Katara explained what she'd seen that night, "Fire Nation…a soldier from the Fire Nation got this close to our camp!" Sokka exclaimed in disbelief. Katara shook her head, "I don't think he was a soldier, why would he be a soldier and not try to kidnap Aang while we were asleep?" she asked.
"Ever hear of reconissance, he was probably scoping the place out." Sokka explained.
"Wait…Katara, what did you say he was wearing again?" Aang asked.
"A grey cloak, beige pants, boots, and a black tunic…why Aang, do you feel you might know who he is?" Katara asked.
"Not who he is….but what he is." Said Aang, he then looked around, "On other nations—this was before my hundred year sleep….there was a rumor that some areas of the other nations were haunted, that people swore they saw a shadow move or a barely visible figure in the night, but when they turned to look, poof…nothing, the figure or shadow just vanished. The Earth Nation refers to them as Fire Ghosts, The Air Nation…Phantoms of the Ash…The Water Nation…Specters of the Spark, and the Fire Nation…The Dark Souls."
"So you're saying we were visited by a-a-a ghost!" Sokka asked, a bit of fear in his throat.
"No," Aang said shaking his head, "just someone who can become a ghost if he so wish it."
"So where do they live? They must have a village nearby?" Katara asked.
"Yes, but it'll be guarded by traps…dozens of them." Aang pointed out.
It took some convincing, but they finally decided to try and find the village of these so called 'ghost people'. Aang took the lead, followed by Katara, then Sokka, Appa and Momo behind them.
It didn't take long until they saw a sign, Fire Nation armor scattered all about their path. "We're probably close, they do this as a warning as to all Fire-Benders who get too close to their village, be careful now…we don't know when we'll run into a trap."
No sooner had Aang said that did Katara see another shadow move out of the corner of her eye, "We're being watched," she thought to herself, "But we'll be seen as friend…or foe?"
As they continued Aang looked around and clutched his staff tightly, "We're surrounded, don't make any sudden moves."
Suddenly a net shot out of the bushes capturing Aang and Katara, Appa was lassoed and kept down. Sokka pulled out his boomerang and prepared for what ever awaited him.
From the bushes appeared several figures just as Katara had described, Sokka got ready to throw his weapon, at that same moment four of the cloaked figures loaded bows and prepared to fire the arrows at Sokka.
"Sokka…don't attack them, they're only going to attack if you do." Aang told him.
"You're friend gives you wise counsel, I'd take it if I were you…you just live to see another sunrise if you do." One of the grey cloaked figures suggested taking a step forward.
Well guessing the amount of pressure Sokka was under, he threw it anyway.
The cloaked figure closed his eyes and as if by some power of bewitchment, caught the boomerang and let it fall to the ground, Sokka stared in mid-surprise of the feat. Just as one of the cloaked figures came up behind him and knocked him out, Katara and Aang were released. Katara ran over to where her brother lay, "Sokka, are you all right?" she asked, afraid that they may've killed him.
"Ma'am…young sir, I am sorry what I did to your friend," said the cloaked figure who knocked Sokka out, "but your friend was foolish to try and attack Fenix, but I guess with that nasty bump to the head he may learn from it."
"Ah…actually I'm looking for somebody, he's one of you…only my age, I'm not certain he's my height, but he could be close to it." Katara explained, Fenix looked at her, "Templar…Templar Li went this far out of our village?"
"That's his name?" Katara asked.
Fenix nodded, he then looked at Aang and a pleased look, "If you wish to see him, I'll take you to our village…but I must ask you to blind-fold yourselves."
Aang put the blind-fold on without question, Katara looked at Fenix, Fenix knew what she was thinking and said, "It's the only way."
"Well….okay." Katara said quietly as she placed it over her eyes.
"Good…now a couple of my men will keep a hold of you so you don't get lost." Fenix said, and with that they made their way through the forest (two men dragging a still unconscious Sokka behind them).
About three hours later the blind-folds were removed to reveal a small village, Fenix then removed his hood to reveal he was a man with black hair slightly graying, he also had a beard, and had a piece of cloth wrapped around the left side of his face. "What happened to your face Fenix?" Aang asked, Fenix removed it to reveal his eye-lid had been sewn shut, "Hunting accident…it was an Iron Boar, 355 pounds of the most gamey tasting roast that ever touched your lips…sadly I was a young fool back then and went after it by myself." Aang and Katara flinched as soon as they had seen what was behind the cloth, he quickly re-wrapped it around his face.
"Wait here a moment…I'll have some of our tribe provide you with a place to stay and catch your bearings." Fenix told them, he later came back with two women behind him, "Rita and Makino have promised to take you to where you'll sleep for the night, I must report my findings to the village elder, Rain, perhaps he'll know by what reason are paths crossed."
As Aang and Katara followed Rita and Makino, Aang couldn't help but notice one of the villagers looking at him, a man with brown hair slicked back, he also had one gray eye, but the other one, the left one, was a bright red. He seemed to cast upon them an evil eye.
"This is where you will sleep for the night, make yourselves comfortable." Rita told them, showing them a hut with three cots inside.
"Where's Appa?" Aang asked.
"He's been moved to the stables, he's being taken care of as we speak…you can see him later if you wish." Makino told him.
"Oh…and I don't know about this, but one of your tribe sort of gave me a look I didn't like." Aang told them, they both looked at each other, "What did this person look like?" Rita asked.
"He had brown hair, and two different colored eyes…one gray, one bright red." Aang responded.
Makino and Rita both nodded and said, "Diablo." Rita then looked at them and said, "Don't you threat, you're under the protection of the other tribe members, Diablo would know better than to attack you here."
Then Fenix appeared in the entrance and said, "Okay ladies…I need to speak with these two alone." Rita and Makino left without question, Fenix cleared his throat, "I've spoken to the elder, he has agreed to see you. He hopes you'll attend supper tonight….it would make him very pleasant."
"Okay." Aang said.
As Fenix turned to leave, Katara asked, "I couldn't help notice that your tribe are Fire-benders…but the color flame I saw Templar Li used was rather unusual?"
Fenix turned to look at them and said, "Yes…I have a slight feeling you'd run into our violent, war loving brethren. But we are not them, we are 'Dark' Fire-benders, the Fire Nation's fallen brethren."