Zuko had three things circling his mind.

The first was his promising find of a certain necklace during the investigation of one of their earth-bending prison holds. Deep down, he was a bit happy that they got ransacked as they did. He... never agreed to this type of endeavor, enslaving others and imprisoning families. With one glance at his uncle, the soldiers that were rescued from the sea spilled what they'd been doing.

Not all of them made it though. The warden was gone, and so were some of his closest aides. The earth benders had been merciless when they overthrew the rig, though he could hardly blame them for being such after he heard about the things these officers did.

Zuko had to hold back from dropping them back into the sea to rot. Who hurts elders and children for entertainment? There's no honor in that, ever, and he was absolutely disgusted. So much so that he'd been breathing fire the entire time just thinking about it.

Though their accounts about a monstrous youth with white hair and some freakishly strong lava lady caught his attention after those reveals. Now, he knew exactly what monstrous youth was. That was a no-brainer for him. He had no clue about the woman though, but lava? He could see the scorch marks and melted metal in many areas, and dried-up masses of what Zuko could only describe as a cooled lava flow. It would seem that he had other people to look out for on his quest.

He would never admit this, but he was secretly glad that the water-tribe warrior, Ayaan, had put these men in their place. There were even a few that looked traumatized. The memory made him smirk. Serves them right. They deserved every bit of that beating.

If Ayaan hadn't, he would have done it himself. As harsh as Zuko seemed, and as many mistakes his anger caused him to make, he did not want unwarranted bloodshed.

He touched his scar. Speaking up about his opinion is what got him burned in the first place. The memory haunts him still, but even now, he does not regret what he said. His only regret was that his father thought that it was a slight at him.

'But why...'

He was his son. He wasn't just some official. So why... did he go so far to prove a point?

The thoughts that whispered the truth were ignored. He wouldn't believe them. He held on to the hope that maybe he was just that out of turn. That when he found the Avatar, he would still regain everything he lost. His honor, his title, his respect. He would get them all back.

And that was what he held on to. That was why when he got to that rig and began searching, finding that familiar necklace after a full two days of looking, he let that hope grow.

The second was his uncle turning the ship around for a stupid tile piece of his game. As much as it irritated him, this was something that he could do for his uncle. He would never admit it, but he was glad to be able to do something for him. That man had stuck with him through thick and thin.

But that didn't subvert the anger he felt at the fact that this was impeding his search for the Avatar. He could feel it. He was getting closer. Capturing the Avatar and defeating Ayaan in a fight were his goals.

'Rivals? Tsk.'

That brought him the third thing that was on his mind: That story his Uncle had told him. Truly, what was a blessed child? Someone that spirits favor, a beloved entity in the world. All of it sounded like some farfetched fairytale to Zuko. Dragons and wolves fueled by ice and snow, the land at his beck and call?

There was no way that could be real, true, or even a slight possibility. Right?

Right...?

"No way." Zuko wouldn't believe it. "I have better things to worry about than this."

They had made it to the market, and a very welcome surprise greeted him in the form of intel. Some pirates, sketchy as they may be, had seen the Avatar and his little gang. They'd been dealt a blow by Ayaan, as he could clearly see some of their crew out of commission.

"Kill me now, please." One of them was holding their jewels in agony. Apparently, Ayaan had made a spectacle of him, letting everyone see the flexibility he didn't have. What made it worse, there was frostbite, in his... uh, yeah, ouch.

Zuko, though he didn't believe in any spirits, sent him a "rest in peace" gesture. Every other pirate was doing the same. One of them even set down flowers and covered him in a white sheet.

But he wasn't here for any of that, he was here to chase a lead. This time, it was going to lead him to his prize.

"You help me, and I'll help you. Deal?" Zuko offered the captain. They help him capture the Avatar, though he didn't tell them that exactly, and the youth that decimated their crew, and he'd let them get the girl who stole from them in the first place.

They get their wares and a thief, and he gets what he wants. Win-win.

The man was smart, he thought over everything they'd gain from the offer. He could see the same things that Zuko was saying, so after a few moments of contemplating, giving a glance to his downed crew with a "rest in peace", he agreed.

"You've got yourself a deal, kid."

"Excellent." And so, they begin their planning. They look at maps, listing off all of the places they could be. The pirates had ample knowledge of the river paths, and Zuko had knowledge of who these brats actually were. Together, they could narrow down where they might be.

Zuko is many things, and a great tracker is one of them. He had to pick up a few skills during his banishment.

Iroh watched as his nephew spoke with the pirates, proud of the maturity and carefulness he was displaying. He gave them enough information that they could help them, but nothing that would impede their goal. His nephew was growing up on him! Even if he did not like the fact that they were enlisting pirates that seemed to have less than good intentions.

They had an excellent tea selection, though. Even his favorite, ginseng! Many believe that Jasmine is his favorite, but the truth is that it is his nephew's favorite. That's why he buys a lot of it whenever he can. Zuko may not admit it, but being a man of tea, Iroh could tell right away.

What Uncle would he be if he didn't spoil his nephew when he could?

"You smell interesting, old man." A raspy, grating voice echoed in his ears, and Iroh was instantly on high alert. His form tensed and all of his senses were screaming at him to get rid of a threat.

"Who the hell are you?" Zuko, instantly seeing his uncle tense in a way he'd never truly seen, was readily on guard too.

Something was off about this new guy. His entire body was covered in black fabric, the only thing visible were his eyes. They seemed unfocused, a murky pool of black that just screamed that this guy may have had a few screws missing, not just loose.

"San~ho?" He lisped, almost in a drunkard manner. His body was hunched over, crouched as if his back was permanently curved that way. Zuko was disgusted to find that the man was salivating, slimy drops stretching onto the floor from the soaked fabric of his mouth.

"You." Iroh's voice was hard, stern, and unshaken as he got between his nephew and the strange man. "You're one of them."

"Th~em?" The strange man, Sanho, tilted his head. "I'm a pi~rate though?"

"Where did you get that thing on your hip?" The retired general didn't let his guard down, gesturing to the pendant attached to the thin belt on his attire.

A jagged triskele with a murky pearl at its center. Three blacked gems sat in the center of each angular swirl. It was small, nothing fancy, but it gave off an ominous feeling that even Zuko shivered at.

Something wasn't right about this guy. His uncle was tense, standing between them. Normally, he'd boast that he didn't need his protection all the time, but his voice was stopped in his throat. He'd never seen his uncle this on guard, this fierce... This angry, before.

"Oh~ This?" The eyes of the man slanted upwards, lifting the pendant up. "Got from some weird dudes~ They opened my eyes to the truth! This, uh, yeah, The Pearl of Divinity gave me a glimpse of the true world~ I need to see it. I need it I need it I need it... That kid is the key... I have to have him... I need him... I found him..."

At that, Zuko could see his uncle's hackles rise visibly. Something haunted and vile flashed through his memory, and whisps of flames danced at his fingertips, only seen by the young prince that was right behind him.

"You won't dare touch him," Iroh growled. His tea-loving, laid back, paisho playing uncle growled. "I will never allow you and yours to succeed again."

'Again? What does he mean by 'again'?'

The pirate seemed confused, too, "Me~? What about me? I just want to see it again. I need to... I need to..."

At that, Iroh's guard settled enough for him to put his fire away. This man wasn't truly a part of that group. This man, Sanho, was nothing but a lackey. He could tell that he had no control of his urges, and probably wasn't made a clan member by choice. A pawn, a scapegoat, a tool, this man was only being used.

He was just an unfortunate soul affected by them, but it didn't matter how low in the pecking order this pirate was to them. That pearl... that thing was enough proof. In his youth, he had the unfortunate fate of meeting with people who had that same symbol somewhere on their bodies.

The mark of the demonic clan.

How he'd encountered them and been afflicted to this point was beyond him. But at this point, with his eyes lost in hunger and that disgusting pearl being a deep shade of gray, Iroh knew that there was no return from whatever they'd done to him. There was no saving this person, yet another soul lost.

"Sanho, relax. Oh, take Sanho out for a bit. He's on one of his... tangents again."

"Yes, captain..." Oh sighed, taking Sanho by the arm and leading him down the ramp of their ship, "Come on, buddy, let's see the sights."

"Sights...? I like sights... Maybe I'll find him..."

"Yeah, Sanho, maybe."

Iroh watched as they left, slowly relaxing the further away they got.

"Sorry 'bout that." The captain grimaced, as this had happened one too many times before, "Sanho's a good man, honest." Well, as good as a pirate was going to get, "He's just been a little... off lately. Nothing to worry about. Let's catch some thieves."

Watching as Zuko's men and the pirates spread out to enact their plan of search, Iroh put some pieces together.

The 'Sanho' that the pirates knew was gone, and they didn't know it. The pirates had no idea that one of their own was on the path of a demon.

"Uncle, what was that just now...?" Zuko couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort that ran through him even as the man had long since left. If he could, he never wanted to encounter that person again.

"Hopefully, nothing that we will encounter again after this." He told him, agreeing with his inner thoughts. Though it frustrated Zuko a bit that he couldn't get more answers. Why now did his uncle decide to be vague?

"Come, let's locate your rival." His uncle stated instead, much to Zuko's ire.

"He is no rival." He denied, "I'm going to defeat him, capture the Avatar, and then we're going home. The end." Iroh smiled knowingly once again, to the absolute irritation of his nephew. He decided to leave the boat and begin his search. He had a good idea where to find them, but it would take them a day or two to reach there by boat.

The Avatar's group had a cheat in the form of a flying beast. To get to them, he couldn't allow himself to pause for any moment.

"Suuure," Iroh said teasingly, following after him. Friendship may be a long way away, but the rivalry was not. He knew that glint in his nephew's eyes at the thought of a rematch and the eagerness he displayed when they trained.

'Just like myself and Atka had been.'

That brought back fond memories for him, that and more recent, slightly confusing memories. See, when he first spotted Ayaan, he almost mistook him for a young version of Atka. The resemblance was so uncanny that he left him with whiplash.

He even made that same confused expression Atka used to always make when he showed him a new variation of tea. Sadly, Atka had not been as fond of tea as he was. A shame, really. Atka himself could make an excellent batch.

'Maybe Ayaan would like tea?'

That was just a wishful old man's thinking for very far off in the future.

In the distance, unbeknownst to them, a plump and fluffy sparrowkeet took off from the branch he was perched on. With a speed no one would expect, he zoomed through the air with determination surging through his feathers.

A cry that no one but a certain group would discern erupted from his tiny beak, sending a loud and clear cry into the sky. The three that it was meant for, the moment they heard it, quickened their pace to almost impossible speeds. They knew that warning call, this instance was the very reason they were keeping close.

"We have to hurry." The eldest said urgently,

"I'm going to bury them if they touch him!" Their youngest shouted, a shadow overcasting his features.

"..." The second eldest of their group was silent, but just briefly, one could see purple sparks dance off of his figure.

The livid expression on their faces was highlighted by the flashes of violet light, ominous beneath the moon's glow.

One of their enemies had been spotted, and by their lord, as well. It was a combination made in hell for them.

"Hah!" They will their Cheetah Seals to run faster, diving off of the edge of the bank and into the river. While they were quickest on land, they were almost just as quick in the water, and this area had too much foliage for them to truly showcase this speed.

It was a great thing that they knew Ayaan would be sticking close to the river until they passed this marketplace. Fleet had been excellent at returning intel to them from their beloved lord. For the past few weeks, they'd been giving their esteemed lord everything they knew about the area's he'd likely go through on his way to the North.

They had eyes and ears in many places, ghosts that relay their finds within the night and hide their true faces in the day. Their master had been the leader of their group before they took over in his stead, and they took to the job like fish to water.

It seems though, that being shadows would no longer be enough. Even if it was just a lackey, a worthless addict thrown out to be a pawn, the Asrani were formidable. They were disgusting, vile, and horrid in their ways, completely ignoring and forgetting what they used to be when their clans were one.

"We need to hurry."

They couldn't let Ayaan be harmed by such a thing.

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While Ayaan tried to alleviate his anger by being productive and preparing Appa's saddle to leave, Katara and Aang concentrated on learning what they could from the scroll during that time.

"I have to get this..." She whispered to herself. They were taking turns holding the scroll, studying the forms carefully, and trying to mimic them before doing anything with the water.

She was anxious, as it had been a few hours and Ayaan had said nothing to her. That entire time, she'd been met with nothing but silence and a glare she swore promised pain. The more he did so, the more she second-guessed her choices.

The move that the scroll explained was more advanced than the child's mockery she'd taken to using. It was the tried and true water whip, an offensive move that would be more than helpful on their travels. It didn't require a lot of water once perfected and traveling as often as they did, it was a blessing such a move existed.

It would be rare for them to find ample water sources. Not every place they went was blessed with rivers and ponds, like the rig they were on before. Water isn't always available, so being able to utilize what little of it they could find was great, right?

But Ayaan had been right, she knew that. Even if this scroll was a great find, it wasn't worth the amount of risks she'd put them through. On top of that, Ayaan had told them that he encountered an Asrani. She'd never heard of someone taking a fully powered punch from Ayaan. Have you seen him punch? It's terrifying on a good day, and downright hell on a bad one.

She glanced to the side. On the banks of the river was a grove of trees, tall and strong. Birds flew, squirrels climbed, and everything seemed peaceful. That is if one looked past the glaring holes in a few of them, done by an angry Ayaan as he headed off to Appa.

Ayaan made it very clear to them that he didn't give a damn about wanting to stay any longer, and firmly told Katara that they would be leaving the moment they were able. So while they were training with the scroll, he was with Appa, Momo, and Sokka.

'I need to concentrate, no use feeling bad now.'

It didn't change the fact that she desperately wanted to apologize to him. It was only briefly, but she saw his hands shaking before they tightly held on to his weapon.

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Ayaan wasn't comfortable. Even Momo cuddling into his cheek didn't ease the feeling. He shook it off, concentrating on securing everything they had. He was quick to fasten every knot and mentally checked off every asset. Once he was sure they had everything, he hopped down from the saddle and laid himself upon Appa's side.

The bison let out a rumbling growl, moving one of his massive legs a bit closer to the youth. Ayaan let himself sink into the comforting fluff, raking his fingers through the softness while his other hand petted the purring Momo. Their presence calmed him enough to feel like he could breathe, and that's when Sokka, who'd been helping him pack, decided to speak.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked. He gave a mental thumbs up to Appa and Momo, who he for some reason could feel doing the same back at him. "We can just relax for a bit, too, if it's too much to talk about right now."

Sokka was patient. He could be patient with Ayaan. And he knew that more than anyone, Ayaan deserved that.

"Yeah," Ayaan admitted. "I do not wish to speak about this now. It is just discomfort I can't understand, anyway."

Ayaan didn't like trying to explain something even he didn't understand. He was bad at it. It was the same with the little waterbending he could do. He didn't readily try to do most of the things he'd figured out, they were instincts in him that he couldn't just teach to someone.

"Alright." Sokka was fine with that. Moving in, he laid himself beside his brother and relaxed. "Hey, I actually did a great job on you, Appa. I got you all fluffed up and ready for the bison ladies."

Appa huffed, as if scoffing at the boy but also agreeing with the fact he looked good.

"Yes, you did, though I don't know where we'll find 'bison ladies' for Appa." That just got him thinking. What if they did find more Flying Bison? What if Appa did find himself a mate and had little bison babies of his own? What about Momo? What if he found himself a mate too and had a little litter?

"...How do you care for bison calves?"

"Hm?"

"What about lemur pups?" He lifted up Momo, who was surprised by the sudden action. "Your kids would be so tiny... How would I hold them? Would they like me?"

Being surrounded by little fur babies sounded especially wonderful to Ayaan. It made him think back to when he was a kid playing with the wolf pups. They were so fluffy and small, always giving him puppy kisses and piling around him to sleep.

It was kind of like how he falls asleep on Appa with Momo in his arms, now that he thinks about it.

'So fluffy...'

"Uh, Ayaan? Hello? You there, bro?"

"Ah." He was broken away from his little fantasy, "Sorry. Got lost in thought."

"Yeah," Sokka shook his head, "I could tell. Honestly though," After a moment of thought himself, he decided to ask, "When this war is over... What do you think about owning a zoo? Or maybe even something with animal care? You adore them, and are great at taking care of them, so... what do you think?"

Ayaan's eyes widened. He'd never thought of anything past the war. Honestly, it seemed too far away for him to even dream about. But Sokka's question opened the door for him to think.

When all of it was finally over...

When he didn't need to hold his spear...

What did he want to do?

What could he do when it was all over?

"I am the eldest, I will end up becoming Chief when Dad retires from it." Ayaan stated factually, "I will not be able to do something like that even if it sounds wonderful."

"I could take that on for you."

"What?"

"Chief." Sokka said, "If you want to do something else... if you want to go somewhere else... If you feel like that's something you want, I can handle it for you." He patted himself on his chest, bursting with pride as he continued. "You don't have to be the chief if you don't want to, bro! Besides, Dad told us we'd both make amazing chiefs one day. I got your back!"

"Sokka..." Something in his chest felt warm, and he let a smile paint his face, content and calm for the first time since they'd gotten back to camp. "I know you do."

If anything else, Ayaan knew for sure that he could trust Sokka. No longer was his brother a little kid, even if he had his childish days.

When did his brother grow up on him?

Where had this dependable brother come from so suddenly?

They continued to talk about the future. Sometimes delving into the idea of having a furry companion, and others about Sokka's wish to gather a boomerang collection. Simple things that eased his worries a little.

It was... nice.

Deciding to let Appa rest a bit, they went off to see how their other siblings were doing. As hopeless as he thought it'd be, perhaps he'd try looking at the scroll as well. He didn't have much to lose from trying, after all.

Though that could be anywhere else but here. The further they were from here, the better.

They had no idea the things already set in motion as the morning became evening.

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