The Girl in the Snow

The wind was picking up, snow blowing around more and more. I pulled my hood closer to my body, breathing out as I continued to move. The hunt was tiring, but Bato had spotted a small herd of Yak the yesterday (said there were four or five) and the fresh source of meat would do wonders for the tribe, not to mention the skins would help us prepare for the endless night during the winter. But hunting the damn things was proving to be a nightmare. We had no idea if we were even traveling in the right direction. Still, we pressed on, at least some of the men had taken to the sea's to fish and harvest something else just in case this mission turned out to be worthless. We slowly made our way up on of the snow hills, scanning out across the land in search of the Yak.

Nothing.

"Chief, what do you want to do?" Nalus asked, probably noticing the beginnings of the storm as well. I paused and thought for a moment, we could either continue the search or turn back and see what the fishing boats brought in. Scanning the area one last time, I decided that we should cut our losses and head back before the storm picked up. These beasts were probably long gone by now, and this storm that was beginning to blow in from the east was not going to help us.

"We should turn back. Hopefully, the boats have had better luck than we did." I sighed, those Yak's would have kept us afloat for a good few days easy. There was a grunt of agreement, and the men began to turn and begin the long trek back to the village. I glanced around one last time, hoping that something would appear.

As I turned, a flash of movement caught my eye, and I spun to face it. There in the snow was a small brown object, blinking to make sure I didn't imagine it, and it was gone. I sighed, a gust of wind blowing from the east, and the brown spot reemerged. I moved towards it, curious as to what it could be, but gripping my spear tighter in my gloved hands, I didn't want to walk into a Mink snake home, those things could be nasty. As I got closer, the movement of the brown spot softened, it almost moved like hair. The winds moved the object again and I rushed forward, dropping my spear as I fell to my knees near the now noticeable small mound.

"Chief!" I heard someone behind me call out. I ignored them as I continued to move the snow off the object in question. The object became clearer as I continued to move the snow, and furs became clearer. I eventually brushed away a section that revealed brown skin, and eventually the back of a head. A person! I grabbed the snow near the shoulders clearing enough to pull the person free. She was larger than I was expecting, and heavier too, but I could clearly see that it was mostly from the muscle's that were clearly visible through her outfit.

"I need a sleepskin! Now!" I had pulled the person free of the snow, revealing to a girl maybe a year or two older than my own daughter. Part of her outfit was not made for this weather, her skin tight blue and white tank top was not helping her keep warm, unlike her sweats and boots. I was confused but saving her was more important. She was Water Tribe, that much was clear, from her hair and skin to the clothes that she was wearing. I could see small puffs of air in the cold against my own parka. She was alive, but barely. Men came rushing to my side I was currently trying to warm her up, rubbing her fingers and arms with my own. Turlaq had the sleepskin open and on the ground, carefully we both moved the girl into the skin, trying to avoid letting any more snow touch the girl's skin. If there was a doubt about choosing to not continue following the Yak it was gone now, this girl needed help, and hopefully, Noaidi could keep her alive once we reached the village. I don't know how long she was here for but it couldn't have been longer than a few hours, not in these clothes at least.

"Will she live?" Bato asked, helping me lift her and place her on one of the sleds that we had brought with us for a Yak carcass or two. Spare furs were loaded on top of her, trying to let her already low body heat try and warm her up. That was about all we could do at the moment. I would light a fire, but the winds would blow it out within seconds if we could even get one going.

"I don't know, but I hope so." I couldn't help but notice that she looked very similar to my own daughter, and my heart clenched at the thought of her being Katara in this position. Her parents have to be so worried, but we were the only village in the South Pole, so where did she come from. We moved at double the speed, rushing to get this girl back to the village. She was more important than some Yak, besides we can always go out and hunt again tomorrow if need be.

The village soon came within sight, "Hrothmær! Run ahead, find Noaidi and let her know that we need her assistance!" I saw him nod before running ahead, he was the fastest man in the tribe and if anyone could send a message quickly, it was him.

By the time we had arrived in the village, Noaidi was prepared with a fire near her tent and what looked to be a pot with water heating up.

"Hurry, bring her this way." Bato and I moved to lift her again and carrying her to the furs inside the tent.

"Dad! Dad! What's going on?" I heard my daughter ask as she rushed to us. I could see Sokka nearby, worry clearly painted across his face, "Hrothmær came running in calling for Noaidi. Is everything alright? I thought you weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow?"

Kanna had come walking out behind Katara, both waiting to hear about my trip.

"We found her in the snow, nearly buried. Had I turned a second earlier, we never would have found her. We don't know how long she was out there, and the storm that was brewing could have easily covered her in the snow."

"But, she'll be okay? Right?" It was easy to see the worry in Katara, her eyes trained on the tent that held our new guest.

"I hope so."

I've had this idea playing around in my head all through the final week of school and continuing into my finals week. I have read some similar time-travel fics but I wasn't a big fan and felt like taking a swing at it. What do you think? Let me know! Hopefully, I'll see you in the next chapter! :D