A/N-no author's note this time... But, On to the Story!

Continuous Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or any of the characters or anything else that's not mine, only this plot.

Prologue

A young girl, about the age of nine, climbed up the steep snow wall effortlessly, almost as if she had been doing it her entire life. After she reached the top, she sat on the edge and looked out across the icy land.

A light wind blew her dark hair in all directions. She heaved a soft sigh, and imagined (just like any girl her age) what it would be like to be a princess, living in a lavish castle on the edge of the ocean, overlooking the beautiful water, listening to the loud crashing of waves beating the sandy shore. She closed her ice-blue eyes and leaned her head back, breathing in the sweet smell of the ocean.

"Katara! Get down from there you lazy girl!" a voice shrilled from below her.

Katara's eyes snapped open, her body straightening. "I'll be down in a minute," she called.

"No, you idiot!" the voice replied. "You will come down right now!"

Katara knew by the way the order sounded that she had no choice by to obey. Stealing a final look of the ice-covered waters, she slid back down the embankment. At the bottom, she was greeted by the shrilly woman, a small, plump woman at the age of forty-seven. Miana was her name.

"Did I not tell you to stop climbing the wall?" Miana screamed at her face.

Katara cringed. "I... I was only..."

"Shut it, girl! You are so dim-witted you cannot obey and your tongue is completely useless!"

A hand grabbed the scruff of her neck a little too tightly. Katara did not complain from the pain racing its way through her body. Miana slapped her. "Now then, obey me or else! You will clean the food table tonight, wash the clothes, and you will sleep outside!" Miana released her, shoving the girl to the ground. "Pathetic kit."

Katara's cheek stung from the slap, and the snow was seeping into her thin clothes. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, but she stood and marched back to her tent, where she and Miana lived now.

I need to get away from this hellish woman, she thought with a shudder.

O.O.O.O.O.O

Katara finally bit into her cold, hardened biscuit. She was cold and tired, and her bed of straw and rags was adding to her complete misery. She shifted on the bed, and winced. It was a crucial mistake to move. A stick poked her in the back and she sighed.

An old, hunched woman passed by her, stopping and turning around to look at the little girl. "Oh, you poor child..." she murmured. She approached Katara and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is your name, child?"

Katara shivered in the cold. "I..." she started. "It's Katara. My name is Katara." She squared her shoulders when a sharp wind sliced through the alleyway.

The old woman sat beside her. "Well, Katara, why are you outside on a night like this? Why aren't you inside?" She patted her knee softly. "And you are too young to be alone. Who knows what might happen?"

Katara looked down. "I don't have a family. The only person that takes care of me is my aunt Miana. And she makes me do a lot of work and she makes me sleep out here." She shuffled a bit on her makeshift mattress. "My parents died when I was two, and my brother Sokka was killed by a seal."

"Oh my..." the woman whispered. She pulled out something from her pocket and placed it in Katara's hand, enclosing her fist around it. "Keep this close. It keeps you safe, and it brings you comfort as warm as a mother's embrace." She placed a gentle kiss on Katara's forehead, standing. "Katara, I'm glad we met. I see great things in your future, young one. Be safe."

Katara struggled to her feet. "Wait! What... What's your name?" she asked quietly.

The woman turned and smiled a crooked smile. "Kanna."

When Kanna left, Katara opened her palm and stared at the object Kanna gave her. A beautiful navy blue necklace with a silver stone with the waterbending symbol engraved into it sat in. She closed her hand over the necklace, eyes narrowing. Though Kanna was kind to her, the kindness did not balance out the hate and the cruelty she endured every day.

From that moment on, Katara loathed every person who had an easy her small hand. life of their own.

A/N-Well, that was the prologue. Sorry if it was too short, but please submit a review! (Flames welcome)