The Water Tribe's First Step; Help From a Friend (Open to All Fire and Water Benders)

Owlan, dressed in his Imperial Battle Armour, stood within the thick of the woods, just before the plains. He sat on the back of a purebred, Imperial Warhorse, looking out through the thicket of branches and brambles of the trees. It was like looking through a stained glass window, the whole pictured was broken and divided, and when the light filtered through you could almost make out the whole picture. Next to Owlan rode the King of the Northern Water Tribe, King Anuk of the House of Leihing. Owlan had promised Anuk as much support as he asked for, as well as graced him with several gifts. The first was a personal, war horse with the armour included, from which Anuk could ride into battle alongside his troops.

The second, was a personal made katana, which Anuk could use to extract revenge upon the magicians of Ullondor for the injury of his daughter and the near death of his family. Owlan looked over at the king; he was almost 10 years his senior, and yet the two of them looked to be the same age. Owlan either attributed to the cold temperature of the North Pole that allowed Anuk to keep so young, or Owlan had begun to work too hard for his own good, and age was not gripping him as well as it had Anuk. Regardless of which option it was, Owlan knew nothing of young or old now, what mattered was experience, something which he and Anuk had excess amounts of.

The two rulers, an Emperor from and ancient and pious regime, and a king from a noble and dignified monarchy that has withstood the test of time and misfortune. The both of them had bound their armies together under a unified banner for the battle that was coming. Owlan grasped his swords from their sheaths, the first one which he wore around his waist, was Owlan's main sword, and was his personalized one made only for him; as was tradition. The second one was an ancient katana that had been passed down from the first Fire Lord, Fire Lord Konoe.

"Anuk," said Owlan quietly, "Are you ready for the attack?" The two kings had planned for months for this attack. Owlan had already secured the Empire a base by taking the town of Akkaera, but now it was time for the Water Tribes to gain some footing in Ullondor, and gain themselves a base. Owlan and Anuk's plan was simple yet effective: they would wheel the siege towers and catapults from the woods, slowly but surely and barrage the city from just outside the wall of trees. The trees would provide cover for the ground soldiers, and would be an excellent form of retreat incase the catapults were rained down on with magic.

Once the walls were weakened substantially enough, Owlan and Anuk would charge forward with their armies and begin their assaults on the walls themselves. They would bring the battering rams and ladders, and move the siege towers closer to the walls in order to get over them and invade the city from the inside. Once inside, the army's job was to find the leader of this city, and then either make him raise the white flag and surrender, or kill him and use his death as a means to force the soldiers to retreat.

"Be ready to move and give your soldiers the signal," said Owlan as he began to veer his horse towards the left, where the bulk of his soldiers were. He was to give them orders, while Anuk commanded his soldiers on the right and Kael, Southern King, commanded soldiers in the centre. "We strike when you do!" said Owlan as he spurred his horse forward towards the left, pushing it into a gallop while he dashed between the thick pine trees of the forest. Owlan pulled the horse to a stop as he entered a clearing where another contingent of soldiers were waiting at the ready; prepared to strike at a moments notice.

Owlan smiled and nodded to their leader, the young king of the Southern Water Tribe, Kael Mist. The boy had just recently become king, and at the age of 16, he was finding the job not as easy as he believed it to be. He was the youngest monarchy in the 6 Nations--though not the youngest in history, definitely youngest at the time--and his experience with wars, battles and tactics in the sense of practical experience was little if any. Unlike Owlan who had battled several times before in his life, and made a name off of it, or like Onao who's fight against crime in the upper ring matched that of the Light Kingdom's battle against rebels, Kael had no experience.

Owlan knew that he was probably nervous, as Owlan had once been in his position. Owlan himself had been crowned Fire Lord at 14, and then at the age of 15, started a war against the Regent Lord of Ember Island and won; earning himself the nickname, Owlan the Lionheart. Owlan slowed his horse and walked it towards Kael. "Hey," said Owlan softly, realizing suddenly that Kael was so much younger than him--to Owlan it always seemed that he and Kael were the same age, Owlan always forgot he had aged 10 years. "How are you feeling?" asked Owlan further, "Look, I know this is your first battle and I can understand just how nervous you are. I've been through the same thing myself, but believe me, it goes away. It's replaced by the thrill of battle and the rush of adrenaline, and hopefully the satisfaction of victory. Stick to the plan, and even more importantly your own gut instincts and intuition--even if it means disobeying the plan if you feel you can do something better--and you will do just fine. Trust me."

Owlan smiled and placed his hand on Kael's shoulder, and then began to unstrap his own personal sword and handed it to the young Water Tribe King. "This sword got my through my first battle, and helped me win," he said, "It's been through a lot with me. It's always given me the courage to keep going, no matter how unprepared and inexperienced I am. You can use it if it helps, and if we win, you can keep it. I will have another one made." With that, Owlan spurred his horse again, and after a loud whiny, Owlan shot off towards his soldiers, ready to head them into battle and to victory. The second battle of this war had begun, and Owlan was on a winning streak.

This was Kael's first battle.

Was he nervous? Hell yes. Kael could feel it through his body, and it left his stomach feeling like a twisted knot. Kaida had always done the fighting, while he had worked with the political side of running a nation. But now, now Kael and Kaida had split the military in two, and she wasn't with him. He had to take charge. Luckily, Anuk and Owlan had both joined and would prove to be extremely helpful, especially since both of their troops were so much larger. Looking at Anuk, the king was staring straight ahead, with a sharp look of determination in his eye. On the other side was Owlan, who met his gaze, and after a moment of hesitation, turned to him.

"Hey," the emperor said softly. "How are you feeling?" Kael didn't answer, but it was obvious enough. "Look, I know this is your first battle and I can understand just how nervous you are. I've been through the same thing myself, but believe me, it goes away. It's replaced by the thrill of battle and the rush of adrenaline, and hopefully the satisfaction of victory. Stick to the plan, and even more importantly your own gut instincts and intuition--even if it means disobeying the plan if you feel you can do something better--and you will do just fine. Trust me."

Kael nodded. Actually, Owlan helped more than he probably thought, as Kael started to mentally check himself. He could do this. He took a deep breath, and Owlan smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. Then, much to Kael's surprise, the emperor removed his own sword and handed it to Kael. "This sword got my through my first battle, and helped me win," he said. "It has been through a lot with me. It has always given me the courage to keep going, no matter how unprepared and inexperienced I am. You can use it if it helps, and if we win, you can keep it. I will have another one made." Kael was speechless. Carefully, he grasped the hilt of the sword and took it.

"Thank you," he said. Owlan only winked and turned his horse away. Determination set in his face, and he latched the sword onto himself. Then Anuk started his speech. He knew his tribesmen were listening intently to him, as they should be. And when Anuk spoke, Kael felt like the king in him was stripped away. He was only another soldier, and one who hadn't seen battle at that. He was relieved that Anuk was there to inspire the soldiers, because for once Kael was at a loss for words. Kael the King, who always knew what to say and who was never phased with whatever obstacle was thrown at him. Obviously war changed that.

"Prepare for battle," Kael shouted as Anuk stiffened. To his surprise, his soldiers listened, preparing their weapons as the catapults were set to be moved.

"MOVE!" shouted Anuk.

Kael spurred his horse forward, his soldiers following suit. Already, he could feel adrenaline pumping through is body and they moved toward war.

Owlan listened for the sound of Anuk's call; at first there was nothing. Just silence. He spent this time conversing with his generals, "Capture the leader of this village, or whoever helps keep order here." Started Owlan, I don't know much about how these villages work, but someone has to keep these people under control. I want you guys to use our soldiers to find them, and bring them to us alive, we kings shall deal with him once he is captive." The generals nodded, and Owlan continued to speak with them about the war proceedings until all of a sudden he heard Anuk shout the charge in the distance. It was time.

Owlan rushed to his horse, and quickly threw himself onto the saddle, he pulled his sword and raised it, and then shouted to his men. "We fight together!" he shouted, "We brave soldiers who fight for our families, loved ones and our nation! We fight together, for victory! For the glory of the Empire! Charge!" With that Owlan reared his horse, his blade caught in the minimal light that flashed in through the branches of the trees, and for the entire charge they made Owlan's sword light up and shine sunbeams in all directions. It was as if for the entire duration of the charge Owlan's sword seemed made of the sun, of light itself. This was, in fact, in part due to Owlan's ability as a light bender, and he caused the light that refracted off the blade remain around the blade, giving it a heavenly glow. As he charged out of the forest he skidded to a slower pace, walking close to the slowly moving catapults and they slowly drudged into position.

Owlan watched as the catapult moved into the place, and his Imperial Soldiers began to fling large balls of oil-soaked wood at the walls and the village; not before lighting them on fire however. The process was simple, roll the balls onto the catapult, light them on fire, and fling them, then cock back the catapult and repeat. All was going well until several flaming balls of fire were returned by the magicians, taking out two of Owlan's thirty catapults. "Trebuchets at the ready! Replacements and back up stand by!" He shouted. BOOM! BOOM! "F*ck!" sword Owlan as three more catapults were taken down. He needed to do something fast, something to thin their ranks, and demoralize their enemy, while also raising the morale of his own soldiers. Thinking quickly Owlan raised his sword once more.

Owlan let out a massive battle roar, and causing lighting to strike his sword. He then used his talent as a fire bender to amass a ball of fire atop his blade, and threw the massive ball towards the wall. As it flew through the air it split into two, the first ball began to grow and grow, and morphed into a massive dragon, while the second ball continued to grow to the same size, and became a majestic phoenix. Mesmerized, both sides stared and watched as the two flame beasts flew towards the wall at top speed, and then soar right over it. Several magicians defending the walls bailed, and jumped to either side of the wall, ignoring the ladders and stairs. They died as soon as they hit the ground. Owlan smiled at this, and while the enemy magicians watched the two animals fly up into the air and explode into a wave of flame like a flaming firecracker, Owlan had the soldiers firing, and reloading already.

The Imperial Army had three more volleys of flaming projectiles returned to the magicians before they began to pay attention to the war again and continue defending. Owlan had just levelled the playing field, he had cut down the number of defenders, raised his troops morale by just a little bit, and caught the magicians off guard. Perhaps this battle wasn't so lost after all.

Water tribe general kota moronishi ran up to anuk(on Kori) with an eager look on his face. He wanted to kill the magicians. He wanted the adrenaline rush it gives to him. He was also hoping for his soldiers to gain a chance to see a battle outside of well-protected walls. He was waiting for the king to acknowledge his presence. After about a few minutes of watching anuk throw ice balls he screamed over the sounds of war.

"King Anuk!" Kota yelled in the king's direction. "I request that you let me take a squad of 12 men ahead of the rest to find a way into the the main village and take out the guards stationed!"
If we do that you will take much less casualties and wont have to worry about losing as many of your men. He paused, then continued... "you have to trust me! with the right men we can do it!"

Kael gazed in awe as Owlan displayed his strength as a bender to the magicians. He raised a phoenix from the flames of his creation and bared it for all of them to see. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. Then, almost as if it was a competition, Anuk made his move. He drew the water from the plant life around them (something Kael could do but it left him feeling sick) and gathered it in a great orb. Following that, he hardened it into ice and threw it at the wall. It exploded. The Northern soldiers did the same as Anuk, and within no time at all the barrier had shattered, leaving quite a sizable hole to charge through. Kael was beyond impressed. How could he fight along these two powerful kings?

"Prepare," Anuk said suddenly, looking directly at Kael. Out of all the expressions Anuk could have chosen, he was actually smiling at the boy. "Draw your weapon. I am by your side." Kael nodded, drawing the sword Owlan had given him. He was a king as well. This is where he was suppose to be.

He knew if Kaida was here and seeing this she would have that wicked grin on her face. Because, even though Kael clung to pacifism, it by no means meant he couldn't fight. He had beaten Kaida in sword play. But this was no longer play, it was time to put the techniques he had been forced to learn into action.

"PROCEED!" Anuk ordered for the second time. Kael spurred his horse and his soldiers followed as they pounded toward the breech in the wall.

Owlan cheered as the wall broke, he would need to thank Anuk later, but now was not the time for that. No; now was the time for action and war. Owlan pointed towards the wall with his sword, "Bring forward the siege towers!" he shouted, "Soldiers prepare to move out!" Owlan dismounted his horse and then shooed it off into the woods where it would be safe from the battle. He then turned back towards the wall, and looked at his row of soldiers, prepared to attack the walls, and Owlan smiled.

"Today we charge on the city! The wall is breached, and now we must fight for control!" shouted Owlan to his soldiers, "As soon as you go over that wall I want you to fight your enemy with the same courage and strength as you would show in any other moment! Show no fear, show no mercy! If you die, then die honourable, face your enemy and look him in the eye! Even a corpse should not retreat! Charge!"

Owlan ran towards the wall, sword alight with shining sun beams once more, and he prepared to assault the city. He climbed the rubble from the wall, as he watched the siege towers push forward; soon enough his soldiers would land their walkways onto the wall, and would pour over the rampart. Until then Owlan needed to ensure as many soldiers as possible would enter the city. He knew the ones that climbed in the way he did would be fine, but the ones in the towers....

It was time for Owlan to get busy; he ran towards the streets of Fis village and began to help his soldiers. He raised his hands towards the skies, and began to fire off large balls of fire into the air. It was a technique that Owlan had developed for a few years, the Flaming Comets. Large balls of fire would fly up into the air and then--BOOM!!--they hit the walls, one by one. No damage was done to the walls, but they exploded in flashes of fire, engulfing and torching anyone who was unlucky enough to be caught in the blasts.

The fire kept falling, but Owlan wasn't done. He ran up the steps, bringing with him a few Water Tribe soldiers. They charged up the stairs, Owlan in point, and the Emperor began to cut through enemy magicians, while barely dodging their magic. A blast grazed his shoulder, but Owlan kept strong, resisting the urge to cry out in pain. In rage Owlan sliced his enemy from shoulder to waist, and then ordered the Water Tribe soldiers into position.

"Take the oil over there!" he shouted, pointing to buckets of hot oil that were sitting by the parapets, "Use your water bending, and drop the boiling oil all over the ramparts, try and hit as many soldiers as possible. Once that is done, clear out and leave it to me!" The soldiers did as he commanded, and and when they were finished, Owlan waited until the ramparts were cleared, before he used his fire bending light the ramparts and soldiers on fire.

Owlan then took the spare time he had while the soldiers were busy putting themselves out to examine his shoulder. Just as he thought, the armour had been completely torn through, the entire shoulder pad was gone, and his shoulder was singed, and he wasn't going to lie, it hurt like hell. But Owlan needed to stay strong, be brave and bear through it, for the sake of his soldiers. To Owlan, no matter how strong a soldier is physically, his will is only as strong as his leader's, and if his leader had a weak resolve and little will, then a soldier was as good as useless. That is why Owlan needed to stay strong. For his soldiers.

Owlan heard the shouts of the Soldiers, landing on the parapets as the siege towers rolled into place. As the magician soldiers screamed in pain, Owlan greeted his soldiers, who's platforms landed on the wall, and they began to dismount the siege towers. The true battle had just begun.

Kota gave a slight nod and rode ahead of the three armies, along with twelve elite polar-bear riders. Kota looked at their worried faces and smiled. "We'll do fine, we just need to stay in the shadows and know when to strike." Kota and his squad were gaining a lot of ground on everybody and were beside the ranks of magicians. Kota looked down at Kori and petted her head. "It'll be okay mom. He said as he dismounted Kori. "Just wait outside of the walls." Kota waited for his other twelve men to dismount and then they walked in the shadows to a couple of magicians who were separate from the others.

Kota put his hand to his sword as if to unsheathe it, but then quickly took it off. "I don't need my sword for these ass-holes," He thought to himself. "no. I have a better idea." Kota bended water out of his canteen and towards the magicians. He was to put it in their mouths and freeze it, restricting their breathing. He then gestured for his men to kill another straggling squad of about six. As they moved towards the squad they heard the armies moving in on the magician's front lines. A shrewd smile came across Kota's face as he drew his sword and sprinted towards a mass of magicians killing all that he could. As he was spilling blood the thing going through his mind at the moment was... "What if Anuk and Owlan can't break through the lines?