"Sokka, what do you know about hunting?" Ayaan said, standing on the tower by Sokka.

"Um... attack with your spear and hope to get a hit?" He answered to his brother, confused at the sudden question. Ayaan shook his head, fighting back a smile as this was a serious matter.

"No. Hunting involves knowing the terrain and using it to your advantage, using the weaknesses of your prey against them, and knowing where to aim to quickly end any struggle." Ayaan said, a vicious glint in his eyes that Sokka hadn't seen before.

Sokka had never been hunting with his brother. Fishing was one thing, training was another, but when he went outside the village to face off against spirits knows what, he did so alone. He never let Sokka come with him no matter how much he begged him to. It was the one thing he did not yield on. And now Sokka was seeing that side of him. The side that was the predator eyeing his prey.

It was the first time Sokka had ever thought Ayaan was a bit scary.

"We have the homefield advantage. They will probably be wary because of this, and check every area when they realize that no one is here. Our priority is to keep them away from our tribe, so we will cause a distraction. I've already set traps in most of the huts and igloos. Even if they are wearing armor, they will be caught off guard by them. In that moment, we will immobilize them."

"How are we suppose to immobilize them? We don't have any place to put them or good ropes. They'd just burn them anyway."

"We knock them out. They won't be able to move if their unconscious." Ayaan said as if it was obvious.

"H-huh?!" Sokka was shocked by his brother, who was still sharpening his spear. He had a vicious glint in his eye due to the thought of fire nation on their shores. It made his scar sting with phantom pain and a burning inner rage began to stir ever so slightly. But his neutral gaze gave nothing away.

"There are many places on the body that can cause instant losses of consciousness, or even death, when hit correctly." Ayaan got up from sharpening his spear, and went over to Sokka. He gently grabbed Sokka's hands and guided them to different of his body. "Here, in the chest. And then in the spine." He moved his hands again. "The large artery in the neck, located here. And the jaw." He shaped his hands in the way best fit to hit these different places.

"Aim for these places. Hit them will all of your strength. Do you understand?" Sokka's eyes widened further as he nodded. He did understand. It was the first time Ayaan had taught him something in this manner, showing him with his body instead of trying to verbally explain it as he usually did. Ayaan couldn't express how he did things through word of mouth, so instead of doing that, he did this.

"Repeat it."

Sokka did. With ease.

"Good. If you have the chance to aim at these places with your weapon of choice, do so. I know that just us two against many will be difficult, but it was never said this had to be a head on battle. We have to use whatever we can." Ayaan said, fixing Sokka's warrior attire. Sokka nodded, understanding Ayaan's reasoning.

Use what's at your disposal. Battle is not as straight forward as it sounds. Many things can and will happen over a short span of time, an instant can feel like an eternity. Ayaan knew that feeling too well.

"By the way, Ayaan." Sokka said after a moment, "You should teach me like that more often. It was really easy to follow with you guiding me like that." He finished, looking away as he was very happy to learn something new at an important time like this.

"Really?" Ayaan asked. Sokka nodded again. The older brother let a small, relieved smile grace his face at his success. It was simple to show a child a new trick and they would have fun trying to learn it, but actually teaching someone something on a serious note was difficult for Ayaan.

"I will then." Talking wasn't his best area when it came to teaching, explaining things that came naturally to him was hard. But showing it was simple. It may not solve all of his problems, but this was a step in the right direction. When they got the chance, he was going to try teaching Katara like this.

This worked much better than what he was doing before. If so, maybe it would be the same for Katara? Maybe he wouldn't be so worthless as a teacher for her? He felt like he finally figured something out. It made him immeasurably happy.

But that would have to wait.

The ground began to gently rumble and shake. That gentle shake steadily became stronger. Soon, it was so bad they could barely keep steady on their feet. But they still could not see anything past the fog beyond their shores.

Ayaan payed close attention to what he could not yet see.

Sokka, on the other hand, was paying attention to his watchtower. Ayaan had graciously helped him to rebuild it after the Aang fiasco with his waterbending. (Which he was refusing to feel guilty for. Not happening. He didn't feel not one ounce of guilt. Nope.). It was crumbling do to the quakes they were suddenly getting, all of his hard work crumbling to the snowy ground.

"Awe, man!"

On the horizon, they could see a lone, massive ship. It was dark and ominous, just like the cursed ship that haunted their tribe in the icy fields. All thoughts about his watchtower left him as if they were a lie.

"Awe, man..."

"Sokka!"

Ayaan quickly took Sokka and jumped from the wall to the ground. He could faintly hear the startled gasps of his tribe who were hiding fearfully in the back of the village. The ship was barreling through the ice, going right through their wall.

The Fire Nation was here.

...

..

.

A young man with a vicious red burn scar on his face set his golden eyes on the icy shore. The border of the little village becoming clearer by the second. The closer he got the happier he felt. Soon, all of this would end, and he would be able to return home. His honor would be back, his privileges, his father. He would be a prince again, a dream he's clung to desperately for the last two years.

He gave his orders to his men, now fully dressed in his battle armor. There was no telling how powerful the Avatar would be, having so much time to practice the elements. It wasn't unheard of for an Avatar to be over 100 years old, Avatar Kyoshi being a prime example: She was said to have died at the mind boggling age of 230.

"Uncle, will you be joining me?" He asked, still looking upon the approaching village. His uncle shook his head, not approving of his nephews methods but understanding him all the same.

"No, Prince Zuko. I would like to finish my game." A much older man replied. He was a round man who, unlike his nephew, gave off an air of peace and welcoming. Gray hairs and wrinkles aside, he was much more capable than he let on. "I will be here when you return."

Zuko gave an irritable sigh, but didn't comment as his destination was in sight. His armor was donned, his soldiers at the ready. His long awaited moment was approaching.

Zuko knew he needed to be careful. But he was a pride-seeking young man and wanted to make a big impression. So, doing his personality justice, he instructed his crew to steer the ship straight through the sad little ice wall. Breaking through the ice to get through the village was a simple task, and he let down the ramp, completing their infiltration of the village and effectively asserting their dominance.

Normally, this is when people would show up, wonder what was happening with fear in their eyes. But to Zuko's surprise, he and his crew were met with eerie silence. It seemed like no one was home. Cold winds blew past them, the firebenders warming themselves up with their natural breath of fire. Not a sound could be heard except for their own breathing.

It filled Zuko with unease. This unease made his temper flare.

"Spread out. Find them!" He ordered, not liking the quiet one bit. His lackeys nodded in response, quickly spreading out across the little village. There wasn't much to look at, not many places people could hide. Zuko wasn't sure, but it seemed that there had been recent renovations to the igloos he could see. Although a small village, it was still a village that supported growing families. Huts and Igloos were spread out everywhere.

A few of them went into a single hut. It was a bit larger than most, most likely being used by the leader of this place. Zuko sent his men to investigate the area while he went to another part of the village. As he had begun his search elsewhere, he got an odd feeling of dread. But being the prideful prince that he was, he didn't heed his fear. There was no place for it, he had an Avatar to capture.

They progressed slowly, extremely slowly. His soldiers spread out, searching different huts alone. Zuko led them in the front, not seeing what was happening behind him, After about thirty minutes of searching and finding nothing, his frustration took over. He was about to yell orders to his men to change their plan, but when he finally turned around he noticed why it had suddenly gotten even quieter.

The few men that were following him in this direction.

They weren't behind him anymore.

Zuko searched around frantically for his men. What was happening? Was this an ambush? They'd been played! Zuko's unease had been spot on. Due to this, his anger skyrocketed instantly. He could see movement from the flap of the hut, one of his men rushing out only to be grabbed and silenced right then and there.

He fell in a heap, only the slight rise and fall of his chest giving any sign that he was still alive. It happened in the blink of an eye, he didn't even have time to scream out a warning.

One by one, they were tossed out of the hut like useless pieces of garbage. All of them were groaning and disoriented. Their assailant stepped out, Zuko seeing him for the first time in his full glory. He immediately got into his firebending stance.

The man was still dragging his soldier that was just conscious seconds ago.

He was decked in southern tribe warrior garbs, but it wasn't heavy armor like Zuko's. His face bore black, gray, and white war paint that seemed to resemble a wolf if he was to describe it. His hair was silvery white, so Zuko, at first, thought that this man was much older. But moment he glanced at his face he retracted the thought.

There were no wrinkles, no facial hair, no signs of aging beyond that of 18, maybe less. This person was a teenager like himself, so he debunked the idea of him being the Avatar immediately. He was tall, taller than one would expect from the Water Tribe peasants. Seemed to have trained loads given his figure, and carried in his hand a modified spear he seemed very familiar with.

What caught the prince's attention first, however, was the scar that wasn't covered by the paint. It covered a part of his cheek and nose, going down his neck. He could tell that it was a large scar from a burn. For a moment, it made him think of his own. He fought the urge to touch his face, the memory still painful and fresh in his mind.

He briefly wondered how painful this warrior's scar must have been to receive before dismissing the thought.

Another, clearly younger warrior came out after the first one. He, however, was far less impressive compared to the prior one. Smaller, less muscle, clear uncertainty and slight shaking due to his own fear. Or was it admiration for the other warrior? Zuko was honestly not sure.

Who were these men? Zuko didn't have time to process his thoughts when he heard the older warrior speak.

"Whatever it is you want, you won't find it here." He tossed the fire navy soldier he was dragging to the prince's feet. The soldier groaned painfully in disorientation. Zuko was thankful he wasn't dead, but the fact they'd been played like this, and taken down by water tribe peasants on top of that, was insulting to his ego and pride.

"Lies! I know he's here." This warrior did not seem to care at all about the obvious anger of the prince, he seemed confused instead by his words.

"He?" The warrior repeated silently, quickly dismissing his thought to ask. He readied his spear after telling the younger to do something. The younger warrior seemed hesitant at first, but after a stern look and words Zuko couldn't hear, he took off in another direction.

"Get back here!" Zuko tried to stop him, thinking he had the answers he sought and was running off, but he was stopped by the expert swing of a spear.

"Your fight is with me." The warrior said, snapping the spear towards the prince's neck.

Zuko dodged quickly, surprised by the speed of the attack. There was a focused, icy glare in the warrior's blue orbs. The only way the prince was getting by him was by defeating him. Blocking the next strike with his arm guards, he returned the attack with his own armored hand-to-hand. He was constantly being parried and countered by the spear-wielding warrior, who used that weapon like an extension of his own body.

The spear would spin, then crack the moment it made contact with his body. Zuko was surprised and alarmed at the strength concentrated at the tip of the spear. Before he got there, he thought it was a bit too much to come here in full armor. Now, he was thankful for it. The warrior's moves were like a current, a never ending, violent current of quick, strong attacks. There were times he couldn't see the tip of the spear at all it was moving so fast.

It seemed to get faster as time went on. Or was it that he was getting slower? The strong attacks he could do nothing but block with luck due to his armor's protection were wearing him down. Even with the protection, they hurt. It felt like the more momentum he got in his spear the stronger the blows became. It seemed that he was hitting him with the blunt edge of the spear for more impact.

How was he maneuvering that weapon like this? It felt like Zuko was trying to swim through stormy waters, waves crashing into him from every angle. The warrior went for his knees and elbows whenever he had an opening, and the rest of his body any other time. Constant, ever changing.

"Coming in close to negate the range of my weapon? Normally, this is wise."

Another blow, pushing the prince back. His feet skidded across the snow before stopping.

"However, I've been told my spear technique is not 'normal'." The warrior got in close on his own accord, ramming the butt of the spear into the young prince's gut hard. The flexible armor caved and he skidded back for the second time, the wind knocked out of him slightly. He'd missed a step in his guard and it cost him a heavy blow.

A water tribe peasant warrior was pushing him like this? His anger grew by the millisecond. Nothing was going as he'd hoped, like everything else in his life. With his anger came his flames, vibrant and hot like his fury.

He didn't think he'd have to use his bending at all in this peasant village. But without it he would lose, and that was something he could not and would not accept.

...

..

.

The battle had been in Ayaan's favor for a moment. This enemy was stronger than the other enemies he easily taken out with Sokka's help. He was very proud of his brother, who used his favorite boomerang expertly. But right now was not the time to think about that. He felt a sudden and unnatural heat almost touch his skin.

Fire.

This enemy who had a scar on his eye was finally using his firebending. It seemed that he didn't take Ayaan seriously until he was about to lose in a non-bending battle, and thus resorted to his trump card which was his fire. Ayaan gripped his spear tightly as painful images flashed across his mind.

He remembered this heat, blistering on his skin as a protective shadow covered him in a dark corner of their former home. His scarred skin remembered the white hot pain before it could no longer feel at all. The young enemy's figure seemed to overlap with the man from that day if only for a moment.

It was just a single moment of hesitation, a single moment of fear that seemed so fresh in his mind that turned the tide of the battle in the enemy's favor. Ayaan could see that beneath the hood the enemy was smiling slightly as his gained upper hand.

It was a smile that overlapped with the heartless one he saw that day.

Ayaan's resolved hardened as his rage, which he thought he buried deep within himself, resurfaced like a sudden and violent storm.

"Bending, huh? Okay then."

"Huh?"

Ayaan changed his grip on his spear from two-handed to single handed, and with his other free hand he reached out and made a fist. It was a smooth and practiced movement, something he did when hunting all of the time. The soles of the enemy's feet stuck to the floor as the snow and water they were doused in became hard ice. It completely disrupted his stance and thus his firebending.

"A waterbender?!" The enemy seemed flabbergasted at the discovery. Unlike him, however, Ayaan did not smile at his regained upper-hand. That was because he heard something.

'Sokka, I need you to get to the back of the village with the tribe. This one is strong, I will deal with him. But I'm worried because this was too easy. if something really is wrong, whistle as loud as you can and I will come to you.'

'What? I'm not leaving you here alone! What if—'

'Sokka!' He stopped him, giving him a stern look. 'I need you to do this. Please.'

'...Be safe.' And he raced off in the direction of the back of the village, fighting the urge to look back as he heard his brother's spear hit the armor of the enemy.

PIIIIIIIIIIII—

A whistle like sound permeated the quiet air. Ayaan forgot about his enemy entirely and rushed to the back of the village. He could hear the enemy calling for him to come back and face him, but he completely ignored it.

When he got to the scene, what he saw infuriated him. A man was holding his grandmother hostage, his brother knocked down in the snow, and their sister glaring at the fire benders with tears in her eyes, not able to do anything.

"Hand the Avatar over to his highness Prince Zuko this instant. He must be an old man about this age! Tell us whe—" He didn't finished that statement.

It was not Ayaan who had blown him to the other side of the clearing. No, he was stunned silent at the spectacle himself. The villagers were just as speechless. The enemy Ayaan had been fighting was turning to see who had done that, only to be flipped up by something sledding below him.

He was treated like a bowling pin, landing face first, butt up in the snow. His helmet, which had been knocked off in the collision, landing perfectly on his bottom. It was an... embarrassing sight.

Ayaan's gaze searched for the blur of yellow and orange, finding a bald kid with blue tattoos getting knocked off the back of a penguin who seemed done with his mess.

"Aang!"

"Hey Katara! Hey Sokka!"

"Hi, Aang. Thanks for coming." Sokka said uncomfortable, probably embarrassed at the fact that even though they banished him like that he still came to their aid.

He looked over to the eldest. "Hey Ayaan!"

"..." Ayaan still said nothing, but gave him a nod as a signal of his hello. Aang took it gratefully and happily, being the optimist that he is.

He then gets into his own stance, holding his staff before him. The enemy, who Ayaan now identified as Prince Zuko, stood up angrily from the snow. Aang sweeps his staff side to side, blasting the firebenders with even more snow thanks to his airbending.

"Looking for me?"

Prince Zuko's eyes widen. "You're the airbender? You're the Avatar?"

"Huh?" Ayaan is stunned for a moment, the declaration so absurd he didn't know how to handle it.

"Aang?" Katara said, surprised and also happy.

"No way." Sokka said, his bewilderment at an all time high.

Ayaan just stood there for a moment, eyes wide. When he saw that Aang was not denying that it was the truth, he was further flabbergasted. He turned to his siblings who were just as shocked, his grandmother, and then his enemy who seemed just as thrown for a loop as he was.

"The Avatar?" He looked at the prince and then pointed to Aang, still not fully believing what he'd just heard the prince say. "Him?"

It was at this moment Ayaan realized that the life he'd known was about to change forever. And it was all thanks to the arrival of the bald kid with tattoos. The one who he now knew was, in fact, in all truth by every sense of the word, the Avatar he'd thought was long gone.

He could only think of one thing in that moment.

'Well, damn.'