I had begun taking tea and dinner with Zuko and Iroh much to the general's insistence. In his words, "the galley is no place for an honorable guest." Conversations between us were not forced, or rather, not as forced as they had felt in the past. I still remembered when news of the Avatar had disrupted a peaceful meal. Yet every time we ate, nothing like it ever happened again. Meals and teas were quiet, probably rh only quiet part of the day.

One afternoon, after an intense sparring session, Iroh rushed us both to Zuko's quarters. He had set up a pot of tea with three cups. He always had the richest assortments, and he seemingly had a blend for every ailment. Green tea to act as a sort of wake up. Oolong tea was bruised in the case of a minor injury. Pu-erh with a dash of ginger was used in cases of seasickness during long days at sea. Then of course, there was his favorite, jasmine. Sister Wei had said it was calming, and Iroh seemed to agree with her statement.

The smell wafted through the room as Iroh poured. I took the cup and held it to my nose inhaling the steam as the monks taught me. In a strange way, the tea sittings also filled the very small void of no longer taking part of traditional Air Nomad customs. I never dared say it out loud, but I hated the butter tea that Aang and I drank during breakfast. It always tasted too rich and salty, and the feeling of the butter sitting on my lips had been uncomfortable. Even when I had told Iroh of it, he looked as if he were going to faint.

Just as I was about to take a sip of the carefully prepared jasmine tea, the ship jerked violently. The content of the cup splashed onto my face. Thankfully, the heat of the water wasn't hot enough to scald, yet it was still uncomfortable. Even my hair became drenched with tea. I stood up and tossed my wet ponytail back over my shoulder, following Zuko out to the main deck.

Soldiers were scrambling and crying out. The Firebending troops stood poised in a formation. From before, a large furry paw with black claws was climbing over the rim. Its fur was a ruch yellow brown. A dark brown stripe ran along its back. The face of the creature resembled a wolf bat, yet it lacked eyes. Its nose was pink and tendrilled like an octopus. The body of the beast resembled a wolf or a fox with strong yet lean legs and a bristled tail. As it clambered fully onto the deck, the Firebenders broke formation and ran.

A woman was saddled on top of the strange monster. Her raven hair was parted to one side, and her dark eyes were glistening. She wore black clothes, and I could vaguely make out spiraling red tattoos on her forearms. A whip was coiled in her hand. "Get back!" she yelled. "We're after a stowaway."

"There are no stowaways on my ship." As Zuko said this, I noticed that he was standing directly in front of me. A part of me felt relief. If this woman had been sent by Zhao, then he was literally shielding me from her. But the other part felt slightly annoyed. Yes, I was a nonbender and this creature was nothing I had ever seen before, but he knew that I was more than capable of fighting.

The beast knelt to deck. In one bite, a huge slab of metal had been pulled into its mouth. The pieces were ripped and jagged. It was flung in our direction. Alarmed, Zuko pulled me against him and pushed us out of harm's way. Iroh and the other Firebenders stepped out of the way. The metal slab flew past everyone, landing against the doorframe of the main hub with a loud clang. As it died down, Zuko let me go and took a stance. I didn't have my staff with me, but I also managed to take a stance.

The creature stuck its nose into the hole that had been created. There were several tense moment before suddenly, someone crawled out through the hole. I didn't recognize the man who had appeared. His clothing looked ragged, and instead of shoes, he had dirty cloth wrapped around his bare feet. The beast pursued him over the deck. It took one step and then, it opened its mouth Within was a long barbed tongue. It recoiled and then shot forward like a whip, striking the fleeing man. He fell onto the deck, his expression frozen in one of fear, and his entire body completely rigid.

"Is he…?" I stammered, not wanting to think the worst.

"He's paralyzed…" Zuko murmured in shock.

The woman dismounted the creature and picked up the man as if he were only a blanket. "Only temporarily. The toxins will wear off in about a hour. But by then, he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."

"How did you find him on my ship?" Zuko asked.

The woman looked back over at us. Her face was pleased and she patted her mount as if she were petting a Komodo rhino or sky bison. "My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." With lithe movements that could envy even an Airbender, she was back in the saddle. After settling in and grabbing the reins with one hand, she unfurled her whip. She cracked it once and with one single leap, the shirshu was off the deck and dashing off towards the woods close to the harbor where we had docked.

Disgust and envy twisted up in my stomach. Here was a nonbending woman that was capable of exploring the world on the back of a large creature that was just as dangerous as it was useful.

The hole in the deck had been the only piece of damage the shirshu had done to the ship. The engineers had tried to make repairs, but from the bite marks and jaggedness of the metal, there was no safe way to get the ship fixed where it would be safe. It was agreed by everyone that activities on the deck would be put on hold until we were able to pay for repairs. This cut into the sparring sessions that Zuko and I often had in late evenings before dinner. With a large hole in the deck, practicing was pretty much cancelled.

To say Zuko was annoyed was an understatement. He glared at the hole, then looked at where the strange woman had gone earlier that day. He clenched his fists and exhaled. When he did, smoke and embers flickered like he was a dragon.

"This was supposed to be a simple resupply stop," he muttered. "And then she comes along with her…" Suddenly, he trailed off. He began pacing the deck, his gaze flickering to nothing. In one instance, he looked at me before going back to pacing. He retreated into the structure's doorway and then came back, holding something that I had forgotten he was in possession of because I had been focused on Aang's well-being and my budding friendship with the prince.

Katara's necklace.

The blue pendant shone in the dimming evening light. He was studying it, then looking back out to the horizon. I approached him, hesitant to ask again, but it was the only way I knew that I could get answers.

"Where exactly did you find that?"

"It was on the ground of the prison rig a few months ago," Zuko answered. "I didn't steal it from her. It was just lying there, like it had fallen off during a fight."

From the way he looked into my eyes, I knew he was telling the truth. His hand closed on the pendant and he looked away before meeting my eyes again. The determined glint that shone whenever he had a plan to track someone down had returned.

"Gitan…you won't like this…and I understand if you don't want to come along.."

My eyes widened. He didn't need to finish. "You're seriously thinking of sicking that thing onto my brother?!"

"The tongue will only paralyze him. You saw it, too."

"Yes, but what if its master has other plans? What if she takes him away and leaves us high and dry? What if Zhao hires her? He has the authority to do so."

My argument made the prince quirk his good eyebrow at me. His expression softened slightly, yet his jaw twitched with frustration. 'I…hadn't thought about that." He exhaled hotly and looked away. Until he murmured quietly, "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

He looked back at me. "Unless we hire her. Make a contract so that your brother goes with us instead of her. Besides, she owes me for the damage."

"But how will we know where she is?" I asked. "She could be anywhere in those woods!"

Zuko's lips thinned with impatience. "Chances are she's the only one that rides a…shirshu…"

I nodded, following his logic, "Fair point."

"And what are you two conspiring about?"

Iroh's voice came behind us, making us jump. He was facing us with a stern frown. "I can't believe you would make plans to talk to a darkly dressed woman about capturing the Avatar…" his face melted into one of hurt, "without me! I wanted to talk to that woman myself. Get to know such an interesting individual."

We both took an exasperated breath. Interesting could mean that he shared our logic of talking to her about her mount. The other definition was one that I didn't want to think too much about.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose "Uncle, this has nothing to do with simple tea and conversation."

"Nephew, you speak as though persuasion is buying food from the market," Iroh said. "This woman has her own path. Forged in coin. We may be exiled royalty, but we can certainly pay her services."

I shifted on my feet, keeping my gaze down. Women like her, who were paid tracking services, played by their own rules. Even with a contract, like Zuko suggested, she would find a way to benefit herself. While I never encountered one who rode a beast with the capability to track, I had heard whispers of dangerous folks searching for criminals. Aang wasn't a criminal, but he was the Fire Nation's most wanted individual at the time. I was on that list, too, simply for associating with him. The crossroads were leading me to paths I never wanted to take; stand idly by and let a woman with unknown motives capture my brother, or be an active part of a manhunt for my brother. Working with her would be an effective way to track down Aang. Yet I didn't trust that she wouldn't hurt him, or betray us, her employers.

My voice came out small, but I had to say what I needed to. "I won't lie to you, this…scares me. But with little to no information about where Aang is now, or where he will be, we don't have a lot of options. If she can track the Avatar, and if we have control of the situation," I let the 'if' dangle with heaviness.

Zuko's jaw tightened once more as he weighed my points. For a few moments, we just stood in silence. Finally, his eyes shifted to me. In them, I saw determination and, although subtle, a hint of apology. "So you're with me on this."

I took a deep breath. My instincts screamed at me to run away; to forget we ever saw that woman. But the thought of Aang, of the Avatar, being out there, and the desperate need to protect my brother… it outweighed my fear.

"Yes," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "But we do this on my terms, too. No unnecessary risks to Katara and Sokka. And if she even looks at Aang the wrong way…" I let the threat hang in the air.

Zuko nodded slowly. "Agreed." He turned to Iroh. "Uncle?" Iroh grinned widely like a little kid who said he was going to get something if he was good on an errand run.

Tracking the shirshu by its tracks was the only real option we had. Instead of taking a Komodo rhino, much to my relief, the three of us searched for it on foot. The tracks led through the thicker parts of the woods, where from far away, the buildings by the docks could have been confused for fireflies. The tracks ended at a scrub that seemed to go on forever. Yet the hillside showed claw marks; she had climbed up it with her shirshu.

"Excuse us," I hailed a traveler on an ostrich horse. "We're looking for a woman dressed in black. She rides something called a…shirshu."

The man's eyes widened with an expression of fearful recognition. "June. She's one of the most feared bounty hunters in the Earth Kingdom. Her prices aren't cheap."

"Where is she now?" I pressed.

He pointed back the way he came. "She almost always spends her time at the Bamboo Seeds. You'll hear it before you see it." Before I could ask anything else, he hurried down the path.

There were no other leads besides going up the path where he had pointed. The sky had grown dark, and the only light that we had was Iroh casting a small flame which he cradled in his palm gently. Wagon tracks and ostrich horse tracks were in front of us, and they were crisscrossed on the dirt so many times, that it was impossible to know which ones were fresh. The air grew heavy with the smell of fallen trees and the bitter cold of winter. Going higher, more scents filled the air. The smell of burning wood and spices. Either we'd come across a camp, or the man forgot to mention that the Bamboo Seeds had a smell to it as well as noise.

But then there was the sound of something shattering and the din of a crowd roaring.

We rounded the bend and the sounds became something else. There was rough laughter, mixed yelling, a poorly played string instrument, and clanging metal. The noises were coming from a building nestled comfortably in between a row of trees. The window glowed with a warm light, signaling its welcome. There had once been a signpost, but all that remained was the bristled remains of a wooden stick. This had to be the Bamboo Seeds, because seedy was the first word that came to mind.

Zuko led the way inside. The place was a well-established, two story eatery, lined with tables and chairs. While some people were sipping from tankards, most of them were huddled around a large table. Zuko pushed through the crowds, rudely shouting for people to step aside. Iroh trailed behind, apologizing for his nephew's behavior with grins and calming words. I followed him, keeping my eyes on some of the guests. One of them tried to grab my wrist, but I slapped it away smartly with a glare. "Don't touch me," I muttered. "Or you'll be greeted to this on your skull," I patted my staff with my best intimidating glower. One patron backed away, muttering something about being friendly.

We finally reached the table. Sitting at one side was a man with spiked hair and large muscles. On the other side, her face blank and unwavering, was June. Both of them had their elbows resting on the table and their hands gripped tightly around one another. Their arms wavered. The man was gritting his teeth and sweating profusely, while June was calm and focused.

"I need to talk to you!" Zuko demanded.

June glanced at us. "Well, well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry Boy, Uncle Lazy, and Princess Puppyeyes."

Her opponent tried to take advantage of her greeting us. As I stewed over the nickname she gave me, June returned her focus to her arm wrestling. As the man in front of her strained, June tightened her grip. In one quick movement, her moved her arm and slammed his down onto the table. She looked like it was effortless. I had seen so many fighter struggle to win arm wrestling, and she did it like it was nothing. The crowd cheered, and coins began raining down in her direction. With a smile, she began raking them up into her arms.

Zuko remained unphased. "Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back."

June's smile was smug but unapologetic. "Well, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money right now." She lifted her head to everyone in the tavern, and shouted, "Drinks are on me!" The patrons cheered wildly. My eyes fell into the pile of coins. All that money and she was using it to keep people entertained? She could easily have gotten herself something. Instead, she was using it for others. Part of me wondered if I had misjudged her.

As June was about to take a victory drink, Zuko caught her wrist. Rage glittered in his eyes. "Money isn't what I had in mind," he said in the smooth tone I recognized as his calmer anger.

"Let's discuss this outside," I nodded to the door, then to the pile of coins. "After everyone is thoroughly served, of course."

Moths flitted around a lantern that glowed a yellow green as June led us to around to one side of the tavern. The music still played inside the building, and the tavern patrons were still jammering inside, yet my focus lay on the shirshu. It was laying down with its nose resting on top of one paw, its back rising and falling in sleep; it didn't even stir as June lay against it casually. Had I not known what the creature was capable of, I would have given it a little pet. I could picture Aang's excitement seeing such a creature and practically annoying June into submission on wanting to ride it while I would attempt to calm him down.

Zuko pulled out Katara's necklace from within the armor on his wrist. "I need you to find someone."

June looked at the necklace with disinterest. "What happened, an ex-girlfriend run off on you?" Sarcasm dripped from her question.

Zuko's brow furrowed in annoyance. "It's not the girl I'm after; it's the bald monk she's traveling with."

June shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"If you find them," Zuko continued, "I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for."

June began to climb onto her steed's mount. "Forget it."

Iroh spoke up. "Plus we'll pay your weight in gold!"

June stopped her ascent. Gracefully, she slid off the creature's back and walked over to Iroh. Her blood red lips were beginning to curve into an interested smile. A finger pointed to jab Iroh's chest. "Make it your weight and we've got a deal."

Zuko gestured to me. "This is his older sister, and she has a few criteria."

I stepped towards her. My back was straightened and even though my heart was beating rapidly with anxiety, I clenched my fist. Her onyx eyes met mine, and while I was intimidated briefly by the coolness of her gaze, I found my grounding. My voice was steady, even though in my heart, my bluff was anything but true. "Your shirshu is only allowed to paralyze him, and when he does, you are to hand him over to us, and us alone. If you so much as say you're giving him to the highest bidder, I'll gladly hire Fire Nation soldiers to ensure that your bounty hunting days are numbered and that gold we promised you is never paid. Am I clear?"

June raised an eyebrow at me. There was a beat of silence as we stared at each other, both unyielding and unmoving. Finally, she stepped away from me, her eyes still on mine. "Fair enough. You got guts, honey. I can respect that. Get on, you three." She took the necklace from Zuko and gently shook her mount awake as Zuko, Iroh and I settled into the saddle. Its nose trembled to life, the ends of it wriggling as it sniffed the pendant, Its head turned towards where the scent was, and June joined us in the saddle, cracking her whip in the air once before we took off.

In any other circumstance, riding on the back of a shirshu would have been an exhilarating thrill ride. But I was riding along the back of this creature in the company of a formidable bounty hunter, whose loyalty was literally bought, and next to the Fire Nation prince who was willing to capture my brother by any means necessary. The ground blurred beneath us, and along the wind whipping past me were the smells of Earth Kingdom forests, dirt being picked up from its stride, and traces of spices. The rhythm of its stride echoed my heartbeat. I exhaled and grounded myself with a small pinch on the ski between my thumb and forefinger; a strategy that Sister Wei had taught me.

I glanced over at Zuko next to me, his eyes focused on the horizon ahead. The left side of his face, the one with his scar, was facing me. Unconsciously, I found myself looking at the burned skin. The shape of it, from a casual glance, did resemble a flame. Yet as I looked closer, I saw the four spreads were evenly spaced, too cleanly to be a coincidence. I held my own hand out in front of me, tilting it to one side and glancing over at the scar. Having learned the truth of how he received it, looking at how it was formed tied a knot of disgust in my chest.

The shirshu stopped twice during the pursuit. The first time had been at the base of an herbalist's home, who asked if her cat was causing trouble with the Fire Nation. The second time was through a village at the base of a mountain. A strange formation of rock had crusted around the hub, almost like a wall. The rock was black, which meant that the mountain was a volcano. As villagers fled in fear of our beast, it effortlessly leapt over one house, pausing to look at an incredibly elaborate building painted in hues of red and gold.

"The girl must have spent a lot of time here," June said as the beast came to a stop.

Zuko's brow furrowed and he dismounted from the shirshu. He shoved the necklace out towards its snout, only to nearly be snapped at by its large teeth.

"Oh, look," June cooed, "he likes you."

"I understand wanting to speed up the chase, Zuko, but maybe forcing a giant monster back on the trail probably isn't the best way to go about it," I said. I dismounted the beast myself and came to stand by him. Despite my initial fear of the strange thing, I did my best to immolate Aang whenever he encountered a wild animal. I slowly brought my hand towards the creature's snout, keeping as still as I lay a hand towards it. It huffed once before turning its head away, in which it came back and pressed a furry cheek into the inside of my hand with a growl that told me this was a one and done opportunity. Unlike Appa's coarse, heavy fur, this fur was smoother but had a hint of roughness beneath. I took the necklace and lay it flat in my hand like I had seen June do. The creature gave one sniff and tilted its head towards the doors the building and arched towards the gate.

June gave an impressed hum. "Not bad. Nyla's made two friends in one day."

I came back to mount the shirshu, Nyla apparently being its name, and settled back in. An older woman had been firing flirtations up at Iroh, which I had been more than glad to ignore. If the constant back and forth of the beast stopping and going wasn't going to make me sick, hearing some of Iroh's out of date lines would, and I was a hundred and sixteen!

The trail didn't take us through any more civilizations. We trekked through more forests, and at one point, Nyla had discovered the remains of a campfire down by a shoreline. The sniffing showed Katara had been there, which meant that Aang and his friends had also been close by. Nyla began rushing up a hill, and I had to grab onto the saddle so tightly that my fingers began to ache. The rush took us to a large ornate wooden gate, framed by a structure built from stone and tile. With little to no effort, Nyla crashed in. A bell located above the gate began to ring from the sheer force. Behind it stood a huge building. The courtyard was perhaps twice its size. Women in simple robes of white and brown cloth ran for cover. They reminded me of the sisters of the Air Temples, but instead of practicing Airbending or staff training, they appeared to be focused on the contents of large pots that sat around the buildings. Nn one stood up to fight. Instead, they stared in fear. Nyla sniffed a section of the ground and gave a noise akin to a snort.

"We're getting close," June told us. She cracked her whip, and Nyla left the foundation behind.

A few leaps down the road, Nyla started to snarl. It was a low rumble, and deeper than the respectful growl that it had given me when I had pet it. If snorting was a sign of getting close, then this snarl was an indicator that the target was either right below its nose or standing next to us. Nyla took a step backwards, and then leapt with precision. It landed gracefully in front of Katara and Sokka, who had been on the path with their packs.

"So, this is your ex," June glanced over at Zuko and I. "I see why she left; she's way too pretty for you. And I'm gonna be honest, you and your current girl make a cuter couple."

My face flared hot, the unexpected yet inappropriate and inaccurate comment catching me off guard. Zuko stiffened beside me; whether it was from embarrassment or annoyance, I couldn't tell. Iroh stifled a laugh under his hand. I opened my mouth to deny any sort of connection, when I heard, when Zuko jumped down from the saddle. Sokka, ever the protective big brother, had his hand in front of a frightened Katara.

'Where is he?" Zuko asked levelly, "Where is the Avatar?"

June gave Iroh and I a subtle side eye, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You didn't tell me your brother was a celebrity."

Sokka and Katara took off running down the path. However, they didn't get too far as Nyla's tongue whipped out in full force. The Water Tribe siblings were struck in the smalls of their backs and crumpled to the ground. Our mount approached them slowly. I held my breath. Would June stick to the terms of our agreement? Instead, Nyla began sniffing their bags. With a gentle nudge of its nose, something fell out of Sokka's bag, but I couldn't make out what it was. Nyla finished sniffing and arched its head skyward, replacing the smell of Katara's necklace with the new smell it had discovered. As Nyla readjusted, I hopped down to help scoop up Katara as Zuko aided Sokka onto the saddle of our new steed.

Once everyone was reorganized, Nyla took off, returning to the gates where we had been redirected to. There was a stillness before the shirshu started walking around in a tight circle. It circled faster and faster, until suddenly, it stood up on its hind legs. Without any support keeping anyone in the saddle, every rider fell to the ground.

I landed on my right side, grunting in pain. Nothing was broken, nd from what I saw, my fellow riders were unharmed. Even the paralyzed Sokka and Katara seemed safe. Nyla had also fallen, tangled up in its own limbs. I glanced skyward to see the cause of the beast's action. Spiraling rowards us on his glider, his expression set in determination, was Aang.

The moment he landed and closed his glider, I heard the unmistakable sound of a whip cracking. Nyla was righting itself and June was hopping back on. She charged her mount in the direction of Aang, and just before her whip could tie him up, a familiar sky bison rammed into the side of her mount.

"Appa!" I cheered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zuko and Aang exchanging Firebending and Airbending blows. With how fast they were fighting, going in to intervene was not the wisest decision. I watched the fight for a few minutes, appreciating the patience and focus Aang had. Before, he would have been using goofy tactics against his opponents. However, here he was showcasing his understanding not only of his rival, but of his element. My heart swelled with pride. He clearly wasn't my goofy twelve year older brother in this moment. He was a warrior standing up for himself.

The whip cracked again, averting my attention. June was standing over Nyla, who stood up. After remounting her beast, she charged towards Appa again, who growled lowly. Thinking fast, I mounted Appa and held my staff out. I didn't need to hold onto the reins; I had locked my legs securely in a position where it would be hard for me to shake off. Nyla lashed out its tongue, and it struck Appa's right paw. I stroked Appa cheeks. "It's okay, buddy, you can still fight." Appa stood up and growled. Nyla growled back in return and both of our mounts charged towards each other after June whipped the air. They crash into each other. June lost her hold in the saddle and was sent over us. I only had a moment to see her uncoil her whip and snap it directly at Appa. He roared in pain and slammed in tail onto the ground.

Fury, sharp and protective, flowed through my veins. I leapt off Appa and glared at June, who had narrowly dodged the bison's attack. "Don't you dare strike him again!" I jabbed towards her chest. She sidestepped and aimed for my ankle with her whip. I dodged and went forward again. June blocked my thrust with her arm. I righted myself just in time to see the whip come forward again. I held my staff in front of my face to protect my eyes. The whip coiled around the center of my staff. June tugged and I was pulled towards her. I adjusted my stance so that I was balanced on the ball of my foot and aimed a kick into her chest. She was sent back, loosening her grip. The whip lay coiled on my staff, and I shook it free. June struggled to her feet. The look she gave me was a subtle hint of annoyance beneath the mask of her usual calmness. So, I rattled her. I wasn't sure how to feel.

Reclaiming the whip, June cracked it in the air to alert Nyla. Upon remounting the beast, the duo hopped up onto the rooftops, where I saw Aang and Zuko were continuing their dance of fire and air. I remounted Appa and snapped the reins. Appa charged towards the wall, and I guided him just a hair to turn slightly so that his body side the side of the wing that the fight was occurring on. The building rattled underneath his impact. The fight was redirected into a well, where Aang expertly dodged fire, eventually getting the upper hand on Zuko by diving into the well, and creating a makeshift geyser that sent the prince flying upward. I guided Appa towards Zuko, who was growling, his good feet stamping hard against the stone courtyard. Just then, he roared in pain. I looked over to see Nyla approaching us with June on its back. I tried to get Appa to turn around, but I wasn't fast enough to grab the reins. In my haste, I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Nyla's tongue came forward once again, and Appa fell on top of me, pinning me down.

"Appa…buddy…you're crushing me…" I wriggled beneath his weight until I was able to free my chest from beneath his large mass. Slow and steady, No need to rush getting yourself free from a paralyzed bison. The smell of his musk was heavy in my nose, but then suddenly, I caught the scents of very strong oils. Rose. Jasmine. Citrus, Woods. It was all dizzying. Small droplets landed on my hand and I slowly inhaled what it was.

"Perfume?"

Nyla made a noise between a scream and a growl. As I freed my feet from Appa's warm fur, I wiggled them once to get the pins and needles sensation out. The courtyard had been completely flooded in a yellow liquid. The mix of fragrances that I had smelled was coming from it. Nyla was aggressively shaking, drenched in perfume and its tongue lolled to the side. That was when I understood. It was overstimulated by the multiple smells of the perfume. It was effectively blinded. On the ground, I saw Zuko, laying stiffly. The second person to be paralyzed was June, who was caught by Uncle Iroh. Nyla roared once more before, in one leap, it bounded over the wall.

"Gitan! Are you okay?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Aang running towards me. I left Zuko, Iroh, and June on the ground to reunite with my friends.

"You guys…I'm so sorry…"

Katara gave a small smile. "You don't need to apologize, Gitan."

Yet I did. I did need to apologize. Because I had been so caught up in being friends with Zuko, I had forgotten all about his mission, and by extension, mine. I had forgotten about taking Katara's necklace and trying to find a way to return it to her. If I had done that sooner, it wouldn't have led to such a mess.

"Appa will be back to normal in a few hours. The toxins are temporary. She," I nodded over to June, who was being cradled by Iroh, with an uncharacteristically annoyed expression on her face, "told me so."

Sokka nodded. "Right. So how did you get tangled up with her?" He eyed June quizzically.

"She wrecked the deck of our ship catching a stowaway. This was a…payment for that.." I let out a sigh of frustration. "I didn't think it would get as bad as this. I even threatened to take her money if she hurt you."

One of the women in robes approached me. In one hand, she was carrying a vial. "Use this on the paralyzed. It will help rejuvenate them." I opened the bottle and inhaled its contents carefully. The smell of lemons and oranges danced in the air. My mind began to race rapidly just from being in its presence. Of course! Citrus was great for waking people up. Sister Wei sometimes used fresh lemon slices at my bedside to get me up for staff training.

I gave the woman a grateful nod, taking the bottle and approaching Appa. I patted his head. "Here you go, buddy. You'll be getting Aang and his friends up in the air in no time soon." Appa's breath blew back my hair as he smelled the contents. His brown eyes opened wide, and he stood up slowly. I ran to gently knead at the paw that Nyla had struck, hoping to make the walk easier when the toxins finally went away. His large, rough tongue stuck out and licked the side of my face, covering me with a warm, slobbery mess. I laughed and patted his muzzle. "I'll take that as a thank you. I forgot how wet your kisses were!"

I glanced over at Zuko, Iroh and Iroh. For now, I would leave them be. This goodbye was more important.

"You guys should go now," I said, "You're so close to the North Pole."

"Come with us, Gitan. Please." Aang begged.

"Aang, you know I would. But you and I both know there are bigger threats and time is running out. I want to come with you, but I can't. I need to see this through. And don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I literally just stood up to a feared bounty hunter to keep you safe."

Aang slumped over with a pout. Katara put a hand on his arms, her eyes meeting mine in an expression of understanding and sadness. Sokka had folded his arms, but he looked like he also understood what I was doing. Before I could reach out and hug them all, I glanced back. Zuko was starting to sit up with a groan, and June had finally pried herself free from Iroh, desperately scooting herself away. This was it. I had to let my friends go. Aang and I locked eyes for a moment. The warrior was replaced with the twelve year old kid with the world on his shoulders, who didn't want to say goodbye to his big sister. I held out my arms, inviting him for a hug. He rushed over and clung to me tightly. I hugged him as tightly and warmly as I could muster. Finally, slowly, I pulled away after kissing him on the top of his bald head.

As Appa flew away with my friends in the saddle, I looked back over to my current travel party. June approached me and put an arm on my shoulder. A look in her eyes said that she had something to say, and she shot Iroh a dirty look before guiding me away to stand by the now damaged well, far enough away from him and Zuko.

"I see why you were so protective of him. Its not easy being a big sister to the savior of the world."

I folded my arms with a scoff. "No kidding." I arched my eyebrow at her. "Wait…what exactly do you want?"

She held up her hands. "Don't worry, honey, our little scuffle is water under the bridge. You wouldn't be the first client to go toe to toe with me on a mission. If anything, it validates something. Unlike your boyfriend and his creeper uncle, you have something of mine that frankly I don't give all that often."

"And what's that?" I was still bristling over the 'boyfriend' comment, even if she was teasing.

She nodded curtly, "My respect. You're not a bender, but you're not afraid to stand up to those that would hurt people you care about. Plus, you can hold your own in a fight. You may look like a cupcake, but you have the heart of a fighter."

I looked down with an embarrassed blush. Perhaps I had been so starved of praise that hearing the simplest of compliments was making me turn to mush. Beneath my flattery was a tiny bit of guilt. I had judged June simply on her attitudes and fierce job. She was a ruthless hunter with a bit of a mean streak, but she was…surprisingly nice. I figured she only showed this side to people who won her respect.

"So, what are you going to do from here? Keep those two from getting into more trouble?" She jerked her head in the direction of Zuko and Iroh, who were quietly debating something.

I sighed, playing with the edge of my ponytail. "I guess? I wanted to go with Aang, but I promised him I'd keep him protected from Zuko. And yet here I am being drawn to Zuko, because he's been hurt…"

June chuckled humorlessly. "Being tugged in two different directions, huh? I get it. Loyalty's a strong thing. Here's a question for you. What do you want?"

Her question was even more paralyzing than Nyla's tongue. What did I want? I wanted to protect Aang, just as I promised all those years ago. But now that he was on the path to fulfilling his role as the Avatar, I felt a strange emptiness blooming.

"I…I don't know, I admitted.

June nodded. "Let me give you some advice; instead of picking one side, think about the path that you suits your needs, not one that someone put in your lap."

Before I could process her words, Zuko approached us, his expression unreadable. "We need to get back to the ship, Consider our deal fulfilled." While I knew he was directing that last statement at June, his focus was entirely on me.

We all left the walled courtyard. Nyla was at the bottom of the hill, paws over its muzzle, having calmed itself from the perfume fiasco. The ride back to the docks was quiet. I kept my eyes on my hands the whole time, running my thumb in the small crevice. Eventually, the familiar sight of the ship's sharp bow came into view. Zuko, Iroh, and I dismounted. The general returned with a pouch filled with several gold pieces. June accepted the payment and gave me a knowing look, a smile forming on her blood red lips.

"Don't be strangers. If you need me again, you know where to find me." She shot me a wink, mounted Nyla, and with a crack of her whip, they disappeared into the fading twilight.