Accidental Avatar 3.5: The Burn Book

Fire Lilies and Deceptions

Before long, Hama brought Katara and Mangetsu to a beautiful field of red flowers, dotted with large rocks and mountains in the distance.

Mangetsu perched himself on a rock while listening to Hama and Katara talk.

"Wow, these flowers are beautiful," Katara commented, admiring one of the blooms. "Mangetsu, look at these!"

"I see em," Mangetsu answered, already braiding the flowers into a flower crown absently.

"They're called Fire Lilies," Hama said. "They only bloom a few weeks a year, but they're one of my favourite things about living here. Like all plants and all living things, they're filled with water."

Mangetsu's eyes narrowed at her words, seemingly troubled by something, but he chose to continue his flower crown rather than comment on his concerns.

"I met a Waterbender who lived in a swamp and could control the vines by bending the water inside."

"You can take it even further," Hama said ominously before waving her hands in a large circle.

Mangetsu slid off his rock, his jaw hanging loosely in horrified awe as the water was pulled from the lilies, and Hama sliced up a rock into four large pieces.

"That was incredible!" Katara gushed before looking down at the circle of withered flowers at her feet. "It's a shame about the lilies, though."

"They're just flowers," Hama said, waving off her concern. "When you're a Waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight, I'll teach you the ultimate technique of Waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon when your bending is at its peak."

"But isn't it dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon," Katara wondered.

Mangetsu's eyes narrowed, foreboding building inside him. When Hama and Katara turned to face him, he smiled innocently to hide his distrust and dislike of the old lady.

He didn't trust her.

But he would use her.

"Oh, Katara," the old woman placed a hand on Katara's shoulder, then reached out and patted Mangetsu's cheek affectionately. "Three master Waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I'm a waterbender, certainly," Mangetsu said, ducking away from the old woman's hands. "But no master."

"No? I still think your little mist trick is the mark of a master waterbender," Hama smiled fondly. She waved for the two waterbenders to follow her into the forest.