During mid-spring, Suki notices the boy surfing in the waters.
She sees him out of the corner of her eye but doesn't give it much thought to it the first time. She's too busy, her body needs training to keep in prime, her thoughts only turn over the practice with her fellow warriors and the afternoon tutorials when the sun shines directly over head to keep her mind strong as her body.
The third time she sees the boy, everything about him stands out to her. His hair is dark to his shoulders and looks oil black in the distance, his skin is rich and coffee cream brown. He moves gracefully in the water, cutting and swift. It is also then she realizes that he can't be from the Island.
The boy swims in the shores of the bay.
She cries out sharply to the boy as she runs to the shoreline, she stops when her toes touch the lapping waves. "What are you doing?" His long dark hair whips as he turns to see her. Even though he's so far in the cold water, she sees him smile. "Get out of there, you idiot! It's the unagi hatchling season!"
Her heart races as she watches him continue to smile and suddenly his body ducks into the water. The motion is so smooth and the water is so pristine, Suki wonders if she's seen anything at all.
A wiser woman would have returned to the village, as would a cowardly woman.
Suki goes in, fearing the worse, fearing the utmost worse.
The world becomes sharp and cold as she frantically swims to where she thought she saw the boy. She dives and like she fears, the boy danced with the waves where the sea floor falls into darkness. She dives deeper and sees shadows dance and her heart skips with dread. The shadows pause and begin to rush.
She is already dead.
Something latches about her ankle as the hatchling races, that something drags her back to shallows, faster than a hatchling can surface. And Suki finds she is gasping for air, trying to figure out what's about her ankle, and then realizes a warm body rests next to her.
The boy is on his side, and looks close to her age. His hair is dark brown, not black, and his eyes are light and airy as the sky. His smile is wide and he rests on his elbow, studying her. His body is muscular and lean and the cool sun gleams the curves and swells of his form. "I thought humans were supposed to be cowardly and stupid, not brave and stupid."
Suki sputters and her eyes follow down, because something still twists about her ankle and she gasps, startled. Below the boy's hips the skin becomes sleek, shiny, and peacock blue spotted with indigo. Five tentacles like an octolion languidly twist and undulate against the sand and shore. The sixith one is wrapped comfortably around her ankle. The tentacle feels warm and smooth, not like a pentapod or octolion's.
A cecaelia.
"Do you always save strangers? I think in the long run that's got to be really detrimental to your health." The he teases, letting the tentacle around Suki's foot to unwrap and slide up her leg, his smile is wholly pleased with himself.
Suki stares, squeaks, and looks at the smug boy. She's very sure that the cecaelia sees stars after she slaps him across the face.
"Hi," The cecaelia boy rubs his cheek, "I'm Sokka."