-Hello! So this is my first A:tla fan fic (and also first fan fic period…) and I hope you like it! I want this to motivate me to write more, so I'll try and update as much as I can. Most of the characters in this story are mine (I don't plan on including any canon characters), however, the A:tla series and everything that it includes belong to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.-
"Kesie! Time to wake up!" my brother yells as he jumps on me. I groan as he accidentally knees me in the stomach. For the seven years he's been on this earth, I've never known him to be out of energy. To be honest, I wish he'd give me some of his; 6 o'clock is too early for any sixteen-year old. Getting up, I grab him by the under arms and swing him into the air.
"Nanuq, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't jump on me in the morning, or I'll chuck you out of the city and into the ocean!" Nanuq just grins at me and wriggles out of my hands.
"Mama told me to wake you up! She said you hafta eat breakfast before leaving," I sigh and ruff up his dark black hair.
"Alright, but don't do it again next time you wake me up," I say. He dashes out the door, leaving me to get ready for the morning. My eyes are heavy and my bones feel stiff, but I can't fall back asleep with the sunlight shining on my face. Tossing my furs aside, I crack my back and splash water on my face. The morning rays gleam through the window and hits the opposite wall, causing the frozen bricks to sparkle. One of the only things I like about waking up this early is that I get to see the sun rise. Call me sentimental, but I've always tried to appreciate the beautiful things in life. Now, my friend Senna usually says I just romanticize everything, but I can't help it if I admire a little variety. Up here it's just snow and water and nothing else. Not that that's bad, but I know places like the earth kingdom are filled with green plants, warm climates and dirt. Even then, I can't begin to imagine what it'd be like to live anywhere but here. However, I don't think anyone can get used to the chill, and the way my toes are starting to prickle gives me another reason to get up and put on something warm.
"Kesuk, hurry up!" my mother's voice shouts from outside my room, motivating me to get dressed faster. My clothes fit my climate: its all layered blue shirts, leggings, and skirts under a warm polar bear-dog coat. But as I shimmy into my leggings, I hear the slight rip of a stitch. My fingers poke through a hole on the side of my thigh, and I groan. If my mother would just buy a little bit more skins from the traders, maybe I could have clothes that actually fit my frame. It's not like we're low on funds; my mother is just a bit stingy when it comes down to it. And anyways, I'll be able to fix it myself.
By the time I get into the den, breakfast is practically made. The house is warm from the hearth at the center of the room. Sitting down, I put my gloves near the fire so they're warm for when I go out. Nanuq is bouncing around my mother in an attempt to get first serve, and my hopes for a decent meal are shattered when the smell of old sea-food hits me like a wall.
"Pickled fish?" I groan. My mother purses her lips.
"Well if you got up earlier, maybe you could have asked for a better breakfast," she pulls a few dark grey strands from the front of her head. Nanuq takes a bowl from mother and shovels his serving into his mouth.
"Hey, I'll finish some of your food, if ya don't want it," he whispers. My mother taps his head with her spoon.
"Kesuk, your braids are loose, let me fix them for you," she says, dropping a small bowl of gray, slimy matter in front of me. The clouded eye of the fish stares at me, it's mouth pulled open in a permanent frown. I wince as my mother pulls at my hair, pulling the thick braids at the front of my head to the bun in the back.
"Morning ladies!" I look up from my staring contest with the fish, only to see my old grandfather striding into the den. "Getting ready to go to the healing huts, are you Kesie?" I smile and nod. My mother's father has been in my life for as long as I can remember, and in that time, I've never known him to be sick or frail. He claims the secret to his good health is a cup of fish oil every morning, which he gladly drinks in front of me. He has a tall blocky figure, in contrast to my and my mother's short, round forms. He sits down and ruffles Nanuk's hair, before kissing my forehead.
"How's that little boy doing down there, anyway? I assume you and the elder healers are spending all your time trying to get him to wake up?" My grandpa asks.
"Better," I say, "It's true luck that they found him when they did, how he fell into the canals with no one noticing is anyone's guess. We've been doing a good job healing him, but you know how head injuries are; I'm just hoping he gets back on his feet soon." The little boy, Siku, was the youngest son of one of the wealthier stores owners in the city. His father was well known for making some of the finest pottery in the Northern Water tribe, and everyone heard about how his son had wandered off only to reappear in the city's lower canals. He was brought into the healing huts with a nasty bruise on his head, a sprained wrist, and a seriously low body temperature.
"I do hope they heal him soon, I hear his mother hasn't been out of the house; she's just so sick with worry," my mother tuts, "Kesie, you'd better move now, or you'll be late! Put on your coat and hurry out now, I'm not having the elder healers tell me my only daughter is a slacker," I put on my coat and gloves, and lean in to kiss my grandpa goodbye. Patting my back, he winks and says, "Tell me if you single handedly bring that boy back from the spirit world, will you?" before pushing me towards the door.
