Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Come, Sokka.” Hakoda says, large and strong and the image of the man Sokka wanted to become. 

“Where are we going, Dad?” Sokka asks, beaming up at the leader of their tribe in the newfound peace of the world. 

A three fingered glove is laid on the young man’s shoulder, the elder male’s blue eyes shining, “you’ve got a prospective spouse, don’t you? There’s one last tradition I haven’t yet shared.”

Sokka looks out at their tribe, how it looks like that tribe of old, as Gran Gran had said, looking out at the fortified numbers via the Northern Water Tribe and everything else partly also in thanks to the other nations—including the Air Nomads because Aang couldn’t help himself and did help with everything besides pelts and food. 

Hakoda laughs and moves his other hand near his neck as if mirroring Katara’s clutching her mother’s keepsake. 

“Oh. Oh! You’re gonna teach me how to make a betrothal necklace!” The young man can’t help his excitement. 

“Yes. You’re at that age now and I can’t have my son doing an improper job of it—even if it is to someone outside the Tribes.” Hakoda winks. Sokka vibrates at the promise of more time with his father and passed down knowledge. Hakoda leans in then, “and I’m leaving it to you to teach Aang how to do this so he makes Katara proud.”

Sokka’s eyes sparkle even brighter, “I won’t let you down, Dad!”

“I know you won’t. Now, come, we’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

Bato joins them as they take a caribou snow leopard team up the coast. 

“Remember, Sokka, if you get too cold doing this, don’t hesitate to snuggle up to one.” Hakoda stated as he steps off the sled. 

“Their tails are wonderful blankets!” Bato adds. 

Sokka guffaws when both begin stripping. 

“Wha-Dad! What’s going on!?”

Bato pauses at his heavy pants and looks over at their leader, “have you forgotten to tell him something?”

“Oh. Right. Sokka, what do you think the ribbon of the necklace is made of?” 

“Uh. Silk from the Earth Kingdom?”

“Nope! It’s a special silk that comes from our tribes.”

“Whoa, really!?”

“Yup. That’s what makes it ideal for these sorts of things. This is how our men have shown their devotion for generations, instead of elk-yak or caribou-snow leopard wool—or even snow tiger. It takes more work but trust me when I tell you that it’s all worth it.”

“Hold on. Dad. How did you show Mom that when she wore Gran Gran’s necklace?”

Bato, mostly naked now, chuckled into his hand. 

“Well, I did make her something. It was beautiful too.”

“His best work!” Bato interjected again. His friend whacked his shoulder. 

“But… well, it was lost in one of the fire nation raids, so Mom-I mean Gran Gran passed hers down.”

“Ohhhh. That makes sense.” Sokka nodded sagely. 

Hakoda looked down as if giving a moment of silence to the long lost artistry. 

“Anyway,” Bato spoke up, “you know how we make the pendant?”

“Uh… super special ice?”

Both men laughed. Sokka sulked. 

Hakoda stepped back to his son, “take your clothes off first, you can’t get anything fully clothed.” Sokka did as directed, choosing to put faith in the man who wasn’t making sense. “You’ll feel warmer when you imagine how dashing you look going through so much trouble.” Bato chuckled again. “The pendants aren’t made from magical ice, though I do understand why you’d think that. We carve them from the treasure of the sea.”

“And weave.”

“Enough, Bato.” It wasn’t much of an order. “And you’ll then get to teach the other boys as well! Continuing your leadership.” 

“I’m still not following?” Sokka said. He shivered in just his loincloth and socks, shuffling towards the soft and warm and fluffy animals who slow-blinked and purred in his direction. They seemed to understand what was happening. 

Both men clapped him on each shoulder and began walking him to the exposed rocks. 

Bato stopped abruptly just before the water, “look down here. It’s a wooly leopard moth.” Sokka crouched beside the man. His father sighed. Between the rocks was a fluffy caterpillar, grey and white. “I made mine out of the cocoons they make to hibernate in.”

“Oh, wow!” 

“I’m teaching him the oyster-clam technique first.” Hakoda huffed as he reclaimed his child. Sokka sent the other man a sorrowful look, recalling that his wife was one of the casualties of war. The man stayed strong. 

Waded into the water a bit, Hakoda took out a small blade from nowhere.

“We need to dive down deep for these creatures. They connect to the rocks with this line of hardened spit-.”

“Ewwww,” he whined, immediately remembering how Appa sneezed on him. 

“Oh, son, you know what we do with seal blubber. So we dive down and since they’re not attached like a limb, we can just cut the strands off. Don’t take every single one from each animal though, be respectful. But don’t worry, there’s plenty. We’ll be able to get about a quarter in one dive today. I’ll show you how first, then it’s all yours. Got it?”

Sokka nodded immediately, almost wishing he had his wolf paint on. “Got it!” 

“Good.”

He remembered to think he’s hot shit just as they were taking in deep breathes, happy to find that thinking about Suki hanging on him in amazement (and maybe the other Kyoshi Warriors staring on in envy) really did warm him up some. 

The line of three men swam down into a steep drop off where the large, oblong oyster-clams waved in the currents. Sokka’s eyes were huge as they neared, stopping to hang on a smooth rock where a few were attached. They were each at least larger than his thigh! Or his father’s! He had no idea something so gigantic and useful were right under their noses!

At the sparkle of the knife moving, he snapped back to present to watch as his father parted two strands from the nearest one. Its curvy mouth didn’t move, maybe not noticing the difference. 

Hakoda looked to him and he nodded then desperately glanced up. Both men pushed him surface-ward. 

“Don’t forget to keep a good hold on them.” Hakoda instructed as he took deep breaths, handing the two strands and knife off to his son. 

Sokka nodded. They dove down again. 

Thirty dives and a good handful and a half of strands, and they returned to the shore. Sokka shivered and beelined for the cats. Hakoda and Bato both grabbed their heavy coats and wrapped him up. 

Despite still being cold and arguably dreading however many more trips like this he’ll need—especially to teach anyone else, he felt the warmest he ever had since… since the extremely blurry memory of being in both his parents’ arms with baby Katara. 

      ◥✥◤

“Dad!” 

Sokka’s triumphant return to the camp was dampened by the noxious scent of fish. 

Bato made a light sound that said, that’s your kid, he’s at it again.

Hakoda didn’t outwardly groan. 

“Dad!” Sokka waved the giant gathering of byssus in both gloved hands over his head. “I’m a genius! I made it easier and less life threatening! I was able to get the rest all in one go!”

The leader’s slight trepidation was replaced with proud shock, “how?”

Sokka sniffed haughtily, “smear a hide-suit with fish oil and seal all the openings with tiger seal blubber and rope and it’s waterproof!”

“Damn,” Bato whispered. 

“I got how much you said we’d need. Will this be enough?” 

“Huh? Oh, um, yes. Come, I’ll—actually, why don’t you clean up first and meet me inside.”

“Okay!” Sokka happily dumped the slightly fish oil-tainted threads into Hakoda’s hands and ran off. A few other tribespeople were watching, faces brimming with excitement at how they’re whole again; how such bizarre exchanges can happen so freely. 

“Bet you wish you’d started with the moth silk, huh?” Bato chuckled, looking down at the fluffy caterpillar cradled against his chest. Hakoda huffed. 

      ◥✥◤

“Watcha doing, Sokka?” Aang asked after bringing a sharp breeze inside with him.

Sokka played cool, “oh, you know, just Water Tribe stuff, traditional arts. The us’.” 

Aang bent as he studied the dark, sorta brown strands Sokka was spinning into as thin a thread he could manage. His first attempts were hidden via the fireplace. The house was nice and toasty with the stones brought in courtesy of the rebuilding effort—Sokka wouldn’t deny he’d insisted on the sturdier material that wouldn’t melt even if the Northern Tribe-ers weren’t immediately happy. But everyone had the building materials they wanted so everything was fine. 

The northerners were getting on a lot of people’s nerves, though, because of how… well, uppity, they were being. It was like they were trying to make a clone of the Northern Tribe down here! That’s not what they were!

Aang looked around as if he could see the animals of the South Pole through the walls, “I didn’t know anything had such brown fur down here! Is it imported yak-elk wool?”

“Nope,” Sokka happily corrected, though he tried to hide how happy he was. “This is just how our ol’ betrothed necklaces are made.”

Aang was a sucker for tradition. “Oh, cool! Is there a special beach where you pick out the bluest of blue rocks to carve?”

“Nope, we-.” Sokka paused, “well, I haven’t gotten quite that far yet. But it’s no rock! It’s nacre .”

“Cool!” A pause. “What’s that?”

“It’s like pearls, basically. We get ‘em from barnacle-clams, ‘cause those make the biggest. Just you wait and see, when Dad and Bato take me diving for those , I’ll get the biggest one in the history of betrothals!”

“Oh, so is that why you’ve been stinking like fish?” Aang had the audacity to change the subject. 

“Don’t you remember? I’m your best friend, the genius.”

“Yeaaaahhhhh….” Aang pulled at his collar. “Anyway. Can you teach me how to do that? I wanna sheer some alpaca deer.”

“Sure, sure. Gonna teach the whole rest of the village later too. But after I propose to Suki. And not to be that guy , Aang, but you’re gonna have to impress me too and not just Katara. And probably half the village too, since, you know, she’s the kid of the chief and one of our heroes. One of two heroes.”

Aang laughed in his carefree way. 

“Maybe I’ll have to teach you Bato’s wooly-leopard moth silk style. I don’t think you are as man enough to get quite as much as me.” Sokka flexed his arms. 

“But weren’t you boasting earlier about making a waterproof suit? Besides, I just airbend warm air around me. That’s how I keep warm down here anyway. No biggie to do it underwater.”

Sokka dropped his spindle just as Katara had the decency to use the door. 

“Sokka!” Her brother’s struggle was nonexistent to her. “We found a great patch to make a sister compound! That’ll give us more space and let us spread out a bit so we don’t get overcrowded so fast—can you believe so many have chosen to stay! It’s feeling-!” She cut off because of the tears in her eyes. Aang got to her first. “It just feels so… so like….”

“A real Tribe?” Sokka supplied. She nodded, tears falling. Aang sniffed. 

“C’mon, son!” Hakoda’s voice sounded joyfully outside. Sokka began posturing because the only two who are allowed to be called “son,” even if good naturedly, by that man were part of the standing human pile. 

Then Zuko stumbled through the hides closing off the warmth from the frigid fall beyond. There was no doubt he’d been pushed. 

“Hi… guys….” Zuko waved. 

Sokka laughed and leapt at him, “hey! Look what the penguins dragged in, the do-gooder Fire Lord! Haha, how’s it been, buddy?”

“Hey, Sokka. You look happy.”

“Fire Lord Zuko!” Aang exclaimed and bowed at him. 

“What brings you down! Weren’t you working on cleaning up?”

Zuko rubbed his neck, “I’m here to bring more supplies. And some people who volunteered to stay and help.” Katara cleared her throat. Zuko’s mouth reflexively curled up into a horrifying smile. 

“Yeahhh…” Sokka patted him and looked away, “glad to have the gang back together—almost back together. Man, we really gotta schedule a time or something. Glad you’re here though! Even if it’s a surprise.”

“I heard you’re low on things like steel and masonry, and we’re taking that old ship away for you. We’re also closer than the North Pole, so….”

“Greaaaat. Great, great, great. But don’t think you can go ‘round and modernize us! No, sir!” 

Aang and Katara snickered. 

Zuko foundered, “oh, no, that’s not-!”

Hakoda burst in, “Sokka, put your project away for now, we’ve all got some leader-stuff to tend to over dinner.” 

      ◥✥◤

Today was the big day; he’d figured out how NOT to kill the barnacle-clams to extract the pearl clump because of Aang’s vegan-ism. It was also the day he was an impromptu teacher of two students. But the other was older than him. 

“I said strip, Zuko!”

The Fire Lord, down to some long sleeved shirt and pants, frantically shook his head. Aang sniffed, even more naked without his socks than Sokka, who suspected the Air Nomads had more of a… close relationship with each other, considering how their temples had been arranged, and took the Tribe and Nation boys’ feelings into account. Which was considerate. He wouldn’t care if it was just them guys, but if he tried any funny business before he and Katara were officially together, Sokka’d have words. He’d get Hakoda, then! Words would be had!

“Uh, you look like you’re dying.”

Zuko shook his head again even as his arms shivered where he hugged himself, exhaling fire, “it’s just colder down here than the north.” 

“Oh, right,” Sokka chuckled at how dumb Zuko had been in the North Pole. He quickly turned to avoid the awkwardness of bringing it up. “Listen up, men! This is how we claim the treasures for our treasures—that’s the ladies in our lives.” He side-eyed Zuko, Sokka didn’t have high hopes for that relationship, but he’d find a nice fire nation lady. Some day. 

“So we’re gonna dive down and claim a barnacle-clam. Then when we resurface, I’ll show you how to not kill it for the pearl clump! Got that, soldiers?”

“Aye, aye, sir!” 

Sokka nodded happily at Aang’s willingness. Zuko was a different story. 

“Why am I coming again? I’m not a Tribesman.” Zuko asked between puffs of fire. Sokka could sit content that he was the bravest, willing to put aside his brilliant invention for the sake of pure tradition. 

“‘Cause it’s fun to learn about different cultures! After this, you’ll have to tell us how you all handle betrothals.”

“Aang, did the Air Nomads even have marriages? Didn’t you all segregate yourselves?” Zuko deflected. 

“Yeah, we did, but the adults could go wherever they wanted; we’re nomads after all.”

“Ohhh, right, right, right.” Sokka chirped. 

“The old took care of the young in the temples and they usually came back to have birth. At the east and west temples, anyway.”

Zuko nodded sagely, “I’m sure Sokka will take care of your kids for you, no need to drop them off at-ow!”

Aang stared like an owl-bat at him. 

Sokka bent to pick up some snow again, threateningly, “no niece or nephew of mine are gonna go to any Air Temple—I mean, Katara’s gonna raise ‘em!”

Aang held up his hands, “I wasn’t gonna-!”

“I was thinking I don’t want a nanny for mine,” Zuko thought aloud, face a bit blank. Sokka had to salvage this mission. 

“To the sea, soldiers!”

      ◥✥◤

“This is gonna be the biggest! I just know it!” Sokka shouted before catching his breath as he resurfaced. Aang surfaced behind him with a plp . Zuko immediately tried to thaw himself out. 

“So we’ll take and wedge it open then carefully extract the-.”

Two jaws dropped in horror as Zuko blatantly flamed his barnacle-clam. 

“Zuko! Man!” Sokka clutched on hand against his wolf tail and his barnacle-clam—the largest he could find—against his head. 

“What? I’m eating it anyway.”

A stream of steam came up after the crack of Zuko opening it up. He picked out the pearl cluster then slurped the animal from the shell. “It’s good!”

Aang made a wounded sound. 

“Uh… okay, anyway. Aang, come with me, you’ll listen.”

Zuko looked hurt, “but-it’s just lunch?”

“We’ll talk later,” Sokka whispered after pushing Aang towards the shore because now he had to know what that meat tasted like. 

Spoiler: Fire Nation tastebuds were burnt and pearl clumps were the best use of those sea dwelling things. 

      ◥✥◤

“NOO!”

Everything stopped. Sokka had a feeling that even people building another hut almost a mile away at the edge of their now extended living space could hear Bato’s scream. 

Zuko looked like his crown was about to fall out of his topknot. 

“What!? What’s wrong!?” Aang asked. His hands were tense and so was his and every other wooly snow leopard moth. 

Bato’s hands were cupped over the top of Zuko’s, shielding it from whatever threat he thought was imminent. 

“What!? What’s wrong!? What’s happened!?” Hakoda rushed in. 

“Don’t eat them. Please! I know your people eat the silver moon moths, but don’t eat my babies!” Was all Bato could answer, looking desperately up at the young leader. Aang, Sokka and Hakoda were silent in shock. The wind brushed past the walls of the small hut. 

“I-I,” Zuko croaked, “I was just warming myself, I’m sorry for any-.”

Bato’s sigh of relief was loud enough to drown out Zuko’s apology. He withdrew his hands and straightened. 

“Oh. Good. Okay,” Bato brushed errant strands of his hair back and exhaled deeply. “Okay. So. Boys. You take them once they just finished building a cacoon—there’s more silk there than the hybernation one-.”

“That’s why we’re in a warmer hut! So they think it’s time to pupate!” Sokka exclaimed. 

“Yup, and so much food.” Bato turned to Aang, “I’ve really got to hand it to you and Katara, an ice house half over a lagoon really helped with feeding them enough. 

“So. You want to get them before they begin changing, that way they’re unharmed. We roll the strand of silk out until the little caterpillar falls out and we give it more food as a thank you. I think it’ll only work maybe thrice, then I’ll leave them to breed and continue the cycle.”

Aang nodded in nonviolent approval.

Sokka leaned into Zuko’s space, “do you guys really eat caterpillars?”

Zuko’s eyes glanced away, “well, the technique requires the insect to… die.”

“Huh.” A giant, smug smile stretched across Sokka’s face, “guess it’s our turn to show you things.”

Zuko seemed to latch onto this, “yes, that would be very appreciated. Thank you.”

“I can’t wait to sheer some alpaca-deer,” Aang mused as he rubbed the giant caterpillar against his cheek. 

“Alpaca-deer?” Both older men asked. 

“Yes! They live in the mountains of the Southern Air Temple.”

The two exchanged a look and Hakoda spoke, “mind if we visit?”

“This is gonna be a wonderful exchange of cultures, I think.”

Bato jumped, “is that how your robes are so soft?”

“Yes! And it’s also warm!”

“Sea silk is lighter,” Sokka muttered. His eyes caught Zuko trying to keep his caterpillar from dropping off his hands. 

“Alright, enough dillydallying. We’ve got to teach you pearl clump carving before this field trip.”

“Yeah! Zuko field trip!” Aang and Sokka cheered. 

“But I-.”

They both leaped onto the surprisingly sturdy boy, “Zuko field trip!”

Suki was gonna LOVE the new outfit Sokka would make for her, complete with the betrothal necklace and extra socks!