Authors Note: Sorry for the wait, but I just didn't feel like writing for a while. On the bright side I got like the next eight chapters ready to go. Also, changed the order a bit. Anyways, back to the main group!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar world, that is all owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

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Chapter 9

Spirits

Looking back at the incident, it was inevitable that conflict would arise in their small group.

A small ray of moonlight reflected off a rusted surface that slept in the grass. The wind blowing blades over top of it. The faint echoes of an argument could be heard. The owners of the voices belonging to Wikilow and Arlo. A third voice, Elsi's occasionally was pitching in trying to meditate the conflict.

Said conflict's trigger having occurred just minutes ago, but in truth went further back that night.

Wikilow, Elsi and Arlo had been camping out in a small dense clearing a way off from the last town they had passed through. The sky was inky dark, the mood hidden by the clouds. Gale was soaring through the trees around them, ducking and weaving through the gaps in the foliage. The Avatar was searching the area for anything suspicious, cautious and careful as always. Arlo was uncharacteristically quiet. His usual routine having wavered after lighting the group's modest fire which peacefully flared in the clearing's centre. He sat against the fattest trunk in the clearing with a relaxed air about him.

The fire bender fiddled in his pocket, the quiet rusting of his movement going unnoticed by the others. After some seconds had passed the cirque pulled out a small metallic device. It was circular in shape and had a slight rust on its edge, a messy label hugged its side. A glassy surface covered one of the two faces, fogged over from the falling temperature.

Arlo softly rubbed the glass with the back of his sleeve. Proceeding to flip it over to view its back. Four tiny screws marked the outline of a lid on the metal surface. Fumbling around more Arlo dragged an old multi tool out of his pocket. He gave it a small nostalgic smile as he got to work unscrewing the device's lid. Finally, Elsi took notice to what her companion was doing. The noise of his work disturbing the comfortable silence they had fallen into,

The air bender rose and curiously approached him, observing his activity.

"What' cha up to you, Arlo?" Elsi softly asked, leaning her shoulder against the tree's ginormous trunk.

"Just messing around with this funky clock." Arlo answered, motioning to the device in his hands. He had pried the lid off and unearthed the coloured wires inside. "Town was clearing out its stock, got this for a bargain cause it's defective." The fire bender explained giving the device a shake.

"Weird clock that is." Elsi observed, noting the lack of arrowheads or signs through the glass. "How's it supposed to work?" She questioned, puzzled.

"It's one of the newer models they're working on I think. I saw some advertisements for it a while back, though I guess it's only started being sold now." Arlo explained, eyes scanning the inner workings. "I'm pretty sure it's a new concept the big guys are developing…" He continued, explains the complex going ons behind the clock's mechanics. Elsi listened attentively, but found herself quickly overrun by the depth of the analysis.

"I didn't know you were interested into this sort of stuff, Arlo." She said when he was done. Arlo blinked as he began reorganizing the wireworks of the device.

"Ah, haven't had much opportunity to tinker lately. But, it's always been a hobby of mine since I was a kid. I use to help the guys at the circus with maintenance." The fire bender went with an awkward chuckle. "I'm just going to see if I can get the thing to work, again." Arlo elaborated, squinting his eyes as his face crunched up.

"I'll leave you to it then." Elsi finalized with a grin, Gale was soaring back toward them and landed on her arm. She walked back to the fire, their shadows dancing with the forest's. In the distance the air bender could see Wikilow returning from his patrol. "Hey…" She pleasantly began but went unacknowledged by the Avatar who marched past her. "Huh?" She whispered, confused as she stared at his figure.

Wikilow had a purpose in mind as he trekked on toward Arlo. Who has just got a small spark of light out of the device before noticing Wikilow.

"Dude-" Arlo started, wanting to share with his companion what he was working on. However, Wikilow swiftly grappled the clock out of Arlo's hand and smashed it to pieces on the ground before any of them could react. The Avatar continued the destruction of the clock by earth bending the pieces farther a part, flinging them away.

"Wikilow!" Elsi squeaked, alarmed at the sudden action. Gale spread their wings and flew off her shoulder.

It was during that part when Arlo finally registered the scene and snapped to his feet. A blazing fire in his eyes as he stormed next to Wikilow, spinning the Avatar's shoulder around to face him. The trace of a counter move rose and fell in Wikilow as he paused, staring back at an angry Arlo.

"DUDE! WHAT THE HECK!" Arlo furiously shouted, silencing the silence in the clearing.

"Is there a problem?" Wikilow calmly said in turn, tilting his head at Arlo's tone.

"IS THERE A PROBLEM? IS THERE A PROBLEM?" Arlo repeated, flabbergasted at the question. The fire bender's arms waved wildly about. "Yes there's a problem, Wikilow! What was that for?" He interrogated, quieter but in a quick harsh growl.

"What would 'that' be exactly?" Wikilow went in monotone, not believing himself to have done anything wrong to warrant such a reaction.

"Spirits! You demolished my clock! I was working on that!" Arlo retorted in the same growl, baring his teeth. It clicked in Wikilow what has upset his companion.

"I see. A signal from an electric clock like it could be tracked." Wikilow defended as it were obvious, though the statement did little for Arlo. The fire bender gaped for a whole long second before exploding at the absurdity.

"Tracked? How do you think it could be specifically tracked to us? How-I-What! That makes no sense at all, none!" Arlo indignantly sputtered, taking a step closer.

"There was a chance it could indeed be tracked. And it is of no importance anyways. I do not see what you are upset about." The Avatar continued to say impassively, riling up Arlo even more.

"Guys-" Elsi tried to intervene, but Arlo cut in.

"I haven't had anything to tinker with in ages! You can't just grab my stuff and do as you please, Wikilow!" Arlo went, temper flaring as he spoke.

"You shouldn't have taken it in the first place then. It's a frivolous toy of no real importance." The Avatar coldly stated, firm in his stance.

"Wikilow-" Elsi tried again to say before Arlo again interrupted.

"TOY! Are you- Why I!" He muttered, eyes bulging before narrowing to slits. Arlo quieted down, trying to regain his cool. He took a deep breath, in and out of the forest air. The fire bender brought his hands to his face as he made a sound of annoyance then let them fall to his side. "Spirits…" He quietly muttered. Lowering his head Arlo turned and stormed off into the darkness of the forest, his shadow soon melting to join those around him.

"I don't see why this has upset him so much. It's completely illogical to do." Wikilow observed after a minute, looking to Elsi. The air bender did a long concerned sigh in turn before answering.

"It doesn't have to be logical, Wikilow. It's something Arlo likes to do that he hasn't got to do in a while. You shouldn't have done that." She quietly chided, confusing Wikilow.

"If he is unhappy then he should leave." The Avatar surmised as being the logical action for Arlo to do.

"It's not that simple, Wikilow." Elsi explained.

"I do not understand." Wikilow stated. The air bender opened her mouth to reply but couldn't find the words to explain why Arlo stayed with them. "I'm… I'm going to go see if Arlo's alright. I'll try and explain later." She told the Avatar before leaving to find their companion.

Arlo was sitting a few minutes jog away from the clearing, hands in his pockets while he angrily kicked a pebble around in the dark. The tree's canopy offered little light as Elsi made her way toward him, Gale flew with her, perching themselves on a thick branch above.

"I know I ask this a lot. But, are you alright?" Elsi asked Arlo in a concerned tone. He didn't respond at first, continuing to kick the pebble around the ground.

"…Yeah… yeah I'm fine, Elsi. It's not a big deal." He muttered but did not face her. Clearly, there was something on his mind that was disturbing him. It was in Arlo's face for all to see.

"…What is it?" Elsi gently prodded, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Just frustrated…" The fire bender said.

"Wikilow didn't mean anything. It's just how he is, you know?" Elsi told the fire bender.

"I know that, Elsi… I know." Arlo quietly said back. "I still just don't get how someone could possibly…" He trailed off but they both knew what he meant.

"Wikilow's wondering why you don't just leave. Then again, he probably thinks that about both of us." Elsi soberly informed Arlo.

"Our friend doesn't quite understand it yet?" The cirque joked without joy, pulling at his white streak.

"…Yeah… but that's our Wikilow." Elsi softly said with a lone fond laugh, but silence fell over them.

The night continued as it always did.

—

Early the next day, the trio and Gale marched across a mountain's edge. It was as if a single mountain had been split in two, with multiple pathways and crevices dividing the halves. It was oddly quiet in the group, Arlo trailing a bit behind Elsi and Wikilow. The fire bender shooting uncomfortable glances at the Avatar. Unsure Arlo was. Up ahead, Elsi and Wikilow made small talk.

"I thought about yesterday's events." Wikilow told her, making Elsi turn her head.

"It was a long night for all of us." She replied, steering away from the ledge.

"Are you and Arlo unhappy travelling with me?" The Avatar suddenly asked, not meeting her eyes.

"Of course not, Wikilow! What kind of question is that?" Elsi indignantly yelled. "…Is this coming from last night?" She whispered after a few seconds had passed, looking behind her to see a forlorn Arlo. Wikilow did not respond at first, focusing on the rocky path ahead.

"Are you scared of me?" He questioned in quiet monotone.

"What? No! Wait… you don't think that's why we're travelling with you, right?" Elsi asked.

"I do not see any other logical reason for it." Wikilow explained as they turned a cliff's bend.

"Wikilow, it's perfectly 'logical'. It's because we're all friend-" The air bender tried to say before the mountain started to shake and rumble. "Huh?" She quickly yelled as she and Wikilow ran forward across the path. The side of the mountain ledge crumbling away, large boulders charging down after with thunderous booms.

"Earthquake!" Wikilow yelled though his voice was overshadowed by the noise. The two of them scrambled to get away from the chaos and ran down the mountains descent. Reaching a fair distance from the quake they paused to look at the damage. A part of the mountain seemed to be collapsing in on itself.

"Where did that come from?" Elsi asked through a pant.

"Arlo's not with us." Wikilow stated with a hint of urgency. Elsi blinked before looking around, he was indeed missing. They didn't even need to speak before their feet began to race back toward the mountain. The quake had settled just a moment before.

"ARLO!" Elsi shouted at the cliffside and bend, Wikilow echoing similar words near her. An ocean of rocks and boulders filled the mountain, little pathways remained to go further. No response returned. Panic and worry was evident on Elsi's face while Wikilow's remained stoic.

"ARLO!"

—

Arlo skidded down the mountain edge, frantically clawing at the surface to halt his fall. He felt his body tumbling and rolling, pain spiked in multiple areas. Sound was muted, lost among the earthquake's booms. Arlo began sliding down a smoother surface, though his vision blurred. Suddenly there was a wet, splashing sensation that caused him to fling his eyes open. Only seeing a blinding light, the fire bender felt a pain at the back of his head, and the world turned dark.

Later, as he wavered in and to of unconsciousness, Arlo swore he felt himself being dragged. Arlo blearily awoke in some sort of forest. The sky was coloured blue, yellow and green above. Without moving, his eyes sleepily scanned his surroundings before his mind registered the accident.

"Spirits…" Arlo muttered with a cough as he shakily stood. His hair was a mess and his clothes were heavily battered, he was missing part of his sleeve. "Guys…" The fire bender weakly uttered, hunching over. Arlo made his way against a twisty grey tree trunk and rested against it. Small, round golden leaves gently floated down near him.

The young man carefully held his head against his palm, taking a shaky breath.

"Ugh… monkey feathers… my head…" Arlo grumbled. The fire bender took some time to collect himself. After a few hours, he felt he was in a decent shape to get moving. "Now, where am I?" Arlo asked out loud, hands on his hip. He could vaguely hear the sound of rushing water, so he began walking toward it. Finding a fairly large river with fast rushing rapids.

"This'll work," Arlo said to himself as he started walking along the river's edge. While he journeyed, the fire bender called out the names of his companions, receiving no response in turn.

He walked a fair distance before a rustling in the golden foliage made him pause. Arlo glanced at the still bush, suspicious before continuing forward.

Another rustle, he paused again.

Saw nothing, continued.

A third rustle from behind, louder.

Footsteps.

A low, menacing growl.

Arlo nervously turned around.

To face a walking mass of emerald scales and dark beady eyes and flames. Arlo was facing a dragon.

In reality, it was much smaller then what the legends would make one believe. Especially since most of the draconian species resided in the Fire Nation. There were a few thunders however that presided over the spirit realm's territories. The dragon Arlo faced reached to about his waist at full height. But, the threatening aura around the creature was enough cause for reason to stay away.

"H..hey there…buddy…" Arlo slowly greeted, a panicked smile on his face as he slowly backed away. The small dragon moved closer to him for every step he took back. The fire bender let out a few nervous laughs before blinding the dragon with his flames and sprinting as fast as his tired body would allow. The dragon recoiled, letting out a surprised hiss.

"Spirit world then! Okay… yeah… that makes 'so much sense'!" Arlo yelled in his mind as he ran down the riverbank. "But where else would you see a freaking dragon! They never leave the Fire Nation by themselves! And I am definitely not in the Fire Nation!" He continued as he jumped over a log. "Okay…okay… SPIRITS! HOW AM I THE SPIRIT WORLD!?" Arlo mentally screamed, bringing his hands to his head.

A growl was heard chasing the frantic fire bender, making him run faster. "I don't taste good! Leave me alone!" He yelled behind him, picking up his pace.

—

After what had to be days but was actually like fifteen minutes. Arlo dove into a large tree's nook to hide and catch his breath. The fire bender could hear his hunter prowling about outside. Every individual grunt and snarl feeling like the icy cold grips of death around his neck. He held his breath, not daring to make any noise.

Eventually, the creature's presence subsided and soon disappeared. Allowing Arlo to breath out in relief. He waited a few more minutes before exiting the trunk, cautious of the possibly lingering dragon. But he was fortunately, alone.

"That was way too close…" The fire bender mumbled as he leaned against the cool, hard wood. "…What now?" He asked himself, thinking over his current predicament. "Spirit world… eh…" Arlo muttered, resigned as he began wandering the area. "How to get out…?" He added, checking under rocks and branches as if the exit would be underneath.

A sudden nausea overcame the young man. Making him stumble back into the tree, clutching his sweaty forehead. "Dammit…" Arlo cursed as he stared up at the coloured sky.

Letting out a tired sigh he reentered the trunk and settled himself in a comfortable position inside. "A small rest… just a super small nap to recharge… yeah…" Arlo whispered as his eyes closed themselves, embracing sleep's darkness.

—

Something poked against the fire bender's side, arousing him from slumber. Drowsily, Arlo pried his eyes open.

The dragon was right next to him.

"WHAT THE, NO NO NO NO!" The young man shouted, pushing the small dragon off of him and scrambling out of the trunk. Arlo hastily made a mad dash away from the dragon.

He could hear the dragon give chase once more. "I mean it when I said I don't taste good, buddy!" Arlo yelled as he ran, not caring where just anywhere away from the dragon. He briefly stumbled over a hanging root but quickly regained his balance. The fire bender in his weary mood did not look where he was going. Soon, he found himself at a dead end, the only way forward through a large thicket.

Hesitatingly, Arlo took a step back before he heard the growl of the dragon. Gulping, he charged forward through the thicket. Crossing through to the other side, he backed away from the thicket. Hearing the dragon grow louder and frustrated. Grinning, Arlo took off. His joy was short lived however, when the dragon burst through a slightly crisped thicket.

Cutting through Arlo's shock, the dragon seemed faster then before. Arlo tried to run, seeing a large mountain covered in forest that the river ran up in the distance. Soon, it had caught up with Arlo and looked to be readying to leap at him. The fire bender stumbled to the side and tripped over his own feet. Falling to the ground he pushed himself back, putting his hands in front to defend himself.

However, the dragon didn't leap to attack Arlo. Instead, it leaped ahead and charged forward.

"…Huh?" A shocked Arlo breathed out, slowly lowering his arms. The dragon stood, wings spread out a few meet away from him. Green scales glistening in the little light that met them. Hissing and growling as it surveyed the surroundings, it was looking for something.

Suddenly, it was as if the forest came alive. The branches bent down as if to imprison off the dragon, an intangible force pressing them down. The wind circled the area, lifting rocks, leaves and small spirits off the ground and into the air. An ominous whistle sang, a dark melody that filled Arlo with dread.

The dragon's dark eyes had a vengeful anger burning throughout. It seemed to direct that anger at the forest itself, hissing and growling at it pounced and clawed at the branches binding it. The small dragon opened it's mouth to burn the branches to a crisp with fire. However, all that burst forth from the dragon was a tiny spark, barely a flame.

The wind instantly extinguished the feeble spark, and seemed to pull upwards, as if mocking the dragon. Who in turn seemed to grow angrier as it continued it's assault.

Arlo, who was an unwilling observer to the scene was off to the side still down. He watched in stunned silence as the dragon continued it's futile struggle.

"…Wait…" The fire bender said, though the wind drowned his voice out. "…Were you…" He continued, putting the pieces together in his mind. "Trying to protect me… from this?" Arlo asked, getting to his feet as the wind seemed to swirl around him, the whistle deafening.

The branches and rocks and sticks and small spirits were pulled on top of the dragon in a large swirling ball of wind. The dragon stared up at it, letting out a hiss of defiance, trapped. Suddenly, parts of the wooden prison caught fire.

Arlo fought against the wind to reach the dragon. The wind vehement in their resistance to keep him away. The fire bender was knocked down to his knees but forced his way back up. His hair wildly swung about his face, he shook it back and pushed forward. The few sparks that he was able to form were also put out just as fast as the dragons.

Eventually, he grappled the branches and hung on for dear life as the wind picked up, trying to pry him off. The dragon inside took notice of his efforts and looked at him curiously.

"…Just hold on!" Arlo shouted, fighting the wind. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Arlo sparked a large fire from his hands that quickly spread to the rest of the branches, burning them. "Come on!" The fire bender yelled, motioning for the dragon to get out.

Which the dragon tried, if the wind didn't suddenly cease. The whistling disappearing almost disappointedly. Which caused the large pile of objects above the dragon to crash down on it.

—

The dark eyes of the dragon slowly opened and cautiously looked around. It was sitting under a small hill which dug into itself, creating a small roof overtop. A humble fire burned in front, peaceful. Trying to move, the dragon found it's upper body was covered with an assortment of large leaves. It made a noise of surprise.

"…Hey there." Arlo warmly said, getting the dragon's alert attention. "Er… I hope you don't mind the leaves and stuff. I tried but, I'm not the best at this sort of thing." The fire bender awkwardly said with a sheepish grin.

But, his face soon grew regretful. He stretched his hand out, and hesitatingly ran it over the dragon's green scaled head. "…Sorry for not listening to you, buddy. You were trying to stop me from getting close to that, weird wind. So, this is sort of my fault." Arlo admitted with a sad face, light from the fire bouncing off his face.

The dragon slowly blinked at the young man, before lowering its head. The crackling of the fire soothing it to sleep. Arlo gave a quiet laugh at the sight before leaning against the wall. He too, soon gave in, allowing himself to rest.

Back in the physical realm, Wikilow and Elsi continued to search through the rubble for Arlo. Calling out for him though he couldn't hear.

Little did any of them know, that they were being watched. A wind blew through both of them, sending chills down Elsi and making Arlo slightly shift in his sleep. The whistle seemed to follow an invisible string that led upwards, where a faint mischievous laugh was heard.

—

Authors Note: Hope this was better then the last chapter. Took me a while to figure out an inner conflict in the group dynamic. Anyways, I'm going to try and aim for an update every other day since I got the next eight done.