Made some minor corrections and revisions to this chapter, nothing major though. I've also changed what I'll be inlcuding in the next chapter, read my note at the end of this chapter for more details if you're interested. Well here it is, Chapter 8: Southbound

Zuko cautiously entered the Earth Kingdom port town, adrenaline still keeping him alert and anxious from the scuffle with the soldiers just a few minutes earlier. He'd acquired what information he could from the leader of the ruffians, which wasn't much. Apparently some man known as Long Feng had managed to seize control of the Dai Li from Azula, which the banished prince couldn't help but admit that he was impressed by. The other information he'd gleaned was more troubling to him: the Earth Kingdom was in a state of extreme unrest. The constant changes in the ruling government combined with the task of taking in so many Fire Nation refugees was generating turmoil among the general public. Soldiers, such as those he'd fought earlier, were being sent by Long Feng to further aggravate the situation.

Whoever this Long Feng was, Zuko concluded his goals were nothing short of starting a civil war. So it was that he remained one edge as he entered the town; although he'd been here only a short while ago, it was likely that the soldiers had raised the people into a state of panic, and humans had a tendency to act irrational when panicked. Zuko silently cursed himself for being so blunt in his dealings with the thugs, afraid that attacking so called members of the military might serve only to generate more unease.

Zuko stopped in his tracks as an elderly man took notice of him and quickly approached the young Firebender. The old man was almost completely bald, the only hair on his head were grey bushy eyebrows. He walked with a wooden cane and his back remained in an awkward hunch. As Zuko recalled, this man was revered as the village elder and also held the position of mayor.

"You attacked the soldiers sent to protect this village," the mayor began, shaking his cane at Zuko. "You sent them running and have left us with only ourselves to protect this poor village," the old man went on as he scolded the Firebender. Surprisingly, the mayor then extended his free hand. "As such we cannot possibly thank you enough."

Sokka popped his head into the make-shift shelter that the old Firebender has erected beneath the sand. Katara still sat by the elderly man's sleeping wife, literally pulling water out of the air to use in healing the old woman. Having used all the water from her pouches early on just healing the woman's broken bones, Katara found she still had a lot of work to do on the bruises. So it was that she was forced to condense the water in the air around her into tiny droplets to use.

The wounds the woman had suffered were far more severe than Katara had thought; the lady was a warrior of some skill to have made it so far before collapsing. Despite their different ethnicities Katara couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for the elder.

"Katara, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sokka asked.

"Not right now Sokka," Katara waved him off. "I'm busy."

"It's kinda important," Sokka drew out the word 'kinda' far longer than was necessary, getting under his sister's skin.

Deciding it better to humour her brother than allow him to continue distracting her from her task, she turned to exit the shelter. "Alright Sokka this better be good," she demanded, her brother already back outside. The elderly Firebender merely sat at his wife's side holding her hand tightly in his own.

Upon seeing Katara's head emerge from the shelter Sokka gestured with his thumb to the North. "We're about to have some company," he explained.

Katara look to the distance where her brother was pointing; sure enough she could vaguely see a small number approaching their position. Whoever they were they rode atop Ostrich Horses and were headed directly to the shelter.

Aang slouched as he made his way down the long palace hallway with his head hung low in exhaustion and his arms hanging loosely at his sides. He let out a long yawn as he seemed to struggle to raise his arms and laid his hands against a great oaken door. Lacking the energy to push the door open Aang instead found himself leaning against it, but his weight was just enough and as the door fell open, the young Avatar stumbled forward tripping over his own feet. Falling face first onto the ground, Aang sighed and after a quick debate about whether or not he should just sleep on the floor, he climbed back to his feet. Aang blinked hard and tried to focus, managing a couple steps forward before he fell again, but this time landing on a soft king sized bed. Rolling onto his back Aang pulled a pillow over his face, blocking out all outside light, and he swiftly fell asleep.

Shortly there after a small winged lemur climbed atop the bed and sat upon the pillow covering Aang's face. It sniffed the air and scratched its ear before lying down, curling into a ball and, moments later, joined the Avatar in slumber.

Zuko took the old man's hand and gave it a good shake. "It's good to see you again sir."

"Same to you m'boy, but really, none of this sir stuff, just call me Gibb," The two shook hands and Zuko gave a slight bow in understanding. "So what's brought you back so soon? Why, when you left you figured you'd be a half year if not more before you returned to these parts."

Zuko couldn't help but smile at the mayor's pleasantries; it reminded him of his time with his dear old uncle. Fighting back a sigh Zuko let out a huff of air. "Something's come up and I need to head back out to sea right away."

"Why, whatever has happened that you need to leave so suddenly?"

Zuko pulled the scroll he'd received from Sokka from his belt and held it out to the old. "This happened," The mayor took the parchment and gave it a look over, looking up at Zuko every so often. "I need to head south, and there aren't many boats heading that way so I'll have to go myself."

"It says that a band of Fire Nation rebels have been attacking a settlement in the Southern-"

"I know," interrupted Zuko, "that's why I'm going. Whether the people at that settlement want my help or not, they're getting it; those rebels are from my country and they're my responsibility to deal with."

The mayor chuckled to himself before replying. "You have such a unique way of offering assistance. Mayhap that is why those thugs were so interested in finding out about you."

Zuko's serious visage vanished from his face. "Are you talking about those soldiers? I thought they were just here to stir things up"

"Quite. In fact, I'm certain that they thought that was the chief purpose of there visit as well."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"When they arrived all they did was harass the village, even drove a couple Fire Nation refugees from the village. However it turns out they were also looking for information about a quiet young Fire Nation man travelling alone. They lacked the same drive as they did for the chaos they created, but the moment they heard something they sent half their number to report. I'm afraid I don't know whom they were reporting to though."

"That could be almost anyone," reasoned Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, there are few Fire Nation refugees confident enough or foolish enough to travel these lands alone. Never you mind the notion of a quiet young man from the Fire Nation. I mean no offence but with you as the soul exception, your lot are typically quite the brazen bunch."

"They were headed more to the east when I spotted them," Sokka began, "but in this terrain there's no way they wouldn't spot our trail. That's probably why they're heading right to the shelter even with the camouflage."

"Bandits?" Katara asked, her tone turning sharp.

"I'm not sure," Sokka knelt to the ground, picking up some earth and letting it strain between his fingers. "If I had to guess I'd say no, they're not," Katara looked at him expecting a further explanation. "Ostrich horses are no good on this soft ground, so whoever they are they're definitely not from around here."

Sokka stood upright, stretching his arms before popping his head into the shelter. "Hey, we're going to be right back, stay put for us alright? And if you could, please not a peep till we say it's safe." The old man opened his mouth to retort but the young warrior cut him off. "Not. A. Peep."

A loud knock at the door startled Aang awake and he bolted upright, sending his pillow, and the lemur, flying. The small animal blinked in surprise, shocked that it had been awoken and thrown into a wall so suddenly. Aang rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, the bags under his eyes still hanging low, and hesitantly climbed out of bed to his feet. He stood on his toes as he stretched as far as he could towards the ceiling as a yawn escaped his lips.

Rubbing the back of his bald head with one hand he stepped forward and took hold of the door handle with the other, pausing for a moment before pulling it open. There stood a tall lanky man of apparent Fire Nation descent, his golden amber eyes, black hair and pale skin giving away his heritage. The man wore fine red silks decorated with golden trimmings, and his hair was kept up in a top knot. His face was long and narrow; a long moustache trailed along his lips and fell bellow his chin giving him the image of a cat fish.

In one hand he held an open book which was easily a half foot thick, though the man carried it as though it were nothing despite his small build. In his other hand a small quill, still dripping with ink, seemed to be locking into his grasp; Aang couldn't help but wonder if the man had ever put down the pen in the past decade. He stared down at the young Avatar with wide eyes and Aang couldn't help but feel intimidated by the man despite the fact that he was in fact one of the Avatar's personal servants, and self proclaimed advisor.

"Avatar Aang," the man more screeched than spoke, his irritating voice immediately snapping the boy back to his senses. "Do you even have the slightest clue what day or what time it is?"

"Of course I do Ruzy; otherwise I wouldn't know I actually have time for a nap," Aang smiled as he turned about and began to make his way back to his bed.

"It's Ruzel, and you just stop right there. No of course you do not have time for a nap; I saw that you had some time today so I decided it a perfect chance for you to deal with some domestic complaints, and here you are a half hour late."

"You what?" Aang demanded. He was still half asleep and so did not have the willpower to keep his temper in check. "Ruzy, I had no appointments today for a reason. I need some rest. You've got me running on an hour of sleep, I can't keep this up," The Avatar complained.

"Five hours is more than enough for a young man such as you, now come. You've yet to deal with the increasing rumours of the return of the Painted Lady. She's creating much unrest and only the Avatar has the power to deal with the sprits."

Aang grasped his bald head with both hands, searching desperately for even the smallest hair that he might rip out in frustration. "There is no Painted Lady, how many times do I have to tell you? What's more the only person who could pull off pretending to be her isn't even in the country right now, so stop bugging me about it."

"As the Avatar it is your duty to deal with any and all complaints of spiritual activity," Ruzel went on, completely ignoring Aang's pleas. The young man opted instead to cover his ears and tune out the annoying servants constant babbling but Ruzel was not to be so easily ignored, and forcibly removed one of Aang's hands from his ears. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, fine, I guess I have no choice," Aang submitted, casting his head down. However, while one would expect Aang to have a look of defeat, instead a smile crossed his face. Diving between Ruzel's legs, Aang rolled to his feet and made a break for it. Even as the dumbfounded servant began to turn around it was too late; Aang was already gone.

Not fifty feet from the shelter the Water Tribe siblings stood ready, Sokka having decided this the best location they could reach before the strangers arrived. Katara cast a glance at her brother standing beside her; standing upright with his jaw clenched and his limbs loose he was hardly the Sokka she remembered from her childhood. He flexed his fingers, ready to draw his blade at a moment's notice, but aside from that he showed no outwards sign of nervousness.

Katara on the other hand was getting anxious, and this did not go unnoticed by Sokka. "If it comes down to a fight I'll run in, while you pick them off with your water magic."

"About my water magic," Katara began. "I'm fresh out."

"You're out? Out of what? Water? Please don't say you're out of water." Sokka whined, losing his composure before quickly regaining it. "No, never mind; just do that vapour thing you do to make water."

"It's not humid enough, I'll be lucky to get a fist of water out of this air."

"Then get a fistful of water, just make sure you do something. Next time tell me when you're out, I would have left you at the shelter."

"Wait just a minute-"

"No," Sokka cut his sister off as he turned to face her. "As long as they're not Firebenders, I can take them, but I can't protect you at the same time. I don't want you getting hurt just because you've got nothing to bend."

Before Katara could reply, the strangers, five of them total, fully garbed in Earth Kingdom soldier uniforms, and came within earshot. "Stand where you are!" The apparent leader barked.

Katara realized the argument was over, and she felt more than a little guilty for making her brother worry. She was a master Waterbender, a grand master even, but her older brother who couldn't bend an element to save his life, was still watching over her. She was thankful that Sokka was travelling with her, even if she'd never say it to him directly; after all how many family members would drop everything just to help a loved one travel around the world on what everyone called a wild snakegoose hunt?

Sokka put on his best poker face and turned away from his sister to regard the soldiers; sizing them up while scratching the back of his head in an effort to seem confused. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"Yes, there is," Stated the leading soldier. "As you can no doubt see, we are part of the army, and as such we require that you hand over all your possessions to us immediately." The man smiled, revealing that he was missing a number of teeth and had silver and even gold replacements.

Sokka shrugged, shaking his head. "I'm afraid we're diplomats sent by the Water Tribes and given our position we are barred from helping any foreign military. Of course I wouldn't expect a grunt such as you to recognize people of such importance as we."

"What are you doing?" Katara hissed to her brother, but he ignored her, continuing to stare down soldier.

"I'll forgive your transgression this time," Sokka offered, "but please be more careful who you ask for help in the future."

The leader scowled at Sokka. "Impudent whelp, you assume we mean to ask?" He dropped down from his mount and the others quickly dismounted as well.

Sokka smiled as he broke into a charge, swiftly drawing his sword and boomerang as he ran, he reached the leader even as the poor soldier was setting his feet on the ground. Punching the hilt into the man's fore head, the Water Tribe warrior donned a triumphant grin. "Actually I assumed that you'd give up your high ground at the slightest provocation," he bragged as the leader slumped to the ground unconscious.

Aang pressed his back to a wall as he made his escape; slowly and carefully, he took a quick glance around the corner. He spotted two guards approaching and quickly he retreated back around the corner. From the way they walked it was clear they were less than enthusiastic about the task set before them. Regardless they were bound to find poor Aang, despite their lack of focus, in but a few short moments.

"Man, I can't believe Ruzel stuck us with Avatar hunting again," complained one guard.

"I know, he's like sixteen, and the Avatar, he really doesn't need anyone babysitting him," chimed in the other.

"Can't say I envy that kid though, you ever see that big book that Ruzel is always carrying around?" The guard pretended to carry a book in one arm.

"You're kidding me right? I think it would be a rarer sight to see him without that thing."

"Yeah well, apparently that whole thing is filled with the Avatar's schedule, the guy's got that kid's future planned out down to the speck of dust."

"That thing is a planner? There's no way, isn't that thing thick enough to detail his next year?"

"No man, that's the Avatar's meetings for the week."

The other guard slapped his hand to his forward. "No wonder the kid keeps running away, I'd run away too if I were him."

"I know what you mean, there's no way that's good for the nerves; he's got to be stressed out."

The guards changed the topic of their conversation as they turned the corner into an empty hallway and continued on their way. On the ceiling Aang held his breath, both hands and feet stuck in the stone. The moment the guards were out of sight he took a deep breath of air and pulled his limbs free, the stone giving way as if it were water. He dropped to the ground without a sound and checked around the corner. Seeing no one, he decided this to be his best opportunity to make good his escape. Rather than going down the hall, he instead climbed out a window, carefully scaling the wall to the roof above.

Already atop the palace a familiar lemur struggled to pull his pillow free; the object had become caught on the eaves trough and the small animal was having some difficulty with it. The small creature's attention was caught by Aang and he couldn't help but shake his head as the young man ran along the rooftop. Suddenly the pillow came free and the lemur was sent flying, narrowly grasping the edge of the roof with one paw while saving the pillow from falling with the other.

The soldiers hesitated as there leader collapsed; downed by a single attack by the scrawny Water Tribe man. As Sokka took a step towards them they fell back a step and began to bend the earth to their will. However to their surprise their bending failed them and instead only a few particles of sand rose into the air. Sokka began to advance with smile and shook his head. "You know, I figured you guys wouldn't know how to fight on sand."

The would-be benders' faces clearly showed their surprise at the situation; they were totally outmatched by man who could still pass as a boy. With only numbers on there side they drew their swords, which were more accurately strips of metal with leather wrapped around the base to form a handle. Even with the Fire Nation under the combined control of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, the secrets of smelting and forging had yet to spread. The exile or death of all the master craftsmen further hampered the production of quality weapons. Slowly they moved to surround and flank Sokka in hopes that he would be unable to fight so many at once.

One of the four winced as a fist sized chunk of ice smashed him in the side of the face; Katara fought the urge to smile, realizing that her attack was far less affective than she'd hoped. The injured man immediately turned his attention to her and left his three compatriots to deal with he warrior. Katara bit her lip and took a step back, but the man began to advance faster. Sokka saw what was happening but he was powerless to help her until he dealt with the soldiers that had him surrounded.

Taking a step forwards Sokka threw his boomerang at the soldier in front of him and as he expected the man easily ducked the projectile. As the soldier rose back to his full height Sokka swung with his sword, catching his opponent in the head with the side of his blade. Sokka spun as he continued the motion with his sword, falling into a crouch he kicked out and tripped the soldier beside him. Meanwhile the boomerang narrowly missed the man Sokka had hit with his sword, passed right over Sokka's head, and struck the third solider solidly in the forehead. All three men hit the ground at almost the exact same moment.

A scream returned Sokka's attention to his sister; the soldier that had been advancing on her was now charging with his weapon raised to strike. Katara fell into a crouch and brought up her right arm to block the coming blow; the few droplets of water that she'd managed to summon splashed against her assailant's face. Sokka broke into a mad dash to his sister despite being fully aware he had no chance of making it in time. The soldier brought down his weapon and both siblings winced, but Katara did not crumple and Sokka did not slow. Grasping the hilt of his sword in both hands the warrior swung at the soldier's neck, turning his blade at the last moment to hit him with the flat side. The man's head snapped to the side as Sokka's sword slammed into his neck and the fell to the ground.

Katara remained crouched cradling her wounded arm, but not a speck of blood marked it but instead her forearm was bruised near black. Sokka was relieved that his sister had not been cut but eyed the bruises with suspicion. The Waterbender's face was contorted in pain and she gently stroked her injury with her good hand. She seemed to be frozen in place. He sheathed his sword and stepped on the fallen soldier, forcing his face into the dirt with on foot. Still on top of the man Sokka kneeled in front of his sister he placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a whisper, his head mere inches from her. "I shouldn't have brought you; I should have left you at the shelter. I'm sorry you had to use Bloodbending."

"It hurts," Katara mumbled.

"Yeah, frostbite tends to, just wait right here, I'm going to make sure they're all going to stay down then I'll check if they have any water on them. Will you be okay for a minute?" Katara stared at him like he was an idiot; even if she wouldn't be alright there was no way she'd admit it. Sokka sighed then stood up and made his way to the fallen soldiers. One by one he gave them each a solid hit to the head before heading to their mounts to check the saddle bags.

Zuko bowed to the old mayor. "I thank you for all your assistance Gibb, but I need to get going."

"I understand. I'll have some supplies loaded onto your boat. You should be ready to depart in a day," the mayor smiled.

Zuko straightened. "I'm sorry but that's not soon enough, I don't know how long it will take me and I need to leave as soon as I can. Please, I'll load the supplies myself, but I need to leave now."

"I see, very well." The mayor turned his back to Zuko. "I'll see what I can do. I do hope that the next time you'll have a chance to sit and enjoy a nice pot of tea."

Zuko grimaced at the mention of the beverage; ever did it remain his bane. Nonetheless he forced a smile. "Yes, I would enjoy that."

Aang soared through the air grasping tightly onto his glider: a six foot staff with orange coloured wing-like attachments reinforced by small strands of steel that extended from the central shaft. This was Aang's fifth glider, or so he thought, he wasn't certain anymore. He'd lost two during the war while two more became obsolete as he grew in height and weight over the past four years. This particular glider was made for him only a couple of short weeks ago and this was his first opportunity for a test flight.

Having successfully escaped both the palace and the royal city, the young Avatar now flew in the open skies close to a mile above the open plains bellow. He licked his lips before performing several aerial loops; he fully intended to get a feel for his new toy, even if he did have other matters that required his attention. Regaining his focus he began to search the ground below, his eyes darting from side to side. His eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face as he spotted his quarry, wasting no time he shifted his weight and fell into a nose dive.

Pulling up, Aang's quickly flipped around his glider, so that instead of holding it he was instead standing atop it. He extended his arms for balance and used his feet to guide the glider, effectively surfing on the wind. He surfed through the air for the majority of his descent, but upon approaching the ground he returned to his former position. Collapsing his glider back into a staff he began to spin the weapon over his head much like the blades of a helicopter. A powerful cyclone formed beneath the staff, pushing upwards and slowing Aang's fall. His knees bent as his settled down on the ground; the earth giving way slightly to cushion the impact.

In front of the Avatar stood a great beast; it was a little larger than an elephant and covered in long white fur. The creature had six legs as opposed to the usual four a beast of its size would have, and its tail was wide and flat, much like that of a beaver's except it too was covered in white fur. Down the beast's back a brown pattern of fur formed a line ending with an arrow at the creature's forehead, very similar to the tattoos Aang wore. It had a round face framed by two large horns protruding from just in front of its ears while it's eyes belayed a gentleness like that of a puppy. The creature opened its great mouth, letting out a purr that literally shook the ground around it, and, sticking out its tongue, licked Aang, covering the Avatar head to toe in a thick layer of slobber.

Aang continued smiling despite his considerably moistened state; giving the affectionate creature a quick pat on the cheek, Aang jumped into the air and landed softly atop the beast's head. Laying flat on his stomach he rubbed his face against the soft fur. "Good to see you too boy," Aang commented before sitting back up. Looking over his shoulder to the creature's back he quickly spotted a familiar lemur, fast asleep atop an also familiar pillow. "Hey Momo," Aang began. "How'd you beat me to Appa?" Momo merely rolled over in response, not so much as uttering a sound to the young Avatar. Aang scratched his bald head before giving it a shake. "Never mind, it's not important."

Several palace guards entered the scene, having little difficulty tracking Aang as few humans are able to fly through the skies. "Sir, please come back to the palace," one of the guards all but begged. "Ruzel's not even gonna let us take as much as a lunch until we bring you back."

Aang surveyed the two dozen guards that had followed him from the palace, feeling more than a little sorry for the men. However his course was set and he was not about to be swayed before he even left. Smiling he gave Appa a pat on the head. "Alight boy, yip yip."

Appa leapt into the air, kicking with his legs and batting his tail he began to literally swim through the air; a strong gust of wind followed behind, knocking many of the guards prone while others could only stare in awe as the Avatar and his Sky Bison flew higher. Aang couldn't hold back a laugh as he took one last look at the dumbfounded earthbound men.

"Alright," Aang licked his lips and pointed to the Southeast. "Come on Appa, we're going to visit home."

Sokka continued to dig through the saddle packs while Katara worked at healing her arms with the water they'd procured. He found a rolled up scroll with a broken seal and gave it a quick read. He didn't even notice Katara sneak up behind him until she stole the paper right out of his hands. "Hey!" He protested and grabbed out at the scroll but Katara was faster and jumped back out of his reach.

Katara ducked and weaved as she read the scroll; Sokka tried to get it back but he was afraid he might hurt his sister's newly healed arms if he wasn't careful. Katara clenched her jaw as she reached the end of the document while Sokka bit his upper lip. "I know where he's going," Katara stated flatly.

"What, where who's going?" Sokka asked even though he knew well what she was talking about.

"This scroll is about Zuko; these men were reporting on his recent activity," She looked at her brother. "He arrived at a port town south of here a month ago, by boat."

"So what does it mean?"

"It means he's heading back to that town, it means he's planning to leave the Earth Kingdom, and it means he plans to head south. I know where he's going Sokka, I know where he's going and we can finally catch him." A cold sweat formed on Sokka's brow. "Come on, we need to get moving, we have to get to the Southern Air Temple."

"Wait, what?" Sokka questioned, now genuinely confused.

"He's going to the Southern Air Temple, where else would he go if he was heading South? The Water Tribe? I don't think so."

"Yeah, I guess you're right; he must be heading to the Air Temple," Sokka agreed.

Zuko stood atop a large skiff; the boast itself was a little over fifteen feet long, a small tarp arced over a portion of the deck creating a poor shelter form the elements, while a mast rose form the centre of the boat. Taking a glance over his shoulder Zuko stole one last look at the mainland before tearing his eyes from the land and instead looking out to the sea. A large wave rocked the boat and the young prince was forced to grab a hold of the mast the keep his balance. Narrowing his eyes he focused on the horizon, on the cold South. Already the waters sought to end his journey but he was prince Zuko, and he did not give into the whims of the world without a fight. Taking a couple deep breaths to ease himself Zuko raised the sails; the boat rocked as a gust of wind began to carry the skiff to its destination. Taking Sokka's scroll in hand the banished prince lit it aflame, allowing the ashes to spread to the wind, only a single scrap remained and fluttered through the air; it read "in the Southern Water Tribe."

Chapter 8: End.

One of the things I wanted to get across with this chapter was that while Katara is possibly the most powerful Waterbender in the world, unlike Zuko she has very little skill in fighting without a water source. Even so she's able to draw vapour right out of the air and so she is rarely helpless. Without any water, such as when she's in the middle of a desert, she can still manipulate her own body using Bloodbending. I don't plan to show what she's fully capable of until she faces off against one of the other main characters though. EDIT: I've had a number of people asking about why Katara is so hostile towards Zuko so I'm including information about her motivation in the next chapter. The chapter will be Toph centric but I guess it's about time that I expanded on the severe change in personality in Katara. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I ask that more people please make suggestions and comments, I appreciate them. Well until next time, remember to seize the day.

-fallendeathlord