Zuko rode on the ostrich horse as he wore his straw hat to protect his face from the hot sun above. He didn't know whether to head south or north to find the avatar, maybe just to follow the sun rise and see where it takes.

He noticed a strange substance next to him that was a white mark in the grass, there was a faded trail of it. Zuko pulled the reins back and stopped the animal to hop down and to figure out what it was.

He knelt to the white marking and touched it, it felt like fur in the way, but course and light at the same time. What animal has white fur in the earth kingdom? Moose lions and badger moles have a lot of fur and would be shedding but what's white?

Zuko frowned. It couldn't possibly be the avatars bison could it? It seemed too easy? He looked over at the trail where it seemed to be thinning out the direction he was heading. That probably would be where the avatar is heading since his pet would be shedding less over time in the air.

"You better be ready avatar," Zuko stood with a frown as he boarded back onto the ostrich horse and moved fast to catch up while following the trail.

—

The sun went down while Zuko was still following the trail but he decided to take a break for the ostrich horses sake, he was able to find a river for the animal to drink from and he refilled his own water. Running his hands through his short hair he looked where the moon was rising, the avatar must be heading where the moon and sun rise, heading further in the earth kingdom.

He wondered what the goal for the avatar was. That girl and boy he traveled with must be his teachers of some sort. Was he looking for an earth bending teacher now? Must be if he was no longer in the water tribes, was he going to take down the fire lord as well? If the avatar killed Ozai would he never go home then?

He would never be welcomed into the fire nation if the avatar dethroned the fire lord. Or worse... Azula would take the throne then.

His troops, his friends, his family, if the fire nation loses to the avatar their deaths would mean nothing.

Lees death would mean nothing.

Zuko covered his eyes with a hand as he sighed, he was getting to far in his head. He inhaled deeply pushing his hands through the round of his head and looked up at the stars to read the constellations, it was a map in a way.

But there was a dark smoke in the distance, that was moving. It wasn't a fire.

"What?" Zuko stood up confused. What could it be?

-

The avatar and the other teens laid in the bisons saddle as they were chased all night with barely a moment to even fall asleep. Azula, mai and ty Lee had the upper hand on finding them easily and chased them throughout the entire night on a steam motorized machine and mongoose lizards to individually catch up.

"So what's our plan?" Aang yawned sitting on appas head.

"Don't know, to tired to think," Their newest addition, Toph, groaned resting her head on her hands.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap," Katara had her arms crossed while she rested her body against their luggage.

"Yes, sleep," Sokka smiled in relief putting his head down.

It was quiet for a moment as everyone just needed peace and silence to not go crazy, only seconds later they started to fall out of the sky. Sokka grabbed his sister before she flew out of the saddle and Toph gripped the side tightly with momo holding onto her ankle.

"What's going on?" The blind earth bender yelled confused.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang gasped crawling to his companions fade and patted at his eye lid.

"Wake up buddy!" Aang yelled to the bison while everyone was screaming during the fall.

Appa finally opened his eyes again and quickly tried to fly again before they hit the trees, he flew threw them instead at least trying to break the fall before they slid through the dirt in the middle of the forest.

Aang slid off appas head when they crash landed and saw the bison was snoring away once again.

"Appa is exhausted," he groaned a little just as tired.

"Okay we out a lot of distance between us and those girls, the plan right now is to follow appas lead and get some sleep," Sokka grabbed his sleeping bag and went to find a soft patch of grass.

"Of course we could gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues," Katara commented grabbing her sleeping bag while the blind girl was laying on land.

"WHAT?!" Toph screeched as the earth under her cracked.

"Alright alright! Everyone's exhausted, let's just get some rest," Aang tried to calm them down as Toph was on her feet.

"No, I want to hear what Katara has to say," Toph scoffed with a frown. "You think I have issues?"

"I'm just saying if you helped out earlier maybe, we could've set up camp faster and gotten some sleep," Katara said fed up.

"And then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation," she snapped.

"Your blaming me for this?!" Toph raised her voice and started to walk towards the water bender. Katara threw her bag on the ground ready to fight.

"No! No no she's not blaming you," Aang ran in front of Katara to stop Toph.

"No, I'm blaming her," Katara glared as Toph threw Aang out of the way.

"Hey I never asked you for diddly shit, I carry my own weight," Toph got in her face despite her blind eyes looking down.

"Besides, if there's anyone to blame it's sheddy over here," she motioned to appa.

"What? Your blaming appa?" Aang was taken back.

"Yea, You want to know how they keep finding us? He's leaving a trail everywhere we go," Toph put her hand on the sleeping bison and easy had a handful of fur in her palm.

"How dare You blame appa, he saved your life three times today," Aang defended his friend letting his tired irritation get the best of him.

"If there's anyone to blame it's You, you're always talking about how you carry your own weight but your not, he is, appa is carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying with the three of us," Aang snapped at his earth bending teacher. She surprisingly didn't give a reaction.

"I'm out of here," Toph kicked her bag into her arms and walked off without another word.

—

Toph walked alone in the woods as she was angry and upset still with the things the others said. She was fed up with being told what to do, her parents made her be helpless when she had potential to be the best, Katara bossed her around and Aang was no better.

But at the same time her pride wouldn't let her admit she could've changed a little. She's never left her home life until now.

She was so in her head about the events but that was until she could feel another body close by. To close.

Toph slid her foot to the side to send a rumble of rocks to a large Boulder where the body was behind. A males voice shouted in surprise and pain.

"What the fuck?!" The young man yelled as Toph jumped onto the Boulder in a fighting stance.

"One fucking hour can I just have a moment of peace once in my life!" The teen boy winced at the pain in his back where Toph hit.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were someone else?" Toph jumped back down.

"Obviously," he stood up and glared down at the young girl.

"I'd hate to be the one that pissed you off then," he raised a brow seeing she was blind but capable to protect herself.

"When you don't sleep for a night everyone pisses you off," Toph nodded crossing her arms.

He looked at her and let out a small sigh rubbing his back again.

"I'm making breakfast, would you like some? There's not a town for a while if your traveling by foot," he grabbed his things to move out of the rubble.

"Why?" Toph was suspicious.

"Why what?" He made a face.

"Why are You sharing?" She asked.

"Because starving is the worst feeling in the world and I'd hate to at least not warn you," he shrugged as he grabbed his ostrich horse.

"Where are Yoy heading?" Toph asked as he walked back over to her with the reins in hand and bag on his back. 

"East I think? Last town I saw west was a day and a half ago on horseback," he explained. 

They were quiet for a moment and Toph pursed her lips. She nodded to walk with him out of the rubble.

"What do you have to eat?" She asked.