Chapter 2 - Companion
Kytah always enjoyed sailing with papa, he never let her out of his sight, and this time he was going to teach her how use a fishing line. Papa says they don't have to fish this way anymore because water benders can catch all they need to eat for a week with the snap of a finger. She'd watched her father fish with a net often; he preferred to work for his meals even though there was a surplus stored in the city. When she had asked him why, he had only said "if we forget how to waterbend, hopefully someone remembers how to catch." She watched as papa adjusted a few ropes and lowered the sail. She could feel the water's resistance slowly bring the ship to a stop. Even though she was not tall enough to see over the railing, she always felt like she could feel what the water was doing around her.
Papa came over to her and handed her a pole with a fishing line attached on the end. "It's just like the toy whip you have at home, but instead of swinging it back again, you just let the end go out into the water." She did as he suggested and it worked on the first time, she clearly heard the plop of the bobber, bait, and hook breaking the surface of the water. She closed her eyes and imagined the weight of the bait sinking through the water.
Papa sat down next to her and stared up at the clouds. He had always been a patient and quiet person.
"What was mama like?" she asked after a few minutes. He turned his head away from her; she tried to find what he was looking at.
"She was a great waterbender," he said after a minute. "She saved so many lives during the war. Your grandmother, Yugoda, taught her how to heal and she did it with so little effort, they said she was a prodigy healer."
"What's a prodigy healer?"
"Someone so special with healing they could almost revive the dead."
Kytah had a hard time understanding what it meant to revive the dead. "Papa?" she meant to ask him more, but when he turned to face her he saw he had a tear going down his face. "Why are you crying?"
"It's nothing dear, concentrate on your fishing, papa will be right back." He patted her on the head, got up and went below deck. Kytah was confused, but smiled back.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes again and tried to picture the hook drifting around in the subtle currents of the water under the ship. She wanted to catch a big fish so her father would be proud of her. She imagined a cute little baby water dragon circling around it curious about it. She had learned about water dragons in school, how the last ones were hunted down by the Fire Nation years ago when they were all bad guys. But the pictures they had in class were of dragons that were bigger than the city's huge whale hunting ship. The one she had in her mind seemed to be much smaller and very curious about the fishing line.
She opened her eyes and saw the bright blue and white colored whelpling flapping furiously in front of her with her fishing hook in its claws, and the bait missing. She almost screamed when she realized what was happening, but before she could she heard the little thing start talking to her, but its mouth wasn't moving.
You dropped this.
The water dragon stopped hovering and settled on the wood deck just 3 feet from her, and placed the hook between them staring at her with its head twisted slightly to one side.
"AHH, PAPA!" she couldn't help herself, she screamed as loud as she could, and dropped the fishing pole but she was too terrified to move. The little creature jumped from being startled and ran on its four legs to behind a wood crate next to the cabin. Papa came crashing up from below deck with a bone tipped spear in hand and ran over to Kytah looking out over the side of the boat for a threat. The dragon poked its head out from around the crate keeping very close to the floor as if ashamed for making a mistake. Kytah tugged on Papas pant leg and pointed at the creature. He looked where she was pointing and shifted his stance as if ready to counter an attack. Now though Kytah didn't feel any fear of the whelpling, in fact she felt somehow very safe with its presence, almost as if it could protect her.
She crawled over to it and Arnak didn't realize she was moving towards it till she was out of his range to stop her. But the thing crawled out slowly around the corner and approached her cautiously. Kytah reached out with both arms wide open, as if to hug it, and it jumped into her lap and curled up and made a humming almost chirp-like purring sound.
Kytah was absolutely glowing with joy; she turned towards Arnak and asked "Oh Papa! Can I keep him?!" The dragon immediately stopped purring and looked up at Kytah with a quizzical chirp. "Err, can I keep her?" she corrected herself. The creature jumped up onto her shoulder and they both looked at Arnak with an 'aw, please daddy' look.
Arnak slowly lowered his spear and accepted his daughter's new friend. He had reservations about a mysterious creature being so close to her, but the spirits be dammed if he's going to take something from his Kytah that makes her happy.
He set the spear aside and crouched down to inspect the thing closer. "I suppose," he half smiled. "But keep it here on the ship till I talk to the elders when we get back. Man, and all I caught was a sickly fish on my first fishing trip." Arnak rubbed the back of his neck, stood up, and started moving towards the main sail's rigging without taking an eye off Kytah and her new companion frantically buzzing around her making her giggle uncontrollably.
By the time they pulled into the docking marina, which Pakku had made big enough to fit dozens of ships, which at times still felt crowded with all the merchant ships filling the ports for products that could only be acquired at the Southern Water Tribe, Arnak had become more comfortable with their new family member. He couldn't help but imagine what the creature would be like in 20 years. Are they going to be feeding it whales every day? He had heard stories about the Unagi's mammoth size. Once they pulled up to his usual docking spot and tied off the ship with plenty of slack as the moon can be moody with its tides around here.
"I want you to stay below deck till I return," Arnak explained to Kytah. "I don't know what people would do if they saw your friend." He was nervous about leaving his daughter alone on his ship, but he couldn't think of anything safer for her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Ok Papa," Kytah said like she has a hundred times out of habit, obviously distracted with the dragon chasing a firefly around that she had released from the lantern.
Arnak turned and ran off the ship, the sun was just setting as he made it through the city gates and sprinted in the direction of the town center where Pakku could usually be found this time of day. The City always amazed him every time he saw it, with its towering lighthouses, impenetrably massive walls, and icy cathedral-like structures everywhere he looked.
A short time later he made it to the City Hall and found Pakku, Kanna, Hakoda and few foreign representatives, by the looks of their clothes, discussing something on the other side of the room around a table. Arnak stopped at the entry way a respectful distance to not intrude in their conversation and bowed when they noticed his presence.
"Arnak, my good friend, please join us, it's not like were arguing about anything important" Pakku said, putting one elbow and one hand on the table with a smile. The other foreigners looked at him with confusion. Clearly they didn't know Pakku's sarcastic sense of humor. Arnak half jogged up to the long narrow table across from where Pakku was sitting. Once he got close enough that Pakku saw his concerned expression he got serious and excused himself from the conversation. With one hand out towards Arnak to beckoned him to the other side of the hall where they could speak in private. Arnak explained to Pakku his situation with discovering a creature he'd only heard of and believed to be extinct.
"I believe we should consult The Avatar, he has more knowledge of these things," Pakku suggested. Arnak had only met The Avatar on rare occasions, and only because he lived here with his wife at the Southern Water Capital whenever they weren't traveling. He had only heard rumors about what they were doing, most thought he was attempting to revive the Air Nomads, he could only imagine what it would be like to live with his loss.
They made their way to the Avatar's dwelling, the citizens of the city beginning to set out lanterns to light the streets for the coming night as the moon would not be out. As they neared the house they found Katara carrying a large jug of water just a few steps outside their doorway.
"Student, you've missed yesterday's lesson" Pakku said in a very stern voice, Katara froze in her tracks and almost dropped the water. She wheeled around to see her grandfather grinning with victory over still being able to scare his subjects.
"Right and I was your student like 8 years ago?" Katara said with a confident voice.
"We have a need to consult the Avatar."
"I told you, just call him Aang. He's family you know." She held the door open for them, greeting them to proceed inside. Arnak followed them inside and found The Avatar with his back towards the doorway sitting in front of the fire in the middle of the room tending a pot of soup. Aang had grown considerably since he first met him during the Siege of the North, now generously taller than Katara, yet still appeared to be as nimble and athletic as he was all those years ago.
"Aang, it's good to see you again, make any progress on your last trip?" Pakku asked as Katara set the pale down in the kitchen. Aang turned around as if just realizing there were other people in the room other then Katara, and glanced across the new faces and instantly put on his goofy signature grin.
Arnak was beginning to grow inpatient, didn't he explain to Pakku he left his daughter alone on his ship with a potentially dangerous creature he didn't fully trust yet?
"Arnak right? You've come here for my help I assume, is everything ok?" The Avatar seemed to be able to see straight through you to what's important. Aang stood up and retrieved his staff glider from its place on the wall as if getting ready to leave.
Arnak again explained his situation to The Avatar who understood his eagerness to return to the ship. "We'll get there faster if we take Appa; he hasn't had any exercise today anyways." Arnak felt surprised, he'd never talked to The Avatar before today and now he was going to be riding on his sky bison, the last known surviving bison, as if they had been friends for years. The Avatar really was an amazing person.
Pakku had left to return to the City Hall. Once they put out the fire they all gathered up on Appa, who had his own shelter nearly bigger than the house itself and lifted off for their short flight over the city to the docks.
"Kytah is her name right? I hear so many names I forget them often," Aang called out over the sound of the gentle wind from Appa's head. "What is she now? Seven years old?"
"She just turned eight a few weeks ago, I'm surprised you remembered," Arnak was growing anxious to return to his daughter.
"I'm certain she's fine, I'd be able to tell if anyone in the city is in distress," Aang reassured him.
They landed on the deck of the ship with remarkable agility, which was barely able to fit the still growing air bending bison. Arnak had already jumped off the saddle before the creature completely touched down, darted down to where he left Kytah and found her still bursting with laughter. Was it just his imagination or had the dragon grown a slight fraction in the time he was gone?
"Sorry Papa," Kytah exclaimed once she noticed he had returned. She pointed towards the bait barrels, which were toppled over and evidently raided. "I guess she got hungry."
"She, huh?" The Avatar stated as he came down the steps into the bowels of the ship, which Arnak suddenly felt embarrassed for not cleaning up his cargo hold before having such esteemed company aboard. Aang made his way over to Kytah and sat down next to her as the little creature settled down in her lap and squawked at The Avatar.
"She has a striking similarity to Fang."
"Fang?" Arnak and Kytah asked at the same time.
"Avatar Roku's animal guide, a dragon" Katara answered, almost in a yawning tone of voice. Clearly Katara and Aang had seen many things in their past travels.
"And yet very different still, perhaps a Water Bending Dragoon? She's very taken with you Kytah," Aang continued while closely studying the dragon. "I feel like I know you from somewhere Kytah."
"I believe she may be a Water Bender as well," Arnak explained, not certain why he felt so open to tell the Avatar everything. He hadn't even mentioned these things to his own daughter, who was staring at him with mild confusion, as if only curious but not hurt why he thought this.
"Let's find out," Katara says as she approaches Kytah. Arnak feels a growing concern that this might be moving too fast for his daughter, but she had always been exceptionally bright at learning new concepts. Katara held her hand out in front of her as if something was moving towards her that she was readying to block. She stepped back with her left leg and made a fist with the remaining hand, assuming a traditional Water Bending stance.
Arnak realized the air in the ship began to feel incredibly dry, he watched as vapor formed, almost cloudlike, and rushed towards her outstretched hand condensing to be more drop-like. Within seconds she had pulled water out of literally thin air, and formed a descent ball of water hovering in front of her. Aang watched her with a proud almost sentimental smile on his face, appearing to remember how they used to work together.
Katara lowered the water into nearby wide wooden pan on the floor. "Here Kytah, try this for a moment," Katara moves her hands over the water as if washing an invisible surface in the air and the water made wave motions on the surface. "This is pushing and pulling the water. The key is getting wrist movement right. It's more difficult than it looks so don't be disappointed if it doesn't come to you right away." Aang had a quiet chuckle, apparently an inside joke.
Kytah stood up and excitedly scurried over to Katara, barely able to contain herself. She mimicked her movements and evidently was able to manipulate the water when Katara stopped and the motion continued. The baby dragon half flew half crawled its way over to the pale of water and rocked its head and neck back and forth in synchronization with the wave. Just as Kytah started to grow the wave over the side of the container, the creature made a sneezing cough-like action towards the water and it instantly froze the whole thing solid.
"She's an Ice Dragon!" Aang almost yelled getting up to rush over to her, startling everyone in the room.
"I need to get some fresh air" Arnak calmly stated and went back up the stairs.
"So, Kytah, does she have a name yet?" Katara asked, kneeling down to get a closer look at it.
"Glaciera" Kytah answers, gently patting it on its tiny head with her miniature hand, causing her to hum again.
"Kytah, would you like to learn to Water Bend?"
"You could teach me?"
"You'd have to make sure your father is ok with it."
"Ok!" Kytah jumped up and held out her arm for Glaciera to join her, who hopped up her forearm and perched on her shoulder while she left the cargo hold, leaving Aang and Katara alone.
"Pretty exciting day eh?" Aang tells Katara.
"If I remember right she's the child whose mother died just after delivery only a few weeks after they got here from the northern tribe," Katara recounted. "Her mother, Khanra, was one of their best healers too."
"I'm getting an odd vibe from her, like I know her from somewhere, maybe it's nothing."
"How come we've never had any children Aang?" Katara asked, startling Aang who didn't know what to say.
Before he could respond Arnak returned from above with Kytah close behind him, "I'll allow her to proceed with her training. She hasn't been away from me for any length of time until tonight. But I trust you Katara and Mr. Avatar; I believe she's in good hands."
"Please, just call me Aang. I believe Glaciera is pretty harmless at the moment, however dragons tend to grow quickly, and it might only be a few months before she will be too big for your shoulder." Aang changed his attention directly to Kytah, "Dragons make great companions, Kytah, your bond will only grow stronger over time and some day she'll be able to protect you if you're ever in danger."
Kytah proudly looked up at Glaciera, who jumped from her shoulder to trying to curl up on her small head and almost loosing balance, throwing her into another fit of laughter.