"One more time." The young man whispered to himself, sweat dripping down his face. He had to keep going until he fell over. he had to get this firebending stance right. It was one of the few advanced stances that he had learned so far, and he could definitely see why it was called such.

It had all started a few days beforehand when he, his firebending master, and the two White Lotus escorts arrived on Ember Island. They had to lay low to avoid Iluq and her forces, but with each and every passing day, the world got colder. They knew that much, and the White Lotus escorts wanted it to be known that they only had so much time before the inevitable final battle took place between the avatar and the self-proclaimed Queen of Frost. The conversation became so heated that Masaru stormed away and took it as a challenge to master the rest of the stances and techniques as fast as he could in order to proceed to the next element.

His fist shot out in front of him, producing a mighty blast of fire. Before the fire could dissipate, Masaru launched his other fist forward and pretended as if he had struck his opponent. His hands retracted back to his sides, his body spinning around and moving around the circle that was supposed to be where his opponent stood. he moved his hands quickly, making sure to scrape against one of the materials that he had collected during his travels. With the spark it caused, Masaru began to firebend again, his flames now a dark red with purple flames spouting from the base.

He continued his form quickly and ferociously, his colored flames still intact as he finished.

He paused to take a deep and heavy breath. Several minutes passed before a word escaped his lips. "Again." he whispered, beginning the form once more. He was sure that his entire body was covered in sweat, as he had been practicing all morning and well into the afternoon.

Meanwhile, at the coast of the Earth Kingdom's Westernmost peninsula, Erok was waiting.

An uneasy chill may have permeated the air and earth, and the tree he leaned against as he took a break from his day long march had become withered from the unnatural winter, but Erok took no notice of these things. Instead his eyes scanned the horizon out to sea, where he knew the Fire Nation lay in wait, to the Ember isles, where the worlds saviour trained. Looking further, to the northwest, he knew that the Water Nation was going to make an attempt at the Avatar. He knew all this through his various sources in the Earth Kingdom. Traders and Merchants who spread rumors, but truth as well.

Erok had sent warning to his only remaining Fire Nation contact, Chit Zai. If Erok knew what was happening, then Iluq would know as well.

Erok had only to wait from the all clear from Chit, then he could make his move. He didn't like the idea of being recognized as a Water bender in the Fire Nation without someone to vouch for him.

Mao Lei had been walking for days since she left Ba Sing Se, her travels taking significantly longer since she had to dodge checkpoints on the main roads, resulting in wide detours through significantly less traversable landscape. But she was finally here, almost at the peninsula where the Earth Kingdoms borders were closest to the Ember Isles, where she had been told she might find someone who could help her locate the Avatar.

All she knew was that the Earth Kingdom Rebellion had received occasional contact from a Water Tribe soldier who was supposed to be dead. It was only due to one of her higher-ranking friends that she learned that contact might still be alive, and searching for the same person as she was. This was supposed to be the location she might find him, and if he wasn't here, well, she'd figure something else out. She always did, after all.

The man standing solemnly facing the sea was the only person out here, at least that she could see, and that made him her best chance. As she approached it certainly became clear that he had water tribe features, which made her both excited and uneasy. Could he be the Waterbender she was searching for? Or was he a soldier loyal to Iluq, not wearing his outfit? She cursed herself for not learning any of the code sentences she could have used. Well, maybe she could figure him out with some small talk.

She made her way over to the man, not making much attempt to stay hidden but her training resulted in a rather quiet walk to him before she spoke up, almost next to him. “Chilly, isn't it? Then again, I'm sure the poles are a lot colder, huh.”

"More than you know. Aren't you a little far from home?"

The nearest village had to have been at least thirty miles away; it was too dangerous these days for people to live on their own without the protection of walls, especially so close to the sea. Erok turned to face her, wondering why she had approached him so openly with small talk. Perhaps she had some idea of who he was, or what he was doing. Attempting to size her up and evaluate if she would be a threat to him, Erok tried a more direct route.

"Have you been looking for me?"

Back on ember island, Where things were normally peaceful, a large plume of black smoke rose over the town square. One of two foreboding signs that summer afternoon. There was also a distinct chill in the air, blowing in from the south. The smoke grew thicker and seemed to spread across the town, as though a wild fire were out of control. Worse, the source seemed to be headed towards the white lotus hide out where the young avatar was being housed.

Chit Zai sprinted as hard as he could through the maze like streets of ember island. His legs and lungs burning with desperation and fatigue. As he rounded a corner, Chit Zai put his back to the wall and carefully peered back down the street. Just as he began to hope, all three of Iluq's agents came running around the corner. Without any further hesitation he was on the move again; burning everything in his wake, in hopes that it might slow them down. Thank the spirits that today was a harvest festival, and the town was entirely deserted, or people would be in serious danger.

An hour after the chase began, Chit Zai finally gave them the slip. He had to double back, costing him more time, but it was better than leading Iluq straight to the avatar. He approached from the training fields, as that's normally where Masaru could be found. "Avatar!" He called before he spotted him. There was no time to waste. He just hoped that his warning arrives in time for erok to help them.

Masaru could hear a familiar voice call out to him as he continued his form. Pausing, he stopped his training to look at his firebending master moving towards him. Given his current appearance and tone of voice, the Avatar knew that something was wrong. He hadn't seen Chit Zai in a while, but a look around the area and a glance at the black smoke in the air told him what he needed to know. Though he was sure of what was going on, Masaru decided to meet his master halfway, running towards him and stopping once he got close enough.

"Chit Zai." He started, glancing around once more to make sure he wasn't followed by anyone. "What happened? Where's that fire? Are we being followed?" He shot multiple questions at the older man, curious to know what was going on. Of course they had to be on an island of an archipelagic nation. Masaru had yet to learn waterbending, with it being the third element on his list to master, counting firebending of course.

He knew that they should go and find the white lotus escorts. They were experts at hiding away and avoiding Iluq's army, but where would they start? Ember Island wasn't a remarkably big place, but with the harvest festival taking place, it was hard to come across people on the streets.

Chit Zai was pleased to find his protégé exactly where he should be. The young avatar was a spectacularly dedicated student, and showed so much promise with fire bending that there was no doubt he would surpass his teacher soon. He supposed that shouldn't come as a surprise, but somehow Chit Zai found it incredible every time he thought of the difference between the two of them. Fortunately Masaru came running to him, wasting no time.

In response to the barrage of questions Chit Zai jumped ahead to the salient points. "It is worse than I feared, Masaru." There was a brief pause as he scanned their surroundings. "Iluq's agents are already here, and a larger invasion force is coming. The island will be hers by nightfall." Again he looked around, wondering what had become of their white lotus escorts. He couldn't help but assume the worst. "I can get you to the earth nation if we leave now. Otherwise it may be too late..." though he was Masaru's elder, he respected the boy's judgement, and looked him in the eye awaiting his decision. After all, his loyalty was to the avatar even above himself; that was the duty he had sworn himself to.

She crossed her arms, surprisingly muscular for a 16 year old, over her chest as she sized him up. “I think so. Depends on who you are really. I'm Mao, for the record. Mao Lei. If you're who I think you are then you can help me get to the Ember Isles. There's a festival I'm trying to get to there, something to do with... lotuses?” She asked, hoping she was being discreet enough. Not that it would really matter, Iluq's agents already knew the Avatar was somewhere in the Ember Isles, she doubted a vague mention of lotuses would tell them anything they didn't already know. Hell, she probably knew less about where he was than they did.

"Mao Lei? I've heard your name mentioned before."

Erok smiled with some relief.

"You ran raids with the resistance in Ba Sing Se, didn't you? My name is Erok, I used to supply information to your friends a few years ago. During that time, I saw you when that wound was more fresh," Erok gestured to her eyepatch, "I didn't expect you of all people to come looking for me. And you're right, it has a lot to do with Lotus."

Erok turned away briefly, scanning the horizon quickly.

"And while I'd like to get to the Ember isles myself, I need to wait for a message. Once it arrives, we can leave. Otherwise--"

Erok cut himself short just as a messenger hawk swooped down and landed on a low branch next to him. Quickly unfurling the scroll from the hawk's pouch, Erok gave the hawk some bread as a signal to return home. While the hawk took off without a sound, his face became grim and pale as he read the hastily written note.

"What timing. This is it. Mao, if you are ready now, I can take you. I am needed at the isles to protect the Avatar. On the way, you can explain yourself more fully."

Erok turned and swifly hopped down the bank onto the sandy beach, to the water. There, he moved his arms in fluid motions until a small boat made entirely of ice had materialized. Erok turned to Mao expectantly.

She breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out he was in fact the person she was searching for. Or he was a very well informed agent, but if that was the case she had a suspicion she was dead either way, so she might as well take the chance. When he froze some of the water into a sort of ice-canoe she looked over at it dubiously, raising her surviving eyebrow in his direction, although she did walk over and step into the boat.

"If I freeze my butt off before we make it to the Avatar, I'm blaming you." She said in a voice that was entirely too cheerful for their potentially rather dire situation.

"Well, I'd say we should leave the island to search for whoever you're looking for, but if they're coming here, that probably isn't a good idea." Masaru shrugged. He didn't know what to do, and as the Avatar, that was a problem. He either had to stay on the island and hold off against Iluq's forces and risk getting captured by her, or find the White Lotus escorts and leave the island and venture out to find Chit's contact. With the latter option, the risk of getting lost and not meeting the contact at all was very present.

He spent a moment in silence, weighing the options and coming to a decision that he hoped his master would side with. The Avatar he might have been, but he was still a kid in the company of Chit Zao and the escorts. "I think... I think we should leave the island, but stay close if that contact of yours decides to visit. Aren't there some islands out west by the Earth kingdom we can lay low at until we can get with your contact or whatever?"

----

Meanwhile, in the middle of the ocean in between an unspecified Earth Kingdom peninsula and the eastern Fire Nation archipelago, a single figure strode across the water at great speeds, making their way quickly towards a small Fire Nation resort island.

"Don't worry. At the speeds we'll be moving at, you'll barely have time to get cold."

Once Erok got into the boat in front of Mao, he swiftly swept his arms forwards, then inwards towards himself. As the boat pushed itself into the water, the sides of the vessel expanded upwards, pulling up more water and freezing it. Soon, both were encapsulated within an air bubble inside the ice. As the craft descended nearly thirty feet under the water, Erok began a pulling motion with one arm and a pushing motion with the other. Then the reverse. Water was being pulled from the front, and pushed away from the rear. Soon, they were traveling at blistering speeds, and through the crystal clear, non-reflective ice, Erok could see the shoreline fall away from them.

"We should be there in less than half an hour. Sorry if you get seasick on the way. If it's a better distraction, why don't you tell me more about why you are seeking the Avatar?"

The cold hadn't stopped the people of Ember Island from enjoying their harvest festival, even if it had stopped a good deal of the actual harvest. People were gathered in the square, where a large bon fire was lit, heating and lighting much of the square. People gathered around it, and a few fire bending jugglers were performing.

Jalika was mingling about the crowd, well known in this town for selling silk on festival days, even in this weather she did not disappoint. She didn't rent a stall, but instead carried a large bundle of the shiny golden fabric in a heavy pack on her back. Every once in a while, someone would pass her a handful of coins, and she'd give them a length of silk. It wasn't selling terribly well this year. Silk didn't keep you warm, and some people were more interested in the Earth Kingdom fellow selling wool. Still, the pockets inside her own silk robe were jingling pleasantly with coins by the time she saw the plume of black smoke rising form elsewhere in the town. No one else had noticed yet, and, as quietly as she could, just dumped her silks in an alley, leaning against a wall, and bought a skin of spiced wine from a street vendor, then started heading in that direction.

She could feel the disturbance in the air on her scalp, and could tell where the fire bender in question was, and managed to veer that direction, taking periodic sips from her wine skin. As she got closer, she was starting to sway a little in her walking, and her eyes were glazed by the time she reached the field where the two firebenders were talking. She started walking towards them, waving congenially.

Zodin slid a shiny circular coin, a small square removed from the middle, towards an unidentifiable man. Cloaked in dirty, tattered brown robes, this man hid his identity from Zodin. But it didn't matter, because Zodin's intentions weren't to unmask this mysterious fellow, but instead, to use him as a valuable asset in finding one of the most powerful forces in the world. Zodin turned his back to the hooded man only to hear a whisper breach his lips moments after, "Follow the patterns. The avatar runs from Iluq's forces. Find key locations that have been untouched by the ice, the avatar must have been or will be there." The high raspy voice was silenced. The voice proved to Zodin that his information source was a female.

"Thank you for your time. I must be going now." Zodin replied, his back still facing the hooded person. Zodin walked out of the crowded building where drinks and music were everywhere only to step into an empty street where few people were commuting and enjoying the day. Zodin walked the streets of a coast line town within the earth kingdom, a town which he'd once floated through in the past on separate occasions.

Working on finding a single person who is most likely being protected by the white lotus, as many previous avatars had, is easier said than done. Zodin's eye was caught by a busker in the street, a simple bender juggling fire dexterously. Zodin spoke to himself, "Until evidence or a lead pops up I might as well relax a bit." Zodin tossed a silver piece into a basket at the busker's feet and found a seat on a crate nearby. "Please, continue." Zodin implored as he reclined.

Chit Zai nodded his approval of the avatar's decision. With a narrow smile, one that clearly showed pride in his apprentice, Chit Zai turned to face west. There was still some distance between them and the coast. Hopefully the recon force from Iluq's army wouldn't find them along the way. "Oh, I have no intention of missing him. He is our only way off this island." Chit Zai smirked at his comment. This would be a narrow escape at best. "If we head west, he should be at the coast before we arrive."

With that he motioned for Masaru to follow him and headed towards the west coast. He hadn't made it three steps before stopping suddenly and striking an offensive stance. Drawing his right fist back, he focused his mind and body on the building up of his desire to protect the avatar: the main driving force of his fire bending. Though she seemed to be an air nomad, she could easily be tied to Iluq. Commandingly Chit Zai called out "who are you? Speak quickly!" Even as he spoke the air around his fist began to crackle, the combustive force pushing to be released.

Was Chit Zai's contact a water bender of some sort? Or maybe had one at his disposal? Masaru wasn't sure about what to make of what his master had just said, and was about to walk with the older man before stopping.

The Avatar watched as a bald figure approached them. He couldn't say anything as Chit Zai demanded answers from the person, who upon closer inspection appeared to be a woman. Chuckling nervously, Masaru quickly stepped in front of his fire bending master and waved back to the woman. He could feel the air around him swirling and crackling, a sure sign that Chit Zai was ready to strike.

"Hello!" The avatar spoke. "Don't mind him, he's just a little defensive... Can we have your name?"

Mai was staring in wonder as their bending-powered ice vehicle submerged under the waves, mouth open in surprise until she was startled back into the moment by Erok speaking to her, snapping back into attention and looking over at him to respond.

“Oh! Well, I mean, I don't know if the Avatar already has an earthbending teacher, but if he doesn't I can teach him. And besides, the earthbender rebellion wasn't accomplishing anything major. We were just slowing down the inevitable. And the Avatar is gonna need help either way, so...”

She looked at the two of them unsteadily for a moment. The older man was displacing air, gathering his chi for fire bending, but he had yet to make an actual aggressive move, so Jalika did nothing about him. The other was actively friendly. Both were cautious of her for reasons she her mind was busy guessing at, but the younger man was taking a different approach. There was something about him, spiritually, that made her wonder.

"I am Jalika," she spoke in a slow careful voice, as if afraid of slurring or mispeaking. "Who're you?" She pointed am unsteady finger at them.

He was quick to respond, making sure tha his master couldn't speak for him. "My name is... Li! I'm Li." He said to the woman confidently. There were a lot of Lis. The name also seemed right, in a sense. He figured he had just come up with a name, but it felt to be much more than that. He motioned towards his master, trying to get him to introduce himself with a possibly fake name in the event that the woman was a spy for Iluq, as they had ran into spies before.

Erok nodded as Mai trailed off, and both looked pensively out at the swirling waters around them.

"Last I heard, the Avatar hasn't learned any other elements aside from their native Fire. I've never heard of an Avatar being taught multiple elements at once, let alone outside the traditional cycle, but we might not have much choice. I have a feeling that for a while, we'll be acting as bodyguards."

Together they sat in silence, contemplating the mess they were about to get themselves into, and the implications it would bring. Erok knew that without talented teachers, the Avatar's abilities wouldn't grow fast enough to fight Iluq in time to stop her. While he was sure that he could teach the Avatar how to Water bend and how to defend against it, he knew little of Mai's abilities other than that she was good enough to combat Water forces and escape intact. That had to mean something, at least.

The water around them was beginning to glow a little more warmly as they approached the shoreline, and though the sea was mostly clear, the sky above appeared to becoming cloudy. Erok continued his sweeping movements until they had resurfaced, sliding up and along the sandy shore and behind some nearby foliage. Gesturing for Mai to stand with him, he then bent the ice craft into liquid water again, allowing it to pour into the earth, soaking into the soil. They had arrived.

Black smoke was coiling up from the town. It would be risky to use his prepared flares at this point, lest he draw attention from the enemy. What if the Avatar and Chit couldn't get through the Water forces to the shoreline? They needed to move, and quickly.

"Mai, the plan at this point is to meet with the Avatar and his Fire bending master. If we don't happen to cross paths, they should send a bright purple or green plume of flame from this location, in which case we double back. I don't like the look of that smoke, they should be here by now; if they happened to be ambushed by traitor Fire military, they could be in serious trouble. I need to go help them, but I won't force you to come with. You can either stay here and wait for them, or come with me and help search, wherever you think you'd be most useful."