Chapter 20 Tales of the Pasts

Katara POV

Toph was pacing wearily back and forth in my room. I have never seen her this nervous or vulnerable, not counting when her parents are in town, before in my life. It was a reminder that underneath that tough exterior she projected to the world was this girl desperately trying to reach out and connect with someone in the world. Toph had come only minutes after we teleported back from our lessons with Masters Hama and Yugoda. Thankfully my room wasn't too bad from the magical backlash and would be an easy clean as soon as I get the energy.

"My parents and I became aware of my...anomalies when I was six years old." Toph spoke after a few minutes of tense silence. "It was a full moon, and I have been getting this fever for the past few days. My parents were so worried for me, they were even thinking about taking me to the hospital. But when the sun set, I experienced my first transformation...It was painful, I kept trying to fight it, Mom and Dad could only stare in horror and fear as they saw me become this hideous monster." Toph took a shuddering breath "I don't remember much of that night, I think I passed out from exhaustion.

"I woke up feeling like crap. My muscles and bones ached and it hurt to even breath. Mom wearily came into my room. I reached out to her, I wanted a hug, I wanted my Mom to tell me everything will be okay. She cringed, my own Mother was scared of a six year old little girl, I can never forget the look of fear in her eyes. The way she approached me like I was some rabid animal set to attack at any moment. It's never been the same between the three of us. We only act like a family at social gatherings. Dad didn't want the public to poke and ask questions about our family dynamic. They feared me, every full moon I was locked into the basement after the help left the mansion and stayed there, alone, all night.

"When they found out I could move the earth, they pulled me from school and had me homeschooled. I was not to ever leave the estate. I think they tried to send me back to where I was adopted but the placed had burned down. Up until high school I lived alone in the mansion while my parents went on 'business trips' for months at a time. I knew they were really just trying to get away from me. Though they couldn't just drop me off in the middle of the forest or something. Our family is too well known, and while they could get away with me being homeschooled or going on business trips, the tabloids would have a field day. They care more about their image than they do about me.

"I know I have limited time with them, I know when I turn eighteen, I'll be kicked out of the house and never allow to return. They'll finally be rid of me." Toph ended in a quiet voice, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Toph..." I reached out but she shoved her hand away from me.

"I don't want your pity, Katara. I know you mean well, but you don't understand. Your Dad still loves the both of you, even though he knows you're both Aquamancers. My parents think I'm a devil worshiper. The moment I leave, they'll adopt the perfect son to carry on the Bei Fong name."

"...you can't know that for sure." Sokka spoke hesitantly

"I know for sure Sokka." Toph snapped "I've seen the papers, they're interested in some eight year old kid from the east coast. They probably already adopted him and want to keep him away from someone as dangerous as me!"

"Toph-"

"Don't you guys get it? My parents don't love me, they're not even my real parents. They kept me all these years so that their precious image isn't tainted by the media!" she seethed "I thought that maybe if I tried to act like those fucking snobby girls at the social gatherings that they might take notice of me. No I come to find out, they only flew back because they heard the kidnappings and had come to see if I was somehow responsible in all of this. We had a lovely 'talk' last night.

"You should have seen their faces when I told them all that I could do. They were so convinced that I had been possessed by dark spirits. My Dad nearly called in a priest for an exorcism. Do you know how much it hurts to convince your own parents that you're not evil, that you only want what every child in the world craves? All I wanted was for my Mom and Dad to look at me without fear. To actually love me just because, and not because of their fucking image!" Toph shouted angrily and plopped down onto the bean bag chair.

"...Why didn't you talk to us?" I asked finally "We could have helped you through all of this. You didn't need to do this alone."

"I know that now, Katara." Toph spoke wearily "It's easier to know that I'm not the only one in our group from the other world. But I didn't know that a month ago, I was afraid you would all regard me as a freak and want nothing to do with me. I was already rejected from my parents, I couldn't go through that with my friends too. I wouldn't survive it."

"But you know now." I spoke softly "I can understand before you're hesitance. But now that you know we're sorcerers, I hope you can confide in us a little more too. You're like a sister to me Toph."

"Really?" Toph asked surprised

"Yeah, even if we argue all the time." she had a small grin on her face

"You know I'm already like the older brother in all of this." Sokka grinned

Toph snorted. "After the so-called threat you gave him when you first found out we were dating, I believe you Snoozles."

"How does Teo fit into all of this? Was he adopted too?" Sokka finally asked

"No, we've gotten really close over the summer. My magic felt as if it was calling to him, if you can believe that. Teo felt it too. I still don't know what possessed me to tell him all of my secrets like I was in some corny romance movie. He was a little weirded out for a few days, but he came around. I don't know...everything happened so fast. The wolf in me knew that Teo was my mate, and for once I didn't fight it. I was tired of being alone. Finally I had someone that knew all of me and wasn't repulsed or frighten. Teo did more for me, than my own parents will ever do, they've never acted like parents to me. I asked Teo one day if he would like to become a wolf like me. He said yes, so when the next full moon came around I bit him and watched him transform into a brown wolf.

"The morning after, the two of us consummated our bond." Sokka and I blinked in surprised. Toph didn't blush, nor did she speak with hesitance. She said it proudly and almost defiantly at us.

"Y-you both had sex?" Sokka sputtered, I could almost see the older brother radar going off in his head. I was a little worried for Teo, Sokka was nearly a Master Aquamancer, and even still he was powerful.

"It was more than just sex, Snoozles." Toph snipped "We made a permanent bond, he's might mate and I am his. In the eyes of the Spirits, technically we're married."

"What?" the two of us shouted. "Don't you think this is all a little fast? You and Teo have only been together for a few months. How do you know if he's the one?" Sokka asked.

"You don't know how magic works between two people do you?" Toph asked.

"I do." I answered quickly. Sokka looked mildly surprised.

"Then you know how hard it is, to find one that is compatible with our magic. I found mine, and sure it's a little unorthodox but I don't care. Teo is my mate, I wasn't going to wait until everyone else found it appropriate until we got together. When you find your mate, then you'll know that you will do almost anything to become bonded. Finding a mate is difficult in the supernatural world. I wasn't going to take advantage of it." Toph looked at me pointedly.

The three of us lapsed into silence, the only sound being the birds chirping in the nearby trees outside. "I should go." Toph said finally "If I stay out any later, they'll think I'm dancing around a bonfire, naked like the girls in The Crucible." Toph muttered

Before she left, I still had one more question that wouldn't let go. "Where did you learn Terramancy?

Toph smiled at some distant memory. "A couple of badgermoles." she said lightly before leaving the room.

Sokka and I stared at one another. "She's serious, isn't she?" Sokka asked

"When has she ever lied to us, Sokka?" I still couldn't believe how shallow Toph's parents were to her. I could maybe understand being a little wary for a few days after discovering your daughter is a werewolf. But to lock her away from the world, banning her from ever leaving the estate, that had to be some kind of abuse right? At the very least they treated Toph like she was a criminal.

She was lucky that she had the chance to attend school when we were in ninth grade, I can't imagine our group without the stubborn and blunt girl in the corner. What could have happened had Toph never had the opportunity to attend school, would she had run away into one of the magical settlements never to return? I can't imagine how Toph was able to handle being in a large home, with parents who feared her, and by herself for years. It was a miracle Toph didn't become a criminal or worse. Maybe she had done something along those lines, Toph was a very private person, it was in her nature. Though she revealed a lot of her home life, there were still large gaps in her stories. Still, at least she has Teo to confide in. He better not break her heart, ever.

"Katara, if we want to find any more information on the Warlock Coven, we need to do it before Dad gets home. The last thing we need, is him flipping out over a spell book in our hands." He went to his room and came back a few moments later with a thick volume in hand. He let it flop onto my bed and sat next to me. We both stared at the cover of the spell book The Magic of Tui & La, the words popped out at us. I was hesitant to open the book, did I really want to know the ins and outs of such a coven? Would we even find any information regarding them, it was possible that the book didn't have any information regarding them. Up until Nukpana kidnapped Tom-Tom I never heard of such a coven.

But like I said before, I would do anything to get Tommy back into the safety of our arms. If that means getting into the mindset of such a coven, so be it. I flipped open the cover of the book, Sokka watched with trepidation. "Warlock Coven." I muttered

The pages flipped once more in a fast pace. It took longer than when we were trying to find the magical towns across America. There were more pages flipping over than what the binders could hold, the laws of physics don't apply to magic it seems. Finally the book came to a rest near the back. One page, only one page was written about the coven. I can't say that I'm surprised but I am a little disappointed.

The title was written in black ink: Sunset

After years of searching, my brethren and I have found the Warlock's Coven fortress. Of all places the fortress resides deep in the Gobi Desert. This could finally be our chance to rid the world of such an evil. It is with hope and determination that my brethren and I defeat the Coven of the Dark.

The Coven of the Dark, also known as The Warlock's Coven or Warlock Coven, are sorcerer supremacists that believe magic should only be gifted to sorcerers. Should they come across beings not of them but with magical abilities, their magic is drained, they are killed, bodies burn to ashes. They are true practitioners of Dark Magic. It is rumored that they even converse with the Spirit of Darkness himself.

In all my years of tracking them, hunting them down, I know only so little of them. There are three levels of this coven: the Apprentices, the Masters, and the Warlock. The members wear masks with three glowing eyes. Each eye represents what the coven strives for: purity, strength, and immortality. I know that the three colors means something besides their ranks, but I am not sure what. Unfortunately even with all my training and fighting these people personally, not much of them is known. They thrive in the shadows, they live off of the fear that plagues my world.

What I do know, is that their identities are erased. The moment a sorcerer joins the Warlock's Coven, they are essentially reborn. Their names are changed and they live to serve only the Dark Spirit and the Warlock.

My fellow brethren and I had spent years tracking down the infamous Warlock, who goes by the name Mogwai. I've only seen a Warlock once. The day my family and my entire village was slaughtered before me. I had escaped his wrath, but I am now the last of my kind. Though we never could find the Warlock, we found many Masters and Apprentices and killed them where they stood. Though it is not without a price, should they know they are about to die, they recite an oath. Using their name of their 'past life' they kill not only themselves but the person they are cursing.

Still I would lay my life on the line for the cause. I know the chance of ever finding the Warlock again is nigh, but I cannot give up. One day the world will be free from the coven and the dark spirits they bring. Though I don't know much about their practices, I know for certain that some have become obsessed with immortality.

I pass this book onto you Inouk and any of my descendants. We attack the fortress of Warlock members at nightfall, I may not survive the battle. Never forget the love I have for you or for your Mother.

Tanouk.

"That can't be it." Sokka said in disbelief. "It's a death letter all over again. Seriously what is with our family and knowing they are about to die?" Sokka groaned

"And what did he mean, last of his kind? He had to have been an Aquamancer and an ancestor of ours, otherwise he wouldn't be in possession of this book, right?"

"Does it matter?" Sokka complained "We're still left with nothing. Just that this coven has been connected to our family for centuries."

"...We know that some are obsessed with immortality. Maybe that's something Nukpana is after."

"Maybe..." Sokka looked skeptical "We can tell the hybrids about that, other than that let's keep this to ourselves. Looks like we have more digging to do in our family tree."

The front door opened and we heard multiple footsteps. "Sokka, Katara, your Uncle and I brought pizza!" Dad called out.

"We'll be down in a minute Dad." Sokka shouted back. "We'll finish this some other time. Maybe we have to go to the library at Suirauqa or something."

"Or maybe asked Master Yugoda." I thought with sudden realization. "She was an adult during the White Lotus Movement, she'll know something about the Warlock Coven for sure." Sokka gave an affirmative nod before racing down the steps. He clearly was thinking with his stomach now.

I rolled my eyes at my brother, hid the book and followed quickly down the steps. Sokka gets his eating habits from Dad and Uncle Bato. I hope we finally can find all the answers, before another person is kidnapped.

Normal POV (A Few Days Ago)

Meng Phan sat on an old wooden swing, attached to a tree branch in her backyard. Her parents had gone to bed and Meng, regardless of the dangers, needed some air and here she sat. Meng wasn't one of the 'popular crowd' her hair wasn't manageable, her teeth were large, and she was but a poor farm girl. No one took notice of her, and for years she had been okay with that.

Then the new students came to her school, more importantly Aang Zheng came to her school. He looked exactly like the fortune teller, from the Redwood Summer Carnival, described the man she was destined to marry. Gray eyes, shaggy hair, tall and muscular. But most importantly he had large ears. Meng remembered falling in love with the boy already. She remembered sitting next to him in Pre-Calculus, she mustered up her courage and said a tiny hello to him. And to her utmost joy, Aang smiled and said hello back. It was love at first sight for Meng. And she was certain that one day Aang would feel the same way.

Imagine her horror, when she saw that twofaced Katara Ahote encroach on what was rightfully hers! She and Aang were destined to be together and the floozy just waltzes up to Aang, bat her pretty blue eyes, flip her brown hair and suddenly he's like a smitten puppy. It wasn't right!

What did Katara do to make Aang fall for her? She's suppose to be unapproachable by all the boys! It's been that way ever since that one rumored incident involving Hahn and a then sophomore Katara. Aang should be wary of her, just like the other boys. Katara had to have Aang under some unnatural influence. Yes that must be it, Aang was rightfully hers. They were destined to be together, all she had to do was get rid of Katara and Aang would be free. Meng could already hear wedding bells and picture mini-Mengs and mini-Aangs.

She was so close, and Katara was going to ruin it! She had to had to be a witch or something of darker origin otherwise Aang would have never fallen for her. So Meng had to do some research, she finally found a shop in the next town over that turned out to be an old book belonging to a suppose witch. The store owner had warned that book was dangerous and was not for sale, he didn't even know why it was out of the basement in the first place. With his back turned Meng stole it. Meng had to steal it, she was doing this for Aang! She had scrolled through chapter after chapter, disgusted. Katara could have done any of these things to get Aang to fall for her. She could have tried to do the same with Hahn but it didn't work.

It was obvious to Meng now that Hahn was the true victim. Katara needed to be stopped, maybe even Sokka too. It was possible that Katara might be responsible for the abductions. Meng knew it was her duty to save the town, and more importantly save Aang. Her and Aang were destined to be together after all.

Meng let out a startled yelp as she felt something sting the back of her neck. She felt around but could find no bug. The wind started to pick up and the clouds glided in front of the moon on occasion. "Maybe I should go inside." Meng said to herself, after all four people had already mysteriously disappeared, she didn't want to be the fifth.