BOOK ONE: WATER
THE AVATAR RETURNS
We ran and walked and ran some more. The penguins had taken us pretty far. The trip back was not filled with the laughter of the first trip. In fact it was pretty quiet except for the crunching of new snow as we stepped. Aang was in a state of shock and confusion about his people and the war, and embarrassment and anger from setting off the trap. Had it been my nutbrained brother who had tripped a booby trap wire I probably would have said 'I told you so'. But with Aang that didn't feel right, so I stayed quiet.
I was deep in emotionally driven thought as well. Sokka already didn't like Aang. I didn't know why, but he made it abundantly clear to me and to Aang. He would never let me hear the end of this. I was building up exactly what I was going to say when we got there. Then another thought crossed my mind. Gran Gran didn't like Aang either. She was worried he was somehow dangerous. What we did was dangerous, but Aang wasn't dangerous. How was I going to face them? How was I going to face the tribe? What would my father say about my poor choice?
When I saw the village walls ahead of us, I could see everyone had gathered together. They were waiting for me but they were doing something else too. They were looking up. I turned and realized that the flare we sent up had gone very high up and hadn't yet come down. I hadn't doubted that the whole town saw the light, but now I knew for sure. It must have been quite a sight to see the flare shoo into the sky and to see me walking just beneath it to get back to town. With every step closer the people came into view. Sokka stood front and center, a scowl across his face and a spear in his hand.
Several of the children ran to us when they saw us. The little ones had no idea of the danger I may have put us in. They had no idea that the idea of an outsider was a bad thing. They just knew that Aang made them have so much fun. Aang made them laugh and giggle until their bellies hurt. They hit him with the force of children as they hugged him. Not strong enough to do any damage, but much harder than he was expecting.
Sokka wasn't the only one wearing a scowl in the crowd. Everyone older than eight looked exactly the way I thought they might. Angry. Scared. There was Gran Gran, right next to Sokka.
"I knew it!" Sokka yelled when we were close enough to hear. He stepped forward in a surprisingly confident gesture of protection. I stood my ground ready to yell back. I still hadn't come up with what I was going to say, but the time had come. "You signaled the Fire Nation Navy with that flare. You are leading them right to us, aren't you?" he jutted his finger at Aang who had quickly and gently settled the children. We came to a stop in front of the people outside of the village walls. Some of the people ushered their children closer to them when they heard Sokka say that the Fire Nation forces were being led directly to where we were.
"Aang didn't do anything." I said to Sokka, but also to the whole tribe before Sokka had even finished his accusation. "I was an accident."
"Yea." Aang agreed. "It was an accident. We were on the ship and there were bobby traps and well we… we boobied right into it." Aang had a gentle and almost naive way of explaining things. As though the Air Nomads didn't get in trouble as long as they told the truth. He scratched his head out of what I guessed was insecurity. The faces he was being faced with at the admission of us 'boobying right into a trap' weren't ones he was used to.
Gran Gran's face changed from being disappointed to actually mad. I don't think I've ever seen her that way. It hurt to look at her. To know I was responsible for making her feel so unwell that she would face me with such an expression.
"Katara! You shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger!" her tone was as harsh and cold as our icy tundra home. I was left speechless for a moment.
"Don't blame Katara!" Aang's eyes widened. He held up his hands in protest. "I brought her there. It's my fault."
"Ah ha!" Sokka jabbed his finger at Aang again. "The traitor confesses! Warriors! Away from the enemy." Sokka's order was followed by the children around Aang and I, but with some reluctance. "The foreigner is banished from our village."
"Sokka you are making a mistake!" I started, balling my fists.
"No. I'm keeping my promise to dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him." I wasn't feeling very protected right then.
"Aang is not our enemy!" I yelled. "Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun." It wasn't one of the thoughts I had while walking back to the village but it was true. When was the last time any of us had laughed and played and enjoyed? Dad left us to fight a war when were we children. We had to grow up quick to survive and carry on to ensure that others survived. Aang reminded me that I was still a kid. Even it it were the truth, that wasn't at all the thing to say to make my tribe feel any better faced with a real and serious danger.
"Fun? We can't fight Firebenders with fun!" Sokka was loud enough to start scaring the children. They clutched to their caretakers and hid behind their legs.
"You should try it sometime." Aang said mater of factly. That was Sokka's last straw. I don't think Aang meant it as an insult, but that was how it was being taken.
"Get out of our village!" Sokka screamed. "Now!"
I could see that our aurguemnt wasn't a strong against the scared, oppressed people of my tribe.
"Gran Gran, please don't let Sokka do this." I was pleading. I didn't raise my voice, I didn't demand it. I just asked.
"Katara," Gran Gran heaved a sigh. "you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it best if the Airbender leaves."
Tears and anger welled up inside me.
"Fine!" I screamed. "Then I'm banished too! Come on Aang." I whirred around and grabbed Aangs arm pulling him along with me towards Appa, who had mossed slowly over from where Sokka's newly build watch tower was.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sokka asked me in a jeering way only a big brother could.
"To find a Waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole." I called behind me without turning around.
"I am?" Aang asked, almost to himself. "That's great but..."
"Katara!" I stopped in the snow. "You're really going to choose him? Over your Tribe? Over your own family?" Sokka's voice faltered now. From harsh and confident to disbelieving and worried.
Aang stepped closer to me.
"Katara. I don't want to come between you and your family." He sounded genuine, and sad. He spoke quietly enough that our words were private. The air was so cold the tears in my eyes began to sting. I fought to hold them from running down my face. Aang touched my back in a friendly and caring gesture. Then he walked to Aapa and propelled himself into the air to land easily on his head by the reigns.
"So..." I began, choked up. "You're leaving the South Pole? This is good bye?" I sighed. I was feeling defeated. I was loosing a friend, I was in big touble with my tribe and my family, and I was still n outcast who couldn't control her own force of nature. All the non-benders of my tribe just didn't get it. Waterbending was a part of me. A part of my soul, and my chance of ever filling just one of the empty holes in my heart was walking away forever.
"Thanks for penguin sledding with me." Aang said as his agreement that this would in fact be goodbye. I couldn't blame him. The people of my tribe did not welcome him here. Who would want to stay someplace that won't have you?
"Where will you go?"
"I guess I'll go back home and look for the Airbenders." he told me thoughtfully. He tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke. "Wow! I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years! Not looking forward to that." I smiled the smallest smile I've ever made, which was the biggest one I could manage right then. He looked behind me to the crowd of people. "It was nice meeting everyone!" he called to them with a true smile on his face. how could he be so forgiving of the people who were condemning him? I was glad for it though.
"Let's see your bison fly now, air boy." Sokka responded.
"Come on Appa. You can do it! YipYip!"Aang encouraged his bison, but again nothing happened. Sokka adding insult to injury. I didn't think I would ever forgive him for this.
"Yea." Sokka scoffed. "I thought so."
Nukka, one of the youngest of the children, only six years old, broke away from her older sister to run towards Aang. I caught her in my arms to keep her from climbing the bison and starting chaos. "Aang! Don't go!" she begged him tears in he eyes. "I'll miss you." she old him. Aang looked at her.
"I'll miss you too." he told her, but half way through saying it he turned his gaze and locked eyes with me. I melted. All of my emotions came to a head. Aang reigned Appa to start walking. "Come on, boy."
Nukka walked away after staring after Aang and Appa for a moment with me. She was crying. I felt a hand brush my shoulder. I hadn't turned around yet to face the people of my tribe. I heard my Gran Gran's voice soft and soothing, as it was usually.
"Katara, you'll feel better aft..."
I whipped around to face her. "Are you happy now? There goes my one chance at becoming a Waterbender." I stalked off before I could say all the other things that were swimming in my head.
I passed Sokka gathering the children to 'ready our defenses' whatever that even meant. I moved to quickly to hear what he might have to say to me, but he was too mad at me to say anything anyways.