A/N:I don't usually do Author's notes, but I feel the need to this time just because this is such a departure from the usual chapter. This chapter is really more of a setup chapter for the future, meant to delve more deeply into two OCs who will be more important in later chapters. So enjoy and don't worry, this will connect to the rest of it down the road.

Chapter 8: Refugees

Eight days had passed since the airbenders of Feng Zhi village had evacuated their valley and taken shelter in the thick forests that all but covered the northern Earth Kingdom. Rohan and his wife, Sarabi, found the group a large clearing where they could build temporary shelters. Beyond the clearing, there was nothing but giant pine trees as far as the eye could see. Rohan was on watch, perched on a high branch in one of the trees at the clearing's edge. It was the perfect place to keep an eye out for Fire Nation, as well as any other Air Nomad refugees. So far they had been joined by their sisters from the Western Temple and their brothers from the Northern Temple, but there'd been no sign of anyone from the east or the south, and Rohan's daughter, Malu, was missing from the Western group For the moment, the camp was empty, the others had gone in search of supplies, leaving only Rohan and his wife, Sarabi, standing watch.

"There's too many of us in one place," Sarabi began. "I think we should all split up and all go looking for our families. You and I need to go find the children," she said as she threw more logs on the community campfire.

"Sarabi, I really think we should just stay put, together, where we know it's safe. I'm sure the children, will find us eventually" he assured her, though his words rang hollow. He had no idea where their children were. There was reason to hope that their eleven-year-old daughter Malu, had gone with her friends to the Southern Air Temple before the attack, to warn them, and he knew that Aang, their twelve-year-old son, had left the Southern Air Temple months earlier, but he had no way of knowing where either of them were now.

"You don't know that. There's no telling if the Southern Temple was evacuated before the attack. For all, we know they could've come early. Or the army could be chasing the refugees, and no one has seen or heard from Aang in months, not the monks, not us, not Malu, not even his friends. I won't have a moment's peace until I know for certain that our children are safe."

Rohan pulled her into a comforting embrace. "I know. It's terrifying, but trust me, wherever they are, they're safe. At least, for now. Think about it, knowing Malu she probably went with Hotaru and Kuzon, and I can't see those two letting anything happen to her," he told her confidently. "As for Aang," he began, sounding and looking much less sure this time, with the expression of one trying to spin the worst news possible so that it sounded like a good thing. "I have no idea where he is actually, but given that we, his friends, and the monks, spent months looking and never found him, wherever he is he's really, really well hidden. Besides, it's not as though the fact that he, specifically, is the Avatar, is well known."

"They don't have to know it's him. All they need to know, is what they already know, that the new Avatar is one of us," she reminded him. "That's probably why they're attacking us, he's their real target, but they don't know who he is, so they mean to ensure his death by killing us all!" Then anger swelled up within her until she shook her balled fist at the sky. "I knew I never should have let them take him. I wanted to teach our children myself. You know I never wanted to send them to the temples, especially Aang. From the moment we learned he was the Avatar I knew sending him with the monks was a bad idea," She said, lowering her arm and putting her head in her hands. "Now look what's happened, to our family, to our people. What if he's been captured or worse? What if he's on his way to some Fire Nation prison? What if they both are? What if something terrible has happened and it's all my fault? What if they're…"

"It's not your fault Sarabi," Rohan told her, grabbing his wife's shoulders and making her look directly into his eyes while he stared reassuringly into hers. "None of this is. We both know that the moment Aang picked out the Avatar relics from the toy chamber, we no longer had a choice in the matter. The monks were going to take him from us for training whether we wanted them to or not, the only thing we could do was exactly what we did, fill those six years where we did have him full time with as much love as we could, and we did, those early years and every break from training, every festival, birthday, and holiday we spent together as a family after that."

"No, the only thing I know is that my kids are in danger and I have no idea where they are," she reminded him.

Not knowing what to say, he simply hugged her, silently praying that their kids, and the monks and boys from the Southern Temple, were safe and on their way to the encampment. "Come on, help me put up the extra tents," he suggested as he let go.

"Alright," she replied.

The two of them set to work raising five more massive tents to accommodate the new arrivals, as well as those they hoped would still arrive. As they worked, Sarabi stole a glance into her husband's gray eyes, when he wasn't looking. Perhaps she'd been cruel by voicing her fears. Although he didn't show it or say so, she knew that he was just was worried as she was. He was trying to bury those fears for everyone else's sake. Beneath his normally sweet-natured and fun-loving exterior, emotionally, he was a practical man. In their present situation, he didn't have the time or spare energy to work himself up over unanswerable questions. For now, his place and duty were helping to protect what was left of their people. Yet, when she looked at him without him knowing, she saw it, the fear, the apprehension, the sadness. He couldn't fool her. Still, there was nothing they could do now except wait and hope.

A/N: PS. If you'd like to leave a review regarding your thoughts about this chapter or the story overall as of yet please do. I love reading feedback from you guys and some of the comments have already been really good/helpful. See you next week!