Returning to the front after a short break was not as disappointing as before. Xing’s request to have the 11th stationed in the north for pacification missions even sounded great. Sure, it made it look like Princess Azula was reining Xing in from claiming too much glory to keep the royal court from raising too much of a fuss.

But more importantly it gave Kai more time to spend with the dragons. The captain made sure to etch every moment he could with the wondrous things, because once the secret was lifted, he would heartily enjoy the envy of his peers by retelling every single moment spent with them.

Plus they were utterly adorable, almost on par with Fan.

It was a great shame the dragons had to be hidden, but they seemed alright with curling up in Xing’s personal trunk for short periods. Who knew that the kid’s austere lifestyle meant that he could fully allocate a personal chest to serve as a comfortable nest for Orochi and Quai Yin. Hyung’s handiwork gave the interior a rather luxurious padding, probably taking off most of the bumps of traveling for the two winged serpents.

Not that they liked the trunk so much that they didn’t take the chance to spread their wings. Xing gave them free reign of his tents most nights, and unsurprisingly the more discreet command meetings shifted there as well so that the captains could unabashedly fawn at the regiment’s two hidden additions. Like patient turtle ducks, both dragons accepted the affections of Kai and his colleagues. Even the more reserved Mozi was eager to lavish them with pats and gentle tickles. Ping utterly spoiled them like a girl introduced to her new pet, and the dragons were rather tolerant of her cooing and babytalk.

They showed no real preference to any of the officers, save of course for Xing. Kai noted the creatures’ intelligent eyes showing far more affection when they were turned towards the colonel. Orochi in particular seemed content to wrap around Xing’s neck and purr contentedly during meetings, while Quai Yin situated itself- herself underneath his left hand, to allow for near-constant stroking while Xing discussed strategy, politics or logistics.

At times, with how still the dragons could be, it made the boy look like he was wearing one dragon as a scarf, while using another as a fidget toy.

Like right now, with Xing frowning over a recent piece of news. The whole tent was frowning, such was the nature of the report. Dragons only went so far as morale boosters.

“So the sighting is confirmed?”

Mozi nodded curtly. “Colonel Shinu and some middling officials verified it. Admiral Zhao had caught the Avatar, until some interloper released him.”

Unsurprisingly Xing didn’t care much about the interloper. “On whose authority was Zhao working under?” Kai held back the urge to snort. It was rare for Xing to talk about a stranger without his rank, even in private company. He must really be pissed.

“Apparently…the Fire Lord has approved of the admiral’s attempts. His recent promotion was earned even after his loss to Prince Zuko in Agni Kai.” Which normally would be a significant black stain on one’s record, even if the defeat was at the hands of exiled royalty.

“So the Fire Lord is indirectly sponsoring someone else to sabotage his son’s quest?”

When put like that, it did sound…bad. The officers’ frowns deepened at Xing’s words. Mozi gave a polite cough before replying. “It seems so.”

Xing gave a slow, disdainful nod. “I’ll discreetly relay the message to the princess, in case she hasn’t gotten it yet. Maybe she can keep track of Zhao’s movements throughout the colonies.”

“You see him as trouble?” Rufen asked, free of any judgment.

“It’s one thing for the Avatar to be stupid enough to land among our armies and get captured, but Zhao has taken it upon himself to actively interfere with the prince’s penance. Prince Zuko deserves a proper chance at redeeming himself.”

Weikong nodded and slowly drew a line with his thumb across his neck. “Should we…”

Xing shook his head. “No. Zhao hasn’t done anything to us that warrants that, at least not yet. Plus I doubt we’ll find the right opportunity, even if we cross paths with him.”

“So we can only watch from the sides?” Kai asked, earning another shake of the colonel’s head.

“For now, yes. At most, we can quietly make our disapproval known and keep our heads down and carry on. As much as I’d like to get in Zhao’s way, he’s navy and we’re army.”

Kai hummed. “Can always ask Admiral Dae to check him?”

“No, let’s not risk our allies’ positions for this. If the Fire Lord approved of Zhao’s promotion, having the good admiral intervene might be costly. I’ll have the Zilang barracks fully stocked in case the prince comes by again, and see if I can find a way to leave him some tips.”

“The prince might not like your assistance,” Ping pointed out. “All it takes is one courtier to mention that he’s been surviving thanks to ‘looting’ our provisions, and he’ll look bad.”

Xing waved a dismissive hand at that. “We can deal with that if it comes up, Azula and I have that scenario covered. And I care more that Prince Zuko actually accomplishes his task, whether he ends up resenting me or not. It’s bad for politics to leave a royal prince in exile like that.”

The tent was silent on that, the officers awkwardly uncomfortable at hearing potentially treasonous sentiment.

Ignoring them, Xing hummed in thought. “Considering all the sightings so far, it seems that the Avatar is headed north.”

“Think we’ll run into him?” Kai pondered.

“Hopefully not yet. Having him around would likely cause a rise in local resistance.”

*****

Aang couldn’t keep the niggling worries from growing knowing that he had another person on his tail. Zuko’s pursuit was…complicated, with the prince being almost considerate about how he persistently hunted Aang down. He’d given Katara her necklace back, and for some reason rescued the young airbender from captivity of another Fire Nation madman.

Zhao was a far more dangerous foe, far more callous and cruel in his chase. His lack of restraint, as Jeong Jeong had pointed out, made him easy to bait, but Aang also realized that collateral would be a major issue to deal with. The admiral was willing to burn his own boats to get at his prey, so fighting him in places with innocent people around would be a dangerous prospect.

Surprisingly it was Zuko, not Zhao that was said to be trained by the Scorpion Dragon of the 11th. The prince and his sister were supposedly close to the bloodthirsty maniac that made the Earth Kingdom villagers Aang had come across clam up in fear. The tale of Wenli’s horrible fate still occasionally gave the Avatar nightmares. Sure, the general’s actions were supposedly very dishonorable, but to be left with stumps…

The bloodthirsty dragon-killer was also why Aang and his friends now took to night watches. To hear the villagers and traders put it, the Scorpion of the 11th was in charge of a bunch of dark spirits who could slip into enemy tents to kill them in their sleep. Sokka might try to play it off, but the air nomad caught the other boy immediately covering his neck when he was startled awake.

Yet, for all the dark acts, for all the nightmarish trail they left, some villagers much preferred the terror of the Scorpion Dragon than the lazier Fire Nation garrison, or even their old Earth Kingdom lieges.

“They scare the piss out of us, but at least that’s all they ever do,” one aging mayor had explained. “They leave our stores and people alone, so long as we leave them alone. Everyone up here knows that. Just let them pass through, and you’ll be fine.”

His wife nodded sadly as she added her own insight. “Yes. Apparently the Scorpion of the Fire Nation has a dark weapon that could entrance any woman. There’s stories going about of problematic towns and villages full of beguiled women weeping for the 11th’s return. That’s their first warning, apparently. If you cause more trouble for them, they’ll use the weapon to steal away all the womenfolk.”

That particular revelation gave Katara nightmares, and made the trio even more keen to avoid any dealings with the Scorpion Dragon. And to think, Zuko, the guy who had broke Aang out of a Fire Nation dungeon, was this madman’s disciple.

What that meant was currently beyond Aang’s grasp, save for the fact that he had to remain alert when dealing with either of his pursuers.

Keeping Appa above the clouds was a good tactic, but it wasn’t truly reliable. Not when they needed to land to rest for the night. Or forage for food, like right now. Unfortunately, he spied the layout of a Fire Nation war camp in the distance, the figures scurrying like ants below them barely discernible as soldiers. Considering the height advantage, Aang, Katara and Sokka had agreed that the chances of being spotted already were low enough to risk a quick stop by a river not too far away from the camp.

Appa was guided into a long, spiraling descent just to make sure that they weren’t being followed, before the air bison was aimed at a riverside glade.

“Hey Aang, look!”

Aang turned to see what Katara was pointing at, and his eyes went wide. Appa quickly landed, and the three teens quickly hurried to follow the riverbank towards the sight that had caught their attention. The crickets were singing loudly in the air as the trio stomped through the forest.

It was slightly closer to the military camp, but they came across a boy no older than Sokka, dressed in simple clothing and sitting by the river. He looked either Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation, and the plain brown padded shirt and pants didn’t help distinguish him into either camp.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

That wasn’t what was important though. Instead, it was the two Momo-sized things flowing around him that caught most of Aang’s attention.

The boy and his dragons paused to regard the Avatar and his friends’ intrusion in an almost laconic fashion..Aang had the decency to look a bit ashamed at barging into someone’s quiet time, and he gave a short wave. “Uh, hi there.”

“Good day,” the boy said with a cautious nod, as the pair of small dragons swam behind him for protection. One glinted with an iridescent red sheen, while the other shimmered like the night sky reflected on a warped mirror.

“I’m sorry to intrude, but…are those dragons?”

The boy tilted his head a little, and then glanced over his shoulder, presumably to where his two small friends were hiding. Small snouts peeked out from behind him, causing Aang to grin while the siblings behind him gasped in wonder.

“Yes, I suppose they’re dragons.” Obviously still little more than hatchlings, the dragons flowed out again, regarding Aang and his friends with keen, curious eyes.

“I thought all of them were dead…” Aang muttered, unable to fully close his mouth.

“That’s what everyone says,” the boy replied with a shrug.

“May I?” Katara asked, walking ahead of Aang. Even Sokka was following after her with wide eyes.

The boy looked to his two little companions. “What do you think?” They gave adorable little yips, which then made him nod at the trio. “They can be a bit…inquisitive, so don’t mind their manners.”

To Aang’s delight, the two hatchlings flew over, the red one rubbing its head against Katara’s extended hand while its opposite swam around Sokka’s neck and then nuzzled into Aang’s own palm.

“Okay, that’s not as ticklish as I thought it’d be,” the Water Tribe boy remarked. “A bit…tingly, I guess?”

Both dragons were highly tolerant of the trio’s affections, allowing for Katara to run her hands up the nubs along their spines, and Aang to pat their heads in a way that would usually send Momo flying off in annoyance. The little meeting lasted for a while before the dragons decided to return to the boy.

“So what brings you three around these parts?” the boy asked as the blue dragon draped itself around his neck and the red one stretched out on his lap.

“We were passing by, and were looking for a short break,” Katara answered openly.

“There’s a village nearby, I’m sure they can take you in?”

Aang shook his head. “We can’t…” After some hesitation, and considering that the boy trusted them with his dragons, the Avatar added pensively, “The Fire Nation is after us.”

The boy didn’t react much, other than giving an understanding nod. “The settlements of the north are mostly in Fire Nation control. Good decision.”

“We’ve had some help though! Some places were kind enough to give us some supplies when the Fire Nation soldiers weren’t around.”

“That’s good, but I don’t have anything on me now, unfortunately.”

Aang winced, realizing how rude his words had sounded. “Oh, it’s okay! I didn’t mean it like that. I just saw you and your dragons, and I needed to meet them.”

The boy chuckled, and the dragons flew up and perched on his shoulders as he rose to his feet. “Well, you’ve met them. Considering you’re on the run, it’s a big risk though, don’t you think?”

Sokka snorted. “It’s fine, we spotted a camp some ways off, but we made sure to be real sneaky to get here.”

A thought came to Aang, and he raised a worried finger. “Shouldn’t you be careful with the Fire Nation as well?”

Once more the boy tilted his head to one side. “And why’s that?”

Aang frowned with concern as he nodded to the two baby dragons. “I heard that there’s someone going about killing dragons.”

“Yeah, calls himself the Scorpion Dragon,” Sokka added. “Stupid name, if you ask me. I mean ‘Scorpion’ sounds threatening, but adding the ‘Dragon’ is so unnecessary and ruins the mood.”

“Is that so?”

“It sure is. Every village we came across will tell you the same story.”

“A shame I don’t stay in villages or towns for the time being…” the boy said with a wry grin. No surprise there, it’d make him an easier target for the Fire Nation.

“You should be careful, if he finds out you have these dragons with you…”

The boy waved off Aang’s concerns, throwing a rather carefree grin. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure Fire Nation or Scorpion Dragon is not going to be an issue.”

“But still, you should be careful,” Katara said, not too amused at his attitude. “From what we’ve heard, that Scorpion…Dragon is a dangerous person. Hiding out here might not be enough.”

“Really?” The boy gave them a puzzled look, with an undercurrent of…something. Something that Aang couldn’t pick up. “Do you mind telling me of this Scorpion Dragon?”

“Not at all,” Aang answered immediately. “We haven’t met him yet…but everyone says that he’s a dangerous person.”

“More monster than person,” Katara corrected sharply. “He tortures and murders people in his way, and is responsible for breaking the Earth Kingdom armies with brutal tactics.”

“You don’t say.”

“We’re not kidding,” Sokka added. “The guy’s supposed to be this great firebender that’s gone crazy. So crazy that the Fire Nation princess has to do some sort of magic doohickey to get him under control.”

That, or she did…other…stuff…to keep him in line. Aang didn’t really need to hear the details of that one.

“He sounds…unhinged.”

“Pft, you better believe it! He maims people and gets his people to kill his enemies in their sleep. He’s a raving lunatic that kills other Fire Nation generals for getting in his way.”

The boy was frowning now, and Aang did his best to back Sokka up. As unbelievable as it all sounded, that every village told more or less the same story told him that there was some disturbing truth to all of it. “Please, I know it’s hard to believe, but you have to be careful. He killed a dragon, and then presented the eggs to the Fire Lord to be destroyed. Every village we’ve met has told the same story.”

After a second, the boy nodded, while the dragons merely yipped shrilly at him. Maybe they understood the danger as well. “I see. I suppose I should be grateful for your warnings.” Hopefully he had some trust in their words. Aang would dearly like to see the dragons again in the future.

“I’d invite you to stay longer, but unfortunately I don’t think my place would be comfortable for you.”

Despite the chance of spending more time with dragons, Aang managed a smile. “It’s alright, we’ll be headed off anyway.” His manners finally returned to him, and the Avatar quickly corrected his rudeness with a sheepish bow. “Ah, I’m sorry. I’m Aang.”

Katara and Sokka followed suit, and the boy nodded at each proper greeting. “By the arrows on you, I take it you’re an airbender?”

“And the Avatar, too!” Katara excitedly added. “Don’t worry, once Aang is ready, he’ll kick out the Fire Nation and you and your dragons can live without having to hide in the forest like this!”

The boy gave a weird look, and then shrugged. “I guess considering dragons should be extinct, airbenders and Avatars breaking that trend as well shouldn’t be too surprising.”

Aang grinned at the wry sentiment. They parted ways, happily accepting fishes that the dragons caught from the river and thoroughly cooked with their fiery breaths. Only as they returned to Appa and took flight again did the trio realize they did not get the dragon tamer’s name.

“Ah well, we can always find him again,” Sokka offered. “After all, how hard can it be to spot a guy with two whole dragons?”

*****

With the intruders gone, Koshi and the bodyguards, along with Scout Captain Sungho, broke out of the forest cover to join their amused colonel. They followed his gaze to the treetops in one direction, and sure enough, after several minutes of patient waiting, a six-legged sky bison broke through the treeline and flew up into the heavens.

“We could’ve taken them,” Sungho stated blandly, earning a shake of the Xing’s head.

“No point. Prince Zuko is still quite a ways off, and waiting for him while we hold the Avatar might be more trouble than it’s worth. We have nothing yet that can reliably stop an airbender from flying off without killing him, and using his friends as hostage would not sit well with Elder Kilin and her fellows.”

“Hm. It’d ruin our attempts to keep a low profile too…” Sungho mused.

“Yup. Can’t gain goodwill from the generals if it looks like we purposely sat out the fighting to bag the biggest prize yet. Gotta make us sit out the fighting so that we don’t show up the others.”

Xing sighed, and then shrugged his shoulders, while his dragons danced in the air around the group. The colonel then flashed a grin at everyone. “Besides, we’re here to keep the peace among the conquered lands. And I didn’t see the airbender or his friends breaking the peace just now, did you?”

“Eh, they were a bit loud,” Sungho offered with a smirk.

“Remind me to send a quiet message to Prince Iroh once we return to camp. Also, we’ll be packing up and trying to follow after them.”

Koshi frowned. “I thought we weren’t hunting them?”

Xing’s grin was much sharper this time. “We aren’t. We’ll be picking after the trouble that they’ll inevitably drag along.”

“Trouble…like Admiral Zhao?” Sungho posed, and the boy shrugged.

“Who knows?”

Koshi’s frown deepened. The spirits are probably talking again. But then, they’ve been very helpful so far, so perhaps he could stand to trust their guidance a bit more, even in the case of the Avatar.

“Anyway, looks like I’ll have to pick more secure locations for dragon outings…”