Balance | Old Version

Chapter 95

Elua's POV.

"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara asks Hama in disbelief.
"Just like you," Hama says with a smile.
"How did you know?" Katara asks in confusion.
"I heard you talking around your campfire," Hama informs her.
"But, why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asks.
"I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big, Water Tribe dinner," Hama tells them with a smile on her face.

"Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you stew them long enough," Hama states. Aang and I fight back looks of disgust.
"Great," Aang says in revulsion.
"Yay!" I say with a very fake smile.
"I knew I felt a bond with you right away," Katara says smiling.
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right," Sokka states, making Katara hit him in the arm. "But, I'm sorry we were sneaking around," He says as he rubs his arm.

"Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking."

That Night.

"I'd steer clear of the sea prunes," I hear Aang whisper over to Toph as we all sit at the table.
"I thought they were ocean kumquats," Toph whispers back.
"Close enough," Aang states.
"Who wants five-flavor soup?" Hama asks. We all raise our hands and Hama places her hand over the bowl of soup as she waterbends the liquid into our bowls.
"You're a Waterbender!" Katara shouts in surprise and happiness. "I've never met another Waterbender from our tribe," She says smiling.
"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one," Hama says wistfully.

"So, how did you end up out here?" Sokka asks her curiously.
"I was stolen from my home. It was over 60 years ago when the raids started. They came again and again, each time, rounding up more of our Waterbenders, and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued, Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe," Hama tells us in sadness as Katara stands up and walks over to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape," She finishes explaining.
"How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asks in confusion.

"I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore," Hama says with tears in her eyes.
"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid," Katara informs her as she looks down in sadness and pain.
"Oh, you poor things," Hama says sweetly.
"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor, you're a hero," Katara says with a smile.
"I never thought I'd meet another Southern Waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know, so you can carry on the Southern Tradition when I'm gone," Hama tells Katara.
"Yes, yes of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me," Katara says smiling in excitement as she bows to Hama.

The Next day.

"This has gotta be the nicest, natural setting in the Fire Nation. I don't see anything that would make a spirit mad around here," Aang says as he looks over the cliffside we stand on. Green trees were everywhere, there were flowers all around, and it all looked beautiful.
"Maybe the moon spirit just turned mean," Toph says, making Sokka gasp in horror.
"The moon spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and...lunar goodness!" Sokka shouts at Toph angrily and then turns away from her.
"What's his problem?" Toph whispers over to me.
"His first girlfriend turned into the moon spirit," I tell her, but that seemed to make her even more confused.

"Excuse me, sir," Aang says as he walks over to a traveler who was walking by us. "Can you tell us anything about the spirit that's been stealing people?" He asks.
"Only one man ever saw it and lived, and that's Old Man Ding," The man tells us.
"Where does Old Man Ding live?" I ask him kindly.
"By the market in town," He says as he walks away and continues on his journey. We head back to town and by the time we get there, the sun had set. We look around the town, everyone seemed to be in their homes sleeping. Except for an old man nailing boards to his windows.
"Old Man Ding?" Aang asks, startling the man and making him hit his thumb with a hammer.
"Eeh, yeow! Aw, dang blame it!" The old man shouts as he holds his thump in pain.

"What? Can't you see I'm busy? Got a full moon rising," The old man states. "And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old," He says as he bends down to pick up another board, but struggles. "Aww...well, I'm young at heart. Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster. Not yet, at least," He says as he tries to pick up the board again, but was clearly too weak. I grab the board from him and Sokka takes the hammer from his hands.
"Thank you, young lady," The old man says kindly to me. I give him a smile and a nod.
"We wanted to ask you about that," Sokka says as we help the man put boards over his window.
"Did you get a good look at the spirit that took you?" Aang asks him.

"Didn't see no spirit. Just felt something come over me like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain," The old man says as he points to the mountain in front of the town. "I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon, for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then, the sun started to rise. And I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!" He explains dramatically.
"Why would a spirit want to take people to a mountain?" Sokka asks.
"Oh, no! I did hear people screaming under the mountain," Toph exclaims. "The missing villagers must still be there," She tells us as we look up at the mountain in shock.