were already back to their tea. After giving her chair a casual kick, June sat herself back down, looking perfectly unruffled.
"Hey, I just remembered something," Sokka said. He studied June with narrowed eyes, then glanced at Zuko. "Didn't she, you know—help you attack us?"
Zuko glanced toward the far wall, in an expression that might have been almost embarrassed. "...Yeah. Back in the good old days."
It seemed the fighting was over for now, and Zuko approached, Katara keeping close behind him—if working with an old enemy could help them get Aang back, she was all for it.
June idly refilled her cup of tea from the kettle on the table. She barely glanced up as she said with distaste, "Oh great, it's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?"
"He's my uncle," Zuko answered tersely. "And he's not here."
June eyed him briefly. Her gaze shifted to Katara before sliding unconcerned back to her tea. "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend."
Katara glanced at Zuko, and was glad to see the same horrified expression mirrored back at her.
"I'm not his—"
"She's not my—"
June grimaced slightly at their suddenly raised voices. "Okay, okay. Sheesh, I was only teasing. So what do you want?"
Zuko relaxed slightly, and regarded June with a grim expression. "I need your help finding the Avatar."
June's eyelids sank with boredom. "Doesn't sound too fun."
Zuko leaned forward, fists clenched. "Does the end of the world sound like more fun?"
June had taken another idle sip of her tea, but now she looked at him again. She slowly lowered her cup, setting it on the table, and considered him for a moment.
At last she said, head resting against the crook of her fingers, "Okay. You have thirty seconds to convince me why I should help you. Especially since you don't look like you could pay me your own weight in gold now, let alone your uncle's." She eyed Zuko's clothing, worn and slightly frayed from the days camping out. "I don't work for free."
"A comet that comes every hundred years is nearly here," Zuko pressed. "While it's in the sky, it will fuel the power of firebending. The Avatar is supposed to face my father, the Fire Lord, before then, but he's nowhere to be found. We have to find him."
June eyed her nails. "Ten seconds."
Zuko leaned an inch closer. He dropped his voice. "My father plans to use the comet's power to burn the entire Earth Kingdom to the ground. If that happens—good luck collecting your bounties."
June once again studied him. At last she sighed. Flipping out a coin, she set it on the table next to her drink, then climbed lazily to her feet. "Come on," she said. "I don't have all night."
June bought a slab of meat at the counter before she led the way back outside.
The giant mole monster—the shirshu—and Appa were busy getting reacquainted. Considering the last time they'd met they had been in a desperate, tooth-and-nail fight, it seemed to be going rather well. They only growled menacingly at each other, until at last Appa gave the shirshu one of his signature slobbery licks, and the creature laid down as though in defeat.
The shirshu was one of the most eerie, unnerving creatures Katara had ever seen. It stood easily taller than June herself at the shoulder, with a nose of a dozen wormy tentacles, jaws filled with sharp predator's fangs, and no visible eyes. And that was to say nothing of the toxins in its saliva, which could instantly paralyze anything upon contact. Katara had experienced that particular unpleasant power first-hand.
June went over and crooned to the thing as though it were a chick-kitten, as it chewed on the hunk of meat. As soon as it was finished, the creature lashed out its tongue as though for more, and June flinched back, quickly closing its mouth.
"Okay," June said, turning back to them. "So who's got something with the Avatar's scent on it?"
Katara returned to the saddle, retrieving Aang's staff and handing it over. She hovered anxiously as June offered the staff to the creature to sniff—its nose tentacles flared, snuffling eagerly, before it turned, sniffing at the empty air. It circled the clearing, head turning this way and that, raising its nose high.
At long last the creature lay down, placing its paws over its snout, in nearly the same posture of defeat it had used with Appa.
"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asked.
June went to kneel down beside the creature, stroking its head reassuringly. "Means your friend's gone," she said casually.
"Gone?" Katara repeated, confused.
"We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him," Toph said with annoyance, hands on hips.
June climbed back to her feet. "No, I mean he's gone gone. He doesn't exist."
A cold numbness was seeping through Katara, from her chest down to the tips of her fingers. She wanted to burst out with a thousand angry questions—but her throat had closed.
Sokka spoke first for them all. "What do you mean Aang doesn't exist?" He hesitated, then said in a small voice, "Do you mean he's... you know... dead?"
Only Sokka would have the strength to put the unthinkable into words. Katara couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Could it really have happened, just like that? Without any warning, without any proper goodbye? Without having the chance to...
"Nope," June answered, still stroking the creature's head affectionately. "We could find him if he were dead. Wow, it's a real head-scratcher." She waved an arm in a half shrug. "Well, see ya."
"Helpful," Toph muttered sarcastically, as June mounted up on the creature's saddle. "Real helpful."
"Wait!" Katara stepped forward. She had picked up the staff June had set on the ground, and now she clutched it tightly. "That's it? What do you mean he doesn't exist? He has to exist, have it try again." She held out the staff toward the creature's nose, but it turned away almost disdainfully, ignoring her.
June's mouth twisted in annoyance. "Nothing stops Nyla once he gets his mark. I'm telling you, if Nyla's not moving, the Avatar is nowhere—nowhere we can reach."
"But—" Katara pressed, grasping at anything. "Don't you want to find out? You said it was a mystery—"
"Not my problem." Her hands tightened on the reins, ready to take off.
"Hold on—" Zuko was suddenly next to Katara, hands raised. "I have another idea."
In spite of everything, Katara felt a stir of hope. "To find Aang?"
Zuko shook his head. "No. But I know someone else who might be able to help us face the Fire Lord."
Katara felt her shoulders sink. Her hands closed around the shaft of the staff again. "But," she began, struggling to keep her voice even. "Finding Aang is the most important thing right now."
Zuko looked at her. "No. Stopping my father before he turns the Earth Kingdom into a pile of ash is the most important thing."
Katara held the staff close, her shoulders rigid. They couldn't just abandon him. What if Aang was in trouble, what if he was waiting for them to come? Were they just going to—
Katara felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Sokka there. Katara looked away, not looking at any of them, and let out a frustrated sigh of defeat.
Zuko turned to June. "I'll be right back with a smell sample."
As Zuko strode back toward the saddle, Sokka said to her, "Don't worry, Katara. Aang is fine. He's not the Avatar for nothing. It's gotta be some Spirit World thing, maybe the spirits are giving him some spirity advice or something."
Katara stared down at the staff. It was the most likely explanation, but—
"Every time he's meditated into the spirit world before," she said slowly, "he's always left his body behind. Why would this time be different?"
Sokka shook his head. "Hey, I don't pretend to understand all this spirit stuff. That time I went to the Spirit World, what happened to my body? Maybe it's not supposed to make sense."
Katara knew he was right. They really didn't know much about spirits, and journeys to the Spirit World were one thing they couldn't help Aang with. That didn't stop it from feeling awful—it was looking more and more like she'd be going into this battle without a chance to see him again at all.
Zuko returned, gingerly holding what looked like—a dirty old sandal.
The night breeze shifted in their direction, and Katara had to cover her nose, grimacing. She noticed Suki and Sokka beside her doing the same. However, Toph just grinned.
"Thought so," she said with satisfaction. "It's your uncle we're going to find, isn't it?"
Zuko hesitated. "Yeah."
Sokka eyed the object doubtfully. "You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?"
"I think it's kind of sweet." Toph was still grinning.
Zuko held out the sandal in front of him, and Nyla surged forward, bringing his nose inches from it, tentacles working furiously.
June seemed to come alive, her eyes narrowing. "Let's do this." She twisted the reins hard—and Nyla sprung forward, tearing away through the forest, long claws ripping up dirt and overgrowth in his wake.
"Hey—" Zuko called after them, alarmed. "Wait up!"
They all rushed to the saddle, and in an instant Appa was rising into the sky, Zuko at the reins. They took off after the pair of hunters into the night.
A/N: Again, bit of a transition chapter. Turned out a little too similar to the original for my taste, but I couldn't figure out a way to change it or cut things in a way that would make sense. Next chapter should be a little better, it's an important one.
Something I never noticed before—one of the guys who tries to take June down in the tavern is actually the same guy she's arm-wrestling back in Book 1. So I guess maybe he's a rival who's always trying to beat her at something? For some reason now I keep headcanoning that they're always competing, and the clients are always placing bets on who will win. (Someone told me the character was inspired by a character named Ryu from the popular video game Street Fighter, which is fun.)
Well, that's it for now. As always, thanks for reading, and if you have a moment, let me know what you thought. Hope to see you in the next one!
Posted 10/15/22
