A Note of Love, Flying on Wings
A slight breeze blew Katara's hair around, bringing in leaves and pollen from the fields and forest around her. The sun above shone brightly on her face as it began to descend from the sky. She could hear birds chirping in the forest and fish jumping in the river next to her, and felt the wind on her neck as Momo flew past her and landed on Aang's shoulder. It was a beautiful day, and she sighed, taking it all in.
It was indeed beautiful for her, and she was filled with happiness at the date. It had been a week since the last time, and a week was a carrier pigeon's flight time between the two of them. She walked along the river, following her brother and Aang, humming a soft tune and staring admirably at the flowing river's waters as they cascaded over the smooth stones.
There was a town nearby that was under Fire Nation control, and the group had decided to walk instead of riding on Appa to avoid detection. In another day's travel time they would be clear of sight and could fly again. Katara was happy with walking; though flying was quicker, it didn't offer the same view of the beautiful countryside as walking did.
They walked into a clearing big enough to make camp in, and decided to stop for the night, as the sun was nearing setting. Appa lay down in his spot for the night, and the group unpacked from his saddle all the things they would need for the night and morning. Katara grabbed her blue sleeping bag and unrolled it in her chosen spot; a grassy area with a large rock near it that made for a 'privacy screen' from the two boys. It was off to the side of camp, between the woods and the river. It was perfect for her; she loved to listen to the whitewater of the river as she went to sleep. It had a calming effect, the sound of it just made her smile.
Aang sparked a fire in the center of the campsite, in a bare spot stacked with wood on the ground encircled with rocks. Sokka laid out his sleeping bag—predictably right next to the fire—and asked Katara if she'd gather some firewood for him. She nodded and went into the woods to look for some.
There was plenty of wood around close to camp, but Katara passed it all by as she continued walking a bit, as she was looking for something else. After a minute or two, she heard a sharp bird cry—the one he had taught her—and called back with a perfect birdcall. The carrier pigeon circled above and descended, zooming through the trees with controlled speed. The gray-and-white bird came to rest on her shoulder, and she pulled the knot around its ankle, taking the note.
She held it to her chest, right on her heart, and inhaled the scent of it, pleasantly wondering what he'd written to her this time. She opened it and read. She finished reading his note and smiled; so he was in the area. That's perfect. She reached into a pocket and pulled out her pen--her special pen he had given her—and a piece of parchment. She held the paper against the trunk of a smooth tree and penned out her response.
"Zuko
The River runs strong and quick, carrying downstream to me memories of you. The petals from the flowering field float on the Breeze, the Sun blazing in the sky and the Earth trembling beneath me. Two paths collide here in this field, bringing together two people.
Katara"
She smiled, rereading what she had written. He loved it when she wrote in riddles. Katara was sure he'd love this riddle especially well. Hastily, she rolled the letter up, went over to the carrier pigeon and secured the note to his leg with the string, giving it a final sharp tug before sending the bird off.
Now, time to collect that firewood.
XOXOXOXOXOX
The quarter moon shined brightly in the sky, the pale light of it shining down and reflecting off the river to her side. Katara walked confidently along the path beside the river, glancing every so often at the moon above her. She reached the edge of the field and followed the narrow, winding path through it. At last, she came to the point among the flowers where her path and his would collide, and waited there for him.
Not a minute later, he walked up to her and stood watching Katara stare off into the night sky full of stars. Her message was vague and cryptic, but Zuko had deciphered it and followed her little directions. How like her, not to name a town or any coordinates, but describe the flowers and trees around her.
He sat down next to her, taking her hand in his, letting her know he was there in the darkness with her. He had a little cryptic message for her as well.
"Some people look at those stars above us as if all they were was lights in the background. The astronomers, they saw the stars and stared at them, charting their paths and giving them names. They drew pictures out of them, even though all anyone else saw was jumbles of lights, and gave each star a connection to another. And even though those connections couldn't be seen or understood by anyone else," he leaned over and moved in, pressing his lips against hers, Katara pressing back, "Those connections were as real as they themselves were in the astronomers' eyes."