1 | Flow Like Water [Avatar: The Last Airbender]

One

水
Chapter One | Southern Water Tribe

ECHOING SCREAMS. BLINDING LIGHT. Confusion, pain, misery. And then . . .

        You groaned in tiredness as you opened your eyelids, trying to adjust to the darkness. It's before dawn, you noticed as you looked around the sleeping chamber of the tent you, your younger sister, Katara, your younger brother, Sokka, and your grandmother, Kanna, shared. Beside you, your siblings slept peacefully, their soft snores echoing throughout the tent.

        Still laying down, you stared up at the sealskin ceiling the chamber was made from; you remembered when your father, Hakoda, would sometimes to take with him when he'd go hunting. Unlike most girls — and sometimes boys — in the village, you weren't squeamish when you hunted polar bears and seals.

        In fact, you helped the adults with skinning the animals and preparing them for dinner. People from the Southern Water Tribe tried to use every part of the animals so that nothing would go to waste. Skins from seals were used to build tents and pelts from polar bears covered the floors.

        Though your brother displayed a sexist attitude, claiming on numerous occasions that men are naturally better than women at tasks like hunting, fishing, and combat, he would let you occasionally hunt for the village. Sokka would never admit it, but you were one of the best hunters he had seen in the world besides your father.

        After about three minutes of trying to go back to sleep with no luck, you decided to get up for the day and practice some bending before the rest of the village. Letting out a quiet yawn that wouldn't wake up your family, you swung your legs off the bed, your feet landing on the soft animal pelts. You pulled on your light blue robe with fur that stopped at the ankles and had slits on both sides, a dull blue long sleeve undershirt and dark pants under those, and your fur-lined boots.

         I probably have a half an hour or so till Gran Gran wakes up, you thought as you ran your fingers through your hair, trying to tame your bed-head. You winced slightly as your fingers encountered the many tangles. You pulled your fingers away and began pulling your hair into a low bun — the hairstyle your late mother, Kya, would often wear.

        While Katara had your mother's blue choker with a light blue, hand-crafted jewel bearing the waterbending symbol that became a family heirloom passed from one generation to the next, your mother's hairstyle served as your only memento of her. The necklace was passed to you first, but since you were never the one to wear jewelry, you gave it to Katara, who thought of it as her most treasured possession.

        Once satisfied with the bun, you caught your reflection in the mirror resting against the wall. Your fingers trailed down your face as you sighed. You knew that you were different, and not just because of your abilities or hair color. Neither of those two things pointed to the fact that you were different other than one thing: your eye

        You were born two different colored eyes; one blue and the other [eye color]. Your mother had told you when you were young that you were one in a million, but you thought otherwise. You certainly didn't think of yourself to be a special of any kind, that much was certain.

        All you wanted to do was to fit in, that was all. To you, your two different eye colors marked you, making you feel like an outcast from your own tribe.

        Forcing your thoughts back to the present, you opened the sealskin tent. Ceremonial animal headdresses, spears, and animal skins were displayed on the walls of the hut. In the center sat a square fire pit, surrounded by a single line of bricks. The fire provided heat for the hut and was also used to prepare food. There were mats for sitting on all four sides of the fire pit. A stew pot, used for cooking, was suspended from the ceiling, hovering above the fire.