Sokka's misogyny actually kind of pissed me off in the show so I wanted Aang to show a little irritation in this chapter.
Review please!
I ended up taking Gyatso's beads with me. I couldn't let them rot there. At the very least, I kept them as a reminder of Gyatso, of his love and kindness. Flying away from the Southern Air Temple wasn't easy, but I felt more at ease knowing I wasn't alone. Katara and Sokka are my family now, along with Appa and Momo, the ring-tailed lemur we found in the Temple. My thoughts wandered to what Iroh had told me during my time on Prince Zuko's fire navy ship.
"Do not despair, Avatar. For the spirits, while not physically in the mortal world, will always be part of us. Monk Gyatso is with you, as are the rest of the air nomads."
He reminds me a lot of Gyatso. The thought brought a smile to my face.
"So, Aang, we headed straight to the North Pole from here?" Sokka asked through a mouthful of fruit.
The grin on my face grew wider, "I'm glad you asked Sokka! Before we go to the North Pole, we have some important matters to attend to!" I pulled out my map and pointed to a small island in the South Sea just below the Earth Kingdom. "First stop is here!"
Katara looked at me quizzically, "What's there?"
"GIANT KOI FISH!"
"Uhhh…do giant koi fish help us defeat the fire nation?" Sokka looked simultaneously bored and confused, which was impressive.
"Well, no, but I promise it's worth it! You'll see!"
By the time we made it to the Island, I was practically shaking from excitement. Riding the giant koi fish was always super fun! And there was nothing like taking a dip in the freezing water to wake you up.
We landed in a small cove with just a few kilometers of beach. This place was perfect!
"We should only stay here for a day or two, re-supply, and keep moving. We don't want to stay in one place for too long. Who knows if the fire navy is still tracking us?" Sokka looked stern but even he couldn't dampen my mood.
"Oh, come on Sokka! Live a little for once!" Suddenly I heard a huge splash behind me. "LOOK!"
Huge elephant koi were breaching the waters' surface. "That's why we're here," I explained while removing the outer layers of my clothes, "elephant koi, and I'm going to ride it!" I sprinted into the water wearing just my bandeau and my underwear, much to Sokka's embarrassment. As soon as I hit the water, I felt the frigid temperatures chill my bones.
"COLD!"
I dove down just far enough to reach the dorsal fin of one of the koi, and then I was riding. It was by far the coolest thing I've done in a long time! The giant koi fish was going so fast, I could barely see Sokka and Katara on the shore as I flew by. "WHOOOOO!" I couldn't stop myself from whooping and hollering in between laughing. This was so much fun!
I looked to the shore to see if Katara and Sokka were still watching but they were just waving kind of funny. They were yelling too but I couldn't hear them over the rush of wind and water. I'll try to teach them how to ride one after I get back onto shore, but for now, nothing can stop me!
…is what I thought until the koi was ripped out from under me. I was flung by my own forward momentum into the water. Just as I came up for air, a huge, and I mean HUGE, dorsal fin breached the water just behind me.
That's not an elephant koi.
My first instinct was to run, and I mean, RUN across the water to the shore. Whatever it was, it was chasing me, and gaining fast.
Omigod omigod omigod OMIGOD.
I ran headfirst into Sokka, unable to stop running in time.
Katara ran up to me, immediately checking to see if I was okay. "What was that thing?!"
"I don't know." I started to pull my clothes back on, there was no way I was going back in the water with whatever that was.
"Well, let's not stick around to find out." Sokka lifted himself from the ground, brushing off his coat. "Time to hit the road."
Just as he said that, we were ambushed. I couldn't even get a good look at them before I was blindfolded and tied up with ropes.
"Or we could stay a while."
We were led somewhere and tied to a pole. "You three have some explaining to do." The voice sounded masculine and somewhat aged.
"If you don't answer all our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the Unagi." This voice was feminine and young.
"Show yourselves, cowards!" Sokka cried. Apparently, that worked because suddenly my blindfold was removed, and I could see. We were in a small village surrounded by women in green warrior uniforms. "Who are you?! Where are the men who ambushed us?!"
"There were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?" The woman in the middle, appearing to be their leader, demanded.
"Wait a second! There's no way a bunch of girls took us down." Sokka smirked. Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'm a girl and I'm pretty sure I could take Sokka in a heartbeat.
The leader grabbed the front of Sokka's coat and threatened, "A bunch of girls huh? The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight."
"No! Don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes." Katara came to Sokka's defense, albeit a weak defense.
Not wanting Sokka to suffer for my mistake, I spoke up, "It's my fault. I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."
"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" An older man in a blue tunic asked. "Kyoshi has stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way."
"This island is named after Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!" I beamed.
"Ha! How could you possibly know her?" The man asked humorlessly. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here 400 hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries!"
My heart skipped a beat before I calmly replied, "I know her because I'm the Avatar." That's the first time I've said it out loud. I still wasn't fond of the title.
The leader of the warriors looked at me indignantly, "That's impossible! The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago!"
"That's me." I shrugged.
"Throw the imposter to the Unagi!"
Okay, that's not good.
The warriors started to close in on us, ready to attack at any moment. Katara leans over and whispers, "Aang, some airbending would be nice right about now…" Good point. I jumped straight up, propelled by my bending, and landed softly on the ground.
Everyone stopped and gasped at my bending, even though it was a super simple technique. At this point, more people from the village were gathering to see what was going on. People were whispering and pointing at me, the disbelief was clear on their faces. All this attention wasn't my favorite, but I'd rather be in the spotlight than become a meal for the giant monster just off the coast.
The man, I'm presuming to be the chief, approached me with wide eyes, "It's true. You are the Avatar!" He immediately dropped to his knees, his eyes not meeting mine. "My sincerest apologies Avatar!"
My name is Aang.
"I was a fool! Forgive me!" The other Kyoshi warriors also knelt to the ground.
"Woah woah wait! There's no need to bow! Please stand up!" I held my hands up, trying to look as harmless as possible. "We were intruding on your home without permission! Of course, you would defend it! Please don't bow!"
"You are most kind, Avatar."
"Please, call me Aang." I smiled, hoping I wouldn't be known as just 'Avatar'. The other Kyoshi warriors started untying Sokka and Katara while their leader approached me with a kind, albeit apologetic, smile on her face.
"Sorry about that. My name is Suki, I'm the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."
"Nice to meet you Suki! I'm Aang, and this is Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe!" Katara waved sweetly and Sokka just huffed with his arms crossed.
The chief approached me and smiled. "It is a great honor to meet you Avatar Aang." Alright, close enough. "My name is Oyagi, I am the chief of Kyoshi Island. We welcome you and your friends here as honored guests. You may stay as long as you like!"
Katara approached from behind me, "Thank you, but we will only be staying just long enough to refill our supplies."
Suki shrugged, "Well as long as you're here, you might as well get a good nights' sleep before you continue your journey. Let me show you to your rooms!"
Katara and I smiled gratefully while Sokka just huffed again. Seriously, what was his problem?
Suki showed us to the most lavish room I've ever seen in my life. It was beautifully decorated with elaborate Earth Kingdom tapestries and silk covered cushions. Not long after we got situated, people started coming in with tray after tray of different types of food. I couldn't stop myself from digging in. Katara and I were busy stuffing our faces but Sokka was still pouting in the corner.
"What's your problem, Sokka? Eat!" I mumbled through a mouthful of egg tart.
"Not hungry."
"But you're always hungry!" I questioned, one eyebrow raised.
"Don't mind him Aang. He's just upset that a bunch of girls kicked his butt." Katara smirked.
"They snuck up on me!" Sokka protested.
"Right, and then they kicked your butt."
I couldn't stop myself from snickering. "Oh, come on Sokka, these aren't just girls, they're trained warriors! You can't honestly believe you'd be better at fighting just because you happen to be a guy."
"Hey, don't blame me! It's just the natural order of things! Girls are better at sewing and cooking and home stuff and guys are better at fighting and hunting and generally everything else!" Sokka shrugged.
Now that was insulting. My smirk turned into a frown. "Oh please! I bet I could take you with both hands tied behind my back!"
"Kind of how Sokka was tied up by a bunch of girls." Katara mocked. Both of us ended up laughing so hard, our eyes started tearing up.
"SNEAK ATTACKS DON'T COUNT!" Sokka shouted indignantly. He started to the door, mumbling to himself, "Tie me up with ropes. I'll show them a thing or two." He turned around quickly and grabbed some food while glaring at us. "I'm not scared of any girls." Still mumbling while stuffing his face full of sweet bread, "Who do they think they are, anyway?"
I glanced at Katara, "Oh, I've GOT to see this!" I couldn't wait to see the Kyoshi Warriors throw Sokka on his misogynistic butt again. Maybe he'll actually learn a thing or two. Girls are tougher than he thinks they are! I quickly followed Sokka with Katara on my heels. While walking towards Kyoshi's training building, we kept getting stopped by villagers. Mostly, they were men offering me flowers or offering to show me around the island or presenting me with gifts that I kindly rejected. I've never had this kind of attention before and it was honestly quite flattering even though I knew it was only because of my status as the Avatar.
Katara huffed by my side, "What's the deal with all these guys? Why are they practically throwing themselves at you?"
"I think they're just trying to be nice." I smiled.
"Well there's such a thing as too nice." Katara glared at some of the men looking this way. What was her problem? They're not doing anything bad.
We arrived at the training center and Katara and I held back while Sokka confidently strode in.
"Sorry, ladies, didn't mean to interrupt your dance lesson. I was just looking for somewhere to get a workout." I rolled my eyes so hard I thought I could see the back of my head.
Suki was unfazed, "Well, you're in the right place. Sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you were friends with the Avatar."
Sokka replied casually while doing some ridiculous stretches, "It's all right. I mean, normally I'd hold a grudge, but seeing as you guys are girls, I'll make an exception." Oh, please shut your mouth Sokka…
"I should hope so." Suki smirked. "A big strong man like you, we wouldn't stand a chance." I couldn't stop the snort that escaped me. Suki looked past me and winked and the grin on my face grew.
It seemed like Sokka didn't notice the sarcasm basically pouring from Suki because he just confidently replied, "True, but don't feel bad. After all, I'm the best warrior in my village."
"Wow, best warrior, huh? In your whole village? Maybe you'd be kind enough to give us a little demonstration." Oh, I like her.
"Pfft." I looked to my left to see Katara with both hands over her mouth, trying to stop her laughter.
Sokka hesitated, "Oh, well, I mean – "
Suki turned to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, "Come on, girls, wouldn't you like him to show us some moves?" The girls giggled and agreed, looking just as smug as Suki.
Sokka seemed to gain confidence from the false flattery of all these women, because he puffed out his chest and said, "Well, if that's what you want, I'd be happy to." He pushed Suki a few inches back, "All right, you stand over there." Moving back, he widened his stance into a clumsy fighting position. "Now, this may be a little tough, but try to block me." Sokka went to strike Suki but she simple raised her arm and stopped him with minimal effort.
Katara and I couldn't hold back anymore, and we erupted with laughter. Sokka glared back at us and mumbled, "Good. Of course, I was holding back on you."
Suki smirked, "Of course."
"Let's see if you can handle this!" Sokka launched at Suki with a roundhouse kick but she easily dodged it and swept Sokka's leg out from under him and he fell straight on his back. Katara and I were cackling.
"That does it!" Sokka launched himself at Suki again and she easily dodged again, this time grabbing a hold of his arm and swinging him around like a rag doll until she took his sash and tied his arm to his leg. Sokka fell to the ground, unable to brace himself for the fall.
"Anything else you want to teach us?" Suki asked confidently.
"Maybe that'll teach you to underestimate girls!" I wheezed in between laughter.
"Come on, Aang. This is getting painful to watch." Katara said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Finally, someone put Sokka in his place! I couldn't stand anymore of his 'guys are better than girls' nonsense.