Bonus chapter!

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Chapter 17

The truth

The group walked in silence, each of them mulling over what had just occurred. Korra was glued to Naga as if they were a single unit, caressing her fur while they travelled.

In all honesty, Tonraq was surprised she wasn't just riding the polar bear dog. In fact, he was surprised at almost everything that had just happened. Things had been going well when they went out for their supply run. The path was simple. The locals were welcoming (though being Chief of the Southern Water Tribe didn't go unnoticed by them). They had offered to share some food with them, as well as water containers and a map for their journey. In exchange, Tonraq agreed to help clear some of the debris out of their river that had fallen in during a storm from a few days prior. Senna purified some of the drinking well water with her Bending. Naga was given the task of catching some fish, which she excelled at. Once the jobs were complete and a meal was shared, they went on their way with their earned supplies, satisfied from their day of work.

From then on was when the disbelief hit. They managed to attract not one, but four cougar bears, which they had managed to avoid for the entirety of their trip to Shili. They failed at outrunning them and were forced to fight. Out of the distance, he hears his daughter call and whistle – out of nowhere, really, since he assumed she was still on the boat. And out she comes, as fierce as her polar bear dog, running right up to and jumping onto one of the massive cougar bears to get it away from the very animal she loved so much. This, he somewhat expected, to be honest; the protectiveness, at least. Korra was always a fighter, and when it came to Naga…

But lunging onto a giant cougar bear?

What really got him was the way she commanded everyone. He hadn't seen her like that since he took her ice dodging as a child. How she was able to negotiate with beasts that, five minutes prior, wanted to rip their faces off and eat every last piece of them, befuddled him.

"It's the cubs, dad. They're just little babies."

Of course. She always had a weak spot for younger creatures.

He thought of the day they rescued her from the snow storm when she ran away, the little polar bear dog pup yipping through the wind, the small animal that he later learned Korra had saved.

Tonraq glanced over his shoulder at his daughter and smiled, heart swelling with pride.

"I'm assuming since you have those bags, you've already been to Shili?" Okema grabbed his attention, slowing her pace to match his.

Tonraq nodded. "We travelled there earlier and exchanged some chores for some goods."

She bobbed her head and returned her fan to its holder. "I'd imagine you'd want to be getting on your way, then. We can get you back to the main road away from the cougar bear range, if you'd like. Then we can point you in the direction of the shore."

"You know we came by boat?"

"Your daughter told us." She twisted her head to peek at Korra. "I'm very impressed with how she handled that situation. I've never seen anyone reason with the cougar bears before."

"I'm just as surprised. But that's Korra for you. If she can physically find a means to do something, then she'll keep trying until it's done. She's stubborn in that way, but effective."

"What is her relationship to Katara?"

He raised an eyebrow to her question. "They're good friends. Korra grew up with her in the Southern Water Tribe and they spent quite a bit of time together before she left for Republic City." He paused a moment, wondering if he had said too much. "Why do you ask, exactly?"

"Just… curious. She mentioned her before we met up with the cougar bears…" She eyed Korra once more before redirecting her attention to the Kyoshi Warriors. "Ladies," they all stopped and turned to face her. "We are going to escort these fine guests to the second right bend of the main road. It'll be much safer for them to travel back to the shore from there."

The Warriors nodded and altered their path to curve through the forested mountains.

Okema watched them lead until Korra brought up the rear. "Korra," she approached the Southerner, prompting her and her polar bear dog to stop. "I want to speak with you. Let's take a walk." She joined Korra's side and folded her hands behind her back. "And keep a bit of distance, alright?"

"Um, sure?" Korra shrugged and walked beside the mighty Kyoshi Warrior.

They followed the group at a slow pace until the trio was out of their earshot.

"You were right, you know." Okema spoke in a hushed voice.

"About the cougar bear cubs?"

"No. About my relation to Sokka."

"I knew it!"

"Quiet. No one can know about this."

Korra raised an eyebrow. "Why? Chief Sokka is awesome. I would be proud to be related to him."

"It's not that I'm not proud. It's just that it's… complicated. I'm surprised you figured it out so quickly, though. There are people on the Island that I've known for years that don't even have a clue. And I intend on keeping it that way. There's a reason Katara didn't tell anyone about us, including you."

"What happened?"

"It started after the end of the Hundred Year War. As good and moral as it is to be working with the Avatar to bring balance and peace around the world – like Sokka, Katara, and the rest did – that doesn't exclude you from making enemies. Quite a few people didn't like what Aang, Zuko, and Sokka were doing with the development and running of the United Republic of Nations, as well as their handling of various citizens from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. It didn't take long for them to become targets – Sokka included. Once he was in their aim, Suki also crossed into it, due to their relationship at the time and her involvement in other political and military affairs. They knew they could get to Sokka by hurting her."

"Who knew?"

"Maguma, a Fire Bender who was a supporter of Fire Lord Ozai during the war. He still believed in his ideals, and that the Fire Nation should colonize and control all of the other Nations."

She stared at the ground in front of her worn animal skin boots as she walked, taking in what Okema was telling her.

"He started a group called the Mokin-Rui that resisted Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang's changes ever since Zuko's coronation." Sadness crossed her painted face. "At first, it was just through minor protests. But many of them were stationed either in the Colonies or out at sea during the war. They wanted to come home to their families and not the Earth Kingdom people, but with the Harmony Restoration Movement threatening to uproot them and the campaign to locate and capture the rest of Ozai's violent followers, things got a lot more difficult."

"But didn't the movement lead to a more accepted integration of both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom into the United Republic of Nations, as opposed to just kicking the Fire Nation out?"

Okema smiled. "You know your history, Korra. While you're right about that, what many people didn't realize was that some of the people from the Earth Kingdom were rebelling against the Fire Nation people who had been living with them for a hundred years. Most of them got along as the decades passed, but there were still a few groups that opposed the other Nation completely. Imprisonment was common on both sides. Things got violent. People died. Some of the members of the Mokin-Rui were furious, especially when their family and friends were killed or captured. They started making assassination attempts on anyone involved with the final peace treaty: Zuko, Aang, Sokka, Katara – you name it."

"But Zuko tried to keep the citizens there in the colonies."

"Oh, they didn't try to kill Zuko for that, trust me. They wanted him gone purely because he was the new Fire Lord and Ozai was not."

Korra frowned and scrunched her brow. "My history books didn't cover this kind of stuff."

"That's because a lot of it wasn't quite as obvious as I'm making it seem. Texts have a tendency to paint pictures from one perspective instead of looking at the scene as a whole. One book may describe Ozai in a way that justifies all of his actions, while a separate scroll could make him seem like a horrible person. If one exists without the other, people will only have one side available to believe instead of looking at all of the angles to the story. Their views will be incomplete, as will the actions that result from such."

She pondered Okema's mindset, seeing the truth in her words. It resembled what Master Zuko had told her about drawing knowledge from each of the Nations. She shook her head, shutting down the thought of even bringing that up to the Kyoshi Warrior. "So, where does Suki come into this?"

"She ties in with the fact that Sokka was targeted by the Mokin-Rui, but it wasn't a serious threat until she and the Kyoshi Warriors became Fire Lord Zuko's body guards after several failed assassination attempts. They shut down quite a few of their future attacks and captured some of their more talented members as well."

"I'm assuming Maguma didn't like that, did he?"

Her face was grave. "No, he did not." Okema took a moment to steady herself. "The Mokin-Rui was a passionate group, but they weren't all that powerful. Their numbers diminished quickly as the Avatar, Katara, Sokka, and Fire Lord Zuko learned more about who they were and made arrests. Katara and Sokka were actually key players in this, due to their investigative work. They led the capture of over half Maguma's men, with the assistance of the students in Toph Beifong's Metal Bending Academy. This put an even bigger mark on Sokka's back, and Katara's too, especially considering that they captured Maguma's brother during one of their raids. The remaining members of the Mokin-Rui disbanded for years, meeting in secret to devise their strategy, strengthen their numbers, and plot their revenge. Ozai supporters, Zuko opposers, and Water Tribe haters all gathered together in the shadows, making the world think that Team Avatar won."

"What did they do to exact revenge?"

"The first thing they did was attack Kyoshi Island."

Korra frowned and observed her surroundings. The air suddenly had an unknown vibe to her, a feeling that made her stomach turn, as if she could feel the bloodshed around her.

"They wanted to start with the easier targets to them – the Non-Benders. They knew the Island was small and vulnerable and that it would draw Sokka and Suki out. Maybe even Katara, if they got lucky. They started off slow, working through contractors and mercenaries to keep their identity quiet and to make it look like it was just small scale pirate raids. They even assumed a new name; the Shinote. Each attack chipped away more and more of the Kyoshi Warriors. Once the advances became more rampant and deadly, Suki refused to remain in Republic City, telling Sokka that she had to go protect her people from extinction."

"When did all of this happen?"

"Around 116 AG, when Sokka and Suki were in their early thirties. In the meantime, Sokka worked on appealing to the political group that was the early stages of the United Republic Council in Republic City, trying to get assistance in warding off these attacks. The Council refused, claiming the need to deal with their own issues within the growing Republic. Avatar Aang, though, agreed to help Sokka in the defense. By the time they made the arrangements, it was too late."

"He attacked."

Okema nodded. "It was an onslaught. Our little villages didn't stand a chance against their fire power. The ones that couldn't Fire Bend brought chemical explosives. I don't know where they got them from, but they were powerful." She inhaled, noticing how shaky her voice was getting. "Suki was trying to defend and protect the innocent people in Shili. She had some of the Kyoshi Warriors evacuate the bystanders to the shores while her own group fought the Shinote. Most of them died in the process."

Korra stared at Okema, trying to meet her eye. When she couldn't, she dropped her sight to the ground again. She put a hand against Naga's cheek and caressed her, looking for something to help her stabilize the emotions swirling in her heart. "What happened to the ones that didn't die?"

"Some of them were captured. Jinli and Zunyu, her daughter, managed to escape with the villagers, along with a few other Kyoshi Warriors and Ty Lee, one of the outside recruits to the Island. Suki fought the best she could, but her injuries were too great. She tried to find shelter in a building nearby but didn't know it was laced with bombs that the Shinote planted during the fight."

She stopped in her tracks and turned away from Korra, her arms folded over her chest.

Korra halted and stared at Okema.

"I've heard that the people who escaped could see the explosion from the shore. I'm not sure how true that is, but luckily, it wasn't enough to kill her. Sokka and Aang arrived shortly after to find most of the villages on fire. Maguma's scouts had picked up on the sky bison and fled before the Avatar could even reach them."

"They found Suki, though."

She bobbed her head. "She was in the rubble of the burning building she hid in. She lost a lot of blood from her wounds. Sokka had Aang take her to the Southern Water Tribe on Appa to see Katara, since she was there raising their two children. He stayed behind to help the relief efforts and to evacuate any more citizens from the Island."

"Was Master Katara able to heal her?"

"Partially." Okema faced Korra but looked away. "The flesh wounds were easy enough, but the explosion shattered her legs and spine. She was paralyzed from the waist down."

"She couldn't be a Kyoshi Warrior anymore…"

"Once you're a Kyoshi Warrior, you're always a Kyoshi Warrior." Her tone was a bit stern and dark upon her statement. She bit back her aggression and pushed the memories away. "But you're right, in a sense; she couldn't fight anymore. At least, not the way we usually do. And the mountain terrain was too much for her to handle in a chair. So Sokka had her stay in the Southern Water Tribe with him so that she could be safe from another attack. Katara worked on healing her, even though Suki couldn't walk. It was during one of her sessions when she found out that Suki was pregnant."

"Suki was pregnant?"

Okema nodded and proceeded to walk towards the group ahead.

Korra and Naga followed her.

"She was about two or three months pregnant when the attack happened. Katara was shocked that the baby lived through the trauma. Sokka was just excited. But with everything that was going on with them and the Shinote, they decided it was best to keep the baby a secret, until it was safer for them to reveal it."

"That's understandable. Master Aang didn't know about the baby, though, did he?"

"I don't believe he did, to be honest. He was so absorbed in pursuing the Shinote and dealing with the erection of Republic City that I don't think he had the chance to stop by the Southern Water Tribe before the baby was born."

"What happened after? Did they move back to Kyoshi Island?"

"Not exactly. There were a lot of complications with the birth. Suki… she didn't make it."

A sad expression crossed Korra's face. She lowered her head and stared at the ground by her feet.

"My mother, Katori, was born in the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka and Katara wanted to ensure her safety, so they kept her a secret from the world and boarded her with one of their friends, Karisa, who was a wet nurse. Sokka would visit her whenever he could, but his duties as the Chairman for the United Republic Council and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe didn't give him much time to spare in his youth. He was a good father, though. Very caring and loving and funny, from what my mother told me. I got to meet him and see him on occasion, but I was never really that close to him. My youngest sister, Akaishi, was fascinated with him; the two were almost mirror images of each other. They became great friends and spent time together every chance they could when he visited the Island."

"So your mom moved to Kyoshi Island? Did she become part of the Kyoshi Warriors?"

"She did. When she was eighteen, Sokka told her the truth about her real mother. He took her to visit Kyoshi Island. She fell in love with the place and wanted to stay, so he let her. She started training under Jinli, who had taken over the Kyoshi Warriors in Suki's absence as her second in command. They kept her lineage a secret, though. After about a year's worth of intense training, Jinli felt that Katori was ready to serve and lead the Kyoshi Warriors – with her advising, of course. Her daughter was… not too happy about that."

"What happened?"

"Things got tense. They still are, to be honest. I 'inherited' and earned the command of the Kyoshi Warriors after my mother passed a few years ago. But ever since my mother started training and working with Jinli, there has been tension between her and Zunyu. Zunyu and many of the other Kyoshi Warriors split off into their own regime, keeping it secret from Jinli and the rest of the Warriors."

"If it's a secret, how do you know about it?"

"Because my sister was a part of it," she grumbled. "Akaishi." She grew silent upon saying her name. Okema took a breath and continued. "When I found out, my mother and I had the group disbanded on the platform that we all are Kyoshi Warriors and that we must work together to protect our people, not separately."

"Did it work?"

"Somewhat. We are still unified when the Island is in danger, but Zunyu and her village insist on training the Kyoshi Warriors one way while I train them in the more traditional fighting styles that the original Kyoshi Warriors learned and passed down to their successors, such as my grandmother."

"I had no idea that the Kyoshi Warriors based their leaders on lineage."

"We usually don't, but Jinli felt that it was only right and fair that Katori take the place of the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. She was only holding the spot for Suki, but when she found out what happened… plus, she was tired. She fought a lot of battles after what happened to my grandmother, and she was just ready to pass it onto the next in line. And my mother was a good Warrior, better even than Zunyu. Jinli felt she earned it, and my mother felt I earned it as well. She designated me as the next leader years before she passed. When she did, I stepped up. That, of course, also caused a bit of tension."

"I can see why this is so complicated. But why keep your lineage to Sokka a secret? He's passed and so has your mother. What have you to lose now?"

"My life." Okema halted again and locked onto Korra's oceans. "There are still people out there who were part of the Shinote. Avatar Aang wasn't able to find them all and bring them to justice. I want to be as safe and low key about this as possible; I don't want to witness an attack like the one that nearly killed my grandmother."

"Do you really think they would hold a grudge for that long?"

"The man who stabbed you – was he attacking you because of who you are or because you were trying to stop him?"

She paused for a moment to think. "Both?" She sighed. "More of the first one, I guess."

"Does he really know you at all? Or did he just see your clothes and skin and automatically dislike you? You don't think there is any sort of grudge or bitterness that might have caused him to target you and your parents, specifically?"

Korra crossed her arms and looked away. "He doesn't like Water Benders. I know that much."

Okema intercepted her line of sight and met her eyes. "And where do you think that came from?" The question was rhetorical as she walked away, straightening her posture as she did so.

Korra stood, frozen in her spot, contemplating her words.

You don't think he was…

Maybe. Maybe not. I – I don't know. I'm too tired to think about this right now.

She snapped out of it when Naga rubbed against her. She scratched the animal's ear with an absent mind and followed the leader of the Kyoshi back to the rest of the group.

(-)

*Sits in the corner with a steaming cup of tea and looks out the window on a crisp, autumn day. There's a blanket around my shoulders. I stare through the glass as the dead leaves flow by in the chilling wind, the imagery capturing how my heart feels, and ask myself "what have I done?"*

Aka I'm sad.