Winding Legacies: A 'The Legend of Korra' Rewrite

Episode 1: After All These Years Part 2

Peering over the edge of Lefty, Kai gently petted the bison's fur as he waited for the bandits to step back out of the building. "Once they come out, we can intercept them before they get too far. Hopefully, that will minimize the damage to the shops."

"Copy that," Opal agreed as she unbuttoned the wings of her suit. The new designs Asami had created for them took some time to get useful, but she had to admit it was much easier to glide without having to carry a glider everywhere. Kai disagreed. He liked having the stick around when he got into tough spots and needed something to fend off weapons with, but the mostly dull red and gray suit was far more up his alley than the bright colors of the last one. Even if they were only mission suits and not everyday airbender attire.

A wave of laughter echoed from the shop as the three bandits meandered out of the shop and loaded their loot into their vehicle. Opal and Kai waited for a few seconds until they had set everything down and then dived off of Lefty. If it weren't for their shadows casting over the unsuspecting bandits, they would have had a clean shot at them.

The bandits took off down the street, snapping at each other to get out of the way as Kai landed and swept his right leg on the ground like he was knocking someone over. A gust of air shot across the dusty ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt as the bandits were thrown upwards into a whirlwind Opal twirled with her hands. Moments later, when they were dizzy enough to not go anywhere, Opal dropped them to the ground and Kai rushed to start tying them up with some rope lying around.

"It's safe to come out, everyone," he shouted as Opal moved to return the stolen items to the shopkeeper. As she unloaded the last thing from the vehicle, a tall man came running down the road, a gracious smile on his face as he stumbled into a quick bow to both Opal and Kai.

"You finally made it," he huffed, smoothing his robes. "Where are the rest of you?"

Kai and Opal shared a glance. "Actually, it's just the two of us, but we're going to do everything we can to help."

"What? I called Master Tenzin because my state has been under siege by bandits for months. They blocked all the roads, cut off our supply lines, and all he sent is you two kids?"

Scoffing at the governor's attitude, Kai snapped, "Us two kids just took care of those three guys for you."

"And there are hundreds more where they came from. My citizens are going hungry, our entire state is on the brink of collapse." The governor's arms shot out to the desolate street behind him where people were nervously peering out from their homes. Opal felt her heart sink as there was nothing they could really do for them. Above all, they needed food, not protection.

"Unfortunately the Air Nation is spread thin right now. We're all you have." Opal tried not to let her face fall too far as the governor hung his head and turned back the way he came without another word. A few of his guards collected the bandits and trailed after him leaving Kai, Opal, and Lefty alone in the dusty street. They shared a quick glance before climbing atop the bison and lifting off into the sky.

"Let's just make sure there are no other bandits around," Opal sighed. Kai snapped Lefty's reins and they began to do a circle around the state, keeping an eye out for any disturbances. Things were quiet, though, which left them more room with their thoughts than either of them wanted.

"So," Kai began, his words drifting off into the air. "How's life?"

Opal snorted as her eyes fell into a slight roll. The simple question turned over in her mind more times than she wanted to admit. Months ago, Tenzin had asked her to help out with stabilizing the Earth Kingdom on behalf of the Air Nation and she had jumped at the chance to actually do some good for the people there. Unlike just keeping tabs on the movements of her friends, she was really making a difference by stopping the bandits. Even then, Kuvira was still gaining more power and Opal had become increasingly worried that her lack of communication with Kisuta or Bolin had thrown a wrench in their plans. She hoped they were still going forward with things, but she was too embarrassed to try and reach out. And scared—there was no telling what could happen to either of them if Kuvira found out.