Ripples of Destiny
Book 1 : Chapter 1 The Boy in the Iceberg
The south sun was rising on the snow-smattered ice and I was once again taking in the view, longing for the days when the rays had shone through vibrant leaves, for the days when my mother would call to me over the rushing river bends and my father would guide me home. The days are long here, and so are the nights, and theyâre both just as cold. It has been just shy of three years of living in the Southern Water Tribe and Iâm still getting used to the chill.
The voices of the village waking up filled the early air, gentle like the dawning light. Katara and Sokka were already out fishing for food. Knowing their bickering antics, it would take longer than intended, so here I sat in my own peace, awaiting their return so that I could begin feeding the many women and children who were also left behind by the warriors of the tribe. I spent many mornings like this, alone in my memories. Then, everything changed when a beam of light etched through the horizon, breaking my trance.
I wouldnât have been surprised if the Northern Water Tribe saw that blast of light. The village was worried, we didnât know what it was. Gran-Gran found me in her concern that Sokka and Katara werenât back yet, so we waited agreeing if they werenât back by nightfall that I would go out looking for them. When the siblings finally returned, our concerns ebbed as our questions were answered. It was an airbender.
âHe was stuck in the ice?â I questioned my friends as we helped the unconscious boy take a rest in one of the extra tents.
âIsnât it amazing? An airbender! Maybe he can teach us, Kaida.â Katara beamed almost as bright as that unnatural light at the thought of finally having a master. I had to admit, this was an exciting discovery and it would be nice to have a bending master fall right into our laps, but I couldnât help but to be a little suspicious considering he bursted out of an iceberg.
âLetâs get to know him a little bit first, yeah Katara?â She didnât seem to let my tepid response affect her mood. Sheâs always been a stubborn optimist.
We waited for the boy from the iceberg to wake up, and when he finally did we had all gathered around to meet him. I was actually quite nervous. Iâve always respected the air nomads, at least from what I heard of them through stories, but I never thought Iâd get the chance to meet one.
âAang, this is the entire village.â Katara gestured to our remaining people. âEntire village, this is Aang.â Everyone but me had cowered a bit, not being used to meeting outsiders, let alone one that was thought to have been extinct. A pang rang in my heart as I remembered the day I arrived at the Southern Water Tribe and how hesitant everyone was to accept me, so I decided to respond with my own bow of respect for our new guest.
âUh, why are they looking at me like that? Did Appa sneeze on me?â He was checking his clothes for bison snot when Gran-Gran stepped forward.
âWell, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you.â
âExtinct?â Aang exclaimed. I couldnât help but think this was a strange reaction considering the general knowledge was that the air nomads had been murdered by the fire nation, but I decided to keep my questions to myself.
âAang, this is my grandmother.â Katara gestured towards the elderly woman, ignoring his shock.
âCall me Gran-Gran.â The interaction was deadpan.
Sokka walked toward Aang and abruptly snatched his staff out of his hands, examining it.
âWhat is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this!â
âIt's not for stabbing! It's for airbending.â Aang snatched his staff back with a gentle gust of wind before revealing the red fans hidden within the staff.
âWowâŠâ I said, amazed and waiting to witness more.
âMagic trick! Do it again!â The little ones were just as excited as I was, they only expressed it more outwardly.
âNot magic, airbending.â He moved his glider around him, visually demonstrating what he was talking about. âIt lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly.â
âYa know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!â
This comment had me jabbing my elbow into Sokkaâs ribs, earning me a baffled look. Aang smiled before challenging Sokka. âCheck again!â
Aang grabbed hold of his glider and pushed himself off the ground, leaving Katara, Sokka, and me to cover our faces against the sudden wind. The village stared in awe as Aang made some loops and turns in the sky.
âHeâs flying!â Aang made another loop and sped up to soar past the gazing villagers. âItâs amazing!â
Aang's shadow passed over Katara and I, who were smiling at him. Aang, intending to further impress the villagers, flew sideways and closed his eyes while grinning broadly. He promptly flew head-on into the village's watchtower, causing his head to be stuck in its side. Katara covered her mouth as she watched Aang struggle to extricate his head from the icy watchtower. Succeeding, he tumbled downward onto a pile of snow at the base of the tower that crumbled from the building. Katara immediately rushed to his side while Sokka stared in shock at the damage inflicted on his watchtower. âMy watchtower!â
Aang lay covered in snow at the base of the partially collapsed tower. Katara and some other girls of the tribe, including myself, ran toward Aang, beaming.
Offering her hand to pull him out of the snow, Katara announced, âThat was amazing!â
Sokka ran to his watchtower in an attempt to keep it from being damaged anymore, but ended up getting a huge glob of snow on top of his head.
âGreat. You're an airbender, Katara and Kaida are waterbenders. Together you can just waste time all day long.â He wedged himself free from underneath the weight of the snow and stalked off muttering to himself.
Aang whipped his head towards Katara and me, âYouâre waterbenders?â
âWell, sort of. Not yet.â Katara sideways glanced at me in what seemed to be embarrassment.
âWe still have a lot to learn.â I said.
âAll right, no more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores.â Gran-Gran disrupted the excitement by leading Katara away from Aang and I. The rest of the villagers let them pass but formed a crowd around Aang almost immediately to study him.
Aang started showing off some tricks again before licking his staff, his tongue freezing to the wood. âSee? Now my tongue is stuck to my staff!â One of the younger boys started yanking the staff trying to unstick Aangâs tongue from the wood. I couldnât help but giggle at how silly the interaction was.
Eventually we dispersed, I left Aang to have fun with the villagers as I got to work doing my own chores alongside Katara. As I was bending the excess water out of the laundry I was washing, I overheard Aang ask Sokka and Katara a jarring question.
âWhat war? What are you talking about?â
âYou're kidding, right?â
I stood up and walked towards the group as I began to ask âWhat do you mean what wa-â I was cut off by Aang screeching at the sight of an otter-penguin in the distance, and he left my words in the wind behind his back. âPenguin!â
Sokka glanced at Katara and me with an annoyed, dumbfounded look. âHeâs kidding, right?â Katara and I began our trek as we attempted to find the exuberant airbender. âWe might have to put a bell on that kid.â I said before I began to jog in Aangâs general direction.
âAang?â We found him in a field full of otter-penguins, chasing the cute animals over the dunes of snow. âHey, come on little guy. Wanna go sledding?â Aang begs as he jumped on one of the penguins with little to no luck. He belly-flopped on the ice with a grunt before airbending himself back onto his feet to face us. âHeh heh. I have a way with animals.â Aang stretched his arms wide and imitated the sound and movements of the otter-penguins, making Katara and I both laugh.
âImpressive tactics.â I let out a sarcastic tease amid my giggles.
âHehehe, Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me and Kaida waterbending.â
Aang released the tail of a penguin that he had attempted to capture before responding to Kataraâs request âYou got a deal! Just one little problem ... I'm an airbender, not a waterbender. Isn't there someone in your tribe who can teach you?â
I looked over at Katara sympathetically âNo. You're looking at the only waterbenders in the whole South Pole.â She said sadly, looking at her feet. âKaida is the only one who has been able to teach me, but she hasnât mastered waterbending, either.â
âThis isn't right. A waterbender needs to master water.â He paused, and I knew what he was about to say. âWhat about the North Pole? There's another Water Tribe up there, right? Maybe they have waterbenders who could teach you.â
âMaybe, but we haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly "turn right at the second glacier". It's on the other side of the world.â It was Kataraâs turn to look at me with an understanding look. Weâve all lost people to the war, and it was easy to recognize it in others, even if we were only children.
âBut you forget, I have a flying bison. Appa and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara, Kaida, we're going to find you a master!â
Aangâs appearance in our humble lives here in the South Pole may have been a blessing. For once in my sixteen years in this world, hope was the strongest feeling in my heart. I had been yearning to go to the North Pole my entire life, yearning to learn more about my motherâs childhood, my motherâs family, and why she left home. âThatâs a great idea, Aang!â I blurt out in a blitz of excitement, earning a smile from Aang.
âThat's... I mean, I don't know. I've never left home before.â Katara spoke up timidly.
âWell, you think about it, but in the meantime, can you guys teach me to catch one of these penguins?â
Katara gave me a final look of consideration before turning back to Aang âOkay, listen closely my young pupil. Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art.â She summoned a hidden fish out of her sleeve. âObserve!â
Katara threw the fish into Aangâs grasp and he stood uncomprehending as the penguins crowded him in a flurry of desire for the fresh treat in his hands.
Soon enough we were all mounted on our new rides at the top of an iceberg that we were using as a makeshift slide. The air was whipping past my ears as Katara, Aang, and I soared through the air before once again meeting solid snow. We raced down the steep slope and Aang used another iceberg as a ramp to propel him into the air, soaring over Katara and me. Our penguins bolted down the hill and we both turned onto the next iceberg, gaining a bit of speed and landing once again next to Aang as we all let out euphoric laughter.
âI haven't done this since I was a kid!â Katara gleefully shouted.
âYou still are a kid,â Aang responded.
We all entered a tunnel of ice, Katara in the lead, constantly changing her direction to hold Aang and me back. Aang used his airbending to race over the ceiling past both of us, picking up the lead. There was no way Katara or I would catch up to him, so it was between us to take last place and Katara was still a bit ahead of me.
âIf he can play dirty, so can I.â I thought to myself before waterbending a clump of snow into Kataraâs face. My penguin flew past hers as she lost her ability to steer for a second, and I cackled in competitive pride as I watched Katara slow behind Aang and me in third place.
âThatâs so unfair!â Katara lightheartedly scolded me while wiping snow off of her cheeks and waterbending her own ball of snow at me in protest of my cheating behavior. The ball had missed my face and hit my shoulder before I bantered with my friend and we used our bending to send more snow towards each other. A full-blown snowball fight would have ensued if Aang hadnât interrupted us. âWhoa! What is that?â
Kataraâs expression darkened, âA Fire Navy ship. And a very bad memory for my people.â Aang began to approach the wreckage. âAang, stop! We're not allowed to go near it! The ship could be booby-trapped!â
âIf you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear.â I could see Katara taking his remark into consideration before stepping forward to join him. I reached out and grabbed her wrist. âWait, Katara. This could be dangerous.â No matter how much fun I was having with my new airbending acquaintance and my best friend, I wasnât certain venturing into an old Fire Navy ship was the best idea, and I didnât want Katara to get hurt.
âItâll be okay. Youâre with me.â Katara gave me a gentle smile and squeezed my hand before I let go of her wrist.
âFine. But no messing around in there, okay?â Katara and Aang nodded respectfully, agreeing to my conditions as we all slowly entered the old ship.
There was little life left in the abandoned vessel, only some small hamsters that I spotted scurrying against the edges of the walls. We soon entered a room stocked full of weapons. âThis ship has haunted my tribe since Gran-Gran was a little girl.â Katara began as we spectated the weapons more closely. I picked up âIt was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks.â
âOkay, back up. I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation.â Aang picked up a guandao to inspect it. âI've never seen any war.â
This is the second time now Aangâs statements have confused me and I couldnât help but feel a bit questioning of him.
âAang, how long were you in that iceberg?â Katara asked what I was thinking.
âI donât know. A few days, maybe?â
âI think it was more like a hundred years!â
âWhat?! That's impossible! Do I look like a hundred-twelve-year-old man to you?â
âNo, Aang. Katara is right.â
âThink about it. The War is a century old. You don't know about it because, somehow, you were in there the whole time! It's the only explanation.â Aangâs expression was dooming as he slumped into the wall behind him.
âA hundred years! I can't believe it.â My heart broke slightly, looking down on this lost boy, one hundred years out of his time.
Katara, nurturing as she is, knelt down beside Aang. âI'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this...â
âI did get to meet you.â Aang cheered up a bit, smiling warmly at Katara before averting his eyes towards me.
Katara offered him a warm smile of comfort. âCome on, let's get out of here.â
âAang, let's head back, this place is creepy.â
âAgreed. This ship feels colder than it does out there.â I shivered, taking in my surroundings and rubbing my arms in an attempt for warmth. The metal walls felt empty and void of love, the complete opposite of the environment I was raised.
As we were heading towards the hole that we entered through, Aang tripped on an almost invisibly thin wire, causing metal bars to slam down and trap us inside.
âHuh?â Aang said as we all ran towards what would have been our exit. âWhat's that you said about booby traps?â
Just like Aang awakening from that iceberg, the gears of the shipwreck shifted to life. We all watched as the movements of the ship powered a flare high into the sky, exploding and alerting nearby inhabitants.
âUh oh...â Aang looked up at a hole in the roof of the ship and took Katara in his arms. âHold on tight!â Katara yelped as Aang hurled them upwards and out of the ship with his bending abilities before coming back for me. The shorter boy grabbed me by my waist in a flurry of incredible speed and suddenly I was being bolted out of the ship.

















