Time and Time Again

Chapter 11: Sound of Fury

The sound of the ocean caressed Katara's ears. She felt the current pushing and pulling the water in sync with her breathing. Her fingers dug into the sun warmed sand and she inhaled the lovely scent of saltwater. She could feel the sun warming the skin of her back and arms. I must have fallen asleep in my bindings, I'm surprised Aang or Sokka haven't woken me yet. She thought lazily as she rolled onto her back. Without opening her eyes, Katara spread her arms out, palms up and tilted her face towards the heat of the sun. While she was homesick for the Southern Water Tribe and it's year-long winter weather, she had to admit, it was nice to soak in the sun with only her bindings on. She smiled as she felt her palms absorb the sunlight. It was perfect. For the moment, Katara could imagine the world was at peace. There was no war, only sunshine, sand, and the ocean. Nothing else mattered.

Katara sighed as she heard feet aproaching her. A shadow fell across her face, blocking out the warmth of the sun.

"Can't I have five more minutes, please, Sokka?" Katara said, trying not to sound too whiny. When Sokka didn't respond, Katara opened her eyes to glare at him, only to scream at the face above her. Instead of her brother, Zuko stood over her. Anger poured from his body like venom and all the warmth drained from Katara's body as the events from before she passed out flooded her brain. She scrambled to her feet and took a few steps away from the enraged prince. She took a quick look around. The beach she was on was rather small, Less than 200 feet long and near stretched about fifty feet from the ocean to a line of dense trees. No one was in sight. A look out to sea proved that no ships were nearby to rescue them.

"Where are we?" She yelled at him.

"How should I know? You're the waterbender, you should be able to tell where you made the wave take us!" He yelled back, advancing a few steps as flames grew from his palms.

"What are you talking about?" Katara demanded, completely confused.

"I'm talking about how you used your waterbending to make that wave! Was it so bad on my ship that you had to risk the lives of me and my entire crew?" He yelled, his face turning bright red. The flames in his hands grew larger in size.

He thinks I summoned that huge wave! Katara realized with fear. He thinks I brought us here! She took a few more steps back, sure that Zuko intended on using those flames on her.

"It wasn't me! I couldn't make a wave that big! I don't think a waterbending master could even conjure a wave such as that!" Katara yelled in defense (though she didn't really know the limits of a waterbending master).

"You expect me to believe that, you filthy peasant?" Zuko said. Katara could tell that no matter what she said, Zuko would see things the way he wanted to see them. Drawing on her strength, Katara felt for the power of the ocean behind her. Without warning, she pulled a large stream of water out of the ocean and bombarded Zuko with it. Katara was already disappearing into the line of trees by the time Zuko had recovered from the onslaught of water. Zuko's yell of fury followed her as she raced deeper and deeper into the strange forest.