A/N: This work of fiction is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. This fiction follows the series' general storyline with the exception of most characters' age. For any character's age not mentioned in the following chapters, readers will assume that character is eight years older than the original character in the series. As some characters are older in this work of fiction than their counterpart in the series, the reader will notice a stark difference with many characters' attitudes and actions. To be fair, some characters have only matured. Others, in contrast, have changed completely to allow for a more mature-themed adventure. As a "warning," readers should look out for these differences.
AANG: 20 Years Old. Aang is a fully-realized Avatar, able to enter the state at any time. He knows all four bending arts, as well as "Energybending" (Though it is called Energybending, I think Soulbending sounds better and will use this name in place of the actual name from here on out). He is the most powerful bender of his time, and during the present era, 100 years ASC (After Sozin's Comet). He has taken his monk training seriously, and comes across as a serious man. He still has a sense of humor, though it is rarely seen, and is immensely spiritual. He and Katara will have a romance in this work of fiction.
KATARA: 22 Years Old. Katara is still her paternal self, and I won't really change her attitude, as I found very few things wrong with her in the series. One thing I will tell you is that she won't try to find the man who killed her mother. She has put that behind her, and traveling with Aang will help to keep her from feeling such anger. Minor changes if anything.
SOKKA: 24 Years Old. Sokka has changed a lot. He's now the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, after his father left more than ten years ago. Being the leader, he is more mature. You will probably not hear many jokes from him, if at all. He is a more capable warrior, capable of taking on a bender. He has a quiet demeanor, almost like a father figure, and is wiser than many people. Probably the most radical change I've made.
TOPH: 20 Years Old. Toph still has her rebellious attitude. Still locked up for most of her life, she'll leave with the Avatar to 'see' the world. Her demeanor is much the same as it is in the series. She will have matured to some extent, but I won't change her much.
ZUKO: 25 Years Old. The Prince still harbors a deep hatred for the Avatar, but like the series, it is rooted mainly in his father. As he travels with his uncle, Iroh, and as he battles Aang, he will come to terms with the fact that the Fire Nation has committed a terrible sin against the world. He will possibly defect from the Fire Nation much earlier than in the series. He won't be as hot-headed, and I plan to have him act more nobly earlier on.
MOMO: He's gone. Appa ate him or something, but I'm not writing about a lemur.
To avoid discrepancies, readers are encouraged to watch the series episodes to avoid any confusion between the actual series, and this non-canon work of fiction.
My attempt is to bring a more serious atmosphere to the world of Avatar while keeping it enjoyable for all ages. I hope I can do so, and apologize if this story is lacking in any way. You'll notice several cultural references throughout the story, and those references are to bring as much realism to the story as possible. If you notice that I have made an error in such a reference, please tell me. My goal is to make this story as culturally accurate as possible.
Also, as fair warning to you guys, I usually get bored with stories and move on to others. Currently, I'm working on stories for Phoenix Wright, a Mass Effect/Star Wars/Metroid crossover, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Left 4 Dead, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I usually work on a lot of stories so I don't get bored with just one, but some stories will have long updates. For this, I apologize. Don't hate!
As always, enjoy.
Long ago, the world was divided into four cultures: The Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads. Each had different practices and ways of life, and yet each thrived in a harmonious existence. Each culture was prominent in an ancient art, called "bending," and most benders' abilities were reflective of their individual culture. Fire Nation benders specialized in firebending, Water Tribe citizens waterbend, Earth Kingdom subjects earthbend, and Air Nomads airbend. Among these differing people existed a single entity that could simultaneously bend all four elements: the Avatar. The Avatar was the incarnation of the world's spirit, a physical embodiment of the power of the world. Born into a mortal body of one nation, the Avatar would go on to learn the other three elemental bendings before becoming a "fully realized Avatar." After death, the Avatar would be reborn into the next nation, following the cycle of elements. It was the duty of the Avatar to ensure peace in the physical realm, a duty that went beyond cultures and nationalities. It is because of this duty that the world panicked when the unthinkable happened. The Avatar disappeared from the face of the earth.
All hope had been considered lost until the reappearance of the Avatar one hundred years after his disappearance.
Witness the salvation of the world. Witness the birth of a legend. Witness the account of Aang, the Last Airbender.
BOOK 1: WATER
CHAPTER 1
The Man in the Iceberg
Sokka and Katara, brother and sister of the Southern Water Tribe, drifted down the icy waters of the South Pole in their canoe, arctic seal skin stretched over bone to keep the canoe aloft while providing protection from collisions with icebergs. Being two of the few tribesmen capable of hunting in the freezing weather of the South Pole, both brother and sister were expected to provide for the tribe's wanting stomachs this day. Their last few times out in the arctic wastes hunting for seal had proven unfulfilling. Today, they were trying their luck at fishing. And fishing in the arctic wasn't as easy as throwing a line out into the sea from the comfort of the ground. Fish tended to keep out in open water, away from the seals lining the ice shelves, dozing in the sun. To fish in the arctic, you had to go where the fish were.
Sokka was eyeing a fish that circled the canoe, his spear wound back, ready to stab at a moment's notice. His eye tracked the fish carefully and, in one quick motion, he lunged and impaled the fish through the gills. He slid the dying creature off the tip of the spear, placing it into a net with a dozen more catches before eyeing his sister on the other side of the canoe.
Katara was waving her hands over the water, her eyes closed in concentration as she performed the ancient art of waterbending. Or at least tried to. Even as he watched, Katara levitated a bubble of water from the sea, a fish suspended in the blue orb. Sokka silently hoped she could do it this time; Katara was sensitive about her waterbending, and her lack of ability with the art was a sore subject. He was disappointed, then, when the boat knocked against an iceberg, breaking Katara's concentration. The bubble burst and the fish fell back into the ocean.
"Grrr!" Katara grabbed the edge of the canoe, glaring daggers at the iceberg that destroyed her contribution to Sokka's growing bounty. "Why is this so hard!? I've been trying to waterbend for almost fifteen years, and I still can't get it right!"
Sokka put his hand on Katara's shoulder. "Be patient, Katara. One day, you'll learn the secret of waterbending, and your abilities will grow massively."
"Easy for you to say," Katara said dejectedly. Sokka smiled at Katara before turning back to the ocean, looking for more fish. He expertly used the spear as a paddle to avoid icebergs, the flat of the spear effective at steering the canoe. At times, he would spear a fish and add it to the growing pile of food in the net. Other times, he would steer while Katara continued to practice her waterbending.
Eventually, the two decided the day was beginning to wane, and turned the canoe back toward the mainland. Sokka was content to paddle the rest of the way back, allowing Katara to continue waterbending. She would attempt to form shapes out of the water, manipulate the currents, or move icebergs from their path, often accomplishing everything with little results. It only served to sour her mood, and Sokka decided to broach the subject.
"Perhaps you should call it quits for today," he suggested.
Katara sighed in frustration. "I'm so close, Sokka, I know it! I just want to get something right!" She grit her teeth in anger as she glared at the water that wouldn't obey her commands. "Every time we go out hunting, you're always the one that brings back the food, not me!"
Sokka smiled patiently at his younger sister. "That's not true, Katara. You're an able hunter yourself."
"But nowhere near as you!" she yelled into the air. "I'm sick and tired of not being able to contribute more effectively to the tribe! If I only knew waterbending!" She slapped the water's edge in frustration…
…and shot the canoe off-course as the currents obeyed her gesture.
"Spirits!" Sokka cried out, thrown back by the sudden and violent change of course. Katara clung to the canoe as the boat was pulled into a natural current that threatened to overturn the small vessel, wondering what she just did. Sokka used all his paddling experience in an attempt to shoot them out of the current, slowing the canoe by putting the flat of the spear against the current before surging forward with all the strength he had to turn the boat out of the current. Nothing worked, however, and Sokka could feel they were in great danger.
"Look out!" Katara cried out as she pointed at a large iceberg. "Left! Go left!" Sokka paddled as quickly and with as much strength as he could muster, but could feel the current's unyielding force not letting them go.
"Hold on!" he yelled as he saw the iceberg fill his vision, and braced himself against the canoe. The canoe thumped against the iceberg with enough force to fling both brother and sister out of the boat and onto the ice. Sokka rolled twice before landing on his stomach, stopping his slide with a stab of his hunting knife into the ice. As Katara rolled past him, he grabbed her arm to stop her from plummeting into the freezing water. He hauled her up onto the iceberg as he felt the body of frozen water settle after the jolt, stabilizing enough that he could rise to his hands and knees without slipping.
"That was close," he said, looking at Katara to see if she was hurt. He was relieved to see that she wasn't. At least, not physically.
"That's just great," she said as she sat up. "Just great. Not only does my waterbending not work when I need it to, but when it does, it gets us stranded without a canoe to get home." Sokka looked in the direction of their canoe and saw, with distress, that it was a shattered remains of bone and skin now. He stood with some difficulty, trying not to slip, and looked around at their situation as Katara came to her knees.
All around them, icebergs and water surrounded them. The mainland wasn't visible from where they were. Huge ice floes drifted across the sea, and the sun was setting on the horizon. Sokka gave it two more hours before the sun completed its five hour trek across the sky, and the South Pole would be encased in another nineteen hour night. He didn't want to admit it, but this was bad. Nights were bad on the South Pole. A man could freeze before the sun rose again if he didn't find shelter from the temperature.
"Let's just calm down. Anger won't help us here," Sokka reaffirmed, wishing he felt confident in his own words.
Katara sighed. "I'm sorry, Sokka."
Sokka turned to her. "No. Don't be. Accidents happen. We'll get out of this."
Katara stood on shaky legs as she grew accustomed to the sways of the iceberg. "I hope you're right."
The two tribesmen sat on the iceberg for almost an hour, huddled together to keep warm, all the while looking for ways to get back to the mainland. Sokka had brought up the idea of jumping from iceberg to iceberg as the bodies of frozen water crossed the ocean, but quickly shot the idea down himself. The ice was much too slippery for their boots. They would be lucky to not fall in the ocean. And if they did, they wouldn't even have to wait for nightfall to freeze to death. He considered the possibility of at least making it to a smaller iceberg that was thinner and closer to the water. He could paddle their way to the mainland, much like their canoe. But he didn't know how well an iceberg could maneuver in the currents, or if it could survive a collision with another iceberg. But he didn't give up hope. He continued looking for ways out of their predicament.
Katara, meanwhile, tried every which way to manipulate the water. Her waterbending got them into this mess; it could certainly get them out. But despite her attempts at patience, she quickly found that she wasn't going to be waterbending them back home any time soon.
Finally, Sokka took a seat beside Katara, his hood pulled up to protect his face from the wind. "Katara…" he began. "I hate to say it…but this might be it."
Katara hung her head as he uttered those words. She had guessed this might be it, but to hear someone else say it brought it to life. "Yeah…" she replied. "I guess this is."
Sokka put an arm around his sister. "I just want you to know that I love you. You're a great sister, and you were one of the reasons I kept going in life."
Katara sniffled as she also put an arm around her brother. "And I love you. You were always strong for me when I needed you to be. You were always patient. You were a good brother."
The two sat, huddled together, preparing for the end when they witnessed an event so magical, it defied reasoning.
Two ice floes collided near the tribesmen's own iceberg, the huge bodies breaking up from the force of the impact. As the ice fell around them, Sokka and Katara held each other close, struggling to stay on the iceberg as it tossed in the ensuing waves. As Sokka and Katara watched, however, an eerie blue light formed on the water surface, growing rapidly. Sokka and Katara stared in confusion and amazement, wondering what they were looking at when a giant frozen sphere surfaced between the ice floes. The sphere glowed a bright blue, unlike anything Sokka or Katara had ever seen before. It looked almost like the celestial lights they saw from time to time in the sky, and yet… something about this sphere seemed different.
Katara was the first to see it. As she gazed at the sphere in amazement, she saw something…inside. She squinted to better see, and gasped as she recognized the silhouette.
A man was inside!
"Sokka!" she said, all thoughts of death forgotten. "I can see someone in there!"
"Huh?" Sokka said in shock. "Who?"
Katara looked at him incredulously. "I don't know who, idiot, but I know someone is in there!" She looked for a way across and saw pieces of the ice floe dotting the ocean between their iceberg and the sphere. Without thinking, she quickly and nimbly jumped from one iceberg to another, crossing the distance to the sphere and taking a closer look inside.
"Katara!" Sokka cried out, crossing the distance and coming up beside her. "Be careful! We don't know who's in there, or even what put him in there!" He looked around to see if anyone else was around that could explain this phenomenon. He had certainly never seen something like this naturally. It could only be explained by a human.
Katara continued staring inside the sphere, her gloved hands pressed against the ice as she gazed at the form inside. It looked like a man sitting down, fists pressed together in some form of meditation. An arrow glowed with bright white light on his head, as well as on both of his hands. As she stared, she thought she could see him move…
…and suddenly, his eyes opened, encompassed with the same white light.
She gasped. "He's alive!" She turned to Sokka as her brother stared in shock at the form inside the ice. He gently nudged her aside, unsheathing his club. "Stand back." He brought the club down with shattering force against the ice to see only the smallest of dents. The ice was thicker than anything he had seen. Still, he wailed away at the ice, making a bigger dent as fast as he could. For all he knew, the man could be dying in there.
As he chipped away at the ice, he could swear he was feeling the ice beneath him move. He stopped and looked at Katara, her face all he needed to confirm his suspicions. We need to get off this ice now! "Go!" He cried out, and Katara turned without waiting for him, leaping onto an iceberg drifting by at that moment. He also leapt onto a passing iceberg, looking back at the sphere just in time to witness another unexplainable event.
A giant crack ripped through the entire sphere from top to bottom, and a bright pillar of light erupted from the top of the sphere into the sky. Sokka averted his eyes, the light was so blinding, and when the light faded, he saw that the topmost portion of the sphere had melted away. He stared as the figure inside the sphere came into view, stepping onto the edge of the sphere, and Sokka felt his breath catch in his throat.
The man was glowing! His eyes were white and glowing, and formations on his skin, shaped like arrows, glowed with the same white light. And Sokka couldn't really describe it, but it felt as if an aura of power rolled off this man. It was incredible and terrifying to witness at the same time.
As quickly as the moment came, it went. The man's glow subsided, and his stance faltered. Sokka suddenly knew that this man was going to fall and jumped back onto the ice to catch him…
…but Katara was suddenly there, her arms outstretched to cushion the man's fall. She crumpled under his weight and struggled to prop him up on her lap, looking at his face to see if he were still alive. She was surprised and relieved to see that he was. The man looked to be a few years younger than her, but looked healthy. His pulse was strong, and he was still warm.
"Who is this man?" Sokka asked, nudging the unconscious man with his boot. The man was dressed in an unusual manner: an orange shawl over a long-sleeved yellow shirt, an orange sash wrapped around what looked to be double-layered pants, and nimble boots reaching his knees. Definitely not winter-worthy gear. "And what's that on his head?" Sokka asked, keeping his club handy just in case this man proved to be dangerous. He traced the blue arrow on the man's head with the edge of his club, and Katara knocked it away.
"I don't know, but you shouldn't be holding your club up to his face." She glared at Sokka for a moment before looking back at the man, admiring his features. He was handsome, his face exotic with the blue tattoo and neatly trimmed brown beard lining his jaw, and as she held him, her hands could feel the muscle beneath his thin clothing. He stirred, and she gasped in relief and suspense. Slowly, his eyes opened, and she could tell even the fading light of the setting sun blinded him. There's no telling how long he's been under the water in the ice. He probably hasn't seen light in years. He opened his mouth to speak, but could only manage a rasping whisper. Katara quickly pulled her waterskin from her belt and tipped it up into the man's mouth. He drank greedily, and only after she pulled away the waterskin did he swallow and try again to speak. Even then, he could barely speak.
"Please…" he whispered. "Where am I?"
Surprised, Katara hesitated before answered, "You're at the South Pole."
The man took a few deep breaths, and Katara just then noticed that he had begun to shiver. "What year is it?"
Katara and Sokka looked at each other before the waterbender replied, "It's the year of the Ram, ninety-nine years after Sozin's Comet."
The man hesitated. "What?" he asked, struggling to sit up on his own. Katara helped him into a sitting position, cradling his shoulder in case he fell backwards. "Sozin's Comet?" Katara stared at the man as he struggled to collect his thoughts, his eyes darting in their sockets. He turned to her. "What do you mean, 'Sozin's Comet?'" he asked.
Katara furrowed her eyebrows. "The... comet Firelord Sozin used to start the war... almost one hundred years ago."
"War?!" the man asked, looking dumbfounded. He looked to both of the tribesmen, concerned at their unwavering expressions.
"Yes," she said, nodding. She cocked her head at the man as he cradled his head in his hands. "Who are you?"
The man rested his forearms on his thighs as he sighed. "My name is Aang, of the Air Nomads."
"Wait a second," Sokka interjected. "Air Nomads?"
Aang nodded. "Yes." He looked up at Sokka and cocked an eyebrow at the older man's expression. "Surely you've heard of them."
Sokka nodded. "Yeah, we've heard about them, but only in stories. As far as I knew, the Air Nomads were extinct."
Aang's face took on a look of shock. "Extinct? Impossible. The Air Nomads couldn't have been wiped out." He stood shakily, and Katara continued holding him up, just to make sure he was stable. "My people wouldn't be found if they didn't want to be." He nodded at Katara as he moved away from her and looked up into the ice formation he had come from. "Just a moment, please. I have to check on an old friend." With a quick blast of air, he sailed ten feet into the sphere, out of Sokka and Katara's sight.
"Whoa!" Sokka exclaimed. "He really is an airbender!" He looked at Katara and saw the same surprised expression on her face. Without waiting, Sokka and Katara scrambled up the ice after the man.
What they found added to their list of surprises that day.
"What is that!?" Sokka asked. Aang was currently crouched in front of some sort of…creature. A very large creature that had horns and was covered in fur.
Aang looked back at the two siblings, smiling. "This is my friend, Appa. He's a sky bison." Aang turned back to waking the massive bovine, leaving the two tribesmen to stare in wonder.
"Sky bison!?" Sokka asked. He looked at Katara, as if she had an explanation, but only received a confused shrug.
"Come on, Appa. It's time to get up." Aang gently rubbed the bison's cheek as he patted the bison's nose. "We have to get moving." The huge animal stirred under its master's touch, emitting what sounded like a threatening growl. Sokka and Katara took a step back, the former unsheathing his club, and Aang laughed good-naturedly. "He won't hurt you. He's just tired." Katara saw his face grow more somber. "If what you say is true... If I really have been frozen for a hundred years, I imagine he's as tired as I am."
Appa eventually relented, standing with a protesting groan and shaking the snow from his fur. Aang turned back to the two tribesmen, hands on his hips. "Well, you've met Appa and me." He gestured to them. "What are your names?"
Sokka gestured to himself. "I'm Sokka, current leader of the Southern Water Tribe." He put his hand on Katara's shoulder as she bowed in respect. "This is my sister, Katara."
"It's nice to see another bender around here, even if they aren't of my element." Katara smiled at Aang.
"You're a waterbender?" he asked, and Katara nodded. Aang smiled. "Wonderful!" He looked at Sokka. "Do you have any bending talents?"
Sokka shook his head, hand on his hip. "No, I'm just a normal man." He looked at his sister, gesturing to her with a gloved hand. "Katara is the only waterbender at the South Pole, actually."
Shocked, Aang stared at Katara before sadness crossed his face. "What exactly has been happening since I've been gone?"
Sokka and Katara looked at each other before Sokka gestured out to sea. "Perhaps we should get back to the village first. We can explain everything there." He looked past Aang at Appa. "Considering its name, does Appa fly?"
Aang nodded with a smile. "Right!" He turned and jumped up onto Appa's head, grabbing the reigns and ushering the bison forward. "Hop on. I'll get you to your village in no time." The two tribesmen climbed into the huge saddle on Appa's back, and Aang pointed forward. "C'mon, Appa! Yip-yip!"
With a roar, the bison leapt from the ice and into the sea in a single bound. Sokka yelped in surprise, but Katara laughed with excitement. "Where are the harnesses on this thing?" Sokka asked as he gripped the saddle with a white-knuckled grip, causing more laughter from Katara.
Aang looked back with a grin of his own. "There are none. You just have to hold on tight!" Aang turned back to the sea, steering Appa through the ice fields before beckoning one of the tribesmen to him. "I think Appa's tired. It's probably best if he just swims for now. Because of that, I'm going to need some directions, if one of you wants to help me navigate."
Before Sokka could move up to Aang's side, Katara was there, sitting next to the airbender with a grin. "Just follow around that bend," Katara said, pointing at a large ice floe to their left. "If you keep traveling in that direction, you'll reach the mainland. Our village isn't too far from there."
Aang nodded. "You hear that, Appa? We'll be on dry land soon." He rubbed the bison's head, earning a cheerful grumble. He looked at Katara. "So you're a waterbender."
Katara looked away, ashamed. "Well... I guess I am. I'm not very good, though."
Aang smiled sympathetically at her, leaning his forearms on his knees as he looked at her. "Have you had proper teaching in waterbending?"
Katara looked at him as she shook her head. "No, I haven't. The only waterbenders I can think of would be at the North Pole on the other side of the world. Not much choice there."
"She doesn't give herself enough credit," Sokka called out from the saddle. "For not having a teacher, she's got a grip on the basics of it, I think. Not that I know what she's doing."
Aang laughed. "Bending the elements takes years to master. It's rare to be able to do more than make the slightest ripples in water for a few years."
"But that's thing!" Katara protested, her hands clenched as she recalled the difficulty she had when she tried to bend water. "I've been trying to waterbend for more than ten years and I still haven't been able to do much more than make ripples!" She sighed in frustration before looking at Aang. "And how would you know how fast a waterbender learns?"
Aang smiled. "I had many friends that were waterbenders. We all recounted the troubles we had bending our respective elements." He pulled left on Appa's reigns to avoid an iceberg as he looked at Katara. "Waterbending requires patience and an adaptive spirit." Aang pointed to the water flowing around Appa. "Look how the water changes to Appa's form as he swims through. It doesn't resist, merely adapts. Waterbending is the same. You must adapt and change with the situation, keeping a calm and graceful demeanor."
"But water can sometimes resist," Katara argued. "If you enter a current, you'll find the water is difficult, if not impossible to counter."
"And waterbenders can command water to do the same thing. But just as the water is merely adapting to the strong winds or terrain it encounters, so too must your will be ever-changing, adapting to your situation. You must be malleable, like water, or you will never learn waterbending."
Katara looked down thoughtfully as she considered Aang's words for a time. Eventually, she raised her head and asked another question. "How do you know what it's like to be a waterbender? I thought you were an airbender."
Aang nodded. "I am. But I had friends that were waterbenders. Remember those talks I mentioned about the troubles of bending our elements? How to bend our elements in the first place was also talked about." He held up a finger, as if to drive the point. "For instance, airbending requires a free spirit, nimbly dodging and evading a person's strikes. But, at the same time that I dodge an opponent's strike, my movements are winding up the air for an offensive attack. Waterbending is different. You guide your opponent's attacks, deflecting them and even turning them against themselves, much like water guides these icebergs." Aang gestured to the ice around Appa.
Katara nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I think I get it. For an airbender, you seem to know a lot about waterbending."
Aang nodded. "My friends and I talked a lot." He laughed before returning to steering Appa.
They drifted through the water for a time before Katara asked another question.
"Hey, Aang? This might seem like a weird question...but did you know who the next Avatar was? After the Fire Nation Avatar?"
Aang was silent for a moment, and Katara thought that was suspicious, but he answered before she could voice it. "I knew of him," he said quietly. "He was an airbender, like me. But I never met him."
"I'm sorry, Katara said. "I thought maybe you would know where he went. After the last Avatar died, we hadn't heard of him. Even when the war started, we heard nothing of him." Katara sighed, hanging her head dejectedly. "I just want this war to be over."
Aang thought about asking her to clarify about this 'war' they were talking about, a feeling of trepidation creeping into his stomach. Without warning, however, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. Slowly, his eyelids closed, and though he knew he shouldn't sleep, it was all he wanted to do. Katara must have seen it, for she put a hand on his shoulder, concern etched on her face. "Aang?"
He jolted up, returning his eyes back to the sea. But his focus wasn't there. And he knew it. "I'm sorry," he said. "I think I'm still weary from escaping that ice formation. I just...want to sleep."
Katara nodded, looking at the setting sun. "Perhaps you should go back to the saddle and rest. If Appa doesn't mind me steering, I can lead us home. Navigating through these waters at night is treacherous, but my brother and I have experience."
Aang nodded. "What do you say, buddy?" Appa growled his agreement and the airbender nodded. "I'm sorry for you having to do this," he said to Katara as he crawled to the saddle.
"Don't be!" Katara assured as she took up the reigns. "You need rest. You must be exhausted. I can handle it from here."
Aang nodded sleepily as he collapsed on the saddle, sleep quickly taking over.
. . . . .
Aang woke suddenly to the sound of voices. Of laughter. He looked around and saw that he was in a tent of sorts, lying in a sleeping bag over a straw flooring. The laughter was from children, and Aang guessed he was in the Southern Water village. He sat up with a groan, rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he heard the tent flap open.
"Aang!" Katara was there, smiling at him. "Did you have a good rest?"
Aang lay back down as he stretched, the satisfying tingling traveling throughout his entire body. "I did," he groaned. "Thank you."
"Great!" Katara exclaimed cheerfully. "Go ahead and get dressed. I'd like you to meet my village."
Aang nodded as he sat up. "I'd like that." In one quick motion, he airbent himself to a standing position and retrieved his clothes, pulling his shirt over his torso...
...but not before Katara was mesmerized by his blue tattoos lining his arms and back. As his shirt slid over the marks, Katara snapped back to reality and, blushing, stepped away from the tent to give Aang privacy.
He emerged moments later, the sudden white of the entire village momentarily blinding him. As his eyes adjusted to the bright reflection of the sun on snow, he saw with surprise that the snow wasn't simply covering every structure in a blanket of white, like he expected… Every structure was made of snow!
His surprise was an exact mirror of the villagers. There were only a dozen or so villagers, and Aang noticed that all of them were either female, children, or elderly. Each was dressed in the same fashion: A blue anorak and trousers lined with white fur, mittens and mukluks. Each stared at him as if he had three heads.
Katara ushered him near the villagers, directing him with a hand on his back. "Aang," Katara said, waving her hand to the village. "Meet the village. Everyone, this is Aang."
Aang knew he should have bowed, but didn't. He couldn't. His muscles were paralyzed as he looked upon the 'entire village.' "This is your entire village?" he asked Katara.
Katara nodded sadly. "Our men sailed off to the Earth Kingdom years ago, when I was a child. This is all that remains."
Aang looked between the villagers and Katara, as if to see if such a thing were really true. It was almost too horrible to believe. The look on their faces, however, lent credence to Katara's words. "Katara, I'm sorry," he said, unable to truly understand just how she was feeling.
Before Katara could reply, an older woman stepped up, addressing Aang. She was bent over from old age, her hair as white as the snow of her village. Aang saw that her hair was in a similar style to Katara's, and that the woman seemed to bear other similarities to the young waterbender: her eyes had the same hardened look, and she gave off an air of tough compassion. "Forgive us for our hesitance, young Aang," she said, honoring him as a guest at her village, "but you are the first airbender we've seen in over one hundred years."
"One hundred years?" Aang asked, shocked. He looked at Katara, knowing then that she and her brother had been telling the truth. He looked back at the old woman. "How is this possible?"
The old woman's features took on a look of sadness, and she seemed to droop even further to the ground. It was as if she was suddenly exhausted from a long day. "Perhaps we should talk in private," she said quietly, and Aang could tell he had stirred up emotions that weighed heavily on the woman.
Aang nodded and followed the old woman to her home, a snow structure on the edge of the village. Despite its looks, it was actually quite sturdy, and the snow felt like a wall when Aang laid a hand on it while stooping to enter the house. It was dark in her home. No windows were placed in the wall, nor did she have any lanterns to light the room. The old woman gestured for Aang to sit on one side of a cooking pit dug into the center of the building, sitting only after he had. Katara disappeared into another part of the small house, returning with a metal spit and pot and placing it over the pit. She filled it with snow and retreated back into the house for more supplies. She returned with dark lumps, placing them into the pit, and only when she knelt down at the pit did Aang see that the lumps were clumps of animal dung. Being an ambassador for his people, he knew the Water Tribe had to rely on other sources of fuel to start fires, though he had momentarily forgotten what type of sources they used. She struck flint rocks together, successfully catching the dung on fire before settling down near Aang.
Katara began with the introductions. "Aang, this is my grandmother, Kanna."
Aang bowed his head in deference as he formed a sign of respect with his hands. "It's an honor to meet you, elder."
"Hmm." Kanna said, eyeing the airbender critically. She pulled at her arthritic hands as she considered him. "So you're truly an airbender."
Aang nodded, visibly distressed and not at all distracted as Katara rose to move out of sight again, likely accomplishing another task. "Yes. Please, why have you not seen my people in so long? The Air Nomads and the Southern Water Tribe were on good relations when I was last here."
"Really…" Kanna said, stroking her chin. "How long ago was that?" She accepted the shawl Katara brought to her, waving the waterbender away as she focused on Aang.
Aang hung his head. "I… don't know." He searched his memory for anything that would tell him just how long he had been frozen, but nothing was forthcoming. "I only remember riding on Appa, my sky bison. I was on my way here, to the Southern Water Tribe. Midway, a storm forced us down into the ocean. I blacked out, and when I awoke, it was to your granddaughter's face." He looked at Katara, the waterbender adding more snow to the pot as it melted, before looking back at Kanna. "That's truly all I remember."
Kanna continued stroking her chin in thought. "That's quite a story. But it doesn't tell us how long you were in that ice. Or how you got there in the first place." She clasped her hands together and leaned forward. "Perhaps you can tell me about the relationship of the four nations as you remember them." She smiled at Katara as the waterbender added tea leaves to the water, brewing up tea for their guest.
Hesitant at first, Aang nodded. "I remember the Air Nomads, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and Fire Nation were peaceful towards each other. I remember Puyi was the Earth King, Sozin was the Fire Lord, and Komi was the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe. Haraku was the Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and…" He suddenly stopped, noticing Kanna's sudden intake of air, as well as her suddenly freezing in the middle of reaching for a small glass of tea Katara was offering, at the mention of Haraku. "Did you know Haraku?" Aang asked.
Kanna nodded slowly, and when she answered, her voice was quieter than before. "Yes. He was my father." She drank her tea, offering nothing more in explanation.
Aang's eyes grew wide at her implication. "Your father? But I don't remember him having any children!" He accepted a cup from Katara as well, holding it near his lap but not drinking.
Kanna nodded again. "Yes. My father was the chieftain of this tribe since before I was born, over eighty years ago."
"Eighty years…" Aang whispered to himself, the realization setting in.
"I know this will come as a shock to you, Aang," Kanna said, "but however you survived the freezing depths of the ocean, you did it for more than eighty years. If you don't remember my father having a daughter, then you knew him before I was born."
Aang's thoughts were a turmoil, memories flying through his head faster than he could think. Was it possible? I froze myself to survive, and lived unchanged in ice for over one hundred years?
"I…" he started, looking for the words he couldn't find. "I've been frozen for over one hundred years." He looked at his hands but didn't really see them. He heard Katara take a seat next to him but didn't notice her. He thought of his friends, of his fellow monks at the temples before remembering what Kanna had said. We haven't seen an airbender in over one hundred years. He looked at Kanna, and even in her failing sight she could see the desperation that lined his face. "Please. Tell me everything that's happened within the last one hundred years."
Kanna nodded, taking another drink of her tea. "Over one hundred years ago, the Fire Lord, Sozin, launched a devastating attack against the other nations. It was only possible because of a comet that blazed through the atmosphere and magnified all firebending on an uncalculated scale. My father told me it was some time after the Avatar had died, and the reincarnation had been reborn in the Air Nomads. Sozin…" Kanna stopped, suddenly hesitant, and Aang felt that he didn't want to hear her next words. He felt Katara's hand on his forearm and almost jumped, forgetting she was there.
He held her gaze, his eyes demanding to know the truth. "The Avatar was born into the Air Nomads. What did Sozin do?"
"He…" Kanna started, fear and hurt in her eyes. Her cup trembled, and Katara leaned over to place a comforting hand on the older woman's arm. Kanna instead gave the cup to her granddaughter, huddling in on herself as if to stave off a brutal cold. "He led an attack on all four temples. He intended to kill the Avatar before he or she was fully realized. We don't know if any airbenders survived."
Aang's heart dropped like a stone. His face was paralyzed with fear, the thought of his people extinct impossible to fathom.
"It didn't stop there," Katara continued, having moved over to hold her grandmother close. "The Fire Lord attacked every nation across the world. My tribe was whittled down to what you see now. Even my mother…" she stopped, and Aang's heart dropped even further into the abyss. He could guess what she had tried to say.
"Even after Sozin died, his son carried on his will and continued the war." Kanna sighed, shaking her head with sadness. "We've been at war ever since, trying to survive with what little we can find while evading the Fire Nation. Only recently did the men of our village rise up and sail to the Earth Kingdom to coordinate a counterattack against the Fire Nation's march."
Aang nodded. "Has there been any word of their success? Have they stopped the Fire Nation's advances?"
Kanna shook her head. "We've heard nothing. The Fire Nation still stalks our waters, and no one seems to be able to stop them. Only the Avatar could hope to stop them, but we think he or she was killed long ago, during the attack on the Air Nomad temples."
Aang nodded again, staring at the ground. He didn't speak, and Katara laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, knowing it must be hard to accept. "I'm sorry, Aang."
Aang shook his head. "No. I'm sorry." When he looked up again, it was with a look of determination. "I've been away from the world for too long. It's time I bring it back into balance." Without warning, his eyes and tattoos flickered with a white light before returning to normal.
Kanna gasped. "You… You're the Avatar?!" Aang nodded and Kanna broke into a grin of relief. "Oh, thank the spirits! We're saved!"
Katara had removed her hand from Aang in surprise, her eyes wide. "But you said you weren't the Avatar!"
Aang nodded as he looked down. "I know. But after you mentioned a war, I didn't know what the world was like. I didn't even know if you were telling the truth. I'm sorry, but I couldn't trust you." He looked at Katara with sympathy. "But seeing what you've gone through, and after everything you've told me, I see you were truthful." He looked at Kanna. "There is a war, and it's up to me to stop it." He stood, bowing to Kanna as Katara helped her grandmother up. "I'm truly sorry for intruding, elder, and I'm honored to have been housed here. But I must travel to the Northern Water Tribe to assess the situation with your sister tribe."
Kanna nodded. "Yes, if you think that is best, honored Avatar." The old woman gave a deep bow of respect to Aang as the airbender exited the house, looking around for Appa. The bison wasn't hard to find, huddled into a snow bank, his six legs tucked under his stomach to keep warm. Sokka was standing near Appa, sharpening the edge of his club with a whetstone, looking up and smiling at Aang as the younger man approached.
"Aang. Did Gran-gran catch you up?" The warrior sheathed his club as Aang stopped a few feet from him.
Aang nodded. "Yes. I have a lot of work to do." Sokka cocked his head, and Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed again, very briefly, before returning to normal.
Sokka's eyes widened as he understood, and he went to one knee, hands formed into a sign of respect. "Honored Avatar, please forgive my disrespect. I didn't know."
Aang beckoned him up. "Rise. You pay homage to no one. That is the very thing I aim to stop." He looked at Katara and Sokka before looking at the village. The villagers had returned to their normal activities; women were sewing clothes from animal skins or preparing food, repairing or adding on to houses or scolding children. The children themselves ran about the village, playing and laughing, and Aang smiled at the sight. "If the Fire Nation is truly as you say they are, they must be stopped. A scene like this is beautiful." He gestured to the entire village as he spoke. "I would have it stay that way."
Katara stopped Aang as he made to mount Appa. "Wait. Do you still doubt us about the Fire Nation?"
Aang shook his head. "You've given me no reason to doubt you. But I must still have the other nations' accounts before I take action." He looked down, somber. "And I must find out what has become of my own people…"
Katara cocked an eyebrow. "But if you have to get the consent of each nation, that could take weeks or months. We don't have that kind of time."
Aang shook his head. "One man won't make that much of a difference, no matter how much power he has been bestowed. And I must hear from the other nations before I take action, or I will have made the same mistake the Fire Nation made. I will not condemn one nation based on another nation's voice. I will see the extent of this war before I decide how to balance the power."
Katara sighed, but nodded. "I suppose that's fair."
Aang tensed, already asserting his position as Avatar to those who would doubt. "It is fair. I will not make an uneducated decision." His visage softened as he spoke in a gentler tone. "I will enact justice. Your mother will be avenged, Katara. I promise you."
Katara nodded. She opened her mouth to reply but had only begun to sound out the first word when a woman ran up to Sokka.
"Sokka! Fire Nation ship off the east coast!"
Sokka was immediately ready, bursting into action. Without a second of hesitation, he ran off in the direction the woman had specified, calling out to the women of the tribe to mount the defense. Aang was impressed to see that, though they were left behind, these women were far from defenseless. They each ran in seemingly chaotic ways but quickly took up defensive positions with weapons ranging from spears and clubs to daggers, machetes and kukri.
Even as he watched, black snow started to fall around them. Katara only looked at it once before she grabbed Aang's hand and pulled him in the direction Sokka had run. "C'mon, Aang! You have to help us!" Aang nodded but hesitated.
"Hold on just a second." He leapt into Appa's saddle and grabbed a long staff, an heirloom given to him by a good friend when he was ten years old. He jumped back down and nodded at Katara, and together the two took off towards the east coast.
They scaled the wall surrounding the village, gazing east to watch for the ship. A thick fog clung to the water's surface, making it hard to see, and Aang briefly considered waving the fog away with airbending before a massive shadow became visible in the fog. Aang watched with determination as the shape became larger and larger, eventually turning into the Fire Nation ship they had heard about.
It was smaller than the Fire Nation ships he was used to, and its design had definitely gone through a change. It was sleeker, and completely made of metal, and was definitely more fearsome than he remembered. Fire Nation ships from his time were still made of wood, and were larger and bulkier than what he saw here. This boat was a warship.
As he watched the ship come closer, he noticed with regret that they had no intentions of stopping. He looked at Katara and Sokka, as well as the few women that had joined them up on the wall, and knew this was not a time to hide his abilities. He needed to protect these people.
Looking back at the ship, he raised his hands and, in a fluid and graceful gesture, crashed a wave against the left side of the ship. Continuing the gesture, he brought a wave to the other side and, in one final fluid motion, froze the water, trapping the ship just off the east coast.
He ignored the startled looks he was getting from the tribesmen, instead leaping into the air with airbending, soaring all the way to the ship's bow, where he landed with feline grace. As he stood, he saw Fire Nation infantry prepared for a battle, hunkered down in a traditional stance. Their armor was intimidating, crafted to look like devils with white skulls. But the man in the middle was even more intimidating, if Aang were to be intimidated. He had a shaved head except for a ponytail, and had a scowl that could melt the ice wall of the village. But his most noticeable feature was the dark red scar over one half of his face. It looked like a terrible burn, and Aang briefly wondered how the man got such a horrible scar.
He brought his attention back to the here and now, twirling his staff before slamming the butt into the floor, glaring at the Fire Nation soldiers. "Why have you come here?"
The scarred one stepped forward, glaring at Aang. A fury hid behind his scowl, something Aang was unprepared for. It was as if his anger were directed at Aang himself, but he had never met the man. "We've come for the Avatar! Are you him?"
Aang looked at the other soldiers before returning his gaze to the scarred one. "I am."
The scarred man's scowl deepened, and without warning he rushed forward, delivering a powerful kick that ignited the air in fire. Aang turned a full 360 degrees, his staff sweeping the air. He broke the fiery attack with a wall of air before thrusting his hand toward his attackers and slamming them in the chest with a solid wave of air.
He ceased his attack, hoping they would rethink their decision to attack. As the soldiers struggled to rise, Aang saw an older man step up from the lower decks, dressed in red robes and hair tied in a topknot. He hesitated as he took sight of the scene, and the scarred man yelled out. "Uncle! It's the Avatar!" Aang saw the older man glare at him, but he made no move to attack. They stared each other down before Aang decided to speak.
"You should turn back! I have no desire to kill you!"
The old man still stared at him, and the scarred man rose to a knee, clutching his chest as he glared at Aang. "What are you waiting for, Uncle? Kill him!"
"Silence, Prince Zuko!" the man yelled before turning to the Avatar. His sudden fury at this 'Prince Zuko' was suddenly replaced with a respectful, almost fearful silence as he considered Aang. "You are truly the Avatar?"
Aang's tattoos and eyes glowed briefly in reply.
The man nodded. "I see. It seems we are in a difficult position, honored Avatar. I am here supporting my nephew in his endeavors, one of which is to capture you alive and return you to the Fire Nation. Doing this will restore his honor among his people. But you, I sense, have a great purpose of your own."
Aang nodded. "I do. I have heard that the Fire Nation has made war on the other nations. My aim is to find out why and bring an end to the war." His eyes glowed briefly. "The world will be balanced."
The old man nodded. "I understand. And I hope, considering the circumstances I have been placed in, you will understand my actions." He allowed only a moment's notice before he began his attack. Aang swept the fire aside, but noticed the strength of this man exceeded the scarred man's by a great amount. Though he seemed fragile and weak, the portly man was very powerful in the art of firebending. As the old man pressed his fiery attack, the scarred man and his soldiers stood, recovered during the old man and Aang's brief conversation, and threw their might into the attack. Aang twirled his staff in circles, deflecting or dissipating the fire before bring the staff down on the ship. A massive wave of air surged forward, destroying any firebending attacks the men might have made, as well as knocking them down.
As they fell to the ground, Aang waved his arms, drawing water into the boat and surrounding the men. Finally, he clenched his fist, freezing the water and trapping the men in ice, save for their head.
Aang walked up to the old man, knowing that even his power couldn't melt the ice fast enough to attack Aang. The Avatar knelt near the old man, and he saw the man's eyes grow wide with alarm. "What is your name, elder?"
The man gulped. "Iroh, of the Fire Nation."
Aang nodded. "The Fire Nation may believe their cause is just, but I believe you know the truth. I hope you gain the same courage I must have to bring balance to the world." Aang left the man speechless, standing and walking to the edge of the boat. He used his airbending to leap back onto the ice wall surrounding the village, turned to the boat and waved his arms in a waterbending stance, melting the ice trapping their boat with such magnitude, it steamed and blocked the boat from view. He began waving his arms in a circular motion, and though the others couldn't see it, he knew the water was turning the boat to face away from the village. With a final push, he formed a massive wave that carried the boat out into the ocean.
Katara stared in amazement as she witnessed waterbending she had only dreamed of. She turned to Aang to tell him how incredible he was, but the airbender wasn't there. She looked behind her and saw that both Aang and Sokka were making their way to Appa. Quickly, she leapt down and joined them, calling out to Aang.
The airbender turned to acknowledge her and spoke before she could. "Katara, I must leave." Surprised, Katara couldn't find words as Aang continued. "Those men were looking for me. I don't know how they knew I was still alive, but your village is in great danger so long as I'm here."
Katara had always been stubborn, and today proved no different. "Fine. I'm coming with you!"
Both Aang and Sokka were surprised to hear her say that. "Katara! Why would you want to travel with the Avatar!" Sokka took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. "His journey will be dangerous!" He grabbed her arm, turning her attention from the Avatar. "You can't throw yourself into that life! We need you here!"
Katara glared back, shoving her brother's hand away from her. "This might be my only chance to learn waterbending! He could teach me, and I can help him bring balance back to the world!" She looked at Aang with an almost pleading gaze. "You said yourself that no one man has enough power to bring balance to the world. You're going to need help." She brought her hand to her heart. "I offer you my loyalty, Avatar. For the good of the world."
Aang remained silent, instead looking at Sokka with a questioning glance. Sokka stood mulling over Katara's words before he sighed. "Fine. If you're going, I'm going too."
At this, Aang gasped. "You two would leave your village and travel with me willingly?" He looked between the both of them. "It will be as you say, Sokka. There will rarely be a moment we aren't in terrible danger. Just being in my presence puts you at risk."
Sokka nodded as Katara spoke. "We know, Aang. But we want to help. The Fire Nation has hurt our people long enough. It's time we do something about it."
Aang watched their faces, looking for any sign of hesitance or fear and saw none. They were truly ready to fight the Fire Nation, no matter the cost. "Very well. Gather only your necessities. We will travel lightly so as to make good time. Meet me here when you're ready."
Katara and Sokka nodded and quickly ran to their house. Sokka grabbed several weapons of choice while Katara grabbed a waterskin to aid in her waterbending. Both grabbed their provisions of food they were allotted, as well as sleeping bags and rushed back to Aang. The airbender nodded before looking past them, and the siblings turned to see their grandmother walking up to them.
"It's true, then? You're to leave with the Avatar?" She watched as both siblings nodded and sighed wearily. "Very well. It pains me to see you two leave, but if this is what you must do, then I can't stop you." She walked up to them, pulling them into an embrace. "I only ask that you two take care of yourselves. Protect the Avatar. Help him bring balance back to the world."
"We will, Gran-gran," Katara said, holding back tears as the realization hit her that she may never see her home again.
"You can count on us." Sokka assured before pulling away. "Tell Kari she's in charge now. She's ready to protect the tribe."
Kanna nodded. "I will." She looked at the Avatar and stepped closer to him. "Honored Avatar, please... Bring balance back to this world so we may live without fear. That is my only request."
Aang bowed. "Then it is one I shall complete." He nodded at her before gesturing to the two tribesmen to mount up. "Let's hurry. We have to draw that ship away from your village."
The three mounted Appa and, with a roar, the bison took off into the air, drawing gasps and cries of excitement from the ground below. Aang steered Appa towards the direction the ship had been thrown, after a short flight, found it. Aang commanded that Appa roar as loud as possible, just to make sure the scarred man would know it was the Avatar, before flying past. He hung back far enough to make sure the ship was in pursuit and, when he knew it was, urged Appa onward.
"C'mon, Appa. We have a world to save!"