Avatar Aang, the last airbender. That was who he was, though sometimes he wished it weren't true. After a hundred years of being trapped in ice, he had woken to a world unrecognizable from the one he had known. The Fire Nation had declared war, not just against one land, but against all the nations. Balance was shattered, peace destroyed, and misery seemed to hang in the air like smoke.
The guilt never left him. He knew the truth: his escape, his selfishness, his fear of responsibility, that was why the world had suffered alone for a hundred years. He carried that weight every day.
But now he was on a journey to set things right, to master all four elements and restore the balance he had once abandoned. At his side were Katara and Sokka. They had chosen to come with him, to help him complete his destiny. Together they soared across the endless sea on Appa's broad back, heading toward the Earth Kingdom.
After hours of flight, the endless blue finally gave way to a smudge of green on the horizon.
"Finally! Land!" Sokka cheered, nearly falling off in his excitement. "I missed the ground!"
Katara laughed softly. "We only left the last island a few hours ago, Sokka."
Aang smiled at their banter. "There must be a village nearby. I remember lots of them being close to the Earth Kingdom shoreline."
As Appa glided lower toward the coast, a cry rose up from below. Someone was calling. The three leaned over the saddle, peering down at two men dressed in unfamiliar grey clothing with red stripes.
Sokka frowned. "That doesn't look like Earth Kingdom clothes to me."
Katara tilted her head. "Maybe they need help?"
"Let's find out." Aang leaned forward. "Yip yip!"
Appa's great body tilted downward and descended, the wind rushing past as they landed near the strangers. The younger of the two men stepped forward calmly, his eyes fixed on them.
"I must admit," he said evenly, "for a moment I thought you wouldn't come down."
Aang offered his friendliest smile. "Hello there! We heard you calling. Do you need help?"
The man shook his head. "No, I don't. I am Tai Lung. And I just heard about the return of the Avatar and his flying bison. I wanted to meet the legendary Avatar in person."
From behind him, Katara and Sokka peeked out, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Aang straightened a little. "It's nice to meet you, Tai Lung. I'm Aang, and yes, I am the Avatar. These are my friends, Katara and Sokka, from the Southern Water Tribe."
Tai Lung's voice was polite, almost warm. "Nice to meet you. So, Avatar, is it true you can bend all four elements?"
Aang rubbed the back of his neck, his smile turning awkward. "Well, not yet. I've mastered airbending, but I still need to learn the others."
"Hmm." Tai Lung's golden eyes narrowed in thought. "So you still have much to learn. A little disappointing, I must admit. I had hoped you already mastered them all. And… how come you're still young? Did you complete a full cycle?"
Sokka scowled and cut in. "Buddy, what's with all the questions? Is that how you talk to someone you just met?"
Tai Lung didn't seem fazed. "I'm just curious. The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years, and he's the only thing the Fire Nation fears. It's only natural to ask, no?"
Aang shifted uneasily, but he forced a smile. "I was trapped in ice. I was freed just recently."
"I see." Tai Lung nodded slowly. "So it's safe to assume you can't bring balance just yet. You'll need time to grow, to become truly powerful, as the legends say. Well, Avatar, I sincerely hope you won't be taken down before you master the four elements."
"Uh… thanks," Aang said awkwardly.
Katara stepped forward, her chin high. "Aang will master the four elements. He will defeat the Fire Lord and bring balance back to the world."
Tai Lung chuckled. "Honestly, beating the Fire Rooster won't bring balance, it wasn't balanced even before him. But I suppose that's a first step."
He lifted a hand and pointed toward the treeline. "Don't go that way. There's a Fire Nation base nearby. You don't want to get trapped at the start of your journey."
The three of them blinked in surprise at his warning, but they managed to thank him all the same.
"I look forward to meeting you again," Tai Lung said, turning to leave. "When you've mastered the four elements."
Aang climbed back into Appa's saddle, but paused. Something was gnawing at him. "Wait… how did you know I was back? How did the news spread so fast?"
Tai Lung turned, smiling faintly. He raised his hand, and flames burst to life in his palm.
The three froze, eyes wide.
"The Fire Nation already knows," Tai said smoothly. His smile widened as the fire burned in his hand. "As I said, I look forward to meeting you in the future, Avatar"
And with that, he walked away, the silent man at his side following.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka sat frozen in place. They couldn't believe they had just spoken so casually with a firebender the whole time.
"I knew their clothes were strange, but to think they are firebenders!" Sokka said in a shocked tone.
"But why would they speak with us like that? Why warn us of the Fire Nation base instead of tricking us into a trap?" Katara asked, her tone confused. None of this made sense to her.
Aang was silent for some time, then said with a smile, "Just like there are bad people like the Fire Lord, the Fire Nation must have some good people. Not only did Tai Lung warn us, but did you hear what he called the Fire Lord? 'Fire Rooster'!"
Sokka blinked then said with a nod, "Yeah, as strange as it is, a firebender calling the Fire Lord a 'fire rooster' must mean Tai Lung doesn't approve of the Fire Lord and the war. He wants you to master all four elements and bring balance to the world!"
——————
On the other side, Han walked behind Tai Lung silently. When they were far enough from the Avatar and his group, he spoke. "Captain, not only did you not try to fight or capture the Avatar, but you even warned him of our base. That's treason."
Tai Lung replied casually, "You heard him. He has only mastered one element. Until he masters all four, he is not worthy to be called the Avatar. One day, if he becomes truly master of the four elements I shall challenge to a battle. As for now, I won't initiate attacks on him or anyone for that matter, if the Fire Rooster or anyone has an issue with my choices, they can challenge me to an Agni Kai."
"Four years and I still don't understand you" Hans said.
"I am not proud of many things I have done and I still don't know why I was born in this world.... I would rather not inflict more harm on others" Tai Lung replied.
Han sighed and said, "I won't report our encounter with the Avatar or any of your words."
After a moment of silence between the two, Tai Lung said, "You know, I am a little jealous of that bison. The Avatar and his group can travel so quickly and easily in the sky. It would be nice if I could fly as well." Tai Lung stopped in his tracks then said, "We can propel ourselves with fire. If I use enough power and control, I should be able to fly, no? Now that's something worth trying. What do you think?"
Han shook his head and said, "This is madness."
——————
After their encounter with Tai Lung, the group decided to heed his advice and instead move along the southern shoreline, far enough to avoid the Fire Nation army and close enough to find any of the southern Earth Kingdom islands. As they traveled, they unknowingly came across Kyoshi Island.
As the group landed on the island, they were quickly captured by the Kyoshi warriors and led into the village for interrogation, tied and blindfolded.
"You three have some explaining to do. Who are you and why did you come to our island?" the chief of the island asked.
"And if you don't answer all of our questions, we are feeding you to the sea fish," a girl added.
"Show yourselves, cowards!" Sokka spoke loudly.
The girls stepped forward and removed the blindfolds from the trio.
Sokka, looking around at the painted faces of the girls, asked, "Where are the men who captured us?"
"There are no men. Now answer our questions," the girl next to the chief answered.
"Yeah sure, as if we would believe a bunch of girls did that," Sokka replied sarcastically.
"A bunch of girls? It looks like the fish will eat well tonight," the girl replied threateningly.
"No, don't hurt him! My brother is just an idiot sometimes," Katara spoke up in fear for Sokka.
"It is all my fault. I wanted to ride the Elephant Koi fish," Aang answered.
"How do we know you are not from the Earth Kingdom and you are here to spy on us? Kyoshi has nothing to do with this war!" the chief asked sternly.
Aang's face brightened as he said, "This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi."
"And how could you possibly know her? She was born here 400 years ago," the chief replied with disdain.
"I know her because I am the Avatar," Aang answered with a confident smile.
There was a moment of silence, then the chief spoke: "They are liars and imposters. Feed them to the fish."
The Kyoshi warriors all took a stance.
Katara spoke up: "Aang, do something! Show them you are the Avatar!"
Aang quickly broke free from his restraints using airbending. He flew high in the air, then descended slowly, showing his mastery of airbending.
Once he landed, he spoke up again: "I am Aang, the last airbender and the Avatar."
Aang looked at them, expecting them to believe him. Instead, he was captured again and tied tighter than before.
"You think you can trick us? Someone like you can't be compared to the Avatar," one of the Kyoshi warriors spoke with absolute certainty.
"But I am really the Avatar! I just showed you air bending" Aang replied.
"Cease your lies, imposter. We have already met the Avatar," the leading girl replied, and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors nodded in agreement.
Aang, Sokka, and Katara were flabbergasted by that. Aang was the Avatar!