by The Tale of Aang; Azula; Toph; Sokka; Zuko; Katara (retail) (epub)
WHOOSH! I cut loose an Earthbending blast, knocking Azula off her feet. “I thought you guys could use a little help,” I called out to Aang and the others.
“Thanks,” said Katara. Even SHE’S glad to see me. Time to corner the princess and see how tough she is, then. …
She seems to be accepting her defeat. … But wait! Oh, no! She just blasted my new friend, her uncle, down to the ground. I hope he’s all right! He was so kind to me. Azula’s going to pay for this!
We all simultaneously unleashed powerful bending blasts at her, but it’s too late. She’s gone, and Zuko’s tending to his uncle.
“Zuko, I can help,” Katara offered.
“Leave!” he shouted back, unleashing a fire blast just above our heads.
So we’re back on Appa, flying away. I’m glad to be back with my friends. It feels like the right place to be, the place where I belong now. I’m ready to start teaching Earthbending to Aang. But right now, I’m just happy to finally get some sleep.
Chapter 3
We’re camped in a rock quarry, which is turning out to be the perfect location to begin Aang’s training. After a good night’s sleep last night, I woke up early this morning—but not as early as Aang—who was already wide awake and raring to go hours before me.
“So, what move are you going to teach me first?” he asked anxiously. “Rock-a-lanche? The Trembler? Ooh, maybe I could learn to make a whirlpool out of land?”
“Let’s start with Move-a-Rock.”
This kid has no clue how hard this is. Time to see what he makes of these two boulders.
“The key to Earthbending is your stance. You’ve got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element—if you’re going to move it, you’ve got to be like a rock yourself.”
A little demonstration: just a quick thrust of the arms and WHAM! Right into the wall!
“Okay, you ready to give it a try?”
“I’m ready,” he said without hesitation.
Okay, his feet feel set, and he’s mimicking my movement. That’s good. Ready, set, and—WHAT!? Great, instead of the rock moving, Aang just flew backward across the quarry. He’s not firm, not thinking like an Earthbender.
“Maybe if I came at it from another angle—”
“No! You’ve got to stop thinking like an Airbender. There’s no clever trick, no different angle to approach the problem. You’ve got to face it head on! Be rocklike. I see we’ve got a lot of work to do, Twinkle Toes!”
This is not good. He’s still fancy dancing, tiptoeing his way around the rock. He’ll never move it that way. Being light on his feet may be great for Airbending, but it’s never going to help him become an Earthbender. Feels like Katara is coming over to tell me something. I wonder what she wants. …
“Toph, I’ve been training Aang for a while now. He responds to a positive teaching experience—lots of encouragement and praise.”
Here she goes, bossing me around again. And this time it’s about something I know and she doesn’t—Earthbending! I don’t want to start arguing again, but how could treating him like a baby and encouraging his whining possibly help his Earthbending at all?
“Thanks, Katara. I’ll try that.”
Whatever, I’m just going to humor her. That is, until she’s gone. Then I’m going to ride Aang hard until he learns what he needs to know.
For Aang’s next series of exercises, I set up an obstacle course. I had him lift heavy boulders and move them through the course. Then I covered myself in rock armor and told him to try to stop me from pushing him. With Aang balanced on two rock pillars, I had him bend some smaller rocks from hand to hand. Then I suddenly slammed a section out of each of the pillars to see if he could balance … and he hasn’t fallen, which means he’s actually holding his stance! Finally he’s taking a step forward.
Okay, now it’s time for a more challenging test. Instead of moving a rock, I think I’ll make him try to stop a rock. Yeah, stop it or be crushed by it. Simple but effective motivation.
“Okay, Aang, I’m going to roll that boulder down at you. If you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you’ll stop the rock.”
Just then Katara butt in again. “Sorry, Toph, but are you sure this is best way to teach Earthbending to Aang?”
Hmm, I have an idea. Sorry, Aang, but your good friend just made things a little harder for you. She’s gonna love this. … “I’m glad you said something, Katara. Actually there is a better way.” Better, not easier.
I put a blindfold on Aang. Now he’ll have to feel the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Welcome to my world! “Thank you, Katara.”
“Yeah,” Aang said, obviously unhappy with Little Miss Buttinski. “Thanks, Katara.”
Okay, the boulder is on its journey down the hill, and Aang is getting into his horse stance. Good. His form feels perfect, his stance feels good. Now it’s time to see whether or not he has the courage to stand his ground. Here we go. … That’s good, just keep sticking your ground, be rocklike and sense the vibration. Come on Aang, you can do this. … It’s getting closer, I can feel it, it’s time to—What happened? Either it flattened him or he pulled a fancy-dancer move and jumped out of the way. … Well, he didn’t get flattened because I can feel him coming toward me.
“I guess I just panicked … I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing TO say. You blew it. You had perfect stance and perfect form.” What am I going to do with him? How can I teach him Earthbending if he’s scared to Earthbend? How can the Avatar, who’s supposed to save everyone, be such a wimp? “When it came right down to it you didn’t have the guts. Do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender?”
“No. I don’t think I do.”
Great. Now I’m supposed to feel bad about hurting his feelings? HE messed up, and HE should feel bad about that. I’m not Katara, I’m not going to console him and let him cry on my shoulder. But here comes the Sugar Queen to make it all better.
No wonder he can’t learn anything. He’s so used to being treated like a little baby by Katara that he doesn’t know what it’s like to not always get everything right the first time around. The minute things get hard he gives up, and she rewards him for it. She thinks working on Waterbending is going to make him feel better. Well, it might do that, but it won’t make him any better at Earthbending. I can’t teach him if he doesn’t have the courage to stand up to that rock.
Hmm. That gives me an idea. Maybe if I can get him to stand up to me, standing up to the rock won’t seem so tough. Maybe if I get him mad enough … this ought to bug him.
“Hey, Aang, I found these nuts in your bag. I figured you wouldn’t mind, and if you did, you’re too much of a pushover to say anything.”
He doesn’t mind? He’s happy to share? Blah, blah, blah, all this nicey-nice Avatar stuff is starting to get to me. Well, this next part will definitely bug him.
“I also have this great new nutcracker.” I dropped a nut onto the ground and smashed it open with his staff.
I felt him wince. He’s getting testy now.
“Actually, Toph, I’d prefer if you didn’t. That’s an antique handcrafted by the monks.”
Is this kid for real? Get angry, will you! I’ve just gone through your stuff without asking, and now I’m basically destroying your staff, and all you can say is “you’d rather I didn’t”?
Here comes Katara again. What now?
“Aang, it’s almost sundown and Sokka isn’t back yet.”
The two of them are heading off to find Sokka. I’ll trail behind, just in case.
A short while later Aang found Sokka. Looks like he’s wedged into a crack in the ground, playing with a little moose-lion cub. Where there’s a cub, there’s a mom … and there she is; I can feel her, not to mention smell her. Boy, she’s huge, and she’s NOT interested in playing. I could easily Earthbend Sokka out, but this will be a good test of Aang’s courage. I’ll just stay here, behind the tree, and listen. If things get out of
hand, I’ll step in.
No, no, no, no. Aang’s using Airbending to push the lioness away. What is wrong with this kid? I thought he wanted to be an Earthbender. Doesn’t he realize his fancy dancing isn’t keeping her away? She’ll do anything for her cub, and tiptoeing and floating around isn’t going to stop her. Okay, wait a minute. I think he’s getting ready to try some Earthbending. He’s preparing an Earthbending stance; I can feel his feet firmly planted in the ground. Here we go. He’s going to Earthbend … and … silence. What just happened? He didn’t Earthbend, and yet I can feel the lioness moving backward, away from him. She’s taking her cub … and she’s leaving.
That’s it, Aang! You stood your ground and it worked! That’s what it’s all about. This deserves a round of applause.
“You were here the whole time?” Aang asked when he heard me clap. “Why didn’t you do something? Sokka was in trouble—I was in trouble!”
“Guess it just didn’t occur to me.” Okay, I’m just going to remind him that I still have his staff, and he should be good and angry … and ready for my final test.
I dropped a nut on the ground and lifted Aang’s staff, preparing to slam it down.
“Enough. I want my staff back.”
Perfect! He’s furious with me. Exactly what I hoped for. “Do it now! Earthbend, Twinkle Toes! You just stood your ground against a crazed beast, and more impressive, you stood your ground against me. Do it!”
Okay, here we go, for real this time. He’s setting himself up in a rock-solid Earthbending stance. Good positioning. Good form. Now, just thrust your arms forward, stay steady, and move that rock!
WHOOSH! Bingo! This time I definitely felt something move. “You did it, Aang! You’re an Earthbender!”
And I’m a pretty good teacher—way better than Master Yu, anyhow.
“This is really touching, but can someone get me out of here?” Sokka blurted out.
“No problem,” Aang said, preparing to Earthbend Sokka free.
“I’ll do it, Aang. You’re still new at this—you might accidentally crush him.”
“Yeah, no crushing, please!”
Chapter 4
I’ve been working really hard with Aang every day for the past few weeks. He’s improved his Earthbending and Waterbending significantly. We’re all pretty tired from training and traveling, so we’ve decided to take short vacations.
At first Sokka objected, saying that we needed to find a map of the Fire Nation and come up with a plan to stop the Fire Lord once Aang was ready. But we promised him we’d spend his vacation tracking down the Fire Nation intelligence he was so keen on getting and he quieted down. He might be a total goof sometimes, but I do kind of admire his determination to kick some Fire Nation butt. Anyway, it was Katara’s turn first, and she chose to go to the Misty Palms Oasis. Peace and quiet, here I come!
We arrived at the place only to find that it was a rundown cantina—so much for lounging by the lake. But we did meet Professor Zei, head of anthropology at the university in Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom’s capitol. He told us he was searching for a library built by a great knowledge spirit named Wan Shi Tong. The library was hidden somewhere in the desert and was supposed to contain knowledge from all around the world.
Sokka got all excited because he decided that we’re going to spend his vacation in the desert searching for the ancient library. He thinks that the library will have maps and other information about the Fire Nation.
If you ask me, that sounds like a horrible vacation. Who cares about some old library? I mean, I get that he’s after the Fire Nation and all, but I really hate the desert. I just can’t feel anything out there in the sand. I know there are some Earthbenders that live in the desert. They’re actually called Sandbenders. In fact, there were quite a few hanging around the cantina when we arrived. But I can’t Sandbend, which basically means that in the desert I’m blind—really blind—without Earthbending to help me see. I’m not looking forward to this trip, but what can I do? I’m part of this team now, and there’s no turning back. So, here we go, up onto Appa and off to the desert.
This is so boring! I can’t even see, and I know there’s absolutely nothing out there. Then the professor tells us that this place may not even exist! Great. This is most definitely not my idea of what a vacation should be. I’ve had enough of this. Time to have a little a fun.
“There it is!” Ha! Made them look. I can’t believe they all listened to me! People, I’m blind, remember? “That’s what it’ll sound like when one of YOU spots it.”
“Wait, down there,” Sokka said anxiously. “What’s that?”
Finally! Thank goodness! Time to land and get this over with already.
“Forget it,” Katara cried suddenly. “It’s obviously not what we’re looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous.”
“What kind of animal is that?” Sokka asked.
“That could be one of Wan Shi Tong’s knowledge seekers, taking the form of a fox!” the professor said excitedly. “We must be close to the library!”
“No, this IS the library,” Sokka said. “It’s completely buried in the sand.”
“Buried?” the professor cried as we landed. Then he fell to his knees. Is he going to start weeping? He must think the library is ruined. Okay, Toph, time for a little reconnaissance, feel things out and see what the story is.
This stone spire is definitely part of a huge building, and it feels like that building is buried beneath the sand. But it feels whole.
“Guys, the inside seems to be completely intact … and it’s huge!” This library must hold every book and map ever made.
Apparently the knowledge seeker they were talking about climbed through a window on the side of the building. The others decided to follow it. Not me. Books don’t do much for me. So I’m waiting outside with Appa.
Geez, Appa sure does scratch himself a lot. Talk about boring. When are they going to come back? I hope they find their maps and books and whatever else they wanted to get out of the library, or else this is a huge waste of time—Whoa, what’s going on? I can’t feel anything! Everything is shaking and the sand beneath my feet is disappearing. … Is the library sinking? If I could just get over there and feel it, I’d be able to tell—Oh no, it IS sinking. And everyone is still inside! This is awful. I’ve got to stop it. I have to keep the library from disappearing or the others are doomed. Who knows how far down it will sink?
This is why I hate sand—you can’t get secure footing in grains that keep moving. I’m going to have to go ahead and do it anyway. Okay, fists tight, feet rooted … now push hard. Come on Toph, keep it from sinking! Fight the gravity, fight back!
What am I thinking? I can’t hold this building up forever. I’m not THAT strong. My feet keep slipping in this stupid sand. Come on, guys, get out of there—NOW! Please, hurry!
What’s that rumbling? It sounds like it’s coming from far away? Is something coming toward me? I can’t deal with a new threat; I can barely handle this one! Well, whatever it is, it’s moving very, very quickly. “Who’s there?”
The sand, it feels like it’s moving, and I’m not doing it. It’s swirling around and around. That can only mean one thing: Sandbenders. What could they want?
Oh, no. They want Appa! How can I help him without letting go of the library and losing my friends inside?
I can hear the Sandbenders throwing ropes on Appa from every direction. They’re trying to capture him. I can’t just stand here! I have to let go and throw some earth their way, to slow them down. … WHOOSH! Take tha—Great. A sloppy cloud is all I can muster up? On solid ground I would have blasted them away. I’m useless here … and the library’s sinking faster now than before!
What do I do? Let the library sink and try to stop the Sandbenders from taking Appa, or stop the building from slipping and lose Appa? I can’t win! I just can’t. I’m sorry, Appa. I don’t think I can help you in all this sand, but at least I have a small chance of saving Aang and the oth
ers. You understand that, don’t you? Don’t you? I’m sorry, buddy.
If the library would just stop sinking! I can’t hold it! Where are you Aang?
Oh, wait, I can hear something. I hear people talking. They’re out. Phew! I can finally let this thing go. Whoa, it’s sinking all the way down, it’s so far down I can’t even feel it. …
Okay, now comes the hard part. Harder even than holding up that building. How do I tell Aang that I let those Sandbenders take Appa? That I couldn’t stop them? I don’t know how to tell him. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to make it better. I failed and I can’t remember when I ever felt this bad.
“Where’s Appa?” Aang asked.
I don’t know, Aang, I don’t know. … Be strong, Toph, and just tell him the truth.
“How could you let them take Appa?” Aang shouted. “Why didn’t you stop them?”
“I couldn’t stop them. The library was sinking. You guys were inside.” Nothing he can say could make me feel any worse than I already do. And no explanation I give will be good enough. His best friend was taken. I’d be mad too.
“You could have come to get us! I could have saved him!”
“I can hardly feel vibrations out here. They snuck up on me. I couldn’t do both—”
“You just didn’t care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!”
First the shedding comment and now this! No wonder he thinks I don’t care about Appa. But that’s not true, I promise! I never wanted this to happen. If we were on solid ground, I would have taken those guys apart. But I can’t fight in the sand. I just can’t. He’s so mad at me … my first real friend, and this happens.