A/N: I'm taking for granted the fact that Hakoda is the Southern Water Tribe Chief, even though it's never explicitly stated in canon. Bear with me. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have been bearing with me this whole time! Otherwise, all I have to say is enjoy! :)

Summer Air

Chapter Eight

For two days they traveled in stilted silence. Only the most perfunctory conversation passed between them, such as where they should stop to rest, who would gather the food, if he wanted more of what she'd cooked, if she needed the fire a bit larger to do that cooking…. By the time they reached the South Pole she was certain she'd bitten her tongue until it was bleeding more times than she could count, and she was so awash in guilt – and anger – that she welcomed the unexpected sight of Suki and her brother, as it meant she could vent to someone about the entire experience without fear of Zuko hearing about it.

Of course, it also meant there were two disapproving male family members to contend with when they told the tribe the reason they were visiting.

"Absolutely not," was her father's gruff response when she said she was going into Amarok.

"But—"

"No, Katara, there are no 'but's. Amarok is too dangerous."

"So you won't even help us?"

"Now, I didn't say that." It seemed even her father wasn't immune to the distress creeping into her voice. But as soon as his expression seemed to soften, he hardened his resolve again and clenched his jaw. "Let me speak to Zuko."

Zuko, Zuko, Zuko. She was sick and tired of him being the one who did everything—without her. However, she knew when to choose her battles and with her determined father was not the time or place to unleash that frustration. "Fine. Maybe he'll get you to see reason," she muttered under her breath as she left the igloo.

It didn't take long for Zuko to emerge from the building, and she was sure he'd have faced the same rejection she did. Instead her brother came out soon after him, clapping him on the shoulder before heading back to the tent he was sharing with Suki. Zuko wore a smug half-smile on his face as he told her simply, "Your father wants to see you."

The fact that he seemed proud of himself for something set her on edge. Had Hakoda granted Zuko permission to go inside? Was he going to give her special instructions, batter her with all the reasons she had to be extra cautious venturing inside? Did that mean he actually trusted the young Fire Lord?

All of her questions were answered by the storm brewing in her father's expression. It was clear he wasn't happy with whatever Zuko had to say, whatever reassurances he had given, but he was resolved to whatever decision he had made as Chief. And that meant she had no chance of changing his mind.

"A group of men will journey into Amarok and bring back what we find there."

"A group of men? This is my mission. I'm supposed to visit the Eight Immortals—"

"Katara, it's not your place to go." He wasn't budging an inch.

"Not my place? What is my place? Cooking and cleaning and mending? I'm a Master Waterbender!"

"And that's exactly why I want you here to protect the village in my absence."

That helped assuage her pride to a certain extent, but she remembered that smug smile on Zuko's face and prickled again. "Yet you're taking Zuko? He's not even one of us!"

"He's a firebender. He might give us the advantage."

"I can't believe this. I thought the Northern Water Tribe was the only place that discriminated against women," she growled angrily.

Hakoda finally rose to his feet, towering over her with the sternest, darkest look on his face she had ever seen. "There's a reason it's forbidden to enter Amarok, Katara. Now, as your Chief I can command you not to go there, but I had hoped you'd respect my decision as your father."

"Funny that you're only here to treat me like a child when I haven't been one for years," was all she had to say before she stormed out. She didn't look back to see if her words had struck home.

Her footsteps inevitably turned toward Sokka's tent. Without knocking she barged in, her temper boiling to the point that the air around her was chillingly cold. "You have to convince Dad that I'm just as strong and capable of going to Amarok as you are."

He rose from where he was seated beside his wife, probably breaking the news to her of the impending danger he'd be facing. Katara only briefly felt a twinge of guilt over interrupting the scene. "It's not about whether you're strong or capable enough."

"Then what is it about? He refuses to let me go. He even said he'd command me as the Chief not to be able to go with you!"

"Sis, it was Dad who decided that young men of the tribe should go Ice Dodging as their rite of passage instead of heading into the crystal caves. Something happened there that scared him—that scared all of the men. I don't know what it is, but it took convincing to even get him to consider taking a full contingent of warriors and benders in there to save the world."

It was always strange to witness her brother's serious side; through the years he'd managed to keep a balance of his boyish humor and adult responsibility, and she barely saw the latter half. Here it was hitting her in full force and it only served to dump a bucket of cold water on her sizzling ire.

"I should still be able to go. I'm a Master Waterbender, for crying out loud. I can help, I can heal even, I can—"

"Yes, yes, yes, you can. We all know that. That's why Dad trusts you to stay behind. Because if anything happens…"

The truth was like a slap in the face. What Sokka was really saying was that their father thought they might not come back. Not only was her anger nothing but a distant memory, but her confidence was shaken and that same chill was creeping up her spine again.

"Don't even say that. Of course nothing's going to happen." She could see that Suki was frowning in the background.

"Well, you and I might know that, but Dad's one of those that has to see it to believe it," her brother joked, with a ghost of a grin briefly crossing his mouth.

For his sake, both she and Suki managed an awkward chuckle. "Alright. I'll stay."

"Good. Because I expect you to look after Suki, too." He placed a hand on Katara's shoulder, giving her a smile and a squeeze. "Just remember it's not about you being less, Sis."

"Yeah." But she still couldn't resist the urge to give her brother a tight hug.

He returned the gesture, finally pulling away and looping an arm around Suki's shoulders before he took his seat next to her again. "Why don't you go find Zuko? Tell him what you know of Amarok so he can be prepared."

'I already did,' was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back. She knew they wanted some alone time and she'd already deprived them of that. "Sure."

But as she left their tent, she suddenly realized the flight from Ember Island hadn't been that bad after all. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than to be alone. Zuko would just have to wait.

The group decided to leave sooner rather than later, with the plan to camp outside of Amarok until first light the next day. Whatever those caverns held, Hakoda didn't want to face it in the dark.

Katara was there to see the men off. Sokka and Suki were engaged in their own goodbye, and her father was busy instructing the men staying behind and some of those going with. It left her face-to-face with Zuko, who had the respect to forsake his usual smugness for a grim set of his jaw instead.

"We'll be back and on our way again before you know it," he said quietly, but she could tell the anxiety creeping into many furrowed brows around the campfire had started to sink its fingers into him.

"That's what I'm hoping," was her reply, and she added a smile for good measure. She only hesitated a moment before giving him a tight hug as she had her brother a few hours earlier.

She had to admit she was slightly surprised that he returned the embrace, his chin in her hair before he murmured a reassuring, "I'll look after them."

"Just remember to look after yourself, too."

His only response was another squeeze before he released her, joining the gathering men of her tribe as Hakoda called for their departure. She hadn't gotten a chance to take back what she said to him, but as their eyes met across the crowd, the crinkle of a half-smile on her father's face was enough to prove he knew she hadn't meant a word of it.

Satoru was crying when Sokka joined the men as they shuffled past the gates, and instinctively Katara joined her sister-in-law and nephew, scooping the latter up to sit on her hip as he cried into her shoulder. "Shh, your daddy will be back in no time," she tried to console him, but the boy kept sniffling.

She couldn't blame him. The expressions on the faces left behind were bleak at best. Suki seemed the bravest of all, hers revealing nothing but pensiveness underlined by concern. It wasn't that no one held out hope the endeavor would be a success; she could overhear some of the elder women and wives of those on the expedition already discussing getting things ready for when everyone would return in an estimated two days. But the same fear that had shadowed her father the evening before had fallen over the rest of the village.

"How about we get some dinner, hm?" she eventually ventured, when Satoru seemed to have calmed down enough to talk again. "What do you want, little guy?"

"Sea prunes!"

Both women laughed. It was his mother who ruffled his hair and told him to wash up for supper before turning to Katara for a wry, "He definitely has Water Tribe blood in him."

It dawned on her that she hadn't found out why they were back at the South Pole, when they'd left them on Kyoshi with Suki's family. "Don't you miss your family, Suki?"

"Sometimes. But we visit often enough to keep the homesickness at bay. Besides, Satoru isn't the only one who loves it here."

Katara smiled slightly. "I always thought Sokka was happy adventuring around the world."

"Oh, he was. But I think he always planned to come back home. A person can't be happy flitting around forever, can they? You settled down at the North Pole. Toph took a job in the Fire Nation. Even Aang started spending more and more time in one place over the years."

"I guess you're right." Somehow she never considered herself settling down, but then again, without her friends' intervention she probably never would have left the North Pole. "I'll go ahead and get dinner started," she offered, hoping to halt the conversation before it turned even more personal.

"And I'd better make sure a certain someone hasn't made a complete mess of our tent," the auburn-haired woman said with a laugh.

And that one domestic chore turned into another, and another. Katara kept busy to make sure the minutes ticked by, unwilling to fret and worry every hour away. She finally fell asleep late that night, after all but the last of the fires had been extinguished around the village.

She had a chilling dream. With the icicles looming around her, she was running through the maze of Amarok, shouting for her father, her brother, and Zuko. But all she found was a wall of flames, and the keening howl of the pigeon-wolves overhead. The howls got higher, and louder, until suddenly it wasn't a howl at all but a piercing shriek…

"Katara!"

Suki's voice startled her awake. The flames, the flapping of wings, both were gone. Yet she still heard shrieking in the distance.

"Katara, it was just a dream. Come on, get dressed. A messenger hawk just arrived for you."

"A messenger hawk?" she replied sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. That explained the shrieking at least.

"Yes. From the Earth Kingdom, as best I can tell."

"But who—"

"I don't know! You can read it outside. I let Satoru hold onto it or he would never have let the hawk leave," Suki admitted with slight chagrin.

The thought of two chubby hands ripping her letter to pieces was enough to get her up and out of bed in record time. Fortunately, that thought didn't have to become a reality, as Satoru had already dropped the missive in favor of making a snow fort.

She quickly snatched up the paper, unfolding it and skimming the few lines contained inside. "It's from Aang," she told a waiting Suki, lips pursed as she fully read the contents. "He says that none of the sick benders is getting worse, but they also aren't getting any better. He says if Zuko and I need anything, Appa will always know where to find him…"

"Does he say anything about Toph?"

"No. That's what worries me most." It wasn't very promising news on the whole, but the telling silence on the subject of their friend left her certain the situation there wasn't as manageable as Aang wanted it to be. "I'm sure if we just hurry everything will be alright. She's a fighter. She'll hang in there."

"Hurry, yes. But be careful as well. Imagine if you'd tried to rush into a place like Amarok."

Of course Suki's mention of the ominous place only reminded them of the men potentially fighting for their lives within its hedge-like icy walls at that very moment.

For the remainder of the day, Katara immersed herself in more work, and introducing herself to all the Northerners who had settled with her tribe in hopes of rebuilding after the war. There were more of them than she'd ever have expected, each with their own reasons for heading south. It was just enough to keep her mind off more worrying things, but as she heard more and more stories about people finding their calling helping her family and her home restore its lost glory, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. She'd done nothing to help but run away. When the men returned, she fully intended on apologizing for that—to both the men of her family who would have felt the loss.

That night she was one of the last to finally fall into bed, long after all but the watch fire had been put out. But this time there was no dream; there was no time. It wasn't Suki who woke her but the watchman's young son, told to ask for the 'healer.'

She didn't have a chance to ask what had happened before the boy was scurrying out of her tent, leaving her alone to tug on her tunic and boots in haste. Perhaps one of the women expecting a child had gone into early labor was her only thought.

The child was waiting for her outside of her tent. "What's happened?" she was finally able to question him.

"Papa saw them."

By them she could only assume he meant the men. Without hesitation she was following after the boy's frantic run back to his father's watch post.

"They're about half a mile out now but they're moving fast." She recognized the man as one of those who had fought in the war, relegated to watch duty when his leg was injured in the battle. "They're bearing a stretcher."

Her mind was racing, her heart was pounding. They had no choice but to wait, the single fire flickering nearby and casting ominous shadows across the nearby tents. How many men had fallen into Amarok's icy clutches? Who was being carried back home?

Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. A few minutes elapsed and she could hear the slush of snow beneath the group's boots, and the heavy breaths that testified to their exhausting pace. When the first face finally broke into the circle of light flooding through the village gates, it belonged to her brother.

"Sokka! What happened?"

Rather than answer, he was moving aside so the stretcher could be brought forward, coats piled high over an alarmingly pale Zuko. "He needs your help, now." An account of events would have to wait.

For a moment she was sure her breath had caught in her throat. Yet in less than a second she was by the stretcher's side, now set down beside the fire as more of the men spilled past the gates en route to their homes. There were looks of horror, anguish, and other unspeakable things that only made Katara's heart fell further. She was all the more eager to devote her time to healing her firebending friend.

As she pulled back the fur, she was able to see the wound, charred skin marring his left shoulder and bicep. "He's burned," she said in disbelief, though her fingers were already probing the boils to determine the extent of the damage.

"He did it to himself," Sokka told her solemnly, and when she sent him a frown, he clenched his jaw and added a tighter, "It was the only way to stop the bleeding."

"The muscle underneath is almost shredded. Were you attacked by wolves?" But before her brother could answer – if he even would – she was focusing on tempering what she could of Zuko's injury. "I should have never asked any of you to go. Father shouldn't have… Where is he?"

Only now she realized that as the men passed by, his rugged face was missing. The truth of it was written on her brother's face, which suddenly darkened.

"Where is he, Sokka?" she repeated, the glow of her hands fading.

"He's not coming back, Katara."

Why wouldn't he come back? What is he— But then it hit her. He wasn't coming back. And it wasn't his choice.

"No…" It was barely more than a whisper. The tears were already welling in her eyes. "No… No…. Sokka, no…"

"You need to concentrate on saving Zuko now, Sis."

He was right. The vice grip around her heart abated enough for her to take a deep breath. She couldn't see anything through the wall of tears in her gaze yet she instinctively reached for Zuko's wounded shoulder again. At least having something to do would help silence the voice screaming in the back of her mind.

He's not coming back. He's not coming back. He's not coming back.

He's dead.

"Get him into my tent. And get me some water."

It was ironic how detached her voice sounded, just as it was ironic that she was asking for water when she wiped away more tears than she was sure could fill a basin or two. But it tasted of salt as it ran down her cheeks, and the last thing she wanted to do – to anyone – was rub salt into the wounds.