𝕍𝕖𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕪𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕚 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣: 𝕊𝕠𝕜𝕜𝕒 𝕩 𝕆𝕔

Chapter 27- The Serpent's Pass

The team and I are situated at a waterfall pond. Sokka is surveying a map while I sat on the rock beside him. Toph is sitting with her feet in the water, kicking it back and forth. Aang is swimming while Katara is located at the top of the lake near the waterfall.

Aang goes underwater for a moment and bends an ice cube around himself for amusement.

"Waterbending bomb! Yeah!" Katara jumps from the cliff into the pond below.

The splash sends Aang out of the water, breaking his ice prison, and soaking Toph and I, including Sokka and the maps which he tried to protect.

"Sure, five thousand year-old maps from the spirit library. Just splash some water on 'em." Sokka says with pure sarcasm.

"Sorry." Katara wrings her hair dry and bends the water off the map.

As we all gather, Sokka takes the map and places it on the ground.

"So, did you figure out what route we're going to take?" Aang asks.

"Okay, we just got out of the desert," Sokka says, tracing his finger across the map. "So we must be around here. And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here. It looks like the only passage connecting the south to the north is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass."

"You sure that's the best way to go?" Toph asks suspiciously.

"It's the only way. I mean, it's not like we have Appa to fly us there." Sokka shrugs.

"Shush up about Appa." Katara angrily whispers. "Can't you at least try to be sensitive?"

We all turn to Aang to view his expression. "Katara, it's okay. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse."

Katara is surprised. "Oh...well, okay. I'm glad you're doing better."

Sokka grabs the map and rolls it up. "Then to Ba Sing Se we go. No more distractions."

Suddenly, two women, one pregnant and a man arrive. "Hello there, fellow refugees!"

Sokka's face soured as the refugees approached closer.

"So, you guys are headed to Ba Sing Se, too?" Aang asked.

"Sure are. We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby." The man replied rubbing his wife's stomach. "My name is Than and this is my sister." He says pointing to the other young lady.

"Great!" Katara beams. "We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."

The three refugees look up in shock. "The Serpent's Pass? Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!" Ying said.

"Deadly route?" As I turn to Sokka, I raise an eyebrow. "Great pick."

"Well, we are desperate." He replies with a shrug.

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay. Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se." Than suggests.

"And it's hidden, so the Fire Nation can't find it."

"Hmm... peaceful ferry ride," Katara turns to her brother, "or deadly pass?"

✼　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　✼

As we arrived at the Full Moon Bay station, where perhaps hundreds of locals were awaiting transportation, Katara remarks. "I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation."