Last Time...

Zuko snatched it from the metal floor and sneered at the familiar fabric. It was the same pink and purple cloth with the same strange square design on it that the insufferable peasant wore. Then Zuko's eyes sharpened and his glare turned smug. This might help him. He stuffed the fabric into a random pocket and stormed back to his ship.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?"

I shifted over and laid next to Katara, watching the clouds pass by slowly.

"Like you could just jump down and you'd just land in a big soft cottony heap."

I nodded. The clouds did look like big soft pillows. Today was a refreshing break from the cold winter weather. It reminded me of my home. Even in the winter months, it was always still sunny and hot.

"Mmmhmm."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka snarked. I turned and rolled my eyes playfully.

"You're hilarious." Katara drawled. It was actually kinda funny. I dunno why she was being so annoyed about it.

Aang jumped up from the front seat and declared, "I'll try it."

He jumped off and Katara and Sokka peered over the side down at him nervously. Honestly, what were they worried about? Aang's an airbender. I just flipped myself over onto my back and found Aang sitting on the opposite side of the saddle, practically drenched.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water." He said, before blowing himself dry. Katara sat up and looked forward. Scrunching up her eyebrows, she stood and looked out in the distance.

"Hey, what is that?"

We all followed her example and saw the large burned landscape stretching into the horizon. I glared at the blackness. The Fire Nation was out of control. This was a devastation that could not be ignored. Sokka mused, "It's... like a scar."

As we descended slowly, I realised exactly what I'd just thought. Every time I had watched this episode, I always thought that the Hei Bai spirit was kinda stupid and over-reacting. You'd think that a spirit would know about the acorns, but seeing the expanse of the burned forest was heartbreaking. If this was my home, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to control myself and would think of people as guilty before proven innocent.

The gang all slid down Appa and walked into a clearing of sorts. I stayed on Appa. All I could see was the color grey. All I could hear was my friend's footsteps.

"Listen." Sokka whispered. "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

Aang paused, looking down. Katara took a step towards him and asked, "Aang, are you ok?"

Sokka crouched down and found footprints that matched the Fire Nation's classic boots. He stood angrily and fumed, "Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick. They have no respect for-"

Katara shushed him and he hissed, "What? I'm not allowed to be angry?"

Aang sighed sadly and slid to the ground. He picked up some of the ash and let it fall through his fingers.

"Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?"

Katara assured, "Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you."

"Yes it does." He bit back at Katara, anger and sadness evident in his voice. "It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole." She smiled softly. "To find you a teacher."

Aang turned to her and snapped,"Yeah, a waterbending teacher, but there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyasto said that Avatar Roku would help me."

Sokka furrowed his brow in confusion. He reasoned,"The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

Momo laid himself in Aang's lap and Aang pet him softly. He whispered, "I don't know."

Silence fell over the group. They all just sat and looked at the horrible landscape, sitting in the sadness. I turned over onto my back and stared up at the beautiful blue sky. I did not want to sit with my sadness anymore. I did enough of that back home. We stayed like this for a while before Katara asked, "Hey Aang, are you ready to be cheered up?"

"No." He muttered dejectedly.

Katara threw an acorn at him, hitting him straight on the head. He shouted, "Ow! Hey, how is that cheering me up?"

Sokka snickered, "Cheered me up." Katara threw one at him, also hitting her mark exactly right. "Ow! Yeah, I probably deserved that."

Katara crouched down next to Aang and explained,"These acorns are everywhere Aang. That means the forest will grow back. Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday. And all the birds and animals that lived here will come back."

She took the acorn and put it in his hand. He smiled.

"Thanks Katara."

A sudden grunting sound startled us and we all turned just in time to see an old man swiftly walking towards us. I slipped off Appa and walked up to Aang and Katara with Sokka following suit. Katara put a hand on Aang's shoulder and called out, "Hey, who are you?"

The man ignored her, eyes trained on Aang. As he kept approaching, I stepped in front of the young airbender and laid my hand on my sword in warning.

"Hey! She asked you a question. Who are you and what do you want?"

He finally stopped in his tracks, hesitant at the aggression that he was obviously not expecting.

"My name is Gaoshun. I saw your flying bison. My village is in trouble. We need the help of the Avatar. Can you please help us?"

I hummed and scanned my eyes up and down the man suspiciously.

"I don't know about this." Sokka muttered.

"It does seem sketchy, but he seems genuine." Katara countered.

"It's up to you, Aang." I declared, lowering my volume as well.

Aang gasped loudly, "Wha- Me?" I didn't turn to look at him, but hummed my consent.

"You're the Avatar. They probably need help from you specifically. You should be the one to make the decision."

"Then... I think we should try to help them."

I nodded and called out, "We'll help you. Give us a minute to prepare and you can escort us to your village."

The old man, Gaoshun apparently, bowed respectfully and stayed put. I narrowed my eyes at him one last time, before shepherding the others back to Appa. As I secured everything in our bags, I explained, "Alright, I think we should be cautious, but I agree with Aang that we should help them if we can."

Katara nodded, "Agreed." Sokka had a skeptical face, but he nodded anyway.

I took the lead and we walked Appa over to Gaoshun.

"Let's go. Your village needs help."

Halfway through the journey, all of the gang, myself included, had retreated into the saddle because their legs had tired out. When I joined the group in the saddle, Katara asked me, "What do you think they need help with?"

"I'm sure it has something to do with a powerful spirit if they need help from the Avatar."

Aang gulped nervously, "You think so?"

Oh that was not the right thing to say. That made him so much more nervous.

"Or they just need a good laugh. They'd be looking in the right place." Sokka joked.

Aang laughed, "Well, they don't need me then. They just need to see you fight and they won't be able to stop laughing." I giggled behind my hand and Katara cracked a grin.

Sokka grinned and shot back, "All you'd need to do is fly in with your glider and crash."

"You'd only need to show up!"

"You only need to exist!"

"You don't even need to!"

The silent glaring after that was what sent Katara and me over the edge into laughing loudly and rolling all over the saddle.

The jokes and laughter continued until Katara called out, "Hey! There it is!"

We paused and looked where she was pointing. The stone wall stood strong and, as we passed under it, they all gasped at the destruction that was evident throughout the village. While some of the structures had some wear and tear, entire houses were just rumble. The only one that seemed untouched was the big one in the middle. That's where Gaoshun took us and he waited at the door for us.

Leaving Appa outside, our entire group entered and Gaoshun called out, "This young person is the Avatar."

A tall man, obviously the leader of the village, came up to us. He completely ignored the three other people and only focused on Aang.

"So the rumors of your return are true. It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

Aang responded in kind, "Nice to meet you too. So, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm... not sure." Obviously, Gaoshun had not explained his thought process to this guy before, so apparently he had to do so now.

"Our village is in crisis. He's our only hope." He turned back to us and explained, "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit."

Suspicious, Sokka questioned, "Why is it attacking you?"

The leader opened up, "We do not know, but each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near."

"What happens then?" Katara asked.

Gaoshun explained, "As the Solstice approaches, the natural world and the spirit world grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely."

The leader turned back to us from his stance at the doorway.

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the Solstice is here, there is no telling what will happen."

"So... what do you want me to do exactly?" Ang asked hesitantly.

Gaoshun responded like it was common sense, "Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

Aang winced, "Right... That's me."

I stepped in to help the clearly uncomfortable child.

"Aang, Katara, Sokka, come over here. Let's talk about this before we decide anything."

We huddled up by the nearest window and Katara started, "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this."

Aang griped angrily, "Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the spirit world. It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff."

"Aang!" I chided. "Don't let anger overwhelm your common sense. Think about this logically."

Katara and I shared a glance and she asked, "Can you help these people Aang?"

"I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just… come to me." He faltered with a nervous smile.

Katara smiled at him reassuringly, "I think you can do it, Aang."

I pursed my lips. "I don't know if a feeling of obligation is the best reason to do this, but I'll support you however I can Aang."

"Yeah, we're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster." Sokka gave a mocking smile and I elbowed him hard in his side. "Ow! Rei!"

"Spirit monsters don't eat people. I'm sure those people that Hei Bai took are completely fine. I doubt that they'll even know what happened when they get back." I raised my voice and spoke directly to the older men waiting on us, "Aang will do his best. Spirits are sometimes hard to deal with, so don't expect an instant fix." They both nodded and bowed.

"Thank you Avatar. I don't know what we would've done without you."

"Now, do you have an extra place for us to set up camp?" I asked, folding my arms over each other. It was annoying how they didn't actually acknowledge the rest of the gang other than Aang. The leader pointed towards an empty corner of the house. I stalked out to Appa, running my hands through his fur, and dragged my sleeping bag back inside. I threw it to the ground and laid down, glaring harshly at the wooden ceiling. The rest of the gang followed suit slowly.

When the evening came, they gave us each a portion of food for dinner. As we ate, Aang went to go feed Appa.

"Do you think Aang can actually do this?" Sokka mused.

"Yes Sokka! He can!" Katara snapped.

"Jeez Katara, just a question." he muttered.

"Look Katara, we all believe in Aang. He can do this. I think we're just worried because he doesn't seem to believe in himself. You saw how he was with that abrupt declaration of who he was supposed to be." I explained.

Katara sighed, "I guess you're right, but I'm sure he'll get past this."
I smiled softly and laid a hand on her knee. "Yeah. Aang is a good kid. He'll get through this."

Shortly after dinner was finished, Aang went out into the open village, asking for the spirit to come out and talk. The siblings and I watched from a window.

Sokka worried,"This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up."

"If anyone can save us, he can." Gaoshun spoke up from behind us.

"He still shouldn't have to face this alone." Sokka reasoned. He was right of course.

Aang twirled his staff and hit it on the ground at the gate of the village. Nothing happened and he started walking back to the big house. Without him noticing, the spirit silently appeared behind him and followed him into the village. When he finally noticed, he tried talking to Hei Bai, but it just roared in his face and started to destroy the village, completely ignoring Aang.

"The Avatar's methods are… unusual."

Sokka muttered, "It doesn't seem too interested in what he's saying." Hei Bai screeched at a building and reduced it to ash. "Maybe we should go help him."

Gaoshun protested,"No! Only the Avatar stands a chance against the Hei Bai."Katara put a hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka."

Just then, Aang was thrown to the side by Hei Bai.

"That's it! He needs help." Sokka threw off Katara's hand and ran to the door.

She yelled, "Sokka! Wait!"

She ran after him only to be stopped at the door by the village leader who warned,"It's not safe."

Katara and I watched as Sokka tried to help Aang, which only got him taken by Hei Bai. Katara ran out of the building as soon as Sokka was in Hei Bai's grasp and froze at the gate as the boys disappeared from view.

"Sokka!" She yelled after them, but it was pointless. They were already gone. I went up behind her and hugged her.

"It'll be ok Katara. They'll be back. I'm gonna go to bed. You should too soon. It's not healthy for you to stay up all night."

I left her standing frozen at the gate and made my way to my sleeping bag. Although I reassured Katara and I knew Aang and Sokka would be back, it was still terrifying to be separated. I guess I got so used to having them always around. After a very long time of fidgeting, worrying, and changing of positions, I fell into a fitful sleep.

When the sun rose the next morning, I woke up and strode out of the big house to see Katara and Aang by the gate. Wait, Aang? He should be in the spirit world! I went over to them and I heard Aang talking. He was also see-through which confused me even more. Katara didn't seem to be hearing Aang talk either. Wait...

"All I have to do is figure out what I have to do, but once I do that, no problem."

"Then, what're you still sitting here for?" I asked. Aang jumped up and got confused when he saw that I was looking directly at him. Katara didn't turn, so I put a finger up to my lips to shush him.

"Oh hey Rei. I'm waiting for Sokka and Aang to get back."

I drew her into an awkward embrace. Just walking up, Appa breathed in our faces and let out a low moan. Katara reached up and patted his nose gently.

"It's ok Appa. Don't worry. I'm sure they're on their way back. I bet they even found you a bunch of moon peaches. For a treat."

Katara detached herself from me slowly and took a step away from the gate.

"I'm gonna go get Appa something to eat."

I nodded, "And you should get some rest while you're at it. I'll wait here for our boys."

They both walked away and I turned to Aang.

"So, what exactly is happening Aang?"

"When Hei Bai spirit took Sokka, I tried to get him back and somehow I got pulled into the spirit world. No one else can see me."

I furrowed my brow. Obviously, I knew that already, but how on earth was I able to see him? I mused, "Interesting. I wonder why I can."

Aang kicked the ground and complained, "Ugh! What am I supposed to do?"

"I'm not sure I know Aang."

He ran his hand down his face and groused, "I wish I knew how to talk to Roku."

Turning to the forest, he yelled out, "Avatar Roku! How can I talk to you?"

There was no answer. I sighed and looked down.

"Sokka?" He whispered.

I raised my head and saw a strange light moving towards us from a distance.

As it drew closer and what it actually was became evident, I paled, "That's not Sokka." Even if it wasn't a dragon, Sokka was taken by Hei Bai. He wouldn't just show up again out of the blue. And that was definitely a dragon. Dragon. Oh fuck.

Aang tried to use his glider to get away from the oncoming dragon, but it didn't work. He tried airbending to no avail. He muttered something to himself. I blanched and backed up closer to the wall. Even if I didn't know that the dragon was Roku's animal friend, there's no stopping a dragon getting what they want. The dragon landed in front of us menacingly and I squeaked, "Um… that's a dragon. Aang. That's a dragon! Dragon!"

"Yeah. Yeah, I know Rei."

He took a slow step closer to the beast.

"Aang!" I yelped.

"You don't know where Sokka is, do you?" Aang asked cautiously.

The dragon touched Aang on the forehead and his eyes turned blue for a second. He instantly dropped his guard and regarded the dragon like a friend.

"You're Avatar Roku's animal guide, like Appa is to me? I need to save my friend and I don't know how. Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?"

The dragon lowered his head in front of Aang

"Wait! Aang, what's going on?" I demanded.

The dragon lifted his head and hissed at me. Shrinking slightly, I took an unconscious step backwards.

"This is Avatar Roku's dragon. He's gonna take me to Roku."

"Oh… alright."

The dragon nudged Aang and put his head back down so Aang could climb on.

"I'll be back Rei."

Before I could say anything, the dragon had already started it's ascent into the sky. Unsure if Aang could actually still hear me, I yelled, "Good luck!"

I got no response, but they flew off quickly. I went to go eat breakfast.

"Hey Katara."

"Hey Rei. I'm gonna take Appa and go look for Aang. Do you wanna come with me?"

I froze with my fork halfway in my mouth. In the show, Zuko saw Appa flying around. That could be a very bad thing at this point. Though, he chose to go after his uncle. Oh shoot. I forgot about that situation that was also happening in this episode. I hope Iroh comes out ok. Katara cleared her throat. Oops. I put down my fork and said, "Yeah, go for it. I'm gonna stay here in case they come back while you're out and about."

She stood and left. She came back around lunchtime and stayed albeit silent and with an extremely worried expression on her face. The sun had already started to set when Aang came back. I saw him come in the gate and Katara's worried yells, so I just went to go to sleep.

I was just drifting off when Katara suddenly asked, "How can you sleep at a time like this?"

I guess she must've come in without me noticing. That's a surprise. I rolled towards her and sighed, "Everything will be fine. Aang will get Sokka back. I don't need to worry myself and lose sleep over it."

I rolled back away from her and fell asleep with no other problems.

A/N: Wow! That's the longest chapter I've written so far. Hope you enjoyed it! I'm so proud of myself. This is the… third? fourth? chapter I've gotten out on a weekly basis on Wednesdays. I hope it's more enjoyable now that there are consistent updates. Though, honestly, it's actually really helping me with keeping myself accountable, so the change is mostly for my own benefit. Anyways, hope you're all staying safe. Have a nice day! :)