Odette:

We had decided to make camp on a pretty river. It was now morning, and after a good night's sleep everyone was up and refreshed. Well, almost everyone.

One of our members was apparently still asleep in a Water Tribe sleeping bag on the ground. Fanindra was standing, grazing slowly, while a small fire cast a plume of smoke. I was sitting on my usual spot on Fanindra, up at the reins on the bridge of the saddle. Kole was up in the passenger section doing some kind of work.

While I was adjusting Fanindra's reins, I spoke to him excitedly. "Wait 'til you see it, Kole. The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."

We had decided the night before that our first stop would be my old home.

"Odette, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home," he said cautiously.

I smiled at him. "That's why I'm so excited!"

"It's just that a lot can change in all that time," he said.

I paused. "I know, but I need to see it for myself."

I floated down from Fanindra's back and walked over to Alana, who was snoring peacefully in her sleeping bag on the ground

"Wake up, Alana! Air Temple here we come!" I said loudly, poking her.

Alana awakened, making groggy noises. "Sleep now...temple later…"

She rolled over and began to snore again. I pursed my lips, irritated with her usual laziness. A mischievous grin spread over my face as I got an idea.

I picked up a stick as Kole watched from atop Fanindra's back.

"Alana! Wake up!" I said, faking a panicked voice. I began to run the stick up and down Alana's sleeping bag. "There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!"

"Aaaahhhh! Get it off! Get it off! Aaaahhhh!" she screamed, startled.

Alana hopped around in her sleeping bag until she lost her balance and fell flat on her face. Kole laughed at her and she looked back at us, very irritated.

"Great! You're awake. Let's go," I said cheekily.

Ren:

We docked in the nearest Fire Nation naval yard we could find. Tents and buildings lined the street across from the docks and what looked like a railroad line ran down the middle of the street.

Compared to the others, my ship was much smaller than the other Fire Nation ships. The prow of my ship had been opened, its spout lying on the floor of the navy yard. I walked down the spout with my Uncle at my side and entered the yard.

I turned to my Uncle as I looked around. "Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing her trail."

"You mean the Avatar?"

I turned on my uncle angrily. "Don't mention her name on these docks! Once word gets out that she's alive every firebender will be out looking for her and I don't want anyone getting in the way.

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Farren?" a familiar voice questioned

We turned to face the man with somewhat surprised expressions. Three men were walking towards us. At the front of the group was a tall man with a black beard, flat face, and cold golden eyes. The man's hands were clasped behind his back authoritively.

"Captain Drake," I said with distaste.

"It's Commander now," he said smugly, narrowing his eyes. He turned to my uncle. " And General Ira-great hero of our nation," he said, bowing to him.

"Retired general," Uncle replied humbly.

"The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests any time. What brings you to my harbor?"

"Our ship is being repaired," Uncle explained, nodding to my ship.

"That's quite a bit of damage," Drake pointed out as he examined the heavily damaged bow through narrowed eyes.

I froze. "Yes...you wouldn't believe what happened."

I had nothing.

I gave my uncle a sideways glance and immediately passed the buck. "Uncle! Tell Commander Drake what happened."

Uncle's eyes got wide and he blinked in response to the burden I has just placed on him.

"Yes, I will do that. It was incredible," he stuttered before leaning over and whispered to me. "What...did we crash or something?"

"Uh, yes! Right into an Earth Kingdom ship," I said, uncomfortable.

"Really? You must regale me with all the thrilling details." Drake smiled and put his face right up to mine in an obvious challenge. "Join me for a drink?"

"Sorry, but we have to go." There was no way I was going to spend even a second with this crazy psychopath.

I turned to leave, but Uncle placed a hand on my shoulder and stopped me.

"Prince Farren, show Commander Drake your respect," he growled. Turning to Drake, he said, "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favorite."

I growled in frustration and released fire from my fists angrily as I turned to follow Drake and Uncle down the dock, not liking my situation one bit.

Kole:

Odette and I sat up front on Fanindra while Alana sat in the passenger saddle. Things had been relatively quiet since we had left the river a few hours ago, just an occasional comment here and there.

That blissful silence came to a screeching halt though when we heard Alana's stomach grumble loudly behind us.

"Hey, stomach, be quiet, alright? I'm trying to find us some food," she said, annoyed.

She searched the food bag and dumped it out onto her glove. Only a few crumbs came out.

She turned to us in annoyance. "Hey! Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?"

Odette turned to look back at her in confusion. "Oh, that was food? I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry."

"You WHAT?" Alana asked, incredulous, her blue eyes wide. " Awww, no wonder the flames smelled so good."

As Fanindra swooped towards the now much closer mountains, Odette smiled excitedly.

"The Catola mountain range! We're almost there!" she announced.

I was a little uneasy with her excitement. "Odette? Before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders."

"What about 'em?"

"Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother and they could have done the same to your people," I explained.

Odette's face relaxed into hopeful optimism. "Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped."

"I know it's hard to accept," I said sympathetically.

She shook her head stubbornly. "You don't understand, Kole. The only way to get to an airbender temple is on a dragon, and I doubt the Fire Nation has any dragons. Right, Fanindra?

Odette rubbed the big animal's head as she grunted an affirmative.

"Yip yip!" Odette said and Fanindra flew us up higher, turning tightly around a mountain face.

Alana and I were straining against the wind shear the faster we moved. Fanindra flew up and over a rocky outcropping and treetops to reveal the tall spires of the Southern Air Temple behind it.

"There it is...the Southern Air Temple," Odette announced fondly.

I blinked in awe. "Odette, it's amazing!"

"We're home, buddy. We're home," she said quietly to Fanindra.

Ren:

We were led away from the ships to a wooden stockade with many Fire Nation tents behind it. One was particularly large, with a prominent Fire Nation symbol on it. Two guards, flanked by large standing firepots, stood at the ready in front of the tent.

We were taken inside the large tent where Commander Drake stood with his back to us as he inspected a large map of the world upon the wall.

"By year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule," Drake finally said.

Uncle was inspecting a stand of weapons on the left and I sat in one of two chairs in front of Drake. He turned to me.

"The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war," he said and I glared at him. Words could not describe how much I hated looking at this man's smug face.

"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool," I sneered.

Drake sat down next to me, his eyes on me. I refused to give him the respect of returning his gaze.

"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue," he growled and paused for a moment, his tone taking on a mocking edge. "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?"

Just then, Uncle tipped over the stand of weapons he had been examining. The commotion thankfully brought the conversation to a halt. I looked up as Uncle cringed at the mess he had just made.

"My fault entirely," he said, embarrassed. He sheepishly backed away to the left. Drake watched him move off with calculating eyes.

"We haven't found him yet," I said, bringing the conversation up again. I could not afford to have Drake suspect anything about the Avatar.

Drake snorted mockingly. "Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago-along with the rest of the airbenders."

I averted my eyes guiltily, avoiding Drake's eager face. I hated the man and wished he would fall on a spear but I still wasn't a fan of lying, even though I did it almost everyday.

"Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive," Drake said, suspicious.

"No. Nothing," I said coldly, still looking away.

He rose up from his chair. "Prince Farren, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you've found," he said, leaning his face up to mine.

I looked at him defiantly, my voice quivering with barely contained rage. "I haven't found anything. It's like you said. The Avatar probably died a long time ago. Come on, Uncle, we're going," I said.

I got up and tried to exit, but was blocked by the guards as they crossed their spears in front of me. Another guard approached Drake to deliver his report.

"Commander Drake, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Farren had the Avatar in custody, but let her escape," the guard said.

I froze. Wonderful.

"Now, remind me…" Drake said smugly. I was still being blocked by the guards as Drake came up behind me.

"How exactly was your ship damaged?"

I looked down in defeat.

Odette:

We left Fanindra standing on the landing platform and started walking. We were up hundreds of feet on a winding path curving back and forth across the rock face of the temple's mountain, heading up toward the temple, with me in the lead, racing on ahead of the others, so happy to finally be where I belonged.

"So where do I get something to eat?" Alana asked.

I glanced behind me and saw that Alana had a very cross look on her face and she was clutching her stomach in hunger.

"You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an airbender temple and all you can think about is food?" Kole asked in surprise

"I'm just a simple girl with simple needs," Alana replied, shrugging.

I was at the edge of the path and I stopped to let the others catch up. When they did, I pointed below us.

"So that's where my friends and I would play airball!" I told them excitedly, smiling at all the memories there.

I gestured at a small parapet cut into the rock face below the path. It was populated with a thicket of densely packed sticks of varying heights that had been stuck in the ground. A goal with a backboard occupied both ends of the field.

"And...over there would be where the dragons would sleep...And…" I trailed off with a sigh, sadness sweeping over me.

"What's wrong?" Kole asked.

"This place used to be full of monks and wolves and dragons. Now there's just a bunch of weeds," I said dejectedly, looking around at the once beautiful landscape. "I can't believe how much things have changed."

Alana and Kole hurried up to me.

"So, uh, this airball game? How do you play?" Alana asked awkwardly.

I smiled at her weak attempt to make me feel better.

But, a few minutes later, Alana was standing atop one of the poles with a backboard behind her, looking ready for action. I stood with the opposite backboard behind me. I was bending air around a rapidly spinning ball to keep it floating above my outstretched right hand.

I started manipulating the ball in a crazy manner. Then, I threw it up in the air over my head. Alana followed it with her eyes. I put my hands behind my back, closed my eyes and smiled, waiting for the ball to come back down.

I cracked one eye open and bent the air at the precise moment to send the ball bouncing through the field of sticks like a pinball in an arcade game. Alana watched the ball ricochet toward her at amazing speed. The ball hit her in the stomach and she was propelled backward through a rotating door in the backboard behind her. She hit the ground nearby.

"Hahaha! Odette seven, Alana zero!" I said victoriously. I showed the score with my hands, seven fingers for me and a zero between my touching fingertips for Alana.

"Making her feel better is putting me in a world of hurt," Alana muttered painfully.

"Odette, there's something you need to see," Kole suddenly called to me a moment later while I was getting the ball.

I approached happily with the ball in hand, calling out a quick, "Okay!"

"What is it?" I asked him, coming over. His face looked confused for a second and I looked down and saw Alana's feet flailing about in the snow.

"Uh...just a new waterbending move I learned," he said, uncertainly.

"Nice one. But enough practicing. We have a whole temple to see!" I told him, wanting to move on.

A short while later, we reached the entrance gate of the Air Temple itself. I ran in alone, leaving Alana and Kole behind me.

When I realized they weren't following, I turned, spotted a statue, and called back to them. "Hey guys!"

They looked up at me and I motioned to a statue of an airbender monk.

"I want you to meet somebody," I said.

"Who's that?" Alana asked as they came over, pointing at the statue.

"Monk Athos, the greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know," I said, nostalgia creeping through me.

I bowed to the statue.

As I gazed at my old teachers face, the world shifted to a hazy and surreal flashback. A live version of the man whose statue I bowed to began to speak.

"But the true secret…" he was saying as he held a long spatula with a cake at the end of it. He appeared to have just pulled out the cake from the mouth of the large oven. He airbent the colorful filling into an attractive pile in the middle of it. "Is in the gooey center!"

I remembered this day well. I was sitting on the wall of the parapet, not paying attention, occupied with something.

"Hmm…" I asked, turning back to him,

"My ancient cake making technique isn't the only thing on your mind, is it, Odette?" Athos guessed.

I sighed. "This whole Avatar thing...maybe the monks made a mistake."

Athos looked at me warmly, smiling his chipped-toothed smile. "The only mistake they made was telling you before you turned eighteen. But we can't concern ourselves with what was. We must act on what is."

Athos gestured ceremoniously to the world around us. The air around the temple was full of dragon and other inhabitants. The beautiful, dreamlike surroundings were full of life.

"But Athos, how do I know if I'm ready for this?" I pressed, my fear settling in.

"Your questions will be answered when you are old enough to enter the Air Temple sanctuary. Inside you will meet someone who will guide you on your journey."

I excitedly jumped up to turn and face Athos fully. "Who is it?"

Athos laughed. "When you are ready he will reveal himself to you."

I sighed heavily in frustration.

"Now, are you going to help me with these cakes, or not?" he asked me.

"All right," I said, smiling.

Athos and I assumed airbending stances, with the four cakes sitting on the wall. We both cocked back, creating balls of wind with our airbending skill as Athos counted.

"One...two...Three!"

We both released our air balls on the count of three, propelling the cakes high into the air. They made a distinctive whizzing noise as they came down and soon four meditating monks were soon each wearing one of the four cakes. The monks were quickly surrounded by little grey wolf-like creatures that began feasting on the cakes.

We laughed heartily and bowed to each other respectfully. Athos patted my head affectionately.

"Your aim has improved greatly my young pupil," he said fondly.

The flashback ended, and I bowed to the statue of Athos, just as I had bowed to the real Athos at the end of the flashback.

Kole came forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You must miss him," he said.

"Yeah," I said softly and moved forward to go into the Temple.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

As I climbed the steps, I glanced back and said, "The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."

Kole looked at Alana who shrugged. They followed me as I approached the sanctuary.

It was a huge wooden door that was dominated by an enormous woodcut comprised of three air symbols protruding from its surface. They were arranged in a triangular pattern. The symbols were attached to tubes that ended in two horns near the bottom of the woodcut.

"But Odette...no one could have survived in there for a hundred years," Kole said, confused.

I shrugged. "It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long."

"Good point."

I turned to him, my hand on the door. "Kole, whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!"

Alana popped out from behind Kole eagerly. "And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious, cured meats!"

Alana rubbed her hands together in fevered anticipation of the food that might await her. She rushed forward and ran straight into the door with a 'thunk.' She strained against the big door to no avail and slid down to the floor in defeat.

"I don't suppose you have a key?" she said, looking up at me.

I shook my head. "The key, Alana, is airbending."

I composed myself and drew in my breath. I raised both my arms perpendicular to my body, then pushed forward with my arms and stepped forward with my right leg. I airbent two jets of air, one from each arm, into the horns at the bottom of the woodcut. The air ran through the tubes and one by one flipped the air symbols from the blue sides which had been showing to the maroon sides, which had been facing the interior of the temple. As each turned, it flipped another mechanism on the outside of the door to unlock it. The two leaves of the door opened to reveal the dark, cavernous interior of the Air Temple Sanctuary.

I called inside. "Hello? Anyone home?"

I walked into the dark room, Kole and Alana following me.

Ren:

Drake crossed in front of me while my uncle stood nearby. I was making it perfectly clear about my unhappiness with the situation. A pair of guards stood behind me, keeping me from doing anything rash.

"So, a seventeen-year-old girl bested you and your firebenders?" he asked in disbelief. "You're more pathetic than I thought."

"I underestimated her once, but it will not happen again," I snapped, not liking being talked down to. Who did he think he was anyway?

"No, it will not, because you won't have a second chance," he said, his face hard.

I froze. What! How dare he! I didn't care who he was, he was not taking away my chances of returning home. I was the crown prince, or had he forgotten that? Forgotten or not though, he had control over me until I was home. And once I was, I swore I was going to make sure Drake was ripped apart slowly, limb from limb.

"Commander Drake, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I…"

Drake turned on me angrily, flames erupting from his hand as he swept it in an arc from left to right.

"And you failed!" he yelled. He walked over until he towered over me. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. She's mine now."

No. She was not.

I launched myself at Drake in frustration and anger, but I was restrained by the two guards standing behind my chair.

Drake spoke to the guards as he turned to leave. "Keep them here."

In a further act of frustration, I kicked over a small table that had been sitting near Uncle. It broke into pieces while Uncle watched the scene calmly.

"More tea please?" he asked as his tea spilled over.

I glared furiously around the room.

Kole:

We walked into the sanctuary, marveling at the many statues arrayed in a pattern. The pattern was tied to a swirl pattern on the floor with the statues arrayed along it. We walked among the statues, heading to the center of the room.

"Statues?! That's it? Where's the meat?" Alana asked, sounding like she had just been robbed.

Kole and I ignored her as we came to a stop in the center of the room.

"Who are all these people?" Kole asked.

"I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow. Look!" I pointed to a statue. "That one's an airbender!"

Kole pointed at one. "And this one's a waterbender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth and fire."

"That's the Avatar cycle," I pointed out.

"Of course! They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Odette," he said, astounded.

"Wow! There's so many!" I said, looking up at the many tiers of statues. There had to be thousands there.

"Past lives? Kole, you really believe in that stuff?" Alana asked skeptically.

He nodded. "It's true. When the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle."

I stopped in front of a statue of a firebender Avatar with a long beard. A light passed over its eyes, and I stared right back at the man. Kole appeared behind me and shook me by the shoulders.

"Odette, snap out of it!" he said, worried.

I shook my head and blinked, dazed. "Huh?"

He nodded at the statue. "Who is that?"

"That's Avatar Koren, the Avatar before me," I said automatically, not even thinking about it.

"You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," Alana said accusingly.

Kole looked around. "There's no writing. How do you know his name?"

I shook my head and frowned slightly, wondering the same exact thing. "I'm not sure...I just know it somehow."

Alana growled in frustration. "You just couldn't get any weirder!"

Just then, I sensed the presence of another being and turned to look at the entrance, the others following my lead. A long, pointy-eared shadow advanced toward us.

Immediately, we huddled behind two of the statues, Kole and I behind one on the left, Alana behind one on the right. The shadow advanced between the two statues.

"Firebender. Nobody make a sound," Alana whispered.

"You're making a sound!" Kole said, exasperated.

"Shhh!" Alana and I said at the same time, tensing as the shadow continued to creep closer.

"That firebender won't know what hit 'em," Alana whispered, ready with her weapons.

The shadow was now right on top of us. Alana waited a few more moments, and then jumped out from the statue, weapon at the ready. Kole and I also came around to look and we all blinked in surprise, each registering the diminutive stature of the adorable intruder.

It was a small grey and white wolf-like creature that only came up to about my hips. It was looking at us with wide blue eyes. His ears bent down slightly when he saw us looking at him.

"Wolf!" I cried, smiling happily. I used to love these little guys.

My smile dropped when I looked over and saw Alana drooling. "Dinner…"

"Don't listen to her! You're going to be my new pet," I told the little wolf.

"Not if I get him first!" she snapped at me.

We both lunged at the animal, our arms outstretched for it as we rapidly closed in on her. The wolf's soft fur bristled and it dashed away from them, making little yelping noises. We were both still running after the wolf who was now bolting out of the temple.

"Wait! Come back!" I called after it.

"I wanna eat you!" Alana second.

Alana and I ran back down the hallway from the Temple Sanctuary, chasing after the wolf. Both of us took turns leading the other. Alana took a swipe at my legs with her weapon, but I used my airbending skills to run along the wall beside Alana and passed her, laughing as I did so.

Once far enough ahead, I stopped, turned, and launched an airball spinning back toward Alana. It hit her in the stomach and knocked her off her feet, like a bowling ball hitting one lone pin.

"Oof!" she cried as she hit the floor, falling flat on her face, her hood falling over her head.

The hallway ended at a balcony and the wolf jumped up onto the guardrail, looked back as I approached, and then jumped off. I jumped off after him, ready for the long fall beneath us. I laughed as I fell, bouncing off the rocks beneath me as I continued to chase the wolf.

"Hey! No Fair!" Alana yelled at me.

My eyes were watering from the tremendous speed my body was falling at and I smiled widely.

Ren:

The guards drew their spears back and for a moment, I thought it was okay for us to leave. But then my hopes deflated again when I saw it was just Drake, probably coming to give me a few parting words.

"My search party is ready," he announced and I gnashed my teeth together in agitation.

I was sitting in an uncomfortable chair, my uncle in a separate chair straight across from me.

"Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go," he said.

I snorted. "Why? Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"

"You? Stop me? Impossible," he replied, laughing hysterically.

That's it. I was tired of this fool taking me for granted and treating me like a child!

I jumped up in defiance and glared icily at him. "Don't underestimate me, Drake. I will capture the Avatar before you."

My uncle got to his feet as well. "Prince Farren, that's enough!"

"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you...you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

That was a low blow. And it angered me even more.

"You're wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne," I hissed.

"If your father really wanted you home, he'd have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar, but in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation," he said snarkily.

"That's not true," I snapped back, not believing his words for a second.

"You have the scar to prove it."

With a cry of indignation, I launched myself to my feet, bringing my face within inches of Drake's. "Maybe you'd like one to match!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"An agni kai. At sunset," I snarled at him, barely being able to stop myself from blasting him right now. But I had not been taught to fight dirty; I would not attack unless my opponent was ready. As long as that opponent wasn't the Avatar, of course.

"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do," he said, smug. Drake turned and walked back out of the tent.

My uncle was shaking his head in disappointment. "Prince Farren, have you forgotten what happened last time you dueled a master?"

I looked down, feeling my scar burn at the memory.

"I will never forget."

Odette:

I dashed down a stone clearing that had an ascending stone staircase. The wolf that I had been chasing landed on the ground. I pounced him and missed again. The wolf ran through a curtain made of decaying tent material.

"Hey! Come back!" I called.

I followed the wolf to the other side of the curtain.

"Come on out, little wolf. That hungry girl won't bother you anymore," I said cheekily.

I approached another drape, parted it, and walked through. I drew a sharp breath, startled by what I saw. Heaps upon heaps of firebender uniforms and skeletons covered the floor of the decaying building.

"Firebenders? They were here?" I whispered in surprise, looking around in horror.

At the back of the grotto lay the skeletal remains of an airbender monk, bathed in the sunlight coming from above, who had apparently fallen in combat fighting against great odds. I recognized the necklace around the monk's neck and my eyes immediately watered painfully.

"Athos…" I whispered in a broken voice as the pain came in crippling waves.

I fell to my knees, devastated.

Alana came then, pulling back the curtain. "Hey Odette, you find my dinner yet?"

I ignored her as I tried to sort through the pain, my head in my hands as I cried. Everyone I had loved, everyone I had known . . . was dead. . .

"Odette, I wasn't really going to eat the wolf, okay?"

She must have seen my old mentor's skeleton. "Oh, man...come on, Odette, everything will be all right. Let's get out of here," she said, her voice saturated with sympathy that I didn't want.

Alana put her hand on my shoulder and I exploded in rage, feeling the Avatar power overcome me once more. I lifted my head, feeling the rage on my face. Alana gasped as she looked on in alarm.

A whirlwind began to form at my feet, air swirling fast around the bones lying on the ground. I was in a crouched position, my hands balled into fists as the wind picked up at terrible speed around me. I knew my tattoo's and my eyes were glowing a bright incandescent blue.

"Odette! Come on, snap out of it!" Alana screamed at me over the wind.

A light blue sphere of energy surrounded me and began to expand, knocking Alana back out of the building.

"Aaaahhhh!" she cried out.

The energy sphere expanded to the point where it blew most of the building apart, sending smoke and debris high into the air. Alana landed outside the building. Kole joined Alana behind some rubble, both shielding their faces from the wind.

"What happened?" Kole yelled.

"She found out firebenders killed Athos," Alana yelled back.

"Oh no, it's her avatar spirit! She must have triggered it! I'm gonna try and calm her down."

Alana was hanging onto the rubble, trying not to get blown away. "Well, do it before she blows us off the mountain!"

Kole slowly approached me, struggling against the wind, as I and my energy sphere slowly rose into the air.

Ren:

I stood in a Fire Nation arena, a simple four-walled structure with watch fires on the four towers at each corner. There was one large open gate. The sunset was a glorious mixture of Fire Nation hues: red, orange, and yellow. Drake and I knelt, preparing for battle, Drake with four of his men in attendance and I with my uncle.

"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Farren. They are your greatest weapons," Uncle reminded me sternly.

"I refuse to let him win," I said, standing up as white hot rage coursed through me.

My shoulder wrap fell to the ground ceremoniously as I turned to look at Drake. He stood and turned, his shoulder wrap falling to the ground, as well.

"This will be over quickly," he remarked.

Yes, I thought, it would.

Atop the gate a gong sounds. We face each other and assume firebending stances. I fired the first shot which passed harmlessly to Drake's left. I fired again; this time it passed without effect to Drake's right. I fired several more, the last of which Drake blocked, satisfaction evident on his face. Frustrated and losing control of my breath, I moved towards my opponent, unleashing more fire from both my hands and feet. Drake dodged or blocked them all. Drake then crouched forward and shot flame at a point on the ground close in front of me.

"Basics, Ren! Break his root!" Uncle shouted at me, his voice slightly worried.

Drake fired many volleys of flame, alternating between his fists. I blocked each, but was slowly forced back. On the last volley Drake used both hands, knocking me over and sending me skidding backwards in the dirt. Drake took a flying jump at me, landing as I tried to get up, but I wasn't fast enough.

Drake fired right at me and I rolled out of the way just in time. As I was getting up, I swept Drake's feet out from under him.

I landed on my feet and a slight smile appeared on my lips. I was thoroughly pleased with myself. I was advancing towards Drake, using my feet to produce small waves of flame that rushed toward my opponent.

Drake was caught off balance and wobbled slowly backward. I finally laid Drake out flat on the ground with a blast of fire. I rushed up to him, prepared to deal the final blow. But I paused, thinking of my own scar, thinking of all the pain and humiliation it caused me. I hated this man, but did I really want to inflict this kind of pain on someone else?

"Do it!" he snarled at me, fury glinting in his eyes.

I made my decision and released a blast that hit the ground next to Drake's head. He was unharmed, looking alarmed at the smoking hole next to his head. I stood erect, dropping my fighting stance.

"That's it? Your father raised a coward," he sneered.

"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back," I warned, turning my back and walking away.

Drake got up and, with a howl of anger, unleashes a whip of flame right at my back from his foot. The flame is extinguished, however, as a hand closes over the foot.

Uncle had moved between them to stop the dishonorable attack. We remained frozen for a moment before Uncle hurled Drake back into the dirt with little effort. I rushed to avenge the insult, anger bubbling through me. I should never have gone easy on this fool. But I was stopped by my uncle.

"No, Prince Farren. Do not taint your victory," he said.

He turned to face Drake, a look of condescension on his face.

"So this is how the great Commander Drake acts in defeat. Disgraceful," he said, disgusted. "Even in exile my nephew is more honorable than you."

I looked at my uncle in surprise at this comment.

"Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious," he said.

Uncle moved to leave and I followed close behind. Once we were outside, I finally spoke again.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" I asked quietly.

"Of course. I told you ginseng tea is my favorite," he said, being sly.

Odette:

I was still suspended in mid-air inside my ball of raw energy. The contained storm continued to rage as Kole and Alana clung desperately to the rocks.

"Odette, I know you're upset…" Kole shouted at me calmly from where he was clinging to a rock beside Alana.

"And I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom. Monk Athos and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Alana and I, we're your family now," he said sincerely.

Something that he said got to me and I felt myself calm down. He was right, they were my family now. I began to descend when he was finished with his statement. My feet gently alight on the ground. The wind died away. Alana and Kole came up to me, and I could still feel my tattoo's and eyes glowing.

"Kole and I aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise," Alana said gently.

Kole took one of my hands in his own. The burn from the glow instantly faded from my eyes and arrow markings. Grief-stricken and exhausted, I collapsed into Kole's arms and I held him around his shoulders as we knelt on the ground.

"I'm sorry," I said, tired.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Kole assured me.

"But you were right. And if firebenders found this temple that means they found the other ones, too. I really am the last airbender," I said, the sadness welling up again. I was terrified by the fact that I was the last of my kind, and I was grieving for my lost kin.

Kole held me tighter and Alana put a hand on my shoulder.

Eventually, I wound back up at the Temple Sanctuary, where I stood once again in front of the statue of Avatar Koren. Kole came up behind me.

"Everything's packed. You ready to go?" he asked softly.

Still looking up at the statue, I said, "How is Koren supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?"

"Maybe you'll find a way," he assured me.

We both turned around to see a familiar furry creature in the doorway of the temple. The wolf had returned. He ran to Alana and deposited a bunch of fruits and nuts at her feet. Alana began to eat hungrily as the wolf dashed away. Kole and I watched with smiles on our faces.

"Looks like you made a new friend, Alana," I laughed.

"Can't talk. Must eat," she replied, her mouth crammed full with food.

The wolf scurried up to me and sat down right on my feet, leaning its body against me and looking up with big blue pleading eyes. "Hey little guy."

We found Fanindra and left soon after that, the little wolf trailing after me. apparently he had decided I could keep him. We all looked over the abandoned temple as we flew away. I gently patted the wolf's soft fur and he leaned his head on my knee.

I looked down at him and smiled. "You, me, and Fanindra. We're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together. Kole, Alana…"

I turned to them and they were watching me, Alana still cramming food in her mouth.

"Say hello to the newest member of our family," I announced, nodding to the wolf at my lap. When I said their names, the wolf stood and trotted over across the saddle. He licked Kole's hand, wagging his tail as he looked between Kole and Alana.

"What are you going to name him?"

I thought back to the air temple, and one of my oldest friends came to mind. "Fang," I said.

Alana was poised to bite a fruit when suddenly, Fang jumped up and snatched it out of her open mouth. Kole and I began to laugh.

As we flew away, I watched the temple recede in the distance. I looked back with sadness as the clouds finally obscured my childhood home from view.