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Sokka raised a frozen hand above his head to block the sun out of his eyes. A familiar figure was soaring through the sky and heading towards the village, making the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly.
He puffed out a hot breath against his hands, attempting to get some sort of circulation going in his fingers again, before beginning to pack up his fishing gear. He shook his head at himself, thinking of what his dad would have to say about it. Hakoda had been making fun of him for how sensitive he had gotten to the cold – how was Sokka supposed to know spending months traveling around the warmer parts of the world would do that?
After collecting his things, making sure not to forget the netful of fish he had caught, Sokka began to trudge back to the village. Despite the freshly intense weather, and near constant fretting from Kanna, Sokka was ecstatic to be home. Several months had passed since the war ended and they had been some of the best he’d had in a long time. He was reunited with his family and hailed as a hero by the whole tribe. All of the little annoyances didn’t seem to matter much anymore.
Just as he had suspected, Aang, Momo, and Appa were all at the village when he returned. A crowd had rushed to greet him, as was per usual whenever he visited. Aang visited fairly regularly – he said it was to help with reconstruction efforts, but Sokka knew it was mostly to see Katara – but everyone still got a little star-struck when they saw him.
“Buddy!” Sokka made his way up to Aang, dropping his things in order to give him a hug. “It’s good to see you. You’re here with good news, I hope?”
“It’s good to see you, too, Sokka!” Aang replied, helping Sokka with a bag. “Yes, everything is fantastic. I’m just here for a friendly visit, actually.”
Before Aang could elaborate, a blur of motion and parka almost trampled him over. Katara attacked him with a happy embrace, already going on about how she missed him and what had been going on in the village and asking him what he had been up to. She pulled away after a few minutes and the kid looked absolutely lovestruck.
“Uh-huh, a “social visit”,” Sokka smirked. Katara stuck her tongue out at her brother.
“Come on,” Katara pulled at Aang’s hand. “Let’s get you inside. You can warm up while we get something special started for dinner.”
“So, Sokka,” Aang turned to him, flushed from the warmth of the building and hot food. “My buddy, my pal, my lifelong friend!”
Sokka raised an eyebrow at him and took a good-sized drink from his cup. “What do you want?”
“How do you know I want anything?” Aang’s voice creeped higher along with his shoulders. He could barely keep it together before caving and letting out a sigh. “Fine, you’re right. The actual reason for my trip is to see you.”
“Aw, Aang,” Sokka smiled. “Why didn’t you just say so? You know I’m always down for some good ol’ bro time.”
“Well, I guess you could call it that,” Aang trailed off, flexing his fingers anxiously. “I had this feeling while I was going through what’s left of the Southern Air Temple libraries.”
“I’m sure you did; you get a lot of those.”
“Sokka, I’m serious,” Aang replied. “I was trying to find some old scrolls of Gyatso’s. He used to keep very detailed accounts of, you know, cultural things. History, airbending techniques, pie recipes. That kind of stuff. I couldn’t find them in the Air Temple anywhere, but I think that if I go to the Spirit World . . . I don’t know, something will happen. And since you’ve actually been to the Spirit World, I think you should come with me.”
Sokka considered this. On the one hand, if Aang had a feeling that it was serious, it most certainly would be. On the other, this wasn’texactly good timing. There were still lots that needed to be done for the South Pole. Things that Sokka had ideas for, or wanted to oversee, or just people he had missed that he wanted to spend time with.
“Why not take Katara?”
“We can’t bend in the Spirit World, remember? Your sword skills could come in handy. And,” Aang paused to wiggle his eyebrows, “I also, maybe, possibly think it has to do with Wan Shi Tong’s library. I had a feeling you’d be interested.”
Sokka narrowed his eyes. Stupid Aang and his stupid knowing things. “Okay, fine,” Aang let out a whoop and punched the air. “But no messing around! This is going to be a quick, in-and-out spirit mission.”
“Absolutely,” Aang agreed, nodding his head seriously.
“I can’t believe I let you drag me into this shit again!” Sokka screamed, sprinting through a thick forest. He had no clue where they were at this point. All of the trees looked the same, the moss and log-covered floor giving them no clues as to where a path or exit might be.
“I could be at home right now, eating sea prunes!” Sokka vaulted over a suspicious-looking tree root. He tried to ignore the way it vibrated. “Telling people what to do, kicking back,” The sound coming from whatever was chasing them got louder. “But noooooo, I just had to see what was up with the stupid magic library!”
Aang laughed from where he was jumping through the tree branches above. “Come on, Sokka, where’s your sense of adventure?”
Sokka let out a frustrated scream in response as he slashed some spirits vines out of his way. The forest was still completely dark, and it didn’t seem like a way out was coming any time soon.
“Sokka, I think I see something up ahead,” Aang said. It was difficult to make out his words because of how far away he was. His tiny, colorful form was almost completely disguised by leaves and vines. Aang shouted something else down at him, but Sokka couldn’t hear it.
“Can you slow down!” Sokka yelled, frustrated. He continued to sprint, attempting to catch up to his friend, but he stumbled as his toe got stuck on a root. The last thing Sokka remembered before crashing to the ground with a thud was Aang’s fading voice and more strange noises from behind.
Sokka groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Still in that stupid forest. But, at least the thing that had been chasing them had lost interest. At least he assumed, anyways, based on the fact that he was very much alive and not currently being digested. He tried to sit up but instantly regretted it; his head was pounding, and his vision went black around the edges for a moment before he could regain his senses.
After a quick once-over, Sokka decided that he was fine. Despite the headache and split lip, there was barely a mark on him. Strange, but hey, it’s the Spirit World. He decided to take the small victory and not question it any further.
The spot where he passed out, though definitely still in the same forest, felt different. It was a small clearing, with unnervingly soft-looking grass and a gap in the trees that allowed some faint orange light to spill in. What time had it even been when he lost Aang? Sokka wasn’t sure he knew.
He walked around the perimeter of the clearing before plopping down right in the middle. Sokka sprawled out in the grass and looked up at the sky.
Well . . . what now?
Sokka sighed and threaded his fingers through the grass. The little blades could have been pieces of yarn, or some other soft fabric, and he wouldn’t know the difference. Or maybe it was fur? He could be resting on the back of some giant, spirit moose-lion that was waiting for just the right moment to eat him.
Before his thoughts could stray any further, there was a small chirping sound coming from the edge of the clearing. Sokka sat up on his elbows just in time to see a small, black kitten looking at him curiously.
The cat walked cautiously towards Sokka. Its coat, beautifully sleek and dark, glimmered from the way the low sunlight bounced off of it. It finally sat down right in from of him and looked up at Sokka with huge saucer eyes. The way the cat looked at him was oddly human; it regarded him with something specific. Familiarity, maybe? But something more playful than that, as if the cat knew some funny secret of his.
The cat pawed at his knee and trotted to the edge of the clearing. It nodded its head, asking Sokka to follow.
And Sokka, against his better judgement, did just that. The Spirit World was already weird, what was a little spirit guide cat in the grand scheme of things, anyways?
The cat nimbly made its way through the forest ahead of Sokka, making sure that he was always right behind. It would jog a few feet, wait for Sokka to catch up, and jog some more. Sokka appreciated the pace. His body was starting to hurt a bit more than he initially realized – hopefully his ribs wouldn’t be bruised when they crossed back into the human world.
The path began to open up to a wide and flat trail. The cat trotted alongside Sokka instead of leading the way in front of him. It was beginning to feel like Sokka had made a friend.
“So . . . “ Sokka began, “you like, uh. Spirit cat treats?”
If cats could raise an eyebrow, Sokka would swear that this one did. It looked unimpressed.
“Alright. No spirit cat treats,” Sokka replied. “What about spirit tuna? Or spirit catnip?”
The cat let out a single meowl that echoed throughout the forest. Sokka decided that maybe it wasn’t big conversationalist.
After an amount of time, Sokka couldn’t say how much, the forest began to thin. The air was humid and salty, and grass began to give way to sand. Sokka could hear the distant sound of crashing waves. Finally, the dense trees opened up to reveal a cliff edge. Sokka walked up to the edge and, sure enough, a beach was at the base of it. Smooth, blue waves crashed against the cliff face.
He sat down at the edge, letting his feet dangle. Despite everything – how tired and hurt he was, how much he was worried about Aang – he couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful view. The beach below him extended on either side for as far as he could see, and the sunset cast an orangey-pink hue across everything. He and the strange little cat sat and watched as it began to dip below the ocean.
As the sun finally set, a green light flashed across the horizon. Sokka fell onto his back, feeling defeated. What now?
The cat crawled onto his chest and lay down. It cocked its head and looked right into his eyes.
“What?” Sokka asked. He was frustrated. Why did he think following some weird-ass spirit cat was a good idea? He probably had a concussion. “Why did you even take me here?”
The cat leaned forward, nudging Sokka’s chin. He sighed and began to scratch its head. Its purr reverberated throughout his chest, a warm feeling settling inside his ribs. The edges of his anxiety softened a little, so at least there was that.
“She’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she?” An all too familiar voice came from his left, and Sokka’s stomach dropped. Normally, he would’ve jumped at the sudden break in silence, but the presence next to him was far from threatening.
Yue was sitting next to him, looking exactly like she did when they last saw each other. She was beautiful; her long, flowing dress shifted and glimmered, giving it the appearance of flowing water. Her hair was stark white against her skin, which glowed under the soft moonlight.
Sokka didn’t know how to react. Yue just laughed at him.
“What, you didn’t think I wouldn’t say ‘hi’ to my favorite human when he visited my world?” She said, as if it were obvious.
“I,” Sokka paused and blinked a few times. He sat up, the cat grumpily jumping off into Yue’s lap. He reached out a careful hand touched her shoulder. “You’re – you’re really here.”
Yue rolled her eyes fondly at him. “Where else would I – “
Sokka cut off her sentence by launching himself forward into her arms, bringing her into a crushing hug. He guessed it made sense that she would be here, it is the Spirit world after all, Sokka just hadn’t even considered that seeing Yue was a possibility. He buried his face into her neck, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.
“I missed you,” Sokka said. He pulled back, hands still grasping her arms tightly.
“I missed you too, Sokka,” Yue replied. She tucked a small strand of his hair that had gotten loose from his wolf tail behind his ear. “I’m very glad to see you”
“Me too,” Sokka wiped away a tear with the back of his hand. “I don’t even know what to say! I have so many questions. And so many things to tell you!”
Yue giggled at him. “I want to hear every detail.”
“Well, first of all . . . “
“And then Aang did his whole Avatar thing, you’ve seen it, and he took Ozai’s bending away!” Sokka rambled on, recounting all the adventures that Yue had missed. “It was really incredible. That kid never ceases to amaze me.”
“He’s really something, isn’t he?” Yue smiled and continued to scratch at her cat’s chin. “But come on, Mister Humble, I’m sure you had a part in all that, too. Spill.”
Sokka dipped his head, rubbing at his neck. “Ah, not really. I actually broke my leg and lost my space sword, so. Not a great day for Sokka.”
“Your what sword?”
“Oh, I made a space out of a meteorite with a master swordsman from the Fire Nation, it was a whole thing.”
“I’m sure it was,” Yue smiled. “Well, how do you feel now?”
“About what?”
“About everything! I mean, come on. You’ve had all these amazing adventures, you won the war, you got the girl and the guy,” Yue looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. Sokka made an offended noise at the implication, despite the fact that she was right. “I’ve been keeping an eye on them, you know. Suki and Zuko. Just in case.”
“’Just in case’?” Sokka raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I get Zuko, but Suki too?”
Yue nodded. “Just making sure that they’re . . . up to your standards, I suppose.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sokka blushed and crossed his arms. It was sweet, though, to know that Yue was looking out for him still.
“You are utterly hopeless,” Yue rolled her eyes at Sokka. “Hey, you never answered my question.”
“Only because you wanted to gossip about my love life,” Sokka laughed. He considered Yue’s question: How did he feel? He should feel like the king of the world, but it wasn’t that simple. “I don’t know. I feel good, I guess. Obviously, I’m ecstatic that we won. There are a lot of other factors other than just winning, though, you know? I lived my entire life in that stupid war. Every choice, every decision I made was about protecting my family. I guess I’m just not sure where my place is now.”
Yue nodded and looked out at the ocean. Her expression seemed shy – a light blush dusted her cheeks as she hid a small smile behind her hand. Interesting, Sokka thought. He wondered what that was about.
“I understand what you mean, about not knowing your place. Figuring out this whole moon spirit business has been difficult in a similar way, I think. You live your life the same way day in and day out, and suddenly everything is different,” Yue paused to place her hand gently on Sokka’s knee. “But you don’t have to do it alone. I had people that helped me along the way, just like you do. You’ve made so many friends and so many people care about you. It’s alright to accept their help, sometimes.”
Sokka grasped the top of Yue’s hand where it sat on his leg. “You’re right.”
“Wow,” Yue gasped comically. “Can you repeat that? I just want to make sure I heard you right.”
“Oh, shove it,” Sokka took his hand back dramatically. “Enough about me. What about you? Spirit World adventures must get pretty crazy.”
“I guess you could say that,” Yue raised her eyebrows conspiratorially. “I’ve definitely been busy. Apparently, there are a lot of politics involved with being the Moon Spirit. Who knew?”
“Politics?” Sokka asked.
“Ugh, you don’t even know. I have to be nice to everyone. I’m used to that after being a princess all of my life, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Some of the spirits here are old and stuck in their ways. They don’t care to listen to a freshly-minted moon spirit who has new ideas for how to do things.”
“That sounds frustrating,” Sokka said. “But, you said you’ve made some friends, right? Have they been helpful?”
“Yes,” Yue made the same expression that she had been making at the ocean earlier. Sokka mentally patted himself on the back for that one – he knew Yue wasn’t telling him something. Or, more accurately, someone. “The Ocean Spirit has been helpful, as you say.”
“Mm, yeah. Helpful,” Sokka said with a shit-eating grin.
“Whatever, I’m ignoring you,” Yue laughed. “It does help to have friends here. At the end of the day, though, the weight of my responsibilities rests on my shoulders. I just hope I don’t mess it all up.”
“Nah, you won’t mess it up. You’re the toughest and bravest person I know. If anyone can bear it, it’s you.”
“Those are some wise words, Sokka,” Yue said. “Seems like Aang has gotten to you.”
“Maybe a little,” Sokka paused and looked at the horizon. The ocean before them was smooth and glassy, allowing the stars to be reflected onto it. The reflections made it look like one, huge expanse of space. It was otherworldly and too beautiful to put into words.
Yue’s words made Sokka suddenly remembered the reason he was there in the first place. “Shit! I need to find Aang!”
“I was wondering when you would bring that up,” Yue replied.
“How’d you know I came here with him?”
“Intuition. His spirit has a presence, it’s obvious when he crosses over to the Spirit World. I assumed you two were travelling together.”
“That . . . makes sense,” Sokka scratched his head, trying to think of a way to find Aang. “I have no idea how I’m gonna find him. We got separated in that forest back there, something was chasing us and then I hit my head. I woke up and he was gone.”
“Oh, we can help you with that,” Yue stood up, placing her cat on the ground gently. She gave it one last pat before taking a few steps backwards. “Okay, Taqqiq. I can tell you like Sokka and he needs our help right now. Show him what you’ve got.”
Sokka raised an eyebrow at the two of them. Taqqiq was a tiny thing, no more than four months old and that was generous. She let out a tiny meow and, in the blink of an eye, grew into a full-grown panther. Taqqiq was massive, in an unnatural way that could only be ascribed to Spirit magic. She wasn’t as big as Appa, but Sokka was sure that they were close.
“Um,” Sokka, once again, was speechless.
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Yue said, a lopsided grin on her face. Taqqiq sat on all fours to let Yue onto her back. Yue offered a hand to Sokka, who clambered up much less gracefully. Yue glanced over her shoulder at Sokka. “You’ll wanna hang on tight.”
Sokka scoffed at that, but wrapped his arms around her waist, nonetheless. Yue clicked her teeth once and Taqqiq was off.
Sokka had never felt anything like it. Taqqiq was running at a speed that he was sure would break his brain if he thought about it too hard, but he felt absolutely nothing. She glided through the landscape, intuitively knowing where to take them.
“This is insane!” Sokka laughed into Yue’s ear. The wind whistled around them, everything going by in a blur. Sokka had a comforting feeling, though, that he was in no danger of getting knocked off. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure. I have a feeling that Aang is close by, though,” Yue clicked her teeth again and Taqqiq slowed to a trot. “Do you have any idea where he may have been heading?”
“Well, we came here because he wanted to find the Spirit Library. Some airbender stuff.”
“Ugh, tell me you don’t mean Wan Shi Tong’s Library.”
“Yup,” Sokka replied, popping the ‘P’. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately. I know I shouldn’t speak badly of my fellow spirits, or whatever, but – “
“What did he do?” Sokka interrupted eagerly. “You have to tell me. I already know he sucks but I wanna hear more.”
“Nothing in particular, just,” Yue sighed and rolled her eyes. “We disagree on lots of things. Hoarding his knowledge, not letting any humans access it. It’s wrong. And he always flies around and wreaks havoc at night because he knows it’s when I’m awake and attending to my business. He does it just to annoy me!”
Sokka hummed at that. “Well, like I said. I never liked him in the first place. If we have to kick some Spirit Owl ass, then so be it.”
Taqqiq slowed down and padded forward. Dewy grass began to give way to sand and Sokka could feel the air drying out. Why the Wan Shi Tong would voluntarily choose to put his library in another desert, Sokka had absolutely no idea.
Before long, Sokka spotted a small, cylindrical shape on the horizon.
“Look, there!” Sokka pointed at it. “That’s gotta be it. The last time we tried to get into the library, Wan Shi Tong ended up sinking the whole thing. Makes sense that it would be sunken here, too, right?”
“Guess so,” Yue agreed. “Not like there’s much else around here to check out.”
They approached the spire, looking for any sign of Aang, but with no luck. Any footsteps evidence could have easily been blown away by the hot wind, but that still didn’t set Sokka’s nerves at ease. He was just really hoping that Aang would be in the library somewhere, or magically know where they were, or just so happen to meet them there. Anything.
Luckily, there was a window just big enough and just low enough that the two would be able to squeeze through. Sokka hopped off of Taqqiq’s back, Yue following close behind. With a swish of her fingers, Yue conjured a bright green, melon-sized piece of . . . fruit? Sokka sure hoped that’s what it was, anyways. She barely lifted it to Taqqiq’s mouth before she grabbed it, threw it in the air, and practically swallowed it whole. Yue just beamed and gave her head a scratch.
“Come on. It’s too hot for you to stay out here,” Yue said, and Taqqiq shrunk back down to kitten-size before climbing up onto Yue’s shoulder. Sokka stared at them with a dumbfounded look.
“What?” Yue asked, as if this was a normal thing. To be fair, it probably was for her.
“Nothing at all,” Sokka replied. “Let’s get going. Ladies first!”
“You’re only saying that so you don’t have to go first.”
“Maybe so, but you’re the one with the Spirit-y moon magic powers now and Wan Shi Tong already hates me. So, that means you get to go first!”
“Wan Shi Tong hates everyone,” Yue grumbled.
With a boost from Sokka, Yue climbed through the window and straddled the edge. She peered down into the library and a frown formed on her face.
“Oh no,” Sokka said. “What is it?”
“Well, it’s a straight drop into the Library,” Yue squinted intensely down into the structure. “There’s something down there, though.”
Sokka raised his hand above his head and tried to block the sun from his eyes. “What kind of something?”
“I don’t know,” Yue bent over the ledge, attempting to make out whatever it was.
Sokka hoped that whatever it was, it would be able to help them get down into the library. Unless Yue secretly had learned how to fly – which, at this point, Sokka would not put past her – he had no idea how they would be able to actually get into the library. They used rope last time to climb in, and Aang’s glider to get out. Sokka was very aware that they had neither of those things now.
“Oh, shit,” Yue went completely stiff as she started to stumble down from the window. “Go, get back, now!”
“What? Why?” Sokka stood in place, confused.
“Just go!” Yue began to full on sprint away from the spire. Taqqiq, who had returned to giant-size, bounded after her.
Before Sokka realized what was going on, a deafening crash! sounded behind him. He turned on his heel to find the spire had been destroyed, rubble and chunks of brick scattered where it had stood, and a giant Owl hovered right above its remains.
Sokka watched in confusion as the Wan Shi Tong flew around overhead, making nonsense circles and patterns. He briefly wondered if the Owl was hurt, or maybe possessed, before he spotted a tiny, colorful figure perched perfectly on top of its neck.
“Aang?” Sokka yelled out. Sure enough, the figure waved back and let out a very familiar laugh.
“Sokka! I’m riding the Owl!” Aang shouted happily.
“I can see that!” Sokka didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At least now he knew where Aang was.
Aang got out one more triumphant whoop before Wan Shi Tong decided he’d had enough. The owl did another series of circles and loops, and finally after five or six very uncomfortable-looking upside-down maneuvers, successfully threw Aang off of him.
Aang fell to the ground hard with an unpleasant thud. Sokka rushed over and fell to his knees beside him, trying to see if he was okay. Aang’s eyes were closed but Sokka managed to find his pulse beating strong and steady from his wrist.
Sokka fell back on to his butt and let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully, Aang had found whatever the hell it was he had been looking for and they would be able to grab Yue and get out of there. He glanced around, trying to quickly figure out where she had taken shelter, but there was nothing. Just miles and miles of sand, and a giant Spirit Owl that was menacingly flying back towards them.
“Uh, Aang, buddy,” Sokka shook Aang’s shoulder, but all Aang did in response was groan. “Come on, dude, there is a giant scary owl coming to eat us and all I have to defend us is my club and my charming personality, so I don’t think that we have the advantage right now!”
“I wouldn’t count you out that fast,” Yue’s voice rang out from behind him. She was sat heroically atop Taqqiq, wielding a long, white sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
“Would it be weird if I told you that I loved you right now?”
“Only a little,” Yue replied with a smirk.
In a flash, Taqqiq was in front of him and Aang, protecting them. Wan Shi Tong came to a halt before them and stretched his neck out menacingly. Yue leapt down from Taqqiq’s back and stood directly in front of the Owl, looking up at him.
“Yue. What a lovely surprise,” he said coolly.
“I wish I could say the same to you,” Yue said. “Now, what seems to be the problem here?”
“The Avatar stole something from me,” The Owl spit out, the word Avatar sounding like a curse in his mouth. Or beak? Sokka shook his head. Now was definitely not the time to get hung up on semantics. “I would like it back.”
“Did he now?” Yue said. “Doesn’t sound like something the Avatar would do.”
“Nope, it doesn’t,” Sokka added, trying to be helpful. Yue and Wan Shi Tong both turned their heads and gave him a Look. “Sorry, never mind. Just ignore me.”
“Anyways,” Yue continued. “I’m sure that Aang had a reason for taking whatever it was. You have so many things already, I think one missing trinket won’t do you any harm.”
“No!” Wan Shi Tong bellowed, the bass in his voice rattling Sokka’s bones. “Everything in my collection is priceless. He took an ancient airbender artifact that belongs in my library; it’s been in there for centuries.”
“An ancient airbender artifact? Sounds like Aang was taking back something that is rightfully his.”
Wan Shi Tong clicked his beak and stretched out his wings. “I grow tired of this nonsense. Give me back the artifact and you all can be on your way with all of your limbs intact.”
“No,” Yue stated.
“What did you say to me, girl?”
“I am no girl,” Yue’s demeanor darkened. Sokka noticed that the sun quickly began to set in the distance, as if it was running from something. Stars began to appear in the night sky and the Moon hung bright and heavy overhead. The edges of Yue’s figure glowed faintly. “You and I both know you cannot beat me in a fight, He Who Knows One Thousand Things.”
Sokka had to stifle a laugh when Wan Shi Tong visibly cowered in Yue’s presence.
“I believe the wise decision would be to go back into your hole and continue to covet your stolen treasures,” The glow around Yue was steadily getting brighter. Sokka was pretty sure she was hovering a few inches off the ground. “Don’t you agree?”
Wan Shi Tong looked pissed. As pissed off as a giant owl could look, anyways. He puffed out his feathers one more time before flying into the air.
“Fine. But this is not the last time that we will meet.”
“I’m counting on that,” Yue smiled sweetly at him.
Wan Shi Tong shot up into the air before diving back down dramatically into the library. Once he was gone, the air was completely still. Yue took one last look at the ruins before turning back to Aang and Sokka. Her face softened as she ran towards them.
Yue crouched and laid a glowing hand upon Aang’s forehead. She pressed her lips into a line.
“So?” Sokka looked at her eagerly. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’ll be alright. We should definitely get him out of the desert, though.”
Sokka scooped Aang into his arms in order to put him on Taqqiq’s back. He let Yue climb on first and positioned Aang in front of her so he wouldn’t fall. Sokka was about to join them when a bit of light glinted off of something near the rubble.
“One second,” Sokka jogged over and crouched to find whatever it was. After clearing away some crumbled bricks, he found a single, worn piece of paper. It had a handwritten note on it and looked as if it had been torn from a book, or maybe a journal.
“What is it?” Yue asked as Sokka climbed on behind her.
“I think it’s some sort of journal entry,” Sokka said, trying to decipher its scrawled handwriting. “’Tuesday – The monks are more and more eager to tell Aang that he is the Avatar. I am the only one, at this point, that thinks we need to wait. It probably will not be much longer until they fire of my reasonings.’ – Wait, no that says “tire” not “fire” – ‘I just hope that the consequences of their decision will not turn out the way I believe it will. I worry about Aang, and his ability to shoulder the weight that comes with being the Avatar. There is no doubt in my mind that he would be successful in due time, but no twelve-year-old boy should have to bear that burden.’”
“Hm,” Yue pondered as Taqqiq began to gain speed. “Do you think that was part of what Aang was looking for?”
“I honestly have no clue,” Sokka sighed. “It could be. If I had to, I’d guess that Gyatso wrote this. He was one of Aang’s mentors before the – you know.”
Yue nodded. “I guess we’ll find out when he wakes up.”
Sokka was stretched out under the shade of a tall, fluffy tree and resting his eyes when Aang began to stir next to him. Yue had taken them back to a small cottage after the confrontation with Wan Shi Tong. It was situated in a vast meadow full of a million different types of flowers in colors that Sokka had never even imagined before. Sokka wasn’t sure if this was where Yue “lived”, so to say, but it wasn’t too shabby.
Aang hadn’t been asleep long, only a couple hours as far as Sokka could tell, but it was still loner than he would have liked.
“Sokka?” Aang said weakly.
“Yeah, I’m right here buddy,” Sokka sat up next to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Everything hurts.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Sokka said, trying to sound serious but having a hard time pushing down a smile. “That’s what happens when you try to ride fifty-feet tall Spirit Owls who absolutely do not want to be ridden.”
“I bet I looked cool doing it though,” Aang laughed but winced from the stress it put on his various bruises. “Please don’t tell Katara that I got thrown off him.”
“Oh, you know I can’t promise you that,” Sokka said.
“I see our heroes have recovered,” Yue appeared on the porch of the cottage, not far from where they were sitting. She made her way down the front steps and took a seat next to them. Taqqiq, ever loyal, followed closely behind.
“Yue?” Aang’s voice was reinvigorated as he tried to sit up with some difficulty. Sokka helped him recline against the tree. “I thought I remembered you being there. You’re a lifesaver.”
“All in a day’s work,” Yue shrugged. “Sokka said that you came here looking for something in that Library. Did you end up finding it?”
Aang reached under the neck of his shirt and pulled out a small pendant, no bigger than the palm of his hand, from underneath it. It was connected to a long chain that Aang removed from his neck carefully.
When he held it out for them to see, Sokka was a little underwhelmed. He wasn’t about to tell Aang that, he had been scolded enough times by Katara about “respecting Aang’s culture” to know better, but still. It was a dull, old thing: unpolished metal woven into a knot pattern.
“What is it?” Yue asked.
Aang smiled fondly. “It’s just a necklace. It’s a special necklace, don’t get me wrong, but it used to be very common. Almost all of the air nomads carried one with them. It symbolizes wisdom and compassion; the knot is meant to be the cycle of death and rebirth.”
Sokka nodded. “So, are you sure that was the thing you were supposed to find? Did you get a tingly feeling?”
“No,” Aang paused. “I mean, yes. No tingly feeling, yes it’s what I was supposed to find.”
“That’s great, Aang,” Yue said.
“Yeah. Gyatso wanted me to find it. I was hoping he was going to be there but . . . It’s fine. I want to start rebuilding our culture and I think this is his way of telling me to be patient. Or not to forget the details. Something like that,” Aang said.
“Wait, Aang, we found something else,” Sokka pulled the journal page from where he had carefully stowed it in his shirt. “I thought you might want this.”
Aang took the paper and read it quickly. Sokka could tell he began to reread the words when his eyes returned to the top of the page.
“Where did you find this?” Aang said softly. He clutched the piece of paper to his chest.
“It was just in the rubble of the library. I almost missed it.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. Thank you,” Aang said. “Both of you. I mean, I’m pretty sure I would be dead if it weren’t for you, Yue.”
Yue smiled at them. “Like I said, it’s no problem. I’m very happy that I was able to see you both.”
Sokka frowned. “Was? Why does this sound like a goodbye?”
“Because it is,” Yue said somberly. “I sincerely wish I could stay with you both, but I have to go now. You’re welcome to stay here and rest as long as you like, though. Anything you need is just a thought away.”
Sokka swallowed thickly and nodded. There wasn’t really a point to hiding his sadness, Yue would be able to see right through it. “Thank you. For everything.”
“It’s nothing,” Yue rose to her feet. “You two should come visit again soon. It can get boring around here and seeing you has been quite the adventure.”
“Okay, but next time we’re getting the tourist package. No giant owls, or anything else, that wants to kill and/or eat us,” Sokka said, helping Aang to his feet as well.
“I second that,” Aang said.
“Of course,” Yue laughed. She gave them both a kiss on the cheek before plucking Taqqiq from the ground and putting her back on her shoulder. “I’ll be keeping my eyes on you two.”
Sokka and Aang watched as the pair turned to leave, eventually disappearing into bright light of the meadow. Sokka sighed and turned to Aang. He looked completely beat.
“You know, a getaway in a spirit cottage sounds great,” Sokka started, “But all I want right now is to be back home to some sea prunes and Katara’s healing hands.”
“That sounds nice,” Aang smiled.
“I’m sure it does, buddy,” Sokka said. “Let’s get going.”