Others

Chap. 1

Watchers

Set in the middle of the first season of Avatar…..

The forests of the Earth Kingdom are notorious for their splendor. Stretching over the entire continent, they are sacred to the people of the land. Because of that, the people treat the forests with the care and devotion that is reserved for followers to their god. Through that devotion the forests have become places of serenity and beauty. It has been said that many of the invading Fire Nation army wept as they were forced to burn the forests they came across. And this very morning, the serenity of the forests were disturbed again, though not by any member of the Fire Nation, but by one very angry member of the Water-Tribe…..

"Sokka, will you just eat with us?" Katara asked for at least the hundredth time.

"It's going to work." Sokka snapped back, as he watched his trap with furious dedication. The night before, Sokka has made a simple trap in the hopes of catching a rabbit for breakfast. He'd gone to bed with the hopes of a delicious meal when he awoke. However, upon wakening, Sokka found the trap empty. Upon careful examination, he realized his fatal mistake- he had baited the rabbit trap with seal-jerky instead of vegetables. Now, while everyone else ate, Sokka stared at his trap, waiting for something to find the seal-jerky and become his breakfast.

However, this was a slow-to-not-happening process that found Sokka growing hungrier and angrier by the second.

"Please. Just one little rabbit, or anything." Sokka moaned as his stomach rumbled.

"I told you that seal-jerky was a mistake." Aang said.

"Oh what do you know about hunting? You don't even eat meat!" Sokka relpied angrily. "Neither do rabbits." Aang replied.

Having no response, Sokka muttered something angrily and returned to watching his trap. "Look Sokka, there's still some food. Why don't you just eat something? Besides, we can't wait here all day for your trap to work." Katara suggested.

Sokka prepared a retort, but his growling stomach made another reply. "Oh fine." He muttered, as he rejoined the others. "Aang, pass me that bread." He said as he sat down. The young Airbender reach into the sack to do just that, but when he pulled his hand out, it was empty.

"Sorry Sokka, I think we ate the last of the food." He said sheepishly. "WHAT!" Sokka yelled. "Calm down. You knew we were running low on supplies." Katara reminded him, though she quickly started thinking of a plan. She that it was hard enough for Sokka to admit his failure; if she didn't placate him soon, he'd be whiny the whole day. Thankfully, inspiration came rather quickly. "There's probably a town nearby. We'll get some food there." "But I'm hungry now." Sokka moaned.

Suddenly, there was a noise from behind them. Sokka whipped around to see a badger-rat fall into his trap.

"FOOD!" he cried out in joy as he run to his trap. But in his haste, Sokka failed to notice the root in his path until it was too late. Sokka's foot caught under the root and he tripped. This would have been bad enough, but Sokka fell right onto his trap. There was a crack as it splintered and broke underneath his weight. For a second, Sokka realized what had happened. Then he saw the badger-rat run under his arm and into the woods. "NOO! COME BACK SO I CAN EAT YOU!" he yelled as he got to his feet. But the creature was already gone.

"Why can't I win?" he moaned, as he moved back to Appa. "Come on, we'll get you some breakfast in town." Katara said, as she helped her brother onto the bison.

"Let's go Aang." She said, turning to the front of the creature. But instead of flying Appa, Aang was looking around the woods. "What is it?" she asked, wondering if they had been found out. "I think we're being watched." Aang said. "But I'm not sure." He added. Despite this uncertainty, the siblings took a careful look around. Aang had been a bit strange the last few days, seeming to sense that something big was going to happen. Since he was the Avatar, Katara and Sokka took his intuition seriously, since it might be some kind of cosmic warning from Avatar Roku or another Avatar. But after a minute or two, they felt that it was safe. Well, one of them anyway.

"Let's get out of here before the Fire Nation comes down on us." Sokka said, his suspicious nature coming out once again. "I don't think that it's them this time." Aang said. "Who else could be? Let's just get moving before whoever it is finds us." Aang nodded, and with a quick "Yip-Yip," he sent Appa into the air.

But Aang had been right. Perhaps it was because he was the Avatar, tied to the world at large, or perhaps it was simple intuition. Perhaps it was even a sense of warning from one of the other Avatars. Whatever the case, the small band of heroes was being observed. Sokka however, was wrong to assume that it was only the Fire Nation that could watch them. For as Appa took flight, the image was seen by beings in a place far removed from the Earth Kingdom or any of the four nations. Ten beings stood on a platform watching. Each of them wore long hooded robes and each had a different color. Each stood on a space on the platform reserved for them. Those beings watched Appa fly into the air with grave looks upon their faces. For they searched for the Avatar for the last century, waiting for his return. And as they watched Appa fly off, they believed their search might have finally come to an end. But as they continued to watch, the image suddenly flickered and then vanished.

"The world's balance still affects our power." Said the black robed figures, her long ebony hair flowing down from her head.

"It does not matter. We know now that the boy is the one we seek." Said another, as she pulled back her white hood. "We know nothing more then we did." cautioned the red-robed figure.

"All we have learned is that one Airbender survived the massacre. That does not make him the Avatar."

"But how else could have he survived so long?" The white-robe asked. "We know that he has passed the century since then and not aged a day."

"Such things are not solely regulated to the Avatar. There are many ways he could have survived."

"But why this Airbender, brother? What kind of magic could a child gain that would allow this?" The white-robe argued.

"It could have been many things. Perhaps an accident or simple forces of nature. These events are not regulated to the Avatar either." Suggested the blue-robed figure.

"Important, but these points cannot be investigated now." Spoke another figure, dressed in golden robes. At the sound of his voice, all the figures turned to face him. "Our brother and sisters ask significant questions, but none of them lead us to our goal. As long as the balance is interrupted, we cannot affect what happens in that world, nor can we fully sense it's magic. The Avatar is our only chance to regain our power there. But we must be sure that he still exists before we can act."

"How? Did you not just say that we cannot affect that world?" demanded the green-robed figure. "You are correct brother. But we can send those who can."

"Is that possible?" asked a silver robed figure. "Yes. It will take much of our power, but sending them is still an option. Let us make contact." The golden-robe turned to his black-robed sister. She nodded her response. Facing the center of the platform, she stretched forth her hand. Suddenly, black flame shot up from the center. It twisted there, moving and changing as though chained to the ground itself. As the figures watched, the flames began to take shape until they formed the shape of man. With a flash, they vanished, and what was left was the image of a man dressed in black rags. "What do you wish of us?" he asked.

"We are sending you to the world of the Avatar." The black robe said.

"Yes I suspected as much. You have spoken much of that world recently. What are we to do?" "We have reason to believe that the Avatar has survived. You are to make sure." Replied the gray-robe.

"Surely you would know of such a thing yourselves." The man asked with some astonishment. "The actions of the Fire Nation cloud our power. We cannot be sure. All we know is that one Airbender survived. You must find him and test him." Instructed the orange robe. "If he is the Avatar, he is critical to our plans for that world."

The man considered what had been said, and then nodded. "When shall we be sent?" "Soon. And remember, if this boy is the Avatar….." "We shall do as you wish Masters. He will see the wisdom of aligning himself with our power." "Good. Soon all will be as it should be again." The man nodded, and with a burst of the black flame, vanished.