Number 2: Full Moon Remembrance

Theme: Bad dream

Characters: Sokka and Yue

A heavy silence pressed down on the passengers of the giant, flying beast known as Appa. The midday sun shone down on them with the heat of early summer. They flew lower than usual so that they could see the scenery passing by below them—vast forests of trees that grew tall and straight into the air like an army of little green-and-brown soldiers standing at attention. A few giant evergreens were sprinkled into the crowd of trees, popping out over the top of the canopy like generals commanding their army. It seemed so fitting that, in this time of war and destruction, even the trees reflected that air of bellicose thoughts and notions.

Sokka was silent, and for once did not care to chat about kicking Fire Nation butt or how accurate his weapons were. On this day he was reflecting on the darker side of the war. It was a full moon last night, and he had dreamed of Yue. He'd been having a lot of bad dreams lately, and this one in particular had left a pit in his stomach. It was all so real, he still had the pictures clear in his mind.

He was being held back by the Fire Nation soldiers and couldn't free himself from their firm grip on him. Before him stood Yue, trapped in a prison of fire. Soldiers taunted her, striking her with their fire and fists. All the while she had kept her face turned away from him, cast towards the ground. Then Yue had looked up at him. Her face was melting off, like candle wax under fire, and then she had spoken to him in six haunting words, her voice high and seeping pain.

"Why didn't you protect me, Sokka?"

He had woken up in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably. His mouth was dry and breathing rough, her voice still echoing in his thoughts. "Why didn't you protect me…"

Under the cover of the darkness he had snuck away from camp, wandering off into the forest. Staggering, he made his way to a small lake that seemed to appear out of nowhere and collapsed at its edge. With trembling hands he took a handful of water and swallowed it, then took more water and splashed it onto his face, squeezing his eyes shut. Sokka opened his eyes and saw the face of Yue reflected on the water's surface.

"Sokka."

It seemed like so long ago that it had all happened, but Yue's face was always fresh in his mind. It was a haunting memory that simply refused to go away. Of course Yue herself wasn't haunting him, she had only wished Sokka happiness. It was his own memory of it, his own mind that played these tricks on him, refusing to let him be at peace. The moon in his dreams made him think only of regret, but the moon in the sky calmed him and brought a faint smile to his face. His Yue hadn't really died, had she? She was the moon, ever watching over him, his guardian angel. If only one could kiss the moon…