Come What May

By Gigawolf1

Chapter 7: Explanation

"Okay, I'll bite. How did an Airbender survive for 100 years while a war was going on?"

The old man sat in the midst of a circle, surrounded by Toph, Aang, Sokka, Katara, Iroh, Zuko, Ty Lee, and Mai. Obviously, not everyone in the group was very happy about whom they were with; Ty Lee was across from Sokka, who she has a crush on; likewise, Mai was across from Zuko, who was between Sokka and Katara, his two least-favourite people, who are likely to kill him first chance they get.

Sokka's question was answered swiftly. "I didn't. I'm closer to around 30 years, kid. Pay attention."

Katara raised her hand. "Why do you look so old, then?"

A smile crossed the man's face. "You don't recognize it, do you? This is Flying Bison Fur. Now, most of us have never seen a Flying Bison in our lives, but mere days ago, in a nearby river, the fur came down by the clump… Is that the word for it? Anyway, I was able to make fake eyebrows, beards, hair… Quite wonderful stuff, and to make ourselves look only slightly older, there was grey fur."

Toph shouted out her question. "Who's Malu?"

"Malu is also known as the Ghost Witch. We call her our mother, but she is in fact the oldest Airbender alive, aside from the Avatar, of course."

Aang was quick to reaching the thick of it. "How did the Airbenders survive? Weren't the Air Temples attacked?"

"Of course they were, but the Air Nomads were a great race. Very little of the Air Nomad society actually lived at any Air Temple. Only the most powerful Airbenders taught their art to the next generation; only Airbending Masters and Students lived in the temples. Surely you knew that much? Well, more than one pregnant Air Nomad woman had not been to the Temples in ages, and instead had their babies elsewhere. Now, Air Nomads are everywhere in the world."

Ty Lee raised her hand next. "How did you break a building with Airbending? That was cool!" Several annoyed stares landed upon her, but she lacked the attention span to notice.

"As you know, there are four Bending Disciplines. Long ago, I found that, though only the Avatar can bend all four Elements, each Bending Discipline has a Style. Incorporating the style of another Discipline, aside from what one can normally use, allows one to do the impossible. I made a wall of solid air, moved the water gently, and forced fire upon Azula."

"That doesn't answer her question…" interjected Mai.

"True, true. Anyway, the reason why I was able to do that is because the air pushes everything else. In fact, without the air, without Airbending, there could be no Bending Disciplines. There would be no life. Everyone Airbends, even if they don't quite know it. And…"

"ANSWER HER QUESTION!" screamed Zuko, angered by the avoidance of the question.

"Fine. I made it spin really fast, so it flew straight, and took out a large chunk of wall. Good enough? Moving on!"

Finally, Iroh had his turn to ask the man a question. "How did you know Azula was plotting everything from the start?"

"I'm glad you asked that. First of all, Iroh, please try to paraphrase when indulging my mad sense of modesty. Second, it is my business to know, for I was once the legendary Spirit of the Forest, who guarded the woods of the world. I intercepted refugees, from Colanga to Ursa, and they tell interesting tales."

A murmur rose from the crowd. Aang alone was left in the dark, never having met neither the Fire Princess, nor the last Southern Water Tribe Chief, who had left his children in charge of their home. The man once known as the Spirit of the Forest continued, saying "Ursa told me she assassinated Azulon, because Azula said he would kill Zuko. Colanga, last of the Water Tribe Warriors, told me instead that the current Fire Lord was to be banished, as told by the journal of the Fire Lord. I figured one or the other must be lying, and I picked the little sociopath. I also figured out how to bug her; Azula was loved by everyone but her mother; therefore, her anger came from the fact she was loved by everyone but the most important person in her life; which, in turn, through an ancient reversal of the Electra Complex, I found out that Azula likes girls almost as much as I do. Nice little bit of info, as seen today.

"The ultimate question you may have to ask, though, is how I knew Azula. Well, mere days ago, she came to me for advice. I asked her name, and she told me. I saw how she looked at her friends; I looked the same way at them. Anyway, I told her to split up the group, to cover more ground. I convinced her that Zuko and Iroh were minor threats, and that only Aang was too powerful for her friends to take alone. I simply explained the basic logic behind her trick. The Avatar must learn Firebending and make it to the Fire Nation. Azula must capture the Avatar and take him to the Fire Nation. Therefore, it's obvious that the best course of action is for Aang's Firebending Master to be one with access to the Fire Nation. However, Ba Sing Se is under siege, and you must help defend it. Lucky for you, though, you also have a strong and able Firebender in your midst, who will help teach you."

Zuko shook his head, but the Spirit of the Forest pointed instead to Iroh. The ex-Fire Nation General nodded solemnly, accepting the duty of accompanying the Avatar to the Great Earth Kingdom City of Ba Sing Se.

The group prepared to depart, but Iroh held back a moment. "I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish, forcing me to accompany them…"

The man whispered harshly into the old man's ear. "Part of our bargain, if you recall. 5 coins, and you have to go to Ba Sing Se. I know for a fact your skills will be required… I also know Zuko will follow you to the City. The thrill of the gamble, along with the need to test the spirits of mortals, is always my purpose. Besides," said the man, "You have someone to speak to when you arrive, old friend."

With these words, Iroh joined the Avatar's small group. They boarded Appa, and took off from the small village.

Left behind with the Spirit of the Forest were Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko. Taking one quick look at the man who stared at them funnily, the girls joined Zuko, and the three ran from the town. Sighing, he entered his home, which was badly burnt. 'This has got to be the weirdest day in my life.'

AN: And… DONE! While the Spirit of the Forest is a paedophile, I am not (he's 30, around twice my age). And ladies, if you love my work, I'm single. Seriously though, This may seem really weird, but no episode I've seen directly conflicts with this, to my knowledge. Please, REVIEW MY FIRST COMPLETED STORY (not including short story collections and OneShots.