By the end of the week, the entire kingdom had heard of how the entire outpost had been wiped out of existence. There was but one survivor, one who had glimpsed the events from afar, having arrived to relay news to the outpost's general. Almost immediately, convoys had been sent to all four Nations; received with ever-increasing alarm. The whereabouts of these unknown vessels were unknown, having retreated back to wherever they came. As such, an expedition of only the finest representatives of each Nation was sent to search the waters, with the few accompanying Airbenders to work the winds in their favor.
A month passed. No communication was received from the party until one evening, when the foreign vessels were sighted, off the coast of Capital Island, nearest to a seemingly unimportant village. As a small village, no one truly knew what they were or their relation to what had happened down south; so, aside from a few gaping onlookers, business resumed as usual. It was only when a deep, echoing 'boom' sounded that everyone paused a moment, and looked out to the sea.
A great dark object was hurtling towards the village's direction, and people began to scatter, but one remained frozen, at the top of the small mountain overlooking the town…
Lives flashed before eyes, and then there was nothing.
A horrified girl gazed on as the events unfolded, yet stood, frozen in grief, as she watched the vessels carry on with their conquest forth, as though they had not just obliterated a community a moment ago.
In minutes, the ships had reached the shore nearest to the village ruins, and finally halted. After some time, a hatch appeared to slide gracefully down, from which exited figures, which, even from the apex of the mountain, exuded an air of superiority.
Who were these cruel beings? The girl wondered.
Haste triumphing over curiosity, she hurried down the mountain path, and took the fork in the road at the base, thankfully hidden from view of the monsters, that would take her to the Fire Nation Capital, where she would hasten to find anyone that believed her. Setting forth, she didn't allow herself to dwell on the fates of her mother, father, siblings, and friends. It would simply not do to think about such awful matters.
Lowering the telescope from his eye, he grinned, a malicious thing, one that should never be shown in public. Everything is going to plan, he thought. In time, another land will be conquered, and the freaks who resided here would grovel on their knees to their rightful superiors.
Still grinning, he called to the others. "Come!" he bellowed.
Twirling a newly-acquired helmet, with an emblem of fire on each side, "Let us carry on! It would not do to keep our… hosts waiting!"