Katara's dad was an explorer. The university, the government, and sometimes the tribal council paid him to go to old ruins and learn about the past. And sometimes he went farther, because they have money to spare these days. Sometimes he brought Katara and Sokka with him, and sometimes he left them with Bato and Gran-Gran.
They went to the south pole one summer, when Katara was fourteen and Sokka was fifteen.
“This is where we lived when I was young,” he said, with a note of sadness in his voice.
There was snow, and water, and ice. Sokka looked bored, and Katara knew he'd rather be at home, on his computer. But Katara-
She could feel something lapping at the edges of her mind, like the sea, pulling in and then retreating. There was a full moon in the sky as well as a sun near the horizon, and the snow and ice and perpetual sunshine had a beauty that Gran-Gran's pictures had never quite captured.
Later she could remember every detail with startling clarity. How they tried to explore the ice fields one day, and there was something that felt strange, just below the ice. And it was pulling at her, the way the moon did or the water did.
“You're so weird,” Sokka said, and hunched into his coat farther. “Can we go now?”
“There's something here.”
“How can you tell? Is your waterbending telling you?”
Katara hated it when he was sarcastic.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, it IS telling me! Just because you don't believe in it-”
And as she gestured with her hands, something went crack in the ice, and a fissure separated the two of them.
Then, a beam of light shot into the air.
She wasn't sure what possessed her, to lean right over the edge and look into the light. She could have fallen. She could have been hurt by whatever was there. But she didn't, and she wasn't.
“There's a boy down there,” she said, once the lights faded enough to see again. “I have to make sure he's okay.” And she wedged her way down into the crack.
“Stop! Katara! You're going to get stuck down there!”
She shot him a glare as she went down. Her brother could be such a wuss.
Near the bottom, there was a sort of cave carved out of the ice. At the center was the boy she had seen. Next to him was some sort of huge creature. Both of them were sleeping, and the boy was strange clothes that were not warm enough for this weather. Or any weather, at the south pole.
There was a moment when she thought he was dead- but he was breathing, even if the breaths were slow and shallow.
She couldn't give him her parka. She wouldn't be able to help him if she was frozen to death herself. Even in the summer, the pole was just too cold.
She had trouble waking him. His eyes fluttered a few times, and shook him- they had to get him somewhere warm-
(She took off a glove and grabbed one of his hands, to give him as much warmth as she could without freezing to death- but he was warm, and that didn't make any sense at all)
“Where am I?” The boy asked, when he was finally awake enough to speak. He blinked a few times, and rubbed his eyes. Then he stood up- and the way he moved was weird, as if he'd heard of gravity but didn't quite grasp the concept.
“You're at the south pole,” Katara told him, trying to ignore the weird things until she'd made sure he was okay. “How are you not frozen? How long have you been down here?”
He might have answered, but then he was distracted by a sneeze that threw him up into the air near the top of the little ice cave they were in.
“You're an airbender!” she said, and she almost clapped in delight, worry forgotten.
“Sure am!” he said.
Then he tried to wake up the huge furry beast, which was apparently named Appa.
“Are you okay down there?” Sokka called.
“We're fine! But you might want to get away from the hole!”
And then they burst from the crevice on the back of a ten-ton monster, and the sound of Sokka's alarmed yelling mixed with Katara and Aang's gleeful laughter as they soared into the air.
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branchandroot
Katara and Sokka find Aang
Date: 2010-01-15 06:28 am (UTC)They went to the south pole one summer, when Katara was fourteen and Sokka was fifteen.
“This is where we lived when I was young,” he said, with a note of sadness in his voice.
There was snow, and water, and ice. Sokka looked bored, and Katara knew he'd rather be at home, on his computer. But Katara-
She could feel something lapping at the edges of her mind, like the sea, pulling in and then retreating. There was a full moon in the sky as well as a sun near the horizon, and the snow and ice and perpetual sunshine had a beauty that Gran-Gran's pictures had never quite captured.
Later she could remember every detail with startling clarity. How they tried to explore the ice fields one day, and there was something that felt strange, just below the ice. And it was pulling at her, the way the moon did or the water did.
“You're so weird,” Sokka said, and hunched into his coat farther. “Can we go now?”
“There's something here.”
“How can you tell? Is your waterbending telling you?”
Katara hated it when he was sarcastic.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, it IS telling me! Just because you don't believe in it-”
And as she gestured with her hands, something went crack in the ice, and a fissure separated the two of them.
Then, a beam of light shot into the air.
She wasn't sure what possessed her, to lean right over the edge and look into the light. She could have fallen. She could have been hurt by whatever was there. But she didn't, and she wasn't.
“There's a boy down there,” she said, once the lights faded enough to see again. “I have to make sure he's okay.” And she wedged her way down into the crack.
“Stop! Katara! You're going to get stuck down there!”
She shot him a glare as she went down. Her brother could be such a wuss.
Near the bottom, there was a sort of cave carved out of the ice. At the center was the boy she had seen. Next to him was some sort of huge creature. Both of them were sleeping, and the boy was strange clothes that were not warm enough for this weather. Or any weather, at the south pole.
There was a moment when she thought he was dead- but he was breathing, even if the breaths were slow and shallow.
She couldn't give him her parka. She wouldn't be able to help him if she was frozen to death herself. Even in the summer, the pole was just too cold.
She had trouble waking him. His eyes fluttered a few times, and shook him- they had to get him somewhere warm-
(She took off a glove and grabbed one of his hands, to give him as much warmth as she could without freezing to death- but he was warm, and that didn't make any sense at all)
“Where am I?” The boy asked, when he was finally awake enough to speak. He blinked a few times, and rubbed his eyes. Then he stood up- and the way he moved was weird, as if he'd heard of gravity but didn't quite grasp the concept.
“You're at the south pole,” Katara told him, trying to ignore the weird things until she'd made sure he was okay. “How are you not frozen? How long have you been down here?”
He might have answered, but then he was distracted by a sneeze that threw him up into the air near the top of the little ice cave they were in.
“You're an airbender!” she said, and she almost clapped in delight, worry forgotten.
“Sure am!” he said.
Then he tried to wake up the huge furry beast, which was apparently named Appa.
“Are you okay down there?” Sokka called.
“We're fine! But you might want to get away from the hole!”
And then they burst from the crevice on the back of a ten-ton monster, and the sound of Sokka's alarmed yelling mixed with Katara and Aang's gleeful laughter as they soared into the air.