Chapter 93: Northern Water Tribe; Reunion
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***
"There! Prepare the trebuchets!" A burly captain in red ordered loudly as he gazed at a lone fire nation cruiser sailing towards their direction through the sea sparsely filled with icebergs. The commander looked through his spyglass as he observed a few waterbenders seemingly chatting amongst themselves with their backs to the imminent attack.
This caused the captain to feel suspicious. They were already in sight yet the enemy cruiser didn't take any actions. Two volleys of flaming rocks were soon hurled. While one struck the exterior of the ship, the other one missed by a slight margin and dove into the sea. The giant splash caused water to wash up on the deck of the cruiser as the captain quickly noticed something strange and viewed things from his spyglass.
He saw a man with a gag tied into his mouth barely hanging on the grill of the deck with his chin as he seemed to struggle and glare in his direction. The captain's eyes widened instantly.
"Ceasefire! Those are prisoners on board. Our men! Approach with caution and rescue them!"
---
*Chk*
Nik saw the last waterbender stepping down from the Fire Nation Cruiser and then he touched its surface with his left hand, causing it to disappear. Who knew that the second cruiser would come in handy!
Yoki finally used his prisoners as a bait while they left for the more outer ends of the northern region with their other ship. The Northern Water Tribe is well-protected from each side but it's no trouble for a group of waterbenders to infiltrate the giant tribe with the size equivalent to larger cities of the Earth Kingdom.
*Huff*
A warm huff blew across Nik's hair as he chuckled and turned around, patting the nose of the Komodo Rhino behind him.
One resource they didn't give up was the Komodo Rhinos. These beasts were sturdy and durable enough to weather the environment of the north pole.
Of course, there were still tanks used by the Fire Nation but their appearance and noise are too conspicuous to simply ride them easily. Like others, Nik pulled up his hood and sat on the Rhino's saddle before leading it towards others who already had a rhino each. Of course, there were a few Komodo Rhinos left but they simply followed the herd.
"Do you think Wu or Sun gave them our message?" Katara inquired once Nik got closer. The Rhinos moved slowly despite their agility for only one reason. Lack of visibility. According to Yoki, the Northern Water Tribe has its environment controlled by waterbenders regularly but outside the defenses of the tribe, the environment was certainly harsh.
Katara wore her thicker clothes she had with her since the beginning of her adventure. Meanwhile, Suki wore a blue scarf over her head to cover her ears and refrained from wearing her armor. Still, her gloves and thicker warrior robes turned out surprisingly warm enough.
"I don't know," Nik shook his head. He wasn't sure about Wu after the message made from mist but then again, he might just be getting led falsely by the fog of lost souls itself.
"Don't worry, Aang needs to learn waterbending. This location is definitely in his mind to visit. And it's been so long since we've been on that ship. For all we know, they might already be in the Water Tribe's Capital."
"Safely?" Nik inquired, "After all, this place is under the Phoenix King's rule... that's why we are sneaking around."
"We aren't sneaking around. Just tactically approaching home ground," Yoki scoffed from afar as if offended by the statement.
"To launch a coup," Nik retorted.
"To rectify a mistake," Yoki continued.
"Oh, please. The only mistake here is that your chief was stupid enough and lacked judgment of character to chose a weak-hearted coward as the successor. I would have looked for someone tougher," Hama snorted and Yoki clicked his tongue.
"This doesn't help me at all," Katara pouted slightly.
"Hmm..." Nik hummed and he looked towards the direction they began moving from, "Are you really that worried? Why not ask them directly?"
"Huh?" Katara and Suki looked towards the sky but failed to find anything. Still, a moment's mischief took over Nik's heart and he stood on the Komodo Rhino's saddle. His balance was almost impeccable and to everyone's surprise, Nik suddenly began to waterbend a giant wall. What surprised them wasn't the sudden nature of the situation but the level of bending itself.
Hama's eyes widened momentarily as Nik continued to raise his hand with his chi seeping out. The wall grew thinner and tinier as it continued to grow. His arms trembled but his smile also widened as the slope of this 'wall' became more apparent.
"That's a..." Suki whispered.
"It's Aang. I'm sure he'd love this," Nik grinned, more than happy to meet the others. Especially Aang since the boy has always been troubled due to his origin.
"Is this even safe?" Katara instantly inquired with a worried expression.
"We'll see," Nik muttered.
"What's going on?" Yoki stopped the group's movement and everyone looked in a specific direction.
"It's the Avatar we told you about. And Katara's brother. They are nearby," Nik replied as he sat back down and petted the lovable rhino's head.
"How did you know?" Hama inquired with her wrinkled forehead folding into a frown.
"I heard the sky bison growling in annoyance and loud screeches of a winged lemur." Nik shrugged. That basically happened to be Appa's and Momo's relationship.
---
"Don't be so pissed all the time," Mai replied non-committally as a vein popped over Pakku's forehead that reached his receding hairline like a strike of lightning.
"I'm not pissed, young woman! But treat your elders with respect!" He demanded with a fierce glare. Mai's addition to the team had strangely removed Sokka's and Pakku's problems. It was as if Pakku would turn to the newest member to pick annoying fights with.
His words caused Mai to seriously stare at Pakku. Everyone except Aang wore thicker clothes. Mai had a hooded, fur-lined dark-blue coat. This stare lasted for a few long seconds until she looked away, "I hope that the Northern Tribe is the slightest bit interested compared to an old man picking on women who want nothing to do with him."
"You..." Pakku's lips twitched. His fists, arms, and shoulders trembling at the blatant disrespect.
*Krrch*
Momo who flew in front of Appa with its tail sometimes tickling the bridge of the gentle giant's nose suddenly screeched softly and dove down.
"Momo!" Aang gasped and Appa strangely growled, too. His giant body leaned down without Aang's direction before Aang forcefully stopped Appa in front of a thin, reflective icy peak with a gradual and gentle slope this high in the air.
"Tom, pinch me... hard. Cause I'm seeing a slide made of ice," Sokka muttered as Tom took out a metal plier from god knows where and suddenly pinched Sokka's arm through his thick coat.
"Aaaaghhhhh! Not with that!" Sokka shouted, rolling on Appa's back while Mai suddenly stood up. A knife was already in her hand while Tom-Tom flinched seeing this. He seemed to be... traumatized by the sight of Mai with a knife. He wasn't alone. Sokka grew quiet while Pakku looked away with a grumbling tone. Only Aang looked back curiously.
"What is it, Mai?" Aang inquired.
"I'm bored of Appa," Mai replied.
*Graaaghhhh*
Appa grunted loudly as Aang petted his head with a sheepish expression.
"So, pick me on the ground," Mai spoke as she jumped off of Appa's back, adeptly landing on the icy slope as she slid down instantly.
"Mai!" Tom-Tom called out but soon realized that the knife in her hand had its tip stabbed into the slope as it helped her control her speed and direction.
Aang's gaze widened.
"Appa, go down! Yip-Yip!" Aang suddenly jumped from Appa's head, too.
"Aang!" Others called out again yet he slid down with the end of his wooden staff pressed against the slope itself.
"Too much for being cautious... this may be the fire nation's plan! To lure Aang using his child-like nature..." Sokka scowled as he readied his weapons.
"Really? I wanted to try it, too... but Mai would have trained me further..." he shivered, not due to the cold temperature. Sokka and Pakku revealed a look of understanding as they all readied themselves for the possible siege.
"Still, Fire Nation Soldiers are better than stopping every day just because Mai cannot sleep on the ground," Sokka complained.
"Say that in front of her," Tom-Tom scoffed.
"I did, she's just too afraid to face the truth I'm stating. See? She jumped off Appa because she knew she wouldn't be able to handle me," Sokka shrugged with a serious expression.
The two remaining members only glanced at him with a brutally indifferent gaze. After all, this wasn't the first time when Mai happened to be away and Sokka complained about her.
---
*Chhrt*
Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of a giant furry being getting close to the peak of slope Nik created. The visibility was low but not bad enough to not even notice a Sky Bison getting close.
However, a small furry creature soon flew towards Nik, quickly slipped into his hoody, and quickly curled on top of his head.
"Momo!" Katara grinned and she quickly looked up once again.
Momo's ears drooped at the moment and he continued to stay on top of Nik silently.
"They really are here, what a coincidence," Suki smiled.
"Coincidence... yeah," Nik nodded.
Why was he having trouble believing that it wasn't just a sheer coincidence?
"Oh, look! Someone really is sliding down that slide," Yoki pointed out. However, the trio frowned. That wasn't Aang. First of all, he wasn't that tall. Second, he didn't have dark hair long enough to be whipping due to the momentum gained from the slide.
As the figure grew closer, the trio finally saw a semblance of Aang jumping down the slide with Appa slowly descending. Still, who was this mysterious figure getting closer and closer? They couldn't see her face but they knew that this fearless individual was a female.
Nik's eyes widened momentarily as he recalled Michi's gloomy little daughter. Her naturally narrow eyes seemed to have already locked onto him.
"You're dead..." Mai whispered to herself, unaware of Nik's greater hearing sense.
"Here, catch," Nik quickly called out as he picked Momo from the top of his head and tossed him towards Suki.
"Eee!" she yelped but did catch onto the equally stunned lemur who was more than willing to show his affection by lazing on top of Nik's head.
Not wasting a single moment as Mai almost reach the end of the slide, Nik got down from his Komodo. By now, others understood that things didn't seem so simple and Nik felt the same. After all, why would Mai suddenly resolve to kill him even if it's just words at this point?
Of course, the first thought that came to his mind was that Michi somehow disclosed her affair with him... but she didn't seem to be the kind to just speak about it. And the other thing that surprised the trio was Mai's addition to Aang's group itself!
*Swish*
*Swish*
*Swish*
As Mai rolled down the snowy surface, she instantly extended her arm out and shot multiple projectiles from her sleeves. Not the best move to do in front of waterbenders who were extremely tense at this point not only to return to their home but also to meet the Avatar. The moment Mai attacked, Nik slid his foot forward and waved his arm in front of him in a circular manner that caused the surrounding chill to condense into a blob of water which was pierced by the needles and they lose their momentum before being able to puncture through the other side.
Hama shrugged seeing this was... quite satisfied. Not that she would admit it in front of anyone. Meanwhile, Katara, Yoki, and two other waterbenders suddenly caused the ice and snow around Mai to condense into cruel spikes that pointed in her direction, causing her to stop in an instant.
Mai silently stared at Nik who returned the look with equal curiosity. These needles would hardly kill him and the fact that Mai didn't launch the knife in her hand instead made Nik feel that her words previously were truly something she said to herself out of the pure moment of it.
'But how did she find out?' Nik grew curious.
"Who the hell are you?!" Yoki growled.
"Woo-hooooooo!"
A loud cheer rang and Aang was in fact increasing his speed deliberately with the cold wind smashing through his face making an excited grin plaster over his lips.
"Be careful!" Katara called out worriedly, dispelling her side of the icy spikes.
Nik, who kept his eye on Mai only, instantly smiled as she tried to move only to find thick ice locking her feet onto the snowy ground.
*Sssshhhh*
Aang finally reached the base but instead of rolling, he stuck his stuff and rolled around it before jumping high in the sky, shouting, "That was amazing!"
Not even waiting on the ground for a second, a ball of air raced him up the slide again, leaving only his loud chuckles.
"That's the Avatara?" Yoki... didn't know what to feel.
"See?" Nik shrugged, his and even Katara's and Suki's gaze reflecting the epitome of 'I told you so'— look.
*Graaaghhh*
Appa finally landed, causing a gust of snow to rise up as the other Komodo Rhinos were instantly intimidated by the giant beast yet they were trained enough to quickly calm down at the various indications by their current masters.
"Prepare to face my—" Sokka jumped out from behind Appa, holding his boomerang only to grow silent, "Katara?"
Not waiting for him to speak anything more, Katara jumped from her rhino and tackled her brother into the ice while giving him a tight hug.
"Mai! You look frozen stiff..." Tom-Tom poked, learning the art from humor from Sokka during their adventure as Mai rolled her eyes and shot Nik a glance, "Get me out of these."
Nik turned to look at Suki who shrugged with a pout and looked away. Even she understood where Mai's aggression came from and if possible... Suki wanted Nik to learn his lesson...
'Even though we weren't together but still... he was fake married to Katara. How could he?!' She scoffed internally.
"Master Pakku!"
Before the old man with a receding hairline till the back of his head could understand what was going on, he too, was tackled into the ground by the bear-like Yoki.
*Oomph*
---
"What?! You lost them?"
Zhao scowled.
Ever since the incident in Omashu and the Makapu Village, there has been a rise in distrust regarding his ability to carry out tasks by the Phoenix King. In fact, with the interference of the Fire Lord, Makapu Village wasn't held accountable. Neither were the guards. The act of secretly keeping prisoners was taken as a direct offense against the Fire Nation and the Phoenix King conveniently turned the direct superior into a scapegoat for the situation.
However, this has also caused Zhao to hear a rumor that the Phoenix King and the Fire Lord were growing warier of each other to the point that the Fire Lord ended his procession before meeting with the Phoenix King on in Ba Sing Se and making arrangements to return to the Fire Nation.
Zhao glared at the quivering guard and scowled, "Get out. See to the prisoners that they are well-rested. Those waterbending bozos might have traumatized the prisoners. And interrogate each of them by the end of the day. Take the guard team not on duty today to assist with the task."
Anger was no reason to pass down unreasonable tasks so Zhao gave his direct subordinate enough resources to complete his orders.
Once the man left, Zhao's eyes flashed darkly.
He had taken a long trip to this location and his mood wasn't great in the first place and now this...
Ever since he met the team Avatar, he only found his situation getting worse.
However, there was one individual in this team who Zhao despised the most and also happened to have 'sponsored' all these escapades using his strange bending skill.
'Nik...' Zhao clenched his fist.
He looked around his office. This was his personal battleship so his effects were present in here, too. Multiple golden ornaments were granted by the Phoenix King for his exemplary performance. Even the subjugation of the Northern Water Tribe was credited under his name.
"If I can do it once, I can do it again. Especially with that coward of a chief. God, thinking of him made me recall Ukano's son-in-law... wastrels."
Zhao huffed, feeling a bit humorous. After all, both these men were also involved with women far stronger than them either physically, mentally, or both. Zhao shook his head and sighed deeply.
***
A/N: If it isn't apparent by now then Zhao is the new 'pre-tea Iroh therapy' Zuko.
And, the adventure in the water tribe will be the end of the first section similar to the Avatar episodes i.e. Book: Water. After a few chapters and probably more than necessary R18 stuff within the northern tribe, the events related to the second book would transpire.
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