Chapter 55 - The Four Beasts (1/2)
”How are you doing kid? Does it hurt anymore?”
A middle-aged, tan-skinned woman with dark hair asked with a polite smile. Her body remained covered in thick blue hide-cloth while a thick hoodie covered the top of her head.
With both of her hands extended towards Nik's abdomen, she expertly controlled a blob of water that glowed over Nik's wounds before he was healed at a visible rate.
”You must not be a local tribe member, right?”
Inherently, Nik wasn't too 'white' or 'pale'. In fact, his skin held a healthy glow that leaned towards a darker shade, making him fit perfectly along with the description of an average Waterbender.
”No. My mother fled to the Earth Kingdom and settled after meeting my father. They both...”
Nik shook his head and sighed deeply. The lady, too, in response to Nik's words simply sighed.
”I am sorry, child. The world has always been harsh. I genuinely hope that you can find happiness even after what you have suffered.”
Though her logic was a bit twisted, in Nik's eyes, her words kind of made sense, if only he wasn't lying.
”Thank you.”
Taking a deep breath, the lady slowly moved her hand and removed the blob of water from above his stomach before placing a thick blanket on his body.
”You still need to rest, child. After a few hours, I will return and take you to see the Chieftain alongside our sister tribe.”
”Thank you.”
Nik nodded once again before he slowly fell into a deep slumber under the comfort of a warm blanket and the normal-sized Pavāka wrapped around him like a huggy-bear.
***
Once again, the two Fire Nation Envoys found themselves in the presence of the Chieftain accompanied by the four beast masters. Even though the Northern Water Tribe practiced a uniform waterbending technique, the Chieftain and the four beast lords slowly developed their techniques beyond the scope of human abilities by mimicking specific beasts:— Polar Ape, Cat Seal, Tusk Shark, Whale-Horse.
Meanwhile, the current Chieftain hailed from the Polar Ape methods.
Despite the heavy pressure, almost solidifying, the two envoys stood straight. They had faced such situations too many times, this was in fact, especially true for Zuko's envoy.
His senior, the envoy from Princess' side slowly mulled over his words before speaking, finally initiating the conversation.
”Lords, we hope that our sincerity was... appreciated.”
His words remained less, yet the emotion of reciprocation and a tinge of threat remained evident.
Not minding such slights, Bhiman, the current Polar Ape master slowly scratched his chin before nodding.
”To deliver our Sister Tribe without any harm, the exiled warrior has my thanks.”
Shaking his head, the old envoy calmly retorted.
”It's a gift from the Fire Nation, my lord. Exiled Zuko played a prominent role, but even he takes pride in the unity of that our Nation proclaims.”
”Is that why the fire nation is so eager to unify the whole world?”
A muscular, Amazonian woman with rippling muscles grunted.
She was Marnie, the current head of the Cat-Seal users.
”It's all industrialization, lord. But let's not rail off the tracks. We were sent to engage in a peaceful discussion over the period of our stay.”
”And that being?”