A Note from the Author

Thanks to everyone who has been so great to review this story. It really helps to motivate me to keep going. Things are about to get interesting. I definitely stole the idea of tree spirits from Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" so cred goes to him. Also, obviously I'm not the creator or owner of Avatar. This is fanfiction. Hope you enjoy the on going drama of First Awakening.


First Awakening

Chapter 3

"Appa, no!" Sokka yelled as the Sky Bison ran and began to trample him to death.

Except he didn't. The massive Sky Bison stopped suddenly and started licking Sokka along his face, soaking his face and his clothes. Even though Sokka struggled to free himself it was only a half hearted struggle at best. Being recognized for who he really was made even a Bison tongue bath welcoming.

"Kuzon!" Azula ran up, screaming the name that she called Sokka but before she could direct lightning through the animal, Sokka managed to escape the massive leathery tongue and yell.

"Azula! No! Don't! He's not hurting me!" The sky bison, hearing Sokka's cry trundled back and groaned loudly. "Hey boy, I'm glad someone recognizes me. How have you been?"

As Sokka looked around the abandoned menagerie again he knew the answer. Crates were smashed all around them. The entire place was a mess. He couldn't imagine how Appa could have survived long down there. As if in answer the Sky Bison sent a blast of air from its tail and knocked down several crates of biscuits and started chewing on them.

"Kuzon, why are we down here?" Azula asked, still keeping her distance from the Sky Bison.

"Because, I had a vision and a spirit told me we have to free Appa. It's important." Sokka said as he picked up a piece of wood and began hammering at the chains holding Appa down, shards of wood flying off and nearly hitting his face. "I have to do this Azula. But you don't have to come."

"Kuzon I'll admit I don't understand what's happening but I'm coming with you. I've always been by your side. Since we were children. I'm not leaving you now." Azula said, raising herself up on her toes and stretching her arms before launching a bolt of lighting at the chain holding Appa down. "And I'm not gonna stand by and let get yourself hurt."

Sokka climbed on top of the sky bison as if it were just yesterday that he and his friends had clammered aboard Appa and flown away from Ba Sing Se. But then for him it really had felt like it was yesterday. He reached his hand down and suddenly felt self conscious again as Azula took his hand. He felt a blush spread over his cheeks as her fingers interlaced with his. Which he told himself was ridiculous because he had been holding her hand all the way down the stairs and into the menagerie.

"Alright, so how do we make this beast go?" She looked down at Appa unsure and the sky bison returned the look.

"It's easy. Just hold on to something." Sokka said with a smirk. "Appa, yip-yip!"

Azula screamed and grabbed hold of Sokka as Appa shot up with one powerful blast of his tale. They broke through the flimsy door of the forgotten menagerie that led out to the dark, star-studded sky above them. She took a breathe but the next moment instead of a scream escaping her mouth she was yelling and whoopping and laughing.

Sokka felt his mouth go dry. He had never heard Azula laugh before. Well not a real laugh instead of her cold and cynical laugh she would laugh when she was trying to kill him. But this was something else. It was like a tinkling bell. It had a soft, melodic sound. He hated that fact that he hoped she would laugh again so he could hear it one more time.

"So where are we going?" Azula cried over the wind rushing past them.

"I don't know. But I have a guess. Appa's been down there a long time right?" Sokka yelled back.

"Yes, he was brought to the menagerie by second Phoenix King!" Azula yelled to him.

"So he'll go to the last place he saw Aang!" Sokka yelled and at the mention of Aang the sky bison picked up speed and rushed along the air currents.

Sokka and Azula couldn't talk anymore so they sat in silence, leaning against each other as the rushing air cut through them and stole any heat they had. Sokka was faintly aware that he and Azula were leaning against each other as the starfilled night sped past them. But he could not argue with himself this time as his eyes slid closed against the biting cold and he and Azula slowly drifted off against each other on the last Sky Bison.


The spirit realm was unusually quiet. Where normally playful woodland spirits would be rattling and laughing as they played along old and snoring earth spirits, there was now absolute silence. The silence that spoke of fear. As if the entire section of the spirit realm was holding its breath and hoping something would go away.

Then there came the rustling. Like leaves in the wind or like tiny twigs gently tapping against each other in a hollow susurrus. The gentle rustling shape moved in the shadows, almost pulling the darkness along as it creeped and twisted along the spirit realm's forest floor.

It stopped. The silence pounded and reverberated all around, the fear was a palatable metallic taste in the air. And then there was a snap.

The shape reared like a cobra and turned. In the hollow of a tree was a small figure, no bigger than a cat, shaped like a white featureless clay doll. As it looked up at the dark snakelike figure, it shook it's head to the side and made a rattling noise. The dark thing leaned forward and revealed a hideous face like a baboon.

"So, little tree spirit. Where are they hiding her? I know she's here." Koh the Face Stealer spoke in velvet tones. "Tell me, and I will consider sparing you."

The small doll like spirit looked up with large empty dark eyes and shook its head, rattling as it did. Koh's face closed like an eyelid and opened revealing a demon face as he shot forward, teeth extended, ready for the kill. And then stopped inches away from the tree spirit before spitting, "Where is she!"

The small spirit was shaking with fear as it rattled it's head over and over, looking up into the fearsome eyes of Koh. And then it stopped, rattled its head sideways one, twice, and then once more before Koh pulled back.

"Oh, is that why you think you can hide her? You think that the Painted Lady is strong enough to protect her?" And then the eyelid of Koh 's face closed and opened to reveal the Painted Lady's face screaming in agony with blood running from her empty eye sockets, "I have already taken care of your Painted Lady! Now, if you don't tell me where the girl is hiding by the count of three you will be next on the menu. One!"

The small tree spirit whimpered and rattled as it tried to back away against the bark of the tree.

"Two!"

It looked from side to side in desperation, looking into the darkness for help from any of the other spirits hiding nearby. But it already knew none of them would help. Who would stand against Koh the Face Stealer. It looked up and saw the eyelid blink the true face of Koh looking down at it as the deep, gurgling voice spoke.

"Three."


There were no more chanting sages. There was now only Kazo, keeping watch over the sleeping form of the boy Avatar. He placed a towel in the water and placed it on the feverish forehead. And as he watched the flame of the candle on the Avatar's chest dip a little bit lower with each heartbeat he wished that there was some way for him to do more.

"Please, Avatar. We need your guidance. What will the world do if you die?" He whispered to the humid darkness. "Since you have fallen under, the fever it has spread throughout the Earth Kingdom Colonies and has claimed hundreds of lives already. We need you, Avatar. Please, wake up."

But the boy did not wake up. The room returned to it's humid, stale stillness. The flame flicked lower and lower. And Kazo the sage kept watch over the only hope any of them had.


She struggled against the heavy hands that held her in place as they dragged her through the ruins of the west side of the Fire Lord's palace. She surveyed the damage with a grim satisfaction. But her smile faded as she saw who approached her.

"Phoenix King!" She spat as he drew within range.

The spittle hadn't even gone halfway towards him before one of the elite firebender guards shot a flaming missile that intercepted and evaporated the saliva midair.

"So, you're one of the moon witches." He spoke low and heavy, "I expect you're proud of what you've done here tonight."

"I would have been more proud had I taken the walls down with you under them!" She hissed back.

"Ah, and why don't you, now? Is your pathetic power so reliant on the moon that you cannot do anything without its aid?" He paced around her as he spoke.

"Untie me and we'll see all I can do without it's help!" She yelled as she headbutted one of her guards and threw the other one over her shoulder before sending a leaping kick at the Phoenix King's head.

But his hand was faster than her and as he grabbed hold of her foot she suddenly felt thousands of currents of electricity pouring through her, her hair standing on end and fire boiling inside her body. When he let go she fell to the floor, her clothes and hair smoking.

"How about instead of any more theatrics you tell me what you did with the Fire Lord Azula and her husband Kuzon?" In answer to the Phoenix King she managed to sit up and cross her arms in defiance so he continued, "We don't want to hurt you girl. But we will if we have to."

"Do your worst!" She hissed glaring daggers back at him.

"Oh dear, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this." He snapped his fingers, "Chief Inquisitor Zhou, take her to the prison ship and get ready to set sail. I think that after a few hours of your attentions she'll be all too happy to lead you to exactly where Azula and Kuzon were taken."

The man stepped forward, giving a dark smile as he cracked his knuckles, "It would be my pleasure."


The night air bit at their faces as they soared over the churning inkdark waves below. Sokka woke as the first traces of the sun were just beginning to breathe lightness on the horizon. He felt surprisingly warm. And then he realized why. Leaning against him, with her arm snaked around his waist, was the most powerful firebender he had ever seen. And she was radiating warmth into him as she slept.

"What's happened." He whispered to the fading stars around them. "This is all so unreal."

"Hmmm, what?" She whispered as she cuddled closer to him, "What's the matter Kuzon?"

And that did it. The second she called him that. He wasn't sure what was going on. He wasn't sure where Aang and Katara and Toph were or why he was in the Fire Nation or why Azula was nice all of a sudden and being... very friendly... maybe even in lo... no, he wouldn't even think it. But he did know one thing. He was not Kuzon. He was Sokka. Sokka of the Water Tribe. He helped Katara free Aang from the iceberg. He had fought against Prince Zuko and fallen in love with the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. He had seen the world and done all he could to prevent the Fire Nation from winning the War.

"Nothing." He looked up at the sky and looked out ahead of them, then looked back up at the sky. "Actually, yeah, there is something wrong. We've been flying the same direction this whole time."

"Yes. So?" She sat up and looked out ahead of them too.

"Because we should have come to the Southern Air Temple by now." Sokka said as he looked out ahead of them at the massive grey streak of land.

But where there should have been rising mountain tops and a glorious monastery covered in snow, there was now nothing. Not just a lack of buildings. There weren't even any mountains. Nothing but a harsh, flat emptiness that spread out for miles and miles. Like a desert where all the sand had blown away and left the lifeless bedrock exposed and uninviting. Here and there, lichens and mosses were growing over the piles of boulders. But nothing else seemed able to live in the vast expanse.

"The Desolate Wastes." Azula said looking down at the bleak streak of grey, "I had heard stories. But to see it in person and up close..."

"What happened?" Sokka asked, trying to make the image in his mind of the Air Temple match the image before him.

"You really don't remember? They say this is where it happened." Azula spoke hauntingly, "Almost twenty years ago. This is where Avatar Aang made his last stand against the First Phoenix King. And then died."

Before Sokka could respond the first bomb exploded in the air in front of them, sending smoke and burning gas streaming at them. Appa roared and beat his tail to gain altitude as Sokka tried to steer with the burning smoke in his eyes. He felt Azula's grip slide along the fabric of his waist. And then there was a loud tearing noise and a scream and the tug on his tunic was gone as Azula plummeted towards the Desolate Waste below.


Sorry about the cliffhanger ending. Thanks for reading and hopefully things aren't too confusing. I promise I know where I'm going with this and in the end everything will make sense. :) Till the next update! ~ XX