Xiaodan yawned slightly and closed her eyes as she leaned against the back of Appa's saddle with Momo curled around her shoulders. Sokka was sitting across from her, whittling at piece of wood while Katara was lying in the middle of the saddle and peering over the edge at the clouds. Aang was lounging on Appa's head, a piece of grass hanging from his mouth and his hands behind his own head.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" Katara murmured suddenly, her tone dreamy as she looked at the clouds passing below them, "Like you could just jump down and land on a big, soft cottony heap."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka quipped, pausing in his whittling to smirk at his sister.

"You're hilarious." Katara said sarcastically, glaring over her shoulder at her brother.

Xiaodan gave a silent sigh at the two near-constantly bickering siblings, but decided to ignore them for the moment.

"I'll try it!" Aang exclaimed, laughing as he jumps off of Appa's head with his staff, "Yeah!"

Xiaodan straightens instantly and peers over the edge of the saddle with Sokka and Katara, watching as Aang free-falls towards a large cloud below them, whooping the whole time. The white-haired girl shook her head in amusement and leaned away from the edge while the siblings continued to look over the saddle with raised eyebrows, only to turn around a moment later when a soaking wet Aang landed on his backside behind them after snapping his glider shut.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water."

Xiaodan laughed at him for a moment then sucked in a deep breath and blew a gust of air at him, drying him off and knocking him onto his side, causing him to laugh. Katara and Sokka looked blandly at the two Airbenders before something in front of them catches the young Waterbender's attention.

"Hey, what is that?" She questioned, moving towards the front of the saddle, the other three following her a moment later.

"Whoa..." Xiaodan murmured, looking at the dark swath of burnt land amidst the green.

"It's like a scar." Sokka commented softly from Xiaodan's side.

Aang had landed Appa in the middle of what probably used to be a clearing in the long-gone forest and the four teens plus Momo had started looking around. Xiaodan frowned as she looked at the burnt tree stumps and ash covered ground, kneeling when she noticed some footprints in the grey ground.

"Listen. It's so quiet." Sokka murmured as he walked to stand beside Xiaodan then kneeled when he saw the footprints as Xiaodan stood and walked over to where Aang was standing with hunched shoulders.

"Aang?" Katara questioned softly, "Are you okay?"

"Fire Nation!" Sokka snarled when he realized who made the footprints and he got to his feet, his fists clenched, "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-"

"Shh!" Katara shushed her brother, putting her finger to her lip.

"What?" Sokka snapped, dusting his legs off, "I'm not allowed to be angry?"

Katara doesn't answer and merely pointed to where Aang was standing with slumped shoulders beside Xiaodan who had her hand on his back. When the young Airbender fell to his knees with a sigh, the white-haired girl kneeled next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder in silent comfort.

"Why would anyone do this?" He asked softly, scooping up some of ash and letting it fall through his fingers, "How could I let this happen, Xia?"

"This isn't your fault, little brother." Xiaodan consoled the boy softly as Katara took a few steps toward them.

"Aang, you didn't let this happen." The girl stated gently, folding her hands in front of her, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it does." Aang muttered, shifting into a cross-legged position and shrugging Xiaodan's hand from his shoulder as he looked at the burnt land with downcast eyes, "This is my fault. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

Xiaodan made a troubled noise in the back of her throat and scooted closer to Aang, wrapping her arm around him in a comforting embrace that only an older sister could give.

"That's why we're going to the North Pole." Katara said gently, "To find you a teacher."

"Yeah," Aang huffed, leaning into Xiaodan's hug slightly, "A waterbending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka questioned as he moved closer to where the two Airbenders were sitting, "He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

Xiaodan looked over Aang's shoulder and glared at the Water Tribe boy, tempted to throw a rock at him as Aang hung his head.

"I don't know." The bald boy sighed, looking down at Momo when the lemur crawled into his lap and he started petting his large ears.

Xiaodan sighed quietly and rested her chin on her young brother's head, looking at the scorched area around them with sad eyes.

"Uncle, it's time to leave!" Zuko shouted as he searched for his uncle, "Where are you? Uncle Iroh!"

"Over here."

"Uncle?" The scarred teen said when he spotted his uncle relaxing in a natural hot spring, his clothes draped over a low hanging branch, "We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him."

"You look tired, Prince Zuko." Iroh commented serenely, ignoring what his nephew just said as he gestured to the hot spring he was in, "Why don't join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?"

Zuko's face became pinched with irritation as he glared at his uncle, "My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go!"

Iroh opened his eyes slightly to look at his hotheaded nephew, "You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself."

Taking a deep breath, Iroh used Firebending to breathe steam from his nose and heat the water, which sent up even more steam.

"Enough!" Zuko snapped, waving the steam away, "We need to leave now. Get out of the water."

"Very well!" Iroh agreed, standing up and revealing the fact that he was completely naked.

"On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes. But be back at the ship in a half-hour or I'm leaving without you!" Zuko stated, shielding his eyes and looking away as he hurried back to the ship, trying to burn the image from his mind.

Iroh smirked and lowered himself back into the water with a contented sigh, tilting his head back to rest against the rim of the hot spring and prepared for a nap.

Xiaodan watched Katara approach Aang's slumped form from her perch on Appa's head with her arms wrapped around her knees, pressing them to her chest.

"Hey, Aang!" Katara called out as she stopped a little bit a ways from the glum Airbender, "You ready to be cheered up?"

"No..." the boy sighed only to yelp when an acorn hits the side of his head, "Ow! Hey, how is that cheering me up?"

"Cheered me up." Sokka quipped with a laugh only for an acorn to hit his head too, "Ow. Yeah, I probably deserved that."

"Yup." Xiaodan remarked with a loud snicker and leapt off Appa's head.

Katara kneeled in front of Aang and showed him the acorn in her hand, "These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back."

Xiaodan smiled happily and crouched beside her brother as Katara placed the acorn in Aang's hand and closed his fingers over it.

Aang looks at his hand for a moment then smiles up at Katara, "Thanks, Katara."

Katara smiled back at him then gasped when she saw an old man with a walking stick approaching. Xiaodan jumped lithely to her feet then helped Katara and Aang up as the man came closer.

"Hey, who are you?" Sokka demanded, also standing and moving into a slightly defensive position since the man was closest to him.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible." The man stated, ignoring Sokka in favor of walking towards Aang, "But those markings...are you the Avatar, child?"

Aang glanced at Xiaodan and Katara, who nodded in approval, then nods himself with a small smile.

"My village desperately needs your help!" The old man exclaimed, looking at the young Airbender almost pleadingly.

The sun was setting when Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Aang followed the old man to Senlin Village, the village where the old man came from. The village was partially destroyed, some of the houses nothing but skeletal remains while others were halfway there.

The old man lead the four to the large, intact building in the center of the settlement, the four looking around as they passed the ruined houses.

"This young person is the Avatar." The old man said, gesturing to Aang after they had entered the building full of people.

A man in his mid-thirties turned and approached the group, his hands folded in front of his chest as he bowed to Aang, "So, the rumors of your return are true! It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you too." Aang greeted the man with a small smile after straightening from his own small bow, "So, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure." The leader stated hesitantly, looking away from the young Airbender's expectant face.

"our village is in crisis!" The old man exclaimed, coming to stand beside the village leader then he addressed Aang, "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit."

From behind Aang, Katara and Xiaodan glanced out the open doors at the setting sun while Sokka merely frowned at the two men.

"Why is it attacking you?" The only non-bender in the group questioned.

"We do not know." The village leader replied, walking forward and placing his hand against the doorway, "But for each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near?"

"What happens then?" Katara and Xiaodan accidently asked together, glancing at each other briefly before looking back to the village leader.

The old man answered, "As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely."

Xiaodan's brows furrowed as she processed what the old man had said, her lips twisting slightly as she thought.

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction." The village leader stated, looking at the four over his shoulder, "Once the solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen."

"So, what exactly do you want Aang to do?" Xiaodan asked carefully, stepping forward and putting her hand on the younger Airbender's shoulder.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself?" The old man questioned as he crouched slightly in front of the bald boy, "You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

"Right..." Aang muttered uncertainly, "That's me."

"Hey, great bridge guy, could I talk to you for a second?" Katara whispered to Aang then lead him over to an open window a bit a ways from the others, "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this."

"Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World." Aang mumbled, looking away when Sokka and Xiaodan joined him and Katara, "It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!"

"Calm down, little brother." Xiaodan soothed, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "We have to keep our heads."

Aang sighed and relaxed his tense posture, letting his hands fall from his hips and hang from at his sides.

"So... Can you help these people?" Katara questioned carefully.

"I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just...come to me." Aang said, smiling nervously at the older three and lifting his arm slightly when Momo landed on his shoulder.

"I think you can do it, Aang." Katara said encouragingly, tilting her head slightly with a sincere smile on her face.

Xiaodan rubbed the top of Aang's head affectionately, "And you already know that I think you can do this."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, his expression similar to Katara's as he nodded his head, "We're all gonna get eating by a spirit monster."

Xiaodan reached over and punched him in the shoulder, ignoring his yelp of pain and smiling reassuringly down at Aang.

"You can do this." She stated positively, "We've got your back, little brother."

Aang smiled and nodded at the white-haired girl, not for the first time feeling absolutely grateful to have her at his side.

Snoring, Iroh slept peacefully in the hot spring until a sudden rustling in the nearby trees.

"Who's there?" The retired general called out somewhat blearily, only to smile when a meadow vole appeared on the rim of the hot spring, "A meadow vole! I should have known."

"You startled me, little one." Iroh stated and gently took the small creature into his palm then sighed, "It seems I dozed off and missed my nephew's deadline, but it was a very sweet nap."

The meadow vole climbed off of Iroh's hand and ran around the rim of the hot spring again then began jumping up and down only to dart away when the ground began to shake and a cloud of dust appeared on the path leading to the hot springs.

Iroh grunted in surprise when the rock at the bottom of the hot spring jutted upward, trapping him between three spikes of earth as three Earthbenders landed around the hot spring, effectively surrounding him.

A fourth soldier grabbed Iroh's clothes from the branch they had been hanging on and held them up to another Earthbender, "He's a Fire Nation soldier."

The fifth soldier, clearly the captain brushed past the man holding the robes and stopping in front of where Iroh was still trapped, "He's no ordinary soldier. This is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West. The once-great General Iroh, but now, he's our prisoner."

Iroh glared at the Earthbender captain, his expression severe.

Xiaodan pursed her lips as she peered out the only open window in the large building, watching as Aang walked out into the abandoned street alone. She was quite unhappy that is had been decided for Aang to take on the Hei Bai alone.

"Hello?" Aang called out as he walked further towards the village's entrance, gripping his staff tightly in his hand as the sun began to set further, "Spirit? Can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help stuff."

From the relative safety of the main building, Sokka and Katara watch Aang from the window with Xiaodan.

"This isn't right." Sokka grumbled in annoyance, leaning against the window beside Xiaodan, "We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up."

"If anyone can save us, he can." The old man stated calmly from behind the three teens, but that only served to further annoy Sokka and Xiaodan.

"Just because he can save you, doesn't mean he has to do it alone." Xiaodan practically hissed at the old man over her shoulder, her orange eyes almost appearing on fire.

"Agreed." Sokka muttered, folding his arms over his chest as they watched the young Airbender's progress towards the main gate just as the sun set and night embraced the village.

(((LINE))

"The sun has set. Where are you, Hei Bai?" Aang called out, standing in front of the open gates that lead into the village.

"Well...spirit, uh... I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace!" Aang stated, holding his hand out then twirled his staff and slammed the end against the ground with authority.

Nothing happened and Aang looked around briefly.

"Okay..." He muttered, slightly unsure, "Well, I guess that's settled then."

Aang turned around and began walking back to the main building, unaware of the soft whispering that had started up in the forest beyond the village's gate or the large black and white monster that had suddenly appeared behind and began to follow him, panting heavily.

Hearing the heavy breathing, Aang paused then turned around and looked up at the large, six-armed, black and white monster towering over him.

"Uh, you must be the Hei Bai spirit. My name is-" Aang began only to be cut off when Hei Bai released a bright blue blast of energy from his mouth at him before walking right over him, towards the village.

"My name is Aang! I am the Avatar and I would like to help! Hey, wait up!" Aang shouted at the retreating spirit before running to catch up while Hei Bai began smashing buildings then destroyed a tower with an energy blast, "Uhh..."

"The Avatar's methods are...unusual." The village leader noted from behind Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan as they watched Aang chase after the furious spirit as it destroyed parts of the village.

"It doesn't seem to be interested in what he's saying." Sokka stated, looking up at the village leader, "Maybe we should go help him."

"No!" The old man denied instantly, holding a hand out to stop both Sokka and Xiaodan, "Only the Avatar stands a change against the Hei Bai."

"Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka, Xia." Katara said soothingly in an attempt to placate the two.

Aang ran after Hei Bai, wincing slightly when he smashed another building.

"Please, will you stop destroying things and listen?" Aang pleaded as he leapt onto the building behind the Hei Bai, "I'm trying to do my job as spirit bridge. Excuse me, would you please turn around?"

Hei Bai ignored Aang, intent on smashing what was left of the destroyed house in front into the ground with his second pair of arms.

"I command you to turn around now!"

That got the spirit's attention and Hei Bai whirled around, smacking Aang with one of his black arms and sending the young Avatar flying into the roof of another building.

"That's it! He needs help!" Sokka snapped, running out of the main building.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara yelped, rushing after her brother with a furious Xiaodan about to follow him only for the village leader to grab both of the girls' arms, preventing them from leaving the building.

"It's not safe." The man stated, pulling them back inside, watching as the young man run to where Hei Bai was towering over Aang.

"Let me go!" Xiaodan demanded, trying to pull her arm out of the man's surprisingly strong grip.

"It's not safe." The village leader repeated, holding her arm tightly.

"Hei Bai, over here!" Sokka shouted, launching his boomerang at the spirit but he doesn't even seem to notice, so he raced towards the angry spirit.

Aang's eyes widened slightly when he saw his friend running towards him, "Sokka, go back!"

"We'll fight him together, Aang." The older boy promised, standing in front of the young Airbender.

Aang shook his head, "I don't want to fight him unless I-"

Aang's words where cut off when Hei Bai suddenly grabbed Sokka with his secondary arms and fled into the dark forest. Snatching up his glider and snapping it open, Aang quickly began chasing after the fleeing spirit, disappearing into the forest.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted as she ran towards the village entrance with Xiaodan right beside her.

"Aang!" Xiaodan yelled in panic, skidding to a stop just inside the entrance, one hand clutched above her racing heart as she peered into the shadowy forest in search of either boy.

The villagers gather around to the terrified girls, whispering quietly amongst themselves as they stared into the forest.

Scowling darkly, Zuko pushed away a branch and stalked towards the hot spring where his uncle had been, pausing when he didn't see his uncle.

"Uncle! Uncle where are you?"

"Sir," One of Zuko's Firebenders started, "Maybe he thought you left without him."

"Something's not right here." The banished prince said as he looked around, his golden gaze settling on the destroyed hot spring in front of him, "That pile of rocks."

"It looks like there's been a landslide, sir." Another Firebender soldier stated, looking up at small hill behind the hot springs.

"Land doesn't slide uphill. Those rocks didn't move naturally." Zuko growled as he examined the rocks then straightened when realization his him, "My uncle's been captured by Earthbenders!"

Aang flew through the forest on his glider, dodging trees and any low hanging branches as he chased after Hei Bai and Sokka and was finally catching up to them.

"Aang, over here!" Sokka called out when he saw the young Airbender through the trees, "Help!"

"Hang on, Sokka!" Aang shouted back, flying over the trees as he chased Hei Bai into the burnt remains of the forest he and his friends had looked over early that day.

Aang held his hand out to Sokka when he was flying close enough to the running spirit and both he and Sokka strained to grab onto each other. Just as Aang grabbed the older boy's hand, Sokka and Hei Bai faded away, causing Aang to lose his balance.

The young Airbender cried out as his glider spiraled out of control and he fell through the air, landing with a thud in front of large bear statue, unconscious.

"Sokka!" Aang gasped as he jerked awake and looked around, realizing that Sokka was not there, "I failed..."

"Where are you taking me?" Iroh asked his captors from his position on the back of one of the soldier's ostrich horse, wrapped in chains with his handcuffed arms crossed over his chest and in nothing but his undergarments and sandals.

"We're taking you to face justice." The captain responded shortly as his ostrich horse plodded past the one Iroh and the soldier were riding.

"Right." Iroh drawled slightly, "But where specifically?"

"A place you're quite familiar with actually." The captain stated, sounding slightly smug and irritated at the same time as he glanced back at his prisoner, "You once laid siege to it for six hundred days, but it would not yield to you."

"Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se." Iroh mused with a slight nod then closed his eyes.

"It was great than you were," The captain snarked, "apparently."

"I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After six hundred days away from home, my men were tired and I was tired." Iroh said with slight indignation then tiredness as he yawned, "And I am still tired."

Closing his eyes, Iroh relaxed against the soldier in front of him before falling off the ostrich horse with a thud. The soldier paused and did a double-take, looking down at the chained up and slumbering old man on the ground. Sighing in annoyance, two of the Earthbenders grab Iroh by the arms and haul him to his feet, putting him back on the ostrich horse. None of them notice the single sandal lying on the ground where Iroh had fallen, nor did any of them notice the small, clever smile that appeared on the old man's face as they continued their journey.

Xiaodan ignored the old man as he approached the spot where she and Katara were sitting in front of the entrance to Senlin Village. She was rather upset that he had prevented her from helping her brother, even if it had been the village's leader that had grabbed her arm and kept her inside the main building.

"I'm sure they'll be back." The old man said reassuringly.

"I know." Katara sighed quietly, hugging her knees to her chest tighter and glancing over at the silent girl by her side, "We both do."

Xiaodan still didn't acknowledge the elderly man, even after he had put the blanket around her and Katara's shoulders.

"You both should get some rest." He advised sagely.

"Everything's going to be okay." Katara muttered, more to herself as she clutched Sokka's boomerang in one hand, prompting Xiaodan to wrap an arm around the younger girl's shoulders beneath the blanket.

Katara sighed quietly again and leaned her head against the older girl's shoulder, shutting her eyes tightly. The old man kneeled in front of them, his voice soft as he tried to comfort them.

"Your brother is in good hands." He stated quietly to Katara, "I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him."

None of the three noticed the as slack-shouldered Aang approached them.

"Katara?" Aang called out softly as he approached where the two girls and the elderly man were sitting on the ground in front of the village entrance, "Katara, I lost him."

Aang moved closer to the three as the sun began to rise, watching as the old man placed one hand on Katara's shoulder, since she was closer to him than Xiaodan was. That and the old man wasn't sure the white-haired girl would let him place his hand on her shoulder, even in a gesture of comfort.

"The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon."

Aang frowned as he looked down at Katara, his sister, and the old man in confusion; he was right in front of them after all.

"What? No, I'm right here!" Aang stated worriedly, then growled and waved his hand in front of the old man's face, only to stare in shock when he could see the run through his hand, "I'm in the Spirit World!"

Zuko kneeled on the ground and picked up the single sandal that was lying there then sniffed it.

The scarred prince recoiled in disgust, "Yeah, that's Uncle Iroh."

Holding the smelly sandal in one hand, Zuko quickly remounts his rhino.

"I'll figure this out, you guys, I promise." Aang said from his spot beside the two girls who were leaning against each other and the wall, fast asleep, "Like they said, I'm the bridge between the worlds right? All I have to do is...figure out what I have to do. But once I do that, no problem."

Aang smiled and got to his feet when he saw Appa lumber over to where Xiaodan and Katara were sleeping.

"Appa, hey buddy, I'm right here!" Aang greeted the large sky bison, only to be ignored as Appa leaned closer to the two girls and snorted a breath of air at them, "But, I guess you can't see me either."

Katara and Xiaodan awoke abruptly when Appa gave a soft growling roar at them. The white-haired girl sighed quietly and rubbed the sky bison's cheek affectionately.

"It's okay, Appa, don't worry." The older girl murmured soothingly as she stroked his furry cheek.

"I'm sure they're on their way back." Katara added, rubbing Appa's nose before standing and helping Xiaodan to her feet, "I bet they even found you a bunch of moon peaches for a treat."

Aang watched sadly as the three walked back into the village, leaving him alone at the village entrance.

"What am I supposed to do? Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?" Aang questioned aloud, before a noise caught his attention and he looked towards the forest eagerly, "Sokka?"

"That's definitely not Sokka." The young Airbender muttered when he saw a large dragon coming towards him.

Quickly, Aang snapped open his glider and turned to fly away only to flat on the ground with a grunt.

"What?" He muttered as he pushed himself upright then tried to Airbend, "I can't Airbend in the Spirit World!"

Turning around, Aang froze as the dragon flew closer then landed right in front of him with a thud. Aang cringed back slightly, glancing away from the dragon then back again.

"You don't know where Sokka is, do you?" He asked with a nervous smile, watching warily as the dragon leaned down and touched Aang's forehead with one of its whiskers.

Aang gasped quietly as he saw Avatar Roku riding the dragon in front of him in his mind, then stumbled slightly when the dragon pulled its whisker away. Straightening, Aang looked up at the dragon with amazement and respect.

"You're Avatar Roku's animal guide." Aang said in awe, "Like Appa is to me! I need to save my friend and I don't know how! Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?"

The dragon curled its long neck around him and looked at Aang imploringly. Grinning slightly, Aang ran forward and hopped onto the dragon, just behind the large horns on its head.

"I'll be back, you two." Aang stated, looking back at the two girls as they fed and petted Appa then the dragon gets back up and Aang looks down at him, "Take me to Roku!"

The dragon rumbled quietly and leapt in air, flying away from the village.

Still bound and riding on the behind one of the Earthbender soldiers on the back of an ostrich horse as they rode through a mountain, Iroh glanced up at the sky then gasped quietly the spirit dragon with who appeared to be the young Avatar fly overhead in the opposite direction.

"What's the problem?" the Earthbender captain demanded when he saw the stunned look on the old man's face.

"Nothing." Iroh responded instantly before an idea came to him and he looked at the captain, "Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are feeling sore and aching, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?" The captain asked in disbelief.

"That's right. The cuffs are loose and they jangle around and bump my wrists." Iroh stated, showing the captain what he meant before looking up at the Earthbender innocently, "It would help me if you tighten them, so they wouldn't shake around so much."

"Very well." The captain looked towards the soldier sitting in front of Iroh, "Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs."

The ostrich horses were brought to a stop and the corporal dismounts from his ostrich horse then moves towards Iroh. Taking a deep breath, Iroh breathed out and heated one of this cuffs, using his other hand to shield the steam from view then just as the corporal grabbed the cuff, Iroh pushing the man's hand onto the overheated metal. The corporal screamed in pain and yanked his hand free, falling to his knees as he clutched his burnt hand.

Smirking slightly, Iroh jumped down from the kneeling ostrich horse then kicked a blast of fire from his feet at the two Earthbenders still mounted in front of him, causing the mounts to panic and toss their riders. Having landed on his back after he had kicked the fire blast at the soldiers, Iroh quickly rolled down the hill while the Earthbenders attempted to control their distressed mounts.

Aang's eyes widened slightly as he took in the tall temple residing on the volcanic island. His eyes widen further when the dragon flew into the temple then soared up towards the roof.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Aang demanded in a panic as the roof got closer.

The young Airbender screamed and closed his eyes only to blink them open a moment later when he and the dragon past right through the roof and into a room, where a there was a statue of Roku and a celestial calendar.

"I don't understand," Aang stated as he moved closer to statue after climbing off the dragon's back, "this is just a statue of Roku."

Aang gave the statue a confused look then turned to the dragon, watching as he pressed his whisker to his forehead again, showing him a vision of a comet before pulling the whisker away.

Aang looked at the dragon in surprise, "Is that what Roku wants to talk to me about? A comet? When can I talk to him?"

Aang looked away from the statue and back towards the dragon, just as the creature moved its head and a beam of light appeared just to the right of Roku's statue. This time Aang closed his eyes and bowed his head when the dragon's whisker touched his forehead and another vision appeared, showing him a vision of the sun setting and rising repeatedly and the light becoming closer to Roku with each passing day.

"It's a calendar and the light will reach Roku on the solstice!" Aang exclaimed as realization dawned on him and the dragon pulled his whisker away, "So that's when I'll be able to speak to Roku?"

The dragon grumbled and snorted, which Aang took as an affirmative. Aang looked up at the dragon in distress.

"But I can't wait that long!" He cried out, "I need to save Sokka now!"

The dragon grumbled and lowered his head again. Aang quickly climbed onto the spot just behind the dragon's horns, then the creature took off out of the temple and headed back to the village.

Iroh grunted and groaned as he rolled down the hill, the rocks abusing his body as he tumbled. The Earthbender captain hurried to the edge of the path and hit Iroh's rolling body with a rockslide, stopping his downward roll by partially trapping him under a pile of dirt. The captain and two other soldiers quickly slide down the incline until they reach Iroh.

"He's too dangerous, Captain." One of the soldier stated and gestured towards the unconscious man under the rubble, "We can't just carry him to the Capital. We have to do something now!"

"I agree. He must be dealt with immediately and severely." The captain agreed with his soldier.

Iroh winced slightly and spat out a rock then opened his eyes into tiny slits, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"It's no use, Xia." Katara called out to the other girl from her spot in the saddle as Xiaodan flew Appa over the forest, "I don't see them anywhere. Our best hope is to go back to the village and wait."

"You're probably right, Katara." Xiaodan assented and pursed her lips in frustration, tugging on Appa's reins to direct him back to the village.

Zuko stared down at the ostrich horse footprints he was following when he heard a vaguely familiar noise come from behind him.

"The Avatar!" The banished prince growled slightly when he saw the Avatar's flying bison in the sky and he tugged on his rhino's reins about to follow the bison only to hesitate and look back at the footprints.

Zuko looked at the footprints then back in the direction the sky bison had flown, his eyes narrowed as he thought about his decision.

The dragon flew through the sky towards the bear statue where Aang could see his body sitting on top of the statue's head. Raising his arms and cringing, Aang braced himself for impact as the dragon sped towards the statue before slamming into it, disappearing into it while Aang returned to his body.

The young Airbender opened his eyes slowly then looked around. He jumped to the ground, staring up at the bear statue, then opened his glider and flew back to the village.

Xiaodan crossed her arms tightly and frowned as she looked at the sun setting over the horizon, bathing the village in a golden light. She and Katara had waited at the village entrance until the sun had begun to set, then they had walked to the main building and stood on the porch, looking for any sign of Aang or Sokka.

Katara sighed and turned her head to where two villagers were holding open the large double doors, her eyes closed.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted happily and jumped from the porch when she saw her little brother's glider flying towards them before landing on the ground a few feet from the main building.

White hair whipped behind her as she ran and nearly tackled Aang with her rather exuberant hug, before holding him away from her by his shoulders.

"Don't you ever do something like that again, mister!" Xiaodan scolded gently, "If you're going to try and reason with angry spirits than I'm gonna be right by your side, got it?"

Aang smiled slightly and nodded his head in agreement, more than glad to accept his sister's future help in dealing with any angry spirits.

"You're back!" Katara exclaimed, hugging the boy after Xiaodan had moved to the side, "Where's Sokka?"

"I'm not sure..." Aang said quietly with his head bowed and Xiaodan placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, just as the sun set and night fell.

"These dangerous hands must be crushed." The Earthbender captain proclaimed, staring down at where Iroh's hands were chained to a flat rock, surrounded by the Earthbender soldiers.

The captain Earthbends a large rock into the air and hovers it over Iroh's hands, then began to drop it.

Iroh's eyes widen slightly as the rock about to crush his hands was kicked away and his nephew appeared in front of him, Zuko then broke Iroh's chain with the heel of his boot.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko." Iroh praised his nephew as he got to his feet.

"You taught me well, Uncle." Zuko stated and moved so he and his Uncle were back-to-back, facing the soldiers surrounding them.

"Surrender yourselves. It's five against two." The Earthbender captain drawled, "You're clearly outnumbered."

"Ah, that's true." Iroh agreed, then smirked at the captain, "But you are clearly outmatched!"

The Earthbender began fire rocks at Iroh and Zuko but the former general easily destroyed the rocks with his chains. Zuko kicked fire at one soldier before swiping his leg out and kicking a fire blast at the feet of the Earthbender behind him, knocking the enemy soldier to the ground and causing the rock he'd been about to throw to fall on top of him.

Zuko smirked down at the prone man and turned in time to see two other Earthbenders launch a large rock at him which Iroh quickly stopped by grabbing it with his chains then the old man threw it back at the two Earthbender soldiers, knocking them into a wall of stone.

The captain now the only one left standing, launched three rocks at Zuko, but the young prince dodged each of them easily, countering the attacks with fire blasts which are the captain dodged. Zuko's eyes widened slightly as the Earthbender captain brought up a large mass of rocks and earth, raising it high above his head like a wave, leaving Zuko unable to dodge the attack. But the banished prince needn't have worried, as his uncle swung his chains low and wrapped them around the Earthbender captain's ankles, knocking him to the floor and causing the pile of rocks to fall on him.

With a smirk, Zuko placed his hand on his uncle's bare shoulder as they both surveyed their handiwork.

"Now would you please put on some clothes?" The young prince questioned sardonically, much to Iroh's amusement.

Standing side-by-side just outside then village entrance, Aang and Xiaodan waited quietly for Hei Bai to show up, Katara and the other villagers watching from inside the main building.

The two waited for a few more minutes before Aang gave up, gesturing for Xiaodan to follow him back to the main building. They were passing one of the more intact houses when Hei Bai crashed through the house, shooting an energy blast to the sky.

"Ah!" Aang yelped, throwing up a shield of air around him and Xiaodan as debris land fall around them.

"What are you two doing?!" Katara cried out from inside the main building, watching as the two stood in front of the furious Hei Bai, "Run!"

Blue-white energy shooting from his mouth briefly, Hei Bai rushed towards the main building with a screech. Aang and Xiaodan ran forward simultaneously, the two perfectly in sync with one another as Xiaodan pulled ahead of Aang slightly and crouched, her hands folded in front of her. Still running, Aang put one foot into the cradle Xiaodan's hands made and the white-haired girl propelled him up and Aang jumped over the angry spirit, placing his hand against Hei Bai's forehead as he flipped over it, seeing the blurred image of a panda where instead of the six-armed monster in front of him for a brief moment.

"You're the spirit of this forest!" Aang exclaimed, landing on the main building's porch in front of Hei Bai, "Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down."

Xiaodan walked carefully under the Hei Bai and came to a stop at Aang's side, looking up at the silent spirit as it stared down at Aang.

"When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back." Aang said to the spirit as he pulled the acorn Katara had given him and showed it Hei Bai then placed it as his feet.

Xiaodan and Aang watched as Hei Bai picked up the tiny acorn with one of his secondary arms then turned, his great body shimmering before transforming into a giant panda. The two Airbenders watch as the now peaceful spirit lumbered out of the village, a small forest of bamboo growing in front of the entrance as Hei Bai disappeared.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out happily, rushing towards her brother as he and the other three villagers Hei Bai had taken exited the bamboo, their loved ones rushing towards with exclamations of happiness.

"What happened?" Sokka asked his sister as he pulled away from her embrace.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty-four hours." Katara explained, looking up at her older brother with concern, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I seriously need to use the bathroom."

Xiaodan snorted a laugh as she watched the Water Tribe boy waddle towards the village latrines, leaving a slightly annoyed Katara behind.

"Boys." The white-haired girl muttered to the dark-haired girl, who nodded in agreement with an exasperated eye roll, causing both girls to giggle slightly.

"Thank you, Avatar." The village leader stated gratefully, as he looked down at the young boy standing in front of him with his three friends, "If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done."

"You could give us some supplies," Sokka said matter-of-factly, "and some money."

"Sokka!" Katara chided the older boy and Xiaodan giggled quietly behind her hand.

"What?" Sokka demanded with a slight pout, "We need supplies."

"It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey." The village leader agreed with a smile as he bowed before walking away to help some villagers gather supplies for the Avatar.

"I'm so proud of you, Aang." Katara said to the young boy, touching his shoulder lightly, "You figured out what to do, all on your own."

Xiaodan rubbed the top of his head affectionately, "I'm proud of you too, little brother. I knew you could do it."

"Actually, I did have a little help." Aang said, looking at the two girls somewhat sheepishly before ducking his head with a frown as he thought about the comet, "And there's something else."

"What is it?" Sokka and Xiaodan asked at the same time, then gave each other weird looks before looking back at Aang curiously.

"I need to talk to Roku and I think I found a way to contact his spirit." Aang explained, moving to stand in front of his three friends.

"That's great!" Katara said eagerly and Xiaodan nodded in agreement, giving her little brother an encouraging smile.

"Creepy, but great." Sokka agreed, then yelped when Xiaodan pinched his side, giving her a sour look while he rubbed the injury.

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island," Aang said, ignoring what Sokka said easily as he continued to explain, "and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."

"But the solstice is tomorrow!" Katara said with dismay as she, Sokka, and Xiaodan exchanged worriedly looks.

Aang rubbed the back of head, "Yeah and there's one more problem... The island is in the Fire Nation."

"Oh, Spirits." Xiaodan muttered, slapping a hand over her eyes while Sokka and Katara looked at each other fearfully.