Southern Raiders inspired. The image of Zuka and Katara emerging from the water on Appa, with Katara standing and Zuko sitting at her feet. Love that picture. A different take on the attack.

Prompt…Water Goddess

He was a fairly new recruit, his sea legs only just having been found. He was a rare fire nation child, for his mother had been one of those few who still believed in the danger of the water. Stories of the evils of the water filled his mind when he first stepped upon the Southern Raiders vessel. The vast ocean he rode on was home to monsters, all under the rule of a ruthless goddess.

"Beware, or they will strike you down," his mother had said. His comrades had assured him, with quite a bit of teasing, that there was nothing to fear. Months on the ship, with few storms, had reassured him more than his fellow army men.

He stayed on watch longer shifts and listened with interest to the stories told at night. His fears were calmed, and thus the boy thought himself a man. At least until one clear night, when water snaked from the peaceful ocean and pulled the storyteller below.

It had happened in an instant, and his yells of astonishment joined those of the men around him. His though, as the form of the Firebender sunk deeper into the water, turned to pure terror. He ran from the edge, trying to escape the water that seemed to climb up the ship. He faced the opposite way of the threat, and as such was the only one who saw them.

They came from the depths in a black outline, turning the clear water a murky shade as they rose. The monsters of his dreams played through his mind as she surfaced. The water goddess, clothed in black, stared him in the eye. He saw her and could only watch as her familiar brought her from the ocean, with another who sat by her feet.

In the few fleeting seconds he had to stare at these warriors, for they had to be such, he knew he was not a man yet. The sea goddess stood in all her glory and her guardian by her feet, and did not move. He could raise the alarm, attack, do something, anything, yet he did not - he could not break her spell. Than, she moved, and a wave like none he had ever seen came tumbling down on their insignificant vessel. As the water enveloped him, his only thoughts were at how emotionless, how at ease, his attackers seemed. Darkness claimed him.

When he awoke it was daylight. Somehow he lived, though the same could not be said for the ship. It floated on the sea in remnants of its former glory. It would be a long voyage to the nearest port. Others woke with him, and they all turned to hear the telling of just what had happened. The captain spoke the most fervently, speaking of two mortal warriors who had destroyed it all.

The creatures he has seen could not have been human, but the captain was a man who was known for his honesty. The boy shivered at this and believed that not even the infamous Avatar could be so terrifying.

When they reached port, he abandoned ship.