Chapter One: The Tigress

It was her duty to watch over Him and she lost the scent. She was supposed to wait for his return, but her sister was alone. Now she fights the need to go back to her sister, and breaks the promise they made years ago when they were still children. So she waits in an icy valley at the bottom of the world. There she met a small girl that reminds her of her little sister. But will this girl have a larger role in finding what she lost? Or will she be the cause of losing the most precious thing she still clings to?

A tigress sat on a snow covered hill top overlooking a small water tribe village where a little girl lived. She was the last of the waterbenders in the southern water tribe. She discovered this little girl one unusually cold night inside a cave.

She was crying. Her mother had been murdered by a firebending captain of the Southern Raiders. She was still trying to be strong to her older brother and father, but tonight she came to the cave to grieve.

The tigress' heart went out to her. She knew how it felt to lose someone very important. She had almost given up on trying to find him, but seeing this little girl forced her to care again. Slowly she approached the tearful girl, careful to remain in the shadows. She sat down on her hunches and inched to the edge of the shadows.

"What's your name?" She asked in her gentlest voice. The little girl looked up and dried her eyes. She looked around, but saw no one.

"Hello?" She asked nervously to the cave walls.

"Hello," She answered back, keeping her voice even.

"I can't see you."

"Sometimes what you can't see is the most important. Now what is your name little one?"

"Ka-katara. What's yours?"

"I am Koumi."

"Oh, it's pretty," she cooed as she wiped away the tears from her cheeks with her wrists, "I didn't know there were other people. You're not a firebender are you?"

"Not exactly," Koumi hesitated, "Tell me, Katara, why are you in a cave and why are you so sad?"

"I'm not telling you anything till I know who you are!" She said loudly, jumping to her feet.

"Please, Katara, I told you-"

"No! I don't care what you said! My mother was killed by firebenders! I have to see your face," she stated bravely trying to fight back another wave of tears. Koumi remained silent for a moment and Katara's face became fearful. "Koumi?"

"I will show myself to you, but you must promise me two things and in return I will promise to be here when you need me to talk to and I will be yours to call on if you need my help."

Katara thought for a moment, "Okay, what do I have to promise?"

"Just that you won't scream when you see me and that you will keep me a secret from everyone you know."

"Why?"

"I'm not very sociable. I don't want to have to entertain a village."

"Okay, deal. I promise. Now where are you?"

Koumi sighed and stepped into view. At the sight of the large tigress, Katara gasped and covered her mouth.

"Koumi, don't come out yet, there's a big animal in front of me," Katara whispered. Koumi couldn't help but laugh.

"No, no, Katara. I am the animal. I am a tigress guardian."

"Oh. Well, no wonder you don't want me to tell anyone. How can you talk?"

"I am a guardian. That means I'm not like other animals. I can choose who can hear my voice."

"Oh. Neat."

"Yes," she chuckled, "now will you tell me why you were crying? Was it because of your mother?"

"Uh huh. My heart hurts. And I can see her in my dreams and I'm okay, but when I wake up it starts hurting again."

"I'm sorry. I lost my mother a long time ago, too."

"Really?"

"Mhm, my younger sister and I lived on our own since we were four. It was difficult, but we managed. We swore we would protect each other. We'd always be together." She sat back down, and stretched to lay down around Katara.

"Where is your sister now," she asked while absentmindedly petted her soft fur.

"We were separated," Koumi sighed heavily. She crossed one paw over the other. "I haven't seen her since," she stopped short, "well, a long time, a very long time."

"Why don't you look for her?" She asked innocently. Koumi's ears twitched backward.

"Well, you're my new project. You're a water mover, right?"

"Waterbender, yes," Katara corrected. The tigress rolled her light green eyes.

"Anyway, that's why I can't leave now. I have to make sure you keep practicing," she lied.

"Okay!" Katara agreed excitedly.

"Katara!" An old woman's voice called with a worried tone. Both of them looked up at the mouth of the cave.

"It's Gran-gran. I have to go," Katara sighed before hugging the tigress tightly around the neck. Before Koumi could comment, she scampered away. Though it was unexpected, Koumi never complained.

Katara felt warmer as she ran toward her grandmother's voice. Her heart felt as if she had talked to her mother again.

Koumi kept her word as well as Katara, and for the next several years, she watched at a distance as the little girl grew in both body and skill. And Katara made regular visits to the cave. That is until Katara turned fourteen, when she went with her brother Soka on a fishing trip and came back without fish or a canoe.

Ps. The Guardian's are my personal copywritten characters. The avatar characters, however, are not mine... I would have at least told ya'll where Zuko's mother was!