Avatar: Macai's Journey

Chapter 31: The Planti Forest

About a month has passed since the Assault on Fikku. Macai and the 31st company have been given a new assignment. Water Tribe forces in the Western Planti Fields have fought off several Fire Nation forces. It is an open coniferous forest with a moderately cold winter for the Water Tribe territories. Though its winter is deemed moderate for a Water Tribe, it is much worse than most Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation locations.

For now, the weather is still relatively mild since the winter has not yet arrived. The leaves and grass are dark green in this region. Snow flows from the sky above and roughly two inches cover the ground. A steady cold breeze flows across the landscape and the sky is a blue-grey color. It is -2.77 Celsius (27 Degrees) outside.

Kanna walks forward and takes crouches as she picks up a blue headband. Kanna: "One of them was here."

Macai steps a few feet behind the scout, "Good, then they are near." Three firebenders move behind them. Their unit also consists of five swordsmen (including Dade), five spear warriors (including Samira), and two archers in the back (including Sonna). Making up seventeen shock troopers in total.

As Kanna patrols ahead of the group, Macai follows a few feet behind her. Kanna strolls past several trees and is careful where she lands her boots to avoid a hard fall. Kanna looks twenty feet past her direction and notices two men with ponytails. They both have royal blue headbands, royal blue facepaint (around their eyes), and royal blue uniforms.

Kanna shouts, "Archers!" An arrow is fired at Kanna's face. Kanna swiftly takes cover behind a nearby tree. Macai lowers his hands and launches himself twenty feet in the air. The marksmen look up in confusion as Macai grabs the branch of a tree five feet north of his former position. The sharpshooters notice Macai's location.

The archer on the left fires an arrow directly at Macai's chest. Macai springs forward and lands on a lower branch of the tree in front of him. The archer on the right shoots another arrow at Macai. The firebender swings again and latches onto a tree branch directly across him. Macai swings his body back then launches himself forward onto another tree.

The archers look up again to aim at Macai, but an arrow lands in the neck of the archer on the left. The other archer looks ahead and Kanna kicks a dark orange rod of fire into his chest; the shot sends his body cascading seven feet back. Kanna looks up at Macai, "Ok, you can come down now."

Macai dives from his position and lands a few feet behind Kanna, "I could have dealt with both of them you know."

Kanna: "Yeah we know, but it would have been a waste of time."

Macai: "Remember what we are trying to do. We want to lure their forces for a confrontation. Because these Western guys like to play guerrilla warfare."

Kanna smiles, "Nothing we can't handle."

Macai and his team cautiously advance further into the forest. They move slowly to watch out for traps. Dade: "I'll tell ya what, these water guys sure don't set as many traps as the Purple Guerrillas. That entire island was rigged. I swear there was a trap every five meters. From what I heard, anyway."

Macai: "Don't be sad that you missed it. That battle was nothing fun. I saw a fifteen-year-old recruit lose his life that day."

Samira responds, "Well, I think Rosh's team will get their attention. Since they are the larger force. I hear the Western force goes after numbers. Which normally makes sense, but maybe they'll reform their tactics for us."

Macai: "The plan is for Rosh's team to be a distraction and hold back several enemies. However, we have a backup plan in case things go sour. If Rosh's team is attacked by an overwhelming force, one of the troopers will fire a flare in the sky to warn us. They have been given to two of his swordsmen and one archer."