The night air was cold and the sea was in a testy mood. The stars were veiled by storm coulds, the only light in the sky was an ominous moon. There was a foreboding on the planet of antarctica that had never before been experianced. On this night Sokka, prince of antarctica and stand in cheif of sorts stood on his ship and stared up at the abysse. On a clear night you could see the tiny lights of meagre space craft but these were all hidden from him. If the atmosphere had not been so clouded what was to come would have been anticipated ad maybe the death toll would have been lessend.
sokka closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He loved his home. He loved the cold night air. He loved the snow and the blizards and the hurricanes. He loved sailing, inventing and creating. most of all, though, he loved his family. he loved his grouchy estranged grandfather master pakku of the planet arctica. He loved his warm and frightening Gran gran Kanna the high shamen of the wolf spirit. he loved his uncle Bato, wolf Beta and his aunt Hamma high master waterbender of antarctica and his sister's master. He loved his sister, princess katara, master waterbender, a strong and beautiful spirit. He loved his wise and powerfull father Cheif of the planet antarctica. finally, he loved his mother kya, the bravest woman he had ever known and the rock that they all built their lives on. If there was one thing in this great big universe that Sokka would die for and, even more drastically, kill for.
"Your mother and sister will be worried" bato said walking up behind Sokka.
"Bato, if I told you i had a bad feeling about tonight would you think I'm crazy"
"You mean more than I already do, no not really, all awkward people are afraid of parties, especially parties that reqiure a significant mastery of ettiquet to survive without embarassing one's self"
" I'm gonna die aren't I" sokka said abandoning his posture and his veiw of the starless sky in favour for a veiw of the grey painted deck of his ship.
"Just follow your mother's lead, when your nervouse just look at her and she will help. Also i wouldn't worry much about people mocking you at the event, they're all to scared and fond of your sister to even try" Bato said with a wink. "They are also too fond of you, relax and you'll do fine, your sixteenth birthday and heir anointment ceremony is something to celebrate."
"You keep saying this but I feel like I'm going to be sick" Sokka said mostly to himself before commanding his crew to bring his ship back into port.
Katara looked ut over the foggy sea in search of her brother. All sorts of dignataries from Arctica had shown up for the big event including the Arctican cheif Arnook, his daughter princess Yue and "grand pakku" who sokka was imensely fond of. Sokka, however was a no show to his own birthday. Typical , thought katara as she sat on her bed and stared outher great Bay window. on the other side of the room Kya, her mother, was discusing her daughter's party outfit with a couple of palace seamstresses.
"My daughter will be turning marrying age in only two more years so I want to make sure she generates quite a bit of intrest amongst the young men attending, however I also want to honour our herritage and her status as a waterbending master" Kya said her voice soft and sweet.
"We actually have the perfect dress for her" said the dress maker excitedly. She left the room at what was allmost a sprint. She returned with a beautiful dress ensemble. the first layer was a pair of wolf sheep cotton gouchos in a deep dark blue. the next layer was a pale blue rome with slits in the sides that started high on the thigh to allow for movement. the sleeves were worn with medium blue wristlets. The final layer was a simple blue robe with white fur trim. The entire ensemble was top off with a brown, teired polar bear seal beaded, fringed panel to bo worn at an empire waist.
"This is perfect "said Kanna who was sitting next to the big bay window. The dress makers left and Katara gazed about the room. On the planet antarctica and the planet arctica almost every building was made of ice and were mostly fashioned by water benders. In the Avatar system of planets Benders were highly honored, it was only on the remote sister moon planets that they were in any way restricted. On the sister moon planets women were highly restricted in all regards, including bending. In fact, on Arctica the only bending women were allowed to use was healing techniques, even on the more liberal Antarctica female benders were shunned. Katara and hamma were excptions due to their noblity.
"Katara, come dear try this on" Kya said cheerfully. Katara's dress suited her perfectly. Kya and kanna then set her hair in a half bun and secured it to her "hair loopies."Katara smiled when she saw her brother's ship finally come into port. It looks like tonight will go smoothly afterall, Katara thought gleefully.
When sokka met his family in the meeting room outside the celebration hall he greeted them all with an embrace. Looking at his family he felt his chest swell with pride and happiness. Everything was perfect, even his grand parents were getting along, but all good things are never ment to last. The great ice palace shook as peices of ceiling fell above them.
"Cheif hakoda, the planet is under attack, we're at war, wer're at war!" cried a young wolf warrior from the entry way
A look of grim determination set into Hakoda's face, "Pakku!" he said "go and organize the evacuation of the arctican embassadors, Bato ready the space fleet, Hamma prepare the waterbenders, Sokka initiate the evacuation of the city,make sure everyone gets out!" He paused and looked at his family once more, As the all set off to their tasks hakoda grbbed his daughter by the arm as she was following Hamma down the hall to the armoury.
"Where do you think you're going he asked anxiously"
"I'm going to go help Hamma defend my home." She said feircely.
"No."he said forcefully.
"Dad I'm a master waterbender who is nearly as powerfull as master Pakku, I'm a warrior too"
"Yes you are, but you are also a child and children do not belong in battles"
Their steely blue gazes met and Hakoda would not yeild to his daughters seemingly unbreakable will.
"Go with your mother and gran gran to the White Wolf temple and secure the relics and then take a small ship and leave this place. Go as far as you can and don't look back. I will come and find you when it's safe." Said Hakoda the cheif this time. his daughter meerly noded and ran to join her mother and gran gran.
The air in the temple was moist and there wasn't a light to be seen. Only a shaman may enter the inner sanctum to retreive the artifacts so katara stood guard outside. She could see the lights of soace craft biggeer than she had ever seen floating in the sky. strangely she could also hear the sound of thunder even though there was no lightning. Her beautiful city of ice was burning to the ground. suddenly she saw a smaller yet clearly more advanced ship hover over head two beings flew down like airbenders on glowing surf boards the dropped down in front of her and ointed strange devices in her face.
"On behalf of the I G R we would request that you surrendor" said a green creature. Katara considered this and then proceeded to bury the thing in six feet of snow and bent a water whip at the other knocking him two feet off the ground. dozens of the monsters then descended upon her ansd katara kept bending them away katara was so absorbed in fear and thoughts of keeping the creatures at bay that she didn't notice the device aimed straight at her back. She sudennly found herself lying face first in the snow she got up slowly and saw her mother lying where she had just been standing. For a moment everything seemed to stop. All kaatara knew at that moment was that her mother was lying in the snow with a mysterious injury on her side. Her mother was dying, but before katara could even attempt to do anything, everything went dark. She fell again in a heap beside her mother she could not see her and her grandmother being taken away to the ship and she could not see the shadow of what was her brother coming through the fog.