Avatar: Forsaken

Gen's stomach twisted with the sound of Jao-Tin's voice. His eyes clenched, as though he could pretend he never heard the Water Bending master behind him. For one small moment he forgot to speak with care. That slip was now costing him, dearly. When the room fell silent, Gen hesitantly opened his eyes again, peeking to see Jao-Tin walking closer. He quickly found himself face to face with the man, being asked hypothetical questions. Jao-Tin had seem him Fire Bend after all, hadn't he? Gen looked the master in the eye, knowing better than to show weakness despite how intimidating Jao-Tin was.

It was true, Gen didn't have much of a clue about bending the remaining elements. He knew the forms by sight, but each element poses it's own challenges to learn and there was no managing that without a master.

The second question left Gen faltering, feeling uncertain. The fact was, Gen had no answer for him. Nothing practical, at least.
"The only thing I can do." Gen finally found his words again, looking past Jao-Tin to Mabu. "Look for a place that's willing to accept a bender and his moose-lion without wanting them locked up, banished or executed. That place has to exist somewhere. The whole world can't possibly see us in the same light as your village, or my home." Gen knew the answer was naively optimistic the second he finished. What if that place turned out to not exist? What of Jao-Tin was right and the whole world no longer wanted him, or any other bender? They would need another solution, but Gen just didn't have it. It was so frustrating... he was the Avatar and he had no idea what to do! "We'll find a way." he finally added, still disappointed with his own useless answers. "There has to be a way to show the rest of the world that we benders still belong here."
 
She had to admire Gen's courage. While she cowered in fear and refused to answer any of his questions, Gen looked the man in the eye and gave him the most straightforward answer he could possibly come up with. Which meant nothing to either one of them. As soon as his answer hit the air, Zara was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia, and, since Jao-Tin and her exchanged glances, so did he.

"Zara used to think the same exact way when she was a little girl. The people couldn't possibly shun two people just because they have a gift. There was somewhere that she and I belonged. We just had to look for it," Jao-Tin pressed, chuckling in remembrance of Zara's young, caramel face beaming up at his with exasperation. "Now you see where we are. Underwater, away from everything but the submarines." The thought hit Zara hard, her eyes forcing away from the two men and to her sandaled feet. Somewhere, she could hear Mabu's loud breathing, but it did nothing to sooth her the moody cloud that hung over their heads.

"We won't find a way, Avatar Gen. That chant left a long time ago, somewhere dead along with Korra, Aang, and the others. They found ways. They had friends and leaders to help them. And, most importantly, they had Benders. What do we have? Two Benders, a rookie Avatar, and a moose lion." Jao-Tin stepped away from Gen and crossed over to the open window that showed nothing but a crystal blue, peeking out at the aquatic life that zipped by.

"No, We won't find a way. We'll make one. You need to learn the other elements before they kill you. Maybe, just maybe, if the world see's you for what you are, they won't try to kill you. It's a stupid idea that may get you killed, but everyone wants you dead anyway."

"Master!"

"Look past optimism and see logic, both of you. You need to learn Water Bending. We need to know if you're ready or are you gonna run away from here just like you did to Baoleng."
 
Run from Baoleng? Gen's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to retort when he realized that Jao-Tin was right. He did run from Baoleng. It had only taken two pushes from his home to get him to leave. The first time he responded with a verbal protest only to have the city demand that he leave. He was suddenly stricken with disappointment in himself. He was this generation's Avatar! He needed to start acting like it. He assumed that was what Jao-Tin meant when he had explained the plan of action.


"Learn Water Bending, huh?" He mulled the thought over. He knew that he would need to master the four elements eventually, but the traditional cycle called him to learn Fire Bending next. In fact, water should be the last one he learned. "Given the circumstances, I can't exactly refuse, can I? The Avatar has a job to do and now is the time that job starts for me. I'm ready." Gen was trying to sound strong, like he willing to study under another master. The simple truth was that these two Water Benders were the only company he and Mabu had in the past month that lasted more than two hours and now they were offering him a place to stay. At least for now. Besides, what were the odds he would get another chance like this to learn Water Bending.

Mabu understood the significance of this as well, approaching Jao-Tin from behind. His big paw raised up from the floor to swat at the many feathers that decorated the master. It was more to get the man's attention so that he could offer his gratitude than to play around. Meanwhile Gen shot Zara a quick glance, remembering the things she had said about Jao-Tin's teaching methods.

"So... when do we start?"
 
"I'm ready."

Two words she wasn't expecting to hear from him. Not because of who he was as a person. Zara was pretty sure Genw ould be ready for darn near anything anyone called from him! He was a very strong and brave boy! She saw it all first hand when he willingly helped her take on those 4 platypus bears with little to no protection between the two of them. No, Gen himself was courageous. It was the Avatar in him she was shocked to here say was ready. Gen's head was the prize on every king's place in all 4 nations. It was sheer luck that she and Jao-Tin were the ones who found out he was the Avatar rather than anyone else in the village. If anyone else had made discovery, Gen would probably be dead, rotting underground somewhere. Maybe not even that. Would they respect the Avatar enough to actually bury him and not leave his body out to rot?

"Enough of that." Jao-Tin was speaking to Mabu who had suddenly began pawing at his feathers. Zara smiled despite the conversation that had just went on between the three of them. Mabu managed to make her see that life was not completely over. Sure, Jao-Tin's idea was crackpot and would probably get them all killed, but that was life, was it not? The thrill of the adventure? She found herself hopping from her spot at the couch, smiling wildly as she tugged on Gen's arm, blue eyes sparkling like sapphire gems in the moonlight.

"Yeah! I mean...sure...we could all die from this, but you're the Avatar! You're kinda like Korra and Aang and those two were great!" she paused to look him directly in the eyes, wearing the same smile. "You'll be great too. Especially after Jao-Tin gets done training you! Man, are you gonna be one heckofa Water Ben--"

"Who said I was training him?" Jao-Tin broke in, still not facing the two of them. Zara turned around and tilted her head, opening her mouth. As if on cue, Jao-Tin chuckled in that low, dark chuckle that always made Zara silent."I said he needed to learn Water Bending. I never said he needed to learn it from a master. Zara. You're about his age so you can help him with the physical things he needs to learn in order for him to get ready. I've taught you everything you need to know."

"But what about--"

"Except confidence. You still have a problem with that." Zara blushed and looked at Gen once her master grew silent.

"I...guess we're together then."she said with an odd shrug in her shoulders. Her fingers touched the tip of a feather atop her head, nose wrinkling at Gen's expressionless face.
 
"You'll be great too. Especially after Jao-Tin gets done training you! Man, you are gonna be one heckofa Water Ben--"

"Who said I was training him?" That one interruption changed the entire atmosphere in the room. Gen and Zara both looked at the master curiously while he continued to elaborate. As he announced that Zara was going to be his master Gen found his brown eyes shift back to her again. What was it she had said? That he was like Korra and Aang? Well, Aang had learned the other elements from his friends that were around his own age. Her comparison was now all the more accurate.

Zara had apparently accepted the terms before Gen knew what to make of the situation. His brows arched, surprised at how she was willing to instruct him, seeing as she was still studying Water Bending herself. Not that he thought she was lacking in skill. She had healed Mabu and was powerful enough to expose a stairway under the ocean.
"I suppose we are." he responded, trying not to let his uncertainty known. He even offered her a smile of his own. Jao-Tin said she was lacking in confidence, didn't he? Gen may as well try to boost it through showing his own confidence in her, even if it was a ruse until he experienced her teaching first hand.

"Training starts tomorrow, I presume?" he asked, looking from Zara to Jao-Tin and back. "Because there are still a few bears that need fetching." Mabu responded with a lazy sounding groan, even going so far as to lay down for emphasis. "Don't worry, you won't have to come. You still need rest after getting healed anyway." Gen assured him. Mabu made another grown and flopped onto his side, happy to obey this particular command. "Good boy."
 
"Oh, geez! I forgot all about the bears!" Zara exclaimed, wheeling away from Gen and shoving her fingers through her feathers atop her head. The bears were probably starting to smell, which mean that Zara would have to skin and clean them for longer than needed. All bacteria had to be cleared from the carcass before it was cooked, and boy, what a lot of bacteria she had to cleanse. It was a good thing she lived in the ocean or she would have to find another source of water. Her cheeks were pricked with a red blush at how slow she was being the day. It wasn't like her. Usually Zara was two steps ahead of everyone else, but after meeting Gen, she was beginning to look like a fool. Jao-Tin lifted a brow at her, not really helping the feeling at all.

"Yes, you two should get going. We wouldn't want any other animal laying waste to our hard work, would we?"

"Hard work? You took them out with one m--"
The rest of her sentence was replaced by a loud yelp when the entire 'house' rocked to the right side. Zara was knocked into a table, tripping over one of the legs and flying into Gen's arms. A bowl crashed to the floor simultaneously Mabu's nose was rudely pummeled by a falling, plastic vase, the vase managing to stay whole. Jao-Tin rocked, but really didn't go anywhere. He held his ground quite well, walking over to the glass window and frowning.

"What do you know, Avatar. Your first training session begins now. Torpedoes and submarines make good target practice." Zara picked her head up and came face to face with Gen. She held herself their awkwardly, still a strange color red before frowning.

"I told you we get subs."
 
A sudden and powerful quake hit the room, cutting Zara off from finishing her remark. Gen was thrown backwards, into the wall and was quickly followed by Zara who came flying at him. If he hadn't caught her she would surely have hit her skull against unforgiving stone. Mabu was jostled back onto his stomach, bracing himself with his four large and powerful legs only to be hit on the nose with a vase that had been tossed from it's shelf. He shook his head, embarrassed over being hit with the falling object before releasing a drawn out, guttural growl over having his rest disturbed.

Jao-Tin more or less stood his ground, the man apparently never dropping his guard. With everything settled into their new placement around the room the master approached the glass window and peered outside. "What do you know, Avatar. Your first training session begins now. Torpedoes and submarines make good target practice." he explained, clearly more relaxed than Gen and Mabu were about what just happened. For Gen's part he didn't realize that he was still hanging onto Zara after she came crashing into his arms, the thought of being stuck in what may have become a sinking rock about to fill with water taking priority. That was until the two of them made eye contact.

"I told you we get subs." she spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. Gen noticed that she didn't seem quite so worried, either. More annoyed than anything. The small amount of space between them caused Gen's face to heat up and he quickly moved her out to arm's length, conveniently veiled as him helping her to stand up on her own.

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning something like that." Gen was barely able to resist squirming nervously in place. "Couldn't ask for better hands on learning experience." he continued to act confident. It was practically an Avatar trait to seem as though you could handle anything. He honestly didn't know why this became training. He had no idea how to Water Bend yet! What was he supposed to do to stop a submarine? Splash at it? Yeah, real impressive strategy, Gen.

Mabu propped himself up to a sitting position when Gen approached him. Gen was actually about to walk past him, however, Mabu was used to following Gen anywhere during trouble.
"Sorry boy, but you're not coming." Gen explained, running his hand along Mabu's flank in passing. "No offense, but there isn't a whole lot you'll be able to do against an underwater enemy. Besides it's like I said before, you're still recovering." Mabu turned his head to eye Gen, no longer feeling glad about being left out now that there was danger involved. "Sorry, buddy." With that settled Gen removed his hand from Mabu's side, reaching down with both hands to untie the sleeves of his green jacket from around his waist.

"Let's go."
he called back to Zara, throwing his jacket on over his black shirt.
 
It took her more than a minute to get over how close they were. Surprisingly, Zara was acting different than she usually was. Before she met Gen, she never had an awkward moment other than when Jao-Tin yelled at her about something she was doing wrong training wise. She figured since she was around a guy his age, she wasn't used to the physical part of it. She had never been close to anyone else, seeing as though the village completely shunned her from existence. That's why when Gen pushed her back slightly, she frowned in embarrassment and turned to where Jao-Tin was standing, trying to pretend like it didn't bother her whatsoever.

"Why now? Did we do something to bother them?" Jao-Tin neither answered her nor acknowledged the fact that she was speaking. He stared out the window at the tiny black specks that were subs in the distance. Zara counted 5 off bat; way more than what they had to deal with last time. The water of the ocean was getting too dark for the two of them to make out any more subs, but another rock of the house answered their previous internal questions: They had to move and they had to move fast.


"I don't expect you to Water bend at all. I just need you to watch Zara and I and fill in when we need you. Water Bending takes a lot of patience, concentration, and focus." While he was speaking, the house rocked again, forcing Zara to lash her arm out and catch herself on the wall. Jao-Tin glared and turned around, squatting. Zara made sure to pay attention as the man lifted both hands revolving them in a circular motion, much like a moving atom. The movement caused an explosion outside the window, shattering th glass and allowing water to spill in. The torpedo was destroyed, but the damage was also done.

"Gen! Back up!" Zara was already in the process of pushing the water back into the ocean, though fighting the natural current was not such an easy thing to do. She swiped her arms hard and the water pushed into the open border of the shattered window, holding there but trying desperately to break. Jao-Tin looked to Gen with a hard glare.


"I didn't plan on that happening." Zara grunted, holding her arms in place, but when another torpedo slammed against the house, she broke her Bending and the water shot through, knocking her back quite a few feet before her body slammed into a wall. A burst of white shot through her eyes and unconsciousness began to knock on her door.

"Zara!" Jao-Tin shouted. He made no move to help her, however, he squatted lower and rotated his arms to and fro, trying his hardest to push the current of the water rushing into the house back into the ocean.
 
"Zara!" Gen's shout mirrored that of Jao-Tin's as Zara was thrown back into the rock wall behind her. He could see her eyes falter, her consciousness slipping away. "Mabu, keep her above the water!" he ordered. Mabu was all too eager to finally be able to do something to help, leaping over to where Zara was floating in the water. Gen turned his attention back to the master while he struggled to keep the might of the ocean at bay. He was putting up a valiant effort, but even someone who possessed the strength of Jao-Tin wouldn't be able to keep the room from flooding and stop the subs from destroying the rest of his home with their torpedoes.

Without much of a plan Gen pushed forward against the force of the water. A little continued to pour in despite Jao-Tin's remarkable job of keeping them all from drowning. Gen stood beside the master, doing his best to mimic water bending forms he knew from memory. While his technique was fine, his energy wasn't flowing, meaning the water would not respond.
"Come on, water... move!" he urged himself on, unfortunately to no avail.

It was pathetic! He was the Avatar and he couldn't even bend a little water. How was he supposed to live up to the legends of Aang and Korra like this? He was going to get them all--

The room violently shook again, knocking Gen off his feet and causing Mabu to drop Zara back into the water. The moose-lion frantically scrambled up to his feet and started looking for her. She hadn't gone far, landing next to the whale skin couch. Gen on the other hand was swept under the surface by the new influx of water and sent careening towards the far wall. He slammed into it with a thud, muffled by the roar of the ocean. Before his vision faded Gen saw Mabu struggling to get the unconscious Zara up onto his back for safety when the room rumbled one more time.

Mabu was struggling against the current to resurface Zara, not wanting to harm her with his teeth. Saber-toothed moose lions just weren't made for aquatic rescues. In desperation he thrust his head under the water and dug his antlers against the wall, scooping under Zara to prop her up into the air. Just then the current suddenly shifted, being pulled in a strange new direction. The water spiraled towards the corner of the room. It began raising up in a strange pillar and causing the water level to drop in the rest of the house. A hand -- Gen's hand pushed it's way out of the torrent as though he was reaching for something. One by one his fingers curled into a tight fist and in the distance out in the ocean there were sounds of something detonating. More torpedoes had been fired. The violent surging of the water around Gen then came to a stand still, forming a large bubble around the young Avatar, who slowly came into view without his own personal rapids to mask him. His expression was deadly serious, lips tight and brow furrowed. His eyes were alight with Avatar fury, glowing with the strength of every Avatar that came before him.
 
The thing about water was that, much like fire, it was wild and untamable. It was sneaky, slipping through grips, grasps, and other constricting forms of holding. No matter how hard one fought to contain it, water always had a freedom that was not touched nor tainted by human hands. It was a spiritual element with abilities beyond the mind's eye. No one could fathom the mysteries water held in it's quick waves and soft splashes. It was always written in poems, told in stories, and sang in songs. Ages and ages of the a Water Bender's generation knew of the rebellious nature water held and how hard it was to Bend what could not be controlled on any other basis.

This is why it was hard for Jao-Tin to Bend and Zara to breathe.

Jao-Tin grunted and growled, even roaring at one point when his Bending pushed back as the water pushed forward through the gap. And what a very big gap it was. The hole was as big as a door, and all of the ocean flooding into that one area would not easily be summoned back into the depths from whence it came. Jao-Tin's arms were constantly mobile in the same push, rotate, push, rotate, push, push, push motion. Still, the water splashed and slipped from the Bending's invisible grasp, spilling onto the floor. Besides the sheer power of the ocean itself, Jao-Tin was also not concentrating on his Bending. His mind was on the moose lion who had padded and splashed in the water on Gen's command. On Gen, the young Avatar, who had tried his effort with taming the water but not even succeeding in creating a tiny droplet soaring the opposite direction.

On his pupil who was drowning.

Zara could remember nothing but screaming for Gen to get back. Everything beyond that point had blurred and blended into a jumble of notes; a swirl of colors and shapes. She remembered meeting the water in a cold embrace and something white being shone in her eyes. There was pain that followed, but white was all she saw and ringing was all she heard. At some point, she heard someone repeat something that sounded much like a pirate's call. Ar.

Ara?

Her body suddenly felt weightless as water filled her lings and her stomach. She took in the stinging, salty liquid as if someone had given it to her as a gift. She drank and drank, her body feeling like it was floating in the air. Then, that's when the ringing stopped and the other sound began. To Zara, it sounded like a large light bulb being turned on. It was as if a heavy electrical item had started, making a steady wwwooowwww sound. Along with it, the room's gravitational pull changed. Something was channeling her energy into the back of the house, or where ever she currently floated in the air. Something was pulling the water...something was pulling the atmosphere...pulling the spirits.

Zara fought hard to see, to lift one lid and see. She peeled back an eye lid, revealing the aquamarine of one of her eyes, but the only thing she saw was the same color. A bright, steady, beaming blue. And then, she took her last gulp.

Jao-Tin was forced to stop Bending, merely because there was nothing else to Bend. The water deliberately left him and flowed in a maddening cyclone towards the boy who stood in the middle of the room. His black hair whipped and cracked the air, only to be flooded with water but still waving uncontrollably. Jao-Tin and Gen met eye contact and Jao-Tin stood rigid, staring at nothing but a cyan abyss. The water not only flowed towards him. It caressed him. It enevloped him and fought against him at the same time, though futile. His hands were balled into a fist, the expression on his face unwavering as he stared into the atmosphere before him. Jao-Tin's mouth opened a small slight to utter something before he saw a mound on the floor.

A body.

Zara.
 
With the water level dropping in the room it became safe for Mabu to set Zara down and check on her. Lowering himself down Mabu carefully managed to get her to roll onto her back on the floor. Her hair sprawled in every direction, some even clinging to her cheeks and neck. Unfortunately, she wasn't moving and Mabu himself had no way to helping. Now in need of Jao-Tin's aid Mabu began to whine in concern, as well as prod at Zara's shoulders and cheek with his nose. She was cold.

Gen's awakened Avatar State paid no heed to anything else happening in the room. Even after exchanging eye contact with Jao-Tin, the man seemed invisible now that Gen became focused on the large hole in the wall where a window used to be. With one arm bent at the elbow and the other extended forward, both hands now flattened and relaxed for less destructive bending, the torrent of water around Gen reached out with what seemed like an arm of it's own. It engulfed the hole in the wall, forming a connection with the ocean outside. A subtle movement of his torso along with extending his bent arm up and out and suddenly the water around him began to swell. Gen's feet raised off the floor, free floating in the pocket of water around him.

Mabu noticed what was happening around his friend, looking up to watch him carefully. He had never seen Gen like this and wasn't quite sure what to expect from him. While Mabu looked on Gen suddenly leaned forward and began to move toward the opening in the wall, seemingly pulled along by the water around him. He was going to leave them in here? With no way of helping out in the open ocean, Mabu looked back down to Zara.

Having passed through the window, Gen turned and brought up both hands, palms facing the opening he came through. With what he was about to do, he couldn't keep the water out of the house any longer. He had to seal it. With a curl of his wrists and tightening of his fists the window began to ice over, forming a translucent temporary window. With the others no longer having to worry about drowning Gen spun around to look at the group of subs still off in the distance.

They will pay.
 
Jao-Tin said nothing as the Avatar passed before his eyes, pushing the water as if it were nothing more than cotton. The water rushed against his Bending, but that much energy in his aura alone...nature had something to fight against. Jao-Tin looked over to Mabu and Zara watching the poor animal struggle to get Zara to move, but the girl wasn't budging. The feathers atop her head had ended up somewhere next to the front door, revealing a long ocean of brown waving in the water that was her hair. Once Avatar Gen ushered the water out, following it without a budge in his expression, Jao-Tin zipped up, running to the side of Mabu, lightly pushing the moose lion's nose out of the way.

"Zara," he said, knowing that she was out and couldn't hear him. Surprisingly enough, his head was too out of wack for him to think straight. Never before had Zara been in too much trouble to the point where she couldn't take care of herself. Jao-Tin taught the girl to be strong and brave, keeping her focus and attention solely on her Bending and nothing and nobody else. She had obviously forgotten his warning and got distracted. He already knew why. His fingers trailed her throat and, closing his eyes, he felt the water clogged and stuck in the tract of her throat, lungs, and stomach.

"Hang on. He's got it. He's got it." He said, muttering something about Mabu keeping back. Jao-Tin sighed, holding his hand above her throat but not making a move yet. Zara's body was so small and fragile. He feared that he would Bend more water than he needed to, which would not end up being a pretty sight. He looked out at the ice to see Avatar Gen floating in the water with the glowing aura still pushing the water out of his way and setting his sights on the subs. As much as he wanted to see the Avatar in action, Zara needed assistance and fast.

He closed his fingers in a pinching like manor before pulling up. At the same time, Zara's chest lifted up and her lips were softly forced apart as a wisps of water began to slither out of her mouth (
much like this). Immediately, Zara began to cough wildly, her hands flying to her throat to soothe it. The coughing didn't yet stop and Jao-Tin helped to her sitting position. Zara struggled to open her eyes, burning tears slipping through until she wiped them with the back of her hand. Once her eyes focused, she came face to face with Mabu and his tilted head.

"M-Mabu..."

"Fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"J-Jao-Tin!" Zara threw her arms around the man's neck, probably breaking so many rules that he put into play years ago. Still, despite the awkward cough, Jao-Tin rested a hand on the small of her back and pat it once before pulling back, looking towards the ice window. Zara was smiling through her now free, long, and damp brown hair, thankful that he was alive...until he saw the look on his face. The smile fell when she traced his eyes to where he was looking. Then, it hit her.

"Gen..."she whispered, standing up and making a beeline towards the iced window, slipping and regaining her footing along the way. Before she could make it there, there was a giant flash of blue that blared through her eyes. Zara shielded them and fought to see, catching a small silhouette of a boy she assumed to be Gen. He was floating steadily, a blue glowing surrounding him. Her eyes doubled a size, feeling Jao-Tin stand beside her at arm's distance.

"Let him," he said, lowering her hand that had risen slowly.
 
The luminescent orb of bright blue energy surrounding Gen was like a beacon to the submarines. More torpedoes would undoubtedly be aimed at him as a result. With the Avatar State awakened, Gen was dead set on protecting the home of Jao-Tin and Zara. his arms bending at the elbow to form a thirty degree angle while being held out and away from his body. His hands were flat with his fingers separated for precise movements. A stance capable of acting or reacting to any threat the submarines could throw at him.

The first salvo came quickly and predictably. All six aimed squarely at the young Avatar, powering through the water with deadly intent. What they faced however was one very unhappy Avatar who had access to an ocean full of water. Gen's wrists both rotated, causing his palms to face up towards the surface while his fingers tightened into fists as they had done before. What followed was the delayed sound resulting shockwave of six torpedoes detonating not even half way to their target.

They would not be getting a second chance. With a stoic and remorseless expression on his face, his stance shifted completely. His arms pulled close to his body, elbows fully bent and giving the sense of pulling away energy. The cannons of the subs were suddenly becoming clogged up with ice. Two operators failed to notice this in time and as they attempted their second shot, the underside of their subs blew out.
 
Safe in the house, Zara and Jao-Tin spectated Avatar Gen as he went on the defensive with the subs, then onto the offensive. His movements were so in sync with the water, he could have been a Water Bender for his entire life if anyone other than Zara and Jao-Tin had seem him now. The only thing giving away much more than a normal Water Bender boy was the light, the sound, and the expression. His visage had become wipe completely clean from the eager boy she had heard earlier, into a slab of marble.

An angry slab of marble with two hands, a long, spiritual past, and water. Lots of water.

Zara flinched when the torpedoes blew up yards from wear Avatar Gen stood/floated. She recognized the motion quickly, remembering how long it took her to coax the water into Bending far off targets. Avatar Gen did it without even blinking an eye. Half expecting to hear some sly Avatar fact from Jao-Tin,s he slid her eyes over to him. He merely watched as Avatar Gen froze the subs at the long range, his face just about as placid as Avatar Gen's. Even Mabu watched the performance. A wet strand of her hair clung to her cheek as she frowned, clenching one of her fists to the side of her hip.

"They knew he was here. They know the Avatar has awakened."

"They do now."


"They did before. How much of a coincidence can it be that we got attacked at this very moment? It's...crazy. We're being watched."
Of course, Zara knew she was grasping at straws, but she was upset. Being a shunned, upset Bender never did settle well in the tiny pit of her stomach. Her eyes were glowered at the blossoming explosion of the sub, Avatar Gen floating as if he had only waved at a passing school of fish.

"They're gonna try to kill him next."
 
The detonation of two submarines lit up the ocean like a flash-bang, revealing that the remaining four subs still had ice forming along their hulls. Thinking quickly, the crewmen of the subs opened the hatch, swimming to the surface for safety. One man was a little too late. Looking down in horror, he watched as ice crept over the hatch ,enveloping his boot only to continue it's path back to the propeller. Coming to a halt and now much to heavy, the machines began to sink. Fortunately for the man, his boot slipped off and he joined the others above him. The subs had all been frozen solid and Gen's awakened Avatar State would have done it with the crew still inside and unable to escape if he could.

Mabu nearly had his snout pressed up against the ice window. He had been watching his friend intently, sensing something was off. Gen didn't even bat an eye at the sight of the man who had nearly been dragged to the bottom of the ocean. It wasn't necessary. The fight ended almost before it began the moment Gen went out into the open water.

Raising a paw up, Mabu scratched the 'window' a few times with his large claws while making a long, deep growl. The scraping managed to catch Gen's attention, twisting his body and whipping his head around to look at Mabu, Zara and Jao-Tin all standing together and just... looking out at him. The harsh expression he wore since awakening his Avatar power... seemed to wash away once the realization that they were all safe struck him. His eyes softened, his brow no longer furrowed and his scowl faded, forming a much more peaceful look. The glowing aura around him dimmed along with his fury, leaving him as a silhouette out in the dark ocean. Minus the glowing eyes, of course.

In one last act, Gen's form started to float towards the iced over window. With one outstretched hand, he touched the ice with his index finger and much to Mabu's surprise... it kept on going! The rest of his hand followed suit, breaching the window while the ice melted on command to allow him to pass. It wasn't exactly perfect, as water began to rush in through the hole left by what was now his entire right arm, shoulder and head, but it was certainly better than destroying the entire ice sheet. Soon Gen's whole body was back inside and he landed on the floor like he was a bag of groceries.

Motionless and with closed eyes, Mabu leaned his head down to lick his friend's face. It was a successful attempt at waking him up, Gen's arms flailing almost instantly.
"TPBBT TPPBT! ACKT!" his tongue stuck out from his mouth as his spat before settling down in order to breathe.

After a heavy exhale his eyes managed to open.
"Thanks, Mabu." his tone mixed sincerity at waking him up with sarcasm for the unpleasant method his friend employed. His left hand wearily raised up off the floor to touch his forehead, brushing the soaked hair to the side. "Augn... what happened? Is everyone alright?" he managed to ask before Mabu again invaded Gen's personal space, pushing against Gen's cheek with his nose to get his friend up. "Yes, Mabu. That includes you." he answered, budging Mabu's head away to give him some room to try and prop himself up. "Even though I already figured you were fine after that lick. I'm more worried about the condition--" he stopped, halfway to a sitting position with his elbows supporting his weight. "...of Zara." the end of his sentence was hesitant as he found himself looking her in the eye.
 
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Zara and Jao-Tin both immediately stepped back when Avatar Gen floated towards them. Zara stepped back more in fear than anything. She had heard the stories, but seeing it in person was an entirely different matter. The Avatar State, the time where the Avatar is at his/her most powerful. Any Bending done before that state is nothing compared to how it would be when the Avatar tapped into his/her spiritual power. To see that being in coming towards she and Jao-Tin, two measly Water Benders, she had a reason to be irked. Gen was currently not in his right state of mind...sort of. The awakening of the Avatar State had more to do with Gen's anger and annoyance towards the attack, she knew it. One minute she was knocked out cold. The very next, Avatar Gen had taken out 4 subs without blinking. She stared at him with wide eyes, stepping back again to let him pass through the ice.

Jao-Tin, on the other hand, stepped back more in respect. Talking to him in the state would have been a waste of breath. The former boy was probably out of it, and it would take moments to have the kid come back in his right senses. For now, the Avatar was stepping before him, moving his body through the ice and letting some water pass through. Jao-Tin watched the expression on Gen's face falter, the glowing becoming a blinking before Gen landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Zara and Jao-Tin made a move toward him, but Mabu was already there, ready to greet him with a giant tongue and a breath that smelled worse than the ages of spoiled eggs, especially with all of the shark seal blubber he consumed earlier. Zara made a face and cringed, sticking her tongue out and shutting one eye.

"Euullggh..."she muttered. Jao-Tin stood straighter, walking over to Gen as if he had never seen him before a day in his life. Zara stood where she was, still trying to keep her distance until she knew Gen was not going to go all Avatar State on her.

"We're all alive, if that's what you were asking,"he said as Mabu simultaneously nudged Gen's cheek with his nose. Jao-Tin quickly read the concern in his face when mentioning Zara, both of them turning to look at her. Zara stood stark still, eyes widening as her brown hair continued to drip around her cheeks.

"What? What'd I do?"

"Gen was asking about your state."

"What state? I didn't go into any state!"
she replied quickly, waving both of her hands in front of her. Jao-Tin sighed and stood up, observing the damage to his house with no words, leaving Zara and Gen alone to discuss what happened. If Zara would stop being fidgety. She twitched and darted her eyes quickly to Mabu, avoiding Gen's gaze.

"Nice work out there, Mabu. You're very strong! Yep! You're a veryyyy strong moose lion!"she exclaimed, standing up and giving Mabu a congratulatory scratch on the head. Of course, all of this was supposed to be directed at Gen, but she was too shaken up to look at him. With the Avatar awakened, he could tear her to shreds with one glare! Zara twitched again, her left eye jumping as her scratches dug harder in Mabu's fur.

"Yep! One heckofa lion moose..."
 
Zara's reaction left Gen sitting there in utter confusion, wondering why she was acting as though he was a ghost then suddenly approaching Mabu with words of praise. Mabu however was beside himself with delight! Not only was his friend no longer acting oddly, but Zara was okay after nearly drowning and was giving him plenty of scratches. With closed eyes he slanted his head in Zara's direction while letting out a loud, deep groan in order to show his approval. Gen rarely ever scratched his head any more, having recently changed to patting Mabu's flank or petting the end of his nose. He had missed the head scratches.

"I... feel like I've missed something here." Gen cut in by speaking his thoughts aloud. "The house is still in one piece... sort of." Gen turned his head to look over his shoulder at Jao-Tin, afraid he may have struck a nerve by speaking before he thought it all out. "and everyone is alright. The last thing I remember--" he had to pause. The last thing he could remember was being swept up in the rising water after a failed attempt to help Jao-Tin, followed by hitting the wall and catching a glimpse of Zara face down in the water. Then everything went black before waking up on the floor.

Did Jao-Tin save them? He was the master in the room after all. Gen figured it wasn't impossible. Perhaps Mabu had succeeded in fishing Zara out of the water before going to save him? That would explain her praise about his strength. Gen himself hadn't been able to do a thing. He suddenly felt like he had spoken too soon when he agreed to Jao-Tin's proposal to begin water bending training.

Gen raked his fingers backwards through his wet hair, an irked expression on his face before forcefully shaking the water off of his hands. With a huff he then bent himself forward, planting his hands against the floor and lifting himself up to a standing position.
"I'd really like to know what happened. This place was taking a beating and Zara and I didn't even manage to stay awake..." as he spoke Gen began to unzip his jacket, tugging the drenched article off of his shoulders and pouring what little water remained out of the pockets.
 
Both Jao-Tin and Zara exchanged glances, though neither one of them were prepared to say anything on what happened earlier. Gen supposedly didn't remember a thing, but, in a way, neither did Zara. The last thing she remembered doing was attempting to help her Master coax the water from the ocean back into...well...the ocean. Of course, as did most of her plans, it didn't work out when a torpedo knocked her off balance. She went flying back, felt a large pang on the back of her head, and saw nothing but white...and that was it. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor, looking up at both Jao-Tin and Mabu while Gen was in the sea. Had he honestly forgotten that the reason they were safe was because he went into the Avatar State and took out the threat in less than 2 minutes? She watched as he emptied out his pockets, shaking them to get the last droplet of water out. Zara's face fell. Obviously not.

"Later. What happened was a premeditated course of action, meaning that someone knows you're here and doesn't like that idea. Sitting here and talking about it won't do us any good."

"Standing,"
Zara cut in, which Jao-Tin immediately ignored as he rounded on the two of them.

"We have two options. We either go to the tribe leader Moxco and tell him about what has happened here, or we leave the village,"he said, holding up a hand when Zara's jaw hit the ground,"There is simply nothing else we can do about the attacks unless we go to the head."

"And smash that head with a rock, right?"
Zara snapped back, throwing her hands on her hip in disapproval, no longer scratching Mabu's head. Jao-Tin was prepared for the come back, but that didn't cause him to refrain from rubbing the side of his left temple.

"You know we can't do that. Moxco out matches us, 3 to one. He's a blood bender, you know." Zara's jaw dropped a little lower before she stomped over to Gen, splashing water with every step until she was directly behind him. Grabbing both of his arms, Zara's face popped from behind him, sending her master a dumb look while she waved his arms up and down.

"Helllloooo. He's the Avatar! I'm pretty sure he could take him out eyes closed!" Jao-Tin's eyes remained closed, rubbing in a counter-clockwise, circular motion.

"Blood benders can control people, Zara." Zara paused, blinking once before rotating Gen's arms around and around like a pinwheel.

"Aaaaavataaaar,"she droned on.
 
"He's a blood bender,"

That one statement from Jao-Tin made Gen's blood run cold. He wasn't even able to react to Zara as she flailed his arms wildly around like a windmill. Blood bending was illegal in most of the world and for good reason. It was a terrifying power.

"Wait a minute!" Gen blurted out while his arms continued to whirl around. A realization temporarily replaced his dread over the idea of going to face a blood bender. "I thought you said that you two were the last Water Benders left in your tribe... and the others, they barely tolerate you for that, right?" he asked, looking from Jao-Tin, over his shoulder at Zara and back a few times. "How would they let a bender be their leader?"

Then again, if they decided to just up and leave the village behind, they wouldn't have to deal with that Moxco guy at all. There were two things Gen took issue with over that option unfortunately. The first being that it would be asking Zara and Jao-Tin to leave their home and live on the road, just like he had been doing the past several weeks. The second problem was that now Gen was curious enough to want to know the whole story.

After a sigh, Gen let his opinion known just on the off chance that Jao-Tin would take it into consideration.
"I can't believe I'm saying this... but I think we should at least try and talk to Moxco. Blood bender or not: he's still a bender. Either he can offer you help over those attacks, or... something terrible happens." Gen's determination seemed to have faded with that last sentence of his. "Who knows. Maybe he'll feel some compassion for his fellow benders? Maybe even for the Avatar?" his attempt to save face didn't go too smoothly. Mabu huffed mockingly and lied down, resting his head on his fore-paws. "I know, Mabu... I know." Gen answered, slumping due to his friend's lack of faith in the idea.
 
"Allow me to reiterate..." Zara cut him off before he got to that point, dropping both of Gen's arms before stepping up to him, no longer afraid of him using his Avatar powers on her.

"So, this guy Moxco? He's a Water Bender. A Blood Bender, too! Everyone in the tribe knows it too, but, you know, they're not mad or scared at all. He's not evil or anything. He's one of the good guys, I guess. Well...I thought. Until...you know...the subs and stuff. He's never used his Bending at all. He never even swore Bending off! He just...doesn't."she said, looking over to Jao-Tin to make sure she was getting it right. He gave her an annoyed blink that she assumed to mean that she was right on track.

"I'm definitely with you on this whole talking to him thing. Just...when you do...then can you smash his head in with a rock?"she asked, eyes glittering up at the mental sight of Moxco flying off of his high chair after a rock taken straight to the dome.

"Zara, you can't just tell him all of these good things about Moxco and then ask him to inflict some sort of pain on him."

"I can and I did!"she snapped, her cheeks burning with both a blush at being scolded and a red tinge of annoyance at the mention of Moxco. Reaching up to touch the top of her head, she suddenly remembered that her feathered head covering was drenched and was going to need to bake in front of a fire for hours in order to get it's natural gleam back. Zara groaned again overly exaggerated, mumbling to herself before doing the same splash/march off to the kitchen where her feathered covering sat in a damp puddle. Jao-Tin was already rubbing his temples the opposite direction before cracking one eye open towards Gen.

"Moxco is a 21 year old man. He likes Zara and has frequently asked for her hand in marr--"

"Tell him the rest of my life story, why don't ya! Oh, no, excuse me!"she exclaimed, widening her eyes in an expression of mock surprise while a hand flew to her chest as if taken aback, "Don't mind me! I'm just the girl who was shunned for being the same thing he is!"

"He wants to marry you, Zara. Not throw you in prison."

"The difference?"she shot back, throwing both hands into the air to put the exclamation on her statement, wheeling away from the two of them ans kneeling back on the kitchen floor, gathering all her feathered pieces. Jao-Tin's right brow twitched, sending Gen a stoned look of annoyance.

"Why didn't you just let her drown?"

"HEARD THAT!"