Tougher Than Stone

Chapter 12

 The sun finally appeared before the horizon, but it didn't really matter. I've been up for at least three hours anyway. Suki-the young leader of the Kyoshi Warriors-had told me that I could stay and train with her and her fellow warriors, but only after I accomplished a task that would "prove my worth". Even though it hasn't even been a day yet, there was a fear lingering in the back of my mind that she would send me away at any moment.

I adjusted my scarf around my head and made my way to the dining area where I knew Suki would be right about this time. I found her sitting at the head of the table nearest to the window, holding a bowl of shrimp dumplings in her hands.

"Ah, Nakia, just in time for some homemade tea and dumplings! Sit." Suki patted the cushion beside her on the floor and handed me my own bowl of shrimp dumplings.

A Kyoshi Warrior, whose name was Xiaoling if I remembered correctly, passed me a pair of chopsticks and went back to eating her own breakfast.

Suki didn't say anything for the next few minutes while I ate. That did no favors for the little voice in my head telling me that I should have packed my bags the second Suki had returned my things to me. I can't think about that. I will become a Kyoshi Warrior.

"You look a little pale, Nakia. Have some tea." Suki took my bowl of shrimp dumplings from me and poured piping hot tea into a small clay cup.

I brought the cup to my lips and smiled. "Thank you. Chrysanthemum?" Suki nodded. Whenever my mother didn't have the time to go down the road and get tea leaves from a neighbor's farm, she would always set aside a handful of chrysanthemums so we could make tea that day. My favorite tea by far was jasmine tea, though.

"I've thought of something for you to do." I choked on the tea in my mouth for a few seconds before putting the cup down and turning to Suki.

"Well... It turns out that meat has been going missing from a smokehouse near us. If you can find out who or what has been stealing it, we'll let you become a Kyoshi Warrior."

Huh. That's not what I expected her to say. Finding out who's stealing some meat shouldn't be too hard, but then again it is always easier said than done.

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I was right. This is easier said than done. I sat down and leaned back against a tree, silently cursing my decision to accept this quest. Suki had given me a list of people who had access to the smokehouse, but I had already spoken to everyone on the list and there were still hours to go until lunch time. With nothing much left to do for the rest of the day (other than eat and sleep of course), I decided to look over the smokehouse for clues again. I hadn't seen anything when I looked with Suki this morning but maybe I'd see something new this time around.

The smokehouse was a fairly large wood and stone building not too terribly far from where I was staying with the Kyoshi Warriors. The Kyoshi Warriors used this building to prepare meat bought in the markets down by the coast. Sometimes residents who lived too far from the markets would even buy some smoked fish from The Kyoshi Warriors! Life here is truly amazing.

A wave of air that smelled of salt, ginger, and a hint of fish hit me full force in the face the instant I opened the door. I sincerely hope I get used to the smell of fish or my time on this island will be long and miserable. All the seafood and game meat were still hanging in neat rows, but something felt off. I scanned the room with my eyes, and they landed on a slab of pork at the back of the building being hung from the ceiling by two heavy metal hooks. Ah-ha! A noticeable chunk had been taken out of the side near the top.

Wait... If I didn't see anyone walk into or out of the smokehouse for the last half an hour... Who took this chunk out of the pork?

I dropped to my hands and knees, trying to see if I could see anyone hiding under the heavy wooden table under the pork. There was no one under the table. In fact, the only living being in the entire building was me. I decided to check behind the boxes of ginger root one more time, but as soon as I moved the first box, something brushed my hand.

"ACK!" I shot backwards, banging my head on the underside of the table.

Phew. Only a feather. A feather?

The feather in question was big, much too big for a sparrow. Too big for many of the birds on the island. And too red.

This feather belongs to a Fire Nation Messenger Falcon.

I grabbed the feather and bolted out of the smokehouse without closing the door. I had seen birds like this flying to and from Shoa at the start and end of every week.

This is what was stealing food from the Kyoshi Warriors. A Fire Nation Messenger Falcon.

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I shifted my weight in an effort to stop the cramp in my leg. I also moved so I wouldn't get a massive bruise in my side from the hilt of Suki's katana, but that's beside the point.

"What's going on? You've been acting so mysterious ever sin-" I pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for her to watch the pork that had been bitten earlier that day.

The two of us had been crouched behind a table in view of the pork slab for about three hours now. The falcon hadn't returned, and likely wouldn't until nightfall. I had asked Suki to open the hole in the center of the roof used to let in smoke. With luck the falcon would take the new, easy route to the food. Then again, if it was injured or sensed a trap, it could disappear for days or months even. I was just about to call off waiting and suggest we go to bed, when Suki nudged my shoulder softly and nodded.

A gorgeous falcon with bluish black wings and a red flecked belly had flown in through the roof and landed on the hanging pork slab. One of its legs was slightly bent, but it otherwise looked healthy. As quietly as I could, I reached for the bag at my belt and brought out the rabbit that Suki had stolen from dinner before we left.

Rabbit wasn't a meat that usually ended up being smoked-or even cooked all that often for that matter- so the smell caused the falcon to turn its head, drop the hunk of pork that it had been holding in its beak, and fly down as best it could to investigate. Suki and I held perfectly still as the falcon hobbled closer and closer to our hiding spot.

The falcon hopped into the shadow of one of the table's legs and I dove. I managed to catch the falcon with both hands before it could fly away. Suki and I wiggled out from under the table.

"A Fire Nation message bird? Interesting. Well, a promise is a promise. Tomorrow we will begin your Kyoshi Warrior training." Suki put a hand on my shoulder even though she had to stand on tippy-toes to do so.

"Can I keep him? I could nurse him back to health and use him to communicate with my friends back home." I turned to Suki who had her face contorted in a thoughtful frown.

"Well, if you're going to do that, you need to give him a name first." I stared at the falcon who had mostly stopped struggling by that point.

"Fawkes. I'll name you Fawkes."

Written by AmericanPopsicle