Avatar Portal's
Avatar Renaissance Championships
Battle #1: Air Nomad Fanfic One-Shots
This was hosted by ScarletCougar and judged by David TLCB.
Hi! I’m David, The Last Cabbage Bender, and I had the task of selecting the best fanfic of this contest. First, I'd like to thank you all for writing and entering in this contest. I appreciate your efforts, and hope you are enjoying this AvRen Championship. This time we had stories from Scooz the Junglegym Queen, Travahar, Commodore winnkey, ZuTarAangDelta, Katara the Flamingo, and a last minute post by Weeping Angel. Some were good, some were great, and some made me say "huh?" In any case, and without further ado, here are the winners:
*First Bonus Award: ZuTarAangDelta, of the Water Tribe // The Beginning of the Ordeal
--Best Comedic Moment (25 points)
*Second Bonus Award: Scooz the Junglegym Queen, of the Earth Kingdom // Unnamed Air Nomad Fanfic
--Achievements in Poetic Development (25 points)
and the award for Best Fanfic goes to...
*Travahar and his "Air Nomad Fic"!! geez, this guy could've come up with a more creative name for his story...
*applause* W00t!
RULES
Write a short one-shot fanfic involving the Air Nomads. Must be a MINIMUM of 500 words MAXIMUM of 2500 words. You may choose to focus on Temple Activity, Character Development, an Event from History, etc. Submissions are to be HERE in this THREAD. I will stop accepting submissions on Saturday night / Sunday Morning June 23rd/24th at MIDNIGHT EST.
WINNERS:
TRAVAHAR : Air Nomad Fic
ZTAD : The Beginning of the Ordeal
SCOOZ : *unnamed*
Air Nomad Fic (by Travahar) ~1411 words~ 1st place 100 points
Monk Gyatso opened the door to his pupil’s room. In it he saw an eight-year-old boy sleeping peacefully in his bed. A warm smile appeared on the old monk’s face.
“Aangie?” whispered the monk, “Aang, it’s time to wake up! We’re going to the beach today.”
At these words the boy opened his eyes and said: “The beach? Yippiee!” and he airbended out of bed, “I’m gone make a big temple out of sand and …”
“Not so fast, young pupil.” laughed Monk Gyatso, “we are going to the beach because I have a couple of lessons planned for today.”
At these words the small boy seemed so disappointed that Monk Gyatso added: “But you can hold Dopu’s reins.” With lightning speed the young boy’s smile returned.
“Really? I can ride Dopu?”
“Yes, you may. So get your stuff and hurry up!” smiled Monk Gyatso.
Dopu landed on a beach not far away from the temple without any problems, even though it wasn’t his master holding the reins. Dopu was one smart, old skybison and he had flown many times with his master’s pupil holding the reins.
Monk Gyatso and Aang jumped off Dopu. Aang stared at the mysterious sea for a couple of seconds before realising his mentor had started walking. He quickly ran after Monk Gyatso and caught up with him when Monk Gyatso stopped near a rock, twice Aang’s size.
“Aang,” spoke Monk Gyatso, “I want you to airbend a hole in this rock.”
“Okay!” said Aang cheerfully and he moved a gust of air towards the rock. Disappointed he noticed the rock withstood his move but Aang didn’t give up. He knew his mentor wouldn’t ask him to do something impossible so he tried again and again. Monk Gyatso watched his pupil for a moment then walked towards Dopu.
When the old monk returned, he couldn’t see Aang near the rock. Climbing on the rock, he noticed the young boy was chasing some birds further down the beach. “Aang! Didn’t I tell you we where here to learn something?” said Monk Gyatso.
“Yes, Monk Gyatso,” said Aang and he returned near the rock with a guilty look on his face, “but I can’t bend a hole in it. The rock is just too hard.”
At those words, Monk Gyatso bended the air and used it to propel a fine ray of sand against the side of the rock. Aang’s eyes widened when he saw that the air and sand started to cut through the rock. Within minutes Monk Gyatso had created a large hole in it.
“Aang, what have we learned
from this lesson?” spoke the Monk quietly.
“That earth is solid and if you don’t want to move the rock and aren’t focussed
enough, the rock will never be moved.” answered Aang.
“Very good, Aang,” said Monk Gyatso with a smile, “Earth is the element of substance. It is persistent and enduring. Now let’s move on to our next lesson!”
Aang ran towards Dopu and jumped on his head, closely followed by his mentor.
A couple of hours later, Dopu landed on the main court of a monastery.
“Welcome, Monk Gyatso … and Aang, my, my, you have grown a lot little one.” said the nun who appeared shortly after their landing, “We have the batch of soap your Temple ordered right here.”
“Mother Thera, how good to see you.” greeted Monk Gyatso, “I was wondering if we could borrow some extra pieces. It’s for Aang’s training, you see.”
“Anything for you and the little one” replied the nun cheerfully and she quickly fetched some extra pieces of soap.
After leaving the monastery, Monky Gyatso guided his skybison towards a small creek. Once landed he filled a large mug with water and placed the soap in it. Then he retrieved from his bag a big iron ring and a long stick. Under the watchful eye of his pupil, he thrusted the stick firmly in the ground and then he put the ring in the soapy water for a minute which he placed on top of the stick.
“Okay, Aang, I want you to airbend a big bubble.” explained Monk Gyatso.
“Okay!” said Aang cheerfully and he bended a strong gust of air through the ring. For a second a bubble appeared but it immediately popped. “Oohh” said Aang disappointed.
“Try it again” urged Monk Gyatso friendly.
Aang tried many more times, in the end he had to put the ring back in the soap before trying again but after the lesson with the rock, he knew there was a way to airbend a bubble … he just had to find it. He tried to bend a soft breeze but it wasn’t strong enough to create a bubble. He added some strength and slowly a bubble appeared that suddenly let loose of the ring and drifted away in the air.
“Well done, Aang,” said Monk Gyatso, “tell me what have you learned?”
“Well … when two elements have to work together the balance between them is fragile. Too much and it will pop, but if there’s too little nothing will happen.” replied Aang.
“Very good, Aang” smiled Monk Gyatso, “Water is the element of change and it can adapt to many things, if you are capable to find the proper balance. You’re doing great, there’s only one lesson I want to teach you today.”
Gyatso guided Dopu towards a small platform on the side of a mountain. “As you know, we nomads, store supplies on our travel routes in case we might need them.” said Monk Gyatso after landing, he pointed at a pile of rocks and continued, “This cairn contains dry wood and some spark rocks. See? When you hit two spark rocks against each other a spark appears with which you can make a nice campfire. Why don’t you try it, Aang?”
Curious about these little rocks, Aang accepted them eagerly and hit them against each other. “Auwch!” shouted the boy frightened when a spark landed on his nose. He looked suspiciously at the rocks and then held them in a different position before once again hitting them against each other. A single spark landed in the dry wood.
“Well done, Aang, now quickly bend some air on the fire so that it can grow.” said Monk Gyatso. Aang quickly did as told and keeping his first two lessons of that day in mind he was able to bend precisely enough air for the fire to grow but not to be extinguished. Soon a nice campfire was burning. Before his mentor could ask Aang said: “It’s almost like the fire is alive. It grows when it eats stuff.” Aang pondered about what he had just said then squeaked: “I’m hungry too. Can we eat?”
“Sure, here are some raw vegetables.” said Monk Gyatso retrieving them from his bag, “Indeed fire seems alive. It is the element of power and lives and breathes in a way similar to human people. But always be careful when dealing with fire, Aang, for as you noticed when first hitting the spark rocks it can not only hurt others but in its desire to grow it can also destroy itself.”
Aang thought about that for a moment and scratched his nose where the little spark had left a small black spot.
After the meal, Monk Gyatso and Aang flew back on Dopu’s back towards the temple. After landing Aang jumped off Dopu’s back but Monk Gyatso remained sitting on Dopu’s big, furry head.
Aang turned around and looked hesistantly at his mentor. “Is there something you would like to ask, Aang?” asked Monk Gyatso, smiling friendly at Aang.
“Yes, Monk Gyatso, I- … I wanted to ask you why you taught me these lessons today. I haven’t heard the other kids in the temple talk about learning those three lessons … and many of them are older than me.” said Aang, looking at his mentor and father figure sitting on Dopu’s head.
“That, Aangie, is a question we shall save for a different lesson.” spoke Monk Gyatso softly, “why don’t you go and play with the other kids? I’m sure they’ve missed you today.”
A broad smile appeared on little Aang’s face as he ran off towards the other kids, happy with the answer his mentor had given him.
“Oh, Aang,” sighed Monk Gyatso, watching his young pupil, “stay a young, happy kid without worries for as long as you can. You are the Avatar and one day the weight of the world will rest on your shoulders. Be careless, little Aangie, and enjoy childhood as long as you can.”
The Beginning of the Ordeal (by ZTAD) ~2483 words~ 2nd place 25 points
Nobody noticed when five Air Nomads stepped through the gates of the bustling port town of Taku. They all wore brown traveling cloaks, but only one of them had the blue arrow tattoos that marked an air-bending master. The other four were merely children around ten years old, and they stared wide-eyed at the crowded market.
“Now stay close,” their guardian warned them as he began weaving between traders and customers alike. “Especially you, Aang.” The gray-eyed boy reddened and let the cat he had been petting move on.
The children instinctively moved closer as they followed the old monk through the maze of streets. It was their first time in a major city, and there were so many things happening that it was impossible to process them all.
They stopped in front of a simple adobe building and the monk knocked on the door. A few minutes later a middle-aged woman in a plain green dress appeared, saying, “Welcome to Hualing Wayhouse! Would – Gyatso!”
The monk smiled. “Hello, Jiaying. We would appreciate a nice lunch.”
“‘We?’” she asked. Then she peered around him and squealed. “How adorable! Come in, come in!” She stood aside so they could enter the house. In the middle of the room was a low table surrounded by ragged, miss-matched cushions. A large window let in the light as well as the dust and sounds from the street.
“Don’t tell me they’re all yours!” Jiaying said from the kitchen in the corner as she pulled out an assortment of cooking materials.
“Just borrowed them for a few months,” Gyatso admitted. He introduced them as they picked a cushion. “This is Pema, from the Eastern Air Temple.” He waved towards the shorter girl, who slumped below the table until only her gray eyes were visible. “Tseten, from the Northern Air Temple.” He waved towards the tallest of the group, a boy who smirked at Pema’s behavior. “Dorje, from the Western Air Temple.” He waved towards the second girl, who flashed a smile at Jiaying that didn’t reach her dark brown eyes. “And Aang, from the Southern Air Temple,” he finished, clapping a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he waved.
“My, what a well-traveled bunch,” she observed, setting a tea pot and cups by Gyatso’s elbow. “So what brings all of you to Taku?”
“Each Air Temple novice must pass an ordeal, a series of tests,” Gyatso explained. He began pouring the tea. “They travel the world with novices from each of the other three Temples, and with an old geezer who pretends to keep an eye on them. It is an important spiritual journey that every novice must take in order to be a true master of air.”
Jiaying raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t they kind of young for that?”
“Many agree with you,” Gyatso told her. “However, I believe they are as ready to face the ordeal as any novice several years older.”
“And how have they done so far?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Very well, considering this is our first stop!”
Jiaying giggled. Ignoring her, Tseten glared at Gyatso. “So what’s our first test? Eat with chopsticks?”
“Of course not. The test is one of balance. The four of you must demonstrate the balance of the four elements, for only when you achieve balance can you truly be at peace.”
The children shared a glance, then stared at Gyatso. When he didn’t continue, Dorje asked, as if speaking another language, “And how do we do that?”
“How should I know? That’s something you’ll have to find out on your own.”
Tseten and Dorje immediately started arguing with Gyatso, while Pema stared at the table gloomily. Aang smiled as he remembered his mentor saying something similar over a Pai Sho game. They would indeed have to figure this out themselves, or there would be no point to the ordeal.
***
After lunch, Gyatso led them around Taku. Aang had only met the other three novices a few days earlier, and he figured now was a good time to get to know them. He approached Pema first, since she was shy, and tried to get her to talk. After a few false starts, he showed her his new marble trick, air-bending a marble between his hands. She smiled. “C-can you teach me?” she asked, blushing furiously.
“Pathetic,” scoffed Tseten. “Even a baby can spin a stupid marble. I mean, if he wanted to waste his time bending it in the first place.”
Pema instantly looked down at the ground, but Aang glared at the other boy. “It’s just for fun,” he said. “Not all bending has to save the world.”
“We don’t have time for fun,” Dorje told him. She stood behind Tseten with her hands on her hips. “We’re supposed to be completing our task, not standing around chattering like a bunch of hog-monkeys.”
“Uh, where’s Gyatso?” asked Aang, scanning the crowd anxiously. There was no sign of him.
“Oh no,” whispered Pema, and her eyes started filling with tears.
“Stop that,” snapped Dorje, “he can’t have gone far. You -” she tapped Tseten on the head. Hard. “-Try to find Gyatso.”
“Why me?” he protested. “It’s not my fault the old fool got lost!”
They started arguing. “I’ll find him,” Aang volunteered. He took a deep breath, preparing to shoot above the people in the street, when someone small rammed into him. Aang flailed his arms and took a few staggering steps, but managed to keep his balance.
“Watch where you’re going,” the someone told him.
“You’re the one who ran into him!” Tseten said.
The four of them were surrounded by a small pack of street urchins, several years older than them. They wore torn green shirts and brown breeches, but no shoes. They were covered in dirt, and every pair of eyes had a flinty sharpness to them.
“Show some respect,” one of them ordered. “You’re addressing Boqin, the leader of the Nameless Gang.”
“The Nameless Gang?” Aang snorted. “That’s a stupid name.”
“Stupid, huh?” Boqin got right up in Aang’s face. “We’re nameless, faceless. And once we’re through with you, nobody will ever know who did it. Still think it’s stupid?”
Aang clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. He was already laughing. Pema, Tseten, and Dorje were also snickering. Then they all gave up and just laughed outright.
Boqin’s lip curled in a snarl. Nobody laughed at the Nameless Gang.
“This is our city,” he declared. “And it looks like you’ve overstayed your welcome.” He flicked his wrist, and a small dagger appeared in his hand. The novices instantly shut up and stared apprehensively at the blade. They moved together sub-consciously as the pack began to circle them.
The boys would dart in threateningly, forcing the novices into a tighter group. One boy went for Pema, who cried out and clung to Tseten. He tried to scrape her off while the pack laughed.
The dust from the street started to rise into the air as the gang continued circling. Aang rubbed his nose as he tried to keep an eye on the leader, who grinned at the uneasy nomads.
“Leave us alone!” Dorje ordered. “You don’t want to mess with us!” Aang rubbed his nose again. It was so itchy!
“You kids don’t look like much of a threat,” Boqin said, pausing in front of Aang. He must have given some sort of signal, because all of the boys charged at the nomads, kicking up clouds of dust and dirt.
“Ah-CHOOO!” Aang sneezed. He was thrown backwards, plowing into Pema, Tseten, and Dorje, bowling over the boys who were coming up from behind, and tumbling twenty feet across the street and down an alley.
When his eyes cleared, he saw that the leader and some of the other boys had been blasted in the opposite direction, and were staggering to their feet. Others had been forced to the sides of the street, and were rubbing bumped heads.
“What was that?” one of them yelled.
“They’re air-benders!”
“Get ‘em!”
“RUN!” Aang shouted. Nobody argued with him. They jumped up and took off down the alley, the boys right on their heels.
“We’re trapped!” Pema screamed as a wall loomed overhead, marking the end of the alley. The four of them spun around to face the boys, who were now sauntering towards them, spreading out just inside the entrance of the alley.
The leader nodded to one of the boys. He stomped one of his feet on the ground and lifted his hands above his head. In perfect unison, a wall of earth rose from the ground at the entrance, perfectly cutting off the nomads’ escape.
“We’ll teach you to cross us in our territory!” the leader said.
“Now what?” cried Pema.
“Leave it to me,” said Tseten, stepping out in front of the group. He took up his stance just as the earth-bender hurled a large rock at his head.
With a sharp twirl, Tseten jumped and kicked, sending a blast of air down his leg and into the rock. It exploded, its remnants raining down on both groups.
But he wasn’t prepared for the second rock that came right behind it.
It slammed him into the back wall, and he slumped to the ground.
“Tseten!” Aang shouted. “Dorje, NO!”
She was charging at the gang, screaming and gathering a whirlwind of air to throw against them –Three of the boys stepped forward, summoned another ten-foot wall, and pushed it toward the attacking girl –Dorje stopped as the wall rushed towards her, then met it head-on with her whirlwind in a powerful gust of air. The wall slowed down, but it began to force her backwards, her shoes sliding on the dirt inch by inch.
“Come on!” she growled at it. “Stop moving!” She brought more air to bear on it, but only slid back a few more inches.
Tseten pushed the rock off of him. Aang helped him up, but he leaned against the wall for support. “I…I couldn’t…do it,” he gasped. “I fai…I failed.”
Aang shook his head. “There’s no way we can fight them one on one. We’re going to have to work together – as a team.” Something tickled the back of his mind, but he brushed it away. “I have an idea.”
***
“Keep pushing, you idiots!” Boqin barked. The three earth-benders were straining to move the wall further back. Beads of sweat rolled down their bodies and splattered in the dust.
“Should we check it out?” one of the others asked.
Boqin surveyed the pack. They were getting bored, and four nomad kids weren’t much of a threat. “Take ‘em down,” he ordered, and the boys ran for the wall.
Suddenly, three shadows swooped down the wall and across the ground. The pack looked up in confusion, but it was too late.
Aang blasted the ground as he landed in the middle of a circle of boys, and they flew outward, ramming into other members of the gang.
Tseten delivered another air-bending kick to the three holding the wall. With them out of the way, Dorje could air-bend over the wall herself and join the fight.
Pema tried to draw the pack’s attention by weaving among the boys. The knives, rocks, and blows were always a few seconds behind.
Aang spotted Boqin near the first make-shift wall, with only a few boys between them. He grinned, and leaped over the boys in one jump, landing right in front of Boqin. The leader of the gang only had time to scowl before Aang slammed him with a blast of air.
He had forgotten about the wall.
The air rebounded against the wall and threw Aang across the alley. He managed to take out two or three boys on the way, but Boqin was already on his feet and approaching him.
Aang glanced at his friends. It seemed Tseten and Dorje were experiencing the same problem. They were both scrambling to their feet and rubbing their heads and arms.
“It’s over,” Boqin told him.
“Not yet!” shouted Pema.
Everyone’s heads whipped around, but Pema was gone. Where she had been standing was a good-sized swirling column of wind and dust. Inside the tornado, Aang could see flashes of Pema, her hands outstretched and face bent in concentration.
Slowly, it began to expand, and the gang members backed away hurriedly. Tseten and Dorje exchanged a look, then began running around the edge of the alley. Using air-bending to go faster, they forced the boys back toward Pema’s wind column.
“Now it’s over,” said Aang. In one fluid motion, he jumped, spun, and air-kicked Boqin over the wall into the street.
The Nameless Gang decided it had had enough. The earth-benders collapsed the wall and the pack stormed out of the alley, colliding with their leader and several adults as they tried to escape the whirlwinds of the nomad children.
***
“Ah, there you are,” said an old familiar voice. “I thought I recognized that tornado.”
Pema reddened, but didn’t look down. The others grinned. Gyatso was standing outside the alley, his hands folded inside his sleeves. Knowing him, he had probably been there the entire time.
“You four have certainly had an exciting day. Did you learn anything useful?”
The thing that had bothered Aang clicked into place. “We’ve completed the task.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah. The four of us, like the four elements, worked in harmony as we fought that gang. By ourselves, we were weak and over-powered. Only when we worked together could we reach our full potential!”
“What?” asked Gyatso. “Well, I guess that works. I was thinking something more along the lines of juggling a bowl, a rock, a candle, and a fan, but yours is pretty good too.”
They stared at him.
“Get it? ‘Balance the elements?’” He chuckled.
They continued to stare at him.
“Anyway,” said Gyatso, slightly offended, “in honor of completing your first task, you will receive one of these.” He indicated four staffs leaning against the building. “These are antique gliders, hand-carved by the monks, and passed down through the generations to novices on their ordeal. Use them well.”
Aang chose a staff and held it carefully in his hands. It was heavier than the ones from training. But it felt right, somehow.
“It seems we still have a few hours until sunset,” Gyatso said. “Why don’t we fly to the next town?”
“Next town?” they asked.
“Of course,” he replied. “We move ever onward, always seeking the next horizon…the next task…and the next meal.”
They laughed. They were only beginning their ordeal, Aang realized, but he was glad they were traveling together.
“Aang, you coming?” Tseten called from above the rooftops. “Or does the baby not know how to use a glider?”
Well, mostly glad,
he thought with a grin, and he snapped open his path to the skies.
Unnamed (by scooz) ~ 1451 words ~ 3rd place 25 points
Petals fell from the late summer blossoms in the trees like silkened snowflakes of the palest pink. Somewhere in the distance, the deep, resonating trickle of a waterfall wass complimented by a wooden chime's soft alto as it rythmically danced in the warm afternoon breeze. He lived for days like this, though, as beautiful as his surroundings were, nothing could compare to his lovely--.
"You are daydreaming again, my friend," a familiar voice broke through the peace as slender fingers came to rest sympathetically on his shoulder.
"Monk Gyatso!" he jumped, unaware of the monk's approach. "Are you finished with your meditations so soon?"
Gyatso sat next to his companion and held up a bowl. He took it without question and stared into the yellow goop.
"I finished my meditations an hour ago, it seems that in your wanderings you have blocked out the falling sun," the monk replied, taking out one of his famous cakes.
He gazed out over the horizon and was startled to find that the brilliant daystar that had been shining high in the sky not but a moment ago was now skirting the mountain peaks as it fell from its heavenly summit. How long had he been sititng there, thinking about his beloved Kaiying?
"Forgive me, I had not realized..."
"Love can do that to a man," Gyatso smiled, looking out over the Patola mountains as he ate his cake.
"Wha--?" he sighed in resignation and set aside his bowl. "How long have you known?"
"Since you came back from your training in the Eastern Air Temple. First there was the energy, the happiness of first recognizing the love you felt, but as time slips by, you have grown anxious and distant, as if there is somewhere else you wish to be. You spend your time looking out over the mountians, visiting far off lands in your mind while neglecting your studies."
"I am sorry. I don't know why I think to someday call myself a guru when I cannot come to grips with my own emotions and...and being away from her."
"My friend, men have spent their entire lives struggling to attain the title of guru, but few have ever been allowed that honor. You have come further in your thirty-seven years on this earth than most have in their entire lives. There are still many things you must learn, but do not think that this beautiful feeling of love is a hinderance on your journey. With it, there will be suffering, but to overcome your suffering before it overcomes you is the key to controlling your emotions."
"So I should embrace my love? But, when I was studying the chakras, to open my Thought chakra, I must not have any earthly attachment."
"And this is a choice you must make. To pursue your studies and become a guru by releasing your earthly attachments or to pursue the one you love. It will not be an easy decision, but you cannot have both."
"But...how is it one can open their Air chakra, which tells us that we should love only to be forced to reject it inorder to open the Thought chakra? I do not understand."
"You can love and still open your Thought chakra, but when that love is so deep that you are not willing to surrender your attachment to those who share it with you, then you block the chakra. You can love this women and still open your Thought chakra, but if you love her so much, that you cannot accept being away from her, let alone losing her, then you block your chakra."
"So, if I chose to be with her, I cannot continue my training?"
"You may continue your training, but if you can never open your final chakra, you will not become a guru."
"I...understand," he sighed.
The kaleidoscopic colors of the firmament shifted and played along the clouds teasingly. Then, the darkness began to spread.
"I see troubling times ahead, my friend. Avatar Roku is not long for this world and Fire Lord Sozin is a restless man. The choices we make from now on will weigh heavily on our destinies."
He did not know what to say. Gyatso had been his good friend for many years at the Southern Air Temple, but he did not know how to interpret his cryptic and distrubing warning. His heart was torn between his desire to pursue wisdom and enlightenment as a guru and the love he had for Kaiying, the nun he had met and fallen in love with at the Eastern Air Temple while studying with Sister Iio.
"Come inside, it will be cold soon. The summer nights are not as warm as the cool autumn approaches," the older monk beckoned as he stood up and headed towards the Air Temple
"I would rather stay out here tonight..."
A dark brown eyebrow arcked as Gyatso glanced over his shoulder.
"Should be clear skies tonight," the older man commented. He looked up at Gyatso questioningly. "I am sure Nyima would love to get some fresh air," the monk remarked as he continued walking towards the Temple. "I will spend the night meditating in the Air Temple Sancutary for guidance in the coming days."
Nyima? His sky bison? Was… was the monk offering his sky bison to him? He had never realized how much the older monk trusted him. Air Nomads' sky bisons are life partners, not simple pets. It takes a great deal of trust and respect to have his friend willingly offer his sky bison like that.
"Gyatso...I don't know--"
"I trust you will make the right decision. I do not believe either path is wrong for you, they will lead you to the same end, you will simply be given different tools for your journey. Knowledge and enlightenment are powerful in this world, but so is love. I believe that no matter which one you chose, you will be well equip against the suffering that lies ahead."
He was speechless. It sound like...the monk was giving him parting advice, as if Gyatso already knew what his decision was going to be.
"I know it is selfish, but might I ask you a favor, old friend?"
"I would be honored," the monk responded.
"If...if a child should ever come of my union with her, I know we could not raise them without going against the Air Nomads' traditions, and I would never deny my child the opportunity to grow up among their people...so could you please take them as your pupil? I could not imagine anyone else as their mentor."
"I promise, though, you should pray your love bare a boy. It would be difficult for me to ask for a girl from the Eastern Air Temple to be my pupil. I do not believe the others would agree with me."
"Thank you, my friend. I do not believe in a hundred life times that I could ever repay you for your friendship."
"Well, considering you are not the Avatar and I am not immortal, you had better get to work," the older monk grinned genially.
They both laughed as the last remaining rays of light disappeared below the mountains and the dark eventide consumed the vast heavens in a violet blanket of glittering gems. The alabaster gibbous moon hung high like the crown jewel of the skies. Both men took a few moments to admire this night that would forever be burned into the back of their minds. It would be the first of many decisions that would decide the fate of the entire world. If only they knew the consequences of this night...A small gust brushed along the trees and tugged at the men's robes.
"Oh my," Gyatso exclaimed. "It is a bit chilly out. I believe I should retire to the Sanctuary. I must bid you good night, my friend."
He bowed low before his friend, not quite sure how else to show his gratitude and respect.
"No need for that," the monk said, waving his hand in dismissal.
"When do you think we will meet again?"
"It is not my decision to make. Destiny will decide when our paths shall cross again."
"I see. Farwell, Gyatso. It was an honor knowing you."
"Goodbye, Pathik. I pray fate favors your decision and that you be blessed with happiness for all your days."
Later, after his friend had departed, Gyatso wandered back to the spot where they had sat together. He smiled and shook his head as he picked up the untouched bowl of banana and onion juice.
"I hope that...he is better at making his choices in life than he is at cooking."
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