"And what happened next, Mom?" Katara asked.

Kya looked down at her daughter. "Well, Katara, the next part is kind of sad. You know how I said that the den was becoming too sad and dangerous for the little otter-penguin?"

Katara nodded.

"Well, the little otter-penguin had to leave, and when he did, he was accompanied by his friend otter-penguin, for a little while at least. And do you remember the prayer I taught you the friend otter-penguin sang?"

Katara nodded eagerly. She opened her mouth to sing, but at that moment, Sokka burst out of nowhere and threw a snowball at her mouth. Katara shrieked with shock and confusion, muffled by the snow. Kya frowned with disapproval at her son, but Katara recovered quickly and threw another snowball at him. Sokka ducked, and Katara began chasing him, pelting him with snowballs all the way. Kya laughed, her eyes light.

Sudden as a winter storm, black snow fell from the sky. It tasted acrid on Kya's mouth as she gagged and spat it out. Katara and Sokka stopped laughing, and all three of them stared at the sky. Foreboding gathered in Kya's stomach.

Hakoda stepped out of their home, helmet and war paint on. He glanced sadly at his children and his wife.

"Get inside," he said reassuringly, falling to one knee as Katara ran over to hug him. "It'll be over soon."

"I can help you," Kya heard herself saying.

Hakoda looked at her and shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. We both can't be out there. And I can't shirk my duties as chief. If I'm not leading the warriors, who will?"

Kya nodded as tears formed in her eyes. Hakoda stood up and hugged her

"I love you," she said, willing herself to keep her voice steady.

"I love you, too," he said back. He broke their embrace to address Sokka. "Listen, Sokka, you need to take care of your sister, alright? You're getting old enough that you need to take on some of the responsibilities of a man."

Sokka drew himself up to his full height—a towering four feet tall. "I can do it, Dad. I promise to protect Mom and Katara."

Hakoda chuckled. "Your mom can take care of herself, little man. For now, Katara is your responsibility. But being a man doesn't just mean protecting and fighting. It also means knowing when to gather strength for another day, alright?"

Sokka nodded. He gripped his boomerang tightly.

Hakoda nodded back. "Alright. Get inside now, I'll be back soon."

Kya ushered her children inside and drew the curtain as Hakoda gathered the warriors outside the gate of the village.

It was eerily still.

Kya huddled with her children. She could tell Sokka was fighting to hold back tears as he clutched his boomerang tighter. Katara wasn't crying, but her huge blue eyes were visible in the darkness of the hut. Kya ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and held her children tighter.

"We're looking for the last Southern Waterbender!" a cruel voice announced in Common. "We will leave as soon as we find the waterbender!"

A chill ran through Kya.

"There are no waterbenders in the Southern Tribe!" Hakoda called back, his Common flawless. Kya was so proud of how steady his voice was. "The Fire Nation kidnapped them all a long time ago!"

"Lies! My report says there is one waterbender left! Where is the waterbender?"

Suddenly the sounds of combat were heard—warriors' yells and the hiss of fire. Kya stood and grabbed a small canoe. She kept her actions calm and sharp, but she felt a tidal wave of panic. The last time they had come, the Fire Nation had not only captured the waterbenders, but killed the whole families. No more benders, or so she had thought their logic went.

"Mom, I'm scared," Katara whispered. Kya turned to look at her. "Maybe they'll go away—"

"No," Kya said sternly. "No, they won't, sweetheart. I'm your mother, and I will take care of this, okay?"

Katara nodded. Sokka looked at Kya.

"So what are we going to do?" the boy asked, eyes wide.

Kya grabbed both of her children and knelt down. "I need you to be brave. I have a plan, but I need you both to be very, very brave, okay?"

Both of them nodded, mute. Kya smiled. "Good. Now follow me, and don't make any noise."

Kya quickly handed Sokka the tiny canoe—it was light enough that it didn't need to be dragged, and there was a small compartment for an oar. Kya packed a small bag with some dried seal jerky and some fresh water. She also grabbed a bone knife and club and placed those in the bag. She gave the bag to Katara, who took it wordlessly.

"You're both wearing your parkas?" she whispered, already knowing the answer as she scanned the dark hut.

"Yes, Mom," Sokka said.

"Alright, let's go." Kya took a deep breath and bent the snow in the side of the hut. It melted, and Kya took Katara's hands and ran, Sokka following them.

The fighting was concentrated at the front of the village. Just as well, Kya thought, as she raced through the maze of tents and huts. They would be leaving through the side.

When they approached the ice wall, Kya turned a portion of the wall to water and kept running. She wished that she had been able to practice her bending more, but as it was, bending at all was too risky.

Katara, Sokka, and Kya raced across the frozen tundra, holding the canoe and the bag of supplies. Small glaciers gave them some cover as they skirted around the edge of the fighting. Strangely, the stars were visible—the smoke from the ships didn't obscure them. Cries of pain and rage emanated from the battlefield. Smoke and the stomach-churning smell of charred flesh drifted towards them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sokka turn his head towards the fight.

"Don't look, Sokka. Keep up," she panted. He obeyed and kept pace.

They finally came to the land's edge. This was one of the small rivers that led out to the open ocean. The freezing water rushed towards the ocean. Sokka put the canoe down and looked at it, then looked at his mom.

"What now?"

Kya told them to get in, and they obeyed. She gave them quick hugs.

"I love you both so, so much." She placed the bag of supplies inside the canoe with them. She also took off her necklace and gave it to Katara. Katara looked at it, then back at Kya.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Katara asked, eyes wide in the light of the full moon.

"No, little seal-puppy, I can't come with you." Kya saw Sokka's understanding face, his eyes wide. "You need to leave the Tribe for right now. Your Dad and I will come get you when the Fire Nation's gone, but they can't find you in the village."

"We understand, Mom," Sokka said, grabbing Katara's hand.

"No! Mom, come with us, please!" Katara cried. Kya winced as she felt, more than heard, some Fire Nation soldiers turn their way.

"Shh, please, seal-puppy. Be very quiet. Trust your brother. Everything's gonna be alright, I promise. Sokka, take care of your sister, alright?" She didn't wait to see him nod. "The current won't take you very far—it should take you around the village, toward the glacier shaped like an orca-bear's tooth."

She heard, very faintly, footsteps coming toward them. They were still a long way off.

"Hey, it's about your bedtime, anyways, how about I sing to you, okay?" She cleared her throat.

Hush now, my baby

Be still, love, don't cry

Sleep as you're rocked by the stream

Sleep and remember my last lullaby

So I'll be with you when you dream

She began bending some water over the canoe and froze it, disguising the canoe as a piece of ice.

"No, Mom!" she heard Katara cry. She knew Sokka had covered his sister's mouth. Kya looked up at the moon and out at the ocean, and began to pray. Tears streamed down her face.

River, oh River, flow gently, for me

Such precious cargo you bear

Do you know somewhere they can live free?

River, deliver them there

She bent the water and sent the disguised canoe away, down to the ocean. She used her bending to make the current flow faster. Tui and La and Yue, protect them, please, she thought desperately. She heard the crunch of snow as booted footsteps grew closer and stopped.

"Where is the last Southern Waterbender?" a soldier behind her asked in Common. Kya stretched out her hands and felt the power of the full moon engulf her.

"You're looking at her," she said, voice hard, as she gathered some water and pushed the soldiers down. She turned and encased some soldiers in ice, and flung them into the ocean.

"Kya! No!" she heard Hakoda call out. She pulled the water out of the river and overwhelmed some of the soldiers, then turned and ran.

This time, she didn't hear the fire. An overwhelming heat hit her back, and Kya stumbled and fell. She coughed, unable to feel her back—though she did feel the skin of her scalp crack and pull as she moved her head. She heard a Fire Nation soldier approach her, and he kicked her with his steel-toed boot. She coughed, and felt herself be turned over.

"Take me as your prisoner," Kya said, punctuating her statement with coughs. "Leave the rest of the village alone."

"I'm afraid I won't be taking you as a prisoner today," the soldier said, a vicious smirk on his face. The last thing she saw was the star Hokule'a.

oOo

Sokka stopped covering his sister's mouth and sat up in the canoe. The ice was thin enough that it let some light from the full moon in. He looked over at Katara. Her eyes were wide.

"We're gonna be fine, okay?" he said. He dug around in the bag and gave Katara some jerky. She shook her head. He put it back. He didn't feel like eating either. He scooched over and sat next to her. He grabbed Katara's hand and held it.

After a while, the river merged with the ocean. Sokka could tell because the canoe started moving gently side-to-side, instead of merely forward.

A while after that, the canoe hit something with a thunk. Sokka froze, and then grabbed his boomerang. He gently chipped at the ice covering the canoe until he could see outside. He didn't understand what he saw at first. It was just blackness. Not even the light of the moon was visible. He poked the tip of his boomerang out, and heard the hollow clink of metal on metal.

"Oh no," he said softly. He turned to Katara. "Can you use your bending to push us away?" he asked gently.

Katara shook her head. "I can't even move a jar, much less a whole canoe! I'd probably end up melting the ice covering us!"

"Okay, okay. We'll just let ourselves drift along. The ship doesn't seem to be moving anyways. We'll just float for a while."

oOo

Princess Ursa contemplated the full moon with sadness. She had staunchly advised against the raid, but her husband had insisted on it taking place, as well as being present for the slaying of the last Southern Waterbender. He took her along, "sure that she would enjoy watching the slaughter of such a barbaric people." She scoffed at her husband's words, but couldn't well refuse. Instead of staying to watch, she had commanded a smaller ship to take her around to the back of the tundra.

She heard a horn sound, and she sighed. The deed had been done, and they had captured the chief of the Tribe as well. Killing the last Waterbender would ensure the Tribe's continued weakness—but the kidnapping of the chief would ensure the Tribe remained leaderless. Ursa shook her head at the logic.

She watched as a piece of ice floated towards her ship. She thought she heard some murmuring. And then a clinkof metal on metal. Her eyebrow arched. She looked around for her staff or some of the Imperial Firebenders, but none were outside. They thought the polar air too cold. She shook her head and looked at the stars again.

But her gaze was drawn to the strange chunk of ice. Over and over again, she looked away, only to find herself looking at it again. She shrugged and turned.

She seized a rope and tied a loop, then lassoed the ice. She dragged it to the bow of the ship and called for one of her staff.

"Yes, Princess?" Zana said, bowing.

"Hold this," Ursa said, and tossed her the rope. Zana caught it skillfully, but looked at Ursa, puzzled.

"My lady?" she asked. Ursa smiled.

"Just…hold it for right now. Don't tell anyone that I've asked you to do this."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zana smiled as she looked out at the ocean. Ursa went below deck and told the engineer on duty to open the bay doors. He looked at her quizzically but complied. Ursa walked out onto the ramp and grabbed the rope. She dragged the ice onto the ramp and dismissed the engineer.

Making sure no one else was in the loading bay, she carefully melted the ice with her firebending. A boomerang suddenly flew out of the ice, and Ursa caught it on instinct. She hissed in pain—she had caught it on the sharp edge.

She took a closer look at the ice and saw two children in the canoe, a boy and a girl. The boy was holding a knife and a club, too big for him, hatred blazing in his eyes. The girl was next to him, her eyes wide with fear in the moonlight.

"Let…us….go," the boy said haltingly, in Commonspeak.

"I am not going to hurt you, little one," Ursa said placatingly, also in Commonspeak. She gave him his boomerang back.

"You're Fire Nation," the boy spat, as if that explained everything, eyes roving over her red robes, disgust and hate twisting his young voice.

Ursa paused. "Yes, but I am a friend," she said in the language of the Southern Water Tribe. She heard the children gasp. The girl stepped forward.

"Please, help us. Our mom is going to be looking for us— they were looking for waterbenders, and she's a waterbender and so am—"

"Shhhhh! Katara!" the boy said, glaring at the young girl. Ursa's eyes softened.

"I am sorry, little one. But I think you should come with me. I will explain everything."

"No," the boy said loudly. "Just let us go!"

Ursa looked at the boy, then the girl. "You're a waterbender, yes? I can keep you safe. Trust me."

"No, she's not a waterbender, and we want to go home!" the boy said.

Ursa knelt down. She took a breath. "Listen to me. Your mother is a very brave woman, and you are both very brave. But she gave herself up for you children—she is with the spirits now, and the chief of your tribe has been captured."

"Dad? He's been captured?" the boy asked. The boy had tears in his eyes, but the girl didn't cry at all.

"You're lying!" the boy cried, but Ursa's face remained impassive. The boy saw that she was telling the truth, and he dropped his defensive stance.

"You want to make a difference, yes?" Ursa waited for the girl and boy to nod. "Then come with me. I will teach you." Ursa stood and retreated into the loading bay. She heard the boy and the girl follow. She led them up to her chambers, and she glared threateningly at the attendants and firebenders who so much as dared look at her and the children. She was questioned by none of them.

When they arrived at her chambers, she opened the door and invited them in. They sullenly followed her and sat down on the floor.

"What are your names?"

Neither answered at first.

"My name is Ursa. Please tell me your names."

She was answered with a small voice, coming from the girl. "I'm Katara, and my brother's name is Sokka."

"Sokka, Katara," Ursa said, bowing to each of them. "I have two children who are just about your age. I'm sure you'll get along quite well."

A/N: Dear god it's been a long time since I've been on this website, publishing fics. If you had the misfortune of accidentally seeing this story before I fixed the terrible format, I'm so sorry. A couple things.

1. This story takes place in the ATLA world-same continents and all.

2. I really like stars. And correct scientific information. The star Hokule'a mentioned is also known as the star of Gladness. It does have a real-world Hawaiian counterpart, but here I use it as a South star. Like the North Star, but...South. I love stars, man.

3. This story will be subject to edits/changes, but it's unlikely as I am a ruthless editor of my own writing and I've got this story planned out.

Shout out to my best friend and beta reader garbagechute on AO3. This wouldn't be possible without you. This fic is also posted there, for your convenience.