Unexpected Arrivals

It was another normal day at the South Pole, with nothing really exciting and just the usual stuff going on. There Sokka was, sitting on the ice and sharpening his boomerang as he was thinking of what to do.

Katara walked past her brother, holding a basket she had just filled with water, and noticed that her older brother seemed bored. "What's wrong with you?"

Sokka sighed and lay down. "Nothing… I just miss the action," he said.

"You can go fishing or something," Katara suggested.

"Already done that."

"Don't you have your sword training to do?" Katara asked.

"Good idea," Sokka said, lighting up for a second. "Only, I don't have a sword, remember? My space sword fell during the war."

"So, why don't you just get another one?"

"Sword fighting isn't the same with another sword. That was the one that was really mine. It marked my identity, just like boomerang," he said, looking at his boomerang.

Katara raised her eyebrow. "Is it really that, or are you just too lazy to do anything?"

"I'm not lazy!" Sokka protested.

"Well, if you're not, and if you don't have anything to do at the moment, I have a lot of chores left for which I could use a little help," Katara said.

Sokka just looked at the sky, not responding to his sister.

Katara squeezed her eyes at her brother in annoyance. "Well go ahead, and pretend not to have heard that. You're useless," she muttered as she walked away.

"Hey!" Sokka said. "Is it just me or is that cloud there moving really fast against the wind?"

Katara turned around and looked at the thing in the sky her brother was referring to. "I don't think that is a cloud…"

"It's Appa!" Sokka shouted excitedly. "They're here!"

"But they're two weeks early," Katara remarked.

"Who cares?" Sokka asked. "The point is that we're about to have some fun again!"

Sokka waved frantically as Appa lowered to the ground and landed in front of them, and he squealed in excitement when he saw Suki getting out of Appa's saddle. "Suki!" He ran towards her and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much!"

Suki blushed as her boyfriend greeted her like that. After her, Toph and Zuko also appeared, stretching their bodies after their long flight. Momo jumped off Appa's head and went to sit on Katara's shoulder.

"Hey there, Momo," Katara greeted the Lemur while she stroked his face. Momo chirped in reply. She looked back at the others who had come on Appa.

Sokka was too busy with Suki, that he hadn't noticed the others yet, but Katara was a little surprised to see them. Especially when she realized that Aang wasn't with them.

"Hey guys! It's really great to see you all again, but why are you early? And where is Aang?" she asked. It was only then that Sokka also noticed that Aang wasn't there while everyone else was.

"You mean Aang isn't here yet?" Zuko asked.

"No, he isn't," Sokka answered.

"That's odd," Katara said, thinking about what could have happened that they all got there on Appa, but without Aang. That wasn't how they had planned to come to the South Pole. "So how did you guys get here on Appa without Aang?" the Waterbender asked again.

"Well, Appa and Momo got to our places all of a sudden and they had letters that Aang sent us," Toph said, handing her letter to Katara.

"Yeah," Suki replied. "Aang asked us to go with Appa and get to the South Pole as soon as possible. There was something he needed to talk to us about. Something important," she added.

"Well, Aang better get here soon," Zuko then said. "I had to cancel a vacation I planned with my mother to be able to get here earlier."

"And my parents weren't too pleased about sending me off this soon after I got home," Toph replied.

"I suppose he'll be here soon if it's really that urgent," Katara reassured, judging the importance of it from Toph's letter.

"I wish I had brought more clothes. It's really cold out here," Suki said, changing the topic.

"Let me take care of that for you!" Sokka said, as he put his arms around his girlfriend.

"Get a room, you two," Toph said, punching Sokka's arm.

"Ouch!" Sokka shouted, rubbing the spot where Toph punched him. "Why do you all always have to pick me to pick on?"

Katara just shook her head at her brother. "Come with me, guys. Let's get you warm inside while we wait for Aang."

"Katara?" Toph asked.

"Yes?" Katara asked in return as she turned to face Toph.

"My vision is all blurry here on the ice. Can I get a little help?" she asked.

Katara giggled. "Of course, Toph." Katara took Toph's hand and led everyone to the palace.

ooooo

"This place is even worse than the desert!" Toph exclaimed as she tried to get used to being on and surrounded by all the ice and snow. "I really don't get it how you guys can actually live here."

"It's not that bad, Toph," Katara said. "You'll get used to it."

"Easy for you to say. I can't see or bend anything here. It's getting annoying."

"Don't worry," Zuko started. "The only things you're missing out on are dead animal skins," he said as he watched Momo who was checking out the head of a dead polar bear.

They were all sitting around a fire in Katara's room, covered in blankets.

"Anyone in for more soup?" Katara asked.

"I'd like another bowl!" Sokka exclaimed, holding out his bowl.

Katara poured him some and looked at the others. "Anyone else?"

"No, thanks," Toph said as she had enough. Zuko and Suki shook their heads with a slight feeling of disgust as they watched Sokka savoring his soup. The stewed sea prunes didn't really do it for them.

"That's okay," Katara said, assuming that her friends didn't like the recipe just the way Aang hated it. "I'm going to bring some to my Dad."

The others nodded as Katara took a bowl and went out to find her father.

Katara saw her father standing on the balcony of the icy palace and climbed up to get to him. He was looking at the stars in the sky before he turned to his daughter who was approaching him. Katara smiled warmly at her father as she handed him the soup.

"Thank you, dear," Hakoda said as he took the bowl from her.

Katara turned to look at the stars as well. "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," he started. "They remind me of your mother and the times we spent together."

Katara brought her hand to her necklace as she too thought of her mother. Looking back up at the sky, she suddenly saw something familiar.

"What is that?" her father asked as he saw it too.

"Is that…?" Katara started as she wondered what it was that she saw in the dark sky, but then realized what, or rather who it was exactly. "It's Aang!" she revealed excitedly. Her father also recognized the young Avatar as he flew closer.

Aang recognized Katara and her father as he was flying towards the Water Palace of the South Pole using his glider. He had been flying for hours and was exhausted. The books he was carrying in his bag didn't make it easier for him. But he was glad he finally got there. And he was glad to see Katara again.

As he landed on the balcony, he noticed Katara running towards him. She pulled him in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again, Aang!"

She blushed slightly as they parted from the hug. Aang smiled at her and then turned to her father.

"Welcome to the South Pole, Aang," Hakoda welcomed him.

"Thank you, sir," Aang said, greeting Katara's father.

"Come, Aang. The others have arrived here already. We have all been waiting for you," Katara said.

Aang nodded. He followed Katara downstairs and to her room where the others were waiting.

ooooo

"Guys, look who's here!" Katara exclaimed when she and her boyfriend got back to her room.

"Twinkle Toes?" Toph guessed.

"Aang!" Sokka shouted.

"It is you!" Toph exclaimed.

Sokka got up and hugged his friend. Zuko and Toph did the same.

"It's good to see you all again," Aang said, smiling at his friends. Momo climbed up and sat on his shoulder. "Hey there, buddy," Aang started, patting Momo's back. "I'm proud of you. I hope you and Appa have been good to each other."

Momo started to chirp and make sounds, as if trying to tell Aang what their trip had been like.

"So, what was so important that you called us all here?" Suki then asked.

"You will never believe what I saw and what I discovered." Aang fell silent for a second as he thought about it.

"What is it, sweetie?" Katara asked, as she gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I'm really tired. Let's all get some sleep and I'll explain everything in the morning."

With that, Aang lay down and fell asleep instantly as he was exhausted. Katara took some blankets and covered Aang with them. He was so tired that he hadn't even bothered to cover himself warmly, or even to get something to eat.

The others looked at each other, somewhat concerned. Sokka noticed some books and maps in Aang's bag and reached for them.

"Sokka!" Katara called in a whispering, but pointed voice, indicating to him not to touch Aang's stuff. "Just wait until tomorrow. Go to sleep," she whispered.

With that, everyone went to sleep.

ooooo

To be continued…