The Other Airbender

18

so uh idk where I was going with that picture but yeah

I tried doing zuko with his hair down while he still had a ponytail (so his forehead is rather large) but he looks terrifying so pls ignore him
It was a super quick sketch ok I promise I'm not that terrible at art :(

also thank u to everyone bothering to read this hehehe I'm sorry I suck at updating

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I stopped struggling. The water was pushing against me from all sides, squeezing me as it sent me further down into its depths. Every part of my body was numb, and I couldn't do anything except endure the dull ache of the cold seeping into my body. My chest was throbbing with the excruciatingly desperate need for air, but all it got was saltwater. My ears burned as they popped from the pressure, worsening progressively. My eyes fluttered open, the pain from the salt that had bothered me not moments ago now nothing in comparison to the feeling in my lungs. I could see nothing but darkness.

Am I dying?

The old, painful memories were sending my brain past its physical limits, the fear was too much for me to bear. I wanted to scream, to cry, but I couldn't. If I did no one would hear me. I could only wait patiently for death to arrive, getting closer and closer as I sunk further and further.

I don't want to die.

Him. I couldn't force the soldier out of my mind. Once he emerged from the deepest, darkest parts of my head, where I had locked him away long ago, he refused to go back. Anything that had spurred the memory of him before, anything from fire to someone barely brushing against my wrist, would reignite the fear. And now he was etched into my brain so deeply it felt like the fear would never stop.

How much longer will this pain last?

There was a sharp tug at my wrist, and fresh terror washed over me. And then I felt myself being dragged, but not by the ocean, and not into its depths. I didn't struggle against the pull, I was too weak to even react, but slowly I felt the pain in my ears subside as the pressure decreased, and a twinge of relief flooded through me. But the dread I was feeling at the strong pull at my wrist was quickly flooding my senses again, choking me as I tried to hyperventilate, only to swallow mouthfuls of salty water.

Let me go.

Everything was black. Why was it so dark? Whenever I shut my eyes, all I could see was him. Why couldn't I just forget? Why? I want to breath. My lungs were aching, my limbs were limp, and I was being dragged by my wrist. The feeling was alarmingly familiar, even through the numbness in my body I could feel the grip, firm and painful. It was an all too real reminder of the soldier that appeared in my every nightmare. Why was everything happening so fast? 

A last bolt of fear struck me, and my head throbbed wildly before my vision began to spot, blurring everything as I faded away.

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I jerked up, heaving as I spluttered for air, greedily gulping in the oxygen I had craved for as I coughed up seawater at the same time. I didn't pay attention to anything around me, desperately trying to catch my breath. Every part of me hurt, my head, my chest, my wrist, they all ached in response to my sudden movements.

Slowly, I started maintaining my breaths as I coughed up the last of the water, trying to make sense of what was happening. I felt strangely warm, and I could feel my limbs slowly losing their numbness. It was dark but I could see, and it felt like a stark contrast to the deep black depths of the ocean. My sight was fuzzy, but I could recognise the distinctive orange glow of fire in the corner of my eye, and as soon as I saw the flames I could feel the unease creeping down my spine, like an unwanted guest there to remind me how weak I was. How I couldn't do anything about my situation because I was always scared.