Hunt for the Avatar

- You are an airbender... - Zuko said seriously, ready to fight with all his might.

- Prince Zuko, his uniform, he's a soldier in Kai's special forces. - Iroh said seriously, maintaining his battle pose only to protect Zuko. - Are you by any chance friends with this young hunter? - Iroh asked Jefh, glancing at June as she held her burned wrist.

- At the moment, I've hired her services, but attacking my business partner is very rude of you. - Jefh replied.

- This woman owes me! Her and his pet damaged my boat! - Zuko cursed, spitting out some saliva.

- As far as I'm aware, a person has managed to illegally infiltrate your own ship. - Jefh noticed Zuko's frustrated expression and decided to take advantage of it. - So I can say that she saved your honor from such an embarrassing situation.

There was silence as the four people took the lead in a potential battle. Zuko was clearly more eager to fight and seemed to want to hit anything to calm his emotions. Iroh was the one who was most intrigued by the situation, as he didn't know any other Airbender besides Ty Lee and the Aang Avatar, but seeing the Fire Nation's military uniform being worn by an Airbender increased his curiosity. June managed to regain her composure and was ready to break the Fire Nation prince's teeth at the first opportunity. Jefh, on the other hand, had no interest in wasting his time with the prince, only making sure that June came out of this potential duel unscathed.

- I apologize for my nephew, the trip was quite stressful, and I don't think anyone wants an unconscionable battle. - Iroh said, wanting to avoid a fight as he realized that the Air Bender was quite powerful just from its fighting stance.

- Uncle! Don't speak for me! - Zuko scolded his uncle. He hated it when his uncle Iroh took the lead in situations like this.

- I see you're at least well-mannered. - Jefh looked at Iroh and analyzed his fighting stance. In these moments, he hated not having the spiritual sensitivity of his father and Azula to judge people's strength, but he instinctively knew that Iroh, the Dragon of the West, was quite powerful. - If you're Zuko's uncle, then you're the brother of the Lord of Fire, Ozai.

When Kai told Jefh who the most powerful people in the Fire Nation were when it came to power, he already lived among the strongest powerful people in the world, he knew that Iroh was someone strong enough to be considered one of the strongest in the past, to the point that he was stronger than Ozai a few years ago.

Jefh didn't know if Iroh's power had increased, he only had references to his father's words when he last saw him, so it wasn't wise to fight him right now, but he trusted in his secret weapon that could easily guarantee a victory in seconds if necessary.

- You don't have to treat me with the status I have because of my brother. - Iroh grinned broadly, taking every opportunity to avoid a confrontation. - What's your name?

- My name is Jefh, I'm a member of General Kai's special forces. - Jefh introduced himself, surprising the crowd with his statement.

- Interesting, you're the third airbender I've met in my life, lucky me. - Iroh reversed his fighting stance, making his surrounding aura soft and unthreatening.

- Really, after all this, we're not going to fight? - June was outraged, wanting to break every bone in Zuko's body.

Zuko stared at Jefh in silence, partially agreeing with the woman who had damaged his ship, but there was something else that bothered him. For some reason, Jefh gave off a similar feeling to Kai, it was probably his defiant and provocative attitude that made his blood boil.

- If we fight, we'll destroy this whole place. Are you all right? - Jefh looked at the burn on June's wrist.

- I'll live. - June looked seriously at Zuko.

In silence, Jefh, June, Iroh and Zuko left the bar, but the tension was palpable, any provocation could lead to a destructive battle in this region.

Zuko watched the large shirshu lying next to the bar door, for he had spent years of his life searching for the Avatar, his hobby was to study the world, and getting to know animals was part of that.

- A domesticated shirshu, that'll come in handy. - Zuko commented.

- Nyla is not an object of exchange for the damage to his stupid ship. - June warned, gripping the handle of her whip.

- You can make it up to me by finding someone for me. - Zuko took a Water Tribe necklace from his pocket and showed it to June and Jefh.

- What happened, did your girlfriend break up with you? - June asked sarcastically.

- I'm after the girl who travels with the bald monk. - Zuko kept his composure even though it was obvious he was annoyed.

- Bald? So it's the necklace of one of the Avatar's allies. - Jefh quickly figured out to whom the necklace belonged. He couldn't help but glance at June for a moment, seeing her watching him with a smug smile.

- Silence, no one can know about this! - Zuko replied quickly, an instinctive reaction given the recent events in his life.

- With Nyla, it is virtually guaranteed that the Avatar and his team's location will be intercepted. - June analyzed the situation, understanding that Jefh and Zuko could fight over the Avatar. It was easy for her to choose who would have her help in the duel, as she only needed to help whoever had the most money, not to mention the fact that she wanted to break Zuko's teeth. - My services are not cheap.

- Don't worry, the reward will be worth your weight in gold. - Iroh said calmly, ignoring how angry Zuko was at the amount of money being offered.

- Hmmmm... Capturing the Avatar is no ordinary hunt. I'll take it if it's worth its weight in gold. - June made a point of singling out Iroh, who was obviously the most robust person in the group.

- Sure, no problem. - A drop of sweat fell from Iroh's head.

Jefh was deeply concerned, not because of the capture of the Avatar, for he was confident that he could defeat the supposed warrior capable of defeating his father. The real problem was Zuko. If he brought the Avatar to the Fire Lord, he could threaten Azula's title as queen. By luck or fate, he could prevent Zuko from successfully capturing the Avatar.

- You said your name was Jefh, what are your reasons for hiring this bounty hunter? - Zuko asked the airbender, refusing to consider traveling with him.

- Like you, the Avatar is my goal, as is every member of the Fire Nation. - Jefh replied with no intention of revealing his true goals.

- I don't see any need to have you as a partner in the hunt for the Avatar, especially as an airbender. - Zuko made no secret of his hostile intentions toward Jefh, who has had bad luck with airbenders.

- I have the same feeling, you've had seven years to do this, I seriously question your abilities. - Jefh crossed his arms, and although he seemed to have his guard down, Iroh realized that it was a fighting position for quick, stealthy attacks.

- You bastard... - Zuko had his shoulder quickly pulled by Iroh to have a private talk.

- Prince Zuko, if Jeph is part of Kai's army, that means he could be useful to both of us as we move forward legally in the conquered territories of the Fire Nation. - Iroh whispered. - It is our key to uninterrupted travel.

- Work alongside him? That's ridiculous, Uncle. He's an airbender. - Zuko asked, keeping his voice low.

- Obviously, this airbender is a warrior, the kind that cannot be underestimated. You see that pose with the crossed arms, that's a variation of the Lightning Bender style. - Iroh made a point of warning Zuko, teaching him not to underestimate the people around him. - This boy is strong, maybe he's on the same level as you.

Zuko pondered his uncle's words; as a trusted person and his only real family, it was obvious that his words carried weight and had a direct influence on him. Zuko watched Jefh over his shoulder, realizing that Jefh's disheveled posture was a refined fighting stance, something that could only be acquired through intense practice over years of training.

The two firebenders whispered to each other, and Jefh used his elemental influence to make the sound clearer to his ears, making it easy to understand their every word. This ability is extremely useful for espionage, something he had been practicing for months. Jefh quickly understood that he would be used as a simple tool, but he would do the same with Zuko.

Knowing that the necklace was the key to finding the Avatar, Jefh even considered stealing it from the Prince and fleeing with June and Nyla. But Iroh was on his guard, and his secret ability would affect Nyla, a Shirshu who relies mainly on smell and hearing. A fight for the necklace would be pointless, so he was limited to working together until he came face to face with the Avatar.

- Okay... Jefh, if you stand in my way, I swear as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation to destroy you. - Zuko decided to tolerate Jefh, intending to get rid of him once the Avatar was at his feet.

- If you work me, you and your uncle will be on your knees before me. - Jefh countered the threat, though he was more concerned about Iroh.

- Then the girls stopped fighting. - June teased, ready to hunt down the Avatar. She quickly took the necklace from Zuko's hand and placed it near Nyla's nose for her to sniff. It didn't take long for the large Shirshu to become agitated, making it clear that he had the scent of his target. - You all ride Nyla.

The three Benders quickly listened and mounted the large animal, fortunately Nyla didn't mind having four people on her back, given her nature as a large predator.

June whipped her shirshu into a frenzy as she rode at high speed through the forest at night. Jefh, Zuko and Iroh had to hold on tight to keep their balance, and it was an incredibly difficult task.

***

Aang was in a great inner conflict, the last few weeks had been quite hectic, but in an unpleasant way, and tonight was a bad night. Today, the group had met an old acquaintance of Katara and Sokka, his name was Bato, one of the warriors from the Southern Tribe who had volunteered to fight against the Fire Nation. He was eventually injured and stayed behind to recuperate, and the journey to the northern Water Tribe happened to lead to him. 

Aang overheard Sokka and Katara talking to Bato about the possibility of staying with him and seeing his father. Without realizing it, he heard the conversation out of context and thought he was being abandoned. He had already noticed that the group saw him differently. Perhaps because he was not the warrior or liberator they had dreamed of, they doubted his determination to save the world.

Aang was at the edge of the beach, on Bato's sailboat, just listening to his own thoughts under the sound of the ocean waves, but his solitude was interrupted when a man in Earth Kingdom robes approached on a ostrich horse.

- Hey, kid, you know a man named Bato from the Water Tribe. - said the messenger, looking worried.

- I know Bato. - Aang replied.

- Perfect, then give it to him, it's a letter from Hadoka of the Water Tribe. - The messenger handed Aang a parchment and quickly used his reins to hurry his mount away from the beach.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Aang opened the scroll and discovered it was a map leading to the location of Katara and Sokka's father. The Avatar in his paranoia quickly crumpled the map and hid it in his clothes, without noticing the other message warning of a catastrophe at the South Pole.

In Aang's mind, he was sure that Katara and Sokka would abandon him on his journey to the North Pole. Little did he know that the reason he was so worried was because of the feelings he developed for Katara during his journey to save the world.

Aang was alone for several minutes, repeating the thought and fear of being abandoned, knowing he wasn't strong enough to defeat the Fire Nation or the dragons on his own. His thoughts were interrupted when Haru approached with a plate of food in her hand.

- What are you doing out here, you're going to catch a cold. - Haru said quietly.

- I... I'm watching the boat, so no one steals it. - Aang stammered, trying to hide his frustration.

- I think I understand what you must be feeling. - Haru handed him a plate with food from the South Pole. When Aang tasted it, he immediately spat it out because of the exotic taste. - I thought it was awful too, but it seems Katara, Sokka and Suki don't mind the taste.

- What do you mean, you understand my feelings? - Aang asked.

- It must be painful to see Katara and Sokka reunited with a relative when you have no one else from your tribe alive these days. - Haru commented when he saw the Avatar so depressed. - You know, I understand your pain, my family died because of the Fire Nation, so I understand the pain you feel.

Haru walked down to the seawater, taking off his shoes to stand barefoot and feel the seawater touch his toes. He seemed to be contemplating the seawater, looking as if he had never felt satisfaction when he killed the woman responsible for killing his father.

- Don't worry, you're not alone, we're all a team now. - Haru comforted Aang as best he could. Over the past few weeks, the two of them had become closer, even friends, and the tension that had existed had eased considerably, even though Haru still had some questions about his experience in the spirit world.

Aang made a small smile, but the fear of seeing Katara and Sokka stay with Bato was still great, but he decided to try to eat the horrible-tasting food so that he would at least have strength for the next day.

Miles away at the bottom of the sea, two blue eyes opened as they detected a familiar presence that was looking to settle the score. Yoshie turned her face towards where Haru was, oblivious to having exposed her location when she touched the seawater.

- I've finally found you. - Yoshie said seriously, using her domination to propel herself underwater like a cannon.

Next chapter: Azula's decision