Tahni stared out at the night sky as he huddled inside his sleeping bag.
The southern lights were his only comfort that night. The strings of green and blue light seemed to be there solely to console him, like a gift from above. It was good to not see red, black, or stone for once.
The lights could almost make Tahni forget the darkness that stirred inside him.
Vaatu.
Tahni could only hear him when Tahni wanted to hear him. That wasn't often, if ever. It was hard when he was little to block him out. At first, his parents had thought something was wrong with his mind. They tried to keep it private, sending Tahni to healers and such. Nothing worked. Once Tahni revealed the name of the voice inside everyone seemed to even more cautious. Not long after he revealed Vaatu's name, he was kidnapped by men in crimson and black robes. He was little when it happened, perhaps around the mere age of five. As much as Tahni tried, he never could forget the sight of one of the men freezing the water in his father's face to the point of which it shattered into bloodied shards. His mother died at the hands of a firebender, who set her aflame after knocking her unconcious.
The Red Lotus raised him after that.
They kept drilling him for twelve horific years. They taught Tahni to master water, which was the only element he could bend. The Dark Avatar didn't have control of the other three.
Yes, Tahni was the Dark Avatar.
The Red Lotus told him that when Unalaq died, the Dark Avatar was simply reborn, as him.
While he couldn't bend fire, earth or air, he was trained to fight with the style of them. He learned the stances of fire, and could fight like a firebender. He could embrace the stances of earth benders. He could dodge and avoid like an airbender.
He didn't know where their compound was until he escaped. It was underground, in solid stone hundreds of feet underground in the same south pole. Tahni still cried at the simple thought of how he escaped.
He had blood bended.
The trainers had taught him everything they could about the vile art, if you could even call it an art.
Tahni only meant to hold them in place with it. But Vaatu lept at the chance to inflict any harm of any kind. Tahni lost control. The caretakers, as the Red Lotus called them, exploded into shards of red ice.
Even now, Tahni's face was covered in cuts from the flying blood crystals.
Once the caretakers were dead, Tahni had all the time he needed to escape. He gathered up a bag full of food and water. He even rolled up a sleeping bag and tied it into place above the backpack. There were no clothes that were warm enough for the cold. After he gathered what he could, he set out on foot.
Tahni still wears his thin black and red tunic. They offer him no warmth.
Despite his horrible conditions, he soon falls asleep in the snow-covered sleeping bag.
Tahni awakens to a bright blue sky. He shields his eyes from the bright sun for a second. He wasn't used to bright lights. Tahni was raised for most of his life underground. By the position of the sun, he could tell he had slept for almost three-fourths of the day.
After a few minutes his eyes slowly started to adjust.
Tahni's arms were shaking. At first he was afraid something was wrong. A few seconds later Tahni realized he was simply shivering from the cold.
As brutal as the Red Lotus were, they always kept him warm.
Tahni crossed his arms and held them close to his body. He was forced to take them from his shivering chest to aid him as he crawled from his sleeping bag.
How was he going to survive out here?
Tahni had an idea. He started to search the sleeping bag for the threads that held it together. After a few moments he found the stitching, hidden under fur. He bit into the strings, trying to break it. Tahni eventually succeeded.
Why did the Red Lotus caretakers have to be good at sewing?
Tahni slowly, and carefully, started to remove the stitching until the bag was open. Now for sleeves.
Tahni focused on the snow around him, he bent the snow into water, then into a blade of ice. He carefully bent it to stab large enough holes into the unravelled cloth. He stuck his arms into it.
The coat was too long. It even touched the snow-covered ground.
Tahni removed the coat and bent up another ice blade. He cut the lower area off the coat. He then cut the removed area in two.
Tahni searched the ground for the strings he had removed, finding it difficult to find. After a minute of pure searching he found it.
Tahni bent up a little ice shard, and poked some holes into the cloth's edges. He also added some small holes into his coat, around the arm-holes.
He slowly worked with the string to crudely sow the cloth into sleeves. The coat was hidious, but it would have to do. Survival outweighed fashion, the latter Tahni didn't even care about.
The tunic the caretakers had given him had a black hood.
Why did the Red Lotus always need hoods on their robes? They lived underground for pete's sake, Tahni thought to himself.
He pulled up the black hood, though it did little for his freezing ears.
Tahni froze even more, if that was even possible, as he heard people talking.
The Red Lotus.
Tahni threw on his backpack, and started to walk through the foot-deep snow. He walked as hard as he could.
"Over there! I hear something!" a voice yelled.
Darn it, Tahni cursed to himself.
The foot steps in the snow grew closer. They were able to move faster than Tahni. Tahni turned around to face his chasers.
They weren't wearing the usual black and red robes. They were wearing blue and white fur coats. They were wearing traditional water tribe clothing.
Tahni let out a soft breath of relief.
"Hello, there. Sorry to startle you. Me and my daughter thought you were an animal," the taller one said.
There was only two of them, only taller then the other.
"It's alright," Tahni replied, trying as best he could to seem calm.
"What are you wearing?" the daughter asked.
Tahni at first was oblivious to what she meant, then realized she meant his "coat".
"My sleeping bag," Tahni replied slowly, understanding how dumb it sounded.
"Okay...?" she commented, as much as a question as it was a statement.
"You lost our here?" the father asked.
Tahni took a moment to think up a lie. It wasn't like he was going to say he was fleeing from a terrorist cult.
"A little," Tahni answered through an awkward smile.
"Anybody with you?" the father asked.
Won't stop asking questions, will you? Tahni thought to himself, annoyed but not showing it.
"I lost my group," Tahni lied.
The father thought for a moment.
"Well me and my daughter, Vanta, were hunting, but we could head back to the village if you need to warm up," the father decided. "You look like you've been through a ruff patch."
Tahni felt a little smile rise on his face.
"Thank you, I'll take you up on that offer."
As the three of them headed back, Tahni took note of the two others.
Vanta was young, maybe seven or eight. Her hair was tied back into a bow. Her father wasn't all muscle, but he was tall and lean. He looked like he was fast if not strong.
"What's your name?" Tahni asked, after he realized he didn't know the man's name.
"Hahtak," he answered.
Tahni stuggled to keep up, his boots weren't waterproof. They were black leather.
"What's your name?" Hahtak asked.
"Tahni," he answered.
Crap, should I be telling people my name?
Tahni mentally kicked himself.
"It's nice to meet you, Tahni," Hahtak replied as kindly as he could.
This took Tahni off-guard. He wasn't used to people being kind. It was usually just cold and demanding words that met his ears.
After they made their way over a hill of snow, Tahni could finally see the village. It was small. Most of the buildings were either igloos or wooden huts. Tahni even saw two little toddlers playing in the snow. He could feel a slight smile on his face.
Did I ever play like that? Tahni wondered.
It was unlikely, the voices had started when he was very young.
"Our hut is just at the outskirts," Hahtak informed him. "We'll give you a good meal, then we'll go searching for your group tommorow."
Tahni quickly thought up another lie.
"They probably already left without me," Tahni explained.
Hahtak thought about this for a moment as they approached one of the huts.
"Still wouldn't hurt to have a look," Hahtak replied, considering what Tahni had said.
The hut that Tahni assumed was their home was modest. It was small and wooden. There was a single window, to the right of the door. A small stone chimney peaked out from the far side of the hut. A puff of grey smoke constantly rose from it.
Vanta sprung to life, and rushed up the few stairs leading to the door. She flung the door open and yelled, "mom! We're home!"
Tahni and Hahtak entered after Vanta.
The inside of the wooden hut was much more decorated that the outside. A few pelts were hung flattened onto the walls. The fireplace was full of wooden logs, sending smoke up the chimney. Above the fireplace hung the taxodermy head of a beast hunted.
A woman with long black hair in a dark blue robe fiddled with pans being heated over the fireplace.
"Who is this?" she asked kindly, smiling at Tahni.
"This is Tahni, found him lost out there," Hahtak replied as he sat by the fire.
"I guess this means you didn't catch anything," she sighed. "Oh well, guess we're having fish again."
She pulled the pan from the fire to reveal a prepared fish.
Hahtak suddenly realised he hadn't introduced Tahni to his wife.
"This is Pauna, my wife," Hahtak stated.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Pauna," Tahni greeted.
"It's wonderful to meet you as well," Pauna replied.
Vanta was tearing off her thick boots. One she had removed them she tossed them aside and discarded of her coat with equal vigor.
"Is he staying the night? Because if he is, I'm not giving up my bed," she asked.
Hahtak replied, "he can sleep out here, we're going to search for his group in the morning."
Pauna started to gather plates and prepared four parts of the fish. While Pauna set up the food, Hahtak and Tahni removed their coats and boots. Hahtak seemed curious at the colors of Tahni's tunic, but didn't ask.
When presented with a plate, Tahni softly pushed it away.
"I shouldn't eat up your food," he protested.
Pauna pushed it back into his hands with a suprising amount of strength.
"Nonsense, you need to eat," she insisted.
Slowly, Tahni began to eat alongside the family. He wasn't used to eating such a nicely prepared meal. The Red Lotus fed him grey sludge that was blended protein, veggies, and such. Tahni enjoyed the fresh taste in his mouth. It was the first time he could remember actually enjoying his meal. After the meal, everyone went to their beds.
Tahni was giving a fur blanket and pillow. He soon found himself asleep.
Tahni awoke to the sound of the creaking door. He sat up and opened his eyes to find Hahtak walking in with two black-robed men.
The Red Lotus.
Hahtak had a giant smile on his face.
"Yeah, he's been staying here. He was afraid you had left without him, can you believe it?" Hahtak explained to the two Red Lotus members.
Tahni just stared in shock.
"Oh Tahni! You're awake! I figured I'd let you sleep in, so I went out and searched for your group without you, and as you can see I found them!" Hahtak said once he saw Tahni was awake.
Hahtak's expression revealed he didn't know the Red Lotus, he thought he had only found Tahni's group. He wasn't an enemy. Once Hahtak saw the shocked look on Tahni's face, his own turned to one of confusion.
It was the last look Hahtak ever gave.
The Red Lotus member to the left pulled out and dagger and stabbed Hahtak from behind directly in the heart. Hahtak fell to his knees dead.
"NO!" Tahni screamed as he sprung up and jumped at the dagger-wielding Red Lotus member.
Pauna heard Tahni scream and she awoke to see her husband fall from his knees and hit the floor with a thud.
"Hahtak?!" she yelled, for a few seconds unaware what just happened.
Vanta awoke and screamed once she saw the scene unfolding.
As Tahni tried to tackle one of the Red Lotus members, the other turned to Pauna. She tried to leap from her bed, but the Red Lotus member had already raised his hands and sent a volley of fire. The fire pinned against her against the wall as she burnt into ash.
Vanta was beginning to cry instead of scream. The firebender turned to face her now.
Tahni reacted with instinct. He spun the dagger his first foe's hands and plunged it into his opponent's chest. At the same time, he swung his leg to trip the firebender just as he started sending fire. A blast of fire hit the wooden ceiling. As the firebender tried to get back to his feet, Tahni swung his left arm and smacked the firebender's skull with the left side of his fist. The firebender hit the floor, unconcious.
Tahni looked to Vanta, who was as confused as she was terrified. He sprung to his feet and ran to her. She raised her hands to defend herself, but Tahni grabbed one of her raised arms and pulled her after him out the door, the ceiling collapsing behind them.
He shielded his eyes for a second upon exiting the burning hut, but when his eyes adjusted he spotted a dozen or so of the Red Lotus standing in front of him.
"Stay behind me," Tahni said to Vanta.
She gladly did so, hiding her small frame behind him.
Tahni raised his hands, bending threads of water along with them. He spun, throwing the narrow threads at the group. The blow knocked them all down. Tahni grabbed Vanta's arm once more and led her down the street, which was filling with people who had come out to seek the source of the strange noises.
Once the Red Lotus got back on their feet they saw the gathering crowd of people. They showed no mercy. Pikes of ice staked people into the ground. Boulders of stone were thrown as the people tried to run. Fire burnt everything in its path.
"GO!" Tahni yelled after he released Vanta's arm.
She did as he ordered. Tahni looked back at the people running for their lives. He couldn't let them die. He just couldn't bring himself to run away.
So he ran foward.
Tahni grabbed one of the ice spikes mid-air and spun it around himself until he let it fly back at the Red Lotus. It struck one of them in the stomach, and pierced through him. A boulder was sent flying at him, but Tahni reacted in time to spin clockwise and dodge it. The boulder came a mere centimeter from his nose as he spun. Tahni took this chance as he spun to grab more water from the snowy ground. He formed a tendril of water and he threw it at the earthbender's head and he made it freeze after it contained it. He chucked the man onto the ground, and his head hit it hard. Whether the earthbender was dead or simply unconcious afterwards was of no concern to Tahni right now.
Tahni heard the roar of fire coming from behind him. He drew a wall of ice from the snowy ground. The fire bended around it like a river around a stone. Tahni then kicked the wall of ice in the general direction from which the fire came. The block of ice collided with the firebender, who's fate was also unknown to Tahni.
A tendril of water snapped behind his right knee. Tahni fell to that knee with a groan from the pain. Tahni spun on the knee and kicked with his left leg. A spike of ice flew from the ground and it impaled the enemy waterbender. Tahni forced himself to stand. The pain was manageable. He bared his teeth to try and help deal with the pain. The Red Lotus members that were still up and fighting started to circle around him.
One whipped his back with water.
Another threw a small stone at his ankle.
Tahni tried to bend at them, but everytime he rose to his feet they gave another blow to send him back down.
The earthbending Red Lotus members started the rise earth from the ground around Tahni. They were trapping him.
No, Tahni thought. I can't go back there. I won't go back there.
The earth started to curve above his head, stealing every precious piece of sunlight. Slowly but surely, the light dimmed until it was no more. It was pitch black. Only the rumbling of the moving earth and the sharpness of pain filled his senses. Tahni felt his legs give out. He fell onto his knees. He grabbed at the snow like it could somehow save him. His bleeding and cut hands held onto the ice-cold snow as it melted to his touch.
Then a violet light started to brighten. Tahni looked up at the top, but found no hole. He reached out, only to find a shadow formed behind his hands. The light... was coming from him...
The light got brighter and brighter.
That is all Tahni remembered before he blacked out.