"Get up god damn-it!" came the far away yell of a man, but I couldn't. My body felt like lead, and I could not get my thoughts together to even distinguish what the unknown man said. I tried to open my eyes to see where I was, but my brain would not function properly. I tried to let out a moan to even see if I was even alive, but it caught in my dry itchy throat.

"I said GET UP!" White-hot pain laced through my said. It felt like someone stuck a hot poker to my skin branding me. I finally gave some recognition to the outside world, and my own scream penetrated the air. How I do not know because it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I could not breath properly. My breaths were short and raspy. I tried to take in more air to replenish my lungs after my scream, but a sharp pain caused me to exhale immediately. I continued to lie on what I came to realize was a dirt field. I was quite content with the idea of just laying there crippled till some animal came along to devour me.

A sinister laugh filled the air making me cease my thoughts. A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat beads formed across my brow. "Now get up," came the same voice as before, "and fight like the true warrior you are…"

Warrior? Where did he get the idea that I was a warrior? Of course my thoughts were still like liquid and did not fully understand the noises that came out of the still unknown man. I decided to not reply because I still did not know what the man was talking about so he continued on in his oily voice, "…or has the great Avatar been finally defeated?"

Everything came back to me with that last sentence: the fire bender, the smoke, flames, a blinding light, pain, and then nothing. 'I am a warrior. I'm the Avatar, the last Avatar, and now I have finally been defeated. I have been defeated by a mere fire bender." Thoughts raced through my mind, and my eyes snapped open to gaze into the eyes of my enemy.

The fire bender stood over me gazing down with utter disgust. By the looks of it, he was only sixteen, two years older than me. His appearances I could not distinguish because the sun was directly behind him. He wore only white slacks with a sword belt around his waist. He did not have a shirt on and his sculpted muscles were visible.

"No," I replied to his comment in a raspy whisper. I tried to sit up pushing off the ground with my weak arms, but the pain was unbearable so I held content with lying on the dirt ground.

"W-what was that?" The surprise in his voice with a hint of fear told me he was not expecting me to reply or even get up off the ground.

"You heard me. I will never give up until I lie cold on the earth." I grew confident with every passing word, and I watched the fire bender grow worried as I finished my sentence. Coughing up blood from my lungs, I stood up wincing at the almost unbearable pain in my side.

"W-well then be prepared to die today, Avatar."

A smirk crossed my face. I tried to physic him out and I replied to his hurried comment, "but are you prepared to die?" I waited for his comeback, and as I waited I gathered the last remaining strength that I had so I would be prepared to fight him again. It wasn't much.

The fire benders face distorted in sheer terror, and he desperately cried, "YOU WILL DIE, AVATAR!"