Avatar: Forsaken

Gen took to watching each little movement of Zara's fingers while she finished up healing Mabu's injuries. He found it remarkable how some Water Benders had this ability, unique to their art. The way the water flowed, seeping into the injuries and repairing the physical damage fascinated him. There was nothing even close to it in his native element of earth. With the last of the water absorbed into Mabu's wounds the moose lion willed his tail to pat against the ground with what energy he could spare, letting the others know that he was feeling better. With a huff of air out of his nose, kicking up traces of dust and dirt, Mabu made it known he would not be moving for a little while by tucking in his legs for a more comfortable laying position.

Standing up, Gen looked from Zara to Jao-Tin. They were the last two Water Benders in their tribe? It made him wonder who Jao-Tin had learned from. He didn't strike Gen as being terribly old. As a matter of fact, Jao-Tin was in better shape than he was! As Gen took a moment to look down at his comparatively smaller chest and shoulders, his stomach again growled with irritation. His face sank in embarrassment while his brown eyes trailed over to the three platypus bears that Jao-Tin had taken care of.

"So... about that deal for food we had made earlier?" the tone of his voice hinted his hesitance. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Zara's Water Bending master. He had helped them, sure, but the man seemed set in old traditions and hard on his student. "Are we still going with that? We... caught a few more of them than we planed."
 
"Deal?" Jao-Tin questioned strangely. Zara did her best not to turn over to Gen and pierce him with an angry gaze. Hadn't he just heard how disappointed Jao-Tin was at Zara for not training like she was supposed to? And now how had to mention the deal? Her fingers flew up to her feathers, staining them with a little bit of blood from Mabu's wounds. Jao-Tin quickly noticed the act of anxiety. Darn it, she shouted in her head!

"I...they both were hungry..."

"So, you thought to go chasing after 4 platypus bears?"

"I didn't mean to 4 of them to come!"

"Zara, you know about how they are..." Zara was too overwhelmed with disappointment to fight back with him. He was right in every which way possible; she just hated coming to grips with it. Half of her wanted to blame Gen, blue eyes sliding over to him for a moment. He was too engrossed in Mabu and his state of being. Her face fell instantly in annoyance, left eyebrow twitching. Coulda at least tried to help...

"Come. Let's get these bears from the tree and take them to the village and we'll see what we can do about your lion friend." Jao-Tin said, speaking to both Zara and Gen. Jao-Tin suddenly stopped in remembrance, turning over to Gen with a his hands hanging loosely at his side, standing at his full height. Zara still had a tough time believing he was a wise Water Bender master, being so young in his age.

"You're an Earth Bender, correct?"he asked. Uh oh. Zara's eyes snapped towards Gen's wondering how he would respond. Would he tell her master that he was a Multi-Bender? That he was the Avatar?
 
Seeing Zara glaring at him the way she did, Gen knew he had made a mistaken by mentioning their deal for food. He hadn't meant to get her in any trouble, but her master didn't seem at all interested in the fact that she only stopped to help Mabu and him out. She tried to stand up for herself but Jao-Tin quickly struck down her reasoning, leaving her without an argument. He wanted to speak out for her behalf... but something told him Jao-Tin would be just as dismissive of his answers as he was of Zara's. That even if Gen told him that it wasn't her fault and she only stopped training when he stumbled upon her, he would only have something negative to say.

Jao-Tin either had a plan to get Mabu up and moving or he simply didn't care that the tired and hungry moose lion was taking a well deserved rest. Either way, Gen was hesitant to comply. The promise of food being his only real incentive. Well, that and making things up to Zara for ruining her day. Gen was about to answer when Jao-Tin asked him about being an Earth Bender, not failing to notice the look Zara shot him. Could he really lie to a master and a man who just saved his life? Gen didn't see much of a choice, hoping the guy didn't see when he had used Fire Bending to help Zara. The fear that he would refuse to aid him any further if he heard Gen tell him the truth, that he was the Avatar was too great. As long as Zara didn't say anything his secret should be safe.

"Yes, that's right. I'm an Earth Bender." he admitted, doing his best to keep eye contact with Jao-Tin as he spoke. It was the truth, in a sense. The thought didn't help his conscious any, however. "Why do you ask?" his dark brown eyes met Zara's bright blue ones, sending her a silent plead to not sell him out before he looked back to Jao-Tin.

The chatter had Mabu acting restless, making a loud, drawn out groaning sound and kicking his legs out like a young dog that was trying to run while it was dreaming before startling himself and raising his head in surprise. His coal black eyes looked over each one of the benders around him accusingly.
 
Even Zara looked at Jao-Tin confusion when he asked Gena bout his bending abilities. She didn't see why it was so important for him to know about something like that at a time like that, as well. Mabu as healed but still recovering from the internal pain, loss of blood, that kind of thing. A casual conversation about bending was pointless. Her lips pressed into a confused pout, avoiding the two boys eyes and bringing them to Mabu instead. The poor thing was whimpering and shorting like crazy. She found that oddly satisfying. Better him to be pissed off than dead.

"Tis simple, is it not? You Earth Bend your friend here to our village. Surly, you don't mean to make a poor old man and a little girl carry him and the food, do you not?" Zara's face burned pink in frustration. Old man? Little girl? Hopefully Gen could see through this man's horrible sense of humor.

"He's right. Your Earth Bending is just what we need to move large objects. Not...not that you're large, Mabu!"she added quickly, a bead of sweat forming at the side of her brow. Her feathers ruffled as she turned to the moose lion on the ground, holding her hands out in an apologetic gesture. "S-sorry!"

Jao-Tin ignored Zara's usual ramblings walking straight up to Gen. His brown eyes were unwavering as he looked the boy up and down. Zara long since stopped her sputtering to hear the awkward moment of silence. To her dismay, she found Jao-Tin closing in on Gen with a strange look in his eye.

"You intrigue me, boy, and I do not know why..."he said in a hushed whisper. Immediately, Zara's face drained from its color, stilling in her movements. He couldn't have seen traces of some spiritual power within Gen that quickly! Jao-Tin was wise about a lot of things, even the spirit world, but to automatically notice the Avatar? Impossible! At least, she hoped it was.

"G-Guys...Ma...Mabu..."she said, standing on one foot to point at the moose lion. He wasn't really bothered, but she needed some kind of excuse to get the two of them to stop staring at each other before Jao-Tin has an enlightenment. Zara looked to Gen, face falling in a frustrated frown as she mouthed the words, "HURRY UP."

 
Seeing Mabu behaving more like his typical self had Gen ready to run and hug his friend around the neck. That is, he would have had Jao-Tin not been engaging him in conversation. His answer was just like he said, simple. So simple in fact, Gen felt a little embarrassed that he even had to ask for an explanation. His little comment about doing it for the sake of "an old man and little girl" feel flat not only on Gen, but Zara as well from the look on her face.

The little exchange between Zara and Mabu got Gen to crack a smile for a moment, until he realized that Jao-Tin was walking up to look him square in the eyes. What he said next erased Gen's smirk clean off his face and he had to force himself not to look terrified by what he was so dangerously close to discovering. "You'd be surprised how often I hear that." he said in a panic, hoping the man would take it as a young man's joke and attempt to seem important. His instinct was to change the subject, which thankfully Zara did for him. "Right... I've got just the solution." he said, walking past Jao-Tin so he wouldn't see him mouth "THANK YOU" back to her.

Walking over to Mabu, Gen gestured for Zara to take a step back. "Hold still, boy. I'll take care of everything." he assured Mabu, who looked like he was about to try and stand up. The moose lion was proud but he wasn't about to ruin Gen's ruse, so he laid back down with a groan.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, Gen bent both elbows and brought his hands down by his waist. With a solid stomp of his foot he got the ground beneath him to tremble, sending waves of his elemental energy coursing through the Earth. The soil shifted and reformed itself, making a rough circle around where Mabu was laying. Extending his arms forward, his fingers straightened, Gen slowly began to lift both arms up. The ground began quaking and tearing itself apart with a loud rumble, but Mabu started to raise into the air on a large chunk of dirt and rock.

Gen turned to look at the two Water Benders, a wide grin on his face. His right hand was held out by his shoulder, flat palm facing skyward like a delivery boy would carry a pizza box while the big slab of Earth that used to be part of the ground levitated next to him. "Well? I assume this works for the two of you?" he asked in a light-hearted tone, looking from Zara to Jao-Tin and back. "If you need me to carry the bears too just say so." he threw in, enjoying his chance to show off a little.

Let's see her mock my bending now.
 
"Not bad..."

"Not bad?! He lifted a whole chuncka ground with a MOOSE LION on it!"she exclaimed, pointing from Jao-Tin, to Gen, and back to Jao-Tin. Her face was puffed out like she had been given a face lift on every inch side of her visage. Her eyes had surely doubled a size or two when he bent Mabu in the air with little to no force. The ground quaked in the usual strain when a seismic power was transferring from one host to the earth itself. His foot had did most of the work, leveling the ground just enough to soften the edges of the circles that his hands formed. Jao-Tin had always told her the way Earth Benders did their job, but seeing Gen doing it like it was cotton was a different experience.

The again...he was the Avatar.

"I didn't put it past him to show that much strength." Zara's skin drained again for the umpteenth since Jao-Tin's arrival. The man practically carried anxiety and fear around on his shoulders. That statement came straight from Zara's mind...how did Jao-Tin...unless he did know that Gen was the Avatar. While the kid was standing with a smug look on his face, Zara was gazing up at her master, trying to wipe her face clean from any fear or anxiety. He fed off of those things.

"H-how so...?"

"Earth benders have always reacted as such when their companions would become hurt or maimed. Their true strength is buffed by their will and determination to save who is precious to them. The Earth, in turn bends to that will."

Oh, good. It was just a speech. Zara swallowed her response and exhale of relief in a small applause in Gen's general direction. "Wow! That's some Earth Bending!"she exclaimed, waving up at Mabu from his elevated height.

"I do not expect you to lift all of the beasts at first." Jao-Tin cut in, turning his broad and overly in shape back towards the two, facing the direction the three had came from. "We make 2 trips." Zara's face was still red with excitement and pride at Gen's Earth Bending, but orders were orders.

"I hope you can hold your weight!"she said to Gen, winking at him before she twisted easily on her sandals, following closely behind Jao-Tin, but not too closely. She didn't want him to come to any conclusions on the way back to the village.
 
True to his title of master, Jao-Tin was very knowledgeable about the ways of Earth Bending. He was quite insightful, too. Gen wasn't sure if the man could tell he was the Avatar or if his behavior was coincidental. Either way, it was pretty unnerving to Gen who strayed a little too far behind the Water Benders while following them. Perhaps he had taken it a little far with his display of power... he was feeling pretty drained.

Mabu on the other hand was quite happy with this role reversal situation, a detail that was not lost on Gen. "Don't go thinking this will be a regular thing, Mabu." he said through heavy breaths. "Zara was just trying to be polite when she said you weren't big." Mabu groaned with disapproval over Gen's attempt at humor. Gen looked up only to see that Mabu was already staring back down at him, giving a gesture with his snout towards Zara and Jao-Tin.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it."

Gen pushed himself to follow the Water Benders more closely, not wanting to look lazy or weak after going through the trouble he did to show off a little elemental power. Even more so after the comment Zara made about Gen being able to hold his weight. He might have been tired but there was no way his pride as a bender would let him look bad now...

... but his empty stomach would. "How far away is your tribe, by the way? I might need something to eat before we go back for the platypus bears."

Thinking on it, it was probably safer around Jao-Tin not to seem too powerful. He had already heard that Gen was hungry. It was probably the reason he suggested that they make two trips in the first place.
 
The forest was growing darker as the sun dipped behind the sky's deep edges. The chittering and chattering of animals softened exceedingly, rustlings coming fewer and not as frequent as the dawn of the day. A faint breeze picked up, bringing with it promises of a cool night for the tribe and all who were around the forest. Zara remembered that she spent most of the morning training in secret with Jao-Tin underneath their tent. It was the only safe and secure place they could do the art without getting cross looks from every direction and rocks tossed at them. Really. It did happen once. Zara pulled the water of a canteen from her hands, spinning it lightly in in circle before a hard clunk! struck against her head. That's when she began to see it: The age of the benders...it was dying quickly.

The rest of the day she spent in the forest itself to practice the technique that Jao-Tin spent no time helping her own whatsoever. He just threw her out there was a tad bit of confidence and an order. Not quite the mastering she needed. Daylight was dying in small seconds, so much that Zara actually shivered in the breeze.

"True. It's getting dark and cold. Shouldn't we just take one when we get back?"

"And leave the other 3 to rot?" Zara made a disgusted face and turned her attention back to Gen, shrugging with an 'I tried' look on her face.
 
The fact his first question went unanswered didn't escape Gen's notice. After an exhausted sigh, Gen brought the hand that wasn't carrying Mabu and the earth chunk up behind his neck. Jao-Tin planed for them to go back and get all four of the bears in the dark despite Zara's attempt to help make things easier on all of them. If Jao-Tin was like this all the time, Gen was beginning to understand why she had made those seemingly unprovoked rants earlier. It seemed to be a trend that bending masters were hard on their students. His Earth Bending master was a tough woman, that was for sure. Even for an Avatar born into the Earth element. He could only imagine how things were like trying to study Water Bending under Jao-Tin.

It was just too bad the bears weren't near any significant sources of water. They could have frozen them overnight and retrieved them in the morning. He guessed Jao-Tin was correct, it wouldn't be right to leave three of the bears to waste away. Why was doing the right thing always the hard thing?

"Say... you don't happen to have frozen berry pops in your village, do you?" he asked with hopeful optimism. After all of this trouble, he figured his favorite treat would be a reasonable bonus on top of a real meal. He hadn't had the pleasure of tasting one in over a month and it was long overdue. Zara said her tribe had machinery. With any luck, they made them right in the village.
 
Jao-Tin had finally grown quiet to Zara's relief. Hearing him talk about things that had to be done. When she was around him, she sometimes forgot that she was a kid and liked to have fun. Jao-Tin was water bending all the time. Even though Zara loved to bend with every fiber of her being, she could have fun with bending more than just practice and moves all the time. Jao-Tin saw so much potential in her that he put her bending on a very high pedestal. Even when she was tired, sick, and needed a break, Jao-Tin believed in her sheer will power to pull her through even the most difficult of trials.

A master is what a master does.

"Say... you don't happen to have frozen berry pops in your village, do you?" Zara's eyes practically burst from their sockets when she heard the words "frozen" and "berry" put together! Her body completely did a 180, facing him as she walked backwards again, just as she had done when the two first met. Zara was good at the art, and even better at getting her attention distracted by one sentence.

"Do we?! I make those things! You, sir, are looking at the greatest frozen berry pop maker on this side of the Earth Kingdom."she said, lifting her chin in the air with a smug expression. It reminded her of the same look Gen held when he held Mabu up with the rock: confidence. It was true. Zara made the best ones any of her tribe had tasted thus far! If she could call it one, making frozen berry pops was her job! Jao-Tin refused to comment on the matter, knowing that it was a stated fact. He would sneak one or two away from her while she grew distracted with another task.

"I'll make a whole bunch when we get t--"

"Here." Jao-Tin stated, looking at the small village looming closer into view.
 
If that wasn't the best news Gen hadn't heard in weeks, he wasn't sure what was! "You're kidding!" he exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration. "You make my favorite thing to eat in the summer? Maybe even ever?!" he said, practically running to catch up with Zara. He didn't care if it made him seem childish to love frozen berry pops so much. They were so sweet and refreshing...

Gen became overly excited, so much so that all of the fatigue he felt only moments ago seemed to disappear. Jao-Tin interrupted Zara's proposal to make them many, many pops to announce that they had arrived near the village. Gen was perhaps a little too eager to eat and see a real water tribe village. He nearly forgot to keep hold of the large chunk of earth that Mabu was floating on, practically dropping him to sprint when the sensation that elemental force was slipping from his body had him catch the slab of dirt before it managed to fall too far. "Sorry, Mabu!" he called back, looking over his shoulder to make sure his friend hadn't fallen off.

The village was beautiful... at least, it was to Gen who had never before set eyes on such structures. Large domes covered their buildings to serve as rooftops in place of the angular ones covered in layers of shingles that they had in Baoleng. They seemed much more elegant. In fact, most things seemed rounder in Zara's village. The colors blue and white were heavily used, too. Not surprising, but something Gen wasn't used to. "So this is a Water Tribe village..." Gen muttered mostly to himself, his neck bending around to admire more of their unique architecture.

Some of the people who happened to be out of the streets were looking in the trio's direction, alarmed not only to see an outsider but a Moose Lion that was laying on top of a floating piece of dirt. He overheard some of them murmuring among themselves, catching the names of Zara and Jao-Tin and Earth Bender, referring to Gen. Others ran at the sight of the big predatory animal. It certainly didn't make Gen feel welcomed, but then he honestly didn't expect any different. At least they didn't know just who he was. They would surely throw him out of town... just like his own home and family had done.
 
Zara had instantly become engrossed with the tale of the frozen berry pops! Her face lit up brightly, pulling her lips back into a large smile as she went on and on of the different flavors she experienced with, making one of the best frozen berry pops the village had ever known! Zara even went back into her memory to tell him of the time she made the best frozen berry pop in the world...but forgot what she put in it. A hearty laugh blurted out of her mouth as the three of them walked through the village past gasps and dirty looks.

Jao-Tin got more dirty looks than either Zara, Gen, and even Mabu! He was the tallest of the trio and definitely the biggest. The village had dubbed him scum since everyone knew he was teaching Zara how to Water Bend for more than just daily needs. He was teaching her moves, techniques, and strategies. To the village, he could have been training a secret underwater army of Water Benders and not just one girl eager to learn! Many thought he was forcing Zara into doing something she had no eagerness to do. That was a dead end. Zara loved Water Bending just as Jao-Tin did! She wasn't some little pawn that he could flood his actions into; he was her Master.

At the head of the village was a giant stone pillar depicting the late Avatar Korra. She stood with long flowed hair that was carved to sway around her shoulders like the ever going waves of the ocean. She wore the contemporary Water Tribe clothes, her stone eyes staring above her into the air, hands at the ancient Water Bending stance. Jao-Tin and Zara both naturally looked up at the statue and scowled.

It was missing half of her body.

The tribe was taking it down just as the other nations were taking down the statues of all the Avatars that had been placed around the world. Avatar Korra. Avatar Aang. Avatar Roku. Avatar Kiyoshi. All of them were being demolished. It was what they called...'cleaning the slate.' Ridding the world with everyone Avatar-related except for stories which would eventually die out as well. No one really cared anymore. No one needed an Avatar.

Unconsciously, Zara turned her head towards Gen and gave him a sad look, lips pulling down in a empathetic frown. He didn't need to say anything and neither did she. Gen was not long for the world.

"Zara. Hurry." She snapped her face away from his eyes, blushing at what she thought was staring, before she rushed behind Jao-Tin as the three of them traveled deeper into the village, closer to the ocean.
 
Regardless of the looks the group received from the villagers, Gen was enjoying the sights of the Water Tribe. That is until he noticed that Zara and Jao-Tin were both looking up at the same thing with a look of disgust on their faces. Gen turned his brown eyes in the direction they were scowling in only to see a wondrous statue of Avatar Korra.

Being torn down.

His brows arched, showing more fear than anger. He had seen people do the same thing to any symbols of past Avatars in Baoleng. Now he was beginning to wonder if this was happening all over the world. He had heard rumors that it was true, even been treated like a criminal in more places than his home. Still, to see physical evidence was something else altogether. Mabu made a defensive snarl or two, sensing Gen's distress. Having seen enough, Gen looked back over to the Water Benders, noticing a look of sorrow from Zara that was directed at him, only to have it broken away by Jao-Tin's command. She hurried along behind him, Gen again trailing a few steps back.

Trailing behind in silence make it easy to pick up the sound of waves crashing into shore out in the distance. It had to be the ocean, unless Gen had gotten himself even more lost than he realized. They were still in the village however, moving deeper than Gen would have liked. Now that he was here his stomach was steadily growing impatient with him. What did he expect, to get fed the second they arrived? As if in protest his stomach again grumbled, Mabu in turn whined and laid his head wearily down on the plot of dirt he was floating along on. "I don't want to hear it, Mabu." Gen teased after shrugging off the embarrassment of having his stomach growl out loud. "You're not doing any of the work right now while my arm is going numb. We'll be eating soon enough." Mabu responded with a deep grunt, apparently not assured in the slightest. He had heard they were going to be eating soon all day and he had grown tired of waiting.
 
It didn't take them long to get to the edge of the ocean, a good ways away from the tribe's market. Jao-Tin and Zara ignored all glares, scowls, and mutterings. It was the usual attitude of walking through the village. For a second or two, everyone gave Gen looks and smiled at him while he lifted Mabu through the tribe. Apparently, they had nothing against Earth Bending. Just Water Bending. Ironic, was it not? Then again, Baoleng did give the tribe most of the supplies and goods that they needed in exchange for foods. Whale blubber for fuel, an abundance of fish, and some other things that Baoleng asked for. For instance, they wanted the bark from the trees in the forest. No one knew why, but if they provided money and goods, it was good for something. A lapping sound at the edge of the ocean caught Zara's attention, looking up to see Jao-Tin standing in front of her, looking at her.

"You do the honors this time since you didn't do much training."

"But I--"

"Now, Zara." Zara fought hard not to make a frown before she stepped towards the edge of the ocean. Wave after wave of water made mesmerizing sounds. They licked away at the soles of her sandals, tickling between the skin enough to make her fidget, but Jao-Tin was watching. She wouldn't dare laugh in front of him. So, taking a small breath, Zara closed her eyes and lifted her hands up. As soon as they were about mid stomach line, her fingers pricked in the power between her will and the elements. Instantly, the water rose to the same height as her hands lifted more and more. The water followed her every movement, spraying in different places at her lack of focus. She was still thinking about Gen. Shouldn't he be doing this since he's the Avatar and all?

"Focus, Zara!"

Zara opened her eyes and immediately separated her hands from one another, pulling the water apart to peel back a well of stairs, dipping down into the ocean. She held the stance and looked to both Gen and Jao-Tin.
"You two first." Jao-Tin nodded towards her, more at her bending and not the order, before he walked down the stairs of the open ocean.
 
The water of the ocean reacted strongly to Zara, rising up to meet the height of her hands while looking as though it were dancing. Water Bending had always looked incredible to Gen. The way the water continues to move so elegantly even when under the will of the bender was so unlike his Earth Bending. With the separation of Zara's hands the water was cleaved in two, revealing a set of stairs hidden below the waves.

Gen's eyes shot open at the sight. It was certainly unexpected. What would two Water Benders need a secret hideaway for? Looking over his shoulder back at the village for a moment, he wondered if their own tribe was really so intolerant of their presence here. He looked back, the question of the tip of his tongue when Zara turned and Jao-Tin made the order to get inside. With that, Mabu made his way off of his bed of floating dirt bed with a grunt. The moose lion was evidently feeling well enough to walk on his own. Gen furrowed his brows before relaxing into a grin, letting the fact Mabu had used him for transportation slide.

One after another the four of them made their way down the stairwell. The stonework that made up this secret hideout was incredible! The polished slate had a breath taking sheen to it, probably cut with precision water bending before machines made for that purpose became popular. At least he guessed it was actual Water Bending, given the age. Gen couldn't help but to reach out his hand and placed his palm against the magnificent rock. Sending a pulse of his energy through the stone he got a mental picture of his surroundings. A simple form of the famous Seismic Sense used for Metal Bending, something he always wanted to learn after seeing the Police Task Force in action for the first time as a boy.

This bunker spanned farther than his vision could see and judging on the layout, he wondered if it was from Avatar Aang's time. Perhaps it was used by the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom for the Hundred Year War. Maybe even the Order of the White Lotus, as they would have members from all over the world with numerous meeting places. The stairs ended in a doorway which opened to reveal a great square room with a set of sturdy double doors on the far wall. Finally his curiosity made him speak up. "Just what is this place? It's not something I would expect members of a Water Tribe to make for themselves."
 
Zara let a comfortable sigh leave her lips the minute they all reached their underwater cavern. The Water Bending it took to get there was no problem to her at all. She believe that it was one of the first things Jao-Tin had taught her when she was only a little girl. If she didn't know how to do it, she would never be able to get inside her own home and would be forced to sleep somewhere in the forest. There may have been a villager or two that might have taken young Zara in, but very few. When finding out that she was being taken in by Jao-Tin, the only Water Bender in their tribe, they got bad vibes. Months later, they saw Zara attempting to lift the water of the ocean to get inside Jao-Tin's home, and that's when they knew it. Zara was the second Water Bender.

Jao-Tin pushed open the double doors and walked inside the room. The walls were made of the same rock as the outside, just more clearly defined. There were contuses for turns and even darker slabs of rock for the borders and frames of doorways and such. It was like walking through a 3 bedroom home somewhere in Baoleng, just with different rock...and underwater. He didn't bother to explain anything to Gen, walking past him and into his room where he shut the whale pelt door behind him. The clap of the closed door settled at Gen and Zara's feet as the two stood silently. Zara blinked once and looked up at Mabu who was still resting on the rock.

"You can put him down now. Don't know what you should do about the rock, though."she joked, winking up at the moose lion who looked down at her as if he had never been wounded in the first place. "This place, is our home. I guess you could tell by now, but most people don't like us benders anymore. Especially me and Jao-Tin. We're the last two in this tribe and...well...I guess you can consider us the outsiders of the pack, huh?"she said with a small shrug. There was a friendly smile on her face that didn't hold for long. She tousled the feathers over her hair and sat down on the whale pelted couch, looking at her fingers.

"Some people here even tried to kill us. Friendly home, isn't it? That's why we're under here. That way, the only way they can get to us is by Water Bending, or sending some submarine to blow us to bits." She paused and darted a sly look over to Gen. "Which they've tried before. It certainly was some fun target practicing." She laughed and pointed to a pot on the stove.

"There, eat up. It's seal shark meat. It's still warm, I guess, but that would have to hold you over until we go get the bears we left, okay?"
 
Gen could sympathize with their situation, having your own home not want you around. Zara herself was pretty matter-of-fact about all of it. At least for the most part. She even made light of telling him about their attempts to get Jao-Tin and herself killed. She must be used to it by now, as sad as that thought is.

Then she laughed. Laughed, at being able to stop their attempts at having the two of them killed via submarine with their Water Bending. Gen didn't think he would ever be able to laugh about being kicked out of Baoleng, or any town after that. In fact, Zara's tribe was probably only a matter of time. She pointed behind Gen and Mabu, both of them turning their heads.

"There, eat up. It's seal shark meat. It's still warm, I guess, but that would have to hold you over until we go get the bears we left, okay?" she informed the two of them, Mabu's tongue already hanging from his mouth like a badger-dog.

"That's great, thanks!" Gen exclaimed, taking up the pot in his hands and turning around to face Zara again. Reaching into the pot, he pulled out a chunk of the meat and tossed it in Mabu's direction, who caught it with a well practiced CHOMP. He figured Mabu could eat first while he continued the conversation with Zara, picking up another piece and throwing it to his friend. "I can't believe they've really tried to kill you. How can they do that and call themselves your tribe?" he spoke more quietly than he intended, unsure just how much Jao-Tin could overhear from in his room. Gen made this point known to Zara, shooting a sideways glance towards the Master's door.

"I should probably tell you the truth about why I was in those woods. I wasn't told by my parents to go experience the world and have some adventure." he stopped only to give Mabu his last bit of seal-shark meat, about half of the pot's contents. "I was exiled... but no one has tried to kill me for what I am. At least not yet." he finished with a shrug of his shoulders, bringing up the first piece of meat for himself. Mabu clearly didn't feel like he was done eating, but understood the gesture. He sat down with a groan, watching Gen carefully just in case any more seal-shark happened to get thrown his way.
 
"Yeah, not yet." She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, tossing a pained and regretful look towards him that she wasn't so sure he would accept. Zara was bad at telling the truth. She wasn't a liar; she just used very brute honesty. And why not? What was the point of sugar coating something that doesn't need to be sugar coated? It was just the same poison as being in denial. Still, she could tell that it bothered him, but her pride wouldn't let her apologize. Instead, she remained silent and let the thoughts seep in while he partook of the seal shark meat that Jao-Tin had spent all evening over.

"I can't believe you're...well...I just can't believe it,"she whispered, careful not to catch his gaze. Instead, she looked over to Mabu and smiled, not getting the same friendly gesture in return. It did better than looking at Gen, however. "You were exiled because you are the...Ava...tar. I am pretty much borderline exiled for being a Water Bender. We're not so much different, are we?"she asked. Once her eyes hit his, a sizzling boiled behind Gen and she snapped up, yelping out in surprise a little bit. Somehow, the food managed to boil out of control. It was her fault for not watching! As she sped towards the pot, her mind left her for a moment. Of course, it was her fault for everything she had been through in her life. It was her fault for agreeing to have Jao-Tin train her, earning her the cold shoulder from the entire village. It was her fault her brother ran away in search of something better for him instead of trying to protect and raise her like he promised their parents. It was her fault Mabu got hurt and that Gen was without food for a long time.

She, in short, was nothing but a disgrace.

"Avatar Gen,"she whispered, turning around to him after she turned the stove off completely. They locked eyes for a second before she bowed, feathers falling on the bridge of her nose, blue eyes plastered directly to the floor. "It's an honor." If he was the Avatar, she had to treat him with respect.
 
"Yeah, I suppose we're not." Gen didn't want to admit it, but he found a sense of comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only bender the rest of the world seemed to despise. Zara shared something in common with him, as awful as it was. Her sudden movement to rush past him had him jump in surprise, dropping the piece of meat he had picked up and getting Mabu's attention. Seeing that she was taking care of some boiling water and that it wasn't some coincidental attack like they were just discussing, Gen made a disappointed expression over the fallen food. Mabu however couldn't have been happier and was looking eagerly towards Gen. With a sigh he kicked the meat over to Mabu then popped the last piece from the pot into his mouth. That was when he heard Zara uttering his name. Turning his head he saw that she finished tending to the water and spun around, the two locked eyes with her for a second.

Then she bowed her head to him. The gesture caught Gen completely off guard and he nearly choked on the seal-shark meat he was in the middle of swallowing! It was the first time anyone had shown him something but disdain towards him for being the Avatar. Gen diverted his eyes, feeling unworthy to accept such a sign of respect. "Thank you, but you don't really need to do that." he whispered back, trying to get her to lift her head back up. "Just knowing there's someone who doesn't automatically hate me is enough. People haven't exactly been accepting of me after I was told that I was the new Avatar." Gen still had one friend back home but it wasn't like he could go and visit him anymore. He wasn't allowed anywhere near Baoleng.
 
"The new Avatar, huh?"

Zara's heart lodged in her throat. Jao-Tin had emerged from his room unseen and unheard of while the two of them were talking. How long he had been leaning against the soft wooden cabinet next to the open dining area, she didn't know. The last part of Gen's sentence was the one she wouldn't have wanted him to here, but he heard anyway. Her heartbeat quickened as her blue eyes slid over to him. He just stood there, lazily leaning over the stand as if what he had heard was not so amusing at all. She didn't dare look over to Gen. He had probably lost all of the color in his face just as she did. The sound of water was the only thing they heard for a while, even though Zara's mouth was open in a sad excuse for an explanation. Jao-Tin's feathers followed him as he stepped away from his doorframe and to the kitchen to where Zara and Gen were.

"They find out you're the master of the four elements and sent you into a forest in the Middle East, close to a Water tribe. I don't suppose you know how to bend the other elements yet, do you? All except for Fire, but that was an accident, wasn't it?"he said, his knowing black eyes flicking to Gen's. Zara remained rigid while her master walked around. Her brain was working a mile a minute. What would he do? Would he banish Gen like Baoleng had done? Would he punish her for not telling him about Gen? And how did he know about the Fire Bending he preformed?

Zara's hands reached up to touch a feather or two atop her head, but a sudden halt of Jao-Tin's steps stopped the gesture. He was standing directly in front of Gen, wild feathers of his clothing bellowing around his calf muscles. The two men exchanged silent gazes, both as unwavering as the other. Zara didn't know where to look or whether or not to speak up.

"Avatar, master of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. You're looking at the last two Water Benders in the Middle East. Our tribe has shunned us for being lower than dirt and less than human in our practices and art. What of you? How do you plan to proceed when the entire globe is out for your blood?"
 
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