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High in the Patola Mountains, a newborn child took his first breath. Those surrounding him awaited the customary cries. Instead he blinked open warm grey eyes, gazing around at the world with curiosity.
Unseen by those assembled for the birth of the newest airbender, the Avatar Spirit Raava hovered nearby. She brushed against the soul within the boy, feeling a quiet fortitude wrapped in an irrepressible playfulness. Good. This one would be able to laugh beneath burdens, a perfect balance for the duty he would carry.
Before Raava fully settled into the child, something tugged at her awareness. She paused, examining. The thread of this soul’s life stretched strangely, dipping into stillness for quite some time before rising to continue far, far ahead. It was unlike anything she had ever felt.
She withdrew once more into the Spirit World before the bond could be sealed. Her return did not go unnoticed. Surprise flickered across the faces of the Spirits nearest her; Raava did not return once she had chosen an Avatar. "The soul I have chosen to join will not walk the world continuously. There will be a century of absence, his presence neither in his world nor ours, though it will return."
The message she delivered to the other Spirits was brief and left many more questions than answers. Questions for which she had neither time nor answers. Her warning given, she returned to the human realm, back to take her place alongside the human spirit in the baby boy’s body.
The other Spirits remained in place, glancing at one another. Questions soon began being voiced, rapid fire among the Spirits as they tried to make sense of the situation.
A brightly colored Spirit at the center of the gathering was the first to speak. “Did she say a century?”
“She did.” Nods, both solemn and excited, rippled around the group.
A younger Spirit leaned in, intrigued. “Has this happened before?”
“Never.”
Silence settled over the gathering, but only briefly.
“Souls don't just vanish!” one Spirit burst out, his voice pitching higher with alarm.
“And neither will he,” another replied with patient certainty. “Raava said his path resumes.”
“But a whole century later!” The anxious Spirit glanced around the circle. “What should be done?”
“What can be done?” someone countered.
A dismissive flick of the fingers came from a grumpy Spirit near the edge of the assembly. “Do we even need to do anything? A century passes quickly enough. Surely the humans will be fine.”
Voices rose at once, overlapping until individual arguments became impossible to distinguish. Some debated the merits of intervening at all, while others insisted that never before was reason enough to act.
The discussion ceased only when the Keeper of Names looked up from the great ledger spread before him, gently clearing his throat before speaking. One long finger rested upon a single entry — that of the soul which Raava had chosen to join. “His soul's path is not a solitary one.”
Heads turned.
“You don't mean…” one Spirit breathed. “He is one half of the Companion Souls?”
The Keeper inclined his head once. “Indeed.”
“No.” Another leaned closer to the ledger as though it might reveal a different answer. “Are you certain?”
“I have watched these two souls cross into one another's lives for longer than their mountains have stood,” the Keeper answered calmly. “In every lifetime, they improve the world in manners big and small.”
The gathering fell quiet once more. Most of those assembled had also noticed this pair through at least a few lifetimes, drawn in by the curiosity of a set of human souls always being drawn to the same mate rather than a new one in each lifetime as most did. The Keeper of Names spoke no exaggeration. Life after life, no matter the nature of their relationship, the humans that these two souls inhabited worked together to make the world better. Gentler. Healthier. Kinder.
“Then…” someone murmured, “we must consider them both.”
“If his life is interrupted,” another agreed, “what becomes of the soul waiting to meet his?”
No one answered.
The silence stretched.
“This can't be happening,” a nervous Spirit squeaked out, the tense energy getting to him. “All of time, and this has never happened before.”
A nearby Spirit snorted then leaned in as if to share gossip. “Humans are forever insisting upon doing unprecedented things. Did you hear about the fellow who somehow convinced three badgermoles to help him build a bridge?” He shook his head in amused disbelief. “Remarkable creatures.”
A few Spirits chuckled despite themselves.
“It is still not our concern,” grumped the Spirit on the edge of the gathering, remaining unmoved, arms folded.
A practical-minded Spirit spoke up, her hands tucked into her sleeves. “If she lives an ordinary human span, she will return here before his soul resumes its course.”
The words lingered.
“…That is true.”
The gathering grew thoughtful, considering whether the solution was just that easy. Simply send her to rejoin the world immediately as normal. She would be back in time.
After a long pause, a younger Spirit tilted his head. “Why don’t we just ask her?”
A chorus of puzzled looks met the suggestion.
“Ask her?” one repeated. “Ask her what?”
“Whether she wishes to enter the human world now, or wait.”
“Wait where?”
“Wait here, of course.” He gestured widely at the brightly colored Spirit World landscape around them. It seemed only obvious to him. Sometimes these older Spirits made things much more complicated than necessary.
“You propose asking a human?”
The youthful Spirit nodded.
“Why?”
“Because it concerns her.”
He was met with a scoff. “She will choose life.”
A chorus of Spirits agreed with the sentiment. “Obviously.”
“What human willingly delays rebirth?”
“None.”
The younger Spirit only smiled. “Are you certain? We'll never know for sure unless we ask. I think her perspective might be different.”
“I'll wager a blossom from the Moon Pools she doesn't even hesitate,” scoffed the older Spirit.
Another Spirit's eyes brightened and they rubbed their hands with glee. “It just got even more interesting. You're on.”
The Keeper of Names closed the great ledger with a soft, resonant thump. “Very well,” he said. “We shall ask.”
Not far away, the other half of the Companion Souls lingered in the Spirit World, still carrying the shape of the life she had only recently left behind.
For human souls awaiting another turn upon the mortal path, memory had not yet cleared. Laughter, grief, triumph — any knowledge that belonged to their lives before belonged to them still. Only upon stepping once more into the human world would those countless lifetimes soften into instinct, leaving behind only an occasional misty dream at best.
She had been expecting, before long, to begin again. Such was the rhythm of things; the wait for rebirth was never long. Instead, the Spirit World stirred around her, bringing forth a small gathering of Spirits surrounding her. Human souls were rarely approached by a single Spirit during their wait.
Half a dozen was unheard of.
She straightened as the assembly approached, bowing slightly as the Keeper of Names introduced himself. Whatever business brought so many Spirits together, it could not be ordinary.
"...Is something wrong?"
For a heartbeat, none of them answered, none quite certain whether the answer was yes or no.
It was the Keeper who spoke up at last. "There has been..." He paused briefly, glancing back toward the others before selecting his words carefully. "An interruption."
“An interruption? Am I not to enter my next life as scheduled?”
“That’s what we came to ask you,” interjected the young Spirit, earning himself a chorus of disapproving looks from the older Spirits. Information was not to be handed out with youthful recklessness.
The Keeper took up the train of thought. “We cannot offer you details, child, merely a choice. You may choose to enter the world now as planned and live one life without your soul’s mate, or… you may choose to remain here in the Spirit World for the next one hundred years before the chance to meet him again.” The assembled Spirits leaned in, everyone eager to see what this human’s response would be — even the ones who would never admit being invested.
Her response was to laugh.
Partly out of disbelief, partly out of relief. “Is that all? I thought this was going to be terrible news, but this is easy.”
Now it was the Spirits’ turn to be confused. They looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to go on.
“I’ll wait of course.” Honestly, had they expected something else?
They had indeed expected something else. Most souls would choose life immediately. A hundred years was a long time for a human, even in the Spirit World. “But… it would mean delaying an entire lifetime.”
She smiled. "I understand."
"You would not walk beside humans."
"Yes, you said that."
One spirit fixed a dubious gaze on her. "You would wait a century for someone you will not even remember?"
She raised her chin. “I will wait as long as it takes for the only one I care to do life with,” she answered without hesitation.
For the second time that day, the gathered Spirits fell silent. Humans, it seemed, were determined to set them off-balance today.
The Keeper of Names was the first to recover. "So be it." He inclined his head in acceptance. "Your request is granted."
Katara returned the gesture with quiet gratitude.
"However," the practical Spirit interjected, "there must be conditions." Curiosity flickered across Katara’s face, a few Spirits exchanging uncertain glances as well. "We have never had cause to permit such a thing before," the Spirit continued. "We cannot know what a century spent here might carry into another life."
The Spirits nodded in understanding, settling into problem-preventing mode. Ideas came one after the other, Katara looking from Spirit to Spirit as she took it all in.
"So we just won’t let you observe the human world during your wait," said the young Spirit.
"And you must not mingle with souls awaiting rebirth," added another Spirit. "They will continue to come and go as they always have. They are a chatty bunch," he confided conspiratorially.
Katara frowned only slightly.
"It is imperative that you reenter the human world with no knowledge of it gained while in the Spirit World," the Keeper explained, "You must find your mate anew each life, not as a soul remembering a century of life that isn’t yours."
She nodded once. "I understand."
The Keeper inclined his head. "Then it is settled."
The gathered Spirits began to disperse, conversation already turning toward matters they had left unattended while they had debated.
Katara remained where she was. She watched them go for several heartbeats before clearing her throat politely. "...Excuse me?"
Half the assembly stopped.
"You said that I couldn’t remain among the waiting souls."
"Correct."
"Which is here," she said, gesturing around her at the misty area where human souls spent their brief waiting period.
"Also correct."
She shifted her hands to her hips. "So where exactly am I supposed to go?"
Silence.
The Spirits looked at one another.
"Oh," the young Spirit said at last.
"Oh," echoed another.
"I suppose she has a point," came the practical tones of a third.
The tall Spirit who considered human-watching his favorite hobby was not about to let this opportunity slip by. "Well, she can come with us!"
Several heads turned. "What?"
"We can't very well leave her here. It was our own rule."
"That is...true."
"So the human comes with us." He smiled at Katara as though the matter were obvious. "Welcome!"
Arms folded, the Spirit next to him heaved a huge sigh. "You’re trying to have us adopt a human?"
"I don't believe that's the proper term."
"It feels like the proper term."
The Keeper of Names, silent until this point, sighed. "Until the appointed time, you will remain in the company of the Spirits. It seems you have become our responsibility."
Katara smiled. "I'll try not to be too much trouble."
The young Spirit immediately clapped his hands. "I think it'll be fun," he declared, shooing Katara along with him. He was still a bit smug that he had been correct about the human choosing differently.
The rest of the Spirits fell into step behind Katara and the young one, the impromptu procession winding deeper into the Spirit World.
The tall Spirit drifted alongside the Spirit who had made the wager, nudging them with his elbow. “Moon Pool's that way," he remarked, pointing in the opposite direction. “I’ve got the perfect spot picked out for my new moon lotus.”
A long-suffering sigh answered him. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
In a world she could not see, seasons came and went. Rivers carved wider paths, slowly. The troubles of humankind were not as slow to grow.
In the brightly colored landscape where she spent her time, Spirits came and went about their endless work. More and more often they stopped to talk to her. Some even asked her opinion on things. All were careful to not give her information she should not have.
She learned the names of those Spirits who passed by often. She picked up the tells of the ones who tended to cheat at games. She inquired about their hobbies and visited them in their favorite spots.
Somewhere along the way, it became harder for them to treat her like a guest.
One hundred years to the day after she joined them, it came time for Katara to be reincarnated. The Spirits she had grown closest with all gathered to wish her farewell.
Hands tucked in her droopy sleeves, the first Spirit merely said, “Everything is prepared.” To anyone else it might have sounded cold, but Katara recognized it for what it was: care shown through action by a Spirit who tended to focus on logistics.
“I do hope you enjoy your new life, but be safe,” implored the next Spirit in line, nervously tapping his fingertips together.
Katara smiled and assured him that she would, before turning to see who was next. Enthusiastic arms engulfed her. “I’m gonna miss you! Now I’ll be the only one asking questions,” cried the young Spirit, fluttering his small wings before releasing her to move on.
There was no embrace from the next Spirit. “I had just gotten used to this new routine," he grumbled, crossing his arms in a way that was now so familiar. "Now I'll have to get used to the old one again."
Katara smiled knowingly. "I'm so sorry I’ve been such an inconvenience to you."
"...Hmph."
The human-loving Spirit was perhaps the most distraught, though he was attempting to cover it with a brave face. “And besides, it won’t be so bad. I’ll keep an ear or three out near the Spirit Oasis. You can visit and ask for me any time.”
“I won’t remember,” Katara reminded him gently.
“Oh. Right. Well… we’ll be watching anyway.”
Last to address her was the Keeper of Names. He regarded her thoughtfully. "The ledger has followed your soul through many lifetimes." He gave a slight smile. "I believe this will be among the more remarkable entries. It has been an honor to keep your name."
He bowed to her one last time. “I look forward to recording your return.”
Katara laughed softly, looking around the assembled group. Brightly colored, big and small, young or old… all had helped a century flow by quickly. "Everyone, thank you for making the waiting feel so short."
And with that, she slipped from the Spirit World to once again walk among humans.
In a cozy tent nestled in the southern water tribe village, a newborn child took her first breath. She was wrapped up snugly, and her grandmother fetched the rest of the family to come and visit. She could feel something just a bit more about this child, something that she hadn’t encountered in all her time welcoming children to the tribe.
As the family gathered around the babe, GranGran smiled wisely and remarked, “This one is spirit-touched.” At the words, the baby girl scrunched up her bright blue eyes and let out a cry. There was no doubt her lungs would be healthy ones.
The toddler who had been regarding the baby with interest quickly leaned back, slapping his mittened hands over his ears. “Dis one loud,” he corrected their grandmother with a scowl.
His father Hakoda, chief of the tribe, chuckled and scooped up his son to give a bit of distance between his two children. “Well I say this one is beautiful,” he offered, his warm, rumbly tones quieting the baby girl somewhat as he ran a finger along her soft cheek.
The mother, Kya, took in her gathered family. She was the unique blend of exhausted and exhilarated that often comes with delivering a new life. She smiled down at the baby and rearranged her slightly higher in the crook of her arm before looking back up at her oldest. “Well Sokka, this beautiful, spirited, loud baby is your sister. Can you say hello to Katara?”
He looked a little unsure, but one hand was tentatively removed from covering his ear. When he was sure the volume level threat was no longer, he waved his pudgy hand at the baby.
The beautiful, spirited, and yes occasionally loud Katara continued to grow surrounded by the people that loved her, and in a place that she always felt a bond with. And yet still, the young girl often felt a sort of pull. A notion that she should be out exploring the world. A quiet certainty that somewhere beyond the horizon, something was waiting for her.
But that was just silly.
She had everything she could think to ask for here at home, right? She ticked off all the important things in her mind, gauging whether something wasn’t there.
She might not know how to control it but the power of her element tingled at her fingertips all around. She had her fill of stewed sea prunes (yum) as often as she could ask for them. She had her GranGran who seemed to know tales about everything. She had a mother who snuggled her close, who fastened a necklace around her throat and declared her as pretty as a princess. She had a father who carried her on his shoulders whenever she requested “I wanna be up to the sky!” She even had her brother, who was a most satisfying target during a snowball fight.
Still.. sometimes when she stared out to the horizon she’d feel a tug in her chest.
The evening chores had long since been finished, leaving the tribe gathered around crackling fires while the wind swept softly across the snow. The younger children had already drifted off to bedtime routines, but Katara and Sokka remained gathered close at GranGran’s knees.
Katara’s favorite time of day was storytime. GranGran would share tales of their culture, of history and heroes. But those that grabbed her attention the most were the stories of Spirits… how they came about, what gifts they bestowed upon people, when they would extend themselves to walk among humans. Nothing, not even Sokka’s eye rolls, could dim the light in her eyes at these tales.
“Long ago, my little polar pups,” began GranGran, “the four nations lived in harmony. The world enjoyed a time of peace as The Avatar, chosen by a Spirit to master all four elements, traveled the world, keeping balance wherever it was needed.”
The adults nearby smiled politely. They had grown up hearing the same stories. To most, the Avatar had become another legend from long ago. Katara scooted closer until she was leaning against her grandmother's knees, whispering the next line of the story along with her. “But when the world needed him most, he vanished…”
Sokka groaned dramatically. “That’s how you know he’s just a story. If the Avatar was real, he'd have shown up by now."
Indignation immediately flared up in Katara and she swatted at her brother with a mittened hand. “He is so real!”
“Oh yeah? How would you know? I’ll believe it when I see it,” he retorted, folding his arms and leaning out of her reach.
She made a face at him. “Things you can’t see can still be true, Sokka.” She couldn’t explain how she knew GranGran’s spiritual tales to be real, she just did. Felt it down to her bones, and she couldn’t shake the belief that the Avatar would reenter their world. She hoped she’d get to see it happen.
The iceberg cracked. Amidst the powerful gusts and bright light a boy emerged, clad in orange and yellow and…floating? No, falling! Katara lunged forward to catch him.
Everything immediately after that seemed to happen too quickly to leave much room to think. Only now, riding back to the village on the gigantic furry beast he had called a sky bison, did she have time to reflect.
Mostly she was a little surprised. He intrigued her. Everything about him was new, but felt almost familiar to her in some odd way. Which was absurd. They had just met. He came out of an iceberg for Spirits’ sake. And those tattoos, she’d have remembered if she had seen something like that before. While she’d never admit it out loud, logically… Sokka was right. Bringing a stranger back to their little village was a risk. But Sokka’s logic could sometimes get in his way, and the stranger — Aang — just felt oddly comfortable to Katara. He was like a breath of fresh air, and something new didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Besides, his warm eyes and easy grin made it difficult to imagine him as dangerous.
Glancing at Aang as he sat atop Appa’s head and steered, she noticed he was looking back at her as well. Smiling. I didn’t say any of that out loud, did I? Tentatively she asked, “Why are you smiling at me like that?”
His grin didn’t falter. “Oh, I was smiling?”
Sokka groaned in disgust behind them both. His sister was weird enough with her freaky “ancient art” water magic. Literally raising a boyfriend from the sea was just going to be over the top, but he had his suspicions.
Later that day, the Water Tribe girl sailed down the hill for the first time in years. The boy with the arrow tattoos leaned forward and careened around her. Their laughter tangled together, ringing out down the snowy slope. Neither remembered the choice made over a century ago, knowing only the joy they felt together in the moment.
In another realm the Spirits gathered together, observing. The Keeper of Names closed the great ledger with a quiet smile. "And so, they have found one another again."
Around him, more than one Spirit smiled in return.
The young Spirit gave an excited little bounce. "Now what?"
“It only gets better from here,” his tall friend declared, a tinge of excitement in his voice.
The Keeper looked toward the laughing children below. "Now," he said softly, "we watch. Wait. We shall see what they accomplish before their return."