Chan supplied me with an ostrich horse for the trip, as well as some more rations. When I started to pull out the yuan to pay him back, Chan shoved them back into my pack. “Keep it, you need it more than I do.”

With one last look back at the village, I urged my steed onwards. The light swaying of the ostrich horse beneath me and the passing of villages was the only thing that entered my brain on the way to Omashu. As much as I was reluctant to take the gift, I greatly appreciated the increased pace the mount brought me.

After another few mind-dulling days of riding, I saw the three peaks of Omashu come into sight as I crested the last hill before my destination. The solitary city that seemed impenetrable, standing alone surrounded by sheer cliffs and the only way to reach it was a heavily guarded pass, brought a smile to my face. I vividly remembered the trips here with my family; how dad glowed green with envy seeing their networks of shoots and slides to transport goods throughout the city.

Nudging the ostrich horse onwards, I quickly got in line behind a group of travelers and refugees clogging the front entrance. Grimacing at the tattered clothing on some of the refugees, it just reinforced the hatred for the Fire Nation I already felt.

When the crowd finally passed through the open gate, I made my way over to the guard who questioned the others earlier. “State your name and purpose for entry,” the guard tiredly asked.

“Yan Liedai of Bailong village, here to warn Omashu of its destruction,” I answered the guard with a small grimace. The guard's face soured at the statement, “That's the third village this month! You probably noticed the people in front of you as refugees. They were the last of a larger group that managed to avoid the destruction of their village. The only blessing is that with the war going on, there is always a need for more workers. No earthbenders to construct new housing with them being drafted to fight.”

The guard then yelled to bring another guard over. Quickly briefing him of the situation, the second guard ran off to give the message of Bailong’s destruction to the higher-ups.

After being ushered through the gate, I once again took in the vastness of the city. At every elevation, there were houses and shops, sidestreets and main thoroughfares, all bustling with people filled with purpose. It was always a shock to me how dense the city could be: enough to fill every main road with people jostling each other to get to their destination.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Asking a guard stationed near the exit of the main gate for directions, I pushed my way into the crowd. Doing my best to avoid the oncoming traffic, I lead my ostrich horse onward toward Omashu’s recruitment building located near the barracks on a large flat stretch of land likely used for training.

Tying the ostrich horse to a post outside, I stepped inside of the building. Filing cabinets crowded the walls with a small area reserved for an older man with a goatee and a mountain of paperwork on his desk. Briefly looking up from his burden he warily asked, “Are you here to ask about the status of a soldier or are you here to enlist?”

“The latter sir; I’m Yan Liedai of Bailong village. Is there anything that I need to do for me to enlist for the front lines?” I greeted the man with a messy salute.

“Good news and bad news about that kid. Good news is that we aren’t picky; just sign your name down on a form and we’ll ship you down to the training barracks with the rest of the trainees.” Saying that he pulled out a large bound book from one of the drawers on his desk.

He flipped it over to show me a page half filled with names. He then went on to state, “Bad news is that we don’t guarantee where you’ll end up after training. If you wash out of combat training we’ll shove you into a logistics position. Otherwise, you will be assigned wherever you are needed.”

Grimacing slightly at the news I won’t be put where I want, the man quickly shared, “But, if you accel in training you will have more leeway into going where you want, especially the front. And even if you don’t get it, you’ll likely end up there eventually. Fortunately for you, we are always for people to go to the front lines: Too many casualties.”

Firming my resolve to accel in training so that I wasn’t forced to sit on guard duty instead of making a difference on the front lines, I signed my name into the book on the man’s desk.

“Oh, by the way, sir, I came to the city by ostrich horse which I tied up outside the building. I don’t need it anymore, since if I did need one after training I’d be given one. I’d like to donate it to your stable reserves if you have something like that.” I offered the man as his eyes lit up. “Wonderful, I’ll have someone come by later to take it to our stables. You don’t know how helpful that is, son. Even mediocre ostrich horses are becoming scarcer by the month.”

The man pushed himself back from the desk and led me out of the building. He directed me to a large building on the outskirts of the open field. “That there is the trainee barracks. Go there to get your bunk and a hot meal. Given that supper was 20 minutes ago, they’ll likely have some grub still left over. Tomorrow you will be put with the rest of the new recruits for training.”

I said farewell to the man but he called out, “Wait, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sergeant Fong, you’ll be seeing me a lot for the next 6 months. I’m in charge of the most recent cycle of recruits, which just so happens to include you. I suggest you turn in early after you eat, you’ll need all the rest you can get tomorrow.” Fong said with a small grin. “You won’t be doing anything complicated yet, just marching drills and shit-loads of exercises to get everybody in shape. It's going to be even more draining than you can imagine, so get as much rest as possible.”

Thanking Fong for the warning I left him for the barracks. Talking to a short man hanging out on a bunk near the entrance, he got me sorted into an unclaimed bunk as well as some leftover stew that the canteen was about to toss out. Stripping down to my underwear, I dived into bed and drifted off to sleep.