Chapter 8: Orange Plumes

I'm burnin' up!

Come put me out, come and put me out!

I knew that this had been coming, but, in the past week, all I'd been doing was meditating and running menial errands for the officers. I'd done a lot of sitting and breathing. A lot. From cleaning, to sitting for four hours to watch practices, to running between officers and delivering letters, I'd never actually gotten to Firebend. Now was my chance to prove myself!

Genji and a few other Lieutenants, all younger, sat to the side to watch. He held that I'm-better-than-this look in his eyes. Then again, he always had that look in his eyes. Kojo was standing there, too, as his dad had given him the day off. Li was sitting up on some rope hanging from the crow's nest and grinning down at me.

I had to take a deep breath and widen my stance as Zargo stepped in front of me. He was going to be my trainer for the day. Iroh told me that different kinds of men practiced Firebending differently—learning the raw, unfettered form of Firebending before the more elegant form was easier for beginners.

Zargo punched one hand out, then brought it back, over the other which was bent at a fourty-five degree angle. I did the same. Next, he brought both around to the opposite side, took a step forward, and punched out with the bent arm, sending a bright plume of flame out. I did the same and was delighted to see the bright fire that erupted from my own hand.

I jumped in the air and shouted, "Yeah, that was awesome!"

Zargo just smiled and pulled both feet together. "Get ready, laddie! We're going to learn a new one and then go back, and so on and so forth until you hate that move."

I wanted to tell him that I would never hate any kind of Firebending but I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew. Rather, I put my feet together and followed the old man's move. This one was more streamline, rather than steps. He pulled one arm back and straightened the other while picking his leg up and kicking out a bright flame at the same time.

Keeping balance while a large, moving flame came out of your foot was more difficult than standing with both feet planted and punching it. I flew back and into a stack of cargo boxes. The men laughed but Iroh just calmly said, "Again."

I got up, ignoring the bruises already forming on my back, and moved through the movements a few times This time, I didn't let the chi burn through my body, I just went through the set. Over and over until I thought I could do it. Then I stood there and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, I went through the set one more time and a bright plume erupted from my foot.

Genji looked grudgingly impressed. Kojo was staring with bright, wonder-filled eyes. Li just hung there with that shit-eating grin on his face. Iroh was the one who, with his same, neutral look on his face, broke the silence. "Good. Back to the first move."

I went back and forth between the two moves until my arms ached and my thighs burned. Iroh gave me a few tips here and there, telling me to widen my stance or keep my arms up. I didn't complain even though sweat was dripping in my eyes and I felt like I was about to collapse.

"Alright," Iroh said after a few more rounds of torture on my muscles. "I'll show you the last two moves in the set."

Iroh resumed the end position from the last move before he turned, lifting a foot up and pulling fire practically from the ground. That foot arced around as his body turned full circle, puling in his right arm and punching out the left to send the arc of fire out into a destructive wave of flames.

He was so elegant that it took me a second to shake off my awe (and slight arousal) and clear my throat. Rather than use chi, I went through the movements and practiced them a few times. Iroh once again gave me a few tidbits and even stepped up to kick my feet further apart and hold my leg higher than it should have been able to go. I winced as he pulled on the abused muscle but otherwise kept performing.

"Try it with fire, this time," he said, standing in front of me. "And shoot it at me."

I stopped in my tracks and stared wide-eyed at my commanding officer. "What? No!"

His chastising glare made me feel a little guilty. "Huo, I'm a Master Firebender. I think I can defend myself from your attack."

The blush on my face rivaled the fire of embarrassment in my stomach. "O-okay." I followed through with the move and was impressed to see the large arc of flame turn into an impressive wall before I pushed it towards Iroh.

Iroh, both hands out, pulled the fire into his body before splitting it and throwing both arms behind his back, throwing it to the metal behind him. I stared in awe once more. He moved through the steps and looked at me knowingly. I quickly followed suit.

This is everything I've ever wanted, I reminded myself as my entire body burned with exhaustion as time went on. Lieutenants went to mess, Kojo had fallen asleep, and even Li had disappeared up into the crow's nest. Iroh was still there, though. He'd dismissed Zargo hours before.

My bending is all I have left. I bent walls of fire and plumes of flame from my hands and feet for what felt like eternity, but it was an immense relief, in all honesty. For nineteen years I'd kept all of that fire pent up. I wasn't going to complain one bit for the predicament I'd gotten myself into.

This is everything I ever wanted.

My bending is all I have left.

I am more than who I was!

I can become more.

I am more.