Going back to the beginning...
"Shoot. Come on water, work with me here."
The floating beads refused to fuse. They were like repelling magnets—they could be forced beside each other, but they would no properly combine. I suppose I could fire them individually. Katara shuddered at the thought of what that would do to a human body.
"Ok Katara, shift your weight through the stances." She began to make her movements more fluid like the river beside her. A distant sound broke her focus, and the water struggled and failed. Rushing to the edge of the river, she spotted them upstream. Oh no. They've found us. Black smoke began to fill the already darkening sky. The metallic stench of iron and coal and death and destruction had reached her almost instantly. She bit her lip anxiously and turned to warn the others.
No sooner had she begun to run, the sound of heavy footsteps manifested behind her.
Within moments they were on her. Rough hands wrapped themselves around her torso and lifted her off the ground, before throwing her into the nearest tree trunk. Winded and dazed there was no chance for her to recover before she was grabbed once more—though this time weathered hands held her in place.
"No! Let go of me!"
Using her only free hand she fashioned the nearest puddle into a whip and fired it at her assailant, but it evaporated before it even got close. The figure responsible was walking towards them. As he emerged from the shadows, Katara's expression hardened.
Scarred face. Scarred smile. We've met before—Prince Zuko.
"I'll save you from the pirates," he smiled.
"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother."
Zuko was standing before a line of expressionless skulls—red horns reminiscent of the demons Katara feared as a child. The clearing was about half an hour's walk from campsite where the others were setting up camp.
"Go jump in the river." She wasn't giving them up.
"Try to understand—" Zuko reasoned, circling her slowly, "I need to capture him to restore something I've lost…my honor." He stopped pacing and positioned himself behind her, "Perhaps in exchange I can… restore something of yours."
His lips had only brushed her ear slightly, but the heat was enough to redden her cheeks and send her fire through her body. So when she felt the cool of her pendant at her chest, it was like ice against her skin.
"My mothers necklace," she breathed before turning on him, "how did you get that?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering." Prince Zuko looked mildly angry at the accusation in her voice, "tell me where the Avatar is."
"No."
He pulled the necklace away from her neck in disgust.
"Prince Zuko, we can't find them and we're losing the light."
The soldier was dripping wet and shivering. The weather had worsened significantly in the last few hours of their search. Without the girls cooperation this was becoming impossible—the forest was too large to search with only a handful of men.
"Return to the ship."
"And what of the water tribe peasant?"
Zuko considered his options for a moment, glancing at the tied up girl. She was watching him too—her eyes hungry with anger, "take her back to the ship. We can bargain with her tomorrow."
Hearing this, her expression faltered slightly. There was a barely noticeable defeat in her shoulders as they took her away.