Last of Our Kind
Hey, folks, sorry about the wait. I have had a lot of work to do, papers and exams and stuff. Oh, just a heads-up, I've also come to have a liking for the story of Avatar Wan that was shown in the Legend of Korra; however, I plan on incorporating it into my established headcanon story. Anyway, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or the following quote.
"If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies. The sealed world in which he lives would be broken, and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate. It is therefore realized on all sides that however often Persia, or Egypt, or Java, or Ceylon may change hands, the main frontiers must never be crossed by anything except bombs."
―George Orwell,1984
A Conflict of Interests
It was getting close to evening when the group of young travelers decided to stop and set up camp. Aang directed Appa to land in a clear, open area and the kids set to work. Katara went off to collect firewood, Sokka started pitching the tent, Keng went to fetch water, and Aang and Wenona went off to find food. Unfortunately, not everyone was pleased with the arrangement.
"Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?" Katara said.
"Right, got it…" Sokka agreed before tossing the rolled up tarp into the tent.
"Sokka, you're supposed to put the tarp on top of the tent. You know, so we don't get rained on?"
"Ordinarily, you'd be right, but seeing how it's the dry season, you're not. Besides, that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."
"But what if it does rain?"
"What if it doesn't? Then I would have put the tarp up for nothing."
Katara stomped on the ground angrily.
"Ugh, you're infuriating!"
"Katara, why don't you worry about gathering firewood because that kindling is looking pretty sorry?"
"Well, if you don't like my firewood-" She cut herself off by throwing the sticks at Sokka's face.
"Fine by me! If you're not gonna do your job!" He then dismantled the tent in retaliation.
That was when the other three made their appearance. Aang had a bunch of berries in his arms, Keng had two full satchels of water, and Wenona had three large squirrel-rabbits hanging limply in her hand.
"Okay, we got the grub if you guys got the…" Aang trailed off as he noticed the obviously tense atmosphere.
"What's going on here?" said Wenona. "What happened to the tent? And where's the firewood?"
"Why don't you ask Miss Know-It-All, Queen of the Twigs?" Sokka retorted.
"Oh, yeah?" Katara snapped. "Well, you're Mr. Lazy-Bum, King of the…Tents." She picked up one of the sticks and tossed it at the back of her brother's head to emphasize her point.
"Alright, break it up, you two," Wenona said pushing the two away from each other.
"Yeah, guys," Aang agreed, "Harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"
Katara and Sokka muttered their grudging acceptance. Wenona and Keng both shot Aang a thumbs-up.
"You see that? Settling feuds and making peace. All in a day's work for the Avatar." Aang then noticed Appa and Momo fighting over a piece of melon. He picked up the fruit and cut it with an air-slice and gave the larger part to Appa and the smaller one to Momo. Momo gave an indignant screech. "Come on, Momo, that's fair. Appa's got five stomachs."
About an hour later, everything was set up and the Gaang was happily sitting around a warm campfire.
"Great hunting, Nona," Keng said. "These squirrel-rabbits are pretty good."
Wenona gave a shrug.
"Eh, I go with what I find," she said.
"Well, it's certainly looking up to be a nice evening," Sokka said. "Too bad it's gonna get cold later and we won't be able to use the tarp for a blanket because Little-Miss-Right just has to have everything her way."
Aang, Keng, and Wenona all groaned as the argument from earlier started up again.
"Have they always fought like this?" Aang asked.
"Yes," the two replied.
"I think it started the day Katara was born," Wenona admitted. "I know for certain they've been fighting since I was seven."
"What happened?" said Aang.
"Sokka dumped a bucket of fish guts on Katara's head and she was positive he did it on purpose. Which he might very well have done," she added as an afterthought.
The next morning saw the team up bright and early. Aang had expressed a desire to see a remarkable canyon known as the "Great Divide" and so the Avatar and the Water Tribe siblings hurriedly packed up and loaded onto Appa. When they reached their destination, their eyes were captured by the breathtaking view of the seemingly endless miles of astounding land formation.
"There it is, guys," said Aang. "The Great Divide."
"It's beautiful," said Keng.
"I could just stare at it forever," added Katara.
"Okay, I've seen enough," said Sokka.
"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka?"
"Yeah, Meat-Head, have a little appreciation for the wonders of nature," said Wenona. "It is the largest canyon in the world, after all."
"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly from the air while we fly away," Sokka pointed out.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by the appearance of an agitated-looking young man in neat white and gold robes.
"If you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!" he declared as he shoved past Sokka.
"Ooh, canyon guide?" Katara inquired. "Sounds informative."
"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide," he continued, unaware that Sokka was making a mocking gesture behind his back, "he's an Earthbender, and the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help, and he's taking my tribe across next."
"Calm down," said Sokka. "We know you're next."
"You wouldn't be so calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee! My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se."
"You're a refugee," Katara declared.
"Huh, tell me something I don't know."
Just then, a group of people in dark brown fur clothing emerged from the trail.
"Is that your tribe?" asked Keng.
"It most certainly is not! That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years." He gave a whistle to get the attention of the incoming Zhangs. "Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think about stealing it!"
"Where are the rest of the Gan-Jin? Still tidying up their camp site?" asked the leader of the Zhangs, a heavyset woman in clothes made from hog-monkey fur.
"Yes," the young man said proudly, "but they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."
"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations."
"Ha, of course you didn't! That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang. So unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey."
As the Zhangs began to shout in protest, a loud rumble began to emerge from a pile of rocks that suddenly levitated out of the way to reveal an older man in a dirty, green uniform.
"Sorry about the wait, youngsters," the man said. "Who's ready to cross this here canyon?"
"One of those guys, I guess," said Wenona, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the Zhangs and the Gan-Jin youth.
"I was here first!" the youth exclaimed. "My party's on their way!"
"I can't guide people who aren't here," the guide said.
"Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow," the Zhang leader taunted.
"Wait! Here they come!" He pointed up the trail to where a group of people in fine white and gold clothes were approaching.
"You're not seriously gonna cave into these spoiled Gan-Jins?" the Zhang leader demanded. "I mean we're refugees, too! And we've got sick people that need shelter."
"I…uh…well…" the guide stammered.
"We've got old people who are weary from travel," the Gan-Jin man asserted as his tribe assembled behind him.
"Sick people get priority over old people."
"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs," said the Gan-Jin leader, an old man with a long white beard.
"If you Gan-Jins weren't so clean, maybe you wouldn't live to be so old."
As the two tribal leaders continued to argue, the four siblings turned to look expectantly at Aang.
"Well, Aang, ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?" asked Katara.
"I don't know," said Aang. "A fight over chores is one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years."
"Well, the war's been going on for a hundred years and you've gotta solve that," Keng pointed out. "Call this an Avatar training exercise."
Katara then stepped forward.
"Everybody listen up!" she shouted. "This is the Avatar, and if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy."
Everyone turned to look intently at Aang who was more than a little unnerved by the attention.
"Uh, you could share the Earthbender and travel together?" he suggested.
"Absolutely not!" declared the Gan-Jin leader. "We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves!"
"We wouldn't travel with those pompous fools anyway!" the Zhang leader shouted back.
As the two tribes began to descend back into their bickering, Aang lost his patience.
"All right here's the deal, you're all going down together and Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across! Does that seem fair?"
The two leaders exchanged a look before nodding slightly in acknowledgment. Together, they all helped load the sick and elderly of the two tribes into Appa's saddle; Aang quickly explained to the passengers how to get Appa to land once they reached the other side of the canyon and reassured them that they would be perfectly safe.
"Sorry, Appa," Aang said quietly to the bison, "you'll have to do this on your own."
"Aang," Sokka spoke up at last, "this feuding tribe stuff is serious business. Are you sure it's a good idea to be getting involved in this?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But when have I ever been?"
"He's the Avatar, Sokka, making peace between people is his job," Katara added.
Sokka gave her a dismayed look.
"His job's gonna make us cross this whole canyon on foot, isn't it?"
"Okay, now comes the bad news," announced the canoyon guide. "No food allowed in the canyon, it attracts dangerous predators." The tribes began to shout in protest. "Oh, you babies can go a day without food? Would you rather be hungry, or dead?" The canyon guide Earthbent himself up onto a pillar and began to shout to the crowd. "Now, we're heading down in ten minutes! All food better be in your gut or in the garbage!
Aang gave another quick reassurance to the passengers on Appa before sending the bison on his way. Once the ten minutes were up, the canyon guide directed the groups down the side of the cliff, using his Earthbending to make a bridge across a long gap in the path.
"Nice Bending," said Aang.
"The job's much more than bending, kid. Folks want information." He then turned to the crowd. "Many of you are probably wondering how canyons are formed. Experts tell us this canyon was most likely carved into the ground by earth spirits who were angry at local farmers for not offering them a proper sacrifice."
Just then, a rumble was heard from above and the canyon guide managed to Earthbend just in time to prevent a rockslide from hitting them.
"Hehehe, guess the spirits are still angry," he joked. "Hope you all brought sacrifices."
Eventually they reached the bottom and the canyon guide launched a boulder up at the bridge he had made earlier, destroying it.
"Why'd you do that?" asked Aang.
"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they? Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now."
His statement, however, was proven false almost immediately as a giant spider-like monster emerged from the dust cloud made by the destruction of the bridge and grabbed the guide with one of its claws.
"We gotta help him!" Sokka shouted, tossing his boomerang at the creature, angering it and making it go for him instead. "Okay, now we gotta help me!"
Wenona and Katara sent water-whips at the creature but were quickly brushed aside. Luckily, Aang jumped in and shot air-blasts at it, finally driving it away.
"What in Setna's name was that thing?" said Keng.
"Canyon-crawler," the guide groaned from the rubble where he'd fallen. "And there's sure to be more."
Katara tried to tend to the man's injuries but they didn't look good.
"Your arms, they're broken," she said.
"Without my arms, I got no Bending. In other words-"
"We're trapped in this canyon," Aang finished with dread.
There were a few minutes of shocked silence before Sokka spoke up.
"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon-crawlers."
"It's the Zhangs!" the Gan-Jin leader accused. "They took food down here, even after the guide told them not to!"
"What?!" the Zhang leader shouted in outrage. "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day it's you pampered Gan-Jins!"
"I hope you're happy. We're stuck in this canyon with no way out."
"Why don't you thank yourself, food-hider?"
"Look," Aang interjected, "sticking together is the only way to-"
"I'm not walking another step with the likes of them!" said the Zhang leader.
"Now there's something we can agree on," added the Gan-Jin leader.
Aang turned to the others.
"Any ideas?"
"No Bending…" muttered the canyon guide in a panicky voice, "we need to get out of this canyon…I won't die down here. I won't become part of the food chain!"
"See?!" shouted the Gan-Jin leader. "We're going to become part of the food chain because of you!"
"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do," sneered the Zhang leader.
"Gladly."
"Enough!" Aang shouted. "I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen." He then leapt up onto a tall rock that stood between two passes. "We should split up! Gan-Jins on this side and Zhangs on that side! We'll travel in two separate lines!"
The two tribal leaders nodded to each other again and the tribes entered their designated passes. Aang Airbent himself down from the rock and faced his friends.
"Sokka, you go with the Zhangs, and, Katara, you go with the Gan-Jins," he said. "See if you can find out why they hate each other so much."
"What about me and Keng?" asked Wenona.
"You both can come with me."
"He just doesn't want to be alone," Wenona whispered to Keng who nodded in response.
Sokka and Katara bid a quick farewell to their siblings and Aang before going off to accompany the tribes. Aang, Wenona, Keng, and the canyon guide found their own area away from the two tribes' camps when evening started to fall.
"Sure would be nice to be sitting around one of those campfires," Aang said longingly. "Telling stories and laughing."
"You want a story, eh, Cue-ball?" said Wenona. "I've got a true Southern Water Tribe tale. It's actually about one of your past-lives."
"Really?" Aang perked up. "Tell me!"
"It's one of the legends we remember during the Festival of the Midnight Sun. It's the story of Avatar Huata." She took a brief pause and closed her eyes as Aang and Keng stared at her, enthralled. "Thousands of years ago, a little girl was born in the Southern Water Tribe; her name was Huata, and, although she didn't always know it, she was destined for greatness. Her father was a highly-respected man in the tribe and a gifted Healer and he taught her to have respect for the spirits and the forces of nature. Huata wanted so desperately to make her family and her tribe proud of her that, at the age of sixteen, she ran off onto the southern tundra to find her destiny.
"Soon she came to a cave in the sacred mountains and discovered a mystic living inside. He told her that the spirits had blessed her birth and that she had been chosen for a great mission in life. He told her that the Wolf Clan, my own family's clan, had been banished from the tribe several hundred years earlier and had been living on the tundra ever since. The mystic said that it was her responsibility to reunite the lost clan with the rest of the tribe.
"Now, no one is certain why exactly the Wolf Clan had been banished. Some stories say that the clan was cursed by the demoness Hakidonmuya, who had attacked the early settlers of the tribe, because they were alleged to be the descendants of Catori, the eldest son of Avatar Setna. Many of the Wolf Clan members looked different from the rest of the Water Tribe people, too; with their pale skin and silver eyes.
"Anyway, Huata wandered far until she came to the place where the Wolf Clan had settled. She saw them fighting over meager scraps of food like common animals. The only person in the clan who seemed to have any self-respect was the elderly leader. He was their advocate to the spirits and their lone voice of reason. Huata was first regarded with suspicion by the clan members, but she became accepted quickly because she was both a skilled Waterbender who happily helped them gather food and a natural Healer who tended their wounds and illnesses. After living with them for over a year, she convinced the Wolf Clan to travel with her back to the main tribe. They were reluctant at first, but eventually agreed to follow her back.
"When the people of the Southern Water Tribe saw Huata coming, they ran to greet her, having believed her to be dead. They were further astonished to see that she had brought so many people with her. The tribe distrusted the Wolf Clan for a while, but no one could remember why they had been cast out in the first place and soon welcomed them into the fold.
"Not long after that, the Shaman and the Prophetess of the tribe announced that the spirits had revealed that Huata was the Avatar. No one was too surprised about it, though; after what she had done. She traveled around the world to learn the other elements and resolve conflicts in other lands. Huata also promoted unity within her tribe by creating the Southern Water Tribe alphabet to record documents rather than rely upon oral tradition. Back home, we refer to her as 'The Peacemaker' and regard her as the patron of those who resolve conflict through kindness rather than bloodshed."
By the time she had finished, Keng appeared to be dead asleep and Aang looked about ready to follow.
"Thanks, Nona," Aang said quietly.
"Sure, Aang."
"I'm still worried, though." He turned somber. "I don't know how to deal with this feuding tribe thing."
"Not so easy, is it, being impartial?" said a calm voice. The two looked up and saw the canyon guide limping over. He sat down by a large rock.
"I wish I could help these people get along, but it just seems impossible," said Aang. "I mean, it's not like I have all the time in the world like Avatar Huata seemed to have. Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here."
"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." The canyon guide let the brim of his hat fall over his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"Best get some shut-eye ourselves," Wenona concluded. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get out of here tomorrow."
Aang curled up and was about to go to sleep when he was struck by a sudden thought.
"Hey, Nona," he said.
"Hmmm?"
"I want to ask you something."
"Can it wait for tomorrow?"
"I don't think so. I might forget to ask and I'm really curious."
Wenona gave a sigh and sat up.
"What is it, Aang?" she asked patiently.
"Nona, why are you and your siblings the only people your age I saw in the Southern Water Tribe? And why are you, Katara, and Keng the only Waterbenders?"
Wenona looked over to where Keng was lying and, certain that he was asleep, gave a short sigh.
"Aang, what I have to tell you is very serious and a very hard topic for me," she began. "The reason why Katara, Keng, and I are the last Waterbenders of the South Pole began with events that happened almost sixty years ago. My grandmother and the village elders said that, when they were still young, a fleet of Fire Nation ships came and either killed or captured all of the Waterbenders they could find."
"Even children?" Aang asked in a quiet voice.
Wenona nodded slowly.
"Our tribe was practically cut in half because of the loss," she continued. "A handful of Waterbender children were born after or managed to hide during the raids, but then something worse happened. A plague swept through the village and our numbers dwindled even more. You saw for yourself how I and my siblings were the eldest children there and how there were only twelve others, all of whom are under ten. Then, of course, there is the fact that there are much fewer women in the tribe than there are men; there are actually a few more women that you didn't see in our tribe, but they left to fight alongside the men in the war as they were trained as warriors. For whatever reason, the plague seemed to have the strongest effect on women, children, and Waterbenders.
"You can imagine how overjoyed everyone was when it was discovered that Katara, Keng, and I were Waterbenders and that we survived to our current ages; even the fact that Sokka has lived to the age of fifteen is considered a miracle. Growing up, we had a number of friends close to our ages; however, all of them, every one, died before the age of seven."
"I'm so sorry, Nona," Aang said tearfully. "It's all my fault."
"No, Aang, it's not. You couldn't have known it would happen."
"Still, if I hadn't gotten myself stuck in that iceberg then none of that would have happened."
"Hey, don't think like that, Aang. You can't focus on the mistakes of the past or you'll never be able to move on with your life. My grandmother once told me 'the person who lives in the past is depressed, the person who lives in the future is anxious, but the person who lives in the present is at peace.' So please don't think any less of yourself over something that you had no control over that's already happened. Goodnight, Aang."
Aang turned away and faded into an uneasy sleep. Unbeknownst to either of them, Keng had been awake to hear what they said and several silent tears made their way down his cheeks during the exchange.
"All clear, we're almost to the other side!" the canyon guide shouted as he directed everyone closer to the end of the canyon.
Aang, Wenona, and Keng accosted Sokka and Katara as they separated from the other groups.
"Katara, Sokka, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" asked Aang.
"I don't think so, Aang," Katara replied. "The Zhangs really wronged the Gan-Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb."
"What are you talking about?"
"Yeah, Katara, what are you talking about?" said Sokka. "Wei Jin didn't steal the orb; he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan-Jin."
"Not punished enough, if you ask me!" Katara shouted.
"Please stop fighting," Keng pleaded. "Obviously, both tribes have their own version of an incident that happened years ago and both stories are equally plausible. That doesn't mean it's time for you two to start bickering again. It was bad enough with you two arguing about chores; it really is selfish of you both to start fighting over something that doesn't even have anything to do with us."
Both Sokka and Katara looked rather guilty at that.
Once everyone had gathered at the base of the canyon wall, Aang stepped in-between the two tribes.
"Please everyone, as soon as we get out of here we can eat and then go our separate ways, but I need you all to put your heads together and figure out a way up this cliff."
"Maybe the Zhangs can climb the wall with their long, disgusting fingernails," said the Gan-Jin leader.
"Oh, sorry," the Zhang leader said sarcastically. "I forgot that, to the Gan-Jin, unclipped fingernails are a crime punishable by twenty years in jail."
"Why you dirty thief!"
"You pompous fool!"
"Guys, focus!" Aang shouted. "How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, action will."
"Perhaps the Avatar is right," said the Zhang leader.
"Yes, perhaps he is," agreed the Gan-Jin leader.
"Harsh words will never solve our problems."
"Action will."
Both leaders then drew their swords and began a clash.
"To the death!" declared the Gan-Jin leader. "And let this be the end of this rivalry."
"You know, I take it back," Aang pleaded. "Harsh words aren't so bad."
The two leaders continued to fight until, finally, Aang had reached the end of his tether and blasted them apart with air-blasts. As he looked from one tribe to the other, he realized that his Airbending had upended some of their supplies, revealing…
"Is that…food?" he said in disbelief. "Everyone smuggled food down here? Unbelievable! You guys put our lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day?! You're all…awful!" He was then momentarily distracted when he caught sight of a custard tart and it dawned on him just how hungry he was. Unfortunately, this also diverted his attention from the sudden appearance of the canyon-crawlers; however, he was pulled back to reality when the screams started.
"Oh no, that's a lot of canyon-crawlers," said Katara.
"We barely survived one," Sokka added.
"They're coming back for me," said the guide as he edged away in terror. "They've had a taste and they're coming back for me."
"Now do you guys get what I was saying about your pointless fighting?" said Keng.
"We're sorry, Keng," Katara replied. "I don't care about this stupid feud; I just want us to get out of here alive."
"Me too," Sokka added. "I only took their side 'cause they fed me."
Fighting off the canyon-crawlers proved to be impossible. Everywhere they turned there were more of the awful things. Then, Aang noticed that the canyon-crawlers were far more interested in the food supplies than the people and he got an idea. Picking up a satchel of food, Aang charged into the fray.
"Everybody, watch me and do what I do!" he shouted. He used the food to distract one of the canyon-crawlers so that he was able to fasten the satchel around its mouth.
The Zhangs and Gan-Jins finally seemed to put their differences aside as they worked together to rein enough canyon-crawlers to accommodate everyone. Aang tied the last bag of food to the end of his glider.
"Now follow me!" he shouted. "We're riding out of this hole!" He waved the bag through the air, catching the attention of the other canyon-crawlers and directing them all up the side of the rock wall. "Everyone off!" Aang cried as they reached the top. Once everyone had jumped off the canyon-crawlers, Aang launched the bag of food back into the canyon, drawing the creatures away.
"I never thought a Gan-Jin could get his hands dirty like that," said the Zhang leader.
"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch," said the Gan-Jin leader.
"Perhaps we're not so different after all."
"Too bad we can't rewrite history." He once more drew his sword. "You thieves stole our sacred orb!"
The Zhang leader drew her own weapon and shouted: "You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!"
Aang gave a frustrated sigh before being struck by a sudden thought.
"Wait a second. Jin Wei? Wei Jin? I know those guys!"
"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story," said the Gan-Jin leader dismissively.
"No, I mean I really knew them. I might not look it, but I'm a hundred and twelve years old. I was there one hundred years ago on the day you're talking about. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened. First of all, Jin Wei and Wei Jin weren't enemies. They were brothers, twins in fact, and they were eight; and most importantly, they were just playing a game! The sacred orb from the legend, that was the ball! And the eastern and western gates were the goal posts. Jin Wei had the ball and was running toward the goal when he fell and fumbled it. Wei Jin didn't steal the ball, he picked it up and started running it toward the other goal, but he stepped out of bounds, so the official put him in the penalty box. Not for twenty long years but for two short minutes. There was no stealing and no putting anyone in imprison, it was just a game."
"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" asked the Zhang leader.
"Nope, just a regular ball."
"What about our tribe's redemption ritual?" inquired the young Gan-Jin man from before.
"That's what the game was called, Redemption. As soon as you got the ball from one end to the other, everyone would yell 'redemption'!" The tribe leaders looked at each other skeptically. "Don't get me wrong, Wei Jin was kind of a slob and Jin Wei was a little stuffy, that much is true. But they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."
"I suppose it's time we forget the past," said the Zhang leader.
"And look to the future," the Gan-Jin leader added with a respectful bow which was returned by the Zhang leader.
The two tribes had finally settled their differences and decided to journey to Ba Sing Se together as one united tribe. Once the Zhang/Gan-Jin tribe had departed, accompanied by the canyon guide who'd decided he'd had enough of his job, the Water Tribe siblings looked at Aang proudly.
"That's some luck you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin," said Sokka.
"You could call it luck," Aang said with a grin, "or you could call it lying."
"What?!"
"I made the whole thing up."
"You did not," Katara said in disbelief. "That is so wrong," she added with a smirk.
Wenona's eyes then went wide as she realized something.
"Hey, guys," she said. "Did you know that hindsight really sucks?"
"What do you mean, Nona?" asked Keng.
"I mean, when you think about it, there are so many ways this trip could have been made so much easier. For one thing, instead of just ferrying the sick and elderly of the two tribes across, we could have offered to ferry everyone across in small groups. And another thing, if Aang had just used his bison-whistle to call Appa, we wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of wrangling those canyon-crawlers."
Sokka's eye twitched and he promptly fell to the ground in an exhausted faint.
"Well, look on the bright side," said Aang, "we learned some valuable life lessons."
"Life lessons, huh?" said Wenona amusedly. "Well, here's a life lesson for you, Aang. You can't buy things with life lessons. Which is why, when we get to the next town, Meat-Head over here is gonna have to earn us some money so we can get some more supplies."
"Hey, that reminds me. Where's that custard tart? I'm starving!"
Author's Note: Cookies to whoever gets the reference at the end. Well, hope you liked this chapter. It's a little longer than my other ones, I think, but I was trying to improve the story a little because this episode is one of the most pointless in my opinion.