The Day the Fire Nation Attacked
When I was really little, I had a friend in the Fire Nation. His name was Mujitsu. Even though I lived at the Northern Air Temple, the monks brought us to the other nations every once in a while to expose us to the world. I liked the Fire Nation the best; it was really organized, advanced, and beautiful. I had never gotten used to the cold air of the Northern Water Tribe or the ruggedness of Omashu; the Fire Nation always felt like a second home to me. That is…until...the day that changed my life forever.
I still remember that day perfectly. It was a beautiful day; the sun was bright and warm, the grass was fresh and damp, and the air was crisp and cool. I had gotten up quite early, since I couldn't sleep the previous night. You see, that day was supposed to be when I received my tattoos. I had been training as an air-bender for as long as I can remember, and that day was when I would be recognized as a master. My class and I had rehearsed the ceremony many times before that day. We would basically sit on the floor in front of a large audience with Monk Jangbu behind us. He would give a speech on our class and how we had worked so hard for this day to finally be recognized as masters. Then, each of us would come up and have our tattoos put on, a fairly long process. The ceremony took up the whole day as far as I knew, and I had hoped to cherish every minute of it.
I awoke as soon as the sun rose on the day of my ceremony. I went to the pool of water outside of my room and splashed some water on my face to wash off the sweat that had accumulated on my face and neck. I then returned inside my room and put on my ceremonial robes. These robes are almost exactly like the ones I wore every day, except they were longer and more regal. To me, the robes seemed to have a reddish color that day, probably due to the odd reflection of light coming into my room. But I later learned it meant something so much more.
After meeting up with the other members of my class, we proceeded to the Grand Meadow. The Grand Meadow was the only place in the Northern Air Temple where there was an abundance of grass. When we arrived there, all of the monks and boys who weren't old enough to receive their tattoos were sitting on the grass, looking at us with respect and honor. I smiled nervously back at everyone and took my spot on the grass at the head of the audience with the other members of my class. Monk Jangbu then proceeded to a large rock in front of everyone, stood atop it, and began to speak.
"My friends, we are gathered here today for a very important event in these young boys lives. Today, they will receive their tattoos, a symbol of their mastery at the art of air-bending. In ancient times-"
Monk Jangbu suddenly stopped talking and shut his eyes. I had no idea what was going on, and apparently, none of my other classmates did either. But then, I heard it, a loud booming sound; I had definitely heard this noise somewhere before, but I could not put my finger on it then. The monks had apparently realized what it was, and their faces filled with horror. They all stood up and hurried out of the Grand Meadow towards the outside of the Northern Air Temple. Monk Jangbu looked at the monks and then looked back at us.
"Listen to me now, children. There appears to be a disturbance at the land entrance to our home. Everyone needs to stay where they are and remain calm."
All of a sudden, a large booming sound erupted and filled the meadow. Many of us screamed and closed our eyes, since a burst of light accompanied the sound. I did not close my eyes for some reason. And since I didn't close my eyes, I knew where the light was from; it was the light a fire makes.
A few seconds later, screams replaced the previous booming sounds. Monk Jangbu's face turned a devilish purple and told us to get to safety immediately. Many of us looked at each other with blank faces; we had no idea what was going on. Monk Jangbu screamed at us again.
"Children, LISTEN TO ME! You need to get to safety. Go to the ancient chamber, the room guarded by the large door. You will need to use airbending to open it! Remain there until everything is safe! HURRY!"
Monk Jangbu then jumped off his rock and ran to where the other monks were. The rest of us quickly realized something was up, and we began to hurry towards the door. However, the only way to get there was by a ramp on the outside of the Temple. Quickly, we began to run. However, before all of us were out of the Grand Meadow, a booming sound screamed in our ears. After closing my eyes due to the bright flare that came with the sound, I opened them and could not believe what I saw. There was a huge hole in the middle of the Grand Meadow; boys were scattered around on the floor near the hole with men with skulls for faces and red armor standing above them. They saw us and immediately chased after us. I remember running up the ramp to get to the chamber and having fireballs whiz by my ear; one came so close to hitting the ear that it actually burned it. Constant screaming followed behind me, and I dared not look to see who was screaming. I couldn't bare another site of my friends lying dead on the floor.
HOW COULD THE FIRE NATION DO THIS TO US! WE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO THEM! HOW COULD THEY MURDER INNOCENT KIDS! These thoughts ran through my mind as I was trying to escape the Fire Nation soldiers chasing after us. After I heard a familiar scream, I decided that I had to do something. I turned around and shot the largest air blast I could at the soldiers. Two of them fell to the ground but, aside from some minor cuts, were unharmed. When I had fired the air blast at the soldiers, I caught another glimpse of the Grand Meadow. More monks and boys were lying there helplessly; some were dead while others were fighting for their last chance at life. Knowing I could do nothing to stop the Fire Nation, I kept running for that chamber. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I made it there. After blowing air into the five trumpets on the door, I entered the room. Only one other person was behind me, my friend Kun. He was a year younger than me, and I only knew him, because he was my friend's brother. I asked him if there was anyone else who made it.
"Nope," he said with a sorrow I'd never seen before, "th-the-they all died." He then immediately lunged into the chamber with me, and using our combined airbending, we immediately shut the door. We then sat in a corner and began to weep.
It's been two years since the Fire Nation set foot on The Northern Air Temple. I don't think they plan to do so again, since they believed they wiped everyone out. It took a long time for Kun and I to come out of the chamber; there had been a large pool of water and much fruit in there. When we first came out, we immediately set for the Grand Meadow. Blood stained the fresh grass that had been in the meadow on the day of my ceremony. I cried in grief whenever I recognized a face I knew; unfortunately, I knew everyone at the Northern Air Temple, and no one but Kun and I had survived. Well, except for one thing.
We found him a week after we exited the chamber. Apparently, he had miraculously escaped the Fire Nation onslaught. We named the young skybison Kiseki, since it truly was a miracle he survived. Every day, we take care of Kiseki; we feed him, wash him, and made him a bed in the chamber. He is our only chance of escaping this wretched place. When Kiseki is old enough, Kun and I will fly away from the Northern Air Temple and search for a place to stay. We will have finally escaped this place of death and malice; however, our memories will always be with us.