Chapter Four – We Need the Avatar
"Eppie?" Aang asked.
Pathik has gone crazy!
"Yes Aang. Eppie is Appa's genetic copy."
"How did that even happen?" Aang asked. He felt dizzy. Pathik motioned for him to sit, noticing how dizzy he looked.
"Aang, this will be very strange for you to hear," Pathik said. "You must accept what I say as truth and know that I only did this to return balance where balance was lost. Just as the dragons have been reborn, so now have the sky bison been given new hope in Eppie and Appa. I took Appa's chi and copied it Aang. I have a limited talent with energybending so I was able to manipulate it slightly in order to fit the requirements of a female sky bison."
"You cloned Appa?" Aang snapped. He felt his body temperature rising more and more as Pathik continued with his story.
"I made a generic copy Aang," Guru Pathik said. He did not seem nervous about Aang's anger, but instead seemed as calm as always. "There is a cost Aang and I do need Appa to stay with me a little bit longer to complete the process."
"Cost?" Aang nearly spat. He felt the world seem to shift and he knew he was losing control. Pathik acted as if Aang was nothing more than a child who didn't understand why he was being punished.
"Appa's life has been shortened Aang," Pathik said. He hesitated for a moment before finishing with, "By half."
Aang snapped. The change was so fast that Aang didn't even realize he was standing until he was already on his feet. He held Pathik in front of him with airbending, keeping him suspended off the floor. Appa and Eppie roared their disapproval but did not move forward to help the old man.
"It can all be reversed Aang," Guru Pathik said softly, as if Aang crushing him with airbending was completely normal. "That is why I did not progress any further into the process."
Aang's grip loosened slightly. Pathik's face remained passive, but the release of pressure on his frail old body was obvious.
"Tell me," Aang demanded with the voice of a thousand avatars.
"Consider these things Aang," the guru said. "Keeping yourself and Appa alive in the iceberg cost you much of your own life force. Because of that, it is likely that Appa will outlive you no matter what we do, but with Eppie his life force would be cut in half. You two would live together and die very close together and when you are gone, Aang," Pathik said. Aang loosened his hold a little more. "The airbenders that you raise will have the descendants of Appa to guide them. If you make me reverse this now, Appa will live long past you and will have no descendants. His line will vanish!"
The sky bison are where airbending originated. Without the origin, the true art is lost.
Aang released Pathik as he fell out of the avatar state. He dropped to his knees and bowed to the old guru.
"Forgive me," he begged, unable to look Pathik in the face.
"Stand Aang," the old man said. "Stand and be forgiven. My work with Appa will not take long so go find yourself your own generic copy and begin repopulating the Air Nomads."
General Iroh, also known as the Dragon of the West, and secretly referred to as a Grand Lotus, sat in a dimly lit room with only three other men and one woman. The situation was very grim, and Iroh was taking the loss of his nephew personally.
"The first thing we need to decide," said Master Pakku, to his left. "Is where the avatar is."
"The avatar has likely abandoned us. He has all the power in the world," a surly voice said. The man was actually an old spirit that had spent a lot of time with them lately. The Water Nation woman to his left was apparently his lover. Iroh shuddered at the thought. The only name that the spirit had given them was Cobra.
"I do not think the avatar would abandon us," Iroh said firmly.
"I agree," the waterbender said. She took her lover's hand for support. The third man had never spoken but he had proven himself to be a legendary earthbender, rivaling the skills of Toph Bei Fong.
I wonder how the Jasmine Dragon is doing without me.
Iroh scolded himself for getting distracted. He mused at how repetitive White Lotus meetings had gotten over time.
"What do you think we should do General Iroh?" Pakku asked. Iroh knew what the waterbending master was thinking.
"We need to find the avatar. I believe I know where he is so I will go and tell him the situation."
"Of course," Pakku said. "If any of us can be trusted with such a task it is you."
Aang was soaring across the sky when he noticed the old man trying desperately to get his attention.
"It's Uncle Iroh!" Aang yelled as he let the lightning fade and began to fall. Only with the most precise airbending did Aang manage to land squarely in front of the old man.
"Good afternoon Avatar Aang," Iroh said. "I see that the rumors about your new method of travel are true." Aang blushed and shrugged it off. He sat down at Iroh's feet and smiled at the old man.
"How did you find me?" Aang asked which caused a loud laugh from Iroh.
"You think you can use the greatest firebending technique ever created and just go by unnoticed? Finding you is very easy for someone who can simply follow the trail of lightning across the sky."
"I suppose you have a point," Aang said. It felt so good to see Zuko's uncle again, but he knew bad news was coming.
"The Nations have fallen under attack," Iroh said, only barely holding back his tears. Aang jumped to his feet.
"Who was attacked?" Aang yelled.
"Everyone was attacked. There was a coup in the Fire Nation and Zuko is nowhere to be found. All of the top benders and generals of the Water Nation have gone missing and pirates are attacking constantly. The Earth Nation seems the most at peace, except for your young friend going missing."
"What about Katara and Sokka?" Aang asked, although he already knew. The two that had found him in the iceberg had always surpassed others and now they were the best at what they did. Iroh simply shook his head.
Aang didn't know what to do. All of his friends were gone, but he had no idea who to go after first. No matter what he did, he would be seen as picking favorites. His every fiber longed to tear Katara from whatever prison she was in, but the Fire Nation needed its Firelord as soon as possible.
"Who took the throne?" Aang asked. Aang had never seen Iroh's eyes as full of hatred as he looked away.
"Azula has returned." Aang's stomach twisted into knots at the thought of Azula rising to power.
"How soon could you summon forth the Order of the White Lotus?" Aang asked. "I want Pakku leading a force against the pirates, Bumi guarding the Earth King at all times, and I want you to return to the Fire Nation and finish Azula once and for all."
"Where will you go Aang," Iroh asked. "We need the avatar."
"Everything is connected," Aang said. "I am going to find my friends and then we are going to stop this mess. Have your White Lotus secure the Nations. My New Lotus will do the rest."
Next chapter we see some very creative prisons, but are they capable of holding the gAang?