Well now still on schedule ha ha. Another good chapter, I hope you all can tell they are slowly getting better and better. This one is a good chapter for developing new characters, some foreshadowing, and even some set-up for the end of the book which looms on the horizon, far off, but not too far.

Chapter 28

Pebble Launch

Master Lee took me to his teaching area, which was just an open space in the trees with patches of grass here and there. On the way, Shan and I caught up. I found out that Arnook had told them about my visions and everything else that had happened. We had been good friends since I first came to Mazushi Village. His parents had both died when he was young also, so we shared a bond. His dad went hunting one day and never came back. His mother had always been ill since his birth, and after his father died, she withered away. Master Lee then took Shan under his wing.

"So your life is kind of crazy now, huh?" he said as we walked.

"Yeah, nothing is normal now," I responded.

"So any luck with the ladies?" he asked slyly.

"Actually yes. I'm dating this girl named Hana," I said blushing.

"Really? Nice," he smiled.

"Okay, enough chatter, you two," Master Lee instructed, "Now the move I will be teaching you is what I call Storm of Earth."

"I call it the 'Pebble Launch,'" Shan whispered to me. I snickered.

"Now, it is very simple once you see how it is done, so even you, Hyriu, can do it with good results. I'll give you a quick demonstration."

He took a strong stance, and with several quick, rigid movements, he launched several rocks of differing size. He then did it again, only slower, showing me exactly what he did. I saw it was a combination of very simple moves that you do to lift up a rock and throw it.

"There. Now you practice," Master Lee said and left.

That was his teaching style. He didn't stay with you and hold your hand the whole way; he showed you what he wanted you to do and had you figure it out yourself. Also with me, he didn't want me to depend on him since most of the time I would be by myself in Hydronia earth bending.

First, I just practiced several techniques of lifting a rock and launching it. I tried many different methods. Shan had to keep correcting my form, and a few times, I would get frustrated. It was just so different from air bending and water bending. Soon, the day was over.

A week passed by and I was still practicing singular moves and hadn't made any progress. I could do the moves, but I couldn't root myself to the ground or get in the right mind set. On one particular infuriating day, I stormed off to my house. When I was walking, I heard the distant rumble of thunder even though there were no storm clouds. I stayed in my house for the rest of the evening. I had the house all to myself courtesy of the mayor, which was a nice gesture, but I didn't like to be all alone. I woke up in the middle of the night; I had just had another nightmare about the Fire Nation woman. This time, the new thing I saw was fresh blood slowly dripping off the girl's sword. I knew I had probably been screaming, but I guess that it was good I had my own house.

Suddenly, I heard boards creaking outside my room; someone was in my house. I quickly grabbed my dad's knife and stared at the door. I heard a soft knock on the door, and I opened it a bit. I heard a voice mutter, "Hyriu?"

I relaxed, it was Shan. He walked in, and I put the knife away.

"Yeah?" I said sitting up in bed. I was covered in sweat and was suddenly cold. I also realized I wasn't wearing a shirt and put one on quickly.

"Are you alright? I heard screaming," he sounded tired but concerned.

"I'm fine, just a nightmare," I muttered, thinking about how loud I must have been screaming to have woken him up next door.

"You look like you could use some fresh air. Want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied.

Shan and I always did this - go on walks during the night. We would explore the woods or climb the mountains and just hang out and talk. It was one of my favorite parts about coming here because on our walks, I could escape all my worries and just be me. I couldn't do that with any one in Hydronia. Shan also loved nature about as much as I did.

We walked toward the mountain that the village was nestled by. We began to climb through the forest. The scent of pine needles and dew filled my nose. The mountain air was fresh and cool. The air in the Water Tribe was just cold and smelled like ice.

Finally, we reached a ledge that we had been to before; it was one of our favorite places. It was very high up, and was could see over the tree tops to the seemingly endless ocean. And if I looked from the ocean to my back left, I had a perfect view of for miles and miles between mountains.

Shan and I talked for a long time. Eventually, we started giving obscene names to the constellations. We kept at it until we were both rolling on the ground laughing and gasping for air. When we recovered, I silently asked the spirits for forgiveness. I knew never to insult the sprits, even if unintentionally. We sat in silence for awhile. I stared at the crescent moon.

A cold wind began to rip through the mountains from the north. I looked out over the ocean where the wind was coming from. I began to notice the temperature dropping fast, much too fast for it to be natural. Fear rose up inside of me.

'Now?' I thought, 'Why now? I hadn't made any progress. Why did he have to come now?'

Then the wind stopped just as suddenly as it began. The leaves that were racing by me stopped in mid air, all their momentum lost. I watched them slowly drift to the ground. I noticed it was still numbingly cold, and that it was dark, very dark. I looked up at the sky, not believing what I saw. There were no stars or moon in the sky. It was pitch black. It wasn't the pitch black on a cloudy night where the clouds hid the stars. No, this was pure darkness. And I, being a water bender, should have been able to feel the moisture above me in the air, but I felt nothing. I could also tell if the moon was up or not. I could still feel the power of the moon, but I couldn't reach it. Something cut me off from the moon - something dark and powerful stood between us. It was as if a blanket of blackness fell over the world.

I got the feeling to look behind myself. I looked back between the mountains when I saw a meteor fall from the black sky. An enormous fire ball erupted from where the meteor hit. I closed my eyes and snapped them open. The fire ball and cold were gone, and the stars and moon had returned.

I looked back towards the ocean and saw a figure form in front of me. I recognized one of the spirits I had seen on my birthday; Kan Dao, Spirit of Sight.

Kan Dao," I said and gave a slight dip of my head.

"Greetings, Anzen Hyriu," she said grimly.

"Why are you here," I asked.

"To discuss what you just saw," she said.

"Was that my - my third warning?" I asked fearfully.

"No, that was a true vision," she replied." It wasn't sent to you by the Shadow Man like the others. It was something that I, we, foresaw."

"And what was that?" I asked.

"His arrival," she said. "The Shadow Man, or as you call him, the Robed Man's arrival."

I was dumbfounded. I couldn't speak, so she continued.

"He grows stronger, and the choice of whether or not you receive your third vision approaches. The Coming of Darkness is almost upon us. You must be ready. And another thing is near. The one you fear is very close, in these very mountains in fact. The sound of thunder you heard earlier was his doing. He draws near, and you will soon have to face him. And I am not talking about the Robed Man."

I looked at her, "No, he can't be close. No! He can't be!"

"The Avatar draws near. Everyday since he returned, he has been moving toward the Northern Water Tribe," she said.

"But why would he come here?" I pleaded.

"I do not know, but remember he is not corrupted yet. He is still on our side, for now. But a great threat follows him. The Fire Nation hunt him with their entire armada. I fear he may draw them to your home. He could unintentionally doom the Northern Water Tribe."

"We have defeated every attack on the north. Not one has succeeded," I said.

"They succeeded at the Tragedy of Lok Wa," she said.

I swallowed back my anger and sadness, "The Fire Nation tried to cut off trade to the Northern Tribe with that attack, but they failed."

"Do you truly believe that?" she asked. I hesitated. "I will leave you now," she said and was gone.

"Hyriu?" Shan was waving his hand in front of my eyes. "You were out of it for like five minutes."

"I'm - I'm fine," I said. "I'm going to try to sleep again."

"Alright," he said.

We climbed down the mountain. I went back to sleep with even more nightmares.

The days went by in a haze. I finally made some progress. Three days before I was supposed to leave, I showed Master Lee my progress.

"Very good, Hyriu, keep practicing," he said.

He never gave much praise because there was always room for improvement. I went to my house and Shan hung out with me for awhile. I remembered that today was Princess Yue's sixteenth birthday. I made a mental note to say happy birthday to her later.

The next morning, I heard a tapping at my window. I opened it, and in hopped a winter raven with a message tied to its back. I recognized Arnook's messenger bird. It looked rugged as if it had been flying with no stops. I gave it some bread as I began to read the message. It was a bunch of political nonsense that confused me. I went down stairs and got a cup of tea. I walked outside as I read the end of the message. I stopped dead in my tracks, my cup shattering on the ground. At the end of all that nonsense was what I was dreading. The Avatar had arrived in the capital.

Quite the ending right. Please continue reading, follow, favorite, and review. Stay tuned for Chapter 29: The Avatar in the North, coming this Wednesday.