Chapter 11
Spirits Part 1: Black and White
I woke up to a panicked scream. Looking about in alarm I clutched my chest, taking deep breaths. All of us had been having a rough time the last four days, each for our own reasons. Losing her mom's necklace had given Katara nightmares about 'that day' that always ended with her screaming for her mom. Aang and I were both bothered by the amount of death that had occurred on the rig and often had minor nightmares that luckily didn't disturb anyone but ourselves.
Sokka seemed the least disturbed, he slept peacefully every night unless disturbed by one of us. He had been quiet the first day of the trip but besides that he had acted like himself. Whenever the rest of us started to feel down he would crack a corny joke and ease the tension. I couldn't stop myself from worrying, if I had reacted this badly to seeing death… what was I going to do if I needed to end someone's life?
I shook myself out of my thoughts as I looked around, trying to see who had screamed this time. No one seemed disturbed, and there was no sign of tossing. I sighed. I must have screamed and woken myself up, probably forgetting the dream as I came to. A familiar chatter caused me to turn. Momo was laying on the bottom of my sleeping bag, looking fairly disgruntled. Chuckling I picked the lemur up and pulled him into the crook of my arm. Sometimes the best way to ease a nightmare was with a pet. As I snuggled in with Momo's soft ears tickling my chin I thought back to my family. Many times I had snuggled with the family dog when I was upset, she had always known the right way to treat us. If we were sick or upset she would cuddle with us, as long as we weren't occupied with something else. That was the only downside of Peaches, the sable collie had jealousy issues. That and she would welcome in a burglar, show him or her our valuables and ask for a treat at the end for a good job. At least that was a family joke, the point being that our dog was a little to friendly to make a guard dog. She was all bark and no bite. I smiled softly as I stroked Momo's head, eliciting something like a purr from the little guy. Of course, thinking of Peach made me think of the other members of my family. My sister, my mom and dad. I allowed myself a small smile, remembering the good times. It no longer hurt so bad to think of them. My heart still ached but I could now think of them. I was moving on, slowly but it was progress.
"The chances of me going home…" I trailed off, looking at Momo's large green eyes.
"What am I doing talking to a lemur?" I questioned. Momo chittered and snuggled in. I sighed and closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift off into dreamland.
I occupied myself during the flight by fiddling with my necklace. It wasn't anything big, but it allowed me to take my mind off the nightmares and gave me a chance to appreciate the detail that had been put into the jewelry. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang, Aang was 'steering' Appa and Katara was staring idly out into space.
I traced the designs of each element thoughtfully, earth, water, air, fire. Each element had its place and each was an important part of the world. Earth, the ground beneath out feet. Water, without it all life would perish. Air, just as essential as water. Fire, the sun of which all energy came from. Another thought occurred to me as I looked at my necklace. There had been studies about what the human body was made of. Everyone knew a large portion of the human body was made of water. What a lot of people didn't know was that many of the same elements found in the ground could be found in human flesh. Electricity was what gave us the ability to move our muscles and think. Without air not only would we be unable to breath but we would also be unable to obtain energy from food since oxygen is a vital part of the way our bodies break food down. Earth, water, fire, air. Maybe they really were the four great elements. Everything we knew of was made of something related to at least one of those elements.
"The clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could jump down and land in one big cottony heap." I looked up to see Katara leaning over Appa's side, staring at the fluffy white objects in question as they floated below us.
"I wouldn't do that," I said, tucking the medallion under my water tribe tunic, "they're not as solid as they look." Actually the clouds did look fairly solid today, almost as though you could jump down. I smiled dreamily as I remembered my sister and I playing the 'what if' game. One of us would propose something fantastic and the other would try to think of what the world would be like f that was true. One of my sister's favourites was 'what if the world was made of candy?' We could go for hours thinking about what each object would be turned to candy. We always agreed the clouds were made out of cotton candy.
"I'll try anyway!" Aang called, eyes bright. I watched as Aang grabbed his staff then jumped off Appa. For most people, that would be the end but for an airbender, especially a hyperactive one like Aang, it was an everyday occurrence. A few seconds later Aang resurfaced, soaking wet.
"Turns out, clouds are made from water." He beamed. I felt my lips tugging at the corners before breaking into a smile. Aang's cheeriness and Sokka's humour had started to have that effect on me, no matter how bad the joke I would laugh, even if I didn't find it funny. It made a difference in the overall feeling of the group. Aang puffed out his cheeks and slammed a fist into his other hand. A huge wave of air pushed past us, pelting us with small water droplets. We were silent for a moment before breaking into laughter. It felt so good to laugh, to be happy in the company of friends.
"Let's land and have lunch," Katara suggested, glancing up at the sky, gushing the time by the heat and position of the sun. It was quickly agreed. Aang took Appa's reigns and we moved down through the clouds.
"What is that?" I leaned over Appa's side in response to Katara's shocked question. I wasn't the only one either. Sokka stared blankly at the scene below us.
"It looks like a scar." It was a good description. A mass of blackened earth stretched out in the middle of the forest moving diagonally for miles. It was a blight on the landscape.
Appa landed in a puff of ash. Coughing, I quickly slid off him. My companions quickly joined me on the ground, looking around in bewilderment. Sokka went of on his own while Aang wandered over to one of the few logs that wasn't burned all the way through and sat down. I didn't move, surveying the area and trying to form an opinion on this. True, seeing a beautiful forest marred by this scar was unsettling, but fire was a part of nature. Besides, in some ways fire helped the forest. It would return nutrients to the soil and allow the forest to flourish.
"The Fire nation did this." Of course, my friends didn't see it that way.
"How do you know that Sokka?" I asked, "anyone could have started the fire. It might even have been an accident." In reply Sokka held up a gauntlet. The leather was scorched but the metal work was fine and exquisitely crafted. Fire nation make. I sighed but didn't argue. The show hadn't even given us that to suggest who caused the fire. I stopped. I had not compared what I was going through to the show in quite a while, it felt strange to start again now. Actually now that I thought about it, this was the start of 'The Spirit World, part 1'. That meant that we would be coming across Hei-bei soon. The giant panda spirit had intrigued me in the show, but now that I was facing the possibility of actually meeting the forest spirit I was feeling leery. This would be Aang first encounter with a spirit, his first time going into the spirit world and the beginning of our time limit. We would have until summer before the world as we knew it was lost. This was the keystone of the entire first season, maybe even the entire series and I wasn't sure I was ready for it.
I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. The world had changed a bit due to my actions and now I was beginning to wonder what would happen. How much of an impact would my small changes have by the end? Could I even make a difference at all? I shook my head and turned to look at Katara and Aang who were quietly conversing. I noticed Katara hand Aang something and a smile crept onto my face. The acorns would play an important role in the next two days.
"Hey who are you?" I spun at Sokka's question and found myself facing an elderly man. Wrinkles covered his face and his beard was long, falling midway down his torso. I couldn't tell what his clothes were as they were hidden under a thick woollen cape. The man completely ignored Sokka instead walking right past us to Aang.
"When I saw the bison flying I wondered, but now that I see those markings..." he murmured before raising his voice, "are you the Avatar child?"
"That's me," Aang replied, sending a nervous glace at Katara for reassurance.
"Then I need your help, my village is in terrible danger." All three of us looked at each other.
"How about you tell us what happened on the way there." I suggested. The old man nodded absently before gesturing back towards where he had come from.
"My village isn't to far that way, follow me." We were silent for a moment as we followed the old man into the forest. Then he broke the silence.
"My name is Bo, and for the last five days our small village has been besieged by a spirit named Hei-Bei. The black and white spirit." He paused and leaned heavily on his wooden staff as he looked at us, a tired expression on his face.
"We have done everything we can think of to appease the spirit, but nothing has worked."
"Do you know why Hei-Bei is so angry?" I found myself asking, "After all, if you know why the spirit is upset then how to appease it should be easier." Bo shook his head before continuing on slowly.
"No, one day everything was peaceful, the next Hei-Bei was attacking." I frowned.
"Nothing significant happened before the attacks? Nothing?" That didn't make sense, Bo should have noticed the burning of the forest. At least the smoke and the ruined forest. He hadn't commented on it.
"What are you saying Pala?" Katara asked, looking at me curiously. I sighed before explaining.
"Spirits don't do something for no reason, they can't be that different from us. Just like us they need a reason to do something. Something had to happen that was big enough for the spirit to get mad enough to attack your village." I said the last part while turning to Bo, catching his eye.
"Like the fire," Sokka suggested thoughtfully, "maybe that's bothering the spirit?" I blinked and turned to look at Sokka. I hadn't meant for them to figure out what was bothering Hei-Bei so fast. I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. What had I just done?
"The fire?" Bo asked with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I suppose that's possible, but why attack us and not those who caused it?" I frowned, that was a good question actually, and it was a question that I didn't have an answer for.
"Don't worry." Aang stated, bringing himself into the conversation, "I'll find out."
"Aang you've never done something like this before," Katara stated, worry in her blue eyes, "how are you going to do this?" Aang shrugged, slightly unsure.
"I'm going to have to figure it out while I'm there," he admitted, gripping his staff firmly, "it can't be to hard now that we know why Hei-Bei's upset." I bit my lip, how badly I wanted to just tell him everything. If I did that though I would lose the advantage I had and the entire story would change forever, possibility for the worse.
"The sun is setting," Bo said, coming toward us with the head of the village, "you need to go now." Aang nodded and walked outside. I didn't move from where I stood by the only window that was open, watching the twelve-year-old savour of the world stand alone. Aang didn't move at all, he didn't swirl his staff or call out to Hei-Bei, he just waited. I shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the spirit to come.
It happened suddenly. One moment Aang was standing alone in the centre of the village, the next a giant black and white creature with six limbs stood towering above him. Given the angle I was watching from I was able to appreciate just how huge Hei-Bei was. The spirit had to be twenty feet tall.
"You must be Hei-Bei." Aang shouted. Hei-Bei didn't move, it just stared at Aang as though wondering why this tiny little human was stupid enough to talk to it.
"I'm Aang, the Avatar... umm, the great bridge guy?" I groaned, that moment was fully deserving of a face palm. I didn't take my eyes off Aang though, I didn't want to miss anything. It appeared Hei-Bei was feeling the same thing because it tried to start its rampage. Aang wasn't going to let that happen.
"Wait! Listen, I know you're mad the forest was burned down so was I when I first saw it. Then a friend of mine, showed me these," Aang lifted something small in his hand and showed it to Hei-Bei. The huge spirit looked down at the tiny acorn and snorted.
"Each one of these will grow into a tall tree and the forest will be whole again." Hei-Bei was still. Neither it nor Aang moved. The two stared at each other, then, Aang's tattoo's flashed. I gasped as Hei-Bei turned into a giant panda and Aang, still glowing, climbed on the animal's back.
"Aang!" I shouted, alarmed. What was going on? What was happening? My call came to late as Hei-Bei and Aang both, vanished into the spirit world.
Katara, Sokka and I charged out into the village shouting Aang's name. This was my fault, I had given to much away and now Aang was gone. I slowed down, stopping before the exit to the village. Aang had returned in the episode, just later. I suddenly found myself smiling as I realized I knew where Aang's body would be. I charged out of the village and back the way we had come. If I followed the scar, I would find the bear statue and that was where I would find Aang.
It was late and I was exhausted by the time I had found the bears. Several of the carved animals surrounded the one that stood up tall, each in a slightly different position. I looked up at the top of the bear that was standing. There was Aang, meditating in the avatar state, completely unaware of how much worry he had caused us. I sighed and sat down on the back of one of the bears, giving myself some time to breathe. After I had allowed my racing heart to slow down to a normal speed I stood and walked back to the village. The second I entered the forest I began to mark the trees on my way back, using them so I would be able to find my way back to Aang if I needed to.
By the time I found myself back at the village gates it was in the wee hours of the morning. Exhausted, I stumbled towards the first thing I saw. Appa was laying, curled up by one of the ruined houses, fast asleep. I clambered up the bison's leg and nestled myself in the crook, snuggling into the warm fur.
When I woke up, the sun was in the sky and a very angry-looking Sokka was glaring at me, hands on hips. Moaning I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up.
"Where were you?" I blinked at Sokka before sighing and standing up. Appa rumbled but I ignored him.
"Sorry, I was looking for Aang, just like you guys."
"We came back at midnight and you weren't here." Sokka replied, seeming to relax slightly.
"I found Aang." Sokka jerked and looked at me in shock before grabbing my hand and dragging me back to the big house where most people had been spending the night during Hei-Bei's attacks.
"Pala!" I gasped as all the air was knocked out of me by Katara's hug.
"We were so worried, where were you?" She stepped away, sending me a harsh glare.
"Pala said she found Aang," Sokka explained before turning back to me, "where was he? Is he okay? Why isn't he here if you found him?" I grimaced and ran my hand over my head, tugging at the braided strands.
"Aang is in the avatar state, he isn't exactly capable of going anywhere. Besides, he was sitting on top of a statue and I couldn't reach the top." I explained. I didn't mention the dangers of moving a body in the avatar state, how Aang might not be able to find his body. That would cause a lot of problems in itself. Katara and Sokka both looked troubled by the news but at the same time, relieved that we knew where Aang was and that he was safe.
"Come on, let's get something to eat," I suggested, "Aang is going to be okay." Katara nodded, not looking entirely convinced while Sokka beamed at the mention of food and the sudden realization that this meant that he could eat some meat. Sokka was gone in a flash. Katara shook her head and we shared an exasperated look, still Sokka's antics cheered us up and we headed off to join the rest of the village with breakfast.
Aang didn't return until midday. The young avatar walked into the village, determined and a little grouchy. Katara spotted him first and upon seeing him shouted his name and tore down the middle of the village to hug him. I chuckled and followed quickly behind with Sokka taking up the rear. After all of us embraced Aang looked at us firmly and stated.
"I need to talk to the headman." I frowned but nodded and lead Aang along with the water tribe siblings to where the headman was talking to some of the villagers, trying to calm them down. All to many had panicked when Hei-Bei had vanished with the avatar, despite the fact that less than two minutes after I had left those who had been kidnapped by the spirit returned.
"Headman, I need to speak with you." Aang called, catching everyone's attention. The headman looked surprised and nodded, walking over to greet Aang.
"It is good to see you have returned Avatar, we feared-"
"I know why Hei-Bei was so upset." Anyone who hadn't been paying attention before was listening now.
"Hei-Bei was becoming frustrated that no one was coming to care for his shrine anymore, and that no one was thanking him for the bounty of the forest. Hei-Bei is the spirit of the forest and therefore all that lives within it belongs to him." Aang explained, his voice ringing true and clear. In that moment, I no longer saw a young boy who liked to goof off, I got a glimpse of the avatar Aang would be when he grew up. Powerful and self-assured.
"The fire was only the straw that broke the camel-ox's back," Aang explained, "what really angered him was that no one returned to fix his shrine, which had been burned as well. A spirit's shrine is a sacred place and it is where they feel most connected to our world." I heard some people muttering among themselves. The village seemed bothered that it was because of their lack of dedication to maintaining the spirit's shrine that had gotten them attacked.
"I see," the headman spoke, his voice was softer than Aang's and he looked like a chastised child, "I will make sure that Hei-Bei's shrine is properly cared for." There was silence for a moment before Aang smiled.
"Hei-Bei would like that."
"Is there anyway to repay you for what you've done?" The headman asked. I was slightly surprised by the question, he didn't seem upset that the reason they were attacked was because they hadn't kept a sacred place nice and clean. Then again, back in my world we never had to deal with stuff like that, perhaps this wasn't uncommon.
"We need supplies, food, money, stuff like that." Sokka suggested, wincing when Katara elbowed him in the side. The headman nodded.
"It would be an honour." He stated before walking off to see what he could do.
"I'm proud of you Aang," Katara said, turning to Aang and ignoring Sokka rubbing his tender side, "you figured out how to help these people and Hei-Bei both without any help."
"Actually, I did have some help," Aang admitted, "and there's something I have got to do. I need to talk to Avatar Roku's spirit"
"How?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I need to get to a temple on an island, shaped like a crescent moon before the winter solstice."
"But the solstice is tomorrow." Katara said in surprise.
"Yeah... and the island? It's in the Fire-nation."
A/N: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed to this story so far, I cannot tell you how much it means to me. Now, there have been several people asking me to keep writing this story. I tell you now I have no intention of dropping Change the World anytime soon. Also I am planning on updating every week. My goal will be Saturday once a week, however I may occasionally update on Sunday or Friday, depending on how the story is going and what is happening in my life because, I hate to say it, real life comes before the internet. Thank you once again for reading this story. Please let me know how I'm doing, what I need to do to improve, etc. I hope you will keep reading my story and that it will be something that you look forward to every week.
Princess Kassie Out.
