Chapter 3: An Unexpected Guest

Suki stared nervously at the sky.

The storm that boomed in the distance with lightning lancing across the sky was unbelievable. Suki had heard a storm was coming (and according to the aching joints of old sailors, a big one.) She just hadn't thought it would be this big.

Another peek revealed a strange phenomenon in the sky. An eerie gathering of clouds overhead that shook the sky with the constant arcing of green lightning. The strange site jogged memories of old stories that used to be passed around the village.

'If the sky be shaking and the sea be raging, angry the spirits are. Remember that girl.' One sailor had told her. She had always loved the old tales about spirits and those who met them like the Avatar's of old, but as she shivered next to her fire with nothing but a small alcove for shelter, those old stories lost some of their magic.

"Spirits." She breathed.

The storm had grown into a frenzy then, and wind began to blow with incredible force. Leaves fell and swept over gnarled roots as trees shuddered against the gale.

Whatever was causing this, nature or spirits, had to have a sense of humor. Today was the anniversary of Kyoshi's independence from the conquerer Chin the Great. The day when the namesake of the island, Avatar Kyoshi, moved the land itself to protect her people. That was why she was even out here in this stupid weather at all, to meditate on what it meant to uphold Kyoshi's ideal as a warrior. A rite of passage it was suppsoed to be. An effort that now seemed futile as a stray bolt of lightning glassed a strip of beach a short distance away from her camp.

Suki swore under her breath, backing away from her fire to lean back against the stone wall. She watched as the sea began to rise, tossing driftwood and debris along the now ruined beach.

Still, Suki's enthusiasm wasn't dampened. Kyoshi's spirit watched over the island, and she cared about her people. It was vital to remember the past, to remember the legendary deeds of their savior. Even if that history was represented by a dingy old statue in the center of town.

The air stilled, pulling Suki out of her thoughts, and for a few merciful moments it seemed the storm had passed. There was nothing but the sounds of the sea and the distant flash of light in the sky.

Suki thought for a moment and dared to peek her head out of the alcove to get a better look. This weather confused her to no end. One instant a massive storm threatened her existence, the next complete and utter calm. She considered running home to her village. It wasn't all that far, a half hour run at most…

An intense roar shattered that hope. The sky seemed to contract and distort in the air, and the stars rippled in waves as if they were nothing more than the reflections in a puddle. The stars swelled outward, then pulled inward, compressed tightly into a single bright light.

Then the sky exploded.

A great torrent of water and detritus poured onto the beach like a waterfall. Mist spread from the impact, and clouded the surrounding area with white, ethereal tendrils that snaked over the land. The earth rattled with the force and weight of the fall.

'What's happening?' she thought frantically as she scrambled to dodge a large chunk of debris as it shot into her shelter. 'It feels like the entire island is falling apart!'

A loud boom interrupted her thoughts, and Suki's mouth hung open as something new plummeted from the sky, and watched wordlessly as it crashed limply into the sand.

She shielded her eyes against the wind, straining to see what had fallen. Whatever it was, it didn't look like debris. In fact she could almost swear…

Frantically, Suki slipped out of the camp, not bothering to secure her gear. She dashed over the stony border and leaped nimbly over rocks and tree roots onto the beach. The view before her was breathtaking. She had witnessed the chaos from a distance, but now, up close… She had never seen so much water fall from the sky.

Suki perched herself on a large rock that straddled the border between sand and forest. She strained her eyes against the wind, and searched. A few fretful moments later she confirmed her suspicion, someone had fallen from that rift. She couldn't see clearly through the water, but it looked like the stranger was being pressed prone by the sheer volume of water falling from the sky. If something wasn't done soon…

Without further hesitation, she launched from the rock and sprinted with all her might. The water was beginning to flood the beach, water rising fast, and that hole in the sky showed no signs of disappearing any time soon. If she couldn't get to the stranger, they would definitely drown, and she would not, COULD NOT allow that.

The wind challenged her every step. The water rose to her knees, and the undercurrent threatened to drag her off her feet. Her battle paint, white with stark flashes of red along her eyes, was quickly washed away. Her armor, made of thick padded cloth, began to weigh her down as it filled with water and was quickly abandoned to the greedy tide.

'What kind of an idiot am I?' Suki grumbled internally as she approached her goal.

The stranger turned out to be a woman. She was naked, surprisingly, her clothes probably having been lost to the storm. That was bad, exposure was no laughing matter. On closer inspection she found the woman's body was incredibly muscular and hardy, her eyes lingering on the countless scars scattered about her, each an untold story of strife and triumph. Her dark skin marked her as possibly one of the water-tribesmen from the poles. What one of them was doing this far out was a mystery, but it gave her hope that she could be saved. Water tribesmen were incredibly hardy when it came to surviving wet and cold conditions.

'Focus, Suki!'

She struggled to grab the woman. The tide had risen to her waist, and this close to the rift water fell like a solid wall. it pressed her down and slowed her movements. Her hands slipped, unable to find purchase on the stranger. She felt her feet slide beneath her, and that was that. Water pressed in on her from all sides. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. Her hands clawed at the sandy floor frantically, and the ground slipped from her fingers.

Then the woman stirred. Her body jerked to life, and she struggled to her feet against the water, spluttering as sandy sludge sprayed at her face. She was yelling something then, but Suki couldn't understand her though the roar of the water. All she could do was stare at the woman's glowing face…

'Wait, what?'

She was glowing. The stranger's body was wreathed in radiant blue flames that pulsed with energy. There was a deep humming sound, and the woman extended her hand. The water was blown away, replaced instead with a shimmering sphere that sheltered the two women in a protective shell. Water cascaded harmlessly against the dome.

Suki was dumbfounded. This wasn't any sort of bending she was familiar with and this woman… She glowed! That's not normal! Looking closely she could see that even the scars on the woman's face glowed, albeit a bright red in contrast to the shimmering blue like little firefly's dancing around a fire.

'If the sky be shaking...'

A spirit. By Kyoshi she was standing face to face with a spirit. That had to be it, what else could it be? A giant hole in the sky, a naked woman, this blue sphere of light… There was no doubt. But then, what did she want? Spirits don't do anything without good reason. Usually the reason is some poor villager disturbing a sacred pebble or tree or something, but never without cause. What in the name of Kyoshi would cause a spirit this powerful to manifest like this?

Suki flinched as the spirit turned toward her and began to speak. Her eyes blazed much the same way her skin did, but with a bright purple instead of blue. Idly, Suki wondered why that was. The spirit's voice was hard to describe. It was low, measured and filled with authority. The words were all nonsense to her, not sounding like any language she knew, but she understood the nod toward dry land. Together they began to walk. The spirit kept her hands outstretched at all times, she looked tired, strained. This doesn't make sense. If she is the cause of this then why is she protecting me? Why is holding back the water straining her so? This doesn't make sense!

Smeared with mud and brine, Suki stole one final glance at the spirit walking beside her. Her chest tightened as she realized another problem. How was she going to explain this to the village chief? Would she even make it home? What was going to happen? She needed time to think about this. Most of all, she needed a warm bed.

Ah. And she should probably find some clothes for the spirit as well. If it would even let her dress it. It seemed friendly so far... And now she is thinking of dressing a spirit. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought, euphoric relief combined with the strangeness of the situation too much to bear. It echoed inside of the sphere, giving her voice a distant and hollow twang. It was laughter born of stress, spawned from the relief of survival. The spirit turned her head to give her a quizzical look, but she said nothing and kept up her pace.

The moment their feet touched solid land, the spirit dropped her protective sphere and together they collapsed to their knees with wheezing breath.

"Thank you." Suki murmured. The spirit gave no indication of hearing her.

Instead she was feeling at the back of her head, eyes wide. The spirit muttered something intelligible.

"Amp. Where's my amp?"