K207 Beginnings: part 1

Premise

By Mike DiMartino

LOGLINE:

In order to regain her memory, Korra must delve deep into the Avatar's past and learn the truth about the epic and mythic origins of the first Avatar.

SUMMARY:

As her robed rescuers escort Korra to their village, she is in a kind of daze - she doesn't remember who she is or what happened out in the ocean. "Why do you keep calling me the Avatar?" she asks. Korra wants to know where she is and who the people are. The leader says that they are on a remote island in the Southern Fire Nation seas and that they are members of the Bhanti, a spiritual tribe whose roots date back to the days of the first Avatar. (Some of their ancestors left the island and became the sages for the various nations.) Korra doesn't understand how she doesn't know who she is, but a bunch of monks out in the middle of the ocean do. The leader says that they know much about the world, but choose not to get involved with its affairs.

They bring Korra before their Shaman, an old blind woman. They tell the Shaman that the Avatar has come to them during the year of Harmonic Convergence - "Surely this is a good omen." The Shaman places her hands on Korra's head and shakes her head. "Her Avatar Spirit is very weak, as if it is being eclipsed by darkness. This is a very ill omen." A dramatic hush falls over the tribe. Korra doesn't understand why everyone is so freaked out - "It's not like it's the end of the world or anything." The Shaman says, "Actually, it very well could be."

The leader takes Korra to the heart of the island and tells her that she must remember who she is - the planet is entering a precarious time in its history and Korra will need to revive her Avatar Spirit to full strength in order to save it. Korra scoffs - "And how is that supposed to happen?" He takes her deep into a volcanic lava tube where there is a hot spring and instructs Korra to float in the water and return to "the beginning." "The beginning of what?" she asks. "The beginning of the Avatar."

Korra doesn't think it will work, but tries anyway. The leader leaves, lantern in hand, and the cave falls into complete darkness. As Korra floats in the water (like a sensory deprivation tank), a trippy 2001-esque sequence begins. Korra's previous lives flash past her as we travel further and further into the past...

BAM!

A scrawny young man dressed in rags lies on the ground while a group of well-dressed bullies kick the snot out of him. "Come on, Wan, get up!" they shout. WAN struggles to his feet only to be shoved back down. Eventually the bullies get their fill and leave, saying "we'll see you back here tomorrow, Wan!" Wan's friend, JAYA, helps him up. Wan complains he's sick and tired of always getting beaten on for being weak and poor. Since he was orphaned as a kid, he never had the chance to rise above his lot in life. So he decides to leave the city and start a new life. He has heard stories that there are other islands out in the world and gets ready to leave. Jaya thinks Wan is crazy for leaving the safety of their island - "You'll never survive out in the wild with the Spirits! You'll go mad!"

(NOTE: This flashback to the pre-Avatar world will be much more mystical than our usual Avatar flashbacks. There is an overall "fantasy" vibe to the incredible, ancient architecture, unique costumes, and primordial forest. It will be like an old myth come to life.)

Wan ignores his friend's warning. He leaves the city walls and for the first time we see what lies beyond - the skies all around the volcanic island dance with light (like the aurora borealis.) Wan steels himself for the journey. He arrives at the shore, where a Lion Turtle's head emerges from the ocean. We now see that the ancient city is built on the back of the gargantuan Lion Turtle. Wan tells the Lion Turtle that he is going to "walk amongst the Spirits." The Lion Turtle places his giant claw on Wan's head and a glowing light surrounds him. "May the energy of fire protect you until your return." Wan thanks the turtle, rows a boat to the mainland, and heads into the forest.

Wan immediately regrets his decision - the woods are filled with hybrid animals, strange creatures, and bizarre spirits. Most spirits don't take any notice of him, but there is one that does. When Wan cuts down a tree to make a fire, a large, dark spirit emerges from the tree and smacks him, sending him flying to the ground. Wan cowers, like he did with the bullies, but then he makes a punching motion and fire bursts forth from his fist. The spirit is frightened and retreats back into the forest. Wan has never felt so brave and confident. He decides to return to the city and confront the bullies. On his way back, Wan bypasses the Lion Turtle's head and docks on the other side of the island. He sneaks back into the city over the wall.

He waits in the town square. Jaya is not surprised he returned so soon, but Wan tells him he didn't return because he was frightened. He covertly shows his friend that he still has the power of fire. Jaya is shocked - "You were supposed to return it to the Lion Turtle when you came back! You know it's forbidden to bring the power of the element back into the city!" Wan says he's going to show those bullies a thing or two. Jaya warns him to return the fire to the Lion Turtle or he'll be in huge trouble.

The bullies show up. Wan lures them close, then unleashes the fire upon them. They run for cover like cowards. Now Wan is the one laughing. Onlookers watch on in shock - they've never seen bending used against another person before. The ground begins to rumble. Jaya shouts that Wan has angered the Lion Turtle. The local authorities arrive on the scene. Wan firebends at them, but he is not a skilled fighter and the authorities overpower him with their ancient kung fu. Wan is brought before the city elders who decide that Wan should be banished from the city. They take Wan to the Lion Turtle so that it can take his powers away, but Wan pleads with the Lion Turtle to let him keep his firebending. He apologizes for using it against another human, but he needs it to survive in the wild world of the Spirits. The Lion Turtle takes mercy on him and lets Wan keep his powers.

Wan wanders deep into the forest where encounters many different and bizarre forms of spirits. He uses his new firebending abilities to ward off the threatening ones. One night, he encounters a human who has been lost amongst the spirits for years, but the man has completely lost his mind. He steals some food from Wan and takes back off into the wild. Wan begins to fear he could go mad too.

On his travels, Wan happens upon a beautiful grove of trees surrounding an open alpine meadow. In the meadow is a placid pool, and springing out of the middle of the pool is a fountain of fire. As Wan walks into the meadow, he sees two spirits fighting - one light and one dark. Wan moves closer and sees that the two spirits are connected, but that the dark one is trying to pull himself away from the light one. It pushes and stretches, trying to break the connection, but the light spirit gets back on top and wrestles the dark under control.

The dark spirit (named VAATU) sees Wan and cries for help, saying RAAVA (the light spirit) has trapped him there for centuries and refuses to let him go. He pleads with Wan to help him get away. Raava yells at Wan not to do it as she tries to hold Vaatu down. Vaatu begins to sob and wail. Wan feels sorry for him, having been bullied so much in his own life. He firebends at the spirits, blasting them right in the middle and separating them. Vaatu laughs, thanks Wan, and shoots off into the woods.

Raava, exhausted from centuries of trying to keep the Vaatu captive, angrily tells Wan that he has just done a terrible thing - Vaatu's darkness needed to be controlled and kept in check in order to maintain the balance of the world. She says that Wan's actions have thrown the world out of balance and all life and spirits are in terrible danger."

To be continued...

K207 Beginnings: part 1

Outline

By Mike DiMartino

ACT ONE:

EXT. ISLAND - MORNING

A weak, half-conscious Korra lies on a stretcher being carried by two robed sages. They rush her through the jungle. A third sage, KARU, runs alongside Korra, trying to comfort her. "You're going to be alright, Avatar. You're amongst friends. We're taking you to our shaman. She can help you." Korra mutters something about "Raava... Raava..." The monks don't understand what she's talking about. They exit the jungle and come to a clearing.

EXT. BHANTI VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

The monks rush Korra toward a temple at the center of the village. (Visually, this location is inspired by ancient Burmese temples of Bagan.)

INT. BHANTI TEMPLE - MOMENTS LATER

They enter and lay Korra on a table before a blind, elderly, female SHAMAN. Karu explains how the girl washed up on shore and attacked them with all the elements. "She is the Avatar, but she has no memory of who she is or how she got here," he says. The shaman bends some fire and rubs it between her hands. She does a kind of firebending reiki, passing the flames over Korra as she scans her energy field. The Shaman says, "Her Avatar Spirit is very weak, as if it is being eclipsed by darkness. This is a very ill omen."

Korra sits up suddenly and calls out for "Raava" like she's possessed (possibly in the voices of all the past Avatars, like Aang used to do.) The sages jump back, startled. Korra collapses back onto the table. Karu says she keeps saying that word over and over. "What does it mean?" The Shaman explains that no one has used that name for thousands of years. Raava is an ancient name for her Avatar spirit. "She feels it growing weaker inside her." If they don't help her regain her memory she will lose all connection with her Avatar Spirit, and she will die. The sages look very disturbed.

INT. BENEATH THE BHANTI TEMPLE - VOLCANIC TUBE - LATER

The sages lay Korra on a hammock over a deep pit of water, heated and lit by glowing stones under the water. The shaman holds a cup of milky white liquid to Korra's lips and pours it into her mouth. She tells Korra that the potion will help Korra "return to the beginning."

The monks lower the hammock into the pit. Steam vents shoot out from the walls. Korra reaches the bottom of the primordial chasm and floats in the water, like in a sensory deprivation tank. We hear some ancient chanting on the soundtrack as we TRUCK IN on Korra's face. The chanting grows louder...

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

CLOSE ON: a scrawny, 18-year-old boy runs for his life, a sly smile on his face. He carries a satchel over his shoulder. WAN, who is dressed in tattered clothes and runs barefoot, leaps over carts and crowds as three beefy, well-dressed teens chase after him. "Nobody steals from us, Wan!" the lead bully shouts. Wan holds the satchel up, taunting them. "Really? Because I just did." "You're dead, Wan!" they shout. "You'll have to catch me first!" Wan shouts back. Wan leads the bullies on a wild chase through the city. Despite his smaller stature, Wan is a wily opponent who outsmarts his enemies with his trickster nature (like a combination of Indiana Jones, Marty McFly, and Jack Sparrow.)

During the chase:

- Wan grabs some clothes off a line and disguises himself like an old woman. The bullies realize the trick and the chase continues.

- Wan runs into a house. The bullies see his silhouette behind a paper screen. They jump through to grab Wan, but it's really a skinny old man who hits the bullies with his walking stick. Wan is already halfway down the street. The bullies resume their pursuit.

- Wan runs through the city square and into a flock of pigeon-parrots. The birds get startled and fly into the air, pooping all over the bullies.

- Wan climbs up the side of a building like a monkey to the rooftops, leaving the bullies behind.

EXT. ROOFTOP - MOMENTS LATER

Wan looks around - no sign of the bullies. Wan catches his breath and reaches into the satchel, pulling out a ripe piece of fruit. He's about to take a bite when... BAM! The door to the roof opens and the bullies surround him. Wan tries to talk his way out of the jam, but the bullies aren't having it. They take back their food and beat Wan up with some ancient kung fu. They toss him off the roof into a muddy cow-pig pen below. From the roof, the bullies laugh at Wan and leave.

EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF CITY - FOREST - LATER

A bruised and filthy Wan climbs up a tree and enters...

INT. TREE HIDEOUT - CONTINUOUS

When Wan enters, a meek looking kid a bit younger than Wan (JAYA) is concerned - "What happened this time?" Wan says he had another run in with the Chou brothers. Jaya says "you mean you stole from his father and they chased you down." Wan nods and reaches into his shirt, pulling out a few flattened and dirty bread rolls. "At least they didn't find these!"

Wan tells Jaya that he should be thanking him - "Without me, you'd starve. Who else is going to risk their neck to get us food? You? Crazy Yao?" Wan gestures to an older man who sits in the corner and gazes out toward the city. He turns and reveals half of his face is made of tree bark. "Wan's right. Can't steal much with these hands!" He holds up his hands, which look like two gnarled tree branches.

As the trio digs into their grub, Wan breaks off a piece of bread for Crazy Yao who awkwardly uses his branch hands to feed himself. Jaya picks up their conversation. "I'm just saying you need to be more careful or you'll end up dead. Or worse - banished." Wan says he'd rather be dead then live the rest of his life in a tree, running scared like Jaya. "Don't you ever wonder what's out there in the world?" Crazy Yao yells that he knows what's out there - spirits! "And I've had enough of them for one lifetime, thank you very much!" Yao feeds some of his bread to a woodpecker that pecks at his tree bark head. Wan says if Yao wants to get rid of the bird, he should stop feeding him. Yao replies, "No, I need him. He eats the bugs." The woodpecker pulls a bug out of Yao's bark and eats it.

Wan complains about the fact that the city is so out of balance - "It's not fair that the rich people like the Chou brothers get all the food and we're forced to live off the scraps." Jaya says, "The world is the way it is, and there's nothing you can do to change it." Wan gazes out at the city, his wheels turning. "Maybe. Maybe not." Jaya gets a bad feeling - "What are you scheming now?" Wan says "nothing" and they go back to eating.

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

A burly HUNTER gathers volunteers to head into the wilds. Wan comes up to him and says he'd like to volunteer too. The Hunter sizes him up and laughs. "Kid, you won't last two seconds out in the wild." Wan says what he doesn't have in size, he makes up for in courage. "Besides, looks like you're short handed." Wan indicates the hunting party, which only has four men. The hunter admits it's been harder and harder to find people willing to venture out amongst the spirits and lets Wan join them. The hunting party leaves the city and heads down the mountain.

EXT. ISLAND SHORE - LATER

The hunting party comes out of a forest trail. They climb in a boat and row toward a pier on the opposite shore, where there is a thick, jungle forest. Volcanoes spew lava in the distance. Wan looks nervous. One of the hunters gives Wan a hard time for being scared. They climb onto the pier and the lead hunter tells Wan to line up if he wants to get his fire. The Hunter blows into a large tribal horn (which is mounted on the pier.) A deep bellowing echoes across the water. Then, the island rises up, and a Lion Turtle's head emerges from the ocean (similar to when Aang spoke to the Lion Turtle.) We now see that the ancient city is built on the back of the gargantuan Lion Turtle.

Wan looks up at the mythical creature in awe. He knows about the Lion Turtle, but he's never seen it for himself. The Hunter says, "In that case, you can go first." The Hunter tells the Lion Turtle that they are venturing into the spirit wilds to bring back food for their people. "We are going to walk amongst the spirits. Please grant us the power of fire for protection." The Lion Turtle places his giant claw on Wan's head and a glowing light surrounds him. The Lion Turtle says, "May this fire protect you on your journey."

Wan throws out his hand and a huge torch of flames shoots up, knocking him on his butt. The other hunters laugh at the newbie's expense. The Lion Turtle gives the other hunters fire. As they hike toward the forest, the Lion Turtle's head sinks back underwater.

EXT. SPIRIT FOREST - LATER

All sorts of strange spirit and creature sounds emanate from the forest. Wan looks terrified. Wan stops and tells the Hunter that he was right. "I can't do this. I'm not as brave as I thought I was. I want to go back." Annoyed, the Hunter lets Wan abandon the hunt, reminding him to return his fire to the Lion Turtle.

EXT. PIER - LATER

Wan walks down the pier and stands by the tribal horn. He looks back to make sure the hunters didn't follow him, then gets in the boat and rows back toward the island.

INT. TREE HIDEOUT - NIGHT

Wan enters. Jaya asks, "What did you get for us this time?" Wan opens his hand, and fire hovers above it. Yao says, "Keep that away from me!" Jaya looks shocked. "What have you done?!"

ACT TWO

EXT. CITY SQUARE - NIGHT

Wan walks down the street with a new air of confidence. Jaya and Crazy Yao try to keep up. Jaya tells Wan to go back to the Lion Turtle and return the fire immediately. "You know it's forbidden to bring the power of the element back into the city." Wan tells Jaya to stop worrying so much.

Wan spots the Chou brothers, hanging out on the street. Wan gets their attention. They tell Wan he has a lot of nerve showing his face again. They push Jaya to the ground and spook Yao with talk of spirits. Wan tells the brothers to leave his friends alone - their days of bullying are over. One brother says, "You and your kind will never rise above what you are - pathetic weaklings." They attack Wan and he counters with a huge fire blast. The bullies cower in fear. Reveling in his power, Wan continues to attack, throwing wild blasts of fire at the fleeing bullies. Wan celebrates his victory and says to Jaya, "See, I told you things could change around here." We reveal that in Wan's exuberance, he's set the entire town square on fire. "Oops."

The ground rumbles. Jaya says, "I think you made the Lion Turtle mad!" The flames are magically extinguished and the rumbling ceases. The city guards surround Wan and level their spears at him.

EXT. PIER - LATER

The guards bring Wan before the Lion Turtle. A CITY ELDER declares that Wan is banished from the city, and must walk amongst the spirits for the rest of his days. The Lion Turtle raises its claw to take Wan's bending away, but Wan pleads for mercy. He shows remorse for his actions and says, "Please, let me keep the fire. I'll never survive in the wild without it." The Lion Turtle takes mercy on Wan and allows him to keep his powers. Jaya and Yao watch from the island shore as Wan walks into the forest and disappears.

EXT. SPIRIT FOREST - NIGHT

Wan's first night alone is a terrifying experience. A spirit frog attacks him for trampling through his house. Then a plant opens up and tries to swallow him (like a venus flytrap.) Wan blasts the plant apart with fire and escapes.

Exhausted, he lies down to sleep in a bed of soft grass, but the blades of grass lengthen and surround him like a cocoon. Wan burns the grass away and stays on the move. He stumbles through the forest and every time he hears or sees a spirit, he immediately shoots fire in defense.

Wan finds a tree with plump fruit. Hungry, he plucks off a piece and takes a bite. When he does, a swarm of spirit bugs spray out and envelop his head. He blasts them away with fire and keeps running...

He runs into a spirit tar/quicksand pit that pulls him under. Wan reaches up and grabs a vine to pull himself out. The vine comes alive and starts a tug of war with the tar pit, with Wan as the prize. The vine yanks Wan out of the tar pit and flings him through the air. Wan hits the ground and tumbles down a hill.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - MORNING

Wan spills out at the base of the hill. The morning sun shines through the trees and illuminates a small, lush oasis surrounded by a river. The oasis looks very warm and inviting and there are bushes full of bright fruit. Wan dusts himself off and heads toward a stone bridge that connects to the oasis. But the second he steps onto the bridge, an unseen force smacks him away.

A SPIRIT AYE-AYE (crazy looking primate) materializes on the bridge and tells Wan that humans are not welcome in his oasis. Wan pleads and says he's starving and hasn't slept all night. The spirit (who's a smart aleck) says, "Oh, in that case come right over." Wan walks over but the spirit smacks him away again. "Hey, what's your problem?" says Wan. The spirit laughs and calls Wan a gullible human. Wan slinks off.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - LATER

Wan hides behind some bushes and watches as the spirit aye-aye lets other weird looking spirit creatures cross the bridge and eat from his trees and bathe in his pond. Wan smears mud on his face and covers himself in branches and leaves. He walks up to the bridge and proclaims, "I am Bushy, the bush spirit. May I cross?" The aye-aye spirit lets him pass, but then realizes it's Wan. He smacks Wan back on his butt. "Go back to your own world, human." Wan grumbles he wishes he could and leaves.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

As Wan shuffles through the forest, he hears an animal in distress. He follows the sound and finds a cat-deer hanging from a tree in a net, struggling to get out. His stomach grumbles. Wan grabs a rock off the ground and winds back to throw it at the cat-deer, but then stops. He can't bring himself to do it. Instead, he climbs up the tree and tells the animal to hold on, "I'm going to get you out of there."

Below, the hunting party (that Wan ditched in Act 1) shows up. They look tired and dirty. The leader says, "Finally, we caught something! Get it down." Wan drops from the tree and blocks the hunters. "Back off! I'm letting this animal go free." The hunters surround Wan and recognize him as the coward from earlier. Outnumbered, Wan uses his wits, saying that he's no coward. He bluffs, boasting that he stole fire from the Lion Turtle and burned down half the city. Now he lives among the spirits who are his allies. "If you harm me or this animal, the spirits will show you no mercy!" The hunters laugh and say they'll take their chances. They blast fire at Wan. He dodges their attacks and takes off into the forest.

ACT THREE

EXT. FOREST - DAY

As the hunters chase Wan through the forest, Wan uses the little knowledge he has of the spirit wilds to trick his enemies. He leads them into a thicket of spirit grass, but swings over it. When the hunters run into it, the grass grabs one of them and pulls him into the earth.

Next, Wan grabs some fruit off a bush and throws it to the hunters. When the fruit hits them, a swarm of spirit bugs spray out and surround their heads.

The lead hunter and two more remain. Two spirits (from the earlier spirit oasis) pop out of the landscape and attack the two hunters. The lead hunter hears their horrifying screams as he continues after Wan.

Finally, the lead hunter catches up to Wan and blasts him with fire. Wan stumbles and falls near the edge of a never-ending waterfall. "Looks like you're all out of tricks, kid." He's about to kick Wan off the cliff, when suddenly, Wan's body is taken over by a spirit and he transforms into a gruesome version of the aye-aye spirit. The hunter is terrified and runs away.

The aye-aye spirit pops out of Wan's body. The other spirits join them and bring the freed cat-deer. Wan is weak and badly injured. "How...?" The spirit says he'll explain later. They need to get Wan to safety.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - LATER

The spirit lays Wan in a pool of water that glows, healing his cuts and burns. Wan drinks from the water and almost immediately; his life force is strong again. The cat-deer also drinks from the pond. Wan is stunned by his miraculous recovery. The spirit explains that the water has special healing properties.

As he hungrily devours exotic fruits, he asks the spirit how he was able to take over his body like that. The aye-aye explains that spirits are able to take over a human for a short time - but if it had stayed in there, Wan would've died. Wan is annoyed at the spirit for almost killing him. The spirit says, "Relax, I knew what I was doing." Wan asks the spirits, "Why did you decide to help me?" The aye-aye says that standing up for the cat-deer was an act of selflessness they've never seen from a human. Wan seems different than the other humans they've encountered. "You're welcome to stay with us here as long as you like."

SPIRIT OASIS/LION TURTLE CITY - MONTAGE

As Wan's knowledge of the spirit wilds and his firebending skills grow, so too does his legend...

IN THE CITY, the hunter returns and tells a captive audience that Wan has not only survived in the wild, but he's become some kind of spirit. Jaya and Crazy Yao listen with interest.

IN THE OASIS, Wan practices his firebending. We see a series of beats that show Wan's transition from unskilled firebender, to a firebender who has more control over his element. When a band of hunters attacks the oasis, Wan drives them away with his superior firebending.

IN THE CITY, these hunters tell of Wan's mastery over fire. "He has become one with fire. He uses it like it is a part of his body."

IN THE FOREST, Wan expertly rides atop his cat-deer (who he has named MULA.) They bound through the forest. He jumps off its back into the trees, deftly jumping from branch to branch, and swinging from vine to vine, collecting fruit. Then he then jumps back on the cat-deer's back, munching an exotic apple.

IN THE CITY, people are openly using firebending to cook food and light torches. Using fire, the bullies from earlier rob a man. Jaya comments to Crazy Yao that things are getting out of control now that everyone is defying the Lion Turtle. "We should leave, start a new life out there. If Wan can do it, so can we." Yao agrees.

IN THE OASIS, Wan sits, surrounded by a bunch of frolicking spirits. He looks at home among them.

OUTSIDE THE CITY, Jaya gets fire from the Lion Turtle and leads a group of downtrodden citizens into the wilds.

IN THE OASIS, Wan (a year older, a bit buffer, and with long hair and a beard) sits on the back of his cat-deer. In a callback to their first meeting, Wan asks the aye-aye spirit if he may cross the bridge to leave. The aye-aye reluctantly lets him leave and says, "You're one of us now, Wan." Wan thanks his spirit friend and says he is off to explore the rest of the vast world. He and his cat-deer cross the bridge and leave. The aye-aye looks a little choked up.

We see a few shots of Wan traveling through some dramatic landscapes, riding his cat deer.

EXT. VALLEY FLOOR - RIVER - SOME TIME LATER

The cat-deer drinks from a river as Wan fills his water satchel. They hear and feel a huge earthquake. Creatures and spirits flee. Wan asks one of them what's happening and the spirit pauses long enough to tell him that Ravva and Vaatu are doing battle and anything in their way will be destroyed, then the spirit takes off. Wan tells his cat-deer he's going to check it out.

EXT. VALLEY FLOOR - MEADOW

Wan sees two giant spirits - one light, one dark - rolling back and forth between the valley cliffs. Huge chunks of rock break off the cliffs and crash to the ground. Trees split like toothpicks. The spirits appear to be attached. Whenever the dark one tries to pull away from the light one, the light overtakes it and tackles it.

Wan shouts at the spirits to stop - they're destroying everything and endangering other spirits. The light spirit (who speaks with a female voice) tells Wan to mind his own business - "This doesn't concern you, puny human!" Wan is angered by her insult. The dark spirit (who speaks with a male voice) realizes that Wan is the man who has lived amongst the spirits. "Help me! Raava is trying to destroy me!" The light spirit (RAAVA) surrounds the dark spirit (VAATU) and smothers him. Vaatu tells Wan that she has bullied him for centuries, and refuses to let him be free. This strikes a nerve with Wan and he demands that Ravva let Vaatu go. Raava smacks Wan away with a spirit strike and continues her assault on Vaatu.

Wan recovers and furiously attacks the light spirit with his firebending. The distraction gives Vaatu time to pull away, though they are still attached via a strand of spirity energy. Seeing his opportunity, Wan sends a huge arc of fire at the attachment point and slices it in two. Raava screams. Vaatu laughs and shoots off over the cliffs.

Black storm clouds roll in and the valley falls into darkness. Raava (now smaller in size) scolds Wan and says he made a terrible mistake. Wan says she was beating up on that helpless spirit - he couldn't sit by and do nothing. Raava says that Vaatu is hardly helpless. And he's no ordinary spirit. He is the force of darkness and chaos. Since the beginning of time, she and Vaatu have been locked in a fierce battle. "I am the only thing keeping Vaatu under control so there is balance in the world. At least I was, until you got involved."

"Now, all life and spirits are in terrible danger. And it's your fault." Wan is stunned. MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BENEATH THE BHANTI TEMPLE - VOLCANIC TUBE

CLOSE ON: Korra's face, looking like she's having a terrible nightmare. The camera PULLS OUT as her body violently twitches in the water. The Bhanti sages watch from above, looking troubled.

TO BE CONTINUED...

K207 "Beginnings: part 1

Record Draft

By Mike DiMartino

ACT ONE:

EXT. JUNGLE - DAWN

CLOSE ON Korra, half-conscious and in distress.

KORRA Raava... Raava... Raava...

WIDEN TO REVEAL she is being carried on a makeshift stretcher by two robed sages (from K206.) A third sage, Karu, runs along side her.

FEMALE SAGE What's she saying?

KARU I have no idea.(to Korra) Try to remain calm, Avatar. We're taking you to our shaman. She can help you.

EXT. BHANTI VILLAGE - A SHORT TIME LATER

The sages rush Korra toward a temple at the center of the ancient-looking village. (DESIGN NOTE: This location is inspired by the ancient Burmese temples of Bagan.)

INT. BHANTI TEMPLE - MOMENTS LATER

The sages enter and lay Korra on a stone altar before a blind, elderly, female SHAMAN.

FEMALE SAGE

We found the Avatar washed up on shore, but she doesn't remember anything.

FEMALE SAGE

We found the Avatar washed up on shore, but she doesn't remember anything.

The shaman bends some fire and rubs it between her hands. She performs a kind of firebending reiki, passing the flames over Korra as she scans her energy field.

SHAMAN

A dark energy has infected her. We must purge it before it destroys her Avatar spirit.

The sages look very troubled.

INT. BENEATH BHANTI TEMPLE - VOLCANIC CAVERN - LATER

The sages lay Korra on a hammock over a deep pit of water which is heated and lit by glowing stones under the water.

The shaman holds a cup of milky liquid to Korra's lips and pours it into her mouth. Korra instinctively SPITS some back out.

SHAMAN

Drink. This medicine will help.

Korra (her eyes still closed) swallows the liquid. Using a pulley system, the sages lower the hammock into a volcanic tube.

SHAMAN(cont'd)

Let the waters cleanse the darkness that plagues your spirit.

INT. VOLCANIC TUBE - CONTINUOUS

Steam vents shoot out from the walls around Korra. She lowers, deeper and deeper.

AT THE BOTTOM

Her body enters the water and floats, like in a sensory deprivation tank. We hear ancient chanting on the soundtrack. It grows louder and louder as we TRUCK IN on Korra's face. Korra's eyes open. The camera PULLS OUT to reveal there is dark energy swirling around her. PULL OUT again to reveal that there is a SECOND KORRA, looking at herself. The two Korras float in a zero-gravity/underwater environment. The water glows the same as in the volcanic tube.

KORRA Who are you?

SECOND KORRA I am you.

KORRA Who am I?

There is a ripple effect in the water and the second Korra transforms into AANG.

AANG You are the Avatar.

KORRA I don't know what that is.

Another ripple effect. Aang transforms into ROKU.

ROKU In order to remember, you must regain your connection with your Avatar Spirit.

Another ripple effect. Roku transforms into KYOSHI.

KYOSHI If you don't, darkness will engulf the world. You will die and our era will end.

KORRA How do I regain my connection?

Another ripple effect. Kyoshi transforms into KURUK.

KURUK Go back. Return to the beginning. Find Raava.

Korra is sucked backwards and Kuruk disappears. Water rushes past her as she struggles against the current. Suddenly, the rushing water stops and Korra is face to face with an 18-year-old boy.

KORRA Are you Raava?

18-YEAR-OLD BOY No. I am Wan, the first Avatar.

The water glows brighter and the screen goes white.

EXT. ANCIENT CITY STREET - DAY

CLOSE ON WAN, scrawny, with a mischievous smile on his face. His clothes are tattered and his feet are dirty and bare. He runs for his life. Our trickster hero uses cunning, rather than physical strength, to outsmart his enemies (think a combo of Indiana Jones, Marty McFly, and Jack Sparrow.) Three well-dressed, teenaged bullies of varying size chase after him. They are the Chou Brothers -- BIG CHOU, MIDDLE CHOU, and LITTLE CHOU.

LITTLE CHOU Nobody steals from the Chou brothers!

Wan scrambles up some stairs and pauses atop a stone wall. He dangles a satchel of food in front of him.

WAN Really? Because I just did!

BIG CHOU You're dead, Wan!

WAN Actually, I feel quite alive!

Wan deftly runs along the narrow wall like a high-wire walker. The brothers give chase, but lose their balance and fall off the wall. Wan springs down to the ground and keeps running. The brothers recover and continue their pursuit.

NOTE: Wan's story takes place 10,000 years before Korra's time. The clothing, architecture, and even the style of storyboarding should reflect an ancient, mystical world. This flashback is like a myth come to life and is a stylistic departure from the normal episodes of "Korra."

EXT. NARROW STREET - DAY

Wan grabs a dress off a clothesline. The brothers come around the corner and slow down -- no sign of Wan. A friendly woman (Wan in disguise) points down the street.

WAN (falsetto) He went that way.

BIG CHOU Thank you, ma'am.

The brothers start to take off, but then realize something-

BIG CHOU (cont'd) Wait a second...

The turn and see Wan running away, the dress falling to the ground behind him. The brothers give chase.

EXT. CITY SQUARE - MOMENTS LATER

Wan runs through the bustling city center, leaping over carts and weaving his way through the crowd. The brothers knock the carts and people aside. Wan flashes a mischievous smile and runs straight into a flock of pigeonparrots. The startled birds fly into the air. A second later, a downpour of pigeon-parrot poop hits the brothers.

EXT. SIDE STREET - MOMENTS LATER

Wan jumps, parkour-style, up a wall and onto a roof. He looks around -- no sign of the Chou Brothers. Relieved, Wan reaches into his satchel and pulls out a bright red piece of dragon fruit. He's about to take a bite when -- BAM! A door on the roof slams open. The Chou Brothers surround Wan.

WAN Hey fellas, you're just in time for lunch.

Wan chucks the dragon fruit at Big Chou and runs. But Little Chou trips him. Wan hits the ground and drops the satchel. Little Chou picks up the satchel, while Middle Chou pulls Wan to his feet.

LITTLE CHOU I told you no one steals from us.

Big Chou lands a roundhouse kick in Wan's chest, sending him flying off the roof and into...

EXT. ANIMAL PEN - CONTINUOUS

Wan falls into the mud with a huge splat. He sits up, covered in filth. Some nearby cow-pigs OINK at him.

WAN (to cow-pig) What are you lookin' at?

EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF CITY - FOREST - SUNSET

We see the ancient city in the distance. A bruised and filthy Wan climbs up a tree and enters...

INT. TREE HIDEOUT - CONTINUOUS

Wan crawls through the window and is greeted by a meek looking, 16-year-old boy -- JAYA. An older man sits in the corner, partially obscured in shadow.

JAYA Wan, you're a mess! (knowingly) Did you steal from the Chous again?

WAN (angry) Yeah, and I got nothing to show for it except a few dirty rolls and a whole lot of bruises.

Wan pulls out three dirty bread rolls and hands one to Jaya.

WAN (cont'd) I'm sick of starving out here in the trees while those greedy Chous sit in their palace with a cellar full of food.

Wan goes over to the man in the corner.

WAN (cont'd) Yao, I got something for you.

The man recoils suddenly.

CRAZY YAO Stay away from me, you spirit!

WAN (gently) I'm not a spirit. It's me. Wan. I have food for you.

Wan hands him a roll. The man holds out his hand to take it, revealing that he has gnarled tree branches for hands and half his face is made of tree bark

CRAZY YAO (snaps out of it) Wan... Sorry, had another one my "spells" there.

Yao awkwardly uses his branch hands to take the bread and feed himself. Three skunk-squirrels and a couple woodpecker-lizards enter, looking for something to eat.

WAN You guys are hungry too, huh?

Wan's stomach growls. He looks at his last roll, then tears it into pieces and feeds it to the animals.

JAYA Wan, you should eat.

WAN They need it more than I do. Besides, I'm tired of eating scraps.

Wan picks up a small teapot and pours some cold tea into a cup.

WAN (cont'd) If only there was some way to get into the Chous' food cellar. We'd be eating like... well, like Chous!

JAYA If Chou the Elder catches you sneaking into his palace, you'll end up dead. Or worse -- he'll banish you to the spirit wilds.

CRAZY YAO Don't get banished! You don't want nothin' to do with those spirits! They'll get inside ya... scramble up your mind... turn ya into this! A monster!

Yao holds up his stick-arms. The lighting on his half-bark face makes him look monstrous.

JAYA Don't do anything crazy, Wan. You just gotta accept the world is the way it is. Some people have power, some people don't. And you don't. Wan gazes out at the city, his wheels turning.

WAN (sotto) Not yet, anyway.

Wan sips his tea and looks out the window. A mischievous smile crosses his face.

EXT. CITY SQUARE - MORNING

A burly HUNTSMAN stands in the square, addressing passers by.

HUNTSMAN Are you strong? Are you fearless? Do you have what it takes to battle the spirits? Then join the hunt!

TRUCK OUT to reveal Wan is standing nearby.

WAN Count me in!

The Hunter looks Wan up and down.

HUNTSMAN (LAUGHS) No offense, kid, but you won't last two seconds out in the wilds.

WAN I can handle myself. We all get fire, right?

HUNTSMAN Yeah, but do you know how to use it?

WAN Well, not exactly, but-

HUNTER #1 Ah, let him come. Not like we got any other volunteers lining up.

HUNTSMAN Alright, welcome to the hunt.

EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY

Wan and the hunting party march down a steep hillside. Around the hill is a vast, moss-covered field with rivers of lava flowing through it. Volcanoes spew lava in the distance. (Reference Laki Lava Field images)

HUNTER #1 You think you're ready for this?

WAN (acting tough) Sure.

HUNTER #1 Well, you're not.

EXT. LAVA FIELD - SHORT TIME LATER

The hunters and Wan stand at the base of the hill looking up at the city. The Huntsman blows into a large tribal horn that he carries with him. A deep bellowing sound echoes across the field. Slowly, the hill rises up, and a Lion Turtle's head emerges from the moss (reference ep. 319 from original series.) Wan looks up at the gargantuan creature in awe.

WAN (sotto) The Lion Turtle...

HUNTSMAN Great guardian of our city, we are venturing into the spirit wilds to bring back food for our people. Please grant us the power of fire.

LION TURTLE The power is yours to keep until your return.

HUNTSMAN We are grateful. (to Wan) You're first, kid.

The huntsman pushes Wan toward the Lion Turtle. The Lion Turtle raises its giant claw and touches it to Wan's forehead. A glowing light surrounds him.

LION TURTLE May the element of fire protect you against the spirits.

The light fades and the Lion Turtle lowers its claw. Wan throws out his hand and a huge torch of flames shoots up, knocking him on his butt. Wan looks elated.

HUNTSMAN Just make sure you aim at the spirits, not us, okay?

WAN Sure thing.

Another hunter steps forward and the Lion Turtle places his claw on the hunter's head.

EXT. LAVA FIELD - LATER

The hunting party crosses the lava field, heading toward the outskirts of the jungle.

HUNTSMAN Everyone stay close. Spirits love to pick off stragglers.

Strange spirit and creature sounds emanate from the jungle.

Wan pretends to look terrified. He stops.

WAN Uh... guys? I don't think I can do this.

HUNTSMAN Quit your whining. We haven't even seen a spirit yet.

WAN I think I want to go home.

The Huntsman gets in Wan's face.

HUNTSMAN I knew you were nothing but a sniveling coward. Go give your fire back to the Lion Turtle. And don't ever show your face around me again.

Wan turns and leaves, but his mischievous smile returns -- he has no intention of returning the fire.

INT. TREE HIDEOUT - SUNSET

Jaya and Crazy Yao are waiting when Wan enters.

JAYA Wan, you're back!

CRAZY YAO Finally! I'm starving. What goodies did you snatch for us this time?

Wan opens his hand and fire hovers above it.

CRAZY YAO (cont'd) (YELP) Keep that away from me! I'm half kindling!

JAYA What did you do?! You can't steal from the Lion Turtle!

WAN Really? Because I just did.

Jaya and Yao look shocked.

END ACT ONE

EXT. ROAD TO CHOU PALACE - NIGHT

Wan struts down the street with a new air of confidence.

He carries a satchel around his shoulder. Jaya follows, along with several other downtrodden citizens.

JAYA You know it's forbidden to bring the power of the element into the city. Please, go back to the Lion Turtle and return the fire.

Wan stops and turns to his friend.

WAN Jaya, it's time to stop being so afraid of the Chous and show them we have the power to change things.

Wan pulls a piece of fabric over his mouth and nose, hiding his face. Everyone else does the same.

EXT. CHOU PALACE GATES - A FEW MINUTES LATER

Wan marches up to the gates of the fancy palace. A tall wall surrounds it.

WAN (shouting) Hey Chous! Open the gate and let us in!

ON THE PALACE BALCONY

A man dressed in opulent robes walks out. He is CHOU THE ELDER -- the leader of the city. The Chou brothers stand behind him.

CHOU THE ELDER What are those filthy peasants doing here?

BIG CHOU Don't worry, father. We'll take care of them.

The Chou brothers leave.

EXT. CHOU PALACE GATES - MINUTES LATER

The Chou Brothers exit the gates, holding spears and swords.

WAN Hand over all the food you're hoarding, and we won't give you any trouble.

CHOU BROTHERS (LAUGH)

BIG CHOU You're not getting past us. We have the weapons -- you're powerless.

WAN Powerless, huh?

The Chou brothers raise their weapons and rush at Wan. Wan throws his arms forward, sending a huge fire blast at them. The brothers jump out of the way at the last second. The fire blasts the gates open. The Chou brothers run away.

WAN (cont'd) That's right, keep running! (to group) Follow me!

Wan leads the citizens into the palace grounds. Wan runs to a basement storehouse and blasts the door open with more fire.

WAN (cont'd) Grab as much food as you can!

The citizens rush into the storehouse. Moments later, Jaya exits carrying a large sack of food.

JAYA (to Wan) Maybe you're right. Maybe we do have the power to change things.

Wan is surprised by his friend's new attitude. The other citizens exit the storehouse, carrying more food sacks and pushing carts full of food.

JAYA (cont'd) Looks like the Chous found back up!

Wan turns to see the Chou Brothers charging at them, swords raised. A dozen guards with spears follow them.

WAN (to Jaya) Get everyone back to the forest. I'll hold them off.

Jaya and the citizens escape. Wan shoots wild blasts of fire at the Chous and the guards, but their numbers overwhelm him. Little Chou closes the gap and jumps on Wan's back. Wan spins around with his arm extended, trying to hit Little Chou, but instead he creates a ring of fire around them. Little Chou falls off Wan's back, pulling off Wan's mask in the process. Wan raises his fist. Little Chou cowers and closes his eyes.

LITTLE CHOU No, please. Have mercy.

Little Chou opens his eyes and realizes-

LITTLE CHOU (cont'd) Wan?

Wan hesitates for a beat. He cannot bring himself to do it. He lowers his hand and the ring of fire dies down. Wan is blind-sided and tackled by several guards.

LITTLE CHOU (cont'd) Even when you have the power, you're afraid to use it.

EXT. LAVA FIELD - MORNING

Wan, restrained by guards, stands before Chou the Elder.

The Chou Brothers stand behind their father. The Lion Turtle watches on.

CHOU THE ELDER Tell me who else was involved in the rebellion, and I might take mercy on you.

WAN (defiant) I'm not telling you anything.

CHOU THE ELDER Then you've left me no choice. Wan, you are hereby banished.

Wan refuses to show any signs of weakness.

LITTLE CHOU Yeah! And give back the fire you stole.

The guards push Wan to face the Lion Turtle. Wan's stoic expression turns to worry.

WAN No... Wait! (looks up) Great Lion Turtle, I am sorry for stealing the fire from you and I accept my punishment. But, please, I need to be able to protect myself in the wilds.

The Lion Turtle considers this.

LION TURTLE Never again may you return to this city. But I will allow you to keep the power of the element.

LITTLE CHOU Oh, come on!

CHOU THE ELDER Quiet, Little Chou! We must respect the Lion Turtle's decision.

The guards push Wan toward the jungle. Wan looks back to his city one last time.

ON THE HILLSIDE Jaya and Crazy Yao watch their friend walk toward the jungle.

CRAZY YAO Bet he doesn't last ‘til morning.

JAYA And I was just starting to believe in him.

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - JUNGLE - NIGHT

Wan walks through the overgrown jungle. He looks spooked by the many strange and unsettling noises.

A spirit whizzes by his head. Wan instinctively reacts and shoots a ball of flame, but the spirit is gone.

Wan takes a few more steps and CRUNCH!

TINY VOICE (O.S.) Hey, watch where you're stepping, human!

Wan holds his arms up, ready to strike, but he doesn't see anyone.

WAN Who said that?!

TINY VOICE (O.S.) Down here!

Wan looks down and sees and angry SPIRIT FROG looking up at him.

SPIRIT FROG (TINY VOICE) How'd you like it if I started walking all over you?

WAN (RELIEVED EXHALE) You're just a little frog.

The spirit frog grows gigantic and lifts its foot to step on Wan's head.

SPIRIT FROG (booming voice) Who's little now?

Wan jumps out of the way as the frog's foot slams down.

Wan rushes off, but suddenly he is swallowed up by a giant venus flytrap. We can see Wan's silhouette struggling inside the plant's translucent skin. Wan blasts the plant apart with fire and escapes.

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - MEADOW - LATER

Wan comes upon a peaceful looking meadow by a stream.

Thirsty, he cups his hands and dips them into the water.

He pulls them out and they're covered with a thick, black goo. Wan wipes it off, but it gets all over him, like sticky tar. Exhausted, Wan sits on the grass and lies back. He starts to doze off. The blades of grass slowly lengthen and surround him like a cocoon. Wan's eyes snap open -- he's trapped! He struggles against the grass, but it pulls him into the ground. Just before his face is about to disappear into the earth, Wan blasts some fire, burning the grass. He pulls himself out of the ground and runs away.

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - JUNGLE - MORNING

Wan has been running all night. He stumbles through the jungle, looking exhausted and on edge. He hears a sound and shoots fire. He hears another sound and shoots again. He comes upon a tree with plump fruit. His stomach GRUMBLES. He plucks off a piece and takes a bite. A swarm of spirit bugs spray out of the fruit and envelop his head. He runs away, swatting at the swarm around his head, but he can't see where he's going.

WAN Get off me! Get off me! AHHHH!

Wan runs right off the edge of a cliff. He tumbles head over feet down the steep hill and spills out at the bottom.

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - OASIS - CONTINUOUS

Wan looks up to find a welcoming sight: the morning sun shines through the trees and illuminates a lush oasis surrounded by a river. There's a pond in the center and bushes and trees full of brightly colored fruit. Wan smiles. He picks himself up and walks toward a stone bridge that connects to the oasis. The moment Wan steps onto the bridge, an unseen force smacks him away. He lands on his butt.

A SPIRIT AYE-AYE (crazy-looking primate) materializes on the bridge. Wan is startled.

WAN Ahh!

SPIRIT AYE-AYE You are not welcome in my oasis, human.

WAN Please, help me. I'm starving and I haven't slept all night.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Not my problem.

Wan shoots a warning shot of flames over Aye-Aye's head.

WAN Let me pass.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE You think your fire scares me?

The Aye-Aye dematerializes, then reappears a second later behind Wan. He grabs Wan and throws him into the woods.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE (cont'd) Now, be gone with you!

Wan hangs his head and leaves.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - LATER

Aye-Aye stands on the bridge, allowing other strange looking spirits to enter his oasis. (DESIGN NOTE: These spirits can be a mix of creature-inspired spirits and Miyazaki-inspired fantastical spirits.) The spirits bathe in the pond and lounge around.

We reveal that Wan is watching from behind some bushes. He smiles mischievously, then smears mud on his face and body.

ON THE BRIDGE Aye-Aye stands guard. Wan, (covered completely in mud, twigs, and leaves) walks up to the spirit. Aye-Aye looks suspicious.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE And who might you be?

WAN (spirity voice) I am Bushy, the bush spirit and I would like to enter your oasis.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Very well, you may pass.

Wan walks across the bridge. Aye-Aye SNIFFS the air.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE (cont'd) Wait a second... Something stinks.

Aye-Aye pulls some branches off Wan, revealing Wan's face.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE (cont'd) I knew I smelled a human!

Aye-Aye throws Wan off the bridge and onto the ground. His bush costume falls off.

WAN Come on, let me in. Just for a little while.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE No. Go back to your Lion Turtle.

WAN Believe me, I'd love to go back home. But I can't. I was kicked out.

A couple of spirits show sympathy.

KIND SPIRIT That's too bad.

KIND SPIRIT #2 Poor human.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Don't pity him. He's just like every other human -- ugly, destructive, and lacking any respect for nature.

WAN Who are you calling ugly, ugly?

Aye-Aye's ugly primate face glares at Wan.

KIND SPIRIT If you can't go back to your city, then you should go live in another one.

WAN What? There are other Lion Turtles?!

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Of course there are! Dozens of them. Boy, you humans are stupid too.

WAN So, which way to the nearest Lion Turtle city?

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Hmmm... I think it's that way.

Eight arms extend out of Aye-Aye's body and all point in different directions (like an eight-armed Hindu god.)

WAN Real funny. I don't need your help, I'll find it myself.

KIND SPIRIT #2 Good luck!

Wan walks away.

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - JUNGLE - DAY

As Wan trudges through the jungle, he hears an animal in distress. He follows the sound and finds a cat-deer hanging from a tree in a net, struggling to get out. Wan's stomach grumbles.

Wan picks up a rock and winds back to throw it at the cat-deer. The cat-deer looks him in the eyes, and Wan drops the rock -- he can't bring himself to hurt the animal.

Wan climbs up the tree and shimmies out onto the branch holding the net. He tries to untie the net.

WAN It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of there.

Below, the hunting party (from act 1) arrives. They look tired and dirty.

HUNTSMAN Finally! We caught something. Get it down.

Wan drops down out of the tree in front of them.

WAN Back off!

The hunters recognize Wan.

HUNTSMAN Wan? What are you doing here?

WAN I'm saving this animal.

HUNTSMAN That animal's our dinner. Now, get out of the way.

WAN No.

The hunters glance at one another and nod. Then they blast fire at Wan. Flames fill the frame.

END ACT TWO

ACT THREE

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - JUNGLE - DAY

Wan runs through the jungle. The hunters follow close behind, shooting fire. Wan dodges and jumps to avoid the fire exploding all around him. He spots a swath of spirit grass up ahead and smiles his mischievous smile.

Wan leads the hunters into the grass, but at the last second, he grabs onto a hanging vine and swings over it.

The hunters run into the grass, which grabs their feet and ankles and start to pull them into the ground.

HUNTER #1 Ahhh! Help! Help!

Hunter #1 is sucked down into the earth. The Huntsman and the two remaining hunters blast fire at the grass at their feet and escape.

The chase resumes. As he passes a bush, Wan plucks some pieces of plump fruit off it. He chucks the fruit at the hunters. The fruit hits the ground in front of Hunter #2 and swarms of spirit bugs spray out, surrounding his entire body.

HUNTER #2 Get them off! Get them off!

Hunter #2 stumbles around. After a moment, the spirit bugs disperse, and the hunter is gone. The Huntsman and Hunter #3 look back, shocked. Then they turn back toward Wan and shoot huge fireballs at him.

Fire explodes around Wan, setting trees on fire. One of the blasts knocks Wan off his feet. His body slams into a thick tree truck and he falls to the ground, semiconscious. The two hunters close in for the kill.

HUNTSMAN Looks like you're all out of tricks, Wan.

The hunters cock their arms back in a punching motion.

Suddenly, the Spirit Aye-Aye pops up behind Hunter #3 and jumps into his body. The hunter's body convulses and contorts, morphing between the Aye-Aye and the hunter. The Huntsman watches, horrified.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE (struggling, to Huntsman) I... really... hate... HUMANS!

On "Human", Hunter #3 transforms into a gruesome, nightmarish version of the Aye-Aye.

HUNTSMAN (SCREAMS)

The Huntsman flees. Aye-Aye leaves the hunter's body.

Hunter #3 now looks like part man, part monkey. The transformed hunter runs off into the jungle, SCREAMING.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE I don't know what he's screaming about. He's better looking now.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - LATER

Aye-Aye lays Wan in the pool of water. The water around Wan's body begins to glow and his scrapes, burns, and bruises fade away. The cat-deer drinks from the oasis, then licks Wan's cheek.

WAN I feel great. What's in this water?

SPIRIT AYE-AYE It has special healing properties.

The Kind Spirit hands Wan some fruit.

WAN Thanks.

Wan devours the fruit, talking through a full mouth.

WAN (cont'd)(to Aye-Aye) So... what did you do to that hunter?

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Spirits are able to take over a human body for a short time. If I stayed in there any longer, I would've killed him. Which I did consider.

WAN Thanks for saving my neck. But why'd you do it?

SPIRIT AYE-AYE I heard the cat-deer's cry for help. But by the time I arrived, you were already leading the hunters away from him. I've never seen such an act of selflessness from a human before.

The cat-deer nuzzles up to Wan. Wan pets it.

WAN Told you I wasn't like the others.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Guess I underestimated you, human.

Wan gets outs of the pool.

KIND SPIRIT #2 Are you off to find another Lion Turtle city?

WAN I was... but I think I've had enough of humans for a while. I've decided to stay here and learn the ways of the spirits.

KIND SPIRIT/KIND SPIRIT #2 Really?/That'll be fun!

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Now hold on -- a human living with spirits... It's never been done before.

WAN First time for everything, right?

SPIRIT AYE-AYE I guess we can try it. I've never had a human as a pet before. I think I'll call you Stinky.

WAN The name is Wan.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE Stinky is more accurate.

EXT. CITY SQUARE - MORNING

The Huntsman walks into town. He's a mess and he's got a shell-shocked look on his face. A few townspeople gather around.

TOWNSMAN What happened in the wilds? Where are the others?

HUNTSMAN Gone... Spirits took them. They were protecting that kid, Wan, like he was one of their own.

Everyone MURMURS in surprise. ANGLE ON Jaya and Crazy Yao, also looking surprised. Jaya smiles.

JAYA Did you hear that? Wan's still alive.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - DAY

A Spirit Dragon flies and twists through the air. Wan follows the dragon's movements, as he firebends in a fluid, controlled manner. (NOTE: Reference ep. 313 of original series when Zuko and Aang learned Firebending from the dragons.) The spirits watch on and clap excitedly. PAN over to the giant frog from earlier who is also clapping.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - DAY (SIX MONTHS LATER)

Wan (hair longer, clothes dirtier) fends off the Huntsman (with a new band of hunters) who are attacking the oasis.

The hunters throw large, uncontrolled fire blasts at Wan, who redirects the flames back at them in a display of firebending mastery. The hunters flee. The spirits come out of hiding and surround Wan, celebrating his victory.

EXT. CITY SQUARE - SUNSET

The Huntsman tells his tale to the same group of townsfolk, including Jaya and Yao.

HUNTSMAN ...And the way Wan moves fire -- it's like nothing I've never seen. He uses it like it's an extension of his body.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - NIGHT

Wan firebends the bottom of his teapot, boiling some tea. The spirits curiously watch as he pours the tea into a cup and takes a sip. The Kind Spirit holds out his "hand" to Wan, who passes him the cup. The Kind Spirit drinks the tea. A second later, the liquid filters out of its transparent body, like a teapot with a bunch of holes in it.

The other spirits jump up and down like children, excited by the trick. Kind Spirit #2 grabs the tea pot and guzzles the tea. Its body springs leaks also. It twirls around, spraying the other spirits (and Wan) like a sprinkler. Wan wipes the liquid from his eyes and smiles. He looks at home among the spirits.

EXT. CITY SQUARE

Jaya stands with Crazy Yao in front the group of downtrodden citizens from earlier.

JAYA Wan has proven that we don't have to live under Chou the Elder's rules any more. We can leave this city and start over, just like Wan did. Who's with me?

The citizens CHEER.

EXT. LAVA FIELD - MORNING

The Lion Turtle places his claw on Jaya's forehead. A glowing light surrounds him.

LION TURTLE May the element of fire protect you on your journey.

The light fades and the Lion Turtle lowers its claw. Jaya turns to the rest of the citizens and they head toward the spirit wilds holding fire above their hands like a torches.

EXT. SPIRIT OASIS - DAY (ONE YEAR LATER)

Wan (looking a bit buffer, with long hair and a goatee) sits on the back of the cat-deer. He rubs the cat-deer behind the ear.

WAN (to cat-deer) You ready to go, Mula? (PRON: MOOLAH)

SPIRIT AYE-AYE You sure you want to leave?

WAN Yes, it's time I see the rest of the world and find the other Lion Turtle cities.

SPIRIT AYE-AYE I'm proud to call you my friend, Stinky.

WAN It's Wan. Thank you for everything. Goodbye everyone!

Wan waves to the other spirits. He crosses the bridge and leaves.

KIND SPIRIT (CRYING) We'll miss you!

EXT. SPIRIT WILDS - VARIOUS

We see a few shots of Wan (riding Mula) through dramatic, fantastical landscapes.

EXT. VALLEY FLOOR - RIVER - DAY (WEEKS LATER)

Mula drinks from a river as Wan fills his water satchel. A huge earthquake shakes the earth. The ground cracks. (DESIGN NOTE: Use Yosemite valley as inspiration for this location.) Animals and spirits flee past Wan.

WAN (to passing spirits) What's going on?

A round, armored spirit rolls up to Wan and stops. It unrolls itself, revealing it is an ARMADILLO SPIRIT.

ARMADILLO SPIRIT The all-powerful spirits are battling! You better get out of here -- before they wipe out the entire valley!

The Armadillo Spirit curls back up into a ball and rolls away. Wan jumps on Mula's back and they head toward the noises.

EXT. VALLEY FLOOR - MEADOW - MOMENTS LATER

Mula runs out of the tree cover and rears back, MEWING (making a high-pitched crying sound.) Wan is stunned to see two giant, amorphous, kite-shaped spirits locked in battle -- one is light, the other dark. The spirits roll and tumble back and forth between the valley cliffs. Huge chunks of rock break off and crash to the ground. Trees snap like toothpicks.

The dark spirit pulls away from the light one, but can't escape because they are attached. The light spirit pulls the dark back towards it and surrounds it. The dark spirit pokes through the light spirit in areas, like a drowning man trying to come up for air.

Wan runs toward the spirits and shoots a huge blast of fire in the air. (Mula is somewhere off-screen at this point.)

WAN Stop! Or you'll destroy everything!

The light spirit (RAAVA) shoves the dark back down.

RAAVA (female voice) This doesn't concern you, human!

WAN It does when the lives of spirits and animals are in danger.

The spirits continue to struggle. The "head" of the dark spirit (VAATU) pokes out.

VAATU (male voice) If you're a friend to spirits, then use your fire to help me break free!

RAAVA Don't involve the human. This is between us!

VAATU (to Wan) Please... Save me! She has tormented me for ten thousand years!

WAN (sotto) Ten thousand years...

Raava smothers Vaatu.

RAAVA And you will stay in your place for the next ten thousand!

Seeing Vaatu being bullied strikes a chord with Wan. He jumps into action, shooting a huge blast of fire at Raava.

WAN Let him go!

The fire hits Raava, but doesn't do much damage.

RAAVA I told you to stay out of this!

Raava smacks Wan away. He goes flying into the high grass. The distraction gives Vaatu an opening. He knocks Raava back and "runs" away. The strand of spirit energy that connects them grows longer and thinner.

Wan recovers and sees the spirits locked in a tug-of-war stalemate. Seeing his opportunity, Wan sends a huge arc of flame at the attachment point between the spirits and severs it. The two spirits tumble backwards like their tugof-war rope was just cut.

RAAVA (cont'd)(SCREAMS)

Vaatu scurries up a cliff and looks down at Wan and Raava.

Vaatu is now bigger and Raava smaller than they were before.

VAATU Thank you, human. You have performed a great service for the spirits. (LAUGHS)

Vaatu disappears over the top of the cliffs. Black storm clouds roll in, sending the valley into shadow. Wan looks worried. Mula wanders over to him.

Raava shoots toward Wan and gets in his face.

RAAVA Do you realize what you've done?!

WAN Yeah, I helped a spirit who was being bullied by you.

RAAVA You are gravely mistaken. I was keeping him under control.

WAN And what gives you the right?

RAAVA You don't even know who I am, do you?

WAN Should I?

RAAVA Yes. My name is Raava.

Wan takes this in.

RAAVA (cont'd) That spirit you freed is Vaatu. He is the force of darkness and chaos. I am the force of light and peace. Since the beginning of time, we have battled over the fate of this world. And for the past ten thousand years, I have kept darkness under control and the world in balance. Until you came along.

Wan starts to understand the consequences of his actions.

WAN So, by freeing Vaatu, I let chaos into the world?

RAAVA Precisely. The humans and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation. And it's all your fault.

CLOSE ON: Wan, looking stunned.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BENEATH BHANTI TEMPLE - VOLACANIC TUBE

CLOSE ON: Korra's face, looking like she's having a nightmare. The camera PULLS OUT as her body twitches violently in the water.

KORRA Raava... I found you...

TO BE CONTINUED...