A/N – This is just a little intro I wrote, the action should start next chapter when Zuko sails in, in search of the Avatar.
Chap. 1 – Birthday Bonfire
As night deepened in the small village of the Southern Water Tribe, the full moon rose and shone brilliantly upon the tightly-packed snow houses that circled a rather lacking bonfire. Sokka, the only male in the tribe between the ages 7 and 70 and the son of Hakoda, the tribe's chief, stepped back to examine his creation. There wasn't much to work with. Just an old rotting canoe that was otherwise unfixable and a pile of driftwood he had spent half the day gathering. He blinked a few times and sighed. This was as good as it was gonna get.
He started to sit down on a block of hard snow, but he stumbled and ended up landing hard on his rear. There was a giggle behind him.
"Katara!" Sokka shouted. She had moved the block with her strange magic that she used mostly to annoy him all the time.
"Is this the great surprise you had us waiting for all day?" She smirked. "I don't think everyone will fit around…"
Sokka just stared into the flames kind of embarrassed and ignored his sister, refusing to even get up after her dumb trick. 'At least she didn't change it to liquid this time' he thought. A second thought occurred to him and he turned back to Katara, who was looking at the moon.
"Why don't you put your weirdness to use and make us a stage for our festival" he said.
"It's not weirdness, its waterbending" Katara emphasized for the hundredth time. "And what's this about a festival?" She asked skeptically.
"Uh, duh Katara, it's Gran Gran's 80th birthday today" replied Sokka.
"I know, but we've never had a festival before for her birthdays." Katara rebutted.
"Well I wanted this one to be special." Sokka explained. "Besides, it's a fantastic night."
"It really is…" Katara said wistfully, turning to gaze at the moon once more. She quirked her brow and looked back at Sokka. "So a stage?"
"Just try to raise a really big platform on that side of the fire" Sokka said pointing. "I won't be mad if you can't—" he stopped and stared at the massive mound of icy powder that rose to dwarf his precious bonfire.
"Stop! Not that big!" Sokka shouted. But it was too late. Chunks of ice came down in an avalanche that destroyed the flames without hesitation.
"Why did I ever think that would work!" Sokka half-whined, half shouted.
"Whoops" Katara voiced. "Sorry Sokka." She apologized genuinely.
Sokka was still beating himself up at his mistake. "Every time you use your magic powers something bad happens to me! Why dear spirits did I ask you to help me with them? Like all of a sudden they could actually be of use!" He finished ranting, glaring at Katara. She whimpered, a few tears coming to her eyes.
"That's enough Sokka" came an aged voice behind them. Gran Gran had come out to see what all the commotion was about. "Just collect the usable wood and bring it inside to the fire-pit." Sokka mumbled and huffed under his breath but otherwise did as he was told.
"And Katara…" Gran Gran trailed off. Katara was looking away still hurt from her brother's words. "Katara, your waterbending is not useless. Come inside and we'll have a talk." Gran Gran took Katara back into their hut and sat her down around the fire-pit.
"I don't blame you in the least bit for your mistake you know." Gran Gran reached out to touch Katara on the shoulder. "If anyone is to blame, it's your father. He should have found someone or taken you to study somewhere, but I'm afraid after losing your mother he didn't have the heart to risk putting you in danger. It pains me every day to see the raw talent you have with no one to help you control it or teach you. What you just did out there was remarkable—I've never seen anything like it accept from a whole team in synchronization."
"But it was sloppy" Katara said looking downcast. "I'm lucky the fire was the only casualty… Sokka's right, I'm a fool to think my gift could ever help people…"
"Did I hear Sokka's right?" Sokka entered carrying a bundle of wet planks and charred driftwood. He had a smirk on his face but quickly wiped it off when he saw the look his grandmother was giving him, and deposited the wet wood in the pit.
"Don't think like that Katara." Gran Gran stared down at Sokka who was now trying to get the soaked kindling to light with spark rocks. "Look here, focus on the water in the wood and try to pull it out."
"No way." Sokka countered huddling around his treasured wood protectively. "You've done enough helping Katara. I don't want my wood in splinters everywhere."
Katara turned away. "Maybe I shouldn't—"
"Nonsense Katara, have more confidence. And put more trust in your sister's abilities Sokka." Gran Gran continued. "Waterbending is a sacred and noble art that should be practiced regularly by those who are gifted."
Katara turned to the pit and took in a deep breath. Sokka scrambled back.
"Hey—" he started. But the task was done. Streams of water from the wood filled the air.
"I did it!" Katara shouted with joy, throwing her hands up. Unfortunately for Sokka, this resulted in being soaked by sheets of water which half froze him where he stood.
"G-g-g-rrreat j-job." Sokka stuttered shivering. Gran Gran chuckled and started the fire with one flick of the spark rocks.
"Perfect Katara" Gran Gran said while the flames flickered to life. "See Sokka? Your sister's skills ended up helping after all."
"R-r-right" Sokka said rolling his eyes and he hobbled to the edge almost face planting trying to get unfrozen.
Oblivious to Sokka's condition, Katara thought aloud, "Where do think I could ever find someone to teach me?" She hung her head remembering all the tragedies the Southern Water Tribe had suffered. "The Fire Nation is terrible…" she continued with a dark look.
"Yes…" Gran Gran answered with a serious, but reverent tone. She shook her head; she did not feel up to telling any of those stories tonight. Not on her birthday. To change the subject, she thought of a different story she could tell her grandkids.
"I think it's time I told you kids something I've kept from you for a long time" she started. Sokka and Katara looked up. "I was not born here in the Southern Water Tribe."
"What!" Sokka exclaimed as Katara gasped.
"I was born in the Northern Water Tribe" she continued before they could ask, "and ran away from home when I was 18 years old" she paused for interruption, but they were too busy gawking, so she decided to keep going. "I was able to stowaway on an Earth Kingdom ship on an expedition from the king to locate the avatar" she clarified.
"You stowed away?" Sokka asked confused. "Why take such drastic measures?"
Gran Gran frowned at the question. "That story, will have to be told another night" she said darkly and looked away. "The real reason I told you was because of the water-bending classes that were there. There were many masters and students- too many to count!" she said with a smile to Katara.
Katara perked up. "Do you think they're still there? Could someone teach me?" her eyes sparkled.
"I haven't a clue…" she answered. "I'm sure things have changed…" she trailed off remembering all of the stupid traditions the North Tribe had. "I doubt the fire nation has been able to capture it though. It is a grand city-state surrounded by high cliffs and a 200 foot wall of ice... and so many water benders trained to work together for defense. When I was there, the fire nation could never come close to the wall without suffering heavy casualties."
"Yeah! Go Water Tribe!" cheered Sokka, enjoying the story.
"But… it's at the other side of the world!" Katara said, reality hitting her hard. "That's not like a short canoe trip up the lake. There's no way of ever knowing for sure… Is there?"
"Of course there is." Gran Gran said frankly. "Maybe not right now, but the universe has way of showing us our destiny's when the time is right. Never give up hope Katara." She finished sagely.
Katara watched the smoke rise up the chimney into the night sky and reached up to put a hand on her necklace. One day, she thought.