Fire blazed through the bloodied sky as Fire Nation generals—mounted atop uniformed rhinoceroses—ravaged the iced streets. The men of my native tribe fought back vigorously, but to no avail. The red armored monsters continued to decimate our home. No matter how hard I and the townspeople tried to defend ourselves, no matter how long we attacked, the hordes of pyromaniacs refused to cease their rampage of annihilation. Though my people had The Avatar fighting in our favor, we continued to gradually fall to our knees. Being a child prodigy, as well as the pride of the Northern Water Tribe, I chose to fight alongside the other benders. Although I seemed brave against the eyes of my comrades, my heart rebelled in opposition to the undertow of terror that was consuming me increasingly. Everywhere I turned, the image of my father dashing into combat, and never returning, flashed through my mind. The thought of my mother being killed—being completely helpless—rattled my spine with a chill. And my brother… my twin brother, his infected body lying awkwardly on the snow covered ground, motionless, nipped at my sight with an emotional liquid I consistently fought to oppose.
***
I could no longer attack the enemy, for my hands trembled much too frantically to even lift the water from the ice. My knees nearly crumbled beneath what little weight I possessed, and I soon became terrified enough to the point where I was unable to stand. I raced across the battlefield, madly attempting to find an unoccupied area. When I finally discovered an empty room—resting atop a small tower leading to one of the many bridges—I curled into fettle position within the darkest corner I was able to locate. I placed my head upon my knees, tears staining the singed navy blue pants cast over my legs as they streaked down my soiled cheeks. I whimpered quietly to myself, listening to the battle raging on outside.
"Up there men!" a ruthless voice called, the words surpassing my limitation for comfort. Soon, the echo of clicking boots chattering against an iced stairwell inflated with volume toward my direction.
My faint, panicking breath nearly ceased as my weeping froze. A dreadful herd of Fire Nation soldiers marched through the small cavern in which I hid, and sprinted out onto the bridge where two waterbenders had been assaulting the squad from afar. Only one of the men had noticed my ash encrusted face watching them fearfully in the faint sunlight that managed to spill into the shaded cavern. Unexpectedly, his hardened expression drooped in sympathy as he observed the tremors vibrating within my six- year- old body. He approached me cautiously, allowing the rest of his group to continue their battle.
I was excessively stricken with fear to move, let alone blink. My heart pounded in my ears, telling me to run, but also telling me not to anger the beast. The man placed his callused hand under my chin, and studied my frozen blue eyes with his flame- licked gold ones. I wanted to slap the appendage away, but my instincts told me not to, for I may be punished severely for my insolence. The tears were the only thing that persisted in movement while the rest of my face was utterly still.
"Little boy," he spoke in a surprisingly soft voice, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't your elders have evacuated all you children to a safer place?"
Get your filthy hands off me! I wanted to scream, but once again, mind prevailed over heart. In a quiet voice, nearly undetectable through the brutality outside, I whispered, "I'm scared…"
"Of course you're scared," he agreed in the same, delicate tone, "This is how war is."
"But why…?" I whimpered. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because…" he began, but after that single word, no more manipulated breath tumbled from his scarred lips. He pondered my question, seriously considering my words; something I believed would never happen. "I really don't know anymore…" He finally answered, his face assuming realization. "There really is no point to this bloodshed, is there?"
"Please… don't hurt me!" I blurted out, though was careful to be as quiet as before.
"I won't hurt you." He promised with a warm smile. "You helped me realize the truth today. Thank you."