Book 1: Water
Episode 7: The Winter Solstice Part 1
Flying again. Flying over a lush valley with rivers and lakes. The clouds rolled below them, lazy, white, cotton... the sky filled with warm sunshine. It was truly a beautiful day. Even Sokka hadn't made a sarcastic remark... yet.
After making sure all the earthbenders had settled back at home, the group had flown off again. That was two days ago, and while they days had been far from boring, Irina couldn't say they had been terribly exciting either.
It had definitely been a nasty moment when Katara told them her mothers necklace was gone and Irina again felt guilty at falling asleep. She should have been there! She could have stopped it! But instead she had to get so tired it was as if she were drugged into a deep sleep and then slept through the whole thing.
"Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft cottony heap." Katara's voice brought Irina back to the present.
Sokka momentarily looked up from his whittling and grinned. "Maybe you should give it a try."
Katara rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious."
Aang jumped up over the saddle, falling into the clouds. "I'll try it! Yehhhh!"
Irina took a bag and put it in front of her face when he came back up and sprayed them with water.
Katara gasped suddenly. "Hey, what is that?"
Irina looked ahead. Her eyes widened in shock. Everything changed in that single moment. Who knew a destroyed, burnt forest would have such an effect on her? Fear enveloped her. It was like nothing she had ever known. It looked like rippling, shadowy oil that had lain to rest in that single spot. A large, black river that had dried up.
"It looks like a scar." Sokka said. Privately, Irina disagreed but... she could kinda see what he meant. They landed quickly in the midst of it and looked around at the damaged floor. Burnt tree stumps dotted the barren landscape. Otherwise it was nothing but ash. You couldn't even tell there was dirt somewhere below their feet.
"Listen. It's so quiet, there's no life anywhere."
Aang sank to his knees in sadness.
"Aang? Are you OK?" Katara asked, worriedly.
Sokka was bent over, examining footprints in the ground. "Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for -" Katara shushed him and he lowered his voice. "What? I'm not allowed to be angry?"
"Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?"
"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you."
"Yes it does. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature. But, I don't know how to do my job."
"That's why we're going to the North Pole to find you a teacher." said Katara.
Aang didn't even look at her. "Yeh, a waterbending teacher, but there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."
"The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago, how are you supposed to talk to him?" Sokka asked. Poor confused Sokka.
Irina muttered to Sokka. "Of course he died that long ago. He can't have been alive when Aang was. That doesn't mean he can't talk to Aang though."
"I don't know."
Irina took a step forward then froze as a small cracking noise came under her foot. She looked down and saw the broken shell of an acorn. Looking around, it was simple to identify the few hundred just in the immediate area where they were.
Katara saw them too and picked up a handful. "Hey, Aang! Ready to be cheered up?"
"No." She let one fly, smacking him in the head. "Ow!"
Aang rubbed his hand, watching Katara bouncing another acorn up and down in her hand. "How was that cheering me up?"
Sokka guffed. "Cheered me up." Irina sent an acorn at his head. "Ow! Yeh, I probably deserved that."
Katara knelt beside Aang. "These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back. Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back" She enclosed the acorn in his hand and he smiled, a little sadly.
"Thanks, Katara."
The sound of approaching, perhaps lopsided, feet made them all look up. A man leaning heavily on his walking stick was hurrying towards them.
"Hey, who are you?"
The man half ignored Sokka and turned to Aang instead. "When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible, but those markings... are you the Avatar, child?" Aang nodded. "My village desperately needs your help."
They followed the man as the late afternoon sun descended on them, falling behind the hills in the distance. When they reached the village, a whole chunk of it was burned and destroyed. It was such a sad scene that Irina felt as though there needed to be sad music playing the background. She squelched this thought almost immediately. She wasn't going to let that happen again.
They entered the main building, where it seemed nearly the whole village had come together. The village chief came forward to meet them.
"This young man is the avatar." The old man said, gesturing towards Aang.
The chief bowed. "So the rumours of your return are true. It is the greatest honour of a lifetime to be in your presence."
Aang met the chief's bow halfway and smiled a little. Irina thought it still had a pained look to it. "Nice to meet you too." he paused. "so, was there something I can help you with?"
"I'm not sure."
The old man was defiant. "Our village is in crisis, he's our only hope." he turned back to Aang, pleadingly. "For the last few days at sunset a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei-Bai, the black and white spirit"
"Why is it attacking you?"
The chief moved to the threshold of the doorway that the group had entered, looking at the setting sun. "We do not know, but each of the last three nights he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near."
"What happens then?" asked Katara.
"As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the spirit world grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely."
"Hei-Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the solstice is here there is no telling what will happen."
The small smile on Aang's face had long since faded, and worry had completely taken over. "So, what do you want me to do exactly?"
The old man seemed to be gaining more energy, the longer the conversation went on. (who was slightly creeping Irina out. He looked like a nice, but creepy pedo to her!) "Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits."
Aang was clearly lacking confidence. "Right... that's me."
Katara beckoned to Aang to follow her. "Hey, 'great bridge guy', can I talk to you over here for a second?" He followed her over to a window, and Sokka and Irina followed. "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this."
"Yeh, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the spirit world." Aang said with an exasperated voice, "It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!"
"So, can you help these people?"
His mouth curled a little. "I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just come to me."
Momo then jumped onto Aang's shoulder and chittered. Aang looked surprised, but then smiled.
Katara was simply smiling serenely, in a way that also creeped Irina out. Everyone was just creepy today. "I think you can do it, Aang."
Sokka was also smiling serenely, before letting go his award winning sarcasm. "Yehhh, we're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."
Boooorrrrreeedd... Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Waiting for the end of sunset. Staying inside, while Aang stood outside to wait for Hei-Bai. Listening to the old people talking.. and talking... and talking... Boorrrinnng. Need Irina stress her point more?
Aang began to walk through the village, hands defensively wrapped around his staff. "Hello? Spirit, can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help."
"This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up." Sokka said.
"If anyone can save us, he can." The old man said calmly.
"He still shouldn't have to face this alone."
Outside, the sun had finally set, and the world darkened. Aang was standing at the village gate, like a gunslinger. He shouted to the forest: "The sun has set. Where are you, Hei-Bai?" He paused. "Well, spirit, uh, I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace!"
He twirled his staff like a marching baton and then planted it in the ground like a flag. His expression was resolute. Nothing happened for a moment and Aang relaxed. "Okay. Well, I guess that's settled then." Aang turned and began to walk back to the village.
From a view of the dark woods, spirit whispers began to be heard. Suddenly a massive shape emerged from the forest, its huge feet making large thudding sounds each time they hit the ground...
Aang was still walking placidly up the village street, unaware that Hei-Bai was following right behind him.
Hei-Bai was as big as a house, with six legs and black and white orca-like markings all over his body. Irina found him vaguely mammalian with razor sharp teeth. It took a few moments before Aang realized something was amiss and stopped. He turned to look up at the monster, and smiled. "You must be the Hei-Bai spirit. (He bowed his head.)My name is-"
He was cut off by a blast of air and blue energy from the mouth of the creature, Aang didn't move but his staff was blown to the ground. The spirit reared itself up on its hind-most legs and bellowed, releasing another jet of blue energy from its mouth. It got back on all six legs and then charged into the village, ignoring Aang and leaving him behind. Aang turned to address the monster as it moved in.
"My name is Aang! I'm the Avatar and I would like to help! Hey, wait up!"
The spirit destroyed in rapid succession, two houses and a watchtower using its brute strength and blue energy. The monster continued to destroy buildings. Irina gasped in horror at truly seeing, for the first time, the terrible might of what this world brought. Aang continued following it around trying to get its attention.
"Uh- Please, would you stop destroying things and listen?" He jumped on top of the building between them. He saw Hei-Bai pounding a building into the ground with his fists. "I'm just trying to do my job as spirit bridge. Excuse me, would you please turn around? I command you to turn around now!"
At this the monster did indeed turn around, swatting Aang backward off the top of the building. Aang flew through the air and hit a nearby roof. He slid off and collapsed on the ground.
Sokka shook his head and grabbed at his machete. "That's it! He needs help!" He ran out to go to Aang. Katara went to follow him but was stopped by the old man.
"It's not safe!"
Hei-Bai was standing over Aang in the foreground, while in the background she saw Sokka, hefting his boomering, just emerging from the meeting house. Sokka prepared to shoot.
"Hei-Bai! Over here!" He shouted.
He let loose the boomerang. The boomerang rotated into their view, hitting the creature's butt, and bounced off, clearly causing no harm as it fell to the ground.
Sokka ran up to Aang, but Aang waved him back. "Sokka, go back!"
"We'll fight him together, Aang."
"I don't wanna fight him unless I - huh!"
Hei-Bai came forward and grabbed Sokka. Both disappeared in an instant, cutting Aang off in mid-sentence. Aang opened his staff into glider mode and took off.
It wasn't until Katara was nearly at the gate did Irina notice she had run out after them. "Sokka!" She kneeled by the gate and stayed there. Irina joined her soon. They ended up staying there waiting for hours, throughout the night.
As the night shifted and there was a slight taste of dawn approaching, the old man came up behind them, while the last of the noises of the night filled the air. "I'm sure they'll be back."
"I know." said Katara.
" You should get some rest." he said as he put a couple blankets over the two of them, and they cuddled together to stay warm.
Katara held Sokka's boomerang in one hand and tried to sound hopeful. "Everything's gonna be okay."
"Your brother is in good hands. I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him."
I guess we'll see... or not. Irina thought but she too felt worried. Her mind was at war. Part of her knew everything would be OK, but she still couldn't deny what she saw and what her heart knew. And all they did was argue that Sokka was missing and neither he nor Aang were back yet.
It was then the sun really started to rise. Irina knew that Aang was somewhere around them trying to get their attention... but she had no energy to let him know she knew he was there.
"The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon."
OK she had some energy left. "He's in the spirit world, sir." May as well let them all know. "We can't see him, even when he's here."
Katara shook her head and then rested it on Irina's shoulder. "I'm to tired to ask how you know that, i've just decided to accept that it's true."
The rest of the day was pretty eventless. The villagers spent the day repairing what they could of the crushed buildings, and Katara stayed by the gate, waiting for Sokka and Aang to return. It was nearing sunset when Aang finally flew back.
Katara jumped up. "You're back! Where's Sokka?"
Aang was downcast. "I'm not sure..."
In a little while, Aang was standing at the village gate once again. It was now night. Irina, the chief, Momo and Katara were looking out of the meetinghouse window towards Aang, with the wind blowing dead leaves past him.
After some time has passed, Aang's began to walk back into the village. As he approached a building with a wind chime that was sounding in the wind, the monster appeared. Hei-Bai broke through the roof of the building with the wind chime and roared in triumph, releasing blue energy from its mouth. Aang cried out and began to make an energy shell similar to the one he created in The Southern Air Temple.
Katara leaned slightly out of the window to yell at him. "Aang, what are you doing? Run!"
The creature roared and ran towards another building, but Aang ran underneath its legs and then jumped up onto its forehead. His hand glowed light blue, and he hovered there for a few seconds before landing on the ground again.
"You're the spirit of this forest. Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down. When I saw the forest had burned I was sad and upset. But my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back."
The spirit stood still while Aang spoke. When he finished, he showed Hei-Bai the acorn that Katara gave him. The spirit smiled and Aang placed the acorn on the porch. The monster picked up the acorn and transformed into a panda, who turns and walks away from the village.
Aang was still standing on the porch as the villagers plus Katara and Irina came outside up behind him. Just as the panda exited the gate, a thicket of bamboo grew in seconds. A moment later, Sokka and a few villagers exited the thicket looking confused.
"Sokka!" Katara cried. She ran up and hugged him tightly. Around them, other villages hugged their loved ones.
"What happened?"
"You were trapped in the Spirit world for 24 hours. How are you feeling?"
Sokka looked pained. "Like I seriously need to use the bathroom!" he slightly waddled off to the building.
"Thank you, Avatar," the chief said. "If there only were a way to repay you for what you've done..."
Sokka cut in, "You could give us some supplies...and some money."
Katara elbowed him angrily, yelling in annoyance, "Sokka!" The chief bowed.
"It would be an honour to help you prepare for your journey." He left, though, for some stupid reason.
Katara turned to the sexy young twelve year old and smiled, pleased. "I'm so proud of you, Aang," she said. "You figured out what to do all on your own."
"Actually, I did have a little help," he replied, looking down. "And...There's something else."
The sight of the bright comet blasted through Irina's mind before Sokka's cracking-due-to-puberty voice crackled in, "What is it?"
Aang looked up once again, saying, "I need to talk to Roku, and I think I've found a way to contact his spirit."
"That's great," Katara squealed like a small pig.
"Creepy, but great," her brother agreed.
The airbender continued. "There's a temple on a crescent shaped island, and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."
Katara's usual hopeful optimisticness vanished. "But, the solstice is tomorrow."
"Yeah..." Aang suddenly got dramatic, "And there's one more problem... The island is in the Fire Nation."
AHHHH! OK yay its FINALLY done! *happy dance*
soooooo i just wanted to let you guys know on some things...
I've been worried recently that the character of Irina may seem to have way to many convenient abilities. But I want you to know (if it's not obvious) that I am basing Irina as me... just with a different name.
Obviously I am not a waterbender but the rest is very similar to what I can do. And it's not like she's really psychic, she just has memorized the episodes so well.
Soo singing, dancing and acting... I do all three aka a 'triple threat'
martial arts and gymnastics... I am not currently taking either but I have in the past
music... well I have photographic memory and when I sing, I can still hear the music in my mind even if no music is playing. So I am basically taking this and just projecting it a bit more in the story
kk thanks so much!
~Slytherin_Princess
