Ch.2 – Boy From the Southern Water Tribe
Kidka didn't think his life could get any worse.
The trading expedition to the Earth Kingdom had started out well enough. It was common for young men to go on solo trading missions as a test of their self-reliance and Kidka wanted the chance to prove himself. It took him weeks to convince his father to let him go alone as the Fire Nation's attacks on the Earth Kingdom made the Chief hesitant to let his only son sail out of Water Tribe waters alone. But when the counsel gave him their support (he had his grandmother to thank for that) his father could no longer refuse and Kidka was allowed to take a small ship filled with animal skins and belugawalrus tusks to the Earth Kingdom to trade.
The sky had been clear the day he left, the sea had been calm with a good wind and there hadn't been so much as a drop of rain the entire journey. He sailed from one seaport to another, the harbors he docked in offered fair deals and friendly people who were more then happy to share a drink or two with him in the taverns. Even the bar fight he got into with a group of fishermen had ended in another round of drinks and him singing along to an Earth Kingdom folk song, even if he was off key. He ended his trading by exchanging the last of his polar-leopard skins for a set of iron cooking pots and three pounds of green tea. On his first trip to the Earth Kingdom as a young teenager he had tried the hot drink and immediately made it his mission in life to introduce his tribe to the wonders of tea. It hadn't caught on yet but Kidka was sure that it would eventually, even if he had to force it down their throats.
While he liked the Earth Kingdom it was nothing compared to the frozen beauty of the South Pole and with his trading completed Kidka turned his ship south and set a course for home. However it seemed the Spirits had other ideas and a storm had forced Kidka to steer his boat into the mouth of the Pon Jee River so to avoid capsizing. Despite his best efforts the strong winds ran his ship aground. He and his cargo survived relatively unharmed, although the crate of jarred moon-peaches hadn't been so lucky.
His ship was another story.
Rocks had torn up the hull on the left side and a tree had fallen over the deck, crushing a portion of the railing and ripping a whole in his sail. It took him two days to clear away the tree and scattered branches by himself. Three more days were spent patching the wholes and fixing the railing. After nearly a week of repairs all he had left was the eight foot rip in his canvas and there was a reason he left that task for last. Sewing was not a skill he possessed. His mother had tried to show him simple stitches that could be used if he ever ripped his parka while out hunting but the lesson had ended when he ran the needle completely through his thumb, in his opinion it was worse then getting stuck with a fishing hook.
He held the large bone needle like it was going to come alive and stab him. It was as long as his pinky and it looking at the sharp point made him cringe. Putting the tool down Kidka decided it would be better to go hunting instead. When he was more relaxed and his stomach was full he'd try to work on the rip. Picking up his spear he headed into the woods and it wasn't long before he found suitable prey. Crouching behind a bush he waited for the right moment to strike. His breathing was slow and controlled, his muscles were coiled in anticipation of use and his eyes studied the animal and its surroundings, looking for any weaknesses he could take advantage of.
He was just about to move when the sent of a cooking food drifted into his nose. Normally something as trivial as another person's camp fire wouldn't catch his attention. It was common for travelers to cross paths and with the Fire Nation turning Earth Kingdom land into colonies the refugees were beginning to flee east.
No, it wasn't the smell of cooking that made him halt his attack. It was the smell of Water Tribe cooking.
A wave of homesickness struck and without thinking Kidka stood up, causing the rabbit fox he had been stalking to run off. He let it go in favor of following the smell. When he finally arrived at the camp site it wasn't the food he noticed first.
Standing knee deep in the water was a woman. She was turned away from him but he didn't mind as it gave him a nice view of her figure. Her white chest bindings covered her back from her shoulder blades to just above the curve of her waist and contrasted nicely with her natural tan. Her blue skirt just barley grazed the water and there were slits up the sides to reveal more smooth tan skin. She had gathered her thick brown hair over one shoulder and from the looks of it was ringing out the water.
Taking a step closer Kidka was about to call out to her but the dry twig under his boot announced his presence first. Startled by the loud pop the woman spun around, her sudden movement caused her to lose balance and fall into the river. Dropping his spear Kidka ran through the camp site and didn't even pause to remove his boots as he ran into the river. By the time he reached her she was already sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face. Reaching down Kidka pulled her up by her elbows and two things were made very clear to him.
One: She was beautiful.
Two: She was furious.
