Chapter 7: Hunted

"So… I hear they call you Ummi. It means, 'the sea,' did you know that? Pretty cool, isn't it?"

Through the haze of incoming sleep, Ummi blinked at him, listening to the soft lilts in his voice and the distant rumbles of thunder that rattled the carriage window.

"They call me Sokka in these parts. Well, some people. You see, that's my actual name, but the people here know me as Wang Fire. Now you might be wondering why the heck this guy has two names. Well it's a really long story, and it can get pretty complicated, but the important thing is that Sokka and Wang Fire are the same person." Softly poking her nose, "So if you ever hear people call me Wang Fire, don't get confused. Think of it as a long name: Sokka Wang Fire Urumiq."

She directed her attention to the finger that poked her.

"Now you don't have to call me all that," he assured. "You can call me whatever you want. If you wanna call me Sokka, you can call me Sokka. Or if you like Wang Fire, call me Wang Fire. And if you don't like either of those, you can make up a name, I don't mind."

"Ah…"

"Ah. Perfect. You can call me 'Ah.' See? We're pretty chill around here. Water Tribe, amirite?" Shifting her in his arms, "Now you might also be wondering who this rambling guy is exactly. Well, I'm your anaana's bestest friend in the whole wide world—"

At which she began to whimper.

"No no, don't cry. It's okay," he gently rocked her, eventually positioning her over his chest, her head perched over his heart, "Shh, it's okay. Look, look, there's no need to be jealous. No hard feelings, no competition. You clearly have the advantage here. You're her number one priority." Smoothing the soft tuft of hair over her head, "But guess what? The two of you are my number one priority. That's all I'm saying. You and I can be best friends, too, don't you think? We should all love and look out for each other, right?"

She was drawn back to his tone, further soothed by the hand that was now rubbing her back.

"You know, you and I have a lot in common. I mean, you're a baby, and I used to be a baby, so at some point, we both liked yak milk and thumb-sucking and all that fun stuff. And…well, we're both Water Tribe, so we have the same language family. See, I'm talking to you now in the Common Tribal Tongue, which you'll learn very soon. I'm not from the North like your anaana, but I learned the Northern dialect from her; I'm pretty sure that's something else you'll be learning. And if you want, I can teach you the Southern dialect, too. That way, we can all speak the same languages." Adjusting the shirt that he had wrapped around her, "Just imagine it, you'll be the smartest baby around. Speaking three languages at home at the same time. Well, four if you count the Common Earth Kingdom Tongue, but that's not too hard."

He then held his hand beside her tiny one, "And, look, we have the same skin shade! Look at that…! Look at all this melanin we have…!" He briefly turned to Yue, who was still sleeping on his shoulder. He brushed away the smidge of cream that was stuck to her chin from when she was snacking on the creampuffs he had brought along; he then turned back to Ummi with a grin, "You might look exactly like your anaana, but if we're talking about skin tone, she's the odd one out here."

"Ah…"

"Exactly! So you see? We checked a lot of boxes already to reach best friend status. What do you think?" Slipping his index finger under her curled fist, "Let's shake on it."

She waved her fist for a moment before grasping his index finger with her palm. She held onto him for a long moment, staring at his finger and then at him before letting go, proceeding to suck on her own fingers. He felt a fierce tug at his heart; the newborn's vulnerability was especially terrifying in light of what had transpired tonight, the soft pulse of life in his arms making his senses stand alert.

"I'm not letting anything happen to you or your mom," he said, kissing the top of her head, "I promise."

"Ummi…"

"Ummi's here, ikkingutima." My friend. "She's right here."

How long had it been since he called her that? Yue's eyes fluttered open to his tender voice, her lashes fluttering against the bronze of his bicep. Through the blur of her sleepy vision, she saw that Ummi was propped up over his shoulder and that he was patting her back. She then shifted her gaze to him, greeted by a look of warmth and adoration — how long had it been since he looked at her like that — and she could only blink back tiredly, still unable to believe he was here beside her. Seconds after she hit reality, she quickly moved away from his shoulder, "Sorry, sorry…"

"It's okay, I don't mind," he said softly. "We have another hour and a half 'till we reach Gansu, by the way."

"How long have we been…?"

"Two hours." And Ummi's burp followed, prompting his excited, "There we go!" Continuing to pat her back softly, "I've been trying to get her to burp for the past twenty minutes. I saw you do this technique earlier. I think I got the hang of it now…"

An emptied bottle was perched beside him on the seat.

"It's been a few hours, so I thought she might be hungry. Don't worry, the milk's been boiled beforehand and kept in a thermos. I had a very experienced friend with two kids of her own to help me out."

"Oh…thank you…" She sat upright with the intent to hold Ummi but was assured with, "It's okay, I'll hold her a little longer. Just relax."

"You've been holding her the entire ride."

"You were holding her for two days straight. It's no problem at all." Smiling, "Ummi and I are best friends now. Isn't that right, Ummi?"

"Ah…"

"See?"

Her clearing vision revealed that Ummi was now swaddled in a blanket as opposed to his shirt, which was crumpled and left to the side of the carriage in a bag that contained many small towels along with Ummi's drenched pants. Underneath her blanket, the newborn was wearing only her shirt and a diaper that appears to have been put on backward.

"So she kind of wet herself," he said, "but I cleaned her. I brought spare diapers. I probably put it on wrong, but I think it still got the job done 'cause I think she's been pooping…"

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Yue reached for Ummi again, bringing her into her lap, "Did she ruin your clothes?"

"Don't worry about it," he assured, keeping a blanket over his lap, "That's what babies are supposed to do."

Noting the saliva stain on his undershirt, "Did she spit up on you, too?"

"Yeah, we bonded quite a bit," came a chuckle.

"Sokka, you should've woken me up."

"I know you're exhausted. I didn't want to disturb your peace. Besides, Ummi and I had fun. I'll just clean up when we get back."

"I'll wash your clothes and give them back to you—"

"It's okay, it's really okay. I'll wash 'em when I get home. I'm not in any rush."

"I can drop you off at the shop on my way home, sir," the coachman interrupted.

"It's fine, I'll find my way back later. The shop's not too far."

"Are you sure? This is probably the only chance you'll get to go home. Tonight's storm is progressing into a typhoon, and a pretty bad one at that. If you stay behind, you'll be stuck there for a while. No one's waiting for you back home?"

A jolt of awareness struck Yue in the face. Sokka might have a family waiting for him — a girlfriend or a wife (though he wouldn't take the liberty of kissing her forehead earlier if he had a partner). Children, maybe (though he would probably know how to change diapers if he had children, but still). And here she was implicitly assuming that it was not the case, shamelessly sleeping on his shoulder the entire ride—

"There's no one waiting for me." Sokka turned to her, his eyes softening at her abashed look. "Just me, myself, and I."

"The monorail is delayed," Jeong Jeong told Pakku. "It's now stuck at Terminal Five. We were not allowed to investigate."

"There was apparently a skirmish," Ty Lee explained. "The Dai Li are involved."

"What skirmish?" Pakku frowned.

"No one would say. It's confidential because it's a criminal matter."

"But the passengers are forbidden from seeing anyone unless there's documentation — census statements, certificates of marriage, or what have you— that the visitors share some relation to the passengers they want to see," Suki added. "We decided not to push it."

"If the Dai Li are there, then the Snake-Bloods are not going to risk it, either," Pakku noted. "We will have to check back after the storm."

"Are you crazy? We could lose her—"

"Would you rather lose her for the time being or have your covers blown? Believe me, I want this as much as the rest of you, but we need to tread lightly." Turning to Piandao, who was seated beside him, "I strongly advise you to keep your mouth shut about this around your favorite student."

Piandao, who was already lost in thought and was clearly displeased with the meeting from earlier and the progression of the events, said nothing.

Suki sighed, turning her attention to the closed metalworks shop next door, "Sokka's not back yet. He'll be stuck out there in the storm."

"Why does it matter?" Piandao noted idly, "You are all barely acknowledging him as a leader. You have no respect for him. You don't wish to tell him anything anymore, and you have made it very clear that you have no regard for his word or his ethical concerns. You basically established that you do not need him." Staring at Jeong Jeong, "What is making Pakku apologize to him going to do? What is begging him to come back going to do anything for any of you?"

"Don't go blabbering all this in front of him," Pakku huffed. "It's not about likes and dislikes. He is Hakoda's successor, and he needs to learn to be competent like that legend was."

Their conversation was interrupted, however, by Bato's footsteps splashing toward them through the puddles of rain. "What is it, Bato?"

"Someone came and got her," the man admitted, causing everyone to jump at his news.

"What?" Piandao frowned.

"Several hours ago, Fong and Long Feng sent me a message saying she was in Shurai. They said that they were going to bring her to the Women's Center but were waiting because Jet was there, and they didn't want to seem suspicious. I hadn't heard back from them since, so I went to Shurai directly to investigate. There had been a struggle on Murim Street. The Shurai Dai Li Department has Long Feng and Fong under custody."

"What?!" Pakku barked, "What the hell?!"

"They were badly beaten. Someone took her and the child. This is all I know. There were no witnesses to indicate what happened. Jet and his accomplice, Hama, were killed."

"Dammit," the old waterbender hissed, "What if they talk?"

"Long Feng won't talk," Jeong Jeong said. "Fong's the crazy one, though."

"Apparently he's lost it. Got hit on the head in the skirmish and has been babbling about blue unicorn-sloths ever since. The Dai Li are thinking about shifting him to a psychiatric ward in prison."

"The message that they sent you," Ty Lee brought up. "Did it have any details about her?"

"No, no details were in there. It was a last-minute scribble, that was it."

"So we can assume it really was a 'Sedna Sunaiq' that was kidnapped? How do we know it's the right Sedna? Pakku says there are millions of Sednas out there."

"If Jet was pursuing her, that has to say something."

"Jet pursues all kinds of women," Suki pointed out.

"Was it a Snake-Blood who got her?" Pakku asked.

"Again, no witnesses, no information."

"But what do you think? Do you think the man was helping or hurting her?" Suki asked.

"There's just not enough information. He could be pretending to help her with the intention of hurting her, or he could be pretending to hurt her so he can help her. But I do know that handling law enforcement is risky, especially now that they have two Hounds and custody and found two Snake-Bloods dead."

"If he's planning to help her, he'll be bringing her into Gansu," Jeong Jeong said. "And if he's a Snake-Blood, then he'll be bringing her to Ibbein. The only way to Gansu or Ibbein from Shurai is through Unngrinn." Looking up, "The Gansu-Ibbein-Unngrinn intersection is our best bet. Let's survey the area. Storm or not, as long as there are people or carriages coming in from Ibbein in the east, we're checking them. Follow up with anyone who looks like a tribeswoman, especially if she has a child with her."

Piandao frowned worriedly, "Hold on now. It is ridiculous to think anyone will be traveling in this weather. What makes you think they won't stop somewhere for shelter—?"

"Whether that 'savior' of hers is working for the Snake-Bloods or is genuinely trying to save her ass, he'll want to make it to either Ibbein or Gansu tonight at any cost," Pakku hissed. "This is the only way we can catch hold of her. If you don't want to join us, then feel free to leave by all means."

The swordsman glared, but he indicated no intention of backing out of the mission. He knew he had to be a part of this for the sake of finding out where Sokka was and warning him and the woman he was so invested in.

"The girls and I will survey the checkpoints leading up to the intersection," Suki said. "We'll go in pairs."

"Keep your guard up," Bato warned, "I've seen a few Snake-Bloods disguised as Dai Li officers. They're surveying the checkpoints as we speak. You're going to have to be disguised."

The carriage came to a sudden halt nearly a half-mile before the Minsa checkpoint. Sokka caught Yue before she could fall forward, a cautious arm flying around the newborn in her hold. He glared at the coachman, "Watch it, man, there's a baby on board!"

"Sorry, sir. Traffic suddenly stopped moving. I think there are Dai Li officers up front. They're searching all the carriages."

Sokka looked out of the carriage window, squinting through the storm's early drizzle. He could faintly see the outlines of Dai Li officers all the way up front as they stopped several carriages heading their way. Several angry riders were yelling at them, demanding that they be sent home.

"We're gonna be running late at this rate," the coachman bemoaned. "We still have another forty minutes to go. There is just now way."

Sokka, meanwhile, noticed that one particular officer on the scene had a serpentine tattoo running up the side of his neck. The warrior's tense grip on the window tightened, but he realized the universe had more waiting for them. A woman, appearing pregnant and destitute, was shuffling through the street between the various coaches and carriages. She tapped at each window, clutching her swollen belly as she eyed every passenger, "Can you spare some change, sir? Ma'am? Please, it's been three days since I had a meal… A single copper piece, please…"

The voice was unmistakably Ty Lee's, her eyes roaming over the passengers of every carriage. Occasionally she would turn around as if caught in helplessness only to subtly shake her head at another Kyoshi Warrior, who was waiting and watching from several feet away.

Sokka shoved his window back down, drawing the curtains. He looked to Yue, who was rummaging through her robe for the few copper pieces she had left in her pocket, every speck of moisture in her eyes imbued with the thought of Umaani. Before Yue could call out to get the woman's attention, Sokka's hand stopped her, his other hand quickly bringing her window down.

"That woman's a Hound. She's disguised."

Stiffening, "How do you know?"

"I know those people," he whispered. "That woman's not really poor or pregnant. She's Ty Lee, a Kyoshi Warrior. A Hound." Assuring the tribeswoman's worried form with a hand to her cheek, "Don't worry, I know another route. Once we cross the Gansu border, we'll be away from this nonsense. It's just…it'll take thirty extra minutes…and I'm trying to see if…" The degree of uncertainty was no surprise given the monstrous weather changes that awaited them and the difficult journey that loomed ahead. It was especially not ideal to travel in such weather with a newborn. Turning to the coachman anyway albeit lacking confidence, "Hey, man, I'm gonna need you to turn back. We can cut through Inchen instead. It'll take us an extra half-hour, but we won't have to deal with the Dai Li—"

"Sir, there is just no way, and you know it," the coachman said. "The storm's gonna get much worse in a half-hour. I was hoping we could sprint our way to Gansu somehow, but now I see that it's not happening. We won't be able to see the road at all in a few minutes, and that's not at all convenient. We're traveling with a baby. And the ox-horses are getting restless; they need a break, too."

"Fine," Sokka sighed, "Let's see if there are any inns nearby."

"I know of a reputable inn in Inchen on A'irum Street. There's a boarding stable there for the ox-horses. There are convenience stalls nearby, too; we can grab dinner and settle in for the night. There's lots of security there, too, so no need to worry about safety issues."

"A'irum is one of the safer parts of Inchen," Sokka told Yue. "There's not much gang activity there. I'll get a room right next to yours." He softly squeezed her hand in reassurance, "Everything's gonna be okay. Just trust me on this."

"The only catch, though is that the inn only allows families, sir," the coachman added. "Your friend can easily find a room, but you'll have to come with me to the stables and sleep in the hay or in the carriage or something. They won't give you a room to yourself."

"The hell?"

"I know the owner there, and he's a stubborn dude. His last inn was shut down because prostitutes from Shurai posed as abandoned women and secretly offered services there to escape the city's rigid patrolling. That's why this inn is families-only. A single parent with a baby is welcome, but unmarried couples and singles are not allowed."

"They've gotta have some exceptions! Not everyone goes to inns for that! Plus, this is an emergency—!"

"If you argue with the staff about it, they won't let her in, either. We'll have to sleep right here in the carriage in the middle of the storm and risk being blown away by the winds. If you really want to keep close to your friend, the only other way you can probably do that is by getting a job as a security guard for the night. They can always use more security guards. Even if you don't get a job per se, maybe volunteer or ask to fill in for a grumpy guard for free, and you'll at least get to be in the same building and get free food. Of course, you can't just be sleeping on the job, they don't like that at all."

"Yeah, that's totally fine. As long as I—"

"What are you talking about?" Yue frowned, "You're not going to sleep?"

"It's the only other way I can stay close to you," he said. "I'm not leaving you by yourself like this."

"Or you could say that you're her brother, and they'll give you connecting rooms or something," the coachman said, amused when the tribesman frowned at him. "Hey, I'm just trying to help you out. I know this isn't the only inn but it's the only non-sketchy one around here, so…your call. If you wanna come with me to the stables, I'll be happy to take you there."

But the hand holding Yue's didn't let go. "I'm getting that job tonight, and that's final."

The tribeswoman thought for a moment before looking back at him, "Sokka, if it's okay with you, we can just register ourselves as one family for tonight. Once we get a room, we'll figure out the rest later. What do you say?"

Blinking at her, "Are you okay with that? I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable—"

"I won't be uncomfortable. In fact, I'll feel better knowing you're there…"

He nodded longingly, taken over by a warm smile. "Me, too."

"But only if you're okay with it. I know it won't be easy sharing a room with a newborn—"

"Trust me," he swallowed the burn in his throat, "That's not gonna be a problem at all."

Piandao's focus was fully settled on the drenched dirt path that led to the inn on A'irum Street. After a couple of miles following the carriage as meticulously as he was able, he nearly fell over as he tried to catch his breath, keeping his eye on the carriage as it hastily rolled beneath the churning night and stopped before the entering doors. The swordsman squinted and saw through the stormy chaos that Sokka was the first to jump out, having apparently discarded his tunic and wearing an undershirt. The tribesman was drenched all over in a matter of seconds as he reached into the passenger compartment and grabbed hold of an umbrella that he quickly opened. He hurried to the other side of the carriage and helped out a beautiful white-haired tribeswoman who happened to be wearing his coat and holding a newborn in her arms.

Sokka held the umbrella over them, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders as he led them toward the families-only inn. The coachman, meanwhile, extracted the plethora of supplies from the carriage and placed them by the doorstep. A jagged glimmer of lightning lit up the surroundings, and in the sudden flare of light, what caught Piandao's eye was the fact that the woman was wearing a highly similar if not the same kind of necklace that Sokka was wearing. There was no opportunity for Piandao to observe further, however; the trio quickly went inside with the coachman jumping back in the carriage, rolling away in the rain.

Piandao began to walk back down the winding path, leaving behind the secrets of the inn behind. The winds had picked up at this point, the world quickly being encased in a harsh drizzle. The necklaces. Did Sokka really get married without letting him know? Of course, tribesmen didn't wear betrothal necklaces as far as Piandao's knowledge went, and Sokka's necklace had been on him since the day Piandao met him— that is, before the Red Fang's attack on Kya and Hakoda. Could it be that Sokka perhaps made this woman a similar one to show his sincerity and commitment to her? Or could it be that Sokka was married before joining the Hounds? Could it be that Aunt Wu's predictions had come true? No one could possibly know everything that Sokka had been up to at the university, and he did reach marrying age when he was there… No, no. He wouldn't have done something like that without Kya's blessing.

Piandao knew there was more to Sokka's grief than the tribesman let on, and in light of the events that had transpired in the morning, the sheer ease at which Sokka said he was no longer a part of the Hounds despite years of denying himself the privilege to reject a life that burdened him… Maybe having a secret family changed him. Maybe having a wife and daughter sensitized him further about having to pursue a mother and a baby girl…

Or maybe she was the "Sedna Sunaiq" the other Hounds were struggling to catch hold of, but how could she and Sokka be married or have a child when they had been in various parts of the world all these years…? Unless… Sokka did visit some island at the North Pole nearly a year ago after communicating for weeks with a private investigator. When asked about it, Sokka had only said it was a matter of great importance, nothing more. Could it be that he met this woman there? That whatever encounter they had…bore fruit?

With many of his questions left unanswered, Piandao sank into the realization that he never really knew his student this entire time as he walked back to the checkpoint. Nevertheless, he let a sigh of relief escape unnoticed. At least they were safe.

He was surprised to see that Suki was still waiting for him at the checkpoint despite his insistence otherwise. She appeared quite troubled as she asked, "Did you see Sokka?"

The swordsman shook his head. "I'm heading home. I'm sure he's found a place to stay for the night."

"But—"

"He's not a child. In fact, he's old enough to have a child of his own. I have no reason to worry about him."

Suki frowned, "Master… We really need you to talk to him. What if he really quits? Pakku might've crossed a line, but it was never our intention to—"

"If he wants to quit, then that is his most basic right, Suki," Piandao said, a sternness in his voice. "He had been suffering for a long time. Let today be the end of it."