Amazingly, the ship came into view. Appa had been flying so fast we caught up with them in no time. We were close enough now to see the ship and the crew working on it. I saw at one end of the deck, the red orange flashes of fire being bet and thrown. I looked more closely and saw the teenage Fire Nation solider who grabbed Gran Gran moving at lightening speed shooting blasts of fire at Aang. Aang kept the flames at bay using his staff to spin a vortex of air that swallowed and extinguished the flames. I heard Aang call out Appa's name. Appa must have heard it too. If I thought he was flying hard and fast before, I was wrong.

To my great horror, the Firebender sent a flame at him that caught him off guard. Aang lost his focus and his balance. In an attempt to keep the flames from searing his clothes and skin, he backed up so far he fell off the side of the boat.

The fall was silent. He hit the water far below the main deck of the ship and then I didn't see him.

Emotions ripped through me!

"Aang! No!" I screamed at the top of my voice.

The Firebernder ran to the side of the ship where Aang fell. He was searching for any sign of Aang to surface. He was barking orders to some men close by and people were running in every direction trying to complete the tasks he had assigned them.

My heart hurt. We didn't make it in time. I felt Appa pushing forwards to charge on the crew of the ship no matter what.

"Katara look!" my brother shook my shoulder and pointed to the water. It was starting to bubble. Something under the black glassy surface was emitting light. A bluish white light. The bubbles began to glow. Then the bubbles began to churn. A whirlpool formed and from the very center sprang Aang, glowing. He was Waterbending the water into the spout and using it as an extension of his body. The water spout was easily as tall as the ship and Aang looked fearsome wielding the power. This glowing form looked almost painful in a way.

Aang steered the water to land him on the ship once again and held its force in his arms. The spinning wall of water matched the movements of his hands as he pulled and pushed and water dowsed the crewmen. The power of the water was so strong in his final push that it sent several of the crew sloshing overboard in every direction into the liquid ice the ship had been floating on, including the Firebending boy with the scar on his eye.

Aang stood still for a moment in a pained or raged posture. I couldn't tell which. His face was contorted and he was still glowing. Then the glow faded and his body became loose. He started to wobble. Appa was going in to land now.

"Did you see what he just did?" I exclaimed to Sokka.

"That," he said, "was some Waterbending."

Aang collapsed to the ground before we landed, but Sokka and I were already on our feet, ready to jump off Appa as soon as we had a chance. Finally, after what surely was only a few moments from when the ship first came into view, but felt like an eternity, we landed. I slid from Appa and ran to Aang's crumpled body in the puddle of ocean water.

"Aang!" I cried, "Are you okay?" I scooped his head into my lap as I reached him. He was alive. He was conscious.

"Hey Katara," he said without looking at me. He was still in a daze from whatever that glowing form was that took over hos body. It severely weakened him. "Hey Sokka. Thanks for coming."

"Well," said Sokka, "I couldn't let you have all the glory." Sokka told him, trying to make light of the situation.

"I dropped my staff." Aang said absently, looking in the direction where he thought it might be. Sure enough it was there. Sokka stood and padded over to it quickly. It was hanging partially out of the scupper.

I heard Sokka tell us "I got it!" then I heard a deep gasp. Sokka was shaking something off Aangs staff. It was the boy with the scar! He had climbed the anchor chain and grabbed hold of the staff as Sokka was taking it back. My broth pulled back the staff and shoved it forward again. He hitt the boy in the face and he fell again.

I did not hear the splash.

"That's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka yelled before running back to where Aang, Appa, and I were.

On the other side of the ship some of the men who had not fallen overboard were stirring and although they were dripping wet with freezing cold water, they seemed determined to attack us once more. I helped Aang into Appa's saddle where he laid back to catch his breath. Before I climbed into the saddle myself I stood in the puddle; I bent a small portion of it up with my hands. I flung my hands back with the intent of freezing the water on the men coming closer.

"Katara!" From behind me, I saw my brother standing in a solid block of ice. The water went in the opposite direction! How could I have been so stupid? The men were on their way now with spears and swards and getting closer every moment. I turned around with my back to the soldiers. I moved my hands the same way.

Success! I heard the splash of the water hitting the men. I heard the crinkle of the ice crystals forming. I heard the unpleasant sounds and words the three men made as their feet became frozen to the ships deck and their limbs heavy in ice. I turned to see them stopped in time. Arms lifted, ready to swing. They would take some time to thaw the ice, it was rather thick in some places. I wasted no time rushing back to Appa and climbing up the bison's fur into the saddle. Sokka was almost finished breaking up the ice around his feet with his boomerang to start moving.

"Hurry up, Sokka!" I called. He was rushing and hacking and grumbling the whole way.

"I'm just a guy with a boomerang!" He yelled at me once finally free and moving. "I didn't ask for all this flying and magic!" he was mostly talking to himself, so I didn't give a retort. Even if he wasn't talking to himself. I still think ignoring him was the best choice. He made it to Appa's tail and was climbing it yelling "YipYip! YipYip!"

Appa took off into the sky and away from the ship.