Avatar: The Last Airbender: Double Trouble

Chapter 1

The next thing I know, I'm falling down a small ice hill and someone is falling with me. It's cold and the ground is hard. Everything hurts. Someone starts poking my head and I groan. That's not helping. 

   "Aang?" I murmur, eyes opening slightly. I see a girl a few years older than Aang and I kneeling over us. I turn my head when I hear Aang groan. 

   "Ling?" he responds. He looks up at the girl. "I need to ask you something," he says as I sit up and hold my aching head with one hand. 

   "What?" she asks. I look around and see a guy around the girls age, maybe a year or two older. He's staring at us suspiciously. 

   "Please, come closer." Normally I would be worried about how weak Aang sounds, but I know he's just being a goof and will be his usual cheery self in no time. I stand up and stumble a bit. The guy grabs my arm to steady me, even though he still is looking at Aang and I wearily.  

   I look around at my surroundings. Icebergs and water. Everywhere. That's why it's so cold. 

   "What is it?" she asks, leaning closer. Aang's eyes go wide and his grin is instantly in place.

   "Will you go penguin sledding with me?" he asks and I snort. She leans back, looking completely thrown off.

   "Uh, sure," she says. "I guess." I start looking around, trying to find Appa and Olla. Aang easily floats to his feet and the guy freaks, pointing a spear at Aang with a cry of dismay. Dramatic much? The spear isn't even that scary. I'm going to assume this guy isn't a bender.

   "What's going on here?" Aang asks. I stomp a foot to the ground and am thrown to the top of the hill Aang and I just fell down. The guy cries out again and I glance back to see him pointing his . . . weapon at me. 

   "You tell us! How'd you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen?" He pokes Aang with the pointy end of his weapon and I narrow my eyes at him. 

   "I'm not sure," Aang says, carelessly pushing the weapon away. He glances up at me and I shrug. I turn back around and smile when I see Appa and Olla. Appa starts growling and Aang gasps, scrambling up the hill. He crashes into me and we both go tumbling down the other side. I glare at him, but he ignores me, lunging at Appa and landing on his forehead to hug him. I stand and go over to Olla after grabbing my glider from where it lay on the ice. She sighs and nuzzles into me. 

   "You okay, girl?" I ask and she snorts. Aang starts trying to wake Appa up and I laugh. Appa yawns, picking Aang up with his tongue and Aang laughs, too. I smile with a shake of my head.

   "You're okay!" Aang exclaims. 

   "We're great, too, Aang. Thanks for asking." 

   "What are those things?" the guy exclaims. 

   "This is Appa and Olla, our flying bison," Aang says as I run my hands through Olla's fur. She opens her mouth to lick me and I groan at getting bison slobber all over me. 

   "Right, and this is Katara, my flying sister," the guy says, pointing at the girl. I snort. I go to stand next to Aang just as Appa gets ready to sneeze. I hit the ground and Aang crouches down low. Appa sneezes and I hear the guy start making noises of distress. I look up and see him completely covered in Appa snot. I laugh outright and Aang grins at me. 

   "Don't worry," Aang says. "It'll wash out." I nod in agreement. We know all too well how he feels right now. "So, do you guys live around here?" 

   "Don't answer that," the guys says, pointing his spear at us again. I sigh, getting really tired of him doing that. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? They were probably trying to signal the fire navy." My brow furrows in confusion. Why would we do that? And why would the fire navy be way out here? We have to be near the North or South pole.