Curvy Passage

Several days have passed since Kedo brought Ronin and Gendall to his uncle's home. Ronin wakes up at dawn in Yutek's abode, he is lying in a batch of blankets on the floor. Ronin is wearing grey robes. Gendall looks at him from a chair in the living room. Gendall is wearing light brown robes.

Ronin glares back at his new comrade, "What are you looking at?"

Gendall smiles, "You, duh."

Ronin groans, "Why?"

Gendall: "Because I'm bored."

Ronin gets up out of his blankets, "Kedo's leg has healed overall from the fighting. Pretty soon we need to head somewhere else, as we prepare to go to regroup with other remnant forces."

Gendall sighs, "Hey take it easy, let's just enjoy our time off in this town."

Ronin shrugs, "Why? There is nothing to do here and we're living off someone else like bums. We have a greater purpose than this Gendall."

Gendall: "I'm getting sick of fighting to be honest."

Ronin: "Then discuss that at one of the remnant safe havens and see what they tell you."

Gendall: "They would just send me to combat, and we are already safe here."

Ronin replies, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Gendall looks across the living room into the kitchen where he sees Kedo. Gendall: "What's up man?"

Kedo's uncle Yutek pats him on the back. Yutek has light brown pants shorts and a dark yellow button-down shirt. Kedo has long dark red pants and a white shirt with a dark red logo. Kedo turns, "Yes uncle?"

Yutek: "I need to tell you something, come with me to the patio."

Kedo asks, "Can it wait?"

Yutek: "I'm afraid not."

Ronin picks up a brown backpack and calls the duo from the living room, "Hey, Gendall and I are going to go to the store. We will be back in a few minutes."

Yutek waves, "Great, could you get me a large wrench. My old one is getting rusty."

Ronin nods, "Got it, do you need anything Kedo?"

Kedo shakes his head, "No I'm fine." Yutek and Kedo proceed to walk outside while Ronin and Gendall exit the house. The sky is a teal-like color and thin white clouds flow across it. Gendall and Ronin walk across a beige sidewalk and a few villagers stroll through the town.

Gendall looks at Ronin, "What supplies are we getting?"

Ronin: "We will stop by the health store first to get some medical ointments. Then we will get some repair tools at the public warehouse. Yesterday I got some snacks like nuts, crackers, and dried fruit that we can eat on the go. Money is tight at the moment, so we can't waste our spare coin on unnecessary things."

Gendall: "Oh, so no cigarettes or gingerbeer?"

Ronin shakes his head, "Of course not."

Gendall: "Lame." As the undercover remnant troopers continue their walk Yutek walks with his nephew in their backyard. The grass in Yutek's backyard is light green and a small tree is located in the center of it. Two bushes face the back of the yard and several flowers of various colors are scattered throughout.

Yutek: "Why are you still fighting for a losing cause?"

Kedo looks at his uncle in astonishment, "What?!"

Yutek confident responds, "You heard me."

Kedo: "The Fire Nation is all I know. You were a loyal soldier once."

Yutek becomes uneasy, "Spare me the nonsense. I fought during a war where the lines were clearly drawn. Where the public and our country was almost entirely united. Now the opposite is true. Most are in favor of Zuko's administration but several people have complaints. Even most of the objectors do not favor war. Yet you, want to fight for a Firelord who lost his powers and a team of outcasts! This fighting will bring nothing good to our people but more bloodshed."

Yutek continues, "War, was also all I knew. But now I've grown weary of it. Year after year, decade after decade I watched as dozens of my friends and family lost their lives for a cause that was no greater than our own pride. And now I've learned that it is a dated concept and perhaps it's time we change. I'm giving you a chance to leave now or turn yourself in, because I won't harbor fugitives any more."

Kedo nods, "Thank you for your honesty uncle, I will NEVER turn myself in! And I will not stop until I march down to Zuko's throne with rivers of blood behind me!! You say you experienced war and pain, well I've seen nothing but that the last few months. I've seen countless comrades die and suffer by the hand of their own countrymen. And that is an abomination that I shall not tolerate."

Yutek: "The path you are going is a path of revenge, but that sort of journey never ends well."

Kedo: "What do you know? You are just an old man who's forgotten his ways."

Yutek chuckles, "You sound like such a fool. Stubborn and arrogant till the end. I pray you'll find sense on your journey before it's too late."

Kedo runs out of Yutek's home as he looks for his allies. Yutek steps out on his front porch and looks at his fleeing nephew. The elderly man sighs and shakes his head before he goes back into his house.

The dawn turns to day as the sky becomes light blue and a bright yellow sun beems in its center. The few clouds that were present earlier disappear and the duo makes their rounds at the health store and warehouse. The two begin to walk back toward their home when Ronin notices a posted sign.

The sign says, "If you see these fugitives who escaped the Gokolee prison complex, please immediately notify authorities." Ronin notices a picture of himself, Gendall, Kedo, and two other people that he doesn't recognize."

Gendall: "Welp, we're kind of famous now."

Ronin: "Don't kid yourself, this is just local attention. We don't have a once of the notoriety that Macai had. And even he was just a national famous person with moderate fame in the other nations. But someone like the Avatar is a superstar."

Gendall: "Comparing anyone to the Avatar or even the Firelord in fame is nonsense. I mean famous for most people."

Ronin looks around to see if anyone is watching them but the case is clear. Ronin looks back at Gendall, "Let's head back to the house and find Kedo." Ronin and Gendall pick up the pace as they speed walk toward Yutek's home when they notice two Fire Nation troopers a few feet in front of them.

A trooper points, "Hey, you two, I have a question?"

Ronin looks at Gendall, "Run!" The warriors run left and the guards chase them. One guard pulls out a baton and the other is a firebender.

Fire Nation Firebender: "Stop, I'm warning you!" The duo ignores him as they head toward a wooden fence. Firebender: "That's it!" The firebender kicks an orange flame at Gendall's back. Ronin rotates his body and punches his own flame into the trooper's. Both fireballs evaporate on impact.

The baton trooper sprints at Ronin, "Raaaaaah!" The trooper horizontally swings at the veteran's face. Ronin ducks and pounds the warrior in his stomach twice. The man's body staggers side to side and Ronin nails him with a heavy uppercut that lays him out. The firebender shouts, "Ahhhhhaahahaa!!"

The firebender extends both of his arms and shoots a blaze of orange and yellow flames at the remnant soldier. Ronin crosses his arms and blocks the flames but struggles to maintain a hold of them. The firebender presses his arms forward and Ronin slides toward the fence as steam flows from his arms. Ronin begins to groan as sweat drips from his face.

Gendall sprints at the firebender's left flank. The firebender stops his beam and rotates his left hand as he pops a orange brick of fire at Gendall's chest. Gendall leaps right and Ronin leaps left before launching a cascade of orange and yellow flames from both of his feet into the firebender. The firebender flies twelve feet back into a hut.

Smoke flows around Ronin and he glances at his new friend. Gendall nods in respect and is also sweating from all the heat. Kedo speaks from a few feet behind the pair, "Not bad. I see you still haven't lost your touch Ronin. And you are still a useful soldier, Gendall." Ronin notices that Kedo has a brown cape over his back.

Gendall looks at Kedo, "Maybe we should return to your uncle's home and get some things together before we leave."

Kedo answers, "No point in that, we need to get a move on now."

Gendall asks, "Where are we going?"

Ronin: "Tesero."

Gendall looks at him sideways, "Where?"

Ronin: "A swampy city located within a three-day walk from here. There we won't be noticed and can find a Remnant camp."

Gendall gasps, "Finally can catch a break then, I'm all for it."

Kedo: "Let's go then, we have no time to waste." The trio walk quickly through the town as they are looking to escape. The remnant troopers stay within the crowd as they notice several Fire Nation troopers marching through the streets toward the location of their recent fight.

A nervous Gendall becomes figetdy. Ronin whispers to Gendall, "Whatever you do, don't make eye contact." The team evades capture as they stroll toward the exit gate. There they notice five Fire Nation troopers waiting. One has a sword, another has a spear, two are firebenders, and the officer in the center has a sword and mace strapped to his back.

The officer has a cut on his left eye, making him half blind. The man also has grey hair, pale skin, a short beard, big lips, medium detached ears, and a small yet aged forehead. The army spearman looks at the officer, "Sergeant Dekru, I think I spotted the fugitives." Dekru widens his eyes and looks up at the poster then down at the suspects.

Dekru extends his blades and his team enters battle formation. Ronin enters his battle stance. Kedo: "Gendall, take this." Gendall turns and Kedo tosses him a short sword. The short sword has a bronze hilt and lavender-colored blade.

Gendall looks at Kedo, "Kedo, wasn't that your only weapon? Have you bought more weapons since then?"

Kedo tosses the cape off his back which reveals quiver of wooden arrows. These are different than the metal arrows he often used during the war, which are better for penetrating armor. Kedo pulls out a wooden bow.

A Fire Nation Army Trooper taunts, "Where did you get those primitive arrows from?"

Kedo answers, "I crafted them myself." Kedo's eyes spark and he launches an arrow. As soon as the arrow flies out of his bow it becomes ignited with orange fire. The arrow lands directly in a swordman's face. The man screams and drops his weapon before he hits the ground.

A firebender punches a fireball at Ronin's abdomen. Ronin blocks the shot with his left arm and pops a flame from his right fist into the man's stomach. Dekru dives down toward Gendall with a diagonal slash. Gendall spins backward and right as he gets away from trouble. The army sergeant diagonally glides his mace and knocks Gendall's weapon out of his hand.

Gendall looks down, "Awww!"

Dekru prepares to decaipatte Gendall but Ronin punches a volley of three fireballs at the officer. Dekru backflips and gracefully lands before Ronin kicks another flame at him. Dekru leaps left then lunges at Ronin with both of his blades pointed forward.

Ronin flips behind Dekru and Dekru rotates his body while twirling his swords. Ronin rotates his body and flings his left hand forward while popping an orange fireball into Dekru's right shoulder. Dekru drops his right sword while Ronin lands on his feet a few feet across him, "Arrraaaaaha!!"

Meanwhile an army spearman charges at Kedo. Kedo launches a firery arrow into the trooper's left shoulder plate and it bounces right off. The flames also don't make a difference since the armor is fireproof. The spearman draws closer and soon is just steps away from Kedo. Kedo charges up his arrow and launches it a second time but this time the arrow is engulfed by massive explosive flames.

These flames are larger than the average ignited arrow and the bow lands directly in the man's chest. A loud pop and small explosion knock the spearman several feet back. A firebender punches two flames at the remnant archer but Kedo rolls right and launches an explosive arrow into the bender that blows him away.

Slickfingers

Gendall looks at Kedo, "Wait, are you a bender?"

Kedo nods, "I am, but I'm not an impressive one. I grew up being an incredibly weak bender as a child. People used to tease me for having 'weak flames' and lacking striking skills. That's why I had to learn how to be an archer."

Ronin looks down at Dekru, "Don't follow us or next time I'll take your life." Ronin pumps a flame into Dekru's lower right thigh and the man falls in the dirt. Ronin comments, "Let's go." The team fades away into the woods as they exit the village. Day quickly turns to night. Owls, insects, and crickets can be heard throughout the woods as the men stroll on.

Gendall: "I think we've done enough for one day. Maybe it's a good time to rest."

Ronin nods and opens his backpack. Out of it, he pulls one blanket. Gendall: "Just one blanket."

Ronin: "You can use it sense you're the one who can't bend. Kedo get some sticks and rocks to control our fire." Kedo nods and gathers the natural objects.

Gendall looks at Ronin, "Did you gather any other tools?"

Ronin: "I have a water bottle, but we'll have to rotate and share it."

Gendall: "Eww."

Ronin: "Yeah I know right, survival can be gross."

Gendall: "Anything else?"

Ronin: "Not really, just medical ointments for the most part."

Kedo returns, "I got the rocks and sticks in position and already started the fire too. So we're set."

Ronin turns and notices the fire, "Nice."

Gendall looks back at Kedo, "So Kedo, are you going to tell me why you're a bender who barely uses your powers. And why you use arrows all the time!"

Kedo has a flashback and sees his ten year old self in a Fire Nation training chamber. Kedo sess himself in his hometown Begondin located in the Mid-Eastern region of the Fire Nation. During this time Kedo didn't have his classic male ponytail, but he just had short lightbrown wavy hair.

Kedo stands behind his father a nonbender named Hezaki. Hezaki has back wavy hair, is tall, has broad shoulders, caramel brown skin, long yet thin eyebrows, and veins that pop from his arms. Kedo is in a Fire Nation youth gym that has light grey walls, a dark red floor, and a white ceiling.

Kedo has headgear on and boxing gloves just like his opponent. Kedo's headgear is white, his gloves are white, and his outfit is black. Kedo's opponent has black headgear, black gloves, and a white outfit. Kedo in is a striking (kickboxing) ring and stands across another young fighter. The ring has a red canvas and black ropes that keep fighters within that confined space.

The ring is 20 feet square, the national standard. Kedo's opponent has light brown hair, pale skin, long ears, a thin frame, thin eyes, and eyebrows that tilt up. Kedo steps around in the ring as the other child paces and a referee stands in the center. The ref raises his hands and yells, "fight and remember no bending!"

Kedo leaps forward and swings at his opponent with a left overhand punch. Kedo's opponent leaps left and pounds him with an uppercut to the stomach. Kedo lurches forward and the other contender pops him with a lightning-fast three hook combo. Kedo takes a step back and is dazed. For a second he can barely tell where he is.

Hezaki yells, "Come on Kedo, focus!" Kedo shakes his head and regains his senses but is swiftly pounded by a roundhose left kick. Kedo sprawls on the floor and spit flies out of his mouth. The ref waves his hands and the boy wakes up in the gym's clinic. Hezaki stands over his son and rubs his shoulders.

Hezaki: "It's ok son, it's going to be alright. We'll find a talent in you yet."

Kedo shakes his head, "My nonbending striking stats aren't looking too good. I'm well below average, but I'm doing ok in firebending at the moment. So hopefully I can work that out." In Fire Nation society, it is more acceptable when nonbenders underperform in combat sports and battle training. However, when benders underperform, they are often looked at as laughing stocks.

Another day Kedo is in his firebending class. Dozens of students are standing in red uniforms in a bender training chamber. The instructor stands across them in light red robes. His name is Master Ferrudo. Ferrudo has dark brown straight hair, olive eyes, a long curved nose, small ears, and a large forehead.

Ferrudo: "Alright recruits, it's time for our test. You all have been practicing this one for weeks. So I want each of you to show me what you can do. Remember the task of the exercise is to hit the center of the target across you."

Ferrudo says, "Jona, you're up!" A young girl steps forward. She has dark brown ponytails, dark orange eyes, yellow skin, medium ears, and an impeccable smile. Jona notices two targets that are about five feet away from her. Ferrudo grins, "Show me what you've got." The girl enters her battle stance then fiercely pumps two orange flames just a inches from the bullseye, which is standard.

Ferrudo claps, "Great, now let's see your kicks." Jona kicks two fireballs year the target's center and the class claps. Another three students go up and have similar performances. Ferrudo then looks at Kedo, "Alright Kedo, you're next."

A boy teases Kedo, "Don't break a leg chump!"

Kedo glares at the boy, "Oh I'll show you."

The boy shrugs and looks at his friend, "He has the worst form in the class, he isn't fooling anyone. Not even the teacher."

Ferrudo notices the boys chatting, "Hey, silence! Otherwise I'll both have you do planks against the wall." The students quickly shut up. Ferrudo looks at Kedo, "Go." Kedo takes a deep breath then pumps both his arms forward and completely misses both targets. Kedo accidentally hits the surrounding walls instead. A couple of kids laugh.

Ferrudo: "I said quiet!! Kedo, show me your kicks." Kedo's first left kick is too low and nearly hits the ground. The second kick is too far right and barely hits the target. It is nowhere near the center. Kedo pouts. Ferrudo looks at him, "Get back in line Kedo, a few people still haven't finished their drills."

For the next few minutes Kedo waits for the others to complete their drills, then Ferrudo makes an announcement. Ferrudo: "Alright, I liked much of what I saw from almost all of you. We still have some things to work on, remember that bending must come form the breath not the muscles. And it must flow, not be forced." The bell rings and students immediately storm out of the classroom.

As Kedo prepares to leave Ferrudo taps his shoulder. Kedo turns, "Sir?!"

Ferrudo: "Kedo, I want you to know that I know you are trying very hard. So I will not fail you in this class."

Kedo looks back at Ferrudo, "I know, I'll get a C. That's pretty standard anyway for those who try but suck."

Ferrudo answers, "Kedo you don't suck."

Tears start sliding down the boy's eyes, "Yes, I do. I'm awful. I have a record of 8-3 right now in kickboxing so I can't fall back on that. And in bending my record in the competitions is 2-9. My flames are smaller, less explosive, and less accurate than average."

Ferrudo: "Actually I think your accuracy is a bit higher than others when you fight. During these training sessions you seem to be more nervous for some reason and that causes you to mess up more. Your problem during fights is that you struggle to adapt and often crumble under pressure. And you are nervous because you've fallen short so many times. But I want you to stop comparing yourself to your peers. Everyone's journey is different Kedo."

Kedo shakes his head, "That's just what you're suppose to tell me!"

Ferrudo remains calm, "No Kedo. I had a brother who was born with a bad leg. For some reason, he just couldn't move like the other kids. Doctors said there was something wrong with his bones. But he went on to become one of the best artists in this town. I don't know what you'll end up doing, but I know you can do something. You just have to find out what it is."

Kedo's expression changes, "Ok sir."

Ferrudo looks concerned, "Have I offended you?"

Kedo: "No sir, you haven't. Infact you made me feel better but not great."

Ferrudo answers, "What can I do to make you feel great?"

Kedo: "Nothing, I just need to find that talent." Kedo leaves the room with a sense of purpose. From that moment on, Kedo trained relentlessly to find a talent. He also began to work harder in fights, but often ended up falling short.

However, his record started to improve to 13 wins and 10 losses. Kedo won fights while being a worst bender because he studied the form more heavily than others, would often wait for enemies to mess up, and used their overconfidence against them. Still something was missing.

Kedo comes home after a tiring day at school. Kedo enters his room which has a light brown carpet, beige walls, a beige ceiling, and a light red mounted ceiling fan. He sits down on his light grey bed beside his sister, Yundica. Yundica has long light brown hair like her brother, she has small eyes, medium attached ears, a small forehead, light yellow skin, and hazel eyes. She is seven years old. Yundica: "Hey Kedo, how was your day?"

Kedo: "Awful."

Yundica: "Well you can't give up, you know what dad says."

Kedo: "I know. I know..."

Yundica: "You want to know how my training went?"

Kedo: "I already know how it went great, right?"

Yundica: "Yeah, but some of the other girls are jealous of me."

Kedo stands up out of his bed, "Never worry about what other people think, unless they have something positive to say or at least offer constructive criticism."

Yundica asks, "What does that mean?"

Kedo sighs, "In class I learned, that if people tell you that you need to work on something but mention the good and bad things that you are doing then they are sincere. They want you to get better. But no one does everything bad. So if someone says all bad things and nothing good, they just want you to lose hope."

Yundica: "Ohhh, I get it. But why?"

Kedo: "That's what I'm still trying to figure out. But who cares? Maybe they're mad at where their lives are. But then again people who do better than me still put me down, so maybe winning doesn't make people happy."

Yundica: "Then what makes people happy?"

Kedo: "You tell me, you're the happiest one in this house. And truth be told you're already a better firebender than me. You will be something truly special. The recruiters will chase after you when you make it to high school."

Yundica: "Wow, you sure have faith in me."

Kedo: "The whole family does. Just keep being happy and confident and you will keep winning. You will be undefeated when you start fighting. I started my mock trainings this year but I already know bending and kickboxing aren't my specialities. I was told that I had a weak bending trait by my dad a couple of years ago, at first he didn't want me to know. But then he decided we would both find a way to beat it."

Yundica: "So what's the plan?"

Kedo: "Well, I'm thinking about picking up a new skill altogether but I don't know what yet."

Yundica hands Kedo a sling shot. Kedo asks, "What is this?"

Yundica: "It's something I found at a local gift store. I used the coin Daddy gave me for getting good grades to buy it but I wanted to give it to you. I think it's neat." Kedo looks at the sling shot which is made of wood and has a rubber band attached to it.

Kedo: "Hmm, I could have made this myself."

Yundica: "It comes with rubber balls to play with so you won't hurt others with it. You could use it to practice shooting targets maybe for fun."

Kedo looks at his sister, "Yundica you're a genius! I might have found a new talent. Come on, let's have a look at dad's bullseye to see if you can hit it!" Kedo pulls out his sling shot and immediately hurls a rubber ball into the target. Yundica cheers and Kedo smiles.

A Step Toward Fulfillment

A year later, an eleven-year-old Kedo runs during a storm day after school as two boys are chasing him. The sky is dark blue, light blue lightning buzzes through the sky, and Kedo runs across the sidewalks of his village. One boy that is chasing Kedo is tall, has black thick hair, pale skin, dark brown eyes, and a strong frame for someone his age (Ritley). The other boy has dark brown hair, caramel brown eyes, light yellow skin, and thin eye brows with an average height (Jagmire).

Ritley shouts, "Come on Kedo!! You can't run forever." As Kedo sprints the other boys are just a few feet behind him with Ritley a bit ahead of Jagmire. Kedo slips across a water puddle and his face slams against the pavement.

Jagmire busts out laughing, "You are such a failure!" Kedo looks down and notices three small rocks beside him. Kedo grabs his slingshot and springs back on his feet.

Ritley looks at Jagmire, "Uh oh, Jag, he has a toy!"

Jagmire taunts and ignites his hands, "Like that will stop a firebender!"

Kedo launches a rock directly into Jagmire's nose. A crack is heard and blood flows from Jagmire's nostrils. Jag covers his nose and turns then Kedo launches a second rock into his temple, knocking him out. Jagmire: "Ugh!"

Kedo and Ritley look in shock. Ritley looks back up at him then charges. Ritley: "Raaaah!" Kedo grabs the last rock and flings it into Ritley's forehead. Ritley covers his forehead and bends down. Kedo closes the distance and kicks Ritley in his face. Ritley is knocked unconscious and Kedo stands over them triumphantly. Kedo looks up in the sky and shouts.

As Kedo returns home he leaps with joy. Yundica looks at him in surprise, "What?"

Kedo declares, "I beat up two bullies!"

Yundica: "With bending?!"

Kedo answers, "No with a slingshot! And one of them was a bender."

Yundica answers, "Noooo."

Kedo nods, "Yes and the other was one of the best nonbenders in sparring at our school. I smoked both of them Yun!"

Yundica: "No way, that's my big brother. You know what Kedo."

Kedo: "What? Chicken butt?"

Yundica: "You could enter an archery contest. Think about it, if you want to prove you can be a good warrior. It's kind of similar to slingshots."

Kedo: "But it's a lot harder and they usually pick nonbenders for that."

Yundica: "But if you can do it better than them and aren't that great with regular bending then you might have a unique case."

Kedo pats Yundica on the head, "My younger sister is just eight but she's brilliant. You have the mind of at least a fourteen year old!"

Yundica: "Awww, thanks bro." Later that Yundica and Kedo try to convince their father to buy an arrow.

Hezaki: "No way, I'm not buying an arrow."

Kedo and Yundica (in unison): "Please, please, please, PLEASE!!"

Hezaki: "NOOOOOO, they're so expensive. This is NOT up for debate. Kedo, I'm glad that you're good with that slingshot but arrows is a different level."

Kedo: "You have to give me a chance. Give me a chance to be great at something. My whole life I've been on the losing side. I just want to win at something for once."

Hezaki sighs, "Alright son, but if we're going to do this then I want you to learn how to make you're own boy and arrow. They can be made out of wood."

Kedo asks, "How?"

Hezaki: "My first cousin Ivolko, lives in a rural village. He knows about a program that teaches people to hunt with arrows. If you want to be really good, you should learn from them. I think it would be a great summer trip for you to grow as a young man."

The next week, Kedo rides on a carriage toward a rural farm. Kedo peeks his head out of the carriage and notices tall trees, a light-blue cloudless sky, and tall green grass. Kedo notices several sheep, turkey-ducks, chicken-pigs, brown cows, and grey donkeys. A heavyset man with long curly dark brown hair, a full beard, a strong nose, light skin, and wide lips emerges.

Hezaki steps out of the carriage and Kedo exits alongside him. The man crosses his arms and beems, "Hezaki, I've missed you."

Hezaki: "Ivolko, its been too long." The cousins hug each other.

Ivolko looks at Kedo, "So this boy needs training." Hezaki nods.

Ivolko: "Well, don't worry. I'll toughen him up and make a warrior out of him in no time. Kedo, you're going to learn the country lifestyle!" From then on, Kedo spent days lifting hay, pulling wells, feeding animals, and pulling crops. Kedo is the most exhausted he has ever been in his life but Hezaki works alongside him to make his son feel more comfortable.

Kedo looks at Ivolko, "What does any of this have to do with archery?!"

Ivolko: "Don't worry, that will come next. But first you must contribute to the farm, it is part of the rural lifestyle. Tomorrow morning I will take you to the archery center." Early the next morning Kedo hears a rooster and Ivolko barges into his temporary room. Ivolko: "Up, up! It's time!"

Kedo: "Are we leaving in a carriage?"

Ivolko laughs, "No, you are going to ride yourself there."

Kedo: "What?!" Ivolko walks with Kedo to the back of the farm where the stable is. Kedo and Ivolko enter the stable which is made up of grey wood. About five horses lurk around the stable. One black horse kicks a door runs around in circles.

Ivolko: "That's Daisy, she's a firey one."

Kedo comments, "Seems like it."

Ivolko looks right and notices a yellow horse that gazes at Kedo, "Kedo look, that's your horse."

Kedo asks, "What's her name?"

Ivolko: "Nakia, it means faithful."

Kedo gazes back at the horse, "Fine, let's go." Ivolko and Kedo rise on horseback. The sky is a faded blue color and the sun looks white outside. Ivolko rides a dark brown horse named Hushten. A cool breeze flows through the sky as they reach the archer training grounds. An older man with short white hair, dark brown skin, thin eye brows, a lanky frame, and brown eyes notices them.

Ivolko points, "This is Sufair. He is one of the greatest archers in this village and he will teach you everything he knows."

Sufair: "Come young one, I will take you in the forest and how you just how archery works." Ivolko follows behind and watches as Kedo follows the man. Sufair teaches Kedo how to craft his own bow and arrows from wood.

Sufair: "When you use your bow, you must be fully intuned with your senses. Feel the location of your opponents from the ground that you are standing on, hear the sound of their movements, and see what is around you. Being in nature gets you more used to dealing with natural sounds."

Later that day Sufair points and Kedo fires arrows into tree branches, directly into trees ahead of him, and across certain distances by shooting in the air. Whenever the boy misses, Sufair makes him start over. The process is repeated throughout the day and Kedo returns and does this day after day for the rest of the summer. Kedo meets with Ivolko, Sufair, and Hezaki.

Sufair: "He is ready."

Hezaki: "I must admit he really impressed me these last few weeks, so I can't wait to see him go against the other kids in our city. He may have started late, but he went all in this summer."

About a month after Kedo returned home, he is set to compete in an archery contest. Kedo rides to the field with his family. At the facility the fields have light green short and freshly trimmed grass. The sky is a deep blue color and it is about 20 Celsius (68 Degrees) outside.

A woman stands with a purple cape, red dress, white boots, and silver earrings. The woman has fair skin, a long black pony tail, and white gloves. She is none other than the Fire Nation Army Major Sendala.

Sendala: "Archers, you have all come to prove yourselves. You will all stand in front of a bullseye and be expected to hit your target. There are two phases in the contest. There is a one vs one phase where the winner will earn a gold medal. And there is a free-for-all contest where everyone in the top ten of the last contest will shoot from a hill across a fifty meter field. In that contest, the goal is to hit as many targets as possible and the winner will receive a platinum award. There are no second, third, or fourth place rewards so the winner will take everything in either contest!"

As Kedo stands to wait in line among other contestants one girl whispers to another, "That's the failed bender. He has no hope of doing well in this." Kedo ignores the woman, does not even look in her direction, and remains focused.

Major Sendala points at Kedo and a female recruit, "Both of you step forward!" Kedo looks ahead at the bullseye across him and the girl does the same. Sendala: "Ready." The girl's eyes become sharp as she braces herself. Kedo remains calm. Sendala: "Set.." The girl becomes more tense but Kedo is unaffected.

Sendala: "Go!!!" Kedo smoothly slides his bow back like water and aims while the girl tensely pulls his her arrow back. Kedo effortlessly launches his arrow while the girl darts her's forward. Kedo hits his target on the bullseye and smirks. The girl lands two inches below the center.

Yundica shouts, "Yeah! Way to go big brother!!"

Kedo turns and gives her a thumbs up. Hezaki shouts, "I love you son!" Kedo stands across his next opponent which is a tall young man.

The man glares at Kedo, "I've been doing this for six years, you don't have a chance against me!"

Kedo yawns, "But were you good for that long?"

Sendala: "Ready."

Kedo mentally prepares himself like before. The boy looks at him in disgust. Sendala: "Set.." The boy's face becomes increasingly disgruntled. Sendala: "Go!!!" Kedo slides his bow back but the boy across him spits in his face.

An enraged Hezaki shouts, "Hey!! He can't do that to MY SON!!" The other boy turns and takes aim but Kedo naturally lets it rip and fires his arrow before he even wipes his face.

The other boy looks back at him thinking, "There is no way he hit that." The boy looks to see if Hezaki landed and notices the shot hit the center of the target. His jaw drops and takes aim hoping he can match Kedo. The boy shoots his arrow but it lands several inches right and barely touches the target. The boy's stomach begins to hurt and his head is full of resentment.

Sendala grabs the boy by his left shoulder, "That is a violation of the rules, you are banned from entering next years competition and lose by default." The boy puts his head down as two Fire Nation army troopers escort him out of the event.

Yundica gives the man a dirty look and Hezaki points at him, "You shame your family dishonorable boy!!" During the final round Ronin stands across an excellent male archer.

The other archer looks at Kedo and extends his hand, "You have proven yourself to be a worthy adversary, so I wish you the best of luck."

Kedo shakes his competitor's hand, "Fair enough."

Sendala: "Ready." The boys both focus.

Sendala: "Set.." Kedo relaxes and the other boy concentrates on his target.

Sendala: "Go!!" Both boys launch their arrows and hit the bullseye around the same time. The crowd cheers. The other boy looks back and takes pride in the reaction but Kedo is unfazed.

Sendala begins again, "Ready." Kedo takes a breath and the other boy becomes a bit tense. Sendala: "Set.." Kedo remember his past routines and his competitor becomes uneasy. Sendala: "Go!!" Kedo fires again and nails his target. The other boy fires at the same time but lands an inch away from his target. The crowd cheers and Kedo's family loses it.

Kedo runs and passionately hugs his father. Then Kedo promptly hugs and picks up his sister before letting her down. Sendala looks at Kedo, "Well done, but you still have one test left."

All the students gather as they stand across a long hill and take aim. Sendala explains, "There are dozens of black painted wood targets throughout the area. You need to hit as many as you can. Each contestants arrow is pointed a different color. Each of you have twenty-five arrows so make as many shots count as you can. The current record for shots landed is 19 which has been held for 69 years. If another recruit hits a target, then it doesn't count if you hit it after."

Kedo has orange painted arrows. Other colors include brown, white, red, blue, green, purple, yellow, pink, and grey. Sendala shouts, "Get into position." The recruits get in their positions and take aim. Sendala continues, "Fire!!" Kedo launches his first arrow and nails a target. The other recruits open fire and three of them miss but the rest nail their targets. Kedo fires a second time and hits his target again.

As the contest continues Kedo consistently lands all his shoots while only two other contests seem to land every shot. The rest miss about half of their shots. The top male competitor that Kedo faced before has missed two shots so far and landed about thirteen. The top female competitor missed one shot but landed fifteen. Kedo has landed fourteen and hasn't missed any.

Finishing first doesn't matter in this contest, since it ends after five minutes, so Kedo isn't worried. While they are shooting Kedo notices that he only has five arrows left but the bell rings and he is out of time. Kedo sighs knowing he wasn't shooting fast enough but waits to hear the results.

Sendala: "So at first place I have, Kedo! You were just one arrow short of the record." Kedo freezes as the crowd loses it.

Hezaki hugs and shakes his son, "You did it, you actually did it. You were right!"

Yundica: "I knew you could do it!" Kedo discovers that he only missed one arrow and another target was hit earlier by another competitor so it wasn't counted. That led to Kedo having a score of 18, with second place getting a score of 17, and third place getting a score of 15.

Sendala confronts Kedo, "But Kedo, has still made history. He is the FIRST competitor to win BOTH contests in 37 years!!" Everyone cheers.

Kedo: "Really, I'll take that!"

Someone in the audience shouts, "Way to go slickfingers!"

Kedo looks at his dad, "What did he say?"

Hezaki: "Slickfingers.."

Kedo: "I like it."

Yundica: "You are a winner now brother."

Kedo's flashback ends. Kedo: "But now look at us, we're outcasts in our own nation. Struggling to survive."

Ronin: "But there must be more to your story. Like how to you learn to put the bending and archery together?"

A Man Named Kenshin

Kedo: "Well, before I joined the 31st, I was a part of Kenshin's unit. Afterall, I am three years older than Macai, you know the famous leader of that unit during the last two years of the Hundred Year War."

Kedo continues, "So when I was sixteen I got recruited into the army. Although my bending was still average at best and my striking skills were a bit below that; I had some of the best archery skills in the Fire Nation. Kenshin invited me to his chambers in his warship. Now Kenshin's main warship was different than Macai's, his was called the Relentless Truth."

Kedo has another flashback and sees himself walking through the hallway of Kenshin's massive ship. The walls are light grey, the floor is dark grey, and the ceiling is dark red. Two navy troopers stand in front of Kenshin's door. Fire Nation Guard: "Do you have clearance?"

Kedo hands the trooper a clearance paper. Guard: "This looks up to standard, you may enter. The commander is waiting for you."

Kedo notices Keshin stand up behind his desk. Kedo: "Kenshin, it is an honor."

Kenshin: "No Kedo, the honor is all mine."

Kedo: "I know you don't give a welcome call to most of your archers, so why did you call me in?"

Kenshin: "Oh, I see you get right to it. Well, I called you in because I think your backstory is fascinating."

Kedo: "Is it? I was a below average bender and fighter so I turned to archery and turned out to be really good at that."

Kenshin: "But most of my archers are not also benders. Maybe you should use your bending and archery together a bit more. That could make you truly special."

Kedo: "What? But I suck at bending."

Kenshin: "But you are great at archery and bending is still a part of who you are. So maybe archery will bring out the best of your bending."

Kedo: "I don't understand."

Kenshin: "Just meet with me at dawn at the beachhead for training. I have some ideas on how to make you a better archer than you already are." The next morning, the sky is dark blue and it is still cool outside on the beach.

Kenshin: "I want you to get used to shooting a moving target so shoot at me until I tell you to stop."

Kedo asks, "What? Sir are you insane."

Kenshin: "Come on don't hold back." Kenshin runs toward Kedo and Kedo sighs then launches an arrow at his new commanding officer. Kenshin leaps left and Kedo shoots another arrow at the commander. Kenshin rolls right as he starts closing in on the recruit. Kedo readjusts his arrow and aims it deadly at Kenshin's stomach.

Kenshin stops, "Excellent."

Kedo: "Do you have anymore crazy drills for me?"

Kenshin: "Nothing too crazy but come." Kenshin points at three targets, "Seem familiar."

Kedo: "VERY familiar. What do you want me to do?"

Kenshin: "I want you to focus as you aim at the right target, then the center, then the left one. But this time I want you to concentrate and release the energy within you. Channel your chi into that arrow so that when you launch it, it will be firey in nature."

Kedo: "Why is that even special? You know any archer can just ignite an arrow by using a torch?"

Kenshin: "But you can do it more quickly and naturally. And firebending is still apart of who you are. If you combine your bending with basic arrow firing then I believe you can shoot the arrows faster than most archers and the fire might even make it more accurate." So aim and fire.

Kedo takes a deep breath, enters his battle stance, and pulls his arrow back. A second later Kedo sets his arrow on fire and shoots it into the right target right in the center. Kenshin smiles, "Good, again!" Kedo launches another hot arrow into the center bulleye. Then Kedo shoots a third incendiary arrow into the third target.

Kenshin: "Excellent, now I want you to fire explosive arrows. Concentrate and this time pull back all your energy that you can. Focus and believe you can do it. Plant your feet on the ground and put all your strength into each shot before firing. Let it all in for just a second then let go or else you will implode on yourself and can create an explosion that could harm us both."

Kedo shakes his head, "Ok." Kedo pulls his right hand back as he aims at the right target and completely glides his arrow back. As he does this he plants his feet in the sand and a spark of fire surrounds the tip of his arrow. Smoke begins to flow around him.

Kenshin: "Concentrate, otherwise you may lose control and overheat your equipment. You have to now release that energy!" Kedo pulls it back then the arrow and it flies into the right target. The arrow explodes on impact and breaks the target into pieces. Kedo's eyes widen and Kenshin looks back at him.

Kenshin: "You're ready. We'll practice a little more, but when it's time to go to battle we'll have a big surprise for the enemy." Kedo's flashback ends again.

Gendall: "Well, that explains a lot to me."

Ronin: "I'm glad we all got to know each other a little better. Tomorrow morning, we begin our trip to Tesero and then we'll find out how we can deal more damage to our enemies."