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- Pools of fresh springwater observed the landscape as it progressed slowly whilst the cart ambled along at its leisurely pace; the sight was really quite fascinating. The usually harsh mountainside landscape was covered in pure white snow, glinting like millions of small diamonds in the light. There were a few spots where the sharp edges of jagged rocks jutted out from the blanket, reminding all who saw them that the path was still very much dangerous. There were few trees; the only ones that could survive this far up were strong, old evergreens, clinging to the cliffs for dear life. The blue-haired teen watched intently as a bird landed on the top of one of the afformentioned trees, releasing a pile of snow onto the ground and revealing the green bristles, forzen with icicles hanging from them.
Absently, he wondered when they were going to reach the temple. His hands ran through his companion's golden locks. The older male had ordered him several minutes ago to stop bouncing and he was doing his best with the request. It was nearly impossible for him to stop moving, the act was simply not in his blood. Somewhere deep within the reaches of his mind, he heard Enki declare his state of hunger, but years of living with him had given strength to ignore his companion, to prune his random ouburss and pay attention only to the ones that matter.
His hand eaced into the satchel of dried mangoes; the movement was quick and jumpy. After placing the dehydrated fruit into his pink lips his hand returned to Enki's hair, gently twisting the strands between his agile fingers. With his other hand, he used waterbending to play with the snow that was falling gently from the heavens, little crystals drifting lightly into a collection of ice blanketing the earth. He morphed the flakes together, forming larger models of the crystals. His lips curved into an 'o' as he observed the intricate geometric patterns. He twisted his hand, causing the oversized flake to turn around in the air, suspended above his hand. The light from the sun reflected off the ice, sending refractions of the white light back into his eyes. His rosy lips curved into a devious smile as an idea formed in his mind.
Using both of his hands now, he used his bending to bring more snowflakes into his gigantic model, its crystaline features becoming larger and more pronounced. He played with it some more, sharpening the edges to fine points; the snowflake was now more than four feet in diameter with edges sharper than most blades. He brought the flake above his head and twisted his hand again, making it spin like a saw, the blades making a high whirring soud in the air. With a thrust of his arm, the flake spun away from the wagon, churning up snow as it traveled briskly through the air. He chucled at his creation as the flake sliced easily trhough one of the few trees dotting the landscape, "Perfect."
Satisfied with his new weapon, he nestled back into Enki's side, resting his blue head in the older boy's lap. He grabbed one of Enki's hands and placed in his aqua locks, forcing the golden-haired boy to run his fingers through it slowly. This was one of his favorite things to do with his longtime best friend. In fact, many a jobless night were spent with the duo in this position whilst talking endlessly about nothing. "Hey Enki!" he exclaimed excitedly, patting the older boys thigh, "Enki! Enki!
"No, Khael, we are not there yet. Shut up."
Khael's face immediatly lost its animation, the emotion replaced with a small pout. Absently, he fiddled with his vest, tugging at one of the gold buttons. Unlike Enki, Khael actually liked the cold, the brisk temperature never seemed to affect his cheery disposition, even though he was shivering- slightly. If he got too cold, he could always waterbend some molecules into hot steam to warm himself. Lazily, his eyes traveled upwards to the sun, staring directly into the bright star. After five seconds, he looked at Enki's face. "Hey Enki! Your face is covered in purple and green bubbles! They're like fl- awwww; they're gone now."
He sat up as the wagon came to a rough stop, looking around excitedly. "We're here? Where're the people?" His head jerked around impatiently, his body bouncing with excitement. He watched Enki's exchange with the wagon man with anxious longing. "Are the people up there, Enki? Huh? Are they?" His aqua eyes settled on the path, his mind creating different ways it could be traveled. He turned around to wave at the departing wagon man, waving continuously for a few minutes, "Hey Enki, do you think that we'll see him again? I wonder if he'll go straight back to Ba Sing Se," he turned around to find his blonde friend had disappeared up the path.
His aqueous hair fell in rivlettes as he tilted his head to one side, looking at the path in a different light. Eyes of blue sparked with a new idea. "I wonder if I can..." his voice trailed off, lost- like dust in the wind. He wove his hands in an intricate pattern before him, raising the snow around his feet until they engulfed his legs entirely. Then, like an 80's aerobic master on rollerblades, he skated his way up the path, gliding effortlessly with the use of snow. When he neared the top, he pushed down with his hands, launching himself into the air. His body was a graceful blur, twisting and contorting into complicated positions- a born acrobat. He curled into a somersault just before he reached the ground, landing gracefully on his heels with a light crunch of the snow. "Hi guys! He smiled brightly, dancing to Enki's side, "Enki! I made snow skates! It was amazing! Did you see my flips? Huh? Did ya?" He spoke excitedly, forgetting to slow himself down so that people other than Enki can understand his sentences- which all seemed to flow together into an endless stream.
He opened his mouth to speak again before he took in his surroundings. The scene was shrouded in carnage. All around him, the snow was sprinkled with crimson blood, making nasty discolorations. The bodies were still in plain sight. Khael had never seen such destruction before. He turned away, hiding his face in Enki's shoulder. "Enki, who would do this? It's so inhumane, so carnal, so... unnecessary..." his voice trailed off into quiet sobs. His arms encircled Enki's waist, as his mind reeled. He knew that something was definitely wrong, and that whatever killed those people was still out there,
