Chapter 1: Directions

Toph couldn't have been happier with the day and location that the gang had chosen to have their five-year reunion.

She'd traveled on foot for nearly a week to reach the rural landscape of rock and forest that surrounded Omashu. She was tired and sore, but the prospect of being with her friends again made everything worthwhile.

Plus, a break from her newly established metalbending academy was long overdue. In the spirit of relaxation and reunion, Toph had decided to make a long vacation out of the journey, and was looking forward to exploring the area reputed to be the birthplace of earthbending.

Alone, of course. The last thing she wanted after all of the fluffy festivities at the reunion was a travelling partner. No: she would be alone at last, after four years of beating bratty metalbending hopefuls into shape. Free to do whatever she pleased, whenever she pleased.

"Man, these rocks are slippery," she muttered as she almost lost her footing on some moss.

She stomped the ground firmly, sending out vibrations to get a sense of her surroundings. She deduced from the overwhelming presence of stationary organic matter and vertical rock formations that she had reached a dense part of the forest.

I'm probably pretty deep in. I can't feel the sun anymore, and the ground is littered with detritus.

A hogmonkey shrieked from some distance away, which prompted a massive scattering of various birds in the east.

Hmm. Unfamiliar, but interesting. I'll have to come back here.

She continued, effortlessly avoiding every obstacle in the forest: a jagged rock formation, some onerous roots, and even a rotted stump that was obscured by leaves. After half an hour or so, she took a break and mentally referenced a note that had been sent to her (and read aloud by one of her students).

All right… a rocky forest next to some mountains. Sounds right.

Based on the letter's enclosed directions, the young earthbender figured that she couldn't be far from the meeting point.

"Mountains, mountains," she mumbled under her breath. "Why can't I feel any mountains…"

She couldn't sense any mountains, and the landscape around her was not varied enough for her to be exactly sure of her whereabouts. Cursing the absence of landmarks and her sudden inability to navigate, Toph earthbent a rudimentary tent around herself, doing her best to stay calm and determine the best course of action.

All right, I can make my own landmark and do a radial search around it. No, that would take too long. I'd never get there in time.

The relative silence of Toph's sanctuary was interrupted by a growing sound in the west. It was faint at first, but grew louder and louder as it came closer. She covered her ears and tried her best to concentrate, but the sound reverberated through the ground as well, making it impossible to ignore.

"What the hell—"

Suddenly she could discern several voices—human voices—and their rudely crafted instruments twanging and banging. As it drew closer, Toph could even make out a few words:

"Secret tunnellll… through the moooountaaains…"

The mountains… maybe that's where they're coming from!

"If I can't navigate through touch," she concluded, "then I'm going to have to rely on sound."

She broke free of the makeshift shelter, following her ears to the source. As not to startle them, she began to cry and wave from afar.

"Hello!" she called, using her free hand to amplify her voice.

The traveling musicians must have heard her, because they began to march in place and wave frantically back.

"Hello, stranger!" one of them half-bellowed, half-sang, picking out the syllables of his greeting on what sounded like a ukulele.

Toph hastily earthbent herself the rest of the way, halting a couple of meters away from the band.

"Whoa there, little lady!" another one of them sang, strumming a harp as he did so. "Quite the earthbender, I see! What are you doing this fine afternoon?"

"Just great, now that I've heard where you've come from!" she replied, more cheerful and less sarcastic than usual. "If I heard correctly, you were just singing about some mountains. I'm meeting a couple of friends somewhere, and they told me to look for a mountain range close to Omashu. Could you possibly point me in the direction of it?"

"Sure," a female voice hummed. "But if it is the mountains you seek, then it must be more than a friend that you expect to see there!" she giggled.

Toph cocked her head. "I'm sorry; I don't think I understand."

"The secret tunnel!" the first voice cooed, and the other two echoed him in perfect harmony.

"Riiight," Toph responded, pretending to understand. "So if I were to go and meet this 'more than a friend' person, where should I go?"

What on earth are they talking about? Nah, it doesn't matter. The tunnel is where the mountain is, I suppose. Same thing.

"Thataway!" the second voice warbled.

Tapping the ground with her heel, Toph discerned that the man was pointing somewhere to his left.

"All right, thanks!" she replied. "I must be on my way now, so I guess I'll see you around!"

She turned in the indicated direction and set off for the mountain.

"Whoever he is, he's a lucky boy!" the female voice called, beating out the tune on some bongos.

These guys are wolfbat shit insane.

As Toph scooted away, the trio broke out into song again:

"Even if you're lost you can't

Lose the love that's in your heart!

La la la, la la la…"

Toph resumed her 'earth-surfing' at full speed ahead, drowning out the tune.

The hell is a 'secret tunnel', some sort of sexual innuendo? Must be some big makeout cave or something.

"Whatever," she scoffed, laughing at the idea that these goons thought that she had a 'lucky boy.' "Crazy hippies."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! I love feedback and welcome suggestions for improvement! I'll try to release a chapter at least once every two or three days, so stay tuned for more!