Dragonfire | Mako

TWENTY-FOUR

They flew on the sky bison's back with Kaida in the reins as her friends slept in an effort to regain their power. They had told her at some point they hadn't stopped until they found her, and she understood they had spent many hours awake, searching for her whereabouts. The clue with the fire had been a successful one, they had claimed, although at the time Kaida had only thought of breaking free in some way and not of giving them a sign of her whereabouts. It had worked either way, and for that, she was relieved.

She flew for hours in silence, having plenty of time to think over her plan of action. She settled for a plan soon enough.

They would go to the battlefield and gather information about Iroh. She wanted to find Commander Lee first, the man who had let her family know of Iroh's disappearance, and ask for his help. Then, she'd ask him to take her to the other Commanders. She remembered a few names Iroh had mentioned at some point and these were the people she would be asking to meet. Anyone that could help her brother. If they didn't help her, she would go to Omashu and take her brother out herself. Even if such a plan wasn't an easy one.

The sun was starting to set when the bison started flying over a thick forest that appeared to have no end. The endless blanket of green was remotely calming, and paired with the sun starting to fall, for the first time that day, Kaida was almost relaxed. The short time she kept her guard down though didn't last for long, as she heard shuffling from behind her. She turned her head to the side briefly to catch sight of Korra moving closer.

"We need to land," she told her as Kaida cast a look behind her. Mako, Bolin and Asami were still asleep, and Korra seemed rather tired even if she was awake. "This is the swamp. It's easy to get lost in this place but we can set camp here and I know someone that could help us."

Kaida lowered the sky bison through the dense forest as she briefly turned to the Avatar. "Really? Who would live in such a place?"

Korra only smiled as she got back in the saddle. The sky bison got lower and lower, and a short while later, Kaida had found a spot for them to set camp.

Kaida lit a flame in her palm as she got to the ground as Korra beside her shook their friends awake. She was about to walk off, attempt to find some wood for their camp in the night when Korra called her name.

"Kaida, I thought we should talk."

She stopped and turned around without a sound. She sent her a nod as she extinguished the fire and climbed in the saddle. There wasn't much space for her to sit at but she took her decision without hesitation. With a brief smile at Bolin, she headed over to Mako, watching her with a slight smile, his hair standing up at points, and sat down beside him. His smile widened as she attempted to make herself comfortable by his side. She rested against his side and he put an arm around her shoulders before they both turned to the rest of their friends.

Bolin gaped at them, "You didn't tell us?"

"It's complicated," she explained as she stole a glance up at Mako. "It's not like we see each other every day."

He nodded his agreement as Kaida turned her attention to Asami and then to Korra. She frowned.

"I'm really sorry for what happened today. I shouldn't have lost control like that. I try to not act upon my anger and think before using my bending but sometimes I..." she trailed off with a deep sigh as her eyes fell on her lap. "Sometimes I don't want to stop myself."

Her friends exchanged a look she couldn't see as Mako squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. It did nothing to ease her disappointment. She kept talking.

"All of my life, I've known of the mistakes my family has made, and although my grandfather and mother are benevolent and good, destruction runs in my blood."