Light as a Feather

The Spirits have a wicked sense of humor

Contrary to popular belief, Aella never really thought her fate would become the proverbial punching bag for a group of ridiculously powerful spirits who were so bored and high off of the incense that the people of her world burned as offerings on shrines or during prayer, that they decided, ‘ Hey, why not fuck around with this puny mortal, it’ll be fun ’.                                                              Well, that changed after she decided she would take a break from her training to meditate upon one of the rock spires that surrounded the Eastern Air Temple where she had taken up residency along with the eccentric Guru Pathik, who had offered to instruct her how to become in tune with the spirits in order to airbend properly. 

“You could master all airbending forms, landing perfectly at the exact time, exact place, and with the exact posture without a hair out of place, and you would not be able to manipulate a single gust of air.”                                                  
That’s what he had told her the day she had asked him to train her. Since the Air Nomads had been killed one hundred years ago, Aella thankfully, had no one to insist that she engage in the lifestyle of an Air Nomad nun. The Guru had understood that once she learned to control, to harness her bending better and inevitably move out to roam the world, she would be hunted down by the Fire Nation for simply being an airbender, so he decided to teach her techniques that would be better suited for combat and swift travel. 

The angry fire-child had come out of nowhere, taking a second to watch as a playful breeze had rustled her hair, tugging her clothing in a way that seemed childish, as if the wind wanted to play and have her dance in its currents, before launching a fireball her way while shouting in a squeakily high voice in danger of breaking that second, that reminded Aella that the Avatar was last noted as an airbender. 

Yelping in surprise, she lost her balance and tumbled off of the rock, landing softly on another lower spire and launching herself upwards again. When her feet touched the rock again, hugging her staff to her chest while she leaned on it, the fire-child had been joined by an older, more jaded descendant of Agni, his power radiating off him in waves. 

Shifting her attention back to the fire-child, she took in the barely healed scar, one that simply reeked of a wound that was personal in every sense of the word, her senses being assaulted with brief memories of pure agony, and heartbreak.

Looking closer, the fire-child couldn’t have been older than fourteen, the scar making him look older. 

His age came as a shock to the young airbender because she was only fourteen herself and here he was already having left the dragon’s nest. 

“I’m guessing you’re here to try your luck at capturing the last airbender little dragon?” 

Aella could barely keep the scorn out of her voice. The little dragon’s people had slaughtered hers, hunting those not residing at the four temples for sport and reward, just like they had done with the dragons. 

“I’m here to capture the Avatar, girl, so come quietly, and we promise not to hurt you.”

Aella scoffed. “I’m not the Avatar, boy, ” she took a particularly savage delight in the scowl that twisted his lips as she copied his mocking tone.

“I’m simply a lowly airbender, not worthy enough to look upon your Agni-blessed faces.” 

Dipping into a low bow, Aella almost missed the way he flinched as she mentioned the ‘Agni-blessed’ part. 

 Hmm, maybe a sore spot? His daddy threw him out because he wasn’t worthy and now he has to capture the Avatar to prove himself? Aella shook her head, grinning to herself as she turned her gaze onto the older dragon. 

 “Airbender, you will come with me on my ship and will teach me how to fight the Avatar.” 

The little dragon was shouting in that ridiculously high-pitched voice, his aggressive stance meant to intimidate her, but all it did was remind Aella of a cat-owl kit fluffing up its fur and feathers to make itself seem bigger. 

 “Okay.” 

 He faltered, expression falling slack in surprise, clearly expecting her to put up more of a fight. 

“I- what? ” Aella grinned, standing up straight and twirling her staff in her hand. 

 “Well, I mean you’re clearly not going to budge on this, and I rather like my skin un-burnt thank you very much.”  And there was the flinch, the scowl slotting back into place on his face, (Ooh, that rhymed- focus .) Clearly she had touched a nerve, but then again, she would have been concerned if it wasn’t a sore spot. 

Placing the end of her staff on the ground and launching herself onto the outcropping of rock that the two dragons were standing on, purposely not mentioning how they immediately slid into defensive stances, smoke beginning to curl off of their hands. 

Dropping her staff on the ground and holding her hands out in front of her, wrists together, Aella waited for them to regain their bearings. 

The little dragon, who was shorter than Aella as she smugly noted, bound her hands together with some rope, doing a fairly good job with the knot, the older dragon picking up her staff as another firebender, who had not been there previously been there, grabbed ahold of her arm, tugging her down the thin path to the water where an iron ship laid in waiting. 

 Twisting around and digging her heels into the ground, Aella spoke to the two dragons who were still standing where they were. “At least tell me your names so I don’t have to refer to you as old and young bonfires or another fire joke.”

They turned around, watching as the soldier turned her around and shoved her to her knees hissing in her ear. “You will show respect to Prince Zuko and Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation, the Dragon of the West.” 

 Safe to say, Aella did not expect that, not at all.