AUTHOR'S NOTES—although I do believe that Kyla would add a good female balance (against the [now] 3 guys) to the group, I figure she will be much like Xilingshi—supporting the heroes, but not directly travelling with them. Whatever the case, we haven't seen the last of her. None of those characters are going to be one-shots. They all play some role later on in the story.

Also, not all Air Warriors are bloodthirsty savages, though even some of these bloodlusted maniacs are not entirely evil either. This should have been somewhat obvious though, as even in the show, not all Fire Nationers were inherently evil either. =B

AVATAR: THE LAST FIREBENDER

BOOK 1: WATER

CHAPTER 6-3: IMPRISONED, PART 3

Earth Kingdom village near the mining rig; a few days later

The Air Warriors were at least honest about what they wanted from their prisoners. As long as they kept out of trouble, the air Warriors did not bother them. If anything, it seemed that 'taking people out of the war' like this was one of their objectives.

To Aang, who still possessed a certain love for airbenders of any sort, this was inspiration.

"They've still clung to certain old values," he explained, "They're not all monsters."

"Well," Toph snarked, "then I'm sure you can explain their motto?"

She showed him the sheet of paper with the Air Warrior standing next to the Kyoshi Warrior. The words on the sheet were what disturbed Aang.

Kill by any means necessary

Win by any means necessary

Live by any means necessary

Die by any means necessary

"I've never heard that one before," he remarked,

"Let me see that," Kyla asked, and Aang handed it to her. She read it over and examined the image.

"The only time I've ever heard that up north is when Kyoshi Warriors were involved." She exclaimed, "So the good news is that Aang is right—the Air Warriors are not all out to kill, win, live, or die by any means necessary. The bad news is that it appears to be the goal of the Kyoshi Warriors."

"So you're saying that THEY were the ones who started this war?" Toph exclaimed,

"No, not entirely," Kyla replied, "And remember that I am no sage. I am simply stating the while the Air Warriors started the war; the Kyoshi Warriors joined them at one point and added to their violent nature. Take that with a grain of salt, however. Most of my information came from one of the leaders of the Northern Water Tribe, or from my own snooping around."

"Hey," Aang argued, "I'll I was saying is that whatever our plan is, let's not let it involve slaying so many Air Warriors unless there is no other alternative."

"I could probably help formulate something like that," Kyla smiled, "let Sokka and I take care of the battle planning. Just let me know what type of fighting style you three specialize in."

"Ranged attacks, evasion, and counterattacks," said Aang

"Backstabbing, knifing, and close combat," Toph smirked,

"Waterbending and some ranged weapon expertise" Zuko cracked his knuckles.

"So is that all?" Aang raised an eyebrow,

"Aye," Kyla replied, "now what you three need to do is take a look around the village."

"Should we leave our weapons here?" Zuko asked her,

"Incidentally, I'd probably say no. for some reason the Air Warriors underestimate the power of raw steel, mostly because you can swing a sword all you want, but you won't hit much if your targets are all in the sky. It works most of the time, but sometimes their gliders get hit, and when on the ground, they're easy prey. However, try to avoid getting into any fights if you can. Remember—your goal here is to have a look around."

"…and report what we see to you?" Toph raised an eyebrow.

"No, I already know the lay of the land." Kyla replied, "And I'd explain it to you, but it'd be easier for you all just to see it for yourselves. Just don't get too close to the guards, and try to act casual. You're just walking around and 'enjoying the scenery'. This little excursion you're going on is for your benefit."

After they left, Kyla and Sokka got down and began formulating an escape plan.

"So, Kyla, are we going to tell them that they're going to be our main fighting force?"

"Eventually we will; but you and I will be doing our share of fighting. You'll be the one to 'rang down many of the flying Air Warriors that I'll probably let Toph take care of. Zuko and I are going to start the diversion by dragging huge amounts of water into the village after Sokka gives his sign by throwing his boomerang into the air."

"So let's get this straight," Sokka nodded, "Aang and I will be the ones to take down the fly-guys…"

"Fly-girls, more like; most of these warriors are women."

"Whatever. Anyways, we do that, you and Zuko are going to start the diversion, and Toph's just going to go in there and slice-n-dice?"

"That sounds about right," Kyla agreed, "I forgot that Aang has that glider too. Good call."

"Toph's the only one that has any sort of armor, no matter how light, but for some reason she doesn't ring to me as an Earth Kingdomer, so it would be a good idea not to overestimate her resilience."

"Well, that's why she's not the brute. She's clearly a rogue in her fighting style, and so I suspect she'll be there to lacerate anyone who stands in our way."

"Well, if she's not the brute, then who is?"

"Probaly Zuko or I, or perhaps us both. It depends on which side receives the aid"

"You don't suspect there will be so many reinforcements, do you? I mean, with the rig gone, there can't be much significance left in this village."

"That was initially what I thought, but then I realized that they are holding onto this little place pretty tightly. It clearly has some sort of significance."

"That would definitely explain a lot." Sokka agreed, "But I suppose now we just need to wait for the others get back so we can give them the lowdown. When do we want to pull it off?"

"As soon as they return," Kyla grinned, "we're going all out."

Same village, about an hour later

Zuko, Aang, and Toph returned and reported their knowledge of the lay of the land, to which Kyla and Sokka grinned, and then they explained their plan.

"Aang, you will be going with Sokka towards the main entry where most of the guard towers are." Kyla explained, "you've got a glider like them, so they won't be so high-and-mighty with you in there disrupting their plans."

"I don't have to kill them, do I?" Aang asked,

"Hardly;" Kyla replied, "though Sokka might not be above killing them. You just need to keep them from launching too many attacks at the rest of us or the village. Most importantly, keep them from any combustion-style tactics. You'll hear crackling and popping if one of them is about to launch that type of an attack, so it'll be easy to notice."

"So how about us," Toph and Zuko asked,

"Toph, you say you fight like a rogue, correct?" Sokka asked,

"That's me," Toph beamed.

"Then you'll love what you get to do. Go back to the entrance with the fewest guards, and just wait there. After the diversion is set off, you might get attacked, which is when you get to go to town on anyone who tries to try and skewer you."

"I approve." Toph grinned, "Though about that diversion…?"

"I take it that that part is my job?" Zuko asked,

"Well," Sokka replied, "yours and Kyla's. You two, after seeing me throw my boomerang into the air, you two are to pull as much water from the coast into the village, preferably aiming it at some of the Air Warrior buildings that you saw. Once the water is in, you can probably bend it as well. you are a pretty good waterbender, right?"

"Chief Iroh taught me most of my know-how," Zuko shrugged, "so I guess so."

"Chief Iroh?" Kyla exclaimed, "Excellent. You have to be pretty good then. So, are there any objections to the plan then?"

Overall, all three of them liked the idea (Aang again suggested that they try to be as nonviolent as was possible, to which Kyla agreed). Zuko and Kyla headed for the coat, Toph situated herself near one of the exits, and Sokka and Aang positioned themselves near some of the guard towers.

Their "minor setback" was about to be over at last.