"How could you let them take Appa!?" Aang shouted angrily at Toph after he had looked in every direction for the bison, "Why didn't you stop them!?"

"I couldn't!" Toph exclaimed, her head still bowed with guilt, "The library was sinking! You guys were still inside and-"

"You could've come to get us." Aang cut her off furiously as he stomped towards the blind girl, "I could've saved him!"

"I can hardly feel any vibrations out here." Toph said, trying to explain herself, "The Sandbenders snuck up on me and there wasn't time for-:

"You just didn't care!" Aang cut her off again, his tone even harsher than before, "You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!"

Aang glared furiously at Toph, who just stared at him blankly with a small frown on her face.

"Aang, stop it." Katara ordered gently as she approached the two and put her hand on Aang's shoulder, "You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives."

"Who's gonna save our lives now?" Sokka asked blandly as he stared out at the endless sea of sand, his back to his sister and friends, "We'll never make it out of here."

Aang glared at him and stomped irately away from his friends, clenching his staff in a white-knuckled grip.

"That's all any of you guys care about, yourselves!" The young Airbender shouted at his friends as he sat down several feet away from them, "You don't care whether Appa is okay or not!"

"We're all concerned, but we can't afford to be fighting now." Katara stated calmly as she looked at Aang's back sympathetically.

"I'm going after Appa." Aang said in a cold, hard tone as he got to his feet and snapped his glider open then jumped into the air.

"Aang, wait!" Katara called out to him as she ran forward, but it was too late, Aang was already flying away.

Katara sighed quietly as she stared in the direction Aang had gone in, Sokka standing slightly behind her then she turned to look at her brother and Toph.

"We better start walking." The dark-haired Waterbender said with a sigh, "We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se."

Katara started walking in the direction Aang had gone in then Sokka followed behind her and Toph trailed after him, while Momo flew above them.

"Do you think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?" Sokka asked sardonically, causing Katara to sigh in exasperation.

Zuko and Iroh rode their stolen ostrich-horse down the dirt road while Xiaodan flew above them on her glider. Iroh gave an overly exaggerated moan of pain and clutched at his arm with every step the ostrich-horse took, effecting a pained expression on his face when his nephew looked back at him.

"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko suggested drily, quirking a brow at his uncle.

"No please, don't stop just for me!" Iroh said in a raspy voice and Zuko turned back around.

Iroh theatrically let out several more groans of pain and Zuko yanked the reins with an annoyed expression on his face. The two Firebenders dismounted and Iroh shuffled over to a flat rock with small groans of pain then he sat down.

"What happened?" Xiaodan asked curiously as she landed beside Iroh and snapped her glider shut, twirling it around for a moment before leaning against it.

Iroh opened his mouth to answer the white-haired girl when the ostrich-horse let out an alarmed noise and jerked its head around. Zuko spun around and shifted into a Firebender stance while Xiaodan took on an Airbender stance, her staff held defensively in front of her.

"What now?" Iroh muttered in annoyance as he glared slightly in the direction the ostrich-horse was looking at.

Suddenly five men on rhinos leapt out of the thicket on both sides of the road the trio had been traveling on, effectively surrounding them.

"Oh, not you guys again." Xiaodan quipped in exasperation when she recognized the five men as the ones that had attacked Chin Village all those weeks ago, her grip on her staff tightening in preparation.

Zuko glanced at her briefly then returned his attention to the five men, his defensive stance never faltering.

"Colonel Mongke!" Iroh exclaimed cheerfully as stood and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." Mongke stated coldly then he and the other men began readying their weapons for battle.

"You know these guys?" Zuko asked his uncle in surprise as he looked at each of the five men warily while Xiaodan shifted slightly, orange eyes narrowed as she tried to keep all of the men in her sights.

"Sure." Iroh said easily as he rubbed slightly at his still healing shoulder, "Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different weapon specialists...They are also a very capable singing group."

Xiaodan snorted in amusement and glanced at Iroh in disbelief, "Seriously?"

"We're not here to give a concert." Mongke snapped, preventing Iroh from answering the white-haired girl's question, "We're here to apprehend fugitives!"

"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh questioned slyly as he continued to rub his shoulder, "I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

Xiaodan and Zuko exchanged exasperated looks then returned their attention to their adversaries.

"Enough stalling!" Mongke snarled, "Round 'em up!"

A dark skinned man with a ponytail suddenly swung his bogo at Iroh, who managed to kick it away and cause it to wrap around Kahchi's rhino's leg. Iroh somersaulted forward when a flaming arrow and a blast of fire was shot at him then he struck the rear of Kahchi's rhino when he rose to his feet. The rhino reared back and dashed away, yanking the bogo-wielding Fire Nation warrior off his own rhino and dragging him away. Iroh smiled cheerfully and waved as he watched them go.

Xiaodan and Zuko stood side-by-side in their bending stances and both whirled around when they heard the distinct sound of an arrow being fired. Zuko reacted quickly and knocked the flaming arrow away then shot a concentrated blast of fire at the archer, burning a hole in the surprised archer's bow. Xiaodan smirked and swung her staff, sending the archer flying off his rhino with a crescent of air.

Zuko and Iroh stood slightly in front and on either side of their ostrich-horse while Xiaodan stood between them. Mongke suddenly joined the fight and began shooting fireballs at Iroh, who deflected each and every one of them with easy. While the Fire Nation colonel was busy, Zuko ran forward and jumped onto the rhino's back. Mongke turned around and his eyes widened, but before he could do anything, Zuko sent him flying with two spinning fire kicks.

Xiaodan snapped her glider open and leapt into the air while Iroh ran up to the ostrich-horse and jumped on, riding it towards Zuko, who was waiting for him on top of the Colonel Mongke's rhino. The white-haired Airbender flew in circles around them impatiently then flew off when Zuko jumped onto the ostrich-horse behind his uncle, the last Rough Rhino pursing them. The Rider threw a grenade at the fleeing trio and it exploded right in front of the ostrich-horse, but Zuko and Iroh rode through the explosion's smoke while Xiaodan flew through it.

"It's nice to see old friends." Iroh said with a grin as he and Zuko looked over their shoulders at the smoke.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you." Zuko commented drily, causing Xiaodan to laugh as she lowered her glider and flew alongside them.

"Wouldn't that be nice!" She quipped with a snicker and Zuko rolled his eyes at her.

"Hmm..." Iroh mused thoughtfully with a wide-eyed expression as he rubbed his shoulder, "Old friends that don't want to attack me..."

Xiaodan laughed again and flew upward again, propelling herself faster with Airbending.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph wandered through the desert, exhausted and dehydrated. Sokka stopped briefly and took Momo off his back, putting the lemur on his head and opening his wings to create some shade. Unable to tell that he had stopped, Toph walked right into him, causing Momo to fall off Sokka's head.

"Can't you watch where you're..." Sokka started to snap in annoyance then stopped and his eyes widened when he realized who bumped into him.

"No." Toph retorted drily, her shoulder slumped tiredly.

"Right." Sokka said and he rubbed at his neck sheepishly, "Sorry."

Katara turned to face the other two with an encouraging expression on her flushed face, "C'mon guys, we've got to stick together."

"If I sweat anymore, I don't think sticking together will be a problem." Sokka quipped sarcastically when his sweaty clothes stuck to Toph's and he tried to free himself by pushing her away.

With an irritated expression, Toph put her hand on Sokka's face and pushed him to the ground, easily freeing them both.

"Katara, can I have some water?" The blind girl asked in a surprisingly meek tone as she ignored Sokka lying on the ground beside her.

"Okay," Katara agreed after a moment as she walked over to the younger girl and her brother, "But we've got to try to conserve it."

Toph nodded tiredly as Katara bended three small globules of water from her pouch and into Sokka's, Toph's, and Momo's mouths. Sokka swished the water in his mouth for a moment then swallowed.

"We're drinking your bending water." The Water Tribe boy stated as he pointed to his mouth then narrowed his eyes and smacked his lips before a disgusted expression appeared on his face, "You used this on the swamp guy! Urch!"

"It does taste swampy..." Toph commented as Sokka continued to gag exaggeratedly at her side while Momo smacked his lips and let out a sad cry of protest at the water's flavor.

"I'm sorry." Katara apologized in a sad tone, "It's all we have."

"Not anymore!" Sokka suddenly exclaimed excitedly as he pointed in front of him, "Look!"

Katara turned her head and stared at the cactus Sokka had pointed to, her brows furrowing when her brother rushed forward and cut off a piece with his machete.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara protested in a worried tone as Sokka happily drank the liquid inside the cactus with Momo, "You shouldn't be eating strange plants!"

The dark-haired Waterbender grabbed Toph's arm and dragged her forward as she rushed over to her brother and the lemur while they quenched their thirst with copious amounts of cactus juice. Sokka cut open another part of the cactus and excitedly offered it to his skeptically-looking sister.

"There's water trapped inside these!"

"I don't know..." Katara said unsurely as she backed away from Sokka and the cactus, pulling Toph along with her.

"Suit yourself." Sokka replied with a shrug as cactus juice dripped off his chin, "It's very thirst quenching though."

Sokka gave his sister a wide, close-eyed smiled before his eyes suddenly snapped open, his pupils dilating until they practically covered his blue irises. He shook himself briskly in an attempt to get rid of the strange feeling he had then he began to hallucinate.

"Drink cactus juice. It'll queen ya! Nothing's quenchier!" He suddenly stated in a strange voice as he gestured towards the piece of cactus in his hand before he started crawling across the ground like a caterpillar.

Sokka jumped up and pushed his face towards his sister with a huge smile on his face, "It's the quenchiest!"

Katara leaned away from her brother and gave him a strange look then she grabbed the cactus piece from his hand and poured the juice on the ground.

"Okay..." She stated as she tossed the piece of cactus to the side, "I think you've had enough."

Apparently ignoring his sister, Sokka stared at Toph curiously.

"Who lit Toph on fire?" He asked as he furrowed his brows in confusion.

Katara opened her mouth to respond but was distracted by a sound coming from above her head and she looked up, her brows furrowing when she saw Momo flying around in circles. The lemur suddenly began increasing the speed in which he was flying before suddenly plummeting head-first into the ground. Katara sighed and picked up the unconscious lemur, cradling him in her arms.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Toph asked in bemusement.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Katara replied as she wrapped an arm around Toph's shoulders and began leading her away, "Come on, we need to find Aang."

Realizing that her brother wasn't following her, Katara turned around and sighed when she saw Sokka had remained where he was and he was staring blankly at the sky. The Waterbender handed Momo to Toph then walked back over to her brother and grabbed his arm, dragging him behind her as she walked back to Toph.

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" Sokka asked in awe as he followed Katara and Toph across the endless desert.

Katara sighed quietly and shook her head, continuing the lead them through the desert in hopes of finding Aang soon.

Aang narrowed his eyes slightly as he flew over the desert in search of Appa, the bison whistle clenched in his hand. Carefully, he raised the whistle to his mouth and blew it, hoping that his friend will.

"Appa!" Aang called out as he glided down and landed on a sand dune, "Appa!"

The young Airbender stared out at the endless sea of sand, turning in a circle. He stared across the horizon and tears filled his eyes when he realized that he wasn't going to find his animal friend out here.

"No..." He whispered sadly then shouted, "NO!"

Overcome by anger, Aang slammed his staff on the ground, creating a large mushroom-shaped cloud of sand.

Katara, Toph, and Sokka reached the top of another dune then Sokka and Katara turned around to stare at the mushroom cloud of sand, a harsh sand-filled wind washing over them.

"What is that?" Katara muttered in shock as she stared at the mushroom cloud worriedly.

"What?" Toph asked as she moved her head side-to-side, "What is what?"

"It's a giant mushroom!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly as he gestured with his arms, "Maybe it's friendly!"

"Let's just keep moving." Katara said then grabbed Toph's wrist and pulled her along, "I hope Aang's okay."

As Katara led Toph away, Sokka started to worship the mushroom cloud by waving his arms up and down then side-to-side.

"Friendly mushroom!" He shouted happily as he continued to wave his arms back-and-forth while Momo clung to his back, "Mushy giant friend!"

"Yeah, a little barefoot blind girl and her friends passed through here a few days ago." A man stated with a smirk as he stood in front of Yu and Xin Fu at the Misty Palms Oasis.

"Did they give you any indication where they were headed?" Yu asked the man calmly.

"Maybe you could give me a little incentive?" The man replied with a smirk as he rubbed his fingers together.

"You suggesting I break your fingers?" Xin Fu growled as he took a threatening step towards the man.

The man blanched and hid his hand behind his back then pointed towards the Si Wong Desert with his other hand.

"They went into the desert!" The man said hurriedly, "Too bad there's almost no chance they survived."

"That's okay," Xin Fu responded with a sneer, "'Cause she's wanted dead or alive."

"No, she's not!" Yu snapped at Xin Fu in annoyance while the man quietly backed away from them, "I'm certain her father wants her alive."

Xin Fu ignored him and turned his head, catching sight of the wanted posters.

"Hey, look..." He stated as he walked over to them, "Fire Nation wanted posters!"

"So?" Yu questioned as he followed the other Earthbender and examined the wanted posters.

"So, look who's here." Xin Fu stated when he caught sight the two fugitives, Zuko and Iroh walking towards the tavern beside a white-haired girl.

Yu looked over and his eyes narrowed slightly, "Isn't that the girl that was traveling with the Avatar?"

Xin Fu nodded once, his dark eyes blazing with spite as a malicious smirk appeared on his face.

Katara, Toph, and Sokka with Momo on his head walked single file through the desert, where it was nearly twilight. They all paused when a shadow suddenly passed over their heads and Aang landed behind them in a crouch, kicking up a small cloud of sand. Aang remained kneeling on the ground even after the sand had cleared and Katara walked towards him.

"I'm sorry, Aang." The dark-haired Waterbender said quietly as she put a hand on Aang's shoulder, "I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

"What's the difference?" Aang muttered hopelessly as he pulled away from Katara's comforting touch, "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

"Come on, Aang." Katara replied encouraging, "We can do this if we work together. Right, Toph?"

"As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding." Toph replied blandly with a shrug, "I've got nothin'."

"Sokka?" Katara questioned her brother hopefully, "Any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?"

Sokka smiled blissfully from where he and Momo were lying on their backs side-by-side on the ground, their arms and legs stretched out.

"Why don't we ask the circle birds?" Sokka suggested as he pointed up at the sky.

Katara frowned slightly and looked upward, her eyes widening slightly when she saw four buzzard-wasps circling above their heads. Katara turned her attention away from the buzzard-wasps and looked at the others. Aang was still sulking as he sat on the ground and Toph was swaying in place, staggering slightly while Sokka was sniggering a bit and Momo was lazily clawing at the buzzard-wasps.

"Ugh!" Katara suddenly exploded as she grabbed at her head in annoyance then turned towards her brother and friends, "We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together. Aang, get up! Do you think Xia would let you just let you sit there and sulk? Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have too."

Katara ignored the way Aang flinched slightly at the mention of his missing sister and she pulled him to his feet. She took one last look at the circling buzzard-wasps then began pulling Aang along by his glider while he held Toph's hand and Toph held Sokka's in turn. Sokka grinned widely, still snickering as he stumbled after the other three, pulling Momo along by his tail while the lemur was lazily trying to fly in the other direction.

The sun had begun to set when the four stagger up a large sand dune, Katara still leading them.

"I think we should stop for the night." Katara stated as she stopped atop the sand dune and the others sighed in relief then collapsed from exhaustion.

"Is there any more water?" Toph asked hopefully and Katara walked over to her.

"This is the last of it." The dark-haired Waterbender said as she opened her pouch, "Everyone can have a little drink."

Sokka sighed and crawled towards Toph and Katara with Momo on his back as Katara bended the last of the water from her pouch. The lemur suddenly leapt forward at the water, causing it t fall in the sand.

"Momo, no!" Sokka exclaimed in theatrically panic as he grabbed his head in despair, "'You've killed us all!"

"No, he hasn't." Katara sighed and held her hand over the wet patch of sand, ending the water back into the her pouch then she handed it to Toph to drink.

"Oh, right..." Sokka said in relief, "Bending."

Katara shook her head slightly then addressed her brother, "Sokka, let me see the things you got from the library."

"What?! I didn't steal anything! Who told you that?" Sokka demanded in offence as he backed away and defensively grabbed his bag full of scrolls then he pointed accusingly at Momo, "It was you! You ratted me out!"

Momo pinned his ears back and covered his eyes with his hands, appearing to almost sob as his shoulders shook.

"Sokka, I was there." Katara muttered in exasperation as she took her brother's bag and started looking through the scrolls.

"It doesn't matter." Aang stated sadly as he glanced over his shoulder at the dark-haired girl, "None of those will tell us where Appa is..."

"No," Katara agreed with a soft sigh, "But we can find out which way Ba Sing Se is. We can use the stars to guide us. That way we can travel at night when it's cool and rest during the day."

She unrolled a map of the stars and looked it over for a moment then turned around to look at the rest of the group, sighing when she saw them all lying in the sand, clearly exhausted from the long walk and their grief over the loss of Appa.

"Just try to get some sleep." Katara said quietly as she rolled the star map back up, "We'll start again in a few hours."

"No one here is going to help us." Zuko commented in annoyance as he, Iroh, and Xiaodan sat at a table in the tavern at the Misty Palms Oasis, "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we." Iroh replied with a grin, causing Xiaodan to snort in amusement, then he pointed over Zuko's shoulder, "Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend."

Zuko and Xiaodan turned around to see what Iroh was pointing at. The banished prince groaned quietly while Xiaodan grinned happily when she saw an older man sitting at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko demanded disbelief as Iroh got to his feet.

"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh responded with a sly grin then he began walking towards the Pai Sho table.

Zuko scowled slightly and Xiaodan chuckled as she got to her feet, patting the scarred teen's shoulder as she passed him.

"C'mon, Firebug, don't be such a stick in the mud." She quipped then giggled again and sauntered over to the Pai Sho table, Zuko trailing after her a moment later with a scowl on his face.

Xin Fu and Yu watched the trio from the other side of the tavern where they were sitting on a bench.

"Let's take them now!" Xin Fu barked as he jumped to his feet and took a step towards the three with the intention of grabbing them, but Yu placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"This place is full of desperate characters." Yu explained calmly when he saw the murderous look on the other man's face, "If they find out we're collecting a bounty, we might have to fight them all just to keep our prize. Patience."

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked as he, Xiaodan, and Zuko approached the Pai Sho table.

"The guest has the first move." The man said in reply as he gestured for Iroh to take a seat.

Iroh smiled faintly as he sat down then he placed the lotus tile in the center of the board.

"I see you favor the white lotus gambit." The man commented idly as he looked at the Pai Sho tile then Iroh, "Not many cling to the ancient ways."

Xiaodan tilted her head slightly when the man cupped his hands and bowed towards Iroh, who stared at the man calmly.

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh said sagely then copied the other man's gesture, also cupping his hands towards him.

"Then let us play." The other man said as he straightened and put a tile on the board, quickly followed by a tile place by Iroh.

Xiaodan and Zuko watched with curiosity and bemusement as the two men placed more tiles on the boards, seemingly without even looking at what the other man was doing. The white-haired Airbender pulled out a stool then sat down, placing her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward to watch the two men play. Zuko sat down on another stool beside her, his gold eyes flickering from his uncle to the other man as they continued to place more tiles on the board.

The two men place their last tiles on the board simultaneously and Xiaodan's eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline when she saw that the tiles formed the shape of a lotus flower.

"Welcome, brother." The old man said to Iroh, "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"I think we're missing something here." Xiaodan muttered as she leaned towards Zuko slightly, her eyes never leaving the Pai Sho board.

Zuko rolled his eyes and addressed the two older men, "What are you old gasbags talking about?"

"Zuko!" Xiaodan hissed and jabbed him in the side with her fingers, but Iroh merely smiled at his nephew serenely.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." Iroh said as a smirk formed on his aged face and he rolled a Pai Sho tile between his fingers then clutched it in his fist.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!" Xin Fu snarled impatiently as he jumped to his feet and stormed over to the Pai Sho table with Yu trailing after him, "It's over! You three fugitives are coming with me!"

Xiaodan's eyes went wide as she stared up at the two men, instantly recognizing them from Gaoling where she, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had first met Toph. The old man suddenly jumped up and placed himself in front of Iroh, Zuko, and Xiaodan, preventing Xin Fu and Yu from reaching them.

"I knew it!" The old man exclaimed loudly as he pointed at the trio, "You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko hissed at his uncle, unconsciously moving so that Xiaodan was slightly behind him.

Iroh placed a reassuring hand on his nephew's shoulder, "He is. Just watch."

Xiaodan peeked over Zuko's shoulder and the trio watched as the old man turned to face Xin Fu and Yu.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" The man demanded loudly, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the tavern.

"Gold?" One man questioned eagerly as he got to his feet, followed by several others while more men turned to look at the scene, some even pulling out weapons in preparation to attack.

"Uh..." Yu said as he looked around at the vagabonds surrounding him and Xin Fu, "Maybe we shouldn't..."

Xin Fu ignored him, an eager grin spreading across his face as he moved towards Zuko, Iroh, and Xiaodan only for two men to jump in front of him and block his path. His grin turning into an annoyed scowl, Xin Fu performed a reverse roundhouse kick, Earthbending a rock from the ground and easily pushing the two men out of his way.

Yu sighed and shifted into an Earthbending stance, sinking the first person to charge him into the grin. Meanwhile, Xin Fu kicked two Sanbenders away from him while lifting another in the air and holding a fourth Sandbender back with his other hand. After kicking another Sandbender away, Xin Fu twisted his waist and sent the two men he was holding flying across the tavern, one of them crashing into the wall behind the bar.

The old man nodded towards Iroh and the older Firebender touched Zuko's shoulder, grabbing his attention. Iroh jerked his chin towards Xiaodan, who was watching the fight with vague amusement. Zuko nodded sharply then grabbed the white-haired girl's hand and dragged her out of the tavern, following his uncle and the old man as they led them out of the tavern. The banished prince decided to ignore the heat he could feel crawling up his cheeks as he held tightly to Xiaodan's hand, even after they had managed to escape the tavern.

Xin Fu knocked the last man unconscious and looked around, a furious expression appearing on his face when he realized that their prey escaped during the chaos. The wrestler growled in frustration and slammed his two fists into the ground, erecting a giant pillar of earth under a downed Sandbender, shooting him out of a window where he hit a palm tree outside of the tavern. Yu sighed and shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand.

Momo chittered quietly as he patted the sand he used to cover Sokka with while the Water Tribe boy was sleeping. The lemur jumped away hurriedly as Katara approached.

"C'mon, get up." Katara instructed tiredly as she touched her brother's shoulders, "We need to go."

Sokka sat up drowsily and smiled at his sister like a drunken idiot while Toph also sat up, smacking her lips slightly.

"Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud." The blind girl stated with a sigh, "Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much."

Katara smiled tiredly at the blind girl then moved over to wake up Aang. She reached out to touch his shoulder but froze when he suddenly spoke.

"I'm awake. I couldn't sleep."

"Well, we need to get moving if we want to get out of this sand pit." Katara said quietly.

She and Aang spot something large in the sky and the young Airbender sat up quickly, his eyes widening when a large, bison-shaped object floated across the bright full moon.

"Appa!" Aang shouted joyfully, his expression brightening.

"Appa? But why would Princess Yue need him? She's the moon!" Sokka said randomly and a dopey grin appeared on his face as he grabbed Momo's tail, rubbing it against his cheek, "She flies by herself!"

Aang and Katara look at the object closer and Aang's happy expression fell when he realized it was just a small desert cloud.

"It's just a cloud." Katara sighed sadly then brightened slightly, "Wait! A cloud!"

She hurriedly offered her water pouch to Aang, "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch."

Aang glared at her angrily and snatched the water pouch from her hands then he jumped into the air, snapping his glider open. The trio gazed up at him as he quickly passed through the cloud two times and the few remains of the cloud evaporated. Aang tossed the pouch at Katara as he landed and the dark-haired girl peered inside.

"Wow..." Katara said in disappointment, "There's hardly any in here."

"I'm sorry, okay! It's a desert cloud! I did all I could! What's anyone else doing?!"" Aang lashed out angrily then pointed his staff at Katara, "What are you doing?!"

"Trying to keep everyone together." Katara replied as she looked at Aang with a shocked expression on her face then she turned away and looked at the star map in her hands, "Let's just get moving. We need to head in this direction."

She looked at the star charts once more then started leading the group in the chosen direction. The four walk silently through the desert for, none of them willing to speak at the moment, at least until Toph suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face. Aang and Katara turn and look at the blind Earthbender while Sokka and Momo just stand there and stare blankly at the night sky.

"Ow! Crud! I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going!" Toph cried out in annoyance as she sat up and began rubbing her right foot then she pointed at the little rocklike-shaped object she had tripped over, "And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert?!"

"A boat?" Katara asked curiously then she ran over to inspect the object.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations." Toph stated in an annoyed tone.

Sokka turned around, swinging like a string puppet, to see what his sister was so excited about while Katara began to rub the sand off the object that appeared to be made of wood. Aang stepped forward then and held up his staff suggestively and Katara nodded once then backed away. As soon as she was a few feet away, Aang swung his staff around, creating a mighty gust of wind that revealed a boat of some sort. Katara hopped aboard the boat and began examining it further, her expression suddenly brightening when she realized what it was.

"It's one of the gliders the Sandbenders use! And look! It's got some kind of compass on it!" She exclaimed happily as she tapped the compass on the sand glider, "I bet it can point us out of here! Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!"

Katara's happy expression deadpanned slightly when she saw her brother laughing childishly as he buried Momo in the sand and she sighed quietly, covering her eyes with her hand.

Iroh followed the old man to a flower shop on the other side of the Misty Palms Oasis while Zuko, still holding Xiaodan's hand, trailed behind him. The old man held the door open for the trio then peered out cautiously before shutting it behind him. The old man then turned to face Iroh, his hands folded in the sleeves of his robes.

"It is an honor to welcome such high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus." The man said as he bowed briefly to Iroh, "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko demanded in annoyance as he looked between the two older men, not even realizing that he was had Xiaodan's hand clasped in his own.

"You must forgive my nephew." Iroh stated, giving Zuko a stern look that caused Xiaodan to snicker quietly, "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

The man nodded in understanding then led Iroh towards the back of the store where a door with a peephole was located. The man knocked twice and the small speakeasy-type opening in the door was slid open, another man peering out cautiously.

"Who knocks at the guard gate?" The second man asked cryptically.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied just a cryptically then he smiled when the door opened, letting him and the older man enter.

Zuko attempted to follow them with Xiaodan, but the door was slammed shut in his face. Xiaodan snorted quietly at the pout that appeared on his face when Iroh opened the small speakeasy-type opening.

"I'm afraid it's members only." Iroh said, not sounding very sorry at all, "Wait out here."

The small window was shut again and Zuko huffed in annoyance, glaring at the door. Xiaodan looked at Zuko then down at their clasped hands then back at Zuko, her brow quirking slightly.

"You can let my hand go now." She said with a teasing smile on her face, "We're not running for our lives anymore."

Zuko frowned slightly in confusion then he looked at their still joined hands and he jerked his hand away from hers as if she had burned him, a blush appearing on his face. Zuko crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby table, turning his head away from the white-haired girl and trying to ignore the blush on his face. Xiaodan folded her arms across her stomach and ducked her head to stare at her feet, biting her lip in an attempt to keep from smiling at the flustered look on Zuko's face as she glanced up at him from under her messy white hair. Zuko flicked his eyes over to Xiaodan and cleared his throat quietly, trying to will the blush on his cheeks away as he also tried to ignore her presence in the room with him.

Katara navigated the sand-sailer through the desert while Aang drove it forward using strong gusts of wind. Toph sat on the other side of the navigating platform Katara was standing on while Sokka was sitting beside his sister with Momo.

"The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north according to my charts." Katara commented as she placed her star charts over the compass.

"Take it easy, little lady." Sokka said dreamily as he sat beside his sister with his legs dangling over the edge of the navigation platform while he held Momo by the tail, who was trying to fly in the opposite direction, "I'm sure the sand folks who built this baby know how to get around here."

Katara gave her brother an annoyed look then refocused her attention back towards the horizon in front of her, gasping a moment later in comprehension when she sees a giant rock in the distance.

"That's what the compass is pointing to!" She exclaimed as she gestured towards the rock they were rapidly approaching, "That giant rock! It must be the magnetic center of the desert!"

"A rock?!" Toph asked ecstatically, "Yes! Let's go!"

"Maybe we can find some water there!" Katara said hopefully, her blue eyes wide with optimism.

"Maybe we can find some Sandbenders..." Aang muttered in a dark tone as he continued to send gusts of air into the sails of the sand glider, directing it towards the rock.

The group reached the top of the rock just as the sun began to rise and Katara, Sokka, and Aang looked out towards the horizon to watch the sunrise.

"Ahhh..." Toph sighed contentedly, "Finally! Solid ground!"

The blind Earthbender happily let herself drop flat on her back and began moving her arms and legs back and forth, creating a rock angel. Aang, Katara, and Sokka wait until she's done before the four started to explore the caves that decorated the top of the rock. They enter a round tunnel and nearly every surface in the cave was covered in a yellow, gooey substance.

"I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice. And loo!" Sokka said after taking a deep breath then he dipped his hand into the yellow goo and tasted it, sharing his find with Momo.

The two spit it out a moment later, Sokka making disgusted gagging noises afterwards.

"Tastes like rotten penguin meat!" Sokka exclaimed in disgust then groaned, "Awww, I feel woozy..."

"You been hallucinating on cactus juice all day and then you just lick something you find stuck to the wall of a cave!?" Katara snapped at her brother in irritation, her hands on her hips.

Sokka shrugged, "I have a natural curiosity."

"I don't think this is a normal cave." Toph commented as she placed her hand on the cave wall, "This was carved by something."

"Yeah..." Aang agreed as he looked around, "Look at the shape."

"There's something buzzing in here." Toph said as she shifted her sightless gaze down to her feet then she looked back at her friends, "Something that's coming for us!"

The four run out of the cave as fast as they can, Toph and Aang screaming as buzzard-wasp emerged from the tunnel they had just run out of. Aang yanked Toph down as it flew over their heads and a second buzzard-wasp appeared.

More buzzard-wasps began to emerge from the cave, cawing and screeching as they surrounded the four teens and lemur. One buzzard-wasp dove forward but Aang swung his staff and blasted it away with a strong current of air. A second wasp landed on a nearby rock and Toph spun around, bending up a rock from underneath it as soon as it touched the ground.

Another buzzard-wasp flew between Toph and Sokka, the blind girl lifting up the rock beside her then throwing in the general direction of the sound the buzzard-wasp made, but she missed, the giant rock only inches away from crushing Sokka.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded in surprise as he turned to face the Earthbender, "That rock almost crushed me!"

"Sorry, I can't tell where they are in the air!" Toph retorted as another passed between her and Sokka.

"I got this one." Sokka called out as he readied his machete and he chased after the wasp then he began swinging his weapon back-and-forth at nothing.

"Sokka, there's nothing there!" Katara shouted in exasperation.

Sokka lowered his machete and looked around in search of the buzzard-wasp he thought he had been chasing.

"I guess my head's not as clear as I thought." The Water Tribe boy muttered sheepishly.

"We have to get out of here." Katara said as she backed up a few steps towards Aang, looking around at the numerous buzzard-wasps flying around her and her friends.

Momo suddenly screeched loudly and Aang spun around just in time to see a wasp grab the lemur.

"Momo!" Aang shouted as the buzzard-wasp began flying away from hive, "I'm not losing anyone else out here!"

Full of anger, Aang took after the wasp on his glider, leaving Katara and Sokka to watch him go with trepidation.

"Come on, we're going down." Katara stated as she grabbed Toph's hand and began to descend along a narrow ledge.

Katara suddenly stopped Toph and put her hands on her shoulders, turning slightly in the direction of an incoming wasp.

"Toph, shoot a rock right there." Katara instructed then waited a moment for the wasp to get closer, "Fire!"

Toph quickly kicked up some rocks and shot them forward, hitting the incoming wasp in the head.

"Yeah! You got it!" Sokka cheered and swung his machete in the air then looked at his sister, "She got it, right?"

"Yes." Katara replied and began tugging Toph along down the narrow ledge, "Now let's move."

Aang chased after the buzzard-wasp that took Momo, a grave expression casting a shadow on his face as he flew closer. He dove suddenly then flew upward again straight underneath the wasp then he flipped over so he was facing the underside of the wasp, directing a strong gust of air at the wasp with a kick of his leg as he turned. The gust forced the wasp to release Momo, and the lemur tumbled towards the ground, but managed to regain control and he began soaring next to Aang, who had righted himself.

Aang looked at Momo then towards the rising sun on the horizon. An angry glare appeared on his face when he saw the wasp was getting away and he glided downward, flying close to the ground. Without thinking, Aang used the speed of his descent and closed his glider, swinging his staff down in the same motion. A powerful wall of air splits the sand and raced towards the escaping buzzard-wasp, striking the creature a moment later, severing its head from its body. The motionless body crashed to the ground with a loud thud and Aang just glared at the downed wasp before turning and walking back towards the giant rock. Momo looked from the downed wasp to Aang then began crawling after the Airbender with his ears pinned to his head, frightened by the sudden merciless outburst of power he had just witnessed.

Katara and Sokka stood behind Toph at the bottom of the giant rock, with Katara looking over the blind girl's shoulder and acting as her eyes while the buzzard-wasps continued to circle around them.

"On your left!" Katara called out and Toph reacted immediately, shooting a rock to her left.

The buzzard-wasp took the rook straight in the chest and it shrieked on impact before tumbling to the ground. More buzzard-wasps hovered in the air around the three and were about to attack when gigantic pillars of sand suddenly rose from the ground and scared the swarm off.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph tossed their arms over their head to shield their eyes from the sand then lowered them a few moments later. As the sand around them cleared, the trio's eyes widened when they saw several Sandbenders. Aang landed in front of Katara, Sokka, and Toph a moment later and he narrowed his eyes at them angrily.

Xiaodan placed a hand over her mouth the cover a yawn, her eyelids dropping slightly as sat cross-legged on the ground across from Zuko, who was still leaning against the table with his head bowed, fast asleep. The backdoor in the flower shop suddenly opened with a squeak, startling both teens with the noise. Zuko took on a defensive stance as his uncle stepped through the door while Xiaodan merely Airbended herself to her feet, her staff held loosely in her hand.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked as he looked around then straightened, "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of." Iroh replied serenely as he turned and bowed to Fung, "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

"Ba Sing Se?" Xiaodan questioned, tilting her head curiously at Iroh as she leaned against her staff.

"Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Zuko asked in confusion and Iroh smiled at the two teens.

"The city is filled with refugees." Fung explained calmly, "No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation." Iroh added them shrugged his shoulders happily, "Even I couldn't break through to the city."

Xiaodan quirked a brow at the older man, "There's a story that I wouldn't mind listening to."

"Perhaps another time, Xia." Iroh replied with a smile and the white-haired girl nodded.

The four were distracted when the sound of a bell signaled someone entering the shop and the four turned to watch as a young man approached them, a couple papers in his hands.

"I have the passports for the guests," The man said then he gestured towards the door, "But there are two men out on the street looking for them."

Iroh, Zuko, and Xiaodan peered through the small window on the front door and stared at Xin Fu and Yu.

"You seen these guys?" Xin Fu demanded as he held up a wanted poster to a man walking by.

The trio looked at each other, unsure what to do about the two Earthbenders looking for them.

"What are you doing in our land with a Sandbender sailer?" The leader of the Sandbenders demanded as he confronted Aang and his friends, "From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe."

"We found the sailer abandoned in the desert." Katara replied calmly then she gestured towards Aang, "We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se."

The leader's eyes widened slightly and he looked at Aang carefully while a young man to the leader's right stepped forward and aggressively addressed Katara.

"You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stole sand-sailer?" The young man snarled, causing Toph's blind eyes to narrow when she heard the young man's voice.

"Quiet, Ghashiun." The leader snapped at the young man, "No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality."

"Sorry, father." Ghashiun apologized as he stepped back, though his eyes flickered towards the four teens.

Toph's eyes widened and she turned her head slightly towards her friends.

"I recognize the son's voice." The blind Earthbender said, her tone becoming angry, "He's the one that stole Appa."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked quietly, wanting to be absolutely positive.

"I never forget a voice." Toph replied with conviction and that was all Aang needed.

The young Airbender charged forward and brandished his staff threateningly towards Ghashiun.

"You stole Appa!" Aang shouted furiously, "Where is he? What did you do to him!?"

"They're lying!" Ghashiun exclaimed hurriedly as he cowered back, "They're the thieves!"

Aang growled angrily and spun around, slamming his staff on the ground and obliterating one of the Sandbender's sailers with a powerful blade of air.

"Where is my bison?" Aang practically roared with an enraged expression on his face and the Sandbenders cowered away from him.

A young man exited the flower shop, pulling two large flowerpots on a wooden wagon behind him. Xin Fu and Yu watched him leave then they walked towards the door, the wrestler slamming it open with such ferocity that an overhanging plant came crashing down. Xin Fu shoved the banished Fire Nation prince's and his uncle's wanted posted under the florist's nose aggressively.

"Hey, you, where are these men?" Xin Fu demanded harshly, "I got a tip that they're in your shop."

"As you can see, no one is here but us." The florist replied calmly as he gestured around him with his hands.

"We know all about your secret back room." Yu stated with a smirk then he looked over at Xin Fu, "Kick it down."

Xin Fu charged at the door in the back like an enraged rhino and he kicked it down, along with surrounding wall.

"Hey!" The florist protested as the two Earthbenders walked into the circular room, "That room is for flowers only!"

Yu looked around the room then spotted a Pai Sho tile on the ground in the middle of the room.

"Some unlucky soul has an incompletely Pai Sho set." Yu commented idly as he looked at the lotus tile in his hand.

Xin Fu growled angrily and knocked it out of the other man's hand with a swipe of his own hand.

"Let's go back to the finding the girl." The wrestler barked and stormed out of the flower shop, Yu trailing after him quietly.

The florist's apprentice pulled the wooden wagon with the two large flowerpots over some sand dunes outside of the village. Iroh's head emerged from underneath the flowers in one of the pots while Zuko's and Xiaodan's heads emerged from under the flower of the second pot. The three briefly peek around them then sank back into their pots.

Xiaodan bit her lip to keep from laughing as she tried to keep from pressing to closely to Zuko while they shared a flowerpot, a faint blush appearing on her face since she was being forced to practically sit in his lap.

"We're never going to speak of this." The white-haired girl commented quietly as she leaned as far from the scarred teen as she could in the cramped space.

"Agreed..." Zuko mumbled back, his eyes shut tight in an attempt to ignore the female Airbender.

"You tell me where he is now!" Aang ordered furiously as his lips curled into a snarl as he destroyed another sailer with a strong blast of air, the Sandbenders staring in shock as it blew up.

"What did you do?" The leader, Sha-Mo, demanded as he looked at his son.

"I-it wasn't me!" Ghashiun stuttered in denial, holding his hands up in front of him.

"You said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph shouted back as she pointed in Ghashiun's direction.

"You muzzled Appa?!" Aang roared furiously and his eyes and arrow tattoos began to glow, his anger triggering the Avatar State.

The furious young Avatar swung his staff again and destroyed the last of the Sandbenders' sailers.

"I'm sorry!" Ghashiun cried out in terror as Aang spun around to face him, "I didn't know that it belonged to the Avatar!"

"Tell me where Appa is!" Aang screamed, his voice echoing with the voice of all the Avatars.

"I traded him! To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were gong to sell him there!" Ghashiun exclaimed in fear as he and the other Sandbenders raised their hands as if to ward off the Avatar's bright, angry glare, "Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help you however we can!"

The wind around Aang began to swirl around him violently as his anger reached its peak. Sokka's eyes widened and he grabbed Toph and Momo, pulling them after him as he ran away from his enraged friend.

"Just get out of here!" Sokka shouted at the terrified Sandbenders, "Run!"

Aang's staff fell to the ground and the wind around him formed a fast moving sphere that kicked up sand high in to the air. Everyone began to run away but Katara, who remained standing where she was, staring sadly at the ground. The sandstorm engulfed her and Aang completely, obscuring them Sokka, Toph's, and the Sandbenders' sights and they braced themselves as the whirlwind swooped over them.

Katara slowly lifted her head, her eyes narrowed slightly to keep the sand out of her eyes. She stared at the sphere of air slowly lifted Aang to in the air, his teeth clenched and his hands fisted at his side with rage. Katara knew what she had to do and she prayed it would work, since every other time Aang had gone into the Avatar State, Xiaodan had been there to help calm him down. The dark-haired took a small but deep breath then made her way towards Aang with slow, determined steps. She reached out and grabbed his right arm, preventing him from rising into the air any further and she didn't flinch when the terrible face of an outraged Avatar Aang looked down at her.

Katara stared back at him with a sad, sincere expression on her face then she began pulling him back to the ground, pressing him close to her chest once his feet touched the ground. She held him tightly to her and the wind began to become less and less violent, Sokka and Toph lowering their arms slowly as the wind died down. Tears streamed down Aang's cheeks, his eyes still glower brightly as Katara held him even tighter as her own eyes began to well up with tears. The air sphere surrounding Aang and Katara slowly dissolved away as Aang left the Avatar State, his rage subsiding to make room for the pure, heartbreaking sadness he felt.

Xiaodan straightened slightly from her slouched position in the flowerpot, her brow furrowing as she lifted her hand up and pressed it to her chest. She bowed her head slightly as she rubbed at her chest, her lips pursing as she thought about the suddenly, inexplicable, and brief flash of sadness she felt.

'Aang...' She thought quietly then closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the flowerpot, 'Please be okay, little brother...'

Xiaodan was so distracted with her thoughts, she didn't even notice the curious look Zuko was giving her.