Chapter 2

Zai flew through the air, landing face first in the snow. His head suck into the snow, stinging his face with its iciness. Wanting to get out of the snow Zai quickly pushed with his hands to help him up. Once his face was completely out of the snow and Zai caught a quick breath, the packed snow gave way and his hands sunk deep into the snow. His head slammed into the snow again. His second attempt was more successful. When he was finally out of the snow he wiped his face and firebent the snow off of himself.

"Augh! I hate Snow! I hate the colour of it, the cold of it, the texture of it, the-the smell of it! Everything about snow, I hate it!" Zai hollered as he stood up. He went to kick the snow but unfortunately for him he was standing on an icy patch and slipped as he kicked and landed square on his back. He groaned in pain and slowly sat up. He turned and glared at the blue tiger spirit sitting there and observing him. "Thanks a lot for stopping," he stated sarcastically dusting off more snow as the heavy downfall of snow covered his clothes.

"You are welcome," the spirit replied as he sat there calmly in the blizzard. "Now that I have stopped what is it that you wanted?"

"I'd like to put a muzzle on you," Zai grumbled under his breath.

The wind picked up with an eerie hollowing noise to follow it. The snow fell harder and faster, stingy Zai's eyes so much it was almost unbearable to keep them open. He could barely see in front of him as he blocked the snow from his face with his forearm. He walked slowly and carefully to Kaito.

Kaito sighed. "I don't understand why we stopped if you are just going to get back on me again," he grumbled. The blue tiger stood up allowing Zai to get on his back. Zai gripped onto some of his fur firmly but somewhat gently.

"This would be so much easier if you had a saddle," Zai groaned as he, by habit of riding komodo rhinos, kicked the side of the tiger. Kaito gave a roar but did not move. "Come on, let's go,"

"Do you have no respect for us spirits?" Kaito snapped angrily. "After centuries and centuries of my existence and meeting endless amounts of Avatars and great warriors alike, I have never had someone degrade me so much as to put a saddle on my back"

"I wasn't raised to care about spirits or if I showed them respect. The Fire Nation does not care for your supernatural world," Zai shrugged as he sat on top of the blue tiger.

"Odd. Your spirit doesn't seem like a Fire Nation spirit," Kaito stated. Zai was silent for a moment. Kaito craned his head back to look at Zai. He was looking down at the snow. After a moment of staring and the snowy ground Zai look back up at the far off and vague horizon.

"Well, they all thought I was different," Zai said quietly. "Come on, let's just go."

"How exactly do you plan for us to get up there?" Zai inquired and he pointed up the high mountain. The top of the mountain couldn't be seen, it was hidden in the clouds.

"It will be simple," kaito stated calmly.

"Simple! It's the Southern Air Temple! Only monks with gliders or Air bison could get there! I don't know if you noticed but we don't have any sky bison!" Zai yelled flailing his arms around.

"The Fire Nation found a way to get up there and kill all the Air nomads with no means of flying," Kaito replied.

"Yes, with machines with spike wheels that cling to the side of the mountain and then zoom, you're up there. We don't have machines or bison or airbenders or anything"

"You can also journey up there with spirits," Kaito stated. "Get on"

"Okay but I don't know where you're going with this," Zai said as he got on the spirit. Kaito started to charge straight at the mountain. Zai was afraid that Kaito was going to ram them into the side of the mountain so he braced himself be holding onto the tiger tightly and closed his eyes waiting for impact.

Zai felt the force of gravity change. Instead of feeling like he was being pushed into Kaito, it felt like gravity was trying to make Zai slide off of him. He opened his eyes to see Kaito running vertically up the mountain. He gave out a scream and held onto Kaito tightly. Not only was it a shock to see them running up the mountain vertically but Zai was also terrified of heights.

"We really, really don't need to go up there Kaito. I've already been up there and have seen the destruction and the imbalance it has made on the world. Just please, for spirits sakes put us back on solid ground"

"If only you had mentioned you have already visited the southern air temple earlier, we do not have to visit that sacred place anymore"

"Really?" Zai asked feeling very relieved that he didn't have to go up there again.

"No." The relief quickly disappeared.

"I hate when you do that"

It was starting to get dark so Zai and Kaito decided to rest on a ledge of the mountain, it looked secure enough to support both their weight. The only things they had were the clothes on Zai's back and the bracelet he found when he awoke in the South Pole.

Zai was starving. The last thing he ate was something Kaito hunted and he cooked using his firebending. It wasn't very good but there was nothing else to eat and it was pretty filling.

A loud hollowing noise started suddenly at the top of the mountain. Zai and kaito both looked up to see what it was. It looked like there was a small tornado happening at the temple. The wind twisted and turned and debris from a crumbling building got caught in its wrath.

Then, as suddenly as the tornado came, it disappeared.

"The weather works in mysterious ways up there," Kaito said as he went back to lying down to take a nap. "We will resume our journey to the top of the mountain when the moon is completely out," Kaito stated. Zai wasn't really listening; he was still looking up at the air temple.

"What was that ominous blue glow?" he muttered to himself.

Lani sat against the wall of her and her Uncle's hut. She couldn't believe that she lost her bracelet. That bracelet meant the world to her. It was the only thing she had from her parents. It was tradition to make a bracelet for your daughter when she is very young. It symbolized the most precious thing to a woman, their virginity.

Now that she lost her bracelet on her journey to place the unconscious Fire Nation boy in the Southern Water Tribe the whole tribe thinks she lost her virginity to him. She needed to get it back.

Keoni walked into the hut. He gave a quick glance at Lani then climbed up into his hammock and lied down. He looked up at the ceiling. Lani hugged her knees tightly. She hated when her uncle didn't talk. He was always talking; it made her very worried that he wasn't.

"The Fire Chief is mad," Keoni Mentioned.

"So he's not the chief of me. The Water Chief is. He should be concerned about the firebenders and let his brother take care of this," Lani muttered.

"I know. I know. I'm just warning you. There will be a meeting tonight that you will have to attend to decide what the punishment is for losing your virginity to a Non-Kaimanan," Keoni stated as he sat up on his hammock.

"I didn't lose my virginity, I just lost the bracelet," Lani snapped. She stood up and stomped her foot. "The spirits know I'm still a virgin and that's all that matters. They'll make this right"

"Okay. You're lucky the water chief believes strongly in the spirits, he'll go easy on you. But I'm afraid both the chiefs get a say on this. Since the Fire Chief is in love you, he's probably heart broken and will probably choose something pretty cruel. So, um, good luck," Keoni said. He jumped down from his hammock and walked out the door.

X X X

Lani walked to the sandy beach in the dark of the night. She came to a part of the beach that was lit dimly with torches. Two teenage boys sat on thrones carved out of the finest wood on the island. One chief couldn't sit still in his throne, he kept looking around and changing the way he sat while the other chief slouched in his chair with a very relaxed look on his face.

The chiefs were only a few years older than Lani. They were inexperienced and childish chiefs that didn't take their duties too seriously. The Fire Chief made quick, irrational orders based on his emotions while the Water Chief took some time to think things over and give more reasonable rules and commands.

Lani knelt down before both of them and bowed. She then slowly got up and looked back at both of them.

She froze as she reassessed the young chiefs' actions. Surely they wouldn't have. The Fire chief hiccupped and she resisted the urge to run out. They had.

Her fate in the tribe would be decided by a pair of drunken teenagers.

"Now, I think you know why you're here," the Fire Chief started. "And it's My, Ariki, and my brother Kai's duty to, um, pick a punishment for your crimes or whatever" The other chief started to giggle.

"At least it wasn't an unconscious Fire nation girl," Kai laughed.

"Look at her face, she looks so scared," Ariki pointed out. They both laugh wildly.

"What do you think we should do with her brother?"

Lani looked over at the crowd watching. She saw her Uncle shrug and shake his head. Others shook their heads as well. The Cheifs were losing more respect with every second that they ruled, especially when they ruled like this.

"I say, um, banishment!" Ariki stated. A lump formed in Lani's throught, she could barely breathe. A pair of drunken teenagers were going to banish her as a punishment.

"Hmmm, that's a stupid idea. Then someone could find out about our existence," Kai interjected. "Besides, since she's a waterbender, I get to say what we do to her" He rubbed his chin as he started thinking about a better punishment. "She has to leave the island and she isn't able to come back until she brings back her bracelet and can wear it proudly. That's how we'll know she's still a virgin"

"But that's almost the same thing. Plus there are other ways of determining if she's a virgin or not," Keoni interjected, stepping out of the crowd and standing by his niece. "You two are drunk!"

"And you're going with her," Ariki spat. Kai nodded in agreement. Kenoi's mouth opened but nothing came out. "Now, I want you two out of here before sunrise tomorrow. No exceptions," the Fire chief added before standing up and stumbling away to his hut. Kai shortly followed.

Lani and Keoni stood there in shock.

Zai hoped off of the blue tiger and stretched with a loud yawn. He looked around the Air Temple. He had been here once before but he didn't like to think about that part of his past. Back then he was forced to travel with the Fire lord's son on his search for the Avatar. Now he was here as a replacement for the Avatar.

"Oh look skeletons and crumbling buildings, just look at the destruction. I told you I've already seen this before. There really was no point in coming here," Zai grumbled.

"The reason for this is not for the destruction. You know nothing about us spirits. The avatar is meant to be the bridge between our worlds. You are no where close to being a bridge," Kaito stated as he started walking through the temple.

"Thanks for the pep talk," Zai muttered feeling kind of useless now. He followed behind the spirit.

They passed a statue of a monk and suddenly the memories of his pass visit came rushing back to him.

"Wow, this must be a statue of a high monk," Zai stated appraising the statue. His clothing is different from that of other airbenders in pictures we've see. And look at that necklace, it must symbolize something, I just wish I knew what," Zai mused.

"We're not her to admire statues Zai. We're here to look for the Avatar, and you've been no help since the beginning," Zuko snapped. "Just stay here and let my soldiers search high and low. We don't need your help anymore"

Zai glared at him. He could think of some very hurtful words to say at Zuko. Two years of this attitude from the one heir to the throne was enough to make Zai go insane. He opened his mouth to say something spiteful to Zuko but Iroh stopped him.

"I apologize for my nephew's actions; he is just confused right now. He is following the destiny his father has marked out for him. You and I both know that is just a path to destruction. He will find his way, but he will not do so if you keep angering him every second of the day, Zai. Why don't you go make us some tea," Iroh said pleasantly and wisely. Zai nodded and walked away.

Zai wandered into the most run down part of the temple. Some things could barely be recognized as buildings. He wandered a little further to see a door covered in a ratty cloth.

"This must be the prayer grounds, there was one like this in the Northern air temple," Zai said to himself as he brushed the cloth to the side and entered the room.

Zai froze. It was a room filled with skeletons. The prayer grounds was filled with dead bodies. The Fire Nation attacked them in their most sacred act. He saw a necklace on one of them that was very familiar. It was the necklace of the high monk. They didn't even respect his death; they just let his body rot at the spot of his death. Zai was filled with anger and disgust.

Zuko entered the room gave a quick glare at Zai and a glance around the room.

"No Avatar in here. Let's keep moving," Zuko said.

"No Avatar? Let's keep moving? Are you not fazed at all by this? These are the prayer grounds of a once great nation, and there are skeletons everywhere! We killed them while they were praying!" Zai snapped. "Our people have disrespected everything about the Air Nomads"

"That is not my problem. My problem is finding the Avatar. My problem is getting my father's love back. You can make this your problem if you want but this is no concern of mine"

Zai snapped. He couldn't take Zuko anymore. He swung his fist and hit Zuko square in the jaw. Zuko tumbled to the ground.

"You're Father's love? Your father doesn't love you! That's why he sent you on this wild goose chase, and for some reason I got dragged along!"

"Take that back," Zuko said as he stood up. His hands glowed as the fire started to build in his hands.

"I'm not going to take back the truth," Zai said. Zuko gave out an angry cry before shooting a stream of fire at Zai. Zai quickly made a wall of green fire in front of him, barely in time to block Zuko's attack.

Zai lowered the wall to see Zuko in the air with a fire arc streaming from his foot. He kicked down at Zai who got knocked back and skidded across the ground. Zuko went for the same attack. Zai lifted himself into a hand stand shooting his mesmerizing green fire from his feet, blasting Zuko high into the sky and landing in another room.

Zai darted after him. When he entered the pace Zuko was in he was greeted with a fire blast that Zai blocked as a slid on the ground when he tried to stop .Zai tripped over his own feet but recover by doing a summersault as he landed and jumped back to to shoot some fire blasts at Zuko, most of which hit him. Fire bursted from Zai's feet and he flew through the air towards Zuko, trying to get in one good solid strike.

Zai was met with a hand on his chest and he landed. The breath was knocked out of him and he stood weakly holding his chest. Iroh glared at him.

"What are you two doing? I know you're both upset over different things and you aren't seeing eye to eye, these problems can be solved with words. Not hurtful words but calm understanding words that get your point across clearly and more respected. If you have anything to say to each other say it now,"Iroh stated.

"I have something to say," Zai said. "I'm leaving" he looked over at a soldier observing. "You come with me to the ship to get my things. I'll be gone before you finish searching the temple"

Those were the last things he said to them.

"Here we are," Kaito said as he stopped in front of two large wooden doors. Zai looked at them blankly for a moment.

"When I was here we couldn't open these doors. I'm sure they won't open now," Zai stated.

"Only an airbender can unlock these doors but shooting air through those tubes. But you can also use a spirit," Kaito explained.

"that's you solution for everything," Zai mumbled.

"All I have to do is ask the past Avatars to open these doors for me"

"Why the Avatars?

"You'll see"

With that said a blue glow came from inside the locked room and the doors slowly swung open. A gust of wind eased out of the room as they walked in. the room was filled with statues of people from all four nations. The patterned of the people seemed to go in this order: Water, Earth, Fire, Air.

"These are the Avatars before our time. There spirits are still present in this room, I can just sense them. The first thing I would like you to observe are the patterns of the elements"

"Water, Earth, Fire, Air. What about it?"

"That is the cycle of the Avatar. Who was the last known Avatar, Zai?"

"Roku," Zai answered as he wondered further into the room. He found the statue that ended the cycle, a man from the Fire Nation. Avatar Roku. "Which means the next Avatar was going to be an Air Nomad. That's why Fire Lord Sozin killed them all when the comet arrived a hundred years ago"

"What you need to do to become a proper replacement for the Avatar, is to fully understand this cycle and full understand the elements. You most be one part of all the elements, just like the Avatar is"

"But if Sozin killed all the Air Nomads, including the Avatar wouldn't he or she be reincarnated in the water tribe then?"

"That is correct. That is why the spirits sent me to look for the Avatar. But when I see the Avatar's soul in my visions, it is not the soul of a waterbender, it's the soul of an airbender. The last airbender,"

"I thought you brought my here to teach me about spiritual stuff, not element stuff"

"I will teach you all you need to know about the spirits and the spirit world. It is your duty to find those to teach you the elements. This is your duty now; if you do not follow this I have no choice but to take your life away. That is our deal"

Zai's heart beat quickly. He was now determined to find people to teach him how he could be the best avatar he could be, without actually being the Avatar. At the same time he felt like Kaito wasn't telling him everything that this deal entailed.

He was ready for the new journey ahead of him.