It was morning when Avani and Mara found people of heir village again. Mara was sleeping, head tucked under Avani's chin when Rajan, the village leader ran up to them, relief in his face as he noticed his daughter on the girl's arms
"Mara!" Rajan knelt in front of Avani, eyes filled with tears "Y-you brought to safety my precious child"
A tired smile flickered on Avani's lips "Everyone would have done the same"
Rajan grabbed the little girl from Avani's arms, noticing how tired and emotional drained she seemed to be "Not everyone it seems. Until now, no one had realized my daughter was missing" he noticed the tear tracks in her face, sympathetic "Are you okay?"
"Have you seen my mom, Ela?" Avani asked, not wanting to answer his question.
Rajan hesitated, sighing "No. The last time I saw her was leaving the village with those people with white robes"
Avani pursed her lips "The White Lotus"
Rajan's eyes widened "What were they doing here?"
"What do you think?" Avani asked
Rajan tightened his grip on his daughter, "I can't believe I'm going to say this but, more than ever we need the Avatar" Avani looked up and Rajan couldn't help but notice a flash of guilt passing through her eyes, confused "I know. But, this village has had the help of the Avatar before and things turned out well, he even stopped a Hundred Year War. If the Avatar can do that, then they can stop a thirteen year of hate between benders and non benders, right?"
Avani shrugged, not meeting his eyes "Probably"
Rajan placed a hand in her shoulder. "Get some sleep, girl. You deserve it"
Avani nodded tiredly, following his advice, laying down near some people who gave her tired smiles, before closing her eyes
~8~
A scream woke Avani, standing up in a defensive stance, seeing waterbenders and earthbenders revolutionists. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, seeing people left and right getting hurt.
"Ava!" Mara's scream for help made her turn toward the voice, seeing the little girl being separated from her father's clutches, subdued by a firebender, "Daddy!"
Avani acted without thinking, stomping her feet on the ground, sending an avalanche toward the firebender, catapulting him away from her leader. Her sudden act brought a stop to everyone, non benders specially stunned to see an earthbender defending them. "I'm so done with this stupid war"
Everyone gasped. Voicing publicly you didn't want war was the worse you could do and this girl, sleep deprived it seemed was making the worse mistake ever.
"Then you deserve what gets to you, little traitor" An earthbender snarled, sending a pile of earth toward the girl.
Avani without looking, sent her own to crash against his, leaving a cloud of dust between them
"You were saying?" Avani asked innocently.
Avani twisted her feet, focusing on the non benders, separating them from the revolutionists so they'd be out of the crossfire, surprising them for the act of the girl who was defending them. She stomped her feet again, sliding her feet on the ground in front of her in half circle, sending the villagers to safety, leaving only the benders who as soon as she did so, they attacked, thinking they could use that moment of distraction.
Unfortunately for them, Avani had sensed the movement coming, twisting her arms around herself, creating a circle wall of earth around herself to protect herself from the fire, straightening her fingers to endure the earth and not be easily destroyed. She doubled over, taking off her shoes, wriggling her fingers on the ground, relieved to be able to see better, closing her eyes as she looked outside her protective wall with seismic sense, waiting for one of the firebenders to retract his body while drawing fire from within himself before stomping her hand on the ground, turning the earth into moving sand, sliding her hand in a half circle in front of her, turning a path of moving sand, trapping several firebenders up to their waist, including Ryuu inside the moving sand.
Avani stood, waving her arms in front of her face, clenching her fists to destroy the wall protecting her from her opponents into small particles of earth, phasing them together in three boulders, using all of her strength, feeling sweat prickling on the back of her neck and forehead as she strained her muscles by holding the boulders, throwing them against the waterbenders, punching the air with each boulder she threw
"Ava stop!" Ryuu yelled, struggling inside the moving sand
Avani ignored him, feeling guilty for attacking him this time for real. She had never done it with moving sand before, knowing she wasn't a sandbender and didn't know how to control very well that aspect of earthbending, just some little tricks her uncle taught her. However, Ryu attacked first, so a little bit of guilt faded at the thought.
Neither revolutionist was able to take a hit on the girl, suddenly realizing at her young age she was already a master, however they noticed she was growing weak
"Keep attacking" A waterbender who hadn't been attacked by her boulders commanded, seeing an opportunity "She won't last long"
Avani having heard this, noticing she no longer felt her arms, realizing it was true. She had to retreat but with a jolt, she realized she couldn't. There were innocents who were going to pay the price if she no longer was the wall between the revolutionists and the villagers. The attacks against her were becoming more fierce, specially from the waterbenders that she didn't realize she had began moving from her initial spot, defensively creating an earth wall around her, collapsing to her knees, keeping the wall up, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized that as soon as they derribated her only defense, they were going to kill her and then the rest of her village.
"I failed" Avani murmured, seeing her defense being destroyed by whips of water, trying to keep it up, "And I didn't even try being the Avatar. Not like I would have, either way" she sniffled, her hands shaking with the effort of keeping her wall up. "But I just wanted to protect them, Korra. Not because I'm the Avatar but because I've known them my entire life and can't let them die. As soon as they get me, they're screwed. They're angry I stood against them and they'll take it out on them. I can't let that happen" She closed her eyes "Please help me, Korra"
The wall of earth protecting Avani was finally cracked and destroyed, the revolutionists halting their attacks, seeing the girl in her knees, her hands limp at her sides, head tucked to her chest.
"No very strong now, huh?" The revolutionist leader of the ambush smirked, "Prepare to destroy the traitor once and for all" The waterbenders drew their water from their canteens, ready to strike when suddenly the air picked up, looking around in confusion. "Ready? Now!"
The waterbenders turned their water to sharp ice, throwing it against the girl.
The girl suddenly looked up, eyes glowing a bright white-bluish, throwing her hands up, sending a wave of fire toward the attack, melting the ice. The girl - The Avatar- stood slowly, wind picking up and blowing back her hair and everyone's hair back, creating an air sphere around herself, stunning everyone in silence.
The villagers watching from the safety of trees widened their eyes in shock, starting to murmur between themselves
"The Avatar is back!"
"All this time among us?"
"Isn't that the girl who had always been against the Avatar?"
"She is protecting us!"
"Ava!" Mara beamed in awe, her eyes bright "I knew you were a hero!"
The Avatar walked closer to the revolutionists, her air sphere deflecting their attacks, stomping her feet on the ground, catapulting them in the air, flickering slightly her wrist, sending them flying far far away with airbending. She turned her glowing eyes to her once called best friend Ryuu, who was looking at her with fear, anger and disappointment for her not trusting him with her secret and her scowl became even more deep making him flinch and look down before she turned her gaze to other revolutionists, throwing her hands up, gathering more air before throwing her hands down in an 'x' formation, sending everyone of the revolutionists flying far away from there.
Once all the revolutionists were gone and there was no longer a threat, the wind died and the glowing in Avani's eyes slowly faded, leaving an exhausted Avani, falling to her knees.
A woman ran closer before Avani's head could hit the ground, watching her eyes rolling to the back of her head, placing her head in her lap, "Is anyone here a healer?"
Anther woman ran out of the crowd, holding a basin of water, looking guiltily "I'm a healer" She knelt next to Avani, bending the water from the basin, eliciting some gasps from the crowd. The woman grimaced "It was wrong of me to hide, but the Avatar needs me now, don't hate me"
Rajan stepped forward, "We don't. See what you can do" he looked down at the young Avatar in worry, trying to figure out out why she hadn't told anyone she was what they were looking for, but couldn't be angry or disappointed, after all she had saved his daughter
The waterbender placed the water in the young Avatar's temples, concentrating, everyone holding their breaths in anticipation, worried. The healer opened her eyes, relaxing, breathing softly in relief "She's just exhausted. Using too much earthbending before entering the Avatar State must have taken a tool out of her. She just needs to rest before she can wake up"
Rajan nodded in understanding "Until then, we must find a safer place to spend the night than this. If we're safe right now it's because of the Avatar, for a second time" The crowd of villagers nodded in agreement "We shouldn't let her help be in vain, let's move"
The woman picked up Avani in her arms, carefully holding her to her chest, looking down at her "You have to face a big challenge once you wake up, young Avatar. I hope you're ready for your destiny"