Previously
Mid morning arrived and Katara, Zuko and Yujo disembarked the Akagi, waving goodbye to their friend.
They had decided that it would be best if Gin sailed over to the eastern island for the day, in case the pirates were still in pursuit. The trio agreed to meet back at the docks the next afternoon, in order to give ample time to make the trek to and from the village with the supplies without anyone having to feel rushed.
As the Akagi pulled away from the island, Katara turned to affectionately pat Yujo on the neck.
"Alright, friend," she murmured. "You ready to get going?"
Without waiting for the ostrich-horse's response, Zuko hoisted himself up into the saddle, earning a low squawk.
"Sorry," she cooed to it, rolling her eyes at Zuko. "He's not very considerate, is he?"
The young man scoffed and extended his hand. "C'mon Katara, we don't have all day."
Stubbornly, she ignored his outstretched hand, instead shoving her foot into the stirrup and heaving herself onto the animal's back with a wince.
"Alright then." Zuko grumbled and they were off.
It was evident by the third mile into the forest that the arduous journey was quickly wearing out the poor ostrich-horse. Yujo's pace slowed, demeanor changed and squawked in annoyance at Zuko when he commented on the ever-so obvious decrease.
"Yujo's been cooped up on the ship," Katara commented, stroking the animal's beak.
They took a break by a tiny stream, allowing the moody ostrich-horse to rest and get some water.
"It's an ostrich-horse," Zuko grumped. "It's supposed to be resilient."
Katara shot him a look. "You try not having any activity for a while and then carry two people and a cart for miles in this terrain."
He rolled his eyes in response, readjusting the sheathed sword on his back.
The terrain in question wasn't all that horrible, Zuko thought.
The forest path hadn't been too densely populated by undergrowth or trees, having been well traveled over the decades.
Their first two miles were smooth sailing, so to speak, as the rocks and roots mainly stayed out of the path. It was only when they got into the beginning of the third mile when Yujo became annoyed with the earthen floor. Rocks and roots alike would catch in the cart's wheels and the animal had to work a bit harder then preferred to break free of them.
"Alright." Zuko heaved his bag up over his shoulder, grabbing Yujo's reigns. "I guess we'll walk for a while."
Katara patted the animal with a small smile. "We'll give you a break, buddy."
The fire bender cocked an eyebrow, strapping his bag onto the saddle.
"Here." He said, extending his hand to take her bag.
She shook her head, readjusting the strap. "No. It's fine."
Zuko shrugged in response, leading Yujo forward.
The last two miles passed by quite quickly, the trail evening back out with the landscape as they reached the last rolling hill.
Katara and Zuko broke through the trees into a beautiful red-speckled field.
"Wow," Katara gasped. "This is beautiful."
Zuko's eyes skimmed the field of deep red fire lilies, a few larger moss-covered boulders dotting the otherwise wash of red and green.
Another expanse of dark green trees framed the opposite side of the field, a humongous mountain standing proudly behind them.
"I wonder if someone planted these," she mused, bending down to take a closer look at the flowers.
"We can look at the flowers on the way back," Zuko curtly said ahead of her, still walking. "Let's get Yujo somewhere to rest."
Standing back up, she adjusted her red tank and fluffed her skirts before jogging to catch back up.
The trio trudged through a path cut up through the small cliffside.
The village, nestled near the foot of the mountain, was set up like most of the smaller Fire Nation villages they'd been to. The buildings were constructed out of the same cream spackle and red trimming, the red roof outlined in yellow-gold. They seemed to have a fairly large market, a variety of vendors selling produce, furniture and handmade goods. Atop a hill to the left of the town sat a large two-storied building, perhaps the local inn.
"Looks like they have plenty of shops to chose from," Katara commented as they made their way into the village.
Pedestrians moseyed about, some staring curiously at the new arrivals.
Katara couldn't help but to slow to a stop at a few of the shops, leaving Zuko waiting as she perused the unusual assortment of items.
"You won't have any until next week?" A man loudly asked a vendor incredulously.
Katara couldn't help but to eavesdrop.
What was he so upset about?
"Well," the gentleman behind the counter started. "I have to send the boy to Hung-Wa island to get them, and it's a two day journey…"
"Oh, right!" The customer said.
That reminder seemed to mollify the customer, but only served to make Katara more confused. She slowed her pace, staring towards the shop.
"Tomorrow's the full moon." The customer scratched his bald head and sighed.
Katara nudged Zuko, discreetly gesturing towards the men she'd overheard.
"-lose another delivery boy in the woods."
What had the shopkeeper said? What made him lose people in the woods?
She gave Zuko a strange look.
"Did you hear that?" She asked, meeting light brown eyes.
He nodded, mirroring her expression. "Interesting."
"Hear that, did you?" A kind voice said ahead of them.
They glanced over to the right, where an elder lady with long silvery-white hair stood, a small pouch of something in her hands.
"Yes," Katara admitted. "We did. What was he talking about, losing people in the woods?"
The elder woman stuck her arms in her sleeves.
"On some full moons, if you go into the woods at night…you don't come out." She said spookily.
Zuko's eyes widened slightly, though it was more of a 'really, lady?' than an expression of fear.
It was evident by Katara's expression that this had piqued her interest.
If Aang were here…she thought. He would try and help these people. Save them from whatever upset spirit was tormenting them.
"Really?" she asked, rubbing the chill bumps off her arms.
"Tonight's a full moon," the woman continued. "I hope you sweet folks aren't planning on camping in the woods tonight."
The duo looked at each other, before glancing at Yujo, who strangely enough, seemed to grow more anxious by the second.
They'd not planned that far.
"You know, why don't you two come stay at my inn!" The woman beamed at them. "My name is Hama. Your ostrich-horse is more then welcome to join you, too!"
"Oh, you're too kind." Katara said, patting Yujo soothingly. "You have a place for her to sleep?"
She hesitated at the gendering of the ostrich-horse, still finding it mildly interesting that neither her nor Zuko knew.
Hama nodded. "I have just a bit more shopping to do before I'm going to head back up for the day."
Katara and Hama hit it off quite quickly. She liked the elder woman so much, her real name had slipped off her tongue without forethought.
"Here you go my dear," the man - a Mr. Yao - said, handing Hama the wrapped food.
Hama handed the package to Katara to hold and waved to him, fingers waggling.
"That Mr. Yao seems to have a thing for you," she teased, her eyes sparkling. "Maybe you should go back and see if he wants to give you some free Komodo sausages."
Hama glanced at Katara, a serious look on her face. "You would have me use my feminine charm to take advantage of that poor man?"
A look of horror crossed Katara's face.
The woman paused a beat before breaking out into laughter. "I think you and I will get along swimmingly."
Katara smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.
They went back over to find Zuko leaning lazily against the side of a building, Yujo curled up beside him.
"Come, come. Let's get you all settled."
Zuko could tell how much Katara liked the woman, as she hardly stopped babbling or smiling on their walk to the woman's inn.
Yujo, however, did not have the same feelings. The ostrich-horse acted like a mouse trapped in the sights of a cat, constantly fidgeting and eyeing the older woman. Katara initially brushed it aside to hunger or exhaustion, but when Hama attempted to gently pet the animal, Yujo had screeched and skittered back.
That was much harder to dismiss.
It was a strange interaction, one that had even Zuko scowling in confusion as he made feeble attempts to calm the ostrich-horse.
Hama held her hands up innocently and politely stepped back.
Once they'd gotten Yujo set up inside the barn with feed and water, they went inside to get their own rooms.
Zuko glanced back at the ostrich-horse as they walked towards the house. The animal had obviously calmed the further away the group went. As Hama rounded the corner out of sight, Yujo lunged towards the feed and began scarfing it down.
Strange, Zuko thought.
~0~
Despite obvious efforts to make the inn homey, the building gave Zuko the creeps.
The inn was decorated with shades of brown and red, antique wood carvings and vases.
They looked more like urns, Zuko thought as they ventured down the hall.
That didn't seem to be what gave him the creeps, however.
"Here we are!" Hama announced, stopping at a door. "You both should be perfectly safe here for the night."
Handing Katara the key, she hobbled back down the hall towards the entrance.
Hoisting up her bag, Katara slid the small metal key into the door and unlocked it. Pushing up the door, she froze in her tracks when she laid her eyes upon the huge bed.
"Everyone seems to think we're a couple," Zuko commented dryly, striding through the door without hesitation.
"It would be rude to ask for another room…especially since she's letting us stay here for free…" Katara mumbled, mostly to herself.
The bed is huge, Katara, she continued mentally. You can sleep on the far side and he can sleep on the other. There'd be plenty of space between you two.
Zuko sent his companion a strange look, but didn't comment on her slow walk into the room.
A rice-paper lined window let warm sunlight in from the left, adding light from the small lantern style chandelier above the bed. The only other pieces of furniture was the chest of drawers beside the window and a bench along the opposite wall.
"Oh," she mused, once she had gotten over the momentary shock of the lone bed. "It's cute."
Zuko hummed in response, glancing around with his hands in his pockets.
"Did you notice how Yujo was acting around her?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Katara's brows furrowed, thinking back. "You mean how Yujo didn't want Hama to pet her?"
He studied Katara. Had she been so caught up in talking to the innkeeper she hadn't noticed how unsettled the ostrich-horse had been in her presence?
"Yes," he started. "But it was more than that. Yujo was acting like Hama was some sort of predator. The poor animal only calmed down when we were walking away."
Katara moseyed over to the chest of drawers, looking inside curiously. "Oh."
She didn't really know what more to say on the matter. She'd not noticed this apparent strange behavior coming from their ostrich-horse. And if she did, she wouldn't know what to make of it.
"You didn't notice it at all, did you?" Zuko deadpanned.
She balked, crossing her arms defensively. "What does it matter?"
"I'm just saying," he retorted. "There's something off about her, I just can't put my finger on what yet. Even Yujo knows something is wrong."
Katara was silent for a few seconds, back to Zuko.
Hama had been nothing but nice to them! Why couldn't Zuko just accept that for once they were in a village that didn't have something nefarious going on?
"I'll take the floor," she said moodily.
"What?" he scoffed. "Katara, this bed is huge. It wouldn't even be like we were sleeping in the same bed."
"It's fine." She said evenly. "We'll deal with it when it's time to sleep."
She turned around with a sigh. "You know, I'm going to go see if Hama needs help with anything."
She all but fled the room seconds later, not even allowing Zuko time to respond.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Zuko eventually caught up, lighting grabbing onto Katara's arm.
"Wait," he hissed. "I'm not saying she's bad or anything, I'm just saying we should be cautious. Let's look around a bit before we blindly trust her."
Blue eyes scanned Zuko's expression, trying to determine if she wanted to trust his judgement. If what he was saying was true, then perhaps they would find something…
But if he was just being paranoid, then the lack of evidence should hopefully get him to back off.
Katara glanced down the hallway with a frown.
"Fine," she whispered, peeling her arm free of Zuko's grasp. "But we better not get caught snooping."
He stared at Katara, nodding curtly. "C'mon."
They crept down the outer edge of the hallway, Katara gingerly stepping on the old wooden planks in efforts to not make them creak. Zuko, per usual, had no issues walking silent as a mouse, and had to purposefully slow for Katara to keep up.
The pair peeked into a few rooms down the seemingly abandoned hallway.
Were they the only people staying here?
Zuko insisted they look upstairs. The second floor was nearly the same as the first, a long hallway with a multitude of doors lining both sides. The far end, however, was set up a bit differently. A built in cabinet was set into the right wall, with a small rickety locked door at the end of the hall. The room beyond it couldn't be much bigger then the bedrooms.
"It's locked," Zuko tugged on the handle. "Why would she have to lock something if no one is ever staying here?"
Katara sighed, rubbing her arms. She felt guiltier by the second for snooping.
"Why else do people lock things? To keep prying people like you out of it."
He scowled. "There's something off about her, I'm telling you."
Katara tugged on the cabinet's handle and the doors swung easily open with a dull clunk.
Multiple male marionettes sagged out, each wearing Fire Nation clothing and expertly designed facial hair.
She squeaked in surprise, stumbling back into Zuko, who shot her a look.
I told you so, it seemed to say.
"So…she has hobbies," Katara said. "What's so nefarious about that?"
Zuko gently grasped Katara and straightened her. Her healing side pulled uncomfortably at the motion.
The young man gestured wildly at the marionettes.
"See? Creepy."
He went over to the locked door and peered through the keyhole.
"There's something in there…" he moved head back and forth, squinting. "A chest?"
Getting to his feet, Zuko unsheathed his sword and wiggled the tip back in forth in the lock.
"Zuko," she hissed in protest, glancing over her shoulder towards the stairwell. "We're going to get caught and kicked out! What if the villagers are right, and people are going missing in the woods? I don't want to camp out there…"
The lock gave into Zuko's ministrations and he sheathed his sword with a smirk.
"You worry too much."
Katara huffed uncertainly, crossing her arms across her chest. Her guilt and uncertainty didn't stop her from following Zuko into the room.
Zuko scooped up the chest, a small greenish box no bigger than a loaf of bread.
"Okay," Katara whispered. "It's a small chest. You got to see it, are you happy now?"
"No." He rasped.
"This is crazy," she threw her hands up. "I'm leaving."
Katara whirled around to storm out when she ran into Hama.
She gasped, eyes wide as saucers.
"Hama!" She exclaimed, face blushing.
The woman stood in the doorway, a slight smile on her lips.
It didn't reach her eyes.
"I'll tell you what's in the box."
Katara glanced wide eyed at Zuko, who of course, didn't have an inkling of remorse on his face.
She stepped into the room and held out a wrinkled hand.
Begrudgingly, Zuko handed over the chest.
Hama fished a key out of her robes and met both youths' eyes.
Slowly, she slid the key into the lock. It turned with a soft click and she put the small key back into her pocket.
Hama opened the lid, holding Katara's gaze.
A chill went up her spine. Zuko even fidgeted nervously from beside her.
Her hand disappeared into the small box, before fishing out a small blue comb.
It was…it was….
"A comb?" Zuko scoffed.
"It's my greatest treasure." Hama's gaze flicked to Zuko, thinly withholding her animosity. "It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."
Katara's mouth dropped open. "What? You're from the Southern Water Tribe?"
Zuko glanced over to Katara, mirroring her shock.
"Just like you," Hama smiled at Katara, her eyes sparkling. She set the comb back into the small box.
"How did you know?"
"I heard your name and saw how much darker your complexion was from Lee over here…" Hama continued. "And you kept reaching for a necklace that you don't seem to have anymore…"
Katara's hand went to her neck at the mention of her mother's necklace. Her mood soured at the reminder.
"Why didn't you say anything to Katara, if you knew you both were from the same tribe?" Zuko asked.
Katara looked at her friend and could easily see the distrust still present beneath his facade.
The box shut with a snap. "You never can be too careful around these parts," her eyes flicked back to Zuko. "Especially when one is traveling with a fire bender."
Zuko stiffened, fists clenching at his sides. "I'm not a fire bender."
Hama raised a thin eyebrow.
"If you say so." She breezed past the two kids and sat the small box back on the floor.
"I was making you a traditional Water Tribe meal. We may not have sea prunes in these parts, but ocean kumquats can taste fairly similar if you let them stew long enough."
The younger girl perked up. She missed her Gran Gran's sea prunes. The thought of that meal sent the all too familiar homesickness through her.
"I knew there was something I liked about you," Katara chirped with another warm smile. Zuko remained silent, before Katara nudged him pointedly.
"Sorry for snooping around." He grit out.
Hama's gaze raked across the boy dismissively.
"Come now, let's eat!"
~0~
The trio sat at the dining table; Hama at the head of the table, Katara to her left, with Zuko stiffly sitting to the elderly woman's right.
If Zuko was still uncertain about Hama and her intentions, he didn't voice it any longer. Perhaps it was because it would fall on deaf ears, Katara now liking the woman even more that she learned of their shared birth place.
But what if Katara was right and there wasn't anything nefarious going on with the woman?
Could it really just be his lifetime of brainwashing from his father influencing his feelings on other nations? Especially other nations living right under their noses?
In his homeland?
"Okay!" Hama gestured to the bowl in front of her, where a dark green liquid steamed. "Who wants Five Flavor soup?"
Both kids nodded, one more enthusiastically than the other.
Hama's hand curled above the bowl, the liquid rising up into the air. With a flick of her fingers, the soup shot out and sloshed neatly into their bowls.
"You're a water bender too!" Katara gushed happily. "I've never met another water bender from our tribe! I thought I was the last one!"
Hama's face dropped, eyes staring blankly at the table. Emotions flicked across her face. The expressions left as quick as they came, but Zuko was able to catch them.
Sadness, loneliness, fear…then anger. Pure, white-hot rage, swiftly followed by a look that could only be described as vengeance. It was the latter that startled him the most.
"That's because the fire nation wiped them all out." She closed her eyes. "I was the last one."
"How did you end up out here then?" Zuko asked, keeping a watchful eye on her reactions.
"I was stolen from my home." She opened her eyes, looking to Katara.
Hama then went to explain that over sixty years ago, the fire nation had raided her home, kidnapped all the water benders they could find and imprisoned them.
"I was the only one who managed to escape," she said thickly, eyes shutting again.
When Katara noticed the tears form beneath her lashes, she got to her feet, going over to hug the elder woman.
"How did you escape?" Zuko asked, having the sense to at least sound gentle.
"I'm sorry," she shook her head, eyes peaking open and water trickling down her face. "It's too painful."
"I completely understand," Katara murmured, squeezing the woman's shoulders. "I lost my mother in a raid. The necklace you saw me feel for, was all I had left of her. Some pirates stole it from me in Fire Fountain city."
"Oh," Hama looked into Katara's big blue eyes and offered a gentle smile. "You poor thing."
"I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet you, you're a hero." Katara wiped a stray tear that had weaseled its way down her cheek.
Hama's hand went up to hold Katara's hand, still around her shoulder.
"I never thought I'd meet another Southern water bender. I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone."
The girl straighten, hands clasping together. Excitement danced in her eyes.
"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Yes, of course! I would love to learn about my heritage. That would mean the world to me."
From two seats down, Zuko ate his soup in silence, studying the old woman.
His eyes narrowed.
None of these 'answers' seemed to satisfy him. Something else had to be at play. He just knew it.
What would his uncle say about all this? He pressed his lips together in between bites, thinking.
Just because everything is not what it seems, does not mean there is something nefarious at play…Zuko mentally dismissed the thought.
Iroh would have had some better way of wording that, the damned sage.
That does not mean it is not sound advice, Prince Zuko, a little voice whispered.
Now that…that sounded much more like him. His heart ached.
I'm coming for you, Uncle.
~0~
After they had their lunch, Katara and Hama left Zuko in the inn. The pair journeyed out of the village, headed towards the fire lily field.
As Katara helped Hama down the steep cliff leading into the fire lily field, Hama told her some things she'd learned.
"Growing up at the South Pole, we are totally at home surrounded by snow, ice, and the sea…" she began. "But that isn't always the case."
Katara nodded eagerly, letting the woman's arm go as the terrain leveled.
"I know!" She said. "When we were stranded in the desert, I felt so hopeless, like there was nothing I could do."
"That's why you have to learn how to control water wherever it exists," Hama said, turning to Katara with a mysterious smile.
"I've even used my own sweat before!" She admitted, recalling her stint on the ship with Augustine. "But…I couldn't feel that, like I can feel the sea."
They continued to walk closer to the field of fire lilies.
"That's very resourceful of you, Katara," Hama complimented with that same mysterious smile. "That's thinking like a true master. You must teach yourself to sense water, even when you may not think there is any."
Katara's smile widened at the compliment.
She'd always wanted to become a master of her element. She'd felt so close for so long, but almost felt like she ran out of things to learn, what with everyone from her tribe being dead.
That, paired with the North's archaic beliefs that only then men should be benders…
It left some to be desired. Pakku could only teach her so much.
"Did you know," Hama queried, raising her hand. "That you can even pull water out of thin air?"
The old woman chopped the air, spinning her arm around her body. Slowly but surely, thin drops of water formed on the woman's fingertips. When she'd completed the motion, short tendrils of water coated each finger.
Hama held the water in front of her for Katara to see, eyes darkening.
"You've got to keep an open mind, Katara."
The liquid froze into sharp claws.
"There's water even in places you would never think about." She spun, flinging the frozen claws at a nearby tree, the claws imbedding themselves into the bark.
Katara gaped at the tree in surprise.
That was more water then she expected!
Hama led Katara further along towards the woods.
"These fire lilies are so beautiful! I still can't get over how many there are," Katara said as they began to wade into the field.
"That they are, dear. They're one of my favorite things about living here." Hama bent down and picked one, twirling the stem in her fingers. "They only bloom a few weeks a year."
She turned to Katara, holding the flower out to her.
The girl took it with a smile.
"Like all plants and living things, they're filled with water."
Katara stroked the vivid red petal. "I've met a bender who lived in a swamp. He could control the vines by bending the water inside."
When Katara looked up, Hama had turned her back to her, looking out across the flowers.
The elder turned back around, her lips twisted in grin.
"You know, Katara," she simpered. "You can take it a step further than that."
Katara cocked her head in question and Hama raised her arm once more, whipping her body in a circle. With flourish, the water ripped free of the plants below, leaving only brown husks behind. Water materialized in the air above her and she sent it into a boulder, slicing it clean in thirds. The boulder chunks slid to the earth floor with a thud.
"That was amazing!" She gasped, before recalling the source of the water. Looking down to the circle of brown husks, she frowned.
"It's a shame about the pretty lilies, though."
Hama snorted. "They're just flowers. When you're a water bender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive."
She wasn't wrong, Katara thought. There had been many a time she'd done things she wished she hadn't to survive.
Sending the men into the sea was one of them. Her consciousness sent their screams through her mind.
She pushed it down.
"Tonight, I will teach you the most advanced technique of water bending." Hama placed her hand on Katara's shoulder and stared up at her with a look of excitement. "It can only be done during a full moon, when your bending is at its peak."
"Tonight?" She echoed with uncertainty. "But, isn't that dangerous? Haven't people been disappearing at night during the full moon?"
Hama chuckled, pulling away.
"Oh, Katara." She started walking back towards the village. "Two master water benders during a full moon? I don't think we have a single thing to worry about."
~0~
Zuko, having been left behind by the two woman, decided now would be as good of time as any to go into the market to pick up supplies for the Akagi. Evening was slowly approaching and he had a feeling that the villagers' paranoia would have them closing a fair amount of shops before sunset.
Katara left their money behind for him, along with a short list of a few things she'd requested he pick up as well.
After fetching Yujo from the stables and purchasing the items they'd needed, he loaded up the ostrich-horse off to the side.
Zuko already had purchased and secured the feed, coal, fabric, meats and other various items when his skin prickled.
Who was watching him?
"I hope you're not planning on traveling tonight, son," an older man called to Zuko.
Zuko looked up from the cart, where'd he'd been securing a large jar of oil for the lamps.
"Why do you say that?"
The older man came a bit closer, a concerned look on his face.
"It's that spirit, the one that terrorizes the woods on full moons," he said. "Though some say it's no spirit at all, but a witch."
Zuko straighten at that. "What do you mean, a witch?"
The older man shrugged. "That's what old man Ding says."
"Old man Ding?" He echoed.
"He's the oldest man in our village. He lives that way," he pointed down past the village, where a small home with piles of lumber were strew about. "He'll be outside soon to board up for tonight."
The fire bender looked to the home in question before glancing back to the villager.
"Regardless of whether it's a witch or not, you should be careful, stranger."
Dipping his head in thanks, Zuko went back to the supplies ahead of him, thinking on the older man's warning.
Maybe he should go talk to this old man Ding…
Ten or so minutes later, once all the supplies were secured, the sun had dipped low in the horizon.
Just like the stranger had said, a short elderly man bumbled about his front yard, hammer in hand.
"Old man Ding?"
The man glanced up in surprise.
"I had some questions." Zuko said, hands in his pockets.
"Can't you see I'm busy?" He moved over to a board on the ground, groaning as he bent down. "Why does everyone call me that?" He griped further, groaning and moaning even more when he was unable to wedge his fingers beneath it. "I'm not that old!"
Zuko couldn't help but to smile slightly. He murmured to Yujo to stay put, and moved to help the man pick up the board.
"What exactly are you doing?" Zuko lifted the board with ease.
"There's a full moon rising!" Ding said, leading Zuko to his front window. "I'm not about go get snatched up by some moon monster again!"
"That's what I actually wanted to ask you about," Zuko held the board against the window with one hand, extending the other to silently ask for the hammer.
Ding handed him the hammer and a long nail wordlessly.
"Did you see anything that night?" Zuko asked, hammering the board into the building.
"I didn't see no spirit, that's for sure," Ding stepped out of Zuko's way as he came closer to nail in the other side. "Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed."
So that's where the witch comment came from, Zuko mused to himself.
Ding went over to the second board, staring pointedly at Zuko for help.
Zuko lifted the board as Ding continued.
"I was forced to start walking towards the mountain. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs!" He gazed towards the mountain, stroking his chin. "I'd made it to the mouth of a cave up there when I looked to see the moon one last time, but the sun starting to rise! I suddenly got control of myself again and high tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!"
The hammer smacked into the board one last time and Zuko pondered the man's story.
He seemed a bit peculiar, but didn't seem to have any reason to lie. He obviously was genuinely scared, since he was boarding up his windows and could barely lift the planks himself.
So why would a spirit - or 'witch'- take people to a mountain?
Ding noticed the darkening sky, the sun no more then a small sliver on the horizon.
"That's my sign to get inside!" He said, clambering into his house and slamming the door. "Thanks for your help, boy!" Came through the door before multiple locks slid and clicked into place.
Zuko stepped away from the home and turned to stare up at the looming mountain in the distance.
If he could find that cave, perhaps all his questions would be answered.
~0~
Zuko had only just unclipped the cart from Yujo when the ostrich-horse squawked noisily, fidgeting.
"Shh," he cooed, petting the animal's neck. "What's got you so jumpy?"
Yujo turned and stared Zuko down for a minute before squawking again. Suddenly, the animal took off in a sprint, barreling out the gate of the barn.
Swordless and cursing, Zuko scooped up a loose lead and took off after Yujo, scrambling to catch up.
"Yujo!" Zuko hollered, running around the short side of the inn in the direction she'd went. "Come back! Hey!"
The ostrich-horse staggered to a stop next to a window alongside the inn and seemed to sniff the windowsill. It squawked again and took off in a sprint, this time towards the forest.
Zuko cursed again, taking off after her.
What had gotten into it?
It was only a few seconds of sprinting when Zuko realized which window Yujo had sniffed.
Their room.
Was Katara not back yet?
The animal nervously grumping at Hama flashed in Zuko's mind.
Something had to be going on.
The duo ran through the trees, the larger creature thankfully leaving a fairly easy path to follow. Zuko learned the hard way to stay back from the creature, a branch snapping back once Yujo was past and whipping Zuko straight in the chest.
"Wait up!" He yelled through the woods again, and it was only after he realized how unnaturally silent the woods had been.
A chill snaked up his sweat-covered back.
Damn it, Yujo.
~0~
Hama came to stop at a sparse group of massive trees. Moonlight filtered between the leaves, casting blue light onto the forest floor. Katara stopped midstride behind her.
Had they reached wherever they were going?
The sun had disappeared not long ago and the forest was giving her the creeps.
"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" Hama stared at the sky, almost like she was in a trance.
She took a deep breath and somehow straightened more than Katara thought possible. Any semblance of age in her posture vanished. Her arms rose up from her sides and she allowed the moonlight to coat her arms, fingers flexing in the glow.
"For generations it has blessed water benders with its glow," she rasped. "Allowing us to do incredible things… I've never felt more alive."
Katara gaped at the elderly woman, who suddenly looked…powerful.
A cat-owl hooted above them, and a chill rushed up her back.
The breeze picked up.
"What I'm about to show you," Hama said, back still to Katara, "I discovered in that wretched fire nation prison. The guards were always careful to keep water away from us. They piped in dry air and kept us suspended in cages above the ground. Before giving us water, they would bind us so we couldn't bend. Any form of trouble was swiftly met with cruel retribution…"
Katara swallowed, still listening.
Where was she going with this?
"Each full moon I could feel it enriching me with limitless energy. There had to be do something I could do to escape. Then, I realized that where there is life…there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cave were no more then skins filled with liquid."
Her head dropped, staring at the forest floor.
Katara's stomach dropped, that same question coming to mind.
Skins full of liquid…how…
Fear crept into Katara like a leaky roof. Word by word, her eyes widened.
What was Hama suggesting?
"I spent the next years developing the skill that would lead to my escape…blood bending."
The environment seemed to sense what she was suggesting, the animals going quiet. The only sound was the leaves rustling in the night breeze.
"Controlling the water in another body. Enforcing your own will, over theirs." Hama continued smugly. "Once I had mastered the rats, the men became quick work. I had them unlock the very cage they put me in."
"If you perfect this technique, Katara," she turned around to stare at the water bender. "You can control anything or anyone."
A maniacal smile spread across the wrinkled lips.
That same fear turned into horror and it was all across Katara's pretty face.
She would need to tread lightly.
"To reach inside someone and control them?" She said evenly, earnestly. "I don't know if I want that kind of power."
"The choice is not yours, Katara."
Hama's gray eyes locked onto hers.
