It wasn't that bad for their first long flight. At least that's what Zuko was telling himself as he stared into the distance, leaning against the saddle edge. He actually had to admit that the flight really felt superior to sailing the ship. The range of view was stunning in itself, as everything on the surface seemed tiny.

Meanwhile, Sokka tried to plan their route with Aang, not letting the firebender know about it at the same time. They argued lightly over something on the map, even though Aang wasn't any good at reading them. Finally, the airbender raised his head from over the map.

"Uhm, Zuko? Are you any good with maps? We-"

"No, no, no. I got this, Aang." the warrior stopped him, eyeing the firebender with distrust.

"But are you sure? Maybe-" the kid protested.

"Yes, I'm sure! I'm the map guy!" Sokka finished pointing at his own chest, clearly offended.

Zuko watched the exchange with a slight confusion, but decided to shrug it off. He was very skilled with maps after three years of travelling the world, but he wasn't about to butt in where he wasn't wanted.

A few hours of journey have passed by the time Katara spotted another river ahead, and Sokka was actually aware where they were, so they agreed to land there for a break.

At first they were just going to have a quick meal, fill their waterskins, and rest for a bit. But, after they ate Katara offered Aang to use the opportunity and train waterbending a little. Knowing this would take a while, Sokka immediately thought about fishing. Again, this left Zuko wondering what was he supposed to do. No need to prepare the camp, no fireside to busy himself with... He was freed from this dilemma when a calling sounded:

"Hey, look! A sword made out of whale's tooth!"

Before he could process what happened, Sokka ran past him towards Aang.

"Let me see that!" Sokka said as he quickly ripped the item out of Avatar's hands. "That's a Water Tribe weapon... See if you can find anything else here!"

Katara walked in on an odd scene, seeing how Aang and Sokka were searching through the nearby bushes and Zuko looked around awkwardly, unsure whether to join them or not.

"Did someone loose something?" she asked as she approached the boys, and Aang hurried with answer:

"No, we found something!"

"Aha!" Sokka hummed as he kneeled and picked up a broken arrow, examining the tip "It's burned."

He stood up and noticed cuts in the bark of the tree next to him. He touched it in thought "There was a battle."

This actually picked the firebender's interest involuntarily, and he also came closer to take a look.

"There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders!" Sokka continued with excitement. Zuko wasn't sure if he agreed, but he kept quiet.

"If my calculations about our location are correct, we are on the lands that are mostly under Fire Nation's control. How is he so sure as to who ambushed whom? Not to mention who won in the end..."

"There! The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill!" Sokka yelled excited, as he started to pick up the pace. They started to run as they followed him towards the shore.

"So then what happened?" Aang asked with excitement as soon as he caught up.

"I... I don't know. The trail ends here." the young warrior said dissatisfied.

"Wait! Look!" Katara called, pointing at something, and indeed...

"That's one of our boats!" Sokka recognised it with a grin, and they hurried to take a closer look.

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara asked as they approached it.

Sokka reached to touch the boat's beak with his hand "No, it's too small, but it's from his fleet. Dad was here" he added with a smile.

They looked at it with awe for a while.

"But why would they leave it here?"

Everyone turned around to look at Zuko who asked the question. They forgot about his presence again in their excitement, and Sokka couldn't help his aversion.

"How would I know?! It's not important!"

"Of course it is. If they are still around, wouldn't we encounter them by now? If these boats are their main means of transport, they should keep a close eye on it, right?" Zuko commented sceptically "There's a chance this ambush have ended worse that they anticipated, and they were forced to escape without it."

Sokka wanted to yell at him, but he also knew that what the jerk said was making sense. He looked at the boat again in thought. Eventually he stated "There are no burn marks on the boat. If the firebenders had chased them, wouldn't they have set it on fire?"

"That's a fair point." Zuko admitted "Unless it was left unscathed as a trap for the warriors who may want to take it back."

Sokka turned away with dismay, facing the forest, as he thought out loud "So it could be a trap, and then we should leave this place immediately. But there is also a chance that some of ours are still here, and if we stay, we might meet them."

"So what should we do...?" Katara asked worriedly.

Sokka took a look around; the beach was mostly empty, save for a few big rocks, which was a good sign.

"It doesn't look like there are many places for an ambush here, at least not close enough that we won't make it out on Appa. Let's set up a camp for now. Maybe someone will show up."

Then he turned to Zuko and added sarcastically "Unless maybe you have a better plan?"

The prince just looked away in answer.

"Former general Iroh. We've been expecting you, sir."

Iroh sized up the soldier who greeted him. He expected Zhao to come in person, but apparently the promotion had gone over his head.

"Take me to Admiral right away. We have important matters to discuss."

He spoke with his full authority voice, which he hasn't really been using since he quit the military after Ba Sing Se events.

"Of course, sir. Admiral awaits you. This way." The young man motioned and started leading the way. "Your crew is free to use the harbour facilities; we'll instruct them about it."

Iroh nodded in thought, glancing at the soldiers who approached his crew. A worrying thought occurred to him, but he brushed it off for now. Jee could take care of their crew while he will talk to Zhao.

Lieutenant watched his general leave with a furrowed brow. A Grand Master of White Lotus shouldn't have to endanger himself alone, but Jee knew that Iroh could take care of himself better than anyone else. Whether it came to fight, or keeping appearances.

"Lieutenant Jee. You're in charge of Wani's crew, right?"

He turned to the new voice and noticed a group of three harbour soldiers. He answered calmly "That I am. Who's asking?"

"Captain Iwai. I'm managing the harbour under Admiral Zhao's orders. I was instructed to accommodate Wani's crew since you'll be staying here from now on." one of the men spoke, turning in welcoming gesture "Please, follow me as I show you our facilities."

Jee couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It wouldn't be the first time Zhao ordered interrogation of their crew, but this time the boys honestly had no information they could slip, so he probably didn't have anything to worry about. That, and it would be suspicious of him to deny the captain's request.

"Lead the way, sir." lieutenant said, as he moved to follow Iwai. He saw the other two men immediately continued onto their ship board, but it couldn't be helped at the moment. The plan was already in motion.

Several hours passed, during which they managed to gather some firewood for the evening, as well as some some grass and leaves for Appa. Zuko offered to help with that, and nobody protested. Aang only gave him advice on which kinds of grass should he gather, and the prince left to do it, with a big relief. Being with them all the time was exhausting.

Aang and Katara could focus on training waterbending, since they didn't have to worry about gathering food for a while, thanks to the supplies they had received. It never hurt to gather some fresh fruits for the taste, but they didn't want to stray to far from the beach.

Sokka could finally try fishing, after unwrapping his fishing line from the spare necklace that Katara gave him while Aang wasn't watching. However he found himself too distracted to focus on it properly. He needed something to occupy his mind, so after he was done with wood, he decided to train as well.

He was in the middle of going through the forms that Suki showed him back on Kyoshi Island, when Zuko returned with another armful of grass. The prince dropped the grass, stopping to look at it with curiosity, not recognising the moves. He's been watching it for a while, when he noticed that the warrior's balance was off in some positions. When it happened again he couldn't stop himself from commenting "You're gonna fall over if you try to block a hit this way in a real fight."

Sokka flinched in surprise, not expecting anyone to be watching him. When he realized that it was Zuko, he replied sarcastically "Yeah, what do you know about it."

He turned away to continue, adding "It's a special technique from Kyoshi Island. I know what I'm doing."

Zuko snorted as he noticed the warrior repeating the same mistake in that position.

"Anything funny?" Sokka asked agitated, turning back towards the teen.

"Not at all. Just like I said, you won't be able to block a single hit with that 'special technique' of yours. Are you sure that the person who showed you this didn't have their legs wider apart to better distribute weight?"

"Oh, you think you're so smart? Come here, and we'll see who will take a hit!"

Zuko smiled ironically at the offer, as he turned to walk away "It wouldn't exactly be a fair fight."

"Yeah, right... Because you're injured. You better go play with the fire to feel some better!" Sokka mocked him.

The warrior really had a special way of getting under Zuko's skin.

"Because I could beat you with my eyes closed." the firebender responded loudly, turning to face the Water Tribe boy again. They held each other's gaze for a while, both considering the challenge, and trying to evaluate their chances against one another.

Sokka knew that normally he wouldn't be a match for the Fire Nation Prince. After all, he had indeed beaten him so easily the day they met, that it was hard to say how skilled he was. However, the injury had left him weakened, and Zuko knew that too. Although the other boy had terrible technique, he was likely stronger at this moment.

Eventually Zuko grit his teeth and turned away "I'm not here to fight. If you won't take advice, then just keep doing it your way. It's not my problem."

He picked up the grass he had dropped in order to bring it closer to the bison, and Sokka actually breathed a sigh of relief. This could have ended badly for him if they actually got into a fight; not to mention how Aang would have told him off for starting it.

He took the position again, and after giving it some thought (and checking that the jerk wasn't watching him anymore), he moved his legs a little wider. This actually allowed him to shift between the forms more easily immediately, and he continued his training.

Meanwhile the prince was still fuming over the argument "I should have just kicked his ass! He wouldn't be a match for me with such sloppy form... And the Avatar couldn't hold it against me, he was the one who challenged me! And what was I even thinking, giving him advice?! He can trip over his own legs for all I care!"

He angrily put the grass in front of the bison, and the animal just looked at him blankly.

"What? You better eat it, it's not like you're going to find anything better here." Zuko said grimly, and to his surprise, Appa leaned to sniff it, and began to chew it.

"Wait, does it actually understand what I'm saying...? The Avatar talks to him all the time, but it doesn't really have to mean anything, he talks to lemur as well..." he thought as he moved to the bison's side. He was still wearing the Water Tribe boy's shirt, and he wanted it off, so he needed to take his own one from the saddle.

He started to climb bison's side, gritting his teeth at the additional pressure it put on his wound, but suddenly the bison growled loudly, and Zuko let go right away, taking a quick step back.

"I just want to take my shirt from the saddle!" he exclaimed loudly, and immediately felt embarrassed for actually explaining himself to a bison. However, the animal moved slightly, turning towards Zuko with its back. It even waved its tail slightly, as if in invitation. It felt a bit unreal, but after a while of hesitation Zuko assumed that it actually was bison's intention. He carefully climbed onto the tail, and then Appa raised it, allowing the boy to get into the saddle easily.

He stumbled into it, muttering "Um, thanks...?", to which Appa rumbled quietly in response.

His things were quite easy to find, as they didn't carry much stuff overall. Looking for his shirt, he spotted his dao sheath again and he touched it with longing. He was wondering if he shouldn't throw it away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet. Eventually he just grabbed the shirt, and slid down the bison's tail.

They weren't far from the river they landed by, so he went there to wash both himself and the borrowed shirt. He also used that time to take a look at his wound, and although it didn't look that bad yesterday without the sunlight, it was definitely healing.

"I should try doing that thing with fire again, but... Wasn't it a form of bending? Will I be able to do it...?"

Eventually, he decided there was only one way to find out. He went back in the direction of their small camp. The sun was starting to set, and he noticed with relief that they have already started the fire. He didn't tell them that he lost his bending, and if they asked him to light the fire he wouldn't be able to do it.

When he reached the camp everyone was already gathered by the fire.

"Zuko! Where were you?" Aang asked with a grin.

"Yeah, we thought you weren't gonna come back." Sokka added in his usual sarcastic tone. Fortunately he acted as if nothing had happened, and the firebender also preferred it that way.

"Here's your shirt." Zuko responded flatly, and handed the teenager his piece of clothing.

"Eww, it's all wet!"

"Yeah, I just washed it. It will dry if you hang it by the fire, you know." the prince added and sat down.

Katara actually smiled, finding it amusing that someone other than herself was putting her brother in his place. She filled a bowl and handed it to him wordlessy, and he took with a barely audible "Thanks."

He finished his meal quickly, muting out the conversation that Aang had with Katara about their training. Sokka didn't seem to be lpaying attention to him either, which left Zuko open to try his test.

He closed his eyes, trying to feel the flames with his Inner Flame, the way he always did. To his surprise, it was still there. It was like meeting an old friend, that was happy to see you no matter how much time has passed, and he allowed himself to just enjoy it for a while. Then he reached for the flames like he did it in his first tries, and it flowed to him, even more naturally. A small fluctuation, easily readjusted. There was a simple harmony in that.

"Zuko...?"

At last he opened his eyes to see the Avatar holding his shoulder and staring at him anxiously. He wasn't sure how much time has passed, but the sky was completely dark by now.

"Are you okay? I was calling you."

"I'm fine." Zuko answered surprised "I just didn't hear you, I was meditating."

"Oh, okay. I was just saying that we're going to sleep. Sokka said that we should keep watch and that he will take a first one, just so you know." the kid finished with a smile and got up to go sleep on Appa as usual. Katara was already in her sleeping bag next to the bison.

"Good idea." Zuko commented, casting a glance at the Water Tribe warrior, but it seemed he either ignored him on purpose, or was just lost in his thoughts again. The firebender hoped it was rather the first one, as keeping watch usually required full attention. Then realization hit him, and he looked at his hands in wonder.

"So it worked... It worked just as well as when I tried it the first time, when I could still firebend... So maybe I didn't lose my bending completely, but just-"

He carefully extended his hand in front of the fire, grasping it with his chi as he would his own. Then he tried to move it, and it complied to his utter surprise. A part of the flame separated from the rest and moved accordingly in a small wave in front of him.

"What was that?" Sokka asked right away, with an annoyed sigh.

"Just checking something." Zuko answered, adding "So you are attentive enough to keep watch after all."

Sokka glared at him in response "You don't understand. I haven't seen my father in over a year since he left to war and left me... us, behind."

"Right, how could I understand?" Zuko retorted bitterly "I only haven't seen my father in three years. Since he banished me from my country."

Not waiting for reaction he lied down to sleep. He wasn't even sleepy, but he couldn't bear to look at the other teenager.

"So he's missing his father, but they can meet again. In fact he has a chance to meet him soon, if someone from his tribe is nearby. But if I ever see my father again, I will most likely be killed... And he has the audacity to tell me I don't understand."

He was lying there for a while, and eventually started to drift into sleep as well, when he heard:

"Who's there?!"

He got up immediately, noticing a single person in front of them. In a dim light of bonfire he could see that the stranger was wearing Water Tribe clothing.

"So he was right after all." Zuko calmed down a little bit, but he didn't put his guard down. It was probably better than if it was someone from Fire Nation, but he also wasn't sure what it meant for him.

"Bato?!" Sokka seemed to finally recognise the newcomer, and he grinned with excitement.

"Who the what now...?" Aang asked sleepily, as he finally woke up from all the screams.

Katara woke up as well and was happy to see the man, and she called happily "Bato! It's you!"

"Sokka! Katara!" the warrior finally recognised the teenagers as well, however surprised. He obviously didn't expect to meet them on the other side of the globe. "It's so good to see you two!"

They both ran and gave him a hug.

"You've grown so much" he added fondly, as he realized how tall they got since the last time he saw them.

"Hi, I'm Aang." the airbender rushed to say hi as well "And that's Zuko." he added pointing at the firebender who remained by the fire.

It seemed to alarm the warrior, but before he could speak anything, he was flooded with questions from the siblings.

"Where is dad?"

"Is he here?"

Seeing the eagerness, he couldn't left them without answer, so he explained "No. He and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now."

Their disappointment was clearly visible, but he had to ask "You just said 'Zuko'. As in, the son of the Fire Lord?"

The prince felt a silent alarm arise in his head, and he started wondering if the warrior was going to attack him. He examined the man closer and noticed that the warrior's chest was heavily bandaged, suggesting a serious injury. While it meant that he probably wasn't going to attack now, Zuko still had a feeling that he should be careful around this man. Especially since he knew his true identity.

"That's a long story" Sokka replied with a sigh.

A cold breeze blew in from the sea, causing them all to shudder.

"Well, I'd certainly like to hear it all, but I can think of a better place for it. Come with me, it's not a good place for reunion." he said to the siblings with a careful smile. They both clung to the man, and as they started to walk, he motioned for the Avatar to follow.

Cantine was always full at the evenings. Most of navy troops who were currently stationed at the harbour used this time to relax after the day of work in their own company.

Wani's crew wasn't the exception here. Lieutenant Jee told them himself that they should try to blend in, so instead of spending the evening on the ship, they were gather by the table in the corner. They have already accustomed themselves with some soldiers from other ships, so it wasn't surprising that a few of them had joined them by their table. They didn't even feel like there was a need for introductions from their side, as the captain's men have already written down all their names earlier today.

The ale was flowing at steady pace, and most of the boys were already tipsy. It's been a while since they last had such opportunity.

"No, seriously, I have no idea how you did it!" one of the soldiers laughed "Three years under command of a teenage boy?!"

Wani's boys laughed half-heartedly, finally one commented "Ah, it wasn't so bad! After all there was also a Dragon of the West with us."

"Oh, that's right!" another one gasped "Hey, is it true that he can breathe fire out of his mouth?"

Another laugh came "Well, I don't-"

"I saw it once. It's hard to describe, but it was exactly what he did." Jee said with a smile. He used to serve under general Iroh back in Ba Sing Se siege, and remembered well that day when they fell into the trap of the Earth Kingdom defenses. The dragon-like fire breath that Iroh manifested that day was truly a sight to behold.

"Impossible! You need to make a gesture to bend fire!"

"If it was so easy, then we would be teaching it to all recruits." Iwai said with a laugh, as he approached the table.

The soldier who made the sceptical comment looked at him, clearly upset, but didn't want to oppose a higher-up.

"All the youngsters with a spark should be useful to the Nation after all, am I right?" the captain said joyfully and his gaze slid over all the men by the table, until it stopped on one particular person, who suddenly burst into a coughing fit.

He got up from the table, and Jee approached him "You alright, Noren?"

"Yeah, I just choked a little here. I think I've had enough ale, so I'll just call it a night."

Lieutenant nodded in understanding, and joined the table back. The conversation's topic moved to a lighthearted complaints over young recruits, and how they tend to accidentally mess up the ships' machinery.

"I'm telling you honestly, he was like 'What? The engine needs coal to work?' " one of men said, and everyone burst into laughs.

Noren spared them one more look on his way out, but no one seemed to watch him. He shook his head lightly, as he told himself off for letting alcohol make him read into others' words. There was no way the captain could know it after all.

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey." the warrior was explaining as they went through the gates "The sisters have cared for me ever since."

The settlement was so close, they wondered how they had missed it from the air, but they could only blame the trees for that.

The entrance of their group, accompanied by a flying bison, raised interest among the nuns, who were still outside on the yard despite the late hour. Bato led the group towards the small group of women at the other end of the yard.

"Superior, these are Hakoda's children. They've been travelling with the Avatar." he said pointing at the boy behind them, adding "I found them by my boat."

The prioress eyes grew wider as Bato confirmed the boy's identity. She ignored the siblings, as addressing him with a hearty smile "Young Avatar, it gives me a great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."

Aang, beeing friendly as always, responded "Thank you. It is a great honour to be here. If there's anything-"

"What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka couldn't help asking as soon as he felt an interesting scent.

"The sisters are making perfumes and ointments." Bato hurried with explanation , gesturing at the vases placed around the yard, which made him realise another matter "Superior, there is one more thing. The Avatar also seems to travel with... Prince Zuko"

The firebender immediately glared at the man's back "Why not just announce it to every passer-by? It will sure help everyone!"

The old woman blinked in surprise as she finally noticed one more person in their group, standing next to the bison. "Oh. That is... unexpected." she said blankly, before she recollected herself and smiled again "But all the Avatar's companions are welcome here. Maybe you could take them to your room, Bato?"

"That's what I intended to do. Thank you, Superior."

The warrior led them towards one of the side buildings, and Aang patted Appa for goodnight. Zuko made a move as if he wanted to talk to the kid, but eventually decided against it. Both the place and nuns were giving him uneasy feeling, not to mention the Water Tribe man, but he wouldn't go to a child to complain about it.

Soon they were all inside the room, and both Katara and Sokka were delighted to see that the interior was set in a Water Tribe fashion, from the tent, to pelts on the floor.

"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins" Aang commented sceptically, but he was ignored. Zuko didn't comment anything either, taking the interior in.

Eventually Katara noticed the cauldron above the hearth in the middle of the room, and she raised the lid with curiosity.

"No way!" she called happily "Stewed sea prunes?"

Bato sat down by the hearth together with Sokka and his sister, and prompted them to help themselves with the dish. Katara gladly poured the stew into the bowls and handed them to everyone.

Aang sniffed it and grimaced with disgust. He sat down and put the bowl on the floor next to him, where Momo started to sip on it.

Zuko took a sniff of the soup and smelled something oddly sour and smoky. However, he wasn't too picky when it came to food, so he decided to give it a shot.

The bowl was a bit hot to touch, which gave him an idea. Just like he did with fire, he could try absorbing some heat from the soup. Warming things up wasn't a hard thing, so the reverse should work the same way it did when he absorbed fire. A moment of focus, and it worked - just like with actual fire.

After bringing the temperature down to a comfortable level, he took a sip. The smell didn't reveal how salty the stew was, along with the strange taste of prunes. However, it wasn't all that shocking. Fire Nation cuisine made extensive use of seafood as well, so he just continued to eat it normally.

Bato noticed that with a surprise, but shook his head slightly in thought. Eventually he asked the siblings "All right, I need to know what is the story here? What is the Fire Nation Prince doing with you and the Avatar?"

"You don't have to act as if I wasn't here." Zuko said with annoyance, as the warrior seemed to ignore him, not having spoken a single word to him directly.

Bato frowned at him "Maybe I don't trust you with the explanation. As the Southern Water Tribe warriors, we're bound to protect everyone in our village from the Fire Nation threat. That's why we sailed to war."

"Woah, easy!" Aang stood up as he saw that Zuko was about to answer that "I will explain, okay?"

Zuko glared at him, but didn't say anything. In truth, he wasn't actually fond of sharing a story of his failure that had ultimately led him to join the group.

Aang told Bato about being trapped in the fortress and how Zuko had rescued him and gotten wounded in the process. By the end of it, there was something between the sceptism and pity in the man's eyes, and Zuko felt humiliated just by having to sit there.

Sokka and Katara have already heard it, and they didn't really have anything to add, as they weren't present during those events.

Eventually the warrior hummed loudly "I see."

His eyes scanned over all the group members, eventually settling on Sokka. He added with a gentle smile "So maybe you would like to tell me how you ended up with the Avatar, huh? We couldn't believe it when we heard it; your father even more so."

The teenager grinned, along with his sister, and they began to tell him about how it all started, their adventures. Eventually the topic changed to the adventures of Bato and Hakoda from their youth.

It was a touching sight, as they got to reminisce about the past at the other end of the world, but Aang couldn't help but feel left out. He tried to listen to their tales too, but he was missing the context, and when he tried asking about it, he was ignored. Eventually he stopped trying and sat down by the wall, petting Momo who sensed his discomfort.

They didn't notice that Zuko left the room somewhere in the middle of their conversation to breathe with more fresh air. All this lighthearted talk was such foreign to him. The last time he actually had one of these was back at the palace, when his mom was still there. After that... His Uncle tried to have those casual chats with him, but he thought they were a waste of time.

He didn't even go far, simply leaned his back against the wall, watching the yard. What surprised him was that it seemed like the nuns have already taken care of the bison, having provided him with the grass and fresh water. Appa was already sleeping, and Zuko considered lying to sleep next to him like the Avatar often did, but he quickly abandoned that thought. The animal wasn't used to him sleeping by it and could not tolerate that. Besides, if someone from the Gaang came looking for him, it would be difficult to explain.

Instead he settled for a short walk to the beach. It was completely dark, but the road there was so simple that he definitely wouldn't get lost without fire.

"Tribe reunion, just how great is that." he thought as he kicked the rock. It rolled in front of him silently, stopping on the soft sand. The sea was calm that night, and the sound of the waves calmed him. For such a long time he used to hear it almost every day, that he caught himself missing it.

"Of course I don't mind it... Obviously anyone else can be lucky enough to just find a relative in completely random part of the world."

He eventually sat down on the sand, in a short distance from the boat, and stared at the sea. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt lonely. Even though he didn't chat or laugh with his uncle when he was still with him, he still felt that he wasn't there alone. Now everything was alien to him, and the only company he had were people who used to be his enemies.

It felt suffocating. His hands moved involuntarily to grab his his head as he shut his eyes closed. He tried to focus on his breath to calm down, and eventually his thoughts drifted towards his last session with fire. He didn't pay it that much attention with all that was happening, but he actually felt much better again. Even his wound hurt far less than before.

"That proves two things. I can absorb both the fire and warmth, and somehow it helps me regenerate. And I can do it even though I can't bend... No, that's not right. I did bend earlier this evening... So I can bend the existing fire, but I can't produce it? It's like... my source of fire has gone out after-"

He opened his eyes wide with realization.

"After I stopped hunting the Avatar? Did this fuel me? It was my only goal, ever since I was banished. If it's about having a target, maybe I just have to replace it. But what else is there for me now? Maybe something like... survival instinct?"

However doubtfully, he focused really hard on that thought and then tried to light a fire in his hand, but it didn't seem to work.

"Ugh, I have no idea how it works, do I...?"

*

A few chapters further, I'm glad you're still keeping up because we've finally left Makapu village ;) Merry Christmas to you all!