Blood of the Flames (Zutara)

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HI! This is the first story I've ever written, so if it's not perfect, please bear with me. I have a pretty strong knowledge of literature and what makes a good novel. With that being said, if anyone reads this, please give feedback and let me know what you want to see more of. I would greatly appreciate any insight as I am writing this based on what I would have loved to see and what makes me all tingly inside. I appreciate your love for something I also love and I hope you can enjoy something I have worked hard on. Enjoy!

Katara

When I was young, my parents saw my raw talent for water bending. They saw that I had the power, but I lacked the knowledge. They spent days holed up in the war room. My mother, my father, Bato, and my grandmother. Occasionally, they would take Sokka in as well.

I was never asked to join.

I felt as though my family did not see me as an important part of our family, of our tribe. I could not have been more wrong. After what felt like eons, they allowed me in. I remember walking into the room. I looked at my family.

They look scared... I thought to myself. I was scared. I took a deep breath and looked at my feet. I was ten years old when this happened, yet I knew it was important. Part of me believed that the Fire Nation would be attacking us soon and that was why we were here.

My father was the first to speak.

"Katara." he paused and took a deep breath. I raised my head to look at him and saw that he was holding back tears. "We need a protector. We have spent days in this room trying to figure out how to allow you to strengthen your skills so that one day, should the need come, you can protect us."

I looked at him, confusion clear on my face. I realized they were waiting for me. Waiting for me to be jumping with joy or having my face fall with fear. However, the confusion in my eyes was not leaving.

"I don't understand," I responded to him, and I shook my head.

"Darling, your grandmother has a friend. She was taken by the Fire Nation as a teenager, but we have recently discovered that she escaped long ago," My mother stood up and walked towards me as she spoke. She knelt down in front of me before she continued. "We had considered sending you to the North to learn more, but we know that their ways would not allow you to grow, as they see women as only being capable of healing. You, my daughter, are a fighter. You are so much more than what the North would see you as."

My grandmother stood up and walked to me next. She took my hand in hers and gave me a soft, warm smile. Her eyes showed the fight she was feeling inside, but the rest of her showed that she was content with the decision she was about to tell me was made. "Dear Katara, my best friend, Hama, was one of the best water bending fighters there was. You and her are the last water benders of the Southern Water Tribe. I will be accompanying you to a small town in the Fire Nation where she has been hiding. She will teach you everything you need to know."

Sokka hid his face from me as my mother and grandmother went back to their seats. My whole life was crashing. Everything I knew would be left behind. I didn't know what to do. It was all too much for a ten year old to hear and then have a good reaction to. My family wanted me to leave. They wanted me gone. Although their reasons may be moral, I felt as though they did not want me.

"Brave One. Be strong." Bato reminded me of my future. I would lead the South alongside my brother, The Wise. Bato and my father stood. They guided Sokka to stand next to me. I felt his fingers close around mine, but he would still not look at me.