A/N – As a warning, I am a bit of a slow writer, and I am also on vacation. I hope to update at least once every week, although it might be a little longer than that. As I've said, Looneyluna is kind enough to give these a once-over and she's also a very busy person. This chapter is unfortunately without her kind attention, however, since I wanted to let people know quickly that I'm not so quick with the updates, if that makes any sense. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading! Advice is appreciated.


Chapter 2

The uncomfortable silence that had fallen over Sokka's friends was filled with the sound of siroccos whipping past the sandbender sailers as they raced across the Si Wong Desert. Just two hours ago Aang's fury had nearly destroyed the sandbenders. Maybe it had nearly destroyed them all. Sokka and his sister were all too familiar with the dark wonder that was Aang's Avatar State, but this time there had been a burning rage in the young airbender unlike any other. It terrified Sokka.

Aang had destroyed all the sand sailers except the one that Toph had stumbled upon buried under the sand. Fortunately the Wata—the tribe they had encountered—had a few members who weren't far from that terrible rock in the center of the Si Wong. So they took one of their sailers and headed north.

Ghashiun, the sandbender responsible for the entire mess they were in, shared a sailor with Sokka, Toph, and another sandbender who piloted the boat. He still had information about the merchants he had sold Appa to, but no one on either side of the situation wanted him near Aang.. So Sokka and Toph ended up here while Aang brooded on the other sailer with Katara, who seemed to be the only one among them who could soothe him.

The sandbenders' sailers were interesting, to say the least. Sokka was rather familiar with boats and recognized it as a catamaran, but it didn't have so much as a rudder. The people of the Si Wong used their talent to spin the sands of the desert into a cyclone, and the ensuing wind billowed the sail connected to the single small mast in the center, propelling the craft over the dunes. Whatever Katara may say, it's all crazy magic to me. How do you trust a boat that doesn't even go on the water?

"Your friend seems to have calmed quite a bit," noted Ghashiun. The sailer's two hulls were connected by a series of boards, with a raised platform for the pilot. Ghashiun stood on the other side of this platform for the sake of balance and had to shout a bit to be heard.

Sokka ground his teeth. The thieving sandbender was still on his angry list, even if he had been forthcoming with information. "Maybe if you hadn't gone and kidnapped our sky bison, you wouldn't have to worry about how calm he is!"

The pilot looked at the two of them with apprehension, but decided not to get involved in the burgeoning argument. He continued bending the boat on its north-bound course.

"Look, I already apologized. I didn't realize the bison belonged to the Avatar!"

"Oh! I forgot!" Sokka put his hands on the floor of the pilot's platform and leaned forward. "Any minute now those merchants are going to come flying back to us. 'We're sorry, take him back. We didn't realize you were trying to save the world!' You're just an opportunistic thief!"

Ghashiun bristled and curled his hands into fists.

All of a sudden the sailer jolted, knocking them both from their feet. Everyone grabbed onto something. Ghashiun wrapped his fingers around the wires running from the sailer's mast. Sokka found himself lying on his back with Toph holding him by the collar.

"We're trying to get out of here, idiot," she muttered. "We don't need any new enemies. Besides, I've noticed your bag is a bit heavier from your vacation."

"Hey, don't make an avalanche out of my moral high-ground." They needed those documents, Wan Shi Tong be damned. This wasn't just any war they were fighting: the whole world hung in the balance, from pole to pole. And the Fire Nation's already made a stab at both of them. He thought for a moment of Yue, but quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. How many more will have to pay such a price before this is all done? I'm going to stop this as soon as I can.

The sand sailer shuddered once more. "All right, Toph! I get the point!"

"That isn't me," she said, milky eyes widening.

"It's the Aqati!" shouted the sandbender manning the sailer.

"The who?" Sokka asked, confused, as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Another tribe! They don't like us very much," Ghashiun clarified. His head turned for a moment to the sailer where Aang and Katara stood. "And they hate the Hami."

Sokka stared at him with a wide-open jaw. The impetuous sandbender youth grinned at him, his dark hair flying in the gritty gusts. "What? You thought we all just got along out here?"

"Well, yes!"

"They're behind us!" With a smooth but hurried motion of his hands the pilot shifted the sand cyclone producing the breeze that powered the vehicle. The sailer banked left. Hard.

Sokka felt Toph grab onto his back, even as he reached for a handhold. He fell to the floor, reached for the edge of the sailer and held on fast, pressing his stomach to wooden surface. Sand flew everywhere and stung his eyes. "I can't see!"

"Cry me a river, Water boy!" Toph gripped him tighter.

Sokka heard someone land hard on the catamaran's port hull and crouch down. He felt something being pressed into his right hand. "Wipe your eyes and put these on, quick!" It was Ghashiun; somehow he had crossed the gap between the sides of the boat—perhaps over the platform. Or maybe sandbenders were just that agile! Great, leapy benders. What's next?

He dug the sand out of his eyes as well as he could; Ghashiun made the task easier by shielding him from the wind with his body. He was holding a pair of the narrow white goggles that some of the sandbenders wore. Suddenly it dawned on him. Right! They might be able to bend sand, but that doesn't mean it won't get in their eyes. They must have come up with these pretty quick for protection. Brilliant! He slid them on. He couldn't see as much as he was used to, but at least he could see.

Ghashiun helped him and Toph stand. Sokka surveyed the situation.

"How many are there?" a confused Toph asked. Fear and anger showed readily on her face. The blind earthbender was almost defenseless on the shifting sands. Sokka wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"Two," he told her, and gripped her left forearm. "Don't worry. We're getting out of this." He snatched his boomerang from his belt and looked at Ghashiun. "Tell the pilot to bring us around to their starboard side!" This might not be the water, but Sokka knew a thing or two about combat on boats.

"Hang on to something!" the pilot shouted over the tumult. Each of them did, finding a handhold on the boat and on each other.

The catamaran veered sharply to starboard, and the port hull rose off the sands. Sokka heard Toph laughing.

"This is kinda fun!" she yelled. Her raven hair flew wildly in the wind, heedless of her green hairband. In spite of himself, Sokka laughed as well.

With a fierce jolt the sailer was fully in contact with the Si Wong once again. The distance between the two boats was rapidly shrinking. Sokka looked at Toph and Ghashiun. "Get ready to bend defensively!"

"I can't!" shouted Toph. "Everything's still too fuzzy!"

"Just do your best," he said. He clambered over the pilot's platform to the starboard deck.

"You can't do this alone!" Ghashiun yelled across the boat.

"I know! That's why you're supposed to be helping!"

Ghashiun looked dumbstruck, but only for a moment. A wave of sand came up from the ground, obscuring the Aqati sailer and barreling toward Sokka and his friends.

"Now!" Sokka ordered. Toph and Ghashiun began to bend, but Sokka didn't have time to watch them work. He kept his eyes fixed on that sandy breaker headed straight for them. His fingers clutched the handle of his boomerang and he crouched down, preparing himself for a throw.

The curtain of sand parted, revealing one of their enemies. Sokka let the boomerang fly, and then cursed silently. It wasn't the pilot, but the bender on the starboard side was not a terrible target. The boomerang sailed through the air and cracked him over the head, sending the bender flying from the sailer to roll across the sand. Half of the wave fell away to reveal clear sky. Now that's something!

Within seconds the sailers passed one another, and Sokka leaped onto the deck of the Aqati boat. The Aqati on the port side had already climbed onto the pilot's platform and jumped down at Sokka, kicking.

Sokka dodged left, but the sandbender made a perfect landing. The Aqati brought his leg up in a powerful kick. Sokka ducked under it and pulled his club from his back. He swung, but sand hammered him and threw him off balance. His club clattered on the platform. He tumbled off the deck and directly onto the hull of the boat. His left hand dragged along the sands of the Si Wong.

"Got you now!" laughed the sandbender, who stood over him. He cracked his knuckles and stared at him for a moment through the slits in his goggles.

Sokka kicked his shin. The Aqati snarled and bent over, which gave Sokka the chance to kneel and hurl himself back to the platform. He snatched up his boomerang and spun around. The blade slid by the sandbender's head, but knocked his goggles off. It was Sokka's turn to grin as he threw the clump of sand in his left hand right at the bender's face.

The sandbender reeled and clutched at his eyes. Sokka picked his club back up with his off hand and jabbed it into the Aqati's midsection. He fell off the catamaran and went bouncing by. Now it was just Sokka and the pilot.

The pilot tried to knock Sokka off with a predictable blast of sand, but controlling the boat took too much of his attention and it flew wide. It was a simple task for Sokka to jump up onto the platform and throw the sandbender off. He threw up his arm and whooped a victorious cry of joy.

Then he realized the major flaw in his plan. The sailer crashed into the Si Wong and for a few brief moments Sokka knew the joy of flight. He saw a shadow pass over the sand and looked up; Aang glided through the air toward the other Aqati sailer. And then the young warrior of the Water Tribe was tumbling and rolling through the sand into unconsciousness.