I awoke with a start as I heard an explosion sounding not too far away, rocking the ground we were all lying on. Beside me, Takara sprang into action, flipping herself onto her feet and drawing her twin meteor swords in the blink of an eye. Everyone else awoke, as well, and as I checked on Jin and Li, several more explosions rocked the square, shaking loose countless small rocks from the ceiling above.
Off in the distance, like a pack of voracious komodo rhinos, I saw them: three Fire Nation airships, like the one we had stolen back at the Boiling Rock, their front cannons lined up on us. The airship to the right fired a bomb, which struck a bridge leading to another part of the temple and obliterating it.
Aang and Appa fell back to where we all were, and proceeded to send a gust of air forwards, sealing the protective metal walls around the square, offering a momentary respite from the bombardment. Unfortunately, the moment was gone faster than anyone would have liked, and several chunks of rock came down from the ceiling and plummeted down towards us.
Beside me, Katara was about to be struck by such a rock when Zuko tackled her to the ground, saving her at the last possible moment as he said "Watch out!"
"What are you doing?" the Waterbender angrily demanded.
"Keeping rocks from crushing you" the scarred teenager replied.
"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now" Katara said as she roughly shook off Zuko's grip and walked away.
"I'll take that as a thank you" he grumbled, and I smiled sympathetically as I held out a hand, which he gratefully took.
As the chamber continued to shake from the ceaseless bombardment, the Earthbenders in our group opened a tunnel leading further into the mountainside and, eventually, the surface. "Come on!" Toph cried, pointing down the tunnel. "We can get out through here!" As the others started filing in, I looked over to Takara, and we nodded to each other before I nodded to Zuko.
"What are you doing?" Aang demanded as he was in the process of leading Appa down into the tunnel, an insurmountable task if there ever was one.
"We'll hold them off" Zuko replied. Turning to look back at the airships, he said "I think this is a personal visit".
I glanced over to Jin and Li as the square rumbled. They looked as if they wanted to help, but I said "Jin, Li, go, now! We'll join you shortly". The look on their faces indicated their unhappiness with that decision before Toph managed to drag them into the escape tunnel. I turned my attention forward, my heart pumping in anticipation. My wounds were on their way to becoming fully healed in due time, and after the beating I had received during the invasion and our time in the Boiling Rock, I was very much eager to dole out some pain of my own.
By the look on her face, Takara was feeling the same, and she and I joined Zuko as he ran forward, leaping through a hole in the metal wall as more and more of this part of the temple started to crumble. We soon came to the edge, with nothing but the seemingly-endless ravine and the airships before us. A bomb struck the ground a few feet away, and we ran through the black cloud it left behind.
Zuko thrust a fist forward, shooting a crimson fireball at the centre airship that struck its cannon, destroying it. I followed up by thrusting my hand forward, shooting a bolt of white lightning at the airship to our right. The bolt struck the war vehicle, creating a fantastic explosion that ceased the flow of bombs from it. Then, suddenly, another airship emerged from the fog concealing the ravine, revealing none other than Azula.
She smiled maliciously at us, and I couldn't help but notice that something felt… off about her. "What are you doing here?" Zuko demanded, his hand clenched into a fist.
"You mean it's not obvious yet?" she retorted, a mad edge to her voice. "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!" She then fired a blue fireball, and the three of us scattered as it struck the ground, exploding spectacularly and sending out a shockwave. I instantly recovered, and I looked over to Takara. She planted her swords into the ground before kneeling and holding her hands together. Taking note of the pillar behind her, I nodded before running towards her. I stepped onto her cupped hands, and she boosted me upwards.
When my other foot touched the pillar, I pushed off, leaping high into the air above the cloud of dust. I could see Azula, and when my leap was at its peak, I clapped my hands together, creating a large blue fireball the size of a tank. Even from a distance, I could see her reacting in fear, and I smirked as I fell back towards the ground. If she was still afraid of me, then that was an advantage that I could use.
The ground at our feet cracked like a spider's web, and it began to break apart from the unrelenting assault. Takara, Zuko, and I proceeded to run towards two pillars that were beginning to fall down into the ravine. We ran up them as they were at an angle, leaping off of the edge. Takara was slightly ahead of me, and she imbedded her swords into the side of the airship, coming to a stop as she slammed into the metal.
Wreathing my right hand in blue flames, I stabbed it into the metal, instantly melting through and creating a hand-hold. Zuko shot several fireballs at his sister as he flew through the air, only to come up short. He plummeted down into the fog, crying out as he reached out helplessly. "Zuko!" I cried, releasing my hand-hold and falling down after the scarred teenager.
I plummeted down into the ravine, feeling the wind whipping at me. After a few seconds, a large dark shape began to emerge out of the fog, and I realized what was going on just in time. Landing on the metal shell of yet another airship, I rolled as I did so. It still hurt quite a bit, but it was far better than crashing onto the airship from a substantial distance.
Once I was back on my feet, I scanned my immediate surroundings for Zuko. Turning to my left, I noticed two Firebending soldiers coming at me. I aimed a kick at one's head, sending a stream of blue flames at him. He dodged, and I proceeded to punch at him twice, shooting two fireballs. He managed to block one, but the second struck him in the chest, throwing him backwards until he slid off of the airship and into the fog below.
The other soldier was about to attack, but just as he started extending his arm forward, he was struck in the side by a stream of crimson fire, sending him sliding off of the airship as well. Looking to my right, I saw Zuko standing a few feet away, and he nodded before saying "Thanks for dropping in".
I nodded in return as we continued to ascend, slowly coming back to the level of the temple. As we came close, we saw Appa smashing his way through the mountainside, a protective earthen shield in front of him no doubt being supported by the Earthbenders. The titanic Bison flew past Azula's airship, and a stream of blue flames pointlessly struck the barrier.
Eventually, the airship we were on became level with Azula's, and Zuko and I stared relentlessly at the teenager as she gazed at us with the appearance of a starving wolf as she fought with Takara, who was bringing all of her sword-fighting skills to the fore. Zuko and I glanced at each other, nodded, and burst into action, charging forward with all the speed we could muster. My younger companion chose to simply leap towards our target with all the strength he could.
I, on the other hand, opted for a different route. Pushing off with my feet, I held my hands at my sides as I created jets of blue flames that propelled me forward like a catapulted boulder. I flew through the air, and as I started coming back down, I somersaulted and extended my leg, creating a long line of blue flames that sliced downwards at Azula.
I landed with tiger-like grace, and as I did so, the scarred teenager cast a brief flame upwards, dissipating the portion of my flames that would have struck her. Takara swung one of her swords at Azula's head, but the teenager ducked in time before jabbing her hand at the Kyoshi Warrior's head. Fortunately, Zuko ran up and kicked her hand upwards, redirecting the blue flames safely towards the sky.
As he flipped backwards, I thrust my fist forward, shooting a fireball at my opponent. She struck it with a spinning kick, dissipating it before swinging her arms in circular motions and shooting a bolt of blue lightning at me. Firmly planting my feet, I extended my arms and caught the strike. I felt the power, the sheer majesty, of the lightning flow through me as I redirected it. Pointing my fingers at Azula, I released the energy, and the lightning arced forward at an unimaginable speed.
Her eyes widening slightly, she leaped out of the way just as it would have struck her, but she hadn't been my target. The lightning reached the airship's rudder, striking it and creating a fantastic explosion that rocked the flying vehicle.
Azula, now back on her feet, started to attack me, but her attention was soon occupied by Zuko, who launched a furious assault against his sister. She responded in kind, but he was able to dissipate her attacks effortlessly, showing just how far he had come in his Firebending since our first meeting. The two siblings came to stand within a few feet of each other, and they both aimed a punch at the other, their fists wreathed in crimson and blue flames.
Their fists connected, creating an explosion which knocked me to my feet. Quickly standing up, I saw that the two were no longer on the airship. Noticing movement out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Zuko was once more plummeting down into the ravine, having been blown away by the force of the explosion. Making my way over to Takara, I asked "Are you alright?" She nodded, and we both looked down to see Appa swooping in and catching Zuko on his saddle. Turning to the woman I loved, I said "I think it is time for us to make our exit".
"Yeah, I was getting a little tired of sleeping on stone" she replied with a smirk. We proceeded to run towards the tip of the airship, which was heading directly for the cliffside. Once we got there, we noticed that Appa was flying towards us. Taking hold of each other's hands, we leaped off of the airship, falling for a few moments before landing on the Bison's saddle, next to the others.
We turned back, and saw Azula falling helplessly into the fog-filled ravine. "She's… not gonna make it" Zuko said. Despite the rivalry between them, I knew that, deep inside, he didn't want his sister to die. They were family, after all, and that was a feeling I knew all too well. Beside me, Takara was staring at Azula, the hint of a grim smile on her face. After the torture she had received at the hands of the psychotic teenager, I could hardly blame her. But, she had been showing so much improvement lately, and I didn't want her to obsess over her former captor.
The airship we had just abandoned finally struck the cliffside a short ways away from the Air Temple. The tip flattened against the rocks before it finally exploded, cutting off our view of Azula and sending out a shockwave.
Later, as day turned into night, we all found ourselves on a small island, gathered around a crimson fire that Zuko had lit. I rested my head against Shan We's shoulder, enjoying the moment of peace that we had bought for ourselves. After breaking out of the Boiling Rock, and Azula's attack thereafter, we were all glad for a little peace and quiet. "Wow, camping" Aang said. "It really seems like old times, doesn't it?"
"If you really want it to feel like old times, Shan We and I could, uh, chase you around for a while and capture you" Zuko replied humourously. The others laughed at his joke, and I saw the tea-loving Firebender smile a little.
Katara, however, was not impressed. "Ha ha" she said, not even the briefest flicker of humour in her voice.
Sokka, not noticing his sister's mood, raised his cup and said "To Zuko. Who knew that after all the times he tried to snuff us out, today, he'd be our hero?" We all raised our cups and drank as Aang and Toph bumped the scarred teenager on the shoulders.
"I'm touched" he said, somewhat bashfully. "I don't deserve this".
"Yeah, no kidding" Katara spat before standing up and walking away. I watched her become one with the shadows, and I was worried. The young Waterbender seemed agitated, and I knew that Zuko was somehow the reason, but I just couldn't figure out why. The scarred teenager walked after her, presumably in order to try and patch things up between them. I turned to look at Shan We, and he closed his eyes before nodding to my unspoken question. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before standing up and walking after his fellow Firebender.
I then returned my gaze to the fire, staring into its flickering flames as I reflected on recent events. I was free of my tormentor, I was with the man that I loved, and I was finally helping to end the war and bring peace to the world.
There was only one thing missing.
Tearing my gaze away from the fire, I looked over at Suki, who was smiling as she cuddled with Sokka. Knowing that one thing in my life still needed to be fixed, I stood up and walked over to her. "Hey, can we talk?" I asked.
My old friend looked up at me, glanced at Sokka, and then looked back to me. "Sure" she replied before standing up. The two of us then made our way over to a secluded area of the island, far enough away from camp that no one would be able to overhear our conversation. I sat down on a tree stump, and Suki asked "What did you want to talk about?"
I gazed out at the horizon, trying to form the proper words in my head. Eventually, I gave up and just said what was in my heart. "Suki, I… I'm so sorry. For everything. I'm sorry for leaving, I'm sorry for not coming home sooner, I'm sorry that you had to come looking for me, and I'm so, so sorry for having to fight you and allowing you to be captured and sent to the Boiling Rock. I…" All of my emotions pouring out at once proved to be enough to remove my ability to speak, as I started to cry. I had been holding onto these emotions for so long now, and to finally let them loose…
Suki was at my side instantly, sitting beside me and wrapping her arms around me. "Hey, it's okay" she soothed as I rested my head against her shoulder. Even though I was eight years older than her, she had always been the wiser one, which made it seem as if she were older than me. "You made a mistake, and you helped fix it. All that other stuff wasn't your fault. Look at me". Sniffling, I looked up at my friend, who I had grown up with and had taught me so much. "It wasn't your fault that you were taken, it wasn't your fault that you couldn't come home, and it wasn't your fault that we were captured".
Wiping the tears away with the back of my hand, I asked "You mean… you're not angry?"
She smirked, gazing out at the distant waters. "To be honest, I was angry, at first. When we saw you with Azula, I thought that we could finally bring you home to Oyaji. I thought we could take those girls together, and when you didn't join us, I felt betrayed. But, now that I think about it, I know that you made the right move".
"Really?" I asked somewhat incredulously. She was taking this far better than I could have ever hoped, and I was overjoyed inside.
She nodded. "Yeah. If you'd joined us, then we'd have probably been sent to the Boiling Rock together, and the result would have been the same. Besides, after talking with Sokka and the others and hearing about what you did while you were Azula's prisoner, I'm really proud of you".
I smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm so happy to hear you say that". After a moment, I added "For the longest time, I never thought that I'd make it out of that experience with my sanity. Every day for weeks, I served that little psychopath. I was her plaything, and she enjoyed reminding me of it at every turn". As I spoke, I indicated the matching sets of four scars on both of my cheeks. "I'll have to bear these scars for the rest of my life, and those are only the ones on the outside. The only things that kept me going were thoughts of my father and…"
"And Shan We?" Suki finished. I glanced at her, blushing a little at her words before nodding. "So, you two are pretty close now, huh?"
I smiled. Even though she was accepting of my decision not to help her and the others when they fought Azula, I wasn't sure how she felt about my relationship with Shan We. "It just sort of… happened" I replied, placing my elbows on my knees as I held my chin. "When he first took me, I thought he was nothing more than a murderous Firebender. But, over time, I started to see that he was a good man who was forced to do some awful things because of his relationship with his father. After the siege of the North Pole, while I was Azula's prisoner, I kept thinking about him, about how kind and noble he was. The thought of seeing him again kept me sane, and when we were finally reunited at Ba Sing Se, I was in a safe place. After the torments Azula put me through, I had someone I could lean on, someone who I felt safe with. I couldn't have recovered without him".
"Well, having gotten past the part where he attacked our village, I can see why he means so much to you" Suki said, an expression of reluctant acceptance on her face. "You two are good for each other. You make the other stronger just by being there, and if that isn't love, then I don't know what is".
I smiled. "So, do you think you can come to like him?"
She crossed her arms and replied "That will take time".
Glancing to my right, I caught sight of something. "Speaking of which" I said, drawing Suki's gaze to where I was looking. Back at camp, hiding behind a rock, was Sokka, staring at us as we spoke. Upon noticing that we had discovered him, he smiled nervously before quickly waving and disappearing from sight. "You and Sokka seem to be pretty close" I noted, bumping my fellow Kyoshi Warrior's shoulder with my own.
This time, it was her turn to blush. She wiped a strand of hair out of her eyes and said "You could say that. Once you get past the goofiness and sarcastic jokes, he's one of the bravest and most loyal person I've ever met. After you, of course". I snorted, glad that we could have a conversation like this after everything that had happened. For a few moments, we sat in silence, staring out at the distance. "You know, I could really go for a free mango right about now".
"Kyoshi, so could I" I said. "That was always my favourite part about morning: getting up early and getting a free mango from Taka, and having to endure her speeches about 'how I should hurry and get married before it's too late'".
Suki chuckled. "She said the same thing to me". After a moment, she looked over at camp before standing up. "Well, I think I should get going. Sokka and I were planning to… train… together, and I think it's about time we… you know…"
I smiled at her awkwardness. "It's okay, you don't have to explain". I then hugged her tightly, glad to have my friend back. With that, we both made our way back to camp, and an unresolved issue in my life had just been resolved.
I made my way to where Zuko and Katara had walked off too. The young Waterbender had seemed agitated when she had stormed off, and I had my suspicions as to why. Soon enough, I came to the entrance of a secluded area of cliff that overlooked the sea, and I heard Zuko and Katara arguing, their voices rising with every spoken word. Eventually, the Waterbender stomped towards me, not even bothering to say anything as she huffed and growled her way back to her tent.
I looked back to Zuko, who threw his hands up in the air and growled in frustration. I walked over to him as he sat down, his feet dangling off of the cliff. "Having some trouble, are we?" I asked as I sat beside him.
He snorted, crossing his arms as he replied "No matter what I say or do, she just can't seem to trust or accept me".
"She's still adjusting to having you as an ally" I said. "After all, you couldn't have expected them to welcome you with open arms after everything you did while you were hunting them, right?"
He frowned, an ever-familiar sighting with him. "From what I hear, you didn't have that problem".
I chuckled, smiling a little as I said "Well, it did take me helping them escape from Ba Sing Se and recover after the coup for them to trust me, along with Jin and Li and Takara vouching for me".
My young companion shook his head as he gazed out at the horizon. "You always have everything figured out. Even when everything went wrong, you always had answers".
"Not always" I countered. "After the North Pole, I spent a great deal of time wallowing in grief and self-loathing. Everything I had believed was a lie, and my whole word had been swept from under me during the Siege. If it weren't for Iroh, I don't think I would have kept my sanity intact".
His eyes closed and his fists were tightly clenched, and I winced at my involuntary slip. Neither of us had seen Iroh in what seemed like forever, and even though I knew that he was gathering with the White Lotus at Ba Sing Se, I had no idea as to how he had fared during his imprisonment. Eventually, Zuko said "You were right. About everything. I had everything I'd ever wanted: my father's acceptance, my rightful place as heir to the throne, but…"
"It wasn't enough" I finished, knowing exactly what kind of experience he was describing. "Your dreams turned to ash, and suddenly you found yourself questioning everything you ever did up until that point".
We turned to look at each other, and Zuko nodded. "After what happened in Ba Sing Se, I instantly regretted what I had done. To Uncle Iroh, to you. You two did so much for me, and I was too stupid to see it. My dreams were right there, and I guess I was just too blinded to see anything else".
I placed a comforting hand on his back, and he smiled a little. Over the last year, I had come to see Zuko as a sort of surrogate son. He, Iroh, and I had formed a little family of our own, built on a foundation of shared grief and loss. "My father was not a good man. He never showed me an ounce of love in my entire life, and it wasn't until I was an adult that I came to see that all he ever cared about was power and glory. He never loved me or my mother, and I can safely say the same about your father".
He nodded in agreement. "My family was always divided. My father favoured Azula over me, and my mother favoured me over Azula. There was never much love between us, not since my mother left. You and Uncle Iroh were more fathers to me than Ozai ever was, and I betrayed you, turned my back on you after everything you did for me".
"Zuko, ever since the first moment I met you, I knew that you were a troubled youth from a broken family, who was forced to do terrible things because of a father who taught you that love was something you had to earn. When you truly love someone, you never have to make them earn it, and that is Ozai's failing. I forgive you, Zuko, and I'm sure that Iroh will, as well".
"Thank you" he said with a smile. "That means so much to me. Now, if only I could smooth things over with Katara".
"Like I said, she's still adjusting to your new place among the group".
"I think her problem with me has to do with her mother" he theorized. I surreptitiously glanced at him from the corner of my eye, and he suddenly perked up. Turning to me, he said "Wait a minute. You and Katara seem to be on good terms; what can you tell me about her mother?"
I crossed my arms and sighed. "It's not my place to talk about such things". Noticing my scarred companion's crestfallen expression, I added "Perhaps your inquiry would best be placed with someone of equal knowledge of such matters".
He furrowed his brow for a moment in thought, eventually asking "You mean Sokka?"
I nodded. "If you can't speak to Katara about this, then you might as well go for the next best thing".
I thrust my fist forward, shooting a stream of blue flames into thin air as I completed the routine I had been working on since sunrise. Hopefully, my talk with Zuko had helped him to mend things with Katara somewhat. And, based on what Takara had told me the previous night, her talk with Suki had gone very well, and I was pleased that she had repaired her relationship with her old friend.
"I need to borrow Appa" I suddenly heard Katara say. I turned to my right and saw her and Zuko walking over to the titanic Bison as Aang was feeding him.
"Why?" Aang asked, his tone sarcastic. "Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?"
"Yes" Katara replied, obviously taking the Airbender off-guard. "It is".
Sensing the seriousness of her tone, Aang inquired "Oh. What's going on?"
"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me" Katara replied firmly, a steely determination burning within her eyes. I glanced over at Zuko, and the two of us exchanged a glance. From our conversations together, I knew that Katara's mother had been killed by a Firebender who had attacked her village, and the only group I knew of who did that was the Southern Raiders. I had never told her because I was afraid that she would let her emotions cloud her judgment, and possibly affect our chances in the coming conflict. Now, it seemed, fate had ordained a different path.
"Sokka told me the story of what happened" Zuko explained. "I know who did it, and I know how to find him".
"Um, and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" Aang asked, a look of hesitancy written all over his face.
Katara scoffed, shaking her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand".
"Wait, stop! I do understand!" Aang countered. By this point, Takara and the twins had joined me, and we were all witness to the events unfolding before us. "You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the Sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out about my people?" The last words made me cringe, and Takara placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, sensing my disgust at my people.
"She needs this Aang" Zuko spoke up. "This is about getting closure, and justice".
"I don't think so" Aang disagreed. "I think it's about getting revenge".
"Fine, maybe it is" Katara said, sounding a little impatient. "Maybe that's what I need. Maybe that's what he deserves".
"Katara, you sound like Jet" Aang said softly. The mention of the freedom fighter's name caught me by surprise. I knew of his end from what Jin and Li had told me, but the parallels were a little hard to miss.
"It's not like that" Katara countered, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was the Airbender. "Jet attacked the innocent. This man… he's a monster".
"She's right, Aang" I said, drawing the others' gazes. "He is responsible for dozens, possibly hundreds of Water Tribe deaths, and the near-extinction of their Waterbending style, an entire way of life. His crimes far outweigh any leniency that can be warranted".
"Katara, she was my mother, too" Sokka said, finally lending his voice to the proceedings. "But, I think Aang might be right".
"Then you didn't love her the way I did!" the Waterbender spat. I looked at her in shock; she was letting her anger cloud her judgment. Seeking retribution for a crime such as this was just, but seeking to murder a man out of anger and spite would corrupt the soul.
As Sokka looked away, hurt by his sister's words, Aang said "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper; while you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself".
"That's cute" Zuko replied. "But this isn't Air Temple pre-school. It's the real world".
"Now that I know he's out there, now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice" Katara added.
"Katara, you do have a choice" Aang countered. "Forgiveness".
"That's the same as doing nothing!" Zuko spat, sounding frustrated by the bald boy's spirit of self-righteousness.
"No, it's not. It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive".
"It's not just hard, it's impossible" Katara said. She then stormed off, leaving the rest of us to think about what was being discussed.
As the others started to disperse, I walked up to the bald boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aang", I said, drawing his gaze, "either way, she has to see this through. Losing her mother was a terrible loss, one she has to address before she can move on. The scales have to be balanced".
"You lost your mother when you were little, and I don't see you actively encouraging murder" Aang said.
I sighed. "My mother died from a fever. Katara's mother was taken by someone else, someone who still walks free and unpunished. Whether he dies now or not, he has to answer for it". Aang furrowed his brow, obviously troubled at the implications. "Come, let's practice some Firebending and take our minds off of this for a while".
"Okay" Aang agreed. The two of us proceeded to make our way to a secluded clearing, where we removed the garments covering our torsos before taking our places.
"Now, show me what you've learned so far" I told my young student. He nodded before closing his eyes and assuming a passable stance. He then proceeded to engage in a routine, shooting several crimson flames as he did so. I took note of all his movements, the stances he was taking, everything. Eventually, he came to a stop, bowing to me. I returned the gesture before saying "The Dragon Dance; very good. Your form has developed quite nicely, but it could still be improved. The key to Firebending is in the breath". I demonstrated this by taking several deep breaths, expelling them a moment later as blue flames. "The first Firebenders were the Dragons, and they breathed fire. It was their essence, their very being, and it is from them we can learn the true beauty of Firebending, and not the way my people have been polluting over the last century".
"Speaking of which", Aang said, rubbing the back of his bald head, "there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about".
I nodded, smiling a little. "I think I know what you're about to ask".
"When Zuko and I went in search of the original Firebenders, the Sun Warriors, we found that they're still alive. They brought us to see two ancient Dragons, maybe even the first, and that's who we learned from. The chief said…"
"That I was the last who had passed the Master's test" I finished. Aang nodded, and I smiled, gazing out into the distance. "It was a… pilgrimage, of sorts, that I undertook shortly after I joined the military. All around me, I saw men and women fueling their Bending with hate and anger, and it was so contrary to what my mother had taught me as a child. I began to search for answers, to try and rediscover the true source of Firebending. My search led me to the Sun Warrior city, where, like you, I found them to be very much alive. I stood before the Masters Ran and Shaw, and they deemed me worthy".
"That's incredible" Aang said, sounding in awe of my achievement.
"It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, to learn the true source of Firebending and to stand, humbled, in the presence of Dragons. I knew that my people hadn't completely wiped them out, and it gave me hope for the future". I then turned back to Aang and said "Now, let's try and apply what you've learned". We then entered our stances, and I made the first move, thrusting my fist forward and shooting a stream of blue flames at my young companion.
I'm back! My apologies, my friends, for my unexpected absence last week. Work was really making it hard to write (like it always did), but, I have great news:
I'M FREE!
That's right; my last day was last Friday, so I am finally back to a place where I can write during the day, and not just for a bare hour every night. Right now, I'm on a break before school starts up, but from now on, I will have SO much more time to write, and I'll be able to muster enough power to finish this story soon!
I've been wrestling with the idea of Shan We learning from Ran and Shaw for a while now, but I finally decided to run with it. After all, how he learned Firebending isn't as important to the story as other things, so in the end, it's just a cool bit of backstory.
So, next up: The Ember Island Players!