Life's Rough
Author's Note:
This isn't going to be fantastic but I'm using it as a warm up for an original story my friend and I are writing. So, here it is:
When I was just a baby my mother died in childbirth. My father, unable to deal with the pain of losing my mother, became the town drunk and often hit me when I was a child. "You look so much like her." "It's your fault she's dead." "Why did you take her?" Each of those words were followed by a smack to the face, head, or anywhere else he could reach. I was just three when I put him in a coma. He was in another drunken stupor and I was in my room tending to my lemur fox, Shi-zu, when he came crashing into my room, a fishing knife in hand. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember him coming after me with that knife. The next thing I know he's lying on the ground looking like a charred ordurve, the toothpick being an icicle I must have created. Like any normal child I cried and ran out of the house. I screamed for hours looking for our "village". They had banished us, therefore I never had friends or anyone to watch us. I must have passed out but thankfully, my lemur fox must have found help because the next thing I knew I was in a hospital with Shi-zu curled up by my head. I told them what had happened, but my mind was fuzzy on the details, regardless, they thanked me and I fell back asleep.
"Katara!" My master yelled at me.
"It's just Tara." I rolled my eyes. Every other girl in any water tribe was named after Katara. Just like how every one in the Fire Nation was Zuko or Iroh. For the Earth Nation, Toph. Our world had so many Katara's, Zuko's, Toph's, and Sokka's people didn't know what to do. Tui and La forbid any creativity between the nations.
"I'm sorry, Tara, would you like to demonstrate the water whip again." I growled. Just because a week ago I had struggled with it doesn't mean I still did, which Master Tsuyo didn't quite understand.
I stood up and streched, making a big show of cracking my knuckles and my back. I closed my eyes and spread my fingers, feeling the water around me. The smooth push and pull, the power swelling within me. I snapped my eyes open and quickly formed the water into a whip and flicked it right in front of Master Tsuyo's face. He narrowed his eyes and I grinned. I took a deep breath and lightly tapped his foot on the ground. Ah shit. I jumped in the air but it wasn't fast enough, a large ice clump came out of the ground and sent me sailing towards one of the houses. I crash landed into one of the villagers houses.
I got up and groaned. I blinked, and blinked again. No. Way. Before me was two of the newly weds. The woman, Katara, like I, and the guy, Sokka. No they aren't related, this is just what society does when there are heros. They were laying on the bed, Sokka on top of Katara. His hand up her skirt. "Wow." I scooted towards the hole I made. "Oh my Tui and La I'm sorry."
I scrambled onto my feet, "Here, let me fix this for you." I quickly bended the snow back into place. "Sorry!" I yelled again.
I grinned nervously and bended me an ice board. I froze my feet in and lifted the ice into the air. For some reason no one else could do this, well, not as well as I could. People could make the board and freeze their feet in, but no one could really lift themselves off the ground. Fine by me though, more sky to myself.
I thought about not going back to class but I couldn't help it, sparring was after demonstrations so I sped back to class.
Master Tsuyo just nodded when I landed. I never understood him. Did he like me or hate me, I don't think I'll ever understand.
"Katara and Miku, go to the arena." Master said. Miku and I walked up to the raised area. The arena was rather pathetic, just a large snow mound really.
I saw Miku take a deep breath and take on a defensive horse stance.
I grinned. The only thing I shared with my namesake was our competitive never give up nature. I too am the only girl waterbender in the North Pole. All the other female waterbenders in the village didn't want to go to war so they stayed with the heal bending. I on the other hand, took up the fighting immediatly. I stuck my tongue out a little and formed a cat stance. Both of my hands were spread wide, feeling the vibrations of the water all around me. "Begin." Master Tsuyo commanded.
I waited for a second to see if Miku was going to attack, when it was obvious he wasn't I jumped into action. I liquified the snow and formed a large stream of water, then I moved it around my head to pick up the momentum before twisting it towards Miku. I packed more power into the move so that when he deflected it it would push him off balance.
I flicked my wrist in a half moon motion, creating a slanted ice wall, in which I started to skate on. With my other hand I flicked large, blunt tipped, icicles towards Miku.
I'll give him props, he had himself pretty well defended till I launched myself in the air and slammed a wave of snow over his body and froze him to the ground. Miku opened his mouth to say something but just shut his mouth and gave me a crooked smile. I grinned at him and crushed the ice before helping him up. He gave me a hug, as did every other guy I sparred. Everyone else got a handshake but I got a hug, cause I was a girl, and the youngest.
Because I was left with no family when I was so young, I constantly searched for people to take over the empty space that a family would normally fill. And all my classmates acted as my older brothers.
I glanced at Master Tsuyo, but he wasn't looking at me and Miku anymore. Instead he was talking to an official looking man. He was dressed in orange and yellow. Much like the Airbenders. But there weren't any true Airbenders left. As fate would have it Avatar Aang and Master Katara had children that couldn't bend. They had six children and none of them could control air. A few could wave their hand and have something rustle, but they were never able to harness the raw power of air.
I felt bad for the next Avatar, they would never have an airbender teacher, instead they would have to teach themselves. "I think that is one of Avatar Aang's children." I was pulled out of my musings by Shen, my best friend.
I nodded and bit my lip. Was it time to pick the new Avatar? What was going on? "I thought it had only been thirteen years since Avatar Aang's death." I said looking up a Shen.
His eyebrows furrowed together. "Yes it has only been thirteen years."
Shen and I were just staring at Avatar Aang's child when Master Tsuyo broke the whispered silence, "Everyone go to your homes. Later tonight there will be a meeting. All of you will be there."
With that he left. "What the hell?" Miku looked at me and grinned. And before I knew it I was flat on my back with a ton of snow on top of me. "RAAAAH!" I grunted when I bended all that snow off of me.
"Oooh you are in for it now!" I turned the snow into water and whipped Miku in the butt.
"Hey!" He yelled and charged at me.
"Ahhhh!" I turned around and tried to run but my feet were stuck in the pile of snow.
I saw him rushing towards me and I thought it was the end, I think I even saw the light. Oh Tui and La I am going to die. I never got to eat Hippo Cow, or see the Earth Nation… Or….. But my life, luckily, did not end. Instead, a giant blue blob saved me!
"Oh praise the giant blue blob!" I cried out and shot my fist in the air.
"No you dummy! It's me!" I blinked. Shen? Oh yes. There he was, wrestling with Miku. Oh, Shen was the big blue blob. I frowned, "Darn, and here I thought I found a new diety."
"No, no you didn't. Now get your waterbending but over here!"
I grinned and jumped into action. I made the water form icy chains around Miku's feet and hands, kinda like how we tie up fox hogs. Then I jumped on top of Miku, my open hands holding two balls of freezing water.
Miku just blew his bangs out of his face and said, "Fine, you win."
I flashed a toothy grin and jumped up. "So, who's up for fishing?"
