Running From The Wind (Varoen/Aiden/Zek/Closed)

[.:|FiresFury|:.]

Sanosuke ran.....he ran faster then he had ever run before. Not only was he running, he was running away. Scratch that, it was more like a.....strategical retreat. Just minutes before he was on a reconnaissance mission in the Northern Air Temple region. Which many people would call suicide. Gathering information was a specialty of his, and this sect of benders could cause the world he forged quite a problem.

He leapt from rock to rock making his descent down the mountain side where the temple floated, cloaked in darkness. The minute his feet touched earth again he flattened his back against the rock holding his breathe to mask the sound as he heard and felt the whoosh of air slice by him at an incredible speed. "Dammit....." he swore to himself. "If only I wasn't spotted by that..... child." he spart referring to a boy that had caught him stalking the corridors. Breathing out at the same time knowing there was enough space between him and the bender that flew after him.

Looking out across the distance he saw what he knew was the border that was put up that marked the Earth Kingdom Territory and he HAD to get there. Only an idiot would follow him past that point. lest they want to be single handedly responsible for a breakout of a military pissing match.

Sano fidgeted with his mask that covered his face knowing that killing anyone would cause more problems then it was worth. Spies are all around and can be dealt with, but If you murder someone you might as well start a war.

Getting his feet back underneath him he began his descent again, this time more slowly and letting his instinct take over knowing that even the slightest noise could set off someone's senses, and more attention is something he doesn't need. There were others out there in the dark. More like him that he had chosen for this. Hopefully the got the message to ditch out as soon as the warning bell was rang from the top of the monastery. As of right now he is a ghost, and he'd most certainly like to keep it that way.

[Varoen]

Above the mountaintops of the Northern Air Empire, Zephyr soared through the night. She was returning from a recon mission into the Bulwark, rolling her eyes at the thought of the fear that had taken her there in the first place. She had gone with the intention of assessing the forces that were gathered there to gauge the possibility of an invasion on the Empire from it.

What she had found was a pitiful excuse for an army. A ragtag group of sellswords and donated soldiers of all nationalities, armed and supplied well enough to see, perhaps, two months of combat. Zephyr had expected a formidable and dangerous group of warriors instead of the desperate and dying bunch there. In the two hours she had spent in their main encampment, she had witnessed more than fifty gruesome deaths, the results of wounds or sudden attacks by the demonic entities that lived there. By comparison to what it was she had expected, theirs was a pitiful bunch.

Now she flew, returning to deliver her report to the elder council and hoped for a cup of tea before bed. When the bells toll peeled through the air, she was so shocked that she nearly released her grip on her glider. The bells had tolled a handful of times in her memory, the majority of them merely tests to gauge the readiness of the benders in the event of an attack. But they had never happened in the dead of night. She altered her flight, rising so that her back brushed the clouds above her as she scanned the exterior of the temple, looking for the source of the alarm.

When Zephyr spotted him, she first saw his trail. Standing out as a black line against the white capped top of the mountain, his wide path cut through the snow was easy to spot, even from her high vantage point. She followed it, quickly finding where his feet had hit dirt, and left a frantic trail of dust behind him. He was pursued, though by who she could not tell. It was almost as if he was begging to be followed. She kept herself high among the clouds, following behind him and hoping that her mottled leathers kept her obscured from the ground below.

He ran with a single minded intent, which she could only guess was flight. The man made his way with no intent of secrecy or caution but to flee as quickly as he could from their realm. ‘Run, run little rat. The cat has come to play.’ Urial seemed almost amused that such a clumsy fool could have raised the alarm. It surely must have been an overreaction. Although she found it a little concerning that none of her brethren had spotted this man entering their lands, much more the temple, undetected. While she was amused by his escape, she took this as note to be cautious of approaching him. Though she could spot only one weapon upon him, a sword, she could see he was dressed as a professional fighter, perhaps even one who fancied himself an assassin.

As he began to tire out, she was able to see his face as he checked behind himself for pursuit. What she first mistook for some grotesque human demonic hybrid, she quickly realized was a mask. She realized this because; it was one that she had seen once before, in a moment several years ago. Even then she would have forgotten it, had it not been a historical event of great significance. When she had journeyed with her master as a part of her training, she had been in the Fire Nation as it fell, witnessed the fall of it at the hands of the Execution Squad.

Kaldrossa, her master, had made her study them, their tactics, origins, their command structure, even their fighting styles. Though most of them had been murdered, she knew that they had rebuilt their ranks with five and taken the Fire Nation in vengeance. Led by a man called Sanosuke, a dangerous Firebender prone to great anger, they were a murderous bunch. Often, many of their kills by various members had been done out of pleasure than any sense of duty or purpose. They were animals; wild, out of control, savage, entirely unforgiving, and undisciplined. Because of this, they were also dangerous. Until this point, she had overlooked them because she did not think them worthy of note, or even contest with the Swift Breeze Assassins.

But now, as she watched Sanosuke, for she was sure that it was him, flee the temple, she knew that she had underestimated them. Perhaps only by a brief margin, but any miscalculation could lead to death. She had seen this mans mask on his head the day he beheaded the Fire Lord, had seen the glee in his eyes when he butchered his family. Zephyr had received reports on their core five members, but he was by far marked as their most dangerous. The most skilled in combat and his firebending art. So much so that he was rumored to have mastered it.

She smirked as so much information sprang to mind so quickly. A life in the shadows was perfect for hiding an identity yes, but once it was left behind to rule a nation, that advantage was gone. If he thought he was still an unknown, still hidden because he was behind a mask that had been publicly lifted, he had severely underestimated his enemies that he made this evening. Any intrusion into their lands would be dealt with harshly, especially from a group who had caused such widespread insurrection once before.

Sanosuke slowed, looking for a place in which to rest as the border grew nearer. Zephyr took this opportunity to land in a small crevice nearly half a mile from him. She leaned her glider against the rock and began equipping herself. Opening her sheaths for her equipment, she strapped them to her thighs, readying her throwing daggers for use. When that was done, she placed the two blades of her claw weapons on her left hand and locked them into place on the specialized gloves she wore. With her other hand, she made ready one of her katars for use while she removed her crossbow, leaning it against the rock beside her glider. She would retrieve them when she was done. She smiled beneath the blackened steel mask she wore. Her enemy may have compromised his identity, but she would not be so foolish. With practiced ease, she was done in seconds.

Leaping from the crag she was in, Zephyr grabbed a katar with her right hand and began bounding toward her target. The dust from his flight was still settling and she could see him moving, preparing to run again. He must have been expecting a full on attack, expecting the border and the Earth Kingdom garrison there to save him. He would be wrong. Whistling like a bird to signal her comrade who pursued him, Zephyr called the man off. She would deal with him herself.

Utilizing her bending she neared and was on him in several seconds. She launched herself overhead, landing in a reverse skid, taking a defensive readied stance as she landed. "Come, Sanosuke![/color]" She hissed at him, as she awaited his strike. As the skid stopped she leaned into her stance, compensating for the terrain and gripping hard with her feet as she readied her weapons to retaliate.[/size]

[~Aiden~]

Aiden stood frozen in his hiding place, as he heard the the alarm bells pierce the silent night sky. He had volunteered to accompany Sano on his recon mission deep inside the Norther Air Empire lands. He had been just about to make his final ascend into the main courtyard when the alarm began to sound. Immediately lifting his eyes up to the sky he swore silently as he watched the Airbenders take to the sky, their gliders opening and just barely standing out in against the night sky. Darting back down into the darkness, he found a small crevice and slid inside as more of the guard sprinted passed him. 'hmm.. I wonder who the hell got caught...'[/i] he thought to himself as he slowly regained his composure, he needed to be calm and collected right now. Now definitely wasn't the time for him to be freaking out.

There had only been a handful of people that had been selected for such an insane mission, and each of them were more then capable of doing a mission such as this without being caught. He stood in the tight space for what seemed like forever, but the sounds of rushing feet had finally ceased and it had been a long while since he had heard anything.. ' They're airbenders Aiden, they don't NEED to run to pursue their prey...[/i] he shook his head, he knew that he couldn't sit here all night. Eventually he would be found, and that would be an extremely bad day for him. If he was going to make a move now was as good a time as any, he fixed his mask before he peeked around the corner.

Crouching low and slowly easing himself against the rocks, trying to remain hidden as long as possible. He mostly kept his eyes in the sky, watching constantly for gliders.. they were his main concern, those on the ground are easy enough to avoid, but those in the sky would definitely have the advantage here. Once he was sure no one was around him, he picked up his pace. Moving quickly, but not too fast as to make a lot of sound and give away his position, and avoiding any wide open spaces he stuck close to the rocks, choosing to run along the ravines to make it more difficult to spot him from the air. Picking his way down, he heard something behinds him, stopping immediately and crouching low against the rocks he glanced back just as a burst of wind flew past his face, knocking the hood off his head. “Dammit! I didn't think they'd catch me so soon”[/b]

Now he didn't have the time to stay and fight, they would surely have more following them, turning quickly he lurched himself forward, no longer caring about being quiet he ran full out. This was the fastest he had run in a long time. Another blast of air plowed into his left shoulder, crossing his left leg over his right, and pivoting quickly he spun with the blast. Losing only a few seconds with the move and lunged forward again. Pushing himself faster into the night, glancing back he couldn't see his pursuers on foot, nor in the sky. As he turned his face back to his path he just seen.... nothing... Just... air.. '…..Oh shit! This is gonna be fun.... This is what I get for looking behind me' [/i] As the thought played through his mind he launched himself high in to the sky.

Angling himself down into a dive, Aiden plummeted through the night sky, hearing only the rush of wind and the beating of his heart in his ears. Peering down, trying to get a grasp of exactly how far away from very solid earth he was. Using his bending he thrust his arms straight down, sending a massive blast of air straight down below him slowing his fall just just enough to see the earth below. Repeating the motion one or two more times Aiden landed silently in a crouch stance. Eyes quickly taking in his surroundings, remaining completely still and in his low stance until his breathing was under control and his heart wasn't trying to jump out of his chest.

Nothing stirred around him, once he was sure it was as safe as it could possibly get, something to his left caught his attention.. moving quickly to find out what he had heard, as he broke through some brush, a lone figure descending the mountain.. At least one of his brothers hadn't be caught yet, but who was it. Keeping his angle Aiden kept with the figure, slowly making his path merge with him. As he drew closer Aiden caught a glimpse of the mans mask.. It was Sano, his Master... And one of the original squad members.

Smiling slightly, of course Sano wouldn't let himself get caught.. He was one of the greatest assassins Aiden have ever met, and being as he was part of an elite squad of them that was saying something. Just as Aiden was sure that the two of them would make it out of this nightmare, something made his stomach tighten. There was a slender figure gaining on him, then the would-be hero of the Empire suddenly slowed a his pursuit and stopped, ' what the hell is hap-..'[/i]

before he could finish the thought another figure emerged from the night, quickly gaining on his master. Without another thought Aiden altered his course, dropping back to take care of the original man first... he trusted that Sano would be able to hold his own for at least a few minutes...

[.:|FiresFury|:.]

The clouds that were barely present in the sky moved slowly across the moon, creating a blanket of shadows over the land, sweeping over them and extinguishing whatever signs of light that had once graced the snow covered mountain side. Sano knew he had a guest in his presence. He felt the woman enter his field of senses a few moments before but purposefully didn't take notice hoping that she would then underestimate him.

He tightened his gloves with his back to her as she spoke, spitting out his name and he tilted his head ever so slightly. He then spoke himself. "So....an educated one" he mused calmly words echoing through the mask turning to face the woman, her weapons at the ready and his arms behind his back.

He looked at her masked face and saw a pair of eyes he had seen before, instantly recalling the piece of memory that floated in his mind at all times, matching the eyes, although a slightly older version of them. "I have not had the pleasure to be in your presence as of yet Miss.....Zephyr?" He said coldly but with a creepy sense of calm. Almost as if ice was dripping off his very tongue, sounding very sure of his guess at her identity, but spoken with al the confidence in the world.

He began walking forward towards her slowly, not putting up any sort of visible defense in the slightest. "So here we are.....what do you plan on doing?" he asked her smoothly, taking note at the very specific whistle of air in the distance. It was Aiden, he was sure of it.

He had found out in his early years that all airbenders have a sort of 'voice' to their bending, each person having a specific sound to their powers, and he most CERTAINLY knew Aiden's. His friend was close and that meant that he had to ensure his safety to the border. He would NOT let Aiden be captured by any means. His tolerance for torture was nowhere near up to par for these barbarians.

He started walking in a large slow circle around the woman eyeing every aspect of her stance and defenses. "Here is where I offer you something. Something that can be a great boon to you and your people. I offer my hand of friendship," he said reaching a hand out towards her, "Your Elders are perched up in their towers plotting against the world....but I know you've seen what I have seen. I know you have been to the Camps of the Bulwark. You have seen the horrors of the Rift as I have. The leaders of your Nation are ignoring a worldwide problem while constantly caring only for themselves." he spat out letting too much emotion show and checking himself for a second to calm the blood flow. "I offer my information for yours. I will give and get what you need. As long as I can trust that you will help me help you. Alert us if they plan something......of ill intelligence" he said smiling beneath his mask.

This conversation could go one of two ways, she either accepts his offer or she takes it as an insult. If she chooses to take this as the ladder then he can bet she is about to have a VERY bad day. "Well....what say you?" I implore you to think hard about this....for if your answer is wrong, I cannot guarantee safety for you or anyone." he finished ending his circle in the exact same spot he started in. He had enough faith in Aiden to hold off what few stragglers would be coming for him and the rest of them. The big problem was Zephyr....and even though he doesn't know it, he has a tendency to let his ego get ahead of him. This woman could end up being more of an issue then he even realizes......

[Zek]

Zek had received word of this mission but had gotten..."side-tracked" along the way and missed the briefing for it. He knew little of the north, that a band of war-hardened air benders had taken land from the Earth Kingdom. They executed their air bending in a very lethal manner. This made him feel all warm inside. Besides Aiden, he had never met an air bender willing to take another life.

He had arrived into the nation late and was remaining in between rocks, lazily as he had no idea where anyone else was. When the alarm sounded from far above him, he slid down his mask and became focused, waiting for a moment to strike. He waited there a few minutes, seeing black specks darting from the top and soaring around. "Gliders...This should be fun!" He drew his bow and notched 2 arrows and waited for a target to sweep too low. As he surveyed the area around him and above him, he caught movement bounding down the mountain side and slowly began to creep towards the target. "The hunt is on!" His smile slowly spreading across his face, the snow staying settled on his cloak.

When he finally arrived to where he lost sight of his target, he found two targets. One circling the other, the persons back to him, the other a women. The cloaked figures foot prints left around the women. Zek remained in his hiding spot, two arrows notched and drawn back, taking his aim. "Well....what say you? I implore you to think hard about this....for if your answer is wrong, I cannot guarantee safety for you or anyone." Zek faintly heard the voice and somewhere in his mind it struck a bell but he disregarded it and waited for his moment to strike his two prey. His twisted smile spreading slowly. "You can't even guarantee your own safety!" He thought to himself, his grin cracking behind his mask.