My other Avatar fanfic is shaping up like The Last Airbender, so I'm gonna try again with a different approach. This story is based off the premise that the events of the TV series were the "correct" sequence of events, but some of the events shift from their natural location on the timeline. (It makes perfect sense to me!) It may not seem very original at first, but by the end of this prolog, you'll find this not to be the story you know so well. If you get bored with the first part, you can skip it if you want. With that, I present to you "Off Center."


Part 1: The Avatar…

Deep in the wilds of the South Pole, two young teens floated aimlessly in a canoe. The elder, a young man, held his whale-tooth spear aloft. "Just watch, Katara," Sokka said, "this is how you catch a fish."

Katara, the boy's younger sister, rolled her eyes. She ungloved her hand and waved it above the water. A volume of the liquid rose up in a glowing sphere. Inside swam a fish. "Sokka, look."

"Shh," he scolded, "you'll scare them away!"

"But look, Sokka," Katara continued, "I got one!"

"Katar-"Sokka started. As he got up from his crouching position the back of the spear poked the bubble of water. It spilled onto his head and set the fish free. "How is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?" he fumed.

"It's not magic," his sister corrected, "it's Waterbending. It's an ancient art form unique to our culture and –"

"And completely forbidden!" Sokka finished. Katara's head fell. She knew he was right, as much as she hated to admit it. "You remember what happened the last time they caught you, right?" Katara nodded grimly. "Good. Then no more magic water."

"It's Waterbending!"

"Whatever."

Suddenly the canoe lurched forward caught in one of the rapids that snaked through the glaciers. Shards of floating ice crashed together threatening to crush the canoe and its occupants. Sokka paddled furiously to keep him and his sister alive. The fjord was cluttered and large chunks of ice slammed into the sides of the canoe.

"Watch out!" Katara cried. "Go left, go left!"

The ice narrowed until there was nowhere to go. The siblings leapt out of their canoe and onto a large chunk of ice just before the vessel was crushed.

"You call that left?"

"You don't like my steering?" Sokka snarled, "well, maybe you should have Waterbended us out of the ice." He gestured mockingly.

"So it's my fault?"

"I knew I should have left you at home! Leave it to a girl to screw things up!"

Katara's anger boiled. Her glare turned harsh as she stared at her brother. "You are the most sexist; immature- ugh. I'm embarrassed to be related to you." She gestured as she ranted causing the water and ice around her to react. A huge crack appeared in the ice berg behind her which caught Sokka's attention. "Ever since Mom died I have been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!" The crack widened. Sokka tried to get her attention but she ignored him. "I even wash all the clothes," she continued. "Have you ever smelled one of your dirty socks? Let me tell you: NOT PLEASANT!" She put special emphasis on that, throwing her arms up and back. This caused even greater damage to the ice berg behind her.

"Katara!" Sokka pleaded, "Settle down!"

"No! That's it! I am done helping you! From now on you're on your own!" Another flare of her arms and the ice shattered catastrophically.

When their ice island settled Sokka glared angrily over at Katara. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about."

"You mean… I did that?" the young Waterbender gasped.

"Yup. Congratulations."

The water began to glow and bubble. A sphere of ice shot out of the water and settled in front of them. Inside were two figures. One of them, a monk apparently meditating, opened his glowing eyes.

"He's alive!" Katara gasped. She made her way closer to the strange sight. "We have to help!"

"Katara, get back here! We don't know what that thing is," Sokka warned.

Katara ignored him and, using the war club she took from him, struck the ice. Finally, the surface broke and a blast of air rushed out. The entire top half of the ice cocoon exploded with an incandescent blue light.

When the fog that was also released cleared, Sokka and Katara saw the monk standing on the shattered walls of his former prison. His eyes and arrow tattoos glowed bright white. After a moment the glow faded and he passed out.

He fell slowly, like he was falling through water. Katara caught him as he fell. Sokka jabbed the monk's bald head with the back of his spear until Katara commanded he stopped.

Finally, the monk awoke. "I need to ask you something," he whispered to Katara. "Please come closer…"

"What is it?"

Suddenly the monk's face brightened. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

"Uh, sure, I - I guess," was all she could think to say.

The monk seemed to levitate to his feet which startled Sokka. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us!" Sokka demanded. "How'd you get in the ice? And why aren't you still frozen?"

"I'm not sure…" Then the group heard a low, steady rumbling. The monk gasped and climbed the ice wall. When he got to the other side, he found his companion. A huge white and gray cross between a bison and a manatee, "Appa, are you all right?" he asked as he hugged it. "Wake up buddy." Sokka and Katara walked around the hole in the ice wall just in time to see the monk's efforts to wake the creature succeed. "You're okay!"

"What is that thing?" Sokka asked.

"This is Appa, my flying bison."

"Right. And this is Katara, my flying sister."

Appa immediately sneezed on Sokka.

"Don't worry, it'll wash out." That didn't seem to console Sokka much. "So, do you guys live around here?"

"Don't answer that," Sokka warned, suddenly back in the conversation. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? It's probably some kind of signal to the Fire Navy."

"Oh yeah. I am sure he is a spy for the Fire Navy," Katara said sarcastically, "you can tell by the evil look in his eye." The monk grinned goofily to prove her point. "The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your name."

"I'm…ah…" he started. Suddenly he sneezed. Only instead of losing a blast of green slime, he shot into the air like a rocket. When he landed (on his feet!) he finished, saying, "I'm Aang."

"You just sneezed," Sokka stammered, "and flew ten feet in the air!"

"Really? It felt higher than that."

"You're an Airbender!" Katara realized.

"Sure am!"

"Giant light beams, flying bison, Airbenders," Sokka grumbled, "I think I have midnight sun madness. I am going home to where stuff makes sense." He stopped, remembering where he was.

"Well, if you guys are stuck," Aang offered, "Appa and I could give you a lift." He then Airbended himself onto Appa's head.

"We'd love a ride. Thanks," Katara said happily.

Sokka was considerably less enthusiastic. "I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster. "

"Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come and give you a ride home?" Katara teased. "You know, before you freeze to death?"

Sokka wanted to protest, but there was nothing to say.

"Okay, first time flyers, hold on tight," Aang announced happily. "Appa! Yip-yip!" Appa lifted his tail, than dropped it, propelling him into the air. He immediately dropped back into the sea.

"Wow," Sokka said in probably the least enthusiastic voice anyone could manage, "That was truly amazing."

"Appa's just tired," Aang reasoned, "A little rest, and he'll be soaring through the sky in no time, you'll see." He said it more to Katara, who had moved to the front of the saddle.

Katara began to turn around, but stopped when she noticed Aang watching her. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Oh, I was smiling?"

Sokka was again, less than amused.

Later, as the sun began to tuck behind the fjords, or would have if they weren't on the pole, Katara moved back to the edge of the saddle to address her chuffer. "Hey."

Hey," Aang returned dreamily, "Whatcha thinking about?"

"I guess I was just wondering, you being an Airbender and all, if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar."

"Uhhh, no." Aang started mumbling something about knowing people that knew him, but Katara didn't think too much of it.

That night, Aang and Appa were swept under a wave. Aang lost grip of Appa's rains, his eyes began to glow, the water began to freeze…

"Aang, Aang, wake up!"

A dream… Aang got ready just as Katara dragged him out of the tent he was in. Outside, he saw about twenty people in a semi-circle around him, all kids, women, and elderly.

"Aang, this is the entire village," Katara introduced cheerfully, "Entire village, Aang."

Aang bowed politely, but the villagers just seemed to be somewhere between scared and confused.

"Uh, why are they all looking at me like that?" Aang whispered to Katara, "Did Appa sneeze on me?"

One of the older women spoke up. "Well, no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct."

"Extinct?"

"Aang, this is my grandmother," Katara explained.

"Call me Gran Gran."

Suddenly, a huge, iron-clad warship loomed over the village.

"Aang, hide!" Katara said just as she pushed him inside one of the tents.


Part 2: … and the Fire Lord

On a luxurious iron-clad warship, a young man in glittering armor stared at a strange blue light that shown in the distance.

"My Lord," the ship's captain addressed, "What is that?"

"I don't know…" he flicked some of his long black hair out of his golden eyes.

"Perhaps it's a trick of the sun, or the celestial lights?" an older, well fed man in red robes questioned.

"Perhaps."

"Still," the captain began warily, "what if it's something important?"

"Like what?" the teen asked with just the slightest hint of warning in his voice.

"Like… the Avatar?"

The older man let out a hearty laugh.

"You know better," the young man said. "The Avatar doesn't exist. A useless relic of a forgotten age."

"Ah, but is it so easily forgotten?" the elder said. "Perhaps a quick search for the Avatar would be a welcome distraction."

"I don't need any distractions," the young man replied as calmly as he could. "I have too many issues to address to get distracted by some fool's errand."

"Like the refugee issue?"

"Yes."

"Fire Lord Zuko," the elder said in a tired tone, "You have been pushing yourself too hard. Please, sit and have yourself a calming cup of jasmine tea."

"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko exploded. He calmed himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. Uncle always did know just what buttons to push, he thought.

"My Lord?" the captain asked, waiting for orders.

"No detours," he finally said. The captain nodded and left.

Much later, Zuko's Uncle approached his nephew on the observation deck of his flagship, the Obstinate. "I'm going to bed now," he said. Zuko ignored him. The elder let out a big yawn. "Yup, a man needs his rest." No response. "Fire Lord Zuko, you need some sleep."

"Sleep is a waste of time," Zuko said finally.

"Zuko, a candle only has so much wax. If you leave it lit too long, it will burn out." There was a weight to Uncle's voice, like he had said it a dozen times. He had.

"I appreciate your wisdom, Uncle," Zuko assured, "But now isn't the time for one of your proverbs."

"What do you expect to do for the refugees out here?" Uncle almost demanded.

"Think of a plan. Think of a way to fix their problems."

The next morning, or what would be morning, Zuko was on the deck of his Obstinate, surrounded by soldiers in special uniforms, his personal guard. Suddenly, fire flew all over the deck. Zuko ducked, weaved, and counterattacked. All his opponents lay defeated.

"Excellent, Fire Lord Zuko," Uncle praised, "You are more than ready for the next ser."

"No," Zuko sighed, "she wouldn't have made those mistakes." His Uncle sighed. "Finish your roast duck, I'm going to drill this one again."

To the elation of his guard, the captain arrived to tell them they had arrived at their destination; the Southern Water Tribe!


So, are you glad you read all the way through? This story is vastly different from the show, with twists you'll never see coming! I'll get back to work on my other projects soon, but my YouTube account has been taking up much of my time. As for my other Avatar fic, its fate is still up in the air. Please, give me your opinions, I kind of need them.