So, it seemed like this took forever to make and it definitely kinda did. I deeply apologize for keeping fans of this story waiting for so long. Life tends to shift priorities and interests. But now, I'm glad to present the final chapter in this story…

PREDATORS: THE AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER VERSION!

Part 6

Noland anxiously scurried through the dark cold bowels of the drill supply. After that last explosion, his plans, shelter—everything—had been compromised. Time was running out and if the unstable ex-soldier was to continue his existence, as miserable as it was, he knew that he needed to get as far away from the drill supply as possible. His calculated footsteps led him closer to one of the many exits that he had discovered during his refuge in drill supply, but before he could go any further, the sound of an eerily familiar snarl stopped him dead in his tracks. Despite the faint illumination of the narrow metallic hallway, the acuity of Noland's widening eyes managed to roughly make out the imposing figure of a tall translucent silhouette standing a few feet away from him.

With his heart thumping deep inside his chest, Noland let out a trembling exhale from his nostrils and accepted his fate, "Oh…so you finally found me, huh big dog? Well, what took you so long?" He muttered, just as a triangular laser sight made its way up to his forehead. The last thing that Noland saw was a quick discharge of energy shoot toward him before his entire world went painlessly black. The super predator, undeterred by the gore of Noland's remains, splattered across the corridor, advanced forward on the cleared path as if nothing had happened. A coldhearted focus guided its unhurried footsteps as it sought to reach its other targets in mind.

"Guys, this isn't working! The smoke is about to overtake us!" Aang cried as he struggled to manipulate the enormous circular mass of grey colored smoke with his waving hands. The diffusing smoke from the ball continued to fog the enclosed room, leaving the group in an increasing struggle for clean air. In desperation, Jet quickly moved back to the impregnable sealed exit. Sitting down in front of it, the freedom fighter futilely attempted to use the force of his violently kicking legs to somehow break through the seal, "AH! Let-me-out-of-here-you-stupid—!" The freedom fighter's cry was suddenly cut short when the force of a loud unexpected bang responded from the other side of the seal.

The attention of the humans collectively drew to the sealed exit just as a disturbed Jet hastily moved away. Two more loud bangs hit against the seal from the outside until it was partially knocked open, allowing a narrow crooked breach for escape. Without hesitation, Aang took advantage of the strange yet convenient situation and manipulated the giant form of the smoke ball into a long projecting stream that he sent through the breach. But even while the majority of smoke had left the room, fumes still continued to sift in from Noland's fire supply.

"Well…it looks like they heard the call." Piandao spoke up, staring at the warped form of the breach.

Hama shook her head in confusion, "I-I don't understand. I thought those monsters wanted to kill us?"

Azula responded without even looking at the old woman, "They don't want us dying on any other terms besides their own; their game is that simple. That old freak gave me no other choice but to reveal our location. He's a dead man if I ever see him again."

"O-okay, so…what do we do now?" A tense and sweaty Jet asked. His words seemed to produce a vague sense of anxiety as they hung, unanswered, in the hot stuffy air. The brief, precious moments of respite had been cut short too soon and reality had quickly returned with an ominous vengeance. Sensing the need to act quickly, the Avatar finally decided to lift the silence with a deep exhale; priming himself for what was to come. Turning his attention to Jet, the Avatar responded, "We leave."

With that reply, Aang cautiously sauntered toward the breach. One by one, his fellow comrades followed closely behind him. Peering out into the dark halls of the drill supply from behind the bent metal of the breach, Aang could see nothing in the pitch blackness of the hall's depths. Taking his gaze away, Aang looked back toward his comrades.

"Iroh?" He called.

The general made eye contact with the airbender and immediately knew what he was asking for, "I'm on it." He replied back. Aang gave way as the general shifted his body toward the breach and sent forth a short stream of flame from his hand into the darkness, illuminating the surrounding area. The general then gazed into the brightened halls and quickly turned his head back towards Aang and the others, "It's all clear." He muttered quietly.

Aang nodded, "Alright, let's go."

Iroh replied with a similar head gesture and made the first move out the narrow exit. Knocking down the loosened seal with a strong kick, the general emerged from the smothering room followed by the rest of his companions. With Hama's exit, the last person was out and the group huddled close together in the dimly lit hallway. Without beckoning, both Iroh and Azula created torches of flame, in their palms, to provide more light in the faint surroundings.

"Okay guys, we're going to find a way out of here, alright? Let's keep quiet, stay together and move carefully." Aang whispered as he looked at each of his companions in the eyes, "Azula, stay close to the front so we can clearly see ahead. Iroh put out your flame so we won't attract too much attention to ourselves." He ordered. At the sight of Iroh obediently cancelling his flame, a vivid image of Katara unexpectedly flashed in Aang's mind. Quickly, he shook the thought off to remain focused. Giving a shallow exhale, the Avatar then led the way for the tiny group as they began their anxious search for escape.

Moving at a swift and vigilant pace, the group maneuvered through the maze-like halls of the drill supply as silently as possible. A nervous Hama, however, had her attention divided as she trailed at the rear. Between keeping up with the restless pace of the group and fretfully observing her surroundings for strange movements, Hama failed to keep focused with her comrades as they entered into a corridor with two directions. While Hama had her head turned, the group took one course and disappeared behind a corner. When the old woman turned her attention back to the group, she was startled to find none of her comrades in sight.

"Hello?" Hama called out worriedly as she stood alone between the two passages.

She could feel her stomach tightly knot as no response returned and deep chills suddenly began to creep up her spine. In a panic, Hama fled in the opposite direction of the group, hoping to rejoin them. Unfortunately, the group never noticed Hama's separation as they continued their advance.

The old woman found herself going further and further down strange metal halls devoid of nothing but dust, hanging wires and the echoing sounds of her lone panting breath. Stopping momentarily in the middle of a hallway to not only catch her breath, but somewhat calm her nerves as well, Hama noticed a series of moving shadows reflect through a small gap in the wall next to her.

"Hey-Hey guys!" Hama screamed in excitement while scurrying towards the gap. Her voice successfully managed to draw back her surprised and confused comrades on the other side of the wall.

"Hama! Wha-what are you doing there?" Aang asked in astonishment.

Hama, relieved just to have made contact with another human being again, gave a nervous chuckle, "I-I got lost from you guys somewhere behind. Just please…get me out of here okay?" She sputtered between tired huffs of air.

"There's no time. We've got to leave her!" Azula exclaimed to the others.

Aang whipped his head toward the princess, "What? NO! We can't abandon Hama like we did Phil!"

Using her free hand, an impatient Azula grabbed Aang by the collar of his garment and pulled him close to her, "Listen Avatar, don't be a fool! This is exactly that same situation all over again! Do you really want to stay here and get even more people killed that you could've protected, or do you want to sacrifice one life for the greater good?" The princess snarled. Azula's intentionally manipulative words sank deep into Aang's guilt-scarred heart and he released himself from her forceful grip. Biting his lip, Aang turned a quivering face onto Hama's anxious one and held back his tears, "I'm so sorry." He whispered before quickly turning away to resume leading the escape.

A surprised Hama watched as the Avatar and everyone else but Iroh moved ahead. The general, as emotionally conflicted as Aang—possibly even more so—had kept himself quiet during the short debate due to his mixed feelings. Hama, tears forming in her eyes, looked at Iroh as her last hope, "Please Iroh, you've got to get me out of here." She pleaded. Iroh silently gazed at Hama before he closed his eyes, sadly lowered his head and moved along to rejoin the others.

Disheartened and beyond shocked, Hama staggered away from the gap and attempted to dry her eyes with her sleeves. Looking ahead into the deeper shadows of the dim hall, the old woman picked up a small piece of metal near her foot and intended to judge the remaining distance of the hall. Throwing the piece of metal with a hard thrust, Hama was surprised that the flying object barely made it more than a few feet away from her before it clanged against a solid surface that gave off a strange electric spark.

Hama's heart nearly jumped out her chest when the electric spark caused the figure of a translucent silhouette to reveal itself slowly ambling towards her. Gripped by a devastating onset of fear, the old woman could barely utter a peep as the figure approached. Steadily stepping back with each corresponding step of the imposing figure's cool advance, Hama jolted when the sinister sound of an unsheathing blade abruptly caught her ears. Despite beads of cold sweat dropping down her brow, the old woman struggled to find the nerve to effectively focus on bending her natural element in order to defend herself. Quietly reveling in the dramatic stalk of its prey, the super predator was finally preparing to unleash a vicious attack on Hama when, unexpectedly, another human appeared from a corner behind the old woman.

Iroh shot two quick fireballs at the approaching super predator, hitting it square in the armor and stunning the alien, momentarily, before quickly grabbing Hama by the arm and leading her away. Up ahead, Aang, Azula, Jet and Piandao entered into a large chamber that gave the look of being the drill supply's old engine room. Almost immediately, Aang picked up on a small trace of fresh air that flowed into the chamber. An opening to the outside was somewhere present and the airbender's focus shifted to a massive shaft, implanted on a wall, further down the chamber's area.

"This way everyone!" Aang commanded. Azula, Jet and Piandao followed the running airbender up to the body of the shaft and proceeded through one of many wide openings on the shaft's grated circular frame. Just as soon as the four humans went through the shaft, Iroh and Hama finally made their way into the chamber themselves. Hama ran ahead of Iroh while the general, after pausing to cautiously observe the passage through which both he and Hama emerged from, came shortly behind. Following the footsteps left by the others in the dusty metallic floor, the two elders were steadily approaching the shaft when the sound of a loud blast suddenly echoed in the air.

Iroh immediately felt a painful burning sensation rip through his back, just barely beneath the shoulder blades, and exit below his sternum. He gave an agonizing grunt as he collapsed to the ground forward. At his cry, Hama halted her stride, quickly turned around and saw the debilitated Iroh lying pitifully on the ground behind her. But before she could do or say anything, the full physical appearance of the super predator manifested itself, from its translucent camouflage, and steadily approached the general's body from behind. At this sight, Hama abandoned Iroh to his fate and rushed through the shaft.

Crawling on his belly, in a futile attempt to somehow escape the oncoming super predator, the wounded Iroh rolled onto his back, apprehensively, as soon as the super predator reached his sandaled feet. The intergalactic hunter then greeted the general with a violent stab of its long serrated melee blade into the soft flesh of his belly.

"GAHH!" Iroh screamed at the top of his lungs.

Then, in an amazing feat of strength, the alien used its one assailing arm to lift Iroh from the ground, with the general still gaffed onto its blade, and held him from the weapon in midair. Between the grimaces of excruciating pain on his face, Iroh managed to stare back at the cold strange facial mask of the super predator. In a sudden bout of anger, the general protested against his sudden fate by spitting a mixture of blood and saliva onto the super predator's mask.

"Boy…you sure are one ugly-" The general was cut off when the super predator suddenly jerked its arm upwards in order to sink its blade deeper into Iroh's abdomen, causing him to release an agonizing cry in response. Hyperventilating, shortly afterwards, in order to catch his shallow breath, the general could feel his body numbing and his consciousness start to fade. Iroh knew that it was only a matter of time before his life would come to an end, but he was resolved not to go out alone.

Forming a weak smile on his lips, Iroh gazed at the super predator's expressionless mask, "There is an ancient Fire Nation saying…'when the life of a star comes to an end, the whole universe knows!'" Iroh then clasped his hands tightly onto the larger attacking arm of the super predator. The irises of his amber colored eyes illuminated to a bright yellow just as the veins in his face and neck began to protrude from beneath his skin. The confused super predator didn't know what to make of its stubborn prey until the general gave a loud yell with the last of his fading lung capacity, "DIE YOU MONSTER!" Iroh's body then erupted in a massive explosion of fire that engulfed the super predator and the entire surrounding area.

Aang was at the edge of the shaft's exit, watching as each of his comrades made their way out. Despite the hostility of the environment, he found some relief in the windy freshness of the open outdoors as opposed to the dank depths of the drill supply. After Piandao made his way out, Aang was surprised to see a panting Hama appear shortly after him, "Hama? You-you're here! Wait, where's Iroh?" Aang inquired.

Hama shook her head as she scampered onto the ground, "Back down—the hunter….inside." She gasped. Aang raised his eyebrows in alarm, "What!" The airbender then looked back into the depths of the shaft. Just as he did so a strange quake began to rattle the body of the drill supply and the dry rocky terrain where the group of humans were standing.

"Great! What's happening now?" Jet exclaimed.

Aang, still staring down the shaft, noticed a strange glow slowly illuminate its dark depths before a surge of fire quickly came rushing upwards. The airbender gave a surprised yell and stumbled backwards onto his rump as the surge exploded out of the frame of the shaft opening and flew into the sky, creating a tall spout of roaring flame that the group of humans marveled at with bright wide eyes. As the flame finally died down, the wind carried off the plumes of smoke and ash, rising from the shaft, into the surrounding area.

With his already dirty garment and sweaty skin further soiled by the flying blankets of grey cinder, Aang stuck himself on the ground, bewildered, "I-I don't understand." He muttered. Azula, however, was able to recognize the source behind the feat, "Uncle just killed one of the hunters…and himself." She replied bluntly.

Aang snapped his head at Azula, "What?"

"Whoa wait! You mean to tell me all that was done by the firebender?" Jet asked in astonishment.

Azula kept her gaze on the smoking shaft as she responded, "Self combustion, a firebender's attack of last resort against overwhelming enemies in battle. It's the only thing that could've a caused such a firestorm. Coming from a firebender of uncle's caliber, it's no wonder that it was so volatile. Whatever went on down there, he must have gotten desperate." She then closed her eyes as if to reflect on her words.

Upon hearing the princess's explanation, Aang stared at the blackened body of the shaft as his emotions swirled about inside him. Shutting his eyelids tightly, he then pounded his right fist into the ashy ground beside him, "No…" He muttered under his breath. Piandao noticed Aang's action and came closer to the Avatar in order to kneel beside him. Placing his hand on Aang's shoulder, the swordsman gave his best consolation, "He was a good man…and an even better friend. His sacrifice will not be in vain."

"YES!" Jet cried out in joy, "He got one! That no-good firebender got one! Bet that hunter looks pretty good now, huh? All fried up down there like a bad piece of—" The freedom fighter choked on his words as a concussive blast of energy hit him in the back and threw his body violently across the terrain. In alarm, Aang, Piandao, Azula and Hama drew their attention to where the blast had come from. A towering being, as dark in form as the night sky around it, came walking toward the small group of humans from the steep rocky slopes of the rugged, barren land behind them.

Quickly standing himself on his feet, Aang glimpsed at the physical appearance of one of his pursuer for the first time that day. The hunter resembled the same creature that he and the others had seen on the monolith earlier in the day, but it appeared to be much larger in size. A strange set of black armor adorned its body while its face was covered with a corresponding mask that had, what looked to be, the bony jaw of another creature attached to its base. A strange machine, on the side of the figure's mask, whirred loudly before a glowing spectrum of light emerged from it and rested itself on Aang's chest.

Aang gasped as he saw the familiar triangle of three glowing dots plaster onto his body and steadily work its way up. When it finally stopped at the middle of Aang's forehead, the Avatar swallowed hard. Azula, Piandao and Hama could do nothing but watch on in horror, from behind Aang, as the events unfolded before them.

Just as the machine from the figure's mask began to whir again, a marred Jet unexpectedly intervened and jumped on the back of the hunter. Wrapping his arms around its neck in a headlock, Jet struggled with the otherworldly creature, "You call that thing a fireball? Hah! I've been hit with worse from Fire Nation grannies!" The freedom fighter cried.

"JET!" Aang yelled.

"Go, get out of here!" Jet screamed back.

Aang realized the sacrifice that Jet was making and knew it wasn't his place anymore to protest. Clenching his fist, the Avatar went against his inhibitions and turned towards his comrades, "C'mon, let's go!" He yelled. Jet watched as his fellow humans ran off into the distance of the surrounding jungle, leaving him to deal solely with his opponent. Using one arm to grab one of his tiger hooks, Jet then proceeded to stab the sharp end of his weapon into the chest of the hunter, "I can kill you guys just as good as any firebender!" He yelled as he repeatedly stabbed the hunter.

While the blows caused some pain to the super predator, they gave little of the effect that Jet had intended to inflict. The super predator finally caught a grip of Jet's garment and heaved the freedom fighter off its back with a rough toss. The landing slightly disoriented Jet as he fell hard on his chest and received a face full of ash and dirt. The texture of Noland's stolen predator armor stood out from underneath the large burnt tear on the back of his garment as he lay prostrate on the ground. Hearing the footsteps of the hunter approach from behind, Jet turned his muddled face over his shoulder and looked up to the glowering figure standing above him. He knew that he was dead the minute he had jumped onto the back of the hunter, but the freedom fighter had always lived to deal with the consequences of his impulsive actions and his latest predicament was no different. Forming a weak smile on his lips, the teenaged rebel fatalistically baited the super predator to deliver the final blow, "C'mon…is that all you got?" He jeered.

Almost as if it understood Jet's harassing words, the super predator raised its arm to deliver the death strike against its opponent. Just as it began to plunge its arm downwards, in an attempt to viciously rip out Jet's spinal column from his exposed back, the freedom fighter managed to quickly roll over, reach for his second tiger hook and swing the hooked edge of the weapon right into the oncoming forearm of the super predator. The alien howled in pain as it retracted its wounded arm and stared at the object, which gaffed deeply into its steadily bleeding flesh, in shock.

"Hey, now that's some interesting blood that you got flowing there! Maybe you should consider hunting at some of the circuses in Ba Sing Se!" Jet loudly heckled. The infuriated super predator sharply returned its gaze to Jet and simultaneously, the rapid fire plasma caster, on the side of its mask, began to whir. Without mercy, the super predator fired a barrage of plasma blasts at the grinning Jet, hitting the freedom fighter's body in a violent assault that mauled his body beyond recognition. With beady, crimson red eyes, the huffing predator stared at the smoking corpse of its opponent, after the onslaught, through the dark eyeholes of its metal mask.

It was at that moment that the next remaining member of the now super predator duo, the Falconer, came sauntering onto the scene. It stood at a short distance as it watched its leader, the Beserker, pry Jet's hook sword from its thick arm. The Beserker, raising its wounded arm to observe the injury more closely, clenched its fist twice to test the strength of its arm. Although the pain was very present, it was nevertheless bearable. However, the fact that the super predator had even sustained an injury, on what was supposed to be a fairly leisure type hunt, troubled its thoughts. It found itself even more ashamed to consider that a member of its own team had been killed by one of their prey. Sensing the presence of its nearby comrade, the Berseker turned around to face the waiting Falconer. Without saying so much as a word, the Berseker gave a jerk of its head in the direction that Aang, Azula, Piandao and Hama had fled and the Falconer understood exactly what its leader commanded.

Meanwhile, the four humans found themselves running through the tall grass of an open field when suddenly Piandao, trailing at the rear, stopped his stride. The rest of his comrades noticed his halting footsteps and turned their puzzled gazes back towards him. The swordsman stared back with a stern expression on his face, "This is enough. I'm not running anymore." He spoke up.

An incredulous Aang couldn't believe Piandao's statement, "Piandao look, we nee—"

"A good friend of mine is dead…" Piandao interrupted, "…He sacrificed his life for me, for all of us, and took down one of the enemy while doing it. As a warrior, I cannot uphold the honor of his memory by running from the same fate that overtook him. I will face my enemy in combat and either live to see another day or claim this field as my grave. I have made my decision, best of fortunes to you all." The swordsman then turned his back to his comrades and stood facing the opposite direction expectantly.

Save for a brief pause after the end of Piandao's speech, an unmoved Azula continued on with the flight. The princess's sudden departure drew Hama's attention and the old woman returned to fleeing as well. Fidgeting between his own anxiety and what remained of his trampled personal values, Aang looked on at Piandao with steadily retreating feet, "Piandao..." He muttered, a sense of reluctance in his voice, "...good luck!" Aang finally cried before turning away to catch up with Azula and Hama. Piandao gave a deep sigh through his nostrils as he faced the open field ahead of him. Reaching his hands onto the placket of his coat, Piandao began to undress himself of the particular article. Standing bare-chested, with his crumpled crimson coat at the side of his left boot, Piandao rotated his neck slowly as the sounds of cracking vertebrae echoed in his ears. With another sigh, this time through his mouth, Piandao grabbed the hilt of the sword, at his waist, and gradually unsheathed it, producing a sharp hissing noise as the blade emerged. The swordsman then poised himself in fighting stance, his brows furrowed deeply and eyes wide open, as he continued to stare ahead. The Falconer Predator now stood at short distance away from Piandao, mesmerized by the prospect of a prey clearly choosing to confront it rather than run away.

"You're a bit earlier than I expected." Piandao muttered to his unintelligible enemy, the tip of his sword pointing directly at the super predator. The Falconer, however, didn't need to understand the swordsman's words to comprehend his challenge. Unsheathing its' wrist blade, the Falconer sought to duel its opponent on equal terms. Slowly, both man and alien circled each other in a quiet showdown, staring each other down until Piandao let out a yell and charged toward the super predator. Nimbly, the Falconer evaded the thrust of Piandao's sword and counterattacked with a slash of its own blade that superficially sliced across the skin of Piandao's back as he missed the alien. Despite the sting of his bleeding diagonal cut, Piandao calmly composed himself as he turned to face the super predator, once again, and reset his fighting stance, "Good one." He mumbled.

Again, the swordsman took the offensive and attacked the super predator. The sounds of violently clanging metal permeated through the still night air as each individual and successive strike from the two opponents was countered by a parry or block from the other. When Piandao locked his blade with that of the super predator, the Falconer decided to show the discrepancy between their strengths by pushing off of his smaller opponent. Piandao found his world spinning wildly as the alien's impressive might hurled his body high into the air. Tumbling haplessly, like a rag doll, before landing in the depths of the tall grass, a short distance away from the Falconer, the bewildered swordsman managed to quickly pick himself up to his feet, so as to not give his opponent any advantage.

Again, the two warriors stared each other down before they engaged in another face-off. Piandao kept his breathing calm and steady as he observed the super predator for an opening to attack, "Got to keep taking the battle to this creature…" He thought, "…By that last attack, I can't afford for it to take the offensive." The Falconer, meanwhile, muttered a low growl as it kept it arms wide and slowly strafed with Piandao in a wide circle. The swordsman noticed subtleties in the Falconer's movements that signaled to his warrior's intuition that it was about to attack. Letting out another sigh through his nostrils, Piandao prepared himself mentally and physically, "This is it. It's now or nothing." He whispered in the back of his mind.

Like he predicted, the super predator charged head on toward him. Piandao then let out another loud yell and responded by taking a similar charge at the Falconer. As they raced toward each other, the two opponents held their blades, at the ready, in an adrenaline-fueled final duel to decide their fates. The strikes from the two warriors were lightning quick as both Piandao and the Falconer grazed past each other and abruptly halted their strides, after the attack, on opposite sides. With a loud guttural cry, the Falconer limply spun its body around as it collapsed backwards onto the grassy earth. The victorious Piandao, however, even after hearing his opponent's death cry, stayed frozen in his same position. A troubled expression plagued the swordsman's face as he hoarsely gasped for air. The taste of blood was slowly saturating his mouth while a sharp pain across his torso steadily intensified. With each sparse gasp that he took, Piandao could feel his strength gradually depart and the pain in his torso become duller and duller. The world was suddenly disorienting and Piandao struggled to keep his balance. Looking ahead to the blurring picture of open field before him, Piandao uttered his last words, "Looks like we're even now…old friend." The swordsman's legs then buckled and he fell behind into a soft engulfing bed of tall grass.

The jungle trail was familiar to Aang and his comrades now as both he, Azula and Hama quickly approached the hunters' camp on anxious feet. For all that had occurred throughout the long day, Aang couldn't help but feel absurd in his current predicament. Why he actually trusted Azula, of all people, to pilot some type of foreign machine, known as a 'spaceship', which none of the three had ever seen or heard, but apparently, was the only way for the humans to return home, he didn't know. Desperation was the only reasonable excuse that Aang could fathom in the back of his mind. The living nightmare that he was trapped in was pushing him to the limits of sanity and all he really wanted was escape at this point. All of sudden, Hama released a shrill cry in the middle of the collective flight and collapsed in front of Aang.

"HAMA!" Aang yelled in concern as he abruptly came to a halt and knelt down to attend the old woman who laid crumpled on the jungle floor, crying and hyperventilating from some unknown affliction. Visibly annoyed to be prematurely stopping her pace, once again, a sweaty and frustrated Azula quickly approached her two comrades to learn the source of the new interruption, "What is it this time!" The princess impatiently exclaimed.

"My ankle! My ankle!" Hama shouted back in pain. Aang was already at work releasing the leghold trap that had unfortunately latched onto Hama's foot. He managed to successfully pry open the mouth of the trap and Hama quickly released her mauled and bloodied foot. "Oh, thank you…thank you Avatar Aang!" Hama huffed between relieved pants of air. Aang shook his head as he wrapped one of his arms around Hama's back and slung one of her arms over his shoulder, "It's nothing Hama…really." He replied, just as he began to lift Hama up.

"No, I was lucky that—AHHH!" Hama's statement quickly turned into a cry of pain when the airbender, after barely managing to stand both himself and Hama up, forced Hama to put a small amount of weight on her tender ankle. In alarm, Aang quickly laid Hama back down gently, "Hama, are you okay?" He asked.

"No, she's not." Azula answered for the old woman, "Look, that trap that she stepped on was designed to maim. She can't walk anymore. Those hunters placed them around here to slow us down. She's a burden to us now."

Hama's eyes widened, "What! No, I can—"

"That's enough! You've slowed us down once already. It's not about to happen again!" Azula harshly interrupted.

With her mouth agape, Hama paced her gaze, back-and-forth, between Azula and then Aang, "Wait, you guys aren't going to leave me here, are you? I-I can still walk! I can, I-I'll show you!" Hama stammered. The old woman then tried to pick herself up from the ground. Her injured ankle, unfortunately, locked her leg in a sharp tinge of pain that sent the old woman back on her posterior with a sharp cry. Aang, still crouching, placed his hands on both of Hama's shoulders in order to console the old woman, "Hama stop! Just take it easy, okay? No one is going to leave you." He spoke.

"Speak for yourself Avatar. The old woman is deadweight!" Azula exclaimed, "But listen, we can make the most of this situation. I say we booby trap her! Make those hunters play into our own hands. Look Avatar, I know we've had our differences, but just think about how brilliant this plan can be if we both work together! We could finally kill these monsters and end this game!" Azula cried. The prospect of success in her sinister plan caused the princess to display an insidious pair of wide eyes with a grin to match.

A shocked Hama stared at Azula in utter disbelief before she looked over to Aang. The Avatar had his eyes locked with Azula's in a silent ruminating stare. With a breaking voice, Hama began to plead again, "Please…please Avatar, don't do this to me." The old woman's voice echoed within Aang's ear and wrenched his heart. This whole day he had his limits pushed mentally, physically and spiritually. In the space of a couple of hours, Aang had done more things against his character than he could ever have imagined doing in his lifetime. This game preserve was changing him, he knew that he needed to survive, but he didn't want to become a predator in order to do so. Standing himself up, Aang shook his head, "This isn't right. Hama is one of us!" He finally responded to the princess.

An exasperated Azula lifted her arms up to express her frustration, "Oh c'mon Avatar, do I really have to spell it out for you! Don't you get it? This is what those creatures are counting on! They want you to feel something for this woman. They want you to be human!" She retorted.

Aang narrowed his eyes, "And what are you?" He asked.

Relaxing her mood, the princess returned Aang's gaze with a proud raised chin, "Alive."

It was then, at that very moment, that Aang realized what needed to be done, "Fine, you want to go on living? Down there is your chance." The airbender pointed in the direction ahead of both he, Azula and Hama, "But I'm not leaving another person behind. Not anymore." He calmly spoke.

Azula scoffed and shook her head, "You know what? I'm through. You're a hopeless cause. Maybe you'll appreciate the concept of survival when you're hanging upside down from some lonely tree branch; skinned and put on display like some animal in a butcher shop window." Turning around, the princess then sprinted away, disappearing in the thick brush of the jungle in a matter of moments. Left in the quiet eerie darkness by themselves, Aang and Hama watched Azula's departure with reticent eyes. With a soft sigh, Aang rerouted his focus and gently looked down at Hama. Crouching to reach her level, once more, the Avatar placed a reassuring hand on the old woman's shoulder and connected his determined gaze with the old woman's weary eyes, "Alright Hama, we're going to try this again. Okay?"

Beads of sweat poured down Azula's brow as she neared the camp of the hunters. Her long unkempt hair, usually straightened and pulled back, had become thick, unruly and heavier due to constant perspiration. The heat of the jungle, the seemingly endless amount of running throughout the day and the constant threat of death were stresses that not only started to wear out the princess's hair, but her composure as well. With frantic hands, Azula roughly pulled at the hems and plackets of the royal garb on her upper body. Layer upon layer gradually fell behind her moving body until a flowing, grey, damp tank top revealed itself on her upper body. In the back of her mind, Azula marveled at her brash action. Such behavior was unbecoming of her upbringing as Fire Nation royalty, but pride had to be put aside for another day. If Azula was to maintain any semblance of her sanity in the chaotic environment around her, she knew that she needed to be cool first.

Crossing into the familiar compound once again, Azula slowed her pace as she drew toward the giant monolith upon which the equally imposing creature was bound. Various campfires, burning indiscriminately around the area, vaguely illuminated the sinister landscape with an orange-red hue, casting ghostly shadows among the carnage and destruction of the vicinity. The creature, alerted by Azula's approaching presence, slowly raised its large sulking head to look on at the small human standing before it. Sweaty and out of breath, the princess managed to find composure in her exhaustion as she locked eyes with the creature. Closing her mouth, Azula took a deep inhale through her nostrils and collected herself in preparation to speak, "Listen up. We may not speak the same language, but I think we can find a way to understand each other just right."

The creature, although unintelligible to Azula's words, continued to quietly stare at the princess; intrigued by her bold stature. Azula then raised her right hand and curled her digits underneath her extended index and middle fingers. Blue sparks began to crack from the tips of the two fingers and the creature, at the sight, gave a low apprehensive growl. The response caused Azula to form a smile on her face, "You understand this right? Well, let's see if you can get this next one: I want off this planet!" She exclaimed. The creature, gaping at Azula with reluctant eyes, uttered a strange hiss from its mouth as if gaining a growing comprehension of her actions. The princess nodded, "Good. Now then…" She trailed off while sauntering closer toward the side of the monolith. There, in a narrow gap between the bound body of the creature and the monolith itself, she could see the chain binding that held the two together. Looking up, the princess and the creature locked eyes together once again, "…let's get you down from here." She then pointed her fingers at the binding and in one shot, singed it apart. Immediately, the creature fell gracelessly on the rough earth below it and Azula eagerly watched as the freed creature slowly picked itself up and stood on its own thick two legs. Turning its head toward the princess, the creature took two steps in Azula's direction before it was directly towering above her petite frame.

Curling her lips tight, Azula quietly held back the growing anxiety in her heart as the intimidating alien being stood before her. She understood all too well the gamble that she had made in not only freeing the creature, but laying down her defense as well. However, they were risks that she hoped would help finalize her appeal to the creature. Now she waited to see how successful her decision was. The answer came quickly in the form of a large rough hand that tightly grasped her neck, causing Azula to let out a choked cry in alarm. Staring at her face in observation, the creature physically moved Azula's head to inspect her right and left profile. After achieving some strange sense of approval, it then shoved the princess back roughly.

Meanwhile, Aang and Hama trudged through the jungle laboriously. Dedicated to reaching the camp with Hama, the airbender moved at a consistent pace despite the growing fatigue in his legs from supporting part of Hama's weight. A similarly inspired and weary Hama, with an arm slung over the airbender's shoulder, grunted and huffed with each step in her aching unstable gait. While considerably slow in their effort, the two nonetheless seemed to be making progress in their advance. In the middle of their flight, Aang felt something suddenly snap underneath the sole of his boot. Then, much to he and Hama's surprise, the small area around them became engulfed in what Aang could only perceive as a giant net. Lifted high into the air, along with various shrubs, leaves and twigs swallowed up by the net, Aang and Hama were left suspended and trapped, within the net's compressed body, from some indiscriminate tree branch.

"Oh no, no, no…this can't be happening!" Aang shouted as he pulled out the resilient material of the net.

Hama, on the other hand, had her attention caught by a conspicuous figure that emerged from the depths of the jungle below. Letting out a loud scream at the recognizable sight, the old woman drew Aang's attention to the ground where he saw the source of her fear and let out a cry of his own. With a quiet delight, the Beserker Predator stood staring at his entrapped prey from the jungle floor.

Back at the camp, Azula watched as the released creature finished equipping itself in a set of gear similar to the ones that she had seen the other hunters wear. While she could hardly call their new acquaintance friendly, she was grateful that the creature had expressed enough gratitude to not kill her outright. It was the midpoint of what Azula was hesitant to call a successful plan. That is, before the last piece came into play. The adorned creature turned its attention to Azula, who stood at a modest distance away. The princess observed as the creature raised its forearm and pressed on the strange metallic band that covered it. Immediately, a glowing turquoise image of what appeared to be a map of the Four Nations appeared from the band and Azula, in a longing desire for her native world, unconsciously released a smile of relief. The creature, noticing the princess's expression, then pressed another button on the band that cancelled the image, but also caused another strange glow to appear in the distance beyond both the creature and Azula.

From her position, Azula could make out the long and bulky frame of some type of craft that hummed loudly while it levitated, at a slow but nonetheless increasing distance, above the earth below it. But before the princess could do anything else, the sound of a vicious snarl echoed from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the familiar large frame of the hunter that she had encountered earlier approach. In its right arm, it grasped the end of a large net that drug the squirming bodies of both Aang and Hama. Pausing at a deep ditch, previously dug within the area, along its way, the hunter released its catch into the ditch's depths with a rough heave. Gazing ahead, the hunter appeared shocked to observe the awkward scene of its former captive and one of its prey mingling together. A visibly anxious Azula began to slowly back away while the freed creature stepped forward and positioned itself in a challenging fight stance. Upon the sight, Azula didn't need another clue to guess what was about happen. Taking advantage of the distraction, she quickly turned and fled toward the bright floating vessel in her distance.

The Beserker Predator stared at the insolent image of a lower class Predator challenging it to combat with deep resentment. With a fierce growl, the super predator charged at its smaller counterpart, who responded similarly. As the two aliens dueled on the surface, Aang and Hama, while freed from the net, were left as spectators to the violent sounds of the matchup as they wallowed in their new entrapment. With despair gradually taking over what was left of his fighting spirit, Aang closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he struggled to find some sort of possible hope in both he and Hama's grim situation.

Azula, however, found herself standing directly in front of the vessel that she had only recently come to know as a spacecraft. Looking upon the massive spectacle as its powerful engines blew gusts of wind, mixed with dirt and leaves, throughout the area, Azula felt a gripping sense of reluctance to proceed further. It was a strange feeling that conflicted all that she had worked for up to this particular point, but as much as her reasoning wanted to, she couldn't deny its influence. The spacecraft was lifting higher and higher from the ground and with it, Azula's hopes for returning back to the Four Nations. The time to make a decision was short. She knew that fear wasn't holding her back. Despite the foreignness of the structure, the princess still had faith in her piloting abilities and assumed that the creature had coordinated the ship for her world somewhat, which would explain the spacecraft's steady self-departure. She searched deeper in her heart for some explanation to her hesitation until one final speculation crossed her mind. Azula wondered if she actually felt some kind of concern for her companions that she had abandoned back in the camp. What was once a laughable thought to princess was now taken for serious consideration as she was faced with a pivotal decision that could mean life or death.

After a vicious one-on-one melee under the night sky, the super predator held the bloodied and dazed lower class predator, by the collar of its armor, with its mighty grasp. Sitting woozily on its knees before the taller standing body of its opponent, the predator, with its mask destroyed to reveal a debilitating wound on its exposed bloody forehead, stared weakly as the super predator began to remove its own mask. A visage similar to that of the predator, but broader in cranial shape with longer jowls, darker skin and ruby red eyes, gave an intense roar towards its defeated foe. Lifting up the same free arm with which it had removed its mask, the super predator released its wrist blade and with a swift merciless strike, decapitated the lower class predator.

At its victory, the super predator released another loud roar that echoed into the night. Hama wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she heard the unholy sound from the depths of the ditch. With worried eyes, she looked at the tranquil-appearing body of Aang as he sat in an uncanny meditation. After removing his soiled garment to achieve a better sense of comfort, the tattooed arrows from Aang's crown to the rest of his exposed upper body glowed with a bright luminescence. The Avatar had sought to get help in one of the last places he could think of: the Spirit World.

"What do you mean that I can't achieve the Avatar State in this world!" Aang cried as he stared incredulously at the ethereal image of a stoic Avatar Roku.

Despite his appearance and the heavenly backdrop of the peaceful Spirit World, Roku found himself deeply troubled by Aang's current situation and the explanation that he had to give his reincarnation, "This world, while displaying evidences of the elements, is false my dear boy. Its existence has been artificially created; possibly by the designs of the creatures that brought you here. There is no spiritual force here and thus, the power to use the Avatar State is virtually nonexistent..." Roku paused briefly, "…Words cannot express my deepest sorrow Aang."

A dumbfounded Aang, with nothing else to resort to, left his mouth agape as he placed his hand atop his bald head and stared blankly at the cloudy surface beneath his feet. The Avatar then released a deep sigh and let his two arms hang at his side. Returning his gaze back to Roku, an utterly dejected Aang replied, "So then that's it. I die here, the Fire Nation wins back home and the world continues without any balance, right?"

Roku was speechless as he stared back at Aang's blank face. Just when he finally thought he had found the words to effectively respond back to the airbender, Aang spoke first, "I suppose that this is what I deserve. Hopefully, my reincarnation succeeds where I've failed."

"Aang listen-" Roku began.

"No Roku…" He interrupted, "…I know what must be done."

Aang could hear Roku's echoing voice ring in his ears as he suddenly departed from the Spirit World. The airbender opened his eyes and found himself back on the game preserve. Hama noticed his restored consciousness and got the airbender's attention as he slowly picked himself off the ground, "It's unfortunate that you had wake up in time to see this, Avatar." She spoke somberly before raising her gaze into the sky behind Aang. Aang, following Hama's gesture, turned around and saw a brightly lit structure flying into the distance of the night sky, "That must be the spacecraft that Noland talked about. Looks like Azula made it after all." He spoke drearily, his eyes seemingly lost in the starlit heavens.

From her position behind Aang, Hama observed the Avatar's taciturn reaction, "If you could make the same decision again, would you do it?" She softly inquired. Aang, releasing his gaze from above, turned his attention onto the old woman and looked at her from over his right shoulder, "Of course I would Hama." He replied, "Look, when that hunter comes for us, I'll do my best to hold it back long enough for you to try to find some way to escape and survive longer. It's…it's the least that I can do for you now." The airbender spoke before returning his eyes back to disappearing image of the flying vessel.

Hama, on the other hand, retained her gaze on Aang, "Benevolent to the very end. I commend you Avatar, but I'm afraid that this game has gone on long enough." Before Aang could react to Hama's strange words, he felt his body overcome by a crippling sensation that locked his joints, "What the-" Aang managed to sputter before his body began to move out of his own control. With a rigid pivot, Aang's body was forcefully turned to face the disturbing image of an impishly smirking Hama, "Ah yes, it feels so good to finally step out of the weak victim role for a change." She spoke.

A grimacing Aang, fighting to regain some control over his body, looked on at Hama in surprise, "H-Hama, what's going on? What are you talking about?" He exclaimed.

The old woman broadened her smile and casually paced around the area of the ditch facing Aang, "Well Avatar, I believe that now is as good a time as any to explain my seemingly unfitting presence here. You see, by day, I'm a simple innkeeper, working hard to appear as a civil productive member of society. But by night, under the majestic light of a beautiful full moon, I'm a cold-blooded killer. I know that this comes as a surprising revelation, but if it makes any difference as to how you may view my character, I'm very picky when it comes to my victims. I prefer to limit myself to citizens of the Fire Nation, but often I find myself just as disgusted with people who sympathize or fraternize with them. People like you Avatar."

Aang widened his eyes, "Wh-what?" He stammered.

Hama giggled, "Earning the trust and pity from you and the others has kept me alive this long, but you've all served your purpose. Now this charade must come to an end; there's no more need to hide, whimper or manipulate anymore. I'm exposed to the moon and my waterbending powers are at their maximum, allowing me to reveal one of my biggest secrets…" The old woman paused and suddenly thrust her left arm out. Immediately Aang felt his body jolt forward uncontrollably and he hurriedly rushed up to the old woman; stopping as his neck fell into the embrace of Hama's open palm. He cringed as he felt her bony icy fingers wrap tightly onto his skin, "…bloodbending." She finally uttered.

"Blood-bending?" Aang sputtered.

"That's right my dear boy. This is what I'm going to use to make this world my new home. Ever since the day the Fire Nation left me to rot in that jail cell many years ago, my life has changed. I'm insane, a criminal on top of that, and you know what Avatar Aang? I like it. Our world could never accept me the way I am, but out here, with the monsters, I finally feel normal again. I want to stay." The old woman then gave an abrupt sigh, "I will admit though, Avatar, I do feel some reluctance in killing you. Your kindness and sacrifice have not gone entirely unnoticed. Were it not for your friendship with that abhorrent Fire Nation general, I would have actually considered a place for you in my utopia. But I guess that it just wasn't meant to be."

On the surface, the super predator had just barely returned its mask to its face before it sprinted in the direction of its departing ship. Shoving its way through the thick brush of the jungle, the alien anxiously reached its destination in time to witness the frame of its spacecraft disappearing into the dark night sky. The super predator stared at the fading vessel and thought of the human that had escaped, or, rather, believed that she had escaped. Relaxing its tense nerves, the alien raised its left forearm and calmly typed some random beeping sequence onto its surface. It then turned around and proceeded to saunter back on the way from which it had come. At roughly the same time, a violent explosion erupted from the flying spacecraft in midair and brought down its once exotic hull in a fiery smoking holocaust that dreadfully fell to the earth.

Back at the camp, a tall narrow column of ice, created from the water found in the soil of the ditch by Hama, provided both the old woman and the Avatar a means to escape from their confinement. Guiding Aang's helpless body behind her as the two stepped off of the structure's cold flat surface, Hama scanned the environment and was surprised to find it empty, "How oddly inconvenient." She muttered to herself. A somber Aang, however, stood quietly with his face cast down. Noticing his silence, Hama turned her head toward the airbender and read his body language, "Now, now, no need to be so glum. Wherever that hunter went, it will come back again. When it does, I will use it to deliver you into the Spirit World, with all your past lives, quickly and painlessly."

"What difference does it make? You have me here right now. Why don't you just get it over with?" Aang replied without so much as lifting his face.

Hama shook her head, "Oh you wouldn't want me to be the one to do that. Having all the fluids bended out from your skin is not the most pleasant way for one to meet their end. I've never been one for using blunt force either. That hunter is the most convenient tool around, so I'll use it to do the dirty work for me. Trust me, it's better this way."

Aang didn't respond, all he could think of now was the world that he was leaving behind, the people that he had failed before and the people that he would be failing now once he finally meets his end. An entire world, put to his charge, would suffer for his mistakes and, worst of all, the friends and pets that he loved so dearly and pledged to protect would have to experience that chaos. He closed his eyes and thought of his pets, Momo and Appa, and his friends, Sokka, Toph and Katara. The image of Katara's face attached itself to the back of his closed eyelids and he imagined raising an imaginary arm to caress her cheek for one final moment.

"The guest of honor has arrived!" Hama exclaimed, breaking Aang's short-lived fantasy. Opening his eyelids quickly, Aang peered at the imposing figure of the hunter who approached the two humans with a steady pace. With the disastrous ending of its hunt, the super predator gazed at its two remaining prey, which had somehow escaped from the ditch, with a silent frustration. Unsheathing its wrist blade, the super predator aimed to quickly do away with both of the humans and rid its memory of the day's fiasco. It wouldn't even bother to collect trophies, according to custom, due to the shame that it felt.

Aang and Hama remained still as the super predator closed in on them. "Come on, just a little bit closer." Hama muttered. The Beserker came to within a few feet of the humans and raised its bladed arm in anticipation for giving a lethal strike. At this range, Hama suddenly jolted her right arm upwards and the super predator was arrested in the middle of its stride. With an insidious smirk, the old woman gazed at the suspended hunter, "Oh, I'm sorry. We're you pointing that nasty blade at me? That's too bad, because that kind of behavior is not going to be tolerated around here anymore."

Hama then pushed her right arm forward and the super predator quickly stumbled back. With a dry cackle, the old woman reveled in the controlling power that she displayed, "Oh how the mighty have fallen. You will make the quite the pet." Hama then turned her attention to Aang, who stood closely behind her. Peering at him from over her small shoulder, Hama looked at the airbender with a disturbing pair of emotionless eyes, "Well Avatar, it's time."

No sooner did Hama speak these words, did she manipulate the Avatar's body into walking toward the Beserker. Aang nervously hyperventilated through his nostrils as he came closer to the hunter's tall muscular body. When he finally stood right in front of it, Hama caused the super predator to lift its bladed arm high in the air and Aang, preparing himself for the end as best he could, closed his eyes tight and waited for the death blow.

"Goodbye Avatar!" Hama yelled as she raised her right arm in synchronization with the arm of the super predator. She then swung down and, concurrently, the Beserker imitated the same movement. Just as the blade came down on Aang's exposed crown, a crooked streak of bright blue electricity suddenly struck the super predator at the side and lifted the hunter off its feet. With a shrill cry of pain, the Beserker was sent careening in the air until it finally landed on a dusty pile of alien skulls almost a yard away.

Aand recognized the signature attack, but with his body still under Hama's control he was unable to turn his head toward the direction from which the lightning bolt had fired. Upon a rocky slope situated on the higher ground of the camp's rugged terrain, Azula gazed down at the scene below her, "Well, well, it looks like things have certainly taken an interesting turn for the worse since I left." She spoke.

"Azula, I-I thought you-" Aang sputtered.

"I missed my ride." Azula swiftly interrupted as she began walking down from the slope toward the Avatar and Hama. With a sneer on her face, Hama glowered at the approaching princess, "My, isn't this a strange surprise? The proud Fire Nation princess abandoning what may have been her only chance of escape in exchange for a rescue mission. I guess there's some good in that heart of yours after all."

"I wouldn't be so quick to make judgments about people. I'm sure that's something a con-artist like you can relate to." Azula replied, halting her stride a fair distance away from both Aang and Hama while facing them.

Hama smirked, "Strong words princess. You know, I'm actually glad that you managed to make it back here. Killing a member of the Fire Nation royal family was nothing more but a sweet fantasy to me until now. I'm so looking forward to seeing my pet slowly flay the skin from your body…starting with those irritating lips of yours."

Azula gave an acquiescent nod of her head, "Quite understandable. The Fire Nation has many enemies, none more so, or pathetic, than the water tribes. Why wouldn't you dream of goring me, my family or any fire nation citizen for that matter? It's all you and your people can do while we raid your homes, take your land and ultimately put you under our subjugation. Oh, wait a minute…you also can relate with that too right?"

Hama furiously jolted her free arm forward and bound Azula's body rigidly with her bloodbending, "How dare you…? I spent years….YEARS wasting away in some dark, dank cell! Isolated from civilization and forced to live like an animal in a cage because of your kind. You think you can stand here and just mock me? Don't you realize how much of an insect you are compared to me? I don't need that monster to kill you. No, I want to see you suffer at my own hands!" The old woman then sported her crooked wrinkled grin, "So many ways of torture, all more horrific and agonizing than the next. Maybe I'll slowly remove the water from your body until you're nothing more than a dry wrinkled corpse. Or maybe I'll make the blood explode from your innards and watch you choke on your reddened vomit. I could even direct all of your circulation to your head and see what wonderful surprises could ensue from there. Still feel so confident princess? Or can you accept the fact that you're actually about to die in utter agony?"

Azula grimaced as she struggled to gather her words under the growing pain of her tightening muscles. Hama however, didn't relent, "C'mon now, use that bold mouth of yours and TALK!" The old woman cried as she curled the fingers of her assaulting hands inwards, causing Azula to let out a pain-ridden grunt. Hama snickered as she toyed with the blood in the princess's muscular anatomy and watched with sadistic interest as Azula finally managed to form some quiet words with her lips.

"What was that?" Hama mockingly asked, "I can't hear you over here!"

Azula grunted again as she moved her mouth once more, "D-du…"

Hama nodded, "Uh huh, keep gibbering!"

"…duh-duck." Azula finally sputtered.

The old woman cackled, "A truly interesting last word princess, now—!" Hama stopped her sentence midway when she suddenly noticed a strange sight upon her body. Gazing down, the old woman peered at the small glowing image of three triangulated red dots at the center of chest. The sense of shock and incredulity upon Hama's face, as she slowly raised her head, was verbally expressed with a soft groan from her wrinkled throat, "Oh…" A high pitched humming noise soon permeated the air and a thick mass of bluish pure energy struck Hama's petite frame.

The resulting explosion knocked Aang to the dirt covered ground and threw pieces of earth and dust against his naked back. Raising his grimacing dirty face from the earth, the Avatar noticed a severed bony finger lying in front of him and he quickly jolted away from it in alarm. From her position, a freed Azula stared apprehensively at the image of the recovered super predator as it sauntered toward the small crater where Hama once stood. With the smoke still rising from its cooling plasma cannon, the super predator observed its work with a reticent sense of satisfaction.

Aang, meanwhile, had managed to scramble next to Azula and joined the princess in her disquieted gaze of their common enemy, "I got to hand it to you…" He huffed, "…you never cease to surprise me."

"It's what I do best." Azula responded.

"Well, any other ideas in that of head of yours that you're not telling me?"

"Yes: figure out another way to stay alive now."

The two humans watched as the super predator turned its gaze toward them. In response, they both positioned themselves in battle stances. As he moved, Aang could feel an increased stickiness in his skin as the thick amount of soil that had collected on his upper body mixed with the sweaty surface of his exposed skin, creating a moist muddy plaster.

Unsheathing its wrist blade once again, the Beserker hesitated before it attempted a melee attack. Through the lens of its thermal vision, the body heat of only one of the two surviving humans in the area was registering. In its confusion, the super predator settled for its plasma cannon and prepared to fire upon its only target. Aang and Azula recognized the ominous whirring sound of the Beserker's cannon and reactively prepared to flee.

Three blasts were quickly hurled out from the plasma cannon and Aang fled in one direction while Azula took another. Taking cover behind the thick remnant of large splintered tree, the princess barely managed to shelter herself from the from the full concussive force of the blasts as they detonated around her, sending a chaotic storm of flying dirt, ravaged tree bark and torn plant life upon her small crouched body.

At his separate end, squatting behind the wide, moss covered frame of a fallen oak, Aang watched in confusion as the super predator directed its sole attention to Azula, "Azula! Are you okay?" He cried out after the onslaught. The princess was slow to answer as she struggled to regain her equilibrium and handle the sharp ringing in her ears. Upon the delay, Aang turned his attention back to the super predator, who, was now advancing once again in both he and Azula's direction. The airbender knew something wasn't right, but the situation at hand prompted him to act immediately.

With an acrobatic leap, guided by his control of the air, Aang somersaulted from behind the oak and landed in the open before the oncoming super predator. The Berserker, sensing Aang's presence, halted its stride, but gazed at the surroundings apprehensively as it failed to pick up the airbender's image. Noticing the hunter's awkward pause, Aang swung his arms in a quick, synchronized, flowing motion that ended with a push of his arms forward. A violent gust of wind emitted from his open palms and knocked the unsuspecting super predator off of its feet and tumbling backwards on the earth behind it.

Gradually, Azula's bearings came back to her and lifting herself on her own two legs, she turned her attention onto the beginning duel between the Avatar and the super predator. She watched as the super predator quickly hoisted itself to its feet and loudly snarled in an expression of anger. It moved its head frantically throughout the area as if trying to seek out its attacker, when all the while Aang barely stood more than five feet away. The princess contemplated the strange sight and how both she and the Avatar could possibly use it to their advantage.

Aang was also observing the strange behavior of his opponent, but just as he prepared to initiate another attack, he noticed the periphery of the environment suddenly erupt in tall flames. In confusion, the airbender cried out to the most practical culprit of the phenomenon, "Azula, what are you doing!?"

The princess was quick to respond, "Just work with me and keep attacking the hunter, Avatar! For some reason, it has trouble seeing you. The flames will help to further disorient everything else around the both of you!" She yelled from beyond the fire. Upon Azula's words, the Avatar took a gulp; this was it, the advantage was now in his favor. Again, Aang repeated a similar airbending attack and knocked the unsuspecting hunter to the ground once more. The Avatar was surprised at the recurring success of his attack and he became convinced of the validity of Azula's tactic.

Azula, meanwhile, was priming a growing electrical spark upon the index and middle fingers of her right hand. Watching the hunter as it fell, the princess waited for the right moment to strike. Anticipation fueled the adrenaline flowing in Azula's blood as she pondered how to deliver a deadly bolt of lightning through the heart of the hunter. A point blank attack not only seemed foolproof, but proper for the one responsible for bringing her to the game preserve in the first place. The irritated super predator was slower to get on its feet the second time around and had barely supported itself on its left knee before Azula came charging through the flames and toward the recovering super predator from its blind side. It surprised Aang to see the princess appear so suddenly, but he nonetheless watched as Azula leapt in the air, a crackling spark of energy emanating from her hand, and came down upon the body of the crouched hunter.

What seemed like an another plan slowly unfolding into fruition for the princess, quickly took a turn for the worse as the hunter snapped its head in Azula's direction, lifted its arm and fired its wrist blade as a projectile. The sudden jerk of her body backwards from the blade's velocity, as it deeply sunk into her right shoulder, was the first thing Azula felt before she roughly landed on the dirt ground; an intense, throbbing pain now gripping her shoulder and numbing her entire right arm.

Standing itself straight, the super predator quickly approached its downed attacker and, in cruel satisfaction, hurled its arm downward, clasping its thick alien fingers around Azula's neck, and lifting her high from the ground. Gagging from the asphyxiating might of the super predator's grip as she dangled in the air, Azula grasped the assailing arm of her attacker with her mobile left hand. The act was more of a reaction than an attempt at retaliation, as the princess struggled to breathe and retain her quickly fading consciousness.

"NO!" Aang yelled from his distance. Again the airbender was prompted to act without thinking. Crouching down swiftly, the Avatar suddenly exploded off the ground as he hurled himself forward, using a powerful gust of wind as propulsion, at the super predator. The human projectile struck its unsuspecting target in a matter of seconds, releasing Azula, and sending both boy and alien wildly flying across a short breadth of the camp. The flight came to an abrupt end, however, as the two soon crashed into the thick, crooked body of one of the many ravaged trees in the area. The force of the impact shattered the tree trunk and sent both Aang and the Beserker tumbling uncontrollably onto the dry earth.

Stunned, heavily scratched and mildly bleeding from a shallow cut on his scalp, Aang grimaced as he lifted his head to peer at where the super predator had landed. Spotting his enemy laying similarly in a prone position and showing slow signs of recovery, the Avatar estimated about six feet of earth that separated the two of them from each other. Resolving himself to recuperate before the hunter, Aang moved his arms and managed to gradually push his chest from the ground just as he drew his knees inward to support his body weight. With aching joints, the airbender then lifted his tired body to stand on his two feet. From his new vantage, Aang caught a better glimpse of the state of his convalescing foe.

It appeared that the super predator had taken the worst of the impact between both it and Aang as its revealed face, once covered by a mask lost somewhere in the collision, displayed a deep gash near its crown that flowed with green fluorescent blood. Aang watched as the hunter staggeringly gathered its body to rise from the ground. In reaction, the fatigued Avatar formed a weak defensive stance. But the super predator, with its bleeding head hanging low as it supported its weight on its hands and knees, paused it movements to harshly expel a pool of its strange blood, from its mouth, onto the ground. A surprised Aang then observed the weakened hunter lean back and rest on its knees. In doing this, the super predator revealed the primary source of its debilitation.

A large, splintered chunk of jagged bark protruded from a sunken, fresh wound in the Beserker's chest. In both bewilderment and pain, the super predator gazed down at its mortal wound and raised its trembling hands toward the bark, but refrained from physically touching it. The pitiful sight gave Aang some relief as the hunter proved no longer to be a threat. Relaxing his stance, the Avatar gazed at his wounded tormentor with a stoic face, "It didn't have to be like this. You and your comrades brought this onto yourself." He spoke. Upon hearing Aang's unintelligible words, the super predator looked up in the direction of the voice. With its mask gone, the airbender—and his concealed body temperature— appeared as no more than a mere blur in the Beserker's field of vision. It then gave a weak snarl that was followed with another violent hack of blood.

Taking a deep sigh with his nostrils, the Avatar put his gaze down and searched the ground around his feet. Broken splinters of bark, in all shapes and sizes, laid scattered on the earth. One splinter, both long and narrow, caught Aang's eye. Picking it up, the airbender turned his attention back to the super predator. Staring into the dull, crimson, beady eyes of the hunter, Aang decided to give one last remark, "I don't believe in revenge, but I do believe in justice and this…this is justice for the all the lives you took today."

The airbender then quickly spun his body and, at the final turn of his full revolution, he extended his arm carrying the splinter outwards and forcefully swept his arm across. A sharp air blade was then released from the blow and traveled the short distance to the super predator, where, it connected with its neck and cleanly lobbed off its head without so much as a peep from the hunter itself. Relaxing his posture, Aang stared at the slumped decapitated body of the super predator in silence.

"Finally…" He uttered, "…it's over."

The moment of reflection lasted for only a few seconds before an agonizing cry echoed in the air and drew the Avatar's interest. Back on the other end of the camp, Azula struggled to control her loud cries of pain as she attempted to remove the long melee blade of the super predator from her right shoulder. Huffing from the intense discomfort of the lodged object, the princess put a pause to her effort; laying her head back against the tree in order to try and gain some composure. But then, the sudden sound of footsteps approaching from the rear caught Azula's ear and the alarmed princess quickly powered a spark of electric energy in her left hand.

"Whoa, whoa, it's me." The Avatar assuaged as he appeared from behind the tree.

With a sigh of relief, the princess put down her guard, "Avatar..."

Kneeling down next to Azula's injured shoulder, Aang observed her wound. The princess, however, engaged the airbender in dialogue, "So you killed the hunter?" She asked. The question caused the airbender to briefly lock his eyes with Azula's before returning them back to her shoulder, "Yes." He responded bluntly.

The princess then looked away, "Good riddance."

Gazing at the blade, an idea finally came into Aang's mind, "Okay Azula, I'm going to try something. This might sting, but it'll be a lot better than yanking this out with my hand. Are you okay with this?" He asked. The princess gave the Avatar a ruminating stare and then let off a sigh through her nostrils, "Do as you must. But if this brings any more harm, my shoulder will be the least of your worries."

Despite the threatening words, Aang gave a nod and focused back on Azula's shoulder. Hovering his left hand away from the embedded blade, the Avatar closed his eyes. The princess winced as she felt the blade slightly tug within her flesh before, in one abrupt motion, it quickly flew out from her shoulder. With a gasp the princess held her freed shoulder, while Aang levitating the bloody, metallic blade in his hand, opened his eyes and tossed the weapon away with a swipe of his hand.

"How-How did you do that?" Azula sputtered.

Aang smiled, "Let's just say, earthbending has many adaptations. It's a concept that someone taught me back in the Earth Kingdom."

The princess glanced at the airbender and then back at her clutched shoulder, "Interesting." She finally replied.

"Here, let me help you up." Aang implored.

"I can help myself." Azula quickly responded, lifting herself onto her feet shortly afterwards. Aang, giving off a resigned smile, nodded, "I guess some things never change." He thought as he stood up himself.

The fires around the camp had already begun to die down and sifting fogs of smoke trailed throughout the vicinity. The night that had brought so much terror and death was now beginning to fade into the approaching light of dawn. Aang and Azula, the two remaining survivors of their group, observed their environment quietly as they stood side-by-side.

"Do you think we'll ever get back home?" Aang asked.

Azula shook her head, "I don't know."

The Avatar looked over to Azula, "You had your chance though. I still don't understand why you came back."

The princess kept her gaze ahead, holding back her answer momentarily, "Do you really want to know why?"

"Well…yeah." Aang replied.

Azula turned her eyes onto Aang, "It's because of this…" Azula suddenly reached her mobile left arm around Aang's neck, clasping the back of his head with her hand. The unexpected act caught Aang off guard, but before he could react he felt Azula's hand jerk his head forward just as she brought her own face closer. The next thing the airbender knew, he found his lips locked with Azula's in a passionate kiss.

"AHH!" Aang yelled as he quickly sat up straight.

"Aang, you're finally awake!" Katara cried. The young waterbender appeared kneeling next to Aang.

"Bout time!" Sokka added, turning his back around to gaze at the Avatar as he stood nearby, clenching his boomerang, "You couldn't have picked a worse time to go unconscious!"

The confused Aang stared at his friend in surprise, "Unconscious? What? What are you—"

"Hey, if you guys are through with your reunion, we could use a couple more people to defend ourselves if this monster gets through the door!" An anxious Zuko suddenly yelled. Beads of sweat poured down from his mop-top hair as he made his exclamation. Toph stood opposite Zuko with a similar expression of distress on her face, "Yeah, I can only stack so many earth bricks to keep this thing from breaking in!"

Aang placed both of his hands on his bald head in utter bewilderment, "Okay, what's going on here!" He yelled.

Katara gazed at Aang incredulously, "You mean you don't remember anything?"

"Remember what?" He asked.

The waterbender shook her head, "I guess that blow to your head was worse than I thought…" She then placed her hand on Aang's shoulder, "…Listen Aang, something horrible has come into the Fire Nation. I-I don't know how else to describe it except as-as…a monster!"

"Hey I got a couple of descriptions!" Sokka interjected, "How about tall, spiny, black, long-headed, fast, agile and deadly!"

"I think he gets the idea Sokka!" Katara yelled with a chastising tone, "Anyway Aang, we don't know where this thing came from, but we do know that it started with Sozin's Comet."

"She's right." Zuko added quickly, "Apparently, the day the comet passed over the Fire Nation, a small fragment of its body broke off and fell somewhere in the countryside near some villages. The people around the villages were the ones who found the fragment and, according to their report, saw the egg that was embedded within the fragment's body. They believed it to be a dragon egg, so they sent an envoy to give it to the royal court as a gift. I received the egg and kept it in the royal storeroom about three days ago."

"Cause everybody keeps dragon eggs in storerooms, ya know?" Sokka tauntingly remarked.

Ignoring Sokka, Zuko continued, "All I know is that earlier today, not only was the egg was found hatched, but one of the storeroom workers was found dead nearby; his chest completely burst open! Ever since that time, people within the royal palace have been getting killed left and right by some monster that we're confident has some connection to the egg."

Sokka shook his head, "And to make matters worse, this was the day that we came to visit Zuko!"

Toph cleared her throat, "What Sokka means to say, is that we're now stuck fighting this creature in the royal palace. We barely got out alive in our earlier tussle with it and you got caught on the head with a nasty whip from its ugly tail early in the fight."

A loud banging noise resounded from the behind the barrier of earth bricks that Toph had created to cover the entrance to the room.

"I think it's starting to make its way through!" Toph yelled.

Aang shook his head, "So…where exactly are we?"

"One of the palace's panic rooms." Zuko replied.

Another devastating bang resounded from the brick wall, causing some of the barrier to crumble. Sokka glanced at the wall and then back at each of his comrades, "Okay, so this thing is definitely about to come in. Does anybody have a strategy besides taking this thing head on, or do I always have to come up with these things?"

Katara turned her attention to Aang, "Aang, I know this might be much for you since you woke up, but do you have any ideas? You are the Avatar."

Aang curled his lips as he pondered over his thoughts. Finally with a sigh through his nostrils, the Avatar spoke up, "Avatar State?"

"Yeah I think that's a good idea." Sokka replied quickly.

"Oh ho yeah." Toph added.

"I agree. Definitely agree." Zuko responded.

Katara nodded, "Yes, very good idea."

"Okay great, I'm on it. But when I get back…" Aang let out a chuckle, "…I got the craziest dream to tell you guys about."

THE END