Avatar The Last Airbender Reader Insert Book One: Water

The Southern Air Temple - Part 3

Sokka, Katara and I stood around the Fire Nation helmet hidden in the snow.

"We should tell him," Sokka suggested. I nodded in agreement.

Katara called Aang over, "There's something you need to see."

"Okay!" Aang hollered back, cheerfully. He happily started running toward us.

When I looked back to Katara, she turned her gaze back to the helmet. Her determined face turned insecure and I could see her weighing the decision in her eyes. As Aang got closer she made up her mind, shifting her weight and bringing her arms up. With a swift sweep of her arms, Sokka and I were covered in a cold blanket of snow. Behind us, the helmet too was covered and nowhere to be seen.

"What is it?" Aang questioned, excitedly.

"Uh ... Just a new waterbending move I learned," she lied.

Shivering, I bent the snow off of myself. Sokka glared at his sister then gave me a pleading look. Taking pity on him, I removed the snow covering him and rolled my eyes in return.

"Nice one! But enough practicing," Aang turned and started walking away, "we have a whole temple to see!"

"You know, you can't protect him forever," Sokka warned his sister. She solemnly walked away.

***

We stood in the archway of a courtyard. Aang ran around, delighted to be back to the place where he grew up. Mesmerized by the architecture, I took in the ancient temple. Sokka and Katara hung back. After getting a good look at everything I returned to them and felt the tension between the two.

Sokka stood firm, with his arms crossed. In a hushed and serious tone he spoke to his sister, "Katara, firebenders were here. You can't pretend they weren't."

She turned and walked in the direction Aang ran to. I followed her and Sokka jogged to her other side.

"I can for Aang's sake. If he finds out that the Fire Nation invaded his home, he'll be devastated," she attempted to reason.

"Hey, guys!" We all turned to Aang. He was standing in front of a statue of an elderly monk. "I want you to meet somebody!"

"Who's that?"

"Monk Gyatso! The greatest airbender in the world! He taught me everything I know," Aang replied proudly. He bowed respectably to the statue.

Katara stepped up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him."

"Yeah," Aang walked away from us, downcast.

"Where are you going?"

"The air temple sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."

"But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years."

"It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long," he said in a hopeful voice.

Katara thought over his argument, bringing her finger to her chin, "Good point."

"Katara, whoever's in there might help figure out this Avatar thing!"

"And whoever's in there might have a medley of cured meats!" We all gave Sokka an annoyed look as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Sokka ran at the door, attempting to open it. He failed multiple times falling on his butt in the process. "I don't suppose you have a key?"

"The key, Sokka, is airbending." Aang blew two large gusts of wind into two entwined horns that are attached to the door. As the air passed through them, the horns bellowed loudly and one by one, three tightly wound coils of tube turned, successfully unlocking the door. The doors opened into a vast room veiled in darkness.

Aang called into the gloom, "Hello? Anyone home?"

We entered the sanctuary, not knowing what to expect. The only thing I could see was four shadows stretching forward and being consumed by the void.