Lost Firebender

Book 1: Chapter 2

I was in disbelief of this kid. He seems completely fine. Not freezing. Not sick. And most of all not even dead. Sokka takes a defensive stance again with his spear.
"What's going on here?" the boy asks rubbing his bald head.
"That's the same question I'm asking" I retort.
"You tell us! How did you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen" Sokka shot a rapid fire of questions and at the end poking the kid in the side with his spear.
"I'm not sure." the kid responds lazily pushing my brother's spear away.

A gruff groaning sound fills the air.
"What in the world was that?!" I questioned unnerved by the amount of weird things happening all that once. As I spoke the kid scrambled up the side of the iceberg and we followed only to see a giant fluffy monster. It looked to be a bison of some sort but it had the same arrow on its head as the kid.
"Appa! Are you alright?!" he exclaims excitedly as he hangs down the side of the beast's face looking at his closed eye.
"Wake up buddy," the boy lifts the beast's eyelid only for it to immediately close again but once the kid releases it the beast opens his eyes.

"What is that thing?" Sokka and I questioned at the same time.
"This is Appa my flying bison!" the kid answered enthusiastically.
"Right and this is Katara and Kiana, my flying sisters." my brother replies sarcastically making me roll my eyes. The kid looks at us all questioning for a moment before his attention is diverted back to his bison and a look of realization hits the kid's face as the bison takes an inhale because the next thing he did was duck and right now I think Sokka wished he did too as the bison snot rocketed on Sokka.

Sokka began squealing and desperately trying to clean it off in the snow while Katara and I did our best to hold in our laughter.
"Don't worry it'll wash out!" the kid tried to comfort. Sokka makes an ew-type sound as he pulls his hand from his face and strings of snot connect to both his hand and face making Katara and I cover our mouths in disgust. I almost gag.
"So do you guys live around here?" the child asks nonchalantly.
"Dont answer that did you see that crazy bolt of light?! Hews probably trying to signal the fire navy!" Sokka accused while pointing his spear at him.

Katara pushes the spear away from the boy and addresses Sokka sarcastically, "Oh yeah I'm sure he's a spy for the fire navy you can just tell by that evil look in his eye-" she turned the kid, " the paranoid one is our brother Sokka, you never told us your name."
"Im A-a-a-a-" the kid sneezes and sends a blast of air from his nose that shoots him high up into the air. He slid down the side of the ice, "I'm Aang!" he said while sniffling after. Again my jaw hits the floor.
"You just sneezed-"
"And flew 10ft in the air" Sokka finished for me in just the same amount of disbelief.
"Really? It felt much higher than that." the boy states like it was no big deal.

"Youre an Airbender!" Katara gasped.
"Sure am!" Aang answered.
"Giant light beams, flying bison, airebenders...I think I got a case of midnight sun madness. I'm going home where things make sense" my brother rants.
"Count me in." I follow him only for us both to realize we have absolutely no way home.
"Damn." I sigh.
"Well if you guys are stuck Appa and I can give you a lift!" Aang offered as he airbended up to the bison's head and grabbed the reigns. Katara immediately jumped at the offer, "wed love a ride! Thanks!"
"Oh no, I'm not getting on the fluffy snot monster." Sokka refused. I just shrugged and walked my way over to climb up.

"Thanks Aang. And what Sokka are you hoping some other monster will give you a ride? You know before you freeze or starve to death?" I retorted to my brother. He looked like he was about to argue but let it go knowing there was nothing to argue with.
"Ok, first-time flyers hold on tight! Appa, yip-yip!" Aang commands but the bison only jumped high up just to plop into the water and immediately my brother's sarcastic comments started.
"This is going to be a long ride." I sighed as I closed my eyes tired already from today's events.

While everyone waited for the Airbender to wake up I took off to my favorite spot to be alone. It was close to the abandoned ship that we were forbidden to go on but luckily I'm extremely smart and made it in and out safely without triggering any boobytraps. I found a few things I decided to keep to train with. A sword and there was only 1 intact firebending scroll that I've used time and time again and I've perfected the forms at this point. I'm not supposed to practice firebending it was one of the rules placed on me after the accident that happened years ago. I was forbidden from practicing altogether.

Taking out the sword from its hiding spot I began practicing hitting some extremely thick icesickles as if it were an enemy. I hit it over and over and over until it cracked, fell to the ground, and shattered. It reminded me of myself. I'm in pieces. If I was born as a waterbender I would be praised and allowed to bend freely. I wouldn't have to be scared of hurting someone or becoming the thing my people were afraid of. Deep down I know Gran Gran is scared I will betray them and follow the fire nation's ways. Screaming I throw the sword at a smaller ice sickle making it fall and shatter as well. I sank to the floor.

These nightmares always haunt me. They forever will. I live them, I breathe them, I just can't become them. I wish I was born like Katara. Hopeful, overly caring, and a bender that's not fire nation.

I quickly scrambled to my feet as I heard a set of voices. Peaking over a ridge where the Fire Nation ship sat I gasped as I saw my sister and Aang. They can't go on that ship. Quickly I ran over to them.

"If you want to be a bender you have to let go of fear" I hear Aang say as I approach. They turn to head towards the ship.
"Absolutely not Katara. You know we can't go on that ship and for good reason. If something goes wrong you endanger us all." I denied standing right in front of them to keep them from entering.
"Kiana? What are you doing here?" she asks.
"I could ask you the same thing." I countered.
"We were penguin sledding and we ended up here now you answer my question." she raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.

I looked around nervously not knowing how to answer.
"I was- I was... practicing..." I replied quietly. Her arms immediately uncrossed with a look of disbelief.
"Kiana you know you aren't supposed to bend," she says in a mumble.
"Yeah I know I'm reminded of it every day but how would you like to be told you couldn't bend? Something that is a part of you?" I quip in annoyance. Out of everyone, I thought she would understand, "I'm away from the village I'm not hurting anyone. I don't see anything wrong with it." I rolled my eyes.
"I get it."