A/N: I'm writing again. Haha, hopefully this isn't as big a trainwreck as the other ones I wrote. It'll get better, I promise. Who knows, maybe I'll actually commit to this one? Idk.

Read it I guess, and leave a rad review if you want. Be kind please! Thankssssss

Katara couldn't remember a time they had been at peace with the Fire Nation. But in recent years, the raids on her tribe seemed to have gotten worse

She had heard stories about the large mermaid communities who used to inhabit the waters of the South Pole.

But then Sozin's comet had arrived and the world was thrown into chaos. Fire Lord Sozin tried to harness the power of the comet, but it backfired. He ended up dead, and the ability to firebend disappeared completely

In their quest to maintain power, the Fire Nation started killing off benders and started a worldwide search for the Avatar. Even the mermaids, witches and others who had cohabitated peacefully with humans for so long found themselves being picked off. The world hoped for the avatar to save them, but he had disappeared.

There was nothing left to do but watch the Fire Nation conquer everything.

The raids had been coming and going since long before Katara was born. They used to be bearable, and didn't really affect their family.

But then her mother was killed protecting her; all she had left of her was a necklace.

Her father had gone to fight a long time ago.

Katara and her brother had no idea where he was now.

The raids grew more aggressive and their dwindling tribe continued to lose hope they didn't even know they had anymore.

Friendly contact with humans was a thing of the past- no one was courageous enough to go above the water anymore.

The merpeople coached each other on what to do if they were captured.

Stay silent.

Pretend to know nothing.

Act useless.

Run if you can.

A net hurtled through the water, narrowly missing Katara. Her brother grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Katara! Get moving!"

"I am!" she snapped back. With a powerful thrust of her tail, she sped through the water, trying to get away from the scene.

Sometimes when other mermaids were taken, Katara found herself feeling relieved. Guilty, but relieved. Others being captured meant she and her brother would be spared a while longer.

Now, she focused only on getting to the small alcove she and her brother had found a few months ago. That was their safe spot- too deep for even the Fire Nation and their high-tech weapons.

A cannon fired overhead and she startled, fear propelling her to the cave. The amount of mermaids in this area was smaller, which meant a smaller chance of the ship coming to this area. Releasing a shaky breath, she turned to talk to her brother- but he wasn't next to her.

Crap.

"Sokka… Sokka?!" She went back the direction she came, pushed forward by her rising panic. Had he been captured? The plan had always been to save herself, but she couldn't do this without her brother. Not without the only person she could trust. Not without the one person who helped make this constantly terrifying experience somewhat bearable. He couldn't be taken.

Mustering her courage, she shot up to the surface.

It had been too long- the air practically slapped her in the face. Gasping for breath, she swam towards the hulking metal ship.

If any of the other mermaids had even bothered to look at her, they would've thought she was crazy. What sane merperson would want to get captured?

Katara couldn't see her brother anywhere. Maybe he was still with the mermaids, she considered. Maybe they took someone else. Maybe-

All thoughts vanished from her brain when she saw his skinny form thrashing helplessly against a net made of black rope. She paddled towards him, keeping her eyes on the crane lifting him into the air.

To save him, she had to get on that ship. For the first time in her life, she hoped the Fire Nation boat would notice her.

And it actually happened.

A crewmember with a large golden tube (telescope?) pointed at her excitedly, waving a few of his friends over.

For a moment, Katara's panic was replaced with surprise. These were humans! She couldn't remember the last time she had seen one.

She saw a similar net be thrown over her and lay still as they pulled her up.

When she was unceremoniously thrown onto the deck, she made eye contact with Sokka. She didn't hear the whistles of the crew or the shouted arguments. All she saw was his face, and the fear and slight relief written on it.

I'm here to help you. She tried to communicate.

"Put them in the tanks!" The dialect was different, but Katara could understand it. Her father had made her brother and her learn the Common Language 'just in case'. She hadn't practiced in a while, but if she listened hard and thought carefully enough, she could translate.

She had seen tanks before in the shipwrecks below. Small glass boxes, with not nearly enough room to hold a nearly full-grown mermaid.

She lay gasping at the cold air on the deck, staring up at the sky and praying for Tui and La to save them. Two rough hands grabbed her under the armpits and plopped her roughly down in a container.

Katara let out a quiet hiss of pain when she landed on her rump. It wasn't a very big tank- her tail had to fold to fit. The lack of water in the box made it worse. She could survive on land, but she felt most comfortable surrounded by water.

As the mermaid siblings fidgeted and tried to get comfortable, a man suggested the crew get the 'boss'. There was a shouted discussion, making Katara's head throb slightly and then finally, finally they left.

She and her brother were alone.

"Are you alright?" Katara whispered, reaching over to push against Sokka's tank.

He nodded, uncharacteristically serious. "Why did you come back?"

"You would've done the same."

The siblings sat in silence, minds racing as they tried to figure out a plan.

"Katara, we're on the main deck of the ship," Sokka stated.

"So…"

"Which means if we get to the edge and hit the water before they notice…"

"...we have a chance at getting away," Katara finished. It wasn't a very complicated or good plan. But it was the best they could do, and they were desparate.

"Follow my lead." Sokka used his arms to hoist himself out of the tiny tank, landing with a thunk on the metal ship.

Katara followed his lead, wincing slightly when she hit the surface of the boat. That was going to leave bruises.

She began clawing her way across, using strength she didn't even know she had left. Her dark blue tail dragged behind her as she made her way towards the sea. Being above water was uncomfortable, and she was itching to dive back in.

The first crewmember noticed them around the three quarters mark. He started shouting and she willed herself to go faster. Not much longer until others started arriving on the scene.

"We're almost there Katara. Hang on," Sokka said, sounding slightly tired.

The people were finally listening to the alarm and arriving on deck.

There was no way both of them could escape.

Footsteps.

Katara was right behind Sokka as he reached the edge. One of the men reached towards him and she did the only thing she could think of-

As her teeth sank into a pale arm she heard a yell and felt herself being flung off to the side.

She landed hard on her side and saw Sokka shoot her a worried glance.

"Keep going fool!" she shouted out, forgetting to pretend she didn't know how to speak.

For a moment he looked as though he might protest, but he must have seen the desperation in her eyes.

Even he must have realized he was the only one who could leave. Otherwise all this would have been in vain. Slapping his tail against the deck, he launched himself into the air.

Too late, one of the men reached for him but he had slipped past his arms. The boat's crew shouted at each other to ready the nets again, but Sokka was off. Preparing the nets and weapons again would take too much time.

Katara saw him take a last look back before diving into the dark depths below.