Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Water.
Previously on Legend of Katherine!
The avatar trains with her past life's friends! Katara teaches Kat and Stacy waterbending, while Sokka and Suki pass on the skills of martial arts to Vixella! Now, combat-ready and prepared to head north, the trio must make their way to Spark City! Will they succeed?
Book 1: Water
Chapter 9: A Close Encounter
"You're sure you don't need one of us to come along?" Suki asked for the 13th time, as Kat slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"For the last time, yes." Kat responded, slightly exasperated. "We'll be fine. Besides, the North needs you here to keep an eye on developments in Capital City. Plus, it's just taking an airship to Spark City, where we'll find the Northern Water Tribe outpost, and they can send us a ship to the North. Easy!"
"Let me tell you, twinkletoes, things always sound easier than it seems." Toph advised wryly. "I can't even count the number of curveballs that got thrown at Aang back in the day."
"Well, we should be going. The next airship leaves in less than an hour!" Stacy said, opening the door to the stairwell down to the bottom floor. "Bye!"
"Bye!" The Gaang chorused in unison. Kat smiled as they shut the door, and started to descend the stairwell.
"Do you really think that we can do this on our own?" Vixella asked, sounding slightly uncertain. "The Fire Nation is a dangerous place to be, especially for you!"
"Oh come on!" Kat laughed nonchalantly. "This'll be easy! Nothing bad can happen from here on out!"
"Don't jinx yourself," Stacy mumbled as they exited the apartment complex.
The streets of Capital City seemed more…tense than usual. More soldiers were perched at every corner than earlier, and a lot of civilians were huddled in groups, whispering to each other with nervous expressions.
"I guess news about me got out, huh?" Kat pressed her lips together, frowning.
"That's why we need to be careful." Stacy responded quietly. "C'mon, let's hurry and get to the airport."
The trio cautiously made their way through the streets of Capital City, with Stacy and Kat taking on the roles of vigilantes again, and Vixella the map reader. Everything was fine…until they got to the market plaza.
"Um, Kat?" Stacy whispered anxiously. "Why are there so many guards here?" Kat looked away from Vixella's map, and realized just how many soldiers were in the square. Nearly a dozen by every street! This was definitely out of the ordinary. Even compared to the other streets.
Then a hand came out of nowhere and patted her on the shoulder. Kat froze in place, slowly turning around and praying that it was one of the Gaang.
Pale skin, blue eyes, gumdrop pink hair, and red and black armor. Nope, this definitely wasn't Katara or Suki.
This was Princess Lizzie herself.
"Well. It seems the avatar has decided to show her face in Capital City again." Lizzie said in a slow, deceiving and cold voice. Kat's eyes widened, and her hand slowly reached to uncap her new waterskin.
"Nope!" Stacy chirped all of a sudden. Lizzie's attention immediately swung to the green eyed girl.
"What did you say?" The Fire Nation Princess asked, in an annoyed tone.
"I said, nope!" Stacy chirped again, this time narrowing her eyes. "Kat's not going anywhere with you."
Before anyone could do or say anything, Stacy had uncapped her waterskin, drew a strand of water, and swung it fiercely right into Lizzie's face. She staggered back, clutching her cheek, a flame igniting in her icy blue eyes(metaphorically. Not like, maiden power flames lol).
"Run!" Vixella screamed.
*Insert Die here*
Lizzie roared furiously, shooting a large pink fireball at Kat. Kat extinguished it with a wall of water, before turning the remainder into ice daggers and firing them at the Princess.
"GUARDS!" She barked angrily. "GET THEM!" Immediately, all the soldiers in the square dashed towards the trio, flame daggers and fire whips igniting in the hands. But while Stacy and Kat were busy with Lizzie, Vixella took matters into her own hands and charged at the soldiers.
It was just fine
Immediately, a dozen fireballs blasted towards her. But Vixella boosted herself upward, over the flames, and charged with her rapier. She knocked three unconscious with one head blow, and then swiped at their knees when another dozen came around. Soon enough, there was a pile of unconscious bodies around her.
We lived in peace
"Anyone else wanna give it a shot?" Vixella smirked, winking. The soldiers stepped back hesitantly and fearfully.
Looked to a happy ending
Meanwhile, Kat and Stacy were trying their best to hold Lizzie off, but the princess's years of training and discipline outbested Kat and Stacy's newbie skills by a long shot. Kat struggled to keep in control of her water, her muscles aching from all the focus. Her waterskin was almost empty as well, most of the water that had once been there now vaporized by Lizzie's pink flames.
The days were bright
"Seems like you're running out of water, avatar," Lizzie smirked, as she produced a fire dagger in one hand and rushed towards Kat. But before she could get to her, Stacy barreled into Lizzie's side, an ice dagger in one hand.
They shined like gold
"Get AWAY from her!" Stacy roared furiously, throwing the ice dagger at the Fire Nation princess. Lizzie managed to vaporize it easily, but wasn't prepared for the torrent of water that shot out from the nearby fountain like snakes, their tips turning into ice and headed straight for her.
Every step ascending
A couple soldiers escaped from Vixella's battle and headed straight for Kat, fireballs in their hands. Kat grabbed a torrent of water from the fountain as well, and unleashed it upon the soldiers, throwing them back.
Our dreams came true
"We need to go, guys!" Vixella shouted over the battle. "They're calling for reinforcements, we need to lose them!"
Our path was clear
Kat comprehended Vixella words as a sense of dread overwhelmed her. She had a point. They needed to get out of the battle somehow, and they would soon be three amateur fighters against the entire Fire Nation army in the capital.
The moon watched safely from above
"This way! We can throw them off!" Stacy called as she splashed a bunch of soldiers back, carving out an exit onto a nearby street.
But every smile is not the same
"You're not going anywhere." Lizzie snarled, narrowing her eyes and swinging a fire whip at them. Kat vaporized the fire with a water bubble, before drawing the remaining liquid into her waterskin and bolting after Stacy.
And every heart's not filled with love
As Kat pushed another one of the countless number of firebenders back with a water whip, another snuck up on her from behind. But just as he was about to strike, Vixella snuck up from behind the soldier and knocked him off balance with her rapier.
For mankind
"Thanks," Kat flashed a smile at her friend, before running to back Stacy up.
Look around it's getting very hard to find
"Over there!" Stacy called, pointing to a gathered crowd near the square. "We can lose them there!"
Every open wound ain't simply healed by time
The trio bolted towards the crowd the instance they had a chance, pushing past startled citizens. The soldiers immediately bolted after them, but Kat, Stacy, and Vixella pushed to the back and stayed still.
But vengeance's always sweet
Where are the avatar and her little friends? I want them captured at all costs!" Lizzie demanded frustratedly.
Feel it everywhere and you see it growing
Kat glanced around panickedly as the soldiers surrounded the crowd, pushing into the people and examining everyone with a careful eye. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing
"There you are." The cold voice of the Fire Nation Princess purred smugly from behind Kat, who froze at the sound. She was too afraid to turn around and face the fire devil. Instead, she bolted through the crowd, making sure to stay within the civilians and not run out. Here, Lizzie wouldn't dare attack, because there would be unnecessary collateral damage as well. It was a dirty move, but Kat had no other choice.
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky
Suddenly, a midnight black blade swung down towards Kat. She gasped, barely having enough time to see it coming and definitely not enough to dodge it. OH…
The machines of war will fuel both sides
Suddenly, a silver rapier came to her aid, blocking the katana fiercely. Its violet haired wielder glared ferociously at Lizzie, holding strong against her crushing might.
And the greed will only grow more lies
"Head for the you-know-where!" Vixella shouted, stepping aside as she let go of their weapon lock. Kat nodded, before pushing through the last of the crowd and ducking into a dusty alleyway with lots of trash cans and garbage dumpsters to hide behind. Stacy followed quickly afterwards as well.
Farewell to the days of peace
Kat leapt on top of a dumpster and used it to boost her up onto the roof. Soon enough, Vixella swerved into the alleyway, and followed her and Stacy onto the shingled rooftops.
'cause now it's time to die
Suddenly, a black…boomerang-hook of sorts latched onto Kat's elbow. She gasped, trying to pull it off, but before she had a chance to do so, Lizzie was pulling her weapon back.
Die
"Heeeeelllp!" Kat shouted in a long, exaggerated manner. Stacy and Vixella immediately rushed to her aid, snapping the hook back into its katana form.
Die
"Let's move it, people!" Kat shouted, as they bolted along the red rooftops, eventually hiding into another alleyway, further from the Princess and her troops and on another street.
"Guess Toph wasn't wrong," Kat thought, pressing her lips into a thin line. "avatars do have the worst luck."
End of Song
"Welcome to Capital City International Airport, how may I be of assistance to you today?"
"We would like three one-way tickets to Spark City on the earliest leaving airship, please." Stacy responded politely to the airport receptionist, who had soft, pale beige locks and shimmering emerald green eyes.
"Of course." The receptionist started to write something down on her clipboard. "The earliest leaving flight to Spark City still with available seats is Aircraft #10372, leaving at 3:25 P.M. What are your names? I'll need them to certify your purchase…"
Kat zoned out of the boring exchange with the receptionist, instead settling for continuing to admire the beauty of the Capital City International Airport.
Flight had drastically improved over the past 30 years, after the invention of the earliest airships. The smartest Fire Nation scientists teamed up with Earth Kingdom inventors to create the Airship 103. It was a sleek, stylish model that traveled at a maximum speed of 400 mph. They used propellers to lift themselves into the sky, instead of gigantic balloons, and had a large passenger carrying capacity. Now, there were airports all over the Fire Nation and major Earth Kingdom cities, although one had yet to be built in the Southern Water Tribe.
This airport was especially famous for its modern aesthetics and cleanliness. The floors were made out of heavily polished quartz, its pillars made of cleanly cut marble and lined with 100% transparent glass all around. Potted plants and wooden benches were added around the place for aesthetics.
"...your flight will be leaving in an hour, please head over to the security check and then enter the waiting center. Have a good flight!" The receptionist said cheerfully, jolting Kat out of her daydream. Her eyes darted between the receptionist and Stacy, who was waving back as she started to walk away.
"Girl, stop zoning out." Vixella teased, as she grabbed her bag and followed after. Kat mumbled something under her breath, as she followed her two friends.
Getting past security was a bit of a pain. Water from outside was strictly prohibited to be taken past the checkpoint, and any metal was confiscated. That alone caused a problem with Vixella's rapier, not to mention its intended purpose.
Luckily, Kat managed to distract the guards by making a water fountain 'malfunction' nearby, which drew all the attention in the area, and allowed them to sneak through. 'Water pipe miscalculations,' eh?
Kat, Stacy and Vixella then just chillaxed in the waiting mall, as it had been nicknamed. Here, all passengers waited for their planes to be ready to board, where there was literally a mall they could shop at during their wait. From popular fast food restaurants to Fire Nation souvenir shops to even designer clothes stores, there was a lot to take in here. And boy did they waste no time getting to the good stuff!
Kat had been wandering around one of the souvenir shops, occasionally examining a keychain or T-shirt with disinterest. She didn't even know how she'd ended up in here; souvenir shops were trash anyway. All they sold were overpriced lockets made with fake gold, rip-offs of popular candy brands, and just more bad stuff overall. Why did they even bother?!
But as she walked past a stand full of picture frames, one caught her eye. The frame itself was a dark crimson with cheesy pink hearts dotting the wood, which was just as boring as heck. But it was the placeholder picture inside that caught her attention.
A happy family, beaming at the artist who had drawn the sketch. They were at some beach, most likely Ember Island, judged by the background. The father and mother were standing beside each other, holding hands and laughing. Their youngest child, a son, was sitting on top of the father's shoulders. The other four children were all gathered around the couple, one hiding shyly behind her sister, and another making a goofy face at the sketcher. Kat's heart ached at the picture.
This was the image of a perfect family.
This was what her family could never be.
Kat had never wanted any of this, if she still hadn't made it clear. The Fire Nation occupation, the fearful lives, the Other Self, being the avatar, Betty's hard decision, everything. Their family was never whole. It had always been shattered and fragmented.
With Betty out of their lives, training to become something ruthless and cunning, it could never fix the hole in their hearts that she occupied. Father always seemed forever stressed from the Fire Nation soldiers, and mother was forever fearful of them taking another one of her precious children. Kim, Wenny, and Allen weren't too involved, but they were just as confused and scared as their parents.
And herself…
Kat didn't even want to think about her bitter fate. About being the avatar. Why couldn't the avatar spirit have chosen someone else? It would at least make their lives—her life—a bit less complex. It wouldn't fix all their problems, but at least lessen them.
A single tear rolled down Kat's cheeks. She put down the frame, unable to stare at the expectations that would never be fulfilled.
This was the real world.
The real world was cold.
The real world didn't care about spirit, or childish wishes, or any of that.
It was to survive, or die.
"...sooooo, what now?" Stacy said, fiddling with a pen in boredom.
"I dunno, didn't Katara give us some cards to play or something?" Vixella shrugged, skimming through a religious book that had been in one of the drawers.
"Don't look at me," Kat said, reeling back when both of their gazes landed on her. "Vixella was supposed to be responsible for entertainment and food!"
Vixella sputtered indignantly. "I was not!" She snapped, her cheeks turning just a smidge bit red.
"Whatever, we don't need cards anyway." Stacy brushed it off, before her sharp gaze landed on Kat. Kat suddenly had a bad feeling about this. "I have something else to ask you Kat."
"Ask away!" Kat responded slightly nervously. Please, please, please don't let this be about…
"Kat, what happened to you, at the test?" Stacy asked. "It was like someone else took control of your body! And your eyes!"
"Yeah. You completely ignored me!" Vixella added, frowning slightly.
Kat took a deep breath, before opening her eyes and preparing to speak. This would be hard to explain…
"That…wasn't me." Kat admitted, looking away at the wall. "It was a mysterious entity that's been inside me for as long as I can remember. They take control every time a Fire Nation soldier gives an order, direct or indirect. I've taken to calling him…the Other Self."
Stacy and Vixella's eyes were wider than saucers.
"In the past, I've been able to stay in control for most of the time." She went on. "But lately, he's been restless. Right before the test, he gained a conscience. I'm afraid that means that my grip on him is slipping. And when Ozai told me to come with him…I'm afraid that's when we switched roles."
Kat took another deep breath, before continuing. "He locked me deep inside my own mind, and took control of my body. It was the scariest thing of my life, until you, Stacy, managed to break me out of his trance."
"That's terrible!" Stacy put a hand over her mouth, a horrified look in her eyes. "Is he…still fighting for control?"
"So far, no." Kat admitted. "I think that he's been locked away better this time. But I can still sense him there, fighting to get out."
"Well, I want to have a word with him." Vixella snarled, jumping up unexpectedly. "Taking over you like that, without your consent? He needs to be taught a lesson."
"Vixella, calm down!" Stacy cried worriedly. "If Kat does let the Other Self out, she might not be able to control him. That could end disastrously for us all. It wouldn't be wise."
"You know what, I think it's time we got answers as well." Kat cut in unexpectedly(and most likely without thinking). "He's been quiet for an unusual amount of time, considering our circumstances. It's better know what he's up to, instead of letting him lurk in the shadows, scheming and plotting his next move."
Then there was silence. Again. Very unnerving silence, as Stacy and Vixella stared intently and fearfully at Kat, prepared for his arrival.
Kat took probably the third deep breath in less than five minutes. "Other Self," she said out loud, both fearful and curious as to whether it would work or not. "you can come out now. I grant your permission."
…
…
…
"Well what an interesting turn of events this is. Summoning me from my prison? This must be my lucky day!"
Kat winced at the o so familiar voice. Stacy and Vixella perked up at the flicker of emotion.
"Did it work?" Vixella demanded. Kat nodded shakily.
"He's out alright," Kat responded. "Now I just need to…uuuuhhh…hold on." She sat down, before mentally stepping out of the control box and into the main control room inside her head.
There he was, the Other Self, in all his glory. Just a simple orange mist, yet enough to give Kat shivers. He was under her thumb at this time, but Kat knew just exactly how powerful he could be.
"May I?" The Other Self bowed mockingly. Kat sighed, touching her fingers to her forehead.
"Just…keep it moderate. Stacy and Vixella just wanna talk." Kat instructed reluctantly. "And don't even try anything. I'm the stronger one now."
"Oh, don't even!" The Other Self chirped as he skipped over to the control box. "Now, to get the real show on the road…"
With that, the Other Self was absorbed into the control box, now officially in control of Kat's body. Kat shivered at the thought of that. Why did she think this was a good idea again? Oh wait, she wasn't.
Stacy and Vixella visibly tensed as Kat's eyes shifted from its normal ocean blue to a fiery amber. A small smirk came across not-Kat's face.
"My, my, what do I owe the pleasure of being in control again?" He teased. "A talk? Seems like a stoopy idea to me, but I won't complain."
"Why do you even exist?" Stacy asked, getting straight to the point. She sounded furious and disgusted at this monstrosity called 'The Other Self.'
"Ooh, attitude!" The Other Self gasped mockingly. "And my creation is not supposed to be spoken of. I have always been here, and I always will! There is nothing else to say about it."
Vixella scoffed. "Why won't you leave Kat alone?" She demanded. "Why can't you go haunt someone else instead?"
The Other Self smirked again, a spark igniting in his amber eyes. "Everyone is different." He said, a serious tone overcoming him. "But you all start out happy, cheerful, and blindly naive. But then others divide you. Fear, doubt, hatred, mistrust, and all those other emotions overwhelm you. If you fall and lose yourselves to them, well…then I've found my next host."
"But…Kat never really had any emotional struggles." Stacy protested weakly, sounding more unsure by the moment. "At least, she never showed it. Kat was always strong, bold, and funny! How…when?"
Kat felt sick to the stomach. So his existence was because of her past mistakes…mistakes she didn't even know about. She sat down, hugging her knees to her chest.
"I'm afraid that's not for me to reveal." The Other Self sighed over dramatically(and to Kat's relief). "So! Anything else? Ooh, maybe I can explore the ship?"
"No way." Vixella frowned, glaring profusely. "Let Kat back in charge. I think we've had enough of you, you sociopath."
The Other Self gasped melodramatically. "I'm not a sociopath!" He protested in a tone that stated otherwise. "And I hope I never have to deal with you two again!" With that, the orange mist popped out of the control cube, still pouting childishly. Kat rolled her eyes as she entered the control box again.
"Stupid psycho," Kat muttered as she regained control of her body.
There was a moment of awkward silence in the room, as Vixella and Stacy struggled for words after the unexpected visitor. Kat raised an eyebrow, before sitting down on one of the soft cushions, so done with that awful jerk of a devil consciousness.
"Me-ow!" The Other Self gasped comically inside her head. "That hurts!"
"Shut up, shut up," Kat muttered to herself, feeling a headache coming on again. "I don't need your unhelpful and rude remarks now, or at any time—WOAAAH!"
All of a sudden, the airship shook violently, nearly knocking Stacy and Vixella off their feet. A glass vase on one of the tables slid off and shattered into pieces.
"What was that?" Stacy cried, dashing to their window. Vixella quickly grabbed her rapier from her bag, eyes scanning the room for any possible places someone could sneak in.
Kat also got onto her feet, and rushed towards their window. "What is going on?" The Other Self hummed with excitement, and Kat scowled in annoyance. He was REALLY NOT HELPING!
But then she saw what was attacking the ship.
A large wave of black clouds and smoke, complemented by tinges of dark scarlet and vermillion, was surrounding the airship, steadily catching up. It shot bolts of purplish-yellow lighting at its metal sides, bringing along an army of…wait, what were those things?
Tiny black dots continued to emerge from the cloud, all looking different. Some had wings, some had long, fancy tails, and others just looked like shapeless blobs from afar. Kat felt a sense of dread accumulating inside her. Whatever it was, these creatures were against them.
All of a sudden, a wave of midnight black translucent liquid shot out from the dark swarm of clouds, dissipating the red metal that made up the airship. A bird-like creature also landed on the side, clawing at an exterior pipe angrily. Kat felt the ship jerk again, then started to tilt to the left.
"Uh, are we falling?" Vixella called out slightly anxiously. The ship tilted even further, throwing everyone towards the left wall. Kat gripped a metal handle on the opposing wall, afraid to let go.
"I think we AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Stacy's sentence was cut off as the airship suddenly began to plummet down at neck-breaking speeds. The feeling of falling ignited a tsunami of fear inside of Kat, her acrophobia coming into play again. Kat felt the Other Self smirk inside.
"Someone's a scaredy-kat!" He sang cheerfully, as if falling out of the sky was just another normal day thing.
Kat desperately tried to peek out of the rapidly tilting window, to get a look at what was happening outside, but then a spurt of the black liquid splashed onto their window, covering their only exit to the outside. There was a sizzling sound, as well as the acrid smell of something burning, as the glass quickly became thinner and weaker.
Kat lost her grip on the metal bar, and fell onto the opposing wall. Her stomach was screaming in protest as the airship plummeted down towards the ground. Her mind was freaking out 1,000% strong. This was not how the avatar fell, death from a falling airship!
After a couple minutes of endless terror, Kat felt the jolt.
Everything was thrown back into the air, as the impact shattered the rooms closest to the ground and mangled the rest out of repair. Suddenly, the entire world flashed white briefly before it turned black. The last thing Kat could hear before she hit the wall again was,
"Sweet dreams, little kitty-kat. You're in for a real treat once you awake."
"Rise and shine, poppet!"
…
"Your fear is strong. Thanks for giving me more control, dearie!"
…
"Really? Still unconscious?"
…
"Alright then. I'll simply have to—"
"GAAAH!"
Kat sat up abruptly, her mind racing and her thoughts panicking. She was sweating profusely, as she quickly examined her hands. Nothing more than just a few scratches and bruises, so…
"I'm…not dead?" She muttered, confused, to herself. Kat swore that the fall would've been the death of her. But…she was still alive?
"UuUUuuhHhh…"
Kat's head immediately swung towards the direction of the voice, immediately scrambling to her feet, rushing towards the sound. Please, please, please, let Stacy and Vixella be alive…
She pulled aside a sheet of gnarled metal, holding her breath in desperation. Underneath, it revealed a half conscious Stacy, her face covered with dust and tiny cuts, but definitely still alive and breathing.
Kat let out a huge sigh of relief. But it wasn't done just yet. She rushed over to where she had last seen Vixella, and searched through the pile of rocks, rubble, twisted metal pipes, and a silk curtain for her lavender haired friend.
Just as Kat found her unconscious body behind a pile of smashed splinters that used to be a wooden drawer, she heard a familiar voice from behind. "Kat?" Stacy croaked weakly. "Is that you?"
"Stacy! You're alright!" Kat cried, tears of joy coming to her eyes. She rushed back over to her, with Vixella in her arms. Stacy struggled to push herself up into a sitting position, before shaking her right wrist to rejuvenate it.
"C'mon, stupid wrist, come back to me!" She muttered. Just as Stacy regained feeling in her right hand, Vixella began to stir as well.
"I feel like I've been hit with an airship," she mumbled, her face scrunching up in pain and annoyance. Kat felt much lighter now that she knew her two friends were alright.
"That's because we just fell from one, Vix," Stacy deadpanned, chuckling. Kat stood back up, and walked cautiously towards the shattered window. It had been broken into several pieces, most on the ground, and the top was covered by a wall of ice that had somehow miraculously formed. If Kat was able to break the ice, it could also function as a hatch to climb out of the broken airship.
Kat took a breath, and punched the ice. With the help of her waterbending, the ice shattered into smithereens, some large chunks and others barely visible on the wall/floor.
Kat turned back to the others, who were slowly standing up. "C'mon!" She called eagerly. "I've found a way out!"
Stacy and Vixella stumbled over to the window, and Kat created an icy ladder out of the remaining ice. Kat was the first to climb out of the crashed airship, and the sight that she was greeted with was jaw dropping.
The ship was not on fire. There were no traces of the black cloud, on the ground or in the air. The sky was the same clear baby blue as it had been when they first took off, without a single white cloud in sight, nevertheless a black one. But the weirdest part was that most of the ship…was gone.
Their room had crashed into a large clearing in a swampy forest, apparently severed from the rest of the airship. And…it was surrounded by a layer of ice.
Stacy poked her head out, and gasped faintly. "What happened here?" She murmured curiously. Kat stepped out to give her some room to climb out as well, her eyes still on the mysterious sheet of jagged ice surrounding their, and only their room.
"Where did the rest of the ship go?" Vixella demanded once she noticed the odd scenario they were in. "And where did all this ice come from?"
"I have no clue," Kat shook her head, still a little disoriented and alarmed. "but we need to find civilization ASAP, before some demon monster comes crawling out of the forest, and tries to eat us. We're also on a limited supply of food and money, so we'll have to find a way to—" Kat stopped abruptly at the sound of rustling in a nearby thicket patch by the forest. Her breath came to a hitch, as she slowly reached towards to uncap her waterskin.
Vixella and Stacy heard the sound as well, as Vixella pulled out her rapier and Stacy also uncapped her waterskin, drawing out a stream of water. Kat eyed the saltgrass warily, holding her breath.
Then a dark, seaweed green head popped out. Kat nearly threw an icicle spear at it the moment it appeared, but she was barely able to restrain herself. It didn't look like it was evil or hostile, it just looked like a very…lost…eel-hound.
Kat sighed a deep breath of relief. Then the thought came to her—what was an eel-hound doing here? She cautiously took a step towards the aquatic beauty, an ice dagger still in her hand, just in case.
The eel-hound noticed her, and shied away slightly. Taking a closer look, Kat noticed that it was gorgeous. The eel-hound had hechromilia, with one amber eye and one crystal blue. Its sleek, water covered skin shimmered in the sunlight, and the gills around its neck fluttered gently in the faint breeze.
Kat took a couple more steps, when the eel-hound didn't move or attack. She warily held out a hand to the creature, smiling nervously.
"Hey," she murmured. "What are you doing here?"
The eel-hound whimpered, reaching forward and nuzzling its head into Kat's extended hand. Kat immediately relaxed. She gently cupped its seaweed green cheek, brushing it softly.
The eel-hound tentatively walked out from the thickets, circling Kat and sniffing her curiously. Kat giggled when it sniffed her face, then giving it a good lick with its tongue.
"Look like someone's got a new pet," Stacy teased as she and Vixella made their way over. Kat kept on smiling, patting the eel-hound's head gently.
"She needs a name." Kat said out loud, her gaze still fixed on her new pet. "Got any suggestions?"
"How do you know it's a she?" Vixella inquired curiously.
"It's not huge, first of all," Kat replied. "Males are usually twice as tall as females and much larger. Adult females are usually the size of a large horse, but they're faster and more agile than males."
"Hmm…how about Enzy?" Stacy suggested. Kat gave her a doubtful look.
"I don't think so," She responded. "It sounds weird."
Kat Junior?" Vixella tried meekly. Both Kat and Stacy gave her the 'really?' look.
"No." Kat deadpanned, before her face brightened with an idea. "I know! Kiaria!"
"Kiaria," Stacy echoed, a small smile creeping up her face. "I like the sound of that."
"Well then, it's settled." Kat slung her right arm over Kiaria's neck, who let out an odd noise of satisfaction. "Welcome to the group, Kiaria."
So after the trio then picked up what was left of their supplies and refilled their waterskins with the mysterious ice, and although their current situation was less than ideal, they rode off from the scene with a smile on their faces in the end.
Kat loved her new eel-hound Kiaria dearly. She knew their future held mysteries and many, many struggles, but she also knew that they would face them together. Because in the end, she would not make the same mistake that her predecessor, Avatar Aang made. Kat would face her struggles, her fears, and ultimately, the Phoenix King together, with her friends by her side. And she knew that if they played their cards right, this would all turn out in their favor in the end.
Sorry I didn't upload this chapter earlier. I was quite busy today that I completely forgot about uploading chapter 9 until now lol! Other than that...I can definitely foresee an indefinite hiatus for this story after chapter 11, which will be in two weeks.
I am planning on starting a new story to replace LOK updates on Sundays, which will be a rwby and Black Butler crossover called Pawns and Players. Got into the fandom last Tuesday, and now it's tied in first with rwby as my favorite anime lol.
Anyways, that's all for this time! Bye! –Frosted Petals