"Do you know where you're going, Barley?" Ian asked. He felt bad doubting his brother, but they'd been flying for awhile, and they didn't seem to be any closer to the South Pole. He didn't even think they were going south.

Barley was struggling with a map he'd found. "Give me a minute. I'll figure it out." He frowned at the map. All the small islands looked like random blobs to him.

They'd intended to follow Syndrome's ship, but getting attacked by the Fire Nation had completely thrown them off course. Barley had flown in a random direction for several hours, just to put a good distance between them and their attackers, and now he didn't know where they were. Syndrome was nowhere to be seen, and there were no identifying landmarks around.

Violet pointed at a small island below them. She could see a small village on the island. "Maybe someone down there could help us."

Barley landed on a small hill. They got out of the airship and headed down toward the village. Before they got there, something hit Barley on the back of the head. Ian fell as someone kicked him in the back of the kneecap. Something rammed Violet in the lower back and pushed her to the ground.

"Hey!" Barley yelled.

A group of young women and girls surrounded them, striking offensive martial arts poses. They were all dressed like Avatar Sun Yee, wearing elaborate red and gold Chinese dresses. They all wore small gold crowns and earrings. Their faces were painted like red pandas, with large white marks around their mouths and cheeks, and they carried red fans and long ribbons. And they all wore red lipstick in varying shades.

Barley put his hands up in surrender and tried to step forward to talk to them, but they whipped their ribbons, driving him back. So they clearly weren't in the mood for diplomacy.

Ian stamped the ground, raising up the ground beneath the women and sending them flying backwards. Barley, Ian, and Violet ran back toward the airship.

The women chased them, one of the girls yelling angrily at them in Korean.

"Yeah, tell them, Abby!" one of the other girls cheered.

The women surrounded them again. Violet blew air at them, but the women blocked it with their fans. One of the girls grabbed Violet's arms and twisted them behind her back to keep her from bending. In a flurry of fists and kicks, the girls incapacitated all three of them, knocking them to the ground.

"What is your problem?!" Barley snapped.

Their leader, a young Chinese girl, stepped forward. "It's our job to protect Red Panda Island—home of Avatar Sun Yee—from outsiders like you. What are you doing here? Are you Fire Nation spies?"

"What? No!" Barley exclaimed. "We're just looking for directions!"

One of the women in the back gasped. "Barley!" She ran forward and grabbed the leader's arm. "Mei, I know him!"

Barley almost didn't recognize her behind the makeup. But the bright blond hair was a giveaway. "Bo! So this is where you went."

She nodded. "After I left, I wandered for a bit. I hadn't gotten the chance to travel in so long. I even joined the circus for a while. Then I met the Red Panda Warriors. I could stay safe from the Fire Nation and learn cool martial arts. What else could a girl want?" She looked away and fidgeted with her hands. "So, um…how's Woody?"

"He's doing good," Barley said. "He still lives in the same house in the same village."

Bo smiled. "He was always…consistent like that."

"Yeah," Barley laughed. "He'll probably be there until he's eighty." He paused, then said, "Maybe you should visit sometime. He'd be happy to see you."

Bo dropped her gaze to the ground. Barley felt bad for pressuring her. It wasn't his business. He tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't think of anything that wouldn't sound more awkward.

"Well, any friend of Bo's is a friend of ours," Mei said finally. She looked at the setting sun. "You can stay here for the night. Colette will make you a meal."

"We can't stay the night," Barley said. They needed to catch up to Syndrome. They were already hours behind him. "But a meal sounds great."

Mei led them down to the village. They stopped outside of a large temple. Outside was a large statue of Sun Yee as a red panda. The Red Panda Warriors bowed down to the statue. Barley did the same, wanting to respect their culture.

Violet looked up at the statue. "What was her connection to red pandas?" she asked curiously.

"Her village was being attacked by the Fire Nation, and all the men had left for war," Mei said. "At this time, no one knew who the next Earth Avatar was. She cried to the red moon, asking for protection for her family. A red panda spirit came to her, and that was the night she discovered that she was the Avatar. She drove out the invaders and saved her village. And ever since, red pandas have been a sacred symbol of Sun Yee."

"That's so cool!" Barley said.

They went inside the temple, where they were served a warm vegetable stew. Violet had never tasted anything so good in her entire life. She finished the bowl quickly and went back for seconds.

Bo sidled up to Barley. "Does Woody…ever talk about me?"

"I know he thinks about you a lot," Barley said after a brief pause. "He doesn't like to talk about it, but we all know."

Bo nodded and stared down into her bowl. She picked at the stew, stirring it slowly.

"Look, don't feel like you need to visit him for his sake. It's completely your choice. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no. It's all right. It's just…hard for me to do that. I like looking to the future, not the past. But I do want to go back."

Barley smiled at her. "Whenever you do, Woody'll be really happy to see you."

She smiled back. "I hope so."

"He will."

After dinner, the Red Panda Warriors walked them back to their airship. A girl named Miriam showed them where the island was on their map.

"Sorry we beat you up," Mei said.

"No problem. Sorry my brother earthbended you," Barley said. "Thanks for all your help."

They got back into the airship and took off. Violet felt a little more optimistic, now that they'd been fed and gotten directions. She looked up at the night sky. The stars twinkled down at her, almost like they were winking, saying, "Everything is going to be okay."

~~~~

It was a beautiful clear night at the South Pole. The moon's glow shimmered off the snow and ice in a dancing rainbow. Everything was quiet and still.

Luca Paguro nervously followed his friend Alberto across the ice shelf down to the water's edge. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" He was trying to whisper, but his voice seemed far too loud in the crisp night air.

It had been awhile since the last Fire Nation raid, so soldiers were bound to show up eventually. It was unlikely that they'd show up in the middle of the night, but it wasn't impossible, and Luca didn't want to take any chances. He didn't want the Fire Nation to see them waterbending. If they looked like a threat, they might be captured or killed. His parents had warned him against ever waterbending in public. And he was almost more scared of what his mother would do to him if she found out he'd disobeyed her than he was of the Fire Nation.

Alberto waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, Luca. If any Fire Nations ships show up, we can just sink them!"

Luca knew neither of them was powerful enough for that. Together, they could barely make a medium-sized wave. But Alberto's confidence almost made him believe it, so he didn't argue.

They passed the old Fire Nation shipwreck. Luca moved to the other side of Alberto, putting Alberto between himself and the ship. The place gave him the creeps.

Decades ago, back when there had been dozens of waterbenders, the waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe had managed to sink an attacking Fire Nation ship, and it still sat there as a triumphant reminder of their victory. Luca could see why they regarded it as a positive symbol of strength and resilience. But to him, it felt like a graveyard. The cold, musty air emanating from it reminded him of death and made him feel sick to his stomach.

They reached the water, and Alberto waded in. Luca followed, his legs immediately going numb from the ice-cold water. He eagerly waited for Alberto to start the waterbending lesson, wondering what he would learn today.

Alberto pointed at the moon. "Hey, Luca. See that big fish in the sky?"

"Yeah…" Luca wasn't sure that's what it was, but he didn't question Alberto. His friend knew better than he did.

"That's where we get our powers," Alberto said.

Luca looked at his hands. "Really?"

"Yup," Alberto said. He was incredibly proud of himself for discovering that his powers were stronger when the fish was bigger. And he loved sharing his discoveries with Luca, who would look at him like he was the smartest person in the world.

They began practicing. Luca tried to remember what Alberto had told him many times: Just do it. Don't think about it. Luca found it impossible not to think, but he did his best.

Tiny splashes of water rose up, following their hand movements. That was all they could ever seem to do, just create tiny waves. Luca was sure there must be more to waterbending than this, but he didn't know. There were no other waterbenders in the Southern Tribe, so he had to rely on Alberto for all his waterbending knowledge. And if this was all Alberto knew, maybe there really was nothing else.

Alberto splashed some water at Luca. Luca caught it and threw it back. They passed it back and forth for a bit. Luca quickly felt boredom setting in, accompanied by a stirring restlessness and longing for something new. They'd been doing this same waterbending move for so long. Would they ever learn anything else?

Something across the water caught his eye. A Fire Nation ship. Luca's heart stopped. It was happening. Another raid.

He tugged on Alberto's arm urgently. "Alberto, we should get out of here!"

Alberto didn't move. "No. Let's drive them away and make them sorry they came here! Like the old waterbenders who sank that ship!"

Luca knew that was impossible. They were just inexperienced teenage waterbenders. They would be burned alive before they could even look at the water. Every instinct was screaming at him to run, to just leave Alberto here if he was going to be stubborn, but he was too frozen by fear to move. So he stayed, hiding behind Alberto and waiting to see what would happen. He knew it wouldn't be good.

Firelord Syndrome exited the ship, followed by a few soldiers. Luca's knees were knocking together, and he had to grab Alberto's arm to keep himself upright. That was the Firelord. He prayed Alberto wouldn't do anything stupid to provoke him.

Syndrome looked at them. "Hey! Do you live here?"

"Yeah," Alberto said. "And you don't. So get out of here."

Luca shrank back, expecting Syndrome to kill them on the spot. But Syndrome just laughed. "Cool it, kids. Chill." He chuckled at his own joke. "I'm just here for a waterbending teacher. Take me to your strongest benders."

"That's us," Alberto said.

Luca wished he hadn't said that. He didn't want anything to do with whatever Syndrome was planning.

"Be serious," Syndrome said.

"I am. We're the only ones," Alberto said.

"We're not very good," Luca added, hoping this would spare them from Syndrome's plans.

Syndrome laughed incredulously. A full belly laugh. Luca stared at him. That wasn't the reaction he had expected.

"I can't believe this!" Syndrome wiped away a tear. "We came all this way, and the only two waterbenders here are stupid kids?!"

Your nation is the one who wiped out most of our benders, Luca thought, but of course, he didn't dare say this.

Syndrome looked around. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this poor dirty shithole doesn't have any talent."

"Hey!" Alberto snapped. "You can't say that about our home!"

He raised his arms, trying to draw up a massive wave. Only a small wave came up, and he struggled to keep it up. The water splashed unceremoniously back into the sea as he dropped it.

Syndrome gestured to the soldiers next to him. "Sullivan, Wazowski! There's nothing useful here. Burn this place to the ground."

"No!" Luca cried.

Sullivan and Wazowski hesitated. They'd never been asked to burn down a village before. Usually they fought on the front line in wars, dealing with actual soldiers, not civilians.

"Now!" Syndrome barked.

Wazowski obediently started walking over to the circle of tents in the distance. Sullivan hesitated, then followed him.

"This is the Fire Nation!" he announced, loud enough for the residents to hear but not Syndrome. "We've been ordered to burn this village! Everyone out if you want to live!"

People rushed out of their tents in a panic. Some were mothers clutching their children. The terror in their eyes as they looked at him made him want to ask an earthbender to dig him a hole that he could hide in. He wanted to apologize to the Water Tribe villagers, which felt stupid; after all, what good was an apology after what he was about to do?

Wazowski and Sullivan set fire to the tents, moving efficiently and not taking any enjoyment in it. The flames tore through the flimsy material, the red light dancing off the snow and ice surrounding the tents. The red glow was mesmerizing. It would have been beautiful, even, if Sullivan hadn't been acutely aware of the destructive act it was born from.

They used snow to put the fires out before leaving. It seemed like the courteous thing to do. Again, that was a little silly considering that they'd just taken these people's homes away from them, but it would have felt wrong not to.

When they were finished, they rejoined Syndrome back on the ship.

"Maybe we'll have better luck in the north," Syndrome said.

They sailed away. Sullivan tried not to think about all the destruction they were leaving in their wake.

Luca lay on the ground, curled up in a ball. He wasn't even crying, just trembling and breathing heavily. Alberto was just standing in complete shock.

A shrill voice carried across the ice. "Luca?" It was his mother. "Luca, where are you?"

Luca's parents ran over. His mother Daniela screamed when she saw him. "Luca! What are you doing out here? You could have been killed!" She hugged him fiercely. He sank into her embrace, the tears finally coming.

"It's not safe here for you anymore." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Luca, from now on, I want you to stay hidden in the shipwreck. Don't come out for anything."

The suggestion seemed to suck out all the air in his lungs. "What? Mom, no!" He could barely look at that awful thing. The thought of living there made his blood turn to ice.

"Yes. Dad and I will bring you food and watch over you every second of the day."

He backed away. That sounded like torture, like prison. "No! I can't!" His voice sounded like a stranger's to him, partly because of the sheer panic lacing it, partly because the words themselves felt foreign rolling off his tongue. He couldn't remember the last time he'd told his parents "no."

"Don't argue with me, Luca," Daniela said, her voice tightening with anger. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

Alberto stepped forward to try and help. "Mrs. Paguro, you don't have to—"

"You stay out of this!" Daniela snapped. "You take my son out here and put his life at risk, then try to tell me my actions to keep him safe aren't necessary?" She shook her head angrily. "I always knew you were a bad influence on him."

"Bad influence? I didn't make him do anything. He disobeyed you because he wanted to," Alberto insisted. "He's not a baby. He can make his own decisions."

Daniela slapped him. Alberto fell to the ground with a surprised yelp.

Luca winced. "Mom!"

"Daniela!" his father Lorenzo gasped.

Daniela ignored this. She pointed at Luca. "Your father and I will be getting the ship ready for you. I want you to be cooperative when we get back." She stormed off. Lorenzo hesitated, wondering if he should say something to the boys, then followed her without a word.

Luca went to Alberto, who was sitting up now.

"Crazy bitch," Alberto muttered, rubbing his cheek.

"Alberto!" Luca scolded. She might have been acting a little unhinged, but that was his mother.

"What?" Alberto said peevishly. "She is."

Before Luca could reply, an airship flew over their heads and landed nearby. Luca's heart leapt into his throat. What now? Were more Fire Nation soldiers coming to finish them off?

Barley, Ian, and Violet ran off the airship. Luca hid behind Alberto again and peered at the visitors. They didn't look dangerous, but maybe they were just trying to trick him into letting his guard down.

"Firelord Syndrome is coming!" Barley shouted, waving his arms around in a panic.

"Yeah, we know. You just missed him," Alberto said.

"Oh," Barley said.

"What did he want?" Ian asked.

Alberto pointed at the burnt tents. "To burn down our village, I guess."

"He said he was looking for a waterbending teacher," Luca recalled.

"I don't know why, since he's a firebender," Alberto said.

"He must be training Jack-Jack in all the elements!" Violet exclaimed. "Did he say where he was going next?"

"The North Pole," Alberto said.

"Then that's where we're going," Barley said. "Thanks, guys."

They ran back to the airship. Alberto followed them. "Can we come?"

"What?" Luca exclaimed. Was his friend suggesting they go off with these strangers?

"Come on. There's nothing left here. And your parents are going to lock you in that awful shipwreck if you stay."

He had a point. And Luca would be lying if he said he wasn't curious about the North Pole and the Northern Water Tribe. From what he'd heard, they had a much more advanced society, with large buildings made of ice, and a huge ice wall surrounding their cities. Maybe there were some experienced waterbenders there who could teach them.

"Okay, sure," Barley said.

Luca and Alberto boarded the airship. Just as it was taking off, Luca's parents came back.

"Uh-oh," Alberto said. "Get us out of here."

"Luca!" Daniela screamed. Where was he going? Who were these people? Her precious son wasn't about to fly off with complete strangers, was he? Surely, she'd taught him better than that. "Stop! Come back!"

"Get off that thing NOW!" Lorenzo screeched, his mustache trembling with anger.

Alberto waved gleefully. "I don't think so! He's outta here!"

"Sorry, Mom! Sorry, Dad!" Luca said apologetically as they flew away.

He didn't know if they heard him or not. But he could certainly hear them. Their anguished screams rang through the night, calling his name. "LUCA!"