Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.
Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation att*cked.
Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them.
But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar an airbender named Aang.
And although his airbending skills are great.
He has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
Book One: Water Chapter Six: Imprisoned Great, you're back! What's for dinner? We've got a few options.
First, round nuts and some kind of oval shaped nuts, and some rock shaped nuts that might just be rocks.
Dig in! Seriously, what else ya got? What was that!? It's coming from over there! Shouldn't we run away from huge booms not toward them? An earthbender! Let's go meet him! He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously.
Hello there, I'm Katara! What's your name? Nice to meet you! We just wanted to say "hi".
Hey, that guy's gotta be running somewhere, maybe we're near a village and I bet that village has a market! Which means no nuts for dinner! Hey! I worked hard to get those nuts! Yeh, I hate'em too.
Great hat.
I'll trade you some nuts for it.
Hey! Hi, mom.
Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores.
Hey, you're that kid! Why did you run away before? Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid.
No she doesn't, we saw you earthbending.
They saw you doing what? They're crazy, mom, I mean, look at how they're dressed! You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending! Open up! Fire Nation! Act natural! What do you want? I've already paid you this week.
The tax just doubled.
Wouldn't want an accident, would we? Fire is sometimes so hard to control.
You can keep the copper ones.
Nice guy.
How long has the Fire Nation been here? Five years.
Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships.
They're thugs, they steal from us, and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it.
Quiet, Haru.
Don't talk like that.
But, Haru's an earthbender, he can help.
Earthbending is forbidden.
It's caused nothing but misery for this village.
He must never use his abilities.
How can you say that? Haru has a gift.
Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend.
It's a part of who we are.
You don't understand.
I understand that Haru can help you fight back.
What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already? They could take Haru away! Like they took his father.
My mom said you can sleep here tonight, but you should leave in the morning.
Thanks.
I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay.
I'm sorry about what I said earlier.
I didn't know about your father.
That's ok.
It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store, it reminded me of him.
Thanks.
My father was very courageous.
When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one, but they fought back anyway.
He sounds like a great man.
After the att*ck, they rounded up my father every other earthbender and took them away.
We haven't seen them since.
So, that's why you hide your earthbending? Yeh.
The problem is that the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending.
He taught me everything I know.
See this necklace? My mother gave it to me.
It's beautiful.
I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid.
This necklace is all I have left of her.
It's not enough, is it? No.
Help! The mine! Help me! It's not working, we have to get help.
There's no time pull harder.
Haru, there's a way you can help him.
I can't.
Please, there's no one around to see you, it's the only way.
Haru, you did it! It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man.
You must have really inspired him.
I guess so.
Everyone should get some sleep.
We're leaving at dawn.
Dawn? Can't we sleep in for once? Absolutely not! This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops.
If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast.
Good night.
I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts.
Good night.
That's him! That's the earthbender! They took him! They took Haru away! What? The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation.
It's all my fault, I forced him into earthbending.
Slow down, Katara, when did this happen? Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight.
Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone.
We don't need to track him.
The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru.
and why would they do that? Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending.
I thought you were crazy at first, Katara, but this might work.
There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines, all Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here.
The boulder levitates and tada! Fake earthbending.
Aang.
Did you get all that? Sure, I got it.
Do you remember your cue? Yeh, yeh, just relax.
You're taking all the fun out of this.
By "this" do you mean intentionally getting captured by an army of ruthless firebenders? Exactly! That's fun stuff.
Here they come! Get in your places! Get out of my way, pipsqueak! How dare you call me "pipsqueak" you giant-eared cretin! What did you call me? A giant-eared cretin! Look at those things.
Do herds of animals use them for shade? You better back off! Seriously back off.
I will not back off! I bet elephants get together and make fun of how large your ears are! That's it you're going down! I'll show you who's boss earthbending style! I said, "earthbending style!" That lemur! It's earthbending! No, you idiot! It's the girl! Oh, of course.
I'll hold her! You've got 12 hours to find Haru, we'll be right behind you.
Momo, you have some big ears! She'll be fine, Aang, Katara knows what she's doing.
Earthbenders, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard.
I am your warden.
I prefer to think of you not as prisoners, but as honored guests, and I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host.
You will succeed here if you simply abide What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him!? Take him below! One week in solitary will improve his manners.
Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you and we'll get along famously.
You will notice earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal.
You are miles away from any rock or earth, so if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people, forget them.
It is impossible.
Good day.
Katara? Haru! What are you doing here? It's my fault you were captured.
I came to rescue you.
So, you got yourself arrested? It was the only way to find you.
You got guts, Katara, I'll give you that.
Come one, there's someone I want you to meet.
Katara, this is my father, Tyro.
Dad, this is Katara.
It's an honor to meet you.
Have some dinner, Katara.
It's not as bad as it looks.
It's still pretty bad though.
Tyro, the prisoners are complaining there aren't enough blankets to go around.
I'll talk to the guards.
In the meantime, make sure the elderly are taken care of.
The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather.
If you don't mind me asking, what's your escape plan? Excuse me? You know, the plan to get everyone off the rig? What is it? Mutiny? Sabotage? The plan? The plan is to survive wait out this w*r.
Hope that one day some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened.
How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up.
Katara, I admire your courage and I envy your youth, but people's lives are at stake here.
The Warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion.
I'm sorry, but we're powerless.
We'll see about that.
Earthbenders! You don't know me, but I know of you.
Every child of my water tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous earthbenders who guard its borders.
Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless.
Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage and it is your courage they should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home.
It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away.
The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, earthbenders, let us fight for our freedom! Your 12 hours are up, where's Haru? We've got to get out of here.
I can't.
We don't have much time, there are guards everywhere.
Get on.
Katara, what's wrong? I'm not leaving.
I'm not giving up on these people.
What do you mean you're not leaving!? We can't abandon these people.
There has to be a way to help them.
Maybe she's right.
What do you say, Sokka? I say you're both crazy! Last chance, we need to leave now! No.
I hate when you get like this.
Come on, we better hide.
Look! Tell me exactly what you saw.
Well, Sir, it looked like a flying bison.
What? It was a giant flying buffalo, Sir, with an empty saddle.
Which was it? A buffalo or a bison? Uh, I'm not sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point is it, Sir? I'll decide what the point is, fool! You! Wake up the Captain.
Search the entire rig! Sir? What!? That was the Captain you just threw overboard, so Then wake up someone I haven't thrown overboard and search the rig! There's something going on here and I don't like it.
We don't have much time.
What are we gonna do? I wish I knew how to make a hurricane.
The Warden would run away and we'd steal his keys! Wouldn't he just take his keys with him? I'm just tossing ideas around.
I tired talking the earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work.
If there was just a way to help them help themselves.
For that they'd need some kind of earth, or some rock something they can bend.
But this entire place is made of metal.
No, it's not.
Look at the smoke.
I bet they're burning coal In other words, earth.
It's almost dawn, we're running out of time! Are you sure this is gonna work? It should.
These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village.
We're gonna do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale.
There's a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo, and the whole system is ventilated.
Aang closed off all the vents except one.
When he does his airbending, the coal only has one place to go right back here.
There's the intruder! Stay back, I'm warning you! Katara stop! You can't win this fight! Listen to him well, child.
You're one mistake away from dying where you stand.
Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands! Foolish girl! You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces.
There spirits were broken a long time ago.
Oh? But you still believe in them? How sweet.
They're a waste of your energy, little girl.
You've failed.
Show no mercy! For the Earth Kingdom, att*ck! Get to the ship! We'll hold them off! Do not let them escape! Guys, throw me some coal! No, please! I can't swim! Don't worry, I hear cowards float.
I want to thank you for saving me.
For saving us.
All it took was a little coal.
It wasn't the coal, Katara, it was you.
Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara, of the water tribe.
My family and everyone here owes you much.
So, I guess you're going home now? Yes, to take back my village.
To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land! Come with us.
I can't.
Your mission is to take back your home.
Ours is to get Aang to the North Pole.
That's him, isn't it? The Avatar.
Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me.
I never thought I'd see him again.
I only wish there was some way I know.
My mother's necklace! It's gone!