Water. The tribe that gathers strength from the moon and flows with the tide.
Earth. Unbending and reliable, a kingdom of unshakable will.
Fire. A nation capable of great destruction, ferocious and powerful.
Air. Peaceful nomads with the power of a hurricane, spirit of a gentle breeze.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in a state of harmony.
Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. War erupted, the time of peace collapsing to a former shade of itself. Air Nomads were wiped out of existence. Water Tribes split into two. And the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have been fighting for over a century.
Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, has the power to restore balance and bring peace back into the world.
But when the world needed him most...
He vanished.
But a hundred years have passed, and two siblings from the Water Tribe, Katara and Sokka, discovered the new Avatar—An Air Bender named Aang.
And although his skills in Air Bending were great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save everyone.
But I knew... That one day, Aang will save the world.
============================================
"Hey, you guys picked a great campsite," Toph said as she stepped down from Appa the Sky Bison, flexing her toes against the ground. "The grass is so soft!"
"My lady, that's fur that you're standing on," I replied, lifting the remaining luggage with ease and setting it down beside the others.
"Hmm." She stomped lightly, testing the texture again. "Still soft."
"Appa's shedding," Sokka provided, with Katara staring at her feet with disgust. "Oh, gross..."
"It's not gross. It's just a part of spring!" Aang replied, letting a random bird land on his head. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat."
And at that moment, Appa let out a sudden sneeze.
A massive gust of air and fur exploded outward, coating everyone in drifting tufts of white fluff.
"... The beauty of spring, I guess. Cough! I think I swallowed a few hairs, Appa! Ugh!"
"It's not that bad, Katara!" Sokka said, fiddling with a clump of fur before turning to her with a makeshift wig. "Look, it makes a great wig!"
Aang landed nearby with a beard made entirely of fur. "And an excellent beard!"
"You know," I muttered thoughtfully. "We could probably use this as stuffing for pillows once we clean and dry it."
The boys behind me immediately broke into laughter, which only made Katara sigh in defeat.
"Well," she said at last, "I'm just glad we finally have another girl in the group. Because you boys are disgusting. No offense, Renji."
"None taken."
"Excuse me," Toph suddenly cut in, stepping forward with a smug grin. "Do you fine gentlemen have a razor?"
She raised her arms, revealing tufts of fur clinging to her armpits. "Because I've got some hairy armpits!"
That immediately set the boys off again, doubling over with laughter when Aang sneezed hard. The force of it sent him stumbling straight into Appa's side, sending another massive burst of loose fur erupting into the air.
Faceplanting into the ground with an "oof," Aang's situation caused all three of them to laugh even harder, with Katara chuckling along.
I stood a short distance away, watching the scene unfold with a small smile as I continued setting up camp for the night.
Looks like she's blending in with the group well. Things seem to be alright.
============================================
"Here you are," I announced, stepping forward and presenting a tray of food. "While I don't have most of my usual equipment, I've been trained to work with what I have."
Sokka's head snapped up instantly, rushing towards me with drool. "Food?"
Katara blinked from her pot of water, filtered and ready to drink thanks to her Water Bending. "You made this?"
Aang leaned in curiously. "Woah! That looks great!"
"Nothing fancy," I said, placing everything onto the stone table Toph had Bent into existence in that exact moment. "Just some lightly seasoned meat skewers, vegetable stir-fry, hearty soup, dumplings, roasted chestnuts, and herbal tea for drinks."
Katara stared at the spread. "T-That's a lot!"
Sokka immediately snatched up a pair of chopsticks and shoved a dumpling into his mouth. A second later, he grabbed another one.
"It's sooooo good."
"Hey! Don't eat everything!" Toph was already reaching over to grab her own pair of chopsticks and digging in without hesitation.
"And I heard that the Air Nomads are vegetarian," I continued, stepping over to Aang and handing him a separate bowl. "So I made you a vegetarian version. Hope that's alright."
Aang's eyes lit up. "You're right. Thanks, Renji."
Momo swooped in immediately, landing on Aang's arm and snatching a piece of food from the bowl before he could even react. "Hey!" Aang laughed, though he didn't stop him.
"No problem."
I set the remaining dishes down and glanced toward the unlit fire pit at the center of camp.
Walking over, I crouched beside it and snapped my fingers.
A small spark ignited between them before a small flame bloomed to life on my thumb. I gently guided the flame toward the firewood, coaxing it into a steady flame that quickly caught and spread through the stack.
The sound of utensils clattering onto the ground echoed behind me.
I tilted my head to see what the commotion was.
All three members of Team Avatar were suddenly frozen in defensive stances, staring at the flame in my hand. Even Appa lifted his head slightly, sensing the tension.
Aang was the first to speak, hesitantly.
"... You're... a Fire Bender?"
I looked at them. Then at the small flame resting above my palm. Then back at them again.
Ah.
"... Surprise?"
"You're with the Fire Nation!" Sokka yelled as he raised his boomerang, only for the ground in front of him to surge upward, locking his arm in place.
Katara twisted to the side. "Toph!"
Still casually eating from the tray, Toph didn't even look up. "What?"
"You... He's..."
I raised my hands in a calming gesture before things escalated further. "Now, calm down, everyone."
Looking between the three of them, I answered Sokka's question directly. "I'm not from the Fire Nation. I was born and raised in the Earth Kingdom. My ancestors, however, were Fire Nation immigrants."
"And ever since I was young, I've worked for the Beifong clan for over a decade now. If my words aren't enough, then maybe you can trust the Beifongs' dislike for the Fire Nation."
I gestured toward Toph.
"Toph, can you confirm that I've been with your family since the beginning?"
The three immediately turned toward her.
Still chewing on a dumpling, Toph gave a lazy shrug. "My dad hired Ren to protect me since I was born."
Sokka frowned. "That doesn't explain why he never told us he was a Fire Bender!"
"You didn't ask," I replied dryly. "And people tend to react exactly like this."
"... He's got a point," Aang admitted with a nervous smile.
Katara's eyes lingered on the flame burning in the fire pit, uncertainty written across her face.
"You're really not with the Fire Nation?"
"If I were," I said after gesturing toward the food spread across the table. "Killing the Avatar would be easier than taking candy from a baby—not that I've actually tried to." I coughed lightly into my fist. That came out very wrong.
"... He's right."
Sokka stared at him. "That's a weak reason to trust someone!"
But Aang lowered his staff anyway. "I think we can trust him," he said firmly.
"Or," Sokka countered with a suspicious glance. "Maybe he's waiting to hand you over to Zuko later on."
"Who's Zuko?" Toph's question was left unanswered.
Katara studied me for another long pause before finally sighing and relaxing her stance.
"If you betray us, Renji," she warned. "We'll be ready for it."
"Fair enough," I replied with a nod. "Honestly, as the Avatar's companions, this level of paranoia is expected."
...
"... Can someone help me? My arm is still stuck in this earth pillar."
============================================
NEXT UPDATE: 10 June, Wednesday*
A/N*: I may be very busy next week, but I'll do my best to post!
P.S. I couldn't hold back my curiosity with the Aang movie, so I watched a few minutes of it. The first part of the chapter reflects it.
And woah, they've grown. And the animation during the first fight sequence was top-notch! Still saving the rest, though; there's a cinema screening of the movie where I'm from in October. Hopefully it's true; I really want to watch it on the big screen. Super excited!
============================================
Please consider supporting me on my Patre0n where I post chapters in advance and new story ideas not on any websites yet.
Your support, even if it's only for a month or even a whole year, helps me dedicate more effort and resources to writing more of my work!
patre0n.c0m/damaine_n
(change the zero to "o")
Advanced Mastery Tier - 3 Advanced Chapters and more (Fully Implemented!)
Ultimate One Tier - 5 Advanced Chapters and much, much more (Fully Implemented!)
============================================