Chapter VI: Recuperation
"Good morning Sokka." Sokka woke with a start at the unfamiliar voice, only for it to continue, "It's alright, Sokka. You're safe." Sokka looked around, searching for the source of the voice, before his eyes finally fell on Master Piandao. "Master," Sokka said, "you came to find us."
"Actually Sokka, I've been following you for the last several days. And I have to say, you did a fine job here."
"Wait, you were there when we had to fight that thing?"
"That isn't what I meant- I meant to say that Huu and I only caught up with you this morning."
"Wait, Huu's here?"
"Yes. He told me all about the mammoth python you killed. Apparently, you two killed a local legend."
"Really?" Sokka slowly got to his feet, his leg buckling as it struggled under his weight. This was not lost on Piandao, who stated flatly, "You're injured."
"It wasn't from the snake, if that's what you're wondering. I just took a bad fall, is all." Sokka began to limp toward the body of the snake. "So, what were you saying about this thing? Something about a local legend?"
"This particular mammoth python is called an 'orochi.' They're much larger than a normal mammoth python, and have anywhere between three to eight heads. They're much more aggressive too- a single one of them can eat over a hundred people per year. You should consider yourselves lucky you weren't killed."
"Mister Piandao's right, y'know." Huu approached, with Suki alongside him. "There ain't a lot of people who've seen an orochi and lived to talk about it, and even fewer who've ever killed one- this would be the first in… over two hundred years, I reckon."
"Wow…" Sokka mumbled.
Huu then said, "Nobody in our tribe is ever proud to have to put down an orochi- our people once considered them to be sacred. But it couldn't be helped. What's been done here is done."
Then, Piandao spoke up. "Sokka, Suki, I realize that this assignment was far more dangerous than the Grand Masters and I anticipated. But, you did well. So, I think you two earned a little… vacation for the next few weeks."
Smiles cracked across both Sokka's and Suki's faces. She asked quickly, "So does that mean—"
"Unfortunately, since the two of you are only initiates, you are not permitted to have any contact with friends or family members. Once you become ranking members within our organization, you may resume contact with the outside world."
"Oh…" There was silence for a moment before Suki asked, "Master Piandao, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Suki."
"Sokka and I are probably going to go on more assignments like this, right?"
"Some of your assignments will be very dangerous, yes."
"Well, I need to ask you a favor. I didn't bring any weapons with me, and since we can't have contact with friends or family members, can you go to Kyoshi Island and bring back some of my weapons?"
"Certainly. Your weapons will be delivered to you before your next assignment."
"Suki bowed. "Thank you, Master Piandao."
"Now, we should get back to the matter at hand." He paused momentarily before saying, "The only I have left to say is… where would you like to spend your vacation?"
"Well, I guess this isn't too bad," Sokka said. "But I still say we should've picked Ember Island."
"Come on Sokka, by the time we got to Ember Island, we'd have to turn around and leave- after all, Master Piandao said we only have three weeks of vacation time."
He glanced over at her. "I think my cynicism is starting to rub off on you."
"Only in your worst nightmares," Suki replied jokingly. Two days had passed since they left the Foggy Swamp and arrived at their vacation spot, a small, nameless costal town a few miles north. Sokka had wanted to go to Ember Island, while Suki had wanted to stay in the Earth Kingdom. Eventually, after a few minutes of coercion, Sokka relented, and agreed that the two would vacation locally. Piandao recommended that they visit a small village to the north of the swamp, and the deal was sealed.
However, the vacation wasn't purely for its own sake, nor was it purely a reward for Sokka's and Suki's accomplishment. Piandao had said that until Sokka's leg had healed, he couldn't, in good conscience, send the two initiates on another assignment. After three weeks of rest, according to the master, Sokka's leg would be healed enough for him to take on another mission.
"You know,' Sokka began, "I really wish Katara was here. She could've fixed up my leg, and we'd already be on our next assignment."
"Well, I guess that's our loss." She stood up. "I think I'll go for a swim."
"That sounds nice…" Sokka nodded dumbly, staring out over the ocean, lost in thought, and most certainly not admiring how Suki's rear nicely filled the pair of tight short shorts she was wearing.
Suki quickly caught on. "Hey! You're not even listening to a word I'm saying!"
"Um, yes I am!"
"Prove it then!"
"I don't think you should go for a swim. The water's still too cold."
"I guess you're right…" Suki said, and sat back down. Sokka thought she actually looked slightly disappointed about the missed opportunity to yell at Sokka. So Sokka quickly interjected, "I really was thinking, though, before…"
"About what?"
"Well, do you think there are others like us? Other initiates, I mean."
"Sure. I mean, back at the safehouse, Master Piandao he was looking for more recruits. So, there probably are."
"Do you think we'll ever meet them?"
"Maybe, on one of our assignments." Suki shook her head. "But you shouldn't be worrying about that right now, Sokka. You should be trying to relax."
"Suki, don't forget, we're only here until my leg gets better. And besides, we should start preparing for our next assignment now."
"Sokka, you don't even know what our next assignment will be."
"I know. But that doesn't mean we can't prepare for it."
"Okay then, how should we prepare?"
Sokka was silent for several moments. "…I don't know."
"Well then, I'll just let you think about that."
"Good morning Sokka."
"Good morning Suki."
"So, how's your leg feeling?"
"Eh, still stiff, still hurts when I stand on it." He lifted his leg off the ground a bended it a few times. "But at least it doesn't hurt when I bend it."
"Well, that's a good start, at least." As the two left the small hut they had rented for the duration of their stay, Sokka asked, "Suki, what do you think the others are doing?"
"I'm sure they're doing the same thing they were when I last asked that question," Suki replied. She then began to say, "Look, I'm sure Katara and Aang are—"
"Actually, I wasn't thinking about them." Much to his own surprise, he wasn't thinking about Aang and Katara at all. It was strange- Aang, Katara, his other friends, they all felt so… distant in his memory. How long had it been since he'd last seen them? Four months? Five? Six? Sokka earnestly couldn't remember, and that fact bothered him more than anything else during the last few months. "You know," Sokka began, "when this is over and we get ranked, I'm gonna talk to Master Piandao, see if we can get some time off to visit Katara and the others."
"You really miss them, don't you?"
"Yeah… and I would give anything if we could go see them right now." At that moment, Sokka suddenly staggered, but quickly regained his balance, visibly shifting his weight off of his bad leg. Suki asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be okay." He then had a sudden realization, and asked, "Suki, do you know anything that might help my leg get better?" In the six days since he injured his leg, he hadn't thought to ask his companion if there was anything she knew that might alleviate the pain.
"Well, I know a few stretches that might help your leg get better. I can show them to you when we get back from the market."
"Okay. That sounds good."
On a morning three or four days later, Suki awoke. At once, she noticed that Sokka was no longer sleeping next to her. She climbed out of bed, dressed herself, and left the hut; outside, she spotted Sokka sitting at the end of a short pier nearby, a fishing rod in his hands. She approached him- without taking his attention off his fishing line, Sokka said, "Good morning Suki."
She sat down next to him and replied, "You're up early." The sun hadn't even risen over the mountains to the east, casting massive shadows over the tiny village.
"I had some trouble sleeping." Sokka pulled his line out of the water for a moment, before casting it into the ocean again. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Well, how do you think the other Kyoshi Warriors are doing?"
"I'm sure they're doing fine, Sokka."
"You really think so? You don't think the recruits are giving them any problems?"
"I'm sure everything is fine. What are you so worried about?"
"Well… you left Ty Lee in charge when we left, right?"
"Yeah. What about her?"
"Well, I don't want to talk bad about her… but, I don't really think Ty Lee is 'leader' material." Sokka recalled several instances where Ty Lee had failed to show up for training, being distracted by some other activity, and even a few instances where he and Suki had caught her openly flirting with a few of the recruits.
"Look Sokka, I left Ty Lee in charge because I trust her, and on top of that, I've been training her to lead the Kyoshi Warriors in case something were to ever happen to me. I know she isn't as… responsible as either of us, but Ty Lee has her own way of doing things, and I'm going to respect that."
"So, did you have any problems when she joined you guys?"
"Well, I didn't like the idea at first, but all the other Kyoshi Warriors put in a good word about her, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I don't regret my decision- she's loyal, even if she's kind of… off. And she's actually a good leader, when she has to put her mind to it." Then she asked, "So what about you? How do you think your dad is doing at the South Pole?"
"I'm sure Dad is doing fine. He said things had gotten easier once Pakku came, and they've gotten even easier since the War ended. Pakku, the end of the War, the reconstruction… to be honest, it looks like it'll be smooth sailing for the Southern Water Tribe from here on out."
"Well that's good to hear."
"So… what do you say? Will you come see it with me? The Southern Water Tribe, I mean."
"Sure. Once all of this is out of the way, and once we see Aang and Katara and the others again, I'll go to the South Pole with you."
He looked over at her, stunned. "Really?" He quickly regained his composure. "Uh, I mean… thanks. That really means a lot to me."
"You're welcome Sokka."
Four days passed. In the morning, Suki awoke to find Sokka's half of the bed empty. Again. Already anticipating where he was, she got dressed and left the hut, immediately spotting Sokka at the end of the pier. This time, he was casually throwing Boomerang out over the water, catching it when it returned. She sat down on the pier next to him and said, "Good morning."
"Hey," was Sokka's only reply as he caught Boomerang and slipped it into his bag.
"So… how are things?"
"Good." He fell silent. Sokka had woken up early every day since he'd started four days prior; it was obvious that there was something on his mind. So Suki asked him, "Is there anything wrong Sokka?"
He shook his head. "No. Well, it's just, we've been here for two weeks. Shouldn't we have gotten any word from Master Piandao by now?"
"Well, maybe he's busy. I'm sure he'll send word once he's on his way here. But come on, Sokka, you should be worried about your leg."
"My leg's fine." He stood up, only to have his bad leg buckle slightly under his weight. He grimaced for a moment before he said, "Well, it will be, give or take a few days." He began to walk down the pier, away from Suki. "I'm gonna run along the beach. I'll be back in an hour. I'll be just fine, don't worry."
A few days passed. Every day, Sokka went to run along the beach- he would always return a few minutes later than the time he had promised. Suki had hoped his daily runs would help to calm him down, but instead, Sokka became more tense with every passing day. He would pace incessantly wherever he was, and when he was outside, he would constantly scan the skies, the roads, and the ocean, as if he were expecting someone. Then, two days before the end of Sokka's and Suki's vacation, as Sokka strode out of the hut, he immediately spotted a messenger hawk perched on the pier. The red bird squawked at him, as though it had been waiting impatiently. He reached down and pulled out a slip of paper from the canister in its back; with its mission complete, the messenger hawk then flew off. But Sokka paid no attention, busily reading the letter. From behind, Suki peered over his shoulder and asked, "What's that, Sokka?"
He breathed a sigh of relief. "It's from Master Piandao. He says he's got your weapons, and that he's on his way here."
"Well that's good." But Sokka's demeanor didn't improve in the slightest- if anything, he became even more on edge. He spent the next two days simply standing just beside the door of the hut, his eyes fixed on the road leading up to the pier. One day, however, he saw someone coming- the black robes with white trim he wore were a dead giveaway. He sprinted over, not even bothering to tell Suki the good news, and called out to Piandao, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! I can't believe you're finally here!" He stopped once he reached his former master. "So, do you have another assignment for us?"
Piandao adjusted a large bag slung across his shoulder and nodded. "I do. But I think this is something both you and Suki will want to hear." He began to walk to the hut, and Sokka followed him. Sokka asked curiously, "So, how have things been going for you?"
"I have to admit, things aren't going well. We found some recruits, but we haven't been able to find as many as we'd hoped over these last few months."
"So, what will you do about that?"
"We'll keep searching for recruits, and hope more people agree to join up with us." He reached up and knocked on the hut's door. Suki opened the door, her eyes widening instantly, and said excitedly, "Master Piandao! You're here!"
Piandao handed the bag over his shoulder to Suki. "I brought you your weapons. And, I have an assignment for both of you."
As Suki inspected the contents of the bag, she asked, "What is it?"
"The Council of Five is becoming anxious about the Outcast forces holed up here in the Earth Kingdom. They want to take care of the situation as quickly as possible, but they need to be able to anticipate the Outcasts' next move. So, your next assignment is to infiltrate an Outcast fortress, and collect any information that might help us- troop movements, attack plans, locations of other Outcast fortresses, anything like that."
"Alright," Suki said. "That doesn't sound too difficult."
"But remember, this is an intelligence-gathering mission only. The last thing we need is the Outcasts going on a rampage when they discover all the soldiers in one of their strongholds have been killed."
"Okay, we won't kill anyone," Sokka said. "So where are these guys hiding?"
"You won't be going there right away, Sokka. First, you'll rendezvous with another initiate in a village named Garu, to the north of here. Then the three of you will move on to the stronghold, acquire the information, and return to Garu, where you'll pass the intelligence on to a contact sent by the Council of Five." He turned slightly. "Stay on your toes out there. You'll be in enemy territory, and if anything goes wrong, we won't be able to do anything for you." Piandao turned to the road leading away from the hut. "I need to return to my duties. You two take care of yourselves." He set down the road again. Sokka and Suki watched him for several moments before Suki looked over at Sokka and asked, "Well, aren't you excited? You're finally going on a mission."
"Yeah I'm excited! And we get to meet a new initiate too! Come on, we need to pack and get going!"
