Mika took my shift of watching Azula as I rested against Zuko's chest. The pain was washed away, and replaced by sleepiness. The sun was slowly setting, thus reminding my body why it never left the palace.

"Feeling any better?" Katara asked. She was sitting beside me, holding my hand with both of hers.

I nodded. The ride had been peaceful for the last few hours. Sokka was polishing his boomerang. Aang was meditating. Mika was diligently watching Azula's every move, while Azula simply pretending that Mika wasn't even there.

"I still don't think that you should be going with us," Katara admitted. "I know Ursa is important to you, but you have to think about what's at risk right now."

I shook my head. I didn't want to hear this. Not right now, or ever. I wanted to find Ursa. I needed it. I had so many questions: Where did she go? Why did she leave?

"I think that's Hira'a up ahead," Zuko said. "If we can't get there before sunset, though, we should set up camp. Saki needs to rest, and I don't want to enter town in the middle of the night like a gang of bandits."

I didn't bother arguing that I didn't need more rest. He was right. I was exhausted, and the baby was getting restless. A kick bumped against my stomach, right under Zuko's palm.

"Good point," Sokka said with an affirmative nod. "Hey, Aang-"

The Avatar wasn't paying much attention to us. His face was contorted. Not in the sense that he was in physical pain, but more so that something was agitating him.

"What's the matter, Aang?" I asked.

"I don't know," he responded through gritted teeth, "but I can't help it! There's something out there. Like a spirit. I can feel its presence... Especially in my face!"

"Oh, yeah, I feel it too," Sokka nodded. "That's why I'm doing this!" He then began making ridiculous faces, only to be hit on the back by his sister.

"Sokka, this is serious!" She snapped.

"As serious as this?" Sokka asked, then made his face into a theatrically solemn expression. It reminded me of Mai, but I wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Knock it off!" Katara commanded.

"Whoa!" Aang exclaimed. He leaned over the edge of the saddle with sudden excitement, pointing to the ground. "Did you guys see that giant wolf spirit?! I think that's the presence I'm feeling!"

A kick to my stomach forced a grunt from my throat, sending my upright. Zuko tried to lay me back down, but I refused. I crawled to Aang's side and tried to see what had him so worked up.

"There's nothing down there," I said to him. "Just an empty road."

"Ooh! Did the wolf spirit look like this?" Sokka asked. Then he hooked his two index fingers on either corner of his mouth and pulled, stretching his face and sticking out his tongue. Katara was fed up with her brother's childishness, though Mika obviously found it endearing. While Mika giggled, no longer paying Azula much attention, Katara bend water from the clouds around us and formed a snowball.

That snowball went flying into Sokka's face.

"What was that for?!" He screeched.

Katara replied in irritation, "I told you to knock it off!"

That wasn't the only sibling quarrel. As Katara and Sokka went about their typical bickering and Mika tried to calm them both down, Zuko's sudden outburst caught everyone's attention. "Azula, get down from there!" He yelled.

Our gazes fell onto the deranged princess, who was not standing on the ledge of the saddle. Her arms were spread like a bird, ready for the wind to carry her way. "I can't tell you what a pleasure it's been riding with you all," she said, "listening to you bicker. It's too bad that not all siblings get along as ZuZu and me!" She laughed to herself. "Now that Hira'a is only a hop, skip and jump away, it's time to bid farewell."

"Azula, get down from there," I reiterated. "That's too far of a jump; It's dangerous, even for you. We'll arrive soon, just sit down."

"Worry not, peasant," she said. Her amber eyes were trained on me, a wild look filling them again and replacing what little sensibility she still possessed. "I'll be sure to give her your regards!" She held out her foot, and let gravity do the rest.

"No, Azula!" Zuko shouted, "We're too high up!"

Instantly, Aang sprang into action. He leapt from the back of his beast with his glider gripped tightly. The wings of it spread themselves out, and he was soaring after her.

I stopped watching them and moved as quickly as I could to take hold of the reins.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Mika asked as she crawled to join me.

"Of course not," was all I said as I yanked on the reins to steer Appa downward. I looked in Aang's direction and saw smoke arising from his glider, and Azula nowhere in sight. "Monkeyfeathers!" I spat angrily.

"We have to get her," Zuko said from behind me.

"I know."

"Who knows what she could do if we leave her alone?"

"I know, Zuko."

The moment Appa's feet met the ground, Zuko jumped down. "Saki, you stay here," he said. "The rest of you make sure Aang is okay. I'll go after Azula." Before I could protest against being stationed again, he was chasing after his sister.

Did I stay put as he ordered?

Do I ever do as I'm told?

I climbed down from the bison.

"Saki," Mika frowned as I approached the other, "Zuko said to stay there." She and Sokka were supporting Aang, who was unharmed but very disoriented from the fall. Azula had apparently burned a hole through a wing of the glider when Aang caught up to her.

"He also approved my marriage to Bao," I said. "That doesn't necessarily mean he's qualified to make good decisions."

All four of them eyed me with a variation of expressions: worry, confusion, and a look of I knew it! from Sokka.

"Are you and Bao having problems?" Katara asked.

I shook my head. "Forget I said anything," I mumbled. "Let's just catch up to Zuko and Azula." And that we did. Azula hadn't made it very far. She was stopped at a stream, yelling and cursing at the water as if it had insulted her.

Zuko slowly approached her. It was funny — his love for his sister. Not ha ha funny, but more so an intriguing kind of funny. After everything she'd done, everyone she'd hurt, he still wanted to protect his little sister.

This observation, of course, didn't stop me from encasing her in an icy straightjacket.

Sokka said, "Zuko, you've really gotta reconsider this arrangement with your sister."

I waddled over to Azula and knelt down, saying, "Next time I tell you not to jump, maybe you should listen to me."

The princess hissed, rolling to scowl at me with rage flowing through her entire being. "Of all the conspirators she could've chosen, why an uncultured—" She froze and gasped. Her eyes were suddenly wide.

I followed her mortified stare, and immediately understood. There stood Sokka. With his boomerang held high, he smiled triumphantly. "Hey... That fear in your eyes..." His smile grew. "You've finally learned to respect the power of Mister Boomerang!"

On the contrary, it was neither him nor his boomerang that had struck fear in Azula — and, quite frankly, me. No... Behind him was a wolf of great proportion. It obtained a blue hue and was faintly transparent. It towered over the unsuspecting Sokka with a snarl.

I couldn't believe it, even as it stood in front of me. I said in awe, "The wolf spirit..."