(Originally posted June 24, 2023 on AO3)

"The Avatar?" Katara gasped.

"No way..." Sokka breathed, still looking dumbstruck.

Aang chuckled nervously as he watched the murmuring villagers begin to gather around him. He gave a small wave to a group of young children, several of whom smiled and waved back at him.

"Hakoda, is it true?" a stern-looking old woman asked. She wore the same style of hair loops as Katara, and was followed by several more elderly villagers.

"It is, mom," Hakoda nodded. "It's him."

"But how is that possible?" a middle-aged woman supporting a baby on her hip questioned.

"The Avatar disappeared a hundred years ago!" an elderly man added.

"The Avatar himself can probably explain better than I can," Hakoda replied, nodding in Aang's direction. "Aang?"

Aang's eyes widened briefly. "Oh, yeah, sure!" He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and quickly explained the story of how he and Appa were caught in the storm, frozen, and freed from the iceberg by Zuko.

When he finished, Sokka scoffed disbelievingly. "So, what? You're saying you're actually over a hundred years old?"

"Chronologically, yes?" Aang replied with a shrug, sparking further murmuring from the villagers. "I guess you and I are a couple of old-timers, huh Appa?" He chuckled and gave the bison several head scratches. When the village children saw that the giant monster was docile, several of them began gingerly making their way over. A few started petting Appa's legs, and Momo, who appeared to be jealous of the attention, chirped and fluttered down to land next to one of the children, who began happily petting the lemur.

Sokka stared at Appa for a moment with a wary eye. "And you believe him, dad?"

"I do."

"... And you're sure they're not Fire Nation spies?"

"I'm sure."

Sokka said nothing and simply folded his arms, still not seeming entirely convinced.

His sister, however, was ecstatic, as were several of the other villagers. "I can't believe you're really here!" Katara said, clasping her gloved hands together. "Gran-Gran used to tell me stories about the old days, when the Avatar kept balance between all four nations."

The old woman whom Hakoda had called "mom" stepped next to Katara and studied Aang. While her gaze was intense, he did not feel that it was hostile. She even looked cautiously hopeful. Aang guessed that she must have seen and experienced a lot of hardship in her lifetime, and once again felt a tiny spike of guilt in his stomach. "Many people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle was broken," she said.

"But I never lost hope," Katara interjected, her blue eyes sparkling. "I knew you would return to save the world."

Aang felt his cheeks grow warm, and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I'm happy to hear that! I'm just sorry it took me so long."

Katara shook her head. "Don't apologize! It obviously wasn't your fault. I doubt even the Avatar can control the weather."

"Yeah..." Aang replied with a weak chuckle, and looked away, guilt rising within him. She didn't know the truth about why he was out in that storm. No one did. Not even Iroh or Zuko.

"Aang, Lee, would you like to introduce us to your friend here?" Bato asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Is he your guardian?" He gestured at Iroh, who looked as though he was quietly arguing about something with Zuko from where they both stood a few feet behind Aang.

"I apologize," Iroh said, clearing his throat and stepping forward. "Both for the abrupt landing, and for not introducing myself sooner. I'm..." He briefly glanced at Zuko. "Lee's uncle, Mushi."

Aang was surprised to hear Iroh willingly using the name Zuko had thought up for him on the spot at the Northern Air Temple.

"Good to meet you, Mushi. I'm Hakoda, chieftain of this village, and this is Bato, my best friend and right-hand man."

"It's a pleasure, Chief Hakoda. Bato." Iroh nodded politely. "May I ask... how is it that Aang and my nephew arrived at your settlement?"

Hakoda and Bato glanced at one another. "We found the kids in the middle of the tundra to the west of the village. They were close to a polar bear dog hunting area and claimed they were on their own, so we decided to take them back with us," Bato replied.

"Ah. Claimed they were on their own, eh?" Iroh repeated, raising an eyebrow at Aang and Zuko, who both looked at the ground sheepishly. "Then you have my thanks for looking after them." He bowed respectfully to the two Water Tribesmen.

Hakoda shook his head and held up his hand. "No need to thank us. It seems the Spirits intended for us to meet." He then turned to Aang and Zuko. "And it looks like you've already met my kids, Sokka and Katara."

"If by 'met' you mean 'threatened at spearpoint'," Zuko grumbled, shooting Sokka a glare.

Hakoda's eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked over at his son.

"What?" Sokka sputtered defensively. "There were two foreigners in our house!"

"I tried to stop him, dad," Katara said, shaking her head slowly. "But he was relentless."

"What if they had been Fire Nation spies?"

"They weren't," Katara shot back.

"But he broke my spear!" Sokka pointed at Zuko, who smirked slightly.

"That's enough, you two," Hakoda scolded, and the two siblings were quiet once again. "I know I should have told you that we had guests," he said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. When Aang told me why he was here, I had to inform the warriors right away. I didn't expect to be gone long."

"Well, why is he here?" Sokka questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"And what did you have to tell the warriors right away?" Katara added with a concerned look.

Hakoda and Bato exchanged a glance, both seeming apprehensive. It seemed they were trying to determine the best way to break the news about the Southern Raiders to the rest of the village.

"Aang, you are certain this is the village from your dream?" Iroh asked.

Aang nodded. "I recognized it almost immediately."

"How much have you told them?"

"I told Hakoda about everything I saw. He said that the black snow is actually something that happens when a Fire Navy ship is nearby. It's the soot coating the snowflakes."

Iroh's eyes widened. "Of course... I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier," he murmured, placing his hand on his chin. "Then the Southern Raiders...?"

"They're what Roku was trying to warn me about," Aang confirmed.

Upon hearing the words "Southern Raiders", the crowd of villagers erupted into a chorus of gasps and anxious whispers.

"Yes, the Southern Raiders are coming, according to the Avatar's vision," Hakoda said solemnly. Sokka looked up at his father with a fearful expression, while Katara began to shake, holding her arms tightly. "We don't know when, but we at least have the advantage of knowing they're planning something. And when they do come, we'll be ready for them."

"Dad..." Katara murmured, grabbing hold of Hakoda's arm. She looked terrified. "I thought you said they wouldn't come back..."

An anxious look briefly passed over Hakoda's face, but it was gone before Aang could tell if he had really seen it or not. "I know, sweetie. I thought so too. But don't worry. We have the Avatar and his friends to help us this time."

Katara looked over at Aang and smiled slightly, then took a deep breath to calm herself. "You're right. There's still hope."

"Chief Hakoda!" Aang turned to see a warrior with long braided hair who seemed to be in his late teens or early twenties running down the main street. Aang guessed that this was the scout Hakoda had said he was going to send out earlier. He looked to be slightly out of breath, but did not appear panicked.

"What is it?" Hakoda asked. "Any signs of Raider activity?"

"Thankfully nothing yet, chief," the scout replied.

Hakoda breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We can at least sleep soundly knowing that we won't be receiving any visits from the Fire Nation tonight. I still want you to keep one of our ships out there to continue monitoring the coastline."

The scout nodded curtly. "Yes, sir."

Hakoda turned back to Aang. "I'm sure you three must be exhausted from your journey. I'll have a tent prepared for you. I would also like to invite you to join my family for dinner tonight, if you would like."

As if on cue, Aang's stomach growled, and he realized for the first time that he hadn't eaten since they had left that morning. He looked at Iroh and Zuko, who both nodded vigorously. "Dinner would be much appreciated!"

"Aang, you and Lee should try some of Gran-Gran's stewed sea prunes!" Katara said, grabbing two empty bowls.

"Dad can eat a whole barrel of those things," Sokka added, causing Bato to chuckle and Hakoda to roll his eyes.

Zuko's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the Water Tribe girl lift a spoonful of dark purple lumps from the pot on the fire. He was currently seated between Iroh and Aang around the small fire at the center of Hakoda's igloo, where various Water Tribe dishes had been laid out on the mat on the floor around it. Joining them around the collection of food sat Hakoda, Bato, Sokka, Katara, and "Gran-Gran", whose real name they had recently learned was Kanna.

Katara handed the bowls to Aang, who in turn handed one to Zuko. Zuko studied his bowl's contents with a wary eye, having no idea what to expect with Water Tribe food. When he caught a whiff of the lumpy concoction, however, he noticed that it was strangely reminiscent of the smell of steamed ocean kumquats, a Fire Nation dish he actually quite liked, but hadn't had in months. He glanced over at Aang, who was also staring at his bowl, albeit with a much more visibly disgusted expression.

Zuko's gaze then moved to Kanna, who was sitting directly across from Aang. Her expression was flat, which made it difficult to tell how she was really feeling. Aang seemed to notice this as well, and chuckled nervously as he quickly picked up the wooden spoon to shove some prunes into his mouth. "Mmm! Good... sea... prunes!" he said, swallowing with a poorly-concealed shudder.

Kanna, surprisingly, laughed. "You don't have to force yourself to eat it if you don't like it."

Aang froze, then spat his mouthful of prunes back into his bowl. "I'm sorry," he apologized, setting the bowl on the ground. Zuko grimaced when he saw Momo dart over to the bowl and start licking the inside.

"No need to be," Kanna said. "There are plenty more dishes where that came from."

"Well... as long as there's something else with no meat, I'll try it."

"No meat?!" Sokka exclaimed, taking a bite from some sort of meat on a bone that he was holding. "What kind of person doesn't want meat?"

Katara smacked her brother's arm. "Not everyone has the exact same food preferences as you, Sokka."

"As a monk, I've sworn to hold all life sacred," Aang explained. "That's why I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh," Sokka said, a slightly guilty look passing over his face. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Sokka," Aang replied kindly. Zuko, however, narrowed his eyes at the Water Tribe boy.

"Don't worry, Aang," Katara said. "We've got seaweed noodles and five-flavor soup, all completely meat-free."

"Oh, those do sound good!" Aang replied, looking relieved.

While Katara served Aang a bowl of seaweed noodles, Zuko finally decided to try a spoonful of the prunes. When he tasted them, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the dish did indeed taste very similar to ocean kumquats, and quickly finished his bowl. He hadn't even realized how hungry he had been.

"Uncle, this tastes just like–"

"Steamed ocean kumquats!" Iroh finished Zuko's sentence excitedly. He was already scooping himself another bowl, and Zuko noticed that Kanna was smiling at him with a look of pride.

Thankfully, Aang seemed to like the seaweed noodles and five-flavor soup, while Zuko enjoyed getting to try arctic hen, crab, and various types of fish and shellfish from the region. He'd been surprised that such a variety of food options were available in a place this cold and barren, and that they were actually decent. It had been a long time since he had eaten a proper meal, and he hadn't realized how much he had missed it.

"So, Lee. I see you and your uncle are fond of seafood," Bato said with a smile. "Though I suppose you'd have to be, growing up on an island."

Iroh glanced over at Zuko with a slightly raised eyebrow as he took a sip from his cup of tea.

"Yes!" Zuko quickly responded, clearing his throat. "We, uh, Kyoshi Islanders sure do love our seafood. Especially, uh... seared elephant koi." He thought he heard Aang wince slightly after finishing that last sentence.

"Our tribe traded with the Kyoshi Islanders occasionally when I was a young girl, before the raids became more commonplace," Kanna said. "I didn't recognize your garb. From what I remember, they wore blue, similar to the Water Tribes."

"They– uh, we do," Zuko replied. "But we had to buy some warmer clothes when we traveled to the northern Earth Kingdom a few months ago." At least that wasn't a lie.

"The northern Earth Kingdom?" Katara repeated, appearing very intrigued. "Have you three traveled a lot?"

"Yeah, we have!" Aang replied cheerily. "In the past six months, we've traveled to the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Air Temples, and to lots of places all over the northern and western Earth Kingdom." He turned to Zuko and Iroh. "I kind of dragged these two all over the place. They've had to put up with a lot, and I'm grateful for their patience." Aang smiled at Zuko, nudging him gently with his arm. Zuko's heart skipped a beat again.

"Wow," Katara sighed. "I've barely left our village, but I've always wanted to see the rest of the world."

"You know it's not safe out there with the war going on, Katara," Hakoda said sternly.

"Yeah, I know, dad," Katara replied, seeming to grow slightly irritated. "But at least you and Sokka and the rest of the warriors get to go outside of the village all the time! I'm almost always stuck here doing chores..." She folded her arms with a frown.

"That's because we're warriors, Katara," Sokka said matter-of-factly. "You're not. You don't have any way to defend yourself out there."

This appeared to irritate Katara even more. "Yes I do! You know I'm a–"

"Enough," Hakoda said, standing up. There was an awkward silence for a moment. "It's getting late. You two should help Gran-Gran clean up, and then get ready for bed."

"But–" Katara started.

"No 'buts'. I'll show our guests to their tent."

The last thing Zuko saw before exiting the igloo was Katara grunting in exasperation as she begrudgingly began gathering up used plates and bowls, piling them in Sokka's arms. He couldn't help but empathize with her. Maybe it was because he was used to being treated like the less-capable sibling in his own family.

Hakoda was relatively quiet as he led them down the street to their tent, which was thankfully bigger than Zuko had thought it was going to be. The tired-looking chief thanked them again for their help with the Raiders, informed them that he and Bato would speak with them about the situation further in depth in the morning, and bid them a polite goodnight.

When the trio entered their tent, Zuko saw that three bedrolls had been laid out. Their belongings from Appa's saddle, including Zuko's sheathed broadswords and Aang's staff, had also been neatly stacked in the corner. Similar to the inside of Hakoda's igloo, the tent was packed with various furs and pelts, meaning that he would thankfully not have to worry about freezing to death tonight. Aang stared at the pelts with a slightly uncomfortable expression, but did not utter any complaints as he plopped down onto his back on one of the bedrolls.

Zuko moved to sit down on his bedroll, but Momo quickly scurried past him to curl up right on the center of it. Zuko chuckled and sat down at the end of his bedroll instead, unwilling to move the lemur when he looked so comfortable.

"Well, somehow, we did it," he said, giving Momo some scratches behind his ears. "We made it to the Southern Water Tribe."

Aang sighed, staring up at the top of the tent. "Yeah. I'm glad we found the village... but I honestly have no idea how we're supposed to help them fight the Raiders. We don't even know when they're coming. And I can only use one element right now. I would be a lot more helpful if I could at least waterbend a little bit, but there's no waterbenders here to teach me."

"You don't have to do this alone, Aang," Iroh said. "You may not have the other three elements, but at least we know the Raiders are coming, which I'm certain they are not prepared for. You also have two people on your side who are familiar with the Fire Nation's tactics. That should give us an advantage."

Aang's brow furrowed, and he sat up. "I really don't like that I keep having to lie about you guys." He pulled his knees to his chest and looked off to the side.

Zuko glanced down with a slightly guilty expression. "Aang... I don't like lying either. But it's something we've already had to do nearly everywhere we've gone for the past six months. Do you think everyone in the village would just be completely fine with us staying here, that they would even trust us at all if they knew uncle and I were Fire Nation?"

"No, I guess not," Aang mumbled. "But they might listen if we tell them you defected and are on our side now."

Aang had a point, Zuko realized begrudgingly. The villagers were certainly quick to trust him, though he assumed this was almost entirely thanks to Hakoda's influence. If they lost that, then they would definitely be in hot water.

"Well, unfortunately we've already committed to the fake names and backstories," Zuko said, folding his arms. "What are we supposed to do, just go up to Hakoda tomorrow and tell him that actually, we've been lying to him this whole time, that uncle and I are not, in fact, Kyoshi Islanders, but ex-Fire Nation royalty?"

"Zuko, I understand the reasoning for wanting to keep our identities secret," Iroh said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But this is a different situation compared to what we faced in the Earth Kingdom. We would both be more helpful to the tribe if we could use our firebending to fight. And I'm sure the chief would appreciate our honesty sooner rather than later."

Zuko looked back and forth between his uncle and Aang with a wary eye. "I... But we already..." He sighed. "Fine. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. If we absolutely need to."

The next morning, Aang woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested. He suddenly realized that for the first time in weeks, he had not had the nightmare about the village or the storm.

Guess I'm the early sparrowkeet again, he thought with a yawn as he stretched and sat up to see that Iroh and Zuko were both still fast asleep. He then pulled his clothes on, grabbed his staff, and exited the tent as quietly as he could.

It was difficult to tell what time it was, but it seemed that the village was already bustling with activity. He decided to wander the village streets, nodding and smiling to villagers as he passed them by.

As he neared Hakoda's igloo, he spotted Katara and Sokka outside, seemingly engaged in another argument.

Aang raised his hand into a wave and opened his mouth to greet the siblings when he abruptly tripped forward with a jolt. Suddenly, the movement speed of the people around him appeared to increase, the villagers soon becoming blurs. His head darted around quickly as he tried to keep track of what was going on, but the pace continued to increase. Eventually, it appeared that either time was moving so fast that the villagers were no longer visible, or they had simply disappeared altogether.

Aang looked up at the sky for the first time, beginning to notice the moon shifting through its cycles rapidly. It waxed and waned, the full moon appearing and disappearing. When the moon became full again for the third time, it stayed that way, and time finally seemed to slow back down to normal.

It was then that the screams began, and Aang finally realized what was happening as the familiar sight of black snow began to fall all around him.

This was a dream.

He sat up with a start, breathing heavily. Iroh and Zuko were both awake and fully dressed, and looked as if they had been discussing something in-depth, the map laid out on the ground between them.

Iroh noticed Aang first, a concerned expression appearing on his face, causing Zuko to turn around and look at him as well. When he saw that he was awake, his eyes widened. "Aang! Are you okay?" he asked, making his way over to his bedroll. "I'd hoped the dreams might stop once we finally got here."

Aang nodded his head, taking a moment to calm his body with deep breathing once again. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Possible battle strategies that could be useful for the Water Tribe warriors," Iroh replied.

"Never mind that now, uncle," Zuko said, frowning at Iroh. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure," Aang reassured the concerned Fire Prince. "This time, I think I actually learned something helpful."

"Really?" Zuko asked, he and Iroh both looking surprised.

"I think I know when the Raiders are coming."

"Listen up, soldiers!"

Aang stopped in his tracks when he recognized Sokka's voice, causing Zuko to bump into him from behind. "Sorry!" Aang apologized to the Fire Prince, who gave him a slightly annoyed look.

Since Hakoda had not yet called on them, Aang had convinced Zuko to join him on a morning stroll in the village. He'd guessed that his friend was still mulling over the idea of revealing his and Iroh's true identities to Hakoda. Something was clearly making Zuko anxious, and the more anxious he was, the more irritable he was.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts, Aang quickly spotted Sokka standing in front of Hakoda's igloo at the center of town. A group of young children sat on the ground in front of him as he paced back and forth.

"Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a firebender." He stopped to pick up a club, holding it up proudly. "In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing! For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?"

The children were silent for a moment. Then, a boy raised his hand. "I gotta pee!"

Sokka sighed in exasperation. "When you're a warrior in the heat of battle, you don't get potty breaks!" he replied angrily.

"I'm not a man," one of the children, a young girl, said, raising her hand. "Can I still fight?"

"It's too dangerous for a girl to-"

"Yes you can!" Katara interrupted, having just exited the igloo. "This is your home just as much as it is any of these boys'."

"Yeah, she's right!" Aang said, joining Katara. He was beginning to get just as fed up with Sokka's sexism as his sister was. "Hundreds of past Avatars were women, and the Avatar is the most powerful bender in the world!"

The little girl beamed at him. Meanwhile, Sokka scoffed. "We're talking about real fighting, not magic."

"Sokka, bending isn't magic," Katara argued. "It's–"

"An ancient art, each style unique to its culture, blah blah blah. I know." Sokka finished, clearly having been told this multiple times before. He began to walk over to Aang, but stopped short when Zuko stepped between them, arms folded.

"What's angry-face's problem?" Sokka questioned, looking over Zuko's shoulder at Aang and using his thumb to point at the Fire Prince as if he wasn't standing directly in front of him.

"Making sure you don't try anything," Zuko warned.

Sokka sighed. "Okay, I admit I was quick to point my weapon at you guys yesterday, but that was before I knew Aang was the Avatar."

"You still don't sound very convinced about that," Zuko said with a frown.

"I'm a practical guy. You'll have to forgive me for being a bit skeptical about all of this magic stuff." Sokka then walked around Zuko to the other side of Aang and snatched his staff out of his hand. "What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this!"

"Hey!" Zuko exclaimed irritably, hands grasping the hilts of his broadswords.

"It's okay," Aang reassured Zuko. He turned back to Sokka, then used a small gust of airbending to suck the glider back into his hand, causing the Water Tribe boy to flinch. "It's not for stabbing. It's for airbending." He clicked open the staff into his glider, causing Sokka to gasp in fright and cover his head with his hands.

Zuko smirked, and Katara chuckled. "Are you scared, Mr. Manly-Man?" she taunted, hands on her hips.

Sokka glared at her in response.

"Magic trick, do it again!" another little girl exclaimed.

"Not magic, airbending," Aang explained with a smile, moving the glider around him. "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

"Ya know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!" Sokka snapped.

"You literally just saw the Avatar's bison flying yesterday," Katara said. "If a huge beast like that can fly, what makes you think a human airbender can't?"

Sokka opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again, grumbling to himself.

"Well, Sokka," Aang said, grabbing hold of his glider in preparation to take off. "Sounds like you'd better... check again!"

He crouched down, then launched himself into the air with a gust of airbending, the children below cheering. He laughed as he watched Sokka's jaw drop, and felt a warm feeling in his chest when he saw a proud smile on Zuko's face. When he saw Katara's ecstatic-looking expression, however, he felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and his cheeks grew warm again. He closed his eyes and grinned back at her.

Suddenly, he grunted as he felt himself crashing headfirst into some sort of hollow, icy structure. As he struggled to pull his head out of it, he heard Sokka cry out from behind him.

"My watchtower!"

When Aang finally succeeded in freeing his head, he tumbled down onto a pile of snow that seemed to have fallen from the structure when he'd crashed into it. Looking up, he saw what indeed seemed to be a rudimentary watchtower that had been built along the village wall, though it was not as impressive-looking as the ones next to the main gates. It was definitely less impressive-looking now that it had a giant hole in its side.

Katara ran up to where Aang had landed, an anxious-looking Zuko following close behind. She offered him a hand, which he took to hoist himself up. "That was amazing!" she breathed, eyes sparkling, and Aang's felt his face begin to grow warm again as he grinned back at her.

"All right, no more playing." Aang turned to see Kanna standing behind them. "Come on. Sokka, Katara, you both have chores."

"Yes, Gran-Gran," Katara sighed, then turned around to grab Sokka by the collar to drag him away from the watchtower, which he had been trying unsuccessfully to repair. She gave Aang a small wave as she left, which he returned.

"Young Avatar," Kanna said, turning to Aang. "I believe my son would like to speak to you and your companions in his war tent. He should be back from his morning patrol any minute now."

Aang nodded. "Thanks, Kanna. We'll go get Mushi and head right over."

"Call me Gran-Gran," Kanna replied with a completely flat, dull expression, and turned to follow her grandchildren. Aang chuckled awkwardly in response and glanced at Zuko, who simply shrugged and shook his head.

Zuko sat down next to Aang and Iroh on the floor of the chief's war tent, which was empty. He assumed Hakoda had not yet returned from his morning patrol, and tapped his finger on his leg as they waited, feeling more anxious by the minute.

What his uncle had said last night was still on his mind—would it really be best if they just told Hakoda the truth now? How would he react? Would he kick them all out? Would he welcome them to their ranks? He couldn't be certain, and that was what bothered him the most. It just seemed much safer to keep pretending. They definitely weren't planning on staying long-term anyway.

Yes, it would mean that he and Iroh wouldn't be able to use their firebending in the upcoming battle, but Zuko had actually come to rely on his broadswords much more often in fights these days, for the most part out of habit. However, while he didn't like to think about it, he had noticed a difference in his bending recently as well. For some reason, he had not been able to generate as much power for his fire blasts as he had in the past. He hadn't yet mentioned this to Iroh, as they had barely had any time to continue his firebending training these past few weeks.

"Ah, there you are! Did you all sleep well?"

Zuko turned around to see Hakoda and Bato enter the tent from behind them, followed by eight other men.

"Mostly," Aang replied.

"Glad to hear it," Bato said with a smile, and the two men sat down across from the trio, a strategy map laid out on a table between them. Four of the men sat on the left side of the tent, while the other four sat on the right.

It's really probably not a good idea to reveal that uncle and I are Fire Nation with this many warriors in here, Zuko thought nervously.

"Have there been any signs of Southern Raider ships?" Iroh asked.

"Thankfully, no, not yet. But I'm keeping several of our own ships out on the coastline to continue scouting."

"Good," Zuko sighed in relief.

"The reason we wanted to speak to you this morning is because we need to begin preparing for the inevitable battle immediately," Bato said. "While we don't know when it's going to happen, the Avatar's presence here is enough to tell us that it will happen soon. I only hope the Spirits will grant us enough time to prepare properly."

"Actually, I think I do know when the Raiders are going to attack," Aang said. "Or at least I have an idea now."

Hakoda and Bato's eyes both widened. "You do?" the chief asked, an anticipatory but anxious look in his eyes.

Aang nodded. "Last night, I had another dream about the village. But it was different this time. When I've had the dream before, the village was always empty. This time, there were people at first, but then time started speeding up, faster and faster until the people disappeared again. When I looked up at the sky, I noticed that the moon cycled through what looked like three full phases until time finally slowed back down to normal on the third full moon. From that point onward, everything went as it usually does: screaming, black snow, darkness. Then I woke up."

"You're certain about the number of moon phases you saw?" Hakoda asked, leaning forward and staring intently at him.

"Yes."

"Three months, then," Hakoda murmured. "We have three months."

A quiet cough broke the momentary silence, and Hakoda's eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted behind them to the tent entrance. "Something you'd like to contribute to the conversation, Sokka?

Zuko turned around again and frowned when he saw the Water Tribe boy's head peek into the tent.

"This is a private meeting, son," Hakoda scolded. "Have you finished your chores?"

"Mostly," Sokka said, taking one step forward to enter the tent, hands behind his back.

Hakoda sighed. "Gran-Gran is going to give you an earful if you haven't."

"But this is more important than chores!" Sokka argued. "I'm almost thirteen, dad. I'm old enough to fight. " He pointed at Zuko and Aang. "They're gonna fight, and they're my age!"

"The Avatar will fight for us if he needs to, but we are hoping with proper preparation that will not be the case," Bato said.

"I won't just sit behind the village walls while your warriors risk their lives," Aang said seriously.

"I won't either. I'm proficient with broadswords, so I'll help you fight," Zuko added. He wasn't about to let Aang do any of this alone.

Hakoda and Bato looked at one another for a moment, and then Hakoda sighed again. "Fine. You boys can help protect the village if we are unable to stop them before they reach it."

"I would be happy to assist," Iroh chimed in. "I can help plan the optimal positions for defense and attack, both from land and sea."

"I didn't take you for a battle strategist, Mushi," Bato said.

"Uncle fought in several battles in the Earth Kingdom in the past decade, so he knows a lot about Fire Nation war strategy!" Zuko blurted. Technically, none of this was a lie.

"... Yes. This is true," Iroh added, clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly.

Thankfully, neither of the Water Tribesmen seemed to question this further. "We would be grateful for any help you can provide, Mushi," Hakoda said. "The Fire Nation's war technology far surpasses our own. It's one of their greatest advantages over us. That, and numbers."

Zuko felt a small twinge of dread in his stomach. Even with their help, how was a small band of nonbender Water Tribesmen supposed to fight off Fire Nation soldiers with modern technology, military training, and firebending?

Suddenly, a thought came to him.

"What about the other Water Tribe villages?" Zuko asked. "We could ask them to help us."

"The Avatar's companion has a point, Hakoda," Bato said. "We would have a much better chance if the other villages sent some warriors to aid us."

Hakoda's brow furrowed. "I don't know if they would be willing to. Especially when it's not their village that's being attacked."

"But wouldn't they change their minds once they learn that you have the Avatar on your side?" Zuko asked.

"Maybe," Hakoda replied. "But it's still risky. And I can't really spare the men right now to go knocking on every village door."

"Well, I think it's worth a try," Aang said. "If you can't spare anyone, why don't you send me, Lee, and Iroh? We can move fast on my bison."

"Actually, Chief Hakoda, if I may," Iroh said, holding his index finger up. "I would like to stay here. I think I would be most useful in helping you train your warriors—I can teach them how to most effectively fight Fire Nation soldiers, as well as what their weaknesses are. I trust that my nephew and the Avatar can do this on their own." He smiled at Zuko and Aang.

"I don't have any issues with that," Hakoda nodded. "Regardless, whoever goes would need someone from the tribe to go with them. Otherwise, it's unlikely anyone will even allow you to set foot in their village."

Aang chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, then perked up. "What if Sokka and Katara came with us?"

Sokka's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"That's not a bad idea," Bato said, nodding slowly. "As our chieftain's son, Sokka's presence would certainly help dispel any skepticism. Especially for Chief Gilak."

Hakoda frowned at the mention of the other chieftain's name, and was silent for several moments, seemingly deep in thought. "That's true. I suppose it isn't a bad idea for Sokka to go. But I don't see why Katara needs to."

"Why not?" Zuko asked with a frown. Why did everyone treat that girl like she was a fragile flower? She was no Azula, but she could clearly hold her own.

"Yeah, why not?" Aang echoed, folding his arms. "From what she said last night, it doesn't sound like she gets to leave the village very often. If you're worried about her safety, I don't see why, since she'll be with the three of us.

"One of which is the Avatar," Zuko added. "Though something tells me she doesn't need the protection."

Hakoda shook his head. "I just don't–"

"Ahem," Sokka interrupted. "Dad, what if... one of us gets injured or something? Katara does know a lot about first aid. Probably even more than most of the ladies in the village. I mean, my thumb is nearly as good as new after the fish hook incident thanks to her—there's barely even a scar!" He held his thumb out in front of him as proof. "And I sure don't know how to dress wounds. Or set broken bones. Do you guys?" he asked Aang and Zuko.

"Nope," Aang answered.

"Uh... not really," Zuko replied. He knew how to care for burn wounds, but that was about it.

Hakoda put his hand on his chin in consideration and looked at Bato again, who nodded and shrugged. "... Alright."

"An actual diplomatic mission! I gotta go tell Katara!" Sokka exclaimed, and turned to exit the tent.

"Not so fast," Hakoda said, and Sokka turned back around. "We haven't even decided when you're leaving, or what villages you'll be going to."

"Right," Sokka said, plopping down behind Aang and Zuko.

"First, you're going to need a map," Bato said.

Iroh pulled his map out of his bag and handed it to Hakoda, who marked three spots on it, each in the western part of the continent. He flipped the map around and pushed it towards Aang and Zuko, while Sokka peered over their shoulders.

"Here's our village, Wolf Cove," Hakoda explained, pointing to a star he had drawn at the end of an inlet on the northwest coast of the continent. "These aren't the only other villages in the South Pole, but they are the ones we've had the most regular contact with. There's no point in trying to find every village and asking them for help. That would take far too long, and these are the villages that are closest to us."

Zuko studied the locations on the map. One was located directly to the west of them at the base of a small mountain range. Another seemed to be located to the southeast of that village in the middle of the tundra. The last was located south of the second village on the bank of a short river on the opposite side of the continent. "How long has it been since you've had contact with these villages?" he asked.

"Ah... Let's see," Hakoda said, stroking his beard. "The most recent village we've had contact with is the one that's closest to us, which is probably the next largest village in the Southern Water Tribe after ours," he said, pointing to the spot he had marked directly to the west of Wolf Cove at the base of the small mountain range. "It's been about a month since we last had contact. We typically meet every few weeks or so to trade."

"This is Chief Gilak's village," Bato said. "He's an excellent warrior, but he and Hakoda have never quite seen eye-to-eye. He is extremely suspicious of outsiders, so hopefully Sokka's presence will prevent him from completely refusing to hear you out."

"What about the other two?" Aang asked.

"Those are a little more difficult," Hakoda replied. "We haven't had contact with Ausuittuq," he pointed to the village in the tundra. "In almost ten months. And we haven't had contact with Grey Wolf Village on the southern coast in almost two years."

"Two years?" Zuko repeated. He wondered if the village still even existed.

"Unfortunately, it is difficult to say which villages have simply become isolationist, and which possibly no longer exist," Bato explained. "Especially villages which we have not had contact with in some time."

That doesn't exactly sound promising, Zuko thought glumly.

"Well, it looks like we should start with the first village, then. The one closest to Wolf Cove," Aang said, an expression of hopeful determination on his face.

Hakoda nodded. "So it's settled. Mushi will stay here with Bato and I and help us get started on some strategy plans, and the Avatar will take Lee, Sokka, and Katara with him to Penguin's Landing," he said, pointing to the first village on the map. "Thought you should take a few days to rest and prepare before setting out."

Aang had immediately perked up when he'd heard the name of the village, and turned to Zuko with a wide grin.

Zuko sighed heavily, pinching his nose bridge, and tried to hide his own smile. Maybe Aang would get a second chance to take him penguin sledding after all.