The Legend of Arin

CHAPTER TEN: THE GREAT DIVIDE

THEIR CURRENT STOP WAS OFF TO A ROCKY START. Aang and Arin had come back to their camp to the siblings arguing. No fire and no tent. To make it worse, Momo and Appa were arguing about fruit. Aang had resolved it saying it was a days work for the Avatar.

Arin humored her little brother.

The next morning, they looked at the Great Divide, the biggest canyon in the world. They were ready to pack up and get onto Appa to fly over it until some guy in yellow and white robes interrupted them.

He claimed that he was here for the canyon guide first. He went on a tangent about how he was the only way in and out of the canyon, Sokka mocking him behind his back. He had said the Fire Nation destroyed his home and that his entire tribe had to walk through the canyon to get to Ba Sing Se.

"You're a refugee."

"Huh. Tell me something I don't know." The man scoffed. Aang and Katara looked at one another before noticing another tribe walking towards them from further down the path.

"Is that your tribe?" Arin asked him and he burst out angrily.

"It most certainly is not. That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years." He whistled them over.  "Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think of stealing it." Some buff lady came up into his face.

"Where are the rest of the Gan Jin? Still tidying up their campsite?"

"Yes, but they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot." The woman crossed her arms.

"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations." He scoffed.

"Of course you didn't. That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang, so unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey." The Zhangs booed him.

Momo, who was perched on some rocks jumped off as they started moving. That was probably the tour guide.

"Sorry about the wait, youngsters. Who's ready to cross this here canyon?"

"One of them, probably." Arin looked at the tribes. The man in yellow scurried up.

"I was here first. My party's on their way."

"I can't guide people who aren't here." The tour guide replied.

"Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow." The lady from the Zhangs said teasingly as the tribe walked past the Gan Jin-man.

"Wait! Here they come." He said pointing to a group of people dressed in similar attire. They all looked so elegant.

"You're not seriously gonna cave into these spoiled Gan Jins. I mean, we're refugees, too. And we've got sick people that need shelter." The Guide began to stutter, looking from either tribe.

"We've got old people who are weary from traveling." A Gan Jin spat.

"Sick people get priority over old people." The buff Zhang countered. She wasn't wrong.

"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs." A white-haired Gan Jin spouts.

"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, maybe you wouldn't live to be so old." They continued going back and forth until Arin grew a headache, the arguing reminding her of Katara and Sokka, only ten times worse.

She heard Katara and Aang talk about his peace-making skills being put to the test, but Arin couldn't take it anymore, this was too irritating to just sit by and let play out.

"Shut up! You all are grown adults, there is a way to compromise without any further arguing." Arin drew their attention and Katara continued from her statement.