I rubbed my eyes as Cheif Arnook stared down at all four of us this early morning, elders of the tribe behind him as Yue and the geezer who started this sat at his sides. I didn't sleep at all, not after seeing that vision or nightmare. It had to be, Zuko wouldn't die from that, he's just too strong. I kept telling myself as the pit in my stomach began twisting uncomfortably. Zuko is fine, probably right on our trail by now.
"What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" Cheif Arnook asked, as he raised an eyebrow towards us but mostly staring down Katara, the one who apparently started all this because she wanted to learn how to water bend properly.
"Yes!...please." Katara said.
"I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him." Cheif Arnook suggested and my eyes snapped to him, and my lips parted a bit. He did not just suggest to her about apologizing to a grown man. A noise of disagreement was scratching at the back of my throat and Katara glared at the leaders, it softens as she looked at Aang. "Fine."
"I'm waiting little girl." Master Pakku taunted with a smug smile. I saw in the corner of my eye that Katara's fist was shaking as my hands started to warm up. She didn't deserve this because she was born a different gender, that her only flaw was being a female. I took a deep breath and glared, "No. She doesn't have anything to say to you. In fact, you're in the wrong!"
"Boy, hush your mouth, let the girl apologize properly."
"He's right though!" Katara spoke up, as she tightens her hands, "No way am I going to apologize to a sour old man like you!" She shouts as the icey ground breaks under her and the pots holding water break.
"Uh, Katara?" Aang tries to intervene.
"We'll be outside for you to fight her, don't keep us waiting long." I snapped, as I and Katara turn around and out of the hut. Not before she added her, "If you're man enough to fight me," causing an uproar of gasps and mummers of horror about Katara.
We walked towards the courtyard of the conference hut. I heard Sokka and Aang hurry after us, and Katara pacing forwards, she began removing her gloves and her fluffy blue coat. "Are you crazy Katara? You're not gonna win this fight." Sokka began, as Katara throws her coat at him. "I know! and I don't care!" Aang looked nervous and worried as he added, " You don't have to do this for me, I can find another teacher."
"She's not doing it for you, Aang," I quickly said as we stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "She's pissed and angry because she can't use her bending in battle because she's a girl or learns anything else other than healing. It's the reason why the population of women in the tribe went down. They're killed without any remorse since they're "easy"."
"Righ. Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy." Katara agreed as we reached more open and sparing land for the fight. People gathered as they heard Katara, and soon Master Pakku walked down and passed us. "Aren't you gonna fight?" Katara questions loudly.
"Go back to the healing huts with the other women, where you belong." He replied as he kept walking. Katara grits her teeth, bending a small stream of water up, and used it like a whip.
WHAP!
Master Pakku flinched and stopped in his tracks, he slowly turns with narrowed eyes. "Fine, if you want to fight so bad, study closely." He said as I backed up a bit from them, pulling Sokka and Aang back too. This was gonna be messy.
Master Pakku bends the water out of the two pools nearby and swirls it around him to create a bigger blob of water. Katara took this chance to run at him, and he bends it towards her which caused her to jump back from the action. He wasn't done, with the remaining water he had, Master Pakku used it to swirl it around them. Pushing Katara closer, toying with her to see how far she was willing to fight or knock her off balance.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He falsely assured and came out more of a mock. We didn't see her for a moment but she stopped the swirling water, which caused it to go into a different path and pelting Sokka back with a yelp. Master Pakku took a few steps back as Katara returns to her running start at him, he tried to stop her but freezing up some water but she used it as a ramp, launching into the air for a moment, using that moment to spin and land down on the column by the stairs. Katara stumbled on the landing, kneeling a bit to balance but otherwise, she did it perfectly.
Master Pakku unfreezes the ice wall and used it, dividing it into two parts as it flows past him. It snapped together for a large wave towards her and Katara noticed straight away. He was trying to knock her down, not really putting too much effort into it. She fixed her stance, and ice clasped around her feet. She evaporates the water back into the air as she stands taller, confident. "You can't knock me down!"
The crowd that gathered around us cheered for her, happy to have someone fight for their right to fight.
"Finish him Katara!" I called out.
Katara gets off and rushed at him, with more determination than before. The Master tried to strike but she got too close and it melts, dropping the water. She throws weak punches at him, and he dodged them all swiftly without any sexist or witty remark. He moved his arm up, surprising her with a stream that knocked her into the pool. Katars comes up, shaking off the water from her hair, and bends up an ice collum. She bends a thin ice blade at him, not stopping or slowing down with each throw.
Master Pakku used his hand to break the ice as quickly as Katara was throwing until one was too close for comfort when it almost hit his neck. She quickly jumps from the pool, swirling the water beside her, and strikes forwards, but he quickly took control and bends it towards her, as she advanced for another attack. She falls back towards us, her hair coming out of her braid as she takes a deep breath.
"Come on, Come on." I whispered as I watched her collect herself.
Katara goes back on her feet, yanking her hands down as the two pots' poles began crumbling down over Master Pakku but easily broken them down into mist.
"Well, I'm impressed, you are an excellent water bender." He genuinely praised.
"But you still won't teach me, will you?" Katara asked.
"No."
Katara gathers up the ground and throws it forwards in a swift motion but He quickly used it, riding it as he went past her and pushed her down. She cried out in surprise as she landed on the ground, her hair coming out of the braid finally. She looked up with narrowed eyes, breathing heavily as Master Pakku bends the water up and yanked it down, turning the water into frozen spears which captured Katara.
"This fight is over." Master Pakku said, fixing himself as he walked away.
"Ehhh, ugh, Hey! Come back here!" Katara demanded as she tried to free herself from the ice prison. I walked forwards as did Sokka and Aang to help her out, "I'm not finished yet!"
"Yes you are." I grit my teeth as I removed my gloves, going behind the prison to melt the ice, away from the curious eyes of the crowd.
"No, it's not, it's mine, give it back!" Katara snapped and I looked to see Master Pakku looking over Kya's engagement necklace.
"I made this 60 years ago, for the love of my life....for Kanna..." Master Pakku whispers but we heard.
"My gran-gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara asked as the ice melted down and I pulled my gloves back. He nods to himself, looking down at the engagement necklace, seemingly in shock and hurt, remembering the woman he once loved as a young adult.
" I craved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged, I thought we would have a long happy life together...I loved her." He explains in a more sullen tone.
"But she didn't love you, did she?" Katara finished, sympathetic in her own way. "It was an arranged marriage...Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customers rule her life..that's why she left..it must've taken a lot of courage..." I felt bad for him and for Kanna, me and the old lady never saw eye to eye much but we did what we could for Katara and Sokka.
She didn't want to leave, no way, she left her family, her friends, and everything she knew from her. Her whole life, so she could finally live it at the Southern Water Tribe. Even at a young age she did it, Kanna knew what she wanted and she went towards it, and grabbed it. Even now, she didn't let go.
She had her Grandchildren, her son, and her new friends at home.
at the cost of leaving her home tribe for her own happiness.
Could I ever make this decision? To leave my tribe or my home if I knew that it was the right choice? Could I ever leave Katara, Sokka, and Aang? If Zuko made me happy or anyone really?