Fight19: A Scent of Home
In a forest near the sea where jagged rocks were jutting out of the ocean close to the shore, Aang found a sword made out of a whale tooth. Sokka took it and recognized it for what it was: a water tribe weapon. It was obvious that it had been handled much, if the notches and scratches were any indications. He told his friend to help him look for anything else. Chenlian and Katara arrived and asked them if they had lost something. But it was the contrary. They had found something. After brushing some leaves, Sokka picked up a broken arrow. It had been burnt. Then he inspected scorch and blade marks on a tree and on the ground.
"There was a battle. Water tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." He began to walk downhill as he interpreted the signs left in the earth. "The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill." He ran down the hill, the others in tow. They soon came to a beach. Chenlian couldn't agree more. She too had had to learn how to read such signs during her time on the run. But they had no idea what had happened after that. The trail ended here. But then Katara noticed a beached water tribe boat. They ran to it and affectionately rubbed its prow. It wasn't their dad's but it was one from his fleet. Their dad had been here!
Sitting at a table in his beloved nephew's cabin, Iroh enjoyed a cup of tea before pouring some more in the prince's cup...
"Ahh! See, Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well being." The old man said contentedly. However, just as Zuko raised the cup to his lips, a shock caused the drink to splash all over his face... A moment of quiet... He bristly wiped it away and went to see the cause of the commotion. On the foredeck, a young, beautiful dark haired woman had appeared riding a massive and furred animal she handled with a whip. The sturdy crewmembers, still holding a firebending stance, scattered, intimidated. The woman looked as fierce as her beast. She ordered them to get back. They were after a stowaway.
"There are no stowaways on my ship." Zuko, who had just arrived with his uncle close behind, contradicted her. The monster ripped out a chunk of deck plating and hurled it, the prince and his subordinates ducking just in time. It stuck its head into the gaping hole and sniffed. It was like it could see through smells. It followed the stowaway's odor to a barrel that fell over and a man crawled out, whimpering. The man climbed out onto the foredeck and attempted to run away but the monster ran after him and, twice, quickly whipped the back of his neck with its tongue. He fell instantly onto the deck, conscious but paralyzed, before the two royals' amazed looks.
When Zuko questioned her, the woman picked the man and informed him the paralysis was only temporary. The toxins were going to wear off in about an hour. But by then he'd be in jail and she'd have her money. The prince (not very nicely) asked her for more detailed explanations. The bounty hunter bragged that her shirshu could smell a rat a continent away. Iroh admired her, impressed. She cracked her whip and the shirshu bolted off the ship and down the dock. Iroh stroked his chin, very impressed, an appreciative (and devious) smile on his lips. He had always been a lover of beauty and strength. His nephew glared at him.
It was night. The four youths had set camp on the beach, close to the water tribe boat. Katara and Aang were already sleeping, Chenlian was resting but not sleeping and Sokka was tending the fire in silence, lost in thought. He was remembering this day when, two years ago, his face painted for war, he was struggling to carry his sleeping bag and gear toward the boats. His father, Hakoda, had seen this and stopped him. He wasn't old enough to go to war and he knew that.
"I'm strong! I'm brave! I can fight! Please, dad!" He had pleaded.
"Being a man is knowing where you're needed the most, and for you right now that's here protecting your sister." Hakoda had put a hand on his son's shoulder. The boy's eyes had started watering. He didn't understand. "Someday you will." And the man had strongly held his son in his arms. Sokka had dropped his sleeping bag and hugged his father back. "I'm going to miss you so much." The man had said. Although he was a skilled warrior and an excellent strategist, where he was going, there was no guarantee of survival. Nor was it possible to know when he would be able to see his loved ones again.
Sokka stared at the fire for another moment before hearing a sound and standing up, asking who was there. A bandaged water tribe man approached the camp.
"Sokka?" The man was surprised.
"Bato?" And Sokka was just as incredulous.
"Bato!" Katara exclaimed, rushing to him.
"Sokka! Katara!" Bato hugged them both. "It is so good to see you two! Oh, you've grown so much." He then looked at the two he didn't know and Aang and Chenlian introduced themselves. The siblings asked where their dad was, but unfortunately, he wasn't there. He and the other warriors should be in the eastern Earth Kingdom by now. The wind picked up and they all shivered. "This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside." He put his arms around Katara and Sokka's shoulderd and motioned the others to follow. Chenlian put the fire out and they all walked away.
As they arrived at a monastery complex, Bato told them that after he had been wounded, their father had carried him to this abbey where the sisters had cared for him ever since. He introduced the siblings to the Superior as Hakoda's children who had been traveling with the Avatar. He had found them by his boat.
"Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey." The Superior bowed. Aang bowed too.
"Thank you! It's truly an honor to be here. If there's anything-"
"What smells so good, Bato?" Sokka interrupted his friend, sniffing the air. Bato explained that the sisters crafted ointments and perfumes. "Perfume? Maybe we could dump some on Appa? Because he stinks so much! Am I right?" He cracked again. Nobody laughed or even showed the faintest trace of amusement on their faces.
"You have your father's wit." The older warrior commented. It didn't sound like a compliment...
They soon entered the room where he had been staying. As they examined the comforts, the siblings were VERY pleased to see how much it looked like their home. Everything was here, even the pelts!
"Yeah, nothing's more comforting than dead animal skins." The airbender agreed sarcastically. Momo hopped down and examined the head of a bear skin rug. The mouth of the bear closed suddenly, scaring Momo into climbing back up onto Aang's shoulder. The three sat down around the pot under which a fire was burning. Katara opened the lid.
"No way! Stewed sea prunes?" She was more and more delighted. Bato offered her to help herself. Sokka fondly remembered that their dad could eat a whole barrel of these things. The waterbender handed Aang and Chenlian their bowls. He smelled it and, disgusted, put the untouched bowl of stew beside him. The lemur tasted it, spat it back out and ran away. Such a dish wasn't to the firebender's taste either, but she had spent enough time in the North Pole to grow accustomed to it. And so the Southern Water Tribe people started reminiscing...
"Bato, is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?"
"It was your father's idea. He just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging."
"Hey, I ride animals too! One time there was this giant eel-" But again, the Avatar was cut off.
"So who was it that came up with the great blubber fiasco?"
"You knew about that?"
"Everyone does."
"What's that story?"
"It's a long one, Aang, some other time."
"You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures."
"Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny with hindsight. Aang, put that down, it's ceremonial and very fragile." Bato told the child off for wearing some kind of animal skin headdress. The airbender put it back on the wall and walked off, dejected and unnoticed, exept by Chenlian who had been watching quietly all the time and surveying his expressions while the others continued. He sat down, back to the wall, near the door where Momo joined him.
"Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?"
"Your dad wore the octopus, but..." He then added in a sinister tone: "I did the spooky voice."
That same night, in a three story tavern with many windows and packed with all kinds of people, someone was thrown through the wall above the door. June was arm-wrestling a beefy man... who was sweating in his attempt to best the beautiful bounty hunter while she did not even appear to be trying. Suddenly, Zuko appeared, forcing his way through the crowd.
"Out of my way! Step aside, filth!" He asked, as kindly as usual, and followed by Iroh, who, with a smile, addressed the people his nephew has just thrust aside.
"He means no offense! I'm sure you bathe regularly." They went to the table where June was arm-wrestling, and the muscular man still grunting and struggling against her grip. They needed to talk to her.
"Well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry Boy and Uncle Lazy." She greeted them. Iroh laughed heartily for a moment before the bounty hunter ended the contest with one swift movement. The crowd erupted in cheers and a lot of money changed hands, much of it ending up in a big pile in front of the young woman.
"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back." Zuko demanded.
"Aww, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money." She raked in the pile of money before telling the crowd: "Drinks on me!" They all cheered again.
"Money isn't what I had in mind." The exiled prince grabbed her hand as she raised her cup to her lips. The three of them left and went to the shirshu right outside the tavern. "I need you to find someone." He held Katara's necklace.
"What happened? Your girlfriend ran off on you?"
"It's not the girl I'm after, it's the bald monk she's traveling with."
"And his girlfriend's not the girl who owns the necklace, but the girl who's also travelling with the girl who owns the necklace. Well, she has also run off on him so he's after her too..." Iroh corrected. His nephew glared at him.
"Whatever you say." The woman replied like she couldn't care less.
"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for." Zuko offered (ordered) before he turned his uncle... "And Chenlian's NOT my girlfriend." He denied, a little too vehemently for someone who should not be caring.
"Heh! Forget it." June turned and began to climb into her saddle.
"Plus we'll pay your weight in gold." The retired general skillfuly held her back. She smiled, got down and walked over to him.
"Make it your weight and we got a deal."
"You got it!" Iroh laughed and the bounty hunter grabbed the necklace from Zuko's hand and told her new employers to get on. She let the shirshu smell it, jumped into the saddle in front of Zuko and Iroh and they toof off.
In Bato's room, Aang was still slumped against the wall away from the others, his eyes closed. Chenlian had joined him but she was still turned toward the water tribe people, using this opportunity to know more about her companions. The way you behaved with friends was really different from the way you behaved with family. One could never take the other's place after all. The most notable change was in Katara though. She was a strong, responsible, and great girl so it wasn't really noticeable when they were travelling but now that she was beside an adult who was just like family to her, she seemed to completely let go, like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
"There's something I should tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from your father."
"Really?"
"When?"
"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait here until the message arrives you can come with me and see your father again."
Aang straightened up at this and looked over at his friends, clearly worried that he might lose them.
"It's been over two years since we've seen dad! That would be so incredible. Katara?"
"I do really miss him. It would be great to see dad."
The Avatar looked downcast at this, loneliness and worry on his face. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. Followed by Chenlian, he walked down the road away from the abbey. They didn't hear Sokka say they had to take Aang to the North Pole first, or Katara that they didn't have the time for a long detour since they didn't know how long they would have to wait for the message or how far they'd have to travel to meet their father.
"I'm sure your father would understand and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar." The man declared, just as proud of them. "And that Chenlian, she's a firebender, right?"
"Bato, Chenlian's-"
"You two who hated firebenders so much actually have one as your friend, and a firebender who should be capturing the Avatar is actually trying to to protect it... It seems things are changing... The Avatar really brings people hope. And just like a snowball can roll downhill and grow larger until it becomes an avalanche, I think you guys will be able to spread the change over the whole world. And maybe with this, we can hope that after a hundred years, the war will finally be over soon."
"I can't believe they would leave me." The Avatar muttered, sitting huddled on the prow of Bato's boat.
"Aang..."
"Chenlian... do you really think Sokka and Katara are going to leave?"
"... There's a probability... but even so, I don't think they will. Why don't you trust them? And come back soon. The weather's really starting to get chilly, especially at night. It'd be bad if the Avatar caught a cold. You must be energetic at all times. "
"You're really strict."
"That's because you guys are too laid-back." She smiled back at him. "And while I know it's not enough, I still wanted to tell you this. I'll always be there for you. And I think they will too. Whether we're near of far away; we'll always be there for you. You're not alone. That's why everything will be alright."
"Thanks." Aang felt a little comforted, like his heart had gotten warmer.
"Now let's go back. You might not feel so well hearing about their family given your circumstances but it's a chance to know more about your friends, things we wouldn't usually get to know about what they like..."
"Go ahead, I'll be back in a few seconds."
"You sure? Okay then..." And Chenlian returned to Bato's room.
"Given your circumstances..."... huh? Katara and Sokka still had family left. But he had lost all of his, they were the only ones he had left. And Chenlian had also lost her parents. "it's not enough" It was true, for both Chenlian and him. He also needed Katara and Sokka to stay with him, just like he, Sokka and Katara were not enough for Chenlian... Then the airbender's thoughts were interrupted by an approaching Earth Kingdom soldier on an ostrich-horse. He was looking for Bato of the Water Tribe.
"Uh, I know Bato."
"Make sure he gets this." The messenger gave Aang a scroll and rode off. Aang, with Momo peering over his shoulder, opened the scroll to reveal the map to Sokka and Katara's dad. He thought of Chenlian's words... but after all; his fear was the strongest, and he crumpled the paper in anger, and stuffed it into his left sleeve, crouching back down.
"Hey everyone! Sorry I was gone so long." Aang saluted, overly cheerfully.
"Hey Aang, I didn't notice you left." Katara greeted him back. Her good mood genuine, and having not abated ever since she had first seen Bato again. And of course she could not have noticed just how weird the airbender was truly behaving since, unlike the firebender, she had not paid attention to him for a second.
"Yup, but now I'm back. Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!" The boy continued with the same exaggerated happiness. He sat down, grabbed a bowl and began munching. After a few seconds he spat them back out, VERY disgusted, before plastering his 'I'm-very-happy-and-that-thing's-very-yummy' expression again. The Water Tribe people were looking at him strangely, but more than that, Chenlian was eyeing him suspiciously. He was hiding something, and trying to shut his feelings by acting like this...
The next day, the shirshu and its riders arrived at the ruins of Taku where the Herbalist was harvesting some plants. Miyuki tensed and hissed at the large beast.
"Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?" The old woman asked, unafraid in her casualness.
"We're looking for someone." Zuko said.
"I hope it's not Miyuki." She looked down at her white persian cat. "Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation again?" The cat meowed and backed away.
"The Avatar's been through here. Let's keep moving." June cracked her whip and the shirshu took off.
In the abbey's courtyard, Appa was lying down munching on hay Aang would airbend in front of him. The map fell out of Aang's sleeve. A sister picked the crumpled paper and scolded the boy who should be ashamed of himself. The Avatar looked very guilty and afraid, but was reassured when he heard she was merely angry at him for littering in the courtyard. He snatched the map and apologised, saying he would take care of it. He bowed nervously and the sister walked off. He stuffed the map back under his hood.
Bato and the children approached his boat and telling them how sentimental this ship was to him as it had been built by his father. Aang looked down and saw the tracks of the messenger's beast. He airbended the entire trail away but not before a certain mahogany-haired girl saw it, then he turned back to the others, whistling guiltily. However, he stiffened when he saw Chenlian's piercing and reprobating gaze fixed on him. She knew! She knew but she would not say anything because she wanted him to man up and speak himself. She kept staring at him insistently, silently urging him to tell the truth, and the sense of command was so strong that he could feel his defenses overcome one by one, even as the others were talking...
"Is this the boat he took you ice-dodging in?" Sokka asked Bato.
"Yeah, it's got the scar to prove it. Huh. How about you, Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice-dodging?" The man questioned back, but Katara answered that he had never got to go. Their dad had left before he was old enough. "Oh, I forgot, you were too young."
"What's ice-dodging?" Aang jumped on the safety rope, the very second before giving in to Chenlian's pressure.
"It's a rite of passage for young water tribe members. When you turn fourteen your dad takes you-... you know what?" He put a hand on Sokka's shoulder "You're about to find out." Bato smiled at him and Sokka's downcast expression also melted into a smile.
In Makapu village, people were running and screaming, fleeing the shirshu and its riders. They stopped before Aunt Wu, who looked quite serene, standing to the left of the closed circular door to her building. Zuko wanted to know why they were stopping.
"Because the girl must have spent a lot of time here."
"We have no time for this!" The prince grabbed the necklace from the woman's hand, got down and showed the animal the necklace again... and narrowly avoided getting zapped by its tongue. "Hey, watch it!" Iroh laughed.
"Oh look, he likes you." June taunted.
"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?" Aunt Wu approached and looked at Iroh almost flirtingly.
"At my age there is really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery." The old man replied wisely. June whiped the shirshu, tha took off once again under the fortuneteller's watch.
Surrounded by treacherous rocks, Bato's boat was cutting through the waves near the shore. Its owner was explaining that ice-dodging was a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust. In their village it was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs. Sokka wondered how they were supposed to ice-dodge without ice.
"You will be dodging those." Bato pointed ahead at a veritable thicket of stalagmite like rocks. "Sokka, you steer and call the shots. Lead wisely. Katara, you secure the mainsail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave. Aang, you control the jib, without your steady hand we all go down. Your position is about trust."
"I know that! Why wouldn't I know that? I'm the Avatar! I know about trust." The Avatar exclaimed, nervous and guilty. He pouted and folded his hands across his chest.
"And last but not least, Chenlian. You're the solid backbone supporting them all. I don't think you need instruction from me. I trust that you know where you're the most needed. And I am entrusting them to you." Bato walked over to the bow and sat down. "For this to be done right I cannot help. You pass or fail on your own."
Sokka was at the tiller, the others holding on to their respective sails. The helmsman's expression hardened.
"Aang, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady! Aang, less sail! Chenlian, need a little firebending push starboard!" The older boy, drenched by the water that had heavily sprayed him, pulled the tiller to his right so the ship would go more to the left through a narrow passage. "Katara, give him room!" The Avatar was hauling his rope, as the vessel weaved in and out of the rocks. "Aang! Helm to lee! Helm to lee!"
"What does that even mean!?"
"Sokka pushes with all his strength and you do that!" Chenlian grabbed the rope and helped him trim the jib and she raked the mast forward. All four struggled and the ship narrowly missed another rock.
"Great job!" The young water tribe warrior complimented them. However, they had just entered at high speed a dead end ringed by jagged rocks... Bato advised Sokka against it as he had already proven himself but the boy was sure they could make it. "Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail! Chenlian, you heat the air Aang's bending, but not too much, be careful! Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks! Now!" Sokka ordered with determination. The airbender started pushing wave after wave of air into the sail, making them pass through the constant stream of heat the firebender was releasing while the waterbender raised the ship up on an accelerating wave of water. The wave carried the speeding ship safely over the rocks. When it was over, Sokka fell back on the tiller with a sigh of relief. They were all smiling.
Back on the beach, Bato scooped dark blue face paint with his bandaged hand out of a bowl.
"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the mark of the wise, the same mark your father earned." He marked Sokka's head with a dot and a half circle mark above it. "For Katara, the mark of the brave. Your courage inspires us." He marked her head with a crescent shaped mark. "For Chenlian, the mark of the-"
"No. It would truly be a great honor, but I can't accept it. Because even now, I still belong to the Fire Nation. And even without marks, those feelings will never disappear and I swear to always help them in any way I can." A sincere and apologetic smile adorned the firebender's face. Bato smiled comprehensively and turned to Aang. "And for Aang, the mark of the trusted. You are now an honorary member of the water tribe." He marked Aang's forehead with a half circle mark.
"I can't." The boy said suddenly.
"Of course you can!" Katara disagreed.
"No, you can't trust me." He rubbed off the mark and backsed away, his head hung low. The blue-eyed girl fearfully asked him what he was talking about. "A messenger gave this to me for Bato." He showed the crumpled scroll. Katara took it and looked at it and drew in a breath of surprise. "You have to understand, I was afraid you'd-"
"This is the map to our father! You had it the whole time!? How could you? Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find dad." Sokka took the map stalked away angrily.
"Now Sokka, I think you should-" Bato tried to temper him but the still outraged boy wouldn't let him.
"Katara, are you with me?" He turned to his sister. Katara looked for a time at Aang's hopeful face before lowering her gaze. In the end, she was too hurt and disappointed.
"I'm with you, Sokka." She turned away.
"Chenlian?"
"...I'm staying with Aang." The amber-eyed girl answered after a pause. The three water tribe members left Aang and Chenlian alone on the beach.
The next day, Sokka, Katara, and Bato were putting their backpacks on in the abbey's main courtyard, Aang was sitting on Appa's head in the background looking dejected and Chenlian was on the saddle. It was up to the siblings to choose what they really wanted to do. But somehow, she doubted things would simply end like this between them, and she felt she had no say in it. Or was it that she trusted these siblings so much that she didn't feel the need to say anything? Katara walked sadly over to Aang.
"Good luck."
"Okay. You too." She walked out of the gate of the abbey, Bato and Sokka following. The Superior approached Aang.
"Guess I should be moving on." The boy reluctantly resolved.
"That would be best." The older woman agreed sadly. The Avatar shook Appa's reigns, who walked them out of the gate. The boy and the girl looked to the left at the retreating figures of their friends in the distance. Momo was clinging to one of Appa's horns.
"It's not that I particularly want to rub salt on your wound, but you know it was a really stupid move, right?" Chenlian asked, referring to his hiding of the map.
"I know..." Aang sighed dejectedly, looking even more miserable. The firebender felt a light pang of pathos. Even if she did not want to, she could not help but speak in this brusque and blunt manner, and wound people. She sighed too, inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if preparing herself or gathering her courage or determination.
"But it's not like I don't know where you come from... There was a time when I was riddled with a similar fear."
"You know fear?!"
"I'm human too, you know." She glared sideways at him for his rude comment.
"Sorry!"
"But since I always hide it, I forgive you."
"Errr... thanks..."
"Anyway, it happened before I met you guys. For a long time, I wavered a lot about whether I should tell you I was a firebender. I was really scared you would reject me. But then I thought about what you'd feel when you'd know I'd been lying to you. And I didn't want that, would you come to trust me, I didn't want to betray that trust. That's why I gathered all my courage and told you the truth. I was ready to keep trying until I convinced you. Trusting people is very difficult, you can't expect them to trust you without trusting them first... and there's always the possibility of being betrayed even if you trust. But if it's these two, I think it should be alright to trust them, that they'll forgive you and come back to you." She smiled kindly. Aang returned the smile, although his was tinted with sadness and hope.
The shirshu burst through the gates of the Abbey, scaring the sisters making perfume, and circled in the courtyard where Katara's smell could be seen all over. They were getting close. June whipped her beast again and it ran up the path the water tribe people had taken...
Bato and his two young companions were walking along that same road. In the distance, a wolf howled. They stopped to listen.
"That wolf sounds so sad." Katara remarked. Her brother thought It was probably wounded.
"No, it's been separated from the pack. I understand that pain. It's how I felt when the water tribe warriors had to leave me behind. They were my family and being apart from them was more painful than my wounds." Bato hung his head. And Sokka bore the same sad expression. He had felt the same thing when that day two years ago, he had watched his father's fleet depart into the mist.
"We need to go back. I want to see dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most." Sokka decided, after a pause.
"You're right." His sister agreed with a smile. Now, their family did not only consist of their tribe members. Aang, Chenlian, Sokka, Katara, and Appa and Momo... each of them had become irreplaceable to the others. And after all, the siblings could not leave like this. They all needed to be there to accomplish the things only they could do. And the children Bato, their dad, and the rest of the fleet had left had become fine adults who knew where they were the most needed. The recovering man put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Your father will understand. And I know he's proud of you." He said, as proud as their father and acting as his proxy. Sokka thanked him. "I know where to go from here." He gave the young man the map. "Take this in case you want to find us. I'll leave a message at the rendezvous point."
Appa, Aang, Chenlian and Momo were on the beach near Bato's boat. The airbender had wanted to wait like the firebender had suggested but after all, it looked like they were going to go alone... Suddenly, the Superior rushed up to them.
"Avatar! You must leave!"
"Okay, I get it. Everybody wants me gone." The boy shot back, sourly.
"A group of people came to the abbey looking for you."
"Who?!" Aang questioned vehemently, alarmed. Chenlian's expression had also changed and her position had sharply shifted from an apparently laidback one to a tense one. She was tightly gripping the saddle.
"A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster and a young man with a scar."
"Zuko..." The two teens instantly recognized the man from the description. The Superior told them the beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow them. "A necklace?" And a second later, they remembered, and their eyes widened, filled with terror for their water tribe friends. "Huh! Katara!"
Sokka and Katara were walking down the path when Sokka motioned for his sister to stop as a galloping sound was heard. The shirshu landed behind them and they ran, the monster and its riders in pursuit, until the siblings were cornered against the steep rock wall. They had found the owner of the necklace.
"Is this your girlfriend? She's too pretty for you." June commented.
"Actually, it's not that one. It's the girl with red hair... who's not here." Iroh corrected her as his nephew hopped down and approached the cornered water tribe members.
"Where is he? Where's the Avatar? And where is Chenlian?" He interrogated them.
"We split up! He's long gone." Sokka glared back defiantly. "And you wouldn't get to him anyway since Chenlian's protecting him." He taunted the exiled prince. For a second, Zuko's eyebrow twitched.
"How stupid do you think I am?" The scarred young man retorted, refusing to believe.
"Pretty stupid." The blue-eyed warrior smirked before grabbing his sister by the arm. "Run!" He screamed like a girl. They dashed, but the shirshu paralyzed them both with its tongue before they got very far. They collapsed, unable to move. The animal started seeking a different scent... and found the map Aang had held. The siblings were loaded onto the shirshu too and the beast leapt down the woods.
It soon blasted again through the hastily repaired gate of the abbey. The sisters ran away screaming in all directions. The shirshu began walking around in a circle, sniffing until it looked up into the air to see the scent spiraling around. Suddenly Aang arrived on his glider, followed by Chenlian. He flew up to the monster, which started to jump up to snap at him, in the same time, the mahogany haired girl blasted fire at its paws. Not only did the shirshu miss Aang, but frightened, it reared too high and managed to dump its riders onto the floor of the courtyard as it fell flat on his back. Elated, Katara cried their names. Chenlian shot a controlled blast at Zuko and June to get them away from her friends. They avoided and bolted back up. The two firebenders in exile faced each other and assumed a fighting stance while June remounted.
"So THAT one's your girlfriend huh? And she even left you for the Avatar... that must have hurt... No wonder she did though. She's way too good for you." The woman with the coiled snake tattoo on her shoulder could not help but taunt before going after Aang. However, Appa's head rammed right into the shirshu's flank, knocking its rider away and smashing the strange beast against the wall, blowing a large hole. The bison had a fiery grin on his face and breathed heavily out his nostrils.
Chenlian and Zuko were locked in stares, waiting for the other to attack first, as if testing each other out... until the young man could no longer bear it. He had to capture the Avatar and if she was to stop him then... He fired at her, but in a circular movement, she seemed to catch his flames before twirling like a waterbender, and her hands curling into fists, send them right back at him, their power, size, speed, and intensity doubled after she had added her own twist. He protected himself but was nonetheless propelled backward.
During that time, June had been woken up by Iroh and was attacking Aang again, who kept flying and leaping around at high speed, avoiding the shirshu's natural paralyzing weapon, trying to retaliate in the same time with blasts of air he would hurtle with his staff. Appa was also trying to help and knock the beast away with powerful condensed gusts he would bend with his tail. Seeing that, Chenlian also went to help. She blocked the monster's path by shooting a large ball of fire right before it. It reared again. She shot at it and it jumped down to avoid it. She kept sending jets, balls, and arches of flames, keeping her distance from her that long darting tongue. But although this strategy allowed her to stay safe and skillfully seal and control the monster's movements and keep it away from Aang, it also gave the already fast, quick-reflexed animal more time to dodge any attack on itself.
In the meantime, Zuko had engaged the Avatar in combat. The boy broke the plumes of flames by twirling his staff, just like the teen dodged all the gusts of wind. They brought the fight to close combat and the prince managed to knock the staff out of his enemy's hands. They traded several rounds of blows, all of which missed or blocked. The two fired volleys simultaneously, their attacks collided and the force blew backwards onto the roofs behind them. Aang groggily got up on the roof and his eyes went wide as he saw Zuko charging at him down the spine of the roof. The prince bended a vertical arch of fire at the Avatar who flipped over his head to land behind him. They exchanged blows with the young monk eventually knocking Zuko all the way back to the tower. When the firebender recovered and opened his eyes, it was to see Aang charging at him and bending air at him like he had bended fire earlier. Zuko avoided and jumped down onto the courtyard again. The shirshu dodged Chenlian's shot by jumping over it and onto the roof, replacing the prince as the boy's opponent... although it had been singed in many places. The bounty hunter's control over it was impressive. Any other beast would have fled. Again, Appa would use his tail to create gales to blow the shirshu away. But it was too quick and he only managed to blow tiles and wood... part of them falling on Sokka just as he was getting some feeling back, making him yowl in pain.
On the courtyard, the two firebenders were facing each other. But this time, Zuko was much more cautious and focused. He brought the duel to closer combat so he wouldn't fall prey to her large and devastating attacks (as she wouldn't risk him being too severely injured or dying), but not close enough for her to use her all too dangerous hand-to-hand fighting style. With a somewhat close to mid stance, the prince punched and kicked fire and tried to break her roots as he had learned. But after all, even that was impossible. She was already strong back then but with the real battle experience she had gained while fighting off pursuers, she had become even more skilled. Her footwork and elusiveness were nothing like before. All his attacks were parried, diverted or thrown back at him, and yet, she was still carefully watching the Avatar... while it took all his concentration just to stay out of her reach. It galled him. It maddened him. He had grown stronger too, much more than before! So why? Did he mean so little to her?! Suddenly, as she was looking at the airbender, her eyes widened. Zuko noticed and also looked. And during that second's worth of inattention, Chenlian closed the distance, caught his arm, bent his wrist, and aimed a firebending enhanced kick at his chest to propel him far and make him crash against the wall.
She lost no time and went to help Aang who was trapped in a corner of the courtyard. June had calculated his escape route and managed to block it. With her feet Chenlian shot flames at the shirshu's legs like a rising tide. And as intended it got away from Aang and fled on the roof. The firebender fired blast after blast at the running animal, careful enough to hinder its movements without killing it or injuring it too severely knowing the monk would dislike it, especially if she did it in front of him. It might be something she couldn't have cared less about in the past. But at these people's contact, she had changed. Well, she had hoped to drive it away just like this but it seemed she would have to take care of its rider first... And propelling herself with jets of fire, Chenlian went after the bounty hunter... as that woman was too skilled to be defeated with long ranged attacks. She had to knock her off in hand to hand combat. Appa was also helping. While away from harm and trouble, letting the lively young ones about doing their businesses, Iroh had taken to testing out perfumes nearby. He found one he liked, looked from side to side to make sure no one was looking and then tucked the bottle into his robe, a mischievous smile on his face.
Meantime, the Avatar and the prince had started dueling once again, this time a covered well in-between them. Zuko volleyed shot after shot, all dodged by Aang who suddenly noticed Katara's necklace in the teen's hand.
"You've got something I want!" The airbender affirmed. The prince attacked again, soon destroying the well's covering. They danced around on the lip of the well, neither one able to gain decisive advantage over the other. Aang kept trying to grab the necklace, but failed each time, until his opponent lunged after him and missed. As he passed, the monk slipped his foot through the loop of the necklace, catching it, stepped on Zuko's back with his other foot, pushing him down on the ground, and then disappeared down the well, with Zuko bolting up and firing a huge plume of flame after him in frustration. However, the prince was launched into the air as the airbender reappeared atop a huge pillar of water and landed further away. The water from the well rained back down on them, and Zuko fell back with it. The firebender quickly recovered and went after the Avatar again. They exchanged blows again but the prince had started getting the hang of Aang's movements and maneuvers and soon managed to hold him against the wall and keep blocking his escape routes, although he was still unable to hit a decisive strike.
Noticing the airbender's predicament, Chenlian jumped between him and Zuko and dissipated the teen's fire, giving her young friend the chance to withdraw, but before he could, a tongue darted and almost hit him. The prince's attacks became much fiercer, relentless, attacking even when he was defending. Because of their closeness, both Aang's and Chenlian's movements were hindered. Aware of their disadvantageous situation, the female firebender was going to put an end to it by forming a protective wall of flames and hurl it at Zuko like a wave but changed her mind (or rather, found it no longer necessary) when she remarked what the sisters and the water tribe siblings were going to do...
The Superior had put some kind of perfume under their noses, enabling them to move better. Sokka had understood that shirshu 'saw' with its nose and immediately devised the way to counter it. They were going to give it something to look at... And so Sokka and the sisters had gathered their jars of perfume that they dumped onto the ground. Katara waterbended the highly odoriferous liquid into a huge sheet, moves it over the beast, and dropped it. The monster shook off the liquid, but was now terribly confused. Chenlian, whose back was to the animal, partly hiding it from Zuko's view, waited and ducked just in time thanks to her instinct as the tongue lashed in the direction... and hit the prince who collapsed. June was going to crack her whip but was hit too.
"June! Noooo!" Iroh yelled dramatically, catching the falling bounty hunter and both fell on the ground, with the woman on top of him... and his arm around her waist... The shirshu was still on a rampage. It broke a few more jars, pawed the tiles of the roof of one of the buildings, then jumped over the wall and disappeared. Aang picked up his staff, he was joined by Chenlian, Katara and Sokka.
"Uncle? I didn't see you get hit with the tongue." Zuko wondered, laying flat.
"Shh!" The old man closed his again, a satisfied smile on his lips... as opposed to June who opened her eyes, clearly displeased.
"So, where do we go?" Aang asked. Everyone was on Appa's saddle. The bison was currently flying north-east.
"We're getting you to the North Pole." Katara answered. Her brother agreed, they had lost too much time as it was. But the boy was still unsure. Didn't they want to see their father?
"Of course we do, Aang. But, you're our family too, and right now, you need us more." Sokka replied.
"And we need you." The waterbender added.
"I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you-"
"I'll be okay."
"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like this!" Aang jumped up, proudly offering Katara her necklace, a huge smile on his face. She grabbed the chocker and put it on happily.
"Aang, how did you get that?!"
"Zuko asked to be sure I got it to you." The boy was still smiling.
"Oh, that's so sweet of Zuko." She added in mock appreciation, going along with the joke. "Would you give him a kiss for me when you see him?"
"Sure!" The monk exclaimed gladly. Katara kissed his cheek. He blushed and twiddled his thumbs. Chenlian chuckled lightly. Those guys were only joking. Of course they were... for she was the only one in this group who knew of Zuko's truly sweet sides... although she didn't know whether he still had them or not...
Author's note: alright, I've caught up. My usual 8 chapters difference between what I post and what I write. From now on, I'll only post a chapter when I finish the one I'm writing so the update speed will significantly drop. Only five chapters till the end of the first season.