After Aang Vanished

Chapter 2: Warning

Feng Zhi was a valley in the northern Fire Nation with mountains on two sides and the ocean at either end. The land there was lush and green, but the high winds and the valley's tendency to flood made it a less than desirable place to live for most Fire Nation citizens. So, instead, it had long been occupied by a small community of Air Nomads, who used the rain-soaked soil to grow rice and fruit, which they farmed and shared communally. Their houses were simple square structures two or three stories high and built on stilted foundations so that the floodwaters would flow harmlessly under them.

"So, how should we do this?" Kuzon asked when they landed just outside the village. "Should we climb the bell tower and ring the bell to gather everybody in the square and then tell them?" He asked.

"No. Remember it's our nation's navy who's behind this attack, even though we want nothing to do with it. It's practically inevitable that some of the people here won't take the warning seriously if it comes from us. So, I think our best bet is warning someone I know will trust us and letting them handle the rest." She replied, walking toward one house in particular.

"Ok, but who would that be?" Kuzon asked as he followed her.

"Their names are Rohan and Sirabi, I've only met them twice before today, but I'm pretty sure they'll listen, and the rest of the people in this valley respect Rohan. They'll listen to him more than us." She said, climbing the ladder onto their raised front porch, but when she got there, she froze.

"Hotaru! We're kind of on a time crunch here. Are you going to knock or what?" Kuzon asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry," she replied. The last time she'd come here had been for information, information they didn't have and wanted just as badly as she did. She'd promised them she wouldn't come back until she had something concrete, yet here she was, about to give two people who had already suffered enough, even more, bad news. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but for their safety, it had to be done. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"I'll get it," said a woman's voice. The door opened to reveal a small-framed, bony, woman with delicate features, large gray eyes, and long, wavy black hair, the front of which was shaved so that her hairline was even with her ears and her sky-blue arrow tattoo was on full display. "Ah, Hotaru, always a pleasure to see you my dear." She said with a smile as she looked down at her guests. "And who is this?" She asked, eyeing Kuzon.

"Oh, this is my friend Kuzon." She replied.

Kuzon smiled at the woman and bowed.

"So what brings you here? Is it..." Sarabi began.

"Unfortunately no," Hotaru said, cutting her off. "I wish, but actually this is about something else. We have reason to believe that the Fire Nation army and navy are about to go on the offensive and that Air Nomads are the targets. For your own safety, it's imperative that you all evacuate this valley. Leave the Fire Nation, you'll be much safer hiding in the forests of the Northern Earth Kingdom, at least for the next few days anyway." Hotaru paused, she hoped it would only be a few days, but if they were right about what the Fire Lord was trying to do, well, she didn't even want to think about that. "Where's Rohan?"

"He's out in the rice fields, it's almost harvest season. He and the others are checking the crop to see how many people it's going to take to bring in the harvest before the Autumn rains wash it away. I'll go get him." She said, running out towards the fields, jumping down from the platform as though it were a single step and running towards the rice fields.

Sarabi's husband Rohan was a tall man with a shaved head, large gray eyes that were narrower than his wife's, chiseled features, and a small, thin, black mustache.