Well then… Nothing really much to say here. I've been writing so much original work that I lost all motivation to right this story. So if you want to thank anyone thank Pen Name-Toon. Dude's the only reason I've gotten around to trying to finish this. This is a shout out to him for his love of the story and tenacity to make me finish it haha. Anyway, I also want to apologize if this story seems kind of rushed from this point on. I'm channeling everything I got to finish this before I tamper off again… Hope you can still enjoy.

(For the record…the first 1900 words were written in 2011… So lets see what an almost 3 year difference does.)

Chapter 17: Regrouping

"Wake up!"

The voice was barely audible, let alone recognizable. He felt like there were a thousand ringing bells in his head.

"Get up you idiot!" the voice snarled again.

This time he recognized it.

Tyren's eyes shot open and he glanced around quickly. His settings were not the same as they were win he had been unceremoniously been knocked senseless.

Gone were the beautifully carved Ice Caves, and the company of his friends.

Instead and strangely lit purple and black sky shimmered above Tyren, and he lay on surface that seemed solid but shifted like the shadows.

And inches from his face was Tyren's teacher, in his dragon form, eyes blazing with fierce intensity.

"It's about damn time," Master Niy snapped, barring his fangs and retreating slightly. "I thought I was going to have to smack you back into the land of the living."

"The Shadow World doesn't count as the land of the living," Tyren said dully, rubbing his throbbing head. "Nothing lives here. The whole place is hell."

Niy eye-balled Tyren closely, his lips pursed back to reveal his gleaming teeth.

"You don't scare me anymore," Tyren snapped, struggling to sit up to a standing position. He was remembering the severity of his last conversation with his master and was not excited to stay. "What do you want?"

"A little fear may be good for you," Niy snapped, shifting into a giant black badger-mole. "It keeps you on your toes…and in line."

"Any line you're leading, I'm out of," said Tyren coolly. "I've seen how those work out."

"You could be a little more respectful to your elders, boy," Master Niy growled, inches from Tyren's face now.

Tyren did not back down though, instead crossing his arms and glaring defiantly.

"I give respect to those who have earned it," he said in a low voice. "You lost it."

"Quit your pouting, boy, and just listen to me," Niy huffed. He transformed into a large black snake and twirled around Tyren many times before resting on his shoulders; his purple slits of eyes inches from Tyren's. "You need to hurry it up."

"Wise words master," Tyren mocked amazement. "You sure I couldn't figure that out on my own?"

"Don't smart me or I'll crush you," Niy hissed, his tongue flickering off Tyren's nose. "I'm serious, boy. Something isn't quite right in the world… Things are shifting in an unfavorable way for you. Spirits know it probably has to do with some damn "balance"… But it would be best if it didn't have to come to that."

Tyren's eyes narrowed, looking his master up and down apprehensively.

"What do the Spirits have to do with anything?"

"They're getting restless, boy," growled Niy. "They all sense the same things I do. And it's not a pleasant sense…"

"Fine," Tyren grunted. "So I'll hurry up the retrieval mission and be on the lookout for anything less than friendly…which shouldn't be that hard to find in this situation… Can I go now?"

Niy's eyes narrowed but he unwound himself from around the shadowbender and laid on the floor before morphing into a too large baboon.

"One last thing, Tyren," the monkey howled. His eyes were beady and glowed unnaturally as they always did, but there was some sincere worry in there. That unsettled the shadowbender more than anything.

"When your life is put back in front of you… Try not to get too distracted. Make the right choice."

Tyren's jaw dropped and he looked at his teacher incredulously.

"Wait… Are you telling me that I'm going to find out!? I'm going to finally remember?"

Master Niy did not reply, and the shadows were overtaking Tyren. The shadow monkey was barely visible anymore.

"Wait!"

It was too late.

"Tyren! Tyren, wake up!" a familiar, rather desperate voice was calling.

Tyren's eyes cleared and he was back in the familiar glistening caves of ice, surrounded by Sin, Tri, and Tyrus, and Toph.

"What happened?" grunted Tyren, rubbing his head slowly.

"You were out for a while," Tyrus said, looking around them nervously. "Something's going on outside in the other caves. The whole place was shaking and then it just stopped…. Then you wouldn't wake up, and you disappeared into the shadows… They moved in on you and…kind of ate you up… We were really freaked… But your back now, so we really gotta get going…"

"Calm down kid, you're not helping my head," grumbled Tyren, standing shakily. "I'm guessing that the artifact wasn't in here?"

"We were not so lucky," Sin said softly.

"Since when have we ever been lucky…," snorted Tyren angrily. The shadowbender's mind was still on what his master had said. He wanted to do nothing more than go back to the Shadow World and force the answer out of that miserable, shifting, sneaking son of a bitch, but his friends needed him here.

"Forget the stupid artifact," Toph said, rather angrily. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! I was holding on to you and then you just disappeared! I was so scared…"

She was silence by Tyren putting a finger to her lips softly.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that," the shadowbender smiled softly. "And I promise… I won't leave you again."

There was some awkward shifting from the others, but Tyren and Toph were lost looking at each other.

"Come on, we'll head back up the cave," Sin finally said. "If one of the others found the artifact everyone's going to have to meet back at the entrance anyway."

"If they found the artifact, and not Azula," Tri said quietly.

"Way to be positive," Tyrus huffed.

The four shuffled back up the tunnel, the biggest upside of their journey down the Ice Caves being they didn't run into anymore bobby traps on the way back.

Whoever had set the traps obviously hadn't figured that anyone would be walking back up the cave again.

The group was surprised to find that no one else had made it back to the meeting chamber that all the tunnels began at. And realized with horror, that one tunnel had caved in.

"Whose tunnel was that?" demanded Tri.

"My father and mother's," Tyrus breathed, looking fearfully at the tightly packed snow and ice blocking his family…possibly burying his parents.

"Aang's too… Katara… Oh no," whispered Toph, covering her mouth.

"Do you hear that…?" Sin chimed in.

There was a slight rumbling coming from the middle right tunnel, and it was growing steadily louder.

"What the…?" grunted Tyren. Then he saw it; the group of Xu, Ty Lee and Gyatso being propelled by the airbenders desperate flailing feet.

"Help us!" Xu yelled, scooping up his wife, and making a mad dash for the others.

"What is-oh…" Tri stopped. They all saw the giant snow ball bearing down on their friends.

"Get behind us," Tyrus yelled, stepping forward.

Toph, Tri, Sin, and a sprinting Xu carrying his wife huddled behind the benders. Tyrus and Tyren took their stances, and Gyatso sent a strong burst of air at the boulder of ice.

Tyrus' flame combined with the air, taking a large chuck out of the danger, while Tyren's shadow lashed out and finished the job, reducing the snowball to nothing.

"Thanks…" Xu gasped, putting his wife down gently before collapsing himself. "I thought someone was going to have to use a spatula to get us off the ground."

"Don't mention it," Tyren chuckled. "Did you guys happen to get the artifact? We chose the wrong tunnel…"

Xu shook his head.

"All we found was a giant snowball that tried to crush us."

"Damn…I bet Aang and all of them found it…that's why the tunnels collapsed…," Tyren growled.

"They're trapped?" Gyatso choked, turning desperately to the tunnel his parents and sister had gone down. "All of them…?"

"Don't worry about it kid, we'll get to them...," Xu said, putting a hand on the shocked airbenders shoulder.

Gyatso turned and buried his head in Xu's shoulder, sobbing softly.

"They better be alright…," growled Tyren, looking back at the closed off cave with a glare. "Or she will pay…dearly."

"Where are my parents too?" Tri wondered. "Do you think they got lucky…?"

Suddenly there was a crackle of ice and snow and the tunnel that had previously been blocked off was re-opened, revealing a snow and ice covered Aang and Katara, bending the way clear, Fire Lord Zuko keeping his wife warm, and Roku and Kya huddled close together, shivering.

"Mom! Dad!" shouted Gyatso happily, hugging both his parents tightly. "I thought something terrible had happened…"

"We're alright. We're alright honey," Katara assured her son, stroking his bald head gently.

"I'm glad you're alright too…," Gyatso said, turning to his sister.

"Thanks short stuff," grinned Kya. Gyatso ripped his sister away from the Fire Prince and into a bone crushing hug.

Roku looked a little disgruntled but he joined his family in a tight hug.

"Glad you're alright Roku," Tyrus muttered, putting a hand on the older siblings shoulder. "Who else was going to make me mad enough to spit flames?"

"Wouldn't miss seeing that Tyrannosaurus," Roku smirked, patting his little brothers shoulder.

"Did you all happen to get the artifact?" Tyren asked the newly arrived group. "Or should are faith be in Sokka and Suki?"

"No, we found the artifact," Aang answered.

"But Azula took it," Zuko finished, his fists tightening angrily. "And then had her goons try and cave us in."

"Then were the Spirits are the others?" growled Tyren, looking back down the last hall.

There came the crunch of many feet on snow and everyone present tensed, looking around for the source of the noise.

"Did Azula happen to leave any stragglers you recon?" Xu muttered.

"I wouldn't think so…," Zuko grunted. "She was in quite a hurry to get out of there…"

Suddenly there was a shadow on wall, causing a surge of fear as everyone whipped around to find…

Suk holding her father's boomerang.

"I super strong!" Suk smiled happily, holding up the boomerang proudly.

"Suk!" Tri sighed, relieved. "Where are mom and dad? Where's Jie?"

"And Ling…," Xu said pointedly.

"They in jail," Suk shrugged, not at all bothered by that dilemma. "But I broke the bars with daddy's boomerang! I escape!"

"Guess we gotta go bust them out," Zuko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Let's hurry though. We don't have time to waste."

Aang flew down the tunnel, disappearing from view quickly.

"Guess he isn't wasting time," grunted Roku.

A few seconds later, the Avatar rounded the corner into view, flanked by the others.

"Sokka, how is it your baby girl could escape these tunnels so easily, and you got trapped?" Zuko grunted to the embarrassed Water Tribe Warrior.

"Well….I…gah!" grumbled Sokka throwing his hands in the air. "I was just testing my daughter's skills! And look she was awesome!" He tried to do complete the cover story with a confident fist pump, but his sweet six year old daughter giggling and waving her father's boomerang around haphazardly caused him to hang his head in embarrassment.

There was a laugh shared around the group, a short moment of mirth among a group with more pressure on their shoulders than ever before.

"We should get going," Zuko, ever the somber one, said, cutting the moment short. "We're already behind now and standing here helps nothing." Everyone nodded and followed the Fire Lord and Lady down the smoothly carved ice tunnels.

The Avatar cocked his head back, noting the group as they walked. Trailing in the very back, a stride behind Sin, was The Shadowbender. His cloak was ripped in certain places around the shoulder and around the tail, and he had his hood up, hiding his eyes and upper part of his face as he looked at the ground.

Aang slowed his pace, waving his hand at Katara's questioning glance, and fell in stride with his quiet friend.

"Something bugging you, Tyren?" Aang asked quietly. Tyren didn't immediately respond; he paused so long Aang almost considered that he was ignoring the question.

"Just a lot on my mind Aang," Tyren rasped. The Avatar was taken aback by the tone of his voice, falling out of step and starting at The Shadowbender's back.

"That doesn't sound like something I should just leave hanging there," Aang said, catching up to Tyren. "What's the matter?"

The Shadowbender's face got even darker behind his cowl.

"I feel like things are coming to a head, Aang," Tyren muttered darkly. "We're about to reach a do or die point..."

"Yeah, I can feel it too Tyren," Aang agreed. He gazed at the group in front of them, bruised but not beaten down. "But you know I think we'll be just fine-"

"I don't think I will be," Tyren snapped, his gloved hands balling into fists. "I don't know I can… If I'll be able to…" Words seemed to leave him.

"Tyren… what's the matter?" Aang asked, wide eyed.

"I'm frustrated Aang," Tyren finally raised his head and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. "And I'm desperate…and I'm tired. I'd really like to know more about myself…my past. But the present keeps trying to get in the way…"

"Have you ever thought that maybe it's not worth it?" Aang asked softly. Tyren stopped dead and his eyes narrowed on the back of the Avatar's bald head.

"What did you say?"

"Look Tyren," Aang began, stopping to survey his friend, "I didn't know you back then. And I don't think it matters. Because I know you now," Aang placed his hand on Tyren's shoulders, "And I know that you are a great friend and a great person. And I think that's what counts!"

Tyren held his gaze, dark brown locked on gray.

"I'm glad I met you Aang… I'm glad I met everyone in the gang," Tyren said evenly, "But…"

"But…?"

"I need to know," Tyren grunted. "Without that… Without my past… How am I supposed to know where I come from… What made me…"

"Tyren," Aang said helplessly, holding his empty hands out.

"Maybe it doesn't matter," Tyren said, hiding his hands among the folds of his cloak and looking down so the cowl his eyes again. "Maybe it won't affect me and where I stand at all… But look Aang… You may have lost your past and family to being trapped in the ice but… you at least know where you come from." The Shadowbender turned his back on Aang and began following the dwindling figures of the rest of the gang.

"As far as I know now I come from nothing… And it's starting to kill me."