A/N

All done! Just Shattered Earth now!

And for any new readers out there just tuning in, welcome and I hope you enjoy!

And here are links for the other two stories in the series so far.

Breaking Ice (Short story bridging Rising Tide and Shattered Earth)

s/8433653/1/Breaking-Ice

Book 2: Shattered Earth (The next in the Changing Elements series)

s/8570734/1/Book-2-Shattered-Earth

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Book 1

Rising Tide

Chapter 1

The Owl, and The Shadow

Warehouse 15-A, Republic City.

On the roof of an apartment building overlooking a brightly lit warehouse, a feathery terror was about to strike back at his nemesis, ending a titanic struggle between man and bird, between nature and fleshy meat sacks, and between a disgruntled owl-hawk and an unfortunate equalist chosen as his victim. The bird's massive wings disoriented him, prompting him to bravely respond by flailing wildly.

"This thing again! Get it off! Get it off, getitoff, getitoff!" He chose for his battlecry, apparently the bird took this as a personal challenge, and only worked harder to turn his head into a new conquest. The young equalist cried out as he slipped on a puddle of dirty water, pitching headfirst into the iron rails that encircled the roof, the clang sending a resounding thud in his head. It screeched and hovered nearby, just daring him to stand his ground and put his dukes up.

Another chi blocker nearby, leaning over the rail and keeping a vigil on the low-lying warehouse sighed, flicking a tiny gray pebble from his hand, which struck the bird in the chest. The predator squawked angrily, and flew off into the smog of the Badgermole Heights district, presumably to pick on another unfortunate soul.

As he patted his mask to check for scratches or rips he heard the other Equalist chuckle. "You aren't going to beat a bender screaming like that, Lagi." his deep voice doing nothing to hide his amusement.

Lagi rolled his eyes, grumbling as he regained his balance. "Why can't we fight a battle against the Owl-Hawks? Benders are less of a problem then they are."

"You don't want Amon to hear you say that kid...or at someone else to tell him that you did.", in the past six months Lagi had spent assigned to Maro's watch, he never bluffed about anything.

Lagi narrowed his eyes disapprovingly and folded his arms. "You know Maro, I've heard you state that at least ten times now, its lost the edge."

Maro rolled his eyes derisively. "I'm sure the Owl-Hawks will fear this newfound confidence."

The rooftop fell silent as the conversation died. Lagi just turned and leant over the rail, focusing on the streets below. Maro sighed. "Lagi...how's the family?"

The kid seemed to perk up at once. "Oh! We're expecting, she's gonna be born sometime in summer!"

"Good, that's good." Maro rubbed a spot on his neck that began to itch like crazy.

They both fell silent again, although now it was a comfortable one. For a few seconds, only the wind was making itself heard.

Lagi piped up again. "Hey Maro-"

"Hmm?" he turned towards Lagi, fearing another inane question.

The young man's voice was strangely quiet, and a bit fearful as well. "My baby girl- what's going to happen to her if she can bend? What will Amon do?"

Maro went quiet as the question caught him off-guard. He never really thought about a Equalist having a bender in their family. "I...don't know."

"Oh-" He quickly thought up an idea to calm his younger partner's fears. This was something that had come up plenty of times in the movement before, he just never thought it would come from someone he knew or worked with personally. "Look, next time I see Amon, I'll ask him for you." Maro reassured him.

His young partner looked up, an earnest smile on him. "Thanks, Maro."

The older man excused himself, disappearing around the corner of a small roof generator to patrol the other side of the building.

Lagi's eyes grew heavy behind the foggy green lenses of his mask, and he realized that he was going to doze off. He shook himself awake, before giving up and drifting deeper into a light sleep.

On the side of the building away from the Warehouse, a pair of hands held on the edge of the roof with a shaky grip. The shadow pulled himself up silently, thankful for the black gloves.

He kept low, and ducked behind a low wall. He kept his back to it, and shuffled right. The wall made a hard turn forwards, running all the way to a closed stairwell descending into the building. He peeked over the top of it, noting the two Equalists. One was obviously asleep on his feet, while the only sign the other was there was the sound of smoke grenades shaking in his pouch.

He ran past the stairwell, vaulting over the rail. He dropped twenty feet before slowing his descent, using a gesture to form an air cushion around him. His feet brushed against the ground as he released the air. He bent low again, putting his back up against the outer shell of an exterior generator. He made his way to the edge of it, leaning slightly to watch the other side.

He heard footsteps coming his way, and pulled himself back. A trio of Equalists walked into view, heading past the generator and to the other wall of the warehouse. He saw a heavy-duty steel door set into the middle of the wall, he just had to get across a ten metre gap of brightly lit ground and he would get there.

Watching the last of the guards disappear around the corner, he moved, swiftly crossing the illuminated ground to the door. He pulled off a glove, and started to flex and bend his fingers, working at the door's lock by manipulating the air inside it. A click rewarded his ears.

He opened the door slowly, stepping into a long tunnel filled with steam. He walked forwards cautiously, wishing he was far enough in training to move the heavy gas away. The metal walkway clanged silently as he moved closer and closer towards the middle of the tunnel.

He stopped for a moment, suddenly very doubtful about continuing. His bad vibe was confirmed with a black shape moving towards him at a fast speed. He tilted the side, the object touching him lightly across the cheek. A stinging pain left in the shape's wake as he gasped in surprise. The object embedded itself in a fuse box set beside the door, sparking as it overloaded the fuse box.

An even larger human shape was running towards him through the steam. He rolled forwards, barely managing to avoid another baton. The figure whirled around, his hands grabbing the tails of his coat. He grunted as he spun around with a kick, hitting nothing but steam as the figure dodged with impossible speed. A fist slammed into his chest, sending him sliding back a bit.

He ran forward, and dropped to the floor, extending his foot forwards. The slide missed, and he quickly tried to whirl around, but wasn't fast enough. A white pain erupted from his back as he felt the baton jab viciously into his spine. He cried out in pain, and flew his hands outwards, using a pocket of air to send the figure flying back. He didn't hesitate, and ran forwards, locking the heavy door behind him. He ran towards corridor junction, seeing that the door ahead had been closed off with a large padlock he turned left, skidding around the corner and running full pelt into the dark stairwell at the end.

He took the stairs two at a time, and with relief saw the slightly ajar door at the top. He flung it open, heading out into a massive rectangular hall. The upper reaches were dimly lit, of that he was thankful for. He stood on a platform at the top of a row of storing shelves, which were laden with goods and exports from out of the city. He walked over to the railing on his left, overlooking a brightly lit area of the hall.

Four sturdy columns held up the roof over this area, and the floor had a simple red rug covering it that stretched from wall to wall. At the focal point of these columns was a simple wooden altar, with lit candles standing on each corner. Their flames danced gracefully, the flickering light they gave off reflecting off of the white mask of a man kneeling before them, head bowed in front of a cloth-covered object. Him.

Underneath the calm expression he wore, his thoughts went ablaze at the sight of the hooded figure. His target. His revenge.

He stepped back a few meters from the rail, unsheathing a sword from his scabbard. Both sides of the blade were straight tempered, allowing for effective slashing and cutting attacks. The edge came to a thin and, sharp point seventy centimetres from the guard, making it very well suited for thrusts and stabs. The edge ran straight, strengthening the blade so it wouldn't break. It was a fine weapon, and his teacher taught him well. But what he was about to do, was entirely made up by him.

He gently massaged the air around his feet, coaxing it into a sort of pressurized spring. He held onto the sword firmly, and broke into a sprint, running towards the rail. When the time was right he pumped his arm skywards and the air cushion propelled him forwards, his arc would end at the hooded figures head.

As he rocketed forwards, he held his blade out in front of him, the tip aimed straight ahead. All of his fury, his grief, would go into this blow. Unblinking and focused, he drove the blade's tip forward, straight through the fabric of the man's hoo-

The fabric was replaced by a grim white mask, which moved almost imperceptibly to the side, the blade kept soaring forwards, followed by the surprised boy. A vice like grip wrapped around his right shoulder, and he was spun around, vision swimming as he was released, sent crashing against a pillar.

His very core was shaken by the impact, and he barely registered the massive splint now visible in the wooden column. He shook it off, growling as he stumbled to stand. He still registered the dark figure walking slowly towards him. "Outmatched already?"

The boy roared his answer, holding the blade in a two handed grip as he ran at the figure. He slashed at Amon, only for him to stop the blade cold and hold it captive in his thick gloved hands. He leashed a vicious kick at the boy, connecting between his legs. The boy had the breath taken out of him, and was thrown backwards by the blow, severely stunned. He coughed as he rolled over onto his back, trying and failing to get up. His body fought against his efforts to move, and every time he tried blinding pain stomped him down.

Sluggishly, he managed to get moving again, raising himself slowly while taking deep,gasping breaths. The boy swayed terribly as he got to his feet, trying to blink away a cloud of sweat and blood. The cold white mask seemed to shake slightly, as if the man behind it was being disappointed by his efforts.

He'll change that. He held his sword loosely, failing to get a firm grip on the handle. Amon walked purposefully towards him, arms at his sides. He waited for the terrorist to get closer, and then acted. He swung his sword with both hands, whipping it around in a powerful sweep at head level.

Amon merely leaned back, the edge of the blade missing his neck by millimeters. He snapped back, gripping the middle of the sword blade and wrenching it out of the boy's languid hold. He tossed it away, the blade clattering as it hit the hard floor near the shelves. The boy instinctively backed away a few steps, stopped by the felling of splintered wood behind him.

Amon's hand flew towards his neck, gripping him in an iron hold. He slowly held the boy closer, so that he could stare into the cold black depths of the mask's eyes.

"Did you really think that it would be so simple?" The boy struggled against his grip in vain. Amon turned and flung him, sending him crashing to the floor in front of the altar. The boy gasped for air, curling up in pain. Slowly and inexorably, the grim figure walked towards him once more.

"What a pit-" his dark eyes narrowed as he turned his head slightly towards a cracking noise. A churning spray of water bursted from behind a line of shelves. One of the sections wall sections groaned and split apart, forced open by a torrent of water spilling into the warehouse. A few unconscious equalists were swept in as well, followed by a band of armored men and women.

The one at their head, a tall, gaunt man, shouted out orders to his fellows, who filed into the central walkway between the shelves. A positively greedy gleam showed itself in his blue eyes as he saw what was happening. "We've got him!"

Another equalist was sent flying past the men, crashing into the corner of a shelf. One more figure, wearing armour like the others, walked in. She had her brown hair tied into a pony tail, and seemed to carry herself with a proud – some would say arrogant – stature.

Until she saw the hooded man at the end of the hall.

Amon calmly picked up the boy's sword, and like the finger of fate, pointed it at the girl. He ran forward, holding the sword in a expert grip as he dodged chunks of earth, and whips of water, drawing closer and closer to the line of benders.

Hopping lithely over a disc of cracked floor meant to hit his legs, he used the momentum to lunge at her, the tip of the blade extended. The girl was frozen in fear, unable to move or think at all… flashes of a sea of green lenses rooting her to the spot.

A massive gust of wind threw the warehouse into chaos, tossing around heavy crates and mechanical parts like mere toys, the blast hit Amon in mid-air, sending him careening over the heads of the benders, landing roughly on the far end of the warehouse. The boy got up painfully, one arm held close to his chest as he yelled, unleashing a massive wall of fire at Amon.

The benders sprang into action, quickly spinning water and earth around themselves to deflect the flames. The earthen dome and water shields hissed and crackled, with the material on the exterior being melted into a smooth wavy surface. A constant stream of steam wafted off of the water, which spun furiously to keep the heat out.

Keeping the water shields up, they turned as one, except for the girl, to see Amon walk away calmly, using a massive hole in the wall to escape into the depths of the city. The sword lay abandoned on the ground.

With the building falling apart, the brown skinned leader shook the girl, trying to get her out of her paralysis. She blinked twice, her face a mask. He pointed over to the boy by the altar, and slapped her on the shoulder; he directed the others back through the hole, staying behind to help the girl.

With a sigh the boy collapsed, utterly broken physically and emotionally. His vision flickered and blackened. And he coughed and spluttered as smoke seeped into his lungs.

"-ot him, Korra?" a smooth and accentless voice asked.

He saw the underside of "Korra's" chin nod.

"Come on quickly then! We'll head back to the station, damn we almost had him!" the voice had a hint of frustration and disappointment to it.

Republic City, Police Headquarters.

A long but solid building sat alongside Avatar road, managing to impose a sense of authority and iron will in a surprisingly simple shape. It was crowned with five domes of iron, each one a refueling point for the zeppelins of Republic City's police force before they left on their constant patrols of the streets below. In a large alcove above the main entrance was a statue of a woman cast in solid blackened metal, polished to its best as she watched the people below with constant vigilance. Inside the building was a maze of justice and the will to do right, and in a quiet corner of that maze was a grey, square room. Holding only a wooden table and a simple chair. An absolutely dejected boy was sitting on it, staring without seeing at a glass mirror. His black longcoat seemed to just hang off of him, and his grey eyes seemed shrunken, matching the deflated look the rest of his body held.

He was absolutely silent.

On the other side of the glass mirror were three people. The youngest of them, the brown haired girl from before, leant back against a wall, her well toned arms crossed in front of her. She was staring down at the floor. Her armour was sitting on a table nearby, and she now dressed in a light blue tunic, and brown seal-skin boots. The chief of police and a city councilman stood in front of the glass mirror, watching their guest.

"What's the meaning of this, Councillor?" she regarded Tarrlok with eyes the color of iron, and the temperament to match.

The brown skinned man from before, still dressed in his armor, clasped his hands behind his back. "Simple. He interrupted our capture of a wanted terrorist, brought down half a warehouse with uncontrolled fire-bending, and..." his eyes almost gleamed with a strange light. "He could air bend as well."

"Who is he?" Lin demanded, watching the grey eyed teenager closely.

"No clue, we couldn't find any identifying marks on him, and he hasn't said anything at all." Tarrlok sighed.

The chief of police narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "That's going to change."

She was about to head out the door, when Tarrlok stopped her. "With all due respect, Chief Bei Fong, I would like to interrogate him first. I'm pulling rank here."

For a moment he thought of closing his eyes as death came swiftly, but none of the sort happened.

"Make it quick" she said in a low growl.

He nodded dismissively as he exited the room, seemingly forgetting the girl was there as he headed past her. No one could see the almost eager smile on him.

A few seconds later the door to the interrogation room opened with a squeak, swinging shut behind Tarrlok as he strode in. He placed his hands on the table, leaning in towards the boy. He didn't seem to realise or acknowledge that he was there. The councilman straightened, deciding that aught to change.

"Quiet one are you?" He teased him, trying to get a rise out of the teen. Stone cold silence rose instead.

He shook his head good-naturedly. The boy merely sat there in cold response.

He extended a hand towards him. "My name is councilman Tarrlok, I'm a representative of the northern water tribe."

Nothing. He sighed, and backed off a few steps, deciding to be a bit more direct. "How do you know Amon?"

The boy seemed to move a little, and Tarrlok noticed his hands had tightened slightly. He continued. "Why were you at the warehouse?"

Another twitch of movement. His fingers on the table seemed to curl a bit.

"Dead family? Another sad story to add to Amon's list of crimes?" it was something he'd seen time and time again, the same story repeated over and over.

The boy mumbled something in response. The councilman reddened and left the room in a rush, leaving the boy to stew.

The door to the small observation room flung open, Tarrlok's nostrils flared as he clenched his fists. Chief Bei Fong shook her head with a smirk. "My turn now Councillor?"

"Not even your mother could get him to crack!"

She chose not to respond to that. "Well before I go in there to ask nicely- what are his abilities? He's a bender?"

The girl leaning against the wall answered first. "He's a air bender."

"Something to add, Avatar?"

"It's in his movements, Tenzin told me how air nomads behave and move. Might want to take him out of that confined space."

"I've never heard of a air bender burning down a warehouse."

The girl shrugged. "Neither have I." she stopped talking, going back to looking at the floor.

Tarrlok shrugged. The chief of police narrowed her eyes as she took a glance at the boy. "I'll have to be careful then."

She exited the room confidently, flinging the door to the boy's room open like she owned it, and stamped a boot down on the ground. A square patch of the floor slammed upwards, with the back of it raising itself even higher. She sat down on her chair. She started off simply. "Name."

The boy didn't acknowledge her, still staring at the table's surface.

"Name."

He didn't care, keeping his mouth shut. A iron grip wrapped itself around his neck, and the woman threw him up against the wall. A dangerously calm tone followed the violent action. "Name."

He didn't bother struggling, merely hanging there with the armored woman's hand wrapped around his neck. They stood like that for a full minute, one staring at the other with a unbreakable will. The other silent. He fell to the floor roughly, the pressure around his neck gone as the door opened and closed. Leaving him alone again.

She stomped back into the little room, hands shaking with barely contained rage. Tarrlok's eyes seemed to laugh at her, and she felt like stuffing him into a metal tomb. "Looks like we're both wrong." He held up his hands in apology at her growl.

"He can rot for all I care." She made a slicing motion with her arm, not caring for the little punk's attitude. They busted kids like him all the damn time, why should she give him special treatment because of his airbending?

Tarrlok's eyes narrowed in warning at the Chief, his mind busy whirling at all the opportunities the boy presented. "No he won't, I'll send a message to Tenzin-" he began to say, when the door swung shut with a crash, they both looked to it and saw that the Avatar had left the room.

I failed...what the hell do I do now?

He was shaken from his thoughts with the door opening again, this time gently and...normally. That surprised him, all things considered.

The girl from before stepped through, watching him cautiously, stopping by the table while wringing her hands.

He tried ignoring her, preferring to stay silent than to be asked any more questions. As he twisted to the side to stare at the wall he shifted his shoulder painfully, making him curse quietly.

The girl moved towards him, unbuttoning a pouch on her hip before he could say or do anything. A stream of clear, blue water flowed out of it, which she directed towards him. He was about to protest when the water coalesced into a blob, flattening against his shoulder, giving him the sensation of being attacked by a jelly creature. Something which usually only happened in nightmares he had as a kid.

His skin itched a bit as the bruises and torn muscles were washed away and knitted back together. Despite himself, he sighed quietly as he felt the soothing embrace of water bending. It felt good.

The water was drawn back, flowing gently into Korra's pouch. He didn't know what to say, completely new to this kind of treatment, and didn't have the chance when she lowered a hand to him. He stared it for a moment before taking it, and was accidentally flung over the table and into the window, smacking into it. He slid down it painfully.

"Oh damn! Uh...sorry?"

He picked himself up, rubbing his cheek gingerly and arching a eyebrow as he saw the muscles this girl had. "You certainly have a bit of pull."

She chuckled nervously, glancing at her water pouch. "Sometimes I forget how strong I am."

he suppressed a groan as he straightened, moving closer to the table. "Yeah...so, you're the Avatar?" He remembered her face, saw it on some motivational poster on his way here, on his way to him.

"Yep." she bobbed her head quickly as he sat down on the empty seat.

He looked at her for a moment, not entirely convinced. "Master of all four elements, savior of the world?"

"Definitely- well, three elements currently. Still working on the air part." her voice dropped away a little as she said that last part, and he guessed that was a sore topic for her.

"Uh huh." He studied her for a moment, noting how strongly built she was. Like he needed an example.

"So - my name is Korra." She held her hand out and grinned. He took it cautiously and they shook, luckily with no wrestling moves being exchanged. The room was absolutely filled with awkwardness as he looked down at the table, not really sure what else he could do.

She broke the silence. "Are you alright?" she said as her eyes softened, reminded that the man she was fighting had done terrible things.

He looked to the side, finding a crack in floor he could focus on. "I've been thrown around harder." He muttered.

"I meant- About tonight." her voice went small as she said the last part, getting flashes of that Amon and the outstretched sword.

He sighed. "No." He clenched his hands again.

She held her hands up. "Uh- sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No. It's fine. But can we talk about something else?" Desperately he wanted to get off the topic, even if the girl in front of him was being nice about it. He had to hand it to her, at least she wasn't pushy like the Metalbender and the City Councilman.

"Ookay. You burnt down a warehouse." she smirked, tilting her head at him.

"Yeah, I apologize for that. Can't pay for it though." he turned out his pockets, showing nothing but lint and scrunched up paper.

She held up her index finger. "No I mean, you burnt down a warehouse after lifting the crates like toys."

"Well I'm an Airbender." he shrugged, not quite sure what the problem was.

"Um no, you can Firebend." she corrected him.

Ah. He shrugged again. "I'm kind of both."

"I'm pretty sure only the Avatar can do that." She patted her chest. "Y'know, me."

"What can I say? It's a gift."

"It was kind of terrifying to be honest." she admitted, wringing her hands as she looked away from him and at the floor. She'd never seen a more ferocious display of bending before in her life. But it did stop her from getting run through.

She fell silent, and he began to fell uncomfortable again, trying to stop his eyes from wondering anywhere they shouldn't be. He decided to do something, clearing his throat. "My name is Tai."

"Do I have to say my name again?" the girl joked.

He chuckled. "Uh I don't think so."

A smirk played on her lips, before it grew into a genuine smile. "Good. And thank you. For saving me from him."

He rather liked watching her smile.

Avatar Road, Outside Police Headquarters.

It was covered in shaggy white fur, and had a wide, slightly squashed head, with two large brown eyes. Its face was brown as well, and its nose was dark blue. It yawned as it touched the ground, causing the air bender on its saddle to stumble slightly as he stepped off of it. Tenzin gave him a disapproving glance, prompting the Bison to keep yawning as it laid down to have a rest.

He strode into the building through the main doors, entering into a wide lobby area, filled with chairs and desks. Police officers, clerks, and technicians bustled about as they handled the affairs of dealing out law and justice. He walked up to the main reception desk, behind which sat a very cheerful woman with sandy brown hair.

Her face cracked open into a smile as she saw him. "Ah! Councillor Tenzin, how can we help you today?"

"I got a message from Tarrlok about a incident last night. Can you direct me to him?" he fought the urge to stare into those strangely hypnotic and bubbly eyes.

"Sure can, just head right until you reach the end of the hall, its the last door on the right. Have a pleasant day sir!" she waved at him cheerily, flashing pearly white teeth in a over-sweetened smile that would make a poodle-otter blind.

Tenzin nodded absently. "Yes..." he, air bending master, son of avatar Aang and a all-round serious guy, was utterly creeped out by her cheerful demeanor. She reminded him of a girl he dated while still young, now a woman who had a permanently dented tooth thanks to the efforts of a certain earthbender.

He nodded his thanks and left down the hall, looking for the last door in the right. Although the hall was filled with people walking towards and away from him, he never bumped into anyone, and found the quickest route through rather easily.

Putting a wiry hand on the door knob he pulled it open, and stepped in just in time to see Chief Bei Fong's eye twitch. Tarrlok stood there smugly, hands behind his back.

He bowed slightly. "Hello Lin." Tenzin straightened his mantle and regarded the slimy water tribesman with a wary eye, crossing his arms. "Alright Tarrlok, what is this?"

The Councilman nodded at the downcast teen on the other side of the glass window. "Someone with a very interesting skill set."

Tenzin moved past him, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveyed the room. He noticed with a bit of disapproval that Korra was in there as well, talking with the boy. "Why is Korra in there?"

The Chief answered him. "Damn runt will only talk to her."

"Don't worry Lin, I'm sure it's only because of your winning personality." He fought the urge to flinch as the woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. Before she smirked and punched him in the shoulder.

The northern tribesman rolled his eyes. "We found him while raiding a Equalist warehouse in Badgermole heights. He tried to get to Amon before we could, and it nearly cost him."

"Any idea as to why he was going after Amon?"

Tarrlok shrugged. "Revenge is my best guess. The man has a lot of enemies."

"Hmm..." Tenzin's eyebrows furrowed as he rubbed his bony chin. "What's so special about him?"

"He's a Airbender, and also-" Tarrlok was stopped by Tenzin's slightly agape expression, before he quickly cleared his throat to hide it.

"A Airbender? As well?" Tenzin was getting decidedly uneasy about everything he uncovered about the boy, as new thoughts and ideas appeared. They started to fall into place as he recalled a former student of his. Their son?

Tarrlok's grumble brought him back to current matters, muttering something under his breath that if Ikki had heard, she would no longer have a innocent tongue. He rolled his eyes at his fellow councilman's display.

She glanced at him with her arms folded. "He's also a firebender."

The master Airbender was stopped in his thoughts, confirming what he was already going towards as he looked through the window, watching the boy intently. "I'm going in there."

Lin's laugh was slightly mocking. "Good luck with that, Tenzin."

They heard a knock on the door, and one of her underlings stepped in. He was a recruit, and it showed with him gulping as he saluted the three of them. "Ma'am. A situation is brewing near the train station that requires your attention."

She nodded curtly. "Understood, Gummi." she glanced at the others for a moment, shaking her head as she left the room.

Tarrlok stripped off pieces of his armor, placing them neatly next to Korra's pile of gear. Underneath he was wearing a simple blue tunic, and finely made black pants. He bid goodbye to Tenzin, leaving after the Chief.

Tenzin stood alone in the small office, quietly watching the boy for a few minutes, before deciding to go in.

The door swung open, and Korra saw who it was. "Tenzin?" She watched her Airbending teacher stride into the room, for a moment mistaking him for a gathering storm cloud.

He bowed his head towards her. "Hello Korra." he closed the door before stepping into the room, stroking his beard while studying the boy. Certainly looked the part.

Tai eyed him warily, trying to decide if he was like the creep and the angry woman before.

He went for the empty chair at the other side of the table, using a gust of wind to push it out from its hiding place. He sat down and placed his elbows on the table, lacing his hands together as he watched Tai.

Korra wasn't sure what to make of this, so she backed off slightly towards the door, stopping when he spoke.

"You broke the first rule of training: Never seek a fight." It wasn't so much as a insult, more of a statement. Airbending is about evasion and deflection, not blindly running headfirst into a unwinnable fight.

Tenzin continued. "Your behavior is strange for an Airbender, if I must say so. Who were your parents?"

The boy crossed his arms. "Colonists." He replied noncommittally, staring away from him and at the wall, a strange look in his eyes.

The older man closed his eyes. "So your father was an Firebender, and your mother a Airbender?" he watched impassively as the boy's eyes widened a little.

"Who was your master?" he pressed, piling the questions on top of one another to keep him from closing up.

"What does it matter?" the boy replied, leaning back in his chair.

"I need to know if I'm going to train you." The room was silent, and Korra's jaw hung open as she peered at the two of them, not expecting him to say that. She glanced at the boy to see his reaction, and was slightly put off by the scowl forming on him.

"What makes you think I need training?" the boy said indignantly, arching an eyebrow.

"Many things. Who was your master?" Tenzin didn't really need to ask something like that, knowing of all the current Airbenders who could teach others the art. He was in this the room and the other was gone from the world.

Tai crossed his arms. "Telei."

This time it was Tenzin's turn to be surprised as he went a bit pale. "Telei...I thought he died during the black day?"

"He was killed by...someone else." The boy's hands were clenching, his knuckles nearly turning white. He must have deeply respected Telei to do something like this. As he looked into the boy's gray eyes he realized that it wasn't just Telei that drove him to do something like this. Something else happened as well. Tenzin frowned at a flash of vivid images running through his mind, quickly he quashed them, placing the priority on at least giving the boy somewhere to stay.

He nodded, understanding him perfectly as he had made his decision. "I'm taking you to Air Temple Island."

"What?" Genuine confusion and that constant stubbornness mixed in the word, as the boy eyed him suspiciously.

"You need somewhere to stay, also somewhere where we can begin your training immediately." Tenzin explained. He saw something in the boy, past all that annoying teen punk routine and the burning hatred bubbling inside of him. He saw a genuinely good person.

"I don't need training." the boy started, before being cut off by a stern stare from Tenzin.

"Don't be stupid, you're reckless and destructive, the exact opposite of a air bender." he drilled into the boy forcefully, sincerely trying to get him to see his point of view. He needed help.

"How will this convince me to go with you?" the boy asked condescendingly, not even bothering to look at Tenzin, instead choosing to focus on the table.

The Airbender suppressed a sigh he was well accustomed to. "You have nothing but the clothes you wear, and the sword you keep by your side. No place to go, no friends to count on. Without those, you will not last long." he explained, trying to drum into the stubborn boy that he shouldn't be on his own like this.

Tenzin stopped talking, and stood up to leave the room. As he neared the door, he beckoned for Korra to follow. "Let's go, Korra."

The girl was unsure of what to do, glancing at the boy drumming his fingers on the table, pointedly keeping all of his focus on the wall with a burning glare. "But.."

He didn't see any reason to go with them. He was absolutely fine on his own, he found Amon without any help whatsoever, crept into his base alone and dodged all the patrols. His drumming lessened slightly as he made the mistake of glancing at those blue eyes and promptly lost himself in them. Maybe he needed a bit of help.

He sighed. "Fine." He pushed back from the table, the legs of the chair scraping against the metal floor as he stood up and fixed the old guy with a scowl. He moved pushed past him and made another mistake when he glanced at Korra, who smiled. He sighed as he looked away and set his sights on the door.

Korra folded her arms, giving Tenzin a glare that could melt ice. He shrugged and raised an quizzical eyebrow while straightening his half cloak, and led the way after him.

Oogi yawned, his massive tombstone sized teeth coming together with a loud noise. A crowd of people had surrounded the Sky Bison, completely unsure of what to make of it.

As Tai exited the building the crowd was calm, even beginning to warm up to the large and strange looking creature. A pair of children wearing green shirts and brown pants nervously walked up to him.

The massive creature studied them with a large eye, and decided to lick the boy from head to toe on a whim. His rough tongue almost knocked the boy off of his feet as it attacked him, not caring for his protests and shouts. The girl laughed at her brother being covered in saliva, she reached up and touched the bison on his nose, making several things happen at once.

Oogi's eyes boggled, and his nose twitched unbearably. He reared back, scaring the two children standing in his shadow. He came back down with a massive thud, sneezing and sending the girl and boy flying back into the crowd. The mass of people parted instinctively, crying out in alarm as they saw them careen towards the tough walls of the police headquarters.

Tai saw this and reacted, sweeping his arms together and thrusting his palms forwards. The two children's mid-air journey was halted by a soft cushion of air. And they dropped lightly to the ground.

He shook his head and walked through the crowd, trying not to catch the eye of anyone. He stood in front of Oogi, who was busy trying to scratch his nose with stubby leg. He was grunting in frustration.

Tai scratched his nose for him, stilling the Bison as the annoying itch slowly went away. He took a few steps back, letting Oogi sniff him, like Telei had taught him with Heimeng.

Tenzin appeared behind him. "Making friends already are we?"

The boy ignored him, walking around Oogi's side to climb into the massive saddle. He chose one of the back corners, sitting next to a orange covered ledger that held absolutely nothing of interest to him. Korra jumped in after him, choosing the middle of the saddle, pressing her back up against the side and stretching her legs across, taking up enough space for two people to sit side by side. A gust of wind ruffled his black hair slightly, as Tenzin gracefully dropped onto Oogi's neck, grabbing onto his reins.

A uncharacteristic noise came out of his mouth. "Yip Yip!" he calmly said.

With a rumble the Bison lifted off, each flap of his heavy tail generating lift. He guided him towards the statue of Aang, holding on loosely as they left the police building.

A man watched the group depart behind green goggles. He was perched on top of a apartment building facing police headquarters. On his belt, two kali sticks hung loosely. He held a radio in his gloved hands.

"They've left the station. Heading back to their island." He reported, following their giant mount as it slowly shrank into the distance, before finally disappearing between the blue and red roofs of the Twin Dragons.

The radio began to crackle again. "Leave them for now. Keep watching the boy and report back to me."

"Understood." The man with the green goggles flicked off the dial on the radio, placing it back on a hook on his belt as he straightened and walked away from the edge of the building, continuing his observation.

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