Hello and welcome to an Avatar the Last Airbender story called Desert Hospitality
This is a one shot taking place while the Gaang is in the desert after Aang goes into the avatar state on the Sand Benders
Before we begin here's the usual disclaimers
I do not own Avatar the last airbender it is owned by Nick and Avatar studios
Two due to how my brain is wired it does not register punctuation in my writing if this will be a problem for you feel free to click the back button and read something else
Without further ado here's the story
Enjoy
Desert Hospitality
"Water is the element of change the people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things they have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything"- Iroh of the Fire Nation
Under the blazing heat of the Si Wong Desert two riders a boy and a girl rode on top of a badger hog their mount stopped snorting pressing his snout into the sand before letting out a snort
The lead rider a fifteen hear old girl wearing a long jacket made of a light teal material embroidered with blue and white waves over a teal dress with turquoise beads embroidered along the collar white pants underneath and sandals fastened onto her hip with a strap beaded with silver and turquoise was a wooden tube that reached down to just above her knee
She pulled down her hood exposing plaited dark hair tanned skin to the sun a pair of sunglasses covered her eyes "good boy Toh Yah" she said patting the badger hog on his flank getting a pleased snort from the badger hog and a lick to the girls face getting a laugh from her "oi Tahoma are you going to stay up there all day or are you going to get to work"
The second rider a boy the same age as the girl dismounted he wore a similar outfit as the girl a teal robe with a blue shirt with white lining teal pants and white sandals a silver fire nation coin on a string of turquoise beads around his neck and a tube on his hip "I'm coming Dezba" he said dismounting hooking a barrel off Toh Yahs back before he tossed her a telescope
"Just keep an eye out for any scavengers while we work"
"Will do" Dezba said while Tahoma set down the barrel Toh Yah reeled up onto his hind legs bringing his hooved forelegs down with a powerful slam sandbending a hole straight down deep deep below the desert
Tahoma entered a relaxed back stance moving his arms in a slow circle from the hole there was an echo before water began to rise up from the hole going into the barrel
While Tahoma was bending Dezba was looking through the telescope in the distance she could see the Si Wong rock the center of the desert Dezba frowned she saw some kind of dust cloud near the base of the rock like some kind of storm sand sailers fleeing from the rock
"Somethings going on at the rock" Dezba said
"Like what buzzard wasps" Tahoma asked focused on his bending not looking at her Dezba shook her head walking over she turned his head putting the telescope in front of his eye
Tahomas eyebrows shoot up to his scalp he loses his concentration water splashes onto him "okay that's not buzzard wasps" he said bending the water off of him into the barrel
"Come on let's go see what it is" Debza says climbing up onto to Toh Yahs back
"You want to go towards the weird sand storm that scared away the sandbenders" Tahoma asks with skeptical exasperation while securing the water barrel onto Toh Yahs back "why would you want to go near the weird thing that scared away the people who can bend it"
"Because" Debza answers while Tahoma shakes his head in exasperation muttering about crazy people tapping her heel into Toh Yahs flank "hut hut" the badger hog snorts before running off towards the weird sand storm
Once they got there the storm had cleared away once they got there only four kids and a lemur one of the kids had glowing arrow tattoos the glow faded away as he leaned into a girl in a blue dress
"Airbender tattoos" Debza says in awe "that kids the avatar"
"What was your first clue the crazy sandstorm or the glowing tattoos" Tahoma asked sarcastically getting an elbow from Debza before seeing how weary they looked "they need help Tahoma let's go"
Tahoma nodded
Toh Yah rode close Debza slowly got off the avatars friends looked ready to attack and the avatar
He just looked broken and done
"Who are you" the girl the avatar was leaning against demanded "and what do you want"
Debza held up her hands reaching to her sunglasses showing them her blue eyes "my name is Debza this is my friend Tahoma we just want to help you guys look like you've been through a lot"
"You don't know the half of it" the girl in earth kingdom greens said "do you know the way to Ba sing se"
"Do you have water" the oldest guy in the group asked he had a weird unfocused look in his eye like he couldn't see straight
"We've got plenty of water" Tahoma answers tapping the barrel "and there's maps at our village that can lead you in the direction to Ba sing se"
Cracking the barrel opened Tahoma bent some fresh water into a spare water skin before offering it to the stunned people "what do I got something on my face" he asked
"You're a water bender" the girl exclaimed
"Yeah so" Tahoma asks not understanding
"I'm a water bender my brother Sokka and I are from the south pole" the girl in blue explained gesturing to her and the older boy
"Man first a swamp now the desert if we knew you guys were around it would have been a lot easier to find Aang a teacher" the guy Sokka says before he falls face first into the sand the lemur passing out on top of his head
"Can we have this conversation somewhere where buzzard wasps won't show up" the earth kingdom girl said Debza and Tahoma looked up to see the buzzard wasps were beginning to circle
Not wanting to be lunch they quickly departed followed Debza and Tahoma
To say the past couple of days traveling through the Si Wong Desert was horrible would be an understatement in Kataras opinion what with Appa being stolen by sand benders Sokka being loopy on cactus juice there being no water around for her to bend
Though she was wrong about that since there were water benders living here in the middle of the desert
And Aang going into the avatar state against the one who stole Appa he was closing himself off after being so angry that Appa was taken snapping at her and Toph he probably would have snapped at Sokka and Momo if they hadn't been loopy on cactus juice
There'd been two silver linings though the first they did learn that there'd be a solar eclipse before Sozins comet came they could invade the fire nation and finally end the war
The second Debza and Tahoma were going to help them get out of the desert and to Ba Sing Se there they could tell the Earth King about the eclipse and find Appa
Aang moved the sand sailer after the badger hog Toh Yah the sand under its paws coming together into rock breaking apart into sand after Toh Yah lifted his paws running across the desert the sun high in the sky they kept going for what felt like forever until they arrived at a half circles of teal tents around a fire pit
Men tending to a stable of badger hogs and camelephants bending water from a barrel into a trough women doing chores while kids played between the tents it reminded Katara of Wolf Cove back before dad and the warriors had left
Back before the fire nation had taken her mother
Toh Yah began to slow down as Debza dismounted before he'd come to a complete stop Tahoma rolled his eyes "don't move until the badger hog has come to complete stop" Tahoma said while Debza smiled rolling her eyes
"You worry too much" she said before Tahoma tossed the water barrel on Toh Yahs back to her knocking her onto her butt
"And you don't worry enough" Tahoma said before he dismounted one of the men took Toh Yah leading him to the other badger hogs while another
By now a crowd of villagers had begun to gather at the lead was a middle aged couple both wore teal shawls draped over their shoulders like a cape the man had a beard and mustache with speckles of grey laugh lines around his eyes he wore a blue shirt with white trim pants with two hollow reeds of water on his hips the woman wore a dress with a necklace of turquoise silver coins and a Pai sho tile with a white lotus painted on it
Looking again the man had one too on his water reeds
"I see you came back with more than just water" the woman said to Debza good-naturedly a kind smile on her face Debza nodded
"Chief Sichei Cheiftess Yanaha entire village this is Avatar Aang Katara Sokka Toph and Momo they need help to get to Ba sing se" Tahoma said there were murmurs among the villagers some were staring at Aang
"Well don't just stand there gawking let's greet our new guests properly" Cheiftess Yanaha said the villagers quickly put together a small but happy feast in the largest tent out of the sun Katara and her friends given the place of honor at the head of the table something not even Chief Arnook had done when they had gone to the North
Sokka was given a large cup of camelephant milk the fastest way to cure the lingering effects of cactus juice Toph was helping herself to plates of meat and dates eating well for the first time in days ordinarily Katara would say call them out for their bad manners but she was too hungry to care
"Avatar it is an honor to have you back in our village" Chief Sichei said on the other side of Aang
"I've never been here before but there's something familiar about it" Aang replied saying anything for the first time since he'd gone into the avatar state
"Not in this life time no but you were born here when you were Avatar Sani 600 years ago" Cheiftess Yanaha explained
"Is that why you guys are being so nice because Aangs the avatar" Sokka asked "I'm not complaining or anything this is great I'm just curious"
"I'd call it being rude Sokka" Katara said elbowing her brother
"For once I agree with Sugar Queen don't bite the hands that are feeding us" Toph said taking her cup of camelephant milk and knocking it back before letting out a belch that shook the tent to the disgust of some of the villagers
"Nice" Debza cheered before letting out a belch equal to Tophs
"Oh no now there's two of them" Tahoma groaned rubbing his temples
"I feel your pain" Katara said in agreement "come on guys can't you please show some manners"
Sichei laughed "no no it's fine and to answer your question Sokka no we're not just being so hospitable because the Avatar is among you" he said "to our people hospitality is a gift to the giver not to the guest"
"My husband is right now please eat enjoy yourselves in the evening we'll take you out of the desert so you can get to Ba sing se" Yanaha chimed in
Katara nodded she and her friends happy to enjoy some desert hospitality after everything that they've gone through
And that's the story
The series basically goes as canon with a couple of changes members of the Si Wong tribe and the Foggy Swamp tribe travel south to help rebuild the Southern Tribe creating a water tribe melting pot like Republic City
Warriors from the Si Wong tribe Debza and Tahoma included fight in the Day of Black Sun
Sichei and Yanaha are members of the order of the white lotus and are among the members who participate in the liberation of Ba Sing Se
Heres some behind the scenes stuff on the Si Wong Water tribe
They are based on the Navajo and Bedouin tribes
Hospitality is very sacred to the tribe
Like the Sand bender tribes they've had skirmishes with the Fire Nation forces
The tribe is divided into four clans across the Si Wong Desert
Their water bending is based on El Matrag a form of stick fighting practiced in Algeria and Morocco water benders who use this style use quick precise movements ending the fight as quickly as possible so as not to waste water
Avatar Sani was the Water Tribe avatar before Kuruk
I've got an idea for one more water tribe if you want to see that let me know in a review
Until next time
Stay safe
And as always
Until we meet again