Chapter 10: Blood Moon Pt. 2

Ariak did not anticipate being a hostage for long. He'd been held captive before. This particular group was clever enough to keep him locked in a stone chamber, away from any sources of water, but he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. In what little space available to him, Ariak moved back and forth rapidly, becoming physically active enough to work up a sweat. Only a trickle of sweat could be used to pick a lock if you were skilled enough.

He felt the first beads of sweat start to drip down his bro, and felt a brief moment of hope. That was quickly robbed of him as the single bead of liquid pulled away from his face and drifted away. Ariak came to a halt.

"Don't bother," an unfamiliar voice rasped. There was an unnatural edge to the voice, as if it had been damaged somehow. Ariak heard movement outside his cell. Someone moved and sat down outside. Ariak's cell did have a window, but there was no light to see with.

"I've been preparing a very long time for this," The raspy voice declared. "Escape from that cell is impossible."

Ariak stayed stubbornly silent. Escape might be impossible, but rescue was not. Sen would be looking for him. Ariak's captor was pleased to see him calm down.

"I'm not like you, Ariak, I'm very, very thorough," The voice said. As they spoke, Ariak realized the voice was female. It wasn't familiar in any way, though. "I don't leave anything half-done."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ariak said. "I always finish what I start."

"Hardly," His captor rasped. She sounded aggravated, and that anger caused something to rise in her throat. She coughed loudly for a while. As she finished, a light came on, and Ariak winced as the rush of illumination overwhelmed his eyes. When he adjusted to the light, he finally saw his captor standing before him.

She was a young woman, probably less than a decade older than Ariak, but her skin was weathered far beyond her years. She wore a ragged fur coat, showing that had been quite a while since she'd last bothered to maintain her appearance. She leaned in close to the bars of Ariak's cell, and Ariak saw a familiar sight: a disk of hardened red metal dangling from a cord around her neck. An all too familiar mark; an emblem of the Red Moon.

"Next time you put a spear through someone's chest," She growled. "Make sure you reach the heart."

She turned and stormed away, leaving Ariak alone in the dark once again.

There had been more uncomfortable moments in Sen's life, but not many. He had prepared himself to deal with anger from Tinaaki, but the lord of the Shorewatchers seemed remarkably cavalier about one of his sons being kidnapped. He was treating it like just another case. Other than the involvement of Sen, of course. The Avatar had been escorted to the Shorewatcher headquarters in the North Pole, to help Tinaaki with his investigation.

"We have the two Red Moon agents that your sword-wielding friend fought," Tinaaki declared. "They claim they're just hired help, but we'll see."

Tinaaki slammed open the door of the holding chamber. Both of the two Red Moon slavers were waiting, bound to wooden chairs. They were on a deadline, so proper imprisonment would have to wait.

Much to the relief of the two prisoners, Tinaaki immediately propped his spear against the wall. They became slightly more agitated when Kyros walked into the room as well. Sen's appearance just made them confused. It turned back into fear when Tinaaki and Kyros began to collude.

"What do you think, Kyros, do I go high or low?"

"Low," Kyros advised. "I think they've been honest with us so far. Just need to squeeze out that last bit."

Kyros and Tinaaki nodded to each other. Sen wondered what on earth they were talking about.

Tinaaki answered Sen's question by stepping up to the nearest slaver and sweeping his leg under the slaver's chair, knocking him to the ground with a heavy blow. As the slaver laid on the ground, still bound to his chair, Tinaaki placed his heavy boot on the slavers knee and leaned on to it.

"Where is Ariak?"

Tinaaki leaned forward even further, putting more pressure on the slavers knee. Sen looked on in horror as a loud pop signified the dislocation of the slavers knee.

"I told you everything," The slaver groaned.

"Tell me more than everything," Tinaaki commanded. "Where were you when you were hired? What did they say? How much did they pay you?"

Grunting through the intense pain, the hired thug gave out every detail he could think of. There was quite a bit of information, but none of it was particularly useful. Eventually, Tinaaki relented and removed his boot from the thug's knee. The slaver gasped in relief as the stabbing pain stopped. Tinaaki shot a threatening glare to the tortured thugs accomplice and turned his back on them both.

"What was the point of that?" Sen demanded. They had limited time, and Tinaaki had just wasted it gathering useless information via torture.

"Got to make sure they stay in line," Tinaaki said. "And we needed to make sure we were getting the whole truth. A little fear can go a long way."

Sen frowned coldly. He had felt very little fear from the tortured slaver. Underneath the pain, there had been only anger, and anger was a dangerous emotion.

"That was completely unnecessary," Sen said.

"You can pontificate some other time," Tinaaki said. "Our priority needs to be finding the Red Moon."

"Finding Ariak," Sen corrected. Their priority was search and rescue, not seek and destroy.

"They're the same thing," Kyros said. "We need to pick up their trail."

The map of the North Pole was laid out before Tinaaki. Thanks to their sentries on the border of the city, they at least knew that the Red Moon still had to be within the North Pole. There were still thousands of potential hiding places, though.

"I've been out of the loop," Sen said. Tinaaki had taken him aside not long after Ariak's kidnapping, and he hadn't been told much since. "Have we figured anything else out?"

"The captive from last month was found released not long ago," Kyros said. "Given that, and the fact that Ariak was targeted on a night other than the full moon, we're assuming that this is meant to be an act of revenge."

"And since they made sure to capture Ariak before the full moon, I imagine his rescue is on a deadline," Sen said.

"We don't know what they might be planning, but it can't be good," Kyros said. The Red Moon clearly wanted to make sure they had Ariak when the moon was full, and their bloodbending was available. That didn't bode well for Ariak.

Sen planted his hands on the table and looked at the map. It was a large city to search, and they had less than twenty-four hours. They should get started as soon as possible. So far, Kyros was the only one who had devoted any real effort to the search. Tinaaki had been too concerned playing the bad cop role, and dragging Sen along with him.

"Tinaaki, I want to talk to you privately."

"If this is about you being the Avatar, Kyros already knows," Tinaaki said. Kyros nodded and bowed.

"Excuse me? I explicitly told you to keep that a secret!"

"Kyros is my most trusted Huntsman, and my closest friend," Tinaaki said. "I trust him with everything."

"Your secret is safe with me, Master Avatar," Kyros said. Sen could feel that he was telling the truth, but that was beside the point. He was offended that Tinaaki had given away his secret without permission. They had little time to argue about that now, though. He would save it for after Ariak was in trouble.

"Alright, since I suppose we're all on the same page," Sen grunted. "I had a plan to search for Ariak."

"We had a plan too," Tinaaki said. "We kick down every door we can find until Ariak is found."

It sounded ludicrous, but the Shorewatchers could actually do that. They did face certain penalties for abusing the privilege, but unlike most law enforcement, they did not need a warrant to search residences or detain suspects. They didn't use that right very often, but this was an extreme case.

"Well, I think I might have a more efficient plan," Sen said. "If this is a targeted revenge plan against Ariak, they'll be aware of his talent for waterbending, so they won't be keeping him anywhere near water or ice. The North Pole is proud of its architecture, so the Chief's office keeps a record of every structure built. All we have to do is examine that record, and search every building made primarily of wood, stone, or metal."

"And what if he's being kept somewhere unauthorized, like a secret basement?"

"I have a plan for that too," Sen said. He stomped his foot.

Gun immediately poked his head through the soil, filling a large portion of the room with his face. Kyros and Tinaaki took a step back. Gun turned to Sen attentively.

"This is Gun, my animal guide," Sen said. He petted Gun's striped head. "While we search above ground, he's going to be tunneling beneath the soil. He'll recognize Ariak's heartbeat. If he finds Ariak anywhere underground, he'll tell me."

"It can talk?"

"It's complicated," Sen said. He put both hands on Gun's head and tapped his feet a few times. Gun quickly vanished back underground and began a patrol of the North Pole's subterranean depths. He would return to Sen the moment he found anything suspicious.

"Now all that's left is for us to get those architectural records."

"We'll handle that," Tinaaki said. "We have the authority to requisition the records. Return to Yakkul's homestead and we'll call on you when we need to."

"What else could you need me for? I've already told you everything I can."

"Information only goes so far," Kyros grunted. "At some point we're going to be taking the fight to the Red Moon, and it'd be my honor to do so alongside the Avatar."

"I can't be the Avatar right now," Sen said. "I'm not ready. If I come with you it will just be as Sen."

"Hiding what you are doesn't change it," Kyros said. Tinaaki's face took on a very sour expression for some reason. "You're still the mightiest of us all, no matter what you think of yourself."

Sen paused. He often thought of himself as an unfinished product, not really worthy to call himself a "full" Avatar, but apparently some people disagreed.

"It's a discussion we can have later," Tinaaki said. "Kyros, we're going to the capital. I suppose we're going to be reading books while Ariak is in prison."

Tinaaki's voice dripped with hostile sarcasm, mostly aimed at Sen. The young Avatar grit his teeth. The implication that he was doing anything less than his best to save Ariak struck right at Sen's heart. He would not let another friend stay in prison for long.

Kyros bowed one more time and departed. He went side by side with Tinaaki towards the capital, leaving Sen alone. He looked around the office. He had no idea how to get home from here. They'd dragged him off to some auxiliary Shorewatcher headquarters on the outskirts of the city, far from Yakkul's home. They had not quite thought this through.

Finding his way into the city streets, Sen looked around for any guides or maps. He doubted it would be easy to find his way to Yakkul's home, but somebody had to have directions to the public library. It was a government institution, after all. He could easily find his way home from there.

It was as easy as Sen expected to find the library, but finding his way home was apparently not going to be easy. Alrok was waiting outside the library doors, and he definitely noticed Sen. Sen moved in to say hello, just to be polite.

"Hey Alrok," He said somewhat halfheartedly.

"Hey egghead," Alrok said. "I told Taina you'd show up eventually. She's real mad at you, you know."

Sen grunted. This whole ordeal had made him miss tutoring. It was hardly his first concern, but it was still inconvenient. He'd have to explain himself eventually.

"I got tied up. Apologize to her for me if you see her, would you? I might be busy the next couple days."

Sen tried to turn his back. Alrok was too curious to allow that, though.

"What, guy like you missing the chance to stick his nose in a book? What's that about?"

He tried to catch up to Sen and grab him by the shoulder, but Sen walked much faster. Alrok was persistent, though, and he followed close behind Sen for a few streets.

"Hey, Sen, I'm serious. It's got to be a big deal if you're acting like this," He said. "Is something wrong? Can I help?"

"It's a little complicated, alright? And dangerous. I'd rather if you didn't get involved," Sen said. "I'm having enough trouble already."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Shorewatcher kind of trouble," Sen said. He wondered why Alrok couldn't be this curious when it came to schoolwork. He'd be a lot smarter if he were.

"Oh," Alrok said. "That's okay. They'll handle it, no problem."

Alrok hadn't spent much time thinking about that particular quandary. He didn't even know what the problem was, but he was immediately convinced that the Shorewatchers were capable enough to handle it. Sen wished he could be that confident in Kyros and Tinaaki.

"I'll let you get back to it," Alrok said. "Really, don't worry about it. Everything will be alright."

"Thank you, Alrok," Sen said. He at least appreciated the sentiment. Alrok nodded and finally stopped following Sen, which made things much easier. He'd been randomly wandering the streets to avoid leading Alrok to Yakkul's home. With the delinquent student gone, he could finally make a beeline home.

The gate to Tinaaki's home was curiously unguarded. Usually Kunik was keeping a vigilant watch over the front door. Had he been doing so today, Sen might not have gotten blindsided by Tlun.

"Where is Ariak," He demanded. Sen sighed. Tlun's impatience was justified in this case, but not necessarily welcome.

"I'm working on finding him, Tlun," Sen assured him. "I'm taking my-"

"You're not going to find him here," Tlun said. "You have to-"

"I'm worried too," Sen shouted, interrupting Tlun in turn. "But I've done everything I can do for now! We just need to be patient, and wait for your father."

Tlun stared at Sen in disbelief for a moment. Sen stared right back. He was not in the mood for Tlun's impatience right now. Though there was an obvious intensity in Tlun's eyes, he said nothing more. After a moment he stormed out the gate and left Sen behind. Sen sighed and shook his head. Tlun's impatience was ever present, it seemed. Sen needed to rest while he had the time, rather than worry about Tlun. It might not be long before he got a call to action.

Sleep was outside the realm of possibility for now, so Sen lounged in a chair and tried to relax. Even though he'd just lectured Tlun on having patience, it was hard for him to simply wait and do nothing. He could not allow another one of his friends to be held captive. The thought of another person suffering in a cage because of Sen's mistakes was burning a hole in his heart.

Sen clenched his fist. Even as he thought that, there was almost nothing to be done. Gun was covering the hidden parts of the city, and Tinaaki would soon arrive with the rest of the information they needed. Though Sen tried to think of some way he could move the search forward, he had very few options. It was only a matter of wasting time until he received an update.

He thought that he might talk to his friends, discuss their options but he found none of them. Even Whistler was out of her bed. They hadn't even left a note. Sen assumed that they had gone to investigate Ariak's abduction on their own. He had been gone for a few hours now; they had likely grown impatient. Sen found another way to distract himself.

Searching the somewhat cluttered table of his room, Sen grabbed one of the books that Alrok had pointed out for him just the other day. The origin of the Shorewatchers. It wasn't really relevant to the current situation, but it might help put Sen's mind at ease.

The Shorewatchers had been founded decades ago, within Korra's lifetime, but at the time they had hardly been the commanding force they were today. As Northern society had expanded from one city into several dozen, the police had found it hard to communicate and travel across the open tundra, so outlying settlements were often overrun with crime. As a preventative measure, the North had deputized a group of local hunters to watch over the outlying colonies, and given them the authority to take "extreme actions, if necessary."

Even in a book dedicated to the Shorewatchers history, there was barely an information about this early period. It seemed that these early Shorewatchers had proven very effective, and so they had recruited more and more, becoming more popular and more influential as they did so, until they had nearly supplanted the North's original police force.

What it lacked in information, the book made up for in a devoted discussion of a moral quandary. In the way that they acted, with little regulation or oversight, they were much like the evil they sought to fight. The only true rule the Shorewatchers followed was their own internal sense of right and wrong, of actions and their consequences. A Shorewatcher who lost sight of that was a danger to themselves and the entire North.

"Avatar!"

Sen snapped violently away from his book, looking up. Tinaaki had slammed the door open rather rudely. Kyros and Tinaaki were carrying large stacks of books. They'd acquired the architectural records they needed.

"Oh, good work," Sen mumbled. He tried to surreptitiously hide his book, so they could not see what he had been reading.

"Has your animal returned?"

"Not yet," Sen said. Gun was still far and away, scouring the North Pole.

"In the meantime, we should turn this list over to our Hunters," Tinaaki said. "They can scour every building."

"No, not all of them," Sen said, shaking his head. "A good chunk of those are going to be public structures like libraries and stadiums, useless for hiding prisoners. While we wait for Gun we can at least rule out those ones."

Kyros nodded. Tinaaki seemed less agreeable. He had little interest in sticking his nose in books for hours. Despite that reluctance, he did not argue with the Avatar's suggestion. Sen grabbed the first architectural portfolio and perused it. As he had expected, many of the buildings were factories or other buildings where many people gathered every day. While it wasn't completely impossible that Ariak was being held in one such building, it was very unlikely.

The two Shorewatchers also cracked open a book and began to examine the contents. Kyros moved through his pages much more quickly than Tinaaki did. The Huntmaster of the Shorewatchers should have been more accustomed to paperwork, not less. Sen was more than a little disappointed.

Sen and the Shorewatchers were occupying themselves with books and paperwork, but there was a group occupying themselves more actively. Ada was leading Suda and Whistler, along with Kunik, towards the docks.

Contact with Ko Rin had given her a lead on the Red Moon. While the Shorewatchers cracked down hard on violent crimes, there were other, less destructive criminals that sometimes escaped their notice. Smugglers in particular often went overlooked, even though they supplied the criminals of the North. Criminals like the Red Moon.

"Whistler, Suda, you two will take the lead," Ada said. They knew the most about acting criminal, so they'd be the most natural leads. "I'll just back you up."

"I suppose I'll be back up too?"

"Oh, sorry Kunik," Ada said. "Yeah, you'll be with me."

"Nice recovery," Kunik sighed. He knew that he was still a newcomer, but he had been expecting to get treated a little bit more like part of the team. He supposed that was just the way things were meant to be. He was still going to help, even if he was a bit of an afterthought.

Suda was the first one through the door. He was the largest and the most imposing, so he'd make the best first impression on the hardened criminals. Whistler was slightly less menacing, but she still looked convincingly criminal. Kunik and Ada stayed by the door, out of sight, while Suda and Whistler went to negotiate.

The apparent proprietor of this shop was a large man, smaller than Suda, but still threatening in his own right. He did not seem happy to see strangers in his establishment.

"I don't recognize you," He said gruffly.

"You recognize this?"

Whistler slammed a stack of yuan down on the counter. Smugglers preferred trading in the United Republic's currency; trade restrictions there were looser, and it was easier to buy what you needed. The Smuggler nodded approvingly.

"Of course I recognize it," The Smuggler joked. "It's my best friend."

"Well, since we have a mutual friend, maybe we can do business," Suda said. He sat down at a table, and the smuggler sat down across from him.

"We're looking for holding equipment," Suda said. Whistler gave him a look. What kind of thug said "holding equipment"?

"We need chains, cages, handcuffs, anything with a lock," Whistler said casually. "Doesn't need to be proof against metalbenders."

"That's some very specific hardware," The smuggler said. "What do you need that for?"

"Better if you don't know," Suda said. Whistler punched him in the shoulder. Smugglers wanted to know what they were getting involved with. They survived by keeping a low profile; supplying to someone reckless could ruin their business. The smuggler was not impressed by Suda's attitude.

"Some associates of ours are not being forthcoming with what they owe us," Whistler said, quickly correcting Suda's mistake. "We need to hold them until we get what's ours. Just to prove a point."

The smuggler nodded, though he still clearly disapproved.

"Are you with the Doctor?" He asked.

"Only Doctor I know works in a hospital," Suda joked. Whistler tried to hide her face as she bit her lip. The Doctor was clearly someone important, and to be taken seriously.

"We aren't locals, not really involved with anyone in the scene here," Whistler said. "Just looking to clean up loose ends and go home. So, can we get what we need from you or not?"

"I'll see what I can do for you," The smuggler said dismissively.

"What's the matter? You all sold out?"

Whistler was very close to punching Suda. Yes, they had been here to determine if the smuggler was connected to the Red Moon, but that was far too on the nose. Ada had said Suda would be able to negotiate, but so far he'd screwed up nearly every word.

"I don't know what you two are trying to pull," The Smuggler said, acting on his suspicions. "But you get out of here right now, and don't come back."

The smuggler had numerous associates scattered about the dock warehouse, and they began to converge on their location. Suda looked around in disappointment.

"Kunik, please guard the door, make sure nobody else comes through," Ada said. Kunik might have objected, but he had seen plenty of lowlifes outside. Guarding the door actually was pretty important. The others were about to cause quite a ruckus.

Since violence was already inevitable, Whistler decided to embrace it. She unfolded her staff and pressed the hard metal rod against the smugglers throat, pinning him against the wall.

"Now, about the Red Moon," Whistler said threateningly.

Whistler was nearly interrupted by a metal club striking her in the head, but Suda brought it to a quick stop. At least he could do that right, Whistler thought. Suda turned the club on its wielder and kept his back to Whistler and her captive, making sure that the two were not interrupted.

"You should start talking now," Whistler advised. She tapped her staff against the side of his head, forcing the smuggler to look left, towards Ada's personal battle with the criminals. There was a tangible fear in his eyes as he watched the young swordswoman cut his friends and coworkers to ribbons. Whistler smiled and asked him one more time to talk.

Suda and Ada regrouped in the middle of the brawl and talked while they fought. Suda idly swatted the common thugs aside while Ada flashed her blades.

"What's going on with you, Suda? You used to be able to negotiate like a champion."

This was the same Suda who had once single-handedly gotten them aboard a smuggler crew out of Tunuk Bay. It seemed odd that he would mess up so badly today.

"I don't know, I thought I was doing good," Suda said. A criminal thug got a little too close for bending, so Suda picked him up, held him overhead briefly, and threw him against a wall.

"I think you're losing your touch, Suda," Ada said. It had been many years since he'd committed any actual crimes. It was possible he'd lost all of his criminal instincts entirely.

"Well, as far as problems to have," Suda said. "I think not being a criminal is a good one."

A bad problem to have was being launched across a room, as Kunik unfortunately discovered. Suda caught the flying swordsman as Ada examined the door. A pile of fallen thugs attested that Kunik had done an admirable job guarding the door, but he had simply gotten overwhelmed.

Whistler vaulted over a table and briefly examined Kunik. He looked hurt, not badly, but bad enough that it would be best to get him out of here sooner rather than later. Luckily Whistler had gotten what she needed, and Kunik's failure to guard the door had given them a convenient situation. All the smugglers had lined up along the doorway. A single hurricane breeze caught them all off guard, sending them flying out the door like a cannonball while Whistler and the others made their escape.

And in the meantime, Sen had been reading a book. In the midst of all his searching, the door slammed open loudly. Sen took a quick glance to see Ada walking through the door with a limping Kunik wrapped around her shoulders. Sen immediately left his book behind to investigate.

"Are you alright?"

"Eh, I have my arms around a beautiful lady," Kunik sighed. He clutched at his ribs as he spoke. "I'm doing just fine."

Ada smiled, but she was quick to lay him safely on a nearby chair. Sen stripped off his coat and examined Kunik's injuries. He had several cuts and bruises.

"You should see the other thirty-eight guys," Kunik said casually. Sen didn't bother laughing at his joke. He found the nearest source of water and went to work tending Kunik's wounds. Yakkul soon arrived to examine his student.

"What happened to you?"

"We went out to follow some intel I got from Ko Rin," Ada said. Suda and Whistler brought up the tail end of their expedition. "Kunik insisted on coming, because he apparently considers potential death worth the opportunity to flirt with me."

"I was not flirting," Kunik said. He groaned as Sen healed one of his bruises. "I know about Canto. I actually wanted to help."

"Knowing you, it's a little bit of both," Yakkul said. "Where'd you go?"

"Down by the wharfs, a smugglers den," Ada explained. "A few of the Red Moons old contacts still hole up there."

"Impossible," Tinaaki scoffed. "We've scoured those docks clean a thousand times over."

"We are not perfect, Tinaaki," Kyros said. "It's possible we missed something."

"I doubt it," Tinaaki said coldly. "What did you find out from these supposed contacts?"

"Not a thing," Whistler said. "Not one of them has heard anything about the old gang coming back to life. No old members have come back, no supplies were purchased, nobody was contacted for information, nothing. There's no connection to the old Red Moon at all."

Sen's eyes narrowed. That seemed wrong.

If it were an old member of the Red Moon, they would have reused their old connections and resources. It wasn't a former member, but it couldn't be someone completely unrelated either. There was some kind of connection between the Red Moon and their new foe. It was just a kind of connection that Ada hadn't been looking for. Sen looked to Tinaaki.

"Did the members of the Red Moon have any family?"

Ariak was hunched over in his cell, waiting out the storm. He had faith that the Avatar would save him, but it was still an unpleasant wait. He longed to be free of this cell, and of the taunting of his captor.

She would often brag about how careful and precise her plans were, but other times she seemed careless and self-centered. Many times she would come to Ariak for the sole purpose of shouting and scolding him for some unknown reasons. She had yet to explain her motivations, but her hatred was obvious. With all her heart, all her mind, all her soul, she hated Ariak, hated him as much as it was possible to hate another human being.

She decided that now would be the time to vent that hatred. Something glass slammed against a wall and broke. Ariak's captor found her way to the bars of his cage and glared at him, the disk of red steel around her neck dangling as she wobbled unsteadily.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep you prisoner," She grumbled. "How hard it is for me to know you're alive, when I could so easily change that."

"Pretty easy, since I'm not dead yet," Ariak said. He would not be intimidated by a madwoman.

"Oh it's not," She slurred. "I'm just that disciplined, I suppose, that driven to see you suffer for what you've done."

"I've done a great many things in my life," Ariak said. "You'll have to be more specific."

She slammed her fist against a wall angrily.

"You don't even remember," She screamed at him. "You don't even care! It didn't mean anything to you, you animal!"

She roared incoherently and hung her head. She was clearly not in her right mind, whether by natural psychosis or being too deep in her cups. Ariak kept his back to the wall and refrained from talking to her again. If she was that unstable, Ariak ran the risk of her acting on her violent desires at the slightest provocation.

"It mattered to me," The unstable woman moaned. "She mattered."

The woman slunk away from the cell, mumbling to herself sadly. As she left, Ariak tried to look out the bars after her. Now he finally realized why she looked almost familiar. One of the Red Moon had been a woman who looked much like her. It was a family resemblance.

"They never bothered to follow up," Sen mumbled to himself. The records had been easy enough to find. There hadn't been many family members to account for, so the search was brief. There were still a few suspects to be hunted down. Tinaaki and Kyros were off to interrogate potential targets, while Sen and his friends simply waited.

"Of course they don't," Suda grunted. "They think they can solve problems by spearing them. They never look at the big picture."

Ada was more favorable to the Shorewatchers than most of her friends, but she kept her mouth shut. In this case she couldn't deny that they had messed up. If one of the Red Moon's family members really had learned the secrets of bloodbending from their relative, then it was an obvious, and easily avoided, mistake. A mistake that Ariak might be paying for.

They were running dangerously low on time. It would be the full moon soon, and whatever revenge their enemy was planning would be possible. Sen couldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't fail.

Sen clenched his fists and relaxed them before clenching them again. His body felt like a coiled spring just waiting to release. All he needed was one push in the right direction. As soon as he knew where to find Ariak he could make his move. Nobody bothered to calm him down. If worst came to worst he would need that intensity. Bloodbending was a dangerous tool even against the Avatar, and they were running out of daylight.

Sen stood outside, carefully watching the movements of the sun. Days were short at the North Pole. When night fell and the moon rose, Ariak might be lost. The clock was ticking.

After a long pause, a welcome relief to the tension of waiting came as the earth underfoot began to shift, signaling the return of Gun. The badgermole was exhausted, but he dutifully returned to his master. Sen comforted the weary badgermole, but he needed to know what Gun had discovered. Gun was quick to answer, in the ways that only Sen would understand: He knew where Ariak was.

Sen clenched his jaw and nodded slowly. He rubbed his hands across Gun's cheeks.

"I know you're tired, Gun, but I need to get there as fast as I can," Sen said. "I need you to take me to him."

Gun huffed loudly and pressed his face into Sen's chest, slowly lifting the Avatar up and raising him onto his striped back. With a quick thanks and a word of motivation, Sen ordered Gun back into the soil, back to Ariak's underground prison.

"He didn't even invite us," Whistler snorted. She had been under the impression that this would be a team effort.

"This is about to become much more dangerous than any of us are prepared to handle," Ada said. She pointed at the sky. The sun was already dangerously close to the horizon. The full moon was coming. Time was running out.

Sen had tunneled before, but never quite as frantically as this. He and Gun worked in tandem to tear through the soil as fast as possible, rushing towards Ariak. He had been watching the sky carefully. He knew exactly how little time he had. He would not waste a second.

Nearer to their destination, their pace slowed. Sen did not want an earthquake alerting Ariak's captor to a potential escape. From here on out he would have to go more gently. He thanked Gun for his help again and dismissed the badgermole, who immediately went to go find food and somewhere to sleep. Sen proceeded alone, carefully and quietly tunneling through the soil.

He could feel heartbeats pounding through the dirt now, one erratic and unsteady, the other calm and collected. He got closer to the source, and slammed his palms against the earth, feeling out the structure of the building. One room was obviously a cell. Sen inched his way through the dirt until he reached a stone wall.

Quietly and slowly, Sen pushed aside the stone wall, opening it like a door. Ariak nearly fell backwards through the hole. He had been leaning against that wall. He quickly turned around, excited, but obviously not surprised, to see Sen.

"Come on, Ariak," Sen said, gesturing to his tunnel. "Let's get you out of here."

Even as he spoke, Sen felt pounding footsteps from the outside of the structure. Some sort of sentry shouted for attention, and a few people around the building sprung into action. The erratic heartbeat Sen had felt earlier began to pound ever more furiously as it ran to the door.

"What's going on?" Ariak asked.

"I think your father and Kyros must have found this place," Sen said. The two had been investigating on their own; they must have found the trail. "I'll go help them. You get out of here."

"No," Ariak said. He was malnourished and unrested, but he would not leave. "I'm not going to let this happen again."

It had been the carelessness of a Shorewatcher that had started all of this. Ariak would not allow history to repeat itself. Making a mistake once was forgivable, but allowing it to be made again was not. Sen was quick to sense Ariak's resolve. He would not bother arguing against him.

"I'll take the lead," Sen said. "Stay behind me, and stay safe."

Ariak nodded. Sen broke open the cell door and the two proceeded out into the makeshift prison.

Kyros and Tinaaki were currently tearing their way through the deranged woman's hired guards. They were easily lured by the promise of the power of bloodbending, but they were not very strong. Despite the weak showing of their enemies, Tinaaki was enjoying himself.

"I haven't had a fight like this in ages," Tinaaki shouted as he slammed a guard against a wall.

"I'll celebrate when we've saved your son," Kyros said. He was taking this slightly more seriously.

"It's as good as over," Tinaaki boasted. "Once the sun sets we'll-"

He was cut short by a descending pillar of water that crushed him to the ground. Kyros was quickly swept off his feet by a flowing surge as well. The two quickly recovered, but their recovery meant very little.

The sun had set already. A roaring pain surged through their veins as an unholy power took a grip on their blood. Their spears fell from their hands as they lost control of their own limbs.

"You can't take this from me!"

The bloodbender flexed her fingers and threw her arms forwards, slamming Kyros and Tinaaki into the walls violently. She jerked her hands violently, manipulating them like puppets, twisting their bodies to her whims. She stopped her violent manipulations as she recognized one of her victims.

"You," She said quietly. "You're the Huntmaster."

The bloodbender took on a frantic smile, her dry, cracked lips parting in a wicked grin.

"You're his father," She laughed. "You're his family."

She pulled Tinaaki forward, looking him in the eye. Tinaaki could not even control his own facial expression in the grip of her bloodbending, but the fear in his eyes was obvious.

"I'll take you from, like he took her from-"

"Stop this!"

Ariak stepped ahead of Sen, into the chamber with the bloodbender. Sen was quick to follow in his footsteps. The bloodbender panicked when she saw him free. She cast a hand in his direction, and Ariak felt a brief jolt of pain through his veins. He and Sen were both gripped by the pain of bloodbending. Sen wasted no time allowing the pain to overcome him. He grit his teeth and focused within.

"I need this!" The bloodbender shouted wildly. "You can't-"

The crazed woman hesitated slightly as she felt her grip begin to break. Sen focused, pushing against her unholy hold on his blood, moving his fingers slightly at first, and then his arms.

"You can't!"

His hands trembled slightly, but Sen managed to maintain control. This crazed bloodbender was not in the same league as Amon or Tarrlok. With the wisdom gained from Korra and his own studies of bloodbending, it was possible to keep her at bay, if only barely. Bloodbending could only truly be countered by bloodbending; Sen took control of his own body by force, with just enough strength to keep himself out of her control. He could not and would not bloodbend another for any reason, but he had taught himself enough about bloodbending to keep himself free of any manipulation.

"No, no, no no no no no," The bloodbender chanted, falling into more frantic tones with each repetition. Her eyes betrayed her desperation. She released her painful grip on the others and focused entirely on Sen, trying to freeze him in place. It was a wasted effort. Sen's bending was unrefined, but by his nature as the Avatar he was stronger than her.

"It's over," Sen said, gritting his teeth

"No, no, it's not over," The bloodbender screamed. "He has to die!"

"I am sorry!"

The bloodbender froze as Ariak shouted his apology. Ariak's eyes were red, from sorrow, not pain. A chilled quiet settled into the previously chaotic room. Sen let his hands drop. The bloodbender made no attempts to bloodbend again.

"I'm sorry," Ariak repeated. "I had no right to take the lives I did."

He could remember the day he had found the Red Moon. They were slavers, all of them, and his anger had blinded them to the fact that they had identities beyond that. They were still people; brothers, fathers, friends, sisters, all these things and more, and he had treated them like animals, never thinking of the consequences of his actions, never thinking about what all that death and pain meant for others.

The bloodbender's face twitched visibly, torn between emotions. There was still hatred behind her eyes, but the edge had been dulled by hints of regret and shame.

"You're trying to trick me," She said frantically.

"I have you outnumbered and surrounded," Ariak said. "I have no reason to deceive you. The only reason I would apologize now-"

Ariak hesitated, choking on his words. Sen continued for him.

"Is if he means it."

Ariak nodded.

"I am sorry for what I did," Ariak said. "And I am sorry for who I took from you."

"She was my sister," The bloodbender cried out, sobbing as she did so.

"I know," Ariak said mournfully. "And I am so sorry."

The Red Moon bloodbender stepped back, pressing her fingertips into her cheeks in confusion. She had not expected this. She had expected some arrogant hunter, bragging about his kills to drunken comrades. She had not expected to see the same things she felt inside herself –the sadness and guilt.

There was a scrape of metal against stone. Sen was the first to notice the sudden motion. He stepped forward.

"Tinaaki, don't!"

Tinaaki paid no heed to the words of the Avatar. He raised his spear up from the ground, up through the air, and into the back of the bloodbender. Her confused eyes shot sharply into an expression of pain and surprise. Tinaaki twisted his spear once, then pushed forward until she fell to the ground.

Sen and Ariak stared at the scene with mouths agape. Tinaaki examined the point of his spear and then cleaned it off casually. After taking care of his spear, he spared a glance to his son.

"Are you well?"

Ariak nodded slightly in response. Tinaaki turned his back and went to help Kyros off the ground. There was a subtle look of disappointment on Kyros' face. He watched regretfully as Ariak and Sen took a few steps back from the violent scene. Tinaaki walked around the body on the ground and stepped forward to face his son.

"I take it they didn't hurt you?"

Ariak looked up at Tinaaki, master of the hunt, and his one time father.

"She was surrendering," Ariak moaned quietly.

"I'm aware," Tinaaki snorted. "But regretting a crime does not undo it."

"You know how punishment works. Bloodbending, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit- well," Kyros said, trying to reassure Ariak. "This was the…only outcome."

Kyros turned his head towards Sen. Sen gave a slight shake of his head. Sen would never approve of what had happened here, not even for a moment.

"I only cut out the middle man," Tinaaki said. "And part of her heart, I think."

He was trying to joke about it. Ariak heard his cruel attempt at a joke and doubled over at the waist as the morose quip made him feel physically ill. Sen was quick to support him, and Kyros likewise stepped forward to help. Tinaaki was so disappointed.

"What's become of you," Tinaaki said, earnestly disappointed. "You were determined and brave once, Ariak, you never would have acted like this."

Tinaaki took a step forward and put his hand on Ariak's shoulder, but Ariak quickly recoiled from his father's touch. Tinaaki shook his head.

"You're blind," Ariak said. His trembling fingers steadied as they curled into clenched fists. There had been a resentment boiling inside him for a long time now, and it was coming to a burning point. Tinaaki had not only repeated Ariak's mistakes, he had done so knowingly, willingly, when another option had readily presented itself.

"I thought somehow I could come to terms with you," Ariak said. "But you'll never see your own flaws, will you?"

"I suppose we have that in common," Tinaaki said. "You aren't alone in hoping we can be a family again, Ariak. When you've both come back to your senses, you and Tsunatak are welcome to come back to me. Until then-"

Tinaaki shouldered his spear and turned his back on Ariak. He tapped Kyros on the shoulder and the Huntsman hesitantly turned his back as well.

"-I have no son."

Ariak's eyes narrowed and his teeth were bared in a sudden spike of anger.

"You have two," He called out in fury.

Tinaaki snorted derisively and shook his head. Kyros gave his friend a confused look. Sen stepped in and pulled Ariak back a step. It was not the time to cause any further conflict. This day had seen enough of that already.

"Come on, Ariak," Sen said. "Tlun is worried about you."

"Right," Ariak said. "Tlun."

Ariak took one last regretful look at his former captor, but only for a moment, for he could not bear to look longer. As dark and bloody of an ending as it was, he hoped that this would at least be the end of the Red Moon and the sisters that followed it.