Some story I've been thinking up for a long time. I've never written myself into the Avatar universe, but I've wanted to. I tried to find an inuit name that would describe me, but there aren't very many good research sites on the internet for that. So I found a name that meant what my real name means. Kyra means "strong" in Slavonic, and my real name Megan means "strong" in Celtic or something like that. Idk. But I know it's one of those names that people use all the time, but I couldn't come up with anything else. :P

So this is NOT one of those stories where I meet the gaang and join them and stuff. I'm going on my own life story somewhat and stuff I guess, and taking it from there.

The Southern Spear

100 ASC – Earth Kingdom Island off the southeast coast of the mainland, near Kyoshi Island.

My home had always been cold, with snow every winter and long into spring. The pine trees that inhabited our little island were perpetually green, like the Nation I wished so much to be a member of. I was born to an Earthbender and a southern water tribe woman, 19 years ago. I hadn't seen my mother in 15 years, after my father had taken me from her after she'd lost her mind from the Fire Nation raids we had endured.

My father had named me Kyra, much to my mother's chagrin. She had wanted me to have a Water Tribe name- something with too many Q's and K's…but my father had won out in the end, and I'd earned my strong southern Earth Kingdom name. My father had remarried early in my life, to a fire nation colonial he'd met on the mainland. True to her heritage, the woman had a fiery temper, one I'd felt the wrath of many times before. She'd constantly belittled me, making fun of my green eyes and dark skin, the contrasting bloodlines evident in my features.

I had my mother's high cheekbones, and my father's deep-set eyes. My hair was lighter than my native water tribe relatives', but was just as thick, luckily for me in the cold climate of our home island.

I had lived with my two younger brother's- my stepmother and father's children. Neither of the two had gained any of my father's Earth Kingdom traits, much to his disappointment. The only indication of their father's bloodlines was their large bone structure. The older one, Shan, was a Firebender, his fiery temper rivaling his mother's at times. Kazu, the younger one, was thinner, with no bending abilities.

I on the other hand, had miraculously been born with waterbending abilities. My father had encouraged me to refine my skills without the benefit of a teacher. The Fire Nation was ruthless down south; we'd heard of the raids on the Southern tribe, and the rumors of the last Waterbender living in the southern tribe. It had been years since we'd heard anymore of this bender though. Apparently the southern raiders had finally wiped the tribe clean of any defense they'd had.

Father was against all sides of the war, the thought of any military involvement by our family disgusting him more than anything. Sometimes my youngest brother joked that our father was really one of the descendents of the peace-loving air nomads that had lived in the temple just a few thousand miles to the east of our home.

We'd grown up in the middle of nowhere, the main village on our island a few miles from our home in the middle of the pine forest that covered the land. My father had taught us how to live off the land, and how to hide from the enemies that patrolled the world. Frequent visits from the Fire nation made life in the south unbearable. But we'd grown up with it.

And learned how to survive.

Rumors of the Avatar were always quieted by the leaders of the island. No one believed them anyways. The Avatar had obviously died long ago, and the water tribe avatar had never shown themselves.

I figured there would be a way we'd eventually stop the Fire nation, with or without the Avatar. If all of the world would just stand up and fight…but it seemed nothing like that was ever going to happen.

Waterbending was difficult when you'd never studied under a master. The scrolls my father had given me were in an old water tribe language, one I'd never learned. The lines and dots were meaningless symbols to me. The pictures on the other hand, were detailed enough that I'd taught myself 3 full katas in the 7 years I'd been practicing. The water whip had been simple enough, but I'd yet to master anything with enough power behind it to defend myself.

Until I'd learned that anger helped fuel my chi. It had been an accident, 3 years ago, when I'd broken our family's bathtub, where my stepmother had been bathing, her incessant jibes fueling the burning rage inside of me. I'd never gotten along with her in the entire time I'd known her. She had been taunting me about my lack of waterbending skill, after I'd failed to meet her request of heating the bathwater- a skill only Firebenders could use. After I'd politely tried to leave the room, she'd raised her voice and splashed bathwater at me. Screaming about how I wasn't even worth the time and effort.

I had shook with anger, my fists trembling. The water in the room had been eerily still around me, something my stepmother had noticed, since she'd shut up right away.

I had spun around and screamed at her. Letting all of my anger out from the past 13 years I'd known her. The fear in her eyes had told me enough, she knew I was powerful, enough to freeze her in a block of ice. The bathwater frozen into a small wave around her.

I'd stomped out of the room and ran as fast I could to the river in the forest behind our home. There, I was far out of range of her screaming threats and the yells inside our home. I'd learned how to deal with her- by running away everytime things like this had happened. I was a coward in her book.

My father had been proud of me, surprisingly, letting me know that my bending was a gift, something no one could ever take from me. He'd told me that he had been saving secretly for a trip for me to go to the Northern tribe and finally learn from a master.

Inevitably, my stepmother had found the secret stash of money, and had started to spend it under my father's nose.

The night he'd found out had been hell on earth. She'd left our family, taking my half-brothers with her. When she'd come back, the reception she'd been given had been cold enough. But she was back to her old tricks again. Recently, she'd been going to the main village more frequently. My father suspected she was being unfaithful, but last night, we'd found out the real reason…

The door had burst open and there had stood three fire nation soldiers, a lieutenant, and two privates, and my stepmother. My mother had pointed at me, "There she is, the waterbending traitor." I'd stood there shocked when the two privates had lunged forward, I'd instinctively bent everything I could at them, the water from the washing pail my only weapon. I'd run as fast as I could, knocking over lots of things in the process. My father had fought the Firebending lieutenant, my brother Shan helping him, blocking the Firebending attacks with his own.

It had been chaos.

But I'd made it to my secret hiding place. The voices of the two privates echoing throughout the forest around me. My little cave hidden in the dark of the night.

That's where I'd awoken this morning, my hair a mess, the loose braid I'd had it tied back in loose, my hair everywhere, mud on my blue clothes and leather boots- a gift from my grandmother in the Northern tribe. I'd scouted the surrounding area early this morning. The bootprints of the soldiers evident on the trails. They'd obviously given up the search long ago.

I wouldn't dare go home today. I had to plan on going back sometime though. I needed my things- all my scrolls and clothes I'd need.

I was going to run away. Far away.

Footsteps echoed in the pine trees; I hid in the rocks around my cave until the intruder showed themselves. It was my youngest brother Kazu. He had been sneaking around, the pack on his back full.

I leapt out of the bushes and tackled him, muffling his surprised scream with my hand.

His eyes widened in recognition and I'd motioned for him to follow me to the cave. When we got inside, he'd tossed me the bag he'd been carrying, which, much to my delight, held all of the things I had been planning on going to get myself.

"You'll need what I've stuffed in the bottom," Kazu whispered. I found an old leather sheath, inside was a machete and knife, both made of bone, the blue dye on the edges giving them away as water tribe weapons. I looked at my brother, question in my eyes.

He nodded, "Dad gave them to me to give to you… for your journey." His eyes downcast as he'd hugged his knees to his chest. His green tunic was a little big for his 14-year old frame. Under one of the sleeves was a bracelet I'd given him that my mother had left to me, which bore the symbol of my native tribe. He'd always wanted to be like me, his lack of bending abilities something he hated about himself. I'd taught him the moves I knew, which were still good enough for hand-to-hand combat. Kazu handed me a green bag filled with what was left of the money my father had been saving. I thanked him and hugged him around the shoulders. He buried his face into my shoulder, his light brown hair a mess- I knew he'd hadn't slept- the dark circles under his eyes evident.

"I'm going to miss you, Ky'," he choked, wiping the tears from his tan cheeks. I hugged him again for good measure, "Tell Shan to be strong until I come back, and tell Dad I'll send a messenger hawk when I reach Omashu. I'll come for you guys after I've learned as much as I can. I won't be gone long. I'll come back- I promise."

He hugged me once more for good measure and we both left the silence of the cave, checking the forest for any signs of Firebenders. He nodded one last time and hugged me. Whispering goodbye. I held back my tears as I ran as fast as I could to where our family's small boat was docked in the ocean.

I untied the line and hopped in the little catamaran, letting the blue sails out. The wind around our island was strong, good for sailing- something our family had done many times before- when we had still been happy.

I settled into the small hull, trying to find all of the equipment my father had tied down for later. The waterproof leather-like coverings kept water out of the boat would be perfect as a tent. I'd be set. It was a 2 day trip to the mainland and the nearest village I could stop at. As long as I kept the fact that I was a girl, and the fact that I was a Waterbender, secret- I would be okay.

I emptied the bag Kazu had given me, and found my scrolls- safe and sound- along with two tunics and an old parka my mother had left with us. The tunics were boy's clothes- my father had thought ahead. He was good at that. He'd been planning all kinds of things for years. Mostly how to avoid the Fire Nation and the war, et cetera.

I had reached the point where my home island was gone from view- nothing but blue water laid around me. The sun reflecting off the smooth surface. The waves had died down out here, despite the small cold southern breeze.

I was in the middle of nowhere, so I changed into the men's clothes and parka. The knife my father had given me glinted in the sunlight. I unbraided my hair- its length flying free in the wind. I looked over the side of the boat, my reflection looking back at me. I had to look the part, much to my dismay, I'd have to cut my hair. I remembered the style I'd seen many times on the water tribe men who stopped by our village on their way to help with the war. The older men kept their hair long, halfway pulled up, blue beads decorating their hair. I couldn't grow a beard, but I could at least look like a man- my facial structure more masculine than feminine.

I gathered my hair into one hand and grabbed the knife, pulling it from its leather sheath. I grit my teeth and chopped off my hair as close to my head as I could, without shaving it all off. The hair falling into the waves below, to be carried away by the tides. I left enough on the top so I could wear the style I'd seen on the younger water tribe warriors before. I fixed the ragged edges and pulled the top half up in a ponytail. The reflection looking back at me in the water didn't even look like me anymore. The tears running down my face the only evidence of who I really was.

I'd read a story a long time ago, when my father had borrowed some scrolls from a friend, about a young girl, a little older than me, who'd taken her father's armour and made herself look like a man, so she could fight in his stead against a tyrant. It had been one of my favorite stories. Little had I known then, that I'd be doing almost the same thing as that girl.

I tied the leather gauntlets around my forearms, the cloth bindings underneath already part of my disguise. I'd had to bind my chest- something very uncomfortable, but necessary. It would just look to others like I'd been burned long ago and wore bandages under my clothing. The metal shin guards my father had put in the pack where heavy, but I'd need them eventually.

As the night came, I laid in the boat, letting the wind guide me to the mainland. I sailed past Kyoshi island- the darkness hiding me from the island's inhabitants, luckily. The Kyoshi warriors were supposed to be skilled fighters- someone I'd never want to tangle with.

The stars were pinpricks in the black sky. I knew the Spirits would be watching over me- the ocean and moon- Tui and La… they were my only hope in this. This journey would be long and difficult, but I'd make it if I trusted their judgment. They'd protected me from my stepmother and my psychotic mother. I prayed to them now, for help and guidance, for a calm ocean and bright moon to lead me.

The morning came quickly and so did the sight of land. I'd apparently reached the mainland much sooner than I'd expected. But I didn't recognize where I was. The mist around the island hiding everything from view. I pulled out the map and tried to pinpoint my position, but nothing helped. It looked like ride towards shore would be painless, but I wasn't sure if I needed to get off here. The ocean gave me no choice, as I was pushed closer to the land and my boat landed itself. I hopped out of the vessel and pulled it up on the bank, using the water to help.

I didn't recognize anything. The ground was covered in snow in places, the plants in their winter sleep. I pulled the machete from its sheath and headed inland. I could at least find food for later.

But I was stopped in my tracks by something I hadn't expected.

The skeleton of a Fire nation soldier.

This wasn't the mainland. Where was I?

I kept walking, on the lookout now for enemies. An old Fire nation tank lay in a crumpled heap near the slope of the mountain I'd been walking towards. I walked towards it, only to find two more skeletons hanging out of the top of the tank, their fire nation armor the only indication of their race.

The ground I'd been walking on, not even paying attention to, suddenly crunched beneath my feet, and I looked down to find, much to my horror- a human femur. I leapt backwards, my heart in my throat. It was all coming together now. My father had told me the air nomads had been wiped out long ago- and all the air temples had lain bare- testament to the horrors they'd faced.

The strong wind blew the snow away and before me lay more skeletons, the only indication of who they had been in life was the yellow tatters of clothing that had decomposed around the body. My breath failed me. This was an air temple. Unthinking, I ran back to the shore, my heartbeat the only thing I could hear in my ears. As soon as I'd reached my boat, I pushed it off and leaped in, using my waterbending to push me out to sea.

When I'd settled down, and the land had disappeared. I wept silently, the emotions from everything finally overcoming me. I wept for my family, the mother I'd never knew. The father who'd only tried to protect me. The world and all of its troubles and heartache weighed heavily on me now. I was done for if I didn't keep my composure.

I had to live up to my name- I had to be strong.