A quick note: hello all! Thank you for giving this story a chance, I'm very happy you're here. Before you start, I wanted to clarify that the OC in this story is NOT an Avatar, per se. I've written this as though benders are just like any other species within this galaxy, though this character (amongst other benders) can build on their skills and gain powers similar to that of an Avatar. I won't give much more away :) Enjoy and please review!
Prologue
Per my anxious request, we landed on a lively planet, the forests so obviously bursting with life I could see the shiver of the canopy from the ship's cockpit. Plants were ripe with berries. Various creatures were flushed from their perches as the ship settled into a landing spot and groaned with relief. When the ramp lowered, I picked off my shoes, tiptoeing down onto the ground of this planet. The plush grass beneath my bare feet felt sublime, a subconscious smile wrapping around my face. I was itching for some space to run, to explore, something that wasn't the barriers I felt when on the ship. I glanced over my shoulder. Most eyes were on the surrounding vegetation, waiting for an unexpected visitor to jump out, and though I was given strict orders to stay close—I capitalized on this opportunity and stealthily snuck away.
Once I could no longer hear the murmur of the storm troopers, I let out a deep sigh. My immediate surroundings were charming. Small tiny flowers peeked out from roots of thick trees, and a mist in the air sat thick within my lungs. I kneeled into the dense earth. I could feel the tremble of life around me, the tiny microbes and invertebrates scattering from my presence. Above me a bird cried loudly, seemingly warning others I was here. This far away life fascinated me. This was just one planet! How could so much be happening in this tiny bit of forest? I ran my fingers over the rough bark of a tree nearby. The droids taught me that life is connected in all forms, and it was to be cherished, but when I asked them why this theory did not apply to the villages we colonized—genocide layering the cities with fear—the droids froze. Their programmed minds could not compute fast enough, and my report back to Mo that evening was less than ideal.
Mo said we had bigger plans. He continued to be vague with me, never informing me about what ideas were stewing in his head, where I would be planning to go—I wasn't supposed to ask questions. Instead, when the curiosity within me became unbearable, Mo would give me his thin smile (the one where only the bottom half of his face looked happy, but his eyes were still dangerous), touch my fragile shoulder, and say, "now, child, don't you have training to return to?"
I clenched a flower within my palm and crushed its stem, the liquid within it seeping between my fingers. Where did all of my anger come from? It was bred into me, a symbol of the home I was born in, my DNA tattooed with fury. Mo said it was better this way. You don't understand. He saved my life, all of those years ago, pulling me from the ground and rebirthing me within the safety of his custody. It was a close call. I could've been raised with those brutes, a disgrace to Mo and all of his love—yet somehow, I wasn't satisfied. I had to trust Mo with this life he was building for me. It was better this way.
I flexed my fingers and pushed them into the earth. I could feel the dirt getting deep underneath my fingernails. The occasional stone struck me as I pushed on my hands further, but the pain was welcomed. Physical pain was palatable, easy to explain, I could articulate the discomfort... but the mental and emotional pain was harder to put into words. I didn't understand why I felt the way I did, and Mo would only pat me on the head and say things were getting better. I tried to believe him. I felt like I was drowning, the metal within the ship vibrating my ear drums every second I stayed in there, the thin air chocking me and sucking the life out of me. But here, on this planet, life bubbled around me and I felt calm, and dare I say—happy. If only for a moment.
The ground beneath me churned. I could actually sense the vibrations of the mammal's underneath, burrowed in their homes, the birds' wings pushing the air above me as they flew, the tiny legs of invertebrates scutter by. I closed my eyes, power pulsing around me, the world fueling my anger and tipping me to the edge—
Suddenly, a raspy voice spoke. My eyes opened, my pupils adjusting back to the bright light of the suns on this planet. A trooper came to retrieve me. She had her blaster resting in her palm as though danger would spring out at any moment. Ironic, I thought to myself, considering any organism on this planet was likely more afraid of her than her of them. Her voice called out for me again and I released the earth, pulled my fingers out from the spongy soil, and stood slowly to return back to my people.