"You're back!" Hakoda shouted happily as he and Bato jogged out of Wolf Cove's southern gate. The chief squeezed his children into a tight hug, which both Sokka and Katara eagerly returned, while Bato ruffled their hair affectionately.

"Boys!"

Aang, who had been feeling very exhausted up until this point, felt a small spark of energy when he saw Iroh exit the village gate behind Hakoda and Bato. He and Zuko looked at one another and smiled before both running over to Iroh, and the old man squeezed the two into a hug of similar strength to Hakoda's.

"Uncle, you're crushing us," Zuko muttered.

Iroh released the two with a chuckle and smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you returned safely. I knew you would."

"Yes, yes, we're fine," Zuko said in slight annoyance as he smoothed the front of his robes, though Aang could tell from the small smile on his face that the Fire Prince had missed his uncle.

"When Gilak arrived three weeks ago and told me that you had gone to Ausuittuq, and about the rumors of dark spirits…" Hakoda shook his head. "I've been worried sick."

"Come on, dad," Sokka said with a smirk, nudging Hakoda with his elbow. "You think a few dark spirits can keep us down?"

Hakoda's eyes widened. "So it was true?" he murmured, and at last, he seemed to notice the Ausuittuq villagers. The children and elderly were seated in Appa's saddle, while Thod, Miki, Katjuk, and the remaining adults had been led by Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Zuko on foot.

"This is everyone from Ausuittuq," Aang explained. "Their village was destroyed by dark spirits, but thankfully we managed to rescue everyone."

"Destroyed by dark spirits?" Bato echoed, and he and Hakoda exchanged horrified glances.

Aang tried to ignore the guilt rising like bile in his throat. Their reactions only served as a painful reminder of his failure in Ausuittuq.

Thod made his way forward and bowed to Hakoda. "Chief Hakoda. The Avatar and his companions risked their lives to save our people. We don't have much to offer in terms of goods or warriors, but we will help with whatever is needed in exchange for refuge."

Hakoda's eyes widened. "Of course! We'd be happy to welcome you to the village," he replied warmly. "And there's no need for repayment. Your people have been through enough already." He scanned the villagers for a moment, seeming as though he was looking for someone. "I'm assuming Chief Muktuk…?"

"Sadly, he is no longer with us."

"Then you're the new chief?" Bato asked.

"Oh spirits, no, I'm not," Thod chuckled. "My name is Thod. I'm nothing more than a humble storyteller. My job is simply to give my people hope in dark times."

"A 'humble storyteller' my butt," Sokka muttered under his breath, and Katara nudged her brother with her elbow to quiet him.

"Speaking of dark times," Thod continued. "The Avatar has informed me about the upcoming Southern Raider attack. I am truly sorry we cannot provide more assistance…"

"Please, there's no need to apologize," Bato said kindly. "You don't owe us anything."

Hakoda nodded in agreement. "We have plenty of help already." He then gestured towards the village gate behind him with his arm. "Enough standing out here in the cold. Come. Let's get you all a warm meal."

Aang watched in excitement from where he sat in Appa's saddle the flames of Zuko and Iroh's firebending blasts appeared and disappeared in front of his eyes. It was amazing to him how fire could be so beautiful, yet so dangerous at the same time.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," Iroh praised. "But you're still lacking power behind your blasts."

"I know , uncle," Zuko snapped in reply, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's been months since we've regularly trained like this. You can't expect me to bounce back in just one week. And we're literally practicing in freezing conditions. Can you cut me some slack?"

"Temperature and practice are only half of the picture, nephew," Iroh countered. "You must reconnect with your inner fire. Focus on what you want to accomplish."

"You think I'm not trying? " Zuko shot back, kicking the snow at his feet in frustration. "I don't even know why we're practicing anyway. I have my broadswords. They work perfectly fine for me."

Iroh frowned. "Firebending is a part of your cultural heritage."

Zuko scoffed and folded his arms. " Firebending is also what caused the entire world to fall into chaos," he muttered.

Iroh's eyebrows rose for a moment upon hearing this last statement. Then, he closed his eyes and sighed. " Please , Prince Zuko. Your bending is your last resort of protection if, spirits forbid, something happens to your broadswords in the battle. It's the one weapon that can't be taken from you."

Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line and looked down at the ground. "Fine... I guess I see your point. But we're still risking people seeing us."

"Which is why we are practicing here and not right outside the village gates," Iroh said, gesturing to the formations of rock and ice surrounding them.

"And in the middle of the night," Aang added.

"Don't remind me," Zuko grumbled. "That's probably another reason my bending is so weak…"

"Alright," Iroh said, clapping his hands together. "Why don't we go back to basics, then. Time for some stance training."

"Stance training? " Zuko echoed in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding. That's beginner's stuff!"

"Stance training is a useful exercise for any firebender, regardless of skill level," Iroh replied. "It will help you to focus and reconnect with your inner fire. Your mind has clearly been elsewhere this entire session."

Zuko frowned deeply and narrowed his eyes at his uncle, but he did as he was told. The Fire Prince hunkered down into a deep squat, curling his hands into fists and bringing his arms close to his body. "This is ridiculous…" he muttered.

Aang chuckled as he watched his friend continue to grumble to himself and hopped off of Appa's saddle with a gust of airbending, landing softly on the snow next to Iroh, who had made his way over to where the bison was laying.

"Hey, Iroh…" Aang began. "I was wondering… since this battle is going to be really important, don't you think it would be a good idea for me to learn some firebending too?"

Iroh blinked several times in surprise. "You want to learn firebending now? "

"Well, yeah. I'll need to learn all the elements eventually. And I have a firebending master right here to teach me!"

Iroh shook his head. "Aang, you shouldn't learn the elements outside of the order of the cycle."

Aang frowned slightly. "Why not?"

Iroh was silent for a moment. "I'll… admit I'm not certain about that part…"

Aang raised an eyebrow.

"But what I can tell you is that it has always been done this way," Iroh quickly added. "And aside from that, firebending requires a significant amount of patience." He gestured to Zuko, who was still scowling to himself as he remained in his stance several feet away. "Which could be one of the reasons my nephew's firepower has been weaker lately."

"You know I can still hear you over there," Zuko called out.

Aang folded his arms and sighed. Stance training definitely did not sound appealing to him right now. "But couldn't you just… I dunno, give me the quick version?"

Iroh laughed heartily in response for several moments before he noticed the serious look on Aang's face. "Oh. You weren't joking."

"I could use firebending to help in the battle!" Aang replied somewhat irritably. "I just need to know a couple of basic moves!"

"No, Aang," Iroh immediately replied with a serious expression that took Aang somewhat aback. "It is too soon, and you are clearly too impatient. Fire is dangerous, and using it to fight is not something that you can learn in the span of only a few weeks."

Aang felt his slight irritation slowly begin to morph into anger. Part of him didn't even know why he was angry. The logical side of his brain agreed with Iroh. But the anxious side of his brain… That was a different story.

Will airbending even be useful against an entire army of firebenders? he wondered. It didn't seem like it was for my people…

Aang shook his head rapidly to dispel the thoughts about what had happened to the Air Nomads and huffed, grabbing his glider and flicking it open. "I'm going back to the village."

Before Iroh had the chance to reply, he took off into the night sky.

"Hi Lirin!" Aang called out as he approached the training grounds the following morning, where several Wolf Cove and Penguin's Landing warriors were engaged in mock combat.

The warrior, who had been engaging in sword training with Sokka, lowered her weapon and turned her head back to smile and wave at Aang. Sokka, seeing an opening, yelled and ran towards her with his machete raised.

Unsurprisingly, however, Lirin immediately evaded his attack with a swift sidestep, and the Water Tribe boy tumbled onto the snowy ground.

"Hi Sokka!" Aang added brightly while the frowning boy glared up at him.

"...Hi, Aang."

"Sokka, I told you to stop with the war cry," Lirin said, shaking her head. "Especially when you're trying to do a sneak attack."

Sokka pushed himself to his feet and brushed the snow off of his clothes. "I'm sorry . Sometimes I just can't help it!"

"Fine. If you want to immediately get cut down by a Fire Nation soldier, be my guest."

Sokka frowned and folded his arms. " Okay , okay. I'll try to restrain myself."

"Good. There's a time and a place for war cries." She gave him several solid pats on the shoulder. "Other than that, good practice."

"Are you ready to sit in on the first war meeting?" Sokka asked, turning to Aang. "I've been waiting so long to hear the battle strategies dad's come up with!" He folded his arms and pouted. "He refuses to tell me anything anytime I ask."

"Oh. That's today?" Aang replied in surprise.

"Yes, it's today ," Sokka said with a groan. "And it's about to happen in like, five minutes!"

"Sorry," Aang said, rubbing his forearm guiltily. "I guess I've been pretty distracted the last few days."

"Well, you definitely can't afford to be distracted when the Southern Raiders get here."

"I know, I know. But I'm here now, aren't I?"

Lirin put a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Yes, you are. Which means there's no use bickering about it," She gave Sokka a pointed look, then patted Aang's back, causing him to lurch forward due to the force of the impact. "Come on, you two. To the war tent."

Aang and Sokka followed Lirin, and Aang's eyes widened as he realized just how many warriors were here now compared to when he had first arrived at Wolf Cove nearly three months ago. While the numbers certainly didn't compare to a thriving nation's army, there appeared to be at least fifty people standing in the large space in front of the war tent.

Lirin entered the tent, and the two boys followed after her. Hakoda, Bato, Gilak, and Iroh were seated around a map on the ground in deep discussion. To his surprise, he also saw Zuko standing with his arms folded a few feet behind his uncle, and he looked quite fatigued. Aang raised a hand to wave at his friend, but when the Fire Prince's eyes met his own, he simply nodded before quickly looking away.

That was weird. Did I do something to upset him? Aang wondered. He'd have to ask Zuko about it later.

Lirin cleared her throat loudly to indicate their presence. "All of the warriors are ready and waiting outside."

"Ah. Thank you, Lirin," Gilak said as he looked up from the map.

"Seems we lost track of time," Hakoda said, pushing himself to his feet. "Let's–"

"Chief Hakoda!" a new voice interrupted. Aang turned to see who the person was, and watched as a stout middle-aged woman pushed her way into the tent.

"Auntie Ashuna?" Sokka said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to deliver a barrel of my blubbered seal jerky to the new villagers when I saw that a fight had started to break out between some of them and our own," the frazzled-looking woman explained. "It hasn't turned physical yet, but I thought it was something you should address as soon as you could!"

Hakoda's eyebrows rose, and he nodded succinctly. "Alright. Everyone else, stay here. I'll sort this out quickly, and we'll start the meeting when I get back."

"I'll go with you!" Aang interjected. "I'm great at mediating fights!"

"Quickly!" Ashuna urged, and the two followed her out of the tent.

When they arrived at the area of the village where the altercation was taking place. Aang was surprised to see how many people were gathered in the area—it seemed that nearly the entire rest of the village had congregated to see what was going on.

"You think you can just come in here and tell us how we should do things in our own village?" he heard a voice shout as they began to push through the crowd of villagers.

"We were merely making suggestions ," Aang quickly recognized Thod's voice reply. "The spiritual energy of this place is out of balance—we just want to make some small improvements."

When they finally arrived at the source of the altercation, Aang saw Thod, Katjuk, Miki, Tak, and a handful of the other adult villagers from Ausuittuq, and across from them stood a small group of Wolf Cove villagers whom he did not recognize.

"Well your suggestions clearly bear no consideration for those of us who have lived here their entire lives!" A tall, stern-looking middle-aged woman replied. "You can't just barge in and tell us that everything we're doing is wrong! I don't know how you did things back in your backwater village–"

"Backwater? " Miki repeated, rage evident in her voice. "How dare you. That was our home . We're just trying to settle into this new place."

"I'm sorry our village isn't good enough for you," another Wolf Cove woman in her mid-to-late thirties snapped. "Maybe you should go recreate your old, perfect village somewhere else. No one's stopping you. At least then we wouldn't have to deal with–"

"What? " Katjuk interrupted, their eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't have to deal with what? "

"More mouths to feed!" the stern-looking Wolf Cove woman answered. "And we have less than three weeks until the Southern Raiders attack. What have any of you been doing to help us prepare for that other than take up space and valuable resources?"

Katjuk's left eye twitched as rage slowly started to appear in their features, and he began to fear that this might actually break out into a fight. He had only taken one step forward to prepare himself to intervene when a familiar voice rang out from the crowd.

"Stop this!" Katara ordered, running to stand between the two clashing groups of people. " Why are you fighting? We're all part of the same tribe!" She glared at the Wolf Cove villagers. "Atiqta, Ila, do you seriously think that it would be better if we just kicked the Ausuittuq villagers out? How could you be so cruel?"

The two now surprised-looking women shared a somewhat guilty glance.

"Katara is right," Hakoda finally said, stepping forward. "I specifically told the Ausuittuq refugees that they are welcome in this village, and that they do not owe us anything. They are just as much Southern Water Tribe as any of us."

"I know everyone's been on edge because of the Raiders," Aang added. "But fighting each other isn't going to do anything to help!"

"This is the first time our people have been united in decades," Katara said, nodding in agreement with Aang. "This is exactly what the Fire Nation wants. They want us to stay weak and divided."

Hakoda smiled proudly at his daughter, then turned back to the villagers with a serious expression. "I understand that some of you are concerned about sharing resources with the new arrivals. But I can promise right now that you will all be taken care of. There's no reason to spread paranoia about a problem that doesn't even exist." He looked pointedly at the two Wolf Cove women, who now looked genuinely ashamed.

"We never said that we weren't going to help with the battle preparations," Miki interjected. "We may not have the warriors or resources, but we'll do whatever we can. Name it, and we will do it."

"There's no need for that," Hakoda said kindly, holding a palm up towards Miki. "I think we're all just a little bit tired and anxious right now. Everyone just needs to return to their usual duties and cool down for a bit. And if any of you have any concerns in the future, please bring them directly to me before confronting anyone about it."

Several of the Wolf Cove villagers began to murmur to one another as soon as Hakoda had finished speaking. After a few moments, most appeared to be somewhat satisfied with the situation, and the crowd slowly began to disperse. However, it seemed to Aang that while the tension had lessened, it had not been resolved completely. Hopefully, it would simply continue to fade.

"Great job, Katara!" Aang praised, smiling brightly. "You would make a good Avatar with those mediation skills."

Hakoda chuckled and patted his daughter on the back. "You probably would."

"Thanks, Aang," Katara replied with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I just can't believe that people from our own village would talk to people like that… We're all part of the same nation."

Hakoda sighed. "I know, sweetheart. The war has made a lot of people paranoid, and when people are scared, they do things that don't make sense."

"Chief Hakoda, please allow me to express my deepest apologies," Thod said. He walked over to the chief and bowed deeply. "We did not mean to cause any trouble."

"No need to apologize," Hakoda replied kindly, patting the old man on the shoulder. "Honestly, I should be the one apologizing. Those were my villagers."

"Miki meant what she said earlier," Katjuk said. "We'll help with anything you need. We don't want to just sit here idly while everyone else is working hard to prepare for the attack."

Hakoda shook his head. "You all just traveled a great distance and have experienced a lot of hardship in such a short span of time. I won't ask you for anything. We're all part of the same tribe, and the tribe takes care of its people."

Thod looked at Miki and Katjuk, and his brow furrowed in consideration for a moment. "Even so…" he murmured. "We may not have the warriors, but there may still be something we can do."

Miki's eyes widened, and she looked to Katjuk, who nodded in understanding. "Do you really think it would be helpful?" she asked Thod.

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Thod replied. "And if it is… then it could be an incredibly useful asset. It could save lives ."

Aang, Katara, and Hakoda each shared intrigued glances.

"If you think it will save lives," Hakoda said, looking at the Ausuittuq villagers with a serious yet hopeful gaze. "Then please, tell me about it, whatever it is."

Katjuk and Miki's eyes met, sharing a nervous expression, and they each looked at Thod. The old man was quiet for a moment, pressing his lips into a thin line before looking back up to meet Hakoda's gaze. "There is… an old technique that has been passed down with our people for generations. A technique that could be particularly useful against firebenders."

Katara's eyebrows rose. "Really? How?"

"It's difficult to explain," Katjuk said. "It's not something we've ever used in combat."

"But if it works, it could be revolutionary ," Miki added excitedly. "Especially for non-benders."

"Okay, now you've gotta tell us what it is," Aang urged, even more curious than before.

"Do you know how bending is possible, Aang?" Thod asked.

"Yeah…" Aang said, squinting one eye closed as he attempted to recall what the monks had taught him. "Bending works by… extending the influence of chi from the body into the environment."

Thod nodded slowly. "Correct. And what if there was a way to block that influence?"

"Block it?" Aang repeated, brow furrowing.

"There are certain pressure points on the body that, when pressure is applied, divert the flow of chi," Katjuk explained. "Historically, the technique was used by our healers with physical injuries. But Thod thinks that if these pressure points are hit with force, it could temporarily disable a person by paralyzing them, and in the case of benders–"

"It could block their ability to bend!" Miki interrupted excitedly.

Aang and Katara shared an equally astonished look. "Really?" he asked. "So you can basically fight without hurting anyone? That's kind of like airbender philosophy!"

"Of course, that is one way it can be used," Thod replied with a smile. "But our goal would be to weaken our opponents so that they are vulnerable enough to be attacked without risk of retaliation. With this technique, we can render the ash makers powerless, and then we can put them down like the dogs they are."

The smile on Aang's face slowly disappeared at the sight of Thod's dark yet gleeful expression. "But at that point… couldn't we just take them prisoner?" Aang asked. "It seems a bit harsh to continue trying to hurt them when they're already powerless."

"The Southern Raiders don't take prisoners." Thod replied, a frown replacing the smile on his face. "Why should we give them that courtesy? Besides, I say the less ash makers there are in this world, the better."

Images of Zuko and Iroh's firebending practice the previous night flashed in his mind, and Aang's heartbeat quickened. He looked to Hakoda and Katara to see what they were thinking about all of this. While Katara's expression seemed to indicate slight apprehension at the mention of such violence, Hakoda's seemed intrigued.

"And you're certain that this technique could render firebenders helpless? " Hakoda asked.

"As Katjuk said, we have not yet attempted this technique in active combat," Thod replied. "But perhaps we could practice with some of the warriors, if any are willing. If my hypothesis is correct, the paralysis effects of the chi-blocking should only last a few minutes."

Hakoda nodded slowly. "Would you three like to attend our war meeting?" he asked. "It sounds to me like this… technique of yours has serious potential. If it works, then I think it would be useful for every warrior to be aware of these pressure points. It really could save lives."

Wide grins spread across both Katjuk and Miki's faces and Thod blinked his eyes in surprise. "Of course!" the old man replied. "We would be honored to attend!"

Aang supposed he should have been happy for the Ausuittuq villagers. Thod and Hakoda were right—this technique could save a lot of lives. But once again, the image of Zuko and Iroh firebending appeared in his head, and this time, it was followed by an image of Thod paralyzing both of them with chi-blocking, then drawing a sword to finish the job.

He shook his head violently to dispel the thought. What would happen to his friends once Thod learned who they really were?

Maybe Zuko was actually right about keeping their identities secret.. .

Aang could barely even remember what had been discussed during the war meeting that followed the altercation between the Wolf Cove and Ausuittuq villagers, and he struggled to stay focused during the meetings in the days that followed. It seemed like his body and mind were disconnected; he was able to go through the motions and at least appear somewhat engaged, but his thoughts had been filled with anxiety.

He often worried about the reality of the situation he was in, about how his status as Avatar was basically useless if he wasn't even able to bend more than one element, and how despite the fact that he had been in small battles many times at this point, this time, he had an entire tribe of people who were counting on him.

Unsurprisingly, Thod's chi-blocking technique had quickly proven to be successful and popular; after only a week and a half, a third of the warriors now knew the basics about which pressure points on the body to aim for if they wanted to attempt to incapacitate their opponent. Of course, only a handful were genuinely agile enough to be successful in their attempts, which is why it was stressed that this technique should only be used as a last resort in the event that a melee weapon was inaccessible. It was clear, however, that Thod, Miki, and Katjuk very much knew what they were doing, and while Aang couldn't see them running onto the battlefield completely unarmed, they definitely had a higher chance of successfully taking down their opponents with chi-blocking.

Thod and Gilak, unsurprisingly, had become close friends very quickly. The two seemed to bond over their shared vengeful hatred for the Fire Nation, and while Gilak had been skeptical of the concept of chi-blocking at first, he had quickly come around to it when Thod had explained that it would make it much easier to take down firebenders. Together, the two men had become the morale-stokers for not just the warriors, but the tribe as a whole. Thod had taken to inspiring the villagers with his Southern Water Tribe folktales, while Gilak often rallied the warriors with promises that by the time the day of the attack arrived, the Southern Raiders would be easily defeated.

Aang was definitely glad to see a shift in the overall energy of the tribe, and he was also happy that they seemed to have grown more unified. However, the fear for Iroh and Zuko's safety was always present in the back of his mind. He was now worried that they had absolutely waited too long to tell the truth. Surprisingly, Iroh did not seem as concerned as Aang did, though he couldn't be certain that the former general wasn't harboring some anxieties deep down. He had continued to play his part as usual, overseeing the daily warrior training sessions and war meetings with little signs of fatigue despite the frequency of his late-night firebending lessons with Zuko.

To Aang's disappointment, he had not gotten to spend very much time with Zuko since they had returned to Wolf Cove. The Fire Prince had been spending the majority of his nights with Iroh at firebending practice, and during the day, he seemed to throw himself completely into broadsword practice, usually by himself or occasionally with Lirin or Sokka. The few times that Aang did get to talk to Zuko when he was not training, eating, or sleeping, their conversations had been short, with Zuko often responding with one-word answers, sometimes irritably. It almost felt like he had been trying to have a conversation with the Zuko he had first met all those months ago rather than the Zuko who was his best friend now. There was clearly something going on with the firebender, and Aang was beginning to get worried.

Initially, he had planned to ambush Zuko after this afternoon's training, hoping to finally get the chance to talk one-on-one with his friend and check in on him. Unfortunately, as usual, Zuko had quietly slipped away when Aang was distracted talking with Sokka and Lirin, and the only information that he could glean from Iroh was that he had gone somewhere outside of the village to continue broadsword practice alone.

After he had learned this, he'd reluctantly decided to give up on his plan. If Zuko really wanted to be alone, he would leave him alone. He hadn't seen Momo since the Fire Prince had left, so Aang hoped that he at least had the lemur to keep him company, if no one else.

Instead, he decided he was going to pay Katara a visit. He smiled when he thought about seeing the pretty Water Tribe girl, heartbeat quickening as he walked through the village streets to Hakoda's igloo. Katara would be willing to talk to him, and she was always good at listening.

At last, he came to a stop at the igloo door and set his staff next to it. "Hello?" Aang asked as he knocked on the door and poked his head inside. "Anybody home?"

"Oh, hi Aang!"

He pushed the door fully open and saw Katara and Kanna sitting next to the fire pit at the center of the room, both sewing articles of clothing. Katara smiled at him and gave him a small wave.

"Hi Katara!" Aang said brightly, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "Hi Kanna!"

"Didn't I tell you to call me Gran-gran?" Kanna replied dryly as she continued to focus on her needlework.

"Oh! Right! Sorry," Aang replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't feel bad, Aang. She's just giving you a hard time," Katara said with a smirk, shaking her head, and Kanna chuckled. "Is there something you need?"

"Oh… uh… I'm just… here to see if you guys need any help?"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I mean…" Aang plopped down on the pelt next to Katara, then sighed. "I genuinely don't have anything else to do. And I need a distraction."

Katara smirked again. "You sure you'd rather stay here and sew pants with us? You don't need to be out there training with the rest of the warriors?"

"Practice is over for the day," Aang replied, folding his arms. "But even if it wasn't, it's not like I have anything to do anyway… I don't fight with traditional weapons, and I'm already an airbending master, so running through bending moves over and over again gets boring pretty quickly. I think everyone just wants me around for moral support at this point," he chuckled weakly.

Katara's brow furrowed slightly as a look of concern passed over her face. "Well… why aren't you hanging out with Lee?" Katara asked. "He's your best friend. I'm honestly surprised to see that you're not with him now. You two are usually stuck to each other like glue."

"He's off practicing with his broadswords somewhere. It's all he's been doing the past couple of weeks," Aang replied with a sigh and a frown. "He… kind of hasn't been talking to me much lately. And when he does, he's pretty grumpy."

Katara nodded. "I get it. We're all anxious about the Raider attack. Everyone deals with their emotions differently, I suppose."

Aang nodded as well, as that was essentially what he had been telling himself to help him feel better about the situation. He was silent for a moment, and cocked his head as he watched Katara sew. "Why aren't you practicing?"

Katara looked back up at him with a confused expression. "Practicing what?"

"Your waterbending," Aang replied. "You can use it to defend yourself, or to help people if they need healing."

Katara's eyes immediately widened in clear panic. Her gaze slowly moved over to Kanna, and Aang suddenly realized that he may have said something he shouldn't have.

Kanna stopped sewing and looked up at Katara. Her deadpan expression, as usual, made it difficult for Aang to tell if she was angry or not. "You told him?"

"I– I didn't mean to, it wasn't on purpose!" Katara stuttered.

Kanna looked over to Aang and remained silent for a moment. He cringed slightly as he waited for her to scold one or both of them.

"Healing, you said?" Kanna finally asked.

Aang and Katara exchanged nervous glances, and Aang nodded.

To both of their surprise, Kanna softened and smiled warmly at Katara. "My granddaughter is truly a great waterbender indeed."

"Huh? " Aang said, blinking several times.

"Gran-gran… you're not angry that Aang knows?" Katara asked gingerly.

"Not at all," Kanna said, shaking her head. "As much as he wants to, Hakoda can't hide you from the rest of the world forever."

Aang finally relaxed, releasing the breath he had been holding in. "I'm really sorry I just blurted that out, Katara. I guess I assumed Gilak had already told everyone here how you helped in Penguin's Landing."

Katara shook her head. "Actually… I spoke with him before we left for Ausuittuq, and specifically asked him not to say anything. He understood when I explained why."

Aang nodded slowly in understanding. No wonder Hakoda hadn't mentioned anything; he should have assumed that the chief would have something to say if he knew his daughter had revealed her waterbending abilities to people outside of the family.

"What's this about Penguin's Landing?" Kanna asked curiously.

"Katara's the whole reason Gilak agreed to help Wolf Cove," Aang replied. "Penguin's Landing was suffering from a plague, and Katara's healing abilities helped a lot of people recover much more quickly. She even saved Lirin's life!"

Katara flushed slightly in embarrassment as Aang listed her accomplishments. "It wasn't just me… Healer Suluk did most of the hard work."

Kanna's eyes widened. "Katara…" she said, closing her eyes, and laughed to herself. "You're just like your mother. When people need help, you'll do anything within your power to help them."

Katara smiled at her grandmother as she touched her fingers to the pendant on her necklace, then turned back to Aang. "If I need to, I'll definitely use my healing abilities to help anyone who gets hurt. But I can't use my waterbending to fight . I can barely hold water steady when I'm bending, and it's not like there are any other waterbenders here who can train me." She looked down at the clothing and sewing needle in her lap for a moment. Then, her eyes slowly began to widen, and she whipped her head up again. "But I do have you! "

Aang blushed at the intensity of Katara's direct gaze. "But I'm not a waterbender," he replied in confusion. "I mean, not yet. "

"But I've never even met another bender before you. There must be something useful you can teach me."

Technically, you've met three other benders now, Aang thought somewhat guiltily as Zuko and Iroh popped into his mind. He pursed his lips into a thin line and squinted one of his eyes closed as he considered Katara's request. "Well, I may not know anything about waterbending, but maybe I can help teach you about the basics of bending? Like… energy and chi flow, stuff like that?"

An excited smile quickly spread across Katara's face. "I don't even know what those things are, but they sound useful!" She turned to Kanna. "Can Aang teach me, Gran-gran?"

"I knew you would meet another bender one day, and the time would come for you to learn to hone your abilities." Kanna replied warmly. "And I should think that being taught by the Avatar himself is the greatest honor any bender could ask for. I'm sure Hakoda–"

"We can't tell dad," Katara interrupted, her features twisting with anxiety once more. "He'd never let me."

Kanna frowned slightly. "You don't know that for certain. I'm sure once you tell him about how you helped Chief Gilak, he'll understand."

"Please , Gran-gran." She took Kanna's hands in her own and squeezed them tight. "You can't tell him... Not yet."

Kanna looked at her granddaughter with a wary eye for a moment. "Fine. Just be careful," she sighed, and Aang and Katara grinned widely at one another.

Hopefully, this would be just the distraction he needed.

"Rrragh! " Zuko grunted as he spun his broadswords through the air, slicing them into the snowy ground. He stood up, wiped off the sweat that had collected on his brow, and sheathed his broadswords with a sigh before sitting down on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the South Sea. He stared at the waves lapping against the icy shore below him, and pressed a palm into his good eye with a groan.

The past three weeks since they had returned to Wolf Cove had flown by much quicker than Zuko had anticipated, and there was now only one week remaining until the next full moon. One week until the Southern Raiders arrived.

Thankfully, Iroh seemed to have done an excellent job helping Hakoda and Bato train the Southern Water Tribe warriors to properly fight Fire Nation soldiers while they had been gone, and the introduction of Thod's new chi-blocking technique had definitely done wonders for everyone's morale. Chi-blocking, when combined with Iroh's own techniques for pinpointing weaknesses specific to Fire Nation soldiers, would hopefully give the Southern Water Tribe a much better chance at defeating their enemies than ever before. But Zuko still wasn't certain that it would be enough to defeat the Raiders.

Additionally, he sincerely hoped that neither he or Iroh had inadvertently done anything that could have given away their true identities, especially with the way that Gilak and Thod had been talking about "ash makers" in their speeches and stories. He honestly couldn't blame them for harboring so much hatred for firebenders; in fact, Zuko understood their anger completely. The Fire Nation was, after all, responsible for nearly driving their entire culture to extinction. However, that still didn't mean he was okay with getting chi-blocked and stabbed to death if either of them were to find out his and Iroh's true identities.

Thus, Zuko was still on edge. He and his uncle were still deceiving these people, and it really didn't feel great in general. If he had just managed to gather enough courage to reveal the truth to either Sokka or Katara sooner, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about what Gilak or Thod would do to him and his uncle if they found out. He was starting to think it might be too late to tell anyone .

"What a stunning view," Iroh's familiar voice spoke from behind him, startling him somewhat, and he was suddenly reminded of the conversation he'd had with his uncle last summer at the Western Air Temple.

The only view I'm interested in seeing is the Avatar in chains.

Zuko cringed internally as he recalled his harsh response to Iroh at the time. He had been so hellbent on restoring his honor, so sure that delivering the Avatar to Ozai would have fixed everything that had gone wrong in his life. At the time, the Avatar was the most important thing in Zuko's life.

Strangely, he realized, this was still true in a way. Aang was incredibly important to him, only now for a completely different reason. In fact, aside from his mother, the airbender was possibly more important to Zuko than any other person in his life had ever been.

And yet he had been avoiding the Avatar since they had returned to Wolf Cove, and snapping at him whenever his friend even attempted to start a conversation.

At first, it had been a result of a mix of general anxiety about the Raider attack and avoiding the topic of coming clean about his identity. However, recently Zuko had noticed that Aang had been spending a lot more of his free time with Katara. When he had actually dared to ask about it, the Avatar had said that he was teaching her "the basics of bending." How he was able to teach her anything when he didn't even know how to waterbend was a mystery to Zuko. He hadn't bothered to see if this was true, and instead continued to immerse himself in broadsword and firebending practice as a distraction. Just seeing the way Aang looked at Katara these days had become too unbearable for him to watch.

"It's fine, I guess," Zuko responded absentmindedly as he attempted to banish his thoughts of jealousy, continuing to stare into the icy sea.

"Something on your mind?" Iroh asked, crouching down to sit next to him. "You seem to be lost in thought."

"It's nothing , uncle," Zuko snapped in reply, and while his tone was irritable, fatigue was evident in his voice.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're throwing yourself into training as an outlet, and you've been avoiding your friends since you got back. Aang told me that you've barely talked to him."

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and looked in the opposite direction of his uncle.

"You know you can talk to me about anything," Iroh said kindly. "You don't have to suffer alone."

After a few more moments of silence, Zuko finally met his uncle's gaze, willing the tears in his eyes to stay put. "I'm just… worried," he sniffed, wiping the tears from his good eye aggressively with his sleeve.

"About the Southern Raiders?"

Zuko nodded. "What if… even after everything we've done to prepare for the attack… what if we lose? "

"That is the reality of war, I'm afraid," Iroh answered solemnly. "There are no guarantees of winning or losing any battle. Even the most confident, well-prepared army has some chance of being defeated. The reality of this fact is something you would have had to get used to eventually as the Crown Prince, just as Lu Ten did."

Zuko frowned. Iroh was right. He really hadn't thought much at all about the reality of war before his banishment. If he had never been banished, once he had learned, would he have still gone through with blindly fighting for his country, even if it meant hurting innocent people? How had Lu Ten, his warm and kind cousin, felt about it? Had he known anything about what the Fire Nation was truly doing to the rest of the world?

"How do you… deal with it?" Zuko asked. "With the dread, I mean?"

"You mustn't focus on what could or couldn't happen in the future," Iroh replied. "You must focus on what you can control here and now."

Zuko groaned. "I know, uncle. You say that all the time."

"When the time comes, you will fight," Iroh continued, ignoring Zuko's remark. "And not only must you maintain a clear head, but you must remember what and who you are fighting for."

An image of Aang smiling joyfully flashed in Zuko's mind, followed by images of Sokka, Katara, Lirin, Miki, Katjuk, and many of the other people of the Southern Water Tribe they had met over the last few months.

He was fighting for them . For the people his nation had for so long oppressed and attempted to drive to extinction. For his friends. For a future of peace and rebirth, not violence and death.

"I think I understand," Zuko murmured, taking a deep breath through his nose and breathing out through his mouth.

"I'm glad to hear it," Iroh said with a kind smile. "...Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Zuko remained silent for a moment before deciding whether to answer truthfully or not. "I… I'm worried it's too late to tell the truth. About us."

Iroh nodded knowingly. "Have Thod and Gilak been getting to you?"

"How could they not? " Zuko replied. "They hate firebenders… and I completely understand why. There's absolutely no way they won't immediately try to kill us if they find out who we really are."

"Hmm," Iroh mused. "While I agree that that is certainly possible… Hakoda would never allow it."

"You don't know that. Uncle, his wife was killed by firebenders."

Iroh was silent for a moment. "He's different from Gilak and Thod. He is not the type to let his hatred blind him."

Zuko shook his head in disbelief. How could he have ever expected anyone in any of the other nations to accept him once they figured out who he truly was? Aang was the exception… and sometimes Zuko still didn't understand why he gave him the time of day, much less considered him to be his best friend.

"What if… we just don't tell them?" he anxiously wondered aloud. "We won't have to see any of them again after the battle. They won't have to know. Wouldn't that be easier for everyone?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "Would it?"

Zuko frowned and turned his gaze back to the ocean. "…They'll all hate us if they find out. You know they will."

Iroh sighed. "Maybe so. But can you truly say that your fear of their hatred matters more than being honest? You don't think these people deserve to know the truth?"

Zuko pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his folded arms. "… I just… don't want everyone to think of us like… like..."

"Like Fire Nationals," Iroh said, completing his sentence for him. "I understand the guilt you're feeling, Prince Zuko. I feel the same. But do you think that guilt will simply go away if we leave the Southern Water Tribe without ever telling them?"

Zuko's fingers gripped the fabric of his forearms. No , he thought. No, it probably won't.

"These are good people. They deserve our honesty," Iroh stressed, squeezing Zuko's shoulder gently. "I'm not saying we should tell everyone right this second. But I don't think we should leave without doing so."

Zuko nodded. "Then maybe… once the battle is over, we can tell the truth?"

"I think that sounds like the best option we have at the moment," Iroh replied. "And I think you should talk to Aang. Both about this, and in general. He tries to hide it, but that boy's been dealing with a lot of anxieties of his own. And he misses you."

Zuko's eyes widened slightly. He really had been a pretty terrible best friend the past three weeks. He'd been so focused on his own inner turmoil that he hadn't even stopped to think about how worried Aang must be about everything.

Zuko quickly pushed himself to his feet. "I'll go talk to him."

"I think that's an excellent idea," Iroh replied with a smile.

Zuko swallowed nervously as he stood outside of their guest tent. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat loudly to indicate his presence as he entered.

Aang was lying on his back on his bedroll with one arm behind his head and the other using airbending to make a single marble float up and down in the air. Momo was hopping up and down next to him, attempting to catch the floating object. When Aang noticed Zuko, however, his eyes widened, and the marble plonked onto his head, causing him to wince.

"Zuko!" the Avatar exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face as he sat up. He looked happier than Zuko had seen him in quite some time, and he immediately felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him.

"Hey, Aang," Zuko replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um.. How's the waterbending training with Katara been going?" He felt extremely awkward beginning the conversation this way, as if the past three weeks of barely talking to his best friend hadn't happened at all.

Thankfully, Aang didn't seem bothered. "It's going great! " he gushed. "I mean, obviously I can't really teach her waterbending since I don't even know how to waterbend, but I think she's a lot more confident with her stance and movements, and she understands chi flow now, so she can control her water a lot better."

Zuko smiled as he listened to Aang talk, not realizing how much he had missed it. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure she'll be a great bender one day."

"She definitely will," Aang replied. "She's amazing! " He flushed slightly. "At waterbending, I mean."

Zuko's smile quickly dissolved, and he coughed awkwardly.

"What about you?" Aang quickly asked, changing the subject. "How has your bending training been going?"

"It's… been fine, I guess." After hearing the way Aang talked about Katara, Zuko was once again feeling a strong desire to simply shut down.

"Oh. That's good," Aang replied, and an awkward silence permeated the air.

Remember what you came here to do, Zuko reminded himself. Don't possum-chicken out now.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, holding his fists at his side. "Aang… I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" Aang asked, though Zuko assumed he most likely knew.

"For the way I've been acting the past few weeks."

"Oh," Aang replied, looking down for a moment. "It's okay, Zuko. I know you've been really stressed out lately."

"Yeah, but you and I both know that's not a good excuse," Zuko said as he made his way over to his own bedroll and sat down across from Aang. "I just got so wrapped up in my own head and my own fears that I didn't even think about how you must be feeling."

"Me? I'm completely fine!" Aang replied a bit too enthusiastically.

Zuko shook his head. "Aang, I can tell when you're worried. You don't have to pretend like everything's fine. At least not around me."

Aang's smile finally faltered, and he sighed. "Everyone is depending on me. I… can't let them see how I'm really feeling. They're all so hopeful, so determined…"

"You're allowed to feel worried, though. You may be the Avatar, but you're still human."

"I know…" Aang murmured.

"That's not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?" Zuko asked softly. "You're worried about uncle and me not having told anyone who we really are, right?"

Aang hugged his knees close to his chest. "Well… kind of. I still don't like that we've been lying to everyone for so long. But with the way Thod and Gilak have been talking…"

Zuko's eyes widened slightly. "So you're worried about that, too."

Aang nodded. "I think I understand now why you wanted to keep your identity a secret. The way those two talk about vengeance against firebenders… I just don't want you or Iroh to get hurt."

Zuko was silent for a moment. He hadn't expected Aang to actually end up agreeing with his decision. "I know. But I still think it's important to tell the truth eventually."

"You do?" Aang asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes, I do," Zuko replied earnestly. "But… I talked with uncle earlier, and I've been thinking… it's probably best that we wait until after the battle."

"After the battle?" Aang repeated.

Zuko nodded. "I've accepted by now that the reactions we're going to get won't be pleasant no matter when we do it. But if we reveal the truth beforehand, not only could it really disrupt the progress the tribe has made so far, but with Gilak and Thod… Best case scenario, they banish us. Worst case scenario… they try to kill us. And I have a feeling they wouldn't be the only ones."

Aang nodded slowly as he processed what Zuko had said. "You know I would never let them even get close to the second option," he replied, and held his chin in his hand as he considered their options. "Let's just promise to at least tell Hakoda and his family the truth after the battle."

Zuko nodded as well. "That sounds reasonable."

Aang suddenly whipped up his pinky between the two of them.

Zuko raised a puzzled eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"You don't do pinky promises in the Fire Nation anymore either?" Aang asked incredulously, shaking his head. "Sozin really took the fun out of everything over there."

"...I still don't know what you're asking me to do."

"Just hold out your pinky, like this."

Zuko did as he was told, and Aang curled his own pinky around Zuko's before gently yanking both of their hands down.

"There. Promise made."

"...Got it," Zuko replied confusedly. "But what do pinkies have anything to do with it?"

Aang shrugged. "I dunno. Not everything has to have a logical reason to exist, hotman."

Zuko folded his arms. "Well, sorry I'm a boring, logical teenager and not a whimsical old man like you."

"What? What was that?" Aang asked, folding his lips over his teeth and hunching over to mimic an elderly person. "You're gonna have to speak up! I can't hear you!"

For the first time in what felt like weeks, Zuko laughed.

Aang dropped the old man act and grinned brightly at Zuko. "I've missed seeing you laugh."

"Oh," Zuko replied, feeling his cheeks grow warm. How could Aang just say things like that so casually? "Um… good to know?"

Aang laughed in return. To Zuko, it was a very pleasant sound.

Maybe things will turn out alright, he thought.