Firelord Izumi was doing better with Flare. Fuse could see her confidence improve every day. Izumi’s dragon was responding well to this new attitude as well. Flare now accepted Izumi’s company in the stable and had grown accustomed to, perhaps even fond, of the Firelord’s affectionate nose rubs and chin scratches. It would be a … Continue reading →

Korra went straight for her room. Her training with Izumi had ended early; apparently the Firelord had some important royal meeting to attend. Which meant that it was time for Korra to talk to Zaheer again. She figured if she harassed him enough times, he would eventually give her the information she wanted. And besides … Continue reading →

Iroh and his soldiers docked without much fanfare. Not that they went unnoticed; a small fleet of United Republic warships showing up on the Fire Nation’s shores was not exactly commonplace. But their peace flags flew high, and for the most part, people seemed more curious about these strange newcomers from a country filled with … Continue reading →

“Hold on,” Fuse said. A poor choice of words. She had meant for him to hold the saddle. But Bolin gripped her waist instead. She had to pause a second to catch her breath, which had fled for some reason. “Right, then.” She patted Flare’s neck, raised her voice, and hardened it into a command. … Continue reading →

Bolin came to meet Fuse at the stables like usual. But unlike usual she wasn’t with Juicy or the eel-hounds. She was hunched over a workbench outside the Fire Palace’s huge metal barn, and resting in the paddock alongside her… Bolin leaned back on his heels, craning his neck upward until he lost his balance … Continue reading →

Sleep did not come easily to Korra that night. Or at all, really. She tried. Who wouldn’t try to sleep when they had to deal with resisting bloodbending or avoiding explosions the next day? But every little noise jolted her thoughts away from rest and back to just how irritated she was. How dare Firelord … Continue reading →

Zuko had returned to Ember Island. Izumi had gotten the word at breakfast that morning. Naturally, her first thought was that she was happy he was safe. It always made her nervous when he went wandering around the countryside without taking so much as a messenger hawk with him. Really, this was the modern era. … Continue reading →

“I just don’t get it at all,” said Korra, wiping her brow with a damp towel after another round of sparring with Fuse. She’d been improving a lot in their matches over the past week. This time she had only let Fuse out of range once, and then quickly closed the gap before Fuse could … Continue reading →

Tomas had not gone by the name Tom-Tom in decades, and he vowed to keep it that way. It was difficult enough re-establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Fire Nation. It would have been even more difficult if he’d kept that childish nickname. And now he was one step closer … Continue reading →