Normally, getting to the southern shores of the Earth Kingdom was dangerous in the best of times, with General Giam's patrols controlling the roads and cities that supplied his armies. But with the general's defeat, and the scattering of his armies, that was a problem of the past, and with the recent invasion by the Phoenix Empire, many of Giam's former citizens and soldiers chose to take advantage of this new found freedom to travel, fleeing into the countryside to hide, leaving discarded belongings, weapons and armor lying on the side of the roads. It was pure pandemonium, and it seemed to be topped off by the burning landscape around them, with pillars of smoke and ash twisting into the sky around them.
Luckily for them though, the Fire Nation armies had devoted the majority of their efforts to Omashu and the interior cities, leaving the coastline mainly untouched. It was through these pathways, that Toph and her freedom fighters searched for a deserted stretch of beach, one that was very familiar to both Noatak and Tarrlok.
"We're almost there." Toph whispered discreetly to Smellerbee and Longshot, swatting a shrub out of the way as the rest of her Freedom fighters efficiently cleared a path through the forest floor. Swordsmen and earthbenders led the expedition, slicing through unwanted shrubbery and branches, while Longshot's ranger's kept watch from the trees above. Behind Toph was the rest of the entourage of metal benders and water tribe warriors; who breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news; traveling so far away from Gaoling above the surface was a risk in itself, especially since they also escorted the Avatar.
Commander Lee, newly promoted to lead what was left of the Southern Earth Kingdom, had promised Toph that he and the remnants of Giam's armies would do the best to hold Azula's armies off, but still, even so far away from the front lines, there was still a risk that the Fire Nation had sent some of their patrols down south. Until she had a better grasp of the situation, Toph preferred to approach this stealthily-
The peace and tranquility of the forest suddenly shattered however, as the sound of steel clanging echoed through the forest, causing a nearby flock of lizard crows to explode from the trees into the sky, which in turn caused everyone's heart to skip a quick beat.
Reacting on a lifetime of honed instinct, Toph instantly turned, levitating two boulders from the ground, while Smellerbee unsheathed her daggers, Longshot had already drawn a fresh arrow from his quiver, aiming it at the rear of the column.
Noatak and Tarrlok were alert as well, bending the water from their flasks to form a protective barrier around them and Korra, lest it was a surprise attack from the Fire Nation.
Instead, however, everyone turned to see Sokka grunting strenuously as he found his jian lodged in the trunk of a nearby tree (he had been using it as a sort of makeshift machete.)
"Sorry." Sokka said rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, before he finally pulled the sword out of the tree.
Toph sighed wryly, dropping the two stones back onto the ground with a loud thump, before continuing on.
Noatak and Tarrlok could only let out a dry cough, if only to save Sokka further embarrassment from the situation. Korra herself raised her eyebrow in confusion. This was the famed commander of the Wolf Tail Warriors? It was a miracle he made it this far! He wouldn't last a second in a Fire Nation training camp, she thought quietly to herself.
Still, despite that little setback, it didn't take long before the entire party made it to the beach. Toph had her metalbenders and the freedom fighters set up a perimeter, while Sokka and the Wolf Tail Warriors walked to the edge of the beach, waiting in anticipation as they stared out into the ocean.
This wouldn't seem too weird to Korra, had they not been standing there for the next few minutes doing nothing but that.
"So..." Korra turned to the water tribe brothers. "What exactly are we doing here?"
