"Morning already?" said Aang, still in a sleepy voice.
Yes, morning had come upon them before they knew it. He glanced around, Sokka snoring loudly, Toph sleeping peacefully, and Katara... wait, where WAS she? He rubbed his eyes again to see if he was dreaming. But surely, he was not. And this now was no dream for him, but a nightmare.
"Katara?"
He walked over to the empty sleeping bag...
Empty.
No signs or traces of the disappeared girl.
"Katara? Katara where are you? Katara!?" he panicked, now walking around their camping and yelling her name out in every direction. Still no answer.
Sokka awoke to the yellings of the twelve year old boy, now wondering what was up with him. Toph too awoke, for she could sense his racing heartbeat.
"Hey Aang, what's wrong?" he asked, yawning before getting up. Aang looked at him and frowned. He pointed over to the empty sleeping-bag his sister should've been in.
Shock.
"KATARA!?" he yelled, frantically pacing around their camping grounds. "KATARA!!!"
No answer.
"Where's sugar-queen?" Aang looked at her before taking a deep sigh.
"I don't know... she's, gone."
The blind earth-bender suddenly froze.
"Something's coming..."
Aang looked weary. He knew they probably couldn't fight them, not today after all their energy have been drained out from the day before. Yet he didn;t want to leave Katara behind. But they wouldn't... they'd go and find her.
The water-tribe warrior strongly protested against leaving, but surely they had to go, for blue flames began to dart towards them.
"C'mon Sokka, let's go!"
"I say, we fight um'!"
"Not now! After all that running from them yesterday, we don't HAVE that much strength stored! Now c'mon! Once we get going away from them, the faster we go and find Katara!"
"Fine." grumbled the warrior. The three quickly scurried on Appa's saddle after gathering their supplies, and now were flying away.
Now to find Katara...
They flew everywhere. Called out her name every chance they got. Yet they weren't looking good enough.