A/N: Sorry for the delay. Just cleaning everything up. This chapter follows canon very closely, but that won't last too long. You'll see a lot of episodes in a different light. I still managed to put some new things in this episode, though (I hope).

Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. The only things that are mine are Mira and any new plot points/ideas.

Chapter Two

The Cave of Despair

"Where are we going?" It was the first thing she'd said after they'd agreed to let her come with them. She'd been silent all throughout packing up camp and climbing aboard Appa, but now, twenty minutes into the flight, she could no longer contain her curiosity.

"We're headed to Omashu, so Aang can learn earthbending," supplied Katara, who was leaning against the side of Appa's saddle.

"I thought—you don't know all the elements?" she asked, confused. "What about the last hundred years?" She could see Aang's shoulders fall and realized that she might have touched on a sore spot.

Katara reached over and put a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Don't worry, I've got this," she murmured. Mira saw Aang nod, and Katara turned back to her.

"He was frozen in the ice for a hundred years," she explained. "Sokka and I found and unfroze him. He only knew airbending back then. We went up to the North Pole to learn waterbending. And now he needs to learn earthbending."

"And that's all that's happened?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, no," Katara admitted. "I skipped a few things."

"You mean like Zuko chasing after us and pit stops everywhere and the Avatar revelations and the Fire Nation attack on the North Pole?" supplied Sokka.

"Alright, so I cut out a lot of things," Katara snapped. "You really want me to explain everything?"

"Wait," she said. "Prince Zuko? He's chasing after you?"

They all gave her curious looks. "How do you know about Zuko?"

She rolled her eyes. "I hear things. I know a lot."

They shrugged, accepting her answer.

She changed the subject. "What about the Fire Nation attack on the North Pole?"

"This one guy, Admiral Zhao, he led a whole fleet up to the North Pole and started attacking. He ended up killing the moon spirit," Sokka said.

"The night of the Blood Moon," she murmured. She remembered it well. Two weeks ago, she'd woken up in the middle of a forest at night with a start. She'd peered around in a panic to find everything bathed in a bloodred light. She'd looked up to see a scarlet moon. Something inside of her writhed in pain, and she'd screamed in agony. Something had not been right in the world. Something had been very, very wrong. Not an hour later, though, the moon had gradually shifted back into its lunar white, and Mira's panic had finally subsided. It had been one of the most unpleasant nights of her life. "How did you fix it?" she asked, shaking her head to rid herself of the memory.

"There was a princess, Yue, who was saved by the moon spirit at birth," Katara said, quickly taking over. "She gave her spirit back to save it."

She nodded, ignoring the jolt of familiarity that raced through her stomach. "And the fleet?"

"Aang went all Avatar state on them and destroyed them all," said Sokka.

She arched an eyebrow in one of her silent questions. She'd removed the cloak shortly after Appa had taken off (due to the wild flapping and tugging the wind caused), meaning that everyone could see her face clearly.

"It's where I can access all the power and knowledge of the past Avatars," Aang said, finally speaking up.

Her eyes widened at his remark.

"We were trying to harness it before we ended up in that village," Katara said. "It didn't work out so well."

"Which is why," Sokka cut in, "we are trying to find an earthbending teacher. We're going back to Omashu to ask Bumi, an old friend of Aang's, if he'll be willing to teach him."

She nodded, and that was that.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

She shook her head.

"The water feels really nice…" Aang wheedled, splashing around to prove his point.

She shook her head again and remained sitting on a large rock that arched over the water.

"Suit yourself," he said, shrugging and turning away. He faced Katara and entered into a battle stance, ready to deflect any blows she might throw at him.

The others had decided that they needed a prolonged break after 1 ½ days in the saddle. They'd spotted a large river winding its way through the forest, and had quickly decided that it was the perfect place for a quick stop (although, in Aang and Katara's case, it meant more training). They'd asked her for her opinion, but she'd merely shrugged. She didn't care what they did. They were used to making decisions without her presence, and she wasn't particularly fussed to change that habit. So while they stripped down to their underclothes and waded into the river, she found a spot on an arch nearby that offered a wide view of the surrounding area. She would keep watch while they relaxed. She would also take advantage of the respite on the ground to continue crafting her new rods.

During their nightly stop the day before, she had ventured into the woods to find branches best suited for her needs. She took one of her daggers and sawed off two medium-sized branches as long as her forearm, making sure that the wood was sturdy and thick, while still being slim enough to handle easily. She brought them back to the camp and started stripping the twigs, leaves and bark off her branches. Halfway through her task, she'd felt a prickling on the back of her neck that told her someone was watching her. She'd looked up to find the three of them watching her curiously.

"What are you doing?" Sokka had asked.

"Replacing the rods I lost yesterday," she'd said, continuing to strip the branches down.

"They just look like tree branches to me," Aang had said, his head turned to the side as he inspected them.

"I'll take the bark off, whittle the bumps out, sand it down, then cover it in tree sap," she had explained. "Once it dries, they make nice clubs."

"What about your daggers?" Katara had asked, eyeing the knives in question with slight distaste. "Don't you use those?"

"They are useful," she admitted. "But the rods knock people out quickly. Slicing hamstrings tends to get messy." All three stiffened at her words, and she braced herself for their accusations.

"You'd do that to someone?" Aang asked in a small voice.

"In a battle, your opponent is trying to kill you," Mira explained. "It's about survival. I'm not afraid to fight dirty, but I will not kill. Cutting the back of someone's knee ends a fight quickly without killing them, as does knocking them out."

They accepted her answer, but, not surprisingly, they were a little more distanced from her. Of course, they weren't exactly falling over themselves to chat with her before, so it wasn't much of a difference. She didn't mind, anyway. It was a jolting transition from traveling alone to working with a group. If silence made things easier for them, so be it. She didn't say much anyway.

So she sat and worked at her rods whenever she got the chance. Sitting on the arch tested her observational skills, as her attention was split between the rods, the three below her in the water, and the surrounding area. She didn't mind, though. She liked a challenge.

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" asked Sokka impatiently as he floated lazily on a large leaf he'd pulled off a bush by the river. He was the only one in the group who'd protested at stopping for a break. Secretly, Mira agreed with him, but she had decided to keep quiet. She'd only just joined the group, and she didn't want to ruffle any feathers this soon. "We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to make it to Omashu today," he continued.

"What, like you're ready to go right now, Naked Guy?" Katara asked with a smirk on her face, her hand on her hip.

"I can be ready in two minutes," he said. "Seriously, whenever," he protested at his sister's skeptical look.

"I think Mira has you beat there," Aang said, pointing to her up on the rock.

Sokka looked away with an irritated hmmph.

Aang turned back to Katara and asked about a waterbending form, and the topic was dropped. Mira idly watched them out of the corner of her eye in between scans of the forest and quick checks on the smoothness of her rods. She'd never truly seen waterbenders in action, and was curious about the form. She rolled her eyes as Katara waded over to Aang to correct his technique. His blush was visible even from where she was sitting; it was surprising that neither Katara nor Sokka had caught on.

Well, it's not like I'll be the one to tell them.

She scanned the forest again, keeping her eyes open for any disturbances that seemed out of the ordinary. She didn't focus on any one area, but continually swept her eyes over the scenery. She trusted that her peripheral vision would catch any strange movement.

She turned her head as she caught a flicker of blue. She looked down to see Aang imitating an octopus in the water. She let out a sigh. This was the boy who was supposed to save the world? He had a long way to go.

A strange sound pricked at her ears. It sounded like…music of some sort.

"Someone's coming," she announced in a quiet, yet firm voice. The three looked up at her, then followed her finger to the path she was pointing at. She shoved the half-finished rods into her belt loops and shifted into a low crouch, her cloak draping over her and blending into the moss she was resting on. Anyone who looked up would see what appeared to be a moss-covered rock on top of an arch. Although, she tended to find that most people rarely looked up.

Instead of hiding or taking precaution, like she had done, the three others merely stood in the river and waited for whoever it was to round the corner. She clenched her teeth in annoyance. For one with such a large price on his head, the Avatar was remarkably lax in regard to caution.

A band of five people rounded the corner, all clothed in bright colors and trinkets. Three played various instruments, while two others danced beside them. A line of a traditional folk song reached Mira's ear, and she let some of the tension drain from her body. They were just a traveling group. But she stayed still and remained where she was, in case something wasn't right.

"Hey, river people!" called out a man wearing blue and yellow robes and holding a stringed instrument. He looked to be the unofficial leader of sorts. She could already tell that he wasn't the sharpest arrow in the quiver.

"We're not river people," Katara said.

"You're not?" the man asked, wrinkling his nose. "Well, then, what kind of people are you?"

"Just…people," Aang answered uncertainly.

"Aren't we all, brother," the man said dreamily, waving his hands in the air. Mira began to suspect that the man had taken to eating the purple-spotted mushrooms she'd seen in the area. These particular mushrooms, when eaten, caused hallucinations resulting in a half-dreamlike state.

Sokka stormed up to the group (well, as much as one could storm when wading through a river). "Who're you?" he accused, pointing a finger at them.

"I'm Chong," replied the man, grinning. "And this is my wife Lily," he said, gesturing to the woman dressed in pink and brown next to him. She gave a slight curtsy as Chong continued to speak. "We're nomads. Happy to go wherever the wind takes us," he said as waved his hand around.

Yep. Definitely the purple-spotted mushroom.

She began to climb down the arch, using the hand and footholds she'd discovered on her climb up. She walked quietly around the rock and approached the group. Chong was now staring very openly at Sokka's underclothes. Sokka quickly covered himself and hid behind a bush, which happened to be right behind Mira. Chong started violently as he spotted her. "Where'd you come from?" he asked, grasping his instrument like it was a lifeline.

She pointed to the top of the arch where she'd been sitting.

"We didn't even know you were there," he said in awe. "You some kinda river spirit?" he asked, squinting at her as if she would suddenly become transparent and float away.

She glared at him scathingly, but the cowl meant that he remained oblivious.

"She's traveling with us. That's Mira, this is Aang, and over there is my brother Sokka," Katara said, pointing to each in turn. "And I'm Katara," she said gesturing to herself.

"I'm Chong," he said, "And this is…"

"We know, we know!" cried Sokka, who came out from behind the bush, now fully dressed. "Your wife Lily! You already told us!"

"Oh," Chong said, looking baffled. "Right."

Mira let out a large sigh. It was going to be a long day.

Instead of just hopping on Appa and flying off, for some reason the three stayed with the traveling band, leading them to their camp. Katara and Aang seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Mira could tell that Sokka shared her sentiments. They didn't need to travel with these minstrels. They needed to be on their way. She wanted to speak up, but wasn't sure how her opinion would be met.

Mira sat on the ground a distance away from the group. She'd adamantly refused to allow Lily to braid flowers into her hair, so the woman had turned to Katara instead. For a brief instant, her mind wandered to happier days when she allowed her curls to run wild. She'd braid anything she could get her hands on into her hair. But those days were long gone. The offer of braided flowers pushed at a sore spot, worsening her already sour mood. She sat, sulking and brooding, hoping against hope that the travelers would just get up and leave. But this hope was growing fainter and fainter as she watched Aang grow more and more enraptured by Chong's tales.

As Sokka walked into the clearing, hands empty of the nuts and berries he'd claimed to be searching for, Aang called to him. "Hey, Sokka! You should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!" Aang's eyes were bright and eager, but the garland of pink flowers perched on his head gave him a faintly ridiculous air.

"Well, not everywhere, little arrowhead," corrected Chong, who had taken to calling Aang that. "Where we haven't been, we've heard about in through stories and songs."

"They said they'll take us to see a giant nightcrawler," Aang continued, oblivious to the arched eyebrow on Sokka's face. Mira had very nearly spoken out when Chong had made the offer, but as per usual, she held her tongue.

"On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never ending rainbow," said the rotund one with the moustache. He lay back and swept the air with his arms dreamily, leaving Mira to wonder once again if all these travelers were eating the purple-spotted mushroom.

"Look," said Sokka shortly, "I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy—" she shot him a glare, "—then I guess it's up to me. We need to get to Omashu. No side tracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows," he said, pointing an accusing finger at the nomad who'd suggested it. Sokka finished by crossing his arms with an air of finality.

Mira opened her mouth to agree, but Chong had already started talking.

"Woah," said Chong. "Sounds like someone has a case of destination fever." He laughed. "You worry too much about where you're going."

"You gotta focus less on the where, and more on the going," Lily added dreamily, gesturing grandly and pulling on Katara's braid.

"O-Ma-Shu," Sokka said, enunciating every syllable.

"Sokka's right," Katara added. Mira felt a wave of relief. If Katara agreed with them, it was more likely that they'd actually leave these nomads behind. "We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn Earthbending somewhere safe."

"Sounds like you're headed to Omashu," said Chong, once again repeating himself. Mira thought she remembered that a side effect of the purple-spotted mushroom was forgetfulness.

Sokka smacked himself on the forehead in irritation.

"There's an old story about a secret pass," Chong said, a weird look in his eye. "Right through the mountains."

Aang looked intrigued, and Mira's spirits sank once more.

Katara, however, remained skeptical. "Is this real, or a legend?"

"Oh, it's a real legend," Chong said seriously, and Mira rolled her eyes. "And it's as old as earthbending itself," he added, with a sly look. Mira grimaced as she realized what was coming.

Chong started strumming on his instrument, and the nomads were lost in a world of song. They told of two lovers whose warring families kept them apart, whose love overpowered the barriers set in their way. They sang of a path built so they could meet, and Chong trailed off in confusion before launching into a chorus that consisted of repeating the words "secret tunnel" again and again.

Mira refused to clap as the nomads finished, and desperately hoped that Aang wouldn't take the nomads up on their offer.

"I think we'll just stick with flying," Sokka said. "We've dealt with the Fire Nation before," he said confidently. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah," said Aang, going along with Sokka. "Thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground. And we need to go whatever makes Appa most comfortable."

Chong shrugged. "Alright." The nomads moved away from Appa as the four climbed into the saddle. "Don't forget the going!" he called up as Appa took off.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he muttered as they rose higher and higher.

It soon became apparent that flying was not the best option. The Fire Nation was prepared for their appearance, and launched fireball after fireball toward Appa. The bison was terrified, swerving left and right to avoid the projectiles.

"This isn't working!" Aang yelled back to the rest of the group. "We need to go back!" Sokka and Katara agreed, and as much as Mira hated the nomads, she managed to produce a small nod. At least they were preferable to dying.

…Though only by a slim margin.

So it was barely an hour later that they landed right where they took off, much to the nomads' surprise. "Secret love cave, let's go," Sokka grumbled as they walked past. Mira took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, picturing a short, wide passage through a relatively small mountain. It couldn't be that bad.

As they traveled through the woods, Katara and Aang listened eagerly to the nomads' songs, while Sokka and Mira desperately tried to ignore them. The forest around them slowly morphed into ancient ruins, which Mira took an interest in, if only to focus on something other than the nomads. The stone was sand colored, as was typical of the region. She tried to make out the crumbling symbols at the tops of the pillars, but they were degraded beyond recognition.

"How far are we from the tunnel?" Sokka asked for the third time in fifteen minutes.

"Actually, it's not just one tunnel," Chong corrected. "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth," he said, looking pleased with himself.

Sokka immediately started an angry rant, and Mira felt her gut tighten in anxiety. She'd told herself she would be okay in one tunnel, a straight shot through to the other side. There was an exit, and they would find it. But a labyrinth, a whole maze of underground caves, with no concrete way to find the way out…her breath hitched and her heart stuttered just thinking about it.

"All you need to do is trust in love," Lily said dreamily. "According to the curse," she added as an afterthought.

Sokka stopped short as the others passed him. "Curse?!"

But he was ignored as they reached the entrance of the tunnel. "Hey, we're here!" Chong called out unnecessarily. The mouth of the cave was huge, stretching far above their heads. Moss hung from the entrance, and a carving of three characters rested above it. Mira squinted, trying to read what it said, but they were too high up for her to decipher.

"What exactly is this curse?" Sokka asked, determined not to give up on the subject.

"The curse says that all those who trust in love can make it through the cave. Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever," he said offhandedly.

"And die," added Lily.

"Oh yeah. And die," Chong said. He started saying something else, but Mira was well on her way to hyperventilating and wasn't paying much attention. She had spent several minutes convincing herself that the tunnel was short, that she'd be able to see the other side, that they would barely be underground. But a labyrinth…she wasn't sure she could do this. She didn't want to be trapped in that hole forever. The opening of the cave looked much less friendly to her now. Instead, all she could see was a yawning stone mouth, waiting for her to wander in so it could swallow her whole. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead.

"That's it!" Sokka cried. "There's no way we're going through some cursed hole." Mira let out a shaky sigh of relief. Perhaps they could find another way to Omashu that didn't involve going underground.

But the faint smell of smoke reached her nose, and her hopes died once more. The Fire Nation was behind them, and likely to catch up soon. They didn't have any time to find another route.

"So all you need is to trust in love to get through these caves?" Aang asked Chong, and Mira realized that there was no escaping the hole.

"That is correct, Master Arrowhead."

She saw Aang stare dreamily at Katara before saying, "We can make it."

…I'm doomed.

"Everyone into the hole!" Sokka called, waving everyone on. Mira swallowed the lump in her throat and walked forward, focusing on her feet and not the stone walls surrounding her.

She could hear the displeased grumbles of Appa (you and me both) mixed with the more sinister rumbling of Fire Nation tanks following them down the wide road they'd just traveled. Suddenly, they stopped at the mouth of the cave.

What are they doing? Why don't they just…Oh, spirits no.

She heard the mechanical sound of metal shifting positions, then a harsh clattering sound. She watched as large grappling hooks bit into the stone above the cave entrance. There was a high-pitched squealing sound as the tanks backed up, tugging at the metal hooks. Then with an ear-shattering crash, the rock tumbled to the ground, effectively sealing the group inside.

Then everything faded to black and she was back in the wine cellar, and her worst enemy was standing at the top, sneering down at her with a curled lip. She could see the wooden doors lower inch by inch until they closed, blocking out all light and plunging her into a darkness that was confining and never-ending.

Deep dark unending black can't see nothing there alone blind world gone blackness everywhere no light all alone crushing suffocating black—

A faint, flickering light filled the tunnel, and Mira's knees nearly gave out. At least they had light. But she took one look at the rock covering the tunnel entrance, and her fear returned with a vengeance.

Appa pawed frantically at the rock in front of him, and she felt an overwhelming desire to help. She needed out. She needed the sun and open air and space.

Mira ignored Katara and Sokka's less-than-convincing assurances that everything would be all right and looked down at the ground, trying to keep her attention from the walls that were entirely too close for her liking. She listened without really hearing the plan that Sokka crafted. As the group started moving, she tried to stay near the middle, closest to the light. And she didn't look up at the wall of blackness looming in front of her.

She drifted out of her protective reverie as they came to a stop. Sokka was turning the map around and around in his hands, the universal symbol for "I-have-no-idea-where-we-are". She felt her stomach clench painfully, for once not out of hunger. She tried to quell her rising terror as best as she could.

She listened through a panicked haze as Sokka insisted that they'd already been there, as Chong spoke of the power of love, and as Sokka finally determined that the tunnels were moving of their own accord. At this, she could feel her panic winning. How could they ever escape tunnels with a mind of their own? She would be trapped forever, wandering around in circles. Her breathing sped up and her hands grew clammy as she rubbed her fingers together (a nervous habit she'd developed, but didn't use very often).

A roaring filled her ears, and it took her a moment to realize that it was not the blood pulsing through her heart. The ground shook violently, and she tumbled, trying to regain her balance.

"The tunnels," Chong said in a fearful tone. "They are a-changin'! It must be the curse," he continued. "I knew we shouldn't have come down here!"

If she hadn't been full of paralyzing fear, she would have slapped him.

"Everyone be quiet," Katara warned suddenly. "Listen."

Mira tried, but all she could hear was the sound of her own panting breath and her entirely-too-fast heartbeat thumping in her ears.

A wolfbat swooped out of the darkness and cut a path through the middle of them, sending them all ducking to the ground. Mira was paralyzed with fear, and could only watch helplessly and pray that it didn't approach her as it soared through the air. It landed behind them, its teeth bared in a maniacal grin. It took off again, diving and flying over them. Sokka brandished his torch at it frantically, but he lost his grip and the flame landed square on Appa's foot.

All hell broke loose. Appa roared in pain and terror and galloped around the cavern. He ran into walls and knocked loose stones. The wolfbat darted away in fear, but its disappearance did nothing to calm Appa. He bounced off wall after wall as he circled in an attempt to find a way out. Mira tried to crush the side of her that screamed in approval of Appa's actions. The walls trembled and groaned ominously, and large rocks fell to the ground. She felt a sudden blast of air push her away from the shower of rocks, and she hit the ground with a groan. As she stood up, she realized that Aang, Katara, and Appa were not with them. They were trapped on the other side.

The second collapse was too much for her. She ripped off her hood frantically. The cloth, instead of being a comfort to her, now felt suffocating. She slid to the ground and buried her face in her knees. Her fingers felt hot from all the friction her frantic rubbing was creating. She couldn't do it. She couldn't keep walking down a tunnel she would never get out of. Her breathing became high-pitched and frantic, and she started trembling.

"Uh, Sokka? I think something's wrong with her," said Lily.

There was a pause in the chatter and clattering sounds that had filled the cavern, and she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "Are you alright?" asked Sokka quietly.

"Can't," she wheezed. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Can't breathe. Claustrophobic." She stopped as she grew lightheaded. Some still-rational part of her brain noted that she was hyperventilating, but she was powerless to stop it. A primal terror was taking over her body, and the lack of control added another fear to the mix.

"Whoa, she can talk!" Chong said amazedly. "I thought she was mute, or something."

Sokka ignored him. Mira heard a scraping sound as he slid next to her. "You need to focus on your breathing," he ordered. "Not on the tunnel, or the walls. Just count your breaths. And make them long ones."

She did as he said. She pulled in a deep breath, held in slightly, then slowly exhaled. She kept going, letting the sound of her breathing fill her ears and her head.

"Better?" Sokka asked finally as she began to relax.

"A little. But as soon as we start walking, it's just going to happen again," she whispered miserably.

"No, it won't," he said, pulling her to her feet. "Because you have a goal."

"I do?"

"Yes. There is an exit. We know there is. We're getting out of here, and if you don't help us, we can't. You need to keep it together so we can leave."

His tough-love approach worked. She straightened up and took a deep breath to center herself. "You're right. Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. Everyone's afraid of something. You just can't let it rule you."

She gave him a grateful half-smile. "Thanks."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Don't mention it."

They'd been walking for a few moments when the nomads started idly playing their instruments and singing folk songs. Mira could see Sokka starting to tense up, so she started a conversation with him. This also had the added benefit of keeping her distracted from the thought of underground labyrinths. "You knew exactly what to say to calm me down," she murmured. "How?"

"There was a kid back at the South Pole who was caught in an avalanche once," he said, staring ahead, lost in memory. "He got really claustrophobic. Wouldn't even go inside an igloo. I was the oldest person there, so I was the one who had to help him. I discovered that the breathing thing worked well." He gave her a sideways glance. "And I figured a direct approach would work with you."

She nodded.

Two folk songs later, Sokka said, "I know you probably didn't like that I saw you like that, but I'm glad I did."

She scowled. "You liked seeing me weak?"

"I liked seeing you human," he said simply. "I've only just met you, but you're pretty intimidating. It's nice to know that you've got fears like the rest of us. It makes you more human," he repeated.

She paused for a beat, before saying, "It's the not talking, isn't it?"

He nodded. "It makes you look arrogant."

"That's not why!" she cried. She wasn't quite sure why she was defending herself to him. "I just don't talk a lot," she said, a little more subdued. "I've been on my own for—a long time," she finished lamely.

"You're not now," Sokka said. "We don't bite, I promise."

She remained silent, staring ahead and contemplated what he said.

"You could also stand to help make decisions," he added.

"I'm new. I didn't want to stir up trouble," she said.

"You're part of a group now," he reminded her. "Believe it or not, you can tell us what you think."

"This isn't going to happen overnight, you know," she warned.

He shrugged. "As long as you know." He paused, a little longer than was comfortable. "So," he said casually, "what exactly was it that turned you into scary thief girl?"

She arched an eyebrow and gave him a look.

"Criminy," he muttered. "I was getting close, too."

"A mental breakdown is all you get," she said. "I'm not spilling my life story."

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he offered.

"Nice try."

"Phooey."

They lapsed into silence once more. Mira could feel that saying anything more would result in the conversation growing stale, and besides, she wasn't one to make conversation anyway. She could tell that Sokka felt the same. So she stared straight ahead, pretending that the black tunnel before her led to the bright sunny garden of her childhood home. But imagining that brought up too many tender memories, so she turned her attention back to Sokka. His escalating reaction to the nomads was entertaining and kept her mind off the claustrophobia lurking in the back of her mind.

They were currently singing made-up songs about the tunnel and the misfortune they were in in a misguided attempt to cheer Sokka up. She could see his face becoming redder and redder, and figured it was only a matter of time before he lost it. She wasn't usually one to wish troubles onto others, but watching Sokka squirm in irritation did wonders as a distraction.

"Great! Your plan has led us to another dead end!" accused one of the nomads, managing to sound angry and peaceful at the same time.

"At least I'm thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku," Sokka snapped back. Mira felt no shame at his words. Normally she would be observing all that she could and taking in information in an attempt to help figure a way out, but she was dealing with irrational panic with every step she took forward. Let the others do the thinking for now, she reasoned.

"Wait a minute. We're thinking of ideas?" Chong asked. "'Cause I've had an idea for, like, an hour now."

Mira could see a vein throbbing in Sokka's forehead. An explosion was imminent.

…And Sokka delivered. "YES! We're all thinking of ideas," he said slowly, throwing each word into the air with force. However, Mira could not take him seriously, as Momo was perched jauntily on his head like some bizarre hat.

"Well, then listen to this," Chong continued, oblivious to Sokka's anger (as usual). "If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!" He looked around at the other in triumph. Mira, who had foolishly been hoping for a plausible idea, braced herself for more endless marching throughout the tunnels.

Sokka did another face palm, and the beginning chords of yet another song started echoing through the labyrinth.

It could have been five minutes, or fifty. The music morphed seamlessly from one song to another, and Mira was too focused on breathing and walking to keep count. It seemed endless to her, this journey underground. How long had they been in here, truly? Had it been minutes? Hours? Days? She had no way of knowing for sure, so she pushed the thought from her mind and kept within the light.

She froze as she heard a sound she recognized. A wolfbat was snarling somewhere in the tunnel around them. She could feel her breathing quicken, and she forcibly drew air in through her nostrils and out through her mouth. She and Sokka were the only two with level heads. She couldn't afford to have a meltdown if they were to deal with savage animals.

Everyone stood at a standstill, peering apprehensively into the thick darkness that stretched beyond the torchlight. Mira realized with growing dread that the sound was not coming from the tunnel before them…but behind them.

"Turn around!" she ordered as she herself turned. A fleet of wolfbats in a wedge formation materialized out of the darkness, heading straight for them. They leaped up and took to the air as their snarls and howls filled the caverns.

But something was wrong. Instead of diving and attacking, as the last one had done, these wolfbats flew straight above their heads, not even sparing a glance to those down below. Sokka crouched and ducked and flailed his limbs, but not one made an effort to swipe or lunge at him. They were only focused on leaving, and leaving quickly. Which meant that something was driving them away.

"Hey, you saved us Sokka!" cried Chong, as clueless as ever.

"No," she said gravely. "They were escaping from something."

"From what?" asked Chong, somewhat skeptically.

As if in answer to his question, the ground shook and bucked beneath their feet, filling the tunnel with a roaring noise. The wall of the cave ahead of them blew out, and rocks came crashing out of a newly-formed side tunnel. This reminded Mira too much of the previous cave-ins, and she resumed rubbing her fingers together nervously.

As the dust cleared, a huge badger-mole emerged from the tunnel, locking its milky white eyes on the group. Before anyone could react, though, a second explosion sounded behind them. Another badger-mole crawled out into the tunnel, effectively trapping them. They moved their paws together fluidly, closing the holes they'd just crawled out of, and sealing the tunnels behind them.

Mira looked between them, realized that the creatures had just reduced the already limited space around her, and promptly started hyperventilating. Again.

They slammed their paws down on the ground, carving rivets on the ground, and separating the nomads from her and Sokka. Sokka tore his gaze from the creature looming in front of him, and his eyes widened as he took in her panicked state. "Not now," he groaned quietly. Then, realizing that she would be of no help to him, he turned back to the threat in front of him. But the badger-mole's paw was already slamming onto the ground, sending them both flying. Mira landed against a wall, where she curled into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut.

Breathe slowly. In, and out. Not too fast, and not too deep. You won't do any good down here.

She could hear the badger-mole advancing across the tunnel, when a strange, discordant note rang out. The heavy shifting of the badger-mole stopped, and Mira cracked open an eye to see what was going on.

Sokka's hand was lying across Chong's stringed instrument. He appeared to have accidentally hit it when backing away from the creature. It was looking at him with interest now, cocking its head to the side. It looked like the music had appealed to the animal. As soon as she had this thought, Sokka picked up the instrument and experimentally plucked a note again and again. Mira, now distracted from her claustrophobia, stood up shakily.

"Hey," cried Chong, who had been sitting calmly near the opposite wall, "Those things are music lovers!"

Sokka started singing a nonsense song way off-key. "Come on guys, help me out," he added into the song. Mira shrugged in a "don't-look-at-me" way. She had no instrument, and there was no way she was singing. So she crept toward the middle of the cave while Chong, Lily, and the other nomads whipped out various other instruments and added their voices to the mix. The badger-moles continued to listen, staring at the group with their unseeing eyes, ears twitching in time to the song.

Slowly, Chong began to wind the song down. "What are you doing?" hissed Sokka as he continued to pluck the same string on his instrument.

"I got another idea," said Chong. He walked up in front of one of the badger-moles and said, in all seriousness, "We need some help, musical mole."

Mira watched him uneasily. She was highly doubtful of anything Chong came up with, and this was no exception.

"We need to get out of here," he said. "Can you get us out? We'll play all the music you want," he added, wiggling his instrument enticingly.

To Mira's immense surprise, the badger-mole waved its head and slumped to the ground. They all stared at it for a moment before the badger-mole bucked its head again.

"Hey, he wants us to climb on!" cried Chong, who was already halfway up its back.

Mira shook her head violently. She felt a hand grasp her elbow and looked back to find Sokka looking at her. "This may be our only ticket out," he said seriously.

She clenched her jaw and looked the second badger-mole warily. It had already slumped to the ground and was looking at her with what she swore was an impatient look.

"If we die," she mumbled through gritted teeth as she climbed nimbly onto its back, "I am so killing you."

"Noted and ignored," he said cheerfully, following her up (albeit not as gracefully).

She kept her eyes closed the entire way out. It wasn't until she heard a crashing sound and felt the warn sun on her face did she open then again. Then she was sliding down the badger-mole's back before it could even come to a complete stop. She landed with a soft thump on the ground, and then she was running. Running away from the tunnel, away from the mountain, away from the blackness. She barely even registered the presence of Aang and Katara outside.

"What's with her?" she heard Aang asked as she passed.

"Claustrophobic," she heard Sokka replied. "She hated it in there as much as Appa. Anyway, how did you guys get out?"

"Just like the legend says," Aang explained. "We let love lead the way."

"Really? We let huge, ferocious beasts lead our way," Sokka bragged.

Mira pulled her attention away from the group and stared out past the mountains. She pulled in a long, clean breath of fresh mountain air, and finally let herself relax. She was outside, there was a way out of everything, and she could see until the horizon. This was how the world was supposed to be.

Vaguely, she heard the nomads decline Aang's offer of travel to Omashu. She let out a sigh of relief as her insides danced with joy. She didn't like to imagine what might come of having to spend one more minute in their company.

She took a step back from the cliff's edge and joined the other three as they watched the nomads wander back down the road. She saw Aang sneak a look at Katara, who blushed and looked away.

Trusting in love, huh?

It took very little time to find the correct road that would lead them to Omashu. Mira found the journey to be much more pleasant without the nomad's songs and the oppressing walls of the tunnel. Her spirits felt lighter than they had in weeks.

She should have known that it wasn't meant to last.

She was the first to make it to the top of the hill overlooking Omashu. What she saw caused her to freeze in her tracks. She'd never laid eyes on Omashu before, but she knew it wasn't supposed to be covered in Fire Nation flags and belching out thick, black smoke.

"The journey was long, and annoying," she heard Sokka announce behind her. "But now you get to see what it's really about—the destination. I present to you, the Earth Kingdom city of—"

"Sokka," she interrupted.

"What?" he asked, giving her an annoyed look.

She merely pointed at the conquered city below her. He followed her finger, and gaped at the sight. "Oh no," he murmured.

Their journey had not just ended. It had barely even begun.

A/N: Please review! It makes my day to see that people are reading my work. Even if you just favorite or subscribe, it makes me happy. The way I see it, I'm just glad I have readers who like it enough that they'll keep coming back.