DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor have any rights to, the content, characters, or story of Avatar: the Last Airbender. The story depicted herein is a re-imagining of the story, and has no ties to the owners, writers and creators of the show.
Note: Minor descriptions of injury and physical trauma in this chapter. Be advised.
Night slowly melted into morning as the dawn approached. Katara hadn't been able to sleep, and watched as the sun crested the horizon to the east. It cast long shadows across the ground that flew by beneath them, and melted the soft silver of the night into the burnt gold of day.
No one had spoken since the Earth King had issued his dire proclamation, and the silence had settled over them all as they had flown through the night. Katara knew that, at some point, she would have to find out where they were going; they couldn't just fly away from last night forever, as much as they may wish to.
One last push, and the sun was fully risen, and the harshness of the daylight caused Katara to squint and turn away from the dawn. The warmth settled over her, combating against the harsh wind as they flew further and further south.
She closed her eyes as images replayed again: the clash of crystals as they careened toward her; the static of lightning as it flew through the air; Aang, lifeless, falling…
"Where are you taking us, Sokka?" Her own voice startled her from her reflection, hoarse from the night's silence.
Sokka, whose outline shone from the sun's rays, turned his head towards her as he responded.
"Chameleon Bay. Dad and the Water Tribe men are there, so I'm hoping we can regroup and come up with a plan."
Sokka, the man with a plan. Katara nodded, and turned her eyes back to the dawn. She hadn't seen her father in over 5 years, since her tribe had decided to be more active in the War. She didn't know what she would do when she saw him, what he would think of how she had changed.
But she had more important things to worry about. She shifted, stretching her stiff muscles, and settled Aang onto Appa's back.
"Can I have my pack?" she asked, to no one in particular. "I need to do some more healing for Aang."
She brushed her hair away from her eyes, then turned to see Zuko mutely offering her the water flask. She blinked, then accepted, watching as the Prince settled back into the fur he had been sitting in all night.
As she bent the water out and onto Aang's injury, she thought about how Zuko had stood up for her, with her, against his own family. His own country. The man she had met last night in the cavern was very different from the boy she had fought before. He had grown in both strength of will and character, and she knew that she would always owe him for his help.
The sun was well into the sky as Sokka settled them down in Chameleon Bay. The familiar colors of her tribe lifted Katara's spirits, even as she slid down the side of Appa's back onto the soft sand. She left Aang's weakened form on Appa, to keep from jostling him more than need be. She still had a lot more healing to do before he even began to recover.
"Land. Finally." Toph slid down a second after Katara, and gracelessly flopped onto the ground, letting the soft earth envelope her. Kuei and Bosco walked down Appa's tail, silently followed by Zuko. He remained near the bison as the others approached the Water Tribe warriors, who had noticed their landing and were coming to greet them.
Sokka raced ahead, directly to the man at the head of the approaching group: Hakoda. Katara smiled, and tears streamed down her face as she raced toward him. He caught her eyes, and smiled widely as he opened his arms to embrace his only daughter.
The warmth of his strong arms was something Katara had almost forgotten. His familiar scent, like pine needles and the ocean, surrounded her, and she finally, finally, felt like she was home. Her childhood came flooding back, memories of playing on the snowy slopes outside the village, of long stormy nights huddled in their hut, all those years without her parents...
Katara pulled back slightly, and looked at her father. He smiled down at her, and his face was familiar, but not; she noted quickly the scars, lines, and wrinkles that hadn't been there before. So much had happened, to both of them, and they weren't able to experience it together. As a family.
A sadness settled in her stomach at the thought, and she hurriedly broke away. Sokka had been explaining the situation to Batto, and was gesturing back at Appa every so often.
Hakoda stiffened, and Katara followed his eyes to see him staring at Zuko. The prince met the chieftain's eyes steadily, tension rolling off his lithe form as other tribesman followed their leader's gaze.
"Dad," Katara said softly, laying a hand gently onto her father's arm. "He saved us all. I owe him my life."
At his daughter's words, Hakoda glanced at her, searching her eyes. After a moment, he nodded, then strode towards Zuko.
At his approach, Zuko straightened, watching Hakoda's movements for an attack. But Hakoda stopped, and proffered his hand.
"My name is Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe." The formality and rigidity of his words could be heard by those surrounding them. Hakoda stood proudly, the dignity he could muster surrounding him, even as his words were terse, but kind, and the warriors knew that this was important. "I hear that you saved my children's lives. Know that I am grateful."
Zuko hesitated, looking at the chieftain's hand, then back to his eyes. Finally, he stepped forward, and took Hakoda's forearm.
"Zuko. And your gratitude means nothing if we can't end this war."
Hakoda nodded, and released the prince. He then turned and went back to Sokka, who had finished his tale and was watching his father's actions.
"So, Sokka," Hakoda said, loud enough to draw his men's ears. "What do you propose we do? Without the Earth Kingdom's armies, we stand no chance at a direct assault."
"There's still the option of a sneak attack." Sokka responded. "It will take more planning, but we still have time to -"
"Sokka," Katara interjected, stepping forward into the group. "I know that you want this invasion to work, but we have other priorities right now." She turned towards her father, the sadness sloshing in her stomach as she met his eyes. "Aang was hurt pretty badly during our last fight. We need to get him comfortable somewhere, so that I can start healing him. He has a long way to go towards recovery."
Hakoda nodded. "Agreed. There are still several weeks before the Day of Black Sun - taking care of the Avatar should be our immediate priority."
He turned to the surrounding men, and addressed them with their orders.
"Arrluk," he called, and the young man stepped forward. "Set up an additional tent for the Avatar. Make sure that it's secluded, and that it won't be bothered by our daily training."
The man nodded, and headed towards one of the nearest boats to retrieve supplies.
"Jotah, take a few men and go on a short patrol. We don't know if they were followed from Ba Sing Se." The old man nodded, then called to four others and they quickly left to gather their weapons.
As Hakoda gave out more assignments to Tunuu and Kanak, Katara made her way back to the bison. Kuei was standing nearby, watching the Water Tribe warriors jumping into action.
"Your Majesty?" Katara inquired, trying not to startle him. Kuei jumped anyway, and peered at Katara through his small glasses.
"There is no more kingdom for me to rule - so please, call me Kuei."
Katara frowned, then said, "Alright, Kuei. Would you like us to set up a tent for you and Bosko?"
Kuei looked nervously around at the bustling men, then slowly nodded. Katara smiled comfortingly at him, then went to ask Arrluk to set up another tent for the former king.
When she was able to, she asked Zuko to help her move Aang into the newly erected tent. The boy was very gentle with Aang's limp form, and got him settled on the blanket in the tent before retreating.
Katara hoped he wasn't going off to hide somewhere; although he had a lot to make up for, the tribe would now accept him, since her father had. He shouldn't have to worry about anything happening to him now.
She put it all out of her mind as she turned Aang over onto his stomach. She gently peeled back the hasty wrapping she had placed over him earlier, and had to swallow her revulsion at the sight.
The damage was extensive; it spanned half of his back, and was placed so that the very edges of the wound reached his neck and waist. The skin on the edge was frayed and torn, with some areas having the skin barely hang on. At the center...the wound was deep. Very deep. The redness had deepened to the color of blood, and Katara could see the muscles of his back, some of which were completely destroyed.
Luckily, Katara thought grimly, lightning is very, very hot, so the edges of the wound were cauterized. At least that will help prevent infection; she just had to focus on healing it from the inside out.
Katara sighed, thinking of the long weeks of healing ahead of her, then sat up straighter and bent the water from the jugs by the door. Someone had been kind enough to fill two massive pots with water and place them inside Aang's tent, so that Katara could have an easier time with healing him.
The water obeyed Katara's movements, and soon a glowing orb was hovering over Aang's prone form. Katara breathed deeply, then gently coaxed the water onto, then into, the wound.
She had learned in the North Pole that healing was so much more than just bending water onto something; you truly have to know the area you are healing. How it's built, the placement of the bones, the movement of the muscles and skin, all are what make that part of the body alive.
But you also have to know the spirit of the person you are healing. Your own spirit was present while you were healing, in each drop of water that you bent, and so you needed to be open to the other person's spirit, and be willing to become close with them.
Katara felt her own spirit in her bending, and could sense the pulsing, bright energy that was Aang's spirit inside his body. His spirit reminded her of a leaf flowing on the breeze: bright, playful, and gone before you knew it. It perfectly encapsulated the boy that Katara had found in the iceberg not so long ago.
She remembered asking Yagoda what her own spirit felt like.
The old waterbender smiled at her across the healing table. Katara's question was obviously not the first the healing master had received.
"Katara," she began, "Your spirit is so much like your grandmother's - every time we train, I sense her in you. You must be very close to her."
Katara smiled. "Yes, I am. She helped raise me and Sokka after our mother died, and has been watching over us since our father left to fight in the War."
"You are so much like how she was when we were young. You're both strong, caring, and neither of you like being told no." Yagoda laughed, and Katara joined in, thinking of her grandmother as a girl.
"But, what is it like?" Katara asked after the laughter had ceased. "Can you describe it to me?"
Yagoda looked down, and thought to herself for a moment.
"It's...like the ocean. Like a current, swirling underneath the surface, bringing life and warmth to everything it touches."
Katara frowned at the older women's words. "But currents are dangerous," she said, not wanting to offend her master. "They can grab boats or swimmers and pull them away. That happened several years ago, and the child was never found."
"Maybe they are dangerous," Yagoda said, looking intently at her pupil. "But aren't all of us a little dangerous, if tested? I've seen your temper, girl," Yagoda cut in as Katara attempted to speak. "Don't tell me you wouldn't go toe to toe with someone who disagreed with you."
Katara looked shocked, then burst into laughter.
"I guess I can be pretty dangerous."
"Katara?"
She opened her eyes, and immediately was covered by a wave of exhaustion. She carefully bent the water back into the jugs, then sat back on her haunches. By the lighting in the tent, it was sometime in the late afternoon. Katara sighed, and rolled her head over to see who had interrupted her.
Sokka stood in the doorway, watching his sister intently. He'd had changed into fresh clothing, Katara noticed, which made her feel even more grubby than she had earlier.
"You've been in here for hours," he started, stepping towards her. "Are you alright?"
She opened her mouth to respond, and was overtaken by a massive yawn.
"Yeah," she said, blinking blearily at her brother. "There's just so much to heal."
"Maybe...you should take a break?" He asked, looking worried.
She sighed tiredly, and looked back at Aang's body. "I can't. I need to make sure that he's alright." She rubbed her eyes, mentally walking her way through his healing process the next steps she had to take." There's just so much to do."
"And after how much you did today, the rest can wait." He kneeled down next to her, and gently placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's get some food in you, and I'll show you where your tent is."
"But what if-"
"No," Sokka interrupted, putting his finger to her mouth. "No buts. You need rest, little sister, and it's happening whether you like it or not."
Katara looked at him indignantly, then sighed; she was so very tired, and couldn't have put up a fight if Azula walked in right now. She nodded, and allowed Sokka to help her stand. She hadn't moved for hours, and her muscles took a while to respond as Sokka led her to the main fire pit.
She settled down on a log, and looked around at the others. Toph was nowhere to be seen; Katara thought that she must be sleeping, after how busy last night was. Kuei was sitting down on the beach with Bosko, leaning against the bear's fluffy side. Sokka had just come back with some stew from the pot, and Katara slurped it down hungrily as Hakoda walked up to her.
"How did it go?" He asked, sitting down beside her.
Katara finished her bowl, then took a deep breath and nodded. "He'll be fine. There's just so much to work on, and with how deep the injury is, I'm not sure how long it will take."
"You'll do fine," Hakoda said encouragingly. "You always do."
Instead of making her feel better, like he no doubt intended, his words made her angry. How would he know how good of a bender I am? He hasn't seen me in years.
"Do you want more?" Sokka asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, then shook her head slowly.
"No, I'm good. I think I'll just try and get some sleep." She stood, glad that her legs were working again, and set the bowl down on the driftwood behind her. She then followed Sokka towards her tent, not looking back at her father, still sitting on the log.