Despite what he had promised, Kuruk had left.

He disappeared that morning, the sheets of his bed a mess from an abrupt wake. Uki only found that he was gone when she herself had woken up to his absence. She had no idea where her brother was, or how long he had been gone. For all she knew, her brother could be dead- the Avatar Spirit already lost to the next generation.

He wasn’t supposed to leave. He had promised not to. According to his friends, Kuruk had a nasty habit of disappearing and reappearing hours, or even days, later, always in terrible condition- vomiting or coughing or foaming at the mouth, always seemingly on the doorstep of death itself. It was the reason he was back home- they had sent him back on medical leave so he would stop almost killing himself. They said the ocean would be good for him, and that he needed to spend time away from his duties- his earthbender friend, Jianzhu, had scoffed about Kuruk constantly taking leave from his duties, but was shushed by the airbender. Uki, as his sister, was supposed to watch over him until the symptoms subsided and he was able to go back to being the Avatar. He wasn’t supposed to just… disappear.

Uki couldn’t help but pace around the hut’s small kitchen. Her brother was gone- and he wasn’t just her brother, but the Avatar! He was important, he was needed, he was supposed to be able to take care of himself! It felt as if the entire weight of the world rested on her shoulders in that moment. If she didn’t do anything- or worse, if she made the wrong decision- everything would fall apart.

Uki looked at the rooftop window that let smoke out and sunlight into the hut’s communal space. Judging by the tone and amount of light, it was only mid-morning. If Kuruk had left at dawn, he couldn’t have gone far on foot- assuming he had left at dawn, and hadn’t taken her buffalo-yak. Uki tried to ignore the thought of how fast her brother could’ve gotten on a steed and picked up her machete. If her suspicions were right, she might need it.

To Uki’s relief, her buffalo-yak was where she had left it- tied in its stable, completely unharmed and safe. After uttering a prayer of thanks to the spirits, she saddled up and rode out into the bleak, white world of the outside. At the very least, Kuruk would stand out against the snow. Especially if he was bleeding.

It didn’t take long for Uki to find her brother- mostly thanks to some tracks he had left and the account of one of their neighbors who had woken up in the middle of the night thanks to him. He had been trudging through the snow, heading back to the village as if he was returning from a night’s journey to another town- he had made daily trips to the other local villages when they were kids together. Uki couldn’t figure out why, though, the only thing in the direction he was returning from was ice rivers and wilderness.

Kuruk clutched his side as he stumbled toward Uki. “Wh- what’s up, Uki?” He stuttered. He wasn’t wearing his parka, for some reason, only his indoor clothes. What kind of idiot was he now, they both had been taught from birth not to go out without a coat. His shirt was stained a dark maroon, the color a vibrant red against his white armbands.

Uki dismounted to support her brother- even though he was much larger than her, he allowed in, nearly crushing her. She guided him to her buffalo-yak and helped him up.

“Where were you?” Uki chided as she mounted her steed and started the return home. Kuruk clung to her back, burying his face in her hair as shield from the warmth, or something else. “Kuruk, answer me!”

“I was- I was out.” Kuruk stammered. He grit his teeth in pain.

Uki sighed. Kuruk’s companions had told her of her brother’s reputation- Jianzhu had directly stated, “We find him more in bars than we do in libraries. It’s quite embarrassing, honestly, that this is the man chosen by the spirits to represent a generation.” At the time, Uki didn’t know what to think of the earthbender’s words. She still didn’t- all she knew was that she had to get her brother home before he bled out all over her.

To Uki’s thanks, her brother didn’t complain when she helped him off her steed and into their hut. It was telling that he didn’t say a thing until they were both inside and Uki had started to take off her mittens and parka.

“Uki- I’m sorry.” He stammered, bracing himself to sit up. “I shouldn’t have-”

Uki interrupted her brother by approaching him and starting to undo the folds of his shirt. “I need to check on your wound.”

Kuruk looked at her in shock for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. That- that’s a good idea.”

From what little medical knowledge Uki had, she could tell that Kuruk had been burned, across his side in a pattern that seemed almost close to water. “Wh- what happened to you? How’d you-”

“I’m fine.” Kuruk repeated. “I don’t even feel anything. I’ll sleep it off.”

Uki struggled to meet her brother’s gaze. “What happened, Kuruk. Please tell me.”

He hesitated. “If I told you then you’d get hurt the same way I am.”

“Wh- what do you mean? Kuruk, I can handle myself. Please, let me help you!”

“I can’t. I can’t get you into this.” Kuruk sighed and looked down, at his hands. “I’m sorry.”

Uki put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. She couldn’t think of anything to say.

Kuruk clenched his fists. “Uki, I have to tell you something.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Uki, I’m not going to be around forever-”

“I know that, Kuruk.” Uki had never expected her brother to live forever, and she knew that one day she would have to meet his reincarnation. She only hoped that day was in the far future.

“No, I mean it. I’m really not- I’m going to die soon, Uki.” Kuruk’s voice wavered as he spoke. He was as afraid of it as she was.

Uki couldn’t breathe. “Wh- what do you…. How do you know?”

Kuruk bit his lip. “With this track record, I can’t live much longer. The odds aren’t in my favor.” It sounded like a lie. “I want you… I want you to look out for the world when I’m gone. It’ll be a while til- til the new Avatar’s ready to clean up this mess of a world. You know how these things work.”

It took all Uki’s will to fight back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She put her hand over Kuruk’s, wanting nothing more but to never let go. Her brother was young- he was still so young! He still had so much to do, so much time left to spend. Kuruk was going to be gone before she knew it. It felt like he could slip away in this very moment.

“I’m sorry.” Kuruk whispered, his soft voice muffled by the sound of the campfire. “I really am. I failed you.”

“No, Kuruk.” Uki whispered back. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t his fault. “The world failed you.”