Chapter Thirty Six

Does It Run In The Family?

Sokka lounged against a rock, his feet propped up on a log. Katara and Aang were practicing their waterbending before the group would head to the next village. The afternoon was warm, and there were still a few hours of light left in the day. Sokka didn't mind the stop for food and practice.

As he sat, he opened the gate to Koh's shadow in his mind. He felt the power course through him. He inhaled deeply through his nose, noticing the soft scents of the spring day. He could hear fish swimming in the river, and ants walking on a log across the water. He felt the wind's gentle fingers trace across his skin, and saw the feathers on an eagle-hawk far above.

The shadow coursed through his body and filled his muscles with power. Sokka smiled, thinking it was a very pleasant sensation.


Late afternoon sun fell onto her face as Toph lounged in the gardens of her family home. Her hands were clasped behind her head while she sat in companionable silence with the son of the Fire Lord. Prince Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. How had she gotten to be friends with him?

Her anger had dissipated somewhat over the past few hours. She reasoned that Zuko was trustworthy, as he hadn't once lied to her since trying to use an alias at that seedy inn. Sure the inn seemed okay to the average passerby, but she had sensed some of the less… respectable denizens of Gaoling present. Men who bet more money than they had on Earthbending tournaments, and would do anything to get enough to settle their debts.

Zuko and Iroh had asked her to go with them, to find the Avatar and teach him earthbending. Could she do that? Leave everything behind and go off to who knew where? She was certain she could teach earthbending, for she was the greatest earthbender in the world. She wouldn't be stuck at home, playing the innocent, defenseless, fragile girl that her parents thought she was. She wondered if Iroh would try and boss her around. She dismissed the idea, as the old man didn't seem that way. Odd that the Fire Lord's brother was… wait a minute. The Fire Lord's brother… Iroh. The Dragon of The West? Was that who she would be traveling with? If she decided to go with them that is.

"Hey," Toph said, "When are you leaving?"

Zuko glanced at her from his seat in the grass. He had been meditating in the waning sunlight. "Tomorrow. Maybe the day after"

Toph blew at her bangs, "I thought you said it would be a few days."

"We changed our minds." Zuko closed his eyes again, "My sister's not far from here. The sooner we get moving the better."

"Your sister, huh?" Toph asked, curiosity rising, "You said she's a strong bender, right?"

She felt Zuko open his eyes again. Oddly, one eye didn't open as wide. She wondered if he did that on purpose.

"Yes."

"Stronger than you?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes." Toph said, "What's she like?"

Zuko snorted. "She's… difficult. One of her great joys in life is showing me up, and another is tormenting me."

"I can't blame her for the latter, it is pretty fun."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Zuko asked sharply, evidently irritated.

"Oh, you're just easy to annoy is all."

"I am not easy to annoy!" Zuko bit out in a reply, disproving himself with the annoyed tone in his voice.

"Okay. I believe you." Toph spoke in a tone that made it quite obvious to any observer that she did not, in fact, believe him. Zuko's only response was to breathe out sharply and try to resume his meditations.

"Why does it matter that she's nearby?" Toph could feel his heartbeat increase the more she interrupted him.

Zuko calmed himself with a slow breath. "Father wants to put me in prison, so Azula was sent to capture me. She nearly succeeded the last time we met, and it was only because of my uncle that I got away."

"She beat you pretty easily then?" Toph asked. Zuko shrugged.

"Things weren't going that well for me at the time. Unlike her, as usual." Zuko spat, "Father says that she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."

"You two must really hate each other. You and your sister I mean."

Zuko paused, and Toph thought she had struck a nerve, and not in the fun way that would just make him grumpy. She waited for a few seconds, and eventually, Zuko spoke.

"We haven't always. And, for the record, I still don't hate her."

"What changed?" Toph asked.

"Azula… she's a firebending prodigy. She started firebending when she was five. Mastered the basic forms at seven. Our father took her into his own private tutelage and after that…. Things weren't the same. Then I was banished, and we didn't see each other for many years."

"Wait, you were banished?"

"I… oh, hey, it's my uncle!" Zuko changed the subject when he saw Iroh had returned. Toph decided not to push the issue just yet. Zuko stood and waved at the older man. "Uncle!"

Toph sensed mild surprise from Iroh at being hailed so enthusiastically by his nephew, but she thought he was pleasantly surprised.

"Lee, I was just looking for you," Iroh said as he led their ostrich-horse over. "The most recent news of our friends is that they were seen in Honshu, and seem to be traveling southwest."

"They're getting closer," Toph observed.

Iroh nodded. "Have you made your decision?"

Toph shrugged noncommittally.

"We should leave in the morning." Zuko said, "I don't want to let the information go stale. They move fast."

Iroh sighed and nodded. He agreed, and the three of them walked towards the sprawling house of the estate. While walking, Iroh took out an envelope and handed it to Zuko. Toph wondered what it was, but was soon answered.

"Here," Iroh said as Zuko took the envelope. "It's a passport. If we go through a checkpoint, it's better to be prepared."

Zuko took the envelope without much to say about it. He tucked it into his shirt, and that was that. They ate dinner with Toph's parents, and Iroh thanked the hosts for their kindness and informed them of his and Zuko's intent to leave in the morning. Lao was visibly pleased with the development, but Poppy did not seem to fully share his sentiment. She thanked them once more for helping Toph out of the river, and asked Zuko to keep in touch, saying that she would read aloud anything he wished to send Toph. Zuko blinked in confusion and said that he would be sure to do so. Toph was surprised to find out that he was telling the truth.

It was the fact that he would keep in communication with her if she chose to stay home, that made her choice. She would not sit around and wait for her mother to read her letters of all Zuko and the Avatar's adventures. It was entirely unacceptable. She packed a bag that night and slept for a few hours. She rose a little after midnight and snuck out of the house and to the stable, where she found Zuko's ostrich-horse. She thought it was odd that they hadn't given the creature a name.

Toph stuck her bag into the larger of the saddlebags, which was already in place on the bird. She turned to go, but paused when she sensed something odd. There were strangers outside of the estate's walls. Five of them, and one large animal. Four women and one huge man. She thought about alerting the guards or just chasing them off herself. Something stopped her though. One of the women, a girl only a few years older than she was, was walking. That wasn't anything special, but the way she carried herself… it was that same surefire way that Zuko had. As if she had the sun in the palm of her hand.

Toph turned back toward her house and walked inside. Maybe she should wake up Zuko and his uncle.


It was an hour past midnight. Azula stood beside The Combustion Man - she thought that was a ridiculous name - not far from the western wall of the Beifong estate. She had counted a total of sixteen guards, walking in pairs around the grounds and standing at the gate. Half of them were in the guard house, and she had to wonder exactly how wealthy this family had to be to afford so much security.

She had amended the plan slightly after realizing the number of earthbenders and warriors the Beifongs had on hand. She would give the signal, and Ty Lee would break into the sleeping quarters of the off-duty guardsmen to immobilize them before they could react to the operation. Once the chi-blocker had begun her work, the attack would begin in full to prevent the night watch from interrupting. Zuko and Iroh would surely react to the strike, but she had planned for that. Should they try to sneak over the walls, The Combustion Man would strike and incapacitate them. She had given him strict orders not to use deadly force.

Now, all that she was waiting on was for Colonel Mongke to give the signal indicating that the Earth Kingdom military force was in pursuit of his team. Azula heard the first explosion from the far side of the city, a dull echo of destruction that rolled sonorously across the landscape. Good. His attack had begun. Azula started to pace, taking calculated and sure footsteps across the small patch of ground hidden behind some boulders. She watched the sky in the distance, waiting. Minutes passed, and eventually, she saw the signal. Colonel Mongke had unleashed a mighty gout of flame into the air, visible even from her position. She waited for half a minute and withdrew a slender brass whistle from a pouch at her waist. She blew it, mimicking the song of an owl-canary.

She heard the faintest sound of leather on stone and waited. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds. Thirty seconds. No outcry came from the estate, indicating that Ty Lee had begun her work. Or at least that she hadn't been seen. She looked at The Combustion Man and nodded. The behemoth leapt onto the boulders they were standing behind and drew in a sharp breath. A series of sharp snaps and pops filled the night, and a line of fire shot from the man.


"Wake up!"

Zuko was on his feet with his swords drawn before the first syllable had been finished. He scanned the room for threats, but saw only Toph. He reasoned that she wasn't likely to attack him, or she wouldn't have said anything. He sheathed his swords quickly.

"What's going on?"

"There're some people here, on the outside of the estate- no," She squinted in concentration for a moment, "One of them's in the guard house, but she's just… poking the guards? They're not even waking up, they're just lying there."

Zuko's eyes widened and his heart fell through his chest. "Ty Lee!"

"Who's Ty Lee?"

"She's one of my sister's friends," Zuko answered as he pulled on his shirt, "A chi-blocker. If she gets a hit on you it takes away your bending for a while."

Toph paled at the revelation, but Zuko spared no time for further explanations. He pushed past Toph and into the hallway. He slammed open his Uncle's door and the old man leapt to his feet in his underwear. Zuko gagged at the sight and tried to cover Toph's eyes. She swatted his hand away and glared at him. Right, Zuko thought, she's blind. He briefly considered picking her up off the ground so she couldn't see with earthbending, and then he realized how stupid that was and decided against it.

"What's going on?!" Iroh asked seconds after his door was slammed open.

"She's here," Zuko said. His uncle's mouth fell open and he threw on his clothes.

"We need to-" An explosion sounded and they heard bits of debris falling. Men shouted outside and a woman screamed on the next story of the house. Poppy, Toph's mother, Zuko realized. He dashed down the hallway and towards the front doors, his uncle and Toph in hot pursuit. Lao flew down the stairs and started yelling for Toph to get upstairs while he investigated what was going on. She ignored him and broke a hole in the front wall with her earthbending, which allowed Zuko, her, and Iroh to get outside quickly.

He was met with chaos, and standing in front of it all was his sister.


Her brother and uncle leapt from the house and into the courtyard. For some reason she didn't care about, a girl followed after. Azula watched the three of them for a moment and then spoke.

"Why, if it isn't little Zuzu!" Azula drawled vindictively. "And a treacherous, backstabbing snake."

Iroh winced, and the girl's mouth fell open for a moment. She laughed, "Zuzu?!"

Lao Beifong, she assumed that was him, stormed out of the building, "What is going on here? Who are you, and why have you attacked my home?"

Azula rolled her eyes. They always asked the same questions, at least according to the reports she had read. She hadn't exactly performed many home invasions herself.

"This doesn't concern you, you papery twit!" She replied without giving him a second glance.

"I think it does concern us," Toph barked.

"What happens between me and my brother is no concern of yours, little girl," Azula answered dismissively.

"Little girl?! I'll show you little when I beat the snot out of you!" Toph bristled, and turning to Zuko she said, "No wonder you hate her. And tell me, Zuko, is home invasion some kind of family pastime? Do any of you idiots know what knocking is? Does breaking into houses in the middle of the night run in the family?"

Zuko hated her. Well, she wasn't surprised. She had known it since their early childhood, but she couldn't avoid the sting of its final confirmation.

"Now is not the time for banter, Toph," Iroh said calmly. "She is not alone."

Azula narrowed her eyes at her uncle, a mix of largely negative feelings raging inside her. She glanced to the barrack to find Mai and Ty Lee flanking the group. Combustion Man clanked his way to stand beside her. June lounged lazily on the back of her shirshu, wholly disinterested in the goings-on.

"So, Toph is it? Has my brother finally made a friend? I was so worried about him, stuck all alone with the old spider." Azula said, her ire for her uncle growing every second she was in his presence. Iroh had a sorrowful expression for a moment, but it was quickly banished to a look of resignation.

"You know," Toph said, "I'm surprised that you know what a friend is. After two minutes of being around you, I want to bury you alive. I don't think that anyone would choose to spend time with you if they had something better to do, like pulling out their teeth."

Azula curled her lip at this impudent child. She ignited a flame in her palm, but Zuko stepped in front of the girl. "This is between you and me, Azula. Toph and her family have nothing to do with this."

Azula scoffed. "Really, Zuzu? The son of the Fire Lord is concerned with Earth Kingdom bystanders?"

Lao choked, "The son of…"

"You didn't tell them?" Azula sneered at her brother. "I'm so disappointed in you, Zuko."

Zuko shrugged. "They're not part of this."

"We're at war, dum-dum." Azula mocked him, "They're our enemies."

"The war is wrong, Azula. It needs to end. These people," He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the girl, "Toph, isn't your enemy."

Azula scoffed. "She's Earth Kingdom. If she breathes, then she is my enemy."

She extinguished the flame in her hand and motioned to Combustion Man, but she noticed recognition in Iroh and Zuko's eyes. She elected to ignore it, for it was likely that they knew him by reputation. "Remember what I said. Use the appropriate force."

With that, the banter and preamble were finished. Mai launched a series of knives, which Toph blocked with a wall of earth. Azula rolled her eyes. Earthbenders, always so sure of themselves. She kicked a wave of fire at the girl, but it was intercepted by her uncle. She snarled at the old man, who had trimmed down significantly since the North Pole. The old man charged at her, sending powerful gouts of fire her way. Azula dodged and deflected them, shooting back at her uncle.

Azula heard the sounds of explosions and blasts of fire coming from her brother and Combustion Man, but she focused on her own battle with her uncle.

The fight between them was intense and close, but the Dragon of the West pulled ahead. Azula propelled herself in the air with her bending, whistling for June to help her in her fight. The shirshu struck it's tongue at Iroh, and he dodged deftly before unleashing a spinning wheel of fire at the animal, who leapt aside to avoid it. Azula took advantage of the distraction to bombard him with a series of sharp, compact bolts of fire. She scored a glancing blow on his clothing, but was forced to cease her attack when he roared a billowing inferno in her direction.

Iroh's attention was diverted for a second, and a look of panic crossed his face. Azlua heard the clank of Combustion Man's footfalls. So he had beaten Zuko. She spared a quick look toward her brother, and saw him unmoving, partially buried under a pile of rubble. Her heart stopped. Had he killed him? She had expressly forbid the use of lethal force. Was Zuko…? No, she saw his chest begin to rise, he was alive. If only barely.

Iroh quickly began to cycle his limbs to generate lightning, but was stopped when June's whip latched onto Iroh's arm and yanked it towards her, but her attack was stopped when an explosion knocked everyone off of their feet.


Toph raised a wall with one hand, turning to face the assailants who had been flanking them. She had known where they were, and paid them attention as they approached. She felt one of them send a volley of knives towards them, which caused her to begin her defense.

The second assailant sprinted up the wall she had made and flipped into the air, at which point Toph lost track of her. She put her hands up quickly and listened carefully, waiting for the girl to land. She stood stock still for a few seconds, until the moment the girl's foot made contact with the earth, entirely too close for her comfort. Toph flicked out her arms and forced the ground she was standing on to move her away just in time to avoid a punch to the shoulder. She stomped her foot and caused a stone to erupt towards her opponent, who merely cartwheeled away. Cartwheeled.

Toph opened her mouth to speak, but had to raise another wall to dodge more knives, which somehow broke through the wall and nearly hit her anyway. Toph grinned with savage delight.

"I like you two!" She said over the sound of explosions and firebending, before crumbling a stone into a series of small projectiles to chase the two girls with.

"I wish I could say the same about you." The knife girl said dryly, before sending a barrage of arrow-like projectiles towards her. Toph launched herself away from the bolts with her earthbending, sliding across the ground to get away from them. She needed to close the distance with the knife thrower, but keep her distance from the chi-blocker. Suddenly an idea formed in her mind, and she maneuvered the fight onto the stone patio beside the house.

"That's too bad." Toph said, and then she pointed a finger to the chi-blocker without facing her, "You're Ty Lee, right? Zuko told me about you."

"Really?" Ty Lee asked in surprise, and then glancing at her friend she asked, "Did he say anything about Mai?"

Toph heard the other girl sigh dramatically, but felt that Mai, apparently, was intrigued.

"No, sorry. It didn't come up, but probably because she wasn't punching the guards into submission in their sleep."

"What did he say about me?" Ty Lee asked curiously. Toph smiled slyly and held up a finger. She spread her arms and fell backwards into the ground. When she shot out of the ground again, she was covered in rock from head to foot.

"He said not to let you touch me."

"Oh." Ty Lee said, and deftly dodged Toph's next attack. Toph sent an array of stones towards Mai, who leapt aside and hurled more knives at Toph, who decided to dodge them despite her new armor. If they had gone through her barrier before, she didn't want to test if they would go through her protective layer.

She bent toward Ty Lee, sending pillar after pillar towards the girl. The chi-blocker made a final leap, and when she landed she was knocked from her feet by a massive explosion.


Zuko charged at the combustion bender. He had seen his uncle face off against Azula, and Toph was fighting Mai and Ty Lee. That left him with the big guy.

Zuko unfurled two whips of fire, spinning them through the air and towards the behemoth, but was stopped when the man sent an explosion in his direction. Zuko had barely enough time to put up a defensive barrier to shield himself, and the force of the blast sent him backwards several feet towards the gardens.

He snarled, punching strong jets towards the man, but the combustion bender merely stepped aside, turning far more quickly than he should have been able to, given his size. Zuko grit his teeth, realizing he needed to close the distance. He sprinted towards the man, changing direction to avoid another blast of his explosive power. He got in close and formed a pair of fire daggers, but was stymied when the man blasted fire from his remaining hand. Zuko kicked out with his bending, causing the man to stumble back. That only caused him to gain space, which was something Zuko did not want to give him.

A breath of fire shot from his mouth, a favorite trick of his uncle, though Zuko's was less potent. He and his enemy fought bitterly, exchanging blows for minutes before the combustion bender roared.

"Enough!" He reached out with a massive hand and grabbed Zuko around the throat, cutting off his air supply. Zuko couldn't draw breath, he couldn't create fire. So he did the one thing he had left to do. He drew his swords, aiming to slice through the man's arm. He was stopped when a metal hand slammed into his gut. Zuko dropped his swords at the shock of the blow, and was lifted bodily from the ground by the neck.

Zuko's vision began to fade as he scrabbled at the enormous hand holding him. The combustion bender drew him in close and said, "I'm going to enjoy killing you. Zhao didn't tell me just how irritating you or your sister could be, but the price for your heads more than makes up for it."

Upon seeing his mark's eyes bulge at his words, the combustion bender smiled. "Yes, you're beginning to understand. I was sent to kill you, and then the princess. The Admiral was very clear on the order of operations. Place me in her service to get in close and gain her trust, and once you're out of the way, well…" The man smiled sadistically.

He hurled Zuko toward the garden wall and shot an explosion at him. The explosion stunned Zuko, and he lay unmoving, partially buried under rubble. The combustion bender sneered at the prince's form, and, believing him finished, turned towards Azula and Iroh.

Zuko tried to move, but the shock of the explosion and collision with the wall left his body unresponsive. He drew in a ragged breath and tried to use his breath and strike against the man who would kill him if Zuko didn't stop him. Nothing followed his efforts, and Zuko could feel the energy swirling around his body, failing to be released. It built, but there was nothing Zuko could do. He gasped desperately, willing his body to move. To keep fighting.

Zuko watched from where he lay as the combustion bender walked toward where his uncle and his sister fought, along with a woman and a giant beast. Iroh noticed the newcomer and his eyes grew wide, and Zuko saw Azula glance his way when she noticed the combustion bender, but he couldn't make out her expression.

A searing pain began to form inside of Zuko's head, as the unreleased energy he had tried to bend into fire pooled in his mind. He thought desperately for a way to release the energy, but could think of nothing. He saw the combustion bender stop, but he didn't face Iroh. Instead, he turned to Azula, with murder in his eyes.

Zuko began to panic, for if he couldn't find some way to intervene, Azula would be killed in a point-blank attack. He could not, would not, let his sister die. He saw the tattoo on the demon of a man's forehead, and he realized what he had to do. Taking a sharp breath, he channeled the burning energy into the only mark he had of any significance to him, and a series of sharp snaps and pops filled the night as a line of fire shot from Zuko's ruined eye.

The explosion hit the behemoth of a man with enough concussive force that everyone within the estate was blasted from their feet. With the sudden release of energy, Zuko was able to move again. He stumbled to his feet, but the power of his bending was still coursing through his mind, causing searing pain. He groaned and held his head in his hands. He felt the power building up again, screaming to be unleashed. He looked around the battlefield, trying to find his own enemy, to stop him from hurting the people he cared about. He saw his uncle get to his feet, and then Azula.

She made eye contact with him, and he could hardly hold in the power of his bending. He grit his teeth against the pain and sucked in a sharp, involuntary breath. To his horror, a line of fire shot from his eye once more and bolted straight towards Azula.


Azula stared at Zuko in shock. Had he been the one to cause that explosion? The Combustion Man was out of the fight, lying unconscious at the opposite end of the estate. She watched as her brother seemed to curl in on himself from pain. He held his head in his hands as he took a sharp breath, and time seemed to slow as a beam of explosive fire shot forwards from his left eye. It raced towards her, snapping and popping through the night air. Azula's eyes widened, and she realized that she was deathly afraid, for the first time since she had seen that empty thing, that void in the shape of a man.

Azula realized it was too late, she couldn't put up a defense in time, she was going to-! Strong hands gripped her and threw her to the ground, and she was covered by her uncle's body as the explosive jet shot past her. It collided with the far wall and tore down what remained of that section.

Iroh rolled off of her and Azula sprang to her feet. She eyed her uncle with confusion, but her attention was quickly turned back to Zuko when another explosion sounded high overhead. He was screaming, and he kept shooting explosive blasts into the sky.

"He can't control it," Iroh said, racing towards his nephew.

Azula considered chasing after him, but realized that if Zuko needed to be incapacitated, she needed Ty Lee.


Iroh sprinted towards Zuko, ignoring everything. He leapt over the astounded Lao Beifong, who was staring in disbelief.

"Zuko!" Iroh bellowed.

"Uncle!" Zuko said, "There's too much, I can't control the chi! My fire it's-!" He stopped speaking as he loosed another blast.

Iroh opened his third eye, and saw the energy pooling inside of Zuko's mind. Iroh sighed in relief, as he immediately realized the problem. Zuko had let the energy build for too long, and the explosive blasts weren't releasing enough for it to dissipate.

"Zuko! Roar like a tiger-dillo! NOW!" He yelled to his nephew. Zuko did as he was told, blasting as much fire from his hands and mouth as he could. Massive pillars of flame shot from him, and the chi pooled in his mind instantly channeled through his limbs and out of his mouth.

The flames dissipated. Zuko collapsed and sighed in relief, "This is like the volcano all over again."

Iroh chose to put a pin in that, there were more important things at hand. That beast, the one the woman was riding. He recognized it. A shirshu, a powerful tracking animal that could track them anywhere in the world by scent. He thought of a plan to keep it off of their trail: he had to teach it that their scents were dangerous scents.

He looked around the devastated estate and quickly spotted the beast battling Toph. He began to cycle his arms to generate a weak bot of electricity. Once it was ready, he bellowed, "Toph! Get Down!"

The young earthbender simply fell into the earth as if it were water and disappeared. Iroh shot lightning at the monster and it struck, eliciting a yelp. The shirshu sprinted across the ruined gardens and flipped the woman who had been riding it onto its back and disappeared over the wall of the estate.

"Well, uncle, I guess it's just you and me." Azula said from behind him. Iroh spun around and saw her, and her two friends. "You, and us I should say."

"Wrong!" The earth shattered behind her and the greatest earthbender in the world shot out of the ground.

"I see your pet weasel-hog is joining us," Azula deadpanned.

"Enough chit-chat," Toph said and began her attack on Azula and her friends. Iroh helped Zuko to his feet. The scarred prince shook his head to clear it and started blasting fire at Azula, although it was a weak fire. A horn sounded from the distance, and Iroh recognized it. The Earth Kingdom army was on its way.

Zuko charged into the fight, but was instantly immobilized by Ty Lee. Iroh thought furiously, and coming to a decision he bolted for the stable. Once inside, he untethered Sugar Foot from her stall. He leapt into the saddle and raced back into the courtyard.

He arrived just in time to leap down and intercept a bolt of lightning being sent at Toph, redirecting it into the sky. He shot a fury of fire punches at Azula and her friends, not trying to injure them but to create distance. Once he had it, he picked Zuko up and placed him in the saddle.

"The army is coming!" He shouted. He got on the ostrich-horse. He reached a hand towards Toph, "Are you coming?! It's not safe here for you anymore, not any of you!"

He looked pointedly at Lao, who had been immobilized by Ty Lee at some point. He saw Azula and her friends sprinting across the estate towards the downed combustion bender. As he watched, a man he recognized showed up on a komodo-rhino. He grit his teeth. Mongke.

A horn sounded again, and he could hear the tramp of soldiers running towards the estate. Toph reached up and took his hand, and he swung her onto the saddle. She looked in her father's direction.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I have to go with them!" She waved around them, "I have to help them find the Avatar! We can't stay here, I'll look for you in Ba Sing Se!"

Iroh wondered about Toph's comment about the impenetrable city as he got Sugar Foot to run. They leapt over the crumbling wall of the Beifong estate as Lao shouted, "TOPH!"


Hours later, and dozens of miles northeast, the three of them stopped beside a stream. Sugar Foot drank deeply, and Zuko crawled to the stream. He submerged his head in the water for a few seconds and pulled it out again. He shook his head and sat.

Toph walked over to him and sat down, placing her feet into the water. She sighed and leaned against him. "I don't like your sister very much,"

Zuko snorted. He glanced over to his uncle, who was digging through their saddlebags, and untying his pack from them. "How did she find us?"

Iroh stood up and turned to him. "The animal, it was a shirshu. It can track someone anywhere by scent, and Azula had plenty of samples in my cabin on Zhao's ship."

Zuko frowned, "What about me? She could have gotten one from my things on the Wani."

Iroh shook his head. "She.. had your things burned. She was upset when you escaped at the shrine. It doesn't make a difference now. After the battle, the shirshu has associated our scents with danger."

Zuko scowled. He hadn't had anything of much value, but still. Rude. Remembering what the assassin had told him, he said, "The man who was with them, Zhao hired him to kill me and then Azula. I don't know if he's still…"

Iroh closed his eyes and looked away, "What did he tell you?"

"Not much, just that Zhao wanted me dead, and that he wanted Azula killed after I was."

Iroh seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, and then he looked back the way they had come. His brow furrowed slightly and he clenched his jaw.

"You have an assassin after you?" Toph asked, breaking her silence.

Zuko sagged where he sat, but nodded. "It seems that it is the case. We met him once before, but we didn't know he was after us." Zuko turned his sight to Toph and said, "I'm sorry we dragged you into this."

Toph looked away for a second, "I…"

She shook her head. "Are my parent's going to be okay?"

"Most likely." Iroh said, "The army arrived as we were leaving, and Azula didn't have many with her. If she had, we would have seen her coming. Even so, it would be best if they left Gaoling."

Toph nodded. "My family has a house in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. They'll probably head there."

"Is that why you said that you'd look for them there?" Zuko asked. Toph nodded and wiped the moisture from her eyes.

"Yeah. I know that they wouldn't leave if they thought I might come back, so…" She trailed off, her voice tight in her throat.

Zuko put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. She let him for a moment and then pushed him off.

"Enough of the emotional junk." She said, "I was planning on going with you guys, I just didn't expect it to be so…"

"Loud?"" Iroh offered, causing Toph to chuckle dryly.

"That's one way to put it." She jerked her head towards Zuko. "I didn't know you could blow stuff up like that."

Zuko rubbed his good eye, "I just figured it out. I've been trying for a while, but until earlier I didn't have much luck. Screwed it up somehow and couldn't stop."

"I believe I know what happened, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, "Before releasing the energy, too much of it pooled within your body. Not enough was released with each blast, and it was left clamoring for freedom."

Zuko nodded slowly, understanding dawning on his face. Iroh smiled at him, but it quickly turned sad.

"She will be on our trail before long." he said somberly. Zuko groaned, but Toph punched her fist into her palm.

"She has recruited the Rough Rhinos. A deadly raiding force, and a talented singing group. I do not think we can defeat them all at once."

Zuko wasn't sure where his uncle was going with this, but Iroh plowed ahead. "It is imperative that you find the Avatar, and teach him. Both of you. I will lead them away, for as long as I can."

"No, Uncle, you can't just-!"

"I must." Iroh said with conviction, "I'll keep ahead of them, and make for Ba Sing Se. Once I'm in the city, you will have found the Avatar."

"Uncle, I… Thank you, for everything." Zuko grabbed his uncle in a tight embrace. They broke apart after a few seconds, and Iroh shouldered his pack. Toph, who had been silent for the exchange, spoke.

"You're going to lead them away on foot? But they're chasing an ostrich-horse."

Zuko looked at Sugar Foot and sighed, "You take her, uncle. She'll help you keep in front of them."

Iroh nodded, and he agreed to give Toph his pack. Zuko was surprised to learn that she had stowed her things in one of the saddlebags, but he helped her put them into her hand-me-down pack anyway. After removing his own pack and another hug with his uncle, Zuko walked up to his bird. She cooed affectionately and he scratched the feathers around her beak. "You've been a good girl, Sugar Foot. Take care of my uncle, okay?"

The bird cooed, and Iroh mounted the steed once again. He waved goodbye and took off down the road, leaving very obvious tracks.

"So, Sugar Foot, huh?" Toph asked. Zuko said nothing and blushed. Toph smiled mischievously.

"I like it. Zuzu and Sugar Foot, best friends forever."

Zuko groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was going to be a long walk.


Author's Note:

Hello all!

This story has gotten to the number four slot of the most followed stories posted in the last six months. I was hoping to get to number one, but it's been up for five months now and I highly doubt that we'll get over two hundred followers by february nineteenth.

Still, number four is nothing to sneeze at, especially considering that this is my first piece of creative writing. I'm very grateful to everyone who's followed/favorited Saga of The Sun and Moon.

Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!

1/22/2023