Accidental Avatar

Out on the water, as a test begins....

"Ice-dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery and trust," Bato explains. "In our village, it was done by weaving a boat through a group of icebergs."

"How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?" Sokka questions, grinning slightly.

"Uh... Rock dodge?" I say with a shrug. "Not too different, right?"

"You're exactly right," Bato says, laughing slightly. "So you'll be dodging those." He points out to some treacherous rocks up ahead, and I wonder what exactly it is I've gotten myself into.

"Sokka, you steer and call the shots. Lead wisely." Bato instructs. "Katara, you secure the main sole. The winds can be brutal, so be brave." Katara grabs hold of one of the ropes, and Bato turns to Aang and me. "Aang, you and Mogui control the jib. Without your steady hands, we all go down. Your position is about trust."

Aang blinks at Bato as I go to grab the jib as instructed. "I know that! Why wouldn't I know that? I'm the Avatar. I know about trust." We all stared at Aang for his outburst.

"Ah, you ok, Lil bro?" I question, giving him a funny look.

"For this to be done right, I cannot help. You pass or fail on your own." Bato sits down in front of us, at the head of the ship. We all share a look, then prepare to head into a potential disaster.

"Aang, Mogui, ease up on the jib! Katara steady!" Sokka starts calling out the shots, and we all start working to keep the ship from running into those sharp rocks.

"Guys, less sail!" He grunts as he steers the ship. "Katara, give them room!"

We all start vigorously tugging on ropes, and the water began to become fast-flowing as we moved into the rapids.

"Guys, helm to lean, helm to lean!"

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?" Aang cried as he turned to me. I had a vague idea, so I indicated that Aang do as I do, and we pulled hard on the jib, using our combined body weight to help direct the ship away from the massive rock up ahead. We missed the rock, but only just.

"Great job!" Sokka encouraged. Up ahead, a wall of rocks appeared, and Katara turned back to us.

"There's no way through!" She called to Sokka. Bato stood, and I could see the concern on his face.

"We can make it!" Sokka responded, his expression certain.

"Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should-"

"Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail. Mogui, you take Katara and Aang's ropes, hold on as much as possible. Katara, I want you to bend as much water as possible between us and those rocks." Sokka checked us all, then glanced towards the rocks. "Now!"

I grabbed the ropes and planted my feet firmly on the ground, determined to make sure Aang's bending was as effective as possible. Aang and Katara immediately started bending, the sail filling rapidly with air and the water swelling beneath us. The ropes pulled in my hands, but I held on. I shared Sokka's fierce hope that this worked out well. We sailed over the rocks without wrecking, and Sokka slumped down in relief. I released the ropes as soon as they slackened and flopped down too.

"Nice one Sokka!" I cheer, high-fiving the young warrior.

♍

We all stood in a line on the beach as Bato mixed some paint in a bowl. "The spirits of Water, bear witness to these marks!" Bato intoned loudly. "For Sokka, the mark of the wise, the same mark your father earned." He painted a line on Sokka's forehead, with a dot below it. "For Katara, the mark of the brave. Your courage inspires us." He painted a crescent moon on her forehead. "And for Aang and Mogui, the mark of the trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe." He painted a line on our foreheads, and I put my hand up.

"Are you saying that you would trust me, regardless of my past, whatever it might've been?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"You have proven yourself to be a trustworthy friend today," Bato said seriously. "Whatever your past, know that we will stand by you."

I glance over to the others and hold my hand out, palm upwards, turning my gaze back to Bato. "Even if I am the same as your enemies?" A small flame flickers to life in my hand. Bato, clearly surprised, recovers quickly. Before he can attack, though, Sokka jumps forward.

"Wait! Mogui isn't with the Fire Nation!" Sokka quickly explains to Bato how I was found with a severe head injury all along in a forest. He and his sister told Bato how I had helped them and others, even if it was to work against the Fire Nation, despite not really knowing any of them or having any reason to trust them.

"Honestly, I consider Mogui to be the elder brother I could never have," Sokka said seriously.

I was touched, and I allowed the flame in my hand to vanish. "Thank you, Sokka. Even if I never learn my past, I'm honoured that I have family in all of you."

Aang seemed to flinch at that. "I can't..." He said softly.

"Of course you can," Katara said happily.

"No," Aang rubbed the mark from his forehead and backed away. "You can't trust me."

"Aang, what're you talking about?" Katara's smile slowly fades, confusion evident on her face.

Aang reaches into his robes and hands Katara a crumpled piece of paper. "A messenger gave this to me for Bato." Katara takes it from him and starts reading it. Sokka and I come around to read over her shoulder. It was a map to their father!

"You have to understand-" Katara gasps. "I was afraid you-"

"THIS IS THE MAP TO OUR FATHER!" Sokka yells. He looks at Aang with a disbelieving expression. Aang's eyes are downcast, and it almost seems like he was going to cry. "You had it the whole time!?" Aang flinches at Sokka's tone, turning away. "How could you!? Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find dad!"

"Now Sokka, I think you should-"

"Katara, are you with me? Mogui?" Sokka cuts Bato off, and I'm suddenly trapped in a situation I don't want. My Ohana is breaking apart, and I'm clutching at the pieces desperately, trying to keep it all together. Katara looked at Aang and stared at him with a heartbroken expression. Aang's was pleading. She closes her eyes, and her voice is cold.

"I'm with you, Sokka," she turns away, and I give Sokka the thumbs up. As they leave, I turn to Aang and indicate he come over.

"Tell me why you did it."

He looks at me with those big sad grey eyes, and they water for a second. "I was afraid they were going to leave me behind..."

I sigh. "If you'd stuck around, you would have heard them tell Bato they promised to take you to the North Pole and that they couldn't go see their dad. No one was going to leave you behind." I crouch to his level, hands on his shoulders. "You are all my Ohana. I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you, understand?"

"Ohana?"

"Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." Aang's eyes water and a lone tear slides down his cheek. I pull him into a hug. "They'll come around. Just give me some time. We'll catch up with you, ok?"

Aang nods, hugging me back. "Thank you, Mogui." He whispers.

"Don't do it again, alright? Something bothers you, you let me know, and I'll try to fix it."

♍

The next morning saw everyone packed and ready to leave. I stood slightly apart from the water tribe members and glanced over to Aang. His expression was hopeful, and I gave him a reassuring nod. Katara threw him one sad look before going over to him. "Good luck." She said sadly.

Aang looked down, equally sad. "Ok, you too." With that, we walked out the gate and headed into the forest.