The photograph was old. Over the long years, it had yellowed and curled at the edges, and the travel and frequent wear gave the premonition that it had seen many more years than it had.

A single teardrop formed, shining in the dim light, and fell off a bridged nose onto the picture. In the slightly damp spot there was a woman, middle aged, wearing a water tribe dress, with her grey hair done up in a water tribe style. Her face was angled and sharp. It gave the slightest glimmer of old beauty, worn away by time. Next to her was an elderly woman, similar in appearance, who very easily could have been her mother. The older woman's hair was the same shade of grey and formed two loops that framed her kind, weathered face.

On her other side stood a man with a blue arrow on his head. A greying beard followed the line of his chin. He was clad in yellow and orange robes, and a wooden bead necklace was just visible around his neck.

Arrluk put the photograph into the pocket of his sealskin jacket. She helped me make this. His flecked grey eyes screwed shut, the tears that had been welling there spilling over and snaking down his face.

He wiped his eyes on the soft, warm fur of the sleeve. The ship would be docking

soon.

The bay was calm, its deep blue waters would have been as smooth as glass if not for the narrow ship cutting its way through them. Arrluk leaned over the railing, breathing deeply. The fresh air that blew off of large bodies of water cleared his thoughts.

His bag that held all of his possessions sat on the deck next to him. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder when he heard the creak of the old ship's boards behind him. The captain of the ship strolled by, then stopped when he noticed Arrluk. Arrluk put his hands together and bowed. "I can't thank you enough, Captain. I truly appreciate you going out of your way to drop me in Republic City."

"Anything for the son of Kya," he rumbled in a deep, hearty voice. "I was so devastated to hear about her. She was so respected among the water tribes."

"It was here it happened. Republic City. She was vacationing. They said she was hit by a Satomobile late at night. Could've happened to anybody."

"I'm so sorry. You take care. You're a fine young lad."

Arrluk bowed his head again and leaned out over the bay again. He looked up at the statue of his Grandfather. The light of the setting sun, set purple by the waters of the sea created a beautiful, mottled color on the green metals of the statue.

"It was a Satomobile accident. So why do I feel like I need revenge?"

The ship pulled up next to the dock 20 minutes later. Arrluk helped tie the ship down, then leapt down onto the wooden dock to meet his greeting party.

Master Tenzin stood at the edge of the dock, his family behind him. Arrluk rushed into his embrace, the flowing fabric of his Uncle's airbender robes enveloping him. "I missed you, Uncle Tenzin."

Tenzin's voice was laced with sadness as he said, "I missed you too. How are you holding up?"

"Just fine."

"Good. I was so crushed to hear about Kya. She had been in my home, eating and laughing just hours before."

Arrluk turned, fresh tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. Tenzin put a hand on his shoulder, his eyes wet as well.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you, Uncle Tenzin."

"No need to thank me. After the tragic death of your father all those years ago, and now Kya… The least I could do is offer you a roof over your head."

"You don't know how much it means to me. I'll never forget your kindness."

"We're honored to have you under our roof." Tenzin turned back to the rest of his family, who were climbing into Oogi's saddle and responded to his wife's call. "Coming, dear."

He gave Arrluk one last sad look and said, "You can take any free room you like. We're off to see how my mother is doing. We should be back within three weeks, depending on what she needs."

Tenzin strode away and climbed into the crest where Oogi's neck and head met. "Yip yip." With a thrust of his furry tail, Oogi ascended, then turned and flew off to the south.

Arrluk was waving goodbye when a girl who had been watching from afar walked up to him. She had a confident strut, almost cocky. She wore a sweater not dissimilar to his, with the hood pulled up. She was obviously from the water tribe, from her hair to her clothes.

"Arrluk, right?" She offered her hand. "My name's Korra."

Arrluk shook the outstretched hand. She had a strong grip. "Nice to meet you, Avatar."

She brushed and strand of hair out of her face and said, "I'm so sorry about your mother. She was a very nice woman."

Arrluk nodded, but remained silent.

"I'll let you go get settled. Nice to meet you!" Korra hurried off toward the structure known as Air Temple Island.

Arrluk went the same way, marveling at the graceful architecture of the building. The way each floor flowed into the next was amazing, it was more a work of art than a structure. The colors blended together into a beautiful hazed of reds and blacks. Arrluk already liked this place.

Korra saw Arrluk go up the stairs to the living quarters from the courtyard. She liked Arrluk. He was nice, even though he didn't talk much. He was average looking, with his dark hair swept back from his angled face. He looked a lot like Kya.

But his eyes… They were grey, like chips of flint, but they had flecks of icy blue in them. They were very peculiar eyes, intelligent and deep. Very mysterious….

There you go again, Korra. Making opinions on people you barely know. She scolded herself. I'll just have to get to know him better.

Arrluk swept his hand along the banister, a dark piece of wood that curved all the way from the bottom of the staircase up to here, the very top of the tower. There was only one room, but it was large and open. Mats covered the floor. There was a bed in one corner, but other than that the room was bare of furniture. An open window dominated one wall, letting in a cold draft.

Arrluck went over and shut the window. The lights of the city were coming on, casting a warm glow about the room.

Arrluck kicked off his boots and fell into the bed, too tired to change into something more comfortable.

He dreamt of his mother.