Building Again, Living Again(Zenna)

[Molly]

Spring|171 ASC|Late Evening

The day was hot, the island hotter. A team of fire and earthbenders worked together in slow rythmatic movements, holding lava that still slowly leaked from the erupted volcano in place. Waterbenders spread water over the lava, careful not to make it too cold, as would cause an explosion, but just enough to prevent major steam. The sun was slowly pulling down from the sky as more men joined in the hard labor, sweating a great deal more from the intense control than the heat of the lava as it floated to the surface. One man sighed, another shook his head. "We can't stop the volcano from leaking, what's the point? Might as well abandon the island."

"What about the sacred temple. Avatar Aang said without it the new Avatar could never reach full spirituality," an earthbender struggling in his dance wheezed. Obviously the men where exhausted. "And besides, the new temple we built did not work. Avatar Aang meditated for hours, but he said no spirituality could be drawn from the temple, as it had no connection to an Avatar with fire decent. We need to build this temple that Roku created."

A woman smiled. "I commend such a strong earthbender for caring about our people. Actually I commend all of you for your greatness and kindness to help the Fire Nation for the greater cause of helping the Avatar." She sat down, exhausted from her work firebending along side a group of skilled earthbenders. And then quickly she bowed, followed by all people, Fire Nation or not, kneeling down. A tall powerful figure appeared from the rising shadows of the setting sun, looking around at the men and women working in harmony. He was impressed at how so many people had forgiven his people for their past mistakes. 'But that's just it. It was in the past. Things are changing now!'

The Crown Prince sat next to the woman, motioning for her to sit up, as well as everyone else. "It looks like you have worked very hard, and your work is impressive! I am proud to see everyone so happy to help the world for a greater good." He accepted a cup of water handed to him, but quickly passed it to a nearby earthbender. "To my loyal subjects, I command you to take the night off!" His voice was a command, but the people laughed, knowing he was being a bit goofy, easing there hard concentration of the day. "Hell, I command all of you to take the night off, and will personally make sure you are doing so when I have my men deliver a hearty meal to you and your families tonight."

The crowd cheered and he smiled. He loved making his people happy, as well as the friends of his Nation. Everyone was smiling as the finished there work up, securing the area for the night to begin in the morning again. "Thank you for your kindness," a southern watertribes-woman said shyly as she headed home. He received many thank-you's, pats on the back, and happiness from the people in general. He sighed contently before sitting down on a comfortable looking rock and looking toward the sunset. "Perfect," he murmured.

After being at sea for so long he was actually happy to be on land. Especially home. Since the day he saw Shaw get her bending back and fly away he had felt very conflicted. He loved that woman with more might than he had ever felt for anyone in the world. She was so mysterious, careful, and delicate, yet she could hold her own and survive if necessary. Well, except for the time he rescued her at sea. He remembered that day, the hot kiss they shared. He craved her touch again.

He shook his head, snorting fire. He couldn't love Shaw. She is an airbender, regardless of her decent. But he did, or rather he desired to love her. He wasn't sure if he did. He had only been in contact with her a few times in his short life, but every time his feelings became undeniably stronger. Maybe he could convince his grandfather....'No!' He had to find a nice Fire Nation girl, his mother hoped he would pick a nice lady of the court, or a princess or daughter of a Duke. But she could not tell him that really, as her husband was a common foot soldier she only met by chance, and who was lucky enough to win his grandfathers approval. So really, he could fall in love with any Fire Nation woman he wanted to. But not Shaw, not an airbender.

A screech blared in his ear as his hawk approached him, settling next to him. A message from the Palace. A simple "Come for tea, I love you." He smiled, folding the paper and writing a new one. "I'll come home soon, I'll even bring a lady." It was a joke him and his grandfather shared. He rolled the message up and sent Travu to his father. 'If only I could find a girlfriend, someday to call my Fire Lady," he sighed.

[Zenna]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab291/pepperbella3386/TaroTableImage-1.jpg] [scrolly:h(310),w(290),sy] The bursting heat of the sun’s rays beat down upon the island. Although it was only Spring, the warmth of the day was almost excruciating. The waves were a gift, if you weren’t afraid of the deadly fish that roamed the ocean. So all in all, living was rough for everybody. Except it was usually that warm on the island. Without so much as a glance at the towering volcano--that still oozes lava—you can tell that the environment was built from molten rock. The obsidian of the ground shined in the sunlight, always warm when the days of rain and wind have dispersed. The beaches were magnificent, the black volcanic sand soft to the touch, and the water as clear as the air around it. This is the air that Zenna breathed. Slowly, she took in a lungful of fresh oxygen, hardly tainted by the fumes of the magma. This was her ideal vacation spot—Crescent Island. The fiery mountain always made her bending feel so much stronger, plus she could get a nice tan going. Another huge upside, was that it wasn’t as inhabited as many of the other islands. Well, it’s a dangerous place. Something I can deal with. Z was surprised that people were still living in peace there. There were hardly any fruit-bearing trees or bushes, except near the beaches, and you had to raise your own meat. It seemed very hard for people. People without the power of the sky, that is. Anytime Zenna became hungry, she and Karu would take a short trip to the next island over, and snag some food from a store or some rich citizens. It was quite easy, actually. If times were desperate, though, she’d snag a water fowl out of the clouds. Meal possibilities were endless. The two friends had only just arrived at Crescent Island. Karu was sun bathing, exposing his feathers to the sky. Zenna was eating a peach, which she found in a backpack abandoned by a poor old soul on the sand. The Eagle Wolf ate a possum chicken he snuck from a fenced in area in somebody’s backyard. After an hour, the sun had started to inch closer to the horizon. Realizing this, she stood. ”C’mon, we should find some shelter,” she stated. Karu only grumbled at her, until relaxing even more into the sand. This irritated her a little bit, so she grabbed a handful of the onyx sediment and poured it onto her lazy friend’s head. As expected, Karu snorted, and dragged himself to all fours. Acting devious, he beat one of his large wings, to create a flurry of sand to bombard Zenna’s legs and settle on her feet. Now chuckling, glad that her companion is finally standing, she kicked more sand onto his wing before taking off in a mad run to escape the next attack. The island was small, so it didn’t take very long to reach the next beach. When she did, she started up the mountain, Karu catching up quickly. For the first time in a while she was laughing, when usually she’s very serious. But it was nice to be back on Crescent Island. It relaxed the soul. Suddenly, as she was glancing behind her to see if her animal friend had caught up, she tripped on a large rock, faceplanting into the solid ground. This caused her to laugh some more, boasting her unannounced stupidity. She watched as Karu came into view, while she wiped blood off of her cheek from a new cut. Zenna wasn’t known for her clumsiness, but when she did happen to find herself on the floor, there was always an injury to pay for it. Too bad she didn’t have a tissue or anything to clean her wound. It wasn’t a very big cut, though, just a scrape on the surface. It would heal. About a half minute later, Zenna finally realized that her winged wolf wasn’t around. Being naturally quick on his feet, he should’ve found her by then. But he wasn’t there. Worried now, she stood again, gazing hard towards the direction she came. After a few seconds, she considered searching for Karu, but just as she did, a furry head popped up from behind a rock. She was going to say something, but an odd sound stopped her. Z’s friend was growling, the sound barely audible from twenty feet away. He wasn’t growling at her, no, but just… growling. She tilted her head, struggling to find the meaning of his suspicion. Then she felt it. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she felt the presence of another person nearby. Slowly turning, she finally noticed the man that must’ve been standing there the whole time. He was about ten feet away, which was too close for comfort. Zenna was about to unsheathe her hookswords, when she realized who the man was. His uniform gave it away. This was General Iroh, of the United Forces. He was next in line to be the Firelord. He was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Anybody would be able to recognize him. This was a big shock for Zenna. She had never expected to see him in reality. Iroh was her childhood crush, until she’d done everything but forgotten about him. Apparently that crush had leaked into her older-self, too. What was even worse, though, was that he seemed to be facing in her direction. Hopefully he couldn’t see the obvious blood soaking her cheek. Worst. Day. Ever. Normal "Speech" Exaggerated Thoughts Words: 951 Tags: Zenna | Karu | Iroh Setting: Spring | 171 ASC | Spring | Crescent Island Ooc: Blah. Finally wrote that response [/scrolly]

[Molly]

Spring|171 ASC|Late Evening

Laughter and happiness filled the air. The men and women he sent home gathering in a common place to eat and relax. Iroh thought to himself how lucky he is, surrounded by people who love and care for each other. He was glad that the old feelings of the war were passing. Sure, some places held tension, but someday the world would return to its state of peace, as his Uncle Aang had told him once. He frowned briefly, he missed Aang, and Sokka, and all his family who had passed. Katara was aging quickly, but he was confident she had a few years left in her. But he knew with death came re-birth. The world would continue to blossom.

He sighed, smiling to himself as the sun burned rampantly in the sky. He took in the energy, engulfing his being as the underlying power of the eternal fire burned through his veins. Sometimes being a fire bender was too good. And sometimes he wishes he didn't bend at all, or was born to another nation or in lower rank so he could love. But he knew better. He was sure to find a fire girl sooner or later.

And maybe he would. He could hear as a someone was running around, glancing to see a winged-wolf chasing a young girl around, seeing her laugh and play. He chuckled, his heart light with all the great feelings in the air, but it wasn't long before the wolf stopped, looking at him, a soft warning growl eminating from his chest. He smiled, he knew this animal would not harm him, or he was almost sure. He had a thing with animals, nothing very special, but he got along with them. He knew better to antagonize, threaten, or do anything stupid around them, especially when they seemed to be protecting there owner, who stared at him.

Iroh thought he might see a blush on the young girls face, or maybe she was flushed. A small gash spread on her cheek, fresh, probably from playing in the rocks, perhaps tripping on the fragile obsidian. He stood up slowly, as to not alarm the winged-wolf. After standing the glare from the sun almost disappeared and he felt awe struck for just a split moment at the young woman's beauty. Her hair was a light golden color, cascading down her shoulders, framing beautiful blue eyes. No way she could be a fire bender, but he knew she was. Her skin tone was not dark like a watertribes-woman, or thick like an earthbender. Rather her skin was fragile looking, a soft porcelain touch. But he was sure she could hold her own. Most all fire nation ladies could. He nodded his head politely, quickly regaining his stance, broad shoulders relaxed but steady, feet firmly on the ground, and smile warm and inviting.

"Good evening, I don't suppose you ignored my orders to have fun?" he chuckled lightly, before motioning to her bloody cheek. "Looks more like you were trying to challenge the Island to an Agni Kai, or an earth rumble," his smile was warm, and he slowly extended his hand before looking to the wolf carefully, not wanting to upset him. "I'm General Iroh, Crown Prince and General of the United Nations," he stated formally, "May I ask who you are, and what such a beautiful young lady is doing on such a harsh little island?"

Iroh knew he was being forward in flirting so openly, but something about this girl made him comfortable. Like out of no were the spirits blessed him. Or maybe he was just being crazy, and imagined once again he could get a girl for the first time in his life. But it probably wasn't going to happen. So instead he kept his stances realistic, and only hoped to make friends with the young lady.