This week, I managed to be a builder, architect, hunter, designer, and even a theater performer all in one. I had to master these professions on the fly, and each time, I was grateful for my love of reading or my insatiable thirst for knowledge, which had driven me to read every book in the library. Suddenly, all that knowledge you think will never come in handy turns out to be in high demand. Oh, how I long to get to Wan Shi Tong's Library soon.
What pushed me onto the path of becoming a professional jack-of-all-trades was the dire situation of the entire tribe.
By the third day, the energy sources were fully operational and actively replenishing the storage, which didn't take long due to the proximity to the Spirit World portal. Along with the activation of chi, the physical weakness vanished. By lunchtime on the third day, I was at the peak of my strength.
Deciding to take a look at the entire village, I stepped outside for some fresh air. My appearance immediately drew everyone's attention. Stories about how I had mysteriously appeared in their tribe were already circulating through the settlement. It was small enough for every rumor or piece of news to spread in an instant and linger for a long time, but hearing something was not the same as seeing it with your own eyes.
As I walked through the tribe, I met almost all its inhabitants, and with each encounter, my mood sank lower. The adults here had a lifeless gaze and looked deeply exhausted, both mentally and physically. Most of them had lost someone dear—a family member or relative—and the loss of so many loved ones had taken a toll on their well-being.
This was especially true because the part of the tribe responsible for most of the meat hunting, settlement protection, and other physically demanding tasks was missing. The tribe was forced to rely mainly on fish for food. Occasionally, they managed to hunt meat, but only if a herbivore strayed from its herd or if a predator was old or already injured. Finding harmless animals was difficult, as most had natural camouflage. They wouldn't live close to humans, so hunting required venturing far from the tribe, which increased the risk of encountering predators. A few teenagers, ignoring warnings, had gone hunting and were never seen again.
Only the children seemed content with life, but even they were affected by the behavior of the older residents.
Looking at the tribe's population, it felt like a mix of a nursing home, a hospital for wounded soldiers, and a kindergarten with caretakers. A swarm of children, seeing a new person, surrounded me, refusing to let me pass until they'd satisfied their curiosity. There were questions, requests to play, and so many childish emotions flooding me that my head began to spin. Katara, who had been by my side the whole time, watched the other children with jealousy. She was used to having all my attention to herself—a little possessor.
The state of the inhabitants seemed to reflect the village itself. The igloo that appeared to be handmade looked slightly crooked, and it was the Chief's home, where I'd stayed for the past two days. Everything else was even worse. The rest of the tribe lived in tent-like structures made from whatever materials they could find. I even saw Fire Nation flags used as awnings.
That's when I realized helping these people would cost me nothing, but for them, it would be a new motivation to move forward. I needed to shake them up somehow.
With these thoughts, I headed toward the Elder's home to seek her advice on my plans. She was Kanna, the oldest resident of the Southern Water Tribe, known to us all.
"Elder Kanna, are you free?" I asked at the entrance to her tent. "I need to speak with you."
"Come inside," a frail voice replied from within. "I've just finished making an herbal tea, and I prepared it especially for you. Though I was never gifted with waterbending, I learned from healers in the Northern Water Tribe how to make such drinks to aid recovery."
As I entered, the scent of various herbs tickled my nose. It felt like a natural product, something hard to find in my time.
"Come in, come in. I made this tea just for you. My speech was steady and calm—the kind you want to listen to from someone who's lived a full life. They say you're from the Northern Water Tribe. How are things there?"
"Thank you for all your help," I said, bowing in gratitude. "Kya told me you helped nurse me back to health while I was unconscious. Things are fine at home. The Fire Nation hasn't attacked us in many years. Do you happen to know Yugoda? She's my healing mentor. Once, she told me about her old friend Kanna, who moved to the South Pole."
"So she's still alive. That's good. She always wanted to help people with their injuries, and it seems she's achieved her goal." Even her face brightened at the news. "But what brings you here?" she asked, handing me a cup of tea.
"I'd like to help your tribe. As a waterbender, I can do a lot, and I hope you'll guide my efforts in the most useful direction. After all, you know best what the tribe needs."
"It's easier to list what we don't need, young man," she said, shaking her head. "I thank you in advance on behalf of the entire tribe, and I hope you won't overdo it. You've only just recovered."
After our conversation, where she gave me the green light for all my plans, I began thinking about where to start. I figured I should begin by building new homes. As I'd noticed, these tents couldn't retain warmth for long.
Without hesitation, I went to look for suitable land to build new houses. It wouldn't be right to relocate people without being sure the construction would be completed quickly. It would be easier to build all the houses first and then help them move their belongings.
After choosing a spot, I started gathering water from the ocean, compressing it into the shapes I needed. Thanks to the improved skills I gained from Tui and La's enlightenment, I could manipulate even larger volumes of water, so building the houses was relatively easy. Most of my time was spent recalling details from books about how to do everything correctly.
The population wasn't too large, so twenty houses would be enough, even for future families. Building houses with waterbending had many advantages—it improved my control and allowed my imagination to run wild with the design of my dream homes. Each house turned out unique, with its own special touch. The children would definitely love them. In case of emergencies, I added large basements to each dwelling, which could serve as both shelter and storage for perishable food.
I was surprised by my own speed. I finished all the houses just as the sun was setting. Tomorrow morning, I could inform the residents about moving into their new homes.
It's worth mentioning the children's amusing reaction to waterbending. They had never seen it before—only the adults had witnessed it firsthand. For about fifteen minutes, they just gaped in disbelief, mouths agape, as they watched my manipulations with the water during construction. Afterward, their questions and exclamations kept me busy throughout the building process. Every child that day was inspired to become a waterbender, but it seemed only Katara had the gift. Not wanting to disappoint them, I began telling stories about brave fishermen, chefs, and other professions that could be even cooler than being a waterbender. I vividly described how they could catch plenty of fish, feed the entire tribe, and make their mothers proud. Yes, it could be called manipulation, but it was better to redirect their thoughts so they wouldn't be disappointed later if they didn't turn out to be benders.
The next day, every tribe member went through a reality acceptance ritual. When Kanna told them to pack their things for the move, some thought she'd believed the children's stories about the "super cool waterbender boy" they'd seen the day before. But a few brave souls decided to visit the new settlement first, becoming the first pilgrims to perform the ritual: staring in awe for several minutes, rubbing their eyes, and touching one of the houses. Still unsure of what was happening, the people numbly gathered their belongings, which I then transported on ice platforms to the new village.
That day, after helping with the move, I thought about protecting the settlement and keeping it hidden. From the ocean side, where the village was easily visible, I created small hills to block the view from Fire Nation ships. I did the same on the other two sides, so anyone approaching the old village wouldn't see the new settlement. It was challenging to make the hills look natural, and I spent an entire hour shaping them to resemble Mother Nature's work. Compressing the ice tightly, I surrounded the entire village with two-meter-high walls and added watchtowers for a clear view of the surrounding area.
That same day, I used healing abilities to examine all the residents. Everyone had some ailment or injury, except the children, who were almost entirely healthy. There were many old injuries and improperly healed bones, a sign that a healing bender hadn't been here in a long time. This was also the first time I dealt with severe injuries. Some people needed immediate treatment, and it was scary to think I might do something wrong. There were no other healers here as backup, but I had strong motivation to do everything right—a pair of naive, trusting eyes watching me, certain I would heal their mother.
When you do something yourself and help others in the process, a sense of satisfaction arises, especially when you see people's spirits lift because of your actions.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted, drained from the healing sessions. But it was worth it. The daughter of the woman I'd healed later came to me, wanting to give me her only toy, saying I deserved it. You should have seen her face—she didn't want to part with it, but it would have been rude to refuse. I had to hold back a smile. After all, a child was giving up perhaps her most treasured possession. Unable to bear her struggle any longer, I told her I didn't need the toy but had an important task for her: to watch over her mother and make sure she didn't overexert herself for the next ten days. At my words, the girl nodded seriously, her face stern.
On the fifth day, with renewed energy, I ventured deeper into the tundra. The settlement had no meat reserves, and clothing was also in short supply. This issue needed urgent attention. For a waterbending master, taking down any creature in these parts was easy. Most of the time was spent finding them. That day, I brought back an entire pack of wolves that had been lurking near the new settlement, a polar leopard, and three yaks. This was enough to ensure the tribe had meat for at least another two weeks. The hides could be used to make new clothing for everyone.
Over the next two days, I continued hunting dangerous animals near the settlement and finishing the houses. I also built a secret shelter in one of the hills, so if enemies found the settlement, they could hide in these chambers. With more free time, I immediately turned to the children. I'd been so focused on improving things that I'd neglected my constant audience. Whenever I was near or inside the tribe, the children followed me like a shadow. Seeing me busy, they didn't even bother me—they just watched. Such unchildlike patience deserved a reward, which I happily provided.
For hours over those two days, I put on entire performances for them using animated water. As the stories unfolded, the water took on various forms—characters from my tales or entire three-dimensional settings to bring the scenes to life.
By now, I'd grown accustomed to falling asleep to Katara's excited chatter as she recounted the day's events to her mother, Sokka's agreeable grunts as he played with the boomerang I'd made him, and Kya's grateful glances as she watched her children so happy.