Art Drawn By Me! You'll be meeting them briefly in this chapter!

Sorry this chapter took so long! I ended up getting a bit busy with other things and didn't have enough time to properly work on it. The chapters have been planned out, though! Up to chapter 37, which could easily become "up to chapter 40" due to how much content this particular arc is going to have.

Again, sorry for the wait. On to the story!

Ayaan was deathly quiet as he stalked the soldiers patrolling the area. Due to their lax outlook on the area, their guard wasn't up at all. Who would face them here, in this poor mining village that had lost its will? No one. Or... so they thought.

Obviously, they didn't know that an 'Ayaan' existed.

Following them for hours, he was able to discern the times they slept, what intervals they patroled, and he could roughly guess who called the shots in this particular area. It was simple for Ayaan to map out their routes, how many there were, their strength, and all of the places they occupied in the town. He was meticulous, it wasn't until the moon began to rise that he concluded his scouting mission.

He saw that tax collector while he was scouting. He filed all of the info he gathered on him into the back of his mind. His position was high enough to be respected, but low enough he wasn't the one giving orders. There were barracks that the fire nation called home here; they were loosely protected due to the lack of danger in the area.

The only advantages they had on the people here were that; One, they had at least the basic training in self-defense, and; Two, they were all firebenders. The dangerous glint in Ayaan's eyes grew with every hour that passed.

If every town in the area was like this, driving them out would not be as difficult as he thought it'd be. But, the problem of manpower still stood. The fire nation had been smart to separate the strong earthbenders from their families. Even if they were not as strong as they may have been when they first invaded the area, their strength was still more than who was left after everyone was taken.

Mothers, children, and the elderly. They were farmers, shopkeepers, and miners. None were fighters or had any training in that area. They were too scared of the firenation to truly pick up their arms and fight as they had in the beginning. Years of being suppressed weren't something that could be remedied easily.

But since when has Ayaan cared if something wasn't easy? Never. With that thought, he stealthily made his way back to Hala's home.

In the distance, not too far from where he'd been watching, a cloaked figure makes his presence known. They watched as Ayaan left with a sort of admiration in their heterochromatic eyes. "A blessed one..." They whispered as if they could not believe what they saw. Green and brown orbs stayed on his figure as it disappeared, and within a blink, the cloaked figure wasn't there anymore.

He needed to report when he found.

When he reappeared again, popping out of the ground he'd tunneled through like a mole, he removed his cloak, revealing the child beneath it. Ashy gray hair and a large scar went across his face. His skin was chocolate brown, something that wasn't seen often around these parts.

That, and the fact that he was an earthbender, a very, very skilled one.

In the alley where he'd appeared, another was waiting for him.

This person wore a fire nation uniform, discarding his helmet upon the boy's arrival. He looked at it in disgust before turning to the young child.

He was a strawberry-blond-haired youth, his pale skin was adorned with many scars. His eyes were a saturated brown, almost red in pigment. He wasn't very tall, but he was taller than the child.

One would think that a battle was about to happen with the serious expression the red-eyed boy had, but...

"Hehe! Hey! Stop that!" ...That thought was quickly dashed when he ruffled the younger child's ashy-gray hair.

The boy quickly fixed his hair back. "Have you been well, Big Brother Wǔ?" The child said. To this, the older boy nodded. "Your undercover work isn't too hard on you, is it?"

The older boy, now known as "Wǔ", frowned, but he shook his head.

"The Fire Nation still disgusts you to the point you want to vomit at the sight of them?"

To this, he nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. They suck."

Another nod.

He... wasn't one for many words, was he?

Neither of them seemed to mind that, though. Rather, the child could read his intentions without even needing him to speak. "Where's Big Brother Liù (Leo)? I have something huge to report today!" The younger of the two asked.

To his question, the red-eyed youth pointed to an alleyway. At first, the child was confused, before it transformed into happiness.

Walking out of the darkness was the third person they were meeting with. He was a tall young man. He had a naturally tanned skin tone, and a scar on his right cheek. Long, raven-black hair framed his face. His crystal blue eyes were serious for one moment before softening at the sight of the two boys.

"Hello, Little Qī (Chi)." He turned to the other, "Little Wǔ, I'm glad you're well."

The young man nodded, before motioning to Qī, who was eager to spill what he'd seen.

"Oh, something good to report, little one?"

"Yeah! I saw a blessed one!"

Both of the older boys' eyes widened like sauce plates. Liù took the child by his shoulders, "Are you sure, Qī? This is a serious matter."

"Yep! My eyes didn't lie. He had the aura and everything. The triplets description of him was spot on." The child took on a more serious tone, "He's definitely one. Doesn't that mean they might appear again?"

Wǔ, the quiet one, nodded solemnly. He turned to the eldest of them, Liù understanding what he hadn't said, "Yes, you're right. We must let Leader know this information."

He took out a little container of ink and a small sliver of paper. His finger flicked, and a drop of ink lifted from the bottle. Waves of his finger moved the ink, and his message was written onto the paper.

Liù was a waterbender, a very good one.

"There, that should do it." Putting his fingers to his mouth, he does a distinct birdcall. Not a moment after, a small sparrowkeet fluttered its way to him. He rolled the message up, putting it within the small container on its leg.

"Go." With that, he lifted his arm, and the bird took off into the sky.

"What are we going to do?" Qī asked. He was nervous. If they were so sure, that could only mean that... Things were going to begin changing, and not for the better.

It was then that Wǔ made his opinion known. He didn't say a word, he didn't have to. There, upon his palm was a small ball of fire. Determination danced in his eyes as he crushed it to embers. Taking their hands into his warmer ones, he looked to his adoptive brothers, and they shared his mindset.

"That's right, Wǔ." Liù smiled, "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"Yeah! We'll protect the blessed one from them, too. Together! Thanks for the encouragement, Big Brother Wǔ."

The quiet one simply nodded.

"Well, we must get back to our posts. Things will surely escalate in the future." At that, the two younger boys looked a bit dejected. Seeing it, Liù ruffled both of their hairs. "Don't worry, we will see each other again soon. After we help Yon with her predicament, we'll travel together again as we used to."

At this, they brighten up again. After one last gaze at each other, they went their separate ways. Wǔ put the fire nation helmet back on, withholding his obvious disgust at having to do anything within the fire nation ranks. Qī created a sand cloud from the earth, and in a tornado of dust, he was gone. Liù vanished into the darkness from where he'd appeared.

Like phantoms, they disappeared into the quiet, the night continuing on as if nothing had ever happened and they were never there.

...

..

.

When Ayaan returned it was quiet. Appa was sleeping peacefully in the barn along with Momo, who was on his head. He made his way to the one-story house, announcing his presence with a simple "Hello".

"Oh, hello, Lord Ayaan." Hala greeted him amiably, "Your siblings went to help my son with his chores. Such good kids they are." She said, earning a nod from Ayaan.

At least they weren't doing something that would become trouble later... right?

"Mrs. Hala, may I speak with you?" Ayaan asked. Hala was surprised but nodded. She found that this tall child wasn't one for many words, so hearing that he wanted to speak with her was a surprise.

"Of course! What did you want to talk about?"

"Fire nation."

"...Oh." Instantly, the tone of the conversation shifted. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to speak of them any more than I had to."

"I understand." Ayaan stated, "But the only reason that you all can not fight back against them is only untrained, weak, or elderly is left in the town."

"Yes. They took every able-bodied person and forced us into submission. This is not something I like recalling."

"The firenation here now, aside from the obvious mistreatment, are they anything like before?"

"What do you mean? They're doing the same things they've been doing after everyone was taken?"

"Do they enforce it as much as they did then?"

"Of course, they—" At that question, Hala paused.

They... don't.

After they invaded, things were harsh, almost unbearable. People were harassed and beaten when they did not comply. Those people were taken, too, until everyone stopped trying to fight back. After that, aside from subtle threatening as she'd experienced the day before, they didn't do much.

"It is not that they do not," Ayaan began, "It is because they can not. They are extremely weak compared to what you've told us. My sister was not wrong in her assumption of being able to fight them off."

"No, oh no." Her stance on that matter was firm, "I will not allow Haru to fight!" She denied it immediately. Her anger at the very thought was rising by the second. Still, Ayaan was calm.

"I did not say he had to fight. Even if they are weaker, that is too dangerous." Ayaan agreed with her. "For there to be any hope of that your town needs to gain a backbone."

"What?" Hala was taken aback by the blunt statement.

"The reason they rule you so easily, while partly being due to your lack of self-defense, it's because you're scared," Ayaan stated. "They instilled fear in you. It isn't that you can't do anything; you are too scared to even think of doing anything."

At these blunt words, Hala felt a surge of anger bubble itself to the surface. "What do you know?" She hissed,

"I don't know everything you've gone through," Ayaan answered. He didn't even flinch at her vicious tone. "But I understand your feelings."

"How could you understand it?!" She almost shouted. "As long as we stay as we have been, they won't take him from me. We will be safe, he will be safe. He won't end up like his father."

She already lost her husband because they fought back, she can't lose her son, too. For all she knew, her husband, all of the friends she had, they were all dead somewhere. After he was taken, they put emphasis on it being so.

She'd had a little bit of hope before. Maybe, he'd be able to escape them and come back to her? But days went by, weeks, months. Under the constant harassment, the subtle threats to her son's wellbeing, and her own weariness, she let that hope go. If giving in to her fear and submitting kept her baby safe then that was what she was going to do.

'I will not lose him because of some fleeting hope.'

How would this child understand that?

"Our fear is justified. Keeping Haru safe is justified!"

"Yes, it is." He agreed with her again. "But," He was almost resigned, "fear is also an enemy."

When he said this, she was going to retort again, wanting to end the conversation, but something stopped her.

It was his eyes.

Reflecting in that grayish sea of blue was a silent, painful emotion that shouldn't reside in any child. All of her words got stuck in her throat.

It was as if he was watching something replay repeatedly, his gaze drifting into the distance.

"Fire causes pain." He said, his hand ghosting over his scar, "Pain creates hesitance." His hand trailed down to his bandaged arms, "You hesitate because you do not ever want to feel a similar pain."

Fear of being hurt again?

Fear of losing someone again?

Fear of failing again?

His eyes met hers again, "I understand that."

It was only then that she realized that his words hadn't been said in a figurative, placative sense. He'd recognized that fear. Of course, he understood.

He's experienced all those types of fears, too.

Hala found herself subtly ashamed that she'd gotten so angry. The boy didn't even counter her, telling her about the horrible things he, too, had seen and experienced. She hadn't even thought about the story of that scar on his body. All he said was that he understood being afraid. Nothing more, nothing less.

His voice never raised. He never yelled and never got angry. He was patient. He handled her burst of anger so maturely. It was almost like he was so much older than her.

Before, she hadn't felt like that. He seemed like a normal boy to her. But right now? Right now, there was this subtle pressure he exuded.

'Those... aren't the eyes of a naive child.'

It was as if she was the one who was a child. Her anger from before felt like she'd been throwing a temper tantrum. She felt ashamed under that gaze.

With this strange presence he carried, he continued to speak, "Your fears are chains that keep you where you are, a cage to keep you in." His eyes seemed to gaze through her as he spoke. That far-away look in his eyes was replaced with an emotion that was too deep to fathom. Was it determination? Was it anger? Was it courage? She couldn't tell.

But it was something, and it was as massive and deep as a vast sea.

"It is an enemy." He repeated.

Hala wasn't sure what to say anymore. Maybe he was right? Maybe they needed to step up if their lives were ever going to change for the better? "But what else can I do?" She asked, all of the energy in her voice drained, "I... I can't lose him, too. I can't."

If she lost her only son, what point was there to continue on?

The tone of her voice confused Ayaan, "You're husband is captured, forced to work in a shipyard just a few miles off the coast." He said, that strange presence from before leaving like a lie, "He and the others are not dead, at least, not from what I was able to gather through my scouting. It seems that aside from some threatening, they are too valuable to just kill."

Hala's reaction was so quick Ayaan was almost caught off guard by it. Her hands were on his shoulders, trembling as the words barely escaped her lips, "...Really? A-are you sure? My Tyro... he's alive? All of them are alive?"

Everyone was so sure that after they were taken, they were either killed off or made slaves for the firenation. Normally, that thinking wasn't too far off. They'd seen the firenation kill before, it happened too often for it not to be a possibility. The ones who were at the forefront of the rebellion, her husband included, were thought to have been killed due to how hard they fought back.

Being taken was equivalent to a death sentence, that was how everyone saw it. That was why everyone was afraid.

Hala had lost hope of ever seeing her husband again. Those fire nation soldiers had put emphasis on the likely hood of his death. He'd been the leader, he'd been one of their strongest. If he was gone, the morale of their town would of course sink to abysmal levels.

Their plan had worked, splendidly. The town, after just a few years, became a lifeless husk of its former self.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She'd mourned her love, she cried herself to sleep, and she endured their harassment because they threatened her son with the same ill fate should he be found out.

Ayaan nodded, having a feeling as to why her reaction was like this, "Yes."

Of course, they would lead the people here to believe their loved ones were dead or so far away that there was no hope for them. It was a classic tactic to get them to submit. While most often, there was no need to have that statement be a lie, here, they were using the earthbenders for something.

Earthbenders were naturally strong people. Lifting boulders and moving mountains took strength beyond the norm, and the strong had many uses.

"And you are sure about this?" Hala asked again, there was something in her voice that wasn't there before. Fear had been replaced with something she hadn't thought she had anymore.

"Yes. I would not tell you if I was not sure."

Her eyes had a bit of life again. No, they had a bit of hope again. "But that doesn't change the situation we're in right now. We aren't warriors, none of the people here know the first thing about combat. And I'm sure that even if they hear of this... they'll be too scared to go along with it."

"Understandable. I do not expect everyone to readily change the ways that have kept them safe. I just want them to strengthen themselves. Change is coming whether they are ready or not."

Ayaan's thoughts were firm. Yes, he told Katara that this situation wasn't as simple as she'd put it, but that didn't mean that he wasn't agreeing with her. If there was a chance to deal heavy damage to the fire nation, who would he be not to take it?

And when Ayaan decides to fight, he makes sure to hit hard.

"What do you mean?"

"I do not have enough information, yet, but I believe rescuing the prisoners is possible."

Her eyes widened, "...What?"

"Your town is one of many that provides fuel for their ships. My guess is that the earthbenders are being used for something related to that as well. If your town is taken back from the fire nation, it will be a major blow to them."

He continued to speak, his mind releasing all of the thoughts he planned to tell his siblings later, "I'm certain they use ships to get to and from the prison rig. The only reason the earthbenders would still be at the rig for this long could only mean that something is preventing them from fighting back. Are earthbenders not able to bend refined earth, metal?"

"No. No one is able to do that." Hala answered, a bit dazed by the info dump she was getting. How had this child gotten all of this in just a few days?

"Hm... possibly surrounded by metal. On water miles away from shore... Yes, more planning is needed. How to get them out... Appa isn't enough, hm... Until we can figure this out, we must fight in a different way."

"But no one will want to fight. They will be too scared to, and even if they aren't as strong as they were before, they are still stronger than us." Hala answered, shaking her head at the very idea. There was no way for them to go toe-to-toe with fire nation soldiers.

"Battles are not as straightforward as you would think they are." Ayaan said, "There is more than one way to fight."

"There is?" Hala asked, confused.

The earth kingdom was a very straightforward nation. They met with foes head-on. To be an earthbender, one's will had to be steady and strong like the mountains they moved. It was most likely why, when the fire benders managed to break their spirits, they became so lax with their security of the place.

To Hala's question, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. The gears in his mind were turning, and like so, he answered, "Mrs. Hala, what do you know about hunting?"

...

..

.

Ayaan was waiting at home while Hala went into the town. After convincing her of his plans, she went to talk with them about it.

Of course, she was still adamant about keeping Haru out of it, but what he'd suggested wasn't him just outright showing off his earthbending skills. Because of this fact, she reluctantly agreed to at least attempt to persuade the others of it.

If it worked, everyone would be reunited with their families again. That... that was something that she could battle with her fear for. That was something worth trying for. So, as she walked around the town, she would stealthily tell everyone of the information he'd given her. People she trusted, who were in the same boat as her.

Usually, she would have been heading to the shop with her son around this time, but they had yet to get back from their chores.

Something felt off to Ayaan. His scar was aching again. That was not a good sign, ever.

As usual, he hid the fact that it was irritating him. He promised Hala that he would send Haru her way when they returned, and for that she was grateful.

It wasn't long after that the Gaang and Haru returned. They seemed to be congratulating Haru on something. Had he done some sort of good deed? When they got to where he was, however, their demeanor flipped into something akin to being caught with their hand in a cookie jar.

Ayaan's iffy feeling got just a bit worse, but he'd made a promise to Hala, "Your mother is already at the shop. She is waiting for you."

"Oh! I'm late! Thanks for telling me." Haru said. One could see a bead of sweat going down his brow.

"Is everything okay?"

"Nope. I mean, yep! Totally fine. I'll get going now. See you later, guys!"

He ran away.

Getting over the oddness of the situation, he returned his attention to the remaining three to tell them what he'd intended to, "I scouted the fire nation in the area. They are not very strong."

"You did what?!" Sokka exclaimed, looking at his brother in befuddlement. The more he thought about it, the more he should have expected him to do something like that. But still! "What do you mean you scouted the fire nation?"

"I scouted them for information," Ayaan repeated. "I already told what I gathered to Hala, she agreed to try to rally the townspeople. While we won't act right now, to those that agree, I will be giving them the basics of self-defense and hunting alongside your training."

Everyone was openly staring at Ayaan, who put on a thoughtful expression before remembering another bit of information.

"I also took a trip with Appa, I know where the prison is."

"And you did all of this without telling us?! What happened to 'caution'? What happened to 'not looking for trouble'?!" Katara was fuming. When she did it, oh, it was so bad. But he goes and does it and expects them to understand?

"Caution is still important." His eyebrow raised a bit due to his confusion, "And I did tell you, just now."

"What if you got caught, hm? What then?"

"I've hunted almost my entire life, I believe I have enough skill not to get caught by barely trained scumbags," Ayaan replied bluntly. "Information gathering, tracking, stealth, all of these things are learned through hunting. Scouting an area is nothing for me." If one paid close attention, they could catch the slight offense in his voice at the very thought.

"But—"

"I told you everything I was doing and plan to do." His eyes narrowed, "I do not put myself in situations that I can't get myself out of."

Everyone winced from the jab. They felt like he was still mad about Omashu.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, "If it bothers you this much, Katara, I will tell you before I plan to do any more scouting."

Aang, wanting to placate the tense atmosphere like the peacekeeper that he was, decided to speak, "So, you found the prison holding everyone's families?"

"Yes."

"Are we gonna do a prison break?!" Aang's eyes were sparkling.

"Possibly."

"WOOHOO!" Aang's thoughts were swirling with mischievousness.

'More pranks? Yep, more pranks! Targets? Fire Nation Prison Guards!'

On the other side of him, Sokka was trying not to show that he was also excited about the idea. Of course, he was worried about this plan. But...

'Taking out a whole prison sounds like something a warrior would do. A true man's work.'

Ayaan was just as cautious as he was. He would never suggest a plan he didn't think could work. So creating chaos for the firenation? Sign them up!

Katara, on the other hand, was eerily silent. Her thoughts were brought back to the conversation she'd had with Sokka earlier.

'There's no one who understands that more than he does.'

With him doing things like this, saying things like this... she was beginning to see what Sokka had been speaking about.

Maybe they weren't that different after all?

"So, what's the plan?" Katara asked, slowly smiling.

"First, the town needs to get stronger. I've agreed to train them. Hala is speaking with their elders about it now. While few, they had some able-bodied youths who would benefit from learning self-defense, those of the older generation can learn hunting skills, or in this case, traps."

"You... love setting traps, don't you, Ayaan Bro," Sokka said, a suspicious edge on his voice.

"Yes, I do. They are useful."

"And he's great at them, too, a little too great," Aang commented. He still remembers being caught in a sack trying to flee from Ayaan.

That had not been fun.

"I practice the skill often." He answered the comment. "Traps aside, the prison part of the plan will be difficult."

"How so? We can't just go there with Appa and get them to shore during the night?"

"There are hundreds of prisoners. All of them had to be from different mining towns in the area. From what I could see, there are tens of guards and, unlike here, they are fairly well-trained."

"Yeah, that's too much for Appa to handle. Maybe if we made a giant raft? Appa could pull it?"

"Hm, that isn't a bad idea, Aang." Sokka said, "Appa's super strong, right?"

"Yeah! That's be nothing for him to do! Though we'd have to make a few trips, it will be way less taxing than flying back and forth with hundreds of first-fliers." Aang said.

Before they could run with the idea, Ayaan shuts it down. "The place where the prisoners are is based high above sea level. Getting them from the rig to the ocean, and then from the ocean to the shore would still be too much for Appa. He'll be overworked."

"How do we get to them then?" Katara asked.

Everyone began thinking again before Sokka and Ayaan shared a distinctive look. They had the same thought at the same time. ""Their ships.""

"Ships?"

"Yes. The fire nation gets to and from the rig by ship." Ayaan started.

"So why couldn't we do the same?" Sokka continued.

"Ooh!" Katara and Aang caught on to their plan, nodding in agreement. Like that, they had the workings thought out a bit.

That just left one problem: Actually infiltrating the prison. They would need to tell the prisoners of their plan and get them on board for any of it to work. How would they do that? Flying in and dropping into the prison via Appa was a no-go. Ayaan was a bit stumped on this problem.

It was that, and, "I am worried about the mental state of the earthbenders there," Ayaan said.

This caused confusion.

"What's there to be worried about? If they're given a chance to escape and fight back, to get back to their friends and families... who wouldn't take that chance?" Katara asked. In this case, the others were in agreement with her.

They couldn't see what was worrying Ayaan. But, not wanting to constantly refute his sister's thoughts, he nodded. "Yes. You may be right."

At that, Katara beamed. It felt good to say something right for once.

"So," Ayaan began, "What happened that made all of you late returning?"

At that, everyone decided to keep their mouths shut, "We were just talking with Haru and lost track of time!"

Of course, they couldn't tell him they convinced Haru to earthbend to save an old man. Haru wasn't supposed to earthbend, even if it was a good deed.

"Ayaan... are you okay?" Sokka's question caught everyone's attention. When they returned their gazes to Ayaan, who they were looking away from to avoid eye contact (that was how he tells they are withholding something), they notice what Sokka noticed.

His hand rubbed lightly on his bandaged arm. That action was followed by a wince they could actually see.

"What's wrong?" Aang was immediately worried. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just a bad feeling." He winced again.

It was a very bad feeling. Something was off. He couldn't tell what it was, and these three were purposely not telling him. Did they do something, again?

"Did you put your salve on today? Is it irritating you?" Katara asked. "Come on, I'll put it on for you."

"But I'm fin—"

"Nope. Come on." Sokka stopped him before he could even say the sentence. They continued dragging him off to take care of his burn for the day. They knew that sometimes he would feel irritation in the skin.

"But I'm really fin—"

"""Nope!"""

Ayaan just sighed, letting them do whatever they wanted.

They had no idea that those bad feelings were a warning.