Wandering Firebender

Fifty Six: Black Snow

It was a dreary morning. The sun and sky had lost some of its color and brightness, desaturated by the heavy snowfall. Elio put on his water tribe parka and opened up his front door. He was greeted by a cascading wall of black snow coming down from the sky. His eyes widened, and he pulled his hood over his head as he stepped outside.

Today was the day that Sozin's Comet would pass over the planet. Today was the day that the Fire Nation would attack the Northern Water Tribe.

There was a sick dread thickening the air, causing it to weigh down on everyone. One way or another, today would mark the end of an era. Those who lived to see tomorrow would be entering into a new world, for better or for worse.

Elio gripped his staff a little tighter as he walked towards the front wall of the Northern Water Tribe. This was the moment he had been preparing for, for a long time. It had been a long and difficult road, but now he felt like his journey was finally about to come to an end...

"Bolster your courage, men! The Fire Nation is advancing on the wall!" The chief shouted. Elio's eyes widened.

"They're here already?!" He exclaimed in surprise, quickening his pace. He brought his arm up in front of his face to shield himself from the falling snow. He hurried up the steps to the top of the wall.

When Elio reached the top, he looked to his right and saw the armada of Fire Nation naval ships coming in the distance, slowly drawing closer. He was shocked to see so many ships approaching. Intimidation began to set in, but he couldn't back out now.

"Chief Arnook!" Elio called out, running towards the center of the wall. The chief turned and saw him coming.

"Elio! Nice of you to finally join us. Unfortunately, it looks like you were right about the invasion, down to the exact day. I fear now we'll be in for the fight of our lives."

"What's the plan?" Elio asked.

"I will send the first wave of waterbenders out by boat to slow the approach as much as they can. Once they make landfall, we'll keep them boxed in. The more they spread through the city, the worse things will get. But our number one priority is protecting the ocean and moon spirits.

"Last time they were here, the admiral in charge was able to kill the moon spirit, nearly throwing the entire world out of balance forever. My daughter gave up her life to reverse the damage...if that happens again, there will be nothing we can do.

"We all must be prepared to give up our lives to protect our home. The Fire Nation can kill us, but if they upset the natural order of things again, everyone will be doomed." Chief Arnook explained.

"So...this isn't just about the tribe. It's about saving the world." Elio realized.

Finally, he understood the true weight of this destiny that he had been given; why this battle was so important. The fate of the world literally hung in the balance. He was going to be in the center of it all. Elio pressed the bottom end of the staff into the ground.

"Sozin's Comet doesn't come until this afternoon. If they attack right away, then I can only assume their plan is to try and take us down before the comet arrives. They'll go for the kill as soon as they're able to draw power from it." Elio reasoned.

"Then we will have to either defeat them quickly or outlast them completely. It isn't going to be easy either way." Chief Arnook said candidly.

They watched as the ships drew in closer, finally starting to make their approach. As they got in close, waterbenders sailed out and created a large ice wall that spread and rose up almost as wide as the wall itself. Elio held his breath, waiting to see how effective this would be.

Firebenders started shooting fireballs at the ice wall. The spikes at the fronts of the ships pierced through the ice wall, causing it to crack and weaken. Elio swallowed nervously. It would only be a matter of time before they broke through and reached the front wall.

"Chief, with your permission, I'd like to try something. I'm going to send out a signal." Elio said.

"A signal? For what?"

"A warning."

"All of our waterbenders are already prepared." Chief Arnook said.

"It's not just for them." Elio said, looking at him. The chief nodded in understanding.

"Okay."

Finally, the Fire Nation broke through the ice wall blockade. The waterbenders that had made it quickly retreated to avoid being shot down by soldiers on the ships. As they got closer to the wall, Elio stepped forward and took in another deep breath.

"Have everyone take a step back from the edge!" Elio yelled back to the chief.

"Everyone step back!" The chief ordered.

"Chief, we should get you somewhere safe." One of his guards suggested.

"Very well. I leave it to you, men! And to you, Elio." The chief said before retreating.

"It's all on me." Elio said to himself. He was working up the nerve to send out his signal. After almost a year of running away, it was time to finally stand his ground. Perhaps that was what he should've done in the first place...

Elio shot fire out of both of his fists in continuous blasts. He sent them flying out further before they curved upwards and crossed in front of each other. As his two streams of fire took flight, they took on the likeness of two dragons.

Elio made the two dragons fly down in front of the border wall, flying in circles around the symbol of the Water Tribe. Then he made them fly back up above the wall. They turned and crashed into each other, creating a bright burst of fire that was visible to all.

From one of the lead ships, both Admiral Huang and General Chinen could see Elio's signal. General Chinen grabbed his monocular telescope and extended it out, looking towards the source of the fire. His eyes widened when he saw Elio.

"They knew we were coming." General Chinen realized.

"What makes you so certain?" Admiral Huang asked.

"That signal came from a traitor. He must've warned them." General Chinen reasoned.

"What do you suggest, general?" The admiral asked. General Chinen's eyebrows furrowed. He looked down for a few moments before answering.

"We proceed as planned. Begin the attack!" He gave the order.

Once the order was given, large stones were placed on catapults and set on fire before being launched from the ships. Several of them flew over the wall and crashed onto the ground, sending ice and snow flying everywhere as they cratered into the ground.

The other fireballs that were launched crashed directly into the wall, causing it to shake as it started to create dents in the structure. Elio wobbled a little from the sudden movement. Waterbenders posted atop the wall started shooting ice spikes down towards the soldiers on the leading ships.

"I'm going back down! They're going to break through eventually. I'll help keep them boxed in like the chief said!" Elio said before hurrying back towards the stairs so he could get back down behind the wall.

As he ran, more fireballs were launched towards the wall, making it shake again. Waterbenders in front of him shouted out and dove for cover as one of the fireballs crashed right into the top of the wall. Elio and the others slipped and fell.

Elio stumbled as he got back to his feet. He looked out at the incoming Fire Nation ships. They were almost about to make contact with the wall! He needed to hurry!

Elio used his firebending to jump across the gap in the wall made by the impact of the fireball. He landed on the other side and made it to the stairs. He hurried down to the bottom just as some of the spikes at the front of the first ships were piercing through the front wall.

"Waterbenders! Pull the water beneath the ships upwards to throw them off balance!" The order was given from the top of the wall. All of the waterbenders still posted up there reached down and started to make the water rise, causing the Fire Nation ships to lurch and rock back and forth.

At the same time, Admiral Huang gave the order for the first soldiers to start breaking down the wall. Concentrated fire blasts were shot directly into the dents in the wall. At the same time, more fireballs were fired from the catapults, creating more dents to make it easier for the soldiers to break through.

On the other side of the wall, more waterbenders were anxiously waiting for the first soldiers to poke through. Elio joined up with them. He clenched his staff in his left hand. His grip tightened every time the ice wall rumbled and shook.

Finally, the first holes were punched in the wall. From four different spots, the first of many Fire Nation soldiers started to pour in. As they entered and dropped down onto the ice floor, they immediately started firing at the waterbenders.

Within a minute, the battle had really begun. Water and fire were crashing into each other all around him at forceful speeds, creating a lot of steam and confusion. Elio ran ahead, getting close to the wall where the Fire Nation soldiers were dropping down from.

He caught two off guard from the side, ramming his staff into them like a charging animal. One of them stumbled back and fell while the other slid back and maintained his footing. Elio turned his staff and struck the soldier still standing in the side. His staff clanged against his armor.

The soldier tried to shoot a fire blast directly into Elio's face. He spun around to dodge it, using his other hand to redirect the fire away from him. He twisted the staff again and whacked the soldier in the back of his helmet. As the soldier stumbled forward, Elio swept his feet out from under him.

Soldiers coming in from the holes in the front wall started shooting fireballs downwards directly at Elio. He looked up in surprise and jumped back to avoid being hit by one. He started to spin his staff above him, using it to dissipate the fire blasts and block them from hitting him.

Once he had a moment, Elio created his own fireball and shot it out, causing it to curve and hit one of the soldiers that was just coming in through one of the holes in the wall. It sent the soldier flying back, knocking him into several other soldiers who were coming in behind him.

"Elio, look out!" A voice shouted to him.

Elio looked to his side and realized that there was a soldier about to shoot a fireball at him. Elio got ready to block it, but before the fire even got to him, a wall of water came up in front of him. The water froze into ice and shot forward, not only taking the impact of the fireball but crashing into the soldier who shot it.

"Whoa!" Elio exclaimed. He turned back and saw that it was Cindra who had created the ice wall. She came running towards him.

"Elio, what are you doing so close to the wall?! We were told to hang back and attack from a distance!" She told him. Elio looked at her in confusion.

"I didn't hear any order!"

Suddenly, the wall shook again as two more holes were punched in the wall. Elio could only imagine what things looked like from the other side as more and more ships were coming in. Countless soldiers were probably lining up to get inside.

"I got this! Don't worry!" Elio said before turning and shooting more fireballs towards each hole in the wall.

"I got your back!" Cindra said to him, creating spikes out of ice and shooting them towards nearby soldiers.

Elio and Cindra started working together. Elio focused his attacks outwards, assisting the waterbenders around them in hitting the soldiers coming in with curved fire blasts. Meanwhile, Cindra made sure that Elio and herself stayed protected, focusing her attacks on the soldiers nearby that were targeting Elio.

"Elio, your firebending is making you a target for them! They're concentrating a lot of their fire on you!" Cindra said as she took down a soldier by grabbing him with a water whip, lifting him into the air, and slamming him back down.

"Yeah, what else is new?" Elio grumbled.

"Incoming!"

Elio and Cindra turned towards the wall. Everyone looked up and saw another fireball crash into the center outpost at the top of the wall. The flaming ball completely broke the post off. Then it rolled awkwardly off the other side of the wall, plummeting down and crashing down on the ground.

"If those catapults aren't dealt with, they're going to tear down the wall!" Elio exclaimed.

"I'll see what the orders are! What're you gonna do?" Cindra asked.

"I'll be right behind you! Go!" Elio gestured for her to run.

Cindra led the way to where the nearest master was. They ran behind the line of waterbenders working together to fight the soldiers. They were close together, in tight formation so that they could all work together to attack collectively with stronger moves.

"Master Hazo!" Cindra shouted as they reached him, "The Fire Nation is still launching fireballs at us! What do we do?!" She asked.

"We're sending ships out there to try and disable the catapults. But something's wrong! There's still a number of Fire Nation ships out there, but they're hanging back for some reason. I don't know what their plan is! Any ideas, Elio?!" Hazo asked him.

"No. They must have something else up their sleeve." Elio thought aloud...

"Keep advancing, men!" Admiral Huang ordered from his position. He was giving orders from one of the ships lined up at the front wall.

"Sir, the waterbenders are protecting the wall! We can't advance any further!" One of the men reported to him.

"Keep up the assault! An avenue is about to open up for us." Admiral Huang said with a smirk...

"The Fire Nation ships that aren't stuck in our wall have dropped anchor to avoid being swept back by our bending." One of the tribe leaders standing on top of the wall realized.

A strange sound started to echo faintly from the Fire Nation ships in the distance. It was an unfamiliar noise to the people of the North Pole, but Elio could hear it just well enough to distinguish it: the sound of lurching metal coming from some kind of machine.

"Whatever the Fire Nation has prepared for this attack, it's coming now." Elio said.

Elio and the waterbenders behind the wall couldn't see what was coming. They could only hear the sounds of creaking, groaning metal getting closer and closer. All eyes were on the wall, waiting to see what was going to burst through the wall.

But nothing came through the wall. It went above the wall.

"What are those?!" Cindra asked.

All eyes went up above them. Giant flying ships were easily flying above the wall and taking over the airspace above the entrance to the Northern Water Tribe. 3 airships came followed by 3 more. Trap doors underneath them open, and bombs rained down from above.

"Get to cover!" Master Hazo yelled.

The waterbenders screamed and ran towards the wall, where they were met with opposition from the soldiers coming in. Those that couldn't make it to the wall ducked for cover in the nearby houses and buildings, which had been evacuated. Those that couldn't find cover made balls of ice around them to try and shield themselves.

"Cindra, get back!" Elio shouted, grabbing Cindra's arm and pulling her back. They dove into a nearby stream of water. Cindra bent the water around them so they could hide at the bottom of the waterway.

The ground shook violently all around them, making the water vibrate and shake in an unnatural way. Cindra and Elio crouched down low. Before they were afraid, but now they were truly in fear.

"The Fire Nation has flying ships full of bombs now?!" Cindra yelled.

"I guess they do! I had no idea!" Elio said, looking up. He couldn't see them clearly through the water, but the six airships were hovering above. Firebenders were shooting fireballs down from inside.

"This just got a whole lot worse for us." Cindra said.

"If we don't ground those ships, they're going to destroy the whole tribe!" Elio realized.

The two of them climbed out of the water. They were shocked to see that the area where they had just been fighting had been leveled by the bombs. Most of the houses were nothing but broken shards of ice now. Thankfully, most of the waterbenders were still alive and fighting near the wall.

"Crap, what do we do?" Cindra wondered aloud. Elio swallowed, staring up at the airships.

"I need to get up there. The only chance we have at taking those things down is if we bring the fight to them!" Elio said.

"Can you fly that high?" Cindra asked, looking at him.

"Maybe with a boost?" Elio requested. Cindra nodded.

"I got you." She said.

Cindra turned back towards the water and created a pad of ice for Elio to stand on. He swallowed nervously, jumping onto it and crouching down low to keep himself steady.

"Okay! You sure about this?" Cindra asked.

"Nope!" Elio shook his head.

"Don't get killed!" Cindra yelled before bending the water underneath him, using the water to launch him as high as she could.

Elio growled as G-forces pushed down hard on him. As his upward ascent slowed, Elio jumped off of the ice pad and used firebending from his hands and feet to send him flying straight towards one of the airships. He braced himself as he bounced off the side of it, spiraled upwards, and landed awkwardly right on top.

Elio clung to the metal beneath him for a few moments, breathing shakily and processing what had just happened, "I did it!" He said to himself, taking a few deep breaths before forcing himself to get up.

He stood up and immediately almost fell off balance. He waved his arms around awkwardly before finding his footing. He looked around at the other five airships in the sky with him. They were making two rows of three. He was in the middle of the second row, behind three airships and between the other two.

He was going to have to figure out a way to take these down. If he could just get to wherever you steered these things from, he could ram a couple of them together and make them crash...

Things were a lot quieter up here. It was almost peaceful. However, more bombs were being dropped from the airships. Elio could hear the distant screams being drowned out by the sounds of explosions. He needed to hurry, or soon there wouldn't be much of a tribe left to save.

The bombings actually gave Elio an idea.

Elio took in a deep breath and shot out a fireball towards the airship to his left. He used his other hand to curve it downwards so it went underneath the airship. He then lifted both of his hands up, causing the fireball to arc upwards. It flew into the airship through the trap door.

The bombs inside the airship exploded! The shockwave traveled up through the entire airship, causing it to lose altitude and crash onto the ground. Elio watched as it landed on top of a few homes, crushing them. Thankfully, anyone not fighting had evacuated into the palace.

Elio stared down at the wreckage below – the results of his handiwork. He'd be lying to himself if he assumed that everyone inside that airship had survived the crash. On the off chance that they all did survive, they were no longer in a position to fight. But more than likely, he had just killed at least a few people...

This was the reason why Elio never wanted to fight in the war. It was forcing him to call his own morals into question. In a way, it was just like Cassian all over again. However, the fate of the world hung in the balance, and his actions would make all the difference...

Elio turned to his right and shot out another fireball. Using both hands, he did the same thing he did last time. Bombs inside of the airship to his right went off, but there didn't seem to be as many. However, the chain reaction still brought the airship down and caused it to crash.

A hatch door opened in front of Elio, and three Fire Nation soldiers climbed out. Elio's eyes widened. They had on red armor instead of the normal black armor. That likely meant that they were all of a higher rank, and therefore they were all better than average firebenders.

All three of them shot continuous blasts at Elio. Elio spun his staff, sliding back as the force of the fire pushed him. Elio grunted and swiped the fire away with his staff. He turned and swung the staff out wide with one hand, sending out a wide arcing blast.

While the three of them were blocking that attack, Elio shot several more blasts from his hands and feet. His aggressive technique allowed him to knock one of the soldiers down, causing him to fall back down the hatch door.

However, the other two shot out another set of continuous blasts. Elio used his staff to block them again, sliding back once more. Elio struck one of the soldiers in the side as they advanced on him. The other soldier shot a fireball at Elio's face.

Elio leaned back awkwardly, the heat of the fire grazing past his face. Elio fell onto his back and used his foot to shoot a fireball back at the soldier. This caught him off guard and knocked him off his feet. He slid off the side of the airship.

The last soldier stepped over Elio and shot another continuous blast down on top of him. Elio tossed his staff back and used his hands to block the attack with his own fire blast. At the same time, he used his foot to knock one of the man's feet out from under him.

As the soldier fell down to one knee, the fire blasts ceased. Elio planted one hand on the ground and pushed himself up, bringing his foot up and kicking the man in the head. His foot collided with the soldier's helmet, dazing him.

Elio got up and kicked the soldier in the head with his other foot, knocking him out. Elio turned back and picked up his staff. He spun it once before sliding it into its sleeve on his back. He stepped over the unconscious soldier, opened up the hatch door, and climbed down into the airship.

He needed to survive this battle first, and then he could worry about coming to terms with his actions...

To Be Continued...