The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 14 [~|~] Hei Bai

"I'm sure they'll be right back. Aang wouldn't let anything happen to him," Azara offered as they sat in the entrance of the village, staring into the woods for any sign of Aang or Sokka.

As the sun started to rise, Azara could feel their hope waning, though she was not going to be the one to break down. Katara needed and deserved someone strong enough to help her through this, and Azara owed her more than that after Sokka was kidnapped trying to save her.

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Azara glanced back at the village as the old man from earlier hobbled over. "I'm sure they'll be back," the old man spoke to Katara, holding a blanket in his hands.

"I know," Katara sighed, looking back into the forest.

"You should get some rest," he suggested, placing the blanket around her shoulders.

"Everything's going to be okay," Katara nodded as Azara smiled at her encouragingly.

"Your brother is in good hands. I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him," the old man continued, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon." Azara glanced back at the forest, but there was no sign of them.

"Why don't you go grab some breakfast, Katara? I'll keep watch and come get you if they come back," Azara smiled, grabbing, and giving Katara's hand a small squeeze. Katara nodded, a small smile on her face, as she followed the old man back inside the town. The day continued to pass, but there was still no sign of them. As the sun started to set, Katara walked over to Azara.

"It's sunset. We should get inside," Katara stated as Azara stood up, dusting herself off. The two girls walked back to the village building in a solemn silence as a shadow flew over them. They both turned around, wide smiles on their faces at the sight of Aang on his glider. Katara raced over to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"You're back! Where's Sokka?" Katara asked, pulling away from the hug.

"I'm not sure . . ." Aang sighed, looking to the ground as the sun set behind him. Katara and Azara walked inside the building again as Aang stood at the entrance of the village. A few minutes passed without any sign of the spirit. Aang turned to walk back when Hai Bei appeared again, moving to destroy the buildings again.

"Aang! What are you doing? Run!" Katara yelled out as Aang jumped in front of the spirit.

"You're the spirit of this forest! Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down. When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back," Aang explained, showing the spirit an acorn and placing it at the spirit's feet. The spirit picked up the acorn with one hand before transforming into a panda.

Azara and Katara exchanged amazed looks as the panda spirit walked away from the village peacefully. At the entrance of the village, several bamboo shoots shot up and covered the entryway before the missing villagers walked out. Katara raced out the door, Azara close behind her at the sight of Sokka. "Sokka!" Katara shouted in glee, pulling her brother into a tight hug as Azara and Aang hung back, sharing a smile at the soft sibling moment.

"What happened?" Sokka questioned, looking confused.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty four hours. How are you feeling?" Katara asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Like I have to use the bathroom," Sokka spoke, hobbling away for a moment, prompting laughs. When he returned, Azara pulled him into a hug before she could stop herself.

"Thanks for saving my butt back there," Azara smiled, as Sokka rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Oh, uh, don't worry about it. Anytime," Sokka nodded as the village leader approached.

"Thank you, Avatar. If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done," the village leader replied, bowing at Aang.

"You could give us some supplies, and some money," Sokka suggested, prompting Azara to elbow him lightly in the side.

"Sokka!"

"What? We need stuff," Sokka shrugged, looking unapologetic.

"It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey," the village leader spoke, a small smile on his face.

"I'm so proud of you, Aang. You figured out what to do, all on your own," Katara commented, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Actually, I did have a little help and there's something else," Aang trailed off, his eyes staring at the ground as he contemplated the information that he had learned in the Spirit World.

"What is it?"

"I need to talk to Roku, and I think I found a way to contact his spirit," Aang explained, gripping his staff tightly.

"That's great! Right?" Azara asked, raising an eyebrow as Aang continued to look concerned.

"Creepy, but great," Sokka added as Katara and Azara shot him a look.

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him," Aang spoke as Azara's eyes widened at the new information.

"But the solstice is tomorrow!" Katara pointed out, the seriousness of the situation being realized.

"That's not even the worst part. Crescent Island is in the Fire Nation," Azara revealed, crossing her arms over her chest. Katara and Sokka shared concerned looks at the new information.

A.N. Short chapter, but thank you to everyone who is reading this story! Feel free to share/comment/vote as you please!