The Fire Nation's Auxiliary Divisions, more commonly referred to as the Colonial Army, were created by crown prince Lu Ten in the later period of the war, and were his legacy. They comprised of five divisions: the 11th, 21st, 31st, 41st, and 52nd. Controversy and scandal surrounded the army, but the main topic of all slander was the nature of the forces: the use of Earth Kingdom citizens within the empire in addition to Fire Nation citizens from the colony.
Why, and more importantly how, Lu Ten was given permission to form such an army remains a mystery to many.
Many generals, including the crown prince's own father, the Dragon of the West, were initially skeptical about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of the army. However when reports of the Earth soldiers had proved effective in combat, and followed Lu Ten's orders without question those doubts were silenced. Their hardy attitude kept them in the fight longer than other soldiers, and their bending saved many lives. Many traditionalists declared to Fire Lord Azulon that it would only be a matter of time before they betrayed the Fire Nation, but the Fire Lord was so satisfied with the results his favored grandson had produced that he was willing to turn a blind eye.
After the failed siege of Ba Sing Se and the crowning of Fire Lord Ozai however, they fell into disfavor, and were even accused of betraying Lu Ten during the siege. They were stripped of their honor, and many of its soldiers were either executed or sent to labor camps. The soldiers and officers who were spared the punishment of the new Fire Lord banded together to form a single division, and were used as fodder in numerous campaigns in an attempt to wipe them out from existence. Ironically, it only bolstered their fame since the most talented officers of the divisions were among the survivors of the purges, and produced stunning and brilliant victories with the severe lack of resources at their disposal. These victories, coupled with their previous achievements, made the Auxiliary Divisions the most famous army ever produced during the war, respected by both their enemies and allies.
Ultimately, however, the once illustrious army was annihilated at the Battle of the Uragiri Plains three years after Ba Sing Se. At least, that's what the official records say.
...
Outside the tavern, were twenty dragoons riding mongoose-dragons. When Zhao realized that the person mentioned in the scroll from the vice-admiral was June, the famed tracker of the Fire Nation's 21st Auxiliary Division, he knew he needed to have mounted aid. So Zhao ordered Shinu to give him use of a squad Fire Nation Dragoons, the elite cavalry unit that rivaled the Rough Rhinos.
Unlike the Rough Rhinos, the dragoons were light cavalry that emphasized speed more than power, and unlike the Rough Rhinos, the dragoons were also skilled in infantry tactics giving them the flexibility that the Rhinos lacked. In addition to serving as escorts for supply lines and shock cavalry forces in battles, the balance of infantry and cavalry tactics made the dragoons ideal for special ops missions. A small party of dragoons could easily slip deep behind enemy lines and cause mayhem where the Earth Kingdom least expected it, and get back to Fire Nation territory before the Earth Kingdom knew what was happening and react.
The dragoons were told by Zhao that they were to aid in a top secret mission that required their absolute silence, indicating the sensitivity of the mission. They followed Zhao to a tavern and they waited outside sitting on their mounts, waiting for the Admiral to return. They had been told they would be looking for the Avatar with him, and that they would be aided by a tracker. Shortly after Zhao entered the tavern, there was some squabbling and a burst of flame went through the window. Some of the dragoons looked at one another before the tavern door opened and Zhao came out with the woman in tow. June was struggling somewhat, but that stopped when the dragoons assembled in formation.
"If you're going to kill me, then do it now," she snarled at Zhao.
"Now, now June, like I said I have a business proposal, and you're the one I need for the job."
"Excuse me?" she asked, keeping her emotions under control. June did not know how to feel; afraid for her life, or confused by Zhao's sudden proposal of business.
"You're a bounty hunter now," said Zhao, "If that's the case, then you should have no problem serving the Fire Nation military."
The woman snorted.
"I would, but the thing is, you people tend to double cross those serving you," said June.
"I am ignoring the fact that you are alive, but if you refuse to cooperate then I may just suddenly remember," said Zhao brushing away June's rebuttal, "Are you interested, or not?"
June eyed Zhao warily. She knew he couldn't be trusted, but her secret was out.
Her last job was to track down a defector from the Earth Kingdom who knew very sensitive information regarding a province in the west. Apparently, the man gave the Fire Navy and Army weak points in the province's borders for infiltration. The plan however was prevented by Water Tribe warriors and the Earth Kingdom army stationed in the province, and an investigation was launched. Before the man could be discovered, he fled.
June had tracked the man as requested by the Earth Kingdom, and discovered he was on a Fire Nation supply ship. She cursed at the turn of events, but decided to get him anyway. After all, she was hired for a job, and she had to complete it. It would have been bad business to turn away, but more importantly it may have alerted the Earth Kingdom to her previous allegiances, giving her no place to hide safely.
Then again, serving the Fire Nation again was just as much a death sentence. Her existence contradicted all official reports, and now that the Fire Nation knew she was alive, she would be killed sooner or later.
After some thought, she decided to go with later. Later gave her time; time to plan a reasonable getaway for when Zhao would no longer have a use for her.
"Fine, I'll do it," said June, "But if it's something so big that the Admiral of the Navy is asking me to do it, my payment will be one of my choosing."
"Very well," said Zhao.
June was not fooled into thinking that Zhao would hold up his end of the bargain. After all, he was a traditionalist who despised the idea of the Auxiliary Divisions. She would rather trust her life with the Earth Kingdom's lowest scum rather than Zhao. However, in keeping with her plan, June controlled herself, and gave a nonchalant sigh to indicate her ignorant compliance.
"Who am I looking for?" she asked.
Zhao held up a blue necklace. When he read in the report that June was alive, he stopped the soldier holding the necklace, and got it from him, knowing that necklace was the key to finding the Avatar.
"What happened? Looking for an old flame?" she asked rudely.
"It's not the girl I'm interested in; it's the little bald boy she's traveling with," said Zhao.
"Little bald boy? That's disgusting even for you," she snickered.
Zhao started to see red, but stopped when June whistled to the forest. A rumbling came from the woods, and before long, a large animal with razor sharp teeth and nine-inch claws quickly and violently emerged. It was the even more aggressive cousin of the badgermole, the shirshrew. It appeared blind in terms of eyesight, but it seemed to move around the area with ease using its nose. The area reeked of Fire Nation soldiers and the creature let out a ferocious snarl before hissing and letting its barbed tongue hang out as a threat. The dragoons backed away as the creature did so, ready to fire if they had to, until June calmed the creature down.
"It's ok Nyla. It'll be alright," she cooed to the ferocious animal.
The shirshrew calmed down somewhat, and June grabbed the necklace from Zhao. She let Nyla get a whiff, and the creature began to sift through the scents all around her. When Nyla got the smell, June hopped on and turned to Zhao and the dragoons.
"Try not to slow me down!" she yelled before taking off.
Zhao and his soldiers promptly followed, and the search was on.
xXxXx
"Ah... Zuko, glad you could join us," said Bato, stifling his laughter.
Sokka and Katara both turned to Bato.
"You know him?" the said to him as they pointed to Zuko.
"Of course," said Bato casually, "And before you ask, yes I know he's from the Fire Nation, and a firebender."
Sokka and Katara were now more confused than ever. Bato knew who and what Zuko was, but he still let him stay.
"You see, Zuko here saved my life," began Bato, getting everyone's attention.
He explained to them the events that transpired during and after the battle. Bato noted how Zuko fought against his own people to save him, how he had acted honorably in the custody of Hakoda, and how he had once again saved the life of one of the tribesmen despite the bad treatment he got from him.
"He did all that?" asked Sokka stunned.
"Yes, and Zuko earned the trust of Hakoda and rest of the men. He even gave him something as proof. Show them Zuko," said Bato.
Zuko rubbed the back of his head, and pulled out the pendant Hakoda gave him from his pocket. He presented it to group, but Sokka and Aang had no idea what it was.
"A tooth?" asked Sokka.
"Not a tooth," snapped Katara, "That's a polar lion-bear fang. Gran Gran told me all about them when we were growing up."
"When?" demanded Sokka, sounding like it was the first time he had ever heard of the thing.
"Maybe if you listened to the old stories instead of playing warrior all the time, you would know what it means. It's something that is given by the chief to a person with the approval of ten or more warriors. It declares the bearer a friend of the water tribes for as long as he lives or if he does something to betray that trust. Honestly Sokka, if you really want to be chief in the future you need to know this stuff."
"So, did dad really give that to him Bato?" asked Sokka.
"Of course," replied Bato, "It was a unanimous vote."
"Wow that's amazing," said Aang.
"It was an honor," said Zuko quietly before clearing his throat, "Well then, seeing as how this is sort of a reunion for you Bato, I'll leave you to catch up."
"Nonsense, you must be starving after all the training you must have been doing," said Bato as Zuko was about to leave.
"Oh, I'm really not that-" his stomach growled in protest, "...hungry."
"You were saying?" said Bato, "Come now its sea prunes."
Zuko sighed somewhat, "Haven't you ever heard that too much of a good thing is bad?"
Bato laughed, "There's no such thing as too much sea prunes!"
Zuko walked over to the group and sat right between Bato and the gang, and got a helping of the Water Tribe dish. The meal was eaten in an awkward silence for the most part. Bato would occasionally try to have a conversation with Sokka and Katara, but the two siblings gave shorter answers or statements and were not as enthused as they had been moments earlier. When the meal was done, everyone but Zuko went to sleep.
Zuko opted to go outside for some air; being in a room with Aang and his friends made him incredibly nervous, and uneasy. After walking a lap around the courtyard to loosen himself up, he leaned against the courtyard wall and stared at the ground.
'Should I leave soon?' he asked himself.
The dinner had been tense, which meant that Aang and his friends must have still felt a little uneasy about his presence. Well maybe not Aang, but Katara and Sokka, definitely.
Bato was feeling much better so he could leave if he really wanted to. Bato wouldn't mind, he had told him he could leave anytime he wished. But then a part of him still felt guilty about leaving Bato before he got Hakoda's message, so maybe he should stay and...
"Ahem."
Zuko shot up, and looked to see who was speaking to him.
It was Bato.
"Oh, um what are you doing up?" asked Zuko after calming down.
"I noticed you didn't go to sleep," he replied before leaning against the wall with Zuko, "Then again, considering how interesting dinner was, I guess you couldn't really sleep."
"They still hate me," said Zuko.
"Who, Sokka and Katara?" asked Bato earning a sigh from the firebender, "Well you shouldn't be too surprised. After all they grew up with stories of evil Fire Nation sailors raiding Water Tribe villages. In fact our village was also raided."
"I see," said Zuko.
Bato looked at the younger man. He knew Zuko knew what had happened, what kinds of things a soldier could do during a war.
"Have you ever... raided a village?" asked Bato.
"No..." answered Zuko, "My general had standards, saying that we were professional soldiers not bandits."
Bato raised an eyebrow.
"That's unheard of these days, I know. A Fire Nation general with honor, but there were a few in the past. Well mine was one of the last. Now there's only one left, and he's 'retired..." said Zuko, "Do you think they'll ever stop hating me?
Bato was surprised by the sudden change of subject, but indulged Zuko. He remembered from the story of his encounters with Aang, Sokka, and Katara that of all the people that were suspicious of him, the two siblings were the most leery of him. He thought for a bit before he gave the young man an answer.
"Hate is a pretty strong word; I'd rather go with wary," said Bato, "And to answer your question, you managed to get Hakoda to trust you. That's a pretty big step for someone from the Fire Nation. I'm sure sooner, or later, Sokka and Katara will come around."
Zuko smiled a bit, and Bato gave him a nudge.
"Come on, let's get some sleep. Who knows, tomorrow may be the day I get the word from Hakoda," said Bato before heading in.
Zuko followed the older warrior after taking a deep breath. He too had feelings about tomorrow, and they had unsettled him.
xXxXx
June was riding Nyla very quickly through the woods. Zhao was following not too far with the cavalry force from colonel Shinu's fortress. They had recently passed through a temple complex, and then a healer's hut. The kid Zhao was looking for wasn't there, but Nyla was getting anxious. June knew she was closing in, and possibly, running out of time.
xXxXx
Aang was feeding Appa early in the morning, when the note and map from Katara and Sokka's father fell out of his sleeve. He was about to get it when the Superior got it first.
"You should be ashamed of yourself..."
Aang shifted nervously.
"Littering in the courtyard is strictly forbidden."
Aang's eyes widened a bit, and apologized before he slipped the paper back in his robes, and sighed before feeding Appa again.
"That was too close?" mumbled Aang in relief.
"What was?"
Aang jumped, whirled around and got into a stance. It was Zuko, with a look of surprise on his face.
"Zuko... what-how long were you there?" he said in a nervous voice.
"Uh... not long," was his reply, "Anyway, I overhead Sokka complaining how he can't eat without you so..."
"Oh ok," said Aang before walking quickly away.
"Aang... are you ok?" asked Zuko.
Aang froze in mid-step before facing the firebender, "OfcourseI'mfine! Whywouldn'tIbefine! IhearSokkacallinggottago!"
Zuko saw Aang zip away as he registered what the boy just said.
"O-kay... that kid is definitely weird."
Zuko walked back to courtyard when he noticed Katara looking at the abbey really strangely.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Katara faced him, surprised that he was standing behind her.
"Zuko! D-Don't scare me like that," she asked.
"Sorry," was Zuko's reply, "Anyway, why are you out here, I figured you would be inside with your brother eating."
"I was looking for Aang to tell him that breakfast is ready," Katara took a deep breath, "And also... there's something I wanted to tell you..."
"...Oh."
Katara looked away from him with an expression bordering conflict and relief. She began to twiddle her fingers, and took a deep breath before facing him again.
"I... I wanted to say thank you for saving Bato," she said to him, "He means a lot to me and Sokka. He's like an uncle to us."
"An uncle... I see," said Zuko sadly.
"...Do you have an uncle?" she asked, sensing the feelings Zuko felt to the word.
"I do, but he probably thinks I'm dead," he replied evenly.
"Oh... I'm sorry," she said sincerely
"Don't be, Katara, it's probably for the best," he said in a depressed voice.
Katara's eye bulged at the statement.
"How is thinking you're dead for the best?" she demanded in a shocked voice.
"I already told you guys, I'm a traitor to the Fire Nation. I couldn't go back home even if I wanted to. And on top of that, if I sent a message to him it could get intercepted or he would want to meet me. That could endanger both of us... it's complicated to fully explain," he answered before dismissing the whole conversation, "Come on, we should get going. I'm starting to get hungry."
Katara looked at the boy sadly. She couldn't imagine not being able to go home to the South Pole and see her family, but for Zuko that situation was a reality.
'He must feel so alone,' she thought.
She remembered Zuko trying to explain his position in the Fire Nation when he first revealed himself to be Fire Nation. At the time, she didn't believe it, but now however, she wasn't so sure in her initial thoughts. After all, her father trusted him enough to give one of the Water Tribe's greatest gifts to a foreigner to him, a person who happened to be from the nation they were at war with, and Hakoda was renowned for his excellent judge of character. Not to mention, he and Bato seemed to be very good friends. There was so much she didn't know about the boy, but something about him made the men of her tribe trust him. Maybe Bato would be able to shed some light when Zuko wasn't around.
"Katara?"
She snapped out of her quietness, and saw Zuko standing in front of her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, we should go," said Katara, "Zuko..." he faced her, "I really am sorry about your uncle and all."
Zuko looked away, "Thank you... and Katara, about Bato..." she looked at him, "You're welcome."
Katara stared at Zuko as he walked past her to the abbey. She noticed the way he walked, how a bit more at ease it was than before, and wondered if she had made him feel relieved. The more she thought about the idea that she had somehow relieved him the more it felt good to her, and she smiled. She followed Zuko back to the abbey where everyone was sitting patiently.
When they sat down, the four started to dig in. Bato and Sokka were eating sea prunes, but Bato seemed to have caught on to Aang's dislike of sea prunes and asked the nuns to prepare something for the child. Katara sat down and got some of the prunes, and Zuko did the same. Midway through breakfast, Bato cleared his throat to get the attention of the four.
"So Zuko, what will you be doing today?" asked Bato.
Everyone looked him, and he swallowed his food.
"Training away from the abbey," said Zuko, "I found a rock quarry the other day, and thought I'd train there to see how powerful my bending is."
"Well, that's good," said Bato, "I think I'll take everyone to beach."
"Th-The beach?" asked Aang.
"What's the matter, scared of water?" teased Sokka.
"No, I'm not scared of anything," replied Aang somewhat quickly.
Zuko raised an eyebrow to Aang's quick answer, but paid it no mind as he and the other's finished their breakfast. After the meal, Bato and the others headed down to the beach, while Zuko went northward to the rock quarry to train. Both parties agreed to meet back at around noon for lunch.
While going down the road, Katara remembered her curiosity, and cleared her throat.
"Bato?" she began, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," answered Bato, "What would you like to know?"
"About Zuko..." she trailed off when she saw Sokka and Aang's reactions, "...I'd like to know a little bit more about him."
Bato stopped walking, and the kids did so in kind.
"I'm afraid I can't help there," said Bato, "I don't really know much about the lad."
Katara gawked at Bato, but Aang spoke up first.
"How come, I mean you two are friends right?" he asked. Aang too wanted to know more about Zuko.
Aang still felt drawn to the firebender because of the vision he had after his rescue.
"We are friends, but he never talks about his past, or his family. The most we talk about is our experiences fighting in the war," explained Bato.
"He fought in the war?" Sokka piped up, "How old was he?"
"From what I heard, he was thirteen when he fought his first major battle," said Bato. The man noticed Sokka about to say something along the lines of 'No Fair' and simply put a hand on his shoulder, "You are quite lucky to have been spared the experience of war Sokka."
"Huh?"
Bato sighed, "He may not look it, but the war... it's left a mark on him. I asked him once if the war in the Earth Kingdom was as bad as we heard it was from our allies. All Zuko would say was that he had seen horrors that I could not imagine, and he fought fewer battles than me."
The three kids were staring at Bato, who soon sensed the stares and coughed to get their attention.
"Well now, come on. We're losing daylight," he said before continuing onward to the beach followed shortly by the gang.
xXxXx
June realized that she and her "employers" were heading to the coast of the same western province that the defector was collaborating with the Fire Nation to capture. Their last checkpoint had been a village near a volcano, and it turned out that whoever had the necklace spent quite a bit of time in the fortune teller's house.
However, something was troubling her that she could not figure out.
Just before they left the village to follow the trail of the scent, the fortune teller had mentioned that she would be repaid in full later in the day.
It sounded like a good omen, which was strange for June to think since she never believed in omens. However, considering how the day was turning out the idea of a good omen was welcome.
xXxXx
It was close to noon when Zuko got back to the abbey from the training quarry. He was pleased that his bending was coming back to him, but fatigue from the training and the set deadline brought him back to the abbey. When he entered the door, he noticed Aang looking depressed and lonely. Zuko wondered what happened, and when he saw Bato, he decided to sate his curiosity.
"Hey, did something happen with Aang?" he asked the Water Tribe warrior.
Bato sighed, "Something like that."
Zuko raised an eye brow to what Bato said, and Bato took a deep breath.
"Hakoda... the messenger for the rendezvous came last night, and Aang got the message," elaborated the Water Tribe warrior.
Zuko's good eye widened in surprise, "So, he knew where it was and never said a word?" Bato nodded in a reply, "I see... well, that can't be good. How are Sokka and Katara handling it?"
Bato sighed yet again, "We leave for Hakoda's in the afternoon."
Bato heard nothing for a moment, but then the sound of fast-moving footsteps sounded off. He looked up to see Zuko marching quickly to the abbey.
In the abbey Sokka was angrily putting his supplies together, and Katara was doing the same but with a mixture of pain and sadness. They both were just about to finish when the door flew open.
"So that's it? You're just going to leave him?"
They looked up to see Zuko with a mix of shock, and anger on his face.
"Stay out of this, it doesn't concern you!" shouted Sokka angrily.
"You can't just leave Aang out to dry like that," Zuko snapped.
"And what about us?" demanded Sokka, "Ever since we left the South Pole we got to do whatever Aang wanted, and now that something we may have wanted came up, we suddenly can't? I don't know about you Zuko but that's unfair!"
Zuko let the words sink in, and let Sokka catch his breath as well. Sokka had a very valid point, but abandoning Aang seemed a little extreme.
"Look," began Zuko calmly after taking a deep breathe, "What Aang did was horrible, and well... bad. But there's no way he can do this on his own, he needs help."
"NO!" snapped Sokka, "What he needs is to stop being a little kid and grow up."
Zuko looked to Katara, who had a melancholy expression on her face.
"Katara, you agree with me don't you?" he asked her.
She was quiet before she faced him, "...Sokka's right, this doesn't concern you."
Zuko was quiet for a bit trying to think of something to let them at least think about reconsidering, but knew they were adamant in their decision. There would be no convincing them otherwise.
"Fine, do whatever you want, I won't stop you," said Zuko after giving a defeated sight.
Sokka continued packing, but Katara just stared at the young firebender's retreating form before returning to her own packing.
Outside, Aang was looking sadly at the ground when he heard someone stand next to him, and lean against the wall.
"So... you want to talk?" asked Zuko.
"No, I don't," muttered Aang. There was a silence until Aang spoke up again, "Aren't you going to say what an idiot I am?"
"Considering how you're moping around like that, I guess Sokka already took care of that for me. Not to mention you're probably putting yourself through a big guilt trip anyway, so there's no real need for me to add to it," said Zuko.
Aang's head fell down more, and Zuko looked away.
"Believe it or not, I understand why you did it," said Zuko.
"What?" gawked Aang.
"I lost everything, and was forced into the army. I felt hopeless, and alone, and scared. But my new comrades got me through it and I gained more than I could have ever imagined. I swore I would never lose what I had gained, and I did everything in my power to make sure that I didn't, even if it meant killing," said Zuko.
"Did it work?" asked Aang.
Zuko didn't answer.
"Look, what I'm trying to say is that you're not the first person who's done bad things to hold onto people who are important to them. What matters is that you take responsibility for what happened and move forward," Zuko pushed himself off the wall, and began to walk but stopped just a few steps away from Aang, "So, where were you heading before all this happened?"
"The North Pole," said Aang absently.
Zuko was quiet for a bit before sighing, "So... do we leave in the afternoon?"
Aang shot his head up in the direction of Zuko, who was rubbing the back of his head.
"Look, you can't do this alone, and I know a lot of safe routes to the Earth Kingdom's northern coast," he added when he saw Aang looking at him with surprise.
"You'd travel with me, for real?" asked Aang.
"Well... without Sokka and Katara, someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble," said Zuko.
"Oh, right," said Aang sadly.
Zuko palmed his forehead for sounding a little insensitive, "Look Aang, it may not seem like it, but they'll forgive you eventually."
"What if they don't?" asked Aang in a worried voice.
"They will, don't worry, Sokka and Katara aren't the type to hate someone like you forever. In fact, they probably will the next time you meet them," reassured Zuko, "Now come on, we better get ready for later when we leave."
Aang was quiet for a bit before he nodded, and followed Zuko to another part of the abbey to gather their things.
...
Later on, the three people of the Water Tribe were all packed Bato said farewell to Zuko, and Zuko did the same. Sokka just nodded to the firebender, and Zuko did so in kind. Both were still upset over the actions of Aang, and the other's reaction to it. Katara bid Aang good luck before facing Zuko.
"Look after him, please," she requested.
"...I will," he sighed, as she walked away he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, "Katara... he didn't mean to hurt you or Sokka; just wanted to let you know. Tell your dad I said hi."
Katara nodded. The three members of the Water Tribe gave a look of farewell before they finally left. Zuko told Aang to go on ahead to the beach while he made sure they didn't leave anything. As he went back to the abbey he could have sworn he heard Aang tell his lemur that he was an idiot.
Zuko went to all the rooms that he had stayed both as Hakoda's prisoner, and later as the abbey's guest to see if he didn't forget anything. He had everything including the fang pendant that Hakoda gave him. He chose to tie it to the pommel of one of his swords so he could easily show it just in case he ran into other Water Tribe warriors.
As he went to the courtyard, the superior walked up to him.
"Here, if you are going northward, you will need this," she said giving him a pair of thick coats and a sack of sweet potatoes, "The coats should keep you warm, and the potatoes should keep in the cold weather."
"Thank you," said Zuko with appreciation.
Zuko gave the woman a farewell bow before walking down to the door to the courtyard. However, before it could be opened, there was a loud crash followed by a monstrous roar. Zuko instantly crouched down and creaked the door open very slightly, and saw someone he never thought he would ever see again.
"June?" he whispered.
He saw June riding Nyla and saw how the shirshrew was sniffing vehemently. It was then that he saw Zhao follow the two of them inside.
"What's the holdup?" the admiral demanded.
"The one who owns the necklace has been here recently... very recently... my guess is that they're close," said June.
'Why is she serving them?' he thought, knowing that if June was helping the Fire Nation track Aang, then there was no where to hide. Suddenly, a new thought hit him, 'Wait, what necklace?'
It was obvious that if anyone in Aang's group had a necklace, it would be Katara. He didn't recall ever seeing a necklace on her at all though. Could she have dropped it? That would make sense; regardless as long as Zhao had this necklace and June the admiral would always be able to track down Aang or his friends. When he faced back to where June and Zhao were, he noticed they had already left and he suddenly became afraid. If they were tracking Aang down using a necklace that belonged to Katara, then she, Sokka, and Bato were in danger. He quickly turned to the superior.
"Take whatever you can carry, it's not safe here anymore, not with Zhao prowling around," he informed them.
The superior understood what Zuko was saying. She had seen her share of the war, and called for Haixiu and ordered the girl to inform the other nuns to evacuate.
"How will you escape?" asked Zuko curiously.
"This abbey has an underground route used in emergencies. In the ancient days, the abbey was used to relieve the garrison in the north during sieges, and to provide escape for those on either side of the passage. It's easy to seal off, so we are not too concerned with a pursuit. We will be fine," she reassured.
Zuko nodded, and bowed solemnly, "Thank you for your hospitality."
"You are most welcome," replied the elderly woman, "Look after the Avatar. He is the one hope we have in ending this war."
"I will," said Zuko and he dashed out the abbey with his pack and swords to the beaches knowing that Appa was the best chance they had of getting to Katara and the others before Zhao did.
When he got to the shore, he saw Aang tightening Appa's saddle, and he stopped right in front of the giant bison.
"Aang, we're in trouble," he said while catching his breath.
"I know, I messed things up big time," said Aang.
Zuko shook his head, "No, it's not that. It's Zhao, he's here with a tracker."
"Zhao's here?" he asked worriedly.
"He's using a shirshrew and a necklace... did Katara have a necklace?" he asked.
"Her mom's necklace? ... Katara's in trouble! Yip-Yip!" Aang frantically snapped the reigns and ignored Zuko.
"Hey!" he shouted, "Rgh... he could have at least waited for me to get on the saddle before going off like that."
And with that, Zuko followed Aang back as quickly as he could.
xXxXx
Katara was rushing back to the abbey with Sokka to try and catch up with Aang and Zuko. Hopefully, the two were still around that they could rejoin them both.
After Bato explained that the wolf howled due to the pain of separation from its pack, Sokka had understood why Aang did what he did. He and Katara decided to meet with their father later. Right now, they had a friend who needed help, and they weren't going to let him down. Yes Zuko was with him, but that didn't matter. They weren't going to leave Aang the way they did.
Suddenly, the siblings found themselves surrounded by mongoose dragon riders, Zhao, and woman on a big hairy animal.
"Well, is this that who you're looking for?" asked the woman pointing to Sokka.
"Of course not, don't you know what the Avatar looks like?" snapped Zhao before facing the two siblings, "Where is the boy?"
"I don't know, we separated," said Sokka.
"Do you take me for an idiot," Zhao growled.
"Pretty much," said Sokka before grabbing his sister, "Run!"
Before they could get far, June had Nyla paralyze them, and the two siblings collapsed into a prone position. Zhao was furious over the turn of events. He was sure he could get the avatar, but the boy eluded him again. He looked at the two Water Tribe siblings with a sick look. He was angry, and was more that willing to take it out on them.
June however, had caught onto Zhao's expression and intervened. She maneuvered Nyla so that the creature could see if there were any other scents on the two siblings. Very quickly the shirshrew began to get twitchy again, meaning a scent had caught its nose.
"Hold on, Nyla's getting another scent," began June.
The note containing Hakoda's rendezvous point rolled out of Sokka's pack. Nyla caught onto the scent, and creature faced the abbey and clawed at the ground.
"Bring those two, they may make effective bargaining chips," she commanded.
Zhao motioned for his men to do as she asked. When Katara and Sokka were on the back of Nyla's saddle, Zhao and his riders mounted up again and rode to the abbey. While they rode, Katara and Sokka were worried. They had basically led Zhao to him, and this time they were in no position to help. Instead of hoping to catch up, all they could hope for was that Aang had already left.
In almost no time at all, they had all returned to the abbey, and this time they found it deserted. The now immobile Katara and Sokka noticed that the nuns were gone, as if they knew that they were in danger. But even more odd was that they were going in circles. The woman's animal was struggling to figure out where the scent was coming from when it looked up. For a brief moment, they saw Aang diving down and blasting a powerful gust of wind that blew everyone back.
Sokka and Katara were lying on their backs when Aang peered over them.
"Are you guys ok?" asked Aang.
"We are now," said Sokka.
"Thanks Aang," said Katara.
Aang began to help them up when a noise caught their attention.
"Ugh..." the three kids turned to see the woman on the strange animal getting up slowly on her feet, "Man that hurt."
Suddenly, June froze, getting the kind of feeling a person gets when they are in danger.
"Thank you lieutenant, but unfortunately your services are no longer required," said Zhao smoothly from behind.
June however dropped into a low stance and drew a dirk from her boot and threw it at the admiral. Using that as a diversion, she lunged for her whip, but the plan didn't work. A ball of fire got in between her and her weapon, and she was forced back. She faced her enemy seeing Zhao and the dragoons assembling behind him.
Aang and the others were simply confused by what was going on. They were wondering why the Fire Nation would suddenly want to attack its own allies. Nyla had gotten swiftly to June's side to defend her.
"Form up!" shouted Zhao and the riders assembled in a neat row, "Now let's make this official. The colonial army dies here... Fire!"
The riders all shot jets of flame. Aang Sokka, and Katara watched as the fire sped toward the down woman with feelings of fear, and anger at what was about to happen.
CLICK! CLOK!
They heard a noise off to the side, and Aang faced it to see a figure leap in front of the flames. The figure drew out a pair of swords which instantly ignited on fire, and dissipated the incoming jets.
Aang finally realized that Zuko had stopped the attack. The firebender stood up straight with his swords held tight.
"Mind if I cut in?"