Sweeping junk off the side of the manor, a janitor let out a sigh of annoyance, turtle ducks continuing to pester him. Gong-sun, the owner of the large home, often allowed his pets to roam free. Fire Ferrets, Brown Bear Dogs, Gorilla Goats, it was as if Gong-sun's home was a zoo! Of course, being the mayor of Gangkou—a town on the edge of Hei Bai's Forest— could be very stressful most of the time, and the company of animals could reduce stress greatly.
Gong-sun's prized Brown Bear Dog, Zhuazi, followed a scent outside the manor walls. For any other human, the smell would be rather rancid. For him, however, it smelled of Catgator and Elbow Leech. He buried his nose in the dirt, dug up plants, but the scent weakened as he lingered near the manor.
Zhuazi wandered towards Gangkou Town, startling the people he pushed past. His nostrils were bombarded by the smells of mouth-watering food, tempting him to stray off the path he was on. Simply shaking his head, Zhuazi continued to follow the scent.
Lifting his ears, the sound of the Zhongruan caught his attention, echoing from the Scholar's Garden. The scent came from there as well, and Zhuazi knew where to go next.
Going over to the large, terracotta walls of the garden, he dug under the dirt, sucking in his belly just to crawl through the opening. Finally, he was able to enter, and he shook the dirt from his fur. Next to him, a scholar of the Fire Nation was covered in the dirt, disgusted by the Brown Bear Dog.
Zhuazi didn't seem to care, completely ignoring the scholar. The Zhongruan's tune became louder and louder, and Zhuazi was in a trance thanks to the mesmerizing chords.
Surrounded by tiny, orange, mushroom-capped spirits, a young man sat under the Amber Elm tree, plucking at the strings of the Zhongruan. His pocket was stuffed with a small bag of food; Crayfish-slug meat, to be exact. The bags, however, were made of Catgator skin, and the smell from the skin still lingered.
The Zhongruan player was a young man; a member of the Swamp Tribe. His water-soaked hair was brown, messily tied into a ponytail. His facial hair was a rather bit wispy- not to mention it was also a lighter shade of brown- but not exactly an orange color, either. His moss-colored knee-length pants, vest, and sandals were drenched as well, looking more like the color of mud, not moss. Around his neck, a polished, egg-sized piece of amber was attached to a leather cord. Inside it, a tiny dragonfly remained preserved in the hardened mineral.
"Wha-hey!" The young man was startled by Zhuazi. "That's my food! Ya' can't take it from me!"
Zhuazi, with the bag in his maw, dropped it into the water, and his ears pressed against his head in regret.
"You're hungry too? I know how ya' feel," said the traveler. "Go on, take it. Ya' need it more than I do."
Lifting his ears and tail, Zhuazi grabbed the bag, burying his nose in the food. Soon, his wet fur began to smell like meat. He looked at the Zhongruan player, wondering if he had anymore food with him.
"That was all I had, boy! It's not like I'm gonna pull food from behind my ear! My Grandmamma is the only one who can do that!" He chuckled. "You one of Gong-sun's animals or somethin'?"
"...Aroooowaorooo..." Zhuazi tried to speak, only to let out what sounded like a growl-howl. "...Rawoaooraaoooo..."
"I don't speak Bear Dog language, boy," said the young man. "But, I'll take that as a yes. C'mon, let's get ya' back to Gong-sun."
《》
For Huojin, it felt good to walk on land again. He set up a small hammock between two stalks of bamboo, high up from the leaf-covered ground. From there, he could watch the cove, making sure no one would try to steal his boat. Huojin watched as Khenpo relaxed in the cool waters, washing off the dirt and debris from his fur.
Below, a Giant Panda pushed against the bamboo stalks, wondering what could've added weight to the stalks. This Panda, unlike the others, was much bigger in size. He could've been bigger that Khenpo, but it was hard for Huojin to tell.
"Hei Bai!" Huojin shouted. "Is that really you?"
The Panda looked up, tongue hanging out of his mouth. The Spirit stood up on his hind feet, and waved at Huojin, recognizing the Avatar. Hei Bai remembered the young man as Avatar Aang, not Huojin, but the Panda was quite forgetful sometimes.
"Hello, Avatar!" Hei Bai spoke. "I see you're in good health!"
"Of course I am! I've the Avatar!" Huojin laughed, hopping down from the hammock. "Do you know where I can find food around here? I've been eating fish for days!"
Hei Bai, using his giant paw, pointed to the left. "Gangkou is that way, friend. There's plenty of food there."
"Thanks, Hei Bai," said Huojin. "Hey, Hei Bai, you wouldn't happen to know the quickest route to Republic City, would you? I'm kind of in a hurry. There's a monster storm heading this way, and I'm not gonna freeze myself to survive, either."
"You don't want to end up like Avatar Aang, hm?" Hei Bai chuckled, looking down at the human. "If you were to venture near the river, you should take the Crescent Waterway. It is a rather easy route, and it leads straight to Yue Bay. If you wish to travel by land, I'd suggest taking the Feixing Path. It doesn't exactly lead to Republic City, but switching over to the Shanyao Path should fix that."
"How do you know all of this, Hei Bai? I never knew you traveled!" Huojin was bold, unafraid to speak up.
"This may be my forest, but I do travel," Hei Bai sighed. "If you ever find yourself in Taka-sa, come and visit me! I'm planning to vacation there in a few days, and humans are welcome as well."
"I'll consider it, Hei Bai," Huojin agreed. "I guess I'll see you later, right?"
"We shall see each other soon enough," Hei Bai assured. "Good luck on your adventure, Avatar."
He planted his paws back onto the ground, and left Huojin. Even as an ancient spirit, Hei Bai often enjoyed visiting with other spirits.
Taka-sa was a place for both humans and spirits; a city built and inspired by the 'floating town' of Jang Hui. Huojin had never heard of Taka-sa, let alone seen a single picture of the place. In his mind, he could only imagine what it looked like.
Maybe it's by the ocean, he thought. I'll go there after settling in Republic City.
《》
A herd of Sky Bison made its way across the forest, flying above the trees and remnants of Fire Lord Ozai's rule. Thanks to a string of laws against poaching, Bison were allowed to roam wherever they wanted. Although, one Bison looked a bit... out of place in the herd. A saddle was placed on its back, and its horns were dulled, capped with carved, wooden adornments.
Two people hid under a small, orange, makeshift canopy, and the other members of the herd had failed to see the intruders among them.
"This won't work at all!" one voice complained, only to be shushed by the other.
"Come on, Tenzin, this is going to work!" The other voice giggled. "This is just a small.. vacation! Mom thinks we're still on the island, and Dad probably won't notice for another day!"
"Ilio, did you forget about Grandfather? He's going to find out about this!"
"We'll be back by tomorrow!"
"No, we won't!"
As Ilio and Tenzin's arguing persisted, their Bison dove down towards the ground, hoping to stop the two. Landing in a small clearing, the Bison shook the two off its back, causing them to fall to the ground.
"Righty!" Ilio groaned. "Great... now she's upset..."
"Well, we can't blame Lefty for that, can we?" Tenzin spoke, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Ilio, unlike her brother, was a bit short when it came to height. Her hair was a dark brown, reaching halfway past her back. Her skin was a bit tanned, similar to her brother's light russet skin. Her eyes were a vibrant green, sparkling under the sunlight. From light orange, to a scarlet red, she wore clothes only found in Republic City and the Air Nation. Under the orange sash over her left shoulder, she wore a sleeveless white shirt, one that was a bit frayed at the edges. Her pants were a pale orange color, but the back part was brick red, much different from the typical style of pants that Airbenders wore, and they were tucked into her light brown boots.
Ilio was no Earthbender, but she was of the Air Nation, just like her mother, Jinora. Although, she looked more like her father, Kai.
Tenzin—named after his grandfather— looked much different than his sister. His head was completely shaven, void of any and all hair. His eyes were a light hazel, and there were a few hints of viridian. He was somewhat taller than Ilio, only by a few inches or so. Tenzin was shirtless, only wearing two sashes over his right shoulder; one was red, while the other was a muted orange. He wore the same pants and shoes that Ilio wore, but a folding glider was clipped to his side.
"I should've went with Uncle Meelo," Tenzin sighed, sitting down on the grass. "Why are we out here anyway? I thought you wanted to see the Airbending School?"
"Not just any school!" Ilio pulled a scroll out of her pocket, unrolling and showing it to her older brother. "This is the Golden Bison Airbending Academy! Grand Master Tsong-Kapa oversees the students, and they trained the Bai-Luo Bisons, too!"
On the gold-painted scroll was an image of a Sky Bison, and the emblem of the Air Nation had been stamped in the corner of the scroll.
"That's all the way near the Patola Mountains, Ilio," he scoffed. "We'll never make it there in time."
"Training starts in the fall, Tenzin," Ilio let out a long sigh. "I'll be out of school by then! I can move in with Uncle Meelo! He... still lives in Kangxi, right?" Ilio laughed nervously, forgetting where her uncle lived. "Maybe I should just rent a place in Cha-"
Before Ilio could say another word, another Bison came charging out of the trees, causing the ground to rattle and shake. He charged at Righty, head colliding with the younger Bison's body. Righty defended herself, using her tail to strike a blow to her attacker's body. The two Bison locked horns, one trying to push the other over.
"Khenpo! Stop!" A voice screamed. "Calm down!"
Khenpo ceased his attack, looking back at the trees. Huojin ran out of the thick brush of the forest, going after his runaway companion. Khenpo, being the aggressive but calm animal he was, helped Righty onto all six of his feet. Righty playfully nudged at the older Bison, hoping they wouldn't have to fight again.
"Sorry about that!" Huojin apologized to the siblings. "I didn't know Khenpo would react like that! He hasn't exactly been around another Bison in years..."
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Ilio smiled, putting her hands behind her back. "Hey, you don't look like any Airbender that I've seen... where are you from?"
"The City of Piao Li," said Huojin, unafraid to speak the truth. "It's a few hours away from here. Not far from the Great Swamp, either. You two from the Air Nation?"
"Tsangpo. It's in the Valley of Charwa," Ilio replied. "I'm Ilio, and baldy here is Tenzin Jr., but everyone just calls him Tenzin."
Tenzin simply grinned, arms crossed over his chest. "Master Wu-sheng would be mad at us right now," he mumbled. "Talking to strangers isn't exactly a good thing to do, Ilio."
The name Wu-sheng was one Huojin could never forget, no matter how hard he tried. The man had taught him almost everything! Airbender, however, wasn't one of them.
"Did you say Master Wu-sheng?" Huojin questioned, arms falling to his sides. "How long are you two planning to stay in this area?"
《》
"...And that's how I got into Pro-Bending," Ilio finished her story, sitting on the sand of the cove. "Tenzin is more into reading than having fun. He thinks that 'fun' is a bad word."
The older brother glared. "That is not true! I like to have fun, too!" He jumped down from the top of a boulder, using a small gust of wind to soften his fall. "Pro-Bending is too dangerous. Do you two know how many people have gotten injured?"
"Oh yeah?" Huojin challenged Tenzin, "Name them!"
"Saburo Serizawa of the Fire Capital Caracals, Tuma Ulujuk of the Southern Seal Penguins, and Daksapati Kosuri of the Ba Sing Se Badger Bears are just a few." Tenzin explained. "Should I tell you what happened to the Fire Ferrets old captain? Bolin shattered his pelvis in Round 4 of a match, and his season and career were over. What if that happened to you, Ilio?"
"Everyone knows the game was rigged, Tenzin! Uncle Bolin was hurt intentionally!" Ilio growled.
"Wasn't that the Twin Dragon Tournament? I remember listening to that when I was six!" Huojin smiled, remembering the times of when he was younger. "Round 4, right? Bolin was hit with two earth disks in the right hip, Ebizo from the Wolf Bats earned a 10 year suspension, and the Fire Ferrets won the Tournament after that."
"Yes, but did they tell you what happened to Bolin?" Tenzin raised an eyebrow, "He was lucky to have been able to walk again. He's retired now, and—"
"—He's the chairman of the Pro Bending League," Ilio couldn't help to say it. "Cousin Norbu is with the Fire Ferrets as a... how do I say this... he's... the water boy. Nobody, not even Uncle Bolin and Aunt Opal, knows if he's a bender or not. He could be a non-bender, but he does has Earthbending hands. Kind of like yours, Huojin."
Huojin looked at his hands, noticing the shape of his palms. "Yeah, I kinda do... I guess. Never really thought of it before," he admitted. "So, what's it like for you guys? Being Airbenders and all?"
Ilio and Tenzin exchanged looks, and then diverted their attention back to Huojin.
"The Air Nation has had a tough time, and a few million of us isn't exactly enough," said Tenzin. "In the days of The Hundred Year War, the Air Nomads were nearly wiped out; almost erased from history. Our Great-Grandfather was the last airbender, and Appa was the only Sky Bison left in the world. If it wasn't for him and his friends, we wouldn't even be here."
"Long story short— a lot of people, especially in the Fire Nation, still hate us. Equalists and Ozai-Loyalists have been harassing us for years without end, but we get a lot of support from the Northern and Southern Water Tribes," Ilio elaborated. "We can thank Great-Grandma Katara for that. Even at 100 and something years old, she knows more than anyone on the planet."
"I thought everyone involved in the Hundred Year War was dead?" Huojin questioned.
"Not Great-Grandma, that's for sure. Spirit Water can really help you in the long run, and it's definitely helped her. She may not be able to walk anymore, but that doesn't mean she's helpless. She still misses Aang, though. But when Korra died, things were just even worse for her," Ilio's tone completely changed. "Meeting the new Avatar would cheer her up, you know? Grandpa has spent 18 years looking for them, too."
"18 years, huh?" Huojin asked. "That's a long time for anyone."
Huojin wanted to tell them he was the Avatar, he needed to tell them. Unfortunately, it was a secret the he needed to keep to himself. But, even he knew that secrets were always bound to get out, so his identity wouldn't be hidden for long.
"Looks like the sun's going down," said Huojin. "I got some lettuce wraps and rice if you guys are hungry. You two are vegetarian, right?"
"I am, she's not," Tenzin pointed at Ilio. "Meat-eater," he joked.
"Lettuce-munching Rabaroo," Ilio hissed back at him. "If you've got meat, I'll take it," she said to Huojin. "And get me a giant bottle of sweet and sour sauce."
《》
Everyone in the cove camp had fallen asleep. The fire had gone out, Khenpo and Righty slept close to each other, and the boat drifted onto the sand. As the moonlight glistened on the water, mysterious bodies rose from the depths. Six of the strangers brandished weapons, swords and daggers commonly used by Fire Nation Military.
Khenpo's nose twitched, the stench of Baijiu and blood making his large stomach twist and turn. He got up, awakening a sleeping Righty as well. Before the shadow-blanketed figures could even step foot onto the sand, Khenpo roared, waking the entire camp.
"Wha- huh...?" Huojin wiped the drool from his mouth, throwing the blanket off his body. He shot a small dart of fire at a piece of wood, illuminating the cove. The three benders soon realized who the intruders were.
Pirates. They were all pirates.
"Get them! Break their bones if you have to!" One man yelled, ordering the rest of the crew to attack.
While Tenzin and Ilio defended themselves, Huojin went with the offensive style of earthbending, launching pirates into the air with pillars of hardened sand. Khenpo lifted his tail, and crushed one of the men, burying him in the ground. Ilio hit her enemies with a few powerful and amplified air kicks, but a knife was lodged in her left leg, cutting deep into the skin.
She collapsed on her side, letting out a slightly yelp of pain.
"Ilio!" Tenzin exclaimed, running over to his downed sister. "Are you alright?!"
"Tenzin, I'm fi- AGH!" She felt the pain rush to her leg, blood gushing from between her hands. "I know you're thinking of leaving, but we can't! Huojin can't fight these guys by himself!"
They watched Huojin as he fought the pirates, sand and pillars of earth rising from the ground. At one point, he had been overwhelmed, held down by half of the crew. Fire came out of his mouth, as if he was a Dragon. Huojin surrounded the men in fire, and trapped them in a dome of sand, making sure they wouldn't escape so easily.
"Did he just...?" Ilio was astonished, but the shock could be seen in her eyes "...He can bend Earth and Fire?"
"He can't be..." Tenzin's eyes grew wide. "He's—"
"It's the Avatar..!" A man screamed from inside the sand dome, "Let us go! We can leave! You don't have to harm us!"
Huojin lowered the dome, but kept the pirates trapped.
"If you so much as set a single foot in Gangkou, I will make sure you regret all you've ever done!" Huojin threatened, his fury further fueled by Raava herself. "LEAVE!"
Taking a step back, his feet hit the ground, and a sand pillar catapulted the crew out of the cove. His eyes went back to the normal green they were, but something was noticeably wrong with Huojin.
In his mind, flickers and flashes of old memories— ones belonging to his past lives- rushed into his head. He gripped his chest, and fell back, his energy drained from his body once again.
"...Huojin..?" Tenzin's voice as muffled, and Huojin was on the brink of exhaustion.
"I'm... okay..." Huojin lied, his entire world spinning around him. "Just... a little tired..."
He walked over to check on Khenpo, taking slow and uneasy steps. Huojin may have been within 2 feet of the Bison, but he felt, too late to catch one of Khenpo's horns. In his back were five poison darts, and the toxins had already entered his blood stream. Huojin's eyelids felt like they had been sewn shut, and even trying to lift his arms would be impossible.
The muffled screams and shouts of Tenzin and Ilio soon became muted. Silence. Within the darkness, Huojin saw symbols and short visions. A man meditating in the spirit world, blood red paintings on the walls of a cave, the destruction of a United Forces fleet, and a city engulfed in flames.
These must be memories from Korra's life, Huojin thought, it... can't be... can it?
The visions stopped, and Huojin allowed himself to drift further into the void.
《》
In Gangkou, the only place to be treated for wounds was Jy-ying's home. As a former medic in the United Forces, people trusted her with their lives, hoping they would recover from an illness or injury.
It was morning, and the sun began to rise. Jy-ying's house was nearly empty, two 'patients' sleeping in separate rooms. In one room, Ilio slept peacefully, her injured leg wrapped in bandages. Tenzin fell asleep in a chair, tired from watching over his sister. In the other room, Huojin remained unconscious. The poison darts were taken out of his skin, and set on the small table next to his futon.
"You shouldn't have ran away from your responsibilities," Shouwei spoke, sitting next to the futon. "Your family is worried sick for you, young Avatar. The High Council of Spirits... they are not happy with this."
Shouwei sighed, placing a hand on Huojin's head.
"Those pirates were assassins," said Shouwei. "The Red Lotus has found you, Huojin. Earth and Fire are not enough to stop them. The next step in your journey will be challenging, but mastering the elements of Air and Water is crucial in the defeat of the Red Lotus. They, however, are not your only enemies."
He paused, and continued to speak.
"Vaatu has returned," Shouwei admitted. "As a spirit myself, I would return into hiding, but that will not help. Even if it means being corrupted by Vaatu, I will continue to watch over you, to guide you. This does not mean I will fight alongside you. My days of war and anger are over."
Shouwei began to fade.
"Be safe and rest well, Huojin," his voice echoed. "War is coming."