My mother always said that I reminded her to the ocean. Not just because of my blue eyes that resemble in colour but of my personality, she said that I was nurturing like the ocean that gave life to all those that lived in the Southern Water Tribe, but also how strong and like the tides of the ocean once I wanted something no one could possibly try and change my course. I'm not sure if it was a compliment of not, but I have always had a sort of connection with the ocean, I guess it could have been because I was a Water Bender. Every time I felt anxious or upset I would make my way to the shore and allow the over powering smell of the ocean calm me down. This time though the smell of the ocean wasn't calming me, something was wrong.

My eyes were closed but I could tell it was just becoming light as the soft orange rays of the sun tried to break through my eye lids. My body felt heavy like I just finished running through deep snow, I slowly opened my eyes. Forgetting the aches throughout my body I sat up quick.

No. This couldn't be right. I looked around me and my new surroundings. I was on a beach, but this want a beach from home. Instead of the hard ice and snow that lined the shore of the Southern Water Tribe I was sitting on the soft sand. I stood up slowly still trying to work out if this was a dream or not.

The rising sun make the landscape around me seem calm, the one emotion that I couldn't feel at the moment.

It was like a massive wave of emotion hit me when all the events from last night came rushing back to me. I was on my father's favourite ship, he, my mother and I were going on our usual trip of visiting the more remote tribes of the southern water tribe. My mother suggested that they leave Sokka at the palace so he could start to take on more responsibility as next in line to be Head Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

I shook my head. Think Katara. Why are you here?

I remembered leaning over railing of the boat with Mother. The moon was bright and just about to rise. I was showing her how I could move the current by waving my hand in the direction I wanted. I remember Bato coming up and telling me that I was disrupting the ships movements. After he walked away my mother and I quietly giggled. I remember watching my mother turn her eyes back to the ocean where her smile quickly fell from her face. She grabbed my arm hard and walked quickly towards where my father was talking with his council men. He smiled when he saw us, but like my mother's smile before him it quickly faded as well. I only heard two words before the ship turned into absolute mayhem.

Fire Nation.

I remember my dad coming up to me and telling me that I must stay inside of the ship. I was still so confused so I just nodded and went to walk into the cabin that held our rooms when the sky was light up bright orange. I looked up just in time to see the fight fireball hit our ship. I felt the giant wooden vessel lurch sideway from the pressure of the blast.

It clicked to me then that we were under attack from the Fire Nation. I couldn't possibly follow dad's orders when I knew I could help in some way. I ran back to the centre of the boat, no one noticed me as they were all busy trying to defend the boat and their leaders. I kept running, ignoring the panicked yells and ongoing fire balls hitting the boat.

I finally felt my heart rest a little as I saw the familiar soft blue eyes of my mother. She saw me straight away and while I could tell she was upset that I didn't listen I knew she understood. She always does.

I was just a few meters from reaching her when I felt heat like I have never known come between us. The last thing I remember seeing was my mother reaching forward for me. Her eyes wide with horror.

And that brings me to here. I looked around again hoping that something will look familiar as the sun became brighter, but nothing did. What I could see was the familiar spiral of smoke from a cooking fire that looked not too far away. I started to walk and realised that I was still drenched with salt water. I flicked my wrist and felt relief as the water came off of my body. I looked down at the blue tunic I had on, or what was left of it, hopefully I could find some clothes soon.

As I started to walk over the completely foreign terrain to what I was use to I finally let myself worry about my parents and everyone on the boat. My stomach felt like it was doing somersaults when I thought out all the different scenarios in my head. I stopped walking and took a deep breath. I can't let myself think like that. If I survived then surely my parents who are the strongest people I know survived.

Trying to keep my thoughts away from my parents I looked down at my feet as I walked over the green grass. I have only ever walked on grass once and that was when I was really young and my family visited the Earth Kingdom, we haven't been back because the it became too dangerous when the Fire Nation set up colonies in the Earth Kingdom and slowly but surely started to take over the land.

I made it atop of a small rise and was relieved to see that the smoke came from a house that sat on the outskirts of a small town. It was early but it was easy to see movement of people in the town's streets. As I got closer I saw that clothes where hanging on a line, I moved my eye over them and realised that they were all red.

Panic started to rise, I can't be in the Fire Nation. Once again I used the technique that Sokka taught me and when I feel panicked to take three deep breaths.

The colouring of the clothes could just be a coincidence. I quickly took a dark red tunic top and a pair of pants and made a quick dash back to the tree line where I got changed out of my clothes in record time. The clothes were made from thinner material than my own but I was glad for it. The sun had well and truly risen and the heat that came off it was something I wasn't use to. I looked towards the town, there was definitely more movement than before.

I found myself not wanting to make the climb down to the town, I was scared of what I would meet down there. My father always taught Sokka and myself to never let fear control us. With my father's wise words in my head I felt strong enough to start my descent, not before quickly grabbing a dark cape with a hood from a person's line.

As I got closer I started to smell the scents that came from the town. I could smell breakfast being cooked but instead of the slightly salty smell of sea prunes boiling it was more of a spicy smell one that stuck in my nose making it itchy.

I started to really feel nervous when I stepped into the town perimeter. I felt like everyone's eyes were on me, even though I looked and everyone was just going about their busy. To them I was just a nobody and that was fine by me.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for but anything that would help me identify where I was would be great. After a while my feet got sore and I noticed a little shop, the herbal smell luring me in. I sat at a small table that faced the road outside. This was my first chance to look at the people around me. They all had the dark hair, but so did everybody in the world. I noticed that the elder men all had beards that stuck out in silly angles, what was more worrying was that everyone was wearing red and/or gold.

"Hello? Are you ordering anything?" came a voice from behind me. I visibly jumped and the waiter, a boy a couple of years older than me, noticed and apologized.

I couldn't think of anything to say, it was like my mind had just given up on me. So I did what anyone would have done and ran out of the shop, I didn't stop running until I got to the centre of the town. I stopped and tried to catch my breath which was even harder in this heat.

I started to feel the panic come over me again. How could a princess of the Southern water Tribe be lost and so helpless? I decided to walk I little bit further until I smelt something familiar, I guess the smell of cactus juice is the same anywhere in the world. I came to a building that seemed to be quiet popular even this early in the morning, it wasn't the amount of people that made me halt in my tracts, it was the giant flame insignia that marked the entry way.

There and then I realised that my worst fears could be confirmed. I, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of their Head Chief, was stranded in enemy territory.