"The "quote-unquote" code stands the test,
Time for the chosen ones to find the best of,
Noble minds that ever grace the face of,
A hemisphere with no fear, fly over
The blue yonder where,
The sky meets the sea,
And eye meets no eye,
And boy meets world,
And became a man to serve the world,
To save the day, the night, and the girl too."
("Battlecry," Nujabes)

They were broke, had barely made it out of Jigoku-no-Hi with their lives, and now had to camp in the woods tonight. So, Katara was in no mood for Toph's mischief.
While the others were telling ghost stories around the campfire, the blind earthbender sat with her palms spread out on the ground. Toph gasped when Katara finished telling the story, It's So Cold and I Can't Get Warm. "Wait! Guys, did you hear that?" she said. Katara, Zuko, Aang, and Sokka exchanged looks among themselves. All they could hear was the buzzing of cicadas and the crackling of the fire.  "I hear people under the mountain and they're screaming."

The woods where they camped were at the foot of Mount Tsukikage, famous for its purple slopes, snow-capped peaks, and pine forests filled with ghostly legends.

Sokka scoffed. "Nice try," he said, voicing what they were probably all thinking: Toph was just trying to spook them.
"No, I'm serious. I hear something."
Katara put a hand on Toph's shoulder and gave her a teasing smile, even though she couldn't see it. "You're probably just jumpy from all the ghost stories," she said. With all the gruesome tales associated with Tsukikage Forest, even Tough Toph would be uneasy staying there at night.

Toph pulled away from Katara. "It just stopped."
The crunch of a foot landing on a stick made them all jump.
"What was that?" Zuko said. Katara grabbed his arm.
"All right, now I'm getting scared," Aang said. He held on tighter to Momo.
"Hello children." Katara's heart skipped a beat. A figure holding a lantern emerged from the shadows.
Katara, Toph, and Aang cowered around the fire while Zuko and Sokka reached for their swords. The lantern belonged to a frail old woman with a friendly smile. Katara looked around and saw her own embarrassment reflected in the faces of her friends. This poor, helpless grandmother couldn't be less of a threat. In fact, she was in more danger from them, five able-bodied young people (and two of them armed) than they were from her. 
"Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama," the old woman said. Sokka and Zuko lowered their swords. "You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?"
Sokka spoke for the whole group when he said, "yes, please."

"There will come a poet
Whose weapon is His word
He will slay you with His tongue, oh lei oh lai oh Lord
Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord
He will slay you with His tongue,
oh lei oh lai oh Lord."
("Soldier, Poet, King," The Oh Hellos)

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Hama led them through the woods to the edge of a small village. She pointed to a small house surrounded by cabbage patches and flax fields. Glowing paper lanterns guided them up the driveway to the porch. 

"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight,"  Katara said when they settled in the main room and Hama poured their tea. "You have a lovely inn." 
The accommodations were plain and modest but clean and comfortable. A cheerful fire crackled in the center of the room.  

Hama gave Katara a smile as warm and bright as the fire. "Aren't you sweet?" She poured herself a cup of tea and sat between Katara and Zuko. "You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."
"What do you mean, disappearing?" Sokka said. He raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"When the moon turns full, people walk in and they don't walk out."
Katara and her friends blinked at each other. What was it? Murderous bandits? Wild beasts? Vengeful spirits?
"Don't worry, you'll all be completely safe here." Hama picked up the teapot and rose from the table. "Why don't we have some more tea and then I'll show you to your rooms and you can get a good night's sleep."
"We won't be able to pay you," Zuko said, unable to meet Hama's gaze.
Katara pitied him. How humiliating it must be for a prince to be unable to pay for a room in some tiny village inn. 
Hama put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Don't worry, young man," she said.  "We can work something out in the morning." 
In the morning, she would probably have them pay her back by doing chores around the inn, which Katara found perfectly reasonable.

Hama took them upstairs to their rooms. Katara was aware that the elderly landlady had been watching her and Zuko to decide what their relationship was. They appeared too close for mere traveling companions but hadn't introduced themselves as husband and wife. So, for propriety's sake, Hama put Katara in a room with Toph and Zuko in a room with Aang and Sokka. Hama might be old-fashioned in her notions, but Katara was grateful to her for providing them a place to spend the night and keeping them safe from whatever (or whoever) was causing all those people to go missing.