Aang opened his eyes and slumped forward with a groan, he felt absolutely exhausted. Soft hands supported him and a familiar and welcome voice spoke softly by his ear.

"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm here." Katara said softly, helped Aang to sit up again, "I've got you."

"Have you been watching me all this time?" Aang asked with concern, though he couldn't help smiling with gratitude.

The sky was just beginning to turn dark as the sun disappeared below the horizon and the first stars of the evening were beginning to pepper the sky. Katara crouched beside her husband, her arm about his shoulders and looking at him with concern in her large, blue eyes.

"You've been at this since early this morning." She chided Aang softly, "You need to take a break."

"I know, Babe." Aang told her with a weak grin, "Roku told me the same thing. In fact the other Avatars just basically told me to get out of my own head and not come back until I've eaten and rested."

"They sound like smart people." Came Zuko's voice from the side.

Aang turned his head and saw Zuko and Mai working at the table preparing some food and he looked about the campsite. Appa was in his barn, still dozing (the bison could laze about for days at a time if Aang let him) but apart from himself, Katara, Mai and Zuko, there was no sign of anyone else.

"Toph's napping in our hut and Sokka and Suki haven't, uh, left theirs all afternoon." Zuko said, as though reading Aang's mind, "But we'll have some dinner ready shortly."

"Daniel dropped in not long ago with a bag of supplies." Mai told Aang as his stomach gave a loud growl, "Then he disappeared into the forest. He said he was going to prepare for tonight and...find our prey."

Mai shuddered as she chopped at some vegetables, still unhappy with the idea of traipsing through the forest in the dark and killing something.

"Well, thank goodness because I'm starved." Aang said smiling and his stomach supported this with another growl, "I could even go for some sea prune stew."

It was Zuko's turn to shudder at this but he continued preparing their dinner at the table without comment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Aang. Sokka and I finished the last of it for lunch." Katara said apologetically, missing the obvious hint of sarcasm in her husband's voice, "You can't eat it anyway, remember? It had stingray in it."

Aang grinned at her.

"I'll get over it." He told Katara then raised an eyebrow at her, "Anyway, I still say sea prunes aren't a vegetable either. They move, Katara."

His wife might have continued the argument but they were distracted as Toph stepped out of her hut.

"Hey, all." Toph said smiling then suddenly grimaced and hugged herself, rubbing at her upper arms, "Brrr. It's getting dark already?"

"And winter's definitely coming on." Katara commented and as if to prove her point a cold breeze blew in from the north, over the sea cliffs, "Would you like me to get you a coat, Toph?"

Now that Aang looked closer he noticed that Mai was wearing an extra layer of clothes but Zuko still wore his usual black and red shirt and long pants, because of his bending style the cold never bothered him. Nor Katara for that matter and Aang had never had trouble with the cold, used as he was to the chill winds high in the sky. Toph waved away Katara's offer though and dropping her hands to her hips, she grinned with bravado.

"Nah, I got a better idea, Sweetness." Toph said, dropping easily into a bending stance, "Check this out."

Turning slightly Toph faced the wood pile over at the side of the camp. She first extended an arm, then her brow creased in concentration and the tip of her tongue poked out from the side of her mouth. She stood that way for a dozen heartbeats. The others exchanged glances, wondering exactly what the smaller bender was up to when the wood in the pile shuddered slightly, settling as it collapsed a bit. Then one of the larger logs lifted from out of the pile, rose unsteadily into the air and, wobbling a bit, drifted across the camp.

Toph's face screwed up with even greater concentration and a few times the log dipped slightly but each time she tensed, making the corded muscles on her pale arms stand out starkly and the log continued it's journey. After a minute it settled with a bump just outside the circle of stones around the fire pit.

"Wow, Toph. That was great." Aang said excitedly and the other's grinned at her in appreciation.

Aang jumped to his feet and with Zuko's help, lifted the log onto the fire as Toph walked over to join them.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm just that good." Toph said and the other's could only roll their eyes. Then she looked more serious and rubbed at her temples, "Actually, that was really friggin' hard. It's taken me most of the afternoon just to push a few bits of straw around in our hut."

"I thought you said you were going to take a break and get some sleep." Zuko said with a frown, walking over to stand before her.

"Ok. Ok. I'm officially on a break now." Toph answered with an apologetic grin, then frowned, "Besides, I think Bending the earth in that log gave me a headache."

Zuko bent down and kissed the top of Toph's head tenderly then turned to help Mai lift a large pot onto the fire.

"I think it's important we take our time and not overextend ourselves." Katara said as Aang came to sit beside her. She slipped her arm about his waist and looked worriedly at him, "We don't want to burn ourselves out."

Aang knew she was speaking to him more than the others, he still felt exhausted and had no doubt he looked it as well. Not that he minded her saying it though, he knew she only said it out of love and concern for him.

The five now seated and working about the fire jumped as one as a loud howl rose from the forest to the south. It started low and rose in pitch gradually. The sound seeming to undulate around them and through them, touching an deep, ancient part of their inner selves and making each person there felt a thrill of fear course through them as the sound trailed off.

"What the hell was that?" Came Sokka's shout as he burst through the doorway of his hut.

The man stood with his black sword in one hand and a shirt held to his waist with the other. Apart from his feeble attempt at modesty, holding his shirt over his crotch, Sokka was completely naked. He spun about to look around the side of the hut with the result that he was unintentionally mooning those seated around the fire.

"Eww. Sokka." Katara cried, turning her face away in disgust, "Go put some pants on."

Turning back and seeming to notice his friends and family for the first time, he blushed deeply, the color extending down onto his wide, muscular chest. Sokka quickly backpedaled through the doorway of his hut and disappeared.

"Well, now I see what Suki sees in him." Mai commented with a small smirk.

"Hey." said Zuko turning sharply and frowning at his wife.

"Oh, don't pout, Sparky." Toph told him with a grin, "Mai's just saying that Sokka, just a tiny bit mind, might just possibly look marginally as good as you do without your gear on."

Now it was Zuko's turn to blush as the group of friends shared a laugh, though the Firelord did smile as his wife came over and kissed his ear.

A minute or two later Sokka and Suki left their hut and walked over to the fire to join the rest of the Gaang, although everyone noticed Sokka seemed to be having difficulty looking anyone else in the eye. But a moment later he smiled as he sniffed the air appreciatively.

"What's cooking?" Sokka asked as he and Suki took seats by the fire.

"We made a stew from some of that Fox-antelope and a spicy vegetable soup." Mai told him as she went to collect bowls from the table, "Katara's been giving Zuko and I lessons."

"I'd hold off on that if I were you." Came Daniel's gravelly voice. He stepped out from behind the huts after emerging from the trees, "Keep yourself hungry for the hunt."

"So, were have you been?" Sokka asked as Daniel stepped into the firelight and stopped before him and Suki.

"Around and about. I'm glad to see you're dressed appropriately." Daniel said, looking the warrior husband and wife up and down.

Sokka and Suki were both dressed in thick shirts and pants with simple soft shoes. Mostly this had been Sokka's idea, he had been hunting in many lands throughout the world and had picked up more than a few tricks.

"Here." Daniel said to them, reaching over his shoulder to his pack, he produced two plain, grey knives, each about a foot long, "We hunt in the traditional way."

Sokka frowned as he took the proffered blades and handed one to Suki before inspecting his own a little closer.

"Stone?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow to Daniel, "You want us to hunt with stone knives?"

Daniel only nodded, still grinning and turn to regard Mai who still stood, with a slight feeling of trepidation, by the table.

"Do you have anything less…loose to wear?" he asked her, "We will want to move silently through some thick undergrowth. It won't help to have you flapping about or getting hung up on every bush we pass."

Mai regarded Daniel in return with a frown and looked down at herself. She was wearing two layers of her usual long flowing black and red silk dresses, exquisitely designed and tailored for her by the best seamstresses in the fire nation. They were her favorite for when she was 'roughing it' in the outdoors. She swallowed her uncertainties with a sigh and reached up to unfasten the clasp at her neck, then with a deft practiced twist she released the sash about her waist and the dresses slid from her shoulders to the ground. Underneath she was wearing a matt black skin tight outfit with long sleeves that left only her head and hands exposed, on her feet were soft, black moccasins. Coating her arms, legs, stomach and lower back were row upon row of her shurikens, knives and throwing stars, all set into sheaths sewn into the cloth of the outfit. She grinned, privately pleased from the appreciative stares she was getting from the others around her and not just from her husband and fiancée.

"Perfect." Daniel said with a nod, "Loose the cutlery though, it'll only weigh you down."

Mai frowned again but turned about and started removing her blades, stacking them onto the table. Katara took the opportunity to look closely at Mai from behind. Once Daniel had told her of Mai's problem that afternoon, Katara could see it clearly now. Mai's waist and hips were definitely narrow, no doubt aiding the woman with her speed, maneuverability and her thin waist obviously enhanced the woman's beauty but as Katara knew from experience, it could only be a disadvantage when it came to birthing a child. Katara wanted to give Mai a more detailed examination but still wasn't sure how to approach the other woman about it without upsetting her. Now, with Mai unloading blades onto the table with her obviously narrow waist and hips clad in skin tight black cloth before everyone, Katara's determination was strengthened to approach the other woman about the subject. If she could just figure out how to go about it.

"What's the matter, Sweetness?" Toph asked grinning when she noticed Katara's staring at her lover's back, "Trying to compare, are you? I still say hers is better than your's."

"Uh, sure, Toph." Katara said, trying to smile at the humor convincingly and feeling as though she were failing miserably.

"Alright. If you're quite ready." Daniel said loudly, distracting everyone. Once all faces were turned to him he grinned wickedly, "Lets go hunting."

A short time later, Suki, Mai, closely followed by Sokka were following Daniel with some difficulty through the darkness of the nighttime forest. Only a few slivers of moonlight pierced the canopy above them yet Daniel seemed to have no trouble picking his path. Sokka was about to complain as he, yet again, stumbled over a tree root when Daniel stopped before a small stone hut, nestled between the trees in deep shadow. The hut appeared to be solidly made with no doors or windows but Daniel quickly reached up with one hand, sliding his fingers down the smooth stone wall and next moment the wall itself slid smoothly down, opening one side of the hut.

Inside was small and bare except for four mats of grass put there for sitting on and a large bowl set in the hut's center. With a little trepidation the three warriors stepped within, followed by Daniel and no sooner than they were all inside when the wall slid back up, sealing them in.

"Sheesh. I can't see a thing in here." came Sokka's complaint, then he felt himself bump into someone, "Oh, sorry Suki."

"I am not your wife." Mai's cold reply came from the darkness, "And you will kindly remove your hand from there, thank you."

A moment later a dull, red glow filled the small room, revealing Sokka standing with his hands raised in the air and giving Mai an apologetic look. Suki rolled her eyes and dragged her husband down onto a mat and took the next one over. As their eyes adjusted they could see the glow came from the large bowl in the center of the room and the small space was rapidly warming with the heat radiated from it. Within it, just starting to curl and smoke, was a variety of green leaves and crushed herbs. As Mai took her seat, Daniel quickly joined them so that each sat facing one another over the bowl. Daniel then placed a foot long stone blade on the ground before Mai and the other two placed the ones he had given them earlier before themselves in the same way. The smoke that was beginning to fill the room was sweet but still acrid and they coughed a few times. Mai placed her hands over her small belly with a look of concern.

"Do not fear for Kuzon." Daniel said softly, the smoke didn't seem to bother him, "The womb has powerful protections of it's own but these herbs are to enhance and help your bodies, not harm them."

"What." Suki started then coughed, she was starting to feel lightheaded, "What's going to happen?"

"Just listen to my voice and keep your eyes upon the bowl." Daniel said and for the other three it felt as though they could do nothing but that. Their heads were spinning now, though not unpleasantly and small yellow flames were dancing over the burning herbs, drawing their eyes to it as though they were mesmerized by it, "These herbs, this ritual is designed to enhance you normal senses. The mind clouds these senses normally as thoughts and ideas swirl about in your mind. You can already feel those thoughts dulling, but there is nothing to fear. There is a part of you that continues without need of the mind. That which controls your heart, your breathing, all of your body. The part of you that is still connected to the animal within yourselves. Let your thoughts go and your senses take control."

As Daniel spoke the other three could feel it happening. There was no sense of fear or loss, it was almost like going to sleep yet they remained fully aware of what was going on around them. Sokka turned his head from the bowl and gazed at his wife beside him. Such beauty, strength and agility he sensed from her and he was suddenly filled with a primal, powerful lust. Suki too turned away look at her husband, experiencing a similar range of emotions and a moment later she licked her lips hungrily, making a purring growl at the back of her throat.

Mai too was staring over the bowl at Sokka, seeing the strength and vitality of the man. In an ordinary situation she would have been shocked at herself for such thoughts, but thought had little to do with the warm feelings surging in her body. All she was aware of was that she was staring at a powerful, virile man and she would have jumped over the bowl to have that man if she were not acutely aware of the tiny life inside herself. Motherly instincts overpowering simple urges and desires.

"Come." came Daniel's deep, commanding voice.

The man seemed to fade into their awareness as though he had stepped from the smoke swirling about the room. The others heads snapped around to look at him and their senses told them they were looking at a being of great strength and power. He almost glowed in their senses, their eyes, their noses and even their ears, which were almost overloaded in the small space by the booming sound of Daniel's steadily beating heart. They watched him with eager, expectant eyes but Daniel only raised a hand, causing the wall to slide down again, out of sight.

"Let your hunger and your senses guide you. Let's hunt." he said in a low, enthusiastic growl.

Suddenly Daniel sped from the hut and each snatching up their stone blades, the three hunters sprinted off in close pursuit. From all around the forest, their senses were flooded with a confusing range of sights, smells and sounds, as they were each acutely aware of the symphony of life going on around them. When they had entered the forest behind Daniel it had been dark and imposing but now they picked their way with ease as they sprinted along behind the man around the thick foliage.

Pausing before a large pine tree, Daniel paused sniffing the air. He turned and locked eyes with each of the other three hunters as they approached and he patted the side of the tree's trunk. Sokka came forth first, sniffing at the base of the tree and his nose told him a variety of animals had come this way, the largest having a musky, vibrant scent that also spoke of weakness, a slightly sour scent. Once the two woman had sampled the scent of their prey, Daniel sped off again in a new direction and the others were quick to follow. For some time they ran, silently passing around trees and the through thick undergrowth, until at last they could smell the scent they were hunting close on the breeze.

As the smell grew stronger they spread out slightly until, side by side, they peered out from the thick bushes surrounding a small clearing , looking in at a massive antlered beast, with long legs and wicked looking tusks jutting down from it's top jaw. A Saber-tooth Moose-Lion, over ten feet tall at the back, rarely hunted and usually only by those desperate enough to risk their lives for the expensive saber like teeth or massive antlers of the beast. But the hunters watching the dozing animal from the bushes felt no fear, only gripped their knives in eager expectation.

Sokka and Suki moved back out of the bush and began to circle around to get behind and to the other side of the beast. Daniel moved off the other way, heading around to the front as Mai remained where she was. Not a word passed between the four, none was needed as each knew instinctively what was expected of them, this was the most vital part of the hunt.

As Sokka and Suki made it around the clearing and behind the animal, Suki took up position, hidden in another set of bushes. She could see now why she had scented weakness in the beast before. A large, only partly healed gash on one of it's hind legs. It could not run from them very well but Suki's instincts told her the animal could still fight dangerously once cornered, if they gave it the chance.

Sokka kept going, working his way around to the creature's far side. Not a whisper of sound had betrayed them but the beast's head suddenly snapped up, it's wide scalloped antlers twitching as it sniffed the air. For the longest time the four hunters remained perfectly still, hardly breathing, until the beast's head dropped back down as it relaxed once more. Once Sokka had found a good position on the Moose-lion's far side he crouched in readiness, waiting for the signal to attack.

The four waited with perfect stillness. There was no sense of impatience only a tempered excitement at what was to come.

Suddenly, Daniel burst into the clearing, running toward the Moose-lion from the front. The beast instantly reared up, slashing at the air before it with it's razor edged front hooves. But Daniel easily dance and dodged about as the beast slashed at him. Even having to jump back as the beast dropped back down to it's feet and snapped at the man with it's foot long saber teeth.

While the animal's attention was on Daniel, Sokka broke cover and ran in to join the fray. Without hesitation the larger warrior ran to the creature's side, jumping and throwing an arm over it's neck, in his hand he held the stone knife which he plunged in deep. Sokka's other hand latched onto the animal's wide antler on the side of it's head and the man's muscles fairly bulged with the effort to hold it's head still. At first, his feet were up in the air as he hung from the animal's neck but a moment later he felt them touch the ground as the beast fought both the wound in it's neck and the weight of the man latched onto it. Sokka instinctively tightened his grip, expecting the large animal to try and flip it's head at some point. But an instant later, Daniel was hanging onto the other antler, stopping the beast from turning and preventing it from rearing up again under the weight of the two men. The Moose-lion began to tremble violently as it's simple mind came to understand it's predicament. They probably couldn't have held it for long, but they did not have to.

The moment the two men had hold of the beast, both Suki and Mai broke cover, running into the clearing. Suki sprinted up behind the Moose-lion, leaping high at the last moment, turning gracefully in the air and landing lightly on her feet onto the animal's rump. Taking two easy steps she dropped to her knees onto the Moose-lion's shoulders and the hand holding her stone blade plunged toward the animal's side.

At the same moment Mai came gliding across the clearing like a shadow, toward the Moose-lion's side, knife leading the way. No showiness or theatrics from Mai, she was at the animal's side in the blink of an eye and her blade arrived a moment before her, directly between the animal's ribs.

The blades of both women plunged into the Moose-lion's sides at the same time, all the way to their hilts. And both Mai and Suki felt the short handles of their knives twitch once as the heart of the beast tried to continue beating, even impaled on stone as it was and then with a sigh, the Moose-lion collapsed straight down to the ground. Just like that it was over, the animal's dying sigh had been the only sound made by hunter or prey throughout the entire event.

Mai stepped away from the Moose-lion, Sokka doing the same on the other side and Suki slid off the beast's back to join him. All three were panting heavily and the scent of fresh blood from the kill sent a hungry thrill through each. Daniel stepped up to the side of the animal, taking hold of Mai's blade, still imbedded there. Easily he slid the blade downward, opening a large slice in it's side as Sokka and Suki came around the beast's head to watch what he was doing. Not one of the hunters flinched or display anything except eager excitement as they watched as Daniel plunged his arm into the animal up to the elbow with a wet crunching, slurping sound. When he pulled his arm free he was holding the beast's heart, twice as large as both the man's fists put together.

"We thank you, Moose-lion." Daniel said in a low tone, looking at the animal, "Both for the fight you gave and for the sustenance you give. You give us this blessing and so we honor you."

Daniel turned around to face the three hunters and held the huge heart aloft. Hunger raged inside the other three and as one they stepped forward toward the heart, opening their mouths wide they each bit deeply into it. The heat of it, the smell of the heart's blood, the taste of the hot fluid as it coursed down their throats and chins brought with it a feeling of ecstatic ecstasy. Then, as they each swallowed the morsels of meat in their mouths a new feeling of intense strength and vitality flooded into each of them.

The three each stood back, staring about them with a wondrously enhanced sense of the life force inside themselves and throughout the forest around them.

"I guess I should congratulate you all." Daniel said but paused as Mai, Sokka and Suki simply stared at him with hungry and excited, blood smeared faces. Daniel rolled his eyes and finished lamely, "Or at least I will when you come back to yourselves."

Sokka turned and looked at his wife, at that moment he wouldn't even have been able to pronounce her name, or even remember what it was for that matter. All he felt was boundless love and as his senses drank in her beauty and the limitless strength that poured from her, he felt his desires rising once more. Suki looked to her husband, getting much the same from him and felt a heat growing in her belly. The two suddenly lunged at one another, lips and tongues locked together in battle even as their arms and hands struggled to tear the clothing from each other's bodies. Sokka suddenly bent and scooped Suki up into his arms, with a quick warning look toward Daniel, the only other man present, he jumped clear across the carcass of the Moose-lion and the two disappeared into the bushes across the clearing.

"Ok." Daniel said slowly, but stopped with a sudden look of trepidation and uncertainty as he stared wide eyed at the woman before him, "Err, Mai?"

Mai was staring at Daniel hungrily. She could sense the sheer vitality and strength of the man, the sight and smell of him lighting a fire in her lower stomach. Her senses were overpowering her instincts and all she felt was a desire to possess some of the vitality and the virility she sensed from the scarred man. Suddenly she lunged forward with blinding speed, grabbing the man by his upper arms she drew herself into him, pressing her body tightly against his. Daniel only just managed to turn and lift his head in time as Mai hungrily kissed and licked at the underside of his jaw. She raised a leg and with a groan she wrapped it around the man's back, pressing herself against him with more urgency.

"Mai? I just hope you understand I only do this because I love you." Daniel said and suddenly his hands came up, his fingers striking points on Mai's lower back and again higher up at the base of her neck.

Mai's body went limp in Daniel's arms and as he cradled the woman gently her eyes closed and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Aang was once more in the place in his mind where he communed with the spirits of the Avatars. He'd rested briefly and eaten dinner before returning, even though he could tell Katara hadn't really wanted him to do so, at least so soon.

But after several more hours and still many other species of Avatars, Aang felt he was finally, almost there. Before Aang was a creature that resembled nothing so much as a fish with legs. It's long scaly body was definitely fish shaped, with a wide flat head and a vertical fish tail at the other end. Instead of fins though it had short, stumpy legs that ended in wide, webbed feet with long claws. But set in it's wide, strangely distended face, just about it's huge mouth were a pair of intelligent, wide black eyes. The creature had just finished telling Aang how the Elementals had come and forced it into the dreamless sleep after the demons had come and decimated it's world. It seemed every Avatar of every kind was watching raptly as Aang spoke with the creature.

"So, you're saying the Elementals told you that you were only the second of our kind to be forced into sleep?" Aang asked the fish-Avatar excitedly.

"Not in those words, but yes." the creature gurgled in a barely understandable voice, "They said they regretted having to do such a distasteful thing for the second time. But they said they must, in order to preserve the kind of minds that had evolved after mine, for as long as they could."

Aang didn't really understand that part, he'd heard it from several different kinds of Avatars but only one thing was on his mind at that moment. He stared around with excitement, the same emotion reflected back from many of the faces around him. Those faces capable of displaying emotion anyway, some where incapable of displaying anything being formed of scales, overlapping plates of chitin or even bone. Not that it mattered, Aang knew every Avatar within him was as excited as he was.

"Listen Avatar, err, Avatar." Aang said addressing the fish creature, "I think the kind of Avatar that came before you may understand why the Elementals have done this again and again. And it may be able to tell us our true nature and purpose. Will you help us?"

The fish creature turned it's black orbs up and looked about at the multitudes of different species and peoples looking back at it. It gave a gurgling sigh.

"So many. So many who came after my kind." It said in a very humanly sad way, "But we knew we weren't the first. How long has it been since my kind, please."

Aang wanted to answer but he just didn't know, he was saved by the seventh species of Avatars to come before humans. A tiny wizened creature resembling an old man stepped forward from amongst the others. He could almost be human except he was only a few feet high and his head seemed far too large for his body.

"Approximately one and a half billion years." The creature said with a bow and stepped back amongst the others.

Aang couldn't quite picture how many a billion was but it sounded like a long stretch of time to him. The fish creature before him made a sound that could almost be a human sob.

"So long and so many." it cried out wetly, "I will do whatever I can."

"Thank you, friend." Aang said softly to the clearly distressed creature, "Please join Avatar Krojicjet, uh, the, uh, octopus looking one over there and accept his memories. He will fill you in on what we need to do. We will begin once you feel you are ready."

Aang looked about him again as the fish Avatar waddled away slowly. If the situation weren't so serious he knew he would be bouncing about from the excitement coursing through him.

"This is it." Aang said loudly to the watching Avatars, "In time I hope we can awaken every Avatar within us but with this last awakening tonight we shall have our answers. What is the Avatars true purpose and why has this been kept from us for so long?"

As Aang spoke the Avatars around him arranged themselves into their respective orders. Roku next to Aang, then Kyoshi, then a Firebender named Koli, followed by Kuruk (a Waterbender by birth) then Yangchen (the next Airbender down the line) and so on down the long human line until the Dragons began. After the ranks of Dragon kind came a species of small, winged people who called themselves Fairikin follow by short rounded people who all seemed to be male, going by their large bushy beards and they called themselves simply, Dwarves. On and on went the rows of Avatars in all their various shapes and kinds until at last the race of fish creatures joined the ranked Avatars. The fish creature Aang had spoken to gave him a nod and he nodded in return.

Aang concentrated, focusing on summoning his very life force and sending it to Roku, behind him. At first all was still and silent, then Aang's eyes and tattoos began to glow with a brilliant white light and a second later Roku's eyes mirrored Aang's. Again and again, faster and faster the human Avatars eyes began to light up, followed by the dragons then the next and the next. Soon every Avatar, billions of beings were glowing with a bright, almost blinding white light. Every one of them concentrating on the same thing.

Awaken. You are needed. Return to us, spirit of our spirit. Awaken.

Directly before Aang, a tiny point of white light began to grow, barely noticeable at first because of the glows from the multitudes gathered around the young monk. But the glowing point grew till it filled a large area and small, dark shapes appeared within it. The glowing point quickly grew to be as large as a mountain and, knowing what to expect by now, Aang shielded his eyes as the light flashed brighter than a thousand suns. As all the glows faded away from the air and the Avatars as well, the new, or rather, old species of Avatar was revealed.

"Err, hello?" Aang said, looking with doubt at the revealed creatures but he gave them a respectful bow anyway.

The creatures were tiny, no larger than Aang's hand but as he had learned, size didn't seem to matter where mind was concerned. They resembled something like flat insects or perhaps crabs. Their heads were crescent shaped and their tapering bodies were made up of overlapping plates of natural armor. At the far end of their bodies was a flat, butterfly wing shaped tail. One of the creatures scuttled forward on hundreds of tiny legs that were barely visible under it's armored body.

Ok, maybe I'll think of them as crab people. Aang thought as he knelt down and placed his hand flat before the creature.

He tried not to grin at the ticklish sensation of its legs as it climbed onto his hand.

"Hello, I am Avatar Aang." He said respectfully, "We have been trying to awaken you for what seems like a long time."

The creature in his hand scuttled about in a circle and again Aang had to suppress a grin as it's tiny legs tickled his palm. When it spoke, Aang was grateful he had experience now with telepathic communication and didn't embarrass himself, again, like the first time it had happened.

Oh, Yang. What have you done? Came the creatures thoughts into Aang's mind, How long has it been?

Aang was starting to loose his patience a little with this particular question, he'd heard it so many times now but politely gave a brief explanation to the creature in his hand.

"So, you see," Aang said as he finished explaining, "Every time a species learns too much or becomes too powerful, this spirit Fate, opens a rift between the worlds and lets in evil creatures which destroy almost all life on earth. Then the Elementals come and force those Avatars who remember it to go into an endless sleep, causing our spirit to forget time after time. We need to know our true purpose and power, which is why we've been awakening as many of us as we can. Until we got to you."

Such evil. Such senseless evil. Came the it's thoughts and a wave of despair rolled over Aang from the tiny creature he held, This is my fault. All my fault.

"Uh, Avatar?" Aang asked it with concern and it turned in his hand to face him with it's featureless crescent shaped head.

The spirit you call Fate is, was, the Avatar of Nature and Body, my counterpart, Yang. The creature thought to Aang, She begged me to learn my powers of spirit and mind, then used that knowledge to kill me. If I had insisted on learning her powers in return, perhaps I could have stopped her. Perhaps I could have prevented all that she has done.

"Avatar," Aang started.

Yin, I am Avatar Yin. One half of a pair who's purpose is to defend the balance of this world and the spirit world. the creature, Yin, thought to Aang, There is so much you have been made to forget. Perhaps if I traveled to the spirit realms and confront Yang. Perhaps there is some way this can be ended without the need for further violence.

"No, we can't enter the spirit realms." Aang explained to Yin, "Koh and his demons have blocked all access to and from the spirit swamps around this world."

Koh? But Koh is a force for good. The guide of those who loose their way. came Yin's insistent thoughts, He was my friend. Has Yang corrupted all of existence?

"I don't know about that. But I met Koh once, when I was a child." Aang explained with a touch of anger at the memory, "He's called the face stealer now. He plays a cruel game where he consumes any spirit who shows emotions to him, then wears his victim's faces to torment others. He may have been good once, but that was long, long ago."

Perhaps, Avatar Aang, we should have a sharing, Yin said in Aang's head, It will be much faster than your mode of communication and there is much I need to learn, it seems.

"Actually, I don't know how to do that." Aang said with an embarrassed grin, "I mean, there's the Avatar state. When I enter that I have the knowledge and experience of the other Avatars but that fades away again afterward."

What? Even this has been taken from us? Yin's thought were like an indignant shout in Aang's mind and he flinched as though from a physical blow, But, but sharing is the most rudimentary aspect of our power. This will not do. This will not do at all.

Yin's flat body lifted up on it's hundreds of tiny legs and spun around in Aang's hand and with a small jump, flopped down to the misty ground and scuttled a few feet away. Yin spun slowly in place as though it was looking at the multitudes of raptly watching Avatars.

I will allow no more to suffer and die for my mistakes. Yin's mental voice rang out in every mind present, I will go and deal with Yang myself and end this right now.

Suddenly a glowing sphere of light several feet across surrounded Yin's tiny, black chitinous body and it began to fade from sight.

"Hey, wait! You can't!" Aang cried out and leapt forward, into the glowing sphere surrounding Yin.

There sphere of light expanded, now surrounding both Aang and Yin. Suddenly both man and creature were wavering in the air for a moment and then they and the glow, vanished.

There was shocked silence from the multitudes of Avatars in this place of Aang's mind. Roku, standing next to Kyoshi, exchanged horrified glances with the large woman then turned the same look to a large blue dragon, who had come up beside him.

"It would seem," the enormous dragon said to Roku in a low voice that would rattle the bones of any living creature, "that the oldest of us has taken it upon himself to go to the spirit realms and taken the living Avatar with him."

Roku turned back to Kyoshi and stared helplessly at her. For all the decades, centuries even that he had been spirit, he suddenly felt like an old, old man. When he spoke, his voice reflected his depth of feeling.

"Oh, shit."

Mai coughed as acrid smelling smoke burned her throat and opened her eyes but the smoke swirling about her face stung, bringing instant tears and she closed them again. Something hot that she hadn't realized was there was moved away and the smoke clouding her face dissipated. A moment later a cool wet cloth wiped away the tears from her eyes, over her face and across her forehead.

"There now. Relax. Everything is fine now." Came Daniel's soft gravelly voice, "These herbs should counteract the other ones. How are you feeling?"

Mai opened her eyes once more and now the smoke had gone so had the sting, both from her eyes and her throat and she felt much better. She felt that warm fuzzy feeling of an early riser who wonders for a moment where they are and how they got there. It appeared she was laying on cool, soft grass, her head resting on a nice soft lap. Looking up she could see the edge of a canopy of leaves covering half a deep purple sky filled with more stars than she could ever remember seeing before. With the dullness of sleep still gradually fading she looked up and around with mild curiosity. The moon was high, past the zenith making it somewhere past midnight and dark clouds were shifting, bringing darkness and light alternately. Yet as Mai turned her eyes and looked at the underside of the tree next to her she realized she could see things very clearly. Every dark green leaf, the grays and light browns of the bark, even a bright green and yellow spider working on it's web in the shadows near the trunk. Suddenly Daniel's face leaned over her with a worried smile.

"Would you mind saying something?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, "Just in case you need some more of those herbs."

"I'm fine." Mai said softly but at that moment memories came crashing in to her awareness and she gave a strangled gasp.

Running with the others like silent shadows through the forest. An enormous antlered animal with the two men hanging from it's head. Hooves and teeth lashing out and slashing at the air. Her heart thudding in excitement as her blade plunged through the animal's side. Daniel holding the bloody heart aloft and her teeth sinking into hot flesh.

"Oh." Mai managed to get out as she tried to get up.

But all she managed was to roll on her side as her gorge rose and she retched onto the ground beside where she lay. Rough and calloused hands gently held her hair out of the way, another stroking her back as she shuddered.

"Hush. It's Ok. Concentrate on the memories, Mai." Daniel said soothingly as Mai's nausea passed, "That was not your conscious mind doing those things, but a part of you as old as life itself."

Mai rolled back over, resting her head on Daniel's lap again and frowning up at his concerned face.

"Did we really? Did I actually eat that thing?" Mai asked and rolled to her other side.

They were at the edge of the clearing where the hunt had finished, she saw. Just visible at the center of the clearing was the carcass of the Moose-lion being worried at by a dozen or so dark shapes.

"What?" Mai said with concern, sitting up.

"Wolf-bats." Daniel said simply as Mai stared at the dark shapes tearing at the corpse, "Distant relatives of the wolf spirit inside me. I called them in to clean up."

The creatures where roughly the size of the animal Daniel could transform himself into and as Mai watched they were quickly devouring the larger Moose-lion. They were covered in dense brown fur and resembled the gray wolf in general appearance. The main differences being their great leathery wings attached to their forelimbs, which were now folded as the animals scurried over and around the corpse. Their bloodstained faces were pale and hairless, their nostrils wide and flaring while their small beady eyes almost shone a blood red.

As Mai watched the wolf-bats eagerly eating the carcass in a detached kind of way, other memories came rushing back.

The intense feelings of energy and life as she had eaten of the heart. The way her senses had spiked, revealing nearly everything around her, including the strong, powerful man she now sat beside. The burning heat in her loins and the undeniable lust that had consumed her.

"Oh no." Mai gasped as she raised her hands to her mouth and stared at Daniel wide eyed, "What did I do? I'm so sorry. How could I,"

"It's alright Mai. You know that wasn't really you." Daniel said with a slightly embarrassed grin, "And you know nothing happened. It was the ritual, the hunt. It has…effects on the body. Just don't focus on the bushes over there."

Once he had said it, Mai couldn't help herself. She looked across the clearing where Daniel had indicated. One of the bushes there was shaking quite violently and, over the snarling and tearing noises of the wolf-bats feast she could hear loud, urgent moans and grunting coming from over there. She suddenly realized that not just her eyes and her ears were registering Sokka and Suki's presence but her other senses were picking up the amorously occupied pair as well. Mai's hands raised from her mouth to pinch her nose.

"I can. I can smell what they're doing." Mai said with a disgusted look, although one side of her mouth twitched upward into a grin.

"I did say not to look." Daniel said grinning. Mai gave the man a withering stare and he chuckled, "But I also did say your senses would get a boost from the hunt."

Mai hadn't realized at the time exactly what that meant. Even when the clouds covered the moon, she could still see clearly as though it were only a heavily overcast day, the deepest of shadows fully revealed to her eyes. Her ears were picking up sounds from all about, the wolf-bats, the warrior couple's rather embarrassing sounds, several scratchy, twanging musical notes she realized came from the spider spinning it's web in the tree, even the steady beating of Daniel's heart from where he still sat next to her. Her nose though, was thoroughly overwhelmed by the myriad of odors coming to her. She left her fingers pinching her nostrils to block out the stench of the wolf-bats, the smell of the carcass they were working on and even still she couldn't avoid sensing Sokka and Suki's amorous activities. She looked down and saw a little bowl half filled with charred herbs.

"Maybe you should," Mai started to say to Daniel and pointed at the bowl.

"I am not going near those bushes." He interrupted emphatically, holding up a hand.

They laughed lightly but both stopped with a slight cringe as a fresh shout of pleasure erupted from across the clearing.

"Maybe we should just start back." Daniel said, rising to his feet he reached down and offered a hand to Mai.

"But what about them?" Mai asked as she got to her feet and pointed at the shaking bush.

Daniel smiled and pointed at the wolf-bats.

"Don't worry. These guys are friends of mine. They'll keep an eye on the happy couple." Daniel said, but Mai gave him a disbelieving look and he continued, "They see me as part of their pack, a friend, and that covers you guys too. They wont harm or allow any harm to come to Sokka or Suki and would defend them as one of their own."

Mai still wasn't sure but she nodded to Daniel. The next second he shifted a foot slightly and a large boulder erupted from the ground behind him at the edge of the clearing with a loud crunch. The wolf-bats raised their heads, watching as the stone flowed and changed, molding itself into a floating chair like the one he had made the day before. When it was complete the wolf-bats returned to their meal, unconcerned. Mai frowned at the chair then looked to Daniel.

"Are we that far from the camp?" She asked, "How far did we run on this hunt?"

He glanced up at the sky, sniffing at the air then smiled at Mai.

"I'd say we're about three miles east and maybe a mile south of little Hu's clearing. A good five or six miles from camp." Daniel told her with a shrug as Mai blinked at the man in surprise.

"We came so far." Mai said in wonder. She hadn't run so far since she was a teenager and she was with child as well.

Daniel only smiled and nodded, reaching out with a hand to assist Mai up into the floating chair. Then he surprised Mai by turning back to the clearing and making a series of low grunts and growls at the back of his throat. One of the wolf-bats perked up it's large ears and came bounding over to stand before the man and Mai on her floating chair. She cringed back a little from the creature's ugly, hairless face and the powerful stench that rose from it. It looked up at Daniel, making a coughing, croaking sound and took one of his hand's in it's mouth, tugging gently at it.

"No thank you, friend. This feast is for you and your's." Daniel said softly to it with a smile. He slid his hand from between it's jaws and scratched the animal vigorously behind the ears. The look of pleasure on the thing's ugly face made Daniel laugh and even Mai smiled a little, "I know exactly how good that feels. Take good care of my friends and we will hunt together again soon."

The wolf bat made another croaking cough at Daniel and bounded away, back to join it's fellows at their meal.

"Does it really understand you?" Mai asked.

"Not the words so much, no." Daniel explained, "You understand a little of how an animal's mind works now. I was just reestablishing the bond between us. He and his pack will continue to treat Sokka and Suki as though they were their own."

As Daniel spoke he started walking along the edge of the clearing to the trees at it's northern end and Mai couldn't resist turning to look back with concern. She still just couldn't believe that she had helped hunt and kill that huge animal.

"It's alright, Mai. That Moose-lion wouldn't have survived long anyway. It's why I chose it for our hunt." Daniel explained to her as though reading her mind, "He was hurt, probably in a fight with another of his kind. If the wolf-bats or some other predator didn't finish him off, starvation would have soon enough. You can think of what you did as a kindness, making his inevitable end clean and quick."

Mai understood what Daniel was saying but part of her still could help feeling bad for the animal. They continued travelling for awhile in silence but something else was nagging at Mai's thoughts.

"Daniel?" She asked and he turned to her as he continued walking alongside her chair, "Have you ever been in love?"

Daniel stopped suddenly as did the chair and Mai gripped the arms to stop herself sliding off. He turned an incredulous look at her.

"Why would you ask that?" He asked.

"Well. When I was under the influence of those herbs, when I threw myself at you, you were afraid." Mai said softly, "I remember I could see you were afraid but I could smell it too. For that matter, I could nearly taste it."

"You're my Aunt." Daniel said, screwing his face up, "Kind of."

"It's not just that. Yesterday when June asked you for that kiss." Mai said, pressing on, "She got through to you in the end but at first I thought you looked like you were going to run for the hills, or something."

"Can we drop this." Daniel stated with a dark scowl, "I hardly think whether I'm a virgin or not matters in the greater scheme of things."

He started walking again and although she felt bad for upsetting him, Mai continued as her chair kept pace.

"I don't mean that, Daniel. And I'm sorry if I upset you." She explained, looking abashed, "I just wondered if you had ever been hurt in love. I've seen your reaction before in others and I just wondered."

Daniel's scowl softened. He did not turn to Mai but his pace slowed.

"I hurt myself. I thought I was in love, once." He said in a strained voice, then continued in a lower tone, "But it turned out I didn't love either of them enough."

He turned his face away from her and she would have asked him more but Daniel's head suddenly jerked back up and he turned around looking intently back the way they had come.

"What?" Mai started but he only raised a hand to silence her and sniffed at the air.

"Nyla?" Daniel breathed with a confused look to the south.

Mai could see nothing through the dense forest behind them except the trees themselves and slid from her chair to stand beside Daniel. After a moment she thought she could smell something different. Leather and animal smells, kind of like the smell of Appa but also kind of dry and dusty. After a minute she could hear crashing in the forest as well and next moment the large shirshu came tearing through the trees and skidded to a halt before them.

"June." Daniel called out.

Lying across the large shirshu's saddle was the bounty hunter, unmoving and apparently unconscious. Nyla was heaving with deep breaths from her mad dash through the forest and the large animal trembled all over. Daniel and Mai ran to the side of the creature and the scarred man slid June's unresisting form down from the saddle, laying her gently on the ground. Mai could see plainly that the other woman had been in a fight. There was a shallow cut on the woman's leg, dried blood coating her pants and her shirt had been torn exposing one of her breasts.

Mai gasped. There was a vicious burn covering the exposed breast and a good portion of the bounty hunter's chest around it.

"She's been tortured." Daniel said as he inspected June. He place a gentle hand on the woman's chest and the other on her forehead. He closed his eyes but opened them an instant later, scowling darkly, "She's not here."

"But, she's alive." Mai said and indeed she could see the other woman's chest rising and falling.

Daniel's hands began sliding all over the bounty hunter and he suddenly plunged one hand down the woman's pants and fished around.

"Err, what are you doing?" Mai asked with concern.

By answer, Daniel withdrew his hand and held up a small flattened disk. The pia sho tile he had given to June the day before.

"She kept it safe, even as they took her spirit. This is the work of demons." Daniel said and Mai's hands rose to her mouth in shock. Standing up Daniel moved over to Nyla's side and beckoned to Mai, "Look at this."

Mai had been focused on the bounty hunter before but now she looked where Daniel indicated on the shirshu's side and saw four long gashes in the animal's flanks, just behind the straps of the saddle. The tears were close together as though someone had dug their fingers into the animal and raked them through it.

"There not a mortal person on the planet who could get close enough to a shirshu and do this. Easy there, girl." He said as Nyla shivered and protested at his gentle touches.

As Mai watched in horror and wonder, Daniel raised a hand to his mouth and bit down into the heel of his palm. Blood welled out of the corner of his mouth and he quickly raised the hand and gently smeared the blood from his own hand onto the bloody gashes on Nyla's side. The shirshu shivered harder and jerked a little but where Daniel's blood made contact with torn flesh it quickly sealed up and partly healed over right before Mai's eyes.

"That'll do her for now." Daniel said, he moved over grabbing June from the ground and cradled her in his arms, "We need to get June to Katara. I could get her there faster but I'll not leave you alone out here. Get on Nyla."

Mai was quick to comply, climbing up the side of the shirshu and into the saddle. Daniel leapt lightly with June in his arms and landed behind Mai. Nyla turned her head, sniffing at the two on her back with her unmoving partner and made a mournful sound.

"I'll get her back, Nyla. I promise." Daniel said softly, then louder, "Now get us to the Avatar. You know him, he can help June. Now go."

Mai gripped the saddle with white knuckles as the animal leapt forward, going from a standstill to a flat-out sprint. The ride was smooth enough and even though trees and branches whipped by on both sides, Nyla seemed to pick her way with care. Nothing came close enough to threaten her passengers.

"What did you mean, they took her spirit?" Mai asked without daring to try and look around.

She could feel the bounty hunter's unconscious body pressed against her back as she was held by Daniel.

"Someone has forcibly removed June's soul." came Daniel's angry, growling reply behind her, "Only a powerful demon or something just as bad could or would have done this."

Mai gulped. She couldn't exactly call the bounty hunter a true friend, not like the other members of the Gaang. But she'd received good services the bounty hunter both working for her nation and for the business Mai ran with Toph, even sitting down on more than a few occasions for tea and June's rather blunt version of 'girl talk'. Nyla was tearing through the forest at frightening and unbelievable speeds but Mai gripped the saddle tightly and silently urged the shirshu to go faster.

The moment the glow surrounding him faded, Aang knew he was in trouble. He snatched up the tiny, hard body of Avatar Yin and looked about him. He knew he was somewhere within the spirit swamps that surrounded the mortal world but he'd never seen it looking like this.

What? What has happened to this place? Yin's thoughts came to Aang. Even the old Avatar could not believe what it was seeing.

In the past, Aang had been to the spirit swamps, both to get information from the spirits who resided here and once he'd been trapped here after he'd nearly died, but he had not been back for many years. The swamps were called swamps but the landscape generally seemed like a mish mashed mix of different terrains that mimicked the landscape back on the mortal world. One moment you could be walking through an actual swamp and the next step could see you wandering in dry desert which could be bordered by icy tundra which, in turn, could lead to dense tropical forest. But, usually, everywhere were the spirits of living things, growing and thriving as they had in mortal life.

Yet Aang stared about him aghast, something terrible had happened here. As he stood with Yin clutched in his hands he appeared to be standing in a natural depression but the ground was cracked, blackened and bereft of anything living. What remained of the plant life that used to throng here seemed to have been burned away, leaving nothing but black ash that swirled about Aang's feet as he moved in a circle, looking about.

"Everything's gone." Aang breathed in horror.

This is our realm, Avatar. Yin's thoughts reflected the horror Aang felt, This place should be filled with spirits of the natural world. It is the bridge between worlds. Where our kind is at it's strongest. Oh, Yang, have you lost all sense of decency?

"Listen. Yin, I don't know what you hoped to achieve by coming here but we really need to go." Aang said quietly to the creature in his hand, "I understand how you feel, I really do. But Fate killed you once and I don't think she'd hesitate to do it again."

But if I only could reason with Yang, perhaps, Yin started but Aang interrupted it's thoughts.

"Listen to me, Yin. A lot of the early Avatars don't seem to understand the kind of violence one mind can inflict on another." Aang said, trying to control his impatience with the creature, "The worlds have changed a lot since your time and I don't think Fate or Yang or whatever she is, is going to listen to reason. I know you feel responsible for all this, I understand that. But we need to go now."

How can you understand? I failed in my duties and ever since the worlds have been unbalanced. Leaving the people and my own future incarnations to deal with things I should have taken care of. came Yin's thoughts, touched by anger.

"I understand perfectly well." Aang shot back with anger in his own voice, "I ran away from my responsibilities and the world suffered a hundred years of war because of me. Now please, Yin, take us back."

War? What is war? Yin thought and Aang blinked in surprise at the question, But very well. Create a portal and we shall return.

"Err. I don't know how to do that. I've always had help before." Aang said feeling a little embarrassed, "You got us here. Can't you just take us both back?"

No. Not both of us. To travel here is easy, but to return…oh, to think of how much you have lost. Yin's mournful thoughts came, Perhaps we should attempt a sharing now.

"Well, well. Looky what we got here, boys." Came a deep, menacing voice from behind Aang and he stiffened in surprise, "We was told to keep an eye out but I never thought he'd be stupid enough to actually come here."

There came the sound of cruel laughter from several throats and Aang turned around slowly, slipping the tiny form of Yin up the back of his shirt as he went.

Up on the lip of the bowl shaped depression in which Aang stood were three creatures. One, evidently the speaker, was a burley man with wild sandy colored hair and a deep scar across his face. Another resembled a man but it's body appeared bloated and rounded, it's face was flattened with only slits for nostrils and as it grinned at Aang he could see it had triangular, serrated teeth. The last looked something like an ostrich-horse, at least it's lower half did. The top half looked like something reptilian, with tiny arms but a huge head and a wide mouth filled with long, pointed teeth.

Just stay hidden, Aang thought as loudly as he could, hoping Yin would hear, We'll figure something out.

I hear you, Aang. Came Yin's reply, But not so loud. If there are others who can communicate this way, they will hear you.

"So, what do we do with him?" the lizard creature said to the burley man in a slurring hiss, "Shall we have some fun?"

"No." the man said emphatically and lashed out suddenly with a fist, knocking the reptilian backward. It hissed angrily at the man but made no move in retaliation, "She wants him brought in in one piece. You gonna cross her?"

The lizard creature and the bloated one on the other side of the man both looked fearful but the man only turned away from them and sneered down at Aang.

"So, what's it gonna be, Avatar?" he said in a low menacing tone, though he was grinning as he spoke, "You gonna come quietly or do we get to play with ya first?"

The man drew a wicked looking notched broadsword from behind his back and pointed it at Aang, narrowing his eyes. Bending did not function here in the spirit realms and Aang knew there was little he could do against these armed and dangerous looking creatures. He did wonder though, how the man could have a sword in a place without elements or for that matter how he could still be wearing his clothes.

They are extensions of the self, Yin thought in reply to Aang's wonderings, Your clothing conceals me for now but the man's weapon is no less dangerous for being a figment of his imagination. Illusions have reality here, Aang. You have the power to remove those illusions.

Even if he did, Aang had no idea how he might do so.

"Crush." the man said to the bloated creature beside him, "Get down there and slap some sense into this fool."

The bloated thing grinned evilly, showing it's razor like serrated teeth and took a step forward.

"Wait." Aang said with more bravado than he felt and with the fear churning inside himself he stated walking boldly up the incline toward the three.

As he got close the man lunged forward with his free hand, grabbing the front of Aang's shirt and pulling him close.

"That fire nation twat I cut up last week said you was supposed to be powerful. Pathetic." the man snarled in Aang's face, looking him up and down, "The queen wants to see you at her general's place. You might think yerself lucky that we don't get to play with ya, but once she gets her claws in yer."

The three creatures laughed heartily at this and the man spun around and shoved Aang away.

"Now git moving." The man snarled.

But as Aang turned away from the man he could only stop and stare, horrified by what he saw once more. Of all the spirits and growing things that once thrived in this place, nothing remained. As far as he could see the landscape was blackened and barren. On the distant horizon though he could see the outline of a massive tree trunk, it's branches and leaves long since lost and he recognized it as Koh's home. And between him and the tree, countless creatures ranged across the landscape. Every nightmare that he had seen in Daniel's vision of hell seemed to bee here and other creatures simply too horrifying to describe. All seemed to be parodies of natural creatures with twisted limbs, spikes growing from their bodies or horns from their heads and all seemed to have one or more mouths filled with sharp pointed teeth. Those nearest turned at the sight of him and hissed, growled or roared in his direction.

"I said get movin." The burley man behind Aang shoved him hard again and he nearly fell to the ground.

Swallowing hard and trying to control his fears, Aang started walking forward, toward the distant dead tree. The monsters and other terrifying creatures parted to let him through, jeering and growling at him or jabbing claws or weapons toward him. The burley man was close on Aang's heels, warning the others back with threats of 'her' which seemed to strike fear into the monsters but as the tree loomed closer and the monsters became more thickly packed, Aang was more worried about what lay before him rather than those around him.