Wandering Firebender
Nineteen: The Swamp
"Feels like forever since the last time I had a chance to sleep on a regular bed," Elio commented as he and Cindra walked side by side down the road. "First good night of rest that I've gotten in a long time."
"When was the last time you slept in a 'real bed'?" Cindra asked curiously. Elio hummed as he thought about it.
"I can't say how long exactly. A number of weeks now." He answered.
"Since you left home, right?"
"Yeah. Feels like another lifetime ago at this point." He said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah... Do you hear that?" Cindra asked.
Both of their ears became alerted to the sounds of a herd stampeding towards them. Elio's head tilted oddly as his ears fixated on the noise. The low thuds hitting the ground in a certain way... Something about it was familiar.
"That almost sounds like...komodo rhinos!" Elio exclaimed as he saw them coming.
Elio jumped in front of Cindra and pulled out his staff. He spun it to deflect the fire blasts being shot at them. Fire Nation soldiers riding on top of the komodo rhinos began to approach and encircle them.
"Elio, son of General Sol! You are being placed under arrest!" One of them shouted. Elio held a protective arm up in front of Cindra and they took a few steps back.
"On who's authority?!" Elio demanded.
"Mine," One of the soldiers dismounted his komodo rhino and removed his helmet. "You've got some explaining to do, Elio." Cassian said angrily. Elio's eyes widened.
"Cassian? What's going on here?!"
"I have a message for you from your father!" Cassian shouted, shooting a fireball directly at him. Elio quickly spun his staff, creating a wall of fire to protect himself and Cindra.
"See a way out of this?!" Elio looked back at her. Cindra looked around in a panic.
"Uh, there's that thick forest behind us! We can use it for cover!" Cindra shouted, pointing behind him. Elio looked back and saw a thick, mucky forest behind them.
"Go!"
"What about you?!" She shouted.
"I'll be right behind you!" He promised. Cindra swallowed nervously and began running towards the forest.
Elio spun in a circle while still spinning his staff, bending the wall of fire in a huge circular arc around him. He sent it out towards Cassian and his men. As it shot towards them, they all shouted in surprise and shielded themselves. Some of them were thrown off of their komodo rhinos.
Cassian punched a fireball directly at Elio through his attack. Elio nearly fell over just blocking the attack. He slid his staff back into his sleeve, spreading his hands out to nullify Cassian's second fireball. He threw a fire kick back at him and jumped backwards, boosting himself with fire out of both feet.
"Don't let him get away!" Cassian shouted as he bent Elio's attack towards the ground.
Elio backflipped through the air and landed awkwardly on his knees, sliding backwards down a hill towards Cindra. He fell on his chest but quickly pushed himself back up to his feet. He ran to catch up with her and she took his hand as they ran into the forest.
"Friends of yours?" Cindra asked.
"Unfortunately! The leader's my best friend." Elio explained. A fireball shot past them, forcing them to let go of each other's hands. Cassian began bringing his hands around in circles, creating fire. He stared at Elio with a wrathful expression.
"Seems like you two have some things to work out!" Cindra said. She flipped open her pouch full of water and bent the water out, ready to attack.
Cassian focused his first attack at Elio. Elio slid back a bit as he tried to bend it away from him. Cindra created a whip out of water and lashed Cassian across the cheek with it. He growled out in pain and turned his attention to Cindra.
With both hands, he shot a huge blast of fire directly at her. Cindra created a wall of ice in front of her to protect herself. However, the fire hit the wall forcefully, causing it to break open. This knocked Cindra backwards, deeper into the forest. She screamed as she went flying back.
"Cindra!" Elio shouted, turning back towards Cassian. He threw several hard fire punches towards Cassian. Cassian swatted them away and blasted his own wall of fire at Elio.
Elio raised up his hands, ready to block the attack. However, as it hit his hands, the force felt stronger than what he had expected. He also felt something pull him backwards, causing him to fly back deeper into the forest. He shouted out in surprise as he flew back and landed on his head.
Seeing that both of his targets had disappeared deeper into the forest, Cassian growled angrily and shouted at his men to catch up, "Dismount! Find Elio and the girl!" He ordered, leading his squad into the forest after them...
Cindra laid on her side in a puddle of swamp water. She sat up with a gasp, bending the water around her. She looked up towards where Cassian and his men had been, ready to attack. However, her hands soon dropped back down as she realized she was alone.
"Hello? Elio?!" She called out and looked around. It was quiet all around her; nothing but the twisting vines and roots of the trees creating a thick, winding environment. She was surrounded by nature; she seemed to be lost in it.
"Where'd everybody go?" She wondered aloud.
Feeling a sudden, light pull at her ankles, Cindra looked down and saw that the puddle she had been standing in was now flowing deeper into the swamp. It had been immobile only moments ago. Cindra tried to bend water out of it again, but it pulled away from her and splashed back into the flowing water.
"Okay...?" Cindra's eyebrows furrowed oddly. She began to follow the water to see where it would lead...
"Sir! The forest is getting thicker with every step! We could be ambushed in here!" One of Cassian's men said to him. Cassian looked all around them; there were plenty of hiding spots.
"Stay alert. Even if they do try to ambush us, there's only two of them. Don't get weak on me now," He said, pushing for them to continue deeper.
Suddenly, a swarm of giant flies began to swirl around them. The men all shouted out fearfully, shooting fireballs at the swarm. Cassian yelled out and blasted them down, "We won't give up that easily!" He declared...
Elio felt tiny sensations of cold nipping at his face. He groaned dully, opening his eyes. He sat up slowly, feeling pain in the back of his head. He rubbed it and looked at his hand. No blood. He then realized that all around him, white flakes were slowly falling.
"Is this...snow?" He said in confusion, slowly getting to his feet. He looked around; he was somewhere deep in this murky swamp. But where was the snow coming from? He looked up, but he couldn't see an identifiable source.
"Cindra? Where are you?" He called out, picking a direction to his left and walking forward.
As he walked, he rolled his right sleeve back and held his arm up. He let the snowflakes fall on his arm. His arm soon became moist, glazed in a thin layer of cold water sprinkles. He wiped it off with his other hand and rolled his sleeve back.
"Weird." He said to himself.
"Now you just remind me of my brother."
Elio froze in place, looking around. He looked all around him, trying to see where the voice had come from. As he slid around in a circle, something shot past his face. He quickly hid himself behind a tree and looked at what had shot past him:
Just in front of him, burning on the ground, there was a single blue flame. Elio's eyes widened at the sight of it. He watched as it slowly turned orange before dying out from the snow.
Elio swallowed nervously and slowly peeked his head around the tree. He expected to see another blast. But there was nothing. He stepped out and scanned around, but there was no one there. No one there at all...
The flowing water led Cindra out into a clearing. There was still a thick canopy of leaves and vines above her, but she no longer had to climb over tree roots and scale small hills. Now she stood in front of a pond. The little creek of flowing water poured into this pond.
She lifted one hand up to shield her face protectively as a white light suddenly began to shine brightly above the pond. As the flashing light relaxed, she moved her hand away to look. She found herself looking at the figure of an unfamiliar old man dressed in white floating above the pond.
"What the...? What are you?!" Cindra's eyes widened in shock.
The man said nothing to her. He simply smiled kindly. He lifted up his left hand and twisted it at the wrist. Cindra watched this person waterbend to her left. With his right hand, he did the same thing and another tower of water rose. He crossed one arm over the other, and the two walls of water crashed into each other with a big splash.
"Y-You're a waterbender?" She realized. The man nodded to her, motioning to her with an outstretched hand. Cindra didn't understand at first, but then it slowly occurred to her what he wanted.
"You want me to do it too?" She asked. The man nodded once again, smiling encouragingly.
"O-Okay..." Cindra agreed, unsure of what would happen if she refused. She nervously lifted her hands up in the same manner...
"Sir, these swamp creatures are ferocious! There's no way those two would survive this deep in the forest." One of Cassian's men said to him.
"Yeah, and neither will we if we keep trekking deeper!" Another soldier spoke up. However, Cassian was determined to catch Elio.
"We're Fire Nation soldiers! We persevere, we don't cower in fear!" Cassian shouted at his men.
"Stop, brother, please don't make me do this!"
Cassian turned back with widened eyes, hearing Elio's voice distantly echoing through the trees. He quickly created fire in his hands and shot it into the forest, "Show yourself, coward!"
"Cassian... I'm so sorry."
"Come out and fight me like a man, Elio! If you have any honor, any decency left! You owe that to me!" Cassian yelled into the swamp. However, no response came. Cassian growled impatiently as a low rumbling began to shake the air in front of him.
"Where are you?!" He screamed.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt shot from somewhere in the darkness. Cassian, as well as all of his men, threw themselves to the ground in shock as it raced through the air above them. They covered their heads as thunder echoed around them and slowly faded into silence.
"W-Was that lightning?!" One man shuddered. Cassian stood up with widened eyes.
"Alright, men, I'm ordering a tactical retreat! We need to get out of this swamp!" He said urgently...
Elio found himself stepping into a clearing. The grass disappeared and gave way to a floor that appeared to be some kind of muddy clay. As Elio stepped forward into the clearing, he saw a figure dressed in dark clothing standing with his back turned to him.
"Who are you? Can you help me?" He asked. The figure turned around and smiled at him.
"As a matter of fact, I can!" He laughed. Elio's eyes widened in surprise.
"Master Rala!" He exclaimed in shock, "What're you doing here?!"
"I'm here for you, my faithful student," He smiled, removing his hood. He took out a staff made of dark wood. "It's time for your next lesson. Step forward." He instructed.
Elio, while still in pure shock, dropped his pack and his cloak. He pulled his staff out and took a few steps forward. Rala removed his cloak as well and spun his staff.
"You've been through quite a bit, haven't you? You hold that staff with more confidence and certainty now." He observed. Elio spun the staff around and held it out in front of him, parallel to the ground, as he got into a fighting stance.
"I've had more chances to use it." He said simply.
"Let's see how you've improved then."
Rala charged towards Elio. Elio took in a breath and advanced forward, gripping the staff in both hands. Rala jumped up and slammed his staff down towards Elio's head. Elio caught the blow with the middle of his own staff, and took several steps back to deflect Rala's quick attacks.
Elio twisted the staff into a vertical position to deflect a strong swing from Rala. He spun the staff around and lunged forward, thrusting the staff towards Rala. Rala kicked his staff upwards and swung at Elio's head. Elio bent backwards and felt it whiz in front of his face.
"Whoa!" Elio exclaimed, catching himself. He deflected Rala's quick strikes, twisting the staff back and forth. He spun around Rala and stepped away without striking him.
"Stop fighting defensively, Elio! You need to strike back!" Rala raised his voice. He turned back around and swung the staff aggressively at Elio. Elio was forced to continue stepping back in order to safely block the attacks.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Elio shouted.
"Your opponent won't wait for you to be ready!" Rala shouted back, continuing to attack. With a hard swing, he knocked Elio's staff out of his hand. Now completely open, Rala kicked Elio in the chest. This knocked him backwards and he crashed back-first into a tree.
"Ah!" Elio yelped in pain, forcing himself to stand back up.
"Pick up your staff, child, and fight for real now." Rala instructed...
Much to Cindra's disbelief, this strange figure of a man was actually teaching her how to waterbend. It was a simple, wordless process: he would show her a move, and she would imitate it. He never said a word, but he would wait patiently until she figured the move out herself. Then the process would begin again with another move.
With more confidence in her abilities than ever before, Cindra pulled water from the pond towards her. She swirled it around her and split it into 4 different currents, making them all move in different directions. She brought them back into the pond and lifted up a wall of water with one hand. She closed her fist and it turned into ice.
The man, seeing that she had learned everything he had taught her, smiled approvingly and nodded his head. He moved his hands outwards, unfreezing the water and allowing the pond to settle again. Cindra took in a deep breath, looking up at him.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Tui," He answered in a gentle voice. "But you already know me, don't you?"
"You're the moon spirit!" Cindra said, her eyes widening, "The actual moon spirit!"
"Yes," Tui nodded and smiled in amusement. "It's nice to see you again, Cindra."
Cindra's mind immediately went back years into the past to the one and only time that she saw the ocean and moon spirits in the flesh. She was a young girl who was given the honor of entering into that sacred alcove to see the spirits, her and her family.
"You remember me?" Cindra asked in shock.
"More than remember, my dear. I've been watching over you for some time. I've seen how you have persisted in the face of opposition and carved out a path for yourself." He described. Cindra blushed in embarrassment; her previous actions seemed more embarrassing to her now.
"Oh... I might not have acted that way if I'd known you were watching me." She admitted.
"It's alright, dear. Your heart was in the right place; it was your tribe that needed to catch up with you. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that now they have."
"What? Wh-What do you mean?" She asked.
"Whenever you decide to return to your home, you will be welcomed back with open arms. The schools of waterbending are now open to you and the rest of the women. It will be up to you to decide when you will complete your training there." Tui explained.
Cindra's jaw dropped in shock. Surely it was too good to be true. The spirit of the moon himself was telling her to come home; that she could be the waterbending master she truly wanted to be. She fell down to her knees and began to laugh joyfully.
"Thank you! Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!" She exclaimed. Tui smiled delightfully at seeing her happiness. However, his expression became more serious.
"Your time to return must come soon, child. Times are changing, and the world is becoming darker. As we speak, there is a fleet of Fire Nation ships gathered outside our walls. With the sun in the sky, they are beginning a siege."
"What?!" Cindra shouted, "The Fire Nation is attacking our home?! I-I should be there!"
"Do not fear, Cindra. We have the Avatar and his friends on our side. Do not feel guilty for not being present. You are not yet ready to stand for your tribe. But your time will come." Tui promised.
"I-I don't understand." She shook her head. Rather than clarify directly, Tui decided to address something else.
"You've made quite an interesting friend on your travels, Cindra. What do you think of him?" He asked. Cindra's eyebrows dropped strangely.
"You must mean Elio... He's a good partner and a better friend. I wouldn't have gotten this far without him." She answered. Tui nodded and smiled a bit.
"Keep him close, child. Together, the two of you will do great things. Remember the duty that you wish to take on: maintaining peace in your tribe. Cindra, woman of the moon, I wish the best for you on your journey." Tui wished upon her.
"Thank you," Cindra dropped her head down humbly. "So is that it then?"
"Yes. I've taught you everything that you need for now. But I am needed back home now. Watch the skies, Cindra. You will see a sign and you will know when it is time for you to come home." Tui advised before disappearing.
Cindra swallowed nervously, getting to her feet. With the white light of Tui's presence now gone, Cindra needed to find Elio again. She also needed to process the heavy information that she had just been given. She could only imagine right now what it all meant...
"Ahh!" Elio yelled out in pain as Rala struck him again, this time in the arm. He stumbled to the side before blocking Rala's attack. He struck Rala in the leg and elbowed him in the chest to push him back.
"Good! Choose your points carefully and strike with conviction! You cannot afford to hesitate or run away anymore, Elio. You must learn to face your problems head on!" Rala instructed. He set his staff down and signaled Elio to do the same.
"Why are teaching me this, master?" Elio asked, clutching his arm and dropping down to one knee. "What do you know that I don't?" He looked up at him. Rala sighed.
"Do you know where you are right now, Elio?" He asked. Elio shook his head.
"No."
"You are in a very spiritual place, Elio. This swamp has roots that stretch out for miles. Standing here, you can almost feel the heartbeat of the planet." He said with a chuckle. Elio swallowed and shook his head.
"What do you mean 'spiritual'? This place has connections to the spirit world?" He asked.
"Yes it does. But I sense that you don't have a strong belief in the spirit world, do you?" Rala questioned. Elio shook his head again.
"I've never seen proof it exists." He answered.
"That's fair. It is hard to believe in something you can't see. Have a seat, Elio," Rala invited, sitting down cross-legged on the ground. Elio sat down in front of him, crossing his legs too.
"The word spiritual is a compound word, Elio. Divide it into two parts, you get the words 'spirit' and 'ritual'. Spirituality is very difficult to learn, but when it is associated with truth, it can set you for life, son. You have to believe in the right things.
"Ritual: repeating actions again and again. When you train, you go through the same firebending forms that you were first taught. Why is that?" Rala asked.
"Be...Because it's the foundation of everything else that I know how to do." Elio answered.
"Precisely. When you believe in something, Elio, it will show in what you say and do. Aren't your beliefs the reason why you chose to leave the Fire Nation? Why you left your family and friends behind?" Rala asked. Elio nodded slowly.
"Yes... I know that what the Fire Nation is doing is wrong. I know that people are suffering, and I don't want to contribute to that suffering."
"And that is a perfect example of spirituality in harmony with truth. The world is full of different beliefs, Elio, but there is only one true good path in life. You must find it, you must commit to it, and you need to be willing to fight for it...
"That brings us to the spirit. Your life is precious, Elio. To walk one path or another can be to choose between life or death. Spirituality is about conviction; you must be determined to see through to the end whatever path you choose for yourself, or to change your ways if you later discover what you're doing is wrong.
"That brings us to the other aspect of the spirit: faith. You won't know for sure where your path in life will lead you until you begin walking. Carefully choosing what you believe in and what you will commit yourself to is all well and good, but it will be for nothing unless you truly believe that it will be to your benefit."
"I see... But what does this have to do with the spirit world?" Elio asked.
"This has less to do with the spirit world and more to do with you, Elio. You need to ask yourself what it is you believe. What are you convictions? What are you willing to fight for? Your morals and your strength as a firebender come from your spirituality, Elio. You must keep them firm and pointed in the right direction."
"Are...you saying that I am not moving in the right direction right now?" Elio asked in confusion.
"Only you can answer that for yourself," Rala said, patting him on the shoulder. "But you will find the answer. You're a smart kid." He said with a smile.
"Thank you, Rala, for teaching me these things. I only wish I understood better." Elio said honestly.
"It will all come in due time. You have much to consider, Elio. I have taught you spirituality and I have taught you conviction. But as your trials come, you must draw the line for yourself on how far you are willing to go."
"What do you mean 'how far'?" Elio asked.
"Because of this path you have chosen, not all of your opponents will be your enemies. You will be forced to stand before friends, family even, and you may have to fight. I know you don't wish to hurt others in the name of what is bad, but are you willing to hurt others in the name of what is good?" Rala asked.
Elio felt a growing pit in his stomach as the true gravity of Rala's teachings began to hit him. His mind immediately went to Cassian. He knew that Cassian wouldn't rest until he caught him. They would come face to face again, and they would have to fight.
"Cassian is my best friend. I don't want to hurt him. B-But he may give me no choice." Elio said.
"Only you can know what you will do when that time comes, Elio. Consider it carefully. I trust that you will come to the right decision." Rala said, patting him on the shoulder again before turning to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Elio asked.
"My time in this place is not finished. But you have a different path to walk. Be safe on your journey, Elio! I wish you the best." Rala said kindly, smiling back at him before walking deeper into the swamp out of sight.
Elio swallowed and looked down at the ground. He slid his staff back into its sleeve. Rala was right. He was going to have to very carefully consider what he was going to do. His life would depend on it. Cindra's life might depend on it too...
"Elio!" Cindra called out as she approached a clearing. Elio turned towards the sound of her voice and saw her coming.
"Cindra!" Elio shouted in relief upon seeing her. He ran towards her and embraced her, hugging her tightly, "You're okay!"
"I'm okay," She sighed in relief and hugged him tightly back. "I was so worried when we got separated. You won't believe what happened to me!"
"I was about to say the same thing! But let's get out of this place first. Then we can talk about it." Elio said, holding his hand out to her. She smiled and took it...
Cindra and Elio finally found their way back out from the swamp. Once they had managed to get back to the trail, they found a safe and secluded place to make camp for the night. Elio made the fire and they sat down side by side, eating and discussing what had happened.
"You're really sure it was the actual moon spirit and not just some weird hallucination?" Elio asked. Cindra nodded.
"I'm positive! He was waterbending, Elio, he was waterbending right in front of me! And he showed me forms I'd never seen before! I feel like such a better waterbender now!" She said happily.
"I'm happy for you, Cindra. You'll have to shout thank you at the night sky." He joked.
"I'm not gonna do that," She giggled and nudged him. "But he did say something else. He says that there's a Fire Nation siege happening at the Northern Water Tribe. That the Avatar is there now trying to stop the invasion." She said seriously.
"Oh wow... You think it's really happening?" Elio asked.
"It has to be... I know he said that I shouldn't feel guilty, but I'm worried, Elio. My family is there. My father and my brother could be fighting Fire Nation soldiers right now. My dad might be fine, but my brother struggles sometimes with his formations. What if he...?"
"Hey hey, calm down. Relax," Elio said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and rubbing her arms comfortingly. "If Aang and his friends are there, I'm sure your family will be safe. Just...have a little faith." He said to reassure her.
"I'm trying... Who's Aang?" Cindra asked, looking up at him.
"That's the Avatar's name."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I...met him once...?" Elio answered slowly.
"You met the Avatar! And you didn't tell me?!" Cindra said in surprise.
"It never came up!" He said defensively.
"You are such a dork! If it were me, I'd have already told you about it like three times!" She teased him.
"Well I'm sorry!" Elio said humorously. Cindra shook her head and chuckled quietly, resting her head against him.
"Thanks for comforting me, Elio. I'm glad that you're alright." She said.
"I'm glad you're okay too... I saw someone too. In the swamp." Elio said.
"Who?" Cindra asked.
"My master. The one who taught me how to use my staff."
"Really? That's so strange. What did he say to you?" She asked, looking up at him again. Elio let go of her and rested his hands in his lap.
"A lot of things. He talked to me about spirituality and the spirit world and beliefs, convictions, fighting techniques and morals. It was so much. I'm still processing everything." Elio messily tried to summarize his experience.
"Sounds like a lot. Are you alright?" She asked.
"I'm fine, Cindra. I just... He said something that I just can't get out of my head. My best friend, Cassian, is chasing after me. He wants to capture me. I-I don't know what I'm gonna do when I see him again. I'm gonna have to face him and I don't wanna-"
"Hey hey, Elio, look at me. Look at me," Cindra shushed him, putting a hand on his arm. "You don't have to fight him. If we're careful, we can avoid him completely. You won't have to do anything drastic." She reassured him.
"I don't want to, but I worry that I might soon have to," Elio sighed. "For your sake and mine. If Cassian is forced to choose between my life and his loyalty to the Fire Nation, he will kill me." He said certainly.
Cindra had nothing to say in response to that. She took Elio's hand again, holding it in both of hers. With things getting more intense for the two of them, they would both have to make some tough decisions. Though the timing wasn't great, Cindra had something else to tell Elio.
"Tui told me something else, Elio... He told me that to complete my waterbending training, I would have to go home. Which means soon, we may have to separate." She informed him. Elio silently nodded.
"...I understand." He said sadly, squeezing her hand.
Elio let his hand slip out of Cindra's. He stood up and sighed, brushing hair back with his hand as he walked back into his tent. He silently crawled inside and closed it. Cindra stood up as well, putting out the fire before going back into her own tent...