It was a nice day. The sun was shining again after two weeks of gray weather. The Earth Kingdom was beautiful at this time of the year. Trees were starting to be green again. Birds were singing sweet melodies that warmed up anyone's morning.
Kuvira woke up. Feeling more tired than ever. She had a lot of paper work from yesterday and fighting bandits earlier on the same day wasn't easy either. She looked at her clock, it was 6 am. "Time to be productive" she said to her self. She walked to the window, to her pleasant surprise it was finally a nice day. She listened to the birds singing and thinking when will her bird start singing to her to get laid. She let out a small giggle. She put on her uniform and armor.
She sighed at the look. Why does he have to do this? She thought. Why can't he be a descent human being and go to sleep in a bed before he passes out. She shacked his shoulder whispering his name. He woke up after few intense shakes. "Kuvira?" he said drool all over his face. "You look ridiculous, drool all over your face" Kuvira said with an unamused voice. Baatar looked away, "Well good morning to you too" he said with a voice mixture of sarcastic and amused. He stood up, grooming his uniform. "Baatar" she said with a voice ready to lecture him "You know that, sleeping on your blueprints and paper works is unhealty-". "Yes I know that Kuvira-" she shot him a glance that could kill a man. "Do not talk over me! As I was saying it is unhealthy for your back and you know your work would be more effective if you had enough sleep" she said firmly. "Or you just like sleeping with me" he said with a smirk. "And you were up very late too so you're not the best person to lecture me about that". "Atleast I sleep in a bed and you know arguing with me in these topics will not get you far" she said with a smirk and gesturing him to breakfast.
"There is a big a bigger village about ten miles from here" she said gesturing at the map. "We will have to hike there, by foot!" "Okay, why is it worth a 10 mile walk? Can't we use the trucks?" he asked very ambiguous look on his face. " The forest is too thick for any kind of mobiles, so we will walk there by foot" she said very coolly. "We will connect the smaller villages to the bigger one with roads" "Then we will have more man power and will connect them better to our cause" he continued to her. "Good so you understand" she smiled. Kuvira sipped her tea and he took a bite of his sweet bun. "Kuvira, I have never been on a hike, and 10 miles is a lot to start with" he said with a precarious voice. "You'll be fine, it is not like you don't have muscle mass" She smiled at him. "You were always very eager to go to hikes in the mountains next to Zaofu, but me? well I was reading about the triangle theories" he said very looking very downcast. "Then it is about time for you to have a hike!". Baatar still had a worried look on his face. "But what if wolfbats will attack us, or a bear or a playtapus bear!?" "Are you a lemur or something? Stop being ridiculous " she said annoyed.
The troops were packing. Kuvira made sergeants to check that everyone had enough food and water with them. They will put up a small camp in the village and since they were on foot they had to use light 5-person tents. "And remember to drink enough and if you have take a break thentake a brake!" She said to her troops before they left off.
Kuvira walked firmly enjoying the beautiful weather. Thinking how different the nature on this side of the continent was then at Zaofu's mountains. The forest was full of life. And her bending is the most powerful at this time so she felt even better. Baatar didn't see the nature's beauty. Ofcourse it was beautiful but he would've enjoyed it a lot more from his window view in his office. How can Kuvira enjoy this? He though. His rucksack was unbalanced and his feet were sore after a mile and half. And keeping up with Kuvira's pace was very hard. Would she think I am a complete loser if ask her a brake at this point? "Kuvira!" he yelled to her. "What" she yelled back turning to face him and realizing how miserable he looked. "Do you want have a break? Or is something else wrong?" She walked to him. "Yes I would like to have a break" he said looking exhausted. They dug out their water bottles from their rucksacks and they drank from them. They sat down atop of a rock. "Baatar is everything alright? You look like a spirit of death" she asked worried and slightly amused. "Kuvira, I'm exhausted after a mile and half. My feet hurt and my rucksack is unbalanced (she must be annoyed at me)" Kuvira let out a sigh. She stood up and bent the rock on what Baatar was sitting to spring him up. He was now standing in front of Kuvira. "You should have said something earlier about you rucksack you know?!" she said an annoyed look on her face "And if your feet hurt just say it! We have a schedule and it includes breaks" "Yes but.." He was looking to the ground. "I already know that you're not an outside person, but you're not a wimp, Baatar!" He smiled at her and she was smiling too. He gave her a hug and thanked her for dealing with him. They took a refreshing ten minute break before they continued walking.
They corrected his rucksack and Kuvira took some his stuff as an act of kindness. Kuvira was well ahead of him enjoying her time. She even practiced some earthbending. He made his way to Kuvira and tried to walk next to her. She made a sound of approval to him to start talking. "So with whom are sharing our tent?" "Our tent?" "Yes..I was just thinking..you know..we're in a relationship" he said awkwardly. "Women and men sleep in different tents!" She said firmly. He lifted his eyebrows. "I doubt anyone wants to hear your dirty talk" she send him a sharp glare. He blushed "Why would anyone want to make out in a sleeping bag?". Kuvira let out a small chuckle. "I don't know what you will come with since it the animals mating season" She waved her hands and shrugged her shoulders. "Kuvira please, I'm ready to mate any time" he sent her a smirk. "You're disgusting!" she ran off. "By the way you're sharing your tent with Tin Ting and his friends" she shouted to him while running atop of a hill. He deserves it, if he builds a good road system maybe he will get a reward she though. Baatar came after a while atop of the hill. Looking tired, again. "Baatar, I am hungry so start digging some food from you rucksack!" she said even before he even managed to take a break. He did what she said, naturally. They started eating their packed veggie and meat wraps while looking at the beautiful landscape.
The sky was blue and reflected the trees from the steady lake. It reached so far in the horizon that you couldn't see the forest's borders. Everything was so peaceful. Almost like there wasn't a chaos going on in the country. Nature is a truly a place to escape from reality. Too bad they will have to chop a lot of trees. But sacrifices need to be made in order to help her nation she thought while looking at the horizon. "Ever made out on a hill?" he asked interrupting her thoughts. "No, and will never even try" she said drily. "No, I mean just kissing" he said laughing. "Fine just one because I'm in a good mood" she said not even looking at him. They kissed the after their meal. Maybe hiking is not that bad? he thought.
For the rest of the 8.25 miles Baatar managed to survive. By thinking how happy Kuvira was. If she is happy, he is happy. When the village joins, the villages around it will join too. And celebrating with Kuvira is worth bullous feet and dead shoulders. He looked at the trees marked with slices. Kuvira and her blades he thought laughing. Walking behind Kuvira had some other benefits too.
"Kuvira I am cold and Tin Ting and Quin snore, I can't take it anymore" he said while shaking Kuvira's sleeping bag next to the tent door. Kuvira murmured something under her breath before opening her eyes. "So what? It is just one night and I can lend you my other wool shirt" she said ready to go back sleep. "Can't I just sleep with you?" "No!" she said looking at him like was an idiot. "It just doesn't work that way, why should you get privileges that others don't" she addressed annoyed. 2I guess you're right" he said looking downcast. "Where is the shirt?" he asked after few minutes. She answered by pointing at the top of her rucksack. She turned around as a gesture of her going back to sleep. "Thank you" he said while laying a kiss to her forehead. She smiled.