Responses to Reviews:
Phieillydinyia: Bumi has a plan, and it doesn't involve trying to take on the entire Fire Army single handedly.
Guest: Thanks!
Aline: Well, you won't have to wait long...
RonaldM40196867: In the list of Avatar characters in dire need of more screen time, Bumi is certainly up there, along with Suki, Mai and Ty Lee, and the rest of the White Lotus.
As Always, Please Review, and we join our hero as he leaves Omashu and travels straight towards the Advancing Fire Army...
In the dead of night, two figures in green cloaks slipped through the deserted streets of Omashu.
The previous day had seen widespread panic engulfing the city, as news of the defeat of the army had filtered through. There had even been reports of looting, although thankfully these were few and far between. The figures passed some buildings with their windows smashed.
Eventually, they reached the edge of the city, and a part of the wall slid away to reveal the bridge that connected Omashu from the rest of the world.
One of the guards on the edge of the wall came over to speak to them.
"Halt!" He barked. "What is your business?"
One of the figures stepped forward, and the guard caught the glint of armour under the cloak.
"We have business in... Gaoling," a voice rumbled from under the hood.
"Really? What sort of business?" The soldier asked sceptically.
The other figure quickly stepped forward, and a female voice answered him.
"We are going to speak to the Beifongs."
"What about?"
The figure stepped closer, and lowered her voice.
"Private. Business."
"Sir, if someone was off to deal with Jiang Beifong, surely we would be informed of it? He handles much of our commerce."
"Maybe ordinarily, but these are not ordinary times."
The soldier decided to change his tune.
"Well, don't you know it's dangerous out there?" He asked.
"Of course," the first figure said. "We would have to be deaf not to have heard."
"And you're going anyway."
"We are travelling in a different direction to the Fire Army."
"I see," the guard stroked his chin. "You have to understand, though, that if I were a cynical man I would come to the conclusion that you were cowards fleeing the danger."
The first figure drew himself up to his full height.
"Look, my good man, I'll have you know that-"
And then he bolted away across the bridge.
The guard and the second figure just watched him run for a second, before she seemed to remember what was going on and followed him.
The guard briefly wondered if he should pursue them, but decided that he wasn't paid enough for this. He let them go. The gates of Omashu rumbled shut, sealing the city and its inhabitants once again off from the outside world.
The first figure ran until he was out of sight of the walls, and then ducked behind a rock. Bumi put his hood down and waited for Amisha to join him.
"Were you making your voice deeper?" She demanded when she finally arrived.
"Yes," Bumi nodded proudly. "I was hiding my identity."
Amisha just blinked at him, not knowing how to respond.
"Do we have a plan?" She chose to ask instead.
"Yes," Bumi affirmed. "But there's something I need to know. Can you bend?"
Amisha raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit of a personal question."
"It's important!"
"No, I can't."
"Alright," Bumi reached for his belt. "In that case, you'll be needing this more than me."
After fumbling about in the dark for a few seconds, he eventually succeeded in taking off his scabbard, and handed it to her.
"But this is yours!" Amisha protested.
"I can earthbend, quite well if I do say so myself. You can't, so you are clearly in more need of it than I am."
"So it's a pity sword."
The Earthbender feigned offence at that. "Actually, it's quite a nice one."
"How are we even going to get there anyway?"
Bumi turned to her.
"They will be slowed down dealing with prisoners and the aftermath of a battle, and we will be travelling like this."
He stomped his foot, and a section of Earth raised itself up. He hopped on, and motioned for her to join him.
"Would you like me to create a chair for you, or would you just like to hold on?"
"I'll just hold on." Amisha climbed on.
"Good, let's go!"
Bumi planted his feet and began to slowly move his arms back and forth by his sides. As he did this, the rock began to move, carving a shallow trench in the ground behind it as it did so.
"Where did you learn this?" Amisha asked.
"I learned it from an Earthbending Scroll!" He replied. "It was written by Avatar Roku's Earthbending teacher!"
He began to move his arms faster, and the rock picked up speed, creating a loud crunching noise and ploughing through a bush. A small hog-rhino was disturbed and went squealing away to one side.
"Be careful!" Amisha yelled.
"I am!" He replied.
As his rock ploughed along the deserted dirt road away from Omashu, Bumi found that the noise it made rendered conversation largely impossible, and this meant that as long as he kept half an eye on where he was going, he had plenty of time to think.
The enormity of the task he had set himself was not lost on him; he had himself, one other person, and their wits. Against them was ranged a large, well trained, well supplied and battle hardened Fire Nation army, one that had already inflicted a severe defeat on the army of Omashu. The army that had included his brother, his father, and most of the Royal Family. The army that would have included him if they hadn't deemed him unfit for duty, whatever that meant.
He wondered, for a second, as a pair of travellers flashed past, shrouded in darkness, what would have become of him had he gone with the army. It probably didn't really matter, though. After all, he was potentially riding into the jaws of death by himself. After all, if what he was about to do went wrong, then they might cut him down on sight.
He wondered what had become of his brother. Did the Fire Nation take prisoners? He certainly hoped so. After a while, he found those thoughts too depressing, and so focussed on not crashing. He supposed that Amisha was probably having similar thoughts, and for a moment felt guilty about bringing her; but she had volunteered herself, quite freely. She had her own brother to think about, after all.
Just then, more people began to appear around the corner, trudging in the opposite direction. As Bumi and Amisha flashed past them, he realised with a start who they were; refugees, clearly displaced by the Fire Nation advance, fleeing before them and hoping to reach the relative safety of Omashu. It was still dark, and he was travelling quickly, but he saw carts laden with goods among the travellers, as well as several children. Their faces turned as he raced by, their expressions unreadable as they watched him go.
As they sped onwards, passing through one of the four mountain passes on the road to Omashu, the sun finally began to rise, its orange rays lighting up the sky and peeking through rocks and trees above them, casting strange shadows as they sped through. They raced past a river, the tranquil water swiftly vanishing behind them.
Finally, Bumi judged that they needed a rest, and brought their improvised vehicle to a stop. Amisha wobbled over to a tree and leaned against it.
"I'm... never doing that again!" She barely got out.
"Are you alright?" Bumi asked in concern. "I've got water, if you need it."
"Thanks," Amisha took the water skin he offered.
"I don't think we're far away from the Fire Army," Bumi stated, as Amisha drank.
"How do you know?" His companion asked.
"Because of them," Bumi replied, pointing up.
Amisha looked up, to find several figures looking at them from the top of a ridge running above the road.
These figures were dressed in red.
"Fire Nation?" She asked.
"A scouting party, I think."
"Who goes there!" One of the figures shouted. He wore a helmet with a golden flame symbol emblazoned on the front of it.
Bumi held his hands up.
"My name is Bumi!" He shouted. "I am a nobleman, from the city of Omashu, and I surrender!"
He looked across at Amisha, who nodded, as the soldiers descended from the ridge above them.
"What is a nobleman of Omashu doing all the way out here?" Their Officer asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have a proposition for your General," Bumi stated, as the soldiers took the sword from Amisha. They searched him, too, but he was unarmed.
One of the soldiers approached with rope. Bumi shook his head.
"Don't worry, there will be no need for that."
The officer considered, and then gestured to the man to put the rope away.
"Alright. I will trust in your honour, then."
Excellent," Bumi grinned, a wild grin. "Now, take us to your leader."