Avatar; The Royal Firebender.

The Winter Solstice (Pt1/4)

Another day amongst the clouds, it had been like this for the past couple of days. Flying from town to town, stocking up on provisions, and then continuing their journey. Zuko had elected himself the de facto money handler since he was the oldest and knew not to squander it on petty things that he and his friends didn't need. He only ever spent it when absolutely necessary, keeping an insistence on fishing or hunting for their meat and foraging for fruits and nuts as to stave off scurvy and for Aang's vegetarian diet. Though Aang didn't like the thought of hunting other animals for food, he didn't protest all that much as it meant Zuko could focus more on airbending. The screech of a bearded red feathered hawk distracts the young avatar from taking stock of the money they had left (only amounting to a single gold piece, five or so silver pieces and 20 copper) causing him to look about the sky for the bird. Meanwhile, Katara is looking out over the sea of clouds that cover the land below in a large white blanket.

"Those clouds look so fluffy. Like you can just jump into them." Katara muses to no one in particular, but her musings are commented on by her ever sarcastic brother.

"Then why don't you jump into them?" He jives, looking up from a small stick he was whittling with his knife.

"I'll do it!" Aang shouts excitedly before grabbing his staff and leaping off Appa's head. Katara, Sokka and Zuko peek over the side of the saddle and watch him fall into the blanket of clouds leaving a small outline impression of him as he passes through it. It isn't long before he comes flying back over the other side of Appa sopping wet. "So it turns out that clouds are just made of air and water." This conclusion from Aang is then followed by him punching his fist into his palm and exhaling through his nose and drying himself off.

"What is that..." Katara asks, looking towards the forest below. Ahead of them in through the parting clouds a large swath of land has been charred black. Hundreds of acres of once lush forestry had been incinerated. The earth charred black with with the burning of everything that couldn't escape the inferno.

"It's like the land was scarred." Sokka says aloud as the four of them stare at the burned devastation. Deciding to investigate, Aang brings them in for a landing in the scorched earth. The ash and black soot puffing up as they land causing Appa to cough which is soon followed by the others as well.

"It's as quiet as the dead." Zuko says in a solemn tone.

"What happened here?" Katara asks as they hop off of Appa's saddle and onto the ashen soil. "Could a lightning strike have caused this?" A few paces behind her, Sokka found the reason why this had happened. Dozens of boot marks through the ash, the heavy in time pattern of their marching was all the evidence he needed.

"No. This was intentional. Firebenders. Those monsters, they make me sick! They ha-" Sokka's rant is prematurely cut short by Katara shushing him. A few yards away, Zuko stands staring out at the devastation his nation has caused.

"We really are the bad guys... aren't we?" He asks himself before taking a seat in the ash. "I don't know how I can fix this... how any avatar can fix this... I don't even know how to be the avatar."

"There isn't someone that can teach you that... is there?" Katara asks but gets no response from the prince.

"I'm not sure if it's possible, but before the iceberg, when my sister was revealed to be the avatar, Monk Gyatso told us that Avatar Roku would be able to teach her." Aang explains.

"How would he be able to do that? He's been dead for over 100 years and three other avatars have come and gone in his time too." Zuko at this point is basically drowning the others out. Transfixed on the scarred and scorched earth before him for hundreds of acres.