Aang and Katara loved exploring through the wilds, hiking with each other. It was Aang's job to protect the world, and nature is apart of the world he's bound to protect. Nature walks they did together weren't entirely done out of responsibility to the world. They hiked to spend some alone time together, enjoying each other's company.
Aang and Katara always loved the smell of fresh air and the feeling of the leaves sweeping their legs. As much as Aang loved flying on his glider or Appa, Aang enjoyed an occasional walk. He had become more appreciative of the natural beauty of the world as he matured.
Aang and Katara's hikes usually lasted half a day, not including the time that they took conversing with other hikers or trekkers. But, on this fateful trip, they'd be camping out for the night. Just like the old days, only this time, they weren't actively trying to save the world.
Aang was especially keen on trying to befriend the wild animals that were scampering across the trail or the ones that passed by him. As one of his first sentences to his girlfriend, "I have a way with animals," Aang idly stood by this, taking every free chance to identify and try to befriend an animal. Mostly, Aang didn't bother them, knowing even the animals had their own lives and ways of living.
More often than not, while hiking, Aang and Katara would hold hands while they wandered. It was never for any particular reason, but they enjoyed swinging their hands back and forth, taking in the natural beauty of the world.
Upon seeing a bush covered in berries, Aang let go of Katara's hand and rushed over to see if they were edible. Seeing Aang run over to a bush like a small child finding candy, Katara laughed.
Aang inspected the berries closely before plucking a few off the branches, asking Katara, "Hey, sweetie? Can you get a small satchel from my bag, so I can store the berries until we're hungry?"
Nodding, Katara walked over and started digging through his packed bag for his satchel. Pulling it out, she handed it over to him.
"Thank you. You're the best."
No matter how long they've been together, Aang always found a way to compliment Katara. And these compliments, they were never insincere. They were consistently sincere and truthful. And to Aang, he knew Katara deserved every single one of them.
It was getting later, and they had been hiking since dawn. Still, the sun was out, and the day was still young. Walking by a small clearing, Aang, once again holding Katara's hand, pulled her over.
"How does this place look to set up camp for tonight?"
Katara looked around. The clearing was hidden under a large canopy of trees and was far away from the trail. Katara could hear a creek that was flowing nearby, so she agreed.
"Looks good to me."
Aang set his pack down and started hopping on his tip-toes, getting readjusted to not having a larger pack on his shoulders. Katara followed his lead and set her bag down as well.
"Is it just me, or do you hear water flowing nearby?" Aang asked.
"I was thinking the same thing. Wanna check it out with me?"
Aang nodded, and they both headed toward the sound.
From the sound, they had thought they were going to be approaching a small creek. But instead, they had stumbled across a flourishing waterfall with a clear plunge pool below.
Breathlessly, they said, "Woah."
It was beautiful, maybe even some of the most beautiful scenery Aang had ever seen. Aang turned to Katara with an idea popping up in his head.
"Remember the day you started to teach me waterbending?"
"Oh yeah, that waterfall was beautiful."
"Yeah! I guess we lucked out with "finding a nice puddle to splash in."
Katara nodded as Aang suggested, "What do you say to another lesson?"
Smiling, Katara agreed. It had been a while since they had practiced together. Katara undressed until she got to her bindings, while Aang took off his shirt. They both entered the flowing water and started to get used to its temperature. Katara took her time by slowly lowering herself into its depths while Aang disappeared behind the brush. Katara already knew what was going to happen. Aang was one to jump right in, saying that it was easier to adjust if he got in all at once. She too liked jumping in right away, but this time she wanted to ease into it.
"WOOHOO!" Aang screamed, jumping from atop the waterfall into the plunge pool, where Katara was starting to swim about.
Splashing Katara, she waited for Aang to reach the surface so she could get her splash revenge. Aang soon reached the surface and was instantly met with the wrath of a swish of water. Aang quickly wiped the water from his eyes and smirked.
"Oh, it's on."
Playfully splashing each other with water, it had come to a point where Aang had started to chase Katara around the pool. Catching up to her, he wrapped his arms around her body, restraining her from swimming away.
"I caught you," he whispered in her ear.
Knowing Aang's ability to be flustered, Katara turned her neck to peck him on the lips. She was right. Her advancements made Aang's grip on her loosen. She broke away in victory. However, Aang knew her plans well. So, in her getaway, he waterbended her right back into his grasp.
"Good try, my sweet," he said, kissing her back.
After actual practicing, they grew hungry. They exited the plunge pool and headed back to camp. The sun was going to set soon, so Aang and Katara had to find their food before it was too dark for them to see. Luckily for Aang, all he needed was to find more berries. For Katara, she was going to hunt a fish for her dinner. So, Katara put her clothes back on and headed back to the waterfall to fish.
Aang ventured back to the trail, where he had seen a surplus of berries earlier. Collecting them, he knew Katara would need to make a fire to cook her dinner. So, after he finished collecting his dinner, Aang started gathering kindling wood.
Aang returned to camp, arms filled with wood. He cleared away anything that would hurt the forest and started setting up the wood. Once he was done, using his firebending, he lit the small twigs aflame. Letting the fire juice up, Aang started adding more wood to make the fire larger for Katara.
Still, Katara wasn't back. He knew it could take a while because they had probably scared away the fish while they were swimming and waterbending. So, Aang started setting up their campsite along with attending to the fire.
Katara came back with a fish that was already skewered. She quickly thanked Aang for setting everything up while she started cooking it over the fire.
They ate their dinner in comfortable silence, listening to the crickets chirp and watching the sun vanish over the horizon line. Aang offered Katara a few of her berries, but Katara had a better idea. The berries that Aang had picked were leaning towards the over-ripe side, so they had created a small stain over his lips. Scootching closer to him and the fruit, she leaned in, kissing him yet again. Her assumptions about the over-ripeness were right. They were sweet and tender.
"Mmm," she hummed. "They taste good."
Aang smiled at her forwardness and tossed a berry in the air, catching it in his mouth.
The night continued to be peaceful and serene, and Aang had caught an idea.
When they had finished dinner, Aang told her to follow him. On his way to finding more berries, he had come across a small field. But, this field, like many in this area, had a large population of fireflies.
Leading her to the field, he told her to keep her eyes close for the small surprise. Now, they were in the middle of the field, and Aang let go of her hand.
"Open," he said, ready for her reaction.
Aang blew a gentle gust of air, making the fireflies rise from the tall grass and into the air. Katara watched in a dazed and delighted at the hundreds of flying flickering bugs.
"They're beautiful," she said softly.
"They are, just like you."
Katara blushed lightly at his compliment as Aang continued speaking.
"When it was summer when I was younger, the monks used to take us to see the fireflies. I always loved seeing them dancing in the sky, making the trees have little lights. I love how they make the dark sky light. They remind me of you, Katara. You make the uncertain road clear and light."
Katara hugged Aang, resting her head against his chiseled chest.
"I love you," she breathed.
"I love you too."
After watching the bugs retreat into the brush, they left back to their camp to head to bed. They had a long and exciting day, and it was time for them to fall asleep.
They changed into more comfortable clothes and got inside their extra-large sleeping bag. They were both tired and needed their sleep to hike back out. The night got darker, and they let the symphony of nature guide them asleep. Falling asleep cuddling each other, both in pure bliss and in love.