~PRESENT DAY~
Taking a deep breath with closed eyes, I slid my right foot around, leaving a thin, crescent trail in the snow. I raised my arms up slowing, rolling them up into the air with my fingers extended.
A small wall of ice rose along with my arms. I paused, one hand slightly higher than the other, and cracked an eye open. When I saw the ice, I let out frustrated growl and let my arms flop to my sides. When my hands hit my thighs, the wall of ice shattered into cubes and scattered across the snow. A pair of boots stepped over a small pile of ice cubes.
"Maybe you should take a break for today," Katara said, holding a steaming cup of tea in her hands. She offered it to me.
I sighed and accepted the tea. I took a sip. The warm liquid swam down my throat and into my stomach, spreading to my bloodstream and sending shudders up my spine.
"Do you think it has something to do with your technique?" Katara said. I handed my empty tea cup back to her. "I've caught you using firebending technique during your training."
"I can't help it. I've seen it a lot before, and I guess it's become a habit. But no matter what I try, there's no difference. Waterbending..." I pointed to the pile of ice cubes blending into the snow. "Firebending..." I thrust my other fist to the side, sending those ice cubes into a nearby snow dune. "...I get the same results."
"A master waterbending finding it difficult to bend water." Katara chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. It was strange, even a bit awkward, being called a master of waterbending, especially when it's directed towards a sixteen-year-old. I found out I was a waterbender when I was eleven, and I've been training ever since. It took a while, but I can finally perform the advanced styles of waterbending, like different types of ice creations and even pulling water out of the air.
Of course, icebending wasn't a struggle for me to perfect. No matter how hard I try or what I do, all water that I call to my control freezes on impact and shows no promise of thawing. I still haven't figured out the cause, and it stumps me like a frustrating riddle every day.
"We should get going. Gran-Gran asked for the three of us to go catch some food for dinner," Katara said.
I nodded, and we headed back to the Southern Water Tribe. I've lived here for about two-and-a-half years now. Ever since I first arrived, everyone welcomed me with smiling faces and open arms. It was nice to be surrounded by my people.
Although, I could do without this cold. Ever since I was younger, I abhorred colder weather. Perhaps I had a bad experience with it, but I can't seem to remember.
Sokka waited outside our tent, impatiently tapping the tip of his whale tooth spear against the ground. When he saw us coming, he scowled.
"Finally! Can you please try and keep your girl activities to a minimum? I almost starved to death!" Sokka said.
"If you're going to call waterbending a 'girl activity', then I can say the same thing about the hour it takes for you to get ready in the mornings," I said.
"Excuse me, but this requires delicate procedures to perfect, thank you very much." Sokka pointed at his warrior's wolf knot. "You can't just wake up like this."
"Come on, both of you," Katara said, tugging on our arms. "Use your bantering energy to carry the canoe."
We circled to the side of the tent, where the canoe sat. Sokka and I carried the canoe while Katara held Sokka's whale tooth spear and supervised. At the shore of the chilly ocean, we turned the canoe right-side up and set it in the water. I sat in the middle, with Sokka at the front and Katara in the back. I stomped my foot against the bottom of the canoe, and a small, rectangular column of ice jutted from the ground and hit the canoe, pushing us into the water.
"I see one," Sokka whispered, holding his spear above his head. His eyes followed the shadow swimming underneath the surface.
"Me, too," Katara said, looking at the other end of the canoe. I turned to Katara as she removed one of her gloves. Taking a deep breath, she waved her hand in front of her. The water rippled, and the fish emerged, swimming in a small bubble of water. Katara gasped. "Look!"
"Not now, Katara. I'm trying to focus," Sokka hissed. I gave Katara a thumbs up and clapped silently.
"But-!" The fish swam above Sokka as he pulled back his spear. The water bubble popped, soaking Sokka, and the fish landed in my lap.
"Katara!"
"That wasn't my fault! You're the one who won't put aside his pride for a second to look around!"
"Maybe I would if I didn't have to constantly worry about your water magic soaking me every five minutes!"
"I told you, it's called waterbending!"
"Uh... guys?" I said, glancing past Sokka at the water ahead.
"What?!" the siblings cried.
We lurched forward as the canoe was sucked into a sea current. Sokka grabbed the oar and pedaled. I stood on my feet, taking a wider stance to avoid falling into the water. Large blocks of ice were pulled into the current and swam towards the canoe. I thrust my fists towards those that were the closest, launching them in the opposite direction.
"Watch out!" Katara cried. While I pushed one ice block away, another knocked against the canoe, jerking us to the left. Two large ice blocks closed in on the canoe.
I thrust my arms to the sides of me, diagonal to the ground. There was crackling noises as the water beneath the boat froze, gluing it in place. I lifted my arms, tucking them to my torso, and quickly raised them above my head. The canoe lifted as the ice bobbed against the water. The two ice blocks crashed against ours, knocking Katara out of the canoe and onto the ice. We climbed out.
"Well, there goes our ride," Sokka said. "Thanks for the help, Katara. I knew I could count on you to do nothing."
"Excuse me?! What was I supposed to do?!"
"Your water magic would've been real helpful."
Katara clenched her fists. "Don't you lecture me on doing nothing! You are the laziest, cruelest, most immature person I've ever met!" Katara threw her hands up in the air, manipulating the water around her. When they came down, a crack appeared in the giant iceberg sitting in front of us. "You go off and play your stupid games while Ursa and I do all the work around the tribe!"
More cracks appeared. Sokka's eyes widened.
"Uh... K-Katara?" Sokka said. "You should probably calm down a little bit..."
"No! I'm done taking orders from you! From now on, you're on your own!"
With a final frustrated swing of her arms, a large wave of water struck the iceberg, splitting it in half. We clung to the piece of ice as it pushed us away a few feet.
"Did... I do that?" Katara said.
"Yeah. Congratulations, you just went from weird to super weird," Sokka said.
A small circle in the water glowed bright blue. It started to expand, like something coming up to the surface. We stood up and backed away as a glowing blue iceberg emerged from the water. The ice was very smooth compared to the rugged pieces surrounding us. I squinted at the iceberg; it looked like...
"There's someone in there!" Katara gasped.
A young boy sat cross-legged in the center of the ice, his fists together. A large and strange creature sat above him. The boy opened his eyes, and they, along with the air tattoos on his forehead and hands, glowed white.
Katara grabbed Sokka's club, which hung on the outside of his overcoat.
"What are you doing?!" Sokka cried.
"We have to help him!" Katara jumped off our piece of ice, using the smaller pieces lined in front of us as stepping stones to reach the iceberg. Sokka and I chased after her. Gripping the club with both hands, Katara smashed it against the ice as hard as she could. "Help me, Ursa!"
"Right," I said. I spread my feet apart and raised my hands. I tensed my fingers, and I heard the ice shift. I quickly brought my arms down, clenching my fists. The iceberg burst, releasing a strong gust of air that hit me and Katara, knocking us into Sokka and sending us to the ground. A beacon of bright blue light shot from the iceberg and into the sky. It remained for several seconds before it turned into an aurora borealis that rippled above the iceberg. We stood on our feet.
The boy climbed up to the edge of the broken iceberg and stood tall. He looked young- younger than all of us. The lights faded, both in the sky and from the boy. With a groan, he fell forward. Katara gasped and sprinted forward to catch him, bringing her to her knees. She sat him against the iceberg. His eyes fluttered open, resting his gray irises solely on Katara.
His eyes shot open. "Are there any penguins around here?" he said.
Katara sat up straight. "Um... yes?"
"Awesome!" The boy floated up to his feet. I was taken aback. Was that...?
A low growl shook the ice. The boy's eyes lit up, and he climbed up and over the destroyed iceberg.
"Appa!" we heard him cry. We circled around the iceberg and stood in shock at the giant, furry, four-legged animal that the boy embraced.
"What is that thing?!" Sokka said. "And who are you?!"
"This is Appa. He's my flying bison. My name is Aang."
"Flying bison? Yeah, okay."
"My name is Katara. This is my brother, Sokka. It would be best if you ignore what comes out of his mouth," Katara said.
"I'm Ursa." I said. I examined his yellow and orange robes, which definitely weren't appropriate for this biting cold. "Um... Are you an... an airbender?"
"Sure am! Do you guys live around here?" Aang said, oblivious to our surprised expressions.
"All right, I've seen enough for one day. I'm going home," Sokka said.
"With what canoe?" I said as I pointed to the empty ocean.
"If you need some way to get back, Appa and I can give you a ride." Aang twisted into the air and landed on Appa's head.
"That's a great idea! We'd love a ride," Katara said.
"There is no way I'm getting on that monster," Sokka said.
"Are you going to wait until another one comes along? I don't think they'll be as friendly."
Sokka grumbled, and we all climbed into the saddle on Appa's back.
"All right, here we go!" Aang said. He flicked the reins tied around Appa's horns. "Appa, yip yip!"
Appa opened his mouth, letting out a guttural noise, before leaping forward. He belly flopped into the water and started to swim.
"Come on, Appa!"
"Wow. That was truly amazing," Sokka said, the maximum level of sarcasm oozing from his words.
"Appa's just tired. After a good night's sleep, he'll be soaring through the skies, no problem!"
Around the middle of the night, we arrived back at our tribe. Aang was fast asleep. Sokka carried him into one of the tents and laid him down on the mat while Katara tucked him. I folded my arms as Katara stepped out of the tent.
"What's on your mind?" Katara said, studying my puzzled expression.
"How in the world did a kid like him get stuck inside that giant block of ice?" I said. "And how long was he in there?"
"I don't know. Try asking him tomorrow." Katara patted my shoulder. "I'm heading to bed; you should do that soon."
I nodded and watched her disappear into Gran-Gran's tent. I pinched the flap of Aang's tent and peeked inside. I saw the slow falling and rising of his body as he breathed softly. The light of the glowing fire that sat in the center of the tribe leaked inside, and I could faintly see the blue arrow tattoo on his head.
I thought airbenders were extinct. I closed the tent door and headed to mine. I glanced back once more. Didn't they say that the Avatar would be an airbender?
I kicked off my boots and crawled underneath my covers.
Maybe...
"Rise and shine!" Gran-Gran's voice filled the tent. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"Morning," I mumbled. I glanced around the room. "I see I'm the last one awake."
"Katara woke up a few moments ago. She went to go fetch your friend."
I slid my boots on and stood up. I reached up and collected a small portion of my waist-long, dark brown hair, setting it on top of my head and tying it into a top-knot. I collected the rest of it and secured it into a low ponytail. I pulled a few pieces out, giving some framing to my face.
"I never understood your choice of hairstyle," Gran-Gran said with a chuckle.
I reached into my pocket. "Are you going to come and meet our friend?"
"If you and Katara didn't continually remind me, I would have completely forgotten."
I smiled and offered my arm to Gran-Gran. She rested her hand on the crook of my elbow, and we stepped out into the icy air. The entire village, which was about twenty to thirty members, stood in front of Katara and Aang, consisting entirely of women and children. Gran-Gran informed me that all the men were off fighting in the war; Sokka is the only grown male in the entire tribe.
"Morning, Gran-Gran!" Katara said. She grabbed Aang's arm and gestured to the village. "Aang, meet the village. Village, this is Aang."
"Hello," Aang said with a wave. Some villagers took a step back. Aang raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"
"No one has seen an airbender in one hundred years. We thought them to be extinct... until my grandchildren and Ursa brought you home," Gran-Gran said.
"...Extinct?"
"What is this thing I tripped over?" Sokka said as he stepped to Aang side, holding a wooden staff.
"Hey, you found my staff. Thanks!" Aang took his staff and tapped it against the snow. Two orange gliders popped out, the top one much larger than the bottom one.
"Let me guess: you are also able to fly. Just like your monster friend?"
"Appa's a bison, not a monster. And yes, I can fly by manipulating the wind currents with my glider. Check this out!"
Holding his glider up behind, Aang leaped into the air. We watched him loop several times in the air. The children giggled and pointed their fingers excitedly.
"See?" Aang called with a big grin right before he dove headfirst into a watch tower.
"My watch tower!" Sokka cried. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh as he hurried over to the base. A large chunk of snow broke off and fell on him. "Great, now we have three bending weirdos around here."
"Three?" Aang raised an eyebrow.
"Katara and I are waterbenders," I said. Aang's eyes lit up.
"Well, sort of. I'm still learning. But Ursa is already a master," Katara said.
"You really don't need to call me that..."
"It's great to meet other benders," Aang said with a grin.
A Water Tribe child tugged on Aang's sleeve. "Will you show us another magic trick?"
"Sure!" The children smiled and dragged him away.
Gran-Gran patted my hand. "Come along now, girls. It's time to do chores."
"You see, Gran-Gran?" Katara said as we headed back to the tent. "Maybe Aang's the one who'll be able to teach me bending."
"Katara... I don't want you putting all your faith in someone you've just met. You hardly know anything about this boy," Gran-Gran said.
"But... something tells me he's special. I can just feel it."
I opened the tent flap for Gran-Gran, and she went inside.
"Don't you think he's special, too?" Katara asked me.
"I do, actually," I said. "In fact... I think he's... well, never mind."
"What? Tell me."
I sighed. "Maybe... He could be the Avatar."
"You think so?"
"Yeah... but it's just wishful thinking."
When Katara finished her chores, she inquired about Aang's whereabouts, to which Gran-Gran answered that he disappeared about an hour ago. She left to go look for him. I washed the dishes while Gran-Gran sat in her chair and crocheted.
"Ursa," Gran-Gran called. I glanced over my shoulder, "Katara tells me that you have difficulties with your waterbending."
I set the cup I was washing on the counter. "Yeah. She calls me a master because of all the things I can pull off, but the most important thing I fail at is waterbending. Look." I picked up the cup, filled it with water, and turned to Gran-Gran. I waved my hand above the cup. The water froze immediately. I turned the cup upside-down and flicked my hand. The cylindrical block of ice launched out of the cup and hit the ground. "See? No matter how hard I try, I always end up icebending."
Gran-Gran laid her work-in-progress in her lap. "Have you thought of the possibility that it may not be an external cause?"
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps your incapability to waterbend- your inability to shape and create- is not caused by something you can see with your eyes, but instead something you feel within your heart?"
I reached into my pocket. "I still don't get it..."
"You'll understand. One day." Gran-Gran glanced down at the hand shoved in my pocket. "What's in your pocket?"
"Huh?" I yanked my hands out and showed them to her. "Nothing. It's just a habit."
Gran-Gran nodded. Just before she could resume her crocheting, Sokka entered the tent with knitted eyebrows.
"Is something wrong?" I said.
"You know how Katara was looking for Aang?" Sokka said. "I think I found them."
With a raised eyebrow, Gran-Gran and I followed Sokka out of the tent. Sokka shoved a finger up. I lifted my eyes to the sky and followed a large, bright snare.
"Oh, no..." I whispered. My face paled. "You know what this means, right?"
"We're not the only ones who saw that." Sokka clenched his fists. "The Fire Nation knows where we are. No doubt they're coming now."
My heart skipped a beat. I reached my hand into my pocket.