Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Avatar the Last Airbender or the Avengers (MCU), only the story. Avatar the Last Airbender and its characters belongs to Nickelodeon and Avengers belongs to Marvel. And here we are, on the last ten chapters of Book One in Avenging Avatar. In this episode, sides will be taken by both those of Aang's world and the Avengers. In this episode I'll be having Steve and Natasha fighting a little just to make them more a part of the episode. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
Katara: Water, Soldier, Mechanist, God, Earth, Fire, Spy, Archer, Monster, Air
(One by one, eight figures do something to show off their skills: the waterbender weaves a stream of water from the ground, around him and then thrusts it towards the side, the soldier blocks an attack with his shield before throwing it, the mechanist has armor envelope him and then uses the repulsor on his hand to blast something on the side, the god holds a powerful hammer high to summon a bolt of lightning, the earthbender kicks the ground bringing up a large rock before he kicks it away, the firebender twists around as she summons fire from her foot before doing a high kick to the ground and makes the flames spread, the spy drops down from above and displays a few moves, the archer rolls across the ground and fires a few arrows, and finally the monster comes down from a jump and smashes his huge fists on the ground, the airbender drops down and then with a circle of his arms he creates a blast of wind.)
Katara: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
(Docked on a shore, five Fire Nation ships with the Hydra insignia released their soldiers. With a jump forward and a palm thrust, the firebenders released a wave of fire as the Hydra soldiers used their advanced technology.)
Katara: Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
(The Avatar, a man with a crown on his head and dressed in robes stands on a pillar of stone as he bent the four elements of water, earth, fire and air to show his skill in the arts of bending. After releasing a powerful disk of wind, he disappears from existence.)
Katara: A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar: an Airbender named Aang and met the team called the Avengers.
(The water tribe siblings find a young Airbender frozen in block of ice. After freeing him, they are then joined by heroes called Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, Clint, and Natasha.)
Katara: And although with the teams help and his airbending skills are great, hehas a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.
(At an Air Nomad path, Aang creates an air scooter and starts to have fun with it. But when he expands his circle a little bit, he runs right into a statue. He rolls over onto his back as all six of the Avengers then poke their heads from behind the statue to check on him.)
Katara: But I believe the Avengers and Aang can save the world.
(Aang, Steve, Katara, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Sokka, Clint and Natasha stand side by side, looking down at the world on a mountain's peak for a moment as the reader's view is turned upwards to the sun.)
Nickelodeon and Marvel
The Avenging Avatar
Avatar Roku: Previously, on Avenging Avatar…
Sokka and Katara sat on an ice berg after their canoe had been destroyed. Sokka then said, "Leave it to a girl to screw things up."
Katara's face twitched in anger before she angrily shouted, "You are the most sexist, nut-brained," She threw her hands up as she irritated-ly said, "I'm embarrassed to be related to you."
Sokka looked up and became shocked at how her anger affected her water bending as she shouted, "Ever since Mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been playing soldier!" Then she made a point by saying, "Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant."
As Aang, Katara and Steve walked about the abandoned Fire Nation ship, Aang told them, "I have friends all over the world."
"Um, Sokka," Aang said before humor fully asking, "you know we're going the wrong way, right?"
It surprised Sokka before he admitted and pulled on the reins, "And sometimes, they're wrong."
Then he turned Appa in the right direction towards the North Pole.
x
Book One: Water
Chapter Eleven: The Great Divide
The sun was starting to set over the horizon in a really rocky area. The group was starting to set up camp. It was proving to be a chore for a certain Water Tribe Teen as he and Natasha struggled to raise the tent. He grunted as one end came up, he accidentally fell onto Nat. She groaned, "Ow! Sokka!"
"Sorry, my bad." Sokka quickly apologized. Then they were able to raise both sides of the tent. Katara and Steve so happened to walk up with some firewood as the two crawled out. As they started to stand, Katara then asked, "Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?"
"Right, got it." Sokka said with a smile and a remembering finger. Then picking up the rolled up tarp, Sokka threw it into the tent. Katara looked a little annoyed as she said, "Sokka, you're supposed to put the tarp on top of the tent." She looked up to the sky and said as if it would, "You know, so we don't get rained on."
"Ordinarily, you'd be right," Sokka said in agreement. But then brought up his own point, "but seeing how it's the dry season, you're not." Then he made another point, "Besides, that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."
"And to be honest," Natasha added while he checked on of the stakes, "neither me or Sokka really want to put it up."
"But what if it does rain?" Katara questions, her irritation starting to grow. Steve felt a little annoyed himself as he said, "Come on, Nat. Don't tell me Sokka's making you wanting to take the easy way."
"And what if it doesn't? Then we would've put the tarp up for nothing." Sokka questioned back to Katara as he continued to check the tent. Nat stood by Sokka as she questioned the super soldier, "And who said anything about me or Sokka wanting to take the easy way out?"
Katara gave a frustrated growl as she stamped her foot. Then she told the both of them, "You're both infuriating!"
"Katara, Steve," Sokka, now becoming irritated as he looked to his sister and the super soldier, "why don't the both of you worry about gathering the firewood," he looked about what they had and commented, "because that kindling's looking pretty sorry."
Natasha looked at what they both had and commented, "Yeah, what happened? Couldn't find any decent sized firewood?"
"Hey, it's all that we could find before sundown." Steve defended. Katara couldn't hold her frustrating anger in any longer and shouted, "Well, if neither of you don't like our firewood…" Then she flung what she had at her brother.
But Sokka didn't take it lying down and shouted in anger, "Fine by me! If you're not going to do your job…" Then taking the string that kept the tent up, he pulled and let the protection against the elements fall.
"And is that really the best excuse that you could come up with, Mr. Second Strongest to the Hulk on Earth's Time?" Natasha countered as well.
Both sides of the group glare at each other when Aang comes up and said, "Okay, I got the grub, if you guys got the…" Then he looked at the scene before him and asked as Sokka and Katara turned away from each other with their arms crossed, "Hey, where's the campfire?" Then he looked at the dismantled tent, "And what happened to the tent?"
"Why don't you ask Miss Know-It-All, Queen of the Twigs and her super human associate." Sokka told him, not turning as the two Avengers crossed their arms and glared at each other.
"Oh, yeah?" Katara shot back as she turned to look at her brother, "Well, you're Mr. Lazy Bum, King of the…" Then picking up a stick she threw it at him as she said, "Tents and his spy of secrets."
Sokka groaned in pain and then turned to face his sister. Nat was quick to defend him by saying, "First of all, we're not lazy, we had just put in a lot of work on the tent. Secondly, it's not nice to throw things at someone who's done more work than you apparently."
"We both worked hard to find that firewood." Steve said again. Aang set his findings down and chuckled before trying to calm everyone down by saying, "Okay, listen, guys, harsh words won't solve problems, action will." Then he suggested, "Why don't you just switch jobs?"
All four of them seemed to calm down by it.
"Sounds good." Katara said. Sokka felt the same by saying with a rub to his sore head, "Whatever."
Steve and Natasha looked to each other and the former said, "I'm sorry about letting it escalate."
"Me too." She said back with a guilty look.
"You see that?" Aang asked smiling as the four got started. Aang felt proud as he described his job, "Settling feuds and making peace- all in a day's work for the Avatar."
The sound of Momo squealing and chattering makes his smile drop. He looks over to see the lemur trying to pull a melon out from Appa's grasp. But he struggled as the bison kept a firm grip with only one finger on it. The lemur gave a few good tugs on the melon before trying to push it. Then grabbing onto it with his back feet Momo tried to fly away with it, but proved to be futile. Then getting up, the Momo started to walk away in defeat. Appa grunted in content as he removed his finger and started to lick the melon off the ground, but Momo quickly ran back and grabbed the melon. He tried to run off with it, but a smirking Aang was quick to stand in the way and grab it out of his hands. Then holding the melon in one hand, he threw it up into the air and used an overhead air slice to cut the melon in half. The bigger piece fell towards Appa who licked it up in content. The smaller piece fell to Momo, who chittered in complaint up to Aang. Aang then told the lemur, "Come on, Momo, that's fair." Then he pointed out, "Appa's got five stomachs."
The lemur looked at the bison as Appa chewed his supper.
x
The next morning, the group had come to the cliffside of a gigantic canyon. Momo flew along the cliffside as Aang presented his friends, "There it is, guys, the Great Divide."
"I wonder if it dwarf's the Grand Canyon back home." Steve wondered. Natasha shrugged and said, "Maybe we'll just have to find out to see."
"Wow, I could just stare at it forever." Katara said as she admired the beauty of the canyon. But Sokka wasn't as thrilled about it as he said, "Okay, I've seen enough."
Katara gave her brother a deadpanned look before asking while he walked away, "How can you not be fascinated, Sokka? This is the largest canyon in the entire world."
"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly from the air while we fly away." Sokka said as he tugged on Appa's reins and then pointed a dramatic finger. But then suddenly a man in a white and yellow robe, carrying a pack on his back pushed past him. Sokka tried to keep himself upright as the man said, "Hey, if you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first."
"Canyon guide?" Steve questioned. Katara seemed impressed as she said, "Ooh, canyon guide- sounds informative."
Aang and the two Avengers joined her as the man said, "Believe me, he's more than a tour guide." Then he revealed as Sokka appeared behind him and started to mimic him as he talked, "He's an Earthbender and the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help." Then he confidently said, "And he's taking my tribe across next."
"Calm down." Sokka said with a calming motion of his hands. He sarcastically sympathized with the man as he walked away, "We know you're next."
But the man wasn't anything like that as he pointed a finger and said, "You wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee." Then turning toward the Great Divide he complained, "My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se."
"You're a refugee." Katara deduced. The man scoffed and arrogantly said, "Tell me something I don't know."
Aang, Katara, Steve and Natasha all glanced at each other before noticing something on a conjoining path. A huge group of people walked towards the canyon. Katara then asked, "Is that your tribe?"
The people coming up mostly wore animal skins for clothing. They also kept their hair a little bit untidy.
"It most certainly is not." The man said with a glare. He added spite when he told them, "That's the Zhang tribe. A bunch of low-life thieves." He gave the group a little history on them while glaring, "They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years."
Then he whistled at the Zhangs and informed them, "Hey, Zhangs, I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think of stealing it."
But he flinched when the leader came up and questioned, "Where are the rest of the Gan Jin?" Then he guessed, "Still tidying up their campsite?"
"Yes," The man said while placing a finger in front of his enemy's face, "but they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."
"The guy with a sword on his back looks as if he wants to snap Mr. Arrogant's finger off." Natasha mumbled to Sokka.
"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations." The Zhang leader smirked with crossed arms. The man in the fancy clothes scoffed before saying, "Of course you didn't. That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang. So unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey."
This caused most of the Zhangs to become angry with him.
"In all honesty, no one can really expect much from someone they've never really met. Not to mention, that you can't always be prepared for everything on a journey." Natasha commented. The leader of the Zhang's smirked and said while pointing at her with a thumb, "She knows what she's talking about."
Aang and Katara watched as the Zhang's still yelled in anger at the Gan Jin man. But the sound of rumbling caused everyone to be silent and turn towards a pile of rocks. Momo, who had been sitting on the pile, quickly jumped off the rocks as they rose into the air. An Earthbender then stomped his left foot and shoved the rocks to his left. When all of the rocks had been removed, the Earthbender, who had a giant white mustache and wore ragged Earth Kingdom clothing dusted himself off. Then he turned his attention to the giant crowd and said, "Sorry about the wait youngsters. Had to help a feller who wanted to cross from the other side."
Said feller, a man with a smaller mustache and orange tinted glasses, came up behind him and said, "Thanks again for helping me across the canyon, my friend."
The guide gave a hearty laugh and said, "No problem at all. Helping folks out is something I'm just really good at."
"Ha, ha. That you are indeed." The other man said. Then taking a few copper pieces out of his pocket he said, "Here's a little something for your troubles."
"Much appreciated." The guide said and waved goodbye as the man walked off into the forest. Then turning back to the crowd, he gestured toward the Great Divide and asked, "Who's ready to cross this here canyon?"
"Uh, one of them," Katara said and pointed at the two, well one tribe and a representative, "I think."
"I was here first." The man wearing a fancy robe said while rushing up. It caused Sokka to lean back as the man said, "My party's on their way."
"I can't guide people who aren't here." The guide told him. The Zhang leader smirked as she and her tribe walked past the Gan Jin and said, "Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow."
"Guess that's kind of what you get for being a little arrogant." Natasha commented. The Zhang leader started laughing from this. The Gan Jin tribesman's eye twitched as his enemies walked by, but when he looked down the path he came, he saw his tribe and happily pointed, "Wait, here they come."
Just like him, his tribe wore fancy robes as well. The Gan Jins kept their hair neatly kept and their hand in a mannerly formation. The Zhangs turned around and saw their hated enemies walking up. Soon the guide, Aang, Steve, Katara, Sokka, Natasha, and Appa stood in between both enemy tribes.
The Zhang leader jabbed a finger at the guide and said, "You're not seriously going to cave in to these spoiled Gan Jins." He then said, "I mean, we're refugees, too." An then he pointed out, "And we've got sick people that need shelter."
"I, uh… well…" The guide tried to say. The representative from the Gan Jin tribe then said, "We've got old people who are weary from traveling."
"Sick people get priority over old people." The Zhang leader said.
"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs." The Gan Jin leader added as a jab. Then the Zhang leader retorted by saying, "If you Gan Jins weren't so clean maybe you wouldn't live to be so old."
The five of the group watched the argument unfold. They looked back and forth as the Gan Jin leader said, "I could smell your stink a mile away."
"Well, Aang," Katara said to her friend and asked, "ready to put your peacemaking skills to the test?"
"Do you think you could do this like when you helped with Hei Bai?" Steve asked.
"I don't know-" Aang honestly said as he thought about the predicament. He made a point in differences by saying, "a fight over chores is one thing. These people have been feuding for a hundred years."
Katara then decided to help by stepping forward and shouting, "Everyone listen up." Then pointing to him, she said, "This is the Avatar."
The people of both groups looked to the boy as she said, "And if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy."
She turned to him as everyone waited to see what wisdom he could say. Aang looked between the two tribes and then suggested, "Uh, you could share the Earthbender and travel together?"
"Absolutely not." The Gan Jin said in disgust. Then he proved how much he hated them by saying, "We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves."
"We wouldn't travel with you pompous fools anyway." The leader of the Zhangs retaliated. Both groups started arguing over the other as they threw insults. Aang tried to keep his cool, but lost it as he shouted, "All right, here's the deal!"
Both tribes stopped arguing as they listened to the Avatar as he shouted, "You're all going down together, and Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across." He seemed a little more calm as he asked, "Does that seem fair?"
Both leaders of the Zhang and Gan Jin tribes nodded in agreement. Aang, Steve, Sokka, Natasha and Katara all smiled to see that a compromise had been reached.
Five to Ten minutes later…
Both the elderly and the sick had been helped into Appa's saddle. But like the rest of their tribes, both the Gan Jins and the Zhangs kept to their own sides. Aang patted Appa's head and said, "Sorry, Appa. You'll have to do this on your own."
"But we know you can do it, big guy." Natasha said comfortingly as she stroked an ear while standing beside Katara. Sokka walked over and came out with it, "Aang, this feuding tribe stuff is serious business.
"Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved in this?" Sokka asked in concern. Aang didn't really know as he said, " To tell you the truth, I'm not sure." He put on a big goofy smile and said, 'But when have I ever been?"
"And he'll know what to do should he really need it." Steve said, coming up behind his friend. Katara was with both of them as she pointed out, "He's the Avatar, Sokka. Making peace between people is his job."
"His job's going to make us cross this whole thing on foot, isn't it." Sokka glumly said. Nat stepped in and said, "Hey, you could always ride with the elderly of the Gan Jin and the sick of the Zhang. I'm sure you can hear stories from ancient times while trying to keep yourself from becoming ill."
Sokka thought about it for a moment before cringing with a shudder. All three groups looked to see the canyon guide come out of the little building as he said, "Okay, now comes the bad news." He didn't sound regretful when he said, "No food allowed in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators."
This caused another outraged burst of angry shouting from the two tribes. Even the Gan Jin leader seemed outraged by it by saying, "No food? This is ridiculous."
"Aw," The canyon guide said, feeling pity for them as he said, "you babies can go a day without food." Then he made an excellent point, 'Would you rather be hungry or dead?"
Then with outstretched arms, he lowered them and his knees before raising them and himself with a tall pillar of stone. When he was high enough, he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted to all of them, "Now, we're heading down in ten minutes. All food had better be in your gut or in the garbage."
Both tribes then started to eat what food they had. The Zhangs started eating rather nosily and sloppy. The Gan Jins however ate with manners and with chopsticks instead of their hands.
Aang held onto Appa's left horn as he spoke to the people in his saddle, "Appa's going to take care of you till we get there."
Then he jumped down and said, "See you on the other side, buddy. Yip, yip."
Appa groaned as he took flight over the canyon.
x
Soon the guide, Aang and his friends, the Gan Jin and the Zhang all walked down a trail into the canyon. Steve looked over the side and noticed that a few pieces of the trail were missing. After a few steps, the guide stopped Aang from going any further, mostly from going over the side. Then with a spin and a thrust of his arm, the guide caused a row of giant blocks of earth to slide out from the canyon wall. As the guide kept moving Aang thought it was neat and complimented, "Nice bending."
The young Airbender ran to catch up to the guide. Then the older man looked down at Aang and said, "The job's much more than bending, kid. Folks want information." He stopped and began a lesson, "Many of you are probably wondering how canyons are formed."
"In our world, we have a different explanation." Nat quietly told Sokka. It didn't deter the guide as he said, "Experts tell us this canyon was most likely carved into the ground by Earth Spirits who were angry at local farmers for not offering them a proper sacrifice."
Sokka and Katara looked to each other as a low rumble intensified. Everyone gasped and looked up to see a rockslide coming down at them. The rocks came down fast along the canyon wall. The guide acted by placing both hands over his head and when the rocks came close, he angled them to go over the edge and down into the canyon. When all the rocks were gone, he chuckled while dusting off his hands. Then he told everyone, "Guess the spirits are still angry." Then in a joking manner he said, "Hope you all brought sacrifices."
This makes the five friends look to each other in worry or with deadpanned looks as he forged on. Sokka leaned to Natasha and asked, "Is it too late to believe your method on how canyons are formed.
x
Soon everyone made it to the bottom of the canyon and stood a few feet from the wall. The guide stood next to a huge boulder and warned everyone, "Okay, everyone stand clear of the wall."
Then with a grunt of effort as he stomped, he lifted the boulder off the ground before chucking it at the section of the path he made earlier. The boulder crashed into it and sent another rockslide down. As rocks and dust fell to the ground, Aang looked to the guide and asked him, "Why'd you do that?"
"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they?" The guide asked while reminding him. Then he made the point, "Got to make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now."
He was proven wrong; however, when a giant insectoid leg of a creature came out of the dust and grabbed him by the shoulder and lifted the yelling man up. Aang twirled his staff and sent an air wave to clear the dust. The others prepared for a fight as Nat loaded her stingers and Cap placed his helmet on his head. When the dust cleared, it revealed the rest of the creature as it had the guide in his mouth. It shook the screaming man in his mouth. While the two tribes just stood and watched, Sokka ran up and shouted, "We gotta help him!"
Then he threw his boomerang at the creature. It hit the creature in the side of the head and made it drop the guide. It threw the Earthbender away as it hissed at Sokka and charged. The Earthbending guide fell to the ground with a pained groan. Sokka became fearful as he started to run away and shout, "Okay, now we got to help me!"
As it chased Sokka over and around a mound of rock, Cap came in with a drop kick with both feet to its head. The creature's head crashed into it as Katara pulled out the water from her waterskin. She then threw a water whip at it. The water whip hit the creature in the face. It growled in anger and lunged with a bite at the Waterbender. While she ran away, Nat shot a few electro-stings at the creature before Aang jumped in front of it with a vertical air slash. It sent the creature spinning as it slid. Then it growled as it came in for another round. But Aang wouldn't let it as he ran at the creature and started to make a horizontal tornado that caught the creature. The horizontal tornado made the creature spin really fast. The tornado kicked up a lot of dust that made everyone brace themselves. Aang maneuvered the tornado to press the creature to the ground before maneuvering a slam with his staff. It made the tornado launch the creature up to the canyon wall. The creature then gave up the fight and disappeared into the rocky wall.
"What was that?" Aang asked the guide. Katara knelt by him as the guide laid on his back and weakly said, "Canyon crawler." He groaned in pain while the now helmet removed Steve helped inspect him. Then the guide said, "And there's sure to be more."
"Your arms-" Katara worriedly said as she inspected one, "they're broken."
"Without my arms," the guide regretfully said, "I've got no bending. In other words…"
"We're trapped in this canyon." Aang fearfully finished. While Katara and Steve worked to patch the guide up while Sokka questioned to Natasha, "I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers."
"And I thought everyone had gotten rid of what food they had when we came down here." Natasha said in agreement. The Gan Jin leader then was quick to cast blame by pointing and said, "It's the Zhangs. They took food down here, even after the guide told them not to."
"What?!" The Zhang leader questioned in disbelief and anger. She wouldn't take it lightly and retaliated by blaming the Gan Jin, "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan Jins."
"I hope you're happy." The Gan Jin leader said, still blaming his enemy, "We're stuck in this canyon with no way out."
Aang became a little annoyed by the arguing as the Zhang leader retorted, "Why don't you thank yourself, food hider?"
"Look," Aang said as he came between the two of them. Then he pointed out, "sticking together is the only way to…"
But the Zhang leader would have no part of it as she interrupted, "I'm not walking another step with the likes of them."
"Now there's something we can agree on." The Gan Jin leader said while crossing his arms. Aang looked to his friends and the guide and asked, "Any ideas?"
"No bending-" The guide said out of fear. He may have been losing his mind as he said, "we need to get out of this canyon. I won't die down here. I won't become part of the food chain."
"See?" The Gan Jin leader questioned before placing the blame again, "We're going to become part of the food chain because of you!"
"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do." The Zhang leader said, as if there was more going on. The Gan Jin leader didn't hesitate when he said, "Gladly."
A gust of wind blew everyone's hair as Aang shouted, "Enough!" He sounded really annoyed as he said, "I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not going to happen."
Then with a jump enhanced by airbending, Aang leapt to the top of a rock to where he could look at everyone. Then he deciding a different solution he suggested, "We should split up," Pointing to the path on his left with his staff he said, "Gan Jins on this side," Then moving his staff to the other path, "and Zhangs on that side."
Steve, Katara, Natasha and Sokka looked up to him as Aang said, "We'll travel in two separate lines."
Feeling comfortable with this arrangement, both the leader of the Zhangs and the leader of the Gan Jin nodded in agreement. Then they led their tribes down the separate paths. Aang watched them split up before leaping off the rock. Landing in front of his friends he gave them a task while Momo landed on his shoulder, "Sokka and Natasha, you go with the Zhangs, and Steve and Katara, you go with the Gan Jins." He explained why as he said, "See if you can find out why they hate each other so much."
The siblings didn't hesitate to follow after their assigned tribe. But Steve and Natasha stayed behind as the former asked, "Aang, are you sure that this is something that should happen."
"Yeah," Aang said as he thought about how he handled it, "that might not have been my best moment, but I figured that with them arguing, we'd never get anything done."
"So, basically, this is a way to get them moving and yet not fight amongst themselves." Natasha deduced. Aang shrugged before saying, "I guess that's one way of putting it."
"And us gathering the necessary information might help you to figure out a way to potentially resolve their issues." Nat guessed. Aang stared at her with a blank stare before saying, "I didn't get much of that, but I did hear about the part that I understood about them not fighting anymore."
Nat chuckled before walking after Sokka and the Zhang tribe. Steve gave one last look at Aang before walking after Katara and the Gan Jin tribe. Aang then jumped back onto the rock and watched their progress from up high.
x
Zhang camp
After covering much ground during the day, the sun began to set as both tribes began to settle down for the night. From a distance, Aang and Momo watched as the two groups setting up camp.
Over at the Zhang camp, the leader and a few of his fellow Zhang worked on setting up the tents. Sokka and Natasha came up behind the leader as the former asked, "So, you guys aren't going to put up your tarps?"
"What for?" The leader asked. Then he said something that Sokka said, "It's the dry season."
"Exactly!" Sokka said, feeling like the Zhangs understood him. Then the Zhang leader made another point that appealed to Sokka, "Besides, we like to use the tarp as a blanket."
"Finally, someone gets it." Sokka said as if he had a place among the Zhangs. Natasha silently chuckled to how well Sokka got along with the Zhangs.
Gan Jin camp
A small scorpion crawled over a tall rock at a distance as Katara and Steve walked over to the Gan Jin leader. Unlike the tents of the Zhangs, the Gan Jin had their tents made in a much more neater fashion. As two Gan Jins raised a tarp of a tent, Katara looked to their leader and asked, "You really think it will rain?"
"No," The Gan Jin leader said. But then he seemed cautious while prideful as he pointed out, "but you can never be too careful, right?"
Katara knew what he meant as she had a big grin on her face. Steve shook his head in humor as the thought back to the previous sunset.
x
Later that night, as a crescent moon hung over the Gan Jin camp, Katara, Steve and the Gan Jin sat around a campfire. Katara and Steve looked at the people of the tribe as they sat and stared at the fire. Then the leader of the Gan Jin looked around before looking down to the sleeves of his robe. Then parting the sleeves he revealed that he had a loaf of bread. Steve and Katara gasped disbelief before they looked around and saw that all of the Gan Jin had food with them. The Gan Jin leader then offered the loaf, "Would you care for some bread, Katara? Steve?"
"So it was you guys who had food." Katara said aloud. The Gan Jin leader then said, "Oh, come now. You really think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food?" Then he looked to the direction of the Zhang camp before asking, "Why should my people go hungry when the sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?"
It didn't do anything to change Steve's mood as he felt angry as he said, "You do realize that even though that they did, you openly blamed the Zhangs when you were at fault too."
"That maybe." The leader of the Gan Jin said. But he didn't feel any different as he said, "But still, I won't let my people suffer."
Steve didn't say any more about it, just had a disapproving look in his eye. The Gan Jin leader still had the bread held toward Katara. She felt uneasy, but soon got over it by saying, "Well, I guess it's okay, if everyone's doing it."
Then she took the bread and started eating it.
"Katara!" Steve scolded her, seeing as how food got them into this mess in the first place. Steve gave her a look, making her say in defense, "What?"
He sighed as he hung his head. But then she remembered the reason they were there and asked the leader, 'So why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?"
"You seem like a smart girl, Katara. I bet you and your friend would enjoy hearing some history." The Gan Jin leader said. Then he began the story of the rivalry's start.
X
(Flashback 100 years ago)
One hundred years ago, as the sun rose above a mountainous region with a gate not too far. A man dressed in ancient Gan Jin robes stood tall before carrying out his duty.
Gan Jin Leader: "The patriarch of our tribe, Jin Wei was an Earthbender Warrior who was assigned an important duty- transporting our sacred orb from the Great Eastern Gate to the Great Western Gate."
Jin Wei was handed the orb from another and held it before the hole at the top. A golden beam of sun light touched the orb for a moment or two. Then he ran from the Eastern to the Western Gate.
Gan Jin Leader: "Taking the orb from the East to the West represents the sun's rising and setting. It was our tribe's ancient redemption ritual."
Jin Wei ran through many terrains, from a path with tall stones, through a forest and past a lake. And across a plain and into another forest. But as he neared the gate, a man in animal skin and a large and unkept head of hair, a Zhang no duh, knocked Jin Wei to the ground and sent the orb flying through the air.
Gan Jin Leader: "But as he approached the gate, Jin Wei was attacked by one of the Zhang, a vermin named Wei Jin who looked at the orb with envy."
Wei Jin held the orb as it was touched by the rays of the sun. He brought it down and looked at it with greed. Then Wei Jin looked over at the fallen Jin Wei with a glare before it turned into a sneer as he held the orb close to keep it for himself.
Gan Jin Leader: "That coward Wei Jin knocked to the ground and stole our sacred orb."
The light from the sun disappeared as Wei Jin took off with the orb, leaving a hurt Jin Wei lying on the ground.
(End of Flashback)
x
"Our people have never forgotten." The Gan Jin leader finished. Then he said in anger and conviction, "You can never trust a Zhang."
Katara thought about his words and turned to the Zhang camp with a glare. But Steve was quick to nudge her and said, "Don't be so quick to judge, Katara."
Zhang Camp
Over at the other campsite, Sokka prodded at the fire with a stick while Natasha laid on her back and gazed up at the stars. While they did that, the leader of the Zhangs pulled out a fried bird's thigh and offered it to Sokka, "Care for some meat?"
"Would I!" Sokka said, clearly happy to see some food and took it as Nat shot up. She looked at the meat in disbelief and gave a slight glare to Sokka who happily ate it. The spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. looked around and saw that the rest of the Zhangs were eating as well. The Zhang leader looked a little guilty as she said, "I know what you both must be thinking. We're horrible for endangering everybody by bringing food down here."
"Mm-hmm." Sokka said as he munched on the meat, not really caring or paying attention to what the Zhang leader said.
"A little bit, yeah." Natasha said when she looked at the leader. But then her expression softened a little as she said, "But I also know that you mostly did it to protect your tribe."
The Zhang leader smiled at her understanding, but thought about the situation as she said, "The Gan Jin think so badly of us they probably assumed we brought food in and decided to bring food in themselves. That's why we brought food in."
"Mm." Sokka said, still eating his meat. Then Natasha brought up the subject Aang told to ask, "If you don't mind us wanting to know, why do you and the Gan Jin hate each other so?"
The Zhang leader then told them, "Our conflict with the Gan Jin goes back over a hundred years."
x
(Flashback over a hundred years ago)
In a forest long ago, along a mountainous trail within a forest, stood the Great of the West. A man ran through the gate posts. As he ran he stopped when he saw something along the path.
Zhang Leader: "Our forefather Wei Jin was leaving the Western Gate of our village when he saw a figure in the distance."
Lying on the ground was a man in Gan Jin robes and looking as if he were trying to reach for something. It was the sacred orb of his tribe.
Zhang Leader: "It was a man of the Gan Jin tribe- Jin Wei, collapsed on the ground. Noble Wei Jin stopped to help him. Jin Wei was transporting a sacred orb, a very powerful relic used in his tribe's redemption ritual."
Wei Jin came up to the Gan Jin to treat his wounds, but Jin Wei insisted that the orb was more important than him at the moment. Then Jin Wei asked Wei Jin to return the orb back to his tribe.
Zhang Leader: "Wei Jin tried to tend to the man's wounds, but Jin Wei insisted the orb was more important, and asked him to take it back to his tribe. Kind Wei Jin promised to send help for the man as soon as he could,"
Wei Jin then ran up to the orb and picked it up as he ran. He quickly ran along the path towards the Gan Jin border, but was met with other than kind arms.
Zhang Leader: "but as Wei Jin crossed the border to return the orb into Gan Jin territory, he was arrested."
Gan Jin soldiers appeared before Wei Jin and one struck him with his sword. The blow sent Wei Jin and the orb flying back. The poor Zhang went tumbling along the ground. He was later brought to a Gan Jin holding cell and thrown in.
Zhang Leader: "Instead of thanking him for his kind and selfless deed, they sentenced him to twenty long years in prison."
Wei Jin looked back with an angry glare as the doors closed and darkness surrounded him.
(End of Flashback)
x
"We Zhangs will never forget that injustice." The Zhang leader said with an angry scowl as she thought of what happened to her forefather. Sokka and Nat felt moved by the story when Sokka said, "That's just terrible."
Natasha was going to say something when Sokka eyed the leader's meat and asked, "You gonna finish that?"
The Zhang leader was quick to answer by taking a bite out of his piece of meat. Natasha then smacked him in the shoulder for his insensitivity. Sokka looked glum as he rubbed his shoulder. Natasha then turned to her attention to the Zhang leader and said, "I'm really sorry about the way the Gan Jin see you."
"Your words are kind." The Zhang leader said with a smile. But it fell when she said, "But there's not much one can do to see us differently."
x
Aang looked over a ridge of rocks as he looked over both camps. He sighed before saying, "Sure would be nice to be around one of those campfires, telling stories and laughing."
Momo chitters in agreement as he watches with Aang. Aang comforted the lemur by saying, "It's okay, Momo, we'll be out of here soon enough." He tried to perk the lemur up by saying, "And then we can eat our weight in lychee nuts."
Momo looked up and his ears stood up as he saw something. A bug flew by as Momo reached up and grabbed it. Aang watched in disgust as Momo started to eat the bug. The lemur noticed that he was being insensitive and offered the bug to his friend. But Aang politely declined and said, "Nah, I'll wait for the lychee nuts."
"It's lonely, isn't it," The guide said from behind. Aang looked back to see the guide limping up to the ridge as he said, "being impartial."
"I wish I could help these people get along," Aang said, referring to the feuding tribes. He felt a little discouraged when he said, "but it just seems impossible." Then he changed the subject from one problem to another and said, "Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here."
"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." The guide told him before closing his eyes. Aang began to thing about what the guide meant as he looked down.
x
Zhang camp
When she felt everyone was asleep, Natasha poked her head around a tent before sneaking around the camp. She saw a sentry posted to keep an eye out for dangers as she came close to the edge of the camp. When he walked away and was out of sight, the spy quickly yet silently made a dash to the rest of the canyon.
Gan Jin camp
Steve kept watch with three other Gan Jin while everyone else slept. As he rounded a tent, he saw something in the distance. Taking a closer look, he sat Nat waving at him from behind a rock in between the two camps. Looking about to see if anyone was looking, he then used his super soldier speed to race to his fellow Avenger.
Meeting point
Natasha stepped back as Steve jumped over the rock and hid himself so no one would see them. When he looked over the rock to see if anyone saw him, he nodded that they were in the clear. Steve then asked, "What have you learned?"
"A little of their history." She answered before redirecting the question, "And you?"
"Same." Steve said before looking down as he knew something more about their situation. Then he said, "But I'm afraid I've got an ugly truth about the Gan Jin."
"Yeah, same over with the Zhangs." Nat begrudgingly said. They both said it at the same time, "They brought food down into the canyon."
Both the spy and the super soldier looked to the other and questioned, "Your group brought in food?"
"Yeah, the Gan Jin leader and his tribe revealed their food at the campfire." Steve said as he crossed his arms. Nat sighed before saying, "Same with the Zhangs. But at least had the sense to feel a little guilty about it." Then she asked, "How did the Gan Jin act about it?"
"They were a little too proud to admit that they were wrong." Steve said as he thought about how the Gan Jin leader acted. Natasha chuckled and said, "Yeah, well, that's what one gets when they deal with a stuffy Gan Jin."
"Hey, hey now," Steve said. He may have not like what they did, but he defended them by saying, "they maybe a little more strict on how they act, but they do so for a reason. They view themselves as well mannered. Something that I doubt the Zhangs might every really be."
Natasha felt a little offense to that and said, "Hey, they might be a little unkept with their hair and in other areas of how they live, but they are actually a good crowd. And the Gan Jin kind of wrongly accuse them for nearly everything."
"Like when?" Steve asked. Natasha scoffed at this before saying, "How about just today when the Gan Jin were quick to place the blame, even though correct, on the Zhang when they were just as wrong. And they only retaliated in anger."
Steve then said, "Well the Zhangs attempted to steal the guide earlier this morning. And they had someone come save their place."
"Okay, even though the Gan Jin had sent someone to hold a spot," Natasha countered with her own point, "they were almost late for the guide and the Zhang just happened to arrive before them."
"You know what Nat," Steve, his anger rising, said, "why don't you go back to the Zhangs. It's obvious that you get along with anyone who doesn't follow the rules from time to time."
"Well, at least the Zhangs live a little more freely than the Gan Jin. Something I doubt a soldier like you ever could." Natasha countered before walking back to the Zhang camp. Steve huffed before doing the same.
x
The next morning, both the Gan Jin and the Zhang were on the move again. Both Aang and the canyon guide stood on a path that overlooked the separate tribes. The guide then informed, "All clear. We're almost to the other side."
As they came around the bend, the divided tribes could see the other wall to the canyon. When the two tribes were about to meet up again, the Zhang leader looked over to the Gan Jin as Aang jumped down to keep an eye on them. Aang looked between the two tribes until Steve, Katara, Sokka and Natasha brought up the rear of the two groups. Aang then asked, "Katara, Steve, Sokka, Natasha, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?"
"I don't think so, Aang." Katara was quick to say on the Gan Jin's behalf. She and Steve remembered the story and Katara took their side by saying, "The Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb."
"The Zhangs really aren't the sort of people to get along with." Steve added. This confused Aang and he asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Yeah, Katara, what are you guys talking about?" Sokka questioned with a glare at her accusation of the Zhangs. He told what they learned from them, "Wei Jin didn't steal the orb. He was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."
"Plus, the Zhangs aren't so bad once you get to know them." Natasha added, mostly towards Steve. He glared as Katara commented with her arms crossed, "Not punished enough, if you ask me."
"Hey, twenty years is punishment enough for some people, not to mention kind of cruel for a good deed." Nat shot back while Sokka gave his sister a frustrated glare. Aang, not wanting another argument, tried to calm them down by saying, "Okay, okay, I get it!" Then he redirected their focus to helping the two tribes, "Now I need your help. Let's get everyone together at the base of the canyon wall."
Both Natasha and Steve's expressions softened as Nat tried to tell him, "Aang, before anything else, there's something you need to kn-"
She didn't get to finish as Aang took off on his glider to the canyon wall. She sighed as she joined the others as they ran to catch up to the Zhangs and Gan Jins. The two tribes clamored as they stood near the base of the wall. Aang landed between the two tribes as they glared at their polar opposites. Then trying to find a solution for the problem he said, "Please, everyone, as soon as we get out of here, we can eat, and then go our separate ways."
"Too late on the eating part." Natasha mumbled to herself. The other three heard her but didn't do anything as Aang asked the two tribes, "But I need you all to put your heads together and figure out a way up this cliff."
"Maybe the Zhang can climb the wall with their long disgusting fingernails." The Gan Jin leader insulted. The leader of the Zhangs didn't take too kindly to that and retorted with a piece of the past, "Oh, sorry! I forgot that, to the Gan Jin, unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail."
The two leaders then threw insults with the Gan Jin leader saying, "Why, you dirty thief."
"You pompous fool." The Zhang leader shot back. Soon, both tribes, Sokka and Nat, and Katara and Steve started arguing over each other. Aang had had enough by shouting, "Guys, focus!" Then he said, "How many times do I have to say it, harsh words won't solve problems? Action will."
The Zhang leader then thought about what Aang said and looked at the Gan Jin leader as she said, "Perhaps the Avatar is right."
"Yes, perhaps he is." The Gan Jin leader said in somewhat agreement. Aang looked between the two with a hopeful smile. But his words went the wrong way as the intensity between both leaders grew.
"Harsh words will never solve our problems." The Zhang leader said as she glared at her enemy. The Gan Jin leader felt the same as he said, "Action will."
Both leaders unsheathed their weapons, a straight sword to represent the elegance of the Gan Jin and a curved-blade sword to represent the wild and unpredictable nature of the Zhang. Both leader and blade met in the middle with a clash and a, "Hyah!"
Aang gasped in fear as the swords trembled. Steve, Natasha, Katara and Sokka all looked at the scene with mixed emotions. When the two leaders parted their blades, the Gan Jin leader said, "To the death, and let this be the end of this rivalry."
"You know," Aang said as he tried to take a different approach by desperately saying, 'I take it back. Harsh words aren't so bad."
The Zhang leader backed up a bit before displaying his skills with a blade by spinning it over his head. Both leaders came in for another lunge with the curved blade blocking the straight sword. The Gan Jin leader was able to move the Zhang leader's sword away from its defensive position before trying a spinning swipe with his own blade. The Zhang leader was able to block the strike as it went for her legs and pushed the Gan Jin's weapon to the side. Then the Zhang came in with an overhead strike but the Gan Jin was able to move back before being cut down. The Zhang leader tried to move forward with her blade, but the Gan Jin leader was able to block it with the tip of his sword pointing to the ground. Then the Zhang leader tried to use a horizontal strike on his older opponent, who happened to move out of the way just in time. Both blades clashed again from overhead strikes before the Zhang leader tried to take off his enemy's head while the Gan Jin leader ducked underneath it. The Gan Jin leader tried to skewer the Zhang leader but the Zhang was able to side step it. The Zhang blocked the Gan Jin when the old man tried it again. Sparks flew as blades scraped against each other. The two tribe leaders became locked in a power struggle with their blades stuck in an 'x' formation. Both leaders tried to move their adversary and nearly butted heads in the process. Then they pushed back and stumbled to their respective side.
When the Gan Jin leader stopped himself from falling, he readied himself for another fight. But as he raised his blade, a majority of his beard fell off his face, shocking him. Then he looked up to the Zhang leader with wide eyes. The Zhang leader stopped stumbling as well and readied herself with a smirk to see that she was able to cut something off of the Gan Jin. But then the majority of the left bun fell off of her head. She watched in surprise as the hair fell to the ground. Then she growled in anger that the Gan Jin was able to land a swipe. The two leaders then began to swing wildly at each other.
But neither of them was able to do anymore fighting as Aang jumped between them with his staff held high. He brought it down with a shout and blasted both all the Gan Jin and all the Zhang back while food flew out from their hiding places. Aang's friends tried to stay on their feet Aang snarled and panted while looking between the two tribes. But he gasped when he saw something and questioned, "Is that food?"
The scout from the Gan Jin tribe tried to hide it by kicking the tarp. Aang then realized it as he questioned, "Everyone smuggled food down here?" He was practically fuming in anger as he shouted, "Unbelievable!" Aang then angrily questioned as the Zhang leader picked up the scattered food, " You guys put our lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day?" The Zhang looked to the Avatar as he said the only word that really described them at the moment, "You're all awful!"
Natasha looked sheepish as she said, "Yeah, this was what I was trying to tell you earlier."
But Aang's expression changed from anger to one of hunger as he eyed something. Amongst the Zhang's food, a bowl of something tasty looking stood in a spotlight. The Avatar's stomach felt so empty as he clutched it. Then he said with wide eyes, "So hungry." He forgot all about his anger over the situation as he asked, "Is that egg custard in that tart?"
"You're kidding, right?" Both Steve and Natasha asked.
But his appetite would have to wait as he and everyone heard something coming from the canyon wall. Aang looked up to see a giant swarm of canyon crawlers surrounding the trapped tribes and friends. The giant bugs roared when they saw the food and it made the people of the tribes scream in terror. They ran as the canyon crawlers came closer. Sokka, Katara, Steve and Natasha all ran behind a rock to better prepare themselves. Katara looked worried as she exclaimed, "Oh, no! That's a lot of canyon crawlers."
"We barely survived one." Sokka remembered as he pulled out his boomerang. Steve pulled his helmet on and removed his shield from his back as he said, "We weren't prepared for that first one. Hopefully we'll do better this time."
"Then let's play exterminator." Natasha said while looking ready for a fight. They stopped when they noticed the guide backing away and saying in fear, "They're coming back for me. They've had a taste, and they're coming back for me."
Sokka was about to move around the rock to fight, but Katara grabbed his arm and said, "Sokka, wait." He looked at his sister as she basically apologized, "I don't care about this stupid feud. I just want us to get out of here alive."
"Me, too." Sokka said as he felt guilty about arguing with her. She smiled at their reconciling as he admitted, "I only took their side 'cause they fed me."
Steve and Natasha then looked to each other before Steve said, "So, things might have gotten a little out of hand last night."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Natasha said and held out her hand for their friendship. Steve took it and firmly grasped it before all four of them rushed to help Aang out. The canyon crawlers came at them in full force. Aang took off on his glider and when he was over some, he twirled his staff before dropping out of the sky. When he touched down he sent an air wave at the ones closest to the wall. But it didn't do much as some still stood and those that were knocked over stood back up. They growled and hissed as they charged again. Aang glared at them as they charged at him and when five launched themselves at him, he jumped high over their heads. Aang looked down at the pile of canyon crawlers before landing on one's snout. He jumped off and did a back flip before doing a vertical air slash with a shout. The canyon crawlers were sent all over the place and laid across the ground.
But they didn't stay down long as they turned themselves back upright and came again. Everyone gasped as the canyon crawlers came at them. An unlucky Gan Jin got his robe caught in the jaws of one. Natasha came in with a drop kick to its head, causing the robe to rip and allowing the Gan Jin to flee. The canyon crawler didn't take the kick well and chased after Nat. The Zhang leader quickly pulled out her blade and started to swing it to keep the giant bugs at bay. When she lunged her blade at one, it grabbed the steel into its jaws. She yelled when the canyon crawler pulled him back. Katara ran around looking for someone to help and saw three Gan Jin, one was a man with a sword trying to defend the woman. Katara used a water whip on one of the canyon crawlers to chase it away. Holding the water as a whip, she was about to throw it another when one canyon crawler came up from behind and tried to destroy her bendable weapon. Katara yelled in fright as it rushed past her.
Sokka ran in fear as he led a canyon crawler away. It followed him even when he slide down the side of a rock. When it was in range, Sokka took his boomerang and threw it at the bug. The boomerang knocked it back before returning to Sokka's hand. But he had to back away when another canyon crawler came at him from the side. Steve blocked a leg swipe from one before throwing his shield at it. The shield connected with the canyon crawler's jaw and made it back off. Steve smirked as he caught his shield, but it vanished when noticed more canyon crawlers and ran to regroup with the others. Aang had four surrounding him, but quickly blew them back when he twirled his staff over his head. When they were gone, he stopped and looked at the trouble around him. The canyon crawlers practically had everyone surrounded as they snarled in hunger. Then he turned his head to the left and noticed that four of them weren't trying to eat the people like the others. Instead, they had their heads buried in sacks of food. An idea started coming to Aang as he noticed a few sacks of food lying underneath some rubble.
Grabbing one of the sacks, he yelled to the others while holding up a sack, "Everybody! Watch me and do what I do!"
His friends, the Zhangs and the Gan Jin all watched as Aang jumped to the group that was eating. Then taking a piece of food out, he threw it at them. It bounced off one's head and ended up in the mouth of another. All four canyon crawlers turned to Aang and snarled in hunger while he shook the sack like a matador. One tried to rush Aang, but the Airbender used his quick reflexes to pull the sack over its snout before flipping onto its back. Then tightening the straps of the sack, he rode the canyon crawler like a horse.
Both tribes knew what they needed to do and worked together. One Zhang held a piece of food to bait a canyon crawler, and when it came for the treat a Gan Jin sitting on its back quickly pulled a sack over the bugs snout.
Katara lured one crawler with a fish. And as it came towards her, Sokka acted fast to pull the sack over its snout. Natasha held a piece of food in one hand and the sack in the other. The bug tried to take the piece by lunging for it instead of her, but Steve came behind it and shoved its snout into the sack with a bump of his shield. The Gan Jin Leader crouched with a piece of food in his hand while the leader of the Zhangs jumped onto its back. As he held the crawler's head in place the Gan Jin leader quickly pulled a sack over it snout. Both leaders looked to each other in satisfaction.
When everyone had acquired a canyon crawler with a sack over its snout, Aang led his crawler high above the rest. The crawlers growled in anticipation as Aang tied a sack of food to the end of his staff. Addressing the people he shouted, "Now, follow me! We're riding out of this hole!"
Then he shook the sack to get the crawlers' attention. Each crawler growled as they sniffed the waving food. When they started to follow, Aang lead his crawler up the wall of the canyon. Thanks the canyon crawlers' legs, they were able to climb up the canyon wall with ease and quickly. The canyon crawlers chittered as they climbed to the cliff overlooking the canyon. Momo flew a few feet from them as they neared the top. When his reached the top first with a growl, Aang jumped off and told them, "Everyone, get off!" Before running away from the canyon.
Sokka and Katara both jumped off as soon as it reached the cliff. The leader of the Gan Jin and the Zhang jumped off on opposite sides when they reached the top and moved away from the canyon. The Zhang looked to the Gan Jin and exclaimed in astonishment, "We made it!"
Steve, Nat and the guide all rode one. But when he went to get off, the guide fell onto his side with a grunt. Steve and Natasha both winced at this and she said, "Are you okay?"
The guide clarified he was fine with a thumbs up. When they jumped off themselves, Cap removed his helmet and watched for any stragglers. Then when everyone was on top of the cliff, Aang twirled his staff around before flinging the sack full of food back into the canyon. As it flew before it fell back into the canyon, the sack opened to let food rain from it. The canyon crawlers snorted and growled as they followed the food like a scavenger to its meal.
When the last one disappeared back into the canyon, everyone: Gan Jin, Zhang, Water Tribesman, the guide and the two Avengers looked in satisfaction at this victory. The Zhang leader looked to the leader of the Gan Jin and said, "I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that."
"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch." The Gan Jin leader said as a compliment. The Zhang smiled as she said, "Perhaps we're not so different after all."
Aang let out a big relieved sigh as the four others looked to each other with a smirk. But it went sour again as the Gan Jin leader said, "Too bad we can't rewrite history." He unsheathed his blade again as he accused while pointing his blade at his enemy, "You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei."
"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years." The Zhang leader accused back while unsheathing her own blade again while pointing it back.
Aang gasps in despair while Katara, Steve, Sokka and Natasha looked shocked about the fight. Then Aang calmed down as he remembered something, "Wait a second." Using his hands as he thought, "Jin Wei? Wei Jin?" Then he smiled as he said, "I know those guys!"
"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story." The Gan Jin leader said, not really wanting to retell it. But he became focused when the Zhang leader pointed his blade at his throat and did the same. But Aang quickly went said to stop them, "No. I mean, I really knew them."
Both leaders and his friends looked to him as he explained, "I might not look it, but I'm one hundred and twelve years old. I was there one hundred years ago on the day you're talking about."
x
(Flashback, 100 years ago)
In a setting where both flashback collide, Wei Jin and Jin Wei unsheathed their weapons and stared each other down.
Aang: "There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened.
Both Jin Wei and Wei Jin looked in confusion as Aang explained.
Aang: "First of all, Jin Wei and Wei Jin weren't enemies. They were brothers- twins, in fact.
Jin Wei and Wei Jin then turned into identical twins before becoming younger.
Aang: "And they were eight. And most importantly, they were playing a game."
Both Wei Jin and Jin Wei cried out in excitement as they started to play. A ball appeared over their heads as he explained the game.
Aang: "The sacred orb from the legend- that was the ball."
The twins watched as it fell and bounced on the ground. Then two goal posts appeared on the two opposite ends of the course.
Aang: "And the Eastern and Western Gates were the goal posts."
Jin Wei carried the ball towards the left goal post while Aang explained what happened.
Aang: "Jin Wei had the ball and was running toward the goal when he fell and fumbled it."
The ball rolled over to Wei Jin and picked it up. Then he started carrying it across the field but stepped over the line.
Aang: "Wei Jin didn't steal the ball, he picked it up and started running it back toward the other goal,"
The referee, a panda for some odd reason, then blew his whistle and then picked Wei Jin up, making the boy drop the ball. The panda referee then carried him to a play pen to sit in time out.
Aang: "but he stepped out of bounds. So the official put him in the penalty box- not for twenty long years, but for two short minutes."
The panda referee gently placed him in the penalty box. Little Wei Jin had his arms crossed as he looked with a scowl. Jin Wei gave a taunting laugh while pointing at Wei Jin.
(End of Flashback)
x
His four friends smiled as he was able to put the whole thing to rest, "There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison. Just a game."
"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" The Zhang leader questioned as both tribes had listened to the story while the Gan Jin leader looked as if to think. Aang was quick to answer and said, "Nope. Just a regular ball."
His friends kept smiling as they saw that Aang was handling this well.
This caused most of the two tribes look at him in wonder when the Gan Jin scout questioned, "What about our tribe's redemption ritual?"
"That's what the game was called: Redemption." Aang explained that part. Then he said, "As soon as someone got the ball from goal to the other, everyone would yell "Redemption!" He said it with a wide grin and raised arms.
Both the leader of Gan Jin and Zhang looked to each other in uncertainty. Aang then said something about the brothers, "Don't get me wrong; Wei Jin was kind of a slob, and Jin Wei was a little stuffy, that much is true." But then he said something really deep to the wondering tribes, "But they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."
This caused the leaders to turn to each other. The leader of the Zhang then tried to mend their relationship by saying, "I suppose it's time we forget the past."
"And look to the future." The Gan Jin leader said in agreement with a bow, signaling the end of the rivalry. The Zhang leader followed up with his own bow. Aang smiled as he looked between both tribe leaders.
x
Soon Aang was reunited with Appa as the Gan Jin and Zhang were reunited with the rest of their tribe. While Katara, Sokka, Natasha and Steve talked with the guide, Aang hugged Appa's head and said, "Good to see you, boy. Did you miss me?"
Appa made it clear by giving his friend a huge lick with a snort. Aang giggled at this as the Gan Jin leader came over. Then he humbly said, "I cannot thank you enough, Avatar."
"Well, you know, I try." Aang said as he turned to face the Gan Jin leader. The man cringed in disgust when he saw that Aang was covered in bison slobber, "Oh!"
When the Gan Jin leader came to stand with the Zhang leader, the Zhang leader then said to unify them, "Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capitol as one tribe."
The people from the two former tribes cheered in joy to this before they all started to walk through the forest. Aang and the others watched as they departed into the woods. But they looked back in surprise as the guide leader limped past and said, "I'm going, too. I'm sick of this place."
Sokka looked to Aang and said, "That's some luck, you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin."
"Yeah. It really helped cool things down." Natasha added. Aang smiled and turned as he said, "You could call it luck," but then it turned into a sly one as he revealed, "or you could call it lying."
This surprised all four of them as Sokka questioned, "What?!"
"I made the whole thing up." Aang admitted with a shrug of his shoulder. Katara, holding Momo, looked at him in disbelief as she said, "You did not." But then it turned into a smirk while Sokka's face fell when she said, "That is so wrong."
"So, I'm guessing it really doesn't bother an Avatar if they lie." Steve commented with crossed arms and a smirk. Nat looked to him with a shrug and said, "Hey, if it's for a good cause, then who are we to really judge."
"Now, where's that custard tart?" Aang asked as he looked around for it, "I'm starving!"
This caused both Avengers and the Water Tribe siblings to laugh at this.
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Author's Note: This one was sort of fun to right, but I do need to continue onward. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.
