The Sea of Ice (Sun and Moon Book 2)

Chapter 2 - Beast

"Katara!"

Sokka's voice breaks into my peaceful dragon cocoon, and I drop to the ground; I turn just in time to see him point towards the front of the city and disappear into his room. I frown and raise a pillar of water that carries me high above the city, and what I see freezes my breath in my throat.

A... a THING, I don't know what it is, has entered the city and is walking through the entry square, heading for the closed streets. It is huge and furry and terrifying, and I have never seen anything like it. Movement catches my eye and I see people gathering, pointing; I also see my brother and father running towards the City Gates, along with a contigent of the Northern Benders that came with my Gran-Paku.

I lift the pillar into the air, forming an ice sleigh on the moist sea air, and throw my arms back, shooting through the sky towards the Thing.

I can't go too high, I have to stay close to the buildings where the air is more wet, but my Hover Sleigh is fast, as fast as I can move my arms, and in no time at all I'm sliding it to the ground beside my father and brother.

Dad nods, but Sokka looks away from me.

I know he's still mad about what happened in Ba Sing Se, but it's been three months! It's getting ridiculous. But I know Sokka, and I know that there's nothing I can do to change his mind. He'll have to come to terms with my silence on his own.

I certainly won't be telling him the reason Uncle hugged me and called me Kara. Nor will I be telling him if he's right or not about seeing me that night in the Di Lee's base. It's none of his business, my brother or not.

Of course, it's also got more than a little to do with what happened at his and Suki's wedding. With the Spirit of Marriage. And the tattoos that I now bear, not only in the usual place, but now all over my body. From my ankles up to the middle of my back and from my wrists up across my shoulders and meeting the others. And the ones beneath the corners of my eyes, which no ammount of makeup will hide. The ones that flicker and change color when I'm angry.

But that, even more than what happened with Uncle, is none of Sokka's business.

Beside me, he tenses, and I pull myself from my thoughts. Now is not the time to dwell on my family issues.

Now we have some sort of monster advancing on us, and I need to be prepared.

I'm just glad that I let Lia go on that picnic with Suki and GranGran and Gran-Paku, otherwise she'd be here and, no doubt, putting herself in danger.

That girl, I swear...

But no, I can't think about that now.

The creature has stopped in front of us, and we have to crane our necks back to see its face. It is all fur, with a long muzzle and large, fathomless black eyes.

A muffled voice floats to us, though the black, animlaistic lips don't move.

"Well met, friends. I come in peace, so do not fear." Its voice is rough, almost gravelly, as if unused to being used. And its accent is strange, clipped and fast.

I can practically feel the relieved breaths that my father and our benders let out. I speak up.

"Wha- AHEM- who are you?"

It laughs, and it's an almost gruesome sound. Then it reaches up with its gargantuan paws and grips its own belly, and...

And pulls it open.

I flinch back, expecting blood, but none comes. Instead a... a person is revealed, sitting crossleged on a wooden platform, from which spines snake up, holding the skin up. The person, too is wrapped in white furs, so much so that I can't tell whether it's a man or a woman.

It leaps down, landing gracefully, and the Thing collapses behind it, becoming surprisingly small for something so huge.

We gape, and how could we not? For I have never seen anything like this, and neither have my friends and family.

The person steps forward and pulls back the deep white hood, revealing a surprisingly delicate, feminine face. She is pale, with high cheekbones and deep, pale blue eyes. Her lashes are long and black as ink, but the hair that floats in whisps about her head is as white as snow.

I find my voice, stepping forward to meet her.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" She smiles, revealing an even row of white teeth- even, except for the two longer, pointed, canine fangs.

"I am Twila, and I hale from Araden."

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0.o What is this?! Oh dear, oh dear. What is happening?

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-Eon