Katara pulled her pack up onto her back. She had to get out of the village. She had to disappear before he saw her, before he . . .

"Katara?" Crap. Katara turned around and seen Aang looking at her in confusion. He started to say something but stopped. He just took her hand and placed something in it he held her hand for a moment and curled her fingers around the object. He looked up at her with moist eyes.

"I hope that you find what you are looking for." Katara opened her hand and looked down at her palm. Inside was a whistle, a whistle in the shape of a bison. She frowned and looked back at Aang.

"Aang . . . I can't take this."Aang shook his head and gave her his trademark grin.

"No it's okay. I got another one . . . "

"But . . . "

"No buts from you. But I have one. You have to whistle if you are in any trouble, or if you need us at all." Katara bit her bottom lip and looked up at Aang with warm eyes.

"Aang." But his face changed. Suddenly it went hard, and cold.

"I don't agree with what Sokka tried to do. And I don't agree that you should leave. But I do think that it is better if Zuko is away from you for a while. You aren't the same person, you are wrapped up in him and the baby and you . . . "

"Aang. Stop. I know what you are trying to say, but you don't understand. I love him and Riyo. I have to make sure they are safe. They need me."

"But you don't need them, Katara!"

"How would you know?" Aang's mouth fell slack, then clamped shut. He turned and started to walk away from her.

"I know more then you give me credit for." And that was it. He was gone. Katara snorted and with a flare she was out the gate.

Zuko grumbled as his uncle pestered him. Go back this, Apologize that, forgive and forget. Bah! All rubbish. He did have to hand it to the man. He had plenty of experience. But this was a completely different situation.

"Listen to me Zuko. You are walking away from the greatest treasure you will ever know. You will regret this for the rest of your life."

"I know what I am doing. It's for the best."

"For you? I don't agree, but what about Prince Riyo." Zuko stopped in his tracks and shot a glare at his uncle.

"Never call him that."

"It is what he is, just as it is what you are. You are being very selfish. You need to think that Riyo needs a mother."

"She isn't his mother." Iroh frowned at Zuko and folded his arms over his chest.

"You were the one that gave her the title and now you take it away. Don't do things and make drastic decisions when you are angry, bad things will become of that." Zuko shook his head. Dammit. The old wind-box was right. Like he usually was. Zuko rolled his eyes and turned around to look at his uncle. But Iroh wasn't fazed. His eyes were stern and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"That baby needs her. Whether you admit it or not, you do, too. Now turn around and go back." Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Go!" Iroh growled. Zuko snorted and turned around walking back the way he came. He looked down at Riyo who, even though he was entirely too young, seemed to have that 'haha' look on his face. Zuko smiled a little. Riyo did need a mother. And he guessed she would have to do. After all she had kept both of them alive this far. Riyo giggled and cooed. With a pudgy hand Riyo reached up and grabbed at his father's collar. Zuko smiled and gently pulled his son's hand loose and set it back on his chest.

"Yes. Yes I know little man. You want your mommy." As if by instinct Riyo let out a joyful squeal. Zuko was beginning to think he was going crazy. He was actually starting to understand his son's noises.

Katara huffed as she walked down the path. She sure would have loved to know just exactly which way he went. Or at least where he was headed. She had looked all over for Iroh but one of the merchants told her that he had accompanied the younger man out the village. She scanned the ground looking for foot prints or any real sign that someone had passed. The problem was, there were thousands of foot prints. Animal, small, large, fat, long. All different types. If only she had paid more attention to his feet.

Katara smiled to her self for a moment. She thought for a moment as she walked. She couldn't even remember ever even seeing his feet. As she walked, she shook her head. She hoped that she was headed in the right direction. She had to catch up to them by the time the sun went down. Surely Zuko wouldn't keep going after the sun set and it got cold. He had better sense then that. She stopped. Wait. She had better sense then that. He would be mad for a little bit and then he would turn around and go back to the village. She bit her lip. She hoped. She turned and looked back down the path she had just walked. She was foolish. She should have stayed and waited for him to come back. She sighed and turned around. Maybe Sokka was right. Maybe Zuko was starting to rub off on her a little.

Aang crossed his arms over his chest.

"You have really done it now, Sokka." Sokka huffed and continued to eat his leg of some sort of bird. Aang shook his head.

"You told her to go, and she went. What are we going to do? We lost her once." Sokka shook his head and swallowed his mouthful of masticated animal.

"No we lost her to him. He stole her to begin with. We never got her back. We lost her permanently." Aang shook his head and sat down hard on the floor.

"I don't see it that way. And you shouldn't either. She's your sister."

"She betrayed our family."

"She may be the key to bringing down the fire nation." Sokka shook his head.

"You know as well as I do that isn't true. You are the only one that will be able to defeat the fire nation." Aang frowned and patted Momo on the head as he curled up in his lap.

"You still shouldn't treat your sister that way. She didn't deserve it." Sokka sighed and threw his leg of animal down.

"Look. She needs to grow up and realize that fantasies are just that. This whole bad guy gone good act is just a fairy tale. But with this guy there is no happy ending. He will only hurt her. He is probably just using her to get to you." Aang frowned.

"She is a lot smarter then you give her credit for. And you should know that. She would know if he was using her."

"Why are you defending her? She betrayed you, too."

"Sokka..."

"No. I am tired of shutting up and no one ever listening to me. She played you like you were a puppet on strings. She toyed with your emotions. She made you think that she had the same feelings for you that you have for her. She never once felt any thing for you. And you know that as well as I do."

Aang's eyes glowed for a moment, then faded away.

"How do you know what she feels? You never took the time to ask her?"

"Well neither did you!"

"Sokka that is enough." Both the boys took notice of a new presence in the room. Sokka turned to look over his shoulder and seen Haru standing there his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You sit here and talk about her like she is still in the village. Sokka, whether you like it or not at the moment, you are still her brother. You are supposed to protect her, not make it where she places her self in danger. Aang, you are her friend. She loves you as one. I can see it when she looks at you. You should have kept her from leaving, or at least stalled her until that prince of hers made up his mind to come back. Both of you were the main men in her life and now you turn your backs on her because she has found someone new. She stills needs you two. She needs you both now more then ever. She is facing things the likes of you two will never know. Don't you think that she realizes what kind of betrayal to her family this must have looked like? Katara is a strong girl. She wouldn't have fallen for this man if she could have kept from it. Obviously she sees something in him that he hasn't realized himself that he has. I think you two should do the growing up and try to see what she sees." Haru frowned and cocked an eyebrow waiting for a response. He didn't get one and that pleased him.

"I can tell that you men are thinking over what I have said, I will leave you to your thoughts." Haru walked out of the house and stopped. He smiled. It was rather good for his first major scolding. He watched the village mill about. He frowned when he noticed that the old man and the prince were walking back through the gates, of course with the little one held close. But Haru's eyes narrowed as he waited for Katara to come behind them, around the gate posts. She didn't show. His eyes darted to the western horizon, the sun was already sinking low in the sky. He frowned. There were many dangers that riddled the forests of the Earth Kingdom. Many which Katara could never imagine.

Haru frowned and walked briskly over to Zuko.

"Katara? Where is she?" Zuko's eyes narrowed as he stared into the deep green eyes of the village chief.

"We left her here."

"She went after you." Haru growled.

"She's a big girl she can find her way back." Zuko hissed back and pushed passed Haru. Haru growled and grabbed the man's arm.

"Listen here, Mr. High and Mighty. There are dangerous things in the woods that come out at night."

"I said she would be fine." Zuko growled through clenched teeth and ripped his arm from Haru's hand.

"There are Earth Bender renegades in the woods."

"She can hold her own!"

"Listen to me you arrogant little worm! These renegades are like no others we have ever encountered. Look around our village. Why do you think that we have fences that are taller then houses that run the entire length of the village." Zuko straighten his back and glared at the chief.

"Because you are weak and insignificant and wouldn't be able to fight them off?" Zuko sneered.

"No. Because they are cannibals. The use there bending as ways of hunting." Zuko's eyes widened.

"Where is the nearest water?"

"Only water that is open air is the river that melts into the ocean and it's closest peak is three or four miles south of here."

"Where do these man-eaters post?"

"There are directly to the north. We have never found there exact encampment but we know that they are the most concentrated north of here." Iroh frowned.

"How do you know where they are concentrated?" Haru paled and shook his head.

"That is where most of the attacks occur. And where we have found their...waste piles."

"Waste...?" Iroh cringed as his nephew questioned the term. He had encountered cannibals in the army and knew very well what the chief meant. Zuko was protected from the darker horrors of war. But one cannot be protected forever.