Simplicity - A Zutara Story

Chapter 2: The Visit

Katara stood on the frozen training grounds at the edge of the Southern Water Tribe City. The high, snow covered walls shielded her from the harsh Antarctic winds. The young man before her stood tentatively on his toes. A bead of sweat trailed down his cheek despite the cold. With a quick, fluid whip of his hand, a sharp icicle spear shot forward toward Katara. His other hand followed in a similar motion, sending one shard after another toward her. Katara responded quickly. Her hands raised high to her sides, and a wall of ice rose to shield her from the shards.

She dove to the side from behind her cover and spun with her arms outstretched. The ice and snow whipped up around her as it followed her graceful hands. The rising snow quickly melted into a floating ball of water that she sent flying at her opponent in a fluid motion. The young man side-stepped and took control of the water, turning to send it straight back toward Katara.

Katara faced the counter-attack head on. Her fluid movements suddenly became more rigid - her posture more fierce. Her arms thrust forward to stop the water which froze mid-air in front of her. She stepped forward firmly, her arms sharply spreading to her sides. It was a firebending technique, meant to stop and dispel an enemy's attack. For her, it caused the water-ball to explode into a thick fog that overtook the training ground. Her opponent looked around in confusion as she disappeared. He stepped back, losing his nerve.

Suddenly, Katara appeared on his right, attacking ferociously. With quick, fiery jabs, she sent short jets of water at her opponent, always pressing forward into his defense. He back-pedaled as he tried to deflect her shots. His root was broken, and he lost his footing. Katara saw the opening. She spun low and pivoted on one foot, the other gliding around her across the snow in a half circle before she jumped and flipped. A stream of water followed her heel up and over her head, creating a powerful water-whip that struck her opponent with full force, sending him flying backward. He landed hard on his back and sat up to see Katara poised over him with a fist outstretched toward his face.

The young man sat still in terror for a moment until Katara's fierce expression softened into a bright smile. Her fist opened into a welcoming hand to help him to his feet, which he hesitantly accepted. "Excellent work, Pupil Anrah," she said. "But you're still being too timid. Don't let a forward assault force you off balance. Stand your ground."

The young man bowed deeply in Water Tribe fashion, one hand folded over the other. "Yes. Thank you, Master Katara."

Katara turned to the rest of her waterbending students who were watching in awe from the sidelines. "All right, everyone," she announced. "That's all for today! See you all tomorrow!"

As the class dispersed, an older man, one of the Chief's aides, came forward with haste. "Master Katara!" he called breathlessly. Apparently, he had sprinted across the city to deliver his message. He quickly bowed. "Chief Hakoda..." he gasped. "Chief Hakoda needs to see you immediately."

Katara perked in alarm at his urgency. She quickly took off toward the Chief's house, high on the cliffs overlooking the city. The icy Antarctic winds whipped at her face as she ran. Her waterbending skills helped her quicken her trip as she created icy ramps to avoid the crowds or surfed through the canals.

She reached the Chief's home just as an all-too-familiar sight caught her attention. The whirling flurry had since steadied to a soft snowfall, but the flakes had slowly darkened from white to gray to a sooty black. She couldn't help but shudder out of habit. So many times she had witnessed this phenomenon just before tragedy was to befall her tribe. She turned to study the horizon. From the vantage point of the high cliffs, she could just glimpse the tiny outline of a Fire Navy ship headed toward their harbor from the Northeast.

This must have been what her father's urgent summoning was all about. An envoy from the Fire Nation was coming to visit the Southern Water Tribe.

She quickly turned and pushed aside the thick pelt covering the entrance to the modest home. She made her way through the fur-decorated living room toward the study at the back of the hallway. The lanterns inside shone over the wooden desk, piled high with documents. There, Chief Hakoda sat, his eyes glued to whatever he was reading. His eyes only lifted as Katara spoke. "Dad?"