Author's Note: We're coming out with chapters so fast! I guess that's the power of co-writing! now go write the battle Trombe!! muwahaha! --artsyelric

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Freedom's Prodigal Son

Fight

"Wait!" Pipsqueek protested. "Why would the fire nation attack such a small village? Don't they normally go after large, prosperous towns first? I mean, we've seen it hundreds of times."

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little sketchy on the schematics," Longshot replied. "Jet was only eight, and I'm a year younger than him. We didn't understand much back then. But my best guess - they wanted to attack us as an example to the other villages. They wouldn't loose any trade destroying us, and it was all too easy for them."

Longshot's eyes began to simmer beneath his straw hat, and he felt his throat catch. Smellerbee gave him a reassuring smile, and he nodded back at her. Telling it wasn't reliving it. He should be at a point at his life where he could speak about things like this. He needed to stop hiding behind silence now, for Jet, and for himself.

He took a deep breath, and plunged on.

"They were right about the destruction of our village setting an example for Riverford and the other local towns, but they were wrong about us going down easily. The men of our village put up quite a fight - and Jet's father was a true hero..."

"The fire nation is coming."

Fire nation. How could a word Jet had never heard until a few hours ago inspire such fear in him? He didn't know who they were, but he knew he didn't want them to come. He didn't want to see his mother's face pale, her lip quivering, or her eyes brimming with tears. He didn't want to see his father gripping a pole arm with a white knuckled fist. He didn't want that bell to keep ringing like the end of the world.

"What do we do?" Chisui whispered.

Tenyu shifted his grip on the spear. "We fight."

"We what?"

"Allies will come from Riverford. That's what the bell system is for, not just to warn our village, but the surrounding towns as well." Chisui looked at him with pleading eyes. "They will come," Tenyu insisted as he began to strap his boots. "I know the men there, and they are as good as any. They will come. We just have to make sure there's something here for them to save."

"Tenyu..."

"Men are coming from Riverford, Daddy?" Liu asked. "Will they have rock candy? I like that!"

"Well, I don't know about rock candy, Liu, but if you're really good, I promise to get you some next time I go." He bent down to his son and took the baby hands around his own calloused fingers. "Will you be good?" Liu nodded solemnly. "Then I want you to listen to your brother, understand? Do whatever Jet tells you to, as fast as you can. Do you promise?"

"I promise," Liu agreed, slopping over the word a bit.

"And what do I do?" Jet asked, uncomfortable with the sudden change in responsibility.

"You be brave," Tenyu told him, "and do what your mother says. Keep Liu out from under her feet, and away from the village borders. Stay inside unless a grownup tells you otherwise, even if it's boring. Can you do that?" Now it was Jet's turn to nod seriously. "That's my boy," his father said, mussing his hair.

"But where are you going?" he asked as his father rose to leave.

"Father's going to stop the fire nation soldiers," Chisui told Jet, picking Liu up. "He's going to fight," she added, seeing confusion on his face.

"Why do you have to fight?" Jet demanded. "Why can't you stay here, with Mother and Liu and I? I... I'm ... I don't..." The eight-year-old's speech was lost to a huge sniffle, and the snot-face only a small boy can pull off.

Suddenly his father was hugging him. "I know, Jet," Tenyu whispered. "I'm scared too. But I have to go fight." He held his son back from him, at arm's length, and Jet felt like his father was looking at him in a much older way then the boy had ever been looked at before. "Someday you'll understand, but freedom is something we have to fight for - something worth protecting. Jet, never forget what you fight for."

He squeezed Jet's shoulder and rose. Jet watched him press a quick, parting kiss on his mother's lips which Jet always found disgusting, and pat Liu's head. Then his father turned and walked out the door, his shoulders wide and his spear held high, and Jet could already hear the villagers calling for his advice in strained voices.

Staying inside was boring!

Jet concluded this about an hour after his father left. At first it had been exciting and terrifying watching the men mass outside. His father barked orders, and weapons were found or made from spears and blacksmith's hammers to hoes and pitchforks. But after everyone had moved out, only a few remaining to guard the town center and put out flames, things got boring.

The women were running around dosing anything flammable with water, and dissembling anything portable. Many already began packing their belongings, and Jet wondered if they were going to go somewhere. "Should we pack for a trip too?" Liu asked. "I want to go to Daddy!"

"No, Liu," Jet sighed. "Just be quiet. No one's gong on a trip."

"But look at everyone packing!"

"Father said he'll keep us safe if we stay here, so we're staying here!" Jet barked. "Now stop asking me things I don't know."

Liu was used to his brother's orders by now, but he had promised his father to obey Jet, so he just pouted. Jet was so bored he could have screamed. Eventually he got out a chalk and started playing games with Liu, drawing things on the earthen floor, but even that got boring fast with only two of them to play, and Jet always won.

By the time the evening rolled around, Chisui was exhausted from a hard day's work, and Jet was in a state of torpor at the windowsill, while Liu chased a lizard-fly around the room with a jar he'd unearthed somewhere. But Chisui's weariness, Jet's boredom, and Lui's bug were all forgotten in an instant when Tenyu returned.

The gallant warrior seemed unharmed, other then a few scrapes and bruises.

"Thank the heavens!" Chisui hastily made her way to her husband, locking him in an embrace.

"Honey...not in front of the kids..." Tenyu jested, earning him a smack in the back of the head from his worried wife.

"Daddy's home!" Liu ran past his brother and followed his mother's action in hugging Tenyu.

Jet not to be outdone by his little brother, followed with much more gusto, almost knocking his father over.

"Okay, okay everyone! Slow down. I'm still kinda bruised after all." Tenyu smiled warmly.

"What happened? Is everyone alright?" Chisui asked with concern.

"Its okay, Chisui. It was just a small lightly armed party. Yan and Ye managed to round up some of our make-shift bows, took a few of our men and ambushed them from behind. We managed to thwart their plans and drive them back off with their tails between their legs." Tenyu smiled; while his warrior days had long past him he still felt like a boy, exuberant from something so exciting. But reality settled in once again.

"...Old man Kazu got wounded... badly by a barbed arrow... we tried our best to pull it out, but the shaft wouldn't budge. I... I don't think he's going to make it..."

Tenyu's voice was filled with grief. The old blacksmith was well liked by everyone around town, him with his easy smiles and booming laugh. It had seemed that he would live to be about a hundred years old... he was only shy of sixty.

"Oh no..." Chisui felt her heart sank. Old Man Kazu had always been a part of the village ever since she was a little girl. To hear that he was actually dying... "Who else?" She looked at her husband with remorse.

Tenyu could barely look his wife in the eye. She was always so gentle, his loving Chisui. How could he talk to her about grim matters such as death?

"...Chao lost his boys. Lin and Chin fought bravely..." Tenyu could still recall vividly how the two young men fought with such tenacity and courage. It took six arrows to take down Lin and a spear to the heart stopped his brother in his tracks. Jet watched the conflict flash across his father's face, without really understanding. "They were true heroes... Everyone was today..."

Chisui went back and embraced her husband fiercely. It could have been him, she said to herself. It could have easily been Tenyu. "...At least your safe." She gently stated.

"Dad's strong mom! He can't lose! " Jet exclaimed with one fist raised in the air; even if he wasn't so sure about the details, from the way his dad sounded it looked like they had won against whatever it was they were fighting - these, fire nation soldiers.

Tenyu gently laughed at his son but not before he gave his wife one serious look. Hugging her closely he whispered to her coarsely. "...If anything happens, if you hear anything... get ready to leave Chisui. Make sure the boys are packed and safe."

Chisui's eyes were now glazed with concern. "Whats wrong Tenyu?" she asked, as quietly as he had.

"It was a raiding party Chisui... the main army can't be far behind."

Captain Zhen would be the laughing stock of the entire fire nation army if ever word got out that his veteran group of raiders were soundly defeated by a bunch of mud-slinging peasants. Oh they were organized alright, these low-life villagers; he had to give them that much out of respect for their martial skills. They knew exactly where to strike, where to ambush, and where to retreat. An advantage given only the people who knew the land well. But the other officers wouldn't understand. All they would see is the professional army of the fire nation being tarnished by a simple village.

And that... was something that could never be allowed.

The honor of the 223rd first platoon was at stake.

He had no choice...

"Lt. Dian Wei," he called out.

A gruff, bald, towering man clad in the colors and uniform of the fire nation army emerged inside his tent.

" Yes Captain Zhen..."

The graying captain gave his seal upon a piece of parchment. Slowly he folded the content and gave the scroll to the Lieutenant.

"Deliver my message back to headquarters... and send in the Rough Rhinos..."