Our Eclipse (Zutara)

Chapter 2

Katara's POV

The wind billows about me, making the snow drift around my feet. My animal skins whip against my legs in the wind. I walk briskly to the entrance of our little village holding the basket of fish I had caught at the waterside. Young children run and scream about me, chasing each other in a silly youngling game. I chuckle lightly to myself at the sight of them. So carefree.

I walk to our hut and swing back the pelt hanging above the door. "Sokka! I need you to go start a fire, I caught dinner!" I shout into the empty space. Sokka walks out of his room, taking the basket from me without a word.

"And what's with the attitude." I say reaching out for his jacket and stopping him at the door. He tries walking away but I grip tighter onto the fabric. "I uh.. I revived a letter from dad." He says.

I immediately light up, giddy with excitement. "That's amazing! We haven't heard from him in 5 months! What did he say?" He refuses to look me in the eye. "Sokka?" He finally looks me square in the face. A look over coming him that makes my heart stop. "We'll talk about this after dinner." He says, and walks out, leaving me to myself.

-

After a solemn dinner, the other young women and I clean the gathering area where our small village of children, mothers, and elders come to have our meals. With so many of us gone, it's better this way. Sokka helps the few elderly to their homes, and escorts the young stragglers to their mothers.

Sokka falls into stride next to me as I slowly approach our hut. Ever since dad left all those years ago, it always feels so empty, just me and Sokka. I had to take over being the motherly figure for Sokka, especially after dad left. But he's beginning to fare well on his own, needing less of my help than before. He looks so much older in the dim torch light. Or had I not noticed him aging right next to me? I'm not a little girl anymore either.

Sokka had been appointed chief until father returns, now that he has finally reached of age, 16. He's been doing well, running our run down village. He's even begun new trade with the jewelry the women have been making. Maybe that's what's matured him so quickly.

I can't help but stare at him from the corner of my eye as I begin to pick up around the main living area of our home, the haunting look in his eyes from our earlier chat still tainted in my mind. He says nothing for a while. I watch him as he puts some more wood in the fire, making it boost with a beautiful light, the flames dancing in the air. He pulls a chair next to the fire, and then a second. He strips of his outer layers and sits. When he finally speaks, his voice sounds distant, almost like he's in pain.

"Katara, you know I would do anything to protect you, right?" I nod, walking a bit closer to him, seeing the lines underneath his eyes, from what I can assume is from lack of rest. "Good. Before I did anything rash. I needed you to know." My eyebrows furrow as I stare at him. I walk around and sit in the stair in front of him, the fire warming my left side.

"Sokka what are you talking about." I say suddenly feeling so small.

he stammers for a second before recollecting himself, "There is something we need to talk about. From dad's letter." I sit there, seemingly frozen, waiting on an explanation that almost feels like it will never come. "There's something dad wants you to do. I am completely against it. I would kill before this happened to you, but you should probably make this decision on your own." He stares at the fire next to us. My annoyance bubbles at him, how he keeps dancing around what needs to be said.

"Sokka, stop avoiding what you need to tell me. Out with it. What did dad ask of me in that letter?" I say looking up at him in the eye. Sokka lets out a shuddered breath before he slowly answers me.

"He had ventured to the Capitol of Sozin. Him and Firelord Iroh entered into negotiations. For our tribes independence they came to a solution." He stops, allowing his words to sink in. I nod for him to continue. "Fire Lord Iroh has stated that, if a princess of our tribe were to come to the Capital and marry the next heir, his nephew, that they would make a truce with us, and in turn protect us. And we would no longer be vulnerable to the threat of the fire nation." He doesn't speak for a second. Slowly his eyes come up to rest on mine. "Because dad is chief, that makes you, well, the 'princess' as you are his only daughter." I sit there, completely frozen in place. I can't breathe, I can't move. Bike rises up in my throat and suddenly I'm running to the bin and vomiting up what feels like everything I've ever eaten.

I'm shaking over the bin. My hands gripping the sides so tight my knuckles are turning white. Sokka doesn't move. Doesn't speak. Tears well up, my throat feels tight as I turn to look at my defeated looking brother.

"A Fire Nation ship is docked at the ocean front waiting for you, if you choose to accept. He wants you to choose. He words it carefully as if you have a choice. But he makes sure we know, you really don't."