Friendship in a time of war (Avatar fan fiction)

Chapter 12

When Karra finally made it to the healing hut, Yagoda and a few other healers were already preparing. They had blankets and sleeping bags laid out, with different jars of medicine at the ready. Karra ran up to Yagoda.

"What can I do to help?" She asked urgently. Yagoda didn't question her. The older woman pointed to some large jars stacked in the corner. 

"Fill those with clean water," she said.

Karra nodded and hurried off. She carried a large jar out of the hut and over to a fountain outside. The water was running black from the ash raining from the sky. Karra bent water from the fountain into her jar and carried it back inside. She was able to separate the water from the ash by only bending the water. Separating water from dirt was one of the first things healers learned. They had to know how to use clean water on their patients.

Karra continued filling the jars until they were all full. Then she began laying out bed rolls and doing anything else that needed to be done.

It wasn't long before the first crash of fireballs. The ground vibrated. Then the patients were dragged in. It was horrible. The crashes continued until nightfall. When the moon rose, everything went quiet. Yagoda sent Karra out to help patients that couldn't make it to the healing hut. She had to find the people that had been hit by the fire balls and the damage they created.

After hours of work, Karra finally returned to the healing hut. Yagoda made her eat something and try to rest. The battle wasn't over yet.

*****************

Karra woke up a little before sun rise. Out of habit, she supposed. She was still in the hut and could see Yagoda asleep in the corner. Some healers were still working, having taken their sleeping shifts earlier.

There were fewer patients in the hut now. Waterbending was stronger at night under the moon, so it made since that less waterbenders got hurt during the night. Karra pulled the blanket off herself and got back to work healing patients in the hut.

Karra hoped the avatar, Katara and her brother were alright. She knew the Fire Nation was only here because of them. But it wasn't their fault. The avatar needed to learn waterbending and everyone in the tribe knew the Fire Nation would attack them at some point, it was only a matter of time. Maybe it was better that they came when the avatar and his friends were here to fight with them.

Karra took a deep breath and kept working.

**********

Karra was able to take a short nap and eat something that afternoon. Even so, she was exhausted. She didn't know how much longer the battle would last. She didn't know how much longer they could hold out.

**********

When night came again, the waterbenders again gained the upper hand. But it was a short-lived victory.

Around midnight everything seemed to stop. Karra hurried out of the hut and stared at the sky. The moon was red. It cast an hazy red glow over the world. Karra felt lightheaded. What was going on? Why was the moon red? What was happening?

Karra staggered back into the hut and tried to drink some water. The feeling didn't go away. She looked around at the other healers, and from the way they looked, she knew they could feel it too.

Karra kneeled to heal another patient. It looked as if one of his arms had been crushed by something. His good arm was clutched to his head. It wasn't just the healers feeling this then. It was every waterbender in the North Pole.

Karra pulled water from a jar to begin healing his arm when suddenly it fell from her grasp right onto him!

The man cried out and Karra hurried to apologize. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened to my bending!"

Karra tried to pick up the water again, but her bending was doing nothing.

Around the hut similar things were happening to the healers.

Karra looked outside the hut and the moon was gone. The sky was dark, it was like it had never been there. The waterbenders source of power was no more.

Karra ran out of the hut and many of the healers and patients that were able to walk followed her. They all stared at the sky for a long time. Finally, one of them shouted, "look!" And pointed to the temple. Everyone's eyes followed where they were pointing.

A blue glow was seeping out from the temple into the water. The water grew up until it had created a huge monster-like figure with the avatar in the center.

"All is not lost," Karra heard Yagoda say. The avatar started blasting fire nation soldiers as it walked to the ocean. All of them bowed. The avatar was saving them!

When it reached the water, the spirit raised its arms and pushed the Fire Nation ships away with a huge wave.

Soon after, Karra watched as the moon returned to the sky and she could bend again.

They had been saved.