Katara couldn't help but gape as not one, not two but three people stood on top of the large wall of frozen ice. One of the figures had some sort of arrow-shaped glove on its forehead, and his eyes and arrow glowing. The other two just looked as if they were standing there. Next thing they all knew, the people fell forward, groaning largely. As their figures slumped forward, she rushed towards one and shouted for Sokka to do the same. As Katara ran there, she realized the arrow-straight light shooting up in the sky stopped.
Katara managed to catch the falling person and she then looked at it. It was girl, around a year or two younger than herself. She didn't look like she had been frozen, she didn't even feel cold! Katara still got chills even when she's in her outdoor clothing. Katara could see her hair; long, brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Her skin was fair, not the type of dark tone you would see around the Water Tribe, her face was covered in freckles. She wore an orange shawl over a long-sleeved yellow shirt, an orange sash, double-layered pants with brown underneath and a loose yellow layer on top; and high boots that reach just below her knees. The clothing seemed rather odd for someone in the Water Tribe to be wearing.
Her eyes then flickered open, grey orbs staring in Katara's aqua-blue, "Huh...who're you?" Was all she asked.
Katara stared at the girl for a moment but then smiled, "I'm Katara."
The girl nods at Katara as she casually shoots up onto her feet, making the waterbender blink, "Nice name, I'm Jenna!" She smiled brightly but looked left and right. She stopped looking at something and Katara turned to see what it was and gasped.
"Sokka!" Katara shouted, seeing him poking the other person who fell with his boomerang, "Stop that!"
"What?" He yelled, "He's awake!"
They looked to see a boy wearing clothing exact to Jenna. He had no hair, being bald but his head had an arrow-shaped tattoo on his forehead, falling back on his head. They even saw it on his hands!
The mysterious boy shot up to his feet like the girl did and turned to look at Sokka, "You didn't answer my question..."
"No I do not wanna go penguin-sledding with you!" Sokka snapped, annoyed.
Jenna looked at the bald boy, "Aang, your okay!" She smiled at the boy as she then somehow floated in the air and over to him.
"Yeah, I am, Jenna. Thankfully you are as well." Aang hugged Jenna as she rushed over to him. She felt so warm and comforting. It was just what the two needed in a time like this.
"Break it up, break it up." Sokka frowned, pulling out his boomerang, "Explain yourselves!" He then felt the boomerang being tugged out of his grip. He blinked and turned to see someone holding his weapon.
It was a boy around his own age; taller than Sokka, with short black hair that seemed to defy gravity as it was spiky. His eyes were a dark yellow and seemed to have a cocky glint in them. His right hand was holding Sokka's boomerang. He wore a pair of black pants that had black and red boots on, a sort of red no sleeve over a black long-sleeve and a red headband tied over his forehead.
"Hey, give me that back!" Sokka lunged for the boomerang only for the kid to side-step. No matter how many times he tried to grab it the kid dodged his grip.
Aang and Jenna seemed to think it was funny, laughing their heads off, "Ha ha, Zac, give it back to him already!" Aang chuckled.
Zac sighed, "Alright." He tossed the boomerang to Sokka and approached the two, "Hey, arrowheads." He got them in a headlock each.
"Hey, it's just Aang who's the Arrow-head! I'm not a master of Airbending yet!" Jenna laughed, trying to wriggle out of the grip.
Aang stuck his tongue out at Zac, "Ha ha, your one to talk, ash-head!"
Zac rolled his eyes, "Your words hurt, Aang." He smirked.
Katara looked at Sokka, raising an eyebrow, "Who's that?"
Sokka was clutching his precious boomerang, "I dunno, but that guy better not take my boomerang again or I'll.." He made several hand gestures that left Katara highly confused.
Katara sighed and began to approach the three, "Are you three okay? No injuries or anything."
"Nope, we're fine, Miss!" Zac smiled brightly at Katara, dropping both Aang and Jenna as he extended a hand to her, "I'm Zac, it's nice to meet you!"
She took the hand, shaking it, "Katara." She nodded.
Aang nudged Jenna and whispered something to her. She nodded and the two scrambled over the ice and disappeared. Zac looked at where they magically evaporated and gulped, "Oh-no." He turned to run off but Katara kept her grip on his hand.
"Those two...are they Airbenders?" Katara asked, having read documents on Airbenders and knowing that the clothing they wore belong to them.
"Well, yeah, why do you seem so shocked?" Zac chuckled, running off and pulling her along with him. He stopped at the chunk of ice and frowned, "Aw man, the colds gonna totally ruin my bending." He clenched a fist and thrusted it forward, flames sprouting from it. It hit the ice, melting it.
Sokka gasped, "Katara! He's a Firebender! Get away from him!"
"Get away from me?" Zac asked, confused.
Sokka frowned, "Your probably gonna blow us into pieces the minute our backs are turned!" He growled, "Don't even think about it."
"Er...okay." Zac looked at Sokka as if he was crazy before he moved back and into the hole he burnt into the ice and smiled, seeing a familiar friend, "Appa!" He exclaimed.
Katara folded her arms, glaring at Sokka, "You could try to be nice."
"Why should I?" Sokka asked, "He's gonna attack us the moment we're weakened!" He was speaking to thin-air as Katara was already entering the hole.
Katara gazed at a large, bison-like creature. It was huge with white fur and brown arrow-shaped patches in it. Aang and Jenna were hugging the bison happily and Zac was just watching them. He glanced to see Katara and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back, "What's that?" She pointed at Appa.
"That's Appa, Aang's Flying Bison."
Sokka, who passed through the hole scoffed, "Right. And this is Katara, my flying sister."
Zac sighed, rolling his eyes as he glanced at Appa as his nose twitched. His eyes widened and he grabbed Katara's hand, "Get down!" He ducked, dragging her with him.
Just then green snot shot from Appa's nostrils, hitting Sokka.
"Ewww! Aaahh!" Sokka shouted as it coated him from head to toe.
"Don't worry, it'll wash out." Aang smiled cheerfully at Sokka.
"Ugh!"
Zac looked at Katara, "So, do you guys live around here?"
Before she had time to answer, Sokka just had to jump in, "Don't answer that! Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Nation!"
Aang and Jenna looked at one another, highly confused as to why Sokka would think Zac would work for the Fire Navy. Sure he was a firebender but he lived with the monks ever since they could remember.
"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he's a spy of the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in his eye." Katara rolled her eyes, looking at Zac whose expression was quite puzzle, an eyebrow quirked and an uneasy grin on his face, "That paranoid guy over there is my brother, Sokka."
"You're related? Boy, you two sure are different." Zac shook his head, sighing, "But then again, most people don't believe a Firebender should be around Airbenders."
"Giant light beams...flying bison...airbenders...firebenders... I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense." Sokka turned to walk off the ice but stopped as he saw only water and more ice in front of him.
"Well, if your guys are stuck Appa and us can give you a lift." Aang offered, smiling at the two siblings. He looked back at where a large saddle was strapped onto Appa's back.
"We'd love a ride! Thanks!" Katara rushed to Appa's side, following how Zac got onto him.
"Oh, no...I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster." Sokka protested, shaking his head.
Aang looked worried but Katara secretly smirked, "Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home? You know...before you freeze to death."
Sokka opened his mouth to shoot a smart comment back but paused and sighed.
As Sokka was in the saddle he pouted and crossed his arms. Katara looked excited for this to happen while Zac, Jenna and Aang looked casual, as if they did this all the time.
"Okay. First time flyers hold on tight! Appa, Yip yip!" Aang shook the reigns and Appa grumbled before his beaver-tail began flapping. He launched into the air, spreading his legs wide then plops down on the water and begins swimming forward, "Come on, Appa, Yip yip."
"Wow. That was truly amazing." Sokka's tone was sarcastic as he lay back in the saddle.
"Appa's just tired." Jenna patted the bison's head, "A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky you'll see." She waved her hand around.
Zac lay back on the saddle, looking up at the sky for a moment before he glanced at Katara for a second, "So, what were you guys doing out there?"
"We were trying to get some fish for our tribe to eat tonight." Katara explained, "We're the only people left in the Southern Water Tribe who know how to fish."
Zac blinked, "But there's so many people in that tribe! How could you two be the only ones?"
"Our tribe isn't as large as it used to be." Katara sighed, looking to see Sokka passed out in a nap, "Many people, including my father have left to join the war..."
War? Zac thought before he cleared his throat, "Oh, I see..."
Katara looked at Aang , "Aang...since you're and airbender you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Avatar."
Aang's expression changed but he quickly fixed it, "Uh...no. I didn't know him. I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry."
"Okay, just curious. Goodnight."
"Sleeptight..." Aang muttered.
Aang's eyes shot open at the sound of thunder, looking left than right to see Zac and Jenna already awake. They were all riding on Appa who was fighting to swim through the currents of the water. Jenna quickly dived down to grab Appa's reigns as the heavy rain poured down on them.
"Aaahh!" Jenna shouted.
Next thing they all knew, Appa was forced underwater, them including. After managing to get his head up briefly for air, Appa let out a groan before they were down in the water again. Zac was holding onto the saddle, as was Jenna. Aang was gripping Appa's reigns but slowly his grip loosened as he begins to lose consciousness. Jenna and Zak also let go.
As all four, including Appa began falling down Aang's tattoos and eyes began to glow in a blur of great concentration he slammed his knuckles together. Soon a ball of water surrounds them all as it slowly began to freeze over.
"Guys!" Could be heard, "Guys, wake up!"
At once, Zac, Jenna, and Aang shot up from their nightmare, gasping for air.
"It's okay. We're in the village now." Katara assured them as she placed a hand on Zac's shoulder who just looked at her. Come on, get ready. Everyone's waiting to meet you."
Zac stood up and grabbed his shirt and when Katara glanced at his back she saw a bad burn wound on his back and she lightly gasped. It didn't stop there, as Aang grabbed his shirt and hood on she saw numerous blue tattoos on his arms, legs and back. Jenna was fully dressed so Katara didn't notice anything different about her. She then turned and left the tent.
The three both looked at each other, as if knowing they both had the same nightmare. Aang and Jenna both grabbed mysterious staffs as they exited the tent and Zac just shoved his hands into his pockets. As he left the tent, he could've sworn he saw Sokka glaring at him. As the three appeared in front of a small group of people, Katara announced.
"Guys, this is the entire village. Entire village, meet Aang, Jenna and Zac."
Jenna and Aang used their Air Nomad teachings and bowed in respect to the village while Zac sighed, waving slightly.
"Why are they looking at us like that? Did Appa sneeze on us?" Jenna looked over her appearance as an old lady approached them.
"Well, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct until my granddaughter and grandson found you two." The old lady began before she shot a glare at Zac, "And the fact someone from the Fire Nation is with you."
Zac blinked, "I'm not a bad guy! I'm just a normal firebender! What's wrong with that?!"
"'Extinct'?" Both Jenna and Aang looked at each other.
"Guys, this is my grandmother." Katara introduced the old lady.
"Call me Gran Gran."
Sokka then barged in, still glaring at Zac as he snatched Aang's staff out of his grip, "What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this!"
Aang smirked, using a gust of air to summon the staff back to him, "It's not for stabbing, it's for airbending." He then opened the staff as orange wings sprout out from it, making Sokka jump.
A little girl stared at Aang in awe, "Magic trick! Do it again!"
"Not magic, Airbending." Aang corrected, "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly!"
"You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!" Sokka snapped at Aang.
Aang chuckled, looking at Jenna who grinned and nodded, "Check again." He grabbed the glider and got into position before all of a sudden he shot up and the whole village was watching as Aang flew around on the glider in the sky. He swooped and dived, enjoying the happy looks on the people's faces.
Jenna smiled, "Wait for me, Aang!" She activated her staff and then also swooped into the air, following him.
Katara watched in awe as they flew, looking at Zac, "That's amazing! How are they doing it?"
"Didn't you hear, Airbending!" Zac chuckled.
All was going well, until Aang slammed headfirst into a snow tower.
"Oof!" He grunted as he fell.
Jenna landed down beside him and laughed, "Nice flying, Aang my boy. You may be a master but I'm the better flyer"
"My watch tower!" Sokka shouted, "You see, this is their plan! Act normal and playing with us while they 'accidently' destroy our stuff!" He rushed to his tower, only for a large pile of snow to land on him, "Great, you two are airbenders, spike's an Firebender and Katara's an waterbender, together you can just waste time all day!"
"You're a waterbender?!" Aang looked up at Katara in awe.
"Well...sort of. Not yet." Katara replied.
"All right. No more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores." Gran Gran approached the waterbender and lured her away. Zac watched her go and sighed.
"I told you! Aang or Jenna is the real thing, Gran Gran! I've finally found a bender to teach me!" Katara exclaimed happily.
"Katara, try not to put all your hopes in those children." Gran Gran sighed.
"But...their special, I can tell!" Katara smiled, "I sense he's filled with much wisdom!"
Gran Gran glanced at Aang and Jenna, who were messing with the kids, their tongues on their gliders, "See, now my tongue is stuck to my staff." Aang said while Jenna said nothing and he winced as a kid pulled on his staff but then chuckled.
Gran Gran then followed Katara's gaze which was towards not the two airbenders but an certain firebender who was taking a nap on the cold ground oddly enough, "Katara, I don't mean to be rude but I noticed in your last sentence you said 'he' not 'they'."
Katara blinked, looking at her grandmother as a light blush flared her cheeks, "Uh, I didn't, uh, I..."
"Try not to get too attached with the firebender." Gran Gran sighed, turning away.
Later, Katara approached Sokka who was trying to teach a group of little boys how to fight the Fire Nation, "Sokka, have you seen Zac or the others?" She asked.
Sokka glanced to see Jenna and Zac waiting outside the large igloo slope that was the bathroom. Aang exited it, "Man, everything freezes in there!" He said, causing the little boys to laugh out loud.
"Ugh, Katara, get those two out of here! This lesson is for warriors only! And it's gonna be hard to teach what with a firebender over there!" Sokka pointed at Zac who was leaning against Jenna, fast asleep.
"Wee!" They could hear and the siblings looked to see the 'warriors' sliding down Appa's tail and over a barrier of a few sticks and Sokka's spear. Katara laughed but Sokka stormed forward.
"Stop! Stop it right now!" Sokka glared at Jenna and Aang who were sitting on Appa's head, "What's wrong with you? We don't have enough time for games with a war going on!"
"What war?" Zac asked, his head sticking out from Appa's saddle as he jumped down from the bison, "What the heck you talking about?"
Sokka stopped his glare, looking dumbfounded, "You're kidding, right?"
Zak was about to respond when he saw something and noticed Jenna and Aang didn't see it, "Ha ha, guys it's a penguin!" The penguin blinked and quickly turned to waddle away, "Hehe!" Zak rushed forward after the penguin.
"Wait, what?!" Jenna and Aang jumped down, "Hey! Wait up, Zac!" They charged after him.
"Their kidding, right?" Sokka glanced at Katara.
Katara didn't respond but she headed off towards the place most penguins lived, "Guys?!"
Aang, Jenna and Zac were trying to get a penguin, "Hey! C'mon, little guy, wanna go sledding?" Zac asked, diving for a penguin as it jumped ahead and he hit the ground, "Oof!"
"Still have your way with the animals, Zac." Aang had a sarcastic tone as he and Jenna laughed before they looked at Katara, "When we were little he'd copy what an animal did, like so." Aang spread his arms wide and started quaking like a penguin as he walked like the animal as he followed it, causing Katara to giggle as she glanced at Zac who turned red in embarrassment.
Katara looked at Jenna and Aang who were both holding onto the tail of the same penguin, "Guys, I'll teach you how to get a penguin, if one of you teach me waterbending."
Aang and Jenna looked at each other and grinned, "You got a deal!" Before Aang sighed, "Just one little problem." He used air to guide himself and Jenna onto their feet, "We're airbenders, not a waterbender. Isn't there someone in your tribe who can teach you?"
"No, you're looking at the only waterbender in the whole south pole." Katara looked away.
"This isn't right, a waterbender needs to master water." Aang frowned, before he got an idea, "What about the north pole? There's another water tribe up there, right? Maybe they have waterbenders who can teach you!"
"Maybe." Katara crossed her arms, "But we haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly turn right at the second glacier. It's on the other side of the world!"
Zac smiled, appearing beside her, "But you forget, Aang has a flying bison! Appa and we can personally fly us to the North Pole! Katara, we're gonna find you a master!"
"That's..." Katara looked away from Zac, "I mean, I don't know. I never left home before.."
"You can think about it." Jenna grinned as she lopped an arm around Aang's neck, "In the meantime, can you teach us to catch one of these penguins?"
"Okay, listen closely my young pupils." Katara smiled, "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art." She pulled out a fish, "Observe." She tossed it to Aang and when he caught it all of the penguins approached him.
Aang grinned, "Hehe, haha!" He began laughing before they began to overpower him.
A while later, laughs could be heard as four penguins jumped off a slope, Aang, Jenna, Katara and Zac each on one; as they swerved down the mountain, Aang and Jenna launched into the air higher than they should be using airbending.
Katara turned to grin at Zac, "I haven't done this since I was a kid!"
"You still are a kid!" Zac smiled at her.
Just then, they both went through some sort of slope. As they happily glided down towards it, Katara and Jenna didn't notice as Zac and Aang both fell down a hole as the two girls slipped out of the tunnel, the penguins stopping. Jenna got off the penguin, "Whoa, what's that?" She approached a large ship.
"A Fire Navy ship." Katara sighed, "And a very bad memory for my people."
Jenna began to step towards it, "Jenna, stop! We're not allowed to go near it, the ship may be booby trapped!" Katara argued, "Besides, Zac and Aang are missing! We better go find them!"
"They probably found a shortcut and are already home." Jenna turned to smile, "Anyways, if you wanna be a bender, you have to let go of fear."
Katara stopped and gritted her teeth as she began to follow Jenna inside the ship. After looking the place over they discovered a torn piece of metal which they could enter through.
They walked through numerous hallways made of metal, pipes everywhere. Soon, the two entered a room with numerous weapons in it, "This ship has haunted my tribe ever since Gran Gran was a little girl. It was a part of the Fire Nation's first attacks."
"Okay, back-up." Jenna turned, "Me, Zac and Aang have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation and I've never seen any war!"
Katara blinked, "Jenna, how long we're you guys in that iceberg?"
"I don't know...a few days, maybe?"
"I think it was more like a hundred years." Katara's eyes widened.
"What!?" Jenna looked shocked, "That's impossible! Do me or Aang look like a hundred-and-twelve-year-old to you?! Or does Zak look like an hundred-and-seventeen-year-old-man?"
"Think about it." Katara explained, "The war is a century old. You guys don't know about it, because somehow you guys were in there the whole time. It's the only explanation."
Jenna's expression went to one of horror. She fell back and sat down, "A hundred years? I can't believe it."
Katara crouched down beside her, placing a hand on her back, "I'm sorry, Jenna. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to this."
"I did get to meet you. But then again, that's more of what Zac's thankful for." Jenna smiled.
Katara blinked, "What?" She asked.
"Oh nothing." Jenna got to her feet, "Let's get out of here."
Jenna wanted to visit one more room, then another, then another, "Jenna, let's head back, this place is creepy." Katara frowned before Jenna waddled into a pile of snow, her foot hitting a string as a gate slammed down on the door of the room.
"What's that you said about booby traps?" Jenna asked as they ran to the door.
Around them, machinery in the room starts to operate. Gauges how steam pressure and wheels begin to turn. Steam begins to pour out of some of the equipment. Suddenly, a bright flare explodes out of the Fire Navy ship and into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
"Uh-oh.." Jenna gulped. She then noticed a hole in the wall, "Hold on tight!" She told Katara, picking her up with surprising strength as she jumped up into the air and out of the ship. As she landed on top of the ship she jumped down, unaware of the person watching her.
"The last Airbender...quite agile for her old age." Prince Zuko smirked as he watched with a telescope, "Wake my uncle! Tell him...I've found the Avatar!" He turned the scope to see the Southern Water Tribe, "And her hiding place."