Zuko was the first to awaken from the short rest, he sat up rubbing the sand out of his short hair when he got to his feet again.

Looking around he saw each of the other children sleeping in the dirt. Children. They were all his age or younger. Including the avatar.
He didn't have to kill the avatar, he could beg for forgiveness by his brothers, Xai, and lees family, to forgive him for not avenging their loved ones.

Or he could leave now. He could steal the water pouch on Katara and leave. He didn't even have to do that. He could go 24 hours without sleep easily on his own now to get out of this desert. He didn't have to stay and now was the perfect chance to leave without them able to follow. The wind would erase his trace.

"Are we moving again?" Aang turned over looking at the older teen.

Zuko looked over at him calmly.

"Yea we should get moving before the sun comes up, we still have a few hours," Zuko looked at the sky to read the stars.

"What's going on?" Katara woke up seeing Aang was awake as well.

"We've rested a little, we'll walk and rest again later," Zuko explained quietly.

He could stay just for the sake of his sanity.

"Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud, now it just taste like sand," Toph sat up smacking her tongue a little while Katara went to wake up her brother.

Aang noticed something in the sky and jumped a little with excitement.

"Appa!" He gasped with a bright smile.

"Appa? Why would princess Yue need him?" Sokka tilted his head to the side. "She's the mooooon she flies by herself,"

"It's just a cloud," Zuko looked at the moon seeing a cloud passing by over.

"Wait a cloud," Katara took off her water pouch and handed it to Aang. "Fly up and bend the water from that cloud to my pouch,"

Aang gave her a dirty look but took it aggressively before flying with his glider without a word.

"I don't think he slept," Katara sighed standing by Zuko as they waited for Aang.

"Probably not," he shrugged.

Aang returned to the ground as he tossed the pouch back to Katara. She looked in and was a little disappointed with the cloud not holding as much water as she hoped for.

"There's hardly any more than before," she told the others who were curious.

"I'm sorry okay!? It's a desert cloud! I did all that I could," Aang shouted at her.

"What's anyone else doing?! What are you doing?" He pointed his staff at Katara as she flinched a little but didn't move. She was surprised by his outburst.

"Trying to keep everyone together," Katara whispered pushing the staff out of her way.

"Zuko which direction does the map say?" She asked quietly and he opened the map to match with the sky.

"This way," he motioned and got moving again.

They walked for about ten minutes in silence, Zuko and Katara took the lead with the map.

"Ow!" Toph tripped and fell against the sand.

"Fuck! I'm so sick of not feeling where I'm going!" She snapped holding her foot in pain.

"And what dumb ass buried a boat in the middle of the desert?" Toph scoffed as Zuko knelt down to her checking to see if she was bleeding.

"A boat? Are You sure?" Katara was on the other side to see what she hit.

"Believe me I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations," Toph let Zuko see her injury.

"Going to have a bad bruise but luckily nothings broken," Zuko helped her up.

Aang joined Katara as she stepped out of the way for him to blow all the sand off the boat with his air bending, revealing one larger than they expected.

"It's a glider from the sand benders," Katara climbed aboard and went to the top. "It has some kind of compass,"

"Aang you can bend a breeze so we can sail it," she smiled hopeful again looking down at everyone.

"We're getting out of this desert," katara grinned.

—

They followed the compass as Aang pushed air into the sail while Katara stayed at the top with Sokka and momo as she instructed where to go. Zuko sat blow looking at the map confused while Toph sat with him bored.

"I don't think we're going north, or East?" Zuko called above.

"I don't think that's where the compass is pointing too either," Katara agreed.

"Take it easy little lady, I'm sure the sand folks who built this baby know how to get around here," Sokka hummed as he kicked his feet a little.

"Oi, ahead," Zuko stood up Seeing a large rock ahead.

"That's what the compass is pointing too," Katara looked back at the compass. "It must be the magnetic center of the desert,"

"Now we're in the center?" Zuko covered his face groaning.

"Maybe we can find water there," she tried to bring up the positives.

"Maybe we'll find some sand benders?" Aang bended more air for them to go faster.

By the time they got to the solid piece of land the sun was coming up in the distance. They hiked up the rock that felt more like a mountain, Toph flopped on her back once they got to the top.

"Finally! Solid ground!" She laid on her back and made a rock Angel.

They started to head towards the caves but no one was to sure about it seeing something oozy on the walls and had a strange scent to it.

"I think my head is starting to clear out of the cactus juice," Sokka inhaled deeply walking in front. He stopped and looked at the ooze on the side of the wall and took a handful to eat.

"Ew! Ew ew ew! It tasted like rotten penguin meat," he gagged and tried not to throw up.

"Oh no I feel woozy," Sokka put his head down.

"You've been hallucinating on cactus juice all day and now you just lick something you find stuck to the wall of a cave?!" Katara cried out in a motherly tone.

"I have a natural curiosity," he offered.

"I don't think this is a normal cave," Toph touched the wall where it was dry. "This was carved by something,"

"Yea look at the shape," Aang noticed as well.

Zuko immediately left the group and went to exit the cave.

"Where are You going?" Katara watched him leave the cave.

"I'll wait outside," he waved them off.

"Are You scared?" She was surprised.

"No cause something is coming for us!" Toph started to run to the exit making everyone follow quickly with screams.

Five vulture hornets few after the teens out of their rock hive and circled them. One started to close in on them but Aang lashed his staff at them and the air smacked the beast back.

Another landed on a Boulder on the side which caught tophs attention and launched it back to the sky.

She heard another pass by between her and Sokka and launched a rock up only for it to land a foot from Sokka.

"What are You doing that rock almost crushed me!" He screamed fearful.

"Sorry I can't tell where they are in the air," she shot back but Zuko put his hands on her shoulders to move her.

"Then shoot straight now!" Zuko instructed and Toph shot a rock straight in front of them as a vulture hornet was hit.

"Nice, I got this one," Sokka cheered and went off with a battle cry as he swung his machete around.

"Sokka, there's nothing there," Katara called over.

"Huh?" He looked confused. "I guess my heard isn't as clear as I thought,"

"We have to get out of here," the water bender backed away seeing the group was slowly separating.

Aang turned around sharply hearing momo screeching and saw his last pet was being stolen by the vulture hornet.

"Momo!" Aang opened his glider.

"I'm not looking anyone else out here," he took off quickly to retrieve his lemur.

Katara yelled surprised when she ducked from a vulture hornet and a blast of fire chased it off.

"Fuck, we need to get down," Katara covered her head.

"Toph take the lead," she motioned as the earth bender ran ahead with them behind.

She had her hands on tophs shoulders following what Zuko did before and instructed the blind bender to shoot when the beasts tried attacking again.

"Yea You got it!.. she got it right?" Sokka hid behind Zuko a little.

"Yes," Zuko said unsure what else Sokka could've saw.

They ran to the bottom and Katara told Toph to shoot left and right as she stood on what rock was left at the bottom but they were surrounded.

Only for sand to blast the vulture hornets up like a water bender would in an ocean, when the sand went back to the ground the vultures were gone but sand benders stood in front of the teens.

Zuko immediately took out his blades as Aang landed in front of them, ready for a fight as there was ten sand benders ahead.

"What are You doing in our land with one of our sails?" The leader stepped forward

"From the looks of it You stole it from the hami tribe," he growled a little.

"We found it abandoned in the desert," Katara said quickly.

"We're traveling with the avatar," she motioned to Aang, she shook her head at Zuko and he put his blades back with a scowl.

"Our bison was stolen and we have to get to ba sing se," she explained calmly hoping to dilute the tension.

"You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sailer?" The sand bender next to the leader yelled.

"Quiet! No one accused our people of anything," the leader barked back.

"If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality," he reasoned as well, no one wanted a fight.

"Sorry father," the son nodded.

"I recognize the sons voice.. he stole appa," Toph pulled on zukos sleeve.

"Are You sure?" Zuko mumbled back.

"I never forget a voice,"

Aangs face turned into a scowl as he stormed forward with his staff ready to attack.

"You stole appa, where is he? What did you do to him?" He snarled in a dark tone.

"They're lying! They're the thieves!" The son defended.

Aang wasn't having it, he slammed the staff to the sand and a sharp air blade destroyed a sand sail on the side.

"Where is my bison?!" He stared at them with rage.

"Tell me where he is!" Aang raised his voice. No answer. He destroyed another sand sail.

"What did you do?" The leader looked back at his son.

"It-it wasn't me," the son put his hands up a little.

"You said to put a muzzle on him," Toph pointed at him.

"You muzzled appa?" Aang sneered and his tattoos started to glow. The avatar state took over and the wind picked up around them.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it belonged to the avatar!" The son confessed as Aang destroyed another sand sailer.

"Tell me where appa is!" Aang yelled again in a distorted voice, voices.

"I traded him to some merchants, hes-hes probably in ba sing se now," the sons voice quaked and sand

"Please! We'll escort you out of the desert and help how ever we can," he tried again but the sand and the wind started to form a sphere around the avatar.

"We need to get out of here, run!" Sokka grabbed Toph and Zuko to get out of the range while all the sand benders ran away fearful.

"Katara!" Zuko called back confused.

"She's fine! We need to get out of the way!" Sokka yanked him along. Since Zuko joined them, this was the first time the fire bender showed genuine fear as he stared at Aang in the avatar state, he was pale as a ghost as he stumbled back when Sokka pulled him.

"Zuko come on!" Sokka cried out.

Katara looked at her friend with pity, with sadness as she walked through the wind and sand, she went to Aang and pulled him from the air, she didn't fear his avatar state. Pulling Aang down and into her arms, she held him tight to her body, not saying anything but kept him close until he calmed down.

when the winds died down everyone saw the twelve year old sobbing against her shoulder.