Zuko landed with a loud thump on the cave floor. "D'you want to?" Sokka asked, holding up the "quality rope" he had gotten at the Pole when he freed Aang.
"No one is going to tie him up," Aang said decisively. "I have feeling he won't attack anyone." Sokka and I started yelling at Aang.
"Are you nuts?"
"He'll kill us if we don't tie him up!"
"There is no way I'm gonna get to sleep if he isn't tied up!" (That was me.)
This went on for a few more minutes, Sokka and I getting progressively louder, Aang becoming more resolute. It wasn't until Momo threw a peach pit at Sokka did I realize how loud we were. "Fine," I muttered. "We won't tie his sorry hide up. But, if he moves, Momo, throw a peach pit at him and wake us up." Momo looked at Zuko, hissed, and nodded. "How come you understood that but not 'water'?" I asked, getting in my sleeping bag. Momo looked at me, then went back to watching Zuko like a hawk.
I slept through the night, regardless of my worries. I felt Sokka next to me toss and turn all night, and heard him get up a few times before I slipped into sweet sleep.
Day Two on the Island, Day Four of Winter
When I woke up, Aang had a fire and breakfast going. "Hmm, you can cook," I muttered groggily. Aang smiled.
"Hey, I learned more than Airbending at the temple. There were no girls, so we had to do our own cooking. Some of the older monks could burn a salad." Aang laughed, then got quiet. Talking about the Southern Air Temple always made him a bit sad. I got up and sat next to him.
"It's okay, Aang," I whispered. Aang nodded, then perked up.
"Get Sokka; breakfast's ready."
"Where is he?" My brother was nowhere to be found. Aang pointed outside. I left, pausing to shoot the still-unconscious prince a hate filled glance.
My brother was throwing his boomerang and catching it deftly. I waited a few minutes before speaking. "Sokka, breakfast's ready." Usually, Sokka got mad if he missed his boomerang because someone distracted him, but I mentioned breakfast, so he forgave me instantly.
"Good, I'm starving," he said, following me into the cave. I smiled.
"You're always starving," I pointed out. Sokka nodded and sat down besides the fire. He took the fish Aang offered him. "What are we going to do about him?" I asked, pointing to Zuko as I ate.
"Wait until he wakes up, I guess," Aang shrugged. There wasn't any talking as we ate.
We didn't have to wait long before the prince woke up, and rather volubly, I might add. "Where am I?" was the first thing he said after looking around. Upon seeing Aang, he made to get up, but he fell back down. He glanced furiously around to see why he couldn't move. I laughed when I noticed.
Sokka had tied a rock to Zuko's ankle and that to the cave wall.
"So that's what you were doing last night," I muttered. Making sure Aang couldn't hear, I whispered, "Nice job, bro." Sokka nodded. He got up and went over to Zuko.
"Katara found your sorry hide last night, on the shore with half a raft on the rocks. If not for her, you'd be dead. Which would be one less dirty Fire Nation scum ball following us," he added under his breath.
"What about my uncle?" I frowned. Was that concern in Zuko's voice. I stepped forward.
"If he was on that raft, he might have been washed under," I said. "I noticed the other half of the raft I found near you with someone on it, but it went under as soon as I tried to look closer," I explained. "He might be alright, if not soaked, out at sea." I sighed. "And you're stuck here with us until Appa's leg heals from that lightning flash. Great."
Sokka groaned as sat down. "This week couldn't get any worse, could it?" Aang paused.
"Well, you could be sick," he offered. Sokka and Aang then got into a conversation about all the bad things that had happened them. I turned to Zuko.
"Are you hungry?" The prince glared at me, but then his stomach growled. Looking away, he nodded. I went over to the fire and looked for the fish I knew was left over. Behind me, I heard munching. "Okay," I said, turning to the guys, "who ate the fish?" Both Sokka and Aang shook their heads. Aang pointed to Momo. The little lemur was eating the extra fish. "Momo!" He looked up at me, cocked his head, squeaked, and returned to his fish. "He's your lemur," I muttered to Aang. The young Avatar smiled his big smile.
"Yup!" I rolled my eyes and went to my pack, hoping there was food in there. (I've seen Zuko angry. I didn't want to see him hungry and angry.) Lucky me, there was some of the jerky we had gotten at the Northern Air Temple. I tossed it to Zuko, who surprisingly didn't pull an "I'm-superior-than-you-and-therefore-should-not-be-forced-to-eat-this-junk" face. He nodded his thanks and ate the jerked beef. (At least, I hoped it was beef.) I hoped down off of Appa and went to look at his leg.
"It's going to get an infection if I don't wrap this," I told Aang. "Do we have any large pieces of cloth?" Aang bended himself onto Appa and began to look.
"Cloaks, sleeping bags, packs, and that tarp Arnook gave us. Why did I think of using that last night?" he muttered, half to himself.
"Hand me the tarp and a knife," I called. "Sokka, could you fill that pot with water and get it hot? I need to make sure this tarp is clean before I put it on the wound." My brother nodded as I turned back to Aang and caught the tarp.
"Watch out!" He jumped down from Appa and winced.
"Where's it hurt?" I asked instantly, taking out my flask.
"My neck. I think I jerked it too much last night, trying to get Appa under control." I bended some water into my hand and pressed it against Aang's neck, letting the blue healing waters do their work.
"There. Better?" Aang moved his neck around and nodded.
"Thanks Katara!" He ran off after Momo, who had left the cave to chase a leaf. (Some species are easily entertained.) That left me alone with the Fire Prince, which was the last thing I wanted. I looked at him and noticed a lot of painful cuts and bruises, some of them clearly from the wreck.
"Sit still," I said, opening my flask again.
"Why? What are you doing?" Zuko asked, looking at my flask skeptically.
"You have bruises and cuts all over your face; I need to heal them."
"No." I sighed. Are all men this aggravating or just the ones I know?
"Look, I know you're a jerk with superiority issues, but even your father would admit some those cuts are nasty," I said. I took out the small mirror Yue's mother had given me when we left the North Pole. "Here, look." Zuko took one look at his face and winced. "My point. Now, sit still, or I'll tell my brother you attempted to escape."
"The rope's not frayed," Zuko pointed out. I looked at him.
"I'll make it frayed. Now, sit!"
"How can I do anything else? Your brother tied me up." I threw the water I had in my hand at the stubborn prince. Forget him.
Sokka soon returned with the water. I had the fire going and the water was hot in no time. Appa saw me coming with the steaming tarp and the ten-ton bison attempted to scoot away. "Oh no you don't," Aang said, grabbing Appa's halter. "If you want to fly again, you have Katara heal that leg." Appa looked at Aang, then me, then the tarp, and shook his head.
"Appa! You know as well as I do that Aang has master Earthbending!" I said. "He can't do that here! Now, are you going to let me do this willingly or am I going to have to do it forcefully?" Appa moaned. Aang swatted Appa. (A humorous sight if I ever saw one.)
"Appa! I'd repeat what he said, but it's rude," Aang apologized. I shrugged.
"It's fine. Hold him still." Aang and Sokka held down Appa's halter and I tied the tarp to the wound. Appa moaned in pain. "Sorry, Appa, but I want to get off this island as soon as possible," I said, rubbing his head. Appa moaned and licked me, causing me to fall over. Laughing, I dusted my dress off. "I take it he forgives me."
Aang laughed. "Your hair is sticking up all over the place, Katara." I turned to Sokka, who was trying not crack up. I felt my hair. Sure enough, my braid was stuck at a funny angle.
"Thanks, Appa," I muttered, bending some of the hot water left over onto my hair and forcing it down to its proper spot. I shook my hair, spraying my brother and Aang with water.
"Hey!" All three boys yelled. I turned to Zuko.
"Oh, I got you? Good." I shrugged and turned to Aang. "I forget; whose turn is it to get lunch?"
"Yours," Sokka and Aang piped up. I looked outside. The rain had stopped.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. Sokka, try not to kill Zuko," I added, seeing him reach for his boomerang. Sokka nodded and I left.
The island was surprisingly well covered with fruit trees and vegetables. "Well, that's odd," I muttered, picking some of the vegetables. "I didn't think these grew wild." Upon seeing the carrots, in semi-neat rows, my suspicions were proved true.
This island was not always deserted. There had been people here, and they had disappeared.
Sorry for the delay, I got grounded.Season two has not happened, and never will, in IAG. Zuko still has his topknot.