The temple was just as beautiful as Thyra remembered but now it had lost its shining radiance after a hundred years of neglect. Weeds and wild plants grew thick in every place and the air, once filled with laughter and the sound of flying bison, was seemingly a void of silence.
Thyra had so many wonderful memories of this place. Now it felt like a strange place she had never seen before. Aang was happy playing air ball with Sokka, or rather beating him at it so Thyra took the time to look around and find out exactly what happened.
Her concerns of an attack were confirmed when she found scorch marks on the walls from fire benders. Thyra felt tears flow down her cheeks as she imagined the horrors her people had had to face, death coming to them from the bright and sudden flash of fire and steel. Their screams echoed in her head like voices from the past still riding the wind.
She shook her head, gasping for air as she stumbled forwards and fell. Her hands managed to grip onto a stone statue and when she looked up Thyra saw a familiar face. Monk Gyatso was as warm and kind looking in stone as he had been in real life. Seeking a little comfort from the pain and grief of losing her people Thyra sat down and began to meditate.
Through Monk Gyatso's wisdom Thyra had learned many things that Aang would in time need to learn. He needed to learn patience, temperance, confidence and humility but he would never listen to anyone except Monk Gyatso and Thyra.
"Hey guys! There's someone I want you to meet!" Thyra listened to her brother run up behind her.
"Who's that?" Sokka frowned up at the statue and Thyra did not need to turn around to know that he was rubbing the back of his head.
"Monk Gyatso. He's the greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know and Thyra everything she knows." Aang smiled then seemed to drift into limbo, taken back by his memories.
"I thought your sister couldn't air-bend?" Katara wondered aloud.
"One does not need to be a bender to be able to learn." Thyra's sudden voice startled both Katara and Sokka. Sokka was so shocked that he actually fell over. "There was an infinite amount of knowledge kept in these walls, I've studied all there is to know about air bending and the temples. I know every book and every drawing, I can name every star in the sky and plant on this earth and everything to know about history I have studied." Thyra opened her eyes then looked up at Monk Gyatso. "All because someone helped me to take the first step."
Katara placed a hand on Aang's shoulder and murmured softly. "You two must really miss him."
"Yeah." He sighed then began to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"The Air Temple sanctuary, there's someone there I need to meet." Aang said simply over his shoulder. The three older kids made after him. Aang led the way to the sanctuary which was barred by a massive oak door comprised of three air bending symbols protruding from its smooth surface. The symbols were set in a triangular pattern and they were all connected to two large horns that wound there way like twisting snakes.
They stopped just behind and all stared up at the impressive doors. "But Aang…no one could have survived in there for a hundred years."
"It's not impossible." He reasoned optimistically. "We survived in an ice burg for a hundred years." Aang gestured to himself and Thyra as he did so and Katara mused thoughtfully.
"Good point." Thyra sighed softly. For a girl who tries to act older than she really is, Katara really knew nothing of the outside world.
"Katara, whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!" Aang explained but then Sokka jumped forwards.
"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats!" His eyes popped wide open with hunger and he ran into the door, expecting it to fly open but instead he simply slammed into it at full force. Both girls gave a little giggle at Sokka's idiocy as he strained against the door then sank down, defeated.
"I don't suppose you have a key?" He asked sheepishly as Aang grinned down at him.
"They key, Sokka, is airbending." Aang composed himself, lowering his stance and breathing in then out before raising his arms perpendicular to his body. He then pushed outwards with force and filled the horns with air which then ran through the tubs. One by one the giant wooden totems flipped which then triggered the last mechanism to loudly clunk into place and the doors swung wide open, revealing a dark, cavernous opening within.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Aang called out as he walked inside with Thyra close behind. After a brief moment of hesitation Katara and Sokka followed also. After a while their eyes adjusted to the light and they could see a little better.
"Statues? That's it?" Sokka was obviously not impressed by the lack of food services. "Where's the meat?"
"Who are all these people?" Katara asked.
"I don't know but it feels like I know them somehow…" Before he could continue Thyra spoke again.
"You should do Aang, these people are your past lives. All the Avatars that have ever lived." She went over to an air bender Avatar and gestured. "The Avatar cycle starts with air, once that Avatar has passed on the next one is then born a water bender. After that it will be an earth bender then finally a fire bender. Then the cycle starts all over again. Air, water, earth fire." She recounted her knowledge easily.
"Wow, there's so many!" Aang stared around him in awe.
"You actually believe in that stuff?" Sokka scoffed but quickly backed down when Thyra glared at him.
"It's true Sokka, when the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle." Katara answered before Thyra could even move. She rolled her eyes silently then looked over to Aang who was staring at a statue, the last one in the sequence.
"Aang, snap out of it!" Aang blinked out of his daze, startled by Katara's rude interruption.
"Huh?"
"Who is that?" She asked gently.
"Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me." Aang instantly answered out of nowhere. Sokka scratched his chin as he joined the others to look at the statue.
"You were a fire bender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met." Katara bent down to look at the base of the statue as if trying to find something but stood back up when she saw that the base was plain and empty.
"There's no writing, how did you know his name?"
"I'm not sure…I just knew it somehow." Sokka pointed an accusing finger at Aang and growled with frustration.
"You couldn't get any weirder." Suddenly Thyra felt a presence behind her so she turned slowly only to see a long shadow begin to take shape. Instantly she darted behind a statue, pushing the others forwards to do the same. Sokka peeked out with a serious look on his face, reaching back for his boomerang.
"Fire bender, don't make a sound."
"You're making a sound!" Katara whispered, flustered with fear and nerves.
"Ssh!" Both the boys shot at her so she fell silent. Thyra sneaked a peek out from behind her statue to see the intruder closer.
"The firebender won't even know what hit him…" Sokka whispered with his readied weapon.
"Relax, it's just a-" Thyra was cut off by Aang's excited shout.
"Lemur!"
"Dinner…" Sokka drooled hungrily.
"Don't listen to him. You're going to be my new pet." Suddenly both boys scrambled for the lemur.
"Not if I get him first!" They ran at the lemur who ran away with fear, the two boys chasing after him. Thyra pelted after Sokka to try and stop him from catching the lemur, possibly the last of its kind.
"Wait! Come back!" Aang called after the lemur. Sokka and Aang fought for the lead, each overtaking the other until Sokka tried to sweep Aang's legs from under his feet but Aang jumped, racing up and around the wall with his bending then zoomed past Sokka, laughing as he went.
"Hey no fair!" Thyra whipped out her hand and a fine chain flew forwards, glimmering bright gold in the sunlight as it coiled around Sokka's legs and toppled him ungracefully flat on his face with a grunt. "Ow." He muttered.
Suddenly all he could see was Thyra's boots so he squinted upwards to look at her. "Uh…little help here?" Without a word Thyra whipped back her chain and it disappeared up her arm. Sokka jumped to his feet, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
"I'm not about to let you eat a lemur when it could be the last of its kind, idiot." Thyra told him then proceeded to follow Aang who had just leaped off the side of a cliff. Thyra hurried to follow, running and jumping down the steps until finally she had caught up with Aang. She followed him through the dipping leaves of a willow tree, pushing them out of her way until she stood before the last thing she wanted to see. A battlefield.
"Hey Aang, you found my dinner yet?" Thyra stared forward as Sokka arrived at her shoulder. "Oh…" His face fell. "Aang I wasn't really going to eat the lemur okay?" He said as he put a hand on his shoulder then he looked up and saw the skeleton of a monk. "Oh…come on Aang, everything will be alright. Let's just get out of here." Without warning Aang's tattoo began to glow an incandescent blue and when he looked up, his stony expression was angry as his eyes glowed.
Air began to whip around Aang's feet and began to build into a whirlwind of terrible speed, snapping at leaves, dust and bones. Thyra grunted as a blast of air shot through her, pushing her back slightly.
"What happened?" Katara yelled over the roar of wind.
"Aang found out fire benders killed Gyatso!" Sokka yelled back as he shielded his arms from the dust that was being thrown at him.
"Oh no, it's his Avatar spirit! He must have triggered it! I'm going to try and calm him down!"
"Well do it before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka replied as he continued to struggle to maintain his stance. Katara began to creep forwards, fighting against the wind that Aang was now hovering with, encircled with his power and grief.
Thyra watched with slight interest as Katara began to shout calmly. "Aang I know you're upset and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mother. Monk Gyatso and the other air benders may be gone but you still have a family, your sister is still here with you, Sokka and I, we're your family too now."
Aang began to descend slowly, the air falling from its temper to a still calmness. The blue faded from Aang's body and he began to waver but Thyra was already by his side to catch him. After a moment of rest Sokka placed a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.
"We're not going to let anything happen to you. Promise."
"I'm sorry." He whispered wearily, looking up to Thyra through half opened eyes.
"It's alright little brother. You're safe now." She promised him lovingly. "It wasn't your fault."
"Katara was right. If the fire benders found this temple then it means they found the others too." He pressed his eyes shut. "I really am the last air bender."
"It's alright Aang, the balance will be restored someday." Thyra murmured softly. "It's the natural course of the universe." Once Aang had recovered his strength the team made their way back to the temple where Thyra gathered some things that might help them on their journey. The blankets were too old and worn to use but she found some hidden gold that Gyatso had told her about long ago and also her old room was left untouched.
Just the way she had left it over a hundred years ago. It was spotless except for the large collection of dust. After her rush to chase after Aang before she had left Thyra had grabbed very little, leaving most of her belongings behind so now she took the time to go looking. Kneeling down on the ground Thyra ran her fingers along the edge of a stone slab, smoothing away the dust to reveal a slight edge.
With a puff of breath she blew away the residue then began to dig her fingers under the slab until it lifted away. With a relieved sigh Thyra picked up the small box that had remained untouched for a hundred years.
It was spotless and undamaged, not a mark to taint it. The small chest was light in her hands as she set it down before her then opened the latch. Inside where Thyra's treasured possessions that she had gathered over the years of her life. There were a few buttons with pretty patterns that she had liked too much to use and glass marbles she had had since her childhood but most importantly of all were two items that were nestled at the bottom.
Thyra picked them out carefully, not wanting to disturb the other items, then held them out to look carefully over the last connections she had to her parents. One had belonged to her mother and the other had belonged to her father. They were two halves of one item, hand carved and made from the best kind of wood of the time. Gently Thyra began to screw the two pieces together until she held a flute in her hands.
Working the holes and blowing through the mouth piece she then began to play. It still sounded as beautiful and rich as she remembered, filling the air with the wonderful sound of music. Once Thyra's hands shook too much to continue playing she untwisted the two parts then put them back in the box. Looking up the setting sun, its warmth radiating on her smooth cheeks, Thyra felt peaceful as she returned to her brother and the others.