This whole thing takes place after the invasion. I haven't seen the episode The Western Air Temple, so It's possibly my own universe between the invasion and the end of the series. If you haven't seen The Day of Black Sun parts 1 and 2, know that there are very mild spoilers in here. They mention small parts of the invasion, but crucial details to it's outcome. So… just to warn you. There it is. Though I would advise reading it anyway, because the parts are small are have little to do with the actual story I'm trying to tell. So yeah… and bare with me with the intro. That stupid thing's been stuck in my head even before I started to write this thing. So yeah… enjoy.

Intro

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago the four nations lived in harmony, but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have past, and I've heard rumors of the return of the new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang. For as long as I can remember, it's been my dream to leave this village to seek him out. I believe it's my destiny to join him and help Aang save the world.

Chapter One: Farm Girl

A man at the base of a stairwell looked up towards the second story and called out, "Kia!" A girl rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers over the face. "Kia Shang! Get down here!" She moaned reluctantly pulling off the covers. "I'm comin' I'm comin'…" She grumbled as she pulled on her green tunic. "I'll be right down!" She called, plopping down in a chair. Bending over she slipped on green soulless shoes. She wrapped a tan cloth around her waist to keep her tunic from opening, and tied it up at her hip, letting what fabric what wasn't being used fall to her side.

Kia sighed looking out the window and mumbled, "Just another day in Moriko Village…" She started heading towards the door, when a silver colored emblem caught her eye. With a soft smile, she grabbed the pendent off her side table admiring its beauty. It was a unique carving her father had found on one of his journeys. She fingered the three swirls and the circle incasing them. It was the symbol of the Air Nomads. It had long since been her dream to meet the last of its great nation; the last Airbender.

Shoving the pendent in her pocket, she hurried downstairs. Her mother looked up from her sewing. "Kia, what were you doing up there?"

"Sleeping…?" The young girl gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her neck.

Hana rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. "Go on, your father needs help outside. The sheep-pigs are giving him trouble this morning."

Her daughter gave a respectful bow, and then obediently went off to help her father.

Once her feet hit the ground outside, and she was sure no one was watching, she got in a horse stance. Closing her eyes, she lifted her leg and brought her foot down hard causing the earth beneath her feet to rise up off the ground. She turned, and after taking a deep breath gave a strong punch causing the block of earth to move. She grinned as the bundle of rock and dirt brought her out to the fields where her father unsuccessfully tried to round up the sheep-pigs.

Kia hopped off and swung her arm downward, the rock going back into the earth as if it had never left it. She quickly dusted herself off and ran the rest of the way.

"Papa!" She called running towards the man on the ostrich-horse. Takai smiled at his only daughter while she ran to him. Only a moment later, she was within a few feet of him. "Papa, what've you done to the sheep-pigs now?" She said with a laugh.

The man shrugged looking at the confused flock. "I call to them, but they won't come. We need to sheer them before the weather heats up more then it has already."

"It's no wonder they don't come to you. You haven't been home for a while; they don't know your voice Papa. You haven't spent much time with them lately, so they think you're just some stranger." She got down on her knees and called to them. "Akio, Hama, Tomo, come here!" She continued to call them all by name, and not long after, almost the whole flock had surrounded her bleating and licking her hands.

She laughed petting their soft wool. "There you are Papa. You can start sheering them now. They're more then ready to get rid of their coat." She giggled as another went and licked her face. "Once they get used to your voice again, they'll come to you too." Takai gave a gentle smile. "You certainly have a way with animals Kia." "I get it from you Papa." She grinned standing up.

Kia went over to him and began stroking the long neck of his ostrich-horse. "Hey Sitka, how are you? Papa's not working you too hard, is he?" Takai shook his head. "Honestly dear, it's almost like you can talk to them." Her eyes widened slightly when he said this. "He's just joking," she reminded herself. Regaining full composer, she responded, "I've just been living on a farm too long." She looked at the ostrich-horse, as she would look at a person talking to her. After petting his beak, she looked back at her father.

"I'm… I'm gonna go feed the possum-chickens and turtle-ducks." She turned to leave when her father stopped her. "Hold on," he dismounted, "Take Sitka with you. It'll be much better riding him then running all the way back to the barn."

She cringed wanting so badly to earthbend her way back. She quietly sighed to herself then turned to him, smiling. "Of course Papa. I still don't know what I was thinking running out here." Kia mounted herself on the ostrich-horse and started him off in a slow gallop towards the barn.

The animal looked up at her. "You need to tell them sooner or later. About both of your gifts." Kia sighed, "I know Sitka, but it's too soon…" About half way back she had him stop running. "What do you say I earthbend us back to the stables?" "I'd rather run, if it's all the same to you." "Suit yourself…" She mumbled, lightly kicking him. He started off in a slow trot.

Kia sensed an air of mischief about Sitka. "What're you doing?" She asked with a suspicious edge in her voice. "Oh… nothing…" Then without warning, Sitka took off running faster then a mongoose-dragon. Kia laughed, holding even tighter onto the reins. "Sitka, slow down!" She said between laughs. "Not until you promise to tell your parents the truth." "Alright, alright, I promise." The ostrich-horse slowed his stride into a steady trot."I'll hold you to that."

Kia sighed as they finally reached to barn. "I know you will…" She wrapped her arms around his long neck. "Love you Sitka." He bent his neck to the side nuzzling her arm. "I know Kia." After a moment, she pat him on the back of his neck then dismounted. She grabbed his reins and led him to a horizontal wooden pole and tied him down.

She stepped into the barn and grabbed a stale loaf of bread from a box and brought it outside. Crumbling pieces up in her palm she called to the possum-chickens. "Come on guys, breakfast." She opened her hand letting the stale food fall to the ground. They soon flocked around her peaking at the breadcrumbs at her feet calling out greetings to their mistress. Even a few turkey-ducks came for some bread. "Hey, come on, you have your own trough of corn. Go on, shoo." The turkey-ducks muttered complaints before vainly trying to fly to their food station.

After she finished feeding the possum-chickens, she went and grabbed another loaf of bread and went over to a small pond where they kept the turtle-ducks. Breaking off slightly bigger pieces of bread she tossed them into the water, and watched the ducklings eat away at the pieces she'd thrown.

One turtle-duck in particular swam to shore and waddled over to Kia. "Hello Mistress, how are you this morning?"

"I'm well Kaze. And you?"

"I'm fine." The earthbender reached down and scratched her head.

"Did you have another dream last night?"

"I did. And this time, I was flying."

"You were an airbender in your dream?"

"No silly, I was flying on Aang's famous sky bison."

"What was it like?" The duckling settled herself into Kia's arms.

"Well, the wind was blowing hard in my face as we defied all gravity," she had a dreamy look in her eyes as she described it, "Looking down all I could see was the clouds and a few toucan-puffins flying north."

"What did the Avatar look like?"

"Tall… handsome… and a great smile. Then one of the farmhands had to go and wake me up…" She muttered with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"I'm sure you'll meet him one day Mistress Kia."

"Right… and maybe I'll grow a second head." She laughed lightly petting the small turtle-duck. "You better get back in the pond before all the foods gone." She jumped out of her arms.

"See you tonight at dinner Mistress?"

"Like always Kaze."

Kia stood and admired the little creatures as they ate. She sighed looking down at her tattooed hand. She traced her fingers across the Earth Kingdoms round symbol. It was a symbol of the immeasurable layers of deep rock earthbenders manipulate to maintain their great cities. It also represented the Kingdom's goal of striving for a peaceful and productive way of life.

After a moment of reflection, the fifteen-year-old started to head towards the main house, more then ready for her own breakfast. She hummed to herself as she walked through the door. "Hey Mama." The earthbender went and kissed her mother on the cheek. Kia was greeted by a cheerful smile and two dark green eyes staring down at her. "How are you this morning dear?"

The girl shrugged. "Alright I guess. Papa was sheering the sheep-pigs, but that was a little over an hour ago. He should be coming in right about now."

Kia grabbed a pewter plate and started filling it with her breakfast. She grabbed a few pieces of turkey-duck meat, a few eggs, and a slice of bread with preserves spread over it.

(A/N: I'm gonna say that the meat is the equivalent of bacon. Thus shall it be written. bangs gavel)

She sat down, and before long she had already eaten well over half of her meal. Hana looked over at her. "Slow down Kia. No one's going to take it from you." She looked down at her plate then back at her mother. In a half playful half serious tone, she replied, "You never know, Mama, you never know."

Hana shook her head returning her attention to her sewing. Just then a knock came from the door. Kia looked up before making her way over to the door. A man was there. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a Takai Shang. Is he home?" "Yes, but he's out in the fields. He should be coming in shortly if you care to wait."

The messenger shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Just be sure he gets this." The man handed her a scroll that had a blue wax stamp with a Water Tribe emblem on it.

She gave a respectful bow and he did the same. "Good day ma'am." He took off running in the other direction.

Kia closed the door a looked at the scroll. "Odd…" She muttered to herself. "Who was it dear?" Her mother called from the dinning room. "A messenger. The message seems to be from the Water Tribe." She walked back to her mother and handed her the scroll. "The man said it was for Papa." Hana looked over it. "It's an update on what's going on with the war. It's probably nothing important." Kia nodded and sat down to continue eating her breakfast.

A few minutes later Takai walked in. "Hello everyone, how are we all doing today?" He went and kissed her daughter's cheek. "You got a message for the front lines, Papa." "Hmm, interesting. Let's see what we have here." Hana handed him the scroll and he read it quietly to himself. "Oh my…"

"What is it Takai?" Hana asked her husband.

"The Avatar had planned an invasion on the fire nation last week. It failed… he and what few men he has left, went with him to the Western Air Temple."

Kia looked over at him with wide eyes. "That's only a few days away," She thought to herself. "Excuse me." She dropped her fork and ran out of the house towards the barn where she'd left Sitka. "You'll never guess what happened Sitka!"

"You told your parents you're a bender and animal telepath?"

"No… the Avatar is only a few days journey from here! He's at the Western Air Temple!"

"So?"

"So?! That means I can finally fulfill my destiny! I'm gonna go help save the world!"

"Mistress, be reasonable. I'll admit you're a skilled bender, and with a little training, you could do something worthwhile as far as the war effort, but you don't even know if the Avatar will accept you as an ally. You're a farm girl. This is all you know."

She glared at the ostrich-horse, almost a disappointed look in her bright green eyes. "You don't believe in me… you think I'm only good enough to take care of smelly animals the rest of my life! What about my dreams Sitka!? I get such strong feelings from them, they have to be coming from the spirits!"

He looked at her for a moment, then grunted. "It's only a childhood fantasy, and nothing more."

Kia took several deep breaths looking into his dark yellow eyes. "Then I'm leaving without you. I'll find another animal to get me to the temple. But mark my words, I will help save the world regardless of anything you say and when I come back, you'll beg for me to forgive your arrogance, mark my words."

The ostrich-horse was notably angered by her threat. "You'll never make it outside this village, do you hear me Kia?! You'll come crawling back here in one day, and I'll swear by that!"

"Not on your life." She hissed walking away from him. She stomped up to her room and flung herself on her bed and started to cry. Sitka was wrong! He… he had to be wrong. Kia was supposed to assist the Avatar. Her dreams… they were more like visions then anything. They had to be real. She sat up and dried her eyes.

"Maybe he's right…" She mumbled to herself taking out the Air pendent. "Maybe it is just a stupid childish dream…" She leaned back against the wall staring on the curving lines of the sleek silver stone. Her callused fingers lightly followed its swirls, first the three in the center, then the circle around them. Kia let out a quiet sigh, then promised herself, "If I get another dream the next time I go to sleep, then I'll go to the temple…"

So.. do you like it, do you hate it? Give it to me straight Doc! Ha... me and my horrible sense of humor... Heh... Anyway... please reply. puppydogeyes