A/N: And so the adventure continues...


The old man ran his wrinkled, calloused hands over Appa's wide brow. Stroking the bison's curved horn, he marveled at sight he beheld. Appa moaned, uncomfortable in the confined space of the cavern. Sniffing at the old man's dusty garments, Appa snorted and lifted his wide tail, thumping the floor of the cave. Dust fell in showers from the ceiling, covering the bison with a thin layer of dirt.

A rumble of weak but lighthearted laughter echoed through the cavern, and the old man coughed. Appa, shaking himself off, detected something familiar in the old man's voice and dipped his great head, allowing the man to scratch behind his ears.

"What do you make of him, Father?" Akiko stepped out of the shadows and into the light filtering in from the magma holes in the ceiling of the cavern, but kept a cautious distance from the enormous beast.

The old man sighed, but Akiko detected the sparkle of wonder in his cloudy blue eyes. "You are too young to remember the Sky Bison," he replied in a somber voice that was wheezy and cracked with age. "They once were the center of all our lives…our culture. They taught our ancestors to bend the wind."

"If that is true," Akiko responded, her dark eyes flashing, "Where are they today? Why have they abandoned us? How did these Fire Nation children come into the possession of this one?"

"Where have you taken his saddle?" the old man asked, patting the bison's shoulder.

Akiko felt a spike of irritation as his attention lapsed and he avoided her questions, but she answered his anyway.

"We've taken it to the Upper Chamber for examination. We can't determine its origin. It's unlike any Fire Nation device we've seen. But we've confirmed its contents. There are maps of the Fire Nation and a curious plan written out. Our scholars are analyzing them now."

"There are other birds outside the nest, Akiko," the old man observed wisely. "Show me to the Chamber. I can assist our scholars. Meanwhile," he added, rubbing Appa's furry arrow, "Get someone to feed our esteemed guest. If my memory serves me well, they very much enjoy a good watermelon."

"Yes, Father," Akiko obliged respectfully, taking the old man's arm and leading him toward the cavern's exit.

When Appa groaned in protest at the old airbender's departure, Akiko frowned nervously.

"He will be well looked after."


"Can you see anything?"

"Ugh, get off me, Snoozles!"

"I'm not on you!"

"You elbow is sticking in my ribs!"

"I'm not on you!"

"MOVE!"

A solid rap sounded from the front of the cave as one of the guards struck the bars with the butt of his staff. "Hey! Prisoners! Be quiet in there!"

Sokka and Toph stopped struggling, and the water tribesman called out to the man indignantly. "This is a small cave! Excuse me for being a bit uncomfortable!"

The guard glared murderously, and Toph's sightless eyes narrowed as she picked up on his irritation. "Sokka, you idiot…" she hissed, "Don't provoke them."

Katara sat on her knees a foot away, overseeing the entire ordeal with a disapproving gaze, her hands on her hips. She glanced worriedly toward their cell's entrance. "I hope Aang's all right."

"He's probably starved to death…I know I am," Sokka muttered, clutching his stomach as it protested loudly, the noise reverberating off the walls of the cell. "Appa's saddle had all of our food!"

Katara glowered at her brother, and Toph punched his arm with as much force as she could muster, slamming him sideways onto the floor of the cave. He sat up groaning and whimpering, demanding a motive from the earthbender. Toph only scowled.

Placing a restraining hand on the earthbender's shoulder, Katara stared disapprovingly at Sokka. "Calm down, both of you. We're not getting anywhere like this." She took a moment to gather her thoughts, and then shifted gears. Gesturing toward the ground, she said, "All right. So we know that there is one exit on ground level, and there are natural gaps in the mountainside up high. So, do you think that those holes are exits?"

"They must be," Sokka concluded. "What once were magma paths for the molten rock are now exits for the airbenders. It probably isn't hard for them to just hop up the cliff face and pop through one of the holes to the outside. No wonder they've been able to keep this place so protected. No one can find their headquarters. I wouldn't be surprised if they disguised those entrances too."

"So," Toph interceded, "How does this help us? We're not on their side as of yet."

"True," Katara agreed. "As of right now, we have to decide what we're going to say to this 'council'."

"I think telling the truth is our best bet," Sokka offered. "They're obviously against the Fire Nation, so we've got nothing to lose. If we just—"

"You in there!"

The warrior hushed himself, and the huddled trio turned their faces toward the bars of their confinement.

A man stood there, dressed in the typical green that marked every windthrower. In a loud, commanding voice, he introduced himself. "I am Souta, Defense Coordinator of our island. Come forth to the mouth of the cave!"

Wordlessly, they obeyed.

Shuffling forward to avoid striking his head on the low ceiling, Sokka observed the scene with narrowed eyes. One guard threw open the latch of the bamboo gate, and the other grasped the bars and pulled it open. Then, the first guard entered their cell and proceeded to tie each of their hands together with a long length of thick twine. Sokka glared defiantly at the guard as he held out his hands to be tied.

The guard stared coldly back, and when he finished with Toph and Katara, secured the end of the line to his own wrist. Then, he led them out of the cell and onto the narrow ledge that overlooked the main cavern. Marching forward at a brisk pace, the guard led his charges in a single-file line down a narrow stairwell that led from the ledge to the floor of the large gathering place. The second guard swung their cell door closed once more, and took up a place just behind Katara, who was the last to step onto the thin pathway. She hesitated, unsure of the new footing. The second guard grasped the waterbender's shoulder and shoved her forward, forcefully but not cruelly.

She stumbled into Toph, and the earthbender was forced to brace back against the waterbender to prevent them both from falling. Righting herself, Katara regained her balance and inched fearfully away from the edge, where the path dropped away dizzyingly.

"Thanks," the waterbender murmured shakily, and Toph tipped her head in silent acknowledgment.

"So," Sokka nudged the guard in front of him with an elbow. "Where are you taking us?"

The guard shot him an icy glare, but said nothing.

Sokka's eyes narrowed. He didn't like being ignored. "Look here, you—"

A loud voice interrupted him from behind. Sokka recognized it as Souta's.

"You will stand trial in the Judgment Cave."

"The Judgment Cave?" Toph echoed.

The Defense Coordinator went on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "You will give your story, and if the Elders deem it true, you will be released. If they deem it false, you will be executed."

"Oh happy day," Sokka muttered darkly.


Aang was half-asleep again when he heard the scrape of bamboo against stone as his cell door was pushed aside. Blinking, his eyes had just begun to focus when someone lifted him forcefully and dragged him by his vest collar out of his unaccommodating prison.

Looking to Gorou for an explanation, Aang struggled in the unyielding grip of his oppressor.

Gorou latched the bamboo door shut and turned to face them.

"Akira," Gorou spoke out disapprovingly to his clan mate. "Loosen your grip. He won't run."

Twisting around, Aang caught a glimpse of the man who held him fast by his tunic. He was young, even more so than Gorou. He looked to be still in his teens. There was a fierce glint in his brown eyes that spoke of a hardened core. Aang could tell he was used to dealing with manipulative Fire Nations soldiers. Akira frowned, and his expression hardened, but he complied with his superior's wishes without complaint.

As the pressure from Akira's hand on the back of his neck lifted, Aang smiled gratefully toward Gorou, and the man inclined his head respectfully. Motioning for Akira to move forward, the guard took a long piece of what looked like a vine stripped of its foliage and tied Aang's hands. Then, Gorou took a strip of cloth and blindfolded him. "Just a formality," he murmured, but Aang knew it wasn't.

"You'll have to carry him," Gorou spoke with authority, and Akira nodded.

But when the teen stooped to pick Aang up, the airbender sidestepped. "I can do it."

"But," Gorou protested, "The path is too steep; the footing too slippery. You cannot do it blindfolded."

"I can," Aang countered simply. To prove himself, he turned and walked straight toward the narrow path. Akira held the end of the vine that secured his hands, and followed closely behind. Gorou fell into step beside him.

"If he falls," Akira remarked coldly, motioning to the rope he held in his hand, "I will not jeopardize my life by holding onto this."

Before Gorou had a chance to respond with a reprimand, Aang laughed. Both windthrowers turned to stare at the peculiar boy as he strode confidently down the path ahead of them. "You're an airbender," Aang said, turning around to face them. "Just as I am. It is a long way down, but we are just as safe as we would be on the ground."

They continued on in silence for a minute, until Gorou ventured a question. "So, how is it that you are able to maneuver so easily down this path…blindfolded as you are?"

Aang chuckled. "Well, that has nothing to do with airbending at all."

Akira's eyes narrowed irritably. "Then what does it have to do with?"

"Earthbending," Aang replied amicably.

Akira snorted. "I haven't ever heard of such abilities."

"I have," Gorou intervened.

"But," Akira corrected, "The ability to control more than one element? The very idea goes against all we know to be true. It is a myth."

Aang shrugged. "It's no more a myth than airbending…or any other bending discipline, for that matter."

Akira lapsed into a sulky silence, but Gorou was intrigued. "So, you claim to have this ability? You can control more than one element?"
Aang was all too happy to confirm. "Earth, water, and air!"

Akira scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Gorou ignored him, and spoke to Aang with poorly disguised surprise in his voice. "That's…interesting."

"I could show you some moves, if you'd li…eck!" Aang gasped as the vine that secured his hands was jerked roughly.

Akira wound the end of the vine rope once more around his wrist and halted their procession. "Enough banter. Gorou, with all due respect, you should know better than to get affiliated with the prisoners. He's told enough lies as it is. And isn't he supposed to be gagged?"

"You're right," Gorou admitted regretfully, and reluctantly took another strip of cloth from his belt and tied it around the airbender's jaw and through his mouth.

"Good then," Akira nodded approvingly after inspecting Gorou's job, and gave the vine a shake to indicate it was time to move forward.

His spirits deflated, Aang plodded on.