Part One

Regret

Chapter One

Lost

Sokka looked over the side of the sky bison. Katara had said that the clouds looked soft, and Aang decided to test her theory. The Avatar's laughter rang out as he disappeared into the clouds below. The two siblings watched the clouds expectantly, waiting for their friend to return. Unbeknownst to them, Aang landed on the opposite side of the saddle.

"Turns out clouds are made of water," Said Aang, before using his airbending to dry himself. The strong currents of air that he produced startled Momo, and the lemur hissed and crawled into Katara's shirt.

"What's that!?" Katara exclaimed. She had seen something that had obviously upset her, and she pointed in the direction opposite her brother. Sokka looked and saw a massive swath of blackened land. Around them were the brown leaves of oaks slumbering through the winter, lush green needles of pines that never slept, and the pale wood of empty branches. But stretching out in the middle of it all like a wave of despair, was an ashen and burned plain that rolled against the sides of the valley.

"It looks like a scar." Sokka said softly. He thought he knew what had happened to the forest. The Fire Nation had come and wreaked havoc; whether for some battle or to deprive the Earth Kingdom of resources he didn't know.

Appa descended to the scorched ground and they dismounted to inspect the forest. Sokka saw tracks that by now he had grown well familiar with. He had been right: It was the Fire Nation. They had come and burned this forest. For what purpose he could not say, all he knew was that they had come and burned as they had done countless times before. He felt the deep seething anger that had dwelt within him for years stir once more, and he started to give it voice. "Those Fire Nation savages! How could they do this-"

He was cut off when his sister punched him in the arm. Startled, he gave her an accusatory look."What? Am I not allowed to be upset?"

He glared at her, but when she pointed to Aang, he stopped talking. His friend was sitting in the dirt, scooping up ash and letting it fall between his fingers. The sight of the devastation had roused an anger that had long since dwelt within Sokka, ever since his mother had been killed. Looking at his friend, he saw the young Avatar had not become angry. No, his airbending friend wore a shroud of bone deep sorrow.

"Why would anyone do this? I'm the Avatar! I'm supposed to protect nature-" He too was cut off by Katara, although this time because she had thrown an acorn at his head.

"What was that for?"

"To cheer you up." She said, bouncing another one in her hand. Aang looked at her puzzled. "How was that supposed to cheer me up?"

"It cheered me up!" Sokka said with a grin, which vanished almost immediately as Katara hit him with another acorn, one she threw much harder than the first.

"I probably deserved that." He said, rubbing the side of his head where she had hit him. Katarra went over to talk to Aang, but Sokka didn't pay attention to what she was saying. His hunter's instincts had kicked in, telling him that they weren't alone. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the burned remains of the forest. Something was watching them.

He got to his feet warily, and pulled out his boomerang. He regretted leaving his machete on Appa's saddle, wishing that he'd had more weapons. A spear, or a proper sword maybe. Not that he could use a sword, but he didn't like being so poorly armed.

Sure, Aang was a skilled bender and the Avatar and all, but Katara was his sister. She could defend herself well enough with her bending against one or two enemies, but she wasn't all that good at waterbending just yet. Until she was, it was Sokka's job to keep her safe. It would still be his responsibility, even after she had mastered the skill, but he would rest easier when she mastered waterbending.

As he was eyeing the charred remains of the forest, an old man came out from behind Aang and Katara. Had that been the presence he sensed? Sokka wasn't sure, but it must have been. What else could it be?

The old man began to speak with Aang, pleading with him to save his village. According to him some sort of spirit was attacking everyday after sunset.

"Our village has been attacked each night at sunset by a monstrous spirit, Hei Bai of the black and white. Only the Avatar can stop him" Said the old man, eyes filled with fear and sorrow. Sokka knew that they would help him even before Aang spoke. Aang was too kind for their own good, and Katara would never turn her back on people in need. Sokka wanted to help as well, but he understood how important it was for Aang to reach the north pole. Still, it was growing late, and he was outvoted.

"Of course we'll help," Aang said, to which the elderly stranger sagged in relief. Sokka shrugged and they followed the villager into the forest. Eventually, the burned ground gave way to the sleeping oaks of a forest in winter. After a time they came to the walled village and entered through the western gate. Sokka eyed the small village. Burned and broken buildings lined the street. He shook his head; he had a bad feeling about this.

They had entered the largest building at the end of the village, where the village leader greeted them. He pleaded with Aang once more for his help, to which the Avatar agreed. As the sun entered the last leg of its voyage across the sky, Sokka, Katara, and the villagers watched through the windows as Aang walked to the gate. He said something, but he was too far away for Sokka to hear him.

"I don't like it," Sokka said, "He shouldn't be out there by himself."

"Only the Avatar can face the spirit" spoke the village elder who had brought them there. Sokka was growing annoyed with the man. 'Avatar this, Avatar that' Did he ever do anything himself?

They returned their attention back to the Avatar. Aang was speaking again, rubbing the back of his head as if unsure what to say. In a flurry of motion he struck the ground with his staff. He turned to go. The moment Aang's back was turned, the monster appeared.

Sokka shuddered and cold sweat formed on his brow when he saw the thing. It was terrible to look upon. It was horribly ugly, a twisted and foul thing. Its body long and misshapen with two sets of arms, one used as forelegs, and the other, smaller set, seemed to hang from its neck. Sokka was unsure what about the spirit was the most unsettling. Its head was too small for its body. Its mouth was too large for its face. Its teeth were long, crooked, unnatural things. Sokka looked upon it and felt in his heart, in his mind, in the marrow of his bones a break, a crack. Something seemed to tear away, as if the very fabric of the world had been stretched, taught, and now began to split.

"Aang!" Katara cried out in warning. Sokka blinked when his sister cried out. He had been shaken by the spirit, its very form enough to send his mind reeling from the impossibility of it. In his shock he had lost track of the Avatar, and it took him a moment to locate him again.

The Avatar faced the creature and spoke once more to no avail. Hei Bai roared his fury and shifted into an aurora of silver light. The light dispersed and gathered itself again within the village, coalescing into the monster once more. The spirit began destroying homes indiscriminately, with Aang trying to get its attention. He jumped onto the roof of a building and shouted, loud enough that for the first time Sokka could hear him. "I am The Avatar! I command you to Sto-"

It seemed he had gotten its attention- and its wrath. The spirit whirled on the airbender, its broken face in the rictus of a snarl. With a massive arm it struck the boy from the roof and sent him through a building.

Sokka felt the familiar knot closing around his heart like a fist. He was afraid, afraid for his sister, his friend, and for himself. He looked at his machete, surprised to find his knuckles white upon the grip. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming himself. He couldn't lose his composure. Not now. He needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to help Aang.

Not that he had ever been much help before, he thought somewhat bitterly. When Zuko had attacked their village he had been unable to defend it. Aang had offered himself as a captive in exchange for their safety. He had been almost as useless on Kyoshi Island when they were ambushed by Suki and her team. And again, when Zuko attacked them there too. Never again, he had told himself. When the time came to fight, he would be a burden to the Avatar no longer; he would hold his own. And now the time had come, he thought, as Hei Bai threw the Avatar once more.

"Aang!" Katara shouted as she watched him fly through the air. Sokka gritted his teeth, "I'm going out there! I'm not going to make him do this alone." and then he swallowed, clenched his jaw, and vaulted through the window.

He sprinted towards the Avatar. And as he ran, he remembered the last time he saw his father. It had been at the shore of the bay by their home when he had set out to war.

Sokka, a boy of thirteen, had dressed himself in the war paint of his tribe and pleaded to be brought with them. Despite his efforts, it seemed that his pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

"No, Sokka, you're too young to go to war." His father had said to him, shaking his head and smiling sadly.

"Let me go with you," Sokka had pleaded. "I'm not scared! I can fight."

The chief had taken him in his arms and hugged him then. "I know you can, son. But I need you here, to keep your sister safe. Always." he released his son, "Besides, you can't lie to me. I know you're scared. Don't be ashamed of it. Fear, hope, love, pain. Those things are part of life. They are for the living, and only the dead do not feel them."

Sokka looked up at Hakoda, "Are you afraid too, then?" Hakoda nodded. Sokka fought back tears. "How can you still fight when you're afraid?" Hakoda laughed and put a hand on his boy's shoulder. "By being brave." Hakoda stood up and drew something from his bag.

"Sokka," He said, his tone growing serious once again. "I've called the men on this side of the tundra. With us gone, you will be among the strongest in the southern Water Tribe."

He held the object before his son, it glinted in the light. He paused for a moment before speaking again "As I was given it by my father, and he from his, I pass the mantle now to you. I name you, Sokka, the First Son of the South."

Sokka's jaw tightened and his tears flowed freely. He reached out and took the boomerang that would mark him the heir and next high chief of the Southern Water Tribe. It had been handed down his line for centuries, ever since it was forged by Avatar Kuruk. He placed it in the sheath on his back, and gave his father his own. He wiped the tears from his eyes, smudging his war paint. "How can I be brave?

Hakoda kneeled down, placed one hand on Sokka's head, and smiled. "Take a deep breath. swallow, and clench your jaw."

Sokka approached the Spirit, throwing his boomerang as he ran. It flew through the air and bounced impotently against the backside of the spirit. Sokka stopped and looked up at the sky, exasperated. Of course that wouldn't work. The creature was huge. He needed to hit its eyes, and not its anus. The spirit turned to destroy more buildings, and at that chance Sokka ran and grabbed his boomerang, replacing it in its sheath. He helped Aang to his feet. They were standing in front of the gate. "Come on, we'll fight it together."

"I don't want to fight it at all." Aang said. Sokka began to respond when he was suddenly lifted into the air and carried fast by the spirit. His arms were pinned at his sides, trees rushed past him at a blinding speed. He could hear Aang calling out to him, desperate in his pursuit.

Sokka was furious. He had made up his mind, sworn never to be a burden again, and here he was. A literal burden being carried by a spirit monster. The universe just loved torturing him.

"Well," Sokka said, getting an idea, " I'd better put my big mouth to good use." and he bit the spirit as hard as he could. The spirit stopped. Water splashed all around them. Hei Bai roared at Sokka, who laughed awkwardly before saying "Sorry."

Hei Bai dropped him and walked away. Sokka fell into water and splashed around, partially submerged. He stood up, awkwardly, and looked around. He saw some kind of monkey. He yelled, jumping away when it turned to him. Where its face should have been, where anything should have been, there was nothing. No wound that might explain its absence, no scarring where the eyes should be. Not even the whisper of bone beneath the skin. Instead of anything, there was just a blank patch of emptiness. A void where none should be; skin stretched over empty space.

He looked around, trying to find something familiar in his surroundings. He stood in knee deep water. All around him were massive trees, with roots that rose above the ground like bluffs. The air was hot and humid, and his breath coalesced in front of him. Frost creeped along the edges of the water where the root first met the air.

He craned his neck and took a few steps back to try and make out the top of the tree, and far above him he could just see the shapes of branches. He looked round once more before speaking aloud, though there was nobody to hear. "Where am I?"

Authors Note

This story has been bumping around my head for about seven years now. I figured that I should try and get it out and see where it takes me. I'm trying to use fanfiction to practice writing, so if you have feedback to help me improve I'd be glad to hear it. Somebody already shared some with me and I reworked this chapter a little bit hoping that it improved.

Note Part Two:

I came back to rework this chapter a second time a little more than a month later, and I must say, I'm alot better at writing than when I first started this. It was sloppy and overly simple, some sentences didn't seem to serve a purpose and paragraphs were chopy. No wonder so few people read past chapter one.

I can tell anyone who managed to get through this chapter that it does, in fact, get much better the farther in you go. After the second chapter, I actually gave myself a minimum word requirement and started to plan out the structure of the individual chapters instead of just the story itself. The first two are by far the weakest entries and I intend to rework them to make them more interesting and to have them flow better. If you got to my second note on this chapter, and happen to think that chapter one was pretty good, then you'll know that I succeeded.