ATLA: The Lost Airbender

Chapter Two

In a small forest below the mountain, Sen was hanging from one of the trees. He was held by the tree's vines and he was unconscious, after a while his face started to scrunch up and he slowly opened his eyes and found himself hanging from a tree. He screamed and started to squirm around, this caused the vines to snap and he fell to the ground with a hard thud.

"Ow!". He grunted.

He sat up from his fallen position and saw the rows of trees around him, there was a small fog that ran across the ground.

"So it wasn't a dream? It was a living nightmare". Sen sighed as he saw black smoke coming from the top of the mountain.

He pulled out Aang's note from his sleeves and opened it, he started to read what his friend had written:

Gyatso

I heard what the council said about my training. They want to send me away to the Eastern Air Temple, yes I did hear everything they said. So, I decided to run away. I'm sorry but I promise I'll come back and we'll be together again.

Tell Sen I'll miss him too.

Aang

Sen closed his eyes after reading the note. He didn't know what the Fire Nation wanted with him but he was glad that he got away, he just needed to find him.

"How do I find Aang if I don't even know where he is?". He asked loudly.

"I can help with that". A voice said behind him.

He quickly spun around and looked around, he didn't see anyone anywhere.

"Who's there?". Sen asked.

"Who I am is not important, young airbender? But I'm a spirit of this forest". The bodiless voice said.

"If you are a spirit of this forest, then show yourself". Sen said.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then the air started to form around one specific area, then the very transparent body of a female took shape.

"You are the Spirit of Air?!". Sen exclaimed.

"Yes. But I suffer greatly, the genocide on your people has taken an effect on me". The spirit said.

"What do you mean?". Sen asked.

"By killing airbenders at each Air Temple, the Fire Nation has been weakening me all this time and it saddens me". The spirit said.

"The Fire Nation attacked the other Air Temples too?!". Sen exclaimed.

"Not to worry. A few handful airbenders have survived and have escaped". The spirit said,"I can still sense them".

"Really?". Sen asked.

The spirit nodded.

"You said before, you were gonna help me with something?". Sen asked.

"Yes. You said you would search for your friend, the Avatar. Time might pass by if you look for him and we wouldn't want you dying of old age". The spirit said.

"Meaning?". Sen asked.

"I'm going to stop your aging". The spirit smiled.

Sen looked horrified,"What?!".

"Calm down. You won't age until the war ends". The spirit said.

"You mean, this whole time I won't age but only when the war comes to an end will I resume aging?". Sen asked.

The Spirit nodded again.

"Okay". Sen bowed his head.

The spirit pointed her finger at him and smiled in the process, then she gently placed the hand back to her side.

"I'm waiting". Sen said.

"Its done". The spirit said.

"What? That's it". Sen asked.

The spirit nodded,"Yes. Now, if I were you I would get started on my journey. Find the Avatar and any other airbender you might encounter". Then the spirit disappeared out of sight.

Sen looked down at Gyatso's staff and he slowly picked it up. He looked up the mountain and decided to head for it.

            ................................

Once Sen reached the top of the mountain, he looked around at the destruction in front of him. The courtyard was scorched, the homes of some monks were burned to the ground and the walls of the temple had also taken extensive damage.

He hated the Fire Nation for doing this to his people, he wanted to kill each and every one of them. But he knew it was against his culture to take a life and he knew he had to honor it no matter what, on the other hand he just couldn't let it go.

He walked up to the gazebo where the elder monks usually meditated and he heard a breeze blow in from the East and he felt himself get bad vibes again.

He saw the charred bodies of some airbenders as he walked, he didn't know why he survived. He should have died from falling off a high mountain but he didn't, maybe destiny or fate didn't want him dead yet. Maybe he still had a purpose on this world, he knew he couldn't find out what that purpose was if sat around and cried all day. He would have to mourn his people at a later time, there were still a few of them who were still alive and he had to find them.

But should he find Aang first or the remaining airbenders?

He grabbed his head and groaned in frustration and he hated it, he always hated having to choose between two choices.

He knew he had to find the other airbenders before they were captured or killed and he knew Aang could take care of himself because he travelled a lot with Gyatso but on the other hand, a war was taking place as of now and the Fire Nation was taking over the world and Sen knew Aang would never be able to survive a world full of war unless he was a fully realized Avatar.

During his train of thought, he came to a stop in front of the tent where he found Gyatso dying. He slowly moved the flap and walked in, he saw the bodies still lying in their usual place. He slowly walked up to Gyatso's body and crouched down to his haunches, then he touched the necklace that had three airbending symbols on it.

"Rest in Peace, Monk Gyatso. We will meet again". Sen said.

Then he turned to leave. He had a job to do.

The Elder Monks were right. Dark times indeed were coming and Monk Pasang was the one who brought it.