Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.
How the Yellow-haired Girl Got Her Name
I ended up taking the yellowed-haired girl fishing a couple more times. Despite only being able to say a few words in our language, she wasn't bad company. She let me talk as much as I wanted without arguing or telling me I was wrong. And I could catch twice as much fish with her than I could on my own because there was another person to help carry things back to the village. Jigging also became easier with a person to handle the lure for me while I used the spear. The yellowed-haired girl was still more of a burden than anything else. With someone always needing to tell her what to do. But Gran-gran was right; I needed to give her a chance.
"First", I said as I held up one of the fish we had just brought back to the village. "You need to dunk the fish in the water", I said as I demonstrated what I meant. The yellow-haired girl was standing behind my shoulder, watching my every move as I held the fresh into a pot of water. "Rub it on both sides. And try to get all the icky sea stuff off the scales." I looked over my shoulder to see if the girl was following but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were locked in on the dead fish in my hands. I suppose that was good enough. Facing forward again, I placed the fish on one of the plate stones we used for gutting small game. Picking up my knife, I said, "then you need to remove the fins". I did this part quickly; starting with the dorsal fins, moving on to the tail, and finishing the underbelly fins. I was waiting for some sort of disgusted noise from the yellow-haired girl. Whenever one of the younger girls first learned how to do this chore, they always acted like it was the grossest thing ever. But the yellow-haired girl remained silent. Alright, I thought. Let's see how she does when I actually get to the fish's innards.
With the hand not holding the knife, I gripped the fish by its finless tail and lifted it a little. "Now you need to get rid of the scales", I explained as I the knife and started scrapping down fish with the blade. The scales looked like they were jumping into the air as they were detached by the knife. Still, the girl didn't react. Maybe this was something she had done before. "You're going to have to do this a couple of times", I said as I flipped the fish over to do the other side.
Once I had the fish free of scales, I laid it flat on the gutting rock again. Turning slightly for the yellow-haired girl to see, I showed her how I was gripping the knife. "You'll need to hold it close to the blade, with one finger on top to keep it steady". The yellow-haired girl blinked at me, but she didn't look as lost as she normally does. Turning back to the fish, I grabbed it by its tail again. "Start at the tail", I said as I dug the tip of the knife into the fish's underside. "And pull towards the head". I performed the actions as I talked and soon there was a gaping hole in the fish's belly with its guts threatening to spill out. I looked over my shoulder. The Yellow-haired girl was still watching; her nose was scrunched up and her lips pressed together. But she made no noise. I was a little impressed. Usually, girls squealed at this part. Katara had when she had first learned. But I guess the yellow-haired girl was older than the girls we normally taught this skill too. I let go of my knife as I moved over to an empty pot. "Use your hand to clean out the guts", I said as I did; making sure that I felt all around the inside of the fish to make a good example. The red and pink guts spilled into the empty pot with little ka-plunking sounds and the fishy smell intensified. But I barely noticed it. This was a smell that I was very familiar with. We couldn't let the guts of kills lay on the ground. Not when the scent could attract wild polar-bear dogs. So, when the women treated the game inside the village, all guts and innards that we wouldn't use had to be carefully collected to be disposed of later.
"Now, you remove the head", I said as I laid the fish back down. My knife was sharp so I didn't have to saw it off. One quick chop was enough, and soon I was adding the head to the gut pot. Sometimes we'd cook the fish with its head still on. But since the fish we caught today was going to be salted for the dark season, it was better to just preserve the meat. There were more steps after removing the head, but this was all I wanted her to do for now. My goal was to make a sort of system with her. If she could do the parts that I just showed her, then I could do the rest and we'd be done in half the time. Of course, it was usually the women who gutted and filleted fish. But if the yellow-haired girl was going to remain amongst us she needed to learn this, and currently, the only people willing to work with her were me and my family. Everyone else in the village was still too alarmed by her unexplained appearance and suspicious of her lack of knowledge. Katara had laundry today, and Gran-gran was making house calls. So, that just left me. I scooted over a few inches to give the yellow-haired girl room to share the gutting stone with me. "Sit", I ordered; gesturing to the spot next to me. It took her a few seconds, but the girl did lower herself next to me; sitting properly with her legs together and feet pointed to the left. 'Sit' was a new word that the girl had learned. Katara had taught it to her a couple of nights ago, and Gran-gran had been correcting the girl until she started to sit like a woman ought to. Previously to that, the yellowed-hair girl had been sitting like a man with her legs crossed in front of her. I had to admit it. The strange girl was learning fast.
"Take a fish", I said as I pointed to the pile of freshly caught fish. She seemed to understand as she did as I asked. I walked through all the steps again. Except this time, I had her hands under mine as we did the steps together. I had figured out during our fishing trips that this was the best way to teach her. By doing the action with her she learned exactly what I wanted her too, and if I talked she might pick up a few more words.
It didn't take to long go over the steps again. I spent most of that time correcting her grip on the knife. The last thing I needed was for the yellow-haired girl toe accidentally slice her hand open. Gran-gran would blame me if that happened. The girl didn't try to pull her hands away from me once. She only flinched back the first time her hand came into contact with the fish's squishy organs. I watched her face as I helped her scoop out the bits that we couldn't use into the gut pot. She remained focused on her task, but her face twisted up and she turned a little green. At one point she turned her head away as she tried to swallow a gagging sound she was making, but once she recovered, she was looking at the half-gutted fish again. As soon as we had chopped off the head, I let go of her hands and watched. Would she get up and run away? Would she puke?
The yellow-haired girl did none of those things. Instead, she breathed deeply through her nose; like she was steeling herself. Before slowly reaching out to grab a new fish. I smiled, please with what I was seeing. The yellow-haired girl may not know anything, but at least she didn't shirk away from work. I watched her do the first two steps independently before picking up a new knife to fillet the fish we had already gutted. Maybe the winter wouldn't be so bad with the yellow-haired girl living with us.
I finished one fish when the toes of boots appeared in my line of sight. "Sokka", a woman said. Please don't tell me another igloo needs to be repaired. I thought as I looked up. It was Sanna, the woman whose kids needed protein. Her weathered face was wrinkled in worry. "Do you think it is a good idea for her to use a knife?", she asked; blue eyes darting over at the yellow-haired girl as she worked.
Sanna's question confused me as I turned to see what she saw. The yellowed-hair girl was working on severing the fins from the fish's body. She hadn't looked up when Sanna had approached; to busy concentrating on what she was doing. The girl was holding the knife as I had shown her. She was working slowly; still trying to figure out how much force she needed to use. But that was normal for beginners. Looking back at Sanna, I shrugged. "She hasn't cut her self yet".
"No, Sokka", Sanna said with the shake of her head. "What if she uses the knife to hurt someone? This girl is not like us. We can't trust her". Then I understood. The Fire Nation raids had scarred my people for life. Me included. Now anyone that wasn't water tribe was considered a menace. It didn't use to be this way. My dad used to tell me about when they used to travel to visit our sister tribes in the North. They would stop along different ports to trade with the Earth Kingdom. It was from them that we got most of our metal goods. And we'd greeted any travelers brave enough to sail this far south to rest at our hearths; eager to hear about the outside world. The Fire Nation had ruined guests for us.
It wasn't too long ago that I had looked at the yellow-haired girl like she was now; with distrust and suspicion. But now, as I watched the girl try so very hard to finish something as simple as gutting a fish. Handling a knife like I how I would handle explosives. I couldn't see a threat. "Sanna", I said carefully as I looked back to the older woman; trying to sound like my dad when he was dealing with village matters. "I promise. The girl's not going to hurt anyone". Sanna frowned, suggesting that she didn't believe me. So, I tried again. "She has nothing. We're the only reason she's alive. She isn't going to hurt us". It was only after I said it, that I realized I believed it. The yellowed-haired girl was nothing to be scared of.
"Sokka", the girl called softly, causing both Sanna and me to look at her. Sanna's expression was less than friendly, but the girl didn't see to notice as she held out a gutless and headless fish for me to see. I couldn't see any lingering scales, and while the slit in the fish's belly was a little jagged, it had been thoroughly cleaned out.
"Good job", I said; giving her a thumbs up. She was proving to be a lot easier to teach than the younger boys. It made me feel like I wasn't such a lousy teacher after all. The girl smiled like I had just given her an igloo of her very own. Her genuine want to please made me blush and for a brief moment, all I could focus on was her shiny unstained teeth. Without prompting, she set the fish down so I could fillet it, and grabbed a new one. I'd never seen a girl so happy to gut a fish before.
"So, that's it then?" Sanna said; voice sounding weary. I returned my gaze to her and waited for her to explain. If she was Katara or someone younger than me, I made some comments. But while I had more power as the only man in the village, Sanna was still my elder. If I was rude to her and Gran-gran found out, I'd get my ears boxed. "She's staying? You're going to adopt her into the tribe?"
It hadn't occurred to me until Sanna asked. But that decision was up to me. As stand-in chief, if I wanted to welcome a new person into our tribe I could. And it made sense too. The yellow-haired girl wouldn't be able to survive here on her own. Sure, maybe she would have been okay if she had woken up in the Earth Kingdom where it's warmer. But not here where we had permafrost. "Yeah", I answered after making a sudden decision. "She's going to become water tribe. As soon as I think of a good name for her".
"Gran-gran", I said quietly. We had just finished dinner and the girls were cleaning up. I could hear Katara saying words and waiting for the yellow-haired girl to repeat them back as they worked. Katara would find out soon what I was doing, but I wanted Gran-gran's opinion before I did anything. And I didn't need my sister's input as I figured out what I was going to do. Gran-gran looked at me from over the hearth with a slim screen of smoke between us. It was making her look wiser and elder-like than she normally does. "I want to adopt the girl into the tribe".
Gran-gran stared at me for a long moment. So long, that I started fidgeting, mentally kicking myself for it. Warriors don't fidget. Chiefs, even stand-in ones, didn't either. And yet, one look from my Gran-gran had me wiggling like a boy. "I think that is a good idea", she said after a moment. Her agreement was all I needed to start acting like a warrior again. "It will be a long time before she will have the words to tell us where she is from. And even then, it may be unsafe for her to return home. We should prepare ourselves and her for a future where she remains living amongst us". Return home? That hadn't occurred to me. When the girl had first woke up and we learned that her language was different from ours, I had forgotten that she must have a home somewhere. Somewhere other yellow-haired people lived and spoke in long streams of consonants. I had never heard of such a place, so I just assumed that the girl was the only one of her kind. Even though that didn't make sense. If the yellow-haired girl could go home one day, would she want to? The burns on her arms looked like she had been assaulted by a firebender. So maybe she didn't have a home to return too? There wasn't a way to ask her yet. And during the day she didn't act like she had anything heavy weighing on her shoulders; like a destroyed homeland. But sometimes at night, I'd wake up to the sounds of muffled crying. Once she had become healthy, the yellow-haired girl had started to share Katara's bed with her. So, my sister was the one who tried to comfort the strange girl at night. But nothing she did really worked. Not when the yellow-haired girl couldn't tell us what was wrong or what had happened to her. The idea of the yellow-haired girl possibly leaving one day caused a strange taste in my mouth that I couldn't figure out. But I didn't like it. Especially when I was just starting to like her presence. "You'll have to give her a name", Gran-gran said; breaking me out of my thoughts.
"I have one in mind", I promised. We were typically named after tribe members who had traveled to the spirit world. As a way to carry on our ancestors' legacies. But it was different for people who were adopted in. They were the start of their line and were typically given names that spoke of one of their traits or of a hope we had for them. "But how do I do it?" I asked Gran-gran. "How do I make it…. Official?" The southern water tribes weren't known for our ceremonies. That was more of a Northern water tribe thing. But we did small things for important events; kids coming of age, marriages, and adoptions.
"The same way we bless babies", Gran-gran answered. "You'll draw the symbol for water on her forehead and give her a name".
That's it? I blinked. That's easy. "I can do that".
Gran-gran smiled with her mouth closed. "I know you can, my grandson".
"What should I use to draw on her head?"
Gran-gran had an answer for that too. "Traditionally, we used blood. But your warrior paint will work". Gran-gran looked over to where the girls had finished cleaning and had moved on to Katara bending water from a small bowl as the yellow-haired girl watched; mystified. Maybe she's never saw waterbending before coming here. "Katara", Gran-gran called. "Please bring her over here".
"Why?" Katara asked as she looked up; letting the water fall back into the bowl. It splashed a little upon impact, causing the yellow-haired girl to flinch back in an effort to avoid the little droplets.
"Sokka is going to adopt her into our tribe", Gran-gran answered like this was something I did every day.
"Now?" I asked, surprised.
Gran-gran shrugged. "Why not? You said you had a name in mind. Making her a member of the water tribe will give her the same rights and protections of the other women. And we are already living like a family, might as well make it official". Gran-gran explained her reasoning; a sparkle in her eye. Why do I get the feeling that I had just played into her hand?
"That's a great idea!" Katara said as she grabbed the yellow-haired girl's hand; pulling both of them to their feet.
"Uh", I stuttered as the girls were suddenly standing next to me. Okay…. I guess we're doing this now. "Can you get my warrior paint?" I asked Katara. For once, she nodded and did what I asked without making some comment about how I should get it myself. Probably only because it was something that would benefit the yellow-haired girl. While Katara did that, I gestured to the spot next to me. "Sit?" I asked the yellow-haired girl.
Just like when we had been gutting fish, it took her a few seconds before she was sinking down next to me. She looked between Gran-gran and I like she was trying to use our expressions to figure out what was going on. I didn't try to explain. There was no way I could pantomime what I was about to do for the yellow-haired girl to understand. Katara came back with grey paint in hand. "Thanks", I said as I took it from her. Katara smiled before she turned to sit next to Gran-gran on the other side of the hearth. The yellowed-haired girl watched her get settled before looking back at me. She eyed the paint in my hand in a way that spoke of mild unease. But she seemed to trust us enough to allow me to do what I was about to do because she didn't move.
I smiled at her, trying to show that this wasn't a big deal. But it was shaky. I was starting to feel nervous for some stupid reason. Dipping my index finger in the paint, I reached up and slowly drew the first swirl of the water symbol on her forehead. She shivered at first, not expecting the feel the cold paint touching her skin. But when I drew the next line she remained still. It didn't take long and soon I was setting the paint down. I leaned forward and blew on the newly painted mark to help it dry. "You're Kaya". I said after I leaned back.
"K-Kaya", The yellow-haired girl repeated slowly and quieted.
I grabbed her wrist and placed her hand over her chest. "Kaya", I said again. Then I moved her hand again so that she was touching my chest. "Sokka", I said to help her understand. I repeated the process a few more times until comprehension lit up in her brown eyes. "Your name is Kaya", I finished. I dropped her hand and looked over at Gran-gran and Katara. Both were smiling.