Avatar: The Legend Reborn - Book 1: Hope

Chapter 3: The Airbending Masters

Book 1: Hope
Chapter 3: The Airbending Masters

Akira

The sun rose in the east, painting the sky a bleeding crimson, Akira's favorite color. She'd barely slept a wink last night, after their confrontation with the Empire, and she still didn't know what this animal was that she was riding. How was it flying? It had no wings and it was the size of a tank. Her mother had stayed awake all night. What she was thinking, Akira didn't know. She glanced over at Jiansu, who was fast asleep in the front of the saddle.

Akira decided to ask her mother what day she 'knew would come.' "Mom? What did you mean last night? You were about to say something."

Kareena glanced at the Airbender sitting at the front of the animal. "Not here child. Not now."

Akira left the topic alone and went up front to where Gyatso was sitting. "Hey."

"Hey, good morning." He greeted her.

"So umm, what is this thing we're riding?" She asked.

"It's a Flying Bison. His name is Taima."

"Oh, okay... so how does it fly?"

"It uses Airbending, the same way I use my glider."

"Glider? You mean that orange fan thing?" Akira wondered.

Gyatso pulled the stick out of a sheath on the saddle. It was a wooden staff about six feet long. "This is an Airbender's signature weapon."

The edges of the staff swung outward on hinges, extending orange wings like a paper fan. There was a large set of wings up front, and a smaller set of tail wings in the back. Gyatso displayed the item proudly. "Now, observe."

He jumped off the bison's head and dove towards the ocean below them. Akira leaned over the side to watch him. Gyatso spiraled down to the water and changed directions at the last minute. He grazed the surface with his wing, leaving a trail of white spray, then he cut back behind the bison and disappeared. Akira looked around for him, but did not see him. Then he appeared above them and circled around the bison before landing.

"Wow! That's amazing." Akira said.

"Uh, thanks. I..."

"What's that on your hand?" Akira asked, noticing a blue triangular marking.

Gyatso pulled up his sleeve, revealing an arrow tattoo. "These are Airbender mastery tattoos. We receive them when we've mastered all thirty-six forms of Airbending. They run all over our body: up our arms, down our legs, and on our heads."

He took off his hood, revealing a large blue arrow on his bald head.

"Why arrows?" Akira wondered.

"Because they're copied from the markings on a Flying Bison's fur."

Akira looked down at the bison's fur. "What markings?"

"Taima's aren't visible because he's melanistic. A normal Flying Bison is white with a brown arrow running from its head to the tip of its tail."

"Why is he different from the others?"

"Not sure, but it's a rare mutation, that's for sure. There are a few mentions of albinos in the history books, but that's it, and there haven't been any of those in over two hundred years. He's certainly special." Gyatso petted the bison's head.

"Learn something new every minute with you." Akira noted.

"So um, how old are you?" Gyatso asked.

"Sixteen. What about you?" Akira wondered.