"Papa!" Excited to see that my papa had returned from his fishing trip, I wasted no time in jumping up from the snow into his arms as he laughed, stumbling back a step as my small body landed directly against his leg, unable to jump very high. "Papa home! Papa home!"
"There's my little Kanna, I hope you've been behaving yourself whilst I was away." I grinned at him, not telling him how I'd been throwing snowballs at everyone behind their backs for the past two hours. "Where's your mother Kanna? Where's mama?"
"Mama home!" I piped up in my small voice before grinning as he picked me up, squealing happily as he tossed me up into the air so that I could spread my arms and feel like I was flying. I was always happy when my papa was home. He was big like a polar-bear dog and warm to cuddle. With his catch of fish in one hand and me perched up on his shoulder he carried me home where my mother was tidying away the clothes she had just washed, though when she looked up a smile of relief came to her face.
"Nodak, thank goodness, I was beginning to grow worried. A storm is coming and all the other boats had already docked. Idiot, don't leave it so late to come back when you hear the waning horn!" I watched as my father leaned down to kiss my mother so I made a loud sound of disgust, sticking out my tongue which made my parents laugh before they embraced me between them.
"I know the waters well Kya, don't worry about me." With a smile I felt wrapped in the loving embrace of my parents, snuggling close into my father's thick fur hood before he put me down and began to sort through the fish he caught, my mother sternly placing her hands on her hips as she swore blind that one day he was going to get himself killed for being so reckless. I played with my doll on the floor before I lifted a hand and tugged some water towards me from a jug on the table, feeling it's soothing presence before with a laugh, it turned to snow and I flung it at the back of my papa's head.
"Ha!" Laughing with amusement I did it again however this time, my father ducked and my mother got a face full of snow.
"That's it, come here you!" With a roar of laughter my papa descended upon me, capturing me by the waist before I escaped and lifted me up into the air as I squealed. It was always fun when my papa came home as he always liked to play games with me. It was the best time when we were all together and mama was home from her travels too. Normally when both papa and mama were away I stayed with Gran-Gran, but she was old and smelled funny, so it was best when I had my parents with me.
"Nice shot, my little water-bender. You take after me." Mama laughed before making me get ready for dinner and help set the table. That night I slept in the bed with my parents, laying against my papa's muscular arm with one hand gripping onto my mother's finger as I slept. I was happy. So happy, yet I could barely remember those times now. My father was a powerful man, one of the biggest in the village and he always appeared so strong, however one day when he and I were out on the boat fishing, the warning horn sounded to signal that the tides were changing and a storm was approaching.
"Right then my water lily, we'd better get back or your mama will freeze me in ice again." He joked, giving me a carefree smile as I lifted up my fishing hook.
"Haha! Papa funny ice man!" I was almost three years old, thinking very little more than what I was having for dinner and I did not truly understand the danger we were in, not until it struck us full force. The storm had arrived quicker than anticipated and we were barely a hundred feet from the safety of our tribe when the waves suddenly crashed against our fishing boat which my father struggled to control, fighting against the powerful water which tried to snatch us with its foamy teeth. I was screaming, clinging onto the mast for my life as my father battled until finally, a huge wave rose up from the deep like a roaring demon, making my eyes widen in fear as I stared before all at once it crashed against us. The boat was broken in two and the freezing water rushed around me like a heavy weight, dragging me down.
I was frightened, I wanted my papa but it was so dark that I could not see. Instinctively I tried to push the water away from me like mama had taught me but there was too much to control and it was too wild to obey. Opening my eyes I tried to call out but of course, the water had consumed me and stolen my little voice away as well as my breath. My chest burned painfully as I was tossed and tumbled, staring into the darkness as my eyes slowly adjusted and I saw a shape in the water. Papa. He was clawing at his throat, heavy coat discarded and his feet lashing to try and kick towards the surface whilst he suffocated and in my horror, I did not understand what was happening to him. In my young mind, all I saw was him struggling before slowly, he then went perfectly still and drifted away, dragged by the water down into the depths of the ocean.
Amongst the freezing waves I felt hot tears spill, thrusting out a hand towards my beloved papa but he was gone and I was being dragged upwards by a sudden shifting current. My body broke through the water into the lashing winds whilst I cried, howling in terror and fear as my little body was thrown against wave after wave until somehow I managed to catch onto a drift of ice and crawled on top. I do not know how long I lay there, however out of the darkness a huge tribal boat appeared with the water-benders pushing the vicious waves away, scanning lights into the fray before one fell upon my body.
By that point I had passed out from everything that had happened but they tell me that my mother had flown to my side and gathered me up before taking me back. I had been ill for several days after, but under the careful care of my mother and grandmother, they healed me back to health, however the damage had been done. The water had taken away my papa, stolen him in a painful reminder that the ocean would not be dominated by any water-bender. Therefore, from that moment on, I refused to go anywhere near the sea, staying locked away in the village where I felt safe. From that moment on, I never water-bent again.