((A little earlier than usual due to personal reasons but I'm sure you won't mind! Enjoy!))

The Last Earthbender:

The remote village was small, surrounded by a shallow trench filled with wooden spikes and encircled by a short wooden wall. Before him, an unsteady gate blocked the path into the village. A guard spotted him as Eyuta uncloaked, grabbing his spear and jumping to his feet.

"Stop! Stop right there!" he yelled, thrusting his spear out in front of him.

Avatar Jahn did as he asked. He tapped Eyuta lightly on the side of his neck and the Luxiyi immediately stood still, watching the man with curious eyes. His head swayed left and right slightly, his tail flicking as he tasted the air with a forked tongue. The man gripped his spear tighter as he carefully watched the strange animal with a human on its back.

"We mean you no harm. Please. We're just looking for somewhere to spend the night," Jahn said, holding his hands up peacefully.

"You're riding a spirit. We don't let their kind in here," the guard shouted back.

"Eyuta isn't a spirit. Sure, he looks a bit weird, but…" Jahn said in response, until Eyuta suddenly flicked his head back, almost catching Jahn with his antlers. The Avatar laughed openly, rubbing Eyuta's neck in apology. "Sorry boy, I just need him to believe us…" he whispered to his animal friend. Eyuta exhaled loudly, as if sulking.

The guard was dressed in a typical Earth Kingdom tunic, although the little armour he wore was distinctly old Earth Empire. The country currently existed as both; King Wu was certainly on the throne, yet the government had as much power. It seemed to work rather well, considering the past turmoil regarding monarchs and their subjects.

"Why you riding it then? You a beastman?" the guard asking nervously.

"No. I'm Jahn, the Avatar. Are you out here alone?" he asked, taking the guard by surprise. "That can't be safe. What if you're attacked?"

"The Avatar!?" the man exclaimed, almost dropping his weapon. "You're gone!" he stated dumbly.

"….Obviously not. These are dangerous times. Surely the village can't expect you to keep out any bandits or spirits that mean you harm?" Jahn questioned, trying to phrase it politely. A conversation might help persuade the man he wasn't a spirit in disguise.

"Ah, well, in that case Kolu will stop them," the guard replied, lowering his spear. "You really the Avatar? Prove it."

Jahn sighed. He swept an arm round, causing a strong gust of wind to shoot through the trees, whilst bending a nearby stream into a gleaming ball of water which he sent spinning into the air, exploding into tiny droplets of glistening rain.

"Holy badgermole, it IS you!" the guard shouted, the spear now dropping to the floor. He turned, shouting at the gate in excitement. "Hey, open up. The Avatar's here!"

A heavy creaking echoed around as the gate was steadily pulled open. Jahn approached on Eyuta slowly, ensuring the village was what it seemed. He hadn't survived for so long without being cautious when he needed to be. That old Earthbending patience had finally awoken once more, quelling the rage and impatience which had filled him ever since he had discovered his identity.

Beyond the gate was a small courtyard. There was barely room to move as it was currently full of empty carts and crates stacked around. Eyuta carefully stepped around them all, trying not to get his antlers stuck in anything as they progressed. The guard followed them in, pointing at a nearby man in similar uniform. "Shift change! Hurry it up!" he shouted. The other man, currently in the middle of a game of Pai Sho, groaned and flipped the board, causing the old lady he was playing against to whack him with a cane.

"So, Avatar, you said you want a place to stay? You staying longer? You here to help Kolu defend the village?" the guard asked rapidly, causing Jahn to pinch the bridge of his nose. Eyuta sensed his discomfort and made a soft, low warning noise.

"Yes, no, who now?" Jahn replied after considering the questions.

"Kolu. He's the main reason we're still thriving here. He's been driving off all the spirits and bandits singlehandedly!" the guard said, articulating wildly with his hands.

"Alone? What makes him so special?" Jahn asked, curious despite himself.

"Ah, why not ask him yourself? There's an inn up there on the left," the guard said, pointing down the narrow street and to a wooden building up on a small hill, slightly away from the other buildings around. "Yeah, that one there. Kolu's the innkeeper's son. If you stay there, no doubt you'll bump into him. I wish you all the best Avatar and…your presence is more welcome than you know," the guard said respectfully, bowing low and turning round.

Jahn watched him go, aware of amazed eyes all around. He sniffed, feeling the cold on his face for the first time. He'd been travelling for a couple of days already, making incredible progress through the Earth Kingdom after his prey. Still, his supplies were running low and Eyuta could do with a rest. The inn sounded welcome.

They approached the inn confidently now there were fewer people around. His Luxiyi particularly seemed more at ease; suddenly being surrounded by humans must be a scary prospect after years alone. There were stables to the side, holding two horses who pawed the ground nervously as Eyuta approached. When Jahn vaulted off Eyuta's back, he patted his flank and pointed at the horses. "Not for eating. Got it? I'll get you some food from inside," he ordered. He knew Eyuta understood him completely, which probably explained the rather peeved expression on his peculiar face.

When Jahn knocked, he received no answer. Pushing the wooden door open, the Avatar stuck his head round the door in a wary manner. "Hello?"

"We're closed," a voice said behind him. Jahn immediately jumped at the noise, pulling the door shut and turning in one swift motion. A young man stood a few feet away, holding a patched sack over one shoulder and pulling his belt tighter with the other. He couldn't have been very old; Jahn certainly reckoned he was a little younger than he was, given the patchy fuzz on his cheeks and the slightly-cracked voice when he spoke. His thick dark hair was long, almost obscuring his eyes and tied back into two braids down his back.

"Closed?"

"Yeah, we're closed. We don't get many visitors anymore," the young man said. "If you want refuge, go stay someplace else."

"You used to get many visitors before?" Jahn said, looking around in confusion. Nothing about the village seemed like it was worth visiting.

"You're not from around here then," the villager pointed out. "The Cooling Crystals are found over the next ridge," he said, pointing beyond the village walls. "They were notorious for their healing properties; simply going into their cave made people feel better. They'd usually stay here both before and after."

Jahn considered this news. "So how come it's so quiet here?"

The villager frowned in disbelief. "Seriously? You don't know about the attacks? It's all anybody talks about now…" he said, kicking at a pebble.

"Attacks by who?" Jahn asked, his patience fraying. It was like trying to draw blood from a stone. He forgot just how irritatingly block-headed the Earth Kingdom could be. Akirai had once said something similar to Jahn once; he stifled a chuckle at the memory of it.

"Duh, the spirits in the forests and bandits from the caves. It's impossible to drive them away; we're barely able to stop them raiding this place," the villager said sadly.

The Avatar scratched his head in thought. Eyuta suddenly appeared by his side, uncloaking as he nuzzled Jahn's sleeve. The villager dropped his sack in surprise, fumbling at the floor whilst he kept his eyes locked completely on Eyuta. Jahn made a flippant gesture with one hand as he scratched Eyuta's ears with the other. "It's fine, he's not aggressive. So, spirits and bandits, huh? It looks like you've got some sturdy defences at least," Jahn pointed out.

"Barely. The guards only have spears and I'm the only one able to bend in the entire village. It makes fighting spirits impossible," the young man said, picking his bag up and slinging over his shoulder once more.

Jahn smiled. "Ah, so you're this Kolu I've heard about. The last Earthbender. You seem to be doing a good job, at least," he complimented.

Kolu frowned. "The last Earthbender in the village, at least. The other villagers won't risk helping until the bandits are gone but I can't take them down alone."

The Avatar stretched his arms out wide and yawned. Rolling his head, he loosened himself up. "Well, Kolu, it's a good thing I'm here. I'm Avatar Jahn; if you're willing to provide me with a bed for the night, I'll happily knock some bandit heads together for you," he promised.

"The Avatar!? You're serious? I-uh, yeah!" Kolu said, brightening up for the first time. "Come with me. I need to visit my mother and then we'll sort out a plan of action."

Jahn pointed behind him at the empty inn. "Not living here?"

Kolu shook his head. "The bandits raided once and innocent people were hurt. I fought them off but we decided to keep everyone spread out. Less chance of multiple casualties…"

Jahn nodded. Waving Eyuta over, he walked over to Kolu and they started off down the small dirt track, passing numerous small wooden huts as they went.

"Are there many bandit groups around these days?" Jahn asked.

"Sadly, yes. Ever since the spirits attacked, some people thought it was best to hide away and steal from the weak just to survive. Living in the Cooling Crystal Caves gives them an advantage too; it's a very spiritual space so they get grief from the spirits, but the crystals keep them all safe. We could do with them to help heal some of the wounded here; my mother is an Earthbender too, but she's ill. Too ill to fight," Kolu whispered.

The Avatar immediately knew his offer of help was the right thing to do. Kolu was an Earthbender in a small town with an ill mother. The similarities were so startlingly obvious that Jahn felt immediately attached to this small village in the middle of nowhere.

Kolu's home was a sturdy wooden house with a colourful roof and a small porch. Despite his claims that his village was under attack, everything seemed relatively undamaged. Jahn had seen property carnage in his time; hell, he'd caused most of it. Before they could step up to the porch, however, Kolu held out an arm to stop Jahn. "Just something quickly…my mother is unwell but she's still a bit overprotective. I'm sure she won't be ok with me fighting but could you try convince her?"

Jahn shrugged. "Sure."

They entered Kolu's home, wiping their feet on the mat as the entered. It was a lovely home; it made Jahn's old house look like a hovel. Clearly some people were doing well in this war. It was bright and inviting, full of curious knickknacks and designer furniture. It also had more than a few rooms, causing Jahn to frown as he looked around. He wasn't often jealous but this time, he couldn't help feel as though the similarities with Kolu had now ended.

"Kolu, is that you?" a woman asked as she shuffled around the corner. Kolu smiled, hugging her tightly. She was holding a shawl around her shoulders tightly with a bony hand. Her face was drawn and whiter than snow; whilst her eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of her son, Kolu's mother was clearly too ill to teach him much Earthbending.

"Who's this, sweetheart?" she asked, smiling weakly at Jahn.

"He's Jahn, the Avatar. He's going to help me stop all the bandits so we don't have to deal with two attacks at once," Kolu said, rather quietly.

The look on his mother's face explained his hesitancy. Jahn stepped forward. "Excuse me. Kolu forgot to mention the primary reason for this…"

"The crystals. They can help you recover," Kolu said, keeping his eyes low.

"Oh. Sweetheart, do you think it's a good idea? We don't want to make them even more mad," she began to protest but started coughing heavily. Jahn spotted a clay cup on a shelf; he flicked his hand and it soared across the room. He caught it easily, holding it out as he twisted his free hand around and around; water streamed in from a different room and into the cup. Handing it to Kolu's mother, he didn't react as Kolu gave him a grateful look.

"It's the best shot we have to free the town. We have the Avatar's help; it's now or never," Kolu responded boldly.

His mother sighed after taking a sip of water. "As long as you're not hurt and the Avatar is willing to make sure that doesn't happen…"

Kolu grinned. "Does this mean you're ok with it?"

His mother coughed lightly. "Of course I'm not but I've never been able to stop you doing anything. When do you intend to go and risk your life?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"First dawn tomorrow. Hopefully we can catch the bandits sleeping," Kolu explained. Jahn thought it a good idea; it gave him time to catch up on some much-needed sleep first.

"Fine by me. Now, about that bed…" Jahn mused.

Never before had Tilia felt so alone. Anik and Kuan were good company, yet her heart yearned for home. She missed her family considerably, more than she'd ever thought possible. Tilia could feel it; an actual ache in her chest that wouldn't fade. Once her thoughts turned to Asami, that ache became even more painful. What she'd give to be safe in Future Industries Tower, tinkering with some useless piece of technology, laughing with Asami at some news about stolen cabbages or something just as trivial. That life was behind her now, however. She knew that.

Her family were safe. Tilia had woken with them, having been moved from the hospital to an encampment outside the city. For a time while she recuperated, she'd been happy. Asami had remained in the city to oversee the evacuations. When Tilia had left, the President was still there. She knew it had not been long after that the first wave of aggressive spirits had broken through the portal, an event everyone knew as the Breakthrough. Republic City had quickly become a battleground, although Tilia wasn't there to participate.

She'd heard rumours that Jahn had been sighted south. Despite knowing it was unlikely, given how short a time he'd been missing, Tilia had been unable to resist. If there was a slim chance at finding Jahn, it had to be taken. The Airbenders all went east in case Jahn turned up there. Kazon fled west, back home. The Fire Nation had been fighting the most in this war; while the Earth Kingdom was defending, the Fire Nation was actively hunting the warmongers around the world. The borders between nations had become far more blurred due to the chaos.

A knock on her door brought her to her senses. She mumbled something and turned over, trying to go back to sleep. The blankets were so warm and it was still early. When the knock repeated, she flicked a hand and the door swished open.

"Tilia? You awake?"

"Uhhhh…" she mumbled from her warm little nest of blankets.

"You'll want to get out of bed for this. Come on," Anik said, prompting her to sleepily poke her head out of the covers.

"Ah, the picture of perfection everybody. I see what Jahn sees in you now," the Waterbender chuckled sarcastically. Tilia's red hair was messy and her eyes were still half-closed with sleep.

She frowned, pushing the blankets away in irritation. She'd only been dozing, in truth, pondering how they'd got into this situation. Running through memories the nicer times was how she was coping with living in this icy tundra.

"Wuzgoinon?" she asked.

Anik held out something, a small box. "You know that radio Chief Mako gave you? It's just provided us with some news."

"Whanews?"

Anik inhaled deeply before carefully saying, "Jahn's back. Republic City. Apparently he's riding some weird lizard-stag thing? Honestly, we leave him alone for just over a year and he totally loses it," he joked, now grinning widely.

Tilia's eyes snapped open. She tried to stand but ended up almost falling over as the blankets wrapped around her legs. The Metalbender grabbed for the radio and held it to one ear quickly.

"Oh, he's gone. Just thought I'd let you know though; we can finally leave this place. Apparently Mako's been radioing everyone who could possibly help Jahn end the war," the Waterbender replied softly.

Tilia stared at the dead radio, wishing it back to life. When nothing happened, however, she looked up at her friend. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible. The boat is moored at the Southern Water Tribe; we'll sail right back up the United Republic. Anything you don't want to bring, leave her for the spirits. If you've not beaten them all senseless with our remaining doors, that is," Anik winked, leaving the room.

Jahn was back. Of all the places he could return, however, it had been where he'd left. Three portals in the world and he went through the one furthest from them. The Southern Portal was right there but of course it wouldn't be that easy. The Northern Portal was but a short dash through the spirit world. The Republic City portal was half the world away.

She gripped the radio tightly. She felt strange. A weird bubbling sensation in her stomach, rising up into her chest, expanding her lungs and making her feel light as a feather. It had been such a long time since she'd felt it.

Hope.

The moon was bright in the sky. The village was peaceful, as quiet as the forest around it.

Avatar Jahn sat staring up at the stars, stroking Eyuta behind the ears. Despite all his weariness, he could only sleep for a few hours at a time. He'd spent many nights in the spirit world not sleeping at all. Old habits die hard.

When the sun rose, he'd have to perform some dramatic bending. He knew how important it was that people could look to him for hope.

"Ah, Eyuta. For so long, I hated that," he said aloud to his animal guide. Eyuta flicked one ear, barely moving as his head continued to lie in Jahn's lap. "I hated being the centre of attention. I hated being the one people look to, the one who's meant to solve all the problems. How do you fix an entire world's issues?" he whispered.

As expected, Eyuta didn't reply. The Luxiyi was softly breathing, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area. It was a good thing he was so still, else his antlers would probably gore Jahn in the face.

"You know, despite everything we've been through in the spirit world, it was nice to just have some time to think about…everything. About who I want to be. I guess you helped with that buddy," he said with a soft smile, patting Eyuta lightly on the nose. Eyuta wrinkled his snout, baring his sharp teeth and flicking his long tail to hit Jahn in the side of the head.

"Hey!" he laughed, waving a hand to stop the wayward tail. Eyuta made a deep coughing noise, raising his head to look at Jahn. The Avatar knew his friend was laughing at him; the Luxiyi were a curiously difficult species to read, although a year and a half had allowed Jahn to create a strong bond with Eyuta. Surviving the spirit world hadn't been easy, especially when half of them were out for human blood. Fortunately, many of the spirits had left him alone, unwilling to strike against Raava's power.

In his solitude, before he encountered Eyuta, Jahn had relied heavily on the past Avatars. The connection to his past lives was still not fully replenished, yet if he focused and tapped into the energies around him, Jahn could manage. For him, it was the first time speaking to many of his past lives. Of course, there was only one Avatar whom Jahn could converse with affectionately.

Korra was saddened to hear about the state of the world, yet her praise when she heard about how Jahn had saved Tenzin, rather than kill an enemy, made him feel considerably better. There was little doubt in his mind that, were he to go back in time, he'd do it all the same again. Korra's advice made life easier and it was nice to talk to someone who understood his situation.

The nature of the spirit world, however, meant that this was not always possible. The spirit world was in turmoil; the spiritual energies were flowing uncontrolled, pushed into a frenzy by the war. Whilst few humans were physically there, everyone was feeling the effects of so many deaths. Often, Jahn found himself unable to contact Korra or the other Avatars, leaving him in silence.

After a month of barely surviving, Jahn had happened across one of his targets. One of the Spirit Eaters who had been with Ornatok, lost and angry, came across his path. Along the Revla Ravine, the Spirit Eater had been stealing what lives he could. With every life taken, his power grew.

Jahn's fury was a tempest, washing over the man. From all sides, rocks hurtled down the slopes and hurtled towards him. The Spirit Eater blocked most with his Waterbending, preventing him from being crushed. He bent the water at one huge boulder, which was stopped in its tracks. Holding it aloft with the stream of water, the Spirit Eater had gathered his strength to throw it away.

The Avatar crashed through the boulder as though it were sand, splintering it into shards. As he fell, he bent the dirt and rock at the Spirit Eater, knocking him down. Jahn landed, rolling into a fighting stance, bending more earth with quick hand slices. The Spirit Eater tried to fight back, yet Jahn's attacks were continuous. Slumping against a rock, the Spirit Eater panted as Jahn approached.

"Your group. They're here?" Jahn had asked.

The man had nodded. "Most of us. We had nowhere to run after…after the spirits attacked. We never realised how vicious they could be…"

Jahn had snarled in response. "You should have left them alone! Ornatok. Where is he!?"

Not long after, on the hunt for the man responsible for this mess, Jahn had come across a snare. The Spirit Eater from earlier had been set free, yet Jahn had promised him that he would return if the man killed any other spirits. The snare in question was unmistakably human. The only other humans around were the Spirit Eaters, of that Jahn was sure.

He'd never encountered a Luxiyi before, so when Eyuta leapt in to save Jahn from the ambush, he was almost too amazed to act. The snare had been set by two Spirit Eaters, a man and a woman, who were hunting for food. Upon seeing Jahn, however, they had been unable to resist attacking. Despite the snare intended for the Luxiyi, it had been Eyuta's timely intervention that allowed Jahn to spot the Spirit Eaters and fight them off.

The memory made Jahn smile. They'd been through quite a bit since then. Hunting the remaining Spirit Eaters hadn't been a simple task, especially when they began to regroup. Jahn originally had no plan, no idea how to stop them. Simply beating them up was never going to work and there were no prisons here in the spirit world. For a while, he'd wrestled with this dilemma. Fortunately, it had been solved.

A noise made Jahn look up. The door to the house had opened and Kolu came through it slowly. He pushed the door shut slowly, to avoid making any noise. When he spotted Jahn, his face lit up and he jogged over. He was wearing a headband round his forehead, tied at the back, along with a simple tunic which was open at the front. Around his waist, five small pouches swung slightly as he approached.

"I saw you weren't asleep. You alright?" Kolu asked.

Jahn nodded. "Turns out I can't sleep even when I want to. It's strange being back."

Kolu clearly didn't know how to respond. Jahn's lips curled up slightly as he fought back a smile. To save the poor lad from standing around awkwardly, Jahn pointed at his belt. "Geared up, I see?"

The Earthbender nodded. "While you were asleep, we got word from one of the neighbours. Apparently the bandits are massing an attack at first light so I thought it best we go now, head them off before they reach the village."

The Avatar shrugged. "Good plan. I take it they'll have some of those healing crystals with them. Looks like we'll have to hit them harder than normal, eh Eyuta?" he said with a grin, patting Eyuta's flank and climbing to his feet. Eyuta exhaled through his snout, his breath steaming up in the air quickly.

"So you're ready to go?" Kolu asked in a hesitant tone.

Jahn nodded. "Let's go knock some heads together," he replied, cracking his knuckles confidently.