Steam Will Rise

4 Mentor

Katara couldn't stop the tsunami but she could at least slow it down and stop it from completely crushing her and everyone else aboard the ship. She braced herself for the huge wave and when it came crashing down she parted as much of it as she could. The water she wasn't able to circumvent hit her at a slower rate, but it was still enough to sluice her over the side of the ship. She fell into the sea and immediately bent the water back creating an air pocket around her. Once she surfaced she began looking around for Zuko, the crew, and the northern waterbenders. Sending her over the side of the ship had been a strategic move on their part to separate her from everyone else. The north knew that she could hold her own out at sea, but the others they didn't care about, she was the prize they hoped to capture.

"Katara!" Came Zuko's strangled voice from somewhere across the sea. "Katara!"

If she had not been in the sea with other waterbenders Katara would have worked up some fog to create cover but that would be like a homing beacon to the Northern benders. She had to plot her next moves very carefully.

"Katara!"

She swam towards the sound of Zuko's voice. Being from the South Pole her eyes had long grown accustomed to seeing in the darkness and she made out the shape of one of the lifeboats. Katara pulled the water towards her and the lifeboat came bobbing along when it was within her reach she grasped the edges firmly and climbed onto it and began looking for Zuko once again.

"Zuko!" She called out and hoped to find him before the north did.

"Katara!"

She turned her head toward the sound of his voice and craned her neck out in search of him. His splashing alerted her to his position off in the distance. He was treading water but he look like he was struggling to stay afloat. She used her bending once again to propel the lifeboat towards Zuko as fast as she could. "I'm coming Zuko! Hang on." She called out.

He swam towards the lifeboat as she sailed it nearer to him. Once she was close enough she reached down and started to pull him up onto the lifeboat. She grabbed his hands they were as cold as ice and tugged. His waterlogged clothing seemed to make him twice as heavy and he didn't have much strength left so Katara had to dig down deep and use all of hers. She braced herself down in the lifeboat and pulled him up into it with one mighty tug. Zuko flopped up onto the lifeboat like an oversize fish.

"Thank the Spirits you're all right." He said through chattering teeth and fell backwards onto the safety of the lifeboat. He was shaking all over.

Katara began searching the lifeboat until she found a thick white blanket and wrapped it around Zuko. A few moments later he was able to sit up and he wrapped the blanket around her too.

"Did you see anyone else from the ship?"

Zuko shook his head. "But I know they're out there and so is the Northern Tribe. We've got to put as much distance between them and us as possible."

"Do you think anyone is looking for us?"

"Of course. I don't know how long it will take, but I do know reinforcements are on the way." Zuko assured her.

"That means reinforcements from the North are also on their way."

"Yeah, and here comes some now."

Sure enough three outriggers were making their way towards their lifeboat.

"We can't keep running, so if it's a fight they want then it's a fight they'll get." Katara said and stood up.

"Damn straight." Zuko said and stood up beside her. "They're going to regret attacking our ship."