Book Four: Air - Chapter Six

by *Capt-BA

"Aang, slow down, I don't understand what's going on."

Katara rushed after him as he boarded Jee's ship and headed to the shared sleeping quarters to gather their things. Momo flew around the room, gathering bits of rope and dead bugs and anything else he could get his little hands on, mimicking Aang's packing job.  

"I told you, after you left I ran into Jun and then got caught up in this whole crazy mess."

"With a pirate." It wasn't a question, and Aang didn't have to turn around to know that Katara's arms were crossed in disapproval.

"Yeah, but that's not the point." He spun on his heel to face her. "And he wasn't bad like those other pirates we met. He was different."

"Different how?"

Aang threw up his arms. "I dunno, there was just something about him. Something familiar. Familiar but different. Does that make sense?"

"Not really."

"And then we sort of infiltrated a Fire Navy base."

Katara put a hand to her forehead and pulled it away, emphatically. "I don't know what you were thinking! We could have just written a letter to Zuko and told him what was going on."

"I'm the Avatar, Katara! It's my job to make sure things are right."

"It's also your job to trust that your friends have things under control."

Aang winced. "Unless they don't." He reached into his robes and pulled out the Phoenix King's orders and handed them to her. "We found these."

Katara huffed and started reading, her expression changing from consternation to confusion to surprise, followed quickly by skepticism.

"How do you even know these are real?"

"Ganto took me to see his captain." Aang hurried on when he saw Katara was about to question him again. "She knew stuff! She opened one of Ozai's sealed message boxes with some kind of special key. I think she's been an enemy of the Fire Nation for a long time."

"Well," Katara said, hesitating, "I admit these do look legitimate." She flipped through and stopped. "But if they are… That means everyone's in danger."

"That's what Captain Xuan said! And that's why we have to hurry."

Katara came to the last page and stopped, her tan complexion paling. She looked up and Aang's heart sank. "They're going to kill him…"

Aang pulled in a deep breath and exhaled before giving Katara a confident smile. "They won't."

"You're right they won't!" Katara said, grabbing her pack and loading it with her belongings. "Because we're going to stop them. He may be the most obnoxious guy I know, but he's my brother and I'm not going to let anything happen to him."

Aang swallowed and loosened his collar. "Katara…?" She ignored him and finished her packing, muttering under her breath about what she was going to do to anyone who got in her way. "Katara, we can't."

"Can't what?" Her eyes narrowed.

Aang knew he was on thin ice. He held up his hands to ward off whatever might be coming. "We can't go after Sokka."

Her expression darkened and her lips became a thin line.

"We have to go help Zuko," Aang said, forging on ahead. "We have to stop Ozai or the whole world's going to be in trouble."

Katara looked away and lowered her eyes. "Are you really asking me to make a choice between my brother or the world?"

"We can save him, too," Aang promised.

Katara faced him with clenched fists and resolve in her eyes. "You're right."

"Right after we save Zuko." Aang dashed to the door but Katara hadn't moved. "C'mon, no time to waste!"

"I'm taking Appa."

Aang slid to a stop. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Katara leveled her icy gaze and the room seemed to cool.

"If you are, it's not a very funny joke."

"You go take care of the world," she said, turning away. "I'm going to take care of my brother."

------

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, stylistically speaking."

"Uh huh."

"But you gotta consider the scenario. We're surrounded by mountains and trees; so think muted, earthy tones. The moon will be full so there'll be a lot of shadows. Pure white would stand out too much."

"You're not mixing all of that are you?"

Sokka ignored her and poured more of her black and white face paint together, spilling a bit but seeming not to notice.

"In the Southern Water Tribe we like to combine style with function."

Suki considered it a moment, raising an eyebrow wryly and pointing at his head. "Like your wolf's tail?"

"Exactly! It looks good up or down, you can fight or sleep in it, and… you're teasing me."

She laughed. "Just a little. I mean, you can't expect me to take your criticism of my heritage lying down. Avatar Kyoshi herself created the design."

"And it's very nice. It's just not right for what we're doing."

Suki started triple checking her gear. "I don't like all this 'we' talk."

"Relax." Sokka waved his left hand and accidentally lost his grip on the stick he was using to stir their paint. He grinned nonchalantly and pretended he was finished. "My plan is almost foolproof."

"Almost doesn't cut it." Suki clicked her sword free from its sheath and inspected the blade. It was flawless, but she started cleaning and sharpening it anyway. "They say a dragon viper is about half as difficult to kill as a real dragon and right now you couldn't take on a baby moose lion."

"Hey, I nearly killed the thing once already." Sokka rapped his chest, producing a reassuring clacking noise. "And this time I'll be ready for him."

Suki had lent him her spare breastplate and fitted him with enough padding to take most of the strain off his broken ribs. She'd tightened his bandages and readjusted his water tribe armor so it would both support and protect his other injuries. He'd gained a lot of temporary functionality, but there was only so much they could do.

"Well, what about your leg?"

Sokka grinned and set the face paint aside, reaching for something behind his log seat. "I made this while you were out scouting." He held up a dangling collection of hard leather, buckles, straps and padding crafted from what appeared to be the unfortunate Ostrich-Sokka's saddle and harness and an old boot. His metal shin guard and a pair of smooth sticks held the whole thing together. "I was waiting for you before I tested it out."

Suki could see what he had in mind. "No. Absolutely not."

He started sorting out the mess. "Sorry Suki. I'm going to have to overrule you on this one. I need some kind of mobility for my contingency plans." He tried to hook his foot through the top straps, but neither his leg nor his ribs appreciated the movement. He gritted his teeth and tried two more times before Suki finally intervened.

Sokka didn't want to press his luck so he remained silent while she removed the splits from his heavily bandaged leg and carefully fitted his invention in place.

When she was done she stared at him for a long moment. "Is it too tight? Does it hurt?"

"It feels fine," he assured her. "Better than before, even. Almost comfy."

Suki frowned skeptically. "Well, let's see if you didn't just waste your afternoon on this thing." She got to her feet and dusted off her hands before holding one out for him. It was what he wanted, but Sokka still hesitated before taking her offer.

He sucked in his breath as Suki helped him up, knowing from previous experiences it would be a solid minute before he'd want to breathe or speak again.

"Still hurts to stand?"

He nodded, exhaling slightly through his nose. His "good" leg was trembling and he didn't even want to think about applying pressure to his broken leg, with or without his painstakingly crafted walking brace.

"Do you want to sit back down?"

He shook his head.

"Don't you think you're overdoing things?"

He shook his head again and tentatively took his first breath. The worst of the pain was passing. "See, no problem," he said, not quite able to keep the strain from his voice.

"You're shaking, Sokka..."  

"Give me a minute."

"Can you please just admit that you need to sit this one out? No amount of bracing or padding is going to make up for the fact that you're in no condition to move, let alone fight."

He stared down at the ground and focused on his breathing.

"Don't feel bad about it. Anyone would need more time..."

Suki had more to say on the matter, but Sokka had other things on his mind.

He slowly extended his left leg, letting the toe of his modified boot touch the ground.  He was ready for additional pain, but when nothing happened he tapped his foot against the dirt. Pleased with the lack of excruciating agony, he set his whole foot on the ground. His brace kept his ankle locked in one position and transferred the pressure to the base of his knee, well above the location of the fracture.

"Are you listening to me?"

He grinned and took a step.

------

A pale moon cast her light over a clearing surrounded by trees.

Too bright.

The beast approached with caution, tasting the air. Blood, fear, pain; delicious flavors mixed on the breeze and the beast drew nearer, hoping for more.  

The beast flicked out its tongue, tasting the raw wound in its mouth. There was another flavor, another scent, and that scent lured the beast into the open. It wanted revenge.

------

Suki waited, still and silent as a shadow.

At Sokka's insistence, she'd traded her usual Kyoshi garb and face paint for grey and black stealth gear and Sokka's own face painting design. He'd selected dark colors to match their surroundings, and Suki could imagine how intimidating a group of face painted Water Tribe warriors would look no matter what their environment.

She glanced back at Sokka who somehow managed to look fearsome in his dark clothes, armor and war paint, even with his injuries and the tendril of drool dangling from his lips. He'd fallen asleep with his back against one of the trees they were using for cover and she didn't have the heart to wake him. He'd insisted on keeping watch with her, but as long as he didn't start snoring she was more than happy to let him rest.

Odds were good that the dragon viper wouldn't show. The beast was supposed to be intelligent.

Suki caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned back to the clearing, holding her breath. Apparently rumors of intelligence were exaggerated, or perhaps the scent trail they'd laid had been as effective as Sokka claimed it would be. The dragon viper moved into view with silent precision, stopping every few steps to taste the air.

It was the best look Suki had gotten of the monster and she couldn't help but admire its smooth lines and dark rippling scales. It was no dragon, but she could still appreciate the dangerous beauty of the beast.

Suki placed a gloved finger on Sokka's lips, ignoring the drool. He jerked awake, hitting the back of his head on the tree trunk with a dull thud. He managed to suffer in silence, blinking away pain and confusion as Suki nodded toward the clearing and the silent stalking predator.

He set his jaw in determination and fingered Boomerang's sheath at his side but Suki shook her head in warning. They still hadn't agreed on exactly how involved Sokka was going to be in the fight, but if everything went according to plan, neither of them would be in much danger.

The beast drew closer to the center of the field and Suki tensed in anticipation. The wind whispered through the trees and the silk cords on the side of her armored headband danced in the breeze. The beast stopped and lifted its blunt snout, flicking its tongue in the air.

Sokka's urgent tug on her sleeve was the first indication that something had gone wrong. When the dragon viper snapped its head in their exact direction and let loose a terrifying hiss, Suki didn't need to hear his panicked explanation.

"The wind!"  

It had changed. Suki wasn't much of a hunter, but Sokka had taught her that staying downwind was the key to a successful hunt.

"Plan B, Suki!" Sokka struggled to rise, unable to get to his feet even with the tree for leverage. He grabbed her wrist, hoping for assistance, expecting to fight at her side.

The beast charged toward them and Suki made up her mind.

"I'm sorry, Sokka."

She grabbed him by his chest plate and hauled him to his feet, thrusting his crutch into his hand before jabbing two fingers into the inside of his left thigh. He grunted and buckled as his braced leg went completely numb, but she tucked the crutch under his arm to keep him on his feet.

His expressive face flicked from confusion to disbelief and quickly settled on anger as he realized she'd taken him out of the fight. She knew she'd have to make it up to him later, but if they both survived, a grumpy boyfriend was a small price to pay.

"Get to the ostrich horses and get out of here! I'll buy you time."

He stared at her with an unfathomable expression that Suki had no time to decipher. The beast was almost to their hiding spot.

"Go!!"

He opened his mouth to protest but she took his shoulder, turned him, and gave him a quick shove in the right direction. She didn't have time to make sure he stayed on his feet or kept going. From what she knew of dragon vipers, the beast preferred to prey on the weak and injured, a fact that she had repeatedly tried to bring up to Sokka during their planning but one that he had summarily ignored.

It was best if the beast never saw him at all.

Suki reached the edge of the forest in three quick leaping strides, jumped, and pulled herself into the nearest tree, unhampered by the familiar weight of her armor and weapons.

The beast didn't see her coming as she dropped down on top of it, sword drawn. Her blade sank deep into the viper dragon's shoulder. It roared in pain and lost its footing, slipping and slamming into the foliage.

Suki jumped free as the beast lashed out, splintering trees with its tail and claws, attacking everything in its reach in an attempt to defeat its unknown assailant. She landed in a crouch and stayed low to the ground, trying to blend in with the rocky terrain.

The dragon viper stopped its furious assault and whipped its head back and forth, searching for her. She remained motionless and the predator's limited eyesight passed over her. It spun, flicking its forked tongue in and out, tasting for her scent.

Sokka had planned for that as well. He'd made her rub different scent-masking natural odors over her body. Some of it had been less than pleasant, but as long as she moved slowly and stayed downwind, he claimed she would be invisible to the monster.

Suki was used to sneaking up on human opponents, but out-stalking a natural predator was something else entirely. Her muscles tingled as she waited for the right opportunity to make her next move.

The beast gave up and turned toward the forest, its attention drawn to something out of sight and it only took Suki half a heartbeat to narrow down the possibilities. She was on her feet and rushing toward the beast before it had a chance to chase after different prey.

With one precise swipe she severed the tendons in its back leg.

The creature shrieked and fell to the side, the wounds in its left shoulder and left leg robbing it of balance. Suki jumped and flipped back away from the monster as it fell but she was still too close to the long, powerful tail as it whipped in her direction.

She instinctively brought her sword to bear as heavy scales impacted with her chest armor. The blow sent her flying and it was all Suki could do to hit the ground rolling, trying to let the force dissipate naturally to minimize the chance of injury.

Winded, dizzy, and nearly on the other side of the clearing, she got to her feet and realized she'd left her sword buried to the hilt in the beast's tail. But that was a small concern compared to the blazing yellow eyes locked firmly on her position.

Suki drew her war fans and snapped them open, taking her stance.

The dragon viper got to its feet slowly, watching her intently with unblinking reptilian eyes. The beast was three times the size of an ostrich horse and yet it seemed almost afraid of her.

Suki had to laugh.

"You really are pathetic," she taunted, hoping to keep it distracted from Sokka.

It stalked toward her slowly, dragging its hind leg; mouth open in a silent hiss, fangs dripping with venom.

"C'mon then." Suki knew her advantages were gone, but that didn't stop her from formulating a new battle strategy. The beast was wounded and all she needed to do was keep hitting it in key spots.

Eventually it would go down.

The dragon viper stopped a safe distance from her and dug its talons into the rock and soil. Its tail flicked back and forth and the moonlight glinted off the embedded blade. There was another hilt jutting from the top of the beast's head and when it opened its jaws, Suki could just see the tip of Zuko's dagger protruding from the roof of the fang filled mouth.

Her mind drifted and her heart filled with pride. Against all odds, Sokka really had done a remarkable job defending the both of them during their first encounter with the beast.

As though sensing her thoughts, the dragon viper flicked out its long tongue, touching the hilt of the dagger. Its gaze shifted to the forest and there was something in the harsh reptilian expression that made Suki's heart skip a beat.

It was looking for Sokka. And if it found him...

"NO!" Suki took a threatening step toward the beast. "You're not going to touch him! Ever. Again!"

The dragon viper hissed and she could see it trying to figure out how to get away from her.

"You'd rather finish a wounded warrior?" she spat. "You may look like a dragon, but you're nothing like them. Dragons had honor!"

There was rage in the beast's eyes as it finally gave her its undivided attention and Suki wondered briefly if it could actually understand her words. The dragon viper spread its jaws and if not for a strange snap-hissing sound, Suki would have had no warning as a stream of fire shot toward her.

Surprised, but not too shocked to react, Suki deflected the blast with her fans. It made sense that the beast would have some kind of firebending ability, since it was part of the dragon family, but somehow they had forgotten to work that possibility into their plans.

Suki opened both of her fans fully, holding one circular shield in front of her body as the beast prepared to shoot more flames.

"I grew up next to a giant waterbending unagi," she taunted again. "You don't scare me."

Suki realized she might have gone too far when the dragon viper unleashed a concentrated stream of liquid flame. Defending against the attack would have been impossible. She dodged instead, flipping and rolling away from the monster but no matter how hard she evaded, the beast's flames kept lapping at her heels.

Rocks melted in flaming pools and the heat grew stifling. Suki backpedaled and the beast pressed the attack, never once letting up the stream of fire. She was running out of ground to retreat to and before she knew it, she was back at the edge of the forest.

The beast had been playing her, forcing her direction, trapping her in.

The dragon viper stopped just long enough to suck in a hissing breath before it let loose more devastation. It missed her on purpose, setting the brush and foliage ablaze.

The flames spread like wildfire. The entire forest would burn and there was nothing Suki could do about it or anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the blaze.

She stood, helplessly surrounded by flame, watching as the dragon viper spread more fiery destruction. The land had nearly been destroyed by Ozai and his firebenders and Suki's mind cried out with the hopeless injustice of it all...

But the whole place could burn to ash as long as Sokka made it to safety.

------

Something flew through the curtain of flame, cutting a curved path in the smoky air before impacting with unerring accuracy, striking the dragon viper on the side of the head before looping back toward the burning forest.

The beast faltered, roaring with pain as a dark shape burst through the fiery wall, intercepting the flying weapon. Dying flames clung hungrily to rider and mount, but Sokka ignored them, snatching Boomerang out of the air with his right hand before spurring Horsie toward the stunned monster's flank.

Piandao's gift was in his left hand and he stabbed down with the spear, skewering and pinning the dragon viper's tail like an overly large but not quite unagi-sized eel. The beast shrieked but before it could retaliate, Sokka got what he was after. He grabbed the hilt of Suki's embedded sword and with one quick twist and a brutal tug he freed her weapon, half-severing the beast's tail in the process and getting caught in the spray of dark blood.

Pinned and in more pain than it knew how to deal with, the dragon viper shot harmless flames into the air as it hissed and roared.

Sokka brought Horsie around with a tug of the reins and it only took a one-legged kick to get the ostrich horse to leap over the burning earth separating him from Suki. He rode toward her, mouth set in a grim line, half-covered in blood and soot and looking every bit like a hero from the childhood tales she'd been brought up on.

He reined Horsie to a stop in front of her and held out the gory katana. He'd removed his splints and didn't seem to register the pain of wrapping his broken fingers around the hilt. Unsure what to say, Suki took her weapon and flicked it through the air to clean it.

"A word of advice," he said, looking serious and intimidating. "Do not accidentally lick any monster juices."

His impressive image shattered as he gagged and spat, smearing his war paint in an attempt to wipe the dragon viper's blood off his face.

"Ugh, I think I just found something worse than buzzard wasp honey..."

Amused and relieved, Suki jumped onto Horsie's back, settling in behind her man. "You can tell me all about it later. For now, let's get out of here."

Sokka spun the ostrich horse, facing back toward the wounded dragon viper.

"Wait. What are you doing?"

"Plan C." Sokka snapped the reins. "Horsie, yip yip!"

"Sokka!" Suki tried to reach around him and take control but he leaned forward in the saddle, blocking her attempt.

"You said so yourself that this thing won't stop hunting us until it's dead. We can end this, Suki. You and me, right now."

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Suki drew closer, locking in tight against him and holding her fan shields protectively at his sides.

The dragon viper was ready for them, waiting with jaws wide.

A crackling snap-hiss warned Suki before a ball of flame came flying toward them. Sliding her foot into Sokka's unused stirrup, she stood and brought both fan shields around and deflected the blast as Sokka swerved to the right.

Some of the flames made it through and Suki and Sokka both slapped at their burning clothes until the fires were out. Now that she was right next to him, she could see that patches of his clothing had already been burned clear through, but there was no time to worry about it.

Sokka rode wide, avoiding another fireball from the stationary beast and snickering inappropriately.

"Y'know what's funny?"

Suki couldn't imagine.

"The whole time we were fighting the Fire Nation, I never got burned. I mean, what are the odds?"

A blast exploded in front of them and Horsie leapt over the flames, terrified but loyal to his riders.

Without warning, Sokka cut hard on the reins, turning them ninety degrees and heading directly for the dragon viper. The beast was halfway through launching another fire blast and it didn't have time to react as they galloped past. Sokka leaned out, grabbing his spear and tearing it from both the ground and the beast's tail as Horsie continued on without slowing.

They were now heading directly toward the center of the clearing with the dragon viper at their back and Suki saw the simple perfection of Plan C.

Enraged, the beast charged after them, quite literally in hot pursuit. Suki twisted and dissipated a stream of flame but Horsie's tail feathers didn't survive the attack.  

"Just a little further," Sokka coaxed.

Another snap-hiss and Suki swept aside another jetting flame.

"C'mon..."

The beast ignored its injured leg and started gaining on them, half running and half slithering over the scorched earth.

"Sokka...!" She let her tone carry the warning.

"Almost there. There!" He pulled on the reins, altering their course slightly and Suki glanced forward, spotting the white rock she'd left as a marker. Horsie's footfalls sounded hollow on the seemingly solid ground and Suki held her breath as Sokka expertly kept the ostrich horse on a straight path.

The eerily familiar feel of hot breath at her back made Suki snap her head around.

They were out of time.

"Sokka!"

She didn't have time to explain what needed to be done, but Sokka knew. With a kick and a hard tug on the reins, Horsie leapt to safety as the dragon viper entered their trap. False ground gave way and the beast fell, cracking through the wooden path they'd laid for themselves.

The sound was sickening.

The screech of scales on sharpened wood ripped through the night, accentuated by the wet crunch of impalement as wooden spears punctured the underbelly of the beast. The monster screamed as blood and flames blossomed from its mouth with a sick gurgle.

It was over.  

Horsie slowed to a stop and Sokka turned him around sluggishly, tension and strength seeping from both the rider and the mount as the danger passed. They watched the dying efforts of the beast as it spewed flame and dark liquid.

Suki dismounted, keeping one steady hand on the side of Sokka's good leg as she stood in silence.  The beast was their enemy, but that didn't change the fact that what they were witnessing was terrible. Suki was no stranger to war and she knew they'd only done what was necessary for survival, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any joy in their victory.

"Y'know," Sokka began, his voice thick and subdued. "I think I'm glad..."

Suki looked up at him and he dropped his gaze to meet hers, swallowing before he continued.

"I mean, about Aang and Ozai. The whole, not killing thing. I'm glad Aang didn't have to."

It was easy for Suki to see the connection Sokka had drawn between the dying monster and the old Fire Lord; everything from the yellow eyes to the firebending to the malicious attitude fit. Maybe they both deserved to die, but death was just so harsh and so final.

She squeezed his leg as the beast gave one last pitiful jerk and settled into stillness.

Sokka nudged Horsie in the side and the shaken mount stumbled forward toward the dead beast. It had been another one of Sokka's brilliant ideas to fill a dried out pool with spears, though Suki had found the location and personally driven each sharpened stick into the ground before covering it.

"We really did it," Sokka said, staring into the pit. He turned back to face her, his smeared war paint and dark blood stains looking eerie in the glow of the burning forest. "We won, Suki."

A half formed apology died on her lips as the sound of snapping wood burst into the air. Sokka spun and neither word nor action could reach him in time.

The mortally wounded dragon viper lunged from the pit, ignoring the bloody shafts riddling its body. Claw and fang descended and Suki's brain refused to process anything beyond the feel of steel in her hand and her legs pumping beneath her.

She launched herself at the head of the dark beast and her katana found the tender scales connecting jaw to neck. She buried her sword to the hilt and reached around for the second weapon, conveniently waiting for her. The beast lifted its head, taking her with it, but they both knew it was a futile effort.

Suki grabbed Zuko's dagger and finished the job Sokka had started.

------

Suki's nightmares and reality were so hard to separate that it took her a long time to realize that she was awake. She lay on the hard ground, muscles aching, bruises and burns twinging.

The morning air was chilly and she curled in on herself. It took her a minute to realize that a certain comforting warmth was missing.

She sat up, feeling groggy and confused. "Sokka?"

He was nowhere in sight.

She got to her feet, staggering once before finding her balance. Her chest ached and she held her hand to her ribs as she walked into the clearing.

Staring at the aftermath of the battle, Suki couldn't help but remember how small and still Sokka had looked, lying crumpled next to his bleeding mount. The dragon viper's claws had shredded his black chest armor and Suki hadn't even expected to get to say goodbye.

She certainly hadn't expected him to sit up and start cursing out the very dead beast.

"Aww, I was gonna surprise you!" he called out, looking up from a campfire with one of his goofy grins. The smell of roasting meat carried on the breeze and Suki glanced from the young injured warrior to the pile of black scales on the ground next to him.

Sokka had run out of sympathy for the dragon viper. He tore another scale from a hunk of the dead monster, looking pleased with himself.

"You hungry?"

"Starved, but seeing how there's no way you went hunting this morning, do I even want to know where you got the meat?"

Sokka gave a guilty smile and Suki's gaze drifted to the furry mound that Sokka was using for a backrest.

"You didn't…" She folded her arms in disapproval.

"Hey, out here it's survival of the fittest."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you put him out of his misery. Poor Horsie."

The furry mound shifted and a pair of glossy black eyes blinked at her. Sokka laughed and rubbed his wounded mount's flank.

"Don't listen to her, buddy. I'd never eat you." He rubbed his chin. "Probably." He put up a hand in surrender. "Ok, I admit, my inner carnivore wonders if ostrich horse tastes anything like possum chicken or artic hen, but I wouldn't eat you unless I had no other option."

Horsie snorted and lowered his head to the ground, ignoring the both of them as they shared in light laughter. Suki went to Sokka's side and sat next to him, facing the fire and the mystery meat.   

"So if it's not ostrich horse…?"

"I'll give you one other guess."

Suki refused to look at the huge carcass on the other side of the burned out clearing. "But you said dragon viper blood tasted disgusting."

Sokka took a skewer of meat from the fire and handed it to her. "Turns out the meat is only mostly terrible. It's edible, that's all I care about." He gave a one armed shrug and absently tugged at the sling around his neck that held his right arm in place.

Suki took a bite and chewed, trying to block the flavor and pretending it was any other kind of meat. "How's your shoulder?"

"The bleeding's stopped." He lifted his open shirt and inspected the wound. "Could use a change of bandages though."

Suki finished her breakfast and pulled their medical supplies from Horsie's saddle bags. After having him sit up, she removed the old bandages and applied healing ointment to the three gashes in his shoulder. When he tensed under her administrations, she pointed to the pile of black scales.

"So what are you doing with those?"

He turned his head and beamed at her. "I'm making you some new armor, to replace the stuff I broke." He gestured with his splinted thumb toward the scraps of the Kyoshi Warrior breastplate. "I've got some great ideas for the design. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off."

"That armor saved your life." She smiled and started wrapping fresh bandages around his newest war wound. "You don't owe me anything."

"You slayed a dragon viper, Suki," he pointed out, sounding proud. "You might as well show off a bit."

"We slayed a dragon viper, you mean."

"I'd rather stay out of the spotlight for a while." He smiled and winced as she tightened the bandages and tied them off. "So what's our next move, anyway?"

The words sounded so strange coming out of Sokka's mouth that Suki couldn't help but tease him. "I thought you were the plan guy?"

"Right now I just want to be the recovering guy. Get me a fluffy bed and some waterbendy healing action." He wiggled what fingers he could and made an amusing sound effect that Suki knew had nothing to do with actual waterbending.

"We will." Suki put her arm around him and he leaned against her, tired and grateful.

It was one thing to tell Sokka that everything was going to be alright, but another entirely to make good on the promise. He'd been though enough that she didn't want to worry him, but with Horsie wounded and her own ostrich horse lost during the fire, their options were slim. She didn't even want to think about how difficult the walk back to camp was going to be on him, let alone a long march back to civilization.

She brushed her hand over his hair. "We'll think of something."

"Well, at least the worst is over."

A wooden shaft thudded to the ground at their feet and they both stared for a moment in disbelief before realizing it was an arrow.

They were under attack.

"The Universe and I have an interesting relationship," Sokka commented as Suki twisted around, peering over the top of the wounded ostrich horse. She'd left her weapons at the edge of the clearing with her armor and she mentally kicked herself for letting her guard down.

"Give up! You're outnumbered!"

Five intimidating men on Fire Nation rhinos were converging on their position while a sixth man, mounted on a mongoose lizard, rode toward the corpse of the dragon viper.

The archer who'd fired the warning shot kept his bow trained on Suki and something told her it probably didn't matter that she was unarmed. She ducked back down.

"How bad is it?" Sokka didn't sound nearly as concerned as he should have.

"Bad. They look like renegade Fire Nation cavalry."

"Renegades?" Sokka grabbed a handful of Horsie's fur and pulled himself up so he could take a look. Suki kept her hand on his side.

"Hey, I recognize these guys. We stopped them from destroying this annoying Earth Kingdom city. They made Aang stand trial for killing their leader in a past life."

"The rhino riders did?" Suki was confused.

"No no, the city. They had this whole anti-Avatar festival." He looked back at her and grinned stupidly. "It was Avatar Kyoshi who did the deed and I had to use my master detective skills to get Aang off the hook. We even visited Kyoshi Island, but you weren't there. And afterwards they stopped boiling their festival food in oil to celebrate how Aang wasn't boiled in oil."

Suki blinked. "I'm sure that all made sense in your own head."

Another warning arrow shot over their heads and Suki pulled Sokka out of harm's way.

"Rough Rhinos! Surround them!" The leader bellowed.

Sokka raised his fingers like he'd just had an epiphany. "Oh yeah, the Rough Rhinos! That's what they called themselves. Great group name."

"Sokka?"

"Yes, Suki?"

She tried to keep the urgency out of her tone. "Shouldn't we be coming up with a plan here?"

"I have a plan," he said with a casual grin and raised his eyebrows. "It's a good one."

The Rough Rhinos rode into view, weapons drawn, and Sokka held up his hands as far as his injuries would allow and smiled innocently.

"We surrender?"

Suki slapped her hand to her forehead and jumped to her feet, but there wasn't much she could do beside step in front of Sokka and try to shield him. The only weapon at hand was Boomerang, and Suki was still a few lessons away from being any good with it.

"What do you want?" She challenged, realizing that she probably didn't look like much of a threat, but being underestimated would work in her favor.

The leader, a big man with a mustache and goatee, rode forward from the perimeter his men had made. "Stand down, little girl."

Suki didn't and Sokka leaned out from behind his protective girlfriend.  "Maybe you guys didn't get the memo? The war is over. You can't just ride around terrorizing people anymore."

"You think we're out here by coincidence?"  The leader asked, looking amused in an intimidating sort of way. "I thought you were supposed to be the brains of your little group, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Hey, you know my name! But I guess we are pretty famous these days," Sokka bragged.

Suki kept her stance fluid, calculating the odds and not liking their chances. "You know us, but we don't know you. That's not exactly fair."

"I'm Colonel Mongke and these are my Rough Rhinos. But I suppose the rank is only honorary now, thanks to your efforts."

"I doubt there was ever much honor in your position," Suki quipped and Sokka made an approving sound.

"Nice one, Suki."

Mongke frowned. "Shoot her."

The archer released his bowstring and an arrow sped for Suki's heart. She snatched the projectile out of the air and snapped it with a flourish, sliding back into her fighting stance smoothly as she prepared for the next attack.

Mongke grinned ruthlessly. "So the rumors of Kyoshi Warrior prowess were true. Interesting."

"Look what they've done!" The sixth man cried out in frustration. "How can you doubt her abilities when you've got this kind of evidence staring you in the face, Mongke?"

Suki hazarded a glance and saw that the man had dismounted next to the body of the beast. He placed his hand on the monster and Suki felt her stomach tighten.

"My poor dragon viper..."

Anger and disgust bubbled through Suki's cool exterior. "Your dragon viper? You sent that monster after us!?" She'd never wanted to kill anyone before but the sudden desire was overwhelming.

Mongke saw the change in her demeanor and laughed. "Watch out Shou, she wants your blood."

The beast's master pulled a dagger and pointed it at her. "The feeling is mutual, I assure you. Do you have any idea how rare dragon vipers are? How difficult they are to capture and train?"

Suki clenched her fists and turned back to Mongke. "You want us dead? We won't go down without a fight."

"Big words from an unarmed girl and a crippled boy. The only reason you're still alive is because I haven't decided what to do with you."

"We have our orders," Shou reminded him.

"Don't confuse your failed mission with the current situation. They could be useful bargaining chips."

Shou shouted back an angry retort but a whisper from Sokka distracted her from the rest of the heated conversation.

"You gotta run, Suki."

"No." The word slipped out between her clenched teeth. The archer was still watching her intently and she didn't want anyone to know they were talking.

"I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"I'm not leaving you," she hissed. "We'll get out of this together."

"Be realistic, Suki," he pleaded. "We'd need a miracle to escape and in case you hadn't noticed, The Universe hasn't exactly been pulling its punches lately."

A shrill cry echoed through the clearing and Suki couldn't help but look up. A familiar red hawk flew above them, circling through the sky, screeching.

"Hawky!?" Sokka sounded as surprised as Suki felt but a building tremor in the ground distracted them from their flying friend.

The Rough Rhinos noticed something was going on. "Spread out!" Mongke ordered and his team moved with well-oiled efficiency, watching the edge of the burned forest for any sign of danger.

The tremor stopped and Mongke scanned the clearing, eyes finally settling on Suki and Sokka.

"Ogodei, Kahchi, take the prisoners!"

A dark muscular man with sideburns and a large bearded man with a halberd rode toward them.

Nobody was expecting the ground to suddenly burst alive, swallowing Suki and Sokka whole.

------

"Hi guys."

The cocky voice was absolutely unmistakable.

"TOPH!!"

They couldn't see a thing in the underground darkness, but that didn't stop Sokka from leaping to his injured feet, tossing off his sling, and throwing himself in her general direction.

The impact sounded painful and Toph snickered. "I knew you were gonna miss."

"How did you find us?" Suki asked in amazement, feeling her way toward them in the dark. "And why? How did you even know to come looking?"

"Trust me, it wasn't that hard to find you two. You can thank Hawky for the rest."

"I love Hawky." Sokka choked up with exaggerated emotion. "And you, Toph!" He found her leg and wrapped his arms around it, nuzzling against her.

"Did you guys find some cactus juice out here, or what?"

"Sorry," Suki apologized. "He's just been having a really rough time lately."

"I can tell." Toph tried to pull her leg out of his grip, laughing. "Cut it out, Scruffy. Your face fuzz is tickling me."

"Can't. Help. It." He accentuated each word with an extra snuggle against her bare leg. "So. Happy."

"I'm happy to see you, too," Toph said in a soft voice and Sokka burst out laughing, letting go of her leg so he could roll onto his back and laugh some more.

"Good one, Toph! You can't even see me!" He laughed until Suki was sure there were tears in his eyes. "Oh man, I've been going through comedy withdrawal out here."

"I'd say it's affected your standards," Toph joked, "but you never really had any to begin with."

"Toph," Suki started, unsure if she wanted to interrupt the happy moment. "What do we do about the rhinos?"

"Relax. They can't get us down here."

The words were scarcely out of Toph's mouth before the ground blasted apart above their heads, half burying them in collapsed earth.

"Ok, new rule." Sokka coughed and spit out a mouthful of dirt, blinking against the sudden glare of the sun. "Nobody say anything that might tempt fate. I don't think I can take much more of this."

Toph grabbed Sokka and Suki's wrists and launched herself up into the air as more explosives ripped apart their hiding hole.

Suki pinwheeled her free arm as they plummeted downward, trusting the small earthbender to her element but still not liking the helpless freefalling sensation. It wasn't until they made a safe landing that Suki realized Toph had brought them down right next to her weapons. She tucked her katana and Zuko's dagger in her belt and grabbed her war fans, snapping them open. The Rough Rhinos held their position, reassessing the situation.

"Have fun, ladies." Sokka limped to the nearest tree and slumped against it.

"What, you're sitting this one out?" Toph sounded surprised and Suki wondered if she'd need to explain how serious Sokka's injuries were to the blind earthbender.

"You two are both one-woman armies. I'm just gonna enjoy the show."

"Then I guess I can just toss this back in the woods where I found it?" Toph unstrapped a long, cloth wrapped object from her back and stabbed it into the earth. With a quick earthbending move, she slid it over to Sokka. The cloth slid away and Suki watched Sokka's eyes widen in astonishment and recognition.

He gently wrapped his fingers around the hilt and pulled the dark blade from the earthen sheath. The black steel glinted as he held it toward the sun and when he lowered the undamaged weapon, everything about him changed.

"Space Sword!" He brandished the blade. "Boomerang!" He pulled the weapon from the sheath at his hip. "Suki! Toph!" He grinned at both of them and they each took a place at his side.

Sokka took a steady step toward their enemies and slid into a fighting stance. "We'll give you guys one chance to surrender!"

"Take them!" Mongke ordered and his men charged without hesitation. Arrows and explosives flew in the trio's direction and Toph brought up an earth shield to protect them from the initial onslaught.

"You two ready for this?" Toph asked with one of her classic grins.

"We took out an entire air fleet together." Sokka returned the grin. "These guys don't stand a chance."

Toph punched both fists forward and their barrier shot out as ripples of earth radiating from their position. The rhinos halted their charge and spread their feet, trying to find purchase on the undulating ground.

Sokka pulled back Boomerang and let it fly. The archer took aim and loosed an arrow, deflecting Sokka's ranged attack and sending the curved weapon spiraling off across the field. Mongke unleashed a blast of fire and the three young friends scattered.

Toph charged ahead, the earth itself propelling her forward, as Suki dove and rolled, skirting the perimeter of the clearing.  While Toph drew their attention, Sokka headed for Boomerang, intent on never letting the weapon out of his sight again.

The armored rider threw explosive after explosive as Toph rushed him, deflecting each bomb with a sliding wall of earth as she came. The warrior with the halberd and the rider with the ball and chain charged Toph from both sides as the explosives expert whirled his mount. He tried to stay clear as Toph went on the offensive, and his komodo rhino dodged and jumped to avoid rocky projectiles and pitfalls.

As the two warriors closed in from her sides, Toph jumped and hit the ground with the earthbending equivalent of a meteor impact. The ground burst around her, but somehow the dark skinned soldier managed to launch his ball and chain. Toph erupted into the air on a pillar of rock and the chain wrapped harmlessly around the stone.

"I am Toph Bei Fong!" she roared, caught up in the moment.

Her ears caught the sound of something whipping through the air a split second before that something hit something else that had been speeding right for her chest. Archers were one thing, she'd learned how to anticipate the path of arrows based off the information her senses could pick up as the archer drew back his bow and released, but a mounted archer was a bit more tricky.

"Oops! Thanks Sokka!"

She heard Boomerang make its way back to the young warrior. "Don't mention it!" He paused. "Actually, you should mention it. A lot!"

Toph's distraction was all Suki needed to get the drop on the tattooed archer. She leapt up in the saddle behind him and locked one arm around his throat with the other, choking him. The man thrashed and released his bow in an attempt to free himself from her grip, but Suki leaned back and squeezed the rhino with her legs to keep herself in place.

Before any of the others could go help their companion, Toph cannonballed to the ground. Raised ridges of rock shot out in an expanding circle and knocked the three riders, rhinos and all, into the air.

Mongke growled and turned from his fallen comrades, honing in on his prey. Sokka saw him coming and let Boomerang fly.

"Rah!" Mongke deflected the bladed projectile with his armored bracers. "You and your friends have caused enough trouble, boy!" He lashed out with a series of fireballs and it was all Sokka could do to avoid them.

He tripped, rolled and skidded, while Mongke kept up the attack.

"I can't tell if you're incredibly skilled or incredibly lucky." The firebender let up in his assault just long enough for Sokka to try and catch his breath.

"Nobody's ever accused me of being lucky before," he panted.

"Sokka!" Suki had finished with the archer and she rushed across the clearing while Toph finished off the other three riders. The sixth rider had slipped away when the fighting started, but Sokka had been keeping his eyes peeled in case he showed up.  

Mongke saw Suki coming and hopped off his rhino, for the first time that Sokka had seen any of the riders dismount. "I'll end this with you!" He was fast, clearing the remaining distance between them in no time. Sokka raised his sword and prepared to defend himself, at least until reinforcements arrived.

He ducked under a blast of fire and sidestepped when Mongke brought his foot down from an overhead kick engulfed in flame.

"Hoping your friends will save you?" Mongke taunted while he pressed the attack. "I heard rumors that you were only the Avatar's strategist. Which explains why you're injured and your girlfriend was unharmed by the dragon viper."

Sokka dodged and stumbled, dropping to his bad knee and stabbing Space Sword into the ground to keep his balance.

"Sokka!" Suki and Toph called his name in unison as they arrived to stop the Rough Rhino leader.

Mongke turned to face the enraged young women, but Sokka pushed himself back to his feet. "Wait!"

Toph and Suki lowered their arms, uncertainly, while Mongke reappraised the wounded warrior. Sokka leaned into his sword and clutched his ribs with his left hand while he tried to steady his breathing.

"The fight's over, Colonel. Surrender and I promise you and your men will be treated fairly."

Mongke slid into a deeper fighting stance to take them all in, his muscles bunched and bulging. "I show no mercy and expect none to be given!"

"I've got one question for you, and if you answer it, I swear you and your men are free to go."

Mongke lowered his brow. "If you defeat me in fair combat, I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Suki tried to object, but Sokka ignored her. "Deal."

"There's nothing fair about this combat!" Suki stepped forward and Toph held out a hand to stop her from interfering.

"Relax, Hotstuff. Sokka's got this."

Taking Toph's declaration as a challenge, Mongke bared his chest and threw back his arms, igniting the air with twin crescents of fire. Sokka sucked in a breath and spun, ripping Space Sword from the earth and taking it back, over his head and around to intersect the incoming flame.

The flames dissipated, split by Sokka's improvised airbending, and Mongke only had a moment to realize that his attack had failed before the Water Tribe warrior leapt through the opening.

Sokka's blade, black as night, hovered below Mongke's chin and the Colonel lifted his head and straightened up.

"Do you yield?" Sokka asked between clenched teeth, sword poised to finish the job.

Mongke met his gaze. "Ask your question, pup."

"Who sent you?"

Mongke smirked. "I'd worry more about who we're really working for."

Toph and Suki both held their breath as Sokka slipped his sword closer to Mongke's exposed neck.

"We are soldiers of the New World Order," Mongke said, taking the hint. "The Phoenix King shall lead us to victory."

Suki didn't know what to think, but both Sokka and Toph let out the breath they'd all been holding. Sokka lowered Space Sword until the tip almost touched the ground.

"Go."

Mongke turned without another word, mounted his rhino, and rode off to gather his men.

"You did it, Sokka," Suki said. "And now we know what's going on."

Toph folded her arms. "There's more, I have to fill you two in."

"We need to get to the Fire Nation," Sokka said, jutting his jaw forward as he glared at the retreating backs of the Rough Rhinos. He turned to the two young women with a softer expression and raised one broken and swollen finger in the air. "But first!" He grinned like an idiot and Suki had no idea what he was doing until his eyes rolled up and his head fell back and the rest of him started to follow.

Suki was too far away to do anything, but before Sokka's legs could buckle, the earth rose to meet him, catching and cushioning his fall.

"I've got you, Snoozles. You rest, and we'll take care of the details."