Kai walked watching the sun fall below them on the mountain. They seemed so close to the top, but knew it was going to take most of another day to get there.
"Stop." A man said, appearing from a tree. "Who are you and why are you going up the air tribe's mountain?" It was an air tribe man.
Finally they ran into a someone, too bad he asked questions he didn't know how to answer.

Hayden stepped forward. "We need to get to the capital. We can't speak of it because it's private information." Kara nodded.

The air bender rolled his eyes. "Do you think we would let strangers into our capital after what happened? No, tell me your business and your names and then you might be allowed in."
Kai looked at him. "We were sent to find out what happened in that cabin. We think we have found some things your High Priestess would like to know." He hoped this was more believable.
"Let me check with someone." He turned and spoke on the wind, sending a message to the capital. A minutes later a breeze passed full of whispers but nothing Kai could catch. "I am told you can continue if you give me your names."
"I am Derain, a scholar of the fire tribe. This is Mickel, a warrior of the fire tribe to help me get here, and Aqua of the water tribe. We found her on our journey and she decided to accompany us to find information for her own tribe." Kai lied the best her could.
The air bender looked at them a little confused then shrugged. "Okay, move on."

Hayden looked at Kai, just as confused but stayed silent as they moved on. Kara knew just fine that they couldn't let their real identities be known and Hayden needed to learn that soon. They continued on into the Air Tribe capitol.
Once they were away from the guard Hayden asked. "Ok, since when am I Mickel and since when are we in the same tribe?"
Kara gave him a tired look.

Kai shrugged. "Since we have to get into the air tribe capital. Most everyone probably knows I'm traveling with the last earth bender, due to talkative water tribe members. So it we would have used our real names than they would have known who we were, and that was not what I wanted."
The mountains were getting steeper. There were little landing pads they build all up the mountain to help with air benders getting to the top of the mountain.

Kara nodded as she climbed and idly held onto Jenny's friendship bracelet around her wrist, she'd have to clean it, though the thought of cleaning her best friends blood off her friendship bracelet made her want to through up and keel over, walking around with a blood stained bracelet would only draw attention.
Hayden noticed Kara's troubled face and the way she held her best friend's charm bracelet and a serge of sympathy rose inside him, a need to protect her. He moved closer to her as they climbed. "Hey, you know if you need anything you can ask me right? I'll do anything to make this easier for you..."
Kara looked up at him, her eyes sad but grateful, "Thank you, but no, I'm fine."

Kai heard them talking, a little pleased that Hayden seemed to care but a little angry that he did. When Kara said she was fine, Kai almost laughed. It wasn't that it was funny that she said she was fine, but that she lied. Kai could tell by the sadness in her eyes that she wasn't fine. She just didn't want to share with him.
The flattened out, finally. They seem to have reached the top, but there was no city here. Kai looked up, to see the bottom of a massive city floating above his head. It could easily crush him and leave him as a human puddle, but it didn't fall instead ropes were thrown down.
"Hayden you go first, then Kara, and I'll go last. I'm not sure how fast I can climb, my arms are worn out." Kai admitted.

Hayden nodded and grabbed onto the rope and began to climb skillfully, he was obviously well trained and very strong by how well and quickly he climbed to the ropes.
Kara gave Kai an apologetic smile before rolling up her water tribe skirt and beginning to climb the rope, she wasn't as fast as Hayden but she didn't have any trouble with it.

Kai jumped onto the rope hoping to save some of his arms. He got a few feet up. He wasn't fast like he usually was, and his arms burnt by the time they started, but he was able to climb it. He made it to the top and pushed himself into the little hatch. There were two air benders there waiting for them. "What are your names?"
Kai rubbed his arms as he repeated the speech from earlier. The air benders nodded and opened the doors to the city.
It was large and there was much space between buildings. They didn't build it on the highest mountains so there were some towering over the cityscape.
Before they entered into the city, Kai asked one of the guards. "How do you keep a city this big in the air?"
They shared a look and one shrugged. The one who didn't shrug looked back at Kai, "We don't. It's only for when people come. We have people stationed all up and down these mountains and if people come, we have a group of air benders who raise it up. It would be too much to keep it in the air for so long."
Kai nodded his thanks and stepped through the door to the air bender capital.

Kara followed behind Kai and Hayden and looked around in awe. "This place is nice..." She said quietly, her words still a little weak and fragile from that morning as she followed them.
Hayden looked at her sadly then stepped back to talk with her and hopefully cheer her up. "Hey Kara, did you know that the air tribe is well known for their pastries? They use their air bending while they bake to make them nice and fluffy. We should go and try some, I have enough money, I'll by you whatever you'd like." He said smiling.
Kara looked up at him and gave a forced smile. "Thank you but I'm fine for now, I'm not hungry."

Kai had gone over to hear what they were saying. "Yeah, that's a good idea. You need to eat. I'll go find us a room to sleep in." Kai got some money from his bag and gave it to Hayden. "Get some for me too. I'll meet you guys by," Kai looked around and saw a fountain that was using air to make whimsical noises and pointed at it. "that, in thirty minutes."
He took Kara aside and held up her wrist with the bracelet on it. He noticed the blood on it before he gave it too her. "I can go clean this up for you." There was no earth close enough to draw water from, but he always had water on him somewhere. This time it was the rock necklace, Kara had made him. He has froze water to it the night he was practicing water bending. He put his hand over the bracelet and used the water to scrub it clean. He lifted his hand off of it and returned the water to its frozen state around the star. "There. Now go eat something, and I'll be right back."
Kai looked around and decided the best place to look for a room would be near the fountain and headed off in that direction.

Kara watched him clean her bracelet and she felt relief wash over her at the fact that she didn't have to do it. "Kai, wait." She ran up behind him and hugged him tight from behind around the waist. "Thank you..." She whispered before she let him go and hurried back over to Hayden.
Hayden watched these events take place and he felt a slight annoyance and anger in him, but as Kara came back he put a smile back on his face. "Come on, we gotta get some food in you." He said as he took her hand and led her to a nearby bakery. Once they got there he ordered a chocolate filled pastry and got a honey curler for Kai and looked at Kara, "What would you like?" he asked.
Kara looked at the selection and ordered a small cream puff, which she ate about half of and had the rest wrapped up for later, the began to head back.

Kai asked an air bender where he could find a place to stay for the night.
She cocked her head, thinking. "There's nothing in the capital, but there are places all up and down that mountain." She pointed to the small or two mountains standing side by side. "Careful though, I've heard of weird things going on there."
Kai thanked her and headed in that direction. The capital had shifted to the ground from when the got there, and Kai quickly made his was down the mountain the air bender pointed to. He finally found a cabin with a sign that said 'Inn' on it. He went in and she only had one room with two single beds. Kai paid for it for the night and quickly made is way back to the capital. He knew he was running late, even though he was sprinting.
He finally got there and he was panting for breath. "I'm sorry I was late. There weren't any places in the capital but I found a spot on that mountain." He pointed.

Kara nodded to him. "It's alright, good job." She said with a smile holding her half a cream puff in a paper bag.
Hayden looked to him and tossed him his honey curler. "Here you go Water boy, hope you like honey." They began to make their way back down the mountain.

Kai didn't eat it. He shouldn't be eating all of these sweets, they drag you down. He put the pastry into his bag and grabbed some dried meat instead. The sun was almost down and they made it to the cabin before it was dark.
They went straight to the room. The small single beds looked comfortable enough, but he decided that it would only be fair to let Hayden have the other bed. "I'll sleep on the floor. You two can have the beds." Kai pulled out some blankets and laid down in the space between the beds. He was tired from the use of his arms, and quickly fell asleep.

Kara looked at Kai, about to protest his sleeping on the floor but he was already asleep, she sighed and adjusted his blankets so they covered him properly before crawling into her bed, pulling out her doll and gently kissing her best friend's bracelet. "Good night Jenny..." She said sadly as she closed her eyes and gently drifted off to sleep.
Hayden was up for a long time, staring at Kara's sleeping form while occasionally glancing at the sleeping Kai. He got up and went over to the window and looked out it, leaning on the window sill with a sigh. "What have I gotten myself into?" He whispered glancing back at Kara. How could one girl change his heart so completely so soon? He walked up next to her bend and bent down, as his lips were just about an inch from hers he thought again and moved them up to kiss her forehead before climbing into his own bed and falling asleep.

When Hayden looked out the window, he missed the small moving figure moving outside but it was to be expected. She was falling from the sky and landed without a noise on the ground. She could hear people in the cabin with different breathing patterns then anyone else's that live on the mountain. New people. She thought curious. She waited until the last one, a guy from the sound of it, fell asleep and she opened the window and flipped in without a noise. She had made her life living noiselessly hiding in the background.
There were three people sleeping in Old Miss Monte's spare room. A pretty girl was on the bed clutching a doll. She seemed worn out to this stranger. Then she saw the boy on the bed who just went to sleep. She wasn't sure what to think of him. And last she looked to the one on the floor. I wonder how the decided who slept there?
The boys seemed restless, like they were waiting for something to happen. Too bad they didn't realize that something was happening. She had snuck into their room, but she was so silent she didn't wake them.
She stayed for a minute more and looked at them all then left silently out the window, leaving it open of purpose. And going to sit by the cabin's door. She wanted to meet these new comers. The air capital rarely sees visitors that stay the night in the capital. She wanted to know why they were there before they heard about her and didn't want to talk to her.

The next morning Kara woke up shivering as she felt the cold mountain breeze coming in through the open window. She looked at it curiously then her eyes widen and she looks around, nothing seemed broken and Kai and Hayden were both asleep next to her. She climbed out of bed, still clutching her doll protectively and she shook each of them awake. "Kai, Hayden, someone was in our room."
Hayden woke up slowly but hearing her he hopped out of bed quickly and looked around, his eyes landed on the window. "That was closed when I went to sleep."

Kai jumped up awake at Kara's words. He looked out the window and around the room. "Is everyone okay?" He asked, but it appears nothing had been touched. Who would break in here and not steal and thing? But the bigger question was, why didn't he walk up.

The girl was still sitting outside, awake. She heard their worried voices carried on the wind to her. They were worried about someone being hurt, but she didn't hurt anyone. She waited patiently for them to come outside and find her. She was excited to meet these foreigners.

Hayden searched the room but didn't find that anything had been touched or tampered with. "Well, whatever it was they didn't do anything..." He looked over at Kara. "You sure you're ok Kara? You look a little pale..."
Kara nodded and gave a small sneeze. "Yeah, I'm fine." They all grabbed their stuff and headed outside. Once they were out the front door Kara saw a girl probably around her age sitting on the front steps. She nodded politely to her as they started to walk passed her.

Kai followed them out of the room, closing the window before they left. There was a girl sitting outside when they went out there. He paused for a second to greet her, but no one else did so he just continued on.

She noticed them leaving and they walked right past her. She got up and back flipped over their heads to land in front of them. She smiled at them. "Hi." She waved her hand.

Kai looked at the girl again. She had jumped over their hands and greeted them. He looked at her confused. Who was she? "Hello."

Kara jumped slightly as the girl landed right in front of her. "O-Oh! Hello..."
Hayden saw how close the girl had landed in front of Kara and he subtly moved his body in between them, gently pushing Kara back a little. "Hello there. May we help you with something?"

Kai noticed Hayden's protective behavior and rolled his eyes. He went and stood next to him blocking this air bender from Kara. The girl was small and not at all imposing.

The girl looked at how they were protecting the other girl. She tilted her head to the side. "You guys aren't air benders. Why are you here?" Her small airy voice making her seem small.

Kai looked at her and said, "Who are you?"

The girl smiles. "I am me. I an air bender that goes by Brisa."

Kara looked back and forth at Kai and Hayden from behind them, feeling like they looked at her as a helpless princess, though it's true she wasn't feeling at her strongest lately she wasn't helpless either. She pushed passed them and smiled at Brisa. "Hello there Brisa, I'm... Aqua, it's nice to meet you." She held out her hand for her to shake but Hayden pulled her back.
"Ok, Aqua, you really need to be more careful around strangers, even though she's small she could be a powerful air bender."

Brisa nodded. "I am powerful. But you're not a water bender, he is." She pointed at Kai. "You're breathing doesn't go with that of the water tribe." She smiled. "Why would you lie? Are you guys in trouble?" Brisa looked at them with wide light blue eyes.

Kai looked at the new comer confused. She seemed friendly but out there. He was surprised to know she can identify people by their breathing. "We aren't in trouble, right now. Why are you so curious?" She seemed too excited.

For the first time Brisa looked down. "No air benders talk to me. They say I'm different. So that's why I had to see who you were. I looked in your room last night. I hope I didn't scary you guys. I was just wondering who you people were and if you would talk to me."