Chapter V – Different perspectives

Two pairs of knees lied buried in the snow, hands resting on the back of a cold boulder. The haze had cleared, and they feared their icy breaths would betray them.

Stomping feet came marching on the ice-covered earth, every step like one—an unhuman sound, and the mountains surrounding them seemed to tremble every time. The snow swirling before their faces and blowing their fur coats away didn't seem to make a difference. None of those vitreous eyes would flicker once.

The largest, proudest of them held his wide shoulders back and marched first in line. His face was hidden, but when his right arm stretched open all at a sudden, the warriors coming after him stopped in lock step.

"Sounds like we have company."

Hundreds of grey faces turned as one in the same direction. Huffled sounds, blurred and flashing images followed, and two men found themselves out of their hideout, on the cold ground, eating ice and mud. A man's towering shadow approached.

"Look who's here. Worms from the earth."

The two exchanged a look and then slowly lifted their heads to look at the figure hovering over them. A pair of ice-blue eyes glimmered in a sinister grin, while the rest of the face was completely shadowed by the fur cloak.

"Two soldiers from the fancy Earth Kingdom we have here." With his foot he gave a slight, scornful enough nudge at their conical helmets. "Someone was so excited to meet us they had to find us first. Where is the rest of your army?"

The soldiers didn't speak straight away, though one of them appeared to be struggling to keep his eyes on the ground. "We were sent in advance by General Hao to search the valley", the more acquiescent one said.

"Your General is a cautious man", the chief said, mockingly. "We should get him some more clues, so he can come to find us sooner. We were bored waiting for him." He turned his head to a man on his right. "Make sure our prisoners find their way back to their general; they'll tell him we'll be waiting for their coming so we can get it over with these games as soon as we can. And then we'll be ready to push the worms right back down into the mud."

The man he had addressed turned to the soldiers and roughly lifted them both from off the ground. "You heard what he said", he whispered, close to their ears, before pushing them away. They both fell hard on the ground, and the men laughed in a horrible manner.

"You won't stand a chance!"

One of the soldiers, the one who had struggingly kept quiet before, had risen up fiercely and spoken with his voice shaking, but loud and clear, before the other could stop him.

"The Earth King has gathered the greatest armed force ever seen and you have no power to defeat it! The three Nations altogether will seek you and find you and destroy every single one of you!"

His mate grabbed him down when it was too late. Never had his gaze moved while he was speaking, and neither did he after he finished.

"That sounds... interesting" the leader finally grinned. "But wouldn't that be unfair? We would be rather outnumbered, don't you think?"

The man didn't reply this time. Seeing the face those words were pronounced with, all at once it was hard to trust they shouldn't be feared even more.

"Now go," the chief said. "And salute the three Nations for me."

The two men hesitated, but they had to obey when they felt the ground sliding under their feet.

"How many men do you need to deliver a message?" the chief casually asked the man beside him.

They both gazed at the soldiers running down the valley.

"Only one" the man grinned, as a thick body hit the cold ground with a dull sound.

"Okay, Katara. Hold it together."

She pulled her shoulders back and took a deep breath. It was hard to fill her lungs properly with the wrappings so tight on her chest, yet she feared it wouldn't be enough. She almost floated in her brother's clothes and boots. As much as she tightened the belt, the shirt fell loose over her shoulders—suddenly she had a feeling she looked like a crutch.

"You can do this, Katara. Remember, you can do this! Just breathe in and-"

She sighed at the muffle sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The sword sheath had dropped again from her back. She patiently picked it up and straightened up to start all over.

If she wanted to look like a man, she needed to act like a man. Talk like a man, walk like a man. That would have been enough of a start. To look like a warrior—that would take much more time. What does Sokka do when he wants to seem tough?, she thought. She pictured her brother showing off in front of girls, walking with his usual confident, carefree mannerism—shoulders back, chin up, a supposedly badass look on his face.

Katara shook her head before even trying to imitate him, and grabbed her face in her palms. For a moment, she considered turning on her feet and running back home as fast as she could. She found herself wondering if that was ever a good idea. Who was she expecting to fool? "You're just a girl", Sokka used to say when they were little, and he refused to let her play swordsfight with him. "You could barely hold this—it's too heavy. This is boy's stuff," and then he got back to messing around with his wooden sword, leaving Katara out of words.

No. Not this time. She wouldn't let him win this time. Sokka was wrong, and she never managed to prove it before. She was thin and little, her face round and her skin smooth, and okay, she was definitely far from looking like a boy from a close watch, but she felt like was strong enough. And if she had a chance to try, she could not give it up.

She took a deep breath, fixed the shirt on her shoulders one last time and peeped through the leaves. The boot camp fences were just a hundred feet away.

With her lips pursed, she stepped out of the bushes. Now there was no turning back. She trailed her ostrich-horse behind as she approached the tents that were closest to her.

This is it, Katara, her own voice said in her mind, you're here. Watch your posture. Shoulders back, chest out, deep voice... And low profile. At any cost.

As she went—trying to keep control on her walk and expression—she could focus little on what she saw; but still, the cheerful atmosphere and the lively coming and going across the tent lines didn't fail to give her that persistant, unpleasant feeling of being out of place. Now even more than before, every step she took got her feet burning. She realized she was walking down some sort of stairway that would disappear behind her back.

She looked around discreetly, eager to learn what she could. Outside her family, men were still a bit of a mystery to her, so one can imagine the impact of seeing thousands of grown males all gathered in a war camp would have. Surprise was quickly surpassed by a certain discomfort. An intense smell of burned and stale food, along with more human scents like sweat and cheap perfums, filled the air and crept in her nose in a way that was hard to remove. A couple men were smoking long pipes and their overly sweetish fumes nearly got her coughing. She noticed a few tents where two or more people were extremely busy with a Pai Sho game. Others were hunging wet clothes to dry, or eating, or arm-wrestling or practicing fighting.

Katara realized she had to be in a somewhat Earth Kingdom quarter of the camp, since where she was, most of the recruits wore uniforms of different shades of green. Even so, she could recognize here and there Fire Nation and Water Tribe people from their red and blue outfits, and she guessed many more of them could be found in other areas. The three remaining of the historical Four Nations gathered together in one place. It was not something to be seen every day.

More than anything else, the boot camp was loud with chatter, and recruits were walking from side to side anytime; at least a dozen times Katara went unnoticed and very often crushed, and she was growing quite dismayed at not receiving any sorry.

It was that one time she was almost hit by a man and his rhino, she stepped back just in time and stumbled upon someone's foot and shoulder.

"Hey, kid, look where you're going."

A young, nasal and smooth voice had spoken to her quite casually, though Katara turned around with a gasp. She was soon gobsmacked as she saw a handsome young man staring back at her; he had shaggy, unruly brown hair falling on his frown, but his dark eyes certainly were captivating. She blinked and all at once she was aware that he was just a few inches away from her. She stepped back, fighting an unintended blush, but she was almost crushed again by a cart passing by.

"Hey, are you deaf? I was talking to you."

The guy was speaking again, holding his sprig of wheat in his fingers as he did, but Katara didn't realize it straight away. In reality, she'd hoped he would just walk past her, but he was still there, addressing to her in a slight confrontational way. Why did guys have to be this unnecessarily peevish to each other?

Think, Katara, think. What would a boy say now?

"Uh... Excuse me. What do you want?" she replied in the best manly manner she could make up. That was the most aggressive answer she managed to come up with after a few seconds thinking. She didn't want to mess around, but acting that way seemed to be a good way to build a solid disguise.

"Okay, you gotta be kidding" he said with an condescending grin. "Watch out next time, little one."

The pretty boy had turned to walk away as he muttered something, and suddenly his stomach hit the ground with a resounding thump. A water string tied around his ankle was trailing him back.

"Who's the little one now?" she grinned, proudly and surprised it actually worked. "That's what happens when you pick a fight. You're just an immature... ill-mannered... uh..."

She shut her mouth when she realized she was out of words. At least the ones that suited a war camp scuffle. That insolent guy had her quite enraged, though, and as always she couldn't hold her temper. Maybe she was getting carried away, but she was too worked-up now to worry about that. Low profile, for sure, she thought, wondering if she should release him. Just for a moment, however, since her bending was not strong enough to last that long and the good-looking boy had jumped on his feet already. He was getting close, his hand resting on the hook sword on his side, and judging by his menacing face, he had to be lightly hurt in his pride. Katara stared at him bewildered, unsure what to do.

"What's your problem?! I was just telling you-"

"Jet" a new, calm voice intervened. "Jet, I've been looking for you, they're about to—what's going on?" The person who had spoken was another surprisingly good-looking boy in a bright green outfit, with long brown hair and kind eyes.

"This little folk here was just asking for a lesson," Jet answered nonchalantly.

He didn't notice early enough another water whip coming his way, and Katara was once again happily surprised when she managed to knock him down again, tough that unintentionally included his friend.

"What... hey!" the new boy muttered, and Katara bit her lip.

"You want trouble, don't you?"

Katara didn't bother answering, because she was busy trying to keep her balance after the earth had just moved under her feet. An earthbender, she thought, watching the kind boy in green move his foot heavily. Jet pulled out his hook sword like he was seriously ready for a fight.

Katara squeezed her eyes, waiting for him to strike—and one moment later she was surprised to feel a hand push her backwards.

"Get out of the way!"

"Easy, guys, easy" a familiar voice had made its entrance, and when Katara opened her eyes to see, she almost choked. "Sh-he was only playing, I'll bet, weren't you, buddy?"

Katara had too little breath left to actually give an answer. She just stared at Sokka, her eyes almost popping out.

"Yeah, sure he was." Despite his attitude, though, Jet put down his swords.

"Come on, Jet," the other guy intervened, "maybe we were getting overly heated up."

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka smiled and widened his arms, "That's just how it was, I'm sure! How about we start all over with a presentation and an apology?"

"Sokka?" Katara was finally able to whisper through her teeth. "What-..." A look from him reminded her not to speak any further.

While Jet had his mouth still curled in disdain, the boy in green was smiling kindly at her and bowing. "Sounds neat. I'm Haru, and this is Jet."

Katara grunted. It was hard enough to hold back from grabbing Sokka by the ear and yell at him. "I'm not apologizing to anyone! He's the one who should apologize, for the matter", she exclaimed pointing a finger at Jet.

"You started it! He started it!" he replied exasperated, and turned to the others, pointing at Katara with his open palm. Then he shook his head. "Look, whatever. I've had enough of pathetic bending."

"What are you, a kid?" Katara said boldly, crossing her arms on her chest. "I could knock you down with one finger and my eyes closed."

"Katara, please..." Sokka muttered between his teeth, but in vain.

"Is that a challenge?" Jet grinned, swirling his swords in circles.

"What do you say?" Katara heard her voice say, as she struggled to summon more water she knew she could hold; she was feeling invincible all at once. The last things she could see clearly was her brother rush towards her, and a flood of tents and poles and people all around.

When it was done she looked around, uncertain what had happened, and gaped. Dozens of men were all staring at her and they were looking not exactly amused.

A few feet from there, a tent's entrance flapped open and the four men sitting inside brught their gazes up to the one who entered.

"Long Feng. We meet again, at last," a bearded, gentle old man greeted him with a warm smile and a bow. "Under very different circumstances, though."

"General Iroh," the man answered in his deeply polite, yet no-nonsense manner. "What a pleasant sight. The Dragon of the West is back in the Earth Kingdom. And he brings two young Fire princes, too. I can't believe my eyes."

No one answered to his flamboyant remark. The two men he had referred to as princes exchanged a silent look. One had a square face and thick sideburns framing his jaw. The younger one, who bore a scarlet scar on his left eye and a crown over his topknot, couldn't keep his eyes from narrowing a bit.

"General Fong, did I interrupt anything?" Long Feng asked the sturdy soldier sitting on his side.

"We were just finishing to fix our strategy for the next move," the General quickly informed. He gestured to the open map before him. "According to our latest reports, the enemy has been intercepted two times since their first appearance—two days ago, when they raided and destroyed a village on the Tiankong peak, and last night, close to the pass of Baki, by two soldiers sent in an outpost."

"They're marching across the mountains, but it's taking them longer than we supposed at first," the prince with sideburns intervened. "They came to know they're outnumbered. I have an idea they're wasting time, waiting to receive reinforcement."

"Or maybe it's a trap," the boy with the scar intervened, breaking his silence. Everyone looked at him. His voice sounded raspy and raw, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "Maybe that's what they want you to think."

"Either you're right or not, we have no choice but to attack as soon as we can, Prince Zuko," General Fong said dryly. "If we have a chance to get them when they're vulnerable and before they get too close to the edge of the mountainchain, we must take it. We can't risk."

"I think-"

"You heard the General, Crown Prince Zuko," Long Feng cut him off, as gracefully as peremptorily. "Remember you're not the king in this war, Your Highness."

The prince twisted his mouth in resentment, clearly wanting to say something, but he kept quiet. Then again, Long Feng was not looking at him anymore.

"So what were you planning to do, Prince Lu Ten?" He was speaking to the older prince, sitting next to Prince Zuko.

"This is what we have agreed upon. General Fong and I are heading to the mountains, so we can stop their advance as soon as we can. Down south, on the other side of the river, General Hao's armed corps will be making a further defense line, in the extreme case it's needed." Here, there prince blinked confidently and brought his finger on some lines drawn on the map. "We will trace their movements and surround them as soon as we intercept their route. We have the advantage of technology, which will greatly optimise our times when moving across the mountainchain. From here, it will take us around two or three weeks of travel, if my estimates are correct, and if we're lucky we'll get by with a few hours of battle." The prince paused and touched his sideburns. "As for my cousin Zuko, he will stay here until further notice, to train and then lead his army of new recruits wherever they're needed." The prince stopped again and grinned a little before he continued. "But hopefully that won't be necessary and it will all be over as soon as possible. With three elements combined and highly advanced weapons on our side, we have no odds against us."

"Brilliant strategy, Your Highness," Long Feng commented, and then he glanced at Prince Zuko. "I can't hide my perplexities, however, on how a boy so young will be able to take such a huge and... difficult armed corp alone. Not that I doubt his inherited talent, of course—but experience is most needed."

Prince Zuko opened his mouth, but General Iroh was faster than him. "I guarantee my nephew is completely capable of the task he has been assigned. I have trained him for years myself and I think I can tell he's ready. Besides, it was the Fire Lord's will for him to be lieutenant general of these troops." He stopped for a moment and smiled at the young prince. "I will be here to assist him."

"You'll see it yourself, Long Feng," Prince Lu Ten cut in shortly, "and you'll report that to the King, as he requested."

Long Feng bowed respectfully. "As you wish, General."

General Fong was the first to get up on his feet. "I think it's time to go, Prince Lu Ten."

The prince nodded and followed the general. But right on the doorway, he turned to General Iroh.

"See you in a few weeks, Dad."

The Dragon of the West smiled so brightly his eyes glimmered in reflection. Quickly enough, the son was buried in the father's arms.

"Take care of this brave little soldier here," Lu Ten later winked at Prince Zuko, who smiled and let his cousin playingly pat his cheek. "We're counting on you, Zuko. I believe you can do it. Take these troops and make them great. You're going to surprise all those that don't think you can."

The young prince nodded gravely and waited as his uncle gave his last recommendations to his son. Lu Ten already had a foot out of the tent when Zuko suddenly called his name again.

"Lu Ten, wait." He hesitated. "Have you heard anything from Azula? And my Father?"

Lu Ten made an affirmative gesture. "As we speak, Azula must be already in Ba Sing Se. As for your father, he's not leaving the Capital yet. But he wrote that he's going to join her as soon as he can."

Zuko nodded and kept quiet.

"I wouldn't worry about her," Lu Ten teased. "I have a feeling she will get by."

"I'm not worried about her."

Lu Ten smiled. "Okay, okay, off with that, I'll just tell them you say hello. See you soon, cousin."

Then the tent opening fell closed behind his back. "Stay here, son. I'll be back shortly," Uncle told Zuko. He waited alone inside, until the fiery gallop of rhinos and ostrich-horses was nothing but a faint sound in the distance.

Then, Long Feng's face peeped into the tent. "Your Highness, you better come out and face your troops now. I think they need to be shown some authority."

The prince nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and then stepped out.

"What..." he muttered to himself as soon as he looked around.

Before him, chaos had laid its hand on the camp he had walked through just a few minutes earlier. The ground was flooded with water and now the green grass was stained with muddy pools and icy sheets, here and there. Boiled rice was literally everywhere—Zuko was not quite sure how it could have possibly ended on heads or on tent tops. Not to mention men—his men—were mostly a confused, embarrassing lot of clumsy teenage boys running around after each other, some still wrestling or bending, despite his appearance.

It was like watching domino tiles that had just finished falling onto one another—nothing was in its place anymore. And just like domino, the first tile could be found right in the middle, easily recognisable.

"Silence!" the Prince yelled sharply. The men all froze in their places, and stared. "You," he barked then, furiously, pointing to the tiny young boy with Water Tribe clothes he had seen first.

Katara swallowed and dropped her water while everyone else, except for Sokka, made a step back. The angry boy was coming her way—and judging from his flaming eyes, it meant nothing good.

A/N: So, here we have finally introduced Zuko. Yasss. Also Sokka. Things are starting to get tricky now.

I just realized the links in my profile are not working, and that fanfiction has blocked any kind of link to external sites. So I'm looking for a way for my art and other important stuff to be easily found. Meanwhile, you can visit my tumblr (paintedfirelady is the url), there you'll find pretty much everything. As for the map, which is the most important thing for this story, the only thing you can do is google "avatar world map" and check the best results. There is a huge detailed map with nice looking drawings, villages and everything and you should easily find it. I'm sorry about this but for now it's the only way :/

However, I managed to update today and respect my deadline (yay!) but it's past 2:30 a.m. and though I've re-read this chapter again and again one might never know. As always, if anything is uncorrect, even just a typo, don't refrain from letting me know :) any advice is warmly accepted. I'm also thinking of getting a beta reader soon.

Okay, that's all for now. See you guys in one or two weeks, once again!