A/N: The first actual chapter! And it stars Sokka's mother! Woohoo! Takes place, obviously, way before the series starts. Hopefully you all think that it turned out as good as I think it did!
-Kyo-
It had all happened so quickly.
One moment, the men of the Southern Water Tribe Village had left for a fishing trip, only gone for a little over an hour, and the next...Flames had begun to devour everything. None of the women or the children had seen the iron ships set shore, no one had seen the black and red clad soldiers surround the village. They were just suddenly there.
It was obvious that it wasn't a spur of the moment raid. The Fire Nation soldiers were too well organized, too together, to have it not be planned out. Even the naivest of the Water Tribe women could tell that; they had been laying in wait for the men to leave the village and now, when the women and kids were on their own, they were making their move.
"You! Stop!"
"Where is it?"
"Tell us which one she is!"
Shouts of the soldiers, demanding and harsh, filled the air first. They wanted the Water-Bender. They knew there was one there, because there had to be, and they wanted it destroyed. After all, one less bender meant one less chance of a new Avatar being born.
"Momma!"
"No! Lem'me in!"
"I don' wanna go!"
After that came the cries of the children, the oldest being eight and the youngest being but a few months, pleading for their parents. For their homes that were being burnt down in front of them. For the big bad men to just leave them alone.
And then the woman, old and young, mothers and child-less, took up the saddend cry. Wails of pain, screams for their children to flee, 'find the men', and not look back. Some tried to run, others tried to fight; all tried to get the kids out of the way of the flames.
It was all happening so fast.
In the middle of the fighting, in the middle of the scarlet flames and the crimson snow and all the other blurring colors, a woman lay wounded on the ground. By her side sat a small boy, eight years old, with tears in his eyes. He wasn't stupid, he knew what was happening. He knew that the men in the iron ships had just killed his mother.
Even if she wasn't dead yet.
Hand weakly clasping his, the once beautiful Kyo turned her rapidly dulling eyes onto her son; once vibrant cerulean, the same color as the ocean surrounding their home, but now nothing more than breath-fogged ice.
"So-okka...My...little boy..." Her voice was soft, rasping, weak. "W-where's Kat'ra?"
Large blue eyes, the same shade as his mothers once were, blinked as Sokka looked back down at his mother. His sister? He'd already hidden her, tucked her away in a set of ice-caves near the village and told her to stay there until he came back. " 'Tara's safe, Momma."
"G-good..." She had to stop speaking when violent coughs wracked through her body, a dark red dripping from her mouth and down her chin. "Sok'a...Pro-romise me...You'll prote-ect your sister."
Of course he'd protect Katara. It was silly to think other wise. After all, it was his job as an older brother to make sure his baby sister was always safe. " 'Course, Momma."
"N-no." Kyo let her head shake, a feeble attempt at getting her point across. "P-romise me."
"I promise, Momma." Sokka gave the older woman's hand, so much larger compared to his, a squeeze as he spoke. "I'll always protect her. With everything I got. Don' worry!" And even as such a little boy, he meant every word of it.
His mother left his life too fast.