Time for another interlude…or flashback. Yay!
Furasshubaku
They had tried to discourage her from what she loved.
Most parents had tried and failed, losing their children to be drafted into the army or worse. The Fire Nation checked up regularly on new children to make sure they would not become "traitors and succumb to primitive ways" as they called it.
Her parents managed to knock her off the list, keeping her safe from the evil. Then, she began to play with the air, made butterflies do whatever she wanted, and keep the predators from their tiny flock of Wooly Goats. It was hard to hide her strange power over nature and they forbid her to use it.
Then their Komodo Rhino, the only one on the tiny farm, got sick. They tried everything but nothing made him feel better and his health deteriorated. All hope was lost for them to live.
She merely grabbed a few plants and mixed them together, energy flowing into the concoction. The small girl fed the mush to the creature and let him sleep.
The next day, he was up and ready to work, looking as though he had never been ill. Her parents cried as they hugged her as she had saved them all. She was once again allowed to practice her gift. They had lost their eldest to the war but they would not lose her.
A year passed as they began to thrive. Their daughter's magic allowed the farm to prosper and the other farmers became suspicious. The Fire Nation paid a hefty sum for those who knew where a witch lived. And, by that time, many were greedy and longing for money.
Fire Nation soldiers showed up at their door days later, wanting their child for examination. If she passed, she would be returned. If not, she would either be drafted or destroyed.
Her mother forced her to run and she did, always the girl who obeyed. The soldiers took her parents in forcibly to be punished for their treachery. Several tried to follow her into the woods but it became hard when the trees fought back, her powers out of control and lashing at the men chasing her. She had managed to escape into the large, old woods, pushing through and trying to find anyone who would help her.
Days passed and she grew weaker as she stumbled through the trees, knowing she had to be walking in circles. The trees were blurring together until she couldn't tell where one ended and another began. Her body was collapsing in on itself, she hadn't been able to find anything to eat.
She found someone as her legs refused to move. Not caring if it was a monster, a Fire soldier, or worse, she approached the person, begging him to help her before she fell and fainted.
When she woke up, a witch was looking after her, her demon servant helping and the one who had found the girl. She had found herself a master to learn from, becoming the witch's apprentice.
Then the Fire Nation appeared again, the witch fending them off while the demon grabbed the girl and ran. He cried out when she died, free from her control but not free from his promise. The demon fought the soldiers who appeared to take his charge, his body not used to the sudden switch from remaining dormant to being a fighter master again. She became enraged when he fell, powers spinning out of control from the losses. Her energy forced the trees to react, lashing out at the trapped fighters while she and the demon ran.
A boat, thrashed by the rocks around the island, was their salvation as she helped put it back together, feeding it energy to keep it together. It grew bigger as they sailed, picking up new allies and meeting new enemies. They helped people, keeping her spirit alive as they traveled the world.
But she never forgot the sacrifices made for her. And one day, she might lose one close to her again. She kept distant from others, staying only with her crew. It was something she was familiar with and it kept her mind from finally losing what sanity she had left. Once that happened, her body would be consumed by the demon within. The demon would only seek to destroy as her mind and soul faded from the picture. The world would fall into chaos as even the Avatar would have trouble banishing the demon.
She didn't want to cause anymore pain to ones she cared about.