Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, the Last Airbender, or any of its characters, except for the kids I made up. I own them, for sure.

Mika: Why did you kill off my family? That's not nice.
Me: Who said it had to be nice? Go polish my shoes.

Chapter 10: Meekoh's River

Sokka rolled around in the warm sleeping bag, his whole body sharing its heat. If it were up to him he'd stay like this forever, but keeping Aang safe was more important than his comfort. The sky was dappled with gray and orange, and Sokka could tell it was well before sun rise. Happy he had awaken so early, he inched out of the sleeping bag and pulled his coat on, it was still very cold.
When he was slightly warmer he looked at the mounds of blankets that were his companions. Katara, Aang, Mika...he still couldn't look at her, not even when she was sleeping. Something just seemed so strange, having a Dragon person with them. It was enough that she had wings, but also a Fire Bender? He shook the thought and started making a fire.

He saw a mound of blankets moving, and he wondered who it was. A large, flat wing popped up from the cover of the blanket, and Sokka grimaced his teeth and moved back.

Mika pulled up from the covers, bearing a soft groan of the breaking comfort, pulling her white hair away from her face and breathing deeply. She turned around to the crackling noise of the fire, only to pull her blanket up to her chin and yelp.

When she saw it was only Sokka, her eyes relaxed and she let the blanket roll down to its original spot, revealing her long, golden, silk robe and thin, frightened body.

"Good morning," she told Sokka, though really the sky was darnkened and clouded, the sun barely showing through. She pulled her black cloak over her head and walked away from the camp site.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Sokka stood up, the wind from his movement causing the fire to die out. He shot a disappointed look at the ashed logs.

"To the river," Mika answered as she walked back to Sokka's spot. She pointed at the pitiful logs and a long, shimmering string of fire shot from her pointer finger and set the logs aflame. "I'll be back soon." Mika turned around and continued to her destination.

------xXx-------

She breathed in, her body shivering and her wings cramped and dry. Winter was coming to Tenkay and Meekoh. Her teeth clattered without her consent, remembering that Tenkay was still close, and that she was still only in Meekoh.

Teaching the Avatar...Mika thought as she slipped her cloak off. The Avatar...restoring balance to the world...It's too big a responsiblity...and it is not my place...no one fought for the balance of our world... She slipped off her silk robe, her skin shivering from the light protection it now only gained from a thin shirt and pair of shorts. She lowered her body as slow as she could, her viens popping from the frigid weather and colder water.

She tried to relax, but it was hard. Slowly she opened her mouth on the peak of the water and the air above, a heavy steam emitting from her mouth and fogging the water around her. Instantly it became warmer, and Mika smiled inside herself at her clever move.

Her peace was soon to be disturbed. Only minutes after the water became warmer, Mika heard crashing and thrashing, water moving by power up the deep river. Her body tensed and she unfolded her ears in full, sticking the rest of her head under water.

More crashing...more thrashing...more movement.

A ship, a powerful ship, was coming this way.

Mika felt her blood stop, her eyes hallow and her face flare in red. Fire Nation ships were coming to track the Avatar. She had to go find the others.

--------xXx--------

"How can this happen!" Zuko asked his sleepy uncle. "How could we lose track of him when we were so close?"

His uncle stared over the water, stroking his short, gray beard. "Please, Prince Zuko, keep a level head."

"Agh!" Zuko threw his arms up in rage. "How can you be so calm? This is my only chance at regaining my honor, and you tell me to keep a level head?"

His uncle nodded. "Keeping a level head is a trait of a strong leader, Prince Zuko. To find the Avatar, you will need patience."

Zuko tightened his fist, feeling the warm sensation of fire. His uncle could be such a pain sometimes, but there was little he could do. Besides, after everyone had left him, his Uncle had stayed by his side.

"I'm sorry...Uncle...but..." He didn't know how to word it, letting his intermost feelings out to this old man. It was not his area of strength.

Iroh smiled deeply and raised his hand in the air, signaling his nephew to stop. "I understand, Zuko. You wish to restore your honor, to regain your place on the throne. It is understandable, desirable."

Zuko made a face. No, it was not understandable. There was more to it. His Uncle couldn't just see right threw him like that, it wasn't possible. He was deeper, more was inside of him. More existed, but even he did not know what.

----------xXx------------

Mika ran up to Sokka as water continued to soak her robe and cloak. When she got close enough, she stopped abrubtly, the water from her hair setting out the fire once again.

"They're coming!" She said, out of breath. "They're coming, we have to leave!"

"What? Who?" Sokka looked at the wet, black logs, annoyance boiling behind his eyes.

Katara and Aang began to stir in their sleeping bags. "The Fire Nation, Sokka, they're coming. I heard the ships on the river. We have to leave, now!"

Sokka jumped up at the news and Aang and Katara, just waking up, dashed out of their sleeping bags and started packing without a word.

"You're sure about this?" Sokka asked Mika, doubt staining his voice.

Mika lifted her brow. "No, Sokka. I just like flying before day break. I know how their ships sound, it's unmistakable. They were coming from the west end of the river."

Sokka nodded and threw his bags on Appa's back.