Bumi and Kya stand at the edge of the icy shores of Wolf Cove, their eyes fixed on the distant horizon as they anticipate the arrival of their father. Bumi is eager and ready, standing with pride and determination as he had just shaved his head bald. He wants to be just like his father and carry on the Air Nomad tradition. His fresh cut reveals a strong, youthful face, and his light skin is painted bright, rosy red by the cold. Kya stands besides him in equal anticipation, her long dark hair is pulled back into a practicial yet elegant braid with two hair loopies on both sides hanging down loosely and fastened onto the back of her head, just like how her mother does it. Both bundled up in layers of thick clothing, clad in warm fur-lined hooded coats typical of the Southern Water Tribe. Their breathing forms small clouds in the freezing air as they scan the skies for any sign of Appa.
In the distance, the silhouette of Appa finally begins to take shape. "There! I see them! Mom, they're here!" Bumi joyfully shouts. "Dad's back!" Kya follows.
"Bumi! Put on your hood, you'll freeze!" Katara scolds him.
"But I want Dad to see!" Bumi protests.
"I'm sure he'll notice. Now put it on!"
Aang lands on Appa, and the two kids jump in excitement. "I missed you, Dad," Bumi says.
"I missed you too, buddy. Oh, and what is this? You shaved your head!" Aang exclaims as he rubs Bumi's bald head.
"Mom doesn't like it; she says I'll get cold," Bumi scoffs.
"Does he really need to do this, Aang? He's only just started airbending a few months ago," Katara says with concern.
Aang greets Kya, "Kya, I love your hair. You look just like your mother!" He takes little Tenzin from Katara's arms and greets him. Only four years old but shows promise of being an airbender like his brother. Aang hopes so, but he worries for the two of them. Kya is a waterbender, and there are many in the world, but Bumi and Tenzin will only have their father for a teacher. He's the only airbender left in the world. They're going to have a lot of responsibilities in the future, he thinks, they might even have more responsibilities than the next Avatar.
Later that day, Sokka visits at their home. "Aaaang, good to see you again," tackling Aang in a hug.
Aang embraces Sokka, "Hello, Sokka, it's been a while."
Katara sits with them as they discuss the current happenings in the world. They finished transforming the colonies into their own cities a few years back, each governed by an elected Mayor. But now there's talks on who the cities belong to, as each has begun to form its own government, and without supervision, corruption was beginning. Many of those former colonies have continuously requested aid from the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. Earth King Kuei was happy to oblige with whatever Aang wanted, and Fire Lord Zuko didn't think it was best for the Fire Nation to have dominion over them, but Sokka had his reservations.
"Aang, remember when I suggested uniting them together?" Sokka says.
"That's the plan indeed. We are currently in the preliminary stages. We're gathering representatives from each nation along with the elected officials of the free cities. We'll need you with us," Aang tells Sokka.
"There's so much going on at home. Believe me, I'd be more than happy to come, but I need to help Dad here," Sokka replies.
Katara furrows her brows. "Dad will be fine, Sokka. There's been so much progress already. Creating a unified government was your idea. You need to be there and oversee how it goes!"
Aang adds, "Katara's right, Sokka. We need you with us. It's not just me—Zuko thinks the same."
Sokka stretches and sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're both right... okay, I'll come."
"How about Toph? How's she doing?" Katara asks, and Sokka eagerly awaits the answer.
Aang responds, "She's doing great, actually. She's been busy with her metalbending academy,"
Sokka chuckles. "I never expected her to enjoy teaching so much."
Aang smiles. "Yeah, she says she learned a lot from teaching me."
"Well, what do you know? Helping people, even when they're helping you. That's the Avatar style! No, wait, that's the Aang style!" Sokka says.
"I should really speak with her; it's been so long. Where is the academy anyway?" Katara wonders.
"Oh, don't worry," Aang says. "It's in Gaoling, where she's from. Her dad actually helped build it for her. And can you believe it? Master Yu works for her now. He handles all the paperwork."
"Well, he did run his own school. I just hope he doesn't cheat her off," Katara says.
Sokka shrugs. "Eh, this is Toph we're talking about. If he dares, she'll throw him in a metal box again."
They all laugh at Sokka's comment, knowing it's true.
The next morning, the family of five prepare to leave to the Southern Air Temple. This was Aang's promise to his kids: to show them his home. They leave on Appa and soon arrive, getting welcomed by the Air Acolytes, an order of monks and nuns who reside in the Air Temples and live to preserve and practice the teachings of the Air Nomads, as well as help recover and maintain the temples.
Tenzin was asleep when they arrived. Katara wants to wake him but Aang tells her not to. "Thanks for the ride, Appa!" Bumi says as he descends from Appa, using air to regulate the speed of his descent. Aang holds Kya and they all leave. Shortly after, Tenzin wakes up to the sounds of Appa's groans. He looks at the ground below and feels afraid to jump.
"How do I…" He mumbles to himself. Appa grunts gently, and Tenzin slowly tries to slide down, but proceeds to fall. Appa licks him as he cries, and he stops and smiles. "Thank you, Appa," he says, and runs off to join his family.
The next day, Aang spends most of his time training and teaching Bumi airbending and the way of the original Air Nomads. He tells him that he'll need to help his younger brother one day and pass down those teachings onto him and their kids too. Kya wants to join them but fears interrupting. Aang calls for her and says, "Y'know, the Avatar is a waterbender too."