The village sprawled beneath them like a wounded beast, its once-vibrant market stalls now charred skeletons. Fire Nation banners hung from every roof, and armored soldiers patrolled the streets, their laughter sharp against the villagers' bowed heads. Aang's fists clenched around Appa's reins. "We have to help them."
Zale's voice cut through the tension. "And make their lives worse? The Fire Nation punishes everyone for defying them. We're not ready for a fight this big."
Katara's gaze lingered on a mother shielding her child from a soldier's glare. "Zale's right. We'd just paint targets on their backs."
Sokka nodded grimly. "We need a plan, not a punch."
Aang's shoulders slumped, but he steered Appa toward the forest. "This doesn't feel like being the Avatar."
The waterfall thundered into an emerald pool, its spray painting rainbows in the sunlight. Zale knelt, letting the water kiss his palms. "This place… it's alive."
Katara smirked, twirling a helix of water. "Try keeping up."
Aang's laughter echoed as he surfed the falls on a liquid slide, his movements effortless. Zale mirrored Katara's forms—push, pull, pivot—but added some flourishes: a chef's precision, an artist's grace. His water whip sliced a leaf in midair.
"Show-off," Sokka called from the shore, skewering fish with his boomerang.
Katara paused, watching Zale's stream weave into intricate knots. "How are you…?"
"I don't know," Zale admitted. "It's like the water's singing, and I'm just humming along."
Aang grinned. "Air is like that too. It dances."
Katara's smile tightened. Why does it come so easy to them?
Nightfall brought a crackling fire and Zale's surprise: a collapsible shelter woven from Omashu's silk vines and reinforced with Bumi's "gift"—a sheet of flexible stone.
"Ta-da!" Zale unveiled it with a flourish. "Weatherproof, fire-resistant, and Sokka-proof."
Sokka poked the structure. "Is this… engineering? Since when do you—"
"Since I got tired of sleeping in Appa's armpit," Zale deadpanned.
Aang whooped, airbending himself into the hammock. "Genius! Can we take this everywhere?"
Katara traced the intricate knots. "You made this? How?"
Zale shrugged. "Turns out binge-watching survival shows pays off."
"What's that 'show' you're talking about?" Sokka asked.
"Uh… a very long play."
Around the fire, plans unfurled with the smoke.
"We head north," Katara said. "Find a waterbending master."
Aang fiddled with Bumi's earth scroll. "And then? I still can't—"
"One tide at a time," Zale interrupted. "We'll figure it out. Together."
Sokka brandished a fish skewer. "And if not? I'll annoy the Fire Lord to death."
Laughter faded as distant shouts pierced the night—a patrol. Zale doused the flames with a flick. "Time to go."
At dawn, the Gaang soared away, the village shrinking into memory. Zale gripped his waterskin, the original Zale's mother's voice echoing: "Rivers find their way, child. Even in the dark."
Katara caught his eye. "You okay?"
"Just… thinking," he said.
She nodded. "Don't think now, just sleep, it'll help your mind ease."
Zale nodded.
Next morning, they packed up their things and continued their journey.
The storm struck without warning—a tempest of howling winds and bruise-colored clouds. Appa lurched sideways, his bellows lost in the thunder.
"There!" Zale shouted, pointing to a gnarled canopy below. "Land in the swamp! It's our only cover!"
Aang wrestled the reins. "Hold on!"
The bison crashed through twisted cypress limbs, sinking into murky water. Around them, the swamp breathed—vines slithered, shadows pulsed, and the air hummed with voices that weren't there.
"This place is creepy," Katara whispered, her breath frosting despite the humidity.
Sokka brandished his boomerang. "Smelly and unsafe. Let's not stay for dinner."
Zale's boots sank into the muck as they trudged forward. The fog thickened, and a familiar voice coiled around him: "Listen, child."
Zale's mother—materialized in the mist. The Water Tribe woman smiled, her hand outstretched. "The swamp sees truths. Let it guide you."
Behind her, a girl in chains earthbent in darkness, her milky eyes sharp as blades. Toph.
"Who's there?" Zale stumbled, the vision dissolving.
Aang steadied him. "You okay?"
"Just… I don't know. I'm hallucinating, maybe… it's swamp gas," Zale lied, pulse racing.
The swampbenders struck at dusk.
"Intruders!" their leader snarled, riding a gator-whale through the sludge. "The swamp claims your bones!"
Katara's water whip snapped. "Not today!"
Zale reached for the stagnant water—it resisted, heavy and sour. Listen, his mother's voice urged. He closed his eyes, feeling the rot, the decay, the life beneath. With a roar, he yanked a tidal wave of muck, slamming it into the attackers.
"Since when can you do that?" Sokka gaped.
"Since now!" Zale panted, sweat mingling with swamp filth.
Deep in the bog, they found her—a girl shackled to a stone slab, her fists bloodied from pounding the earth.
"Let me out!" she demanded, though her voice wavered. "I'll bury you alive!"
Aang airbent the locks. "We're here to help!"
The girl stood, rubbing her wrists. "Name's Toph. And I didn't need saving."
Zale's chest tightened. She's here. Earlier than she should be and how...
Katara eyed Toph's dirt-caked face. "Why were you chained?"
Toph smirked. "Let's just say my parents and I disagree on… everything and one thing led to another... I was kidnapped."
Sokka teased, "So much for not needing help pftt…"
At camp, Toph devoured stew like a starved wolf. "Not bad, Chef. For swamp slop."
Zale's laugh caught in his throat.
Aang leaned in. "You're an earthbender, right? We're looking for a teacher—"
"Not interested," Toph said, picking her teeth. "But I'll stick around till I'm bored."
Katara frowned. "We don't even know you."
Toph's grin turned feral. "You will."
Katara, "We need to get you to your parents."
Toph angrily looks the other way muttering some slurs.
Later, Zale watched Toph trace the camp's perimeter, her feet reading the earth like a map. Aang's supposed to find her later. Did I break time?
Katara joined him. "You're staring."
"She's awesome!" he said.
"Yes but she's just a child."
"So are you."
Toph's voice cut through the dark. "You're loud, Watergirly. And you too waterboy but not just your voice."
Zale rolled his eyes.