#2. Truth between the lies

The next day comes and with it, brand new experiences and lots of fun. Most of the villagers befriend the mysterious boy, while he quickly gains new energy to live.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

The next morning came sooner, then Shirin would have desired. The entire village was covered in pinkish shadows and only here and there, sunlight emerged from beneath the clouds. One by one, the villagers began waking up. Her sister stood before their igloo and rubbed her eyes. They were still red from sleepiness. Shirin always found it cute. Mornings like these were going to give her sister a possibility for another happy moment.

Shirin let out a breath and made her way over to a smaller tent nearby the village’s halls. She had wondered why did Aang choose that place of all. They’ve been offering him to them in her family’s igloo, yet he refused.

Was it because of the windy setting? Or less sun? Did airbenders like such settings?

She stopped before Aang’s tent. She was doubting the whole plan. The boy was surrounded with a mysterious aura.

Would they even accept him? Why did Katara sent her?

With hesitation, she entered the tent and sat besides Aang’s bed. She took a deep breath and glanced all around. The tent was dim and plain, only few sun rays emerged inside. ,,Hey, are you… awake?” Shirin glanced back towards Aang. For the time being, she decided to ignore the paralysing fear of speaking. Not long afterwards, Aang shot up from his bed in sweat. ,,H-hey, it’s okay! We’re in our village now. Nothing can bring harm to you..” She sat further away from his bed to make more space for the panicking boy.

,,Our village, it’s a safe place… If that’s something of ability to help calm you down.” Shirin laughed, but immediately stopped. Aang sat up. His eyes revealed the exhaustion he must’ve been feeling. ,,Thanks. But it’s nothing to worry about, I’ll be alright again soon.” Aang gave Shirin a weak smile, then glanced away. ,,You sure about that?” Shirin put her palm on her chest. ,,Yea.. besides, it’s solely a nightmare from when I still used to live at the air temples… You wouldn’t understand..” Aang shrugged it off, unlike Shirin, who still eyed him in silence. She forced herself to smile, though. She didn’t desire for the awkward silence..

,,Is.. there something I should know about?” He looked up and towards Shirin. ,,Um… Well… My sister wants you to meet the tribe’s people.. She said I should be the one to tell you..” She looked next to her, at the tent’s entrance. ,,That… Sounds genuinely funny! Let’s go and meet them!” Aang perched up and jumped on his feet. ,,Aang, wait-!” Shirin called out. She outstretched her hand towards him and stood up. In a blink of an eye, he left the tent.

Would it been easier, if she wouldn’t say anything? What if he runs into the villagers, before Katara?

She shrugged it off and ran out of the tent and after Aang.

°°°°°°°°°°

,,Aang, you’re here!” Katara waved towards him with a bright smile on her lips. ,,Thanks Shirin for bringing him!”

Shirin only shrugged and crossed her arms on her chest. ,,Aang, this is our entire village!” Katara pointed to a group of people standing in front of them. ,,Guys, this is our new friend, Aang!” She pointed to Aang with anticipation and Aang bowed in response. Unlike their companions, everyone in the group backed away.

,,Hey, is something wrong? Did Appa sneeze on me? Even tho I swear I haven’t seen him yet.” Aang let out a sheepish laugh and looked all around his clothes.

,,Well… No one has seen an airbender for a hundred years. We thought they were… extinct..” An elderly woman stepped out of the group. ,,Extinct!?” Aang gasped for air. He put his right hand on his mouth. ,,Until my grandchildren and their friend found you.” The elderly person looked down with a frown. ,,Aang, this is my grandmother.” Katara pointed to the elderly woman. She had greyish hair in a bun and longer, blue parka. ,,I’m Kanna. But you can call me gran-gran…” Her lips formed into a weak smile.

,,And this is Izumi! She’s the mother of Shirin and Tori.” Katara mentioned and gestured towards a younger woman. She had a dark blue parka going right above her knees and a light purple bolero on top being decorated with a symbol of the water tribe and moon. ,,Hi, it’s nice to meet you!” Izumi blinked and waved towards Aang, who returned her smile. ,,Kanna is right. It’s a surprise my daughter was able to find you. Something like this haven’t happened since years. That’s why the villagers may be a little fearful. But I’m sure they’ll warm up soon!” She put her hand on her chest and gave Aang a smile as gentle, as he ever saw. ,,Noted, it’s nice to meet you, too!” Aang put his staff besides him and bowed before her.

°°°°°°°°°°

,,What is this, a weapon? You can’t stab anything with this!” Sokka interrupted. He took the staff out of Aang’s hand and started to examine it. Izumi furrowed her eyebrows and snatched it from Sokka’s hands. She returned the staff to Aang, who’s lips form into a pleasant smile. ,,Thanks!” He nodded. ,,It’s not for stabbing. It’s for airbending!” He put it before him and in a matter of few seconds, the staff opened itself into a glider.

Sokka gasped for air, covered his mouth with his hands and stepped away from Aang. In panic, he bumped into Shirin, who giggled. ,,You know he’s not an enemy, right?” She pushed him back up on his feet further away from her. ,,Y-yes! But what if he is? I mean, look at all the tricks he can do! Are we sure he’s not here to trick us?” Sokka points to Aang, his eyes wide. ,,Youre just being paranoid now. Who would trick our old Sokka?” Shirin crossed her arms on her chest.

He outstretched his hand above him and pointed to the skies. ,,That’s right! I’m the leader here, nobody tricks me!” He looked back to Shirin. That’s when he stopped smiling altogether. Her lips were formed into a wide, mischievous smirk. ,,You… Didn’t mean it the way I did, right?” Sokka frowned. ,,Obviously. Anyone can fool you.” Shirin remarked. She walked closer to a girl, who had been wearing two loose ponytails, with a dark blue and purple parka. Her appearance was similar to Shirin.

°°°°°°°°°°

,,Magic trick! Do it again, please!” The young girl called out. She outstretched her hands into the air and started to jump at one place. ,,Not magic, airbending.” Aang turned to her. She wasn’t much taller, but not too small either and seemed to be around the same age as him. ,,Although, it definitely can appear like magic to others I suppose.” He blinked with a smile. He moved his glider around to imitate airbending. ,,Hahaha, sounds fun!” The girl‘s eyes were sparkling with excitement.

Shirin put her hand on her mouth to hide her giggling. ,,Would you do it again?” She put her hands together in a pleading position. ,,Well, sure- of course!” Aang answered. Near to the end of his reply his eyes sparkled, as if ing a dear memory of his. ,,Yay, it’s soo much fun!” The girl closed her eyes and started to laugh. ,,Tori… Maybe.. we should give Aang a liittle more space? He’s probably not used to this much energy.” Shirin puts her hand on Tori’s shoulder. Tori’s eye sparkles immediately diminished. ,,That’s alright! I like your sister’s will to live, it’s contagious.” Aang smiles, his cheeks red of embarrassment.

,,Anyway, the glider, it allows me to control the air currents around my glider and fly!” Aang imitated flowing clouds in the sky, with a glider flying through. ,,Whoa!” Tori breathed out. ,,You know, last time I checked humans can’t fly!” Sokka attempted to portray flying wings with his two palms. ,,What? But he just said he knows how to glide!” Tori crossed her hands on her chest. ,,Hmpf…” Sokka’s eyebrows narrow. ,,Check again! Maybe you’ll change your mind seeing it!” Aang opened his glider, then pushed himself off of the ground. ,,He’s flying! He really did it!” A young girl yelled out in iration. Shirin grinned towards Sokka, who’s jaw dropped in shock. ,,It’s cool, more!” A young boy encouraged Aang. He proceeded to nod and leaped around the kids, he ended in swirling around a snowy formation. He glanced down to see everyone cheering upon him and unaware, crashed head-on into Sokka’s watchtower. All the snow, that once made a beautiful watchtower, formed to a frozen platform.

As soon as all the snow covered Aang, Tori, who’s been laughing all this time, covered her mouth with her hand. Without any doubts, she started to dig through the snow. ,,Aang? Aang! Come on, stop playing games, not funny!” She got startled, when Aang popped out of the snow sphere, right before her. ,,Don’t worry, I’m here!” He pat her on her head. ,,Hmph!” She crossed her hands on her chest and stood up. Although, her frown soon got exchanged with a laughter as bright as the midnight moon. Her hair fell out of her loose ponytail, right into her face.

,,Great job. Very, great job. Now my watchtower is destroyed!” Sokka crouched down to his watchtower and began with repairing. ,,You’re an airbender and my sister is a waterbender. You can learn from each other all day!” He stormed off, when a snowflake fell on his head and turned his top-knot into a wet mess. ,,Excuse him. He’s just… jealous, because of no abilities..” Shirin shrugged her shoulders and turned to face Aang. That’s alright.” Aang rubbed his nose. ,,I can understand-“ he didn’t finish. Instead, his head shot up into the distance and his face light up with a smile as big, as possible. ,,Penguin!” As soon as it began to move, he started to race after the creature. ,,Aang, no wait!” Tori stood up and outstretched her hand towards the boy. Her eyes, anxious until now, became fierce and she disappeared in a thick sphere of air. Shirin put her hand on her forehead.

Why? Have Aang never got to learn to wait?

°°°°°°°°°°

Penguins, icebergs, sun and moon. Shirin had no doubt her sister, Katara and her new friend would be here. But her sister was the priority.

,,Tori? Tori!”

Chasing penguins, sledding alongside them, pretending to be them. It was Tori’s favourite activity in the entire south pole. Shirin paved her way through the thick snow, only then she saw her. Tori didn’t heard her before. She was chasing a penguin with the biggest smile on the earth. Shirin couldn’t help, but burst in laughter.

Her sister was so silly. Yet she cared for her like an older sister should. ,,Stop laughing, come help! Pleaase?~” Her sister tugged at her parka with eyes wide and puppy-like. ,,Ahm… alright~!” She put her hand into her parka’s pocket and handed them to her sister, who snatched them before Shirin could expect. Shirin opened her mouth to give her sister first words of recommendation, but closed it again when Tori tossed all the treats to the ground. All penguins, hungry or curious, surrounded the siblings in a second. When one of them stepped on Shirin’s feet, she fell to the ground. ,,Sorry, little one! I didn’t mean to loose my balance-!” She glanced back up, to be met with both Katara and Aang laughing to death. ,,You know, I could use some help here, instead of laughter..” Shirin facepalmed, upon which Katara outstretched her hand to Shirin. She took it. ,,Thanks—“

,,Soo many penguins! Let’s go sledding!” Aang put his hands together. ,,But Aang-!” Katara pointed her finger at him. ,,Come Katara, it will be fun!” Aang waved at her.

Sigh.

[C],,Alright, alright… But you have to promise we’ll be home soon! It’s almost almost afternoon and gran-gran will be upset if we’re late for lunch.” She slouched. ,,It’s a deal!” Aang Anyone else wanna tag along?”

,,Thanks, but I’ll skip. Surely I’m too heavy for them. Tori?” Shirin gazed down at her sister. She shrugged. ,,I’ll go with my sister!” Tori pressed her hand into her sister’s. ,,Alright, take care! We’ll be back soon—!” Katara yelled before Aang dragged her to a nearby penguin.

,,Sure!” Shirin turned back to their village. ,,Wanna go?”

,,Let’s!” Tori took her hand from Shirin’s grasp and sprinted away.

Shirin laughed. ,,Wait for me!”