Author's Note: I'm going to try to publish these inserts as fast as humanly possible for me. Maybe one a day, two a day, one every two days… I don't know. I'll probably end up slacking, but, please, send reviews and critiques. This whole collection is my first crack at Sokkla, so if I'm doing something wrong, don't be afraid to let me know. I'm always open for improvement.
Here's number two! And it is yet another drabble. Two in a row. Perhaps I can do this after all…
I hope you all get what I'm suggesting. Azula's poking fun at Water Tribe tradition. She notices that the Southern tribe is small with small numbers. The princess has found herself a solution, basically.
…
002: December
…
The cold winter wind howls manically; those who walk about during this storm are mad, it seems to say as frozen raindrops dribble from the colorless sky.
Tribal warrior, Sokka holds his hand out, letting his glove catch the straying flakes. The specks remain on the material, whitening it like an animal's winter coat. Azula simply stares out at the scene, her arms tightly crossed against her chest. This is her first sighting of snow; she is only mildly amused by it, only because she is aware that she can melt some of it if she so wishes.
She exhales, and a plume of blue flames exits her equally blue lips. "Sokka, couldn't we have chosen a better time to visit the Southern Water Tribe? It's the peak of the winter season."
Sokka's arm encases her shoulders. He pulls the princess' windswept hair from her face, revealing her disenchanted eyes.
"You said you wanted to see snow, Princess," he says lightheartedly, closing his eyes in a mocking manner. "It just so happens that this is the best time for snow showers."
Azula brushes his arm off of her, squeezing his wrist tightly as she goes about doing so. She squints, looking off into the blank distance. "There is nothing to see for miles ahead, nothing but white, anyway."
"We Water Tribesmen happen to like the color white."
"In the Fire Nation, it is the color of mourning." She states this cynically as she dips her chin into the furred neck of her coat, shivering outwardly.
"Funny, it's considered a symbol of purity everywhere else."
"It isn't pure," she retorts, feeling the ice-cold snowflakes peck at her cheeks. "Does snow not kill the trees, freeze the grass?"
"Not here. We hardly have trees. And we don't have a lick of grass, either. You can't just say that white isn't pure. I mean, to be born during the peak of winter is considered fortunate in the Water Tribes, just like being born at the peak of summer is providential to those in the Fire Nation."
"I suppose, but I can't imagine your children even surviving in this weather."
"Katara was born on the day of the winter solstice. She survived. So have many others."
"Is that why she's a bender and you're not?"
"It plays a role, yes."
"And she's the only waterbender in your tribe, not that that's significant, considering that there aren't many members here," Azula muses, flashing an oddly seductive smile. "You know what that tells me?"
Sokka detects sarcasm in her voice. He matches it. "What, Princess?"
"You all should have your babies in the summertime. Chances are, they'll survive longer."