Authors Note:

So it's been a while and I'm so sorry, I've started a new job and it's been very full on but I'm hoping to get to regular updates soon. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Had some nice feedback from the first chapter so thanks for that, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer:

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the amazing characters. The only characters I own are Hikari, Hinata, Mishal and Kalinda who are of my own imagination.

Legacy Of The Sun

Chapter Two

I woke up feeling confused and dazed and Agni was I in pain. It took me a few attempts but I just about managed to open my eyes. I winced at the light in my vision, adjusting to the sunlight. I clenched my hands feeling the material beneath me, sand. It was sand. I let out a weak chuckle, I made it to shore thank all the gods above! I could feel a weight against my side, warm and comforting. I reached down petting the familiar smooth scales of my familiar, earning a pleased chirp from the young wyvern. I moved to sit up, slowly pushing myself up on my shaky arms realising how weak and drained I really was.

Managing to push upwards onto my knees taking in the scenery around me; the beach was long and lined with a thick treeline behind that were a series of tall hills, not big enough to be mountains but tall enough to be unable to climb. I whipped my head around to look out to see, the ship was long gone and the pirates along with it, hopefully for good! I did not want to run into them again any time soon. I stumbled to my feet, gathering my belongings and trying not to fall over into the sand. I looked up and down the beach settling on the treeline in front of me, well if I'm going to find a town, I suppose I should go in land. I ready myself, starting off slowly with Mishal next to me on foot too tired to fly.

We walked through the brush, trying to keep true to our path as it wouldn't do any good to stick too close to the ocean. I think I'd had enough of the sea for a little while, I think dry land will do me and Mishal nicely!

We made our way through the foliage, both of us perking up with each step. I realised I got exactly what I wanted! Adventure, adrenaline, danger and excitement! It was all I'd dreamed of back home and yes; I was terrified and got myself into a lot of trouble but I'd got us out of it and here we were. The Earth Kingdom at last! I couldn't stop the giggle escaping my lips nor the smile gracing my face, even Mishal had started chirping and flying around me.

"Can you believe it Mishal, pirates! We fought actual pirates! And now we're here we made it!" I cheer throwing my arms out and twirling a little. The exhaustion being overwhelmed by my sheer giddiness of our adventure so far. I received a series of chirps and purrs in return, not that I was expecting anything else; not yet anyway. I took a moment to look around, looking for any leads to a town or village being nearby. There didn't seem like many pathways to choose due to the hills I could see a few trails lead to, that wouldn't do us any good after what we went through. We wouldn't get far with our energy as it is no matter how giddy we felt. It seemed the best thing to do was follow the trail that went over the flat ground, avoiding the hills as much as possible, there had to be a town somewhere this way right?

I went to continue but froze mid step when a panicked noise came from my companion. I look to the young dragon just for her to fly into her bag out of sight but not before blowing a small puff of smoke to my left. I steadied myself watching the environment before us, I couldn't see anything out the ordinary. I battled with myself whether to check the noise or continue on my path, could've just been a bird or a boar-q-pine right? I shrugged and made my way to the bushes and trees the sound came from, stepping lightly to not alert the animal in case it could be dangerous and attack at random. The shrubbery moved again and I pull back, a spark of fear within me. I stay frozen squinting at the green in front of me when I hear scuttling behind me. I whip around only to hear more noise to my right. Again I try to follow the noise but It was too fast for me. I start to panic gasping at a noise too close for comfort, jumping away clutching Mishal to me closely. Now I was spinning wildly trying to find the creature, or creatures, hiding in the leaves but I couldn't keep up! How was it moving that fast! What was it!? All I could see was green all around me, nothing else. I turned to run deciding it was time to get away for both mine and Mishal's sake and it was then that I saw a flash of gold before falling into the darkness again.

I came to slowly for the second time today, at least I think it's the same day. It was hard to tell but Agni was my throat dry! I thought I was achy before but now, with my back sitting stiffly against something cold and solid; stone probably. I can definitely say that this is what exhaustion feels like and I hated it! It was horrible! I'd hardly set out on my own and I'd run into pirates, got into a fight, my own version of a shipwreck, washed up and gotten captured by someone again! I wanted to leave, to live a fun, exciting, adventurous life but I just keep getting into bad situations. Was Hinata right? Was I an idiot to want more than my little village? Should I have stayed and taken my place among my people?

I tried to open my eyes but I was only meet with more darkness, I could feel something over my head. It felt a little heavy and scratchy, so it was probably a knapsack of some kind, hardly what I would expect from kidnappers but then again I'm not the best judge am I? I waited for something to happen, for noise to approach or this bag to be taken off my head but nothing came. I sat there in the forced darkness trying to be positive that I would be okay when It hit me that something was missing; Mishal was gone, again! I snapped upright in my tied-up position, suddenly filled with enough strength to struggle against my bonds. I had to find her! I was supposed to protect her and she just keeps getting caught by strangers because of me!

My struggling came to a halt when I heard footsteps approaching, I resisted my urge to fire bend my way out of the rope, I didn't know who these people were; the could be Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom and either way I didn't want to get into more trouble right now then I was. Especially not when I didn't know where Mishal could be. I had to try and relax and stay calm, I had to find out where I was and who these people are. I could here vague whispers around me but I couldn't work out where they were coming from. I tried to control my breathing, trying not to panic as a set of footsteps got louder as they came towards me.

I felt the sack be wrenched off my head roughly, I tensed and squeezed my eyes shut avoiding the shocking light that met my eyes. I opened them for a second, glancing a figure in green before squeezing my eyes shut; too sensitive to the light to manage more.

"Who are you and what are you doing on our island?" A woman questioned, light and feminine despite the stern seriousness in her voice. I chanced opening my eyes, slowly to adjust to the light. The first thing I noticed was the blue sky above me, lush greenery of the hills and mountains meeting the bright blue on the horizon. Nearer to me were small houses made of wood and grass weaves, simple houses like the ones we had back home but ours were made of stone instead of wood. It was nice, a bit of familiarity, I almost smiled but then my eyes snapped to the woman in front of me.

She was a warrior, plain as day to see. Dressed in a traditional Earth Kingdom dress of a deep forest green but with some sort of flexible plate armour over the top, no wonder I couldn't see them. Accents of gold were scattered over the ensemble, which I noticed differed from warrior to warrior as I sotted them dotted around the place of my captivity. The most striking feature of the women warriors was the stark white face paint with red lips and wings extending over and out from the eyelids with black kohl cream lining their eyes. There was something eerily familiar about the look but I couldn't work out what.

"Well, I want an answer. Who are you? That's not Earth Kingdom clothing, you're Fire Nation aren't you!" It was more of an accusation than a question. I looked down at myself, I had to admit I definitely did not blend in. I hadn't changed clothes since leaving my home; I wore a halter style top of a burnt orange colour. A 'V' shape cut in the top to reveal and accent my chest, a golden trim followed the top hem of my top before changing direction toward my neck to connect to a brown neck piece. There was another 'V' shape cut into the bottom, showing off my toned abdomen. Adorned on my legs were harem style pants cut off at the knee and trimmed with gold. Over my pants was a brown belt with two loose hanging panels of the same burnt orange with a red accent following inside the edges by and inch, the panels asymmetric and slightly overlapping each other. Under that was a red panel with gold accents, also an inch or so in. At the back was one orange panel over another red one, longer than the one from the front. On my upper arms were gold bands and on my lower were laced leather bracers. On my feet I wore dark hardened burgundy shoes and my dark reddish brown hair was in a half up style secured with a red tie. I sighed as I admitted I looked very Fire Nation. I had hoped to get to a Fire Nation colony first, then change to a more Earthy disguise. Could I twist that and get them to believe me?

"No I'm not Fire Nation, I swear! I'm from a little Earth Kingdom village near the coast on the mainland, we were occupied by Fire Nation soldiers. There wasn't anything we could do, none of us were fighters. They moved right in, taking our food and houses. They imported clothing from the nearest occupied port and burned our clothing! All our Kingdoms' clothing was taken from us and we were forced to wear what they gave us!" I started to cry, the fear causing them to fall as real as the ground beneath me. If this didn't work, I didn't know what was going to happen.

"Even if that was true, what are you doing here? How did you leave?" The leader, the first warrior I spotted, narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Struggling to buy my story.

"I…I ran away to the port. It was occupied by the Fire Nation, I managed to blend in. With my hair being dark and the clothes from the soldiers. I stowed away on a ship, it was heading to another port in the Earth Kingdom, I thought I could escape and be free. I found something in the cargo, something they really wanted to keep. I took it with me, they caged her and she was crying. I freed her and we had to escape again, it was a pirate ship. I dove off the edge with her. I remember being in the water and that was it before waking up on the beach. I swear I was just trying to escape, to be free." Tears were flowing freely down my face, part of my story was true but they didn't need to know it was only a little bit.

The girl shared a glance with an older man stood next to her, how did I not notice him before? They both looked thoughtful, looking between themselves and my bruised, beaten and tired. I'm sure there was a few tears in my clothes too, I hadn't really thought to check. They both had a thoughtful look on their faces but the girl was still suspicious, I shuffled against the rope a bit aggravating my hands and that gave me and idea.

"If you don't believe me look at my hands. Please just look at them! If I was a fire bender or even Fire Nation, why would my hands be like this." The girl nodded at one of her companions, and the came over to untie some of the rope confining me. Just enough that they could move my arms a bit to see my hands. What met theirs eyes shocked them and honestly it even shook me a bit. My hand was red and angry and blistered. It didn't look good, may even be infected. Great, just what I needed.

Apparently It was, looks of shock and sympathy were shared between the people surrounding me because of my burnt hands. The lead girl, walked up and knelt in from of me. Fear radiated through me at the stern look on her face, I must have failed to convince her. This could be it for me and Mishal. More tears escaped my eyes as I squeezed them shut, tensing. Then the ropes loosened around me and I felt arms encompass me.

"It's alright now, you'll be safe here. You can stay as long as you like." I sobbed in relief, I can't believe I pulled it off! I'm alive and going to be okay! But what about Mishal?

"Thank you so so much! But, where is she?" I ask knowing she knew who I was asking about. She looked apprehensive to answer but did so anyway.

"We put it in a cage, when we found you and caught you. The beast kept shrieking and breathing smoke! What is it?" There was fear in her voice and honestly, I couldn't blame her. Mishal was a dragon and they had been known as extinct for near a century, save for a few of course.

"Please, I know you're scared of her but she wont hurt anyone. She's just a baby!" I could only plead, hoping the girl would be understanding but I knew it was a long shot

"But what is she." Her eyes steeled a bit, knowing I was holding back on the answer. I knew she wouldn't like it. No one would for a while but I couldn't lie to them, well not more than I already had.

"She's a dragon, I think. The ship I stowed away on was a pirate ship, I think they stole her and was going to sell her. She's just an innocent creature, please." Her eyes softened a touch, nodding and pulling me to my feet and toward a nearby building. It was darkened in there, the windows blocked out by cloth. Dust filled the room and crates were scattered about. It hadn't looked used in a while, a long, long while.

We walked through a doorway into a small backroom, I imagine it was a bedroom at some point. In the middle of the room I noticed a box-like shape covered by a sheet, lighter and different from the rest. I immediately rushed up to it and threw off the sheet to reveal the young drake. The girl tensed when Mishal shifted and chirped excitedly at the sight of me, I couldn't help but laugh happily at the sight of her unharmed. She's been through so much for such a young dragon already.

"Can I let her out?" I ask, pleading with my eyes. I could see the conflict in the girl and I gave her a real look over for the first time. She couldn't have been much younger than myself if at all.

"I don't know about that..." She started to shake her head, looking down. I stepped up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder making her look up at me again.

"Please, she wont hurt anyone. If she does anything you can confine her again but please, give us a chance." I could see the internal struggle with herself before she nodded hesitantly. I wasted no time in freeing my familiar who immediately latched onto me and climbed onto my shoulder, nuzzling my face chirping happily. I could only laugh loudly as the dragon carried on it's attentions, I even noticed the girl in green smile a bit.

"So where are we? I wasn't sure where we'd washed up, after falling in the ocean I hadn't really expected to wash up on land." I Asked facing the green clad warrior, she raised a painted brow before smiling and beckoning me to follow her out the building.

"This is Kyoshi island, just south of the mainland. This is the only village on the island, so don't expect too much excitement to go on. We work together and we get by together." She went on to explain the goings on and structure of the village. The traders and the craftsman, the teachers and the children. Last of all was the village elder, the man I saw earlier and the Kyoshi Warriors consisting of herself, who told me her name was Suki, and the other girls in their green traditional dresses. We walked through the village to a statue of a woman dressed in the same manner as the warriors. I learned she was an old Avatar that the island was named for, Kyoshi. A great warrior woman that inspired the women to take up her mantle, it was very impressive and I couldn't help but admire the affect this woman had on history even if she was an Avatar.

The last thing I was warned of was the Unagi, a great beast In the peninsula. It was inviting to swim in but dangerous as it was the home to the giant fish. I made a note to stay away from it as I had no desire to meet the beast in person. I've had enough adventure for a while I think. Maybe a bit of time on this little island would be a good move for me, after everything I had gone through getting away from the Fire Nation I was feeling nervous about going out in the Earth Kingdom on my own.

"Would it really be okay for me to stay? The villagers seemed a little scared of us. Not that I blame them." I chuckled softly, stroking Mishal's head fondly earning a happy chirp. A thoughtful look crossed the girls face before a soft smile replaced it.

"It may take some people some getting used to but you can stay, both of you. She doesn't seem too dangerous, I still can't believe she's a real living dragon, I thought they were extinct?" Now there was pure interest in the girls eyes, not that I could expect any less. A Fire Nation clad stranger washes up a story about a village overtaken and a dragon of all things!

"Yeah she is but she doesn't seem very old, I haven't even see her breathe much fire. Just a puff every now and then." I explain, It wasn't totally lying, I knew Mishal wasn't very old but she would start growing very, very soon and the fire would not be far behind. In fact It seemed like Mishal was actually ahead of most young dragons when it came to producing fire. From what my mother and the elders said, it should have taken a few more months before Mishal could even produce a small puff of smoke.

"I have to admit that's a relief, at least we don't need to worry about any burnt down buildings for a while." She smirked making me laugh, I was happy everyone wasn't deathly afraid of us. That would have been my first assumption, I was shocked to say the least.

"I'm sorry, I haven't actually caught your name yet?" I realise, It had been a long day and I haven't even bothered to get the name of someone being so kind to me.

"My name is Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Welcome to Kyoshi Island."