Stratus | Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter Six | Return

Kumo blinked from her spot in the tree, eyeing the blind earth bender with awe. Sensing vibrations was hard, even for animals like Kaze, who's large pads were meant for stuff like that to sense prey. So, it was quite confusing to her that this earth bender probably younger than her, could do it.

Iroh groaned in pain, rubbing his behind. After weeks of almost non-stop travelling, Kaze's nose had led them to Iroh, picking his scent out as important. Kumo was slightly relieved, though she enjoyed the wandering in the Earth Kingdom, she was happy to see a familiar face. 

"That really hurt my tailbone," Iroh groaned, pulling his face out from the ground as the blind earth bender stood on the rook above him. She glared down at him, before sending a wave earth to the tree Kumo was sat in, Kaze whined as he was hit by it. 

Using her air bending to land softly, Kumo rushed over to Kaze, checking for his injuries. 

"Ah, Kumo." Iroh began, turning to smile at the white-haired girl as he doted over the large dog though her attention was drawn back to her former companion causing her to smile. "It's been a while, it's nice to see you again."

"Aye, it has, a month at least." She smirked, dusting off her armour. Kaze leapt up to join her as she walked over to Iroh, pulling him up before she turned to stare at the Earth Bender. Kaze growled lowly, causing the girl to step back.

"Would you care to join us for some tea?"

-

Iroh, Toph and Kumo sat around the warm fire, bathing in the heat it offered on the cold evening Kaze rested further away, preferring the cold as he slumbered. Kumo watched silently as Iroh poured tea into three mugs. 

"Here is your tea," Iroh said, holding out the mug so the blind child could find it, Kumo took hers, sipping it in silence, "you seem a little too young to be travelling alone."

Toph reached out and took the cup, sitting warily away from both people.

"You seem a little too old," she commented, causing Iroh to let out a hearty laugh while Kumo chuckled, to which Toph's blind gaze turned to her, "and you, you're real silent and you're wearing armour, it's hard to find you, are you a soldier?"

"No, I'm glad I'm not a soldier," Kumo chuckled, leaning back to look up at the sky, wondering where Zuko was at the present moment, "though I always seem to find myself wound up in it sooner or later."

"Perhaps I am a little too old," Iroh grinned, sipping his tea. Kumo kept silent, watching the sun set over the valley in a gorgeous harmony of colours, red, oranges, pinks. The blue receded over head like a losing army. 

"I know what you're thinking I look like I can't handle being by myself," Toph sighed bitterly, twitching as Kaze moved somewhere to the right of her. She was uneasy around the giant beast, mostly because it caused the most violent vibrations and she didn't really know what it was. 

"I wasn't thinking that," Iroh interjected, and Kumo prepared herself for whatever inspiring wisdom that was going to bubble from the old mans lips. 

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea." Toph bit back, looking away as she sipped it.

"I poured your tea because I wanted to and for no other reason," Iroh explained, watching the child with interest. Kumo leant back further to rest on her back, gazing towards the sun as her chest began to feel numb. She missed Zuko, she missed him so much that it killed to be away from him. 

"People see me and think I'm weak, they wanna take care of me, but I can take care of myself by myself." Toph commented, causing a pang to resonate through Kumo's heart, she sounded so much like Zuko. Iroh glanced over to Kumo before continuing with what he was going to say.