DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING FROM ATLA

(Gao's journey continues a day before chapter 4 of the series and it has been days since he left Zuko's ship)

It was a mistake to leave Zuko's ship, after I left on my raft to the island that was "close" a storm hit me with rough tide waves, awful winds and I lost a lot of my supplies to the ocean.

Later I got convinced that I was going to die from hunger, thirst, or something but I was not going to die eaten by any sea creature, so I kept rowing with a vague idea of where I was going, the sea got serene for a few hours, and I began to hear voices on my head of a few friends and sisters.

"Come back Gao!" a girl's voice said in the back of my head.

"We are members of the Order of the Unseen young Gao, if you fail don't you dare coming back" an old man's voice said right after the girl stop talking.

"You are weak, you need to rest… close your eyes" the girl said with an echo on the last 3 words.

"The master will be so disappointed of you; you will return with excuses?" the other voice change tone.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I ended up screaming into the air.

"Hahahahahahahahaha" laughter from the 2 voices started to resound everywhere I looked.

I blackout from the exposure to the sun and the voices did not helped either, I don't remember anything after that, only the color black…

A strange sound started to surround me, the shrieking of the seagulls became louder and louder, I woke up to the pocking of my leg thanks to the birds, I started to panic because I didn't knew where I was or how I ended up stranded on a beach, I had lost all my things except for my daggers, sword and money but those are useless if I was nearly dead.

I started to pick a lot of wood to make a fireplace, a shelter, a spear to fish any food and I drop part of the Fire Nation armor since I didn't change when I left the ship, it was still cold but I was soaking wet so I ended up almost naked to let my clothes dry, with a few leaves I could make a plate and a little basket to collect snow for drinkable water.

I wanted to explore and see if I wasn´t alone on the place but the exhaustion didn't allow it, while chewing a fish a certain calm invaded the beach but that made me nervous, all the bird went silence with the sea and the wind as the only sound makers, the sensation that I was been watched started to annoy me so I made a plan to see what was out there.

I'm an earthbender but I was taught not to rely on my element since anyone can overcome a conflict without bringing to much attention, I prefer my skill over my earthbending but the power has it perks like making a tunnel beneath my shelter and surround the place to leave and scavenge the area for any potential danger, I opened a tunnel inside the forest next to the beach.

I was cold but my survival depended on my stealth, so I began to head back to camp while looking for hidden enemies on the trees or hidden on the ground with camouflage, I was happy to see a couple of warriors on green uniforms with war paint on their faces, all matching but not any Earth Kingdom insignias or weapons.

I approached the nearest warrior while I was crouched to knock it out, I grabbed it from behind only to realize that it was a woman but it didn't matter since she was the enemy, it was hard to grab her mouth and nose to cut the air flow without making too much noise and alerting the others, she was a good fighter but since she didn't expect a surprise attack from behind, knocking her out was a little easier.

"Shhhhh Don't be so loud woman" I said while putting her to sleep on the ground, her eyes were filled with anger as I struggle to calm her.

The next couple of warrior were in the same mindset as the first woman I knocked out so there were not complications to put them down but the true challenge was the girls that were on top of trees, I counted only 3 warriors left, they were on a V position, the leader was on the middle while the other 2 were on front ready to jump to my camp and with that the plan change.

I made a noise with my earthbending by moving a couple of rocks, ones they heard it, the leader and another warrior stayed guarding the place while the farthest warrior came to my distraction, I showed no mercy to knock her out by jumping from a tree and punching her on the head but doing that with no shoes is hard and painful.

As I was returning to knock the remaining warriors, the leader was already on my shelter checking for me, but her face presented a certain disgust as she was grabbing the chest piece of the Fire Nation armor, I wasn't going to explain myself to them so I climbed the nearest tree to approach the warrior that was scouting for me, I throw a rock at her head, the tree wasn't tall and her armor took the damage from the fall.

"Who are you woman?" I asked while approaching the beach with a rock on my hand.

The leader jumped in surprised since she was not expecting a stranger to came from behind.

"I was going to ask the same" the leader replied as she was pulling out her fans to attack me.

"You should consider your next move carefully" an empty threat came from her mouth while she started to make a sign with her hand.

"No one is coming to help, if that what are you doing with your hand, warrior" I told her as I was dropping the rock to the sea.

"I'm not your enemy, inside the shelter you can find a bag with the Earth Kingdom insignia."

"So what? Your entire uniform is from the Fire Nation" She answered as she was getting ready to attack me.

"You are going to attack me while I have no weapons to defend myself?" I speak while approaching her "I though your group would have more honor."

"We have honor, but we are not kind to strangers and give another step and it will be your last" another empty threat came from her mouth.

"You don't want me here and I didn't want to be here, I got here by accident, I'm stranded" my rage started to show thanks to the cold and the leader's attitude. "I got into a Fire Nation ship and that is why I got their armor but in order to escape I built a raft and lost my way."

"I don't trust" the leader responded.

"I'm sorry but I can't change that now" I said while shacking "I'm cold and hungry."

"What did you do with my sisters?" she asked as she was folding back her fans.

"I knocked them out" I answered while sitting next to the campfire to heat myself "I wasn't sure if you were friend or foe."

"We are not friends" she said with anger after hearing my response.

I started to put the armor back to have something to cover me from the cold "We both have our trust issues."

"I hate to ask you but if you want me out, help me then… I want to change from this horrible armor and some homemade food, I can pay" I asked while putting my daggers and sword back in place of my armor.

A silence fell on the beach again.

"Please?" I said annoyed.

"I will help you only to get you out of the island, but first you will help me get my sisters back into our village" she said with a commanding voice.

"Okay, let's go" that was my only response to end my situation sooner.

I got hated very fast, ones the leader and I took the last of her sisters into the village's infirmary all the people there have not love for strangers and less for someone how can take down their warriors.

"Where can I get supplies, rest and new clothes?" I asked the leader while the both of us were watching the doctors checking on the warriors.

The leader didn´t answer because her head was thinking something else.

"Girl?" I said while waving my hand in front of her head.

"Girl? I have a name." she said as she was reaching my hand to make a move of some kind.

"What is it then?"

"Suki, leader of the Kyoshi warriors and what about you stranger? Do you have a name?" she answered and asked with a serious face.

"Gao" I answered with a grin on my face, I missed speaking with someone that was not trying to kill me yet.

We left the infirmary into the middle of the village, I could feel everyone watching me in anger, curiousness and disapproval, Suki pointed me at each place I had to go if I wanted to rest, eat, and get new clothes.

"Go to the market to get some food, there is a tailor that will sell you warmer clothes" Suki said as she pointed to the tailor.

"Where can I lay down my head and take a bath?" I asked while crossing my arms.

"In the stables near the longhouse and collect water for your bath in the river or clean yourself in the water trough for the animals." she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Okay then, thanks" I said with a smile on my face too because she did not expect that reaction from me.

After a tomato on my face, a horrible interaction at the market and the tailor wanting to hurt me with needles, the ending day got better with warm food, a cold bath, and new clothes (the new outfit is beige robe with a hood, a black tunic beneath it and an orange belt with pouches and brown leather boots).

"You need to practice your stealth if you want to surprise me Suki" I said while sharpening my daggers next to a haystack.

"How did you…?" Suki said in amaze "I just came to see if you weren't doing something bad to our stables since the people are growing impatient for you to leave." With that respond I understood that the night was going to be a long one.

"Our deal was for me to leave tomorrow and not all strangers are bad people Suki" I answered while putting down a mat to rest after she leaves.

"I know but unlike other strangers, YOU are dangerous!" she said in anger and pointing a finger to my face.

"Is not my fault that you attack every stranger that comes here, I wasn't sure if you were bandits or mercenaries looking to make easy coin or just wanted to kill me for the joy of it and I will not ask for forgiveness since I was defending myself." I responded as I pulled Suki's hand away from my face.

She did not answer back.

"What is your technique?" She asked while leaning to the entrance of the stable "We are skilled warriors with years of training in every way of combat and stealth… And yet you manage to take us down without making any noise."

"There is no technique Suki, I just had to survive an unknown enemy but if that answer is not of your liking… the technique is to hold your breath and if you are going to strike, you do it without hesitation" we made eye to eye contact while I was giving my answer and as I was laying down to sleep.

"Is there anything else I can help you with or can I sleep now?" I asked without hearing a response "Rest Suki and keep your fans close if that makes you comfortable to sleep" and I closed my eyes.