"Wake up," someone shook me. "Appa's here."
"Appa?" I mumbled. "Who's App-"
A loud roar rattled me awake. I threw myself out of the tent to see this giant creature with the same arrow tattoos as Aang. It looked like a giant bison. With six legs.
"Don't worry," Katara laughed, "he's friendly."
"Yeah," I got to my feet shakily, "not gonna take any chances."
Katara pulled me towards Appa. "Go ahead, touch him."
I slowly reached out. He blew out through his nose and I jumped back about a hundred feet.
"Come back," Katara was laughing, stroking his fur. "We ride him, see the saddle?"
"Yup." I followed her finger with my gaze as she pointed at his back. "Oh, and this is Momo."
A black and white lemur with almost bat-like wings soared down and perched on my shoulder.
"I think I'll stick to this guy!" I yelled, turning around and walking back to my tent. Momo made a squirrelly sound and jumped off of me, making his way towards Appa. Suddenly, I slammed into somebody and fell to the floor. "Ow..."
"Sorry." Sokka held out a hand. "Izuki."
"Can I ask you a question?" I asked as I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up.
"Yup."
"Who's Suki?"
"Oh." His face got sad. "I haven't seen her for ages, she's my-"
"Someone's coming!" I heard Aang shout. "Sokka, get to your boomerang or whatever. "Katara, you know what to do, and Toph, WAKE UP!"
Toph leaped out of her little earth tent and stared blindly at all of us. "Two people are coming from right there." She pointed at a spot in the forest.
I focused on the grass under me and drained it from its water, leaving it dry and dead. I heard a startled gasp behind me.
"Where did you learn that?" Katara asked.
"Uh-"
Zian burst out of the trees. "Calm down guys, it's me. I brought a friend."
Slowly, just slowly, the other guy came into view.
Zuko.
Katara acted first, slamming a wave of water into his chest. He fell back, and then Toph pounded him with rock.
"Stop!" I yelled. "Wait, stop it!"
Nobody listened. Aang blew air, pushing Zuko further into the forest and slamming him against a tree. Sokka's boomerang missed his throat by inches.
"Stop!" I screamed. "He's not even fighting back!"
Aang froze, watching me intently. Katara was holding Zuko up against the tree with this giant water bubble, and Toph was telling Sokka where his boomerang landed. I grabbed Aang's arm.
"Tell her to let him go."
He didn't move.
"Just hear me out!" I pleaded, and Aang nodded to Katara. She seperated the bubble and Zuko crashed to the floor. I ran to him, shaking his shoulders. "Zuko, stand up."
He slowly stood up, his fists clenched and on fire.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill them," he said through gritted teeth, chest rising and falling in pure anger.
"Me!" I said. "I've been looking for them forever. You have no right to hurt them because you helped me get to them. Then all your hard work goes to waste."
