(no subject)
Toph could honestly say she had never seen a Fire Nation soldier.
Of course, she knew exactly what they looked like. Tall and lithe monsters that took the shape of hunans, they knew nothing of human emotion, except to steal, kill and destroy. Many people swore that they came from the Underworld itself, but of course one had no proof in these matters.
They came in the night, their midnight black hair blending in perfectly with their clothes and the surrounding shadows. Like ninjas, they covered their faces with black linen so that no part of their faces were visible. One had no idea that he was in the midst of the enemy until it was too late. No one was spared. Children starved and mercilessly murdered, women raped and sold on the black market as slaves; the land they overtook turned black with the ashes of a former lifetime, one without fear and destruction.
The Fire Nation soldiers were unstoppable, because their element did not depend on its surroundings such as water and earth did. It was inside them at all times, churning and boiling in their blood, waiting for a chance to escape. Water knew healing, earth knew growth, air knew life: fire only knew destruction and death. The Fire Nation used this to their advantage and by viewing all others as inferior to them, they easily slid into the mindset that had allowed them to conquer as much as they had in the past century.
However, the most frightening part about the demon-soldiers was not the fire that they controlled. It was the eyes. People with Fire Nation blood in them had eyes that ranged from dark brown-black to hazel, but firebenders were distinguished by their lighter tones. Shades of light brown and burnt orange were the norm, but occasionally a child was born with golden eyes with flecks of orange that were suspiciously analogous to the fire that burned within them. Age old superstition said that whoever was born with eyes such as these (for they were so rare there was only one case every hundred years) was destined to be a great leader that changed life as he knew it.
Still, despite all the heat that went through a firebender's body, their eyes were cold and lifeless. The only emotion that could be seen in the reflection of the flames spewing from their hands was malice. It showed the rage, the thirst for bloodshed.
But these were only rumors.
Toph knew that some days adults looking for attention stretch the truth to captivate their listeners, and always took what they said with a grain of salt. Though the part about their eyes intrigued her. She decided to keep a lookout. She knew that she would recognize a firebender the instant she saw the murder gleaming in his golden eyes.
A/N: Ahhhhhhh, it reeks of irony. Cookies for you if you understand what I'm trying to say. I've mastered the metaphor; I'm trying my hand at ironic and satirical pieces. Writing never ceases to amaze me.