(General POV)
"Come on, Swishy! Do it like this." Kaz said before he created a dome of wind around himself that got rid of all dust and debris off of his clothes. The little bison had rolled around in the dirt, and rather than clean it up, he was hoping to make this into a teaching moment and have the little bison clean itself, however he was getting nowhere fast. Thinking to demonstrate further, Kaz created the dome of wind around the little bison, removing the dirt himself. He did this a few times, hoping the little bison would imitate him, but again, no luck.
"Alright, fine. But because you didn't do it, you don't get any cake tonight." Kaz said to the little bison, who at his words began to make little mewling noises, almost as if it were crying. It might not have understood most of what he said, but it did understand the words "No" and "Cake" by now, and to not get those was apparently a super punishment for the little creature.
"Oh, shut up! You're being a big baby." He scolded the little bison, who only continued to whine. Not one to give in, Kaz simply stared at the bison for a time before he noticed a small gust of wind spread out from the bison's head. It was weak, but at least it was an attempt. "Good work! Whose a smart little bison?!" Kaz cheered as he began scratching around the bison's head.
Kaz spent a few hours each day teaching the bison new tricks, tricks that would better help it and him in the future. When they weren't on the move that is. They had arrived in the Earth Kingdom a few days ago and were making their way south along the coast. He was tempted to just head straight east through the desert, but that was risky with a baby sky bison. They needed lots of food and water every day, and because they couldn't fly long distances without rest like adult sky bison, Kaz knew the trip across the desert would be more than a few days, something which he didn't think would be all that smart of an idea.
Plus he did kind of want to go back to the Southern Watertribe and make sure the Waterbenders he had freed from the prison had made it back safely, and maybe go back to the Southern Air Temple now that Aang wasn't there. He had to admit that he was a lot happier now that Aang was out of his life, so maybe going back to the temple would be a good thing. Sure it was out of his way from the Eastern Air Temple, but it wasn't going anywhere, and it wasn't like he was in a hurry or anything. Besides, he could take the time to make sure he didn't miss any Firebenders along the way.
*****
It took a few days, but eventually he arrived in Chin Village, a town located on the cliffs of the Earth Kingdom's southwestern coast. Kaz had only intended to stop there and restock his supplies, but when he entered the village he was shocked to see the townsfolk pulling three large statues of Avatars, one of Aang, one of Roku, and the other Kyoshi.
At first Kaz figured these people were all idiots who worshiped the Avatar, but then he saw how some guy came running in with a torch and set them all on fire, at which point everyone began to chant, "Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" Seeing the destruction of the statues and hearing the chanting, Kaz couldn't stop himself from joining in, chanting along with them. "Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar! WHOO!" He roared, causing a few other people to whoop and holler in agreement.
It was a merry celebration, and Kaz actually drank and danced with a few people, all of whom were just as happy as he was. When he woke up in the morning, he ate breakfast with a smile on his face. 'I like this village. They're not as dumb as I thought they'd be.' He concluded as both he and Swishy flew through the sky towards Kyoshi island.
*****
The visit to Kyoshi Island was brief to say the least, as once Kaz learned Suki wasn't there, he saw no point in sticking around. She had apparently set off with the other Kyoshi warriors to who knows where to fight the Fire Nation, which was a surprise for Kaz. He hadn't expected her to set out simply because of him, but that appeared to be the case.
After departing Kyoshi Island, Kaz and his little bison set off for the Southern Air Temple, only this time they were there far longer than Kaz's previous visit. He explored the ruins of the once vibrant temple, gathering anything that had survived the last one hundred years, which wasn't all that much to be honest. One thing he did was go around and gather all of the skeletal remains spread about the place, and after getting everything prepped, Kaz lit a massive bonfire beneath the bones, then used Airbending to make the fire burn hotter while also sending the ashes of his people into the wind.
After giving his people a proper send off, Kaz continued exploring the temple, and it was in his exploring he found a locked room which took Airbending to unlock, where upon entering he found a room full of statues. "Of course they're statues of the idiots. I don't know why I thought there would be something important here." Kaz grumbled as he locked the door back up. If he had his way, this room would never see the light of day again.
Done with the temple, Kaz and Swishy set off for the Southern Watertribe, only half way there, Kaz was relegated to something he never thought he would have to do. "This isn't going to become a thing. This is the opposite of how this is supposed to work!" He called over his shoulder to the little bison that was clinging to his back. Swishy had gotten tired, and now Kaz was carrying the bison across the open ocean. In response to his words, the little bison licked his ear, which earned a glare from Kaz as he looked over his shoulder at it. "You do that again, and I will drop you." He warned.
Thankfully the rest of the flight went fairly quick as Kaz was able to fly a lot faster even while carrying the bison on his back than they had been going with the little bison flying beside him. When they finally reached land he dropped the little bison to the ground like a bag of rocks, then stretched his back for a good five minutes as he worked to get the feeling back into his bones.
With that done, he and the little bison continued on for a time until they got to Wolf Cove, the place where the Watertribe was located. There at a newly created dock was a Fire Nation ship, which wasn't all that surprising to him because he had helped the escaped prisoners flee on this exact ship, only now there were a few modifications to said ship, the most notable change being the insignia of the Watertribe painted on the side of it. 'Huh… neat.' Kaz thought, impressed that the Waterbenders had made the ship theirs.
The little village Kaz had woken up in all those months ago looked far more lively this time, only it was still rather small if he was being honest, and the location sucked too, but that wasn't what he was here for. Approaching the village, Kaz was pleased to hear a bell sound, followed quickly by a number of people moving to the now much larger and thicker walls that surrounded the village. The panic in the village was short-lived once someone up on the walls got a look at who was approaching, and upon seeing that it was him, a number of people began to shout that everything was fine.
"It's good to see you, Kaz!" Came the old voice of Massak, who looked far more lively than Kaz would have imagined. "It's good to see you too, Massak. I'm glad you all made it here without any trouble." Kaz said to the old Waterbender who had left the confines of the walls to greet him. "It was rough, but we made it alright. We've actually been trying to repair the village, but we're still recovering so things are a bit slow." Massak said, his words piquing Kaz's interest. "Why are you trying to repair this dump when you could just rebuild the village better somewhere else?" Kaz asked curiously.
It was obvious to anyone with half of a brain that the location for the village was crap. A fleet of ships could make land within a stone's throw of the village and rain flaming boulders down on the people or send their forces unimpeded at the walls that wouldn't last very long against a trained Firebender.
"Right?! That's what we said!" Another voice shouted from behind Massak. Looking over the man's shoulder, Kaz saw Lirin and her sister Lana approaching with smiles on their faces. "It's good to see you, Kaz! And not just because you set us free. These people are so stuck in their ways, they refuse to listen to reason when we told them we should move somewhere else." Lirin said with a frown towards Massak.
"Hey, don't put this all on me. We had a vote, and it was decided to stay here." Massak said exasperatedly to Lirin before he turned his attention back to Kaz before adding, "We're Waterbenders, and we want to stay near the water. We also live off what we find in the ocean. It would be too troublesome to spend most of the day trekking further inland, even if it is better protected." Hearing this, Kaz couldn't help but look at the man as if he were an idiot.
"You just said it yourself. You are Waterbenders. Everything around here is made of water. Ice, snow, it's all water. Use that to your advantage." Kaz said, then went into the village and began pointing out all of the flaws with the location and the problems he could see in the future, not just from the Fire Nation, but from pirates or anyone else who had the idea to attack the village. "Besides, you could literally reshape the village however you wanted." Kaz finished, hoping to put it into their heads to not make themselves such an easy target.
"But we can only shape so much. Further inland isn't just ice and snow. There are mountains of rock and dirt. We can't shape that." Someone standing nearby spoke up. Looking over at the man, Kaz deadpanned, "Then hire an Earthbender. It's not that hard. Hell, I know quite a few Earthbenders who would probably do it for free if I asked them for help."
"Would you really?" Massak asked in surprise. "Why not? It's no skin off my back." Kaz said, not seeing any harm in it. "But, you've already done so much for us. There isn't anything we could ever do to repay you." Massak said. "Then it's a good thing I never asked for anything in return. Just make the place where you can properly defend yourselves. I don't want the Fire Nation or anyone else to be able to attack you." Kaz said with a forlorn look on his face. He didn't like how easily the Fire Nation had killed off the Airbenders, and if he could, he sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for anyone else to do that to these people.
It took a bit more convincing on Kaz's part, and showing a few designs they could make, but eventually everyone in the village decided to go along with the plan to relocate. The new location wasn't actually all that far away, it was just further inland near a mountain, about three kilometers away from where the current village was located. Kaz came up with the idea to build a waterway from the coast over near the mountain, but make it small enough that only small ships could go down them, that way the people could travel quickly to the coast if they needed to, and with Waterbenders then that would be like how they have it in the Earth Kingdom with their travel carts, only here it would be travel boats on the water.
As it turned out, the waterway could only be built a two-thirds of the way to where they had planned to set up the village because they had run out of ice and snow and were now over land, but that wasn't enough to hinder their operations. Already the Waterbenders had built massive walls around a large section of space with the mountain at its back, which would be using the mountain to their advantage as a sort of shield from the elements.
Kaz also said they could get the Earthbenders to maybe make some bunkers and whatnot in the mountain so if the village ever was attacked, they could use the mountain as a sort of defense. It was pointed out that if they were ever under attack by Earthbenders then this was just giving them ammunition, but then someone else pointed out that there was literally nothing there that an Earthbender would want. Besides, they had planned to build a large moat around most of the mountain, so if an Earthbender did come to attack, they could literally drown them out or make it very difficult for them.
Kaz remained in the village for almost two weeks, which was long enough for the outlines of a decent village to be constructed. The walls were comparable to that of Agna Qel'a, and there were even plans to build a number of smaller waterways for people to get around easier or move goods around. With the Waterbenders returned to the south, they were showing the rest of their people that they would recover from this war, and though it would be slow, they would get to the point where they would rival their sister tribe in the North.
*****
When Kaz decided he had been in the Southern Watertribe long enough, he had left the village a lot stronger and more fortified than it was when he first got here. He had made friends, experienced some nice customs, and all around he had a not bad time. Compared to his first visit after waking up in the ice, Kaz felt this one was marginally better. It seemed a lot of his visits with people were better than they had been before, which made Kaz realize something. 'Aang is a complete buzzkill.'
"Good-bye Massak. I'll try and send an Earthbender as soon as I can, but first I need to go home and see how things are there. After that, I'll find someone. Who knows, maybe I'll come back for a visit soon after." Kaz said to Massak and the others who were there to see him off. "Thank you, Kaz. For everything. You will always be welcome here." Massak said as he extended his hand. Lirin was less formal with Kaz, choosing instead to give him a tight hug, which was quickly followed by her sister who did the same thing. "Come back soon!" They shouted to him as he set off into the air.
*****
It took a few days of flying before Kaz and Swishy finally arrived at the Eastern Air Temple, and if he were being honest with himself, the place looked like it had survived the last one hundred years far better than the other two Air Temples he had visited. It was a little rundown, sure, but with a little bit of care and work, the place would look just like it had all those years ago. 'Though it will never be the same without its people.' Kaz lamented to himself.
He was about to go and explore the main temple building when he noticed movement near the top of one of the structures near a waterfall. Deciding to check it out, Kaz launched himself upwards, and it was there he saw an old man. 'Why does he look familiar…?' Kaz wondered to himself for all of three seconds before it came back to him.
"You're Guru Pathik! I saw you once when I was a kid. How in the world are you still alive?" Kaz asked after realizing the man's identity. The man was old back then and he was old now. He looked literally the exact same as when Kaz had seen him more than a hundred years ago.
"Forgive me, I don't recall having seen you in the past. But I have been expecting you and the young Avatar for quite a long time. I had a vision many years ago of helping you and him. That's why I came to the Eastern Air Temple. I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of your uncle Pasang." Guru Pathik said simply as he gestured for Kaz to come sit with him.
"Being friends with my uncle is a point against you. He was an idiot. As for helping me, with what, exactly? Not to sound rude or anything, but the monks and I never really saw eye to eye on a lot of things." Kaz said, though in contrast to his words he did move to sit in front of the old man. After all, even back before he was a Kaz-sicle, Guru Pathik had been quite famous amongst the Air Nation.
The man was already more than three-hundred years old at that time, and that was just what they could confirm through records. For all they knew, the man could have been far older than that, so to stand, or sit in front of the man was a true honor.
Ignoring Kaz's remark about his uncle, Guru Pathik simply smiled as he waited for Kaz to get into a meditative position. "I wish to help you understand the energy you seek to control. Without proper guidance, you could do more harm than good, and not just to yourself, but to the world around you as well." Pathik said, his words truly surprising Kaz. He didn't know how the old man knew he had started to dabble in Energy Bending, especially since it hadn't been all that long since he had first heard about it.
"Okay, I've got three questions. How do you know I'm learning Energy Bending? How old are you? And how are you still alive?" Kaz asked, finding those to be the most important questions he could think of at the moment. "We are all connected in this world. As old as time has permitted me to be. And because time has permitted me to still be here." The guru said in response to his questions.
Kaz stared blankly at the man for a few seconds before he said, "I get the feeling you and I aren't going to be friends." "That's fine. The student does not always like the master, and the master does not always like the student, but they both work together to better the world." The guru said calmly with a smile on his face.
"Anyway, let's focus on you right now. Tell me what you know about Chakras." Pathik said, getting straight to the topic at hand. "Chakras are a series of points throughout the body where Chi energy is heavily concentrated. There are seven Chakras in total, each having a specific purpose and deals with a different type of emotion. As such, each one can be opened and closed depending on the individual's state of mind. When a chakra is open, energy is free to flow about the body, whereas a sealed Chakra restricts this flow of energy. The Chakras must be opened in a specific order, or the energy will not be able to flow properly." Kaz explained, then went on to point out each of the seven Chakras.
Earth Chakra: Located at the base of the spine. It deals with Survival and is blocked by Fear.
Water Chakra: Located at the sacrum. It deals with Pleasure and is blocked by Guilt.
Fire Chakra: Located in the stomach. It deals with Willpower and is blocked by Shame.
Air Chakra: Located in the heart. It deals with Love and is blocked by Grief.
Sound Chakra: Located in the throat. It deals with Truth and is blocked by Lies.
Light Chakra: Located in the Forehead. It deals with Insight and is blocked by Illusion.
Thought Chakra: Located on the crown of your head. It deals with Pure Cosmic Energy and is blocked by Earthly Attachments.
Though each of the Chakra points were called things like "Earth Chakra" and "Water Chakra" they were just names to symbolize how the body was connected just as those around the world were connected as well. Everyone in the world had these Chakras whether they were a bender or not, which just proved that everyone was similar in some way or another.
"Very good. I am pleased you have such a firm foundation of your Chakras. Now that I have confirmed your understanding, let me see where you need help." Guru Pathik said as he got to his feet and moved behind Kaz and placed a hand on his back. "Your Earth Chakra point is very clear. I daresay I do not detect the slightest blockage in it. Is there really nothing you are afraid of?" Pathik asked curiously.
"What is there to be afraid of? We all die someday, its just a matter of when. Even you will eventually die." Kaz answered, giving his honest opinion on the matter. It was true there were things that worried him on occasion, but nothing that he couldn't work through at the time, and besides, why worry about some things that were out of his hands.
"Your Water Chakra point is also very clear. It is obvious you don't deny yourself pleasure, but is there truly nothing you've done that you wish you could take back?" Pathik asked. "I wish I never agreed to watch over the damned Avatar, but other than that, not really." Kaz answered.
"I see. Let us move on to your Fire Chakra. Hmm… very interesting. I've never seen a Fire Chakra with so much energy coursing through it. You have astonishing Willpower. Oh, but what's this… There is turbulence in your Air Chakra. You are in pain. Your heart grieves for the loss of your people." The old Guru said sadly. Kaz felt the foreign energy move towards his heart, but before it reached it he blocked it before he forced it out of his body.
"Enough!" He growled angrily as he got to his feet. Before the old Guru could say anything to ease his mind, Kaz was already gone from the area and was flying past the main temple. He flew for about fifteen minutes before he reached the peak of a distant mountain. This had been his favorite place as a child, a place where he could go to get away from everything around him. At least in the odd times when his family came here.
Kaz stayed there for a little over an hour as he thought back to what the old Guru had been saying. Yes he was still grieving. Sure it had almost been a century since his people were all killed, but to him it had only been a few months. He had lost everyone he ever cared about, hell, he had lost everyone he had ever known. There was no one besides Aang, and Guru Pathik he supposed, from back then who was alive today, and one of those two people made him angry while the other was too much of an anomaly for him to really understand.
Kaz was brought out of his musing when Swishy flew down next to him and put her overgrown head on his lap. Kaz didn't bother to chastise the baby bison for this, he simply began to run his fingers through the bison's fur around its horns. The two of them stayed there until the sun dipped over the horizon before they made their way back to the temple to get some sleep.
*****
The following morning, Kaz woke up to a dreary rainy day. 'Even the weather knows this is going to be a depressing day.' He thought as he realized he couldn't run from his own thoughts anymore. Making his way around the temple, Kaz eventually found Guru Pathik meditating near the top of the main temple.
"I'm ready." Kaz said, earning a smile from the Guru. Just like the day before, Pathik gestured for Kaz to sit and get into a meditative position before he moved to stand behind him and placed a hand on his back. Kaz felt that same energy from before nearing his heart, but instead of blocking it, he accepted it.
"Lay all of your grief out in front of you." A voice spoke, almost as if it were in his mind. Kaz focused on the voice, and soon he found himself floating on clouds, and standing in front of him was his mother, his uncle, his father, and a number of other people he had known. Swish was also there, standing larger than life as she hovered over the others, looking directly at him.
"You have indeed felt a great loss, but love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. Your mother's and father's love for you has not left this world, nor has the love from your people. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love." Pathik's calm voice echoed around him, almost soothingly.
Kaz watched as the images of those he most cherished began to disappear, and new forms began to materialize. The first was that of a baby sky bison, the exact same one he had left sleeping in his bed less than twenty minutes prior. Kaz had almost expected it to only be the form of Swishy to appear, but slowly, new images did form.
Sokka actually appeared, followed by Princess Yue, which was a surprise. He didn't think he knew her well enough to consider her a friend, but he guessed she wasn't completely terrible to be around. Members of the Southern Watertribe began to appear, one after the other, showing Kaz the people he had come to consider his friends, until finally an image of a girl appeared.
She had auburn hair, and unlike the last time he had met her, she didn't have her face painted, but she was wearing a nice outfit that really showed off her figure. Kaz was momentarily entranced by the image, but was brought back to reality when Pathik's voice echoed out once more, "Let the pain flow away."
When he finally opened his eyes, Kaz realized he was crying, which was a new experience for him because the last time he had cried was when his mother died. "Very good. Your Air Chakra has calmed down and is flowing much better. When harnessing your spiritual energy, this will better help your mind to focus." Pathik explained, but Kaz didn't need to be told that. He could already feel the difference in how much smoother his energy was moving through his body.
They moved through the Sound and Light Chakra points fairly quickly, as Kaz had apparently nothing he needed to work on in those two points, but when they got to the final Chakra point, this is where he realized the training would truly begin. The Thought Chakra was one of the two focal points where Spiritual Energy resided in the body, and rather than get rid of earthly attachments, which Kaz didn't think he had, he was instructed to move that energy about his body.
Pathik showed him the correct pathways to move, and how doing this would further strengthen his energy against others who might try to dominate him through this same method. Kaz wasn't sure if this would really be a problem as the only other people he knew who could use Energy Bending were the Guru and the Shaman, but all the same, he wasn't going to look down on a method that would better protect himself.
Kaz continued with moving the energy about his body for the next few days, stopping only to sleep. It was a little difficult to continue to move the energy around while he walked around and ate and did regular tasks, but this was apparently something that he just had to learn, and no amount of forced knowledge into his mind could teach him this, at least if the Guru could be believed.
By the time Kaz was ready to leave the Eastern Air Temple, he felt as if his understanding of Energy Bending had increased a great deal, or at the very least, his control of his energy had increased. He also felt lighter than before, and it wasn't because he had lost weight. "Thank you, Master Pathik. For everything." Kaz said as he gave a bow of respect towards the old man.
"It was my pleasure. Truly, you are a peculiar young man. You're far too powerful for your own good. It's almost as if some all powerful being created the greatest terror for this world and then made him a human." Pathik said, and Kaz wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult.
"Thank you?" Kaz said with a confused look on his face. "When next you see the Avatar, tell him I can help him master the Avatar State." Pathik said just as Kaz was about to start his assent into the air. "If I don't kill him first, sure." Kaz said, then launched himself into the sky.
*****
It had been a few days since Kaz had left the Eastern Air Temple, and he had to say, he felt wonderful. Just flying through the air felt more pleasurable for him, and he found himself smiling at the most random things. When he did a few twirls in the air, he couldn't stop himself from laughing as he watched his little bison try to mimic him, but all she managed to accomplish was getting dizzy in her failed attempt.
Kaz had first travelled Northwest across the ocean to get to the mainland, then headed North along the coast towards Ba Sing Se until he got to the mouth of Chameleon Bay where he found some people he wasn't expecting to see. There were two rows of five small tents that lead up to one large tent, but the surprise to Kaz came when realizing the group were Waterbenders, if the crests and colors of the tents were to be believed.
It did cross Kaz's mind that whoever it was could be Fire Nation soldiers disguised as Waterbenders in the hopes of tricking people coming out of Chameleon Bay to lower their guard, but he doubted that. Disguising yourselves as Earthbenders would have been more believable. Besides, he had learned that all of the men from the Southern Watertribe had set out two years ago to go and fight the Fire Nation, so there was at least a chance this group of people could be them.
Deciding to go and check things out for himself, Kaz flew down to the little camp. The first thing he noticed about these men were their clothing, which was unmistakably from the Watertribe. The second thing he noticed was that they all had stupidly long hair. Seeing as how there were a few of them who were clean shaven, they clearly had time to cut their hair, but none of the men had done that.
"Who are you?" One of the men asked. "I'm Kaz. You all wouldn't happen to be from the Southern Watertribe by chance, would you?" Kaz asked curiously. "I am Chief Hakoda of the Southern Watertribe." Came the voice of a man who was just exiting the large tent. He was tall with a well trimmed beard, but was lean and muscular, similar to Kaz's own physique.
"Like I just said, my name is Kaz. And before you ask, I'm not the Avatar. He should be in the Northern Watertribe learning Waterbending with your daughter, Katara. Your son, Sokka, is there with them." Kaz said, surprising the man, if his expression was any indication. "You know my children?" Hakoda asked warily.
"I've met your whole tribe. I was just there a few weeks ago. Sokka seems like an alright guy. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but Katara is… a bit much. A good Waterbender, and has a good drive to improve, but she's a little too trusting of people." Kaz said, giving his honest opinion of the man's children.
"What about my wife?" Another man spoke up. It took learning the man's name and who his wife was before Kaz remembered the woman the man was talking about. "She's doing well, as is your daughter. Your wife is very good at making jerky. I still have some of the stuff she gave me." Kaz said as he withdrew a small leather bag from his backpack full of the jerky he was talking about. After one bite of the stuff, the man knew right away that Kaz was telling the truth. "She made this alright." The man said with a smile as he savored the dried meat.
"So, why are you all here?" Kaz finally asked after telling a number of the men about their families. "This bay leads directly to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. We've been using tangle mines to stop the Fire Nation ships from getting through. It's not much, but we've been doing all we can to fight the Fire Nation." Hakoda explained. "Oh yeah? What's the movement of the Fire Nation been like recently?" Kaz couldn't help but ask.
He figured after the mayhem he caused in the Fire Nation that they would call a number of troops back for aid, so he wondered if Hakoda could tell him anything related to that. "Actually, instead of going towards Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation has been leaving. We've seen dozens of ships leave in the last few weeks, but it's been well over a month since a ship has come this way. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Hakoda asked.
Letting out a dark chuckle, Kaz answered, "The Fire Nation was attacked not that long ago. Their palace was destroyed, their generals were killed, as were a few members of the royal family, and most of the soldiers guarding their coast were killed. They probably went to reinforce their borders." This information was a big surprise for the Waterbenders, as none of them had heard word about a force gathering that was large enough to attack the Fire Nation. If they had, they would have joined them.
"Anyway, your families need you now in the south. Lots of people have shown up in the Southern Watertribe recently, and I believe your presence is required." Kaz said, again surprising everyone. "Who are they? What people have gone there, and how many of them are there?" Hakoda asked suspiciously.
"You had best go and see for yourselves. All I will say is that the former residents of the tribe are outnumbered by the newcomers. Your families need you, so get going." Kaz finished, then began to rise into the air. He had debated on explaining things to them, but he figured this would be more fun. Plus it might get them to move their asses faster. 'No one should be apart from their family for this long.' Kaz told himself as he shot one last look at the men from the Southern Watertribe before he picked up speed towards Ba Sing Se.
*****
"Wow… this place sure has grown a lot in the last hundred years." Kaz said aloud as he stared at the city of Ba Sing Se. The fields in between the inner and outer walls weren't that different compared to the last time he had been here, but the city inside the inner wall had grown exponentially. 'Probably because people have been fleeing here for the last hundred years.' Kaz concluded.
Deciding he wanted a better view of the place, Kaz flew down off the wall and into the city. Looking over at Swishy, Kaz saw the little bison land near a fruit stand and begin devouring the apples and oranges. "I'm so sorry!" Kaz called to the shop owner as he tried to pull the little bison away, but that was proving to be more difficult than he thought. Realizing that most of the fruit was now eaten or covered in bison slobber, Kaz let out a sigh before he fished out a few gold coins from his bag.
"Again, I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Kaz said to the woman who no longer seemed upset about her fruit stand as she held the handful of gold coins, which was a lot more than the fruit and the stand had been worth. "No problem. I'll be back in two days if you want to bring back your… whatever it is." The woman said as she practically skipped away from the area.
Once the woman was gone, Kaz shot a glare over at the little bison. "If you do that again, I'm going to shave off your arrow." Kaz threatened the little bison who only looked innocently up at him as it chewed on seven oranges. Looking down at the fruit still left on the stand, Kaz knew it would take awhile and not one to sit around, he told the little bison to enjoy the food while he went and had a look around. "I'll be back in a little while, so just stay here. I'll come and get you." Kaz told Swishy, who actually let out a little growl of excitement as she snatched up a mouthful of apples.
Letting out a sigh, Kaz launched himself into the air and began flying around to get a better view of the city. Unlike what it had been a hundred years prior, the city was divided into sectors by giant walls, and given how big the city was, Kaz was unable to tell how many different sections of the city there were. One thing he did notice was that some of the sectors of the city looked like they were a lot more well taken care of then some others. 'Probably where rich people live, and of course they would be better patrolled.' Kaz thought to himself as he noticed how one of the better looking districts had more guards patrolling than some of the worse looking districts.
Another thing Kaz learned was that there wasn't a large market place in every district, but there were a number of districts that only had marketplaces and other shops in them. There was even a district dedicated solely to metal work, which was understandable too. After all, who would want to live in an area where forges were constantly burning and there was always the sound of hammering nearby.
It had been roughly thirty minutes since Kaz had left Swishy, and deciding that his little bison had been eating long enough Kaz went back to go get her. He still had to find an inn for the night, but there was still time. When he got back to the marketplace, Kaz was surprised when he looked at the fruit stand and still saw a few apples and oranges spread out on the ground, but no Swishy.
With how much of a glutton the little bison was, she never would have left food around, especially not fruit. The little bison might disregard Kaz's commands when it came to food, but Swishy was smart enough not to wander off when he told her to stay, which was slightly alarming, but Kaz hadn't been gone that long so she couldn't have gone far.
Walking over to a different stand that was close to the one Swishy had raided, Kaz asked the man, "Excuse me, Sir. You wouldn't happen to have seen a little sky bison recently?" At his question, the man looked as though he didn't want to be there and was looking anywhere but where Swishy had been. "I don't know what you're talking about! Now get out of here!" The man shouted, sounding more scared than he was angry, not that he had a reason to be either.
Looking around at the other nearby stands, Kaz couldn't help but notice how all of them were avoiding looking over at him, when by all accounts a scene like this should have garnered some sort of attention. "You know something. Now talk while you still can." Kaz said calmly as he appeared right in front of the man, giving him a bone chilling stare that promised more pain than anything he could ever comprehend.
"P-Please! If I say anything they'll kill me!" The man begged, breaking down with just a glance from Kaz. "And I'll kill you if you don't. And trust me, I'll make it so much worse than they will." Kaz said as his hand fell upon the man's shoulder. People who were subtly watching from nearby were puzzled as they watched the strange bald man with tattoos on his head touch the other shop owner, and saw how the man fell to his knees as he let out silent cries of pain. To them, it looked as though the man was crying out in pain, but for some reason no noise was coming out of his mouth.
"I'm going to give you a chance to answer my question, and if you don't answer, you will feel that pain across your whole body." Kaz said as he stopped using Energy Bending inside the man. "Now tell me. Where. Is. My. Bison!" Kaz growled, no longer feeling amicable towards the man. He had already lost so much because of the war with the Fire Nation, and he wasn't about to lose his new little bison now.
As soon as the man was able to make sounds again, he let out a cry as tears fell from his eyes before he said something Kaz didn't understand. "What?" Kaz asked as he made a slight burst of energy shoot through the man to give him a small burst of pain. "Dai Li! It was the Dai Li!" The man cried out so as to stop the pain. "Who are the Dai Li?" Kaz asked after he stopped using Energy Bending on the man. Breathing in and out in quick short breaths, he looked frantically around before he settled his gaze onto Kaz, whose piercing stare was almost too much for the man.
"The Dai Li are the elite secret police force of Ba Sing Se. They capture, interrogate, and imprison political dissidents. While the city guard might patrol, it is the Dai Li who keep the city in line." The man explained, earning a frown from Kaz. He had never heard of the Dai Li before, and from the sounds of things, he didn't really want to meet them, but if they captured Swishy, he would find them all.
"Why did they take my Bison?" Kaz asked. "I don't know! I promise I don't! You're probably on their radar and they want to keep an eye on you." The man said, giving his own opinion on why they took Swishy when he himself didn't know the real reason. "These Dai Li… They don't sound like good people. How do you know about them?" Kaz asked, finding it odd that a supposedly 'Secret' police force was known by everyone.
"If you speak ill about them or those in power, you just disappear. Sometimes those who disappeared will show back up, but they're always different, and the one thing they refuse to talk about is the Dai Li. It's known to everyone not to mess with them." The man explained, getting a nod of understanding from Kaz. Looking pointedly into the man's eyes, Kaz let off a bone-chilling wind before he asked, "One more thing. Where do I find the Dai Li?"
*****
(Earth King POV)
Inside the royal palace of Ba Sing Se, King Kuei was sitting on the throne next to Bosco, his pet bear which in itself was a rare species. He was in the midst of planning another one of his grand events when the roof of the building caved in by what felt like a typhoon. "Protect the king!" One of his guards shouted, but it seemed they were too late as King Kuei felt a rough hand grip him around the throat. At the same time, the typhoon in the room seemed to disappear, and when he was able to open his eyes, King Kuei found himself staring into the eyes of a man who looked like a demon.
"Unhand his Majesty!" A guard called out, but the man holding him paid them no mind. "I'm going to say this only once. Fail to give me what I want, and you will feel more pain than you could ever fucking imagine." The terrifying man said, causing King Kuei to furiously nod his head. He had no idea who the man was, but he knew from the look in his eyes that he was dead serious.
"Less than an hour ago some of your Dai Li agents stole my baby Sky-bison. I want it back. Now!" the man growled angrily, leaving King Kuei perplexed. He had no such knowledge of this, and wasn't sure what to say or do. If he failed to give the man the sky-bison he was going to be tortured, but he had no idea what a sky-bison even was.
When he was finally allowed to speak, he began coughing as air filled his lungs. "I-I don't know anything about your sky-bison, but if it really was the Dai Li, my Grand Secretariat, Long Feng will know all about it. He runs the Dai Li and is my foremost advisor!" King Kuei said quickly, hoping to not experience any pain. "Bring him to me." Came the man's chilling voice. Turning his gaze to one of his guards, king Kuei ordered, "Bring Long Feng here immediately!"
After one of the guards by the door left to do as he was ordered, King Kuei tried to sit back down on the throne and out of reach of the terrifying man standing beside him, but he didn't even get the chance to move a step before the man's hand gripped his shoulder and pushed him to his knees. "If I don't leave here with my bison, you don't leave here at all. You best pray nothing has happened to her." The man said, causing King Kuei to audibly gulp.
*****
(General POV)
It didn't take long before Long Feng and almost a hundred Dai Li agents entered the room and made their way in front of the King's own guards who had grouped up by the door, at least Kaz assumed the man was Long Feng. If it wasn't, he wouldn't appreciate what happened to him due to the mistaken identity.
"What is the meaning of this?! Unhand his Majesty!" Long Feng ordered upon seeing the King on his knees. "You're Long Feng, correct?" Kaz asked the man. "I am." The man confirmed. "Good. Now tell me, where is my Sky-bison?" Kaz asked. He was sick and tired of asking the same damned question, and if the man before him tried to give him the runaround, Kaz was going to kill him.
Rather than answering him, the man raised his hand and at once the Dai Li agents at his back jumped forward and launched pieces of earth shaped like hands towards Kaz and the Earth King. They either intended to capture Kaz or retrieve the Earth King, but they soon found out that they wouldn't be accomplishing either.
Kaz unleashed small air bullets at each of the incoming projectiles, destroying them before they ever reached him, then suddenly a spiraling vortex of wind began to spin around the room. At first no one knew what the wind was supposed to do, but the answer soon came when a dozen armored guards all fell to their knees at the same time clutching their chests. The Dai Li agents were confused at first, but then they too began to fall to their knees.
Once everyone had fallen to their knees, Kaz ended the wind storm before he pushed the Earth King roughly onto the floor. "Stay there." Kaz ordered as he moved to where Long Feng was kneeling. Without uttering a word, Kaz pulled the man up by his hair so he was looking at him, then he placed one hand on the man's chest and his other hand on the man's temple. There was a burst of light that lasted no more than a few seconds, but when it ended, Long Feng fell limply to the floor, smashing his face into the ground.
Stepping past the man, Kaz grabbed one of the Dai Li agents and did the same thing to him. He repeated this action four more times before instead of putting his hands on the man's temple and chest he looked into the man's eyes instead. "I've taken away their ability to bend. If you want to keep your bending, you will tell me where my bison is." Kaz said, getting looks of horror from the man and everyone else still kneeling in the room. "Y-You can do that?" The Dai Li agent squeaked out in fear. "If you don't believe me, ask them." Kaz said as he stepped to the side and gestured towards the men who were still laying limply on the floor.
It took almost a minute before one of the Dai Li agents managed to push himself to his hands and knees, and right away everyone noticed how the man seemed to be crying. "I… I… I can't bend. I can't bend!" The man cried out in horror. This news seemed to bring everyone up short and those nearest to Kaz tried to scurry away from him, but before they made it to the door the wind picked up. "Anyone who tries to leave the room without my permission will die." Kaz said, causing everyone to freeze in place.
Turning his attention back to the man still clutched in his grasp, Kaz waited expectantly for an answer, but the Dai Li agent looked anywhere but at him and was failing to answer the question. Done with the man, Kaz swiped his hand at the man's neck, causing his head to fall to the ground, earning a few gasps from everyone else.
Moving on towards the next agent, Kaz had barely gotten two steps when the man cried out, "Lake Laogai! It's in our secret base under Lake Laogai!" Finally getting an answer, Kaz gestured for the man and two others to stand up. "You three go and get my Bison and bring her to me here. You have an hour. If you fail to come back, I will kill everyone here before I hunt you down and torture you for as long as I physically can before I let you die." Kaz said, and the three of them knew, this was not a threat, but a promise.
As fast as they could, they bolted out of the room using Earthbending to propel them forward at much greater speeds than would be possible if they were just running. Only after the three were gone did Kaz make his way back towards Long Feng, grabbing him by his long braided hair and dragging him over to the throne where the Earth King was still kneeling on the ground.
Sitting down on the throne with Long Feng kneeling on his right side while the Earth King knelt in front of him, Kaz began using Energy Bending as he asked, "Tell me, Long Feng… why did you steal my Bison?" There was a short pause before Long Feng answered, "It-It was causing a disturbance-! AAHH!" Long Feng's words were interrupted by his cries of agony which lasted exactly five seconds.
"Lying to me is pointless. So long as I am touching you, I will know if whatever you say is the truth or a lie. So start again." Kaz said patiently. Seemingly realizing that there was no getting out of this, Long Feng answered, "We wanted some way to control you. You are the man who terrorized the Fire Nation capital. We didn't want that to happen here." Long Feng said, which was mostly the truth, but there was a lie mixed in with it.
"You're the only one who wants to control me, aren't you? The King has no idea what a bison even is, and he certainly has never heard of me, so don't say "WE" as if this is a group effort." Kaz said, and then as a punishment he caused a bit more pain to the man.
"I am curious, why try to control me? As far as I can tell, you all were losing this war until I came along." Kaz asked, however before Long Feng could answer, the Earth King asked, "What war?" At this, Kaz didn't know what to say as he looked between the king, Long Feng, and the guards still kneeling on the other side of the room. "You're joking, right?" Kaz asked doubtfully.
'There is no way a war could go on for a hundred years and this guy doesn't know about it.' Kaz thought to himself, however the look in the man's eyes made him think differently. "There has been a war going on for the last one hundred years between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. Are you telling me that you know nothing about it?" Kaz asked the king, who looked genuinely surprised at the news.
"A hundred years? That's absurd!" The king cried out, but Kaz only looked at him as though he were a fool. "Tell him." Kaz ordered Long Feng, who immediately began screaming in pain. "There is a war going on, your Majesty. I've kept it from you and made it taboo for anyone to even mention the war within the walls of the city to make sure you never got wind of it." Long Feng answered truthfully, but Kaz knew there was more so he caused more pain to the man so he would continue. "I did this so you would basically amount to nothing but a puppet while I secretly controlled the city. I used the Dai Li to control everyone. To keep the people in line." Long Feng answered honestly, his words surprising the king.
"I have to ask. You're a king with an entire military. How have you never met with any of your generals or commanders and how come they've never talked to you about the war?" Kaz asked the king, who looked like he was going through a lot at the moment. "I have five generals that I frequently meet with, but it's always on the goings on of the city, never anything outside of it." The king answered, but Kaz didn't buy it.
"Have you never discussed the influx of refugees over the years? Soldiers being recruited who were sent out onto the front lines to hold back the Fire Nation? Requests from other cities or towns, or the other Nations to send help?" Kaz asked, but this time the Earth King didn't answer. For his whole reign as king, never once had he met with leaders from other nations, never once thought to go visit and check up on the cities under his rule. He hadn't thought about anything other than Ba Sing Se.
"You are a terrible king. For even your own guards to keep this from you, they don't love you. You are merely an employer to them. They will not go out of their way to help you other than what is in the bounds of their duties. Your people might bow and do as you command, but that is not because they respect you, but because they are scared of you. You are a failure. You embody everything a king shouldn't be, and you disgust me." Kaz said, no longer interested in the man.
For the remainder of the hour he simply stared at the still kneeling guards and Dai Li agents in silence until eventually he heard the familiar growling of his baby bison. Upon seeing him sitting on the throne, Swishy rocketed through the air and began to nuzzle herself into Kaz's chest while making little mewling noises. "It's okay. You're safe. I've got you now." Kaz told the little bison who almost refused to part from him, but Kaz assured her that nothing was going to happen to her.
"Now that you've got your bison, return my bending." Long Feng said as he struggled to get to his feet. "A corpse doesn't need bending." After saying this, Kaz turned quickly, and before anyone could register the action, Kaz thrust his fist through Long Feng's chest and came out his back holding the man's still beating heart. Done with that, Kaz turned to the Earth King and the rest of the people present in the room.
"If you're not going to fix this city, then find someone who will. And in the future, the next time I come for a visit, you better make damn sure no one touches my bison, or what happened to him will be the least of your concerns." Kaz said as he gestured towards Long Feng.
With that, Kaz was already sick of this place. He had thought to spend a bit of time and see some important things, but he couldn't get over how stupid all of the people were. To not know about a hundred year long war that had wiped out an entire nation and almost wiped out another was truly idiotic.
Not needing to say anything else, Kaz and Swishy ascended into the air and left the place through the hole in the ceiling that he had entered from. No longer did he care about the city, rather instead he decided to head west. Either he would run across an Earthbender he actually liked or he would find Fire Nation soldiers. Either way, it was going to be better than Ba Sing Se.
*****
It was only after leaving the inner walls of Ba Sing Se that Kaz realized he hadn't stocked up on supplies, but thankfully there was a small farming town that was actually built on the inside of the outer wall. The people there were more than willing to sell him goods, and a group of little girls were quite happy to comb Swishy's fur and pamper the little bison as they fed her little treats. A leather worker even modified one of his Ostridge-horse saddles in such a way that it fit Swishy, so the little bison was able to carry a number of her own rations.
"Honestly, you guys could teach the idiots at the royal palace a thing or two about hospitality. And these meat-pies are amazing, mam. Thank you." Kaz said to the woman who had sold him some meat pies and a large bag of dried meat. "You're more than welcome, Kaz. Please, stop by anytime." The woman told him. "Yeah, and bring little Swishy too!" One of the little girl's shouted to him, getting a smile from Kaz. These were the people he wanted to meet and get to know, not the ones who had poles so far up their asses that they couldn't walk right.
Kaz wanted to leave the little town before nightfall, but had ended up staying the night at an old guy's house. All Kaz had to do was help him out with a few chores and he was given dinner and a bed. Early the next morning, Kaz and Swishy were off after saying good-bye to the townsfolk, continuing westward.
They crossed the great East Lake, flying above the Serpent's Pass in case they needed to stop for a break, but when they got to the other side of the lake, Kaz noticed a ship come out from a hidden alcove in the mountain heading towards Ba Sing Se. He had no idea who the people were, but in the chance that it might be a Fire Nation base, Kaz decided to check it out.
It didn't take long to find out that the place was actually a refugee station where fleeing refugees could go to board ferries that would take them to Ba Sing Se, and for some reason Kaz was sad to learn that. The only thing more depressing than learning this wasn't a Fire Nation base was seeing all of the hungry people who looked more depressed than Kaz. Feeling bad for the people, Kaz decided to do something about it.
Borrowing a net from a fisherman, Kaz flew back out over the lake and compressed a massive amount of air until it was a tiny ball, then he went down and unleashed it into the water. What followed was a massive pillar of water rising into the air, and when it settled, there were a few hundred fish floating atop the water. Using the borrowed net, Kaz gathered up the fish before he made his way back to Full Moon Bay where all of the refugees were.
Given the number of refugees, Kaz had to do a few fishing trips to make sure everyone had enough. By the time he finished, the people waiting to board the ferries looked far happier than they were before, all of whom were very thankful to Kaz. It hadn't been his job to take care of these people, but Kaz felt it was the least he could do considering it wasn't that difficult for him to gather food, not that he bothered to give up his own dried meat or Swishy's fruit. He felt that was going over the line.
Just when he thought it was about time to leave the depressing place and continue on westward he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. "Excuse me." Came a familiar voice that caused Kaz to whirl around in surprise. "Suki?! What are you doing here?" Kaz asked in surprise at seeing the girl as he gave her a once over.
"Wow. You still have terrible taste in uniforms." Kaz joked, letting out a laugh as he side-stepped Suki's punch aimed for his shoulder. "And you're still an ass. The crabby lady in charge of this place makes all the security guards wear these uniforms." She said in an annoyed tone that didn't reach her eyes. On the contrary, she actually seemed happy to see him.
They went atop the wall overlooking the bay to get a little privacy, and there Suki told him all about how she and the other Kyoshi Warriors left the island so they too could help people. Apparently they had escorted a group of refugees here and they've been here ever since. When Kaz told her some of the things he did, Suki was outright gobsmacked.
"When you say you paid the Fire Lord a visit, you mean you just went to the Fire Nation, right?" Suki asked him. "No, no. I went to his house and did just what his family did when they came to my house. I killed his generals and most of his soldiers, but I let him live so he could call back all of the troops here in the Earth Kingdom. From what I've heard, most of the troops have fled back to the Fire Nation, which is why I'm making my way back there. I intend to finish this war once and for all. Oh yeah, I also killed his brother and children, so Ozai is the last member of the royal family. Hopefully the next ruling family will be a lot smarter. Their history will also have this example that genocide can be recreated. " Kaz said nonchalantly, however Suki was downright dumbfounded.
"I see." She said, though she really didn't. She had no idea that Kaz was capable of doing even a little bit of that. When he told her about his trip to Ba Sing Se, Suki had no idea what to believe anymore, as she couldn't believe the Earth King himself had no idea that the world was at war.
"I'm telling you the truth. He thought I was crazy when I told him about the war. The guy is a complete idiot. He's not even an Earthbender." Kaz said, but she was still busy trying to process some of his earlier information and didn't respond.
"Wow… you're like, completely crazy, aren't you?" Suki finally asked, earning a frown from Kaz. "Crazy? No. More like incredibly pissed off. I hide it really well." Kaz said, earning an eyeroll from Suki, however she did give him a small smile. "So you plan to stay here and be a security guard?" Kaz asked when he had finished telling her as much as he was going to today.
"Well, the other Kyoshi Warriors and I have been talking about heading to Ba Sing Se, but after hearing about what it's like there, maybe we'll postpone that for a while. I'm not sure what to do now. Any suggestions?" Suki asked curiously. "I would say come with me, but I'm sort of in a hurry, and you would just slow me down for now. Why not go back to Kyoshi Island, that way it'll be much easier to find you after I'm done dealing with the Fire Nation." Kaz suggested, earning a frown from Suki.
"Why do you want to find me?" She asked. Giving her a questioning look, Kaz answered, "Because when you want to court someone, it typically helps to know where they are." At this, Suki's face flushed red as she realized what Kaz was saying. She had no idea he was interested in her like that, but she supposed she should have seen this, given how he had kissed her the last time he had seen her.
"I-I see." She said without looking at him. "Unless you aren't interested in me like that. That's fine too." Kaz said, to which Suki's expression changed to shock as she snapped her eyes to his before blurting out, "NO! I mean, no that's not it! I am interested in you, you just surprised me. I didn't think you liked me."
"Other than your poor taste in clothing and bad welcoming skills, what's not to like? You're adventurous, proficient with weapons, you know how to protect yourself, you're smart, and you're very easy on the eyes." Kaz said as he let his eyes roam up and down her body. Suki scowled at his first words, but the more he complimented her, the more red her face went. Her face went right crimson when she realized Kaz was eyeing her body, but she made no move to hide her figure from him.
"I wouldn't mind going home to see my family." Suki finally said after almost a minute of silence. "So you'll wait for me there?" Kaz asked her. Almost in a whisper she answered, "Yes." Happy that she had said yes, Kaz leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, surprising her as her eyes momentarily went wide before she closed them and enjoyed the moment. "You know…" Kaz started after their lips broke apart from one another. "I could always leave tomorrow." He finished, getting a small laugh from Suki.
Like he suggested, instead of leaving, Kaz flew Suki into the mountains, and the two simply went for a moonlit walk and talked about random things for a time. As they moved around, Suki would often throw a punch at Kaz due to him making a comment on her body or just because he said something about someone else, but eventually the whole thing divulged into the two of them being in a full on spar.
"Not bad, but you're letting me lead you to where you're at a disadvantage. Don't let me call the shots." Kaz instructed her even as he pushed her wrist to the side and made her punch a tree. "How do you lead someone who can attack up close and at range when you can only attack up close?" Suki asked in annoyance. It was true, when Kaz put distance between them he would bombard her with light blasts of air that wouldn't hurt her, but they were annoying so she had to chase after him.
Kaz thought about it for a few seconds before he realized the answer. As he began to take off his belt, Suki's face flushed and she began to stammer nonsensical words that made no sense, but she paused when Kaz held out the belt that was lined with small pouches. "I haven't actually used these since I gathered them at the Southern Air Temple, but they're my shuriken. Once you get better with them, you should have a much better time fighting at range." Kaz told her. "Oh. That's what you were doing." Suki said dumbly as she accepted the pouch, looking slightly disappointed as she did.
As the two of them walked back towards Full Moon Bay, Kaz pulled out his ocarina and began to play a song.
(A.N. For reference, search Inuyasha's Lullaby- Ocarina Cover by Kate Grove)
When they finally made it back to the Bay, Suki looked Kaz straight in the eyes before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. The kiss lasted for over a minute, and when the two separated they couldn't help but smile at one another. "See you here in the morning?" Suki asked, getting a small laugh from Kaz. "I'll be here first thing." Kaz said with a smile. With that, she turned and headed into the cave while he simply watched her go, enjoying the moment clear until she disappeared from sight.
The next morning Kaz was indeed standing in the same spot that he and Suki had been standing the previous night, and like the previous night, she was there next to him with her lips on his. "I'll be waiting for you on Kyoshi Island." Suki said after taking a moment to catch her breath. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I just need to end this war." Kaz told her. "Then what are you waiting for? Get going." She told him with a soft smile. He kissed her one more time before he began ascending into the sky.
*****
Flying through the sky across the land, Kaz couldn't stop smiling as he thought about what was waiting for him after he killed Ozai. He couldn't believe he had run into Suki in Full Moon Bay of all places, nor could he believe she actually liked him. Even his own feelings for her were confusing to him, as at first it had only been an attraction towards her appearance, but now he felt as if it was more than that.
'Come to think of it, it might have always been more than that. I've met a number of beautiful girls throughout my life, but I was never really as attracted to them as I was to Suki.' Kaz realized as he thought about Katara, Yue, and some of the other girls he had met. They were all beautiful, but none of them really got him going as much as Suki did. 'Is it because she's a warrior?' Kaz wondered, unsure of the main cause of attraction.
Eventually he decided that it didn't matter, and continued on with his trusty little bison flying next to him. It took a few days of flying with the odd break thrown in every few hours, but eventually Kaz arrived at what was once a mining village for the Fire Nation, only now it was a thriving farming village. All of the Earthbenders in the village had been taken prisoner and sent to an offshore prison rig, but after Kaz had killed every Firebender there, the Earthbenders came back here and liberated not just their village, but a number of villages in the surrounding areas.
Upon seeing Kaz landing down in the village, a number of people rushed to meet him, particularly a bald man with a long grey beard. "Tyro! It's good to see you!" Kaz said in greeting to the old man who was the de facto leader of the village. "It is good to see you as well, Kaz." Tyro said as he extended his hand to Kaz who happily did the same. "What brings you here?" Tyro asked curiously.
"In truth I'm on my way to the Fire Nation to finally end the war, but I was also hoping to maybe get some Earthbenders to do a job for me in the Southern Watertribe. I don't suppose I could pay you and some of the others to head that way?" Kaz said, surprising the man and everyone else who happened to be in earshot.
"You're going to the Fire Nation to end the war? Alone? I know you're strong Kaz, but even you can't take on an entire nation." Tyro said seriously while completely ignoring Kaz's request. "Oh please. I've already done it twice. Besides, Firebenders are actually really easy to combat for an Airbender. Anyways, what do you think about the job in the south?" Kaz asked, hoping to get back on topic.
"I guess there is no stopping you on this. As for the job in the south, how big of a job is it?" Tyro asked after realizing that there was no changing Kaz's mind on this matter. "It's not that complicated." Kaz started as he began to explain in detail about the project he had in mind for the Earthbenders.
He told them about the canals he wanted built, the potential cave systems in the mountains, and pretty much making so it would be really difficult for anyone but a Waterbender or anyone escorted by a Waterbender to easily make it to the city. "Wow, that is quite the project. Ingenious too." Tyro said as he looked over the rough drawing Kaz had made of the plans for the city. "Can you do it?" Kaz asked the man.
"For you, of course we can. I'll gather a dozen more Earthbenders and we'll head south within a week. We still have that captured Fire Nation ship hidden in an alcove near the coast, and with our stocks of coal, we should be able to make it there in no time." Tyro told him, getting a smile from Kaz. He was glad he was finally able to fulfil his promise to Massak and the other Waterbenders.
"Thank you, Tyro. For everything." Kaz told the old Earthbender. "I'm the one who should be saying that to you. If it weren't for you, none of us would be here with our families." Tyro said, but Kaz wasn't so sure about that. The Earthbenders were a strong people. Eventually some of the soldiers further inland would have come to free the prisoners. Maybe.
"You're not leaving right now, are you? Please, why don't you stay the night here in the village and set out in the morning. My wife is making stew for dinner with a fruitcake for dessert." Tyro said, extending an invitation to Kaz. "You make a very compelling argument. What time is dinner?" Kaz said, fully intending on staying the night. It had been awhile since he had enjoyed a good cake, and he wasn't about to turn one down.
*****
The night passed rather quickly, with Kaz eating to his heart's content, then he and Swishy were each given a large portion of cake afterwards. It was rather nice. When he awoke the following morning, Kaz once more shared a meal with Tyro and his family, though he did make sure to help haul water and feed the animals with Tyro's son, Haru. It was only after breakfast was settled that Kaz said his good-byes and made his departure for the Fire Nation.
*****
(Sokka POV)
It had been a few months since Sokka and the others had first arrived at the Northern Watertribe, and finally after months of training, they had set off towards the Earth Kingdom so Aang could learn Earthbending. Shyu was still teaching Aang Firebending, but so far things weren't going too well on that front. As powerful as Aang was, he was still just a twelve-year old goofy kid who hated training.
Even in Waterbending, Aang was nowhere near on the same level as Katara, who was already one of the best Waterbenders there were in the Northern tribe, which just went to show how insane her drive to better herself was. 'If only Aang could put that much focus into his training.' Sokka lamented as he looked at the goofy bald kid, who was nothing like the only other Airbender left in the world.
Sokka had rather enjoyed his time in the North, or it would be more apt to say he enjoyed spending time with Yue in the North. He had spent almost every day with her, telling her stories and going out flying on Appa. He had even gone fishing with her, which is when she had used Waterbending to catch a number of fish while he hadn't even gotten one, but he didn't feel too bad as according to her, she was probably the most powerful Waterbender in the world. She couldn't fight to save her life, but she was in fact a powerful Waterbender.
"Are you sure your dad is okay with you coming with us?" Sokka asked Yue for what felt like the hundredth time. "As I've already explained to you, I'm the spiritual leader of the tribe, which means I outrank my dad. I decide whether I go or stay." Yue explained calmly. "So he basically had no say, and is probably pissed off at me." Sokka clarified, getting a nod from the white-haired girl. "Yeah, pretty much." She confirmed. Sokka's face fell for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders and gave her a smile. "Oh well, it was totally worth it!" He said as he leaned over and kissed her.
"Are you sure Shyu is going to be alright without us?" Katara asked, breaking Sokka out of his moment with Yue. "Oh yeah, he'll be fine. He said he'd make his way to Omashu after he stopped by the Fire Nation to check on how things are going and if he can, maybe get us some more intel on the Fire Nation troops." Sokka said, not worried in the slightest about the man.
"Master Paku did say they would travel together until they got to the Fire Nation, so I don't think we need to worry about him." Yue reaffirmed Sokka's words, somewhat putting Katara's mind at ease. "So, Aang. Are you excited to see Bumi again?" Sokka asked, breaking Aang out of his musings.
"You bet! I can't wait to get to Omashu! I bet Bumi will want to ride the mail carts again!" Aang said excitedly. "And of course he will want to train you in Earthbending." Sokka said dryly, to which Aang merely brushed him off. 'I kind of wish Kaz were here.' Sokka told himself internally, not voicing his thoughts because he knew how much Aang was still traumatized by the guy.
Things were calm and nice, right up to the moment they decided to stop in at a merchant village to gather supplies. When they got there, everyone in the village was in a rather festive mood, and most of the people were dancing and singing about in the streets. "I wonder what's going on?" Katara asked curiously. "Let me ask someone." Sokka said as he went over to a nearby stall. "Excuse me, but what's going on? Is there some kind of festival going on?"
The man seemed surprised that he didn't know what the festival was about, but his surprise quickly morphed into an ear to ear smile as he spoke, "I can't believe you haven't heard the great news! The war is over!" The man's words were so surprising, Sokka wasn't sure if he had heard him right. Turning to look over at the others, Sokka saw that they too were equally as surprised as he was, which just went to show that he had in fact, not misheard the man.
"What do you mean the war is over? How did that even happen?" Sokka asked, hoping to get some answers that made sense. "The way we heard it, the Avatar flew into the Fire Nation and killed off the military leaders and most of the soldiers, but he left the Fire Lord alive with a warning. 'Gather your troops and prepare for my next visit. Hopefully then you will put up a decent fight.' Well, after that the Fire Nation did pull out of the Earth Kingdom. All of their bases are empty, and every single fortress they had is empty too. That was a few weeks ago. Anyway, the Avatar did go back to the Fire Nation, but unlike the first time, there wasn't much of a resistance. What few soldiers dared to confront him were killed with his awesome power, but the rest of the soldiers who didn't want to fight had removed their armor and kneeled before him. It is said that from the shores of the capital clear to the royal palace soldiers and citizens were kneeling before him in surrender, and when he finally made it to the palace he fought Fire Lord Ozai. Some people say it was an epic battle that destroyed the city, but more people say his power was too much for even the Fire Lord and he too knelt down in surrender, and it was then that the Avatar cut off his head. According to the rumors, the Avatar warned the Fire Nation to never do something like that again and said he would be back to make sure they weren't doing anything stupid." The man explained excitedly, his tale leaving everyone speechless.
"But- but… I didn't do any of that!" Aang cried out in horror after realizing that the whole world thought he was a psychotic killer. "Relax, Aang. We know you didn't do this. Clearly it was Kaz, and the rest of the world just thinks it was you. Don't dwell on the fact that people think you're a mass-murderer who kills people for fun, and probably won't ever want you to step into their towns or be close to their families, but instead focus on the fact that the war is over." Sokka said sagely, not realizing that he wasn't helping Aang's mental state in any way, shape, or form.
Given how traumatized Aang seemed to be, everyone decided to not hang around the village and continued on towards Omashu. It took a little over a week from when they left the village, but eventually they did arrive at Omashu, where just like the harbor village, everyone was celebrating the end of the war. When they finally arrived at the palace, Bumi was waiting outside for them.
"It's good to see you Aang. Come on in, we're in the middle of a feast." Bumi told them. "Bumi, you know it wasn't me who killed all those people, right?" Aang said to Bumi, sounding almost as if he were begging the man to believe him. "Yes, Aang. I know it wasn't you." Bumi said tiredly as he sat himself down in his chair. "Do you know what really happened over there?" Sokka couldn't help but ask. He was very curious if there was a big battle between Kaz and the Fire Lord and wanted to hear all about it in detail.
"I know exactly what happened. After killing Ozai, that big bully stopped here and told me everything that happened, then he kicked me out of my bed again!" Bumi cried out angrily, sounding affronted that someone would dare steal his bed, not once, not twice, but three times if you counted the time when he was a kid. Not only that, but Kaz had also liked his blanket so much, he had taken it with him when he left, which truly infuriated Bumi as he had just gotten the blanket that very day and had yet to sleep on it.
"Was there a big battle?" Sokka asked, wanting to get all of the juicy details. "Battle? It couldn't even be called a fight let alone a battle. There were a few dozen ships that tried to stop him when he first arrived, but Kaz killed everyone on board within minutes before he sunk the ships. After that there was no more resistance. The soldiers laid their weapons and amor down on the ground and knelt in surrender as Kaz continued on towards the palace where only Ozai remained. There weren't even servants there to attend him, as none of them wished to die. Ozai tried to unleash a torrent of fire at Kaz, but the fire went out before it even reached him. After that, Kaz calmly walked over and cut off Ozai's head, then punted it like a ball into the ocean, then left the Fire Nation without saying or doing anything else. Of course I know he came here, which is when he kicked me out of my bed and stole my blanket." Bumi finished, sounding hysterical at the end as he once more mentioned his blanket.
"I don't believe it." Yue whispered in disbelief. "You better believe it missy. It was pure custom made silk too." Bumi told her, looking sadder and sadder the more he thought about his blanket. "So where is Kaz now?" Sokka asked curiously. "How should I know? If I'm lucky I'll get to live out what few years I have left without ever seeing him again." Bumi said, mumbling the last part under his breath.
"Well, this was certainly enlightening, but we rushed all the way here for nothing. With the war being over, Aang can take his time mastering the elements." Sokka said, but then Bumi suddenly shot to his feet. "That's right! Aang, I was supposed to deliver a message to you from Kaz. He said some guy is waiting for you at the Eastern Air Temple who can teach you how to master the Avatar State. He also said to tell you that you better be finished your training with the guy before he goes back there or he is going to make your last ass-whooping feel like a kinky night with a prostitute." Bumi said seriously.
"Kaz really said that?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, not in those exact words, but it was close enough." Bumi said as he retook his seat and began to munch on some grapes.
"Well, now what do we do? Do we stay here so Aang can learn Earthbending or do we go East to where the old guy is?" Sokka asked the rest of the group. "I hate to say it, but I need to go to the Eastern Air Temple. Who knows when I'll get another chance to have someone teach me how to master the Avatar State." Aang said, getting nods from everyone else.
"What about us?" Katara asked, sounding as though she already knew that Aang would be making this journey alone. "I could drop you guys off at the Southern Watertribe before I go, then when I finish up my training with whoever it is, I'll come and find you?" Aang suggested, getting a nod of agreement from Yue. She was rather curious to see her sister-tribe and wondered if Sokka's stories did the place any justice. "Alright, Aang. Lets do that." Katara agreed.
It took a few more days of travel, but eventually they did arrive at the Southern Watertribe, or at least where it used to be. Now all that was left was a massive harbor that was bigger and better than any other harbor Sokka had ever seen. There was even a giant metal ship with the sigil of the Watertribe on it, and another one with a Fire Nation insignia on it.
Instead of being curious as to what was going on, everyone simply followed one of the two strange waterways that led further inland, and there they saw the massive walls that were so much like those of the Northern tribe. It even had a massive Watertribe insignia made of ice on it for everyone to see.
Compared to when they were in the south last, there was nothing that was the same. Not even the people were the same, and Sokka was certain that there were many times more people present than there had ever been before. "Wow, Sokka. The walls are much cooler than you described them. And the city is far bigger too. I mean look at that palace. It's bigger than mine." Yue said in shocked surprise as she looked at the massive building that could be nothing but a palace near the face of the mountain.
"Master Paku and the other Waterbenders didn't get here before us, did they?" Katara whispered to Sokka, who could only dumbly shrug his shoulders in response. "Well, it seems like you guys got a lot of catching up to do, so I'm just going to go now." Aang said, getting casual waves of good-bye from the others who didn't even bother looking at him as they stared at the city before them.
After Aang left, Sokka and the two girls began to make their way down into the city from atop the wall when ice spikes shot out around them and blocked their path. Just then a dozen Waterbenders appeared from out of nowhere and surrounded them with ice spears floating in the air around them.
"Who are you?!" A woman who looked to be in her thirties demanded. Before any of them could answer her, a man came running from the other side of the wall in a hurry. "Calm down, everyone! This is Sokka and Katara, Hakoda's children!" The man who Sokka recognized as Bato proclaimed. "They are Hakoda's children? Truly?" The woman asked Bato. "Yes, but I'm not sure who the white-haired girl is." Sokka heard Bato say to the woman.
Before Sokka or Bato could do any introductions, the woman stepped forward and hugged Sokka before holding him at arms length. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lirin, your father's betrothed." The woman said, her words making Sokka's jaw almost hit the ground. "Why would you go and tell them that? Hakoda told you he wanted to tell them." Bato chastised the woman who didn't seem the least bit apologetic as she ignored Bato. "Come with me. I'll take you to your dad." The woman said as she began moving towards some stairs that led down into the city.
The reunion between them and their dad did not go as Sokka had planned, especially not after he learned that his dad wasn't just betrothed to one woman but two, both of whom were identical twin sisters. If that wasn't bad enough, both of them were pregnant, which was a story in and of itself. Apparently his father had hooked up with one of them, then thinking the other one was the same one he had hooked up with, had slept with her too. By the time he realized what happened, they were already pregnant.
Katara sure didn't take the news well, and only after Yue went off to check up on her did Sokka give his father a proud thumbs up. Not only did his father manage to score with two really, really hot babes, but Sokka was going to get two new siblings, and if he was lucky, he might just get a little brother, something he had always wanted.
As for him, his father had congratulated him on scoring a princess, but told him that he was far too young to be a grandfather and to be careful. Sokka could have made the comment that his father was the last person who could talk about being careful given the situation he found himself in, but he bit his tongue. For now he was just glad to be home, and excited to see his father again. Plus Yue was here, so things were really looking up for him.
*****
(General POV)
After defeating Ozai and ending the war, Kaz kept his promise and went straight to Kyoshi island where he ended up having to wait a few days before Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors finally arrived. Apparently he had travelled a lot faster than they were able to and had gone to the Fire Nation and to Kyoshi Island long before they were able to make the distance from Full Moon Bay to the small island.
As per his words, Kaz officially began courting Suki, and he started it off by giving her a rather extravagant silk blanket. "This is wonderful, thank you." Suki said as she touched the smooth fabric. "Its nice enough that it could have been made for a king, but I figured it would better suit a queen." Kaz said, causing the girl's face to flush red. She was doing that a lot lately. "So what are your plans now that the war is over?" Suki asked him.
"Well, I was hoping to find someone who was interested in exploring the world with me, and maybe if I was really lucky, she might be interested in someday starting a family. What do you say? Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?" Kaz asked her, his words causing Suki's mind to short-circuit for a moment. When she finally realized she hadn't answered him, she looked into his eyes while giving him a smile and said, "Exploring the world, yes. Starting a family, not anytime soon. Show me the world first, and we'll go from there."
*****
Kaz took Suki to the Southern Watertribe, flying her in his arms as they did so because his little sky-bison was too small to carry anyone just yet, but she was growing quickly. It had taken a few more days of waiting before Tyro and the other Earthbenders showed up, but they eventually did and right away they got to work on helping shape the Southern Watertribe into what would eventually be one of the greatest cities in the world. Kaz watched the city take shape while he was there, but he and Suki had left before its competition. Kaz said he couldn't wait to come back and see everything, but for now he had places to be.
The next place he took Suki was the Eastern Air Temple, which by default belonged to him. Kaz had told her that the entire temple and the massive island it was built on was his, and that someday he would restore it to its former glory, and when he was finished with it, he would like to see anyone try to take it from him. While they were in the Eastern Air Temple, Kaz introduced Suki to Guru Pathik who was still patiently awaiting Aang's arrival.
It wasn't just traveling and sightseeing for the two of them, as Kaz did spend lots of his time going through forms with Suki, and after she had learned what Energy Bending was, had asked Kaz to teach her. When told of the things one could do with Energy Bending, Suki asked if it was possible to grant her bending, which was a whole other matter that Kaz hadn't even thought of.
Moving the Energy in her body was different compared to everyone else he had used it on because unlike every other time, Kaz wasn't trying to cause her pain or take away bending, but rather awaken something that he wasn't sure was even there. It took a little probing, but eventually he opened a pathway inside her, or more accurately, he unblocked the pathway to allow her chi to flow through it.
When Suki felt the pathway inside her open up her eyes shot open in surprise. She could feel her chi flowing in a way that it never had before, and she had to say, she loved the feeling. Channeling her chi into her surroundings, Suki willed something to move, and to her great surprise, a rock rose into the air.
"I'm-I'm an Earthbender?" Suki asked aloud, though it was more to herself than Kaz. "It appears that way, yes. Congratulations." Kaz told her happily. He was truly glad she was able to awaken the ability to bend, and had even hid the slight disappointment he felt when she wasn't an Airbender. That apparently was out of his control, as he had simply pushed the energy in her body at the pathways and the one that let her use Earthbending was the one to give out first. Still, he wasn't going to complain.
*****
"You're limiting yourself. Just because everyone says it can't be done, doesn't mean they're right. Close your eyes and feel your Chi spread out around you." Kaz instructed Suki who was hovering fifty feet off the ground in his arms. He was trying to get her to pull some rocks up to her, but Suki had said that because she wasn't on the ground then she couldn't spread out her Chi, but Kaz had listed a number of cases where that was bullshit.
"Whenever you raise rocks into the air, they are no longer touching the earth and you are no longer touching them, yet you can still control them. It is simply you controlling it with your Chi." Kaz had said, then went onto explain that this was similar to his situation with the other Airbenders. None of them could fly because it was so ingrained into their bodies that they couldn't do it, but he was the proof that it could be done. Hell, Sky-bisons alone were proof that Airbenders should be able to fly, yet no one but Kaz could see it. He even went on to add that Waterbenders didn't have to touch water to bend it, nor did Firebenders have to touch fire to bend it.
It took a bit more coaxing, but eventually the fist-sized rock began to fly into the air and circle around them, much to Suki's surprise and Kaz's chagrin. "See, what did I tell you? Just open your mind to the possibilities." Kaz had said happily.
For a few weeks they moved around slowly, with most of their time being spent on Suki training her Earthbending and Kaz having her try new things that according to her weren't possible, however they almost always were.
One day they were visiting a small town that was well known for its crystals, when without thinking, Suki used her bending to shatter one of the crystals near a mountain they happened to be passing. She had simply apologized and forgotten about it, but Kaz hadn't. He let the thought run through his mind for a few days, but eventually he had to say something.
It was later in the evening when they were sitting around a fire getting ready to eat when Kaz voiced his question. "What is the difference between metal and stone?" The question seemed to confuse Suki so Kaz decided to elaborate. "You can bend crystals, dirt, rock, hell, there are hundreds of different kinds of rocks and you can bend them all because they all come from the Earth. Metal comes from the Earth, its just harder and condensed, but you can't bend it. Why?"
Suki was perplexed at first because she had honestly never even considered bending metal before, but if Kaz had taught her anything, it was that nothing was impossible. "Here, try this." Kaz said as he handed her a small knife. "Bend it." He told her. She focused on the metal blade in front of her for a long time, and just when she was about to give up, she noticed something. The tip of the blade bent ever so slightly. Looking up at Kaz with wide eyes, she found him staring back at her with a knowing smile.
"It appears changing its shape and form is a lot more taxing than bending stone, but technically you don't have to do that. Knowing you can control it is enough." Kaz told her, getting another confused look from Suki. Deciding to explain further, Kaz reached over and grabbed one of the shuriken from her pouch, then using his bending he made it rise a few inches above his hand and begin spinning it using Airbending. Once it became nothing but a blur, he launched it at a nearby try, which the small piece of metal went completely through before it embedded itself in a boulder on the other side of it.
"Just make things out of metal that already serve a function and use your bending to make them better." Kaz commented with a smile, leaving Suki to think on another ridiculous thing that shouldn't have been possible. Honestly, for how many different ways Kaz thought to use Earthbending, Suki was sure that had Kaz been an Earthbender, the war with the Fire Nation would have gone the exact same. With him slaughtering them all.
*****
(3 Years Later)
(King Bumi POV)
It had been three years since the war that had lasted a century had finally come to an end, something which everyone was thankful for, except maybe the Fire Nation. They had been crippled by a single man who killed nearly all of their soldiers, not to mention all of their leaders. With the war's conclusion, the Fire Nation hadn't chosen to elect a new monarch to rule them, rather a council was formed between what was left of the nobles.
War reparations were made, and after a few conflicts that were resolved by the mere arrival of a certain bald man, things were finally looking up for the world. Omashu was thriving better than ever, and without the war going on to take up his valuable time, King Bumi thought it was about time he sorted out some important matters for future generations by writing about everything that had happened in his life for the History Books.
"Your Majesty, are you sure about this?" His advisor asked from a few feet away from him. "About what?" Bumi asked, unsure of what the man was talking about. "Well, sir. We've all read the book, and though it does describe how everything went, I think you might have portrayed the Air Nomad, Kazon, rather darkly." The man said as he held up the book in question.
"Darkly? I omitted most of the really gruesome things he did. Had I put in everything, it wouldn't have been a History Book but rather a horror book. I assure you, its all quite accurate." Bumi said, not too worried about it. Besides, the world had to know how truly terrifying the Air Nomads could really be.
Hopefully with this book, Bumi would save the lives of anyone who thought it a good idea to mess with them again. Sure, there were only two of them right now, but one was the Avatar and the other was a demon in human skin who had brought the world to its knees in a matter of months. Bumi was certain that if Kaz had children, the rest of the world would need to be on their toes, lest they step where they shouldn't.
"Okay, so the contents of the book are fine, but don't you think the name of the book is a bit much?" The man asked, snapping Bumi out of his dark train of thoughts as he looked at the cover of the book in question. "What are you talking about? That name suits the book perfectly. It describes him to a tee." Bumi said, quite proud of the name of the book.
"Very well, sire. I'll send it for publishing, then I'll send a few copies to Ba Sing Se University so they can put this in their collections as well." The man said, getting a nod from Bumi. "Good. And be sure to send a copy of the book to King Kuei. I'm sure he'll get a right kick out of it." Bumi said with a laugh, knowing how terrified the King of Ba Sing Se was of Kaz. "It will be done, Sire." The man said before he left the room.
Bumi chuckled to himself as he thought about the book that would soon circulate the entire world. Everyone would soon come to know all about Kaz and his dark deeds, especially his crimes of kicking old men out of their beds and stealing their blankets. It was Bumi's revenge on Kaz, and one that was all true to boot.
'Oh yes.' He thought happily. 'I can't wait for everyone to read it. The Savage Nomad.'