Rei awoke, with the same ray of sunlight shining through her tattered curtains. She rose up to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes instinctively. The events of the previous night's dream still buzzed in her head. She was an airbender. This was fact. But what was she to do with these new powers? How was she supposed to shape her own destiny if she hasn't the slightest idea how to start?
What am I going to tell my mother? She thought to herself.
Just the thought of telling others about her "gift" frightens her. How could she even practice without raising suspicion? If any fire nation soldiers caught wind of a lone airbender in an Earth kingdom village, she could kiss her life and family goodbye. Her family has already lost two members to the war efforts, she couldn't bear leaving Mayu and her mother all alone.
Mayu… She couldn't imagine leaving that little girl without any siblings. Her absence would force the little one to grow up quick to help out with chores. No more chasing turkeyducks, no more playing sentry with Ling.
Wait a minute… She thought. Mayu… She then jolted out of bed in surprise.
"It's Mayu's birthday today!" She cried.
She rushed to her dresser and reached for the first bit of clothing she could find. She still had on her necklace from the other day, which whipped from side to side as she rushed about, getting ready for the day. She splashed her face with water in her water basin and rapidly tying her hair back into a loose sidebraid. She sprinted out of her room and right into her mother in the kitchen.
"Rei!" She cried. The two of them tumbled onto the ground with a thud.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry mom! I didn't see you there I swear!" Rei replied, quickly rolling off her mother and helping each other up.
"Well, you're in a better mood than last night." She replied, brushing dust off of her skirt. "What's gotten you in such a rush?"
"I wanted to see if Mayu was up yet. Is she still in bed?" She inquired.
"Oh no, she's out by the village boundaries with Ling." Her mother replied, gesturing out the kitchen window to the village gates. "If you'd like, you can join them. Just be sure to give me enough time to get the decorations up for Mayu's party! It is her birthday today."
"Thanks mom," Rei said, reaching for two pieces of fruit in the bowl on the kitchen table.
"Oh and don't forget to give your sister her present!" Her mother reached into a cupboard and took out the plush saber-toothed mooselion and a small gift bag. "I think it would mean the world to her to get her present from her big sister." She said with a warm grin.
Rei took the plush took gingerly into her hands, looking into its black, button eyes. She hesitated putting the toy into the small bag.
"Mom…" She hesitated.
"Yeah sweetie, what is it?"
Rei looked up at her mother, who was smiling warmly at her. She looked so happy, so excited for Mayu's birthday. She couldn't bear to tell her mother her secret, making her worry and ruining such a happy occasion. She pushed her emotions aside, put on a smile and said, "We'll be home in time for supper."
Rei stuffed the toy into the gift bag and made her way towards the village's boundaries. The village was protected by a small fence. The fence itself was worn-down since all the men weren't around to fix the darn thing when they all went to go play war. The white paint had long since weathered away, leaving only a distant memory of what once was. Rei could make out Mayu and Ling playing near the town gates.
"Rei!" Mayu exclaimed, seeing her sister climbing up the hill to see her.
"Whoa! Don't ambush me, Mayu! I'm not fire nation!" She retorted.
"Of course you aren't fire nation!" Ling sprang up, his brown eyes fierce with determination. "If you were, I would've known and warned everyone before you got here!"
Ling stood at the highest peak of the village boundary; a hill overlooking the forest valley below. He held a thin evergreen branch that stood slightly taller than his height, acting as a makeshift spear. He stood proudly overlooking the valley. Mayu buzzed around him, full of excitement.
Rei laughed and made her way towards the boy with Mayu.
"Anything to report, soldier?" Rei asked.
"Nothing yet! But if anything comes, we'll be ready!" Ling exclaimed.
It was nice to see little kids playing and smiling. It's painful to grow up in a time of war, where kids are expected to grow up faster. They were lucky to live in a small village since the fire nation soldiers hardly ever passed through. They didn't have a reason to pass through anyways, since they were basically in the middle of nowhere.
"Watcha got there?" Mayu asked, taking Rei away from her thoughts.
"Oh this?" She asked, holding up the gift bag. "I dunno if you'd be interested. Do you really wanna know?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I wanna know! I wanna know!" She cried, jumping up and down trying to get the bag from Rei.
"Ok, let's see what it is!" Rei stooped down and gave the bag to Mayu.
Mayu eagerly peered into the bag and removed the pages of paper disguising the gift. When she pulled the plush toy out of the bag, her eyes lit up.
"A saber-toothed moose lion! I never saw one before!" She exclaimed. She hugged the plush toy tightly. "It's so soft!"
Rei chuckled. "I thought you'd like it."
Mayu jerked forward and hugged Rei tightly, resting her head on her stomach. "Thank you Rei! I love you so much!"
Rei stroked Mayu's short, bob of hair with much affection. "I love you too, Mayu."
Mayu flashed her a big grin and ran back to Ling, eagerly showing off her new toy. Rei watched the two kids playing, somewhat envious of their childish freedom. She wish she could just forget all the problems in her world and play out in the field. But those days are over.
The wind picked up around her, caressing her skin and lifting her stray hairs. It was a warm breeze, sweet with floral and forest smells. Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For the first time in her life, she could feel that the air is alive with the motions and sounds of those around her. She could hear Mayu and Ling's laughter, the bustling of the village, smell the surrounding pine trees. Some pine needles and flower petals swirled around in the breeze. Rei stared at the dancing display, wondering about her abilities. She reached out her hand and focused on the flower petals. They continued to dance wildly, changing directions uncontrollably. She squints and swirls her hand in a circular motion. The petals slowly start to follow her hand motions. Rei smiled, letting her hand motions get more complex with zig-zags and figure eights. She was pulled from her focus by a tug on her shirt.
"Yes Mayu, what is it?" Rei asked, looking down at her sister.
"Rei, who are those people?" Mayu asked, pointing off into the distance.
Rei squinted her eyes in attempts of getting a better view of what Mayu was talking about. She could make out a dark group of people marching towards them. Clad in steel, with spikes and distinctive red military uniforms, the identity of these figures was unmistakeable.
"Fire nation soldiers." Rei said in horror.
And they weren't any regular fire nation soldiers. There was a whole platoon of them; some riding their komono rhinos, others marching behind with the fire nation banner held high. They were fierce, different than any that she's encountered before. This couldn't be some random squadron passing through. Whatever their reason of being there, they are meaning to make it a show of power. This can't be good.
Rei picked Mayu up and gestured to Ling to follow her. They came sprinting back to their respected houses. When their mother saw Rei and Mayu running towards the house, she ran out to meet them with distinct worry in her eyes.
"Rei, what's the matter?" She rushed.
"Mom, get Mayu into the house. Fire nation soldiers are coming. And there's a lot of them."
The mother's face lost its color and rushed Mayu into the house, as Rei waited out front for the soldier's arrival with the other villagers. The soldiers' entry to the village was terrifying, stomping around in-sync on those grotesque komono rhinos with footmen marching in behind, holding razor-sharp spears with the distinct fire nation insignia. The fire nation sure liked everything to be pointy it seems, with tri-pointed helmets and spiked armour on every soldier. The man at the head of the company was the most terrifying of them all. He had a rugged look, wearing his hair in a traditional fire nation military style and mutton chops. Hell, even his mutton chops were pointed. He had a permanent scowl on his face, which scanned every person's face including Rei's. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, before he continued to the center of the village. The village elder came to greet the soldiers.
"This is a surprise to be visited by the great Captain Zhao." He started, respectfully bowing his head in greeting. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Zhao….The name seemed so familiar to her. She vaguely remembered her father talking about someone named Zhao. From what she could remember, he was described as a ruthless and cruel man. His presence in the village meant there was something very wrong.
"It's Commander Zhao, and there is nothing pleasurable about visiting this pathetic excuse for a village." Zhao sneered. He pushed past the elder on his mount and began to address the crowd amassing around him.
"There has been disturbing reports that have come to my attention." He boomed. "There has been an incident where someone reported seeing someone AIRBEND."
A hushed gasp spread amongst the crowd, and Rei forgot how to breathe. How could they know that already? Could word have spread so quickly? She glanced back at her mother standing outside her house, who had lost all color to her face.
Zhao turned his cold gaze upon each individual face in the crowd. "I have also traced this bender to this village. Now I will only ask this once…Who is it?"
Villagers looked back and forth at one another, plainly scared out of their wits and wondering who this airbender could be. Rei tried to sink deeper into the crowd, and away from admiral Zhao's icy gaze.
Zhao scowled at the lack of answers he was getting. He snapped his fingers and a set of soldiers advanced towards the crowd. The villagers huddled closer together and backed away from the advancing soldiers.
"Fine. If this airbender wants to hide, so be it." Zhao growled. "Burn them out."
With that, the soldiers began to set the town ablaze. Firebenders moved forward in lines and sprayed streams of fire onto houses and hay bales. Villagers started screaming and running in every direction, mothers grabbing crying children from the streets to shield them from the flames and others just fleeing in any direction away from the firebenders' rage. Soldiers began breaking down doors to adjacent houses, tearing the places apart whilst sending more flames into the night. The fire consumed everything in its path, its hunger unsatisfied no matter how much it destroys. Bright orange flames filled the streets. From a distance the flames seemed to be dancing, flickering in the wind. But in reality, the flames were performing a dance of death and destruction while sending black smoke into the air. The smell of burning hay and soot filled the air, clogging Rei's nose and blurring her vision. She watched in horror as all that she knew and came to love was being taken away, her life burning to cinders. All the while Zhao just sat on his mount, watching lazily as if he was bored. She stood in shock, not knowing what to do. The firebenders turned from the already burning houses and faced towards Rei's house, with her mother guarding the door. Finally, she just couldn't take the terrifying scene any longer.
"STOP! I'm the airbender! I'm the airbender!" Rei shouted. "Take me, but please don't hurt anyone else!"
Admiral Zhao turned his icy gaze on her, and quick as a flash, the other fire nation soldiers stopped and surrounded her. Two soldiers grabbed her by the arms as Zhao rode towards her. His armor gleamed in the light of the burning houses, and shadows danced across his already menacing face. He looked down upon her, a clear look of satisfaction on his face.
"So this is a fabled avatar." He said, with a slight smirk on his face. "I have no idea how you've managed to allude the fire nation for so long, but I can assure you that your days of freedom are over."
"WHAT? I'm not the avatar!" Rei exclaimed. "I had no idea I was even a bender of any kind until today, I swear!"
Zhao looked away from Rei. "Oh, I plan on testing the truth of your words soon enough." He motioned the soldiers to the side. "Bring her to the ship."
"NO!"
Zhao looked back to see Rei's mother came running towards her. Two soldiers blocked her path as she fought to get close to her daughter. "You can't do this! You can't take her away! You can't!" She cried, with tears flowing down her face.
"I believe I can, and I already have." Zhao brushed her of, glaring at her. "We are the fire nation, sons and daughters of fire, the superior element. You peasants do not get to question me."
Zhao closed his eyes into slits before motioning the soldiers to be rid of the distressed mother, before ordering the rest of the troops with a commanding voice, "Firebenders, move out!"
As Rei was led away, she turned back to catch one last glimpse of her home. She saw Mayu standing in the street, looking confused and scared while clutching her stuffed toy. Rei looked away, with silent tears flowing down her cheeks as the smoke rose from the ashes of what once was her life, lit up like a burning totem in the night.
Voilà! The dreaded Commander Zhao makes his appearance! I have no idea why but I've always liked his malicious character. I made this chapter a bit longer since I may or may not be late next week with my last round of midterms coming up. I apologize in advance, but worry not! I will return with chapter 4 as soon as I can! Have a great week, lovelies! X
