The forest floor was peaceful, dappled with sunlight streaming through the leaves above. The wind blew softly; birds sang; and the scent of earth and greenery filled the air. However, this idyllic scene was interrupted when a small black and white lemur landed with a small thump.
Chattering to himself, the creature looked about, then leapt into the air, flying from tree to tree. As fast as he moves, the lemur reached his chosen destination in a matter of minutes. He spiraled down from above, coming to rest on a circular notice board around which stood three teenagers: two young women and one young men. Behind them, an enormous flying bison lay in the shade, dozing.
“This should give us a good idea of what’s around here,” said one of the girls, called Katara. She inspected the notice board with interest, examining its many fliers. Just behind her, her brother was finishing off the last of the food from a burlap bag.
“See if you can find a menu,” Sokka said as he folded the bag over his arm. “I’m starving.”
The other girl pulled her long, white hair over her shoulder, bouncing on her toes as her eyes devoured the colorful notice board. She suddenly leaped forward, jabbing a flier with her index finger.
“I bet we’ll find something to eat here!” Anya said, running her finger over the text as she read aloud. “The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits…jugglers, benders, magicians.” She grinned. “This’d be a great place for me to study some real fire benders!”
“You might wanna rethink that,” said Sokka as he wandered around to the other side of the notice board. “Look at this.”
Anya and Katara moved to the other side of the board, where Sokka was staring up at a flier showing a smiling young woman with white hair, pale skin, and slate-grey eyes.
“Hey, a poster of me!” said Anya.
“A wanted poster,” said Sokka, frowning. “This is bad.”
Anya stood up on her toes, unpinning the poster from the board. Katara peered over her shoulder, then stepped back.
“I think we better keep moving,” she said.
Anya turned to look at her two friends plaintively, the poster clasped to her chest. “I have to learn fire bending at some point,” she pleaded. “This could be my only chance to watch a master up close.”
Katara shifted from foot to foot, examining the dirt. “I guess…we could check it out,” she said quietly.
“What?” said Sokka, turning to look at his sister with surprise. “You want to walk into a Fire Nation town, where they’re all fired up with all their, you know, fire?”
Katara looked up at her brother, determined now. She knew what it was like to fear you would never have the chance to hone a skill, a skill that, in Anya’s case, was necessary for not only her sake, but that of the world.
“We’ll wear disguises, and if it looks like trouble, we’ll leave.”
And, wearing triumphant smiles, she and Anya went to rouse Appa.
“Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble,” Sokka said to the forest, glancing once more at the other two posters on the board: one of a white-haired man, the other of someone in a blue mask, before turning to join the girls.
They decided not to enter the walled village until dusk. Anya petted Appa on the side of his huge face and patted Momo on his little head. “You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival,” she told her pets. Momo chattered and squeaked at her, then flew up into the air and dropped into a small bush nearby. Appa followed and hunkered down beside the bush as if trying to hide. Anya smiled indulgingly, then turned to her friends.
“Ready disguises!” she said, hands on hips.
Sokka and Katara pulled the hoods of black cloaks up over their heads, obscuring their faces in deep shadow. Anya, humming gaily, did the same with the back of her orange cape. She was utterly recognizable.
“It’s like you’re a whole different person,” said Sokka sarcastically, as Katara giggled into her palm.
Anya grinned and bounced over to his side, twining her fingers with his. “Let’s go.”
The trio set off down the hill toward the village, Anya skipping like a little girl, pulling Sokka along behind her. Above them, perched among the dark leaves of a tree, was a man. His identity was obscured by a dark red bandana, which covered the lower half of his face. Someone, should she see him, Anya might have found reason to be concerned about. But it was too dark, and she too excited about the evening to come to notice the strange man with the bandana.
In the village’s main square, people were everywhere. Dancing, waving sparklers, dressed in bright reds, yellows and oranges. Several people, almost completely concealed in an ornate dragon costume, marched by. But there was one strange thing…there was not a single person not wearing an colorful and elaborate mask.
“I think we need some new disguises,” said Katara, gazing around.
Sokka frowned, annoyed. “Where are we gonna get masks like that?”
Anya looked around for just such an opportunity, grinning when she spotted a merchant manning a booth covered in the masks. “Get your genu-ine Fire Festival masks here!”
“That was surprisingly easy,” muttered Sokka, as the girls ran to the mask stall. When the three turned away, Sokka was wearing a grinning mask. Anya’s frowned. Reaching out, Katara switched them, so the masks matched the temperament of their owners. Anya grinned beneath her already-smiling mask and reached for Sokka’s hand again. Grudgingly, he gave a small smile.
Anya looked around with excitement; the festive atmosphere was affecting her. She pointed ahead, leaping up on her toes. “Hey, there’s some food!”
Sokka looked up so abruptly, his mask almost fell off. “Finally!” he said, running ahead with Anya’s hand still enclosed in his. “Finally!” What do you have?” he asked the merchant.
“Flaming fire flakes!” the man said enthusiastically. “Best in town.” He held out a small, steaming bag. Sokka snatched them.
“I’ll take ‘em!”
He peeled open the bag and stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. “Aaahhh! Hot Hot!” he shouted, not a minute later, jumping around like he had a prickle snake in his pants while he half-lifted his mask to fan this tongue.
Katara crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at her brother. “‘Flaming fire flakes’--hot? What do you know.”
Anya rocked back and forth on her toes. “Hey, look at this!” she said suddenly, pointing to her right. A puppet show was about to begin, the audience full of small children. The curtain of the tiny stage swept open, and a puppet meant to look like the Fire Lord appeared. The audience cheered, tiny fists thrusting into the air.
“Don’t worry, loyal citizens!” the puppet squeaked. “No one can surprise the Fire Lord!”
Behind him was an Earthbender puppet, holding a large stone poised to crush the tiny Fire Lord. Several of the children in the audience cried out, giving high-pitched warnings. But they needn’t worry, Anya thought, almost bitterly, as the Fire Lord puppet suddenly turned and, with a huge stream of flame, charred the Earthbender to a crisp. Cheers again arose from the small audience.
Losing interest in the puppet show, Anya sighed, winding her hair around a finger. She turned away and spotted another stage, surrounded by a great number of people. A single performer stood before them. Grinning, the young Airbender began to skip in his direction.
“Anya, hold on? Where are we going?” came Katara’s voice, from behind her.
“I don’t know,” said Anya, glancing back at her before pointing ahead. “But there’s a big crowd, so it must be good.”
“Knowing the Fire Nation, it’s probably an execution,” said Sokka dully.
Anya stood on her tiptoes to watch the man on the stage, who stood at equal distance from four tall, thin pillars that held basins of gold and orange flame on their tops. He twisted and turned, manipulating the fire for the delight of his steadily-growing audience. At the end of the performance, he snuffed out his flame and, in an amazing magic trick, produced a flock of snow-white doves, who lit off over the crowd’s head. Anya turned to watch their flight, a dreamy smile on her hidden face. She turned back with excitement.
“I gotta learn that trick!” she said, clasping her hands and jumping up on her toes.
“Thank you!” called the fire dancer, spreading his arms. “For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!”
Anya leapt into the air, waving her hand erratically. “Oh! Oh! Me! Me!”
Sokka put his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, leaning around to look into her face.
“I want to get a closer look,” she replied, wriggling to no avail.
“It’s better that we don’t attract any attention to ourselves,” Katara told the other girl sensibly.
“How about you, little lady?”
Katara turned to find the performer’s finger pointed directly at her. She immediately began to back away, shaking her head rapidly.
“No. No…no, thank you.”
“Awww, she’s shy. Let’s give her some encouragement, folks!”
Someone shoved Katara forward toward the stage, with what Anya thought was a rather unnecessary amount of force. When her friend stumbled against the edge of the stage, the performer reached down, gripping her hand and pulling her up next to him.
“Oh!” Anya said disappointedly, as Sokka finally set her back on her feet. “That could’ve been me.” He patted her consolingly on the shoulder as the man onstage ushered Katara to front-and-center space. He set down a wooden-backed chair, pushing her down into it.
“This next trick is called ‘Taming the Dragon’,” he called to the audience. He grinned down at Katara. “You will be my captured princess!”
He carefully wound a deep red ribbon around her, tying it in a bow at her back. From the four basins of twisting fire, the bender on stage wove a long rope of flame, connected to one pillar by a thread of golden light. The performer wound it around his hand, looping the flame close to Katara and away again.
“Don’t worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!” he cried. He yanked on the flaming rope, drawing the ‘dragon’ closer to him. But it seemed to be pulling away of its own volition. “It’s too strong, I can’t hold it!”
“We’ve got to help her!” cried Anya, grabbing Sokka’s arm.
“No,” he whispered fiercely. “We don’t want to make a scene!”
“The rope, it’s breaking!”
And before Anya’s disbelieving grey eyes, the golden thread snapped and dissolved to nothing. The fiery dragon charged straight for Katara, who screamed. It was that scream that broke Anya. She pulled away from Sokka and leapt into the air, her white hair streaming out her colorful mask flying away from her. Sokka sprang after her. He thrust himself forward, trying to trap Anya within his arms--but the young Watertribe boy was not quite as fast or agile as a petite, female Airbender.
The young Avatar flung herself at the stage, where she landed lightly and twirled on the tips of her toes, creating a whirlwind of air that snuffed out the performer’s flame at once. Confetti showered the audience as Anya stopped moving. The no-longer-Firebending man was sprawled on the stage behind her.
“Hey, you tryin’ to upstage me, kid?” he shouted, scowling up at her.
Anya watched the confetti rain down around her, stifling a case of the giggles. She had saved Katara, and still gotten to take part in the show!
“Boo!”
“Hey, get off the stage!”
“Get down from there, kid! Boo!”
Watching from below, Sokka felt his heart grow heavy as Anya’s face crumpled, but he had more important things to worry about, like keeping the girl he was in love with safe. Even if he had received no sign yet that she felt the same way. He pushed through the crowd and climbed up behind her to untie Katara, as Anya tried to suppress her upset and performed a silly little dance. More boos greeted her.
“Hey!” someone shouted from the crowd. “That kid’s the Avatar!”
Anya stopped moving immediately, a look of utmost horror frozen on her countenance. Her already pale face drained to a ghostly white. Her wide grey eyes were frozen on three Fire Nation guards who had heard the announcement, and were now muscling their way through the crowd toward her.
“Anya.” It was Sokka, his mask nowhere to be seen, his hand gripping hers. “I think it’s time to go.”
“Follow me!” came a voice from behind them. It was a man in a dark cloak, half his face obscured by a maroon cloth. The man Anya had failed to notice, earlier. “I can git ya outta here!”
“There they are!” came the shouts of the three guards as the cloaked man waved Anya, Sokka and Katara through a wide crack in the side of a building, under cover of smoke bomb. The trio of teenagers followed as their rescuer took the lead, leading them through alleyways and open spaces paced full of celebrating Fire Nation citizens.
“Over there!”
It was another guard, and at his shout, he was quickly joined by several of his comrades.
“I’m calling Appa!” cried Anya as they ran, pulling out her bison whistle.
“I hope he really can hear that bison whistle!” panted Sokka, as the young woman began to puff fiercely on the bison-shaped piece of wood.
“This way!” said the cloaked man, turning into an alley. The end was open, but only for a moment: before they could escape, it was blocked by a pack of Fire Nation guards. “Okay, not this way!” Fiercely, their rescuer yanked the pin out of another smoke bomb, and tossed it at the guards’ feet. Under cover of the noxious smoke, the four wheeled around and sprinted down another alley.
Unfortunately, the guards were not entirely fooled by the cloaked man’s smoke cloud. They were trapped in the alley, guards in front of them and a high wall behind. There was a large box, packed full of fireworks leaning against the wall, but the sides were too smooth too climb.
Suddenly, a deep, rumbling growl reached Anya’s ears. She whipped around, craning her neck. “Appa, down here!” she called when she spotted the flying bison.
With shouts of fear, the guards ran in the other direction, as Appa landed and beat his huge tail once on the ground. The resulting wind blew his mistress’s enemies out of the alley, where they landed in a heap on the ground. When they had regained enough sense to return for the Avatar and her three friends, Appa was already flying high above, with Anya, Sokka, Katara and the cloaked man safe on his back.
As they soared away, the man threw one last smoke bomb below. It landed and exploded in the box of fireworks, setting them all off. Bursts of fire and color shot toward the stars, and cheers rang out from the watching villagers, unaware of the drama that had just unfolded right beneath their noses.
“Nice touch, setting off the fireworks,” Anya said several minutes later, when they were flying far enough away that the still exploding fireworks were mere pinpricks of light in the distance. Their rescuer had removed his hood and bandana, revealing a brown face worn by time and hardship. Shaggy brown hair tickled his brow.
“You seem to really know your explosives,” Sokka commented, giving a friendly smile. An uncommon gift, for someone he barely knew.
The man turned to them with a smile of his own. “I’m familiar.”
“You’re a Fire Nation soldier!” said Sokka suddenly, shocked out of his friendly attitude.
“Was,” said the man. “My name’s Chey.”
…
When it was finally decided that they were far enough away to be safe, Appa landed and the four humans and two animals made camp.
Anya, Sokka, Katara and Chey sat by the fire. Chey was speaking.
“I serve a man. More than a man, really, he’s a myth, but he’s real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general…or wait, was he an admiral?”
“He was very highly ranked, we get it,” said Sokka from his spot next to Anya.
“Yeah, way up there!” said Chey. “But he couldn’t take the madness anymore. He’s the first person ever to leave the army--and live. I’m the second, but you don’t get to be a legend for that.” He shrugged. “That’s okay, though. Jeong Jeong’s a fire bending genius. Some say he’s mad--but he’s not! He’s enlightened.”
“You mean, there’s a fire bender out there who’s not with the Fire Lord?” said Anya, leaning forward excitedly. She hopped onto her feet, pacing back and forth with her hands clasped. “We’ve gotta go see him! He can train me!” she said.
“We’re not gonna go find some crazy fire bender!” Sokka told her with a frown. Of course he wanted Anya to learn to firebend--but he didn’t want her in any more danger than she was in already. They’d dealt with enough crazy people before not to want to do it again.
“He’s not crazy!” said Chey, standing to join Anya. “He’s a genius! And he’s the perfect person to train the Avatar! That’s why I followed you into the festival.”
“Look,” said Sokka, standing and walking over to Anya. “Thanks for the help, but we’re leaving for the North Pole in the morning.” He put his arm around the white-haired girl’s shoulders, smirking triumphantly at Chey.
Anya pulled away from her friend, hurt. “Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a fire bending master who would actually be willing to teach me,” she plead. It hurt his heart to see her this way, but why couldn’t she see he cared too much about her to let her risk her own safety like this?
“It can’t hurt just to talk to him.” Katara finally spoke, standing herself.
“That’s what you said about going to the festival!” said Sokka angrily. “Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?!”
He turned to stalk away from the warmth of Anya’s side and the fire, only to find a spear point an inch from his nose. In seconds, they were surrounded by armored men wearing straw hats and wielding spears.
“Don’t move,” hissed the one nearest to Anya.
Corralled by the rebels, the small party was led along a thin and winding forest path.
“Jeong Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar!” said the man who had first spoken, scowling ahead at Chey.
“Hold on--you know these guys?” said Sokka from the back of the pack, stopping for a moment.
“Oh, yeah, Lin Yi’s an old buddy!” Chey replied, turning to peer at the man. “Right, Lin Yi?”
“Shut up!” growled Lin Yi, lowering his spear toward Chey. “Keep moving!”
They continued walking, and did not stop for many hours. Anya heard a howl from far away in the dark, and moved a little closer to Sokka. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze.
Finally, they reached the crest of a hill, at the bottom of which was a small, roughly constructed shack.
“Go on,” said Lin Yi to Chey. “He sees you only.”
“Oh, that’s okay, we can chat later,” said the trio’s rescuer, waving one hand at Lin Yi.
“Is that where Jeong Jeong is?” asked Anya from behind them, feeling braver now. “I need to talk to him right away.” She started forward, but was stopped by a spear shaft sticking directly out into her path.
“No!” said Lin Yi in his harsh voice. “You wait there.” He shoved Chey forward, keeping Anya back. “Go now!”
“Don’t worry, everything’ll be fine,” said Chey in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring tone. Anya’s brow furrowed as their rescuer started forward, still speaking. “He’s a great, great man!”
…
In the Fire Nation village the trio and Chey had left behind, Admiral Zhao was questioning a group of local guards.
“So, the Avatar was here, and you let her slip away?” he said in his harsh, authoritative voice.
“Yes, sir, but other than that the festival went off without a hitch!” replied one of the guards. Behind him, a large piece of the stone wall flared with flame and crumbled away. The ground shook with the crash. “No fights,” ssaid the guard. “Theft was way down.”
“I don’t care about your local crime rates!” shouted Zhao. “Which way did they go?”
The guard pointed. “They headed into the forest. Up the river, I suspect.”
“Ready the river boats,” said Zhao immediately, turning to his own set of guards. “We’re going after the Avatar.”
…
The sound of soft feet on dry leaves brought Anya to full awakeness. She sat up abruptly and turned to see Chey, looking blue. He sat down beside her.
“What happened?” she asked. “Can I see Jeong Jeong now?”
“He won’t see you,” Chey replied glumly. “He’s very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately.”
“Finally,” came Sokka’s voice, as he sat up on his elbows. “Let’s hit the road.” He stretched, as Anya turned back to Chey.
“Why won’t he see me?” she asked.
“He says you’re not ready,” he replied. “Says you haven’t mastered water bending and earth bending yet.”
Anya frowned. Her eyes sharpened as she realized. “Wait, how does he know that?”
“He saw the way you walked into camp,” answered Chey immediately. “He can tell.”
Standing, Anya turned away from them all. “I’m going in anyway!” Walking briskly, she approached the entrance to Jeong Jeong’s shack. Taking a deep breath, she parted the curtain and entered the dark structure. A man was seated on the floor with his back to her, a semicircle of flickering candles around him.
“Get out.”
“Master,” said Anya respectfully, “I need to learn fire bending.”
“Only a fool seeks her own destruction.”
Anya sat on the floor, bowing her white head. “I am the Avatar. It is my destiny to--”
“Destiny?” said Jeong Jeong. “What would a girl know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river’s destiny? No! Only that it runs on and on out of his control! He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean.”
“Okay…but it’s the Avatar’s duty to master al of the bending disciplines,” said Anya, feeling uncomfortable.
“To master the bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself. But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you! Now, get out!”
“Please, I have to learn!” said the young woman, pleading now. “This could be my only chance!”
“Are you deaf?” said Jeong Jeong angrily, whipping around to face Anya. “How can I teach you if you refuse to listen? Before learning firebending you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing, earth is steady and stable, but fire, fire is alive! It breathes, it grows. Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it! That is its destiny! You are not ready! You are too weak!”
At these final words, the flames of the candles surrounded Jeong Jeong suddenly lengthened so that their light filled the entire space. Then, as though a puff of cold wind had entered, every candle went out. A shiver went down Anya’s spine as Jeong Jeong began to mutter to himself. She felt as though a cold finger was sliding slowly along her back, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight.
Behind Jeong Jeong’s closed lids, somebody else stood. The Avatar, but different. An Avatar from before: Roku.
“You think I am weak?” he boomed.
“Avatar Roku!” cried the deserter, bowing his head respectfully. “No, no! I did not mean that!”
“I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes,” said Avatar Roku in his deep, resonant voice. A voice that still held an inflection of childhood in it, somehow--a voice that held part of Anya’s in it. “Now, I must do it again. You will teach the Avatar fire bending.”
Avatar Roku swiftly raised one hand and cleaved the air with it. A lone tree, standing far behind Jeong Jeong, burst into colorful flames. His eyes were wide as the vision faded around him. His half-circle of candles were lit once again, and the young, female reincarnation of Avatar Roku stood before him, a hopeful look on her face.
“Yes,” Jeong Jeong murmured, reluctantly. “Yes, I will teach you.”
“Really?” asked Anya, clapping her hands delightedly. “That’s great!”
Jeong Jeong looked at her huge smile and frowned, exasperated. He groaned. “Ughhhh.”
…
Early morning light shone off Anya’s white hair, blindingly beautiful to Sokka’s eyes. He tightened his grip on the fishing pole in his hands, so the gentle waves created by Katara’s water bending couldn’t pull it from his grasp. But his gaze remained locked on Anya, who stood bandy legged on a flat stone in the middle of the river. Jeong Jeong stood on the other side, in front of his hut.
“Widen your stance,” he ordered. Anya rearranged her feet. “Wider! Now, concentrate.” The young woman took a deep breath, staring decidedly at her hands. “Good, good!” Jeong Jeong praised. Then, with no warning at all, he turned and began to walk away.
“Wait! What do I do now?” Anya called after him, looking up.
“Silence!” snapped her instructor, whipping around. He glared, gesturing toward Katara. “Silence is not concentrating! Look at your friend, is she talking?” He glanced over at Sokka, who looked back at the water for a moment, trying to appear a model of single-minded determination. “Even that oaf knows how to concentrate on what he’s doing!”
“Hey!” called Sokka, this slight too much for him to ignore. His insulter made no response.
“But what am I concentrating on?” asked Anya, drawing his attention back to her.
“Feel the heat of the sun,” Jeong Jeong told her, gesturing upward toward the great golden ball of light. “It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it is in complete balance with nature!”
Anya looked up at the sun, then back at her teacher, smiling widely. “So, when do I get to make some fire!”
“Concentrate!” Jeong Jeong said harshly.
Anya took a deep breath, relaxing her tense muscles. From behind her came a burst of laughter, and her pale cheeks flushed pink. Craning around, she saw Sokka scowling at his sister, who was trying in vain to look innocent.
Anya felt her lip pout out, and she crossed her arms.
…
Anya walked beside Jeong Jeong up the mountain path, kicking at small stones. “Are we coming up here so I don’t burn anything with my fire blasts?” she asked after a moment, looking up at him.
Jeong Jeong shook his head. “No fire yet.”
“What?”
“Power in fire bending comes from the breath,” replied her teacher, gesturing for her to go ahead of him onto the flat top of the mountain. “That is why you must master breath control.”
Anya frowned. “You brought me up here to breathe?”
“Assume your stance.”
Folding his hands behind his back, the older man swept his gaze over the surrounding land as his pupil complied. “Wider.”
“You’re not even look--” she began indignantly.
“Wider!” Sighing with exasperation, Anya spread her feet a hair’s width farther apart. “Now, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth--without talking.” The young woman obeyed, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “Good. Keep going.”
Turning back to the path, Jeong Jeong began the trek back down the mountain, leaving Anya behind. She did not watch him go, instead focusing her eyes on a spot far in the distance, working hard to concentrate only on the steady in…out of her breathing.
In…out…in…out…in…out…
But any young pupil will grow impatient after left alone for several hours, with nothing to focus on but their breathing. Immensely irritated, Anya finally swept back down the mountain herself, and right into Jeong Jeong’s candlelit hut.
“What are you doing?” he shouted at her. “I did not tell you to stop!”
“I’ve been breathing for hours,” she replied, coldly.
“You want to stop breathing?”
Anya had had enough. She threw her hands up, anger flashing in her grey eyes. “I want you to stop wasting my time! I already know how to squat and breathe and feel the sun!” She mimicked the gestures she had been forced to practice so many times already, blatantly disrespectful and, at this point, without a care. “I want to know how to shoot fire out of my fingertips!”
Scowling, Jeong Jeong looked down at his lap. “Ughhh,” he groaned. “I had a pupil once, who had no interest in learning discipline,” he told Anya. A memory unfolded in his mind, of a tall man with dark hair and sharp features. Zhao, and the men under his command, moving up the river in their Fire Nation boats. A party of rebels descended upon them, but they were not destined to win this battle. “He was only concerned with the power of fire--how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path.” Raising his hands, Zhao erased his enemies with a wall of flame, smiling cruelly. The forest catches the flame, and burns freely as Zhao and his men begin to travel upstream. “But fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume, and without control it destroys everything around it.” He looked up at Anya, and there was great sorrow in his gaze. “Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love.”
…
That night, lying next to the fire, Anya stared up at the night sky and thought about what Jeong Jeong had said. She herself had seen the damage that fire could do, when not handled with care. It could rip apart families and raze cities to the ground. Kill people, animals, plants, earth.
Turning her head, Anya looked Katara, then over at Sokka. He was asleep, and lying on his side with his face toward her. He looked so innocent asleep. Younger. More vulnerable.
Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love.
“I’ll do it,” Anya said to the night. And she lay there, watching the slow, graceful dance of the infinite stars until she fell asleep.
…
Anya sat in repose before Jeong Jeong, her white head bowed respectfully. The stone below her was cool, and she rested her hands against it, feeling the comfort of the earth. The crisp, brittle sound of falling leaves filled the silence.
“I thought about what you said.” The young Avatar’s voice was soft, and unusually calm. “I promise I’ll be more patient.” She peered up at Jeong Jeong for a moment. He was watching her in silence, but after a minute, he nodded his acceptance of her apology.
“We’re going to work with fire now.”
“Oh, yes!” Anya leapt into the air, spinning in a circle in her excitement. The air whipped against her face, and she froze, suddenly remembering her promise. Quickly resuming her position on the stone beside the river, she folded her hands in her lap and put on a serious face.
“I mean--let us begin.”
Stepping forward, Jeong Jeong held out his hand. In it landed a dry, crumbly leaf. He held it between his thumb and forefinger. As Anya watched, a tiny burn hole began to form where her teacher’s skin was touching the leaf.
“Concentrate on the fire,” said Jeong Jeong, handing the leaf to her. “I want you to keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can.”
Anya assumed her stance, her eyes never leaving the slowly burning leaf. She stared at it, a small line of concentration forming between her eyebrows.
“Master!” came a shout, making her jump. “There is trouble.” A rebel guard was approaching Jeong Jeong, his face worried.
“What’s going on?” asked Anya, straightening.
Jeong Jeong joined his guard and began, gesturing for Anya to remain where she was. “Concentrate on your leaf.”
Several minutes later, Anya was still focusing on the leaf in her hand, but feeling petulant again.
“This is the worst fire bending instruction ever,” she said querulously. “All he does is leave me alone for hours to concentrate or breathe.”
“I’m sure there’s a good reason,” said Katara, climbing the riverbank to join her friend.
“But I’m ready to do so much more!” Anya complained. Suddenly, her face lit up. Widening her stance, she held the leaf out in front of her and took deep, cleansing breaths. The leaf began to smoke, and all at once, it burst into flame and disintegrated to ash. In Anya’s hand was a ball of fire, but she wasn’t hurt at all.
“I did it! I made fire!” she said excitedly, resisting the urge to clap her hands together in delight.
Katara moved closer, approaching cautiously. “Anya, that’s great--but you should take it slow.”
Anya frowned, cross again, and the flame grew in size. She smiled. Katara’s eyes widened in fearful surprise.
“Careful!” she warned.
Focusing, Anya managed to reduce the flame again, but it almost cost her a dip in the cold river.
“Now that’s fire bending!”
She flicked her wrist, and the fire whipped away from her, then returned to her hand. She began to toss it happily between her hands.
“Anya, you’ll hurt yourself!” cried Katara, bouncing on her toes like she was fighting the urge to run.
“Wonder how that juggler did it…?” Anya wondered. She raised the ball of flame into the air and tossed it up. It looped around her in a circle, and she pushed her hands out, creating a sort of shockwave, which enveloped Katara almost immediately. She let out a cry of pain as it touched her hands, and she crumpled to her knees.
“Katara!” Anya shouted, rushing to her side. “I’m so sorry!”
Katara stared at her burned hands, crying pitifully. “Katara?” Sokka’s voice--Anya gave a guilty start. “Katara, what’s wrong?!” His eyes widened at the sight of his sister’s red fingers. He turned to Anya, brow furrowing. “What did you do?”
“It was an accident!” Anya cried. “I was…oh, Katara, I’m so--”
She reached to place a hand on her friend’s shoulder, but Sokka pushed her away, thrusting his arm out to keep her back. Anya sat down hard on the ground, looking forlorn. Sokka, on the other hand, had never been so truly angry with the Avatar. She was silly, and immature sometimes, but her antics had never really hurt anybody before.
“I told you, we shouldn’t mess around with this!” he told her, working hard not to run to her side and apologize profusely for treating her so roughly. He looked back at Katara’s injury, then back at Anya. “Look at what you did! You burned my sister!”
Katara stood unsteadily, holding her burned hands against her stomach. Listing slightly to the right, she moved quickly away and was soon out of sight.
Stunned and ashamed, Anya didn’t move. Not when Sokka looked at her once more, desperately fraught and angry and sorrowful, and finally left. Not when Jeong Jeong returned. Not when the morning became midday, and the hot sun beat down on her face. Not even when Sokka stood over her once more, Jeong Jeong at his side.
“You burned my sister!” he said once more. He was quiet for a split second, and seemed to be working something out, before he turned to Jeong Jeong. “This is all your fault!”
“I know,” he said, and in his voice was an ancient sadness, one that Anya could not even begin to comprehend. “Pack your things. You must leave immediately.”
Anya finally spoke, desperately lifting her hand to take Sokka’s. But he pulled away before her skin could touch his. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…” He turned and stalked off, before he could do something stupid like kiss her, or forgive what had been done to Katara. “I’m sorry!”
Anya looked up at Jeong Jeong, miserable. He just shook his head, and turned away. In silence, she lay down in the cool grass beside the river and curled into a ball, willing the world to go away and leave her alone. She didn’t move again for a very long time.
…
Katara sat some ways down the river, staring into the sun-dappled water. It was so beautiful. Fluid and free, silver and grey and blue. Like Anya’s eyes. Anya. The young Watertribe girl looked at her burned hands and felt hot, salty tears begin to form. Her friend had done this to her. All because she couldn’t stop herself from playing with fire.
Leaning down, Katara placed her hands in the river, letting the cool water wash over them. For a moment, the pain intensified, a burning-hot agony that she could only just endure--then it faded away. Her eyes flashed open wide, surprised. Beneath the water, her hands were enveloped in a pure white light. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And it was healing her. The pain was already gone.
Shocked, Katara raised her hands and stared at them in amazement. They were completely healed. No burns. No scars. No pain.
“You have healing powers.”
Katara gave a start, and looked around to see Jeong Jeong approaching her from behind. He sat down beside her, looking venerable. And yet it was she who he looked at with great respect. “The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability,” he said. “I’ve always wished I were blessed like you--free from this burning curse.”
“But you’re a great master,” said Katara, looking confusedly at him. “You have powers I’ll never know.”
Jeong Jeong shook his head. “Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor’s edge, between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart.”
Suddenly, the water before them was blown into a spray, pummeled by gouts of flame. The water steamed as Jeong Jeong stood, assuming a defensive stance. He raised his hands, parting the flames that flowed toward him and Katara. A Fire Nation boat cut through the water, coming straight for them. One of Zhao’s, Jeong Jeong knew.
“Go get your friends, and flee!” the fire bending master ordered Katara, who scrambled to her feet and began to run in the opposite direction. “Do not come back here, or you will all be destroyed!” he called after her. “Hurry!”
Turning back to face the small fleet, Jeong Jeong held his hands out protectively. The balls of fire flying toward him landed harmlessly, leaving black scorch-marks on the grass.
From the main deck of his ship, Admiral Zhao watched the older man produce a huge wall of flame, which spread along the edge of the river, blocking his path. The admiral smiled coldly as his men turned the boats to land on the nearby beach. Dropping onto the sand, Zhao grinned more widely and called up to his crew, “Don’t worry, men. My old teacher gave up fighting a long time ago.”
Approaching the wall of fire, the admiral spread his hands, creating a small opening just large enough for him to pass through.
“Master Jeong Jeong,” he greeted the man.
Jeong Jeong looked worriedly back at his former student, then, having no choice, dropped his defensive wall.
Out of sight, Katara sprinted toward camp, where Sokka was loading up their supplies and preparing Appa to leave. He reached out for his sister, holding her shoulders as she reached him, breathing heavily.
“Katara, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, we’ve got to get out of here,” she panted. Straightening suddenly, she looked around. “Where’s Anya?”
A fleeting look of pain crossed Sokka’s face, and he turned back to Appa, thumbing in the direction of Jeong Jeong’s hut. Katara turned on her heel and ran down the hill path to the hut. Crossing the small footbridge that separated the hut and the tiny island it rested on from the riverbank, she parted the curtain and entered.
Anya sat amidst candlelight and shadows, head bowed, her back to the door. She didn’t look at Katara.
“Jeong Jeong tried to tell me that I wasn’t ready,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t listen.” There was a second of silence, in which Katara jumped around impatiently. “I’m never going to firebend again.”
“You’ll have to eventually,” the Watertribe girl reminded the young Avatar.
“No, never again.”
“It’s okay, Anya,” Katara said, smiling in spite of the troubling circumstances. She held out her hands, though Anya was still turned away. “I’m healed.”
“What?” The white-haired girl turned in surprise, staring up at her friend. The happiness on Katara’s face was all the confirmation she needed. “How?”
“I’ll explain later,” said Katara. “But right onw, we need to get out of here. Zhao and his soldiers are attacking!”
A burst of air, and Anya was propelled to her feet. “Where?”
“By the river. They captured Jeong Jeong.”
Anya flew from the hut. “I have to help him!”
…
On the beach, Admiral Zhao and his crew stood before Jeong Jeong, looking haughty and superior and very, very dangerous.
“Look at you,” said Zhao, appraising the fire bending master. “You were once so great. I can’t believe my former master has become nothing more than a simple savage.”
“It is you who has embraced savagery, Zhao,” Jeong Jeong said coldly.
“It’s Admiral Zhao, now,” Zhao replied proudly, standing a bit straighter.
“That title will not help you against the Avatar,” said Jeong Jeong, looking his former student straight in the eyes. “Do not try to fight her! You are no match!”
Zhao gave a derisive laugh. “I think I can handle a little girl.”
“I have never seen such raw power,” said the older man, awed as he remembered his lessons with Anya.
“Jeong Jeong!” It was her voice. Far off, but coming closer.
“We’ll see,” said Zhao, his eyes flicking to the sky, then back to Jeong Jeong. “Men! Take the deserter!”
Five crewmen immediately circled around Jeong Jeong, holding the points of their spears toward him. Above, Anya stumbled through the air, coming to a horrified halt as she spotted her captive teacher. But Jeong Jeong just smiled, and all at once, spun a great sphere of flame around himself. When it dissipated, he was gone.
“It’s a trick!” shouted Zhao, his eyes blazing. “He’s run off into the woods! Find him!” As his men raced to obey the orders, he turned slowly to Anya, who landed lightly on the grass. “Let’s find out what my old master has taught you.”
“You…” Anya stared at him, eyes wide, as all the color drained from her face. “You were Jeong Jeong’s student?”
Zhao shrugged. “Until I got bored.” He spun, launching a ball of fire at Anya’s face, swiftly followed by another. The young woman dodged, twisting to the side to avoid a painful burn.
“I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward,” laughed Zhao. “But I doubt he showed you what a fire bender is truly capable of!”
Another volley of fire came toward Anya, and shot straight over her head. She didn’t evne need to duck. Circling her hand, she balanced on the whirlwind of air beneath her with one finger. Smiling amusedly, she looked at Zhao.
“Whoa!” she cried, mocking. “Wild shot!”
“I’ll show you wild!” he snarled.
Several more fireballs flew toward Anya in quick succession. She found them easy enough to deflect or dodge, and found herself thinking of Jeong Jeong again, as she watched the surrounded forest begin to smoke.
“No self control,” she murmured.
“Stand and fight, Avatar!”
She looked back at Zhao, innocently surprised. “Oh, were we fighting?” she asked sweetly. “I thought you were just getting warmed up.”
“I was!”
He gave a savage yell, and threw a few more fireballs. Anya hummed placidly, plaiting a length of her hair as the blazing bullets crashed around her.
“Is that all you’ve got?” she shouted back at Zhao, finishing her braid. She snorted. “Man, they’ll make anybody an admiral these days!”
Zhao gave a scream of frustration. Another errant burst of flame flew toward Anya, but she avoided it and leapt up onto one of Zhao’s ships.
“Ahoy!” She wriggled her bottom toward him, then turned and stuck out her tongue. “I’m Admiral Zhao!”
Growling, Zhao launched himself up onto the ship, and blasted fire away from him. The bridge was soon aflame, but Anya leapt away, unharmed, onto the aft section of the next ship, then the next.
She looked disappointedly at Zhao, as though she had been expecting a greater challenge. “I don’t know why, but I thought you’d be better than Zuko.” Leaping away again, and barely avoiding the wall of fire Zhao threw at her, she landed on a safer part of the deck.
“Soppy, very sloppy,” she called back.
Frustrated tears working themselves into his eyes, Zhao chased Anya around the three ships. Everywhere his hands touched, flames bloomed. The ‘experienced’ fire bender didn’t even realize what he was doing, so absorbed he was in his vain effort to catch the Avatar.
Momentarily out of sight, Anya hid behind one of the cabins, taking the split second of solitude to breathe deeply, brush the ash from her clothes and shake her white hair out of her eyes. Zhao leapt down in front of her as she tucked a lock behind her ear. Calmly, she turned to face him.
“No where to run now, you little smart mouth!”
At his next shot, Anya leapt into the air and flipped over his head, the same way she had with Zuko in Bato’s abbey. She landed behind Zhao, and looked around at the three burning ships.
She shook her head, smiling amusedly. “You’ve lost this battle.”
Propelling herself into the air, she watched as Zhao set the prow of the third ship aflame.
“Are you crazy?!” he screamed at her. “You haven’t thrown a single blow!”
“No,” Anya admitted. She gestured to the left. “But you have.”
Zhao looked around, and his face contorted. All three of his ships were burning--the first was sinking, and already half-submerged.
“Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint,” Anya said matter-of-factly.
Hopping off the prow of the third ship, she landed softly in the river, submerging herself from the hot, ash-filled air. Zhao’s scream of fury was muffled and far-away to her ears, as she took one last moment to enjoy the coolness of the water surrounding her before breaking the surface of the river.
Anya cupped her hands around her mouth. “Have a nice walk home!” she shouted back to her opponent, waving.
“Anya, come on!”
Sokka.
Anya spun around, slowed slightly by the water. On the nearby beach, Appa stood, the others on his back. Grinning, the young Avatar climbed out of the river and flew up to where the reins were, the motion beginning to dry her wet clothes and hair. Just as Appa was taking off, Anya froze.
“Wait! Where’s Jeong Jeong?”
“He disappeared,” said Sokka, shrugging as he looked at her worried grey eyes. “They all did.”
Far below, Chey was walking along the forest path that led to Jeong Jeong’s compound. As it turned out, not everybody had just vanished.
“Hey, where did everybody go?” the man called. “Very funny, guys!”
And on the river, Zhao was standing waist deep in the water, watching his ships burn. Something like shame flashed over his face, and he lowered his gaze.
Up in the air, Appa was flying swiftly away, the colors of the sunset making his white fur burnished gold.
Anya sat across from her friends, not speaking, just looking happily between their faces.
“Anya,” said Katara, looking down at the other girl’s arms. “You’re burned.”
Giving a start, Anya followed Katara’s gaze to her forearms, and, staring in wonderment, realized that she was right. Her sleeves were charred and torn, and beneath the fabric, long red burn marks graced her white skin.
“Let me help you,” offered Katara. Opening her canteen, she emptied a ball of water into her hand and waited for it to glow white. When it shone, bright as a star, she moved it over Anya’s burns, breathing deeply. Her forehead creased with concentration. When she put the water away again, Anya’s wounds were gone.
“Wow!” she cried, holding her arms out to examine them. “That’s good water!”
“When did you learn how to do that?” Sokka asked, frowning at his sister. She shrugged in return, watching as Sokka edged nearer to Anya again.
“I guess I always knew,” said Katara.
“Oh…well, then thanks for all the first aid over the years,” he said sarcastically, leaning back on one hand. “Like when I fell into the grease briar bramble…and that time I had two fish hooks in my thumb!”
“Two?” asked Anya, looking up at him.
“He tried to get the first fish hook out with another fish hook,” Katara explained.
“Oh, and the time that big snake bit me!” continued Sokka, as Anya leaned cautiously back against his arm. Smiling slightly, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving his apology in the affectionate touch. “Thanks for healing that up. That was great. Really helpful.”
Anya smiled again, leaning her head against Sokka’s shoulder as the pink and gold sky began to fade to black.