We are camping amongst the trees, we are sitting around a camp fire. We are telling ghost stories, well the others are I'm just listening.
"Suddenly, they heard something down the hall in the dark. Oooh…it came into torchlight…and they knew the blade of Wing Fung was haunted." Sokka said
Sokka draws his sword stands up and points it toward the fire, yells dramatically.
"Ooh-aaah." Sokka yelled
Aang is lying down, Katara is hunched over in a sitting position and Toph sits casually, I am just staring, all four of us are unamused.
"I think I like 'the man with a sword for a hand' better." Aang said
"Water Tribe slumber parties must stink." Toph said
"Wouldn't know I was never invited." I said
"No, wait. I've got one. And this is a true Southern Water tribe story." Katara said
"Is this one of those 'a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' stories?" Sokka asked
"No, it happened to Momo." Katara said
"Oh, I know this story. You might actually like it Toph." I said
"One winter when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom noticed she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home. Just a fire flicking in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Momo stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice (in a scary voice) 'It's so cold and I can't warm!' Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone came back, Nini was gone." Katara said
I look over to see Aang using Momo's ears to cover his face in fear. Sokka is hiding behind a gnarled tree stump.
"Where'd she go?" Sokka asked
"No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day, but sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm." Katara said
Toph straightens up and places her hands on the ground.
"Wait! Guys, did you hear that?" Toph asked
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and I all clutch each other tightly, too stiff to move, with Toph standing alertly.
"I hear people under the mountain. And they're screaming." Toph said
Sokka, assuming Toph is joking, relaxes his grip.
"Pft. Nice try, Toph." Sokka said
"No, I'm serious. I hear something." Toph said
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories…" Katara said
"It just…stopped." Toph said
"How can voices come from under a mountain?" I asked
Katara and Aang are still hugging. Sokka and I are no longer tensed up like the other two.
"All right, now I'm getting scared." Aang said
"Hello, children." a voice said
We all scream in terror upon hearing the woman's voice and we scramble on the ground. An elderly woman emerges from the shadows.
"Sorry for frightening you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?" Hama asked
"Yes, please." Sokka said
Hama smiles and begins walking away. We follow Hama into town and to her inn which is atop a small hill. We head inside and sit down at a table, Hama pours all a cup of tea.
"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn." Katara said
"Aren't you sweet? You know you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were campong in." Hama said
"What do you mean disappearing?" Sokka asked
"When the moon turns full, people walk in and they don't come out." Hama said
She stands up and holds up her teapot, cheerfully smiling.
"Who wants more tea?" Hama asked
None of us answer we all kind of look at each other.
"Don't worry, you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms and you can get a good night's rest?" Hama asked
We leave the room and she shows to where we would be staying. She then turns and leaves. I turn and look at Sokka.
"She gives me the creeps." I said
"This place gives me the creeps." Sokka said
I nodded and headed into my room and to bed.
Next Morning:
Katara woke me up and said that we were going to go shopping. Everyone was up except for Sokka. So Hama, Katara and I head to wake him up. Hama opens his door.
"Wakey, wakey. Time to go shopping." Hama said
Katara and I move so that Sokka can see us. Sokka nods his head, we leave his room so he can get dressed. We all ate breakfast and then headed into town. Hama is going about her things like a normal. A friendly old man smiles and waves at her as she walks past. Hama told us everyone's name as we walked past.
"That Mr. Yao seems to have a thing for you. Maybe we should go back and see if he'll give us some free komodo sausages?" Katara asked
"Or free something else." I said
"You two would have me use my feminine charms to take advantage of that poor man? I think you two and I are going to get along swimmingly." Hama said
We walk towards a different part of the village, I stop when I over a few shop keepers talking.
"You won't have any ash bananas till next week?"
"Well, I have to send the boy to Hing Wa Island to get them, and it's a two day trip."
"Oh, right. Tomorrow's the full moon."
"Exactly. I can't lose another delivery boy in the woods."
That all sounds kind of off to me. I notice that Sokka, Toph, and Aang also over heard the conversation.
"People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff happening during full moons? This just reeks of Spirit World shenanigans." Sokka said
"I bet if we take a little walk around town, we'll find out what these people did to the environment to make the spirits mad." Aang said
"And then you can sew up this little mystery lickety-split, Avatar style." Sokka said
"Helping people…that's what I do." Aang said
I shake my head catch back up with Hama and Katara. Not long after that Sokka and Toph walk up to us.
"Why don't you take all those things back to the inn? I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while." Hama said
"This is a mysterious little town you have here." Sokka said
"Mysterious town for mysterious children." Hama said
Hama smiles creepily and saunters away, leaving us all feeling a little off. We then head back to Hama's inn. We are all unpacking groceries. Sokka walks over to a counter and sets his basket down.
"That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something." Sokka said
"That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in a gave us a place to stay. She kinda reminds me of Gran-Gran." Katara said
"She does but she's still creepy." I said
"But what did she mean by that comment, 'mysterious children'?" Sokka asked
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found four strange kids camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?" Katara asked
"I'm gonna take a look around." Sokka said
Sokka walks away and up a flight of wooden stairs. We all walk and stand at the bottom looking up at Sokka.
"Sokka, Sokka, what are you doing? This is rude. We shouldn't be doing this." I said
Sokka starts to peer around the inn.
"You can't just snoop around someone's house." Katara said
"It'll be fine. You two need to stop worrying so much." Sokka said
Sokka starts to look into rooms.
"She could be home any minute." Aang said
"Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble and this is just plain rude." Katara said
"I agree with Katara." I said
Sokka starts to tug on a cupboard door.
"I'm not finished yet." Sokka said
Sokka grunts as he tries to pull it free.
"Come on…" Sokka said
The cupboard opens, revealing several wooden puppets stowed inside. The dolls fall forward, held together only by their strings. We all gasps, and step back. Sokka withdraws his sword, backs up and points it straight at the puppets.
"I. Hate. Puppets." I said
"Okay, that's pretty creepy." Aang said
Katara walks over and closes the cupboard, a bit weirded out.
"So she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough." Katara said
Sokka turns and starts up the stairs towards the attic.
"Hama will be back soon." Katara said
"Just an ordinary puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Well then why does she have a locked door up here?" Sokka asked
"Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff." Katara said
"We'll see." Sokka said
He scouts down and peers through the keyhole into the room.
"It's empty, except for a little chest." Sokka said
"Maybe it's treasure." Toph said
"Doubtful." I said
Sokka grows excited, his eyes growing wide, and he uses his sword to pick the lock.
"Sokka, what are you doing? You're breaking into a private room." Katara said
"Sokka we could get in a lot of trouble." I said
"I have to see what's in there." Sokka said
Sokka opens the door and it creaks open. We all step cautiously inside. Sokka puts away his sword and approaches the small chest.
"We shouldn't be doing this." Aang said
"We can still turn back." I said
Sokka ignores us and picks up the chest and tries to pry it open, only to discover that it is locked.
"Maybe there's a key here somewhere…" Sokka said
"Ooh! Hand it over." Toph said
She takes the chest, removes her metro bracelet from her arm and earthbends it into the shape of a small key, which she sticks into the keyhole of the chest.
"Come on, come on." Sokka said
Katara peers nervously over Toph's shoulder.
"This isn't as easy as it looks." Toph said
"Guys, I don't know about this…" Aang said
"I agree with Aang. There must be a reason that the box is locked." I said
"This is crazy. I'm leaving." Katara said
"Suit yourself. Do it, Toph." Sokka said
Katara turns to leave the moment Toph signals that she has successfully opened the chest, holding her thumb up. All of us eagerly surround the box, waiting to see what is inside.
"I'll tell you what's in the box." Hama said
We all except Toph, scream and turn around to see Hama standing in the doorway. Sokka guiltily hands her the box. Hama lifts the lid and reaches her hand inside. She picks up whatever is in the box. A blue whale tooth comb is in her hand.
"An old comb?" Sokka asked
"It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I own from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe." Hama said
Sokka, Katara, and I look at each other, then back to Hama.
"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara asked
"Just like you three." Hama said
"How did you know?" Katara asked
"I heard you talking around your campfire." Hama said
"But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asked
"I wanted to surprise you I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you stew them long enough." Hama said
For some reason just thinking about that made my stomach upset.
"Great…" Aang said
"I knew I felt a bond with you right away." Katara said
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right. But I'm sorry we were sneaking around." Sokka said
"Correction, you were snooping and sneaking around. I was watching and waiting for you to get caught." I said
Hama laughed at what I said. She turns around and motions with her hand.
"Apology accepted. Now, let's get cooking." Hama said
Later That Night:
I was lying in bed, Katara entered the room.
"What's wrong?" Katara asked
"Morning sickness, and when she was talking about dinner I felt sick." I said
"This just proves that you are pregnant. Sokka still in the dark?" Katara asked
"Yes, I think he knows and he just doesn't want to accept it." I said
"Okay, come on to dinner. Try to eat, not eating is bad for the baby." Katara said
I nodded my head and got up and followed Katara down to the kitchen. We are all sitting around the table.
"I'd steer clear of the sea prunes." Aang whispered to Toph
"I thought they were ocean kumquats." Toph said
"Close enough." Aang said
"Who wants five flavor soup?" Hama asked
We all raise out hands. Hama situates her hands over the bowl and suddenly uses waterbending to summon a globule of soup and fill each of our bowls. We all look on in astonishment, five streams of soup land gracefully into each bowl.
"You're a waterbender." I said
"I've never met another waterbender from out tribe." Katara said
"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one…" Hama said
"So how did you end up out here?" Sokka asked
"I was stolen from my home." Hama said
Hama starts to tell her story.
"It was over sixty years ago when the raids started. They cane again and again, each time rounding up more of our waterbenders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe." Hama said
Katara walks over and places her arms around her shoulder comfortingly.
"They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape." Hama said
"how did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked
"Because I doubt it's easy to get a ship to take one to the Southern Water Tribe." I said
"I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore." Hama said
"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid." Katara said
"We lost everything." I said
"Oh, you poor things." Hama said
"So you were the one that froze that ship." I said
Hama nodded her head.
"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor. You're a hero." Katara said
"I never thought I'd meet another Southern waterbender yet alone two. I'd like to teach you two what I know so you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone." Hama said
"Yes. Yes, of course. To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me." Katara said
"I would enjoy learning from you very much." I said
Katara and I both bow our heads to Hama.
Next Day:
Katara, Hama, and I walking on the outskirts of Hama's village.
"Growing up in the South Pole, waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you probably noticed on your travels, that it's the case wherever you go." Hama said
"I know! When we were stranded in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do." Katara said
"When did that happen?" I asked
"I'll tell you later." Katara said
"That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists." Hama said
"I've even used my own sweat for waterbending." Katara said
"I usually just freeze the water that is in the air." I said
"That's very resourceful, Katara and Kida. You both are thinking like true master's. But did you know you could even pull water out of thin air? Just like Kida freezes it." Hama said
In a quick movement of her right arm, Hama uses waterbending to manipulate the water vapor in the air, liquefying it and coating her fingertips.
"You have got to keep an open mind, Katara and Kida" Hama said
The water around her fingertips freezes, creating ice claws.
"There's water in places you never think about." Hama said
She proceeds to fire the small daggers at a nearby tree, while Katara looks on in amazement, I'm still kind of creeped. We continued walking till we were in a field of fire lilies.
"Wow, these flowers are beautiful." Katara said
"They're called fire lilies. They only bloom a few weeks a year, but they're one of my favorite things about living here. And like all plants and all living things, they're filled with water." Hama said
"We met a few waterbends who lived in a swamp and could control the vines by bending the water inside." I said
"You can take it even further." Hama said
In a sharp, swiveling motion, she draws water from dozens of the surrounding fire lilies and slices a nearby rock clean through.
"That was incredible." Katara said
"But now the flowers were dead." I said
"They're just flowers. When you're a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight I'll teach you both the ultimate technique of waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon, when your bending is at its peak." Hama said
"But isn't that dangerous?" I asked
"Yeah, I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon." Katara said
"Oh, Katara, Kida. Three master waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about." Hama said
We exit the field. I wrap an around my stomach. I still have a bad feeling about Hama.
Time Skip To That Night:
We are walking through the moonlit forest.
"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" Hama asked
Hama inhales deeply through her nose and stretches her arms outward, flexing her limbs which causes her veins to bulge out, while Katara and I look on in disgust.
"For generations it has blessed waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things. I've never felt more alive. What I'm about to show you two, I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison." Hama said
Hama once again started telling us a story.
"The guards were always very careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to 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 cage were nothing more than skins filled with liquid an I passed years developing the skill that would lead to my escape. Bloodbending. Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men. And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. My cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything or anyone." Hama said
She looks Katara and I out of the corner of her eyes sadistically. Katara and I are just staring at her.
"But… to reach inside someone and control them?" I asked
"I don't know if I want that kind of power." Katara said
"The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Katara, Kida, they tried to wipe us out our entire culture, your mother. Think of that baby growing inside you." Hama said
I wrapped my arms around my stomach, and Katara stepped in front of me,
"I know. But leave my baby out of it." I said
"Then you should understand what I'm talking about. We're the last three waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can, wherever they are, with any means necessary." Hama said
Katara and I both relaized something.
"It's you." I said
"You're the one who's been making people disappear during the full moons." Katara said
"They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. You two must carry on my work." Hama said
Katara points at Hama.
"I won't. We won't use bloodbending and we won't all you to keep terrorizing this town." Katara said
Katara's hand suddenly twists to one side. She tries desperately to stop it, but fails to do so. Katara suddenly stops moving. Hama turns to me, I felt my body tense up.
"You should've learned the technique before you turned against me. It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I control every muscle, every vein in your body." Hama said
With swift motions of her hands and arms, Hama uses bloodbending to twist Katara around and throws her from side to side. Hama hasn't done anything to me yet. She positions Katara directly before her and uses a downward motion of her hand to force her into a submissive state.
"Stop please…" Katara said
Hama laughs cruelly and keeps Katara subdued. I see Katara crying. Several moments pass as Katara begins to break free from Hama's grip. Hama is shocked. Katara inhales deeply and rises, now free from her grasp.
"You're not the only one who draws power from the moon. Mine and my sister's bending is more powerful that yours, Hama. Your technique is useless on me." Katara said
I fight the bloodbending, and once it's gone I move and stand next to Katara. I go to start fighting Hama but Katara stops me. A waterbending duel ensures between the two. Katara pulls a ring of water around her waist and sends the stream of water at Hama, who halts it and sends it back to Katara. In a swift spinning motion, Katara sends the stream towards Hama again, who draws water from nearby trees, deflects the attack and sends a highly pressurized water jet at her. Katara uses her hands to block the attack, disintegrating the water into droplets. Upon seeing Katara's bending prowess, Hama becomes shocked, allowing for her opponent to use water to knock her to the ground.
"Ahhh." Hama shouts
I hear a twig break and turn to see Sokka and Aang approach us.
"We know what you've been doing, Hama." Sokka said
"Give up. You're outnumbered." Aang said
"No. You've outnumbered yourselves." Hama said
Hama begins bloodbending Aang and Sokka, who yell in fear, and sends them in Katara's direction. Katara pushes them out of her way and draws water from the ground, sending a stream at Hama, who in turn draws water from a vine and uses a water wheel to deflect the attack. Sokka unwillingly draws his sword.
"Katara, look out." Sokka said
Forced to walk like a puppet, while waving the blade back and forth rapidly.
"It's like my brain has a mind of its own. Stop it arm, stop it." Sokka said
I move my arms is a swift motion sending Sokka and Aang into a tree, freezing them to it. I turned and looked at Hama. Who yelled out in pain.
"What?" She asked
Hama looked at Katara. Katara shook her head, then Hama looks at me.
"What are you doing?" Hama asked
"I'm not just a waterbender. And like you said yourself, the body is full of water. And do you know what happens when water heats up?" I asked
"It boils." Hama said
I opened my hands. Fire in the left and ice in the right.
"Katara might not be willing to do this, but I won't let you harm my friends. And you really shouldn't of brought my baby into." I said
I bloodbended Hama to her knees.
"I hate people like you. People that hate entire race because of the choices of a chosen few." I said
A few minutes passed before Toph, walked out of the forest followed by the captured villagers. One of them walks up with a pair of hand cuffs. They arrest Hama, I unfreeze Aang and Sokka.
"You're going to be locked away forever." one of the prisoner said
"My work is done. Congratulations, Kida. You're a bloodbender." Hama said
"No I'm a bloodboiler." I said
