young Water Tribe warrior, who recounts a tale
of faith lost and found once again.
“Hey, look at this sword
made from a whale’s tooth,”
Aang said, picking the weapon
up off the ground.
“This is a Southern Water
Tribe weapon,” I said, my
heart racing. The warriors of
my village carried these swords
when they set off to battle the
Fire Nation.
Then, on the nearby shore, we spotted one of their
ships!
“Is this Dad’s boat?” Katara asked, teary eyed.
“No,” I explained. “But it is from his fleet. That
means that Dad was here!”
This was as close to my father as I’d been since
he left two years ago. I couldn’t believe we had
missed him. Maybe we’d catch up to him? Thinking
about seeing him again made me so happy, but also
nervous. Would he let me go to war with him now?
Or would he say I’m
still too young? And
what about Aang and
Katara? I promised
I’d help them get
to the North Pole.
Would I have to
choose between the
two?
That night we built a fire near the boat.
I stared into the flames to try to take my mind off the
painful memory of saying good-bye to my father, but
I couldn’t help thinking about the last time I saw him.
I wanted to go off to war with him so badly. I had even
applied traditional wolf battle paint. But my father
said I was too young, and then he said something else
that I never forgot: “Being a man means knowing
where you are needed most. And right now that is
here, protecting your sister.”
I didn’t understand
it then, but I think
I do now. I used to
think that being a
man meant putting on
war paint, grabbing a
weapon, and fighting
the enemy. In the time
since my father left and
I’ve been charged with
helping to protect my
village, I’ve realized that
I was right where my people needed me most. Just like
now, when Aang and Katara need me, this is where
I have to be.
A sudden rustling sound snapped me back to the
present. Someone was moving through the woods.
“Who’s there!?” I yelled. Then, like he had stepped
out of a dream, Bato, a warrior from my tribe, walked
up to the fire.
“Bato!” I cried. Katara woke up.
“Sokka, Katara!” Bato said. “It is good to see you.
You’ve both grown so much.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked.
“He and the other warriors should be in the eastern
Earth Kingdom by now,” Bato explained. My heart
sank when I heard that. I had hoped he would be here
too. Bato told us that my dad brought him to this
abbey after he got wounded and that the sisters have
cared for him ever since.
“What smells so good?” Katara asked.
“The sisters here craft ointments and perfumes,”
Bato explained.
“Perfume?” I asked, never one to pass up an
opportunity to crack a joke. “Maybe we can dump
some on Appa! Because he stinks so much! Am
I right?”
For some reason nobody laughed.
“I see you have your father’s wit, Sokka,” Bato
finally said.
Wow! Bato thought I was like my father. I felt
so proud at that moment, I didn’t care that no one
laughed at my joke!
After introductions, Bato invited us to his quarters.
They were amazing! He lived in a cottage that looked
exactly like the inside of a Southern Water Tribe hut!
“It looks like home!” Katara cried.
“Right down to the animal pelts on the floor,”
I added.
Then Katara spotted a bowl of stewed sea prunes
over the fire. My father could eat a whole barrel
of stewed sea prunes—and so could we! Over a
steaming bowl of food, Bato, Katara, and I laughed
and laughed about stories of home and of when my
father was young.
The only weird thing was Aang interrupting our
stories with dumb comments and fidgeting around
the hut. I didn’t know what had gotten into him.
“I have to tell you,” Bato said after finishing a
story, “that I’m expecting a message from your father
telling me where to meet him. If you’d like, you can
come along.”
That was the best news I’d ever heard! I could go
with Bato, join the other warriors, and fight beside
my father. But then I remembered Aang.
“That would be great, Bato, but we really need to
get Aang to the North Pole,” I explained.
“We promised,” Katara added.
“I’m sure your father would understand,” Bato
said. “And he would be proud that his children are
helping the Avatar.”
That’s when Aang walked back into the hut. To
be honest I hadn’t even noticed he was gone. After we
finished eating, Bato led us down to his ship.
“This ship has great sentimental value to me,” Bato
said. “It was built by my father, and he took me ice
dodging in it. How was your first time ice dodging,
Sokka?”
The question hit me hard. I was so embarrassed.
How could I think I had become a man when I never
even got to go ice dodging with my father?
“Sokka never got to
go ice dodging,” Katara
explained. “Dad left before
he was old enough.”
“What’s ice dodging?”
Aang asked.
“It’s a rite of passage
for young Water Tribe
members,” Bato explained.
“Say, I have an idea!”
And believe it or not, Bato took me ice dodging
on his ship! Aang and Katara came along too, but I
was in charge. It was my turn to prove I was a man.
Only, there was no ice on this river, so we dodged tall,
jagged rocks.
I steered and called the shots, and Aang and Katara
followed my every order. I commanded that ship like
I owned it—and boy, it was a wild ride! We zoomed
in between and around the sharp rocks until we came
to a bunch of rocks so close together that they blocked
our path. We couldn’t go around them, but we sure
could go over them!
“Aang, I’m going to need air in that sail!” I ordered.
“Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can
between us and those rocks. Now!”
I knew exactly how to get past the obstacle. The
extra air Aang shot into the sails and the wave of
water Katara created lifted us up and over the rocks.
We landed safely on the other side.
Bato was very proud. When we reached shore, he
honored us by placing traditional tribal markings onto
our foreheads with his thumb. I got the mark of the
wise, the same mark my father earned during his ice
dodging. I never felt prouder. I just wish Dad had been
here to see it.
Then Bato gave Katara the mark of the brave, and
Aang the mark of the trusted. But Aang looked away,
then wiped the symbol off his forehead.
“You can’t trust me,” Aang said, lowering his head.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a
where to meet our father.
I was furious! Aang had betrayed us. I didn’t
understand how he could
do such a thing, but I felt
like I never wanted to see
him again! I had to say
something.
“You had the map all
this time and you didn’t
tell us!” I yelled. “Aang,
how could you?”
“I’m sorry,” Aang
said. “I was afraid you’d
leave me.”
“Well, you were right!” I screamed. “You can go to
the North Pole on your own. I’m going to find Dad!
Katara, are you with me?”
“I’m with you, Sokka,” she replied, turning her
back on Aang.
Sometimes my sister can be a real pain, but she
never lets her family down. As much as she liked
Aang, I’m glad she chose to come with me.
Bato led Katara and me through the forest. I was
excited about seeing Dad again, but I just couldn’t
stop thinking about Aang. The more I walked, the
more I realized that no matter what Aang had done,
he needed us. Then I recalled my father’s words:
“Being a man means knowing where you are needed
most.”
“Katara, we have to go back to Aang,” I said.
“I want to see Dad, but helping Aang is where we’re
needed most.”
“You’re right, Sokka,” Katara agreed.
“I know your father will be proud of you,” Bato
said.
We said our good-byes and headed off to find
Aang.
Suddenly a huge beast burst from the forest,
snorting and growling. The creature had light—brown
fur with a dark—brown stripe running along its back.
Its long tail whipped back and forth menacingly. Its
enormous jaws opened to reveal razor-sharp teeth.
On the beast’s back rode Prince Zuko, his uncle, and
some girl. The weird thing was, it seemed as if it was
the girl who was controlling the beast’s reins.
“Where is the Avatar?” Zuko demanded.
“We split up,” I replied. “He’s long gone.”
“How stupid do you think I am?” Zuko asked.
“Pretty stupid,” I said. Hey, the guy asked! Then
Katara and I ran, but the beast charged toward us and
stuck its gross, long tongue out and licked me. Within
a few seconds the whole world began spinning, and
then everything went black.
I woke up in the courtyard of the abbey. Katara
was on the ground next to me, but neither of us could
move. In front of me I watched as Zuko battled Aang
and the beast fought Appa. Before each move it made,
the beast sniffed around like it was searching for a
scent. I figured out that the beast was able to see by
using its sense of smell and decided to give it something
to look at.
I asked the abbey sisters to roll out barrels of
their perfume. Once we were able to move again,
I smashed the barrels open with my war club and
Katara Waterbended a huge wave of perfume right
onto the beast.
Overwhelmed by the smells, the beast began
lashing out wildly with its tongue. It struck Zuko and
the girl, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Katara and I joined Aang on Appa, and we flew off.
“So, where should we go?” Aang asked.
“To the North Pole,” Katara said.
“But don’t you want to see your father?” Aang
asked.
“Of course we do, Aang,” I replied. “But you’re
our family too. And right now, you need us more.” I
felt kind of sad as we soared into the sky. I had come
so close to seeing my father again. Still, I was proud
of myself. I knew I had made the right decision. One
day soon I’ll see Dad, and I’m sure he’ll be proud of
A SOUTHERN
WATER TRIBE HUT
The inside of a typical Southern Water Tribe’s hut
contains a number of animal pelts that are placed on
bamboo floors. At one end of the hut a sealskin tent is set
up. This is used as a sleeping chamber. Ceremonial animal
headdresses, spears, and animal skins are usually displayed
on the walls of the hut.
I learned all about these aspects of Water
Tribe life while visiting the North and
South Poles.
In the center of the hut sits a square fire pit,
surrounded by a single line of bricks. The fire provides
heat for the hut and is also used to prepare food. There
are mats for sitting on all four sides of the fire pit.
A stew pot, used for cooking, hangs suspended from
the ceiling, hovering above the fire.
When a Water Tribe boy reaches the age of
fourteen, his father takes him ice dodging. This
coming-of-age rite is a boy’s first step in being
recognized as a true warrior of the tribe. The task
of the ritual is for a boy to guide a boat through a
narrow body of water filled with icebergs, which the
boat must avoid.
Though there is an adult onboard, once the ritual
begins, the boy is the only person who can make
decisions and direct the crew. He may choose two
friends to assist him, by operating the main sail and
the jib (a smaller sail at the rear of the boat), but he
alone is in command. His skill a
nd judgment are
what make the journey a success or a failure.
ICE DODGING:
RITE OF PASSAGE, BIRTH OF A WARRIOR
If the boy is successful, he
and his crew receive marks of the
warrior, applied with cuttlefish
paint. The mark of the wise is
given for leadership ability and
achievement in decision making
under pressure. The mark of the
brave is given for inspirational
displays of courage. And the mark
of the trusted is given to outsiders
who prove themselves worthy of
other people’s trust.
My name is Aang. I’m
the Avatar. At least, I’m the
kid that the Avatar spirit
was reborn into.
I haven’t mastered all of
the elements yet. That’s
why my friends, Sokka
and Katara, and I
are traveling on my
flying bison, Appa,
to the North
Pole. Katara and
I both need to
find a Waterbending
master there in the
Northern Water
Tribe to teach us.
himself, about his arrival at the North Pole and
the terrible assault by the Fire Nation on the
Northern Water Tribe.
One day we were flying high above the ocean,
with no land in sight, when huge chunks of ice shot
out from the water!
“Look, they’re Waterbenders!” Katara cried. “We’ve
found the Northern Water Tribe!”
The city of the Northern Water Tribe was so
amazing! It was way bigger than Sokka and Katara’s
Water Tribe village at the South Pole. That was just
a bunch of ice huts, but this place looked like it was
home to a pretty advanced culture. It had a really
neat canal system operated by Waterbenders that
moved big boats up from the sea and into the city.