Cause Some Trouble, Chapter 18
This is the explicit version of Chapter 18. This version of the chapter is rated NC-17/M for strong adult content. Proceed at your own discretion. If you want to read the chapter without explicit adult content, please follow any of these links:
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CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 18--REBELLING
The next week passed by quickly. On the second day of the week, Kuei remembered something he’d promised to Zafirah. Luckily, that day happened to be Mrs. Liu’s shopping day. After breakfast, he caught up to the elderly woman as she was setting up the cart to go into town.
“Mrs. Liu,” he said, “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Of course,” she said, smiling kindly. “What is it?”
“There’s something I’d like you to get for me,” he said, pulling his coin pouch from his pocket. He described the item in question and Mrs. Liu nodded, accepting the money he gave her. Then, Kuei turned around at the sound of footsteps crunching on the path behind him. It was Zafirah; she gave him a sunny smile.
“Hey, Kuei,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “You goin’ into town, too?”
“No, I just had a request to make,” he replied. He tilted his head, puzzled. “You’re going into town?”
“Yeah. There’s something I need to get,” she told him, waving her hand vaguely.
“I told her she could help me with my shopping in place of her usual chores this morning,” Mrs. Liu explained. “It’ll be just us ladies,” she added in a conspiratorial tone, her pale green eyes twinkling.
“Well, have a good time,” Kuei said, smiling. He waved goodbye to the two women, and then headed back to start on his morning tasks.
It was lunchtime when the two women returned from their shopping. They met Kuei and Basam on the way to the farmhouse for their meal. Mrs. Liu handed him a rectangular bundle wrapped in brown cloth, along with the leftover money.
“What’d you get?” Basam asked as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
“It’s a calligraphy set,” Kuei announced gleefully. “It’s very basic, nothing too elaborate, but it has everything we’d need.” Zafirah stared blankly at him for a moment, and then her lips curved up in a huge smile.
“Hey, Basam,” she said, turning to her brother, “Kuei said he’d teach us some writin’ and readin’, if we’re up for it.”
“What, really?” Basam asked. “When did that happen?”
“It was, uh… same night we kissed, actually,” Zafirah muttered, nudging Kuei with her elbow.
“And you’re just now getting around to mentionin’ it,” Basam commented.
“Yeah, heh… sorry. I kinda forgot,” she said sheepishly. Basam rolled his eyes and heaved an exaggerated sigh.
“Right, right, some guy’s been keeping you distracted,” he teased.
Kuei cleared his throat, his face reddening. “So, um, what do you say?” he prompted. “About the lessons…?”
“Sure, I’m up for it,” Basam said with a grin.
After dinner that night, Mr. Liu let them stay in the dining room for their lesson. Kuei unwrapped the calligraphy set and quickly took stock of its contents. Zafirah and Basam both sat down next to the table, waiting as he arranged the set in front of them. Once it was ready, he seated himself beside them.
“Well, ah…” He felt a sudden flash of nervousness as he looked at the twins’ eager faces. They both leaned forward, their smiles nearly identical. Kuei coughed. “Perhaps we should start with both of you telling me what you already know,” he suggested.
Zafirah took the initiative, scooting closer to the writing tablet and picking up the brush. She painstakingly wrote out a couple of messy-looking characters on the paper. “That’s my name,” she said, waving the brush at the characters. Then she drew another. “That’s ‘sand’. This one’s ‘sky’… ‘desert’… ‘Sandbender’… ‘sun’… ‘water’… This one’s ‘sand’, too.” She glanced up at Kuei. “I’m sure you’re noticing a pattern by now,” she joked. Then she sat back on her heels and sighed. “That’s pretty much it,” she muttered. “I mean, I know a few others, but it’s more of the same.”
“All right,” Kuei said. Zafirah slid backwards and handed the brush to Basam, who took her place at the writing tablet. Basam held the brush over the paper for a moment and then frowned.
“Most of the ones I know’re the same as Zafi’s,” he said.
“Just do it anyway,” Zafirah said, nudging his back with her knuckles.
Basam shrugged and leaned over the page. “Let’s see, here. Okay, we got my name, we got ‘sand’… I know ‘bird’, too, and ‘home’… Ooh, and I know ‘Si Wong’, that one too…” Kuei noticed that Basam’s characters were more neatly written than his sister’s. Basam set the brush down and scooted back next to Zafirah. Kuei sat down at the tablet and picked up the brush, replacing the paper with a fresh sheet.
“Hmm, all right.” He quickly jotted down a few characters and held up the page. “Do you know what these mean?”
“Nope,” said Basam.
“No,” Zafirah said.
“Well, um, these characters mean ‘Earth Kingdom’,” Kuei explained. He wrote down a few more and held up the page again. “How about these?” he asked.
“Not even close,” Zafirah said irritably.
“No need to get snappy, Zafi,” Basam chided her.
“Well, how in the world am I supposed to know what those scribbles mean?” Zafirah demanded.
“She’s right, Basam,” Kuei said. “I’m sorry, I’m going about this all wrong.” He considered for a moment. “Let’s start with the basic types of characters instead.”
An hour later, Kuei sat and watched while the twins took turns practicing the characters he’d shown them. The lesson seemed to be going well, and he couldn’t help but feel rather pleased with his first teaching attempt. He nodded approvingly as Basam finished a set and handed the brush over to Zafirah. Once she’d completed her own set, she handed the paper to Kuei, who studied it.
“Hmm… you both seem to be having trouble with this pair of characters here,” he observed. After a moment’s thought, an idea occurred to him. “Can I demonstrate them for you?”
“Yeah, sure,” Basam said. Kuei moved over to sit by Basam’s right shoulder.
“May I borrow your hand for a moment?”
“Go for it.”
“All right. Hold the brush, please,” Kuei said. Basam picked up the brush again and Kuei reached over to lightly grasp Basam’s right hand with his own.
“I’m not sure how my sister’ll feel about us holding hands,” Basam joked. Kuei laughed at the remark.
“Oh, I’m not too worried,” Zafirah replied lightly.
Kuei slowly guided Basam’s hand through the brushstrokes of the character set. Then he let go and shifted backwards. “There we are. Did you notice any difference?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Basam said. He gave it another try on his own with much better results. “Yeah, yeah, I definitely see the difference there.”
“Good!” Kuei said. Then he turned to Zafirah, who grinned and wiggled the fingers of her right hand at him.
“My turn?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.
“That’s right,” he agreed, returning her smile. He scooted up next to her-much closer than he’d been to Basam, naturally-and grasped her right hand with his own. He gently moved her hand over the paper, doing his best to focus on the lesson and not on the warmth radiating from her body.
“Huh! Whaddya know, that actually did help,” Zafirah commented as she looked down at the completed characters.
The lesson went on for a while longer. Eventually they decided to stop for the night; Kuei packed away the calligraphy set and the three of them headed off to their beds.
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Two more days passed by. Each night, Kuei and the twins would return to the dining room in the farmhouse for more lessons. Their skills were improving quickly, much to their delight; and Kuei quickly found that, once he got used to it, he enjoyed teaching almost as much as he enjoyed learning.
As they finished up their lesson for that night, Basam yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
“So how’d we do tonight, huh, Sifu Kuei?” he asked with his usual grin.
“You did very well!” Kuei replied, beaming with pride at the title. “Both of you did quite well.”
“Good, good, glad to hear it. I’m off to take a bath and get some sleep. Good night, you two!” He waved at them and left the dining room.
“A bath does sound good,” Kuei murmured as he lifted the bundled-up calligraphy set from the table. “I think I’ll have one as well.” How about you?” He glanced over at Zafirah.
“I took one before the lesson, remember?”
“Ah, right, of course.”
Zafirah smirked and linked her arm through his. “I’ll see you at my room when you’re done, yeah?”
Kuei smiled and nodded. “Of course.” He’d taken to sleeping in her room ever since that first night. They left the farmhouse arm-in-arm, and then Kuei went off to take his bath. The hot water felt wonderful after another day’s farm labor, and he started planning their lesson for the next night as he soaked. He only stayed in the bath for about ten minutes; he didn’t want to keep Zafirah waiting too long. He hurried back to the farmhand house and knocked on her door.
She slid the door open and beamed at him. “Hi. Enjoy your bath?” she asked. Her hair was out of its braid, he noticed. It hung loosely around her face in shorter locks and fell down her back in a straight, flowing curtain.
“Yes, indeed,” he said, smiling back at her. He stepped into her room and she closed the door behind him. He noticed that she’d already extinguished one of the two lanterns in her room; the one on the dresser was unlit, while the one mounted on the wall next to the door flickered cheerily. “It’s a bit dark in here, don’t you think?” he asked, crossing the room to reach the dresser. She followed after him. He picked up the spark rocks to light the lantern, but Zafirah’s hand landed atop his forearm and stopped him. She stood close behind him, sliding her hand down to his own, pulling the rocks out of his grasp and putting them back on the dresser. He could feel the heat of her body against his back. “O-or we could leave it like this. Nice and… and dimly lit,” he croaked.
“Now you’re gettin’ it,” Zafirah said. She slid her arms around his waist, burying her face in between his shoulder blades. He sighed happily, enjoying the feel of her arms for a minute. Then he twisted around to bring them face to face, eager to kiss her again. Kuei’s throat went dry at the smile that graced her lips. There was a gleam in her eye, a certain intensity that he hadn’t seen before. She raised herself up on her toes to press her lips against his and he responded with enthusiasm. He let his hands roam over her back, over the curves of her hips, through her hair. Zafirah did the same, sliding her hands down. He couldn’t help but jump slightly when she grabbed his backside.
“You got a nice butt,” she murmured against his mouth.
“Er… thanks?” Then, before he could lose his nerve, he boldly brought his own hands down and did the same. “Y-you do too,” he said, chuckling. And she did, too-it was round and firm. She giggled slightly and went right back to kissing. When they broke apart for air, Zafirah smirked at him.
“See? It’s like I said before: all you needed was some practice,” she teased. Then she took his hand and led him over towards the futon. He gladly followed her. He sat down cross-legged on the futon, expecting Zafirah to seat herself beside him as she had on previous nights. Instead, she straddled his legs and perched on his lap, her legs on either side of him.
“A-ah,” he stammered, his already flushed face going even redder.
“You look kinda nervous,” Zafirah murmured. She rested her hands on his shoulders.
“Ye-yes. Um. I th-think I understand where you’re going with this, now,” he said, pulse racing.
She smiled much more softly than usual. “Is that okay?” she asked.
“Yes! Yes, definitely,” he said, nodding vigorously. Then he frowned slightly as something occurred to him. “But, wait, what if you get-you know…” He gave up on fumbling for the right words and just gestured to his abdomen. Luckily, she caught his meaning.
“Remember when I went into town with Mrs. Liu the other day?” she asked. He nodded. “There was a particular type of herb I wanted to get. I had a feelin’ I might be needing it soon,” she explained.
“Ah.” His face reddened even more, if possible. “Well then.” He knew which one she meant; he’d read about it in a medical text once. It was supposed to be nearly foolproof in preventing conception.
“That’s not all you’re worried over, is it?” she asked, a knowing look on her face.
“No,” he admitted. “Ah, I’ve never… not for lack of wanting to, though!” he assured her hurriedly. He could feel all the confidence he’d gained over the last few nights slipping away. “And the thing is, I-I don’t want to disappoint you.”
She slid her arms around his neck and gazed at him with dark, heavy-lidded eyes. “You won’t,” she said softly. Then she winked, her smile taking on more of its usual edge. “Don’t you worry, honey. How ‘bout this: we’ll save that for another night. And for tonight… well, there’s plenty of other ways to have fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned slyly.
“And I suppose you’ll be showing me a few of those ways?” he asked, anticipation breaking through some of his nervousness. She plucked his glasses off of his nose, set them aside, and brushed her fingertips over his lips.
“You’re damn right I will.” She pressed her lips to his, her fingers twisting into his hair. He settled his hands on her hips and kissed back, his nerves fading quickly as passion took over. Their kisses deepened, tongues brushing together. Zafirah shifted in his lap, hooking her legs behind his back and arching her spine so her breasts pressed against him. Kuei was sure that she could feel his heart pounding against her chest. His arms wound tightly around her waist, and then he brought his hands up to her face, caressing her cheeks. Then he broke their kiss and ducked his head, gently bringing his lips to the smooth column of her neck. She sighed quietly and lifted her chin, exposing more of her skin to him. He slowly moved his lips and tongue over it; she let out a squeak when he found an especially good spot and he gave it extra attention. His pants were already beginning to feel rather tight, and the delighted sounds she made as he kissed that sweet spot on her neck were making them even tighter.
She leaned back from him suddenly and tilted his chin up with he fingertips. His heart thudded at the sight of her face, cheeks flushed and lips swollen. She gave him another of her smirks as her hands slid down his torso and untied the belt cinching his tunic. She tossed the cloth aside and tugged at the hem of his shirt. He obliged, pulling the tunic over his head and throwing it somewhere-he neither saw nor cared where it landed. She ran her hands over his bare chest, eying him with obvious approval. Her touch lingered for a moment on the pinkish line of the cut he’d gotten on the day of the eclipse. He let his eyelids slide shut, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of someone else’s hands on his skin.
Then he hesitantly reached for the belt closing the wraparound shirt Zafirah wore. She arched her eyebrows again, encouraging him. He untied it with quivering fingers and she shrugged off the tunic, leaving her in just her sarashi. His eyes went to her breasts and she grinned. She untied the knot holding the sarashi in place, unwound the tan cloth, and threw it over her shoulder.
Well, if his pants had been tight before, they were downright uncomfortable now. And with the position they were in, there was no way Zafirah hadn’t noticed by now. He tried not to gape at the sight of anatomy he’d only seen in medical texts before, but it was proving difficult. Her breasts were small, but round and-as far as he was concerned-completely perfect.
“So? Go ahead and touch me already,” she said, still grinning. Her hands skimmed over his torso again before they clasped behind his neck. He touched his fingertips to her now exposed hips. His breath, already uneven, hitched sharply at the feel of her smooth skin; he’d been aching to touch her like this ever since that day at the beach… He lifted his hands, trailing over her ribs. Finally, his hands cupped the swells of her breasts. She arched her back again, leaning into his touch. He gently squeezed and rubbed with his fingers. And then his left thumb brushed over her dark brown nipple, which was as hard as a pebble, and she gasped. He did it with both hands, drawing a soft moan from her. Intrigued, he lightly pinched them between his thumb and forefinger. She moaned a bit louder, her own fingertips digging into his upper back. Her mouth crashed onto his again and he quickly lost himself in kissing her. Her hips ground against his, sending shivers of pleasure running through him.
Zafirah pulled away again and sat up on her knees, just long enough to push against his chest. “Lie down,” she whispered. He did so and she lowered herself on top of him. Their lips met again as they let their hands explore. Kuei wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Zafirah lifted her head and shifted so that she was lying on her side next to him, supporting herself on her elbow. Her hair draped across his chest. They gazed at one another for a moment, both breathing heavily. Her fingers trailed down his abdomen and brushed the top of his pants. “This looks pretty uncomfortable,” she remarked with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Let’s do something about that.”
“Mmh.” That was all the reply he could manage under the circumstances. She sat up and untied the drawstring on her pants and he followed her lead with his own. She stood up and slid her pants and underwear down in one motion, kicking them away, and he momentarily forgot about his own garments. He couldn’t help but stare up at her, admiring her slender legs and the patch of unruly, dark hair between her thighs. Then he reminded himself of what he’d been doing and quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes. Her gaze traveled over his body, lingering on his erection, as she knelt back down onto the futon.
She lay at his side again, propped up on her elbow, and they gladly went back to kissing. As they did, Kuei mustered his courage and reached across his torso to rest his hand on her upper thigh, gently stroking the soft skin there. She let out an impatient huff and grabbed his hand, placing it between her legs. He felt heat and wetness against his fingers. Ah, so that’s what they meant, he thought. At the age of fifteen, while prowling through the royal library, he’d found several books and scrolls containing some rather explicit poems and stories. Their descriptions of a woman’s “wetness” suddenly made much more sense. There were certain acts that they’d described, as well, that he’d always been curious to try…
He moved his fingers through the wiry hair, slipping them between the outer folds there and rubbing softly. Zafirah’s breath hitched and she grabbed his hand. At first he was afraid he’d gone too far, but then she guided his index finger into her vagina. He sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of the hot, wet muscle surrounding his finger, and then he started gently pumping the digit in and out. She moaned again and dropped her head, burying her face against his neck. Soon she took hold of his hand again, this time bringing his soaked finger up to the hardened nub of her clitoris. He rubbed his fingertip in circles over it. Now that got a good reaction-she gasped and squirmed against him, so he rubbed it a little harder.
“Kuei…” she whispered. The desire in her voice fueled his own need and he moved his finger even faster. By then Zafirah was all but panting, her hands shaking as they caressed his torso and she kissed him everywhere she could reach. His wrist started to ache after some time, but he had absolutely no intention of quitting. Every now and then, she’d reach down to guide his hand, and he was glad for the unspoken suggestions as he worked out how to pleasure her best. All of a sudden, Zafirah let out a particularly sharp gasp, stifling it against his shoulder.
“W-what? What’s wrong?” he sputtered, his hand going still.
“Ngh, don’t you dare stop now!” she hissed, rocking her hips against his hand. He hurried to begin again and she shivered. Her breathing got more and more ragged, and then she pressed her face into his chest to muffle a soft cry. Her whole body went rigid, back arching, fingernails digging into his arm, and then she sagged against him. He took his hand away, wrapped both arms around her and held on tightly. Zafirah lay there in his arms for a few minutes, and then she lifted her head and gazed at him. The corners of her mouth stretched into a wide, lazy smile with more than a hint of mischief in it.
Her hand slid along his torso, past his navel, and he blushed again as he realized what she was doing. She wrapped her slender fingers around his erection, making him inhale sharply. Then she started stroking him and anything resembling rational thought fled from his mind. He tightened his arm around her waist once more, pulling her against his side. The fingers of his other hand dug into the futon. He was so tightly wound by that point that it didn’t take long for him to finish. He bit back a cry as he came over her hand and his belly. For a minute or so all he could do was lie there, clutching Zafirah to him and trying to catch his breath.
When he’d recovered a bit, he felt a tinge of embarrassment. “That was… abrupt,” he mumbled, wincing. Zafirah clucked her tongue and kissed his cheek.
“First time’s never perfect, sweetheart,” she told him, her tone gentle. “You enjoyed it, right?”
“Mmmmmhmm,” he sighed.
“Then I’d say it went pretty well.” She winked at him and he smiled, reassured. He then spotted his pants lying discarded next to the futon and grabbed them, wiping up the mess he’d left. He crumpled the pants up and tossed them aside again; he’d wash them in the morning. Zafirah dragged herself upright, yawning and stretching, and crossed over to the lantern by the door. Kuei couldn’t help but admire her bare backside as she walked. She blew out the lantern, plunging the room into darkness, and then she came back to the futon. Kuei found the blanket next to the mattress and spread it over them. They curled up beneath it, their naked legs twining together. They both slept soundly that night.
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The next morning, Zafirah woke up well before the usual wake-up call. Her head was resting on Kuei’s chest, and her right leg was draped over both of his. A huge smile split her face as memories of the night before came back to her: his hands roaming her body, his bright green eyes dark and hazy with desire… She bit her lip and pressed her cheek against him. She could smell sex and sweat on his skin. It was a good smell, she thought, and she decided to make sure it happened more often. But for now, they should probably do something about it, because she probably smelled the same way.
“Hey, wake up,” she whispered, bracing herself on her elbow and shaking his shoulder.
“Hmm?” Kuei opened one eye and blearily looked up at her. Then the memories must have caught up with him, too, because he sat up and blushed, smiling bashfully at her. She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips.
“We should go wash up before breakfast,” she said.
“All right,” he mumbled, yawning. They quickly got dressed and hurried to the bathhouse, where they agreed to bathe in different stalls. Zafirah had a feeling that if they’d shared a stall, they’d have ended up missing breakfast entirely. After they’d finished bathing, they walked to the farmhouse hand-in-hand.
Their last few days at the farm passed by quickly. By the end of that second week-the end of the working time they’d originally agreed on with Mr. Liu-they were ready to go. It had been a nice couple of weeks, but Zafirah and her companions were all looking forward to getting on the move again; even Bosco was getting restless. So Mr. Liu paid them their last salary, they said their goodbyes to the old couple and the farmhands, and they put the farm to their backs.
Just like before, they made their way along the coastal road. A couple months ago, the peacefulness of their journey might have made Zafirah suspicious-in the desert, there was always some danger to keep her on her toes. For the moment, though, she was happy to just savor the good times the three of them were having. They kept up their writing lessons every day, and she and Basam were learning quickly. And every night, she and Kuei fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. The cloth walls of their tent didn’t allow much privacy, though, so they’d kept their “explorations” to a minimum, not wanting to scar her poor brother’s brain. “There’s some things Basam just doesn’t need to know about my life,” she’d told Kuei wryly. Of course, saying something and doing it were two different things, and lying there alone in that tent, pressed up against each other… needless to say, keeping their hands to themselves was tough. Still, they were managing it somehow.
Looking back on it, with how quiet their lives were, she probably should’ve guessed that they were due for a little excitement. And it found them in the forest ten miles away from a little village called Senlin. The road had curved inland past the village, following a river upstream. The first thing they saw was a column of smoke rising up above the treetops further along the road. And then, from behind them, they heard sounds coming their way-the scuff of boots on the dirt road, the creaking of cartwheels, and the heavy stomp of big animals.
Basam looked back over his shoulder and swore loudly. “Time to get off the road,” he announced, grabbing Zafirah and Kuei each by an arm. “C’mon, Bosco!” he called over his shoulder.
“What the-“ Zafirah protested, but Basam shushed her and yanked on their arms. The four of them retreated to the trees by the side of the road, crouching down at Basam’s frantic gesturing. They peeked over the bushes that were hiding them, and after a few minutes Zafirah saw what it was that had her twin so spooked: a group of Fire Nation soldiers headed right for them. Basam must have seen the tall banners that the ones in front were carrying. The stomping noise came from the four komodo rhinos in the group, and the carts in question were loaded with supplies.
As the soldiers passed by, Zafirah could hear two of them talking. “Ugh, more Earth Kingdom garbage,” the nearest one complained. “It all tastes like dirt to me.”
“Hah, not surprising, given the way these people live in the mud!” laughed the one next to him.
“Yeah, no kidding. But still, with how bad it all is, you’d think they’d have handed it over to us a lot more easily!”
“Heh. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to live with it till we rendezvous with the other garrison. Then we’ll have supplies from the homeland again!”
“Ahh, komodo chicken curry!” sighed the first one. Zafirah glared at the two as they passed their hiding place. She shot a glance at her two companions and saw anger on their faces, too. So they’d realized the same thing she had: those supplies had probably been taken by force from Senlin Village.
They waited for the Fire Nation group to pass by, and then Basam pointed after them and mouthed, ‘Follow’. Zafirah nodded and so did Kuei. Once the group had gotten well ahead of them, they got back on the road and followed the fresh tracks. After another half a mile, the tracks swerved off onto a narrower trail that wound off into the trees. From the broken branches and trodden underbrush, the trail looked pretty new. Even Zafirah, a desert girl form birth, could see that.
“Let’s go and see what these fellows are up to, shall we?” Kuei asked, frowning at the trail.
“Yep,” Zafirah and Basam both agreed. Kuei told Bosco to stay put, and the three of them crept off down the trail. It took them to a sprawling Fire Nation encampment in a big clearing. They could see the soldiers from the group on the road unloading their ill-gotten goods, stashing them away. They watched the camp for a few minutes and then, on a shared glance, they slunk away and went back to the main road.
“Urgh, they’re just so horrible,” Zafirah muttered, tightly crossing her arms. “They can’t even get food like normal people! They have to go and steal everything!”
“Yeah. It pisses me off, them thinking they can get away with anything!” Basam agreed.
“But the sad thing is, they can get away with anything,” Kuei pointed out grimly. “As long as they’re winning the war…” And then Basam suddenly lifted his head and grinned.
Zafirah arched an eyebrow at him. She knew that particular grin. It always came before some sort of mischief. “What’cha thinkin’, brother?” she asked.
“Well, d’you remember the day we went into Meihui and asked around for information about the eclipse?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure,” she said. That had been a pretty grim evening, with the lack of any good news about the Avatar. But that night was pretty good, she thought, smiling at the memory of her and Kuei sharing a futon for the first time. And that memory brought back another, of the conversation they’d had in Meihui that night. Her smile turned into a grin that matched her twin’s. Kuei must have remembered, too, because he joined in on the grinning.
“I suppose it’s time to piss off some Firebenders, then?” he asked.
“Y’know, I think it is,” Basam said.
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“Okay, I’ve got it all figured out,” Zafirah said, causing Kuei to glance up at her from where he sat chopping vegetables for dinner. Basam, who was chopping next to him, looked up as well. Bosco looked up at her, growling curiously. She plopped down between them, a pleased look on her face. “You both heard that one soldier mention a rendezvous with another garrison, right?”
“Right,” Basam agreed. Kuei nodded.
“Right! So, here’s the plan: we’re gonna sneak into their camp in the middle of the night, wreck all their stuff, and make damn well sure they miss that rendezvous! We’ll go back tonight and get an idea of the camp’s layout, what their watch shifts are like, that kind of thing-- and then tomorrow we hit ‘em!”
“I like it,” said Basam. “Simple and efficient.”
“Yes, definitely,” Kuei agreed. There was a vague worry nagging at the back, and he realized what it was after a brief contemplation. “I do have one concern, though: what if the soldiers blame the people of Senlin? They might assume that the villagers want retribution for the theft of their supplies.”
“Got a good point, there,” Basam said.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Zafirah sighed. “Damn, I didn’t even think of that!”
“So, let’s given ‘em something else to blame,” Basam suggested.
“Like what?”
“Gimme a minute.” He chopped a few more vegetable slices while he considered this. Kuei went back to chopping as well, searching for a solution. Then Basam piped up again. “What if we just tell ‘em that it wasn’t the villagers?” he suggested.
“What, tell ‘em who we are?” asked Zafirah, frowning.
“No, no-we could leave a message or something,” he said.
Zafirah nodded slowly, chewing her bottom lip. “Mmm, yeah. Maybe something that’ll put a little fear in their hearts, huh?” She grinned wickedly.
“That seems like a good tactic!” Kuei said. He set down his knife and leaned forward as the excitement of their plan took hold of him. “We want to declare our intentions, while still deflecting blame away from Senlin Village. If we could find a message to accomplish that…”
“What’ll it be, though?” Basam wondered.
“Hmmm. Perhaps we could invent a sort of vigilante group. Something that’ll suggest a much larger enemy-one that could strike with much more force at any time!” He set down his knife and punched his right fist into his left palm.
“Such as?” Basam asked.
“How about… the Freedom Fighters!” Kuei suggested.
“Mm, I dunno, it’s probably been done before,” Zafirah said.
“Oh.” Kuei gave it more thought. “What do you think of the Earth Kingdom Liberation Army for a name?” he asked. “The message itself could be, I don’t know… something like, “The Earth Kingdom Liberation Army was here’?”
“Not bad, not bad,” Basam said musingly.
“I got a few ideas, myself,” Zafirah said. The three of them gathered closer around their campfire, planning their mischief.
/////////////////////////
The next night, they put their plan into motion. They started getting ready at sunset. Luckily, Zafirah and Kuei had kept the dark clothes they’d worn on the Day of Black Sun. Basam hadn’t been there, of course, so he didn’t have any dark clothes. He did still have his stolen Fire Nation uniform, which he rubbed in the dirt to hide its already dark shade of red. They smeared ash from the campfire on their faces, and then settled down to wait.
“I think it’s been long enough,” Kuei said a few hours after sunset.
“Yeah, they should be asleep by now,” Zafirah agreed. She was starting to get antsy.
“Okay, then, let’s go make their lives a little less comfortable,” Basam said with a roguish grin.
“You stay here, Bosco,” Kuei said to the bear as they doused the campfire and stood up. “I’m afraid you’d make too much noise.” The bear gurgled sadly and plopped down next to the firepit. The three of them left their camp and made their way back to the narrow trail through the trees.
Their sneaking the night before-“reconnaissance”, Kuei had called it-had been plenty of help. They knew exactly where the night patrol’s path was, and so they easily avoided the guards walking around the camp’s edge. Once the closest guard had passed them by, they slipped unseen into the camp.
//////////////////////
Basam’s skin tingled, his hair standing on end. Sure, he was nervous about maybe getting caught, but there was also the thrill of finally getting to mess around with these fire-throwing bastards. After all they’d done, he was definitely going to enjoy this.
His first stop was the little laundry area, where the soldiers’ uniforms were hanging up to dry. It was secluded between two big tents, so as long as he was quiet, no one would spot him. Your clothes are done for, he decided, pulling a knife from his belt. For starters, he slashed an X-shape into each tunic hanging from the clothesline on his left. Then, in a fit of glee that even he had to admit was childish, he cut open the crotch of every pair of pants hanging to his right. And lastly, for good measure, he cut both lines and lowered them to the ground, careful not to let the cloth rustle too much. He stamped on the clothes a few times, grinding them into the dirt, and then tiptoed away to his next target-the cook’s tent.
He stuffed handfuls of dirt into all the pots and pans he could reach, upended a jar of cooking oil, and jabbed fistfuls of chopsticks points-first into the ground. Then he spotted a flask hidden away on a shelf. Hmm, theft in the ranks, huh? He smirked at the thought. He grabbed it, opened it up and gave the mouth of the flask a sniff. It’s sake, he realized. He took a tiny sip and nodded appreciatively. Good stuff! Glad I brought this with me, he thought as he untied a cloth bag from his belt. The flask went into the bag, along with a box of jelly candies and a few other choice tidbits the cook had hidden away. His work done there, he moved on again-this time to the supply stock.
They’d agreed not to wreck any of the food supplies, since that’d just be wasteful-and he and Zafirah hated wasting food-but they could definitely “liberate” some of it. They’d leave the stolen goods from Senlin alone; they wouldn’t be able to bring the supplies back, and it just didn’t seem right to take any of it for themselves. But the stuff marked with the Fire Nation emblem was fair game. He loaded up the cloth sack with dried meat, jars of spices, some more small boxes of jelly candy, and anything else he could fit in. Once the bag was full, he made his way to the flap of the supply tent.
As he reached out to push back the cloth, though, he heard boot-clad footsteps crunching on the dirt outside. He swore silently and slipped back into the corner of the tent. He’d just crouched down behind a stack of crates when the tent flap swung inward and one of the night sentries poked his head through. The soldier stuck a torch into the tent, peering around.
“I could’ve sworn I heard something,” the man whispered, stepping inside.
Oh no, no no no, don’t you come in here! Basam thought, dread rising up within him. The guard moved slowly towards Basam’s hiding place, turning the torch this way and that as he looked around.
“Maybe it was a raccoon-cat,” he muttered. Basam held his breath, praying to the Spirits for a lucky break. He got one: as the soldier reached the back of the tent, he turned to the opposite side of it first and left his back wide open. Basam sprang to his feet and flung both arms around the soldier, clapping one hand tight over his nose and mouth and the other around his neck. Taken off guard, the soldier flailed around-but Basam held on tight. Soon, the sentry’s body went slack. Basam lowered him to the ground and checked his pulse, which was still steady.
I wonder if you’d have shown me the same mercy, Basam thought. He quickly untied the sentry’s belt and used it to bind his wrists, then took his own belt to tie his feet. He cut off part of his pants-leg and used it to gag the soldier, then rubbed a handful of dirt on his leg to hide his skin as much as he could. And then he hurried out of the tent as quickly as he could; his accomplices needed to know that there was a soldier down.
He found Zafirah next to the komodo-rhino hitching post, cutting through the thick leather straps of their saddles.
“Hey, Zafi,” he whispered urgently.
“Hold on… nearly done… there we go.” She sat back from the last saddle, nodding in satisfaction at her work. “What’s up?
“I had to knock out one of the sentries,” Basam told her. “He’s down and tied up, but who knows when he’ll come to.”
“Damn!” she whispered. She pressed her knuckles to her mouth, then shook her head. “Okay, okay. Let’s find Kuei and get out, then. I think we’ve done plenty of damage here.”
Kuei met them in the shadows next to the communications tent; he was looking mighty pleased with himself and clutching a cloth bag stuffed with something. Zafirah pointed to it and arched her eyebrows. He opened it up, showing it to be full of parchment scrolls.
“Orders,” he mouthed and gave them a thumbs-up.
“Did you plant the message?” Zafirah whispered. Kuei nodded.
“Hey! What’re you three doing over there?” The voice came from the camp perimeter, just behind them. For a second, the three of them froze in panic.
“Go!” Basam and his sister hissed at the same time. They turned and bolted for the front of the camp, stealth forgotten. On their way out, though, they made one last stop back at the rhino hitching post. They quickly cut the ropes tying up the five beasts, and Basam gave the nearest one a hearty slap on the rump. It roared and lunged sideways, knocking into the one next to it. That one took a sideways jump into its neighbor as well. Soon all five were on the run and doing way more damage than the three of them had ever hoped for. They slipped out of the Fire Nation camp under the cover of komodo rhino stampede.
Some of the soldiers tried to follow them, of course, but Basam and his companions managed to lose them in the shadowy forest. They made it back to their camp, breathless and giddy with success.
“We did it!” Zafirah crowed.
“Haha, yeah! That oughta slow ‘em down for a while,” Basam snickered.
“I have to admit, I never thought I’d be this proud of intentional property damage,” Kuei said.
“Property damage for justice!” Zafirah added smugly. She and Kuei embraced, and Basam decided it was time for a group hug. He grabbed them both and hugged them tightly. And then Bosco joined in, too, rearing up on his back legs and wrapping his huge arms around them. Zafirah squawked indignantly and Basam just laughed.
They were all too wound up to sleep, so Basam brought out the sake flask he’d found and they each poured a cup. They rekindled the campfire and relaxed.
Zafirah took a sip and whistled. “Wow, they got some nice stuff in the Fire Nation army,” she commented. “They may be power-grabbing vultures, but I guess some of ‘em have good taste.”
“True, that,” Basam agreed. “And you think that’s good? Check this out.” He gleefully pulled out a box of jelly candies and handed it to her.
“Is this what I think it is?” Zafirah asked eagerly, peering into it.
“Yep!” He knew perfectly well why his sister was so excited-back home, jelly candy had been an even scarcer luxury than fresh fruit. They passed the box and flask around, eating and drinking their fill. As they did, Kuei showed them the scrolls he’d found.
“They’re orders of various types-directives, deployment orders, that sort of thing. There’s even a map of Fire Nation prisons and slave labor operations! And,” he went on, holding up one particular document with a flourish, “I have the location of that rendezvous point!”
“We could beat ‘em there,” mused Zafirah. “With all that damage, I doubt they’d be able to keep up with us.”
“I like that idea,” Basam said. Then something else occurred to him and he sat forward. “Slave operations and prisons, you said? Zafi, our tribe might be in one of those!”
“Sweet Spirits, you’re right!” Zafirah gasped.
“There’s one a little further up the coast,” Kuei said as he perused the map in the firelight. “It’s just beyond a place called the Wulong Forest. Why don’t we make that our next stop after this rendezvous point? Even if your tribe isn’t there, we may find information that could lead us to them.”
Basam beamed from ear to ear, and so did Zafirah. “Yes,” she said fervently. Basam nodded in agreement, thrilled at the thought of a possible reunion.
“To Ba Sing Se and the Janan Tribe,” Kuei said, raising his cup.
“To our people!” Zafirah said, lifting hers as well.
“To our people,” Basam agreed.
///////////////////////
“What in the Spirit World is going on here, and how did we damn well sleep through it?!” demanded Lieutenant Etsuko as she stormed from her tent.
“R-raiders, Lieutenant,” said a quivering sentry. He knew perfectly well what kind of trouble he was in, as one of the guards who’d failed to stop the intruders. Etsuko glared around her ruined camp, practically tearing their hair out. Another soldier came up to her then, carrying a piece of parchment.
“The rebels left this in the communications tent, Lieutenant,” he said, presenting it to her. She read it quickly:
We know of your crimes, and you will face the consequences for them. There will be no forgiveness for you. Don’t bother looking for us in Senlin Village, we’ll be long gone by the time you read this.
--The Earth Kingdom Liberation Force
PS: Meet you at the rendezvous point.
Etsuko crumpled the parchment with an almost feral snarl.
It took them an embarrassingly long time to get on the move again, and when they got to the rendezvous point, it too had been trashed. The commanding officer there, fuming with rage, had two parchment notes. One was addressed to Etsuko, and it said just two words: Too slow.
///////////////////////////
So yep, that’s that chapter done. Did you notice that name I dropped near the end? The name of a certain forest? Yeah, that name. Do you remember what happened there in the series? If not, go to the Avatar Wiki and look it up. Go on. I’ll wait.
Yep, it’s that forest. The comet is coming, dear readers, and the final story arc of CST is about to begin.
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FFnet
Avatarspirit.net
CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 18--REBELLING
The next week passed by quickly. On the second day of the week, Kuei remembered something he’d promised to Zafirah. Luckily, that day happened to be Mrs. Liu’s shopping day. After breakfast, he caught up to the elderly woman as she was setting up the cart to go into town.
“Mrs. Liu,” he said, “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Of course,” she said, smiling kindly. “What is it?”
“There’s something I’d like you to get for me,” he said, pulling his coin pouch from his pocket. He described the item in question and Mrs. Liu nodded, accepting the money he gave her. Then, Kuei turned around at the sound of footsteps crunching on the path behind him. It was Zafirah; she gave him a sunny smile.
“Hey, Kuei,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “You goin’ into town, too?”
“No, I just had a request to make,” he replied. He tilted his head, puzzled. “You’re going into town?”
“Yeah. There’s something I need to get,” she told him, waving her hand vaguely.
“I told her she could help me with my shopping in place of her usual chores this morning,” Mrs. Liu explained. “It’ll be just us ladies,” she added in a conspiratorial tone, her pale green eyes twinkling.
“Well, have a good time,” Kuei said, smiling. He waved goodbye to the two women, and then headed back to start on his morning tasks.
It was lunchtime when the two women returned from their shopping. They met Kuei and Basam on the way to the farmhouse for their meal. Mrs. Liu handed him a rectangular bundle wrapped in brown cloth, along with the leftover money.
“What’d you get?” Basam asked as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
“It’s a calligraphy set,” Kuei announced gleefully. “It’s very basic, nothing too elaborate, but it has everything we’d need.” Zafirah stared blankly at him for a moment, and then her lips curved up in a huge smile.
“Hey, Basam,” she said, turning to her brother, “Kuei said he’d teach us some writin’ and readin’, if we’re up for it.”
“What, really?” Basam asked. “When did that happen?”
“It was, uh… same night we kissed, actually,” Zafirah muttered, nudging Kuei with her elbow.
“And you’re just now getting around to mentionin’ it,” Basam commented.
“Yeah, heh… sorry. I kinda forgot,” she said sheepishly. Basam rolled his eyes and heaved an exaggerated sigh.
“Right, right, some guy’s been keeping you distracted,” he teased.
Kuei cleared his throat, his face reddening. “So, um, what do you say?” he prompted. “About the lessons…?”
“Sure, I’m up for it,” Basam said with a grin.
After dinner that night, Mr. Liu let them stay in the dining room for their lesson. Kuei unwrapped the calligraphy set and quickly took stock of its contents. Zafirah and Basam both sat down next to the table, waiting as he arranged the set in front of them. Once it was ready, he seated himself beside them.
“Well, ah…” He felt a sudden flash of nervousness as he looked at the twins’ eager faces. They both leaned forward, their smiles nearly identical. Kuei coughed. “Perhaps we should start with both of you telling me what you already know,” he suggested.
Zafirah took the initiative, scooting closer to the writing tablet and picking up the brush. She painstakingly wrote out a couple of messy-looking characters on the paper. “That’s my name,” she said, waving the brush at the characters. Then she drew another. “That’s ‘sand’. This one’s ‘sky’… ‘desert’… ‘Sandbender’… ‘sun’… ‘water’… This one’s ‘sand’, too.” She glanced up at Kuei. “I’m sure you’re noticing a pattern by now,” she joked. Then she sat back on her heels and sighed. “That’s pretty much it,” she muttered. “I mean, I know a few others, but it’s more of the same.”
“All right,” Kuei said. Zafirah slid backwards and handed the brush to Basam, who took her place at the writing tablet. Basam held the brush over the paper for a moment and then frowned.
“Most of the ones I know’re the same as Zafi’s,” he said.
“Just do it anyway,” Zafirah said, nudging his back with her knuckles.
Basam shrugged and leaned over the page. “Let’s see, here. Okay, we got my name, we got ‘sand’… I know ‘bird’, too, and ‘home’… Ooh, and I know ‘Si Wong’, that one too…” Kuei noticed that Basam’s characters were more neatly written than his sister’s. Basam set the brush down and scooted back next to Zafirah. Kuei sat down at the tablet and picked up the brush, replacing the paper with a fresh sheet.
“Hmm, all right.” He quickly jotted down a few characters and held up the page. “Do you know what these mean?”
“Nope,” said Basam.
“No,” Zafirah said.
“Well, um, these characters mean ‘Earth Kingdom’,” Kuei explained. He wrote down a few more and held up the page again. “How about these?” he asked.
“Not even close,” Zafirah said irritably.
“No need to get snappy, Zafi,” Basam chided her.
“Well, how in the world am I supposed to know what those scribbles mean?” Zafirah demanded.
“She’s right, Basam,” Kuei said. “I’m sorry, I’m going about this all wrong.” He considered for a moment. “Let’s start with the basic types of characters instead.”
An hour later, Kuei sat and watched while the twins took turns practicing the characters he’d shown them. The lesson seemed to be going well, and he couldn’t help but feel rather pleased with his first teaching attempt. He nodded approvingly as Basam finished a set and handed the brush over to Zafirah. Once she’d completed her own set, she handed the paper to Kuei, who studied it.
“Hmm… you both seem to be having trouble with this pair of characters here,” he observed. After a moment’s thought, an idea occurred to him. “Can I demonstrate them for you?”
“Yeah, sure,” Basam said. Kuei moved over to sit by Basam’s right shoulder.
“May I borrow your hand for a moment?”
“Go for it.”
“All right. Hold the brush, please,” Kuei said. Basam picked up the brush again and Kuei reached over to lightly grasp Basam’s right hand with his own.
“I’m not sure how my sister’ll feel about us holding hands,” Basam joked. Kuei laughed at the remark.
“Oh, I’m not too worried,” Zafirah replied lightly.
Kuei slowly guided Basam’s hand through the brushstrokes of the character set. Then he let go and shifted backwards. “There we are. Did you notice any difference?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Basam said. He gave it another try on his own with much better results. “Yeah, yeah, I definitely see the difference there.”
“Good!” Kuei said. Then he turned to Zafirah, who grinned and wiggled the fingers of her right hand at him.
“My turn?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.
“That’s right,” he agreed, returning her smile. He scooted up next to her-much closer than he’d been to Basam, naturally-and grasped her right hand with his own. He gently moved her hand over the paper, doing his best to focus on the lesson and not on the warmth radiating from her body.
“Huh! Whaddya know, that actually did help,” Zafirah commented as she looked down at the completed characters.
The lesson went on for a while longer. Eventually they decided to stop for the night; Kuei packed away the calligraphy set and the three of them headed off to their beds.
////////////////////////////////
Two more days passed by. Each night, Kuei and the twins would return to the dining room in the farmhouse for more lessons. Their skills were improving quickly, much to their delight; and Kuei quickly found that, once he got used to it, he enjoyed teaching almost as much as he enjoyed learning.
As they finished up their lesson for that night, Basam yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
“So how’d we do tonight, huh, Sifu Kuei?” he asked with his usual grin.
“You did very well!” Kuei replied, beaming with pride at the title. “Both of you did quite well.”
“Good, good, glad to hear it. I’m off to take a bath and get some sleep. Good night, you two!” He waved at them and left the dining room.
“A bath does sound good,” Kuei murmured as he lifted the bundled-up calligraphy set from the table. “I think I’ll have one as well.” How about you?” He glanced over at Zafirah.
“I took one before the lesson, remember?”
“Ah, right, of course.”
Zafirah smirked and linked her arm through his. “I’ll see you at my room when you’re done, yeah?”
Kuei smiled and nodded. “Of course.” He’d taken to sleeping in her room ever since that first night. They left the farmhouse arm-in-arm, and then Kuei went off to take his bath. The hot water felt wonderful after another day’s farm labor, and he started planning their lesson for the next night as he soaked. He only stayed in the bath for about ten minutes; he didn’t want to keep Zafirah waiting too long. He hurried back to the farmhand house and knocked on her door.
She slid the door open and beamed at him. “Hi. Enjoy your bath?” she asked. Her hair was out of its braid, he noticed. It hung loosely around her face in shorter locks and fell down her back in a straight, flowing curtain.
“Yes, indeed,” he said, smiling back at her. He stepped into her room and she closed the door behind him. He noticed that she’d already extinguished one of the two lanterns in her room; the one on the dresser was unlit, while the one mounted on the wall next to the door flickered cheerily. “It’s a bit dark in here, don’t you think?” he asked, crossing the room to reach the dresser. She followed after him. He picked up the spark rocks to light the lantern, but Zafirah’s hand landed atop his forearm and stopped him. She stood close behind him, sliding her hand down to his own, pulling the rocks out of his grasp and putting them back on the dresser. He could feel the heat of her body against his back. “O-or we could leave it like this. Nice and… and dimly lit,” he croaked.
“Now you’re gettin’ it,” Zafirah said. She slid her arms around his waist, burying her face in between his shoulder blades. He sighed happily, enjoying the feel of her arms for a minute. Then he twisted around to bring them face to face, eager to kiss her again. Kuei’s throat went dry at the smile that graced her lips. There was a gleam in her eye, a certain intensity that he hadn’t seen before. She raised herself up on her toes to press her lips against his and he responded with enthusiasm. He let his hands roam over her back, over the curves of her hips, through her hair. Zafirah did the same, sliding her hands down. He couldn’t help but jump slightly when she grabbed his backside.
“You got a nice butt,” she murmured against his mouth.
“Er… thanks?” Then, before he could lose his nerve, he boldly brought his own hands down and did the same. “Y-you do too,” he said, chuckling. And she did, too-it was round and firm. She giggled slightly and went right back to kissing. When they broke apart for air, Zafirah smirked at him.
“See? It’s like I said before: all you needed was some practice,” she teased. Then she took his hand and led him over towards the futon. He gladly followed her. He sat down cross-legged on the futon, expecting Zafirah to seat herself beside him as she had on previous nights. Instead, she straddled his legs and perched on his lap, her legs on either side of him.
“A-ah,” he stammered, his already flushed face going even redder.
“You look kinda nervous,” Zafirah murmured. She rested her hands on his shoulders.
“Ye-yes. Um. I th-think I understand where you’re going with this, now,” he said, pulse racing.
She smiled much more softly than usual. “Is that okay?” she asked.
“Yes! Yes, definitely,” he said, nodding vigorously. Then he frowned slightly as something occurred to him. “But, wait, what if you get-you know…” He gave up on fumbling for the right words and just gestured to his abdomen. Luckily, she caught his meaning.
“Remember when I went into town with Mrs. Liu the other day?” she asked. He nodded. “There was a particular type of herb I wanted to get. I had a feelin’ I might be needing it soon,” she explained.
“Ah.” His face reddened even more, if possible. “Well then.” He knew which one she meant; he’d read about it in a medical text once. It was supposed to be nearly foolproof in preventing conception.
“That’s not all you’re worried over, is it?” she asked, a knowing look on her face.
“No,” he admitted. “Ah, I’ve never… not for lack of wanting to, though!” he assured her hurriedly. He could feel all the confidence he’d gained over the last few nights slipping away. “And the thing is, I-I don’t want to disappoint you.”
She slid her arms around his neck and gazed at him with dark, heavy-lidded eyes. “You won’t,” she said softly. Then she winked, her smile taking on more of its usual edge. “Don’t you worry, honey. How ‘bout this: we’ll save that for another night. And for tonight… well, there’s plenty of other ways to have fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned slyly.
“And I suppose you’ll be showing me a few of those ways?” he asked, anticipation breaking through some of his nervousness. She plucked his glasses off of his nose, set them aside, and brushed her fingertips over his lips.
“You’re damn right I will.” She pressed her lips to his, her fingers twisting into his hair. He settled his hands on her hips and kissed back, his nerves fading quickly as passion took over. Their kisses deepened, tongues brushing together. Zafirah shifted in his lap, hooking her legs behind his back and arching her spine so her breasts pressed against him. Kuei was sure that she could feel his heart pounding against her chest. His arms wound tightly around her waist, and then he brought his hands up to her face, caressing her cheeks. Then he broke their kiss and ducked his head, gently bringing his lips to the smooth column of her neck. She sighed quietly and lifted her chin, exposing more of her skin to him. He slowly moved his lips and tongue over it; she let out a squeak when he found an especially good spot and he gave it extra attention. His pants were already beginning to feel rather tight, and the delighted sounds she made as he kissed that sweet spot on her neck were making them even tighter.
She leaned back from him suddenly and tilted his chin up with he fingertips. His heart thudded at the sight of her face, cheeks flushed and lips swollen. She gave him another of her smirks as her hands slid down his torso and untied the belt cinching his tunic. She tossed the cloth aside and tugged at the hem of his shirt. He obliged, pulling the tunic over his head and throwing it somewhere-he neither saw nor cared where it landed. She ran her hands over his bare chest, eying him with obvious approval. Her touch lingered for a moment on the pinkish line of the cut he’d gotten on the day of the eclipse. He let his eyelids slide shut, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of someone else’s hands on his skin.
Then he hesitantly reached for the belt closing the wraparound shirt Zafirah wore. She arched her eyebrows again, encouraging him. He untied it with quivering fingers and she shrugged off the tunic, leaving her in just her sarashi. His eyes went to her breasts and she grinned. She untied the knot holding the sarashi in place, unwound the tan cloth, and threw it over her shoulder.
Well, if his pants had been tight before, they were downright uncomfortable now. And with the position they were in, there was no way Zafirah hadn’t noticed by now. He tried not to gape at the sight of anatomy he’d only seen in medical texts before, but it was proving difficult. Her breasts were small, but round and-as far as he was concerned-completely perfect.
“So? Go ahead and touch me already,” she said, still grinning. Her hands skimmed over his torso again before they clasped behind his neck. He touched his fingertips to her now exposed hips. His breath, already uneven, hitched sharply at the feel of her smooth skin; he’d been aching to touch her like this ever since that day at the beach… He lifted his hands, trailing over her ribs. Finally, his hands cupped the swells of her breasts. She arched her back again, leaning into his touch. He gently squeezed and rubbed with his fingers. And then his left thumb brushed over her dark brown nipple, which was as hard as a pebble, and she gasped. He did it with both hands, drawing a soft moan from her. Intrigued, he lightly pinched them between his thumb and forefinger. She moaned a bit louder, her own fingertips digging into his upper back. Her mouth crashed onto his again and he quickly lost himself in kissing her. Her hips ground against his, sending shivers of pleasure running through him.
Zafirah pulled away again and sat up on her knees, just long enough to push against his chest. “Lie down,” she whispered. He did so and she lowered herself on top of him. Their lips met again as they let their hands explore. Kuei wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Zafirah lifted her head and shifted so that she was lying on her side next to him, supporting herself on her elbow. Her hair draped across his chest. They gazed at one another for a moment, both breathing heavily. Her fingers trailed down his abdomen and brushed the top of his pants. “This looks pretty uncomfortable,” she remarked with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Let’s do something about that.”
“Mmh.” That was all the reply he could manage under the circumstances. She sat up and untied the drawstring on her pants and he followed her lead with his own. She stood up and slid her pants and underwear down in one motion, kicking them away, and he momentarily forgot about his own garments. He couldn’t help but stare up at her, admiring her slender legs and the patch of unruly, dark hair between her thighs. Then he reminded himself of what he’d been doing and quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes. Her gaze traveled over his body, lingering on his erection, as she knelt back down onto the futon.
She lay at his side again, propped up on her elbow, and they gladly went back to kissing. As they did, Kuei mustered his courage and reached across his torso to rest his hand on her upper thigh, gently stroking the soft skin there. She let out an impatient huff and grabbed his hand, placing it between her legs. He felt heat and wetness against his fingers. Ah, so that’s what they meant, he thought. At the age of fifteen, while prowling through the royal library, he’d found several books and scrolls containing some rather explicit poems and stories. Their descriptions of a woman’s “wetness” suddenly made much more sense. There were certain acts that they’d described, as well, that he’d always been curious to try…
He moved his fingers through the wiry hair, slipping them between the outer folds there and rubbing softly. Zafirah’s breath hitched and she grabbed his hand. At first he was afraid he’d gone too far, but then she guided his index finger into her vagina. He sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of the hot, wet muscle surrounding his finger, and then he started gently pumping the digit in and out. She moaned again and dropped her head, burying her face against his neck. Soon she took hold of his hand again, this time bringing his soaked finger up to the hardened nub of her clitoris. He rubbed his fingertip in circles over it. Now that got a good reaction-she gasped and squirmed against him, so he rubbed it a little harder.
“Kuei…” she whispered. The desire in her voice fueled his own need and he moved his finger even faster. By then Zafirah was all but panting, her hands shaking as they caressed his torso and she kissed him everywhere she could reach. His wrist started to ache after some time, but he had absolutely no intention of quitting. Every now and then, she’d reach down to guide his hand, and he was glad for the unspoken suggestions as he worked out how to pleasure her best. All of a sudden, Zafirah let out a particularly sharp gasp, stifling it against his shoulder.
“W-what? What’s wrong?” he sputtered, his hand going still.
“Ngh, don’t you dare stop now!” she hissed, rocking her hips against his hand. He hurried to begin again and she shivered. Her breathing got more and more ragged, and then she pressed her face into his chest to muffle a soft cry. Her whole body went rigid, back arching, fingernails digging into his arm, and then she sagged against him. He took his hand away, wrapped both arms around her and held on tightly. Zafirah lay there in his arms for a few minutes, and then she lifted her head and gazed at him. The corners of her mouth stretched into a wide, lazy smile with more than a hint of mischief in it.
Her hand slid along his torso, past his navel, and he blushed again as he realized what she was doing. She wrapped her slender fingers around his erection, making him inhale sharply. Then she started stroking him and anything resembling rational thought fled from his mind. He tightened his arm around her waist once more, pulling her against his side. The fingers of his other hand dug into the futon. He was so tightly wound by that point that it didn’t take long for him to finish. He bit back a cry as he came over her hand and his belly. For a minute or so all he could do was lie there, clutching Zafirah to him and trying to catch his breath.
When he’d recovered a bit, he felt a tinge of embarrassment. “That was… abrupt,” he mumbled, wincing. Zafirah clucked her tongue and kissed his cheek.
“First time’s never perfect, sweetheart,” she told him, her tone gentle. “You enjoyed it, right?”
“Mmmmmhmm,” he sighed.
“Then I’d say it went pretty well.” She winked at him and he smiled, reassured. He then spotted his pants lying discarded next to the futon and grabbed them, wiping up the mess he’d left. He crumpled the pants up and tossed them aside again; he’d wash them in the morning. Zafirah dragged herself upright, yawning and stretching, and crossed over to the lantern by the door. Kuei couldn’t help but admire her bare backside as she walked. She blew out the lantern, plunging the room into darkness, and then she came back to the futon. Kuei found the blanket next to the mattress and spread it over them. They curled up beneath it, their naked legs twining together. They both slept soundly that night.
//////////////////////////
The next morning, Zafirah woke up well before the usual wake-up call. Her head was resting on Kuei’s chest, and her right leg was draped over both of his. A huge smile split her face as memories of the night before came back to her: his hands roaming her body, his bright green eyes dark and hazy with desire… She bit her lip and pressed her cheek against him. She could smell sex and sweat on his skin. It was a good smell, she thought, and she decided to make sure it happened more often. But for now, they should probably do something about it, because she probably smelled the same way.
“Hey, wake up,” she whispered, bracing herself on her elbow and shaking his shoulder.
“Hmm?” Kuei opened one eye and blearily looked up at her. Then the memories must have caught up with him, too, because he sat up and blushed, smiling bashfully at her. She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips.
“We should go wash up before breakfast,” she said.
“All right,” he mumbled, yawning. They quickly got dressed and hurried to the bathhouse, where they agreed to bathe in different stalls. Zafirah had a feeling that if they’d shared a stall, they’d have ended up missing breakfast entirely. After they’d finished bathing, they walked to the farmhouse hand-in-hand.
Their last few days at the farm passed by quickly. By the end of that second week-the end of the working time they’d originally agreed on with Mr. Liu-they were ready to go. It had been a nice couple of weeks, but Zafirah and her companions were all looking forward to getting on the move again; even Bosco was getting restless. So Mr. Liu paid them their last salary, they said their goodbyes to the old couple and the farmhands, and they put the farm to their backs.
Just like before, they made their way along the coastal road. A couple months ago, the peacefulness of their journey might have made Zafirah suspicious-in the desert, there was always some danger to keep her on her toes. For the moment, though, she was happy to just savor the good times the three of them were having. They kept up their writing lessons every day, and she and Basam were learning quickly. And every night, she and Kuei fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. The cloth walls of their tent didn’t allow much privacy, though, so they’d kept their “explorations” to a minimum, not wanting to scar her poor brother’s brain. “There’s some things Basam just doesn’t need to know about my life,” she’d told Kuei wryly. Of course, saying something and doing it were two different things, and lying there alone in that tent, pressed up against each other… needless to say, keeping their hands to themselves was tough. Still, they were managing it somehow.
Looking back on it, with how quiet their lives were, she probably should’ve guessed that they were due for a little excitement. And it found them in the forest ten miles away from a little village called Senlin. The road had curved inland past the village, following a river upstream. The first thing they saw was a column of smoke rising up above the treetops further along the road. And then, from behind them, they heard sounds coming their way-the scuff of boots on the dirt road, the creaking of cartwheels, and the heavy stomp of big animals.
Basam looked back over his shoulder and swore loudly. “Time to get off the road,” he announced, grabbing Zafirah and Kuei each by an arm. “C’mon, Bosco!” he called over his shoulder.
“What the-“ Zafirah protested, but Basam shushed her and yanked on their arms. The four of them retreated to the trees by the side of the road, crouching down at Basam’s frantic gesturing. They peeked over the bushes that were hiding them, and after a few minutes Zafirah saw what it was that had her twin so spooked: a group of Fire Nation soldiers headed right for them. Basam must have seen the tall banners that the ones in front were carrying. The stomping noise came from the four komodo rhinos in the group, and the carts in question were loaded with supplies.
As the soldiers passed by, Zafirah could hear two of them talking. “Ugh, more Earth Kingdom garbage,” the nearest one complained. “It all tastes like dirt to me.”
“Hah, not surprising, given the way these people live in the mud!” laughed the one next to him.
“Yeah, no kidding. But still, with how bad it all is, you’d think they’d have handed it over to us a lot more easily!”
“Heh. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to live with it till we rendezvous with the other garrison. Then we’ll have supplies from the homeland again!”
“Ahh, komodo chicken curry!” sighed the first one. Zafirah glared at the two as they passed their hiding place. She shot a glance at her two companions and saw anger on their faces, too. So they’d realized the same thing she had: those supplies had probably been taken by force from Senlin Village.
They waited for the Fire Nation group to pass by, and then Basam pointed after them and mouthed, ‘Follow’. Zafirah nodded and so did Kuei. Once the group had gotten well ahead of them, they got back on the road and followed the fresh tracks. After another half a mile, the tracks swerved off onto a narrower trail that wound off into the trees. From the broken branches and trodden underbrush, the trail looked pretty new. Even Zafirah, a desert girl form birth, could see that.
“Let’s go and see what these fellows are up to, shall we?” Kuei asked, frowning at the trail.
“Yep,” Zafirah and Basam both agreed. Kuei told Bosco to stay put, and the three of them crept off down the trail. It took them to a sprawling Fire Nation encampment in a big clearing. They could see the soldiers from the group on the road unloading their ill-gotten goods, stashing them away. They watched the camp for a few minutes and then, on a shared glance, they slunk away and went back to the main road.
“Urgh, they’re just so horrible,” Zafirah muttered, tightly crossing her arms. “They can’t even get food like normal people! They have to go and steal everything!”
“Yeah. It pisses me off, them thinking they can get away with anything!” Basam agreed.
“But the sad thing is, they can get away with anything,” Kuei pointed out grimly. “As long as they’re winning the war…” And then Basam suddenly lifted his head and grinned.
Zafirah arched an eyebrow at him. She knew that particular grin. It always came before some sort of mischief. “What’cha thinkin’, brother?” she asked.
“Well, d’you remember the day we went into Meihui and asked around for information about the eclipse?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure,” she said. That had been a pretty grim evening, with the lack of any good news about the Avatar. But that night was pretty good, she thought, smiling at the memory of her and Kuei sharing a futon for the first time. And that memory brought back another, of the conversation they’d had in Meihui that night. Her smile turned into a grin that matched her twin’s. Kuei must have remembered, too, because he joined in on the grinning.
“I suppose it’s time to piss off some Firebenders, then?” he asked.
“Y’know, I think it is,” Basam said.
////////////////////////////
“Okay, I’ve got it all figured out,” Zafirah said, causing Kuei to glance up at her from where he sat chopping vegetables for dinner. Basam, who was chopping next to him, looked up as well. Bosco looked up at her, growling curiously. She plopped down between them, a pleased look on her face. “You both heard that one soldier mention a rendezvous with another garrison, right?”
“Right,” Basam agreed. Kuei nodded.
“Right! So, here’s the plan: we’re gonna sneak into their camp in the middle of the night, wreck all their stuff, and make damn well sure they miss that rendezvous! We’ll go back tonight and get an idea of the camp’s layout, what their watch shifts are like, that kind of thing-- and then tomorrow we hit ‘em!”
“I like it,” said Basam. “Simple and efficient.”
“Yes, definitely,” Kuei agreed. There was a vague worry nagging at the back, and he realized what it was after a brief contemplation. “I do have one concern, though: what if the soldiers blame the people of Senlin? They might assume that the villagers want retribution for the theft of their supplies.”
“Got a good point, there,” Basam said.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Zafirah sighed. “Damn, I didn’t even think of that!”
“So, let’s given ‘em something else to blame,” Basam suggested.
“Like what?”
“Gimme a minute.” He chopped a few more vegetable slices while he considered this. Kuei went back to chopping as well, searching for a solution. Then Basam piped up again. “What if we just tell ‘em that it wasn’t the villagers?” he suggested.
“What, tell ‘em who we are?” asked Zafirah, frowning.
“No, no-we could leave a message or something,” he said.
Zafirah nodded slowly, chewing her bottom lip. “Mmm, yeah. Maybe something that’ll put a little fear in their hearts, huh?” She grinned wickedly.
“That seems like a good tactic!” Kuei said. He set down his knife and leaned forward as the excitement of their plan took hold of him. “We want to declare our intentions, while still deflecting blame away from Senlin Village. If we could find a message to accomplish that…”
“What’ll it be, though?” Basam wondered.
“Hmmm. Perhaps we could invent a sort of vigilante group. Something that’ll suggest a much larger enemy-one that could strike with much more force at any time!” He set down his knife and punched his right fist into his left palm.
“Such as?” Basam asked.
“How about… the Freedom Fighters!” Kuei suggested.
“Mm, I dunno, it’s probably been done before,” Zafirah said.
“Oh.” Kuei gave it more thought. “What do you think of the Earth Kingdom Liberation Army for a name?” he asked. “The message itself could be, I don’t know… something like, “The Earth Kingdom Liberation Army was here’?”
“Not bad, not bad,” Basam said musingly.
“I got a few ideas, myself,” Zafirah said. The three of them gathered closer around their campfire, planning their mischief.
/////////////////////////
The next night, they put their plan into motion. They started getting ready at sunset. Luckily, Zafirah and Kuei had kept the dark clothes they’d worn on the Day of Black Sun. Basam hadn’t been there, of course, so he didn’t have any dark clothes. He did still have his stolen Fire Nation uniform, which he rubbed in the dirt to hide its already dark shade of red. They smeared ash from the campfire on their faces, and then settled down to wait.
“I think it’s been long enough,” Kuei said a few hours after sunset.
“Yeah, they should be asleep by now,” Zafirah agreed. She was starting to get antsy.
“Okay, then, let’s go make their lives a little less comfortable,” Basam said with a roguish grin.
“You stay here, Bosco,” Kuei said to the bear as they doused the campfire and stood up. “I’m afraid you’d make too much noise.” The bear gurgled sadly and plopped down next to the firepit. The three of them left their camp and made their way back to the narrow trail through the trees.
Their sneaking the night before-“reconnaissance”, Kuei had called it-had been plenty of help. They knew exactly where the night patrol’s path was, and so they easily avoided the guards walking around the camp’s edge. Once the closest guard had passed them by, they slipped unseen into the camp.
//////////////////////
Basam’s skin tingled, his hair standing on end. Sure, he was nervous about maybe getting caught, but there was also the thrill of finally getting to mess around with these fire-throwing bastards. After all they’d done, he was definitely going to enjoy this.
His first stop was the little laundry area, where the soldiers’ uniforms were hanging up to dry. It was secluded between two big tents, so as long as he was quiet, no one would spot him. Your clothes are done for, he decided, pulling a knife from his belt. For starters, he slashed an X-shape into each tunic hanging from the clothesline on his left. Then, in a fit of glee that even he had to admit was childish, he cut open the crotch of every pair of pants hanging to his right. And lastly, for good measure, he cut both lines and lowered them to the ground, careful not to let the cloth rustle too much. He stamped on the clothes a few times, grinding them into the dirt, and then tiptoed away to his next target-the cook’s tent.
He stuffed handfuls of dirt into all the pots and pans he could reach, upended a jar of cooking oil, and jabbed fistfuls of chopsticks points-first into the ground. Then he spotted a flask hidden away on a shelf. Hmm, theft in the ranks, huh? He smirked at the thought. He grabbed it, opened it up and gave the mouth of the flask a sniff. It’s sake, he realized. He took a tiny sip and nodded appreciatively. Good stuff! Glad I brought this with me, he thought as he untied a cloth bag from his belt. The flask went into the bag, along with a box of jelly candies and a few other choice tidbits the cook had hidden away. His work done there, he moved on again-this time to the supply stock.
They’d agreed not to wreck any of the food supplies, since that’d just be wasteful-and he and Zafirah hated wasting food-but they could definitely “liberate” some of it. They’d leave the stolen goods from Senlin alone; they wouldn’t be able to bring the supplies back, and it just didn’t seem right to take any of it for themselves. But the stuff marked with the Fire Nation emblem was fair game. He loaded up the cloth sack with dried meat, jars of spices, some more small boxes of jelly candy, and anything else he could fit in. Once the bag was full, he made his way to the flap of the supply tent.
As he reached out to push back the cloth, though, he heard boot-clad footsteps crunching on the dirt outside. He swore silently and slipped back into the corner of the tent. He’d just crouched down behind a stack of crates when the tent flap swung inward and one of the night sentries poked his head through. The soldier stuck a torch into the tent, peering around.
“I could’ve sworn I heard something,” the man whispered, stepping inside.
Oh no, no no no, don’t you come in here! Basam thought, dread rising up within him. The guard moved slowly towards Basam’s hiding place, turning the torch this way and that as he looked around.
“Maybe it was a raccoon-cat,” he muttered. Basam held his breath, praying to the Spirits for a lucky break. He got one: as the soldier reached the back of the tent, he turned to the opposite side of it first and left his back wide open. Basam sprang to his feet and flung both arms around the soldier, clapping one hand tight over his nose and mouth and the other around his neck. Taken off guard, the soldier flailed around-but Basam held on tight. Soon, the sentry’s body went slack. Basam lowered him to the ground and checked his pulse, which was still steady.
I wonder if you’d have shown me the same mercy, Basam thought. He quickly untied the sentry’s belt and used it to bind his wrists, then took his own belt to tie his feet. He cut off part of his pants-leg and used it to gag the soldier, then rubbed a handful of dirt on his leg to hide his skin as much as he could. And then he hurried out of the tent as quickly as he could; his accomplices needed to know that there was a soldier down.
He found Zafirah next to the komodo-rhino hitching post, cutting through the thick leather straps of their saddles.
“Hey, Zafi,” he whispered urgently.
“Hold on… nearly done… there we go.” She sat back from the last saddle, nodding in satisfaction at her work. “What’s up?
“I had to knock out one of the sentries,” Basam told her. “He’s down and tied up, but who knows when he’ll come to.”
“Damn!” she whispered. She pressed her knuckles to her mouth, then shook her head. “Okay, okay. Let’s find Kuei and get out, then. I think we’ve done plenty of damage here.”
Kuei met them in the shadows next to the communications tent; he was looking mighty pleased with himself and clutching a cloth bag stuffed with something. Zafirah pointed to it and arched her eyebrows. He opened it up, showing it to be full of parchment scrolls.
“Orders,” he mouthed and gave them a thumbs-up.
“Did you plant the message?” Zafirah whispered. Kuei nodded.
“Hey! What’re you three doing over there?” The voice came from the camp perimeter, just behind them. For a second, the three of them froze in panic.
“Go!” Basam and his sister hissed at the same time. They turned and bolted for the front of the camp, stealth forgotten. On their way out, though, they made one last stop back at the rhino hitching post. They quickly cut the ropes tying up the five beasts, and Basam gave the nearest one a hearty slap on the rump. It roared and lunged sideways, knocking into the one next to it. That one took a sideways jump into its neighbor as well. Soon all five were on the run and doing way more damage than the three of them had ever hoped for. They slipped out of the Fire Nation camp under the cover of komodo rhino stampede.
Some of the soldiers tried to follow them, of course, but Basam and his companions managed to lose them in the shadowy forest. They made it back to their camp, breathless and giddy with success.
“We did it!” Zafirah crowed.
“Haha, yeah! That oughta slow ‘em down for a while,” Basam snickered.
“I have to admit, I never thought I’d be this proud of intentional property damage,” Kuei said.
“Property damage for justice!” Zafirah added smugly. She and Kuei embraced, and Basam decided it was time for a group hug. He grabbed them both and hugged them tightly. And then Bosco joined in, too, rearing up on his back legs and wrapping his huge arms around them. Zafirah squawked indignantly and Basam just laughed.
They were all too wound up to sleep, so Basam brought out the sake flask he’d found and they each poured a cup. They rekindled the campfire and relaxed.
Zafirah took a sip and whistled. “Wow, they got some nice stuff in the Fire Nation army,” she commented. “They may be power-grabbing vultures, but I guess some of ‘em have good taste.”
“True, that,” Basam agreed. “And you think that’s good? Check this out.” He gleefully pulled out a box of jelly candies and handed it to her.
“Is this what I think it is?” Zafirah asked eagerly, peering into it.
“Yep!” He knew perfectly well why his sister was so excited-back home, jelly candy had been an even scarcer luxury than fresh fruit. They passed the box and flask around, eating and drinking their fill. As they did, Kuei showed them the scrolls he’d found.
“They’re orders of various types-directives, deployment orders, that sort of thing. There’s even a map of Fire Nation prisons and slave labor operations! And,” he went on, holding up one particular document with a flourish, “I have the location of that rendezvous point!”
“We could beat ‘em there,” mused Zafirah. “With all that damage, I doubt they’d be able to keep up with us.”
“I like that idea,” Basam said. Then something else occurred to him and he sat forward. “Slave operations and prisons, you said? Zafi, our tribe might be in one of those!”
“Sweet Spirits, you’re right!” Zafirah gasped.
“There’s one a little further up the coast,” Kuei said as he perused the map in the firelight. “It’s just beyond a place called the Wulong Forest. Why don’t we make that our next stop after this rendezvous point? Even if your tribe isn’t there, we may find information that could lead us to them.”
Basam beamed from ear to ear, and so did Zafirah. “Yes,” she said fervently. Basam nodded in agreement, thrilled at the thought of a possible reunion.
“To Ba Sing Se and the Janan Tribe,” Kuei said, raising his cup.
“To our people!” Zafirah said, lifting hers as well.
“To our people,” Basam agreed.
///////////////////////
“What in the Spirit World is going on here, and how did we damn well sleep through it?!” demanded Lieutenant Etsuko as she stormed from her tent.
“R-raiders, Lieutenant,” said a quivering sentry. He knew perfectly well what kind of trouble he was in, as one of the guards who’d failed to stop the intruders. Etsuko glared around her ruined camp, practically tearing their hair out. Another soldier came up to her then, carrying a piece of parchment.
“The rebels left this in the communications tent, Lieutenant,” he said, presenting it to her. She read it quickly:
We know of your crimes, and you will face the consequences for them. There will be no forgiveness for you. Don’t bother looking for us in Senlin Village, we’ll be long gone by the time you read this.
--The Earth Kingdom Liberation Force
PS: Meet you at the rendezvous point.
Etsuko crumpled the parchment with an almost feral snarl.
It took them an embarrassingly long time to get on the move again, and when they got to the rendezvous point, it too had been trashed. The commanding officer there, fuming with rage, had two parchment notes. One was addressed to Etsuko, and it said just two words: Too slow.
///////////////////////////
So yep, that’s that chapter done. Did you notice that name I dropped near the end? The name of a certain forest? Yeah, that name. Do you remember what happened there in the series? If not, go to the Avatar Wiki and look it up. Go on. I’ll wait.
Yep, it’s that forest. The comet is coming, dear readers, and the final story arc of CST is about to begin.