All through the house, every member of Team Avatar is sound asleep. Aang is curled up with Momo in his room, his staff lying at the edge of the bed having just been repaired by Ming the seamstress. Iroh lays on his bed, snoring loudly enough to make the lid of his favorite teapot vibrate from the noise. Katara and Toph share a room together, the young waterbender lays on her chest with her arms tucked around her pillow. Meanwhile Toph sleeps sprawled out across her mattress, her pillow over her left hand and her right foot hangs off the side of the bed. Sokka and Yue lay tangled in each other's arms clad only in the blankets that cover them. The princess lays on his chest with her arms out above his head, Sokka himself has a hand resting on her back and the other clasp in hers. Zuko has his arms wrapped tightly around Jin's smaller frame, his right hand cupping her large chest and she is using his other arm as a pillow. Jin holds onto a large plush turtle duck that he had won for her at the fair the previous day as the two sleep soundly.

Outside, Appa sleeps laying on his side, having rolled over slightly on the pile of straw in the stable. The massive bison's heavy and slow breathing causes the air around the entire neighborhood to rotate softly creating a nice calm breeze in the night. As the moon slowly crawls across the night sky, a shrill high pitched whistle pierces the air. Undetectable to the human ear, but it can be heard by animals. The sound instantly causes Appa's eyes to shoot open, and inside the house Momo awakens as well. A few seconds pass of silence as Appa and Momo look around before the whistle pierces the air again. The sound spurs Appa to roll over to his feet and to quickly take flight, while Momo squirms to get out of Aang's grasp. The flying lemur takes flight a few moments after Appa does but the distance between the two is vast.

The sky bison flies over the wall dividing the upper district and the lower districts, following the shrill sound. Behind him, Momo flies as hard as he can to try to keep up with Appa but he isn't able to close the gap as Appa accelerates towards the noise. As Appa descends towards the ground, Dai Li agents watch from the shadows, on rooftops and behind walls. The bison lands in a wide street, looking between alleyways for the whistle with Momo still flying trying to catch up. Appa turns his head to look down an alleyway where the sound emanates from again, and from the darkness emerges Long Feng. "The boy was wrong to underestimate me." He speaks to Appa, causing the sky bison to growl at him, before he's given a chance to attack as Long Feng does so first. Suddenly, the ground beneath them flips over, and the two vanish into the underbelly of Ba Sing Sei. The only clue to where they could've gone is a single paw print.

Almost a full minute later, Momo flies down and finds the place where Appa had vanished. Dai Li agents are quickly moving to cover up any evidence of earthbending, but the smart little Lemur stays out of their sight. He manages to find a small tuft of fur left behind and makes sure to remember what the place looks like before flying back to the house. He beats his wings as hard as he can through the air, flying as fast as possible. His eyes focused on their home in the distance, his small heart beating rapidly as he dive bombs towards the window. He pays little attention to the fireflies that glitter in the early morning, nor the crickets that sing their songs. As he gets through the window, he finds Aang still fast asleep in his bed. With all his might he tries to wake the young airbender, the lemur paws at his face, licks his hands, grabs him by a finger and tries to take flight but to no avail. Instead, Momo is gently grabbed by Aang and pulled in so he can cuddle the small creature.

***

As the morning sun pierces through the curtains into Zuko and Jin's room, it reignites Zuko's inner flame and wakes him. For the first time in several years, his dreams were pleasant and restful. Ever since he was banished, each day seemed to be worse than the last. Sure there were pleasant days here and there but those were few and far between. That all changed when he joined Aang Katara and Sokka, his life has been improving and he's grateful for what they've done for him. Now that Jin walked into his life, a little over a month ago now, the only word he can describe their relationship is perfect. He takes a deep breath in and sighs, feeling the warmth of Jin in his arms. A smile grows on his face before he gently kisses the top of her head, his thumb slides against the flawless skin of her breast. She tilts her head up into his chest as she wakes up, a deep yawn overtakes her body as her green eyes open. "Good morning." He says prompting her to turn over to face him, "Sleep well?" He asks, causing a soft smile to grow on her face. She reaches up and wraps her arms around him, the crease in her robes exposing her bare chest to the light. "I slept wonderfully." She replies before tightening their embrace, "Though you got a little handsy, mister." She chastises causing him to smirk.

"Can you blame me?" he asks, wrapping his arms behind her back then shifting over so that she's now laying on his chest. "You're the most perfect thing I've ever held. My Fire lily."

"Pffft. That was even cheesier than last time." She giggles before leaning up and planting a kiss on the tip of his nose. "But it'll do." She says before sitting up and straddling his lap. "The others should be waking up soon, which means it's time for you to go meditate with Aang out in the backyard." Her hair torso is barely covered by her long silk robes but Zuko is more than happy with his view of her toned abs.

"I think the training can wait for a bit... but I know a different form of training you and I could do." He says through a smirk and she returns it as a mischievous grin forms on her face.

"Oh?~ And what would that be, My Dragon." She purrs and leans down to kiss him; however a horrified scream fills the air immediately cutting the pillow talk short and startling the two lovers. Jin sits up wide eyed, almost as much as Zuko before they look at the door then to each other before frantically getting up. They scramble to get out of bed and she barely has enough time to tie the front of her robes closed as Zuko shoulder checks the door and ignites two flames in his hands ready to fight.

"What happened?!" he exclaims, the sitting room is filled with his father, Katara, Toph and Sokka all still in their morning clothes. Each of them are staring at the open doors where Aang sits kneeling and hunched over. The young airbender's hands hide his face as he sobs. Zuko quickly sprints to Aang's side trying to see if he's hurt but a second later he realizes what made him so upset. "No..." He says as his voice trails off. "Appa's missing." He says, staring at the empty stables where Appa would sleep.

"Hey, Aang, buddy it isn't the end of the world. He couldn't have gotten that far, I'm sure he just went to raid that cabbage merchant's cart." Sokka says as he rubs a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"He's a flying bison Sokka! He could be dozens if not hundreds of miles from here!" Katara replies before rushing over to Aang and hugging him. Instinctively, Aang wraps his arms around Katara and buries his head into her shoulder. Her heart breaks as his warm tears touch her skin. "Lee. Go get the bison whistle then blow it as hard as you can. Make sure that the entire city can hear it."

"Right." Zuko replies before darting back inside, "Don't worry Aang, we'll find him." He says before rushing inside and past Jin who's staring in confusion. He quickly gets to Aang's room before quickly sorting through a few of the airbender's things before finding the whistle. As he grabs it, he looks up to see Momo locking eyes with him. "I know buddy, we're gonna find him." Zuko says before petting the Lemur. As he goes to retract his hand, Momo grabs his pinky trying to get his attention. Zuko turns to look at the lemur before watching him point out the window. He furrows his brow at this gesture then looks outside where Momo's pointing.

"Sokka!" Zuko shouts, leaning back so his voice can get through the doorway unhindered. A few moments later, Sokka comes sprinting into the side room. "Cover Momo's ears, I don't want this to hurt him."

"Ok." Sokka says as Zuko switches places with him, the lemur again points out the window causing Sokka to arch an eyebrow at it. "Do you want to tell me something?" He asks, prompting Momo to continue to point. "Ok, I'll get you food before we leave to find Appa. But come here for a second, I need to protect your ears little buddy." He picks up the small Lemur before covering his ears with his hands. "I got Momo!" Sokka calls out.

"Ok!" Zuko shouts back before inhaling sharply, the air around them getting sucked inwards as if a tornado has formed in his lungs. Bringing the whistle to his lips, Zuko blows as hard as he can, creating a sonic pulse that echoes through the entire city. The sound is indetectable to the human ear but the objects around them feel the intense frequency. For nearly a five mile radius windows, vases and any object made of glass or ceramic shatters.

"Ow! Momo bit me!" Sokka roars, and a moment later Momo comes flying out of the house and into Aang's arms. The lemur chattering and chirping trying to get Aang's attention. Through tear stained eyes, Aang looks down at Momo who repeatedly points in the direction that Appa had flown the previous night.

"Is it just me or does Momo look like he's trying to tell us something?" Jin asks, causing the Lemur to perk up when she says this. "Do you wanna show us something?" She asks but Momo just continues pointing. "Aang, let him go for a second, let's see what he wants." Hesitantly, Aang lets go of Momo causing the lemur to fly a short distance away before turning to look at them. He chatters again, sharp and intense as if yelling for them to follow him. Seeing that they aren't moving, Momo holds up his hand and points to the fur he tied around himself.

"What is that?" Zuko asks as he approaches Momo, Momo stares at him as he approaches before holding up his small arm for Zuko to see. "This isn't his fur... is this Appa's" Momo screams at Zuko when he says Appa's name and once again he points towards the lower district. "He knows something, quickly follow me!" He exclaims, waving his hand for them to follow him.

Before any of them can get moving, Aang squirms out of Katara's grasp and makes a B-line for his staff. As Momo takes flight, Aang is quick to open his repaired glider and fly after him leaving the others on the ground to chase after them on foot. Realizing that Jin is still barefoot from that morning, Zuko quickly has her jump on his back before he takes off using airbending assisted sprinting in order to keep up with Aang. Jin holds on for dear life as Zuko takes off running almost a hundred miles an hour with his airbending. She screams as Zuko suddenly jumps and begins running along the rooftops seemingly getting faster and faster to try to catch up with Aang. He watches as Aang easily flies over the wall dividing the two districts before looking back slightly to speak to Jin. "Hold on tight." He says causing her to tighten her hold around his back as he sprints towards the upper ring wall. Jin closes her eyes expecting Zuko to smash clean through it but to her amazement the moment he makes contact with the wall he begins running up it. She feels gravity tugging on her form as her hair hangs back behind her as he runs up the over 300 foot high vertical wall. The guards at the top of the wall fall over backwards as Zuko blurs past them before running down the other side of the wall. So fast it feels as if the two of them are in free fall plummeting towards the ground.

"How are we gonna stop!!!" She screams as Zuko lets go of her legs for a moment before bending a massive amount of air before blasting it forwards, the thrust decelerating the two as the ground gets closer and closer. The airbending manages to slow their fall allowing Zuko to easily move his foot from the wall to the ground with ease. He hooks his arms under her thighs before looking up again, spotting the orange wings of Aang's glider staff before taking off in that direction.

Coming to a stop, Zuko sees Aang sitting on his knees in the middle of the street. A large three toed footprint is in the mud just in front of him, around them dozens of onlookers around the shops in the town square stare. Some speak in hushed whispers looking at the scarred man and the airbender. Zuko let's Jin off his back before approaching Aang seeing the airbender's hunched over form. He sees the place where Appa's footprint is, watching as Momo scratches at the road beneath them. "No..." Aang whispers, as tears stream from his face, all Zuko can do is stand there beside him. He places a hand on Aang's shoulder trying to console him but as he makes contact he feels a disturbance in the air around them.

Like the calm before a storm, the air around them has gone completely still. Clothes hanging on wires, flags strung up on poles and the curtains of houses lay perfectly still. The air feels stale, as if they're at high altitude as each breath requires more and more effort to take. Aang's grief turns from sorrow to rage in an instant. The air that had fallen still just moments before explodes outwards in a massive dome around them. The drop in pressure is so intense that Zuko feels his stomach begin to ache and his ears pop. He tries to take a breath in to alleviate the pain but he finds that he can't breathe. His eyes go wide in realization as he quickly looks to Jin who's clutching her throat from lack of air. Around them the civilians are clawing at their necks, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. With mere moments of consciousness left, Zuko does something he's never done before. He rears back and flattens out his hand before slamming it down on the corner of Aang's neck knocking the airbender unconscious. Taking control over Aang's bending, Zuko quickly collapses the dome of air back around them as fast as he can in order for them to breathe.

The air rushing back almost causes a vacuum implosion as the sound barrier breaks. The resulting sound thunders through the city streets disturbing dust, dislodging clothes lines and even tearing the roof off an abandoned building. Zuko gasps for air before coughing violently as his breath returns, a single thought crosses his mind. "What the hell was that?!... Was that how Gyatso killed those firebenders?... Was that... Asphyxiation?" He wonders before quickly rushing over to Jin to make sure she's alright. "Jin, you ok?" He asks, picking up her smaller form, she coughs a few times as her breath returns before she makes eye contact with him.

"Y-yeah... I think so... what about Aang? Is he alright?" She asks as she manages to get to her feet. She sees Aang's crumpled form just a few paces from them.

"I had to knock him out, he could've killed us and everyone here." Zuko says as he walks over and picks up Aang before draping him over his shoulder. As he stands back up, the other members of his team avatar manage to find them.

"What happened?!" Katara says, rushing over to check on Aang. She notices a slight red mark on the side of his neck that will definitely become a bruise. "Did he get hit by something?" She asks, her motherly instincts taking over.

"I hit him." Zuko replies and Katara stares at him in horror. "He was forcing all of the air away from us, we couldn't breathe and it was the only thing I could do to stop him from killing us."

"That's impossible, Aang would never hurt a fly!" Katara argues but Jin backs up Zuko.

"Look around at all these people Katara, you can ask them. We literally couldn't breathe!" Katara can barely believe her ears, and she quickly takes Aang out of Zuko's arms.

"Do you remember when we found Monk Gyatso's body? He was surrounded by nearly an entire battalion of dead firebenders. They were not ordinary soldiers either, they were firenation royal guard members. The elite of the elite, and they were drawing on the power of Sozin's Comet. There were over two dozen dead firebenders in that room, how do you think that happened?!" Zuko declares, causing Katara to look around them. "The only possible way that could've happened is if he bent all the air out of that room and that's exactly what Aang just did."

"Momo's unconscious too." Sokka says, causing the others to turn to look at him. "He's breathing now but, why did he lead us here?" Sokka asks before finding the footprint where Appa once stood.

"Appa's was stolen." Zuko says and Jin watches a side come out of him she's never seen before. Anger burns through him like a raging inferno as he sees the ostrich horse carriage of Joo Dee approaching them. She's flanked by several members of the Dai Li. Zuko's fury starts to affect the surrounding air as a heat mirage becomes visible around his body.

"Avatar Lee, you and your friends have caused quite a commotion here today and I have to ask that you all return to your home." A piece of trash nearby auto ignites startling the civilians around them, the heat mirage around his body threatens to combust but Jin tugs on his shirt.

"Please, it isn't worth it. I'm sure we'll find Appa but please calm down." She pleads, her words managing to calm the raging inferno within him. "Let's go home, we can make some posters or fliers to help look for him." With a deep breath, Zuko extinguishes his rage before locking eyes with Joo Dee.

"Fine." He growls before pointing a finger in an accusatory manner at Joo Dee, "But if you try to stop us from finding Appa, there will be hell to pay." His words are accented by his hand igniting in blue fire. He allows it to burn on his hand for a few moments to drive his point home before he flicks his hand to the side and extinguishes the flames.