Night Terrors|| @airmastertenzin
The bright lanterns and scents of honey-mellon drew Jinora in, as her family and she entered the late brass carnival gates. The family stopped to watch a juggler with bright green glasses twirl batons through the air. Out of the corner, a strange merchant appeared, his face covered in the shadow of his gaudy circus hat. He reached both gloved hands into his harlequin printed bag, and extracted two items. The first was an ornate rainbow pinwheel, the second, a translucent bag filled with iridescent marbles. He slowly approached Jinora, mumbling a song softly. As he grew closer, she could make out words in his melody, a simple tune, roughened by his deep rasping voice...
show us your marble tricks.
twirl my pinwheels on their sticks."
He continued to walk towards her, his face still consumed in shadows, but his voice louder, overpowering the innocent hum of the crowd.
Dance like the little leaf.
Dance for me, the bending theif.
Jinora tried to move, but her legs were unresponsive. She tried to shout, to alert her family, but they stood there, laughing, watching the juggler in the opposite direction.
Your silly little family,
Jinora frantically attempted to wave to her family, naively standing like statues, still laughing manically at the juggler behind Jinora. The man was feet away from the young airbender, still singing. He suddenly dropped the pinwheel, as he reached out with his hand to grab Pema. Her eyes grew wide with fear and terror, and her laughs were mutilated into screams of terror.
Pema fell to the ground, clutching her pregnant stomach, still wailing. Jinora was gasping for breath, but could not make a sound, could not move a muscle. The man continued to walk forward, the song growing louder with each step
Jinora you can't save her.
Your silly marble tricks,
He dropped the bag of marbles, and Jinora watched in horror as the shattered piercingly against the cobblestone ground. He reached with both hands, out to Jinora's father, pulling him to the ground. Jinora tried to scream, tried to move, but was completely powerless. Tenzin moaned in agony, writhing, his face pressed against the cool stones.
try to knock me, hit me back.
Don't you know how to attack?
The juggler stopped juggling, his batons gleaming electricity as he stepped down from his podium. He approached Meelo, while the other stranger grabbed Ikki from behind, clenching her head in his large hands. Her earsplitting shriek was met by Meelo's howls as the juggler struck Jinora's brother with his batons. Jinora struggled to breathe. Unable to move, unable to make a noise, she watched in terror as both men closed in on her.
You don't know how to attack.
All she could hear was the song, loud, menacing, tearing apart her soft ears with it's viscous threats. Now only inches away, Jinora could see under the mysterious man's gaudy hat. Beneath the cap was a familiar mask. She stared in complete panic, at Amon as he raised his two gloved hands over he head.
Jinora awoke, drenched in sweat, Tenzin at the side of her bed and her mother standing in the doorway. She tried to speak, but only managed to cough weakly.
"Father," she whispered, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks, "I'm terrified. I can't protect you, or Mother, or Ikki, or Meelo.," Her voice cracked, heavy sobs quivering through the young airbender's slender chest. "I need to know how to fight Father. I need to know how to attack."
