8 Prologues: The Outcast

Kazuya hitched his bag higher on his shoulders and turned back one last time, searching the evening sky for a faint trail of smoke. His heart ached to leave the family he'd found, but he felt he had no choice.

     He'd caught wind through the grapevine that the Avatar had been found on Ember Island. If that was true, he had to find him before anyone else.

     If he could convince the Avatar of the Wolverines' good intentions and that benders were too privileged, it could mean the end of non-bender squalor. Permanently.

     Ember Island was at least two weeks away by boat. It would be a shorter ride by air, but he would have to steal an airship to to that and he'd been trying to lay low for the past month. He decided to try hitching a ride with Hasong and his crew.

     The moon was high in the sky by the time Kazuya reached the docks. Boats bobbed in the navy waters; starlight and lantern glow illuminated the pathways in white and orange. One ship's gangplank was lowered, yellow light spilling out onto the dock. A friend of his stood at the entry, yelling about exotic wares. This time of night was prime selling for the black market trades.

     "Hasong," Kazuya greeted warmly. "Kazuya! How are you, my friend?" Hasong's twangy accent carried his smile. The two hugged. Hasong's eyes darted over his friend's figure, taking in his baggage and travelling clothes. "Where are you going?" Asked the pirate.

     "Well, I was hoping you and your crew could swing me past Ember Island. You're headed that way, aren't you?"

     Kazuya waited hopefully as his pirate friend thought. "Eh, it's a day off our course, but for you, Kazuya, of course." The well-groomed man's white smile beamed in the dark. Kazuya returned the grin and made his way into the vessel.

     Hasong informed him that they would leave in the morning, and that it would take a little more than a fortnight to reach the island. Hasong had a large crew, not all of whom were as friendly as he was. Kazuya hoped that the journey would bring no trouble.

     If he found the Avatar, he was sure that he could convince him to help his cause. As long as he got there first.