Maybe they escaped the raids from not being home at that moment , then when they learned that the raids started they kept their bending a secret , ofc they still fought with their tribe but with material weapons oR maybe they did not learn they could waterbend until they went out at the sea ?? Late 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 benders ? I suppose they could exist too righttt ?there are a lot of possibilities ;0
Yeah !!! I’ve been really attached to the idea of them having to suppress their bending for survival you know? It mirrors the way Hakoda and Kya probably had to hide the fact that Katara could waterbend. Idk that always seemed the best explanation and I’ve kinda made a list of hcs as to why?
- They have to actually reteach themselves how to bend at sea
- Which opens up the possibility for me, that Hakoda’s father could have been a waterbender (which okay I mentioned that I made Hakoda’s family tree right?)
Hakoda teaching them what little he remembers from his father trying to figure out if he was a waterbender
- There’s also the case of Bato’s mother who was taken in a raid and he also remembers some of her teachings.
- There are some of the older warriors who were more experienced with their bending prior to the war and they’re now given the flexibility to work it freely. (Or as freely as possible without fear for fire nation soldiers)
- I just really love the camaraderie that comes with them all teaching themselves and each other how to waterbend okay?
