When All Hope Is Lost

Winter Solstice Part 2 (2)

The gaang had been flying for hours now. All there was to see around them was Fire Nation waters. It was getting close to sundown, when the island was finally spotted.

"There it is! The island where Roku's dragon took me." Aang called from his place on Appa's head. The other three in the saddle quickly jumped up to look over the saddle.

After they landed on the island, everyone got off of the flying bison before he flopped onto his stomach from exhaustion. "You did it, buddy! Nice flying." Aang complimented while hugging his bison friend.

Appa rolled over onto his back as Katara rubbed his stomach. "Oh, you must be tired." She cooed.

Sokka, who had been stretching answered his sister instead. "No, I'm good. Refreshed and ready to fight some firebenders!"

"I was talking to Appa." Katara noted.

Sokka froze and quickly try to cover up his mistake. "Well, I was talking to Auretta." He gestured to said girl who was just over by a tree, petting Momo who hung from one of it's branches.

The young girl, who hadn't really been paying attention turned towards the other upon hearing her name. "Huh? Uh, oh yeah. Yeah, that's me." Sokka's shoulders slumped while Katara and Aang laughed, leaving the older girl even more confused than before.

The group made their way along the long path up the island, and were now crouched behind a wall, surveying the entrance to the temple. "I don't see any guards." Sokka said.

"The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died." Katara commented.

"It's almost sundown." Aang pointed out as he stood. "We'd better hurry."

The four kids ran up the stairs and through the temple door, with Momo flying above. They were tiptoeing through a large room with multiple entrances to different halls when Sokka quietly called out to the others. "Wait. I think I heard something." They all turned around to see five men in Fire Nation attire standing in the entryway they had come from.

"We are the Fire Sages, guardians of the temple of the Avatar." The man in the middle introduced.

"Great! I am the avatar!" Aang smiled.

"We know." The sages then sent fire blasts at the gaang, but Aang quickly jumped infront of the others, blocking the fire from hitting them with his airbending.

"I'll hold them off. Run!" Aang yelled back at the group. The three teens nodded their heads and ran down the closest hallway.

"Where do we go?" Sokka yelled out over the rush of their footsteps.

Auretta didn't look over her shoulder at him as she kept running, leading them through the halls to who knows where. "Just keep running!"

Suddenly, Aang ran out of nowhere, before turning to run ahead of them. "Follow me!"

"Do you know where you're going?" Sokka asked.

"Nope." Aang replied as he ran around another corner. Just as fast, he ran right back around, heading back the way they came. "Wrong way!"

Auretta snorted before seeing one of the fire sages come around the corner. "Come back!" She ran after her brother, but sent a quizzical look over her shoulder at the man who looked helplessly after their retreating forms.

The gaang ran straight into a dead end, before turning around to see the same fire sage as before blocking their exit. "I don't want to fight you. I am a friend." he tried to assure.

The others dropped into fighting stances, but Auretta stayed straight. She didn't believe the man would hurt them, but she was on guard incase she read him wrong. "Firebenders aren't out friends." Sokka said.