Prompt 2: Water

It was times like this when Terran fervently wished he knew how to swim. No, it wasn't the first time he found himself drowning, but like all the previous times it was terrifying to be unable to escape the water's grasp, which almost seemed to consciously, maliciously pull him down. The frigid water roared deafeningly in his ears.

He managed to break the surface and gasped wildly for air, simultaneously casting his eyes around in an attempt to get his bearings. But Terran's vision was blurry, his mind was reeling with panic, and almost instantly he was under again. Once more, he came up spluttering, trying to maneuver back to his canoe, which had flipped when a particularly large wave swept by.

One of his oars was enticingly close, but just when he made to grab it, a ripple cruelly snatched it away. Terran's head disappeared, followed by his flailing arms.

Suddenly a strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, and he choked for air, allowing himself to be pulled up a round disk of ice. Once he was able to breathe, he looked up and focused on the face of his rescuer.

He, who was dressed in the bulky blue attire donned by most water-benders, was looking down at him with concerned (and slightly surprised) blue eyes. The man appeared to be middle-aged and his dark brown hair was tied back. A few locks of it was braided and beaded.

"Are you all right?" his deep rumbled.

"As I'll ever b-b-be," Terran replied nonchalantly, swiping his hair from his eyes. "Th-thanks-s."

The waterbender nodded. "I'll take you to the village and see if we can't get you warmed up."

Terran nodded to that blissful statement. His body was shivering violently, and his ears and fingers stung. "I'm T-Terran," he managed to get out.

"Kuval."

They lapsed into silence, which was fine with Terran because he was desperately trying to get back some semblance of warmth. He always hated the cold, as he never did well in it. Obviously.

The tall icy walls of the northern water tribe loomed up and opened for them. Terran suddenly realized that they must have seen him from the top of the wall and come to save him. Thank goodness for that. Once inside, Kuval guided the ice disk to the snowy walkway and helped Terran up.

"We'll go to my house," Kuval said, jerking his head in the direction they were walking. "It's just a few doors down."

"Th-Thanks," Terran said.

Kuval opened the door and led the boy inside. The heat brushed against Terran's face, making his frozen skin tingle welcomingly.

"I'll get you some dry clothes," Kuval said, releasing Terran's arm once they were beside the blazing fire. "Go ahead and undress."

He willingly obliged, stripping his jacket, shirt, trousers, and shoes. His arms nearly got tangled up in his haste. As he waited for Kuval to return, Terran inched his toes as close to the hot stones as he dared, wrapping his shivering limbs around himself. Kuval finally did, with water tribe clothing, which Terran couldn't bring himself to begrudge considering they were warm and dry.

Kuval turned his back to give him some privacy. "So what were you doing out there?"

"Drowning."

"Ha!" Kuval laughed heartily. "Yes, apparently. I mean, what brings you here? You're obviously from the Earth Kingdom, and they have little cause to be surrounded by so much water."

"True, true," Terran said, tying the pants. The clothes were a bit big on his frame, but he couldn't complain. "I'm looking for someone I think may have traveled here."

The waterbender turned. "Another from the Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes. A friend of mine," Terran said.

Kuval looked thoughtful. "I don't remember anyone, at least not for a long while. How long ago would it have been?"

Terran shrugged. "I'm not so sure Kun came this way, anyway. May have been the southern tribe, for all I know."

"Hm," came the non-reply. "Well, in any case, you can stay here for however long you like. And when you leave, I think you'd do better to have a boat not made of canvas."

Terran smirked at this. "I think it got me far enough, considering I made it myself."

"Ah, very handy, are you?"

"No, not at all."

"Ha!"

A/N: Thanks very much for reading! ^-^