AVATAR

  First Frost

  CHAPTER 1

  There was a time in the distant past when the great Lion Turtles had already withdrawn from the world of men, and men themselves had forgotten where their Gifts of Bending had come from.

  The Waterfolk lived scattered in those days. In clans. Some near freshwater lakes and rivers, some next to the briny oceans and seas, and others that thrived in the marshes and bogs. Others still, pushed further on towards the Poles, arctic regions of ice and snow where the cold was bitter, and nights were long.

  There was a plentiful number of clans, and they shared common histories and tales of their people; How they were birthed from the pits of the ocean, and how they were carried to land upon the backs of giant whales. How the Moon had seen them, naked and helpless, and taking pity on them, revealed to them how to push and pull the waves.

  Death was no stranger to the Waterfolk, and life of humans and animals was to be revered. Three main tenets were passed down every generation, from parent to child.

  Take from nature only what you need, and respect what you have taken.

  Quarrels are part of life, but do not kill your fellow folk, lest you be hunted as a beast.

  If a man takes what you need knowing that you need it, take his hands into your own and offer him your tears. Such a man will meet his end ruined and alone.

  In time, more of the Waterfolk migrated and adapted to those polar regions, for it was a waterbender’s most advantageous domain.

  There were Otherfolk in the world as well. Some which could split and move the earth, and some which could roar and thrash with fire. They both were violent peoples, eager to take and to conquer, but unlike the Waterfolk, their strength dwindled the nearer they came to the Poles.

  So, far North and far South did most Waterfolk build their homes, hunting and gathering from the bounties of the earth and sea, out of reach of the Otherfolk and free to spread upon those frosty lands.

  It was a time of infancy in the world, and waterbenders had not gained mastery over their Gift. The ice to them was unbendable, void of water’s natural flow, and unresponsive towards the push and pull of the Moon…

  ***

  Luruk took off his parka and his boots, took in a deep breath, and dove head-first into the hole. The last thing he heard before crashing through the surface was the cheers and laughter from the kids watching his dare.

  The moment his body was swallowed by the icy water was the most uncomfortable, or at least it used to be. By now, 15-year-old Luruk had sawm enough in the frigid waters that surrounded the Otterseal Clan, and his body needed only seconds to adjust.

  Crud… he thought. I forgot the eyes.

  He was a waterbender, but he was still human, and his naked eyes could see no more than blurs while submerged.

  ***

  There had been too many people watching for him to show hesitation. Better yet, there had been a special someone watching. He had needed to look as sure and cool as ice.

  Taala, a pretty daughter of the Bearfox Clan, had been fishing with two of her clanmates when they caught sights of Luruk and other Otterseal kids on the nearby snowbanks. The Bearfox Clan was the Otterseal’s closest neighbor, and the two had always maintained a steamy rivalry.

  A few jeering remarks had come from the Otterseals: “You won’t catch a single one!” and, “He’s holding the spear wrong!” and, “These are our waters!”

  And the Bearfox kids, smiling, ignored them at first, but when the Otterseals continued, one of the Bearfox boys stood in his kayak and waved a fist. He said, “At least we know how to fish! Stay in your shores and keep playing with the snow!”

  There was some brief silence before the Otterseal kids began shouting threats, and Luruk raised his own fist and replied, “I can catch fish with my bare hands!”

  The other Otterseals immediately yelled out in support. “He can!”

  “It’s true!”

  “He can!”

  He had done it once, a moon ago, but it had been unintentional, through pure dumb luck. Even for waterbenders, catching fish whilst diving was tricky. Fish were beings that lived and breathed water, and they could slip away from waterbent currents with ease. The easiest way, by far, was the old-fashioned way of baits and hooks and nets. Spearing was also an option, but it was harder and done when other means were unavailable, or by young boys eager to come into manhood.

  Bare-handed fishing, then, was the one-up on spearing. It was an impressive way of showing off, and Luruk was happy enough to let people believe that he was among those that could. When others had asked him to do it again, he’d replied, “I’m not a dancing penguin, and I don’t feel like it.”

  Today, however, he had put himself on the spot.

  One of the Bearfox boys called out challengingly. “Prove it!”

  “Come and see then!” the Otterseal kids cried out. “Come over here if you have the guts!”

  Luruk smirked at the harmless threats his younger clanmates spewed out, but his face began to drop when the Bearfox kayak turned towards them. He had heard Taala’s voice then, laughing or complaining, or both.

  Flippers… Luruk felt himself redden. When it became clear that the Bearfoxes planned to make land, and that Taala was indeed among them, he started to regret ever opening his mouth. He looked at his clanmates with a dire eye and quickly assumed the attitude he had used so much in the past month to deal with similar situations; aloof indifference.

  -I’m about to look like a fool! whispered Luruk’s shame.

  -I don’t need to prove myself! said Luruk’s pride.

  -You should have kept your mouth shut, then, said Luruk’s reason. I’m normally with you on this, but Shame is right this time… Taala will think you’re a coward.

  Luruk shut his eyes and sighed.

  Keep calm, Luruk. It’ll be fine…

  They were close now, the Bearfox kids. There were two boys, both around Luruk’s age, wearing hunter’s whale-skin anoraks. Luruk paid close attention to their foreheads, and at once felt better when he saw that they did not bear the mark of the Moon. They weren’t waterbenders.

  Although it was said that all Waterfolk had the innate potential to waterbend, only one in three seemed to manifest the ability.

  Taala had her mark, a large white dot half-hidden past her hairline. She saw Luruk watching, a light smile on her face. Her eyes were dark, like soot, not the color of the sky or sea as was common among the waterfolk. Her face was brown and fair, with reddened cheeks, and her braided hair, unlike her eyes, was a lighter shade than usual, dark, but as if touched by the Sun.

  A giddiness came over Luruk, and he looked away before he could blush under her gaze.

  The other Otterseal kids were now quiet. The Bearfox boys had looked younger from a distance, but this close, you could see the beginnings of manhood taking shape in their shoulders and jaws. Luruk frowned when he recognized one of them as Olak, Taala’s cousin, and by the common word, a good hunter. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he had been under the impression that the Bearfox teen was a waterbender.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Taala sat in the middle, gazing at the Otterseal group with a somewhat wily alertness.

  Fighting among kids from different clans was not unheard of, but the Sun itself would freeze over before Luruk would attack anyone close to Taala. He looked around at his clanmates, ready to put them in place in case they said or did anything stupid.

  “Here we are,” said Olak, standing at the front of the kayak as it came upon the snowbank. He stood straight, holding his fishing spear upright, wearing an undaunted and confident smile. “You weren’t just bluffing, were you?”

  The other Bearfox boy peeked over past Taala, from the back of the kayak, removing his hood and leaning on the side of the boat with a similarly bemused expression.

  The Bearfoxes were outnumbered almost three-to-one, but it sure didn’t feel that way to Luruk. Besides faint murmurs, the other Otterseals were quiet as falling snow, and Luruk felt alone. He stole a flick of a glance at Taala and coughed to clear his throat.

  “I wasn’t.”

  Olak’s smile widened, and he nodded. “Show us.”

  Luruk met his eyes, awfully aware of himself, and he quickly made a correction.

  “Not in open water. It has to be at the fishing holes.”

  Olak snickered at this, glancing back at the other boy, who appeared to share the same sentiment.

  “You people are fooling around…” Olak casually adjusted the grip on his fishing spear. “You can’t really, can you…”

  “He can!” said suddenly a young Otterseal boy. “We’ve seen it!”

  Lururk kept his eyes evenly on Olak, trying to look as self-assured as he could.

  Olak shared one more look with his clanmates and hopped off the kayak, only a few strides away from the Otterseals. He was slightly, though noticeably taller than Luruk, and probably stronger too, and it was no wonder that the Otterseals had all of a sudden become so meek.

  The proud Bearfox teen remained all smiles. “Lead the way…”

  So, Luruk and the Otterseals led the three Bearfox teens on a short walk-along. The younger Otterseals chittered excitedly at the front of the group, while Luruk walked close to the back, nearer to the members of their brother clan. Little was said between them while they walked, though Taala did seem to remember Luruk’s name, which gladdened him more than he’d admit.

  Naturally, being from different clans meant that they seldom saw each other. Clans would only truly get together twice a year, during the week-long festivals of Tinua and Siqqin, at the beginning and end of the year. Other than that, traditionally, the clans tended to keep to themselves.

  “You had better not be leading us to some trap,” Olak said after some minutes. “We’re not here to play.”

  Luruk turned for a moment before pointing ahead. “It’s there. Close now.”

  “Is it the hole you last put your baits in?” the other Bearfox boy said with a grin.

  “No, just, it is the closest one…” Luruk kept looking ahead, feeling that warm, uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment creeping to his cheeks. The boy had guessed right. There were other fishing holes in the area, but Luruk chose this one because it was the one most recently fed. There would be a higher chance for luck to lend a hand.

  When they came to the spot, the Otterseal kids enthusiastically untied the hold-sticks and peeled away the white-skin mantle covering the hole. The entire group, Otterseals and Bearfoxes, peered in, and Luruk’s spirits rose.

  There were several fish still idling about, darting from here to there below the surface of the water.

  Taala gave a content sigh and tugged slightly at her gloves. Luruk recognized her small movements immediately. It was a waterbender’s natural instinct to reach out and connect with the element. It was as natural as breathing. Luruk watched her wave a hand gently over the hole, making ripples that caused the fish to dart out of view. Her smile grew slowly, showing her shell-white teeth. Her canines were sharp, and one was somewhat crooked, but it endeared Luruk the more.

  “She’s scaring them away!” cried one of the Otterseal kids.

  Taala laughed and gave the kid a reproachful look. “They won’t leave so soon.” Her eyes turned up towards Luruk, still admiring silently, and her smile grew again. Luruk looked away.

  “There’s no excuse now. Show us.” Olak planted his spear into the snow and dropped to a squat. The other Bearfox boy circled around the hole, going behind a few of the Otterseal kids and suddenly shouted, shoving as if to push them into the hole. The kids squealed and turned on the Bearfox boy, who cried with laughter before jogging away, close to his clanmates.

  Then, all attention turned to Luruk, and he found his hands working of their own accord, tearing his gloves away and unbuttoning his parka. Olak was smiling, watching attentively, and the other kids had quieted down to whispers.

  I’m going to catch one. I’m going to catch one. Luruk repeated the words in his mind, hoping Great Iune would guide his movements. The cold air greeted his skin as he undressed, remaining in all but his loose bark-skin leggings.

  And right after he’d finished fastening the waist-string, he leapt and dove into the hole…

  ***

  Down below the water surface was a completely different world. A world where humans where only brief visitors. One deep and dark and mysterious… And cold.

  Bubbles peeled away from Luruk, their frothing sound trickling past his ears. His skin tightened, and he spent the first few seconds relaxing, loosening his limbs and letting the cold embrace him. Moving too quickly before the water had properly greeted the body was dangerous, and it was something all waterfolk learnt before they could speak sentences. Once you felt the cold release its grip around your skin, that was the signal that the water had welcomed you, and you were now free to swim.

  Luruk opened wide his eyes and peered into the dim around him. He could still feel the frightened fish, beating through the water, upset that their space had been intruded on.

  Won’t one of you come? Luruk said in his thoughts. Do what you did last time. I won’t cook you this time…

  He waited a few seconds, half-expecting a fish to kindly swim into his grasp, but when it didn’t come, he began to bend the element.

  With a slow motion of his hand, as if lifting a slab, Luruk lowered deeper. He gazed up at the fishing hole, a bright spot in the otherwise dark and frozen ceiling. Because he hadn’t made the time to bend some water around his eyes before the dive, he now had to rely on blurry vision and a lungful of air. He considered blowing some air out to attempt at correcting the mistake, but bending whilst underwater was different, trickier, and he knew that he’d just end up wasting precious air. He didn’t plan on resurfacing until he had a fish, or his lungs gave out, so he watched the area around the fish-hole, seeing the blurs and silhouettes, and he moved like an unsuspecting cloud in their direction.

  He could see them better now and his heart, unable to contain his anxiety, began to race.

  One of you, I will catch. He saw one, roughly the size of his foot, moving timidly as they do when alert and ready to flee. It was off to one side, swimming slowly away from the fishing-hole, when a feeling of certainty filled Luruk’s being.

  It is you! Luruk extended his arms in its direction, pulling at the water around the dark blur. The fish immediately reacted, darting left and right but staying within Luruk’s waterbent current. Once the current reached him, it started dragging him backward slowly, so he used his legs like paddles, beating gently and with caution, and he began to move against it, resuming his cloud-like approach. Surprisingly, the fish stayed within the current, which was no wider than a few paces. Great Iune was surely lending aid.

  When he was a dozen paces or so away from the fish, Luruk let the current die out and immediately shot forwards like an arrow, beating his legs together like the very otterseals his clan was named after.

  Fwoosh! said the water as it made way for the young waterbender. The fish decided to make its hunter work. It sped forwards, away from the fishing-hole with a swiftness to match. Down it dove, and Luruk kept beating his legs, keeping right behind it. Up, then to the right, and Luruk followed.

  They both were zipping through, and the thought did occur to the 15-yearold Otterseal that he was getting alarmingly far from the fishing-hole. He still had air though, and the fish, for all its swiftness, did not seem able to shake him off. He brought in his outreaching hands and pushed them like wings in-beat with his legs.

  He gained on it! He was faster than the fish!

  Hands shot out again towards the desperate prey, and in a moment of pure thrill, Luruk opened his mouth and laughed triumphantly. The air rushed out of his lungs, but Luruk was still grinning as he gripped the foot-long fish with all his strength. It thrashed in his hands, but he had a firm grip on the narrow of its tail, and it could not escape. After a slight struggle, he stuffed an index finger in its mouth and curled it like a hook.

  He glanced around for the hole, turning a full circle before realizing that it was nowhere in sight. His heart leapt, and his lungs began to protest.

  Luruk kept his finger hooked in the fish’s mouth, and beat at the water with his legs, rushing in the direction he had come from.

  He hiccupped involuntarily, lungs now aching.

  So, he started swimming deeper, thinking that he’d better spot the hole from lower down, though after only a couple of strokes of his legs, he hiccupped again, and more bubbles escaped from his mouth. Now he panicked and went in the opposite direction, straight up, thrashing with his legs and cutting through the water ahead with his free hand.

  Bang! He crashed into the ice ceiling painfully and let go of the fish. His lips puckered as he strained to hold onto the little air he had left. The Otterseal and Bearfox kids where somewhere behind the thick, solid mantle of ice.

  Luruk pushed at it, beating his legs in unison, but the effort was wasted, and momentary disbelief seized him.

  To die under water? That was his fate?

  Ice. Dead water. So lifeless that even the Moon had no sway over it.

  Another involuntary hiccup jerked in Luruk’s chest, but an unexpected and peculiar sensation rose within him.

  The corners of his vision became brighter, and the underwater world took on a thrilling glow of light.

  He wasn’t afraid. As if the very lungs protesting a moment ago had completely given up. It was a relaxation so pure that Luruk thought that he had never felt better.

  He was dying, and the carnival ghosts of the Passing had come to take him home. He could hear the soft strings of the most wonderful melody building slowly in the background.

  This is what everyone is afraid of? I should tell everyone!

  When he finished the thought, a painful pang stabbed through his lungs. He grimaced and looked up at the ice ceiling again, now shimmering like simmering water. The muttering voices of the ghosts of Passing were louder now, and their music rose to sharp drums, that sounded more like crashing sheets of ice.

  Luruk touched the ceiling with a curiosity that went beyond hope. There was no trace of thought left for his survival. Young as he was, Luruk was to die.

  The ice above him twinkled and roiled as if it was alive.

  Why are you pretending? You were so still for all my life, yet now you melt for me.

  He thought it was a good joke from Great Iune. Ah… You are dead water, Luruk smiled inwardly. So, you only come alive for the dying.

  A pop went off in his chest and his mind went spotlessly blank. His body began to sink, and his eyes, though wide open, started to dim.

  The ghosts of Passing crowded around him and lifted his soul from its sinking flesh.