"sleep, my darling, rest your eyes. Sleep, my darling, 'til the suns in the sky. Dream, my darling, how I love you so. Dream, my darling, I'll love you 'til my heart does go."

Yena sang as she slowly rocked baby Maaya back and forth, a bottle held to the infants mouth. She continued humming as the child drank, tears stuck in the corners of her tiny eyelids.

"Mother. papa. May I come in?" A small voice said.

Kahota peaked her head in through the side of the curtain, waiting for permission to enter.

Yena look to her husband and then back to kahota. "I'll let you two talk," as she excused herself, continuing to hum the same lullaby as before.

"You can come in, Kahota," Hasook said, waving her in. "What is it?"

"I want to speak to you about Noatak." She explain. Her father sighed heavily, knowing that's what she wanted. "Papa, you can't make him leave tomorrow. He has no place to go."

"Kahota, I will not risk my family's safety for a boy I don't know."

"He won't harm us-"

"I won't take a chance." Her father said, raising his voice and startling Kahota. He never raised his voice at her. "Do you know what I've been hearing from the North?" He asked, lowering his voice again. Kahota, still looking at the ground, shook her head. "There are rumors that some of the men are practicing bending. illegal bending. Bending that easily harm you or me." Hasook motioned for his daughter to come to him. She stood in front of him, still avoiding his gaze, as he gingerly pushed hair behind her ear. His fingertips trailed down the side of her face and gently held her chin, bringing it up so her eyes would meet his. "I will not lose another member of my family." Kahota quickly pushed off her father's hold of her.

"Noatak wouldn't do that. He wouldn't hurt us. He's just a kid."

"If he is what the rumors say, it doesn't matter. They are ruthless." His voice grew frustrated, angry. "Trail of animals have been found, their insides completely destroyed." Kahota's eyes grew wide, mouth gaped open slightly. "Tell me that isn't something to worry about." She shook her head, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Noatak isn't one of them. I know it! He is good. The people of the northern tribes are our brothers. How can we turn one of them away when they need help?"

"He is not staying here, Kahota. That is final."

"But papa-"

"This conversation is over."

"I saved him! Papa, I saved him. He was caught in the storm and I saved him." The lie she had told him earlier was out. There was no cracked ice, no rescue by Noatak. Hasook frowned. "I saved him."

"You should have left him to perish." A ripple of pain went through the small girls heart, a small whimper escaped from her lips.

"That is a very cruel thing for you to say, Papa. How could you say that?" she asked in a small, mousy voice.

"He was not your responsibility, Kahota. He could have been... dangerous."

"Dangerous? he was unconscious!"

"A boy like him should not have been wandering around in a storm."

"Then I guess you must have wished the same thing for Hokada." Silence. A tiny, almost guilt-like feeling ran through kahota. for a moment she wished she could return the words back into her to remain just as a thought, but the moment passed. She knew she was right.

She watched as her father just stood there, back to her. He had stiffened ever so slightly at the mention of his son. What seemed to be an eternity passed. Kahota stood rooted her place, eyes challenging her father to refute her. "This isn't about Hokada." He turned around to face his daughter. His eyes looked angry, brimmed with the an almost unnoticeable red. "He will not stay here."

"But-"

"Go to bed, Kahota. That is enough." His words weren't loud, but they were dangerous loaded. It was this kind of voice that scared Kahota the most.

"But if you would just listen!"

"I'm done listening! Go. To. Bed." A small cry could be heard in one of the rooms over followed by A series of shuffled footsteps. The crying continued, softer now, but mixed in between the sound of Yena's singing. The shouting had obviously woken up one her siblings.

"I saw Hokada," She said boldy. "I saw him." Hasook's face melted into some mixture of disbelief and sadness. His eyes widened as he swallowed hard, His mouth then dropping open slightly.

Kahota's eyes stung with tears not wanting to spill. Kahota wasn't a crier. She never cried and in fact, she rarely ever felt like crying. She didn't know why her eyes were tearing up this way. She wasn't sad. Not about Hokada.

"I was coming back from fishing. I had traveled farther than I was supposed to, but I was tired of not catching the fish I wanted to catch. Tired of not being able to use my bending! So I went out farther than I was supposed to- about 4 miles- and I was riding back on Nola." Kahota looked to her father, made sure he was still listening. And he was. Completely. "When I got about half way home, I saw a figure standing with his back to me. I couldn't see who it was, but as I walked closer..." Kahota recounted the memory in her head. It still played clearly, as if she was reliving it again. It was him. "As I walked closer, I realized it looked like Hokada. I called out his name, but he didn't turn around. He didn't hear me. So I got off Nola and ran a bit closer, calling his name again. This time, he did turn around. And there he was.. it was Hokada. Just standing there.. smiling." She stopped, sighed through her nose and then continued again. "He waved to me, and so I ran towards him, calling out his name. But then as I got closer, he started to fade away until he was gone all together." Kahota looked at her father who had been sitting, motionless and quiet this whole time, taking in the story. "I was really hurt, and confused when he disappeared. I couldn't understand. But then in the snow... right where Hokada was standing, was a boy." Hasook gaze snapped up to his daughter, a look of disbelief still on his face. "He was almost frozen to death, but he was still breathing.." Kahota shook her head and kneeled down to next to her father. "I couldn't just leave him, Papa. Hokada lead me to him. He wanted me to save him." Hasook peered at his daughter. His eyebrows were furrowed, his lips curved into a small frown. "Noatak didn't save me. I found him. I saved him. I can't leave him now."

They studied each other's face, carefully, neither one letting up. Kahota looked at her father with determination, face strong and unfaulting yet still filled with kindess and a sense of pleading.

Finally, Hasook sighed, rubbed his temples, and looked back up at the small girl in front of him. He placed his hand on her cheek lightly stroked it with his thumb.

"You are a very brave and kind person, Kahota. And I am very... proud of what you did." The movement in his hand stopped and he looked away, ashamed, sighing. "I'm very sorry for things I said. I hope you can forgive me." His eyes met hers again and kahota gave his a small, half smile. She nodded.

Hasook stood up, helping his daughter up as well and held her. She could feel his breath still staggering and uneven as she hugged him, and soon, they stood apart.

"He is welcome to stay as long as he needs." a smile of appreciation spread wide across kahota's face and once again, she nodded, this time, in thanks.

"Now, it's getting late." He said, which Kahota knew meant it was really time for her to go to sleep.

She hugged her father one more time, thanking him again in her head, and walked back to her room.

With an unending smile, she changed into her sleeping clothes and tucked herself into the bed, staring at the ceiling with a feeling of great happiness in her chest, a giggle or two escaping her lips.

Wearily, she started drifting into sleep, a grin still on her face. She lazily rolled her head to her right, and peered at the picture on desk next to her bed and smiled.

"Thank you, Hokada."

Hope you liked it.

R&R (:

-Bea