Chapter 32: An Endless Journey

My feet were killing me and my body was exhausted, but I kept moving forward in order to encourage everyone else. We'd been walking through the night, and I'd kept them all on a path east. I knew we needed to keep moving if we were going to make it out of the desert alive. Staring up at the sky, I could see the star I had been following was starting to dim from the rising sun.

"What are we going to do when the sun comes up?" Toph seemed dismayed as Katara guided her forward across the sand.

"We'll follow the sunrise. The sun always rises in the east," Sokka stated.

Aang frowned. "Guys… I… I've been thinking… I'm going on ahead to see if I can find Appa."

Katara was horrified. "What? No! We should stick together! We don't need anyone getting lost in this desert!"

Aang stepped away when Katara tried to grab his shoulder. "I won't go far… I know what direction you all are headed. If I don't find you before then I'll meet you…" He whipped out his glider and went to go.

"Aang! Wait!"

Katara tried to grab him, but he was already off the ground and in the air before she could. Momo chattered from Sokka's shoulder in protest. We all watched though in defeat as Aang flew off towards the rising sun.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked back up at the stars only to see they were no longer visible. The point of the constellation I'd been following through the night was no longer there. "Well… Looks like the sun's coming up…"

"We should rest for an hour," Sokka insisted. "We don't want to travel through the heat of the day in exhaustion."

Katara hung her head. "Aang…"

Stepping over to her, I hugged her for comfort letting her press her face into my shoulder. Rubbing circles on her back, I said, "He'll be okay… He just needs some time to think…"

"Princess is right, Katara." Toph stepped over placing a hand on my shoulder. "We'll see him again." She squeezed my shoulder. "Don't worry."

Grabbing Toph's hand, I moved it over to Katara's shoulder. "Wrong person, Toph."

She grimaced. "Oh… Sorry. Can't really see…"

I smiled weakly. "I know." I looked over at the brightening sky. "Everyone lay down for a little bit and rest. We have a long walk ahead of us."

As the group laid down and got some shut eye from exhaustion, I sat in the sand staring across the desert at the horizon. Pulling my knees to my chest, I felt my stomach clench as I thought about Appa. Part of me still felt responsible for the sandbenders managing to take him. If I had been stronger in my bending and physical strength, I may have been able to win.

My mind took me back to the South Pole, and I thought about the day my father came to visit me. It had been a whole week after I had woken from almost dying, and my father had yet to come see me while I was conscious. I blamed myself for his avoidance, wondering if he was too disappointed in my failure to save mom to come and see me.

I cringed as Areto pressed the salve to my burn. He'd been with me most of the morning, since his mother and sister were out of the village on a fishing trip. His father was training some of the younger warriors. My brother and sister had come with Gran-Gran earlier in the day to see me, promising they would be back later for dinner.

"I'm almost done," Areto promised. The fourteen-year-old boy went to put more of the herbal remedy on my skin, and I whimpered as it made contact on the tender area around my collar bone. The touch sent a harsh sting across my skin. I weakly grabbed his hand trying to push away. He took his free hand to restrain me so he could break free from my weak grasp. "Crystal. Stop… You need this medicine."

I shook my head. Tears burned in my eyes. "I-It hurts."

Areto released my hand and brushed a strand of my sweat covered hair from my face. "I know… But it will only hurt for a second. Then you'll feel much better. I promise."

He went to spread the salve over my collarbone again. I flinched at the sting and went to grab his hand again. This time a strong one grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"Crys…" My father's deep voice spoke from the other side of me. "Enough…"

Areto met my father's gaze. "Chi-chief Hakoda… I didn't know you were coming."

"I got done with the council early… Finish putting the medicine on. I've got her." My father held firm to my hands then, and I whimpered as Areto finished spreading the herbs over my blistered skin. When he finished, he placed bandaging back over it while my father held me up with his strong and warm arms. When I was bandaged back up, father lowered me slowly on the fur pelts I had been laying on for some time. I shivered as my fever rose from all the movement.

"Areto… Could you go retrieve us some fresh water," my father suddenly said. "She needs to drink."

Areto nodded and stood from where he'd been kneeling beside me. "Yes sir. I'll be back soon."

Once Areto left, father and I were alone. It was the first time my father had visited me since I had woken up. My father had hazed eyes, and I was certain he had been crying a lot since his wife's passing. I had heard after her death they had a traditional funeral for her. Her body was already burned up from the attack, so the ceremony was not long. My father had placed my mother in a finely decorated canoe, and each villager placed a gift of either herbs, fur pelts, or jewelry over her body. Bato and the other men shoved the canoe off then, while Bato lit a torch and tossed it into the boat. The flaming canoe drifted away as the fire ate up what remained of my mother. Eventually the canoe had sunk into the ocean and disappeared below. The other ten canoes with our fallen warriors did the same.

"It's good to see you awake," dad suddenly spoke to me. "The tribe has been worried about you."

I shut my eyes. "I'm sorry…" Tears filled my eyes. "I- I coul-"

"Shh…" My father stroked my hair to calm me. "Don't cry sweetie…"

I let out a sob and shut my eyes tighter. "Mommy… I- I couldn't save her…"

His arms suddenly slid under me, and I was pulled onto his lap where he wrapped me in a warm embrace. He was careful not to move me too fast, worried he would hurt me. "Crys… It's okay…"

"I tried to save her," I whispered. "I wasn't strong enough."

He kissed me carefully on the forehead. "You are strong… You survived…" He brushed his hand through my hair. "But I need you to tell me what happened… who did this to you? Was it one man? A group?"

My eyes shot open, and I looked at my father with terror at the sudden memory. I quickly tried to push it away by shutting my eyes again. "I- I can't…"

"Crystal…" He paused, and I could tell he was trying to contain his frustration. He was desperate to hear the details leading up to his wife's death. "Please. I have to know who did this to you… was it one of the soldiers? Their leader? What happened? Was there a reason they targeted you and your mother?"

"No… I…" I tried to push away from him. "I can't…"

The pain and fire rushed to my memories again. I cringed and tried to wiggle from my father's hold. My head started to pulse and my heart quickened. My father held firm to me. "Sweetie. Stop. Talk to me... Tell me what happened."

Shaking my head, I heard my mother's scream echo through my mind. "No!"

"Please... I need to know… I know you're scared, but you have to tell me what happened. Do you know the name of the person who did this?"

"Chief Hakoda!"

Kieda's voice sounded from the door. Looking over through blurred vision, I saw Areto's mom rush in and come to my side. Areto came in from behind, a bowl of water in his hands. I guessed Keida and her daughter must've just got back from their trip. Kieda's arms immediately slid me away from my father and helped me lay back on the fur pelts.

"She is in no condition to go through so much stress!" Kieda pressed a palm to my forehead. "Her fever's spiking." She looked back at Areto. "Give me the water."

My father stood in the process, looking down at me with tears in his eyes. "Sweetie… Please talk to me. What happened to you and your mother?"

Kieda held me up slightly and placed a bowl of water up to my mouth. "Drink dear," she ordered. As I tried to sip down the water, she told my father with a calmer voice, "She is in no condition to think about that right now. She needs rest, Hakoda."

My father let out a heavy sigh. Stepping back, he spoke again with tightened fists. "Very well… I'm going to go back to my duties… I leave her in your care." He turned and left the hut with defeat.

Kieda let out a hard breath, and then carefully lowered me back down. As she did so, Areto took the fur blanket that had slid off of me and pulled it over my shivering body.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, shutting my eyes. "I'm sorry, daddy…"

"Shh… Sleep sweetie," Kieda whispered, stroking her gentle hand through my hair. "You need rest…"

Momo's chirp brought me out of my reverie. I jumped and looked at the little flying lemur with question. His big eyes were staring off at the rising sun with concern. Placing my hand on Momo's head, I pat him to give some comfort. "It's okay… Aang will be back soon." He came over to me and curled up beside me. "I'm sorry, Momo… I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect Appa…" He nuzzled against my side to offer me comfort.

With a heavy sigh, I lay down and shut my eyes to get some shut eye. Petting Momo, I drifted away with my worries following.

Zuko POV

A deep breath escaped me as I sat against the tree we were residing underneath. Uncle snored peacefully a few feet away. We'd arrived at an area where the grasslands of the Earth Kingdom seemed to completely fade away becoming nothing but sand. Uncle told me there was a trading post not too far that he had friends at, and promised we wouldn't have to go through the desert. We decided to rest for the night, especially since Uncle was still sore from Azula's attack. The Rough Rhino Players attack on us the other day had also taken a toll on him.

Crossing my arms, I stared at the sun which was already rising in the sky. As I did so, I thought about the one person I'd been missing for some time. I was worried about her, especially since I had no clue where she was or if she was okay. Shutting my eyes, I let my head fall back against the bark of the tree again.

I'd never felt so concerned about another in my life. I knew of course why I couldn't get her off my mind: I loved Crystal. I'd never felt for another the way I felt for her.

My mind took me back to the beginning, when I had first captured her from her home at the South Pole. Who would've ever thought I'd fall for someone of such a different world?

"You can't keep me locked up forever! My family will come for me!" She gave her chain a tug with her hands, only causing herself to fall back on the cot. She'd been working to break from the lock on her ankle since I'd put it on her. We had been rooming together for a week, and the ship was still in desperate need of repair after the Avatar's attack at the South Pole.

Walking over to my chest, I ignored her as I opened it and rummaged through. She growled and sat up again trying to jerk the chain off the wall.

"You're only going to hurt yourself," I muttered. Pulling out what I was looking for, I stood straight again and looked back over at her. "That chain isn't coming off."

She pretended I never spoke and stood again. She tried to pull the chain from the wall once more. As she did, I took out the scroll I was searching for and walked over to the long table against my wall. Sitting on the floor, I opened the scroll and scanned the sketched map before me.

A shriek sounded only a second later, and I cringed as I heard her fall back on the steel floor as she failed once more to escape. The sound of chains in the background told me she was trying to get back to her feet.

"Why don't you just give up? You're going to get tired."

She gave a tug at the chain again. "I'm not giving up! I have to get back to my family!"

Looking over at her, I saw she was in an impossible battle with the cuff on her ankle. She was trying to slide it off of her, which only made her skin red.

Scowling, I left my map and stood once more. Walking over to her, I grabbed her hands from the cuff. She gasped and tried to pull from me. I held firm though as I yanked her up to her feet. She stumbled and fell into me forcing me to hold her up. When she managed to find her feet, she met my eyes with fear.

"Stop doing that!" I leaned my face towards hers, and she shut her eyes with terror. "Are you trying to cut your foot off! You can't slide out of it, so stop tearing your skin up to try!"

"Why do you care?!" She tried to break from my hands but I was too strong. "As long as you have me alive, who cares if I become a cripple!"

I shoved her back, and she fell on her cot with a shriek. She landed on its center, and looked up at me with shock. Stepping forward so I towered over her, I stated, "I care! I'd rather deliver you to my father in one piece. Stop hurting your ankle!"

She suddenly had tears fall down her cheeks, and I felt my frustration slightly fade. Her eyes burned with agony as she shook in fear. "Please…" She had more tears fall. "Please don't give me to your father… Please just let me go…"

I felt a feeling form inside me, but I wasn't sure what it was. Trying not to ponder it over, I crouched in front of her and pointed a finger at her face. "If you touch that cuff again, I'll chain your hands as well. Got it?!"

She flinched from my finger, saying through a broken voice, "Fine… Go ahead… I'm only your prisoner…"

Pulling my finger from her, I stared at her for a moment not sure what to say. As I did so, I felt the feeling in my gut emerge more. I knew then it was guilt. With a heavy breath, I left her and walked back over to the table in the room. Picking up a bowl of water with a wash cloth in it, I walked back over to her.

Sitting on the space beside her, she tried to scoot away. I grabbed her arm to stop her. "Sit still, or I'll get cuffs for your hands."

She immediately went still, not wanting to be chained up any more than she already was. Placing the bowl on the steel flat floor, I took out a key from my pants pocket and reached with my free hand towards her ankle. She gasped at the sudden impact, and tried to pull away.

"What did I just say!" I snapped at her hoping to scare her into obedience. It worked. She stopped struggling and let me take her foot. Placing her foot on my lap, I managed to undo the cuff around her ankle. When her restraint was free, she went to touch the raw and blistered skin. I smacked her hand away. "Sit still!" She went stiff by my order. I immediately warned myself that I was being a little too strict and needed to simmer down.

Reaching for the rag in the bowl, I placed the soaked material over her raw skin. She hissed at the sudden contact and turned away from the pain. Her body twisted so her ankle was still on my lap but her face was buried into the cot.

"See what happens when you try to tear your foot off."

She mumbled something into the cot that I couldn't make out.

"What?"

Turning back towards me, she snapped, "I wouldn't have to if you would just let me go!"

I dropped the rag back in the bowl and shoved her foot off. She yanked away from me and scoot back so there was some distance between us.

"I've gotten too far to lose," I simply said. Standing from the cot, I looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "You're worth a lot. My father will be thrilled when I bring him the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe."

She frowned. "Why are you so eager to please your father?" She pulled her knees to her chest for comfort. "There's more to life than just making your dad love you."

I was surprised by her words. I quickly thought of an answer. "I don't need to explain myself to you." Turning, I walked back over to the table where the map was.

"I know to you the Avatar and I are just some prize…" Her sudden words stopped me in my step. "But you shouldn't look at people that way… We aren't animals meant to be placed in a cage the rest of our lives."

Looking back at her, I saw her eyes staring down at the fabric of the cot. As I did so, I noticed from the burning candles in the room that she had more tears falling.

"No one said you are being put in a cage," I muttered, although I knew the place she would be locked up would feel like one. "The Fire Nation isn't that savage."

"They wiped out a whole nation..." She met my eyes once more. "They've destroyed the balance that once stabilized the world."

I went to argue, but quickly I stopped. I realized I didn't really know what to say to defend my people. She was right.

"I can change that… Once I become Fire Lord…"

"Really…" She fell silent for a moment. Then she softly asked, "When you become Fire Lord will you let Aang and I go…? You'll have your honor back… You won't need us anymore…"

Her question surprised me. My shoulders drooped in uncertainty. "I'll fix things… I'll make the world right again…"

She stood suddenly, and then walked over to me. Her eyes burned from the reflection of the candlelight. I was surprised by her sudden brave action. "You really want to make the world right again…?" She crossed her arms and looked down with sadness. "Then stop chasing after a kid and start doing something… You've clearly seen the world… You know what's wrong with it…"

I was surprised by her words. "Give up the chase?! Are you mad?! I will not lose the Avatar! I will not lose my honor!"

She met my gaze. "You know, Prince Zuko…" She stepped forward, taking the boldest step I had ever seen her take in the days I'd known her. "Honor comes in many different ways."

I scowled. Pointing at my face, I snapped, "The only honor I want is my birthright! This scar reminds me every day that I have to keep fighting for what I desire."

She stared at me for a moment, and I saw her hand brush against her own marked skin. She frowned. "You know… Scars may be reminders of the past. However, they are also signs of hope." Taking a step closer to me, I was amazed when her finger suddenly brushed against my scar. "We were born not thinking one day we would experience pain…" She dropped her hand to her side. "Yet we've both been through something horrible. However, our lives didn't stop the day we were both given these scars. I don't know what happened to you, but we're the same. We are both alive and fighting to survive."

Her words stunned me. I didn't know what to say. My eyes shot to her scar with bewilderment.

She stepped back and walked over to her cot. Sitting back down, she pulled her ankle close and examined the damage she had done to her skin. "I'll continue to fight to survive…"

My eyes shot up at the rising sun as I came out of my reverie. My hand went up to my scar and I brushed against the skin in deep thought. A heavy sigh escaped me and I dropped my head back on the tree behind me. As I did, I shut my eyes thinking about the one person I missed more than anything.

"I'll fight to survive too…" I swallowed as tears burned in my eyes threatening to fall. "Then maybe one day I'll see you again… I hope you're safe…"

Crystal POV

"Crystal! Slow down!"

Katara raced after me as I moved forward across the desert with determination. Momo and Sokka lingered behind, while Toph dragged the two along. About an hour earlier Sokka had found a cactus and cut a piece of it creating a bowl. He then sipped the cactus water and began to hallucinate. He kept sputtering out nonsense, and Momo who drank some with him was in a hypnotic daze.

"We have to get out of this place. Sokka and Momo are out of their minds. The last thing I need is the rest of us ending up that way!" Stopping in my step, I turned towards my sister who stopped before bumping into me. "We have no water left, Aang is off to who knows where, and creepy birds are circling around us like we're going to die any second. I am not going to stop until we're safe and on a path to Appa!"

Turning on my heel, I headed forward again. Katara ran ahead and stepped in my path. She grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Crys! Calm down!" She held me firm and in place, her eyes tired but determined. "I know you're angry… But we need to all keep our heads. Please calm down and breathe…"

My shoulders slumped. "Breathe…? How can I breathe when getting stuck out here could've been prevented!" I jerked from her hands. "If I had fought harder then we would've been out of this desert already! Appa would be safe! We have to keep moving!"

"Crys…" Katara let out a heavy sigh, and then reached forward pressing her hand to my cheek. "None of this is your fault. I know you're still blaming yourself for Appa. It will be okay… We'll find him. I know we will. Right now though, I need you to stay with me. Please keep your head. We already have Sokka's mind gone… I don't need you gone as well."

Her words surprised me. However, my racing heart calmed. I sighed heavily, dropping my head in dismay. "You're right… I'm sorry…" My fists tightened. "I just want to protect everyone."

"I know…" She brushed a tear that fell. "But you also need to think about yourself as well. I know you're still tired from yesterday. You have some bruising and your lip still looks rough too. Don't overdo it. We're getting out of this desert. I know we are."

"We're having dessert! Yummy!" Sokka rushed between us suddenly, searching around wildly. "Where's the dessert! Where!"

He turned with a shaking body towards me. Momo chattered drunkenly on his shoulder. The lemur fell to the desert ground, and then began to lick at the sand. Toph slapped her forehead in the background, while Katara picked Momo up.

"Sokka… I didn't say dessert. I-"

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Hungry! I'm so hungry!"

Something suddenly rose up in the sky in the distance, and we all turned to look at the shape in shock. A huge blast had shot some form of smoke up in the air, and from the distance it looked like a giant mushroom cloud.

Katara had followed my gaze and was horrified. "What is that?"

Toph had no clue what was going on. "What? What is what?"

Sokka beamed and held his hands up in the air. "It's a giant mushroom! Maybe it's friendly!"

"Let's just keep moving. I hope Aang's okay..." She took Toph's hand and started to lead her away. She held Momo in her other arm to keep the lemur from flying away.

"Friendly mushroom! Mushy giant friend!"

I sighed heavily. Walking over to Sokka, I grabbed his arm. "Come on, Sokka. Time to go. I'll get you a mushroom as soon as we're out of the desert."

He whined as I pulled him along. "But I want that mushroom!"

"Okay," I said, trying to coax him along. "When we get out of the desert I'll get you that mushroom."

He jumped forward and hugged me from behind. "Aw! You're the best sister ever!"

I tried to pull from him. "Sokka! Cut it out!"

He walked forward still hugging me. I had to stumble to keep my balance. "No! I can't let you go! The sand will eat you!"

Katara looked back at us. "Sokka! Get a hold of yourself!"

"He just had to drink the juice," Toph muttered.

Somehow I managed to wiggle out of Sokka's hold. Stepping a few steps ahead of him, I looked back saying, "Follow me Sokka. The yummy mushroom is in this direction."

He nodded. "Okay! Lead the way, sis!"

Grabbing his arm again, I began to lead him forward. Katara was relieved to see I'd gotten him to follow, and the two of us kept the group moving forward. Eventually we stopped once more to take a breather. Our mouths all tasted like sand as we desperately desired water. Toph was starting to stagger behind, while I practically had to drag Sokka along. All of us were starving, but Katara and I knew we had to keep everyone's hope alive.

As we walked, Toph spoke. "Someone tell me we'll find some food soon. I'm starving. We haven't eaten anything in twenty-four hours…"

"We'll hopefully be out of this desert by the morning," I spoke, although I wasn't sure if I sounded as confident as I wanted to. "I know we have to be getting closer to civilization."

Katara nodded. "We have to keep moving. We can't give up until we get somewhere with water and food." She stopped and passed around her water moccasin. "Just a little everyone. We need it to last a little longer."

We each took a small sip to quench our thirst ever so slightly. I made sure Sokka and Momo only took their share, knowing they were half out of their mind from the cactus juice. When we were done, Katara placed the cap back on looking dismayed from how light it felt.

"Come on… We'll walk a few more hours and then rest again at sunset. We're going to make it…" Katara looked back at me with a weak smile. "We all just need to stick together."

Nodding, I took Sokka's hand again and led him forward. As I did so, I thought about my time journeying with Iroh and Zuko in the Earth Kingdom. My hand tightened around Sokka's for comfort.

Staring up at the stars, I felt the itchy grass below me poke up through my dirt-stained dress. Zuko lay beside me having fallen asleep. Iroh's snores could be heard beside us from the other side of the dying campfire. As they slept, I followed the constellations in the sky enjoying the moment of peace. My eyes eventually left the sky, and I gazed over at Zuko's sleeping face. Staring at his closed eyes, I couldn't help but smile.

He looked so peaceful.

Turning on my side, I reached my hand forward and lightly brushed his black hair from his face. His hair had gotten longer over the weeks, and I liked it that way. I told him it made him look much more like the Zuko he really was. His strict up-do suited the Prince Zuko I'd first met, but his new style suited the Prince Zuko I'd come to love.

Brushing another strand back, I enjoyed the feel of his soft skin on my fingertips. As silently as I could, I scoot over so I could get closer to the sound of his breathing and the warmth from his body. Shutting my eyes, I let my hand drop and smiled as his breath hit against my skin.

"I love you, Zuko," I whispered softly. "So much…"

A sudden warmth wrapped around me, and I opened my eyes in surprise to see Zuko was awake. His eyes stared at me through the cool night air. His arms had slid around me, and I was pulled to his body. His hand brushed through my hair and down to the bend of my back. His lips then pressed to my forehead softly. He pulled away but brought me against his body hugging me to him.

"Me too," he whispered into my ear.

I smiled more as the two of us drifted to sleep, our heartbeats being our lullaby.

My hand reached up to my hair as I ran my fingers through it. Then I moved my hand to my necklace and clenched the crystal tight. My other hand still gripped Sokka's hand tight as he followed in a trance.

"So tell me…" Katara suddenly spoke up bringing me out of my thoughts. "Why did you hide your waterbending from us for so long? Were you scared we'd be angry?"

I grimaced and released my necklace. My thoughts took me back to when Sokka and Katara learned about my bending: the day I met Zuko. Looking at the sand below me in defeat, I stated, "I don't know… I guess I was worried you would be disappointed in me." A pause fell between us. Kicking some sand, I added, "If I had found out I was a bender before the attack, mom might still be alive…" I avoided her gaze. "I think another part of it was that you were so happy being the special one in the tribe. I loved seeing everyone so proud of you and your waterbending abilities. I didn't want to take away your position in the tribe. I already had enough attention on me because of my face…"

"Your face…" She was shocked by my confession. I'd never really mentioned to her that I was aware of the stares people gave me; the whispers behind my back as I walked by; the constant looks of pity. "Crys… Your scar has never made anyone look at you different."

A deep sigh escaped me. "I'm grateful you've always looked past my scar, Katara... but others in the tribe only see my mark… They see my face and think about everything we lost that day the Fire Nation came. I've always brought everyone painful memories… Children who weren't born at the time look at me as if I'm some exciting mystery, while elders turn away in pain… This scar made it difficult for me to be anything but a memory of that tragic day so long ago."

She frowned and looked out towards the horizon. "You shouldn't think that way… Your scar is a reminder to everyone that you're a fighter… Nothing more…"

I smiled weakly, realizing I'd said something similar to Zuko.

Katara noticed my expression. "What?"

"Nothing… It's just… I said the same thing to Zuko a long time ago…" I tightened my hold on Sokka's hand for comfort. "It's funny…" I paused as memories flowed through me of my time with him. "He never saw me for my scar… He would tell me constantly that I'm beautiful, which is something I never imagined a guy would say to me."

"Crys…" Katara frowned, upset by my last few words. "Any guy would think you're beautiful. You look so much like mom, and people say she was the most beautiful woman in the tribe."

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Katara…"

A few minutes later a shadow suddenly flew over us, and a figure landed in our path. I immediately realized the figure was Aang. He plopped down on the sand holding his face in his hands with dismay.

Katara rushed ahead and stopped behind Aang. We stopped a few feet away.

Katara suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing he needed comfort. "I'm sorry, Aang. I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

"What's the difference?" Aang's pained voice made me cringe. I hated seeing the kid so upset. "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

She grimaced, pulling her hand from him. She tried to keep positive though. "Come on, Aang! We can do this if we work together. Right, Toph?"

Toph shrugged. "As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothin'."

Sokka pointed up at the sky suddenly. "Why don't we ask the circle birds?"

My eyes shot up to the buzzard wasps which had been following us all day. My feet were killing me, and I was exhausted, but I knew we had to keep moving.

"Ugh..." Katara grabbed Aang's staff. "We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together! Aang, get up. Everybody hold hands. We can do this. We have to."

The night went on, and we stopped to rest periodically. Our water was dangerously low, but we tried our best to not think about what would happen when it was all gone. Sokka was sobering up little by little, and Momo seemed to be doing better since Aang rejoined the group.

As we all woke up from our hour nap, Toph muttered, "Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud. Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much."

I sighed, standing from the sand wishing more than anything that we were out of the desert safe. My stomach was in agony from not having anything to eat for so long. I knew if we didn't get out in the next twenty-four hours we would probably all starve and die of thirst.

Looking up at the starry sky, I saw the moon above and sent a silent plea to the spirits. I didn't want to die in this desert when the world still needed saving.

"Appa!"

Aang's joyful cry caused me to jump. I looked over at him to see he was staring up at the moon. Glancing back at the giant orb, I saw the shadow of a cloud moving across the light.

"Appa?" Sokka stepped beside me. "But why would Princess Yue need him? She's the moon! She flies by herself!"

I rolled my eyes. It appeared Sokka still had a small amount of juice still in him.

Katara sadly spoke. "It's just a cloud." However, her voice rose in excitement. "Wait! A cloud!" She turned to Aang holding out her pouch. "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch!"

Her words sent a small surge of hope through me. "Great idea, Katara!"

Aang scowled and grabbed the water pouch from her. He then snapped his glider open and flew up into the air. He was back only a moment later, and handed the pouch back to Katara. Katara frowned when she felt the contents.

"Wow..." Katara looked dismayed. "There's hardly any in here."

"It was worth a try," I spoke softly.

Aang scowled. "I'm sorry, okay! It's a desert cloud; I did all I could! What's anyone else doing! What are you doing?" He pointed his staff at Katara.

"Aang! Calm down!" I stepped forward.

Katara defended herself. "I'm trying to keep everyone together. Let's just get moving." She turned to me. "Lead the way, Crys."

I sighed heavily. Taking the lead, I began to follow the stars again. We only walked for a few minutes though when Toph suddenly let out a yelp.

"Ow! Crud! I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going!" I looked back at her to see she had fallen back and was holding her foot in pain. "And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert?!"

My eyes widened. "A boat?" Turning, I rushed over to her. My eyes scanned the sand and I saw a wooden piece of something sticking up out of ground.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations," Toph muttered.

Aang suddenly stepped beside me and swung his staff down hard. I gasped as a huge gust of wind flew at the sand blowing it away from us. As this happened a boat came into view, and I immediately recognized it as one of the sandbenders desert gliders.

Katara beamed and quickly got onboard. We followed behind.

"It's one of the gliders the sandbenders use!" Katara turned to Aang. "Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!"

Aang nodded, although I could tell he was only doing so because he didn't want to be in this desert any more than the rest of us. As we managed to raise the sail, and Aang started to bend air at the fabric, we were all thrilled and relieved that we had found a way out. Looking back at the moon, I thanked the spirits for hearing my prayers.

As we sailed across the sand, bouncing about from the uneven terrain, I held onto the steer of the vessel moving us in the direction we needed to go. The rope burned my hands, but I held strong wanting nothing more than to get us all somewhere safe. Aang kept us going for a while, and I wondered when he would stop. As the sun started to rise again though, I saw in the distance we would have no choice.

"What is that?" I squinted my eyes to try and see over the wind what our approaching barrier happened to be.

Katara looked with me. "A rock! It's a giant rock!"

Toph beamed from where she sat on the glider. "A rock? Yes! Let's go!"

Katara sounded hopeful: "Maybe we can find some water there!"

Aang's dark tone surprised me though. "Maybe we can find some sandbenders."

Looking over at the young airbender, I saw him grip his staff tight. He looked ready to avenge Appa's kidnapping.

Eventually we reached the enormous mountainous rock, and leaving the sandbenders glider behind we all climbed up the forty-foot slope and managed to reach the top. When we reached the flat surface, Toph immediately dropped to the ground with glee.

"Ahhh... Finally! Solid ground!"

I watched as Toph made a winged figure in the sand, and half-smiled, glad to see her spirits were lifted.

"Hey! Check this out!" Sokka had wandered off from the group and was stepping into a cave that had a peculiar shape to it. There were identical caves on both sides. As Aang, Toph, and Katara followed Sokka over to the cave I stayed on the outside looking at the odd structure once more. Something of sticky substance was by my feet a few yards from the cave. Crouching down, I examined the substance for a second and recognized it quickly as honey. Iroh had used the same substance in his tea once long ago.

My eyes widened as a conversation I had with Iroh came to my mind.

"What is that?" I gazed at the jar that Iroh had pulled out from a shelf in the private dining area of Zuko's ship. Iroh and I were eating dinner together while Zuko was off moping in his room. "I've never seen liquid like that before."

Iroh grinned and opened the jar. "It's honey, made from the buzzard wasps of the Si Wong Desert." He held it towards me. "Have a taste!"

I pressed my finger into the liquid and pulled it out. The sticky substance was cool on my finger as I placed it in my mouth. My eyes widened as the sweet taste filled my senses.

"This is delicious!"

Iroh smiled. "I should hope so. The man who sold it to me was stung by its creator. He lost his eyesight from the attack, and nearly his life."

"Buzzard wasps are that dangerous?"

He nodded, scooping out some honey with a spoon and placing it in his tea. "Thankfully they're in the middle of the desert, so the possibility of getting stung by one is extremely rare. You would have to wander into their hive to evoke such anger."

Looking at the three caves before me that I could clearly see were oozing honey, I glanced at the sky to see two buzzard wasps hovering far above.

Realization sunk in me. "Hey! Get out of there!"

I rushed to the entrance only to see Sokka's face was smeared with honey residue. A buzzing noise echoed from inside the hive. With horror, I rushed into the hive and grabbed Sokka and Toph by the shirt sleeve. Katara and Aang were surprised by my anxious action.

"Katara! Aang! Come on!"

They snapped out of it, and all four of us plus Momo managed to get out of the hive. The buzzing had grown louder, and I could only guess the whole hive of buzzard wasps were coming out of their home. Jerking Toph and Sokka to the side, Aang and Katara followed us with Momo running behind. Then a blast of air rushed past us as almost fifteen buzzard wasps flew out of the hive we were just in and into the air.

Part of me hoped they would keep flying and not come back, but we hadn't been lucky enough for my hopes to come true. The buzzard wasps turned in the air and came down towards us. One landed nearby, and Toph immediately shot a rock at it causing it to fly back and land injured. Aang used a blast of air to send another flying off of the rock we were on.

"I got this one!" Sokka shouted and lifted his water tribe sword swinging at nothing.

"Sokka, there's nothing there," Katara stated.

He grimaced. "Oh... I guess my head's not as clear as I thought."

A buzzing sound shot towards me, and I turned just in time to see a buzzard wasp shoot at me. Its sharp stinger was making a beeline towards me. With quick thought, I pulled the knife from my boot and swung it hard at the creature. The sharp blade cut through the stinger of the bug, and the creature shrieked quickly flying away. My heart pounded rapidly as I saw the piece of stinger I'd cut off lying on the ground beside me.

"We have to get out of here!" Katara cried, as she dodged another wasp. "I'm completely out of water to bend!"

My eyes shot over to Sokka who was still swinging at nothing. Toph was throwing rocks blindly in the air missing the wasps completely. Aang seemed to be taking out the most, but I knew he couldn't keep it up forever.

A squeak suddenly sounded, and I gasped looking over at a buzzard wasp to see Momo struggling in its hold.

"Momo!" Aang saw the abduction and whipped out his glider. "I'm not losing anyone else out here!" He took off in the sky after the buzzard wasp.

As he left, I felt Katara grab my hand. "Come on, we're going down."

Pulling from her hand, I said, "Get Sokka and Toph. I'll take the rear."

She was surprised by my sudden confidence. I think most of it was adrenaline. She nodded though and rushed over to Sokka. As she rounded up the hallucinating brother and blind earthbender, I turned to the wasps that were hovering above. Backing up, I muttered, "These things are a lot bigger than I imagined…"

One of the wasps took a shot towards me. I waited until the last possible moment, and then with speed I jumped to the side. The buzzard wasp missed me by an inch and instead hit the ground. Its stinger bent from the impact, and it landed on the stone unconscious.

This time the shrieks from the other hovering beasts were ones of rage. They didn't appreciate my actions towards their companion.

"Crys! Come on!"

Katara's cry from behind me made me back a few more steps, but I refused to turn. "Go! I'll catch up!"

I wasn't sure if she listened or not. I was however aware that if I turned around the two creatures before me were sure to strike. Gripping my knife tight, I took more steps back hearing nothing by my heart pounding in my ears.

Something suddenly landed beside me, and I shrieked as an arm slid around my waist and jerked me back. "I'm so over this!" Aang's furious tone beside me brought me out of my shock. With a hard swing, Aang shot air at the two wasps and they shrieked as they flew back hitting the top of the hard cave. They both fell down to the entrance of the hive unconscious. I was surprised by Aang's sudden action, but quickly understood his frustration.

"Come on!" Aang turned towards me and grabbed me around the waist again. He whipped out his glider and shot us both in the air. I screamed when I left the ground, and wrapped my arms around his own waist. He released me when he saw I had a hold on him, and managed to fly us down to the sand below. As this happened, columns of sand shot up around us hitting the remaining buzzard wasps that hovered nearby. Aang eventually brought us back down to solid ground, and I stumbled at the sudden landing. Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Momo were already there and were looking at something in the distance.

Aang and I joined the others, and Momo squeaked running over to go behind my legs to hide. Seeing the buzzard wasps were gone, I quickly placed my knife back in my boot, patting Momo in the process to reassure him. Then looking out before us, I saw a group of sandbenders standing a few feet away with narrowed eyes. Their two gliders were behind them, just as the glider we had come on was behind us.

"What are you doing in our land with a sandbender sailer?" One of the men stepped forward slightly with his arms crossed. His face was uncovered, and so were the rest of the men. The man before us was in his early fifties and didn't look pleased. "From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe!"

Katara quickly tried to make peace. "We found the sailer abandoned in the desert. We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se."

The man was surprised by her words.

The younger one beside him didn't look convinced. "You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer?"

The man turned to the younger, snapping, "Quiet, Gashuin. No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality."

He hung his head. "Sorry, father."

The older man's words made my breathing stop for a moment though. "That name…" My eyes shot up at the young man before me and my blood started to boil. Tightening my hand in a fist, I stomped forward. Pointing a finger at him, I shouted, "You!"

He was surprised. His eyes met my own though and the memory of our wrestling in the sand over a day ago returned to him. He stepped back in uncertainty.

Without a second thought, I went to lunge forward to attack the guy who had taken Appa. My brother rushed over and grabbed me to stop me. "No, Crys!"

I struggled, my eyes glaring daggers at the man whom I'd yanked off the sand glider so long ago. "Thief! You took Appa!" I yanked from my brother's hold and pointed a finger at him again. "Where is he?!"

"You stole Appa!" Aang's sudden rage from behind me caused me to snap out of it. The airbender stepped past me and extended his staff threateningly at Gashuin. "Where is he?! What did you do to him?!"

His father's men were shocked and glanced over at Gashuin with question. His father stared at his son with bewilderment.

Gashuin tried to defend himself, "They're lying! They're the thieves!"

Aang growled and shot a gust of air at one of the gliders the men had come on. His blast snapped the glider into two. He turned back to Gashuin with vengeance. "Where is my bison?!"

Gashuin's father stared at the broken glider in shock, and then glared at his son. "What did you do?"

He tried again. "I-It wasn't me!"

I scowled. "Don't lie!" Hot tears formed in my eyes. "You and your friends tied Appa down and dragged him away! You shoved me off the glider, and I fought you in the sand! I know it was you!"

Aang turned blind with rage then. "You did what?!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know he belonged to the Avatar!"

Aang gripped his staff tighter. "Where is he?! Tell me where Appa is!"

Gashuin looked very nervous. "I traded him! To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were going to sell him there! Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help however we can!"

A sudden glow took over Aang then, and I was surprised as his tattoo's shined with an intense light. The wind around us suddenly picked up, and the sand began to blow in a vortex. As Aang started to lift in the air, Sokka grabbed Toph's and then my own.

Sokka had sobered up and took charge again. "Just get out of here! Run!"

We all immediately rushed away from the young avatar who had gone into his spiritual state. As Aang let out all of his anger, I jerked my hand from Sokka and turned back to the heartbroken kid. As I did, I was surprised to see Katara hadn't followed us when we ran. Katara used all her strength to push through Aang's intense blast of wind, and managed to grab his glowing hand. She pulled his floating body into her, and then wrapped her arms around him in a strong hug. As she comforted him, the wind receded and the glow on Aang's body began to fade. He eventually dropped to the sand, and Katara knelt in front of him. She hugged him to her as he cried into her chest for his loss. As he cried, silence fell over the desert and all was calm once more.

Some time passed, and eventually Gashuin confessed to his father his ill deed. Sokka tried to keep things civil, and managed to ask Gashuin's father for a ride out of the desert and some water. The older man, who introduced himself as Sha-Mo, was more than willing to assist us. He felt terrible for his son's foolish and criminal actions. He told us that most sandbenders were honest men… There were a few however that lost themselves to greed.

Eventually, I made my way over to Aang and Katara with a canteen of water. Kneeling down beside Aang and her, I held the canteen towards him.

"Aang…" He looked over at me with agony. I tried to hold in my tears as I spoke to him in comfort. I was upset, but knew I had to be strong for him. He needed encouragement more than the rest of us. "I know your upset… But we're going to get him back…" I took his hand and placed the canteen in his grasp. "Remember what you told me… We're getting Appa back together… We have to stay strong for him."

The boy met my eyes, and I could see my words had comforted him. He nodded, gave a pained smile to me, and took a sip of the water to try and cool his anger. As he calmed down, Katara looked at me with gratitude. Nodding, I stood and walked back over to Toph, Sokka, and Momo. Momo was busy munching on a fruit that one of the other sandbenders had given him.

The young man named Gashuin approached me as I returned, and I glared at him to let him know he wasn't on my list of favored people. He hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry if I hurt you before… I was being stupid…"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," I muttered. I looked over at Aang who was standing and handing the canteen over to Katara. Gashuin knew what I meant, and fear came over him at the thought of how the Avatar would react to his apology. He turned and walked back over to the glider too much of a coward to face Aang.

Toph suddenly walked over to me, and I felt her place a hand on my shoulder. "Hey. Thanks for the warning earlier… We would've been bug food." She dropped her hand. "You must've learned a lot from Zuko's uncle, huh? You knew before all of us that we were walking into a nest."

Looking back at the giant rock hovering over us, I felt my heart grow heavy. "He was a good teacher."

"Hey! Come on you guys! They're getting ready to shuffle off," Sokka shouted over to Aang and Katara, which also caught Toph and I's attention.

As everyone piled up on the two remaining sand gliders, I sat on the wood in both exhaustion and dismay. As the glider took off across the desert and towards civilization, I clutched my crystal locket again. My other hand was stained from the venom that had spilled when I cut the buzzard wasps stinger off. I hadn't even noticed at first, but now I could see my attack had left some evidence behind.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would wield a knife and actually manage to use it. A year ago, the idea of fighting a buzzard wasp would've been impossible to me. I couldn't believe the changes I had made over the time that had passed.

A lot had happened to me though. Not only was I torn from my home, but I had to fight off a psychotic man named Zhao, get tackled by a bloodthirsty Fire Nation princess, and have to say goodbye to the man I loved. I had changed so much over the year, and I knew my journey was far from over.

Looking back though, I couldn't help but notice that the fearful and timid girl that once resided in the South Pole was no more. I'd seen things, been places, and experienced more trials than I ever would've at the South Pole.

Taking my knife out of my boot again, I pulled my long hair in front of me and twisted it together to make it even. Then shutting my eyes, I pressed the blade to my strands and sliced through. My hair that once stretched past my shoulder blades to the bend of my back now rested just a little past the top of my shoulders. Looking down at the long strands I held in my hand, I tightened my hold for a second picturing myself back at the South Pole.

I pictured myself cowering in fear as my mother's killer came into my home so long ago.

I pictured myself crying out to the spirits after her death and being granted the ability to waterbend.

I pictured myself as a weak girl who knew nothing of the world except that the Fire Nation were all bloody savages.

I knew the truth about the world now. I'd grown and matured. I'd discovered that one's nation did not decide their heart. While some of the Fire Nation were cold-hearted, others were caring and generous. While some people of the Earth Kingdom were kind and considerate, others were thieves and scoundrels.

I was ready to see the world for how it truly was. I was ready to protect my family no matter the cost. I was ready to follow my heart and not let anyone decide my fate.

As I contemplated all of this, I let go of the strands and watched them fly off from the sand sailer and disappear into the cloud of sand being brought up behind us. Leaving my past behind me, I clutched my necklace again and shut my eyes.

I wouldn't give up. I'd protect my family, get Appa back, and see Zuko again. I'd survive and keep on fighting.