AN: hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry for the spelling I just wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible. if anyone would like to edit the chapters theres and open position lmao. Just comment or dm me. Im broke so i cant pay you but youll get to see the chapters early and get credit aswell. Anyway, enjoy.

Instinct was the only reason she didn't stay frozen, for Katara knew what happened next. This had happened before when she became angry and hit a faultline in the ice. Only this time it wasn't ice she bent, however that was a problem for later. Right now she had to focus on the task at hand. And, that was, not dying. The ground shoo under her legs, causing her to fall down. But, the young waterbender got back up. And she ran, jumping over the crumbling snow and making her way away from the edge of the cliff. She was so close, so close to safety when a sound called her.

It was quiet, difficult to make out over the thundering sound of the cliff crumbling. However, Katara could. She turned to look, seeing a snow leopard stuck, it's paws clawing at the snow as it tried not to fall. Guild overwhelmed Katara, and she knew she couldn't just leave it. This was her fault, and even if it wasn't, she was Katara. The compassionate southern watertribe girl. Swallowing her fear she jumped over the growing crack to the cub, heaving the small body into her arms. As quickly as she reached the spot, she jumped back, running until she could no longer hear the sound of rocks falling.

When she felt she was safe, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her stopped. Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground, exhausted. Only once she had caught her breath, did she become aware of the Snow Leopard cub in her arms. Realizing she had been squeezing very tightly, she loosened her grip on the baby. She gently placed the cub into the snow, and smiled. The cub, seemingly grateful, turned itself to face her. Then, it jumped. For a second Katara believed it was going to attack her, and she closed her eyes. But, she soon felt the wet tongue running along one of her cheeks. It was gross, but she couldn't help but smile, and, as it continued, she found herself giggling with the cub in the snow.

Whipping her face with her hands, Katara looked at the baby smiling fondly. The cub was beautiful. White with black spots along her snow colored fur. Katara smiled and patted her head. "You gotta get back to your family, little one, and I need to get to mine." Katara said, realizing they must have been worried sick. The thought drove her to her feet and led her legs hastily back to her village. However, thirty minutes in, she was still aware of a certain cub following her.

She turned around to face the little one, who wagged its tail like some polar bear dog. "You need to go home," Katara said, pushing the cub from where she came. She then started walking away. However, once again, the cub followed her. It crossed her mind that the cub's mother may be worried, but then a sad thought hit her. The mother was probably dead due to Katara. Katara bit her lip sadly, she couldn't just leave the little cub out here alone. She looked at the small creature and sighed. "Okay fine, you can come with me." Katara said in a sweet voice, touching the cub's nose. Seeming to sense her voice, the cub started wagging it's tail and jumped up to surprise lick Katara's cheak. She smiled and laughed, and picked up the small cub in her arms. She knew that the cub could follow her, but the small thing was just so warm and cute. And so, Katara started the trek home, cuddling the fuzzy creature.

The waves sloshed against the old steamer, swaying it back and forth. The boat was hidden in between icebergs, anchored just outside of the village of the southpole. It was a calm evening, and everything seemed peaceful. But, not for Zuko. his heart was pounding in his ears, his hands fisted and teeth clenched.

"We should be at the village uncle, not hiding behind some ice burg." Zuko said angrily, throwing a fireball into the air in his anger.

Iroh sighed, placing his back on the platter. "Prince Zuko, we've been over this. We wait till the warriors are out of sight and then go for the village. A battle is unnecessary." He said, for what felt like the hundredth time. In truth, it was the tenth, but it was still bad.

Zuko was becoming fed up with his uncle's advice. They were fire nation, the watertribe couldn't hurt them. It had been years since the southern water tribe posed a threat. After all, they had exterminated the water bending bloodline ages ago. The fact that they were cowering. He growled under his breath reminding himself that in less than an hour the avatar would be his. The avatars hundred years in hiding were over, it was time he faced the justice of the fire nation.

And so, as they waited, ZUko prepared, running over form after form with his crew. After finally finding the avatar, there was no way he was going to slip from his grasp again.

By the time Katara drew near her village, it was dark, making it difficult to see. As she stomped through the snow, holding the cub, she searched for the lights of her village on the horizon. After a little searching, She found them. Only, something was off. From the light of the sliver moon and the stars that dotted the night sky, she could make out a shadow, hiding behind a ice berg. It was a firenation steamer, and on the deck she could see flames dancing, she knew what this meant. Firebenders. .

Katara's stroll turned into a run. Something was coming for her village, and she had an idea of what had drawn them in.

After about five minutes of sprinting her her lungs began to sting from the cool air. Even when she pulled her parka up it did little to help the feeling. The cub in her arms seemed to weigh hundreds of pounds when I'm reality it only weight about 20. However, her back aches from holding the small creater. Her breath became raggad and her thiugha were sore. But, she was determined to keep going. And so, in no more than half an hour Katara reached the hill overlooking her village.

When Katara was a kid she and she and her brother would come to this hill all the time to go panguin sledding. Katara made not have had a panguin or a sled, but she could make one of those things. She release the small cub and knelt down into the snow, forcing her cold hands to touch the ground. She felt for the natural connections to her element, feeling the water in the snow. Slowing, she flexed her fingers, sending her will through them and into her element.

There was a cracking sound and when Katara opened her eyes, she saw a good siced, plate of ice on top of the snow. Smiling from ear to ear despite the current circumstances, she pulled the happy cub towards her and gave it a hug. She did it, she didn't even know she could. Of course, she had hoped but…. She was so overcome by joy she almost forgot the situation entirely. But, the sound of cracking ice as the steamer "docked" reminder her. She quickly position herself and the cub on the ice, and after giving it a little push, began her journey down the hill.

To an outsider looking in it may have seemed like a happy scene. A girl riding down a hill of snow on a sled of ice. Her pet wagging itself in her arms, touch sticking out as the hair ruffled it fur. But in reality, it was everything but. The girl was racing towards her village on an ice sled she had made, risking the enemy finding out what she was so that she could help protect her village from them. And, in her arms was an orphan snow leper's cub, who's mother was very likely a causualtt if Kataras outburst. No, far from indeed.

Katara reached the end of the hill in no time, and quickly aproached the walls of her village, cub held under her parka as not to draw attention. When she reached the walls of her village, she entered through a back entrance only she and her brother knew about. Apon emerging in her village she went to her Han grams house, and set the cub down on her furs (bed).

As quickly as she entered she left the house, making her way through the streets of her village. The tribe had been reconstructed with the help of the northern water tribe, however it was still relatively small. So, it took her not time to walk through the deaerted streets to the market squar, where all the villagers were gather, surrounded by fire benders. The instant the saw her they rushed towards her, grabbing her and forcing her to join her fellow women and children, who had been herded like sheep into a circle.

As she was shoved to the ground, she made eye contact with her grandmother, whose surprised quickly turned to fear.

"I thought you got all of them," one fire bender said to another.

"I did I swear," he said, raising his hands.

"Ya well it doesn't look like it," the man said, pointing to Katara as she stared intently at the ground, wondering if she consecrated hard enough she herself could turn into water.

Her consent ration was broken when a man tugged her up by her hood. Fearful blue eyes met gold ones, only they weren't normal eyes. Unlike the gold of the other firebenders, the shown brighter. And, the skin around one eye was scared horrifically. It was a wonder he could still see…

"Stop staring and answer my question," he said, forcing her chin up when she tried to go back to staring at the ground. "Where were you and how come my crew couldn't find you?"

Katara shook from the gravely voice of her capter, fear forced her mouth shut, her body becoming unresponsive to his words.

"I…I was:" she couldn't finish. Staring right into the eyes of this monster reminded her of everything the firenation had done to her.

"Can you not understand me? Answere me!" He yelled, shaking her small body. He lit a flame in his hand and brought it close to her face.

"Zuko!" A man yelled, and the man holding her dropped Katara to the ground. "How dare you, have you no shame?" He asked, clearly disappointed in the soldier.

"No uncle, but without the avatar I have no honor" (AN: I had to I had to. Get ready for a lot of honoooor). He said, staring in what Katara though to be the direction of the man.

After the girl recovered from the fall, she looked up to see the old man who was supposedly the boys uncle. He was staring at her with pity in his eyes, to which Katara responded with a hiss. If they were so intent on treating them like savages, savage she would be.

However, the old man didn't seem to notice, and instead faced the rest of the villagers. "It seems are information is mistaken, we are sorry for the misunderstanding." He said, glaring at his nephew. Katara let out a sigh of relief, whatever reason they had for being here was false. Howeve, the feeling didn't last.

Kenna, after seeing how poorly her granddaughter had been treated stood up suddenly. "Misunderstanding?!" She said exasperated. "A misunderstanding is when you mix up the time for cooking sea prunes with the time for cooking ocean comquats." She said, angrily. If she was a fire bender there would have been smoke coming from her nose. "You come into my village when the men have all left, threaten women and children and then assault my granddaughter." She paused to breath, and let out a laugh. "All so you could find the avatar, who has been dead for a centery. This isn't a misunderstanding this is…"

Kenna went on, but Katara wasn't listening. They were here for the avatar, but he was dead right. Katara hadn't really put together the pieces yet, of who, what she was. Instead she found herself wondering if the avatar was alive somewhere. And when he would come back to save the world. Who knows, perhaps she could help him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soldiers yelling. "Prince Zuko," the man said, running out of breath. "Me and a few other men where doing one more go around when, we found," he trailed. "Well it's best if I should you."

The man held something out to the prince.

Katara squinted but was unable to see what it was. All she saw was light reflecting off of something. However, as it tilted over, she came to rthe cognizant it. Her Breath caught in her through as fear once again overtook her body.

The prince after examining the geometric peice of ice turned back to the villagers. "It turns out you weren't honest. When I asked for you benders you said there were none." He bagan stalking over to Hena.

"No your majesty the last water bender was taken from our tribe many years ago in a raid." She stuttered, fear written on her features. However, not once did she back up, not once did she so much as glance kataras way.

"Really, and I suppose geametric ice sculptures are just indigenous to the south," he said as he drew closer, his fist engulfing in flames.

Katara watched her grandmother's mouth move, but no sound was coming from her lips. Her heartbeat was all she could hear. It was loud, deafening. It absorbed her mind and took over her body. She couldn't just stand there, she couldn't lose her grandma like she had her mom.

Katara dug her hand into the ground and reached for the snow, flexing her fingers to freeze a spike of ice. Using her limited control she aimed it for the red target on his face, and pushing her will into the force fired it.

Perhaps it would have hit if the soldier hadn't notified the prince. But, she would never know, because, he did. Amd, the prince quickly dodged to the side, the dagger grazing his ear. Blood bloomed quickly from the small wound, trickling down the side of his head.

Angry, the prince turned towards the water bender. "Take her, they may not have the avatar but they have a water bender." In a few seconds ten men surrounded Katara, pushing her Away from her people.

She may have been a water bender, but she wasn't a good one. All she knew was how to freeze and dehydrate stuff. She couldn't actually bend water to her will. Whenever she tried, it was forbidden for women to learn fighting styles of waterbending. Her mind was racing, everything happening in slow motion, The men rushing forward, her body dropping to the ground, the snow underneath her turning to ice, the sound of confusion and shouting as the soldiers fell, and finally the scream as the men were attacked by- wait what?

Katara's head quickly turned up to see four of the remaining men being tackled to the ground by a small snow leopard cub. It clawed at the faces of the men, and managed to draw blood. However, she was eventually subdued by the old man as he wrapped her tightly in his arms.

Katara was once again standing, looking at the scene in front of her. The snow, stained red with blood, was trapped as more firebenders drew closer to her. But, it wasn't that that caught her attention. Instead it was the man, holding a fury blade to the throat of her grandmother.

"Come with us and your village will be left alone." He said, accentuating his words by pressing the knife closer to Kenas throat.

Katara nodded, knowing that fighting would be pointless. It was less than three seconds later she felt a blow on the back of her head and everything became black.

AN: Hope you enjoy lovelies