Flying in the sky would never get old to Ayaan. That was not the issue. It was that in the span of an entire week, they had been going to random places. While resting at their camp they'd train, constantly losing to Ayaan but steadily getting better. But the fact remained, the truth of this situation was painfully obvious.

"Aang... are you lost?" Ayaan asked, sitting in his spot in Appa's saddle. Sokka was on his right while Katara was on his left, sewing up Sokka's pants which got a hole in it during their travels.

"N-no! We're close, I know it!" Aang replied cheerfully, still looking at his map.

"You have said this before. Everyday. For a week." Ayaan stated. Aang's ears burned when he realized that he had, indeed, said that exact same sentence before.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Sokka inquired.

"Well... I know it's by water." Aang answered honestly, a hopeful tone in his voice.

The same could not be said for the siblings. Currently, Appa was flying above the sea. There was water in every direction and the land they'd just came from was too far away to see now. "I guess we're getting close then." Sokka said sarcastically. Ayaan let out a sigh. Katara wasn't paying attention to the boys at all, concentrating on her sewing.

Aang had a glint in his eyes and called over to Momo. Sokka tried to relax on the back of the saddle while Ayaan was contemplating their next step. Katara was currently trying to sew a hole in Sokka's pants, trying to concentrate as to not mess up.

Ayaan went to Aang. "Maybe flying a bit higher will give you a better sense of where we are?" He suggested.

"Great idea, Ayaan! Here, can you guide Appa for me?" Aang handed him the reigns. It was not the first time he had taken them during their travels, as the bison and eldest had grown incredibly close. Ayaan took the reigns easily, switching places with Aang as he got into the saddle where Ayaan once was.

Ayaan began petting the bison immediately, running his hands through the soft fluff. He could feel the bison rumble contently at the touch. The next time they landed, he would give Appa an a few apples and a melon, which they had found growing at their last stop. Appa had five stomachs, snacks were good to give to him when they had the chance.

Though he had to make sure to give Momo his share of treats too, the little guy had quite the appetite himself. But for now, he went back to guiding Appa to go a bit higher. He took in the sight of the ocean getting farther away, the clouds becoming larger. It was a blissful experience he felt lucky to have.

Aang had asked if Ayaan wanted to try flying Appa, and the older boy's eyes practically sparkled. Aang gave him pointers in flying with Appa while Ayaan gave Aang pointers during spars. The young airbender, although masterfully skilled in airbending, was not a fighter. Thus, when he was put in a situation were airbending was not enough, he found himself at a loss.

Ayaan gave him pointers the same way he gave Sokka points in the village. Since Aang used his staff, Ayaan gave him tips in the way he uses the blunt side of his spear. They went back and forth with ideas that Aang could use with and without his bending.

Although it was mostly Aang coming up with a bunch of super moves like the child he was.

The memory made Ayaan smile.

While Ayaan was thinking of fun moments with his family, Katara, Sokka, and Aang were in the saddle, being slightly chaotic.

"Hey Katara, check out this airbending trick!" Aang says enthusiastically, spinning the gray marbles Momo handed him so quickly it looked like a single ring.

"That's great, Aang." Katara answered, not even looking up. She was still trying to focus on not messing up Sokka's pants... more.

"You didn't even look."

Katara looks, "That's great!" She says, her poor acting skills shining.

"But I'm not doing it now." Aang deflates.

"Stop bugging her, airhead." Sokka waves his hand lazily at Aang, "You need to give girls space when they do their sewing."

Ayaan raised his eyebrow at the statement but said nothing. He didn't need to say anything, because Katara did herself.

"What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?" She asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"Simple. Girls are better at fixing pants than guys and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that." He answered easily, not noticing his sister's irritation skyrocket. "It's just the natural order of things."

'But Katara is physically stronger than you are?' Ayaan thought. Sokka and Katara did not seem to take notice of their eldest brother's confusion as they continued on.

"All done with your pants!" Katara said sarcastically. The pants were not even close to being finished, the hole very clear in them. "And look what a great job I did!" She threw them at Sokka, the pants slapping him in the face for her.

Sokka immediately regretted opening his mouth. "Wait! I was just kidding." He pleads, putting his arm through the gaping hole in his pants. "I can't wear these! Katara, please!"

After letting him beg and apologize for a few glorious minutes, and a bit of prompting from their eldest brother, she begrudgingly took the pants back to continue trying to fix them. Some time passed and Aang seemed to have a better handle on where he was thanks to the altitude. He and Ayaan switched places as he began guiding Appa in the correct direction.

Ayaan, now back in the saddle, went over to the frustrated Katara. "How is it going?" He asked, looking over her work.

The hole in Sokka's pants was massive, big enough to fit an arm through. He'd snagged it on a branch during their training somehow, and since he didn't pack any extra clothes, this was the only option. Ayaan tried giving him his spare pants, but they were way too big for him.

Let's just say... Ayaan did not miss leg day.

"It's... going." She said, her voice agitated, still irked from before. Katara was not great at sewing; Ayaan could see how many times she had to retry to get the stitch right before continuing. Although she was taught the basics of how to sew by the women of their tribe, it was still something she did not excel at.

Being around a sexist idiot did not help the issue.

"Want any help?" Ayaan offered. He may not be able to sew, but he could find a way to assist her to make it easier. While Katara was grateful for the offer of assistance, she shook her head in reply.

"Nah, I got it. But thanks." She gave him a grateful smile, before sending a pointed glare at her other sibling. "At least I have one competent brother."

"Sokka has his good points." Ayaan said encouragingly. Both he and Katara were his very capable siblings. He would never tell them any different. That was, unless they did something utterly stupid.

"Debatable." She said, not convinced. Sokka was, well, Sokka. It was a bit hard to find quality in him when compared to Ayaan, her favorite sibling. This brother was much better. Plus he didn't make jabs at her being a girl for every activity they did together.

But then again, Ayaan was the favorite for everyone so Sokka never had a chance in the first place. She loved him to bits, no doubt about that, but he, well...

He was Sokka.

"Sexist, immature, nut-brained." She grumbled, getting back to her sewing as Ayaan sighed but said nothing else.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Sokka exclaimed, annoyed.

"Yeah, I know." She replied dully, her deadpan matching their grandmother's. Unbothered by her second brother's annoyance, she continued to sew while talking. "What? Does hearing facts about yourself bother you?"

"What about you?!" He countered, the irk mark on her forehead returning.

"Yep, I guess I really am done with your pants." She put the needle down and turned away from them and him.

"What, no, Katara!" Sokka was back to pleading. This time, she was unyielding.

Ayaan just shook his head. He went to his spot in the saddle and began checking and organizing his supplies. That, and planning what snacks to give Momo and Appa when they landed again.

His siblings had always been this way. It actually felt nice seeing them this way. Seeing something that was familiar amongst all of these new, different experiences and places gave him a small peace of mind. He would be too worried about them if he had come on this journey alone, he was glad to have them here.

That made him think about his grandmother. He wanted to tell her how well they'd been so far, how he'd been able to get more sleep. He wanted to tell her he had less nightmares. He wanted to ask her how she was doing. He wanted to ask how the village was doing. Were the kids alright? Did they miss him? Because he definitely missed them too. He wondered if all of the repairs were done by now.

He calmed his thoughts. He was sure they were okay. They'd be okay. He breathed a sigh, content with his thoughts when he heard Aang speak up.

"Relax, Sokka. Where we're going, you won't need any pants." Aang said from the reigns, enthusiasm dripping in his voice. He turned Appa sharply, and after a few more minutes of flying, they could finally see an island in the distance. It didn't take long for them to get closer, Ayaan admiring the view from the sky.

It was an island covered in mountains. It had lush grass and he could feel the breeze brush by him; the beach they were approaching was large, it curved around the bay it had which led out to the open sea. They still had not gone too far from the South Pole, but they were far enough away that Ayaan could feel how different the temperature was compared to home. It was considerably warmer, but still cold.

But it seemed a bit odd they they were stopping so soon. After landing, Sokka was the first one to speak.

"We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?"

"He's right." Katara agreed, "At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring."

Ayaan nodded, standing beside his siblings with one Momo on his shoulders once again. He'd given the lemur a piece of fruit, which he was happily nibbling on without a care in the world.

"But Appa's tired, aren't you boy?" A grunt, which wasn't very convincing was his response. "I said, aren't you boy?" This time, Appa gave a more convincing groan of exhaustion. He opened his mouth as he grunted in what seemed to be a yawn.

"Yeah, that was real convincing." Sokka said, his sarcasm obvious, "Still, hard to argue with a ten-ton magical monster." He added, a bit wary. Sokka and Appa were still in the getting to know phase of their relationship.

Aang suddenly runs to the shore of the beach. "Look!" He points, causing the three siblings to follow where he was pointing.

Enormous fish with large fins were leaping out of the water. They had beautiful patterns on their scales that glistened in the sunlight. Ayaan had never seen anything like it, he'd never caught a fish of that size before.

"Ayaan. Bro." Sokka called, pointing out to the sea. There was a twinkle in his eyes, and slight drool on the side of his mouth. "Giant Fish, bro. Please." Ayaan could see his seal pup eyes enlarging by the second. "We'll be set for days bro. Please."

"You just want more food." Ayaan stated blandly.

Sokka nodded rapidly, not ashamed in the slightest.

"Even though we already have plenty for the next few weeks?"

He nodded again, his eyes sparkling like an innocent plea. On cue, his stomach grumbled, as if begging with him. Katara stood to the side, watching their exchange before shaking her head, exasperated with Sokka and his black hole of a stomach.

"I do not believe I have the material or the skill to reel any of them in. Sorry, Sokka." Ayaan declined, watching as the boy deflated by nodded in understanding. Hearing his stomach grumble again, he stuffed a piece of dried meat into his brother's mouth. Instantly, Sokka was happy again.

'Appa may not be the only one with five stomachs...'

Aang became giddy as more and more of the giant fish began to leap from the water. "That's why we're here." He starts to take off his clothes, shocking Ayaan a bit as he wasn't sure where he was going with this. He turned to his younger siblings, who were just as confused as he was. But Aang continued, not noticing their looks at all. "Elephant Koi, and I'm gonna ride it. Katara, you've got to watch me!"

And then he rushed off and jumped into the water.

'Its winter, Aang.' Ayaan thought, sweat-dropping a bit when the boy re-emerged from the water.

"Cold!" The boy cried out.

Ayaan just shook his head. "I will be in the forest." He told his siblings. They nodded, knowing that this was something he always did when they landed somewhere new.

He disappeared into the thicket.

This was his routine: He would scope out the island or area a bit. Being a skilled hunter and gatherer, he would gather anything useful that he found and create a mental map of the area. Being either blessed or cursed with a good memory, finding his way around places he's been before wasn't hard for him. He would not go too far out, always within earshot of his family. After finding a place he deemed safe to set up camp, he would return to relay his findings to them.

After all of that was done, he would just explore because he loved being in new places. He would take in the sights around him quietly; he would take in the scents of the grass and flowers, feel the bark on the trees. If things were different, he would have probably set out on his own like this. He would go see the world like this.

If he wasn't the eldest son of a chief with responsibility on his shoulders to one day lead.

If he didn't need to protect his siblings.

If he didn't have to help the Avatar.

If there was no war.

If only there was a world like that, he would probably be just like this. Free to roam this vast world without worry. But that... was just a wishful dream.

His thoughts were broken by a sound he knew wasn't suppose to be that close to the ground.

Tweet. tweet tweet.

He looked down, finding a sparrowkeet chick. They were native to the earth kingdom. He was sure that they were in that territory now. He had seen wild sparrowkeets before, and Aang supplied that they were popular as pets in the Earth Kingdom.

It was small, but it seemed to have its green color. When he looked up the tree is was near, he could see a nest not too far from the ground. After a moment, he could see other chicks leaving the nest. They walked slowly on a branch of the tree, before spreading their wings and flapping as hard and fast as they could. When they thought they had enough momentum, they jumped from the branch, taking to the air and flying away.

"Oh. I see." Ayaan understood what had happened. These chicks were beginning to leave the nest, and were learning to fly. This one must not have done it right and an ended up on the ground. Even now, he could see the poor bird jumping and flapping its wings.

Ayaan let a small smile slip by. "That isn't right, little one. Here." He walked up to the little bird. His hands were massive in comparison and the bird was understandably frightened by the sudden approach of this human. Ayaan made sure to be gentle as he climbed with the bird in tow, up the tree until he reached the nest.

The bird quizzically gazed at him as it was back in its nest. The other birds it was now beside did the same thing as the others before it did, making a successful take off. The bird's eyes shined in understanding before looking at the human.

Ayaan did nothing but smile, motioning for it to go on.

With a seemingly grateful and determined look upon its face, it copied its siblings. With a strong flap of its wings and a leap from the branch, it finally began to fly. With a last look at this human, it flew away, catching up to its siblings who were already flying north to warmer climates.

Ayaan sat there for a moment, watching as the bird flew away. After sitting there, he decided to climb higher in the tree, which was pretty large and sturdy. He got high enough to see Aang riding the Elephant Koi with what he was sure was a beaming smile on his face.

Katara was watching Aang, waving at him and cheering him on. But then Appa began trying to eat something, so she left to stop him. Momo was jumping up and down from what he could see, and Sokka was watching as well, though unimpressed. Though knowing his little brother, he actually was impressed with the airbender, though refused to admit it because of his stubbornness and pride.

Ayaan decided he would watch from there, as he had a very good view from the tree. Maybe it was because of this view that he saw it first. The large, long shadow lurking in the water beneath Aang who was completely unaware.

He jumped down from the tree immediately, rushing the short distance to get to where his siblings were.

"Aang! Get out of the water now!" He yelled from behind them, surprising his siblings with his presence and obvious distress.

"What's wrong, Ayaan?" Katara asked. Sokka had then seen it too, watching as a koi fish that was beginning to leap out was pulled back in before it could complete the action.

"There is something in the water!" Sokka answered her in alarm. "Aang, you have to get out!" He yelled. It wasn't long before Katara could see it too, a large dorsal fin emerging slightly from the water. Momo began to screech in alarm and the siblings began yelling too.

"Aang!" They all yelled. They were waving their arms, flailing in hopes he would see it and come back to shore.

"Waahaha!" Aang yelled happily, waving back at them. He was completely unaware of the danger he was in. It was at that moment that the fish he was riding disappeared beneath the water too. He emerged from the water unharmed much to the siblings' relief, but that speck of dorsal fin they saw also emerged from the water on full display.

Aang turned around, saw the enormous fin, and his confusion was promptly answered.

"Waaaahhh!" He screamed. He used his airbending to shoot himself across the water at almost blinding speeds. He was going so fast he was basically running on the water, leaving a white foam trail behind him. Despite his obvious speed, the beast lurking in the bay was gaining on him inch by inch, meter by meter. The siblings could see them getting closer, especially Sokka.

"Wait."

Aang got closer. Sokka looked at where Katara was, where Ayaan was, and where he was compared to where Aang was currently running towards at blinding speeds. His eyes widened in realization.

"Wait wait wait wait!"

But it was too late.

"Oof!" Aang collided with Sokka, unable to stop his approach as he safely made it to the shore. Ayaan and Katara were quick to run after them, following where they skidded on the ground and collided with a tree.

"Are you both okay?" Ayaan asked, checking over them both. He checked Sokka's face, hands, arms, legs, everything. Even his hair. He did the same for Aang. Aside from some scratches, they both seemed to be okay. He left Aang alone to put his clothes back on, and that was when Katara spoke up.

Though Ayaan wasn't listening to the conversation. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he felt a chill run up his spine. He was quick to grab his spear.

'Where is it coming from?' He was trying to pinpoint it, but he couldn't and that was a problem.

"Well," Sokka spoke up, not noticing Ayaan on edge, "let's not stick around to find out." He wipes his hands together and moves to leave. "Time to hit the road." It was at that moment Ayaan figured out his feeling.

'We're surrounded!'

Just as he thought that several female warriors clad in green dropped down from the treetops in an ambush. They were encircled before they knew it, only Ayaan having a weapon on him. They made quick work of his siblings and Aang as they were too caught off guard to do anything.

When one of the warriors tries to go after him, he slaps them with the butt of his spear on instinct. He weaves their attempts at attacking him, expertly using his spear to defend himself. One on one soon becomes one on two, and then three and then four, before long, he too was surrounded by the warrior women. He notices that his family had already been captured.

"Stand down! Wouldn't want your little friends getting hurt, would you?" One of the females said. It was the one he hit with his spear. Even with the white paint on her face he could tell that the area would bruise.

He was not sorry in the slightest.

"Ayaan!" Katara said, alarmed.

"I guess we'll be staying for a while?" Sokka said.

"Sorry, Ayaan." Aang said.

All of them were tied up with bags over their heads. They even had Momo trapped in a bag. They were all at the mercy of these warriors.

Ayaan said nothing as he gritted his teeth. But he knew there was no way out of this. The safety of his family came first. So, with great reluctance, he placed his spear down and raised his hands in surrender.

"Wise choice." And they bagged and tied him up too.