“Where are you hiding him?!” Zuko demanded.
“Where is the Avatar?”
Sokka tried to fight Zuko, but my brother was no
match for the prince’s Firebending power. As Sokka
battled the prince, I feared for my brother’s life. I also
realized that I was too quick to judge Sokka. All he
ever wanted was to do was protect us. That’s why he’s
so mistrusting of others.
Suddenly Aang came sledding into the village on
the back of a penguin.
“Looking for me?” he said to Zuko.
“You’re the Avatar?” Zuko said with amazement.
Aang? The Avatar? Was that possible?
Aang agreed to go with Zuko if he spared our
village. Zuko agreed. I couldn’t believe how brave
Aang was; he was willing to risk his life for us. He
deserved no less from me.
“Aang saved our tribe,” I told Sokka and Gran
Gran. “Now I’m going to save him!”
To my shock, Sokka agreed to come with me.
He
surprises
me
sometimes.
Even
Gran Gran was proud
of me. “Only the
Avatar can save the
world. Go find him,
little Waterbender,”
she said, kissing me
good-bye.
I felt proud. I also
felt scared. But as Aang said, if I was to become a bender,
I had to face my fears. And so Sokka and I climbed
up onto Appa’s back.
“What was it Aang said?” Sokka asked. “Yee-ha?
Hup, hup? Yip, yip?”
That did it! Appa took off into the sky. I knew that
he would fly.
It didn’t take us long to catch up to Prince Zuko’s
ship. When we did, Aang and the prince were
exchanging Firebending and Airbending blows on
the deck. I looked down from Appa’s back in horror
and saw Zuko knock Aang overboard with a fierce
Firebending blast. Aang disappeared beneath the
waves.
But then Aang suddenly reappeared, rising out of
the ocean and riding a huge column of water! He bent
the tower of water toward the deck of Zuko’s ship,
where it crashed down as a giant wave, knocking the
prince and his soldiers into the sea. I couldn’t believe
my eyes!
“Now that’s what I call Waterbending!” Sokka
shouted.
Aang landed on the watery deck. Appa drifted
down beside him, and we helped Aang climb onto
Appa’s back, then took off again.
“How did you do that?” I asked. “It was the most
amazing Waterbending I’ve ever seen!”
“I don’t know,” Aang said. “I just sort of . . . did it.”
“Why didn’t you tell us that you were the Avatar?”
I asked.
“Because I never wanted to be,” Aang replied,
turning away.
“But the world’s been waiting for the Avatar to
return and put an end to this war,” I explained.
“And how am I going to do that?” Aang asked.
“Well, according to legend, you need to first master
Waterbending, then Earthbending, then Firebending,
right?” I asked.
“That’s what the monks told me,” Aang said.
“Well, if we go to the North Pole, you can learn
Waterbending!” I suggested.
“We can learn it together,” said Aang, smiling.
I turned and looked at Sokka, feeling proud of
him. “And Sokka, maybe you’ll get to knock some
Firebenders’ heads along the way.” I didn’t want him
to feel left out.
“I’d really like that,” he said.
“Then we’re all in this together,” I said. And we
headed off for the North Pole. I didn’t know what
the future held. Would I really learn to master
Waterbending? Would Sokka become a great warrior
like our father? Would Aang be able to save the
I had Sokka and Aang by my side.
The Water Tribes are a peaceful people. They
strive to live in harmony with nature and with the
other nations of the world. There are two sects of the
Water Tribes, the Northern and the Southern. In the
time since the Fire Nation’s attack began, contact
between the two tribes has ended.
Waterbenders use their abilities for defense, never
for aggression. Despite their peaceful nature, their
current goal is to do whatever it takes to stop the Fire
Nation from taking over the world.
WATER TRI
BES’
I
NSIGNIA
The symbol of the Water
Tribes is a circle containing a
crescent moon and ocean
waves. The insignia represents
the Moon Spirit and the Ocean
Spirit, who give the Water Tribes
their life and power and guide their beliefs. They
coexist in harmony, the moon’s force exerting a
pushing and pulling motion on the ocean’s water.
This pushing and pulling is the foundation for the
art of Waterbending. The Water Tribes’ belief in
peaceful cooperation among all nations stems from
the relationship between these two spirits.
have culled together about the peaceful
nation of the Water Tribes.
Each village
in the Southern
Water Tribe has
its own leader, all
of whom are male.
The southernmost
village of the Water
Tribe was led by a great
warrior named Hakoda,
but he and the other
men went off to war
two years ago. Hakoda
is Sokka and Katara’s
father. The Northern
Water Tribe is ruled
by Chief Arnook, a great warrior.
WATER TRIBE LEADERS
Each of the four nations is influenced by a
dominant season. The Water Tribes’ dominant season
is winter. More Waterbenders are born during winter
than during any other season.
SEASON
AR
NOO
K
HAK
OD
A
LOCATION
Living at the frozen poles—near the seas—the
Water Tribes depend on the oceans for many of their
natural resources. Sea prunes, which they serve stewed,
are a favorite delica
cy. Sea squid is a popular food that
can be made into a variety of things, including sea
squid soup. Seaweed can be used to make seaweed
bread, seaweed soup, or seaweed sprinkles to top
seaweed cookies. Giant sea crabs are a delicacy,
considered by many to be the most delicious food in
the Northern Sea.
Skins from seals are used to build tents, and pelts
from polar bears cover the floors. Hunters from the
Southern Water Tribe and fishermen of the Northern
Water Tribe are some of the best in the world.
NATURAL RESOURCES/FOOD
The Southern Water Tribe
is located at the South Pole and
the Northern Water Tribe at the
North Pole.
In both locations the
terrain is mostly ice. The weath-
er is cold and harsh, with snow
falling year-round.
PENGUIN
FISH
POLAR
SEA LION
The otter-penguin,
a half-otter, half-penguin
native of the South Pole,
is clumsy on land but a very
strong
swimmer.
Another
animal found at both poles is the
turtle-seal, which has a shell like
a turtle and flippers like a seal. It
slithers across the ice on its belly,
then dives into openings in the ice
to swim through the underwater ice
tunnels. It dines on fish, shellfish,
and squid. Its hard shell protects it from predators
such as the polar leopard. The buffalo-yak is native
to the North Pole and is a domestic animal
used for transportation and carrying
supplies. Because it can survive even
in the coldest temperatures, the
buffalo-yak is the perfect animal to
take on long hunting trips into the
frozen tundra. Other artic animals
include polar sea lions, penguin
fish, and ice crawlers.
ANIMALS
Waterbending is an ancient art unique to the culture of
the Water Tribes. Legend says that the moon was the first
Waterbender, and that ancestors of current benders saw how
it pushed and pulled the ocean tides, and then learned how
to control the water themselves.
Unlike the other bending arts, Waterbending is defensive
in nature. Waterbenders get their strength from the spirit of
the moon and their life from the spirit of the ocean. Together,
they create and maintain a balance.
PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE
THE ART OF
WATERBENDING
Waterbending is influenced by the ancient martial art
of Tai Chi, which uses similar techniques to redirect the
energy from an attack to use against an opponent. As with
Tai Chi, the Waterbender’s intent is to control opponents,
not harm them. Both disciplines were influenced by ancient
healing practices in which healers redirected energy paths in
the body to cure ailments. Their strict belief in controlling
rather than destroying; healing rather than harming; and
using their power for defense, not attack, are at the heart of
the humane and noble characteristics of all Waterbenders.
Both Waterbending and Tai Chi are less about strength
than about body alignment, breath, and visualization.
In both of these arts, softness and breathing prove more
powerful than hard aggression.
ANCIENT MARTIAL
ARTS INFLUENCE
water
ice
steam
FORMS OF
THE ELEMENT
A Waterbender can control water in any of its
forms—as a liquid (water), a solid (ice or snow),
or a gas (steam), including moisture in the air and
ground. This gives the Waterbender a variety of
defensive moves.
If there is no
nearby body of water at
the scene of a battle—such as
a river, lake, or ocean—an expert
Waterbender has the ability to collect all
the available moisture in the air and ground
around him or her. The Waterbender can
then concentrate this small amount of
water into a quantity that he or she can
use to attack or defend.
Waterbenders have many techniques at their
disposal. They can suspend a body of water around
themselves, then lash out with water whips and
powerful waves.
They can stop an attacker by
encasing his or her feet in ice,
or escape from an opponent
by creating a screen of
steam for cover.
WATERBENDING
TECHNIQUES
A Waterbender’s power comes from an internal
life energy, which is known as chi. Because of this,
a Waterbender’s power is related to his or
her emotional state. When a less-experienced
Waterbender gets angry, his or her Waterbending
force increases in intensity, but control is
lost. This can be dangerous, especially in
a bender with little or no training.
STRENGTHS
One weakness
of Waterbending
is the possibility
that a Waterbender
could find him- or herself
in a place where no water can
be found. This is much more probable than
an Earthbender winding up without earth, or an
Airbender without air. Firebenders create their
own fire from the heat around them. Therefore,
needing to be near a source of water is an important
weakness to remember. In case there is not enough
moisture in the air or ground, Waterbenders always
carry skins filled with water.
WEAKNESS
Waterbenders are most powerful at night, when
the moon is full, when they are near their homelands
of the North and South Poles, and during the
winter. They can choose how to direct their energy
using two jings, or techniques, representing the push
and pull of the moon on the tides and, in turn, the
push and pull of the Waterbender on the water he
or she controls.
HEALING
Waterbenders can use their abilities to heal by
surrounding a sick or injured person with water, which
Waterbender uses water to open chi paths in the body
and help the healing process, making the person well
again.
CHI
THE WATER SCROLL
The legends of the Water Tribes state that long ago,
pirates stole a valuable scroll from a Waterbender of
the Northern Water Tribe. The parchment contained
several ancient Waterbending techniques, including
the single water whip, which some believed was
lost forever, but was recently recovered by a young
Waterbender. As illustrated in the scroll, the single
water whip is achieved by executing several moves.
First the Waterbender reaches forward and, with a
slow stretching movement of the arms and keeping
the knees bent, draws a small amount of water from a
source. Suspending the water in a circle in midair, the
bender then slowly moves both arms to one side of the
body. This move reshapes the water, elongating it into
the form of a whip, which is unleashed with a swift but
fluid move of the arms back across the body. The water
whip follows the movement of the Waterbender’s
arms, snapping like a whip.
My name is Sokka. I’m a
warrior from the Southern
Water Tribe. I’m not a
Waterbender, like my sister,
Katara, or an Airbender,
like our friend Aang—
who just happens to be
the Avatar—but I do
all right for myself. I’m
pretty tough in a fight,
especially against those
Fire Nation jerks.
Aang, Katara, and
I are traveling to the
Northern Water Tribe
so the two of them can
learn Waterbending from
a master. I’m going along
to protect them and to kick a little Fire
Nation butt along the way. One day,
on our journey to the North Pole, we
stopped on a beach to rest.