When All Hope Is Lost

The Northern Air Temple Part 1

"So, travelers, the next time you think you hear a strange, large bird talking, take a closer look. It might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man!" Auretta leaned forward in her seat, her eyes shining at the dramatic telling of her people. "A member of a secret group of airwalkers who laugh at gravity and laugh at those bound to the Earth by it!"

When the man finished his story, Aang and Auretta shared a grin around the water bender between them. "Aren't airbender stories the best?" The boy asked, aiming his question at Katara.

"Was it realistic? Is that how it was back then?" She asked curiously, having throughly enjoyed the story.

"I laugh at gravity all the time!"

Auretta snorted. "Gravity."

Sokka looked at the girl from the corner of his eye with an amused smirk. Suddenly, a hat was shoved in his face, held upside down like a basket. "Jingle, jingle!" The storyteller pushed.

Sokka searched around in his pockets sheepishly. Auretta peeked over his shoulder, finding his hands only holding lint and a bug. The girl frowned, picking up the bug and checking if it was dead. She grinned when it moved its legs, placing it on her nose while she reach into her belt. A few seconds later, she pulled a few coins out and dropped it into the hat. "Thank you for the amazing story, sir. It was really nice to get to hear stories of my people!"

"Yeah, it must have been a hundred years ago your great-grandpa met them." Aang added with a toothy smile.

The man furrowed his brows in annoyance. "What are you prattling about, child? Great-Grandpappy saw the airwalkers last week!"

Auretta peaked around at the old man sitting on the pavilion behind him. He waved with a smile. She returned it numbly, too shocked at the news that her people might still be alive. As the storyteller walked away, Aang and Auretta slowly looked over at each other with their eyes wide. A few moments passed before they were grinning from ear to ear. The airbenders jumped to their feet and pulled the water tribe siblings with them, taking off in the direction of their bison.

They quickly packed their camp, and were about to mount Appa when Sokka stopped Auretta with a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him curiously, and was surprised when his finger raised to her nose, gently swiping the bug off. He placed it in her hands and chuckled as he walked off. Auretta stood frozen for a moment before her face slowly started burning.

Snapping back to her senses, she carefully placed the bug on a nearby bush and sent it a small smile. "Good luck on your journey, little one!"

"Come on, Retta! We gotta go!" Aang called from Appa's reigns.

"Coming!"

*

The next morning, Auretta couldn't sit still. She was just as excited as Aang about the possibility of their people being alive, but she was also excited to be able to show her new friends the Northern Air Temple! "Oh, you guys are in for such a treat!" She nearly squealed, standing on the edge of the saddle and facing her friends. "Each temple has its own unique qualities that make them so beautiful, but the Northern Air Temple is gorgeous! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the Southern Temple, but this one-" She slid down to sit in front of her friends as she grinned. "This one takes the cake."

"What's so special about this temple?" Katara asked, smiling at the girl's excitement. She was a little worried about how the two nomads would react if they found the temple abandoned- especially with how Aang reacted the last time- but seeing Auretta's excitement about the temple itself calmed her worries. The Southern Temple hadn't been damaged, so whatever Auretta's so excited about should still be there!