Book 1: AIR

CHAPTER 10:

INTO THE WEST

Alpha was flying up close to the clouds. Aer was sitting on his head as usual, nestled between his horns. Kan was at the rear, being thrown about by the bison's tail, which moved up and down continuously to airbend them up. Bakiko and Ran-fo were next to each other on the right and Jip and Long-hin on the left. "Where are we heading now?" Bakiko asked as he quickly grabbed Ran-fo from falling off backwards.

"I don't know." Aer said as she stared back at him. "I think we're still trying to avoid that general guy. We're probably going to be going to another island for sure."

"Great. I love islands." Long-hin said sarcastically. He turned to Kan, who had refrained from doing his usual snap back at him. "What's up, twinkle toes?"

"Don't call me that." Kan snapped back. Long-hin shrugged and turned back to the group. "I'm not too fond of islands."

"Well, they're pretty good for exploring." Jip said optimistically as always. "You like that, don't you?" Kan turned to her and gave her a small glare.

"I only go away to be alone." Kan turned back to the rear.

"Oh, then why did you have Aer with you last time?" Long-hin pointed out. Kan blasted him with energy off the bison. Aer caught him in a ball of air and set him back on.

"Kan, I know he annoys you, but I don't think we want to add pollution to our list of grievances." Aer shouted to him. Alpha growled in reply. "See? Even he doesn't want that in the ocean."

"Are you saying I'm trash?" Long-hin asked as he set his hair straight with a flick of his hand.

"No, I'm saying you stink. Try taking a bath for once." It was true. Long-hin had not gotten clean since they left the mountain where there was a convenient spring to get water from.

"Nope. I like a nice coating of stink. Keeps the vicious predators away." Long-hin said. With his already lanky body and swatches of fabric everywhere, it would be easy enough to consider him dead. They had a laugh and the Alpha began to descend. They quickly regretted this decision.

A soldier on the ship beneath them gave a feeble wave to them as his eyes widened. What they had thought were clouds was really much lower to the ground.

They had descended right over one of Zhong's command ships. The general himself was no onboard at the moment. He was over in the east handling the Mizu problem. Alpha quickly pulled up and they became covered once again by a thick forest of cloud and fog and smoke.

"So, now what?" Long-hin said in a bad attempt at making the mood lighter.

"What do you think?" Kan asked as he stared at him. "If they're apparently moving forces over here, it means they know where we were going or at least where we'll be. We've got to move somewhere else."

"Yeah, but where?" Bakiko asked. "I don't think there's many choices as to where to get to. The islands will most likely be scoured and we've no idea if there's a large continent out there."

"There had to be other bodies of land somewhere." Jip said. "I mean, where else would everyone be? I doubt that our village was the only population. We'd have seen Zhong a long time ago."

"How do you know that general's name is Zhong?" Kan asked.

"Well, I kind of heard the name shouted by some of those soldier guys." Jip responded as she sunk a little lower into her collar.

"And when were you close enough to them to hear that?" Long-hin asked. "I don't think they invited us to tea or anything."

"Well, I don't think they would, but that's a good idea for trying to negotiate." Jip said as she put on a small smile.

"I was joking." Long-hin said dryly.

"Jip, how did you overhear soldiers?" Kan asked. Jip looked down and then towards Aer. She gave a small nod.

"I used a technique that Aer taught me. She taught me how to use Airbending to pick up sounds in the distance, magnify them, and hear them. I used it a couple of minutes ago when those men were talking about their general. I think they're afraid of him." Kan turned silently to Aer.

"Why not show her how to bend metal while you're at it." Kan shot at Aer.

"What are you talking about?" Aer said as she turned fully towards him. "I made the technique so that we could hear information without having to get into a confrontation or a fight. A peaceful way to avoid trouble. Why else do you think we haven't run into the army in so long? I've been listening to their movements from up here."

"Yeah. We've been Soundbending for a while now." Jip said as she turned hopefully to Kan.

"Why not just attack the army and be done with it?" Kan said as he threw out an arm. A cloud morphed into a skull behind him and a water whip thrashed through the air. "See? It would have been very easy just to end them and avoid conflict."

"For once I agree with him." Bakiko said. "It is best to just fight first, run later. Sooner or later they are going to catch up with us and I'd rather they be trembling with fright of what we'll do to them instead of it the other way around."

"But that would be cruel." Aer shot at him. Alpha began to grumble. "We have all of this power at our hands, power I never even wanted."

"But I guess fate had other plans, didn't it?" Kan shot as he crossed his arms. "I've felt this power for a long time now. You've only just begun."

"I'm not trying to say that you deserve less than me, but we can't just go on with this deadly force at our fingertips. I mean, I can snap my fingers and wipe out an entire nation. Kan, I don't want that. I'm a vegetarian for spirit's sake." Aer's face was full of emotion, every word of her plea from the heart. "But if this is what fate wants, then I'm sticking to one element only." Aer turned back around and sat on Alpha's head. "I've chosen Airbending. Peaceful and defensive, and only violent when necessary; even then not in a harmful way."

Kan's eyes flared up. Jip turned to Aer and crawled towards her. "And I choose it too." She said to Aer. She threw her arms around her stand in sister and Aer hugged back. "I'm tired of all this fighting too."

Kan bit his lip and turned away from them. "We left that village to get away from them. To be ourselves. Now this is how you go? Sticking to one…"

"Kan, give it a rest." Aer said and she turned softly to him. "Please."

Kan sat up straighter and held his arms across his chest.

"Thank you." Aer replied. She turned back towards the sky and sat still. "We'll go to the west. The army is slightly afraid of going too far into those islands. Mostly volcanic in nature and with a lot of spirit activity."

"Sounds perfect." Long-hin snapped.

"Yes, perfect." Bakiko said as he once again saved Ran-fo from falling off the bison's back.

"Yes, it does sound perfect." Jip piped in, joking as to how Aer had just got this information. Straight from the lips of the terrified soldier a couple of miles below. Alpha roared again and continued flying off, into the west and the unknown.

Zhong boarded the ship, light without his bow, arrows, and missing one bomb. "Get underway." Zhong said as he took his place at the map table. "I want to get on those mountain kids again. We've given them a week while we've been out here searching for the girl. They'll have gotten very far by now."

"Probably into the larger continent." One of the men shouted his opinion. Zhong threw his cup at him.

"No. They won't be there. They would have been island hoping right about now. And very soon, they'll run out of island." Zhong turned to one of the officers. "No word yet of our naval fleet?"

"None whatsoever sir. They have scoured every island and have bases set up on each one. We will need more troops for a closer inspection of them sir. And with this being the only global institution, I don't see how this army can keep going after these…benders." Zhong picked him up and threw him against one of the walls, his hand holding him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"Then we can get more. I know the organizer of this institution and, if we can get enough support from other large cities, we can build an army to devour the entire world. There is no safe haven for them here but a couple of fragmented islands. I will make sure that there is no safe haven, even under a speck of dust. They will be found, starting with the first bender." He let the officer fall to the ground.

"Well, then where is it that you propose we go." One of his men managed to say as the ship rocked away from the dock. Zhong strode over and placed a fat finger on a point of the map. He then traced a circle around it.

"Into those volcanic islands there." Zhong lifted his finger from the islands, the largest of which looked like a skull.

"But, sir, those are full of spirits and…well…not a very pleasant place all around." The soldier stuttered.

"Do people occupy it?" Zhong asked.

"Well…I have heard of human settlements."

"Is it very possible to hide there?"

"Yes, sir, but what are the odds that those kids…" Zhong cut him off abruptly.

"What were the odds that those kids would fly off that mountain?" He slammed his fist on the table. "What were the odds that a sky bison would ferry them to safety and, most likely, escort them around the world?" The soldier backed up to the rail as Zhong approached him. "And what are the odds that I won't throw you off this boat if you dare go against my wishes again?"

"I…um…not, I mean…very high sir." The soldier answered through chattering teeth.

"You're right." Zhong grabbed the soldier and tossed him into the foamy water at the side of the ship. "I don't need insubordinate men on this trip. If you do drift to shore before something eats you, make sure to get that girl for me." Zhong gave a mock wave and walked to his cabin, the men splitting to let him through. He slammed his door behind him, causing the ship to rock.

"Well, I suggest we get some wind in those sails and get underway." The Captain said as he straightened his shoulder pads and picked his helmet up off the deck. "Set a course towards those islands.

"Sir, look!" a crew member shouted as he pointed to the sky. The Captain looked and saw a hawk circling over the ship. It descended and flew to the rail of the ship. The Captain walked over to it and untied the mote from the hawk's leg. It squawked, inquiring about its fee. The Captain fished in his pocket and fed him some bread and then read the letter. It was scribbled quickly from the looks of it, blotches of ink staining the page. The handwriting was like deciphering some unknown language.

"Need payment before any…services. Boy may be in… Ten times the amount. There may also be…Gang Hi….Pathigo…Kilmojo…Tirji and Kizu. The Screaming Banshees." The captain folded up the note and pocketed it. A hand instantly shot out for it. The hawk gave a final caw and fled into the sky. The Captain turned it over to Zhong's open hand and he read through it.

"Pay them they're due, but ask to meet them in person for more information." Zhong said. "I want the other half of our fleet to set a course to Pathigo and Kilmojo. We know who we're after."

"Who sir?" the Captain asked. Zhong gave a small smile and scratched his chin. He then turned the letter towards him.

"We're looking for little Kizu." Zhong pointed to the name right beside his brother. "We may have to pay a visit to Tirji's cell when we get back as well. There may be more than what he's told us." Zhong crumpled up the paper and walked to the bow of the ship, staring off at the horizon was they moved towards the mountain kids. The mountain group had no idea what they were going into or what they would find as they moved into the west.