Katara closed her eyes as she felt the breeze travel through her long wavy hair; she took a deep breath in as she felt the sun shine on her lightly tanned skin. Her mind wondered back to the days her father was still there, how every time he laughed when she dropped the water over her head when training and how he comforted her when the world was to much, it was almost like he was standing there next to her again and that she could open her eyes and see his face once more. Her heart raced with anticipation as she opened her eyes, but the excitement in her dimed when all she saw was a vast ocean, no ships returning home and no father resting his reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Her brother's voice called out from behind her – "Katara, Gran Gran has made your favourite meal for supper".
Katara kept her eyes fixed on the ocean as she responded, "Thanks, that was really sweat of her."
Sokka's eyes fell to the ground at the emptiness in his sister's voice. He walked towards Katara with a smile that he hoped would help cheer her up – "I can't believe I am reminding you of this... but it is your birthday you know, the one day you're actually allowed to boss me around and I have to do what you ask. So what will it be – ooh ooh I know – I could let you make me a fresh batch of blubbered seal jerky – huh huh, won't that be fun."
Katara let out a false smile, her eyes still fixed on the ocean. Sokka realizing why she felt so glum reassured her "Dad will return once he has made sure it's safe for us. He's strong Katara, just like you".
She turned towards Sokka giving her a warm hug, as she pulled her tears back.
"I love you Sokka."
"Yeah yeah, I love you too… so how bout that seal jerky?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of a foot massage", Katara said with a smile on her face. Sokka cursed himself for mentioning their families tradition of the Birthday Slave, but was glad that bossing him around made her feel better.
"Maybe after supper, but for now we have someone's 17th Birthday to celebrate".
They started walking back to the village together; Katara laughing at the time he got two fishhooks caught in his thumb. He hopelessly tried to defend himself by arguing that he thought he could use the second to get the first one out.
Her laughing ceased when she something caught her eye – an animal was lying on its side and appeared to be burnt over half it body. Katara ran over to the animal and patted its head – acting quickly she drew the water from her container strapped around her body and began to heal its wounds. Sokka finally reached her and looked at the animal in shock when he realised what the burns meant – The Fire Nation.
Katara stroked the animal's fur and rested its head on her lap, signing to it to calm it down. She pulled a fish out of the pouch that rested on her lap and fed the animal. It was a giant polar bear dog – natural born swimmers native to their land that her people called Kuai. She laughed as the animal gulped down the fish and began licking her fingers.
Katara knew it was a girl as her and Gran Gran had helped many of the Kuai's give birth. "Hey girl" She went to ask Sokka if she could keep her, but had already decided she would regardless of his opinion – "I think I'll call you Kyana".
She finally looked up at Sokka and saw the shock on his face that she knew wasn't caused by Kyana – "What's wrong?" her smile quickly fell, and fear crept into her eyes when she pieced it together – "The village!"
Katara raced towards the village – her feet running as fast as they could carry her, not even realizing she was running at first. Her heart pounded against her chest, palpitating with terror, her lungs compressed faster and faster, her hands trembled and her eyes wailed – she had to get there in time, she couldn't lose her mother, she couldn't lose Gran Gran, she couldn't lose her village. If the Fire Nation were here, that meant Dad… No. She couldn't go there, she couldn't think about what that meant for Dad. Then she stopped. Her heart sank and her stomach flipped, as she looked upon her home – everything was destroyed. Sokka caught up to her and rested a hand on her shoulder; he looked around and saw a red and black figure walking past an igloo. Pulling Katara behind a wall that had yet to collapsed he held a hand over her mouth as she attempted to hold back her screams of pain and outrage.
Sokka held back his little sister until he is sure the troops have left. Katara pounded her fists against his chest screaming in rage – "I could have stopped it! I could have stopped it!" Unable to force her pain down she broke into tears, her arms weak from pounding she let them fall onto his chest. He wanted to break down just as much as she was but knew he had to be strong to protect her. The tears finally stopped and he held her close – rocking her slowly.
Katara looked up to see Kyana standing over her, sniffing her hair. She brought her hand up to the Kuei's nose stroking it gently, but was interrupted when she heard a grown coming from inside an igloo. Her and Sokka ran in brushing the curtains aside to see Gran Gran lying on the floor next to her mother. Unable to hold herself up, she fell to the ground and began stroking Gran Gran's hair, then looked to her mother to see if she was alive. Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision; she shook her head – "No. No. No" she thought, "please be a dream, Please!" Gran Gran grabbed her hand pulling her back to reality – "Katara listen to me" the words struggling to escape her mouth. Katara couldn't control her breath, "No. No. No" her mind tortured her before she finally cried out "I am so sorry Gran Gran, I should have been here. I could have stopped", Katara cried as she held her Grandmother's hand.
"Katara listen to me", she repeated, forcing Katara out of her emotional panic. "You need to master the other elements if you are to stop the Fire Nation."
"But how Gran Gran, how am I supposed to save the world when I can't even save my own village? I should have been here".
"Katara, if you were here when this happened then you wouldn't be able to be there for the world when the time comes." – She struggled getting each word out, but continued on as she placed her hand on Katara's cheek – "It is your destiny Katara to end this war, and I believe in my heart that you will succeed." Katara rested her hand over Gran Gran's, nuzzling her tear soaked cheek into her gentle grasp. She turned to Sokka who was standing over the two as she released her last breath – "It is your responsibility to protect your sister now Sokka".
"Gran Gran. Gran Gran, No!" Katara collapsed over her grandmothers body – holding her in a fading embrace – "please wakeup Gran Gran" she screamed as tears ran down her face.
Katara held her arms to her chest as she stared out at her now ruined village, her eyes flooded with pain at the sight of all her loved ones burned bodies. Her body jerked as Sokka rested his hand on her shoulder, then she closed her eyes trying to push the tears back down. Sokka reaches into his pocket with his free hand, clinging to an object tightly before he ties it around her neck. Katara places one of her hands on the pendent and faintly smiles – "Mom's necklace." Her mind races back to her mother's gentle, caring face – how her warm smile always calmed her down, her kind hands always stroking her hair to comfort her, and her loving eyes that said all that needed to be said with one look.
"She would have wanted you to have it." he said whilst he turned Katara to face him, placing both his hands on her shoulders – "we all believe in you Katara, I know you will be the one to end this war, and we can finally live in peace."
Kyana slowly walked up to Katara and nuzzled her head in between the siblings, causing them give her a hug and smile as their weeping eyes began to stop.
They searched their village for supplies – gathering sleeping bags, tents, food and water as well as clothes for their long journey ahead. Sokka was able to craft a saddle for Kyana to wear – at first she wasn't too happy with it but then started to warm up to the feel of it. The two of them cast their eyes back over the village as they reminisced on their childhood – they are no longer the weak children they once were. This war has touched them personally and it's time to end it. They both climbed into the saddle and with a jerk of the reigns their new life begins.
