Kole:
Four massive fireballs arced over the Water City walls and into the city. It was daylight and the battle for the survival of the Northern Water Tribe had begun in earnest. Even though we were still in the sanctuary, you could still see and hear everything.
I kneeled at the pool in the very place where my Odette had been, devastated.
"I can't believe I lost her," I murmured, my eyes burning.
"You did everything you could and now we need to do everything we can to get her back," Alana said comfortingly.
Alana led Falcon over to Fanindra and I turned to look at my sister, tears brimming over my eyes.
"Ren can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Odette's gonna be fine," she said sternly.
I sighed and got up, knowing that I was being less than helpful right now. "Okay."
I walked by Fang, who looked out over the pond. He chittered softly and sadly. Now standing atop Fanindra - Alana at the reigns, Falcon beside her - I turned to look at the little wolf.
"It's all right. You stay here, Fang, in case Odette comes back," I said, mostly trying to reassure myself.
"Yip! Yip!" Alana said.
Fanindra launched herself into the air and out of the sanctuary into the frozen, snowing wasteland above. She flew over the ice dunes, the snow coming down hard from the dark, gray sky above.
Ren:
I tramped through the drifting snow, Odette's feet dragging behind me. My muscles were aching and I was exhausted after dragging her through the blizzard. Odette's eyes were still closed, but her tattoo arrow on her head glowed white. She was basically a deadweight right now and it was not helping me at all.
Far away in the distance, a mere whisper of a sound, I heard the familiar roar of a dragon.
I was running out of time…
Odette:
I was sitting cross legged on a platform in the middle of a bamboo swamp. A white bird flew by in an instant. I got up and ran off the platform, looking around the swamp. Behind me was a small island. A temple like structure, like the one behind the pond in the Water Tribe sanctuary, but thicker and cruder, rested on top of the island. Underneath the cross bar of the structure, a figure sat cross-legged.
I could hear it chanting from where I was. "Ohmm... Ohmmmm…"
Curious, I ran up the island to the see a white haired monkey sitting in meditative repose. He wore a brown monk's shawl.
"Hello? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I just really need to find the Moon and the Ocean spirits," I said.
The monkey spoke without opening his eyes. "Go... Away."
He paused for a moment, then opened one eye at me.
"You're still here?" he asked in disbelief.
I put my hands on my hips in annoyance. "Yes! I need –"
The monkey shut his eyes tightly. "Ohmm! Ohmmm!"
Suddenly, a blue will-o'-the-wisp entered from the right, emitting a slight crystalline noise.
"Perhaps that thing will help you? Chase it!" the unhelpful spirit said.
I chased the will-o'-the-wisp through the swamp and up a tree and out onto a large branch. I caught it, a huge smile on my face. As I did, the tree branch liquefied underneath me and I fell, screaming, to the water below and landed with a splash. As I lied in the water the will-o'-the-wisp got away from me.
"Come back!" I cried, getting up.
I moved to follow the will-o'-the-wisp, but stopped to look at the water. As the ripples from the splash dissipated, an image formed where my own reflection should have been.
"Hello, Odette."
I gasped and smiled. "Koren!"
Ren:
I continued carrying Odette through the snow. After some steps, the ice underneath me began to crack and cave in. Within a few seconds most of the ground around me was collapsing. I began to run with Odette on my back as fast as I could. I managed to keep just ahead of the yawning hole that my footsteps over thin ice had caused to appear.
The hole finally stopped expanding as I tripped and fell, landing face first in the snow and sending Odette rolling through it roughly.
I winced and scrambled to my feet. She had rolled over onto her side, her hair covering her face. I rolled her over and brushed her hair aside to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were still closed, in a peaceful state, her tattoos still aglow.
"Sorry," I grunted as I hoisted her up onto my back again.
We were now on the lip of a newly formed canyon. I looked ahead to see a rock ledge overhanging a small cave.
"Shelter!" I said in relief.
Huffing, I dragged Odette inside as the blizzard continued. I dumped her at the back of the cave and tied her hands behind her back with some of the rope I was carrying.
Odette:
I looked down at the reflection in the water of the Spirit World swamp.
"Koren, the Water Tribe is under attack. I need to find the Ocean and Moon spirits!" I said hurriedly.
Suddenly, maroon colored water fountained up and solidified into the shape of Avatar Koren.
"The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over from the Spirit World to the Mortal World very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember,"
"Who?" I asked.
"The spirit's name is Koh. But he is very dangerous. They call him... the Face Stealer," he said.
Shocked and frightened, I gulped.
"When you speak with him you must be very careful to show no emotion at all – not the slightest expression or he will steal your face," he warned.
Knowing there was no way to avoid this spirit, I breathed and forced the fear from my face and nodded to Koren stoically.
Ren:
I looked out at the frozen wastes where the blizzard raged. Freezing cold, I blew fire into my hands to keep warm. I looked over at Odette, hoping she would stay warm as well.
I sighed as I looked at her.
"I finally have you. But I can't get you home because of this blizzard." I walked over to the cave entrance to look out at the falling snow. "There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always...came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy – and everyone adores her."
I felt my thoughts darken as I thought of my perfect sister, Athera, who had been held up on a pedestal since birth.
"My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck though, I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am."
I don't know why I was saying these things, talking to her when we was completely unconscious. It was strange, but for some reason, I felt like I might have even said those things anyways if she had been awake.
Odette:
I hopped across the top of a line of wooden pylons on my way to a huge gnarled tree. The tree was partially silhouetted by a light source behind it that was too dim to be the sun, but too bright to be the moon.
I stopped as a monstrous coyote or other dog like creature passed behind the tree – it must have been the size of small mountain and could have eaten me in one gulp. Hesitant, I continued toward the base of the tree. There was a dark hole at the base and I approached it fearfully. My heart practically leaped out of my chest and I stopped short in fright as a monkey's screech sounded just beside me. It was sitting on the root of the tree, looking away from me
"Oh! Whew! You're just a curly tailed blue nose," I said in relief.
The monkey turned around to reveal that it has no face. I started again in fright, then dropped all emotion from my face and breathed deeply.
"Show no fear. Show no emotion at all," I murmured, repeating Koren's words from earlier.
I walked into the hole, fear hammering through me as I descended the staircase into Koh's lair. The lair opening had light pouring in through it. The lair was dark, though not the pitch black at the entrance. Roots stuck out from the ceiling, but no creature stirred.
"Hello? I'm looking for a spirit named, Koh," I called, my voice echoing hauntingly through the chamber.
As I said the spirit's name, something began to move. I looked around, sensing movement, but saw nothing.
A moment later a white face appeared right in front of me, with grey patches around its eyes and luscious, blood red lips. The face was vaguely clown like. I stared up at the lips, which smiled. Successfully, my face remained emotionless.
I was prepared.
Suddenly, a huge cockroach like body arcs around Odette and appears in front of his face. The white, clown like face of Koh was inches away from me. Around the spirit's face were eight legs that were attached to a black centipede like body.
"Welcome!" he said.
My face remained inscrutable.
The monster hung from the ceiling in front of me, and I bowed with my hands clasped in front of me in a gesture of honor.
"Thank you," I said.
Koh wheeled around me to look at me from the back. His voice was low, melodic, almost purring. His voice oozed danger and made my skin crawl.
"My old friend, the Avatar. It's been a long time," he said.
"You know me?"
"How could I forget…you!" At this moment he whirled to face me and his face had changed from the clown mask to a middle-aged mustached man. "One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! It was eight or nine hundred years ago."
"I didn't know that. Why did he... or I... try to kill you?" I asked.
"Oh…" his face changed to that of a beautiful, flowing haired young woman. "It was something about stealing the face of someone you loved…"
The face changed to the curly tailed blue nose face as Koh began to laugh cruelly.
"Of course, that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life? After all, you're a different person now," he said, sticking his fanged, monkey face up to my ear from behind me. "You've come to me... with a new face. And a very beautiful one at that."
Fear slithered down my spine and I closed my eyes and breathed.
I stood on the stairs as Koh wrapped his body loosely around me.
"It's been a long time since I've added a girl's face to my collection." His face was now that of an owl. "So... how may I help you?"
During the conversation Koh continued to wrap around me, making endless circles.
"I need to find the Moon and the Ocean," I said.
"Their spirit names were Tui and La. Push... and Pull... and that has been the nature of their relationship for all time," he said.
"Please, help me find them. An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help," I said, trying to keep the stress of my face. The more time I wasted here, the more the Water Tribe disappeared.
"Oh, you think you need their help? Actually, it's quite the other way around," he said.
In an instant, Koh turned and bolted to me, pressing his face within inches of mine. Koh's face had changed again from the owl to a blue ogre like face with red eyes and huge fangs.
"Someone's going to kill them!"
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them to look at Koh.
"What do you mean? How can I find them and protect them?" I asked.
Koh flipped back to his white face. "You've already met them, actually."
Koh reared his self up, so I had to look up to see his face.
"Tui and La, your Moon and Ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other... push and pull... life and death... good and evil... yin... and yang."
My eyes opened wide as I remembered the white and black fish circling each other in the pond and the vision I got of them turning into the yin and yang symbol just before I'd entered the Spirit World.
"The koi fish!" I exclaimed, smiling.
Koh, hearing the emotion in my voice, appeared instantly with his blue ogre face in front of me, ready to take my face. But no luck – my face was once again a model of impassivity.
"I must be going now," I said.
Koh flipped to the face of a bald young man. "We'll meet again."
Koh receded back into the shadows and I emerged from Koh's lair. I looked down at my reflection on the ground, dizzy with relief.
"The spirits are in trouble. I need to get back to the physical world," I said.
Avatar Koren appeared before me.
"A friend is here to guide you back," he said.
Koren faded to the panda form of Hei-Bai, the forest spirit. I turned with a wide smile.
"Hei-Bai!" I cried.
The big bear was indeed behind me and he reared up on my hind legs. He got on all fours and I jumped onto his neck. Hei-Bai then began to take me back to where I came in.
In no time at all, we reached the paifang where I'd entered.
"This is where I came in," I said as I jumped onto the platform underneath the paifang. "But how do I get back?"
In response, Hei-Bai reared up on his hind legs and breathed a pulse of blue, spiritual energy out of his mouth at me and I froze, engulfed by the energy and everything went black.
I returned back in the Water City sanctuary.
"Fang!" I cried.
I walked over to Fang, sleeping on the ground. He did not stir.
Confused, I looked at my hands. "Fang?"
Realizing my predicament I spun in terror. "Oh no! Where's my body?"
I looked around frantically but stopped as a blue ball of energy formed around and I was lifted or beamed by it right out of the sanctuary valley and out into a wasteland above. Like a comet I arced over the frozen landscape.
I quickly arrived at a cave and slammed back into my body
I woke up, wondering what I was doing in a cave…and apparently tied up. I struggled briefly against my bonds, then sat up to face Ren.
He looked awful. Burns and scratches and bruises covered his face in random splotches and I wondered what had happened to him.
He smiled at me and I felt my heart skip a beat.
"Welcome back," he said, and I snapped it of it.
"Good to be back," I replied threateningly.
With a mighty breath, I blew Ren against the wall while simultaneously propelling myself out of the cave and into the open. I began to grunt as I moved forward, caterpillar style, along the ground. Ren came over and grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up.
"That won't be enough to escape," he sneered.
Just then, a familiar roar echoed through the sky with a deafening sound. I looked up just as Fanindra appeared over Ren's head, snarling at him in rage.
"Fanindra!" My guardian angel had come to save me once again.
Fanindra landed and Ren dropped me in the snow. Kole dismounted her to face Ren. I was so happy to see him I could have passed out.
Ren assumed a firebending stance. "Here for a rematch?"
"Trust me, Ren, it's not going to be much of a match," Kole sneered back, beginning to waterbend.
He blocked a fireball that Ren launched as he finished his sentence while Alana and Falcon looked on from Fanindra's saddle. He sent a shock wave of ice hurtling towards Ren. When it reaches him, Kole encased him in a pillar of ice that he rose up high, then dropped.
Ren fell to the ground unconscious.
Alana ran over and cut my bonds and I flexed my arms in relief.
"Hey! This is some quality rope!" Alana said and I rolled my eyes.
"We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" I said, knowing I was running out of time.
I got up and ran to Fanindra. We all swiftly got onboard with me at the reigns. We were ready to go, but…I stopped and looked over at Ren. After everything he had done, I'd still managed to fall in love with him. He still had a hold over me. Man, I must have been dropped when I was a baby or something.
All I knew now was that I could not leave him here. He would die, and then what? I would never forgive myself, and I would be stuck wantering around…lost.
"Wait, we can't just leave him here," I said.
Alana snorted. "Sure we can. Let's go."
"No, if we leave him, he'll die," I jumped down, grabbed Ren and brought him back on to Fanindra.
"Yeh, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us!" Alana growled, very unhappy.
Fanindra took off, as Ren and I got settled in the saddle. I rested his head on my lap and when I though no one was looking, I ran my fingers through his hair gently, hoping he wouldn't wake up.
Kole:
We were almost there when the usual moon became a haunting blood red one. It shedded a blood red light that washed over everything. As we flew over the city, I spotted Sorren riding his water tornado as the blood red light swept over him. As it did, his tornado collapsed. Another waterbender's water whip disintegrated as the light changed. A war rhinoceros was getting washed away, but the force driving the wave vanished as the light turned. The soldier on the war rhinoceros was once again able to advance on the waterbenders who fled in panic. A line of Fire Nation soldiers fired volley after volley in unison.
We were losing…badly.
As soon as the moon went red, Falcon doubled over, clutching his head in pain.
"Ugh…" he groaned.
"Are you okay?" Alana asked, worried.
Falcon shook his head. "I feel faint."
Odette put her hand on her head as well. "I feel it too." She looked up. "The Moon Spirit is in trouble."
"I owe the Moon Spirit my life," Falcon said.
"What do you mean?" Alana asked.
"When I was born I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they're born…but I was born as if I were asleep. My eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me...that night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry – and they knew I would live," he explained, leaving us in awed silence for a moment.
"That's why my mother named me Falcon, for the moon," he finished.
We flew swiftly to the oasis and reached it in no time. Underneath the blood moon's light basked Drake and his entourage by the pond in the oasis.
Of course he was the one behind all this.
"I am…" he raised his fist to the heavens, "…a legend now! The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Drake who darkened the moon! They will call me Drake the Conqueror! Drake the Moon Slayer! Drake THE INVINCIBLE!"
At this moment Fang jumped onto Drake's head started pulling at his face and snarling viciously.
"Huh! Get it off!" Drake yelled, furious.
Fang jumped off as the guards surrounded Drake to help him. He landed near me just as Fanindra landed and we squared off against Drake and his men.
Drake sneered at me. "Don't bother!"
Drake pulled out a knife or sword and held it to the bag with the Moon Spirit in it.
No.
I dropped my staff and raised my hands in surrender. If I had to give myself up to save the spirit I would.
"Drake! Don't!" Odette pleaded.
"It's my destiny... to destroy the Moon... and the Water Tribe," he snapped back.
"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone – including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world," she explained cautiously, trying to get him to see reason.
"He is right, Drake," a familiar old voice suddenly said.
It was Ira.
Between Odette, Ira, and Drake, they formed a triangle around the pond.
Drake in a bored, lecturing tone, spoke to the General. "General Ira, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"
Ira lowered his hood. "I'm no traitor, Drake, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance."
I stared at Drake who was still holding the weapon to the bag, then looked back to Ira who pointed a finger at Drake
"Whatever you do to that spirit I'll unleash on you ten-fold!" he thundered and assumed a firebending stance. "LET IT GO, NOW!"
Ira and Drake locked eyes for a moment, then Drake faltered, lowering the bag. He kneeled and released the fish back into the water. The red light of the moon vanished, replaced by its normal color.
Drake's face was suddenly overtaken by a look of madness and desperation. With a cry of rage he stood and smote the water with a blast of fire. The fire blast passed Ira, who recoiled in horror. Odette's and Fang's faces were briefly illuminated by the fire. She looked up to witness the moon wink out of existence.
Ira sprang instantly to the attack. Crossing the footbridge, Ira fired blast after blast. Drake blocked one blast and backed away while Ira expertly dispatched Drake's four guards. Drake looked on in horror as his men were wiped out by the aging General with such ease and precision. He fled.
Gutless coward.
Ira stood over the guards who struggled to get up, then back to the pond where the black fish swam frantically and the white - a huge gash in its side - floated. Ira gently lifted the white fish from the water, an expression of sadness on his face. The guards were now gone.
Falcon was on the verge of tears, and Alana rested her hands on her shoulders. "There's no hope now. It's over."
I looked over at Odette, who's sad expression turned to determination as her eyes and tattoos glowed white. Her Avatar Spirit spoke through her mouth. Her voice turned deep and other-worldly.
"No, it's not over."
Odette walked forward into the pond. I moved to follow, but was stilled by a motion to halt from Ira. She stood in the middle of the pond, arms in prayer. She looked down at the black fish, whose eyes and white mark on his spine began to glow white. Odette's feet in the pond now glowed bright white. Then she dropped into the pond as if the bottom had fallen out of it and she disappears.
"NO!" I cried, leaping to my feet but Alana steadied me.
"Wait! Just watch…"
The water in the pool around the oasis itself began to glow a deep blue veined with white. The glow spread from behind the citadel to encompass the entire citadel area of the city. We all looked on with wonder at the awesome power coming to life before us. A huge, incandescent blue wave rushed under the footbridge as if some huge creature were moving underneath it. Fanindra - standing on the oasis - was dwarfed by the creature that rose from the pool.
The blue, white veined creature was a huge fish like being. At its center was a blue white bubble in which we could see Odette, who spread her arms wide. A moment later, the Ocean Spirit, for this was truly he in communion with the Avatar, duplicated the motion. The Ocean Spirit towered over the citadel, it's arms still spread wide, it's blue spirit lighting the city like a beacon. The Spirit began to move down into the city.
From where we were, we could see everything. Master Sorren and his waterbenders instantly bowed to the floor in honor of their god. Across the canal, some Fire Nation soldiers raised their spears in defiance, but were swept away by a wall of water sent by the Ocean Spirit. Odette, inside the body of the Ocean Spirit, flailed her arms about, directing the power of the Ocean Spirit against the violator's of the Moon Spirit and the Water Tribe City.
Fire Nation tanks fired blasts of fire at the Ocean Spirit, but they were absorbed with no effect. The soldiers and tanks were washed away as if they were toys. The Ocean Spirit passed by the Water Tribe citizens who made obeisance to their lord. The Fire Nation army was in full retreat, trying desperately to escape the vengeance of a living Spirit. The Ocean Spirit reached the main canal in front of the third wall and melted into it.
Ren:
I woke up somewhere in the city. The world was dark and someone was racing towards me. I looked down and spotted Drake as he ran over a foot bridge.
Well, well…my lucky day.
He exited onto a parapet an was almost hit by a blast of fire I sent off that hit the wall in front of him. As the smoke cleared, Drake looked up to see me on the wall on the tier up above him.
"You're alive?" he gasped, incredulous.
"You tried to have me killed!" I hissed, furious.
I launched a few fire blasts at Drake with a cry of anguish, but my target dodged, rolling along the parapet wall.
"Yes, I did. You're the Blue Spirit – and enemy of the Fire Nation!" he said with much venom.
I jumped down and we faced each other. Between us was the panorama of the city.
"You freed the Avatar!" he accused.
"I had no choice!" I yelled back.
I continued my attack, firing volley after volley at Drake, who broke them with his hands held together in a wedge in front of him. As the blasts subsided, Drake dropped his smoking cloak to the ground.
"You should have chosen to accept your failure – your disgrace! Then, at least you could have lived!" he screeched and returned fire.
We traded volleys as the fight raged back and forth in the darkness. At one point I was able to exploit a moment when Drake left his chest unguarded. I blasted him and Drake fell off the parapet wall onto the tier below.
Kole:
Ira placed the dead Moon Spirit fish back into the pond. I looked at it sadly, knowing that it was over…the North Pole was done for.
"It's too late. It's dead," I said.
Falcon, Ira, and I mourned the passing of the Moon Spirit. Suddenly, Ira looked up at Falcon in wonder.
"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit. Some of its life is in you!" he said.
Prince Falcon looked up. "Yes, you're right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back."
He got up and went to the pond's edge.
Alana reached for him, panic all over her face and I felt my heart break for her. "No! You don't have to do that!"
Prince Falcon held her hand behind him, but looked down. "It's my duty, Alana."
"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you!" she cried, tears in her eyes.
Falcon looked up. "I have to do this."
Slowly, he pried her hand from his as she started to sob. He walked to Ira, who held the dead fish in his hands. He put his palms over the Moon Spirit which began to glow. He closed his eyes for the last time, exhaled a final breath, and fell over into Alana's arms.
"NO!" Alana screamed in despair.
She placed her hands on his cheek and looked away as big fat alligator tears rolled down her cheeks.
"He's gone," she said in a soft broken voice and hugged his body tightly. "He's gone."
Not knowing what to do, I looked behind me to the Fire Navy ships as they tried desperately to flee. The bowsprits raised quickly as the ships backed out. The incandescent blue of the Ocean Spirit flowed out past the city wall in front of the Fire Navy fleet. The Ocean Spirit reformed and, towering over the fleet, reached out. He pushed two ships back out to see at amazing speed. Odette was in the bubble still making a slicing motion. The Ocean Spirit made the same slicing motion and made a razor cut through the bridge tower of Drake's flagship. The cut section slid down to the foredeck and the ship's forward trebuchet was wrecked.
The Ocean Spirit stood over the fleet hauntingly. The Spirit raised its arms, forming a huge wave which upended many vessels and pushed the rest far out to sea.
Relieved that the tribe was safe, I returned my attention back to the drama unfolding before me. Alana was cradling Falcon's inert form. His body glowed briefly and disappeared. The fish in Ira's hands glowed and he dropped it back into the water.
It began to swim in the pond. The pond glowed white and as we looked on, a ghostly cloud rose from it. It coalesced into Falcon's form, but now he was dressed in white. His clothes floated around him. He addressed Alana alone, his voice now echoed and was other worldly.
He was now the Moon Spirit.
"Goodbye, Alana. I will always be with you," he said.
He kissed her, their hands on each other's faces before he faded away. Everything was dark for a moment more before the moon reappeared shone brightly once again.
Ren:
Drake and I continued to battle on the footbridge over the canal. We traded blows, but a series of direct hits from me laid the Admiral flat. As Drake tried to get up, he saw the moon - which had suddenly reappeared - over my shoulder.
"It can't be!" he said in horror, his face wide with disbelief.
The essence of the Ocean Spirit I'd seen him kill approached fast and coalesced around the bridge. It grabbed Drake and began to pull him off the bridge. Drake struggled and I automatically reached out for him. Okay maybe I didn't want him dead…I just wanted him crippled beyond belief.
"Take my hand!" I said, offering it to him.
Drake tried to reach for it for a moment, but then drew back, an expression of hate on his face. The Ocean Spirit dragged Drake under the water and disappeared.
Kole:
In the morning, I looked over the heavily damaged Water Tribe City from the citadel. Several figures surveyed the scene from below. Master Sorren was standing in front of me.
"I've decided to go to the South Pole. Some other benders and healers want to join me," he said and turned to face me. "It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."
"What about Odette?" I asked as we looked at her and Fang. "She still needs to learn waterbending."
Master Sorren turned to me with satisfaction. "Well, then she better get used to calling you 'Master Kole.'"
Alana:
I stood with Chief Hale, looking out over the city.
"The Spirits gave me a vision when Falcon was born. I saw... a handsome, brave young man...become the Moon Spirit." He closed his eyes as I felt my chest tighten. "I knew this day would come."
I swallowed my own aching sadness. "You must be proud."
He nodded. "So proud. And sad."
We looked up to moon, still visible in the morning sky.
Ren:
I floated among the wreckage of the Fire Navy ships destroyed in the battle. Among the sunken shifts, my small raft sailed. My Uncle was next to me, relieved that I was still alive after everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
"I'm surprised, Prince Farren, surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar," he said in amusement.
I sighed, remembering my defeat. "I'm tired."
No, really I was confused and frustrated. That girl just loved to play mind games with me. One minute I thought she hated me and the feeling was mutual, trust me. But then she would turn around and save my life. She could have let me die out there, but she hadn't. She'd kept me safe even though she knew I would come after her again.
She was frustrating, infuriating, and utterly fascinating.
Uncle put a hand on my shoulder. "Then you should rest. A man needs his rest."
Uncle stood as I laid down, knowing he was right. I looked up into the sky, a pained look on his face as I thought of what I would do next.
I closed my eyes tiredly, knowing mine and Odette's paths would meet again.
Odette:
I looked out over the city.
Ren was gone and had disappeared, probably taking off somewhere with his uncle. I had to get over him. It was suicide. Being in love with that boy was going to get me killed one of these days. The thought hurt, and I rejected it. Maybe it would be better if I died…at least then I would have lived.
Kole came up behind me. I turned and we looked at each other for a moment.
I knew it was wrong, but maybe I could use Kole to get over my feelings for Ren, even though I knew that was going to be impossible. I had to try something.
We came together and hugged fiercely. A barking noise was heard and Kole looked down to see Fang looking up at us.
"You too, Fang," he said, laughing.
We leaned down and knelled on the ground, laughing.
"Come here," I said to him.
Fang jumped over and snuggled up against my side. Alana came over and put an arm on my shoulder. The four of us looked over the city together.
With a rumble, Fanindra rose from below and floated patiently nearby, awaiting her comrades so we could depart as the course of events pushed us all ever onward to our destinies.
Athera:
I looked up at my father, the Fire Lord himself. He was seated on his throne…the throne that would soon be mine. He was silhouetted by the flames that wreathed his dais.
Before him, I kneeled; cruel, vicious, black hearted, and ready for whatever he wanted me to do, for whoever he wanted me to kill. I was dressed in a Fire Nation military uniform and a cloak.
"Ira is a traitor and your brother Ren is a failure," my father said. I looked up at my father with a twisted smile. "I have a task for you…"