((Hi all! A short solo chapter this week, as there's only a few chapters left now! Thanks for all the reviews; I hope you won't be disappointed in the upcoming ending!))

Wolf in the Woods:

Rizem stepped off the boat, shaking one foot free of water with a displeased expression. He retrieved a small bag from inside the vessel and slung it across his back. He'd have to walk from here on out.

That was fine. Sailing directly into the city would have been ill advised. Instead, his little boat had stopped just north; it had taken two days to arrive and he was feeling the effects of no sleep. His eyes felt itchy and his mind was starting to wander.

His son had surprised him. Jahn had skydived out of a moving airship like some kind of superhero, just to confront him. As a child, Jahn had always been a little rambunctious, though his audacity was to be admired. Of course, he was only twenty; his questions had been obvious. Even so, Rizem had very nearly lost control of that situation.

His thoughts turned to the owl spirit as he walked, stepping up a hill and into a forest. Wan Shi Tong had many indebted to him, those spirits who owed him for sharing his knowledge with them. Those spirits had answered his call and provided him with his chance to escape, just as he'd hoped. If Jahn had wiped them all out, then he guessed he could live with that. Spirits were baser creatures, not fit to be on the same level as humans, let alone share their world.

His irritation was a result of his fatigue, he could tell. From way above, the moonlight shone brightly through the treetops, illuminating the forest in a strange white light. Rizem stared up with hatred, gritting his teeth. Every step was carefully calculated and yet Jahn was creeping closer and the cannon wasn't even finished. Everything he'd sacrificed for a better future and it was all nearly ruined!

"AAARRRRGHHH!" he suddenly yelled up at the night sky, screaming his anger up at the night. A small flock of birds burst into the sky, alarmed by the noise as Rizem punched a nearby tree once. Shaking his fist, he took a deep breath and composed himself. Sudden outbursts were unlike him these days; back when he was younger perhaps, though he had grown considerably in the last decade.

Maybe it would have been easier to just explain to Jahn. Maybe he would have understood.

Bullshit, his conscience told him. Jahn was part spirit. Spirits would never understand. Even back when he needed their help most, they didn't understand. They'd betrayed him.

The forest was quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. He knew where he was heading; there was only one place close enough to rebuild the cannon. If successful, he'd travel to the Water Tribes and do the same there. His associates had probably finished their cannons already, using whatever scraps they could find from the war-torn regions of the icy tundras. All they needed was the key. Sadly, he held the only one.

Something moved far away, making the back of his neck tingle uncomfortably. His hand automatically went to the knife on his belt, unhooking it slightly just in case. Some spirits he could use, though most of the others were simply feral. If they attacked, it might be worth using the key for a test-run. His uncle had not tested it as he'd been instructed, hoping to spare the village from spiritual destruction. Rizem had been annoyed at that, though he sympathised somewhat with his honourable intentions. Everything he'd been doing had been to save people. Humanity needed to take back their world.

Losing Akemi had been unfortunate. He'd hoped to bring her back to the United Republic and send Jahn off in the other direction chasing her. Now that she was back with her father, Jahn would come straight to the city. He'd have to purge him of Raava before he revealed his intentions with the cannon, or else Jahn might just ruin everything.

He felt slightly guilty over her kidnapping, in truth. He'd planned out this war carefully; the Air Nation would soar in to assist, only to be driven back. The Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes were too close to portals; they'd be assaulted with incredible ferocity by the spirits. Only the Fire Nation would be relatively unaffected. When Kairna had come to him, stating she was wife of Zukoh, he'd seen his opportunity. A bargaining chip, for when the Fire Nation came calling. Akemi didn't deserve to be away from her family for those years, though she'd be fine in the long run.

The thing moved once again, darting between trees. Something else moved to its right, moving closer. He wrapped a hand round the hilt of his knife and drew it out slowly, keeping a firm grip. They drew closer and closer, shadows flitting through the dark. They skirted the moonlight, unwilling to be seen.

If they wouldn't come out to play, perhaps a test of the key would draw them out.

He rummaged in his bag with his free hand, keeping a firm eye fixed on the shadows jumping steadily towards him. His fingers curled around the key; a slim, smooth diamond which he plucked from the bag. Rizem held the knife out in front of him defensively as he focused on the key. It looked like a jewel made of black obsidian, with a small orange core hidden within. This was Future Industries' greatest creation. With it, all his dreams would become reality.

One of the shapes growled from beyond a tree, shrouded in shadow. Red eyes glared at him as a sharp clawed hand scratched at the tree roots it hid behind. Rizem cocked his head, curious. The hand looked human, though it was furry and had claws. He knew who it belonged to.

The other shape was flitting around behind, waiting for the red-eyed shape to move first. Rizem grinned; this was too good to be true.

"Why, please stop skulking in the dark Zhansha. It's not good for your complexion," he said casually.

The spirit snarled but stepped forward slowly. Zhansha was truly a curious beast; it had been some form of wolf spirit, though it was more than happy to live within the human body it had taken. This right here was a true testament to his mission.

"Human. These are our woods. Do you have any last words?" Zhansha snarled.

"You really don't know who you're messing with, pup," Rizem replied sharply. "Either flee or forfeit your lives."

Zhansha bared its teeth angrily. "You're just another mud-being."

"If we're mud-beings, why do you inhabit one of our bodies?" Rizem asked, actually curious despite himself. The key in his hand was starting to spin, whirling round faster and faster.

Zhansha didn't reply. Instead, it simply raised its muzzle to the moon and howled loudly. The spirit behind burst forward, jumping from tree to tree with four lean arms all ending in two long claws instead of hands. It came slashing at Rizem, who waited for it to close. As soon as it was within striking distance, he flicked his knife forward with incredible speed and accuracy; it hit the spirit directly in the shoulder, forcing it down to the ground. Lacking hands, it tried to claw the knife out but failed, writing around in discomfort.

"Yes, well done," Rizem said sarcastically. The key was spinning quickly now, a spinning top floating above his palm. "Do you want to try? Many of your spirits have died for your opinions, though you seem relatively unharmed. Come find out what your war has cost," he said, beckoning with his free hand.

Zhansha snapped its teeth and rushed forward, running on all fours. It ran awkwardly, as though its back legs were too long for it. When it neared, it leapt into the air, reaching out with clawed hands. Rizem sidestepped easily, moving like a Waterbender. His father had tried to train him, though Rizem lacked any form of bending. He'd still used their techniques to perfect his hand-to-hand fighting however.

The wolf-human hybrid landed in the leaves heavily, spinning round and lashing out. Rizem jumped up without much effort, landing just out of striking range.

"You tried to fight back against the Liberators, though what good is waging war if you don't even know who your enemy is? You can kill countless soldiers, though if you take out the general, the war is over before it begins," Rizem advised.

"Generals, soliders, both human concepts. Humans have no leaders in this war," Zhansha snarled.

Rizem shrugged. The key made a curious clicking sound, the light inside growing brighter. "You are mistaken. Humanity requires leaders; we're a young species compared to yours. Still, we hold much promise. The leaders of the nations did not start this war; I did. I control the Red Lotus, the Liberators and many more. The one you want is me," he said, head held high.

Zhansha looked surprised, a faint flicker of humanity passing over its wolfish face for an instant. Within a second, it was replaced by rage; the spirit jumped suddenly, lunging for Rizem's face.

Rizem smiled smugly. He held up the key, which rose into the air slightly. The light grew intense; a bright orange shield billowed out from the object, surrounding Rizem and a four metre radius around him. Zhansha had no time to react; it collided with the transparent shield and seemed to stick to it, strange spiritual steam billowing out as the spirit fizzed where it touched the shield.

Zhansha howled in agony as its energies were drained by the energy shield. It took only a handful of seconds before the red eyes went dim; the wolfish aspects of Zhansha disappeared, the fur retreating, the teeth falling out, until a very dead but very human body was left. It slumped to the ground, unaffected now Zhansha's presence had left. The shield flashed as it absorbed the spirit, dispersing its power into the air.

Before it could fade, Rizem turned quickly to the other spirit. He frowned, concerned as the spirit had vanished. His knife was lying on the ground where the spirit had been, though it was nowhere to be found.

Rizem sighed as he grabbed the key from the air. As soon as his fingers wrapped around it, the glow vanished and the translucent shield withdrew back into it quickly, leaving the forest dark once again.

"Boss?" came a voice from his bag. As he placed the key back inside, cautious of the heat coming off it, he withdrew a small radio. Pressing a button, he held it up to his mouth. "Rizem here."

"Ah, good to hear from you boss. We've finished the cannon as requested. Please accept our apologies for the delay," the voice said.

Rizem shook his head. "That's fine, as long as it's done. I'm not a dictator, you know. If you're with me, you're safe. I'm just north of Republic City; I'm going to head round to Taku before I aim for the portal. Get the cannon there and wait for my arrival," he ordered.

"Got it boss. Good luck!" the voice said, clearly relieved.

Rizem smirked despite himself. The key was working without fault and the modified cannons were ready. When he reached the city, the end would begin. If he could force the spirits to open the portal, the United Forces would be totally distracted. It wouldn't take long for his plan to be complete, which should send all the spirits fleeing.

The radio crackled to life once again, so he glanced down in confusion. "What now?" he asked, irritated as he picked up his knife and slid it back into his belt.

The signal was weak, so he turned up the volume to the speaker. "Say that again. Reception is awful here."

"I can't imagine your reception at Republic City will be any better," Jahn's voice said dryly. "They all know you're coming and it won't be long before we're back. Just stop whatever you're doing and go back to being just another memory."

Rizem was surprised. It didn't happen often, to be honest, though this was interesting. "Jahn. How did you find my frequency?"

"I know a Metalbender that's good with technology. She's very nearly the best around. It wasn't hard for her," was the response.

"A friend? I must say, I'm honestly pleased you've got some friends; I was worried that you'd be alone in Taku so I'm glad you have people that care about you," Rizem said as he walked amongst the dense trees.

"I have plenty of people close to me. I guess you wouldn't know that feeling after you left mother and me."

Rizem frowned. He held the radio closer to his mouth, speaking more quietly. "I didn't want to leave, truly. If I could have achieved all my goals from Taku, I would have been there for you. As I said, I'm honestly sorry I wasn't."

Static came through the radio as Jahn went quiet. After a few seconds, it flared to life again. "Why did you leave? Were you just tired of mother being ill, of me being young? I was only little and you just left us behind. No child should be left like that."

Rizem sighed, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Jahn, it's not that simple. I didn't know you were the Avatar but I was determined not to risk your life by consorting with spirits, so I had to leave you behind. I never dreamed your mother's illness was a spirit's doing until a few years after I'd left Taku."

"You're not answering the question!" Jahn shouted through the radio, his voice broken and distorted. "I asked why you left. Was it me? Was it mother?"

"It was because of your sister."

The radio went silent. Rizem stretched his head back, aware the news would upset him. Despite everything, Jahn was his son. He had no desire to hurt the boy.

Rizem walked for a short while in silence, feeling his feet crunch the leaves and nuts below. Ahead, strange birds twittered as he passed, warning each other of the intruder.

"-sister. What sister?" Jahn's voice said through the radio, almost as quiet as the forest around him.

"Your older sister. It was a complicated time, Jahn, so I don't expect you to understand. It all happened not long after you were born. Just let me finish my work and I can make amends to you."

"Your work, killing all spirits?" Jahn retorted.

Rizem chuckled to himself before pressing the button. "That would be genocide, Jahn. I wouldn't dare. Don't fret; if you all leave me alone, no other humans or spirits need to die."

"That really helps all those already dead, doesn't it?" Jahn replied sarcastically.

"You sound just like your mother," Rizem commented. The terrain was starting to become harder to navigate, steeper as he continued. "I'm afraid I've got somewhere to be so our little chat is over now. For the good of the world and for your own safety, stay away Jahn. I'd rather you weren't involved in this," he said, switching the radio off and stashing it back in his bag. As he stared down inside, the key hummed gently, still omitting a faint orange glow. How much spiritual energy could it hold? Would it be enough?

No time to second guess now. He had a decade-long mission to complete.

((I thought it was time we understood a little more about Rizem's motivations and plan; all will be revealed soon! And again, thanks for reading!))