Kuzara was walking down an icy pathway she had never seen before. She was surrounded by her people, each of them taking the same path. They were calm but Kuzara was not. Everything was wrong. She was afraid. More than afraid, her soul was absolutely petrified at its very core yet her body continued to move. She could do nothing to stop herself. She had no control. Her body did not obey her. Was this even her body? She could only watch.
Actually no, she could also feel. She felt every bit of motion from her swaying limbs to the deafening snowstorm that pelted her mercilessly. She felt every single flake of snow. The beat of her heart reached speeds she had only experienced when she was alone in the wild tundra. A penetrating shiver coursed throughout every vein and artery. Her very blood trembled. Why was she so terrified?
Her lips were pursed so tightly that it began to hurt. She turned her head (without commanding it to do so) at the sound of a crack. And then another crack drew her attention. Her head spun wildly around and she heaved out the breath that was trapped within her stifled lungs. She wasn't even aware that she was holding it in. Then the cracks stopped and the noise was replaced by the endless wind.
"Is something wrong?" a voice said.
Kuzara didn't recognize the voice or the face of the woman once she turned to see her. It took her a second to realize that she felt much taller than she usually was.
Kuzara was now facing the direction where her people were migrating from. She meant to ask the woman before her what was going on but her lips did not obey her. She remained silent.
The woman smiled warmly and laid a hand on Kuzara's face. She spoke softly, "Everything will be fine. I promise. You worry too much. Look, the end is almost here." The woman points to where Kuzara's people were moving. Though shrouded in darkness, the icy trail eventually lead to a gigantic mass of land.
And then she heard a crack. And then another. And then the world stopped making sense. There was silence just before the collapse. Kuzara's legs no longer connected to the ground. The screams of her people could barely be heard over the sound of the tons of ice crashing into the sea. Kuzara's body hit the water. Invisible needles stabbed and skewered her skin on all sides and she didn't dare stay in any longer.
She bended the water around her, spiraling upwards and creating a water spout. She propelled herself high enough to reach the pathway she and her people were on. Parts of it were still crumbling and she barely noticed the people in front who hadn't fallen. As soon as she got back on her two locked and nearly frozen feet, Kuzara looked behind her.
The pathway was gone. She looked down to the raging waters. Hundreds of her people had fallen. Friends, family, mothers, fathers, infants…they struggled to keep their heads afloat as the thundering waves engulfed them all. Kuzara jumped in.
The pain was instant but so was the drive. She swam to the nearest group of people she could find and latched herself to them, a mother and her baby. Kuzara propelled them back to the pathway and dove back in immediately.
She opened her eyes under water and saw two brothers on the verge of sinking. She jetted her way towards them. They were farther than they had appeared, though. Her lungs felt as if they were shrinking. Kuzara panicked. What could she do?
Suddenly she used her waterbending in a way she had never thought of before. Without even intending to, Kuzara created an air pocket around her mouth and nose, allowing her to breath.
Her body apparently acting on muscle memory, Kuzara jetted to the sinking men. She brought them to the surface and onto the pathway. She looked back at the sea…and was crestfallen.
Kuzara saw just as many bodies in the water as before. She saw less that were moving.
Crumbling to her knees, Kuzara choked back her anguished sobs. Her jaw clenched shut, her body fell numb, and her tears froze before they could stream off her face to the sea below. She felt the tremors of the cracking ice sheets once again and wanted nothing more than to stay exactly where she knelt. Her sorrow would keep her there for eternity. No force on Earth could budge her. She never wanted to move. She never would.
And yet she did.
The scream Kuzara unleashed when she awoke was ungodly. Several villagers as well as her parents were so frightened by the sound that they were sure that Kuzara had been possessed by a demonic spirit. Even when it was revealed that Kuzara's only ailment was a nightmare, the young waterbender still pondered that possibility.
"I've had strange dreams before but they were never like this," she told her parents after the villagers had left. "It actually felt like I was there. I felt everything and the imagery was so real."
"What exactly looked so real? What was it about?" her father said.
"I was walking along with our whole tribe somewhere and I just felt extremely afraid. I don't know why. I couldn't control my movements but I felt like I was really there. Then I heard the ice cracking and then a woman talked to me."
"What woman?" her mother said.
"I don't know. Honestly, I don't even remember what she looked like. She seemed to know me though."
"Okay and then what?" her mother said.
"Then the ice broke and almost everyone in our tribe fell into the sea. I tried to save people but there were too many and people were already dying and…I didn't know what to do!" Kuzara wept openly again. She was hoping the warm love of her mother and father would calm her down. They would hush her heavy breathing and reassure her that it was all a nightmare. None of it was real. She waited for one of them to embrace her, to soothe her with delicate words. It never happened.
"Kuzara…who told you all of this?" Her mother's voice was severe and suspicious. There was no warmth to be gathered from it. Only disgust.
"Siska!"
"Shut up, Alrick! Kuzara, who told you all of this!? Why would you tell us this story!? How could you be so cruel!?"
"Cruel…how am I being cruel? What is going on?" Kuzara said.
"Alrick, slap your daughter."
"Siska, that's enough! It was just a dream. There is no possible way anyone could have told her-"
"YOU HEARD WHAT SHE SAID! THAT WAS NO DREAM! SOMEBODY TOLD HER! HOW ELSE COULD SHE KNOW!?"
"Yelling will not solve this, Siska! Stop being irrational!"
"Mom! Dad! What are you talking about!?"
It was no use. Once the two started screaming at each other, there was no stopping them. Their mad, ravenous voices repelled everyone in the village, including Kuzara. She stormed out of the hut, unable to handle all the negative emotions she was experiencing. She needed to escape.
Kane hadn't been on the defense like this for some time. Practice waterbending duels were rarely suspenseful, at least for him. His friend, Kesuk, must be really determined to win this time.
The duel was normal enough at first with Kane hammering away at his opponent quickly, so he wouldn't have enough time to use Kane's attacks against him. Water whips and bullets were flying everywhere and Kesuk was forced to be on the move for a while. Then Kesuk got bold and shot an ice spear at Kane, who quickly deflected it. Kesuk, however, took the opportunity to create a wave and surprise Kane.
Kane was knocked off his feet but then took control of the wave. He stood upright and turned it into a water shield to protect himself from Kesuk's bullet attacks. Kane had to concentrate then on defense, his muscles tensing up while his heart pounded away.
Kesuk turned Kane's shield against him but Kane dodged and turned the attack back on Kesuk. Kane's opponent split the water bullet into two smaller attacks and maneuvered them around his body, flinging them back at Kane.
The crowd of students as well as Chief Powhatek remained completely silent as the struggle raged on. They had expected Kane to win easily, and were utterly breathless as the sound of the grunting warriors filled the air with each attack.
Kane tried to catch his friend off guard by slashing forth a fierce water whip at his feet, spinning around to avoid Kesuk's latest bullet, and sending a second whip for Kesuk's face.
Kesuk saw through this strategy and took control of the first water whip and swiftly angled it upward to block the second water whip. The two warriors ceased fire. They panted heavily and assumed a defensive position, waiting for the next possible strike. Neither knew who would make it.
In the distance, Kane saw Kuzara join the rest of the students in watching him. He gave his friend a determined grin, tensing up his body for the next move. He swiftly shot a water bullet at Kesuk and then partially melted the ground beneath him, causing Kesuk to lose his balance. The attack connected perfectly and Kesuk was beaten to the ground, ending the duel.
Everyone who was watching the fight crowded around Kane, showering him with the admiration and attention he was used to receiving. Kuzara stood a few feet away, waiting for some one-on-one time instead. Chief Powhatek helped Kesuk to his feet.
"That was a cheap trick!" Kesuk said. Chief Powhatek sighed.
"There are no cheap tricks when it comes to survival, Kesuk. Like the water that our people control, we must learn to adapt and overcome anything in order to become great."
Kesuk seemed unsatisfied with the answer but Chief Powhatek's attention was already drawn away from him and on to Kuzara, who was supposed to have off from waterbending training today. Today was only boys, after all. Yumi wasn't around. So why was Kuzara? It doesn't take long for him to see the reason. As soon as the crowd of admirers surrounding Kane dispersed, Kuzara stepped forward.
Kane spoke first with a proud tone and a tall stance. "Did you like the show?"
Kuzara could barely contain the blush that crept across her face. "I only caught some of it. I hope I didn't miss too much."
"Nah, you didn't. The duel didn't last too long, really. Nothing to brag about to my parents or anything…"
"Actually, I was just going to ask you about that. If I could meet them. Your parents."
"You've met them before. Everyone in the village knows each other, after all."
"I know but I mean I would like to get to know them more…if that's okay. I certainly don't want to intrude. Because if it's really too much trouble then never mind me ever asking at all…because I don't want you to think I'm that kind of girl who just causes trouble for everyone and everything and…"
As Kuzara once again prepared to mentally harpoon herself, Kane politely interrupted her.
"Hey, it's okay! Relax, relax. I can take you to see my parents. No problem."
"Oh…well…that would be great!"
They were in Kane's hut now, waiting for food to be served since Kuzara wanted to avoid her own parents as much as possible. Kane's parents did not object and happily accepted the young girl into their home. Kane's mother, however, was wary.
"She's only thirteen years old, Kane. And she's rather plain-looking too, don't you think?" she whispered.
"Mom! Don't talk like that! What if she could hear you?" Kane said, agitated with his mother's bluntness. Kane was often confused as to how someone who was only forty years old could sound as if she was a senile old woman. He looked over at Kuzara who was talking with his father, desperately hoping that nicer words were coming out of his mouth, at least.
"You see, Kuzara, when a man and a woman love their parents enough to want to please them and provide them with grandchildren, what they do is…"
Apparently not. Kane quickly snatched up Kuzara and told his dad to pipe it, as dinner was about to start and dinner was no time for such talk.
"But I want to know what he was going to say…" Kuzara said. Alas, the subject was dropped and Kuzara's mind switched straight to the heavenly seal jerky that Kane's mother produced and set on the dinner table before them. Kuzara barely noticed when Kane's little brother, Nuka, entered the room. All that mattered now was seal jerky.
Dinner with Kane's family was actually rather interesting and tame compared to the dinners with her own family, Kuzara decided. Kane's mother was an excellent cook and his father seemed like an affable man. He was surprisingly old, though. He was even older than Chief Powhatek!
"Sixty eight years, three months, and twelve days to be exact! I tell you, Kuzara. Never get this old! Not unless you're waiting for grandchildren…which I still am by the way," the old man said with his eyes staring indignantly at Kane.
"Dad, I'm only fifteen. You know the rules of our tribe. Men and women only become of marrying age at sixteen. That's how it's always been and that's how it always will be."
"Yeah, well grow up faster. I could die any second now and I want to see some grandkids if it's the last thing I do."
"Dad, don't talk like that!" Nuka said. Kuzara finally took more notice of the boy now.
Nuka was twelve years old with decent waterbending prowess and an excitable nature. Because he had just recently turned twelve, Nuka was to go through what every other male waterbender must go through to prove their worth. It was a rite of passage that was kept secret from the women of the water tribe. Kuzara figured that it was a test similar to what Chief Powhatek had put her through when he sent her to fend for herself in the frozen tundra. She, however, knew nothing about the true nature of the test.
Kane, however, did. "Don't take dad too seriously, Nuka," he said, comforting his brother by placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's just grumbling as usual. It's nothing to worry about. All you should be worried about is passing tonight's test."
"What test?" Kuzara said.
"Today is my little brother's rite of passage. It will determine if he is mature enough to be a warrior and protect our village."
"Yeah, well, whatever the test is, I'm gonna ace it! It'll be no problem!"
Kuzara paused. "You mean…you don't know what the test is?"
Nuka replied as earnestly as ever. "Not until I get there. Wherever 'there' is. My brother is taking me. I'll be alright."
"Oh, enough of this talk. Let's move on to a different subject, please." Kane's mother said.
"Yeah, like grandchildren."
Rolling her eyes in amusement at Kane's father, Kuzara went back to nibbling on her seal jerky when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned her head to see none other than Chief Powhatek standing at the entrance.
"Chief Powhatek, what brings you to our humble home?" Kane's mother said as Kuzara tried in vain to shrink herself due to sheer embarrassment of eating with another family.
"Is this about my little brother's test?"
"No, no. This is about something completely different. I have to speak with your father alone about something urgent." Chief Powhatek looked to Kane's mother. "You don't mind if I speak with your husband privately do you?"
"Oh, no, not at all! We'll just wait outside."
Kuzara got up and trailed the others as they left, hoping to draw as little attention from Chief Powhatek as possible by being silent. Silence, however, would not save her.
"Oh, and Kuzara," Chief Powhatek said in a detached tone, stopping the young girl in her place. "I think it's time for you to go home."
"But I…I just really don't want to be around my parents right now-"
"Kuzara, listen to the Chief," Kane said. "You can come by tomorrow."
Kuzara's head drooped and she gave a heavy sigh. She really didn't want to be near her parents after what happened that morning. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten. Still, she never disobeyed the Chief. Nobody did.
Clutching her overcoat, Kuzara reluctantly went home. She didn't turn back or wonder why Chief Powhatek wanted to speak with Kane's father. She just tried her best to go home and fall asleep, hoping endlessly that the dream would not return that night.
It did.
Sorry it took me so long to update everyone. Things kept coming up (a trip to Florida, a fashion show, school in general etc.). It's still too early in the story for things to be off the wall crazy or anything yet so please be patient. I hope you all have had a wonderful few weeks and that you liked this latest chapter. Comments and Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks!