peacekeeping- zuko

Forgetful Valley

We left Appa outside, Momo on my shoulder, actually wanting to come. He refused to stay back with Appa, and would immediately climb back onto my shoulder when I tried to leave him with Appa. Thick, swirly trees trunks, rocks, and vines were all we could see. It wasn't bad or scary, in fact, it was really spiritual. "So this must be it! Forgetful Valley!" Aang smiled. Sokka turned to him, "How do you know? Are you detecting something with your special Avatar powers?" Aang pointed to the sign right next to Sokka, "No. It says so on the sign."

"Oh." "So where do we go from here?" Asked Katara. "Go ask a map or something. I don't know. There isn't even a path," I shrugged. "Come on, Y/N. For a true firebender, there's always a path!" Azula smirked. She lit the bushes around her on fire. "What are you doing?!" Exclaimed Katara. "Azula, quit burning everything!!" I scolded. Me, Zuko, and Aang worked on putting the fires out. "I suppose one of you imbeciles has a better idea on how to proceed?" Azula shot. "Any idea is better than burning down the whole forest!" Katara scolded. "What'd I tell you last time you did something like this? Oh, yeah. Nature hates you," Sokka said.

"Quiet, guys! I am detecting something with my special Avatar powers! It's kinda making me wanna go... like this," announced Aang, his face looking kinda weird and mad. "I sense a spirit around, but my facial expression is the same," I noted. "Sweetie, not with the faces again!" Sighed Katara. "No, no. I think Aang is onto something! If you look carefully, there are actually faces all over the place!" Sokka said. "Check out this leaf!" He lifted it, copying the face on it. "Sokka, stop! Aang can't help it, but you're just being a jerk!"

"And that squirrel-toad!" Their backs a pattern, much like a face, which Sokka mimicked. "And the bark of this tree!" An angry face with its brows furrowed and mouth open was etched into it. Sokka imitated it too. "And that giant flutter-bat over there!" I noted, joining in. "Aang, the patterns on its wings sort of look like the face you're making!" "Hey, you're right!" Aang exclaimed, face the same. He ran after, not giving it a second thought. "Aang, wait up!" "Don't fly away, Mr. Flutter-bat! I think we're meant to be friends!" "Aang, don't run off by yourself! You don't know what's out there!" I followed Aang, rushing through the bushes and around the vines. Aang chased, onto the trees and to a pool looking thing. We exchanged mesmerized looks, "Whoa." "Is that what you were leading me to?" Aang asked to the flutter-bat. "It's beautiful." There was a lot of spiritual energy around the place. It was warm, and peaceful.

"Aang?! Y/N!?" We heard our names being called from the forest. "We're over here! Check this out!" Aang smiled, the group appearing from the clearing. "I've never seen water so clear and still," Katara breathed. "Like a perfect pane of glass," Zuko added. "This feels familiar...so tranquil...It reminds me of Tui and La's pool in the Northern Water Tribe," Aang said. "Be respectful, everybody. This is a very spiritual place," I warned. Aang stood up, going to talk to the group as Azula stood behind me, staring at the pool.

Y/N, focus on her energy. What? Her energy you dum dum! If she has a vision, you can see it. Wait, I can do that?Amateurs, Sorla sighed. Just do it! Azula's mom appeared in the pond, "You're going the wrong way, Azula. Turn back and find your true destiny." "You again! Don't you ever shut up?!" Azula snapped, throwing lightning into the pool. "Azula! NO!" Zuko shouted. Aang was really upset about that, "What'd I just say about being respectful?!" The crazy glint in Azula's eyes returned, "She told you to lead me here, didn't she?! So she could keep tormenting me with her lies!" Azula accused, throwing blasts of blue fire at Aang. Zuko stepped in front of him, shielding him from Azula's fire blasts.

"That's enough!" Zuko yelled. Katara lifted a massive ball of water over her head, "You're right, Zuko, it is enough! We've tried to put up with her, but she's too dangerous!" "If you hurt her-" I got cut off by several flowers being thrown into the air, missing us by inches, Katara, even less. She dropped the water, a slit in her sleeve. We dodged more flowers. They honestly reminded me of Mai's throwing knives. "What-?!" "Look out!" We examined the flowers, embedded in the tree trunk behind us, "These are the prettiest throwing stars I've ever seen!"

"It's like the forest itself is attacking us!" "Because nature hates her!" Exclaimed Sokka. "No, I sense someone," I informed. "Heads up! More incoming!" We deflected as many as we could, but more kept coming. Katara figured out they were waterbending the flowers inside them, and now vines were attacking us. "Hang on, guys! If we keep calm, we'll figure something out!" Aang comforted as another vine grabbed my ankle. I threw a flame at it. "How do you keep calm when nature's about to skewer you?!"

Katara bent the vines back, "Whoever you are, you're not the only one who can waterbend! Show yourself!" An old lady, and a man, with a wooden mask, wearing Water Tribe clothes stepped out of the forest. They turned out to be really nice, and cooked us some food, telling us their story. Apparently, when they were teenagers, her brothers face was horribly disfigured. She took him to the healers, but no one could do anything. She learned how to heal, and spent years healing him. "So you've spent almost your whole life trying to heal your brother?" Asked Aang. "Of course, I'm his sister," she smiled. "Of course," breathed Katara, looking at Sokka. Azula and Zuko shared an awkward look.

"Sorry to interrupt your sob story-" Azula started. "Azula! Don't be rude!" Zuko scolded. "-But we're on a mission of our own. We're looking for a woman named Ursa." "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen her. The forest was pretty quiet until you all arrived," Misu smiled. "So this spirit you're looking for-what's it supposed to look like?" "It is a she. I don't know what she looks like, but when she approaches, the forest tells us. Facelike patterns begin to manifest on the leaves of the trees, the wings of the insects, and the backs of the animals."

"Hey, we saw that! So the spirit must be near!" I exclaimed. "Then on a night like tonight, a giant wolf bearing the markings of a face travels from far away to drink from one of the forest's four pools." "That's the wolf spirit who puked moth-wasps at us!" Sokka noted. "Whichever pool he drinks from, there the spirit appears. The spirit has passed through Forgetful Valley many times since we arrived, but we always seem to be at the wrong pool. And I believe we missed her again. If this were the right pool, the wolf would have been here by now. I'm sorry, brother. We'll keep trying," Misu sighed. Okay, I do not like sad stories.

Aang stood up, walking to the pond, not liking what happened to the siblings, "No! There's gotta be something I can do! After all, me and Y/N are the great-" Sokka finished his sentence, "The great bridges between the spirits and the humans. We know, we know!" Aang sat down by the waters edge. "I'm gonna cross over to the Spirit World and try to get that giant wolf spirit to come here. You stay in the material world, and tell me if she does show up here." I nodded just as Azula stood up, "Bah! This is a waste of time!" "Where are you going? Azula!"

Zuko and I rushed after her, me leaving Katara to watch over Aang. "Did we travel all this way to help a couple of dirty vagrants, or to find Mother?" Azula demanded. "Aang and Y/N are the Avatar and Protecter. Helping people is what they do. And we're their friends...their team. So helping people is what we do, too," Zuko explained. Azula turned her back to Zuko, scoffing, "No wonder you don't want to be Fire Lord, Zuzu! You'd rather gallivant around the world with your little friends, saving poor people!" "I never said-"

Azula gasped. I focused on her energy, blocking out the rest, as a crazy glint appeared in her eyes. "Hold on...did she orchestrate all this?! I'm getting closer, aren't I, Mother?! Is that why you sent those two vagrants?! To slow me down?!" She yelled at the sky. She thinks it's her mother. Azula sprinted back to where the group was. Me and Zuko shared a panicked look. "Azula!" We chased after her, arriving at the clearing where Azula was getting ready to shoot lightning at the siblings. "You hear me, Mother?! It's not going to work!" "Please...I said stop!" Zuko pleaded, stepping in front of them. Lightning flashed, a loud crack of thunder filling the silence of the peaceful opening, Zuko redirecting it.