The Avatar and the Fire Prince

Book 2: Water, Chapter 10: The Storm

Aang breathed in the warm, sweet air as he soared through the hazy golden sky. He just felt so happy.

He looked to his right, and saw Sokka flying next to him on a glider. The boy gave him a wide grin, which Aang returned. Then, he looked to the left, and saw Katara rise through the clouds, sitting on Momo's giant head, and smiled at her as she waved back at him. Lastly, he looked up above him, and saw Iroh and Zuko riding on the back of a large, majestic red dragon, both looking happy as ever as they grinned and waved at him. The dragon twirled over and around them through the sky in a mesmerizing display, and Aang, Katara, and Sokka all laughed joyfully as they watched.

"We need you, Aang," Katara said.

Aang looked back to the Water Tribe girl and smiled again. "I need you, too."

Suddenly, he began to notice something out of the corner of his eye, and whipped his head forward, where watched the golden color of the sky begin to shift to a dark, stormy gray. The clouds ahead of him flashed with lightning, and the sound of thunder quickly followed.

"Be careful, you guys!" Aang said, yanking Appa's reins anxiously. However, when he looked around again, he seemed to be completely alone. "Guys?"

When he turned to face forward again, he gasped as he watched the form of Monk Gyatso, sitting in lotus pose, float down directly in front of him.

"Why did you disappear?" Gyatso asked sadly.

Aang immediately felt the sting of tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I didn't mean to," he replied softly.

He slowly raised his arm towards his mentor, but before he could touch him, the dragon that Zuko and Iroh had been flying on suddenly reappeared directly behind the old monk. It took a deep breath, and Gyatso was suddenly consumed in flames, burning to ashes that flew directly towards Aang, who squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his arm to block the ash. When he opened them again, the dragon was gone, and he was alone once more as Appa flew directly into the dark stormcloud, lighting flashing all around them.

"We need you, Aang," Gyatso's voice echoed in the darkness.

Aang was temporarily blinded by a large bolt of lightning, and he found himself screaming as he was pelted with a heavy torrent of rain. Suddenly, he and Appa were swallowed by a massive wave, and the two sank into the dark depths of the ocean.

As Aang drifted, he continued to hear the echoing voices of Gyatso and Katara.

"We need you, Aang. We need you."

With each new chant of the phrase, more voices joined in.

"We need you, Aang. We need you."

He could hear Zuko, Iroh, Sokka. He could hear Hakoda, Bato, and Kanna. He could hear all of the people he had encountered on his journeys so far.

The sound of the voices quickly became deafening as Aang continued to sink deeper. Another flash of lightning blinded him again, and suddenly a silhouette of a man surrounded by flames—the Fire Lord—flashed in his eyes.

Aang woke abruptly with a gasp, bolting upright and startling Momo, who had been sleeping on his chest. The lemur first leapt to Katara, then Sokka, then Zuko, and lastly Iroh. Each of his companions were startled awake by this, save for Iroh, who had been sleeping on his side and was still snoring deeply.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked drowsily, holding up his boomerang and dagger. "Did we get captured again?"

"It's nothing. I just had a bad dream," Aang replied, and turned to lay on his side, facing away from them. "Go back to sleep."