Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, there was once a master of all four elements. But he disappeared 100 years ago… it's a shame really, the world could've used power like that. The Fire Nation has all but won its war against the world and its persecution of its enemies has never been greater. But there is still hope… the power within all of us is extraordinary, the knowledge that we possess is formidable… we, will change this world.
The crisp air and water of the Mo Ce Sea slices against the Earth Kingdom ferry's hull, its passengers enjoying the smooth ride and beautiful scenery but also watching with a hesitant eye. This area is often avoided by boats because of how heavily it's patrolled by the Fire Nation. However, the good Captain doesn't seem to have any doubt. He tells his passengers not to worry because earlier that day he received a prediction from the revered Aunt Wu that he would 'encounter no enemies today." Taking that as a sign of good fortune, our Captain maximized his luck and offloaded a boat full of the highly rare and valuable Panda Lily at the nearest trading port. His luck faired him a great profit, so much to the point that he offered all of his passengers a free ride to visit the great Aunt Wu.
As the sun sets and the darkness begins to retake the sky one of the passengers notices a boat on the horizon. Previously hidden by the sun's ever powerful radiance, the shadow taking form confirmed the fears of everyone on the boat, even at this distance it was clear… this metal warship was Fire Nation.
Albeit smaller than the average ship, its presence was a great cause for alarm. It size and speed indicated it as an interceptor, specifically designed for speed, and without missing a beat, knowing that its presence was known, commanded the Captain to "heave to and prepare to be boarded."
While the passengers reel with what's about to happen, the good Captain begins slowing the ship. Secure in his belief that Aunt Wu's prediction could not be wrong, he makes no notion to avoid the Fire Nation vessel. Unfortunately, his passengers did not feel the same way and one of them, a Kyoshi warrior who had taken up a scouting position above the Captain, decided to knock the good Captain out.
Fiddling with the controls, unknowing of its exact operation, the warriors unceremonious control over the boat accidently dropped the anchor. In an attempt to escape, her actions halted any such action. Fortunately, one of the other passengers, a well trained boatmonger and clearly a Fire Nation escapee quickly grabbed the controls, raised the anchor, and pushed the boat into full speed ahead. While a bit uncoordinated, the teamwork of the passengers and quick to act nature saved them from being overtaken by the patroller… at least for a little bit. For it wasn't long before the passengers realized that the interceptor was still catching up and it was at this point when the other passengers began revealing their own unique abilities…
This inconspicuous Earth Kingdom ferry was housing not only several earthbender's, but a couple waterbender's, and even a firebender. All apparently in fear of being caught by the trolling ship they harmoniously worked together, each attempting a series of actions to help them push ahead of the enemy just a touch more. And while some of their efforts, like their attempt to throw the Captain overboard, resulted in complete and utter failure, their combined efforts provided them enough time to develop a cunning exit strategy… to launch their boat out of the water using their combined skills as a means of speeding up their exit. Using water bending, they pushed the boat across a large, recently created earth ramp and successfully flew the Earth Kingdom ferry… directly into the trees.
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While the landing was a bit rough, and the unconscious Captain escaped the boat at extreme speeds, the passengers themselves were relatively unscathed. His landing was hard enough to wake the good Captain out of his chi-blocked coma and seemingly took to the situation very quickly. Exiting the now destroyed and tree ridden boat, the passengers rushed deep within the forest, the Captain leading the way, and all of them disappearing in the lush vegetation that graces the western coast of the northern Earth Kingdom lands. After a safe distance, the Captain offered to escort the passengers into town and give them a place to sleep for the night, all but two of them decided to accept his offer and partook in a nice bowl of soup and a semi uncomfortable evening of sleep.
In the morning, many of the travelers went their separate ways, most of which partaking in the wonderful services that Makapu Village had to offer. Besides the revered talents of the fortuneteller Aunt Wu, Makapu was a small town built in a valley below an inactive volcano. This farming town was lush with produce and fish. Quietly sitting beneath the shadow of a volcano, the lands were blessed with rich soil, great crops, and lively rivers. Although only meeting each other for the first time on the ferry, the passengers naturally drew to one another, having forged a bond in battle their trust was far greater than the strangers that they once were.
After meeting new friends, playing some games, purchasing new items and food, and receiving the fortunes that they worked so hard to obtain, the passengers took it upon themselves to climb Mount Makapu to get a better feel for the area. While each member had their own journey's to attend to, they all acknowledged the connection of fates, or lack of fates, that they had. Wanting to leave a sizable impact upon their hosts, the crew climbed the great mountain by earthbending a road, complete with detailed steps leading all the way to the top.
Unfortunately, these finely crafted steps made it a great deal easier for a Fire Nation scouting party to catch up to our would be escapees and a great battle was fought at the brim of the volcano. Although originally inactive at the start of the fight, between the fire and earth bending, the volcano soon took to life, bubbling and churning. Caught between two hot places, the choice was clear for what had to be done… after a great battle and a truly extraordinary showing of group bending on both sides, the now successful escapees came out on top. Having doused the scouting parties flames just in time to hide their presence from the Interceptor, the party escapees knew that this scout was far from the end of their dealings with this Fire Nation crew.
