Born Beneath An Angry Star

12. Cry Uncle

Aang

Aang only meant to go for a walk to clear his head, but something stronger than a compulsion kept calling him out to the sea. It was a compulsion even stronger than his will. As if in a dream he walked to the edge of the beach and then swam into the sea in a mindless rhythm. He didn't know for how long or how far out he swam but the next thing he remembered was waking up on solid ground. It was made out of some kind of material that he couldn't bend. Not water, earth, fire or air. 

After he'd been exploring the island a while with Momo he got the feeling that the "island" was moving. Either that or the mountains he was looking at were getting closer. He airbent himself up above the treetops to give himself a good look at his surroundings. There was a small wake coming from behind the island. 

Something didn't make sense. Islands couldn't create wakes. He dived off the side of the island and swam down to further inspect the mystery that was unfolding before his very eyes. A large scaly leg swept past his face. It was the biggest leg of any creature he'd ever seen in his life.

"It's amazing, Momo!" Aang cried as he climbed back up onto what he recently thought was an island. "The biggest animal in the world! I've got to swim around and find its face." How a creature as big as this had remained hidden was mind boggling.

"How did you find our island?" A small voice called out.

Aang, who was in mid dive, windmilled his arms and managed not to fall. Once he gained his footing he turned toward the sound of the voice. It belonged to a young girl of six or seven. Her hair was done in two ponytails and she was wearing an orange and yellow jumper, air nomad colors. Her chubby cheeks were stained with some kind of berry juice.

"Hi, I'm Aang." He said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Dawa, but I'm not asposed to talk to strangers." She said but she showed no signs of fear. She pointed to his tattoos. "You're an airbender!"

"I am! Are you an airbender too?"

"Yes." The little girl said and continued to stare at him with wide curious eyes.

"Well if we're both airbenders that means that I'm not a stranger. Aang reasoned. "Do other airbenders live here?"

Dawa covered her mouth and giggled. "Yes, silly. I'm just a kid I can't live by myself." She seemed to be growing more comfortable around him, but still seemed hesitant. Though she hadn't run away from him she had backed away several feet.

Aang bent down so that he was on her level. "Please, you have to take me to them." His heart was hammering away in his chest. He wasn't the last airbender. How?

Dawa stuck her fingers in her mouth and pulled down on the corner of her lip. She seemed to be debating.

"I'm the Avatar you can trust me, pretty please, I need you to take me to where the other airbenders are."

Momo flew off of his shoulder an onto Dawa's and sniffed the side of her face and then licked her cheek. The little girl giggled and finally she held out her hand to him.

"Thank you, Dawa." Aang gave her a huge smile and took her hand.

Dawa lead Aang through thick brush and foliage until they came upon a well worn footpath. There were cries of animals that Aang had never heard before. Bugs he didn't recognize flew around him. He saw flowers and plants that he was sure Chunhua didn't even know about. It was like he was in a completely different world. 

The two walked hand in hand along the footpath in silence for several minutes and Aang tried to take it all in. Every sound, smell and feel of the land. The lush landscape began to thin out until they reached a break in the trees and then a clearing. Aang rubbed his eyes, but it wasn't a dream, he was actually standing in front of a small village full of airbenders.