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chapter xiv

Word Count: 4,113 words

Chapter XIV: 眼睛是灵魂之窗

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"The day we have feared for so long has arrived."

Aang was circling around the snow he made from the ice he just bended, with Momo in the middle thinking of what in the Spirit World was Natsuko's other half doing and what was also falling from the sky. It would've looked edible to some, and Momo was one of the very few beings to think of it as one. Turns out it wasn't for anyone else's consumption.

Natsuko was coming back from the hut she spent her time in, after learning how to use her waterbending abilities that were only for women to good use. She was also hurrying and thinking how to put her mind to a task and do what anybody else didn't even think of doing before. Now she was not sure what she was looking for, but the black snow wasn't what she had in mind.

Katara stopped from practicing when she saw it, immediately dropping the water and placing her hands on her mouth, covering it from shock and fear of knowing was about to come. Sokka knew it as well, while he was aboard Appa and giving Yue a ride around. He remembered it as clear as the day it happened, the day when his tribe was attacked by the Fire Nation.

The sounds of the drums were already a signal to every waterbender and men who were alarmed by the black snow, Natsuko and the others were already present by the time Sokka had arrived. The elders and infants were there, along with their carers and parents, while the chief and his daughter and Master Pakku was in front of their people.

They haven't seem to blame Aang and the others for bringing the Fire Nation to their doorstep, as if they were anticipating their arrival for quite some time now and they should be. It wouldn't be surprising if that was the case, considering the long time they had been avoiding the war inside a big gate. In a sense, Kyoshi has also stayed far from the war but it looked like the walled cities where the only places the Fire Nation has been able to reach for so long.

But they weren't entirely prepared, they asked for volunteers to fight for their tribe, Sokka came along to fight despite no one forcing him to. Natsuko wasn't sure enough if she had seen Princess Yue slip a tear after Sokka giving her what looked like a look of saying goodbye, it wasn't one that she saw coming but one that she anticipated at the same time seeing that the two grew fond of each other with every passing day. Katara was certain that there was something between the two as well but decided not t dwell on it, instead focused on what she could do to help Aang.

Of course, Aang and Natsuko wouldn't refuse to fight because they were the reasons why the Fire Nation had decided to attack, it was a situation where they would win no matter what. Their involvement in this war was the most vital, for Natsuko too because of the responsibility she still carries for leaving the Avatar and the world in distraught while she was not in the mood to play godfather during those times.

They were in position, on top of the gate with every volunteer in a line, the four were also there as well as Appa and Momo. Aang and Natsuko had their gliders by their sides, seeing just one of the many fleets of the Fire Nation were already there and attacking with the catapults and flaming rocks they were sending off to the Water Tribe.

"Natsuko!" Aang took Natsuko's hand and airbended them both on board Appa to fly towards that ship, destroying almost of their catapults until waterbenders have arrived and destroyed the ships main source of power before ultimately covering its bottom with ice to prevent it from going further, "Boy."

Aang was embracing Appa for rescuing them from another weird looking man until they both noticed the hundreds, if not, thousands of ships sailing towards them. If she was putting her brains to the test, she estimated it to be over a hundred and fifty, a fully realized Avatar could blow them off the grid but seeing that Aang had only mastered airbending and was still training for waterbending, he alone could only cause irreparable damage to a dozen.