Avatar Katara

Return to Omashu

"I can't believe it," Katara said as they looked at the Fire Nation flags hanging from the walls of Omashu. "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed...untouchable."

"Up until now, it was," Sokka said grimly. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

Katara had heard stories about the great city. General Iroh had laid siege to it for six hundred days and couldn't get through.

"This is horrible," Rina moaned. "What are we going to do now?"

"We have to find Bumi."

"Katara, we don't even know if Bumi's still-"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "If Bumi's still what? This isn't about finding an earthbending teacher, Sokka. This is about finding a friend."

---

Sang floated by a ledge beneath Omashu's moat. "A secret passage?" Sokka asked Rina as she fiddled with a hatch. "Why didn't we use this last time?"

Rina popped open the hatch and a large flood of green sewage poured out. "Does that answer your question?"

The trio entered the pipe. Rina led the way, airbending the sewage away. Katara's waterbending protected her. Sokka gagged as he made his way through the passage.

Finally, Rina poked her staff at a manhole cover in the roof. She lifted it off and stuck her head out. After a few seconds, she jumped out, Katara following.

After them came a blob of green sewage. Katara immediately bent a wave of water, revealing Sokka underneath. Two purple creatures were stuck to his face.

One of them squeaked. Sokka screamed and tried to pull them off his face, but suckers on their five tentacles held on tight. "Ahh! They won't let go! Help!"

Rina rolled her eyes. "Stop making so much noise. It's just a pentapus." She rubbed the creatures' heads and they let go. Red dots were left on Sokka's face from the suckers.

"Hey!" a guard yelled. "What are you kids doing out here past curfew?"

"Sorry," Katara apologized. "We were just on our way home." The three turned to walk away. Confidence is the key, Katara told herself.

"Wait," another guard said. He pointed to the sucker marks on Sokka's face. "What's up with him?"

"Uh...he has pentapox, sir. It's, um, highly contagious."

Sokka raised his arms in front of him and moaned. "Uhhh...it's so awful. I'm dying." He coughed.

"Wait, I think I've heard of pentapox," the first guard said. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

"Yeah, we better go wash our hands."

"And burn our clothes!"

The guards ran off.

---

Azula stood on her ship. Rows of soldiers prostrated themselves before her, but she had no interest in them.

"When tracking your brother and uncle, the royal procession may no longer be an option," Lo told her.

"May no longer be wise...if you wish to keep the element of surprise," Li finished.

Azula nodded. "You're right. The royal procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my prey, I must be agile...nimble. I'll need a small, elite, team. Time to visit some old friends."

---

A patrol passed by a large block of stone the Fire Nation was using to add the ugly pipes and smokestacks to the once-beautiful city. As soon as they passed, the three kids stepped out.