I know this is waaaaaay overdue, but what can I do? School, work and a family situation all culminated into a very bad case of writer's block. I'm srry! I'm srry! I'm a baaaaaad storyteller! (sniffle!) (sniffle!) (sob!) (sob!) Shoutouts: charizardag, Rexic and Soulia, taffy0823, mystery writer5775 (srry!) badculture, superkawaiifoxy, Akriloth Warrior, nightdrive23, GroggyRae, Khajmer, Talon88.1, Luiz4200, Rashaka, TiffanyV, sev7n, solareclipse, kataragirl11, and RedBrunja. Oh and on a minor note, in order to avoid anymore confusion and embarrassment I am in fact male. Now with out further ado: my triumphant return. I'M BACK BABY!
The Search for Shang-wēifēng
Chapter Twelve
Trailing Shadows
On one of the many islets that dot the Western Seas, the Fire Nation had constructed a secret factory with the purpose of mass producing aircraft. Though aviation technology was relatively new, alchemists, thinkers, and inventors flocked to the factory that they may take part in what they believed the future of travel. Almost overnight the factory developed into a small community, then into an airbase, the first of many, upon the development of the airships.
It was here that Hakoda and a number of the invasion force were taken and put to work in the Fire Lord's factory. They Fire Nation arranged them so that the Water Tribesmen and the Earth Kingdom soldiers were separated from the rest of their people. Likely so that they wouldn't be able to unite with their countrymen against their slavers, not understanding that all the world was united against them now. Immediately after landing Hakoda had started working out his escape plan.
He didn't know where Bato was, and prayed to the ocean spirits that he was well, as he prayed for his children and the Avatar, wherever they might be. Hyu, Duu, and Tho, and the rest of the Foggy Swamp waterbenders were taken underground, where they would likely endure dehydration and disease.
Haru's father and the other earthbenders, along with the Mechanist had disappeared for a time, but the soldiers soon returned with strange collars around their necks. It was apparent that the Fire Nation had forced Teo's father to construct a new means to keep their slaves in check. They had likely threatened the inventor's refugee colony in the Northern Air Temple. With their airships, they now possessed absolute aerial supremacy, and would easily dispatch any resistance. Hakoda wasn't entirely sure how the collars worked but his theory was that they applied pressure to the chakra point where the neck connects to the shoulders, preventing the victim's bending.
Once his injuries had healed, the Water Tribe war chief made his first escape attempt. He went alone, without any real intent of making it off the islet. It was just to get a feel for their security. He returned with a whole new set of injuries, results of beatings by the guards, and the beginnings of an escape plan.
After recovering and bribing some of the guards with some sake he had managed to smuggle into the slaves' quarters, he made another phoney escape attempt. Again he was apprehended, and again he was punished.
Again and again he made these escapes until they became a common occurrence. He soon became known as "that crazy Water Tribe guy" and prisoners and guards alike began to place wagers upon how long it would take for him to get caught again.
After one such excursion, he was made to dig a hole only to fill it back up again and then to repeat the process. The summer sun was hot and the dirt was packed and heavy. His muscles screamed for rest and his tongue felt turned to dust in his mouth. Finally he collapsed into the dirt, breaking out into pitiable weeping.
"Had enough?" gloated the guard who had come to stand over him, mercifully shading him from the unforgiving sun.
Hakoda, didn't answer, only nodded dejectedly amidst pathetic sobbing.
"Get him out of here!" snapped the guard, and the war chief of the Southern Water Tribe
was dragged to the slaves' quarters by two burly soldiers.
They took him into one of the many shabby huts that surrounded the factory and half-dragged-half-shoved him into one of the lumpy cots that served as their beds.
"Let that be a lesson to the rest of ye lazy pus-faced boils on our collective ass!" barked one of his escorts. "You leave when yer carried out! No sooner!" Then he and his companion turned and slammed the door behind them.
The hut he had been placed in was shared by the massive Freedom Fighter Pipsqueak and Haru's father Mao.
Hakoda curled up on the cut and trembled as new sobs shook through his body.
"Hey chief," said Pipsqueak placing a gentle hand the size of a ham on the distraught Water Tribesman's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Suddenly the war chief's trembling stopped. "Are they gone?" he asked.
Pipsqueak glanced inquiringly toward Mao, who only shrugged. Then he listened for any sign of the soldiers outsider their hut. All was quiet.
"Uh, yeah," said the giant guerilla fighter finally. "They're gone."
Hakoda sat up on the cot and started laughing maniacally. Pipsqueak and Mao both were taken aback at the sudden change of their hut-mate's humor, concerned that he may have at last succumbed to madness.
"I have it!" said the war chief as his mirth faded, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Spread the word to the others. In three days, we're getting of his spirits-forsaken rock."
"You have a plan?" asked Mao, fingering the collar around his neck.
"I'll explain the details later," grinned Hakoda. "For now, just let everyone know to look for my signal."
- - -
It took them four days to reach the Cave of Two Lovers. Ursa was careful to avoid the main paths as Fire Nation troops frequently patrolled them. They skirted past the outpost near the ruins of the once grand city of Takku, where the Water Tribe siblings were stricken with fever following a storm several months ago, staying concealed within the foliage and trees, praying that the watchmen would mistake them for animals.
Teo's chair eventually proved too cumbersome for continued use, so, with a heavy heart, the inventor's son abandoned the chair his father had given him, forcing Sokka and Haru to alternate carrying him and, sometimes, the Duke piggy-back for the remainder of their trek southward.
Toph spent most of the journey sulking. Sokka was the only one who noticed - though for the life of him he couldn't figure out what was eating at the tiny earthbender - while the others were busy talking, laughing or otherwise vying with one another for the mysterious Ursa's attentions.
She was a beauty. There was no denying that. In fact, Sokka often found himself taking part in the idiotic competition. The woman responded to his antics with a throaty good-humored chuckle that made him feel pleasantly masculine. Yes, a man could fall in love gazing into those amber-brown eyes. However, she had only one small, but significant fault: she was not Suki, and, thus, he wasn't as enthusiastic in gaining her attentions as Teo and the Duke were.
Haru, though he couldn't help flushing and stammering whenever the medicine woman paid him a compliment, he didn't go out of his way to one-up the other boys, unlike Teo and the Duke, who utilized every dirty trick in their arsenal. Maybe the boy knew that the medicine woman was out of his league. Sokka didn't know whether the young earthbender had a sweetheart at home, but at the moment he was more concerned with the unhappy Toph.
He had thought about confronting her about it, but in light of the previous anger she had demonstrated to him upon his return from Azula's airship he opted to give her space until she was ready to talk. He was in no mood to be sunk into the ground up to his neck a third time.
On the morning of the third day they had reached the Zongzu Road, formally known as the Great Takku Road. It was a wide limestone brick path that had once connected the city state to its sister city Omashu to increase trade and to exchange messages with greater ease. In fact it was this very road that saved Omashu from sharing Takku's fate when the war started.
When the Fire Nation invaded Takku, a man named Zongzu was sent to appeal to Omashu for aid. According to legend, he ran all day and all night, never stopping to eat, drink, or rest. When he reached the gates of Omashu at last he delivered the urgent message and collapsed upon the ground dead.
So moved by his sacrifice and dedication to his countrymen, the then King of Omashu wasted no time in rallying his troops and preparation to defend their sister city.
But they arrived too late.
The Fire Nation had overwhelmed the forces of Takku and the city was nearly reduced to rubble. Omashu's armies were forced to retreat and destroy the bridge that served as the half-way point between the two kingdoms, keeping the Fire Nation at bay.
Saddened by the destruction of their sister city, the people of Omashu cremated Zongzu's body and placed the ashes in a shrine next to the remains of the bridge and renamed the Road he had raced upon in his honor, hoping that his spirit would protect pilgrims and journeymen.
Currently, Sokka was hoping that protection extended to himself and his motley crew, as he crouched in the bushes next to Ursa and Haru who had a hand clamped over the Duke's mouth. Teo's fingers dug into Water tribesman's shoulders, a sign of his growing apprehension, but he paid them no mind, too focused on the spectacle before him. He glanced over at Toph, her already pale face blanched even further as she read the vibrations of the passing army.
Soldiers on foot marched in formation, while others road their armored tanks, their caterpillar treads digging ruts into the rock and soil. Flag bearers waved their crimson and black standards proudly as they relentlessly, marched northward.
"Where are they going?" asked Teo, craning his neck over Sokka's head.
"Our spy network is, at best, a work in progress," whispered Ursa. "But according to what information they've managed to glean, the Fire Lord is mobilizing his armies across the globe. Now that he's conquered Ba Sing Se, the only free Nations left to stand against him are the Water Tribes. I'm guessing that they're headed for the North Pole."
"Would they send troops southward to the other Pole?" hissed Sokka urgently.
"I don't know for sure," answered the medicine woman. "But I wouldn't doubt it."
Sokka nodded woodenly, his thoughts shifting to Gran-Gran and the village children he had left in her care - who his father had left in his care. Unbidden, images of their charred little bodies lying in the snow, their staring eyes, glazed and accusing danced mockingly in his mind. Thoughts of Gran-Gran, her face gaunt and haggard with illness and her eyes hollow and lost, carted off to one of their mines or factories to slowly work herself to death.
No! he scolded himself. He would not give way to despair. They still had time. By now Aang and the angry jerk had to have learned the ancient secret of firebending - or whatever - and were on their way here. From the resistance hideout, they could send messages to the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, warning the latter of the coming danger and requesting aid from the former. Then they could ask around about this White Lotus so that they could get a clue as to the whereabouts of that Chow Young Fat place Aang is so hung up about. Then the airbender could do his thing, kick Ozai's ass, and save the world.
Of course Sokka realized that he had a lot riding on dumb luck. There was no guarantee that Chief Arnook could send them help - he likely had his hands full up North. Nor was there anything that suggested that the White Lotus was anywhere near Omashu or that they would know anything about Aang's hidden valley - if it even existed. It wasn't even certain that Zuko and the Avatar would work past their blocks so they could finally get to jerkbending training.
He had to suppress a snicker that threatened to escape his throat in response to his own cleaver joke, and cast an abashed gaze upon the ground as the others gave him withering looks. Now was neither the time nor the place for his sophisticated brand of humor. Jerkbening, he chuckled inwardly as he filed it away for later. I still got it.
"So what's the plan to get past those guys?" hissed Toph.
"They'll have rebuilt the Great Omashu Bridge if they're here," answered Ursa. "We might be able to swing that way and take the cliff paths beneath it. It's a little more treacherous and delay us by another day, but we should be able to avoid the Fire Nation."
Sokka sighed as they made their way towards the bridge, missing Appa more and more with every step.
The cliff paths were narrow and strewn with loose dirt and stone. A single misstep could send any one of them careening into the gorge below. The Fire Nation army marching across the bridge didn't help matters either.
Once the Duke slipped and gave a startled cry before Sokka grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. The boy's frightened yelp reverberated off the cliff walls, and the Water Tribe Warrior braced himself for the fire ball barrage that was certain to come. But the soldiers continued their march, unheeding of the echoing cry.
By the time they had climbed out of the gorge on the other side of the Zongzu Road, it was sunset, and the army was still marching northward. Sokka tried to make out the little shrine containing the runner's ashes against the glare of the sinking sun but gave up and settled to take the first watch. As he seated himself upon the ground he felt something in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out the pai sho tile Master Piandao had given him. He examined the white lotus design.
After the events of the past week, with all the talk of hidden valleys and secret societies, Sokka found himself wondering if the his sword master was more than he appeared. It was too much of a coincidence for there not to be a connection between the Air Nomad Valley, the White Lotus Order and Piandao. Sokka was rational by nature, solving his problems with logic, reasoning, and warrior instincts coupled with adaptive planning. He wanted to believe that there were surviving airbenders out there for Aang's sake, but couldn't help being skeptical. How could anyone stay hidden from an army on a genocidal warpath for over a hundred yeas?
However, finding Piandao's tile made him question if it was so farfetched after all.
He heard approaching footsteps from behind him, but he just continued to gaze out at the passing torchlights of the Fire Nation army. Soon Toph plopped down next to him.
"Hey," the Water Tribesman greeted.
"Hey," returned the earthbending girl tartly.
"Couldn't sleep?" ventured Sokka.
"No," said the nobleman's daughter curtly.
"You still mad?" asked the warrior.
"No," Toph answered after a pause.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Hell no."
"Alrighty." He wisely allowed the matter to drop and they sat in silence for a time.
"I think we're being followed," whispered Toph.
"Fire Nation?" hissed Sokka urgently gripping his sword.
"I don't know," admitted the little earthbender. "In fact I wasn't sure we were being followed 'til this afternoon. I've been hearing a sort of whooshing noise in the branches but I thought it was just a bird or a summer's breeze. But it disappeared on the cliff paths but now it - or rather they - are back."
"How many?"
"Two I think," answered Toph. "But the weird thing is they move like Twinkletoes."
"What do you mean?"
"They have the same light footsteps that make them next to impossible to detect, but they're getting sloppy. I think they're tired. Should we tell the others?"
"It might be a bad idea to let these spies know we're on to them. We don't know anything about them and they might react violently if they know their cover's blown."
"So what do we do? Ignore them and hope they go away?"
Sokka placed a companionable arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry," he smirked. "I'll keep watch for the bogeyman."
"Har, har," scoffed Toph. "Like I need your protection."
However, she didn't remove his arm, and they sat like that together watching the shadows until Haru took his turn at watch. Tomorrow they would reach the Cave of Two Lovers.
- - -
From the shadows of the tree canopy Fu Leng and Chiang Hu watched their quarry. It had been days since they had parted company with Lady Yuan, and they still had no word from her. On the other hand, the continent was vast and they had traveled in seemingly haphazard zigzags until the Water Tribe boy and his companions rescued that medicine woman.
Chiang Hu found their chivalry admirable - the big fellow had almost stepped in to rescue the lady from those brigands himself. Fu Leng, however, reminded them of the orders Lady Yuan had left them with: to kill the rogue airbender's companions if they came any closer to the White Lotus, and given the direction they were going, the time to draw blood was rapidly approaching.
The lanky grizzled guardian was uneasy about the little earthbending girl, however. She seemed to possess some extra sensory perception and suspected, if she wasn't completely aware of their presence.
Still he opted to watch and wait. He had feared they would lose them when they took the cliff paths to avoid being sighted by the Fire Nation, but Chiang Hu insisted that they were headed for the Cave of Two Lovers. Fu Leng was far from a suspicious man, but he couldn't help but wonder why they would go to such a place, especially considering its reputation.
Eventually the company emerged safely on the other side of the Great Takku Road and settled in for the night, the Water Tribe boy taking the first watch. Fu Leng watched him, as his thoughts drifted to Lady Yuan.
She was a formidable fighter and an airbending prodigy the likes which haven't been seen since the days of Aang the Deserter - perhaps even Avatar Yangchen. She however suffered from an inferiority complex, possibly from living in her mother's shadow and, after her passing, everyone pressuring her to be just like her late mother.
Fu Leng, though he would admit it to no one, felt that the girl deserved to have a real childhood, with friends and games, not hardened old warriors like Chiang Hu and himself.
He was startled out of his reverie by something reflecting the light of the moon in the warrior's hand. He peered at it from her perch, but his sharp eyes could mistake it. He nudged Chiang Hu from his meditation - Shang-wēifēng Guardians were trained to use mediating as an alternative to sleep - and gestured toward the trinket the boy held.
Chiang Hu sat very still trying to process what he was seeing, then the big man gestured the following hand talk signals to Fu Leng: Oh dear, this changes everything!
Again I apologize for any inconvenience or loss of life that may have resulted from being cut off from your weekly dose of Shang-wēifēng goodness. I've been jonesing for some airbending ninjaness myself. I'd especially like to apologize to Talon88.1. I promised this update to him a few days earlier but some stuff happened and nyeh! I'd like to say that it'll get better but due to my crazy-assed class schedule, a newbie at work that actually makes more work for me, added to my family obligations, I can't. But I can promise that I won't leave you all hanging for a month! Again I am very sorry and I hope this chap makes up for it. "BENDER'S THE GREATEST!" Shibui out! Next: Target: King Bumi?
