"Hello up there! This is Sokka of Wolf Cove, son of Chief Hakoda, speaking! We would like to speak with Chief Gilak, please!"

Aang bit his lip as he watched a confident-looking Sokka address the warriors at the top of the village wall of Penguin's Landing. He tried to push down the anxiety that was arising within him as he tried to guess how this interaction with Chief Gilak could possibly go. Wolf Cove was depending on them to get help; he sincerely hoped they weren't about to fail with the very first village they tried asking.

"What business do you have with him? It's weeks before we're due to trade next."

The voice that had replied from the top of the wall was feminine, and Sokka suddenly looked taken aback, mouth gaping. The warrior leaned over the edge of the wall, and Aang could see that she was a tall, pretty girl with long black hair beneath her Water Tribe guard helmet. If he had to guess, he would say she looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously as her gaze shifted behind Sokka, noticing Aang and Zuko for the first time. "And what are these two foreigners doing with you?"

Aang scanned the rest of the village wall, and he tensed when he saw several drawn bows aimed right at their location. He glanced at Zuko, whose hand was slowly moving over his shoulder to the hilt of his broadswords, and recalled how the Fire Prince had deflected hundreds of Yuyan Archer arrows while rescuing him from Pohuai Stronghold. This helped him relax a little.

Sokka had clearly noticed the archers as well, and was now beginning to sweat. " Ahem . That is… We need to talk to him about something important, something that will save our village."

The warrior raised her eyebrows and remained silent, so Sokka continued.

"Th–these two are our friends. They're helping us," he stammered, gesturing to Aang and Zuko. "And they're not Fire Nation! I swear on the Moon Spirit it's the truth!" He reached inside his coat and pulled out the scroll containing Wolf Cove's seal, but his shaking hands fumbled with it as he tried to unfurl it, and it landed in the snow in front of him. He quickly picked it up, opened it, and held it up for the warrior to see.

Katara elbowed him slightly. "It's upside down! " she whispered.

Sokka's eyes widened, and he quickly rotated the scroll to the correct orientation.

The warrior looked down at the scroll, then back at them for a long moment, and Aang wondered if he should step forward and say something. However, before he could, the warrior suddenly chuckled. "You kids can relax. I can tell that whatever you've got to say is important." She turned to either side, made a motion with her hands, and the archers lowered their bows, much to Aang's relief. "Open the gate!"

A few moments later, the village gate was open, and the female warrior was standing on the other side ready to greet them. She bowed her head politely and made a wide gesture with her arm behind her. "Welcome to Penguin's Landing. I'm Lirin, Chief Gilak's second-in-command."

Sokka stared dumbfounded at Lirin again. "Second-in-command? But you're a–"

"A pleasure to meet you, Lirin!" Katara interrupted, moving to stand in front of her brother. "I'm Katara, Sokka's younger sister. And these two behind me are our Earth Kingdom friends, Aang and Lee."

Lirin smiled and nodded respectfully at Katara, though when her eyes fell on Aang and Zuko again, her expression reverted to a wary one. "Before I take you to the chief, I need everyone to leave their weapons here."

Sokka and Zuko looked at one another and frowned, clearly both reluctant to continue into the village unarmed. However, Zuko did as he was asked, silently removing his broadswords from his back and handing them to one of the warriors, while Sokka grumbled to himself as he handed over his club and boomerang.

"Here you go," Aang said, handing his staff to another one of the warriors. It wasn't like he needed it to do airbending anyway.

Upon seeing that Katara did not have any weapons on her, Lirin appeared satisfied. "Thank you. Follow me."

As the quartet followed Lirin silently down the main village street, Aang quickly began to notice that something seemed off about this village. Wolf Cove was a bustling community, where people worked and chattered as they went about their day. Penguin's Landing, in contrast, felt eerily lifeless. The few villagers he did see quickly hid from sight when they saw he was looking at them.

"Something isn't right here. It's so quiet…" Aang murmured.

"Your friend is observant," Lirin said, and Aang could hear the sadness in her voice. "Our village is currently suffering from a sickness. It's been a difficult few weeks."

"What are their symptoms?" Katara asked, sounding worried. "How have your healers been treating it?"

"Most people suffer from a fever, cough, and extreme fatigue," Lirin replied with a sigh. "It began in the elderly population, but has since spread to healthy adults and children. It has also proven to be very hard to treat, and unfortunately, we only have one healer, so progress has been quite slow."

At last, they came to a stop outside of a large tent at the center of the village. "Come, we've arrived," Lirin directed as she pulled the tarp back to enter.

Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Zuko followed Lirin into the large tent, which was covered in animal pelts just as the Wolf Cove dwellings had been. Chief Gilak was sitting at the tent's center in front of a fire pit, arms folded. He was a large, burly man who looked to be in his mid-to-late fifties. If Aang could best describe him, he looked to be an older, buffer version of Hakoda with his long gray beard on his chin and shoulder-length gray hair pulled back into a wolf-tail on top.

However, despite the visual similarities, Aang immediately noticed that Gilak did not have the same warmth in his gaze that Hakoda did. This man had the look of someone who had been hardened by years of adversity, and his dark blue eyes moved over the group with a look of extreme distrust.

"Lirin. What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought outsiders into the village? And foreigners with them, no less."

"These two children are from Wolf Cove. They're Hakoda's," Lirin explained calmly. If she was worried about Gilak's anger at her decision, she did not show it in her voice or demeanor. "They claim that they need to speak with you about an urgent matter related to their village. They even brought a document containing Wolf Cove's seal. It seemed important."

Gilak frowned. "If this matter is so important , why didn't Hakoda come here to discuss it himself? Why send a group of children?"

Lirin turned to face Sokka, who immediately paled, and gestured for him to step forward to speak.

"Uh, Gilak, sir… We… uh, that is…"

"Spit it out, boy."

"Our village is going to be attacked by the Southern Raiders in less than three months," Katara said, moving in front of her brother. This revelation elicited a gasp from Lirin and several of the other warriors in the tent, while Gilak's eyes widened slightly. "We've been sent by my dad to ask for your aid. He had to stay behind to prepare our warriors and people."

Gilak placed his fist over his mouth and was silent for a moment. "It's been three years since the last series of attacks," he said. "If the Southern Raiders are returning, then this is indeed a serious matter. But how could you possibly know for certain that this is going to happen? No one has ever been able to predict their attacks before."

Aang stepped forward next to Katara. "We know because I've been having visions about the attack."

Gilak studied Aang for several moments before replying. "And who might you be?"

"I'm the Avatar."

"The Avatar? " Gilak scoffed. "The Avatar doesn't exist anymore. The Fire Nation made sure of that when they slaughtered the Air Nomads a century ago." He shook his head. "Tell me the truth, or you will be escorted out of this village immediately."

"I am an Air Nomad," Aang countered. "...The last one." He hated having to clarify that last part every time.

Gilak barked out a dry laugh. "You expect me to believe that you're somehow both the Avatar and the last airbender? You're wasting my time with this nonsense –"

"He is telling the truth!" Sokka interjected. "Gilak. Sir," he quickly added.

Gilak raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, waiting for Sokka to continue.

Sokka cleared his throat. "I didn't want to believe it at first either. But dad did. He trusts Aang, and I trust him."

Gilak was silent for another several uncomfortable moments as he continued to stare at Aang suspiciously. Then, he stood up abruptly. "Enough of this. You bring foreigners into my village, demand my aid for something that hasn't even happened yet, and you dare to insult me by expecting me to believe that this child is the Avatar? "

"Gilak, wait," Lirin protested. "Maybe you should give them a chance to explain further!"

"You've grown too soft, Lirin," Gilak said, shaking his head in irritation. "Either these children are playing a prank, or Hakoda is up to something and thinks I'm stupid." He snapped his fingers, and several warriors moved towards the group.

"Wait!" Aang exclaimed. "I can prove I'm an airbender!" He moved to stick his hand into his shirt, intending to show them his trusty marble trick.

However, one of the warriors must have thought he was drawing a weapon, and lunged towards him with their spear. Aang could see a mix of shock and anger blazing in Zuko's eyes as he witnessed the scene, but before the Fire Prince could act, Aang ducked to avoid the spear, then with a gust of airbending, flipped the guard over onto one of the pelts on the ground.

"Sorry!" Aang apologized. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He looked around the tent again, and every warrior, the one on the ground included, was now staring at him with wide eyes and gaping jaws.

"It's true! You are an airbender!" Lirin exclaimed.

"And he is the Avatar," Sokka reiterated. "And before anyone asks about his age, he was frozen in an iceberg for the past century. Something to do with his magic Avatar powers."

"Which is why the Fire Nation never found him," Katara added.

Gilak stared at Aang again, though this time, his eyes were open wide, and Aang could see a tiny glimmer of hope within them. "Impossible… If you are an airbender…" he murmured. "Then the Avatar has truly returned?"

" Yes! " Sokka exclaimed with an exasperated sigh. " Now are you willing to listen?" He seemed to have gotten over his earlier fear rather quickly

Gilak nodded and made a motion with his hand to indicate that the warriors step away from the group. Zuko, who had remained silent this entire time, still watched them with a wary eye.

"So, uh, yeah," Sokka continued, clearing his throat. "Aang arrived at our village a couple of weeks ago with his Earth Kingdom friend Lee," he gestured to Zuko. "And Lee's uncle, Mushi, who's helping my dad prepare our warriors for the attack back in Wolf Cove."

"I'd been having nightmares about Wolf Cove being in trouble," Aang added. "My predecessor, Avatar Roku, spoke to me on the winter solstice and told me to come down here and help. Hakoda said that what I was seeing in my nightmare was a raid, and based on the number of moon cycles I saw in my most recent one, our best guess was that it was going to happen in three months' time."

" Less than that, now, since Aang had that last nightmare a week ago," Sokka clarified. "But it's going to be different this time. We know they're coming, and we have the Avatar to help us."

"Less than three months…" Gilak's gaze moved to the ground for a moment as he considered this factor, still appearing apprehensive.

"Chief Gilak," Sokka said, taking another bold step forward. "I know you helped our village three years ago the last time the Raiders attacked. Dad told me if it weren't for you and your warriors, things would have turned out a lot worse for us. Please, help us again. And maybe we can defeat them for good this time."

Gilak actually appeared to be significantly affected by Sokka's words. "Hakoda told you that?"

"He did. He said that you're an honorable man, and you helped save a lot of lives that day."

This seemed to surprise Gilak more than anything else. "You certainly are your father's son," he said, chuckling slightly. He fell silent for another moment, then sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "I wish I could help," he admitted as he walked past them to the tent entrance, folding the tarp back to look outside. "But our village is suffering from a plague, with more of us falling ill every day. Over half of my warriors are sick." He closed the tarp again, squeezing his eyes shut. "If I send you what I have left, there will be no one to protect Penguin's Landing. I'm sorry."

Aang was not completely surprised at Gilak's refusal, as he had gone into this anticipating some sort of rejection. He completely understood why, but he couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment that hung heavy on his shoulders.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Katara asked. "I have a good knowledge about first aid and medicine, and I brought plenty of herbs with me. Lirin said that you only have one healer, so it's the least I can do."

Gilak blinked at her in surprise. "You may feel free to look at the sick, and to speak to our healer," he replied. "His name is Suluk, and you will most likely find him tending to the most severe cases in the healer's igloo. Lirin can show you."

Katara nodded. "Thank you. I'll do whatever I can."

"It is much appreciated," Gilak replied genuinely. "As for the rest of you… you are permitted to stay here as long as you like to rest and do whatever you need to to prepare for the rest of your journey. And I am sorry we are not able to be of more assistance to Wolf Cove."

Sokka looked as though he wanted to argue, but Katara noticed this and elbowed him before he could say anything.

"Thank you for listening, Chief Gilak," Aang said quickly. "We're very grateful for your hospitality."

Gilak nodded, but said nothing further, and Lirin gestured for them to follow her out of the tent.

That evening, the gang sipped their bowls of five-flavor soup quietly as they sat next to the fire outside of their guest tent. Everyone was in dour spirits; their diplomatic mission had barely begun, and they had already failed on the first try.

This was supposed to be the easy village , Aang thought morosely. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they failed to get aid from the other two villages.

"So. What's the plan going forward?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence and finally posing the question that had been on everyone's minds.

Sokka blinked several times, clearly having been lost in thought. "Well… I say we move on to Ausuittuq first thing tomorrow morning."

"Sokka, these people need help! We can't just leave them!" Katara argued. There was a passion in her voice that seemed to surprise everyone.

"And what are we supposed to do for them, Katara?" Sokka countered. "There's nothing that we can do that their own healers probably haven't tried."

Katara glared at him for a moment, then stood up abruptly. "I don't understand how you can be so heartless ."

Aang understood Katara's point of view. Normally, he was never one to abandon people when they needed help the most. He hated doing it on Kyoshi, even though it was the best option at the time. However, they did have a deadline to be aware of, and he wasn't certain that any of them could be of much help to the villagers.

He looked over at Zuko as the siblings continued to argue and wished he could read the Fire Prince's mind. The flicker of the campfire flames danced on his friend's face as he stared at it, amber eyes alight. Zuko had continued to put off telling Katara and Sokka the truth about his identity, and Aang was beginning to grow worried. The longer he kept his secret, the worse their reaction was likely to be when it was finally revealed.

"Sokka, I'm not leaving without at least trying to help these people. You three can go on ahead to the next village, I don't care," Katara snapped. "I'm done arguing. I'm going to bed."

With that, she turned and left the three boys sitting by the campfire.

"Ugh!" Sokka grunted. "Why does she have to be so difficult! We can't afford to dilly-dally!"

"Sokka, I'm sure it will be fine if we stay for just a couple more days," Aang said. "We still have over two and a half months until the Raiders get to Wolf Cove."

"Whatever. I'm too tired for this. I'm going to bed, too," Sokka grumbled, promptly exiting in a very similar manner to his sister, leaving Aang and Zuko alone next to the fire.

Aang sighed and slumped his shoulders. He looked at Zuko again, who was still staring at the campfire.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked, scooting closer to Zuko on the log they were both sitting on.

Zuko flinched, seemingly not expecting Aang to speak from right next to him. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I'm fine."

Aang's brow furrowed. "You don't seem fine. You're staring very intently at the campfire. I've seen you do it before."

"You have?" Zuko shook his head and sighed. "... I'm sure you can probably guess what's bothering me, then."

"You mean the fact that you haven't told Katara and Sokka you're a Fire National yet?"

"Shh!" Zuko hissed, pressing a finger to Aang's mouth before quickly yanking it back with a look of embarrassment. "Yes, that , but also… What if we can't get help from any of the villages? I'm the one who suggested we ask them for help in the first place… And it could be all for nothing. Wolf Cove could be decimated ."

Aang sighed. "I know how you feel. I'm worried too," he said, turning to stare at the dancing flames as well. "But I think we both need to remind ourselves that worrying isn't gonna help anything. We just need to stay focused on the mission. If we manage to get some help, great! If we don't… Hey, at least we tried. And we'll still be there to help defend Wolf Cove no matter what happens."

"Yeah…" Zuko mumbled, resting his chin on his propped up arm. "I guess you're right."

Aang smiled slightly. "Everything's gonna be fine, Zuko. It may not seem like it right now, but I'm not giving up hope. You shouldn't either."

Zuko grunted as he swiped his broadswords through the air. He was beginning to grow restless, and practicing with his weapons was the only thing that seemed to allow him to release all of the pent-up stress that had been accumulating inside him. It was times like this when he wished that he could firebend, even just a little bit. Firebending always helped him release pent-up emotions.

Much to his and Sokka's chagrin, "a couple of days" at Penguin's Landing had somehow turned into a week. Katara had absolutely insisted on staying to help the sick as much as she could, and they weren't about to simply abandon her and move on to the next village. She had grown quite close with the middle-aged healer, Suluk, who thankfully seemed to be lucky enough to be immune to whatever illness was plaguing this village. Surprisingly, he and Katara had actually begun to make some progress, at least with the younger villagers who had fallen ill. Several of them had almost completely recovered.

It eased both Zuko and Sokka's annoyance somewhat when Aang had pointed out to them that by staying to help the village, Gilak might be more likely to agree to send some of his warriors to Wolf Cove. Zuko supposed this was a good point, but there was not much that he, Aang, or Sokka could do other than assist with chores, as Katara was the medically knowledgeable one of the group.

"Come on, swing at me! I'm a warrior, I can take it!" Sokka demanded from where he stood a few feet away from him. He was holding his club and was crouched into a defensive position—albeit not a very stable one. Iroh had taught Zuko well when it came to battle stances.

"I'm not gonna do that," Zuko replied. "I don't want to break another one of your weapons."

Sokka frowned. "You caught me off guard that time. This time, I'm prepared for anything!"

"I believe in you, Sokka!" Aang called from where he sat on top of Appa's head. He was currently using airbending to make a snowball float up and down above his palm, while Momo was perched on one of Appa's horns, trying unsuccessfully to catch it.

"Thanks, Aang," Sokka said proudly.

"... But I'd still be careful. Lee's really good with those swords."

Sokka frowned again and huffed, holding his club in a blocking position in front of him. "Come on, Lee. Hit me!"

Zuko sighed, seeing that he was not going to be able to talk Sokka out of this, and did as the Water Tribe boy requested. However, when Sokka saw the speed at which Zuko was coming at him, his eyes suddenly widened in fear, and he yelped when Zuko immediately disarmed him, knocking the club out of his hands.

Aang dropped his snowball and began clapping, much to Sokka's annoyance. "Good job, Sokka! Not everyone can stand their ground when Lee runs at them like that."

"Oh," Sokka said, seeming unsure if Aang was being genuine in his compliment or not. "Thanks?"

"At least your weapon stayed in one piece this time," Zuko said, offering a hand to help Sokka up. Sokka ignored this gesture and pushed himself to his feet on his own, brushing the snow off of his backside. "You win this round," Sokka said, folding his arms. "But you'd better watch out next time."

Zuko smirked slightly and shook his head. "Whatever you say."

"Fine work with those swords, young man."

Zuko, Aang, and Sokka all turned around at the same time to see Gilak approaching from the village gate, Lirin at his side.

Zuko's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Chief Gilak."

Gilak nodded in response, then turned to Sokka and frowned. "Hakoda's boy. I don't know what they're teaching you over there at Wolf Cove, but you would do well to learn from someone who actually knows what they're doing. Like Lirin, here."

Sokka laughed. "Trained in combat by a girl? "

Zuko sighed, feeling himself growing frustrated once again at Sokka's blatant sexism. He looked to Lirin to see her reaction, and was surprised to see her smiling. Gilak also smirked and folded his arms. He and Lirin looked at one another, and he nodded. Lirin stepped forward, drew her sword—a scimitar, Zuko recognized, and pointed it directly towards Sokka.

The Water Tribe boy blinked several times, coughed nervously, and brought his club back in front of his face as he hunkered down, this time into a fighting stance.

Zuko and Aang glanced at one another. They both knew exactly how this was going to play out, and backed away from the two to stand next to Gilak.

There was still several feet of distance between Sokka and his opponent, and Zuko could see Sokka's nervous eyes scanning for an opening. Lirin, however, remained completely still, continuing to hold her sword out in front of her. This clearly unnerved Sokka, and he eventually launched himself towards her, yelling the whole time.

Lirin quickly and effortlessly blocked his club as Sokka continued to yell and swing at her. Somehow, Zuko had a hunch that she was going easy on him. As he watched her allow the Water Tribe boy to land more and more blows against her sword, he could also see that Sokka was beginning to get tired out. He wondered if this had been Lirin's objective all along.

"What's going on? Why is Sokka fighting Lirin?"

Zuko turned to see Katara running up next to Gilak, her eyes wide and anxious.

"Your brother seems to think that a girl couldn't possibly know enough about combat to train him," Gilak replied, sounding amused.

When Katara heard this, she relaxed, then sighed, shaking her head. "Of course he does."

Suddenly, just when it seemed like Sokka was about to land his first blow, Lirin pivoted out of the way. She quickly knocked the club out of Sokka's hands much like Zuko had done a few moments ago, ending the duel with her sword outstretched in front of her again, this time with the point inches away from Sokka's nose.

"Still think a girl like me wouldn't be a suitable teacher?" Lirin asked.

"I… uh…" Sokka stammered, lifting shaky arms into the air. "No, ma'am!"

Lirin smirked. "I'd be willing to teach you some of what I know. If you promise to stop with these dismissive, sexist comments."

Zuko glanced at Katara to see what she was thinking about this entire interaction, and was not surprised to see her staring at Lirin with wide, sparkling eyes and a large grin.

Sokka, to everyone's surprise, fell to his knees. "I'm sorry. I treated you like a girl when I should have treated you like a warrior."

Lirin shook her head. "Those two things are not mutually exclusive. You'd do well to remember that in the future. Or the next girl you fight might not be as forgiving."

Sokka's head shot up. "Yes ma'am!"

Aang snickered, while Zuko smirked, happy to see that Sokka had finally been put in his place. Hopefully, this would be the push he needed to start unlearning his sexist beliefs.

"Meet me here tomorrow morning," Lirin ordered. "Six o'clock sharp."

Sokka appeared as though he wanted to argue for a moment, but quickly decided against it when he saw the look on Lirin's face. "Yes ma'am!"

Lirin chuckled and sheathed her sword. She winked at Katara as she returned to Gilak's side, and Zuko could have sworn he saw the younger girl blush.

Gilak laughed heartily. "There's a reason Lirin is my second-in-command." He then turned to Katara. "I've been told by Suluk that you two have made progress with some of the ill. You have my thanks, Katara."

Katara smiled and bowed respectfully. "No need to thank me, Chief Gilak. Suluk and I both worked together to figure out which herbs would best help relieve the sickness symptoms. Helping people is its own reward."

Gilak smiled, a warm glint in his eyes. "You remind me very much of your mother."

Katara's eyes widened, as did Sokka's. "You knew our mom?"

Gilak nodded. "Your father and I may not have always seen eye to eye, but the few times I met Kya, she was always kind, resourceful, and very strong-willed. You have her spirit."

Tears began to well up in Katara's eyes, though she continued smiling, patting her eyes dry with the side of her sleeve. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that." She placed a hand on her collarbone, and Zuko noticed for the first time that she was wearing a necklace with a pearlescent circular stone attached to it.

Gilak's eyes moved to her necklace, and a mixed look of sympathy and guilt washed over his features. Zuko assumed that he knew how Katara and Sokka's mother had died, and wondered if the chief was now feeling guilty about being unwilling to send any warriors to aid Wolf Cove.

Gilak then cleared his throat and steeled his expression. "Lirin, gather the archers for today's hunt," he instructed. Lirin nodded curtly and left them to complete her task. "As for you kids… If we're lucky on this hunt, we'll be eating grilled puffin-seal for dinner tonight."

Zuko saw Aang physically cringe at this, while the previously sullen Sokka's eyes lit up. " Yes! It's been ages since I've had puffin-seal!"

Another week and a half passed, and things had—much to Aang's pleasant surprise—seemed to be going rather well. Their relationship with Gilak, Lirin, and the other Penguin's Landing warriors had improved substantially, and Sokka had already learned quite a bit from his short time under Lirin's tutelage, even managing to get to a point where he could spar with Zuko and not get immediately disarmed and knocked over. Gilak had also seemed to have warmed up to Aang and Zuko despite them being foreigners, and with Katara's hard work and help, more of the villagers were recovering by the day.

What had eventually dampened Aang's spirit somewhat, however, was that two days ago, Lirin had been forced to discontinue her practice sessions with Sokka after suffering a coughing fit in the middle of one of them. Aang had already noticed that the warrior had begun to look more and more fatigued the past few days, and he had hoped that it was just his imagination. However, by that point, it was clear to everyone that Lirin had finally caught the village illness, despite her protestations that she was fine.

Suluk had strongly recommended that Lirin go on bed rest after Katara reported the incident to him, but it had apparently not gone over well with the warrior. While she eventually did agree to start receiving treatment for it, she continued to insist that she felt well enough to continue her other usual duties, and unfortunately, it seemed there was nothing Suluk or even Gilak could do to get the stubborn girl to rest. Aang hoped that Katara and Suluk's treatment methods alone would be effective enough for her to recover, but he knew it would probably take a lot longer the more she resisted resting.

Another concern that had been floating around in the back of Aang's mind recently was the increasingly limited time they had left until the Raider attack. They were almost down to two months now, and they hadn't even left to search for the other two villages yet, nor had they secured any guarantees of help from Gilak.

This had clearly been on Sokka's mind as well. "We've made a lot of progress these past couple of weeks," he said as he paced back and forth inside their large tent that morning, addressing a seated Aang, Katara, and Zuko. "I say it's time to ask him again."

"What if he says no?" Aang asked.

"Then we'll have our answer," Zuko replied. "Either way, we can move on to the next village."

"Exactly," Sokka said, pointing at Zuko for a moment before resuming his pacing.

"But there are still sick people who need help," Katara said, brow furrowing. "Like Lirin."

"You've already helped these people, Katara," Sokka countered, stopping in front of her. "I'm sure Suluk can manage just fine on his own now that he knows what's actually effective against the illness. Lirin will be fine. We need to focus on our mission."

Katara bit her lip. "I guess you're right…"

"He is," Zuko added. "We really should leave by the end of the week at the latest. By that time, we'll only have two months left until the Raiders attack."

Zuko's statement about the Raiders seemed to click something into place for Katara, and she closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. We need to finish the mission."

"Right. Come on, then," Sokka instructed.

Aang, Katara, and Zuko followed Sokka through the village streets to Gilak's tent, and just as they were about to enter, Lirin emerged. Aang furrowed his brow when he noticed that she appeared significantly more fatigued than she had when he had last seen her. She attempted to flash her usual smile, though it was clearly a weak one. "What are you four doing here?" She asked, her voice raspy. "Need to talk to the chief?"

"Uh… yeah," Aang answered, glancing at Katara, who had also clearly noticed Lirin's worsened symptoms.

"He's about to go on a hunt, so if you need to talk to him, you'd better do it quickly."

"Lirin…" Katara said gently. "Are you sure you're feeling okay enough to keep doing your usual duties?"

"Yeah, you look pretty sick, Master Lirin," Sokka said bluntly, and Katara smacked him on the arm with a frown.

Lirin's brow furrowed, and her attempted sigh quickly turned into a series of hacking coughs, causing all four of them to flinch and jump back. When she finally stopped and saw the looks on their faces, she pressed her palms into her face and groaned. "I guess there's no use in ignoring it anymore. Gilak just ordered me to go see Suluk. He said he would relieve me as his second-in-command if I came back and I was still coughing, even just a little bit…"

Katara smiled sympathetically. "I know it's not fun, Lirin. But you really aren't going to get better unless you rest and let Suluk treat you."

"I know, I know…" Lirin grumbled sullenly, and left them to make her way towards the direction of Suluk's igloo, coughing intermittently as she went.

When they finally entered Gilak's tent, the chief was sitting in the same spot he had been nearly two weeks ago when they had first arrived, scraping a stone across the sharp edge of his whalebone sword. When he saw the four of them enter, he smiled. "Kids! You here to ask me if you can join in on the hunt? We'll need some extra help with Lirin gone. I had to give the stubborn girl an ultimatum to get her to rest."

Sokka was the first to step forward. "Chief Gilak, sir," he began.

Gilak's smile slowly disappeared as he no doubt finally noticed the serious and somewhat nervous expressions on their faces, and he arched an inquisitive eyebrow.

"So… We uh, really need to be on our way soon."

"Of course. We didn't expect you to stay here forever," Gilak replied. "Though we are grateful you did, of course." He nodded respectfully towards Katara.

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about," Aang added. "We wanted to ask… since a lot of the villagers have been getting closer to fully recovering–"

"Would you be willing to send some of your warriors to Wolf Cove now?" Sokka interjected.

Gilak's brow furrowed, and he put his sword down and sighed. "I'm sorry, kids… But I can't. Only a handful of warriors have completely recovered from the illness… several more may be on the path to recovery, but they still need more time."

"You could at least send somebody ," Sokka said, growing slightly irritated. "Just a couple warriors! You really won't send anyone to help us?"

"Sokka…" Zuko warned in a low voice, teeth gritted. "Remember what we just talked about."

Gilak's eyebrows furrowed, and his frown deepened. "I will not jeopardize the wellbeing of my people. We are still too weak to risk sending away any able-bodied warriors."

"But who do you need protection from? The Fire Nation isn't attacking your village!" Sokka snapped.

Aang nervously watched Gilak as he stared intently at the Water Tribe boy, fearful that he had angered the chief by speaking so disrespectfully.

"Sokka, just let it go," Katara said quietly, grabbing hold of her brother's arm. "Gilak is right to not want to leave his own people vulnerable. Let's just… move on. Like you said."

"Fine," Sokka grumbled, yanking his arm back. "I'm gonna go start packing, then. Because we're leaving, right now." He then abruptly exited the tent.

Gilak sighed again and began to massage his temples. "I'm sorry. I truly am."

"It's okay," Aang replied. "We understand."

"And we're sorry about Sokka," Katara added, looking at the ground guiltily.

"No, he has a right to be upset," Gilak conceded, sounding very tired. "Whatever supplies you need for your journey, I will give them to you. It is the least I can do."

Aang bowed respectfully to the chief. "Thank you, sir."

The dejected trio exited Gilak's tent, and Katara sighed. "I guess Sokka's right. We probably should leave today."

"Katara!"

Aang turned to see a short, stocky middle-aged Water Tribesman with long, plaited salt-and-pepper hair running in their direction. It was Suluk, the healer Katara had been working closely with.

Katara's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"It's Lirin," Suluk explained. "She'd just entered my igloo, and not thirty seconds later, she passed out! I told her that she needed bed rest two days ago…" Suluk grunted in frustration and shook his head.

"Have you given her anything yet? " Katara asked anxiously.

"I've given her the usual medicinal herbs for coughing, and some for her high fever," Suluk replied. "I know you're done for the day, but I still have other sick people that need tending to, and I need to monitor Lirin tonight…"

Katara nodded succinctly. "I'll help however I can."

Unfortunately, despite Suluk and Katara's best efforts over the course of the next day, Lirin's condition had not seemed to improve. The warrior had remained largely unconscious and feverish since she had first passed out the day prior, and her cough had not subsided. This was also apparently the worst case of the illness either Katara or Suluk had seen yet, and the two had been working tirelessly to treat her.

Surprisingly, Sokka had been fine with staying in Penguin's Landing longer, though it was obvious to Zuko that this was purely for Lirin's sake. He checked on his mentor often, and even went out of his way to try and help Katara and Suluk with whatever they needed, though there wasn't much he could do other than bring them food and water.

"We can't just stay here and wait for her to get better," Zuko said as he and Aang walked to the healer's igloo. "We've been here long enough."

"I don't think any of us expected to be here this long," Aang replied. "But I'm sure that with Katara's help, Lirin will be fine in no time."

"Is there really much more that Katara can do to help that Suluk isn't already able to do on his own?"

The two came to a stop outside Suluk's igloo, and Aang's brow furrowed. "Well…" he trailed off.

"I know she wants to be here to make sure Lirin recovers, and sure, that could happen as soon as tomorrow. Or it could happen weeks from now," Zuko emphasized. "Besides, you and I both know Katara has barely gotten any rest since yesterday. That can't be healthy. What if she gets sick?"

Aang's eyes widened, as if this was the first time he had even considered the possibility. "That's true… But I just don't know if we can convince her to leave while Lirin is still–"

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Sokka, who had just exited the igloo through the doorway they were standing in front of.

"How is she?" Aang asked.

"Not any worse, thankfully," Sokka replied with a shrug. "I'm pretty beat though, so I'm gonna go take a nap. I tried to convince Katara to come with me, but she refused."

Aang and Zuko shared a concerned glance. Just how long had it been since Katara had allowed herself to rest?

They entered the igloo, and Zuko saw that Suluk was currently patting Lirin's forehead with a wet rag. A worried-looking Gilak was sitting in lotus pose next to her as well, staring intently at the warrior's sleeping form, almost as if he was afraid she would disappear if he took his eyes off of her.

Katara, however, was sitting on a pelt near the fire at the center of the room, staring at the glowing embers. Zuko was relieved to see that she was taking a break from helping Suluk with Lirin and the other sick villagers.

"Hey, Katara…" Aang began. "You sure you can't just take a little nap?"

Katara flinched, and her tired eyes moved up to meet Aang's. "I told Sokka I'm fine. I should be here in case something happens and Suluk needs me to watch her."

"But if you don't rest, what if something happens to you? " Aang replied concernedly.

Before the Water Tribe girl could reply, Suluk approached the trio. "The Avatar is right, Katara. You can't do your best to help if you aren't taking care of yourself first," he said.

"But you're about to make your rounds to check on the other sick villagers, and Gilak has to do his patrol soon," Katara argued. " Someone needs to be here with Lirin in case something happens!"

"Why don't Aang and I watch her, then?" Zuko suggested.

Aang perked up and smiled. "Yeah, we can watch her while you rest!"

"But what if she needs a healer?"

"You are more than welcome to sleep here, Katara," Suluk said, gesturing to his bedroll on the other side of the room.

Katara stared longingly at the bedroll and her eyes blinked slowly, clearly craving sleep. "I guess if Aang and Lee are here… they can just wake me up," she replied with a yawn.

"Get some rest, Katara," Gilak said as he walked over to stand next to Suluk. "You've earned it."

Suluk nodded in agreement and smiled, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I won't be gone long."

Katara nodded as well, and stood up with another yawn. As soon as she reached the bedroll, she collapsed into it.

"You boys can always feel free to come get me if you need anything," Suluk said to Aang and Zuko as he and Gilak prepared to leave. "Hopefully, you won't have to."

Some time later, Zuko, who had been about to fall asleep himself, was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of violent coughing and wheezing. He and Aang both stood up, and Aang rushed to Lirin's side. She was somewhat conscious now, though she was flushed and covered in sweat, and her coughs did not sound like they were going to subside.

"Can you wake up Katara?" Aang asked Zuko frantically, grabbing the wet rag and pressing it to Lirin's forehead.

Zuko nodded and quickly ran to the sleeping Katara. He crouched down next to her and nudged her shoulder, already feeling horrible for having to wake her.

Her eyes first began to open slowly, then abruptly shot wide open when she recognized the sound of Lirin's coughs. She jumped up and moved quickly to Lirin's side, crouching down next to her. "Lirin, can you tell me where it hurts?"

Lirin's eyes opened briefly. "My chest, here," she managed to respond weakly, tapping on her sternum, then began coughing again. Zuko guessed that the rattling sound he was hearing was not a good sign.

"Can one of you go get Suluk?" Katara asked. She was trying her best to sound calm, but Zuko could hear the panic in her voice.

"I can, and I can be fast! I'll get Gilak and Sokka too!" Aang replied, and immediately shot out the door, fast as lightning.

"Lee, can you get the kettle for me?" Katara asked Zuko, pointing to the tea kettle that was suspended over the embers to keep warm.

He nodded rapidly and did as he was told. She held up a small cup, and he poured the tea into it for her.

"Thank you," Katara said, and reached into her pocket to pull out a small pouch, turning it upside down. Three small leaves fell out, and Katara's brow furrowed. "That's the last of it…?" she murmured, before closing her fist to crush the leaves. She sprinkled them into the cup of medicinal tea, and brought it Lirin's mouth. The older girl grimaced when the tea passed her lips. "I know it's bad, but you have to drink all of it, okay?"

Lirin did as she was told, and for a few moments, it seemed like she was actually breathing easier. However, she soon broke out into another fit of violent coughing, and Zuko felt an abrupt spike of panic in his stomach.

"We've got to do something!" he exclaimed. "Do you have any more herbs?"

"I– I don't know!" Katara stammered, looking increasingly more distraught as Lirin continued to cough and wheeze. "Those were the last of my own cough herbs that I brought with me, but Suluk should have more!" She jogged over to the healer's medicine cabinet, frantically searching each shelf and container for the herbs she was looking for.

"No, no, no… He must have taken them with him to treat the other villagers!" Katara groaned. She returned to Lirin's side, and grabbed the rag Aang had been using to pat her forehead earlier. She submerged it in the bucket of water on the ground next to her, and removed it to press against Lirin's exposed sternum, as if the cool water would somehow help calm her coughing.

"Suluk will be here soon. Suluk will be here soon." Katara muttered to herself as Lirin's coughing and wheezing worsened. She squeezed her eyes shut and began soundlessly mouthing what Zuko could only guess to be prayers to the Spirits.

Suddenly, Zuko's eyes widened as he noticed a dull blue glow begin to manifest from where Katara's hands were pressing the wet rag on Lirin's chest, and he gasped when it brightened. He looked at Katara, whose eyes were still squeezed shut, then back to the glowing rag. After another few seconds, the light faded, and Lirin had stopped coughing. While she was not breathing completely normally, as he still heard a slight wheezing sound, she had fallen back into a deep sleep, her face looking much more peaceful than it had before.

"What…" Zuko murmured. "What just happened?"

Katara slowly opened her eyes, and gasped. "She's… okay?" She lifted the rag from Lirin's sternum and placed an ear close to it. "Still wheezing slightly, but she's breathing okay otherwise…" She then placed the back of her palm on Lirin's forehead, and gasped again. "Her fever is much lower!" She seemed relieved, but also distraught at the same time. " How? "

Zuko's eyes moved back and forth between the slumbering Lirin and shocked Katara, still utterly confused. He looked down at the rag in Katara's hands, which was now completely dry. Was there something in the water that had somehow accelerated Lirin's recovery?

Or was it Katara herself who had done that somehow?

"Katara…" Zuko asked slowly. "Did… you do that? With the water?"

Katara suddenly whipped her head to face him, eyes wide and terrified. "I– I don't know!" she stammered. She stared at him for a moment longer before finally crumpling her shoulders. "I think… I think I did," she admitted at last. "...With waterbending, somehow."

Zuko blinked several times as he processed this information. "But Hakoda said there were no more waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe," he said in confusion. "Why didn't you say anything sooner? Does he even know?"

"He does," Katara replied with a sigh. "But… he made me promise never to tell anyone. Only our family knows."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he wants to protect me. The Fire Nation has been hunting down waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe for decades now. That's why the raids started." Katara looked down at the ground, gripping her forearms tightly. "If people outside my family knew I was a waterbender, word could spread. Even to the Fire Nation." She closed her eyes. "For all I know, I'm the reason the Southern Raiders are going to attack Wolf Cove. Maybe the Fire Nation did somehow find out."

Zuko immediately felt the ever-familiar hot sting of guilt pierce his insides, and mentally kicked himself for not inferring the reason for Hakoda's secret-keeping right away. As with all other things, he had been taught that the Fire Nation had "battled the Southern Water Tribe army" when they had opposed their attempts to "spread prosperity", leaving the South weaker than the North and with a severe lack of waterbenders. This attempted genocide had been going on for decades, and he hadn't known a single thing about it. He felt sick to his stomach again, and he didn't have a clue what to say in response.

"I know. It's horrible to think about," Katara continued. She must have noticed that Zuko had grown pale. "And even though I know how dangerous it is to waterbend… It feels wrong not to."

Zuko stared at the ground, brow furrowed. "So is that how the villagers have been getting better? Have you been using waterbending to heal them?"

Katara shook her head. "Oh, no. That was just thanks to the hard work Suluk and I have been doing. He had already made a pretty good amount of progress when I started, and once he had another healer to help him, things went a lot more quickly. Lirin has been the first case where none of our usual methods have made much of a difference."

"Oh. So you've never done that… glowy thing before?"

"Glowy thing? Is that what happened?" Katara repeated, looking down at her palms. "I've never done anything like that before... Usually when I waterbend, it's just… moving water around." To Zuko's surprise, she began to demonstrate by pulling up the water from the bucket on the ground with a small movement of her hand.

Zuko watched in fascination as she moved the liquid through the air in fluid motions. It was so different from firebending. And it could heal! If only I hadn't been cursed with a type of bending that can only cause pain, he thought. Or to be born in a family of evil, genocidal maniacs…

"I can turn it to ice if I concentrate really hard, but that's pretty much all I've ever figured out how to do," Katara continued, furrowing her brow and moving the fingers of her left hand beneath the floating ball of water, causing it to vibrate. After a few moments, she released the breath she had been holding, the ball of water still in liquid form. "Ugh. I swear I can do it, it's just really hard. It's not exactly like I have anyone to teach me how to do this stuff anyway," she sighed, shaking her head.

Zuko's eyes followed the water as she returned it to the bucket. "If you need a teacher, then why don't you come with us to the Northern Water Tribe? Aang will be absolutely thrilled when he finds out you're a bender. You can learn waterbending together."

Katara's eyebrows lifted, eyes lighting up with a small spark of hope for a moment, though it was quickly doused. "But my family is here… and it's been such a long time since we've even had contact with our sister tribe. It's not exactly 'turn right at the second glacier'. It's on the other side of the world ." She shook her head again. "Besides, I don't think I'm good enough for any master to accept me."

"Katara, you just healed a person," Zuko emphasized. "Not completely, but you did it with water alone. Besides, every bender has to start somewhere." Katara cocked her head at this. "...is what Aang always says," he added quickly.

Katara smiled slightly. "I guess it would be nice to be able to learn how to really waterbend." She was silent for a moment. "I… don't like having to keep this part of myself a secret from everyone, either."

That last statement in particular hit home for Zuko. "I know how you feel…" he replied quietly, looking down at his open palms. Katara had just revealed her secret to him. Wouldn't now be the best time to reveal his secret, too? "A lot of the time, secrets start out not only as a way to keep someone safe, but to protect other people." His heart pounded in his chest, and he took a deep, shaky breath. "The truth is–"

" Lirin! "

Zuko and Katara whipped around to see a distraught-looking Gilak standing in the doorway.

Zuko quickly stood up and backed away from Lirin as the chief rushed to her side, grabbing her hand. "The Avatar told me what happened. Is she going to be alright?" he asked Katara, voice desperate. Zuko could see the tears forming in his eyes and realized that Lirin must truly be much more to Gilak than just his subordinate—he looked at the sleeping warrior with the anxiousness of a father who was worried about his child.

At least, that's what Zuko assumed fathers were supposed to act like when their child was hurt or sick.

"Yes, she's going to be alright," Katara replied kindly. "She should be feeling much better."

Gilak released the breath he had been holding in. "I never should have allowed the stubborn girl to avoid rest this long…" he murmured.

"Katara, I'm here! Aang told me what happened!" At last, Suluk had returned. The healer quickly made his way over to Lirin, but furrowed his brow when he noticed that her wheezing had subsided substantially and that she was no longer flushed red with a high fever. He set his bag of herbs on the ground and placed the back of his hand on Lirin's forehead, then listened to her chest. "Unbelievable. She's nearly completely recovered."

"What do you mean?" Gilak asked, eyes narrowing in confusion. "The Avatar told me that she was coughing and struggling to breathe just a few minutes ago."

"Her fever is nearly gone, and her wheezing has greatly improved," Suluk answered, shaking his head. "Even with treatment, the others took days to recover this much from the illness. And Lirin's had the worst and most stubborn case of it we'd seen so far." He turned to Katara. "Katara, what did you…?"

Before she had the chance to explain, Aang and Sokka entered the igloo, the latter appearing out of breath.

"Master Lirin!" Sokka exclaimed, scrambling over to where Lirin was laying and shoving Katara out of the way in the process, much to her annoyance. He hovered over his mentor anxiously. "Can you hear me? Master Lirin?"

"She's fine , Sokka. She just needs to rest ," Katara muttered, pulling her brother away from the sleeping warrior.

"Katara," Suluk said again. "How did you do it? Did you use a new combination of herbs?"

Katara began to tap her fingers nervously on her leg, and Zuko could see the sweat forming on her brow. Their eyes met, and he nodded slowly in encouragement.

Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It wasn't herbs. It was me. I healed her." She held up the rag in her hand.

While this only further confused Aang, Sokka, and Gilak, Suluk's confused expression slowly began to morph into one of realization. "You used the water, didn't you?" he said softly. "You're a waterbender."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Aang's jaw dropped, Sokka turned pale, and Gilak stared at Katara with a bewildered expression.

"You're a waterbender! " Aang echoed joyfully. "That's great! "

"Pfft, Katara? A waterbender? " Sokka sputtered..

"No. No more lies, Sokka," Katara said firmly. "It's true, Suluk. I'm a waterbender."

" Katara! " Sokka admonished, expression morphing from nervousness to anger. "Did you forget everything dad said? Nobody outside the family is supposed to know!"

"You mean you've known you were a waterbender this whole time?" Aang questioned.

Katara stood up and looked her brother defiantly in the eye. "I'm tired of hiding," she said bluntly. "I know dad wants to keep me safe… but he can't keep me safe forever ."

Sokka shook his head in exasperation. "Katara, you know if the Fire Nation finds out–"

"We already know the Southern Raiders are coming!" Katara interrupted. "Maybe they know I'm a waterbender, maybe they don't. But that doesn't change the fact that they are coming."

Sokka opened his mouth to argue, but found that he couldn't, and closed it again. "Dad is gonna kill me…" he groaned.

"Katara," Suluk said again, She crouched back down next to the healer, and he gently took her hands in his own. "The Spirits have truly blessed us. Blessed you . It's been decades since we last had a waterbender in this village, much less one with healing abilities. You have a rare and beautiful gift."

Katara's eyebrows rose, and a smile spread across her face. "Then… I'd like to try and use it to help everyone who's still sick."

"Of course," Suluk replied, nodding emphatically. "But I have one condition." He looked at Aang, Zuko, and Sokka. "And I think your friends do, too. You need to rest."

END NOTES:

Hi readers! Since this is the first chapter that I'm updating concurrently with the AO3 version (where I originally posted this fic), I'm gonna start including the same ending notes as well :)

Whoo boy. That was definitely a longer chapter than normal - I even thought about splitting it up into two parts before posting, but decided it worked better as just one. Hope y'all enjoyed it!

Lirin is actually a minor character who also appears in the graphic novel trilogy "North and South", which takes place a year or two after the finale of the original series. In that trilogy, Lirin is a female guard who initially swore an oath to serve Hakoda (who by that point is chief of the entire SWT), but defected and joined Gilak's uprising against the NWT presence. I think that having them already know each other still fits with the canon we see in the comics, since there's no indication in the comics that they *don't* already know each other. I just thought it would be really interesting to have these two characters appear in some form in this AU since the Gaang is spending a lot more time in the SWT compared to the canon show. And because the Gaang bonded with them both so much in this chapter, it will also make it that much more personal and sad when they eventually have to fight both of them in the future. I completely made up the character of Suluk though lol.

Also, I hope that all the village sickness stuff seemed believable - I'm not at all an expert in medical stuff. Apparently it's pretty difficult for waterbending to heal illnesses, and we know that waterbending can't immediately heal major external injuries either (unless the water is really good quality or the bender is very highly skilled, like Atuat from the Kyoshi novels), so I made sure that Lirin was not *completely* healed by Katara. I just thought it was relevant to the plot, and was a good way for Zuko to learn she's a waterbender.

Thanks so much for reading! :)