The Rogue Avatar
Book IV: Fear
Chapter 1:
The Boy from the Ice
Lykan opened his eyes and raised his hand summoning the water from snow around his feet, he turned them into ice before throwing his hand around to melt them with fire from his fingertips in a swinging motion with his arms twin gusts of wind blew the steam away and finally he he stomped feet to summon a stone hidden under the ice to kick it away. He held his stance for a moment before smirking and dropping his arms
"So... pretty cool right?"
Korra stared slack jawed and starry eyed with wonder "Oh…SPIRITS YOU'RE THE AVATAR!"
"Shhhh not sure loud." Lykan hushed her while running up to her hushing the fellow fifteen year old.
Unlike Korra and many of the native southern water tribe, Lykans skin was uncommonly pale for a member of the region. His hair was the similar shade of dark brown like the people of water, but he didn't share their blue eyes rather the uneventful gray. His face was diamond shaped with a slender nose and the start of a pair of dimples on each cheek. His hair was messy and unkept like the old anorak he wore, with pockets on the side and strings around the collar of the hood the blue had all but faded and a very ugly patchwork of gray fabric remained. The white trim on the hood and sleeves was torn and stained as opposed to Korra's bright blue and crisp white fur lined one. He had put a pair of leather mittens over her mouth to stop her from screaming.
"Whht?" She between the seams of his glove.
He took his hand off "Nobody can know this Korra, if people find out I'm the avatar everything will change."
"What- I've got like so many questions- I mean where to start?" She said pacing back and forth.
"When did you find out- how did you find out?" She asked tattling off a list of questions: "When you sneeze is it air or fire?"
"Have you ever tried to levitate a rock and then fly on it through the air?"
"Do you glow like the last Avatar?"
"Does this mean you have to shave your head?"
"Are you going to go away for a hundred years in an iceberg?"
Lykan gathered his thoughts for a moment "Uh... I've known for a while, I found out when I bender my clay bowl into the wall when u meant to do water, it varies from all four, yes and that's why I had a black eye that one day in school, no not yet at least, I hope not and I'm not going anywhere..." He gasped in as much air as he could after speed running through her questions.
"But Avatar Aang is dead, the White Lotus has been looking for fourteen years... and you've been here the whole time at the bottom of the world and you don't want to leave!" She said loudly throwing her arms up in the air.
The boy backed away hands up "Wait wait just let me explain." He said his hands going back and forth.
"You know what Aang said, he wanted the white lotus to train the next avatar till they were ready right?" He asked.
Korra put her hand in a cross over her chest "Yeah so, you'd get to learn to bend all the elements, travel the world kicking butt?" She betrayed uncrossing her arms and punching air.
But he shook his head "They'd lock me away somewhere, hovering over me every day and night, I'd be a prisoner."
"You'd be the Avatar, if you showed people like me you could go to Republic City the coolest place on earth." She pointed out.
Lykan responded by falling back into the soft snow "That's a big if, Korra and the reason I told you is so you aren't surprised when I..." he trailed off.
"When you what?" She asked crouching down to sit beside him.
He sat up "When I leave, come next spring I'm leaving the South Pole."
Korra and Lykan locked eyes "But you said you'd stay right here?" She asked.
"I want to but I can't, sooner or later I'll slip up out here and someone will see me firebending or earth bending and boom, White Lotus are kicking down my door." He argued back at her, Korr's pale blue eyes rolled like waves at this.
She sighed out a thick cloud before saying "Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"
He glared at her before softening his gaze before shrugging "I don't know, maybe, but you saw how they were when the White Lotus thought Viko was the Avatar, turned out he just set himself on fire in chemistry." Korra burst out laughing remembering the incident "They put him through all sorts of tests even though he failed every single one, he didn't talk for a week afterwards imagine if I get caught?"
"No not really I think it'll be fun." She said with a thumbs up and smiling.
Lykan sighed again "Anything would be fun outside this iceberg." He summarized looking out across the ice fields of the South.
"So when do the White Lotus get here?" Korra asked him "Should already be here with the Republic City Ambassadors."
Port of the Southern Water Tribe
The Tiger Shark roared ferociously behind the iron bars of the cage set before the Republic City Ambassadors and White Lotus, a large steam powered ship was anchored in its harbor. The White Lotus ambassadors stood next to a tall bald headed man with a blue arrow tattoo on his forehead and a short brown beard and gray blue eyes, he wore a long red cloak standing next to a man with fading brown hair and a full chin beard and pale blue eyes, his skin was light and he was wearing a red and white Republic City military uniform.
They were joined by three White Lotus Masters in the signature blue and white uniforms, there was a tall lean Earth Bender Master, a slender black haired Firebender and stout dark haired Water Bender. In front of them were a group of Water Tribe elders "As you can see Master Tenzin the Tiger Shark is a truly magnificent creature, with the ability to swim hundreds miles out to sea while also stalking prey on land for months." The elder in front of them said. The tiger shark was as large as a truck with a long finned tale and a fin on its back with a smaller on just at the edge of its tail. Like its name its head wasa mix between the arrow shape of a shark and ferocious row of fangs, its four legs had strong large paws with fins behind them so it could swim. The beasts hide was a mix of the dark almost blue on top and a pale milky white on bottom blended together in stripes.
"Yes Elder, am an amazing creature, it'll make a fine addition to the Republic City zoo and convince the City Council why it's important to respect its territory and not to over fish wouldn't you agree Bumi." Tenzin said next to the other man "Awe leave the politics behind Tenzin." The man said, rolling his eyes under his fur lined cap.
The party started to follow the elders into the port where a line of people from the Southern Water Tribe had gathered to meet them. At the forefront of the crowd were throngs of water bending children with parents behind them buckets had been lined across the pathway for the children to show of
"We should begin the tests as soon as possible Master Tenzin, our efforts to find the Avatar are more important than animals?" The Water Master said beside the Air Master.
"Quite right, we should begin the testing as soon as possible." Tenzin said looking at the chieftains.
Later the Ambassadors and Tenzin were taken to the center of the city where an even larger crowd had gathered, including Lykan and Korra with her parents. Kana and Tonraq were standing behind Korra as were many parents for every child around their age. The square had been water blended into a magnificent stage of ice with a stand across from it with seats for Tenzin, the three other masters, Chieftains, Bumi and one more who were walking through the cheering crowd.
"Quite the turnout this year?" Tenzin said approaching the stand, in another part of the crowd it was parting for someone else.
Both Tenzin and Bumi smiled knowing who it was, emerging from the crowd with a silver haired woman behind her was an elderly white haired woman in dark blue and white fur lined robes. Everyone bowed her for the Sagely woman who had a smile that could melt the largest iceberg in the south, it only grew more radiant when she saw Tenzin and Bumi approaching her.
"Mother." Tenzin said respectfully bowing "Mom." Bumi said running up and flinging his arms around her "Hey bro." The woman said "Oh hey Kya." Bumi said, breaking off his hug to greet his younger sister.
"Master Katara." The three White Lotus members bowed to greet the great hero of the One Hundred Years' War.
"Tenzin, Bumi so good to see you again." Katara said warmly to her two sons.
Tenzin walked up to her and held her elderly mittens "Mother are you sure you should be here, I know how hard this must be for you." Tenzin said.
"Oh Tenzin, always so serious, tell me how's Pema and Jinora and little Ikki?" Katara asked him "They send their love mother and you'll all be pleased to know, Pema is pregnant, again."
Bumi reached around and slapped him on the back "Ah that a boy."
"And what about you Bumi, settling down anytime soon?" Kya asked elbowing her brother, "No woman can hold me."
"May I remind you of the reason we are here?" Tenzin said to his siblings while they discussed family affairs.
The rest of his family looked at him squarely "Okay fine, time for catching up later." Bumi said.
Across from them Korra was next to Lykan a few feet from her parents "Dad, mom, I can see the Avatars children and Master Katara." Korra said "Do you see them Lykan?"
"Hmm yeah an old lady and her adult children, really impressive." He said, rolling his eyes as she pushed through the crowd a bit to see Katara and her children climbed the podium to sit in front of the large stage where everyone cheered and shouted.
"What are you doing here mongrel?" Someone said behind Lykan and Korra, the two of them looked behind to see a tall boy with slicked back black hair with long side burns and braids on each end, he was flanked by two larger boys both dark haired and dark skinned water trifling.
Lykan rolled his eyes "Maltok and… whoever you two are?" Lykan asked "It's Soyan and Tadda." The beefier boys snapped at him.
"What do you three want?" Korra demanded.
Maltok smirked walking up, he was wearing a pristine winter coat straight from Republic city with perfect stitching and Snow White fur on the collar of his hood that was down "Just taking wagers on how quick it will be for you two get counted out as the Avatar." Maltok said smugly.
"I think when I'm chosen I'll let you come with me to Republic City Korra, how's that sound?" Maltok said winking at her, Korra gagged suddenly her face turning green "Ugh I think I just bended vomit into my mouth."
"If I was wearing something like that I'd puke twice." Lykan said looking at Maltok's gaudy coat which stuck out like a sore thumb in the surrounding sea of blue and grey coats.
Maltok's blue eyes twitched, while Soyan and Tadda cracked their knuckles "Why you two little-" Just before the fight could start a row of drums started to beat along with water powered trumpets with a water tribe elder before he spoke to the tribe.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS OF THE SOUTHERN WATER TRIBE WE ARE HONORED TO WELCOME THE AMBASSADORS OF REPUBLIC CITY, MASTERS OF THE WHITE LOTUS AND MASTER KATARA HERSELF." THE orator bellowed to the crowd through a megaphone.
Everyone cheered by Lykan "IT HAS BEEN THIRTEEN YEARS SINCE THE DEATH OF AVATAR AANG, AFTER YEARS OF SEARCHING THE SAGES OF THE ELEMENTS BELIEVE THE AVATAR IS HERE IN THE SOUTH WHEN THEY COULDN'T FIND HIM IN THE NORTH!"
The crowd cheered even louder hearing their northern cousins "Sages, we've looked everywhere else this is the last place on our list?" Bumi said next to his family, but Tenzin elbowed him "Shhh."
"AND NOW THE MASTER OF THE WHITE LOTUS." The orator said loudly introducing the short stout water bender who had come with Tenzin and Bumi. He took the center of the stage holding up his hands to quit the crowd "As the search for the Avatar has begun to drag out, we shall examine each youth in various tests and shows of skill, may the spirits guide us in this endeavour."
Everyone applauded and the children started to rush forward to the stage, even Korra came off her dad's shoulders to the stage "I'm out." Lykan said before he was swept away in the sea of eager would-be-avatars.
"No, no, no, no, no-" "Oh come on." Korra said grabbing his hand and pulling him forward.
When the Southern Water Tribe youth were in front of the stage the White Lotus Master stood there hands behind his back under his robe "Now, as we believe the Avatar has yet to master the element of water, those with the greatest skill will be considered for further testing." The Master said as two people brought out large tubs of water.
The kids all looked wide eyed sparkling at the thought, Korra and Lykan were standing next to one another. Lykan let out yawn and Korra elbowed him like Tenzin to Bumi "Come on, you're just as good a bender as me."
Then Lykan smilled "Wanna bet."
The White Lotus Master pointed to one of the children, a dark skinned boy with a classic wolf tail cut"You there."
The first boy ran up and held up his ground taking a stance, the White Lotus leader stood there and waited "Strike me… if you can."
The young water bender swung his arms around summoning up a whip of water and throwing it at the Leader, the old man dodged and redirected the water back at him "Next."
One by one, potential avatars climbed the stage to duel the Leader, a few were able to catch him off guard but the man was clearly a master who knocked all comers out of the ring before looking back at the other White Lotus members who wrote down a few potential avatars who the Leader and Masters agreed on. Maltok and Tadda were both exceptional while Soyan cheered from the sideline after he failed to pass the test.
Suddenly Korra took the stage and gave a smug smile "My turn grandpa." She said.
"Hmm you seem like a confident one." The Leader said.
"Ah its Tonraq and Kana's daughter." Katara said from the podium "You know her?" Tenzin asked.
"Mom knows almost everyone here in the South, she's the greatest water bender in the world." Kya said leaning back in her chair "You so sure sis?" Bumi asked.
Katara and her children looked back at the stage to see Korra was holding her own against the White Lotus Leader. "Go Korra!" Kana shouted next to her dad "Easy dea-" Tonraq started to "THAT'S MY BABY!" Kana shouted. Korra through water powered punches left and right and used her small size to make herself a smaller target from the White Lotus Leader's attacks. The crowd screamed and cheered in excitement at Korra's great show.
The White Lotus Leader blocked a barrage of water bending strikes before he raised his hand "Enough."
Korra stopped just short of throwing another attack "Huh?" She asked.
"A fine show young lady." He said looking to the Masters who applauded her even Katara stood up and clapped, Korra's cheeks turned bright red at the praise "Hmm she's strong." Katara said.
"Certainly talented." Tenzin said beside her.
Just as Korra was basking in her praise leaving the stage, she noticed Lykan was about to leave "Hey he hasn't gone yet."
Korra pointed at Lykan who froze stiff "You there boy, get up here." The Leader called out to him.
"Ah yeah not me, I uh… forfeit?" Lykan said, holding up his hand waving it off "Nonsense all youth must participate." The White Lotus leader said as Korra walked past him "Come on." She said suddenly shoving him up to the stage.
Among the other contenders Lykan looked the most dreadful out of all of them, his messy hair, dirty and patchwork clothing. "Uh get a look at that one." Bumi said wincing.
"Hmmm thats Lykan." Katara said, her tone shifting.
"Another prodigy mother?" Tenzin asked as the White Lotus leader summoned up an orb of water that stretched around him, Lykan sighed doing the same forming a whip and hurled it toward the White Lotus but the water collapsed as soon as Lykan threw a punch.
Katara sighed "Not… exactly."
The crowd erupted in laughter at such a pitiful excuse for a water bender, even Kya and Bumi snickered a bit despite harsh glances from their Mother and younger brother. Lykan looked at the White Lotus Member who put his water back in the barrel "Next." Lykan shrugged his hands in his hands back into his pocket and turned around walking off stage people still laughing and pointing at him. The only one who weren't besides Tenzin and Katara was Korra who seemed more upset then amused.
When he rejoined the crowd walking through it to the laughing pointing faces of the water tribe she followed "What was that?"
"That was my best performance yet." Lykan said, winking and smiling walking out of the laughing crowd.
Their attention turned from Lykan to the next contender, but up on the observation podium Katara was deep in thought "Mother are you alright?"
"He faked it." She said.
"Pardon Mother?" Tenzin asked.
Katara looked back over the crowd to see Lykan walking away. "I've seen every form of water bending known and I know when someone's heart isn't in it."
Shortly after Korra, Maltok, Tadda and seven other potential avatars were lined up in front of the White Lotus Leader "Excellent, we have ten potential Avatars who will join us at a compound not far from here to continue the tests and by the will of the spirits we will HAVE OUR AVATAR!" He cheered to a welcoming crowdThe Masters, Tenzin and Bumi stood up applauding along with everyone, while the trumpets and drums beat in celebration.
Later, when Lykan was walking toward the city exit he heard someone call his name "Lykan, wait!"
It was Korra running up after him, he stopped "Korra?"
"What was that?" She asked him "What was what?" He asked.
After catching her breath like an air bender "That lousy excuse for bending, you're just as good as me… well not just as but still." Korra said, pointing at him almost shouting.
"Korra will you keep it down." He said holding his hands up when he noticed a few people starting to stare.
Korra sighed crossing her arms "Youre the-..." when she started speak she hushed herself "You're the real avatar." she whispered pulling him over to a nearby alley, out of ear shot from any prying ears.
"No-I'm-not." he whispered or growled through his teeth at her "I faked it, so they'd leave me alone."
"I just don't get it Lykan, why don't you-" "Hey?" The two of them looked out of the alleway to see a group of three water tribesmen standing had suddenly appeared "This mongrel here is bothering you girl?" they asked, giving Lykan's pale skin masty looks.
Korra frowned "What, why would he-" "No, I was leaving." Lykan said, leaving Korra behind and trying to get out of the alleway. When he was passing by the three men one of them stopped him "When are you going to learn-"
Suddenly the man struck Leo across the cheek "Hey!" Korra snapped.
"Half-breed dogs like you don't belong here." the man who hit him said before spitting on him, Lykan just stood there with a purple cheek and waited till they moved.
"Now get." they told him.
Lykan bid as he was told and headed toward the outer gates of the city leaving it behind.
A block away Tenzin and Bumi had spotted the scene with some interest "Odd, the Water Tribe is usually such a close knit community full of love and compassion for their tribe?" Tenzin recited elegantly.
"Yeah what a bunch of jerks?" Bumi said arms crossed giving them an ugly look.
Later that day, Lykan had hiked across the frozen tundras to a small igloo perched on a solitary hill. It was old and rundown with cracked windows or boarded up ones. Opening the door Lykan said "Mom, I'm home."
But no answer came, the inside the house was relatively sparse. There was a kitchen had the bar necessities of amenities, a few dishes were in the sink the floor was covered in old furs starting to rot from poor management. There was a dinning room with three chairs but only one with a plate at it. However one part of the room was well kept, a small shrine in the corner with two lit candles there a picture of a water tribe woman, her hair wa done up in a traditional top knot braid with hair loopies down the side of her face wearing a necklace with an iceberg carved in it. In front of it was the actual necklace but instead of the blue crystal that the Water Tribe carved it was made of a strange black material that looked hard and cold to the touch.
"They tested us for the Avatar again today, just like they did six years ago…" Lykan said down to the picture sitting in front of it then smirked "Fooled them again."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Lykan jumped to his feet spinning around at the sound of the voice, he raised his arm ready.
His gaze to the sink he summoned dirty dish water out of it and coiledit around him like two eels ready to strike "Show yourself or taste my backwash."
"Backwash bending, things really have changed." The voice said when Lykan saw a man emerging from the shadows, it was a man wearing a the skin of a polar bear dog over his head like a cowl. He was dressed in a traditional water tribe robe very traditional by how old it looked, his boots were leather and he had mittens on his fire trimmed collar hands.
Lykan held his grown "I don't know who you are, or how you got in here but you just made the biggest mistake of you-" "Oh he's a big talker isn't he Kuruk, nothing I couldn't handle with one step." Someone else said, it was a woman's voice. He looked around then he saw her, like the man named 'Kuruk' she came out of the shadows but she wasn't a water tribe woman instead she was dressed in dark green garments with black fringe in the style of the earth kingdom. She had large feet in massive boots but her face was white as clouds with red eyeliner and a golden headdress around her brown hair brow.
They weren't alone either "Come now Kyoshi don't tease the boy." Lykan saw an elderly man in bright red fire nation robes with black shoulders pads, his hair was white with a ornate fire nation hair piece holding up his top knot he had his baggy sleeves together when he walked out "He's obviously in shock, three strange looking strangers standing in front of him we should at least explain."
"Fair point Roku, but I don't know how this isn't going to freak him out?" Another mans voice said, but it was behind Lykan.
"GRAH!" Lykan spun around throwing the water at whoever it was but someone in yellow, orange and scarlet robes grabbed his arm and pulled him forward pushing past him before the man behind him was now in front of Lykan with the others.
When Lykan turned around to see who it was, standing before him in avatar robes with a chin strap beard and bald head with a blue arrow was a man in the prime of his youth with gray eyes smiling crookedly at him. In fact all three of the other intruders had the same crooked smile "Who the hell are you guys?" Lykan asked.
"And here I thought the arrow on my head and my obvious good looks gave it away Lykan." The last man said.
"How do you… know my name, wait you broke into my house?" Lykan said raising up his arms and summing fireballs at him "Bad idea."
All four of the intruders burst out laughing "Oh look he's a fire bender too ooooooh." The last man said waving his hands in the air while the others snicker "Wait what…. aren't you scared?" Lykan asked.
"Of what, a broody teenager with fire powers, been there done that actually he's a good friend now." The last man said.
Lykan looked at them all "What?" Lykan asked.
The last man rolled his eyes "Do we need to spell it out for him?" Kuruk asked.
"Might as well it speed things up." Kyoshi said shrugging "Patience Kyoshi I'm only here because Aang asked us to come." Roku pointed out.
Lykans arms dropped "... Aang?"
"Roku…. Kyoshi… Kuruk are you?" Lykan asked looking at them "Are you all…"
"Yep." Aang said "We are you, Avatar Lykan." Aang said with a smirk Lykan looked at all of the Avatars of previous lives. Kuruk Avatar of Water, Kyoshi Avatar of Earth, Roku the Avatar of Fire and Aang the Avatar of Air were standing right in front of him his past lives come over from the spirit world.
So of course Lykan fainted right into the floor "I told you this was a bad idea." Kyoshi snapped at Aang "Shut up Kyoshi." Aang replied.