A/N - I ADJUSTED THIS EPISODE A BIT JUST BECAUSE OF RANA AND ZUKO'S BOND SO FAR, I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WOULD HAVE PLAYED OUT THE SAME AT THIS POINT.
Spectrier rides onward, Rana and Katara on its back, leading the way through some trees. Lycanroc and Ninetails walk along steadily behind them. Noivern in the sky above. Wartortle, Aang, and Sokka walk together.
"Pika, pika" Pikachu bounds along the forest floor ahead of the group. Sniffing around and exploring through the bushes, behind him, Eevee runs along excitedly.
"Eevee!!" He is followed by Chikorita. Pikachu stops and sniffs before approaching a water tribe blade that's stuck in the ground.
"Pika?" It asks and cocks its head looking down at the blade. It wraps its and around it and pulls but it's too stuck. Aang is suddenly behind Pikachu, reaching down to help. Sokka walks up behind them.
"Hey, look what Pikachu found! A sword made out of a whale's tooth" Aang tells Sokka who grabs the sword from him.
"Lemme see that" Sokka walks forward, examining the blade. "This is a water tribe weapon" To Aang and Pikachu, behind him over his left shoulder. "See if you can find anything else" Spectrier approaches them, Rana peering over from its back.
"Did someone lose something?" Rana asks.
"No, we found something," Aang asks with his head in a bush.
"Pika..." Pikachu offers.
"A water tribe blade?" Rana repeats. Katara looks at Sokka, the two of them sharing a look before she climbs down from Spectrier to join the search. Sokka is brushing away some leaves from a broken arrow on the ground. He picks it up and inspects it.
"It's burned" He throws it away and walks over to a tree with burn marks. "There was a battle. Water tribe warriors ambushed a group of fire-benders" He looks down at the ground and begins to walk downhill as he interprets the signs left in the earth. "The fire-benders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill..." He runs down the hill, the others in tow. They soon come to the beach.
"So then what happened?" Aang asks them.
"I don't know. The trail ends here" Sokka answers sadly, staring at the blade in his hand.
"Look!" Rana points at a beached water tribe boat along the beach.
"It's one of our boats!" Sokka points out as he moves towards it. The others follow after him, Katara almost tripping a few times in her excitement.
"Is this... Dad's boat?" She asks Sokka who stops in front of the ship, rubs the prow and smiles.
"No, but it's from his fleet. Dad was here" He assures his sister who looks over the vessel.
.....
Iroh is drinking tea, sat across from Zuko in a cabin on the ship. Iroh pours Zuko some tea after he takes his sip.
"Ahh! See, Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well being" As Zuko raises the cup to drink, a shock causes it to splash the tea all over his face.
"Eevee?" Eevee asks from his lap as she lifts her head. Zuko lets out a breath, trying to calm himself but Houndour's alert growl sets him on edge. Zuko wipes his face and sets Eevee onto her feet on the floor before he gets up.
........
On the deck, a young, dark-haired woman, June, has appeared on deck riding a massive and hideous monster, a shirshu. Members of Zuko's crew scatter as the monster climbs the railing and onto the deck, June's head moving as she seeks out her target. Zuko and Iroh hurry out onto the deck, followed by Eevee and Houndour.
"Get back!" June snaps. "I'm looking for someone" Zuko moves closer to her and her mount instead.
"On who's authority?" Zuko asks her, she holds out a scroll towards him and he takes it, unrolling it to find a wanted poster for Rana. He has a feeling he knows exactly who he is behind this. There is only one person this desperate to find her.
"Admiral Zhao's" She answers, Zuko lets out a breath and hands the scroll back, not bothering to read the list of 'crimes' Zhao has accused her of.
"She's not here...so get off of my ship" The shirshu sniffs at Zuko who leans back from the creature, Houndour at his side growling in warning, fire licking at its lips. Shirshu's nose finds a specific spot on Zuko's uniform, where there is a lotus pin sitting. Rana's dress pin. June climbs from the shirshu and moves closer to Zuko. She plucks the pin from his uniform and turns it around in her hand. Zuko grabs for it. "Give it back"
"This is hers," June tells him as she grabs his wrist, holding his hand away from her as she holds the pin towards shirshu who sniffs at it, turning its head to sniff at the air, trying to pick up Rana's trail from here. June tucks the pin into her own uniform and Zuko follows her across the deck as she moves back to shirshu.
"Hey!" Zuko snaps. "Give that back to me..." The shirshu quickly whips the back of his neck with its tongue. Zuko falls instantly onto the deck, face first, conscious but paralysed. Eevee runs towards shirshu to attack before Houndour blocks its path with a sharp look. Iroh moves to Zuko.
"He's paralyzed" Iroh points out, surprised and a little amazed.
"Only temporarily. The toxins'll wear off in about an hour." June assures Iroh. "Make sure he knows that if he follows, I'll have shirshu simply eat him" She cracks her whip and the shirshu bolts off the ship and down the dock. Iroh crouches with Zuko as Houndour watches the shirshu disappear along the road.