Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 12:

Bato of the Water Tribe

Alec POV

About a week after we left Makapu Village, we found ourselves walking through a forest to give Appa a little break from flying. Aang and Sokka scouted ahead to find the best path for Appa through the trees. Katara had given back her flower necklace to Sokka after the flower died and it fell apart. Aang understood, but he was slightly sad about it. Sokka spent hours trying to untangle the damn thing.

When Appa, Katara and I caught up with the two of them, Aang was searching through a bush, looking for something. Sokka was examining the ground and the trees closely.

"Did someone lose something?" Katara asked curiously.

"No, we found something!" Aang replied cheerfully. "A water tribe weapon. We're trying to see if we can find more stuff."

Sokka picked up a broken arrow from the ground. He ran his fingers along the point, and noticed ash. "It's burned." He observed. He ran his hand along a tree trunk, noticing scorch marks and weapon gouges on the bark. "There was a battle." He explained. "Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." He looked down at some scorch marks on the ground. "The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill." Sokka used his practiced hunting skills to follow the trail down the hill. Aang, Katara and I followed after him. Eventually, Sokka came to a sandy beach. Then he stopped.

"So, then what happened?" Aang inquired, clearly intrigued.

"I don't know." Sokka stated, clearly disappointed. "The trail ends here."

Katara pointed to our right. "Wait, look!" She exclaimed. We turned and saw a ship sitting on the shore about a hundred feet away from us. It resembled a Water Tribe canoe, only much bigger, and with a wooden mast and sails. It was bigger than a canoe, but small enough that the four of us could probably use it if we had to.

We ran to the ship. "It's one of our boats!" Sokka yelled happily.

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara asked.

Sokka put a hand against the hull. "No, but it's from his fleet." He smiled, and turned to Katara. "Dad was here."


That night, we camped right next to the boat. Aang and Momo slept on Appa's leg. Katara rested in her sleeping bag. Sokka and I were still awake, sitting around the fire. Sokka poked it with a stick, clearly thinking about something. I just stared into the flames. I was worried.

"What are you thinking about?" Sokka asked.

I looked at him. "I'm worried whether or not the rest of your tribe will accept me." I admitted.

"Why?" He asked.

I gave him a deadpan look, then I raised and lowered my hand, making the fire move with it. Sokka blinked. "Oh, right."

"I'm kind of worried that they'll revoke you and Katara's adoption of me." I said. "I know you were the acting chief at the time, but I don't know if Hakoda will accept a firebender after what happened to your, well, I guess technically 'our' Mom."

Sokka nodded. "Look, I know my Dad. He's smart, and he'll listen to us." He put a hand on my shoulder to reassure me. "I know he'll give you a chance."

I looked at him with hope. "You think so?"

He nodded. "Dad thinks before he acts." He explained. "After Mom died, most villagers wanted to attack the Fire Nation out of revenge. Dad knew the village wouldn't survive if they did that, so he waited four years, and then went to go fight alongside the Earth Kingdom. He's not like Jet. He'll hear you out."

I smiled. "I hope so."

Suddenly, we heard a noise. Both Sokka and I stood up, fully alert. "Who's there?!" Sokka demanded.

A Water Tribe man approached us. He had long black hair, and a long face with prominent frown lines. His shirt was half open, revealing that his chest and left arm were completely wrapped in bandages. He looked at my brother, and his eyes widened in recognition. "Sokka?" He asked in surprise.

Sokka quizzically raised an eyebrow "Bato?" Then he smiled.

Aang and Katara woke up. "Who the what now?" Aang inquired, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Katara recognized the man, too. "Bato!" She exclaimed happily.

My siblings ran up and embraced Bato in a tight hug. "Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two." Bato said cheerfully. "You've grown so much."

Aang and I approached, but kept a few feet away out of respect for the touching reunion. Bato noticed us and raised an eyebrow. "And who are these two?" He asked. A gust of cold wind made us all shiver. "On second thought, we should probably take this somewhere warmer." Bato said.

"Is Dad here?" Katara asked.

Bato shook his head. "No, he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now." He answered. My siblings faces fell at this. "Come on, let's get inside." Bato suggested.


We made our way to an abbey on top of a small mountain. It was a rectangle of single floor buildings, all arranged around a paved central courtyard. At each of the four corners of the courtyard stood a tower. A stream flowed through the middle of the courtyard and fed a small, covered well. To the back of the courtyard was a large main hall. Nuns milled about the courtyard.

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey." Bato explained. "The sisters have cared for me ever since." He turned to one nun, who's headwear was more elaborate than her sisters'. "Superior, these are Hakoda's children and their friends." He announced. "I found them by my boat."

Mother Superior smiled and gave us a polite bow. "Welcome to our abbey." She greeted warmly.

Aang and I returned the bow. "Thank you." Aang replied politely. "It's truly an honor to be here. If there's anything-"

Sokka cut him off. "What smells so good, Bato?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. Sokka had absolutely no tact sometimes.

Bato indicated some large ceramic jars in the courtyard. "The sisters craft ointments and perfumes." He answered.

Sokka perked up "Perfume?" He pointed his thumbs at Appa. "Maybe we can dump some on Appa, because he stinks so much." He waved his hand in front of his face. "Am I right?"

If we weren't in an abbey or near an old family friend, I would've called out Sokka on this. Appa had saved our lives more times than we could count, and Sokka was complaining about the smell? Way to show gratitude. Appa didn't even smell bad, he only smelled a bit like a dog.

Bato gave Sokka a flat look. "You have your father's wit." He said simply.

I decided to have some fun. I ran up to Bato with horror in my eyes and clasped my hands in front of my face like I was pleading. "You mean it's hereditary? Is it contagious? Please tell me it's not contagious!" I begged.

Everyone laughed, even the nuns. Everyone, that is, except Sokka, who just grumbled.


Bato took us to a small dormitory. The inside was decorated like the igloo in the Southern Water Tribe. Pelts lined the floor, and a few weapons were hung up on the walls. A small fire sat in the center of the room, with a lidded pot above it. Bato's tent was set up in the back of the room. Sokka and Katara loved it. I got a bit nostalgic, even though I'd only lived in the South Pole for four months.

"Bato, it looks like home!" Katara declared happily.

"Everything's here. Even the pelts!" Sokka added.

"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins." Aang replied sarcastically. The vegetarian in him didn't appreciate the fur. Momo left Aang's shoulder and pawed at the head of a bear pelt. The mouth closed suddenly, and Momo retreated back to Aang's shoulder.

We all sat around the fire. Katara lifted the lid off the pot. I immediately smelled something that I recognized and didn't like. Katara, on the other hand, was delighted. "No way! Stewed sea prunes?!"

My nose wrinkled. Stewed sea prunes were a very acquired taste. One that I would never acquire in a thousand years. I grabbed Aang's arm to get his attention. "Trust me, you don't want to eat those." I whispered. Aang nodded.

"Help yourself." Bato offered kindly.

Sokka and Katara each grabbed a bowl. Aang and I opted out. "Bato, is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?" Katara asked.

Bato looked at Aang and me. "Before we get to old stories, I'm curious about your two friends, and why you two left the South Pole when Hakoda left Sokka in charge." His voice wasn't judging, but curious.

Katara and Sokka looked at me. I tilted my head towards the fire, and then nodded. "Tell him about Aang first." I said.

Katara put her hand on Aang's shoulder. She'd been touching him a lot more lately. "Well, first of all, Aang's the Avatar."

Bato's eyes widened. "We'd heard rumors that the Avatar was back and traveling with members of the Southern Water Tribe, but I didn't know if they were true." He whispered. He bowed to Aang. "I'm honored."

Aang bowed back. "Thank you."

"We found him frozen in an iceberg near the Southern Water Tribe. We've been traveling with him to the North Pole, and we want to help him win the war." Katara continued.

"Your Dad would be proud." Bato smiled, which made Sokka and Katara smile. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What about him? He dresses like Water Tribe, but he doesn't look Water Tribe."

Sokka rubbed the back of his head. "Well, he's kind of our adopted brother." Sokka admitted nervously.

Bato looked at Sokka. "How did that happen?"

I spoke. "My parents are dead, and my hut burned down after it got struck by lightning." I said. "I salvaged what I could and set sail on a small boat. I got caught in a storm and drifted for weeks. I had almost run out of food when I crashed into the South Pole." I didn't like lying to people who were supposed to be my allies, but it was better if the fewest number of people knew my secret. "Sokka found me, trudging through the tundra and freezing to death. He and Katara took me in and nursed me back to health. Two months later, they adopted me. Two months after that, we found Aang."

Bato nodded. "I see." He turned to my brother. "Sokka, I know Hakoda left you as acting chief, but do you trust him?"

Sokka and Katara nodded firmly. "With my life." Sokka declared.

"Me too." Katara added. I was touched. I knew that they had my back, but hearing them say it meant so much to me.

"Sokka, you've definitely grown up." Bato said with admiration. "You're acting like a chief, and taking responsibility."

Sokka's face fell. "I learned recently that it's not easy to take responsibility." He replied softly. He glanced at me before turning back to Bato. "I had to give someone the Mark of the Disgraced."

Bato's eyes narrowed. "What happened?" He asked lowly.

"Someone captured and tortured me several weeks ago." I said, wincing at the memory. "I escaped, we confronted him, and Sokka gave him the Mark.

Bato's turned to me. "Where is your torturer now? If we confront him, Hakoda might not hold back."

"He's dead." I explained. "We gave him the Mark and let him go, but he attacked me and tried to strangle me. I picked up a knife, and…" I trailed off. Katara grabbed my arm in a comforting gesture.

Bato nodded. "I see. Was that the first person you killed?"

"Yeah." I admitted.

"It changed you, didn't it?" He asked sadly. I nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did he do all those things to you?" He inquired.

Katara, Sokka and Aang turned to me. This was the moment of truth. I swallowed. "I need you to promise me to keep an open mind." I warned. Bato raised an eyebrow, but nodded after a few seconds.

"I only found out about this the day after we found Aang." I said. I concentrated on the fire. I started moving my hand and breathing in a steady rhythm. The fire grew and shrank with my hand movements. I stopped after a few seconds. Bato just stared at me, keeping his face neutral. I didn't see a flash of anger like I saw with Jet, so that was a good sign. Bato was silent for a long time.

Bato turned to Sokka. "Even after what happened to Kya, you would trust a firebender?" He questioned seriously.

Sokka met Bato's gaze. "The first thing he used his firebending for was to protect our village." He said firmly. "The Fire Nation attacked the day after we found Aang. Alec and I fought them. Alec even gave himself up along with Aang so that the Fire Nation would leave. We can trust him."

"He could've betrayed us so many times, but he didn't." Katara added. "Please give him a chance, Bato!"

Bato looked at me with narrowed eyes. "I will give you a chance, but if you hurt them, you will regret it." He warned.

I didn't flinch. "If I hurt my family, I'd carve the Mark into my own forehead." I replied calmly.


Bato seemed willing to give me a chance, but remained wary of me. Katara and Sokka pestered him for old stories about Hakoda for most of the night. Aang and I sat away from the fire on opposite sides of the room. It was still awkward between me and Bato, and Aang felt left out. After Bato ran out of stories, he spoke to Sokka and Katara.

"There's something I should tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from your father."

My siblings perked up at this. "Really?" Katara asked with excitement.

"When?" Sokka demanded.

Bato smiled. "Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me, and see your father again." He shifted his gaze to me. "And maybe he can figure out what to do with you."

I shrugged. Aang looked towards Sokka and Katara with a sad and worried look on his face.

"It's been over two years since we've seen Dad. That would be so incredible!" Sokka exclaimed. "Katara!"

Katara looked down with a smile. "I do really miss him. It would be great to see Dad."

Aang got up to leave, but I was the only one who noticed. I didn't stop him. Aang needed to learn that we weren't going to abandon him. If it took him making a stupid and selfish mistake to do so, then so be it.

"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Bato said as Aang walked out the door with Momo. "I'm not sure when word will arrive, but when it does…" Aang closed the door quietly behind him.

"It would be great, but we can't." Sokka interrupted. "We have to take Aang to the North Pole first."

"Even if we had time to wait for the message, who knows how far we'd have to travel." Katara added sadly. "We don't have time for a long detour."

"I'm sure your father would understand." Bato nodded. "And be proud that his children are helping the Avatar." He turned to me again. "I guess we'll have to wait for Hakoda's decision about you."

I shrugged. "I suppose so. I hope he'll accept me."


About an hour later, Aang returned to the tent with a sad look on his face. "Hey everyone, sorry I was gone so long." He said glumly.

That was strange. When he lied about the map in the show, he put on a happy mask. Had something happened? Katara turned around "Hey, Aang. I didn't notice you left." She said brightly. Then she noticed Aang's expression. "Is something wrong?"

Aang shook his head. "No. I went to the boat to clear my head, and a messenger came by looking for you, Bato." He replied. He walked over and handed Bato a sheet of paper. He turned to my siblings and I. "It's the map to your Dad." He explained. His face fell and he looked down, tears filling his eyes. "I guess this is goodbye, isn't it?"

I was shocked. What made Aang decide to give them the map instead of hiding it like in the show? I was happy he didn't do something stupid, but now I had to slightly alter my plans. We had to deal with June and the shirshu. They could track us anywhere if we didn't get Katara's necklace away from them.

Sokka looked confused by Aang's statement. "Didn't you hear us tell Bato that we couldn't meet Dad because we're taking you to the North Pole?"

I spoke up. "He didn't. He left right before you said that, you guys didn't notice him leave." I shook my head sadly. "He's afraid you were going to abandon him."

Katara shot up and wrapped Aang in a hug. "Aang, we're not going to leave you, I promise." She said softly. Sokka grabbed Aang by the shoulder. "Alec may be our brother, but you're our family, too. You need us more than Dad does."

I stood up and smiled at the airbender. "As much as I want to meet Hakoda, it'll have to wait. Getting you to the North Pole is more important."

Aang smiled and returned Katara's hug. "Thanks, guys."

Bato smiled warmly at this. "Thank you for giving me this, Aang." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I don't have to go straight to the rendezvous point tomorrow." He turned to Sokka and grinned. "You ever been ice dodging?"


The next morning, Bato took us to his ship. "This ship is sentimental to me, my father built it and took me ice dodging in it." He said fondly. He rubbed a spot on the hull. "It's even got the scar to prove it." He chuckled and turned to my brother. "You were too young before Hakoda left, but I'd be happy to take you now."

Aang looked confused. "What is ice dodging, exactly?"

Bato turned to the Avatar. "It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members." He explained with a grin. "You're all about to find out."

We boarded the boat and set sail. Bato manned the rudder as he spoke. "Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust. In our village, it was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."

Sokka turned to the older warrior. "How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?" He asked.

"You'll be dodging…those." Bato pointed. We turned and saw a large group of spiky rocks protruding from the water like shark teeth. I noticed quite a few shipwrecks dashed among the rocks. I gulped.

Bato let go of the rudder. "Sokka, you steer and call the shots." He grabbed my brother's shoulders. "Lead wisely." Sokka ran and took the rudder. "Katara, you secure the mainsail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave." Katara grabbed the rope holding the mainsail. He turned to Aang and me. "You two, control the jib. Without your steady hands, we all go down. Your position is about trust." Aang bowed. I went to grab the rope, but Bato turned me around. "Don't waste this chance." He said seriously.

"I won't." I promised him.

"We shall see." He answered. He walked to the front of the boat and sat down. "For this to be done right, I cannot help. You pass or fail on your own."

Sokka studied the rocky shore for a few seconds. "Aang and Alec, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady." He barked. Aang and I eased up a little. Sokka moved the rudder to slightly alter our course. "Aang, Alec, less sail! Katara, give them room!" We pulled down some of the sail, and Sokka steered us through a small gap between two rocks. We saw three more rocks getting closer. "Aang, Alec, helm to lee! Helm to lee!" He pushed the rudder to his left with all his strength.

"What the fuck does that mean?!" I screamed. Sokka pointed left. Aang and I pulled down on the rope as hard as we could. The boat turned and tilted to the left, but steadied in time for us to avoid the rocks.

"Great job!" Sokka praised. His happiness was short-lived when he realized we were headed towards a large group of rocks with no way out.

"There's no way through!" Katara screamed with concern.

"We can make it!" Sokka insisted.

"Sokka, you've already proven yourself." Bato said. He stood up and grabbed the edge of the boat. "Maybe we should…"

"Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail!" Sokka ordered. Aang nodded. "Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks! Everyone else, hold on tight!"

Aang sent blast after blast of air into the sail, carrying us up on a massive wave that Katara bent. Sokka wanted to sail us over the rocks. He really was a crazy genius, sometimes. There was just one problem: The wave was too small, and one rock in particular stood in front of us. And, as luck would have it, it was directly in our path! What do I do?! We couldn't steer around it, we were moving too fast! We needed to destroy it! If only I could blow it up!

Wait…that's it!

I scrambled to the front of the boat and pushed Bato out of the way. "What are you doing?!" He demanded.

"Something stupid!" I replied. I created a massive fireball in my hand, just like that day at the waterfall. I compressed it with both hands.

"Please don't blow me up! Please don't blow me up!" I thought desperately. After a tense second, the ball stabilized. I threw it at the rock with all my strength.

BOOM!

The rock exploded, clearing our path. The wave set us down and there was nothing but clear waters in front of us. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. Sokka did the same. Katara and Aang smiled. Bato stared at me in shock for several seconds. "I never thought firebending would save my life one day." He finally said.

I shrugged and smiled. "First time for everything, huh?"

He laughed.


We beached the boat and Bato took out a small container of purple paint and dipped his fingers in it. "The spirits of water bear witness to these marks." He spoke in a ceremonial tone. "For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise." He drew an arc and a small dot on Sokka's forehead. He moved on to my sister. "For Katara, the Mark of the Brave." He drew a crescent moon on her forehead. "Your courage inspires us." He praised. He stepped in front of Aang. "For Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe." He drew a simple arc on Aang's forehead. Aang bowed in thanks. Bato stepped in front of me and chuckled. "I never thought I'd give a firebender this mark." He admitted. "Alec, you have also earned the Mark of the Trusted." He drew the mark on me. "You shattered any doubts I had about you. You truly are one of us, now." He offered me his hand. I shook it firmly.

Bato turned to the rest of us. "I think it's time for me to move on to the rendezvous point." He said. "I'll tell Hakoda that he should be proud of his children." He smiled at me. "All three of them." I was touched.

All of us embraced Bato in a massive group hug. He let go of us. "We stole some messenger hawks from the Fire Nation recently. We'll send word to the Northern Water Tribe and let them know to expect you."

"Thanks. I'd rather not have to explain myself to them." I said.

"Goodbye, you all. And good luck." Bato said.

He left us and walked into the woods.


We made our way back Bato's former room in the abbey and started packing our stuff. "Alright, we should probably get moving now." Sokka suggested.

"We can't." I shook my head. "There's something here we have to take care of, first."

"What's that?" Katara asked.

"You guys should sit down." I said seriously. "Something in the story changed."

They turned towards me. "What's going on?" Aang asked seriously.

I looked at the last airbender. "Well, first I have a question for you Aang. What made you decide to show them the map last night?"

Aang took a deep breath. "I was scared to, but I remembered that the last time we didn't trust each other, you got hurt." He admitted. "I didn't want anything like that to happen again."

I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I'm really proud of you, Aang."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "He hid the map in the original story, didn't he."

"Yes, but keep in mind, he didn't hear the part of the conversation where you turned down Bato's offer to see Hakoda." I confessed. "And, he didn't do it this time, because he didn't want to betray you."

Sokka turned to my brother and smiled. "Thanks, Aang." Katara grabbed Aang's arm affectionately. She'd been doing that a lot more, lately.

"Anyway, in the original story, he fessed up and gave you guys the map after you went ice dodging." I continued. "Sokka got angry and left with Bato, and Katara went with him after thinking about it." Sokka and Katara looked down. "Don't worry, the sun hadn't even set before you changed your minds." I explained.

Katara looked confused. "So, why does this mean that we can't leave yet?"

I took a deep breath. "We're being tracked."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, we're always being tracked."

"Not like this." I replied gravely. "We're being tracked by something that can follow our scent from the other side of the planet. They've already retraced our steps from Taku and Makapu. They're likely on their way here."

"Aren't you breaking the rules by telling us this?" Katara asked.

"I said I'd make exceptions." I clarified. "This abbey is the best place to fight our pursuers and throw them off. If we just leave, they'll catch up."

Sokka nodded. "So, who are we up against?"

"Zuko, Iroh, a bounty hunter and her pet." I answered.

Sokka groaned. "Of course it's Zuko. What should we do?"

"I won't tell you how to beat them." I answered. "I'll just help fight and tell you what they're capable of. You need to invent strategies on your own."

"Fine. So, what do you know about those four?" Sokka asked.

"Well, the good news is we only have to fight three of them." I started. "Iroh will just stay on the sidelines and not get involved."

"So, the weakest one won't get involved? Great." Sokka grumbled.

"It's more like the STRONGEST one won't get involved." I thought.

"Anyway, we know what Zuko can do, so that just leaves the other two." Aang stated. "What can you tell us about them?"

"The bounty hunter is a woman named June." I said. "She's strong, fast, and fights with a whip. Dodge that if you don't want to get cut."

Katara nodded. "And the last one?"

"That's the biggest threat, and the thing that's tracking us." I explained. "It's called a shirshu. It's a cross between a giant anteater, a wolf, and a mole. It doesn't have eyes, but it has an extremely powerful nose. If we left Sokka's boomerang in the South Pole, it could find track us to the Northern Water Tribe. It's a little smaller than Appa. It has a long, whip-like tongue that can paralyze a human for an hour if it hits."

Everyone gulped. Fighting a shirshu didn't sound like fun. Sokka's eyes brightened. "I have an idea! We'll need the nuns' help."

Sokka came up with his plan, and we all agreed.


We all got in position in the courtyard, trying to act casual. I pulled Aang away from my siblings for a moment. "Aang, I know how they're tracking us." I whispered.

His eyebrows went up. "How?"

"Zuko has Katara's necklace." I explained so only he could hear. "I know it would mean the world to her if you got it back for her." I suggested with a smirk.

Aang blushed and smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly, the gates of the abbey were broken open by a massive creature with a woman on it's back. It had brown fur, with a black stripe running from its snout to its tail. Riding on it's back was a woman. She was thin, with black hair and black lipstick. I noticed that her topknot was tied off with a silver skull-shaped brooch.

"Seriously? Hot Topic called, they want their stuff back." I thought. Zuko and Iroh sat behind her. The shirshu pointed its nose directly at us and growled. The three riders got off the beast and approached. We took stances.

"Surrender." Zuko ordered.

"How about no?" I retorted.

"Alec, I think you mean…NOW!" Sokka shouted. The nuns, who before now had hidden inside the dormitories, emerged and opened several massive jars of perfume, spilling them over and making a giant puddle right in front of the shirshu. Before anyone else could react, I added icing on the cake and set it ablaze with a fireball.

Let me tell you something about perfume: Most of the time, perfume smells nice in small doses. If you use too much, it smells too strong and irritates the nose. If you set a huge puddle of it on fire, it smells so strong and terrible that your eyes tear up. It was bad enough for the humans, but I could tell the shirshu was in agony. It reared back and roared, lashing out its tongue at anything and everything.

"Hit the deck!" I yelled. Our group and the nuns dropped down. June tried, in vain, to calm down the enraged beast. Zuko got hit with the tongue and fell down, paralyzed. June then got hit with the tongue, also falling down. Iroh caught her and fell down, too. The shirshu rampaged around for a few minutes, but then jumped the wall and ran off into the woods.

I stood up and dusted myself off. "Well, that was fun!" I said cheerily. Aang ran over to Zuko's body and rifled through his pockets, picking up something and putting it in his tunic.

Zuko grumbled. "I'll get you one of these days, Avatar."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of here, Aang."

Zuko addressed Iroh. "Uncle? I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."

Iroh, from his position under the attractive bounty hunter, put his finger to his lips and shushed his nephew. June's eyes shot open in a scowl. She was not pleased. I laughed.

We jumped on Appa (we'd already packed our stuff) and took off.


"That was a great plan, Sokka." I praised. "What inspired you to make me set the perfume on fire?"

"I remembered that stinky fireball Zuko shot at us on the way to Roku's temple." He answered with a grin. "I figured something like that would be a lot worse for the shirshu than it was for us. Zuko and the bounty hunter chick getting hit by the tongue was just a bonus!"

I laughed. "Nice work!"

Aang poked his head up over the edge of the saddle. "Thanks for staying with me guys. I know you all miss your dad." He said earnestly.

"You're welcome, Aang." Katara smiled.

He looked at her. "I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you…"

"I'll be okay." She replied.

"Still, just a little trinket." Aang put his hand in his pocket. "Maybe something like…" He held up Katara's necklace. "This?"

"Aang!" Katara gasped and grabbed the necklace, fastening it back around her neck where it belonged. "How'd you get that?"

"Zuko asked me to be sure I got it to you." Aang answered cheekily.

"Aw, that's so sweet of Zuko." Katara said sarcastically. "Would you give him a kiss for me when you see him?"

"Sure." Aang replied. Katara kissed Aang on the cheek, making the airbender blush. I smiled.

AN: Yes, I know the fight was short, but I couldn't possibly do that fight justice. It was one of my favorite fights in the entire series, and I couldn't script it out evenly, so I skipped it. Besides, if Sokka knew about the shirshu in advance, that's probably what he would've done. I mean, he pretty much did the same thing in the series as soon as he got over his paralysis.

The next chapter should be more interesting.