Avatar: The Last Airbender
Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
It has been six years since the end of the Great War. Since Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai.
The citizens are working hard to reconstruct their battered countries, and there has been great success so far. Fire Lord Zuko had reclaimed his nation's honor; Toph is now a great earthbending trainer; Sokka is chief of the Southern Water Tribe, with Suki at his side; Aang had started up a group called The United People's Society.
Great progress had been made in reuniting the Four Nations. Much is being done to maintain order and peace. But my friends and I know that where there is light, there is shadow.
No matter how far we've come, there is always more work to be done.
Chapter Eight: Return to the Southern Water Tribe
The sun was barely peeking up over the horizon. The sky was painted with different hues of pink, orange, yellow and violet. The ocean below them rippled with the dawn breeze.
Suddenly something at the edge of the water caught Aang's eye. "There!" he yelped. He yanked on the reins, and his giant flying bison slowly ascended towards the water's surface.
He heard noises from behind him as the rest of Team Avatar stirred and awakened.
"That's it!" a woman shrieked with excitement as they neared the ice cap. "That's the Southern Water Tribe!" Katara let out a giddy laugh.
"Whoop-dee-doo," came Toph's sarcastic mutter.
"Wow."
Aang looked over his shoulder to see Zuko peering over the edge of the saddle-basket.
"Was it always that small?" the former Fire Lord asked.
The Avatar let out a hearty chuckle. "Zuko, it's not that—" He broke off as the Southern Water Tribe came into better view. Aang stifled a gasp of shock. Zuko was right; the ice cap on which the village was settled did appear smaller than they had last seen it.
He heard scuffling sounds coming from the saddle-basket, and he noticed Katara scrambling towards the edge. She gazed at the South Pole. "What happened?" Aang heard her murmur.
Aang slowly brought his flying bison, Appa, down onto a clear strip of land.
"Avatar Aang," cried a new voice.
He turned to see a Water Tribe warrior approaching them. Aang quickly recognized the man. He took a flying leap off of Appa and landed in front of the warrior, bowing respectfully.
"Hello, General Adako."
The warrior mirrored the bow. When he straightened, he met Aang's eyes and repeated, "Avatar Aang, what brings you to the Southern Water Tribe?"
Just as the airbender opened his mouth to respond, Katara came up behind him.
"Oh!" General Adako gasped, and gave a quick bow to the woman. "Lady Katara," he greeted with a smile. Then he turned back to Aang. "All is well within the Tribes, I hope?"
Katara nodded. "Yes, General. Everything's fine."
"We just got tired of the Fire Nation and decided to move back here," Aang finished for her, and grinned.
"Oh!" The general gasped again, and fell to his knees in a salute. "We would be honored to welcome you and Lady Katara to the Southern Water Tribe." Then Adako rose to his feet, and made a sweeping motion with his arm. "Come; we should talk to the Southern Council."
"Southern Council?" Katara echoed questioningly.
"Yes, haven't you heard?" The general looked at them. "The Southern Water Tribe established a high order of three to oversee all the affairs within the Tribe. I believe the Northern Water Tribe has done the same."
Aang exchanged a confused look with Katara, and he could have sworn that she was thinking the same thing: Oh, great, MORE news that never reached us.
"Now." Adako repeated his beckoning motion.
"First we need to help our friends." Aang jutted a thumb towards the resting Appa. Toph and Zuko were peering curiously in their direction.
"Say," the general muttered, "that wouldn't be Master Bei Fong and Fire Lord Zuko, would it?"
Aang answered the question with a wide grin. "They sure are!"
He turned from the general and bolted towards his flying bison. "Okay, guys!" he called upwards to the saddle-basket. "Come on down!"
Zuko was first to appear. He hoisted himself over the edge of the basket and leapt to the ground with ease. Toph was next. She grunted as she gripped the basket's edge and slowly climbed down the side of Appa's leg. "Ugh, a little help here?" she called.
"Nope!" Aang called back teasingly. "You're a big girl now; I think you can do it all by yourself."
"I hate you," the earthbender grumbled. She carefully gripped the bison's fur, and inched downwards. Finally, Toph lowered herself onto the ground.
"Oh, Lordy, that's cold!" she yelped as her bare feet met the snow. Her eyes were so wide with shock, Aang thought they'd pop out of her head. Hysterical chuckles erupted from the young Avatar upon Toph's exclamation. His laughter was cut off by her green glare.
"Why the hell do I put up with you?" the woman grumbled as she approached his side.
Smiling, General Adako scanned Team Avatar. He nodded, and started to turn. "If you are quite ready, the Southern Council would like to meet with you."
"Okey-dokes," Toph said, and gave Aang a sharp prod in the arm. "Carry me."
"What?" He was caught off-guard.
"You heard me. Unless you want my feet to freeze off..."
"But you're a grown woman!" the airbender protested.
"Yeah. I'm a grown woman, and you're a grown man. Grown men are perfectly capable of carrying grown women. Now carry me, Twinkletoes."
Aang paused for a few moments, still shocked by her request. Finally, he heaved a sigh of exasperation. He bent over and, slipping an arm under the small of her waist and another arm under her shoulders, he hoisted her up.
"Ahh," Toph sighed, obviously amused. She wrapped her arm around the back of his neck for support, and leaned her head back against his shoulder.
"Ugh." Aang was grunting with effort as he carried Toph to the Water Tribe commons area. "How the hell much do you weigh?"
Toph popped her head up from his shoulder and frowned at him. "None of your business!"
From beside him, Katara was chuckling. "Oh, Aang, don't you know by now that you should never mention a woman's weight?"
"Yeah." Zuko came up on his other side. "I made that mistake with Mai. Let's just say I came pretty close to getting another scar."
The group spent the rest of the stroll in silence. They passed igloos and tents and small fortresses. Aang had even spotted a few watchtowers lining the coast.
"Wow," he said, gazing at the different new Water Tribe structures. "They've really stepped up on their security measures."
"Yeah," Katara agreed, "it's like they brought the Water Tribe into a whole new era."
General Adako slowed his pace to come up beside Team Avatar. He gave a chuckle, and said, "Indeed we have. This is a time for change, and we figured the Southern Water Tribe could well use some change."
"I hope you didn't change it too much," Katara muttered, resting her hands on her baby bump.
Aang could feel Toph's muscles tense, and he shifted his hold to peer at her. "Something wrong?"
The earthbender twitched again, and she heaved a shuddery breath. "I'm freezing my ass off," Toph said.
"Here." Zuko reached into the large knapsack he was carrying, and withdrew a Water Tribe parka. "This'll help." He tossed the parka at her.
Toph gave a muffled protest as the clothing landed over her face.
"Oops," the former Fire Lord muttered.
"Zuko!" Katara scolded lightly, and she approached Aang's side. He stopped in his tracks as Katara gripped the parka and wrapped it neatly around Toph, who was still lying in his arms.
"Thanks," the blind girl murmured, and repositioned herself in his arms.
Team Avatar kept trudging through the thick snow, until they finally came to a large fortress-like structure. Aang glanced around, and realized that they were standing in the very center of the South Pole.
"Here we are," General Adako announced. He made his way in front of the others, and stopped before two large doors to the building. The great doors were white, as was the building, and they were decorated with painted black and light blue swirls and lines. Aang looked closer, and noticed that a white dragon was embossed along the inner edges of the doors: the Ice Dragon, a mythical creature who, in ancient Water Tribe legend, was the guardian of the North and South Poles.
The general pulled open one of the great doors, and led the group of benders inside.
"Whoa," Zuko gasped as he gazed around. Katara and Aang mirrored his exclamation of awe. The building seemed extremely large inside, despite its rather small-looking exterior. The dome ceiling was very high, and it, like the front doors, was decorated with several different images of the Ice Dragon. From the ceiling hung large blue lanterns, and Water Tribe banners were suspended over both main entrances.
"Warriors," came Adako's voice, "welcome to the Southern Water Tribe commons area."
"This is..." Katara trailed off, unable to find the words to describe it.
"It's amazing," Aang said, speaking what the rest of the group felt.
"Yeah, I'll say." Zuko started walking off as he examined the building.
Aang scanned the commons area and, looking at the general, asked, "Where's the Southern Council?"
General Adako grinned, and nodded towards the east end. "Their grand office is over there, behind those doors."
Aang grunted his reply, and nudged the woman resting in his arms. "Hey Toph, you're gonna have to get down now."
The earthbender stirred, and her eyes flung open. "Okay, okay," she grumbled as Aang lowered her to the ground. "Whoa!" Toph gasped when her feet hit the floor.
"What?
"This place is huge!" She paused, and suddenly broke out in a big grin. "Hey, Sokka's here!"
"He is?" Aang closed his eyes and extended his senses to the ground, in the way Toph does. He studied the ground and the vibrations, and sure enough he recognized the faint footsteps of Katara's brother. Aang focused on the footsteps, and immediately located Sokka. "Come on," he said, smiling.
The group made their way toward the east end of the commons building, and passed through the doors to the grand office.
"Sokka!" Katara cried with glee, and darted forward. Aang's gaze followed her, and he too spotted the young Southern Water Tribe warrior.
"Katara?" his voice sounded, and he approached the group.
"Hey there, buddy," Aang said, and stepped forward to give the warrior a brief hug.
"Wow." Sokka's blue eyes sparkled with happiness. "It's been forever. What are you doing here?"
"We're moving in." Katara looked as if she was going to burst with excitement. "Isn't that great?"
Toph suddenly walked up beside the Avatar, and looked at Sokka with blind eyes. She grinned, and gave him a light punch in the arm. "It's good to see you again, Ponytail."
Sokka grinned, and hugged the earthbender. Then his gaze swept Team Avatar. "Hey, Fire Lord Zuko," he greeted as his eyes found the firebender. Sokka gave an imitation respectful bow to the man.
"Um, Former Fire Lord," Toph corrected.
"What?" Sokka looked from her to Aang to Zuko. "What happened?"
"Uh..." Katara chuckled nervously. "Long story."
"Hey, Princess." Toph stepped closer. "As much as I hate to burst your bubble, Sokka deserves to know the truth."
"Yes, but can't it wait?" There was a pleading edge to Katara's voice.
"Nope." The earthbender turned to Sokka. "See that baby bump?" She jutted a thumb toward Katara.
Sokka eyed his sister's swelling abdomen. "Yeah."
Toph stepped to the right, beside the former Fire Lord. "Now see Zuko?"
"Uh, yeah..." Suddenly Sokka's blue eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean...?"
"Yup." Toph grinned mischievously. She grunted as she received a hard prod in the arm from Katara.
"Don't you know when to keep your mouth shut?" the waterbender hissed.
"Nope." Toph still grinned.
"So does that make you Fire Lady Katara?" Sokka turned back to his sister.
"Uh, not quite." Katara didn't meet his curious gaze.
"Well," Sokka clapped his hands together and smiled, "regardless of the chain of events, congrats, baby sister." He pulled her into a hug.
"Why do you still call me 'baby' sister? You're only a year older."
The Southern Water Tribe chief ignored her comment. "My little sister's gonna have a baby." His blue eyes seemed to be brimming with tears as he pummeled her with questions. "How far along are you? When are you due? What's the sex of the baby?"
"Whoa there, big brother. One question at a time." Katara was chuckling, and she turned to Toph to help her answer.
So Toph pressed closer to the waterbender and placed an outstretched hand over the baby bump. "She's about seven-and-a-half months, probably due in about—" Suddenly she stopped, and her eyes bulged. "Holy crap!"
Fright and worry snapped into Katara's blue eyes. "What is it? Toph! Is there something wrong with my child?"
Aang also put his hand on her baby bump, and focused on the growing baby, reaching his senses out to find what Toph had found.
"Uhh, yeah, your child's fine." Toph withdrew her hand. "They both are." She flashed a grin to Katara.
"What?" Katara looked dazed.
"Congratulations, Princess. You're having twins."
"Wow." Sokka's face bore a medley of shock, amazement and glee. "I didn't know twins run in the family."
Aang's mind flashed back to the year before, when he and his gang had received a letter from Chief Sokka. The letter briefly summarized events in the Southern Water Tribe, and told of the delivery of Sokka and Suki's twin sons.
"Twins." Katara's voice was barely audible. "I'm having twins."
"I don't believe it." Zuko came up from behind and wrapped his arms around the waterbender. "I'm going to be a father to twins."
"Wait." Sokka's expression returned to normal, and he looked at Zuko. "You're the father?"
"Yeah, what'd you think I was implying earlier?" Toph turned her blind gaze on him.
The Tribe chief swept his gaze over the group. "But I thought Zuko already had a kid?"
Neither Toph, Zuko nor Katara responded. Aang spoke up.
"He does—a daughter with Mai." Aang didn't spare a glance at his friends as he gave a brief history of events. "Mai found out that Katara and Zuko were having an affair. So she kicked him out and filed for divorce. Then she went berserk and tried to kill Katara."
A gasp escaped Sokka's mouth. The Avatar continued. "Zuko and I tried to get authorities on Mai, but they wouldn't do anything because she's the Fire Lady. So we all decided to move, and
as to where to move...well, this seemed like the best option." He shrugged. "Either here or the Earth Kingdom. But the Dai Li kinda creeped us out last time."
Sokka nodded knowingly, and murmured, "I still wonder what happened to Joo Dee."
Aang gave another shrug. He remembered the events that had unfurled seven years ago in the Earth Kingdom. Appa had gone missing, and Team Avatar—minus Zuko—had temporarily resided in the city. Through a series of very strange events, the group had discovered a secret operation within the kingdom that even the Earth King didn't know about. The leader of the Dai Li, Long Feng, had been using brainwashing techniques on several innocent citizens, including Jet—a misguided rebel whom Katara had liked a lot—and Joo Dee, the woman who had acted as a guide to Team Avatar during their stay in the Earth Kingdom. It was assumed that Long Feng's sole mission was to create a peaceful, naïve utopia in the midst of a world war.
The young warriors had also discovered that the Dai Li was the force behind the capture of the Avatar's flying bison.
"I always knew there was something iffy about Mai," Sokka's voice interrupted Aang's memories. He slapped the firebender's arm and said, "Way to pick your women, Zuko!"
"Hey!" Katara huffed angrily and glared at her brother.
"Ha, that's just what I said earlier," Aang couldn't help pointing out.
"I still do miss Mai," the former Fire Lord murmured.
"Hey, you know what?" Sokka was rubbing his bearded chin in thought. "You look like you could use some fresh air. Zuko, why don't you come out with me later and help man one of our watchtowers?"
Aang could see Zuko's expression lighten with hope. "That sounds great. But why do you need watchtowers here?"
"Yeah," Aang chimed in, "we're in an age of peace."
"Ah, but not everyone abides by the rules of new age." The new voice made Aang jump. He turned to see that General Adako had returned to their side.
"He has a point." Katara glanced at the general. "And the Fire Nation is sort of slow to change things like this—no offense, Zuko."
Zuko gave her a light peck on the cheek, and said, "None taken; you're right. I'll bet you anything that there are still very many Fire Nation people who have not yet taken to our new ways..."
"...and they're probably still totally pissed at you and Aang," Toph finished.
A few moments of silence passed. Suddenly Sokka cleared his throat and sifted the subject. "So why are you guys here? I mean, to the commons?"
Katara glanced at her friends. "We're here to speak with the Southern Council."
A proud grin sprung onto the chief's face. "You're looking at him!" he said.
"No way," Toph said. "You're the Chief and the Southern Council?"
Sokka cleared his throat again and suddenly looked meek. "Well, actually, I'm just the head of the Council. There are two other warriors with me." He made a beckoning motion with his arm. "Come on, let's meet them!"
Chief Sokka led the group along the east wall of the building. They ventured through the set of doors General Adako had pointed out and down a winding hallway. Finally they came to another grand set of Ice Dragon-engraved doors.
Sokka made an exaggerated sweeping motion over the door with his arms. "Drum-roll, please...." He placed a hand on the doorknob. "Presenting the Offices of the Southern Council!" And he pressed open the door.
"Chief Sokka!" a gruff voice bellowed as the doors were opened. "Where have you—" The man cut off.
"Oh my!" came a softer voice, possibly belonging to a female.
Aang entered the large, white office, and was surprised at how neat and professional it looked. "Gee, Sokka, considering you're the leader, I'm surprised this place doesn't look like a total pigsty."
Katara stepped beside him. "Yeah," she added. "I'm guessing Suki's in the picture when it comes to maintaining the office?"
Aang gazed around the meticulously neat room. His eyes swept the desks, the bookcases, and the world maps. As his gaze came to the center of the room, he met the stunned expressions of the two unfamiliar people. "Hello," he said cheerily.
"Avatar Aang..." The woman trailed off, her mouth hanging agape.
Sokka came up on Aang's other side and hung his arm on the younger man's shoulders. "Yeah, remember those friends I was telling you about?"
The man slid out from behind the desk and hastily approached Aang. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and the man fell to his knees in a salute similar to what General Adako had done earlier. When the man finished his bow, he slowly rose to his feet and locked his eyes with Aang's. "Avatar Aang, to what do we owe this great honor?"
The airbender didn't respond, so Katara stepped forward. "Are you the Southern Council?" she asked.
"Indeed we are," the woman spoke from behind the main desk. She too got to her feet and drew close to the group. She gave a quick bow of respect, and continued, "Let us introduce ourselves. I am General Kaana, and this is Lieutenant Haroko."
"We are honored to finally meet you in person, Avatar," the lieutenant said. "We have heard much about you..."
"I can imagine," Aang muttered, grinning widely.
Lieutenant Haroko continued. "Tell us, what brings such a great figure as yourself to our humble little village?"
Aang held his hand out to his side, indicating his friends as he responded, "We're moving in."
General Kaana's pale blue eyes grew round with excitement. "Ah!" She bowed her head. "Come; the Southern Water Tribe welcomes you."
Haroko approached the group. "Let us give you a tour..."
Katara held up her hand to stop him. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. We've all been here before."
"I haven't," Toph interjected.
Katara glanced at the earthbender, and replied, "Yeah, but you're with us, and we know our way around."
Toph shrugged halfheartedly. "Suit yourselves."
"Do you have any available homes?" Aang asked the general and lieutenant.
It was Sokka who responded, "Yeah, actually. We just finished building a few new places right in the center of the village." He nudged Aang and motioned for Team Avatar to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you." And he led them out the door.
The group exited the office of the Southern Council and traveled back along the east side of the commons building. Sokka took the lead as they approached the front doors. Aang quickly glanced at Toph, and turned back to the chief.
"Hey Sokka, do you have any boots we can borrow?" He pointed to the earthbender's bare feet.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Sokka nodded, and darted across the building into a small back room. Minutes later, he reappeared beside the group, holding a pair of blue fur boots. "Here," he said, handing them to Aang.
Aang received the boots and passed them down to Toph, who bent down and slipped them on her feet. She sighed with relief as she straightened. "Much better."
"Ready?" the Avatar asked her.
Toph nodded. "Yup."
Sokka gripped the handle and opened the door. Team Avatar ventured back outside, and followed the Southern Water Tribe chief through the village.
"Jeez," Katara murmured as they walked. "It's been so long since I was home. Everything looks so different."
Sokka slowed down and fell in step with his sister. "Yeah," he replied. "A lot has changed since the war."
"Like what?" Zuko suddenly asked.
"Well..." The chief paused. "Um... Well, you'll know it when you see it."
Zuko nodded, but didn't say anything.
The group followed Sokka for many more minutes. Finally, he started to slow down as they neared the absolute center of the Southern Water Tribe. He led Team Avatar on a small, winding path slipping behind and between little igloos.
"Here we are," he said as he came to a halt before a squarish white building that seemed a misfit in the midst of the tiny igloos.
"This is it?" Zuko said, gazing at the building with a baffled look on his face. "Um, Sokka?"
The Water Tribe chief turned to the former Fire Lord. "Yeah, it's a house!" he snapped before Zuko would ask.
"It looks so..." Katara trailed off.
"...different than all the others," Aang finished her sentence.
"Uh, yeah." There was an icy, aggravated edge to Sokka's voice. "Of course it is. This is the newest one."
"How the hell are we all supposed to fit in that ice cube?" Toph suddenly asked, speaking everyone's thoughts.
Sokka shot her a brief glare, and turned to the rest of the warriors. "Of course, you're not all gonna be in there. There are four houses like this one completed already."
"That's more like it," the blind earthbender muttered.
Everyone ignored her comment. Sokka dipped his head to his friends, and said, "I gotta get going, guys. Suki's gonna bite my head off if I leave her alone with the boys all day."
"Well," Katara said, grinning, "we certainly wouldn't want that to happen." She giggled softly.
Her brother smiled at her. "I'll see you later, little sister." Sokka stepped forward and hugged her quickly.
"Yeah, yeah," she murmured, but she was still grinning. She pulled back from the embrace, and Sokka turned and started walking away.
Aang had just started to approach the door of the first square home when someone cried out. He spun on his heels to find Katara slumped over on the ground, her back to him. Aang rushed to her side and knelt beside her. "Katara?" he murmured, suddenly filled with worry.
The young woman lifted her gaze to his. Her hands clutched at her swelling abdomen, and her face twisted in anguish and pain as she said in a strained voice, "The baby..."
End of Chapter Eight.