A few hours had passed, since the Solar Eclipse invasion had ended. Team Avatar and the rebels had failed to convince Fire Lord Ozai to surrender the war, before the Eclipse had ended. Now they were on the short end of the war. Fleeing toward the Western Air Temple.
Team Avatar were currently walking on a rocky terrain-leading toward the Western Air Temple. Everyone was in a sad state after the invasion had failed. Especially, Aang. He had a chance to put an end to Fire Lord Ozai's tyranny but couldn't. Due to his Air Nomad pacifistic philosophy. They had all walked in front of Appa, who still wore red armor from the Solar Eclipse invasion.
Momo and Zuko's pet summer hawk had rested within Appa's saddle. Fatigued, due to the hot weather.
"This is humiliating." Katara pouted as she walked.
"What is? Us getting spanked by the Fire Nation-or us walking all the way to the Western Air Temple?" Sokka had asked Katara. He had still wore Water Tribe armor and a gray helmet that resembled the wolf.
"Both." Katara answered while walking.
"Sorry, guys. But Appa gets tired carrying all these people." Aang said as he walked next to Appa's face.
"I wonder, how the rest of the troops are?" Teo had asked as he rolled in his gliding wheelchair.
"They're probably going to a prison. Seems like my dad just got out-now he's coming back in." Haru had assumed as he thought of his father.
Zuko, who was walking behind Teo and Haru had heard their conversation. He couldn't help but think of his uncle, Iroh. Whom was most likely taken to a prison cell within the Fire Nation.
"I miss Pipsqueak." The Duke pouted.
"I miss not having blisters on my feet." Sokka replied to The Duke.
Toph Bei Fong, who had led the way had suddenly stopped. "Hey, we're here. I can feel it." She smiled.
Everyone had stopped walking as they heard Toph spoke. They had stared at the cliffside on the other end and the mist below. Most of them didn't understand what Toph meant.
"Uh, I think your feet might need their toes checked." Katara said, assuming that Toph was seeing illusions.
"No, she's right. We are here." Aang said.
Sokka had looked around and shrugged to Aang.
"Wait. I think they got a point." Zuko said as he then thought of the time when he first traveled to the Western Air Temple. "The temple is not meant to be seen. It's supposed to be..."
A Few Minutes Later...
Team Avatar had landed within the upside-down Air Temple. They had begun unpacking their belongings. Team Avatar had removed the red armor that Appa had worn. Toph removed her green hat and Sokka removed his gray helmet.
"Wow, this place is amazing!" The Duke said as he smiled and stared at his surroundings. The buildings, bridges, the sky. The fountain that still works. Even after the Fire Nation attacked a century prior.
"Yeah. It's so different from the Norther Air Temple. I wonder, if there are any secret rooms?" Teo said as he stared at the ceiling.
Haru decided to take the lead. "Let's go check it out."
Teo and The Duke had looked to each other and followed behind Haru. The Duke had ran, while Teo rolled in his gliding wheelchair.
"Hey, guys! I'm coming, too!" Aang said as he had begun to run behind his friends. "Oof!" Suddenly, he felt his orange and yellow robe grabbed from behind and lifted up.
Zuko had grabbed Aang from behind and lifted him up, like a person lifting a small dog by the back of its neck fur. Stopping him from following Haru, Teo and The Duke. "Not so fast, Aang." Zuko said. Zuko's hawk, Summer had rested on Zuko's left shoulder.
Katara was present as well. But, she held Aang's staff in her hands. She looked to Haru, Pipsqueak and Teo. "You guys go ahead. We need to talk about some things with Aang."
Haru nodded, then begun to take the lead. "I'll race you, Duke."
"I told you. It's "The Duke!" The Duke replied in an annoyed voice as he chased Haru. Teo had followed behind Haru and The Duke into the halls.
Zuko had soon let go of Aang as soon as Haru, The Duke and Teo had disappeared from their sight.
"Why did you stop me?" Aang asked as he then turned to Zuko.
"Because, after what happened today with my father... we need to discuss what will happen, now." Zuko told Aang in a serious tone.
"And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be apart of this." Katara said.
"Toph and Sokka are already waiting for us over there to come up with a plan." Zuko said.
Zuko's red-feathered messenger hawk, Summer had squawked.
Aang had annoyingly sighed and walked into the other room where Sokka and Toph had sat and waited for Aang. Aang had set down his new staff next to a short pillar rock he sat on. "Fare enough." He crossed his arms. "So, what now? What's the new plan?"
Katara and Zuko had quickly followed behind Aang. Katara sat on a rock, while Zuko remained standing.
"Well, if you ask me, the new plan is the old man." Sokka smiled as he pointed at Aang.
"Wait, you mean..." Zuko had begun to ask.
"You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord, before the Comet comes." Sokka had told Aang.
"Yeah. That's no problem. I'll just do that." Aang had felt irritated as he thrown his arms into the air, then flicked a pebble off a rock he sat on. He wasn't in the mood.
Katara can easily see that Aang is frustrated. "Aang No one said it was gonna be easy."
"But, you have to be one hundred percent focus, this time. And you cannot mess up, like today, either." Zuko had told Aang as he crossed his arms.
Aang had thought of when he had destroyed the nose of the Fire Nation palace and had Fire Lord Ozai pinned to a pillar, hours prior. He looked down, feeling a bit of shame not finishing the job.
"And speaking of finishing jobs, it's time that I continue teaching you Firebending drills." Zuko had said, then turned his back and begun walking off.
"But, Zuko. You still can't Firebend, right?" Aang asked.
Zuko had suddenly stopped and grunted. He felt a bit embarrassed after hearing Aang's question. "Just come with me!" He yelled at Aang as he turned around. "I'll teach you some more Firebending."
Aang had quickly jumped on his feet and nodded. "Y-yessir!"
A Few Minutes Later...
Zuko and Aang had walked to a separate room. They stood between one another and by a cliffside within the temple.
"For the past few days, I've taught you Firebending drills. Now, I want you to show me what you can do! Show me what you learned!" Zuko demanded.
Aang had breathed some air in, then exhaled some air out. He had then performed a Firebending martial art where he thrusted his hand and turned his upper body to the left. But no flames were generated. Only a small puff of smoke. After seeing that puff of smoke, Aang had gave Zuko a nervous look and sighed. "Maybe, I need a little more instruction? Perhaps a demonstration?" Aang had asked.
"Good idea. You might want to take a couple of steps back." Zuko suggested that Aang back up. But he did. Zuko then inhaled some air... then performed a Firebending attack. But no flames had generated, also. Only a puff of smoke. "Why can't I still do it? He then performed a few more attacks, but no flames had generated. He groaned in frustration. "It's been, like what? Three months, since I can't bend. I stopped getting angry... but I don't know, what gives?"
"You're gonna need to learn to draw Firebending from another source."
Both Zuko and Aang had looked to see their friend, Toph Bei Fong standing next to a corner. Just watching them. Crossing her arms and leaning on a wall.
"I recommend the original source." Toph suggested.
Zuko stared at Toph for a moment. "How long have you been here?"
"Just now." Toph answered.
"What do you mean by the "Original Source", Toph?" Aang asked, curiously.
"I mean, Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of Firebending is." Aang answered Toph's question. "For Earthbending, the original Earthbenders were the Badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away when I was a cave." Toph said as she remembered the day she met Badgermoles inside of a cave. She begun to tell her story of her childhood to Zuko and Aang.
"That's amazing, Toph." Aang had complimented Toph's story. He then looked at a nearby wall. "I learned from the monks, but the original Airbenders were the sky bison. Like Appa."
"I appreciate listening to these stories, but, they honestly don't help me. The original Firebenders were the dragons. And they're extinct." Zuko had told Aang and Toph.
"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid." Aang said as he remembered seeing Avatar Roku's dragon through Avatar Roku's memories.
"Well, there aren't anymore, okay?" Zuko yelled at Aang.
"Okay, okay. Sorry." Aang apologized in response to Zuko yelling.
Zuko then placed his hand under his chin and thought of something. "But maybe, there's another way." He looked over the cliff. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient sun warriors."
"Sun warriors? Well, I know they weren't around a hundred years ago." Aang asked Zuko.
"No." Zuko shook his head no. "They died off thousands of years ago. But, their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe, we can learn something by poking around their ruins?" Zuko auggested..
"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present." Aang said.
"Then, it's settled." Zuko said.
"What's settled?" Aang asked Zuko.
"Starting tomorrow morning... we're going to ruins of the Sun Warriors." Zuko said.
"Okay, okay." Aang said, then gave Zuko a grin. Revealing his white teeth.
The Next Day...
Avatar Aang and Zuko had begun to prepare for their departure toward the ruins of the Sun Warriors. Before leaving, they begun to greet their friends. Aang had sat on Appa's head.
"We should be back in a day or two." Zuko said as he sat on top of Appa's satchel.
"Take care, you guys." Toph said as she kept looking at the ground.
Summer had squawked as the birds stood next to Katara on her right.
"Try not to catch any sun burns." Sokka joked as he waved to Aang and Zuko.
"Ha ha." Zuko said in an annoyed tone.
"Good luck, you guys." Katara had told both Zuko and Aang.
"Thanks, Katara." Both Aang and Zuko had said in unison as they stared at Katara. They, then looked to each other for a second, then away.
"Okay, then..." Aang then focused on Appa as he gripped the saddle strap that leads Appa. "Appa. Yip-yip!" He chanted, which made Appa groan. Appa had then begun flying southeast from the Western Air Temple. Leaving Team Avatar waving.
Meanwhile...
A few minutes after Aang and Zuko had parted from their friends and the Western Air Temple... A bald and unnamed person with a right metal leg and arm and third eye had suddenly approached the outskirts of the Western Air Temple. He had used his Third Eye vision to watch Aang and Zuko leave on Appa from a distance. Like a telescope. He had then looked forward and moved in the opposite direction of where Aang and Zuko had left.