Chapter 4
Story Time
I woke in the predawn hours of morning. Appa had landed sometime during the night on a small island so I took the opportunity to stretch my legs. I put on my boots then carefully crawled over Katara and Sokka and slid down Appa's tail.
The island was small, almost to small to be called an island. It was better described as a large rock with some lichens growing on it. Still it was peaceful, nothing but the occasional bird flying overhead disturbed the sleepy nature of this place. Halfway through my walk I abandoned my boots and socks and walked barefoot. The stone was cold and I wondered halfheartedly what it would be like to be able to move earth at my command. By now I knew I wasn't a bender, there was no possible way I could be. I had tried to mimic bending moves while I was at the pole when people weren't watching but had soon given up. I could barely replicate them and even then I should have felt some sort of connection. I should have started rising with the sun like firebenders or started feeling homesick like earthbenders would have. Waterbending was out of the question since it was the only bending type I had been capable of replicating in some way since watching Katara. Besides Katara had told me she had discovered she was a bender by the time she was three years old and that was only a year or two earlier then average. Chances of me being a bender... I sighed and shook my head. My toes were damp from the dew clinging to the lichens and mosses of this rock but I couldn't bring myself to care. Finding a good place to sit, I dangled my bare feet off the rock and leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the slowly brightening sun. I just sat there for the longest time, allowing myself to just be.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone was up yet," I opened my eyes and turned to look at the sheepish airbender standing behind me. I chuckled gently than patted the spot beside me.
"You can join me if you want, I don't mind," I leaned back and closed my eyes again. After a moment I felt the young Avatar take a seat beside me. There was silence once again. To my surprise it was Aang who broke it first.
"How's your hand healing?" I blinked and looked at him, then at my wrapped knuckles. I shrugged.
"Healing. It doesn't hurt much anymore. I'll get instructions on how to care for it from Katara once she's awake," I paused and turned my full attention to him, "how are you doing?" Aang didn't answer for a moment which allowed me to take in his full appearance in greater detail. He was young, a round face with plenty of baby fat, bright eyes, wide with innocence. He really was a child and my heart ached at the realization of how quickly this twelve year old would be forced to grow up. He was sitting in a lotus position and I nearly expected a 'uhmmm' to come. Instead he stared out across the water.
"Okay." I looked at him.
"So you're okay?" Aang looked at me and nodded. I looked away. I really shouldn't have expected him to open up so quickly but my perception of Aang was of a happy-go-lucky kid who wouldn't ever let anything keep him down. Deciding to change the topic I decided to ask something that had been bothering me for some time.
"How do you sit like that?" Aang looked surprised and looked at me, then grinned. I was delighted to see the smile grace his face, it was a blessing.
"I've always sat this way, all the monks could," he shrugged, "you can't do it?" I shook my head.
"Nope, not flexible enough. I wasn't exactly the most athletic of children. I like to work my mind more than my body. Don't get me wrong I'll work hard but if it isn't needed…" Aang sent a curious glance in my direction.
"If someone was shouting at you what would you do?" The question caught me by surprise. I fumbled for words before carefully replying, "I'd try to figure out why he was so angry. If it was circumstance, something I'd done, etcetera. Then I'd see what I could do to help fix it. If he wouldn't accept it I'd leave,"
"And if he got violent physically,"
"I'd protect myself and others anyway I could. What's this about Aang?" Aang was looking at me with the happiest expression I had ever seen.
"The way you reacted to my bending, the way you act and think, you're an air nomad in spirit." I smiled then leaned over and gently scuffed his head. If he had hair I would have ruffled it.
"That's a sweet thing to say. Thank you." He shrugged before airbending out of the position and coming to a stand. He held out his hand to me.
"Are you coming Madison?"
"It's just Maddi," I corrected lightly, taking the proffered hand and pulling myself up.
"Maddi,"
We walked back to Appa in comfortable silence, only stopping to pick up my footwear before continuing on. It was only when we could see Appa that Aang stopped. I too stopped, curious. He turned to take me in.
"So why do Sokka and Katara call you Pala?"
"It's a nickname, short for Palartok which is a water tribe name they gave me." Aang looked surprised then he grinned again.
"Wow, I knew the tribe liked you but that's amazing." I glanced at the chipper bender.
"I don't understand. What's so special about a nickname?"
"It wasn't just any nickname," Aang replied knowingly, "they gave you one of their names and you accepted it. They essentially made you one of their own. You can have claim all the same rights as anyone else in the water tribe." I blinked at Aang, dumbfounded. They had essentially made me water tribe in all but blood. I looked over my interactions with the people there. Only Sura had been really cautious after Katara started calling me Palartok. Everyone after that welcomed me and called me by that name. I had just assumed that it was an easier name for them and that Madison was to confusing for them to use. I had no idea what the name had represented for them.
"You really didn't know? Sorry, I guess they should have explained it to you but the Water Tribes believe in family. If you were alone with no one to care for you they would have taken you in so you wouldn't be stranded with no one. Oh, and by introducing yourself as Pala you're acknowledging that you are part of the water tribe." Aang deciding then that the conversation was over, took off, soaring over Appa. I heard a shout of surprise from Sokka, and Katara's voice, faint but with a laughing tone. I didn't move. I had been alone. I had no one and the southern water tribe had opened its arms to me, welcoming me as one of its own. Accepting me as one of their people, as one of their family. I had known that the water tribe took family bonds and ties very seriously and were known for making sure a child never went without family. I had never considered that they would do the same thing with a stranger, two actually since Aang would later be adopted into the tribe by Katara and Sokka, then officially became a member with Bato.
Sokka's head popped out from over Appa.
"Hey Pala what are you doing? Katara's made breakfast." I walk over. During the time Aang and I were talking, Katara had built a fire and Sokka had caught a fish. My mouth started watering at the sight of smoked fish. Sea prunes, a small fish that reminded me of shrimp and the occasional Arctic hare made up the majority of meals at the southern water tribe. I grimaced when I remembered sea prunes. The flavour was foul and strong, the food itself had a nasty jelly like consistency. Sea prune stew had been the first meal I had eaten at the pole and by the time I had realized the meal I was eating was that foul meal Aang had hated I had been eating it for over a week willingly. Besides, in the southern water tribe it was pretty much eat what you are served or starve to death. Then, five days after that discovery I was called to help harvest sea prunes. I had been fine with it until I saw they were being harvested with cages. After seeing the sea prune in its full form I discovered that it was the same as a creature in my own world. The sea cucumber.
Needless to say it took me a while to get over that little tidbit of information.
Sokka looked just as ravenous as I felt while Aang was looking ill at the sight of smoked fish wrapped in seaweed and lichens.
"Do you have something that… wasn't at one time alive?" I winced. Water tribe meals were all made with living creatures, the only thing that really broke the trend was seaweeds. Occasionally merchants would come and as a treat we'd get dried fruits and bread but that was it. Katara turned and began to dig through the bag, a look of intense concentration on her face. Finally she surfaced with a good-sized package and handed it over to Aang. I watched as Aang looked at our supply of seaweed.
"Are you sure, I don't want to take all of it."
"And we don't want you to starve. You didn't eat anything yesterday that I'm aware of." I stated firmly.
"Yeah but he went a hundred years without eating, he's probably okay." Sokka said, halfway through splitting the fish into portions. Then he paused, "what's wrong with fish anyway?"
"That's not the way it works." I replied sharply. All three sent me strange looks. I blushed and looked away.
"For Aang no time has passed, his body was preserved the second he was covered by that ice. In other words, Aang is only twelve years old and the last time he ate was whatever meal he ate before getting frozen. It's no different than if he suddenly jumped a hundred years into the future." I looked at my friends who seemed to be contemplating what I had said. I grinned, pleased that my friends took what I said so seriously.
"And I'm not eating fish because I'm a vegetarian." Aang explained. Sokka stopped cutting the fish to look at Aang in complete bafflement.
"Vegetarian?"
After breakfast we packed up and climbed on Appa.
"So where are we going Aang?"
"I want to go to the Southern Air Temple first before heading for the North Pole."
"Straight to the North Pole?" Katara interrupted. Aang nodded, still gazing out at the sky over Appa's head. The bison didn't seem to need steering as he was heading home so Aang was in the saddle with the rest of us.
"Well as straight as we can manage. It'll probably take a few months though." He admitted.
We fell silent. It was painfully awkward. There was no way I would survive this journey if the entire time was spent this way. I looked around. Sokka was lounging on the back of the saddle. Katara was sitting, every once in a while peering over the edge. Aang was on the opposite end of the saddle from Sokka, stroking the bison's fur. I, on the other hand was sitting next to Katara, legs stretched out across the open part of the saddle.
"Are we going to spend the whole trip like this?" I finally asked, catching the attention of my travelling companions, "I mean if we're heading all the way to the Northern Water Tribe, then back into the Earth Kingdom, we'll need some way to pass the time." I seemed to catch the attention of Sokka and Aang, both appearing intrigued with the concept. Katara glanced in my direction, also curious but less than her brother or Aang.
"How?" Aang asked, "a game?" I beamed.
"Pretty much. The idea is that we can share stories, any story one we were told as children, one that we learned from history, one we experienced or even ones we make up ourselves. How's that sound?" Aang stood and moved closer to the rest of us, eyes alight. Sokka sat upright, paying a lot more attention now. Katara raised an eyebrow.
"What are the rules?" She asked.
"No stories that to make a point to someone else in the group, no embarrassing stories that aren't your own, no stories to scare anyone without everyone agreeing first and…" I paused, "all stories must have a beginning and an end and must take at least three minutes to tell. In other words 'there was once a girl and boy who lived happily ever after'. Sounds good?" My friends nodded. Aang raised his hand.
"What is it Aang?" Katara asked.
"Can I go first?" The avatar questioned. I looked at the Water Tribe siblings. Both seemed supportive of it so I nodded.
Aang launched us into a story the monks had told him. The story of the turtle-sheep and the sparrow-hare. I found myself quickly comparing it to the tale of The Tortoise and the Hare. The story was almost identical, simply the animals were a little mixed up. Also, the moral instead of simply being stated at the end or left alone a lion-turtle made a cameo.
"And the lion-turtle said to them, 'With patience and determination, victory is assured.'" Aang finished. Katara appeared pleased with the story but Sokka grimaced. When he opened his mouth to say something I quickly interrupted.
"How 'bout Katara goes next?" I suggested. Sokka pouted and leaned back, sending a pointed glare my way. Katara went into the tale of how her family had discovered she was a bender. I laughed outright when I discovered that she had completely soaked Sokka and the toy he had stolen from her. I let Sokka go next.
"Long ago, there lived an old man named Kanut who lived on his own. He was a widower and all his children had long ago moved out of his home. Now he lived all alone on the outskirts of his village…"
I listened in awe as Sokka told the story of Kanut. The wily old man had come across the spirit of a polar-bear dog and had rescued it from demise. The spirit, indebted to Kanut had asked that its body be laid to rest. Kanut did so and each mile he passed he was tested by another spirit. After he succeeded and laid the animal to rest it told him that it would guard over his children and his children's children to repay the debt owed. To my surprise Sokka looked very serious after that story.
"Kanut was my grandfathers father and that polar-bear dog watches over our family to this very day."
"Wow," Aang gasped, "it's a true story?"
"Well it's supposed to be," Katara admitted, "but we don't know just how much of it was true. Kanut was a very old man when he met the spirit so we really don't know how much was true and how much was his addled mind. So Maddi? You're next." The last sentence shocked me. I wasn't expecting it.
"Uh, right… okay. Well-"
"What is your family like?" Katara blurted, "you know, your earth kingdom family I mean." Sokka and Aang jumped on the bandwagon, both asking questions about where I had come from and what had happened for me to end up in the South Pole. I quickly raised my hands, signalling silence.
"I suppose I can tell you some stuff just… if I don't want to answer something, promise you'll not press for the answer?" They nodded.
"Alright, one thing at a time though." I sighed. This was going to be painful. I just knew it was going to dredge up old memories that I wasn't ready to face yet. Katara went first.
"What was your sister like?" I leaned back and smiled.
"Stubborn. She had a head as hard as rock and she wouldn't back down for anything. If I have the spirit of an Airbender, Aang then she had either fire or earth. We were complete opposites. She would blow up at the smallest thing and her temper was something to fear. Still, she had her sensitive side, she just hid it thinking it made her weak." I smiled. Erin had always reminded me of Toph they shared many similar personality traits from what I saw on screen. Then again, I had seen a whole new side to all the characters so far, who was to say Toph wouldn't be the same.
"What about parents? Your mom and dad?"
"Hang on," Katara interrupted, "what did your sister look like." I laughed outright at the two siblings bickering.
"My sister looked a lot like me but shorter, a little darker when it came to colouration and more curves. We both looked a lot like our mom. It was always very clear that all three of us were related, only I'm taller than my mom. My dad… he had dark hair, almost black and equally dark eyes. Me and my sister have his eyes. I also got his height, I'm only a little shorter than him. As for my parents personality," I looked at my friends. Katara and Sokka were both paying attention, seeming interested in learning about my life. Aang on the other hand seemed puzzled about something. He was looking at me, head cocked to the side. I decided to leave it be for now, he'd probably ask for clarification over something later.
"Well, my mom was really sweet. She loved children and was good with them. My dad was a joker, his puns remind me a little of your good ones, Sokka. If you got him on a roll he wouldn't stop no matter how hard you groaned. He also liked sports."
"Sounds like a man after my own heart." Sokka faked fainting, one hand on his heart. I rolled my eyes.
"Can I ask something?" Aang spoke, shifting nervously. I nodded, dusting off my sleeve absently.
"Why do you talk about your family as though they're not alive anymore?" I stared at Aang, shocked. I hadn't even noticed. Stupid, I chastised myself, they're not dead. They're not dead. Even if you'll never see them again. Sokka broke into another story suddenly but the mood was ruined for me. How could I betray my family that way. I didn't know if they were dead, I was dead to them not the other way around and not by choice either. I sucked in a deep breath. The air was cold and it stung my mouth and nose but it helped knock me back into reality. Aang was looking embarrassed, shyly he approached me.
"Sorry Maddi, I didn't know." I shrugged. Inside I felt numb, like ice was encasing my emotions, stopping me from feeling. We got back to storytelling again. This time Aang told a story about him and Gyatso playing Pai Sho. Sokka and Katara told the story of The Great Blubber Fiasco which caused Aang to laugh and me to smile. Then I told the story of Cinderella, the original Grimm tale. Slowly I started to enjoy the day. No one asked another thing about my family and I allowed myself to forget.
A/N The Water Tribes believe in spirits just like everyone else in the Avatar world does and it is a key component of their culture. I liked the story Sokka told about the spirit of a polar bear dog watching over his family it just fit with the way I'm building this society as well as the Sokka you never saw on the TV screen. As for the fact that Maddi is officially part of the water tribe, that was partially inspired by my sister who suggested that to give Maddi a new name that was water tribe there had to be something else behind it. Aang was aware of this because he has travelled all over the world with monk Gyatso, true that was a hundred years ago but age old traditions don't change that quickly anyways.
As for Maddi/Pala she's still trying to decide how to look at her situation. Should she treat her family as though they are dead and grieve for them properly or should she remain determined that they are alive and well and that they believe she is dead. Currently she's refusing to believe they're dead and she'll bounce back and forth on how to deal with this. Her family will be a sensitive topic for her for a while yet. She's putting off thinking about it for to long because she's afraid at this point and she's ashamed that her subconscious has identified them as dead.
