Diablo walked through the woods, his footsteps staggering, disorganized…his eyes were ablaze with anger, "Those insolent fools…they know I should be the new elder, not that blabber-mouth Aldaris, or that honor-filled Fenix. And then there's their sympathizer Templar Li, if I were elder I'd teach him to respect me." Diablo mumbled to himself, "Yeah, I'd teach him like the great visionless prophet…my father taught me to respect him."
Diablo then slumped against a tree, hitting hard on his side, "They say I'll bring suffering on the all, well they don't know suffering like (N-N-N-NO DADDY, NO, NO, NO!) I know suffering, after all they didn't have to (I'll teach you to use that infernal witchcraft around me, you infamous whelp!) live with that blind bastard that was my father." Diablo thought to himself.
"But I took care of him, and anyone else who was in my way…kiss them good bye people, I roasted them alive with dark-fire." Diablo whispered to himself, which was followed by an insane sounding giggle.
Meanwhile Katara was gathering supplies for the trip north when she saw Tem Li walking through the woods, he didn't seem to notice her so she walked behind him, not trying to make a noise. She saw an cliff gazing at the sun which was setting to the West, but when she looked around…Tem Li was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly a hand grasped her right shoulder, she whirled around and struck who was behind her. The person fell to the ground, it was Tem Li.
"Tem, I'm sorry, but you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" Katara told him, Tem nodded, "Yes, I should've known better…it was deliberate I guess, had it coming."
Katara helped him back up, he suddenly looked at the sunset, "You know I come up here once every few days just to see one of these, quite beautiful…all the different colors the suns light can produce on the clouds and sky. But out of all of them gold seems to be the most difficult one."
"You come up here to watch the sunset?" Katara asked, Tem nodded in response, "Reminds me of the sunsets on the coasts of the Fire Nation…long before our exodus for it." Tem told her, then let out a depressed sigh and asked, "Katara…if I was to tell you something, something I've been carrying in my conscience for several years. Would you believe me?"
"Depends on what it is?" She asked in response.
"I mean this is a very personal thing and I feel….I feel," Tem let out another long sigh, "I feel you should know this now better than later."
"Okay…" Katara responded with unease, "So what is it?"
"It has to do with my birth, you see when a person is born he has the choice to be whatever he wants…later he finds that there are limitations, but for me those limitations were already in place." Tem told her.
"So what is it, spit it out already!" Katara told him.
Tem let out a long nervous sigh then said, "Okay…Katara, I'm the next Emperor of the Fire Nation." Tem said glumly.
The next few minutes were filled with an odd silence, but that silence was broken with Katara laughing. Tem's face went a deep red, then he turned to leave.
"Tem…where are you going?" Katara asked in a friendly tone, still laughing a bit. Tem then pulled what looked like a medallion out of his shirt and looked at it, he quickly put it back in there, turned to her, and said, "Your opinion is your own, if you believe it was a joke, then it was a joke."
Katara looked, she was still finding it a bit humorous that Tem would state such an outlandish claim that he was the future emperor of the Fire Nation.
When she got back she found Sokka and Aang talking with Aldaris and Fenix, "Well look who finally shows up," Sokka then whispered to her, "Aldaris has been telling us about the days of his youth, honestly I'm trying my hardest to stay awake."
"So where've you been?" Aang asked.
"I met up with Tem Li, you won't believe what he told me," she said, trying to stifle her laughter again, "he told me, and get this, he told me he's the future emperor of the Fire Nation." Aang and Sokka laughed with her, Aldaris and Fenix on the other hand just looked at each other, "And you didn't believe him?" they asked in chorus.
"Yeah, I mean a Dark Fire-bender is the Emperor of the Fire Nation, HA, that's a riot." Sokka told them, they just both shook there heads, Katara stopped laughing and asked, "What…what's wrong, you guys are acting like you know something?"
"We do…and you're bloody fools thinking that Tem's darkest secret was a joke." Fenix said coldly, "Calm down Fenix, they didn't know…they wouldn't know until up to this point." Aldaris told him.
"You mean Tem was telling Katara the truth?" Sokka asked.
Both Aldaris and Fenix nodded, "But then why is he here?" Aang asked.
"His father sent him to us, to protect him from Ozai and possible execution…Tem's father thought that it be best to send him to us, that way Templar Li, the emperor's son and last rightful heir to the Fire Nation throne would be out of harms reach." Aldaris told them.
"Do you have any physical proof of this?" Sokka asked. Aldaris shook his head, "I do not."
Sokka then gave a confident look that he had cornered Aldaris in a lie, "I don't…but Tem does, he has a medallion that he keeps close to his heart…it is both something he draws strength from, and a cruel reminder of his already chosen fate, it is the Royal Medallion of the Li Imperial Dynasty, and it is something he cannot afford to part with."
"Why not…I mean as long as he's here it means nothing right?" Aang asked curiously.
"You are not looking at all the facets of this story!" Fenix snapped.
"ENOUGH FENIX…he has a point, and is entitled to it…you are correct, it means nothing to us here. But that medallion was given to him by his father Shorii (spelt Shore-ee) Li, it was the last thing he gave Tem before he (meaning Shorii) was executed on Ozai's orders. It is for there that Tem will never part with it, even if it fell into a river and went down a waterfall he would dive in and go after it, for it is all Tem has to remember his father by."
"Wow, so what happened after he left with you?" Katara asked.
"Simple…he waited," Aldaris told her, "he waited for a chance or an opportunity to leave this village and see the world, what fortune brought you here that now his chance may finally be fulfilled."
"But I don't know if Tem would want to come with us, I mean we're pretty much hunted by the Fire Nation on a day-to-day basis." Sokka told them.
"I have come to realize that and also see that they would come here looking for you." Aldaris told them.
"But don't threat, we have dozens of traps and pit-falls they'd have to regroup before they even got even 100 yards near here." Fenix added.
Suddenly another Dark Fire-bender ran in and said, "Aldaris, Fenix…sorry to disturb you."
"Easy my fellow follower of Aiur, what is it?" Aldaris asked.
"One of our outposts in the forest reported smoke coming from the western shores." The man reported.
"Camp-fire smoke?" Fenix asked.
"Said looked too dark to be from any campfire he's seen." The man told them.
"And it's coming from the Western shore-line?" Aldaris asked. The man nodded.
Aldaris looked at Fenix, "Fire Nation Navy?" Aldaris asked, Fenix stroked his beard and said, "More like possible ground deployment," he then pulled out a map showing the village and about a half a mile of the surrounding area. "I'd probably set up three small platoons of five along the second rim of defenses, that way if the traps don't stop them, we will."
"Have you spoken to the elder about this?" Aldaris asked the man.
"Yes, he told me to tell you guys and see if you could come up with a plan." He told them.
"Very well, Fenix…you set up the groups, be ready to set off within the hour." Aldaris told Fenix.
"Right away." Fenix responded and with that, both he and the Outpost soldier left.
Meanwhile Tem was on the outskirts of the village when he noticed how late it was getting, he decided to have a snack before he showed up for supper. He sat down and pulled a rice ball out of his traveling pouch, he placed it down on a cloth and looked away while he pulled out a small pouch of brown sugar. When he turned back to sprinkle some of it on the rice ball, it was gone…he looked around to see if anyone else was around, then he heard a distinct purring coming from behind him. He saw (if you haven't guessed it by now) Momo handling his rice ball, "Oh no, I already gave you a freebee with the biscuit, but you are not getting away with my rice ball."
Tem tried to reach over slowly for it, but just as he got close enough Momo took off with the rice ball. Tem quickly got up and with a "STOP….THIEF!" chased after the little lemur, well the chase ended at the stables again. Tem, exhausted gasped, "Okay…you little vermin, you win…for now."
Tem slowly dragged his way towards the stables, he eventually found where Appa was being housed, "Hey big fella…don't mind if I crash here for a moment?" Tem asked in a friendly tone, Appa let out a snort. Tem just rested against one of the stables' walls and said, "Thanks."
But his rest only lasted about ten minutes when he heard the indistinct sound of worried voices coming the center of the village, he got up and went to see what it was.
Fenix had rounded up at least two of the three groups he needed, the third one was one shy. "Where's Diablo?" he asked.
"Haven't seen him since he stormed out of the village." One of the group members replied.
"You mean he could still be out there? Unaware that there are Fire Nation soldier near him?" Aldaris asked.
"This is ill omen indeed, and now it seems the stars by tomorrows light tell me we may have to abandon the village soon." Rain told them all.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka looked at Aldaris. "He reads star charts, tarot cards, anything involving divination."
Tem showed up at the last moment and asked, "What's all the commotion?"
"We're rounding up a few small groups to protect the village, but Diablo is still not here." Aldaris responded.
"Well good riddance to bad rubbish…I say." Tem said coldly.
Aldaris and Fenix shot him an angry look, "I know…he's one of our brethren, but you guys can't say he hasn't been a pain in the butt either." Tem pointed out.
"Well we'll have the groups go back to there huts, we'll start looking for Diablo in the morning." Aldaris told them.
Just as everyone dispersed Katara confronted Tem, "Aldaris and Fenix told me about…about you being…" Katara started to say.
Tem held up his hand and said, "No need…apology accepted."