I sped up, jogging as fast as I could manage without getting out of breath. Fifteen minutes later the road widened out into the village entrance. The buildings were weathered and the paint a little faded, but looked to be in good condition otherwise. People stopped to stare at my approaching form as I finally made it into the first village on the way to Omashu, slowing my pace once I had passed the first couple of homes on the outskirts of the village.
“Yan, what are you doing here? Never seen you this far away from Bailong without Boshi hounding you.” an elderly man’s voice spoke out amongst the crowd. Turning to see Chan Leiwan, an acquaintance of dad’s, who ran a blacksmith near the center of town. Dad often sourced nails and tools from Chan whenever Bailong’s supply ran dry, and he often took me to say hi on our way to trade when we went eastwards towards Omashu.
Happiness at seeing a friendly face clashed with grief at the reminder of my father. “Terrible news Chan,” I said, my face darkening. “Fire Nation raiders somehow made it past the frontlines to the West.”
Horror passed over Chan’s eyes. “No…” Violent whispers passed through the crowd that had gathered around me. “Bailong, your parents, did anyone else make it?” I slowly shook my head no and the grimace that Chan was suppressing carved through his face. “Luckily they seemed to have headed back toward the colonies so I didn’t meet them the way here, but who knows when they might push through the front lines again.”
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The crowd scattered to inform the rest of the village while Chan dragged him towards his home. “Follow me son, we’ll help you get sorted.” Any trace of resistance died in my throat when I saw the hurt in his eyes.
Chan’s house was more of an addition to his forge. As we approached his house from the front I once again chuckled quietly at the storefront that led into a large workshop with a 3 foot wide anvil mounted next to an open front forge. If you looked carefully there was a small door that led from behind the counter in the storefront into his living space, which was a cramped kitchen with just enough space for a small table and a modest-sized bed. I never understood how he stayed together with his wife in such tight living conditions.
Chan pulled me over and sat me down at the table on one of the two available chairs before staring at me with poorly disguised pity. “How are you holding up lad?” he asked softly. Pausing briefly before answering, “As well as I could be, considering the circumstances.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you feel well enough to tell me about what happened?”
I told him the story of the raid. Hiding under the mud and earth. Witnessing the brutality of the foreign invaders tearing apart all I had ever known. Taking a minute to absorb the tale he asked me what I intended to do now after warning them of the tragedy and potential threat.
“Revenge. I want the bastards that destroyed Bailong to know pain for what they have done. I want to ensure that what they did there can’t be repeated.” I brooded to Chan. “However, as I currently stand now, I can no more kill them all myself than I can lift a mountain. The only way that I can see for this to come true is to conscript at Omashu and then get shipped out to fight at the front lines.”