Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...
Ashlynn groaned as she looked over at the floor below her, and once again saw nothing but grasslands. Her companions had been travelling for days, and nothing worth checking out had shown up in their search.
"It really seems like we'll find nothing at this point. All we've been doing for the past several days is flying, sleeping, eating, and watching Aang dive into clouds," Ashlynn said as Aang jumped off Appa once again and dove into a cloud below.
"Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe it means we'll get to the Northern Water Tribe quicker. Aang and I could really use the water bending learning," Katara said.
"I guess..." Ashlynn replied, and returned to lying down with a pouting expression. "It's just boring. I mean the rest of us can't take dives into clouds. Unless Appa does it for us, but that's not as fun..." Ashlynn whined, and winced a little when she heard Appa growl.
"You say you're bored? Well not anymore. Look at that," Sokka said, and pointed ahead of where Appa was flying. Everyone, including the soaked Aang, went to the edge of Appa's saddle to view what Sokka had pointed at.
"It's like... some kind of scar," Katara murmured. Ashlynn studied the burnt land carefully, and agreed with Aang when he suggested they fly down to have a look.
Ashlynn's heart sank as they set foot upon the ash-littered ground. The trees were burnt to a crisp, and there were no animals to be seen.
"Fire Nation- How could anyone do this? This is just cruel and pointless and flat out terrible," Sokka shouted when he saw the Fire Nation foot prints nearby the destroyed land.
Katara and Ashlynn both hushed his angry shouts so that they could comfort Aang without Sokka interrupting. "I don't understand... how could they do this?" Aang sighed as he sat in the dirt.
"This will get better Aang. We're going to the North Pole to find you a teacher. You'll be able to stop this in no time," Katara reassured him.
"Yeah but he's a water bending teacher... There's no one to teach me how to be the Avatar," Aang said, and got quieter with each word. "Well, water bending is one way to start learning," Ashlynn said.
"Monk Kiatso told me that Avatar Rouku would help me..." Aang pondered aloud. "But he died over a hundred years ago," Sokka said. Ashlynn flashed him a look of warning, telling him to stop ruining Aang's fragments of hope.
"We should take a moment to rest up," Ashlynn suggested. Katara nodded, and went to unpack food for the group. Ashlynn sat down by Appa, and watched the group. Sokka sat down on the other side of Appa, and Aang stayed in the dirt pile he sat on.
A few minutes later, Katara brought a few slices of bread over to Ashlynn. "Thanks Katara. Hey, look at Momo. I think he's digging up some... acorns," Ashlynn said, and took a bit out of the bread. "Wow, thanks for noticing that. That's definitely a way to cheer Aang up," Katara exclaimed, and dropped the tray of bread she held.
Ashlynn chuckled as Katara went to show Aang how the acorns would re-grow into trees, thus bringing the clearing to life again.
Ashlynn stopped taking bites out of the piece of bread she held when she heard footsteps behind her. Her and Sokka stood up and turned around to face whoever approached them. The approached was an elderly man, who paid no attention to Ashlynn or Sokka, and ran right to Aang.
"Who are you?!" Sokka shouted and ran after him. "I knew it! I knew when I saw the flying bison the Avatar would be with it. I didn't believe it was possible, but it is! Will you come with me? My village is in desperate need of you help!" the old man begged. Aang looked to Katara, and she nodded. "Of course we'll help," Aang responded.
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Ugh... it's no wonder these people need our help. Their village is a wreck.
Ashlynn groaned to herself as she walked through the chaos that was the old man's village. Every house was in ruins aside from a large building at the end of the path they were walking on. The old man led the group inside that building where some people greeted them.
"So the rumors are true, the Avatar has returned!" one man said. "Yep... that's me!" Aang smiled. "So, is there anything we can do to help?" Sokka said after an awkward moment of silence.
"I'm not exactly sure..." the man replied and looked away as doubt filled the emotions on his face. "He's the Avatar. He's our only hope," another man argued. "You're right..." the man replied.
"For the past few days, at sunset, a spirit comes and attacks our village," one elderly man said. "What? Why?" Ashlynn asked, thoroughly interested in the situation. "We have no idea... But each time he takes one of our people hostage, and we grow more and more fearful because the Winter Solstice is near," the man replied.
"What happens then?" Katara asked. "The Winter Solstice is an event where the spirit world and our world basically come into contact," Ashlynn explained to Katara. Ashlynn had once read a little about the Winter Solstice in a book at a fire nation library, and so knew some things about it.
The man talking to them nodded. "And this spirit has already caused enough destruction before hand... And once the Solstice is here, there will be no way to know what will happen, and if it will be any worse than it already is."
"Well... What exactly do you want ME to do?" Aang asked, already doubting his abilities. "You're the only one who could have any chance of correcting this problem. You're the Avatar, the bridge between man and spirit," the man who had guided the group there said.
"Hey- Aang? Let's talk over here a moment. Excuse us," Katara said, and guided Aang, Sokka, and Ashlynn over to a corner where they could discuss the matter in private.
"Aang... You don't seem so sure of yourself," Katara said. "Yep... Because I know absolutely nothing about the spirit world," Aang said and sported an innocent smile. "You're joking, right? The bridge between the two worlds knows nothing of the spirit world?" Sokka asked with his usual hint of sarcasm. "Well... I don't exactly have anyone to teach me these things," Aang said in his defense.
"Humph. If Iroh were here I'm sure you'd be able to learn anything you needed to know in just a short amount of time," Ashlynn said as she crossed her arms and leaned against a wall. "Yeah, as if we need help from Fire Nation scums," Sokka rolled his eyes. "Hey! You're talking about me here," Ashlynn argued.
"Guys, relax. None of that matters right now. Right now all we need is for Aang to look into trying to save these people," Katara said, stopping the heated argument. "Yeah, I got to try," Aang said, and looked over at the small group of people left in the village.
"Yeah... we're all going to get eaten by a spirit monster," Sokka said.
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For the remainder of the day, the group sat inside the building and waited for sundown. Ashlynn had a small bit to eat, and rested a little, but otherwise just sat in silence. When the sun started to set, Aang took a deep breath and stepped outside to greet the spirit monster.
"This isn't right, he shouldn't have to face this thing on his own," Sokka said as he and Katara and Ashlynn watched Aang from a window. "I can go stand nearby him if it'll make you feel better," Ashlynn shrugged. "Right, the Fire Nation 'wanted criminal' who can't fire bend or even wield a sword," Sokka said sarcastically. "I can too! I---" Ashlynn went to argue when Katara, once again, shut them up from their argument.
"Aang is coming back. Maybe he got rid of it," Sokka said and Ashlynn looked out the window to confirm that Aang had turned around and was walking back to the building.
"No... He hasn't. Look there!" Ashlynn exclaimed, and ran outside. At the end of the path, the giant black-and-white spirit had emerged from the forest and was stalking Aang. Ashlynn tried yelling to Aang to turn around, but he paid no attention.
Eventually, Aang turned around, and Ashlynn watched as the spirit roared in Aang's face, casting a beam of light down upon him, and began to run towards the building.
"Ashlynn, get back inside!" Sokka shouted from the window. "No, you said so yourself that Aang needed our help," Ashlynn said as she decided whether or not to run after Aang, who was chasing the spirit as it destroyed buildings on either side of the main path.
"The Avatar is the only one who can stop it, now come inside!" a man shouted. Ashlynn grunted, and turned around and ran through the doors, shutting them tightly behind her.
"Aang will do everything he can to make sure it stops, I know it," Katara reassured the group. As she said this, the spirit monster grasped Aang with its monstrous hand, and chucked him against the roof of another building.
"Alright, that does it. Ashlynn was right, we need to help him," Sokka said, and, ignoring the pleas of Katara and the villagers, ran after the monster and Aang. "Well he could've said something sooner..." Ashlynn said, and ran after Sokka.
"Sokka, Ashlynn, go back!" Aang shouted at them. "No, we need to help," Ashlynn said as she caught up to them. "I don't want to fight him... I just---" Aang began to say, but was interrupted as the spirit grasped Sokka and ran off into the forest again. Aang immediately ran after it, and Ashlynn followed Aang slowly.
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Ashlynn followed the tracks of the beast and the trail of wind that Aang made back into the burnt clearing they'd first arrived to. She watched as Aang grasped Sokka's hand and tried to tug him free. She watched as the beast and Sokka suddenly vanished into thin air. She watched Aang hit a tree, and then vanish into thin air as well.
Ashlynn came to a stop at the foot of the clearing to catch her breath. She searched frantically with her eyes, hoping to see Sokka or Aang. When she was sure she couldn't see them, she ran further into the clearing to search for any remnants indicating they were still there.
First she ran to the tree that Aang bumped into, and saw that there were neither tracks nor indications that he'd actually bumped into the tree. There were no tracks showing that a ferocious beast had just stopped through the clearing, either.
"Aang, Sokka... Where are you?!" Ashlynn cried out. She shouted their names over and over again for the next hour, and eventually admitted defeat and leaned against the tree. "Man... what am I supposed to do..." Ashlynn pondered to herself as she tossed a small stick a few feet ahead of her.
"Oh come on Zuko, you really don't want HER to play, do you?" "Yes, I really do want her to play! It's more fun when she plays..." "But she's terrible, and boring. How can you possibly find her to be a fun playmate?"
Ashlynn surveyed an argument between Zuko and Azula from afar. At only nine years old and Azula had already turned bad. Mai and Ty Lee stood behind Azula for support, while Zuko stood in front of Ashlynn to defend.
"If you won't let her join, then I won't play with any of you!" Zuko demanded. "Fine, then run along and play with your boring girlfriend," Azula said, and turned to face Mai and Ty Lee. Together, the three of them walked off to play whatever devious game they had in mind.
"Thanks for sticking up for me Zuko, but I don't really want to play with Azula. I don't really like her," Ashlynn said quietly so Azula wouldn't overhear. "Yeah... I don't really like her much either. Hey, want to go feed some ducks with me?"
Ashlynn smiled as she remembered the many times her and Zuko had fed the ducks together. Her heart sank as she felt the longing to be with him again.
I wish he would listen to Iroh already. He really is good... He just... Doesn't show it like he used to... I wish he would to prove to everyone that he is good...
Ashlynn fell asleep propped up against the tree, thinking of times when Zuko acted well.
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"Ashlynn... Ashlynn, wake up!"
Ashlynn groaned and adjusted her eyes to the morning light. Aang stood above her with wide and curious eyes. "Did you wait out here all night for me?" Aang asked. "No I... I fell asleep..." Ashlynn said as she rubbed her eyes.
"You'll never guess what happened to me!" Aang exclaimed. "Did you find Sokka?" Ashlynn asked as she stood up. "I... no..." Aang said, and hung his head.
"Don't worry, you'll find him. You can tell me all about what happened while we... make our way back to the village... How about that," Ashlynn said. Aang grinned, and nodded.
As they walked back through the forest, Aang retold Ashlynn the story of how he somehow got into the spirit world, and was picked up by Avatar Rouku's dragon. Aang described how the dragon took Aang to a chamber where he'd be able to converse with Rouku, but only on the Winter Solstice.
"Looks like we'll have to stick around for the Solstice then," Ashlynn said. "Yeah... But I need to find Sokka first," Aang said firmly.
Ashlynn nodded, and watched as Katara ran to greet them when they walked up to the main building of the village. "Did you find Sokka?" Katara asked hopefully. Aang shook his head. Katara lowered hers for a moment, then perked up and reassured Aang that he'd find Sokka soon enough.
As they walked inside, the sun began to set.
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After a bite to eat, Aang stepped outside once again to confront the oncoming of the spirit monster. He, once again, walked to the edge of the path and waited. After a half hour of patient waiting, he turned around and began to walk back, defeated.
Yet again, as soon as he turned his back, the monster appeared. It immediatly began wrecking homes again. Aang, without thinking, jumped before the creature and stood between it and the main building that it was prepared to destroy.
"...I realize what's upset you now! You're the spirit of this forest... And you're upset because your forest got burnt down," Aang explained half to himself and half to the people inside the building.
Ashlynn winced as she remembered watching the fire nation burn down several forests.
"I was upset too, but then my friend gave me hope that it would grow again. You see?" Aang said, and presented the acorn Katara had given him earlier. The creature surveyed it for a moment, then carefully took it from Aang's hand, and walked back towards the forest. As it entered the forest, it transformed into it's true self... a panda bear... and produced a clump of bamboo trees at the foot of the forest. From that bundle of bamboo trees, the captive people emerged.
"Sokka," Katara cried, and ran after her brother. Ashlynn and Aang both followed. "What happened..." Sokka muttered. "You were taken into the spirit world," Katara explained. Sokka nodded, agreeing that that's probably the reason for him feeling the way he felt.
"Guys... I found a way to contact Rouku," Aang said. "That's great Aang!" Katara exclaimed. "How'd you manage that one?" Sokka asked.
"Well... When I went into the spirit world---" Aang began to explain. "You were in the spirit world and didn't stop to think about saving me? Thanks Aang... thanks," Sokka exclaimed with a hint of annoyance. "I did but then Roku's dragon picked me up and took me to a place where I could contact Rouku!" Aang yelled back. Sokka then shut himself up.
"Anyways... I just need to wait for the Solstice to talk to him. I know it's tomorrow... And the biggest problem is... This place where I talk to Rouku is in the Fire Nation..."