Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, out at sea, aboard a small sailboat, Ikari stared in confusion at a crumpled, slightly damp map. "Ugh... I'm really awful at sailing," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck with a frustrated expression.
The ocean breeze tousled his black hair, and the waves lapped gently against the hull, but the horizon stubbornly remained empty.
He should've reached the Southern Water Tribe hours ago, but without even a glimpse of land in sight, Ikari realized he wasn't just a little lost — he was completely lost.
***
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 they were 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."
***
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.