| Textbox
|
Early in the Avatar's adventures ...
|
| Katara
|
Come on, Sokka! Make up your mind. We've wasted enough time here. We have to be on our way to the Northern Water Tribe!
|
| Sokka
|
[Browsing a marketplace stall.] I could use one of these.
|
| Katara
|
Necessary supplies, Sokka!
|
| Merchant
|
[Speaking to Aang in the background, with a large blanket spread filled with wares.] Fine and rare items! Have a look!
|
| Aang
|
Look, Momo. An ancient airbender pendant. [He holds up said pendant.]
|
| Merchant
|
Ancient? A man traded it for medicinal herbs two days ago.
|
| Aang
|
Did he tell you where he got it? Did he have more? What did he look like? Did he say where he's from?
|
| Merchant
|
He came from the high mountain. Probably a traveler who got lost. No one from the nearby villages would go there. The mountain is sacred, full of flying spirits.
|
| Sokka
|
[Holding a green hat.] This is more useful than the stuff Aang is looking at!
|
| Katara
|
Aang, are you done? We need to go!
|
| Aang
|
[Thinking.] The mountains ...
|
|
|
That night, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Momo and Appa sit around a campfire, eating dinner.
|
| Sokka
|
You sure are in a hurry to find other waterbenders. Relax, we're almost at the North Pole.
|
| Katara
|
It's not for me! Aang needs a teacher and we have weeks of traveling left. The sooner we get there, the safer we'll be.
|
|
|
Later that night, Aang is pretending to sleep on Appa, keeping one eye open.
|
| Katara
|
Do you need a blanket?
|
| Aang
|
No I'm okay.
|
| Katara
|
Well ... good night!
|
| Aang
|
G'night.
|
|
|
Aang is shown sneaking away from the campsite as Momo and Sokka sleep.
|
| Aang
|
I'm sorry, Katara. I have to look into this. I'll be back before you notice I'm gone.
|
|
|
Aang flies through the mountains on his glider.
|
| Aang
|
[Thinking.] Maybe I should have told Katara what I wanted to do. But what if she had said no? She's been so focused on getting to the North Pole over everything else these days. Besides, she believes all the airbenders are gone. But I haven't given up hope. If there's one place they could hide and live, it's these mountains. I Have to hurry and cover as much ground as I can before going back. Maybe I can convince the others to stay a bit longer if I can find ...
|
|
|
Aang suddenly appears to see something on the ground, and lands with a "whish". He stands in front of an airbender stupa.
|
| Aang
|
A stupa! Airbenders were here! [He peers down at a lit cave below.] Those caves look man made ... and there's light down there! That means someone's down there now! [Aang hops down and looks inside the cave, which is filled with airbender relics.] Wow! This place is full of airbender stuff!
|
|
|
A figure cloaked in yellow and orange is seen among the relics, his back is turned to Aang.
|
| Aang
|
Hello? Erm ... excuse me? Are you ... I mean, do you live here? Do all these things belong to you?
|
|
|
The figure turns, revealing himself to be the merchant.
|
| Aang
|
What!? The merchant??
|
| Fire Nation soldier
|
Now! Get him! [The solider throws a weighted net at Aang, trapping him.]
|
| Zhao
|
Make sure he's bound up tightly. We wouldn't want him escaping again.
|
| Aang
|
Zhao. You're a bit far away from the sea for an admiral.
|
| Zhao
|
One doesn't catch pheasant-squirrels by staying on a boat. You hunt them where they live.
|
| Merchant
|
I've done my part. You said I could have all the airbenders' relics as payment.
|
| Zhao
|
Take as much of that junk as you can carry. I don't need any of it anymore. They served their purpose--to lead a curious Avatar right where I wanted. [Zhao holds the airbender pendant from the marketplace.] The same tactic was used many years ago by Fire Lord Sozin. The few airbenders that escaped his first assault were too hard to hunt down. Instead, he laid traps for them. Places like these caves were made to look like they were inhabited by other airbender refugees. Sozin fooled them using their own everyday objects as bait, luring them far enough for our soldiers to close in. [Zhao crushes the pendant in his hand.] This old stratagem still works well enough to catch one last airbender. Your curiosity and lack of knowledge of our military history proved your downfall.
|
| Aang
|
"Lack of knowledge." I bet you don't know anything about Air Nomads or what any of these objects are. My turn to give you a quick history lesson.
|
|
|
Aang spins, creating a whirlwind which sends the Fire Nation soldier spinning with him.
|
| Zhao
|
Idiots! Hold him!!
|
|
|
Zhao attempts to blast Aang with fire, but Aang uses the fire to snap the ropes which bind his feet. He runs up to an airbender horn.
|
| Aang
|
Ever heard one of these horns ... when an airbender plays it?
|
|
|
Aang takes a deep breath and blows into the horn. The horn creates a great gust which sends the Fire Nation soldiers flying.
|
| Zhao
|
Enough! [He bends an arc of fire between his hands.] I'll bring your charred remains to the Fire Lord!
|
| Aang
|
Hey Zhao! Ever seen one of these? [Aang perches on a large green dorje.] Curious to find out what it can do? The dorje was used in rituals, but my friends and I found out if you spun them too hard inside a room, this would happen!
|
|
|
Aang uses airbending to spin the dorje, creating a whirlwind through the room that sends the Fire Nation soldiers, Zhao, the Merchant and his glider into the air. Aang snatches his glider in his mouth and darts out the door, wind whistling behind him.
|
| Aang
|
[Glider still in his mouth.] Gotta go! Don't worry, it will schtop by itshelf!
|
|
|
Zhao is shown in a heap of relics, with a pot on top of his head.
|
| Merchant
|
Did you know that pot on your head is a genuine airbender's c ...
|
| Zhao
|
Shut up.
|
|
|
Sokka and Katara are shown searching the mountains for Aang.
|
| Sokka
|
Careful Katara! If Aang disappeared, that could mean we're surrounded by Fire Nation forces! Well-hidden Fire Nation soldiers, waiting to ambush us when our backs are turned and ...
|
| Katara
|
There he is! Aang? [Katara sees Aang looking out over the cliffs.]
|
| Sokka
|
See? He's okay. You worry too much.
|
| Katara
|
What are you doing out here? We were looking for you. Wait, I think I know. [She puts her hands on Aang's shoulder.] This place reminds you of home, right? All these mountains ... airbenders would have loved to stay here. They would have been attracted to the place.
|
| Aang
|
[Hangs his head.] Yeah. A few of them probably were.
|
| Textbox
|
The end.
|
