Chapter 24: Dark Tunnel Part 2

(Third Person POV)

Zuko could not believe what was happening. He really cared about his uncle, but sometimes the man drove him crazy. He had told Iroh not to test the plant that was sprouting out of the bush earlier, but the old man didn't listen to a word he said. When Zuko had gotten back from catching only one fish for dinner and found his uncle had been poisoned by the White Jade bush, he was horrified.

Being fugitives and on the run from his sister was already hard enough, but now he had to find his uncle medical help before the man died. He was so tired.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Zuko muttered as they stepped over a hill and saw the Earth Kingdom village in the distance.

Iroh scratched at the rash and boils that had spread to his face. "Don't assume pretty plants make good tea?"

Zuko scowled. "No! Don't try plants unless you know what they are!"

Iroh flinched, and then scratched at his arm. "Yes. You're right. I suppose this old man just missed Jing's tea from back on the ship."

Zuko let out a heavy breath. He missed his crew too. He missed a lot of things: His room; His bed; His home in the Fire Nation. He missed knowing where the Avatar was. He still had yet to find anything out about if the boy and his friends were still at the North Pole or in the Earth Kingdom. Then there was one more thing he greatly missed as he thought about the Avatar.

Amara… he missed Amara. He pulled his hand up in his view and saw the blue ribbon appear as his sleeve dropped.

Despite Iroh being super itchy and having a little trouble breathing, he caught his nephew's action. He managed to speak through his scratchy voice, "I know you miss her. I do too."

Zuko dropped his hand and crossed his arms.

"It's better this way," Zuko muttered. "she'd be as hungry as we are if she was with us. At least her family knows how to find food better than we do." He was saying this to try and convince himself her being with the Avatar was a good thing. It wasn't working though.

"The good thing is that she is safe from Zhao at last," Iroh agreed.

Zuko's eyes narrowed when his uncle mentioned Zhao. He was so glad that man reached his end. Zhao had tortured a sweet girl for sixteen years… he had broken something beautiful. While Zuko and his uncle had been able to mend some of the damage, Amara would always bear the scars of her past on her skin and in her memories.

He suddenly thought back to a time on the ship when he had been helping Amara learn some more with her reading. As they sat at the low table in Amara's room, she started to cry.

Zuko was shocked as he looked up from the book to see Amara had turned away from him to hide her tears. He could see her body shaking despite her attempt to hide her crying. He knew a lot of her emotions had to do with her friend Tu Lan being gone. He had only been sent back to the Fire Nation a week earlier to be treated. Zuko knew she missed him.

"Hey… What's wrong?" He put the book down, not sure why she was suddenly upset. They had been reading about Earth Kingdom landscapes together. There was nothing sad about that.

She turned away from him more, ashamed she was losing herself again. "I… I'm sorry… I got a little lost…"

Zuko frowned. He placed a hand on her arm to let her know he was concerned. "What do you mean?"

She took in a heavy breath. She looked back at Zuko with tear stained cheeks. "Sometimes I fall back into the past… I can't stop myself… it's nothing… I'm okay."

"What did you think about?" He wanted her to talk to him. He hated seeing her so heavy with pain. "You can tell me."

She started crying again. "I was thinking about Tu Lan… and then that made me think of my mom… the day she died I was taken away so I wouldn't see anything, but I still heard her screams from upstairs. She was hurt and killed, and I could do nothing… just like I couldn't protect Tu Lan… I just feel so useless sometimes. What's the point of having control over two elements when I can't do anything with them to save the people I love?"

Zuko let out a heavy breath. "Amara… stop…" He scooted over and made her face him again as she tried to turn away. "Look at me…"

Her blue eyes met his gaze. He always loved her deep blue eyes. "What happened to your mom, and to Tu Lan… that was all Zhao… you can't blame yourself for that."

She shut her eyes and hung her head. "But I was there, Zuko… I wasn't strong enough to fight and save them."

He sighed. He brushed a thumb on her cheek to wipe a tear. "Your job is to survive, Amara… no one expects you to fight." He dropped his hand and tightened his fist. "When my mom disappeared I blamed myself for not realizing she was in danger. To this day, I always think I could've done something different and she would still be with me. However, we can't change the past. All we can do is focus on the future. I train hard so that I can gain back my honor and protect the people I care about… and you're doing that too. You're training and becoming stronger every day so that when challenges come your way in the future you're ready to face them. Your mom and Tu Lan don't want you to feel this way… they just want you to live and be happy…"

She stared at him with amazement. Then she gave a small smile. "Okay… I'm sorry…" She wiped her face with her hands and muttered with embarrassment, "I'm just a mess."

He pushed a strand of hair gently behind her ear. "That's not your fault either," he whispered. "Anyone who survives torture like that is sure to hold some damage. But uncle and I will keep doing our best to help you heal… promise."

She moved to her knees and hugged him then. He hugged her back. As they embraced, Amara whispered, "Thank you… for being here… it's nice to not be alone anymore."

He sighed. "Yeah… it is…"

Zuko stared back at the ribbon again. His heart yearned to hold Amara once more. He hoped his uncle was right… he hoped he would see her again soon…

Amara… I miss and love you so much… I will see you again… please be safe.

Amara POV

"Crap! They're blocking us in," Sokka shouted behind me. "Anyone got some torches!"

My ears were ringing. The rocks stopped falling after a minute more of caving in. The Fire Nation had not wanted to follow us into the tunnel, so instead they trapped us inside.

As our entrance vanished, we had no choice but to find another way out. I could hear in the dark Appa had started to paw at the rocks in terror. He felt trapped too in this dark, cold, and damp space.

My ears rang louder. My breath hitched.

No… please…. Dark… Cold… Damp… please… no… not again…

I grabbed my head. My heart pounded painfully in my chest. I felt the panic rise. I tried to tell myself that this was different from my past. I was not alone. I was with my family. However, being trapped in a dark cold place caused my mind to blur. My memories haunted me. The trauma returned.

"No! Please!" My eight year old voice cried out in fear. I tried to move forward, but fire shot at the space in front of my feet causing me to fall back. I landed on the cold dirt floor, my body scraping against the rocks beneath me. I moved to my knees. "I'll be good! I'll be quiet! Please!"

Zhao glared at me from the stairs above. "Quit your crying freak! This is an important dinner party tonight. It is imperative you are not in the house and making noise. No one can know about you! You'll be staying here until tomorrow!"

I moved to my feet again. "Please! It's dark down here! I'll be good! Please don't leave me down here!"

My brother had dragged me through the large estate home, past the front door, across the estate grounds, and towards a small building near the stables. He was having a dinner party with some of his friends from his troop and needed me out of the main house. He was afraid I'd make a noise upstairs and someone would discover me.

Tu Lan was doing something for my uncle to prepare for the night, so he was not aware of Zhao's current actions. The building Zhao had dragged me into had a storage area down below the main floor. The door to the lowest room was a hatch under a rug, and the steps went down a good fifteen feet. The room was built deep beneath the earth, so there were no windows or light, and it was cold and damp.

"If I hear one peep from you tonight, I will come down here and beat you heavily! Keep your mouth shut! I'm locking this door! If I find out anyone lets you out you'll be the one punished!"

He went to shut the door.

"Zhao! Please! I'm scared of the dark!"

He looked back at me with a smirk on his shadowed face. "I'd be more scared of me, dear Amara." He paused, and then sneered. "Oh… And the spider-ants."

He slammed the door then, and pushed the rug back over the hatch. I heard his laughter as he walked away. Then silence. Darkness surrounded me. I quickly dropped to the cold stone floor and cried. "No! Please! Let me out!"

I tried to light a flame quickly in my hand. Sparks ignited, but my breathing was so strained from my fear that I couldn't keep the flame steady. After a third attempt, I finally gave up and moved blindly to the side of the room. I felt for the cold earth wall, and then slid down sitting against it. Pulling my knees close to me, I pressed my face into my pants and sobbed. Darkness and silence was my only company. Shivers ran through me as I feared the spider-ants taking a bite of me.

Mommy… I wanted my mommy…

Warm arms wrapped around me. My body shook as someone hugged me. I was in between. I tried to come back to the present. I focused on the embrace. Sokka… it was Sokka.

He spoke something I didn't hear at first. I was panicking. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was on my knees. My hands pressed against the stone floor of the cave. Something was struck. Light suddenly illuminated behind me: an orange glow. Someone had lit a torch. The memories started to fade again as light overcame the dark.

"Amara," Sokka spoke beside me. "Come back. It's okay."

I finally breathed. He hugged me closer to calm the trembling that still took me over. I breathed again to continue to try and grasp reality.

"We've got you… you're okay. Just stay with me," Sokka begged.

Lily asked with worry, "Is she okay?"

Katara explained. "She's had a rough past… being trapped probably triggered something."

"Poor little flower…" Lily spoke with sadness. "She has seen some dark days."

Chong added, "Her aura was indeed a heavy one upon first glance." He then said, "But I know what will help!" He started to play his instrument again. As the music surrounded the cave, I was surprised to find that the melody did help. My trembling calmed. I felt my tense body relax. The tune helped lighten the darkness more.

Sokka noticed I was back again. He helped me to my feet, but kept an arm around me. "We will be fine. All we need is a plan." Sokka reassured me. He looked over at Chong who had stopped playing. I noticed that Moku was the one holding the torch where our light came from. "Chong, how long do those torches last?"

Chong answered, "Eh, about two hours each."

Lily added, "And we have five torches so that's…" More light suddenly lit the area as she struck them on the ground and put flames on the others. "Ten hours!"

Sokka gasped and left my side. As he stomped out the other torches and scolded Lily for not using her brain correctly, Katara stepped over to me to take his place. She grabbed my arms tenderly with concern. "Hey. I know you're scared… but we're going to get out of this. I promise." She brushed her hand on my cheek where tears had fallen.

I let out a broken breath and nodded. "Sorry… this just reminded me of… a scary place..."

She brushed my other cheek. "You were probably alone that time… this time, you have us. We're not going to let anything happen to you. We're getting out of here… together."

I moved forward and hugged her. I shut my eyes as she hugged me back. She was right… This time I had my family in the dark… I was not alone.

Sokka spoke again as I continued to hug Katara. "I'm gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

As Sokka pulled out a parchment and a writing utensil from his pack, I finally calmed down and let Katara go. As the group gathered around Sokka to observe his actions, I was surprised when Lily stepped over to me. I wasn't really sure how to react upon her approach, but she smiled at me from what I could see in the torch light. She didn't say anything to me as she took my hand and moved it towards her. She then slowly slid a soft floral bracelet around my wrist.

"There… now when you feel like you're alone and trapped in the dark, smell these flowers and picture instead you're in a bright field of daisies."

Her kind gesture warmed my heart. I smiled slightly at her with gratitude. "Thanks, Lily," I whispered with sincerity. "That does help."

As she walked back over to her husband, I pressed the bracelet slightly to my nose and smelled the warm scent of flowers. The fragrance did help me think of the outside world.

For a moment, I recalled a time with Zuko. We had made a brief stop on land a few weeks before I was forced to go with Zhao. Zuko offered to escort me on our small walk. As we headed through the forest, two of the guards following behind, we'd stumbled on a field of wildflowers.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me. Colors of all hues surrounded us. I saw butterflies soaring around the meadow and a few rabbit-squirrels hopping about the tall grass. Zuko hung back as I stepped through the field, careful not to step on the pretty plants. Butterflies circled around me. I smiled as the sun beat down on me and a warm scent overcame me.

Zuko stepped up beside me and I saw him smile over at me. "You like it?"

I nodded. "It's beautiful. I've never seen so many colors before… and there's so many butterflies too…"

He picked a blue flower from the earth and handed it over. I took it and my heart fluttered as I did. "You should take some back to the ship. They will only last for a few days, but they can add some color to your room at least."

I was surprised by his suggestion. Then I nodded with a smile. "Okay. But you have to help me." I grabbed his arm and pulled him further into the mass of flowers. The guards snickered behind.

Lowering my hand, I let out a deep sigh. Just think of the good times, Amara… Focus on your new life… Forget the dark past…

Eventually we started moving again. Aang let me carry Momo in my arms to give me more comfort as we moved through the dark cave. It did feel good to have something to hold as we journeyed further through the mountain. Momo had his tiny arms around my neck to hug me for his own comfort.

After what seemed like numerous twists, turns, and dead ends, Katara finally spoke up. "Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to."

Sokka was puzzled. "This doesn't make any sense; we already came through this way."

Chong argued. "We don't need a map. We just need love. The little guy knows it." He pointed over to Aang.

Aang shrugged. "Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map, also."

Sokka analyzed the map harder. "There's something strange here. There's only one explanation." He lowered the map with terror. "The tunnels are changing."

As if the tunnel agreed, there was a low rumble. I gasped. Momo hugged me tighter. The tunnel felt alive.

Chong started to panic. "The tunnels... they're a-changin'. Ah, it must be the curse. I knew we shouldn't have come down here."

I spoke softly, finding my voice. "But… wasn't this your idea?"

Chong blinked as if he wasn't sure himself. Sokka added with his own frustration, "Right… If only we listened to you."

Katara suddenly shushed us. "Everyone… be quiet. Listen. Do you hear that?"

There were sudden strange sounds in the darkness up ahead. Momo shrieked and left my arms flying the opposite way. His reaction made terror fill inside. I took a step back, while Sokka moved next to me. Katara and Aang prepared to fight. Just as the sound grew louder, we were horrified when a creature emerged from the darkness with a snarl.

I screamed and backed away. Sokka cursed under his breath. A giant brown furry creature with black wings and sharp teeth flew above us suddenly. The creature hit Sokka and my cousin fell on his back. Katara, Aang, and the others were horrified.

Chong shouted, "It's a giant flying thing with teeth!"

Moku responded, "No! It's a wolf-bat!"

The creature landed on its four legs and folded its wings. It's eyes which shone in the firelight darted around at our group with threat. We were in its territory, and it was not happy. The creature growled again and started to fly once more. Sokka grabbed the torch from Moku and swung at it as it lunged down at us. It knocked the torch out of Sokka's hand though, and the flaming stick hit Appa's toe. Appa groaned in terror and rammed against the wall. The earth started to shake. I gasped as rocks began to fall.

The wolf-bat was still irritated and started to charge at Lily and Moku who were nearby. They shouted in terror. Not wanting them to be hurt, I rushed between them and shot fire at the creature. It screeched, turned, and flew back the way it had come. However, the wolf-bat's departure did not stop the rocks that were caving in.

"No!" Aang shouted.

I watched with terror as Aang threw himself into Katara as a mass of rocks fell between us. He knocked her out of the way towards Appa, but more rocks fell from above. Sokka raced over to me and pulled me back as a boulder dropped a few inches from where I was standing. The rumbling continued for a good minute, and then finally it stopped. The cave-in created a wall of rocks that separated us from Katara, Appa, and Aang.

"No!" I cried and raced over to the wall of rocks. "KATARA! AANG!"

I cried out for my cousin and friend, worried they had been squished by rocks on the other side. However, I was relieved when I heard Katara shout through the mass of boulders, "Amara! We're okay! Are Sokka and the others okay?"

I glanced back and saw Sokka was holding another torch again. He had come over too, and was relieved to hear his sister on the other side. The nomad group were still gathering themselves but seemed in one piece.

"We're okay," Sokka called back. "All accounted for!" He handed me the torch and tried to move the rocks, but only more fell. "I can't get to you two without causing another rockslide!"

Katara shouted back, "We'll find our way out! You all do the same! Just take care of Amara, Sokka!"

Chong agreed, stepping over to Sokka and I. "Yeah. It's no use. We're separated. But at least you have us!"

Sokka was horrified as he realized who we were stuck with. "Nooooo!" He turned back to the wall of rocks and started to dig harder. However, he realized it was no use and let out a frustrated breath. He stood back up and took the torch from me. He hung his head in defeat. "Okay… looks like we don't have a choice. We'll follow the tunnel… hopefully we'll find them outside."

I crossed my arms with uncertainty. "Sokka… Are we really going to get out of here?"

He met my gaze and tried to give me a reassuring smile. "We will. I won't rest until we do." He took my hand and gave it a squeeze to reassure me.

Chong asked with honest curiosity, "Where'd that creature go by the way?"

Moku answered, sounding in a daze. "Flew off the way it came. Seems we got a firebender amongst us." All eyes shot towards me then. I felt my heart pound hard from the attention. I wasn't sure how these nomads felt about firebenders. Sokka noticed I was becoming tense and stepped closer to me.

Chong was bewildered. "Firebender? That's wild."

Sokka waved it off. "Okay… Let's just clear the air so we can move on. Amara's a firebender. She's also a waterbender. She's my cousin and not the enemy. Everyone got that?"

Lily smiled. "Yeah… Makes sense. At least if our torches go out we'll have more fire!"

Her immediate acceptance filled me with relief.

Also, I knew Lily was right. Since I had come out of my panicked state when we were first trapped in the tunnel, I was more logical. I was aware that this time if we lost light I had enough control to create a flame to not be in the dark.

"Alright. Now that everyone is better acquainted, let's move on," Sokka said.

Momo hopped on my shoulder for company again as we started to walk through the tunnels once more. I was glad to see he hadn't wandered off too far from getting spooked by the wolf-bat. I let out a heavy breath. I knew I needed to relax and trust Sokka. He wouldn't let anything happen to me. We would get out of this… together…

Third Person POV

Zuko sat on the porch of Song and her mother's small wooden home. He was appreciative that the Earth Kingdom girl named Song had helped his uncle by giving the man an antidote for the poison of the White Jade. However, he felt awkward being in the girl's home and sitting at her table, pretending he was one of them and not their enemy. As his uncle continued to chat inside, he stared at the yard in front of him and watched as fireflies started to come out. The sun was still out, but evening was approaching which usually brought the insects from their hiding.

As he watched the fireflies light up and drift by, he let out a heavy breath. Sitting outside was not the same without Amara. He enjoyed watching her reaction to everything. He loved seeing her eyes light up as she took in sights and sounds she did not know. He knew if she were with him and seeing the fireflies she'd be smiling big. He loved seeing her smile so much… He missed her smile...

Steps suddenly approached. He internally groaned as he realized who it was. He had gone outside to get away from everyone: that included the girl who had a crush on him. Ever since they had left the physicians building to follow Song through the small Earth Kingdom village to her house, he noticed the girl was blushing a lot around him. She was pretty for an Earth Kingdom girl, but he wasn't interested. His heart belonged to another.

The long-haired girl around Zuko's age sat beside him with a smile. "Can I join you?"

He didn't answer. He kept his eyes on the fireflies, continuing to think about Amara.

Song didn't get the picture that her presence wasn't wanted. "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you." She went to touch his face. Zuko grabbed her hand to stop her, and moved it back. She pulled her hand away and then moved her right leg out in front of her. "It's okay. They've hurt me, too." She revealed discolored flesh from a burn on her leg.

Zuko frowned. He let out a heavy breath. He knew with war there came violence and death. He was not thrilled that this young woman had been injured, and he wished he could stop innocent people from getting hurt. His heart twisted slightly. For a moment, he was frustrated with the Fire Nation and their attack on so many. He thought back to his father burning him. He thought about Amara and the scars on her back. He thought about Amara's mom and how the young waterbender was taken from her home…. tortured, raped, and then killed.

For a second, he did despise what his people were doing to the world. He tried to shake it off again though. He didn't want to forget what was important… to go home… catch the Avatar. Earn back his honor. Reclaim his throne. That was what he wanted… right?

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," he finally spoke to her with sincerity. "That must've hurt."

"At least I can hide mine… It must be hard to not be able to hide your scar…" Song whispered. "But it doesn't make you any less handsome. You must have girls swoon for you everywhere you go." She went to touch his arm again. "You could definitely stay here in this village with us if you want. I'd love to have you around."

He stood to avoid her touch. When he lived in the Fire Nation during his early teen years, he was used to girls his age following him around for attention. Azula's friend Mai had been one of the many Fire Nation girls around the palace who tried to win his affection. None of them could though, and their interest in him was honestly frustrating. Song was no different.

There was only one girl who had won his heart and affection.

"Sorry…" He looked down at her. "You seem like a nice girl, Song… and any guy would be lucky to meet you. But my heart already belongs to someone else… and, we can't stay. We need to keep moving…"

He walked away from her to go back inside. His eyes looked back at the blue ribbon on his wrist. He had no interest in Song. There was only one girl he loved, and he hoped he would see her again very soon.

Amara POV

I was exhausted. We had been walking another hour after we were separated from Aang and Katara. I could tell the sun was starting to set as evening approached. While I was tired, Momo was dismayed, and Sokka was irritated, Chong was still in high spirits.

The nomads played their music while Sokka led the way. Chong sang as he strummed his chords, "Oh, don't let the cave in get you down. Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile… into a frown. When the tunnels are darkest that's when you need a clown, hey! Don't let the cave in get you down, Sokka!"

Sokka scowled.

I had been listening to the words though and was curious. "Clown? What's that?"

Sokka sighed. "I saw one once at a Fire Nation colony before we got to the North Pole. They wear weird face paint and juggle flames. They're supposed to be entertaining."

Moku grinned. "Yeah. I was a clown once. I'd make animal shapes out of vines. Had a cool hat too. Too many kids were kicking at me though so I decided to join Chong and his wife as a nomad. Much more fun than a clown."

Chong started strumming again. "Oh, Moku was a clown. He danced his way through town. Nothing got him down until the kids all came around. Now he's livin life and not buried in the ground… oh Moku was a clown!"

He finished playing. His group cheered again. Moku grinned, excited that his friend made a song for him.

"Great! Moku's no longer a clown! Can we move on now?" Sokka snapped at Chong. "The sun will be down by the time we get out of here. And we don't have a ton of time left with our torches either. I'm not making Amara bend a flame for hours."

We moved along. As we went around a bend, we reached another dead end. Moku, who was irritated by my cousin's recent attitude towards his history as a clown, said, "Oh, great! Your plans have led us to another dead end!"

Sokka turned to him defensively. "At least I'm thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku!"

Chong was shocked beside me. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute; we're thinking of ideas! 'Cause I've had an idea for, like, an hour now."

Sokka threw his hands up in frustration, almost flinging his map and torch. "Yes! We're all thinking of ideas!"

Chong smiled. "Well, then listen to this: if love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!"

I was stunned. "Um… I don't think…"

Chong was already starting to play a song. Sokka smacked his head again.

"Even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart, ooooohhhhh…"

As Chong walked off, singing his song, I did smile. In a way his words were true. I was miles away from Zuko, yet I loved him still. My mom was dead, but she was still loved as well. No matter my journey, the love I had for my mom, Zuko, Iroh, Tu Lan, and my Water Tribe family would always remain within.

"And in your heart you feel the love, and it will start to grow-ow-ow, oooohhhhh…"

Sokka sighed as Chong continued. I listened to the melody though, enjoying the words and the tune. The music was keeping me calm despite knowing we were still lost and not out of the dark tunnel. However, Chong only played for a minute longer when a low ominous sound echoed through the tunnel. I could feel the earth shake beneath me. Mom screeched and jumped off my shoulder, flying away again like last time.

I knew that couldn't be good.

Sure enough a whole pack of wolf-bats suddenly screeched and flew towards us. I gasped and dropped to my knees, covering my head as they flew over. Sokka flailed frantically in front of me, crying out to try and scare them off. The others were covering their heads too as the flapping wings went by.

However, this time the creatures did not try to attack us. They kept flying and disappeared down the tunnel into the darkness. My heart pounded quickly as I felt my nerves were shot. I was so done with endless tunnels and wolf-bats. I wanted sunlight and grass!

As I slowly got to my feet, I saw the others were relieved as well. Sokka still looked concerned though. Momo landed on my shoulder again. I was glad to see he was okay and hadn't been carried off by the pack of animals.

Chong spoke to Sokka. "Hey-hey, you saved us, Sokka!"

Sokka shook his head, suddenly sounding nervous. "No, they were trying to get away from something.

Chong was puzzled. "From what?"

I felt my body tremble. I prayed it wasn't a giant worm.

Rocks suddenly exploded behind us. I gasped as dust filled my vision. After it settled a moment later, I turned around to see a giant brown badger mole appear. My eyes widened as I took in the furry large creature with long claws. I had read about these creatures in one of the Earth Kingdom texts I'd been practicing on with Iroh and Zuko. I knew they were blind and territorial. This made me super nervous. However, not even a moment later, a second explosion sounded on the other side of us. We saw another badger mole appear. They were bigger than Appa and much angrier!

Sokka gasped. He grabbed my arm whispering, "Amara. You're good with animals. Tell them we come in peace."

I was horrified. I whispered back, "I don't think I'm connected the way you think I am."

The badger mole in front of us suddenly hit its giant front paw on the earth. The ground raised up and Sokka was suddenly pushed back. As he landed on the ground, gasping in fear, I tried to think quickly. I backed away slightly as the creature stepped closer. Finally, an idea came to me.

"Hey, Chong," I said softly. "You got an extra instrument?"

He nodded. "Sure do." He handed another stringed instrument to me that was tied behind him. I slowly stepped back over to Sokka as the creature snarled. I had no clue if this would work, but I had to try something.

I strummed a few keys, trying to remember some notes Lieutenant Jee had taught me. As I played a very small tune, the badger moles stopped growling and fell quiet.

Sokka was shocked. He managed to get back to his feet. I stopped playing, running out of notes. The creatures snarled again when the music stopped.

Chong spoke with delight. "Hey, those things are music lovers!"

Sokka took the instrument from me to try his own. He strummed a few more chords, and we saw immediately that the badger moles were calming again. He even started to sing, very out of tune. "Badger moles, coming toward us." He glanced back at the group of nomads while he still sang and played random notes. "Come on guys, help us out."

Chong nodded. He and his group started playing again and dancing. Chong sang, "The big bad badger moles who work in the tunnels, hate the wolf bats but love the sounds. They don't like intruders, but like making tunnels, listening to songs, and digging around."

The badger moles were swaying to the tunes. We were amazed. My plan had worked. They enjoyed music. It calmed them just as much as it seemed to have calmed me in the last few hours. Once we got them to trust us, the badger moles stepped a little further out of their holes to get closer to our scents. As they realized that we weren't a threat, they lowered to the ground.

"Uh… what are they doing?" Lily asked.

I smiled slightly. "I think they're offering us a ride… they are going to help us out of the tunnel as long as we keep playing music. The sounds are soothing to them it seems."

"Sweet," Moku said. "We've got tons of tunes!"

The nomads climbed onto one badger mole near them, and Sokka, Momo, and I got on the other. At this point we were in the dark because our torches burnt out. I couldn't see anything, but Sokka let me hold on to him from behind as we rode through the mountain. Knowing he was with me helped me not let the past creep back on me. I was safe.

As Chong and his troupe played on, the creatures started to bend rocks out of the way to create tunnels before us. I whispered to Sokka as we rode along, "Thankfully there was no curse."

He agreed. "Just earthbending badger moles messing with my map."

I smiled and rested my head against Sokka's back. It had been a long day, but we were finally having some luck come our way. At last, after what felt like days of being trapped in the mountain, we finally broke through earth and sunlight hit us. We were blinded for a moment as the setting sun took a little bit to adjust to. But as fresh air filled our lungs, we found we were free at last.

"Sokka! Amara!" Katara's voice shocked me. I looked down to see Katara, Aang, and Appa standing at the edge of a cliff that overlooked a valley below. They had made it out and looked okay.

Momo jumped off of me to go chatter to Appa about our terrifying journey. Sokka and I managed to get off the badger mole and rush over to Katara who pulled us into a group hug. After we embraced Katara, we hugged Aang next. We were so happy everyone was okay.

Sokka asked once we broke our embrace, "How did you guys get out?"

Aang shrugged. "Just like the legend says: we let love lead the way."

Sokka smiled. "Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way." Sokka turned and waved goodbye to the badger moles. They had already started to turn and leave. Chong and his group were off of the other one and waved as well. As the badger moles turned back into their separate tunnels, they shut the openings they had made with their earthbending.

Katara hugged me again. "I'm just so glad you are okay. I was so worried." She glanced over at Sokka then, puzzled. "Why is your forehead all red?"

I stared at Sokka's forehead and smiled slightly. He had a small red mark on his forehead where he had been constantly smacking himself.

Chong stepped over, pointing at Sokka with shock. "Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that kid might be the Avatar."

Sokka smacked his forehead again. I knew he would be happy when we were away from this odd group at last.

Aang asked Moku, "So, are you guys gonna come to Omashu with us?"

Moku answered simply, "Nope."

Aang smiled. "Okay. Thanks for everything, Moku."

Chong gave my cousin some last words of advice. "Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey."

He hugged Sokka, who was stunned by the man's embrace. Sokka tried to brush his gesture off. "Just play your songs."

Chong pulled away with a grin. "Hey, good plan!" He and his group started to walk off again. As they headed away, Chong's song carried in the air. "Even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Ooooohhhh…"

Eventually they were gone. The sun was starting to set more behind us. I was so relieved to see sunlight and finally be back outside. The tension inside me released. I stared down at the floral bracelet on my wrist and smiled. I hoped this memory and the adventures to come would start to take over the dark images of my past.

"Alright… I'm beat," Sokka muttered. "Omashu's just around the corner. Literally… let's go."

Aang nodded. "Yeah! Bumi will give us a great dinner and some wonderful beds! I can't wait to see him again."

We started to walk around the side of the mountain and then reached a path that led up a steep hill. As we made our way up, Aang spoke to me with excitement.

"You're going to love Omashu, Amara! There's so much to see and do there! I'll have to introduce you to Flopsy! He's King Bumi's pet. Ooh! And then we can go down the chutes together! You'll have so much fun!"

Katara sighed. "Aang… remember what our main focus is."

Aang waved her off. "I got it, Katara. Earthbending in the morning. Fun in the evening."

I smiled slightly. "Sounds like a plan."

Sokka sighed. "I'm just so glad we're here. The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to what it's really about— the destination." We reached the top as Sokka exclaimed, "I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O... Oh, no…"

He broke off. I could see why. The once massive city before us was not as Aang and my family had described. The light city was dark, and smoke rose up from within the walls. Also, what was once a stone wall that surrounded the city had become metal. The bridge to the city was untouched, but there was a large Fire Nation banner stretched above the entrance.

My eyes widened. Terror filled inside me. The Fire Lord had sent his army to conquer Omashu. If the Fire Nation could take over this city, they would have no issue taking over the rest of the Earth Kingdom.

The more I learned about this war, I was starting to understand just how terrible it all truly was. While I knew not everyone in the Fire Nation was evil from my time with Zuko, Iroh, and the crew, I felt bitter towards the nation as a whole.

The Fire Nation was nothing but a plague on the world. The Fire Lord needed to be defeated so balance could be restored.

I wasn't sure what I could do, but I wanted to help Aang defeat the Fire Nation in any way I could.