Wandering Firebender

Fifty Six: Black Snow

It was a dreary morning. The sun and sky had lost some of its color and brightness, desaturated by the heavy snowfall. Elio put on his water tribe parka and opened up his front door. He was greeted by a cascading wall of black snow coming down from the sky. His eyes widened, and he pulled his hood over his head as he stepped outside.

Today was the day that Sozin's Comet would pass over the planet. Today was the day that the Fire Nation would attack the Northern Water Tribe.

There was a sick dread thickening the air, causing it to weigh down on everyone. One way or another, today would mark the end of an era. Those who lived to see tomorrow would be entering into a new world, for better or for worse.

Elio gripped his staff a little tighter as he walked towards the front wall of the Northern Water Tribe. This was the moment he had been preparing for, for a long time. It had been a long and difficult road, but now he felt like his journey was finally about to come to an end...

"Bolster your courage, men! The Fire Nation is advancing on the wall!" The chief shouted. Elio's eyes widened.

"They're here already?!" He exclaimed in surprise, quickening his pace. He brought his arm up in front of his face to shield himself from the falling snow. He hurried up the steps to the top of the wall.

When Elio reached the top, he looked to his right and saw the armada of Fire Nation naval ships coming in the distance, slowly drawing closer. He was shocked to see so many ships approaching. Intimidation began to set in, but he couldn't back out now.

"Chief Arnook!" Elio called out, running towards the center of the wall. The chief turned and saw him coming.

"Elio! Nice of you to finally join us. Unfortunately, it looks like you were right about the invasion, down to the exact day. I fear now we'll be in for the fight of our lives."

"What's the plan?" Elio asked.

"I will send the first wave of waterbenders out by boat to slow the approach as much as they can. Once they make landfall, we'll keep them boxed in. The more they spread through the city, the worse things will get. But our number one priority is protecting the ocean and moon spirits.

"Last time they were here, the admiral in charge was able to kill the moon spirit, nearly throwing the entire world out of balance forever. My daughter gave up her life to reverse the damage...if that happens again, there will be nothing we can do.

"We all must be prepared to give up our lives to protect our home. The Fire Nation can kill us, but if they upset the natural order of things again, everyone will be doomed." Chief Arnook explained.

"So...this isn't just about the tribe. It's about saving the world." Elio realized.

Finally, he understood the true weight of this destiny that he had been given; why this battle was so important. The fate of the world literally hung in the balance. He was going to be in the center of it all. Elio pressed the bottom end of the staff into the ground.

"Sozin's Comet doesn't come until this afternoon. If they attack right away, then I can only assume their plan is to try and take us down before the comet arrives. They'll go for the kill as soon as they're able to draw power from it." Elio reasoned.

"Then we will have to either defeat them quickly or outlast them completely. It isn't going to be easy either way." Chief Arnook said candidly.

They watched as the ships drew in closer, finally starting to make their approach. As they got in close, waterbenders sailed out and created a large ice wall that spread and rose up almost as wide as the wall itself. Elio held his breath, waiting to see how effective this would be.