"Sokka's Instincts"
It was going to be perfect, he knew. Last night the stars of Air, Fire, and Water had been in the sky together. It was a good time for new beginnings. ~ Terry Pratchett, Nation
When Katara reached the cottage she entered through the hatch that led to the basement. She stepped back as more smoke rushed out when she opened the door. After a moment the smoke seemed to taper off, and Katara cautiously went down the steps. "Sokka? Teo?" she called out.
"We're over here!" the Mechanist called out from the other side of the room. Katara made her way over to the far end of the laboratory (that's what Sokka liked to call it). The Mechanist was sweeping up smoldering equipment. Sokka was sitting sulkily next to Teo's wheelchair.
"What happened this time?" Katara asked.
"The balloon prototype caught fire," Sokka said dejectedly. He stood up, yanked off his safety goggles and threw them to the floor. "I don't know, guys, I'm about ready to give up on this thing."
Teo chuckled. "You always say that."
"I mean it this time. The fair is tomorrow, and I'm not ready. I'll never get this thing built by then."
"Yes, you will," Katara said encouragingly. "And you'll win first prize at the fair in Omashu—"
"Hmph!"
"And become a world-famous inventor!" She reached out and touched her brother's shoulder. "You'll make Dad proud," she said softly.
Sokka eyed his sister. "You really think that?" He knew Katara to make fun of his inventions, but in a teasing sibling way. The truth was, she understood how much he wanted their father to be proud of him. Katara was a waterbender; Sokka needed to have something that he was good at, and he had chosen inventing.
"I always have," Katara said seriously. She glanced around the laboratory. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Sokka jumped at the chance to pour out his problem to someone. He gestured Katara over to the lab table, where the Mechanist had set up another prototype of the hot-air balloon.
"See, the problem with the balloon is you can get it airborne, but once you do, it just keeps going." Sokka demonstrated with a model that floated up and hit the ceiling.
"Could you put a hole in the top?" Katara suggested.
Sokka rolled his eyes impatiently. "Nooo, then all the hot air would escape," he said, as though it should be obvious.
"So the question is, how do you keep a lid on hot air?" Teo said.
"Ugh, if only we knew," Katara said sarcastically. She and Teo and the Mechanist laughed.
But Sokka's eyes lit up. "Hold on—that's it!"
"What's what?" the Mechanist asked.
"A lid is actually the answer," Sokka explained. "If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon." He reached for his safety goggles again. "Kids, clear the laboratory; I have work to do!"
Katara and Teo exchanged amused smiles and went over to the far end of the lab.
"So, did you have a good time in town today?" the Mechanist asked Katara.
"It was alright," Katara said carefully. "Professor Zei gave me a book … and I got a waterbending scroll."
"No kidding?" the Mechanist said, mildly interested.
Katara didn't really want to share the news of her first kiss with these guys—not yet, anyway. To change the subject, she voiced a question she had been turning over in her head for some time now. "Guys, do you think I'm weird?"
Sokka gasped dramatically. "My sister? Weird? Where on earth would you get an idea like that?"
Katara wished she had something that she could throw at her brother.
Sokka dropped a piece of the balloon prototype, which rolled under the lab table. "No, seriously, why do you ask?" He got down on his hands and knees and crawled under the table.
"I don't know. It's just that I'm not sure I fit in here. There's no one I can really talk to."
"What about Jet?" Teo asked.
At the sound of the Freedom Fighter's name, Sokka tried to lift his head up, but instead banged his head against the tabletop. "Oohhh," he groaned.
So much for changing the subject, Katara thought.
"Jet's a handsome fellow," the Mechanist noted.
"He's handsome, all right," Katara said, "and rude, and conceited, and …"
"So you don't care about him at all?" Teo pressed.
Katara sighed. She couldn't explain something she was unsure of herself. "I like Jet, I guess, but … I just don't think he's right for me."
"That's the truth," Sokka said, crawling out from under the table. "I'm glad you're smart enough to realize that." He leaned over the prototype again. "Don't worry, this invention's going to be the start of a new life for us."
He had no idea how right he was.
"Okay, time to test it out," Sokka said. The four of them crowded around the table to watch. The prototype balloon now had a lid covering a hole the top, attached to a small string. "Okay, here goes …" Sokka lit a match and placed it on the balloon, where a furnace would be on the final, life-size version. The balloon filled up with air, and started to rise off the table; but Sokka grabbed the string and yanked on it, opening the lid at the top. The balloon hovered in midair.
"It works!" Teo exclaimed.
"It does?" Sokka looked surprised. Then he exclaimed, "It does!"
"You did it!" Katara said, hugging her brother. "You really did it!"
"Not yet, I haven't," Sokka said, gently pushing her away. "Now we have to finish making the actual balloon, and add a lid to it. Come on, we have work to do!"
They spent the next several hours assembling the already acquired basket, balloon, string, and sandbags. Sokka and the Mechanist set up the lid. Finally they were ready to test out the life-size version outside.
Sokka and the Mechanist got in the basket while Katara watched with Teo from the ground. Bags of sand weighed the balloon down, until Sokka cut them off with his boomerang. The balloon started to rise in the air, above Teo and Katara's heads.
"If this doesn't work," Katara said to him, "how are they going to get down?"
"I don't know, maybe put out the fire," Teo said, still looking up at them.
Then Sokka pulled the handle on the string attached to the lid, opening a hole in the top of the balloon. As the air started to leak out, the contraption descended back down. Katara and Teo cheered when the basket touched the ground again.
"YES!" Sokka leapt over the edge of the basket. "Katara, get Appa. I'm off to the fair!"
"Can't you just ride the hot-air balloon there?" Katara asked.
"No, I don't want it to get damaged before then. Just get the flying bison!"
Katara shook her head, smiling, and headed for the stables.
It took Sokka all of five minutes to gather his things, while the Mechanist folded up the balloon and strapped it down to Appa's saddle. Finally the four of them, plus Appa, gathered outside to say good-bye.
Sokka turned and bowed to his mentor. "Thanks for all your help. You too, Teo."
"My pleasure," the Mechanist said, clapping his apprentice on the back.
Sokka turned to Katara. For a moment the two siblings stood awkwardly, and then Katara opened her arms, and Sokka didn't hesitate to hug her. He could hardly believe she was almost as tall as him. What had happened to his little sister? She was becoming a young woman, that's what was happening.
Sokka pulled away and held Katara at arm's length. "You sure you'll be okay without me?" He was a little apprehensive about leaving her at home by herself.
"I'll be fine," she assured him. She thought of the pirates, but Jet would be around in case they tried to make trouble. Besides, now that she had the waterbending scroll she could work on waterbending, just in case she needed to fight.
"I'll be back the day after tomorrow," Sokka promised. He climbed up onto Appa's saddle, taking a seat at the bison's neck and grasping the reins. "Appa, yip-yip!" The bison thudded his tail against the ground and lifted up into the sky.
"Good-bye, Sokka! Good luck!" Katara shouted.
Appa grew tired in the afternoon, so Sokka let him travel on the ground. It would be harder to navigate that way, but Sokka was sure he could figure it out. They followed a dirt path into a forest.
Sokka wasn't scared when night started to fall, but he was slightly concerned. He spoke out loud to reassure Appa. "We should have been there by now. Maybe we missed a turn. I guess we should have taken a … wait a minute." He raised his lantern to illuminate a sign at the fork in the road. The right path, labeled as the way to the Foggy Swamp, was overgrown and had dark trees on either side. The left path, leading to Omashu, looked much more inviting.
Appa glanced at each road in turn, and then started to go down the left path. But Sokka pulled on the reins to go in the other direction. "Come on, Appa! It's a shortcut. Listen, my instincts are telling me we should go this way. We'll be there in no time."
Appa reluctantly went down the overgrown path. The tree branches seemed to form a roof over them, blocking any possible moonlight or starlight. As they continued on Sokka didn't recognize their surroundings.
"This can't be right," he murmured. He turned on Appa. "Where have you taken us, Appa?" he said, forgetting that it had been his idea to go this way.
Appa growled. Sokka looked offended. "My instincts are what guide me when I'm inventing stuff! Ah, never mind. We'd better turn around and—whoa!"
A swarm of screeching dodos flew out of a tree. Appa screamed and started running through the forest. Sokka shouted at the bison and tried to pull the reins taut, but he couldn't get Appa to stop.
The forest gradually gave way to swampland. Appa had to slow down to climb over some huge tree roots. Sokka looked around nervously. "Okay, I officially have no idea where we are," he admitted. He looked around, then did a double take and looked closer to his left; there was a person, standing with their back to him.
Frowning, Sokka slid down from Appa's back onto a giant tree root. He approached the figure cautiously. He saw that it was a woman, in Water Tribe clothes, her brown hair pulled back in hair loopies.
"Mom?" Sokka whispered. He could not fully believe it—his mother had been dead for six years. Yet there was no mistaking her. "Mom!" Sokka ran up to her, excited in spite of his doubt. He reached out to touch her shoulder—but when he did, the image of his mother faded. All that was there was a strangely shaped tree stump.
Sokka backed away, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. It must have been a trick of the light—or else he was just tired. He turned around to mount Appa again. But Appa was nowhere to be seen.
"Appa?" Sokka cried. "APPA!"
The only response was a feral growl, followed by a strange snapping sound. Then an ugly reptilian creature rose up out of the mud below him. A catgator.
"Aw, come on!" Sokka exclaimed, despairing his luck. He turned on his heel and fled, jumping from one tree stump to another, trying to avoid the catgator-infested marsh water.
He ran into an area that seemed more forest than swamp. Rain started to fall, making it hard for Sokka to see. He stopped, wiped his eyes and risked a glance back. There was more catgators joining the pursuit, snapping their sharp teeth threateningly.
Sokka burst into a sprint again, and to his relief he saw a metal gate up ahead. Refuge! He stumbled over to the tall structure and rattled on the gate. It was securely shut, but there was a metal padlock on it. Sokka pulled his boomerang out of the case on his back, trying to ignore the snapping of the catgators as he hacked at the lock. Then suddenly the metal gate opened, and he fell inside. Sokka looked behind and to his horror saw that the catgators were closing in. Desperately he slammed the metal gate closed and left his boomerang jammed in the lock to keep it secure. The catgators reached the gate and pawed at the metal.
Sokka backed away, panting, and then turned around to see what lay within the gate. Now that he was out of the forest and swampland, he could see what he hadn't seen before.
A monstrous red and black castle loomed above him. It was ancient and imposing and intimidating; the kind of place that children would whisper was haunted.
But shelter was shelter. Sokka's instincts told him to investigate.
He made his way up a cobblestone path to the enormous front doors. He banged on it with his fist, before simply pushing it open. He poked his head inside.
He was in what appeared to be a foyer, which led to different rooms on each side. It was dark, except for three lit candles in a candelabrum that had been placed on a table next to a small tripod telescope. The area appeared to be deserted, but it was very clean.
Lit candles, no dust or mustiness … this was not some abandoned castle. Someone lived here.
"Hello?" Sokka's voice came out in a whisper, which he realized was rather silly. He cleared his throat and said, in a normal speaking tone, "Hello?"
Sokka thought he heard someone speak, a barely audible whisper. "Young man must have lost his way in the woods."
"Keep quiet! Maybe he'll go away," another voice hissed.
Sokka was certain he had heard something. "Is someone there?"
"Not a word, Iroh," the second voice whispered sternly. "Not one word!"
"I don't mean to intrude," Sokka said uncertainly, "but I lost my bison, and I need a place to stay."
"Oh, Arnook, have a heart!" The first voice—Iroh?—pleaded.
"Is someone there?" Sokka demanded. He picked the candelabrum off the table and held it up over his head, throwing light around the foyer. He could see that what little furniture was there, was ornate and luxurious: elegant wall hangings, a stairway with rich carpeting and a railing with dragons carved into the wood.
"Over here," a voice said—was it behind him, or next to him?
"Where?" Sokka was thoroughly confused.
He felt a tap on his head. Sokka brought the candelabrum down to eye level. "Hello," it said.
Sokka screamed—the high-pitched scream of a boy whose voice still cracks—and dropped the candelabrum on the floor. It took his eyes a moment to register what he was seeing: the bronze candlestick had a face made of wax; its two branches were arms, the wax his hands. It pushed itself up on its "arms," shaking its head dazedly.
"What in the Four Nations …" Sokka cursed.
The telescope jumped off the table and landed on the floor beside the candelabrum. "Well done, Iroh," he said sarcastically. "Just—aargh!"
Sokka picked up the telescope, held it up and examined it. "How does this work?" he murmured, wondering if the Mechanist knew how to animate objects like these.
"Put me down at once, sir!"
Sokka dropped the telescope, which—or rather, who—crashed onto the floor with a yelp. "That wasn't quite what I had in mind," Arnook muttered.
"I'm sorry," Sokka stuttered, "I've just—I'm an apprentice to an inventor, but I've never seen anything like this …" He trailed off, and then sneezed.
"Oh, you're soaked to the bone," Iroh said sympathetically. "Come in, get warm. I'll set a fire, and I think some tea is in order." He started to hop into the next room.
"Thank you," Sokka wheezed, following the candelabrum. He wondered if maybe he was dreaming—one of those dreams which seems so real, the dreamer does a double take upon waking.
Neither of them saw a shadow pass over the stair landing above the foyer.
Arnook the telescope scurried after them. "No, no – do you know what the Prince would do if he finds him here?" He spoke to Iroh rather than Sokka.
But Iroh ignored him, and led Sokka over to a large, comfortable chair in front of a fireplace. Iroh held one of his candles up to the log, starting a blaze. "Not the Prince's chair," Arnook moaned.
Sokka heard a sound like a lemur chattering. He felt something rub against his ankle; he looked down and was only slightly surprised to see a silk-and-lacquer footstool, which rose and planted its front feet on Sokka's legs. "Huh – hi little guy," Sokka said, patting the footstool, and feeling a little idiotic as he did so.
"Momo, help make our guest comfortable," Iroh instructed. The footstool backed down and slid itself under Sokka's feet. Sokka leaned back comfortably in the chair. Nice dream.
A metal cart rolled up beside the armchair, laden with a porcelain tea service and hot pastries. Good service, Sokka thought. He was not entirely surprised when the teapot said, in a clearly female voice, "Can I offer you some tea?"
"I am not seeing this," Arnook muttered.
"You're sure I'm not a bother? I'd hate to impose …" Sokka said as he heaped pastries onto his plate.
"Not at all," Iroh said amiably.
Sokka took a sip of warm tea, and suddenly felt the chipped cup quiver with laughter. "Aang!" the teapot scolded.
"Sorry," the teacup murmured.
Sokka set the cup—Aang—down and smiled at the female teapot. "Hey there. Sokka. Southern Water Tribe."
The teapot leaned forward slightly, in lieu of bowing. "Very nice to meet you. I'm Princess Yue, of the Northern Water Tribe."
"No kidding?"
"Yue," Arnook scolded, "it's one thing for the Prince's servants to attend to this boy, but you and I are his guests –"
"Father, please," Yue said, but stopped short. There was a thud like a door opening, sending a breeze that extinguished the fire as well as Iroh's candles. The animated objects looked frightened. Sokka felt goosebumps on his arms; but strangely, the room seemed warmer rather than colder.
"Uh-oh," Aang said under his breath.
"There's a stranger here," a harsh, husky voice said. Sokka felt his stomach twist in a knot.
"Ah, my nephew," Iroh said nervously as he relit his candles, "allow me to explain. This young man was lost in the woods, and he was cold and wet …" His nephew growled, and Iroh fell silent.
"My dear Prince," Arnook said nervously, "I would just like to say … I was against this from the start. I tried to stop them, but …" There was another growl, and the telescope collapsed upon itself and folded its legs up.
"Who's there?" Sokka croaked, looking to one side of the chair. He turned to look on the other side – and came face-to-face with a blue face with white horns and fangs. Sokka stifled a scream.
"Who are you?" The face didn't move; Sokka realized that it was a mask. The wearer rose above him, dressed entirely in black. "What are you doing here?"
Sokka fell out of the chair and backed away from the advancing figure. Now he wondered if he was having a nightmare. "I—I was lost in the woods—"
"You are not welcome here!"
"I'm sorry—I just need a place to stay—"
"I'll give you a place to stay." The masked figure grabbed Sokka by the collar and carried him out of the room. He slammed the door behind him, plunging Iroh, Arnook, Yue, and Aang into darkness.