Last of Our Kind
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or the following quote.
"Stealing, of course, is a crime, and a very impolite thing to do. But like most impolite things, it is excusable under certain circumstances. Stealing is not excusable if, for instance, you are in a museum and you decide that a certain painting would look better in your house, and you simply grab the painting and take it there. But if you were very, very hungry, and you had no way of obtaining money, it would be excusable to grab the painting, take it to your house, and eat it."
― Lemony Snicket, The Wide Window
Why Must This Happen to Me?
"For the love of Setna, Aang, would you please stop pacing?" said Wenona. "You're making me dizzy."
"Yeah, and if we hit a bump, you'll go flying off," added Sokka.
"What's bugging you anyway, Aang?" asked Keng.
"It's what Avatar Roku said!" Aang exclaimed. "I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."
"Well, let's see," said Sokka, "you've pretty much mastered Airbending and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."
Wenona glared at Sokka and gave him a thwack over the head.
"That's not helpful, Meat-Head," she said.
"I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole!" Aang declared frantically. "What am I gonna do?!"
"Calm down," said Katara. "It's gonna be okay. If you want, we can try and teach you some of the things we know."
"You'd do that?"
"Of course," said Wenona. "What are friends for?"
"We'll need some water, though," added Keng.
"Maybe we could find a puddle for your four to splash around in?" suggested Sokka.
Wenona opened the map.
"Okay, so we're about here," she said, pointing to a spot. "And the best nearby source of water is a few more miles north. Just keep flying straight."
After about an hour, they landed at the base of a waterfall that poured down into a river.
"Nice puddle," said Sokka dryly.
Aang and the three Waterbenders stared up at the majestic sight. Appa dove into the water and began to roll around.
"Yeah, don't start without me, boy!" Aang shouted.
"Remember why we're here," said Katara.
"Oh, right, time to practice Waterbending."
"Great," said Sokka, "so, what am I supposed to do?"
"You could clean the gunk out of Appa's toes," suggested Aang, handing Sokka a tree-branch.
"So, while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison's feet?"
"Mud and bugs."
Sokka thought about it for a moment.
"Okay," he said with a shrug.
Wenona, as the eldest and most experienced, decided to lead the practice. Her three pupils stood watching her expectantly.
"Alright, this is a pretty basic move," she said. "Water is about push and pull, so I want you three to do just that. Observe." She held her hands out over the water and began slow, languid movements that created a back and forth effect on the water
"Like this," said Aang who began to copy her movements.
"Almost. Keep your elbows in, they keep going out too far to the sides."
"Hey, I'm Bending it already!"
"Good job, Aang!"
"Wow, I can't believe you got that so quickly," said Katara. "It took me a month to learn that move. It would've taken me longer without Nona's help."
"I still can't do it," said Keng who was becoming frustrated by his own attempts.
"You're not getting the wrist movements right, Keng," said Wenona. "You're jerking them too much."
After they had practiced with the Push and Pull, Wenona decided to move them onto the next lesson.
"This is a bit more difficult," she said. "We nicknamed it Streaming the Water." She Bended a long ribbon of water out from the river and began to move it around gracefully. Katara followed suit.
"It's harder than it looks, Aang," said Katara. "So, don't be disappointed if-"
But Aang was already swirling the water around in the air and around his hands.
Wenona and Keng chuckled at the sight.
"Oh, well done, Aang," said Wenona. "You're a natural at this."
Katara looked slightly put-out and more than a little jealous.
"The overhead flair was unnecessary," Katara commented.
Keng made his own attempts, but the water didn't move about as easily for him. Keng wasn't too upset though, he knew he wasn't as gifted as his sisters. Wenona just smiled at her siblings and friend, she knew they were all working very hard and it gave her a sense of satisfaction to know that she was helping them.
"Don't stop now, keep 'em coming!" said Aang excitedly.
"Well, I kinda know this one other move," said Wenona. "But it's a bit tricky."
"I'll do it," Katara volunteered. "The idea is to create a big, powerful wave." Katara raised her hands and tried to force the water up, but only made a pocket of water protrude from the river that soon popped with a splash. She gave a groan of frustration.
"So, like this?" said Aang who created the huge wave with ease.
From the other side of the wave, they could hear Sokka shout of "AANG!" The wave crashed down and doused him. Sokka slowly rose from the water looking very annoyed.
"Looks like I got the hang of that move," said Aang. "What else ya got."
"I think that's enough practice for right now," said Wenona.
"Yeah, I'll say!" shouted Sokka. "You just practiced our supplies down the river!"
Wenona noticed their things floating away and darted down to stop them. She quickly Bended them towards the shore and froze them in place. The others came over to help Wenona gather up the things.
"Thank goodness you're fast, Nona," said Keng. "We're running out of money and there's no way we could have replaced all this."
"Sorry about that, guys," said Aang.
"It was hard enough when you were just an Airbender," said Sokka in an undertone.
After making sure the supplies were in a safe spot, Wenona continued with the lesson. Katara seemed to be in a mood so she didn't join them. Keng decided he was done for the day and just wanted to go swimming.
"To Bend water, you must be like the water," Wenona explained to Aang. "Never become too set in your ways because water is always changing, always flowing. Even though it chooses the smoothest path, water can cut through mountains over time. The aim of Waterbending is to move with the water as well as against it." She Bended a ball of water out of the river. "We will practice by Bending this back and forth. You need to hone your concentration."
They spent several minutes moving the water between them like a bizarre game of catch that is played in slow motion. Finally, Wenona levitated the ball of water above her hand.
"To make ice, you have to focus hard and be forceful. Water is about movement and change, but ice, as a solid, is about being firm and resolute." She stared at the ball of water which quickly frosted over and became ice.
Before Aang made his own attempt at creating ice, Keng came rushing over.
"Hey, there's a really cool marketplace just down a forest path over here," he said. "Let's check it out."
Wenona gave a sigh as Aang immediately stopped his practice and darted off after Keng. Aang was supposed to be training, he had been worried, mere hours ago, about not being prepared for when the comet arrives. She watched her younger siblings and Aang go off in search of the marketplace.
"Don't mind me!" she called after them. "I'll just be here practicing Waterbending!"
"Okay, see ya later, then!" Keng called back.
But she didn't go back to Waterbending. Instead, Wenona pulled out some of her weapons and began to practice her fighting movements. She was worried she was getting sloppy. She did a great deal of practice with the dagger; it was one of her favorites and had been a gift from her father. She smiled when she remembered the day she received it.
Her father, grandmother, siblings, and the village elders were gathered in the small shrine; the igloo that was all that remained of the former citadel that had been the Southern Water Tribe. Aunt Mari, the village prophetess, had brought out the sacred cloak of Setna, a relic of when Setna had first appeared as a spirit in the tribe. The cloak had belonged to a young girl who was blessed with the vision, and as proof, Setna cast her likeness upon the cloak so that the village would believe her story.
"Today is a very special day for our tribe," said Hakoda. "My daughter, Wenona, has proven herself worthy of being a warrior and future leader of our people." He placed the wolf and crescent comb into her hair and handed her the dagger.
Wenona felt slightly tearful when she thought about that moment in her life. She was going to do whatever it took to be worthy.
"Where have you all been?" Wenona said impatiently. "I was getting worried."
"We ran into a little trouble with some pirates," Sokka explained.
"Pirates?!"
"Aang got us out of there on his glider," Keng added.
"I used to kinda look up to pirates, but those guys are terrible," said Aang.
"I know," Katara interjected. "That's why I took this."
"What is that?" said Wenona suspiciously.
"Nice one, sis," said Keng.
"No wonder they were trying to mess us up!" Sokka exclaimed angrily. "You stole their Waterbending scroll!"
"What?!" Wenona shouted.
"I prefer to think of it as high-risk trading," said Katara with a smirk.
"Good one, Katara," Aang chuckled.
"Sokka, where do you think they got it? They stole it from a Waterbender."
"That's beside the point," Wenona spoke up. "Katara, you know it's against the Southern Code to steal. If you had done something like that in the old days, you could have had your hand cut off. I thought you were supposed to be responsible."
"But, Nona-"
"It doesn't matter if they stole it already," Sokka interjected with annoyance. "Katara, you put all our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes."
"These are real Waterbending forms," Katara protested. "You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn Waterbending."
"And because you wanted to learn, too," Wenona added. "Katara, I understand you want to become more skilled, I do as well, but Sokka is right. Now we have a gang of angry pirates after us. It was completely reckless of you to do that; it's the kind of thing I would expect from Sokka."
"Hey!" Sokka protested.
"I think we should pack up and leave," added Keng.
"What? Why?" asked Aang.
"Everyone's all worked up about those pirates being after us. Maybe we should move our camp?"
"Good thinking, Squirt," said Wenona. She turned to Katara and Aang. "Well, are you gonna help us?"
"Couldn't we practice with the scroll for a couple minutes?" asked Aang. "I mean, what's done is done. We have it; we might as well learn from it."
Wenona glared at them.
"Fine, I'll let you have five minutes," she said. "But I expect you to really pull your weight in packing up. We'll leave after dark so we don't risk someone spotting us." With that said, she stormed off with an irritated Sokka and a worried Keng.
"Are you okay, Nona?" asked Keng.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" she replied.
"You're not usually so uptight about rules. I thought you would have been thrilled by our little adventure."
"Thrilled? Thrilled that my sister is resorting to petty theft? Thrilled that only me and Sokka see how dangerous doing something like that is, especially now? We can't afford to make slip-ups right now. The Fire Nation is after Aang and if we stand out too much then we run te risk of leaving a trail for them to follow."
"Calm down, Nona. What's the worst that could happen?"
Meanwhile, over on the pirate ship from which Katara had stolen the Waterbending scroll.
"We lost the Water Tribe kids and the little, bald monk they were travelling with," said one of the pirates to his captain.
Their conversation was overheard by a certain banished prince.
"This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?"
"Agh!" Katara exclaimed as her failed water-whip struck her forehead.
Sokka chuckled as he handed one of the packs to Wenona.
"What's so funny?" Katara asked.
"I'm sorry, but you deserved that," Sokka replied. He then turned to Aang. "You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself."
"Aang will get his turn once I figure out the water-whip."
She made another attempt, this time accidentally striking Momo.
"Urgh! Why can't I get this stupid move?!"
"Maybe because you're not focusing properly?" Wenona suggested. She was still angry, but that didn't mean she couldn't be helpful. "Let me try." Aang showed her the scroll and she quickly memorized the steps. Wenona took a deep breath and steadily leaned into the movements, resulting in an excellent water-whip.
"You'll get it, Katara," Aang said. "Like Nona just showed us, you just have to shift your weight through the stances." Aang did his own demonstration, which was also perfect on the first try. "See, the key to Bending is-"
"Will you please shut your air-hole?!" Katara shouted angrily. "Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! Why don't we just throw the scroll away, since you're so naturally gifted?!" She looked away and noticed Wenona and Sokka scowling at her while Keng looked frightened. "What?" She then turned back and saw that Aang was close to tears. "Oh my gosh, Aang," she said apologetically, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"I think I do," said Wenona. She came over and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You're angry that you've had to try so hard to master the basics while Aang can do them without much effort. We're going to have a talk about this later, Kit-Kat."
"Thank you, Nona," said Katara. "I'm not going to let this happen again." She rolled up the scroll and handed it to Aang. "Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore."
"It's okay, Katara," said Aang.
"What about Momo?" said Sokka, gesturing to the lemur that was currently rubbing its sore backside. "He's the real victim here."
"I'm sorry, Momo," said Katara.
"And what about me? There was that time you-"
"No more apologies."
"Come on," said Keng, "let's finish packing up. We can get some rest and then leave."
"Going somewhere?"
Katara froze.
"Nona, I…"
The older Waterbender sighed.
"Listen, Kit-Kat, I know how you must be feeling," said Wenona. "You have a responsibility as a Waterbender to master your art and you feel as though you are a disappointment if you don't."
Katara hung her head slightly as if to silently confirm Wenona's suspicions.
"Believe me, I know how you feel. After all, who's supposed to be the eldest sibling here? Who's responsible for you, Sokka, Keng, and, more recently, Aang? Katara, when I look at your behavior, I see a reflection of my own successes and failures as a sister." The two were silent for a few moments before Wenona gave a sigh. "Go on, then."
"Huh?" Katara responded.
"I said 'go on.' I'm letting this slide, but I expect you to have mastered the water-whip by the time you get back. And don't forget, we're leaving in an hour. If you're not back in time, we'll assume you were captured and leave without you." The hint of a smile on her face reassured Katara that her sister was only joking.
Wenona sat beside the fire-pit and waited for Katara. She had certainly been gone awhile and Wenona was starting to worry. As she watched the dying flames, Wenona drifted off into sleep.
"You hear that?" said a black-haired Earth Kingdom girl.
"What?" said Wenona.
"Exactly."
"You're just being paranoid, Chun," said a girl who was clearly an Airbender.
"In these times, you can't afford to not be wary."
There was suddenly a faint rustling and a darkness fell over them. Something was closing in…
"I don't believe it!"
"Huh? Wha…?" Wenona mumbled as she woke. It was early morning. This was not good.
"What's wrong?" Aang asked sleepily.
"She took the scroll!"
"Wait, you mean Katara's not here?" Wenona asked.
"No. She's obsessed with that thing! It's only a matter of time before she gets us all in deep-" But Sokka was suddenly cut-off as a cord locked around his hands and pulled him down.
They were under attack!
Wenona quickly tried to grab her knife, but was seized from behind and bound.
"Run, Keng!"
Aang and Wenona were carried off by the pirates while Keng made a break for it.
"Oh, what, I'm not good enough to kidnap?" Sokka said in annoyance before he, too, was captured.
"Brilliant job, genius," Wenona muttered sarcastically, "You could have escaped and come back to rescue us."
"Oh, right, didn't think of that," Sokka replied.
The two Water Tribe teens and the Avatar were lined up in front of their most notable pursuer, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Sokka was still struggling with the ties on his wrists while Aang and Wenona simply stood there, impassive.
"Nice work," Zuko said to the pirates.
Wenona and Aang looked over at Katara who was bound to a tree.
"This is all my fault," Katara said apologetically.
"No, Katara, it isn't," Aang insisted.
"He's right," said Wenona, "it's my fault, Katara, I shouldn't have let you go off on your own."
"Give me the boy," Zuko said to the pirate captain.
"You give us the scroll," the captain demanded.
Suddenly, Sokka was struck by an idea.
"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" he said.
"Don't listen to him," said Zuko, "He's trying to turn us against each other."
"Your friend is the Avatar?" the captain asked Sokka.
"Sure is," said Sokka, "and I'll bet he'll fetch more on the black market than that fancy scroll."
"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko shouted.
"Yeah, Sokka," Aang muttered. "You really should shut your mouth."
Wenona, who had caught on to Sokka's plan, decided to add her two cents worth.
"Who are you calling 'peasant'?" Wenona scoffed at Zuko. "I'll have you know that our father is the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and leading the Water Tribe resistance in the war."
"Exactly," Sokka agreed, "we'd be worth something as political hostages. I mean, really, that scroll over the Avatar and several of the Southern Water Tribe's Chief's heirs? I'm just saying, it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for us? You guys would be set for life."
"Keep the scroll," the pirate captain said to Zuko, "We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for these children."
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me," Zuko declared. That's when he and his troops attacked.
It was a terrific fight; weapons and fire clashing, smoke all around. Throughout all of this, no one noticed as a twelve-year-old Waterbender snuck over to where his sister was tied to a tree.
"Thanks, Keng," Katara said. "I owe you."
"No problem, sis," he replied. "Come on, let's go find the others."
Meanwhile, the other three were desperately trying to find their way out without getting killed.
"Aang! Are you there?!" shouted Sokka.
"I'm over here! Follow my voice!"
"Nona!"
"I'm over here! Get moving! I'll find my way out! Ow!"
"Nona! What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Aang! Something just hit me on the head!"
Eventually, they all got out and started running. The rounded a corner and spotted Katara and Keng by the pirates' boat.
"Katara! Keng! You're okay!" Aang exclaimed.
"We're fine, Aang," Keng replied. "Help us get this boat into the water."
They all tried to push the boat but it wouldn't budge.
"We'd need a team of rhinos to budge this ship," said Sokka.
"A team of rhinos," said Aang, "or four Waterbenders." He smiled at the others who all smiled back.
Working together, the four managed to pull the water in far enough to get the ship mobile.
"Everyone, get in!" Wenona shouted.
After a harrowing escape which involved fighting pirates and nearly going over a waterfall, the gang was soon safely flying away on Appa.
"I knew a bison-whistle would come in handy," said Aang as he proudly displayed the object.
"And to think," said Keng to Sokka and Katara, "you two doubted him."
"Thanks, Appa."
"Yeah, we owe you one," Sokka added.
Appa gave a grunt in response.
"Aang, I still owe you an apology," said Katara. "You were just so good at Waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger. I'm sorry."
"That's okay, Katara," Aang replied.
"Besides," she continued morosely, "who needs that stupid scroll anyway?"
"Is that really how you feel?" said Wenona as she withdrew the scroll.
"The scroll!" Katara tried to reach for it.
"First," Sokka cut in, "what did you learn?"
"Stealing is wrong." Katara then snatched the scroll from Wenona. "Unless it's from pirates."
"Ha, ha, good one, Katara," said Aang and Keng.
Wenona simply rolled her eyes.
Sorry this took so long to update, I've been very busy with other stuff lately. Just so you know, 'Chun' means 'spring' as far as the internet could tell me.