The night was dark and cold, with only the pale light of the stars offering only the faintest bit of comfort. Kunwei shivered as they walked further upstream, away from the village and their home. His breath came out in clouds of condensed water vapor as the night grew colder. It was early spring after all, it explained the chilly temperatures.
Yinling sniffled as they walked further and further, "I'm scared," she said quietly, tears tracing down her eyes, "Where's dad?"
Gang Chao didn't answer her, he just walked ahead, his head bowed, shoulders hunched. Kunwei stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about something for a few seconds, then looking back from where they came, "I think we should head back," he said suddenly.
His older brother paused for a second, then kept walking, "No," the reply was abrupt and emotionless, "We have to keep going."
"But dad could be back there!" Kunwei argued, motioning with his hands in the direction they came from, "They could have defeated the Fire Nation!"
Gang Chao kept walking, "We can't turn back now Kunwei, if father survived, he'll come find us," he said simply, his tone was stoic, yet his body language told a different story. Had Kunwei seen him in the sunlight and not in the darkness of night, he would have seen a face etched with worry and fear. The teenager had an idea of what happened to his father, he just didn't have the heart to say it to his brother, "We've got to keep moving, the Fire Nation might be anywhere around here."
"But-," Kunwei began, fully ready to protest and argue for the sake of his father.
The silhouette of Gang Chao stopped and turned around abruptly, "Not another word, okay? We aren't going back, it's too dangerous and I promised father that I'd protect the two of you. We'll return after the war is over . . ." he said and added under his breath in a hopeless tone, "If the war ever ends."
Kunwei was silent after that, the only sound that broke the silence was the crunch of feet on the rocky ground. He was thankful for the years of walking in no shoes, it toughened his feet up greatly, covering the soles in callouses and roughening the skin. Shoes were hardly necessary in the Earth Kingdom where being close to the earth was a way of life and he felt more powerful and in control of his earthbending when he was barefoot.
They continued upriver in the dark, once in a while Yinling would yawn or complain quietly about being tired, but they still pressed on until the sister sat down hard on the ground and refused to get up.
"I want a break! Now!" she whined, her voice was tremulous with the threat of crying.
Gang Chao sighed heavily and found a boulder where he could sit, Kunwei sat on the bank of the river, throwing rocks into it. Now that they stopped, they realized the sky had gotten noticeably lighter and the sounds of morning were greeting their ears. They sat for several minutes, the older brother passing around a water skin and allowing everyone to have a drink. The cool water quenched their thirst and moistened their dry mouths.
In the murky predawn light, they could see a lot more detail, namely the lack of substantial vegetation and the one or two forsaken structures on the side of the path, in serious disrepair. Gang Chao's eyes lit up in recognition, "We're almost there," he said, getting up quickly, "Let's go," he picked up Yinling and began walking, Kunwei walked close behind, "Once we get to the city, we can sleep."
"This place looks like no one's lived in it for years," Kunwei complained as he looked at the decrepit shacks and rotting pieces of lumber.
Gang Chao sighed, "That's because no one's lived here for years, Tu Zin is an abandoned mining town. We should be safe here and rest up before heading across the mountains to a village on the other side," he said, "I have a map in my pack, we'll check it once we get to the village."
They walked in silence again, this time for a shorter distance, Kunwei looked around at the empty village as they entered the main street, "This place gives me the creeps," he whispered as they walked through the vacant ruins.
Gang Chao nodded, "Me too, but there's no one here, no one wants to come to this place," he turned to a building and entered it, finding a slightly sheltered corner.
The three siblings sat down, taking a deep breath and letting their weariness set in, Yinling finally asked, "What happened?"
Gang Chao sighed as he pulled out his map, "Remember those people who came to our village a few weeks ago?"
Kunwei nodded, how could he not?
Weeks earlier . . .
"Please, let us stay for a few days at the least," a haggard looking man pleaded with the village elder.
The old man shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry, but we're struggling enough as is, we can give you provisions for the next leg of your journey. We can't let you stay here."
The man looked sadly at his wife and then down at his feet, "Yes, we understand and are grateful for any help you can give us."
Kunwei saw the sadness on the man's face and felt sympathy, he tugged on Gang Chao's sleeve, "Why can't we let them stay with us?"
Gang Chao shook his head, "They're refugees Kunwei, they'll be better off in Ba Sing Se than in this village. Far safer too," he said and he turned away to help his father carry the goods back to the farm, Kunwei looked towards the couple before running off after his brother.
"So we're like that couple?" Kunwei asked uneasily, "Those . . . what were they called?"
"Refugees," Gang Chao said and sighed, "You better remember it too, because that's what we're going to be for a while," his voice turned acrid before glancing at his brother's worried face, "Come on," he said softly, "get some sleep. We have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."
The teen looked down in his lap to see Yinling had already fallen into a deep sleep, her head resting on his lap. He glanced upwards to see Kunwei on the ground, his head resting on a pack, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.
"Brother," Kunwei began tentatively, he avoided eye contact with his sibling though. He seemed to be worried about something, Gang Chao had an idea what.
"Hmm?" the older brother questioned as he leaned back into a comfortable position, "What's wrong?"
"What . . . what do you think happened to the village?" his small voice echoed through the abandoned town, "I mean, do you think the Fire Nation's taken it over?"
Though he hated to tell it straight, Gang Chao knew that telling a lie would hurt more in the end, "Yeah, I think they've taken the village," he said softly, staring up at the nonexistent ceiling and trying hard to keep from crying, 'You've got to be strong for them.' he kept repeating in his head.
"What do you think happened to everyone in it? Was that soldier really telling the truth that they'd burn everyone and everything down?" Kunwei's lower lip trembled at the thought of his friends and family dying in the Fire Nation attack.
"I don't think so, I mean, they need people to help work the mines and stuff," the older brother replied truthfully, "I know those Fire Nation scum wouldn't do all the menial labor on their own," he spat and finally calmed down enough to say, "I bet father is still alive and waiting out the war, just like we are."
"Should we go back then?" Kunwei asked, a large yawn threatening to launch him into the fretful sleep that people with a lot on their minds often suffered. His brown eyes peered tiredly at his brother.
"Father told us to keep moving towards Ba Sing Se until he came for us," the brother closed his eyes and said in the final moments before slumber, "So we'll keep moving forward. No matter what."
"No matter what," Kunwei repeated as his mind lapsed into unconsciousness.
A little shorter, sorry, next chapter will be a bit longer. :) Please review!