"Then why are you keeping it?" Continues Iroh.
{end flashback}
"What happened, your girlfriend run off on you?" Mocks the woman sarcastically.
"I'm not planning to capture her, I'm after the bald monk she's traveling with" Replies Zuko annoyed.
"Whatever you say" Sighs the woman unamused.
"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for" Grunts Zuko.
"Heh, forget it" Scoffs the woman as she begins to mount her shirshu.
"Plus, we'll pay your weight in gold" Offers Iroh.
"Make it your weight, and we gotta deal" Smirks the young woman while Iroh laughs.
"You got it" He says. The woman takes Mizuki's necklace from Zuko, and shows it to her shirshu named Nyla.
❀❀❀
"There's something I should tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from your father" Informs Bato. Mizuki and Aang are sitting next to the exit of the tent, away from the others. Mizuki had fallen asleep next to Aang, her head leaning on his shoulder.
"Really?" Beams Katara excited.
"When?" Asks Sokka in a slightly demanding tone.
"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me, and see your father again" States Bato while Aang looks at his friends with a sorrowful and worried expression written over his face. What if they stay with their dad...forever? I doubt that they'd stay with me.
"It's been over two years since we've seen dad. That would be so incredible!" Gushes Sokka happily.
"I do really miss him, it would be great to see dad" Beams Katara. Aang nervously gets up and gently lays Mizuki down as he exits the tent.
"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Mentions Bato.
"I'm not sure when word will arrive, but when it does-" After walking for a bit Aang isn't able to hear the conversation anymore. He sits down on a rock and sighs upset. I guess this is the end of traveling with Sokka and Katara...I'm going to miss them.
<meanwhile>
"It would be great, but we can't. We have to take Aang to the North Pole first" States Sokka.
"Even if we do have time to wait for the message, who knows how far we'd have to travel. We don't have time for a long detour" Mentions Katara.
"I'm sure your father would understand, and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar and dualbender" Says Bato as he smiles.
❀❀❀
Aang's sitting on the bow of Bato's boat.
"I can't believe they would leave me" Mutters Aang sorrowful. Suddenly, a messenger arrives.
"I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe" States the man.
"Uhhh, I know Bato!" Beams Aang.
"Make sure he gets this!" Exclaims the man as he hands Aang the scrolll and rides away. Aang curiously unravels at the message, finding out that it is actually a map.
"It's the map to Sokka and Katara's dad!" Aang's curious look changes to frustration as he crumples the map and stuffs it inside his clothes.
❀❀❀
"Hey everyone! Sorry I was gone so long" Apologizes Aang as he approaches the others.
"Hey, Aang, I didn't notice you left" Greets Katara as she turns around to face Aang.
"Yup, but now I'm back" Replies Aang as he sits down.
"Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!" Beams Aang as he quickly takes some bites of sea prunes, but chokes them back up, yet he pretends to enjoy them. Suddenly, Mizuki wakes up and sits up straight.
"Oh, hey Aang" She says. Aang looks at her and begins to grin.
"Did you sleep well?" Asks Aang while Mizuki nods in response.
❀❀❀
Nyla, the shirshu, enters the herbalist's home that Mizuki and Aang visited to find a cure to Katara and Sokka's sickness some time ago. Nyla begins to growl, causing the herbalist to turn around confused.
"Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?" Asks the old woman.
"We're looking for someone" States Zuko.
"I hope it's not Miyuki. Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation, again?" Says the woman as she looks at her cat while Zuko facepalms.
"The girl's been through here. Let's keep moving" Says the young woman.
❀❀❀
Aang's airbending a pile of hay to Appa, as he finishes his form, the map falls out of his sleeve.
"Aha! I caught you" Says the mother superior as she picks up the crumpled paper and Aang looks at her nervously.
"You should be ashamed of yourself...littering in the courtyard" Scolds the woman while Aang takes back the crumpled paper.
"I'm sorry, I'll take care of this" Apologizes Aang as he bows. As soon as the woman walks away, Aang stuffs the map back up his sleeve.
❀❀❀
It's morning. Bato, Sokka, Katara, Mizuki, and Aang are walking towards Bato's ship.
"This ship is sentimental to me. It was built by my father" Says Bato as he looks at the ship. Aang looks down at the ground, noticing the tracks from the messenger's ostrich horse are still visible. He airbends the sand to cover the tracks and whistles nonchalantly.
"Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?" Asks Sokka curiously.
"Yep! It's got the scar to prove it. Ha. How 'bout you Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice dodging" Beams Bato amused as Sokka begins to look down upset.
"He never got to go. Dad left before he was old enough" Explains Katara.
"Oh, I forgot you were too young" Mentions Bato.
"What's ice dodging?" Asks Aang.
"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn fourteen, your dad takes you-" Bato stops talking and puts his hand on Sokka's shoulder.
"You know what, you're about to find out!" Beams Bato happily.
To be continued
Word count: 1.576
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The dualbender (atla) book 1
Fantasy[completed] [currently under editing] Mizuki is a girl who lost her parents to the Fire Nation when she was twelve. After two years of hiding, escaping and trying to survive she found the Avatar with some help of the two Water Tribe siblings. She de...
Chapter 67 - Shirshu
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