Book 1 chapter 11 the great divide
Amity's intro
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed her most, she vanished. A hundred years passed, and me, Willow and Gus discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Luz. And although her airbending skills are great, she has a lot to learn before she's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Luz can save the world.
Opening shot of the sun setting behind some tall rock outcroppings. The sky is mostly cloudy and the clouds reflect the light of the dying sun. Pan down to show a patched up tent being jostled about from the inside. A rolled up tarp lies next to the tent. Willow is inside a tent, trying to assemble it. Willow can be heard grunting and fussing about as she tries to finish setting up the shelter. Amity and Gus walk in the frame, their back to the camera, with a pile of firewood in their arms.
"Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?" Amity asked
"Right, got it …" Willow said (Tosses the wrapped up tarp inside the tent.)
"Willow, you're supposed to put the tarp on top of the tent. You know, so we don't get rained on?" Gus said (Cut to an overhead shot of the two, Willow gesturing wildly as she replies to her friend.)
"Ordinarily, you'd be right, but seeing how it's the dry season, you're not. Besides that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket." Willow said
"Gotta agree with earth girl on that one" Eda said putting an arm over Willow's shoulders
"But what if it does rain?" Amity asked
(Spreading her arms wide in exasperation.) "What if it doesn't? Then I would have put up the tarp for nothing." Willow said
(Stomps the ground angrily.) "You're infuriating!" Gus yelled
"Gus, why don't you worry about gathering firewood, because that kindling is looking pretty sorry." Willow said
(Angered.) "Well, if you don't like my firewood-" Gus yelled (Throws the sticks at Willow who shields herself from the wood. She stands in anger after the hail of sticks subsides.)
(Angry.) "Fine by me, if you're not gonna do your job-" Willow said (She tears the tent down and the two stare at each other angrily as Luz approaches.)
"Okay, I got the grub if you guys got the-" (The two friends turn away from each other in anger with their arms folded.) "hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?" Luz asked only to get a slap on the mouth getting shut up by Amity and Eda
"Why don't you ask Mister Know-It-All, King of the Twigs." Willow said
"Oh yeah? Well, you're Miss Lazy Bum, Queen of the" (Picks up and throws a twig at Willow's head.) "Tents!" Gus said (Willow turns around, looking angrily at him.)
(Laughs.) "Okay, listen guys, harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?" Luz asked
"Sounds good." Gus said
(At the same time.) "Whatever." Willow said
(Grinning while gloating.) "You see that? Settling feuds and making peace, all in a day's work for the Avatar." (Turns her head to see King and Appa fighting over a watermelon. King continuously tries to fly away with it, while Appa pins it down. Luz takes the melon and uses airbending to slice it. King seems to be complaining about how he got the much smaller half and Appa got the bigger half.) "Come on, King, that's fair. Appa's got five stomachs." Luz said (Appa eats his half of the melon.)
"Five stomachs? Well I'll be" Eda said writing it down in her notebook
"You just write down anything you find that is about the air nomads, don't you?" Amity asked
The scene fades to show the group standing on the edge of a huge canyon.
"There it is, guys, The Great Divide." Luz said
(In awe.) "Wow, I could just stare at it forever." Amity said (Zoom backward to show Willow in the foreground.)
"Okay, I've seen enough." Willow said
"How can you not be fascinated, Willow? This is the largest canyon in the entire world." Gus said
"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly from the air while we fly away." Willow said
(Shoving past Willow.) "If you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!" the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"Ooh, canyon guide? Sounds informative." Eda said taking out her notebook
"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide, he's an earthbender," (Oblivious to the fact that Willow is behind him, curious of what she heard.) "and the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help, and he's taking my tribe across next." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"Calm down, no need to be mad." Willow said
"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." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"You're a refugee!" Amity said
"Huh, tell me something I don't know." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"That I can do, Amity here is from the Fire Nation, she's the princess" Luz said
"The Fire Nation Princess!?" the Gan Jin Tribesman exclaimed
"I'm not with the Fire Nation's cause, I left because of it" Amity said for the Tribesman to calm down
A large group of poorly dressed people is shown walking toward them.
"Is that your tribe?" Gus asked
"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." (Whistles to them.) "Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe so don't even think about stealing it!" the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"Where are the rest of the Gan Jin? Still tidying up their camp site?" the Zhang Leader asked
"Yes, but they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations." the Zhang Leader said
"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." (The Zhang tribe members yell out in protest behind them. Luz and Amity look at each other worriedly, but turn around to see a large pile of rocks being levitated up and thrown away. The canyon guide stands behind where the rocks used to be.)
"Sorry about the wait, youngsters." (turns to see Amity and Willow and bows to them, Amity and Willow bow back) "Princess Amity and Princess Willow, a pleasure to see you two" (turns back to the others) "Who's ready to cross this here canyon?" the Canyon Guide asked
"Uh, one of them, I think." Eda said while pointing to the others (Camera pans left to reveal the Zhang and the scout.)
(Rushing forward.) "I was here first, my party's on their way." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"I can't guide people who aren't here." the Canyon Guide said (Cut to a wider shot showing the Zhang filing past the Avatar Team and the fuming Gan Jin scout.)
(Mockingly.) "Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow." the Zhang Leader said
The shot shifts to a close-up the scout, whose eyes twitch in anger. The camera zooms backward and pans left to reveal another tribe entering the canyon entrance area. The scout points to them in triumph.
"Wait, here they come!" the Gan Jin Tribesman said (A group of clean, finely dressed people are shown coming toward them.)
(To the canyon guide.) "You're not seriously gonna cave into these spoiled Gan Jins? I mean we're refugees too! And we've got sick people that need shelter." the Zhang Leader said
"I ... uh ... well …" the Canyon Guide stuttered
"We've got old people who are weary from traveling." the Gan Jin Tribesman said
"Sick people get priority over old people." the Zhang Leader said
"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs." the Gan Jin Leader said
"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, you wouldn't live to be so old." the Zhang Leader said
(Over the two arguing tribes.) "Well Luz, ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?" Amity asked
"I don't know, a fight over chores is one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years." Luz said
(Stepping forward.) "Everybody listen up! This is the Avatar, and if you give her a chance, I'm sure she can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy." Amity said
"Uh, you could share the earthbender and travel together?" Luz asked
"Absolutely not! We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves!" the Gan Jin Leader said
"We wouldn't travel with those pompous fools anyway!" the Zhang Leader said (The two tribes begin to shout at each other again.)
(Shouting.) 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?" Luz asked
Both leaders nod in agreement, and the scene fades to show the sick and elderly boarding Appa.
(To Appa.) "Sorry, Appa, you'll have to do this on your own." Luz said
"Luz, this feuding tribe stuff is serious business. Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved in this?" Willow asked
(Grinning broadly.) "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But when have I ever been?" Luz asked
"She's the Avatar, Willow, making peace between people is her job." Gus said
(Dismayed.) "Her job's gonna make us cross this whole thing on foot isn't it?" Willow asked (Cut to an overhead wide shot of the two tribes and the others.)
"Just trust Luz, okay?" Amity asked as Willow crossed her arms
"Okay, now comes the bad news." (Cut to a frontal shot of the guide.) "No food allowed in the canyon, it attracts" (He makes motions with his hands to illustrate the skittery monsters that might lurk in the canyon.) "dangerous predators." the Canyon Guide said (Both tribes yell out in protest.)
"No food?! This is ridiculous." the Gan Jin Leader said
"Oh, you babies can go a day without food? Would you rather be hungry, or dead?" (He raises an earth pillar to tower over the rest. He continues, cupping his hands to his mouth to amplify his voice.) "Now, we're heading down in ten minutes. All food better be in your gut or in the garbage!" the Canyon Guide said
The Zhang tribe quickly whips out and shoves food into their mouths, which stands in stark contrast to the Gan Jin tribe, who eat slowly with chopsticks.
(To the people on Appa.) "Appa's going to take good care of you 'till we get there." (To Appa.) "See you on the other side, buddy! Yip yip!" Luz said (Appa roars and takes off.)
The camera fades to show both groups of people climbing down into the canyon. The tour guide earthbends to form a bridge in a gap in the path.
"Nice bending!" Luz said
"The job's much more than bending, kid. Folks want information." (Turns to the travelers.) "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." the Canyon Guide said
Amity, Gus and Eda look up in fear as an avalanche of rocks comes falling toward them, only for Willow and the canyon guide to earthbend it away from them.
"He he he, guess the spirits are still angry! Hope you all brought sacrifices." the Canyon Guide said
Cut to a wide shot of the canyon floor and the canyon wall on the right side of the screen. The view pans slowly rightward before cutting to a closer, overhead shot of the group now at the bottom of the switchback trail. They have just entered the canyon floor. The guide stands in front of the two tribes and the team. Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda look at each other in exasperation and the scene fades to show them standing at the bottom of the canyon next to a huge boulder.
"Okay, everyone stand clear of the wall." the Canyon Guide said (He throws the boulder and destroys the bridge he had made earlier.)
"Why'd you do that?" Luz asked
"It's so the Fire Nation doesn't follow us in the canyon" Amity said
"The princess of the Fire Nation is correct, if it was still up, they would come down here after us! Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now." the Canyon Guide said (Yells out, as he is picked up by a huge animal. Aang blows away the dust to reveal a canyon crawler.)
"We gotta help him!" (She throws her boomerang at the crawler, which drops the canyon guide and comes after Willow instead.) "Okay, now I need someone to help me!" Willow yelled (Gus comes to her aid and does a water whip on the crawler, but he is quickly thrown aside and into Eda. Luz jumps down and sends multiple blasts of air at the crawler and drives it away.)
(To the canyon guide.) "What was that?" Luz asked
(On the ground.) "Canyon crawler." (Groans in pain.) "And there's sure to be more!" the Canyon Guide said in pain
"Your arms, they're broken!" Amity said running to the guide to aid him
"Without my arms, I got no bending. In other words-" the Canyon Guide said before Luz finishes his sentence
"We're trapped in this canyon." Luz said
The camera fades to show them grouped together.
"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers." Willow said
"It's the Zhangs! They took food down here even after the canyon guide told them not to." the Gan Jin Leader said
"What? If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan Jins!" the Zhang Leader said
"I hope you're happy. We're stuck in this canyon with no way out." the Gan Jin Leader said
"Why don't you thank yourself, food hider?" the Zhang Leader asked
"Look, sticking together is the only way to-" Luz didn't get to finish
"I'm not walking another step with the likes of them!" the Zhang Leader yelled
"Now there's something we can agree on." the Gan Jin Leader said
(To the canyon guide.) "Any ideas?" Luz asked
"No bendng ... we need to get out of this canyon ... I won't die down here! I won't become part of the food chain!" the Canyon Guide said losing his mind
"See! We're going to become part of the food chain because of you!" the Gan Jin Leader yelled (Points to Zhangs.)
"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do!" the Zhang Leader yelled
"Gladly." the Gan Jin Leader said
(Angrily.) "Enough! I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen." (Jumps onto a tall rock.) "We should split up, Gan Jins on this side and Zhangs on that side. We'll travel in two separate lines." (The two leaders nod at each other and start walking. Luz jumps down to Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda.) "Willow, you and Eda go with the Zhangs and Gus, you and Amity go with the Gan Jins. See if you can find out why they hate each other so much." Luz said
They split up and the camera pans to show them walking separately. The scene changes to show Willow and Eda in the Zhang camp.
"So, you guys aren't going to put up your tarps?" Eda asked
"What for? It's the dry season." the Zhang Leader said
"Exactly!" Willow exclaimed
"Besides, we like to use the tarp as a blanket." the Zhang Leader said
(Smiling.) "Finally, someone gets it!" Willow said
"Yeesh, now I know how Gus feels" Eda said
Amity and Gus are shown at the Gan Jin camp, where they are putting up tarps over their tents.
"You really think it'll rain?" Gus asked
"No, but you can never be too careful, right?" the Gan Jin Leader asked
Gus smiles and the camera fades to nightfall, where they are sitting around their campfire. The Gan Jin leader looks around and pulls two pieces of bread out of his sleeve. Amity and Gus looked stunned to see all the other tribe members doing the same.
"Would you care for some bread, Gus?" the Gan Jin Leader asked
"So it was you guys who had food!" Gus said
"Oh come now, you really think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food? Why should my people go hungry when the sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?" the Gan Jin Leader asked
(Hesitates.) "Well, I guess it's okay if everyone's doing it." (Takes the bread and eats it as Amity did as well.) "So, why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?" Gus asked
"You seem like a smart boy Gus, I bet you would enjoy hearing some history." (Fades to show a large gate with a finely dressed man running toward it. Voice-over.) "The patriarch of our tribe, Jin Wei, was an earthbender warrior who was assigned an important duty, transporting our sacred orb from the great eastern gate, to the great western gate. Taking the orb from the east to the west represents the sun's rising and setting. It was our tribe's ancient redemption ritual. But as he approached the gate, Jin Wei was attacked by one of the Zhang, a vermin named Wei Jin, who looked at the orb with envy. That coward Wei Jin knocked Jin Wei to the ground, and stole our sacred orb." (Camera goes back to the Gan Jin leader's face.) "Our people have never forgotten. You can never trust a Zhang." the Gan Jin Leader said
Gus glares at the Zhang's camp and the scene fades to show Willow, Eda and the Zhang tribe sitting around the campfire.
(To Willow.) "Care for some meat?" the Zhang Leader asked
"Would I!" Willow said excitedly (Takes the meat and bites down hungrily.)
"I know what you must be thinking, we're horrible for endangering everybody by bringing food down here." the Zhang Leader said
"Hm-hmm." Willow mumbled
"The Gan Jin think so badly of us, they probably assumed we brought food in and decided to bring food in themselves. That's why we brought food in." the Zhang Leader said
(Still eating.) "Hmm." Willow mumbled
"How come you don't like the Gan Jins?" Eda asked
"Our conflict with the Gan Jin goes back over a hundred years." (Fades to show a poorly-dressed man running through a large gate. Voice-over.) "Our forefather Wei Jin was leaving the western gate of our village, when he saw a figure in the distance. It was a man of the Gan Jin tribe, Jin Wei, who collapsed on the ground. Noble Wei Jin stopped to help him. Jin Wei was transporting a sacred orb, a very powerful relic used in his tribe's redemption ritual. Wei Jin tried to tend to the man's wounds but Jin Wei insisted the orb was more important, and asked him to take it back to his tribe. Kind Wei Jin promised to send help for the man as soon as he could, but as Wei Jin crossed the border to return the orb into Gan Jin territory, he was arrested. Instead of thanking him for his kind and selfless deed, they sentenced him to twenty long years in prison." (Back to Zhang leader.) "We Zhangs will never forget that injustice." the Zhang Leader said
"That's just terrible." (Looks at her piece of meat.) "You gonna finish that?" Willow asked
Fades to show Luz sitting with King far from both camps.
"Sure would be nice to be sitting around one of those campfires, telling stories and laughing. It's okay King, we'll be out of here soon enough, and then we can eat our weight in leechi nuts!" (King jumps up and snatches a bug out of the air, he eats part of it before offering the rest to Luz.) "Nah, I'll wait for the leechi nuts." Luz said
(Slowly approaching Luz.) "Lonely isn't it, being impartial?" the Canyon Guide asked
"I wish I could help these people get along, but it just seems impossible. Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here." Luz said
"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." the Canyon Guide said
Luz looks away sadly and the scene fades to show the two tribes traveling again in daylight.
"All clear, we're almost to the other side." the Canyon Guide said
(Jumps down to Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda.) "Gus, Willow, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" Luz asked
"I don't think so, Luz, the Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb." Gus said
"What are you talking about?" Luz asked
"Yeah Gus, what are you talking about? Wei Jin didn't steal the orb, he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin." Willow said
"Not punished enough if you ask me." Gus said
(Whispers) "this isn't going well, Luz" Eda said
(Whispers) "same here" Amity said
(Over Willow's frustrated growls.) "Okay, okay I get it! Now I need your help, I need everyone together at the base of the canyon wall." (She takes off on her glider and the scene fades to show her landing 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." Luz said
"Maybe the Zhang can climb the wall with their long disgusting fingernails." the Gan Jin Leader said
"Oh sorry, I forgot that to the Gan Jin unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail!" the Zhang Leader yelled
"Why, you dirty thief!" the Gan Jin Leader yelled
"You pompous fool!" the Zhang Leader said
The tribes began to argue loudly again, accompanied by Gus and Willow.
(Shouting.) "Guys, focus! How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, action will!" Luz yelled
"Perhaps the Avatar is right." the Zhang Leader said
"Yes, perhaps she is." the Gan Jin Leader said (Luz grins happily at this.)
"Harsh words will never solve our problems." the Zhang Leader said
"Action will!" the Gan Jin Leader yelled
They both draw their swords and Luz yells in surprise, as they clash their swords.
"To the death! And let this be the end of this rivalry!" the Gan Jin Leader yelled
"You know, I take it back. Harsh words aren't so bad!" Luz said in panic
The two leaders ignore him as they begin to fight. They are evenly matched, and continue until Luz blows them apart with a strong gust of air. The two tribes go flying backward, revealing a large amount of hidden food.
(Shocked.) "Is that ... food? 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!" (She looks in wonder at a custard tart, and her stomach growls.) "So hungry. Is that an egg custard in that tart?" Luz asked (She turns to see dozens of canyon crawlers approaching, and they all try to flee.)
"Oh no, that's a lot of canyon crawlers." Amity said
"A bunch of them!" Eda said
(Taking out her boomerang.) "We barely survived one!" Willow said
"They're coming back for me! They've had a taste and they're coming back for me!" the Canyon Guide said in panic
"Willow, wait" (Stops her as she runs forward.) "I don't care about this stupid feud, I just want us to get out of here alive." Gus said
"Me too. I only took their side 'cause they fed me." Willow said
The camera cuts to show Luz and Amity fighting off the canyon crawlers, and soon has them all in a pile. The crawlers pick themselves up and target the refugees. Though Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow, Eda and the tribe leaders fight hard to hold them off, they are vastly outnumbered. Amity looks around to see the crawlers eating the food out of the bags.
(Shouting.) "Everybody, watch me and do what I do!" (She distracts a crawler with a piece of food, for Luz to leap on its back, and throws a bag over its snout. The two tribes mimic them, working together.) "Now follow me! We're riding out of this hole!" (Amity ties a huge bag of food onto a stick and uses it to guide the crawlers up the canyon wall.) "Everyone, get off!" Amity yelled
(Jumping off a crawler.) "We made it!" the Zhang Leader said
As soon as all the people have made it up the cliff, Amity throws the bag back down, and the crawlers follow.
"I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that." the Zhang Leader said
"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch." the Gan Jin Leader said
"Perhaps we're not so different after all." the Zhang Leader said (They both smile at each other and Luz sighs in relief.)
"Too bad we can't rewrite history. You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei!" the Gan Jin Leader said (Draws his sword.)
(Draws her sword.) "You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!" the Zhang Leader said
(Sighs in frustration.) "Wait a second ... Jin Wei? Wei Jin? I know those guys!" Luz said
"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story." the Gan Jin Leader said
"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." (Scene fades to show the two men facing each other. Voice-over.) "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." (Fades back to Luz.) "There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison, it was just a game." Luz said
"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" the Zhang Leader asked
"Nope, just a regular ball." Luz said
"What about our tribe's redemption ritual?" the Gan Jin Leader asked
"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 look 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." Luz said
(To the Gan Jin leader.) "I suppose it's time we forget the past." the Zhang Leader said
(Bowing.) "And look to the future." the Gan Jin Leader said
The Zhang leader bows back and Luz looks at them happily. The scene fades to show them standing with Appa.
"Good to see you, boy. Did you miss me?" Luz asked (Appa licks Luz as the Gan Jin leader approaches.)
"I cannot thank you enough, Avatar." the Gan Jin Leader said
(Covered in Appa's slobber.) "Well, you know I try." Luz said
(Recoils in disgust.) "Ugh!" the Gan Jin Leader said
Fades to show the two tribes standing together.
"Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capital as one tribe." the Zhang Leader said (Both tribes cheer as they start walking.)
(Turns to the Canyon Guide) "you should go with them, I think it's time for you to retire" Willow said
(Running forward.) "Read my mind princess! I'm sick of this place!" the Canyon Guide said
"That's some luck you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin." Eda said
"You could call it luck. Or you could call it lying." Luz said
(Flabbergasted.) "What?" Willow asked
"I made the whole thing up." Luz said
(Shocked.) "You did not!" (In devilish admiration.) "That is so wrong." Amity said
"I wasted a page because of that lie!" Eda said while tearing off the page she wrote the lie on
"Now where is that custard tart? I'm starving!" Luz said while looking around for it
Fades to credits.