Danny gasped for air and glanced at Aang and Sam, both breathless from running also.
"Think we lost them?" Danny whispered. Sam shook her head.
"Not sure, but we've definitely lost the others," Aang replied. Danny nodded.
"Maybe we should try and find camp again and then we might be able to find them from there," Danny suggested. Sam and Aang shrugged.
"Worth a shot," Sam replied.
"So what way is camp?" Danny wondered aloud and turned in a slow circle, frowning. Aang and Sam shared a look before shrugging.
"Looks like we've gotten lost ourselves," Aang retorted.
"Great! This is just like that time you held the map in that crazy spooky swamp we cut through!" Sam growled annoyed. Danny flinched.
"Hey, I said I was sorry. I did find the way out eventually," Danny protested. Sam rolled her eyes.
"Right, after three nights and when I turned the map the right way around," Sam mumbled. Aang bit his lip and using his air-bending, climbed up the nearest tree. He scanned the canopy before seeing a small pillar of smoke.
"Hey! I think I can see our campfire!" Aang shouted down to the other two.
Tucker and Toph came to a stop, heaving for air. Tucker collapsed on the ground.
"I have… never run… so fast… in my life!" Tucker gasped. Toph nodded.
"Me neither. But… I can't feel anyone nearby. No soldiers or our friends," Toph informed him. Tucker instantly sat up.
"What?!" he yelped. Toph shrugged.
"I can't feel anyone close to us. And with so many trees, I can't feel vibrations that are far away," Toph explained. Tucker groaned.
"That's not good. What if we can't find them? What if those fire-benders find Aang or Danny and catch them before we do? What if-" Tucker began to panic. Toph slammed her foot down on the ground and a pillar of stone hit him in the back of his head and pushed him off balance.
"Stop it! We'll find them. We just need to start looking. You know Danny. Where would he work to?" Toph replied loudly. Tucker rubbed his head and bit his lip in thought.
"Usually he goes back to camp," Tucker answered. Toph nodded.
"So all we have to do is go back to camp," Toph announced. Tucker smiled and climbed back to his feet.
"You're right. No need to panic. Lead the way," Tucker agreed. Toph smirked before starting to walk in a direction, hopefully towards the camp.
Katara and Sokka came to a stop, leaning against trees and gasping for their breath.
"Did you see which way Aang and the others ran off?" Katara asked. Sokka shook his head.
"No, I was too busy running for my life," Sokka answered.
"Great! I hope Sam's alright," Katara retorted softly. Sokka shrugged.
"I'm sure they're all fine. Now give me a leg up," Sokka replied. Katara scowled at her brother.
"Why do you need a leg up?" Katara inquired. Sokka rubbed his hands together.
"Because I need to climb a tree and get my bearings," Sokka explained and motioned impatiently for his sister to help him.
"Uh huh. And how is that going to help?" Katara questioned as she opened her water bag and water-bended an icy pedestal for him. Sokka smiled and clambered onto the slippery surface.
"Because, if we know where we are, then maybe we can figure out where the others are," Sokka informed her. Katara smiled in understanding.
"Sokka! That's a brilliant idea!" she complimented. Sokka grinned.
"Well, I have my moments," Sokka mumbled modestly.
Sokka then jumped up to the lowest branch and ungracefully scrambled up on to it and then haphazardly climbed the tree. Once he reached the top he turned in a slow circle.
"Well?! What do you see?" Katara shouted up to him.
"Trees!" Sokka answered. Katara rolled her eyes.
"You don't say? Trees? In a forest?" Katara retorted sarcastically. Sokka frowned.
"Hey, sarcasm is my thing!" Sokka complained.
"Just get your bearings!" Katara snapped. Sokka shrugged to himself and returned to looking around him.
"Oh, wait! I see… yeah I can see the smoke from our campfire! And there's the river! Wow, we ran a long way!" Sokka yelled. Katara waited.
"So? Can you see anything else?!" Katara prompted. Sokka shook his head.
"No! No sign of the others! But I have a feeling that Danny will go back to the camp and Sam and Tucker will know that. We should make our way to the campfire!" Sokka decided. Katara nodded.
"I guess that's a good idea. Danny did suggest that we go back to our camp if we had to move while he and Aang were in the spirit world!" Katara agreed.
Sokka then clambered back down the tree trunk before missing his step and slipping and crashing down on the forest floor.
"Ow! I think I hit my head," Sokka groaned. Katara giggled.
"Well, then you should be fine. You have the hardest head I know," Katara commented. Sokka frowned at her. Katara used her water-bending to return the ice to water and put it back into her water bag.
"You alright?" Katara asked and held out her hand to help her brother to his feet. Sokka smiled and took her hand.
"Yeah. I'm a warrior! No tree is going to defeat me!" Sokka bragged, striking a pose. Katara rolled her eyes.
"So, which way was the campfire?" Katara inquired. Sokka frowned and turned in a slow circle.
"You don't remember do you?" Katara guessed. Sokka glared at her.
"Of course I do! It's this way," Sokka snapped and began to walk off through the trees.
"I really hope this isn't going to be like that time we met Jet," Katara muttered as she followed Sokka, recalling that Sokka's "instincts" led Katara, Aang and Sokka right into a Fire nation camp before Jet swooped into the rescue.
Not much to say really.
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Until the next chapter.