"You call that water bending?"
Tomkin's face heated as Okauyak laughed at his misfortune. There were many things that came easy to the fifteen year old. He was the best bowman in the compound. He was also a great hunter. However, for all that water meant to him, it being the national insignia of his people and cultural ancestry, he could not bend it. This simple incapability caused him great strife among his water bending friends.
Tomkin pulled up his pants and slapped his hands together. "Watch this." He yelled to his teasers. Swiveling on the balls of his heels, he jumped into the correct formation. His eyes closed as he sent a brief prayer to the spirits to help him out. Tomkin's arms swayed in the air urging the waters edge to bend to his will. A limp wave came wading towards them. That was an accomplishment. Wasn't it?
The rest of the boys were totally unimpressed.
It had been a year since he started his warrior sessions. After training, the boys would often go to the chill water's edge outside the compound. Mostly, they'd be there to goof off. Then there were days such as today when fierce competitions between the youths broke out.
Tomkin exhaled a deep breath and looked into the ice waters intently. One must feel the push and pull of the water, become one with it-this is what his masters taught him. It didn't matter how much "oneness" he tried to develop with the stubborn substance. Tomkin would never learn how to water bend.
After several attempts Tomkin's diligence wore out. Angry hot breaths whooshed through his nose and mouth and dissipated into the cold air. He was tired of trying.
The grin on his friends face widened as it was his turn go. Okauyak had been his best friend since they were children and he never chided him like the others...at least not as much. The boy stepped up to the water's edge and his hands raised in a pulling motion, calling the ocean waters to him. A ball of liquid raised out and up. It popped into the air splashing Tomkin's pelt and boots.
Okauyak's grey eyes shown with mischeiveous delight and he smiled. "Serves you right, waterhead."
His friend was nothing impressive, yet better than he could ever be. Tomkin's face twisted with jealousy. Not one to be shown up he dug into the snow and packed the soft white earth into a ball in his hands.
"I 'll show you water bending. " Tomkin smirked as he threw the ball of white. It landed lopsidedly against Okauyak 's head. The boy shook off the icy snow ball and laughed.
"Piss poor bending I 'd say." A voice traveled over the crowd of boys like a blackening cloud. Tomkin tensed, his smile morphed into a scowl. He knew who that voice belonged to.
"Why don't you go back to whatever hole you slithered out from Kan." said Tomkin.
Kan was the son of the current water tribe cheif. There had always been bad blood between he and Tomkin. The boy wasn't sure of why or when their rivalry started. Even when they were boys Kan would do everything in his power to slight him. Once, his grandfather Tonraq had told him that jealousy was a green eyed monster and that 's why Kan bothered him. That had been the most foolish thing the old man had ever said. What did Kan have to be jealous of really?
The much larger boy got between the two friends and pushed Okauyak aside. He got into Tomkin's face. "How bout' I not."
In a show of one uppanceship Kan stomped his feet into the ground and took on a look of intense focus. He motioned his hands towards the water and it raised in a small wave. Before Tomkin realized what was going to happen the wave of water rushed out the ocean and rained down upon him. thouroughly soaking his body. "What's the use in having the Avatar for a mother if she can 't teach you how to water bend boy." Kan said.
Tomkin ignored the biting chill seeping through his soggy wet clothes. "Don t talk about my mother. "
"Okay, I ll talk about your father then. "Kan's mouth twisted into a vicious smirk. "Oh wait...you don t have one. "
This went beyond his usual teasing and bullying. This was a call for provocation and Tomkin would surely answer it. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Shut up. "
"Or what." The boy hands pushed against his chest and Tomkin fell. He yelped when his back met a hard sheet of ice. Kan was a year his senior. He looked like a full grown man already with the height and noticeable stubble to match. He would be lying if he said he wasn' t afraid inspite of the adrenalin and rage fueling his confidence.
Tomkin picked himself off the ground. His chin tilted upwards and he gave Kan the meanest glare. " Or this." He punched the boy as hard as he could. Kan toppled over just as a tower would. It was like watching a slow motion mover flick. Tomkin held his breath counting the seconds until he saw the boy sink into a huge pile of snow. The corners of his mouth raised in an triumphant smirk. Just because he could not water bend did not mean he did not know how to fight.
The large boy got up. The tan skin of his cheeks flushed red as a rose. Quickly, he raised himself out of the snow pile. "Looks like the bastard grew some balls."Kan roared with dark laugher. "S'ok I got bigger ones." Tomkin hit hard, but Kan hit harder and faster. He did not see the punch flying into his stomach. He definitely felt it though. His body hurled over and he tried to keep his breakfast inside. A part of him wish he didn t. How glorious would it be to vomit all over Kan to spite him?
Tomkin hated to be called such things. He had spent much of his life having his parentage questioned. Some were mean about like Kan. Most simply ignored the topic out of courtesy for who his mother was. It was true he had been raised without a father. Tomkin did not know. It seemed his mother wasn't willing to ever espouge this information either. Years the boy spent trying to pry it out of her until one day he simply decided to give up. Maybe it was better not to know? It was the truth though. He was a bastard, of the avatar no less, but that did not mean he was willing to accept the insult.
"I' ll tell you a story, bastard." Kan looked down at the boy lying in the snow. "My father told me tales of women who defile themselves whenever their feral lust demanded it. These whores would get off many a man." Kan was smiling as if this was the greatest story ever and it made Tomkin roll his eyes." Not only this, but the product of these temporary unions would result in children. Of course the fathers of these poor bastards didn' t want them. They had wives of there own. And the whores that didn t want the babies drowned them in the icy arctic river. The harlots that took pity on these bastards though were-.
"And what does that have to do with anything ever?" Tomkin growled. He had long since grown tired of Kan 's dumb rambling story.
"Nothing little Tomkin." He said. "I am simply stating that whores have bastards... "
The heated glare that Tomkin gave him could have melted both the North and South Poles. "And?" He said.
Kan continued his speech. "And you are a bastard...so...your mother...more than likely... was a..." He didn't get to finish his sentence. Tomkin jumped up and pranced on him at inhumane speed. Both their bodies flew over a snow hill and slid down in different directions.
Tomkin pushed out off the mountain of ice first and closed the distance between him and Kan. His hair was wet and it clung to his head and his mukluks sloshed through the snow angrily."You' re going to wish you had never been born. " He said, seething.
"Not anymore than you do bastard." Kan responded getting to his feet.
Tomkin aimed at his face but Kan proved to be the better fighter. The boy had blocked most of his blows. Pain surged through him after Kan sent a fist flying into his lip and another into his right side. Tomkin unsteadily sunk to the ground but not without dragging Kan down with him.
It was a hurricane of movement. Punches and jabs were exchanged as both bodies convulsed in the snow. Each boy trying to get the best of one another. Kan won the fight for dominance as he sunk a knee into the boys chest. Tomkin recoiled in return. This proved to be his biggest mistake. Kan took advantage and his big hands wrapped around the smaller boy's throat. Tomkin tried to claw them off but hadn't the strength. The fight had drained him considerably.
"You think you are so much better than me. " Kan said. He lifted the boys neck and slammed it back in the hard packed snow. " Son of the Avatar?" He laughed evilly. "Where is she?" His hands gripped his neck even tighter. His eyes grew darker." Can she save you now, bastard?" Kan repeated the vicious word as he slammed his head back into the snow hard as he could.
Tomkin did not process the boys words. They faded into the background of his thoughts. He could only feel himself losing his grasp at life. Black spots danced across his vision and air had ceased to flow to his lungs. Was he dying? How could he let Kan kill him? Tomkin had not lived the full extent of his teenaged life. He never traveled outside of the South Pole. He never even kissed a girl! At fifteen years old killed from a tousle in the snow by the local bully. That would go over well in water tribe history...
No.Tomkin would not allow Kan to do this to him. He would end this once and for all. It was either be killed or kill and Tomkin wasn't willing to hand his life to a self aggrandizing bully. His hands dug into the snow and the soft white substance transformed into something sharp and smooth in his hands. He was doing it! To his surprise he was bending. His imagination raced with thoughts on how this would end for Kan. A maiming right in the middle of the...
"STOP THIS INSTANT." A voice boomed though the chaos." It seeming to stop Kan. He flew away from the boy faster than imaginable. At once Kan turned to look down to see a pointed stalactite aimed at him. He looked at Tomkin and back to the sharp piece of ice. His eyes grew wide. "What the... " He tried to formulate a sentence but astonishment got the better of him.
Grandpa Tonraq had saved the day. He walked towards his grandson and Kan angrily. "What's going on?" said Tonraq, but his face read what he already knew.
Tomkin simply melted the makeshift shank and it dissipated into the snow. He brushed off his pelt. Before he opened his mouth to explain the matter Kan interjected. " I' ll tell you what is going on. " His voice was full of surprise and anger. "Your grandson tried to stab me to death."
"I stab you? " His swollen lip prevented him from talking properly. " With what?"
"Don t pretend you don t know. " Kan said. "You water bent the snow to ice. "
So what. He did. It wasn't Tomkin's fault. Kan had tried to kill him. Besides, Kan had been the one to start the fight, as always. You choked me! He motioned towards the older boy with his mouth in a snarl. "And gave me this. " He said, pointing to his swollen, bloody lip.
Kan's hand's twisted into fists at his sides. "I can give you another one. "
Tomkin returned the gesture and he stepped closer. "You can try. "
"Enough!" His grandfather's deep voice cut though the arguing like a knife. He pushed both boys a part.
"Tomkin your mother needs you." He said. "Go to her." Tonraq gripped his grandson's shoulder to show that he meant business."Now."
"Fine." He sent one more dirty look towards Kan and started for the short trek back to the compound.