Cai tossed the six bags of ruined meat into the bushed and climbed onto the tiger horse that huffed in the heat. "Why is it so hot?" He complained to his older brother. To Cai, Rennai was just just an old man. He wasn't so much an older brother as he was an uncle. Their relationship could hardly even be considered that. Rennai was always there for Cai, but he was never too open with his older brother. His brother was a bender, but their father was clear that Rennai was a disgrace, and that Cai was the favored child. Rennai had never really cared; in fact, he understood. Rennai's mother was very ill and lay in bed all day by herself, with only Rennai as occasionally company. On the other hand, Cai's mother followed their father around and catered to his every whim. She was the wife who shared a bed with their father and sat beside their father at the dinner table. Ren's mother slept alone and ate beside another of his wives named Cennaye, who was the least favored of the wives because she was unable to bear children. Neither wife sat near their husband. In fact, the sons of his sat closer to the end of the table where Cai's mother and father sat.

Cai was not proud to say his step mother Cennaye could not bear children. He was proud, a perfect son. He deserved the best, and he deserved the attention; he received both. When anything was slightly less then what he wanted, he had mastered the ways of throwing his temper until he got what he wanted.

"Rennai," he whined, drawing out the end of his name. "It's too hot here. It's hotter than the Air Temples; let's just go back." The Air Temples were actually quite chilly due to the altitude.

He saw Ren take several long breaths with his eyes closed as his tiger-horse trotted beneath him. "Would father be proud of you if I let you turn back?"

Cai thought for a moment. "He wouldn't care if we went back."

"Cai," he said calmly. "Don't be foolish. This is your destiny (more or less), and you can not just turn back at any moment. You must work hard to reap your rewards."

"What does reap mean?" Cai asked.

Rennai took a deep breath. "Nevermind."

Cai looked out across the fields of banana beans and huffed as the tiger-horses had. "I still wish it wasn't so hot."

"I do as well, young brother." Cai glanced over at him before looking back to the field. Little gray butterflies hopping from blooming flower to blooming flower, sipping the banana bean sap from each of them. Each time a butterfly landed, a puff of pollen rose into the air, disappearing after only a few seconds.

"How much further?" Cai asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"Only a few more days," Ren replied.

Ping pushed the money across the counter. "Will that be enough?" The man counted out the coins before nodding. He tossed a key to the younger boy and turned back to his painting. The man obviously did not get much business and instead did other things while he worked. Ping turned on his heel and lead the way up the hallway to a room at the end of the hall.

"Here you guys are," he said, handing the key to Kulei. He turned around and began to walk away when Kuiyi grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" she said, not letting go.

"To pay for another room," he answered, as though it was obvious.

Kulei shook her head. "We refuse to let you pay for our room. We're bunking together."

The way she worded it made Ping wonder if she was joking, but after a moment he realized how serious she was being. He stepped into the room and plopped his bag down onto the floor. Kuiyi set her bags next to the bed she would be sharing with her brother. Kuiyi helped Ping set up a small mattress and the blanket from her bed on the floor.

After nearly an hour, the group lay to rest in their respective places. The family fell asleep quickly, but Ping lay on the small bed they had made for him while thinking. Surely Zhong had told her father by now that Ping had left and was not willing to marry her. Earth Kingdom marriages happened quickly; her father had probably already chosen a suitable fiance for her. They would be married within a month, and when Ping got done with his mission he would be alone and single for several more years until he was forced to marry a girl he probably babysat when he was a teenager. That was the way it worked there.

Ping loved Zhong. He loved her with his whole heart. She was his everything. He knew that she had already waited four years for him to propose, but he couldn't understand why she wouldn't wait one more. His last thought before he fell asleep was how much he wished she was traveling with him.

His first thought he next morning was how much he loved her. Then he opened his eyes to realize a young boy was breathing in his face. He jumped slightly before recognizing him as Kuiyi's little brother. "Good morning!" He screamed. Ping sat up and yawned silently. He looked around the room to realize that every bag had been sat neatly on Kulei's bed. Kuiyi smiled at him and handed him his bag as Shao Lang climbed up onto her leg.

"We should get going before they find us," he said, watching the young boy hanging from her leg as she tried to pull him off. "We should get as far away from the Fire Nation as we can."

Kuiyi nodded at him, turning towards her mother. She shrugged looking back at Ping. "I think that's a good idea."

Before long, Ping and the family were walking through the woods with their bags on their shoulders. With every step through the woods, it reminded Ping of the first two year of his and Zhong's relationship; her father had hated him. Every day the two young teens would trek through the woods to each other. When they heard the river rushing, they knew they were close. When they had first met accidentally by the river when they were 12 and 13, Ping had made a small bridge for them to walk across to each other. He had fallen in love with her that day.

They met there every day. They would sit on the bridge with their bare feet dangling in the water, or they'd take a walk through the willow trees. After 3 months of their daily meetings, they had their first kiss. That was the she fell in love with him. That day, she took Ping to meet her father. Ping, so nervous to meet him, ended up tripping down the stairs and tearing up a priceless painting by her great great great grandfather. Her father then forbid him to come back to the house.

That did not stop the couple from meeting every day by the river. 2 years after their first kiss and the day he met her father, she took him back home. When her father saw him, he grew angry at first. But after a few minutes of anger, he realized how much they must love each other to hide their relationship for two years. Ping and her father were very close after that, and they had no need for the bridge. Ping didn't visit the river any more, and neither did Zhong, for it reminded them of a time when they were struggling to stay together.

They were happily together for 4 whole years when Ping left. He felt so guilty, so heartbroken, so disgusting. It was his fault, after all, that after 4 years of strong love, she would be married within the next 4 weeks. Now, not only did his feet hurt from walking, but his heart hurt as well.

Kuiyi hiked her bag up higher on her shoulders and glanced over at Ping. He looked very sad. He almost looked angry. "Ping?" She said quietly. He looked at her as though he had just woken up.

"What?" He asked.

"What's wrong?"

"I just miss my father," he lied. "That's all."

She looked at him for a moment. She knew he was not telling the truth, but she ignored it.

He obviously had a story behind him that he did not feel like sharing.