The last hint of sunlight faded, and clouds hid the waning moon. Orange torchlight reflecting off the metal deck and gleaming armor was the only light that revealed the approaching Fire Navy ship. Soon, calls and shouted orders made their way across the water until the two ships were side by side.

Various ropes and chains were exchanged to secure the boats together for boarding, and a metal walkway bridged the two ships. Not long after this was done, Sokka watched a navy officer and two guards crossed over and toward Dad who stood waiting for them. Behind the Chief was Bato, and behind him, Sokka and Zuko posing as their guards.

In the time Sokka and the others had been aboard the frigate, no one from the Fire Navy had boarded. In fact, other than the occasional ship passing as it headed in the opposite direction along the trade route, there had been no activity to speak of. After hearing Dad's retelling of when he met Iroh and stole the ship they now stood on, it sounded like they had been boarded a few times. Evidently, there hadn't been any issues, but with Sokka's luck…

He shifted in the uncomfortable uniform and fought the urge to look back and check that Toph, Katara, and Aang were out of sight. Instead, he turned his head slowly to his left to check on Zuko. Behind the bone-white face mask, the firebender's golden eyes caught his and he turned to meet Sokka's gaze more fully, then nodded, slow but confident, and turned back.

In front of him, Bato whispered over his shoulder, "Good?"

Of all people. After watching Dad lead the people of his tribe for years and trying to do his best to follow his lead, here he was right by him, helping him with an integral part of the mission. He'd attended every meeting, helped with every task, and watched every move Dad made this last week and now his hard work was paying off.

His stomach leapt with anticipation and nervousness, but he couldn't let that stop him—after all, he was a man now. "Good," Sokka replied, the whisper escaping his lips and echoing slightly under the face armor.

The Fire Navy officer advanced on Dad with the Fire Nation's usual level of arrogance, acting as if everything they set foot on was theirs, but he gave a shallow bow before asking, "Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation."

Dad gave him an equally polite bow and answered smoothly, "Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet." He gestured to the darkened deck to his left. "We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah," the man nodded, "Eastern Fleet." A whine edged into his tone: "Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know we were to expect you."

Thoughts flashed through Sokka's mind: Admiral Chan? Who is that? Is it a test? A secret Fire Nation test for suspected captured ships? How would his father respond? He gripped the Fire Nation spear tightly in his hand.

Bato stepped forward. "I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect," he said, adding, "Sir," when the officer gave him an odd look.

"I mean, how hard is it—" the officer seemed to be talking to his guards more than Bato and Dad—"to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" Sokka studied the man closer and was surprised to find how young he actually was, much younger than Bato or Dad.

"Next time," Dad said, already closing the conversation, "we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message."

This seemed to satisfy the young officer, and he nodded then bowed to Dad before turning and leaving with his guards.

Sokka let out a sigh of relief and felt the tension release from his shoulders. He looked to Zuko and, though the face mask covered his expression, it seemed he was similarly relieved by how smooth their encounter went. Dad turned back toward them and Bato and gave a small nod.

Bato then smiled and remarked to them, "Good—"

"They know!" a voice shouted from their ship. Sokka's head snapped over to find the voice's owner: Toph. Without another word, she fully emerged from her hiding place—a small hatch near the base of the smokestack—and metalbended the walkway the officer and guards stood on so that it, and they, fell into the dark waters below.

It was as if someone kicked a buzzardwasp nest. Dad and Bato pulled bone machetes from beneath their robes as tribesmen ran to their sides, readying their defenses with metal shields taken from the ship's armory. On the enemy ship, a segment of Fire Navy soldiers began working on turning their trebuchets towards them. They wouldn't be a problem at the moment because of the ships' close distance to each other, Sokka knew, but what was saving them from burning balls of tar and liquid fire was also their present concern: firebenders.

A group of ten soldiers began to firebend at Dad and the line of tribesmen. Zuko stepped up, redirecting several of the fireballs with his own firebending so that they sailed overhead or missed their intended targets.

One or two soldiers began targeting Toph who remained outside the tribesmen's protective line. Instead of falling back, she remained close to the edge of the deck attempting to do…something; Sokka couldn't tell in the darkness. She was going to be killed if she stayed out there much longer—that much he did know.

"Toph!" Sokka ran out from behind the line.

She didn't say anything when he arrived, and he had to pull at her arm to get her attention. "Toph!"

"What?!" she yelled, throwing off his grip.

"You've got to get back!" He glimpsed more fiery dots lighting up the night sky around them, and he was faintly aware of how fast his pulse was pounding.

"I've almost got it!"

A sudden, terrifying metallic screech sounded, paired with a lurch that sent both of them to their knees and nearly overboard. Sokka's helmet, which had been tied loosely in place, came off and fell into the water. "What was that?" Sokka yelled over the men's worried cries and shouts. Each side was likely trying to figure out what damage had been done and what caused it.

Toph answered, "Wasn't me!" as she rose to her feet.

Standing as well, Sokka scanned the darkness and flickering waves below for any signs of damage. There!—at the far end of the ship! He spotted the familiar yet out-of-place sheen of ice sticking up from the water. Following it with his eyes, Sokka saw a single, massive shard of ice as thick as Appa was round protruding from the side of the Fire Navy cruiser and—another screech of metal mixed with the sound of crumbling ice—it moved deeper into the enemy ship.

Tearing his eyes away from the sight, Sokka quickly got ahold of Toph and pulled her back from the edge. "What were you doing?" Not waiting for an answer, he began moving her to safety where he knew the tribesmen's line was but, looking back, it had all but disappeared. One man lied on his back grasping at his leg, shiny with blood and sweat. Another was still, the torchlight creating a kind of glowing outline around his body. Several men ran across the deck, doing what they could while dodging more shots of flames sent over by firebenders.

Sokka realized he had dropped his spear at some point in the chaos and reached behind his back for Boomerang. It was there, nestled between his shoulder blades, but hidden under his heavy Fire Nation armor. He grabbed at his metal armor uselessly, trying to rip it off. "Get this off of me, Toph."

"It's going to hur—"

"Just get it off," he snapped. She obliged and tore the metallic clasps that held the armor in place, exposing his neck and body to attack, but it freed up his movements and lightened the load on his body. "Thank—"

A rough hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Where is your sister?!" Sokka didn't recognize the face at first: it was dark and smeared with ash and sweat. Then the man's expression shifted, and Sokka recognized the man as Bato, or a version of Bato. This was not the family friend he had grown up with and who told stories about his adventures around the comfort of a campfire; this was the man in those stories, the man capable of many things, both great and dark. Bato shook him again. "Where is she?"

Sokka blinked, and his blood ran cold. "I—I don't know." Worry filled Bato's face, and he looked past Sokka, then the surrounding area. Recent memories of the ship's icy protrusion came flooding back. "She's near the bow. I saw her bending—"

Before he could finish, Bato, still with his hand on Sokka's shoulder, started jogging in that direction, dragging Sokka along with him. "I can walk! I can walk!" Sokka said, but he was having a hard time keeping his feet under him as Bato hauled him around.

The deck beneath them shuttered and Bato's hold on Sokka broke loose. Unable to keep his balance, Sokka fell into Toph and the two were sent sprawling. They lied there for a moment, stunned. Toph was the first to get up, and she helped Sokka to his feet. "You okay, Cactus Man?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Sokka replied, shaking his head to clear the haze that had developed. He didn't feel hurt, but his head felt off as if it wasn't on his head exactly right. But he stayed on his feet and felt for the comforting weight of Boomerang. The worn weapon slid into his palm, and its cool metal felt good against his skin. "C'mon."

The three of them hustled towards the bow. They passed Dad standing on a piece of cargo, yelling orders through the smoke. "Cut the lines! Cut the lines! We must separate from them!" Dutiful warriors ran toward danger, some with shields, some with knives, trying to cut or protect those who were cutting the ropes that tied to two ships together.

Thank the spirits, both Katara and Aang were there on the bow, alive and seemingly unhurt since they were farther away from the heat of the action. They stood facing each other about five paces apart, moving as one, bringing their arms around in a flowing motion. It looked similar to how they had created large waves in the past, but this time their movements stopped short at the end as if they themselves were pushing the impossibly large, spiky piece of ice into the ship's side and feeling its resistance.

"Katara!" Bato called. Katara's head jerked over to face him. "You need to go. Take Sokka and the Avatar with you."

"Take Toph too," Sokka added.

"Yes, yes," Bato said with a distracted air. His head was like a wheel, constantly spinning around to check his surroundings. "Take the bison and go. It's too dangerous. Your father…"

"No!" Katara argued. "I'm not going to hide."

"We're trying to save you," explained Sokka.

Bato's head stopped moving, and he looked at him. "You're going too—"

"Bato—!" Sokka started. It was understandable to have Aang and the girls sent away for their protection but him, too?

"No!" Katara repeated. "We're fighting! Can't you see? We just put a hole in the side of the ship!" She gestured to the shiny ice pushing the two ships apart. "We can help."

"Hakoda doesn't want you—"

"You can either let me fight or waste time trying to force me onto Appa."

The two tribesmen stood facing each other, waiting for the other to give in. Such was how many arguments went in the Southern Water Tribe.

"Wait," Aang said, breaking the tension, "where is Appa?"

They looked to the cargo hold where the edge of the tarp flapped in the ocean breeze. There weren't many places a giant air bison could hide with his bright, white fur.

There were men in and out of the smokey haze back near the deck's center, most dressed in Fire Nation armor regardless of the side they were on. Dad had disappeared. Safe. He's safe.

But another was missing as well. Sokka added, "For that matter, where is Zuko?"

-o-0-

Zuko's lungs burned as he breathed in smoke, and he hungrily awaited a break to gulp down clear air, but it hadn't come yet. The ash raining down made his eyes water and he felt tears trek down his cheeks only to be dried in a blast of hot air as he redirected the oncoming flames sent at him and his friends.

He wouldn't stop—the thought never entered his mind that he could stop. There were small voices, tiny notes on his surroundings: a body on the ground he needed to mind so he didn't fall over it, the distant orders Hakoda yelled over the sounds of fire and metal and whatever else filled the air, and the rhythm of the ship underfoot. Mostly, though, his mind was focused on the Fire—controlling it, molding it, directing it. From the start, he knew there were too many firebenders, too much Fire being loosely controlled by men and boys who didn't understand it, not completely.

There was a sudden cry of metal being torn against metal, and the deck beneath him seemed to jump as if the frigate was a toy boat being pulled along by a string and it had been tugged in the opposite direction. Thankfully, three years' worth of sea legs allowed Zuko to keep his footing.

He was vaguely aware the once-strong line of Southern Water Tribesmen had been cut and scattered. Spotting two of the tribesmen by the edge of the deck, he sprinted over to offer help. The rope that had been thrown over from their side and tied to the Fire Navy ship to connect the two boats had been cut, but the chains from the Fire Navy cruiser remained tightly wound around their ship's cleats. One of the men was hitting it with the butt of his machete, but that wouldn't separate the chain quickly, if at all.

"Stay back," Zuko said to the men, and they backed away. Cupping his hands, he created a small ball of fire. He held it close to the chains and blew on it, adding heat. The flame grew and curved around the chain. The metal turned into a dull red, then orange.

"Watch out!" a man yelled.

Zuko moved out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit with a fireball. Upon impact against the metal deck, it dissipated and left little evidence of how close Zuko had been to serious injury or even death. He was out in the open working on melting the chains; where was Toph when he needed her?

A growling roar from above answered instead. Zuko's head snapped up, and Appa's characteristic white fur shone in the orange torchlight. The air bison landed on the Fire Navy cruiser with a cluster of heavy thuds as his six legs touched down, announcing his arrival.

Several soldiers turned toward him and prepared to attack but, with a sweep of his tail, Appa knocked them down. It was easy to forget how powerful the animal friend of theirs was.

There was another screech of metal, and he, the tribesmen, and Appa took several steps to stabilize themselves.

A new thought occurred to him. "Appa!" Zuko shouted. The bison lifted his head at his name and Zuko waved him over, hoping he understood. Apparently he did, and he leapt over the crevasse between the two ships, landing with a slide mere steps away from Zuko. Upon closer evaluation, his fur was singed in places, but he otherwise looked fine.

Facing Appa, Zuko said, "Okay…boy." He tried to use the same words and excited tone Aang did. "We need to get rid of those chains there." He pointed to the closest one and said, dropping his voice, "I know how much you don't like chains."

Appa grunted and stamped his feet.

Seems like a 'yes.' Zuko climbed up onto the back of Appa's neck and took hold of the reins. "Okay, let's go. Uh…" What does Aang say all the time? "Yip, yip?"

-o-0-

Katara was looking around for Appa when Sokka wondered aloud, "For that matter, where is Zuko?" Why hadn't she kept better track of him. It was Zuko's first fight since he'd been healed, and his recovery had been a full one, yes, but the thought of him fighting alone was concerning.

SNAP!

The force of the release of tension sent vibrations throughout the ship.

SNAP!

A roar penetrated the smoke as easily as a stone does with water. It sounded close. "Was that Appa?" both Toph and Katara said in unison.

Out of the smoke he came. He passed over them and landed on the enemy's deck—no, between the decks. Four of Appa's legs grasped hold of one of the chains, as thick as a man's thigh, and, with one great pull, the weakest link stretched and broke.

SNAP!

The chain was ripped from Appa's hold and he groaned in pain. Katara winced. I'll be able to heal him, she thought, but stopped herself. That was if healing air bison was the same as healing people. She had never tried healing an animal before.

"He's disconnected us from the other ship," Toph reported. "I can't sense it anymore."

She was right; more darkness appeared between the two ships as they moved apart. How did Appa know to do that?

"That's great!" Aang replied.

But Bato did not greet the good news as readily. "Now we have the trebuchets to worry about. When we start getting farther apart, they'll be able to hit us."

"No problem," Aang said, puffing out his chest a little, "I've taken out a bunch before. Appa!" he called, "Appa! C'mon down, boy!" Appa landed with a soft grunt and revealed that he was not alone. Zuko's dark hair stood out against the white fur, as singed as it was.

Zuko jumped down from Appa. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, smearing dirt and mixing it with his sweat, and his eyes leapt from person to person then finally resting on Bato. "I took out the connecting chains," he reported. "We should be clear of their ship shortly but—"

"The trebuchets," Bato finished, nodding. "We're aware."

Zuko nodded, looking again at everyone. "What's next, then?"

Sokka pointed at Appa. "Aang's going to take out those trebuchets with Appa, and hopefully that'll be the end of that—no evacuation necessary right now." His eyes slid from Katara to Bato.

Bato nodded once.

Aang hopped onto his air bison, and they took off with a loud, "Yip yip!" leaving the remaining five behind.

"I'll update Hakoda," Bato said, eyeing Katara. "Stay safe—all of you." It sounded closer to a threat than a request.

"We will," Katara and Sokka both said.

He turned and left, heading towards the ship's tower that peaked through the murky darkness.

Katara was going to ask how they really were but before she could, Sokka turned to Toph. There was a dark mark leading from his neck down the back of his shirt. "Head down and check if there's any damage you can fix with that metalbending of yours," he told the earthbender.

"Aye aye, Cap'n." Despite the quip, Toph didn't crack a smile, and she followed after Bato to the stairs leading below deck.

Sokka, turned, taking two steps toward Katara. "You need to—" But Katara grabbed his arm and spun him around so that his wound faced her. "Hey! What're you—?"

"You need to be checked," she said sternly. "Did you hit your head?"

"What? No." She checked anyway, feeling around his head for any obvious wounds and working her way down his neck. "I didn't—OW! It's a scratch!" He twisted out of her hold on him. "I'm fine!"

Appeased, she didn't try to stop him. Then she turned to Zuko. "Are you okay? How's your breathing?"

"Breathing's good. Nothing major."

She put her hands on her hips. "Minor?"

He shrugged. "A few burns but nothing you can't fix." She looked him over but didn't see anything glaring. "Okay."

"Seriously?" Sokka complained. "He gets an 'okay' while I get harassed?"

"He doesn't always try to hide it when he's hurt…unlike some people." He knows I'd find out anyway, she thought with a slight grin.

Sokka narrowed his eyes at her for a moment then said, "Anyway, why don't we focus on more important things."

Unlike your health?

But Sokka didn't see her disapproving look. "Zuko, we're still in range of the firebenders. I don't know how many of our men are still on deck, but you need to keep stopping anything coming our way. Katara…I know we have wounded." He didn't need to say anymore, and Katara knew by the look on his face he was apprehensive to hear the number; she was too.

"It's the Avatar!" a distant voice shouted from the other ship. The three of them watched on as Aang and Appa descended from the sky like something out of legend. A second before the air bison attacked one of the three trebuchets, Aang leapt off his friend's back and began working on the second one, dodging firebending and swords all the way.

Katara turned and began searching for nearby victims. The first one she found was propped up against a wooden crate that was charred on one side. Kneeling beside him, Katara knew his face but not his name. He kept a spear in his hand the entire time she inspected the burn on the side of his chest.

"How is it?" he breathed, gasping in pain after she peeled back his shirt.

She said with as much care as she could, "It'll be fine. It's a burn—a bad one, so stay still." Bending a trickle of water out of her pouch, she set it against his exposed skin and felt it working to heal the worst of it. The glow of it lit the tribesman's face, about her father's age, maybe older. "You'll be okay," she said again when the bleeding stopped and the glow faded.

Getting up, she looked around. A wind from the north started clearing the smoke away. There were no more Fire Navy soldiers sending flames over, though the light from their vessel grew smaller by the second, its fragile lights faint in the darkness. I hope Aang is safe.

She assured herself that he would be. He always was. But she couldn't help the nagging feeling that he was in greater danger now that he believed he had the fate of the world rested on his shoulders and his alone.

"Katara!" Zuko called from further sternward. He stood beside two bodies: one moving, one not.

She gave the man by her side a final glance before going to Zuko. The motionless one was first. His fur-lined coat was singed in places, but the major injury was a wet, black and red mark by his stomach. This man she did know: Kaska, the cook; the young-ish man she had helped only an hour ago to prepare dinner. "He's dead," Zuko said, calling her over to the other man.

One look and she knew—the hanging mouth and unblinking, frightened eyes—but she still checked his heart for confirmation. "Yes," she said softly.

The other man cried out and grabbed at his leg. Katara's mind darted from the dead man and the memories of him laughing at his own jokes to the one still very much alive. The problem was plain enough, and Katara once again brought out a trickle of water and placed it on his burned leg.

Katara glanced at the firebender beside her. His eyes remained on the glowing water, looking both confused and curious. "Does that always happen?" he asked.

"Yeah, you've seen me bef—" She stopped herself. Well, no, that wasn't true. Or was it? She felt the healing power begin to fade with inattention, and she moved her focus back to the leg.

"I haven't. I didn't realize it looked like that. It's…interesting to watch."

Most of the wound was closed up, and she let the tribesman's clothing absorb the remaining water. "There. You'll be okay for now. Get below deck."

Zuko held out his hand at the man and he took it, standing and putting only part of his weight on the injured leg. "Thank you," he said to her and then to Zuko. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Zuko replied, an odd tone to his voice. He said to Katara, "I'll help move him to the infirmary, then I'll be back."

"But your… Below deck?"

Embarrassment, then a touch of anger flashed across his face. "I'll find someone to bring him down," he said, his tone sharp.

It's not my fault he won't go down there. But it wasn't the time to argue. She nodded once and watched him and the other man hobble toward the tower.

"Katara!" came a voice from above. Appa flew over her head, silent as a breeze, and landed with a soft patter. Aang jumped down from atop him. "Done!" he said proudly.

She gave him the quick, rewarding smile she knew he needed. "That was fast."

"It's no big deal," he replied with a shrug and a grin.

He must not have seen any of the injured yet. "I need your help," she told him. "Can you look for anyone hurt and tell them to come to the tower? If they can't walk, maybe Appa could carry them?"

"On it!" Aang began moving towards the stern, calling out for people to announce themselves.

Katara went to return to the tower and see how many injured needed attention. Though the fight was relatively short, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, there had been a lot of firebenders out there. Though Sokka was apprehensive to hear how many wounded there were, Katara would see their faces.