Aang was sitting on a bunk, in a cell, on a Fire Nation ship. This was bad. He'd known something like this would happen! Now he and Zuko were in a cell and were gonna spend the rest of their lives in a Fire Nation jail and it was all his fault for finding Sokka in the first place!
"Hey," Zuko said, nudging Aang with his elbow. "It's not your fault."
"Yes it is," Aang mumbled miserably. He knew Zuko was just trying to cheer him up, but look at where they were! Not a very cheerful situation.
Ducking away from his brother, Aang flopped down on the other bunk and buried his face in the pillow. Squeezing his eyes shut, Aang tried to keep the tears from coming. He felt Zuko's familiar presence settling in beside him, and his warm hand resting on his back.
"It's pretty terrifying, isn't it?" Zuko said quietly. "But we're alive, and for now at least we're together."
Yeah, but for how much longer? The firebender girl seemed to think Sokka would come back for them, and maybe he would, maybe he'd even manage to pull off a rescue. But, what if he didn't?
Aang sat up, leaning against Zuko. "I just want to go home," he said softly. When raids rarely happened, and everyone was there, and safe. Back before Mom left and- maybe even Dad was still alive.
"Me too," Zuko admitted. "Mom left me in charge of protecting the village, and now. . ." he fell silent, staring at the wall.
"I'm sorry I got us captured," Aang murmured. "I didn't mean to call attention to us."
"It wasn't your fault," Zuko repeated. "You didn't do anything, she just picked on you for some reason."
Aang shifted and ducked his head. "I figured it out. When she asked about the Avatar, it clicked. And then she pointed at me and asked me what I knew," he said slowly. "And she said she knew I was lying, later."
"What are you trying to say?" Zuko asked, his voice stiff.
"You don't think she can read minds, do you?" Aang blurted, staring up at Zuko with wide eyes.
"Don't be silly, that's not possible," Zuko dismissed. "You've been listening to Auntie Karra's stories too much," he scolded, frowning at Aang.
"How else do you explain it?" Aang exploded, jerking to his feet and throwing his hands in the air. "She's blind, how does she do it without being some sort of spirit?"
"First of all, spirit's can't look human," Zuko said calmly.
"The Avatar does," Aang pointed out mulishly.
"The Avatar is the bridge between the spirits and humans, he doesn't count," Zuko countered. "Second, she probably just figured out some way to get around despite being blind. Grandpa did," he reminded his younger brother.
"Not to that degree," Aang sighed, sinking back down beside Zuko. "She fought you, Zuko. And won."
"I'm not saying she's not scary," Zuko said softly, "just that she's not some sort of mind-reading spirit."
Aang let out a gusty sigh, leaning back against the wall. "I guess I was being kinda dumb," he admitted.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Zuko teased, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"Hey!" Aang protested, snatching up his pillow. "I wasn't the one to thought it was a good idea to try and get the fishhook in my thumb out with another one!" he protested, smacking Zuko with the pillow.
Snatching the pillow away and tossing it across the small cell, Zuko grabbed ahold of Aang and flopped down, pinning the younger boy to the bunk. "And who was it that couldn't figure out how to say my name till he was six?" he asked, resting his chin on top of Aang's head.
"Zuuuuuko," Aang whined, struggling to get free.
"Yep, that's right, that's how you say it," Zuko said, easily keeping Aang trapped with his larger frame.
Aang rolled his eyes and gave up, a grin threatening to split his face. They may be in trouble, but as long as they were together, then Aang couldn't give up hope.
The sun peered down at Sokka like some sort sort of overly-curious neighbor watching him sleep. Sokka groaned, flopping to the side and throwing his arm over his face. The welcome embrace of his dear friend, sleep, awaited.
Then a wet, sticky and warm piece of flesh dragged over his head. "Aaaargh! Appa!" Sokka shrieked, shooting upright. Wiping the bison spit out of his eyes, he glared at the giant creature. "I was trying to sleep," he whined. Now he was sticky and covered in sand. Which mean he needed to take a bath. In the ocean waters close to the South Pole.
"You really know how to show you care, don't you buddy?" Sokka drawled, propping his hand on his chin. Appa roared and licked him again.
Defeated, Sokka reluctantly got to his feet. "Here goes nothing," he said, leaning his staff against a nearby rock. With that, he charged into the water. It was freezing! Sokka stayed in only long enough to completely submerge before charging out of the water and back up onto the beach, chanting "Cold, cold, cold, cold," the whole way.
As Sokka stood on the beach, shivering violently, Appa gave a low rumble. "Oh you think this is funny? Well what about this!" Sokka cried, forming an airbubble and blowing the water away. Most of it landed on Appa, not that Sokka was trying to do that or anything.
However Appa didnt' seem to get that, letting out a low 'rrrrrrrrrrr' and approaching Sokka with his tongue out. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! No need for anymore baths okay buddy?" Sokka babbled, backing away with his hands out. "Let's go ahead and get going, all right?" he cajoled.
Appa paused, and Sokka decided to take the opportunity to quickly gather his things and jump up in his bison's saddle. "There, all done, time to go now, yip yip!" Sokka chattered, breezing up to Appa's head. It seemed to be good enough for the bison, because with a dull roar Appa took flight.
They flew in silence for a few minutes, Sokka sprawling out on his perch, before he broke the silence. "You know, this is kinda fun. Just you and me and the open sky," he reflected, scratching at the base of Appa's horn. "No annoying Air Nomads or Water Tribesman to ask stupid questions, or boss me around, or ask me what's for dinner. . ."
"I'm so lonely," he complained, rolling over to stare at the sky. "But that's okay! Not too much longer and we'll meet up with our people! You'll like that, won't you buddy?" Appa huffed and Sokka laughed. "Yeah, that's right. Then there will be plenty of talking and questions and food."
Sokka's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Looks like he shouldn't wait till then. "You keep going, buddy. I'm gonna go see if we've got any snacks."
As Appa rumbled in agreement, Sokka let himself float upwards, reaching down and snagging the edge of the saddle as it passed under him and brought himself back down. "Now, what have we here?" he said aloud, grabbing the snackchel- ooohh, neat word, he'd have to remember that one!- and opening it up.
The first thing he found was some sort of dry, brown strips of . . . he had no idea. Sokka sniffed it, urgh, smelled weird too. Maybe it was some sort of kindling? They didn't have wood up there, so they had to burn something, right?
Well, one way to find out. Sokka ate it.
This was definitely not kindling. It was way too delicious! Sokka promptly stuffed the whole strip in his mouth. Then a couple more, just for good measure. "Mmf, dis's good!" he exclaimed around his mouthful of tasty, but kinda chewy, treats. Really chewy, actually. Maybe shoving a whole handful in his mouth at once hadn't been such a good idea.
Finally, he managed to get it all in his stomach. Grabbing one more, Sokka breezed up to dangle some down by Appa's nose. "You wanna try some?" he offered.
Appa jolted to a stop, shaking his head and growling. Well he didn't have to be so rude about it.
"More for me then," Sokka huffed, settling back on Appa's head and biting into his whatever-it-was. Tying the bag containing the chewy treats to his belt, Sokka flopped back onto Appa's head.
As he watched the mountains begin to take on a familiar shape, Sokka began to think. "Do you think the temple's changed a lot?" Sokka wondered, staring at the thickening cloud cover. Appa gave a low whine, slowing down slightly as they entered the fog. Entered the unknown.
Sokka found himself leaning forwards, trying to peer through the fog. Gradually a shape began to form, becoming more and more distinct. The Southern Air Temple. He was home.
It was a small port, some distance from the front but not quite close to the islands or the colonies. Only a few ships were stationed there permanently, with most of the ships being there to resupply, take a night or two of shore leave, and go. Not a very glorious posting.
Commander Yue liked it. It was a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of the front lines, and allowed her to support her nation in a vital but overlooked capacity. This was her command, and she ran it to the best of her ability. She could say with pride it was one of the most orderly supply stops in the Fire Nation.
After serving thirty years in the Fire Navy, passing up any opportunity to have a family, watching her once-dark hair begin to grey, Yue was glad for the chance to rest. Yet when the infamous Princess Toph and General Bumi dropped by, Yue had to go see what had brought them to her little hole in the wall.
As Yue approached, she noted that the Princess was saying something to her uncle, and how she ceased once Yue was within earshot. Yue was curious, what did the girl have to hide? It was none of her business however. The General and the Princess were far above Yue in rank.
"Greetings General Bumi, Princess Toph," Yue said politely, giving a respectful bow.
"Fancy seeing you here, Captain!" the general exclaimed with a broad grin. "How goes the captaining?" he asked, letting out a brief cackle.
"I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else," Yue said once he'd finished. "I've been promoted to Commander now," she continued, allowing a note of pride to enter her voice.
"Commander Yue," the General said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Now that's got a nice ring to it!" he declared, winking and giving her two thumbs up.
"Yeah, yeah, congratulations or whatever," the Princess said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We need to get our ship stocked up. I want to be ready to leave as soon as possible."
The General met Yue's eyes and gave an exasperated eye roll. Yue fought to keep from snickering, but couldn't completely keep the grin suppressed. "My men are yours to command," she deferred smoothly.
"And while they're taking care of that, you should come have tea with us!" the General said brightly.
"Uncle!" the young princess cried. Yue frowned at the disrespect, she had no right to speak to her elder that way. "My apologies," the princess said through gritted teeth, "but we will not be able to have you over for tea."
"Oh, nonsense," the General tutted, flapping his hand at her. "Why don't you go boss your men around while Yue and I catch up. Us old people do like our gossip you know," he chattered, beaming at Yue.
"If the princess-" Yue started to say.
"It's not good for the princess to get her way all the time," Bumi interrupted. "Now come along," he said, ushering her up the ramp.
Yue allowed herself to be steered, glancing over he shoulder to see the princess bark orders at the nearest crewman before falling in behind them. Something about the whole situation niggled at her, but she put it aside. Listening to Bumi chatter about how absolutely dull and useless the trip to the South Pole had been, Yue did her best to ignore the sulking princess behind her. She wouldn't stick her nose into royal business, and they would surely mention it if it was anything important to the security of their nation.
Before Appa's feet had even hit the ground, Sokka had jumped down and was headed for the temple. "Hey, everyone! The Avatar has returned!" he shouted.
The only reply was the echoes of his own voice. "Guys? It's just me, Sokka, the Avatar!" he called again. Still no response.
"Where do you think they went?" Sokka asked Appa, looking over his shoulder -and not finding him there. "Appa?" he asked, turning around. The bison was still where he had landed. "What are you doing over there? C'mon, help me look."
Lowing, Appa shook his head and took a step backwards. Sokka huffed, planting his hands on his hips. "Don't be such a chicken-cat and get over here!" he scolded. Appa snorted and refused to move.
"Okay fine, be that way," Sokka griped, throwing his hands in the air. "I'll just explore by myself. Alone. With no fluffy friend beside me," he continued, turning away and slowly edging away.
When Appa refused to move, Sokka scowled and marched towards the airball court. Fine, he'd find them by himself!
The airball court had always been one of Sokka's favorite places. The fact he was an amazing airball player had, well, a lot to do with it if he was honest. Someone was always there, playing with their friends or just hanging out after a game. Except . . . for now.
Now there was nothing but a dead stillness. Weeds sprouted up wherever there was a crack in the stone floor- and there were a lot of cracks. Snow that should have been cleared away covered everything. But the absolute worst part had to be the silence. The only sounds were the echos of Sokka's own footsteps as he wandered around the courtyard. No laughter, no shouts, no roaring bison. Everything was quiet.
. . . They must all be inside. The world thought they were all dead, so they must have hidden when Sokka showed up. Well, he'd just have to go in and show them he was an Air Nomad too!
"All right guys, I'm coming in," Sokka called, heading for the temple. The temple that had once seemed so warm and inviting, now loomed above him, coldly imposing. Which, was nonsense! It was just the temple! Sokka's overactive imagination was getting the better of him again!
Still, Sokka felt a knot of dread settling into his stomach as he pushed open the doors of his former home.
What under Agni's Great Eye possessed Uncle Bumi to think that inviting her onboard was a good idea?! Commander Yue was smart and observant, two things she didn't need hanging around her Avatar-bait! This was her hunt, and she wasn't going to let some Commander screw it up!
Bumi didn't seem to get that though, chattering away with Yue as he poured her another cup of tea. "And then Sparky set it on fire!" he finished, cackling. Yue laughed as well, not a polite one, oh no. That was a genuine giggle, even if it was restrained.
And what was so funny about Toph setting things on fire anyway!?
"It sounds like you two are having quite the adventure," Yue said, turning towards Toph. Trying to draw her into the conversation, huh? No thanks. Toph just scowled irritably and slumped even further in her seat. She was here to keep her uncle from blabbing about something he shouldn't, not to socialize.
Maybe a reminder of that would be in order. Toph focused in on Yue's teacup, the gentle warmth of the tea ever-so-slightly fading into the air. Not if Toph had anything to say about it. Leaning forwards slightly, Toph concentrated, forcing the tea to get hotter and hotter. There! If the Commander tried to drink that now, she'd burn her tongue.
While Toph had been doing that, Bumi had been talking about their recent trip to the South Pole. Toph ignored it, until-
"-brought a couple souvenirs back with us," Bumi whispered conspiratorially.
Had he just? He had! "Uncle!" Toph cried, sitting bolt upright. He was about to blow the whole thing! This is why she didn't want Yue on board in the first place!
"Oh, right, Sparky wants to keep that a secret," Bumi remarked. "Whoops," he said with a small shrug.
That was it, Toph was cutting this off now. "Get off my ship," she growled at Yue. "We are leaving! Now!"
"Now now Sparky, don't be so rude," Bumi chided. "We haven't even gotten to the tour yet!"
Tour? Tour?! "There isn't going to be a tour!" Toph shouted. "I'm not going to loose the Avatar just because you wanted to have a tea party!" she screamed, gripping the table and heaving it to its side.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" Yue's voice rang out in surprise and pain. What? What happened?
"That is quite enough of that Toph!" Bumi snapped. Toph froze. He- he snapped at her. He called her Toph. Uncle never did that. "Let me see," he murmured gently to the commander, taking her hand.
"Uncle?" Toph questioned. Oh, why couldn't she keep the quiver out of her voice?
"Some hot tea spilled on Commander Yue's hand," Bumi informed her, oddly serious. "It's burned. I wonder, how did it get to be so hot?" he mused. But he knew. He knew and Toph knew, it was all her fault.
"Uncle I-" Toph started to say.
"Now then Commander," Bumi remarked, completely ignoring Toph. "Let's get you down to the medical bay." His voice sounded normal, like nothing had happened, but Toph knew better. She could read his anger in every pound of his heart.
"There's no need," the commander protested. "I can-"
"Oh nonsense," Bumi interrupted, chivying her out the door. "Our doctor will have you good as new in no time."
They walked out the door. Standing in the middle of in the wreckage she caused, Toph felt utterly helpless. She hated it. "Wait!" she cried, following the two out the door.
What was she going to do? Toph had no idea. She just knew she had to fix it. Somehow.
Aang was going to do something, Zuko just knew it. He'd been pacing up and down the cell, mouthing something to himself. He'd done it twice each way before taking a look at Zuko's face and meekly sitting back down on his bunk. That had been a minute ago, and he was already looking bored again.
On the one hand, Zuko was glad his brother was so easy to keep in good spirits. On the other hand, couldn't Aang try to keep in mind they were in a Fire Nation prison cell? The people that had almost completely wiped out their village, and had succeeded in eliminating their waterbenders, except for the a certain twelve-year-old.
Or maybe Zuko should learn to lighten up a little; they were being left alone. For now anyway.
Aang was staring at their cell door. Oh no. "Don't," Zuko growled, scowling fiercely.
"What? I wasn't even doing anything!" Aang protested indignantly.
"You were thinking, and that's bad enough," Zuko countered. "Next thing you know you'd have some sort of half-thought hair-brained scheme thought up and be roping me into whatever it is," he grumbled, lying down on the bunk.
There was no response. Sitting up, Zuko looked over to check on his brother. Shoulders hunched, clutching his arms, turned away from Zuko. Great, he'd upset the kid.
"I didn't mean it, Aang," Zuko admitted. "I'm just stressed and taking it out on you, I'm sorry."
"I'm not that bad," Aang retorted, not moving.
"No, you're not," Zuko agreed. "Most of the time your ideas are pretty fun. Remember when we snuck that penguin into Rashi's hut?" Remembering that incident put a smile on Zuko's face.
"That was pretty funny," Aang agreed, glancing over at Zuko.
"He walked in and the penguin went nuts," Zuko reminded. "Kept tripping over everything before he managed to get out. The hut was a wreck afterwards."
"And we had to clean it up," Aang complained, collapsing on the bunk beside his brother.
Success! Zuko had soothed his brother's hurt feelings. "It was worth it," Zuko replied. "Rashi finally started bathing after that." Just the memory of the smell pulled Zuko's face into a grimace.
"Is that why we did it? I forgot about that part," Aang hummed thoughtfully.
Crisis averted, Zuko ruffled his brother's hair and lapsed into silence. He should think of something to keep Aang occupied though, otherwise-
"I got an idea!" Aang burst out, eyes wide and sparkling.
Otherwise this would happen.
"What's your idea?" Zuko asked warily. When Aang told him, all he could do was stare in stunned disbelief.
"Aw, c'mon Zuko," Aang whined, sticking out his bottom lip and giving him the biggest polar-puppy eyes and- no, this was a bad idea, he should not go along with it.
"Fine," Zuko grit out.
"Yay!" Aang cheered. And began to sing the most obnoxious, repetitive song in the entire South Pole. "Ninety-nine polar-dog furs on the wall, ninety-nine polar-dog furs!"
A beat later, and Zuko joined it. "Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight polar dog furs on the wall."
A little something known as common sense told Zuko any plan based on annoying the Fire Nation into doing something would not end well. But Zuko never could say no to the polar-puppy eyes.
"Hello?" Sokka's voice echoed eerily in the dead air. The still, unmoving, stale air. In an Air Nomad temple.
Nope, that was fine, it was a hundred years after all, maybe- maybe his people just didn't bend indoors anymore! Sokka could see why, there had been a number of times where Monk Pasang had told him to 'go outside, Sokka!' He'd just been a kid, and it wasn't like he'd hurt anyone flying around the halls. Just himself when he lost focus and crashed into the wall. Appa, the traitor, had thought that was hilarious.
Didn't change how creepy this place was. With a shudder, Sokka stepped outside of the hallway and into a courtyard, full of . . . snow. And ice. And a statue of his teacher!
"Monk Piandao!" Sokka cried with a grin, running up to the statue. Smiling, he remembered the last time he'd seen his old friend.
"Again," his teacher had said. Obediently, Sokka had run through the kata once more. It was long and difficult form, requiring an intense concentration to remain light and flowing while still keeping the power hidden in the motions.
"Excellent!" Piandao had praised. "A showing worthy of a master."
Sokka had beamed. "Thank you, sifu Piandao," he had thanked, honoring his maser with a bow. His fingers had brushed across the almost-healed tattoo decorating the back of his hand.
The older monk returned it briefly and gestured for Sokka to walk with him. "Now, remember that we informed you of your status of the Avatar early for a reason. Don't rush your training, but don't dawdle either," he had warned as they walked through the hallway. Airbender children had darted around them, laughter in their lips and breezes beneath their feet under the watchful eye of another monk. They had exchanged cordial nods as they passed by each other before Sokka had replied.
"Don't worry Mon Piandao, I'll have waterbending down in no time!" he had reassured.
"I know you will," Piandao had reached down and squeezed his shoulder. "You've worked incredibly hard these past few months at mastering airbending. I'm proud to call you my student."
Sokka's chest had felt like it was just about to burst from pride. "I won't let you down, sifu," he vowed, brandishing his staff for emphasis.
"I know you won't," Piandao had replied as they had taken their final steps out into the courtyard. Appa had been there, saddled and waiting for their journey to begin.
The two airbenders had turned to face each other once more. "Now Sokka," Pinandao began, "there are some out there who aren't happy with the Avatar's existence. So watch your back, and be sensible."
What? People out there who didn't like the guy bringing balance to the world? Phft, loonies. Still. "I will," Sokka had promised. The two bowed to each other one last time. Sokka had glanced up at his master, wondering if he should give in to his impulse. Pinando had given a small smile, opening his arms. At that, Sokka had grinned, throwing his arms around his master and burying his face in his chest. "I won't let you down," he had promised. With that, he had broken away and breezed up to land on Appa's head. "Next time you see me, I'll be the fully-realized Avatar of the world!" he'd declared, grinning broadly. And with a yip-yip, they were off.
He'd never see Monk Pinando again. Sokka's smile dimmed at the realization, and he sank down to sit with his back to it's base. "I'm sorry I messed up," he said, staring down at his hands. "I knew I shouldn't have flown in that storm, but I was just so eager to get to the South Pole and get started on my waterbending. Ended up getting frozen for a hundred years and letting the world sink into chaos," he confessed miserably.
A sudden breeze sprung up and tossed his words to the uncaring sky and cut through Sokka's robes like a cold knife. Shivering, he retreated to the scarce protection of the temple hallway.
"I shouldn't have come back," Sokka said aloud- talking to himself, but hey, who was around to judge? "I should have gone back to save my friends- urgh, stupid Sokka! Always messing things up!" he said, slapping himself on the head. "First you get yourself stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years while the world falls apart, then you don't even try to fix it when you get out!" With a sigh, he leaned his head against the stone wall. "I'm the worst Avatar ever," he said miserably.
Saying that sparked a memory. Monk Piandao, showing him the doors to the Sanctuary. "When the time is right, you will meet someone that will help you in here."
"But that was a hundred years ago," Sokka said, standing up straight. "He can't still be there." But yet, could Sokka really risk it? It's not like his friends would get into any more trouble in the time it took him to check it out.
. . . Okay that was way to similar to the logic he used to ditch them in the first place. This time it was different though. Totally. Yeah, he just had to keep telling himself that.
Pushing all thoughts of certain Water Tribe boys out of his head, Sokka headed down the hallway towards the Sanctuary.
The doors to the Temple Sanctuary had always impressed Sokka, even when he was little. The ingenuity that it took to design the air tunnels so that it was possible to activate, but yet difficult enough not just any airbender could was just amazing! And it was sturdy enough that a determined eight year old couldn't take it apart.
Hm, no one was around to make him stop this time. Maybe? No, no he had to go rescue his friends. And then the world. Later, Sokka promised himself.
The dead stillness of the temple creeped Sokka out, so he hurried on his way. He could have gone faster using his air scooter or glider but something about that seemed sacrilegious. So he continued on foot, the sound of his steps echoing in his ears. It still seemed to take forever before he got to the Sanctuary doors.
Sokka looked up at the doors and their fascinating tunnel system before taking a deep breath and sliding into a stance. Then he summoned the wind, stale and dead as it was, and sent it funneling through the air tunnels. It only took a moment for all three thingamabobs to turn and the doors to swing open.
Sokka started to hurry through before a thought struck him. What if the person he was supposed to meet had died in there? "Eep!" he cried, ducking to the side. He didn't want to see a dead body! Maybe it wasn't that important, and if the guy was dead then there was no use going in there after all.
Yeah, that's settled. The guy was dead, so this was a waste of time. He better get back to rescuing the two Water Morons. Sokka turned to leave, but then there was some sort of pull. He stopped, wondering what that had been. Nothing, so he shrugged and continued on.
It was more of a yank the next time. "Okay, so, apparently something really wants me to go in the room most likely containing a hundred-year-old dead guy," he said. The yank happened again, as if to confirm.
Sokka slowly turned around and faced the ominous darkness of the Sanctuary. "Weird yanky feeling, please don't be leading me to a dead body," he pleaded, easing towards the open doors. They didn't move. Slowly, Sokka slid one leg into the Sanctuary. Nothing happened.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Sokka shouted a battle cry, charging into the Sanctuary. Eyes closed, just in case. He paused, staff at the ready, waiting for something to strike. Still, nothing happened.
Slowly Sokka peeled one eye open, only to come face to face with an enemy! "Aaaaaaahhhh!" he shouted another battle cry, jumping back and preparing to strike with his staff.
Only. . . It wasn't an enemy. It was a statue. At least nobody was around to see that.
"So, are you the guy that's supposed to help me?" Sokka asked the statue. The statue did not respond. Frowning, Sokka scanned the room. It was full of statues, and they all seemed strangely familiar somehow. The one next to the one that had startled him was even an Air Nomad. Then a Water Tribe, and then there was an Earth Kingdom, then- Fire Nation! Huh. And then it started all over again. And somehow, Sokka felt like he knew every single one. Like, if he wanted, he could probably guess every single one of their names. Weird.
Suddenly it dawned on Sokka. "You're all the past Avatars!" he cried excitedly. "You're supposed to tell me how to do my job! All right guys, I'm all ears," he said, plopping down on the ground.
The statues remained stubbornly silent. "Um, guys? Hello?" Sokka asked after a beat. Still no answer. Sokka got up and rapped the Air Avatar on the head with his staff. "Anyone in there?" The statue didn't respond, but some sort of annoyed feeling bloomed in Sokka's chest.
. . . Weird. He probably should lay off the moon-peaches, Piandao always complained they gave him indigestion.
Maybe one of the other Avatars would be more helpful. Sokka wandered down the line, but it was nothing but endless lumps of dead stone. "Well this is just great," he complained. "Here I am in a roomful of statues of my past lives where something is supposed to happen but- ack!" That strange something yanked at him again, pulling him to a stop in front of the last statue. Sokka glanced from side to side, wondering what was going on.
"I don't suppose-" Sokka started to say, but then he met the statue's eyes and knew no more.
"I don't suppose we could just leave and forget this whole thing?" Toph muttered, too low for her uncle to hear. He hadn't spoken to her after escorting Yue to the medical bay, or while the doctor examined Yue's hand and declared it a minor burn. He still hadn't spoken to her and the doc was done bandaging it!
"Now, I hope this won't put too much of a damper on the rest of your visit," Bumi chirped to Yue as the doctor got his stuff and moved away. "We've still got most of the ship to see!"
Toph's head shot up. Rest of the visit?! Most of the ship to see?! "Uncle!" she started to shout.
"Sparky won't mind," Bumi continued, with the only acknowledgment that Toph was even in the room was raising voice to be heard over hers. "It's the least she could do after burning your hand," he stated firmly, and even though he was facing the Commander, all three of them knew who he was really talking to.
Urgh, what was with Bumi and the stupid tour?! Couldn't he just get Yue off the ship and be done with it? She should refuse, say she did mind and wanted Yue off her ship this instant. But imagining Bumi's disappointment. . . "Fine," Toph hissed, stepping aside to allow the old farts out the door.
Hopefully Bumi had enough sense to keep Yue away from the brig. And if not, Toph would step in. This was her hunt, and no one was going to keep her from it.
Of course, it never crossed Toph's mind that the prisoners might pull something. Not until it was too late.
When Aang had suggested singing, he really hadn't expected it to lead to this. For one, Zuko agreeing to it was a shock in and of itself. Then some lady had come charging down the hall to stand in front of their cell, staring at them in shock. Following her was the crazy girl who'd tried to- who'd fought Zuko, and then old guy who'd grabbed Aang had ambled up.
That set off the lady. "Children, General?" she shouted, throwing her hand out at them and Aang's vision filled with blue. He yelped, but it was just Zuko, and the lady was just gesturing."You're down to taking children, General?!" she continued as Aang peered around Zuko's side.
Huh, that was interesting. Aang glanced over at the General, who was digging around in his ear with his pinkie. "This one was Sparky's idea," he said offhandedly, pulling his finger out and sniffing at it.
Urgh, Aang couldn't see the girl with Zuko in the way. He edged out a little further to spot the tiny firebender. "It's none of your business," she snapped, crossing her arms.
"Princess, their children," the lady said, sounding sad. But that couldn't be right. The Fire Nation were the bad guys.
"That doesn't matter! The kid is my age! And a waterbender!" the girl shouted back. "I think this tour has gone on long enough, get off my ship," she hissed. "No excuses this time, Uncle!"
"Fair enough," the old guy allowed. "Commander, perhaps it would be best if we left."
"It's not right," murmured the- lady commander? Commander lady?
"Like you care," Zuko muttered. Aang really hoped the Fire Nation people didn't hear that.
The princess's head whipped around, milky-white eyes boring a hole through Aang's skull. "Nobody cares what you think," the princess shouted. "You're just two stupid prisoners! You don't have the right to think!"
Aang could feel the temperature rising in the cell. "Stop! Please!" he cried, holding his hands up defensively.
Clang!
The girl slammed her fist against the cell bars. "I could do anything I want to you!" she screamed. "The only reason I didn't burn his face off already is cause I wanted to be nice. Next time you annoy me I might not be so generous!"
Aang flinched, ducking back behind Zuko. The girl was mad. For a long moment, the only sound was her harsh breathing. It was hot enough that Aang was sweating under his parka. Then the spell broke as someone stomped away. Aang peeked out from behind his brother to see the two old people still there.
"I better go make sure she doesn't set anything important on fire," the old general said. "Have fun," he said to the commander lady, and walked off, whistling a jaunty tune.
Again, silence descended upon their small cell. The commander lady stared at the two of them, her sad brown eyes taking them in. "For what it's worth," she finally said, "I'm sorry it has to be this way."
Aang shifted awkwardly. Should he say something? He felt like he should say something. But saying- or, well, singing- was what started this whole situation in the first place. So maybe not? But then the commander lady walked off, leaving the brothers alone once more.
As soon as she was out of sight, Zuko whirled around and clutched Aang in a bone-crushing hug. "We are never doing anything like that again," he muttered. Aang decided not to mention the quaver in his voice.
"Yeah," Aang agreed, wrapping his arms tightly around his big brother. Hopefully mealtimes would be less dramatic.
There was a lemur in Sokka's face. "Gaaaahhhhh!" he shouted, flapping his arms wildly as he jumped backwards. The lemur glided off his perch on Sokka's head, landing on the statue Sokka had just been staring at.
"Don't do that," Sokka scolded, planting one hand on his hip and shaking his staff at the lemur. "I could have gone into the Avatar State and hai, chia chia, pow!" he explained, with accompanying choppy hands and punchy fists, of course.
The lemur just churred at him and cocked it's head to the side. Urgh, fine, whatever. "You know, I think this guy was the last Avatar," Sokka said to it, studying the statue he had just lost a staring contest to. He was an old guy in Fire Nation robes, practically radiating disappointment as he stared down at Sokka. "Let's get you off of there little guy," Sokka said aloud, reaching up to grab the lemur. "Pakku doesn't like that you're sitting on his head."
The lemur squawked and jumped off the statue's head, gliding towards the open door. Taking Sokka's snackchel with it.
"Hey! Give that back!" Sokka shouted, running after the lemur. It shrieked, fleeing down the hallway and out onto a balcony, with Sokka hot on it's heels. Glancing back and seeing Sokka almost on top of it, it jumped, gliding down to the courtyard below. Sokka snapped open his glider and followed.
It was simple to twist the currents to follow the lemur and land lightly on the ground below. The lemur scampered into a building overgrown with vines. Sokka frowned. What had that been a hundred years ago? He couldn't remember, and it was too dilapidated to tell. Tentatively, he stepped through.
Something prickled at him, a quiet dread hanging in the air. Sokka frowned, trying to shake it off. It was just the ruined curtains hanging still in the dead air, the snow piles no one had swept outside, the tree roots allowed to encroach to the inside. Just plain, ordinary, neglect giving this place a creepy air.
"Hellooooo? Little guy? Come out, come out, wherever you are," he called, ducking through a set of curtains. "I'm not gonna eat you, I'm a vegetarian. I just want my snacks back please." There was no sign of the lemur so Sokka ducked through the next set of curtains.
He froze, staring at the sight in horror. Skeletons littered the place, piles of dead bodies. All wore Fire Nation armor. Sokka dropped to his knees, staff falling with a clatter. This- this couldn't happen. It was supposed to be impossible to reach an Air Temple except by Air Bison! And this- this meant-
Sokka's gaze snapped up to the wall. In the center of the carnage sat a figure wearing Air Nomad robes. . . And Piandao's pendant.
"No!" the cry tore from Sokka's throat. "This didn't- this isn't-" denials echoed about the room. Slowly, Sokka stood, rage boiling in his gut. Firebenders! They come here, destroy his home and his people and for what?! A desire to destroy the Avatar?!
Well, they failed, and Sokka was going to show them what a huge mistake they'd made.
Leaning heavily against the railing of her ship, Toph let the last of the day's warmth wash over her. It had been a long, grueling training session with her uncle and she was just now beginning to feel centered again. Just a few feet away, Bumi was also leaning against the railing, waiting for her to talk.
Huffing out a breath, Toph scowled. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted this day to be done. But Uncle Bumi wouldn't let that happen. Might as well get it over with.
"What right do they think they have to ask me for anything?" Toph snapped, clasping her hands behind her back and pacing back and forth. "They're my prisoners for Agni's sake! I could throw one of them overboard and it would be my right!"
"You're absolutely right," Bumi agreed, nodding. "Completely out of line."
"I should punish him for that," Toph snarled, continuing her pacing. "Throw him in solitary confinement, or not feed him, or- or-" she paused, trying to think of a suitable punishment.
"Or you could even execute one of them," Bumi piped in cheerfully. Toph froze. "They've both attacked you, it would be perfectly within your rights," he pointed out. His heartbeat sped up. Toph didn't want to think about what that meant.
"Right," Toph said weakly. She was the Princess of the great and glorious Fire Nation, with her own ship and crew at her command. If she ordered it, her men would drag the peasant up from the cell, force him to his knees and she would- could-
"Or, you could choose to leave them alone," Bumi's voice broke into her thoughts. A rare note of seriousness entered his voice, "You're the Princess, you can choose the path you want to take."
Yeah, yeah, that was right! Toph did get to choose what she wanted to do with them. And if she wanted to let them rot in a Fire Nation cell for the rest of their miserable lives, then she got to choose that!
"You're right, Uncle," Toph declared, "I do get to choose. And I choose to give him a pass, this time. But next time, I won't be so kind!" Toph nodded decisively.
"Of course you won't," Bumi said softly. "You're the great and powerful Princess Sparky!" he said, voice rising once again. "No one can stand in your way."
Toph laughed, facing out towards the seeping chill of the night. She was the Fire Princess Toph, firebending prodigy and soon-to-be the one to capture the Avatar. With Bumi by her side, there was no way she could fail.
Something was biting into Sokka's cheek. He should probably move his head and get rid off it. In a second. Or two. Maybe a minute.
Why was it so cold? Did he leave the window open or something? Sokka should get up and check it out. Or at least open his eyes.
Blearily, Sokka cracked one eye open. Well, no wonder it was so cold, his walls were missing. Wait, he was outside? What was he doing outside? Sokka sat up, rubbing his eyes and brushing the gravel off his face. How had he-?
Oh, right, he'd gone glowy after finding Monk Piandao and a bunch of firebenders. Looked like he'd moved out of the building. Sokka got to his feet, brushing the rest of the gravel off his clothes. He'd better get back to Appa and his Avatar duties. Now where was that fluff-monster?
Sokka turned, about to call for his furry friend, but the cry died unvoiced. He hadn't moved outside the building, he'd demolished it. Bits of wall, wood and cloth were scattered around the courtyard. Along with the bones of the firebenders.
Sokka felt sick at his stomach. That- that had been a grave site. And he'd- he'd desecrated it. Scattered their remains like dust.
"Appa!" he cried, running towards the main building. He had to get out of here, leave this nightmare right now.
A familiar bellow echoed off the cliffs and Sokka could have cried in relief. He slipped and almost fell as he turned the corner in his haste to get to his bison. There, right up ahead was Appa, right where Sokka had left him.
"Yip yip, buddy! Yip yip!" Sokka shouted, snapping open his glider and taking flight. Appa lowed, heaving into the air. Sokka swooshed in and landed on his bison's head and reached for the reins. His hands were shaking.
"They're all gone, buddy," Sokka said, staring blankly at his hands. "They really are all gone."
He swallowed, hugging his knees to his chest. "I'm the last airbender."
AN: Sorry about the long wait. Writer's block and busy betas. Thanks to WriterGirl7673 for the help! She's busy however, so if anyone else wants to volunteer I'd be glad for the help. Even if you don't feel confident as a beta, just having someone to write for helps me out a lot.
Next up, we're re-doing things slightly. Chapter 4 will be my version of 'The Storm'.
