-Inside the Jasmine Dragon-
"He wasn't really going to kill Hei Bai, was he?" asked Tai
"I dont think that was ever his intention" said Iroh "He had great respect for the spirit world. If anything he felt he could at least find why people were disappearing"
"Why would he even care?" asked Hahn " What was he? Just a descendent of a long line of benevolent wanders. Kind of cliche don't you think? I mean, really now..."
"Hahn!"said a water tribe woman from a nearby "Stop trying to ruin it for the rest of us! If you keep it up you can go home! Are we clear!"
A large round of "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH"s came from the whole tea house much to the embarrassment of little boy
"Yes, gram" said Hahn pouting
"Please go on, Mr Iroh" said Kanna and Hahn's grandmother
"Well, to answer your question Hahn" said Iroh "Would you not be more inclined to help someone if they show you kindness. Besides his gut told him something was a wrong in this town.
"So he was going to go on the hunt?" asked Lan
"Oh yes..."
Chapter 10
-The Great Spirit Hunt pt 2-
The small airship drifted through the clouds as night began to fall. Aang tossed and turned in his sleep as visions invaded his dreams. Images of Roku, a dark twisted forest, A glowing phoenix, faces frozen in terror and an evil man with cold gray eyes. Shaking In fear, Aang woke up in a cold sweat.
Making it to the deck he noticed that Katara and Azula were fast asleep on deck while Kang took the wheel while Zuko plotted a course on their map.
"Hey kid, how are ya feeling?" asked Kang
"Better thanks" said Aang
"Good, we should be landing at the eastern air temple soon." said Kang
"The eastern air temple? Why there?" asked Aang
"Because hopefully that Guru you talked about will still be there" said Zuko still looking over the map "Maybe, he can help us find out whats wrong with you"
There's nothing... Aang started to lie unconvincingly
"Aang, enough. I think its obvious that you are not yourself." said Zuko "Normally you're so full of energy and up until now I've never had to bail you out of a fight with simple guards. Now what is going on?"
"Its nothing" Aang argued
"Boy, I've been around a long time. Long enough to know when someone's lying" said Kang roughly "Come on, there's no shame in admitting weakness "
Aang sighed in defeat. It was hard for him to admit that he was not himself. There were so many people who counted on him to give hope and stability. What would happen if they found out the avatar was weakened?
"I don't know. After about a month after the battle with Ozai, my bending started to weaken, then I started getting sick, like something was sucking the energy out of me. I looked into many healers but they could find nothing wrong with me. So I kept it a secret because I didn't want to worry you guys." explained Aang
"I understand that" said Zuko "But do you think its fair not to tell us?"
"I guess not" said Aang "Please don't tell Katara okay?"
"Don't worry we won't" said Kang smiling at Zuko
"Because you are" finished Zuko "Right after we land"
Aang gulped a bit. He honestly didn't know what was worse, his condition or facing the full wrath of his girlfriend
The group found themselves the next morning, eating breakfast at the inn. Suki and Xi'an looked in shock as Toph and Sokka again wolfed down huge piles of food.
"As I was saying, we really need to find the others." said Sokka between bites "Do we really have the time to waste chasing a spirit?"
"Sokka!" said Suki "These people need help! We just cant turn our backs on them"
"I understand that" reasoned Sokka "But if all of you haven't noticed, we're being chased by those soldiers, and for all we know so are the others"
"And for all we know they could be..." started Toph sadly
"You don't know that! They're alive ...They have to be" snapped Sokka
"Sokka, I'll make you a deal okay? If you help me out here just long enough to find out whats going on. I'll help anyway I can to help you find your sister and other friends. Something's not right here. To sweeten the deal, I'll give you back this" Xian said laying the space sword on the table "To be honest, I'm tired of you trying to steal it while I'm trying to sleep.
It was true, though. Every night since they met he was on a never ending quest to retrieve his sword back. From stealthy tip-toeing in the woods to full blown commando raids in the inn, he was caught every time. I didn't help matter's that Xi'an didn't seem sleep much.
"You mean it?" said Sokka "You're just going to give it to me?"
"Yeah I do, It's yours" said Xi'an with a grin "I cant use a sword anyway"
"Then why did you constantly fight me for it?" asked Sokka
"Because I dont like people rifling through my stuff" Xian smiled
"Anyway" Suki said changing the subject "You said you had a vision.."
"All I saw was flashes...A panda bear that turned into a monster"
"Sounds like Hei Bai" said Sokka "I've dealt with him before,in a village not to far from here, he yanked me into the spirit world"
"Really?" asked Toph "How did you get back?"
"Aang reasoned with him and he let me go" said Sokka
"Wait you guys traveled with Avatar Aang?" asked Xi'an
"Come on, surely you can put two and two together? Hello? Big flying Bison?" said Toph "The only one left?"
"Uh..Yeah..." Xian said blushing in embarrassment
"What else did you see?" asked Suki
"A giant owl in a room full of books"
"That's Wan Shi Tong, the spirit of knowledge" said Sokka nervously "We uh.. ran into him too"
"What happened?" asked Xi'an
"The rattle heads angered him and he sank his whole library in the desert" said Toph "While they were in it!"
"I'm starting to see a pattern here" teased Suki
"What else did you see?" asked Sokka blushing
"A woman dressed in green with white and red face paint and a golden headpiece"
"That's Avatar Kyoshi" said Suki "Anything else?"
"No" lied Xian "That was pretty much it"
He hated to lie to his new friends but they didn't need to know about the man with the gray eyes, not yet anyway. However if he was here...
"Xi'an, are you okay?" asked Toph
"Yeah I just have a lot on my mind, I guess its written all over my face, Huh?" said Xi'an
"I wouldn't know" said Toph
"Huh?" asked Xi'an
"I'm blind" said Toph almost proudly
"No... then how did you..."
"I see with my earth bending" said Toph "Treat me any differently, and your gonna get it!"
"Of course not, I wouldn't dream of it " smiled Xian making faces at her "You seem to handle yourself just fine. But I got to ask, why did you think something was wrong without seeing my face?"
"I can feel your heartbeat and its rapid" smiled Toph playfully slugging Xian hard on the shoulder "And I saw that!"
"Back to the subject, guys" said Sokka " Lets back over this, Kyoshi, Hei Bai and Wan Shi Tong. They shouldn't have anything to do with each other. However, Hei Bai, has been known to snatch people away. But honestly, I don't think its him "
"What makes you so sure?" asked Suki
"Hei Bai destroyed half a town when we encountered him. Look around, the town is in pretty good shape" said Sokka
"Then what do you think its is then?" asked Toph
"I have no clue" said Sokka
"I couldn't help but overhear" said the Inn keeper "May I join you?"
"Of course" said Suki motioning to an empty chair
"I can't believe that is has come to this, a hunt on the panda spirit" the Inn keeper sighed
"You don't believe he's at fault do you?" asked Xi'an
"As long as I could remember he's protected the village and forest. He has never taken anyone without reason" said the Inn keeper "The elder and I don't think its him, but our new Sage has stirred up a panic pushing the people to demand justice. Lately he has been acting very strange"
"When did all these abductions start?" asked Sokka
"About a 2 weeks ago, about the same time when the midnight howling started. Many women and children have been taken including my daughter.
"Howling?" said Xi'an looking at the others
"Yes. A horrible sound almost like a scream of terror"
The young group of kids looked at each other in realization as to what that meant. After breakfast, the three returned to their room and prepared. Something was wrong with this town and they were going to find out what.
Xi'an reached into his rucksack, pulling out his hunting supplies. After strapping on his quiver and hunting knife, he finished by pulling over his dyed wolf armor top.
"I have to say never seen a green one before" remarked Sokka from the doorway "Nice
"It was my dad's. I wear it when ever I go on a hunt, for luck" said Xi'an with a half smile
Sokka nodded, he knew the feeling. Much like how he cherished his boomerang that was his fathers.
"So you understand the plan?" said Sokka
"Yep. Do you remember what I told you if you run into those things?" said Xi'an
"Yeah, find the one with a medallion and break it right? said Sokka with a bit of concern "I dont like this, I got I uneasy feeling about this whole mess "
"Me too, but we gotta figure out what going on" said Xian "And if anything doesn't seem right, I want you and the others to head back even if it means leaving me out there"
"Now I really dont like it" said Sokka
"Hopefully it wont come to that" said Xi'an taking "Wish me luck"
"Good luck"
"You too"
Xi'an made it to the Village square with Kip in tow. There he found a group of hunters, from petty bandits to well established sport hunters. All here for one of two things the money or bragging rights. In the center were two men arguing, Tao the Elder and who Xi'an could only assume was the Village Sage.
"Look I'm having second thoughts" said the elder "How do we know its even the panda spirit? We shouldn't meddle with the spirit world"
"Humph!" said the Sage "If you wont do anything I will, the spirits should know their place, and that is to serve us"
"What? Thats blas..."
"Listen here" the Sage said to the group ignoring the elder "Hei Bai is a threat to this town and all of its citizens, 10000 gold pieces to anyone of you that bring me his head. Let the Great Spirit Hunt begin!"
A shower of cheers came from the hunters and the towns people as the gates opened to the great forest. The hunters raced out of them trying to be the first to get to the best trails. The sage noticed the young boy with strange eyes, more importantly what was around his neck, as disappeared into the forest.
"So he did come..." He thought "I think I'll be rewarded greatly for this"
A subtle red glow appeared over his eyes as he smiled evilly.
The Noble softly treaded the ground of the unknown forest. He was known as the earth nation's greatest hunter,at least in his own mind. A 100 percent kill ratio was hard to argue with. Yet he used some despicable methods to attain that ratio. Hunting weak and old animals, usually from zoos, in his walled up compound and having an earth bender along with him to box in his prey in the field. Some may criticize him but they were just simply jealous that he hunted smarter then them. Hearing a loud moan in the woods, he knew it meant injured prey
"Hu, this way" said the noble to his earth bending servant
Over a clearing he couldn't believe his eyes, a live and in the flesh air bison. They were as rare as they come and would make a perfect addition to his collection. It appeared to have a hurt leg and struggling to stand. Oh he couldn't pass this up, he'd never forgive himself. He wouldn't even need to use Hu's services for this.
"Oh aren't you a lovely specimen. I believe my taxidermist will simply faint when I bring you to him" The noble said as he walked up close to the animal.
Drawing back his bow he leveled it right between the bison's eyes and fired. His eyes widened in shock as a wall of earth rose up blocking the arrow.
Hu, how dare you block my perfect shot!" the noble seethed in anger
"Your earth bender is a little indisposed at the moment" said a girls voice
Toph walked into view as Sokka and Suki dropped from the trees. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Hu unconscious and hanging upside down from a nearby tree. The noble however,was unimpressed. In fact he found the whole thing amusing.
"Hahahaha, a group of peasant children think they will stand between me and my sport. Stand aside and maybe I'll forgive your insolence " the noble spat "I'll even throw in a gold coin or two"
"Uh...No" said Sokka "But if you in such a rush for a hunt, lets even the odds. Let's see how brave of a hunter you are now. Appa buddy, he's all yours"
Appa stood up growling menacingly. As he started to corner the noble, the arrogant man of stature shivered like a leaf. He felt a warm wet feeling in his pants as the growling air bison came closer and closer with each thunderous step. Appa came nose to nose with him letting out a monstrous roar. 'The greatest hunter in the earth kingdom' did the only thing that came natural to him... He promptly fainted in fear, collapsing in a quivering heap
"Way to go Appa!" said Suki patting the Bison on the head
"Yeah good acting job, one down nine more to go" said Sokka
"Guys, do you smell something?" asked Toph covering her nose
"EWWWWWWWWWWW" Sokka, Toph and Suki said in unison looking down at the noble
Upon hearing Appa's roar echo through the woods, Xi'an silently thanked Sokka and the girls for such an ingenious plan. It was pretty simple, he would find Hei Bai and they would trip up the other hunters, mainly for their own safety. Kang always said that the spirit world had to be treated with the utmost respect, doing anything else would be inviting danger. Still, he didn't exactly feel right even tracking it, it felt like trespassing. But it was a necessary evil.
It was extremely challenging... but not impossible. One just needs to look for the subtle signs. Signs of fur in the branches, prints etc. However legend had it that spirits are known to be not only smart but very creative as this Hei Bai was proving to be. Already, he lead Xi'an on 3 false trails, each leading into a circle.
"Looks like he's playing with us, Kip!" said Xi'an kneeling down to check the fresh prints "Lets just hope we find him before anyone else does"
Unknown to Xi'an, a vengeful set of eyes looked on from the shaded undergrowth. He aimed for the young trackers neck as he drew back his bow, a perfect killing shot. However in adjusting his footing he made the mistake of stepping on a dry twig. That mistake cost him the perfect shot as Xi'an moved a hair to the right when he heard the twig snap. Instead the arrow hit it's mark dead center in his shoulder,close enough
Xi'an screamed as fell to the ground in serious pain. He could feel the arrowhead down to the bone. This wasn't the worst pain he felt in his life but it ran a real close second. As pain subsided enough for him to open his eyes he saw his attacker emerge from the under brush. It was that same huge man from the restaurant, with the Yu Yan Tattoos.
"Remember me, you little punk?" said the man kicking Xi'an hard in the ribs "Did you think you could get away with embarrassing me?
Reaching down he yanked out the arrow roughly from Xi'an's shoulder. Standing over him, the man laced it back and pulled back his bow. He readied a fatal shot at the young boy's heart
"The Sage offered me 20,000 gold to stamp you out and take back what ever you had on you" The man bragged "To be honest when I found out it was you... I would have done it for free. Any last words? "
"Yeah" Xi'an said painfully "KIP! SIC HIM!"
In a flash the little pup, dove out of the bushes , jumped up and bit the man in the groin. The man wailed in pain as tried to pull off the the vicious little mutt. Fighting through the pain and blood loss,Xian tackled the guy just as Kip let go. The big man just shucked him off. Grabbing Xi'an by the hair, the man slammed him hard into a nearby tree. He tried to get up only to repeatedly kicked down by the man.
"As soon is I'm done with you, it think I'll hunt down your friends, your family and even your little dog" taunted the man
Xi'an gritted his teeth as as he filled with anger. The crystal on his chest and his eyes quickly flashed with a blue white glow. Using his earth bending, he set a wall of earth flying slamming the man again a tree. Squeezing his fists he wrapped the man up to his shoulders into a thick cocoon of earth. Seething with pure rage, Xi'an began to punch the man in the face over and over.
"DONT EVER THREATEN MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS OR MY DOG!" Xi'an yelled at the top of his lungs
Calming down, Xi'an stopped punching. Checking the mans neck, he was still alive but wasn't going to be causing any trouble or winning any beauty contests anytime soon. However that was the least of his worries. His vision blurred and he was feeling very dizzy. Looking down he saw a pool of blood that was growing larger from his angry outburst. Collapsing, Xi'an tried to fight the sleepy feeling but to no avail. As darkness came over him, he saw the faint outlines of a big animal...