Consider this story disclaimed from here to the end.
This isn't the story of Kanna leaving the Northern Water Tribe, this is the story of her meeting Kidka and finding a place to call home.
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Ch. 1 – Girl from the Northern Water Tribe
It had been three months since Kanna left the North Pole in a small canoe with nothing but a travel pack, her grandfather's faded map of the Earth Kingdom and the half formed plan of going south. In that time she had crossed nearly half the Earth Kingdom and experienced the kind of freedom she had longed for. She had walked barefoot on soft grass in the shade of trees so tall she couldn't see their top branches. She had eaten sweet fruits and tried Earth Kingdom dishes that were so different she wasn't sure how to describe the flavors. After mistaking a Tea House for a restaurant she'd had her first cup of tea and immediately fell in love with the dark brown liquid.
There had been a few close calls as she made her way south. A group of Fire Nation soldiers had attacked a small village where Kanna had been working at an Inn in exchange for a few days of room and board. During the fighting she escaped into the woods with the Inn keeper who pointed her down a slightly hidden path and gave her a bag of copper pieces for her journey. Another time while waiting for a river ferry an earth bender thought it was a good idea to feel up her back side. Kanna learned a new use for her cooking pot and he learned (after regaining consciousness) not to underestimate Water Tribe women. Once she mistook domberries for calberries and could have died if a passing apothecary hadn't found her two days later with a high fever and barley conscious.
The few tight spots she found herself in did little to dampen her spirits. The pros of traveling alone outweighed the cons. She loved being able to decide where she went, how long she stayed and what she did while there. Independence was like a drug and she was happily addicted. She sometimes wondered if this was how the Air Nomads felt, flying on the winds and roaming from place to place.
It was another normal day of travel. Once again she found herself passing through a forest, only this particular day was different.
It was hot.
The kind of heat she had only experienced when sitting too close to the fire back home. Kanna knew the further south she went the warmer the temperature would become but she hadn't realized how hot the middle of an Earth Kingdom summer could be. A few weeks prior she had removed her long sleeved under shirt and shortened her skirt to her knees to make her travels more comfortable. Now she was considering taking off her pants and just waking around in her skirt but the thorny bushes hidden in the undergrowth kept her fully clothed.
Taking a break from walking Kanna leaned against a tree and it was as she fanned herself with her hand she heard the sound of rushing water. Without a second thought she abandoned the trail she had been following and headed towards the sound. It wasn't long before she reached the source. The trees gave way to a river bank and a sandy beach. Large rocks sat near the water's edge and on the beach. The water itself was clear and the current was steady. It looked like an easy way to cool off.
Deciding it wouldn't hurt to set up camp early Kanna dropped her bag in the sand and began to unpack. It was far too hot to sleep in a tent but the canvas made a great sleeping mat for her bed roll. Once she was satisfied with her sleeping arrangements Kanna started a small camp fire and turned her attention to cooking an early dinner.
When she first left home her fishing skills were abysmal at best. As a child she had tagged along after her brothers when they went fishing but because she was a girl she was never really taught. The first time she tried her hand at fishing ended with a hook in her thumb and the attempts that followed weren't any more productive. One day an old man who let her sleep in his barn for a couple of nights in exchange for mending some of his clothes found her by a lake trying (and failing) to fish again. Taking pity on her he showed her how to set a line and use a net. Since her first lesson Kanna steadily improved and now she considered herself an alright fisher.
Sitting on a bolder that protruded into the river Kanna patiently cast her line and waited for a bite. It wasn't long before she had two good sized fish for her meal. Returning to the camp fire she cleaned the fish and speared the meat on sticks. Setting the fish aside she filled her cooking pot with chopped up roots, her last potato, a hand full of nuts and some Water Tribe herbs she'd been lucky to find in a trading market. Adding water she stirred the stew before setting it over the fire to cook along with the fish she caught.
Knowing it would be a while before the meal was ready to eat Kanna returned to the river, only this time her use of the water was recreational instead of survival. Unlacing her boots she set the foot wear aside along with her socks. Undoing the ties that kept her short sleeved blouse closed she removed the shirt and hung it on a tree limb to air out. She did the same to her pants.
In just her over skirt and chest bindings Kanna waded into the cool water, unbraiding her hair as she went.
She didn't think life could get any better.
