I realized that somewhere in the writing of this, I changed Arrkun's name. It was originally Arrluk. I don't know what one I like better, but I would like to make it consistent. Which one do you as readers like best?

Chapter 4

Eona
Earth kingdom Noble's home

Two soft knocks on the door to her bedroom woke Eona. For a minute, she was a bit disoriented, not sure where she was. She almost called out to Faia, telling her to leave her be for a few more hours, but then she remembered she was no longer in the palace.

She stretched, her eyes closed, feeling pleasantly comfortable, a soft smile on her lips. Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains on the bed, not enough to keep her awake, but enough to warm her. She suddenly had no intention of answering the knock, wanting to stay wrapped in the comfortable silk sheets. She had just started to doze again when the knock came again. Her smile disappeared, and she sighed. "What?" she asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Mistress? Ilesh has instructed us to help you prepare for the day. He's waiting for you. May we enter?" Eona recognized the voices of the two maids from the night before. She rolled over onto her back and then sat up, prying her eyes open. She studied the room again, able to see it better in daylight. It was lavishly furnished, the large bed she now rested in the centerpiece of the room. Large doors opened to a private poarch. Sunlight filtered through them, the source of the warmth she had felt earlier. There was a dresser next to the mirror she had noticed the night before, and near the foot of the bed there was a bench seat pushed up against it. A small, low table sat next to the side of the bed. Other tables boasted a variety of plants, bringing life to the room, along with several paintings. "Mistress?" the maids asked again.

"Yes, come in," Eona said, slipping out of bed. Her bare feet rested on a soft, deep green rug. The rest of the floor was wood. She stood, stretching, as the doors slid open.

"We bring a gift from Ilesh," the two maids said as they entered. Between them, they were carrying a few packages, wrapped in simple brown paper. "He told us to tell you that as his employee, he wants to provide you with the best supplies. Also, he says that we are to serve you for the duration of your stay." They bowed, lifting the presents to her.

"Um… okay," she muttered, the gifts taking her by surprise. She accepted the gifts, and laid them on the bed behind her.

"Please, open them, mistress," one of the maids said, speaking separately from the other one for the first time since Eona had arrived. She glanced at them, one eyebrow raised in surprise, and then turned back to the unexpected gifts. Shrugging slightly, she pulled the paper carefully off the packages one by one.

Once the last piece of the paper was removed, Eona examined the contents. Spread out before her on the bed was a black two pieced tunic and belt, very practical but nicely made, obviously for traveling. There was a nice dress, in shades of dark green. A long coat in a similar dark color looked like it could be worn with either garment. There was a set of soft slippers, obviously for the dress, and more practical boots. There was also a hairbrush, a large traveling bag, a small pile of jewelry in similar coloring to the dress, and set of nightclothes, which surprised Eona. How did he know I needed these? She wondered, feeling a bit unnerved. "They're nice," she said when the stares of the two maids urged her to comment.

"Yes mistress, they're the finest. Ilesh had his wife find them for you, earlier this morning," the maids informed her, speaking in unison again. For some reason, hearing that Ilesh hadn't picked them himself was a relief. "The dress is for this morning, and for any other formal moment you may run in to on your travels. He wanted you to have something nice to wear when you meet his family."

"Well then, let's not keep him waiting any longer. I should get ready. Thank you for bringing these," Eona told the girls, dismissing them.

"Will you need any assistance preparing?" they asked.

Eona shook her head. She could get dressed on her own. "No thank you. Wait outside." The two bowed again, and then slipped outside, leaving Eona alone. Holding the dress up to look at it, Eona discovered it actually had two parts; the outer most layer separated easily in her hands, the darker second piece falling to the ground. She laid the top layer on the bed, and gathered up the second part, laying it next to it.

After undressing, she gathered up the dress, and slipped it on. It fit snugly, the long flowing skirts barely scraping the floor below. It had a low collar, ensuring it wouldn't be visible with the top piece, and no sleeves.

The outer most layer was the lightest, with long sleeves. She picked it up, and discovered two pins on the side. Undoing them, she slipped her arms into the billowy sleeves. They just reached her knuckles, making it easy to hide her hands in them. Around the sleeve cuffs was dark embroidery. The layer's skirt was cut at a slant starting at the hip, revealing the layer underneath, which was a few shades darker. The deep green complemented the top layer's color nicely, and matched the embroidery well. She wrapped the front shut, tucking one layer underneath the other, and then redid the pins.

Staring at her reflection, she couldn't help but like the dress, even though she had never been a fan of fancy wear. It was simple yet elegant, not nearly as fancy as what she was used to, but in her opinion it made her look better than any of the stuff she had worn back in the Fire Nation. She had thought she wouldn't look good in green, but the shades made her raven hair look even darker, and turned her eyes a bright coppery color.

Reaching up to brush her loose hair away from her face, she glanced around the room, grabbed the hairbrush from the bed, and began taming her wild hair into a tight braid. She then pinned it up into a bun, and added a headband she found among the jewelry. It set nicely behind her loose bangs, making her simple hairdo look nicer than it was. Adding earrings, and placing her feet in the slippers, she felt ready.

She stepped out of her room, leaving it a mess. She'd take care of it later. The maids bowed to her and said, "Follow us to breakfast, miss." They turned and started back down the hall, Eona in tow. They led her to an open dining hall, with a nice table big enough to sit many guests. Ilesh was already seated at the head of the table, a nice woman about his age sitting on his right, who Eona assumed was his wife.

"Hikari, join us," Ilesh greeted, standing. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," she said gratefully. The maids pulled out the seat across from Ilesh's wife, and Eona sat. "I must thank you for all of your gifts, Ilesh. They're wonderful," she added.

"You're welcome. Only the best for my employees, right Jaya?" Ilesh said.

The woman smiled with a nod. "My husband insists on supplying only the finest for his guests, and those he hires. What job did he offer you?" she asked.

"Oh…" Eona started, still having no clue what her job would be. Ilesh jumped in, saving her from having to answer.

"She's for a special job. We haven't discussed the details yet," he informed his wife, who nodded. Just then, two young men walked in. They looked like brothers, the older of the two about her age, the other about five years younger. "Boys, join us. Hikari, these are my sons, Charan, and Harshul." He gestured to the older boy first, and then the younger.

The two bowed in turn, and then the younger of the two waved enthusiastically. "Hello!" he exclaimed. The older boy smiled, but remained silent. They both had brown hair, Charan's slightly darker. Harshul had big chocolate-brown eyes like his mom, and Charan's were a nice hazel color.

"It's an honor to meet you," she told them. The two claimed seats, Charan sitting next to her, his brother across from him. Another door opened, allowing the smell of cooking food waft into the room, and then five people walked out, carrying plates of food. They placed them in front of the people at the table, and then five more filled their empty cups with steaming tea.

They ate silently, and then when they finished, Jaya excused herself, taking an irritated Harshul with her. Charan stayed, but remained silent as they talked. Ilesh turned to Eona. "So, Hikari, let me tell you why I hired you." Finally, she thought, setting her tea cup down. "Recently a man broke into our home and stole a very valuable and precious family heirloom. I hired a man to track him down, and he followed him all the way to Omashu. Then the thief discovered he was being followed, confronted my man, and severely injured him. I've been looking for somebody sense then that has the right skill set to retrieve this item for me, when I met you."

"So you want me to find the thief and retrieve this heirloom for you?" Eona asked.

"Exactly," Ilesh confirmed with a nod. "I'll pay you well for it. I put a bounty on the man's head, but nobody's managed to stop him yet.

Eona nodded, taking this information in. So I'm doing a bounty hunter's job now, she thought. That's a new low for me. "How am I supposed to find him?" she asked.

"My sources tell me he's heading north again, following the coast line. Why he would come back this way, I have no idea. He's probably trying to sell the heirloom, but with my seal on it, it'll probably be hard for him to sell it; it's obvious he stole it from me, and most people wouldn't want to get mixed up in that business. If he has managed to sell it, I ask that you see if you can track it down," Ilesh requested.

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Eona said.

"So it's settled then?" Ilesh asked. Eona nodded. "Good. You should leave soon, if you want to catch him. He was last spotted a few towns south from here."

Finishing her tea, she stood, "Well then, I better get going. Thank you for your hospitality. I'll return as soon as I can." She bowed to him, something she wasn't used to, and then left the room.

Once back in her room, she changed quickly into the tunic Ilesh had given her, briefly wondering why he had insisted she wear the dress to breakfast. I changed right back out of it. That was pointless. She then began placing all of her belongings in the larger pack. "I'm surprised," came a voice from behind. Eona glanced over her shoulder to see Charan leaning against the door frame.

Turning back to the bed, she grabbed the sword and started strapping it on. "Why?"

"My father hired somebody else to track down that stupid piece of junk. And a girl, no less," Charan clarified.

Eona couldn't help but feel a spark of anger at that comment. "Do you think I can't handle the job?" she asked, letting her irritation show.

"Do you want the truth, or the nice lie I should tell you?" Charan asked, sounding a bit sarcastic.

"The truth."

"No, then. You can't possibly beat this guy alone. The man my father sent before you was older, stronger, a great fighter. Your one girl, probably no older than eighteen, and I'm guessing you don't have much experience with that sword," Charan said, his tone blunt.

Eona turned towards him, her anger flaring. "You know what? If you feel so sure that I can't beat him, why don't you go in my place? I can't imagine you'd do much better. Being a nobleman's son -especially one like Ilesh who hands his problems off to someone else instead of manning up and taking care of them himself- you probably don't even know how to hold this sword." She gestured angrily at the hilt protruding from behind her shoulder.

Charan raised one eyebrow, smirking slightly. "That's who you think I am? A spoiled brat?" he asked, his tone void of any malice.

"That's exactly what I think," Eona confirmed.

"You're right."

Eona blinked, completely surprised by that comment. Her anger deflated a bit, replaced by confusion. "You are? I mean, yeah, you are!" she said, trying to not let her confusion show. She couldn't let him win. Why in the world are you agreeing with me?! she wondered silently.

"You're right, my father would never take care of his own problems. He hates conflict, unless it's a debate for political power. He expected me to grow up, exactly like him, the perfect child. So I would be a spoiled brat unable to hold a sword properly, if I hadn't taken matters into my own hands. I was determined not to end up like my father, so I decided the first step I needed to take was to learn how to defend myself. It took me some time, but I found a master, and I learned," Charan clarified.

"Oh… Well then, that more than qualifies you to take my place," Eona said, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't help but admire Charan for taking control of his situation like that, and was desperately trying to remain angry at him.

"But then, that would leave you without a job. So, I've decided I'm going with you," Charan announced.

Eona stared at him for a minute, once again surprised. "Is that why you came here? To ask if you could come?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, you have a weird way of asking it." After a pause, she added, "What would your father say if he found out you were planning this?"

Charan's face darkened. "My father thinks I'm off to an all-boys private school in Omashu. He won't miss me. I just said goodbye. My stuff's waiting on the porch outside."

"Oh I see, I'm just your ticket out of going off to some horrible school," Eona said with a slight smirk. He stared back, one eyebrow raised, not denying it. Her smirk faded, and she sighed. "I don't blame you. Private schools suck, I should know. Fine. You can come."

He grinned. "Great. Wait, you've been to a private school?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Uh… yeah," she hadn't realized she had said that. She had, back in the Fire Nation. Recovering quickly, she added, "Didn't expect that from a girl like me, did you?"

"Nope," he said, being bluntly honest again. He seems to have a habit of doing that, she thought. "What's taking you so long? We really should get going," he pressed.

She rolled her eyes, turned, grabbed her bag, and swung it over the shoulder opposite of her sword. "If you hadn't barged in here and basically called me a weakling, I would have left by now," she told him. She pushed past him, hearing him laugh lightly, and then he followed.

Avani
Somewhere between Ba Sing Se and the northern shore of the earth kingdom

Avani strolled along, her gaze fixed on the rock she was kicking in front of her. The dusty landscape around her was hot and dry, and very boring. Tora rested on her shoulder as usual, and Arrkun walked a few paces ahead of her. She desperately wanted to ask Arrkun, how much longer? But didn't want to sound like a little kid, so she kept herself busy with the rock.

Suddenly Tora crouched lower on her shoulder, letting out a pitiful moan. Deadly sharp claws slipped out of her padded paws, digging into Avani's shirt. Thankfully, they didn't catch her skin. "What's wrong, Tora?" Avani asked, reaching up to stroke the catowl soothingly. As she did, she caught a glimpse of the sky above, and looked up. "Oh… that's why. Arrkun!" She hurried to catch up to the waterbender, and then grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Avani?" he questioned, turning towards her.

"A storm's coming. A big one. We have to find shelter, now," Avani explained quickly. Arrkun glanced up to find that the previously empty sky was now slowly building with clouds.

"Where did those clouds come from?" Arrkun wondered out loud. "I swear the sky had been clear seconds ago."

He hadn't expected an explanation, but Avani quickly supplied one. "Ever since the war, the weather hasn't been normal here. Those clouds are building way too fast. I've seen it before. And notice the air? It feels heavier. I don't like it, and neither does Tora. We have to find shelter, quickly."

Arrkun stared up at the sky for a minute, watching the clouds, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. They were getting bigger, as if he was watching a storm develop in fast forward. It was an unearthly, menacing sight, making goose bumps rise on his arms. "Yeah, you're right," he muttered grimly, and then began looking around for shelter. She too searched the horizon for anything they could use for shelter. "There," he suddenly said, pointing at a mound of earth in the distance. "That might work. Don't know what it is, but it just might." She nodded, and the two started moving towards it, as the wind began picking up.

It seemed they had made hardly any progress when the sun disappeared behind the clouds, and the gentle breeze that had started became stronger, whistling across the dusty ground, picking up sand and dirt. Tora nestled herself in the curve of Avani's neck, as if she could hide from the storm above. Avani kept an eye on the weather, as if watching it could prevent it from getting worse. Glancing up again, she was amazed to see that the sky was covered in clouds as far as she could see. Angry, rolling black clouds. She looked away, fear leaping through her heart. We're not going to make it, she thought, trying to come up with different solutions.

"We're not going to make it!" Arrkun called back to her, as if he had read her mind.

"I know!" she said, having to yell to be heard over the wind.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

"I'm thinking!" She was, but she couldn't come up with anything. She stared down at the earth below her, wishing a cave or something would just appear. Then she slapped her forehead, realizing just how much of an idiot she was. "Arrkun! I can make shelter!" she yelled, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of thunder. She saw the glimpse of lightning just out of the corner of her eye, the cause of the thunder.

"What?" he called back as the sound faded. She repeated herself, but he still looked confused. He took a few steps towards her, when the lightning struck again. The flash blinded her, and she clamped her hands over her ears as the thunder crashed over her. She shuddered, fear racing through her, making her heart race. That was close, she thought. Way too close. On her shoulder, Tora let out a terrified hiss, flattening herself even smaller against Avani's shoulder. The sound faded, and she opened her eyes. The lightning had blinded her temporarily, so she blinked, trying to clear her vision. As the dark splotches cleared, rain began falling- sudden, horrible, torrential rain. She glanced around, looking for Arrkun, when she realized he was laying on the ground in front of her.

"Arrkun?" she said, stepping closer. He didn't reply, didn't even move. Suddenly, she realized what had happened. The lighting hadn't missed as she had originally thought. Her eyes widened in fear and shock, and she hurried to his side, kneeling down next to his limp form. She gently touched him, her eyes searching for the rise and fall of his chest. No… wake up Arrkun. You can't be dead. She knew it was highly unlikely for someone to survive being struck by lightning, but she still refused to believe he was gone. Sorrow filled her, overwhelming her, mixing with the uncontrollable fear she already felt. She didn't even notice Tora detach herself from her shoulder and curl up near Arrkun's limp form. She just kept staring at his face, waiting, hoping.

After a few minutes, as the rain kept pouring down, soaking the three completely, she tore her gaze away, screaming at the sky. She was suddenly angry, at everyone, at all she had lost in the past month. The loss of her newfound friend was the last draw. Something changed in her, allowing her emotions to melt away, replaced by a sudden, cold clarity. She suddenly felt immensely powerful, powerful enough to fight the storm above them, to force it away.

That's when she noticed the large funnel cloud reaching for the ground, the beginnings of a tornado. With another flash of lighting, it touched down, sending a spray of rock and dirt into the air at its base. It began moving across the horizon, slowly making its way closer. She stared at it, not really caring anymore, only mutely aware of the danger it presented. She had the overwhelming sensation of being detached, as if suddenly she wasn't actually experiencing this, but more watching from a distance as it happened to somebody else.

With power she didn't know she had, she created a protective bubble around them, made of air, water, she didn't know. Instinctively she knew it would protect them for a little while, but not permanently. Then she stood and spread her hands out in front of her. A crack appeared in the ground, quickly circling them, following the perimeter of their protection. Then, she clenched her hands into fists, and with a stomp, they plummeted several feet down. She glanced up, and the earth shifted to cover the whole, leaving small places for air to enter but nothing else. To solve the sudden darkness inside the shelter she had created, she opened her hand again, and a flame erupted there. She rested it on the ground, where it grew larger. More flame appeared on the walls where she pointed, and, slowly, her surroundings were lit by a flickering, warm light.

As it began to sink in that she was now safe, she stood staring at the flames for a minute, before her knees gave out and she slumped to the ground. She glanced around, not understanding how she had managed these things. The earthbending didn't surprise her; she had done things like that before. It was her sudden ability to use other elements as well. Where did that come from?

She stared at the flames as they burned, slowly shrinking again. Her numbness began to fade, allowing her emotions to pour back in, filling the void inside of her. Arrkun… she thought. Slowly, she climbed to her feet, fatigue making her limbs fill like jelly. She moved towards his body, where Tora still lay curled up next to him. She crouched next to him, still not sure if he was alive or dead. She bit her lip, fighting tears, trying to figure out what to do next.

Under the light of the fires she had created, she could see better than she had above. He was lying on his stomach, slightly crunched up, as if his legs had given out from underneath him and he had fallen. There was a burn mark on his shoulder, probably where the lightning had hit him. He was paler than she remembered too. When she discovered he was breathing, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. He's alive, she thought, feeling a little hopeful.

Suddenly Tora moved away from his side and started licking his cheek, wiping away rainwater. That's when she realized he was soaking wet, and probably pretty cold. She pulled his pack off his shoulder. One strap was burnt through, leaving the pack hanging from one strap. She set it aside, and then as gently as she could, she rolled him onto his back and then scooted him closer to the fire. He has a sleeping bag in his pack, right? She thought, remembering he had slept in one the night before. She moved back to it, opening it and studying its contents.

Surprisingly, the pack had kept everything mostly dry inside. She pulled the rolled up sleeping bag out, and then noticed medical supplies in a small bundle underneath. She pulled those out too, not sure what to do with them but knowing that he needed medical attention.

Carrying the two items back to him, she sat down next to him again, and then started examining the bundle's contents. There were bandages, a small knife, and several strange smelling creams with no indication to what they did. Then she noticed on the lid of one of the bottles faded writing, barely legible. It was hard to make out, especially since the lights above were slowly winking out, one by one, with no fuel to keep them burning. Squinting, she leaned closer to the main fire, angling the bottle so the light caught it just right. When she made it out, she smiled, realizing it said one word. Burns. "Perfect!" she exclaimed, making Tora look at her curiously.

Knowing his shirt would get in the way of cleaning and bandaging his wound, she decided to remove it. It was destroyed anyway, a huge whole burnt away above his wound. She discovered it pulled off over his head, but that wasn't going to happen, not with the huge burn on his shoulder. She didn't dare lift that arm to remove the sleeve. Well… she thought, thinking of another solution. The sleeve's barely hanging on anyway. Sorry Arrkun. She grabbed the knife from the kit, and began cutting away the remnants of the sleeve. Once it was gone, it was easy to pull the rest off over his head without risking his injury.

She turned to Arrkun's shoulder, the angry red burn suddenly intimidating. She didn't really want to touch it, partly because she was worried she'd hurt him more, partly because she wasn't sure her stomach could handle looking at it that long. But, she was nothing if not strong, so she clenched her teeth and got to work smearing the fragrant cream on the wound.

Once that was done, she let out a sigh. Now for the hard part. Getting the bandages around him would require lifting him, while wrapping the wound at the same time. She couldn't help but wish for a second pair of hands. "What if I…" she muttered, and then stood. As carefully as she could, she propped him up using earthbending in a way that allowed easy access to his shoulder, but kept him upright without hurting him more. She quickly got to work wrapping the wound. She quickly discovered how awkward a place the wound was, making it difficult to get the bandages to stay. Her complete lack of experience didn't help. Eventually, she managed to get the wound covered, along with his chest and most of his upper arm. They were tight enough, she figured, and kept the wound clean, so they were good enough.

Then she thought of the sleeping bag again. Carefully allowing him to slip back down to the ground, she laid him on his back. She grabbed the sleeping bag, unrolled it, and with no way of getting him inside it, laid it on top of him like a blanket. Tora tried to climb onto him, but not wanting the catowl to bother him, she picked her up and set her down away from him. "No, Tora. You can sleep with me," she muttered, before moving towards her own pack where she had deposited it sometime earlier.

She pulled out the sleeping bag, laying it next to Arrkun. She quickly climbed inside, where she fell asleep immediately. She didn't even notice Tora curl up close to her, purring softly.

Author's notes: New chapters are coming a bit slower, but I promise, I will update! Starting school is making things difficult.