Don't Leave Me (Zuko x OC)

Chapter 27

Our travels had now brought us to the muckiest river I'd ever seen. It had turned green and brown and filled with sludge. Sat in Appa's saddle, I was mixing different herbs to create more paralyser for my darts. Meanwhile Sokka was trying to fish and Aang was actually swimming in that disgusting yuck playing 'Marco, Momo'. After he had been caught, he air bended himself into the saddle.

"Uh, guys, I think this river's polluted."

With a grunt, the brown sludge flew off him and onto all of us.

"Aang." I said calmly, sludge dripping from my nose, "I hate you."

Thankfully, he air bended the sludge off us.

"Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here. Because normally my fishing skills are...off the hook!"

Silence.

"Get it, like a fishing hook?"

"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook." Toph sassed.

We all laughed at that, except Sokka who just frowned.

Katara looked over the side of the saddle, "It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food. Assuming that'll fit in to Sokka's master schedule."

He rolled out a long scroll which carefully marked every second of out time.

"Hm, it's doable. But that means only two potty breaks, today!"

Aang stood up and pointed ahead, "Hey, maybe we can get food there."

Once we landed, we left Appa and Momo behind, hidden to look like mossy rocks.

"I don't feel anything. Where's this village?" Toph asked

Sokka pointed at it, "It's in the middle of the river."

"Sure is!" A voice from down below called our attention to an old man, "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"

Katara answered for us, "We're, um, from the Earth Kingdom colonies."

"Wow, colonials. Hop on, I'll give you a ride into town."

We all piled on this man's little boat as we sailed across. Toph cutely clung onto Sokka since she couldn't see anything and I watched as Nalo dipped his paw into the river, tasted, then ferociously shook his head, clearly not liking the taste.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked.

"Because we're a fishing town!" He answered before pointing at a large building on a cliff overlooking the river, "At least that's how it was before the factory moved in. Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."

When we arrived in the town, I was immediately down cast at the sight before us. People laying sick and hungry in the artificial streets.

"Look at this place. It's so sad." Katara spoke my thoughts as we walked through. "We have to do something to help."

Sokka jumped in, "No, we can't waste our time here. We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are own their own."

In Sokka's absence, Toph clung onto me instead.

Katara ran after her brother and grabbed his shoulder, "These people are starving. But you turn your back on them? How could you be so cold and heartless?!"

"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic!" Sokka argued, "We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into! We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!"