No one seemed to notice as the caravan of Sandbenders entered the marketplace. It was a highly unusual sight within the city, but instead people seemed to be more concerned with the scene of destruction that had recently played out. Groups of shoppers and sellers were scattered around the area in clusters, gawking at the disarray. Several of the stands and stalls that had been filled with merchandise were now heavily damaged, and some were even burning. A group of waterbenders, no doubt refugees, were tending to this problem using their abilities, but it was obvious the sense of disruption wouldn't be extinguished nearly as easily as the flames. Tenzing could overhear snatches of whispered, frenzied converstion between onlookers, and from this he gleaned that some kind of altercation had broken out in the market, evidently not too long ago.
His attention was briefly called away from the devastation around him by the unruly behavior of his mount. The traders from the Hami tribe had negotiated with another group of traveling merchants to let them use their giant sand scarabs to transport their cargo into the city. It couldn't be helped, as their sand sailers were completely useless outside of the desert, and they had no other way of moving their wares. Luckily, the merchants had been happy to loan them the beasts, in exchange for a generous portion of the desert dwellerss cargo, of course. The beasts had been an insufferable nuisance ever since. It was all Tenzing could do to keep his own mount under control, seeing as it constantly tried to scamper off in search of some dung to eat. Combined with their incessant chittering, this made the creatures nearly impossible to stand. What he would have given to have had a sky bison at that moment. The bison he had ridden in his youth had always been gentle and submissive creatures, showing a remarkable degree of intelligence that made them ideal companions.
Tenzing bitterly reflected to himself that it would never happen again, however. The herds of bison had all been slaughtered along with the monks and sister airbenders who raised and nurtured them at the temples during the Fire Nations initial assault against the Air Nomads. What a shame that such beautiful beings had been forever removed from this world, never to be seen or cherished ever again. Tenzing felt a pang of regret deep within his soul, only for it to be quickly replaced with a dark surge of anger.
His thoughts were torn violently from the past and into the present when he heard the word "Firebender" muttered by someone in the crowd. His blood ran cold and he struggled to catch his breath. At the same time he pulled tight on the reins of his scarab, which had started to wander off during his reverie. He could hardly believe the Fire Nation had managed to penetrate this far into the Earth Kingdom already. Given its military might and the strength of its defenses, he, like so many others, had believed it would be years before the armies of the Fire Lord would reach this far east. If his ears were to be believed, it seemed at least one had managed to infiltrate the city. Unless, he or she was quickly apprehended, things would likely dissolve into chaos within the city walls, leaving it vulnerable to attack from the outside.
Tenzing deftly leapt off the back of his scarab, handing the reigns over to another member of the caravan. He swiftly walked off without saying another word, knowing the Sandbenders would not leave one of their own behind, even one with a history as complex as his. He noticed a small group of Earthbender guards marching just outside the market area, and he silently fell into step behind them, keeping a safe distance and using any available cover to avoid being seen. Before long, they came upon a small building with a sign that declared it was a place of healing. The soldiers entered, and before long the sounds of conflict erupted from within. He drew closer and watched from the shadows near the door as the guards attempted to take in a man who was offering a good bit of resistance. He was quickly subdued however, and they roughly escorted him out of the building and down the narrow street. Tenzing ducked away to prevent being discovered, and he was just about to follow them when a strange woman exited the building and took off after them. Judging from her posture, she was intent on settling some business with the guards, business that undoubtedly had to do with their prisoner. Tenzing decided to follow her, and once she entered another larger building that had every appearance of being a prison, he stopped outside and took position on a nearby roof top, leaping from the ground with an agility none but an airbender could possess. He decided to wait until one of them reemerged, and from there he would determine if they had anything to do with this rumor of firebenders within an Earth Kingdom city.
Surprisingly, both the woman and the man who had been arrested left the building a short while later. Tenzing crouched low to the roof so as not to be seen, watching closesly to see what would be their next move.
