Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: I don't think Korra was particularly crying out for any sports to be invented in it.

Zigzagdoublezee: Dragons weren't killed in this timeline, because noted animal lover Avatar Aang, Yue's predecessor, would have shut that right down the moment he found out about it.

As Always, Please Review!

Kaito had not been joking when he had boasted of the numbers of troops under his command. Yue stared in disbelief at the red and black legions stretching away into the distance, as far as the eye could see. The ones closest to the fort were engaged in digging a big trench, as tents were set up behind it and tanks rumbled down towards the wall. In the distance, the dragon looped in the sky.

These tanks, though, seemed different from the ones Yue had seen before. They were larger, and strapped to the top of each one was a large hollow metal cylinder, which tapered slightly at the front and decorated with golden flame patterns.

Yue watched as they dropped down into the ditch the Firebenders had been digging using special entrance ramps, and then stopped in special bays which had been dug sticking out of the front of the network sticking towards the wall. In that position, only the metal barrels were visible, the main chassis of each tank completely hidden by the earth. Metal shields were then erected either side of the backs of the barrels.

"What are they doing?" She asked nobody in particular.

"I don't know," Sokka replied. "Are they big loudhailers? Are they going to try to keep us awake or get us to surrender?"

"Wouldn't loudhailers be the other way round?"

"Maybe," Sokka stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know what else it could be though-"

A fiery glow suddenly blazed to life at the end of one of the tubes and shot towards them, a stream of flame which slammed into the wall and rocked it enough to send Sokka and Yue stumbling into one another.

"What was that?" Sokka coughed. Yue looked frantically. The wall seemed to still be intact, but there was a noticeable dent in the stonework, as well as scorchmarks. Other tubes now blazed to life too, sending further blasts of flame which also rocked other parts of the wall.

"They're trying to force their way in!" She realized. She didn't think ordinary firebending should have the concussive force to do that, but maybe that was what the tubes were for; a way of focussing it.

More blasts came, rocking the wall as soldiers stumbled about. There was a shout from behind them and one of the catapults inside the fortress replied, a rock spinning over Yue's head and crashing down near one of the tanks, showering the barrel in rock fragments that didn't seem to do anything. A moment later it spat fire again, and the wall shook.

For a moment, Yue was back on the bridge in the North Pole with Sokka on the night of the Avatar reveal feast; only having known she was the Avatar for a couple of hours, and being attacked by a strange firebender ho could shoot explosions with his mind. That wasn't what this was, but it was similar enough to give her bad flashbacks to the fateful night her life had changed forever. She leaned against the back wall, her eyes wide.

"Avatar!" A voice came from beside them. Yue looked around to find a familiar face in front of her, extending a hand.

"Are you alright?" Jet asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Yue muttered. "Just shocked."

"Don't worry, they can't do anything except scare us," Jet proclaimed confidently.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, they're not throwing anything solid at us, are they?" Jet asked. "And they can't burn a stone structure."

"They don't need to," Yue replied darkly. "They seem to be damaging the wall enough."

"Oh," Jet frowned when he realized his words of encouragement weren't having the desired effect. "Then we should do something, shouldn't we?"

"What can we do?" Yue asked.

"We could attack!" Jet pointed at them. "If those things are going to knock the wall down, then we need to destroy them before they can!"

Yue shook her head.

"Do you have enough men for that?"

Another blast sent masonry flying.

"We won't need as many if we wait until tonight and attack in the dark!" Jet pointed out.

"I don't think we have that long," Sokka interjected. "Look!"

Yue looked, and saw columns of soldiers marching into the trench behind the canisters, which continued spitting fire. She also saw something odd; they had a column of people dressed in green, who seemed to be chained together. Yue didn't see what use they would be.

A horn sounded from nearby, and soldiers burst out of the barracks behind them, clipping on armour and putting on helmets. Many of them ran into a building that must have been the Armoury and came out wielding swords and spears. The Fire Nation troops massing on the other side of the wall were armed similarly, but many of them carried no weapons because they were firebenders. Many of them carried long ladders for scaling the wall. Their helmets covered their faces and were decorated with images of skulls and snarling spirits.

"Yue!" Katara was dashing towards them, Rinzen just behind her. "What's going on- oh, hi Jet."

"I think they're about to attack," Jet unsheathed his hook swords. "Things may be about to get ugly."

A rock sailed over their heads as the fort's own artillery replied, and this time its aim was true; a crashing sound accompanied one of the metal barrels being smashed to pieces as its crew jumped out of the way. But the distant sound of revving engines told Yue that the rest were adjusting their aim. A moment later, they fired again.

Every fireblast this time was aimed at the same spot. The shaking was worse this time, knocking Yue over. Sokka rushed to help her up but was in his turn knocked over by the second shot, landing next to her with a grunt. Jet and Katara managed to remain standing, but only just.

Yue managed to scramble up, sticking her head above the battlements again in time to see the Fire Nation gearing up for their next shots. Every barrel glowed white hot, and then their fireblasts shot forth all at once.

This time, when they hit the wall, it shook more violently than it had before. Everyone was knocked over, landing in a heap of bodies as a cloud of dust engulfed the wall. Yue only had time to be grateful that nobody had landed on Jet's swords before people were struggling up again. When she was helped to her feet, she saw something that filled her with a deep sense of dread.

The Fire Nation had at last succeeded in collapsing a section of wall, showering the camp behind it in stone. Confused orders were being shouted as soldiers milled around the gap and confused and terrified refugees ran for the safety of the far wall.

And among all of that, a horn blown from the enemy trenches signified that the Fire Nation was beginning their assault.

Avatar Yue was about to be engaged in a pitched battle for her life.