The Discovery of the Iceberg

-Maya's Point of View-

"Hey, Maya... Maya, wake up!"

"Ah!" I shouted as I quickly sat up on the bed. Sokka shouted as well and fell to the ground.

"What is going on with you two? Why are you both shouting this early in the morning?" Katara who peeked inside my tent, suddenly asked.

"Well, she started it! She screamed in front of my face!" Sokka exclaimed with his shaky and cracking voice. "She should know when to wake up on her own," he mumbled as he stormed out of my tent.

I held my hand against my face, trying to catch my breath when I felt Katara's hand on my back.

"Are you okay?"

I looked at her and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that..." I stopped.

I couldn't say it. It's hard to say it.

"A nightmare again? Of the past?" she asked. I sighed once more and looked away.

Of course, it's a nightmare about that past— about what happened to Mom. It's going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I sat there silently for a moment until Katara broke the ice.

"You know what you need? A little breather. Why don't you come join Sokka and I today?" she asked.

I looked at Katara's smiling face with a questioning look.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going fishing!" she said excitingly.

———

The three of us rode a canoe and went to the sea to catch some fish for the village.

We have been traversing the waters for hours now and Sokka, who proclaimed himself as a great 'fish catcher', still hasn't gotten a single catch.

"Sokka we've been out in the open for hours and the basket's still empty!" I yelled at him.

"SHH! SHH! SHH! I'm trying to focus here," he said while aiming his spear at the fish.

I rolled my eyes and looked at Katara. She was also aiming for another fish.

"Great, now both of you are busy," I mumbled to myself.

Silence filled the air for a short moment and I was left there in the middle while looking at the siblings fix their eyes on their prey.

"It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn girls, this is how you catch a fish," Sokka said.

"Yeah right," I mumbled.

Katara, on the other hand, removed one of her gloves and tried to waterbend the fish out of the sea.

Apparently, this girl is a waterbender.

"Lucky..." I mumbled again. How I wish I could waterbend as well.

"Guys look!" Katara exclaimed as she tries to control the water where the fish was in.

Even if she was a waterbender, she's still a beginner, so her waterbending is still unstable.

"Woah! Easy there Katara!" I shouted, trying to guard myself against the unstable water.

"Shh... Both of you, you're going to scare it away... Hmm! I can already smell it cooking!" Sokka said without even giving us a glance.

"But Sokka! I caught one!"

"Yeah, Sokka! Look here, she caught a fish!"

But he still didn't give us a look.

Katara then tried to waterbend the fish into the basket right next to me when suddenly, Sokka moved his spear, and it poked through the water bubble that Katara was waterbending. It made the fish escape, and Sokka and I drenched in water.

"Hey!" Katara shouted. Sokka let out an angry gasp and I just sat there, wiping the water out of my face.

"Ugh... Ew... It tastes like fish..." I said.

"Why is it, that every time, both of you play with magic water, I get soaked?!" Sokka suddenly shouted.

"Hey! It wasn't me! It was Katara! I'm as drenched as you are!" I shouted back, and then I sprayed a little bit of water on his face using my hand.

"Sokka, It's not magic water. It's water bending, and it's—" Katara said but she was cut off by Sokka.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Ancient art. Unique to our culture. Blah, blah, blah... Look. I'm just saying that if I have weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself," Sokka said in an uninterested tone.

"You're calling me weird?" Katara asked. "I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water," she added.

Then Sokka pulled up his sleeve and started flexing his arms at the water.

"If Katara is weird then you're the weirdest," I teased. Katara and I both laughed while Sokka looked annoyed at us.

Just then our conversation was interrupted when the canoe bumped onto a block of ice.

All three of us exclaimed a loud, 'Ugh!' as we all looked at the path ahead. We all failed to realize that our canoe entered the flowing current that was heading toward a large iceberg.

Sokka did his best to paddle away from the bumping ice blocks and out of the iceberg's path. Katara and I were guiding him where to paddle.

"Watch out!" I exclaimed when I saw two ice blocks from a distance.

"Go left!" Katara shouted.

"Go left!" I repeated. But instead of paddling to the left, Sokka instead paddled to the right where all of the crashing ice blocks were.

And before we knew it, our canoe was crushed. Good thing we were all quick enough to jump out before we get crushed as well.

All three of us landed on top of a stable ice block and settled there.

The good news is we got out of the current. The bad news is we're stuck here in the middle of nowhere with no fish to bring home and no ride home.

Are fishing trips supposed to be this bad? Well then, note to self— never go on a fishing trip.

Katara sat down beside me and in front of her was Sokka.

"You call that left?" She asked while giving Sokka a look.

"Great navigation young brave sailor," I sarcastically said.

"You guys, didn't like my steering? Well then, maybe Katara should've water bent us out of the current, and you, Maya, should've helped me paddle," Sokka argued.

"So, it's our fault?" both Katara and I asked.

"I knew I should have left you both at home! Leave it to girls to screw things up!" Sokka said.

"Hey, Sokka that was—" I was cut off by Katara when she suddenly shouted,

"YOU ARE THE MOST SEXIST IMMATURE NUT BRAIN— UGH! I AM EMBARRASSED TO BE RELATED TO YOU!"

Suddenly, I heard a loud crack behind me and I saw a big iceberg with a huge crack on its side. Sokka looked at the iceberg as well— appalled.

"EVER SINCE MOM DIED, I HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THE WORK BEHIND CAMP WHILE YOU'VE BEEN OFF PLAYING SOLDIER!" Katara shouted even more.

"Ugh... Katara?" Sokka said trying to point out the cracking iceberg.

"Katara, calm down," I said as well.

"I EVEN WASH ALL THE CLOTHES! HAVE YOU EVER SMELLED YOUR DIRTY SOCKS? WELL, LET ME TELL YOU! NOT PLEASANT!" Katara yelled and waved her arms back.

With that, another crack was made into the iceberg.

The waters are being controlled by her unknowingly! We need to stop her before she crashes this thing.

"KATARA! SETTLE DOWN!" Sokka shouted this time.

"NO!" Katara shouted back.

"Katara! For real! Stop for a moment!" I shouted but I was ignored.

"THAT'S IT! I AM DONE HELPING YOU! FROM NOW ON, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!" Katara yelled and waved her arms back one last time. It created a large wave that cracked the iceberg into parts.

"Ahh!!!" Sokka shouted.

"KATARA!" I screamed.

Katara heard the cracking noise and it made her look back as well. She then saw the breaking iceberg and let out a gasp.

The iceberg crashed down creating ripples of huge waves that carried us away from the area.

"AHHH!" We all shouted. Sokka held on to both me and Katara and I held on to the edge of the ice. Good thing that no one was hurt and that we are all safe.

"Okay, you've gone from weird, to freakish Katara," Sokka said.

"You mean, I did that?" Katara asked.

"Yup! Congratulations!" Sokka replied sarcastically.

Even though she's just a beginner— being able to do something like that unknowingly... I can say— that's some great waterbending abilities inside her.

I... I want to learn them too.

Suddenly the water below us started to glow and it grew bigger and bigger. Bubbles also started popping up on the water's surface.

"Something's coming out..." I whispered.

"Watch out!" I shouted and then I pushed them to the other side of the ice block.

A huge glowing circular iceberg emerged from the water. The three of us stared at it for a moment until I saw from the inside that there is someone stuck in it!

I was staring at it when that person opened their eyes. I suddenly felt something weird inside of me, like some sort of connection. What is this?

"He's alive! We have to help him!" I said and I took one of Sokka's weapons.

"Hey! Give that back!" Sokka shouted.

"Wait, Maya! Be careful! He might be dangerous!" Katara warned.

I jumped from one ice to another just to get to the circular iceberg where the person is.

"Maya! Get back here! We don't know what that thing is!" Sokka warned again, but both of them followed close by.

When I got to the iceberg, I started hitting the weapon against it until it breaks open. It released a strong air that blew me away. Luckily, Sokka was there to catch me. Katara went towards us and we watched the iceberg crack open.

As soon as it was cracked open, a huge beam of light was sent off into the sky, creating a beautiful array of celestial lights.

"Woah..." I said filled with amazement.

---------------------------------------------------------

-Iroh's Point of View-

We're back here again in the southern waters. We've been here before not only once, but countless times.

I have been traveling the seas for 2 years now with my nephew Zuko.

Just like any normal day, I was out on the ship's deck playing my normal game of elements while having a nice sip of jasmine tea. My nephew is here as well, just a few meters away from me.

I thought that this would just be a normal day, but I was wrong.

Out of nowhere, a huge beam of light suddenly appeared. As surprised as I was, I tried to compose myself and act like I was unbothered by it.

"Finally..." Zuko said.

"Uncle! Do you realize what this means?" Zuko asked as he looked at me. I can feel the excitement in his voice.

Still trying to avoid eye contact, I replied to him while pretending to resume my game.

"I won't get to finish my game?" I asked.

"It means my search, it's about to come to an end," Zuko said as he faced the beam of light once more.

I let out a deep sigh.

I didn't reply to him and just continued playing.

"That light came from an incredibly powerful source! It has to be him!" He aggressively said.

"Oh, it's just the celestial lights! We've been down this road before Prince Zuko. I don't want you getting too excited over nothing," I told him. "Please sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?" I continued.

"I DON'T NEED ANY CALMING TEA! I NEED TO CAPTURE THE AVATAR!" He shouted at me. He looked up at our helmsman and yelled, "HELMSMAN! HEAD A COURSE FOR THE LIGHT!"

I tried my best to diverse his attention, but as expected of my nephew. He may be naive, but he is not a fool.

I can't believe that I am saying this but maybe you are right Prince Zuko. Maybe your search is about to come to an end.

---------------------------------------------------------

-Maya's Point of View-

We all stopped looking at the lights when a boy suddenly came out of the iceberg.

"Stop right there!" Sokka shouted while pointing his spear at him.

The boy stood against the edge of the iceberg with his arrows and eyes— basically, his whole body glowing with blue light. He stood there for a second until the glow from his whole body faded out and he lost balance.

Katara hurriedly ran to catch him and then she laid him down on the ice. We waited for him to get his consciousness back.

Sokka started poking the boy's head with the other end of his spear.

"Sokka stop that!" I pushed him away.

The three of us are all agitated waiting for the boy to wake up. He then started grumbling and slowly, he opened his eyes.

"I need to ask you something," the boy said with a weak voice.

"What?" Katara asked.

"Please, come closer..." he pleaded.

"What? What is it?" Katara asked once more as she moved her face closer. It took a few seconds before the kid could answer.

"Would you go penguin sledding with me?" he asked with a bright energetic look on his face.

What? Just a few seconds ago he looked so weak. Now he looks like nothing has happened! And penguin sledding? Who does that?

Katara slowly backed away from the kid while cautiously thinking of an answer to his question.

"Ugh... Sure? I-I guess?" she answered.

The boy suddenly stood up without using his hands or his feet. Sokka was startled by it making him point his spear at him.

"What's going on here?" The boy asked while scratching his head.

Sokka, who is still paranoid at the moment, answered the boy while yelling,

"YOU TELL US! HOW'D YOU GET ON THE ICE?! And why aren't you frozen?" he asked while poking at the child's core.

"I'm not sure..." the kid answered while brushing off Sokka's spear.

I was about to ask him something when we heard a loud growl from inside the iceberg.

The boy suddenly climbed up on the ice and jumped to the other side. Katara, Sokka, and I gave glances at each other before following the boy.

"Appa! Are you all alright? Wake up, buddy!" We heard the boy exclaim.

"Appa?" I asked myself. He's with a friend? A friend that growls?

You know what, everything about today is weird. I'm ready to go home and sleep. I've experienced a lot and I've had enough.

When we got to the inside of the iceberg, we saw the kid trying to wake up a giant cotton ball-like monster. Our jaws dropped, but of course, Sokka's expression was way more overreacting than ours.

The monster suddenly opened its mouth and licked the boy's bottom.

"Hahaha! You're okay!" The boy exclaimed and he hugged his buddy. The monster stood up and the three of us went closer to the both of them.

"What is that thing?" Sokka asked with his spear pointed at them.

"This is Appa, my flying bison," the boy answered.

"Right... and this is Katara, my flying sister. The other one is Maya, my flying cousin," Sokka replied sarcastically. Katara and I gave Sokka an annoyed look.

The bison then suddenly sneezed spewing a lot of bison snot on Sokka. That's what you get for calling us names.

Sokka let out a loud squeamish sound and tried to wipe off the bison snot out of his body and face. He was rubbing them on the ice, while Katara and I were giggling as he goes all around the place.

"Don't worry it'll wash out," the boy said. I looked at him and we caught glances.

I stopped laughing and so did Katara. Sokka calmed down a bit and then the boy continued to talk.

"So, do you guys live around here?" he asked. I was about to answer him when I was cut off by Sokka who quickly stood up.

"Don't answer that!" Sokka warned. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy," he continued with his right arm spread in front of us trying to keep us away from the boy.

Katara didn't pay attention to Sokka and she walked towards where the boy was standing.

"Oh yeah! I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in his eye," Katara sarcastically said.

The boy then gave a playful look at the both of them with a big smile. I giggled a little bit at that face he made.

"The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka," Katara said as she introduced Sokka to the boy. He looked at Sokka and then my eyes met his.

"You never told us your name," I said to him.

"Oh, I'm Ah... Ah... Ahh..." he said. The three of us stared at him.

"You're Ah-Ah-Ah?" Sokka asked. I gave Sokka a nudge on the elbow. "What?" he asked and then I rolled my eyes on him.

"Ahh... Achooooo!" The boy sneezed and then he flew into the air. He safely landed back and stood in front of us.

"I'm Aang!" he said and then he rubbed his nose.

The three of us were all dumbfounded.

"You just sneezed! And flew ten feet in the air!" Sokka said.

"Really? It felt higher than that," Aang replied.

"You're an air bender!" Katara exclaimed.

"Sure am!" Aang confirmed.

I had a hunch but... didn't they go extinct a hundred years ago?

"Giant light beams, flying bison, air benders... I think I've got midnight sun madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense," Sokka said and he walked away from us.

I agree, I've had my fair share of weirdness for today too and I'm done.

"But Sokka wait!" I shouted and before I could even say it, Sokka had already stopped walking. He realized that we don't have a canoe anymore.

"You kinda crushed our ride home remember?" I continued.

"Well if you guys are stuck, Appa and I can give you a lift," Aang said and he flew on top of the bison.

"We'd love a ride! Thanks! C'mon, Maya!" Katara said and she rode on Appa's back too.

I followed behind Katara but I called out to Sokka first before I got on Appa.

"Sokka, let's go! We're going home," I said.

"Oh, no. I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster," Sokka argued.

"Are you hoping some other monster will come along and give you a ride home? You know, before you freeze to death?" Katara tauntingly asked.

Sokka was about to say another argument but he held back. I ran back towards him and tried to convince him to come.

"Let's just go," and then I grabbed his hand.

We all sat down on Appa's saddle. Katara was excited, Sokka looked annoyed, and I am still weirded out of everything that was going on.

"Okay! First-time flyers, hold on tight! Appa! Yip-yip!" Aang shouted and he flicked the rope that was tied to the horns of the bison.

The bison let out a huge roar and then he jumped. I thought it was going to fly but it belly-flopped on the water.

"C'mon Appa! Yip-yip!" Aang tried to encourage the bison again.

"Wow that was truly amazing," Sokka said sarcastically.

"Appa's just tired. A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky. You'll see!" Aang explained.

I kept on staring at him and I can't help but feel that there is something about him that we don't know.

I saw him staring at Katara with a big smile on his face and she noticed it too.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Katara asked.

"Oh! I was smiling?" Aang asked back.

I don't know why but I just suddenly got irritated. I went close to where Katara was and she moved back to where Sokka was laying.

We stayed like that for a few more minutes and before we even knew it, the sun has already gone down. I'm feeling a bit tired but my mind doesn't want to sleep! It wants answers to all these questions inside my head.

When I couldn't help it anymore, I took a peek at where Aang was laying.

"Hey..." I said.

"Hey! What are you thinking about?" he asked me. It took seconds before I was able to ask him but then I did anyway.

"I was just wondering, you being an air bender and all... By any chance, do you have any idea what happened to the Avatar? He was said to be born in the Air nomads, but he never really showed up," I asked Aang.

He slowly sat up and cautiously answered my question.

"Ugh... No. I didn't know him. I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry," he answered.

Something is up with him. I can feel it.

"Oh! Okay, I was just curious anyway. Have a good night!" I said and then I lay down.

"Sleep tight!" he said back.

He's not being totally honest. I feel like he's hiding something.