It was her he saw first.

Not the sky or the ice or the miles and miles of nothing but frozen, dense world that surrounded him. Not the wall of glacier that shielded him from the fierce arctic wind or the strange color of their coats, which were thick and also escaped him at first. He couldn't feel the mind-numbing cold or the aching hunger or the bone-drenched weariness which dragged over him like a lazy bed of fog and settled into a thick haze.

It was as if, for a moment, he had been dead.

She was like the breath of life that had brought him back.

And then it struck him. The sensations. Millions of them flooding back to him in very loud voices that, if he ever doubted his sanity, could have been considered a cause for concern under the right – or wrong – circumstances.

I'm hungry. Look at that sky! I've never seen it that big before. Wow, is it cold! Has it always been this cold out here? I've never been here before…where am I? What time is it? Gyatso is going to be very cross with me for this, but I really should be getting back. He'll miss me before long. Maybe he'll have something for me to eat cause boy! I could eat a whole sky bison right about now.

His head rambled on and on and on as his eyes just blinked up at the ethereal creature that had stooped over him. Guarding him in her sheltering shadow. Her gentle light.

He could feel her arms gathering him up. Vaguely. It was a funny sensation, being exhausted after what had only been a few hours, but who was he to complain? Here was a very beautiful girl holding him and watching him with very big blue eyes that he could have sworn, just from looking at them, would swallow him whole if he let them. Maybe he would, just to see how it felt…how it would feel to be consumed by something so lovely that it made his cheeks burn and his heart thud dully against his small chest.

There was worry darkening the enchanting sea-stone color of them. And something like primal fear...that kind he'd seen before. In the other Air Nomad children when they came across something too big for their comprehension, something alien to them.

I know where I am. The Eastern Air Temple! Of course...that's where I was headed before I crash landed...I think. So...I guess I got here all right. Weird...I've never seen blue temple garb before. And why is this girl looking at me that way? She must not know me. Wow, is she pretty! But wait, everyone knows me around here. Although, I don't remember it being so cold down by the Eastern Air Temple. Surely Monk Sheng remembers me! Probably not as fondly as I'd like…I did throw a fruit pie at him. Accidently! It was an accident. Still…well, she must be a new student, just come in from traveling for some reason. That must be it.

"Hey," she said softly. Her voice barely carried above a whisper, but it was the loveliest sound he'd ever heard. "Hey, are you all right?"

Another voice cut in. "Katara! Katara! Don't touch that! Don't – argh! What is wrong with you? I mean, you don't know what it is! Put it down!"

The girl snapped her head over her shoulder before refocusing on him, remnants of frustration shifting against the tide of her barefaced emotions. "Sokka, he's not a thing. He's a little boy – I think."

"Oh, so you think…right," The other voice retorted. "Well, since you're so convinced, why don't we just take it on back home to Gran-Gran? Let it terrorize the village a little bit? Since you're so certain."

"Shut up, will you?" She replied, more to herself than her insistent companion. "He's trying to say something!"

"You.." He began, but choked on the word as a strangled sort of cough erupted from his scratchy throat. What was wrong with his voice? It was fine a few hours ago…at least, he could recall that it was. Maybe he was just fuzzy from the cold…he could barely remember the storm at all. Even the fear he had experienced when he was heading straight for the choppy waves below, that intense terror that came with knowing he was going to die, never see his beloved home or Gyatso or Appa again...it seemed...old. As if it had been a long time in the past.

"Yes?" She leaned in, her eyes wide and alive with expectation. "Yes, what is it?"

"You're…" He paused, his face heating up as the words came tumbling out of his mouth, rushing, as if they were in a hurry to be spoken. "You're really pretty."

She looked taken aback. "Oh…"

They both blushed ferociously.

Author's Notes: I want this to be made very clear before I post another 'snapshot' - I didn't like the movie. It was rushed and the script wasn't so great. Not that I can really point fingers because I'm sure I could do no better. But still, this is a professional attempt and I, sadly, expected some sort of epic greatness. I also expected Kataang moments but could remember none! So, I thought I would write my own Kataang moments that should have been incorporated into the movie.

Disclaimer - I don't own Aang, Katara or Sokka.