Last of Our Kind
In relation to the last chapter, yes, I did include Yakone the evil Bloodbending crime boss from the LoK flashbacks. Also, that one other Waterbender, Kinto, comes from the Avatar trading-card series and all I really know about him is he's a jerk.
Also, please remember that Master Pakku has agreed to start taking female students; mostly because he realizes the mistake of not teaching female Waterbenders after his experience with Wenona and Katara (and because he wants to stay on said girls' good side if he wants to ever have a chance with Kanna again).
I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the following quote.
"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."
―J.R.R. Tolkien,The Two Towers
So it Begins
Katara stared down her opponent, who stood there nervously, with a smirk on her face as they both waited for the other to strike first. Her opponent was the first to cave and sent a large ball of snow at her which Katara easily redirected and sent back with a large rush of water which she immediately froze, trapping her opponent.
"Nice try, Pupil Sangok," said Master Pakku. "A couple more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." He melted the ice, releasing the boy, and walked over to the rest of the students. "Would anyone care for a rematch with Katara?" All the boys looked away or shook their head. "No? Perhaps against Wenona, then?"
All the boys turned to stare at the older Waterbender, who simply raised an eyebrow and grinned, causing them all to shiver. Wenona had shown herself to be ruthless in sparring matches, with only Katara as her real competition.
Master Pakku approached the two sisters.
"Katara, Wenona, you have both advanced more quickly than any students I've ever trained," he said. "You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work you can accomplish anything. Raw talent alone is not enough." He turned to look at Aang, who was playing with an air-ball to tease Momo. "Pupil Aang."
"Yes, Master Pakku?" Aang said, suddenly jerking to attention.
"Care to step into the sparring circle? I figure, since you found time to play with house pets, you must have already mastered Waterbending."
"Well, I wouldn't say mastered, but check this out." Aang swirled a bunch of snow around him, turning himself into a human snowman.
Wenona and Katara just stared disapprovingly while Master Pakku shook his head.
"Hey, guys!" came a shout from nearby. It was Keng. He came running up to his siblings, carrying a couple pouches. "You forgot your lunches. I spent a lot of time getting these ready." He thrusted them into Wenona's hands. "And you guys had better eat all the food I packed for you; you need to keep up your strength, after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be getting to Healing lessons." He turned and walked away.
Keng, unlike his sisters, wasn't particularly good at regular Waterbending; in fact, to put it bluntly, he sucked at it. That didn't dampen his spirits, though, as he excelled at Healing and was a regular attendee of Yugoda's lessons.
"Perhaps some of our newer students would put up a better challenge?" Pakku continued. He looked over at the group of young women who had recently been allowed to join the classes. "Pupil Malina, would you care to step into the sparring circle with Katara?"
The girl, about Wenona's age but obviously less experienced than Katara, gladly stood and bowed.
"So, they don't have palaces in the Southern Tribe?" Yue asked.
"Are you kidding?" Sokka said as he walked along the railing of the bridge they were on. "I grew up on a block of ice. It's not exactly a cultural hub."
Yue chuckled and placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder, making the boy smile. Yue then began to look uncertain.
"Sokka, this is wrong," she said.
"What's wrong? We're taking a walk."
"I'm engaged. It just…feels…" She turned and started to walk away.
"I know what you need." He grinned and leapt off the railing. "You need to meet my good friend Appa."
"Who?"
He took her by the hand and led her to the stables where Appa was being housed.
"Appa and I go way back, don't we, boy?" The bison suddenly jumped on top of Sokka and started licking him. "AH! AHH, easy! Down, boy! No! Up!"
"Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention," Yue said chuckling as she watched Sokka struggle underneath Appa's enormous feet.
Sokka finally managed to free himself and saddled Appa. He then helped Yue up and took hold of the reins.
"So, how does this work?" Yue asked.
"You hanging on tight?"
"Mhmm."
"Yip…yip."
Appa shot into the air and Yue gasped in shock.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. She leaned over to stare at the ocean beneath them. "Wow, I can't believe you do this every day."
"Yeah, we pretty much live up here."
"Is it always this cold in the sky?" She nestled up close beside him.
"Not when you're with someone." The two stared intently into each other's eyes.
"It's beautiful up here," Yue said, blushing vibrantly.
"Yeah." They both drew closer and seemed about to kiss when Sokka jerked away and snapped back to reality. "Whew! Yeah!" He took a steadying breath as they both looked away, embarrassed. "Good times, good times." That's when something caught his eye. "Hey, look."
Black snow was falling all around them.
"What's happening?" said Yue.
"Oh no," Sokka said quietly.
Down below in the city, everyone stared up in shock and dread at the sign of the dark snowflakes falling around them, darkening the water and dirtying the once pristine, white buildings. Wenona and Katara could only look on in horror as they both remembered the last time they had seen the black snow.
Sokka steered Appa back towards land and dismounted to see for himself if what was happening was real. He picked up a handful of the dark substance.
"Soot," he said.
"What?" said Yue.
"I've seen it before, right before my village was attacked. It's soot mixed with snow."
"But why?"
"It's the Fire Nation. They've closed in on the North Pole. And, from the looks of this stuff, I'd say there's a lot of 'em." They looked out at the horizon where a mess of dark clouds was forming.
"This will truly be one for the history books, General Iroh," Zhao said as they stood on the balcony of the leading vessel. "Just think, centuries from now people will study the great Admiral Zhao who destroyed the last of the Water Tribe civilization." He turned to look at his companion. "You're lucky you're here to see it."
"Be careful what you wish for, Admiral," said Iroh. "History is not always kind to its subjects."
"I suppose you speak from experience. But, rest assured, this will be nothing like your legendary failure at Ba Sing Se."
"I hope not, for your sake."
"Tell the captains to prepare for first strike."
Iroh reentered the ship and made his way through the halls until he found his nephew, still in his disguise.
"We'll be landing soon," he whispered. "Do you have a plan?"
"I'm working on it, Uncle," Zuko replied.
With that, the two separated.
Everyone rushed up the steps of the palace as they heard the sound of the warning drum being struck. As Sokka led the princess up the steps, she held back.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "We have to go!"
"No, Sokka, wait," said Yue. "I can't see you anymore, not at all."
"What? We're just friends."
"I wish we could just be friends, but I like you too much and it's too confusing to be around you. I'm marrying someone else." She turned away.
"You don't love him, do you? You don't even seem to like him."
"But I do love my people."
"You're not marrying them."
"You don't understand, I have duties to my father, to my tribe. I have to do this. Goodbye!" She rushed past him, fighting back her tears.
Sokka looked sadly after her and slowly made his way inside where he sat down beside his siblings and Aang.
"The day we have feared for so long has arrived," Chief Arnook declared to the assembly. "The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe. But they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits! Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!
"I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission!"
Sokka instantly stood up.
"Count me in!" he said.
"Sokka," Katara gasped.
"What are you doing?" Wenona added.
"Be warned," Arnook continued as other young men began to stand up, "many of you will not return. Come forward to receive my mark if you accept the task."
One by one, the young men approached the chief who painted three wavy lines on their foreheads in red paint. As Sokka walked away after receiving the mark, he glanced back at Yue with a sad expression before continuing on his way. Yue closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
The warriors and Waterbenders stood along the wall of the city, staring out at the horizon as they anxiously awaited the arrival of the Fire Navy. That's when they saw the first fire-blast from a tiny speck in the distance; they were frozen in shock when the ball of flames suddenly impacted with the wall, sending everyone toppling to the ground. Soon another fire-blast came and hit right in the center of the city. Another blast came, this one hitting the wall again.
By now, Aang had had enough.
"Yip-Yip!" he shouted to Appa and the two took flight.
They headed straight for the vessel, Aang knocking aside a fire-ball that almost hit them.
"I'll take it from here, boy," Aang said to his animal friend. With that, he leapt from the bison and shot down to the ship below.
It took him some time and a number of close calls, but Aang managed to disarm the ship in time for a team of Waterbenders to show up and immobilize it. As Aang set off into the sky again, he looked out into the distance to see hundreds of ships.
"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered to himself.
Back in the city at the warrior dojo, Sokka was lined up with the other men waiting for instruction from the chief about their impending mission.
"Men, you'll be infiltrating the Fire Nation navy," Arnook announced. "That means you'll all need one of these uniforms." He gestured towards a young man who had entered the room dressed in a very outdated Fire Nation uniform.
Sokka chuckled, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's your problem?" the youth in the uniform demanded.
"Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that," Sokka stated.
"Of course they do," the youth sneered. "These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers."
"When, like a hundred years ago?"
"Eighty-five," Arnook stated.
"The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder-spikes anymore. The newer uniforms are more streamlined."
"How do we know we can trust this guy?" the arrogant young man inquired. "Such bold talk for a new recruit." Both he and Sokka glared each other down.
"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn," Arnook explained. "He is a capable warrior and I value his input."
Sokka grinned smugly at Hahn.
"Now," Arnook continued, turning to look at the other troops, "our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer."
"His name is Zhao," Sokka stated, once again getting everyone's attention. "Middle-aged, bid sideburns, bigger temper."
"Sokka, I want you to tell everything you know to Hahn. He's leading this mission. Hahn, show Sokka your respect; I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law."
As Arnook left, Sokka stared open-mouthed at Hahn.
"Princess Yue's marrying you?" he said.
"Yeah, what of it?"
"Nothing." Sokka turned away bitterly. "Congratulations."
As the day wore on, the attacks became fiercer and the ships got closer. Watching from inside the safety of the leading vessel, Zhao looked out at what he believed to be his impending victory.
"It's almost twilight, Admiral," Iroh said from behind him. "As your military consultant, I must advise you to halt your attack. The Waterbenders draw their power from the moon and it is nearly full tonight. You should wait and resume the attack at daybreak."
"Oh, I'm well-aware of the moon problem," Zhao replied. "And I am working on a solution. But, for now, daybreak it is."
He gave the order for the ships to anchor for the night and the attacks stopped.
"They've stopped firing," Yue said with relief as she and the Waterbending siblings looked on from the palace.
"Aang!" Katara shouted, pointing up to the sky.
The young Avatar landed Appa on a nearby platform and slumped down to the ground in exhaustion.
"I can't do it," he said tiredly. "I can't do it." Keng rushed to his friend's side and began to tend to the cuts and bruises he'd gotten.
"What happened?" Wenona asked.
"I must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there're just too many of them. I can't fight them all."
"But…you have to," Yue said worriedly. "You're the Avatar."
"I'm just one kid." Aang hung his head as Katara put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Back on the lead Fire Navy ship, a certain prince was setting up his escape raft when the door creaked open to admit his uncle.
"If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew, you need a tightly-woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape," Iroh said sagely.
"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle," Zuko replied quietly.
"I'm sorry. I just nag you because…well…ever since I lost my son…" The aged general began to sound tearful.
"Uncle, you don't have to say it."
"I think of you as my own," Iroh continued.
Zuko turned to look sadly at his uncle, the only man who'd ever really supported him as a father should, the only person he had left who didn't think of him as a failure.
"I know, Uncle." He gave him a respectful bow. "We'll meet again." Iroh suddenly pulled his nephew into a hug. "After I have the Avatar," Zuko added as he pulled away and climbed into his raft.
"Remember your Breath-of-Fire, it could save your life out there," Iroh said as Zuko began to lower himself down the side of the ship.
"I will."
"And put your hood up. Keep your ears warm."
"I'll be fine." Zuko finally got his boat down to the water and began to row towards land while Iroh looked on with worry filling his heart.
Sokka glared as he stood next to Hahn as they both sharpened their axes. Hahn was the most annoying individual Sokka had ever met, and that was certainly saying something; what made it worse was that Hahn spoke to Sokka as if he thought he was an imbecile simply because he came from the South. Sokka grit his teeth and forced back the retorts he wanted to scream at the older boy.
"Let me tell ya, So-kah," Hahn said, "I've courted a lot of girls, but Yue is the finest. And she comes with the most perks."
"Perks?!" Sokka snapped. "What does that mean?!"
"I mean Yue's nice and everything, but the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either."
"Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you!"
"Whoa, hang on, what do you care? You're just a simple rube from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of our life? No offense."
With that, Sokka snapped and lunged for Hahn, letting out a furious yell as he tried to punch as much of the boy as he could.
"You're just a jerk without a soul!" Sokka shouted. "No offense!"
The other warriors just stared on as the two grappled with each other until Chief Arnook appeared and forced the two to separate.
"That's enough!" Arnook shouted. "Sokka, you're off the mission." He turned and left.
Sokka stood there in disbelief at the unfairness of what just happened before a scowl crossed his face.
"Alright, fall in, men!" Hahn shouted. "Everybody listen to what I say and we'll take out this Admiral Cho in no time."
"It's Admiral Zhao!" Sokka yelled after the departing warriors.
"The legends say the moon was the first Waterbender," Yue said. "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."
"Our people have a similar story," Wenona added. "We believe that Ama, Doli, and Migina were out on the ice-floes when they were trapped. Ama saw the moon pulling the water and copied the movements, leading the other two women to do so."
"Is that why you believe women deserve the right to learn Waterbending?" Yue asked.
"Partly. The three Mothers of Waterbending are held in great reverence by our people because of the blessings the Moon and Ocean bestowed on them and their descendants. Ama was blessed above all of them and could draw on immense power from the moon, giving her superhuman Bending abilities."
"I've always noticed our Waterbending is stronger at night," Katara said.
"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon," Yue explained, "our life comes from the spirit of the ocean. They work together to keep balance."
It was at that moment that both Aang and Wenona had their own epiphanies.
"The spirits!" Aang declared.
"The moon!" Wenona shouted.
Both turned to look at each other.
"You go first," Wenona said.
"Maybe I can find the spirits and ask for their help," Aang suggested.
"How can you do that?" asked Yue.
"The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World," said Keng. "Aang can talk to them."
"Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle."
"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy-amazing spirit-attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang shouted. At the looks he was getting he added: "Or wisdom. That's good, too. What was your idea, Nona?"
"Something so obvious I can't believe none of us realized it," Wenona said. "Okay, we're Waterbenders, right?" Everyone nodded. "And the moon gives us extra strength, right?" Again, everyone nodded. "Then why in Naraka are we not launching an attack when we're at our strongest, the Firebenders are at their weakest, and the ships are all just sitting out there on the water not doing anything?"
Everyone blinked a few times before slapping their foreheads.
"You're right, that was pretty stupid to not realize," Katara admitted. "But even with our extra strength, they have the benefit of sheer numbers. We'd never be able to take them all down."
"I guess that's where Aang and the spirits come in," said Wenona. "Aang gets their help while the Waterbenders take on the ships we can."
"The only problem is last time Aang got to the Spirit World by accident," Katara pointed out. She looked at the young Avatar. "How are you going to get there this time?"
"I have an idea," Yue said. "Follow me."
"I'm going to go give my suggestion to Chief Arnook and Master Pakku," Wenona said. "I'll meet up with you guys later."
Yue led Aang, Katara, and Keng to a secluded area behind the palace. The area was very unassuming except for a small, wooden door in the wall.
"So, is this the way to the Spirit World?" Aang asked.
"No," Yue said chuckling. "You'll have to get there on your own. But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole." She opened the door and they all filed inside.
What they saw took their breaths away. It was a lush oasis in the middle of the arctic; rich vegetation and warmth all composed on a tiny island in the middle of a stream.
"I never thought I'd miss grass this much," Aang said with a laugh.
"It's so warm here," Katara said. "How is that possible?" She pulled off her parka.
"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue replied.
Momo leaned over the little pool of water and tried to grab one of the two fish swimming in it, only to be stopped by glares from Katara, Keng, and Yue.
"You're right, Yue," Aang said. "I can feel…something. It's so…tranquil." He took a seat in front of the little pool and began to meditate.
"Is something wrong, Sokka?" Chief Arnook asked the young warrior.
"Oh, no, Hahn's out there on the top-secret mission while I'm here sharpening my boomerang, everything's fine," Sokka replied sarcastically.
"Listen to me, I took you off the mission for selfish reasons. I have a special task in mind for you."
"What? You want me to scrub the barracks?"
"I want you to guard my daughter. Princess Yue."
Sokka immediately straightened up.
"Um…sure…that shouldn't be too hard."
Chief Arnook turned to leave when Master Pakku and Wenona entered.
"Thank goodness we found you, your Highness," Pakku said. "Wenona pointed out to me that we should start attacking the Fire Nation fleet now."
"What?" said Arnook. "Why is that?"
"Because the Firebenders draw their energy from the sun and we draw ours from the moon," Wenona explained. "Even if they do outnumber us, we have the advantage right now. It's nearly full moon and the Fire Navy has halted their attacks. We're in an ideal position to take a strike rather than waiting for the sun to come up and for them start shooting at us again."
There was a moment of shocked silence.
"Put your plan into action, then," Arnook said. "Where is the Avatar? Shouldn't he be involved in this attack?"
"He's attempting to access the Spirit World to seek help from the Moon and Ocean. With any luck, we won't have to take down too many of the ships before Aang gets back."
"Good, get to work." Arnook turned to Sokka. "I trust you to keep my daughter safe, Sokka." He then left the room.
"Uh…sis?" said Sokka.
"Yeah, Sokka?"
"You wouldn't happen to know where Princess Yue is right now, would you?"
"Why is he sitting like that?" said Yue quietly.
"He's meditating," whispered Katara. "Trying to cross over into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration."
"Is there any way we can help?"
"How 'bout some quiet?!" Aang shouted. "Come on, guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"
Aang stared down into the pool of water and watched as the black and white koi fish circled each other. As he observed closely, he saw them form the shape of the Yin and Yang as a strange sensation overcame him. With a flash, his eyes widened into glowing orbs of white light and his tattoos lit up in the same manner.
"Is he okay?" Yue asked.
"He's crossing into the Spirit World," said Keng. "He'll be fine as long as we don't move his body; that's his way back to the physical world."
"Maybe we should get some help?"
"No," said Katara. "He's our friend and I am perfectly capable of protecting him."
"Well, aren't you a big girl now," came a much too familiar voice.
"No," Katara gasped as she looked over to see Zuko crossing the bridge.
"Yes," the prince replied. "Hand him and I won't have to hurt you."
Katara got into battle-stance as Yue and Keng rushed off to find help.
If Nona's stories are true, Katara thought to herself, then may the Mothers of Waterbending watch over me now.
Zuko jumped and gave several powerful fire-blasts which Katara deflected with her Waterbending. She practically snarled as he sent a rush of water that knocked Zuko to the ground.
"I see you've learned a new trick," Zuko sneered as he got to his feet. "But I didn't come this far to lose to you."
Katara felt the energy radiating from the moon and channeled it through her Bending as she formed an orb of ice around the arrogant Firebender.
"You little peasant," Zuko said. "You've found a master, haven't you?"
Zuko shot out a huge blast of fire, shattering the orb, and struck at Katara who repelled his attacks with ease. Zuko had just gotten around her and made a grab for Aang when Katara blasted him into the side of the cliff and froze him in place.
Wenona had just returned with the other Waterbenders from their attack on the ships when she saw her brother Keng rush up to her, raving about Zuko attacking. How the Fire Prince had found where the others were was a mystery to her, but she followed her little brother. Similarly, Sokka found himself accosted by a frantic Princess Yue who insisted that he come help.
By the time the two groups reached the oasis on Appa, the sun had been up for almost an hour. They entered and saw an unconscious Katara awaken.
"Katara?!" Wenona shouted as she leapt off the bison. "What happened?"
"Where's Zuko?" Sokka growled.
"He took Aang," Katara said. "He took him right out from under me."
"Tell us exactly what happened?" Wenona insisted.
"I managed to subdue Zuko and was waiting for you guys to get back. The sun came up and Zuko got free and knocked me out."
They all stared sadly at the little pool of water.
"Where'd they go?" Keng thought aloud.