THAT MORNING
It was early morning, the sun hadn't risen, and mostly everyone on board the ship was asleep. Everyone, that is, except Katara.
She was almost there. She could feel it. Every heartbeat brought her closer and closer to him, to Aang: His sweet, mischievous smile, his beautiful stormy grey eyes, and his kisses, each one more precious than the next. Yes, she was so close. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself when she got lonely. She leaned over the railing, letting the familiar ocean breeze waft over her.
She would pull all nighters like this while on her travels. Sometimes they would be invaded by small rebellions or Appa would turn sick, and she would have to stay up all night to nurse him back to health. Appa was stubborn, and no one on board knew that better than her.
But it wasn't a rebellious attack or a sick bison that kept her up tonight. It was a dream. A horrible, gut retching one that she had no intention of repeating. So her plan was to wait for sleep to come when she was home, safe in Aang's comforting embrace.
The dream started out like this.
She was standing on a huge column of rock that stretched a least 30 feet into the sky, but Katara guessed more. All around her were similar columns, thousands, all ranging in various, but similar heights, and all towering over the Earth and dominating the sky. There was no green, and the sky was a strange amber color. It reminded her of The Comet, when it had passed over the Fire Nation Palace, so long ago. The sky had lit up the same color. She squeezed her eyes from the glare, when opened them again.
On every pillar, standing and staring at her, was a person. Each person was dressed in a different Nation's custom attire. Some were clothed in red black and brown colors, others in multiple shades of green. She even saw several Water Tribe robes; clothes very similar to the ones she had seen back home, and the monk uniforms and light, airy colors of the Air Nomads. She gazed at them. They all seemed familiar, like she had met them before. Behind her, she heard the shuffle of feet, and turned to face the stranger.
It was a strange woman. She looked about forty, her long black hair was twisted into a traditional, Fire Nation bun, and she was clothed in a dark cloak. She smiled a kind smile, but it was a sad one, pitiful even, like she felt sorry for Katara. And when she spoke her words were the strangest of all. They seemed to be coming from all directions, from everyone there.
"Dear Katara. Your time is coming. The Beloved is rising, your powers are beginning to manifest themselves. But you have a long journey ahead, and only I can help you. Find me child, find me… Avatress. "
Then the woman disappeared, erupted into a column of blue light and vanished. Katara tried to call after her, but she could not speak, like she couldn't find the right words to say.
Suddenly, her head exploded with pain. Images of a person falling to his doom into a black abyss, him getting crushed by falling rocks, and other horrible deaths scenes unfolded in front of her, and she had no way to stop it.
She woke up in a cold sweat, and the only thought running through her mind, was the boy, suffering those unspeakable tortures. She knew the boy. It was Aang.