Team Avatar and I sit listening among other travellers to an older man sitting in front of a campfire, "So, travellers. The next time you think you hear a strange, large bird talking, take a closer look. It might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man. A member of a secret group of air walkers, who laugh at gravity, and laugh at those bound to the earth by it!" The man finishes his story. He walks around to the travellers with his hat to collect money.
"Aren't airbender stories the best?" Aang asks the group.
"Is it realistic? Is that how it was back then?" Katara asks the airbender.
"I laugh at gravity all the time," Aang chuckles, "Gravity."
The old man approaches the four of us with his hat in hand, "Jingle, Jingle!" He says while shaking the hat. Sokka reaches into his coat trying to find any money but all he finds is a bug, some crumbs, and a worm.
"Sorry," He says before tucking the creatures back into his coat.
"Aww, cheapskates!" The man says as he walks away from us. Aang gets up from his seat to go talk to the storyteller.
"Airbenders, huh?" I question alone.
-
Riding Appa towards the Northern Air Temple, Aang gets excited, "Hey, we're almost at the Northern Air Temple. This is where they had the championships for Sky Bison polo,"
Katara pushes me out of the way to sit next to Sokka, "Do you think we'll really find airbenders?" She asks her brother. I hang my arms over the edge of the saddle with thoughts running through my head.
"You want me to be like you, or totally honest?" Sokka responds to his sister as he continues his whittling of a small piece of wood.
"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Katara asks and without even looking at her I can tell she has crossed her arms.
"I'm saying you're an optimist. Same thing, basically," Sokka corrects.
"Hey, guys, look at this!" Aang says as the Northern Air Temple pulls into view. I move from my spot at the side of the saddle to the front of it to admire the view of the buildings placed upon the mountaintops.
"I've never been to an Air Temple before," I gasp at the sight.
A few objects glide around the temple and once we get closer they can be identified as people. "They really are airbenders!" Katara exclaims watching the people gliding.
"No, they're not," Aang opposes.
"What do you mean 'they're not'? Those guys are flying!" Sokka points out exuberantly.
"Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move, they're not airbending. Those people have no spirit." Aang says, disappointed.
"Well, I wouldn't say no spirit," I say as a boy in a strange chair flies over us, "Just not airbender spirit." I correct.
"That kid does seem pretty spirited," Katara agrees with me. The boy shoots Aang one more look before taking off. Aang jumps off of Appa's head, snapping open his glider and taking after the boy.
Appa lurches his head back sending me and Katara flying into the back of the saddle, "Ow!"
"We better find some solid ground before it finds us." Sokka decides.
We steer Appa down onto the Air Temple courtyard. I stare up at the two boys gliding competitively.
"Go Teo! Show that bald kid how it's done!" A few of the young kids around us encourage the boy in the chair whose name appears to be Teo.
Teo starts launching smoke out from the back of his glider as he twists and turns through the sky to create a frowning version of the Avatar. The kids around me cheer at Teo and his work of art. The two boys finally land.
Teo rolls over to the four of us, "Hey, you're a real airbender. You must be the Avatar! That's amazing! I've heard stories about you!" He says, astonished. Aang rubs the back of his head in embarrassment, "Thanks,"
Sokka runs over to Teo's chair and admires it, "Wow! This glider chair is incredible!"
"You think this is good, wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed." Teo rolls his way into the temple, the rest of us following behind. We reach a room at the end of the hall filled with pipes and large canisters.
"Wow!" Sokka runs into the room with excitement. I gawk over the room myself.
"Yeah, my dad is the mastermind behind this whole place. Everything's powered by hot air," A woman walks into a caged contraption that lifts her to a higher floor, "It even pumps hot air currents outside to give us a lift while we're gliding,"
"This place is unbelievable," Aang says in a monotone voice.
"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Teo says.
"No, just unbelievable," Aang walks away. Katara walks to Teo's side, "Aang used to come here a long time ago. I think he's a little shocked it's so... Different," She comforts.
"So better!" Sokka cheers. I smile at his stupidity. Katara follows after Aang.
"I have to agree with Sokka, this place is quite cool. But, I can understand where Aang is coming from," I look at the boy in the chair, "This place is a part of his life that is now gone, of course, it'll take some time for him to get used to it."
-
We all follow Teo as he takes us to the last place that seems to be untouched by the colonists.
"It's nice to see that at least one part of the temple that isn't ruined," Aang says, staring at a meditating monk statue. An unfamiliar voice calls, "Look out!" A huge wrecking ball breaks down the statue right in front of Aang.
A man with hair sticking out in all directions and partial eyebrows emerges from the dust, "What the doodle? Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"
Aang looks at the man with rage, "Do you know what you did!? You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!" He shouts.
"Well, people around here are starting to stink," The strange man waves his hand in front of his face.
"This whole place stinks!" Aang says angrily, using his staff to airbend the wrecking ball off the edge of the temple, "This is a sacred temple! You can't treat it this way!" Aang walks closer to the strange man, "I've seen it when the monks were here! I know what it's supposed to be like!"
The man scratches his beard, "The monks? But, you're twelve." The mechanist points out.
Teo rolls over to the strange man's side, "Dad, he's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago,"
Aang steps toward Teo's father threateningly, "What are you doing? Who said you could be here?"
"Hmm, doing here ... A long time ago," Teo's father points his finger up in objection, "But not a hundred years, my people became refugees." He runs quickly behind Teo, "After a terrible flood. My infant son," Teo looks down sadly, "Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother." The mechanist sniffles lightly, "I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. Couldn't believe it! Everywhere! Pictures of flying people! But empty." He looks around dramatically, "Nobody home. Then," He spreads his arms out and pretends to fly. I try not to laugh at his strange gestures, "I came across these fan-like contraptions!"
"Our gliders." Aang corrects.
"Yes! Little, light flying machines!" The mechanist flaps his hands while leaning into Aang's face, "They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone will be on equal ground! So to speak. We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here," Katara wipes her tears off onto Aang's shawl while Sokka tries to hold back his own. I pat the water tribe boy awkwardly on the shoulder.
"And, after all, isn't that what nature does?" The mechanist finishes his speech.
"Nature knows where to stop," Aang says grumpily.
"I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us. Look at the time!" The mechanist points at a table with three candles on it, "Come!" He directs at the other workers, "The pulley system must be oiled before dark."
"Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same," Sokka stares at the candles. I examine the candles as well but I am just as confused as Sokka. The mechanist smiles, "The candle will tell us. Watch," The flame of the candle pops four times.
"You put spark powder in the candle!" Sokka admires the mechanist's invention.
"Four flashes. So it's exactly four hours past midday. Or, as I call it: four o'candle." Sokka laughs at the poor joke, I just shake my head.
"If you like that, wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener." He raises up his left hand showing me and Sokka that three of his fingers are made of wood, "Only took me three tries to get it right." He pops off his fingers and throws them into the hands of Sokka.
"Aahh!" Sokka panics holding the three fingers. The mechanist walks past Sokka and pokes him in the back with his one remaining finger gesturing to him, "Follow me!" Sokka quickly runs after him.
I walk back over to Teo, Aang, and Katara.
"Hey, Aang. I want to show you something." Teo says before he starts wheeling away leading Katara and Aang away. I follow slowly behind the trio.
We walk through another hallway full of pipes, "I just can't get over it. There's not a single thing that's the same," Aang looks at all the pipes pushing through the walls.
Teo stops moving, "I don't know about that. The temple might be different," Teo leans over and picks up a hermit crab from the floor, "But the creatures that live here," Teo hands Katara and me a hermit crab, "Are probably direct descendants of the ones who lived here a long time ago." I smile at the small crab in my hands, petting its shell.
"You're right," Katara pokes the shell of the crab, "They're kind of keepers of the temple's origins." Katara hands her hermit crab to Aang while I put mine back on the ground. It scurries back over to its friends.
"Besides, there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all," Teo informs us.
Following Teo through the twists and turns in the air temple, we finally reach a large door. The door is covered by large wooden tubing that leads to three air symbols in a triangular formation.
"Hey, it's just like the one in the other temple!" Katara points out. I walk closer to the door, standing next to Teo, "So, this is the airbending equivalent to the door we had in Avatar Roku's temple." I run my fingers across the wooden tubes.
"Only an airbender can open it, so inside it's completely untouched. Just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it's like in there..." Teo smiles at Aang. Katara turns cautiously towards Aang, scared of his reaction, "Aang?" She asks gently.
"I'm sorry. This is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way." Aang says, turning away from the door.
"I completely understand. I just wanted you to know that it's here." Teo says slightly disappointed.
"Thanks," Aang says. The four of us follow Aang away from the door.
-
"I don't like this much." I stand next to Katara on the edge of the air temple holding a glider.
"The wind will carry you. It supports something inside you. Something even lighter than air. And that something takes over when you fly." Teo instructs.
"I've changed my mind. I think I was born without that something." Katara lowers her glider, "Why don't you just make Li Mei do it without me?" I scowl at the younger girl.
I look back at Teo, "Do we really have to do this? I don't think I have that something either."
"Impossible! Everybody has it!" Teo laughs.
"Spirit." Aang states.
"What?"
"Spirit. That's the 'something' you're talking about." Aang answers. Teo thinks for a second, "Yeah, I suppose it is." Teo looks back over at me and Katara, "Are you ready?"
"No!" Katara jumps off the edge and screams. I gulp before she comes flying back up, "I can't believe I'm flying!" I laugh at her excitement.
"Now it's your turn, Li Mei." Aang pats me on the back. I glance nervously at the younger boy, "I can do this," I say trying to convince myself, "It's only a few thousand feet above the ground," I take one last deep breath grabbing my glider and taking a nose dive off of the temple, "AAAHHH!" I scream with my eyes closed. I take the courage to open my eyes to see that I'm gliding through the air, "I'm doing it! I'm flying!" I cry with excitement, laughing uncontrollably from happiness and complete and utter fear. Aang and Momo join me and Katara in the sky, "Just make sure you keep your mouth closed so you don't swallow a bug!" Aang advises.
"Too late!" I reply, spitting out a few bugs from my mouth.
"Teo was right about the air. All I had to do was trust it, let it carry me." Katara says.
"Even though Teo's not an airbender, he really does have the spirit of one!" Aang lands beside the other boy back at the temple.
"Wait!" Katara yells from beside me, "How do I land this thing? What if I land over a-ack-ack-bleck! Bug! Bug! Ack, that was a bug!"
Panic sets in for me as well. I glide higher up into the air. Once getting high enough I turn at a sharp angle plummeting myself toward the temple at high speeds. With all my upper-body strength I unhook my feet and swing myself onto the top of the glider. Dangerously surfing the air, I jump off the glider at the last minute before it crashes into the temple. I land in a roll and end up in a heap against the wall. Aang and Teo laugh at me as I feel my body for any possible broken bones.
"You know, as much fun as being in the air is, I much prefer being on land. Must be the earthbender side of me." I smile at the two boys while I see Katara land much more gracefully than I had behind them, "Showoff." I grumble.
Teo and Aang drag me and Katara back to the large door with the wooden tubes, "I can't believe I'm finally going to see what's inside!" Teo says excitedly.
Aang walks up to the door standing in the middle pointing his arms towards the two horn-shaped openings. He blasts air into these openings causing the three air symbols to flip over from a blue side to a purple side that blows air back out, making a sound. When the door opens it reveals that this is not an unexplored section of the temple. Fire Nation weapons and a large red aircraft fill the room.
"This is a nightmare," Aang gawks at the sight.
"I bet Li Mei's happy to see the works of her home nation taking over your sacred temple." Katara taunts.
"What is your pro-" I get cut off by Teo's father who comes running down the hall with Sokka following briskly behind, "You don't understand!" He cries.
"You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!" Aang accuses.
"You make weapons for the Fire Nation!?" Sokka says angrily.
"Explain all this! Now!" Teo yells at his father.
"It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this, Teo. They were going to destroy everything! Burn it to the ground! I pleaded with them, I begged them to spare us! They asked what I had to offer. I offered ... My services. You must understand. I did this for you!" Teo doesn't meet his father's gaze, instead, he looks away disappointedly. The mechanist leaves.
"It doesn't have to be like this," I say looking at the group, "Teo's father won't have to sell weapons to the Fire Nation anymore if we help him fight them." Aang looks at me with a serious expression, "Li's right. We have to help him."
-
Aang and Teo go to the mechanist's workshop while Sokka, Katara, and I wait outside. An awkward silence falls between the three of us once Aang and Teo leave. I glare at Katara while she looks over the edge of the small bridge we stand on.
"Is there something going on between you two?" Sokka glances between the two of us.
"Why don't you ask your sister, she's the one who started this. I've done nothing wrong and she's coming after me for no reason at all." Katara whips around with a very deep frown, "Oh, you've done nothing wrong, huh?" She laughs sarcastically.
"I haven't! Have I Sokka?" I look at the other party member.
"Don't drag Sokka into this, he doesn't know what he's talking about!" Katara yells. Saving the day I can see Aang and Teo approach us.
"So I sorta ambushed this Fire Nation official and now he says he's going to burn this temple to the ground," Aang rushes out.
"This is bad," Teo comments.
"Very bad!" Sokka agrees.
Katara steps away from me and relaxes her expression when looking at Aang, "Aang, what are we going to do? How can we possibly keep them all away?"
"I'll tell you how. We have something they don't." He points to the sky, "Airpower. We control the sky. That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"
"I want to help." Teo's father appears out of the doorway to the bridge.
"Good. We'll need it." Aang accepts the mechanist's assistance, making Teo smile.
-
We all gather in the mechanist's workshop watching Teo's father and Sokka displaying their hot air balloon, "We finally got the war balloon working, thanks to Sokka. This boy's a genius!"
"Thank you. You're a genius!" Sokka compliments.
"Thank you!"
"See, the problem with the old war balloon was you could get it airborne," Sokka places a candle under the balloon model, "But once it did, it just kept going," The hot air balloon lifts off the table and keeps flying upwards until Sokka pulls in down with the string attached to it, "You could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?"
"Ugh, if only we knew," Katara says, making Aang and Teo laugh while I just groan in annoyance.
"A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon,"
"Huh, that's actually pretty smart," Katara admits.
"Okay, we've got four kinds of bombs:" Sokka starts listing them off his fingers, "Smoke, slime, fire, and-"
"Stink! Never underestimate the power of stink!" Teo's father interjects.
-
"They're coming," A young girl, one of the colonists, yells.
Teo looks at Katara, "Are we ready?"
"Yes." Katara says unsure, "But where's Sokka with the war balloon?" Aang jumps off of Appa's head and lands beside Teo, "We'll have to start without it,"
The army of gliders is set up and the people begin to take off disappearing below the thick fog. Katara takes off on Appa with Momo to provide the glider soldiers with bombs. I stay at the top of the temple to hold down the fort, "I'll just stay here, I prefer solid ground."
I lean over the edge of the temple to see large hooks emerge from the fog. Attached to these hooks are large metal tanks. Aang and Katara try to hold off the tanks and Fire Nation soldiers but they are easily outnumbered causing them to retreat back to the temple.
"We're out of bombs!" Teo tells Katara.
"Come on Sokka. Where's that war balloon?" Katara worries. Up from behind Katara a large red balloon appears. They fly out over the tanks dropping their giant slime bombs on top of the soldiers and machinery.
"They've run out of bombs." I look over the edge, "But they're still coming." I point down at the fast-approaching tanks. The colonists attempt to knock the hooks off the side of the cliff to no avail.
"I think Sokka's finally lost it, he's throwing their fuel tank out of the war balloon!" I say, watching the fuel tank tumble down into a giant crevice until a giant explosion ruptures from the crevice, "Okay, maybe he hasn't lost it just yet."
"Look! They're retreating!" Aang points to the fleeting Fire Nation soldiers.
"We're going down!" I hear Sokka yell as the war balloon starts to fall rapidly.
"No, Sokka! Hold on!" Katara cries. Aang snaps open his glider and goes soaring towards the crashing war balloon. When Aang comes soaring back up the mechanist and Sokka are holding onto a rope wrapped around Aang's ankles with Sokka's boomerang.
-
"You know what?" Aang talks to Teo and his father, "I'm really glad you guys all live here now," He leans over and picks up a hermit crab, "I realized, it's like the hermit crab, maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other." Teo smiles up at Aang, "That means a lot, coming from you."
"Aang you were right about airpower. As long as we've got the skies, we'll have the Fire Nation on the run." Sokka points to the sky as the colonists cheer.
"We may have won the battle this time, but the Fire Nation is now aware of our airpower. So, we'll have to stay on our toes. We can never be too careful." I say seriously. Sokka bumps me with his elbow, "I think the grumpy prince Zuko wore off on you." Sokka laughs and after a second I laugh along with him.