"Opal, lower Juicy down towards the water." I called up to Opal as I stood, holding onto the side of the saddle.
"What? But you hate the water. You can't swim." Opal said back to me in confusion.
"I know but Fang can walk on water. Thing is, I'm still banned from the city remember? I can't go there. Just set me down and I'll head to the temple. I'll wait for news there then we can figure out what to do." Nodding her head, Opal lowered Juicy down towards the water so that I could jump out, giving a whistle as for a moment, I was suspended in the air until Fang appeared, running underneath me and I landed neatly on his back. "Get the news to Raiko, tell him he has to call up the army and evacuate the city!"
"We will, take care!" Opal and Bolin both waved at me so I lifted my hand, giving them both a grin before I then gripped onto the thick fur around Fang's neck.
"Come on Fang, let's get back to Pema and the kids." We veered off then, separating from Juicy and the others in order to race all the way to the island, Fang leaping up the cliffs until we were home and I couldn't help but breathe it in for a moment. "Pema! Kids! I'm back!" Hearing a scuffle and several gusts of air, Meelo was the first to reach me as I walked forwards.
"Kanna you're back! What happened? Did you save Opal's family?"
"Yes Meelo. Everything worked out fine. Have you been manning the fort whilst I was gone?" I asked him and he proudly told me that as a man, he was dependable and reliable so everything had been fine. Ruffling his hair, Jinora and Ikki then joined us, asking me about how everything went so I gave a brief overview of everything that went down. "But that's not important right now. Go gather the Air Acolytes and tell them to start packing everything they need to evacuate. Kuvira's coming so we need to get everyone as far away from here as possible." I told them, their eyes widening.
"Kuvira's going to attack the city?"
"Yes, and she has a big spirit weapon that can do a lot of damage, possibly even destroy everything so we need to get everyone who's vulnerable to safety, including your baby brother and your mother. Let's get to it kids, no time to lose." Nodding their heads, they all rather maturely rushed to get to work, flying around and announcing the emergency evacuation. Hearing the ruckus, Pema came looking for me with Rohan who was squalling miserably and refusing to settle.
"What's going on Kanna? Why are we evacuating."
"Kuvira's on her way." That was all I needed to say for Pema to understand, so she nodded her head then handed Rohan over to me, who had grown so much in three years, so that she could help organise the evacuation of the island. I guess he wasn't really a baby anymore, being three years old. He was a toddler, still fairly small but he was kicking and screaming, upset about something. "Hey buddy, let's calm down for a minute okay? I know it's scary right now, but you're going to be okay. Your cousin is here, I'll protect you." Cooing at him as I peppered his face with little kisses, Rohan snivelled but listened to me, recognising me somewhat but really stopped crying when Fang nuzzled his face.
He giggled, the boy enjoying the feel of Fang's fur so I let him sit on Fang's back as I held him steady, smiling as he laughed until I was able to settle him down to take a nap. It felt just like old times, me walking around carrying a sleeping Rohan, I can't believe I missed so much of his growing years. Soon enough he'll be Meelo's size like back then, then after that he'd be taller than Ikki, and maybe even Jinora. Sitting inside I listened to the radio, surprised when Mako's voice came online to inform everyone that the voluntary evacuation was now mandatory, giving instruction to turn to the evacuation handbook but I guess things started to get confusing and people panicked as other voices spoke over the radio, being picked up as well.
"Uh, Chief, we're getting confused calls from all over the city. I think Mako's starting a panic."
"What's confusing? I'm giving very specific instructions."
"Great, this is just what we need." Hearing Mako, Lin and the radio broadcaster, I then heard someone else's voice who I didn't recognise at all until he introduced himself.
"I got this." There was a moment of quiet, a slight bump and crackle of static until the microphone was passed over to the new speaker who addressed the entire city. "Hello, everyone. This is Prince Wu. Now I know you're all a little scared. Believe me, I know what it's like to be afraid. I used to not be able to go to the bathroom by myself." Okay, that was a little too much information. "But if we let that fear control us, none of us will ever be able to go to the bathroom, and then we all lose. But the people of Republic City aren't losers, we're winners! Winners that are going to get out of this city in a calm and orderly fashion. So I want you to grab your family, grab your neighbour, grab that guy down the street you don't know very well and head to the nearest bus, train, or ferry station. We're going to get you out of here, safe and sound." And just like that, the panic seemed to end.
Not bad, not bad at all. I was actually rather impressed. Sighing softly, I rested for a bit, waiting for one of my friends to get back to me, though I found myself thinking about Mako. I felt a little guilty that I'd made him feel guilty for the past three years. Seeing as we're facing a crisis, maybe I should try and find him before we all possibly get blown up by a spirit cannon. When everyone was ready, Pema came looking for Rohan, giving me a motherly smile when she saw me napping with Rohan over my chest, one arm holding him as Fang snoozed next to me on the floor. I woke when I heard her at the door, opening my eyes and craning my neck without disturbing Rohan.
"We're ready now, I'm sending Rohan with the acolytes, but the kids and I have decided to stay." Pema said to me as she gently lifted Rohan up, expertly not disturbing him from his sleep.
"Are you sure? Kuvira's army is no joke. She won't show mercy to anyone she finds left behind." I warned her but Pema just looked at me confidently.
"She's not taking our home from us. We're staying, family should be together when the times get tough." She said before she softened towards me. "You know, the kids were really crushed after you left. It's good to have you back, it didn't feel the same without you."
"I know, I'm sorry, I just…"
"I understand. After you mom gave Tenzin a beating and yelled at him, I gave him some stern words of my own. I told him that no matter what, family is family and it doesn't matter if someone is different or has the potential to be dangerous. I've seen you with my children, watched you play with them and keep them out of trouble for hours on end. You helped bring Rohan into this world, changed his diapers and soothed him when I was too exhausted to even lift him up when he was crying. I know how much you care for them and they love you like an older sister. You are the last person in this entire world who'd ever be a danger to them." Pema said to me as she reached over and gave me a gentle squeeze. "Tenzin knows all that too, he just let his fear run away with him. Please say you'll forgive him." I smiled slightly at Pema.
"He's my uncle, of course I forgive him, I just can't forget yet. I love you both so much and I felt lost without my family behind me. It was like I no longer had a place in this world."
"Well, you'll always have a home with us, and if Tenzin has something to say about it, then he can come take it up with me." Being a mother of three rowdy kids and a baby who would probably grow up to be the same, Pema was not somebody you should mess with. Even Tenzin had a healthy fear of his wife. I thanked Pema then followed her to help with the last preparations for the evacuation, keeping Meelo from taking over and messing with the supplies as they were loaded onto the bison whilst the acolytes got onto the boat. Tenzin had come back by this point so I'd scarpered, not wanting to face him right now with everything going on, so instead stayed hidden for a while before figuring I'd go find Pema and the kids.
Rounding a corner, I saw Tenzin starting towards the room where Pema was inside with the kids and I squeaked. At first I hid from him, halting around the corner and holding out my arm to stop Fang too, having seen Tenzin before he saw me. It was probably stupid, but as I hung back, I heard him go inside where he spoke to Pema. "Rohan's with the acolytes. They have the boat ready to leave. Why aren't you all packed yet?"
"The kids and I have been talking and we decided we wanna stay. This is our city, and it's going to need all the help it can get." Pema informed him. I listened as Meelo agreed with his mother, and Tenzin murmured a thank you to them all as I took a deep breath and slowly moved closer, listening as Meelo declared that Kuvira was in big trouble when he finally gets hold of her.
"Kuvira is gonna rue the day she messed with Meelo!" At least he's still in high spirits. Giving a knock at the open door, everyone looked up at me as Tenzin turned his head then straightened, staring at me in surprise with my unexpected visit.
"Hey…Uncle Tenzin…I just wanted to say-!" Before I could give him my apology for the way I had been acting, Tenzin had gathered me up in his robed arms and completely engulfed me, hugging me close to him so tightly I almost lost the ability to breathe. Behind me Fang turned and walked away to give us some privacy, Pema also ushering the kids out as I looked around frantically. Tenzin continued holding onto me, like he was afraid if he let go I'd run away, so after I'd adjusted I made myself relax and slowly bring my arms up around him.
"You were right Kanna. About everything. I've been a fool and not understood what it means to be a real family. I turned my back on you and I'm so ashamed of myself. I can only offer you my most heartfelt and sincerest apology, and a promise to make it up to you. I love you so dearly, you are as important to me as one of my own children, and I am so, so sorry that I ruined everything." Hearing such genuine words made me stop, listening to them and repeating them over and over in my head as Tenzin apologised for everything and expressed his wishes to fix it. I gulped, feeling a lump rise to my throat which pushed tears to the surface as well.
"I…I shouldn't have run away. That was wrong of me, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed. By travelling around and helping others, I discovered more about myself than I had in the previous eighteen years I had lived being cared for by everyone around me. I know who I am. I know what I am, and I'm not ashamed of any of it. I'm Kanna, I'm Kya and Nodak's daughter, granddaughter of Avatar Aang and Master Katara. I'm a water bender, but also a blood bender, and I know I can use my abilities to save lives." I said to him, telling him everything that I felt and knew to be true. "I'm stronger than I've ever been before, and more in touch with the spiritual energy around me. I needed this journey, so I don't regret going. All I regret, is how I left, and leaving without first fixing things."
"Oh my dear, I'm so proud of you." Tenzin hugged me tighter, now starting to cut off the blood circulation to my head so I began to grow dizzy until he finally released me, holding my shoulders and looking at me with soft gentleness. "You are an incredible young woman. Talented, intelligent, strong, compassionate, loving, and fiercely devoted to your friends and family. It is an absolute honour to be related to you, and I will never again turn my back on you. Can you forgive this old fool?" I laughed as I wiped away at my tears, finally feeling the sense of inner peace I hadn't felt ever before as everything in my life just suddenly seemed to fall into place. Just typical, I had to find true peace just before an army of Kuvira loyalists and a spirit weapon of mass destruction came bearing down on our heels.
"I love you too, uncle. I'm glad I'm a part of this family too. I know I said some things before, when we were all on edge and no one was getting along, but I feel like our family has finally healed the rift between us all." Touching my mother's necklace, Tenzin also took note of it.
"That's Kya's, she must have given it to you."
"Yeah, I patched things up with her before I left. It was time I learned to let go of the past and start forgiving people. You taught me that." I said to him, looking up and smiling. "After all, it is the air bender way to forgive someone of their misgivings."
"Indeed. No matter what Kanna, you are as much a part of us as you are of the Southern Water Tribe. You'll always have a home wherever we are, and in the Air Nation." I nodded my head.
"Guess the nations aren't so separate anymore, huh?"
"No, and I believe that it's a good thing. Come, there is still plenty to do and I am going to need your help. Though I should probably warn you, Raiko will be arriving soon." Groaning at that, Tenzin shared my sentiments before we walked out of the room together, his arm across me and I felt lighter and freer than I had felt in so many years. Since my father died, in fact, and as I walked with the warmth of my family's love so completely within me, I finally allowed myself to come to terms with my dad's passing, and a little of that age old fear slowly began to melt away.
