Author's Note: Welcome to the second try of my Firebrand story. I rebooted this story out of several concerns from both the issues I noticed and constructive criticism made by reviewers in my original attempt. This time should be better.

Now, there are some obvious changes to this fanfic, such as there will be no present day storyline. I honestly forgot where I was going with it, but I know that there are many great points in the history of the Avatar series that I wanted my OC to be a part of. Also, my original story was to call the order here the Order of Knights, but it was pointed out how uncreative it was and looking back, I agree. Thankfully, I was suggested a new one which will come later on in the story.

Now, in case there is any confusion, this story will start eight years before the events of the Last Airbender first episode. And as time passes by, we will catch up to the conclusion of the Hundred Year War.

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to address them. And if anyone would suggest something that this story will need, I'm all ears. Enjoy the first chapter of the story. Any and all comments are welcome.


92 AG

I opened one of my eyes to look through my spyglass. It was the only way I could determine my view of the city and find right where I wanted to be. I scanned the perimeter of the city walls until my eyes locked on something. I smiled when I spied on what can only be described as a perch reaching slightly outside of Azulon City. That's where I needed to be.

After retracting my spyglass and putting it on my belt, I pulled up my red hood and slipped on my red mask that covered the lower half of my face. Thankfully, that was right before I was spotted.

"Hey! It's the Red Prowler! Up there, on the rooftop!"

That was my cue. When the fire guards began their chase, I immediately leaped from the top of the roof and landed on the red tiles and slid down on them. As I reached the edge, I bent down and jumped off toward a string of lantern ropes. I grabbed a handful of them and used them to slow down my fall. I landed in the middle of the street surrounded by citizens who had surprised looks on their faces. I kept my momentum up and ran knowing the guards were right behind me using their confusion to bolt past.

I took a second to look back to see five guards that were on my tail. Thankfully, I was faster and a quick thinker. I noticed a stack of barrels that were built like a staircase. Conveniently perfect. I ran right up them and jumped up to the nearest window. I then kept climbing until I reached the next rooftop. The guards didn't stop chasing me, so I kept running.

From one rooftop to another, I kept up the pace and quickly lost my pursuers. Now was my chance. I went for a straight shot toward the stone wall surrounding the city like a fortress. I reached the side of the wall and climbed up. I gripped each brick as I ascended higher and faster. In only a couple of minutes, I reached as high as I could and found myself only one foot away from the perch.

I smiled and stepped forward kneeling on the edge. There, I looked onward out into the wide, open hills green as jade. But the most beautiful part was seeing the afternoon sun over the entire land and witnessing the light bounce off of each hill. It was quite a sight to behold. Too bad it was short-lived.

"You there! Prowler!"

I groaned and turned around. It was the sheriff himself with several firebenders behind him. They raised their fists with flames at the ready.

"Sheriff Brills." I greeted confidently trying to disguise my voice so he wouldn't recognize me. "How are you?"

"Don't be cute, Red Prowler!" Brills gritted his teeth. "You've evaded our capture long enough."

"Why are you even after me?" I asked feigning ignorance. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You know what you did. You're wanted for several accounts of trespassing, harassment, and resisting arrest. Any last words?"

Behind my mask, I let out a mischievous grin. I slowly reached behind my waist while I gave my answer. "Just three… Don't look up!"

Before anyone could respond, I swung my arm up throwing a red ball into the air. The firebenders couldn't help but watch it flash before their eyes. It was so bright, they were blinded, which gave me my chance.

"Told you not to look up!" I said before looking down below the perch. Just like I hoped, there was a pile of hay. I knew I couldn't get past the guards, so I took the leap of faith.

I descended down from the wall landing right into the hay pile. Just like I planned, the sheriff didn't notice and yelled out in frustration trying to find me.

"He slipped past us! Find him! Search everywhere!"

"What about there?"

"Is 'there' a part of 'everywhere'?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"THEN SEARCH THERE!"

I waited until the guards left the area before walking out of the hay pile. After picking the last straw from my black outfit, I decided that I had my fun and wanted to go back home. I knew the open gates had guards posted, so the only thing I could do was scale the wall again.

As soon as I reached the top, I was extra careful looking around for any signs of the guards that were chasing me. I sighed in relief to see the area abandoned. After that, I jumped back to the rooftops of the city on my way back home.


After my escape, I made it back to the center of the city where I then climbed through the window of a second-story building. I entered a red bedroom with a wardrobe on the far side and a chest across. I carefully approached the chest and removed my mask and robe. After brushing my dark-red hair, I folded them up and placed them into the chest before closing it.

"Ahem."

I froze when I heard the sound of an older man clearing his throat. I turned seeing a middle-aged man with a slightly-gray beard that matched his hair. He wore a fancy dark-red robe with fancy gold decorations.

As he looked at me judgingly and crossed his arms, I gave a slight chuckle and a nervous smile. "Hi, Dad."

"You've been sightseeing again, haven't you, Arzon?" He asked me, though I could tell he already knew what I was up to. I admit, this wasn't the first time he caught me in the act.

"It was just a few minutes." I told my dad. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal? The police are searching the streets for 'the Red Prowler'. We've got an important visitor coming in tomorrow, and we don't need this kind of trouble."

I let out a sigh of my breath. "I know, Dad. I'm sorry."

My dad gave me a sympathetic look and returned my sigh. He placed his hand on my shoulder and guided me to the window. "It's not your fault, son. I know you're a dreamer. But you have to remember that it's too dangerous for you outside of the walls. This may be a Fire Nation city, but out there is Earth Nation. And there are a lot of earthbenders who are waiting for a chance to get to us."

"Dad, I know you're the governor, and the fact that I'm your son puts a target on my back," I returned, "But I've lived my whole life behind these walls. I'm 19 now. I'm not afraid anymore."

I could tell I was getting to my dad. He patted my back and moved away from the window while I followed. "All right. Tell you what. How about we go on a hunting trip outside the city? Just you and me?"

My eyes lit up and I was filling with joy. "Really?"

"Sure. I know I can't keep you cooped up here forever. Might as well enable you with a little bit of experience. But we can't go far."

"Deal." I said excitedly. "Thank you, Dad." I gave him a hug and I could feel him hugging me back.


The guards insisted on coming with on account of the Red Prowler sighting, but my dad thankfully dismissed them. I rode the horse behind him and followed him outside of the city gates. Strangely enough, it was like entering an entirely different world.

My dad took me into the forest that wasn't even far from the city. I wasn't complaining though. It was my first step into the woods. I had never seen the trees this close before, so the experience was almost overwhelming. I looked over to my dad who reached into his horse's bag and pulled out two bows and two quivers full of arrows. He passed me one of each while strapping his own on.

"You ready for some lessons?" my dad asked.

"What do you know about hunting anyway, Dad?"

My dad laughed at the question. "Believe it or not, Arzon, I was as adventurous as you when I was your age. They called me Kuo the Longbow. In fact, I met your mother at a hunting trip."

"Really?" I asked in surprise. This was the first I've heard of my late mother for a few weeks.

"Oh, yeah." My dad squatted down and began walking. He gestured at me to do the same following his movements. "I was out looking for some sport when I misfired an arrow and hit the side of a house in the woods. I apologized to the family who lived there, and that's when I met their daughter. One thing lead to another and… Well, you know."

Yeah. I didn't need to hear any more details of my mom and dad's relationship. I just followed my dad.

Suddenly, something felt wrong. I grabbed my dad's arm to get him to stop while I closed my eyes. That's when I felt something. An overwhelming sensation entered my head that focused on everything around me. It was like I was seeing the forest even with my eyes closed. And among the forest in my mind, there was something that stood out. I opened my eyes and followed the direction of what I was seeing.

Upon reaching the top of a hill, I looked on over to the base of it. That's when I found something that I saw. The large, beast-like hog crawled across the field right behind an unsuspecting feline. The interesting thing about that cat was that it had owl wings on its side.

My dad followed me to the top of the hill and saw what I saw. "Bleeding hog monkeys, Arzon. You actually found a boar. Not bad for your first time."

My mind was less fixed on the boar rather than what it was about to attack. On instinct, I put an arrow in my bow and took aim. My dad noticed my haste and grabbed my hands.

"Careful. If you miss, that boar will come after us. But it won't chase what it can't see. You just have to aim for its eyes."

"Aim for something that small?" I asked. "Dad, that's impossible."

"No, it isn't. Look, you're right-handed. So the first thing you need to do is hold the bow with your left hand and pull the string with your right. And keep the end of the arrow between your two fingers when you do that in order to keep your arrow steady. When you're shooting a moving target, don't aim where it is. Aim where it's going to be. Predict where it's gonna be. Lastly, aiming your arrow is a lot like firebending."

"Dad, we're not firebenders."

"I know, but the basic principal is the same. Just control your breath. Holding it at the final moments steadies your aim further. Take into account the archway and the wind direction, and you should be fine. Go ahead. Give it a shot, pun intended."

I took my dad's lessons to heart and thought back at them. I gripped the bow and pulled the string like I was told, I kept watch over the boar's pace, and I held my breath ready to fire. The boar picked up its pace ready to pounce the cat owl, but I kept up with it. I fired my arrow and watched it shoot through the sky. I watched as it struck squarely at the boar's eyes knocking it off-course away from the startled bird.

"Well done, Arzon!" my dad cheered before aiming his own arrow. He shot it straight at the neck of the boar to finish it off. "You are a natural!"

I smiled as I stood up with my old man. "Thank you, Dad. That means a lot."

From the bottom of the hill, the cat owl flew up and gently landed on my shoulder. It brushed its face on my own making me feel a little weird. My dad simply chuckled at this.

"Looks like you made a friend. Tell you what. How about you keep your sparky friend when we get back to the city?"

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"I don't see why not." My dad shrugged. "I mean, you seem to have already claimed her. Somehow, you knew she was in trouble."

I gently scratched the cat owl's chin and its purr intensified. "I can barely explain it myself. It was like I could see her when I couldn't. Does that make sense?"

"Must be protective instincts." My dad surmised. He then gave a small frown which had me concerned. "Could be genetic. After all, that's what I feel whenever I think of you. After losing your mother, I swore that I would do anything to protect you. That's why I became governor. Sure, the meetings are boring and a lot of people hate me, but it gave me the power I thought I would need to protect you." He looked me right in the eyes with a smile on his face. "But you know something, Arzon? If I had to choose, I'd give up the entire city for you."

I returned with my own smiled before hugging my dad. He hugged me back, and my new pet joined in too.

After retrieving the boar, my dad and I rode atop of our horses ready to return home. My new cat owl perched herself on my shoulder. Before we left, my dad turned to me with a question.

"So what are you going to name your new friend?"

That was a good question. I looked over to the bird with an idea in mind. I smiled at the idea before turning back to my dad.

"How about Song?"

My dad looked at me with a surprised tone. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, you said you met Mom on a hunting trip just like I met this bird. All this talk about her has made me feel closer to her than I ever have before. So why not name her after Mom?"

My dad smiled again. "Fine choice. Fine choice indeed."

With Song perched on my shoulder, I followed my dad out of the forest and back to Azulon City. Today was my first day into the free world and it was a day I would never forget. The rest of my life was promising from then on.

But you know what they say. No plan survives first contact with the enemy.