Adventure away from home.

Huo moved his hand in a circular motion, he hid the tension of battle well, Taiyou's movements were quite impressive and required the utmost attention. Huo's movements called one of his fiery sphere in place of the attack, though it was easily destroyed it blocked Taiyou's attack. Huo used this opening to strike with a clean over head chop at Taiyou's right shoulder.

Taiyou twisted his body putting most of his weight to his right side, then swung his right arm straight up in the air blocking Huo's attack with his forearm. This was the fifth stance in the Kata. Taiyou was surprised at how well this new form could attack and reflect in hand to hand combat.

Huo smiled as he looked at his combatant and equal. Huo turned his hand over, his chop being blocked by Taiyou's forearm. Huo 's hand began to course with flames as he shot a wave of fire downward on top of Taiyou's head.

Having his weight still on his right side Taiyou rolled to the right. The hand-to-hand combat had become tiring on Taiyou. Having Huo left side being open Taiyou returned to his feet, his right foot lite on fire. Taiyou round-house kicked towards Huo sending the fire on his leg at Huo.

Huo returned in kind with his own roundhouse kick. Huo and Taiyou's attacks collided and exploded causing a billow of smoke to pour off the boat. "Ready to call it quits?" Huo said as he assumed another stance full of fire bending capabilities.

Taiyou was tired, and smoke got into his lungs from the explosion. "Yea sounds good." Taiyou whistle's for Mangu. *cough* "Ugh... Damnit I knew i shouldn't of inhaled that smoke... Oh well I guess it's my own fault. Let's go inside and get situated."

"Very well then" he said as he dropped his stance and whistled for Yi. Huo pulled a medium sized leather bag off of Yi's back, the leather bag was held together by a metal clasp and held all of Huo's belongings.

Huo walked closely behind Taiyou until he spotted his room. "How about a game of Pai Sho?" he asked loudly as he tossed his bag carelessly on the floor.

"Sounds good." Taiyou said placing his bag on Hammock in the room across from Huo's.

Taiyou walk out of his room and down the hall to a room with a Pai Sho table on side of the room and a tea pot over a fireplace. Before Taiyou sits down at the table he poured some water into the tea pot and then lit the fireplace.

"Would you like some Jasmine Tea Huo?"

Huo followed Taiyou and scratched his head as he sat down at the Pai Sho table. "Sure why not?" he said as he began setting the board for their upcoming game. When Huo was finished setting the board he placed his hands on the back of his head and sat back relaxing.

Taiyou poured two cups of tea then sat down in the chair across from Huo. He handed Huo a cup of tea "Here you go, shall we begin?"

Huo removed one of his hands from the back of his head and slowly waved it over the board. "Whenever you are ready my friend" Huo sat up a little more to get a better look at the current Pai Sho board, it was important for him to plan 3 or 4 moves ahead. As Huo's eyes twitched with concentration he slowly sipped his jasmine tea.

Taiyou watched Huo's eyes as he scanned the board. Watching someones eyes helps him determine Huo's moves and plan out his own.

Taiyou picked up his tea and had a sip. He moved his hand to place his first move when the ship started to rumble, then just stopped. Taiyou and Huo stood up and went to the deck. The water around the boat was frozen.
"Waterbenders... Huo get ready."

"Good... I was itching for a fight." Huo said as he clenched his hand causing a burst of flame. "I say we win in 10 minutes" he said with a grin. Huo placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled for Yi.

Yi swooped down and picked up Huo with much ease. Huo and Yi began to circle the fire nation boat spotting the water nations attack force. "Goodbye." he said as he circled his hands forming a large fireball sending it at the water benders.

A wall of ice rose to meet the fireball. More ice froze around the ship, making it even thicker, harder to melt. Huang looked out over the bow at his work and smirked. The Water Tribe ship approached the Fire Nation ship and the Water Tribe began to board their enemies.

Taiyou watch the water tribe jump on the ship. He simple took a sip of his cup of tea, and smirk.
"Finally, come on."
Taiyou took a deep breath in from his nose. He open his mouth and sent a breath of fire at the approaching water tribe members.

Huo ran his hand over Yi's feathers "Let's go buddy". Yi swooped down from the sky, over the Water Tribe boat. Huo jumped off Yi and landed with a loud thud, Huo spun around sending a wave of fire at the back end of the water tribe.

Twin walls of ice jettisoned from the soaked decks of both ships, quelling the incoming fire. Huang stood amidst his men, hands outstretched maintaining both walls. Before either attacking Firebender could fully react the walls shattered like glass, shards of ice flying at both of Huang's enemies.

Taiyou waved his arms in a circular motion making a orb of fire around him blocking Huang's ice shards.
"Huo, watch out one of these men are above average he is using a much more advanced form." Taiyou looked back at the ice bender. Taiyou was scanning the water tribe member's and there forms. He could pick out which ones where water bender's or just soldier's. He counted five water bender's including the ice bender, and about nine soldier's plus more coming out from the water tribe boat.

Taiyou had to test them to make sure his calculation's were correct. He held one hand in front of him palm up and one bent back. He lite the hand in front with a large flame, and with his other hand shot five small fireballs at the men in front of him.

Huang reformed his wall in front of himself and the soldiers. With another swift motion the ice split down the center and shot shards at amazing speeds towards the Firebender.

Taiyou repeated his action from the last attack blocking the shards again, but this time kept moving his arm's building this orb of fire to great length. Taiyou then shot the orb into the air then twisted his arms causing the orb to rain down in pieces over the water benders.

Huo breathed deep as he held his arms out aiming them up at Taiyou's attack. "This should do it." he mumbled to himself. Huo twisted his arms quickly turning each of Taiyou's attacks into literal tunneling drills of fire, there was no way this water bender could handle them both at once.

Leon had set sail to the Water Nation a few days earlier. He had some information to sell them about the Fire Nation. Leon always made sure to meet them at night. He didn't want anyone to see his face in the middle of the day. His alias had become The Shadow Swordsman when it came to selling information about other nations. They always paid a high price for it as well. It fine with Leon since this money would go to funding his building army.

Leon was already on his way back to the Fire Nation. It was just a simple one man boat, but he wasn't looking to draw attention to himself. As time went on, Leon finally saw two ships close together. As he got closer, the water seemed to even get colder until eventually he hit total ice.

"Water Benders... What the hell are they doing this close to the Fire Nation?"

Leon looked closely. There was a battle raging on. He could see some Fire Benders fighting. They were largely outnumbered it seemed. Leon still had to look loyal to the Fire Nation. He would need to help these men fight off the Water Benders. It did seem very underhanded. Get paid by the Water Nation then kill them. Leon hopped out of the small boat and began to sneak across the ice. No one had seen him yet. It was the perfect chance for a sneak attack. Leon examined the situation carefully. He could either kill a two of Water Benders before he was noticed or kill all the soldiers and leave only the Water Benders to deal with. In the end he decided to take down the soldiers so to even the odds better.

Leon unsheathed his sword from his back and leaped into action. One of the Water Benders had put a wall of ice between the Fire Bender's and soldiers. Luckily, Leon was in a good enough flanking position not to be seen for his attack. Also the two Fire Benders made an excellent distraction. Leon ignited his blade and began to launch down multiple fire slicing projectiles onto the back of the soldiers necks. It would be a perfect clean silent kill leaving the warriors headless.

Unfortunately for the new comer the soldier's helmets covered more than they let on the first was cut down quickly but the others were able to move so as to not be killed, though still hurt bad enough to recoil away from the man. The dropping body of his men alerted Huang to the new man's presence. He bent his fallen soldier's spilled blood into crimson shards of ice and sent them at the would be interloper. His fellow Waterbenders were able to put up a shield covering the rest of their boarding party.

"Seems we may have bitten off a bit more than expected. What say we hop ship and try again another day."

The other Waterbenders and soldiers stifled their complaints when they thought about the situation they were in. The dome solidified over the party, five benders keeping it solid and strong. They moved back across the gang plank onto their own ship, threatening the lone Firebender with their sheer numbers.

Taiyou whistled for Mangu to make sure he wasn't injured. He didn't care about the retreating water benders. As far as he was concerned they knew they couldn't win this battle, and there was no need for any more bloodshed.

Huo wasn't so easily faltered, the less Water benders now, the less he had to deal with in the near future. Huo whistled for Yi to come to his side, and the vulture griffin responded swiftly. As Huo was lifted high in the air he shot a huge fire blast at the main cabin of the water benders ship causing a mass of flames to billow. Yi moved with the swiftness of the wind returning Huo to Taiyou's side.