Chapter 6: First Missions Must Be Stressful
Mandeq knew he spotted the stranger somewhere around here.
For most people, it's easy to get lost here but for Mandeq, it was easy work finding his way around this icescape. He still wondered though, who would choose to come here, a place where the snowstorms are way too heavy for most and also where, in most places, the ice beneath was untrustworthy. Maybe they were lost or maybe they were stupid. Either way, Mandeq was going to find out.
When his village decided that it was time to move, Mandeq chose to stay. He did not want to leave the home his father had boasted their long lineage on. He didn't have any family left and the old bags had clearly forgotten about him. It was basically his territory, so he didn't want to abandon it. It's not like there aren't close-by villages he couldn't trade for food and goods at. He loved his isolation. No more nosy people and the raiders most definitely weren't coming around this area anymore. So, when Mandeq saw that small figure run through his territory last night, in the cold, he decided it was his duty to know who the intruder was.
Packed and ready, he followed the familiar path of snow he was used to and followed the fading footprints of the intruder which were still available at dawn. From the prints, they appeared to belong to a young child, maybe someone his age. That was shocking. In all of his fifteen winters, Mandeq had never met a kid as insane as he was. Like he thought, they might be brave, lost or stupid to have come here on their own. There was little snowfall from the past couple of days so Mandeq was glad he could at least take breaks and not worry about losing track.
Finally, he got to where the tracks led to a cave and light could be seen coming out of. He took a deep breath and slowly approached. He took a few steps into the cave and first noticed there was a fire burning not too far from the entrance. What was weird was that the fire appeared to be flaring up and down like slow breathing. Next he noticed there was someone behind the flame. He took a few steps to the side of the fire and there he saw, illuminated by the flame, a young boy sitting in a meditative pose right in front of the flame. He was breathing in and out slowly in a controlled motion. His breaths seemed to match the moving flames.
Mandeq couldn't believe it. This child was most definitely a firebender. Here and in the South Pole? Who was he? A raider? No he was too young. Maybe a war child, most likely. Or maybe he was dumped here by some firenation family that didn't want him. Unlikely.
Mandeq began to frown before the child snapped his eyes open, causing Mandeq to yelp in the most unmanly manner possible. A pair of golden eyes stared at him, expressionless and impassive. Mandeq quickly comported himself, arranged his slipping packs and stood firm with his chest puffed out like a strong man. The boy rolled his eyes and began stroking something in his lap. Mandeq had not noticed it before. It appeared to be translucent and bluish…. Wait a minute. Translucent. What the hell was that?
"What the hell is that!?" Mandeq blurted out. He slapped his hand over his mouth. That was not the first thing he wanted to say. Oh well.
"She's a water spirit," the boy replied cooly. Wow, Mandeq wasn't expecting an answer so quick. He was most definitely expecting some kind of resistance. Maybe some hostility instead the boy just answered him normally. Mandeq frowned. He had actually never come face to face with an actual ashmaker before. He wasn't even sure how to act. Especially with one that was clearly younger than him.
He pursed his lips as he thought. He looked at the spirit the boy was petting. The spirit seemed to be made out of water. The boy's hand didn't look like it was wet as he stroked it tho. Weird. The spirit appeared to be some kind of dog? Wolf? Some kind of canine mix? Mandeq wasn't sure. He squinted at it to study it further.
"Why is it on your lap?" Mandeq asked, authoritatively. He hoped he sounded imposing to the boy but one look at the boy's face told him otherwise. He sighed and sat to the boy's side. He made sure to sit a bit far away. No need going close to a fire benders flame.
"She was injured trying to fight something. I aided her after and now she's attached to me," the boy said and looked at the spirit as he stroked it further. A small smile appeared on the boy's lips for a moment before it disappeared as it came.
"Who are you?" Mandeq asked.
"My name is Yee. I am a shaman," Yee responded. Mandeq frowned.
"Are you not from the Firenation?" Mandeq asked curiously. The boy tilted his head a bit, eyes still on the spirit. It seemed like he was trying to figure out how to answer that question. Mandeq found it suspicious.
"I am from a Firenation colony," Yee finally replied after some contemplation. Mandeq's eye twitched. So he was indeed Fire nation.
"What is a shaman from the Firenation doing here at the South Pole of all places?" Mandeq pressed. Yee looked at him then cocked up a brow at him.
"The business of spirits transcends all national boundaries. I go where the spirits lead me," Yee replied and turned his attention to the flame. Mandeq frowned a bit more. What exactly does that mean? Whatever. Mandeq was over it. This boy probably wasn't even a threat. He was so young. Younger than Mandeq. He probably had not mastered fire bending. So Mandeq figured he was in the clear for now. They both sat in silence for a while. The sound of the crackling flame filled the cave. Where exactly did this kid get the twigs wood to make the flame? Maybe somewhere close to the ocean.
"How old are you?" Mandeq finally asked after a while.
"I'm fourteen," Yee replied. Mandeq smirked a bit. He was glad that he was at least the older one in this situation. He fake coughed to hide his expression.
"I am Mandeq by the way. Mandeq, son of Taloq. I'm fifteen," he said with pride. Yee gave him a quick smile. Mandeq blushed a bit.
"Nice to meet you Mandeq," Yee said and got back to his petting.
"So…" Mandeq began. "How long have you been here?" Yee had another contemplative look. Mandeq was starting to like that look on the other boy's face.
"For about three days," Yee replied. He turned his attention to his side and began rustling at the sack beside him. Mandeq bent forward a bit to see what the boy had there. He noticed the sack laid there. Yee brought out what looked like jerky and began to chew on it. He looked to Mandeq and offered him an untouched piece. Mandeq took it with gratitude. It tasted salty but also had a strange mix of spices Mandeq had never tasted before. He had heard from some of the old folks that the Firenation loved to burn everything, including their tongues with peppers.
"This is very good," Mandeq said out loud. He paused a bit then continued to eat his jerky like he had meant to say that. "What is it?"
"It's beef jerky. My… mother made some for me," Yee replied. Mandeq noticed the pause right before the 'mother' part.
"She's in the Firenation, huh?" Mandeq asked, curiously. Yee shook his head.
"No, she's in the Earth kingdom," Yee said. And before Mandeq could ask any further Yee beat him to it. "I am adopted," Yee finished. Mandeq nodded at that. So he was some war child, most likely. He probably got displaced at some point and some nice Earth Kingdom family took him in. Ok, picture almost complete. Where did he learn this shaman business though? Fire or Earth?
Mandeq sighed.
So many questions.
"How'd you get here anyway?" Mandeq inquired.
"Earth nation ship. I paid one," Yee replied.
"So how are you going back?"
"When the time's right, the ship will be back,"
Mandeq stared at him in disbelief. Yee cracked a small smile at him and Mandeq was lost in it for a bit before regaining his composure.
"I'm kidding. They're set to come back in three weeks" Yee said. Mandeq let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He gave a weak smile back. He shifted a bit in his sitting position.
"You know, you can't just stay here alone right? What exactly are you doing here?" Mandeq asked. He wondered if the other boy had really been surviving on his own. Maybe he needed someone to guide him around. Maybe someone like Mandeq….
"Like I said. Spirit business but you may be able to assist me if…" Yee started to reply before he squinted a bit at Mandeq, he even pursed his lips too. Mandeq found it cute. He held the face for a bit before relaxing back to normal.
"If what?" Mandeq asked.
"I was just checking to see if you are really who you say you really are," Yee replied.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Mandeq was surprised and curious.
"Well, the spirit I came here for is a particularly tricky one to handle. As you can see here, it's the reason my new friend is like this. I was going to track it further but I wanted her to heal a bit more before I go any further," Yee explained.
"That's way more serious than I imagined," Mandeq confessed. 'A particularly tricky spirit', Mandeq wondered what that entailed. He sighed and shook his head. He was so curious. He was definitely following this boy around now.
"The perks of the job," Yee said with a shrug. Mandeq had an idea then.
"You know, you can come stay with me. I have a better place to stay than this," he said and gestured around the cave. Yee looked at him questioningly.
"I was under the impression that this place was abandoned and the closest village is half a day's walk from here?" Yee asked. Mandeq smirked and puffed his chest out a bit.
"Yeah but your information is wrong. I'm the only one living here. The others packed up and left since we were getting raided left and right but I stood my ground. You can say this place is all mine. My territory," Mandeq boasted. It earned him a slight chuckle from Yee and Mandeq felt his ego rise a bit more.
"Ok," Yee said as he stood up after placing the water spirit on the ground, his l9ng single braid bounced a bit at the movement. Mandeq stood with him. The spirit stood wobbly on all fours and turned her attention to Mandeq for a bit. Mandeq could see two horns on her head which he couldn't see before. Her obsidian blue eyes stared into his soul for a while before looking back up at Yee. She stretched and her long tail stretched along with her.
"Fire child, I am Shuyan. A humble water spirit. Take me with you. I believe my assistance would be required. Plus I want to pay you back for your help," she spoke to Mandeq's amazement. He scooted back a bit in caution. Yee gave her one of his contemplative looks, completed with the slight head tilt. He nodded at her in agreement and she hopped around him with excitement. Mandeq let out a small laugh which earned him a glare from the spirit. Mandeq quit his laughter immediately in response.
"Sorry," he said, then produced a fake cough. Shuyan turned her focus back to Yee.
"Fire child, I will turn into a gem that is easier for you to carry around. I will still be able to talk to you and hear around, so do not worry," Shuyan explained to Yee.
"Are you sure? Can you handle the transformation?" Yee asked with a skeptic look. Shuyan placed a paw on one of his shoes.
"Worry not, fire child. I am fully capable of such things now and if needed, I can just return to the spirit world and recharge there," Shuyan assured him. Her tail smacked the ground as if to say it is settled. Yee nodded and then picked her up. The spirit transformed in his hands with a bright light and then appeared to be a roundish obsidian gemstone in Yee's palm.
"Woah!" Mandeq exclaimed.
"Woah indeed," Yee said.
"Handle me carefully now, fire child. I do not want you to lose me so easily," Shuyan's voice could be heard from the stone. Mandeq searched his pack and offered Yee the rope he found to Yee. Yee thanked him then wrapped the gem in a way to make a necklace. The blue gem sat outstandingly around the firebender's pale neck. It laid in contrast to his white clothing and Mandeq found himself staring at Yee with something he couldn't really identify. Seeing a fire bender wear something that looked mostly Water Tribe gave him a bit of whiplash. Mandeq wasn't very sure how to describe it any further.
"Does it look bad?" Yee asked. He sounded a bit worried though his expression barely changed from what Mandeq was already used to seeing. Mandeq realized he had been staring at Yee for a while and decided to cut it out.
"No, no, no. You're good. You look great. Very pretty… I mean the necklace is very pretty… not that you're not pretty. I mean, you look fine. Good. Great," Mandeq spluttered. Yee cut off the beginnings of a chuckle and he could hear Shuyan huff in amusement. Mandeq sighed. What the hell was he doing?
Yee bent down and gathered his things into his bag. He slung a sword Mandeq didn't see before around his shoulder. To Mandeq's astonishment, he waved a hand and the fire died out, leaving the natural light from outside to partially illuminate the cave. Mandeq had stiffened from the move. He wasn't actually expecting any firebending moves from the young shaman even though he knew what he was. Now he really had to remember to be careful with this person. Still a firebender. He can still burn.
"So, where's the nearest village?" Yee said as he passed by Mandeq on his way out of the cave. Mandeq shook himself out of his thoughts and caught up to Yee.
"You can't just go there like this," Mandeq said as they walked out the cave together. He was happy to see he was a head taller than the other boy. He took the lead. He was going to take Yee to his current home first.
"Why?" Yee asked with a bit of a purse to his lips. Mandeq looked away from his pout and shook his head.
"You are clearly not from around here. We don't want people to freak out or anything. With the raids and everything, I'm not too sure about the closest village's thoughts on…. someone like you being here," Mandeq explained. Yee opened his mouth a bit to say something then a realization hit him and he shut his mouth with an added nod.
"Ah, I understand. I forget at times about my looks. I'm from a colony, so, so many people are already used to my looks. Plus, my line of work has already made me quite popular so I've yet to meet anyone who's reacted very badly to me," Yee said. His pout returned and he slumped his shoulders a bit. Mandeq felt an urge to console him. He wrapped a hand around Yee's shoulder and pulled him in closer. Yee startled a bit but then he relaxed into Mandeq. He could hear Shuyan growl a bit but he decided to ignore her. Whatever was her problem.
"Don't worry, I have a spare parka you can wear. Well just put a hood up on you and pretend that you are from another village. Wearing the necklace out may also help your case. No one would look at you twice with my plan," Mandeq told Yee. He smiled at the younger boy to reassure him and Yee lit up a bit. Well, not really 'lit up'. More like the pout was gone but the impassive face was back but Mandeq would take that as a win. He let go of Yee and they continued on to Mandeq's house on his lead.
After a couple minutes of their walk, plus Shuyan's huffing and puffing at Mandeq's proximity to Yee, they arrived at Mandeq's tent. It was surrounded by sturdy stone and Mandeq couldn't help but smile at his creation. At least no one was here to tell him he can't live in such a big tent all by himself. Tui knows he hated sleeping with other kids' toes in his face.
"Child of Water, if you could focus on inviting us into your makeshift accommodations and get us the item we require for my ward's mission, we would be so grateful," Shuyan's voice cut through his thoughts. Mandeq rolled his eyes. This was definitely going to be a thing. He could hear Yee chuckling as he opened the tent flap. He welcomed Yee in and they were met by the warmer interior.
Before he had left his tent that day, he made sure to clean up so he was delighted that his guest could come to see his living situation at his best. A point for Mandeq.
"It's warmer than I thought," Yee said as he stepped inside and gave a three sixty spin, taking in the new surroundings.
"Proper insulation with animal skin and other things my father taught me can be really useful, you know," Mandeq replied boastfully. Yee hummed to that. Mandeq took that moment to head to his clothing area and search through his pile for his old parka. Once he found the old light blue thing, he stood up in triumph and turned to meet Yee who was staring at his pile of old scrolls and papers.
"Here," Mandeq said as he gave the parka to Yee. Yee dropped his bag and sword to the ground and began to try and wear the outfit. After Yee's third confused attempt at trying to put the clothing on, Mandeq gave in and assisted him in wearing it.
"Fire child, I did not know such attire would provide you with such difficulty to wear," Shuyan said and Mandeq started chuckling at that. Yee gave him a deadpan look and Mandeq cut it out. He pulled the necklace from inside the parka and laid it outside on Yee's chest.
"There. Now with your hood up, people won't be too bothered by your presence here. They'd be curious but won't suspect you for being an ash… I mean from the Fire Nation," Mandeq said. Yee gave him a knowing look, like he knew what Mandeq was about to say but he turned his attention back to the scrolls. Mandeq took the moment to look at the firebender in his old parka. He looked small and cute. His pale skin was even more obvious in the blue he was now drowning in. Mandeq went back to his clothing pile and got some gloves for Yee. He wondered how Yee was surviving here without these things. Like, was it impossible for a firebender to get frostbite or something? Mandeq wasn't sure.
"Are they yours?" Yee asked and Mandeq turned to him. He took his place beside Yee who was staring at the haphazard scrolls sprawled all over in the corner. He handed the gloves to Yee and he wore them.
"They were my father's. He used to trade with the merchants that came and went here. Well, apart from me, these are his remaining legacy," Mandeq replied. He remembered when his father would read these to him and how he was excited to get a new one and share with Mandeq. He remembered how torn his father was when he realized he wouldn't be getting any new scrolls or trinkets due to the strain of trade. With each coming year, it was getting harder and harder to get something to trade and even less reasons for the merchants that came here to even bother coming to the South Pole. Well, that was none of Mandeq's business now. All he could do now was to try and keep living and best of all, by his own rules.
"No siblings?" Yee asked.
"Nope. My mother died in childbirth and my father never bothered to find another match," Mandeq said with a shrug. "Had him all to myself. Though, we used to share living spaces with other people in the village and the other kids were basically my unwanted siblings," he laughed at that. Yee gave him a small smile. "What about you? Any siblings?" Mandeq asked and with that he could see Yee perk up slightly.
"Yes, one. She's younger than me and very cute. She's two years old now," he said with a bit of upbeatness to his tone. So that's one way to get that look from him. Mandeq noted that down.
"Maybe we can buy her a trinket from the village market nearby?" Mandeq asked. Yee nodded at that with an even bigger smile and Mandeq felt a bit of accomplishment from that. "Alright. Let's head out, it'll be an hour's walk from here and people should be available to trade by then," Mandeq said. Yee nodded and picked up his things from the ground. Once they were both ready, Yee put up his hood and they both stepped outside into the cold.
As they began their walk to the village, Mandeq began to wonder since when he went from absolute suspicion on the shaman boy's presence to absolute fondness. Maybe he needed his head checked or so for this.
"And you're certain that this is correct?" Chief Officer Roshu asked the slim man in front of him. He couldn't believe what his ears just heard.
"Yes, indeed. Our network has determined that the boy has made his way to the South Pole," the man replied. Roshu huffed at the confirmation. Why on earth would anyone willingly go to the barbaric land of savages and even a known firebender at that.
"And he went alone?" Roshu asked with a cocked brow.
"Yes. His guardian did not go with him. It appears that he remains in one of the colonies. The ones near Omashu," the man replied with a hint of impatience to his tone. Roshu frowned at that. He decided to let it go, he did, after all, need this spy network to get him more information from time to time. They may be pricey but it's not like their fee came out of his pockets. Plus, they gave good information, so they get a pass even if one of their agents acts a little pissy to someone who was clearly of higher standing than them.
Roshu tapped his fingers on the table in contemplation. When Captain Zhao had given him this task, he did it to gain his favor even though he thought it would be a boring drag. He did not know that tracking this particular boy's movements would be more interesting than he could ever imagine.
For one thing, some of the boy's movements seemed to be covered up by some interfering outside party but his contacts were able to get some useful information about him. A firebender who was a shaman apprentice at such a young age. If he weren't in the business of spirits, he would've been grabbed for conscription just for being a firebender but it seemed his luck was far too great. Not much of his origin could be determined.
His apparent mother was an earthbender and his apparent father, his shaman master. It is called apparent because no one is sure if they are his parents or not. Information on these guardians too seems to be scarce which was very suspicious. He wasn't able to determine if the father Jazaih was born in the Fire nation or not. His treasonous allegiance with his earth kingdom spouse was yet to be determined. It is known that they have another child who is but a babe. Whether or not they would be a firebender or not is to be determined. Maybe if the child was, it could be used as a way to get to the boy. Get the child conscripted at the right time and then maybe tie the boy through his sibling to the Fire nation.
Zhao has his interest in the boy for whatever reason and Roshu could not deny that he was curious too. From the reports of some of the boy and his master's exploits in the Earth kingdom, he was impressed. Apparently, the spirits are super active in the Earth kingdom for whatever reason. That was none of Roshu's business. More of Zhao's. Though, Roshu wanted to know more about the boy specifically, maybe he knows more than what he was letting on. Who knows. Whatever it was, Zhao was climbing up the ranks fast, therefore, gaining his favor was the smartest thing he could do at this stage of his career right now.
He dismissed the spy who appeared all too happy to be gone from his office. Roshu rolled his eyes at that. His mind wandered back to the boy and his trio to the South Pole. Could it be another spiritual issue or is the boy there to form relations? Whatever it was, he had to report this to Zhao. He could tell this would get the man's attention on the boy even more than before. Roshu leaned back on his chair and smiled to himself. He could smell the incoming promotion he had been wishing for in the air at this moment.