Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I appreciate all the feedback, and it definitely makes getting back to the story worth it. I'll be making a lot of changes to the story, like I said before, and I hope everyone enjoys the revised version as much as the previous. As always, welcome to suggestions and critiques, thanks all for reading!

"Avatar Aang, we need to keep moving, we won't last on open water in this storm," someone yelled from across the deck. Aang couldn't see who, but he knew he was right. The storm was worsening by the minute. Waves were crashing onto the deck and unrelenting rain was blinding them in every direction. He was supposed to be the Avatar but he'd never felt this helpless.

"Get on your bison, do your damned best to get above the storm, and head to the South Pole!" the yelling was next to him now and he was being pushed towards Appa by the guard. "If we make it through we'll meet you there but you can't go down with us."

Water was rising above Aang's ankles and he knew the boat couldn't take on any more water. The crew around him were working frantically to keep afloat, "You have to make it safely, Avatar! Go!" The guard gave Aang one last push and rejoined the crew in their desperate effort.

And just as Aang regained his footing and grabbed Appa's reigns, another wave crashed into the ship. Appa fell back onto Aang, and they both went tumbling overboard, carried by the icy wave. They hit the ocean and suddenly every scream went silent and Aang's ears popped from the pressure. He thrashed his arms out reaching for the surface...

"Hey, Aang," Katara shook his shoulder gently, "it's morning."

Aang slowly stirred, not entirely ready to get up. He didn't immediately recognize where he was but sighed as he realized the past days events. Who knew you could be so tired after being frozen in ice. He finally sat up, and when he did Katara couldn't help but stare. His tattoos ran the length of his arms and down the spine of his back. She imagined it must've hurt pretty badly, but they were interesting, even attractive in a way. Tribal tattoos weren't uncommon in the South but the airy blue was almost delicate against his pale skin.

"Good morning," Aang yawned and got up to stretch and find his shirt. Katara looked away and blushed.

"Morning," Katara replied, putting the previous thoughts in the back of her mind. She looked over as his shirt fell into place. He obviously was a bender, and a strong one at that. His arms, back, and stomach were all well toned, as if he spends most of his day training. She averted her eyes again so he wouldn't catch her staring. "You should come out and meet the rest of the village today. Everyone would love to meet you."

Aang slipped his shoes on, "I'd love to. After we meet everyone, I'd also like to talk to you and Sokka alone if that's okay."

Katara nodded and led him out the igloo, "Of course, Sokka is "training" the boys today but I'm sure we could drag him away for a bit. Sorry about how he was acting yesterday, he tries to act tougher now that Dad is gone."

Aang flashed her a smile, "You don't have to apologize to me, especially when it's not your fault. I mean, you did find me in a block of ice. I'd be pretty freaked out too." Katara smiled back as she led him to the center of the village where everyone was waiting.

"Hey everybody, this is Aang," Katara pulled him closer to everyone, "And Aang, meet our entire village."
Katara motioned to a group of about twenty people. He had to admit he was expecting more people, not just a couple families and their children. The village looked small when they arrived but this isn't what he imagined. Katara mentioned her father was gone, and he saw many other families without middle aged men as well. His heart felt a little heavier at the thought but he managed a cheery, "Hey guys, it's really great to meet all of you."
"Is it true you're an Airbender?" one of the kids asked, halfway behind his mom.

Aang smiled, "Does this answer your question?" He hopped up and bent an air scooter beneath him and raced around the village, all the way to the outer ice wall, and back around again to the kids who had now formed a huddle in front of the others and waited anxiously for Aang to land in front of them, feet first.

The air from the dissipated scooter knocked over a couple of the kids ensuing more laughter and a chorus of "Wow!" and "That's so cool!".

An older woman stepped forward and helped a few of them up, "That's enough children, calm down and go to class with Sokka." Almost all of them groaned but followed a huffy Sokka. The parents picked up their younger children and returned back to their igloos. Aang straightened up under the woman's stare, who had yet to move.

"Aang, this is my Gran Gran," Katara put her arm around the older woman's shoulders. Gran Gran was still staring intently at Aang and didn't immediately say anything.

"No one has seen an airbender in a hundred years," Gran Gran began, "Katara says she found you frozen in ice. I haven't had hope in a very long time, but something tells me you're special. Not just anyone would've survived that." Her tone was flat, but Aang could hear something almost straining in her voice. 100 years? Aang's thoughts stopped for a few moments. He wasn't sure how to process what he just heard. It couldn't really have been that long could it?

"I was planning on talking to Katara and Sokka today about that, I think we should go somewhere more private," Aang felt the panic rise up in his chest. Katara excused herself to go find Sokka as Gran Gran led Aang to their family's home.

Aang followed her inside and they both took a seat on the cushions placed neatly around the floor. The warmth was a welcomed change and they both sat quietly as they waited for Katara's return.

Aang felt more nervous than ever and was dreading the conversation to come. What if they didn't believe him? It even sounded crazy to him. Who can survive in a block of ice for a century?

"Just go inside Sokka," Katara's voice came from outside. Sokka entered, muttering under his breath. Katara followed in and they both took seats on either side of Aang. "Aang needs to talk to us so please just hear him out for now and you can go back to class right after if that's what you want."

Sokka nodded at Aang and he took that as his cue to begin. "I didn't want anyone to overhear because no one else can know. But before I was frozen in the ice, I was being escorted here by a group of men who helped rescue me from the Temple as it was being destroyed. They had friends here and they said it would be safe for us to stay here for a while. I don't know if they ever made it, but I was thrown off the ship with Appa. And I guess frozen for quite a while in that ice."

Sokka, for the first time since they met, was looking at Aang intently, "Did they only take you? Who were they?"

"Yes, only me," Aang cleared his throat and shifted, feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. Everyone was watching him closely, "I don't know who they all were. It happened so fast and I moved around a lot. I couldn't stay in one place long. I just knew they were each apart of some group. And the less it was talked about the safer."

"This all sounds really shady, and frankly I still don't know if we should just be trusting you.." Sokka began.

But Aang immediately cut him off. "I'm the Avatar, Sokka. I was in hiding for four years before I got frozen. And that means I was frozen for almost a century if no one has seen another airbender in a hundred years." Aang paused and took a breath. "Sorry."

If they weren't all staring before, they definitely were now. "You're the Avatar," Katara repeated in disbelief. Aang nodded and everyone sat back, trying to process. Katara was the first to recover from the news, "So what do you need to do now? Can we help?"

Aang nodded, "That's really what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not really sure where to begin but I know I need to get moving as soon as possible. I need to master the other elements and I need to do something to stop the Fire Nation."
"We don't have an army. Or even any benders to teach you water bending. Katara is our only bender and even she still needs a master. The best advice I could offer is to find their father Hakoda and the rest of the Southern fleet. They can help accompany you, or at the least have more information than any of us. We aren't really in contact with anyone else outside our tribe and only hear what the men relay back to us while away," Gran Gran finally spoke up.

"We can help you find our dad, I know he's somewhere in the Earth Kingdom," Sokka offered, "I'm sorry about earlier, but I know I'm willing to help. With that bison of yours, traveling will be easier than with just a boat. We should be able to find them in no time."
"I'm in too," Katara smiled. Aang suddenly felt a surge of happiness and hope. He didn't know what to expect but this was better than what he imagined. "I can try and teach you what waterbending I learned myself and maybe we can try and figure out more while we try to find a master."

"I'll go find the last letter Hakoda sent and see where they were passing through at the time, that should make it easier to find where they are now," Gran Gran stood up and left to go rummage through the box of letters.

"I'm going to start packing and sharpen my knife," Sokka announced. He left the room in a hurry, obviously excited for the adventure.

Katara reached over and put her hand on Aang's shoulder. "Don't worry, we've got your back, Aang." He returned a genuine smile and for the first time since leaving his home, he felt hopeful for the future.

Deep down he knew his family was gone and they would never be replaced. He would never laugh at another one of Gyatso's pranks or play air ball with his friends again. But he already felt more comfortable than he had any of the years hopping from one place to another. "Go get some rest, Aang, you look tired. We'll make sure everything is packed and ready and we'll leave at night. Safest time to travel without being noticed."

He nodded and let Katara lead him back to his small igloo. "Thank you for all of this. Especially trusting me."

"I told you we've got your back," Katara smiled brightly up at him. "Now please get some rest, I'll come get you whenever dinner is ready and we'll head out after that."

Aang nodded, the stress of the day almost weighing him down. He crawled back into the warm blankets and was almost immediately captivated by sleep again.