I don't, and never will, own Avatar the Last Airbender. Do enjoy!
Katara: The Next Avatar
Chapter One
The Birth of a Legend
Earth
Fire
Air
Water
…
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, the master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
Almost 90 years later...our story begins.
xXx
Somewhere, deep in the south pole, the black water rippled against the wooden hull of a small fleet. Donned with blue sails and covered in tribal furs, the men of the southern tribe kept a sharp eye out for their quarry of the night.
Whale-walrus mostly. The occasional leopard-seal if they could find a sizable pack.
The full moon was the perfect light for the hunt, illuminating the vast arctic while staying dim enough to conceal the silent ships. Onboard the lead ship, one man braved the sub-zero temperatures, alongside his scouts to keep an eye out.
Hakoda. Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. He was as strong as they come and a cunning warrior. That could be said for most men in their tribe, but it was Hakoda's leadership that truly singled him out as the most fit to lead. Leadership wasn't a matter of birth or timing here, but was decided by the skill and character of the individual. And Hakoda had both traits ten-fold.
And he wasn't about to let his crew freeze without him.
"Chief, you sure you want to stay out here?" a younger man asked. "We'll keep watch for you, no problem."
"I have full faith in you and the rest, Jakko." Hakoda said with a smile. "But another set of eyes won't hurt. Besides, there's nothing better than the sky at night. Couldn't miss it for the world."
"Gotcha…" Jakko relented, moving back to his post. Once he was out of sight, Hakoda let his smile drop. No need to worry his crew over trivial things, especially his own stressors.
Back home, Kya was nearly a mother of two, with another child on it's way within a day. Having left a week ago, she could be giving birth right now! But alas, food was scarce, and they were facing a shortage due to their close confines to avoid the Fire Nation. No point in extra mouths if they couldn't be fed after all.
It was a tough decision, but he had a duty as Chief to care for the whole tribe, not just his immediate family. Bato had tried to talk him out of it, but he put his foot down. He had Kya's blessing and they were not going to starve this winter. At least young Sokka will be there to welcome their new addition…
"Chief, starboard side." a voice whispered. Hakoda whipped his head around, seeing their prey. Immediately, he sprung into action, directing two ships to press forward while he and the other stayed to secure the animal. With their harpoons at the ready, they silently moved both boats around the creature. He raised his hand…
...and chopped it forward!
The whale-walrus roared in pain and fury as nearly a dozen harpoons struck its hide, impaling the massive creature. It thrashed and flailed, causing a huge disturbance in the usually still water, but eventually froze. Too much blood loss.
Hakoda grinned, raising his own spear in victory as his tribe did the same. With the chaos, they weren't likely to catch another behemoth tonight, but one was enough to last the whole season! They pulled the animal in, beginning the skin and cleaned the meat and blubber from their prey. They signaled the other ships to return; time to go home. But then…
A tremor. Hakoda felt it first, dampening his glee at the successful hunt. A soft, blue glow was emanating from the depths! But before he could react…
BLOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHH!
A brilliant blue iceberg shot from the sea, breaking through the ship's left side! Hakoda knocked back, but kept his balance as the glowing iceberg bobbed in place. The rest of the crew began to panic, trying to save as much meat and hide as they could as the ship began to shudder.
"Stand fast!" he roared, shifting into Chief-mode. "Move as much loose meat into the second ship! Leave the main carcass, we'll reel it into another ship! Move, move, move!" The tribe moved quickly, tossing as much as they could into the neighboring vessel. Bato, who led the other two ships, moved in to recover the now floating carcass of the whale-walrus.
This was bad, losing a ship like this, but it wasn't damning. As long as they still had the spoils, they would be ok-
Crack
He whipped his head back to the iceberg. An audible crack could be heard as the ice began to shudder in on itself! Spiderwebs of cracks formed all over the iceberg, steam bursting out with the pressure! Then all at once…
BOOOOOOOOOM
The iceberg exploded, sending Hakoda and two others into the icy depths! Meanwhile, a beam of light erupted from the iceberg, illuminating the entire area in brilliant blue light. The lightbeam reached all the way to the clouds before fading, dining into nothingness.
"Hakoda!" Bato yelled, having seen the incident from afar. "Men, move in! Retrieve the Chief and his crew! Go!" The tribe rushed in to find the fallen tribesmen, finding the first two with ease. But it was a full fifteen minutes before they finally found their chief in the water, in a dead man's float..
"Heave! Heave!" Bato yelled, he and his men pulled their leader onboard. The man was blue and black all over, taking shallow breaths and trembling uncontrollably. But his left arm took the most damage, mangled from the impact.
"Get him inside, get him in warm dry furs!" Bato commanded as second. After some recovered nerves, the lead ship was abandoned in favor of returning the injured home, along with their lifeline of food. Unbeknownst to them, a shivering hand reached out of the iceberg, blue at the fingertips as the fleet left.
"No…" came a whisper, unheard by anyone. Life was already draining from the young man's body, his spirit moving on. "I almost...did it…"
With his final words, the spirit of light left the airbender's body, off to find it's next life. The legacy of Aang was passed on.
xXx
"Can I hold her?" A young boy asked, barely three years old. Sokka was curled up next to his mother as she held their newborn baby.
"Sure, sweetie. Support her neck there, ok? Hold her like that...there. Perfect." Kya smiled tiredly. It had been a full day since baby Katara had come into the world, crying her little head off. Now, she slept comfortably in her brother's arms, which were only slightly bigger than her sister's. Gran-gran sat nearby, smiling warmly at the scene.
"Sokka," Kya said softly. "Remember this, alright? You're a big brother now. Katara is your sister. Do you know what that means?" The boy shook his head no. "That means it's your job to protect her, and to keep her safe. Be the wind in her sails, alright?"
Sokka straightened up, his little face trying to be stern. "Yes, mama!" he gave a salute, to which Kya giggled at. Katara's eyes fluttered open, seeing her brother for the first time.
"You hear that Katara?" Sokka said. "I'm gonna take care of you from now on! Don't worry, mmk?"
Katara only blinked, not understanding a word. But something behind her eyes seemed...relieved.
Kya smiled at the two before someone rushed in, panting from their sprint. "Hah...hah...ma'am, something's happened."
Kya's calm demeanor flicked off instantly. "What's happened?" she asked the messenger. Gran-gran stood as well. The man seemed panicked, but spoke clearly.
"Chief Hakodo's returned, with the fleet."
"Really?" Sokka yelled in excitement, but a quick glare from his mother silenced him.
The man continued. "I was sent to tell you...there's been an incident. I-" but their grandmother stopped him.
"Kya, I'll handle it." she tersely stated. "You're in no condition right now, I'll fill you in after, alright?"
Kya's mouth moved to protest, but she found no words. Sokka looked up at her with wide eyes as Katara went back to sleep. After a moment of debate.
"Fine...go. Just...is he alive?" she asked the messenger. The man looked grim, but answered.
"...yes. The Chief is alive, but-"
"Then nothing else matters right now." Gran-gran interrupted. "Take me to him."
"Yes, ma'am." The two set off, leaving the three behind. Sokka tugged on his mother's shirt.
"Is Dad gonna be alright?" he asked innocently. Kya's face trembled as she held them closer.
"I'm sure he's fine, Sokka." Her voice shook with her tears. "Your father is strong, he'll be ok."
"He has to be."
xXx
It was a few hours until Hakoda opened his eyes again. He had floated in and out of consciousness for a while, but the pain forced him back to sleep each time until now.
"Chief? You awake?" a voice asked. He grunted in response.
"Bato...good to hear your voice." he gasped out. He sat up the best he could, but couldn't feel his limbs. "What happened?"
Bato grimaced, his eyes dotting to the man's left. "A lot really...what can you remember?"
"Ugh…" He rubbed his forehead, trying to rid himself of a headache. "We were...hunting. An iceberg hit our ship...then an explosion? Hard to say." He tried to feel his other arm.
But couldn't find it. He chuckled, the limb must be numb or something. He looked over…
His arm wasn't numb. His heart stopped at the sight. His left arm was...gone. Only a bandaged stump remained.
"You were hurt pretty bad out there. We're not sure how it happened, but you hit the water. It was too dark, we found you floating a while later. It's a miracle you survived." Bato explained. Hakoda forced himself to breathe, taking intentional, deep breaths to calm himself.
"After we got you, we hauled in the whale-walrus and made a beeline for home. We didn't have time to sail in the usual pattern, to keep the Fire Nation off our trail, but you were barely alive. There wasn't time to-"
A hand clapped Bato's shoulder.
"Thank you, old friend." Hakoda thanked, smiling kindly. "For saving my life, and our tribe from starving."
Bato seemed shocked, then laughed. "Always the calm one, eh?"
"Something like that." Hakoda lied. As a matter of fact, he was freaking out internally. But that could wait. "My wife. The baby?" he asked. Thankfully, Bato's smile widened.
"Happy and healthy, Chief. Both of them." he answered. Hakoda leaned back in relief, tears slipping from his usually stoic face. The full weight of last night was finally hitting him.
"I...I nearly died, Bato." he choked. "What if...I didn't make it back? Sokka? And Kya? The baby, they-"
"Doesn't matter." Bato said earnestly. "You're here now. Alive and in one...er...mostly in one piece. That's what matters." Hakoda calmed himself down again, breathing deeply.
"Yeah...you're right. Sorry about that, I-"
"No need dear friend." Bato assured him. "You may be Chief, but you're not made of stone you know. You wouldn't be Chief if you were. Now," he stood up. "Shall I get your family?"
"We're already here, Bato." An older voice said from outside the igloo. Kanna stepped in, followed by a 3-year-old boy.
"Dad!" Sokka bounded up to his father, tears in his eyes. "They said you were hurt! Are you ok! Was it the Fire Nation! Did you kick their butts?"
"Woah, woah there, son." Hakoda laughed. "I'm alright, doing a lot better. And no, it wasn't the Fire Nation today. Just an iceberg." Bato raised an eyebrow at the half truth, but nothing more. Sokka wiped the tears away as Kya stepped in. Kanna was on her in an instant.
"Dear, you shouldn't be up and about yet…"
"I'm fine, Mom." Kya insisted, holding the baby close. "How could I not?" Gran-gran pursed her lips, but said nothing as she rushed towards her husband.
"Hakoda…" she cried, holding Katara carefully as she wept on his shoulder. "I was so worried! I know I said you had to go, but...but...it was so close and-"
"Shh...shhh...it's ok." he soothed. "I'm ok. Everything's gonna be ok." As the family hugged, Bato excused himself to inform the men as Kanna left to get Hakoda some food. After a bit, Sokka tapped his father.
"Dad? Where's your arm?" he asked bluntly. Kya nearly smacked that boy when Hakoda laughed heavily, ruffling his son's hair.
"It's alright." he chuckled. "Sokka, these things happen sometimes as a warrior. Sometimes we get injured protecting our tribe or fighting the enemy. But I'll survive without my arm." His voice shook a bit, but he regained his composure quickly. "I'm still Chief, and it'll take more than an iceberg to bring me down. Sounds good?"
Sokka nodded quickly, accepting the answer. Kya smiled, but knew Hakoda was more shaken than he was letting on. She said nothing though. Right now, he was being strong for Sokka. And her, she supposed.
"Now, I hear we have a new member of the family!" he mock-announced, holding up his daughter. Baby Katara was having none of it, and started wailing from being taken from her Mom. Hakoda held her close, calming her down.
"Shh...it's ok, Katara. Dad's here." he muttered, letting his voice wash over the baby. Katara looked up at the man with her big blue eyes. The man smiled down at her.
"I'm here, Katara. Always."
xXx
Eight years later…
Today was the worst day of Katara's life. It had a peaceful start, like most terrible days.
8-year-old Katara had always been a force to be reckoned with, even at such a young age. It wasn't too long until her waterbending came in full-force, giving her an advantage in the day-to-day. Especially in a snowball fight.
Smack!
A speeding slushball smacked 11-year-old Sokka right in the face, right before he was able to throw his own! Normal slushballs were bad enough, but waterbending-slushballs? Heck no.
"Katara!" he yelled in mock anger. "You can't just waterbend the snowballs at me! You have to throw them!"
Katara giggled from her snowfort. "Why?" she asked between laughs. "So you'll win for once?"
Sokka flushed red. "Alright, that does it!" he ran back pulling up a lump of snow bigger than he was. "Now I'll show you!"
Katara kept laughing as Sokka held the ball too far back, knocking himself over. She jogged forward to help him up, but something got in her eye. She wiped it off, but this was weird.
"Hey Sokka...what's this?" she asked. Sokka got up to look, and all signs of playfulness left his face. In her gloved hand was black snow. And that meant…
They looked up. Black soot mixed with snow fell in the flurry. There was only one thing around here that could make soot.
"It's the Fire Nation." he yelled. "Go find Mom!"
"But…" she tried to protest, but Sokka interrupted. "Go!"
Katara nodded and ran off, making her way through the snow as fast as she could. Before long, firebenders had descended upon their village, fire bursting from their hands as they rushed forward.
The little girl steered clear of combat like she was told, avoiding using her bending in front of the enemy like her Mom always told her. She spotted her father fighting, despite his injury. Firebenders singled him out as the weak link, due to his missing arm. But they were sorely mistaken.
At least five armored soldiers laid at the man's feet as he clocked another man with his club. Fire roared towards him, but he bobbed and weaved through the snow with more experience than the enemy soldiers. Katara kept running, making her way to their home. She pushed the fur door out of the way. "Mom!" She gasped in fright.
A Fire Nation soldier towered over Kya, who laid prone on the floor, bleeding from the cheek. Kya spotted her instantly, alerting the older man.
"Wait!" the woman cried out. The man had started towards the child but halted. "Let her go, and I'll give you the information you want!"
After some quick thinking, the strange man decided. "You heard your mother. Get out of here!" he roared. Katara stepped back in her fright. "Mom," she whimpered. "I'm scared."
"Go find your Dad, sweetie. I'll handle this." she insisted, throwing in a fake smile to convince her daughter. Katara looked up at the intruder. Dark, cruel eyes stared right back at her. She froze, unable to leave.
Or...unwilling?
"Get out while you're still alive, little girl." he sneered, creating a fire dagger for emphasis. The flames flickered in her eyes as tears fell down. She took another step back. Then another. Then finally, turned and ran from the igloo.
"Now...where were we?" the man asked, laced with malice.
As for Katara, she sprinted through the snow, even skating for a moment to reach her father quicker. He was fighting off another soldier, but quickly dispatched him.
"Dad! Dad! Mom's in trouble!" she shouted. That got his attention.
"What?" he asked urgently.
"There's a strange man in our house!" she cried. That's all it took to get him moving.
"KYA!" He leap forward, out-pacing his daughter as he sprinted to their home. As they ran, the soldiers were all retreating. Had they won? Hakoda reached the igloo first, sweeping the door open.
He turned as white as the snow at the sight. In his shock, he didn't notice Katara run up next to him. "Mom?" she called into the room.
That was the moment. The moment that would burn in her memory for the rest of her life.
Blood. Smoking, charred blood, as if someone was attacked by a flame-cloaked blade. Kya laid haphazardly on her side, her eyes dull and lifeless. Dark red blood poured from the woman's throat, staining the animal fur floor like a bleeding animal. The smell of burning flesh filled her senses, but she didn't react. All she could do at that moment...was stare.
Her mother. The one who brought her into the world. The one who first discovered her bending. The one who encouraged her to practice every night. The one who read her scary stories, then a silly story to make her feel better after the scary one. The one who taught her how to read. The one who showed her how to carve with a knife. Who loved her, unconditionally, every single day.
All that. Everything that made up her mom...gone. Forever.
She remained frozen as Hakoda rushed forward, taking his wife's head into his lap. He tried to wake her up. Stop the bleeding. Anything!
But it was far too late. Her still warm body laid motionless, with no pulse to find. No flicker of life in her eyes. Nothing.
Just nothing.
Hakoda shook with anger. Rage. Sorrow. Despair. All of these things filled his consciousness as he took one long breath,
And screamed.
A scream of loss. The scream of a man who's lost everything. A scream that even the raiders could hear from miles away as they sailed off in their metal ships. All the while, Katara stood in the doorway, motionless.
She left. She had left her mother. To die.
A wrinkled hand gripped her shoulder, but she barely noticed. "Come, child." Gran-gran said softly, holding back tears of her own as they streamed down Katara's face. "Let's go." The elder pulling the child's shoulder.
But she didn't move.
"Katara?" Kanna tried again. "Please child, let's-"
Katara began to tremble, the ice and stone cracking under her feet. A strange wind seemed to whip up from nowhere, blowing through the destroyed house.
"Katara!" Kanna started to yell. "What's happeni-"
WHOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH
The wind grew stronger, Pushing her grandmother away as Kanna tried to hang on to something.
"KATARA!" she yelled, but her voice was lost in the furious windstorm around the child. Hakoda looked up from his wife, tears blurring his vision. Outside the door, Katara was surrounded by the forces of nature, as water, snow, and wind formed an orb around the child. And in the center of it all, Katara's eyes...were glowing!
"Ka-Katara?" he croaked. The igloo itself started to come apart, forming cracks all around. Bato threw himself through the window to his friend, forcing sense into the Chief.
"HAKODA! WE HAVE TO GO! TAKE KYA!" he yelled over the wind, which was getting stronger by the second. Hakoda and Bato picked the woman up, heading for the back entrance. And right when they did…
CRAAAACK!
A shockwave thrummed through the entire village, destroying the igloo in an instant with Katara at the center. She began to float up, consumed by grief and power as one.
"KATARA!" Hakoda yelled, forcing his way through his own grief. "PLEASE! WHATEVER'S HAPPENING, STOP!"
But the 8-year-old couldn't hear him. Or she wasn't listening. Hakoda hoped it was the latter.
"PLEASE, KATARA! COME DOWN!" His own voice broke as he screamed up at the sky, his sorrow coming through his voice uncontrollably. Because at the end of the day, no matter what…
"I CAN'T LOSE YOU TOO!" he screamed to the heavens. "PLEASE! I CAN'T LOSE YOU BOTH, SO PLEASE! COME BACK TO ME!"
And just like that, the wind stopped growing. After a beat, Katara began to float back down, the wind slowing down to a gust. Then a breeze. Then nothing at all. Katara landed, her eyes still aglow as Hakoda rushed towards her. He wrapped her in the biggest hug he had, her glowing eyes flowing with tears.
"I know." he cried. "I know...I know how you feel...oh god…"
The blinding light began to fade, leaving her normal blues before she slumped forward, asleep.
xXx
One week later…
A flaming arrow scorched through the sky, landing right in the floating canoe where Kya was laid. The entire tribe was at Kya's funeral, paying their respects to the Chief's fallen wife. Hakoda set down his bow and knelt at the icy shore, whispering his final words to his wife. Sokka and Katara stood behind him, bowing their heads in reverence.
Later, after the kids were put to bed, Kanna entered the Chief's new home, since his former one was destroyed. Incidentally, that's what she was there to talk about.
Hakoda sat criss-crossed over his maps and plans, marking out their tribes next venture. It would be a long one, years even, but it was necessary. Now more than ever. Kanna walked over to him, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Not now." he said sharply. But the elderly woman paid no heed, sitting down to his right. He eyed his mother-in-law. He wasn't angry with her, but his patience was, shall we say, frayed.
"...what is it."
Kanna took a breath before speaking. "I know it will seem insensitive, but there will never be a good time to talk about it if we don't speak now."
Hakoda raised an eyebrow, then turned his attention back to the maps. "You're referring to Katara's...incident."
"It was more than an incident, Hakoda." she said firmly. "That wasn't just waterbending." But the man scoffed.
"I don't have time for legends. Especially now." he growled. He tapped his finger on the map, outside Southern Water Tribe territory. "As of today, we're taking the fight to them. I'm done playing the victim in this war."
"Hakoda, you saw what happened!" she insisted. "The earth cracked under her feet! The wind, Hakoda! You know it's her! She's the Avat-"
"STOP!" he shouted suddenly, slamming a fist on the table. He pointed at the elder's face. "No."
Kanna glared right back, fury bubbling into her throat. She hadn't felt like this in a while. Not since...well...story for another time.
"What do you mean no?" she thundered. "If she is what she is, she could end this war!"
"You expect me to send Katara to war? My daughter?" he shouted.
"Yes!" she shouted back. "Since you'll send everyone else, apparently!" She gestured to the battle plan, which did not escape her notice. "You're sending every able bodied warrior to fight in the war! What will happen when they attack again? Did you think about that?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact!" he snapped. "But we can't lie down and wait to be wiped out! We have to do something!"
"And you think Katara doesn't feel the same way?"
"I know she does, but she's a child! I can't send her into the thick of battle-"
"I'm not asking you to! Not today!" she insisted, grabbing his good arm. "But if I'm right...if she's what I believe she is...then it's her destiny!"
They were silent for a while, Hakoda mulling her words over. But Kanna wasn't done.
"This...expedition." she called it, though it was anything but. "Who do you intend to lead it?"
He looked up at her, an eyebrow quirked. "Who do you think?" Kanna sighed, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.
"Hakoda...you can't."
"I can."
"Debatable," she admitted. "But you shouldn't." she insisted. Hakoda tried to argue, but she got there first. "Your children just lost their mother. And now you want them to lose their father?"
He cursed. Of course he already thought of that. "They won't lose me. I promise."
"Not the point." Kanna elaborated. "Even if you survive, you'll be leaving them behind. They've lost their mother, and then their father leaves for who knows how long?" She shook her head. "Please, Hakoda. Don't leave them."
The man leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Who would go instead then? Because I am sending men to fight."
"Bato is more than capable." she suggested. Hakoda thought it over.
"If anyone would, it would be him. But it wouldn't be right." he explained. "How can I send men to war and not go myself?"
"Because you have a greater mission." Kanna explained right back. "Like it or not, Katara is the Avatar. I don't know how or why, but she's the best chance the world has. Maybe the only chance."
"..." He leaned forward, downcast. He knew she was right, of course. There was no question. And Sokka and Katara needed him. Now more than ever. Ever since his injury, he had never once thought of using it as a crutch. He always ran headlong into battle, no matter the consequences!
...but. If he had stayed behind that day. If he chose to leave it to his men one week ago, he would've been at Kya's side. He would've been there. Instead, he was fighting...while she...was being…
A deep sigh came from him as he deflated. "Fine...fine...you're right." he relented. "Bato will lead the men to Ba Sing Se. As for me...I'll remain here, to guard the homefront. And to protect Katara until she can begin training."
Kanna finally smiled, relief washing over her. "Katara needs to know too. No doubt she's scared and confused."
"Right." he agreed. "And Sokka will need to be trained too. If I'm sending her to travel the world one day, then he's going too. Whether we like it or not." he noted.
xXx
6 years later…
"Just breathe dear, that's it." Kanna instructed. Katara, now forteen, moved a river of water through the air, manipulating its course with a wave of her hands. Kanna was no waterbender, but she at least knew what it was supposed to look like. The only chance of finding a master though was to go north. To the sister tribe. She only hoped Katara would have better luck there than she did.
Nevertheless, Katara proved to be a powerful waterbender despite her lack of training. With practice, she could already reasonably fight with her freezing streams of water. Ice creation was something she only discovered how to do last month, and now she could do it in her sleep!
"Gran-gran!" she called. "Wanna see a new trick?" Kanna nodded, to which Katara sent all of the water she had into the air, converting it into steam.
"See? Cloud-cover!" she yelled excitedly.
"Very good, Katara!" Kanna congratulated. "You're making leaps and bounds every day."
"Thanks, Gran-gran." The two women started back to the village, which had grown considerably smaller since Kya's passing. Bato would send a report by messenger bird every 6 months, informing Hakoda of their progress against the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Hakoda focused on training his son for battle. It wasn't always easy, but in time, Sokka proved to be as crafty as his father when it came to strategy, even if his combat needed work.
"Today marks the war's 100th anniversary, Katara." Kanna said as they walked back. "It's becoming more and more important that you master the elements as soon as you can."
"I know that, but…" Katara replied, gesturing to her father and brother, who were busy sparring. "Dad keeps saying not yet. 'You're not ready' this and 'tactical advantage that'." she grumbled. "And I get why. The Fire Nation doesn't know yet, but…"
"...how long can we continue to wait?" Kanna finished for her, to which she nodded. "That remains to be seen, I'm afraid. If you leave now, you'll surely be discovered. Then that tactical advantage your father speaks of is gone permanently."
"I know." she said. "I just...I just want to start helping, you know?"
"All in good time, dear." Kana assured her. Sokka was slammed into the snow for the 7th time today, spitting the snow out of his face before rising again. "Come now, we should prepare dinner. They must be cold by now." Kanna laughed. Katara followed, looking out to the horizon as she walked.
She remembered that day like it was yesterday. And the day she learned she was the Avatar. She didn't know what that meant then, but now? The pressure was enormous, and she was running out of time!
When will it be the right time, if not now?
xXx
Meanwhile…
A lone, steel ship made its way through the southern waves, breaking up ice in its path along the way. On deck, a young man with a scar looked out to the setting sun, searching aimlessly for a sign, any sign, of his quarry. Some distance behind him, his uncle, Iroh, was seated, playing some sort of game with wooden cards. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was looking for something, someone.
And he had a lead.
"Uncle," he ranted. "Are you going to help me look or not?"
"Hmm," the larger man grunted. "Surely such a large animal would be obvious to the eye, Prince Zuko."
"Then why are you up here?" the young man snapped.
"Would you believe I simply enjoy your company?" Iroh suggested.
"No."
"A shame."
"Tch," Zuko turned back to the sun. "The reports say the beast was seen in the south, somewhere near an old Water Tribe wreck. But I'm not seeing a wreck anywhere in this area."
"It could be concealed by icebergs." Iroh supplied. "Water Tribe ships are known to blend in with their native lands...er...waters I suppose…"
"So we need a closer look…" Zuko pulled an eyeglass out of his robes, scanning the waters in all directions. "I'll find you…" he muttered. "Then I'll find him."
"The Last Airbender."
xXx
Hey guys! So, I did a thing! Katara is the Avatar! Que the trumpets, sound the drums!
So yeah, new story while I work out some writing blocks. Hope you all enjoyed, as sad as it started. Lot's of heavy subjects here and I decided not to hold back the details. This isn't Nick after all.
Let me know what y'all think, thanks!