A hooded man in a black cloak walked through the village. The villagers hid when they saw he was carrying a body. The rain pattered the roofs creating a soothing melody for the stranger as he walked through the village. A calming mood washed over the village as the stranger left the village, hopefully to never come back.
Raindrops hit Karyuudo's cloak, soaking it. He quickened his pace and hoped to get to his destination soon, but the sky lit up; a flash of lighting and the rolling of thunder signaled the approaching storm. He saw a small building up ahead, with smoke coming out of a pipe on the roof. He left the body on the ground next to a tree and walked towards the building. As he approached, he heard many loud voices inside; must be a pub.
The pub silenced when he walked in; everyone stared at him with big, empty eyes; their faces looked at him with worry. Karyuudo walked up to the manager and asked with a deep voice, "Got any rooms?"
The manager looked at a young man who was sitting at a table; he was shaking his head. The manager looked back at Karyuudo and said, "Sorry, sir, we're all out."
Karyuudo took his hood off; his face was almost fully covered with black cloth, as black as his cloak and the rest of his clothes. Only his eyes were exposed, revealing their golden color. He glared at the manager with a deep hatred. Steam escaped the cloth covering his mouth and nose. He pulled his hands out of his cloak; the right hand was covered in a black glove, while the left was bare and pale. When he cracked his knuckles, the manager finally said, "Alright, we have a couple of rooms. Five copper pieces for the night."
Karyuudo handed the manager five copper pieces and said, "Thank you."
"The rooms are in the back," the manager said in an uneasy tone. His hand shook, causing the copper pieces to jingle. Karyuudo smiled under his mask walked to his room.
Prince Zuko woke up to a loud yelling noise. He quickly got dressed and ran towards the sound. His uncle and a wounded soldier were in the hallway. "What happened here?" asked Zuko.
The soldier weakly raised his head and said, "Sir, there was some kind of ninja. It attacked us and ran; the other soldiers followed."
"You'd better go too, Prince Zuko," said Uncle Iroh.
Zuko nodded and ran down the halls, following the sound of fire. As he ran, he saw a few soldiers strewn about the hallway. He reached the deck and saw a person dressed in all black running towards the end of the ship. A single soldier tried to stop the intruder, but was thrown overboard. Zuko ran after it, but he was too late. The intruder jumped off of the ship. As it fell into the water, the intruder turned in the air, showing Zuko the same mask he had worn; the mask of the Blue Spirit. Rain began to patter the metal of the ship as Zuko stood on the deck, staring across the sea towards the approaching island.
Karyuudo woke early in the morning to the sound of a crow. He saw his crow, Karasu, sitting in the window sill, squawking at him. He got out of bed, put his cloak on, and left the building. The sun shined through the few clouds in the sky, illuminating the wet landscape around him. He found the body where he left it; now it was soaked and had an awful stench. He picked it up and continued to his destination, while Karasu flew above his head, his black feathers shining in the sunlight.
When he passed over the hill, he finally saw his destination: the capital of the Fire Nation, huge city that looked like any other, except for the huge palace in the center. Tall walls guarded the city from the outer world, and guarded the outer world from the city. He walked down the hill and arrived at one of the city gates. A masked guard saw him and demanded, "State your name and business."
Karyuudo dropped the body at the guard's feet and handed him the bounty. The guard looked at the picture and the body and said, "You must be Karyuudo. Continue." He took the bounty and body back and continued into the city as the gate rose to let him in.
Fire Lord Ozai watched his guard walk into the throne room and approach him. "Lord Ozai, Karyuudo wishes to see you," said the guard.
"Let him in," replied Lord Ozai.
The guard bowed and left the room; shortly after, Karyuudo entered. He dropped the body on the floor and handed the bounty to the Fire Lord. Ozai looked at the bounty and the body, then he said, "Excellent job, Karyuudo. You will be rewarded on your way out. Now, I believe you're ready for a real bounty."
Karyuudo bowed before his lord and said, "Yes, my Lord, I am ready."
Ozai smiled and said, "Excellent." He cleared his throat and said, "Due to the recent failure of Admiral Zhao, a very valuable prisoner has escaped. He told me it was a minor slip-up, but I do not believe him. I trust that you can accomplish this task." He got up and handed a scroll to Karyuudo. "You are dismissed." Karyuudo got up and left the throne room. As he walked back out through the halls of the grand palace, he opened the scroll and looked at his next prey. The top of the scroll read, "Wanted alive: Avatar."