Brave New World

by Sunal

AU Voldemort's attack on the Potters leaves James and Lily dead, and young Harry missing. Meanwhile Senna and Tonraq discover a child in the unlikeliest of places and decide to take him in to be Korra's little brother. Raised by benders, plagued by questions, he will embark on an epic journey for answers and nothing will ever be the same. No pairings yet.

6. Chapter 6: Off to Republic City

This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.

-Line Break-

"Ready little bro?" Korra whispered late that night in Naga's stable.

"Ready sis" Ryuukhan replied as he checked their bags. Satisfied that they were packed, he went over to Hina and saddled her up, minding the grain of her feathers as Korra tightened the straps on Naga.

"Nice night for an escape, isn't it?" a voice spoke out startling them.

Turning their attention they saw Katara, standing in the entrance, illuminated by the moonlight.

Frowning, Korra replied "We have to leave. I must find my own path as the Avatar, and Ryuukhan needs answers."

"I know you do." Katara replied, walking toward them. "Aang's time has passed. My brother and many of my friends are gone. It's time for you and your generation to take over the responsibility of keeping peace and balance in the world."

Placing her hands on Korra's left shoulder and Ryuukhan's right, Katara smiled. "You may be young, but so were Sokka, Aang, Toph, and myself. I think you two will do a great job." she said as she embraced them.

Returning the hug, Korra and Ryuukhan replied "Thank you.".

"Goodbye," Katara said, releasing them. Swirling her arms clockwise, she created a hole in the snow large enough for Korra, Ryuukhan, and their mounts.

-Line Break-

A few minutes later, the party emerged from under the snow, the lights of the compound shining in the distance behind them. Shaking the snow off, they made their way to a small house, Korra riding atop Naga while Ryuukhan ran alongside Hina.

As they neared the house, Senna and Tonraq emerged, meeting them at the door. "Mom, dad" Korra said as she dismounted Naga.

"Hello sweetie" Seena replied, sadly smiling as her children embraced them. "Don't worry. We'll take care of things here. Just watch out for each other."

Nodding, Korra and Ryuukhan released their parents, and said "We'll miss you."

"As will we" Tonraq answered, his voice quivering slightly. "We love you very much."

Turning back, Korra and Ryuukhan mounted Naga and Hina. With a cry of "Go!" Naga took off, racing from the house down to the shore while Hina began hopping forward toward the cliff. At the last second, she flung herself off the cliff and spread her wings. After taking a moment to orient themselves, Hina and Ryuukhan turned northward toward the sea...and Republic City.

-Line Break-

As dawn broke the next morning, Ryuukhan turned his attention to the sun, checking his bearings.

'If my map is right,' he thought, reviewing the charts in his mind. 'Then we should see the first islands by the time the sun reaches the mid-morning position.'

Looking down, he saw the vast ocean, the sun shimmering off its surface, the waves rippling in the wind. Every now and then, Ryuukhan would see a few flying dolphin-fish, or even a whale, break the surface. The flying dolphin-fish were always so graceful, leaping high in the air, their side fins flapping as though imitating Hina's wings. The whale, in contrast, traded grace for sheer power; even as high as he was, Ryuukhan could hear the crash of the mighty creature.

'Guess they're having a good time' he thought, and then looking out in the distance, he spotted it: Ruo Island, part of the Patola Archipelago, and the first stop on his way to Republic City. 'Good, it's getting hot up here.'

As they neared the island, Ryuukhan gently but firmly dug his feet into Hina's back, prompting her to start their descent soon. Focusing on the island, he could see it coming closer, so he began gently pulling on Hina's reins. Looking for a landing spot, he found the island to be rough and rocky, with only grass and moss dotting the landscape.

Then he saw it, a plateau near the center of the island, and pulled Hina's reins to make for it. As they neared the landing point, he saw small creatures scatter away from them. With the plateau directly beneath them, he pulled harder and pressed deeper into her back, signalling her to land, her claws making contact just before her wings.

"Another happy landing" he said, as he dismounted. Stretching his legs, he felt the tension flow downward to the ground. Looking around, he found the creatures that had fled from their landing. They were about the size of his arm or calf, covered in fur, with long ears, round eyes, and thick beaks in their faces. Their hind legs were long and powerful, good for running and jumping, while their front legs sported talons, similar to Hina's. He also noticed that their beaks varied considerably; some had longer, thinner beaks, while others were thicker, and others were shorter and smaller. They also varied greatly in color, and some had feathers, or feather-like fur, running down their heads to their tails.

'Rabbit-finches, delicious and nutritious, taste just like pig-chicken' he thought, drool leaking from his mouth. Taking out his boomerang, he threw it, sending the creatures scattering into the bushes or crevices. The boomerang flew out to sea, and seemed to vanish into the sun while Ryuukhan hunkered down, minimizing his silhouette, remaining as still as possible. Not sensing any further disturbance, the rabbit-finches cautiously emerged from their hiding places, their ears twitching in the wind, and their eyes searching the sky.

Just then, the boomerang returned, nicking one in the neck, and making it screech in pain and fear, scattering the others. Hearing this, Ryuukhan jumped up and caught the boomerang as it veered off its new trajectory. Seeing the blood, he turned to the hapless creature, thrashing in the ground, its life-blood ebbing onto the ground as it whimpered in pain.

His triumph turning to sadness, Ryuukhan took his knife and walked to the unfortunate creature. Holding it down, he pierced its neck, killing it instantly.

"Fair creature, I thank you for your life" he intoned. "Just as your flesh joins mine, may your spirit join the world."

Taking his knife, he proceeded to skin the rabbit-finch, making sure to keep the entrails separate from the meat and fur. Setting the fur and entrails aside, he held the carcass in his hands and set it on fire, taking great care to avoid excessive burning or charring.

Smelling the cooked meat, Hina walked over, but Ryuukhan held out his palm, signalling her to stop. Digging into the meat with his fingers, he tore out a chunk from the back leg, Chewing, he felt the hot juice trickle down his throat. As he swallowed the meat, Hina looked on expectedly, watching the carcass intently. Ripping the other leg off, he tossed it and she caught it in her beak. Tossing her head back, she gulped it down whole, her neck bulging outwards as she swallowed.

Nippling at the carcass, Ryuukhan could only stare at her table manners. 'Well at least there's not a lot to clean up afterward' he thought before tossing her the rest of the carcass. As she gulped it down, he picked up the entrails and the fur, brushed off the ants that were already scurrying over both, and searched for a way down to the shore.

'Bet some fish would be good too.' he thought as he began hooking the entrails to the line he brought along. 'Hope I can find some shade. That sun is pretty brutal.'

Exploring his surroundings, he found a path that ran down to the shore. Covered in gravel and sand, bordered by weeds and flowers, he gingerly climbed down the path, which wound left and right, often at sharp angles, until he came to the beach. Looking further, he found a large column of rock thrusting from the sea, casting a long shadow over the beach.

'That's perfect!' he smiled as he neared the pillar. With the rock at his back, he cast his lines into the seaside but he also took note of the shadow and the sun's position. 'No better time to figure out my location than while I'm waiting for a bite. Nothing else to do for now.'

A few minutes in, he felt a tug on the lines. Smiling hungrily, he jerked up his lines, and flung himself against the rock. Seeing stars for a brief moment behind closed eyes, he felt two creatures land in his arms. Opening them, he quickly threw them onto the beach, stranding them on the sand. As they tried to wriggle back to sea, he drew his knife and stabbed one in the head, killing it instantly.

The other, however, was much faster and jumped before he could kill it. The jump took it high above his head, stunning him briefly. As it landed, he tried to catch it, but it jumped again, landing quite a ways from him. Growling in frustration, he ran and tried to grab it, but it jumped low, throwing him off-balance.

Seeing it so close to the shore, he dove, desperately trying to catch it...and succeeded.,,

,,,only to get a solid whack in the face from its tail.

Momentarily stunned, Ryuukhan grabbed his face and the fish jumped once more into the sea.

Feeling his nose turn red and hot from the blow, he probed it gently only to wince in pain. Shaking his head, he pulled himself back onto his feet and turned to his single catch. The fish was rather large, about the size of his thigh, covered in dark blue scales, with a large body and relatively long tail, the upper fin being noticeably longer than the lower. He also noted that it had a triangular head and long, thin, pointed teeth.

'Tuna shark' he identified. 'Tough, but filling.'

-Line Break-

With the sun having past its peak, Ryuukhan, now having caught an additional five fish, made his way back up the plateau.

'Overall not too bad.' he thought. 'Bet Hina's hungry. Those rabbit-finches aren't exactly suitable prey for her.'

As he reached the summit, he found Hina grooming herself, her beak pruning her feathers while the rabbit-finches scurried around in the background.

"Got you dinner girl" he called, drawing her attention, and he threw her the tuna shark from earlier. As she scarfed it down, he set down another fish under her and packed the rest into his bags. "Be right back. Enjoy." as he grabbed a gourd and made his way to a small spring he saw earlier.

Tasting the sweet, clean water, he placed the gourd on the ground and took his stance, his arms in front, palms down, the right front ahead of the left. Breathing deep, he lifted his arms upward, drawing water from the spring in a trickle. Lowering, raising, lowering, then raising his arms once more, the water mirrored his motion, though the mass grew with each raise. Raising them once last time, he swept them to the side, drawing the water away from the spring. Swirling his arms in a circle, the water floated clockwise, smoothly and fluidly.

Breathing deep, Ryuukhan then began swirling his arms higher, raising the water and spinning it around his body. After a few turns around, the water began to bob in the air, then vibrate, then drip. Meanwhile, though his breathing remained steady and his right arm fresh, Ryuukhan's left arm began to burn and ache. Seeing the water stream begin falling apart, he whipped his right arm, rotated his hand clockwise, and then, pointed downward, descended. In response, the water trailed behind and poured into the gourd.

After a quick breath, he picked up the gourd, hearing the water slosh inside. Weighing the gourd, he gave a small smile. 'More water than last time' he pondered.

'But I still need more training.' he frowned and turned back to the spring.

-Line Break-

After his fourth training session, Ryuukhan turned to the sun and, seeing it low in the sky, turned back to Hina. Upon his approach, he sighed at the sight of a fresh pellet, the remains of her last meal lying near her head. Stomping hard, he levitated the ground underneath it, flipping it over with a left uppercut...and sending it catapulting over the edge.

'Not quite what I intended but it'll do' he thought as he let the earth fall back into the newly made void.

Resuming his approach, he lifted the saddle and the blanket underneath and set them beside Hina, who lifted her wing, granting him access to her chest. Setting the saddle down beside her head, he then laid out the blanket next to her, before seating himself. Taking the rabbit-finch fur from earlier, he stretched it out and placed some young, supple stalks he had gathered earlier along the inside. Using his knife, he created a series of holes along the sides, and, with difficulty, he threaded the stalks through the holes, creating a makeshift brim. Completing the new hat, he tied two lines to opposite sides of the widest length of the fur, allowing him to tighten or loosen the hat as he saw fit.

'Not exactly high fashion, or high-quality,' he thought as he looked it over. 'But at least my head won't bake tomorrow. Now to get some rest.'

Seeing the last rays of the sun dip from the horizon, he turned to Hina, said "Good night girl" and bedded down for a much-needed rest.

-Line Break-

Meanwhile, Korra lay against Naga's side deep in the steamship they had stowed away upon, listening to the engine thumping as they traveled along the waves.

'I hope Ryuukhan's alright.' she thought, her eyes heavy with worry. 'I know we're supposed to look out for each other, but Hina would have been impossible to hide down here, let alone get her inside in the first place. At least we have a plan.'

Pausing briefly, she listened for the crew. Confident that they were alone, her thoughts then turned to Tenzin, and Republic City. The prospect of visiting the city that Avatar Aang, her predecessor, had founded.

The capital of the first new nation in...who knows how many centuries.

A nation forged from the ashes of the Hundred Year War.

A war that forever changed the world, for good and bad.

A world whose peace and balance were now her responsibility as the new Avatar.

'It's all so exciting I don't know where to begin!' she thought, smiling at the new possibilities that were opening up to her. 'At least I'll have my brother there.'

-Line Break-

As dawn broke the next morning, Ryuukhan inched and crawled his way out from under Hina's wing like a centipede. Stretching out his sore muscles, he felt his tension slowly but surely ebb away with each motion and breath. Upon completing his stretches he felt the call of nature, and ran to the edge of the cliff, making sure to grab some leaves and a small stick of soap for the trip.

Relieved, he made his way to the spring, where he drew some water and washed his hands, making sure to heat the water to a high temperature. Turning back to Hina, he saw her cleaning her feathers and stretching herself before looking back to him. Nodding, he returned and pulled out some of the fish he had caught yesterday, letting her gulp it down before he took out some dried jerky and an apple-lemon for himself. Peeling the fruit apart, he placed a slice atop the jerky he retrieved and began chewing, the fruit juice breaking down the tough, fibrous meat and giving it some extra flavor.

As he chewed, he looked out over the horizon, gauging his bearings from the sun, planning his next move.

'Well we got a good night's sleep at least' he thought. 'So we should be able to go even longer than yesterday. Still better keep an eye on Hina's health...and my own.'

Just then, Hina gave a short cackle, drawing his attention to her. He saw that she had finished her breakfast and was lapping from the spring. Seeing his chance, he picked up his blanket and saddle and cleaned them off. As Hina finished her drink, Ryuukhan folded the blanket, placed the saddle atop it, and began some Earth squats, stomping the ground hard with one foot, hunkering down low, and then rising up to stomp with the opposite foot. Afterward, he did some pushups, lowering slowly and pushing himself up so fast he clapped at the top. He finished up with some Water raises, lying on his back, holding his legs up off the ground, he raised one leg up, then lowered it as the other raised, emulating the water.

Following his exercises, he checked Hina and found her standing on her talons and wing claws, signalling she was ready. With a nod, he went over, smoothed out the feathers on her back, laid down the blanket, and strapped down the saddle. Angling her northwest, he hopped onto her back and yelled "Go!" and she took off running, taking off just at the edge of the cliff.

-Line Break-

After a brief stop along the way, Ryuukhan and Hina were flying over the sea once more, heading for the southerly islands of the Fire Nation. Though they had started off strong and had taken a rest at the last island, he could feel himself and Hina beginning to tire. For the last hour or so, he had been tossing fish dressed in apple-lemon juice to keep her strength up, but even so he found her wings flapping less and less frequently.

'She's never flown for this long before' he thought. 'Wish I could have practiced with her. Build up her stamina. But the White Lotus...'

As he ruminated, he continued to scan the horizon, the sky, the sea, hoping for a sign that they were coming close to land. Though the sun had passed its zenith, even with the new hat on, he felt the heat wear on him. To compensate, he had removed his outer tiger-seal coat, wrapping it around his neck to protect his shoulders, and he still felt baked. He took regular mouthfuls of water from the gourd, and his tongue felt as parched as the Si Wong Desert while his face was as drenched as the Foggy Swamp. He tried licking his sweat to moisten his mouth, but all he got was a salty aftertaste, and an increase in his thirst.

'This is pretty bad.' he worried. 'Seemed like a good idea at the time. Should have tried my luck with the ships. If nothing else, it would be cooler and Hina wouldn't be as tired. Oh well'.

Just then, he heard the calling of birds.

'Was that Hina?' he thought, but then he heard it again.

'That's not her.' he realized. 'That was a squawk. And Hina never squawks.'

Looking toward the sound, he spotted birds, hovering to the north below them. Leaning gently toward her head, he saw that the birds were seagulls, and they were heading toward a dark shape in the horizon.

'Better than nothing' he thought, and he pulled on Hina's reins, triggering her to stabilize their flight.

As the sun touched the horizon, Ryuukhan saw the shape expand outwards, becoming more solid, gaining texture and color. He could see the sea give way to white sand, which in turn gave way to green grass and shrubs, and beyond that he could see a mountain, black as the night and shimmering in the failing sunlight.

Grinning wildly, Ryuukhan pressed into Hina's back and she began descending. His elation, however, soon turned to shock, as he realized they were descending too quickly. At their rate, they would miss the island and land in the sea. He tried pulling on the reins, but Hina refused to yield, meaning she was near her limit and did not care about his commands.

'Gotta slow down! Gotta slow down!' he yammered, nearly panicking. Thinking quickly, he released the reins and spun his hands in front of them before sweeping them down and to the sides, creating a bubble of increased air pressure in front and below Hina. This made her level out her descent and slowed down just as they were about to hit the waves.

'Still too fast!' he thought and created another air bubble, slowing their descent further, this time as they crossed over the seashore. Just as they were about to hit the land, he created the air bubble, one last time, cushioning their fall so they would not be too badly damaged. Hina came in at a running gait, her talons and wing claws hopping along the ground, slowly but surely decelerating, coming to a stop just as they were about to run into a grove of trees...and nearly throwing Ryuukhan off her back.

Holding onto her neck, Ryuukhan let out a breath he did not know he was holding, taking great care to breathe slowly and deeply. After regaining his breath, Ryuukhan slid off Hina's back, and fell promptly on his backside. With great difficulty, he pulled himself up, his legs yelling in pain from the sudden weight and his back from the long ride.

Sensing Hina's glare, he turned to her and glowered back. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he accused, but her stare neither confirmed nor denied it. "Regardless, I deserved it." and he removed the blanket and saddle, digging out the last fish he caught from yesterday and tossing it to her.

"Here, have the rest. I'll go get some more" he said as Hina gulped it down. Just as he turned to the sea, he felt a presence nearby. Turning, his fists clenched and ready, he saw a dog. It was reddish brown in color, with long lean legs, not like the polar dogs he was used to, and with a thin, almost emaciated look.

Just as he sized up the dog, he heard a rustling from behind it and he saw a man, a shabby old man, wearing a straw hat and worn clothes. He had large bushy eyebrows, a thick scraggly beard, and went fully barefoot. He also carried a bamboo staff, or spear, and was eyeing Ryuukhan warily.

For a moment, neither party moved or spoke. Then, Ryuukhan broke the silence with a simple "Hello, how are you?"

At first the man did nothing, and then he lowered his implement and replied "I am well. How are you?"

"I am well, for the most part" Ryuukhan replied, lowering his fists. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"You are on Chi'xo Island" the man replied and gave a slight bow. "I am Aruno. And you are?"

"I am Ryuukhan." he replied, returning the bow. "Where are we compared to the Fire Nation?"

"You are just southeast of it, about a day's trip away by steamship." Aruno answered. "You look tired."

"I've been on a very long flight." Ryuukhan replied, pointing to Hina. "Hina and I have been flying since...yesterday afternoon."

"No wonder you're tired." Aruno said, looking over him. "I've just made some rice and clam chowder, and it would be nice to have company. Would you like some?"

"I'd love some!" Ryuukhan said, grinning briefly. "If you'll allow me that is" he amended, minding his manners.

"No matter. It's been a very long time since I had someone over." Aruno smiled. "Right this way." he pointed down the coast.

Looking over he saw a small hut, covered in leaves and fronds, its coloring matching the surrounding foliage. A tall, thin pipe let out grey smoke.

'Chimney' he realized and then turned to Hina. "Do you happen to have food for Hina as well?"

"Oh, of course" Aruno answered. "Hope you like fish. I've plenty of it."

"We'd love some" Ryuukhan said, walking over to Hina. "I was just going to get some when your dog found us."

"Well you were quite a scene." Aruno quipped. "Not everyday I see a wyvern-hawk, let alone one with a kid riding it. I thought they and their dragon cousins were extinct."

"No, I think they're recovering." Ryuukhan replied, leading Hina by her reins, using jerky dressed in juice to guide her to the hut. "I know Zuko has one, Ryuk if I recall correctly. And some Fire Nation nobles have them as familiars. Still rare, but better than none."

"That's good to hear." Aruno sighed, wrinkles lining his face. "The Fire Nation once revered dragons. Powerful spirits, and the original Firebenders. For centuries, they were the symbols of our people. Drive. Energy. Willpower. Before the War. Before Firelord Sozin."

Respectfully, Ryuukhan held his tongue, leading Hina to the hut as Aruno headed inside, his dog hot on his heels. Just as Ryuukhan reached the hut, Aruno reemerged with a basket containing rather large fish. Without a word, he handed the basket to Ryuukhan, who took it and began feeding Hina. Voraciously, Hina gulped down the fish one after another. Upon emptying the basket, Ryuukhan took out his gourd and slowly poured the water down Hina's gullet.

With Hina fed and watered, he then removed the saddle and blanket, tied her reins to the hut, and went inside to find Aruno seated. The hut was small but sparsely furnished, so it seemed rather roomy. At one wall of the hut was the fireplace, with a large wok bubbling atop it and a brick chimney funneling the smoke out of the hut. Against the opposite wall he saw a mattress made of animal skins, with a thin blanket atop it. In between he found a dirt floor covered with straw and rugs, rugs that were once beautifully decorated but now dull and worn away with time. Upon one of them was Aruno, eating from a simple bowl, a cup next to him.

Looking up from his bowl, Aruno motioned to the other rug, where a steaming bowl and a cup of white fluid awaited him. Seating himself, Ryuukhan took the bowl, bowed his head in thanks, and took a bite. The chowder was hot, very hot, and spicy. Immediately Ryuukhan felt his eyes widen in shock and pain, his nose running from the intensity of the heat. Pulling back, he swallowed and took a few breaths. Aruno simply smiled and continued eating.

As the food reached his stomach, Ryuukhan felt his hunger abate, and he tentatively took another bite. Better prepared this time, he managed to actually chew his food and found it to be both filling and quite delicious. After a while he tried the drink, taking a careful sip, and found it was sweet, very sweet. And very thick, almost cloyingly so. He also found that it helped to tame the spice of the chowder. Swallowing it, he felt the fluid travel down into his stomach, helping to cool the spice even there.

"Are you enjoying it?" Aruno asked.

"Yes I am," Ryuukhan answered. "What is this drink? I don't think I've ever tasted it."

"That is freshly squeezed mango-kiwi juice, with fresh whale milk." Aruno answered, sending Ryuukhan's eyebrows into orbit.

"Whale milk?" he asked incredulously, to which Aruno nodded. "How'd you pull that off?"

"You don't want to know." Aruno replied, slightly smiling.

After finishing their meal, Aruno took their utensils to a sink near the fireplace and poured hot water into them. Afterward, he set Ryuukhan up with a spare mattress, and extinguished the fire with sand, plunging them into darkness.

-Line Break-

'This is getting rather old.' Korra thought as she and Naga stealthily evaded the crew of their newest ride. 'I was sure the first boat would take us straight to Republic City. Oh well.'

Their first ship docked in the southwest coast of the Earth Kingdom, dropping off goods from the South Pole and picking up new materials for the return journey. This forced Korra and Naga to sneak off-ship and find another ship. Unfortunately, there were just so many people about, more than she had ever seen. So they spent their first day on the beach, fishing and watching the throngs of merchants, workers, and fishermen trade and banter on the docks.

As night fell, Korra snuck among the now deserted vendors, with Naga waiting down below. Finding a ship's roster, she scanned it and found that the ship's next destination was Republic City, transporting tons of raw ore and dried rice.

Smiling, she softly whistled, summoning Naga, who came up onto the dock. Turning to the ship in question, Korra and Naga made their way to the loading area, and found the gangplank had been raised. Looking up she saw a light shining on the deck, and she could hear the faint banter of sentries.

'Ok, new plan' Korra thought as she pondered the problem. 'Attacking them would attract attention. And I don't want to have to explain why I, the Avatar, am sneaking onto a ship. Need a better look.'

With that thought, she jumped off the dock, spinning as she fell, the water below mirroring her motion. Just as she touched the water, it rose up and wrapped around her, encasing her legs in water. Looking up, she lifted herself up to the deck, keeping herself hugging the hull and avoiding the light. Peeping one eye over the side, she saw four lamps illuminating the deck, and four men bantering with each other in the light.

Quickly scanning the deck she found the hatch was shut, and a large bar locking it down. Frowning she lowered herself below the rail, pondering their problem.

"You know when the next ship is coming?" one of the sentries asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning from Republic City, right?" a second replied.

"Yeah, a ship from Mr Ping himself tomorrow morning." the first answered. "It'll drop off some new vehicles and take on some produce. Big crates and tanks worth of it."

"Yeah I've seen the size of those crates." a third chimed in. "You could fit a Satomobile in one of those, or maybe even a Sky Bison calf."

"Might be a tight squeeze for that." the second chuckled. "If you could get past the mother."

As the men bantered, Korra felt inspiration hit her. Lowering her voice, she said "By the way, which quay that ship is coming in?"

"Li, you dolt." one of the men replied. "You know it's the third quay from the northwest end of the harbor."

"Thanks, been busy today" Korra replied, keeping her voice low. "So many ships, so many people."

And with that she began lowering herself back to the dock, taking care to keep clear of the lights. Touching down, she took Naga and made their way to the northwest quays. Keeping to the shadows and away from the vendors, they found the quay in question, and it was bare. Nothing save for a tollbooth to collect fees and take names.

'Should have known.' Korra thought ruefully as she looked around. 'Gotta be a warehouse or something.'

Turning she saw a large stone and brick warehouse right behind the quay. Checking it over, she found no sentries but she approached cautiously. Upon reaching the structure she tapped the wall, feeling the composition, and felt an echo off something metallic.

'Pipes' she thought, glowering. Looking up she found a series of windows, shut tight. Using Earthbending she elevated herself to the windows and used water tendrils to feel the locks. The locks were relatively simple, but she detected wires behind the lock.

'Probably trip-wires. Best to avoid them.' she thought, sending the tendrils down to feel the edge of the window. 'But the window opens in, not out. Betting the trip wires will snap if I try the windows. I might be able to slip through but Naga…'

Glancing down, she saw Naga looking up, worry and concern in her eyes. Dropping down to the ground, she felt the earth beneath her and found pipes leading into the warehouse, but not as many as in the walls. Breathing deeply, she stomped the ground and opened a hole large enough for her and Naga to jump into. Punching the ground she created a trail of low density stone running beneath the warehouse to guide her inside.

Jumping into the hole, Korra closed the hole above them before she and Naga made their way inside the warehouse. Despite the pitch darkness, Korra followed the trail of low density stone, making sure to convert it back to its prior density to avoid confusion and leave nothing for potential investigators. As they neared the end of the trail, Korra began tunneling upward, taking care to bend the tunnel around the pipes she felt via her Seismic Sense.

Soon, Korra broke through the floor, opening a crevice just large enough for her head. Listening intently, she heard nothing. No sentries. No machines. Nothing but her own breathing. Poking her head through the crevice, she looked around, finding the warehouse full of crates, some large enough to house Satomobiles, just as the sentries said. Feeling the floor, she felt no traps, trip-wires, or other such hazards.

Satisfied that they were safe, she gingerly lifted herself out of the crevice, squatting down to minimize her silhouette, just in case. When nothing happened she widened the crevice enough for Naga to fit her head, shoulders, and front paws onto the floor. With great difficulty, she hoisted herself out the rest of the way, stumbling on her way out briefly before catching herself and shaking off the dirt.

Closing the crevice, Korra then turned to the crates and walked over to the largest crates. Reaching between the lid and the walls with her water tendrils, she felt the contents and available space inside the first crate. The materials inside were hard, compact, and heavy. She probed around for weak points to no avail, for it was all solid. She also found that it was irregularly shaped, and filled almost the entirety of the crate.

'No room inside there.' she concluded, withdrawing her tendrils. Investigating the second and third crates she found similar contents to the first. Heavy materials that left little if any room inside the crates, too little room for herself, let alone Naga.

The fourth, however, did offer a glimmer of hope. The contents nearly filled the entirety of the crate, as it was in the prior cases, but they were loose, constantly shifting, and composed of countless small pieces.

'Must be rice,' she thought. 'The crate's a little smaller but it'll do. Now what to do about the rice?'

Looking around, she saw a number of bags and smaller crates and discovered they were empty. Turning to the crate of rice, she carried them over to the larger crate. Then taking tremendous care to avoid making too much noise, she used her water tendrils to pry the nails off the lid. Once the lid was loose, she opened the crate, making sure to keep the lid supported by three of the corners. Then, morphing her tendrils into scoops, she began pouring the rice into the crates and bags she found. As the crate emptied, she jumped down to the floor and stomped to create a ramp for Naga to climb. With the Polar Bear-Dog inside the rice nearly overflowed, causing Korra to wince slightly.

With her companion inside, she topped up the bags and crates just enough to make room for herself before closing them, making sure they were grouped with the others, and then bent the ramp back into the floor. Picking up a few rocks, she jumped into the crate, snuggled down next to Naga, and shifted the lid over them, with the rocks on top. Immediately she was encompassed by darkness, feeling nothing but rice around her and Naga underneath. There was so much rice she could barely breathe without it entering her mouth or nose. To help her breathing, Korra wrapped a cloth around her face, and did the same with Naga. Her companion whimpered at the treatment, but Korra shushed her and she calmed.

With their position secured, Korra turned to the rocks on the lid and, using her most precise Earthbending, hammered the nails back into the lid. It was slow going, much slower than before, as she had to work in the dark, with tons of rice surrounding her, and only the sound of rock striking metal to guide her. Not to mention a while had passed since she had started and she had no idea how much time was left until the ship arrived.

Just as she had finished the job, she heard a rooster-lizard crow, signalling that dawn had arrived. Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed slightly, letting the rocks tumble onto the floor and sinking next to Naga. Soon after, she started heating up, the tight confined space and Naga's body heat making it rather uncomfortable.

'Maybe this was NOT such a great idea…' she thought, as she tried using Airbending to cool off...to no avail. 'Drat! Where's Tenzin when I need him?'

Just then, she heard the door open up, followed by men chattering and machines chugging. Breathing out in relief, she listened as the men began moving the crates out of the warehouse, but it was slow-going. The smaller crates and bags went first, leaving the larger ones last, and hers was fourth in the line.

Breathing deeply, she tried Airbending again...and failed again. Then she heard beeping, and a creaking sound, like a large wooden object was being lifted...or pried apart. Terrified, she held her breath and started trying to wriggle downward to cover herself and Naga in the rice. Then she heard the beeping start up again, but this time it declined in volume, as though it was moving away from them.

'They're just loading the crates onto a machine.' She thought, mentally relieved and tried to relax, knowing they would be at hers soon. As though to vindicate her, she heard the machine beeping again, followed by the creaking sound, then the machine driving away once more.

As the time ticked, she felt herself starting to sweat, and realized that Naga would likely be in worst shape. 'Not only is she bigger, but she's got a thick fur coat on. Probably should have trimmed that first.'

Interrupting her thoughts, she heard a banging sound above her, and she looked up. The banging happened again and again, then she recognized it as the sound of metal on metal, like hammer on nails. Just as the banging ceased, she heard the beeping right outside her crate, then a creak, and before she knew it the crate tilted up ever so slightly, before leveled off again, surprising her for a moment. Then she felt the crate begin moving, indicating that they would soon be loaded onto the ship. A few minutes in, the crate began tilting slightly again, but it never stopped moving. 'Must be on the gangplank' she realized, excited at the prospect of leaving the crate soon.

Soon after, the crate stopped, so Korra made herself ready to leave the crate, but held herself back as she heard men chattering outside. Frowning she waited for them to leave, but they just never seemed to finish. 'Wish I knew what they were saying, but all this rice…' she thought ruefully.

Licking her lips, she tasted sweat, and realized she was slick in it. Looking down at Naga, she found her companion panting desperately to try and keep cool. Reaching as slowly and quietly as possible, she stroked Naga behind the ears, assuring her that she would be fine. As her hand made contact, she felt Naga burning up under her fingers, making her breath hitch in shock and her eyes widen in worry. 'Please Yue and La, let them be gone soon.' she begged. 'If this keeps up, Naga will get sick from the heat.'

Just then, she heard the door shut with a metallic clang. Listening intently, all she could hear was her own heartbeat and Naga's labored panting. Wiping her face, she collected the sweat into tendrils. Extending her hands out, the tendrils moved up against the lid. Focusing intently, she dragged her hands across, guiding the tendrils to the nails, before swirling her fingers, wrapping them around and under the nails. Pushing her hands up, the tendrils began forcing the nails out from the lid.

It was agonizingly slow work; the nails were in deeper than before, and she could feel time to help Naga slip away through her fingers. The fact that she was trying to undo many nails simultaneously did not help matters. Sweat poured down her face, sticking the rice to her and making it harder to concentrate. Meanwhile, Naga's panting had reached a fever pitch, making Korra work even harder. Then, she heard Naga stop panting, and her breathing became irregular and deeper, like something was lodged in her throat. She could also feel Naga begin vibrating, like her legs were kicking in place.

'Heat exhaustion!' Korra panicked. In desperation, Korra wracked her head trying to think of a solution. Then, she withdrew the water out from the nails and, with a flick of her hands, coated the inside of Naga's mouth. With a slow breath, she pushed her hands toward Naga, freezing the water inside Naga's mouth. As the ice formed, Naga's breathing stabilized and her vibrations, and agitation, declined. Mentally relieved, Korra, wiped more sweat from her brow and resumed her work on the nails.

A few minutes later, Korra finally undid all the nails, which dropped to the floor with a clatter. Listening carefully for other people, she opened the lid, ever so slightly, and peeked over the crate. Satisfied that no one was around, she climbed out of the rice and onto the floor of the ship. Looking around, she spotted several crates and began leaning them against the rice crate, giving Naga a staircase of sorts to climb out of the crate.

Listening for visitors, she quickly climbed up and whispered "Naga. Naga. Come on out girl.".

At first Naga did not move, but then, her head rose up and looked Korra in the eyes. "That's it girl. Come on out." Korra whispered once more. Naga pushed her paws onto the rice, but it tumbled out from beneath them. "Keep going Naga" Korra encouraged. Once more, Naga pressed her paws against the rice, and this time it stayed firm underneath. Confident of her support, Naga began pulling herself up, the rice pouring off her back. With immense effort, Naga pulled herself up to the lid of the crate, her hind legs now becoming visible. Lifting herself up and over the wall, her paws landed on the first crate. Though the structure wobbled slightly, it held, and soon Naga was climbing down from the rice crate.

As Naga shook the rice off, Korra checked the contents and found that, while there was not much evidence that someone was in the crate, she could still detect the sweat and some fur. 'At least Naga wasn't drooling by the time I got her out, or worse' she thought gratefully. With a deep breath, she swirled her arms around, collecting the sweat into a stream, and sweeping them down and across, she used it to clean the rice, collecting the hair and fur. Again and again, she swept her arms, periodically checking to make sure no one was coming, until, a few minutes later, she could detect no sign of sweat, hair, or fur, so she took the lid and refastened the nails. Turning back to Naga she found her companion looking much better now than she was in the crate. Her breathing was normal, and she was resting on the floor, still save for the rising and falling of her chest.

'Never again' Korra thought to herself. 'Keep plenty of water on-hand, and make sure to stay hydrated and ventilated.'.

With those reproachful thoughts, Korra made her way to the bag on Naga's back, and extracted some dried fish wrapped in paper to keep it fresh. After nibbling on a smaller fish, she gave Naga a tuna-shark she'd caught back at the beach, which the hungry Polar Bear-Dog tore into with gusto. As Naga ate her meal, Korra pulled out a water bottle and a small cup, filled the cup and gave it to Naga to drink. Naga, smelling the water, lapped it up hastily, pausing only for a breath as Korra filled it up again.

'At least we've got water and some food.' Korra pondered as she took a swig. 'Based on the roster I read, this ship should reach Republic City in a few days. If nothing else, I can get some fish and water from the sea. Best if Naga gets most of the food. I don't want to take any chances. I'll make do for the time being.'

Looking back, she saw Naga gulp down the rest of the fish and the water. Stretching herself out, Naga then went over and lay her head on Korra's lap. Korra smiled, grateful that Naga seemed all right, despite the episode with heat exhaustion. Laying her hand on Naga's head, she rubbed her behind the ears, letting them both know all was well. Then, with Naga's head in her lap, Korra laid her head on Naga's back, and both fell asleep.

-Line Break-

"Thank you for having us," Ryuukhan said, bowing to Aruno. "Peace and happiness to you."

"Thank you for staying with us," Aruno replied, bowing in turn. "Peace and happiness to you as well."

Turning to Hina, Ryuukhan tightened the straps on her saddle, hopped on her back, and yelled "Go!", signalling her to run. After reaching a top speed, she launched herself up from the ground and spread her wings.

'Well here we go' Ryuukhan thought as he and Hina made their way east by northeast. 'We'll island-hop along the Fire Nation, saving our strength for when we need to cross to Republic City. I don't want to put Hina through that nightmare of crossing the sea again.'

Looking down, he saw the ocean, rippling in the wind, the sun shimmering off the waves. With a grimace, he looked away. Where once he could appreciate the vastness of the sea, find solace in being alone but for Hina, now the sight of so much water filled him with a small amount of dread. Had they not arrived at Chi'xo Island when they did two days ago, they would have plummeted into the ocean.

'Hina might be a great flyer, but she can't swim at all. And I don't think my Waterbending could save us.' he thought. 'We got lucky, but I can't afford to rely on luck. Not when Hina's life is on the line.'

Focusing back on the sun to guide him, he found that their course had shifted slightly to the east. Pulling gently on Hina's reins, he corrected their course, bringing them back on track for the Fire Nation.

'Did we take a wrong turn?' he pondered. 'I better pay more attention to where we're going. So, no more sea-gazing for a while.'

A few hours into the journey, they found a string of small islands coming up. Recognizing them as the Na'chi Atoll Islands, Ryuukhan kept flying, knowing that a larger island lay off further on. Sure enough, he saw Na'chi Island, itself, home of the Na'chi clan of the Fire Nation. Pressing into Hina's back, they began descending, coming in to land much more smoothly than their arrival on Chi'xo Island before.

"Now for some lunch" Ryuukhan said as he reached for the bag on Hina's back, withdrawing a rice ball and some of the fish Aruno gave them. As Hina gulped down the fish, Ryuukhan looked over the Island. Like much of the Fire Nation, the island was rocky, marked by crevices and sharp hills. The foliage was mostly made up of bamboo, with flowers and fruit trees dotting the landscape. As he munched on the rice ball, he found some footprints, human from the look of them. Investigating more closely, he found they were fresh, only a day or two old, and they led from the forest to the beach.

'They're probably still here.' he deduced. 'As this is their land, I should look for them and ask for permission to stay. Hopefully they won't be too put off.'

Finishing the rice ball, he took off toward the forest...only to see that it was not really a forest. The trees and bamboo were all planted in a regular grid pattern, and there were well-traveled footpaths cutting through the foliage. Each bamboo stalk and fruit tree had vines climbing up, which he found beans growing on them, and tracing down he discovered gourds growing along the roots. He also found that the foliage was rather uniform; the majority was bamboo or fruit trees.

'And there are no tracks other than human tracks' he realized. 'This is a plantation. And a well-cared for plantation at that. They should be close by.'

Turning to Hina he said "Stay here girl. I'll be right back." and then began searching for the trail. Soon enough, he found it, footprints, more of them than at the beach, laid through the foliage. Looking more closely he found they led northwest, but the plants were too thick. Thinking quickly, he turned to the largest fruit tree he could find and started climbing.

The vines caught on his fur jacket, entangling themselves and forcing him to stop. Cursing to Koh and back again, he picked out the vines, but they just got caught in his gloves. Ripping them off, he then tried picking off the vines with his bare hands, but then felt a stinging, burning pain in his hands. Glancing to them he found them covered in dirt, and blood, the vine sticking itself into his hands.

"What in the name of…?!" he yelled and in his frustration, he set his hands on fire. The fire burned the vines and released an extremely foul smell into the air, causing him to cough and gag. "Stinks like a sea vulture!" he cursed as he waved the stench away.

Just then, he heard a twig snap, drawing his attention to his left. There he saw three people, a man and two women. They were wearing red long-sleeve tunics with gold trim, black pants, and open-toed bamboo sandals. They carried straw baskets, along with trimming tools in their belts including a sickle, a pair of scissors, and a saw.

For a moment, neither party moved, and then the man threw his basket to the ground and assumed a fighting stance. Instinctively, Ryuukhan adopted a defensive stance, and the man responded by launching a fireball. Throwing his arm up, Ryuukhan dissipated the attack, but the man launched another fireball, then another, then another.

Ryuukhan found himself backing away, looking for an opening only to trip over the roots of a tree. The man charged, but Ryuukhan tucked his legs to his chest and kicked him away. Jumping to his feet, he adopted a fighting stance and yelled "Stop! You don't need to do this!" but the man launched another fireball.

The fight, for lack of a better term, went on like this for a while. None of the man's attacks were getting through, but Ryuukhan never found an opportunity to retaliate. Then, having had enough, Ryuukhan jumped behind a tree, gambling that the man would not dare damage the foliage. 'This is a plantation, and given their tools, they're here to harvest the plants. Plus, all his attacks have been small in scale.'

Looking to his left, he spotted his adversary edging around the tree, so Ryuukhan doubled back the opposite side, and tackled the man from behind, sending him flat on the ground. Though initially surprised, the man pushed himself up and threw Ryuukhan off of him. Now it was Ryuukhan's turn to be flat on the ground. Rolling to the side, he dodged a fireball heading at him, and kicked out with one of his own.

This forced the man on the defensive and gave Ryuukhan a better chance to press his advantage, launching fireballs one after another...but the man just batted them away or blocked them cold. Winded, Ryuukhan paused briefly to ponder an alternative plan, only to duck as the man resumed his own offensive. Ryuukhan could only block as the man approached closer and closer, then Ryuukhan fell over and rolled his feet beneath the man, breaking his balance and sending him to the ground. Righting himself, Ryuukhan darted forward and jabbed a pressure point, but the man grabbed him around the neck and pinned him to the ground.

"Stop!" a voice yelled out, freezing both combatants in their fight. "What are you doing?!"

The man turned, and his eyes widened in shock. Immediately, he stood up, releasing Ryuukhan and bowing. Turning his attention, Ryuukhan saw another man, an older one with similar clothes to the first, but his clothes were cleaner, crisper.

"Sifu Na'chi," the man said, his voice respectful and even a little frightened. "This, this boy was found vandalizing our plants, trespassing on our land, and trying to steal our produce."

"No, that's not it!" Ryuukhan yelled, scrambling to his feet. "I came here seeking rest and shelter for myself and Hina. I know this is your land, so I went looking for you so I could talk with you."

Bowing in respect, he continued. "My name is Ryuukhan. I just came from Chi'xo Island, and I'm travelling to Republic City. I was climbing the tree to try and locate you when the vines got entangled in my clothes and I had to get it off. That is when your people found me."

Sifu Na'chi looked him over and asked "Who is Hina? And where is she?"

"Hina's my familiar, a wyvern-hawk, and she's down by the beach." Ryuukhan answered, drawing a barking laugh from the man he had just been battling a minute ago. "If you want I can take you to her and see for yourself."

Sifu Na'chi rubbed his chin in consideration, and nodded. With his recent adversary in tow, Ryuukhan led them to the beach, where they found Hina, cleaning her feathers and resting on the beach.

"Sifu Na'chi, may I introduce Hina" Ryuukhan said, gesturing toward her for the gobsmacked men. "Raised her from a chick, a true honor it has been."

"Agni's Fire." Sifu Na'chi said. "It has been too long since a wyvern-hawk has visited our lands. And even longer since one has had a rider. Please forgive us. We have had to deal with squatters and thieves in the past, but as you clearly told the truth, we will extend you and Hina shelter and food for the night."

"Thank you for your offer," Ryuukhan said, bowing in respect. "Please lead the way."

-Line Break-

As dawn broke the next morning, Ryuukhan delivered Hina some fresh koala-sheep meat for breakfast, followed by some quick yoga stretches before heading back to the house to share breakfast with the Na'chi clan. Sifu Na'chi sat at the head of the table, opposite from Ryuukhan, with his wife and heir on either side of him, and his other children accordingly, with servants standing at the ready.

"It seems strange that you would be travelling to Republic City in such a roundabout way." Sifu Na'chi pondered, sipping his tea. "Would it not be easier just to travel by ship?"

Swallowing his sweetened rice, Ryuukhan replied "Well I don't have much money, so how would I get a ticket? Also, Hina is pretty big, so where would I fit her on a ship? Not to mention she's been with me for so long, how could I leave her behind?"

"And what of your parents?" Sifu Na'chi asked, only to backpedal when he saw anger flash across Ryuukhan's features. "Sorry if it is a personal matter. I am just concerned for your well-being."

"No, it's all right." Ryuukhan reassured him. "My parents know my plans, and are planning to go to Republic City themselves. They just couldn't go the same way, so they are making their way there a different route. When we get there, we'll meet at a friend's house."

"If you want, I am sure I can arrange transportation for you and Hina" Sifu Na'chi offered. "My family may not be as influential as before, but we still have some connections."

"Thank you for your concern, Sifu," Ryuukhan replied. "But I've come this far, and you've already done so much for Hina and me. I hate to be a bother."

With a sip of his tea, he added "Also, there are people who might be looking for me, and I don't want to get you or your family in trouble".

"Why would people be looking for you?" Sifu Na'chi asked, eyes wide in concern. "Are you in trouble? I am sure I can help."

"No! No! Not like that!" Ryuukhan said quickly, waving his hands before him. "They want me safe, but they're going too far. Their idea of safety is keeping me inside a building all the time. My parents and I decided that it's time for me, for us, to make a change. But this has to be a secret, please."

His eyes furrowed, Sifu Na'chi simply nodded. "If you are sure, then we will not pry or interfere. However, given the dangerous nature of your journey, we insist on providing you with materials to help."

Turning to the servants behind him he ordered "Make sure he has ample food, water, and medicine for the journey. Rice, dried meat, and dates should do nicely."

Standing up in surprise, Ryuukhan said "Thank you for your help, but please not too much. The more Hina carries, the quicker she'll tire. I'll weigh them before loading them."

Nodding, Sifu Na'chi stood as well and walked over to Ryuukhan. "I understand, and please, take these as well." Holding out his hands, he held a small bag, likely coins, in his right, and a small comb in his left. Jet black, polished to a fine shine, the comb was made of wood, with intertwined red and yellow flowers carved and painted into the crescent-shaped handle. The teeth were relatively short, only about an inch or so in length, filed into blunted points.

Surprised by the gifts, Ryuukhan accepted both albeit hesitantly. Embarrassed, he felt through his pockets and found a set of gloves. Made in the split finger style of the Water Tribes with fur from snow leopard caribou, their lining was soft and well-insulating, the embroidery so meticulous and well-made one could barely detect the seams. While meticulously made, the gloves were rather bland, having neither decorations or embellishments.

'Better than nothing, I guess.' Ryuukhan thought dejectedly, and held them out, one in each hand. "As thanks for your help, please accept these." To his relief, Sifu Na'chi accepted the gloves with only a nod of thanks.

"Thank you for your help." Ryuukhan said, bowing in respect. "Peace and long life to you and your family."

"Thank you for your graciousness." Sifu Na'chi replied, bowing in turn. "Peace and long life to you as well."

Smiling, Ryuukhan headed outside and began loading Hina for the journey ahead. Feeling the weight of the supplies, he loaded them into the saddle, making sure to distribute them to make her comfortable and not inhibit her flight. With her packed and saddled, he hopped onto her back, turned her northeast, and yelled "Go!", sending her running into a takeoff.

As they ascended into the air, Ryuukhan took a quick glance back, and saw the Na'chi family waving goodbye. Smiling, he whistled to let them know he saw them before turning back to guide Hina. As the island gave way to the sea beneath them, Ryuukhan pondered over their next stop, Ko'a Island, a valuable trading hub over the centuries before the War, and the Technological Revolution that it sparked. Now it was a tourist trap, a place for the rich, powerful, and learned to go and visit a "piece of history", as they put it.

'Wonder if my trinket ever traveled through there.' he pondered, fingering his pendant. The strange emblem had fascinated, perplexed, and infuriated him all at once. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered, leaving him with countless questions as its origins, and its meaning.

It was also a constant reminder of that night in the snow.

The night his parents had found him.

The night his birth parents abandoned him.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he turned back to guiding Hina, minding the position of the sun to regain his bearings. Seeing he was drifting slightly eastward, he pulled slightly on Hina's reins, correcting his course. This also helped banish the thoughts of that night from his mind once more as he turned his attention back to his journey to Republic City.

-Line Break-

'Well so far, Naga seems to be doing better' Korra thought as she and her companion ate a light breakfast. 'I was really worried for a minute. But it looks like she'll pull through.'

Ever since they stowed away aboard the ship, Korra had been tending to Naga, covering her paws and neck in water cooled by Waterbending, and feeding her water and small amounts of fish. While her temperature was normal, her thirst was significant and her appetite was noticeably absent.

'That's worrying.' Korra thought, frowning in worry. 'And despite all the water she's had, she's not peeing like normal. Means I don't need to clean up much but still…'

To further complicate matters, she and Naga had to move around more often than she would have liked. Though the cargo hold had few, if any visitors, and these were usually easy to evade, the temperature was higher than she would have liked. Staying in one place for too long meant putting Naga at risk of relapsed heat exhaustion. Topping it all off, Korra had to make trips out of the cargo hold, both to relieve herself, and to retrieve fish and water, meaning she had to be even extra careful about the crewmen.

'If this continues, Naga better see a healer soon.' Korra thought, looking over her companion again. 'I hope Ryuukhan's doing all right. He's got more freedom to move around, but the distances involved are much farther than he's ever gone on Hina before. We better see healers when we get to Republic City.'

Seeing Naga finished her water, Korra pulled her hands upward, drawing water from a gourd, and waving her hands, she conglomerated it into a half-sphere and levitated it in front of Naga, waiting to see Naga's reaction. When she refused to drink anymore, Korra then deposited the water back into the gourd.

Taking a new stance, Korra tried Airbending again, sweeping her arms up and across from her right hip, but nothing happened. Frowning, she tried again, with no results. In frustration, she tried a different kata, but to no avail. Growling, she tried one last kata, swirling her hands over her head while rotating her chest with her feet firmly planted. For one brief moment, she succeeded in gathering air into a ball between her hands. But as she stopped to admire her achievement, it dissipated, a faint gust blowing over her face as the only evidence that she had ever Airbent.

As her eyes furrowed in anger, she clenched her hands into fists and her muscles tensed. But then she heard a whimper break through her frustration and anger. Turning she saw Naga looking up at her in concern and, seeing her companion's distress, she felt her anger dissipate, replaced by a weary worry. Placing her hands in Naga's head, she rubbed her neck and ears in reassurance, and she lowered herself to the floor.

'Airbending can wait until Naga's better.' Korra thought before tucking her legs into a lotus position. 'Maybe I'll try meditation. It works for Tenzin, and what have I got to lose?'

Crossing her hands together on her lap, Korra closed her eyes and tried to meditate.

'Is it working?' she thought a few minutes in. 'No of course not. If it was, would I be asking that?'

Breathing deeply, she shook her head and tried again.

'No. Nothing.' she thought again, eyes furrowing once more.

'This makes me so angry!' she thought. '"Clear your mind," Tenzin says. "Let your spirit wander free," Tenzin says. What does that even mean?! Release my worries and concerns? Explore aspects of myself that I don't normally think about? He makes it sound all so easy!'

Calling on her Waterbending training, she breathed deeply and slowly, letting the mental storm dissipate over a brief time.

'Easy Korra.' she assured herself. 'We'll be in Republic City soon, so Naga will get a checkup. And I'll meet up with Tenzin.'

'And I'll see Ryuukhan again.'

With those thoughts, Korra felt herself nodding off, leaning over alongside Naga just as sleep overtook her.

-Line Break-

'Well that was fun.' Ryuukhan thought as he and Hina prepared for the next leg of the journey to Republic City. 'Who'd have thought that there would be a convention of historians, anthropologists, biologists, folklorists, and so many others happening on Ko'a Island just when I arrived there?'

When they arrived, they found the island so full of people that they had to circle around three times before they found a decent landing spot. Almost immediately, they were besieged by the island's authorities, asking him for a ticket to attend the convention. But just as he was about to respond, a group of academics pushed past the police and began interviewing him, asking him so many questions about Hina.

"Where'd you find her?"

"How old is she?"

"How fast can she fly?"

"What's her favorite food?"

By the time Ryuukhan was done answering the questions, the police informed him that he could apply for a ticket for the convention if he wanted to attend, but he declined, saying he was only passing through and wanted a place to stay for the night. In response, they pointed him to an inn, which had a stable that could accommodate Hina and lay at the edge of the town hosting the convention, meaning the noise level would be relatively low.

Thanking the men, Ryuukhan first checked in at the hotel, thanking the Na'chi family for their monetary gift, before falling asleep in his room. It was not a fancy room, just a bed, a table, and a lavatory, but it would do for a couple of days. The next morning, he headed into the marketplace to collect supplies. Thanks to the convention, there were vendors selling goods from what seemed like the whole world over: curried rice; koala-sheep and pig-chicken kebabs; flavored ice, fresh to order; fresh and dried fruit; candied nuts; fruit yogurt drinks; hot and iced tea; bone and wood combs; jade, coral, and opal jewelry; and books and scrolls on almost every topic imaginable.

Befitting the event were the sheer number of people. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be ten or fifteen people for every academic that came to visit the island. Some were servants and staff, working to ensure the visitors were fed and served effectively, if not always quickly. Others were policemen, like the ones he met earlier asking for his whereabouts. But the majority were tourists, come to see the structures and attend the lectures, many of which came as family units.

He saw kids around his age swarming the storefronts, ogling toys, games, and candy, asking their parents to buy said items, or just walking around with their families. He also saw students travelling together, discussing the lectures taking place or the ruins and artifacts the island had produced. He also saw couples hanging out at tea-shops, lounging on the benches, or just walking around enjoying each other's company.

'Mom, dad, and Korra would love it here.' he thought, a tinge of sadness flickering through his mind. 'Maybe we'll get a chance in the future? Maybe I should get them something while I'm here?'

Pondering these thoughts he turned to the shops and began exploring their goods. The first one he stepped into turned out to be a blacksmith's forge, which contained a lot of beautiful or awe-inspiring items, such as slanted knives, dual swords, armored headdresses, and gold-plated necklaces and bracelets. After looking them over, he lamented 'Too much money. And I need to watch the weight for Hina.' before heading back into the marketplace.

The next vendor he visited turned out to be a toy shop, selling card games, dolls, plushies, and fake swords. 'These games and toys are very well made and enjoyable,' he thought as he browsed, watching some of the other kids mock-fight each other with wooden swords. 'But Korra and I don't really have time for these anymore. And we're a little old for these.'

With these thoughts, he stopped by a tea-shop for a quick snack, rice crackers and tea, before heading for a bookstore, and found himself astonished by the number of books and scrolls. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling in books and scrolls, and there were at least nine bookshelves of similar size throughout the store. Looking between the shelves he saw a spiral staircase leading to the floor above, and a trapdoor leading down below.

"Can I help you with anything?" a voice called out from behind Ryuukhan, breaking him out of his awe. Turning he found a young man with dark eyes framed by spectacles looking standing behind a desk near the entrance. Concerned, the man stepped out from behind the desk to close the gap between them and said "Are you looking for something specific or would you like some suggested reading?"

Clearing his throat Ryuukhan replied "Yes, I would like some directions. There are just so many books here it's hard to know where to start."

Nodding the man said "I understand. It can be overwhelming. My name is Honjin, the owner of this store, and I have quite a memory of its categories and contents. If you have a book you're looking for, or a specific category, I'm sure I can help you."

Smiling Ryuukhan replied "Thank you Honjin. I'm looking for books on Bending, specifically on the forms used, the history of each element, and the theory behind them."

Taking out his pendant, he held it out for Honjin to look over. "I'm also interested in archaeology and history, specifically on anything that relates to this emblem. I would appreciate your help here."

Holding the pendant in his hand, Honjin rubbed his thumb over the metal emblem, his eyes rolled up in concentration. Then his thumb began to twitch, pressing into his hand at random places, sometimes hitting the emblem and other times missing entirely.

Clearing his throat, Honjin replied "Bending techniques can be found in the sports and combat section, Bookshelf 3-1 on the first floor. The theory behind Bending can be found in philosophy, Bookshelf 4-2 on the first floor. History of Bending can be found under archaeology and history, both of which are in Bookshelf 7-1 and Wall 2 on the first floor. You could also search for this pendant in those sections as well. The bookshelves have their first numbers on their sides, and the second number above each section, with the lower numbers being closer to the ground. Bookshelf 1 is closest to the door and the numbers increment first horizontally along the window, then up a row, then across in the opposite direction. If you need anything feel free to ask me."

Bowing in thanks, Ryuukhan turned to the first bookshelf to orient himself. Finding the numbers as Honjin described them, he moved two shelves across the window and found Bookshelf 3. After a quick search, he found the appropriate section and began picking books at random. Once his arms were full, he looked for a place to peruse in peace, eventually settling for a small chair near the window.

He soon found the books a treasure trove of knowledge, describing both basic and advanced bending in Earth, Fire, and Water, but barely anything on Air. 'Must have been the Air Nomad Genocide.' he thought sadly. 'Their records were probably destroyed in the attack. And the survivors were hunted down by the Fire Nation for decades. Just have to ask Tenzin.'

Once he had finished, he left to search the next section, but stopped as he realized he had too many books. 'I'll have to put some back.' he realized, anxiety and confusion showing in his eyes. 'But which?'

"No worries." Honjin interceded. "Each bookshelf has a table next to one end. Any books you don't want or aren't interested in can be placed there and I'll reshelf them later. Saves you some time, and me some anxiety that way."

Sighing in relief, or embarrassment, Ryuukhan went over to the table in question and returned all but three of the books. 'I'll look them over again and see which ones I should get.' he thought as he moved to the next Bookshelf to study philosophy and spirituality.

Leafing through the books Ryuukhan found himself more confused than before. While a lot was written about the nature and theory of Bending, much of it was written in words and terms that he did not understand, or even recognize.

'Yin and Yang Energy? Four Phase Theory? Eight Tri-formations? What is all this?!' he thought irritably. 'Where's Tenzin when you need him?! And look at the size of these books! Even if I did understand them, Hina wouldn't be able to carry them all.'

Sighing at the thought, Ryuukhan returned all but one book, one that was a very general overview of leading philosophical and spiritual thought. Turning to the next Bookshelf, he happened to glance at a clock hanging on a wall and found that it was getting late.

'If I'm going to get supplies I'll have to leave now.' he realized. 'These will do for now. And I can always ask Tenzin for advice.' and he made his way to the counter, paying for the books he still had and heading back to the marketplace. Seeing time was low, he picked up only the bare essentials: dried meat and fruit, some fresh apple-lemons, and fresh fish for Hina.

Completing his purchases, he headed back to the inn, stopping to make sure Hina was fed, watered, and well-rested before heading to grab some dinner and drop off his purchases. After dinner, he spent a little time reading his new books but went to bed early for the long day ahead.

'But now it's time to go.' he thought, turning Hina north by northeast and saying "Go!" sending her into a running start before takeoff. Turning back, he saw the island fall away, as well as a small crowd gathering to see him leave. After briefly waving them goodbye, he redirected his attention to guiding Hina and pondered over their plans.

'We'll take a little break near the outermost islands of the Fire Nation,' he reviewed in his mind. 'And then, if we can, we'll fly the last distance to Republic City. But if we can't we'll stay the night and take off the next morning.'

With those thoughts in mind, Ryuukhan checked the sun's orientation, checked around his surroundings, and turned his full attention to guiding Hina.

-Line Break-

Deep in the cargo hold, Korra lay sleeping on Naga's side amongst the crates, bags, and boxes, feeling exhausted from the excitement just yesterday. Just as Naga was showing marked improvement in her health, the ship jolted with a major crash, followed by a terrible screech somewhere nearby. Shortly afterward, hearing footfalls pounding the deck above them, Korra forced Naga to hide under a tarp they had found in the ship's supplies. As she slid underneath, she heard the men yelling that the ship had run aground off the Earth Kingdom coast and needed to be evacuated.

Panic gripped Korra as she realized she had to get off the ship without tipping off the crew. Listening intently, she waited for the men to leave and started to venture out, only to jolt back under the tarp as she heard voices just outside the hold. Hiding once more, she heard them yelling that the ship had a gash in the deck just beneath them, and the ship had started to capsize as the cargo slid to the damaged side.

Seeing the severity of the situation, Korra peeked out from under the tarp and, seeing she was alone, ventured out of the hold to better understand the situation. Looking into the corridor she found the ship was tilting to the starboard side, making travel rather awkward in the new orientation of the ship. To further complicate matters, the corridor was rather narrow, wide enough for two men to walk side-by-side but quite cramped for a Polar Bear-Dog, Looking at the end of the corridor, she found the spiral staircase to be only wide enough for one man to travel at a time.

'So much for that.' she thought ruefully. 'I'll have to find another way out, and fast.'

Just as she was about to turn back down the corridor, she heard shouts from below deck. Jumping down the staircase, she found herself up to her knees in water in the lower hold. Sweeping her arms upward she parted the water, making it easier to travel. Following the voices along the corridor, she heard a group of men stuck behind a bunch of metal crates that had piled up in front of them.

"Hang on!" she yelled and began swirling her arms around her, drawing the water into a spiral motion with her as the center. Once she was satisfied with how much she had gathered, she pushed her arms forward, sending the water into the crates. Rotating her hands, she sent the water seeping in-between two of the crates and, with a mighty push of her arms, divided the crates, giving the men enough space to evacuate. In their rush to escape they barely noticed Korra, though some had enough time to mutter "Thanks" along the way.

As the last of the men fled, Korra looked and found the gash that the men had talked about before. Spanning over nine feet in length, she moved to it and started gathering the water to her once again. Then, pushing forward, she pushed the water into the breach, reducing the added weight and preventing the ship from taking on any more water.

After a few minutes, Korra discovered that this was unlike anything she had done; where most of her Bending had been feats of strength and speed, this was a matter of endurance. Though not much time had passed, the constant pushing of the water had begun to take its toll on Korra. Breathing deeply helped abate her fatigue and focus her efforts, but even so, she could feel her energy beginning to ebb.

Just then, she heard a new commotion from above deck, breaking her concentration briefly and letting the water pour back into the hold. Refocusing, Korra began pushing the water back out of the ship once again, just as two crewmen had arrived into the hold. Seeing her, they froze, unsure of what to do or say.

Korra, glancing in their direction, yelled "You mind?! Either help me or do something!" snapping them out of their shock and sending them scuttling to the breach. As Korra held the water at bay, one of the men took a horse stance, knees bent, legs shoulder width apart, arms clenched in fists at their waists, before punching outward at the breach. In response, the upper half of the breach bent outward, smoothing out the hull but temporarily widening the gap. The man punched again, this time pushing out the lower half of the breach, narrowing the gap once again. Again, and again, and again, he punched at the gap, until the hull was smooth again, and then, pulling his arms downward, he pulled the metal sheets together so they overlapped.

With his task done, the Metalbender stood back and his partner stepped forward, placing his hand on the seam, and breathed outward, forcefully. The metal under his hand briefly glowed a bright reddish-orange, and steam emanated off the metal. Stepping along the breach, he repeated the process, welding the metal sheets until the breach was sealed. Checking it over to see if it would hold, the men nodded in relief at their success.

Then they turned to Korra. After a brief pause, they heard footfalls coming into the hold. Korra turned and hid behind the crates while the two crewmen turned to the newcomer.

"Report!" he yelled. "How's the damage?!"

"Not as bad as it could have been bosun" one of the men replied. "Some water damage, but we can repair it."

"And the breach?" the bosun inquired.

"We've managed to seal it sir." the other man answered. "It should hold until we pull into port, but I think we should take extreme caution all the same."

"Agreed." the bosun nodded. "We're only two, three days from Republic City. Should it last that long?"

"It should," the first man replied. "If we keep a close eye on it and post a squad of Benders in case it reopens."

"And not make any sharp turns" the second added.

"I'll discuss it with the captain and see what she says." the bosun said. "In the meantime, you two stay down here to monitor the breach. In two hours, I'll send you your replacements. Take care."

"Sir!" the men clipped out, raising their hands in salute as the bosun departed.

As soon as the footfalls fell away, Korra peeked out from behind the crates, the men turning back to her.

"All right, who are you and what are you doing here?" they asked, keeping a close eye on Korra.

"I'm Korra, and I'm travelling to Republic City." Korra answered.

"You're a stowaway, aren't you?" the Firebender accused. "We could throw you in the brig for that, you know?"

"Yes, but I saved the ship." Korra stuttered, grinning at her accomplishment.

"Even so, you're still a criminal." the Metalbender said. "Stowing away on a ship is akin to theft. You're eating the ship's food, drinking its water, and using the facilities without permission from the ship captain, or compensating us for the loss of resources."

"But I haven't." Korra interceded, surprising the crewmen. "I've only eaten food that I've caught from the sea, or brought with me, so I haven't stolen food. I've also not used your water supplies, only water I've collected beforehand or distilled from sea water."

"And the ship's facilities?" the Firebender shot back. "Don't tell me you've been collecting your feces and urine all this time."

Grimacing in disgust, Korra replied "But I haven't used them often. I've only used them once or twice a day ever since I got here." shocking the men.

"As for compensating you, you can call my saving the ship as my payment." she continued, pressing the men. "And we're almost there anyway, so you can turn me in when you get there."

The two men only stared at her in shock, trying to process her words, when they heard footfalls approaching. Turning away briefly, they saw a shadow approach in the doorway, pause for a short moment, and then turn away and fade down the corridor.

As the shadow turned away from the door, the men turned to confront Korra...only to find she had disappeared. Looking around they found no trace of her, so they searched among the crates. But despite their best efforts, Korra eluded them.

After a while, they heard the bosun's voice echo down the corridor, giving them pause in their search and turn to each other.

"What do we do Riki?" the Metalbender asked the Firebender. "Protocol dictates we apprehend stowaways and turn them in at the port."

"But we also need to keep an eye on the breach, Cai." Riki replied. "If the bosun finds us searching for her instead of doing our assigned watch, we're in trouble. He's not exactly the forgiving sort you know?"

"But surely he'll be understanding if he knew there was a stowaway onboard" Cai stammered. "Just following protocol."

"Perhaps, but you know he values the integrity of the ship and its cargo and what's a greater risk?" Riki interceded. "A breach that could reopen on our watch? Or one stowaway? A stowaway that helped us, and has not stolen from us or drained us of valuable power or goods?"

"As far as we know" Cai replied. "But how do we know she wasn't lying? For all we know…"

"What are you two doing?!" a voice yelled out, freezing the argument cold. Turning quickly, they found the bosun had returned, with their replacements, but from the look on his face, that would soon change.

"Since you two clearly have not been minding your duties, your shift has been extended." he said. "You will stand watch until the night shift, so your dinner rations will be delivered here. Any more dereliction will mean double shifts for the both of you. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Cai and Riki answered, saluting sharply. The bosun nodded and headed out the corridor, their replacements in tow.

"Well that settles that question." Riki said. "We'll talk about the stowaway at the first opportunity. In the meantime, we'll keep watch on the breach."

"Very well." Cai agreed, frustrated at the situation.

'Now's my chance.' Korra thought as she slipped out the corridor, listening for the other crewmen. 'Didn't go down as I expected, but we're nearly there. Just have to keep ahead of those guys. Hope Naga's all right.'

The way back took longer, as the crew were bustling around everywhere, forcing her to take a very circuitous route back to the cargo hold where Naga was. When she arrived, she found three men in the cargo hold, checking for damaged goods, and they were dangerously close to the tarp where Naga was hiding under.

Thinking quickly, Korra sneaked around the cargo crates opposite the men and knocked on the crate. Distracted, one of the men turned to the crate and Korra sneaked around him, making sure to stay out of his line of sight. As the man inspected the crate, Korra used her tendrils to make the crate rock subtly but noticeably. The man called for backup and when his crewmen came, Korra made a quick dash to the tarp, crouched down to minimize her profile. Once inside, she reassured Naga while holding a finger to her lips, signalling Naga to be quiet.

Just then, she heard the footfalls of the men approaching the tarp again. Leaning against the cargo covered by the tarp, she listened for the men and started inching her way around the cargo slowly, leading Naga. As the men made their way around the tarp, she made sure to keep the cargo between them, using the crates as cover. When the men threw the tarp over the cargo, she gathered it up, covering her and Naga. When the men finished their inspections, they collected the tarp and recovered the cargo, giving Korra and Naga the chance to dash behind another set of crates as the men exited the hold.

'Boy that was close!' Korra thought as she and Naga breathed in relief. 'But it's only for a few more days. Hopefully we can hold out until then.' With those thoughts, Korra and Naga passed out in exhaustion.

-Line Break-

As dawn broke, Ryuukhan awoke, feeling his muscles ache in soreness. Soon after, feeling intense hunger and thirst, he quickly stretched himself out before rummaging through his bags and made a quick breakfast of jerky and apple-lemons. After tending to Hina, he then took in the scene that he found himself in. All around him were large rocky walls and hills, with a river carving out a deep canyon nearby. Looking to the south he saw a town, bustling with people.

'Man was I tired.' he thought, looking over where he and Hina had woken up. 'I just unstrapped the saddle and passed out. Hina's doing all right at least. Better find out where we are.'

Giving a quick order to Hina, he headed down to town. Shortly after arriving he walked into the marketplace to look for supplies. After picking out some dried meat, fruit, and fish, he walked over to the clerk and asked "Excuse me, but could you tell me where I am?"

The question surprised the clerk at first, but she quickly recovered and said "Shu Jing my dear."

"Wow I WAS tired." Ryuukhan said, his eyes wide in surprise. "Sorry, got in very late last night. How much are these?"

After paying the clerk, Ryuukhan did some sightseeing, and visited a blacksmith's forge in town. While many of the items were beautiful, awesome, or interesting, he burst out laughing when he saw one suit of armor. It was large and bulky, with horns coming out of the helmet, a circular saw sported on the left shoulder, which was covered in a skull, and the left arm ended in a massive clawed gauntlet. He laughed so hard, he fell on his knees, wheezing and breathless.

Once he had regained his breath, he exited the shop and did a quick lookover the town. While the town was beautiful, he found himself drawn to the sight of a castle in the distance. Seeing a young man walking by he asked "Excuse me, but do you know who's castle that is? Just curious."

The man briefly turned to the castle before answering "That used to be Piandao's castle. Now, it belongs to his granddaughter, Jian."

Nodding in thanks, Ryuukhan made his way back to Hina, his thoughts turned to Piandao.

'Sokka's Master' he thought. 'And one of the best swordsmen of all time. Maybe I should go visit? What's the time?'

Looking up at the sun, he found that it was already past noon. 'I must have slept in. Too late to go flying now.' he realized, his eyes wide before furrowing in thought. I'll check on Hina, and then take a visit.'

After checking on Hina, he set off to Piandao's castle, only to find a sign on the door saying "Gone Abroad For Business. Will Return In Six Months".

'So much for that.' Ryuukhan thought bitterly as he turned away.

"Sorry to disappoint you," a voice called out, startling Ryuukhan. "But if you've come for swordsmanship lessons you'll have to wait. Not only is she absent, but she only takes on the best of the best, and you have a LOT of prospective students ahead of you."

Turning, he saw a man, his grey hair in a top-knot, dressed in plain black clothes that were splotched in dirt and leaves. Clearly a gardener, he reeked of fresh manure, making Ryuukhan grimace slightly from the smell. Then remembering his manners, he bowed in respect.

"Sorry for bothering you sir." Ryuukhan said. "I just thought I'd check it out."

"No worries." the gardener said. "Feel free to explore the grounds, but the castle itself is off-limits."

"Thank you sir."Ryuukhan replied, bowing again. "But I need to get back to Hina. She didn't sleep well last night, and when she's tired she gets grumpy. And when she gets grumpy, she snaps at me."

"Very well." the gardener said. "I wish you and Hina the best."

Waving goodbye, Ryuukhan made his way back to Hina and found her cleaning her feathers and stretching out her wings.

"Right where I left you." he said, smiling. Tossing a fresh fish he watched her gulp it down, her throat muscles bulging out as she worked it down.

As Hina ate, Ryuukhan decided to read the new books he had picked up. Seating himself near his saddle, he pulled out the book on Waterbending and started to read. The first chapters covered the basic katas, complete with diagrams detailing the movements involved, and the proper breathing techniques.

After reading the first few chapters, he noticed that the sun had nearly set and, not wanting a repeat of last night, took out his saddle and blanket to have a proper rest.

'Tomorrow's the day!' he thought excitedly as he snuggled next to Hina. 'Tomorrow we get to Republic City! I'll get to see Tenzin!'

'And Korra!' he thought just as sleep overtook him.

-Line Break-

Down in the cargo hold, Korra and Naga were exhausted from evading the crew last night. While the first two days were not too bad, as the crew were busy with ship maintenance and cargo safety, the following day they had started a more systematic search. While she had been able to evade them so far, their sweeps were growing more and more frequent, giving her and Naga less time to rest or eat.

Seeking to accelerate their arrival, late last night Korra snuck onto the bow of the ship and used Waterbending to thin the water pressure in front, helping the ship glide through the water faster. The increased speed, however, alerted the crew to her presence and went to apprehend her, though they first tried the stern instead of the bow.

'Really dodged an arrow that night.' Korra thought as she tried to rest, thinking of the night. 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. And poor Naga.'

The next night, she tried a tactic to throw her pursuers off her trail. Drawing a large mass of water from the sea, she waited for the guards to come up on deck. Forming the mass into a rough outline of a human, she let the guards catch a glimpse of it before sending it across the deck, away from her. The guards, thinking this was their chance, gave chase, but Korra simply dissolved the water and reformed it some distance away, forcing the guards to change directions.

In response, the guards tried to entrap her with a pincer movement, but Korra directed the form to leap over the rails into the sea. The guards, peering overhead, saw only the waves rippling from the leap. As they searched the deck and the sea, Korra made her way back into the cargo hold and lay beside Naga to catch some sleep.

'Hopefully that puts them off the track for a while.' she hoped as she leaned against Naga's side. 'I wonder how much longer until we reach Republic City.'

Then she felt the ship pull to a halt, then she heard chattering outside the corridor. Pulling herself into a crouch, ready for action, she heard the whirring of gears, then a metallic grinding sound. Looking to the sound, she found herself staring into a bright light, forcing her to avert her eyes. Then she heard vehicles moving around, along with wood creaking under weight, ships' horns blowing, and seabirds cawing.

'We've arrived!' she thought, her excitement vanishing her earlier fatigue as she reached out to Naga.

"Come on girl!" she said as Naga stood up and stretched herself out. Hopping onto her back, Korra turned Naga to the opened cargo door and kicked Naga in her flanks, sending her into a ragged but firm run. As they passed the workers, she yelled "Thanks for the ride!" much to their confusion and surprise.

Running down the docks she stood in awe at the sight of Republic City.

The towering buildings.

The narrow alleys.

The streets crisscrossed with tram tracks, street cars, and the occasional Satomobile.

The airships filling the skies.

The throngs of people moving to and fro the city.

After running a fair distance from the docks, Naga slowed her pace to a simple trot as they came across a suspension bridge crossing Yue Bay. Looking out, Korra caught sight of a statue of Avatar Aang.

'My predecessor' she thought, awed by the sight. Her gaze moving across she found herself looking at Air Temple Island. 'We're here. Now time to go meet Tenzin.'

-Line Break-

Meanwhile, Ryuukhan and Hina were making the last leg of their journey, having taken off early that morning, following the sun and the ships travelling to and from the Fire Nation.

As the sun reached its zenith, they had passed over the last of the Fire Nation islands and were flying over open water. Ryuukhan, feeling his stomach grumble from hunger and his tongue parched from the heat, snacked on the last of his fresh apple-lemons, the juice moistening his tongue and lips. To keep Hina's strength up he tossed her the last of his fish, holding onto his saddle as she made a dive to catch the fish.

As she leveled out, he checked his bearings and guided her back on track, only to discover a new problem: airships. As they approached their usual flight elevation, they found an airship flying toward them from behind cloud cover, forcing him to angle Hina downward...and nearly sending his apple-lemon upward.

Looking around he saw over half a dozen airships flying around him, most of them heading between the Fire Nation and Republic City. To make matters more complicated, they were flying at different elevations, probably to minimize the risk of crashing into each other, and forcing Ryuukhan and Hina to fly at a lower altitude than they would have liked.

'Well nothing for it.' he thought as he and Hina dipped lower. 'At least no more wrong turns.'

As the sun dipped lower, he looked up and saw the airships were gone, prompting him to risk flying higher. As he climbed he found he and Hina were alone, the airships having flown off to their destinations. Relieved at their solitude, he looked north by northeast and found significant cloud cover near a dark-colored patch. As they flew closer, he heard seabirds cawing, indicating that they were coming near land.

'We're almost there!' he thought excitedly. 'Just in time too. Hina's probably pretty tired by now.'

Soon the dark patch became more defined, and he could see lights flickering through the cloud cover. His excitement soon turned to confusion as he realized the lights were getting larger quickly. Then he heard the propellers, and shock and terror soon replaced his confusion as he realized the lights were not from the city.

They were from an airship...heading right for him.

Panicking, Ryuukhan sent Hina diving deep to avoid the airship, but he dove too deeply, nearly hitting the water. Though he and Hina remained dry, he felt the blood rush to his head, causing a brief moment of lightheadedness. Shaking his head, he found the dark patch he saw ahead change in texture, gaining buildings, masts, and harbors.

Searching for a landing spot, Ryuukhan spotted a stretch and beach and aimed for it, creating air bubbles to help slow Hina's descent until they came in, hopping along the beach until they slowed to a stop. As he felt himself settle, Ryuukhan breathed deeply to steady himself before siding off Hina's back, unstrapping the saddle and blanket from Hina's back, and set them down on the ground.

Looking around, he saw that he had landed on the large island opposite Republic City.

'We're here!' he thought excitedly. 'Now to go find Tenzin!'

-Line Break-

Author's Notes: A VERY big apology for all my faithful readers. I've been busy with school, working on a PhD, as well as being a TA, and then the current crisis hit us, so everything has been online, and my muse deserted me in my time of need. Now I am back, and I have NO intention of abandoning this story. I just had to find the time to write again, and to figure out how to proceed.

Some of you have noticed that Ryuukhan's Bending is not really Bending, but his magic imitating it. This is due to the blood fusion, as well as the environment he's grown up in. In canon magical children start learning to use their magic from age 11, but Ryuukhan has been practicing Bending since he was four years old. Thus his magic has been bent, so to say, into the style he's been exposed to. If he grew up on Coruscant, it would manifest as more akin to the Force. In Konoha, it would be jutsu. I don't want to give away too much, but this might be relevant later in the story.

In this chapter we finally get to see Hina, Ryuukhan's familiar. The winner was a tie between a dragon, and an aerial original, so I decided to play around a little. Hina is based on the cockatrice, a two-legged dragon or serpent with a rooster's head, as per Wikipedia. For Hina, I decided to do a wyvern-style dragon, like the dragons we see in Game of Thrones, or the Hungarian Horntail from the Goblet of Fire film, but with an eagle's head (imagine Ryuukhan's mount with a chicken's head, crowing in the morning and clucking into battle) and covered in feathers. As such, she walks on the ground like a bat or a pterosaur rather than a bird.

We also see that the journey to Republic City takes more than a day, which I did for two reasons: a) I don't think the Avatar planet is THAT much smaller than Earth, so traveling from essentially Antartica to Spain would take WAY longer than a day; and b) this gives us a chance to explore the world a bit more than we did in the series. As part of this exploration, we see that traveling with animals is a LOT harder than people see, and can easily lead to them being abused. Sorry if this brought on painful or disturbing images, but alas this happens far too often in the real world. This also gives me a chance to flex my worldbuilding muscles, something you can look forward to in future chapters.

Appreciate your feedback and constructive criticism.