supposed to help me if he won’t talk to me?”
“Maybe you have to find a way to talk to him,”
I suggested. I truly believed there might be some way
for Aang to communicate with his past lives. We just
had to figure it out.
The lemur scampered into the sanctuary with an
armful of food and dropped it at Sokka’s feet.
“Looks like you made a new friend,” Aang said,
smiling.
“Can’t talk. Must eat.” Sokka began to eat hungrily.
The lemur climbed onto Aang and sat on his
shoulder.
“Hey, little guy. You, me, and Appa. We’re all
that’s left of this place. We have to stick together.
Katara, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our
family: Momo.”
I reached out and petted Momo. “We’d better
go,” I suggested. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Now there were five of us: myself, my brother, the
Avatar, a flying bison, and a lemur.
Together, we could do a lot.
The Air Nomads are the most mysterious of all the
benders because they disappeared one hundred years
ago. They were a peaceful race that was wiped out
by the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads lived in huge
temples and traveled the world on flying bison. They
were the most spiritual of all the cultures and lived in
harmony with nature. They also were fun-loving and
had a strong sense of humor. Aang is the only known
living Air Nomad.
Below are the basic details I have
managed to find about Air Nomad life,
as well as a description of the Avatar Cycle.
AIR NOMAD INSIGNIA
The Air Nomad insignia is a
stylized swirling orb. I
nside the orb,
curved lines depict the wind.
AIR NOMAD FLAG
The Air Nomad flag is a
banner held between two wooden
poles. The center of the banner is
emblazoned with the Air Nomad
insignia.
As might be expected from people who harness
the power of air, the Air Nomads were a peaceful
society. Honest and forthright, they preferred to use
their powers strictly for defensive purposes.
PHILOSOPHY OF THE AIR NOMADS
Air Nomad temples sit atop high mountain peaks,
above the clouds. They were carved from stone, with
huge spires rising into the sky. The only way to get to
the Air temples is on a flying bison.
SHELTER
Autumn is the season of the Airbender. More Air
Nomad children were born in this season than any
other. Unlike children of the other nations, all Air
Nomads were born with bending abilities.
SEASON
FLYING BISON
Flying bison were ancient
creatures from which the
Airbenders originally learned
Airbending.
Airbenders’
arrow tattoos were adapted
from the markings on the
bison. The bison were the
only nonhuman Airbenders,
and they used their wide tails
to steer through air currents.
APPA
Appa, a flying bison, is Aang’s lifelong companion.
Like all Airbenders, Appa is usually peaceful, but he
knows how to protect Aang and his friends.
WINGED LEMURS
The lemurs were the Air
Nomad
children’s
favorite
pets. Fun, playful, and highly
social, lemurs were trained by the
Airbenders to perform many useful
tasks, including alerting people of
danger.
MOMO
Momo is a flying lemur from the
Jongmu Air Temple. Momo means
“peach” in Japanese.
ANIMALS OF THE AIR NOMADS
MOMO
APPA
Airbending is a dynamic skill. Benders use air
to enhance natural abilities, allowing one person
to defend against multiple attackers from different
disciplines. Because no special weapon is required,
Airbending is well suited to nomadic life.
PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE
ANCIENT MARTIAL ARTS
INFLUENCES
Airbending is similar to the Chinese martial
art known as Baguazhang. I
n Baguazhang,
movements employ the whole body with smooth
coiling and uncoiling actions, utilizing hand
techniques, dynamic footwork, and throws.
Rapid-fire
movements
draw
energy
from
the center of the abdomen.
Airbending is a highly versatile
skill. An Airbender can run faster
by decreasing his air resistance and
jump higher and farther by creating
wind gusts to enhance his motion.
An Airbender can protect himself
during a fall by forming a wind
cushion, and he can run up vertical
surfaces such as walls and trees by
generating a wind current behind him.
For a high-level attack,
an Airbender can create
an air vortex to suck in
an opponent, spin him
around, and spit him out.
TECHNIQUES
He can also create an
air dome to shield himself
and can deflect attacks
with wind gusts.
An Airbender’s signature tool is his
wooden staff. Although it does not possess
any magical properties, it can transform
mechanically into a small glider. To propel
the glider, Aang controls air currents to
sustain its flight over limited distances.
Airbenders also use their staffs as weapons
to enhance the amount and power of their
attacks and defenses.
SIGNATURE TOOL
Airball was a fast-paced traditional Air Nomad
game that relied on an Airbender’s speed, balance,
and accuracy. Players stood on top of wooden posts
and used Airbending skills to pass the ball from one
player to another. The goal was to get the ball through
the wooden ring on the opponent’s side.
AIRBALL
The Air Scooter was an
Airbending move that Aang
invented. He swirled a ball of
air underneath his body and
rode it like a scooter.
AIR SCOOTER
Pai S
ho is an ancient tile game played in all four
nations. Combining skill and strategy, many a fortune
has been won and lost over a single hand. Aang used
to play Pai Sho with Monk Gyatso.
PAI SHO
SKY BISON POLO
Sky Bison Polo was played
in the air. Airbenders rode their
flying bison and tried to force
the ball into an opponent’s goal.
My scream woke up Katara and
Sokka. I was having the nightmare
again.
“Aang! What’s going on?” Sokka
asked groggily. “Are we under
attack?”
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Just a bad
dream. Go back to bed.” I hated to
think I was keeping my friends awake.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Sokka
rolled over and quickly started to snore
again. Nothing interferes with his sleep.
My name is Aang, but most people know me
only as the Avatar. There’s only one thing
wrong with that: I don’t really know how
to be the Avatar yet. The previous Avatar,
The next tale is attributed to the Last Airbender,
Aang, who reveals the secret of his legendary
disappearance.
Roku, passed away more than one hundred years ago,
and he didn’t leave behind any instructions. I wish he
had!
Katara placed her hand on my shoulder. “You
seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately, Aang.
You want to tell me about it?”
“Thanks, Katara. I think I just need some rest.”
I owed Katara and Sokka my life, but I still couldn’t
tell her what was wrong.
The next morning, we found a busy marketplace by
the ocean. Boats lined the long wooden pier, bobbing
gently on the calm water.
Vendors were selling fish,
meat, and fresh vegetables.
Mmmm,
vegetables.
My
stomach ached for something
tasty. I couldn’t remember the
last real meal we’d eaten.
“What can we get, Katara?”
Sokka hungrily eyed the trays
of fresh food. He wanted to
eat as much as I did.
“Nothing. We’re out
of money,” Katara said.
Uh-oh.
“Great! Now
what
are we supposed to do?”
Sokka whined.
“You could get a
job, smart guy,” Katara
replied. Even though
those two bicker a lot,
I know they really love each other.
An old fisherman brushed by us, followed by his
wife. She grabbed his arm. “Please, don’t take the
boat out today! There’s going to be a big storm!”
“You’re crazy!” the fisherman said. “Look at the
sky. There’s no storm coming!”
The fisherman was right. The sky looked pretty
clear to me.
The woman folded her arms. “Find someone else
to haul that fish, ’cause I ain’t comin’!”
“I’ll find a new fish hauler and pay ’em double
what you get,” the fisherman bragged. “How do you
like that?”
Sokka stepped forward. “I’ll go!”
I couldn’t believe it! Sokka didn’t know how to
fish and we had to keep moving.
“You’re hired,” the fisherman snapped, smiling
back at his wife.
Sokka saw the look in Katara’s eyes. “What? You
told me to get a job.” He jumped aboard the ship and
helped the fisherman load his equipment.
A cool breeze of air made me shiver, and the sky
quickly darkened. “Sokka, maybe this isn’t such a
good idea,” I said. The water was choppy now, and I
was uncomfortably reminded of something that had
happened to me more than a hundred years ago. I was
worried about Sokka’s safety.
But Sokka was stubborn. “We need money. I
can’t back out just because of some bad weather.” He
grabbed a box of tools and headed below deck. His
mind was made up.
The fisherman’s wife stood on the dock, yelling
at her husband. “The boy with the tattoos has some
sense! You should listen to him.”
The fisherman turned and looked closely at my
forehead. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being
stared at by strangers—although sometimes it is kind
of flattering. “Airbender tattoos . . . well, I’ll be a hog
monkey’s uncle. You’re the Avatar!”
“That’s right!” Katara said proudly.
“Well, don’t be so smiley about it!” he snapped.
“The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years!” He
pointed an accusing finger at me. “You turned your
back on the world.”
“Don’t yell at him!” Katara said. “Aang would
never turn his back on anyone.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t? Then I guess I must have
imagined the last century of war and suffering.”
“Aang is the bravest person I know,” Katara said.
“He’s done nothing but help people and save lives
since I met him. It’s not his fault that he disappeared
for all those years. Right, Aang?”
Katara turned to me, waiting for my answer. I
knew what she wanted to hear, but I couldn’t say it.
I didn’t want to admit the truth, but I couldn’t lie
to Katara either. So I ran away from Katara and the
fisherman and back through the market. I heard the
fisherman’s words in my head, stinging me.
Katara found me in a seaside cave several minutes
later. “Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry I ran, Katara,” I said. “The fisherman
was right. I let everyone down. It’s all my fault.”
“This is about your nightmare, isn’t it?” Sometimes
Katara can be so perceptive. She knelt down and put
a hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath. It was time to tell her the
truth. “Monk Gyatso told me I was the Avatar when
I was twelve. He was supposed to wait until I was
sixteen, but the monks were worried that Fire Lord
Sozin was going to start the war before then. They
needed time to train me.”
“Weren’t you excited about being the Avatar?”
“I was at first. Who wouldn’t be? But then everything
changed. I wasn’t just Aang anymore. My friends
didn’t want to play with me because they thought
I had an unf
air advantage. I had to train every day,
all day long, and the only person I could really talk to
was Monk Gyatso. He was the only one who treated
me like a normal kid.”
I looked out of the cave
and saw clouds sweeping
across the sky, cutting off
the sun. Thunder boomed
around us as lightning
crackled in the distance.
It began to rain, and I
thought of Sokka out there
on the open sea. I hoped he
was okay.
“The other monks thought I had too much fun
with Monk Gyatso. I heard them making plans to
send me to the Eastern Air Temple to complete my
training.”
Katara reached out to comfort me, but I pulled
away. “I couldn’t let them take everything from me!
So Appa and I ran away. But somewhere over the
ocean we were caught in a storm just like this one.
Next thing I knew, you found me in the iceberg.
A hundred years had passed.
“After I left, the Fire Nation attacked our temple.
My people needed me and I wasn’t there to help! The
fisherman was right: I am the Avatar. I’m supposed to
help people, but I ran away when the world needed
me most.” I hung my head, my cheeks burning with
shame.
“You’re being too hard on yourself.” Katara
wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I think it was
meant to be. If you hadn’t run away, you would have
been killed with the other Airbenders. The world
needs you now, and you’re here now.”
“Help!” The fisherman’s wife rushed through the
rain. “My husband’s boat is still out there!”
Katara and I looked out at the sea. Rain poured
from black clouds while gigantic waves surged toward
the shore, driven by the violent winds.
The Lost Scrolls: Air (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Page 2