Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: Maybe, but he's not the character I would have given more screen time to. He serves his purpose within the story and he does it well.

Zigzagdoublezee: I think that's probably going to happen, yes!

As Always, Please Review!

The sky-bison skimmed over the surface of the Southern Sea, his feet occasionally brushing the top of the waves as he raced away from the Earth Kingdom. Omashu had been left far behind them, and soon, so had dry land itself. They were flying low in order to stay hidden from any warships of the Fire Navy they might encounter, and so far it seemed to be working.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Sokka asked.

"What? No!" Rinzen called back. "It takes hours to cross the southern sea, even with a bison."

"Awww." Sokka slouched lower in the saddle.

Yue frowned and looked down over the side, watching the surface of the water. The glint of the sun on the waves was hypnotic, and she felt her eyes glaze over.

A shoal of fish passed underneath them, hundreds of small blue shapes twisting and turning before they were gone in an instant. Yue watched them with interest for a moment.

"Land ahead!" Sokka called.

Yue's attention was dragged up, away from the ocean and she saw that they were indeed flying towards a landmass.

"Where are we?" She asked, confused. "That's not the air temple, is it?"

"Not quite," Katara frowned. "I think I know where we are. I've never been here, but I've heard people talking about them."

"Really? What have they been saying?"

"Nothing good," Katara said darkly. "Apparently they're quite rude to our traders. Plus their soldiers are women."

"And that's bad?" Yue asked. She hadn't expected that from Katara.

"I don't think so!" Katara held up her hands. "But a lot of people at home do, unfortunately."

Yue nodded. Female soldiers sounded an incredibly alien prospect to her northern ears. But, she supposed, she was a female soldier now in a sense, so it could be done.

"I heard about these people!" Sokka butted in. "Aren't they the ones who are obsessed with the Avatar?"

"I heard that too!" Katara nodded.

"Great! Then you'll get on with the locals!" Sokka grinned at Yue.

"Well," Yue shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What does being obsessed with the Avatar mean?"

"They named the place after one, for a start," Rinzen said from behind her. Yue yelped in surprise.

"How did you get there?"

Rinzen didn't acknowledge the question.

"I've been here a couple of times," he said. "It's called Kyoshi Island, after an Avatar who lived a few hundred years ago. They're pretty isolated from the world. I don't know, I found them nice."

By now Gembul was circling over a beach, and Rinzen scrambled back up to his position on the front of the bison and began bringing him in to land.

Sokka scrabbled around in his bag and brought out Avatar Aang's tourist guidescroll.

"Let's see," he said, looking intently at it. "Kyoshi Island, Kyoshi Island... a-ha!"

He pointed at a text-box.

"Apparently the main attraction here is riding the Giant Koi," he told them. "It doesn't say if there's much else."

Rinzen dismounted as soon as Gembul's feet touched the sand. The bison grunted in happiness and rolled over, and Yue, Sokka and Katara yelped as they were pitched out of the saddle and onto the ground.

To Rinzen's credit, he did manage to stop laughing for just long enough to ask if they were alright.

"Fine," Sokka rose to his feet steaming with anger. "What was that for?"

"You'd be tired too if you had to cross an ocean with four people on your back," Rinzen reminded him.

"We'd better stay here then," Katara said. "If he's tired."

Rinzen grinned.

"Probably best," he said. "I'm sure the south can wait another day. What do you think, boy?"

The only answer Gembul gave was a loud snore.

"Oh, I guess that settles it," Rinzen shrugged. "We're staying."

Yue stared out to sea for a moment. The moon hung low in the sky. She was impatient to get going already, but she knew that asking too much of Gembul wouldn't be right.

She sighed.

"What do we do now then?" She asked. "Try to find some of these islanders?"

"We could..." Sokka said dubiously. "We could just camp here though. I don't see why we have to leave Gembul and we have enough food."

He gestured out to sea.

"And look at the view!"

Rinzen frowned at him.

"These people worship the Avatar! Surely they're going to want to meet her!"

"Maybe," Sokka shrugged. "But why let ourselves get sidetracked? Another day and we'll be in the Southern Air Temple, the day after that we'll be home."

"Does this have anything to do with what you heard about them in the south?" Rinzen demanded.

"What? Of course not!" Sokka protested. "I mean sure, I'd rather not get lectured on why women should fight-"

"Women should fight!" Katara interjected.

"I don't think anyone should fight," Rinzen added. He was ignored.

"I'm not saying they shouldn't!" Sokka held his hands up defensively. "That would be stupid, I'm travelling with a female Avatar who's training to fight!"

He gestured to Yue.

"Then why are you so worried about being lectured?" The Northern Princess asked. "Just tell them you agree with them and be done with it."

"I-" Sokka opened his mouth and then closed it again. "Good point, I hadn't thought of that."

He gestured to the bison.

"We still can't leave him though."

"Maybe just one of us can go," Katara suggested. "They can tell them we're here."

"I'll go," Rinzen volunteered. "If you're so worried about them."

"I'm not!" Sokka got defensive again. Then he stopped.

"Did you hear that?"

All eyes swivelled to the treeline, and a moment later the foliage rustled and a figure stumbled onto the beach carrying a bucket.

The man stopped, taking the sight in front of him in.

He was wearing a red uniform.

Yue's heart plummeted as she realised what that meant.

"Er, guys?" The Fire Nation soldier shouted over his shoulder as he inched backwards. "There's something you should see here!"

"Just fetch the water!" A voice called from deeper within the forest.

"Can't!" The man shouted back. "It's- I think I'm looking at the Avatar!"

Then he turned tail and ran.

"Oh no," Sokka unsheathed his war-club. "Not again."

A moment later more figures in red appeared. Yue looked to the water behind her and then back up at the scowling faces.

The war had reached Kyoshi Island before they had.