The sun hung high in the sky, casting a silvery light over a small village of the Southern Water Tribe. The few tents and igloos glowed softly, reflecting the gleam of the ice that covered the ground. The air was bitterly cold, filled with the scent of the sea and the distant sound of waves crashing against the icebergs.
In the center of the village, beside a large bonfire, a group of children sat in a circle, laughing and clapping while twelve-year-old Katara told an animated story, gesturing with her hands to mimic the flight of a seabird.
"Then the bird flew so high it almost touched the stars!" Katara exclaimed, her blue eyes sparkling with joy as she watched the little ones having fun. She stretched out her arms, pretending to be wings, and the children squealed with delight, some trying to imitate her movements, stumbling in the snow and falling into fits of laughter.
"How didn't it freeze up there, Katara?" asked a little girl with braids, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Katara smiled. "Because the higher it went, the closer it got to the Sun." She was pretty sure that wasn't how it worked, but the kids didn't need to know that.
Suddenly, a loud huff interrupted the laughter. Sokka, thirteen years old, walked into the village, his face twisted into a scowl that seemed far too big for his skinny body. He carried a spear in one hand and a bucket in the other. His boots left deep marks in the ice, as if he were taking out his frustration on the ground. "Nothing! Again, nothing!" he grumbled, throwing the spear into a snowbank where it stuck, quivering slightly.
The children turned, curious, but Katara sighed, already knowing what it was about. "Sokka, what is it this time?" she asked anyway, arms crossed.
"What is it? What it is, is that I spent the whole day out on that stupid ice, waiting, freezing, and guess what? Not a single lousy fish!" Sokka gestured wildly, his fur hood slipping back to reveal his messy dark brown hair. "Those fish are laughing at me, Katara! Laughing! I think they know it's me and swim away on purpose!"
One of the older kids, a six-year-old boy, laughed out loud. "Maybe you're scaring them away with that ugly face, Sokka!" The other children burst into giggles, and even Katara couldn't hold back a smile.
Sokka turned to the boy, pointing an accusing finger. "You, brat, don't understand the weight of being the man of the village! While you sit around all day, I'm out there trying to make sure we don't starve!" He huffed, crossed his arms, and plopped down on a nearby ice bench, which only made the children laugh harder. "Let's see if you're still laughing when I start training you in a few years," he muttered with a pout.
Katara rolled her eyes and moved closer to her brother, sitting beside him. "Sokka, you need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself. We're all working together to keep things running here. And look, no one's starving. Gran-Gran said we have supplies for several more months." She gave his shoulder a gentle pat, trying to cheer him up.
Sokka huffed again. "That's easy for you to say, Katara. You women only have to worry about simple things, like taking care of the kids and cooking, while I have to deal with the truly important stuff!"
Silence fell over the group. The kids stopped laughing, their eyes wide as they shifted their gaze from Sokka to Katara. The girl froze for a moment, but then a flush of red anger spread across her face. She stood up from the bench, hands on her hips, her voice sharp like an ice spear. "Simple things? Seriously, Sokka? You think taking care of the village, keeping everyone fed and organized, is 'simple'?!"
Sokka stood up too, crossing his arms and raising his voice. "You don't understand what it means to be the man of the village, Katara. I carry all the responsibility while you sit around playing storyteller!"
Katara pointed a finger at Sokka "Who do you think you are, talking about responsibility, huh?! You can't even sew your own pants!"
"Because that's woman stuff!"
"Enough, both of you!" A firm voice cut through the air, breaking up the argument. An older woman, carrying a basket of laundry, walked over to the group. "While you two are bickering like seals fighting over a fish, a small boat is approaching the shore."
Katara and Sokka stopped immediately, their anger momentarily forgotten. The children around them, who had been following the argument, stood up—some stretching their necks to try and see the horizon, others whispering to each other, curious. Katara frowned, exchanging a look with Sokka, who was already running to grab his spear.
"A boat?" Katara asked, turning her eyes to the woman, the concern clear in her voice. "From the Fire Nation?"
"I don't know." The woman shook her head. "It's small—it doesn't look like a military vessel, or one of ours either."
"It can't be from the Fire Nation," Gran-Gran cut in, approaching with the other women from the village, who quickly pulled their children close. The elder, her voice calm but filled with experience, continued, "We have nothing of interest to them anymore."
Katara bit her lip, nervous, the memory of the attack three years ago still fresh in her mind. If something like that happened now, with none of the men around, they'd be slaughtered—or worse.
"Maybe a merchant?" one of the women suggested, holding her child by the hand.
"We haven't had merchants in years," Sokka said seriously, gripping his spear tightly. "If it's not the Fire Nation, it could be bandits. Either way, we need to be ready. All of you stay here while I go check it out."
"I'm going with you!" Katara said instantly, stepping closer to him.
"No. You stay here and hide with the others," Sokka ordered, locking eyes with her before running off toward the village entrance.
Katara stared at her brother's back as he moved away, frustration and fear written across her face. She turned to Gran-Gran, seeking guidance, but the elder just shrugged. "I'm sure it's not as serious as your brother thinks. Let's see who these visitors are."
*******
Outside the icy walls that surrounded the village, Sokka crouched behind a snow mound, his body tense as he watched the small boat come to a stop at the edge of the ice. Only one person disembarked. It was a boy, maybe a few years older than him, with black hair and light clothes that were completely inappropriate for the cold of the South Pole. Two daggers were strapped to his waist, and he carried a shoulder bag hanging at his side.
'He doesn't look like a Fire Nation soldier, but the fact that he's not cold...' Sokka frowned, his heart beating faster as he assessed the stranger. He watched the boy stretch his back, then his legs and arms, moving with a relaxed ease. Then, the stranger started walking toward the village.
Sokka took a deep breath and counted to three. '1... 2... 3—Now!' He jumped out from behind the snowbank, planting himself in the stranger's path with his spear pointed straight at them. "Hey, you! State your intentions for entering my territory—now!"
The boy stopped, his dark eyes studying Sokka with a disconcerting calm before he broke into a friendly smile and raised his hands in surrender. "Easy, easy, I come in peace," he said with a light tone.
Sokka narrowed his eyes, spear still aimed. "That's exactly what a bandit would say!"
"Oh.... you're right," the boy scratched the back of his neck, a bit awkward, though his smile didn't fade. "Well, you must be Sokka, right?... or is this the wrong village?" he finished in a mutter, wondering how likely it was that he'd ended up on the other side of the continent after getting lost. The possibility was pretty high.
"How... how do you know my name?!" Sokka asked, startled, his spear lowering slightly.
"So it really is you!" the boy exclaimed, relieved that he wouldn't have to go back to the boat right away. "As for how I know—your father talks a lot about you and your sister—"
"You met Dad?!" Interrupting their conversation, Katara stopped beside her brother, breathless from running to them.
"Katara! What are you doing here?!" Sokka turned to her, annoyed, only to notice that the whole village—even the children—had come out from the ice walls, completely ignoring his order to stay hidden. "What are all of you—"
"Be quiet!" Katara shoved Sokka's head back, catching him off guard. He stumbled and fell onto his back in the snow with an indignant grunt.
"Katara!"
Katara ignored her brother and focused on the stranger, who was watching the interaction with an amused smile. "You really met our dad? Is he okay?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah. Actually, I've got letters here for all of you." He patted the bag slung over his shoulder, making everyone's eyes light up.
********
Liked it? Then you might enjoy my other stories too: Stranger Things: Worlds Collide and BNHA: God of Explosions.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.