Avatar: The Legend is Born

I-I

Prologue

The Avatar. You hear the words, and you know exactly what they mean. A hero of the four nations. Master of all four elements. The one who binds the four nations together in harmony.

It wasn't always like that.

There was a time when there was no Avatar. When bending your birth element was still new to the world, and not always a gift you were born with. The nations warred, not with each other, but with their own people. Brother turned against brother. Those who were not born with a bending ability were thought to be inferior. People forgot that bending had been learned from Dragons, and other creatures. Benders were above all other things that walked the earth. They ruled the world and were better than everyone and everything else.

Someone had to change them.

But who?

I-I

Chapter 1

I-I

Ava, born to the Earth Kingdom, was not special. At a young age, the age when it became apparent a child had been born to wield an element, it was discovered that she could not bend. She became no one to her people. Two of her siblings could bend earth, one above and one below her. Her parents could bend nothing, but became part of the social elite with not one, but TWO earth bending children. Ava was not spoken of. She wasn't sure people even knew she existed. But that's how it was. Children who could not bend were often plunked together in a dark room while their parents and siblings strutted their stuff.

Ava saw nothing wrong with this while she was still a child. It's the way the world is, she was taught. If you cannot bend, you are nothing. Worthless. Before Ava grew older, being worthless was fine with her. Her siblings could bend and that made them gods. She looked up to them. They were her everything.

Ava, fetch water for your brother and sister. They're thirsty.

Yes, anything for my bending siblings.

Ava, help clean up the earth bending practice yard.

Of course of course! Maybe I'll even get to SPEAK to my earth bending siblings!

When she was 10, she was determined to impress her family and join her siblings. She saw her parents pour their love into her brother and sister. 'My parents love me,' she thought to herself. 'I just have to get them to show it!'

Seemed simple enough. Learn earth bending, gain parents love.

Yep, this would work.

Ava made her plan, and executed it. Her parents and siblings often took a stroll in the family garden, and sometimes stopped to "enjoy the scenery." Ava followed them one day and waited for them to sit down at their garden pond.

"What a lovely day," her mother said in delight.

Her brother bended pebbles into the pond while her sister bended a rock for her parents to sit on. Ava grinned from her hiding spot behind a bush. Now was my chance!

She hopped out and picked up a large stone from the path. She aimed, and threw it into the pond, splashing everyone. She quickly hid before her family could see what she had done, and then popped out and ran up to them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said with fake concern. "I didn't realize you were so close. I was trying out a new bending move." She smiled with pride and waited for them to shower her with affection.

All four members of her family froze…..then her brother spoke up.

"You can't bend, Ava," he said in confusion.

"Now, now," her mother said. "Maybe Ava is a late bloomer." She stood and faced Ava. "Show us again, Ava. Bend that rock out of the pond."

Four pairs of eyes waited. Ava suddenly realized that she hadn't thought everything through with this brilliant plan of hers.

"Umm…" she said while scratching her ear. They waited. Ava hung her head in defeat. "I can't…."

Her father stood up. "Ava, you know you're not gifted or special. It's a fact of life. Neither you nor I can change that, no matter how hard you want to. Your siblings are better than you. You are nothing."

His voice sounded so kind and loving that Ava believed him. She was nothing.

"I'm sorry, Father," she said with a bow. "I forgot my place. I am worthless next to my brother and sister. It's my life, the way I was born."

Her father smiled. "Good girl." Then he turned away from her and said to the others, "I believe the cook has dinner ready. Let's go."

They left Ava alone in the garden. She smiled to herself. 'How could I have been so stupid? It's because I'm worthless that they don't show their love to me. Doesn't mean they don't love me,' she thought. 'I just forgot my place.' And with that, she skipped to the kitchen to get her table scraps.

In Ava's heart, she believed all that her father had told her. And she accepted it as a fact of life. It didn't make her sad or angry. Acceptance made her happy. She didn't know the truth, and didn't care.

Five years passed, and Ava was still living in the dark. Her siblings were improving in their bending while Ava stood on the sidelines, happy to be worthless. She was their puppet, and she had no idea.

One night, she laid down on her lumpy mattress in her small dusty room (her siblings had luxurious rooms, and feather mattresses,) unaware that her world was about to change. Who she was and what she knew would never be the same again.

As soon as her eyes closed, she saw four figures before her. Grey silhouettes that floated in the air. She should've been frightened, but she wasn't. The figures slowly became clearer to her.

One was a fish. The fish was silver white with a black spot on its back and the moon shimmered behind it.

One was a dragon. Smoke curled from out its nostrils with every breath.

One was a bison. Its tail whipped with the wind.

The last was a large badgermole. Long sharp claws clicked as it flexed its paws.

Ava rubbed her eyes and looked again. They were all still there.

"Avaaaaa," they all called, their shapes becoming clearer ever second.

'Okay, they'd better stop doing that,' she thought. 'It's creepy.'

The fish spirit flipped its tail around and spoke (which was way more creepy than them saying her name like a spooky ghost foursome.)

"Ava, we have come to you for help," the fish said, in a whispered female voice that echoed the last few words. For help….

"The world is out of balance," the dragon said, in a deep regal male voice.

"The power the people possess has become a poison to them," the bison said, in a husky gender neutral voice.

"You must help them," the badgermole said, in a motherly female voice.

Ava looked up and down, trying to figure out what was going on. "Umm….you have the wrong girl. I'm just an ordinary worthless person. I can't bend earth. You want my siblings. I'll get them for you." She stood, even though she didn't realize she was sitting, and took a step towards her bedroom door. With a gasp, she realized that she wasn't in her room. The four spirits were all floating up in the clouds, and so was she. She clapped a hand over her mouth and tried not to scream.

"No," the fish said. No….. "You are the one we need." The one we need…..

"You are the one we have chosen," the dragon boomed, smoke puffing out of his nose.

Ava didn't want to interrupt, since she had a feeling they were all supposed to speak in turn before the point was finished, but she couldn't help it. "No….you really…" She broke off as she stared at the four spirits. Their eyes spoke more than their words. The world was in trouble. They needed her.

She sighed and bowed her head. "Alright. I'll umm…..try." She peeked up and pointed a finger at them. "But I'm not promising ANYTHING! I can't bend, like I said. I'm worthless. I'm no one."

"That is not true," the fish whispered. Not true… "Even if you cannot bend, you are still mighty." Still mighty….

Ava blinked a few times, then smiled in excitement. "So….if you want me to save the world, it's gonna be with some awesome karate or something?"

The badgermole chuckled. "You will learn to bend like the first ones did. They were not born with the talent. They were not handed it like humans are now."

"Your people are the lucky ones," the dragon said. Ava couldn't help feeling like she should be bowing at his feet whenever he spoke. His voice carried so much power. Was he the king of the dragons or something?

"The first benders struggled and learned by watching us," the bison said, its fur whipping in the cold wind.

"By watching….you four spirits?" Ava asked. That didn't make sense…

The spirits laughed lightly in unison, with the creepy fish's laugh echoing.

"These are not our true forms," the dragon said.

"We chose these forms to help you," the bison said, the fish echoing its agreement. To help you….

"To help me what?" Ava asked.

"Ava!" someone yelled. The figures wavered and began to vanish.

"No, come back!" Ava yelled, running towards the spirits. "To help me what?"

"Ava!" the voice yelled again.

Ava woke up with a start to her mother yelling and pounding on her door.

"I am not worthless," she whispered to herself, before getting up.

And for the first time in her life, she accepted it.

I-I