Fanfiction
Title: Of Fire And Water
Prologue:
Fandom: Avatar
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: ...implied character death
Chapter Summary: The life of the tribe, from the day of Katara's birth.
The icy tundra was cold and harsh, an unforgiving place to live, but it was home to the small tribe of Southerners that were all that were left after the many raids the Fire Nation had made over the years. It was a close-knit community, and thus everybody knew when the chief’s wife became pregnant for a second time. Their young firstborn boy- known by Lu, his baby-name before he was accepted into the tribe - was possibly more excited than the parents, fully intent on having a little brother to show how to hunt and live - and have someone to play with. The tribe looked on indulgently as Kya’s belly swelled and she began to look radiant with the healthy glow of pregnancy.
The birth was quick and easy - Kya’s waters broke easily and the baby was born with little fuss. It was a healthy girl child - something the tribe was pleased about for the symmetry and suitability of the two children for the chief. A firstborn boy to take his place, and a girl child for the mother to instruct - and who would hopefully be the calm behind the storm of her brother, being his wiser half until the day he married and his wife was able to temper his rasher decisions as chief.
They named the baby Na, for her grandmother, honouring the woman even if with only a temporary name - they had done the same for the firstborn Lu, taking the name from Hakkoda’s grandfather, who had died in a hunting accident a month before his birth.
As the child grew, she was the delight of the village - her constant smiles and infectious giggles a welcome relief from the hardships they faced every day. But though she was a joy, she was also another source of worry for them. She had learnt to walk and what if, in her endless stumblings, she were to chance upon a tiger-seal, a hole in the ice or -Tui forbid- become lost in the endless icy desert? A wall was built around the village - not high, not particularly sturdy, but just enough to keep her safe.
Na turned three and Lu turned five. He was given his tribe syllable - what would be the start of his full name - and that syllable was ‘So’. He would earn the second syllable once he had taken down his first kill. Hakkoda took the boy hunting with him and the other men, and though he carried a spear, he was simply there to watch and learn - stealth and skill were more important than bravery and luck. It was to the tribe’s great surprise when the hunting party returned late - but triumphant. So was dragging his kill determinedly behind him on a sled. He was given his second syllable that evening, and welcomed into the tribe as a man, at an unusually young age. Sokka, son of Hakkoda.
When Na turned four, she nearly drowned. Her brother was showing off for her, making practice jabs with his spear into an old hide while she watched on admiringly. After a while, she grew bored and wandered away, clambering over the remains of the old village wall to the exciting unexplored tundra outside. She would have drowned if Yuona had not spotted her discarded parka in the snow, and the hole in the ice where she had fallen, not knowing the treachery of the ice floes, hiding beneath thick layers of snow, not knowing that the water could freeze over again in minutes, and the cold would steal the breath from her small body even faster. The wall around the village was rebuilt taller, stronger, and - at her brother’s insistence - with a watchtower.
When Na turned five, her clothes and toys were put away for the next baby and she was gifted with a new parka. Her new syllable was Ka - the same letter as her mother, as it had been for all the firstborn women in their line. Because she was the daughter of the chief, and because she had already shown proficiency in taming her brother’s wilder urges, she was given her second syllable as well - as most girls were at this young age, though it was not strictly traditional. So it was that Na became Kata, first daughter of the chief.
When Kata was six, she earnt a greater honour than her brother had - a third syllable. Men hardly ever earnt it, and as women were given their second so easily, it was a mark of great honor for them, marking them as an equal to the men around them. The happy accident occurred when her mother noticed that Kata was washing clothes - and the water was not freezing over at all. The girl explained that she didn’t want it to, so it didn’t freeze - and the announcement was made. The first waterbender to grace the South Pole since the last Fire Nation purge was something to celebrate indeed. Katara, waterbender, is introduced to the tribe.
It is only a few weeks later when dark clouds gather on the horizon and black snow begins to fall.
Chaos.
A smirking face in a simple tent, towering over a terrified woman.
A child, who instead of obeying her mother, refuses to leave.
A different man leading the fleet.
On this day, Katara watches her mother die at the hand of a skull-faced warrior. She runs from the fallen body of her mother and the eerily grinning skull-face armour, ignoring her brother’s horrified cry. She falls in the snow as a blast of fire hits her shoulder, half buried by the tainted gray slush. When the warriors have gone, and the remnants of the village find the body of her mother, they cannot find Katara’s body. Sokka has hope that she is still alive; his father knows better.
They perform the funeral rites for them both a week later, and the reality sinks in for Sokka. Hot tears fall down his cheeks, quickly freezing in place. He swears to himself that he will never allow anyone to be hurt when he could have prevented it, for he cannot stand to lose the ones he loves.
Prologue:
Fandom: Avatar
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: ...implied character death
Chapter Summary: The life of the tribe, from the day of Katara's birth.
The icy tundra was cold and harsh, an unforgiving place to live, but it was home to the small tribe of Southerners that were all that were left after the many raids the Fire Nation had made over the years. It was a close-knit community, and thus everybody knew when the chief’s wife became pregnant for a second time. Their young firstborn boy- known by Lu, his baby-name before he was accepted into the tribe - was possibly more excited than the parents, fully intent on having a little brother to show how to hunt and live - and have someone to play with. The tribe looked on indulgently as Kya’s belly swelled and she began to look radiant with the healthy glow of pregnancy.
The birth was quick and easy - Kya’s waters broke easily and the baby was born with little fuss. It was a healthy girl child - something the tribe was pleased about for the symmetry and suitability of the two children for the chief. A firstborn boy to take his place, and a girl child for the mother to instruct - and who would hopefully be the calm behind the storm of her brother, being his wiser half until the day he married and his wife was able to temper his rasher decisions as chief.
They named the baby Na, for her grandmother, honouring the woman even if with only a temporary name - they had done the same for the firstborn Lu, taking the name from Hakkoda’s grandfather, who had died in a hunting accident a month before his birth.
As the child grew, she was the delight of the village - her constant smiles and infectious giggles a welcome relief from the hardships they faced every day. But though she was a joy, she was also another source of worry for them. She had learnt to walk and what if, in her endless stumblings, she were to chance upon a tiger-seal, a hole in the ice or -Tui forbid- become lost in the endless icy desert? A wall was built around the village - not high, not particularly sturdy, but just enough to keep her safe.
Na turned three and Lu turned five. He was given his tribe syllable - what would be the start of his full name - and that syllable was ‘So’. He would earn the second syllable once he had taken down his first kill. Hakkoda took the boy hunting with him and the other men, and though he carried a spear, he was simply there to watch and learn - stealth and skill were more important than bravery and luck. It was to the tribe’s great surprise when the hunting party returned late - but triumphant. So was dragging his kill determinedly behind him on a sled. He was given his second syllable that evening, and welcomed into the tribe as a man, at an unusually young age. Sokka, son of Hakkoda.
When Na turned four, she nearly drowned. Her brother was showing off for her, making practice jabs with his spear into an old hide while she watched on admiringly. After a while, she grew bored and wandered away, clambering over the remains of the old village wall to the exciting unexplored tundra outside. She would have drowned if Yuona had not spotted her discarded parka in the snow, and the hole in the ice where she had fallen, not knowing the treachery of the ice floes, hiding beneath thick layers of snow, not knowing that the water could freeze over again in minutes, and the cold would steal the breath from her small body even faster. The wall around the village was rebuilt taller, stronger, and - at her brother’s insistence - with a watchtower.
When Na turned five, her clothes and toys were put away for the next baby and she was gifted with a new parka. Her new syllable was Ka - the same letter as her mother, as it had been for all the firstborn women in their line. Because she was the daughter of the chief, and because she had already shown proficiency in taming her brother’s wilder urges, she was given her second syllable as well - as most girls were at this young age, though it was not strictly traditional. So it was that Na became Kata, first daughter of the chief.
When Kata was six, she earnt a greater honour than her brother had - a third syllable. Men hardly ever earnt it, and as women were given their second so easily, it was a mark of great honor for them, marking them as an equal to the men around them. The happy accident occurred when her mother noticed that Kata was washing clothes - and the water was not freezing over at all. The girl explained that she didn’t want it to, so it didn’t freeze - and the announcement was made. The first waterbender to grace the South Pole since the last Fire Nation purge was something to celebrate indeed. Katara, waterbender, is introduced to the tribe.
It is only a few weeks later when dark clouds gather on the horizon and black snow begins to fall.
Chaos.
A smirking face in a simple tent, towering over a terrified woman.
A child, who instead of obeying her mother, refuses to leave.
A different man leading the fleet.
On this day, Katara watches her mother die at the hand of a skull-faced warrior. She runs from the fallen body of her mother and the eerily grinning skull-face armour, ignoring her brother’s horrified cry. She falls in the snow as a blast of fire hits her shoulder, half buried by the tainted gray slush. When the warriors have gone, and the remnants of the village find the body of her mother, they cannot find Katara’s body. Sokka has hope that she is still alive; his father knows better.
They perform the funeral rites for them both a week later, and the reality sinks in for Sokka. Hot tears fall down his cheeks, quickly freezing in place. He swears to himself that he will never allow anyone to be hurt when he could have prevented it, for he cannot stand to lose the ones he loves.