New Dawn:

The spirits swirled through the air, a dark cloud humming like vicious insects. The small group of humans below kept their heads down low, determined not to be spotted. After a few tense seconds, the spirits flew onwards and the humans all sighed in relief.

"Alright, let's get moving."

Nods from the others. They were barely visible in the early morning gloom but spirits could sense their presence. They had to stay out of sight; even if that meant from each other.

The group hurried across an open stretch of land, hurrying along to a broken building ahead. That was the rendezvous. If they could make it across without being seen…

The first of the group clambered over the bricks and rubble on the floor, diving to safety. One by one, the group followed. The building was shattered and decrepit, yet it was shelter. Anything was better than staying out in the open. Who knew when spirits would attack?

"Human or spirit!?" a voice asked them, abrupt but hushed. Water coiled up from three urns around the room, poised to strike.

"We're human, Kanro. Put the water down and let us in. Who invites someone to a rendezvous and shoos away the invitees?" the leader of the group said, hands raised in peace.

The water descended back into the urns gradually. When it had all vanished, the leader of the group stepped forward. "So, we made it. Just. What's so important that you have to speak with us all?"

A man walked through a doorway at the back of the room, pushing a cloth aside as he entered. He looked tired; his brown hair was straggly and long, his beard slightly unkempt and his dark skin was also covered in dirt. There was a general air of shabbiness about Kanro but also a sense of power. A sense of purpose. "Ah, it's good to see some friendly faces for once," Kanro croaked, his voice deep and raspy. "Hard journey?" he asked ironically.

Of course, every journey was hard these days. The war raged on and Republic City was a ruin. The human resistance had reinforced their position on the outskirts of the city but the inner areas closer to the portal were spirit territory. Any population surrounding a spirit portal were bound to be hit hard once the war broke out. The spirits were relentless in their assaults.

"Well, it was easier back when I was on the beat. The criminals these days are a little more likely to kill me," the leader responded dryly.

Kanro took the leader's hand and grasped it firmly. "You're not wrong there. It's great to see you again. Welcome to you all. We'd best move into the back before we do formal introductions; I can see more spirits massing," the man said, pointing out towards the portal far behind them all. A quick turn of heads was enough to confirm. The group made for the doorway, glad to be safe at last.

Safe was just a temporary illusion.

A flight of stairs lay beyond, leading down into the dark. Kanro turned his head, gesturing with a hand. "Can you-?"

A small flame ignited in the leader's hand, illuminating the stairway. "How far down does this go? It's not exactly invisible."

Kanro shrugged. "Far enough. I've been here a week now and nobody's found me," he said, laughing roughly after he spoke. "Actually, that's not exactly true. You'll see what I mean."

"Erm, excuse me, but why are we all here? It wasn't easy leaving the safe place we'd found," one of the group piped up, a woman of late teenage demeanour.

"I just said, you'll see. Bloody kids these days…" Kanro muttered. The irony was clear; Kanro must only be a few years older himself. The leader of the group raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.

The stairway eventually stopped at another doorway, one of stone and rock. They passed through into a small room, full of splintered boxes and litter. They filed in, barely fitting the seven of them inside. They were silent for a moment, confused as to the cramped nature of their surroundings, until Kanro knocked four times on a stone wall. More silence followed but this was quickly interrupted by a huge portion of the wall sliding backwards and to the side, creating a new doorway. Kanro stepped through, shielding his eyes from the light within. The group followed, curious. This would be their new outpost for the next week.

The new room was far larger. Within the room, numerous storage boxes were piled up, containing food and water pouches. A few sleeping bags were piled in the far corner, with space to lay them out on both sides of the room. Damaged tables lay in the centre; documents lay out all over them with books stacked up high. Whilst all this was very interesting, the leader of the group had eyes only for the person standing before them, head held high. Despite her age, she still had more dignity than anyone he knew.

"Hey Chief."

Lin Beifong nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly, suggesting a smile. Were it not for her frosty exterior, the group would have rushed to greet her. As it was, they held back for her response.

"Hey Chief," she said to Mako, who nodded back at her. Once a Chief, always a Chief.

"So what's the situation out there?" asked Beifong.

"It's pretty much how you expect, Chief. Everything around is a wreck," Mako responded, sipping his tea slowly.

Lin's eyebrow shot up. "I know, I only found this place last week. I meant today specifically. Call yourself a detective…"

Mako closed his eyes, ensuring Beifong wouldn't see him roll them. Upon opening them, he sighed quietly. "Spirits are still coming through the portal. No other people around, obviously. They must all be at the front lines."

Beifong nodded. "I guessed as much. We've been sat here a week, waiting for you all to arrive. I take it you all got here unscathed?"

The group all suddenly rustled awkwardly, shuffling and staring anywhere but at each other. Mako wiped a weary hand across his face and shook his head. "There were ten of us when we left. Spirits…got the others."

Lin's forehead creased up in concern. "I'm…sorry to hear that. We've all lost people. The best we can do is just carry on fighting until someone fixes this damned mess."

Mako looked up, a slight smile on his face. "You getting soft on us Chief? Not the time for it."

Beifong shot him a look which wiped the smile from his face. "Shut up, blockhead. I'm not getting soft, I just thought you and your girly emotions could do with some hand-holding."

The group all started, expressions of shock on their collective faces. Mako waved a hand, sitting them back down. "It's fine, everyone. Chief Beifong doesn't mean it like that. Nobody's disrespecting the Lost."

The Lost were their terms for those taken by the spirits. Some were captive, some were dead and some…worse. Vessels. It was a horrific thought. Before the war, only a select few knew that spirits could inhabit human bodies, often killing them if they did so. Now, the entire world knew.

Kanro pushed himself away from the nearby wall he'd been leaning on. "Alright, now you're acquainted, let's get down to business. This isn't just a nice little catch-up, you know."

Beifong nodded. She jumped to her feet, still extremely nimble for someone of her age. There was no chance in hell that Mako would have said that aloud; Lin was only in her seventies, yet still thought of herself as fifty. "I was expecting more of you, but I guess this will do. We need more numbers for the scavenger hunt we're being sent on," she said, walking across to the central tables.

"Mako, sir, I don't mean to be rude but can you stop her going on about…you know…the Lost? It's really rude to just throw their deaths in our faces," the woman from earlier asked from across the room, glaring at Lin.

Before Mako could say anything, however, Lin spun round. "Listen up buttercup. We're at war. People die. It's terrible, yes, but if you get all mushy about every single thing lost in this bloody world, then you'll spend all day crying. Either grow a backbone or go back home."

They all looked from Lin to Mako. The firebender shrugged, unwilling to get involved. His little group were loyal beyond doubt but Mako himself had a strong loyalty to Chief Beifong.

"Now then, if we've all stopped whining, we've got some news," Lin continued. They all stood up, walking over to the table, clutching their tiny cups of tea. Lin took a sip of hers as they approached, sighing in relief. "Gotta say Mako, it's a good thing we have a firebender here now. This was exactly what I was craving."

"You're more than welcome," Mako replied politely. He was more interested in the scrolls and books on the table, all messily arranged. Lin had never been one for keeping a tidy desk.

Kanro pushed his way through the stacks of boxes nearby, taking up a position just to their left. Pointing at one scroll, he waited patiently for Mako to unroll it. "Yeah, that's right. That's what we're after."

Mako looked up. "I see. It's somewhere in the city?"

"What is it sir?" one of the group piped up.

Kanro nodded, ignoring the question. "Somewhere in the business district. We've got good intel from the spirits themselves that it's there."

"Wait a minute, the spirits told you something and you're going to listen to them?" the woman in the group asked incredulously.

Kanro frowned. "What's your name?"

"Rella."

"Rella. Not all spirits are fighting in this war, you know. Some of them, like us, are just trying to find a way to stop the bloodshed," Kanro explained.

"This might be a way to help achieve that goal," Beifong continued. "Somewhere in the vaults of Future Industries lies the spirit cannon Kuvira once utilised against us."

The group all gasped at once. "A cannon? Won't that just anger the spirits even more?" Rella asked.

Kanro shrugged. "Probably. Still, they know of its power. It could be a valuable deterrent. We won't actually use it but it's worth having to ward off attacks."

Rella raised a hand but spoke without anyone's permission. "Ward off? What's the point of that? If we're going to throw caution to the wind, why not just use it and help us win?" she asked, brushing her tangled brown hair out of her face.

Mako shook his head. "No. We can't go round shooting at spirits with giant spirit cannons. The Avatar would never allow us to control that much destructive power."

One of the group laughed. "The Avatar? Who cares about him?" he asked rhetorically. "He left us all in this mess, he caused the war. Nobody's even seen him for a year now."

"A year and a half, actually," Rella corrected quickly.

"Thanks sweetie," the man said lovingly. "If the Avatar cared, he'd show up and stop all of this."

"You think the Avatar isn't trying his best right now? It would have helped if all you dunderheads hadn't banished him to the spirit world just as the war kicked off," Lin said in a snappy tone. "Oh, I know, let's send the one hope for peace into the world full of floating things trying to kill him. Great job there," she finished sarcastically, aiming the final comment at Mako.

"Hey, that mob lied! Saall used mine and Asami's reputations to convince the Avatar to leave. I was totally against it," he said, hands up in the aim as if under fire.

Lin snorted. "He's a gullible idiot then. Still, better have a gullible idiot here helping us than lost in a other world full of the enemy. You try fight your way through a thousand spirits to another bloody portal. Still, sounds like the kid's still alive someplace; he must be at least somewhat competent."

Mako nodded in agreement. "I hate to argue with you, Denn, but Beifong is right. The Avatar tried his best but he's only one person."

"So why did he reopen the portal then? If he'd left it closed, maybe Republic City would have been safe!" Rella pointed out heatedly.

"We don't know if the Avatar was the one to open the portal," Kanro retaliated. "We all know what happened; it was like an explosion. Something ruptured the portal and it opened again. All it takes is some severe spiritual power to open it; it might not have been his fault."

Rella frowned but before she could retaliate, Mako waved his hand, silencing the chatter. "We need a plan here. We can't just sit around talking about history; what's done is done. Chief?" he said, giving the floor back to Beifong.

Lin nodded in thanks. "Let's face it, we're losing this war. Pretty damn badly. If we can get this cannon back to the front lines, we can buy ourselves a little negotiating time until the Avatar does his spiritual magic and heals everyone and we all live happily ever after."

"Lin explained it terribly but that's essentially the idea," Kanro said with a smirk. "Future Industries has some incredible tech down in their vaults that President Sato was working on for many years. Even if the cannon isn't a feasible option, there might be something else there which can help."

Mako scratched his hair. It was usually spot-on, regardless of the battles he'd been through, but the war had taken a toll on even his appearance. His face was covered in short stubble and his hair was longer than ever before.

"I know you'll need some time to discuss this and rest before we leave. It's a dangerous mission and I can't promise we'll be safe," Kanro said loudly to the room at large. "Rest up and I'll wake you all when the sun rises. The mission begins at the new dawn."

As they all made for the sleeping bags piled in the corner, Mako gestured at Lin. "Can I have a word in private?"

They retreated to a tiny side room, empty and crumbling. The whole underground system was clearly created as a shelter from any impending attacks. A wise move after the Kuvira incident all those years ago. "What?" Lin asked abruptly. Her metal armour shone the same as ever, regardless of the sorry state of the surrounding environment, though it lacked the official police emblem on the chest-piece.

"You were a little cold in there. I get that you have to be all tough and everything, but would it hurt to soften the blow a bit? They've just lost two of their close friends," Mako scolded. His position as Chief meant that he'd never speak to a superior office in such a tone but the war had put a hold on all pleasantries.

Lin frowned. She was quiet for a moment, making Mako dread her response. When she finally spoke, however, she surprised the firebender. "I know, I get it. Like I said, we've all lost people. Keeping strong is the best thing for them though. If we all break down and start giving up, they will too. Seem belligerent and indomitable or they'll lose faith."

Mako lowered his eyes to the floor in thought. "And us? How do we not lose faith?" he asked sincerely.

Lin shrugged. "We just keep going. That's how it is. My mother never would have backed down and neither will I. For all I know, she could be still out there in the swamp, protecting it from the war. I haven't heard from her in quite some time, but you can bet your stupid hair that she'd keep going 'till the end and so will I."

Mako smiled. "You really think this plan will help?"

Beifong looked at him. "Honestly? I don't know. It's worth a shot though. The only thing that can really help us is currently in a different world. I never met the kid and I'm sure he whines just as much as Korra always did, but we need the Avatar now more than ever."

"He'll return. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to stop the fighting somewhere. That's Jahn for you," Mako explained.

Her hand clenched around his, gripping it ever tighter. She never wanted to let go, never wanted to return to the world at war. If she could make time stand still, this would be the moment she would choose to savour forever.

Kai turned his head, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled, leaning into his chest more as they watched the first rays of sunlight beam across the sky, illuminating it in beautiful displays of red and gold. It dazzled through the air, breathing life into the still morning landscape, brighter and brighter with every second. Perfection incarnate.

The moment could not last, however. Today brought a new challenge for them both. Nestled away in their small corner of the world, peace would not be untouched for much longer. The spirits were drawn to places of spiritual significance and the Eastern Air Temple was one such place. Her father had always believed it to be the most spiritual of all the Temples and he was right.

The spiritual energy swirled around all three pinnacles, even with no spirits around. She could sense it all around, embedded into the very rocks they lay on. Such a spiritual place was probably not the best place to hide away, yet it had felt like home. For some time now, such a place was hard to find.

"Come on Jinora, we need to get back," Kai said, shifting his weight as if to stand up.

Jinora sighed. She slowly raised her head, leaning away from Kai as he climbed to his feet. She watched with a slight smile as he pulled his undershirt on and rummaged around for his robes. "I think we have some leftover food in the bag," she pointed out. Kai's head immediately whipped round, a hungry look on his face.

As he dove for the bag, Jinora pulled the sheet around her and climbed to her feet. Getting her own robes on would be a little less dignified. Part of her felt elated beyond words that they'd finally had some time alone like they used to, yet the other half of her was guilty beyond words that she'd left her father with the children. Now was not the time for running off on dates.

Kai wrapped his arms round her waist and hugged her tightly. "Hey, they'll be fine. We'll have some food and head back," he whispered to her. Of course he'd known exactly how she was feeling. Despite his childishness, Kai never failed to prove his maturity when it was needed.

"And we'll tell them, what? That we spent the night out here for no reason?" Jinora asked with a raised eyebrow, waiting to see how Kai would handle this excuse.

"Just say spirits were close so we had to hide. No big deal," he said, waving his hand flippantly as he pulled his shoe onto the wrong foot awkwardly.

Jinora rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face. In the face of all this danger and strife, her family were all with her. The time for worrying about the world seemed past. Let someone else deal with that; she had a family to care for now.

Her thoughts immediately betrayed her. If only she could be so heartless. Her father was only alive and well now because of Jahn's actions. He chose to save Tenzin instead of stopping the war from breaking out. If her father had died, nobody else would have suffered. He chose her joy over everything. Look how much it had cost now.

"Jinora, please, you need to stop worrying about everything. You've got your worrying face on and everything," Kai said with a light smile.

"I'm not worrying," Jinora retorted quickly.

It was Kai's turn to frown in amusement. "Sweetheart, I'm dressed and ready to go in the time you've spent there frowning at the wall. Do you want to get your robes on and have some breakfast or stand there all day?"

It didn't take her that long, despite Kai's jests. Their food consisted of some cabbage and some bread, a delicacy as of late. Most of their food now was purely grown naturally and they no longer had the option to grind wheat. They would fare better if they were not vegetarian, yet cultural choices couldn't be forfeited just for a few pangs of hunger.

Kai pointed off into the distance. "See there? Few spirit birds heading this way. We might have to loop around the Temple, fly low and try and go through the forests."

Jinora wrinkled her nose. "Won't that alert any spirits in the forest to our presence? We're far easier to track low down. We should just head back now; they won't be able to keep up with us."

Kai nodded. He walked over to a nearby wall where his glider was leaning carefully. Shaking it once, the wings unfurled and he looked back at his wife. "Ready?"

Jinora winked. She already had her glider out, their bag slung round her shoulder. Within seconds, both of them had leapt from the ledge and soared out into the open sky. Behind them, the Eastern Air Temple shone brightly in the brilliant new dawn, growing fainter as they winged their way north.

Their journey did not take them far. Only a few miles to the north, a series of caves had served as a perfect hideout for the Airbenders. They could keep an eye on the Temple from afar, sending scouts every day to check the area, whilst remaining undetected if the spirits flocked to the three peaks. Jinora found the irony somewhat undignified; Airbenders were forced to live underground by the spirits they sought to help and protect.

The air currents around their gliders suddenly changed and shifted. They both snapped their glider wings shut, plummeting downwards in a freefall whilst holding on tightly to the gliders in their hands. After a few seconds, they opened their wings again, levelling out and soaring closer to the treetops. This was their early warning system in place; if a spirit had been in the sky, the Airbenders on guard would have seen it continue to fly. By deliberately dropping, Jinora and Kai could show they were human from a distance.

They landed softly by a concealed cave entrance. Two Airbenders carefully stepped from behind cover, making their way down some rocks towards them. Kai mock saluted at them both, a cheeky grin on his face. "That long-distance Airbending is getting better Auri. You nearly knocked me out of the sky there," he chuckled.

"Shut up Kai, you'd know it if I was trying to," Auri responded with a smile. The other Airbender was far more respectful, bowing to them both and staying quiet. "Oh Jaila, they won't bite," Auri said to the other Airbender. The woman shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Can you let us in?" Jinora asked after a few more minutes of banter. She was tapping her foot lightly, trying her best not to scold them both. Auri nodded, moving over to a small hole in the rocks. She inhaled and pushed her right arm forward, bending air between the cracks. Inside, a small horn sounded. The rocks began to shake as they floated up slightly.

"There you are Jinora. Sorry for the wait," Auri said honestly. Jinora nodded and entered the cave, Kai following suit after he pulled a funny face at Auri.

The cave system was considerably massive. It consisted of numerous long tunnels which eventually lead to three large caverns. Just inside the entrance lay a few stone barriers, defences in case spirits or bandits found the entrance. The usual resident Earthbender, Shai-lee, who worked the entrance was not stood before them, however. Instead, a familiar face beamed as the man thrust his arms wide, ready for a hug. "Hey you two lovebirds!"

Jinora and Kai both froze, before Jinora jumped forward with a laugh. "Bolin!" she exclaimed happily as she embraced him. Kai gave the Earthbender a hug too, clapping him on the back in a manly fashion. "What are you doing here?" Kai asked.

Bolin's face was a picture of excitement. "Happy birthday Jinora! I'm here for that secret party everyone's throwing you, which, um, I guess isn't so secret now, but that's ok because you'll have a great time anyway. I'm also here to see Opal but apparently she's out at the moment? I set off a little early once I got some time off and when I heard you two were out, I wanted to show up in a really dramatic and impressive way, like show off how much you guys missed me and everything, because that's just how Bolin rolls," he said, his mouth running away with him.

They continued to catch up as they walked down the gloomy tunnel. It was a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face this far from society. Very few knew of their location for a few good reasons.

"So I haven't seen your kids yet but I'm sure they've grown quite a bit. It's been, what, seven years?" Bolin asked, scratching his head.

Kai nodded. "Seven, eight…far too long. You were a busy mover star before the war; you never found time for anything!"

Bolin frowned. "Hey, I wasn't just a mover star! I had that smelting job for a while, that postal one – we all know how that turned out – but I'd just got that great sculpting gig when we all heard—"

Before the Earthbender could finish, a gust of air rushed around their ankles as a huge ball of compressed air tore down the tunnel in front of them, someone crouched on top. The air scooter spun towards them but, at the last minute, it moved up the wall and continued along on the ceiling above them. "HiJinoraHiKaiHeyBolinGottaGoBye!" the person yelled as he continued down the wall and carried on along the tunnel in a spiralling fashion.

"Meelo! We've already told you to stop it!" Jinora yelled after him. "Even after all these years…" she muttered under her breath.

"Ah, he's probably just excited about later. Meelo hasn't seen everyone for quite some time. You can bet he's always going to be the same," Kai chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right. You've done some growing up though! I mean, look at you! Have you been working out?" Bolin exclaimed, poking Kai's arms, squinting in the gloom. Kai simply laughed and waved him off.

They came to a bend in the tunnel, which they followed round, walking towards the flickering light at the end. "So what were you guys doing out there anyway? Super-secret spy mission?" Bolin asked, his hands chopping through the air mockingly.

Jinora looked sideways at Kai quickly but he didn't catch it. The airbender shrugged and winked at Bolin, a cheeky smile on his face. "Seeing in Jinora's birthday with some…us time," he said slyly.

Bolin frowned for a second before his eyes went wide. "Oh…..oh. Ah. Never mind then!" he said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh come on Bolin, after all this time, surely you and Opal have-" Kai began, but Bolin shushed him quickly. "Of course," he responded in a whispered tone, "but nobody else needs to know our business!"

Kai laughed as they emerged into the main chamber. It was huge, sculpted out of the earth with precise earthbending. People of all nations were welcome here, yet the Airbenders were here in droves. All four temples had been called to this one spot. There was safety in numbers. Four huge stone pillars supported the chamber, with various ledges and alcoves carved into the rocky walls. It was a bright room, for what it was worth. Pema had certainly made her mark on the place.

"Right. It was great to see you Bolin, but we need to get changed. We'll see you later today?" Jinora asked with a smile.

"Of course! I'm still working on your present…sorry! I didn't get much chance to get anything on the way here…you know, through the battlefields and the desert and everything…" Bolin said sheepishly.

Jinora smiled as kissed his forehead. "I'm just glad you're here and I'm sure Opal will be thrilled. Thank you for coming all this way," she said sincerely.

Bolin smiled. "I'll see you at the surprise party later then!" he said, waving over his shoulder as he made for another small tunnel leading off from the chamber.

Kai looked amused. Jinora narrowed her eyes, trying to read his face. "What?" she asked.

"Ah, you'll find out later. At least THAT will be a surprise, I guess," her husband chuckled.

"Anything?"

"Nah. He seems to have vanished."

"Oh. I thought maybe, with all the spirits…"

Anik looked down at Tilia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him," he said as he shook the snow from his coat.

His friend looked up, her eyes full of disappointment. "What if he's hurt? What if he's…you know. We wouldn't know until the next Avatar was announced…" she said, her voice trembling.

Anik ruffled her hair. "He's fine. Seriously," he said with sincere confidence. "Just a shame he's taking so long. Does he not know how rubbish things are round here now?"

"Probably not. From what you've told me, he seems like he wouldn't just abandon everyone," a male voice said. Behind Anik, a young man stood, brushing snow off himself. His hair was dark, almost black, and he had a strange slim face. His entire look seemed to be about edges; his clothes were still impressively unmarked, his hair styled and his frame was very bony. Still, Kuan seemed like a nice match for Anik, or so thought Tilia. Even when the world went to ruin, love could still blossom.

It was because of this thought that they were here in the snow. It was a form of love that drove her, a love that seemed to grow more painful by the day. Her feelings for the Avatar had bloomed long ago, yet she had only admitted them in the last possible second. The memory of when she'd awoke to find him gone still stung. She knew he had not willingly gone, and she was so proud that he had chosen to save a life over taking another, although she had never said goodbye. She needed to find the Avatar, to make peace at the very least.

"It's getting pretty heavy out there. We should probably adjust the roof so the snow's easy to bend off in the morning," Kuan suggested. Tilia nodded, standing up at last. Her parka was hanging from a small metal spike by the door, so she grabbed it and forced the door open with a flick of a hand.

The sun was just rising over the horizon, a faint gleam shining through the dark. Were they anywhere else in the south, it would be the brightest thing around, yet it was diminished severely by the spirit portal glowing in the distance. They were not close enough to attract unwanted attention, yet close enough to scout around for any sign of human activity.

The roof of their metal shack was flat, consisting of two pieces of scrap iron. Tilia flexed her arms and took a wide stance, her feet pointing outwards slightly. She focused on the metal and slowly twirled her fingers around in a circular motion. The metal pieces screeched together as they lifted slightly, pressing together and rising up, forming a conical shape. Tilia scrunched her eyes shut as she concentrated hard on the two edges pressing against each other. They began to shake ever so slightly, buckling under the pressure Tilia was exerting. After a few seconds, the edges of the metal began to glow slightly as Tilia forced the heat to rise. Once the metal was hot enough, she bent the two pieces together so that they melded together, cooling in the snow to form one conical roof.

She made her way back inside after a longing glance at the portal, shaking her head free of snow. Anik gave her two obvious thumbs-up, impressed. "Really nice job there Tilia! You're getting good at that!"

Kuan nodded. "He's right, it's an immensely impressive skill. I don't know any other Metalbenders that can superheat their metal like that. How do you do it?"

Tilia shrugged. "How does a Lavabender melt the earth? How does a Waterbender freeze water?" she asked rhetorically.

"Oh, easy, we just picture it freezing and think cold thoughts…" Anik said quickly, before cottoning on. "Oh, right, my bad…" he said as Kuan nudged him in the ribs. Anik slid an arm round Kuan's waist, leaning against his boyfriend as they watched Tilia hang her coat back up.

She turned round, rolling her eyes at their affection. "Urgh, get a room," she muttered, walking through to her tiny bedroom at the back, slamming the door with Metalbending. She knew they wouldn't be offended; she wasn't being petulant about their gender and they all knew it. She just didn't enjoy being the third wheel. Since the incident in Republic City, Tilia wasn't a fan of couples and their public displays of emotion.

She slumped in her bed. It was a rickety metal frame, stuffed full with sky bison fur donated by the Airbenders on the day they'd left. It was surprisingly comfy, yet like everything in their hut, it was falling apart. There was only so much she could do. Anik had created an igloo at first, yet the snow made it impossible to stay there long-term. Tilia had suggested staying, as to monitor the portal for a while, to which Anik and Kuan had agreed. Kuan had joined them as they'd passed through the Southern Water Tribe, having hit it off with Anik.

A tear rolled down Tilia's cheek. She wasn't jealous of Anik, not truly. She just thought she'd been in the same situation by now, not stuck in the icy tundra at the bottom of the world without the person she longed to see.

Something clanged against the outside of the shack, making Tilia look up from her crying. There was nothing outside to possibly make the noise. Tilia clambered awkwardly to her feet, ensuring she made no noise as she approached her door, which hung slightly off the hinges. Her Metalbending was literally the only thing keeping the entire shack together. She pushed it open slightly, wincing as it creaked.

Anik was standing frozen by the main door to the shack. The entire building was only four rooms large, with two bedrooms, one small toilet and the main room, shaped similarly to an igloo. When he saw her approach, he waved down and put a finger to his lips. Something struck the door from the outside and it wobbled ominously. Anik stepped back, hands poised for an attack.

Tilia didn't give him chance. She was sick of sleeping cold, sick of staying up all night, sick of waiting for an impossible miracle, sick of this war ruining every good thing in this world. Her anger crashed over her like a tsunami, cascading down through her body and igniting her inner fire, boiling her blood hot. Tilia strode forward, eyes locked on the door.

The door was blasted off its hinges with a deft swipe of her hand. It flew through the air, coming to rest in the snow some feet away. As she walked out into the early morning sun, a spirit coiled itself from the top of the shack and landed heavily in the snow before her. It was hazy shape, translucent around the edges but certainly shaped like a serpent. It hissed at her, clearly a malevolent spirit engaged in the war.

Tilia swept her arms round like a windmill, sending the door crashing into the back of the spirit. It recovered quickly, darting at Tilia with an aggressive scream. Tilia sprinted and dropped to her knees, sliding under the spirit as it flew just over her head. She jumped to her feet as she continued to slide, bending the door to her feet. She hopped, landing on top of the door, which was floating just off the ground. Turning her hands, Tilia flew through the air as she bent the metal under her feet, surfing through the air on a flying metal surfboard. The spirit coiled around itself, pondering its next move. Before it could strike, however, Tilia reached it. The Metalbender leapt, somersaulting forward, as the door spun round and collided with the spirit. It crashed to the floor, rising unsteadily.

"Agharaa ma trella!" it said in an unknown language. From its beaked mouth, a light shone in a green tone. The spirit seemed to retch; a beam of energy erupted from its mouth and spun towards Tilia. She didn't flinch. Instead, the door rose to meet the beam, diverting the attack and acting as a shield. One more throw of the door sealed the spirit's fate; being repeatedly hit with a metal door was starting to hurt, so it twisted and screeched but eventually flew off into the open sky.

Tilia turned, dropping the battered and dented door into the snow, panting angrily as she watched Anik and Kuan gaze in amazement from the doorway.

"Whoa. Jahn left her? I actually feel sorry for the Avatar now…" Kuan whispered.

"CAN I GO TO SLEEP NOW!?" she shouted at the two men, who immediately jumped back from the doorway and allowed the furious petite woman to pass. She slammed her bedroom door loudly, leaving the two men to awkwardly stand around with the cold breeze coming through the open gap.

"I don't suppose you're any good at DIY?" Anik asked Kuan, looking at the empty doorframe and the ruined metal door beyond.

((Hey there! Book Three is here at last! Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought of the latest addition to Jahn's adventure!))