60 Danev

The Hive was a quiet place today. The Hornets including myself were busy trying to find the at hideout and end this bullshit war for good. One of the scouts said they saw Luke, but I ignored those reports. He'd come back and that nonsense from last night would be behind us. I couldn't promise that Sar'di would behave himself. He was still pissed at Luke for charging him.

I swear to the spirits, the second Luke gets back, I would beat some sense into them both. The Hornets needed to stick together, and I wouldn't have Hornets killing random people who didn't do shit nor have Hornets attacking one another. Riu refused to intervene. Said that it wouldn't matter soon anyway. I had been noticing more with Riu lately, as though he was growing more and more depressed. I think he was going to miss the Hornets. The second we killed the Rats, we would be enlisted into the Fire Nation army and all this would be just a memory. Fonder for some than others. Riu, he would miss the authority, the respect, but I doubted he would miss the responsibility, the hardships of keeping a family together and alive. I know I wouldn't.

We were reading scout reports from last night when one of the guards came rushing to us in the mess hall from the gate saying that Luke was back. Sar'di was the first to rise, but I quickly made sure he sat his ass back down. We were going to handle this my way. Not his. Riu stayed in the mess hall as he continued to read the reports. Didn't seem the least bit interested in welcoming back our lost friend.

And yea, there Luke was, already inside the courtyard, looking around as though he were seeing it for the first time, or the last.

"Luke." I greeted him.

"Danev." He responded.

'It's already noon. Where were you this whole time?"

"That's what we need to talk about. You, me, and Riu."

"Luke. What are you talking about?"

"Not here. Just get me Riu, please and we can talk about this. It's about the Rats."

I don't know if this was about the Rats, but he knew what would get Riu's attention, the last bit of his career as a gang leader.

We cleared out the cafeteria, even sending Ladle away so it was just us in the cramped mess hall.

"So, what's this about?", Riu asked, sitting down while eating a small morsel of dried meat.

"It's about the Rats." He started. "And about where I was last night." He finished, turning to me.

"Anyway." He began his recounting of the events. "The Rats found me on the street last night, brought me into their hideout. I spent the night there and that morning, we talked. We talked about how we can end the fighting between us and end this all."

"You know the fighting has to go on if we want to get inside the walls." I said, stating the obvious to him.

"No, it doesn't. When I was there, it became obvious that they have help from the Earth Kingdom. Weapons, food, medicine, hell, even Earth Benders."

"Earth Benders? You're kidding."

"I'm not. How do you think they bring supplies into the slums directly to the Rats? They tunnel underground. I saw they're defenses. They're waiting for us, but we talked, and we found a compromise."

"Being?"

"Being that we tell the Fire Nation. We tell them that the Rats have Earth Kingdom support as well as Earth Benders and that we'd all get killed if we attacked, because it's true. If the Fire Nation knows that this isn't some war between gangs on the street to get rid of some trouble maker, but is an actual Earth kingdom infiltration, they'll want to deal with it themselves."

"What? So, we let them do the work for us. Then why do they need to let us in the military district?"

"Because that's the deal. I tell them about the Earth Kingdom and Earthbenders only if they let us within the walls. They already know we're on their side, so I think Zar'un will listen to me."

"And you think he'll hold up his end of the bargain?"

"You did. When you agreed to kill the Rats for them. If I alert them to an actual threat that goes beyond troublesome hooligans, they'll let us in. They have to."

"Alright. So, we tell them where the Rats are. How does this help them?"

"Because they're ready to leave. The price was that I showed them the exit we made to leave Citadel."

"You already told them? So, who the hell is to say they haven't already left?"

"Because I talked to Miro, and she agreed that she would wait.

"She?"

"Because if she didn't, she would be bringing her Rats onto the Hornet controlled streets of the Citadel slums where there would be one last and final battle between Rats and Hornets where everyone would end up getting killed. She's tired of the bloodshed. She just wants out."

"Okay, so, let me get this straight. You tell the Fire Nation where they are in exchange for our safe entrance into the Military district where, I'm guessing we still join the army?"

"Yes."

"Then Miro's people leave, when exactly?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"You don't think the Fire Nation will attack before then?"

"Attack a confined sewer full of Earthbenders? No. They'll take their time."

"Then tomorrow morning, while the Rats leave this city, we enter the military district and that's that. What happens when the Fire Nation sees nobody's there and think we fucked them?"

"Miro agreed to leave behind Earth kingdom shit, collapse some tunnels and stuff to make it look like they were just told and left in a hurry.

I then realized that Riu hadn't spoken a work. It was as though this conversation didn't involve him and he was some sort of spectator.

"Riu?" I asked. "What do you think?"

He sighed. "Fuck it. I didn't like it when we agreed to kill the Rats for the Fire Nation. I'm no fan of the Rats, but I won't fight them because some asshole in fancy armor told us to. At least now, we live this shithole of a city on our own terms."

"So that's a yes?"

"What alternative is there?"

"The alternative" Luke interrupted, "is that we attack the Rats and all die, crushed by some Earthbender rocks."

"There you go" said Riu. I'll tell the others to start packing. We leave tomorrow at dawn. Tell your Fire Nation friends and make sure that they're there to meet us at the gate tomorrow." Riu left.

Luke was already leaving in the other direction when I stopped him. "I'm coming to. You'll need the help talking to Zar'un."

"I'll be fine. Just help Riu pack shit up."

"Hey. You alright?"

He stopped right beyond the entrance of the Hive and turned around. "No. I'm not fucking alright." He exclaimed, his voice raising. "You killed my friend last night and here I am trying to save all your sorry asses! So just pack this shit up and let me do this on my own! I don't want the company!"

And with that, he left, the entirety of the Hornets in the courtyard looking at me and the leaving Luke. For some reason, I felt my face redden. I had just been yelled at by an 11-year-old kid and somewhat had my feelings hurt. It wasn't the best of feelings.

I turned around to the onlooking Hornets. "Fuck you looking at? We're leaving this shithole tomorrow, let's move!" And with that, they scurried back to their tasks. When the courtyard was now only working kids instead of staring kids, I took one last look at what had been my home for the entirety of my life. Not just the Hive, the slums. This was where I was raised. I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but what I did know, what that one way or another, everything was going to change.