Last of Our Kind
Just to let you all know, I have some personal headcanons that I will include in the story. One of them is that, because of how small the Southern Water Tribe is and because we know so little about it, I have decided that Sokka and Katara's mother, Kya, is Bato's cousin. I mean, there is no way that the people in that tribe are not related in some way or another, and I just think that Bato's mother and Kya's mother were sisters.
Also, please remember that the people in the South Pole all have their own stories and those children had to have come from somewhere, so why couldn't it be that Bato has his own family?
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or the following quote.
"We are, all four of us, blood relatives, and we speak a kind of esoteric, family language, a sort of semantic geometry in which the shortest distance between any two points is a fullish circle."
―J.D. Salinger,Franny and Zooey
Family Isn't Just Blood
It had taken much of the following morning for the two boys to finally calm down after what Sokka had told them, and even then they were still keeping their distance. Sokka decided to take Aang and Keng on reconnaissance to determine their current location, though Wenona warned him that if he did anything to further distress the two twelve-year-olds then she would personally ensure that he would be walking the rest of the way to the North Pole. The younger boys certainly seemed much better after getting some time to clear their heads in the fresh air, despite Sokka's incessant grumbling that he didn't see what he'd done wrong in his earlier conversation with them.
"Hey, what's that?!" Keng exclaimed, pointing at an object at the base of the little hill they were walking along.
Aang Airbended himself down to see.
"Hey, look! A sword made out of a whale's tooth," he declared.
"Let me see that," said Sokka as he and Keng reached the bottom. Sokka became very quiet as the weapon evoked memories of the day the warriors left.
Flashback…
All the Southern Water Tribe warriors were loading up their ships. The group included all the men and a handful of women who were trained in fighting, old and young. Thirteen-year-old Sokka watched them with a growing sadness in his heart as he knew that he would not be allowed to go with them and that many might never return.
"This is a Water Tribe weapon," he concluded. "See if you can find anything else."
The three of them set to work searching for any other evidence of Water Tribe objects. They weren't working very long when the girls showed up, making Aang and Keng somewhat uneasy (the message of Sokka 'talk' still vibrantly present in their impressionable, young minds).
"Did someone lose something?" said Katara.
"No, we found something," Aang replied.
"There was a whale-tooth sword," Keng added.
"Really?" Wenona said. "How did that get out here?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
A few minutes later, Sokka found the remnants of an arrow.
"It's burned," he deduced. He looked up to see burn and scratch marks on the trees. "There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of Firebenders. The Firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill."
Sokka set off running down the hill, the others following close behind. They all stopped when they reached a sandy shoreline.
"So, then what happened?" said Aang.
"I don't know," Sokka said in disappointment. "The trail ends here."
"Wait! What's that over there?!" Keng shouted, pointing over towards some rocks where a large ship was moored in the sand.
"It's one of our boats!"
They all ran over to check.
"Is this…Dad's boat?" asked Katara.
"No, but I'd recognize this old thing anywhere," said Wenona. She knew the boat belonged to their father's best friend, Bato, because he had let Hakoda borrow it when he took Wenona on her ice-dodging trip when she turned fourteen. "This is from Dad's fleet."
"Nona's right," Sokka added. "Dad was here."
Meanwhile, a good distance away, a retired Fire Nation general and his perpetually angry nephew were sitting down to afternoon tea, much to the younger man's annoyance. Prince Zuko had not had a good night; ever since he rescued the Avatar and that Water Tribe peasant from Zhao, his dreams had been constantly disturbed.
The most recent dream he'd had involved a young Fire Nation girl. The girl had been about four, maybe five, and was dressed in royal clothing. The girl had seemed absolutely terrified about something as she was led into an ornate temple. He hadn't heard everything, but he knew it had something to do with that woman Akari. Whatever was happening, it did nothing to improve Zuko's patience.
"See, Prince Zuko?" said Iroh cheerfully. "A moment of quiet is good for your mental wellbeing."
Iroh had just finished pouring Zuko a cup of tea when there was a sudden crash outside. The vibrations from the crash caused Zuko to accidentally spill the hot tea all over himself, making him even more irate than he already was. Zuko gave a low growl as he went outside to see what was going on. He found his troops attempting to hold off a woman riding on some giant mole-like creature who had boarded the ship.
"Get back!" the woman snapped at them. "We're after a stowaway!"
"There are no stowaways on my ship," Zuko retorted.
The giant animal ripped off some of the metal from the deck. A few moments later, a terrified man in filthy, green clothes shot up through the hole in a desperate attempt to flee, only to fall stiffly to the ground when the animal struck him with its tongue.
"He's paralyzed," Zuko said in awe.
"Only temporarily," the woman said. "The toxins will wear off in about an hour, but by then he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."
"But how did you find him on my ship?"
"My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." The woman loaded up her captive onto the saddle and prepared to leave.
"Well, I'm impressed," Iroh said in an undertone. As he watched the young woman ride away with her quarry, he added: "Very impressed." Causing Zuko to glare at him.
The Gaang decided to set up camp on the beach beside the boat in case someone came back for it. As night fell, everyone went to sleep; everyone, that is, except for the two eldest members of the group. Sokka sat staring into the fire when Wenona put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Whatcha thinking about?" she said.
"The day Dad and the other warriors left," he replied.
"Oh…" She frowned as she, too, remembered that day.
Flashback…
"I can't believe he's leaving us," twelve-year-old Katara cried. "Can't he see we need him?"
Wenona pulled her sister and youngest brother into her arms, forcing herself not to cry either. She had to be strong now, for all of them. She watched as Sokka hastily put on his warrior gear and war-paint before hurrying outside to try and join the other warriors.
"Sokka," Hakoda said patiently as his son approached.
"I'm coming with you," the boy said.
"You're not old enough to go to war, Sokka, you know that. If you were then don't you think I would have let Wenona come, too?"
"I'm strong, I'm brave, I can fight! Please, Dad!"
Hakoda put a hand on Sokka's shoulder.
"Being a man means knowing where you're needed the most. And for you right now, that's here protecting Katara and Keng, and helping Wenona to look after the tribe."
"I don't understand."
"Someday you will."
Sokka dropped his bag and threw himself into his father's arms as tears began to fill his eyes.
"I'm going to miss you, so much," Hakoda said as he hugged his eldest son, wishing with all his might that he didn't have to leave.
Wenona had left the tent and looked on from a distance at the sight. Like Sokka, she had wanted to go with the rest of the warriors and had pleaded night and day for weeks to be allowed to go with them.
Sokka and Wenona continued to look deep into the flames of the now dying fire when they suddenly heard the sound of someone approach.
"Who's there?!" Sokka demanded.
"Show yourself!" Wenona added.
Then, from out of the darkness, a man appeared. A very familiar man.
"Sokka? Wenona?" he said.
"Bato?" the siblings said in disbelief.
"Who the what now?" came Aang's delirious voice.
"Bato!" Keng and Katara exclaimed happily.
The four siblings rushed over to greet their old friend.
"It really is you kids," Bato said as he hugged each of them. "It's so good to see you. You've grown so much."
"Hi, I'm Aang," the Airbender greeted with a bow.
Everyone ignored him, however, as the four siblings launched into a barrage of questions.
"Where's Dad?"
"Is he here?"
"Why do you have bandages on? Did something happen?"
"Calm down," Bato said gently. "I'm afraid your father is not here. He and the other warriors should be in the eastern Earth Kingdom by now." Just then, a rush of cold, winter air blew by, chilling them all to the bone. "This is no place for a reunion," he continued as he motioned for them to follow. "Let's get inside."
"So, what happened to you, Bato?" said Wenona. "How did you get injured?"
"We launched an ambush on a group of Fire Nation soldiers about a week ago," he said. "They had captured some people from a nearby village and were holding them for ransom. We managed to chase the Firebenders away and liberated the prisoners. Unfortunately, I got a nasty hit from a fire-ball when I was helping your father take down their leader. That Firebender was probably the nastiest of the lot and, as he was fleeing, he swore he would have your father's head for the insult of defeating him."
"Wait, what did this guy look like?" said Sokka.
"Uh, middle-aged, brown hair, humongous sideburns…"
"Zhao," the kids all said together.
"You've met him, too?"
"Uh, kind of," Katara said. "He's been after Aang for months."
"And why is that?"
"It's because I'm the Avatar," Aang replied with a hint of pride.
"The Avatar? That is incredible."
"We found him frozen in a block of ice back home," Keng continued.
They continued to tell their story to Bato as they made their way across the beach before reaching a small hill, on top of which was an old abbey. Bato led them through the gate, where they noticed women of various ages dressed in simple, white uniforms.
"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey," Bato explained. "The sisters have cared for me ever since. Superior, these are Hakoda's children," he said to the oldest woman. "They've been traveling with the Avatar. I found them by my boat."
"Young Avatar," the Superior greeted, "it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."
"Thank you," Aang said with a respectful bow. "It's truly an honor to be here. If there's anything-"
"What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka interrupted, sniffing the air.
"The sisters craft ointments and perfumes," Bato explained.
"Perfume? Maybe we could dump some on Appa," Sokka joked, pointing to the giant bison. "Because he stinks so much. Am I right?"
Wenona was the only person who laughed.
"You have your father's wit," Bato commented simply. He showed them into his personal quarters, which were decorated with various Water Tribe objects.
"Bato, it looks like home," Katara exclaimed as they entered.
"Everything's here," Sokka continued, "even the pelts."
"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins," Aang said uncomfortably.
Wenona plopped down onto a patch of white fur.
"I've missed the feel of arctic buffalo-bear fur so much," she said. "I remember, seven years ago, Dad spent five days out on the tundra hunting one so that he could give the pelt to me as a birthday present."
Keng then gasped.
"Look, it's one of Great-Aunt Mari's dream-catchers," he said, pointing to the ornate object on the wall.
"Yep," Bato agreed. "She made that for me right before I left. Said it would keep away night-stalking demons and trap the nightmares in the bead at the center. I haven't had a nightmare since. Mom always did know how to make magic work."
The four siblings might not have met a lot of their relatives as so many had been taken away during the raids, but they did know that their mother's mother had a younger sister, Great-Aunt Mari, who had married a young warrior named 'Qamut' and had two children, Bato and Puja. Bato had been more or less an uncle to them, and a brother-figure to their mother, Kya, when she was younger.
"No way!" Katara declared as she lifted the lid off a pot cooking on the hearth. "Stewed sea prunes?"
"Help yourself," said Bato.
"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things," said Sokka. "Hey, Nona, didn't you try to break the record once?"
"Yeah, I was sick for a week," she said. "Nearly beat it, though."
Katara passed around bowls of the sea prunes to everyone. Aang looked at his serving with moderate repulsion.
"Bato, is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?" Katara asked.
"It was your Father's idea, he just dragged me along," said Bato. "Well…the hippo did the dragging."
"Hey, I ride animals, too," Aang said cheerfully. "One time, there was this giant eel and I-"
"So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?" said Sokka.
"You knew about that?" Bato chuckled.
"Who doesn't know about that?" said Keng.
"What's that story?" said Aang.
"It's a long one, Aang," Sokka said dismissively. "Some other time."
"You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures," said Katara.
"Not all of which were hilarious at the time," said Bato. "But…everything's funny with hindsight." He then stopped. "Aang, please, put that down, it's ceremonial and very fragile," he said to the Airbender who had been trying on a wolf-raccoon headdress.
Aang hung the object back on the wall and slumped in a corner of the room, sad and hurt that his friends were seemingly ignoring him.
"Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?" said Sokka.
"Your dad wore the octopus, but…I did the spooky voice," Bato said, whispering the last part.
Meanwhile, at a seedy Earth Kingdom bar, a certain Fire Nation prince was shoving his way through the crowd of disreputable characters, followed closely by his unwaveringly cheerful uncle.
"Out of my way!" Zuko shouted, pushing someone aside. "Step aside, filth!"
"He means no offence," Iroh assured. "I am certain you bathe regularly."
Zuko stopped in front of a table where the bounty-hunter from earlier, whose name was June, was arm-wrestling with a guy about twice her size.
"I need to talk to you," Zuko said.
"Well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry-boy and Uncle Lazy," she said smoothly.
Iroh chuckled at her insult, believing it to be nothing more than a joke. She then slammed her opponent's fist down on the table, defeating him with relative ease. The bar broke into cheers as people began throwing money at the young woman.
"Your beast trashed my ship," Zuko said. "You have to pay me back."
"Ah, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money," she replied with a smirk as she raked in her winnings. "Drinks on me!" That earned even more cheers from the bar-goers.
"Money isn't what I had in mind," Zuko said.
June the bounty-hunter gave him an annoyed glare as he led her outside.
"I need you to find someone," Zuko continued, holding up Katara's necklace.
"What happened? Your girlfriend run off on you?"
"It's not the girl I'm after, it's the bald monk she's traveling with."
"Whatever you say."
"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for."
"Ha, forget it," June replied as she started to climb onto her shirshu.
"Plus we'll pay your weight in gold," Iroh promised.
June smirked.
"Make it your weight and we've got a deal."
"Hahaha, you got it," he laughed.
"Get on!" June ordered them. She snatched the necklace out of Zuko's hand and presented it to her shirshu so that the creature could pick up the scent. Once the shirshu locked in on the trail, June hopped onto its back and the beast was off on its search.
"I think I've been talking about myself long enough," said Bato. "I haven't asked you all about how things have been back home."
"They've been…alright, I guess," said Sokka. "The walls almost completely collapsed and we had to relocate part of the village because a really bad storm caused a big chunk of the ice to fall away."
"I hope no one was hurt."
"No, thankfully everyone back home is fine," Wenona assured him. "Kinta had her baby a few months after you all left."
"Really?" Bato said excitedly. "Was it a boy or a girl? What did she name the child?"
"Your son's name is 'Asuilaak,'" said Katara.
Bato chuckled.
"Leave it to Kinta to name my son 'that which is expected has arrived.' And my daughter?"
"Ituha asked us every day when her daddy was coming home," said Katara. "She's much bigger than the last time you saw her."
"I should think so. She's six and a half now, isn't she?"
The four siblings all nodded.
"I've been away for far too long, we all have," he said with a note of sorrow. "If only this war would end. We have mostly managed to avoid casualties, but Aujaq and Irniq were fatally wounded during a battle ten months after we left."
"Oh no," Katara said sadly. "Mausi is going to be devastated when she hears her husband and brother-in-law are gone."
"We gave them both a proper funeral and saved their daggers to give to Mausi so that she and Aujaq's son will have some reminder of their lost family."
There was a moment of silence for the departed warriors. Aujaq and Irniq had never been particularly skilled fighters, but they had always been fun and full of life even when things seemed bad. Even now, none of the four siblings could really comprehend the idea that two men like Aujaq and Irniq were actually gone forever.
"There's something I should tell you kids," Bato said after a while. "I'm expecting a message from your father."
"Really?" Katara exclaimed, waking up Aang who had fallen asleep an hour ago.
"Wow!" Sokka added.
"That's wonderful," said Wenona. "When?"
"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found a rendezvous point. If you wait here until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again."
"It's been over two years since we've seen Dad!" Sokka exclaimed. "That would be so incredible! Guys?"
"I do really miss him," said Katara. "It would be great to see Dad."
Keng didn't say anything, his attention drawn to Aang. He saw the sad look on his friend's face as the young Airbender stood and silently left the room. It was then that the youngest Waterbender realized how they had been shutting Aang out all evening and how unfair that was to him. Keng promised himself that he would find a way to make it up to him.
"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Bato continued. "I'm not sure when word will arrive, but when it does…"
Aang ignored what Bato said as he shut the door behind him, fighting to hold in his pain at the thought that his friends would leave him. He made his way silently down to the beach, with Momo as his only company, until he spotted the boat. He climbed up and sat huddled on the prow, staring wordlessly into the night. If Aang had waited a little longer, however, he would have heard the rest of the conversation.
"It would be great, but we can't," Sokka said. "We have to take Aang to the North Pole first."
"Meat-Head over here is right," said Wenona. "And I want to be able to show off my Waterbending to Dad without it ending with half the camp nearly drowning."
They all laughed at the memory of one particularly interesting Waterbending practice back home.
"But, seriously," said Katara, "even if we had time to wait for the message, who knows how far we'd have to travel. We don't have time for a long detour."
"I'm sure your father would understand," said Bato, "And be proud that his children are helping the Avatar."
Aang, however, was still brooding.
"I can't believe they would leave me," he muttered to himself.
Just then, Aang heard someone coming. It was a man in Earth Kingdom uniform riding on an ostrich-horse.
"I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe," the man said to Aang.
"Uh, I know Bato."
"Make sure he gets this." The man handed a scroll to Aang before setting off again.
Aang opened the scroll and gasped in realization.
"It's the map to their Dad," he said. Aang paused for a moment and gave a quick glance at Momo and frowned before scrunching up the paper and stuffing it in his robes.
Aang sat there for a few more minutes before guiltily making his way back to the abbey. He opened the door to Bato's room and no one but Keng looked up at his appearance.
"Hey, everyone, sorry I was gone so long," Aang said.
"Hey, Aang," said Katara. "I didn't notice you'd left."
"Yep, and now I'm back! Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes." He scarfed down his bowl, which he had left untouched; however, he spat up one of the prunes but pretended to enjoy them.
Everyone just stared at him.
The next morning, Bato led them all back down to the beach. He stopped and looked up fondly at his ship.
"This ship is sentimental to me," he said. "It was built by my father."
Aang noticed the ostrich-horse footprints from last night and quickly used his Airbending to erase them. He then started to whistle casually as though nothing had happened.
"Is this the boat he took you ice-dodging in?" asked Sokka.
"Yeah, it's got the scar to prove it," said Bato. "It's also the same boat Wenona went ice-dodging in."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Katara. "You and Dad both went out there with her."
"Never let it be said that I don't know how to navigate," Wenona said smugly.
"How 'bout you, Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice-dodging?"
"He never got to go," said Keng. "You all left before he had the chance to."
"Oh, I forgot you were too young."
"What's ice-dodging?" said Aang.
"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn fourteen your dad takes you…" Bato noticed the sad looks on the faces of the four siblings he was struck by an idea. "You know what? You're about to find out," he said as he put a hand on Sokka's shoulder.
Together, Bato and the five children set out in the ship and began sailing. The water was rather rough and the cold ocean spray and winds stung sharply at their skin.
"Ice-dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust," Bato explained. "In our village, it was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."
"How are we supposed to ice-dodge without ice?" said Sokka.
"You will be dodging those," Bato replied, pointing to an oncoming stretch of jagged rocks. "Sokka, you steer and call the shots; lead wisely. Katara, you secure the mainsail; the winds can be brutal, so be brave. Aang, you control the jib; without your steady hand we all go down. Your position is about trust."
Aang blinked a few times.
"I know that!" he said defensively. "Why wouldn't I know that?! I'm the Avatar, I know about trust!"
"And finally, Keng, you should serve as the lookout. Stay attentive and be observant of your surroundings." Bato and Wenona both sat down at the bow of the ship. "For this to be done right, neither Wenona nor I can help. You pass or fail on your own."
They were getting closer to the rocks when Sokka leapt into action.
"Aang, ease up on the jib!" he ordered. "Katara, steady! Keng, what's our course?!"
"We're heading towards two rock pillars!" Keng called back. "A few smaller rocks off starboard bough, but not a serious threat!"
"Aang, less sail!" Sokka pulled the rudder. "Katara, give him room!"
The ship began to swerve and then pulled away from the first line of rocks. As they sped up, however, shooting straight through, Keng noticed a danger.
"Large rock wall, dead ahead!"
"Aang, helm to lee, helm to lee!" Sokka shouted.
"What does that even mean?!" Aang hollered.
Luckily, he managed to figure it out and the threat was just narrowly averted.
"Great job!" Sokka declared.
"Danger approaching!" Keng shouted. "Rock field! No way through!"
They all stared in fear for a moment before Sokka had a moment of inspiration.
"We can make it!"
"Sokka, you've already proven yourself," said Bato. "Maybe we should-"
"Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail! Katara, Keng, I want you to Bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks! Now!"
As they worked together, the water rising beneath them and the air lifting them up, Sokka successfully managed to direct the ship over the large, dangerous rocks safely to the other side. They were all a little shaken as they exited the ship, but all of them had proud smiles on their faces.
"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks," said Bato as he held a small bowl of blue paint. "For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise." He dabbed a bit of the paint on Sokka's forehead, making the shape of an arch with a dot beneath it. "The same your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave." This time he made the shape of a left-facing crescent moon. "Your courage inspires us. For Keng, the Mark of the Observant." He drew a circle with a dot in the center. "Your watchfulness is a help to all. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted." He drew a single horizontal line. "You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe."
"I can't," Aang said.
"Of course you can, Cue-ball," said Wenona. "You've earned it."
"No," Aang insisted, wiping the mark off his forehead. "You can't trust me."
"Aang, what are you talking about?" said Katara.
Aang reached into his robes and pulled out the crumpled paper.
"A messenger gave this to me for Bato." Katara took it and gasped in shock when she saw what it was. "You have to understand, I was afraid you would-"
"This is the map to our father!" Sokka shouted when he got a look. "You had it the whole time?! How could you?!"
"Aang, do you even realize what this means to us?!" Wenona shouted accusingly. "We had decided we wouldn't leave you, even if we had still been here when the message arrived." That just served to make Aang feel worse. "Now…well, maybe it's time for us to rethink that idea."
"You can go to the North Pole on your own," Sokka added vehemently. "Nona and I are going to find Dad." Wenona nodded in agreement.
"Now, Sokka, Wenona," Bato said calmly, "I think you should-"
"Katara, Keng, are you with us?"
Katara looked from her older siblings to Aang before lowering her head.
"I'm with you," she said.
Keng, on the other hand, seemed to be in a bind. Yes, he was disappointed that Aang had kept the map a secret, but, at the same time, he felt that he couldn't just abandon his friend because of one mistake. He looked at the expectant glares of his older brother and sisters and then back at Aang's remorseful face.
"I'm not going," he said.
"What?" said Sokka. "What do you mean you're not going?"
"We made a promise to stay with Aang. I'm not backing out on that. Yes, he made a bad decision, but at least he told us and clearly regrets what he did. I'm staying with Aang because he needs us, and if you really cared then you would, too."
The other three all looked thoughtful but then dismissed their doubts. Not one of them spoke to Aang or Keng as they prepared to leave with Bato. Wenona approached the two boys as they sat on Appa.
"Last chance, Keng," she said. "Please, come with us."
Keng simply turned away.
"Good luck," Katara said to them. "Watch each other's backs."
"Okay, you too," he said.
Katara and Wenona walked away to join Sokka and Bato as they headed out the gate of the abbey.
"Guess Keng and I should be moving on," Aang said as the Superior approached.
"That would be best," she replied.
Aang steered Appa away and headed them down towards the beach.
"I'm an idiot, Keng," he murmured.
Not long after the two groups had left the abbey, the gates burst open to admit the shirshu carrying June and the two Firebenders. The shirshu sniffed around frantically as the sisters all stood there terrified.
June declared that they were getting close before giving a crack of her whip to let the shirshu know that it was time to proceed. The Superior, realizing what had just happened, ran in search of the Avatar and his friend to warn them.
Wenona, Sokka, Katara, and Bato were a good way on up the path when they suddenly heard a wolf howling.
"That wolf sounds so sad," said Katara.
"It's probably wounded," said Sokka.
"No, it's been separated from the pack," said Bato. "I understand that pain; it's how I felt when the Water Tribe warriors had to leave me behind. They were my family, and being apart from them was more painful than my wounds."
Sokka and Wenona both locked gazes as they once again remembered the day the warriors left. They remembered watching the ships sail away into the distance, carrying their father with them.
Flashback…
Sokka stood there on the dock, his tears had smudged his war-paint but he didn't care. Wenona slowly walked up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. Neither looked at each other then, still focusing on the ships getting smaller and smaller.
"Do you think they'll come back?" Sokka said.
"I hope so," Wenona replied. "I'm sure they'll do much to help the world. Even if we still need them, too."
"I would never abandon my family when they need me. Promise me that you won't, either."
"I promise."
"Sokka? Nona?" Katara said uncertainly.
"We need to go back," Sokka decided. "I wanna see Dad, but…helping Aang and looking after Keng is where we're needed the most."
"You're right."
"Besides, I promised someone very important that I'd make sure Aang mastered Waterbending," Wenona said, remembering that she had an obligation to Aang and the world.
"Your father will understand," said Bato. "And I know he's proud of you."
"Thanks, Bato," said Sokka.
"I know where to go from here. Take this in case you want to find us." He handed Sokka the map. "I'll leave a message at the rendezvous point."
"Looks like we're going alone, guys," Aang said to Keng, Appa, and Momo.
"I just can't imagine learning Waterbending without my sisters," said Keng. "They always made me feel like my screw-ups weren't so bad."
"Avatar!" said the Superior. "You must leave!"
"Okay, I get it, everybody wants me gone," Aang said impatiently as he fastened Appa's reins.
"A group of people came to the abbey looking for you!"
"Who?" said Keng.
"A fierce-looking woman with a horrible monster and a young man with a scar."
"Zuko," the two boys said together.
"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you."
"A necklace?" Aang puzzled before both he and Keng reached the same terrible conclusion.
"KATARA!"
The three teens were within a mile of the abbey when they heard a strange galloping noise. Sokka held out a hand to stop his sisters, when, suddenly, the shirshu dropped in right behind them. They were cornered as the creature focused on Katara.
"So this is your girlfriend?" June teased Zuko. "No wonder she left, she's way too pretty for you."
Zuko advanced on them.
"Where is he?" Zuko demanded.
"Where is who, Prince of the Pathetic?" Wenona retorted.
"You know who I mean!"
"Sorry, but when you say 'he' you're gonna have to be a little more specific. Plus, would it kill ya to say 'please'?"
June snorted in amusement.
"I like her," she said to herself.
"Where's the Avatar?!" Zuko demanded more loudly.
"We split up," Sokka answered. "He's long gone."
"How stupid do you think I am?"
"Pretty stupid." Sokka grabbed his sisters' hands. "RUN!"
They hadn't gotten ahead more than a few feet when the shirshu lashed out its tongue and struck them across the backs of their necks, paralyzing them.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Zuko asked June.
"Go back to the den of pyromaniac tight-wads that you came from?" Wenona suggested innocently.
"Shut up, Water Tribe peasant!"
"It's seeking a different scent," June said as the shirshu began to nose at Sokka's backpack. "Perhaps something that the Avatar held."
The shirshu knocked the map out of the pack as it picked up Aang's scent. It then raised its head to look straight in the direction of the abbey.
"Right, Nyla's got it," said June. "Let's go, Prince Pouty."
Wenona laughed.
"That's the best one yet," she said.
"We need to bring them," Zuko said, indicating towards the Water Tribe teens. "The Avatar will only cooperate if his friends are at risk."
Zuko and June loaded the three onto the back of the shirshu, with Wenona muttering threats towards the prince for the fact that he had the gall to touch her sister. Katara, though paralyzed, was internally kicking and clawing at the sixteen-year-old Firebender who carried her over to the back of the shirshu's saddle.
"You ever touch me or my sister like that again and I will rip your hands off," Wenona said in a falsely sweet tone.
Zuko simply rolled his eyes at the threat as he, too, mounted the saddle. June gave another crack of the whip and the shirshu dashed back to the abbey, busting through the gates into the assembly of sisters. As the shishu moved about frantically, Zuko put a hand on Katara's back when she began to slip off.
"What's it doing?" he demanded. "It's just going in a circle."
That's when the shirshu detected the scent going upward and reared back on its hind legs as Aang came swooping down from overhead. As the shirshu stood up, its riders were thrown harshly to the ground before the shirshu itself fell onto its back.
"Aang," Katara said quietly.
"Up!" June shouted at her shishu, giving another crack of the whip. The beast was soon on its feet and June hopped back into the saddle. She was quickly advancing on Aang when Appa lunged forward and rammed the shirshu with his head, sending both the shishu and its rider crashing into a nearby building.
Zuko then made his over towards Aang, fire blazing from his fists. Aang deflected the blast with his glider. During their fight, both young men sent a huge blast of their native elements at each other head-on, causing a huge explosion to occur and shooting them both into the roofs of two opposing buildings.
June, meanwhile, had revived and was now riding her shirshu into a fight with Appa. At first, the shirshu's venom seemed to have an effect on the bison, but Appa was soon up and charged straight at the shirshu, head-butting it and sending June flying off the back.
Aang shook himself back into awareness just in time to see Zuko coming at him. Aang skillfully Airbended himself out of harm's way. The fight was going either way until June rode the shirshu onto the rooftop and began to pursue the young Avatar. Appa, however, sent a blast of air from his tail, causing a great deal of tile and wood to come off the roof as it knocked the shirshu down. Unfortunately for Sokka, he was right underneath the collapsed building materials.
"I'm starting to get some feeling back." CRASH! "Ow."
As Aang and Zuko returned to their epic combat, Keng rushed over the aid of his siblings, helping the sisters to pull them out of the line of fire. The Superior then ran into the abbey storeroom and retrieved a bottle which she held underneath the noses of the still somewhat paralyzed teens in turn, restoring their movement.
"Thank you," Wenona gasped in relief. "I hated not being able to move."
"That thing sees with its nose," Sokka pointed out, looking at the shirshu. "Let's give him something to look at."
"The perfume?" the Superior inquired.
Sokka nodded. He and the sisters then pushed large jars of perfume into position. They dumped the fragrant-smelling mixtures onto the ground and the three Waterbenders set to work Bending the substance towards the shirshu, raining it down onto everyone near it. The creature shook its head and suddenly began to panic as its sight became blurred from the powerful combinations of many different scents. The shirshu lashed out, first striking Zuko and then its own mistress.
"June!" Iroh shouted as he jumped in to catch the falling woman.
The shirshu ran about in a blind panic before dashing out into the woods.
"Uncle," Zuko groaned as he looked over at the old man who was lying beneath the slender body of the young bounty-hunter, "I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."
"Shhh." The old man grinned as June scowled angrily at the predicament.
Aang and the four siblings thanked the sisters for their help and then quickly loaded up onto Appa. They took off into the sky, just as the light was beginning to dim.
"So…where do we go?" Aang said.
"We're getting you to the North Pole," Katara replied.
"Yeah, we've lost too much time as it is," Sokka added.
"Don't you want to see your father?" Aang asked.
"Of course we do, Aang. But, you're our family, too. And right now you need us more."
"And you guys needed us, too," Keng pointed out with a grin.
"Besides we kinda lost the map to Dad when Zuko captured us," Wenona admitted. "So we wouldn't exactly be able to go there anyway."
"I wish I could give you a little piece of home, guys," Aang said. "Something to remind you…"
"We'll be okay," Katara assured him.
"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like…this." He grinned as he held out Katara's necklace which he had swiped from Zuko during their fight.
"Aang! How'd you get that?" Katara gasped as Wenona took the necklace and fastened it around the younger girl's throat.
"Zuko asked me to be sure I got it to you."
"Aw, that's so sweet of Zuko," Katara joked. "Would you give him a kiss from me when you see him?"
"Sure." Katara gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.
It was a very happy group that continued onward through the evening sky.
Zuko, on the other hand, was certainly not happy as he and his uncle returned to their ship. He had had to endure a long fight with June after he refused to pay her, owing to the fact that she hadn't been successful in capturing the Avatar. June had argued back that Zuko had simply commissioned her to find the Avatar and that it was Zuko's own fault the boy got away. Let's just say that things got out of hand and Zuko was sporting a number of cuts and bruises in addition to the injuries he sustained from the earlier fight with Aang.
Zuko then had to endure his uncle's lecture about being respectful towards young ladies and the snickers of his crew over the fact that he came back in such a state and still smelled of the copious amounts of perfume that had been dumped on his head. This led to a variety of rumors amongst the crew that the prince must have lost some sort of fight with at least one woman, driving the youth's temper up even more.
Zuko trudged into his cabin, slamming the door behind him as he dropped, face-first, onto his bed and began to ponder exactly what had gone so wrong today. This was followed by a lengthy period of self-loathing and a descent into despair at the thought that he might never capture the Avatar and restore his honor. As his mind became more clouded, he drifted off into the realm of his dreams. Oddly enough, the dream was much more pleasant than the last one had been.
He was sitting in a courtyard at the Fire Nation palace, watching as two Waterbenders sparred with each other. Odd, why would there be Waterbenders in the Fire Nation? They were a boy and a girl, very similar in appearance and were likely twins. He realized this dream was much more vibrant and clear than any of his previous ones. That's when he heard a laugh from right beside him.
"You're not being careful, Kachada! Miakoda has the upper hand in this fight!" came a smooth, feminine voice. Zuko looked to his left and saw a beautiful woman, clearly Fire Nation, dressed in casual clothes but wearing the crown of the Fire Lord.
"What are you talking about, Akari?" the male Waterbender said, only for his moment of distraction to give his sister the chance to send a blast of water that knocked him backwards into the pond. "AH!"
Zuko realized that his visions had gone from him experiencing them as Akari to watching moments of her life as an invisible specter. There was something about Akari that reminded him unmistakably of his family; he was certain that those yellow eyes of hers were the same as those of his father, and the shape of her face brought forth memories of his sister, Azula. And yet, there was something about her demeanor that was so different from his family's that it almost seemed like she had no connection at all.
"I can't believe you did that!" the boy, Kachada, fumed as he stormed out of the pond. "You intentionally made your own boyfriend lose in a fight to his sister. Why this betrayal?"
"Girl code!" both women responded.
Kachada crossed his arms and looked disapproving while the two burst into laughter.
"You wouldn't be laughing if I caused you to lose in a sparring match with your brother," he said.
"Oh please," Akari said dismissively. "Xiong hasn't bested me in a fight since he was fourteen, and even then it was a lucky shot."
"Come on, Kay-Kay," the female Waterbender, Miakoda, teased her brother. "It's just some good fun."
"It won't be so much fun when we have to go back up North," Kachada retorted. "The fact that you left so soon after the chieftain's son proposed to you has stirred up a lot of controversy. People are saying you have no intention of returning to fulfill the obligation to marry him. Not that I'd disapprove if you did; frankly, I don't want that jerk as a brother-in-law."
Miakoda looked at the ground, scowling.
"Mia told me about that," said Akari. "I told her she should throw the betrothal necklace back in the stupid jerk's face."
"It's just that…I'm not sure if I can," Miakoda continued. "The Water Tribe has always been my home and I don't know where else I could turn."
"You both could stay here?"
"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble there, Akari," said Kachada, "but most of the people here in the Fire Nation don't exactly like me and my sister. Your brother's done a pretty thorough job of convincing them we're after your throne or something like that."
"What?! Why has no one informed me of this?!"
"We thought you knew," said Miakoda.
"No! I most certainly did not!" Akari slumped forward, resting her head in her hands. "Why must everything be so confusing? I'm trying my best to both rule my people and learn how to be a Fire Lord. It would be so much easier if my father was still alive."
As the two Waterbenders began to comfort their friend, the dream started to blur and Zuko awoke.
Author's Note: I've decided that, from now on, Zuko and Wenona will observe their dreams outside the consciousness of the people they remember being. In other words, it will be like a Harry Potter pensieve experience instead of seeing through the eyes of the people themselves.