It's pretty good! I really like the way you did the characters- the ones that exist are really true to the show, and the ones that don't seem to be pretty well built and presented!

Oh- I just realized this is from the future! Do you have a time travel machine? By the way, I like your name! Are you new?

@Autumn Moon. Hello. Thank you for your feedback. I am not quite sure what you mean by my comment being from the future. As for being new, I assure you that the red tailed panda’s existence stretches far beyond your perspective of time. Oh, you are referring to my relation with the CB. Hmm... I cannot say for certain, but I might mean that I am writing under a pseudonym at the moment, and if I don’t misspell my name, I plan to keep it that way. Next part is under revision, which shouldn’t take more than a few moments. But then again, time passes differently for the red tailed panda.

Part Two- Impact

To my dear friend Iroh,

You are no doubt wondering more about Mina. I will give you some, but not all, information. As you know, some things are too dangerous to be recorded on paper. First, let us start with her history. Mina’s father was a good friend, although a great deal younger than I. Not a being a bender, he trained in the art of the sword. When he first came to me for acceptance, I was pleased to find someone who understood the blade not only with the mind but with the heart as well. During our time together we shared sorrow, relief, and joy. I was there to witness his wedding, many of his promotions, and I met Mina in her early years. Sadly, I was not by his side in his last moments, as he was killed in the war. Mina’s mother had died in childbirth, so now, as you can see, she is an orphan. She came to me asking for work, wanting to earn her keep. At first, I accepted, but the more I observed the child, the more I realized that she could not stay. You will come to see why in time. All I can say is to watch her carefully. Watch her when she thinks she is alone and watch her when she is with others. Watch her in joy and watch her in anger. I know one thing for sure, this girl has been blessed by the spirits. 

Yours sincerely,

Piandao

PS. Burn this letter. It is for your eyes only.

Iroh frowned. Following the instructions, he allowed his fire to consume the letter. A quiet knocking came at his door. Putting on a calm mask, he called out, “Come in.” 

Mina entered, carrying a tray of tea. “I heard that ginseng was your favorite,” she said, her eyes sparkling. 

He nodded once, his smile now genuine as she set the arrangement before him. He motioned for her to sit as he took a sip. “Hmmm,” he said, closing his eyes to savor the taste. She had made it perfectly, the spice mingling with the sweetness in balance. “It’s delicious.” She beamed. He opened his eyes in time to catch not only her heartening expression, but also the movement of her hand. It was quick, so quick that he almost didn’t notice it, but the Dragon of the West was observant. He knew what he had seen. She had taken two fingers and made a small stroking movement with them above her shoulder, the kind of movement one might do if there was a fire ferret lounging on their shoulder. Yet, there was nothing there. He mentally made a note of this before thanking the girl for her generous service. He watched, like his friend had suggested, as she all but vanished from the room, the only sign that she had ever been there being the tray of ginseng tea. 

————— 

Lieutenant Jee paced the deck, contemplating how the day had gone. First, the crew had been complaining about the recent meals. That was not his fault. Yen had accepted another offer, and though he was glad to have the usually drunken man out of the way, eating watery rice was not his idea of nutrition. Thankfully, General Iroh had found a replacement. But then the men had started whining about the prince. Not that he could blame them. The hotheaded firebender had much to learn about emotional control, and Jee himself had been yelled at multiple times that day, always obsessing about his search for the avatar. Lastly, Quan had been getting irritable lately, ordering others around to do his duties and making demands like he was royalty. Technically, Jee was the one responsible for the well faring of the crew since the spoiled brat they called the prince didn’t care in the least. So he had to report to General Iroh about all of the troubles taking place on the vessel. That is, if he couldn’t fix them himself. Unlike the idea of giving his royal pain a good shouting session, complaining to the retired officer was not something he liked doing. He was mulling this over when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. A small girl was standing beside him, brown eyes looking curiously up into his own. “Uhm...” he said, confused. What was a small child, a girl nonetheless, doing on the ship? “Yes?” 

“Dinner’s ready!” And in less time than it takes to say The Avatar’s an Airbender! she was gone, having rushed back below deck. 

—————

Zuko sat lotus style on his meditation mat, eyes closed and trying to focus on his breathing. He heard the creaking of his metal door opening. “What is it uncle?” He tried to sound calm, but irritation leaked into his voice. The reply was laughter, and those childish giggles definitely did not belong to his uncle. He felt the flames grow with his frustration. “What is it, scullery maid?” 

“I’ve brought your dinner!” Was that a bit of... excitement in her voice? What on earth would she be anticipating? He heard the soft clattering of a tray being set down on his table and opened his eyes. “Every person needs meals, just as every engine needs fuel!” Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned around. He observed with a sniff the way she practically flew around the table, placing the bowl just so and arranging the chopsticks and spoon in the most convenient spot. When she was finished, she looked up at him expectantly. When he realized she was waiting for him to begin eating, he reluctantly sat down. As his hand drew the spoon close to his mouth, he could feel her eyes on him, watching. “It’s five flavor soup,” she explained, standing off to the side. “A dish native to the South Pole!” He tuned out the rest of her words as she chattered on about a lady named Hama who had given her the recipe. At his first bite, multiple spices assaulted his tastebuds. He frowned, thinking. What was it she had said? The recipe was from the... 

He jumped up. “The South Pole! He must be hiding there!” He dashed to the control room. As he made his hasty exit, he thought he heard her whisper, “Weiba, do you think that means he liked it?” 

—————

The Hòngsède wêibā (yes, I know the accent is flipped but my keyboard is messed up so “bear” with me, pun not intended) xióngmāo had been mentor to many, but this girl was the first time he felt a connection like this. He had been called many names: red cat-bear, red raccoon-squirrel, and red panda being amount the most common, but his ears twitched fondly upon hearing the nickname she had bestowed on him. Tail, Weiba. He had made his presence known to her at an early age, possible because something had sparked in him the moment he saw her fire. The other guardians teased him about his devout affection for the young flame, and although he denied it, he would do anything to protect her. Now, curled up on her shoulder with his striped tail draped lazily around her neck, he observed as she connected to her second passion, cooking. His nose twitched with the smells of spices while he remembered how the sword master had needed much persuasion. He had needed to visit him many times in dreams and influence the girl’s fire more than once to make him arrive at his final conclusion. He regretted tearing her away from him, but it had needed to be done. Her laughter brought him back to the present. He snuffled and nosed a lock of her hair, and she stroked his furry head. When the avatar returned, he would ensure that she ended up on the right side. 

Also, Autumn Moon.... I am please to find another A:TLA follower.

OOoooooh, I like it! The cannon characters are portarayed just like in the show, and I really like the story so far :)

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! AVATAR!!!!!!!! 

When I was writing the comment, in my time zone it was 2:14 pm, but you posted yours on the same day at 3:07! I think we live in different time zones, so your post read as being “from the future”.

@Red tailed panda! This is really good! I LOVE the Avatar series, (Probably Katara, Aaang, and Toph are my favourate characters-wait, so is swaggy Zuko) and I think you've represented the original characters really well! Also, the fictional characters seem really good. I like the story you're setting up!

Some all knowing wisdom from the red tailed panda: When you are trying to write a fanfiction of any sort (which I cannot fathom because who would make a fanfic of. ANYTHING but Avatar?) DO NOT start reading other fanfictions. You will get DISTRACTED. And that is NOT a GOOD THING.

Ha. Haha. You should see that incredulous look on your face, mortal. You thought this was part three? Ha. Haha. Don’t worry my CBenders. The next part will be up as soon as I focus my quickly moving mind on this project.

Hello CBer mortals. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Hmm, yes. I’ve been doing spirit things that normal spirits do... no, well actually I messed up quite a bit and Agni sentenced me to cleaning every set of teeth on Koh’s individual faces. Bleh. But anyway, I’m back now. This next part is pretty long to make up for my absence. The first one that coincides with the original history segments... hmm what do you humans call it? Oh yes, episodes. It gives us a first taste of how Mina’s arrival affected the episodes. Anyway cricketbenders, here is part three.

Part Three- Power

They had been heading for the South Pole for about a week, and Mina had almost immediately gained the trust of the crew. For some reason, her upbeat and innocent attitude affected everyone on the ship. When Quan had complained about the food, she had simply smiled and asked him for his favorite recipe. It was served the next day, much to the surprise of the cocky soldier. When Jee couldn’t sleep, she gave him a sedative tea that calmed him down. The most surprising incident happened when Prince Zuko was training. General Iroh was making him go through the basics, again. In his indignation, a strong blast was sent at the door that led below decks, just as Mina opened it, a tray of tea balanced in her hands. Iroh shouted a warning, and it was all Zuko could do to watched as the ball of flame headed straight toward the young girl. Any soldier who witnessed it would have remarked that it seemed to happen in slow motion. Her head turned to see the flaming projectile, her eyes narrowed. With calculated precision, she threw the tray into the air. She made a circling motion with her hands, redirecting the flame into the ocean. Then, with the swiftness of a spirit, she caught the tray and used it to rescue the tea pot and cups which were falling through the air. Everyone stared at her with shocked silence as she set the perfectly arranged tray on the table in front of Iroh. She frowned, picking up a cup and inspecting it. “This one’s chipped,” she announced, breaking the silence. She bowed to the Dragon of the West. “My immense apologies, General.” 

Coming out of his shock, he replied, “Retired General.” With that, she took the slightly damaged cup back to the kitchens. Unknown to Mina herself, this was the gossip around the ship for many days. But as they were coming nearer and nearer to the South Pole, the talk about the young girl stoped, and those murmurings were replaced with a much more serious rumor. From his perch on her shoulder, Weiba‘s ears pricked up. Had the Avatar really returned?

—————

Aang speeded down the hallways, opening doors at random. Where was his staff? Suddenly, he stopped, sniffing the air. Was that a ghost of his past haunting him, or did he really smell Gyatso’s fruit pies? He curiously followed his nose until coming across an open door and peeked in. A girl who looked about his age had just set a perfectly made fruit pie on a platter, and was looking around, as though searching for something. She spotted Aang and her eyes brightened. “Hi,” she chirped. “Are you new?” Not bothering to wait for him to answer, she continued. “I just finished this new recipe! Iroh said it was an air nomad favorite!” He was unable to say anything as she whisked around the kitchen. He simply blinked as he found that she was standing in front of him, a plate with a slice of pie in her hand. “Well, what are you waiting for? Eat up!” Aang needed no more prompting. After practically inhaling the delicacy, he thanked her enthusiastically, then paused and asked if she knew where Prince Zuko’s room was. She nodded. “Up one floor and third door to the left.” 

“Thank you!” He started out of the kitchen. Then he poked his head back inside, adding, “would you mind keeping this visit our secret? I don’t wanna... get you in trouble.” 

“Or course,” she said, already flying around the kitchen again. Relieved, he raced down the hallway, heading to the prince’s quarters. As he exited, he reflected that when he had looked back to warn her against mentioning him, he was sure he had seen a flash of red... fur? 

————— 

Weiba felt a jolt shake the ship, and heard as Mina groaned in frustration as the fruit pie the Avatar had just tasted fell to the metal floor with a loud SPLAT! Weiba jumped out of a hidden cabinet and began nibbling at the fruity mess. “Well at least you guys liked it,” she amended, spearing some of the ruined pie with a fork and chewing thoughtfully. “Hmph. Not bad.” She turned to the red panda, scolding him. “Now, where were you when that arrow guy burst in here? I was looking for you everywhere my friend!” He tilted his head in a way that made him look apologetic. “Oh, never mind. It’s alright.” She paused, looking around at the mess of a kitchen, before huffing, “I guess I’d better clean this up.” Weiba laughed silently to himself, reflecting on how clueless his holder could be. He had felt the airbender’s flame spark to life within a few yard’s radius. It was powerful, the abilities he held inside of him, but he had yet to learn how to control it. He knew that the Avatar could see all spirits, so he had hidden himself away. This was not the right time. Not now. Not yet. When the Avatar knew more of his power, then he would reveal himself.

—————

Zuko angrily took in surrounding the naval port. “Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don’t want to risk losing his trail.” 

The Dragon of the West furrowed his brow. “You mean the Avat-“

“There you guys are!” The prince whirled around to see Mina, her hands on her hips, wearing a half smile on her face. “I need to go get some supplies. The air nomad pie was ruined and some of my pans were destroyed!” 

Iroh laughed and patted the young chef on the shoulder. “That’s too bad, I was looking forward to tasting such a delicacy.” 

Prince Zuko scowled. He reached into his waist band and produced a bag of coins. “Just be quick.” She accepted the currency with a curtesy, and was about to turn away when a voice stopped her in her tracks. 

“My, my. If it isn’t young Mina.” 

Iroh could see the girl stiffen, before turning to face Zhao, a navy official. She bowed, her eyes on the ground. “Uncle,” she said, barely audible. Both Zuko and Iroh blinked in surprise. 

“What brings you to my harbor, dear niece?” 

“Our ship is being repaired. I was told that we crashed into an iceberg.” 

“Hmm, how interesting. Join your uncle for tea dear girl?

Mina’s gaze shifted to the retired general for a moment, as though asking for help. He spoke up. “I believe Mina has some errands to run. If you have not heard, she is our cook.” 

Zhao sneered. “Oh yes. I forgot. She is serving on the banished prince’s ship, joint him on his hopeless search for the Avatar.” Zuko growled, and didn’t notice as Mina flinched. “Why don’t you all join me, and we can reminisce over the fruits of our labor.” He stuck his face directly in front of the prince, in an obvious challenge.

Zuko turned away and answered, “Sorry, but we have to go.” 

Iroh placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Prince Zuko, show Captain Zhao your respect.” He turned to the arrogant official. “We would be honored to join you... Do you have any ginseng tea? It’s my favorite.” He glanced at Mina and winked before following the commander. She offered a weak smile in return. It was an odd sight to see, one who was so cheerful all the time, making an effort to look happy. He knew in that instance, she was afraid of her uncle.

A few minutes later, they were seated in stiff and uncomfortable chairs, which were, Iroh reflected, much like Zhao himself. He shifted as the tea was set in front of them. Commander Zhao (he had been informed of the promotion) stood in front of the trio, like a judge sentencing criminals to a lifetime in jail. Mina was looking down at her teacup, Zuko was scowling angrily at a banner on the wall, and Iroh was the only one maintain eye contact with Zhao. “Mina, darling,” he was saying. “How much have you improved on your firebending?” 

Mina’s head raised, almost mechanically. “I have little time for practice now days, Uncle Zhao.” The Dragon of the West knew that this was a lie. Every morning at sunrise, he watched the girl go through her firebending katas, and she was far from the beginner rank.  

“Hmmm, how unfortunate. Perhaps you could give a demonstration and we’ll see where you are at?” It was not a question. Mina stood up and took a poor stance, making Iroh frown. Where was the strong position he saw her demonstrating at the beginning of every day? Zuko scoffed as the young girl went through the motions, only producing a small tongue of flame. Iroh elbowed him, but neither Zhao nor Mina seemed to mind. There was a moment of silence as Mina extinguished her fire, not daring to look up at her elders. Finally Zhao spoke. “My nonbending brother disowned himself by marrying a peasant. I see his disgrace has been passed on.” Iroh observed that for just a fraction of a second, Mina’s eyes flashed with anger and her jaw clenched defiantly. The commander walked forward, stopping just a few inches from his niece. “You disappoint me.” 

Woodenly, the girl bowed. “I apologize.” Zhao grunted and motioned for her to sit back down. 

Iroh attempted to make small talk, and eventually the conversation turned to the war, as things often did during that time. A half an hour later Zhao finished a long speech about the Fire Nation’s outlook. “... And by year’s end, the Earth Kingdom Capital will be under our rule.” He paused, turning to look at Zuko. “The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war.” 

“If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool,” the young prince hotly replied.

Zhao smiled darkly and took a seat next to the glowering teen. “Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue.” He paused, as if something was occurring to him. “So, how is your search for the Avatar going?” 

A loud clatter caused Mina to jump up and rush over to Iroh, who had just knocked over a stand of weapons he had been examining. He smiled sheepishly at Zhao as he and Mina set things back in order. “My fault entirely.”  

Zuko gritted his teeth before answering. “We haven’t found him yet.” 

Zhao leered at him. “Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred year ago- along with the rest of the airbenders.” Iroh watched as Zuko looked away. Zhao noticed. “Unless,“ he said slowly. “You found some evidence that the Avatar is alive.” 

Zuko didn’t meet his gaze. “No, nothing.”

“Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you've found.” The man had risen up out of his chair and now had his face directly in front of Zuko’s, a threatening expression upon it.

Zuko sneered at him, mocking the arrogant firebender. “I haven't found anything. It's like you said. The Avatar probably died a long time ago. Come on, Uncle, we're going.” He stood up abruptly and stared toward the door, Iroh and Mina following. But their way was blocked by two guards.

A different guard rushed toward Zhao. “Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape.” 

Iroh inwardly grimaced as Zhao smiled sadistically. “Now remind me,” he said, placing a hand on both Mina and Zuko’s shoulders, drawing them closer to him so that they all faced each other. “How exactly was your ship damaged?” 

No more than ten minutes later, Zhao had almost the entire story. “So, a twelve-year-old boy bested you and your firebenders? You're more pathetic than I thought.” Zuko opened his mouth to defend himself but Zhao was moving on. “And you,” he said, staring down at his niece. “What did you mean by telling me that you had crashed into an iceberg?” 

“I didn’t know!” The whispered words sounded like a plea. “I must have been in the kitchens when everything happened!” 

Zhao gave a noise of satisfaction, probably a result of her seemingly defenseless position. He turned back to Zuko. “You have failed capturing the Avatar. You will not be given a second chance.” 

The fifteen year old firebender protested. “Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I-“ 

“Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now.” In a fury, Zuko lunged for him, but two guards restrained the boy. Zhao’s smug expression made Iroh’s stomach turn. He walked out the room, adding, “Keep them here.” In indignation, the prince kicked over the table, smashing it to bits. Mina flinched. 

Iroh pretended that he wasn’t at all bothered by the situation. “More tea please?” He would try to keep the peace, but he knew this would only end in one way.

—————

After the Agni Kai, Mina went out for her supplies. Weiba had been in a small leather shoulder bag throughout the affair. Now he poked his head out and climbed up to her shoulder. He felt her relax as he curled up on his usual perch. “Dad was the kindest man in the world,” she said softly. He didn’t move. He could tell that this was the time to listen. “And when I see Uncle, all I can think about is how different they were from each other.” She quieted as they purchased something from a stall, but spoke up again as they moved on. “They were identical twins you know. Father just a couple minutes older. Yet somehow, they became totally opposite people. Dad used to say that their conflicting personalities were like light and dark.” She sighed, now looking through mangos. Three copper coins paid for her last ingredients. Five gold pieces left over. Walking away from the market, she continued. “He was frugal, Uncle frivolous. He gave respect, Uncle flattery. He was calm, Uncle has a temper. But most of all, they differed because of their hearts.” She paused, collecting her thoughts as though they were the supplies on her lift and setting them in a far away cabinet. “He loved.” They now reached the ship, and both could clearly see Prince Zuko standing on the deck, waiting for her with obvious impatience. She finished her words in a whisper. “Uncle doesn’t.” The last of her thoughts disappeared inside the far away cabinet, and Weiba heard no more on the subject as they walked up the gangplank. Once aboard the ship the guardian watched as his charge put on an expressionless mask and headed toward the kitchen. He turned his head upon hearing the prince’s angry huff and fidgeted with displeasure as the teen stomped noisily behind them, incredulous.

“Zhao is your uncle?!” There was no reply from Mina. “Were you sent to spy on me or something?!” Still nothing. They headed down a flight of stairs. Weiba twitched. The boy needed to shut up. He was making her upset. “Some spy you make, your firebending is pathetic!” The spirit felt the girl tense up upon this, but she opened the kitchen door without without a word. “No wonder Zhao didn’t want you around. All you do is mope around the kitchens!” 

Mina set down the pan she had picked up with a bang, making Weiba wince and Zuko start. The red panda realized what was happing a moment too late. Fire burst from her hands like they were torches soaked with oil. Zuko took a step back. “I do not like being questioned,” she said in a dangerously low voice. “I do not like my work being questioned, I do not like my firebending being questioned, and MOST OF ALL...” she paused, trying not to break down. Some hair had escaped her braid, and her dark hair hung around her flushed face. “I DO NOT LIKE MY LOYALTY BEING QUESTIONED!!!” Zuko looked on with wide eyes as the chef continued her ranting. “AND I WILL NOT WITHSTAND BEING INSULTED BECAUSE OF MY MY IDOIT OF AN UNCLE WHEN I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER HIS STUPIDITY!” She ended her rampage with a roar, fire shooting out of her mouth. Weiba hurriedly tried to calm the flames, but it was to no avail. Mina was extremely worked up. By now a layer of flames surrounded her like a second skin. There was only one option left. YOUNG FLAME! The flames flickered. YOUNG FLAME, YOU MUST CALM YOURSELF. Slowly, they began to diminish. PRINCE ZUKO IS UPSET AND CONFUSED. YOU SHOULD NOT JUDGE HIM FOR THIS MOMENT. Mina took a deep breath, causing the last of embers to disappear. GOOD. NOW APOLOGIZE. “Sorry,” she whispered, bowing to a very shocked Zuko. “That was uncalled for.” She turned and began getting out ingredients. A speechless Fire Prince backed out of the kitchen. Weiba told himself that Zuko would have witnessed this sooner or later. He hoped this subject wouldn’t come up again. When someone brought up her family, Mina’s anger unleashed great power.