By the time they hit land, the boy had more or less recovered. When they disembarked, the shepherd boys took the animals up to graze. The older children, boys and girls alike, stayed at the shore, dragging up the rafts and securing them for the dark season. The rest began the slow hike up into the foothills, heading toward the Air Temple ruins. Katara hung back with Kanna, her eyes wide as she looked at all the greenery.
The grass in the tundra was a dry green color. Any leaves or blades were tough and brittle; excellent for the multiple stomachs of the woolly mammals they kept. It was also good for tinder. This grass, as sparse as it was, was soft. During a break, Katara crouched down and ran her hands over a patch of grass, in awe of how the blades bent under the slightest touch.
The ground beneath her was breathing. Katara could almost feel the release of air from the short, gnarled trees. The air was just as crisp, just as clear as it was at the South Pole, but it smelled different.
More importantly, she felt the tiny rivers of water. They caressed the energy around her like individual strands of hair. Water seeped through the roots, sucked upward by thin veins she could see when she held a leaf up to the sun. When she ran her hands over the grass again, the blaes continued to bend after her. They followed the pull she exerted so gently.
"Gran-Gran." Katara went and tugged on Kanna's tunic. "Are there really Waterbenders in the North Pole?"
"I'm sure of it." Kanna replied.
"Then why didn't they help us?" Katara questioned.
"They think us lost. And they know that if they protect themselves, then the Water Tribe will not die." Kanna answered. There was bitterness and then there was pragmatism, and Kanna straddled the line between.
"But we will die." Katara said.
"I will not let that happen." Kanna countered. Katara stayed silent as she thought.
Darkness fell halfway through their journey. The abrupt sunset worried Katara, but Kanna only patted her head. Here, Katara knew, the night was only long, not permanent like it was during the Dark Season in the Pole.
Despite the growing darkness, no one in their group lit a torch. They were walking a path that had been used for decades, and most knew it by heart. The rest of them stumbled along, holding onto sleeves or pulled behind by weathered hands. Off to the sides, Katara could hear the soft lowing or bleating of the animals, as well as the whoops and whistles of the shepherds. In the morning, the boys would return and the girls would go out to milk the beasts and scatter the porcines into the woods. Katara was not expected to join them, and a grandfather suggested that she spend her time exploring the ruins. They all knew of the wisdom of the Air Nomads, and they all hoped Katara would find something useful.
"They wrote in common though." One man grumbled. "You can't find a simple rune in any of their heaps of paper and skins."
"I can read common." Kanna said and reached out to squeeze Katara's shoulder. "I travelled through the Earth Kingdom when I left the North Pole." Gasps of awe rippled through the night and Katara smiled to herself. Gran-Gran had the best stories from her time in the Earth Kingdom, and Katara was proud by association. Storytellers were a prized asset in every Dark Season.
When the sliver of a moon had risen high into the sky, then they arrived at the temple. Some went out and found stored torches, lighting them with strikes of flint. As each torch burst into light, it was like a pop of energy inside of Katara. The flames of any fire always looked liquid to her, and she felt her fingertips tingle with the urge to touch them.
As they all set up their camp, Katara helped unclog the fountain they used for clean water. Using her bending, she freed a plug of rotting vegetation and sticks. She pulled out the foul smelling stagnant water and the adults around her cheered as clear, freshwater spouted out.
"That would have taken a day or more to do." One woman remarked.
"Think about what she will do once she's older!" Another replied and more laughed. Katara beamed, and even Kanna smiled as she shook her head.
Food stores were brought out and Katara relaxed around a small fire with Kanna. The other adults talked about the gardens they had planted last year, and what possible state they would be in now. The temple, Katara learned, was entirely self sufficient. Various vegetable beds dug by the Air Nomads were still being used, and there was an orchard of rock apples nearby. The rock apples, Kanna explained, were inedible raw. But boiled and mashed, they made a sweet fibrous paste.
And, as one woman added, when left in a pitcher made an excellent beer.
Settling against her grandmother, Katara touched her necklace and sighed. Kanna put her arms around Katara and nuzzled her hair.
"Your mother has gone to the spirits. Her name will come back again." She whispered.
"And dad?" Katara asked.
"He will be just fine." Kanna said gently. Katara did not believe her.
That night, they slept and Katara was lulled by the sounds of the animals and the brisk winter wind, whistling through the gaps in the rocks. It was an easy night, curled in her grandmother's arms. But just before Katara slipped into her dreams, she felt the tears seep down onto her cheeks.
In the morning, much of the group was gone. The shepherd boys returned and were either sleeping or eating. Katara couldn't find Sokka, but another boy assured her that he had gone off to search through the rooms of the temple. She was given a piece of flat hearth bread and a hunk of dried fish and sent on her way.
Wandering aimlessly, Katara wound up outside where some of the younger elders were working in a garden. Small piles of trimmings and weeds were found dotting neat aisles. For having spent so many months unattended, the gardens were surprisingly clear. One man looked up and upon seeing Katara's frown, waved her over. She approached gingerly, stepping softly onto the loamy dirt. The man pulled her under his arm and leaned in close.
"Have you wondered why we were so ready to accept your secret, little Waterbender?" He whispered. Katara nodded quickly. The man smiled as he continued. "Look there, at the tree line." He pointed, tipping the end of his hoe forward. Katara looked up and searched along the treeline. She found some of the shepherd boys emerging.
No, not the boys. Adults.
Katara's eyes widened as she gasped.
The village had an army hiding in the temple.
