rebuilding the world

Part 12

Sokka was the last to wake up. He did not help the girls and Zuko pack everything again, he woke up when they were just finished packing everything and putting it on Appa. He climbed on the bison with everyone. Katara led Appa into the sky. It was a day and a half's flight to the boiling rock island, Appa landed to let Katara and Zuko down and to rest a bit before flying another whole day to the fire nation capital.

"good luck" Suki called from Appa after Katara and Zuko slid down from Appa to the ground. Katara waved as she followed Zuko to the bridge that will lead them to the boiling rock prison. A few hours later Appa flew again.

"what do you think we'll have to deal with when we get there?" Suki asked after a few hours.

"I think those people won't be too much, they do follow Ozai so they can't be too smart, and Padma did tell us that they aren't benders so Toph will take care of them easily" Sokka said braggingly. Soon they landed behind a bushy hill and got off of Appa, Toph bent a sheet of rock over the bison without making him think he's in a cave.

"okay, now's the hard part, where will they be hiding?" Sokka asked, putting his boomerang on his back.

"maybe we should ask them?" Suki asked, pointing at a fire nation camp. A sign at its entrance said 'New Ozai' in white letters over dark red fabrics. Sokka sighed and led the group to behind the camp. They stole red capes and ran to a few hundred steps before the camp behind the trees.

"who goes there?" a guard asked when they revealed themselves.

"we have walked a long way, sir, please. My sister is blind and very tired and my wife is sick" Sokka called to the guard, holding onto Suki who was pretending to almost throw up. Toph held onto Sokka's cape and followed them as the blind person she was playing.

"who is your one true fire lord?" the guard asked. There was no compassion in his voice.

"fire lord Ozai, of course, a shame what his son did to him" Sokka said while walking closer still. The guard let go of his spear and let the three into the camp, he took Toph's hand and led her to an empty tent, Sokka held unto Suki and led her to the same tent.

"you can stay here for as long as you need, we plan to break our fire lord out tomorrow night, will you participate?" the guard asked as Sokka helped Suki to the bed.

"I would love to, but someone has to take care of my family, and I don't know any of you well enough. I can serve him after he is out" Sokka said while covering Suki up and helping Toph sit in the chair behind her. the guard shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave the tent.

"wait, why are you not attacking tonight?" Sokka asked, turning to the guard.

"we were going to, but we had a mole who told the prison's warden about it. They will have their guard up tonight, so we attack tomorrow" the guard said angrily before exiting the tent.

"well, he's clearly pissed"

"so, we do it tonight?"

"we have to, we need to squash this little rebellion before they let their leader out" Sokka said as he sat on the chair next to Toph. That way they waited all day long, guards came in and out to give them food and drinks, some medicines were brought as well, for everything Suki might have, as there was no doctor on the camp. Soon the sun set and the guards brought three bowls of soup for dinner, they said that it would be good for any illness and that Suki should eat it. Sokka thanked them, but once they were gone, he threw the soup away and ate blubbered seal jerky he had brought for the journey for dinner, giving some of it to Toph and Suki as well, a third each. When the night came, they left their tent and invaded the other tents, where Toph imprisoned each guard and supporter in rocks. After every one of the Ozai supporters was imprisoned Toph moved all rocks into one big rock and slid on it to the fire nation capital's prison. Suki and Sokka destroyed any remaining thing that would indicate that the tent town of new Ozai was ever there, they took down all the tents and hid them in the same rock Toph had created for Appa earlier that day, with Appa then falling on it to seal it forever. Toph returned a few hours after the sun rose and reported success in putting each supporter of Ozai's in a cell. They then got back on Appa and flew back to the boiling rock island to get Katara and Zuko back.