"Thanks for taking me out today, Boli. I've missed you."
Today Bolin took me out for a 'Best Friends Day!' After I told him what happened with Korra, he felt that I needed a day to just have fun and forget about everything. He made me call off work, he told Von he was going to beat him up if he didn't leave us alone today, and he even called off filming with Varrick.
I had a blast! We first went to the gym to work out and relieve some stress, then we went down to Bolin's old neighborhood where the whole block was having this huge water fight, then we ate at our favorite food place, and lastly we watched the sunset together and talked all about our frustrations and just life in general.
I wish this day would never end. Being with my best friend all day was something I really needed all along, but tomorrow we have to return back to reality. Bolin has to go back to filming his mover with Varrick, and I have to go back to the south to check on things there while Korra is currently on her way to the Fire Nation to ask for their aid in helping us fight against Unalaq.
I have no idea what to do about this situation with the south. Something is telling me that what Unalaq is doing, he's not doing it just for the spirits. There's something else going on, and I need to know what it is. This whole situation just feels dark, and I'm scared of what's going to happen next.
"Ah, don't mention it. I've missed you, too. Honestly, I've missed being with team Avatar and fighting bad guys with you. It all went so fast. Things have really changed, huh?" He asks sadly.
"Yeah," I sigh. "I have an idea. Let's promise each other that no matter what happens in our life, our friendship will never change. We'll be best friends forever."
"Do you think friendships can last for more than one life time?" He asks.
"I don't see why not. Promise?"
"Of course I promise! So what do you say we have a sleepover or something? I heard girls like that, or..."
As moments go by, his voice starts to trail off, and for some reason I feel... I don't know, disconnected? It's hard to explain, I guess my mind just feels far away. Like I'm here, my body is here, but my mind is drifting off. The more Bolin talks, the farther away he sounds. I've felt fine all day, but now? Maybe I did too much, maybe I need to slow down.
"Kitty? Kitty, did you hear me? Are you ok?" I hear him ask me.
I shake my head, taking me out of the trance I was in. I turn my attention back to him.
"I'm sorry, I guess I was in deep thought," I tell him.
"Avatar Aang."
"I am Avatar Roku."
"Did you hear that?" I ask Bolin.
"Hear what?" He asks while looking at me worryingly.
"I am Avatar Kyoshi."
"My mind must be playing tricks on me," I whisper to myself. I feel like I'm going crazy.
"You need to go back, back to the beginning."
Suddenly my world begins to spin, and I grab my forehead hoping it would stop, but it doesn't work. I'm losing my mind. I start to visualize Korra, and my limbs feel like they're on fire. I stumble a bit, but Bolin catches me.
"You don't look so good, I'm taking you to a healer."
"No, please..."
My vision becomes spotted, and soon, the darkness completely takes over.
...
Please don't tell me I'm dead. I can't be dead!
I slowly open my eyes. Everything is so hazy. I don't think this is death, so what happened? Last thing I remember was hanging out with Bolin, and then darkness. Did I pass out?
My vision clears and I jump. Whoa... I have no idea where I am. What is this place? There's nothing here. It kind of looks like I'm in water, but it's not wet. I look down at my hands and feet, then I look all around again. Wait, I'm not swimming... I'm floating!
I frown confusingly as I see two figures floating just up ahead.
'Is that- is that Korra?' I think to myself as I get closer to the two.
"Korra, hey! Over here!" I yell, but she doesn't budge.
She can't hear me!
"Are you Raava?" She asks the stranger.
"No, but I can help you find her."
Who is that guy she's talking to? And where are we? Wait- are we inbetween dimensions? I mean, that's the only logical explanations. But how? And who's Raava?
Korra doesn't notice me, but the man does. Instead of saying anything, he smiles and gives me a quick wink before speaking to my sister once again.
"My name is Wan, and I will show you how I became the first Avatar."
...
Third person
"Whoa, what happened?" Mako asks Bolin as both him and Asami enter the apartment.
Bolin softly lays Kitty on the couch. Her head rests on a pillow as she is still out cold, her body wrapped in a warm blanket. Her breathing remains steady, and her curls gently fall over her eyes. She looks like she's sleeping.
"I don't know!" Bolin answers frantically. "We were hanging out all day today and she seemed fine, then she just collapsed!"
"Did you take her to a doctor?" Asami asks as she sits on the floor next to the couch. She gently moves the hair from Kitty's eyes and looks at her worryingly.
"Yes, and they have no idea what's wrong with her. They wanted to keep her, but I couldn't do that. She hates hospitals!"
"Hmm, maybe she's just stressed with everything that's been going on with Unalaq and the south," Asami suggests.
"Or maybe she's worked up over yesterday," Mako replies.
"You know, Kitty goes through a lot," Asami says sadly. "She has this huge responsibility of being the Avatar's sister and trying to keep her out of trouble, and no one ever asks her how she's doing. It's always, 'is Korra safe?' 'Did Korra train today?' Plus a boyfriend who's no help while her home is being invaded by her uncle. I can't imagine how stressful all of that is."
"You're so right... Oh my gosh, I've been a terrible best friend," Bolin sobs. "This is the first time in a while that I've gotten to hang out with her, just the two of us. It was probably too much for her little heart, and now she's dead!!!"
"She's not dead, Bolin," Mako says to his brother. "She just needs rest and should take it easy for awhile."
"Mako's right," Asami says and then turns to Mako. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I want to keep an eye on her."
"Me, too," Bolin says. "I am not leaving this spot until she wakes up!"
"Knock yourselves out," Mako says. "Looks like Team Avatar is having a sleepover."
...
Kitty
Why am I like this? Why can't I just have one normal day? It's like I'm trapped in a book or something and I'm the main character. Can you give me a break writer?!
(No.)
I look around and I'm in a completely new setting. Whoa, the world looks so much different. I'm guessing this is Wan's lifetime? It has to be. We're in a small town where there are moo-sows and clothing lines hanging from house to house. Not like the houses in Republic City or even in the south. These are smaller and made of stone and clay. It's much more minimalistic here. This place is adorable, I wonder where Wan is.
"Nobody steals from the Chou brothers!" I hear a voice shout.
I turn around to see three men chasing Avatar Wan.
There he is!
"Really? Because I just did," he says before jumping from a railing.
'Oh brother,' I think to myself and roll my eyes.
Korra's attitude reminds me a lot of this guy's. Makes sense now.
"You're dead, Wan," the biggest Chou shouts.
"Actually, I feel quite alive," he replies as he turns around to salute the brothers mockingly and letting himself fall backward.
"Careful!" I yell at him.
Oh shoot! He can't hear me, nobody can. This is going to be interesting.
The Chou's eventually catch Wan, and to my dismay, they take his food. I know this was thousands of years ago, but seeing such injustice happen, it really makes my blood boil... Even though I'm not in my body right now.
"Did you steal from the Chou's again?" A younger boy asks Wan.
I look around their home, and on their table lays a few items. A scrappy little cup and matching teapot, and a small name tag. 'Jaya' it reads.
"Yeah, and I got nothing show for it except a few dirty rolls and a whole lot of bruises."
He hands the young boy a roll and he smiles gratefully as he walks over to a figure who I can't quite see.
Maybe it's there mom, or maybe their dad?
"Hey, Yao. I got some food for you."
I squeal as a branch-like hand reaches out to grab the roll.
'What happen to him?'
A disfigured older man appears and he devours his food. I've never seen anything like him before. He smiles at his friend, and I smile sadly at the bunch. It's not much, yet he's still so grateful. I'm guessing the Chou's run this place and treat the people terribly.
"Mmm. Delicious! Thank you, Wan," Yao says kindly.
A few furry creatures climb into the tree house, and Wan begins to feed them from the one roll he has.
"Wan, you should eat," Jaya tells Wan.
"They need it more than I do. Besides, I'm tired of eating scraps."
Wan takes the cup and teapot from the nearby table and pours some tea for himself.
"If only there was some way to get into the Chous' food cellar. We'd be eating like, well, like Chou's," Wan complains.
"If Chou the Elder catches you sneaking into his palace, you'll end up dead. Or worse, he'll banish you to the Spirit Wilds," Jaya tells him.
"No, don't get banished!" Yao exclaims in a panic. "You don't want nothing to do with those spirits. They'll get inside ya, scramble up your mind, turn you into this, a monster!"
I don't get it. So he went into the Spirit Wilds and was turned into this? He made the spirits angry? How did he even get there?
"Don't do anything crazy, Wan," Jaya warns him. "You just gotta accept the world is the way it is. Some people have power, some people don't, and you don't."
...
Being back in this time I've learned that world hasn't changed much. Yes we've evolved as people and how we do things, but there's always been bad people who've taken advantage of others. Wan obviously had problems with these Chou guys, and Korra Is dealing with the same thing when it comes to Unalaq. Same with Noatak and Tarlaq, or Aang and Ozai. It really inspires me to fight harder and to push for peace.
"Are you strong?" a huntsman asks the small crowd in the middle of the town. "Are you fearless? Do you have what it takes to battle the spirits? Then join the hunt."
"Count me in," Wan says happily.
"We're going to be out in the wilds for a week. You wouldn't last two seconds."
"Give him a chance!" I exclaim. "Oh wait, you can't hear me."
"I can handle myself," Wan says, but quickly drops his smug expression. "We all get fire, right?"
"Get" fire?
"Yeah, but do you know how to use it?" The man asks.
"Well, not exactly, but I-"
"Ah, let him come. Not like we got any other volunteers lining up," the other huntsman speaks up.
"All right. Welcome to the hunt."
...
The huntsman and Wan walk to the outside of the city. I don't get it, is this suppose to be the spirit world? And what did Wan mean by "getting" fire? I've heard the legends of when the earth was roamed by people who didn't posses any bending abilities at all, but there's never been much information about it. Is this that time? I've always assumed that the Avatar came to be long after benders came to be.
We wait at the cliffside, and the huntsman blows on his horn. What is he calling, and why am I scared? It's not like I can get hurt, I'm not really here.
"L-l-LION TURTLE!?"
This is insane! Never in my life have I seen a lion turtle! The last lion turtle recorded was years and years ago during Avatar Aang's era, and that was almost a century ago, almost an entire century! They ask the beast if it can grant them the gift of fire while they hunt in the Spirit Wilds. In a very deep voice, the lion turtle gives all of them, including Wan, the power of fire.
How fascinating! It makes sense now. When Avatar Aang awakened on that giant lion turtles back on the day of Sozin's comet, the lion turtle was the one who gave Avatar Aang the ability to take Ozai's bending away. The Lion turtles are the original holders of the elements! I mean, duh! It makes sense. I can't wait to tell Tenzin!
The group of men continue there journey into the 'Spirit Wilds.' I turn to look at the lion turtle, and I think- I think it's looking at me. Is it looking at me? No way! It's looking directly at me. Can- can it see me? That's not possible, it can't be.
Hm, I guess time really is an illusion.
...
Are these the Spirit Wilds? Looks like the regular wilds to me..
"Everyone, stay close. Spirits love to pick off stragglers," one of the huntsmen tells the group.
"Uh, guys? I don't think I can do this," Wan says to the group in a trembling voice.
What? How is he giving up now? We just got here!
"Now quit your whining. We haven't even seen a spirit yet," another tells Wan rudely.
"I think I wanna go home."
"I knew you were nothing but a sniveling coward. Go give your fire back to the lion turtle," the leader says rudely while shoving Wan back. "And don't ever show your face around me again."
Wan looks after them over his shoulder, and when he turns back around, his frown shifts into a smirk. He walks away while slightly raising his fist in triumph.
...
Wan returns back to the tree house where his friends sit in the middle of the room, they're playing pai sho to my surprise. Wan didn't give back his fire to the lion turtle. All of the pieces are coming together, this is the birth of bending in the physical world. The first bender was a fire bender, marvelous! But I still don't understand why I'm here. Korra needs to know this information, not me.
Wan demonstrates his new ability to his friends, and both are shocked as expected. Yao crouched back into a corner, and Jaya is speechless. I guess they've never witnessed anybody bend fire before, not even the huntsmen.
"What did you do?" Jaya finally asks. "You can't steal from the lion turtle."
"Really?" Wan smiles smugly. "Because I just did."
...
That night, Wan planned a rebellion and broke into the Chou's estate. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for him, because I was. He lead the people with fire and was doing great, that is.. Until he let his guard down. Even I could see his mistake. As a bender, especially while in combat, you're taught to never let your opponent see you falter- not even for a second. That one moment can be detrimental, and it could've ended badly for Wan. Luckily instead of killing him they banished him to the spirit wilds. The lion turtle allowed him to keep the fire so he can survive while being there. It was such a long night for him, and seeing Jaya and Yao watch as Wan left the city was really sad.
The spirits have been harsh to say the least. As beautiful and magnificent as they are, some of them really don't like humans, and I guess you can say that's understandable considering people like the Chou's are running around.
I know this was years and years and years ago, but I really wish I could help Wan. He looks terrible, and he hasn't eaten a thing since his banishment. He's found an oasis, but it's guarded by a spirit who has taken a big disliking to him. The spirit stands tall, taller than me, it has brown and white fur, and his ears are round. It looks like a lemur, or maybe a red panda, but it speaks like a human. I believe he is referred to as the Aye-Aye spirit?
"Come on, let me in. Just for a little while," Wan pleads with the spirits.
"No! Go back to your lion turtle," Aye-Aye tells him stubbornly.
"Believe me, I'd love to go back home but I can't! I was kicked out."
"That's too bad," a friendly spirit says.
"Poor human," another a beautiful purplish spirit says.
She's beautiful, I can't take my eyes of her. It's like I've seen her before, but I have no idea where.
"Don't pity him. He's just like every other human: ugly, destructive, and lacking any respect for nature."
Ugly? Who is he calling ugly?
"Who are you calling ugly, Ugly?" Wan says.
"Mmm."
"If you can't go back to your city, then you should go live in another one," the friendly spirit suggests.
There's more than one, of course!
"What? There are other lion turtles?"
"There are other lion turtles?" Aye-Aye mocks angrily. "Of course there are, dozens of them! Boy, you humans are stupid, too."
"So which way to the nearest lion turtle city?" Wan asks.
"Hmm. I think it's on the other side of none-of-your-business valley."
Aye-Aye laughs at his own joke and looks to the other spirits for approval, but none of them are amused. Good, because it wasn't funny. I wish he could see that I'm rolling my eyes right now.
"Real funny. You know what? I don't need your help. I'll find it myself."
...
Wan left the oasis. He's very strong, I'll give him that. He hasn't had any food, water, or sleep. Now he continues to wonder through the wilds, hoping for something to come along. Maybe he'll find another lion turtle soon, and he'll get another element! I'm curious to know how he got the other three.
Just up ahead in a tree, there's a cat deer stuck in a net. Poor thing must've been caught by a trap planted by a huntsmen. I look at Wan who spots the creature as well, and his eyes light up with delight as he sparks a small flame in his hand.
Oh no.
I know he's hungry, but I can't watch him eat this cat deer!
He looks at the animal for awhile, and his eyes soften. I think he's going to help it.
"It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of there."
He climbs the tree to cut down the net that is holding the cat deer. However, before he can take action, the four hunters he was supposed to join days earlier arrive.
Not these guys again!
Wan steps out from behind the tree trunk and onto the branch. "Wan? What are you doing here?" One of the huntsman asks in shock.
"I'm saving this animal."
"That animal's our dinner. Now, get out of the way,"
The other man demands.
"No!"
Wan jumps out of the tree while firebending at the hunters, and a chase through the Spirit Wilds commences, with Wan using the many dangers of the forest to his advantage.
He takes out two hunters and runs on, evading the fire blasts the last two remaining hunters throw at him, until he is hit. The force of the blast catapults him in the air, where he smacks against a branch and falls barely conscious on the ground, enabling his pursuers to catch up witch him.
"Well looks like you're all out of tricks, Wan."
To my surprise, Aye-Aye appears behind the huntsman and possesses the second hunter, who starts transforming into the spirit's likeness.
That's what happened to Yao, isn't it! That's why he said 'you don't want to get caught up in the spirit wilds!' Spirits can enter the body of humans and transform them into, well, them!
'I. Really. Hate. Humans!' Aye-Aye shouts.
The hunters run away in fear, and Wan continues to lay there in pain. Poor guy, I hope the spirits helped him after what he did to save that cat deer.
Luckily Aye-Aye carries Wan back to the oasis. He places his body in the water and he immediately softens. He even smiles a little.
"I feel great. What's in this water?" Wan asks the spirit.
Yeah, what is in that water? Is this why waterbenders are able to heal?
"It has special healing properties."
The friendly spirit from earlier hands Wan some fruit, and Wan takes a huge bite.
"Thanks," he says kindly. "So what did you do to that hunter?" Wan asks Aye-Aye.
"Spirits are able to take over a human body for a short time. If I stayed in there any longer, I would've killed him, which I did consider."
Interesting.
"Thanks for saving my neck, but why'd you do it?"
"I saw you save the cat deer from those hunters. I've never seen such an act of selflessness from a human before."
"Told you I wasn't like the others," he says while petting the cat deer.
"Guess I underestimated you, human."
"Are you off to find another lion turtle city?" Another spirit asks kindly.
"I was- but I think I've had enough of humans for a while. I've decided to stay here and learn the ways of the spirits."
"What a great idea."
"That'll be fun."
All of the spirits like the idea of Wan staying, but Aye-Aye frowns at the idea. "Oh, now, now, hold on. A human living with spirits? It's never been done," he says.
"First time for everything, right?" Wan says optimistically.
"Hmm. I guess we can try it. I've never had a human as a pet before. I think I'll call you 'Stinky.'
"The name is Wan."
"Stinky is more accurate."
...