On a cold winter morning in the north pole, a little boy awoke from a nightmare.
Screaming. Crashing. An enraged creature, large and white, fur frozen into icicles, roared as it bounded after its prey. The beast tore the snow off the permafrost with every step, leaving a haphazardly plowed path in its wake. It was nearly upon the prey, who was merely a snowflake compared to the glacier chasing after it. The little snowflake tripped, perhaps over a concealed ice clump in the snow, and the chase was over. With tears flowing down its face, it gave one last shout. "Mama, Papa! Help me, please!" The beast rose up on its hind legs and came down upon the fallen boy with claws outstretched.
The boy clutched his pillow as he tried to slow down his breathing. He stayed this way for a few minutes, but found his heart rate was still too quick. Easing himself off his bed, while still hugging his pillow, he stepped into the wide hallway. The pattering of tiny footsteps echoed off the icy walls as he made his way to his parents' room. As usual, the room was empty; his parents had already left earlier that morning. The boy frowned. He wasn't expecting them to be there, but even so, he entertained the hope that maybe, just once, they would be. Slumping against the doorframe in disappointment, he buried his face into his pillow for warmth in this cold, barren place.
Slow footsteps made their way towards him, sparking his hopes, but as he lifted his head, they died back down again.
"What is Master Tahno doing up at this hour? Skipping out on even a few minutes of sleep is something to be avoided."
Tahno cast his eyes downward as he replied to the elderly butler. "Nightmare," he murmured.
The elderly gentleman seemed to nod ever so slightly in understanding. "Well then, we cannot have the young master losing out on sleep because of a bad dream. Come, follow me to the kitchen; I shall fix up a pot of tea to soothe the nerves."
The two walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the butler filled a kettle with water and brought it to a boil using waterbending. After adding the tea leaves and letting the brew soak for a while, he poured it into a finely decorated teacup and served it to Tahno, sitting at the table. The boy wrapped his fingers around the porcelain, eyes focused on the swirling black leaves. Taking a seat next to him, the butler urged him to drink his tea before it turned cold. He complied and lifted the cup to his lips, feeling warmth spread through his veins with every sip he took. Though most of the time he felt cold and alone confined in the walls of his icy home, there were moments when one person's kindness would light a flame within him, even if it wasn't from his parents.
While working on chapter two of Encounter with the Wolfbats, I thought up a backstory of what Tahno's childhood might have been like. This is a little snippet of that idea. Now back to writing about pro-bending (I can't write actiony things well ahahaha...)