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The Cave.

"I'm sorry Appa, but you are going to have to stay here. From this point on only I can go." Aang said as he pressed his forehead to his beloved sky bison's. "The wind is just to strong for anyone else to try to cross."

The strong wind blew a thick mist across the murky swamp wastelands, Aang stared at the mountain range beyond. There was no way anyone could get passed the wastelands to reach the moutain range. Why did Bumi shen him? Why is it so important? Whatever was in those mountains was there to be protected from the reast of the world... it must be something special... no ordinary person could cross this storm... the storm that has never stopped.

*RRRRRRR* Appa growned in protest.

"I'll be okay, I'm going to have to go in the Avatar State to get through it, that's why you can't come."

*RRRRRR* Appa growned again.

"I will be careful, I don't know how long it will take me, buddy." Aang lovingly patter Appa's head. "Just wait here. I promise I'll be back."

Aang took a deep calming breath, to calm the worries that his best friend had been picking up on, then slowly let it out. He took his first step into what felt like dead plants and thick mud, that threatened to take his boots from him while the winds threartened to throw him about. He closed his eyes and took in another deep breath. As he slowly let it out his tattoos began to glow. Aang began to freeze the muck under his feet, giving him something solid to walk on; the ice will eventually thaw leaving the moutain range protected once again. He also created a wind bubble around himself, decreasing the wind speeds around himself making it a bit easyer to cross.

He went on like this for hours, slowly draining him. He needed to rest... to let his strength to build once again. He bent the mud into solid earth beneath the spot he chose as his first resting point, he created a dome of earth with a hole in the top around himself to block the wind as he rested. Next came the fire for warmth. He used his firebending to dry the dead plants and started a fire.

As he layed down his thoughts went to his family... His three children... and the tiny one growing inside his wife... it hurt to be so far away, but he had to make this journey on his own. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, the Avatar State had drained almost everyt bit of energy he had in himself.

When he woke up he ate some of the bread Katara packed in his pack, as well as some fried fruit and nuts. Once he felt restored his trek began once again; he left the camp site as it is, so that he could stop there on his way back.

Aang felt like he was walking for days... The sky was darkened by the storm so he had no sence of time... Was it day? Was it night? How long has he been walking? How many days has he been away from his family?

He looked up at the mountain that had been drawn onto the map his best friend Bumi had sent with the letter he had recieved. Bumi was a strong man, mad, but strange... As Aang walked he thought about his friendship with Bumi, a friendship that has lasted well over one hundred years.

"Aang, Jingbo just dropped this off." Katara said as she brought a letter to him in his home office. The letter was sealed with the stamp of Omashu. He broke the way seal open, it was a letter.

My dear Aang, my best friend.

A sickness has torn through my body, leaving me frail and weak, and I fear will not recover. Time has come to share a secreat that I have kept for so long. This is for you and only you, Aang. You have a hard journey ahead of you. There is a cave you need to go to, this will not be easy or short, and it will drain you greatly but you have to go. You need to travel north to the great stormy wastelands. The storm is so strong that not even Appa will beable to acompanty you into the wastelands. Then into the mountains beyond. At the bottom of the center mouintain you will find a broken path that leads up the mountain, at the top of the path you will find a cave. You MUST travel to this cave. You must look for something very important.

A lot of time has passed already, you must leave as soon as possable.

King Bumi of Omashu (And Floppsy)

There a map hand drawn onto the second piece of paper in Aang's hands.

"Katara." Aang said as he entered the front frrom of their home. "King Bumi has sent me on a special journy... a very important one that only I can take, not even Appa will be able to go past a certain point."

Katara was sitting on the couch, as both of her hands came up to rest on her extended belly, she looked sad for a few moments as she thought about what he just said. "Promise me you will be okay... Promise you will come back to us as soon as possible."

"I promise I will come back to you... to our children. I will be okay, I promise, My Love, I promise." He told her as he pulled her into a hug. "I have to leave as soon as possible."

Katara packed a bag with food and some supplies. The next morning she walked down with him to where Appa was loaded up and waiting. "Please, be safe... we still need you, the world still needs you." She told him before going upon her toesto kiss him good bye. "Keep your promises... Ilove you."

His storm gray eyes staired donw into her sapphire blue eyes. "I love you... I'm going to miss all of you dearly." He told his whole family, smiling as he rested his bands on the sides of his wife's belly. "I have never broken a promise, My Love. And I don't intend to ever." After kissing each of his children he hopped up onto Appa. "Ready Buddy?" *RRRRRR* Appa responded. "Yip, yip!" He stood and climbed into the saddle, he faced backwards as he watched his family grow smaller and smaller until they faded from sight... he kept watching until the whole temple had fadded from sight.

Aang worried how he was going to climb the mountain in a storm so bad that even the origional airbenders couldn't get through it. He cpould finally see the bottom of the center mountain, but was still to far to make out a path of any kind. As Aang walked for yet another hour finally reached the botom of the mountain. All the winds had died, not even a slight breeze blew on or around the mountain. He found the broken path marked on the map, broken was an understatement, as he climbed there were many places he had to jump great distances. Aand didn't understand what could be so important up here and how Bumi knew about this cave; only a powerful airbender could make the jumps nessesary to reach the top.

Aang followed the tiny path up the mountain to the cave, he was close enough to the top now that he could see a light coming from inside the cave. After just ten minutes more he took the final jump onto the ledge at the mouth of the cave. He causiously entered the lit cave. An old woman's voice caught him by surprise, causing him to take a defensive stance.

"Hello, Aang! I've waited so long to see you again!" The woman had long silver hair, brown eyes and the tattoos of a master airbender.

"Who are you? How do you know who I am? I thought I was the last of the Airbenders!" He wasn't sure what to think or how to feel.

"My name is Sonam, and we have a lot to talk about." The small woman smiled up at him. "I missed you so much! You have your mother's kind and loving eyes."

"My... My mother! You knew my mother?!" Aang stood frozen in shock, he had never been told about his mother.

"And your father." She told him.

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