The forest was quiet as she made her way towards the village. Azula had dropped off one of her daggers at the blacksmith's for repairs and he had assured her it would be ready that morning. Turns out embedding your blade in a tree was a good way to snap off the tip of the blade.

When the village finally came into view, Azula froze in her tracks. There, perched on the roof of one of the houses, was Fang. His red body was now an ethereal  blue, giving him the true look of a spirit. He gazed down at her with a knowing look, letting her know that he was watching.

Azula looked away, keeping her head down as she made her way towards the blacksmith's workshop. Roku had said that he would be sending Fang to guide her, she had no idea that meant a spirit dragon only she could see would be following her.

"As if I wasn't feeling crazy enough." Azula muttered under her breath as she entered the workshop.

The blacksmith smiled when he saw her enter and placed the blade he had been polishing on the counter. "Right on time my dear, I was just cleaning it up for you."

Azula picked up the dagger and inspected it. The blade was completely repaired and it had been polished and sharpened on top of that. She smiled approvingly as she placed a gold coin in his hand. "Will that cover it?"

The blacksmith grinned as he inspected the coin. "Oh yes, this is more than enough. Thank you very much my dear. Come back anytime."

Azula nodded, slipping the dagger into her boot. She didn't even have a chance to stand up before a scream pierced the air.

"My cabbages!"

More shrieks and screams followed the man's cry as panick erupted outside.

"What is going on out there?" The Blacksmith asked, coming up behind her.

Azula followed him to the door and the two of them stepped outside. There was a loud crash which directed their attention to the end of the street. There, sitting atop an overturned cabbage cart, was a large Platypus Bear.

The bear grunted loudly as it tore through the cabbages, eating them hungrily. The people of the village kept their distance, watching the scene unfold. No one seemed to know what to do.

"Please!" The merchant pleaded, cradling a couple salvaged cabbages from his cart. "Somebody do something! Save my cabbages!"

Azula suddenly felt like she was being watched and turned to see Fang had perched himself on top of the blacksmith's workshop. He gazed down at her, a sense of urgency radiating from his presence.

"What?" Azula hissed at him. "You want me to fight a Platypus Bear?"

Fang lifted his head and gave a snort as if answering her question. Azula huffed, crossing her arms as she looked back at the bear. "Avatar Roku is crazy if he thinks I'm going to to fight a bear."

The bear finished off the cabbages on the cart and began sniffing the air, turning towards the cabbage merchant. The man cowered in fear as the bear began to walk towards him, eyeing the cabbages in his arms hungrily.

"Somebody help me!" The merchant cried. "Oh this is it, I survived the war only to be eaten by a bear along with my cabbages!"

Fang snorted at her from the roof and Azula sighed. "Fine. I'll save the merchant and his stupid vegetables, but I better get a good reward out of this."

Azula pulled out her daggers, tossing one at the bear which became embedded at his feet. The bear turned to her growled. With its attention drawn, the cabbage merchant scrambled away into a nearby building, safely out of the bear's reach.

"Shoo! Get out of here!" Azula yelled at the bear. "I command you to leave!"

The bear stalked closer, roaring as it reared back on its hind legs and swiped its paw at her. Azula jumped out of the way, rolling on the ground before popping back up on her feet.

"Fine." Azula snapped angrily. "You want to fight, let's fight."

Azula punched her fist forward, sending a stream of fire at the bear's feet. The platypus bear jumped back with a grunt, taken by surprise. She sent another blast of fire it's way and this time the bear took off running into the forest.

Azula brushed off her clothes and turned to the crowd that was staring at her in stunned silence. She placed her hand on her hip and studied them curiously. "Is no one going to thank me? I just drove a bear out of your village, you should be grateful."

"Why would we thank you, Ash Maker?" A man snapped, stepping forward from the crowd. "Your kind isn't welcome here."

"Yeah! Go back to the Fire Nation! This is our kingdom!" Another voice called out.

More angry shouts and slurs rose from the crowd as the people of the village turned against her. Azula stared at the villagers in disbelief. Was this really how they treated a hero?

"Ungrateful peasants!" Azula growled. "How dare you treat me this way! I should have let that Platypus Bear tear this village apart!"

One of the men on the crowd cracked his knuckles and stepped forward, followed by two others. "Get the Ash Maker. We'll see how much she likes being a prisoner. Trespassing is a criminal offense after all."

The crowd began to close in, the shouts of disdain and hatred growing with each step. Azula looked around frantically for an escape but she was completely surrounded.

She got in a defensive stance, preparing to bend her way out when someone jumped in front of her.

"Stay away from her!"

Azula's eyes widened as she realized it was Ro. He had placed himself between her and the angry mob, his stance firm.

"Get out of the way Ro!" A villager snapped. "Why would you protect this fire nation girl? You know as well as we do she can't be trusted!"

Ro glared at the crowd. "But she's done nothing wrong! She hasn't harmed anyone since she's been here and she just saved that merchant! Not all Fire Nation people are bad!"

"How would you know kid?" A man snarled. "Have you ever met a good firebender?"

"Yeah." Ro admitted, his gaze hardening. "Me!"

Ro thrust his hands out in front of him, creating a ring of fire around himself and Azula. The villagers stumbled back in shock as they avoided the flames.

"You're a firebender!?" The man gasped in shock.

"Yeah, I am." Ro confirmed. "You've all known me since I came here 5 years ago. We've worked together, eaten together, even played together. Never once have I caused you any harm. Does knowing what I am make you believe that I'm a monster?"

The crowd grew quiet at his words, looking at each other in uncertainty. It was true, they'd all known Ro for years. He was a hard worker, a trusted friend, and a contributing citizen to their town. Did the fact he was a firebender really change all that?

"You've made your point boy." The man replied. "That's why I'm going to give you the courtesy of taking your girlfriend and leaving, never to return."

Ro's eyes widened. "You're kicking me out?"

"You're lucky I'm not letting them lock you up." The man replied. "Now get lost before I change my mind."

Ro sighed, grabbing Azula's hand. "Come on Mai, let's go."

The crowd parted to let them pass, everyone watching as the two firebenders left town. Azula stared at Ro's back in disbelief as he pulled her along into the woods. He'd revealed his own secret to defend her, a girl he barely knew. Now they had both been banished. Why would he give up everything for a stranger?

Azula stopped in her tracks, pulling her hand from his grasp. "Why did you do it? You could have let them have their way with me and protected yourself but you chose to reveal the truth to protect me. Why?"

Ro turned to face her. "Letting them lock you up simply because you're a firebender would have been wrong. I couldn't let them imprison you for no reason. They don't realize it, but doing so would have made them no better than the fire nation troops that invaded their village. When faced with a bully, stooping to their level is never the answer."

"So what now?" Azula asked. "We can't go to the village anymore. Unless you're really good at foraging, we'll need to find a new place to replenish our supplies."

"I am a pretty good forager." Ro answered cockily. "But having an accessible village nearby would be nice. I suppose we'll just have to travel somewhere new."

"We?" Azula questioned. "I don't recall saying I wanted to travel with you."

Ro nudged her shoulder playfully. "Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, do you have any transportation besides your own two feet?"

Azula eyed him curiously. "Do you?"

Ro smirked, placing two fingers in his mouth and giving a shrill whistle. Moments later the sound of something bounding through the trees echoed around them and an Eel Hound came to a halt in front of them.

Ro stroked the beast's head with a smile. "Mai, meet Hira. I found her in the woods with a broken leg when she was just a pup. I nursed her back to health and we've been best friends ever since. If you need a fast way to travel, she's the best."

Hira licked his cheek in response to the compliment and Ro laughed as he gently shoved her away. "Okay, okay, I love you too."

Azula stared at the Eel Hound in amazement. She'd seen them before of course, they were one of the fastest animals in the Earth Kingdom, but she had never ridden one herself.

Azula felt a familiar warmth surround her and she looked up to see Fang curled around the top of one of the trees, watching her expectantly.

"You want me to go with him, don't you?" Azula sighed quietly.

"What was that?" Ro asked.

Azula cleared her throat. "I said I would like to travel with you."

Ro grinned. "Great. Meet me at the river tonight. That will give us both time to pack what we need."

Azula nodded. "Very well. Tonight it is."