A/N: Okay, so this is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fic. I love the show, even though there's only been one episode shown, so I thought I'd try this out, even though it's a new category and everything. Hope ya like it.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The Art of Waterbending

Chapter One


Ai waited patiently as her grandfather conversed with her mother. Kazuki, the tribe's Elder, was her grandfather. He was the one who had taught her mother the art of Waterbending, and she was the one who taught Ai.

"Mei Ling, the Fire Nation will be coming any day now! You must understand: the people must leave the village. We will retreat to the North," Kazuki hissed softly, so that Ai would not hear. But she did. She always found out such things.

"Father, please, I can-"

"Mei Ling!"

Ai couldn't stand it anymore. She burst through the tent flap, and cried out, "Grandfather, we can fight them! There are enough Waterbenders in the tribe."

Kazuki's face seemed to become a bit less harsh, and subtler.

"Father, she is right, you know."

Ai exchanged a glance of gratitude with her mother.

Kazuki massaged his temple, and let out a long sigh, as though deep in thought.

"Fine, we shall stay in the village," he muttered. Ai embraced her mother, and together they laughed. Kazuki smiled.

"But you must practice every day, Ai, and you too, Mei Ling, for the time is coming. Gather the other Waterbenders and reiterate my message," Kazuki instructed.

Ai nodded, and she rushed out of the tent to alert the other Waterbenders of the tribe and surrounding tribes.

'Such energy that one has,' mused Kazuki, 'Such energy and will for a fifteen-year-old.'


Katara shoved Sokka yet again as he breathed in and out, in and out. Sokka snorted in his sleep rather loudly as Katara poked his chest, and she emitted a defeated moan as he turned over onto his side.

Aang looked backwards and laughed at the misfortune that had befallen Katara and he: Sokka was snoring.

"Is he always like that?" questioned Aang.

"Sometimes," Katara giggled.

She yelled out as Appa started to make a sharp turn to the northwest. She was on the seat on the back with Sokka, and Aang was on Appa's neck, holding the rein.

"Whoa, Appa! Hang on, Katara!" Aang shouted as he pulled tightly on Appa's rein. Katara held onto the side of the seat with one hand and steadied Sokka with the other as Appa did a barrel roll in midair.

"Appa!" cried Aang. He laughed and patted the flying bison on the head.

"Aang, look," commented Katara, whom was pointing to a great cluster of villages in the ice ahead of them. "There sure are a lot more villages up here than I would have thought."

"Hang on tight and wake Sokka because we'll be landing soon."

Katara nodded, and went about doing the impossible of waking her snoozing brother.


"And we are not retreating north, but we'll face the Firebenders head on with our own Waterbending skills," explained Ai to the village people gathered in the central area of the village.

"You must prepare every day, young and old, if you are a Waterbender," Ai continued. Several of the mothers listening to her had worried faces, but the younger women and children of both genders were a bit more confident than they.

"The surrounding villages will be with us as well; we act as one great tribe in the following months," she encouraged. Some of the women became a bit lighter of heart; but still, there was panic in the minds of all.

Ai dismissed the villagers so that they might talk amongst themselves like they always did when something major or important happened. It was just like this when Chaisu's sibling was born who was supposed to have been a male, but was in fact female. Chaisu's parents had selected a name for a female at the last minute, and so the child was named Ahsomi.

Now, Chaisu approached Ai. Chaisu was a good friend of Ai's; Ai had even taught her and Ahsomi basic Waterbending.

"Ai! Is it really true? Are the Firebenders really coming here? Why?" she inquired.

Ai shook her head. She didn't want to tell. But she could trust Chaisu. "They believe the Avatar is coming here or is already hiding here. They are pursuing the Avatar so they might capture him."

Chaisu gasped. "The Avatar? Is he coming here?"

Ai nodded. She turned from Chaisu, suddenly in the mood to do something else besides talk.

"I am going to practice," she muttered.

"Ai! Wait! I'll practice with you!"

Ai turned back to Chaisu with a grin on her face. "Certainly, Chaisu."

The two girls strolled through the village toward Ai's (and Mei Ling's) tent. It was where they would practice Waterbending, away from the center of the village.

Ai's eyes glowed softly as she moved her hands. A large wave of water circled around her, and she pushed her hands forward. The wave crashed on the snow, and froze as soon as it hit the ground.

Chaisu followed Ai's example, but she could only manage to summon a small amount of water to encircle her. She thrust her palms forward, and the water around her went forwards towards Ai. Chaisu's water hit the ground at Ai's feet, and her feet froze into the ground.

"Chaisu!" whined Ai. The two friends laughed, and Ai melted the ice with her mind. She brought it to encompass her once again in midair.

"I'll never be a real Waterbender," sighed Chaisu. Ai splashed her in the face with some water, and dumped the rest into the snow.

"You'll learn, Chaisu."

"Ai! Look!" Chaisu gestured up towards the sky where a large flying bison was descending onto the snow.

"What is it?" Ai wondered aloud.

"There's only one way to find out."

Chaisu grabbed Ai's arm, and before she knew it, the two girls were headed southeast towards the unknown.


A/N: Well, how was it? Good? Bad? Mediocre? I think it's not as good writing as it could be, but it's still pretty good. Please leave a review if you have the time.