Chapter 1: Fateful meetings
It was a beautiful day in the Earth Kingdom. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the population of a small village were cowering in their homes. Fearing the possibility of immanent destruction at the hands of the small band of Fire Nation soldiers extorting their town.
Luckily, they had an ally, unfortunately that ally might be scarier than the firebenders. The Pangu had appeared that morning. Striding at the pace of a running man. Dressed in the strange clothes typical for his kind. A strange mish mash of cloth and pelts used to hold together even stranger clothes and materials. When asked, he explained that they were "hand me downs" from the first generation of giants who, according to them, simply woke up in a new world one morning and had to make do with what they had.
He was also carrying a backpack that clanged and clattered with the sound of what must have been pots and pans for cooking on the road. And a large pole-shaped object wrapped in cloth. No one could work out what it could be, but they all saw the ground crack when the Pangu set it down. This, combined with the large grin on his face that could have been intended to come over as friendly did not assuage many of them of the worry that they had simply traded greedy soldiers for a bloodthirsty monster.
The Pangu introduced himself as "John". He stood at an impressive eight and a half feet tall with a stocky frame. His hair was yellow, similar to wheat or dry grass and accompanied by blue eyes worthy of a water tribesman and a tanned complexion reminiscent of the people of the Si Wong desert he looked almost alien to the people of the village.
John explained that his clans chief or "Jarl" had made the decision to make the clan nomadic for safety after his people had officially became enemies of the Fire Nation ten years ago during the "Asuma incident".And that he, as well as some others, including members of other clans had set out alone in-order to fight their new enemy wherever they could.
The village headman quickly explained the situation. Their village was being extorted by Fire Nation soldiers claiming they were collecting dues for the villages "rightful rulers".
John almost seemed disappointed for a moment but quickly agreed to help the village by driving away the soldiers and making it clear that this village was off-limits to any potential bandits or raiders.
And that is how we came to our current situation. A small village, its population taking cover while also trying to peek at the action. And a lone giant. Sat on a stump at the entrance to the village with an utterly bored look on his face.
John was bored and more than a little disappointed. Bored because he had to wait for a bunch of jerks he needed to smack about and disappointed that he wasn't coming across more interesting situations.
He was seven when the "Giants" as the elementals liked to call his people officially joined the fight against the Fire Nation and for ten years, he and the other youngsters of his clan trained and fought with each-other while the elders told tales of the great heroes and warriors of the home world. Of immortal warriors who fought evil gods and heroes like the Magnificent Seven facing impossible, even suicidal odds simply because it was the right thing to do.
He had set out on his own ready to write his saga and leave his mark on the world…. So far, he had carried an injured ostrich horse for a very nice expecting couple making their way to Ba Sing Se and had frightened off some petty thieves attempting to rob an old woman.
John sighed to himself. Lamenting the lack of opportunities to prove himself against real danger. Suddenly he spotted a cloud of dust further up the road.
John adjusted himself a little on the stump leaning forward a little and bracing his arms on his knees. Ready to leap up at a moment's notice.
"If these guys are soldiers maybe they'll be more fun than I thought? Then again if they're spending their time harassing farmers, they probably aren't very good soldiers" he grumbled.
To say the soldiers were shocked when they arrived would be an understatement. Instead of a pile of money and goods left at the gates as per their instructions was an eight-foot young man smirking at them like he knew a particularly funny joke and was having a great time keeping it from them.
"You lads wouldn't be here to cause trouble would ya?" John said. Keeping his smirk firmly in place and playing with the large, wrapped object in the dirt. The instant these men had got a good look at him allot of the fight seemed to drain out of them. Inside he was seething.
"c'mon. I finally run into some Fire Nation military and they look like they're about to wet themselves. I mean it's just ridiculous most of you can shoot fire from your fists, why are you this freaked out just by someone being bigger than you?" He thought.
After some muttering amongst themselves the man John assumed to be the leader stepped forward. He seemed more confident than the others, so John held out hope for a decent fight yet.
"We are soldiers of the great and powerful Fire Nation! The true and rightful ruler of the world. And you will stand aside or suffer the consequences! Oni."
His words seemed to inject some courage into the others who all stood up a little straighter and steeled themselves, Much to Johns delight.
"And how exactly is harassing dirt-poor villages out of what little they have helping the "great and powerful Fire Nation" John asked with a mocking tilt to his voice.
The leader of the soldiers growled in frustration and spoke again "All citizens under the Fire Lord must pay taxes to fund the war effort."
John threw his head back and roared with laughter." WOW! The Fire Nation must be desperate if it's sending chumps like you out to collect loose change! HAHAHA! What, Ozai can't find any more coins in his spare pants? AHAHAHAH!"
This open mocking of Fire Lord Ozai was just the trigger needed to make the already fuming fire bender explode with anger. "HOW DARE YOU!?" the leader screeched before unleashing a ball of fire at the insolent Giants face.
John was ready. He weaved his head around the oncoming fireball and in two easy steps closed the distance between himself and the firebender.
He grabbed the man by his breastplate and after taking a moment to aim, hurled him over the village and out of sight behind the hills.
John slowly turned back to the soldiers.
"So. who's next?
Aang, Katara and Sokka were enjoying a nice lazy day of flying on Appa. They had just led a massive prison break of earthbenders from a Fire Nation prison barge and were enjoying a break after such a hard-won victory. It had been somewhat bittersweet for Katara and Sokka to see all those families reunited while their own was still fractured by the war. But it gave them hope that one day they and their father would be together again. Aang was almost always content when flying with Appa. Air is the element of freedom and at no other time was that feeling more apparent.
And then the peace was broken by the sound of screaming. With virtually no warning a Fire Nation soldier of all things came careening from behind some hills, nearly colliding with Appa. The massive bison bellowed in shock and indignation at the intrusion into his airspace and swerved to avoid it. Team avatar watched in astonishment as the soldier finally began to lose altitude. Eventually landing in the middle of a lake.
"What the heck was that. Is the fire nation launching its own guys at us now?!" cried Sokka frantically scanning the direction the flying soldier came from.
"Don't be ridiculous Sokka, even the Fire Nation aren't cruel enough to do that to their own soldiers…. I think" Katara chastised her dramatic older brother.
"He came from over there!" Aang directed Appa to the apparent launch site.
None of them were prepared for the sight that greeted them when they arrived. An enormous young man stood in the middle of a group of Fire Nation soldiers. All of whom had been beaten senseless. The only one still conscious was currently being held up by his throat. The Giant holding him was smirking and in his other hand was an enormous wooden club, studded with metal spikes.
"A Tuniit!" Katara exclaimed her eyes widening in shock at the almost legendary figure she saw before her.
Sokka had a similar look of awe on his face, Mixed with some caution and trepidation. He remembered well the stories told by the village elders of the huge Tuniit. Who could tear through igloos and other ice structures like a polar bear dog and would rip their enemies apart. As far as he could tell though all these soldiers were still alive…. for now.
Aang gawked with childlike interest. Katara and Sokka had told him of the strange and fearsome people who had mysteriously appeared after the death of his people. How each nation had their own name for them from their own myths and legends. Tuniit for the Water Tribes, Pangu for the Earth Kingdom and Oni for the Fire nation. But generally, they were referred to as Giants.
The siblings had explained to him that while the Giants were enemies of the Fire Nation. They were not necessarily allies of the free nations either. Disturbing stories of Giant raids on any Fire nation towns that had military targets were common. And while this one was obviously protecting an earth village, he was also having a little too much fun beating up these soldiers for the young monk's comfort.
John examined the man he currently had in his grip. The soldiers had honestly done better than he thought. None of them had run and some had managed to get some good hits on him, he could still smell some of his clothes smoking slightly.
"Was that it?" he asked the soldier, loosening his grip enough to let the man talk.
The soldier looked at something over John's shoulder and smirked "no"
John whipped his head around just in time to see a huge fireball heading his way. He had no time to move, and his size wouldn't save him from a fireball this big. He dropped the soldier and brought up his kanabo, ready to attempt to withstand the attack.
Right before flaming death rushed to meet him. A small bald boy dressed in orange and yellow robes appeared and smacked the fireball aside with a small staff. John looked down in amazement and confusion at the boy who stood no taller than his mid-thigh. Who landed and turned to face the tank from which the attack had originated. Before John could salvage his pride by ripping the tank apart something else unexpected happened. A huge hairy beast that had no business being able to fly swooped down and flipped the tank onto its side. After which two more elementals climbed down and began dispatching the rest of the soldiers. One with water bending and the other with a war club and a boomerang.
The bald boy quite literally flew ahead to join his friends in the fight, snapping John out of his stupor.
The boy began sending out gusts of wind at the soldiers. Sending them flying off their feet or re directing their fire blasts into one another. John quickly joined in sending soldiers careening through the air with vicious kicks or mighty swings of his kanabo.
John had just finished dispatching a soldier when he noticed the boy in blue struggling with several opponents. He rushed over to help. Leaning down he gripped a soldier by the leg and swung him into his fellows. Sending them all careening across the ground. He turned to the boy to see if he was alright only to witness him charging straight at him with boomerang held high.
The boy threw the sharp boomerang. John brought his arms up to cover his face and throat bracing for the stabbing pain that was to come. It never did.
Instead, the boomerang sailed past him. Knocking out the firebender that was about to unleash a blast into Johns exposed side. John blinked and looked back at the boy. After a moment he flashed him a big grin.
Soon all the soldiers were down for the count. The three young elementals were checking on each other. Making sure none of their party was hurt.
John strode over to them.
"That was amazing!" he bellowed. Causing the three to flinch slightly. "I've never seen an elemental do that before!" he said to Aang before turning his attention to Sokka "and you! You saved my hide back there with that boomerang of yours, I owe ya one!"
"And I've never seen waterbending before that was awesome, looks almost like Tai Chi."
"And this thing" he exclaimed, spreading his arms gesturing to Appa "I almost never run into anything much bigger than me! This guy is huge AND he can FLY, HOW?!" John had reached a point of almost childlike glee.
The three youngsters smiled and laughed bashfully. Embarrassed by the praise and still a bit wary of the Giant.
"Ah it was nothing, you saved my butt from those guys just a second earlier, so I think we're about even."
"Thank you but I'm really still learning, I've never even had a master."
"That's Appa, he's my sky bison. And I was airbending. See I'm the-
"The Avatar!" a voice interrupted.
Looking up from their conversation the group saw the village headman as well as a good chunk of the townsfolk running up to them. Looks of joy and relief on their faces.
"First a Pangu comes to our aid and then the Avatar himself! Truly we have been blessed by the spirits this day! Please come to the inn, you all must be exhausted after that battle!"
At the inn, the whole town had turned up to celebrate the defeat of the soldiers and the arrival of their heroes.
Said heroes were sat at a booth in the corner with one side occupied entirely by John and the other by the three friends.
John set down the bucket the townsfolk had given him in lieu of a too small cup and looked up at the three who had come to his rescue.
"So, you're the Avatar? I've heard a bit about you. You can bend all the elements, right?"
"well, I'm still learning" Aang admitted sheepishly. "We're on our way to the North pole so Katara and I can learn from a real waterbending master."
"Is that right" John muttered. His tribe had been told that the Avatar was a bender of near god-like power. But this kid couldn't be older than twelve.
"Y'know I've always wondered, aside from the ability to learn all dour elements why is the Avatar so important? You elementals make it sound like this whole world revolves around them."
"Elementals?" Sokka asked. Confused and a little irritated by the new label.
"Its what my people call the natives of this world. We know that not all of you can bend elements but trust me it's one of the more flattering names the first generation thought up" Other names included "fairies" and "Hobbits", but John wasn't going to tell them that.
"Natives of this world? So it's true what the sages say! Giants are from another world entirely!?" Katara said, an expression of astonishment on her face. Aang and Sokka as well as some eves-dropping townsfolk were equally intrigued by the confirmation of this theory.
"Hey, my question first, why is the Avatar so important?" John asked with a small smirk at his (slightly) younger conversation partners.
"The Avatar is the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit world. Only they can keep the world in balance. That's why the Fire Nation…" Katara trailed off sending a sad look to Aang.
"That's why they killed my people" Aang finished for her. Grief painted on his usually cheery face.
John watched their whole group's mood wither slightly and would be lying if he said he hadn't felt a twinge of sadness and a spike of white-hot rage surge through his body at the heinousness of such an act. He gestured for Aang to continue.
Aang took a deep breath. "I wasn't there for the world and now its in the middle of the biggest war anyone has ever seen. I have to make it right. I have to stop the Fire Lord and end this war" He said solemnly. Almost speaking to himself.
Katara and Sokka laid their hands on his shoulders. "You won't have to do it alone" "yeah buddy, we've got your back all the way."
"So do I"
The three looked up in surprise at the Giant's proclamation. For the first time since they met John, he didn't have a cocky grin or smirk on his face. He was dead serious.
"My people entered this war because we were attacked. No other reason. But since then, I've seen what the Fire Nation is doing to people. If they were willing to commit genocide to achieve their goals, then there's no limit to what they might do. This is about more than self defence anymore, they have to be stopped."
Team Avatar was quiet for a moment. Then Aang spoke up.
"Could you give us a moment to talk about it?"
John nodded and left the table.
"What do you guys think?" Aang asked the water siblings.
"He would definitely be useful, and he saved this village and my butt. But I've heard allot of not-so-great things about the Giants" Sokka said with a grimace.
"That's true but we shouldn't judge him based on rumours. And in the past the Avatar always travelled with companions from each nation. The giants might be strange, and a little intense but they ARE a Nation now." Katara reasoned.
Aang took a moment to think before addressing his friends.
"Ok he can come. I think he's a good guy."
"And if he turns out to be a psycho like the stories say, we can just fly away on Appa and leave him behind" Sokka chimed in with a goofy grin.
They left the inn to find John attempting to make friends with Appa. The bison seemed usure of what to make of this large human but after receiving some scratches in that one spot behind his ear that most people couldn't reach, he decided he liked him.
Seeing his bison getting along with John only made Aang surer of his decision.
"Ok John, you can come with us. We're gonna need all the help we can get in this fight" Aang said with a happy smile.
John looked like he could have literally jumped for joy at that moment.
"YES! Thank you! You won't regret it!
The tree (now four) companions turned back into the inn to re-join the celebration.
Later in bed John was staring at the ceiling. Too excited to sleep.
"Now that I've joined the Avatar, I'll be in the most important fights in this entire war, I'll get to help save the world and" He thought. His expression turned slightly sorrowful.
"And if the Avatar is the bridge to the Spirits. He has the best chance of finding out if they were the ones who took us from our home world."
"And if there's a way back."
With a determined look on his face John turned over and went to sleep, ready to pursue the answer to the biggest mystery his people had.
Alright here's the first real chapter down, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all the support and kind words everyone!
I don't know how long this fic will be as I won't be covering the ENTIRE show as I don't have the time. I do intend to get to the end of the series though and maybe make some original storylines for the giants.
Thanks again! See you next time!