THE OTHER AIRBENDER (Book 3)

(VI) Air

As expected, Zuko and Aang's firebending training isn't going so smoothly. It's only been a day, and from what they've explained, it sounds like they haven't had much progress. As we sit around the campfire waiting for Katara to cook something up for everyone, Zuko approaches us with a straighter face than usual.

"Listen everybody, I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff," Zuko says, making Toph immediately raise her hands defensively.

"Don't look at me! I didn't touch your stuff."

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone," Zuko says, as Katara bursts out laughing.

We all look at her with confused looks, except for Zuko, who appears rather irritated. She simply shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago."

"Well, it's not lost. It's just... weaker for some reason," Zuko replies with a sigh.

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are," Katara retorts sarcastically.

"Katara..." I tell her with a warning tone. The last thing we need is another fight between them.

"I bet it's because I changed sides," Zuko notes.

"That's ridiculous," Katara comments once again.

"I don't know. Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to," Aang suggests.

"So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough," Sokka says, as he begins to poke Zuko with a stick in a rather annoying manner.

"Okay, cut it out! Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way," Zuko says, and honestly, I agree. If there's anything I've learned about firebending is that the one emotion you shouldn't mix with it is anger, for dangerous reasons.

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source," Toph comments.

"How's he supposed to do that‌? By jumping into a volcano‌?" Sokka questions, sounding weirdly excited.

"No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is," Toph continues.

"What's the original source of firebending?" I ask her, as she sets her bowl down to explain further.

"I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me. So we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."

I nod. "I get it. For airbending, it was the sky bison. They're the ones that learned the art of airbending that allowed them to fly. Who knows? Maybe Appa could give a lesson or two someday."

Appa simply grunts in response.

"Well, this doesn't help me. The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct," Zuko explains with a sigh.

"What do you mean‌? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid," Aang comments.

"Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?!" Zuko snaps back bitterly.

"Woah, calm down. A lot of things change in a hundred years," I tell Zuko, making him take a deep breath as he regains his composure.

"But maybe there's another way. The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."