Katara: A Private Life of the Bloodbender

Chapter VIII.

Hard pounding this, gentlemen. Let's see who will pound longest!

- The Duke of Wellington (at Waterloo)

Hama was sure that poor Katara is completely under her control. She was watching her kneeling right in front of her, wholly subjected and enslaved, blinded by the moonlight. But suddenly, Katara moved her head, she clenched her fists and the ground turned black under her hands. She stopped crying, instead of it, a deep, threatening wheeze came out of her throat, like when a wolf starts growling. She looked at Hama with a strange expression in her face – there was no fear anymore, but ferocity, defiance and aggression. Her irises weren't so bright blue, it turned as black as her pupils were, her sclera turned grey, covered with bloody venules. Her eyes were dry, she was breaking free from Hama's grip.

"You're not the only one who draws power from the moon! My bending is more powerful than yours, Hama!..." she said with deep, changed voice, assuming a fighting stance. Hama stared in shock as Katara rose up, resisting her force. "Your technique is useless on me!" Katara exclaimed and bended a streams of water around her body. It started a fierce fight of two waterbender females, but soon it was clear what Katara is so good in. Hama's reflexions weren't so fast and Katara was able to repel all her attacks, but was also defeating Hama with her own techniques.

In a few minutes, Sokka and Aang appeared on the glade. "We know what you've been doing, Hama!" shouted Sokka.

"Give up! You're outnumbered!" called her Aang, prepared to fight. Hama neither looked at them.

"No... You've outnumbered yourselves!" she whispered and rose her hands. The boys got straight as Hama was bloodbending them. Without any idea what's going on Hama forced them to attack Katara. Fortunately, Katara avoided and attacked Hama with water again. She didn't let herself to be tricked like this. But Hama didn't stop.

"Katara, look out!" screamed Sokka trying to cut her with his sword. "It's like my brain has a mind of its own! Stop it arm, stop it!" he was screaming confusedly.

"This feels weird!" said Aang, walking around like a puppet. Katara didn't want to fight her friends, so she froze Aang to a nearby tree to make him moveless.

"I'm sorry, Aang..." exclaimed while freezing Sokka's hand with a sword to a tree as well.

Hama grinned wickedly. "Don't hurt your friends, Katara... and don't let them hurt each other!" The ice which was sticking her boys on the trees, suddenly thawed and they were send colliding straight into one another, screaming in horror. The collision seemed to be inevitable.

„No!" cried Katara and moved her hand. The boys stopped right a moment before they would collide. Hama couldn't control them anymore because she personally was now controlled this way: horrified Katara, in her instinctive worry about her friends, was using the bloodbending on her foe. Hard to say who of them two was shocked more. Katara was standing rigidly, widening her eyes in a horror-stricken grimace, her hand stretched forward. It took a few seconds till she realized what she has already done. And that moment, she moved her hands down, lowered her head in shame, disgusted by herself. Hama fell on the ground and then Toph with the liberated prisoners came from the forest. They captured her, going to lock her away forever. But Hama really didn't seemed to be worried about her fate, instead of it, she was laughing satisfied, because in spite of all, she was finally the victor.

"My work is done!..." she croaked with mad pleasure. Until she was led away, she looked back at Katara and her friends.

"Congratulations, Katara! You're a bloodbender!"