[Vampatar Fic] More Human Than Human
arin_rowan's auction fic.
Title: More Human Than Human
Series: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Characters: Toph, Katara, Haru
Word Count: 1000+
Rating: PG
Summary: At the Western Air Temple, Toph can't find Katara. And she's not scared by that at all. Shut up.
More Human Than Human
***
Toph jolted awake. Blood loud in her ears, she scrabbled at the ground outside her bedroll, digging her fingers into the stone courtyard. The air felt cold on her face - still night. Rapidly, she sorted through everyone in the temple, identifying their heartbeats. AangSokkaZukoHaruTeotheDuke- where was Katara?
(Vampire?)
Her breath hitched. No, no, no! There were no vampires here, this was the Fire Nation. Besides, Katara was a master waterbender, she could kill any vampire-
Why couldn't Toph even find the shape of her body? Her breath came in sharp little gasps, Mother's vampire scare-stories running like a rockslide down the back of her mind. 'You can't ever leave your shutters open, darling. Vampires do not like to hunt strong prey. They would pounce on a blind little girl.' 'There was a deaf young man in a town we traveled to once; his throat was scarred and mangled.' 'I never go outside at night, dear, not ever. It's much too dangerous.' 'Vampire men are like any other men - they prefer women.'
Nonono! Toph clenched her hands into fists, catching stone against her palms. She had fought the Dai Li in their lair - underground, against earthbenders both living and dead. She had fought Azula. She wasn't afraid of any stupid vampire!
A wolfdog whuffled, and a wet nose pressed against her face. A raspy tongue licked her face, and Toph totally didn't have any tears it was licking up. Her fists opened, bits of rock clattering to the ground, and she wrapped her arms around the wolfdog. "Katara?"
The wolfdog shifted, bones crunching and fur rustling as it became a girl again. Katara's arms wrapped around her, and Toph pressed her head against the other girl's chest to listen to her heartbeat. Stupid Water Tribe. Stupid wifwolfdog. It had been annoying enough when just Sokka could do it.
"I caught a rabbird," Katara said, her tone casual. "Want to help me cook it?"
Toph pulled back from the hug then punched Katara lightly in the arm. "What, you want another dirt-spiced stew?"
"You have a nose," Katara replied, catching said nose between her fingers. "You can tell one spice from another."
Toph squawked and hit her in the shoulder. "Hey! Leggo!"
Katara giggled, and Toph started to a few moments later. Soon the two of them had collapsed into giggles, and Toph felt Haru stir. The other earthbender growled and threw a clod of dirt at them before turning over again. Katara immediately clapped her hand over her mouth to try to suppress her giggles, which made Toph outright laugh.
Haru groaned and stuffed his hands over his ears. "Shut up, shut up, shut up..."
"Come on, Toph," Katara said softly. She stood up and padded out of the courtyard both the earthbenders preferred over rooms in the temple, and Toph sauntered after her, taking a moment to kick Haru lightly.
"Hate you," he muttered.
"Aw, Angelface, how're you going to be a good earthbender if you can't take a little punishment?" she asked wickedly.
Haru cursed and pulled the thin bedroll blanket over his head.
"Come on, Toph," Katara called. "Sokka might steal our rabbird if you keep messing with Haru."
Toph ground her heel against the flagstones. Sokka was asleep in 'his' room, heartbeat slow and steady. "Nah, he's still asleep."
She went with the other girl anyway, though, listening to Katara's heartbeat, her breath, the rustle of her clothes against her skin, her feet brushing against the ground. It was easy to ground herself in that. Being grounded made it easier to stuff her mother's nightmares back into their box, lock them up and bury them deep.
This was the Fire Nation. There were no vampires in the Fire Nation.
Except the ones Azula brought home with her.
"Man, you are so lucky," she said abruptly. "You grew up and you got to be a wolfdog. When I grow up, I've got to start making sure the guys around me don't want to kill me."
Katara sucked in a breath. "Toph!"
"What? It's true. That's how things work in the Earth Kingdom." She blew thoughtfully at her bangs, ruffling them a bit. "I guess not in Ba Sing Se, which has gotta be the only good thing about that stupid city."
"It can't be that bad," Katara said. "We never met any vampires-"
"Jet."
"Well, no one besides-"
"General Fong."
"... knew we shouldn't have told you any of those stories," she muttered.
Toph laughed and followed Katara over to the firepit. She flopped down on the ground while Katara pulled something out of a pot. Soon a rain of soft bits fell to the ground, so soft Toph could barely sense them.
"What's that?"
"What's what?" Katara asked.
"Those," she said, reaching into the softness. "-oh! Feathers!"
"Yep."
Toph reached out, touching Katara's face and tracing her smile. Then she grinned herself and settled back down. After a while of listening to Katara clean the rabbird, she asked the question that had been bouncing around in her head since they met the old witch. "Hey, Katara. Can you make me a wolfdog?"
Katara's heart stopped.
Toph sat up a little straighter. Huh. That was weird.
"You're too young," Katara said at last. "Really, I'm too young, but Bato marked me as an adult woman so Hama decided to make me fully adult in the tribe."
Toph shrugged. "Sure, but when I'm older? You can do it then, right?"
"Well..."
She crossed her arms and glared in Katara's general direction. "Well what? Come on, Sugarqueen, spit it out!"
"It's a thing of the Water Tribes," Katara said quietly. "It's not given to outsiders without good reason." She bit her lip. "Though, fighting the Fire Nation with the Avatar is more than reason enough, to me."
Toph blew out a breath in annoyance. "Lame."
Katara took her hand by the wrist and pressed it to her face so Toph could feel her smile. "You can't 'bend when you're changed, Toph. You wouldn't be able to see at all."
"Lame!"
-End-
Title: More Human Than Human
Series: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Characters: Toph, Katara, Haru
Word Count: 1000+
Rating: PG
Summary: At the Western Air Temple, Toph can't find Katara. And she's not scared by that at all. Shut up.
More Human Than Human
***
Toph jolted awake. Blood loud in her ears, she scrabbled at the ground outside her bedroll, digging her fingers into the stone courtyard. The air felt cold on her face - still night. Rapidly, she sorted through everyone in the temple, identifying their heartbeats. AangSokkaZukoHaruTeotheDuke- where was Katara?
(Vampire?)
Her breath hitched. No, no, no! There were no vampires here, this was the Fire Nation. Besides, Katara was a master waterbender, she could kill any vampire-
Why couldn't Toph even find the shape of her body? Her breath came in sharp little gasps, Mother's vampire scare-stories running like a rockslide down the back of her mind. 'You can't ever leave your shutters open, darling. Vampires do not like to hunt strong prey. They would pounce on a blind little girl.' 'There was a deaf young man in a town we traveled to once; his throat was scarred and mangled.' 'I never go outside at night, dear, not ever. It's much too dangerous.' 'Vampire men are like any other men - they prefer women.'
Nonono! Toph clenched her hands into fists, catching stone against her palms. She had fought the Dai Li in their lair - underground, against earthbenders both living and dead. She had fought Azula. She wasn't afraid of any stupid vampire!
A wolfdog whuffled, and a wet nose pressed against her face. A raspy tongue licked her face, and Toph totally didn't have any tears it was licking up. Her fists opened, bits of rock clattering to the ground, and she wrapped her arms around the wolfdog. "Katara?"
The wolfdog shifted, bones crunching and fur rustling as it became a girl again. Katara's arms wrapped around her, and Toph pressed her head against the other girl's chest to listen to her heartbeat. Stupid Water Tribe. Stupid wifwolfdog. It had been annoying enough when just Sokka could do it.
"I caught a rabbird," Katara said, her tone casual. "Want to help me cook it?"
Toph pulled back from the hug then punched Katara lightly in the arm. "What, you want another dirt-spiced stew?"
"You have a nose," Katara replied, catching said nose between her fingers. "You can tell one spice from another."
Toph squawked and hit her in the shoulder. "Hey! Leggo!"
Katara giggled, and Toph started to a few moments later. Soon the two of them had collapsed into giggles, and Toph felt Haru stir. The other earthbender growled and threw a clod of dirt at them before turning over again. Katara immediately clapped her hand over her mouth to try to suppress her giggles, which made Toph outright laugh.
Haru groaned and stuffed his hands over his ears. "Shut up, shut up, shut up..."
"Come on, Toph," Katara said softly. She stood up and padded out of the courtyard both the earthbenders preferred over rooms in the temple, and Toph sauntered after her, taking a moment to kick Haru lightly.
"Hate you," he muttered.
"Aw, Angelface, how're you going to be a good earthbender if you can't take a little punishment?" she asked wickedly.
Haru cursed and pulled the thin bedroll blanket over his head.
"Come on, Toph," Katara called. "Sokka might steal our rabbird if you keep messing with Haru."
Toph ground her heel against the flagstones. Sokka was asleep in 'his' room, heartbeat slow and steady. "Nah, he's still asleep."
She went with the other girl anyway, though, listening to Katara's heartbeat, her breath, the rustle of her clothes against her skin, her feet brushing against the ground. It was easy to ground herself in that. Being grounded made it easier to stuff her mother's nightmares back into their box, lock them up and bury them deep.
This was the Fire Nation. There were no vampires in the Fire Nation.
Except the ones Azula brought home with her.
"Man, you are so lucky," she said abruptly. "You grew up and you got to be a wolfdog. When I grow up, I've got to start making sure the guys around me don't want to kill me."
Katara sucked in a breath. "Toph!"
"What? It's true. That's how things work in the Earth Kingdom." She blew thoughtfully at her bangs, ruffling them a bit. "I guess not in Ba Sing Se, which has gotta be the only good thing about that stupid city."
"It can't be that bad," Katara said. "We never met any vampires-"
"Jet."
"Well, no one besides-"
"General Fong."
"... knew we shouldn't have told you any of those stories," she muttered.
Toph laughed and followed Katara over to the firepit. She flopped down on the ground while Katara pulled something out of a pot. Soon a rain of soft bits fell to the ground, so soft Toph could barely sense them.
"What's that?"
"What's what?" Katara asked.
"Those," she said, reaching into the softness. "-oh! Feathers!"
"Yep."
Toph reached out, touching Katara's face and tracing her smile. Then she grinned herself and settled back down. After a while of listening to Katara clean the rabbird, she asked the question that had been bouncing around in her head since they met the old witch. "Hey, Katara. Can you make me a wolfdog?"
Katara's heart stopped.
Toph sat up a little straighter. Huh. That was weird.
"You're too young," Katara said at last. "Really, I'm too young, but Bato marked me as an adult woman so Hama decided to make me fully adult in the tribe."
Toph shrugged. "Sure, but when I'm older? You can do it then, right?"
"Well..."
She crossed her arms and glared in Katara's general direction. "Well what? Come on, Sugarqueen, spit it out!"
"It's a thing of the Water Tribes," Katara said quietly. "It's not given to outsiders without good reason." She bit her lip. "Though, fighting the Fire Nation with the Avatar is more than reason enough, to me."
Toph blew out a breath in annoyance. "Lame."
Katara took her hand by the wrist and pressed it to her face so Toph could feel her smile. "You can't 'bend when you're changed, Toph. You wouldn't be able to see at all."
"Lame!"
-End-