𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
ELUA WALKED THROUGH ALL of the fluffy white snow that laid across the native land that surrounded her like a thick blanket of polar bear dog skin—or, at least, it was what she would have imagined such a thing to look like. She made her way up towards the male Water Tribe teen that stood at the top of the front wall of his village and overlooked the crisp blue ocean water below. It sparkled elegantly while the sun reflected off of its ripped waves in an almost entrancing dance. It was a beautiful sight.
After Aang had run off, and Katara made the decision to follow after him, Elua stayed behind in the village. She wanted—needed—to know more about all that had happened in her and Aang's absence. It was all in the hope that maybe it would help her to understand more of why everything had happened in the first place.
"Tell me more about the war."
Sokka glanced over towards Elua as she came to stand beside him at the edge of the icy wall, "What is there to tell? It's a war," he said simply before he looked away from her, and back at the scintillating water. "It's all I have ever known," he told her with a look of pain and loss in his blue eyes.
"...you lost someone," Elua said softly, mostly to herself, as her expression turned into one of sorrow and empathy. "I'm sorry."
Sokka said nothing back to the strange girl that he had only known for less than an entire day. She was extremely observant, that much he could tell, and it only made him more nervous to be around her. He had no trust in her, but she was already aware of that, and she could not find a single reason to blame him for it, either. He didn't know her and seemed to know next to nothing about Air Nomads. She would've been the exact same way if she were standing in his place.
"It's very peaceful here," Elua said as she looked out at the water and listened to the sound of the waves as they crashed against the icecaps, "seeing as the world is in such conflict," she added while the cool breeze flowed through her hair, which caused her hair to become somewhat frizzy, as it fell over her shoulders in its untamed state.
Sokka glanced over to her with an unsure gaze. "Yeah..." he trailed off as he turned his eyes away from her once more and set his gaze on the blue ocean waves.
Unfortunately, it was only a peaceful moment for a few moments before it was broken by a loud crack that echoed through the air, which caused both of the young teens to jump in surprise as they quickly turned around to see what had happened. A bright red Fire Nation flare was not what they expected to see. It had flown up into the clear blue sky with extreme speed, traveling several hundred feet into the air before it met its altitude, and came flying straight back down until it was completely out of sight.
And then, it was the silence that came afterward, that worried her most...
⇢⇢⇠⇠
The children of the Southern Water Tribe shout and cheer in excitement as Aang and Katara walked back into the small village, but while all of them may have been glad to see the young Air Nomad boy again, their parents and the other adults within the tribe did not share a single ounce of their children's vast enthusiasm. All of them were upset and scared. However, Elua ignored the sense of unhappiness and fear that had fallen over the atmosphere, and she didn't waste another second before she rushed forward and ran over towards her brother out of worry.
"Are you alright?" Elua asked as calmly as she could while she set a gentle and comforting hand onto Aang's shoulder. "Are you hurt?" she questioned again. "Are you in pain anywhere?" She continued to pile on the questions as she quickly began to look him over for any cuts, bruises, or other injuries, but he was completely fine and looked exactly as he had before he ran off a few hours ago.
Aang looked up at her with a smile of reassurance, "I'm okay, Elua," he told her with a small nod of his head as he showed her that he was just fine from where he stood in front of her.
"I knew it!" Sokka suddenly shouted out of anger. "You signaled the Fire Nazy with that flare. You're leading the straight to us, aren't you?" he demanded to know with a sharp glare pointed down at Aang, and action that made Elua quickly step in front of her brother in a protective manner, standing between him and the furious Water Tribe teen with a dangerously calm expression on her face.
Katara swiftly walked out in front of the two Air Nomad siblings, "Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident," she spoke up in an attempt to defend her new friend from her upset and hostile older brother.
"Yeah. We were on the ship and there was a booby trap, and well..." Aang took a moment and paused as he put his hands at the back of his head while he tried to come up with a good way to word whatever he was trying to say, "we 'boobied' right into it," he chuckled nervously.
"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship," Gran-Gran began to scold as she gave her granddaughter a look of disapproval. "We could all be in danger," she declared with a shake of her head. It was her words that made the entire tribe swell with a sense of worry and fear once again, and gave all of the young mothers, a reason to hold onto their children a little tighter than before.
"Don't blame Katara!" Aang suddenly raised his voice as he stepped around his sister and walked forward as he spoke, "I brought her there. It's my fault," he said while he lowered his head and his expression turned into one of shame.
"Aha! The traitor confesses," Sokka shouted as he took a step forward and stood in front of his entire village tribe. "Warriors, away from the enemies. Tne foreigners are banished from our village!" he ordered all of the kids that stood around Aang and Elua while he glared at them both out of hatred and betrayal.
Katara's eyes widened in shock at her own brother's declaration, "Sokka, you're making a mistake," she told him with an aggravated tone as she glared sharply at him.
"No! I'm keeping my promise to Dad," Sokka told her with an austere look on his face. "I'm protecting you from threats like them!" he stated as he motioned towards the two Airbenders that stood behind the young Waterbender.
"Aang and Elua are not our enemies!" Katara shouted as she stepped closer to her older brother with pleading eyes. "Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun," she told him, obviously trying her hardest to hold her ground against him, but Elua knew that she would inevitably lose this argument at one point or another.
"Fun?" Sokka scoffed at her. "We can't fight Firebenders with fun!" he shouted back at her while he threw his arms up into the air out of exasperation.
Aang smiled as he laughed lightly at the teen, "You should try it sometime!" he said with the obvious intention of lightening the mood, but based on all of the glares he soon got for it, he failed in his attempt.
"Aang," Elua spoke sharply as she glanced down at him in disapproval, "-not the time," she mumbled to him while she gave him a look that told him to stop talking at this rather critical moment.
Sokka glared at the boy once again, "Get out of our village," he ordered both of them with a harsh tone. "Now!"
"Grandmother, please," Katara said with a desperate look in her blue eyes, "don't let Sokka do this," she pleaded.
Their Grandmother shook her head at the young girl, "Katara, you knew that going on that ship was forbidden," she said with a tone of disappointment. "Sokka is right. I think it is best if the Airbenders leave."
Katara's expression hardened at the words her Grandmother spoke, "Then I'm banished, too!" she shouted before she turned away from her family with a look of anger on her face. "Come on, Aang. Let's go," she said as she walked forward, gently grabbed onto Aang's upper arm, and began to walk away from her tribe.
Sokka looked completely taken aback at his sister's irrational decision, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked while he watched her walk away from him and everyone else that was their family and friends.
It seemed as if it were the easiest decision for the young Water Tribe girl to make but this wasn't something Katara should have taken this lightly. These people were all that she had ever known for, what Elua had guessed, her entire life. It was only going to cause more problems if this girl left on such terms as these... and Elua knew all of that.
"To find a Waterbender!" Katara shouted over her shoulder as she walked away from her family and friends. "Aang is taking me to the North Pole," she said confidently, no doubt in her mind that this was the right choice, and she didn't even attempt to look back at her people as she walked away.
"I am?" Aang asked in surprise. "Great!" he said with a big smile of excitement.
Elua turned to her brother with an objective look, "Aang, wait-"
The Airbender's words were cut off when someone else began to speak over her, "Would you really choose him over your own tribe?" Sokka asked with a softer tone than he had used before. "Your own family?" he asked with a painfully strained voice, and at that, Katara stopped in her tracks.
Elua glanced over at the small village that sat in front of her. She could almost feel the shock that radiated off of everyone's expressions about what the only bender within their tribe was doing. These people were Katara's family, and she was walking away from them, with little more than a second thought. Elua knew that she would end up regretting it if she actually went through with leaving—this was something that she couldn't let happen... and she would be the one to make that final call.
"Katara," Elua sighed as she looked over at the girl stood beside her, "I can't let Aang come between you and your family," she spoke calmly, but her words still made the young girl's expression turn to one of sorrow, already knowing what she was going to say next.
"Elua–"
"I think it's for the best if you stay here," Elua said with a kind, yet stern, tone of voice that lingered with sadness for her brother. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the young girl before she turned away from her and began to walk towards Appa. She knew all too well that if Katara left her family on a bad note, it would be the biggest mistake of her life, and would haunt her for the rest of her life... all too well.
"So, you're leaving the South Pole?" Katara asked as she turned back towards Aang again. "This is goodbye?" her voice strained with anguish as she spoke again.
Aang looked up at her sadly as he nodded his head, "Thanks for penguin sledding with me," he said with a small smile as he came to stand beside Appa.
"Where will you go?"
"I guess we'll go back home and look for the Airbenders," Aang answered her question while he placed his hand on Appa's side. "Wow. I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that," he chuckled kiddingly.
His statement made Elua look over at him in confusion from where she sat atop of Appa's saddle. How had he figured that out? She certainly hadn't told him that yet.
Aang sighed as he looked back over to the village again, "It was nice meeting everyone!" he said with a smile as he airbent himself up onto the giant flying bison in front of him, ready to venture on home with his sister, and see their home once again.
"Let's see your bison fly now," Sokka scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "air boy," he added with a smug look while he stood and watched the two Air Nomad siblings jadedly.
"Come on, Appa, you can do it," Aang smiled as he looked down at Appa from where he sat atop his head. "Yip yip!" he shook the reins when he spoke, which made the bison stand up onto his six legs as if he were actually going to fly off, but he made no moves to actually take off from the ground and simply just started walking away.
Sokka scoffed back a laugh, "Yeah, I thought so," he said as he shook his head with an unimpressed look on his face.
"Wait!" a little girl from the tribe suddenly shouted from behind the Air Nomads before she quickly ran over to them, "Don't go! We'll miss you," she said sadly as she looked up at the two of them with tears in her eyes.
Elua gave her a soft and comforting smile from where she sat, "It's okay," she said with a gentle tone, "We'll miss you, too," she told her honestly, but no amount of goodbyes and well wishes would be able to take the little girl's grief away, and simply left all of the sadness lingering on her tiny features.
"Come on, boy," Aang sighed sadly while he tugged on the reins and Appa began to move through the snow-covered land as they all left the Southern Water Tribe behind.