Responses to Reviews:

Zigzagdoublezee: Rinzen saying this isn't a reflection on the state of the Southern temple, it's just that he has an immense rivalry with the nomads who live there and so thinks the Northern Temple is superior.

RonaldM40196867: No, off the top of my head I think there was nothing that particularly didn't make sense to me.

As Always, Please Review!

"Do you actually know where we're going?"

Rinzen leaned over Yue and gestured to the map she was holding.

"I know!" Yue defended herself. "Mostly. We're going south, at least! Aren't you supposed to be flying the bison, anyway?"

"Gembul can fly himself for now, he's a living creature. I need to know where we're going."

Arid grasslands, punctuated by mountains and the occasional rocky valley, stretched all around them. There was no sign of civilization at all.

"I knew flying inland was a bad idea," Sokka groaned. "We could have followed the coast at least."

"There's a huge Fire Nation fleet on the coast, remember?" Katara pointed out. "It makes our lives a lot easier not to go near them."

Yue could only agree. She didn't fancy another run in with Jeong Jeong and Zhao, or any other representatives of the Fire Nation's armed forces for that matter.

"Are there any rivers, at least?" Rinzen prompted.

"Why? Is Gembul thirsty?" Yue asked.

"I don't think so, but it might be nice. That's not why."

"Are you thirsty? We have water." Sokka offered him Katara's water skin. His sister snatched it back angrily, before turning and offering it to Rinzen herself.

"No thanks," Rinzen waved it away. "People live along rivers," he said. "So if we follow a river, we'll probably find a village, and we can land there, ask around and get our bearings again."

But as they searched the horizon, none of them could see any telltale snaking lines of water making their way through the landscape below. Sokka slumped on the edge of the saddle.

"I'm bored," he lamented. "Why am I bored? I'm travelling with the Avatar on a mission to save the world with an entire nation trying to kill me, seeing new places and meeting new people. And I'm bored."

"I suppose it can't be non-stop action all the time," Yue put in.

"Maybe you can use the time to meditate," Rinzen offered. "Just sit down and focus. Reflect on what's important."

Sokka didn't say anything for a moment, staring into the distance.

"I'll bear that in mind, thanks," he said eventually.

They flew on in silence.

Yue was finding the whole situation a lot more interesting than Sokka was. The freedom of swooping through the sky on an air nomad's bison was magical to her, especially after a lifetime trapped by the the duty of being Princess of the North and then the couple of days in a Fire Nation cage, and it had still not become boring.

She settle back into the saddle and closed her eyes. Hopefully they weren't terribly far from the south coast. Then it would just be a quick hop across the southern sea to the Air Temple, where she would see what Aang wanted, and then to the South Pole. She had never visited the sister tribe before, and was curious to see what Sokka and Katara's home was like. She also needed to find a master; the scroll, and experimenting with Katara had brought her to a decent level, she thought, but she needed to be far more than decent.

That was also before factoring in the other three elements. She had firebent a bit in the forest, but she hadn't actually created any fire, just shifted it ever so slightly so it missed her once and then made it disappear. She had also managed to stop a rock being thrown at her face at the northern air temple with earthbending.

She had not airbent at all.

In short, she had a very long way to go, and she didn't know how long she had to do it. Even if she was confident in the ability of the Earth Kingdom's military to repel the invaders by themselves, a lot of people would surely have to die to do it. And the Earth Kingdom was fighting tanks with chariots. Yue had seen for herself how well that ended.

The Water Tribes were a different matter. The North had fallen to a surprise attack, but the South still stood, and would likely be preparing furiously for when the Fire Nation did turn up. Even if they could hold out though, they wouldn't have the numbers to help the rest of the world should they need to. The Air Nomads, safe in their mountain temples, were probably safe but as pacifists were unlikely to take an active role in the war.

"What's that?" Rinzen asked, pointing. Yue's eyes shot open and she jumped up, to see a mountain rising out of the plains. Except it was a strange mountain, because as they got closer they could see that it was covered in buildings and surrounded by a wall. An entire city was clustered on the mountainsides.

"Never mind, I think I know where we are," Rinzen said.

"Where?" Sokka glanced at his map again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Princes and Princesses, Avatars and... non-Avatars," Rinzen swept his arm towards the city. "Welcome to the city of Omashu."

The sky was full of ash and soot as the fleet cruised south, a hundred ships that formed the clenched fist of the Fire Nation's newly rechristened Imperial Navy. At the head of the fleet cruised the largest and most intimidating of the vessels, the flagship. Firelord Ozai had named it personally, in honour of its power: Great Comet. Six catapults adorned its decks, far more than any other ship in the fleet, and it belched a huge column of smoke as it pushed through the water.

The guards on the bridge saluted as Jeong Jeong approached. He nodded, and pushed open the door. All assembled swivelled to face him.

The captain was the first to react, saluting as he entered, but Jeong Jeong was focussed on the man's superior officer, who had been lounging in his chair.

"Admiral!" Zhao had sprung to his feet. "I'm pleased you made it back safely."

"Why was the fleet moving away when I returned to the coast?" Jeong Jeong asked curiously. "Had I been just a little slower, I would have been left behind."

"We're on a schedule!" Zhao replied.

The Admiral nodded, but still felt a little aggrieved.

"All the same, Commodore, I would have appreciated waiting a little longer for me. And while I'm here, I did not appreciate you blasting me with fire either."

"You were grabbed by a spirit Sir!" Zhao pointed out. There was general muttering on the bridge. "I thought- I thought you had gone forever. And that other thing was an accident!"

"And so your first thought was to take command for yourself, was it?"

"No! I mean, yes, but- Well, someone's got to do it," Zhao tried to defend himself.

Jeong Jeong nodded. That was true, a fleet of this size did need leadership.

"Sir?" Zhao asked. "If I may... what was it like in the Spirit World?"

"Foggy, mostly," Jeong Jeong replied. "Avatar Aang appeared."

"But Aang is dead!" The Captain protested.

"In our world he is," Zhao nodded. "But the Avatar does not play by the same rules as the rest of us. Did he say anything that could help us?"

"Probably," Jeong Jeong shrugged. "Unfortunately, he made sure I couldn't hear his conversation with Avatar Yue. So I've got no new information on their intentions."

Zhao stared at him.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Jeong Jeong told him. "Our orders do not mention the Avatar or any of her companions. It is not our job to chase them all over the world. If they cross our paths again, fine. We should eliminate all who stand in our way."

He looked down at the map spread across a table in front of him, aggressive red arrows pointing towards their target splashed across it.

"But for now, my main concern is the Southern Water Tribe."