Standard disclaimers apply.

Hello! I've never written fic for this fandom before, so I'm really excited and kind of nervous. Please let me know how I can improve!

In this fic, I'm basing the Southern Water Tribe on the Alutiiq peoples. I've dropped in a few terms in their language, as well. You can find a glossary at the bottom. I know that everyone shares a language in canon, but my headcanon is that a common language was only developed after the four nations came into contact with each other, and that they will still use different terms, occasionally, within their own cultures.

If you want to know more, a great resource is alutiiqmuseum dot org

I hope you enjoy!

Sooty flakes fell from the sky, and the hubbub of village life came to a brief but eerie halt. A child's laughter died in her throat, the glee fading from her face at the expression on her brother's.

They both knew what this meant, although neither of them could remember seeing it. The last of the raids had been before their time, taking their tribe's last trained Waterbenders with it. However, ever since Katara had first moved the snow without touching it, they had been drilled extensively on what they had to do if it ever happened again.

"I'm gonna go find aana," Katara said, and took off in the direction of her family's igloo, as Sokka ran with the older warriors to confront the raiders. Katara was too young to fight, but it was only her worry for her mother that kept her from following him. She was the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe; it was her duty to protect them. And she would, as soon as she found her mother.

Katara burst through the flap of their igloo with an anxious cry of, "Aana!" She stopped short, staring at the red and black monster that loomed over her mother.

"Just let her go," Kya said, with forced calm, calling the monster's attention back to herself, "and I'll give you the information you want."

"You heard your mother. Get out of here!" it snapped.

Katara jumped, but stood her ground. "Aana…I'm scared…"

"Go find your ataa, cingaq," Kya said, using Katara's nickname in the way she had when she was very small, and still needed to be comforted during storms. "I'll handle this."

Katara obeyed hesitantly, but lingered to the side of the entrance. Sokka was ten and already defending the village, and he wasn't even a Waterbender! She had to do her part, too, and make sure her mother was safe, no matter how scared she was. What if it tried to take her away? What if she couldn't get to her father in time? She had to stay here.

It was hard to hear through the shouting of the warriors and the raiders, not to mention the blood pounding in her ears, but Katara's heart stopped when her mother claimed to be the last Waterbender. Why was she lying? She was going to get taken away!

"I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today," the monster drawled, and then came a flash of searing heat and a shrill scream —

"AANA!"

Katara ran straight into the blaze.

The igloo smelled like burnt meat and copper. Her mother lay face down on the floor, red seeping into the ice beneath her, her hair still smoldering. The monster stood above her, smoke curling from his raised fists.

Acting on instinct, Katara seized the snow now drifting through the hole where their pretty blue flap, now incinerated, had been. It responded and turned to fluid as it flew towards her mother and doused her. The monster whipped around, surprised, but Katara took advantage of his wide bending stance and scrambled between his legs to reach Kya's prone body.

Acting on instinct, she pulled the water towards her once more and rolled her mother over, setting glowing blue hands against the mess of blood and melted skin where her face had been, apologizing tearfully when her mother cried out, garbled and choked with blood.

"So her brat is a bender too, huh…" the monster said, sounding almost amused. "The gods are not smiling upon you, little one. Poor luck for you, to awaken in front of me."

Katara turned to glare, filled with rage and breathless, overwhelming fear. "She's not a bender! She was lying!" She never moved her hands from what had been her mother's face.

"Oh? Your mother was a courageous woman, then. Foolish, but courageous."

Katara bit back a sob, and tried not to drip tears on the burn, knowing that the salt would sting.

"I know I said I wasn't taking prisoners, but this is a different matter. Agni would not approve of the murder of a child," it muttered. "You're coming with me, brat."

The monster snatched the collar of her parka and dragged her from her mother, grimacing at her screams. The glowing blue water dropped from her hands as her arms were grabbed and tied roughly behind her back.

Katara kicked and fought, trying desperately to reach Kya, but her legs were given the same treatment as her arms, and then a gag silenced her wails. She wriggled like a fish, but to no avail. The monster threw her over its shoulder like a dead tiger seal, and took off towards its metal ships at a dead run.

A few of the women noticed and tried to help, but were warded off with jets of flame. Katara bounced on its spiky metal shoulder and tried very hard not to be sick. All she could smell was burnt meat and hair, and all she could see was red.

"Hey!" came a shrill voice, and teary blue eyes met a pair just like her own. Sokka was chasing them fruitlessly, panicked and angry. "Where are you taking my nayak?!" He flung his boomerang, but his aim was off. The monster didn't even notice. He leapt aboard the largest ship, ordering his men to follow.

Katara was handed off to an underling who took her below deck and tossed her into a cell without bothering to untie the ropes. As the ship shuddered back to life, Katara curled into herself on the too-warm metal floor and sobbed.

The attack had ended as swiftly as it began. By the time the tribe reached their own ships, the Southern Raiders were long gone.

"Ataa! Ataa!" A voice screamed, and Hakoda turned from where he was conferring with Bato about where the raiders were most likely headed to catch Sokka, who had practically thrown himself at him.

"Aqsaq, what — "

"They took her!" Sokka wailed, and Hakoda's blood turned to ice. "They took Katara!"

"Sokka, how do you know?" he asked urgently, kneeling and taking his son by the shoulders.

"I saw them! She was tied up and then the guy carrying her took her on the ship — "

Without another word, Hakoda picked up Sokka and sprinted for the village, leaving his warriors to follow.

When he arrived, Hakoda was swarmed by worried women, but their anxious queries went ignored. "Where is Kya?" he barked, and an ashen-faced woman with scorched furs answered.

"She's in the healing hut, with Kanna."

Hakoda handed his wailing son to her and ran once more.

He was met at the door by his mother, with lips drawn tight and blood on her hands. "What happened?" he demanded.

"She was badly burned. She's not as bad as she could be, though. Katara must have tried to heal her before — " Her voice broke.

Hakoda pushed past her into the hut, doing his best not to disturb the two healers working over his wife. Bile rose in his throat at the sight of what had been done to her, and he settled in for a long vigil.

Kya died early the next morning, long before the sun rose. After she did, he walked out of the village walls, into the icy wastes beyond, dropped to his knees, and howled.

Later, he would comfort his son. Later, he would rebuild his village. But at that moment, Hakoda gave himself over to his grief and let bitter tears freeze on his skin.

Ataa: father

Aana: mother

Nayak: little sister

Katara's nickname is cingaq, which means kiss. If you can think of a better one, please tell me! It was originally gonna be fish. :/

Sokka's is aqsaq, which means belly. I thought that would be cute, because he's always so hungry.

Nicknames are big with the Alutiiq! They're especially common with children, but can follow a person into adulthood. They're usually based on favorite activities or a particularly fond/funny memory.

Anyway, I hope you liked it! Lemme know if you're interested in reading the rest.