𝑾𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑺 || 𝑨𝒂𝒏𝒈 (𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 1)

The Spirit World*

Lying flat on her back in Appa's saddle, Jade stared up at the blue sky above her while Momo slept peacefully on her stomach. She found it much easier to stare up at the sky compared to staring down at the ground and realizing how high up they were. Little by little, she was growing more and more comfortable with being up in the air. 

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" Katara gazed out at the white clouds around them. "Like you could just jump down and you'd land on a big, soft cottony heap."

Beside her, Sokka was carving a piece of wood in his hands. He glanced over at her and smirked. "Maybe you should give it a try."

"You're hilarious."

Having been lying up on Appa's head, Aang suddenly leaped to his feet. "I'll try it!"

Jade would have protested, but she never got the chance. Without warning or hesitation, he grabbed his staff and jumped right off of the bison. Sokka, Katara, and Jade peered over the saddle to watch as he plummeted down from the sky. The sound of his laughter was slowly fading away as he fell straight through the clouds and vanished from sight.

"Well, there's your answer." Jade mumbled.

As they all glanced around below in search of the earthbender, Aang was flying back up behind them on his glider. When they heard him land on the saddle, the three of them turned to see him sitting there. He was soaked from head to toe, smiling as the water dripped off his clothes.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water." His friends watched as he breathed in before slamming one fist against his other hand, bending an airball around himself to dry off his clothes.

Katara's gaze drifted off to the side. "Hey, what is that?"

She stood up and moved to the front of the saddle, staring at the earth up ahead of them. Most of the land was green, but a large patch of it was dark black. Sokka, Aang, and Jade gathered at her sides to get a glimpse for themselves. All four of them stared in surprise.

"It's like a scar." Sokka observed.

~㊌~

Aang steered Appa down toward the patch of black. When they landed, Jade was saddened to learn that the scene was even worse up close. The ground beneath their feet was grey and void of life, and the tree trunks resembled blackened spikes of trunks. It smelled like ash, and the only colors around seemed to be black and grey. 

"Listen." Sokka spoke up softlt. "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

As they all observed their surroundings, Jade noticed that Aang's shoulders were slumped as he silently gazed around. She frowned. "Are you okay, Aang?"

Sokka kneeled down before some footprints and narrowed his eyes. "Fire Nation!" He stood up. "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for -- " 

"Shh!" Katara stopped him.

"What? I'm not allowed to be angry?" He whispered defensively.

In response, she pointed over at Aang. The Avatar was still staring at the ground. They watched as he dropped to his knees on the ground with a sigh, collecting some of the ash into his hand.

"Why would anyone do this?" He let the ash fall through his fingers. "How could I let this happen?"

Jade shook her head. "This isn't your fault."

Katara took a few steps closer to him. "She's right, Aang, you didn't let this happen. This has nothing to with you."

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