"Yoshi, wake up."

Karyuudo opened his eyes and got up. The rain had stopped and there was sunlight coming through the window. He put his gear back on, found something to eat, and then walked out onto the deck. There was a small telescope sitting on a table. He picked it up and looked at the sea around him. He had been looking for about ten minutes when he saw something in the sky above; a flying bison. Karyuudo quickly pulled out the scroll and looked at the rest of the information; sure enough, it said that the Avatar was riding a flying bison, and was traveling with two companions from the Southern Water Tribe. He looked at the bison again and saw three passengers sitting on it. "Finally."

At the same time, Zuko was looking into the sky with his telescope aboard his ship. He saw the Avatar's bison and order, "There! Follow that bison!" He looked at the ocean surface and saw a small wooden ship with a man in black standing aboard; the man was looking through a telescope at the Avatar. "Who is that?" he asked.

Karyuudo saw the ship through his telescope, and the banished prince who was aboard. "So, he's hunting my prey too?" He went over to the sails and turned them a bit so that he was heading towards Prince Zuko's ship.

Zuko noticed that the stranger had shifted his direction towards his own ship. "Guards, get ready! Someone's coming!" The guards looked with Zuko at the small ship and laughed. "You remember what the Avatar did the first time we encountered?" asked Zuko, "Do not under-estimate this man!"

The guards nodded and ran off to get everyone ready.

Karyuudo loaded an arrow into the crossbow. He got a rope from a storage room and tied one end to the arrow and the other end around a mast on the ship. When the two ships came close, he pulled the trigger; the arrow flew quickly past Prince Zuko's head and into the ship's control room, where it got stuck on something and stayed. Karyuudo began to cross the rope to the prince's ship.

"Burn this rope!" Zuko ordered as he began to try and burn it. Two guards came and helped him, but the rope was still holding. The stranger jumped onto the deck, with a strange weapon in his hands. It fired an arrow, which went straight through one guard's head. Zuko stood ready in a firebender position.

Karyuudo stood aiming the crossbow at Prince Zuko. They both stood there silently, while guards stood at the sidelines, watching and waiting. "Prince Zuko, I presume?" said Karyuudo.

"Who are you? Why are you after the Avatar?" asked Zuko.

He lied, "I don't have a name. I'm here to help you catch the Avatar."

"Help me?"

"Yes. I have been tracking you for awhile, trying to catch up with you. You're going to need someone like me to catch the Avatar, Prince Zuko."

"You're lying!"

"I'm your only chance at catching him."

Zuko resumed a relaxed position and ordered, "Guards, search him." Several guards approached Karyuudo, but he raised his crossbow and fired an arrow at another guard, killing him. The rest stepped back.

"Want to lose another?" asked Karyuudo as he loaded another arrow.

Zuko gritted his teeth in anger and ordered, "At ease." The guards retreated even more away from Karyuudo. "So, you're here to help me?"

Before Karyuudo could answer, a soldier looking through the telescope shouted, "Sir, the Avatar has just landed on the island up ahead."

"Prepare to land on the shore!" Zuko turned back to Karyuudo and said, "If you don't have a name, then what should I call you?"

"Everyone calls me Karyuudo."

"Fine."

When the ship landed on the shore and the ramp came smashing down on the beach, Zuko and his personal army came walking down. Karyuudo followed them onto the beach. "Alright, Karyuudo. Me and my men will search the west side of the island, while you search the east side," said Zuko.

Karyuudo nodded and walked down the beach towards the east. Zuko and his men walked in the opposite direction. Karasu came from the sky, gleaming in the sunlight. He always followed Karyuudo, and always got food. Karyuudo gave his raven a rat from his pocket; the bird flew into the trees to eat his lunch.

The sound of the waves calmed Karyuudo down, and a gentle breeze blew through the trees and tossed the sand into the air. His boots made a soft crunching noise as he walked across the sand. He entered the quiet woods and continued his search. Green shadows fell over the dirt and rocks on the ground, and a pond gleamed in the light up ahead. He walked past the pond and deeper into the woods, when he heard a cry for help. Karyuudo followed the sound through the woods; it got louder as he walked, then ran.

Karyuudo came upon a pit in a clearing. He looked down and saw a girl sitting at the bottom. She looked up and saw him, then shouted, "Hey! Help me!" Karyuudo pulled out his scroll and looked at it. A description of one of the Avatar's companions matched the girl in the pit; he could probably use her to get to the Avatar. He let down a rope for the girl to climb up; as she climbed up, he held it, which was easy because of her light weight.

The girl got out of the pit and lay on the ground. Karyuudo's eyes grew wider when he saw her face; she reminded him of someone who he had lost: his mother.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She girl opened her eyes and replied, "Katara. Who are you?"

"Call me Karyuudo. What were you doing out here?"

Katara noticed his golden eyes and said, "Fire Nation! Aang, Sokka, help!"

"Quiet!" he said; then he made up yet another story, "I'm here to stop Prince Zuko. He's on this island as well. I've been following him, trying to stop him. I believe with the Avatar's help, I'll have a chance."

She looked at him strangely, "How do you know about the Avatar?"

"I know Prince Zuko has been chasing him. The Avatar must be on this island if he stopped here. I also know the Avatar has two companions; you must be one of them."

"Yeah, but I still don't trust you."

A fireball flew out of the trees; Karyuudo blocked it with his cloak and saw the soldier who sent it at him. Three soldiers came out of the woods around them; now they were surrounded. Katara looked frantically and said, "I lost my water pouch!"

Karyuudo stood up and drew his crossbow out; he loaded and arrow and fired at a soldier's glowing hand, which was now pinned against a tree. The soldier used his free hand to fire a shot at them. Karyuudo protected himself and Katara with the cloak. He quickly fired another arrow, killing the soldier. "Run!" he shouted to Katara. She got up and ran from the battle.

Karyuudo finished off a soldier with a shurikin and sliced a third with his katana; only one more left. He ducked from another blast and rolled over to the final soldier, then stood up and kicked the soldier into the pit. His shouts were heard as Karyuudo walked away.

"Katara!" called Karyuudo. The girl stepped out from behind a tree and asked, "Were those Zuko's men?"

"Probably," he answered, "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"What?"

"I made a false deal with him, hoping that he would trust me and I could trick him later. He'll know when his soldiers don't return."

"We've got to find Aang and Sokka! They could be in danger!"

"Aang?"

"The Avatar."

Karyuudo nodded and followed her back to the Avatar's camp. She looked back at him and said, "Why did you try so hard to protect me? You don't seem like the type to care about other people."

He merely said, "I don't," and continued following her.

Before they could find her friends, they were ambushed by Zuko and the rest of his men. "What are you doing with her?" asked Zuko, "She should be a hostage, not a friend! Grab her!" Two soldiers advanced towards Katara, but Karyuudo stepped in front of her. "You traitor!" shouted Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, I was never with you!" replied Karyuudo, "I was trying to trick you!"

"You're after the Avatar, but you're trying to take him for yourself!" shouted the prince.

Katara looked at Karyuudo with a confused face. He ignored her and said, "I'm here to help the Avatar!"

Zuko tackled the bounty hunter and found the scroll; he grabbed it as Karyuudo threw him off. "Let's see what I have!" He opened the scroll and examined it; the prince held it up and said, "I knew it: it's a bounty!"

Katara saw the picture of Aang and quietly said, "No…"

"Grab the girl and kill the hunter!" Zuko ordered his men.

More soldiers advanced towards them. Karyuudo drew his katana and started fighting. He got two soldiers before his katana was kicked out his hands by Zuko. He dodged another kick but jumped into a fireball. He yelled in agony as the fire roasted his skin beneath his now burned clothes. One soldier grabbed Katara and began tying her up. Karyuudo got up and tackled the soldier, then grabbed Katara and carried her away from the enemy.

"Get them!" shouted Zuko. His remaining soldiers chased after Karyuudo.

Karyuudo remembered his smoke bombs and threw a few down. The forest behind him became a smoky mess as he changed direction and ran.

He came into a clearing when he realized that he lost the soldiers. He set Katara down on the ground. "Tell me the truth!" she shouted as she tried to get free of the ropes.

"Quiet down. I don't want them to find us."

She did what he said and whispered, "Why did you help me? Aren't you trying to catch Aang?"

"That's what the Fire Lord ordered me to do," replied Karyuudo.

"You're working for the Fire Lord?" asked Katara with a surprised face, "But why?"

"He pays the most."

"That can't be the true reason. You're not a heartless jerk who only cares about money, or else you wouldn't have saved me. Why did you?"

"You remind me of someone," he said quietly.

"Who?"

He paused before saying, "My mother."

"You sound sad? What happened to her?" Katara thought she saw a tear come from his eye as he replied.

"I killed her."