An old woman crouched over a dark mahogany chest, clutching a soft paper scroll in her hand. She was wrapped tightly in sea seal fur to protect her from the cold.

Katara was growing older; her hair was now faded to the color of the freshly fallen snow the Water Tribe constructors used to craft their igloos. Every time she glanced in a mirror, she was strongly reminded of her gran-gran staring back at her. Now she was a gran-gran to others; she had grandchildren of her own.

The opened chest before her was a lament of her history, filled with treasures, trinkets, and possessions of her past. Inside an old fire nation outfit, rugged from wear, a ticket for the Earth Kingdom ferry service, and a wanted poster depicting a bald airbender peeked out over the top of the rest. It had been years since she had brought herself to look inside, ever since Sokka's funeral. Slowly, she turned the scroll she held over and over in her hand. It had been a gift from her brother, one of the many things he had crafted for her.

Katara took a deep breath to steady herself. She slipped the leather cording off the end of the scroll, unrolling the heavy paper across the floor. The scroll revealed little stick characters and dashes of blue water, depicting basic waterbending techniques.

Tears pricked at her eyes as they traveled over the familiar forms and sketches. Her brother had not been the finest artist in the world, but years of studying and creating maps had given him a style of exact perception that was unique in its honesty of motion. She had heard heard that asked for help from some of the professional benders-her long-lost husband Aang included-for advice on the positioning and stance of the characters.

At the bottom of the page was an inscription from her brother. It read,

Dear sister, here is a replica of the waterbending scroll I know you were so fond of. Hopefully this one will bring you joy, even though you did not have the adventure of robbing pirates for this copy!

Katara couldn't help but laugh as she reread his words. She could almost hear his cocky and sarcastic saying those words.

This scroll was among many gifts that she had gotten from her friends over the years, but it was one of her favorites. It was only topped in dearness by her necklace, which displayed two medallions on a simple blue chain around her neck. One was gifted to her by her mother, and one had been crafted for her later by her husband, the Avatar.

The honesty of bending was in the basics, which is why for many years the scroll had hung on her wall, reminding others who visited the perfection of the Waterbending roots.

After Sokka's death, Katara had found passing the scroll each day too painful for her memory.

But, she could feel herself growing older, and it seemed a waste to leave such a beautiful scroll locked away. When she was to pass, she did not want this scroll to be shoved aside somewhere and forgotten.

Katara rose slowly, wiping tears from her eyes as she went, and made her way to the front of her home. There, by the door, she hung the scroll and stepped back to view it once more. She still felt pain at the sight of it, but she felt joy too. Joy for the adventures she had been part of in her past, joy for the bending art that had helped her find herself, and most of all, joy for her brother who had cared enough to make such a beautiful gift for her.

Team: Fire Nation

Round: 5

Category: Drabble

Prompt: 5 (object) Scroll

Word count: 623