a/n So… it's been a while. Life always manages to get in the way of plans, somehow. Though it's been a while, this story has never been far from my mind. I recently re-read everything, and I believe I've regained my writing mojo. I cannot promise how often I will update, but I am committed to seeing this story through. These characters are so near and dear to my heart.

In light of everything going on in the world, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there. I also hope this update is a nice little break during all the chaos.

Also, in this chapter is our first shift of perspective from the traditional Zuko and Katara to… Sokka!

Disclaimer: Still don't own AtLA

~Chapter 14~

-Zuko-

He was an idiot. Why was he here? Everything about the situation felt so wrong. He was sitting in the main lodge way too early in the morning next to Mai because he told her they needed to talk. And now he wasn't even sure what to say. Maybe this was a mistake. But maybe if he got back together with Mai, his heart would forget about Katara. He could get on with his life. Something had to change.

"Mai… I," he started to say, scratching his head sheepishly. Before he could finish the phrase, she leaned in and kissed him. His eyes widened in surprise. The kiss was forceful, demanding yet without a drop of passion. It radiated off her like a fog. He'd once felt so connected to her, but now there was nothing.

"No, I can't do this," he said, pulling away. For the first time since he'd known her, he saw tears building in her eyes as she pressed her lips tightly together and nodded. "Mai?" he asked gently, reaching to wipe the tear away, alarmed at her emotional reaction.

"Don't." she said, shaking her head, drawing back, and hastily wiping the tear off with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I…"

"Why are you sorry?" she asked. "I'm the one who cheated on you, dumped you for that jerk, and thought that coming here would… that we could…" she sniffed, "I came here with the purpose of winning you back. Zhou had dumped me, and I thought going back to something familiar... But I've seen the way you look at her. You love her." It was those last three words that hit Zuko like a punch to the stomach. His heart ached for her, but love? How could he still love Katara? After all this time? After she accused him of taking advantage of her? After blaming him? And how did Mai, of all people, seem to understand this better than himself?

"I loved you too Mai," he finally said, after a long silence.

"I know," she said with a sad smile, "I wish I had appreciated it at the time… but now…" she drifted off, her eyes going to the window, "It's still so early. I'm going to go back to my cabin. I'll see you later." With that, she stood and left.

Now what was he supposed to do? Fuck. Why can't anything be easy? he thought. How was he supposed to hike side by side with her? Or Jet, for that matter. It was way too early to be dealing with all this. Suki and his uncle would be up soon to start breakfast. He'd need to go wake up his campers, in a little while, before the trumpeting. They were hiking to the mountaintop today and sleeping under the stars. He'd need to make sure they had all of their gear ready, after breakfast.

He forced himself to stand and exit the lodge. The sun was now peeking over the tops of the trees. He could see Ty's silhouette preforming her morning Tai Chi and he decided to join her.

"Good morning, Zuko," Ty said, without opening her eyes.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, moving to mimic her stance.

"Your aurora," she replied matter-of-factly, as if that answered everything. He didn't argue, trying to force his mind to calm and focus on his breathing. The sun felt good on his skin as he tried to quiet his overactive mind.

His cabin appeared to be still sound asleep, when he crept inside.

"Is it time to get up yet?" a voice whispered from underneath a sleeping bag. He turned to see Aang's head poking out.

"Yes," he replied and before the word was completely out of his mouth, Aang sprung up, already dressed.

"Wahoo!" he cried, "I'm used to getting up real early. The private school that I went to last year made us get up so early."

"Shhh!" someone hollered, followed by a loud squaw that could have been from a pterodactyl. All of the campers' heads popped up and turned to the bunk by the door. Pippin flopped over, looking confused.

"What?" he asked, "I'm not responsible for my stretching noises." The cabin burst into laughter.

~.~.~

The hike up the mountain was full of chatter. From the birds to the campers, there was a constant thrum. The trail itself wasn't super wide. There was enough room to get a four-wheeler through for emergencies or supplies, which equaled two staff members wide or three or four campers. Zuko probably could've hiked that trail in his sleep. It was a long and winding climb, but the view at the end would be worth it. He had to keep reminding and encouraging some of his campers though.

The one camper whose spirit never seemed to dwindle was Aang's. He was always so animated.

"Once," Aang announced, "I went to the zoo, but I didn't like it. All the animals were in these big cages and were really sad. I just couldn't leave them like that… so I 'accidentally' opened a few cages on my way out." He grinned.

"Aang! You didn't!" Meng exclaimed, jaw open.

"Yep!" he nodded proudly. "It took the zoo people a while to track down some of the birds. And they didn't even get them all! I've always liked birds. I wish I could fly." With that, he spread out his arms and pretended to glide as he ran up the trail. The others giggled, especially Meng.

"You practically fly as it is, Twinkletoes," Toph yelled as Aang raced passed. She gave Bandit a reassuring pat on the head. With so many kids around, this was probably a stressful environment for Bandit. Zuko had to remind a few campers not to pet Bandit while she was working.

They continued onward through the trees.

"Are we there yet?" moaned Duke. "My feet are tired! My pack is heavy!"

"There's a pavilion that we will stop at soon," Uncle revealed, giving Duke a reassuring smile. "Sokka is already there, waiting for us." Upon hearing that, a few of the boys picked up their pace, clearly excited at seeing what their counselor had up his sleeve.

-Sokka-

He tried to push thoughts of his dad out; he had a job to do. There were 30 campers on their way and he still didn't have everything set up. He had taken a four-wheeler with supplies up to the pavilion ahead of everyone else. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, he thought as he set out the sticks in an assembly line.

His ears pricked up, when he heard voices. Campers. He put on a smile and walked to meet them.

"Helloooo Campers!" he cried, "Long time, no see. How was the hike?"

"Exhausting!"

"Fun!"

"Boring."

"Well, I have a fun project instore. If you can please form two lines, one on each side of this table," he explained as he walked backward towards the pavilion. The children's chatter was growing louder, and he could hardly hear himself think.

"Unagi!" Iroh's voice rung clear over the dull roar

"Sploosh!" a few of the campers replied.

"Unagi!" all the counselors cried with Iroh.

"SPLOOSH!"

"Good job!" Iroh said, "Now, let's listen to Sokka so we can all learn about the activity he's planned."

"All-righty, so today we'll be making," he paused for dramatic effect, "KITES!" The campers ooh-ed and ahh-ed appropriately, making him smile, "We will be flying these later today, when we reach the top of the mountain!" he revealed, earning more oohs. "Counselors, if you can, please help your campers get the appropriate materials and then get settled at a table. You will need: 2 sticks, 1 piece of twine, 1 piece of paper, and a few pieces of either crepe paper or ribbons. All of the paint, glue, crayons, and decorating stuff you'll need is already on the table."

The kids buzzed around, getting their necessary supplies. Each table also had laminated instructions for the other counselors to read to their group. It was fun watching the projects come together. Cutting 45 pieces of 60 feet twine was all worth it now. It's not like he could sleep well anyways. He had only been asleep for probably 3 hours before it was time to wake up. His father's disappearance weighed heavy on his mind the night before, but there was nothing he could do. His dad was thousands of miles away. All he could do was trust that Hakoda was a survivor and would find his way back to them.

He could tell Katara was having an even more difficult time processing things, but he didn't know how to help her. Iroh had offered her half the day off, but she had declined. He thought tea with Iroh would help, but the effects had seemingly worn off. Once again, he felt like a lost little boy. Like Katara, he had to act fine, even though he wasn't. He had to grow up before he was ready. That was probably one reason why he loved working at Camp Kyoshi. He liked making the campers laugh and delighted in their lighthearted innocence. At camp, he could live out part of his childhood. He shared in with their wonder, exploration, and merriment.

An hour and a half later, most of the kids were finishing up their projects.

"Make sure you right your name somewhere on your kite," he instructed. All of the kites were so unique, but he wanted to make sure no two got mistaken. "We're going to leave our kites on the table to dry while we have some lunch."

"Before you eat," Suki said, standing on a bench so she could be seen, "please come wash your hands at the station over here!" Hopefully, that way, the kids wouldn't eat too much glue. There was some general nodding, while the campers concentrated on the last details of their creations.

"Sokka!" Bea called, "Check out my kite!" He turned to look. He knew better than to expect a pink girly kite from Bea and he wasn't disappointed. She had chosen black paper with what looked like two piercing red eyes, bold stripes of white, and yellow ribbon for a tail.

"Very fierce," he praised, smiling.

"Thanks!" Bea beamed proudly, "I call her Smellerbee Fighting Machine: Ruler of the Skies!"

"Whoa, very nice!" he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his burdens as he got swept into some imaginative conversations with the campers as they all wanted to show off their kites to him.

-Katara-

It felt like she was drifting, a ship untethered from the dock and without an anchor. It would have been like a daydream, if she had anything pleasant to think about. Instead she felt numb. Her own voice sounded foreign to her ears. She had felt this way before, a little while after her mom had died. Her counselor had told her it was a stage of grief; it was "natural." But it didn't feel natural then and it didn't this time either. Having your father go missing wasn't "natural."

He's not technically missing, yet she reminded herself. But false comfort is little comforting. Something didn't feel right. She was used to her father doing dangerous missions or there being radio silence for weeks, but this was different. There was an accident of sorts and he had failed to report. His ship had missed a check-in. There was an active search team looking for them. If she had been near the coast, she would be scanning the horizon or jumping in a ship herself. Continuing on with the humdrum of camp seemed pointless in comparison.

But she couldn't quit. She had campers that needed her; kids that required her attention. As much as she might have wanted to be alone on the docks, she had a job to do. Perhaps it was the sense of duty or purpose that kept her from drifting too far. She wasn't sure, but she shook her head, trying to be rid of the empty sensation and return to the present.

Currently, the campers were scattered around the pavilion, happily eating their sandwiches and begrudgingly chomping their carrots. The slurping of empty juice boxes signaled that lunch was nearly over. She was thankful to have had a few minutes to herself.

"What are you daydreaming about, Sweetness?" asked Toph, who had appeared at Katara's elbow with Bandit.

"Nothing," Katara said quickly as she began clearing her spot. "How's it going?"

"I can tell your lying," Toph replied, ignoring Katara's question. "It's like a superpower I have." Katara opened her mouth to tell Toph she was wrong (which would be another lie), but she was cut off. "-It's no matter though," Toph went on, waving her hand like she was shooing a bug, "I'm sure your daydreams about your boyfriend are not for my sensitive ears." Katara's cheeks reddened even though she was thinking about no such thing, or person.

"Did you need something, Toph?" Katara asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

"Nothing," she replied, "Nope, not a thing." With that, she waltzed away with Bandit by her side.

Katara wasn't sure where Toph's comments came from. It wasn't like she discussed her personal life with the campers. She suddenly wondered if Mei had said something to her. She wouldn't, Katara thought. Would she?

She wished she could be as carefree as Sokka. He was surrounded by campers as he ate, probably telling them some fantastic camp story. They seem to bring out the best in him she thought.

"Hi Katara," Aang said at her shoulder.

"Hi Aang," she smiled.

"Anyone sitting here?"

"Nope," she replied gesturing for him to sit.

"Awesome," and he quickly plopped down next to her, PB & J in hand. "Earlier… I… uh… I… I made you a necklace, Katara" he said, the last words coming out in a blur as he presented a delicately woven bracelet with a pink flower in the middle.

"Aw!" she exclaimed, surprised, "How cute!" He deflated a little, but she pretended not to notice. She took the bracelet from him and fastened it to her wrist. "Thank you!" she smiled, earning a smile from him as well.

"You're welcome. We were learning about cordage and I-"

"Excuse me Aang," Jet interrupted as he approached, "Sokka needs your help with something."

"Oh, okay, Jet," Aang smiled faded a little as he dashed off.

"You're welcome," Jet whispered to her as he sat down.

"For…?" she asked, and he gestured his head towards Aang. She frowned, "He wasn't bothering me at all. He's a good kid, Jet."

"Sokka really did need help," he shrugged. "Also, I wanted to give you this," he opened his hand to reveal a small blue flower. "I saw this on the hike and thought of you." For a moment, she questioned Jet's motives, but then immediately felt guilty for even thinking such things.

"Why thank you," she replied, a smile pulling at her lips, as she took the delicate flower from him and tucked it in her hair.

"Oh, but I see someone has beat me to the punch," he smirked and reached for her hand, examining her new bracelet. "The kid is smooth; I'll give him that." She giggled. It felt good to smile and laugh.

She sat in the grass idly chatting with Jet as she finished her sandwich. As the campers finished up, they became more and more restless. It soon became apparent that the other counselors had their hands full.

"We should go help them," she said, getting to her feet. Her legs protested from sitting so long.

"No, no, I think they've got it under control," Jet insisted. "Stay." He reached for her hand and caught her by the wrist. Alarm bells started going off, but before she could say or do anything, Jet released her. "Sorry," he said quickly, "You're right. We should go help them." She nodded and walked away.

Besides the strange moment with Jet, the rest of the afternoon went by painlessly. They packed up the campers and resumed their trek up the mountain. Ty led a few repeat-after-me songs and the majority of campers belted it from the top of their lungs. Even Toph was seen muttering along. In between songs, Katara struck up conversation with a few of the campers. It seemed like a lot of them had never slept outside before and were a combination of excited and nervous about the prospect.

"What about you Meng?" Katara asked, "Ever spent the night outside?"

"Hmph," the girl answered and pointedly turned the other way.

"Is everything all right?" Katara asked, gently.

"I see you," Meng hissed. "I know what you're up to."

"And what would that be?"

"You're trying to steal my Aang-y. Floozy," Meng accused in a whisper. Katara had to suppress her smile. Kids were so cute.

"No, Meng," she assured the girl, "I'm not trying to steal your… Aang-y. I didn't know that you-"

"Yeah," Meng sighed, "He doesn't seem to know either." Her gaze wandered off to Aang who was telling a joke to Lon, trying to get him to smile.

"You know, boys aren't mind readers. They can be very oblivious sometimes."

"Tell me about it."

"That's why, sometimes, girls need to make the first move. Have you tried telling Aang how you feel?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down lady!" Meng looked around nervously, but everyone else seemed otherwise occupied. Satisfied, she answered the question. "No, okay, I haven't. I dropped hints, showed him how to weave a bracelet even, but nothing."

"Hmmm," Katara said, while she casually tried to cover Aang's bracelet.

"Sorry if I came on a little strong earlier."

"That's fine. You've got nothing to worry about from me. You can always talk to me, if you need anything."

"Thanks, Katara," Meng smiled slightly before jogging up to join some of the other campers. Katara looked down at her wrist, at the bracelet Aang had made her. She realized she might have to say something to him later, hopefully not though. Like she had told Jet, Aang was a sweet kid and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

-Zuko-

Lunch had been fairly uneventful. He tried not to notice Katara and Jet chatting easily in the grass. He wished he could comfort her, say anything to make her feel better. It pained him that he was probably the last person she wanted comfort from though. He didn't know what to do. Like a hot air balloon, he was at the mercy of the winds; he only hoped they'd bring him to her one day.

The break had served to reenergize the campers and for the most part they were roaring to go, so up the mountain they went. The thirty campers and six staff members (Sokka and Suki had taken the four-wheeler to the top already) made quite the parade up the trail. While the counselors tried to lead the kids in song, the front half undoubtedly got ahead of the back, creating a cacophony that was sure to drive away any fearsome and otherwise wildlife.

For Uncle's age, he kept a pretty good pace and Zuko had to occasionally check behind him to make sure they hadn't lost the majority of the group.

"How many times do you think you've taken this trail?" Uncle asked him out of the blue.

"Me?" Zuko questioned and Uncle nodded. "I don't know," he replied, scratching the back of his head and giving a little shrug, "Too many to count." Uncle nodded knowingly.

"I have walked this path probably a hundred times, but I still do not know it."

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, confused.

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. Nature is always in a state of change, teaching us just how natural change is. This trail is always changing." Uncle paused, before turning to look at him in the eye, "It is all right to be afraid, Nephew."

"Afraid of what?" he asked, still trying to figure out what Uncle had said. Somedays Uncle really sounded like a fortune cookie.

"Afraid of change," Uncle replied simply.

"I'm not afraid," he replied defensively. Uncle gave him a small smile.

"Fear is a natural emotion," Uncle continued. "Without fear, we become reckless and prone to harm. Without fear, we cannot learn from our pasts. While change can be beautiful, like the leaves in the fall, it can also be difficult. But we cannot let our fear of change dictate our every action for it will keep us from ourselves and others. Think about it, Nephew." With that, Uncle picked up the pace a little and left Zuko with his thoughts.

He wasn't sure where Uncle's soliloquy had come from nor did he know what it was all about. Uncle had this way of imparting wisdom that didn't make sense until much later. While he tried to parse what Uncle had been saying, it was hard amidst the babble of campers. This wasn't exactly the environment for careful reflection.

"Your Uncle is right," said a soft but steady voice to his left. Zuko jumped a little in surprise, turning to see Lon walking steadily beside him. He was taller than most of the other campers, only half a head shorter than Zuko, and wore a tan hat with a wide sloping brim that usually covered his eyes. Since camp started, Zuko wasn't sure he'd heard the camper say more than a syllable.

"You heard all that?" Zuko asked, again scratching that spot on the back of his head. A nervous habit. A tell Azula always pointed out and capitalized on.

"Yes," Lon replied, still looking straight ahead. Zuko thought that was all he was going to say, but then the boy continued, "People tend to forget I'm here because I'm so quiet, but I hear almost everything."

"Yeah?" asked Zuko, desperately trying to move the conversation away from himself. "Have you been enjoying camp though?"

"Yes."

"Good…" They continued you on in awkward silence for a bit.

"Your Uncle is a wise man," stated Lon, picking up the conversation, "You're lucky to have him."

"I know," Zuko replied, unsure where to go from here. Uncle Iroh was pretty special. In a way, he had been more of a father to Zuko than his own father ever was. Zuko desperately hoped he wouldn't disappoint him again like he had after the phone fiasco. He just needed to keep his head down, forget about Jet and Katara, and do his job. Easier said than done he thought woefully.

a/n I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's been fun to incorporate some of the campers and their AtLA personalities into this chapter. Thanks for reading!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir