A/N: So, this was originally going to be a rather long one-shot, but as it is my first time playing in this fandom, though certainly not my first time writing, I decided some chapters might incite some feedback. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: [insert something witty here]

WARNING: This chapter is unbeta'd as of this point, so pardon any grammatical or spelling mistakes you may find. Will post corrected chapters later.

Wolf Moon

The Waterbender ran.

She ran like Fire Lord Ozai was nipping at her heels, flame licking at her skirts as he came upon her with death in his eyes.

She ran because staying would result in hurting someone.

She ran because she wanted to run back toward the camp so badly.

She ran because her body scented male and wanted to taste.

Katara ran because she had never felt more alive.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Following the setting of the tiring sun, the brightest and most beautiful of nights greeted the battle-worn group at the Western Air Temple. It was the night of the full Moon, the Winter Solstice, and the longest night of the season. The full Moon had been visible in the sky before the sun had fully set, impatient to be seen and felt. It was this particular full Moon that Tui, the Moon spirit, was famous for.

Katara, having been raised most of her childhood in the Southern Water Tribe—a tribe that just so happened to worship the spirits, Tui and La—should have seen this night coming days before it did. If the Waterbender was honest with herself, and for the sake of her pride she was not going to be, she would have admitted that she had been feeling a little…off…for the past week or so.

'Off' meaning she had been tracking every available male in their camp with a hunger she neither understood nor could even begin to deny.

This night, the night of the Winter Solstice, the night when every Water Tribe or Waterbender or mere follower of Tui stopped everything to celebrate the Moon, was called the night of the Wolf Moon. Although this night was a celebration dedicated to the Moon spirit—one of the important halves to Waterbending—it was also a night significant to every female Waterbender in the known world. Waterbending females become entranced by the moon, almost as if the very spirit of Tui possessed each and every one of them with a power that positively thrummed through their veins. It was because of the drastic change in temperament of the Waterbenders that a festival became tradition to celebrate this event. When Waterbenders are at their most powerful—which is only during the Wolf Moon—they also become incredibly amorous due to the higher level of endorphins sprinting through their bloodstream like a pack of wolves on the hunt for innocent prey.

And when a Waterbender is at her lustiest and most powerful state, she is also at her most dangerous.

A myth surrounding the celebration of the Wolf Moon—a myth that was told to children to shield them from hard truth—is that it causes increased fertility in Waterbenders and therefore is simply a prime opportunity to "populate".

Ha.

Gran Gran had not been one to shield her granddaughter from such an event upon realizing she was a Waterbender. Katara had been told, point blank, exactly what would happen to her. The damage she could cause. The people she could hurt. Katara blessed her grandmother a thousand times over for forsaking Water Tribe propriety and telling her what would happen to her when she came of age.

But in the same breath, Katara cursed the war for making her so damned…forgetful.

It took weeks to prepare for the Wolf Moon if you were a Waterbender traveling alone. Typically in either the Northern or Southern Tribes, the festivities would last several days to keep the Waterbenders distracted until the Wolf Moon actually rose. Then it was used as a ruse for those too young—or those who did not wish to listen—so that all the Waterbenders could slink off to their homes, or whatever dark corner they managed to make it to, and screw wildly with whatever willing partner had been arranged for them prior.

This was done so that everyone was happy and safe.

However, if a Waterbender happens to be traveling outside her tribe, she must prepare herself for what she will have to face alone. If she is not married or does not already have a bedmate, then she must seclude herself from civilization until the Wolf Moon fades away once more and with it the side effects. Seclusion ensures no random passerby is raped or killed by the raging hormones or temper of a Waterbender in her season.

This is why Katara was running away from where her friends camped at the Western Air Temple.

Katara had inadvertently put her friends in great danger. If it were not for the fact that she could think only of the war at this point and she was a Master Waterbender, she may have thrown a violent tantrum days ago and attacked one of her male companions.

Unfortunately for Katara, the Wolf Moon had made its presence known to her at the most inopportune time, and she knew come sunrise she was going to have some major explaining to do.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Chapter two coming soon…