Burning Chapter 1: Quenched

The ocean was a cruel mistress, this simple fact was known to everyone that sailed it. Outside of the obvious risk of drowning or being stranded without food or water, there were also a variety of sea creatures, the largest of which could crush an Emperor Class Fire Nation Battleship under its massive body... Luckily those were few and far between.

The smaller ones like the serpent that gave the Serpent’s Pass its name, were a little more common. Although, they rarely attacked unless they were provoked, either by being attacked or by something entering their territory.

And then there were the storms... Hurricane force winds that swept across the ocean, forming violent maelstroms. Blinding rain, giant tidal waves that threatened to capsize even the sturdiest of vessels. Even those of the Water Tribe would warn against sailing through a storm... At least not without a Waterbender present.

Only a desperate madman would even consider cutting through a storm... Or... Someone that was running short on time and desperately needed to be somewhere.

“Just a little bit longer,” I muttered as lightning split the sky, briefly lighting up the churning waves below, before fading to black.

Watching as a wave began to swell, I steered the ship to the side, climbing diagonally in order to prevent the hull from snapping in half. Hearing the sound of shattering glass, a golf ball sized hailstone crashed through one of the windows, littering the floor with glass.

If that wasn’t bad enough, halfway up the wave, the ship began to slow down. Without a crew to shovel coal into the furnace, the fires that kept everything moving began to dwindle.

Great... Just what I needed.

Going back to the fundamentals of Firebending, I breathed deeply, visualizing the furnace deep in the hull swelling with each breath. It wasn’t perfect... And I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long, but it should be enough to see me through this portion of the storm.

Making it over the ridge, I let out a sigh of relief as the ship evened out for the first time in an hour. I’d just reached the eye of the storm... Alone... On a stolen Fire Nation ship that was currently being held together through sheer force of will.

Whether that ‘will’ would see this ship making it through the other end of the storm remained to be seen.

Still... It was nice to have a moment to rest after spending several hours navigating my way through this storm.

This, by no means, had been the plan. But, it did oddly work out in my favor. It was supposed to be simple. Spend a few months in the Fire Nation Navy after being drafted on my sixteenth birthday… What an honor… Trade ships until I made it to the southern hemisphere, before disappearing.

It’d all gone well until I reached the last ship which was being captained by Zhao of all people. The man was naturally suspicious and distrusting and had been immediately wary of me due to how empty my military record was.

It wasn’t too big of an issue. I kept my head down and avoided trouble, biding my time. It hadn’t been until Zhao was ordered to return to a base up north that I made my move, leaving the Fire nation navy.

Although, it’d probably be better to say that I abandoned them, having taken the ship while we’d stopped in order to resupply. What mattered was that Zhao was stuck in a dingy port while I made off with his boat which was filled with his personal belongings... Mostly his awards for his service to the Fire Nation.

Having his ship stolen was certainly going to put a sizable dent on his record.

Passing back into the storm, the rain suddenly grew more intense, battering the main deck, while the currents below threatened to tear the hull apart.

Watching as a flash of lighting lit up the sky, I caught sight of something in the distance, slowly growing nearer. An island.

“Yes!”

The fact that I could see it without needing a telescope meant that I was pretty close. I just needed to–

A deafening crack shook the remaining window panels as lightning struck the ship, damaging the deck. Unfortunately that wasn’t all that it damaged as the engines died.

“No!” Pulling on a variety of levers in an attempt to get the ship moving forward again. “I just need a little more, we’re right there... Come on!” It was no help, the ship was well and truly dead.

Hearing a metallic groan as the ship floated over a wave, there was a loud cracking sound that caused the metal frame to shudder.

I had to leave, right now!

Grabbing my rucksack, which I’d left in the corner, I formed a flame in my hand, using it to help light my way. Upon taking my first step outside, I was pelted with ice cold raindrops and wind that threatened to throw me overboard.

Shielding my eyes, I marched through the storm, looking for my salvation... A metal boat currently strung up in chains hovering over the ocean. Under normal circumstances, it would be used to reach land when there was no port, but here it would serve as a life raft.

That is... If it could handle the seas as they were.

Making my way towards it, I glanced at the crane holding it, wondering how I was going to operate it without any power, only to be met with a new problem in the form of a tremor accompanied by a loud metallic screech.

Stumbling backwards as the ship tilted, the metal deck directly behind me began to bulge outward, before finally giving way, ripping the ship in two with the front half falling over the wave while the back half fell under it, dragging the front with it.

Catching myself on the guard rails, I glanced up to see the boat rocking precariously over the ocean, almost completely diagonal to it.

Spotting another wave incoming, I cursed under my breath. Making my way over to the boat, I took a low stance and punched, unleashing a stream of fire that washed over the chains, burning through them.

One by one, the chains snapped, lowering the boat a little at a time. Glancing at the ever approaching wave, I doubled my efforts, before finally dropping the boat into the blackened waters below.

With no time to spare, I kicked off the guard rails, into the blackened abyss below, using my Firebending to better help position myself.

Landing on the boat, I got to work. Opening the furnace, I threw my fist forward, releasing a continuous blast of fire that ignited the coals and rapidly heated the metal inside, changing its colour from black to a dull red.

Feeling the boat begin to tilt, it suddenly lurched forward as the engine started. Closing the furnace hatch, I grabbed the wheel and steered the ship down the wave.

Narrowly avoiding capsizing, I let out a relieved laugh. Despite being completely out of my element, I’d somehow managed to avoid the worst. Firebending was great, better than great, it was awesome... But out here, in the middle of a storm while surrounded by water on all sides... It wasn’t much help.

The rain dampened my flames, the waves threatened to extinguish them entirely and if I lost my footing, I’d end up being pulled under where no amount of fire would help.

Many would consider braving a storm a test of strength and courage, but in truth, it was a test of endurance. Conserving as much strength as possible was the key to surviving this.

As the boat began to even out at a steady pace, I slowly climbed the massive walls of water, fighting to keep it steady every step of the way.

Climbing to the top, the night sky was once more illuminated by a flash of lightning, revealing that I was now much closer to the island. It wouldn’t be long now.

Sailing down the back of a wave to calmer waters, I let out an exhilarated laugh. I did it! Not only had I survived the storm, I also managed to escape the Fire Nation.

I was so close to the island that I could even see the sandy beach. Just a little closer and I’d... Why was there a giant dorsal fin next to my boat?

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I murmured, pulling back on one of the levers to slow the ship down. The last thing I wanted to do was attract the Unagi’s attention.

Passing by the fin scraped against my boat, before disappearing under the water completely. The boat idly floated forward, rocking back and forth as a few tense moments passed. Waiting a little longer, I let out a relieved breath. It seemed that I’d somehow managed to avoid being noticed.

There was still some distance from the shallows and the tide didn’t seem to be doing me any favour. If I set the boat to full throttle, I’d probably make it to shore in a few short minutes, but then I’d run the risk of attracting the Unagi.

Gripping the lever that controlled the boat's acceleration, I slowly pushed it forward, stopping a little before halfway, hoping that by going slow, I wouldn’t draw any attention to myself.

A few seconds ticked by as the shallows slowly grew nearer... And with it, the beach. Increasing the acceleration a smidge higher, the water directly under the ship suddenly began to bulge out as something big rapidly made its way to the surface.

Pushing the lever all the way down, the boat suddenly jerked forward, racing towards the shallows, only to suddenly be flung into the air as a massive eel-like head burst through the surface, colliding with the metal hull.

Clinging to the boat with one hand, I threw my other hand behind me, releasing an arc of flames that wafted in the Unagi’s general direction.

Hitting the water once more, the boat almost bounced across the surface like a stone skipping across a lake. Miraculously, the engine had survived and continued to propel the boat forward.

Realizing that I was now in the shallows, I pulled myself to my feet and shot a wary glance towards the Unagi only to see it waiting some distance away. Either unable or unwilling to cross the boundary into shallow water.

Locking eyes with the beast, I shot it a small, victorious smirk and cheerfully raised a single finger in its direction. Sheer pettiness fuelling me at this moment.

“Better luck next time, you overgrown eel.”

Staring at me with a blank look on its face, the Unagi reared its head back and unleashed a concentrated blast of water in my direction, causing the shallows to churn violently.

Crap!

Diving off the side of the boat, I slipped beneath the surface, just as the jet of water collided with the boat's rear, sending it hurtling forward at an incredible speed.

Clawing my way back up, I spat out a mouthful of sea water and took a gasped breath. Looking around, I found that both the Unagi and my ship had disappeared in the few moments I’d been under water.

Feeling a sense of unease wash over me, I turned and swam towards the beach, trying not to think of how the Unagi might be swimming right behind me, ready to bite down on my body at any moment.

Reaching land, I dragged myself out of the water and onto the sandy beach, my boat still nowhere in sight. Turning around to look back at the ocean, I caught sight of Zhao’s ship in the distance... Torn in half, it’d been repeatedly smashed against itself by the churning sea.

Come morning, I would be surprised if there was anything other than scrap metal left. At least this way, there shouldn’t be anything that could trace back to me. As far as Zhao knew, I died in the storm.

Shivering as the cold finally began to set in, I rubbed my hands together, exhaling a small amount of flame over them in order to warm myself.

I needed to find a place to set up camp.

...Burning...

Hearing the sound of birds chirping in the distance and twigs snapping as a slightly larger animal passed by, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Morning already, huh?” I yawned, stretching lightly.

It felt like I’d only just gotten to sleep, but judging by the ashy remains of my campfire, it’d been a good few hours at the very least. I was going to need more wood.

That, however, would have to wait for later.

Sitting up, I quickly changed into my now dry clothes, red and black as most things were in the Fire nation. I might need to look into changing that. The last thing I wanted was for people to assume that I was from the Fire nation... Regardless of how true that was.

“Let’s see here,” I hummed.

Stepping outside, I closed my eyes and basked in the warmth of the sun, feeling its heat energize my body. Feeling a little more awake now, I took in my surroundings, from my hastily made campsite to the lingering clouds in the distance... Remnants of last night’s storm.

Yeah, I was gonna need to move my tent somewhere else... Preferably somewhere with a few more natural barriers to protect from any extreme weather. Winter was on the horizon and while my tent was sturdy, I doubt it had the ability to weather a full blown blizzard.

Hopefully, by that point, I wouldn’t need to use my tent. Turning my attention back towards my tent, I rubbed my chin in thought.

“I have enough food to last a week... Maybe two if I ration it... It’d probably be best to keep that for emergencies. I wonder if elephant koi are edible?” I murmured. Hearing a bush rustle behind me, I made a show of turning around. “Who’s there?”

As if answering my question, a badger squirrel rolled out of the bush and briefly stared up at me, before scurrying away.

Blinking at that, I let out a short chuckle at the animals’ random appearance. And here I thought it’d been the K–

Hearing a sharp whistle, I rolled to the side, idly watching as a chain link rope dart sailed overhead.

“Take him!”

Watching as a trio of armored girls descended from the trees, each wielding a set of metal fans. I took off, moving this confrontation somewhere more favorable to me. Luckily, my camp wasn’t too far from the beach.

Passing through the treeline, I skidded through the sand, coming to a stop.

“Nowhere to run now, Fire nation spy!”

Spy?

Oh, right. I guess they would think that. It was a major concern for a place like this that’d managed to stay neutral throughout the hundred year war.

“Trust me, I’m the furthest thing from a spy,” I chuckled good naturedly, idly noting that there were six of them now. “In fact, I’m pretty sure there’d be a reward for handing me over to the Fire nation.”

Zhao would certainly be interested in getting me back, if only so that he could punish me himself.

“Is that your attempt at getting us to let you go?!” The girl who I assumed was Suki asked. It was difficult to tell who was who when they all looked so identical.

“It’s not,” I answered.

Observing me for a moment, she motioned for the others to fan-out, cutting off any potential escape routes.

“You have two options here,” Suki announced. “You could either surrender and allow us to restrain you, or you could take a dip in the ocean and try your luck with the Unagi.”

Yeah, option two was definitely out.

“Or we could all just go back to your village and I can explain everything to whoever’s in charge here.”

“Restrain him,” Suki ordered, shooting a glance towards her fellow Kyoshi warriors. Moving as one, the group slowly surrounded me with fans in hand, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

I could stand down and let them restrain me, but I doubt that would do any good. From what I could remember, they weren’t exactly the most trusting bunch. Even Aang would need to prove himself to them in order to keep from becoming food for the Unagi.

Maybe it would have been better if I’d gone to Omashu instead. It’d take some explaining, but Bumi was probably crazy enough to believe me. Although, I probably would have run into more than a few obstacles heading to Omashu instead.

The question now was how could I prove myself to them? I wasn’t the Avatar, nor did I have anything that would be immediately beneficial to them... Unless.

“I guess there’s no helping it,” I hummed.

Shifting into a lower stance, I swung my arm in a circular motion, forming a wall of flames between me and the Kyoshi warriors, causing the group to take a startled step back.

I did have another reason for coming here... one outside of meeting Aang. To show the Kyoshi warriors how to better fight a Firebender... Among other things.

“He’s a Firebender!”

“We always knew that was a possibility,” Suki called out. “Why he chose to reveal it now and not in the forest...” She trailed off.

“Because I didn’t want to start a forest fire,” I answered, willing the flames to recede.

Tightening her grip on her fans, Suki gave a short nod to the pair on either side of me, getting them to switch to another weapon. Rope darts. It seemed that she wasn’t planning on backing down. That was fine with me... In fact, it suited me perfectly.

Idly looking between the gathered group, I found my first target. Unleashing an arc of flames with one motion, I rushed forward towards the Kyoshi warrior on Suki’s right.

Launching several telegraphed fireballs in her direction, the girl dodged, stepping directly into my path. Lightly hitting her with the second knuckle of my index finger, the girl dropped to the ground. She was still conscious, just... Not able to move.

One down, five more to go.

Not taking my attack lightly, the rest of the Kyoshi warriors rushed to intercept me on both sides with Suki leading the charge on one end.

Meeting her head on, I ducked under her fan and brought my hand up, ready to deliver a Chi strike, only to end up hitting a newly unfolded shield on her arm.

Wincing as my finger throbbed, I caught sight of another Kyoshi warrior that was rushing towards me, this one also wielding a shield.

Unleashing a stream of fire Suki’s way in order to keep her distracted, I waited until the other girl was close enough, before sweeping her leg, knocking her to the floor. Letting up on the fire, I delivered a rapid succession of strikes, immobilizing her too.

Two down, four to go.

Grabbing the Kyoshi warriors fans, I flicked them open and dragged them to the side, igniting a massive wall of red flames that cut Suki off from the remaining three.

Watching as the next one rushed towards me, I snapped the fans shut and threw them at the girl, taking her by surprise. Managing to block the one aimed at her face, she completely missed the lower one which hit the spot directly under her ribcage, knocking the wind from her.

That... Might have been a little harder than I intended it to be. Good thing it wasn’t a blade.

Hearing a sharp swishing sound, I raised my arm, allowing the chain link rope dart to wrap around it. A single moment passed before another rope dart wrapped around my other arm. The Kyoshi warriors on each end heaved with everything they had, keeping me from moving my arms.

Attempting to bend with my legs alone, the winded Kyoshi warrior came crashing into me. Forcing me to kneel, she stood behind me, keeping me from being able to stand by bearing down on my shoulders.

With the flames that kept her trapped having finally died down, Suki stepped forward, sweat dripping down her face.

“You...” Suki breathed tiredly, her body overheating. “Tell me... What you did... To the others.”

“It’s called Chi blocking,” I answered calmly. “It’s a pretty handy way of taking down Benders without killing them... It keeps them from being able to bend too.”

“How do I fix it?” She asked, managing to get a hold of her breathing.

“You don’t. It wears off,” I replied. “It should last another... Five, maybe ten minutes before they regain control of their bodies.”

“If they don’t–”

“They will,” I promised.

I’d used it on myself enough times to know what I was doing.

Speaking of which, it was about time that I broke out of my constraints. Emptying my mind of all thought and emotion, I twirled each index finger in a circular motion, generating a crackle of electricity, before grabbing onto the chains that bound my arms, being cautious with how much lightning I used.

Use too little and it wouldn’t have any effect on them... Too much and their bodies would be cooked from the inside out.

Feeling the chains loosen as the pair of Kyoshi warriors collapsed, I grabbed the hand of the last one, stunning her, before darting towards Suki.

If it was any other day, she’d probably be able to dodge, but seeing as she was suffering from mild heat exhaustion and that I’d managed to take her off guard, she wasn’t able to block my light jabs.

And that made six.

Pulling the chains off, I rubbed my wrists, humming lightly to myself. Noticing a few flames burning a little too close to the forest for my comfort, I exhaled slowly, extinguishing them.

“Now that I’ve taken care of that... Let’s talk,” I said, crouching down to Suki’s level.

“I refuse,” Suki muttered, refusing to even look in my direction. “I’ll never sell my home out to the Fire nation... I have my pride as a Kyoshi warrior.”

Thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly came to mind... One that might help even the playing field a little... Or it’d just get me thrown to the Unagi.

Looking around the beach to make sure that the other Kyoshi warriors were alright, I scooped Suki up, much to her protest, and brought her over to the edge of the forest.

Setting her down against a tree stump, I made sure she was sitting upright, before leaning against a tree myself.

“What’re you doing?” Suki asked, failing miserably at feigning disinterest.

“Something stupid that’ll force you to listen to me,” I answered. Jabbing my thumb into my chest at several key points, I felt my body go completely limp. “I’ll regain control of my body in a few minutes, that should be more than enough time for us to talk.”

“You’re just giving yourself up after beating us?! You could just walk into the village and...” Suki cut herself off, refusing to give away any secrets. “Are you crazy or something?”

I wouldn’t say that I was giving myself up. Even though the others would regain control over their bodies soon, they’d be sluggish at best. I on the other hand had a lot of experience with this from years of practicing it on myself.

“Well... I did sail a stolen Fire nation cruiser through last night’s storm in order to get here... Officially defecting from the Fire nation,” I explained. “They probably think that I died in last night’s storm and I’d kind of like to keep it that way... At least until the end of winter.”

“What comes after winter?” Suki asked curiously.

I was tempted to say spring, but I doubt that would go over very well. “I’m going to be meeting a few people that I’m hoping to befriend,” I replied, deciding to keep Aang’s existence quiet for now. “One of them is a bald monk with a flying bison and a lemur... He’s probably still frozen... The monk and the bison, not the lemur.”

“I was beginning to wonder which one you meant,” Suki deadpanned. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think you’re a spy... You’re definitely completely out of your mind, but not a spy... What’s your name by the way?”

“My name?” I hummed. “You can call me Honō.”