The sky was blood red, orange, and yellow. The vibrant colors striped the early sky. Katara leaned back against a sleeping bag and took in the beauty of it all. She should, for the colors surrounded her. She was flying, and when you're on a ten-ton flying Bison watching the sunrise, it's near impossible to not stop and stare. Behind her she heard Sokka snore and Momo rustling in their sleep. It wasn't until she heard Aang mumble did she tear her eyes away from the perfect setting in front of her.
"No, not her…please…no…" Aang turned over in a restless nightmare.
Katara leaned over and gently shook him awake. "Aang, Aang, are you alright? Come on, wake up. It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare, that's all."
Aang opened his eyes and stared at her. "I saw her again, Katara. Marie."
Aang was referring to the girl he'd heard was a hostage of the Fire Nation. An eleven-year-old Earth Kingdom princess, orphaned by the Fire Nation, Aang hadn't seen her on the Fire Nation ship he'd been on earlier that Fall, when he'd gone to save Katara and Sokka from Zuko.
"Oh, Aang. I don't know what to tell you. I wish I knew why she keeps entering your dreams. What'd she say this time?" Katara put her arm around him in a sort of one armed hug.
He sighed. "What else? The same thing she always says." He paused for a dramatic affect before mimicking what was supposed to be a faint women's voice, but sounded more like a high-pitched wail. "'Aang, come to me Aang. As far as the sky's I will follow you, and I'm closer than you think.' What's you think it means? I mean," Aang stood up and talked to the sky. "I don't see another flying Bison do you?"
"Not exactly. But- Aang! Look! An island!" After flying for three days, they had run out of food, water, and patience. "Oh, and I think it's an Earth Kingdom island too! Oh, Aang. Please!"
"Katara! You don't have to beg! Here we go!" Aang jerked Appa in to a dead freefall and grabbed Katara by the hand. In a few seconds, they were falling through the air, Katara hanging onto Aang's hand, who, with the other hand, grasped the reins. Sokka, on the other hand, was waking up slowly to find himself falling though the air in a sleeping bag.
"Agh! Aang what did you guys do?" He shouted tumbling out of the sleeping bag and into the air. Katara laughed as her adrenaline pumped and she saw the ground get closer and closer until Aang jerked Appa up and they landed gracefully on the beach. Where all the their belongings landed exactly where they were before…except Sokka, who landed in the salty ocean water, about twenty feet from everything else. Katara and Aang laughed until their stomachs hurt as Sokka grumbed before swimming to shore.
"Aang, what do you think you'll do once you've mastered Earth bending?" Katara had wondered since they'd met him. She sat down next to him and started attempting to make a fire as he rolled over on his back to stare at the night sky.
"I dunno. I guess, go get Zuko. I'm not sure though. I'm also thinking about going to visit the Air Temple again to see Avatar Roku…I'll need all the help I can get…" He fell silent and watched the night sky. What am I going to do? He thought.
"Do you remember when I told you about my mother?"
"Mmmhmm." Not well, but still…
"Well, when I was younger, my mother used to talk to me long into the night. She often told me strange things I never thought about. Like, once she said, If I had the choice of doing the right thing and dying painfully, or doing the wrong thing, and not die at all what would I do? I never took her seriously then. I was too young. I took all things for granted as well, especially having both of my parents…" Her voice cracked. Katara wiped away a tear. It was still painful to talk about Mom. Even now… "Well, after we got attacked, Sokka and I often hid, during that time I tried to waterbend or Sokka would teach how to read or write. After a while, I took nap during one particularly long hiding session I guess you could call it. During that time, I had a vision on sorts."
Aang rolled over. Katara wasn't usually this open with him on her choice.
"She said something was going to happen…something bad. Then I woke up. Sokka had woken me up. He said I was screaming in my sleep. Which gave away our hiding place. They came and…the Firebenders took my doll. Her name was Nano. She had the softest white hair the most beautiful pelt dress. Well, they burned our house and Nano with it. When they left, my Dad went with them to fight. Sokka helped rebuild our house but my doll was burned to ashes. I cried for weeks because my Mom had given me that doll on the day of my birth. She had made it herself and other than my necklace that was the only thing from Mom I had left. But I had another dream a couple days before we found you. She said to go play there…that's how we happen to find you. But, Aang," Katara turned to face him, her expression very serious. "Aang, I had another one of those dreams, and when I woke up I found, this…" Katara held up something and Aang gasped.
It was the doll. "I don't know how but I just recently lost the necklace when Sokka and I were taken captive and I can't believe it. What d'you think it means?
Aang got up and walked over to his knapsack. He pulled out a small box and walked over to Katara, stepping over Sokka in his sleeping bag. He snored and rolled over but didn't wake up. "Katara, here." Aang handed her the small box. It was velvet and white and smaller than the palm of her hand. She opened it and gasped before pulling Aang into a huge hug, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Oh, Aang. Thank you so much." She put her Mother's necklace around her neck. It seemed to glow with the pride of being around her neck again. "But, how'd you get it?"
"It was in the sand on the beach. I thought you would have noticed it fall off. But then I saw the Fire Nation glove. That's how I knew where you were. But wait, open the box again."
Katara picked up the box off the sand and opened it again. Inside was a ring, a golden band gleamed and the light blue jewel glistened on the top. "Oh, Aang. I don't know what to say…how in the world did you get this?"
"Well, long story short, I found it when we went to the Air Temple. I remembered my friend used to wear it. Her name was Crystal. In fact, your doll looks surprisingly like her. I wanted you to-" Aang was cut off with some rustling in the bushes.
"Freeze!" A man with jet black hair and bright green clothes jumped out. A large rock fell on top of Katara who's scream was cut short. By then, Sokka woke up and was just starting to attack the man when he was smothered by another. Aang jumped up about to pulverize this intruder when his heard a thud and felt a sickening pain on his head followed by an unpleasant crack, before his world went black.