A/N: This update means that you are now up to date with my completed written chapters for this story. The next chapter starts with a Zuko prov.
Chapter 5: Step 1 - The Southern Air Temples
Since I'd fallen asleep on Appa's back, I was wide awake when we landed at the edge of a lake in order to set up camp some hours later. I had Sokka light a fire while I caught eight fish (two each) for dinner. Once everyone had eaten, the others settled in for some sleep – Sokka and Katara in a sleeping bag each, while Aang had opted to curl up against Appa with a spare blanket I had added to my pack.
With the other three settled into sleep, I climbed a tree and kept watch until a few hours before dawn when I left my tree in order to do some training. Ensuring that I remained in fighting condition was going to be very important if they were going to make it to the North without being captured by the Fire Nation. And training as they travelled meant that I would be able to adapt to the different environments before I needed to know how to move across it.
Aang was the first one up, going from a sleepy haze to an energetic bunny in moments. Before he could wake Katara and Sokka, who I decided to let rest, I caught the boy's attention and motioned him away from the clearing.
"What's up?" Aang asked, bouncing lightly on his feet.
"Two things, first I would like to plan our route properly. You wish to stop at the Southern air temples before we travel to the north. And we can't travel direct to the north, since the fire nation and Prince Zuko will simple head there and intercept us." I explained, pulling the map of the nations I had acquired some years past and spread it out on a rock.
"Well, I'd like to check up on some old friends to see if they're still alive." Aang frowned briefly before he brightened. "And I also want to ride on the back of a hopping llama. Oh, and we can surf on the back of giant koi fish and ride the hog monkeys."
"Alright," I sighed. I wasn't going to discouraged Aang from his childish wishes and desires because I knew that there were dark times ahead of them and he needed to be able to laugh. "If I remember correctly, hopping llamas are found in the eastern earth kingdom."
"Yeah, and the giant koi fish are in the southern air nomad islands, and the hog monkeys are in the earth kingdoms as well. You know, kind of to the west." Aang shrugged slightly at the end.
"Show me on a map where they are, and I will plot us a course. Ensuring that we go to the places along the way. I plan for us to travel only three months before reaching the north." I informed Aang, pulling the map from my bag so Aang could show me the destinations he wanted to visit. I was going to include several other key stops, places where the Avatar had made large impacts in their time or places where Aang can see the truth of what the fire nation has been doing.
"Three months? But we could fly there in two weeks!" Aang protested.
"Yes, but we have to be careful. We cannot let the fire nation capture you Aang." I locked eyes with the boy. "If the fire nation manages to capture you, then it's over. They have won the war. Even if you should die, and be reborn into the northern water tribe, by the time the new avatar is old enough to learn bending the fire nation would have overrun the water tribes and killed all the benders. And the avatar would be born an earth bender before they had a chance to learn anything. And the cycle would repeat, with the fire nation killing or subjugating all the earth benders. If they manage to kill the avatar once more, then he will be born a fire bender. And before he has the chance to learn how to be himself, the fire nation would take him and try to corrupt him." I spoke, trying to impart the seriousness of the situation onto Aang. He needed to understand that he was truly the last hope. If he should die, there would be no Avatar after him to help keep the balance. "The balance must be maintained Aang, you are the only one left who can help us restore the elemental balance of our world, and the spiritual balance."
"I hadn't realised it was so bad." Aang muttered, his shoulders slumped.
"That is because you have been awake only two days. You will learn, you will live. Laugh, live, be a child. But never forget, you must also learn and grow. Because the time will come, when your heart must be stronger than any other, and your mind at its calmest. To balance both natures within you and channel the truth of what it means to be the Avatar."
Aang swallowed and nodded his head, eyes solemn and downcast. This was the most serious I had ever seen the boy, but he needed to understand what his role truly meant.
"Now why don't' you go wake my siblings and help with breakfast. I'll work out the best route for us to take." I waved Aang away with a friendly smile.
It wasn't much later that they had eaten breakfast and packed away their camp. Aang took Appa's rein's since he was the one who knew exactly where they were going, since the Southern air temples were his home. Aang was bouncing in his seat, his excitement palpable about going home.
"Wait 'til you see it, Katara. The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world." Aang smiled in reminiscences of his home.
"Aang," Katara began, half cautious and half sad, "I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home."
"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang returned.
"It's just that, a lot can change in all that time."
"I know, but I need to see it for myself." Aang said determinedly. He still remembered what Wera had told him about the attacks on the air temples and how long it had been since an air nomad had been seen. But he had to hope that they had survived, that they were simple hiding. All his friends couldn't be dead, they couldn't be.
"I just want you to be prepared for what you might see." Katara cautioned. "The fire nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and my people, they could have done the same to your people."
"Just because no one has seen an air-bender doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all." Aang said with a hopeful determinism.
"Katara," I cut in when my sister opened her mouth to continue this line of conversation. Aang wouldn't believe until he saw and there was no point using words now. Aang had been warned about what he might see, and that was all they could do beyond being there for him when he discovered the truth.
The rest of the trip to the temples was spent mostly in silence, although Sokka did start grumbling about being hungry as they got closer to a mountain. I refused to give him any of the food in my pack yet since rationing was going to essential to their survival and eating at the same time would ensure that no one person got more food than another. The fact that they had to ensure Appa was fed as well was also a drain on their resources: he'd eaten twelve fish by himself the night before which I'd had to catch while our own fish were cooking. Fortunately, Appa was just as happy to eat hay or grass as he was to eat meat.
Once they reached the mountain, Aang directed Appa to fly up in a tight loop around the mountain face. I hunkered down close to Appa so the wing resistance didn't push against me quite as bad as it was my siblings who were clutching at the back of the saddle. Aang was still sat on Appa's head, unbothered by the force being exerted against him – likely because he was unconsciously bending the air away from his body. Finally, they cleared the top of the mountain to reveal the spire like shapes of the three Southern Air temples that floated high among the clouds.
"There it is… the southern air temple." Aang announced with a bright smile on his face as he looked upon his floating home.
"Aang, it's amazing." Katara said in wonder, staring up at the large structure. This would be the first time she was truly seeing something outside of their small village on the ice. Even Sokka was staring in wonder at the floating earth.
"We're home, buddy." Aang whispered reverently to Appa, patting him on the head. "We're home."
Aang directed Appa to land on the largest of the three floating temples, at a flat piece of land that seemed to be built for the soul purpose of landing. The platform led to a winding path which led up to the temple itself. The moment his feet touched ground, Aang raced off ahead of the others.
"I wonder if he's got the energy to run all the way to the top?" I mused, tilting my head slightly as I started up the path.
I know both Sokka and Katara wouldn't be able to run so far up hill, but Aang was full of energy and his ability to manipulate air to propel himself forward would also help him do so. I could have run to keep up with Aang, but I decided to let him run ahead and let off some energy before they reached the true temple. However, I did set a brisk pace for me and my siblings so that he didn't get to far ahead.
They were nearing the top of the winding path when Sokka started whining about food again. "So where do I get something to eat?"
"You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an air-bender temple and all you can think about is food?" Katara demanded.
"Here." I threw Sokka a small bag of dried fruit and seeds, deciding to give him something. As an active, and growing teenager, he did need to consume more calories than both Katara and Aang, but not by much. "Eat that slowly, it's the last thing you're getting until I make us dinner. We can't afford to waste our food."
"Thanks." Sokka said brightly, completely disregarding my warning to eat it slowly and instead tipping the bag back into his mouth.
They caught up with where Aang was waiting for them. He'd been bouncing excitedly on his feet, clearly suppressing his excitement and desire to continue onward, but wishing to wait for them. When they caught up with him, he motioned to a small parapet that had been cut into the rock face just off the path below them. The clearing had been populated with a ticket of densely packed sticks of varying heights that been stuck into the ground – perhaps for the purpose of learning balancing between them? There was a goal on either side of the clearing with a backboard.
"That's where my friends and I would play air-ball!" Aang explained excitedly.
"From the weeds, it looks like it's not been used in a little while." I observed aloud, looking from vines to weeds which had begun growing up the posts and breaking through the rocks that made up the floor.
"The court where the bisons would sleep is also full of weeds." Aang sighed, his shoulders dropped sadly. "This place used to be so full. Monks, children, lemurs and bison everywhere you turned."
"Perhaps, one day, it will be full once more." I whispered; eyes closed as I felt the breeze drift over my face.
That was the thing about balance – it didn't just need the Avatar; it needed all the elements too. It may be so that the air benders had been whipped out, but they would return – few in number at first, but slowly more would be born. Just as the water benders of the south hadn't been kept down, so to will the air benders of all regions return.
"So, uh, this airball game? How do you play?" Sokka asked, hoping to break the melancholy mood that had settled.
"You just have to get the ball in the opponent's gate. Here, we can play a game." Aang ran forward, Sokka following behind.
I exchanged an amused look with Katara, before we settled into the side-lines. This was an air-bending game, which meant Aang was likely to be using bending in order to participate, leaving Sokka without the possibility of winning.
Once the boys were in position, Aang created a rapidly spinning ball which he kept suspended over his outstretched hand. After a moment of pause, he started manipulating the ball around his body, bouncing it off is elbows, feet and knees. After showing off, he threw it up in the air over his head. Sokka follows it with his eyes. Aang puts his hands behind his back, closes his eyes and smiles, waiting for the ball to come back down. At exactly the right moment, he sent the ball bouncing through the sticks. Sokka was unable to do anything as the ball impact his stomach and sent him back through the rotating backboard behind him.
"Hahaha! Aang seven, Sokka zero!" Aang laughed, showing the score with his hands.
"How do work the scores? Number of posts hit? Distance Sokka was sent back?" I questioned, smiling at Aang's cheerful disposition while Katara went to check on their brother. I knew Aang wouldn't have put enough power behind his airball to truly cause harm to my brother, especially not if he was used to playing this game with young children. A hundred years it may have been since he last played, but for him it had likely only been a few days.
"Aang, there's something you need to see." Katara called.
"Okay!" Aang approached, still playing happily with the ball. Curious at what they had found, I approached with him, only to discover that Katara had dumped a pile of snow on Sokka.
"What is it?"
"Uh…" Katara said uncertainly. "…just a new water bending move I learned."
I looked suspiciously between her and Sokka, before shifting the snow off him and deciding not to mention anything.
"Nice one. But enough practicing. We have a whole temple to see!" Aang started walking off immediately and I followed behind him.
"Where you born in the temple, Aang?" I questioned curiously.
"Yes, a few of us were. The rest, orphans and abandoned." Aang explained. "We give them a home."
"An honourable calling. I hope, in the future, I will be able to meet more honourable men such as the monks and benders of the air." I smiled happily. From my understanding of the other nations, orphans were typically cast to the side unless a distant family member took them in.
"You will, we're not gone." Aang promised moments before Sokka and Katara met up with them.
"Not in spirit." I agreed as we came upon the temple.
Making it to the entrance gate, Aang was unable to contain his excitement and ran off. Unwilling to let Aang face what was beyond alone, I followed close on his heals. We may not yet have seen evidence of the fire nation invasion, beyond the emptiness, but the air temple didn't fall without a fight which meant there would be signs of battle as they progressed and the bodies – of enemy and allies. The fire nation wasn't the sort of people to come back and clean up following the massacre – that was always the job of those left behind.
Right inside the entrance to the temple there was a statue of an old monk, his hands folded within his sleeves and his leg crossed hidden under his carved robes. It was extremely fine craftmanship. I'd never seen anything like it before, and my journeys had never taken me beyond the Earth Kingdom which had been known for its ability to mould stone into highly intricate and accurate designs. When the kingdoms were allies, it was one of their great exports, next to their building skills.
"Hey guys!" Aang called to Katara and Sokka when he realised that they hadn't followed us in. "I want you to meet somebody."
"Who's that?" Sokka questioned.
"Monk Gyatso, the greatest air bender in the world. He taught me everything I know." Aang smiled before bowing to the statue.
"I know the name." I realised, looking upon the statue in wonder.
Not much had passed around about the fall of the air-benders, but the fire-benders who had fought told tales in bars. Many of the monks had been killed initially without a fight; it hadn't been until the fire benders had started to kill the children that the monks started fighting back with a vicious intensity. Monk Gyatso had been the last one standing between the last of the children and the fire benders. It had taken the Fire Lord Sozin himself to take him down, with the support of two of his generals, but even than the man had not stepped in until an entire detachment had fallen.
"Really? I knew he was great, but I hadn't realised his name had gone beyond the temples." Aang smiled brightly. "You know what happened to him?"
"Yes," I looked to him. "When the fire nation came, he stood in defence of the children."
"Did the children escape with the other air benders? We have escape routes in place encase the temple started falling. Monk Gyatso would have known where they were." Aang perked up.
"I pray they did Aang, but the monks were caught unawares and surrounded by land and sky." I admitted with deep sorrow. "At least, in this temple. I know not of the others."
"Where are you going?" Katara questioned as we began walking further into the Temple.
"The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet." Aang admitted, an age and solemnity in his voice that he hadn't ever used before.
The Sanctuary was guarded by a huge wooden door that was dominated by an enormous woodcut comprised of three air symbols protruding from its surface. They were arranged in a triangular pattern, with the symbols attached to tubes that end in two horns near the bottom of the woodcut.
"Aang… no one could have survived in there for a hundred years." Katara said softly, her eyes sad. I knew that she had been against telling Aang about the attack on his temple, but he needed to be prepared for what he might face.
"It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long." Aang pointed out.
"Good point." Katara conceded.
"Katara, whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!" Aang explained excitedly.
"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious, cured meats!" Sokka imputed excitedly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"You do need to stop thinking with your stomach." I shook my head with a sigh.
"I don't suppose you have a key?" Sokka questioned.
"The key, Sokka, is air-bending." Aang took a breath, centring himself.
He raised both arms perpendicular to his body, and pushed forward with his arms and step forward with his right leg. He sent two jets of air, one from each arm, into the horns at the bottom of the woodcut. The air ran through the tubes and, one by one, flips the air symbols from the blue sides, which had been showing, to the marron side. As each of them flips, they heard a mechanism unlock, and with the last one the door open to reveal, the dark, cavernous interior of the Air Temple Sanctuary.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Aang called, walking into the dark room.
The Sanctuary was full of highly detailed and realistic statues, each of them arranged in a swirl around the room – a swirl which was matched to a blue pattern on the floor. They walked down the stairs which past between the statues, heading to the centre of the room.
"Statues?! That's it? Where's the meat?" Sokka demanded.
"Who are all these people?" Katara whispered in wondered.
"Avatars." I breathed, staring in wonder from face to face.
"Aang, your past lives." Katara said excitedly. "They are arranged in order, air, water, earth and fire, over and over again."
"There are so many." Aang said in wonder.
"Past lives?" Sokka said sceptical. "Katara, you really believe in that stuff?"
"It's true. When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle." Katara explained as Aang stepped in front of a fire-bending Avatar statue, and a blue light past over both their eyes. Katara grabbed his shoulder, "Aang, snap out of it!"
"Huh?" Aang questioned, dazed.
"Who is that?" Katara questioned.
"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me." Aang explained.
"You were a fire-bender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met." Sokka muttered.
"I'm pretty sure that the first Avatar was a fire-bender, which now means there have been more air-benders as the avatar than any other." I said thoughtfully, looking back over the statues to see if that first Avatar was depicted here. I didn't know his name, only that he was a fire-bender who was the first to connect to the spirit world and start the circle.
"Wait, how did you know who that was, there isn't a name?" Katara questioned, confused. She was used to me knowing random information but Aang hadn't shown knowledge of the other Avatars.
"I'm not sure… I just know it somehow." Aang admitted.
"It's the Avatar spirit, a shared knowledge and history." I explained. "You briefly connected to the Avatar state when you looked into the statue's eyes."
"Really?" Aang asked excitedly.
"Yes, it's something you don't have control over, but the face must have triggered something in you." I explained, before pausing and tilting my head as I heard something – a patter of feet.
"Fire bender," Sokka whispered harshly, glancing around suspiciously. "Nobody makes a sound."
"You're making a sound," Katara pointed out, exasperated.
"Shh!" Aang and Sokka shushed her as the shadow started moving closer.
I didn't tense – after all this time, the fire nation wouldn't have anyone remaining on these floating temples. They needed all the abled body soldiers they could get in order to keep the resistance, the earth kingdom and north kingdom at bay. However, Aang had said that there had been lemurs here – and the shadow had long ears. As the figure moved into the doorway, Sokka jumped out from behind a statue with his club raised, only to pause as he saw what was actually before him.
"Well, if he's a fire bender, he's the cutest fire bender I've ever met." I commented, not bothering to hide my amusement as I crouched to offer my hand to the adorable figure. He had large eyes, floppy ears which had been pulled back and wings.
"Lemur!" Aang greeted happily as the lemur cautiously moved towards my open hand.
"Dinner…" Sokka drooled.
"Don't listen to him!" Aang informed the lemur immediately. "You're going to be my new pet."
Aang and Sokka both moved towards the lemur, who bristled and ran to hide behind my back.
"Now hang on…!" I held out my hands cautiously towards both boys. "Sokka if Lemur's have survived here, then that means there is food. And Aang, if you want him to accompany you, you will have to ask him."
"So, we ask him to take us to food?" Katara questioned.
"Well, little guy… can you take us to where you eat? I promised to protect you from Sokka," I asked my hanger-on.
The lemur jumped from my shoulder, and started running. Sokka and Aang immediately took off after him while Katara and I ran at a slightly slower pace. They ran across the temple until they reached a balcony. Aang didn't hesitate to jump off the guardrail and down the rocks to the platform below.
"Hey! No fair!" Sokka shouted down after Aang.
"Come on, this way," I rolled my eyes and led the way to the left. Temples like this had stairs on the inner and outer sections, so it wouldn't take them long to find those stairs and move down. It would simple be a matter of making sure they left the stairs at the same level as Aang and the Lemur.
By the time they found Aang, he was crouched crying before a skeleton body which was surrounded by the body of fire nation soldiers. With the number of fire nation bodies around, it was clear that the air-bender Aang was so distraught over had died facing great odds.
"Aang," I moved forward, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder and crouching next to him. On the skeleton there was a neckless, the same neckless that had been on the statue of Gyatso. "I am so very sorry."
Sokka placed his hand on Aang's other shoulder. "Oh man… come on, Aang, everything will be all right. Let's get out of here."
"Sokka, get back." I said urgently when I saw the arrows on Aang's head and hands begin to glow. Aang was losing control and falling into his Avatar state, he wouldn't be able to distinguish friend from foe in such a state. Sokka didn't even think, he immediately followed my order and pulled back – grabbing and dragging a protesting Katara with him.
"Aang, it's okay, I've got you," I pulled Aang's body into my arms and began speaking softly to him. The wind started picking up around them, dust and small rocks lifting and beginning to spin around them and the body of Gyatso. "Aang, I know it hurts, but you can't surrender to the anger. Gyatso died protecting the children, you cannot avenge his death like this. Not by destroying the place he called home, that you called home."
I continued whispering softly and soothingly as I held Aang as close to my body as I could despite the wind that was trying to separate me from him, and the rocks and dusts that was forming a tornado around them. I could hear Katara shouting over the wind, trying to get through to Aang as well, but I didn't pay her words much attention as I continued whispering soothingly – ignoring the cuts and impact against my body from flying rock. Aang needed this – he was only a boy and he had been presented with the truth about the lose of his entire world.
"You're not alone, Aang. I will help you through this. You are not alone," I continued repeating this sentiment as the wind started dyeing down and the glow on Aang's arrows began to fade. Now that I was safer, Katara and Sokka joined them. Katara took Aang's hand while Sokka replaced his hand on Aang's shoulder – giving him the contact to conformt and ground him.
"We aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise." Sokka said gently.
The glow faded completely, and Aang slumped in my arms exhausted.
"I'm sorry," he whispered tiredly.
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Katara smiled gently.
"But you were right." Aang looked to Gyatso's body sadly. "And if fire benders found this temple, that means they found the other ones, too. I really am the last air bender."
"Not forever. The air benders will return, Aang. The balance will be restored." I reached over and gentle lifted Gyatso's pendant from his remains. "And when they return, you can tell them of Monk Gyatso, the greatest air bender of his time who stood against the flame on their strongest night."
"Come on, let's get away from here." Katara helped Aang up and led him back to the upper temple where the statues were.
I remained behind.
Cleaning up the bodies of those who had fallen in a fire nation raid was a familiar task, and the monks deserved more than to have their bodies left out like this now that someone had found them. And despite what they had done, the pain and massacres that had started here, the fire nation soldiers also deserved to have their bodies treated with respect.
Since this part of the temple was where the majority of the fighting seemed to have taken place, and because of the damage Aang's wind had done, much of the walls had been damaged in this area. Floating so high in the air, bearing the bodies wasn't possible, and I had no way of building a pyre to cremate the bones and turn them into dust and release them into the wind. Which left me only one way of honourable dealing with the bodies.
It took time, I separate the bodies so that those who were from the fire nation were not placed with those of the air temple. In time, once the air temple was re-populated with monks, these bones would be given a traditional place of rest and they'd probably return the bones of the fire nation soldiers to whoever took over from Fire Lord Ozai. For now, I stacked the bones in walls along the damaged temple, making sure to take all the bones from a single individual together. The process was sped up using my water bending, which also allowed me to clean the bones as I moved and stacked them.
Any robes or pendants from the monks which had survived were neatly wrapped in some leaves pulled from the trees that grew outside of the temple. The armour and artefacts from the fire nation soldiers were treated with the same care, although I separated generic weapons into a second pile. Some of them were still in good condition, and there was a chance that they could be useful for the rebel forces if I could find a way of storing them on land for the rebels to pick up. Any weapons with decorations or which seemed to be personalised, I placed with the rest of the soldier's artefacts.
By the time night had fallen, there was no longer any more bodies easily found.
"Wera," Aang's voice drew my attention to the entrance of the temple.
"Aang," I turned from the last of the small skeletons I'd placed next to the bones of Monk Gyatso. I'd figured that it was poetic for the remains of the children to be placed with the remains of the one who had fallen doing everything he could to protect them. Their spirits would be together in the afterlife.
"You didn't have to do this," Aang looked around at the bodies.
"Yes, yes I did." I smiled sadly. "My people had those of us who remained behind who could give the fallen burial honours. Your people deserve the same respect," I looked over at the row of fire nation soldiers. "Even they deserve the same respect."
"So many…" Aang stared at the skulls of his people.
"37 monks, 76 children." I whispered the number softly. "397 fire nation soldiers."
"76 children…" Aang repeated, hope suddenly appearing in his eyes. "There were 112."
"So, there is hope that Monk Gyatso managed to see some of your fellow air benders to safety. What about the adults, how many of them were there?" I questioned, something like hope also stirring in my breast.
It had never been confirmed if the other three air temples had fallen the same day as the southern temple, although rumours say that north had fallen. If the children had gotten to the east or west temples, then they might have been safe because it was known the air bender were identified as young children and brought to one of the pole temples for training. But the only way the children would have been able to travel to the eastern or western temples was if they were protected and shielded by some adults otherwise they would have been picked up by fire nation patrols as had happened when a matron from the southern water temple orphanage had tried to escape with their children only for all of them to be cut down.
"42, plus there was another 9 who were over fifteen but under 18. Do you really think they would have survived?" Aang asked desperately, his eyes scanning the skulls and counting them as though to double check my counting.
"Then Aang, I think you should have more than hope. If they didn't make it to the Eastern or Western temples, which have never rumoured to have fallen, then they may have blended in with the Earth kingdom or a remote village." I moved and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "When it is safe, I am sure they will reveal themselves."
"Thank you," Aang whispered. "It's time for us to leave. I don't want to spend the night here."
"Alright, let's go." I glanced around the temple one last time before they left. Only once we had left the new catacombs did I address the fury creature who had been clinging to Aang's shoulder during their entire conversation. "You keeping the Lemur?"
"Momo's family," Aang answered brightly.
words: 5,577