Chapter 2

--

When Igloos S'plode…Metaphorically

--

--

After the rather tense flight, everyone did his/her best to put on a brave face for the early evening lunch party with Chief Hakoda and his girlfriend Mazane. Hakoda and his Little Love Lantern, as he called her (making her giggle and everyone else cringe) had prepared a combination Fire Tribe and Water Tribe cuisine, and everyone sat around the table eyeing the odd concoctions. They exchanged subtle glances, and all tacitly agreed that meat of molehare and toadwartstool were a heinous affront to anybody's palate.

"I'm sorry the meal is so meat-heavy, Aang, but Mazane remembered that you're vegetarian, so she made you a special dish," Hakoda explained with a warm smile in the woman's direction.

"Yes! I'll go get it!" she chirped good-naturedly. She was back in a moment and set before Aang a large bowl accompanied by a ladle so large and sturdy it looked capable of a respectable degree of Earthbending.

Aang peered into the bowl, doing his utmost to mask his repulsion. "Oh, it looks delicious!" he praised. "And there's so much of it! I've never had this much of…this ever in my life!" He honestly had no clue what it was, but he just as honestly appreciated Mazane's effort to provide a good meal for him.

"Those are ground and pulped sea-tubers from my home in the Fire Nation colonies. We have some unique produce, but what we're really known for is that all the produce grows really big in colonial soil. That's why I made you such a big bowl of it. Once the sea-tuber is cut, there's only a window of an hour before it begins making its poison seeds…"

She babbled on a bit, and the only person who seemed to be paying attention was Hakoda. Aang quietly twiddled his thumbs in his lap with his "polite face" on, an expression he had assumed as his default since becoming Savior of the World; Katara tried very hard to pay attention, but her mind kept wandering; Toph rubbed her feet together in an attempt to warm the flesh exposed at the bottom; and Sokka blinked his eyes strangely while watching himself in a mirror hanging on the wall across from him.

The conversation and dinner finally progressed, and all were pleased to discover the dinner was not as terrible as they expected, and early evening became late evening, and with the even colder temperatures, everyone found it appealing to huddle around the fire and sip a hot cup of fresh coffee and eat brownies.

"It's like we're adults and kids at the same time!" Mazane referred to the coffee and campfire-like huddling, laughing.

Sokka almost made a rude remark, but he suddenly felt Toph's frosted bare foot on his leg.

"Toph! Your feet are freezing! Get them off!" he said, jumping aside. Her feet followed, though, and remained firmly pressed to the outside of his thigh.

"But my feet are cold," she whimpered.

He didn't know how she could make puppy dog eyes like that since she didn't know what puppies looked like, but he sighed and gave in. "Fine, fine," he said, scooching back over to sit by her. "Here, give them to me." He took her feet in his hands and snuggled them into a pillow.

"Yes, I would like two cold dogs please," he said, mock-stoically. "Ha!" he burst out. "Get it? Cold dogs? Ha ha!"

Toph remained silent, though she tried to look scornful of his lame joke.

Sokka continued with the performance, though. "Gosh, it's so cold tonight, I think I'd rather have hot dogs for dinner! Yuk yuk yuk! Now I'll just cook these right up.—he shuffled the sides of the pillow, bouncing Toph's feet around—Ah, that should do it! I'll just test one to make sure it's done.—He tickled her foot. Toph squeaked.—Yes, yes, that sounds about right. Now, two great big hot dogs just for me!" And he chomped on her toes.

Toph shrieked, yanking back her feet and then instinctively kicking out at the biting source. One of her heels connected with Sokka's shoulder, and he reeled back, shocked, but still laughing from her reaction. Playing spectator to the two's sport, everyone else roared with laughter, and once Toph realized what had happened, she, too, erupted in laughter.

"Whose feet are you callin' 'great big hot dogs?'" she cried. "How many times have these feet saved your life, huh? These are Big Time Awesome Feet! Get it right, sir!"

Sokka scurried behind Aang and shook him by his shoulders. "Watch out, man! Those dogs' bite is worse than their bark!"

"Oh, ha ha," Toph put in sarcastically, but her mirth still shone all over her face.

But Sokka saw a faint blush buzzing across her cheeks as well, and it made him feel nervous…but also kind of proud.

When the laughter and chuckles died down, a calm settled into the group, and the conversation took turns this way and that, flowing as smoothly as a stream one minute, but changing as unexpectedly as the wind the next. After a comfortable lull, Hakoda spoke.

"What are wonderful, peaceful day," he said. "I always enjoy my time with all of you, my son and daughter and their closest friends." He nodded to each in turn. "Mazane and I really wanted today to be special, and it has been. And we have something we want to share with you."

"What is it, Dad?" Katara asked, but something in her voice indicated she had already guessed the answer. Sokka didn't like the trepidation he heard in it, but he waited silently for his father to go on.

"Mazane and I are going to have a baby."

Silence fell. And then it crashed.

"What?!" shouted Sokka. "Baby?! What?!"

"What?" cried Katara. "Dad, I thought you were going to announce your engagement or something? You—wha—?"

"Engagement?! What?!"

"Congratulations, sir," Aang managed as the Hakoda family exploded around him. Toph nodded along with Aang's kudos, but seemed to find this a moment requiring great tact on her part, and employing such, she found she couldn't think of anything proper to say.

"Congratulations?! What?!" Sokka had apparently lost his mind, but it was coming back to him as his father began with the explanations and the rationale of his actions.

What followed was a great argument of monumental proportions as had never occurred in the Hakoda family before. Aang went over to Toph and took her hand, and together they went outside into the cold night to wait until the storm blew over. Every time it died down, though, it picked back up again. The thick walls of the igloo muffled most of what was said or screamed, but they still heard some of the war raging within. Remarks flew back and forth, and what had at first been Katara and Sokka against their father had become a three-way battle.

"What was that before about respecting his choices, huh?!"

"What about Mom, Dad?"

"If you kids would just shut up and listen to reason!"

"I really love your father so much! Please don't be mad at him!"

Aang and Toph huddled together over the handful of fire blazing in the Avatar's hands. Aang couldn't tell how much time had passed—he knew that being cold made the passing of the minute hand seem to take hours—but he was growing tired of watching his Firebending glow in the ice-covered ground.

"I hope they're done screaming by the time the baby comes. It's not its fault," he grumbled, shivering.

"I can see why Sokka and Katara are mad," Toph said, "but I'm also jealous. They have a new baby brother or sister on the way. They're very lucky."

"Yeah," Aang said, suddenly struck by the thought now, too. "Yeah, they are."

They listened to the wind howling beneath the voices.

"Shall we go stay the night with Gran-Gran?" Toph suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a—"

Suddenly the door burst open, and the unexpected flash of the light from within the home stung Aang's eyes like a blast of lightning. He didn't see Sokka stalk past him at a brisk pace, but he heard the slip of his foot and Toph's sharp gasp, and then two bone-shattering cracks as Sokka landed hard on his back on the ice.

--

To be continued…

--

--

A/N:

Woah, so yeah. I wonder if this is as much of a cliffhanger for you guys as it is for me? 'Cuz I am sooo not a fan of bones cracking/breaking/making any kind of noise at all. It's a worrisome thing for me when I read it, but maybe it will affect you guys differently? Anyway, there's chapter 2, so do with it what you will. Reviews are ever appreciated and always motivating! : 3

--

P.S.

I am starting a Donate to Amaniachwen's Purchasing of the Awesome Avatarness fund, so feel free to donate. ; )

Until then, I own nuthink. : (