Illusions

Prince Zuko stood agape at his Uncle.

"WHAT!" he yelled. Iroh stood his ground and simply said "We may have found the Avatar."

"Where is he?" Zuko said quickly.

"On an uncharted island. We are not far from it," Iroh said, turning around and heading toward the cabin.

Prince Zuko looked over for the island, and saw a piece of land not far from the ship. For one of the first moments in his life, he smiled.

Katara was sitting near the shoreline, practicing her Waterbending skills. After a while, she became bored and soon began to whip the water around.

A rustle near the bushes interrupted her. She looked behind her. A woman with dark brown hair dressed in a blue robe stood behind her. Katara gasped as she finally realized who it was. It was her mother. Tears began to form softly in her eyes.

"Mom?" she said shakily. The figure smiled and then faded into the shadows. Katara took a shaky breath.

"Katara?" Aang said, walking toward her. Katara stood frozen.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I think I just saw my mom."

The ship was now almost fifty feet from the island. Zuko was pacing anxiously.

"Can't this forsaken piece of junk go any faster?" he yelled out loud. The ship responded by slowing down. Zuko groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets. His right hand found the necklace as he slowly brought it out in the open air. His eyes locked on it. Images of Katara formed in his head. She was a saucy girl, one that piqued his interest. He was so enamored in his thoughts of her, he became oblivious to the fact that the ship now reached the island.

"What?" Aang said, his eyes full of curiousity. Katara stood her ground and began to shake. Her head started to spin, everything becoming blurry. The last thing she saw before falling to the ground was Aang and Sokka rushing toward her.

"Katara..." Katara opened her eyes. She gasped. She was back home. Looking around for the source of the voice, she turned forward and almost fainted again. Shesaw her mother. Her mother looked as she did before she died. Peaceful and at rest. Katara started to cry.

"Katara, please don't cry." Katara sniffled and looked at her mother again, holding back the tears that longed to flow out. She took a deep breath.

"Mother! Where am I?" Katara asked.

"You're dreaming. I don't have much time here. I need to say this fast. Everyone is in danger. You need to get off of this island."

"What? Why?" Katara asked calmly.

"The Fire Nation is close to you, but they pose no threat. There is a force on this island, something dangerous."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. That's all I can teel you now..." Katara's mother said as he voice faded into the darkness. Katara started to sob again as she woke up.

"Katara?" Aang said, gently patting her on the cheek. Katara stirred and opened her eyes, laden with tears.

"What happened?" Sokka asked, looking down at her.

"We need to get off of this island. Now," Katara said, remembering her mother's warning.

"That's impossible, Katara," aang said, shaking his head.

"Why?" she asked.

"We already tried."

Zuko's ship had finally reached the island. He waited for the ship to completely dock before jumping off in his own pursuit, ignoring the warnings of his Uncle and crew. He looked back and saw that the ship was gone.

"What the h-" Zuko began, but was interrputed by the sound of metal scraping. He covered his ears and ran into the forest.

Back on the ship, everyone was wondering what was happening. The ship had suddenly stopped and would not move. Iroh stood confused.

"Where is Prince Zuko?" he asked one of the crew. The crewman shook his head.

"He seemed to have disappeared," the crewman said fearfully.

"What is the matter?" Iroh asked, noting the fear in his voice.

"Do you know what this island is?" he said, his eyes locked on the island. Iroh shook his head "no".

"Shoki Rosuto," he said, finally looking away. Iroh stood his spot, his mouth agape with horror.

"May the Gods have mercy on us," he said, shaking his head sadly.

"What do you mean you already tried?" Katara asked angrily.

"Appa won't go near the shoreline or fly that high for some reason," Aang said.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Katara chanted like a mantra, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sat up and hugged her knees.

"We need to get her off of this island, now, Aang," Sokka said.

"I'll try to. But there's something about this island, a force that is dangerous. We all need to get off of this island soon.