Wandering Firebender

Eleven: The Yellow Horizon

Elio felt like he was getting a fever. His body was hot and cold; he was shivering and also sweating. He tossed and turned in his bed. His body tensed and relaxed again and again. Every time he heard the sound of sliding rock, it startled his nerves.

He finally sat up with a jolt. His hands were ready to fight, but he knew there was no one in the room. He rubbed his eyes with a tired groan and wiped his brow with his blanket. He got up out of bed and walked over to the window of his room.

He was staying in an inn within the walls of Omashu. It was a beautiful, tall city, but it was crawling with earthbenders. They were guarding the gates before he entered, and they seemed to run the city's delivery system through a series of slides.

The constant sounds of earthbending kept him on edge all the time. He could hear them by the gates, in the market, and even now in the dead of night he could hear them from his room.

Never before had he felt so unsafe, so stifled and surrounded by danger. His chest felt like it had been tight inside all day; he felt like if he breathed too much, he would be attacked. He could tell he wouldn't be getting much more sleep tonight...

He needed to get out of the Earth Kingdom...

Although he had nothing against the city itself, he was happy to put Omashu behind him the next morning. However, there was some good that had come out of staying there. While he was buying food for his journey, he had heard reports of a trade ship that had made port on the other side of the mountains.

In the days that he spent being guided around the mountains towards the next town, he was again reminded of why the citizens of the Earth Kingdom hated the Fire Nation so much.

In order to avoid a Fire Nation base, he along with dozens of other refugees were led by a guide safely around the mountains. The route was long, twisting and winding like a snake. It was hot and exhausting. He felt tired all the time, and it was obvious that the other refugees traveling with him felt the same.

The Fire Nation had made life hard for so many people. It had made life hard for Elio too, but for a different reason. They suffered because they weren't with the Fire Nation. He suffered because he had chosen not to stand with the Fire Nation.

Being caught in the middle of this war without fighting on either side was the right thing to do, but it was a lonely feeling too. It seemed there was no one that he could trust.

He finally arrived in the coastal town he had set out for. He immediately made his way to the harbor and walked down the line of ships until he found what he was looking for: a yellow flag with the outline of a sun with a bird in front of it as its insignia. He approached two men who were loading up cargo.

"I'd like to speak with your captain, please." He said as he approached them.

"Do you have business with him?" One of them asked.

"I heard that you're looking for crew members. I'd like to join." Elio stated simply. Both men looked him over, cocking their eyebrows.

"You sure about that, kid? It ain't easy work." The other man warned.

"I'll do what I have to do. Where can I speak with him?" He asked.

"He's at the helm. Right up there." The first man pointed. Elio nodded thankfully and made his way up onto the ship.

He looked around curiously. He watched as the crew members lifted crates from the dock onto the plank and pushed them up onto the ship. It looked busy; he was definitely going to be worked hard here. But any change of pace was welcome to him.