Time and Time Again

Chapter 16: The Little Mermaid

Katara looked at the debris hut and, as much as she hated it, she had to admit that she was impressed. The prince had created a good, sturdy hut and he only lost his temper about six times during the process. He now stood leaning against a tree, admiring his work. Even though he still had his signature frown and stiff posture, Katara could tell that he was happy- that he was proud of his work.

"Well, I suppose the next thing is food. We don't know when we'll get off this island, so we're going to need to set some traps so we can eat."

"Why do we need to set traps? I can just firebend any animal that crosses my path."

"And risk setting the forest on fire?" Katara demanded.

"I'm not so foolish as to loose control of my bending, waterbender." Zuko hissed, "Any fire I create, I can extinguish with the slightest of ease." Katara looked away, annoyed at the prince's advanced bending skills.

"Well fine. Just don't burn the animals to a crisp when you hunt them." Katara said more bitterly than she had intended.

"Well?" Zuko demanded.

"Well, what?"

"Well, what's next?" Katara looked to the sky. The sun was low in the sky, creating beautiful colors in the clouds.

"Nothing for today." Katara said as she used the tree to slowly pull her body into a standing position.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"It will be dark soon. There's nothing to be done when the sun sets. The safest thing to do is sleep and wait 'til morning to continue with the preparations." Katara explained as she began to slowly limp towards the stream the prince had told her about earlier.

"So what if it's dark soon? I'm a firebender, I can create light! What else is there to do?" Zuko yelled after the waterbender. She turned to look at him. Condescension heavy in her eyes and voice.

"I don't care if you are the sun spirit himself, it's dangerous to be in the woods after dark. Night time is for sleeping." Katara resumed her slow walk, "Want another tip for survival? A good night's sleep is vital." She added as she left the clearing in search of water. Zuko glared daggers into her retreating back. What could be so dangerous after dark? Surely, a firebender such as himself could handle anything that lurked in the night.

The sun was nearly set by the time Katara reached the promised stream; a small, silver ribbon of water that cut through the forest. A small sense of belonging touched Katara's heart as she stuck her feet into the stream. It had been such a long time since Katara was last able to relax and allow her element to wash away her worries. With a quick glance at her surroundings to make sure that the prince was nowhere nearby, Katara discarded her dress so that she wore only her bindings. With great care, Katara slid her lower half into the sandy bedding of a particularly still part of the stream. The water barely reached Katara's navel. The cool water felt soothing on Katara's knee. Relaxed, she tilted her head up to the sky. The sky above was painted with all the colors of a rainbow and Katara noted that the nearly full moon was beginning to creep into the sky. The world seemed to be in perfect harmony with the sun setting in the west and the moon rising in the east. Katara could already feel the power of the moon as it's light grew stronger. Katara shifted, causing a sharp pain to emit from her knee. The pain drew her attention away from the hypnotizing beauty of the sky. She glared at the offending knee. It was because of that knee that she had not escaped the prince.

Katara's eyes widened as an idea came to her. Perhaps, she could bend the water to swirl around her knee to bring down the swelling. Shifting so that only her injured leg was stretched out before her, Katara drew in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she moved her hands in a rhythmic motion, creating a circular current around her inflamed joint. As she did this, the water began to do something unnatural. The water around Katara's knee had started to emit a blue glow.