Traveling

The first week of traveling has been absolute hell. Believe it or not, even with airbending, I'm still just 4 years old.

I finished the last of my rations on day 3, and I'm not in some outskirt fire nation village. There are freaking wanted posters of me everywhere. I'm only 4!

So not only did I wear a cloak to cover my identity, but I also used it to shoplift from others. I'd steal apples and other fruits from the small market in the middle of the village.

Of course, they couldn't catch me due to my subtle ability to airbend and run at once. I attempted hunting animals to get meat, but I found myself unable to kill. It felt so unnatural that I believe I would've had a similar issue to Zuko in canon and briefly lose my bending due to idealistic shifts.

So I'm a vegan now. I realized I couldn't harm animals anymore. At first, I found that view absolutely sad and tried to force myself to eat meat, which resulted in me suddenly getting visions of how the animals were flayed and how they died.

I have an instinctive feeling a spirit is messing with me, but I have already become full vegan.

My thoughts are interrupted by an old man approaching me.

"You, child. You look familiar..." Getting into a combat stance, I don't let the old guy realize who I am with a heavy blast of wind to the face blowing him into a wall.

"Well, you just confirmed my suspicion." The old man speaks while rubbing his jaw.

I open my palm for another blast of wind, but the old man raises his hand in panic.

"W-wait, I'm trying to help!" I halt as the wind dissipates halfway. My control has reached at least adept levels of airbending.

"Really?" I ask, not bothering to hide the suspicion in my voice as the old man smiles sadly.

"Yes really, I'm a friend of Mei. She had visions. This would happen, y'know? She's intoned with the spirits. always has been. Now listen, you won't be able to get to the Southern Air Temple without a boat." The man walks up to me, both hands raised as he speaks.

"Mhmm." I acknowledge that he's telling the truth, but he hasn't earned my trust at all yet. My mother's name is public; she's a noble, so anyone could've stumbled upon it.

"And I just happen to own the dock near the ocean! We can get you a smaller firenation boat and send you off! It's hard to believe you're just 4. I've never seen a gaze with so much intensity! Especially from an airbender!" The man begins to speak rapidly as I nod along.

"Why should I trust you, old man? For all I know, you are just trying to turn me into the firenation for a quick coin." To emphasize my lack of trust, I make the wind blow visibly—the majority of it spinning around my figure. Not enough to alert people not close to us but enough to scare him as he nods.

"You are indeed mei's son, so fierce. So smart." The man gulps before continuing. "You are right, young man. You have no reason to trust me, considering you don't even know my name... I'm Lee. I went to the royal academy with your mother in our younger days."

"Chen." I mutter back deep in thought about how this guy may not be lying, "says old dude. Why are you bothering to help me? Aren't you putting yourself at risk doing this?" What he chooses to say will decide if I trust him or not.

"Well, uh, you see..." he rubs the back of his head nervously as the social cues kick in. Despite being a hard-core gamer, I could recognize his nervousness. The way he kept underhandedly complimenting my mother the way he spoke so fondly about her.

'This dude has a crush on my mom!' I deduce his nervousness immediately. "Wait! There is no need to continue. I trust you, old man Lee." I decide to spare him the embarrassment as he nods before walking towards me, sticking his hand out.

"Come, I have a carriage up ahead. We will travel under the rouse of father and son. Keep that cloak of yours on. I will say you're sick with a rare disease that's contagious through skin contact. " Nodding at Lee's plan, I cover myself with my brown cloak we head off.

5 or so minutes later, we arrive to a carriage with 2 horse-donkeys attached to it. "Hey Lee! Found your son?" I hear a voice speak as Lee, and I turn around, coming face to face with a shorter old man.

"Oh yeah, I did find him! Tengin, this is ming!" Lee introduces us as I raise my hand in for a handshake, which the old man takes with an approving look.

"Well Lee, good luck on your journey. I will be off." The old man shuffles off as I can't help but smile. He fell for it.

(2 days later)

I admit. I didn't think riding a carriage through a world I once thought fictional would be so boring. All I did was eat sleep and sit with old man Lee on the carriage.

According to him, my real father is some playboy douchebag that knocked my mother up and left immediately after. He spoke with a hint of hatred in his tone, but I knew it wasn't aimed at me but my deadbeat dad.

Me and lee got to know each other pretty well, I told him stories of my early childhood with my mom and he told me of adventures he she and one of their friends had when they were academy students.

"Eh? My mom's a bender?" I ask questioningly as Lee nods. The fire in front of us crackles "indeed she were. She was a fierce bender capable of bending blue flames. That talent only appears once every 200 years." Lee drops an absolute bomb as my jaw drops

"Wait, wait, wait, not only was my mother a bender, but she was a strong one too?" I pry for more information as Lee laughs."Oh, yes! She was the pride of the firenation. Fire lord kaizen tried to have her marry his son. She then challenged his son to an agni Kai and won. Successfully getting out of the arranged marriage." Lee sighs like remembering a fond memory

Shaking my head at sudden new information, I can't help but ask, "Why did she stop? If she were so strong, why would she stop bending all together?" I need answers, and I need them now.

"Oh, that." Lee's face suddenly turns grim as he speaks. "The reason she stopped bending is because she failed to save her younger sister - your aunt. From water tribe raiders. And from that day onward, she vowed to never bend again. She went into hiding and later met your father. " The words father had a hint of venom in it as I nod.

"You have the same glint in your eyes your mother once had..." My thoughts are interrupted by Lee's muttering. "Listen to me and listen to me well, Chen. No matter what, keep your loved ones close. No matter how powerful they are, you hear me? One wrong move can end it all." Lee speaks to me seriously for the first time in days as I nod repeatedly.

The next couple of days fly by fast as we are nearing the firenation dock village.

We are about 3 kilometers away, according to Lee, as the horse donkey suddenly stops in their tracks, muling in fear.

"Why did they stop?" I ask with nervousness as Lee shakily points towards the forest. "Platapus bear... and it's a big one!" Looking to where Lee points, i spot a full grown platapus-bear drooling at us as instead of waiting for it to take care, I leap into action. Literally.

Jumping up enhanced by my airbending, I jab the air twice, similar to how earth benders punch rocks, making the air shoot like 2 fists hitting the bear in the gut as it grunts before running at me.

Using the air plus all my built up momentum I duck under a swipe sliding behind the bear in a bout of agility as I shoot a air blast into the back of its knee making it skip forward before it growls.

Despite fearing for my life. Fearing for my everything, I move forward and go on the offensive. 'If I can't beat a bear, how would I be able to free my mother?'

Slashing my arm sideways, a sharp blast of wind hits the bear in its side as It roars in frustration before swiping at me rapidly.

If it weren't weren't my airbending, I would have been skewered ten times over. I can not only enhance my movement speed with air but also misdirect the bears attacks with encouraging gust of winds.

'No wonder aang was so agile. This is to easy!'

My smaller body, along with my airbending, makes me virtually untouchable as I leap up and kick the bear in its beak, the air enhancing my attack as the bear skids before whimpering and running off into the woods.

Huffing and puffing from physical exhaustion, I collapse as my adrenaline wears off. Scratches I didn't notice riddled on my arms. I hear Lee run over.

"Chen, you did it!" Lee yells to me excitedly as I smile "kid your a monster! That platapus-bear was fully grown, and you beat it while you're 4! Well, barring some injuries, of course, hehe." Lee chuckles nervously as I burst into full-blown laughter.

"Hahahahaha! I'm the best!" Me and Lee share a laugh as I get up. "Let's get going. the faster I leave the firenation, the better." Nodding at my words, me and Lee get on the carriage and head off.

(Fire Nation Docks)

Do you have everything? 'Son?' " Lee asks me as I nod on my small but cozy fire nation boat. Where using the alliby that he's sending me fishing by myself so I can get experience or something.

"Yes 'father' " I nod as he unties the boat. He taught me the basics of sailing so I would know how to head straight south. 'Southern air temple here I go!"

Waving my arms in a practiced motion, I guided the winds to push my sailboat forward faster. A cheeky grin reaching my face as I wave to Lee. "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!" I yell to him as he dissappears

from view, still waving.

(2 hours later)

Currently, I'm attempting to fish using my airbending. Not that I need to since I have rations that will last me until next month considering my 4 year old body. It's just good airbending practice.

Lowering my arms to the water, I guide the air into it, and I make the water rise briefly. One may think I'm a waterbender if they don't pay close enough attention.

'Hmm, theoretically, I should be able to turn the oxygen in water to air with the use of chi. But that will probably exhaust me even with my bottomless reserves leaning into the boat I sigh before chewing on some carrots.

'Once I reach the southern air temple, I'm gonna have to convince them I'm not a spy or anything. I mean, I'm an airbender that's wanted in the fire nation. I even have a poster for proof.' I planned ahead just in case they thought I were a spy.

"Fwoooo, this is gonna be a long trip." Shaking my head, I look over the horizon with a smile."This is the start of my journey.'