Kyra's Tale (Book 1~Water)

The Boy In The Iceberg (Part 2)

You could say that when Gran Gran saw us sneak back to our village, she got a little surprise hiding for her in our tent. We arrived at night when the villagers were sucked into their dream world. At night, it was so quiet that you'd be able to hear footsteps almost a mile away. I was looking forward to surprising everyone with Aang, but it was kind of ruined.

Sokka and I laid in our bed skin sheets, woken by the smell of stewed prunes. The sour aroma filled the air, and we all knew that we were suckers for stewed prunes. Katara was cooking them under a fire, warming the cool air around us.

"Morning Kyra," she whispered. "How'd you sleep?"

"Tossing and turning, the usual," I said in a dull tone.

"What I saw," a familiar voice behind us spoke, "wasn't usual."

Not to my surprise, Gran Gran stood in front of us while holding a pile of clothes in her hands. Her furrowed eyebrows made her wrinkled skin stand out more, and her contracted blue eyes helped her put us on the spot. It wasn't hard to tell she knew about Aang; her glares would force you to admit anything. Ever since Mom died and Dad went to fight against the Fire Nation, it was Gran Gran who raised us as her own children— with the exception of Katara taking in a motherly role.

"What a surprise to see you here, Gran Gran!" I said, nervously. My voice quivered as I spoke, trying to create a distraction. "Here, Katara, I think it's time to do-"

"Kyra," Gran Gran scolded me with her warning tone.

My shoulders slouched as I admitted my defeat. "I guess my stalling didn't help?"

"No kidding," Sokka spoke up, his mouth full of stewed prunes.

"You're dish is getting cold," Katara told me. "I'll wake up Aang. You should sit and eat."

I thanked my sister as she set up the laundry on Sokka's bed, causing him to moan. I smirked right as I took in one spoon of stewed prunes. The heat was quite heavy, and made the prunes a bit soggier than expected. We sat quietly together as she left to wake up Aang. Since Sokka and I were really fast eaters, it didn't take long before we gathered all the villagers outside our tent. We stood out in the cold, staring blankly at the tent we set up last night.

The Southern Water Tribe was a small village that looked more like a camping site. According to Gran Gran's stories, we did have a beautiful houses and sculptures built of snow, but it was all destroyed during a raid that happened when I wasn't even born. The Fire Nation destroyed our home and culture, burying it within the rubble of the attacks.

"Now what you're going to see might be a bit unexpected," Sokka warned them.

"Cause he's an Airbender," I whispered in his ear.

"Right," he replied dryly.

The others stood silently, staring at the tent blankly. There were around thirty of us in our village. Gran Gran was the oldest and our Dad, Hakoda, was the Chief! This was almost like 'royalty', only we were well respected because our Dad was a pretty big deal around here. The only difference between us and the typical Chief you'd find in an organized city, was that we had to do chores.

Finally, Katara came out of the tent with Aang. The villagers widened their eyes just like I did to get a better look. The children still held onto their mothers.

"Aang: this is the entire village. Entire village: Aang," Katara introduced him, gesturing to the crowd.

Just as Aang bowed to show respect, the villagers widened their eyes and backed one step away. I honestly didn't know what they were afraid of. It wasn't like they... oh, right! Sokka, Katara, and I were the first people to see an Airbender in the last hundred years.