Okay I seriously thought I posted this already…please forgive me for being so late with this…I've um, been ranting ;)
Chapter Five Secrets and Lies
"Stay here Appa. I'm going to go find some medicine," Katara whispered.
She petted the snoozing bison softly and began to trudge through the trees.
She had found this island a couple hours after leaving Ember Island; Appa couldn't keep flying with his burned legs, so she decided to let him rest for the night and get back to the western air temple in the morning. She had noticed that much of the island was uninhabited, except for a small village on the south beach. She hoped she would be able to find some ointment or lotion to help soothe Appa's pain in the village.
Katara was still in her Fire Nation clothes, so she hoped that she would just blend in with the other people. This was incredibly dangerous, but she had no other choice. She couldn't just let Appa suffer the whole way back to the temple.
The village was quiet; a few torches lit the dark pathway to the huts on the sandy beaches. Katara was alert, and she had carried a large sack of water- just in case.
She walked up to a dark shack, where a man was sitting on the counter, admiring a wooden figurine.
"Excuse me, sir? Can you tell me where I can find some medicine for burns? My friend got hurt…"
The man pointed to the bay area. "You should try the docks. We just got some new imports this morning, but they're leaving tomorrow. You better hurry."
"Thanks!" Katara ran off towards the docks, trying to stick to the path.
One of the docks was vacant; the other had a small ship tied to the edge. There wasn't anyone out on the deck tonight, so Katara climbed aboard and walked around. She found an open door and peeked inside. There was a lonely woman seated at the lounge, who looked up as Katara was about to knock.
"Can I help you?"
Katara started forward. "Uh, yes. I'm looking for some medicine…my friend got burned."
"Wait right here," the woman motioned for her to take a seat as she left the room. Katara sat quietly as she waited for the mysterious woman to return; shifting her sack of water around- just in case there was trouble.
"The captain said he would look for some in the cargo, but it may be a while before he finds it. Would you care for some tea while you wait?"
Katara nodded and followed the woman to the corner of the room and sat on a mat. She smiled graciously as the woman handed her a cup of hot tea.
They sat silently for several minutes, quietly sipping the tea.
"You don't look like you're from around here," the woman commented, smiling as she watched Katara's blue eyes widen in panic. "It's okay. You're not the only one."
Katara breathed a sigh of relief.
"You should be careful, though. You don't want people to know you're from the Water Tribe in some parts of the Fire Nation…"
Katara gasped. How did this woman know she was from the water tribe?
She pointed to Katara's neck; she had forgotten to take off her mother's necklace and replace it with her Fire Nation one. And Zuko never once mentioned it to her…
"So, do you work on this ship?" Katara asked, trying to avoid the uncomfortable silence.
"Oh, well…yes. But I'm only working with them on their routes until I can earn enough to make it back to Ba Sing Se...away from the Fire Nation."
Katara looked at her oddly. "When did you leave Ba Sing Se?"
"Well, it must have been at least three years ago…"
"…so you came to the Fire Nation? Why?" Katara bit her lip, feeling guilty for asking such personal questions, but she couldn't help herself. This woman was very intriguing…
The woman didn't seem offended at all. "I had some…business here. But now I need to get back to Ba Sing Se."
Katara looked out the window, where a Fire Nation flag flew over the docks. "You are aware Ba Sing Se is under Fire Nation rule now…right?"
The woman looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"
Katara nodded. "The Firelord's daughter herself took over the city."
The woman's eyes widened, but she remained silent.
They sat mutely for a while, until the woman broke through the silence.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"
Katara looked away. "Oh, well…my mom died…in a raid..."
She couldn't really believe that she told a stranger what happened to her mom. But the woman seemed so kind; so understanding…she reminded Katara of her own mom. When she was alive, that is…
"A Fire Nation raid?"
Katara nodded slowly, trying to read the woman's expression.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she wiped away a stray tear. "I understand. The Fire Nation separated me from my son."
Katara felt very sorry for the woman. No wonder she seemed so lonely on this ship.
"That's terrible," Katara managed to say.
"But I've heard that the Avatar has returned," she looked into the fire with a look of fierce determination. "Maybe there's still hope."
Katara found her mind wandering to Aang. Was he okay? Or was he still deathly ill? She needed to get these flowers to him fast; or there would be no hope for anyone anymore…no. Katara couldn't think like that. Aang would be fine…
"There is hope," Katara promised. "At least I still have my father. Does your son still have his father, at least?"
The woman's eyes widened and she looked away. "Yes…his father…" she mumbled.
Katara didn't know what to say. Sure, the woman missed her son, but if he had his father, then at least he was okay, right?
"I just hope he's okay and…still alive"
She paused and looked at Katara. "I'm sorry, I just…"
Katara stopped her. "It's okay. You obviously love your son very much."
The woman smiled sadly. "Yes. We were very close. I can't imagine how he's doing…he was a very confused boy…"
Katara didn't understand what she had meant by confused.
"Here it is," a man came up front behind them and placed the medicine on the table. The woman immediately stopped talking about her son and the serious expression returned to her face. As the man began to leave, the woman stood up.
"That'll be eight copper pieces, Miss," she said, trying to sound as demanding as she could.
Katara began getting the coins out of her bag, but the woman stopped her as soon as the man left the room.
"No, it's yours. Free."
Katara looked up. "No, I must pay for this…"
The woman shook her head. "Please. Take it. Thank you for your company and kind words."
She handed the bottle to Katara. She took it and thanked the woman.
Just before Katara walked out the door, she turned and faced the woman.
"I really hope you find your son."
The woman nodded solemnly, and Katara waved goodbye.
xXxXxXx
"It's okay, Appa. This will make you feel better," Katara crooned as she applied the medicine to his legs.
She wanted him to be ready to fly tomorrow; she needed to get to the western air temple as soon as possible with the Sapphire lilies.
After a while, Katara decided it was time to get some rest. She missed her friends, but she would see them soon. She had had a long day; escaping from all those fire nation soldiers and trying to heal Appa. At least she could finally get some sleep.
Hehe I loved writing this chapter…it was actually posted on ASN back on February 27, so it's funny to go back and read the stuff I wrote before TBR even aired. Thanks for reading! (I'll be better with my updates next time)