Wow," Toph said as she hopped off of Appa. "You guys picked a really nice place to camp," She smiled, flexing and wriggling her toes, enjoying the soft surface beneath her feet. "The grass here is amazing,"
"That's not grass, little earthbender," Harry chuckled as he hopped down next to her. "What you're standing in is high class, grade A sky bison fur."
"He does have some very good fur," Aang grinned proudly as he landed next to them.
"Yeah, well that good fur is shedding all over the place now," Sokka grunted out in a displeased voice as he and Katara hopped down.
"Oh gross," Katara sniffed, Appa let out an offended noise.
"Don't listen to her buddy," Harry patted Appa on the head. "I've met plenty of beasts and people that aren't half as clean as you."
"It's not gross, Katara, it's just a part of spring!" Aang said cheerfully. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming and Appa gets a new coat."
"The joys of spring," Katara said dryly, she opened her mouth to say more when Appa let out a large sneeze, sending large amounts of fur everywhere. "Oh no! Appa!" Katara cried, slapping away the fur with her hands. She looked up and caught sight of an amused Harry who had managed to stay clean thanks to an air shield he had put around himself.
"Come on, Katara, it's not that bad," Harry smirked.
"Yeah, Harry's right," Sokka agreed, holding a bunch of fur around his hair to make a fairly impressive wig. "Makes a great wig!" He grinned.
"And a good beard too!" Aang jumped in, a bunch of Appa's fur around his face.
"I'm just glad we finally have another girl in the group because you two are disgusting," Katara said, wiping some dirt and fur off of her face.
"Excuse me, does anyone have a razor?" Toph asked innocently before raising her arms, showing that she had shoved a bunch of Appa's fur under her armpits. "Because I've got some really hairy pits!" She laughed loudly, shortly followed by Aang and Sokka. Katara let out a pained sigh while Harry stared critically at the very large armpit hair and mentally compared it to the armpits of the troll he had fought in his first year.
"I've seen worse," He said, catching the attention of the entire group.
"Where the hell would you have seen worse armpit hair than this?" Sokka blurted out, staring between Toph's armpits and Harry.
"Hey, you could write books on the stuff I've seen," He replied just before Aang sneezed and flew back into Appa who also sneezed, sending more fur flying everywhere.
"Got the wood," Harry announced as he walked back into the campsite, carrying a few piles of wood on his shoulders.
"Pit's been dug," Sokka told him before he continued helping Aang organise their stuff.
"Thanks," Harry replied, dropping the wood into the pit before he set it on fire. "Katara, pass us some water please, I'm thirsty."
"Here you go," She said, tossing him a water canister before she turned around and noticed that Toph was lying down against a rock, chewing on a piece of wheat. Katara frowned deeply before she stood up and walked over to Toph. "Hey Toph, are you okay?" She asked.
"Just dandy," Toph shrugged. "Why do you ask?"
"Just trying to be nice," Katara said in a slow voice. "Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you. It's just that...well...usually when we set up camp, we all sort of divide the work."
"Hey, don't worry about me," Toph said dismissively. "I'm good to go whenever you guys want."
"Yeah, well...that's not exactly what I meant," Katara replied. "It's just that...well...some of us collect water or make a fire, some of us will cook or hunt for food. We take turns setting up the tents, you know...stuff like that."
"Yeah, well you don't need to worry about me. I've got my own food in my bag and I don't need a fire, I can set up my own tent easily," She said before earthbending a tent nearby. "See?" She said smugly.
"That's not what I meant," Katara said, giving Toph a hard stare.
"And just what do you mean?" Toph said, giving Katara a look of her own.
"I just-"
"Katara," Harry cut in as he stepped up next to her. "Do me a favour please, Sokka's either dropped some food on himself or his piss has just become thicker and brown. Can you please go and help him?"
"Oh...uh...right," Katara gave him an odd look before walking away.
"You alright, Toph?" Harry asked, sitting down next to her.
"I don't think hair-loopy likes me," Toph snorted.
"It's alright, nobody's expecting you to become best friends with everyone straight away," Harry shrugged. "We're all acquired tastes, they piss me off on a regular basis and I'm probably not that easy to live with. Still, it's always better to have a team, with you."
"I can handle myself," Toph said automatically.
"I know," Harry nodded but didn't say anything else. Momo flew in and landed on Harry's shoulder, dropping some berries into Harry's hands. "Thanks, Momo," The winged Lemur nodded before flying off with his own berries. Harry tossed a couple of berries into his mouth before holding some out for Toph. "You want some?" He offered.
"Thanks," She took a couple and placed them in her mouth. "They're a little sour," She grimaced.
"You get used to it," He told her, tossing another into his mouth.
"If you're sure," She swallowed before reaching out and taking another, she had barely finished eating when all of a sudden she shot to her feet.
"Toph, what's wrong?" Harry asked, standing up after her.
"Something's coming," Toph said quickly, attracting the attention of the others as well.
"What is it, Toph?" Aang asked, a frown on his usually happy face.
"I don't know," Toph reluctantly admitted as she knelt down and placed a hand on the ground. "It sort of feels like an avalanche, but it's not an avalanche, at least I don't think it is."
"Gee, your powers of perception are truly frightening," Sokka said sarcastically, though he did look all around in the hopes of spotting this 'not an avalanche'.
"Should we leave?" Katara asked.
"Better safe than sorry," Aang replied.
"Aang's right," Harry agreed. "Quickly pack up, then get on Appa, we need to get out of here. We can find another spot to camp later once we're sure that we're safe. Go!"
It didn't take long for the team to pack up their stuff and get on Appa, the sky bison let out a displeased noise but thankfully didn't cause any problems and lifted himself straight up into the air and flew off. Not long after the group found themselves flying in the air once again.
"Guy's, what's that?" Katara asked, pointing back to where they had just left. They weren't able to see much, but they were able to see a lot of smoke coming out from the trees.
"Should we have stayed and fought them?" Toph asked. "Between the Dragon, Avatar and me, we should be able to fight off nearly anyone. And that's without our additional help," She added, gesturing to the Water Tribe siblings.
"Perhaps, but the best trick to staying alive in a war is to avoid confrontation whenever possible," Harry told her. "Save your energy for when you need it the most, if we can avoid a fight then do it."
"Well, what now?" Sokka asked.
"Keep flying," Harry answered. "From past experience, I reckon Appa can fly for at least another hour easily without getting too tired, once we're far enough away, we'll rest."
"Appa can do it," Aang said confidently. "Can't you, Appa?" He patted Appa's head, earning an affirmative grunt from the large bison.
Harry wasn't quite sure what the time was when they finally landed, but it was dark when they landed and the moon was visible, even if it was mostly hidden away by dark clouds. They had flown over a mountain terrain and landed on a smooth, rocky surface.
"Finally!" Toph said cheerfully once stepping off of Appa. "Land sweet land!" She let out a deep sigh before picking up her stuff. "Alright guys, good night. I'll see you in the morning,"
"Wait a second," Katara said after hopping off of Appa. "Toph, can you help us with unloading our stuff? I think that -"
"Really?" Toph interrupted. "You need me to help unload Sokka's sweaty stuff?"
"In her defence, even I'm not helping with that," Harry shrugged while an offended Sokka took a cautious whiff of his smell and immediately looked like he was going to vomit.
"Fine," Katara's eye twitched. "If she's not going to help with that then she can help with unloading everything else. You are part of the team now, you know,"
"Would you give it a rest?" Toph groaned irritably. "I didn't ask any of you to help me with unloading my stuff, did I?"
"All of your stuff can be fitted into a small bag," Katara reminded her. "Besides, we'll be getting more things for you in the future and then we'll be helping you unload them."
"I don't need your help with anything, I can carry my own weight just fine," Toph glared at her before turning and walking away.
"That's not the point," Katara said angrily. "You know since joining this team, you've been nothing but irritating, annoying and selfish!"
"What?!" Toph spun around and fixed Katara with a deathly stare. "Look here, sugar queen," She said, pointing a finger at Katara. "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending and help you all out. I ran from my parents, my only home and everything I've ever known just to be here. So don't you talk to me about being selfish just because I want to look after myself by myself!" She snapped before sitting down violently, as soon as her butt hit the ground, an earth tent quickly formed over her.
"Did you just call me 'sugar queen'?!" Katara demanded.
"Going to send me to my room, 'mommy'?" Toph asked mockingly before she used earthbending to cause an earth wall to rise up and close the tent.
"Did you just slam the door in my face?!" Katara shouted before she kicked the tent. "How can you be so infuriating?" She yelled before hitting the tent repeatedly.
"Um...guys," Aang whispered to Harry and Sokka. "Should we try and stop them?" Harry and Sokka stared at the young airbender before they turned to each other, a silent conversation happened between the two, ending in a firm nod from both sides before they both turned to face Aang.
"No," They said at the same time, completely serious.
"What? But I -"
"Listen and listen well, little airbender, so I may give you the most valuable piece of information you may ever hear in your very long life," Harry told him. "Now, I tell you this with the greatest of respect for half of the human population of Earth: Women be crazy,"
"Respectfully, they do be," Sokka nodded firmly.
"Especially when they can bend elements," Harry added, Sokka nodded once more.
"Are you sure we shouldn't help?" Aang asked, looking quite bothered by the idea of not doing anything.
"Alright," Harry said. "Go and give it a try,"
"We'll be right with you...in spirit," Sokka added. Aang sighed before he walked over to where Katara was shouting at Toph's tent.
"Alright, guys," Aang said calmly. "Let's all just try and calm down, yeah?"
"Calm?!" Katara whirled around and glared at him. "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!"
"Yeah," Sokka whispered to Harry. "She's completely calm, calm as an angry dragon."
"Or Dumbledore," Harry agreed.
"Huh?"
"What?"
A short while later, the camp had been set up, the group had eaten and most of them were now in their sleeping bags, ready to sleep with the exception of Toph who hadn't left her earth tent the whole time and Harry who was perched on top of a nearby tree branch.
"Harry," Aang called from his sleeping bag. "You sure you don't want to sleep?" He asked worriedly.
"Don't worry about me," Harry said dismissively. "You guys go to sleep, I'll keep watch in case that smoke thingy comes back. I'll sleep later," He said, taking a moment to look up at the beautiful night sky. If there was one thing he liked about this world, it was that there was far less pollution than his own world. Human problems aside, the world was a beautiful and peaceful place.
"The stars sure are beautiful tonight," Katara's voice cut in suddenly. "Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" She called mockingly.
'And there goes the peace,' Harry thought to himself just before the ground under Katara rumbled and shot her a few feet up into the air so she landed on top of a surprised Sokka.
"Really?!" The Water Tribe boy snapped as he pushed Katara off of himself. "How is a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and bending?! You guys can't wait the night and argue in the morning!"
"Argue later, I see something!" Harry shouted before Toph's tent door retracted back into the ground.
"I feel something!" She said, stepping out of the tent.
"Any chance it's far away and we can get a couple of minutes of sleep?" Sokka asked hopefully just before smoke started ascending above them.
"Fat chance," Aang said, quickly getting up. "Come on guys, let's go!"
The group rushed on top of Appa and quickly flew away.
"It looks like a train," Harry told the group, able to see a bit of it from his aerial view. It seemed like an actual steam-blowing train, was following them.
"A train?" Sokka blurted out as they continued flying away. "Why the hell would a train of all things be following us?" He asked, yawning deeply as he started resting against the saddle.
"A better question would be 'how' it is following us," Toph replied, looking fairly tired herself.
"I don't know, but this time, I'm going to make sure we lose them!" Aang said firmly.
"What the hell were you doing the last time then?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "Everyone else, get some sleep or at least try to. Aang and I will take turns flying Appa, get some rest."
"You're the boss," Sokka yawned.
"We'll try," Katara nodded, Toph simply gave Harry a thumbs up before lying down on the saddle.
"Harry," Aang spoke up. "Any idea who is chasing us?"
"I can't say for sure, but..." Harry let out a deep sigh. "...The train looked Fire Nation."
"Zuko? Azula?" Aang asked.
"I hope not,"