Erosion

Chapter Twenty-eight

The path she traversed was as familiar to her as the palm of her own hand. The occasionally rock that would peek its head up from its earthen bed, the bolder tree roots that ran haphazardly across the trail; she knew them all. Her feet picked up their pace; from a walk, to a jog, to a flat out run. Nothing less would satisfy the joy welling up and spilling over her rapidly pounding heart. Anko was home.

She burst out of the shady woods into the sunlit field, startling the grazing jackalopes, which went bounding off. She didn't pause. She couldn't. Her feet carried her along the wagon trail path, up the short hill, where she skidded to a stop. Her home, exactly how she remembered it, lay before her. The small stone house, the much larger barn, and the lower fields, green with a variety of crops; nothing had changed. It was all the same, all perfectly safe and it was the most beautiful sight her eyes had ever beheld. A tiny voice of warning tickled across her brain. She ignored it.

"Grandpa? Grandpa! I'm home!" And her sharp eyes found him for her, working one of the lower fields. Anko grinned; she felt like she was flying as she raced down the hill into the shallow valley that was her home.

"Grandpa, Grandpa!" In no time at all she reached the older man. Oddly enough, Kazuma never once looked up at her approach. The feeling of apprehension grew. He continued working as she came to a stop in front of him. "Grandpa, it's me. It's Anko. You… you're not still mad because I left home, are you?"

Finally he looked up, regarding her with a face twisted between anger and sorrow. "Anko, what have you done?"

"What?" She shifted her feet, feeling more like a child than the grown woman she had become. "I… I did my duty. Look, I even became a Major… a General. Aren't you proud? Can't you… welcome me home?"

"Anko, what have you done?"

She shifted her gaze down, studying her bare feet. The nearby plants were wilting, bending away from her. Startled, she stepped back, but the circle of death followed her. Her hands… her hands were covered in blood.

"What have you done?"

The warning in her head became a shrill crescendo. She felt as if she was being pulled away, but struggled to remain 'here'. "Grandpa… please."

Kazuma's back was to her now; the circle of dying plants had grown, but stopped short of his position. Kazuma was surrounded by a circle of green. "I have no Granddaughter; you have no place here." Those were the last words he had said to her before, when she had left home.

"This is only a dream." The realization did nothing to stop her dream-self from reaching out for her Grandfather's retreating form, did nothing to stop the tears, both imaginary and real, from falling.

The would-be General jerked awake. She lay in the cot for a moment, studying the ceiling through watery eyes before fiercely scrubbing the moisture away. With a long sigh, she heaved herself into a sitting position, her eyes alighting on her brand new Earth Kingdom uniform, complete with her brand new rank insignia, as she did so. Anko raked her disheveled locks of black hair back into place as she stared at the offensive clothes.

Today was the day. A counsel of Generals was being held here at Fortress Granitous, which she was going to attend as a new and surprise addition to their ranks. Hard to believe that a month had already passed since her promotion. The 126th had managed to free a couple of more villages and had almost fallen into a very clever trap at the village of Suta. Almost. She sighed again. No way was this day going to be anything but bad. Seeing no sense in putting off the inevitable, Anko got up and started to prepare for her day.

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"Well, well… don't you look nice?" General Zhen bobbed his bald head in approval. Anko scowled as she tugged futilely on her sleeves, which fell two inches short of her wrists. Unlike her, General Zhen was still wearing the more traditional green robes that he preferred, the long dangling sleeves flapping about with his every gesture.

"I look like a fool," she growled, "and these sleeves aren't helping any. Can't I just wear my normal clothes? You aren't wearing your uniform."

"Now, now," the elderly General soothed. "I'm sorry about that uniform, but as this is your debut, so to speak, I think it's best if you wear the official outfit."

Anko gave up on trying to lengthen the sleeves through brute force and folded her arms petulantly across her chest. She glared at the floor. "This is pointless. It doesn't matter what clothes I wear; no one is going to take me seriously anyways."

"Ah-ha! I thought you might feel that way. What if I told you that another General already takes you seriously and it's someone you admire and respect!"

Anko's obsidian eyes met Zhen's sharp, green ones. She gave a tolerant smile. "You?" she guessed half-heartedly.

"Not quite… I mean, not that I don't, but I was referring to someone else." He fished around in his robe and handed her a scroll. "My men picked that up off a Fire Nation patrol on our way here."

The young General unfurled the scroll, eyebrows arching up in surprise as she beheld her own countenance. "Wanted", the scroll declared in bold letters, "the Omashu Fox." She skimmed through the chillingly accurate physical description. The bounty on her head was two hundred in gold, not bad for the Major's rank the poster reported her to have, and the reward had been authorized by…

"I do not admire General Iroh," Anko muttered absently as she started to read the poster more carefully.

"No?" General Zhen's wizened face broke out into a smile as he tapped the end of his sharp nose. "I do believe that you've used the word 'brilliant' in connection with his name on more than one occasion."

Anko looked up from the scroll and saw the humor in the elder General's intelligent green eyes. "Yes, well I've used the word 'lecher' on multiple occasions too." Knowing that protesting too much would just reinforce Zhen's opinion, Anko gave a casual shrug. "I don't admire him. He's just very hard to get a proper read of. If anything, I find him… unsettling."

"Well perhaps, my dear, you should consider the possibility that he finds you unsettling too. Why else would he put a bounty on your head?"

Anko opened her mouth to protest, to state that someone like Iroh would find very little in the world to be 'unsettling'. But then she snapped her mouth shut and looked back down at the scroll with a frown. The evidence in her hands was undisputable. It was a backwards compliment if she ever saw one, but a compliment all the same. General Iroh found her troublesome enough to try to eliminate and the man, unlike General Zhen and King Yosho, had absolutely no reason to promote her unduly. This was at least an opinion of her abilities that she could trust. With a small, genuine smile, Anko rolled the scroll back up and tucked it into her waistband.

"Thank you, General Zhen."

"You are quite welcome, General Anko. Shall we proceed to the lion-ant's den?"

The tall woman straightened and squared her shoulders. "By all means, let's," she declared with a bold smile, feeling far more like herself than she had in a long time. The feeling, unfortunately, was somewhat short lived. As she followed General Zhen out of his chamber and down the grey-white granite corridor, the other Earth Kingdom personnel that they passed all cleared the way and gave respectful bows. General Zhen, used to this sort of thing, inclined his head to them, but Anko had no idea how to respond. Bowing was a formality that the 126th had mostly abandoned long ago, their close knit unit having no need for such displays. Far more used to being the one who showed respect, than being the recipient of it, she felt her checks start to warm as she followed General Zhen's example and nodded back. Thankfully, the man was a swift walker for his age.

They soon found themselves outside the double-door entrance to Mito's conference room, one that Anko remembered from her last visit here. The elder General rested his hand on the door, pausing to quirk a questioning white brow at her. Anko took a deep breath to center herself, the action causing the 'Wanted' scroll to poke her in the abdomen. Smiling at the reminder of General Iroh's unwitting vote of confidence, Anko gave Zhen a nod. He pushed open the door, and then paused in its opening, leaving Anko outside and out of sight from those in the room.

General Mito's familiar voice assaulted her ears. "Of course, the most important thing when conducting a campaign of this nature is troop placement. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of all the units under my command, it was simple to strategize for easy victories. Once General Ogato discovered he was no match for my superior intellect, he began surrendering positions left and right; like this one, at Fuku Bluff."

An unfamiliar voice cut in. "Really, General Mito? I was under the distinct impression that the Omashu 126th was the unit responsible for that victory."

Mito's response was a polite laugh. "When a tool does its job, which gets credit for it; the tool or the one wielding it? Make no mistake, the Omashu earthbenders are indeed a powerful unit, but their leader leaves much to be desired. I believe her initial promotion to Captain was payment from King Bumi for services rendered, if you understand my meaning. At any rate, if not for my expert guidance, and that of the venerable General Zhen, the Omashu unit's victories would be few and far between."

The woman in question, trapped outside the conference room by General Zhen's strategic pause, found herself both amused at Mito's outrageous lies and pissed off at him for slandering her good name. Anger won out, erasing any residual fear and self doubt.

She heard Zhen clear his throat. "Sorry if we're interrupting anything."

A small chorus of greetings arose from the group in the room, Mito's voice once again rising above the rest. "We? Who have you brought with you?"

"Ah, yes. Please allow me to introduce the newest edition to our ranks, promoted by King Yosho himself." Zhen took a quick step forward and then one to the side. "It is my honor to present General Anko, leader of the Omashu Foxes."

Hands clasped behind her at the small of her back, shoulders straight and standing as tall as she could, Anko entered the room and gave a measured bow to its occupants. Aside from General Mito, who was seated at the head of the table, Anko did not recognize the other two occupants of the room. Zhen introduced them as Generals Haishing and Lo-Tzu from the southern sector of the Earth Kingdom. They both greeted her politely. Anko's attention, however, was elsewhere. Hachi had said that Mito's reaction would be humorous; she only regretted that he wasn't here to see it in person. The middle-aged man was turning an interesting shade of purple as he alternated his glare between the cheerful Zhen and the far younger woman at his side. Catching his agitated grey-green eyes, Anko gave him the tiniest of smirks and a quick wink, which only served to infuriate the man more.

"Now just wait one minute," he sputtered loudly, interrupting the courtesies that were going on. "This woman was only a Major a few months ago; how is it that she is now a full ranking General!"

General Zhen pulled on his long white beard. "As I said, King Yosho promoted her himself. I believe he said something about payment for services rendered… such as the prevention of Earth Kingdom genocides at Uji and Xan-Si, and of course for the Omashu unit's exemplary performance during your own recent offensive." The General's sharp green eyes sparkled as he thrust his index finger into the air. "Ah, I believe you were in the middle of discussing that when General Anko and I arrived. Please forgive our interruption and continue with your speech. I'm sure we'll all find it very enlightening."

With that, the stork like General folded his long, thin legs beneath him and knelt down at the table; Anko taking her place beside him. She felt a new well-spring of respect for her former commander. Zhen had always struck her as being a kind hearted and easy going General, but his subtle strikes at Mito were as well executed as any she'd ever seen. Anko found herself grateful that the old man liked her; he would definitely be a foe worth reckoning with.

Still reeling from the surprise of Anko's promotion and General Zhen's sharp witted jab at him, General Mito's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Finally he cleared his throat and, after leveling a warning glare in Anko's direction, continued his self congratulatory lecture on his recently conducted campaign. Remarkably enough, his lies about his role in the campaign got even more outrageous. The new General could feel his gaze boring into her skull and realized he was deliberately trying to bait her into speaking out. She turned her head to meet his algae colored eyes and gave him the sweetest smile she could manage. You pathetic little man. Do you think I care about who gets the credit for your so-called "amazing" offensive? Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall into this blatantly obvious trap? Gloat all you want; any commander with half a head on his shoulders can tell that you have no idea what you're talking about.

Finished with her mental tirade, Anko shifted her gaze to the conference table and the large three dimensional map that was displayed there. She tuned out Mito's voice as she focused on the map. It was amazing, when one thought about it, just how huge the Earth Kingdom really was. The continent itself stretched nearly from pole to pole, dwarfing the other Nations. The map on the table only represented this sector of the Earth Kingdom, but the large size of the map enabled her to get a better perspective of distance compared to the map scrolls she was used to reading. Clay figurines were used to represent units, their red or green bases indicating to which Nation the unit belonged; the number of men per figurine indication the size of the unit. Anko quickly found the 126th's small, one man figurine, grossly out of position in Xian. Figures. This is Mito's map so there are bound to be inaccuracies.

A pointer slapped down on the table, drawing Anko's attention momentarily. The General was trying to explain a battle and was flubbing it badly, this time out of genuine ignorance rather than spite. Suppressing the urge to snort, the youngest General noted with amusement that her southern brethren looked bored. Hiding a smile, she shifted her concentration back on the map, this time focusing on the patterns of color. Mito's offensive had made a big green swath into a Fire Nation dominated area; General Ogato had apparently taken up residence in one of Hwang's old fortresses.

And where is General Iroh, I wonder? Scattered across a predominately green area were a multitude of little red dots, small units occupying small towns. Anko had become convinced early on that the Fire Nation didn't really care about the territory Mito's offensive had reclaimed from them. If they had, the Dragon of the West would have gathered some men and crushed Mito's forces between himself and Ogato. So you're not playing for territory. The question is, what are you playing for? Position?

The small villages they had taken over had to be a clue, but Anko could see no real pattern in their locations. Her eyes lit upon Tors. Iroh had been specifically interested in Tors, so much so that the Fire Nation had retaken the village shortly after the 126th had initially departed. Anko's unit had liberated the town a second time and now an Earth Kingdom garrison had been set up there. Why Tors? Come to think of it, why were we at Tors? Let's see, we had just gotten done with escorting the Northern Watertribe Ambassadors to the Da-Shing pass and were waiting to rendezvous with a caravan…

Anko's eyes widened. How had she missed that? I had a concussion so I didn't go with them. I never realized… She checked the other occupied villages as a chill worked its way up her spine. It was subtle but it was definitely there and now she could see it; now that she knew what she was looking for, she could tell the difference between the real villages and the decoys. The caravan the 126th had escorted, located on a trail about a day's march from Tors, had been headed from a trading post near Ba Sing Sei. All the other occupied villages, the ones that were apart of Iroh's plan, were also located about a day's travel from a road that would eventually lead them to… "Ba Sing Sei."

General Zhen stirred at her spoken words. "I'm sorry General Anko; did you say something?"

Not realizing that she had spoken aloud, Anko's attention remained entirely on the map, a thrill of excitement running through her as her mind worked through Iroh's strategy. She could see it now, all of it, and it was one of the most intelligent plans that she had ever witnessed. A grin emerged as she shifted her weight and the wanted poster poked her. The trap at Suta, the bounty on her head; they were because the 126th had been liberating towns important to Iroh's plan. Anko's instincts had been serving her well, sensing some of the pattern long before her conscious mind had caught up.

"General Anko, perhaps you would be so kind as to inform us as to what amuses you so." General Mito's sharp disapproving tone cut across her thoughts like a knife. Anko shifted her gaze from the map, her grin fading away as she realized that she was the object of attention for all four other Generals. "And what is this nonsense about Ba Sing Sei?"

Caught completely off guard, the youngest General blinked owlishly at Mito, shifted her gaze back to the map and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"It is quite alright, General Anko," Zhen's elderly face smiled encouragingly at her. "This meeting is supposed to be about current events. I'm sure General Mito was quite finished regaling us with the details of his recent activities. Please, continue."

Anko shifted her weight again, feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She had never meant to speak out loud and explaining her flashes of insight was a skill that had always eluded her in the past. She cleared her throat again. "Yes… well… I've been studying this map and it occurred to me that General Iroh's goal could perhaps be…" No. There's no "could perhaps" to it. I'm sure of it. As sure as I am of my own name. "I believe General Iroh is preparing to launch an offensive against Ba Sing Sei."

There was a moment of silence, so still that she could hear her heart beating in her ears. And then Mito started to laugh, a genuine laugh though tainted by his scorn for her. The southern Generals chuckled too, leaving General Zhen as the only silent one. He studied the map, sharp green eyes searching for the pattern that Anko had found. She could see by the slightly puzzled look on his face that it was eluding him.

"Ba Sing Sei?" Mito snorted. "It is impossible for anyone to take Ba Sing Sei. Even Chin the Conqueror was thwarted by its impenetrable might. The so-called Dragon of the West is a glory seeking joke, trying to placate his brother with offerings of these meaningless little towns."

"A moment, General Mito," General Lo-Tzu spoke up. "General Iroh was operating in our territory long before he came up here and I can assure you that the man comes by the nickname "Dragon" honestly. He is not a glory seeker, nor does he act without reason. Underestimating him is the mistake that cost General Hao his freedom."

General Haishing nodded his agreement. "If Iroh is indeed the motivating force behind these village captures, you can be assured that there is a grander scheme involved. Not Ba Sing Sei, of course," he shot Anko a patronizing look, "but perhaps the conquest of Xian or another important city."

All eyes returned to the map. Mito paled. "It must be Fortress Granitous. The Fire Nation wants revenge for the territory I've taken from them."

Anko felt her mouth drop open but General Zhen beat her to it. "These village takeovers started long before your offensive, and Fortress Granitous, while valuable, is hardly a vital cog in our defenses."

Anko could feel her frustration mounting. It was right there. Why couldn't they see it? "It's Ba Sing Sei," she repeated firmly.

Mito gave a derisive snort. "Clearly your knowledge of Ba Sing Sei is lacking. Ba Sing Sei is here," he smacked the map with his pointer. "Unlike Omashu, which is located in the mountains, our great city is encircled by them. There are only two ways to get inside the natural ring protecting the city. One is through the Da-Shing Pass; another is on this narrow trail over here that travels up and into the mountains themselves before descending into the valley. The entrance to both passageways is guarded by an Earth Kingdom fortress. It would take a massive army and a miracle to get by these natural shields."

"Chin the Conqueror was thwarted by them," General Haishing chimed in, "and he had an army of earthbenders at his disposal. And if by some miracle someone managed to breach the outer ring of mountains, the city itself is hardly helpless. Ba Sing Sei is the crown jewel amongst Earth Kingdom cities. It is surrounded by a massive wall that rises sixty feet into the air. Made from huge granite blocks and sunk another ten feet into the ground, the curtain wall is also fifteen feet thick at its base, making it impenetrable by any foe, Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation. Why do you think the refugees flock there? Ba Sing Sei cannot be taken."

Anko bit off a frustrated growl at the man's matter-of-fact statement. "Can't you see what he's done?" Her voice had picked up a pleading tone. "General Iroh has been playing our sensibilities this entire time. Don't let him do it now. You say he needs an army. Well he has an army! It's here and here and here," she jabbed her finger at the small, seemingly insignificant villages. "He hid it right under our noses in towns he knew we couldn't bother to defend! He doesn't have to bring up supplies to support them because these Earth Kingdom villages have been doing it for him. Even General Mito's offensive has worked to his advantage. Many of our units are now completely out of position to defend Ba Sing Sei. And now he is counting on you to do exactly what you are doing. Ignoring the truth won't make it go away. You have to face the reality that your Capital isn't as invulnerable as you want to believe that it is, before it's too late!"

"The only reality that has become obvious, young lady, is that your promotion to General was entirely uncalled for. I love my cousin dearly, but obviously his judgment of you was completely wrong." Mito's grey-green eyes bore into her as he sneered. "We are your superiors; in age, in heredity, and how dare you show such disrespect to our great Capital! You should be honored to sit quietly in our presence, to learn from your betters and instead you have insulted me, my noble brethren and the entirety of the Earth Kingdom with this nonsensical fantasy you have come up with."

"Listen, you blind little toad…" Anko brought her fist down hard on the table, the force of the action knocking over some of the figurines.

"General Anko, please." General Zhen's hand clamped down on her shoulder, the act throwing a bucket of cold water over the raging fire in her heart. She looked to her commander, who shook his head sadly at her. "I have been studying this map and I cannot see this strategy that you describe. Can you explain how Iroh intends to breach the outer ring of mountains?"

The young woman's shoulders slumped forward a little. She didn't know exactly how he would accomplish it; she just knew that he would. Her gift was a curse.

"Of course she can't explain it. She's a stupid farm girl who is completely out of her league here. Just admit it, Anko. You made the whole thing up to try and prove yourself to us; to try and fit in with your betters. My cousin must be going senile to believe that someone like you could be a General."

Trembling with rage and disgust, the woman sprang to her feet. "Why would I want to fit in with a moron like you?" she spat. Mito just smirked at her, not bothering to hide his pleasure at her distress. The southern Generals gave her looks of stern disapproval. Anko felt like hysterically laughing. She had just been utterly defeated; her actions and inability to explain what she knew to be true had totally discredited her in front of her supposed peers. Nothing she said now would convince them of the truth. Nothing. She rose, turned and wordlessly left the conference room, striding quickly away from the site of her humiliation.

"General Anko, General Anko… wait, please!" A hand snagged her wrist; an out of breath General Zhen stopping her in her tracks.

She jerked away, angry at Zhen, angry at the world. The old man had truly managed to convince her that she was a General, that her promotion was more than a joke. For a moment, before the meeting, she had actually believed his words to be true. But it was a lie. She glared at the older man. "I was told that my promotion was a way to ensure that my voice would be heard, even if King Yosho wasn't around. What good is it if my voice is heard, but nobody listens to my words?"

"Anko, please try and understand. Generals tend to be a proud and noble bunch. Having a young person talk to them like they're idiots tends to rub them the wrong way. And there is more to it than that. Ba Sing Sei is more than an Earth Kingdom stronghold, much more. It is a symbol of strength and might that the people look to for hope even in the darkest hours. Our Kingdom is full of different tribes; their diversity gives our country strength. But our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness… You see, Ba Sing Sei is the standard under which our tribes unite, it is the lynch pin that holds the Kingdom together. If it falls, the Earth Kingdom will surely follow it." General Zhen fell silent for a moment. Then he asked quietly, "You are certain that the Capital is his target?"

Anko nodded silently. There didn't seem to be much more she could say about the subject. She was no longer angry at Zhen, but staying here was pointless. She gave the elder General a slight smile. "It will be soon. Very soon." She turned to walk away.

"Then I will do what I can, General Anko. And if you need anything, anything at all, Xian is still your home."

The young woman twisted in place and bowed, choking back a rush of sentiment towards the stork-like man. "My men and I, we'll be around," she murmured softly with a backwards wave as she walked away.