Wandering Firebender

Fifty Four: Picking Fights

Elio didn't expect the day to end in a fight...

Elio woke up quietly and rubbed his eyes, using his hand to sweep the hair out of his face. As the day of Sozin's Comet came closer and closer, he found himself struggling more and more to sleep well. Anxiety and dread hung heavily in the air, and its weight increased with each passing day.

Just 6 more days.

Less than a week left. Elio swallowed nervously at the thought of this. Since he'd arrived, he'd been doing everything he could to help get the men and women of the Northern Water Tribe ready for the day of the invasion. It was pretty much all he had devoted his time to.

But today, his mind was on something else that someone had said to him. He couldn't remember right now who had said it, but regardless, he'd been neglecting one very important fact: he would be fighting too, and he wasn't ready yet.

That was a very loaded thing to consider. After all, wasn't that why Elio ran away in the first place? To avoid fighting in the war? Nevertheless, he knew that this was the right thing to do. If it weren't for him, the Northern Water Tribe would've been caught completely off-guard.

Despite that, he still didn't have the stomach for conflict, not like this. He realized as much when he'd fought in that Earth Kingdom city. Wars are vicious, and battles are ugly. There was no way of telling now what he would do when the time came.

How could he know?

That was the result of all of his experiences throughout this past year: even when he didn't want to do something, and as much as he might dislike it, if it was the right thing to do, he would do it anyways. As much as he liked having that trait now, he still didn't like the situations that this mindset often put him in.

Elio got out of bed, had his breakfast, and got ready to go out. He fixed his hair and put on the water tribe parka he had been given, the one with the large black flame painted on the back of it. He knocked on the door before stepping outside.

"Ah, good morning. Are you on your way to help with another class?" The guard asked him as he stepped out. Elio looked in the direction of the training grounds and hesitated before giving his answer.

"Actually, no. I'd like to get in some of my own training today. Could you please pass that along to the master?" Elio requested. The guard nodded.

"I'll pass it down."

"Thank you...I need somewhere wide open to train in. Know any places like that?" Elio asked him.

"Other than the official training grounds?" The guard asked. Elio rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well...behind the palace that way, there's nothing but untouched ice. The conditions are a lot harsher if you go out that way, but there's nothing there for you to burn." The guard answered.

"Oh, that's perfect! Thank you!" Elio said appreciatively.

"You're welcome." The guard answered politely and even smiled a little.

Elio took his staff and a small amount of food with him, going off in the direction that the guard had pointed. Very quickly, he found himself running into the edge of the palace grounds. Once he'd stepped out, it was a steep climb up to the desolate area that the guard had been talking about.

Elio took a few moments to catch his breath once he got to the top. He sat at the top and turned around. Now he was able to get an even better view of the entire Northern Water Tribe. The ice glistened in the morning sun so beautifully. It was captivating each and every time he saw it.