Chapter 4

Zuko's eyes opened immediately when he heard the loud bang coming behind him. He jumped up and saw his lizard trying to run away. But his rein tied to a tree branch stopped him. It was in the middle of the night and he was staring at a large cloud of dust rushing to the sky behind him. He stared at the large cloud it kept rising higher and higher every second.
He just stood and stared at the sight. Wind was blowing all around him. At times he couldn't even keep his eyes open. He wondered what it came from. Part of him wanted to run towards it and see what it is. But in the end he didn't want to risk it. Who knows what is going on.

He untied his Mongoose Dragon jumped on the saddle took one last look and kept riding forward away from the cloud of smoke. Before he would have run over there and seen what was going on. Maybe help. But that part of him was gone.

1 hour earlier

Aang was by a lake he was standing in the water and had his hand outstretched towards a bare area of land. He concentrated all of his energy on his one arm. He was sweating and the sweat rolled down his forehead into his eyes, sending a burning sensation through his eyes. But the little pain didn't stop him from concentrating.

He looked down at his hand when he felt a spark and a tiny flicker of flame came into view. He pulled his other hand and put it up to the flame. With both hands together he tried to help control the flame. It started to become bigger but very slowly. And just as fast as it appeared it disappeared.

The only reason he was standing in water was because he didn't want to light anything on fire and if anything he can bend the water on whatever does. Katara was next to him cleaning her hair in the water. She was watching him, and she sadly remembered the first time Aang tried to learn firebending.

He burned her hands but at the same time she found out about her healing abilities. She didn't like him learning firebending. She hated everything about it the fact that the fire nation took her mother will never let her forgive them. Sokka was in the forest his eyes were closed and he has his hand on the hilt of his sword.

His eyes were closed and he was waiting for the noise. He stood his chest heaving in and out. And finally it happened the noise he was waiting for. He pulled the sword from the sheath and felt the steel hit the large boulder. The sword hitting straight through the boulder from one end to the next. The large boulder now in two pieces fell the floor.

"Nice hit," Toph said as she lowered her hands. She has thrown the boulder from a few feet away. And Sokka was listening for the sound of the boulder hitting the wind. He smiled to himself and put the sword back in the sheath.

He turned and walked towards the river that Katara and Aang were training in.

Aang kept trying and he was getting frustrated firebending was the hardest element yet.

"Maybe you should stop now," Katara said as she saw just how mad Aang was.

"I don't know I need to finish this and look how close we are to the fire lord. And I can't even make a fireball!!!" Aang yelled and as he did he threw his hands into the water and at the same time fire erupted from Aang's fists. It burned straight through the water and right into the ground beneath it.

Aang stared at what he had done. And finally he realized that fire was also controlled through his emotion. Just by getting mad he was able to make the most fire he has ever made. And it scared him but at the same time it made him happy.

"Oh has the little airbender finally learned firebending?" Azula said as she walked through the trees and stood at the edge of the water.

Everyone looked at her and Aang was afraid. He didn't know what to do. He looked at her and his scar hurt. It started to sting. Katara had dipped her hands underneath the water and clenched her hands together. At any moment she was ready to attack.

Toph had felt them coming and had snuck up on them. Sokka had followed and was hiding behind a tree. Just waiting. Aang stood there and finally jumped from the air. And at once Azula raised her hand and blue fire came flying at him.

Aang ran his hand towards the fire and air ran from his hand and hit the fire immediately extinguishing it. Sokka ran forward and unsheathed his sword and right away Ty Lee popped up out of nowhere.

"Hey there cutie," Ty Lee said as she struck her hand out and tried to hit Sokka. He raised his sword and turned it as her fist hit the blunt side of his sword. He swung toward her feet and she jumped over him and tried to strike again. He moved out of the way and ran into the forest trying to lure her away and get her when she wasn't looking.

Toph sent a boulder right towards Mai and she ran away from it and threw two of her throwing starts at Toph. Toph lifted her foot and a rock wall came up and the stars hit the wall. While all of this was going on Katara had risen in the water and made it a 10 foot wall of water.

Aang had continued fighting Azula as fire and air kept striking each other. Aang threw boulders and rock walls yet nothing could stop her. Finally she ran forward and tried to grab Aang by the wrist. And at that moment Katara brought the wall of water down unto Azula. But at that moment Azula sent a bolt of lightning at the water.

Katara who was on top of the wall of water was hit right when the lightning spread through the fire. She fell right off of the wall and landed on the floor. She didn't move and Aang didn't even know if she was breathing.

He screamed as he looked at her and he jumped into the air and sent fire flowing fast from his hand into the ground.

Azula didn't even see it coming and she was hit on the side and was sent flying. Everyone else took cover as the fire hit then ground and sent a cloud of smoke everywhere. Trees lit on fire, and Aang slowly decended unto the ground. And he turned straight to Azula and he sent more fire towards her.

She turned and tried to run but the fire hit her in the side. Mai and Ty Lee grabbed her and helped her get out of there. Aang slowly walked to Katara and picked her up in his arms and looked down at her as he tried to see if she was breathing.