"Hey! You guys picked a great campsite." Toph wiggled her toes in the mound of Appa's fur covering the ground. "The grass is so soft."
Eziri snorted and covered her mouth with her hand.
"That's not grass. Appa's shedding." Sokka informed her.
"Oh, gross!" Katara cried.
"That's not gross, it's just a part of spring! You know, rebirth, flowers blooming and Appa gets a new coat." Aang said cheerfully.
"Ah, the beauty of spring." Katara said sarcastically. Appa then sneezed and released a large cloud of fur. "Stop! Appa, stop! Ugh!" Katara coughed and waved her arms around.
"It's not that bad, Katara." Sokka bent over and faced away from his sister. He turned around with a pile of fur on his head. "It makes a great wig!"
Aang popped up with fur all over his chin. "And a great beard!" Behind the group, Eziri rolled around in a pile of fur.
"I'm just glad we have another girl in the group, because you two are disgusting." Katara said as she wiped some fur off her clothes.
Toph popped up with giant mounds of fur tucked under her arms. "Excuse me, does anyone have a razor? Because I've got some hairy pits!" Aang and Sokka started laughing with Toph.
Eziri walked out and stood beside Katara with a straight face. The firebender was covered head-to-toe in white fur. "Yeah, c'mon guys. Grow up." Eziri crossed her arms over her chest in mock-annoyance. The whole group burst into laughter. Aang sneezed and sent himself flying backwards into Appa, causing more fur to fall around everyone. They all laughed harder; even Katara couldn't help but chuckle.
–
Later in the evening, Sokka plopped down a stack of firewood in front of Eziri. She started to build a small fire pit. Aang worked on setting up the tent, and Katara gathered water into large pots. Toph sat propped up against her bag off to the side.
Eziri saw Katara eye the young earthbender before walking over. She finished stacking the firewood and walked over to help Sokka with the sleeping bags.
"Heads up–" Eziri motioned over to Katara. "I think your sister is about to pick a fight."
Sokka looked up at Katara and Toph. Katara's body language grew stiff as Toph created a small earth-tent. "Uh oh."
"I don't understand. What's the problem here?" They heard Toph say angrily. They didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but they saw Katara storm off and resume her task.
"Do you think we should get involved?" Eziri whispered to Sokka.
"I don't think so. Let them both cool off." Sokka whispered back.
–
Later in the evening, Aang and Sokka were taking off Appa's saddle while Eziri tended to the fire. There was a bit of wind that night so she was careful to keep the flames steady. She looked up from her bending and saw Aang drop the saddle right on Sokka.
"Oops, sorry!" Aang said as he rushed to pull up the saddle. Eziri left the fire and ran over to help.
"You okay?" She asked as she extended her hand to Sokka.
"Fine." He grumbled. Without thinking, Eziri pressed a quick kiss to his cheek to cheer him up.
Aang made an indistinguishable noise of shock. "Are you two finally together?"
Sokka just grinned at Eziri and started jumping up and down. "You lost! You lost the bet! Ha!"
Eziri finally realized what she did and groaned. "Ugh, now I have to ask Katara how to do her hair loopies."
"Wait, what bet?" Aang asked. Just then, Katara stomped over to the group.
"They have this stupid bet about when we'll realize they're dating." She turned to the fire and saw it was almost completely extinguished. "What happened to the fire? Why isn't anyone doing their job?" Katara asked angrily. She stormed off towards the fire and started to add logs to it.
"I don't think Katara wants to talk about her hair loopies right now." Eziri whispered to the boys.
"I think you're right." Sokka tapped his chin in thought for a moment. "Okay, new plan. You have to teach me how to throw knives instead of wear Katara's hair loopies."
Eziri smiled up at Sokka and nodded. "Deal. We'll start in the morning, pupil Sokka."
"Hey, I want to learn how to throw knives!"
"You can learn to throw knives after you learn firebending." Eziri said as she raised a brow towards Aang.
"Aw, man." Aang grumbled.
–
In the middle of the night, Toph woke to an odd rumbling in the earth. She sat up and placed her palms against the ground.
"There's something coming toward us." She told the group.
"What is it?" Aang asked from his place on Appa's leg. Sokka, Katara, and Eziri all peered out of the tent.
Toph knelt to the group and felt the earth with her hand again. "It feels like an avalanche, but also not an avalanche."
"Your powers of perception are frightening." Sokka said sarcastically. Eziri nudged him with her elbow.
"Should we leave?" asked Katara.
"Better safe than sorry." Aang said, slightly worried. As they rode into the sky, they saw a massive puff of smoke following them in the distance. Eziri felt a pit in her stomach at the sight.
"What is that thing?" Katara thought aloud.
Eziri shifted to the back of the saddle and squinted her eyes. Through the trees she could just barely see the faint glint of metal. "Shit." She whispered under her breath.
Sokka watched her expression and scooted next to her. "Eziri, what is it?" He asked quietly.
"That thing looks like it was made in the Fire Nation. I mean, the smoke alone looks like they're running on coal."
Sokka looked back at the fading smoke pillar and furrowed his brow. "Do you think it's Zuko?"
Eziri shook her head. "Zuko only had his ship. I doubt my father would give him something like that."
"Then who is it?"
"I have an idea....but I'm really hoping I'm wrong." Eziri looked away from the pillar of smoke. Appa had flown far enough away that it was almost out of sight. Sokka put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"Well it doesn't matter now. They'll have trouble catching up to us." He said reassuringly.
"I hope you're right."
–
After a couple hours, they finally landed at a new campsite. Everyone was exhausted and sleep-deprived.
"Land, sweet land." Toph cheered as she jumped off the bison. "See you guys in the morning." Toph started walking away.
"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked.
"Really? You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" Eziri hid her laugh behind her hand as she dropped Sokka's sleeping bag down to him. Sokka took a whiff of the sleeping bag and made a face of disgust. He held it at arm's length while he set it down.
"Well, yeah." Katara started walking over to Toph. "That and everything else. You're a part of our team now and–"
"Look, I didn't ask you to unload my stuff." Toph said angrily. "I'm carrying my own weight."
"That's not the point." Katara put her hands on her hips and glared at Toph. "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful."
Eziri jumped down from the saddle and started to walk over to the arguing girls. Sokka stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"What?! Look here, sugar queen." Toph said as she pointed her finger right in Katara's face. "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending. So don't you talk to me about being selfish." Toph then plopped onto the ground and formed an earth tent.
"Sugar queen?!" Katara yelled incredulously. Toph just formed another earth wall right in front of Katara's face. "D-Did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?" Katara started angrily knocking on the rock wall.
Eziri, Sokka, and Aang watched the interaction with trepidation. "Should we do something?" Aang asked quietly.
"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka said with a slight grin.
"What if we knocked them out with some of that tea?" Eziri suggested. Sokka mulled it over but Aang just rolled his eyes and started to approach Katara.
"Ok, ok. You both need to calm down."
"Both?! I'm completely calm!" Katara screamed.
"I can see that." Aang put his hands up defensively and started inching away.
"I bet you two copper pieces that Katara angrily waterbends at someone by daybreak." Eziri whispered to Sokka.
"You're on." He took her hand and they shook on the bet. Aang walked back over to the older teens looking slightly scared. Eziri walked up to him and put her arm around him.
"C'mon, kiddo. Let's finish unpacking. Katara will calm down in a bit."
–
Later that night, they all laid on the ground in a line. They decided not to set up the tent to save time.
"The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Too bad you can't see them, Toph." Katara said smugly. Eziri's jaw dropped and she stared at Katara in disbelief.
"Katara!" She chastised. The earth rumbled and Katara was sent up into the air, landing directly on Sokka.
"Hey, how's a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking?" Sokka shoved Katara off him and she landed smack into Eziri. She pushed Katara off and the waterbender landed on the ground.
"That thing is back." Toph lowered the earth wall at the front of her tent and placed her palm against the ground. Eziri lept to her feet and started tossing her things onto Appa's saddle.
"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka pulled the top of his sleeping bag up over his head. "Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes."
Eziri, Aang, and Katara noticed the plume of smoke approaching once again. "I don't think so, Sokka." Aang said worriedly. They all got back onto Appa and rode away once again. The closer the unidentified assailant got, the more worried Eziri became. She assumed it was someone from the Fire Nation–probably her sister. Either they were there to capture her or Aang, and both options made her anxious.
"Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara asked.
"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph added.
Aang peered over the saddle from Appa's head. "I don't know, but this time, I'm gonna make sure we lose them."
Eziri looked down at Sokka and smiled. He was sprawled out on his back, snoring.
"He can sleep through just about anything, can't he?" Eziri asked Katara.
"Pretty much."
–
Another few hours went by and the group landed once again. This time, Aang guided Appa down to a small, rocky cliff on the side of a mountain. Appa didn't even land, he just flopped down and rolled onto his side. The kids were sent flying out of the saddle and onto the ground.
"Ok, forget about setting up camp." Sokka pulled his sleeping bag over himself and tugged Eziri with him as he crawled away from the group. "I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep."
"That's good because Toph wasn't going to help anyway." Katara sassed. Eziri let out a loud groan.
"Here we go again." She grumbled under her breath.
"Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph sassed back.
"Come on, guys. There's something after us, and we don't even know what or who it is." Aang said tiredly. He pulled the edge of his little cape over his face.
"It could be Zuko. We haven't seen him since the North Pole." Katara suggested.
"It's not Zuko." Eziri mumbled. She was lying face-down on her sleeping bag and her friends could barely make out her words.
"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.
"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world." Sokka explained. He then looked over at Eziri. "No offense." He said quietly. She just shrugged and kept her face buried in her sleeping bag. Eziri couldn't even be mad–Sokka wasn't wrong.
"What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara teased.
Sokka had his face against the ground and pointed to his hair. "This is a warrior's wolf tail." He grumbled.
"Well it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky." Katara said sarcastically.
"Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here, so, now would everyone just shhh?" Momo hopped onto Sokka's sleeping bag and started chittering. "No, Momo. Shh. Sleepy time." Momo jumped off Sokka and continued his little noises. He walked to the edge of the cliff and wiggled his ears. "Oh, don't tell me." Sokka whined.
"That's impossible. There's no way they could have tracked us." Aang said frustratedly.
"I can feel it with my own two feet." Eziri sat up and looked over the edge. Aang rushed over and peered over the edge too. They both saw the small metal tank approaching in the distance.
"Let's get out of here." Katara suggested.
"Maybe we should face them and find out who they are." Aang countered.
"I don't like that idea." Eziri said worriedly.
"Who knows, maybe they're friendly?" Aang added.
"Always the optimist." Sokka grumbled. The tank stopped at the bottom of the cliff and three animals with three figures on them climbed out of the tank. Their assailants came into view and Eziri's stomach dropped at the three familiar faces.
"Definitely not friendly." She mumbled. The three girls started riding right towards Team Avatar.
"We can take them–three on three." Toph said as she got in a defensive stance.
Eziri and Sokka shared a confused look. "Actually, Toph, there's five of us." Sokka corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't count you and Eziri. You know, no bending and all." Toph said with a sheepish grin.
"I can still fight!" Sokka yelled.
"Toph I'm a firebender!" Eziri protested.
"Seriously?!"
"Yup."
"Ok, four on three plus Sokka." Toph corrected. Sokka growled and his face grew red from anger. Eziri couldn't help her small chuckle at his reaction.
The three girls got closer and Toph created large boulders in their path. The animals easily climbed over them and they continued to approach.
"Well, we wanted to find out who they were, and we found out." Sokka tucked his boomerang away. "Now, let's get out of here." He, Aang, and Katara started running back to Appa. Toph crouched down and pulled up a massive earth wall in front of their attackers.
Azula moved her arms around and shot a bolt of lighting right at the wall. The hit broke a hole through Toph's defense and the three girls rode right through it. Mai sent a slew of stilettos out and Toph blocked them with a large boulder. She then propelled herself over to Appa's saddle. Eziri stood on the edge watching her sister approach.
"Eziri, come on!" Sokka shouted as he outstretched his hand from over the side of the saddle.
Eziri shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "You guys need to go. I'll hold them off to give you a head start." She opened her eyes but remained facing away. She started to pull her scarf around her face.
"What?!"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Eziri, get on the–"
"Yip-yip!" Eziri shouted as she shot a small burst of fire behind Appa's tail. The bison took off into the sky before her friends could protest any further. Eziri mentally prepared herself and faced back towards her sister.
The lizard creatures quickly scaled the rocky mountain and stopped right in front of Eziri. She stood firm in her defensive firebending stance, prepared to strike. Azula jumped off her creature and sent a swift line of flames right for Eziri. She parted the attack and extinguished the fire on either side of her. Azula narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly.
"So the rumors about the Avatar traveling with a firebender are true. Tell me, traitor, why have you betrayed your nation?"
Mai and Ty Lee jumped off their animals and Mai sent a line of stilettos towards Eziri in an attempt to pin her to the mountainside. Eziri sent up a quick burst of fire, disintegrating the weapons before they could reach her. The three friends gasped at the sight of the blue flames. Ty Lee looked nervously between Azula and the unidentified firebender. Mai tensed and didn't take her eyes off the masked girl.
Azula scowled and launched into a set of firebending maneuvers; maneuvers that Eziri had taught her. Eziri ducked and dodged each attack with ease, confirming Azula's suspicion.
"Well it seems you've finally been found, dear sister." Azula said angrily as she ceased her attacks. Eziri shifted out of her stance but remained alert. She slowly brought her hands up to her face and took off the scarf. "You know, there were rumors that you were the so-called 'masked firebender.' There were letters after the attack at the North Pole. Many high-ranking officials spoke of a skilled firebender who fought alongside the Avatar." Azula shook her head slightly and let out a humorless laugh. "Of course, none of them were brave enough to actually accuse you. But still, everyone had their suspicions." Azula's expression turned sour. "Not father, though. No, his perfect little Eziri could never be capable of such a treacherous act."
Eziri scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Father is a lot of things, but he isn't a fool."
"No, he's not. But he refused to accept these rumors without adequate proof. Up until now, you've been 'missing.' He sent me to find you."
Eziri felt the slightest bit of relief at the fact that she hadn't yet been branded a traitor by the Fire Lord. But she knew Azula would make sure that didn't last. "Well, you've found me." Eziri slowly shifted her feet back into a defensive stance. "So what now?"
"Now, you'll be hauled back to the Fire Nation where you'll answer for your crimes." Azula took a step closer to Eziri and glared. "Now you'll finally be out of my way."
"Azula, it doesn't have to be like this. We don't have to fight each other." Eziri tried to reason. She knew Azula was more volatile than Zuko, but she still hoped she could change her sister's mind.
"Don't worry, it won't be much of a fight." Azula pointed two fingers at her side and started to gather lightning. She sent it right towards her sister without hesitation. Eziri was slightly shocked by the action, but quickly extended one arm and redirected the lightning through her own body and released it into the sky. Before she could even launch a counter-attack, Ty Lee was behind her. The girl hit Eziri's pressure points with precise speed and Eziri fell to the ground.
Azula stood over her sister and glared down. "I'm done living in your shadow. With you out of the way, father will finally name me as his successor." Azula nodded to her friends and Ty Lee and Mai pulled Eziri to her feet. They placed her on the back of Azula's animal and started riding back to the metal tank.
"Azula, I'm still your sister." Eziri said quietly as they started to approach the tank. Azula scoffed.
"My sister left and never looked back. I don't have a sister anymore." Azula led the animal to a halt and hopped off before Eziri could respond. Eziri felt her heart break at that. She knew it couldn't have been easy for Azula the past few years. She was basically alone with their sorry excuse of a father; Eziri could only imagine what that was like. But still, she had always been patient with Azula–she loved her, after all. Eziri expected Azula would have at least a little hesitation in trying to kill her. But it seems like that expectation was too optimistic.
–
Once inside the tank, Ty Lee placed Eziri in chains and locked her in a tiny cell. She murmured a quick apology and rushed back to Azula's side. Eziri's limbs were still limp but she was starting to feel a slight tingling in her fingertips.
"Why did you do it?" Eziri looked up and saw Mai standing outside her cell with her arms crossed. "Why did you help them?"
"Why are you helping Azula?"
"You don't get to ask me that. I'm not the one–"
"Betraying your nation blah blah blah. Yeah, I've heard it all before. If you're here to lecture me, don't waste your breath. You won't change my mind. I don't regret my decisions."
Mai let out a sharp exhale and walked away.
"Nice one, Eziri. You pissed off the closest thing you have to a friend on this stupid tank." Eziri mumbled to herself.
She knew she had to come up with a plan to leave. Azula made it clear that she didn't care what happened to her sister. Eziri had to find a means of escape before they brought her back to the Fire Nation.
And what of Aang? Was Azula sent to capture him? To kill him? Whatever the mission, Eziri had no intention of sticking around to find out. She needed to make her escape and find her friends before her sister could.
–
It took some time for Eziri to regain feeling in her limbs, but eventually it all came back. She started to heat her wrists as hot as she could manage. She tried to focus all the heat into the cuffs to melt them off. It took a lot of strength and concentration to create heat that was hot enough to melt metal.
"You know, I never would have guessed you'd be a traitor. I mean, if you asked me a year ago, I would've pegged Zuko as the family disappointment. But it seems you've stooped to levels even lower than poor Zuzu." Azula walked in front of Eziri's cell and leaned against the wall across from her sister.
"I'm just trying to help him out. I figured he deserved a break from the role of 'family pariah.'" Eziri smirked.
Azula stared at her blankly for a moment and then let out a quiet chuckle. "How kind of you." Azula rolled her eyes. "Seriously, what's wrong with you? Traveling around with the Avatar? Disobeying father's orders? That's not the Eziri I know."
"No, I guess it's not." Eziri sighed and shifted her arms behind her. The metal cuffs were painfully hot, but she couldn't let Azula notice. "But I'm not the same person I was three years ago."
"Neither am I." Azula said coolly. She started to walk away and paused. "Once we have the Avatar, we're going back to the Fire Nation. Then you're father's problem." Azula continued her pace and left.
Eziri winced the second she left and bit down on the collar of her shirt to stop herself from yelling at the hot metal around her hands. When she was actively bending, she could keep most of the heat from burning her skin. But her conversation with Azula caused her to lose focus and the heated cuffs singed her wrists. She took a moment to gather herself before starting again.
She just managed to melt one of her wrists free when she felt the tank come to a stop. She heard muffled, distant voices, but no one came to check on her. She waited a few minutes to see what would happen and decided she should make her escape. Eziri melted the cuff of her other wrist and jumped to her feet. She melted the lock on her cell and started to creep down the hall. The tank was silent, only the sound of her soft footsteps filled the air.
She quietly snuck to the door and exited the tank, prepared for any attacks. What she found was a peaceful forest with no one around. Eziri furrowed her brows and remained on high alert. Azula knew better than to leave a prisoner unattended. Either this was a trap or Azula wasn't as intent on keeping Eziri prisoner as she seemed. Regardless, Eziri had to get back to her friends.
She made her way to the front of the tank and saw a trail of Appa's fur along with one set of animal tracks. She noticed two sets of animal tracks going in a different direction. Out of the three girls in the group, it was likely Azula was the one who went off on her own. Eziri looked between the paths, trying to decide which to follow. She sighed and took off in a sprint along the fur path.
–
Eziri sprinted as fast as she could. She knew she would be hard-pressed to catch up with her sister but she had to try. She ignored the burning in her muscles and kept moving. Eventually she could see an abandoned town in the distance. She saw bursts of blue and orange fire flying into the air. She could hear distant shouts and sounds of fighting.
Eziri picked up her pace and ran towards the center of the town. She turned down an alley and saw Aang dodge an attack from her sister. Eziri leapt forward and redirected Azula's next attack before her fire reached Katara and Sokka.
"Well now it's a true family reunion." Azula spat as she glared at Eziri.
"Ezi!" Aang called cheerfully from behind them. Azula smirked and sent a fire slice right towards him. Aang ducked and made his way over to Katara and Sokka. The three of them advanced on Azula and backed her into an alley. Eziri looked over and saw her uncle helping her brother up.
The earth underneath Azula shifted and she fell to the ground.
"I thought you guys could use a little help." Toph said smugly. Eziri silently wondered when Toph even got separated from the group.
"Thanks." Katara said with a smile. Azula got to her feet and started sending bursts of fire at team Avatar as she backed up. Eziri blocked her hits and extinguished the flames before they could reach her friends. Azula then ducked down an alley and took off in a sprint. She thought she made her escape but ran straight into Iroh. He and Zuko joined the fight and everyone backed Azula into a corner. Eziri glanced at her brother quickly and gave him a small smile. Zuko rolled his eyes but a small smile crept onto his face too.
"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten." Azula put her hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." Everyone in the group held their stances and Eziri narrowed her eyes. Sure, Azula probably couldn't fight everyone at once, but she would never surrender; she would go down fighting.
Suddenly, Azula got into a stance and pointed two fingers towards Iroh, sending a strong burst of fire right at him. Iroh spun with the impact of the hit and fell to the ground. Zuko yelled in anguish and Eziri ran off towards her uncle. Her friends all sent their attacks towards Azula, but Eziri didn't pay attention. All she could see was the awful burn stretched across her uncle's chest.
Eziri dropped to her knees beside her uncle and looked at his wound with panic. Zuko dropped down across from her soon after, his face showing just as much panic and worry as hers. Eziri's friends approached and Katara stepped forward with a stream of water.
"Get away from us!" Zuko shouted. Eziri shot a burst of smoke at her brother. He angrily turned towards her and prepared his own attack.
"Stop being an idiot!" Eziri shouted before he could shoot his own fire. "Katara is a waterbender. Waterbenders can heal, Zuko. Just back off and let her help!" Zuko looked like he wanted to argue more but chose to glare at his sister instead. Eziri motioned for Katara to kneel next to her.
Katara brought her water-encased hands over Iroh's wound and began her healing session. Zuko's eyes widened when the water started glowing. He looked up at his sister with panic and she nodded, letting him know it was ok. He returned his attention to Katara's healing. The water continued to glow and Iroh's wound started healing right before their eyes.
Katara drew the water off Iroh and pulled her hands away. "I've done all I can for now. He'll likely be unconscious for a day or two but he'll be ok. We need to wrap his wound so it doesn't get infected." Katara instructed. She got up to retrieve bandages but Zuko's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"You've done enough. Just go." He said angrily. Eziri looked at his brother in annoyance.
"Zuko, just let me--" Katara started. Zuko shot a wave of flames over the group of friends.
"Leave!" He shouted. Eziri glared at her brother. She turned her attention towards her friends and nodded her head towards Appa, silently telling them to leave. Katara and Aang started hesitantly backing away. Toph followed their lead, but Sokka didn't move.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you ever--" She started. Zuko once again interrupted.
"You too, Eziri. Go!" He shouted. Eziri didn't move a muscle. Her eye twitched involuntarily with her anger.
"He's my family too! You can't just order me around, you ass." Zuko glared at his sister and shot a punch of fire towards her. His bending was clouded by his emotions and his aim was off. Eziri wasn't prepared for the attack and didn't have enough time to react since they were in such close proximity. She dodged as best she could but the fire singed her left ear and burned off a small bit of hair. She cried in pain and clutched the side of her head.
Zuko hadn't meant to actually hurt her. In fact, he didn't even want her to leave. He was panicked and scared and he needed his sister. However, he and his uncle were barely getting by before they separated. If Eziri left the Avatar, she'd have to struggle and starve too. He didn't want that for her. He knew that she would probably be safer with the Avatar than Fire Nation fugitives while they were in Earth Kingdom territory.
He knew Eziri was worried for their uncle and she wouldn't leave. He knew he had to push her away. He just wished he hadn't been so careless with his bending. Zuko kept his eyes on his uncle in an effort to hide his guilt.
Sokka rushed over to Eziri and helped her up, glaring at Zuko the entire time. He kept his boomerang gripped tightly in one hand in case Zuko tried anything. "Come on, we should go." He murmured quietly to Eziri. She just nodded absentmindedly and allowed Sokka to guide her away. She met Zuko's eyes for a second before he looked away. She saw the hurt and guilt in them.
It wasn't out of character for Zuko to react out of anger and use his bending against her. In fact, he did it just about every time they fought. However, he had never actually hurt Eziri. He always launched his attacks half-heartedly or threw fire when he knew she could block it. This was the first time he ever actually harmed her, and Eziri could tell it was unintentional.
Before she and Sokka were out of earshot, Eziri turned around. "Take care of him." She said to her brother. Zuko looked over his shoulder and met his sister's gaze. He gave her an apologetic look and nodded. Eziri turned back around and walked up Appa's tail, Sokka following closely behind.
Once settled on the saddle, Aang shook Appa's reins and sent them all into the sky. They all sat in tense silence for a few moments. Eziri and Sokka were at the back of the saddle while Toph, Aang, and Katara sat at the front.
Sokka shifted and gently touched Eziri's head beside the burn. She flinched at his touch but didn't say anything. Sokka could feel his anger rising towards Zuko, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He looked up at his sister and nodded towards Eziri's wound. Katara rose from her spot and crept over to her brother and Eziri.
"Eziri, can I...?" Katara trailed off as she gathered a stream of water in her hands. Eziri met Katara's gaze and nodded. Katara switched places with Sokka and started to heal the small burn on the side of Eziri's face. It was minimal enough that there wouldn't even be a scar. Eziri winced at the initial contact of Katara's water and grabbed Sokka's hand. He tightened his grip and placed his other hand on top of hers.
He then noticed a dark red splotch around her wrist. He let go of her hand and brought her arm closer to his face so he could examine her wrist. Katara finished healing Eziri's ear and noticed Sokka's actions. She gasped at the sight of the burns on Eziri's wrist.
Katara quickly took Eziri's wrists in her hands and started to heal those burns too. "Eziri, what happened?"
"I was in a cell on Azula's tank. I had to melt the chains on my wrists to get out."
Katara's eyes widened but she kept her attention on her healing.
"You...melted your own chains?" Sokka asked in slight disbelief. Eziri shrugged.
"Yeah. I was keeping the heat off my wrists but Azula broke my concentration and the metal burned my skin a little."
"That is insane." Toph said with a slight smile. "I knew I liked you!"
Eziri chuckled a bit and her friends did as well. Katara pulled the water from Eziri's wrists and started rummaging through her bag for clean bandages.
"Well, that's pretty much all that happened while I was away. What happened with you guys?"
The group fell into awkward silence and Sokka, Katara, and Aang shared uncomfortable looks.
"Not much!" Sokka said with a nervous chuckle. Eziri eyed him suspiciously and rolled her eyes.
"Katara, is my uncle really ok?"
Katara gave the firebender a sympathetic smile and nodded. "I healed the worst of it. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, but he should be ok."
Eziri nodded to herself and took a deep breath. "I can't believe my sister did that." She said sadly. Sokka noticed the shift in her demeanor and tried to change the subject to keep her spirits up.
"So, any other fire-happy relatives you want to tell us about?" He said with a hint of teasing.
Eziri laughed. "Besides the Fire Lord himself? Nah. I think we've covered the extent of my crazy relatives." Eziri and Sokka shared a laugh while Katara started to wrap Eziri's wrists.
"Wait, back up. Did you just say you're related to the Fire Lord?" Toph said, completely in shock.
Eziri chuckled nervously. "Yep. He uh...he's kind of my...father...?" She said with a slight wince.
"WHAT?!" Toph screeched.
"Yeah...my family tree is...interesting." Eziri said apologetically.
"Interesting? Try murderous." Toph snarked.
"Or angry! They're all so angry!" Sokka joked.
"I was gonna say intense." Aang chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah, we're all fire-happy, angry, intense murderers. Anything else?" Eziri asked, her tone light and joking.
"No, that about covers it." Sokka said with a shrug. Katara finished wrapping Eziri's wrists and put her supplies back in her bag.
"I can work on those burns more later, but I've done all I can for now. We'll need to do another healing session tonight to avoid any scarring." Katara told Eziri.
Eziri took Katara's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Katara. For everything."
Katara smiled and squeezed Eziri's hand back. She then let go and moved back up to the front of the saddle.
Sokka shifted so he was right in front of Eziri. He blocked her view of the rest of their friends and sported a serious expression.
"Eziri, you can't do that again."
"Do what?" She asked, slightly confused.
"Sacrifice yourself like that. I know you were just trying to protect us, but you can't do that."
"Sokka, I couldn't let her take Aang."
"I know, but we managed to get away. You didn't have to do that. I mean, what if you didn't escape? She could have brought you back to the Fire Nation...back to your father. What would we do without you?"
Eziri sighed and let Sokka's words really sink in. "I understand. I just...I can't let Aang experience the same things I did. I can't let that happen, Sokka." She said quietly.
Sokka nodded in understanding and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Just promise me you won't do that again? I can't lose you." He took her hands in his own and looked right into her amber eyes.
"I'll try." was all she could manage. What could she say? She would always put Aang's safety over her own. There was no way she could promise Sokka she wouldn't sacrifice herself for the group.
Sokka seemed to accept her answer and shifted so he was sitting next to her. He leaned against the back of the saddle and placed his arm over her. Eziri leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. Before long, the pair was fast asleep.
–
When they landed late in the afternoon, the entire group dragged themselves off the saddle. They only unloaded the essentials and prepared to settle in for the night. Katara pulled Eziri aside and did another healing session on her wrists. With a bit of water and Katara's skills, Eziri's wrists were practically back to normal. She gave Katara her thanks and curled up in her sleeping bag next to Sokka's. He opened his eyes when she came over and pulled her hand up in front of his face. Her skin barely showed any sign of her wounds.
"Better?" He asked. Eziri nodded and tucked her hand back into her sleeping bag. Sokka smiled slightly and pulled her sleeping bag up against his own. They were out cold with the rest of the group in minutes.
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A/N: Does anyone have any Spotify playlist recommendations? I'm looking for upbeat instrumentals without any lyrics. I have one playlist but I've listened to it so many times that I'm sick of the songs. Any suggestions are appreciated :)
Anyways, thanks for reading!