Book 1: Water
Chapter 2
The Avatars Return & Velvet's secret
In the village of the Southern Water Tribe the villagers see Aang, Velvet, and Katara walking to the village and the children are excited to see Aang again when they get close to the village entrance the children run to Aang.
"Yay! Aang's back!" The children happily as they start hugging Aang.
"I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them to us!" Sokka said pointing his finger at Aang.
"Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident." Katara said defending Aang.
"Yeah. We were on this ship and there was this booby trap and we...kinda boobied right into it." Aang said rubbing the back of his head.
"Look, we didn't mean to set it off." Velvet said irritated.
"You stay out of this! I knew there was something weird about you this whole time!" Sokka said pointing his finger at Velvet.
"Why you..." Velvet growled and was about to walk to him but was stopped by Aang grabbing her arm.
"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we'll all be in danger." Gran Gran said.
"Don't blame Katara. I brought them there. It's my fault." Aang said.
"Ah-ha! The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemies! Those two foreigners are banished from our village!" Sokka declared as the children walk away from Aang.
"Sokka, you're making a mistake!" Katara said.
"No! I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like them!" Sokka said pointing at Aang and Velvet.
"Aang and Velvet are not our enemies! Aang has brought us something we haven't had in a long time...fun and Velvet just want to know how she got here and who did it." Katara said.
"Fun? We can't fight Firebenders with fun! And this 'person' could be a Fire Nation spy like her!" Sokka said.
"Your paranoid attitude is already getting on my nerves." Velvet said.
"Get out of our village! NOW!" Sokka demanded.
"Gran Gran, please don't let Sokka do this." Katara said.
"Katara, you knew going on that ship is forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it's best if the Airbender and the girl leave." Gran Gran said.
"Fine! Then I'm banished too! Come on, guys!" Katara said taking Aang's hand and Velvet followed right behind them as they walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Sokka demanded.
"To find a Waterbender! Aang is taking me to the North Pole and I'll help Velvet search for her answer!" Katara said.
"Great!" Aang said.
"Katara! Would you really choose them over your tribe? Your own family?" Sokka asked making Katara stop.
"Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family." Velvet said. "You don't know how much time you have left with them."
"Neither do I." Aang said.
"So you guys are leaving? This is...goodbye?" Katara asked.
"Thanks for penguin sliding with me." Aang said.
"Yeah. It was actually fun." Velvet said.
"Where will you guys go?" Katara asked.
"Guess I'll go home and look for the Airbenders." Aang answered walking to Appa. "Wow. I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that. Or I can help Velvet find her this person." Aang said.
"Really?" Velvet asked confused.
"Yeah. He got to be around somewhere right? We'll find him in no time." Aang said as he Airbends himself on Appa.
"Thank you, Aang." Velvet said as she jumps on board Appa.
"It was nice meeting everyone." Aang said.
"C'mon, Appa. You can do it. Yip yip!" Aang said and Appa gets on his feet.
"Yeah. I thought so." Sokka said.
A little girl runs over to Appa and stands next to Katara.
"Aang! Please don't go! I'll miss you!" The little girl said as tears flows down from her face.
"I'll miss you too." Aang said sadly. Velvet jumped off Appa and walked to Katara and the little girl. She got down on one knee in front of the little girl with a small smile.
"We both are going to miss you." Velvet said and placed two fingers where the girl's heart was and a small light came before Velvet moved them away. "Be brave and help your family as much as you can. You don't wanna have what happened to me, losing all of them right before your own eyes." She stod back up and walked to Aang and Appa, getting back in the saddle.
"Come on, boy." Aang said and Appa starts to walk off.
Katara watches them go and the little girl walks away crying and Gran Gran walks over to Katara.
"Katara, you'll feel better after..." Gran Gran was cut off by Katara.
"You happy now? There goes my ONE chance of becoming a Waterbender!" Katara snapped as she walks away leaving a shocked and regretful Gran Gran.
"Okay, ready our defenses! The Fire Navy could be on our shores any minute now!" Sokka said leading the little boys back to the village.
"But I gotta..." A little boy was cut off by Sokka.
"And NO potty breaks!" Sokka said pointing the little boy to the village.
Meanwhile in a frozen wasteland outside the village Appa is still walking through with Aang and Velvet on his back until Appa decided to take a rest and lays down.
"I guess Appa needs a break." Aang said as he gets off the bison.
"Let's let him have one." Velvet said reading a book. "We'll keep going later."
"Okay. By the way, how did you get that book?" Aang asked.
"Jolou gave it to me along with the bag." She said closing it and gave it to Aang. "It's called 'The Celestial Record'. It has a lot of information about what happened this last millenium I was gone. The Seraphim, Artes even the heroes that can see us, the Shepherds. Jolou said that for twenty years a Shepherd have never appeared and my home is in the age of chaos. However, the Shepherd has finally come and has began his journey."
"Katara did say about some riddle of your return. If I remember correctly, it said that two lights will show themselves to the world, so the Shepherd must have made one of the doors appear at least." Aang said and gave the book back as Velvet nodded. "Okay then. Let's keep going."
"Okay." Velvet said but then they hear something and they turn to see a ship heading over to the village and they see the village from the horizon.
"Oh, no! The village! You guys stay here!" Aang said as he runs off. "That ship could be a Fire Navy like the villagers said."
"Stay here, Appa." Velvet said and Appa rumbles in response as Velvet runs off as well.
Meanwhile Sokka prepares for battle and puts on his war garb which are fingerless gloves, arm wraps, boots, and face paint while Zuko is in his ship and he is helped into his armor by his crew and his armor has a breastplate, shoulder guards, and a helmet and after Sokka prepares himself he heads out and stands on an ice wall of the village looking out for the Fire Navy and while he's looking out there is a rumbling noise and the ground starts to shake and parts of the wall Sokka is standing on begins to crumble and he sees his watchtower crumbling down as well.
"Aw, man!" Sokka whined.
People then start running which way to go to and Katara is among them but she sees something in the mist and Sokka sees a massive shadow emerging from the mist and it's revealed to be the Fire Navy much to Sokka's shock.
"Ohhhh, man!" Sokka said.
The Fire Navy has cut through the ice all the way to the ice village wall and while this is happening Katara puts Gran Gran in a tent to hide and she also gets a little girl and puts her in a tent as well and turns to look at Sokka who is still standing on the ice wall as the Fire Navy ship makes its way to the ice wall and Sokka prepares himself.
"Sokka! Get out of the way!" Katara called.
The Fire Navy ship reaches the ice wall and it falls to ice and snow tumbling back to the village and is carrying Sokka in the snow and the ship has come to a stop and the villages emerge from their tents and look at the ship in awe and Katara takes a deep breath and Sokka does the same thing as he sees the ship and the metal on the bowsprit starts to open and folds down to the village ground and the bowsprit is now a gangplank and Sokka backs away to avoid getting crushed and the ship shows Zuko and Fire Nation soldiers and Zuko walks down the gangplank and his soldiers follow him but Sokka gets up, takes out his weapon and charges at Zuko but Zuko easily kicks him away sending him to a pile of snow and he struggles to get out and while Zuko is walking off the gangplank the villagers draw back in fear but Zuko and his soldiers reached near them and Zuko looks at the villagers and then at Katara and Gran Gran.
"Where are you hiding him?" Zuko asked but no one answers him and so he reaches for Gran Gran and grabs her and puts her in front of the villagers. "He'd be about this age? Master of all four elements?" Zuko asked but no one still answered and Zuko just threw Gran Gran roughly back to Katara who glares at him and Zuko lets out a flame over their heads making them cower in fear. "I know you're hiding him!" Zuko said.
Sokka then finally frees himself out of the snow, gets his weapon, and charges at Zuko again but he dodges Sokka's charge and flips Sokka over his head and Zuko bends a flame at Sokka who rolls out of the way and he throws his boomerang at Zuko who avoids it making the boomerang go all the way to the sky and he turns back at Sokka angrily.
"Show no fear!" A little boy said tossing Sokka a spear and Sokka takes it and charges at Zuko.
Zuko easily breaks off the spear shaft and after breaking the head of the spear Zuko takes it and starts bonking Sokka's head a few times knocking Sokka to the ground and he rubs his head after being bonked and Zuko breaks the spear in half but then the boomerang Sokka threw reappears behind Zuko and it struck Zuko in his head messing up his helmet but he fixes it and he glares angrily at the villagers and he makes two fire daggers and walks over to the villagers.
"I'm through playing! Since you won't tell me, I'll have to..." Zuko was cut off by something.
He looked up to the sky to see Velvet falling forwards him in top speed. Velvet rotates her whole body twice as she kicks and flames appearing when she hits Zuko, unknown to them there were blades under Velvet's shoes. Zuko gets kicked back and two slash marks appeared in his breastplate. When Velvet lands on the ground, she was only a few meters away from the villagers.
"Amazing..." Katara gasped as the children cheered. Velvet slowly stood up, her eyes staring at Zuko with rage.
"Get out of my way!" Zuko demanded.
"Like if I care." Velvet said sharply making him step back. "But what I do care about is people that take advantage of others, you're threating helpless people that did nothing to you."
"I doubt you're the Avatar. You're not who I want. Now leave." Zuko said.
"The Avatar..." Velvet mumbled. "Look, trying to burn down a village and killing these people isn't gonna help you with finding him or his hiding place."
"Shut your mouth, you filthy maggot!" Zuko yelled.
"I've meet people like you and that's what I hate the most." Velvet growled and gripped her left hand tight.
"You can't even kick a ball, little worm." Zuko replied. "I won't say this again, get lost before I..." Zuko was then cut off by a big kick in the face delivered by Velvet sending him flying to where the Fire Navy ship is still at and the villagers where shocked including Katara, Sokka, and Gran Gran.
"Well, I should ask you how you got that on your chest plate." Velvet said with a smirk, pointing at the mark on his armor.
"You...!" Zuko said angrily.
"I won't say THIS again, get out of here before worse things will happen to you." Velvet threatened.
"I will not be humiliated by some random girl!" Zuko yelled as he Firebends at Velvet who dodges by a flick of her hand.
"KILL HER!" Zuko shouted but then someone comes from behind Zuko and it's Aang who is riding a penguin to the village and he flies under Zuko sweeping his legs under him and Zuko lands on the ground with his butt up and his helmet lands on his behind and the children cheer at Aang's arrival and when Aang banks snow was dumped on the children but they still cheered and the penguin stops sliding and Aang gets off.
"Hey, guys. Hey, Katara and Sokka." Aang said.
"Hey, Aang. Thanks for coming." Sokka said.
"It was about time you got here." Velvet said.
"Sorry..." Aang said before becoming serious. Aang looks at Zuko who gets up and the soldiers attack but Aang lets out gusts of wind to blow the soldiers away and then he uses wind to blow snow at Zuko. "Looking for me?"
"YOU'RE the Airbender? YOU'RE the Avatar?" Zuko asked shocking the villagers including Katara and Sokka. Velvet only gritted as she remembered what Jolou said.
Flashback
"I should tell you the events that have passed under the years, be ready for what's coming." Jolou took a deep breath before beginning. "After the events you and your friends were in, our home began to change. There's no longer Exorcists, Malakim or Daemons, instead there's we Seraphim, the Shepherd's, the humans that can see us and the Hellions."
"Hellions? So you mean that the things that I have seen have changed." Velvet asked.
"Something like that. The Shepherds now have a different duty than the Exorcists in your era. They actually tries to purify them rather than killing them, they uses the power of the Seraphim like it was there own but unlike in the past, they are used as allies rather than slaves for there Artes. You, yourself, is a very special Seraph." Velvet got shocked and started shake. "While you were inside the crystals, your pure heart that lies deep down turned you into a Seraph that has the power to show yourself to humans or not. Unlike others, you still have the memories when you were a human and your ability to eat us through that." Suddenly, Jolou was gripped around his throat.
"Where is he? Where's my brother?!" Velvet said in rage, her bangs shadowed her eyes. "The only thing I can remember before waking up in the village was when I decided to go with my little brother to sleep but..." She now started to tremble. "...now I can't see him anywhere...how long have I been gone?!" Velvet let go of Jolou's throat.
"Lady Velvet, you've been gone for a thousand years as for your brother, I don't know." Jolou explained unfazed by her anger.
"Just when I finally was able to get him back..." Velvet said in despair and drops to the floor. Jolou saw her depressed look and took out something out of his pocket, he got down on one knee and presented a beautiful comb which Velvet knew very well. "Laphi's comb...!" She shakily took the comb and placed it close to her.
"I would like to ask a favor in this way you can find your brother." Jolou asked making her look up. "Help the Avatar."
"The Avatar?"
"He's the master of all the elements and a person of balance in these countries. He also lost many friends and family under the time he disappeared for these last 100 years, even if he doesn't know he's the very last Airbender in our world."
"So you're talking about Aang?" Jolou nodded.
"As he is able to see Seraphim and the only Airbender left, he's the Avatar."
Flashback ends
"Aang?" Katara asked.
"No way." Sokka said.
"This is unbelievable. I've spent years preparing for this encounter, training and meditating. You're just a child!" Zuko said.
"Well, you're just a teenager." Aang replied.
Zuko blasts fire at Aang who gets rid of it by spinning his staff in front of him and Zuko bends another flame but Aang spins his staff again but he sees the villagers cowering and he knows he can't protect them if this fight continues.
"If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" Aang asked and Zuko nods. The soldiers begin to take Aang away, but a battle cry was coming from Velvet who was running towards the soldiers holding Aang. But she was blocked by two other soldiers that took her arms and punched her in the stomach, making her gasp in pain. Aang stood there shocked and worried as was the villagers.
"Velvet!" Katara exclaimed. Zuko walks towards the black haired girl and took her chin up making Velvet look at him with an angered and painful expression.
"I'll kill you and take him." Zuko said.
"Over my dead body! You'll regret ever meeting me..." Velvet growled, Zuko let go and let her head to hang as he was about to bend fire again, this time at her.
"Wait, Zuko!" A voice said from behind and it's Iroh walking down from the gangplank.
"What do you want now, Uncle?" Zuko asked.
"What that girl did reminds me of something rare here in our lands." Iroh explained making Velvet look up a little. "The people of Gleenwood. The very place where spirits known as Seraphim plays a huge role and has a different sort of fighting style known as Artes. This very girl was able to use one. She is an Arte user." This shocked everyone except Gran Gran and Velvet.
"SHE'S one of them?!" Zuko exclaimed and looked at Velvet. "Men, take them to the ship!" The soldiers holding Velvet forced her arms to the back and she exclaimed in pain.
'This strength...! The only thing with this power is a Daemon...no, a Hellion.' Velvet looked up at the soldiers holding her and saw something different. The soldiers weren't human, they were red humanoid lizards holding her. They forced her forward, making something drop from her pocket and down in the snow. The soldiers around Aang cuffs him and they takes his staff and lead him to the ship.
"No! Let them go!" Katara yelled as she rushes to them.
"It's okay, Katara. We'll be okay." Aang said.
"Head a course for the Fire Nation! I'm going home!" Zuko said as he aboard the ship while the soldiers lead Aang and Velvet to the ship and the bowsprit rises back up and Aang and Velvet look at Katara one more time before the bowsprit closes and the ship starts to leave.
After what happened in the village with Zuko invading the village the villagers start cleaning by tending to the fire and re-raising the tents and while this is happening Katara is at the water's edge looking at the horizon and Sokka walks by while carrying some items.
"We need to go after that ship, Sokka. Aang and Velvet saved our tribe and now we need to save them." Katara said.
"Katara, I..." Sokka was then cut off by Katara.
"Why can't you just accept they're on our side? If we don't help them, no one will. I know you don't like Aang or Velvet, but we owe them and..." Katara was cut off by Sokka.
"Katara! You gonna talk all day or are you coming with me?" Sokka asked showing her a canoe that's ready to go.
"Sokka!" Katara said as she hugs him.
"Get in. We're going to save Velvet and your boyfriend." Sokka said.
"Aang is not my..." Katara was cut off by Sokka.
"Whatever." Sokka said as they were about to enter the canoe.
"What do you two think you're doing?" A voice asked behind them and Katara and Sokka turn to see Gran Gran and they look innocent and Gran Gran smiles. "You'll need these." She gives them each two bundles. "You two have a long journey ahead of you. It's been so long since I've had hope, but you brought it back to life, my little Waterbender." Gran Gran said hugging Katara and she turns to Sokka. "And you, my brave warrior, be nice to your sister." Gran Gran said hugging Sokka.
"Okay, Gran Gran." Sokka said.
"Aang is the Avatar, he's the world's only chance, and Velvet is an Arte user, one of the few people that is feared by the Fire Nation. You both found them for a reason and now your destinies are to intertwine with theirs." Gran Gran said and holds out Velvet's comb to Katara.
"What's this?" She asked.
"It's something Velvet dropped when she was captured. I think it is very important to her." Gran Gran explained and Katara nodded.
"There's no way we're gonna catch a war ship with a canoe." Katara said and they hear a groan and they see Appa coming to them. "Appa!" Katara cheered running to the bison.
"You just love taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you?" Sokka asked.
Meanwhile on Zuko's ship Aang and Velvet are on deck and their hands are tied behind their backs as they face Zuko who examines Aang's staff.
"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't understand fathers, being raised by monks." Zuko said to Aang and he turns to Velvet. "If you weren't so different I could have made you a maid or even my wife. Such beauty isn't for an Arte user like you."
"I would rather be imprisoned by the Exorcists than by you." Velvet growled. "If only you knew that I'm a being to be feared by the world."
"Take her and the Avatar to the prison hold." Zuko ordered and four guards escort Aang and Velvet down the stairs. "Uncle, take this to my quarters." Zuko gives Iroh Aang's staff and walks away.
"Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?" Iroh asked giving a soldier the staff and he takes it.
Aang and Velvet are being escorted along one of the ship's hallways.
"So I guess you've never fought an Airbender before. I can take both of you guys on with two hands tied behind my back." Aang said.
"Silence!" One of the guards ordered.
They stop in front of a door. As one of the guards moves to open the door with a key, Aang draws a great breath and blows the guard with the key into the door, knocking him out. The breath also propels him into the guard behind him while Velvet kicked down her guards. They are blown all the way back down the hallway. They crash into the stairs they came down on. The guard is knocked out since Aang used him to cushion his own impact. Velvet runs to him.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, but we need to find a way to get out off these things." Aang said.
"That I can handle." Velvet answered with a smirk. "Have you not wondered why I have a gauntlet on my arm?" She took out an assassin like blade from her gauntlet, which cut her bounds. Aang looked at her amazed.
"Whoa. How'd you do that?" The younger boy said as Velvet cuts his own bounds before getting it back in.
"Just a thing I learned while taking care of someone very important to me." Velvet explained. "Come on, we still need to find your staff."
They enters the ship and runs down the hall. One of the guards Aang just escaped from emerges and shouts up to a guard on the bridge deck in the foreground. The bridge guards turns and run.
"The Avatar and the Arte user has escaped!" The guard said and the soldiers on the bridge start moving.
Meanwhile Appa is swimming in the water again and Katara is holding the reins while Sokka is sitting on the saddle being bored again.
"Go. Fly. Soar." Sokka said in a bored voice.
"Please, Appa, we need your help. Aang and Velvet need your help." Katara said.
"Up. Ascend. Elevate." Sokka said still in a bored voice.
"Sokka doesn't believe that you can fly, but I do. Don't you want to save Aang?" Katara asked and Appa makes a sound to respond her.
"What was it that kid said? Yee-ha? Hup hup? Wahoo?" Sokka asked.
"It's 'Yip yip'." Katara said and then Appa responded to that and he lifts himself off the water and into the air. "I did it!"
"He's flying! He's flying! Katara, he..." Sokka cuts himself off when he sees Katara's smug look. "I mean big deal, he's flying." Sokka said.
Meanwhile Aang and Velvet was running down one of the ship's hallway, looking behind them for pursuers. They turn and starts to run forward right into three Fire Nation soldiers blocking there way, weapons drawn.
"You haven't seen my staff around, have you?" Aang said panting.
Velvet runs forwards and kicks up a guard in the air and then punches him down to the ground pretty hard, making the guard knocked out. She then sprints and kicks them down with one of her kick Artes before they continued running.
"Thanks anyway!" Aang called.
They run into another hallway, this time blocked by a single guard. He blasts a fireball at them, but they avoids it by launching themselves over the guards head. Velvet then hits the guard in the neck, making the guard unconscious on the floor. They continues through the hallway and opens several doors as the last door revealed a snoring Iroh.
"Sorry..." Aang whispered before carefully closing the door.
They keep going through the hallway until they stop at an opened door aand Aang sees something.
"My staff!" Aang said as he enters the room and Velvet follows.
When they enters the room, the door closes behind them and revealed to be Zuko behind the opened door waiting for the two.
"Looks like I underestimated you two." Zuko said as he blasts fire at them.
They barely dodge the fire attack and Aang gasps for air and Zuko shoots more fire shots but Aang rolls under Zuko and gets behind him and while staying behind him Zuko tries to find him without blasting anymore fires until Zuko turns to him and attacks but Velvet attacks Zuko with her gauntlet blade but Zuko avoids the attack and bends fire at Velvet who backs off and delivers a spin kick but Zuko moves and blasts fires again but Aang quickly grabs Velvet and he creates an air scooter and they start riding around the walls and ceiling while avoiding Zuko's fire blasts until Aang dissipates his air scooter as he and Velvet grab a tapestry off the wall and they start wrapping Zuko around with it and Zuko struggles to get free allowing Velvet to get Aang's staff and gives it to him but then Zuko frees himself by unleashing flames on the tapestry and he attacks again but Velvet kicked him against a wall and he lands on a mattress allowing Aang to Airbend the mattress up to the ceiling with Zuko still on it and then they both fall back to the ground allowing Aang and Velvet to escape.
On the bridge a deck hatch starts to spin and it's revealed to be Aang and Velvet entering the bridge and they rush to the bridge's observation deck and Aang opens his glider, throws it to the air, and he jumps after it and Velvet follows behind him and Aang catches the glider, Velvet does the same thing but then Velvet turns behind them and they see Zuko behind them jumping after them and when he reaches he grabs Velvet's foot.
"Velvet!" Aang exclaimed but then they all fall to the deck, Velvet took a good hit in her shoulder.
"What is that?" Zuko asked as Velvet sits up and grip her shoulder.
They all see a huge creature coming at the ship and Aang is smiling at this.
"Appa!" Aang cheered.
Just then Zuko blasts his fires at Aang but he dodged by jumping from the fire blasts and land on one of edges on the deck and Aang regains his balance but Zuko blasts one fire blast at Aang although he tried to block with his staff the fire blast knocks the staff out of his hands making him drop it and the fire blast gets him to fall overboard.
"Aang!" Katara cried.
"Oh, no!" Sokka said.
Aang is underwater and sinking.
"Aang! Aang! AANG!" Katara shouted and as they heard Katara's final scream Aang's eyes start to glow and Aang turns around the water reaching the surface, getting in front of the ship Aang forms a whirlpool of water around him and tower over the bridge of the ship and Zuko looks at Aang in dismay and fear as he land back on the deck and Aang makes the water around him spin and attacks Zuko and his men goes overboard. Velvet, Katara and Sokka see the whole thing in awe.
"Did you see that?" Katara asked.
"Now that's some Waterbending!" Sokka said.
"Amazing..." Velvet gasped but felt that something was off and saw that four Hellion guards surrounded her.
Aang got on his knees and Aang's eyes and arrows aren't glowing anymore and Appa lands to where they are and Katara and Sokka run to help him.
"Are you okay?" Katara asked.
"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for coming." Aang said.
"Well, I couldn't let you guys have all the glory." Sokka said.
"But where's Velvet?" Katara suddenly said and saw the Arte user surrounded by the guards. "Oh no..." She saw her shoulder being out of place. "She's injured."
Velvet, on the other hand, was chuckling rather than worried. One of the guards was about to attack her, but something stopped him which shocked everyone. A big demonic arm was holding the guard's head, it was red and black with smoke of the same colors. The arm belonged to Velvet and now was the first time Aang noticed hellion transformed guards.
"Like I said to that prince, I'm a being to be feared by the world." Velvet said in a dangerous tune as the guards disappeared like he was eaten by her arm. Velvet stands up and devoured all of them in different ways, one of them was grabbed by the head and were knocked to the floor but she had to be careful not to further injure her shoulder. The other two guards were done in the same way but in different directions. Once she was done, Velvet was panting in pain as she transformed her arm back to normal with the bandages still there and grabbed her injured shoulder making her arm inmoveable. Aang, Katara and Sokka was in bigger shock now but disappeared quickly when Velvet walked to them.
"Now you understand why I never told you about it." Velvet said, she gritted as the pain was still bothering her.
"Does it hurt?" Katara said and touched it which made the older girl flinch. "Sorry!"
"Sokka, I dropped my staff" Aang muttered, looking over at where it landed. Sokka got up and ran to the staff.
"Got it" he assured the tired boy, picking it up. However, another hand grabbed it as well. Zuko tried to use it to climb up, but Sokka poked him in the head, like how Zuko did to him earlier. Zuko then fell down towards the ocean, only to grab the anchor chain to prevent him from falling into the freezing water below. "HA! That's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka gloated. REVENGE!
They see the soldiers who are now wet because Aang's water trick getting up and they prepare to attack but Katara picks up water left over making the soldiers back off in fear and when Katara was about to whip them she freezes the water instead and gets Sokka.
"Katara!" Sokka said.
The soldiers then move forward again but Katara turns back this time and she freezes the water again and the soldiers are frozen this time as she, Aang, and Velvet get on board Appa.
"Hurry, Sokka!" Katara said as Sokka is chipping the ice with his boomerang.
"I'm just a simple guy with a boomerang. I didn't ask for all this flying and magic." Sokka said to himself as he successfully breaks the ice and he runs to board on Appa.
"Yip yip!" Aang said and Appa starts to take off into the sky.
Iroh then arrives at the deck and he sees Appa in the sky and he helps Zuko get back on deck.
"Shoot them down!" Zuko said.
As Appa is flying as he can Zuko and Iroh unleash a huge bolt of fire at the bison and while Velvet, Katara, and Sokka see this happening Aang gets to the back and he swings his staff like a baseball bat followed by a gale of wind making the fireball go at a right angle and it hits an ice cliff nearby and the fireball explodes causing huge ice to fall from the cliff and it falls on the ship damaging it making Zuko gasp in horror and Aang, Velvet, Katara, and Sokka laugh and Appa continues to fly off.
"Good news for the Fire Lord. The Fire Nation's biggest threats are a young boy and a young girl." Iroh said.
"Those two, Uncle just did this." Zuko said addressing the damaged ship. "I won't underestimate them again. Dig this ship out and follow them!" Zuko ordered but he sees some soldiers trying to unfreeze the other soldiers that were frozen by Katara. "As soon as you're done with that." Zuko said and he looks up at the sky.
Meanwhile Appa is flying through the sky and Aang is up front while Velvet, Katara, and Sokka are sitting on the saddle. Katara was helping Velvet with getting her shoulder back into place.
"Ready?" She asked Velvet, who nodded. "One, two three!" Velvet grunted in pain as the shoulder was back where it should be and could know move her arm.
"Thank you, can you get an apple gel from my bag?" The gold eyed girl asked and Katara did what she said and took out a bottle with some type of gel inside and gave it to Velvet, who open it and put some of the gel on her shoulder which in return disappeared in the skin.
"Wow, okay, that's pretty impressive." Sokka said.
"How did you do that with the water?!" Katara asked excitedly, turning to Aang. "It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
"I don't know. I just, sort of, did it" Aang shrugged.
Katara tilted her head curiously. "Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"
"Because," Aang hesitated, before looking away in shame. "I never wanted to be."
"But, Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war" Katara argued.
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Aang exclaimed, overwhelmed with the responsibility on him.
Katara paused in thought. "According to legend, you need to first master water, then earth, then fire, right?"
"That's what the monks told me." Aang sighed.
"Well if we go to the North Pole, you can master Waterbending." Katara pointed out. Aang smiled widely when he realized his friend was right. He still wasn't happy with all the responsibilities, but he'll pretend for Katara. Besides, maybe he'll grow to like being the Avatar in time.
"We can learn it together!" Aang exclaimed in excitement.
"And, Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some Firebender heads on the way." Katara remarked to her brother, who smirked.
"I'd like that. I'd really like that." He nodded. Katara then remembered the comb and took it out from her pocket to give it back to it's owner.
"You dropped this in the village when you and Aang got captured." She explained.
"Thanks, this comb is really important to me..." Velvet said, taking it in her hand and begin to stare on it. "My little brother gave it to me before..."She stopped herself.
"Before what?" Aang questioned.
"Before he was killed and sacrificed..." Velvet said and the whole group gasped. "Every time I look at this, I think about the last days we had together but also the very night that changed me entirely and the very scene of my brother being killed by a person I trusted the most." Once again, she began to shake and shadowed her eyes. "It was also the night my arm got this power. Katara, when I woke up, you asked me if I remembered anything before being sealed in those crystals. I had decided to go with my brother into a sleep where we could dream away, leaving my new friends to take care of our home while we were gone. It was the very last thing I remembered." Velvet held the comb tightly in her hands. "Before I find this person who did it, I need to find my brother. He's probably sacred and worried right now."
"I didn't know you had such a hard time back then." Aang said sad over what Velvet had just told them.
"You don't need to apologize, it's just hard to forget something like that." Velvet said looking up a little.
"So, what was your brothers name?" Sokka asked, making Katara glare at him. "What?!"
"Laphicet..." The siblings looked at Velvet. "His name is Laphicet..."
"When we go to the North Pole, we can help you find him!" Aang said excited.
"You're willing to do that even if I'm a Hellion that can devour you?" Velvet asked him.
"You're actually very nice and care about people who can not protect themselves." Aang explained, making Velvet look at him in wonder. "Of course we're gonna help you find him!" Velvet lips took a small smile and she nodded.
"Then we're in this together!" Katara proclaimed happily.
"Okay, but before we go to the North Pole, we have some serious business to take care of." Aang said taking out a map. "Here, here, and here." Aang said pointing at locations of the map.
"What's there?" Katara asked.
"There, we'll ride the hoping llamas then waaaay over there, we'll surf on the back of giant koi fish then back over there, we'll ride on the hog-monkeys. They don't like people riding on them, but that's what makes it fun." Aang said.
'Laphi, where ever you are...' Velvet thought, looking up into the colorful sky. 'Wait for me, I'm coming to find you!'
Preview skit.
Aang: I'm glad we were able escape from there.
Velvet: Yeah. That's the second time I got my shoulder out of place trying to escape.
Sokka: The second time?
Velvet: It's best you don't know, I'll tell you when you become a real warrior.
Katara: That's the way of saying it, Velvet!
Sokka: What's that suppose to mean?!
Aang: Next time: The Southern Air Temple. Hope you guys will read it!
Velvet: I wonder who'll be in this story.