Avatar: Blank Slate | Chapter (2) (Patreon)

Standing on my own two feet felt strange.

Not impossible, exactly, but strange in the way a dream felt strange after waking up. My legs trembled beneath me, and for a moment I thought I might topple over the second Katara let go. The ground seemed farther away than it should have been, and my balance was not nearly as steady as I wanted it to be.

Katara noticed immediately.

She kept one hand near my arm, ready to catch me if I swayed. "Easy," she said gently. "Take your time."

I looked up at her and managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"It's no trouble," she replied, smiling back.

Her kindness made something warm stir in my chest. I did not know her, not really, but she had pulled me from the ice, spoken to me like she cared, and now she was helping me stand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That kind of care felt unfamiliar. Comforting, yes, but unfamiliar.

I drew a breath and tried again.

This time I stayed upright.

My body still felt light, almost hollow, as though I had been asleep for far too long and had only just remembered how to exist. Fatigue clung to me, every movement took effort. Even standing still felt like work. But I was determined not to collapse again in front of the two people who were now staring at me with such open curiosity.

I glanced down at myself.

I was shorter than I expected.

That realization came with a flash of annoyance so sudden it almost made me laugh. I did not know why it bothered me so much, only that it did. I looked like a child—small, slight, and wrapped in strange clothes that felt old even though I could not remember where they had come from. It was irritating, but there were more important things to worry about than my height.

Like the fact that I had apparently been frozen in an iceberg.

Like the fact that I had no memory of how long I had been there.

Like the fact that I had woken up in a world I did not understand.

A voice spoke behind Katara.

It was deeper than hers, rougher too, and it made me turn my head immediately. A boy stood a few steps away, taller than Katara and built sturdier than I was. He had the same tanned skin and blue eyes, though his expression was far less welcoming. He held a spear in one hand, and the way he gripped it made it clear he was ready to use it if he needed to.

His posture was rigid, defensive.

He looked at me like I was a threat.

"Katara," he said sharply, "come behind me."

Katara frowned. "Sokka—"

"Now."

The command in his voice made her hesitate. She did not look happy about it, but after a moment she stepped back, retreating behind him with a frustrated huff. I watched the exchange in confusion. The boy—Sokka, apparently—kept his eyes on me the entire time, as if he expected me to lunge at them the second his sister moved.

I raised my hands a little, palms open, trying to show I meant no harm.

This only seemed to make him more suspicious.

I swallowed and gave him an awkward smile. "Hi… my name's Aang, apparently."

The introduction did not help.

Sokka stared at me in silence, his expression unreadable. I suddenly felt very small under his gaze. He looked me over from head to toe, as if trying to decide whether I was dangerous, stupid, or both. Maybe all three. I could not tell.

After a long moment, he asked, "Are you part of the Fire Nation?"

I blinked.

"The what?"

He frowned. "The Fire Nation."

I stared back at him, completely lost. "Could you repeat that?"

Katara made a sound of exasperation behind him. "Sokka, stop acting like that."

He did not look away from me. "I'm not acting like anything. I'm asking a question."

Katara stepped around him before he could stop her, pointing toward me with one hand. "Why would someone from the Fire Nation bury themselves in an iceberg? And look at his clothes. They're not Fire Nation colors."

Sokka glanced at me again, his eyes narrowing as if he had just noticed that for the first time. "That's true."

Katara crossed her arms. "See?"

She turned back to me, her expression softening a little. "He's not with the Fire Nation, Sokka. It's not possible."

Sokka looked unconvinced, but he relaxed just slightly. The spear lowered a fraction in his hand. "Then what nation are you from?"

I frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

Both of them stared.

I looked between them, genuinely confused. "Fire Nation? Nation? What does that mean?"

Sokka's eyes widened a little, then he let out a short laugh. It was not a kind laugh. More like the kind someone made when they thought you were pretending to be stupid.

"Nice try," he said. "Playing dumb right now is probably the stupidest thing you could do. Who doesn't know about the Fire Nation?"

I frowned harder.

He was either mocking me or he was the stupid one. I could not decide which. The problem was that I had no idea what the Fire Nation was, which made me feel even more frustrated. Was I supposed to know? Was this some kind of test? Or had I really forgotten everything?

Katara cut in before I could say anything else.

"I think he's telling the truth," she said firmly.

Sokka looked at her. "Katara—"

"No," she said, more sharply this time. "Think about it. If he were from the Fire Nation, why would he be buried in an iceberg? And if he could firebend, why didn't he just get out? He doesn't even have the right colors."

Sokka opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked at me, then at Katara, then back at me. Slowly, some of the suspicion left his face, replaced by confusion.

"Fine," he muttered. "Then where are you from?"

I hesitated.

The truth was, I did not know.

I looked at him blankly. "I don't know what you mean by nation."

Sokka groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "Unbelievable."

Katara ignored him and stepped closer to me again, her expression thoughtful. "How long have you been stuck in the ice?"

The question should have been simple.

Instead, it hit me harder than I realized.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

How long?

I tried to think. I really did. But the moment I reached for the answer, something inside me recoiled. My thoughts blurred. My chest tightened. A strange, creeping horror began to rise in me, cold and sharp and impossible to ignore.

I did not know.

I did not know how long I had been trapped.

I did not know how long I had been asleep.

I did not know how much time had passed while I was frozen in that ice.

The world seemed to tilt.

My breathing quickened. My head began to pound, a deep throbbing pain that spread behind my eyes and down into my neck. I clutched at my temples, trying to hold myself together, but the pain only grew worse.

Katara's face changed instantly. "Aang?"

I tried to answer, but the words would not come.

Then the memories hit.

Not all at once, but in fragments—sharp, broken flashes that tore through my mind like lightning.

Crashing waves.

Dark water.

A storm so violent it seemed to split the sky.

A feeling of sorrow so deep it made my chest ache.

Children staring at me from somewhere far away, their faces distant and blurred, as if I were looking at them through glass.

A voice calling out.

No—many voices.

The pain became unbearable.

I cried out and dropped to my knees, one hand still pressed to my head. The world spun around me. I could hear Sokka shouting something, though I could not make out the words. Katara was calling my name, her voice full of worry, but it sounded far away, muffled by the roaring in my ears.

Sokka immediately moved in front of Katara again, spear raised. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know!" Katara cried. "Aang, are you okay?"

I was not okay.

I could not even think clearly enough to answer.

The pain in my head sharpened again, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the images away. But they kept coming, each one more vivid than the last. Water. Wind. Fear. Loss. Something terrible had happened. Something I could not yet remember, but my body knew it had happened. My body remembered, even if my mind did not.

Then, through the haze of pain and panic, I heard it.

A low, rumbling groan.

It was deep enough to shake the ice beneath me.

Both Katara and Sokka froze.

The sound came again, louder this time, followed by a heavy shift of movement nearby. I opened my eyes just in time to see a massive shape rising from the ice beside me.

For one terrifying second, I thought it was some kind of monster.

Then it settled down beside me with a soft, protective huff.

It was enormous.

Round and broad and covered in thick, fluffy fur, it looked more like a living cloud than an animal. Its soft brown eyes blinked down at me with obvious concern. The pain in my head eased almost immediately as I leaned back against its warm side. The fur was soft beneath my hands, and the creature made a low, comforting noise as if it were trying to soothe me.

I stared at it in stunned silence.

Sokka's voice cracked through the moment. "What in the world is that?!"

Katara, on the other hand, looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.

Her eyes were wide with wonder. "It's beautiful…"

The creature nudged me gently, and I let out a shaky breath. My hands moved almost on their own, sinking into its thick fur. It was warm. Real. Solid. Somehow, that made everything feel a little less frightening.

The creature licked my face.

I blinked, then laughed despite myself.

It was such a strange, unexpected thing that the sound escaped me before I could stop it. The creature seemed pleased by my reaction, making another soft noise and shifting closer as if it wanted to keep me safe.

Then something long and wooden dropped from its mouth and landed beside me in the snow.

A staff.

I stared at it for a moment, then looked back at the creature. It nudged the staff toward me with its nose, clearly urging me to take it.

Slowly, I reached out.

My fingers brushed the wood, and a strange feeling passed through me. Recognition, maybe. Or memory. It was faint, almost impossible to catch, but it was there. I wrapped my hand around the staff and lifted it carefully.

The moment I held it, something inside me settled.

I smiled.

I did not know why, but it felt right.

Katara noticed the change in my expression and stepped forward, ignoring Sokka's immediate protest.

"Katara, don't—"

"It's okay," she said, though she did not take her eyes off the creature.

She reached out slowly, cautiously, as if afraid it might vanish if she moved too quickly. The creature watched her for a moment, then allowed her to touch its fur. Katara's face lit up with delight.

She giggled.

Actually giggled.

The sound was so full of wonder that it made me smile wider. She ran her hand over the creature's side, her blue eyes shining with excitement. Whatever fear she had felt a moment ago was gone now, replaced by pure amazement.

"What kind of creature is this?" she asked.

I looked at the creature again.

It looked back at me.

And for one brief, impossible second, I felt something click into place. Not a full memory, not even close, but a deep and certain recognition. As if some part of me had known this creature forever.

I answered without really thinking.

"His name is Appa."

Katara turned to me. "Appa?"

I nodded, a small smile still on my face. "He's my best friend."

Sokka stared at me like I had just said the sky was green.

Katara, however, looked between me and the creature with growing curiosity. "What is he?"

I glanced down at Appa's broad, furry face, then back at her.

"A Sky Bison."