Being alone was pretty great. Putting one foot in front of the other, listening to the song of the birds, the rustling of leaves, feeling the pleasant warmth of the soft dirt under her feet. No admonishments from mother to behave like a lady. No rules from father to imprison her. Not having to put up with bossy Water Tribe girls' constant nagging. Toph felt like she was filled with the intoxicating lightness of freedom. There was no space inside her for doubt or niggling seconds thoughts. The encounter with the old tea-guy centered her. She knew exactly who she was, even if people couldn't always see it. She didn't need them - they needed her. And if they came to find her, maybe she could be persuaded again to help them. Until then, she was fine on her own.

Or was she? The birds have gone quiet. She tensed inside as the vibration of heavy footsteps shook the soles of her feet. At least six men. Faint, dull metallic sounds accompanied the vibration. Whoever these guys were, they were armed to the teeth. Toph felt the inevitable rush in her veins, making her feel fully alive, all her senses on the highest alert.

"Are you lost, little lady?" The voice that spoke to her was gruff, unpleasant. She had heard that dismissive tone so many times in the fighting arena. It always ended the same way - with cries of dismay, groans of pain. It was the most satisfying feeling in the world to get these bullies off their high horse.

"None of your business, imbecile," she replied loudly. Outraged breathing followed her words. Toph smiled to herself pleased; she was a rock and would not be intimidated.

"We could take you back to your family - you must be scared to be alone," the voice continued taunting her. "I'm sure they'd pay anything to get such a doll back."

This idiot did not just call her a doll . Toph cracked her knuckles. He was going to get the special Earth Rumbling champion treatment, she decided immediately.

"She's blind, Cho. I doubt her family even wants want her," another ruffian interjected nervously. Well, what would this guy know?

Trying to decide which of the two idiots to attack first, Toph shifted her stance slightly. She almost missed the soft landing of a pair of feet that seemed to appear out of nowhere, planted squarely between her and the attackers.

"Leave her alone." The soft feet came with a gravelly voice used to command.

Toph puffed in annoyance. She did not need another dumbwit playing self-appointed hero spoiling her fun. She most certainly did not need some stranger running to her defense as if she was a helpless little girl.

"Move out of my way!" she yelled.

When the stranger remained stubbornly rooted between her and her prey, she impatiently stomped her left foot, shifting the ground under the meddlesome hero-wannabe, pushing him out of the way. She chuckled softly as she heard his shocked gasp, but she couldn't waste too much time on him. Thrusting her arms forwards she attacked the bullies. She was in her element.

-0-

Zuko was sick of the Earth Kingdom. He hated everything about the place; the barren landscape, the stinky swamps, the dirt, the dusty villages full of ungrateful peasants. Uncle was wrong - he didn't belong here, he never would. What he chose to do didn't matter - only who he was. Fire Nation and a firebender - to be regarded only as an enemy, even when he stood up to the corrupt soldiers. He was sick of running, of hiding, of being hungry. His only choice was to capture the Avatar and return home with his honor or die trying. This life was not worth living anyway.

He looked up into the blue sky, searching for a trace of the Avatar's bison. After the North Pole, the monk and his annoying companions had to come to the Earth Kingdom; after all, it was the next element in the cycle. He couldn't let Azula find him first. The thought was maddening. Despite Zuko doing the gruelling search for three endless years, it would be his sister just swooping in and taking all the glory. Like always. Well, not this time. Finding the Avatar was his destiny.

His ostrich-horse stopped on the middle of the path, craning her neck towards a cloudberry bush - her favourite snack. Zuko dug his heels in, but the animal was as stubborn and unyielding as the rest of this spirit-forsaken land. Getting off the saddle with a sigh, he crouched down to pick some berries for the peckish beast. Well, maybe sometimes good deeds did get their reward. Stuck between the thorny branches of the shrub, his fingers found a waxy, rough glob of hair - in the off-white color of the Avatar's bison. This could not be just pure coincidence. It had to be a sign that his quest was not over yet - as long as he didn't give up hope.

"We must hurry," he told the ostrich-horse while offering her the berries. Her beak pricked at his palm as she deftly picked out the offering. "Let's go!"

Once she finished her snack, Zuko hopped back into the saddle, and they galloped down the path. He had a hunch that the Avatar would go towards Ba Sing Se. Once inside the city, he would be out of not only Zuko's, but the whole Fire Nation's reach. There was no time to waste.

After a few minutes they reached a narrow ravine - the rocks separated by a river running deep under them. Earth Kingdom bridges were flimsy, often treacherous - Zuko learnt this the hard way. He got off from the saddle, and holding the lead of the ostrich-horse, he started to coax her onto the narrow wooden structure, talking to the frightened animal in a soothing voice, until there was solid ground under their feet again. Zuko was about to continue his journey, when he spotted another white glob, just a few steps from the road. He was on the right track. He went to pick it up, when beneath the road he spotted a group of rough-looking Earth Kingdom men surrounding a child. He crawled closer soundlessly. He couldn't make out what they were saying exactly, but the tone of voice was that of unmistakable threat. The kid spoke back on a high, clear voice. It was a girl.

Zuko's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his trusty double swords. Then he shook his head. No - he would not go down this path again. It was a dead-end . This wasn't his fight, these weren't his people. He had his quest to focus on and finally he had a clue to follow. He needed to focus on the trail before it went cold. Azula was certainly not going to stop saving some random stray kid. Turning away, he walked to his horse.

Is that who you are? Someone who lets a defenseless little girl in the hands of scoundrels? What happened to my son? The voice of his mother pierced his soul. It had been getting louder ever since he left Iroh. He thought he was going to be free of his uncle's constant nagging and reproaches, so he could focus on doing what he needed to do to restore his honor. But instead of finding peace, he was haunted by bittersweet memories of his mother. Disappointing Iroh was one thing - he could do that. Their daily clashes over the last years steeled him for confrontation, but he was terrified of losing those tiny fragments of Mother that he still held onto.

Zuko sighed in defeat. Might as well get over with this quickly. He pulled his mask out from his saddle-bag, climbed up on the closest tree, navigating his way through the thick branches until he was just to the right of the group. Zuko observed the scene quietly, calculating his strategy. To her credit, the girl - who was small and rather filthy - showed no fear. She stood her ground, staring at the men with unblinking eyes. As another ruffian spoke - this time a tall, thin fellow in a tattered shirt - the girl turned her face, directly looking towards Zuko. He noticed with shock that her green eyes were covered by a milky film - the kid was blind.

Without further hesitation, Zuko jumped, landing in between the girl and the bandits, his swords drawn.

"Leave her alone," he growled at them, raising his weapons.

The reply came not from the men, but on a high-pitched, irritated voice from behind his back. "Move out of my way!"

Zuko glanced back with a frown, trying to see who the girl was talking to. Her unseeing eyes were staring straight at him. Clearly, she wasn't only blind, but also dim-witted, Zuko thought with pity.

The girl stomped her foot angrily and Zuko felt the ground move under him, shoving him aside. He saw the satisfied smirk on her lips as she thrust her arms out in a forceful movement, sending two of the bandits flying at the end of twin stone pillars. An earthbender! One packing quite the punch for that matter.

The thin fellow standing closest to Zuko pulled out a bow and placed an arrow on it. He didn't get to draw the string, as Zuko hit him in the head with the hilt of his sword and the guy collapsed on the ground.

He glanced at the girl, who was busy burying the leader waist deep into rock. The two other members of the group left standing hurried to help their captain. Zuko parried their attack with his swords, but before he could get in a strike, the earth moved under his foot again, shoving him out of the way.

"What's wrong with you?" he snapped at the girl with annoyance.

"I was handling them," the earthbender replied furiously. "I don't need you or anyone to save me. Because I'm Toph Beifong and I'm the greatest earthbender," she chanted punctuating her words with forceful stomps, making quick work of the ruffians, immobilizing each in tiny rock prisons.

The girl - whose name apparently was Toph - took a step back and raised her arms in triumph. "And I don't need you or any other moron to save me." Her sharp tongue was clearly directed at Zuko.

So much for saving helpless little girls, the prince thought bitterly. His first instinct was the right one; he should have just walked away. What an ungrateful brat she was. It was not his fight. He was not wanted or needed.

"I'll be on my way then," Zuko muttered angrily.

Toph just shrugged. Suddenly, the boulder she was standing on started to roll and the girl disappeared with a startled cry on the side of the ravine. Glancing around, Zuko realized that one of the men knocked out at the beginning of the fight regained consciousness. He must have been an earth-bender too. Zuko leapt forward and knocked him out again. He ran to the edge of the ravine and looked down.

He sighed in relief when he saw the girl flailing in panic on top of the water. Well, the brat survived. And she may have been a great earthbender, but she clearly was not a swimmer.

Zuko jumped.