Dangerous Ground
Chapter Eight
I hit the ground hard. I felt the breath knocked out of me and I struggled to regain it while looking around at the dank little cell I was now in. It seemed to be carved out of a mountain, with a thick door separating it from the rest of the compound. A tiny light trickled in, letting icy air in with it. I pushed myself against the rock and gasped at the cold. It seemed to pour from everywhere. I focused my trembling hands on waterbending the freezing water from my clothing, but it hardly helped. My body was almost completely numb. I pulled myself into a little ball and tried to get warm, but my body simply wasn't making any heat.
This had happened to Chai. She'd gone wandering in a blizzard and had come back almost frozen. She'd died before they'd been able to warm her. I could still remember the white color of her face. Her skin had been so, so cold. Was I going to die like this? I looked up at Zuko, who was pacing the cell, looking for a way to escape, no doubt. He seemed fine. Warm, even. Maybe I could ask him to build a fire.
With what, Katara? I asked myself. There was nothing in the cave but icy water and icier air. I'm going to die like this. I couldn't accept it. But, as time passed, it began to matter less and less to me.
I was floating.
I couldn't feel myself anymore, which was good. I had been starting to feel pretty crummy for a while there.
This was fun. I was floating away...
...away...
The world started to swim in front of my eyes.
I laughed, but the sound that came out wasn't a laugh.
It was a funny sound.
I saw Zuko turn to look at me.
Funny, I'd never noticed how handsome he was...
I laughed again. So funny. Funny delirious Katara.
I thought I saw a polar bear dance around the cell with momo. Silly Katara.
More laughing.
Was he worried?
Sexy Zuko. I wanted to kiss him.
I wasn't worried. I was flying. Couldn't he see that?
I saw Appa. And Aang! And Sokka! They were all watching me fly.
And then the world slowly faded to black.