The Avatar's Protector

C h a p t e r F i v e: T h e S p i r i t W o r l d

I relax on Lakko's smooth, cold scales, looking up at the azure open sky over a lush river valley. It is a beautiful day with lazy, puffy white clouds and sunshine. Appa is moving through the clouds, chasing Lakko, who is at least thirty times faster than the flying bison. I see Aang in Appa's driving seat, leaning back, enjoying himself with a reed in his mouth. Katara stretches out on her stomach looking over Appa's side, while Sokka whittles.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft cottony heap." Katara says dreamily.

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

"You're hilarious." Katara says, not smiling.

Aang has a wide grin on his face.

"We'll try it!" We say in unison.

He jumps right off Appa's side, while I do the same off Lakko, laughing and hurtling down through the clouds with our staffs. Sokka and Katara look over the side of Appa as we plunge through a cloud. A moment later Aang lands next to them with his glider. He is soaking wet.

"Turns out clouds are made of water!" He says cheerfully.

I clamber onto Lakko, who has pulled back beside Appa, a moment later. "Yeah, no kidding." I laugh.

We airbend ourselves dry. Sokka and Katara eye us strangely. Suddenly, Katara turns and looks ahead.

"Hey, what is that?" Katara asks.

I look down and see the floor of the valley below around the river is black instead of vegetation green.

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

****

We're standing on the floor of the valley in the damaged area. Burnt tree stumps dot the barren landscape.

"Listen, it's so quiet. There's no life anywhere." Sokka points out. Aang looks miserable.

"Aang, you ok?" I ask, concerned.

Sokka is examining some footprints on the burnt ground.

"Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for –" Sokka begins.

"Shh!" I cut him off.

"What? I'm not allowed to be angry?" Sokka whispers.

I point ahead. Aang is standing ahead, clearly upset. He sinks to his knees in the dust and sighs. He begins to run his hands through the burnt earth. "Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?" He asks.

"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you." I say.

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

"That's why we're going to the North Pole to find you, Luna, and I a teacher." Katara smiles kindly.

"Yeh, a waterbending teacher, but there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me." Aang says.

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

"I don't know."

'Aang, we'll get through this together. We both have a lot to learn, and well, we'll make mistakes! But that's to be expected. We're only kids. What matters is the effort we put in, and the outcome we get. That's what counts.' I think.

"Thanks, Luna." He says outloud, but he doesn't sound like he believes me. Sokka and Katara raise their eyebrows.

"Telepathy." I say. They nod, but still look confused..