The Origin of Roh-Shan

Lighthouse

"Shit! Ennis! You've gotta be kidding me! Go. To. The. City!" Roh tugged on the tow line to try and steer the animal away from the small, rocky island he was on a crash course for.

Night had fallen, and they were finally less than a mile from what was clearly a city, a twinkling skyline of lights and land. A large lighthouse marked the shore, and a smaller one was about a hundred feet away now, the small lighthouse lantern revealing an island only big enough for one house.

"Ennis, please!" It was futile, of course. He was under water and doesn't understand her language anyway.

She braced for impact. Lighthouses usually signaled lots of rocks just beneath the surface, so she was sure they were going to hit something any moment now, especially with how fast Ennis was going.

But he slowed, twisting and turning their small boat around unseen obstacles below the water, and finally pulled up on shore. Kota started to stir, and Ennis barked loudly several times.

"Shh! Stop it!" Roh begged, but a light in the house nearby lit up.

"Who's there?" A woman stepped out, grabbing the porch lantern and lifting it.

"Sorry!" Roh called. "Just... took a wrong turn."

The woman muttered as she got closer. "Stupid kids. I move to an island and still can't get some peace and quiet--" She stopped when she reached the edge of the embankment and looked down. "Oh, my... Is that a Water Wolf?"

"Yeah." Roh called back. "We're trying to get to the city. My friends are hurt and we need a healer."

But the woman was already climbing down the rocks. As she got closer Roh realized she wasn't as old as she'd first thought. She stepped right up to Ennis and reached up to pet his chest fur. He lowered his head and let her stroke the scales on his snout.

"Wha..." Kota mumbled, trying to stand up in the boat. Roh took her by the elbows and helped her out onto the sand.

"Please, can you tell us where a healer--"

"I haven't seen one of these in fifty years." She looked into Ennis's eyes. He seemed very comfortable around her. She turned back to the trio, noticing Haider's unconscious form in the boat. She sighed. "You said you need a healer?"

"Badly." Roh nodded.

"...Come on up to the house."

"Wh-- you're a healer? A waterbender?"

She didn't answer, just disappeared over the top of the hill.

Ennis pulled Haider out of the boat with his paw, then grabbed his shirt between his teeth and bounded up the hill.

Kota glanced at Roh. "Don't tell me he brought us all the way to the Northern Water Tribes."

"I'm really not sure." Roh admitted.

~

The spacious house didn't have an official healing room, but the woman seemed to know exactly what to do. Ennis waited outside a nearby window while she carried Haider and laid him down in the middle of a carpeted floor. She gathered a large bowl of water and set it down next to him just as Kota and Roh reached the door.

Roh eased her friend onto a nearby couch. "You are a healer, right?"

"Retired." Sure enough, the woman raised the water from the bowl and swirled it over Haider's exposed back. He was covered in bruises, but most looked superficial. The water glowed as she moved it up and down his back. "I assume you're not waterbenders." She said, as if they had already disappointed her.