Book 1: AIR

CHAPTER 4:

GENERAL ZHONG

The ships were packed with supplies as the men set out to war. A make shift desk had been made with a set of maps on it. A man in his late forties was peering over it. He was well built with black hair and white streaks through it. He wore golden armor with green and blue tinted in it. His helmet sat on its side on the desk along with his cloak wrapped in a sort of blob. He had a sort of tendency to scratch the scar across his lower chin from a Canyon Crawler incident. "I suggest we attack at the left front first," Zhong said as his captain came up to him. "We won't be able to get up that mountain by any means, especially with this amount of men."

"Than how shall we go about taking those heathens off the mountain?" his captain asked as he gave a small bow of the head. Zhong again scratched his chin and turned to the ships.

"Double stock on explosives and rope. We may need it." Zhong shouted to a hand as he was walking to the ship with a large crate of blasting jelly in his arms.

"We'll blast our way up into the mountains?" the captain asked as he raised an eyebrow to the plan.

"No. We'll force their move." Zhong said as he rolled up his map and scratched his chin again. "I will take the mountain men, you and another patrol will take to the north and get that girl."

"And the boy at the farm?" the captain asked as he put his helmet on. "Is he not a major threat to us?"

"He is, but I already have him under control." Zhong shouted over his shoulder as he boarded his ship. Zhong made a soft nod to a crate. The captain stared at it but there was nothing special about it. Some dockhands moved the crate away, revealing the real threat to Kizu. A troop of men were packing gear and ammunition onto a pack of eel hounds.

"We really are going to kill these monsters!" the captain shouted to Zhong when he realized the hard reality.

"There be no one under this sky that can be that powerful and live."

"I'm just saying it's weird." Long-hin complained as he brushed his hair and it changed from a dark brown to a light grey. He gave a small squeak and touched it again, causing it to turn back to brown.

"We all think it's weird." Bakiko said as he folded his arms under his armpits. He was a short boy of 15 and had jet black hair. He had some muscle on him but was nevertheless scrawny for his age. Ran-fo was his brother, who looked almost like hi, albeit being 14 and having brown hair.

"Maybe it is just some passing fluke." Jip optimistically sated as she gave a small shake and put a smile on her face. It was met with disdain by all.

"Now you know how I felt." Kan said as he gave a hard look at all of them. "How I felt having all this energy inside, having it all come to me without my consent."

"Kan! We know, you've felt this your entire life, but please try and be hopeful to this situation." Aer pleaded as she got up from the group. "We don't even know what life is like off this mountain."

"Yeah, cause I'm sure that whole comet thing was only to help us who forgot the memo on what to do with this…bending." Long-hin remarked as he rolled his eyes. Aer shot him a look.

"I'm merely saying that this could in fact be normal." Aer said.

"Normal? How can making things move on their own normal?" Bakiko said with his usual pessimistic attitude.

"Yeah, maybe." Jip said in opposition to him.

"Little sugar puff." Bakiko shot at her as he laid back and threw a hand up, causing a wave of water to go whizzing through the air.

"Guys, let's keep the arguments to a minimum please." Aer said as she turned to the two kids.

"Yeah, listen to mommy for once." Long-hin quipped. Kan sat on his rock, looking at the events unfolding. He laid his head on his arms and tucked his knees up.

Something's coming.

Kan perked up and looked around.

They're coming for you.

Kan looked around and placed a palm to the rock. It was telling him something. "Guys, I think we've got something." Kan said as she shut his eyes. His friends quit their fighting and turned to Kan. Jip gave a squeak and bit her lip.

"They may be friendly Kan." Jip said as she released her lip.

"You can feel it too?" Kan asked as he stared at her. She gave a small nod. Kan tilted his head a bit. Strange how much in touch with the world she is.

Oww!

The earth had cried out as a small puff of smoke wafted up from some trees miles bellow. "I don't think they're friendly, Jip." He felt another vibration and he turned to Jip. Her eyes were wide and scarred.

"What is it?" Aer asked as she ran to Kan.

"I'm not sure, but something's getting closer." Kan said as he wrapped a protective arm around her. Jip got up and walked to the edge of the cliff with Bakiko. Long-hin and Ran-fo sat on the ground. Kan sat, trying with all his might to see further than his eyes would allow.

The blast almost knocked them sky high.

Aer stumbled and colappesed to the ground. Long-hin and Ran-fo were pushed further to the edge, Long-hin rolling off onto a small ledge. Kan leapt up and fell to the make shift stairs to another level behind him. They splinter under him and he saw part of their encampment break away and crumble to the mists bellow. Jip was nowhere to be found.

"Jip!" Bakiko cried as he got to his feet, shoving small trees and pebbles off of himself. He ran to where Jip had been last, second only to Kan.

"I see her!" Kan said as he pointed a finger to a figure getting to her shaky feet bellow. Kan jumped down to her, breaking his fall with some energy support beneath him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine I think." Jip said as he began to check her bodies for any cuts or bruises. That's when the hooks shot into the sky. They clipped at rocks and ledges, most falling off of the unstable mountain. Kan held Jip close to him as he thrust a fist forward. A rock wedge jettisoned out of the mountain and went to the depths bellow. He threw a fist beneath him and a rock ledge pushed him upwards, energy stabilizing him in flight and allowing him to safely reach the top as another blast shook the mountain, destroying the perch Kan and Jip had just been on.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Long-hin shouted as he got to his feet.

"And where are we going to go?" Bakiko asked as he helped his brother to his feet. "They'll probably have surrounded the mountains by now."

"There is our secret path." Aer said as she hurtled towards her garden with a large sack. "Get your things!"

"What are you doing?" Jip asked as she ran after Aer and Kan shoved Bakiko aside to reach his sleeping area. He had nothing of real importance to him but his one dagger. He threw it onto his belt and rolled up his sleeping bag. He looked over as Long-hin stowed away his cross-bow and Bakiko and Ran-fo distributed the weight of their food and sleeping supplies along with their clothes. The mountain shook again as Aer and Jip reappeared at the top of the slope that led to the garden. She fell to her feet but quickly got up and ran to her mat and blanket and threw them on her back. Jip was holding the bag full of food and was quickly packing up her things, giving a long look at the photo of her family before slipping it into her pocket.

The mountain shook again and Long-hin tumbled downwards. He caught himself on some rubble and clambered back to the top. "It's time to leave." Aer said as she hugged Jip and began to the bushes that hid a steep slope which led to a cavern which wound its way down to a small pond at the base of the mountain.

The mountain shook again.

"We won't make it out that way!" Bakiko shouted as he stumbled and he heard more rubble fall.

"He's right." Kan said. "There's no way out or away from whoever is attacking us."

"Then we are dead!" Jip sighed. Her face was beginning to drown in tears. Aer gave her another hug and whispered encouragement in her ears. Kan looked down. Aer's eyes wandered to the south.

"We can follow them." Aer said with determination and straightened her pack on her back. She paced back and forth as the explosions continued, she was making movements and going through paces. She finally gave a huge breath and closed her eyes. She backed up and ran at full speed to the edge of the mountain, her arms doing weird movements beside her. She jumped and was lost from view.

Kizu was woken abruptly in the middle of the night. He woke to see his brother sitting by his side with a lantern in his hand, shining on Kizu's pale face. A knapsack was by his side and a worried face cried silent tears in the semi darkness. "You have to go." His brother said as he held out the knapsack to him and whipped the sheets off of Kizu's mat.

"What? Why?" Kizu got up and rummaged for his clothes which his brother was frantically throwing to him.

"They are coming. The attendants gave me the message a few minutes ago."

"Who is coming?" Kizu threw on his clothes and accepted the blankets his brother had rolled for him. "Tirji, what is going on? Why is everyone acting differently to me?"

"Because you're different." Tirji hugged his brother and began to cry. "I have a friend over at Gang Hi. Find him and live with him secretly for a while. I have sent a hawk along to tell him."

"Tirji, I…" Kizu started to saw before he heard horrible howling in the night.

"I will try to stall them as long as I can." Metal was heard clanking around as heavy thuds were heard outside. Tirji opened the shutters and let the moonlight into the room. "Go through those fields and into the woods. Don't stop until you make it to Gang Hi. Blend in and don't stand out!"

"What's happening?" Kizu said as tears of terror flowed down his face as thunderous pounding was heard on the door. His father was heard getting up in the night to answer. Whoever it was wasn't going to wait long. Wood was heard splintering from where the door once was. Tirji threw his brother out the window and handed him some money to put in his pocket.

"I'm sorry, Kizu. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you as I should have." Tirji said as tears streamed down his face and loud shouts were heard from somewhere in the house and furniture was over turned. "Be strong and be safe. May the spirits guide you." They hugged a last time, Kizu too chocked with tears to say anything to his brother. Tirji leaned out and, with a final somber look at his brother, shut the shutters.

Kizu's legs felt like they would give out any moment. He turned and made some short steps into the fields. There was a loud boom as his bedroom door was kicked in. "Where is he!" a loud and chilling voice screamed. Kizu quickened his pace. He heard more slamming and broke into a sprint. "To the hounds, he's loose!" the voice said again. A wail like a shrieking banshee rang out into the silent night, striking so much fear into Kizu that he screamed and broke into a bigger sprint. More were heard and suddenly, the fields around him were rippling as large beasts ran through them, much faster than Kizu could. He kept on running, tears pouring out of his eyes and soaking the ground beneath him. He made it to the woods, where he was met with more frightful shrieks and large shapes darted into his path.

"He's here somewhere!" a small wheezy voice cried in an almost whisper. Kizu wanted to be invisible. He wanted to disappear or bend something to free himself from this nightmare. It didn't work as he had planned. The trees bent into odd shapes, batting his persuers off course and giving him a clear path to where he was headed. He sprinted through this lane, hearing and seeing these large beasts scouring the area from the terrified boy. He finally touched stone and ran out of breath. He did not stop running though.

He ran into a gutter of Gang Hi and slumped to the ground, pulling out his blanket to shield himself from whatever may come looking for him in the murky night. He cried himself to sleep, lost and afraid in a world which had just turned against him.

Zhong stood at the bottom of the mountain, giving out signals to activate the explosives. "General, what exactly are we to do?" one of his subordinates asked. "We threw the ropes up and are setting off explosions as you wish, but I doubt we'll have enough to destroy this entire mountain. The troops are ready."

"We won't need troops until they come down." Zhong said as he motioned fro another blast. He scratched his chin and raised his binoculars to the sky. He could see the kids panicking like little specks beneath his feet. "Not clear enough to see where they are going."

"But, we are a good deal up, sir." The private answered. "We could easily try to make a path to get up there if you will give us time."

"Negative." Zhong said as he scratched his chin yet again. "The mountain was steep enough just to get this far. No, those kids were left alone for many reasons but the biggest was that noone can get to them. And if we can't get to them, they can't get to us. So how did they get up there?"

"I'm not too sure sir."

"Well, they'll tell us, won't they?" Zhong gave a selfish chuckle and peered up again as he signaled another blast. "They'll panic and run to their secret exit like the little kids they are."

"And what if they don't?"

Zhong shot a look to kill at the private.

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you! You are just supposed to be surrounding this mountain and watching fro if anyone leaves." The private wet himself and went back to his patrol. Zhong snickered and turned back to the mountain. He saw her. Aer had jumped. "What! They wouldn't dare." Aer fell a couple of feet and then, she leveled out.

She was flying without any help. Just like a sky bison. Her arms moving in weird rhythm to keep the energy flowing. The he saw more do it as well. They were flying to freedom. "I don't believe it!" Zhong dropped his binoculars as he stared at the phenomenon before him. They glided behind a mountain and were gone.

"What shall we do, general?" the private asked as he stared at where the kids had flown past.

"We'll chase them is what we'll do!" Zhong smashed his binoculars beneath his foot and stormed off to his tent. "That other boy had better have been dealt with."

"Actually, we just got a message about that."

"And what about him?"

"He's gone. They think his brother warned him and sent him off. He could be anywhere." Zhong stopped in his tracks. He ground his teeth and threw a hand into his hair. He stomped the ground and flew into his tent.

"We leave to get that boy then! We will take care of these monsters! Starting with that brute's family. We will show them that they can run, but we will find them and end them. These…benders will not inhabit this world so long as I am on it!"

The troops began to pack up that night. The only question on their minds were: "Where will they go with nowhere to hide?"