A/N:Sorry this is a bit short. I promise to start posting chapters more regularly in the future. I was hit with a pretty nasty case of writer's block a few weeks ago, but when I found out that there's at least someone out there who wants to read another chapter, I decided to make an effort to continue from where I left off.
Zuko led Aang to one of the rooms on the ship. "W-why do you want to take me away?" Aang asked, puzzled. "If you are the Avatar, you should already know," Zuko explained. "Do me a favor and kill me right now," Aang replied. "What!?" Zuko exclaimed. That was really not what he expected to hear. "I don't know what father will do to you when he gets his hands on you." Zuko sighed and left the room. As he walked down one of the corridors, a guard ran up to him. "One of our men is missing, sir," he reported. "It doesn't matter. Bringing the Avatar to justice is much more important right now," Zuko told him.
Katara had returned home to Wolf's Cove. Kanna approached her and said, "That kid you used to hang out with, he... the Fire Nation took him." Katara gasped. "But, but... Why would they do something like that?" Katara exclaimed confusedly. "You know their ways. Did he mention anything about the Fire Nation being after him?" Kanna wondered. "He was most likely a spy. He was so nice it felt contrived," Sokka explained as he walked up behind them. "Look what you've done, Katara! You've put the whole village in danger!" he added. "I did not. I know Aang is genuine. He's the only one in my entire life who actually appreciates my abilities and isn't a paranoid landlubber," Katara replied. "Katara, you didn't show him your waterbending, did you!?" Kanna asked worriedly. "Yes, thank you. I did," Katara revealed and walked toward Appa. "Where are you going now!?" Kanna asked. "I'm going to save him," said Katara and climbed onto Appa. "Katara, I forbid you from ever leaving the village again if you go through with this!" Kanna threatened, but Katara ignored her.
She sat by the horns on Appa and shouted "Yip yip!" Unfortunately, it didn't work on him and Sokka managed to climb on board too. "Appa, yip yip!" Katara yelled with even more desperation, and Appa took off into the air. Katara breathed a sigh of relief. "Katara! This is just not okay! You have to let me off now!" Sokka demanded. "No, you've got yourself to blame," Katara replied and steered Appa further across the stream.
After a quick flight, Katara finally caught up with Zuko's ship. Sokka swallowed nervously. "Well, I guess I'll have to show what I'm made of now," he said and kissed his boomerang.
One of Zuko's guards spotted Appa and shouted, "A giant flying bison is sighted aft!" Zuko turned around and fixed his gaze on Appa. He took a deep breath and prepared to firebend a beam at him.
Katara jumped off Appa and landed on the hull. Sokka then realized, to his horror, that Appa was also about to land on the ship. He took out his boomerang and held it at the ready. But just as he was about to throw it, a terrible pained roar was heard.
"What was that?" Zuko yelped, looking around. When he looked to the left, he saw a black dragon flying towards them. Zuko sighed and Sokka managed to hit him in the head with his boomerang while clenching one hand in victory. The dragon's characteristics then became clearer. Its neck was long and gnarled, and it had white horsehair. It crashed onto the ship at that very moment and Zuko's guards backed away. "Well, do something then!" Zuko commanded frustratedly.
One of the braver guards stepped in front of the dragon and looked into its eyes, which displayed colors he had never seen before. Suddenly, he struggled to stay awake.
Meanwhile, Sokka and Katara, who had managed to snatch a key from one of the guards, rushed into the ship in search of Aang. Inside the corridors, it was completely empty except for Iroh who appeared around the corner, but he immediately turned around and walked the other way. Sokka and Katara searched through all the rooms and finally found one with a lock on the door. Sokka used the key to open the door and on the other side, Aang sat chained to the floor. When Sokka opened the door, he immediately gasped. "Sokka, Katara? W-what are you doing here?" he asked, concerned for their well-being. "Well, we were apparently here to save you, but honestly, I just want to get home unscathed," Sokka explained. Sokka freed Aang from his chains, and they all hurried away.
When they came out, Zuko and the others had already caught Appa under a net, but he was fortunately preoccupied with something else right then. The dragon was gone, but on the ground lay the body of a guard. Aang couldn't help but shed a tear, even though he was a stranger. Before anyone realized it, he began to cry uncontrollably. After a moment, however, he composed himself and airbent Appa free from the net. He knew they needed to escape, yet he still felt confused.
As Appa flew away, Zuko gasped. "No! Don't let them get away!" he screamed in despair. Aang heard his desperate cries and burst into tears once again. Sokka facepalmed. Aang really couldn't help but feel empathy for everything and everyone.