Here we go. Next chapter and it's pretty long. 0.0
Chapter 1: The Waterbender
Katara walked along the sidewalks briskly, not minding the people that were bustling out of her way. She could not be late to her waterbending lesson. The sidewalks she walked on were made of the same ice/snow mixture used to make the buildings. If anyone had worn anything besides the woolen moccasins that were on her feet, then they were sure to slip. The blue moccasins blazoned the symbol of the Water Tribe on the heel and the front. The feature that made Water Tribe shoes unique from all others though was the bottom, the sole. The leather had been purposely chipped, with tiny hairs sticking out in a jagged fashion. Then they had been iced. Anything iced here stayed iced unless they were waterbended. This made it easy to walk on the sidewalks without having to slip. The iced hair dug into softer ice, snow mixture of the sidewalk and provided a firm basis and grip. One could even run.
However, even if Katara did run, she would never make it on time to Master Shida's lesson. She needed another way, a faster way. Suddenly, Katara jumped off the sidewalks and into the trenches that replaced where other nations had roads. Quickly, weaving her hands in a graceful, sinuous fashion, a disc of ice formed, floating atop the cold water. Katara landed lightly on top of it.
Spinning her hands once more, the disc of ice began to move. With a quick snap, Katara whipped her hands behind her, making the disc speed up to speeds perhaps too quick for such canals. Usually, she would not resort to using this method of transport. Many waterbenders used the trenches to transport large items and products. Not necessarily used for travel, the trenches were really for moving materials and other heavy equipment. This time though, she really was going to be late unless she used the trenches.
Katara cursed herself for zoning out before. Another flick of the wrists and the disc of ice zoomed across the water, making sharp turns and creating waves big enough to splash freely on the sidewalks.
"Faster," she thought, "I need more speed!"
Luck was with her so far. She had not seen a waterbender using the trenches yet. At the speed she was going, she did not think she would have been able to avoid it.
As she turned the corner though, she saw a waterbender bending a boat of ice filled with produce. Katara let her instincts take over. Time seemed to slow down for her. A sudden flick of the wrists down and then up and she was flying high above the boat. A tower of ice lay behind her. She had made the water push her up into the air while freezing so the disc would not flip over. Spinning back down on the other side of the boat, Katara grinned at her success of dodging the obstacle. She was improving.
That grin was quickly wiped off her face as she heard a horrendous crash behind her.
"My cabbages!"
Katara winced. She had forgotten to turn the tower back into water. Looking back, she saw that the boat had cracked in half, cabbages floating in the water. A man dressed in the robes of the Earth Kingdom lay kneeled and sobbing in one half of the severed boat of ice. The waterbender moving the boat had not had time to react as Katara was moving so fast.
"Sorry!" Katara really was sorry. Any other day, she would have gone back to help the poor man. But today, she could not afford to be late. Not for the lesson with Master Shida anyways.
She sped along the city, buildings seemingly a blur as they rushed by.
"The ocean drown Master Shida. Why did he have to place his training site so deep into the city?" Katara muttered to herself.
After a few more minutes of turning and speeding along on her ice disc, Katara saw her destination in site. Master Shida's training site was located at the bottom of the biggest waterfall in Hirin. The waterfall started from the very top of Hirin where the Council met and fell around ten stories to where Katara was headed.
There she could see Shida in the blue and white robes of a master waterbender waiting with the other eight waterbending pupils. Katara felt a premonition of doom coming across her. She reached her destination, jumped off the ice disc, and skidded to Shida's feet all the while managing to kneel before him in a respectful manner.
Shida stared with cold incriminating eyes and crossed his arms. His silvery white beard and hair made him all the more intimidating, capturing and reflecting the light to give him a deathly halo. Katara could not bring herself up to face him.
After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, he spoke the two words that Katara had been fearing.
"You're late."
Katara winced for the third time that day. Her only hope left was that her parents would be able to trace the remains of her body through the blood flowing in the rivers.
"You remember what I said last time. I would make you wish you were fish droppings if you came late again. And I meant every…single…word."
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"Wow, I still can't believe what my eyes saw…"
"Not helping, Meshi," Katara groaned.
Master Shida was right. After the humiliation, the suffering, the strain that Shida had made Katara go through, she wished she was a fish dropping. At least then, she wouldn't have to go through such a horrible ordeal.
After what had happened during the lesson, Katara had immediately fallen over as soon as she had escaped view of the training ground. She would not have let Master Shida seen here fall down in front of him. No need to show more weakness and humiliation. Luckily, her best friend, Meshi was there.
Meshi and Katara had met when they were small, before learning they were both able to bend water and take lessons together. Meshi's parents were also on the council. Their parents had introduced them to each other and they had become fast friends ever since.
Meshi had a sort of a bad streak to him. He was the prankster of the city. He dumped water on passerbies when they used the trenches. He bended the ice so that anyone stepping on a certain tile would fall into a hole. He even once snuck into the military arsenal and rigged the spears so that anyone picking up a spear would suddenly find eggs pelting their backside. How he had done it, no one exactly knew. His parents refused to speak with him days after until he had apologized to every single soldier that had been plastered by his prank.
His eyes were always twinkling, always amused as if he saw something funny no one else had. His mouth was nearly always in a permanent grin, as if he had just done something mischievous. However, his grin had vanished from his face when he realized that Katara was going to be late. Even Meshi was not fool enough to be late to one of Shida's lessons.
After the lesson, and the soon to be called, "fish incident," Meshi had walked with Katara asking to help her. Katara had refused, even yelling out until she had finally collapsed a ways off from the training site, where she accepted his help gladly. Girls were strange in Meshi's mind, and Katara the strangest of all. But, seeing that Katara was in no condition to be carried off to her own home on the other side of the city, Meshi instead brought Katara back to his home where she now lay on a bed.
Carefully, Meshi placed his hands over Katara's head. A pool of water formed over it as well, the source from a bowl on a shelf. The water glowed, giving off a bluish light that seemed to scan Katara's body.
"What are you doing?" demanded Katara, her voice a little unsteady.
"I'm seeing if your body is wounded. Not only girls can heal with bending you know."
"Oh…"
"Oh is right. Now, it doesn't seem as if you have any wounds. You're mostly just exhausted. I can help take some of the exhaustion with healing."
And upon saying those words, Meshi brought down his hands an inch and swirled his fingers. The water glowed brighter, gave a little twirl and entered Katara's body. She gave a little gasp at feeling the cold water enter her and then relaxed.
"Wow, I feel like I've had a good night's rest already."
"Yeah, well don't overdo it. I might have taken the exhaustion away from your mind, but the strain of your body is still there. Anyhow, there are still a few bruises here and there, but I left them to remind you not to be late again." Meshi smirked, his grin back in place.
"Oh, so now you're taking Master Shida's side?"
"I never said that now did I? Anyways, why were you late this time?"
Silence fell upon them. Katara's eyes gazed towards the windows and then back to Meshi.
"It's the tension between the nations." She felt as if she had repeated this dozens of times.
"Ah…yes, well the Avatar should resolve all that. It's his job. He's coming to Hirin next week you know."
"Hey, you heard too? From your parents I assume…my father told me."
"Can you believe it Katara? The Avatar. I could barely remember the last time he came. What were we…two, no five…wait…"
"Six Meshi. We were six years old."
"Yea that's it. Anyways, this time, we're old enough to think. Now, I've been planning this prank for a long time and it's going to involve lots of ballons. And they'll be filled with ---"
"--- Meshi you're not planning to prank the Avatar were you? The Avatar?"
"No, no, of course not. I'm planning to prank the Avatar and the Council."
Katara threw a pillow at him and soon both were engaged in one of the most furious pillow fights ever known to occur in Hirin. It is said after they both laid on the ground, out of breath, gales of laughter could be heard, all the way up to the highest point of the city.
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The days passed by quickly for both Katara and Meshi. Waterbending lessons took up the entire morning and when each was over, both Katara and Meshi were too tired to do anything else than go back home and take a quick nap.
Katara asked her father often on how the meetings with the Council were going. Her father though, avoided the questions, changing the subject often and then, when he realized Katara would not be dissuaded, became tight mouthed and refused to speak. Katara began worrying more than before. Even her mother refused to speak of the events within the court of the Council. She went out to the wall often as well, feeling the ocean beneath the ice pack, and the waters beyond.
It was said that a skilled waterbender could read the weather through the ocean if they were indeed connected enough to the water. They felt the waves and knew whether it would snow, rain, or just be a clear, sunny day.
Katara was not one to be as skilled as say Master Shida or most of the adults. However, spending so much time on the wall, she had become in tune to the ocean. A big storm was about to shake the world.
And so, the days rolled by, until a week passed. Katara and Meshi walked to Meshi's house after a tiring day of practice.
"Ugh, why does he always have to make us work so hard?" Katara whimpered, feeling her skin for bruises. Shida never really got them hurt. It was just that he made his pupils feel so tired that they felt getting hit might have been better than the trials they were put through. Katara sat on a chair appreciatively, the energy draining out of her legs. Meshi started toward a cabinet filled with food.
Curiously, she began to examine the chair. It was made of wood, a material not common in the artic. All wood was shipped in from the Earth Kingdom and even then, it was sparse. Especially in these times, trade had nearly stopped if it were not for the pleas by the ambassadors. Katara looked around at Meshi's home. It was simple yet, had the feeling of power within it, as most council members had within their homes.
Power and wealth was sometimes accustomed to the amount of wood a family had in their homes. Wood was a stronger than the ice/snow mixture and gave off a good contrast to the white snow. The people of Hirin would sometimes get tired seeing the all the white and blue of snow and water. Meshi's home contained more wood than the average home with chairs, tables and a counter made of wood.
However, it was not as if Meshi was rich. Council members did not earn a high salary. Rather, it was the respect they had that had gotten them such wooden pieces. People offered them gifts of gratitude for their wisdom in dire situations and making Hirin a comfortable, safe place to live. Katara hoped dearly that it remained that way.
Meshi returned with a pot of boiling tea and some fruit. Little fruit grew in the artic, but during Hirin's reconstruction, a greenhouse of sorts had also been built. A building was made where the ceiling was pure ice. It was set out so that it would always be in the sunlight. The glass would then magnify the little direct sunlight there was and keep the inside of the building at a relatively warm temperature, a temperature warm enough for plants to grow. Soil had been brought in from the Earth Kingdom and regular shipments kept the soil nurtured and fertilized. Waterbenders would bend water so that it contained as much minerals as possible and spread it evenly over the produce. Many plants were grown: those for healing, tea, and fruit producing bushes. Katara and Meshi often paid visit to the greenhouse as it was a glimpse to see how the outside world was like. Both had never really been beyond Hirin and had certainly never left the South Pole. It was strange, seeing the greens of plants and brown soils. It was mesmerizing until one went back outside into the frigid, white cold of the artic.
Meshi poured a cup of tea carefully and handed it to Katara with steady hands. Katara just sat there for a while, feeling the warmth soak into her hands from the hot tea. The fragrance was utterly addictive, and she tried to resist drinking until her hands were warm.
After she felt a bit toasty, she took a tiny sip of the black liquid, and almost choked. While the aroma was heavenly, the tea tasted horrible.
"Hei Tsu Tea?"
"Correct, although it does taste quite bitter, it helps the body regain energy. Hei Tsu contains a vast amount of stored energy in its roots because of it's black color. All that stored energy is released once it is boiled in water. Excellent tea if you are fatigued after a workout," Meshi lectured.
Katara's eyes twinkled, and she smiled. Meshi was already one the best healers in waterbending of his age and with the knowledge of useful herbs, he could probably become the best healer in Hirin. If only he could leave his prankster ways behind and concentrated on his talent, he definitely would be the best healer in the world.
As they enjoyed the tea and fruit in a relaxing silence, a cheer broke through the air. Katara and Meshi stared at each other for a split second and then both rushed out the door. The noise was far off and Katara and Meshi ran as fast as they could to the commotion. As they neared, the noise grew louder and louder. Whistles and cheering could be heard.
They reached the crowd, which surrounded one of the main trenches. That particular trench, named the North Entrace, was used mainly for parades and such, as it was the biggest in all of Hirin. It was also the only entrance for those who entered Hirin peacefully.
Meshi took Katara's hand and pushed through the crowds. He recklessly pushed through the crowds to get to the front while Katara was left to apologize to those that had been shoved aside. Katara knuckled her forehead. Meshi could be so rude sometimes, the ocean take him.
"For the love of Yue, do you have to push and shove every time you want to get to the front, Meshi?"
"Hey we're there aren't we? So what's all this commotion about any --."
Meshi broke off gaping and then smacking his head.
"What?" Katara inquired.
Then she smacked her head as well. They both had completely forgotten. The Avatar had arrived today. And there he was, Avatar Sibus, in his tough fur coat of the Northern Tribe, riding on his animal, the seal-bear. The Avatars of past had always been known to have an animal friend to help them travel and fight. Avatar Aang and his majestic flying bison were a formidable pair, having been said to take out more than fifty Fire Nation ships in one day alone.
Sibus was lean man with a smiling face that never reached his cold, gray eyes, he looked as if he had fought and destroyed countless armies. He looked tired. Even in his fatigued state, Avatar Sibus was an imposing figure. He could make mountains move and make kings bow down to him. If he had said pidgeon-frog, half of Hirin would leap and the other half attempt to fly to obey his orders. The sheer aura emitting from him took command of people's hearts and severed fear. The Avatar was a powerful figure indeed.
Katara felt a pull on her arm as Meshi began to drag Katara away from the scene.
"What do you think you're doing? I want to see the Avatar some more."
Meshi ignored her complaints and continued to drag her down the North Entrance Trench. "You don't remember the last time? The Avatar follows the North Entrance and then airbends up the waterfall to reach the top of Hirin, where the Council resides. The meetings of the Council and the Avatar were public the last time so I don't see why this time should be any different. We should head there first so we can get good spots and listen to what the Avatar has to say. Maybe we can catch a glance at the Avatar airbending from above as well."
Katara looked at him suspiciously. "Or…you just want to get there first so you can set up your prank."
"What! No!" Meshi looked away quickly but Katara could see his face redden just the slightest tone. Katara laughed. It seemed as if Meshi really did want to get there to hear the Avatar speak but in his subconscious, he still wanted to initiate his prank.
"Alright, come on. We'll have to go up the waterfall somehow and we might as well use that ice disc thing you did when you were late the day of the 'fish incident.'" Meshi smirked.
Katara growled under her breath. The only reason he had mentioned the 'fish incident' was to get back at her for guessing he wanted to pull his pranks.
Before Katara could retort, Meshi jumped off the sidewalk and into the trench, releasing his hold. Quick hands and fluid movements created the ice disc, made large enough for two. Katara hopped on as well.
As Meshi began to move the ice disc, Katara turned back once more to get another glance at the Avatar. Those gray eyes started back upon hers.
Katara gave a start. The Avatar had been staring at her. He wore a grim expression and his eyes were widened just a fraction, as if he was surprised at what he saw.
Soon though, the Avatar turned his head to the crowd that was still cheering for him. He smiled and waved, but it seemed more forced that before. Katara stared back strangely until he was but a speck on the horizon.
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The ice disc sped along at a reasonable speed unlike that day when Katara had been late to Master Shida's lesson. It was slow enough so that avoiding cargo was easy but brisk enough so that it was faster than if they had run. They were in no hurry.
The waterfall reared up in sight. Both Meshi and Katara prepared their stances. A quick glance at each other and their hands both flicked down and then up. Up they went until they were soaring just above the highest point of Hirin. Katara could see for miles, the sky was so clear. There were little mountains of ice located at random positions all of the ice cap. Legend had said it was in one of those glaciers that the legend Katara and warrior and hero Sokka had found the Avatar. The land was full of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
They landed on the sidewalk around the trench gracefully while Meshi liquefied the ice disk. Hurridely, Katara drew circular motions with her arms, liquefying the immense ice pillar they had drawn from the waterfall to push their ice disc up. She still remembered how she had made a boat crash into one of her ice pillars and the man sobbing over his cabbages. She would not be responsible for the same mistake again.
Katara turned around to look at the Council's court. It was a temple of sorts, with the usual stacking of levels. The bottom was largest, with each level smaller and smaller until the very top. There were seven levels in all. The bottom had always been the court of the Council.
Idin had told her that the levels above the court were the offices for the ambassadors and members of the Council. The second and third were for foreign dealings. The ambassador offices were located there. The fourth was for dealings within Hirin such as taxes and trench repair. The fifth was for dealings with the law. Lawyers and such had their offices located there.
The sixth was for the first eight members of the Council. The last and seventh was for the Censor of the Council, the last and perhaps, more powerful member of the Council. If the first eight had decided on a case with no majority, the Censor would be the decision maker. The current Censor was Hershia. Once she retired, the next in line would be Katara's father, as he was the oldest member of the Council of eight.
Katara peered within the confines of the building. She hoped to have a glimpse of her father or mother. Inside was an exquisite room. Although there were no wood furnishings, the craftsmanship and intricate detail of the ice would make any person stare in awe. Pots decorated the room and on the wall on the far side was a huge carving of the symbol of the waterbenders. A crescent moon facing the waves.
Her eyes then lay upon the bench upon which the Council sat. There she spotted her father, in the position to the right closest to the Censor's stand, a podium higher than the bench. Her mother was also there, third to the right, where she sat with her blondish hair seemingly melting into the white-blue backdrop. Katara had her father's eyes and her mother's hair as she stroked her own blond hair unwittingly.
"Katara, come quickly! The Avatar has just arrived at the base of the waterfall!" Meshi exclaimed. He was already crouched over the edge, looking at what lay below.
Katara quickly joined him. Leaning over, she saw that what Meshi had said was true. The Avatar was at the base of the waterfall, patting his seal-bear. It seemed as if the seal-bear would not be coming up with him. Stable hands had been at the scene, ready to take care of the animal as soon as the Avatar had left for above.
Katara stared, hoping to capture every detail of when the Avatar airbended. She had never seen any of the other elements being bended besides water. Firebenders would not come to the poles. It was much too cold here at the South Pole and their fire spirits would be dampened. If earthbenders came down here, their bending would be useless. There was no land or earth in the artic. Airbenders would be fine with the cold and could bend here, being used to frigid mountains upon which they lived. However, airbenders traveled little of late, staying quite secluded in their temples.
And so, as the Avatar began weaving his hands in circular motions, Katara gaped. He was planning to jump up to the court of the Council. And so he did. With the wind ruffling his fur coat, he suddenly appeared right in front of Katara and Meshi. Both gave a start and shuffled back, away from the edge. The Avatar landed lightly on his feet and laughed at their reactions.
Katara was shocked. Looking at Meshi, she could see he was the same too. "That waterfall was five stories high! He jumped five stories high!"
"Here, let me help you up." A strong, reassuring voice, and yet told of kindness. A voice fit for an avatar.
Katara realized she was sitting. The Avatar Sibus had both of his hands outstretched, one to Meshi and one to Katara. Katara took it, and so did Meshi. The Avatar heaved them upright seemingly weightlessly.
Katara and Meshi both were staring at their hands. They had touched the Avatar. Their hands were unworthy of the honor.
"Are you two alright? I must've have gave you quite a scare for you to push back so far." The Avatar chuckled.
Katara realized that they had pushed back until they had almost reached the steps leading into the court. Her father and mother had put on amused facial expressions as Katara could see.
Meshi spoke first. "Oh we're fine; it'll take more than that to scare me out of my wits."
Katara mentally slapped himself. Why was it that all males seemed to try and make themselves tougher in front of a powerful presence?
The Avatar smiled and ruffled Meshi's hair. "Ok, as long as you are alright. I would stay and chat with you two longer, but I've got to go to this meeting first."
They were blocking the entrance. Blushing, Katara and Meshi both stepped aside.
"Thanks, maybe we can talk after," the Avatar said smiling. And in he went into the icy, shining court room.
Katara and Meshi stared for a second. Then they both began to talk to each other very fast.
"Can you believe this, the Avatar helped us up!"
"Yeah, and he wants to talk to us!"
They went inside still talking like giggling children who had just started to make water move in waves. Crowds of people had started coming up from the stairs to the left and right of the council. Not everyone could waterbend as Katara and Meshi and some felt that coming up through the waterfall was disrespectful to the council. Why, Katara and Meshi knew not. It was fast and convenient for them so they used it.
Katara and Meshi took their seats in the spaces open to public. Benches of ice had been made and the crowd filled in quickly. Meshi was right to have come here first. The seats went fast. They sat in the front row with a clear view of the Avatar.
The court was a circular room. In the center, was a circular pool filled with warm water. Custom was that for those who came seeking the audience of the Council washed their hands and face in the pool. A person would come with a towel and then take it away. To wash in the warm water was a luxury. The washed would then owe the court their honest and righteousness.
The Avatar was well versed in these traditions. It was the same in the Northern Tribe. Bending down, he splashed the water over his face and washed his hands. A towel was brought and he wiped his face and hands dry. Custom was done.
The censor spoke then. "What news do you have of the outside world?"
The Avatar hesitated as he chose his words.
"As you know, the Fire Nation has been building and militarizing its army. The proclamation issued calling all firebenders has though been put down. For what reason, I know not, as I have not revisited the Fire Nation since. Whether they have already collected every firebender or Fire Lord Zenen has brought peace to the nation, I do not know. The Earth Kingdom has had troubles lately. A division in Ba Sing Sei has caused the formation of two parties: one for revenge against the Fire Nation for taking over its nations so many years ago and one against further war. The people of the Earth Kingdom have long memories and do not forget how the Fire Nation led rampages, burning villages and killing many people. Strife has nearly caused a civil war. For that reason, do I head toward the Earth Kingdom next."
"And what of the Airs?" inquired Katara's father.
"The Airs remain isolated and secluded. They want no part in other nation's affairs. Any changes of the Airs are tightly guarded and no information has leaked past their temples. I will need to pay them a visit as well some time into the future."
"What exactly are your plans, Avatar Sibus? Do you continue to allow the Fire Nation to build up its armies? The people of Hirin remember also of the events five hundred years ago. The attack of the Fire Nation left us a measly, small village with no defense as all of our men had gone off to fight. We do not want the same to happen again."
The Avatar, face unreadable, was silent for a few moments.
"I will do as I must. The Avatar's role is the peacekeeper. I shall negotiate and reason with the Fire Kingdom. It shall not be easy with the whole of them hot headed as their personalities go, but it shall happen. This is the duty of the Avatar and upon which I lay before you." And with those words the Avatar Sibus bowed before the Council.
The crowd that resided within the public area voiced their approval. A chant began, and soon the court and Hirin resonated with the voice of hundreds.
"The Avatar! The Avatar!" They yelled.
Katara and Meshi were pulled in. Before they knew it, they were standing up and clapping with approval. Even the council nodded their heads in recognition of the great figure bowing before them. The Avatar Sibus had made a statement for the ages.
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The Council had dismissed the meeting at that point. The Censor spoke with the Avatar and showed him his rooms. Katara still stood in the public area of the court, out of breath. She had never been in such a big crowd before. When they had started chanting, she felt as if she was pulled into the excitement, pulled into the chanting. It really was breathtaking.
Meshi had left to see his parents. The council members resided, picking up the notes they had taken of the meeting. Katara could see her parents and waved to them. Idin and her mother, Idaie, waved back smiling.
Katara felt as if she needed some air. The mass of people had made the air hot and stuffy, and Katara was still wearing a thick fur coat. Taking a step outside, she began walking to a court yard not far from the Council's building. It was a nice day, if cold. She was used to the cold though. She had to, or she would not have survived her first few days of life. The artic cold was now a friend to her, cooling her down when she was exhausted or fatigued. Now, it was even more inviting. There was no wind, just a sterile cold and the perfect remedy to the hot, stuffy room she had just been in.
With the Avatar's proclamation of righting things, Katara was reassured. Sibus's strong voice and inspiring words had driven the worry and fear out of her. She felt more relaxed and peaceful than she had in months.
The court yard she was walking into was a square. In the middle, a fountain lay, sporting water high into the air. The water arced into graceful curves and dropped almost with out a splash back into the pool of water surrounding it. Water ran in ruts around the edges of the square and then made a zigzag like pattern running into holes in the walls of the fountain. The water always turned at a right angle.
There were other courtyards elsewhere in the city, but she liked this one most of all. Being the highest courtyard, it gave the best view of Hirin and beyond. The moon seemed so close from this height. She stood at the edge facing the city and smiled. Usually, this courtyard was empty. People did not bother coming all the way up when there were nearer courtyards. Tonight, it seemed as if it were the same.
"Hello, pleasant night for a walk isn't it?"
Katara practically jumped out of her skin. At least, she had thought she was alone. Turning around slowly, she found herself face to face with the Avatar Sibus.
He was wearing a slightly bemused expression and rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "I'm sorry; I must've scared you out of your wits again. I swear, I've never seen someone jump so high without airbending. I didn't get your name before. Care to tell me what you're called?" he said laughing a little.
"Ka – Katara, sir." She still hadn't recovered from that shock of realizing someone had been there when she thought she was alone.
The Avatar winced slightly at her stuttering. He didn't like scaring people much. "Please, don't use sir or any formalities. I've tried to tell the council that too but they insist on calling me Avatar or sir, at the very least."
"Yes, si- …er…Sibus"
Sibus gazed at her with those gray eyes. They did not seem so cold in the moonlight.
"Katara…a powerful name. After the one that had helped Aang I suppose?"
"Yes." Katara was a little astonished that Sibus had called the Avatar Aang, the one who had defeated Fire Lord Ozai, just…Aang. Of course, in a way, Sibus was a reincarnation of Aang. It must have been tough for Sibus when he had been told he was the Avatar. To know he had done such great things in past lives without doing it himself must have been difficult to grasp.
Sibus was staring out at Hirin and the Artic. A silence passed through them.
"Katara"
Katara jumped for the second time. She turned to look at the Avatar. His eyes were glowing like the sun. A bright white light emitted from those eyes and when he spoke, the same light had left his mouth. She had read about this. For what reason, Katara did not know, but sure enough, Avatar Sibus had entered the Avatar state.
"Katara," Sibus said again with the voice of thousands speaking synchronized.
Katara realized he was waiting for her to answer. "Yes?" She breathed.
The Avatar turned towards, her and the light momentarily blinded her.
"A time will come when the Avatar is assassinated in the Avatar state and the Avatar line will end. Times have changed. The Avatar alone can no longer hold the peace of this world. When the Avatar line has been extinguished, you must travel to the Northern Water Tribe. In your journey, you will find a fire, earth, and airbender. Befriend them and travel together. At the Northern Water Tribe, go to the pond in which the yin and yang circle endlessly. Seek a path into the Spirit World. Speak to your elemental Spirit and question the origin of the Avatar line. Find the answers you will seek and use them to restore balance to this war-blighted land. This is the quest I lay upon you. You MUST not fail."
And with that, Sibus left the Avatar state, clutching his head.
Katara stared off into the void, her breath caught.
"What in the world just happened?"
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The Avatar had left her, claiming to have a woozy head. Asking if she was going to be alright out here – Katara kept staring off into nothing – he proceeded to return back into the Council's tower.
After a few moments, Katara did the same. When she entered the court, most council members had already left, including her parents. She spotted Meshi still there and ran to him.
"Oh, hey Katara, I was wondering where you went. I almost thought you had left without me," Meshi said with that grin plastered on his face. Then, with one look at Katara's distraught face, he immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
"We need to speak in private. Master Shida's training spot. No one goes there except for lessons." Katara started to drag Meshi.
"Hey, you could at least tell me a little first before – "
"Come on! Don't ask questions. I'll tell you when we get there. Hurry!"
They ran out of the building as fast as they could and Katara quickly weaved another ice disc. They got on and rode off the cliff where the waterfall began. Using the water from the waterfall, Katara built a rectangular prism of half frozen water, a slushy mixture. It would slow their descent so that they could reach the bottom safely.
Once at the bottom, Katara began to spill everything of what had happened at the courtyard. By the time she was done, Meshi looked as confused and distraught as she.
Several minutes of silence passed before he croaked, "Are you trying to pull a prank on me?"
"Meshi!" Katara growled menacingly. "Focus!"
After a few more minutes of puzzling out the events that had occurred, Meshi spoke once more.
"I have no more idea than you of what it means, although I'm pretty sure of this. If the Avatar is assassinated, war will surely break out. It would be the spark needed to light the barrel of explosives."
Katara nodded. It made sense. With tensions as high as they were, something as big as the Avatar being killed would definitely send the nations into an all out war.
"And I know one more thing. If you're going to the Northern Water Tribe, then I'm coming with you."
Katara half opened her mouth to protest before Meshi broke in again.
"Don't even try to argue with me. Who's been looking after your back all these years after Master Shida's waterbending lessons? I'm your best friend and I care for you. I will not let you go wandering off into a war zone all by yourself. Besides, you'll definitely need the best healer you can get on your team."
Katara frantically searched for any reason for Meshi not to come. Finding none, she hugged Meshi. There they stood, hugging, and comforting each other, fearing the future and what was to come
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Meshi and Katara had gone to the Council's building first thing in the morning the next day. They asked the first official person they found and requested a meeting with the Avatar.
The person gave a surprising answer.
"The Avatar, I'm afraid, left in the middle of the night without any notice. I suppose he went to the Earth Kingdom. I applaud him for that, trying so hard to straighten out dealings between the nations and keep the peace. A hard role, being the Avatar. Though he could have left us some notice," he had said while shaken his head.
Katara and Meshi looked at each other, unsure of what to say or think.
Both went to the wall that day, to try and see the other nations. Hard and dangerous times were sure to follow.
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