Katara rose slowly and stretched, her lithe body quickly adjusting to the strain on her muscles. It felt so good. She walked slowly around the large room she had slept in, warming up her legs and spinning her arms in a windmill motion before pulling one arm in front of the other and stretching again. She was a little surprised she was awake and as mentally aware as she was, it must be just after midnight.
Aang, Sokka and Toph had all decided on an early night and Katara had eagerly agreed. It had been two weeks since they had entered the Fire Nation and as the day drew closer to the big invasion, everyone was on edge and they all needed as much rest as possible.
Katara walked silently out of the rock tent Toph had created near a sheer mountain face. Toph had expertly constructed it to look natural; no passing Fire Nation citizen would look at it and think twice. Katara shed her fire nation dress and walked down to the lake they had landed near in her underdress.
She knew it was risky, but she couldn't resist. There was no chance she could sleep now, and she knew it would be the same for every other water bender. The full moon hung majestically in the sky, like a silver pearl in a sea of darkness. It lit up everything underneath it and Katara could physically feel the pull of the full moon, much like the ocean did every night.
She walked into the water but instead of shivering at its cool touch, Katara rejoiced. She felt trapped being in the Fire Nation. If anyone discovered she was a water bender there would be no hesitation in turning her over to the Fire Nation army that seemed to inhabit every village.
Tonight however, they weren't near any village, they hadn't seen a Fire Nation soldier for days and they were surrounded by a mountain range on one side of the lake and a dense forest on the other. She had to take this opportunity to reconnect with her element, the thing that truly defined her.
She was a water-bender.
When she was born, she had to keep it a secret for fear of discovery by the Fire Nation raiders that pillaged her tribe. Her mother, her beloved mother, had died to protect Katara. Some nights she still woke covered in sweat, the guilt of her mother's death clinging to her and filling her lungs. For many years after, she almost resented the fact that she had this ability and that she was the last of the Southern water benders.
It wasn't until her father went away to war too and she and Sokka had suddenly inherited a frightening amount of responsibility had she finally come to terms with her gift. She knew she could protect those she loved. Many years later, Katara finally mastered her bending discipline and now it was as natural and as treasured to her as breathing. Katara realised that denying her water bending was like a bird refusing to fly. Wrong.
She was now waist-deep in water. Sometimes she wished that she could sink to the bottom of the ocean and live there peacefully amongst the fish. No war, no fear, no death. It was the faces of her loved ones that kept her strong. Her mother, father, Sokka, Toph, Aang…
She had to fight.
Katara raised her arms and took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. She released it very slowly, paying special attention to her breathing and heart rate. She closed her eyes and began to walk through the basic stances of water bending. Pushing and pulling the water, then raising it into a wall before moving on to more advanced techniques. After a while she forgot all about proper water bending forms and began to freestyle, feeling the movements instead of thinking about them.
A smile crept across her face as she picked up the tempo of her movements, finally pushing herself. Her breaths became quicker and shallower and soon she could feel that she was bending a massive amount of water. If it were any other time of the month she would have been exhausted by now, but this was a most sacred night. The full moon gave Katara unparalleled power, she knew within herself that she was truly a force to reckon with on this night. Instead of exhaustion, she felt only exhilaration.
By focusing solely on her water bending on nights of the full moon she was able to push aside the dark desire to practice her other talent. Blood Bending. Since Hamma had taught her such a horrific ability, when the full moon rose - the only night she could perform blood bending -there had been a presence within Katara, whispering to her, igniting the desire to blood bend. Although she would never admit it to anyone, not even Aang, there was a darkness within Katara that made her want to exercise her power.
Katara had always found solitude near water the best place to clear her mind, as if the water was literally washing away her confusion and doubts. There were three sides to Katara - the passive and nurturing side of her whom had developed the ability to heal. The fighting side of Katara that had the will and desire to master water bending to protect her loved ones, and the aggressive and vengeful side that wanted revenge on those that had hurt her.
Delicately and deliberately, Katara released the water from her control and let it settle in the lake again. She submerged herself within the water and let it wash the sweat from her body. She stayed under for several minutes, creating pockets of air for her breath in. When she felt relaxed and refreshed she rose from the water and exited gracefully.
To her surprise, Aang was sat perfectly balanced on a rock, watching her. Neither smiled or greeted the other. Katara wondered how long he had been there; she had been so entirely focused on herself she had been completely unaware of any other presence near her.
"I feel it too." Aang said in a voice just louder than a whisper as Katara bent the water from her hair and clothes. Katara turned to look at the moon then back at Aang. He nodded simply. "It must be my water bender past lives," He continued and a fleeting look of sadness flicked across his face before he regained his impassive composure.
There was a silent understanding between Aang and Katara. They were both the last of their people in one way or another. Eventually though, more water benders would be born in the Southern Water Tribe, the water bending potential slept within the inhabitants, Aang was the very last Air Nomad and he was utterly alone. Katara understood the look on Aang's face when he spoke of his past lives; it was a way of not only connecting him to past air-benders but also a way of connecting him to all the elements and their corresponding Avatars. It made him feel like he wasn't alone.
Katara wordlessly held out her hand to him and he came willingly. They walked back towards the cave hand-in-hand silently, but needing no words. Katara looked at the moon one last time, it was the last full moon before the invasion, she said a silent prayer to Yue, hoping she was watching over them, and finally followed Aang into the darkness of the cave.