Katara walked back into the camp with an armload of firewood in her arms, a frown appearing on her face when she noticed Sokka climbing out of the now set up tent.

"Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at her brother.

"Right, got it." Sokka stated and tossed the rolled up tarp into the tent.

"Sokka, you're supposed to put the tarp on top of the tent." Katara explained exasperatedly, then looked up at the sky, "You know so we don't get rained on?"

"Ordinarily, you'd be right," Sokka agreed then gestured to the clear sky where the sun was beginning to set, "But seeing as how it's the dry season, you're not. Besides that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."

"But what if it does rain?" Katara persisted as her faced scrunched up in irritation.

"What it doesn't?" Sokka retorted and kneeled down to fix one of the ties holding the tent to the ground, "Then I would have put the tarp up for nothing."

Katara growled and stomped her foot in frustration, "You're infuriating!"

"Katara, why don't you worry about gathering firewood," Sokka snapped, turning to glare at his sister then he looked at the small pile of wood in her arms condescendingly, "because that kindling is looking pretty sorry."

"We'll if you don't like my firewood-" Katara shouted, not bothering to finish as tossed the kindling at Sokka who cringed back then jumped to his feet.

"Fine by me, if you're not gonna do you job-" Sokka yelled right back, not bothering to finish his sentence either as he tore the tent down.

The two siblings glared heatedly at each other as Aang approached, some berries in his arms.

"Okay, I got the grub if you guys got the-" Aang broke off when he saw the two siblings glaring at each other in front of the flattened tent before they both turned their backs on one another and crossed their arms, "Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?"

"Why don't you ask Miss Know-It-All, Queen of the Twigs." Sokka snarked and Katara whirled around angrily.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're Mister Lazy Bum, King of the-" She paused in the middle of her insult to grab a stick from the ground and throw it at Sokka, hitting him in the back of the head, "Tens!"

Sokka spun around and glared at his sister furiously and Aang laughed slightly and shook his head in amusement, suddenly feeling glad he and Xia had never really acted like Katara and Sokka did.

"Okay, listen guys," Aang stated calmly as he placed the berries on the ground and looked between the siblings, "Harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"

"Sounds good." Katara agreed at the same time Sokka muttered, "Whatever."

"You see that?" Aang asked proudly as Katara bent to fix the tent and Sokka began picking up the sticks from the ground, "Settling feuds and making peace, all in a day's work for the Avatar."

The young Airbender turned his head slightly when he heard his lemur chattering loudly and he saw Momo and Appa fighting over a watermelon. Momo continuously tried to fly away with it, but Appa kept it pinned to the ground with one toe until Momo walked away with his shoulders slumped in defeat and Appa released the melon, about to eat it when the conniving lemur snatched it off his tongue and darted away, only to run into Aang. Smiling slightly, Aang picked up the melon and tossed it into the air, using Airbending to slice it.

Momo chattered annoyance at Aang when he got the smile piece while up quickly ate the larger slice.

"Come on, Momo, that's fair." Aang chided gently, looking down at the petulant lemur with his hands on his hips, "Appa's got five stomachs."

"Again!" Zuko barked as he and Jee, his lieutenant, practiced Firebending on the top deck.

"Is he always so..." Xiaodan trailed off as she waved her hand at Zuko, gesturing at the prince's whole self and quirked an eyebrow at Iroh who was standing next to her, "If he keeps up all that yelling his head might actually expl-AH!"

The white-haired girl shrieked and leapt into the air, dodging the wayward fireball that had almost hit her in the face.

"You did that on purpose, you jerk!" Xiaodan yelled angrily as she landed lightly on her feet, her loose dark orange and gold tunic fluttering around her body as the air around her died down.

"Oops." Zuko sneered at her and returned to his practice, turning his back on the silently fuming white-haired girl.

Xiaodan growled lowly, clenching her fists and glaring at the banished prince's back angrily before a sudden idea came to her and a sly smile appeared on her tanned face, her body relaxing.

"Xia..." Iroh said warningly as he watched the deceptively relaxed girl warily.

"Iroh," The white-haired girl drawled slowly as took three steps towards the still practicing Zuko, "I'm about to do something incredible foolish."

"Then I would recommend that you don't do whatever it is you are about to do." Iroh replied sagely and stroked his beard.

"Too late." Xiaodan murmured then swung her arm to swung her arm, sending a small gust of wind at the unsuspecting prince and knocking him onto his face.

Iroh's and the rest of the crew's eyes widened, watching with bated breath as the scarred prince pushed himself to his feet and turned to face the cheeky looking white-haired girl standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest with murderous intent in his gold eyes.

"Oops." Xiaodan quipped, uncrossing her arms and shifting to the balls of her feet while keeping her mocking molten orange eyes on the fuming prince.

"Arg!" He roared and swung his foot, hurling a crescent of flames at Xiaodan.

The white-haired girl bent herself backwards, the fire passing harmlessly over her body, then pushed her hands against the deck and executed a seamless backflip into the air just into to leap over another blast of fire.

Xiaodan leaped and twirled circles around Zuko as he continued to punch and kick fire at her, the cheeky smile never leaving her lips.

"That all you got, Firebug?" She taunted as she landed back on the top deck a foot or so from him when he paused in his attacks only for her eyes to widen when Zuko lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

The banished prince yanked the pale-haired Airbender towards him, twisting her around so her back was to his chest with her arm pinned between them while put her in a chokehold with his free arm.

"Is that the best you can do?" He hissed mockingly into her ear, "Avoid and evade like a coward? You Airbenders are pathetic and weak."

Xiaodan's mind raced as she tried to think of a way to get out of her current situation. This was not what she had planned on happening when she had goaded him into attacking her. She had stupidly not taking into account that Firebending might not be his only way of fighting and now she was paying for it. Xiaodan's eyes narrowed when an idea came to her. It went practically everything Gyatso and the other monks had taught her, not to mention that she was going to be so sore afterwards.

"Coward, huh?" She muttered and shut her eyes, sending a silent apologize to Gyatso's spirit as she prepared for what she was about to do.

Zuko had no time to process her words or even prepare himself for her attack when she suddenly hooked her foot around his ankle and with the help of Airbending, jerked his leg out from under him, sending the both to the metal deck.

The air rushed out of Zuko's lungs in a harsh gasp as he hit the deck and the white-haired girl landed on top him, his grip on her arm and neck loosening enough for her to break free. As soon as she was free, Xiaodan rolled to the side and off the stunned prince. Jumping lithely to her feet, the white-haired girl back away and looked down at the winded young man with wary orange eyes, her hands raised defensively in front of her. Her back stung slightly from landed on his surprisingly firm body, though probably not as much as Zuko's did from landing on the metal deck.

Xiaodan allowed a small smile to quirk the corner of her lips as she watched Zuko get to his feet. His face was pinched and his gold eyes blazed with fury as he turned to face the young woman. He looked like he was about to murder her, and truth be told, Xiaodan wouldn't be surprised if he tried. It seemed like something the angry prince would do to someone who humiliated him like she just did.

Xiaodan shifted on her feet, preparing for the prince's attack and the two began to circle each other guardedly as they moved seamlessly into their bending stances, their eyes locked as they waited for the other to make the first move. They moved at the same time, Xiaodan sending a blade of air at the prince at the same time Zuko sent a crescent of fire at her. The two elemental blades met and exploded, knocking both benders onto their backsides.

"Enough."

Iroh's voice rang out and the two froze in place as they were getting to their feet, Xiaodan on her knees and Zuko in a kneeling position with one hand on the metal deck. The older man walked forward and stood in the space between the two. Iroh smiled and clapped his hands together, looking between the two teens.

"Very well done, Prince Zuko, Miss Xia." He praised, still smiling serenely, with his eyes closed, "Now how about some tea and lunch?"

Zuko palmed his face with a groan and Xiaodan gave Iroh a strange look before giggling quietly. She wondered briefly how he and the grumpy, overly aggressive prince were related as she got to her feet the rest of the way.

"There it is, guys," Aang said with a grin as he gestured to the massive canyon in front of them, "The Great Divide."

"Wow..." Katara whispered in awe as she stared at the canyon, "I could just stare at it forever."

Sokka stared at the canyon for a moment then spun around, "Okay, I've seen enough."

"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka?" Katara demanded, turning to look at her brother in surprise, "This is the largest canyon in the entire world."

"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly from the air while we fly away." Sokka retorted as he tightened Appa's reins then pointed to the air only to pinwheel his arms to keep his balance when someone shoved him from behind.

"Hey, if you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!" A man in yellow and robes with a pack on his back exclaimed as he speed-walked over to where Katara and Aang were standing.

"Ooh, canyon guide?" Katara questioned excitedly, clasping her hands under her chin, "Sounds informative."

"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide, he's an Earthbender." The man said, his tone snooty and completely oblivious to the fact that Sokka was mocking him from behind, "And the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help, and he's taking mytribe across next."

"Calm down," Sokka drawled with a small smirk as he walked over to his sister and Aang, "We know you're next."

The man glared and pointed his finger at the flippant Water Tribe boy, "You wouldn't be so calm is the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee! My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se."

"You're a refugee!" Katara gasped, her tone sympathetic.

"Huh, tell me something I don't know." The man scoffed, looking off to the side.

Aang and Katara shared a look when their attention was pulled to the path where a large group of people were walking towards them.

"Is that your tribe?" Katara asked with a slight smile on her tanned face.

"It most certain is not!" The man denied angrily, "That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years."

The man whistled at the other tribe as they drew closer, "Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think about stealing it!"

A robust woman dressed in animal skins with a large sword strapped to her back sneered at the man as she loomed over him, "Where are the rest of Gan Jin? Still tidying up their camp site?"

"Yes," The man snapped back as he leaned away from the woman, "But they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."

"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations." Zhang leader mocked and crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk on her face.

"Ha, of course you didn't!" The man scoffed as he glared at the Zhangs in distaste, "That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang. So unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey."

Katara, Aang, and Sokka looked at each other from their spot off to the side, watching at the Zhang tribe members shouted in protest at the Gan Jin man's words. Katara and Aang shared a worried look but were distracted when a large pile of rocks behind them was levitated up and away, revealing an old man with a bushy white mustache and wearing dirty and stained Earth Kingdom garb.

"Sorry about the wait, youngsters." The old man, obviously the canyon guide said as he gestured towards the now open entrance to The Great Divide, "Now, who's ready to cross this here canyon."

"Uh," Katara stuttered then gestured to the Gan Jin man and the Zhang tribe, "One of them, I think."

The Gan Jin man rushed forward suddenly, "I was here first! My party's on their way."

The canyon guide cocked an eyebrow and looked at the yellow and white robed man, "I can't guide people who aren't here."

"Guess, you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow." The Zhang tribe leader jeered with a smirk as she walked past the fuming man and the three teens.

The Gan Jin man glared at her then he noticed his tribe coming towards them and he pointed excitedly.

"Wait, here they come!"

Katara, Aang, and Sokka watched as a group of clean, finely dressed people, the complete opposite of the dirty, animal-skin wearing Zhangs, walked towards the canyon guide.

"You're not seriously gonna cave into these spoiled Gan Jins?" The Zhang leader demanded, looking at the canyon guide through narrowed eyes, "I mean we're refugees too! And we've got sick people that need shelter!"

"I...uh...well..." the canyon guide stuttered, giving the large woman a wary look as he held his hands up in front of him.

"We've got old people who are weary from traveling!" The Gan Jin man from before retorted from his spot standing next to an older, finely dressed man who was obviously the Gan Jin tribe's leader.

"Sick people get priority over old people!" The Zhang leader snapped back.

"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people of you weren't such slobs." The Gan Jin leader countered right back.

"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, you wouldn't live to be so old!"

Off to the side and standing next to Appa, Katara, Aang, and Sokka watched the two tribes argue.

"Well Aang," Katara stated, looking over to the younger boy, "You ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?"

"I don't know," Aang said unsurely, "A fight over chores is one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years."

"You can do it, think about what Xia would do." Katara said encouragingly then stepped forward, raising her voice to be heard over the two arguing tribes, "Everybody listen up! This is the Avatar, and if you give him a change, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy."

"Uh..." Aang faltered as the two tribes turned to look at him then he took a deep breath, thinking about how Xia would tell him to follow his gut in this situation, "You could share the Earthbender and travel together?"

"Absolutely not!" the Gan Jin leader protested instantly with an outraged look on his face, "We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves!"

"We wouldn't travel with those pompous fools anyway!" The Zhang leader growled as she pointed at the Gan Jin leader and the two tribes began to argue and shout at each other again.

Aang looked between the two tribes for a moment before trying to channel his inner Xiaodan, who was probably one of the least pacifistic Airbenders at the Southern Air Temple.

"Alright!" Aang shouted, grabbing the attention of the two tribes and the Water Tribe siblings, "Here's the deal, you're all going down together and Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across. Does that seem fair?"

The two very different tribe leaders glared at each other then looked back at Aang, nodding their heads in agreement. Aang breathed a sigh of relief and mentally thanks his sister and her sometimes brash personality.

"Sorry, Appa, you'll have to do this on your own." Aang apologized to the large bison as he rubbed his head after the two tribes' sick and elderly had been helped into Appa's saddle.

"Aang, this feuding tribe stuff is serious business." Sokka commented as he walked over to where the Airbender and his sister were standing in front of the bison, "Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved in this?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure." Aang stated with a huge grin, "But when have I ever been? Besides, Xia would have wanted to help them anyway."

"He's the Avatar, Sokka," Katara piped in, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "Making peace between people is his job."

"His job's gonna make us cross this whole canyon on foot isn't it?" Sokka asked glumly with his shoulders slumped sadly.

Aang just smiled then looked over when the canyon guide began speaking, his voice raised so all of them could hear him.

"Okay, now comes the bad news." The canyon guide called out, "No food allowed in the canyon, it attracts dangerous predators."

Both tribes cried out in protest but the canyon guide gave them a stern look that silenced them, his hands on his hips.

"Aw, you babies can't go a day without food?" He asked sarcastically then Earthbender a pillar of rock up underneath his feet, "Would you rather be hungry, or dead? Now, we're heading down in ten minutes. All food better be in your gut or in the garbage!"

The Zhang tribe began to shovel food into their mouths quickly while the Gan Jins ate their food slowly with chopsticks. Aang blinked then jumped onto Appa's head, addressing the sick and elderly members of both tribes.

"Appa's going to take good care of you 'till we get there." He said then jumped down and spoke to the bison, "See you on the other side, buddy! Yip-yip!"

Appa roared and took off into the sky with the sick and elderly, heading across the canyon.

Xiaodan sipped the jasmine tea Iroh had served, her orange eyes warily watching Zuko sitting across from her over the rip of the teacup. Iroh had forced both teens to sit down and eat lunch with him. The prince was glaring at her from across the table, his clenched fists resting on the table top and untouched cup of tea steaming by his left fist.

"You really should drink your tea, Prince Zuko," Iroh advised serenely from the head of the low table, "Before it gets cold."

"I don't want any tea, Uncle!" Zuko snapped, tearing his burning golden gaze away from Xiaodan to glare at his uncle, "I need to capture the Avatar!"

Xiaodan scowled and flicked a piece of fruit at the prince, pinging him in the head with it then smiled innocently and took a sip of her tea when he turned his head to glower at her.

"You irritating, obnoxious, disrespectful-"

"Prince Zuko." Iroh chided gently, cutting the prince off mid-insult and he gave his nephew a reproving look.

"I've had enough of this!" Zuko growled and jumped to his feet, stomping out of the room they had been dining in a fit of anger.

Xiaodan watched the scarred prince storm away then looked back at Iroh who was sipping calmly at his cup of tea.

"He really needs to learn to lighten up before his little firebug head explodes."

Iroh made a noise of amused agreement around the bite of fish he had just put in his mouth. Xiaodan smiled slightly and started in on the fruit and vegetables on her plate.

"Okay, everyone stand clear of the wall." The canyon guide called out after he, the two tribes, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had reached the bottom of the canyon next to a large boulder.

The large group watched as the canyon guide Earthbended the large boulder up into the air and launched it at the bridge he had made on their way down to the canyon floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Aang asked curiously, ignoring the wall of dirt behind the Earthbender.

"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they?" The canyon guide asked rhetorically as he dusted his hands off, "Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now."

The canyon guide screamed suddenly when a large creature hiding in the cloud of dirt suddenly snatched him up. Aang scowled slightly and swung his staff, clearing the cloud of dirt with Airbending which revealed a large creature holding the guide by the back of his shirt in its mouth.

"We gotta help him!" Sokka shouted as he rushed forward and threw his boomerang, hitting the monster in the head.

The creature tossed the canyon guide away and began chasing after Sokka.

"Okay, now we gotta help me!" Sokka screamed as he ran up then down a small hill just as Katara raced towards him.

The dark-haired girl pulled water from her canteen and smacked the creature in the face with the water whip. The creature snarled and snapped his long jaws at her, causing Katara to lunge to the side with a cry. Aang suddenly dropped down in front of the creature and slammed his staff down lengthwise, knocking the creature back with a strong blast of air.

The creature got to its feet and started to charge towards Aang, but the young Airbender pointed his staff at the creature and began to twirl it around until a large funnel was created and began spinning the creature in around. Aang continued to spin the creature then pulled up the funnel of air with the creature still trapped at the end of the funnel and bashed the creature against the canyon wall. The air funnel dissipated and the group watched as the creature disappeared into a crevice in the canyon wall.

"What was that?" Aang asked as he turned to look at the canyon guide lying on the ground where the monster had thrown him with Katara gently holding his arms.

"Canyon crawler." The guide replied then groaned in pain, "And there's sure to be more!"

"Your arms," Katara gasped as she looked at the canyon guide's arms, "They're broken!"

"Without my arms, I got no bending," The Earthbender groaned, his head tossing about, "In other words-"

"We're trapped in this canyon..." Aang finished with wide eyes.

"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers." Sokka complained as Katara splinted the canyon guide's arms to the best of her abilities.

"It's the Zhangs!" The Gan Jin leader accused, pointing at the other tribe, "They took food down here even after the canyon guide told them not to!"

"What?!" The Zhang leader snapped angrily, "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan Jins!"

"I hope you happy." The Gan Jin leader continued harshly, "We're stuck in this canyon with no way out."

"Why don't you thank yourself, food hider?" The Zhang leader retorted, her tone just as harsh.

"Look, sticking together is the only way to-" Aang started in an attempt to pacify the two tribes but was cut off.

"I'm not walking another step with the likes of them!" The Zhang leader snarled aggressively.

"Now that's something we can agree on." The Gan Jin leader sneered as he crossed his arms.

Aang sighed and turned to look at the canyon guide, "Any ideas?"

"No bending...we need to get out of this canyon..." The canyon guide mumbled, practically delusional with fear, "I won't die down here! I won't become part of the food chain!"

"See!" The Gan Jin leader exclaimed as he pointed at the Zhangs, "We're going to become part of the food chain because of you!"

"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do!" The Zhang leader growled, furious at the Gan Jin's accusations.

"Gladly." The Gan Jin leader said smugly.

"Enough!" Aang shouted angrily, a strong gust of wind grabbing the two tribes' attentions before dying down, "I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen."

Aang jumped onto a tall rock that split the path out of The Great Divide in half.

"We should split up, Gan Jins on this side," Aang called out, pointing to one side of the tall rock with his staff then the other side, "And Zhangs on that side. We'll travel in two separate lines."

The two tribe leaders nodded at each other with a glare then began walking down their individual paths. Aang jumped down and landed in front of the two Water Tribe siblings.

"Sokka, you go with the Zhangs and Katara, you go with the Gan Jins." He stated as Momo landed on his shoulder, "See if you can find out why they hate each other so much."

Katara and Sokka nodded in agreement then split up, both heading towards the tribe assigned to them while Aang helped the canyon guide to his feet.

"So, you guys aren't going to put up your tarps?" Sokka asked the Zhang leader after they had stopped to make camp when the sun began to set.

"What for? It's the dry season." The robust woman replied matter-of-factly with a slight smirk as finished setting up her tent.

"Exactly!" Sokka exclaimed, tossing his hands in the air.

"Besides," The Zhang leader continued, looking over her shoulder at Sokka, "We like to use the tarp as a blanket."

"Finally, someone gets it!" Sokka sighed happily, a smile on his face.

"You really think it'll rain?" Katara questioned, looking at the Gan Jin leader curiously after seeing two of tribe members set up the tarp over their tent.

"No," The Gan Jin leader replied, "but you can never be too careful."

Katara up at the older man happily and nodded her head in agreement.

Katara sat around the Gan Jin camp fire and looked around briefly before straighten her back when she saw how perfect the tribe's posture was. She saw the Gan Jin leader glance over his shoulder at the Zhang campfire yards away then he pulled a piece of bread out his sleeve. Katara gasped in surprise and looked around, seeing all the other tribe members doing the same thing.

"Would you care for some bread, Katara?" The Gan Jin leader asked politely, holding out a piece of bread.

"So it was you guys who had food!" Katara stated, looking at him in shock.

"Oh come now, you really think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food?" The Gan Jin asked rhetorically as he looked over at the other camp then back at Katara, "Why should my people go hungry when the sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?"

Katara hesitated a moment then nodded.

"Well, I guess it's okay if everyone's doing it." She stated, taking the offered bread and taking a bite, "So, why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?"

"You seem like a smart girl, Katara, I bet you would enjoy hearing some history." The Gan Jin leader said then began to explain, "The patriarch of our tribe, Jin Wei, was an Earthbender warrior who was assigned an important duty; transporting our sacred orb from the great eastern gate to the great western gate. Taking the orb from the east to the west represents the sun's rising and setting. It was our tribe's ancient redemption ritual. But as he approached the gate, Jin Wei was attacked by one of the Zhang, a vermin named Wei Jin, who looked at the orb with envy. That coward Wei Jin knocked Jin Wei to the ground, and stole our sacred orb."

The Gan Jin's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Our people have never forgotten. You can never trust a Zhang."

Katara's face pinched into a scowl and she glared over her shoulder at the Zhang camp where her brother was.

"Care for some meat?" The Zhang leader asked, holding out the leg of meat that she had just pulled out of a back to Sokka as she and her tribe sat around the fire.

"Would I!" Sokka exclaimed, taking the meat and tearing into it hungrily.

"I know what you must be thinking, we're horrible for endangering everybody by bringing food down here." The Zhang leader stated, actually sounding a little regretful as she looked at the hungry Water Tribe boy.

"Hm-hmm." Sokka muttered, only half paying attention to the robust woman's words.

"The Gan Jin think so badly of us, they probably assumed we brought food in and decided to bring food in themselves." She explained, "That's why we brought food in."

Sokka made a noise as he continued to eat the meat, watching the Zhang leader as she looked over to the Gan Jin camp with a glower.

"Our conflict with the Gan Jin goes back over a hundred years." She started to explain, her face turning into a scowl, "Our forefather Wei Jin was leaving the western gate of our village, when he saw a figure in the distance. It was a man of the Gan Jin tribe, Jin Wei, collapsed on the ground. Noble Wei Jin stopped to help him. Jin Wei was transporting a sacred orb, a very powerful relic used in his tribe's redemption ritual. Wei Jin tried to tend to the man's wounds but Jin Wei insisted the orb was more important, and asked him to take it back to his tribe. Kind Wei Jin promised to send help for the man as soon as he could, but Wei Jin crossed the border to return the orb into Gan Jin territory, he was arrested. Instead of thanking him for his kind and selfless deed, they sentenced him to twenty long years in prison."

The Zhang leader glowered at the Gan Jin camp then looked over at Sokka, "The Zhangs will never forget that injustice."

"That's terrible." Sokka stated then looked at the piece of meat in the woman's hand, "You gonna finish that?"

The Zhang leader took a large bite of the meat and Sokka pouted, his shoulders slumped sadly.

Sure would be nice to be sitting around one of those campfires, telling stories and laughing. Or at least have Xia here with me." Aang murmured, resting against a rock on a small cliff in the canyon and looking at the two campfires a couple yards away with Momo at his side, "It's okay, Momo, we'll be out of here soon enough, and then we can eat our weight in leechi nuts!"

Momo jumped up into the air and snatched a bug from the air, eating half of it then offering the other half to Aang.

The Airbender grimaced slightly and shook his head, "Nah, I'll wait for the leechi nuts."

"Lonely isn't it," The canyon guide started as he slowly hobbled over to Aang and Momo, "being impartial?"

"I wish I could help these people get along, but it just seems impossible." Aang replied after he had turned to face the injured Earthbender, "Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here."

"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." The canyon guide stated as he sat down beside Aang and leaned his back against the rocks the young Avatar had been leaning on a few moments ago.

Aang looked away sadly as the canyon guide rested his chin against his chest so that his straw hat covered his eyes.

Aang sighed and looked out at the canyon where the two tribes had made camp, "I wish you were here, Xia. You'd know what to do to make these people get along."

Zuko stood on the observation deck attached to the bridge of the command tower and glared down at the top deck of his ship where the annoying Airbender girl was playing Pai Sho with his uncle. He didn't understand how his uncle could stand being around the irritating girl, she was defiant, cheeky, and far too mischievous. If she wasn't pushing his temper's limits, she was refusing to answer his questions about the Avatar's location and where he was headed. It was driving him insane.

"Stupid girl." Zuko growled lowly to himself when he saw her throw her hands up and her cheer of victory at winning another game against his uncle.

"Prince Zuko, we are running low on supplies." Lieutenant Jee reported as he walked onto the observation deck and stood slightly behind the banished prince with his hands clasped behind his back.

Zuko's unscarred eye narrowed and he continued to stare down at the deck, watching as the smart-mouthed girl below began spinning her Pai Sho tiles inside a small sphere of air that spun rapidly between her palms.

"Prince Zuko?"

"Set a course for the nearest harbor." Zuko ordered without looking away from his uncle and his white-haired 'prisoner.'

Lieutenant Jee nodded sharply and turned on his heel to inform the helmsman to change course, leaving the prince to his spying.

Xiaodan laughed happily as she manipulated the air currents and Airbended her Pai Sho tiles around her head after Iroh had asked her to demonstrate her bending for him.

"That is most impressive, Miss Xia." Iroh praised, watching the pieces twirl through the air in admiration, "Most impressive indeed."

Xiaodan smiled and brought the Pai Sho tiles back around her head, letting the hang in front of her face for a moment before they dropped into her waiting palm.

"Thank you, Iroh." She said modestly, with a slight bow of her head, "Monk Gyatso taught me how to do that when I was first learning how to play Pai Sho. He said it would make the learning experience more fun."

"Was he right?" Iroh questioned, genuinely curious about the young woman's life before the War.

"Of course." The white-haired girl stated, smiling softly as she reminisced about her guardian, "It was rare for Monk Gyatso to be wrong about anything, especially when it involved teaching and fun."

Iroh smiled serenely at her, "He sound like a very wise man."

"Yes, he was." Xiaodan murmured in agreement, bowing her head slightly, "He passed on much of his wisdom to Aang and me, although I was often too hardheaded to see that. I miss him very much."

Iroh gently touched the young woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance before pulling away and started to arrange his Pai Sho tiles.

"How about another round of Pai Sho?" He asked, expertly changing the subject, "Perhaps this time I will beat you."

Xiaodan smiled, thankful for Iroh's kindness and compassion, something that reminded her a lot of Monk Gyatso which was probably the reason she got along so well with him.

"In your dreams, old man."

"All clear," The canyon guide called out to the two tribes from the rock formation he and Aang were walking on above the two tribes, "We're almost to the other side."

Aang jumped down from the rock formation and landed between the two siblings while the Gan Jin and the Zhangs walked past them.

"Katara, Sokka, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" He asked almost desperately.

"I don't think so, Aang." Katara replied, giving the Zhang tribe a distrusting side glance, "The Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb."

"What are you talking about?" Aang asked, looking at the dark-haired girl confusion.

"Yeah Katara, what are you talking about?" Sokka demanded from Aang's other side, "Wei Jin didn't steal the orb, he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."

"Not punished enough if you ask me." Katara retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her brother a dirty look.

"Okay, okay I get it!" Aang exclaimed exasperatedly over Sokka's frustrated growls, "Now, I need your help, let's get everyone together at the base of the canyon wall."

He took off on his glider, heading towards the base of the canyon wall where he landed between the two tribes.

"Please everyone, as soon as we get out of here we can eat and then go our separate ways, but I need you all to put your heads together and figure a way up this cliff." Aang called out, silencing the tribes' grumblings.

"Maybe the Zhangs could climb the wall with their long disgusting fingernails." The Gan Jin leader taunted harshly.

"Oh sorry," The Zhang leader apologized sarcastically, "I forgot that to the Gan Jin unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail!"

"Why, you dirty thief!"

"You pompous fool!"

Aang looked back-and-forth between the two tribes indecisively as they began to argue loudly with each other, along with Katara and Sokka.

'Think like Xia.' Aang thought to himself then took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

"Guys, focus! How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, action will!"

"Perhaps the Avatar is right." The Zhang leader mused, looking towards the Gan Jin leader.

"Yes, perhaps he is." The Gan Jin leader agreed slowly and Aang grinned happily.

"Harsh words will never solve our problems." The Zhang leader stated coldly.

"Action will!" The Gan Jin leader finished and both tribe leaders pulled out their swords.

Their swords clashed together, the metal clanging loudly and Aang yelped in surprise since the weapons had hit each other only a foot or so in front of him.

"To the death!" The Gan Jin leader exclaimed as he and Zhang leader pulled apart, "And let this be the end of this rivalry!'

"You know, I take it back!" Aang stated worriedly as he gestured wildly with one hand, "Harsh words aren't so bad!"

The Zhang leader and the Gan Jin leader ignored him and began to fight, slashing and dodging while their tribe watched from the sidelines. The two tribe leaders were evenly matched, getting caught in a brief stalemate before shoving each other away. The Zhang leader smirked when the lower half of the Gan Jin leader's beard fell to the ground before gasping quietly when one of her pigtails fell off a moment later. The two growled and charged towards each other only to get knocked off their feet when Aang blew them apart by slamming his staff down on the ground. The gust of air was so strong that it knocked the rest of the tribe members back a few feet as well, spilling the contents of their packs all over the canyon floor, revealing a large amount of hidden food.

"Is that...food?" Aang asked, staring at the food on the ground in shock before turning angry eyes towards the two tribes, "Everyone smuggled food down here? Unbelievable! You guys put our lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day? You're all awful!"

Aang paused in his rant when he saw a custard tart on the ground and his stomach growled, "So hungry. Is that an egg custard in that tart?"

A noise grabbed his attention and he looked over his shoulder, shouting in surprise when he saw dozens of canyon crawlers coming towards them. The two tribes plus Sokka and Katara cried out in fear and all of them tried to flee. Sokka and Katara dodged behind a large rock, looking at the large amount of canyon crawlers.

"Oh no," Katara gasped as she looked at the creatures, "That's a lot of canyon crawlers."

"We barely survived one!" Sokka squeaked as he pulled out his boomerang.

"They're coming back for me!" The canyon guide cried out as he shuffled backwards, oblivious to the weird looks the Water Tribe siblings were giving him as he past, "They've had a taste and they're coming back for me."

Sokka started to run forward but Katara grabbed his arm.

"Sokka, wait!" She exclaimed as she held him in place until he looked at her then she let his arm go, "I don't care about this stupid feud, I just want us to get out of here alive."

"Me too." Sokka admitted, looking at the ground briefly before giving his sister a slightly sheepish look, "I only took their side 'cause they fed me."

Katara nodded once and the two siblings raced out from behind the rock, running towards where Aang was trying to fend of the canyon crawlers with Airbending, a large pile of them already off to the side slightly.

The canyon crawlers rolled to their feet, shaking their heads and growling then charged towards the two tribes of refugees. Katara, Aang, Sokka, the Gan Jin leader, and the Zhang leader all tried to fend off the crawlers but they were vastly outnumbered and were beginning to lose as more and more canyon crawlers seemed to appear.

Aang twirled his staff above his head and knocked back a couple of crawlers that had surrounded him. He looked around him, seeing how many of the crawlers had the Gan Jins and the Zhangs cornered when he noticed a couple of the canyon crawlers eating the hidden food out of the bags and an idea came to him.

"Everyone!" Aang shouted, catching the two tribes' attentions as he dropped his staff and grabbed one of the bags of food from the ground, "Watch me and do as I do!"

Aang jumped towards a group of the crawlers and tossed a piece of food at one, grabbing its attention and it charged towards him. Aang held the food bag open, the canyon crawler running its snout right into it and Aang flipped over onto its back, using the bags drawstrings as makeshift reins. The two tribes looked at each other then rushed to do as the young Avatar had done, many catching working as a team to catch until everyone was sitting on a canyon crawler.

"Now follow me!" Aang shouted after tying a back of food onto the end of his staff, "We're riding out of this hole!"

Aang waved the large bag of food at the canyon crawlers then turned the crawler he was riding towards the canyon wall, using the food bag as a lure. The canyon crawlers began scaling the wall rapidly, following the scent of food as Aang guided them up the wall until they reached the top.

"Everyone, get off!" Aang yelled, jumping off his canyon crawler and running away as the others jumped off their crawlers and the large creatures began running after him.

"We made it!" The Zhang leader gasped in amazement after she and the Gan Jin leader had jumped off the canyon crawler they had ridden.

As soon as everyone was safely off the canyon crawlers, Aang swung his staff around until the large bag of food flew off back into the canyon, the bag opening so that the food flew through the air and the canyon crawlers followed after it eagerly.

The Zhang leader shook her head in amazement, looking at the Gan Jin leader in surprise, "I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that."

"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch." The Gan Jin leader replied, just as amazed.

"Perhaps we're not so different after all." The Zhang leader stated and the two tribe leaders smiled at each other, causing Aang to sigh in relief.

"Too bad we can't rewrite history. You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei!" the Gan Jin leader said and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the Zhang leader.

"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!" The Zhang leader shouted, drawing her own sword.

Aang groaned then sighed in frustration at the two tribes' persistence to hold onto this feud.

"Wait a second... Jin Wei? Wei Jin?" He mumbled then looked at the two tribe leaders excitedly, "I know those guys!"

"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story." The Gan Jin leader snapped in exasperation.

"No, I mean I really knew them." Aang clarified then began to explain, "I might not look it, but I'm a hundred and twelve years old. I was there one hundred years ago on the day you're talking about. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened. First of all, Jin Wei and Wei Jin weren't enemies. They were brothers, twins in fact, and they were eight, and most importantly they were just playing a game! The sacred orb from the legend that was the ball! And the eastern and western gates were the goal posts. Jin Wei had the ball and was running towards the goal when he fell and fumbled it. Wei Jin didn't steal the ball, he picked it up and started running it toward the other goal, but he stepped out of bounds, so the official put him in the penalty box. Not for twenty long yers, but for two short minutes."

Aang took a deep breath and finished his explanation, "There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison, it was just a game."

"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" the Zhang leader asked skeptically, her eyebrow quirked.

"Nope, just a regular ball." Aang replied with a grin.

"What about our tribe's redemption ritual?" One Gan Jin man asked, peeking around his tribe's leader.

"That's what the game was called, redemption." Aang responded easily, "As soon as you got the ball from one end to the other, everyone would yell 'redemption!'"

The Gan Jin leader and the Zhang leader exchanged doubtfully looks and Aang hurried to assure them.

"Don't get me wrong, Wei Jin was kind of a slob and Jin Wei was a little stuffy, that much is true. But they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."

The two tribe leaders turned to look at each other.

"I suppose it's time we forget the past." The Zhang leader stated and the Gan Jin leader bowed to her.

"And look to the future." He stated and the Zhang leader bowed back.

Aang looked between the two leaders and smiled happily.

Aang hugged Appa's head happily after the sky bison had landed and the sick and elderly had been helped from his sadly.

"Good to see you boy." Aang said with a grin, "Did you miss me?"

Appa opened his mouth and licked Aang with his huge tongue, lifting the young Airbender off his feet slightly just as the Gan Jin leader approached.

"I cannot thank you enough, Avatar." The Gan Jin leader stated gratefully.

"Well, you know, I try." Aang said as he turned around with a sheepish smile and covered in bison slobber.

"Ugh!" The Gan Jin leader recoiled in disgust and walked back to where the two tribes were standing.

"Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capital as one tribe." The Zhang leader called out as she stood in front of the two tribes with the Gan Jin leaders and the two tribes cheered happily then began walking down the path.

"I'm going too!" The canyon guide cried out as he hurried after the now singular tribe, "I'm sick of this place!"

Sokka, Katara, and Aang watched as the tribe walked away then Sokka turned to look at Aang with appreciation.

"That's some luck you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin." He stated with a grin, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You could call it luck." Aang said with a mischievous grin as he turned to face the two Water Tribe siblings, "Or you could call it lying."

"What?" Sokka questioned, completely flabbergasted as he looked at Aang in shock.

"I made the whole thing up."

"You did not." Katara stated in shock, then her tone changed to devilish admiration, "That is so wrong."

"It's what Xia would have done." Aang said with a grin then looked around, "Now where is that egg custard tart? I'm starving!"

Xiaodan sat cross-legged in her cabin on Zuko's ship, her eyes shut and her hands resting on her knees as she meditated. She had been locked in a few hours ago after the ship had docked at a harbor to stock up on supplies. Apparently, Zuko didn't trust her not to escape so she had been locked in her cabin much to Iroh's chagrin.

She had been furious at first and vowed to prank the grumpy prince at the first opportunity then began plotting the best way to get back at Zuko for locking her in an enclosed space for an extended period of time. After that had grown tiresome, Xiaodan had begun to meditate and settled into a state of Zen.

At least she was until the heavy metal door to her cabin was thrown open by the grouchy Prince Zuko with Iroh trailing slightly behind him. Xiaodan gave a surprised squeal and jumped in surprise, her arms flailing a moment before she fell backwards. She grunted when a bunch of fabric was dropped on stunned her face.

Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line in an attempt to suppress the smirk that wanted to appear as he watched the white-haired girl flounder about on the floor for a few moments before she managed to get the bundle of clothes he'd dropped on her off her face.

"What was that for, you jerk?!" She demanded as she got to her feet then looked at the clothing clutched in her hand, "And what are these for."

"Put that on and get rid of your other clothing." Zuko ordered as he turned around to leave, passing his uncle on his way out of the door, "We can't have someone recognizing you as an Airbender because of your clothing."

Xiaodan balled up the clothing and tossed it at him, hitting the prince in the back of the head. Zuko paused and Xiaodan saw his hands clench at his sides before he continued to walk away without looking back.

Iroh picked the clothing up from the floor and walked into the room, watching the white-haired girl glowered at the open door with her arms crossed over her chest as she mumbled darkly under her breath.

"I am not changing my clothes." She grumbled, her lower lip jutting out in a pout as she sat heavily on her sleeping mat, "I refuse."

Iroh gave her a kind smile as he placed the clothing beside her.

"I'm afraid that if you wish to be able to leave the ship whenever we dock, you must wear these." He stated softly, "I am sorry."

Xiaodan glared at the clothes for a moment, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest before they fell to her lap and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"But why?" She whined pathetically, picking up the top and her nose scrunched up in distaste at the dark coloring.

"Like Prince Zuko said, we can't have anyone recognizing you as an Airbender from your clothes. They might-"

"They might think I'm the Avatar and try to kidnap me or save me." Xiaodan finished for him with a sigh as she let the shirt drop back to the bed and gave the older man a weak smile, "It's alright, Iroh, I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."

"Good!" Iroh exclaimed and clapped his hands together then turned to leave, "Now why don't you change to see how they fit. I picked out the outfit so I hope it fits and after you've changed you can come to the galley for dinner."

Xiaodan made a noise of agreement and waved her hand as Iroh left her cabin, closing the door behind him. She gave the clothing the evil eye for a few moments then huffed in irritation and began to reluctantly change into the dark colored shirt and pants.

Zuko sat at the table in the galley with his uncle with his customary scowl in place as they waited for the prisoner to arrive.

"Why are we waiting, Uncle?" Zuko demanded after a few more minutes of waiting, "We should not have to wait for a prisoner to arrive before we eat!"

"Because, Prince Zuko, it is the polite thing to do." Iroh intoned then took a sip of his tea, ignoring the deepening scowl on his nephew's face.

A smile lit up Iroh's face when he noticed the white-haired girl he had befriended making her way towards them.

"Look, Prince Zuko." Iroh stage-whispered and nudged his nephew with his elbow then gestured to Xiaodan as she walked towards their table near the back of the galley, "Doesn't she look nice?"

Zuko shifted away from the elbow digging into his ribs and scowled at his uncle, "What are you talking-"

The prince paused and stared when he caught sight of the white-haired girl just as the stopped in front of them. The formfitting, sleeveless shirt dark red with a darker brown trim that went down to her knees with small slits in the side that went up to her just below her hips, while her pants were the same darker brown color as the shirt's trim and her feet were bare.

"You look very nice, my dear." Iroh complimented then gestured to the seat across from Zuko, "Please sit, have some tea."

"Thank you, Iroh." Xiaodan said sincerely as she sat cross-legged on the floor pillow and picked up the steaming cup of tea Iroh had just poured for her, she completely ignored the stunned prince sitting across from her.

A small, mischievous smile appeared on Iroh's face before he schooled his face into an innocent expression and turned to his flabbergasted nephew.

"Doesn't Xia look nice, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked innocently, although inside he was laughing boisterously, especially when Xiaodan gave him a dirty look over the rim of her teacup.

Zuko blinked, then shook his head and cleared his throat as he came out of his brief stupor, looking away from the white-haired girl and at his plate of food.

"Well?" Iroh prodded, stifling his gleeful smile as a very, very faint blush appeared on the scarred prince's cheeks, "Doesn't she?"

"Er...Yes, she looks nice, Uncle." Zuko muttered at last, poking at his food with his chopsticks and not looking up at the molten orange eyes he could feel staring a hole in his head.

"Thank you..." Xiaodan stated politely, "That's very kindof you to say...Prince Firebug."

Zuko's head jerked up and he glowered at her, "Don't call me that!"

"What? It's not my fault you're a glowing, fiery insect!"

"You're lucky I haven't had you tossed overboard, Airbending pest!"

Iroh sighed quietly and sipped at his tea as he watched the two teens fling insults at each other.

"Children..." He muttered and took another sip of his tea, closing his eyes in an attempt to block out Zuko and Xiaodan.