The Lost Scrolls: Air (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Read online

  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.