Katara: A Private Life of the Bloodbender

Chapter IX.

Later, she will be convinced many times, that the reason of ideological favors and hatreds is not always just a primitive need of making the world better, but sometimes just a desperate effort of drowning her own hopelessness.

- Pavel Kohout

It got dark. Zuko was steering Appa and watching the horizon with a telescope, Katara was reading through the map in the saddle. Suddenly, Zuko exclaimed.

"There! See those sea raven flags?" He gave Katara the telescope to look at it. Really – there was a ship with bloody red triangle flag with a black crow-like bird silhouette in the middle of it. "It's the Southern Raiders..." Zuko said.

Katara held the telescope over and covered her face with a dark camouflaging scarf. "Let's do this!"

Katara climbed from the saddle to Appa's head, right next to Zuko, and let the bison under the water. They entered the sea, Katara made a massive air cover so he could breathe and do not wet his head. Stealthily they came to the ship. Even through the water above their heads, Katara recognized a few soldiers standing on the board. She touched one of them with a stream of water right before they rose up from the sea and dragged him off the ship. The soldiers didn't expect the attack and didn't know what's going on. Appa surfaced on the other side of the ship. Before they could look back, a large wave ran over the board and washed them to the sea. Appa landed on the board. One soldier who had managed to stay on the board, saw them two. Katara jumped down from Appa first. Her look met the soldier's and he attacked her with fire, but in a moment, he was thrown to the sea among his confused comrades.

Katara vigorously opened the door from the below deck and burst in, Zuko following her. On their way, they stroke down one other man, and in a few second, they appeared in front of a heavy metal door of commander's cabin. Katara and Zuko were sure that behind them, there's a man they are searching for.

"This is it, Katara. Are you ready to face him?" said Zuko to energize her. Katara didn't say anything. Pressed by uncontrollable power and ferocity she hit the door with such energy that the massive metal door hinges cracked like a skewer and the door opened sharply in both sides. Zuko entered the cabin to catch the confused commander (maybe to make sure that they will overpower him).

"Who are you?!" he asked confusedly.

"You don't remember her? You will soon, trust me!" retorted Zuko.

But suddenly, he started to stumble uncontrollably. In his face, there was a real fear. "W-What the hell... W-What's ... happening to me?!" he was stuttering. Zuko abashedly looked back – Katara was standing there, her right hand raised forward, her face frowned, her eyes dark, basted with blood. She was staring at the man in front of her, scaring him with a terrible look. Zuko widened his eyes in unbelief. He didn't know that Katara is able to bend water in a living human body. The commander fell down convulsively. Katara was gazing fixedly into his frightened face, showing him a horrifying view. Zuko quickly recovered from his fascination and turned to the commander again.

"Think back. Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he retorted. "Please, I really don't know!" Zuko was running out of patience.

"Don't lie!" he shouted at him and bended closer to him. "You look her in the eyes and you tell me you don't remember what you did!" was shouting at him and pointing at Katara.

Katara grinned like a rabid wolf and lifted the commander off the ground so they appeared face to face, staring at each other. The commander was pale with fear. Katara concentrated on his face, but the longer she was looking at him, the more she felt that something is wrong. Suddenly, her cold, hard animal-like grimace turned into aghast, confused face. She widened her eyes in realization.