After hearing some crazy airbender stories from some guy, the group decided to visit the Northern Air Temple. Once there, they noticed something... rather interesting. There were people there, flying through the air like they were airbending.
"Huh!" Katara exclaimed, "They really are airbenders!"
Aang leaned back and crossed his arms unhappily, "No, they're not."
"What do you mean they're not?" Sokka pointed, "Those guys are flying!"
Kaiden took a closer look, "No... they're not. Gliding, maybe, but not flying."
"You can tell by the way they move," Aang further explained, "They're not airbending. Those people have no spirit."
"Geez," Kaiden said to him, "A bit sore, are we?"
One of the gliders, this one outfitted with a wheelchair, flew past them, the kid laughing.
"Besides," Katara said, pointing, "That kid seems pretty spirited!"
After landing, the kid introduced himself as Teo. He took a closer look at Aang.
"Hey!" Teo exclaimed, "You're a real airbender! You must be the Avatar! I-I-I've heard stories about you!"
Aang looked a bit embarrassed, but brightened up, "Thanks."
Sokka took a look at Teo's wheelchair, "Wow! This glider chair is incredible!"
"If you think this is good," Teo grinned, "Wait until you see the other stuff my Dad designed."
Teo then gave the team a tour. Kaiden could visibly see Aang's disapproval increase the further they went through the temple. It had been transformed into a factory, with pipes blowing steam everywhere. Even Kaiden had to admit that that was pretty disrespectful. And the one time they did find an untouched area of the temple, it was immediately demolished.
"What the doodle!" the mechanist at the wheel of the wrecking ball said, getting off the machine, "Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"
Aang assumed an airbending stance, "Do you know what you did?! You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!
The Mechanist waved a hand in front of nose suggestively, "Well, people around here are starting to stink.
Aang glared at the Mechanist, "This whole place stinks!!"
Aang shot some air at the wrecking ball, sending it tumbling down the mountain.
"Woah!" Kaiden yelled, holding Aang back, "Cool it, Aang!"
"This is a sacred temple!" Aang yelled, ignoring Kaiden, "You can't treat it this way. I've seen it when the monks were here. I know what it's supposed to be like."
"The monks?" the man replied, confused, "But you're 12!"
"Dad," Teo told him, "He's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago."
Aang advanced on the mechanist with each question, "What are you doing? Who said you could be here?"
The Mechanist turned away, "Hmmm... doing here... A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood... My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother."
The mechanist sniffled to hold back tears, "I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. Couldn't believe it! Everywhere pictures of flying people. But empty! Nobody home! Then I came across these fan like contraptions!"
YOU ARE READING
Avatar: The First Metalbender Book 1: Water
Fanfiction|Book I| Kaiden is from the Southern Water Tribe, but that's all he'll tell you about his background unless you were a close friend, like Katara or Sokka. But even he has a secret he won't tell them. Truth is, he's a natural metalbender, able to ben...
