Fall of the White Lotus [Zutara/Taang]

20 | Caught

Music: Winterspell, Two Steps From Hell

                    "You did the right thing, Twinkle Toes," Toph said as Aang watched the dark spot disappearing into the distance. Her bangs billowed softly in the chilly afternoon wind.

"I know." Aang nodded thoughtfully. But as he followed her back inside, he kept looking over his shoulder until the door clicked shut.

                    An icy wind blew through the white streets of the Southern Water Tribe capitol and dark clouds hurried through the restless sky as the last remnants of the hazy daylight dimmed to nightly shades. The city had changed from crystal clear to baleful grey when the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe appeared on one of the many rooftops of the Royal Palace. His warrior's wolf tail and sky blue parka billowed in the wind while he looked on in silence as three figures emerged from a small door and stepped into the courtyard below. His eyes narrowed as he recognized his stepfather, Katara, and Zuko. The tall firebender stayed close behind Hakoda's daughter, shielding her with his body from the bleak polar wind.

Master Pakku looked around with a guarded, searching gaze in his eyes and stepped back into the shadows. The old waterbender knew from experience that only a very attentive person could see him standing there and an inescapable feeling of déjà vu stole over the Chief at the sight.

His thoughts trailed to his beloved Kya, who should have been standing beside him now as his Chiefess. She would probably have admonished him for spying on the children. The corners of his lips twitched in a bitter smile.

Thanks to Hakoda's leadership during the war and his ingenuity in general, the chieftain of the small Southern Water Tribe village had become Chief of the entire restored Southern Water Tribe. And from all corners of the Antarctic coast, the inhabitants of scattered, miserable villages had returned to the bay where the remnants of their tribe's capital still rested under a layer of snow. In the years that followed, they had built the brilliant city which had now become a symbol of the Southern Water Tribe's resilience. The tribe was strengthened with members of their northern sister tribe who had followed in Master Pakku's wake to build a new life on the South Pole. They were welcomed with open arms.

For three years Hakoda had been their Chief, and as the city rose from the white plains behind the bay, Hakoda had determinedly led his people into a new, hopeful future for the Southern Water Tribe. He was respected by the northerners and loved by the southerners.

Master Pakku and his waterbenders had built him a palace worthy of a Water Tribe Chief, and every day he had seen the city flourish and grow around him as it rose from the ashes of the old city the Fire Nation had destroyed several decades ago. The city had even surpassed its predecessor in beauty. It did Hakoda good to see prosperity return to his people with each day passing, when it had forsaken his lands for so long.

Though he was grateful for the tribe's progress, a growing worry still occasionally weighed on his heart and had him climbing the high city walls once a week to turn his gaze north. As the view of the vast polar ocean spread out before him, his thoughts would wander off to times long past, when he would sit in his tent, surrounded by his family. A pained expression would pass over his features as he thought about the daughter whom he nowadays seldom saw.

Six solstices passed as Hakoda kept searching the skies for a spot on the horizon rushing towards the Southern Water Tribe, hoping for Katara to come visit her homelands. He was rarely rewarded.

The feeling of missing his daughter was thankfully subdued by the pride he felt for his goofy son, who had grown so quickly into his new role. Sokka had taken on the responsibility for rebuilding the city with surprising dignity and authority. Master Pakku and his step-grandson had made a brilliant planning design, while Sokka also busied himself with inventions and innovations to enhance the splendor of the city under construction. Innovations he based on his extensive traveling experience.