As I Fall: LOK

Chapter Six

It had been two weeks of Haitana working at Akiko's Animal Specialty Office, and she had felt the most satisfaction out of her life that she had ever experienced.

Helping the people of Republic City, rid their fauna of illnesses, fix broken limbs, and a strange occurrence of an eel-swan caught within a ceramic vase, Haitana had been deemed one of the best practitioners the animal care world had ever seen.

Word had spread about how she tamed the Unagi and saved the former Fire-Lord and all those Fire-Nation citizens on the ship— which granted her the new nickname, "Unagi Whisperer" by those who had called upon her for help. Haitana didn't mind it, if anything she swelled with a sense of pride for what she was doing. Treating animals was a passion of hers, and it seemed she learned something new everyday.

Akiko had been a great host to her, and often boasted about her abilities to potential customers. Living above the veterinary practice building, the spare room in the elder lady's apartment became home quickly to Haitana.

But that sense of safety could only last so long.

Haitana was so caught up with worrying about Sufon, and his advances to end her life, that she didn't consider the possibilities of other threats. Republic City was much more dangerous then her home village in the Fire Nation, and with an influx in hostility against benders, she discovered that these so called equalists might pose a real danger in her life.

A woman came in the other day, about thirty years old, but looked as though she had enough stress for three life times. Her eyes were puffy, and pink, and almost swollen to half their size. The ringlets of tired, dark bags protruded under her eyes, and a wrinkle of frustration bore itself in the middle of her eyebrows.

"It's terrible," she said, placing her raccoon-crow on the examining table with unsteady hands. "Amon... he— he took my bending last week. Ever since then I haven't been able to defend myself against those triads, looking for money and just causing plain trouble. Poor Suynki got caught in their line of fire."

Haitana ran a careful hand over the creature, and saw significant burn marks along cracking, damaged skin. "Amon?" She questioned. "Who's Amon? An angry spirit? How could he possibly take someone's bending away?"

"No," the woman shook, recalling the incident with hesitation. "He's not— he's just a nonbender, a leader of the equalist movement. He said the spirits granted him the power of taking away people's bending— to reach true equality... or something. I'm sorry, I don't remember much; it was so...um— so frightening."

The young girl felt a chill run along her spine at the thought. What she said— it reminded her a lot about Sufon, and his skewed ideals of what equality is. It seemed that so many people thought that reaching "equal" meant hurting others in the process. The false perceptions made Haitana feel ill.

Intaking a sharp breath, she pulled out a small jar with a healing substance, and felt her lips turn downward in a frown. "I'm really sorry to hear that," the girl said sincerely. "It sounds so... terrible. I can see why you were so scared. Hopefully, like everything, there is a cure to this too."

Showing the woman a healed raccoon-crow, holding him up with visibly no wounds or ailments, the woman smiled a little. A sense of hope coursed through her very being, and Haitana believed all would be right in the world once again.

But that was yesterday, this was today.

And Haitana didn't feel that same optimism.

Republic City was under attack. Those equalists captured majority of the council members and bombed the city— filling Haitana with a sense of dread for what was to come. Akiko assured her that she would be safe, that the old woman wasn't a bender and they didn't know Haitana was here so as long as they remained hermits in her home everything would be alright. And it was the case for a while, until chi blockers ambushed her office.

"Where is the firebender?" A uniformed man questioned urgently to poor Akiko, who looked worriedly back to the young girls hiding spot behind a pillar. "Harboring a bender will only hurt you, sister. Bending is now deemed illegal, and protecting a bender will be punishable under a treason penalty—"

The girl couldn't take it anymore. Strong hands grappled roughly with the shoulders of Akiko, who was already so weak and defenseless, and it didn't sit right with Haitana— she couldn't just stand and watch her be tossed around by these wicked villains.

"And what would knocking out a few chi blockers be punishable by?" Haitana questioned, unmoving from her hiding spot.

The three equalists darted their eyes around the room, desperately looking for the voice that had spoken. One of them readied a glove, sparking with electricity as it traveled through exposed wires.

Crouching down, the girl send a spinning kick from under her body, delivering a blazing ring across the floor to her widely spaced targets. Knocking them off balance, they turned their attention to where the fire had originated from, but before they could make their way over there, Haitana ducked behind a table on the other side of the room.

Glancing around the pillar, the three chi blockers were confused when there was no person there— and before they could collect their composure, Haitana was quick to send out a fire lash with a careful accuracy. The stream of fire brought down one of the equalists, unmoving from the ground.

Another was rapid, and ran over to the table, jumping over to face the girl who had steady hands lit ablaze. A few attacks were avoided by the equalist, and caused enough distraction for the other to block her chi from behind.

Unable to conjure fire with her arms, she was evasive enough to avoid any other attacks, jumping on top of the table. Taking a deep breath, before they could send those calculated jabs to her legs, she felt air in her lungs intertwining with hot flames. Using no movement at all, she opened her mouth and released a strong fire, strong enough to knock both of the equalists back against the wall.

Looking over to Akiko, Haitana gave her a solemn glance. "I have to go," she said hurriedly. "It will be safer for you if I—"

"I know," the old woman agreed, embracing her in a comforting hug. "Please... be careful. Don't let them win."

Haitana nodded sternly, barely feeling the sensation of heat flowing through her arms anymore. "I will, I promise," she swore, before grabbing her bag and hat and making a break out the door.

Siso ducked in her burlap sack, hiding from the crumbling city, and Pickett held onto the brim of the straw head covering for dear life. And even though it pained her, she didn't look back. She couldn't. She had to find somewhere she could be safe for a while.

Republic City had fallen.