Stars chapter seven- Zutara

“Sokka! Wipe your mouth”
“Can’t. No time. Must eat.”
“You’re getting jelly all over Appa!”
The young warrior eyed his sister with content. “I can’t help it! You picked great food this time!”
“This time?” she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Nodding, he wiped his wrist across his lips, covering it in the sticky fruit preserves, before grabbing another biscuit. He then proceeded to spread jam on it with the tip of his machete.
“Besides, we can always give him a bath later.” Under them, Appa gave a groan of agreement.
“Another bath? And just who is going to scrub his feet?”
Sokka grinned. Katara rolled her eyes.
“Ugh.”

Shoving the bread in his mouth, Sokka reached for the food bag and pulled a strip of meat from one of the inner pockets.
“Ahh, meat,” he cooed, dangling it in front of his gaping jaws. “How I’ve missed you!”
“Aren’t you glad Sweetness brought all that food now?” Toph said, munching noisily on a fish cracker.
Deciding that she was in no position to argue with her defender, Katara discarded the name and snatched the sliver of jerky from her brothers hands.
“Hey!” he cried grabbing at the air where his lunch had been only seconds ago. “Sis, give that back!”
“It’s no wonder you can eat so much, your mouth is like an endless void!” She grinned, waving the strip back and forth. “If you want it back, you’ll have to agree to shampoo, condition, dry, and brush Appa’s fur. It’s only fair, considering you’re the one getting him so messy. ”
Sokka’s jaw dropped. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else Katara. I’m no slob.” he placed a hand over his heart, mocking hurt, while the other tried to grab the meat from his sister’s clutches.
“Make that a yes, and you might be able to reach your prize.” the waterbender swung the jerky up over her head and placed a restraining hand her brother’s shoulder. “Now do we have a deal or don’t we?”
The Earth King and Aang shared a giggle over Sokka’s frustrated struggle while Toph popped a grape into her wide mouth. “She’s got you Snoozles.”
“Mmmng!” the boy sat back and put on a scowl. “Fine. But just so you know, there’s crumbs in your hair, miss ‘my brother is a slob’!”
Katara pulled out pastry crumbs from her locks with a flushed face. “It was a particularly flaky danish...” was her lame reply as she threw the jerky back to Sokka.

The meat was only inches away from the warrior’s greedy hands when Momo decided to intervene; grabbing the strip midair and proceeding to tear off a corner with his small, but sharp teeth.
“Chirp.”
“Momo, you dirty, rotten, alpha-illerterate monkey creature, how could you” screamed Sokka, as tears of gluttony streamed down his face.
At this point, the king was doubled over laughing while Aang was vainly gasping for air; his choking smile growing bigger by the second. Bosco gave a playful growl as he gently biffed the warrior’s  head.

“Serves you right.”
The glare sent in her direction went unnoticed by the blind little earthbender, and her smile grew even wider at her friend’s aggravated cry.
“What is that supposed to mean Toph?!”
“It means you shouldn’t have eaten so much; you robbed everyone else of all the good food ya know. Karma.”
“Oh?” he eyed the cracker in her hand. “What about the delectable little munchie you’re holding then? Looks pretty good to me.” He raised an eyebrow.
Shoving it in her mouth, Toph swallowed the treat whole and grinned toothily. “What munchie?” She asked sweetly, followed by a large belch.
“Really,” the waterbender proclaimed, as the Earth King stuck out his tongue in disgust. “You couldn’t be any more feminine.”
“Right back at ‘cha Sweetness.”
Katara scoffed.

“Actually, I seem to have obtained the last of the ‘good food’.” she sent the blind girl a sarcastic smirk as she held up two crimson colored oranges.
The water tribe boy let out a jealous gasp. “How did you get a hold of those beauties?” he asked breathlessly, marveling at the way the skin of the fruit caught I the afternoon sun.
Oranges were a rare delicacy in the South Pole and most of the Earth Kingdom- but Blood Oranges were nearly impossible to find! They were only ripe for two weeks a year, and had to be imported from the Fire Nation. The first time Sokka had had one, it had been dried from the year before, and was at the Fire Nation Day festival they had attended three months ago. Katara must have stumbled onto some sort of not-so-secret international market!
Sokka could feel his mouth water just remembering those few heavenly, citrus-filled bites.....
“You got them at the market didn’t you? How?!”

Katara let out a light hearted laugh, pleased at her brother’s reaction. “I knew you would like them. Well, I didn’t steal them if that’s what you’re wondering.”
It was then that her eyes widened with realization, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified.
Her throat seemed to close, and she took in slow, shaky breaths. It wasn’t enough that his name had to invade her mind every day, but she had to start quoting him too?! A caramel colored hand fanned her face. This was getting so annoying! What’s next- she’d probably start dreaming about him!

“Knock on wood.” she mumbled, as her friends gave her worried looks.
“Alright, I don’t need earth to tell me if something’s wrong with SugarQueen.”
“Are you alright Katara?” came Aang’s worried squeak.
An arm draped around her shoulders, and Sokka pulled her closer. “What’s wrong Tara?”
Lowering her hand, she met their gazes. “It’s nothing. Really, I’m fine.” she lied.
Sokka tilted her chin up and gave her a serious look. “You don’t sound fine. Or look it for that matter- you’re pale as a sheet.”
“Thank you Sokka.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Maybe you should lay down Katara.” the king said, setting down his biscuit. “A nap is always good when one is feeling ill.”
She shook her head frantically, a lie already at her lips. “No, no, I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy- you know, with the changing of the months and all.”
When her brother tilted his head confusedly, she pouted. To hell if she was going to actually spell it out for him.
“The moon is against me this week.”
His head shook, and she pushed it further.
“I’m feeling heavy.”
Another shake.
“I bought extra linens at the market.”
Shake.
“I have cramps.”
Shrug, and then shake.
“Cycles suck.”
He put his hand to her forehead.
In an act of frustration, she swatted it away and rather crudely gave him another hint.
“If I lay with anyone this week, I’ll get pregnant.”

Both Sokka and the Earth King paled as the waterbender’s cheeks flushed from the embarrassing lie.
But dear La, boys were dense.
“Oh...right. S-sorry there sis....it’s just you lost me with all the....um....”
Toph lightly punched the warrior in the arm, a smirk made apparent on her face. “Took you awhile there Snoozles. And you have a girlfriend too!”
There was a slight change of key in the fith word and Katara noted to herself to have a talk with her blind friend later.

“Sooooo....who gets the oranges?” Aang chirped nervously at her side.
“What? Oh...the oranges....right.”
Right......
A copper colored hand shot into the air, wielding a machete proudly.
“As the BoomerAang’s leader, I say I get first choice. Followed by Mr. Avatar of course.” Sokka gave a sweeping bow to Aang.
“Sokka, you really shouldn’t be standing on Appa-“
“Nonsense Aang, I won’t hear of it! Of course I’ll save one for you I am not a greedy hogmonkey!”
“Actually, that wasn’t-“
“Ahaha! You’re so modest!”
The older boy  threw back his head and laughed, but stopped when Appa’s toes hit a small air pocket and he quickly sat back down.

Katara rolled her eyes and held out the oranges to the Earth King and Aang.
At the sight of the extended fruit, the airbender’s eyes lite up, and the king broke into a wide grin.
“Really? Thanks Katara!” the child cried, as he grabbed the food and began peeling it. “Toph, do you want some?” He asked, handing her a bright red slice.
“Katara, that’s not fair!”
“Relax Sokka- and stop crying! There are more in the basket.”
“Oh thank you Spirits, thank you”
As the Water Tribe boy dug through said basket, the King took his share of fruit from the his sister. “Yes, Katara, thank you so much! Bosco and I just love oranges!”
Sokka turned to his royal comrade, juice running down his chin, and simply gaped.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to waste that beautiful piece of heaven on a bear?” (“Sokka, you’re far too descriptive of things.”)
“Not waste.” he said, wagging a finger. “ I told you; Bosco loves them.”
The teenager scratched his head. “Well yeah, but isn’t he a carniv-“
“Aang, look!”

Down below the lush patches of tree’s came a small, dull glint. “What is it?”
“Hmm...” Toph stroked her chin. “Hey, if you reeaallly squint, you can see it!”
So the gang peered down with interest, their faces scrunched into unbelievable looks. This went on for about a 30 seconds before Katara bopped the blind girl on the head. “Ha ha Toph.”
Sokka and Aang smacked their foreheads, as the Earth Kingdoms’ great ruler attempted to unstick his face from the squint- and failing miserably.
Toph bopped Katara back with a laugh. “It’s not my fault you guys are gullible!” at this, Katara winced sadly. “I must have pulled this trick at least five times already. Sokka should know better than any of you” she laughed again and snorted.


“We probably should have guessed by the way you were facing the opposite direction.” Aang muttered beside the girl, twirling his fingers in embarrassment.
Katara shook her head with as much vigor as she could to clear away the sudden hurtful memories. Gullible was right.
She blinked hard.
“Enough of this though.”Sokka crawled up to Appa’s reins and took them from the steering stick.
“Lets go down and see what it is.”
The Earth King clenched his hands in the bison’s fur. “No! What if it’s solders?”
Turning his head back, the boy answered over his shoulder, Then we would hear them. See smoke.” he waved his hand through the air. “You can pick up on firenation trails a mile away.”
“Save for the time we met Jet.”
“Yeah,” Sokka scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed chuckle. “Save for that.”
The king buried his face in Appa’s back and groaned.

Pulling at the reins, the warrior gently guided the bison to rest on the forest floor, Momo chirping all the while.

One after another, the group slid from their furry friend- Sokka and the king  helping Toph, Katara pulling Aang, and Bosco....well, Bosco just sat and ate his orange.





As they walked closer, a real shape became apparent; a small shack, crumbling with age, the white wash forming a powdery residue on the ground.  What appeared to have once been a door was now rotting; ripped sheets of rice paper blew from the remains in the slight wind. Twigs and sticks were scattered about the dusty, coppery roof, creating a dull glow when it hit the sunlight..

“What an old color.” the Earth King murmured, scratching his cheek. “That must’ve been what the gleam we saw was.”
“Yeah....do you think anyone lives in it?” Katara asked, chewing her lip nervously.
Bandits were something they could handle, but if there were any Dai Li....
“There’s someone there alright.” came Toph’s reply, as she kicked at the ground with her heel. “I can’t tell exactly who- we’re too far away. It’s not the Dai li SugarQueen, so you can stop with your dancing.”
Katara quit her nervous shifting and smoothed her hair out as best she could. “How do you know?”
The younger girl kicked at the ground again and spread her arms. “Not enough people. And the scary-hat guys don’t travel alone or in simple pairs- at least not in what we’ve seen.”
She steadied herself and tucked her arms by her chest. “But better keep up your stance, just in case.”
The others followed suit- save the king, who bit his nails and shot nervous glances into the trees- and moved towards the hut.

Every one jumped at the loud coughing that came from inside, including Momo, who shrieked and flew back to his larger animal brothers.
Katara lessened her stance. “That sounded like a pretty congested cough. They must be sick.”
Flipping her thick hair back over her shoulder, the waterbender tightened the strap on her water skin and took off to the ill-being.
Aang sighed and shared a hopeless look with the brother of his generis friend. “Has anyone ever told her she was too nice?”
Sokka shrugged tiredly. “I guess we should go help her. I just hope she isn’t-“
Toph stilled. “Oh god.” She stomped the ground hard as her eyes widened. “Oh no.” she slapped her forehead and took off,  her feet making soft snapping sounds as she ran across the earth to the old shack.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘oh no’?” the watertribe warrior yelped, pushing aside a troublesome branch. “Toph!”
“Hurry up!”
“Toph! What are you doing?”


A sudden cry answered the airbender, and any question in his mind dropped as he watched Sokka turn and give him a look of horror.
Both sprinted to the source of their terror, twigs and branches snapping in their faces, snagging on their light spring clothing.
“Katara!”

Shoulders bumped painfully against the door frame as the pushed their way into the hut.
But Katara’s eyes weren’t on her frantic companions, but on another person, another someone- dressed in reds, golds, and blacks.
A shaggy crop of dark hair.
A pair of honeyed gold orbs- intense, staring.

And a scar. Inflamed, horrifying, and fascinating to any human nature; spreading from the left eye and pulling back over his ear.
“Zuko.”