Chapter Text
Spirits were cruel.
Or, that’s how the elders always made them seem. To Sokka, he wasn’t sure how anyone could take comfort in them or the stories that surrounded them. They were messengers of disparity, catalysts of calamity, and often, a sign that the world was about to change. They were titans of power, sages of wisdom, but rarely did Sokka ever hear of their mercy. And such beings, they must not exist, right? If they did, surely he’d have seen one by now. After all, he was already seven, and he’d never seen one.
It didn’t help that his father held a similar opinion, which he couldn’t always hold back in private conversation when he thought his young son wasn’t listening. Hakkoda was of the belief that tales of spirits were good for moral, and it was always nice to cling to a belief when times were dark, but he preferred action. So then, he did too.
Besides, anything that was mystical seemed to belong to Katara. After all, she was the waterbender of the village. The adults practically celebrated her wherever she went. He couldn’t help but to turn his head and roll his eyes at the way the adult’s eyes lit up from seeing his sister bend water. For this reason she was the village darling, always whispered about by the adults with some quiet pride. They use to say Katara was a blessing by the spirits themselves. There’s been a gran aurora storm upon her birth.
The aurora was believed to be the bridge between their world and the world of spirits. It was how they’d cross to give blessings, visions, messages, or even come to take up offerings. Katara was their village blessing, they said.
“It’s not fair…” the young boy could be heard to mutter from within the family yurt. He was warming himself by the fire as his mother cooked, a frown apparent on his face.
“What’s not fair, my darling?” asked Kya, his mother, kindly. She continued to stir the pot that rested suspended above the fire. A fresh batch of sea plums were being stewed, and Sokka was hoping to get a taste of it.
“Katara’s bending,” he muttered, folding his arms. In the next moment he could be heard to whine, “She can’t even do anything with it, and everybody loves her. I helped dad with the boats and no one even said anything.”
The sort of help he provided, though impressive in his mind, was a very menial task. He was in charge of making sure the boats had been thatched together tightly so that water would not leak in-- an inspection performed at the side of his father, who was the actual judge. Still, Sokka was learning, and had even tied a rather impressive knot (a tangled mess of rope that took one of the men a half hour to undo.)
“They said that no one ties a knot like I do,” he said.
His mother smiled. She didn’t have the heart to tell her son that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Your sister is the only bender in our village,” she explained gently. “We use to have many benders...we use to be much bigger. Others look to Katara as a sign for better, prosperous times.”
“What’s so great about bending?” he muttered.
“It’s a beautiful connection, between the elements and humans. It--”
“I don’t care,” he interrupted impatiently, folding his arms. Maybe it was the hunger, maybe it was that his toes were still cold and aching within his boots, or maybe it was because he was tired from having gotten up so early to help his father, or the fact that after helping he wasn’t allowed to go with them ont he hunt, but he was in a terrible mood. Despite this, his mother looked over to him with a leveled stare that told him he’d crossed the line.
His mother didn’t shout, she almost never got angry. Not many of the adults did, believing that displays of anger were for children, not something to be taken into adulthood. That stare, however, was enough to tell the young boy that he’d crossed the line. She sighed then, and lifting her arm, motioned for her son to scoot closer.
“Come here,” she said gently as he moved closer, leaning up against her warm body, which was wrapped in a soft parka. “What’s really the matter?” she asked, taking up a long spoon, and dipping it into the stew. She blew on it once or twice, before offering it to her son. He opened his mouth and took in the salty, umami, broth of the sea plums. He swallowed, before sighing.
“The spirits don’t care about me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why did they give Katara bending and didn’t give me anything?”
“The spirits might have other plans for you. Not everyone who has bending is great. That said, not everyone without it is forgotten. There are many great nonbenders in the world.”
“Like who?” he muttered.
“Like your father. Not a trace of waterbending, but we all look to him for guidance.”
Sokka blinked in realization, before turning his head up to her, eyes wide with hope.
“You can be great, even without bending. You can be a leader, a thinker, a navigator. You can be so much, my little one. I’m sure the spirits have something in store for you, just as much as your sister.”
He’d been on board until she’d mentioned the spirits. His frown returned and he looked into the fire.
“Spirits aren’t real,” he said, folding his arms.
“You’ve been listening to your father talk to your uncles, I see,” she chuckled.
“I only believe what I can see, hear, smell, and taste.”
“And there’s Uncle Bato’s influence,” she chuckled. “Well, if that’s so, what do you have in mind for your future?”
“I’m going to be the greatest warrior!” he exclaimed, “I’m gonna protect the whole village, and keep those nasty firebenders away!”
“Oh, my little warrior,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around him, “what a wonderful thing to be. A protector. That’s a great responsibility.”
“I can do it,” he said, smiling, revealing that he was missing a tooth.
“I believe you, but this means you’ll have to protect your waterbending sister as well.”
He paused, a moment that made Kya worry, before he gave a firm nod.
“Okay. She’s the only one we got-- and she’s my sister. I’ll protect her no matter what!”
“Thank you, my little warrior,” she said, hugging him again. He laughed and hugged her back.
The rest of the night had been peaceful, and their mother was pleased to quietly observe Sokka taking better care and consideration for his sister that night. The matter seemed to be settled, the family happy, and Sokka was secure in his decision. He would stop at nothing to become every bit as honorable and brave as his father, becoming a warrior that would protect his sibling and the village. He didn’t need the spirits if he had his witts.
So it came as somewhat of a surprise that that night, feeling secure in who he was, that he should be visited in his dreams.
He had awoken in a dark space, like the night sky with no stars. From there he turned, feeling eyes on him.
A spirit, the s size of an adult Sabertooth-Moose, peered down at him with glowing white eyes. It looked like an enormous wolf. The fur of the silent lupine gently floated in some undetectable wind, almost as if it were underwater. Lights like that of the aurora danced across the length of its body slowly. It was a mesmerizing display of light that he almost couldn’t look away from. He did in fact peel his gaze away to stare up at the creature’s face, who looked down at him screenly. It’s eyes were a blazing white, no pupils, and yet he knew without a doubt it was looking right at him.
Questions ran through the child’s mind, but he could not find his voice to speak. So awed was he by the white wolf, that he only watched as it lowered its great head, it’s large cold nose just inches from his chest. It huffed, and as it did, Sokka felt a chill, like a gust of arctic wind had hit him.
Snow drifted from the creature’s mouth, seeming to land on some invisible surface in front of the boy. The white flakes seemed to be floating in the air, but then a shining light illuminated from beneath them. A golden strand was running from within Sokka’s chest, outward. It winded out from him, and into the darkness. The spirit’s gaze seemed to follow it, even beyond what Sokka could see. Curious, Sokka put a hand on the string of light, only to feel it gently pull at his being as the weight of his hand came to rest on it. He couldn't feel it per say, not in the way one feels a course rope or a smooth wire beneath his fingers. It felt much more like a warmth with no surface.
He turned his gaze to the darkness. If one side was connected to him, what was the otherside connected to? The light faded entirely, and he no longer felt the tether in front of him, but somehow knew it was in his chest. He looked back to the creature, who seemed to be studying the boy quietly.
"H...hello?" he asked in greeting, reaching out to pet it. The great head of the creature lifted before he could touch it, and for a moment he worried that it was offended. It turned and began heading away, but looked back, as if to inquire if the young boy might follow. He did, nervously stepping forward, before he caught up to its pace and walked with it.
“Are you a spirit?” he asked.
Silence. Sokka waited a moment more, but the wolf acted as though it didn’t even hear him.
"Where are we going?" he asked up, but again it did not acknowledge him. Perhaps it couldn't talk, wondered Sokka. Was this really a spirit?
The darkness shifted from a black-void to that of a midnight-blue. Something opened up ahead of them. It happened so fast, in less than the blink of an eye, Sokka suddenly realized he was alone in a strange room he'd never seen before. It was night time, with moonlight gently flooding in from tall windows. The room was rather big, with a large bed in the middle of it, and an even larger wardrobe. The bed itself was a four poster, with a canopy hanging over it. Reds, golds, and blacks, decorated the room around him.
“Woah…” he whispered, looking around the regal looking bedchamber.
"Whose there?" asked a voice. It sounded like a boy, perhaps Sokka’s age. It surprised him, and he jumped, peering around in the darkness.
"Er...I am,” Sokka answered.
"Who?"
"Me!"
A shape shifted in the darkness, causing Sokka to jump and turn. From within the canopy of the bed, he could see someone sitting up. The form made Sokka’s heart jump in fear for a moment, until the sheer curtain was drawn back to reveal a boy his age. Black hair bordered his light face, with golden eyes that studied him with some trepidation.
"But who are you?" the boy asked again, “What’s your name?”
"Oh. I'm Sokka," he answered, looking around. "Is this your room?"
"Are...are you a ghost?" the other asked, a bit of fear to his voice. The boy frowned.
“Do I look like a ghost to you?” he demanded. The other nodded. Sokka blinked, then looked himself over. Light blue, and translucent, he did in fact seem like a ghost.
“Woah!” he gasped. “I do look like a ghost!”
“What do you want?” asked the boy, his voice harboring a slight tremble to it.
“Oh-- me? Nothing I...er...where am I?”
“You don’t know?”
“I just got here.”
“You’re haunting my room.”
“I’m not a ghost, I just look like one.”
“Yeah right! You’re a spirit trying to trick me.”
“Hey! I’m not a spirit! My name is Sokka, and I’m a human. Got it? I’m not a smelly- stinking spirit!”
The other’s eyes widened from his proclamation.
“If...if you’re not a spirit,” he said, carefully getting out of bed, “Then...then how come you’re here? What do you want?”
“Erm...I don’t know. A giant wolf brought me here. I was asleep back home, and then, suddenly I’m here. Oh hey-- that’s it. I’m dreaming.”
“You?”
“Yeah, I must be. This is too wild to be real.”
“No, I think I’m the one dreaming. After all, you’re in my bedroom,” said the other, folding his arms.
“Hey, you’re not dreaming me up, I’m dreaming you up!”
“Yeah right!”
“Yu-huh!”
“Nu-uh! What kind of a name is Sokka anyway?”
“Its Water Tribe,” he defended. “Besides, I didn’t even think up a name for you.”
“My name is Zuko.”
“That’s way weirder. Zu-ko .”
The young man frowned, as if to argue further, but an idea struck him then. He looked at Sokka with a kind of stare that made the other suddenly feel like a science experiment rather than a person.
“Wait...maybe we’re both real?” wondered Zuko. “Maybe...maybe the spirit that brought you here wanted us to meet.”
“Wanted us to meet? Why?”
“I don’t know,” the other frowned. “You don’t have a message or anything for me?”
Sokka shrugged, and the other sighed.
“Well...I guess we can just hang out until you wake up.”
“Not like I’ve got anywhere else to go,” he sighed. He went over the bed, and sitting on it, suddenly sat up right, before flopping back on it, arms out. “Woaaaahh...so soft…!”
Zuko wandered closer, still looking at Sokka with wonder. The boy sat up, looking at Zuko.
“Hey, quit staring.”
“Sorry,” he said, turning his gaze away. “I’ve just...never seen anyone like you before. Is everyone in the Water Tribe blue?”
“No! That spirit did something to me. I think my body is still in the south pole.”
“Hey, what’s it like?”
“The south pole?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, well, it’s cold.”
Zuko nodded, still listening as he came to sit on the bed next to him.
“Oh, and it’s huuuuge!”
“Huge?”
“Yeah! Lots of snow-- snow on everything, and ice everywhere. We go fishing in the sea, and sometimes there are lights in the sky…”
Without noticing, Zuko tucked his legs under him, his arms folded and his head resting on them as he listened to his new friend. His eyes watched Sokka as he spoke, the boy seemed so full of life, it was apparent that he loved his home.
“I wonder what it’s like, that place,” whispered Zuko when the other was finished. “It seems magical.”
Sokka snorted.
“Naw, it’s just really cold. What’s it like here?”
Zuko had begun to speak, when something caught their attention.
Somehow, without making a sound, the great white wolf had appeared. Just past it lay the yawning darkness of the void, where one of the bedroom walls should have been. Startled, Zuko nearly fell off his bed, but Sokka reached out and caught him by the wrist.
They looked to their hands. Somehow, even though Sokka was transparent, they could interact with one another.
“Woah, weird…” whispered Sokka.
“What is that?” Zuko asked, pointing to the wolf.
“Oh! That’s the spirit I told you about! They guided me here. Wanna meet them?”
Zuko hesitated and shook his head no.
“Oh come on, are you afraid?”
The boy nodded, and Sokka laughed.
“They’re friendly, come on,” he said, and still holding hands, led him to the spirit. Zuko remained behind his new friend as Sokak spoke. “I don’t know this spirit’s name, but if it led me to you, it must be good.”
“H-Hi…” said Zuko.
The wolf lowered its great head, and Sokka reached out a hand to pet it’s muzzle. The fur was a bit wiry, but still soft.
“See? Friendly,” Sokka encouraged.
Spurred on by his friend, Zuko stepped out from behind his friend, and gently put a hand on the muzzle as well, a small laugh escaping the boy.
“Wow...a spirit. I can’t wait to tell my uncle…!” he gasped.
The wolf raised its head, gently, and turned to walk away. After a few steps, it turned back to Sokka.
“Oh...I think I have to go now.”
"Go? Already?”
“Yup! Gotta go home, I guess.”
“Will you come back?" he asked.
"I dunno. Hold on let me ask," he said and turned, looking back to the tranquil spirit. "Can I come back to play with my new friend some time? Please?" he clasped his hands together, pleadingly.
The creature gave a short huff, as if amused, and gave a very short nod.
"Yes!" said Sokka, jumping to punch the air in victory.
"What'd it say?" asked Zuko.
"It said yes! So don't worry, I'll come back, ok?"
"Ok!" he grinned in response.
"Bye! I'll see you later!" called Sokka as he walked into the darkness. Zuko’s room suddenly faded from view.
The young boy was alone in the darkness, walking with his new spirit companion. He smiled. Boy was everyone-- even Katara-- going to be jealous when they hear about this.
----
The village the next morning was a buzz with strange whispers. The adults, Sokka noticed, were all quietly speaking to one another, their tones hushed as they looked to Sokka. This wasn’t the same manner in which they’d treated Katara, however. Their whispers were less joyful, their expressions darkened with a look of pity in their eye as they’d watch him pass.
Sokka walked through his small village, staying close to his dad’s side as he tried to make sense of the estranged hushed nature of his people’s gaze. He thought they’d be happy-- after all, he was visited by a spirit. Katara got a celebration, where was his?
He reached up and grabbed his father's hand, tugging on it as he whispered up to him,
"Why are they whispering?" he asked.
"It's...complicated," his father said back, his voice low but his tone light. "Some of the elders wanted to see you, ask you a few questions, that's all."
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, no," he said, removing his hand from his son's to pat his head. "It's just a few questions, they just want to check something."
This did little to make him feel better, but he stopped asking, feeling an anxious knott well up inside his stomach as he approached the yurt. They drew back the furs and tanned hide that made up for the door, and stepped in. It was a medium-sized room, allowing for the three elders, including his Gran-Gran, Kanna, and two other older men, to sit before a small fire. Hakkoda, his father, took a seat in front of the fire, and Sokka followed, his head bent as if in trouble.
"Good morning, Hakkoda," said one of the Elders. His name was Tonloq. He had a short snowy white beard, and kept his grizzled hair short and smoothed back. His bald spot was often covered by a snowy cap, but the warmth of the tent proved to be more than enough for those gathered inside. When he spoke again, his tone was even, but holding some sternness to it. "It was your son then? Not Katara?"
"It was," he replied with a nod.
"Interesting. And did you inform him why we requested his presence here?"
"I did not, Elder Tonloq, as I am...not sure exactly what this meeting is about either."
"Lights were seen in the sky last night," started Kanna, a gentle smile on her face. "They were seen in the pattern of blessing, forming a bridge that spirits might be able to travel from their world to ours. We believe one such spirit happened to visit our humble village last night."
"I was not aware…" said Hakkoda, his words dying as he seemed to think quietly to himself.
"With the Avatar's disappearance, it is possible he has been reborn several times over in this turbulent world."
"Wait, you don't think-"
"Just a moment," said Kanna, lifting a hand to hush him. "We simply wish to ask Sokka a few questions. Elder Aput?"
The third elder, a man with a rather long and braided beard turned and pulled a roll of skins. He carefully made his way to kneel before Sokka and unrolled the leather case, the sound of metal clinking together as it did. The boy's eyes grew wide at the sight of very fierce and sharp looking weaponry before him. The three weapons before him were as followed; a silver dagger with a blade that waved in stead of lay straight. A boomerang, black as obsidian and looking dangerously sharp to the touch, and last, an arrow, wooden and decorated with blue and white feathers, with jagged black designs along it. Sokka looked to the weapons, feeling his heart thump hard in his small frame, and looked to his father in quiet confusion and hesitation. His father shared the same questioning and uncomfortable look as he did, providing zero assurance.
"It's alright, Sokka," said Elder Aput, smiling gently at him. "Think of this like a game, we want you to pick one of the weapons before you."
"...do I get to keep it?"
The elder laughed, a smile playing on his lips.
"Perhaps, when you're older."
Sokka's gaze returned to the weapons before him. Unsure of what it was the elder's wanted from him, he looked the weapons over carefully. Then, looking over the familiar shape of the boomerang, he reached out and pointed to it.
"That one," he smiled. "Just like the one dad told me uncle Bato used to have when he was a kid. Remember?" Sokka asked, smiling up to his dad, who returned it with his own humored grin.
"Yeah, he loved that thing, until the Lion-Walrus snatched it from him and let it sink to the bottom of the sea."
Despite their shared happiness of the story, two of the elders seemed rather disappointed. Kanna, however, looked intrigued and was smiling all the same.
"So...I take it he failed?" asked Hakkoda, smiling knowingly.
"Failed?" exclaimed Sokka. "I didn't know this was a test!"
"It was a test dear, and you were not the one that failed, but us," said his Gran-Gran as elder Aput rolled the weapons back up and returned to his side of the yurt.
"I could have told you that," said Hakkoda, "Sokka has no bending ability."
"But Sokka did have a dream of a wolf last night," spoke elder Tonloq. "If this was not the spirit's intention, to mark the next Avatar, then we must decipher what it was."
Sokka could sense that his father was made uncomfortable by this, but the man said nothing and merely folded his arms.
"Now then," started Sokka's Gran-Gran, "Sokka dear, you said you had a dream of a wolf last night?"
"Uh-huh…" he nodded, hesitantly. He wished he could just leave and go out to play. Everything about this situation was so confusing and uncomfortable that he didn't want to think about it.
"Tell us what happened in your dream, dear."
After glancing at his father for his approval, he turned back and cast his eyes to the ground.
"Erm, I saw a big wolf and it took me somewhere."
"What did the wolf look like?" asked elder Aput.
"Like the celestial lights."
"Iwei..." gasped the elder.
"Who?" asked Sokka.
"Iwei," Kanna started. "Surely Sokka you remember the dances that were performed when your sister was deemed a bender? The stories we told that night? Iwei the light-foot is said to cross to our world to guide us."
"But never mind that," said Elder Tonloq. "What else did you see?"
"Erm, there was a weird part of my dream where there was a string running from my chest to somewhere, but I didn't see where. Oh! Then I went to a big room, with a huge bed, and really tall windows."
"Anything else?"
"Elder Tonloq, let him speak," Kanna interjected.
"I saw a boy," he offered with a shrug.
"A boy?" it seemed Elder Tonloq could not help himself this time. "What did this boy look like?"
"He was my age, and had black hair, and kinda golden-ish eyes. He was nice. We talked about my home. He said he’d never seen a place covered in snow before."
"You talked with him?" gasped Elder Aput. "Goodness, it was no vision, but an astral projection?"
"Sokka, you were guided to meet this boy, but do you know why?" asked Gran-Gran. He only shrugged and shook his head at his grandmother. "The spirit did not tell you?"
"It didn't talk, but I knew it wanted me to follow it. I even followed it back, but then I woke up."
The elders all looked to one another, exchanging glances of surprise and intrigue, before turning back to Sokka.
"And that's all?" asked Elder Tonloq, "You're sure? It said nothing of the Avatar or-"
"Goodness Tonloq," Kanna sighed in a whisper to him. "The boy has been interrogated enough. Sokka dear, do you want to go out and play?"
He very much wanted to leave this tent, and gave a quick nod.
"Then off you go," said said, smiling at him.
"O-kay!" he grinned, relieved that whatever this was was over. He stood up and tugged at his dad's sleeve, but his grandmother's words stopped him.
"Actually, your father will catch up with you in a moment. We just need to discuss a few more boring adult things."
Unsure, he looked to his dad, who gently removed the boy's hand from his sleeve and nodded to him.
"It's alright, I'll be right behind you," he said.
With a careless shrug, Sokka left the yurt and headed out.