Alara's Tale ~ Book I : Water

VII : Spirit World

We've been flying on Appa for hours now. Aang was on the front with the reins, I was laying down on my stomach beside Katara. "Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" She admired. "Like you could jump down and you'd land on a big, soft cottony heap."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka remarked.

"You're hilarious." Katara answered back.

"I'll try it!" Aang jumped and laughed.

"Hey Egg head wait up!" I jumped following him. We flew through each cloud making cloud angels.

Aang extended his hand and I grabbed it. He opened his glider letting us fly back to Appa. "Turns out clouds are made of water." I giggled and dried us both.

"Hey what is that?" Katara walked forwards. I looked at where she was going. It was a part of a forest, all burned to ash. I frowned, "This has to be the Fire Nation."

"It looks like a scar." Sokka commented.

We landed on it and looked around. It didn't look any better up there than here. I noticed Aang feeling down and approached placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Fire Nation!" Sokka yelled as he bent down to examine the dirt. "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-" Katara shushed him. "What I'm not allowed to be angry?"

She pointed at Aang. He knelt down and touched the ash. "Why would anyone do this?" Sadness dripping in his voice. "How could I let this happen?"

"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you." Katara tried to comfort him.

"Yes it does." He sat crosslegged. "It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole, to find you a teacher." Katara replied.

"And we'll be there with you." I added.

"Yeah a waterbending Teacher." He looked down. "But there's no one who could teach me how to be the Avatar."

"What about Avatar Roku?" I asked.

"Monk Gyatso said he would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka asked. "He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know." Aang answered. "How did you talk to Avatar Kyoshi, Alara?"

I shrugged, "Don't know either."

I got one of the acorns Katara and I found. "Hey Aang ready to be cheered up?" She asked.

"No-OW!" I threw an acorn at him. He rubbed his head shooting a glare at me. I giggled.

"Hey, how is that cheering me up?" He asked still rubbing is head.

Sokka laughed, "Cheered me up." Katara threw an acorn at him hitting his head. He rubbed the side of his head. "Yeah, I probably deserved that."

"These acorns are everywhere, Aang." Katara showed him.

"That means the forest will grow back." I tossed the acorn letting it roll on my shoulders down to my arm and back to my hand. Sokka stared at me grabbing an acorn and tried to do it, only for the acorn to hit him on the head.

"Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back." She placed one on his hand.

Aang smiled, "Thanks Katara, and you too sis."

Katara gasped as she saw someone approached. It was an old man. "Hey who are you?" Sokka yelled.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible." He approached Aang, I stood beside him readied myself just incase he did something fishy. "But those markings, are you the Avatar child?" Aang turned to look at me. I nodded and so did he. The old man continued, "My village desperately needs your help."