When Worlds Collide: Book One, Water

“Walking stinks,” Aang complained a while later. “How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?”
I sighed. “I want a car. Can you explain to me why we’re walking again?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Katara said, “why don’t you ask Sokka’s instincts? They know everything.”
“Ha ha,” Sokka said.
“This pack is heavy,” Aang said.
“You know who you should ask to carry that for you?” Katara asked. “Sokka’s instincts.”
“Okay, guys, I get it,” Sokka said. “But at least we’re safe from the fire... nation,” he said, as he pushed back some leaves.
We had walked right into a Fire Nation camp. They all turned to face us, and we all took a step back.
“Run!” Sokka shouted, and we all dropped our stuff and split up. Some of them were fire benders and cut us off that way.
“Sokka, your shirt!” Aang said, and I noticed that his sleeve was on fire. Katara used water to put out.
“If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you,” Sokka said.
“What are you doing?” Katara whispered.
“Bluffing..?” Sokka said.
I rolled my eyes. “Speak for yourself.”
The leader it looked like, spoke first. “You promise not to hurt us?” he asked. Before he could say anything else, he suddenly fell to the ground.
“Nice work, Sokka!” Aang congratulated. “How’d you do that?”
“Un... instinct?” he said.
“Look!” Katara said, pointing up to a tree.
There, was a young teenage boy. He jumped down, taking two fire nation men with him.
Jet.
He and a bunch of other kids started to take down man after man. We joined in the fight soon, with my back to Sokka’s, and Aang and Katara back to back. I was about to pull out my fans when I remember that they were still in my room on Zuko’s ship.
“Crap,” I said.
“What?” Sokka asked, preparing to take a guy out.
“My fans. They’re still on Zuko’s ship.”
Before Sokka could reply, a guy charged right at him, and then Jet came kicked him out of the way.
“Hey!” Sokka said. “He was mine!”
“Gotta be quicker next time,” Jet smirked.
It only took minutes, and soon, Jet was standing in front of Katara.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she said back, with a faint blush.
“Wow,” Aang said. “You just took out a whole army almost by yourself.”
“My names Jet,” Jet said, “and these are my Freedom Fighters.” he then proceeded to introduce us.
Later, we were packing up supplies, and Jet took us to his hideout.
“Here,” Jet said, handing Sokka and I the rope. “Grab hold of this.”
I glared. “I’d rather swim.”
Jet raised his eyebrow.
Sokka sighed, and grabbed onto the rope unknowingly.
“It’s the only up you know,” Jet said.
“I know.”
“And there isn’t much protection down here.”
“I’ll survive.”
Sokka sighed, grabbing onto my arm. “What’s the harm in amusing him?” he muttered.
“It’s because-AHH!” We both started screaming as we flew up into the tree tops.

The next day, after Sokka got back from his little ‘mission’ with Jet, we were both ready to be on our way.
Sokka and I were in our room, waiting for the others to come back from whatever they were doing.
“I don’t like him,” I told Sokka, and he nodded.
“That makes two of us.”
We were packing, when Katara and Aang came in.
“We can’t leave!” she said. “The Fire Nations going to burn down an entire forest!”
“Well, I’m sorry Katara but Sam and I both think that we need to leave.”
Katara huffed. “Oh, sure, listen to the girl who’s friends with the guy who’s trying to kidnap us,” Katara yelled.
“Well why should we listen to you?” I shouted back. “You’re crushing on a psychotic murderer!”
“Oh, let me guess?” she mocked, “You being from another world means you know everything!”
“Yea, actually, it does,” I said.
She glared. “You don’t know anything!” she said. “You’ve never even had a conversation with him.”
I laughed humorlessly. “I don’t need one. Like Sokka said, he’s a thug, and he’s heartless.”
“I don’t care what you guys say. We’re staying,” she said, and stormed out with Aang in tow.

Later that night, Sokka woke me up by nudging me in the ribs.
“What?” mumbled.
“Come on,” he said, “I want to follow the Freedom Fighters.”
I sighed and sat up. “Fine. But you owe me.”
He chuckled softly, and I followed him as he led the way to the dam where Jet and his boys were.
We sat and listened to their plan, and when they were done, I elbowed Sokka. “Come on,” I whispered, “before we’re caught.”
“Too late,” a voice said from behind us, and we were both grabbed by our hair. “Where do you think you’re going?” the kid asked.
“Take them for a walk,” Jet decided.

After we got the two thugs away from us, Sokka and I rushed to the village.
“You guys have to get out of here!” we yelled, running into the village.
“What’s going on?” a Fire Nation soldier asked.
I was gasping for breath, so Sokka answered. “You have to leave, and get everyone out of here. The Freedom Fighters are going to blow up the dam,” he rushed.
“And why should we believe you?” the same man asked.
“Because,” an old man said, coming out of the crowd, “he’s a good man.”
“You’re the old man that Jet ambushed,” Sokka said.
The man nodded, and talked everyone into leaving. As soon as everyone was safe, the dam broke, and the village was destroyed.
We then called Appa and made our way to where Aang, Katara and Jet was. After we explained what happened, the others got on Appa and we were off.

A couple days later, we were setting up camp in a desert like area. Aang and I were looking for food while Sokka was suppose to be setting up the tent, and Katara getting fire wood.
“Aang?” I asked.
“Yea, Sam?”
“Um... you still trust me, right?” I asked. “Even if Katara doesn’t?”
Aang smiled softly. “Of course I do.”
I grinned and hugged him. “Thank you so much,” I whispered.
He hugged me back, chuckling. “I don’t really know why Katara’s mad. I mean, sure you were gone for a while, but that isn’t really a reason.”
I pulled back and pinched his cheeks. “You remind me so much of my little brother,” I said, giggling.
He smiled. “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”
I laughed. “Good,” I told him.
He smiled. “That’s a relief.”
We continued mindless chatter until we had enough fruits and berries, and other various things we had found, that would feed all four of us. Then we were walking back, and when we arrived we found Sokka and Katara facing away from each other, obviously angry at each other.
I just sighed and went over to a little circle of rocks I had put together earlier, while Aang sorted it out.
After a while, Sokka came back with fire wood, so I started to build a fire. After trying for a while, I finally gave up, and raised my hands, starting to do the fire bending move that Iroh had showed me.
“What are you doing?” Katara asked, scaring me.
“Um... nothing?” I said, but it sounded like a question.
“Have you started the fire yet?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I’m... uh, still working on it.”
“Well then why...?” she sighed. “Whatever.”
I breathed out in relief. It would probably be best if I kept my fire bending a secret for now. I then shifted around so they couldn’t see me while I made a quick fire.
“Okay,” I said, “all done.”

The next day, we were looking over the Great Divide.
“How are you not fascinated by the canyon? It’s the biggest in the world,” Katara was saying to Sokka.
I looked down over the edge. “I think it’s bigger than the Grand Canyon,” I said to myself.
“The what?” Aang asked.
“It’s a huge canyon-the biggest one in America, I think,” I said. When I saw Aangs confused face, I sighed. “America, or the USA, is the country I come from.”
“Country?” Sokka asked. Him and Katara had managed to stop fighting long enough to join our conversation.
“It’s like a nation, kind of like how you guys are split up in Water, Fire, Earth and Air. We’re split up into Continents, then countries, and sometimes states, or towns. It just depends,” I explained.
They nodded in understanding, but I could still see some confusion in their eyes. I smiled and shook my head. “It is confusing. Even I don’t really know how it all works and I’m from there. Geography was never my best subject.”
“Hey!” a man said, pushing past Sokka. “If you’re looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!”
“Ooh, a tour guide! Sounds informative,” Katara said.
“Believe me, he’s more than a guide,” the man said, “he’s an Earth Bender. And the only way out of the canyon is with his help. And he’s taking my tribe across next!”
“Calm down!” Sokka said. “We know you’re next.”
“You wouldn’t be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home!” the man argued, pointing a finger at us. “My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capitol city of Be Sing Se.”
“Thousands?” I asked Aang in a whisper. He smiled at me.
“You’re a refugee,” Katara said.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he said.
In my mind, I started to think of things, but bit my tongue. Probably not the best idea....
“Is that your tribe?” Katara asked. I looked over, and sure enough, a huge group of people were walking towards us.
“It most certainly is not,” the guy said. “That’s the Jang Tribe, a bunch of low life thieves. They’ve been the enemies of my tribe for over a hundred years.” Then he whistled, and started yelling at oncoming tribe about he was here first or something.
“Where’s the rest of your tribe? Still tidying up your campsite?” The leader, a women, said.
“Yes,” the guy said, “but they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot.”
I sighed and zoned out on their conversation. I didn’t even realize when the canyon guide came out, and the first guys tribe showed up.
“Well Aang,” Katara said, pulling me out of my daydreams, “you ready to put your peace making skills to the test?”
“I don’t know,” he said, “chores is one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years.”
“Everyone listen up!” Katara shouted, but no one heard her over the fighting. She yelled a couple more times, until I finally sighed, and walked up next to her.
“HEY!” I shouted. “EVERYBODY SHUT UP!”
Instantly, everyone shut their mouths.
I nodded. “That’s more like it. Go ahead Katara,” I said, and stepped back. “What?” I whispered to Aang and Sokka’s scared looking faces.
“Oh, nothing,” Sokka said.
I smirked and started to pay attention to Katara speaking. “This boy is the Avatar!” she said. “And if you give him a chance, I’m sure he come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy.”
Then she, and everyone else turned to Aang.
“Uh... you could share the Earth Bender and travel together?” Aang said, looking unsure.
“Absolutely not!” the leader of the... ‘clean’ tribe said. “We’d rather be captured by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinky thieves.”
“We wouldn’t travel with you all anyway!” the girl snarled.
I watched as Aang started to get mad. “Alright, here’s the deal!” he shouted. “You’ll all go down into the canyon together, and Appa here will carry your sick and elderly across! Does that seem fair?”
Both the tribes nodded, and we were off.

We were walking silently, while Aang was talking to the guide.
Suddenly, a huge creature that looked like a cross between a spider and roach came out of the dust and attacked the guide. After Sokka saved the guide, it started to chase after him.
“Okay, now someone’s gotta help me!” he shouted, running.
Katara used a water whip to knock it back a few steps, and the Aang came and started to make a little tornado, and threw it against the wall, where it crawled into a hole.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Canyon Crawler,” the guide said from where he was lying on the ground.
“Your arms are broken,” Katara said.
I instantly ran over. “Let me see,” I said. “My moms a doctor,” I explained at Katara’s questioning look.
“Without my arms, I got no bending,” the guide said. “In other words....”
“We’re trapped in this canyon,” Aang finished.
Katara and I went to wrapping up the guides arms so they would heal.
“Here,” I said, stopping Katara from tying the cloth. “Tie it this way. It’s a stronger knot, and it it won’t suffocate his arm as much.” I showed her how to tie it, and she gave me a look.
Then she cleared her throat. “You know... maybe I went overboard about the whole Zuko thing,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
I smiled, finishing up the last knot. “I can’t really blame you, I guess. I mean, I can see it from your point.”
She smiled also. “Will forgive me?”
I hugged her. “Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”
“Awe!” we heard Aang say, and we pulled apart. “Look Sokka, they made up!”
“Yea, yea, whatever Sokka said. “But I thought the whole point of not bringing food was so that something like that Canyon Crawler wouldn’t happen.”
“It was them!” the leader of the ‘clean’ tribe said. “They brought food down here!”
I groaned as another argument started up. I just completely ignored it.

That night, I was with Katara and the ‘clean’ tribe, while Sokka was with the ‘dirty’ tribe. We found out what happened that made the two tribes hate each other so much, then we went to bed.

Currently, we were at the end of the canyon. Everyone was arguing, including Katara, Sokka and-sadly- me.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Aang said. “Like I keep saying, arguing won’t do anything, action will!”
Wrong words Aang.
Then the leaders of the tribe started to fight. In a second, Aang used to air bending to push the two tribes away from each other. The look on Aangs face would have been funny if it weren’t so terrifying. Aang looked around and noticed that the two tribes had both smuggled food.
I looked up and noticed about ten Canyon Crawlers come out of the rocks.
“Um... Aang?” I said.
He turned. “What?”
I pointed behind him, and when he turned, he gasped. Everyone ran, hiding behind rocks. I hid with Sokka and Katara.
“Oh man,” Sokka said. “That’s a lot of Canyon Crawlers. And we barley survived one!”
“They’re coming back for me!” the canyon guide said. “They’ve had a taste, and they’re coming back for me!”
I looked at him like he was crazy-which he probably was-and rolled my eyes.
Sokka and Katara apologized for their fighting, and then we ran out to take on the huge creatures.
Soon, everyone was fighting the canyon crawlers.
At one point I was surrounded by three, and I almost used fire bending in my desperation, but Aang and Sokka came to my rescue. I picked up a few rocks and threw them at several just to get them away from others.
Soon, Aang got an idea where we would put the food sacks over the mouths of the crawlers, and in no time at all, we were riding them, climbing up out of the canyon.
But it took no time at all for the two tribes to start fighting again. Well, until Aang fed them a lie about how he knew these two people who were ancestors or something.
The two tribes made up, and starting making their way to Be Sing Se, with the tour guide close behind them, shouting about how he was sick of the canyon, and blah, blah, blah.
Cry baby.
“That’s some luck you knew Jen Way and Way Jen,” Sokka said.
“You could call it luck,” Aang said, “or you could call it lying.”
Sokka and Katara’s jaws dropped.
“What?” Sokka asked.
“I made the whole thing up,” the monk said with a mischievous smile.
“You did not,” Katara said disbelievingly, and I laughed.
“That is so wrong!” I chuckled. “But too funny.”