Rampant Id

Welcome everyone! The first chapter is from Ang's perspective (since this particular chapter is set in the past), but the rest of the story will be mostly from Katara's perspective.

Yes, Zutara should be cannon - you know it, I know it, and even the original writers know it (they just won't admit to it, but the fact that they were building up to it is proof enough). Here's my take on how I wish events had unfolded. (Yes, Katara already kicks butt as an amazing water bender and she really does not need the avatar title to stand out. However, by making her the Avatar many aspects of the story will turn out for the better.)

This story has been bouncing around in my head for over two years now. As I have been unsuccessful in ignoring my muse (she's been unceasingly persistent), I have decided to write up a couple chapters in my spare time. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1 (Prologue)

"Farewell my Friend"

"What do you mean that he can't play with me anymore? We're best friends!" Ang argued feeling completely confused.

"Sorry Ang, as you know Tsering is now of an age where it's time for him to start taking his role as the Avatar more seriously. He needs to begin intensely training his air bending skills, so that when the time comes he will be properly prepared to travel to other the three nations in order to learn the remaining elemental bending techniques." With that, the monk was already turning away.

"But..." Ang's argument was interrupted by the set of heavy doors slamming resolutely in his face.

"But that's not fair! Who's going to go on adventures with me and Appa? Who's going to laugh at my jokes, and go penguin sledding with me? What am I supposed to do all by myself?" Frustrated and deeply hurt Ang stomped down all those stairs toward where Appa was waiting for him at the bottom of the main courtyard.

"Let's go Appa, nobody cares about us anymore. It's just you and me now." He jumped onto his closest friend - and smartest flying bison - and with a decisive "Yip yip" the two of them rose into the air.

One of the main downsides of Ang having been raised and trained by the monks of the southern temple, was that he had no other family to go to. . For as long as Ang could remember, he and Tsering were inseparable - like brothers. During those first few years of their childhood it was not all that bad, as Ang had still been able to spend all his free time with his best friend. However, as responsibilities kept increasing for Tsering, his time with Ang started decreasing in equal proportion.

Aside from his best friend, Ang had pretty much nobody else. Such was the lot of an orphan he supposed.

With one last look at the southern temple below him, Ang urged Appa toward the horizon as fast as he could fly. He needed time to clear his head and calm down.

About an hour later Ang found himself leaned back against solid stone, starring out over the cliff edge that he currently was sitting on. It was his favourite place when he needed somewhere to go and think. Located on the side of a grand cliff of one of the many mountains in this region, it sported a small ledge that jutted out from the middle of the cliff face that looked out on the water. This little secret spot provided Ang with a breathtaking view of the ocean spread out before him, and the wide open horizon spanning the entire sky. Sunsets and sunrises from this particular vantage point were absolutely spectacular. It was the perfect place to heal his lonely soul.

Ang was not entirely sure how long he had been there, only that he had fallen asleep several times, and that he had watched both a sunset as well as a sunrise. He knew that Appa was around, whether on top of the mountain or somewhere at the base near the caves on the rocky beach. It didn't matter. With the way sound travelled from here Ang knew that Appa would hear him if he called.

By the time that the sun started blazing overhead Ang finally felt ready to head back. With a stomach that was now rumbling it's complaints, Ang called out to Appa. No more than five minutes later he was mounting the flying bison and flying back toward the southern temple. In the hour that it took to get back, Ang found himself contemplating his current situation, and came to the realization that he was more at peace with himself then when he had left.

Several hours later as the temple slowly appeared in the distance, Ang was able to make out plumes of smoke spreading across the sky. Alarm made him spur Appa into full speed as they shot toward what was soon revealed to be an intense battle. The Air Temple was under attack by hundreds of Fire Nation war balloons as they all dropped bombs in a continuous barrage on the place that Ang had called home for so long.

As he got closer Ang started seeing proof of his fellow air bending brothers fighting back and defending their temple with everything they had. Along many of the walls he could see yellow-clothed figures shooting out blasts of air toward the war balloons. Figures on flying bisons and some on swift hang gliders attacked several balloons head on. There were gales of wind and even sometimes powerful typhoons would rage through the skies, tearing these flimsy floating constructions apart. However, regardless of how much damage was dealt, more war balloons arrived to take their place.

Ang flew further into the fray until he arrived close enough to the air temple to spot a large grouping of monks who were standing closely together and appeared to be working to combine their bending in some way. It was then that Ang noticed the much shorter figure standing in the center of all those adults. Just as Ang was nearing close enough to make out Tsering's face and call out his name in relief, the monks that were standing with his friend released their air bending ability all at once and directed a powerful shock-wave toward their airborne attackers.

Ang quickly directed Appa to dive down to get out of the way of the powerful air blast, while simultaneously glancing up to see how his friend was faring. It was at that very same instant that Ang saw the ground underneath Tsering's feet give way and his friend plunge down the side of the mountain that the Southern temple stood on. He was unable to hear anything over his own yell of terror as he forced Appa to dive faster than he had ever dived before.

Colours blurred together as Ang held his breath and reached out desperately for the figure hurling down towards them. The impact of the body crashing into Appa knocked them off course a bit, and while Appa struggled to right himself again, Ang held on with the legs he had locked into his stirrups and grabbed Tsering's body as it slid past him. All this happened in the span of a couple seconds.

Losing his grip on Tsering's waist, Ang clutched his friend's legs for all he was worth. Appa, having finally regained control of his flight, tilted slightly so that Tsering's body slid back toward Ang. Pulling his friend's unconscious body in front of him and clutching him Tsering's waist in a death grip, Ang finally allowed himself a moment for a quick prayer of thanks.

Clearing his throat, Ang called out to Appa and then used the reigns to direct him to the closest place he knew of where his friend could receive some much needed healing.

Kiyoshi Island

"Yes, I know that he requires medical attention. That's why I brought him to you!" Ang could not believe that the Kiyoshi warriors were wasting time arguing with him. No, there was nowhere else to take Tsering. Yes, he needed to be treated immediately. Why couldn't they just stop arguing and provide him with the necessary aid that he needed?

"Ang, you know that we value you as a friend, but this is The Avatar we're talking about! He's in terrible shape and requires the best medical attention possible! We are not equipped to deal with damage of this extent!"

The Kiyoshi warrior arguing with him was the one that treated Kiyoshi warriors when they were injured. Her painted face did not hid the fear that she was feeling as she glanced down on Tsering's badly battered and recently bandaged body. She feared that the lacerations he received would not fully be able to stop the bleeding. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for The Avatar's death. The world needed him!

"I get it Akiko, but I can't take him back to the Southern Temple, we're under attack. I don't think that the Fire Nation will halt their attack so that Tsering can be tended to. In fact, I have no idea why they are attacking us in the first place. Isn't there a peace treaty in place?

Akiko grabbed Ang by his sleeve and yanked him toward her to get his attention. "There is a good chance he will die here Ang. We need a more experienced medic. I cannot have The Avatar die on my lands!"

Ang pointed a finger back at his unconscious friend. "Are you actually suggesting that I move him? Look at him Akiko - he won't survive a long flight. He needs a place where his body can focus on recovering without any further damage."

One moment Akiko's face was despondent and the next it lit up with hope. "How about you bring back a water bending healer? I heard that the Southern water tribe has a very skilled healer and they are not all that far away. Tell them that the Avatar is badly injured and then bring them back on Appa."

"Akiko, you're a genius!" Ang went to give her a hug, stopped only by her palm snapping out to keep him at bay. "Right, personal space." Ang commented sheepishly. Then he jumped up on Appa's back and with a "yip yip" they were off.

The waters between Kiyoshi Island and the Southern Water Tribe...

Ang was nearing the location of the Southern Water Tribe. He had visited there a couple years before with Tsering, but hadn't been there since. As he thought back to all the fun the two of them had had on their last visit he suddenly noticed several dark shapes appearing on the horizon from the East and moving in fast.

"Fire Nation warships," Ang whispered to Appa as he watched them approach. They were heading in the direction of the Southern Air Temple. "They are most likely reinforcements." For the first time in his life Ang felt anger directed toward an entire group of people. These soldiers were planning on killing his family, his people. They had gravely injured his best friend and were even now bent on destruction. Ang knew this area very well, and he also knew where in this part of the ocean the ice was the thickest. He had the ability to slow down and perhaps sabotage at least some of these ships. His mouth formed a grim line and his fists tightened on the reigns. He would do what he must.

General Cao was having a pretty good day. From reports he received the Air Nomads were losing and the Southern Air Temple was almost within their grasp. He and his fleet had been stationed in the southern part of Omashu, and now finally it was their time to shine. Their ships were making good time, the sky was blue with no storms in sight, and if this mission went well his rise in ranks was practically guaranteed. Yes, life was good.

Just then someone called out a warning. Glancing up General Cao saw what looked like some sort of animal flying over their ships.

"An air nomad, shoot him down!"

The instance his order rang out his warship started firing. The air nomad was surprisingly agile, weaving this way and that - nearly resulting in the ships firing on each other at one point. General Cao felt his mood plummet and his patience fraying. Just then the flying animal and its rider veered off in a slightly Western direction.

"After him, don't let him get away!" General Cao's voice rang out as the ship went full throttle after the flying nuisance, with the rest of the fleet following right behind.

So focused on the target he had been, that by the time that General Cao realized the surprisingly abrupt drop in temperature, it was too late. The tall ice mountains that now surrounded many of the ships were only one reason behind the change in temperature. Casting shadows on the water, these tall structures also shared the water with many sheets of ice that now brushed against the sides of the war ships.

"General, we're having problems navigating through some of this ice. Your orders?"

Cursing a blue streak General Cao glared angrily up at the air nomad, which had by now had turned around and was soaring back the way that had come. "Turn the ships around," he barked out.

Five minutes later he received a most unwelcome update. Apparently, the ships were having problems turning around with all the ice sheets in the way. It was unclear how long it might take for the ships to be freed. Moreover, there was a fear that they might run out of coal to power the ships if it took too long for the ships to be freed. General Cao grimly considered the fact that rather than a promotion he might in fact face a demotion. That is if they managed to free themselves from this confounded icy hellhole.

Over the waters near the Southern Water Tribe

Ang felt a grim kind of satisfaction after having left the Fire Nation warships behind, struggling and trapped among the thick sleets of ice that were common in those parts. All the teachings of the Southern Temple clamored around in his head making it difficult to concentrate. Words such as do no harm, and harmony above all, along with other such closely held beliefs by the monks who had been the only family he had known. Ang was feeling so conflicted that he failed to notice the rapid changes in the air around him. By the time that he noticed the raging storm it was too late.

He and Appa were tossed around in the unnaturally freezing storm until they didn't know up from down. Ang did everything he could to stay conscious, but feared that he would not be able to hang on much longer. The last thing he saw was water rushing up towards them as they plunged head first towards the ocean below. All his emotions of fear, desperation and anger exploded out of him in a tremendous show of force for an air bender as young as he. Hitting the unnaturally freezing water along with Appa, while surrounded by the force of his air bending, resulted in something never before seen. An air bender frozen in animation, waiting for just the right force to reanimate him from his frozen slumber.

Well there it is. Hope everyone enjoyed this new story so far. It has been banging around in my mind for the past two years, and no matter what I do it won't let me go.

The next chapter will will be out on next Saturday morning and it will be from Katara's perspective.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

- Rampant Id