Now that we’re here in the Air Temple, Monk Mendel won’t just be the boring Monk I’ll be with. I’ll be surrounded by ALL of them. I just wish now to learn airbending so much faster so I can leave sooner. It took me four months to fully master firebending and I want to master airbending within a shorter time. I started my day by walking around the temple and all I see are meditating monks.
“You’re bored huh?” I heard from an unknown voice.
“No I’m Tenchi” my answer wasn’t so smart.
“You’re nice, want me to give you a tour?”
It was a young bald boy, whom I assume as an air nomad. He looks like 9 or 10 and he doesn’t have an airbender tattoo yet. The arrow tattoos that master airbenders has. You need to be really good at airbending to achieve it. You must perform a new or a high level technique or accomplish a special task to have the tattoo. For them, it’s sacred and signifies their skills and experiences.
“Sure” I answered. ”So you’re….”
“Rowan” he answered. “You’re the Avatar?”
“Yeah, I guess so”
“Cool! Can you show me some earth or firebending?”
“Let’s go outside. I don’t want to disturb any meditating monk here”
We went outside, in an open space. I showed him my fire sword, fire and earth wall and other bending stuff.
“Can you show me some airbending now?” I asked. “The only airbender I saw dong some airbending is Monk Mendel”.
“Ok. I’ll try”
I can see in his face that he is not really good at it. But he still tried to show me. He did few fancy movements in his hands, and an air blew. I was impressed. But then at some point, it looked like he can’t control it anymore and was thrown away. He almost fell from the terrace of the temple. Good thing I caught him using earthbending. Then I felt like someone pushed me from behind. It was another airbender. A teenage girl, I think around my age, with airbender tattoo.
“Who are you? Stay away from my brother!” she said.
“Yana, no! He’s a friend! He’s the Avatar!” Rowan demanded.
“I’m so sorry!” her face turned red. “I thought you were attacking my brother. Because you’re wearing an earth kingdom clothes. I thought you were from outside and one of those bandits”.
“Bandits?” I asked.
“Yes, bandits.This past few months we were being attacked by invaders. Some of them are earthbenders so I thought you were one. That’s also the reason why the temple hired some of the Wind Warriors”
“Oh, Wind Warriors” I said. “The ones I saw guarding the temple”.
“Yes. They were formed by Avatar Nodin, who was the first Wind Warrior”.
Our conversation was interrupted by Monk Mendel.
“Tenchi! I’ve been looking for you! Our training will start in a minute!” he commanded.
I ran after him because I know the punishment he’ll give me if I’ll be late. Because I was rushing, I forgot about the new airbenders I just knew and I even forgot to ask the name of the girl monk.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Just follow”
We went into a mountain. The Bison’s Mountain. This mountain is inhabited by many Sky Bisons. According to the legend, the Sky Bisons were the first airbenders. And after the era of the Lion Turtles granting humans the power of bending, the bisons became the masters the airbending. Ancient airbenders observed how sky bisons were able to fly in spite of their massive sizes and learned to do it on their own. In the middle of the mountain, we arrived at an ancient meditating site.
“We’re here”. Monk Mendel said. “You need to meditate here. Peaceful mind is the key to airbending. You already have the power. You just need to know how to release it”.
The meditating site was an old circular floor made of stone with 4 pillars. I the middle of the floor, there is a sculpture of a umm… I’m not sure.
“What’s that drawing in the middle?” I asked.
“It’s the Wind Spirit” he answered. “The Wind Spirit gave this planet all the air we breathe and all the gases we need. There is also a legend that that once in the history, the spirit granted the power to control the air to a human. That human was the first airbender. The first airbender fought the conquerors”.
“Cool” was all I was able to say.
“Ancient airbenders were able to preserve the air Wind Spirit gave them to fight the conquerors. The air was called Sacred Wind. After the great battle between the airbenders and the conquerors, no bender ever was able to bend the Sacred Wind. They say that unless the Wind Spirit will give you the permission to bend it, no one will be able to do it.”
“So where is the Sacred Wind now?”
“No one knows. All we know is that the airbender preserved the Sacred Wind and kept it on a safe place”
“Why did he have to hide it when no one will be able to bend it?”
“The Sacred Wind is sealed. And when the wind escapes from its seal, it will be unstoppable and destroy everything it passes. It’s very powerful. The first airbender was able to defeat all the conquerors by just using the Sacred Wind”
“Ohh. Amazing”
“Time to meditate now!"
I’m not really a fan of meditating stuff. But I guess he is right. And this place is really peaceful.
After hours of meditation, Monk Mendel commanded me to stand.
“That’s enough meditation for today” he said.
“Finally” I thought.
“Now, what?” I asked.
“Follow me”
Then we walked again up high in the mountain until we reached the top. There I saw even more bisons. He pulled his glider and rode it. He flew with the herd of Sky Bison.
“What will I do?” I asked.
He’s enjoying it while I’m just standing?
“Try to ride one” He commanded.
Is he crazy? How am I able to ride one when I can’t even reach one? But did my best to follow him.
I used fire propulsion to fly and made it to the back a bison. But it is really to hold on to the bison’s back so I fell. I felt that this was my end because my fire propulsion didn’t work. Good thing Monk Mendel was able to catch me.
“That’s enough training for today” he said. “Let’s go back to the temple now”.
We rode on Bubu when we went back to the temple. When we arrived, Wind warriors were all spread out and fighting some benders. Those must be the bandits.
We hurried to help the warriors. There are like 10 of them, stealing from the market. But before were able to land, the bandits already escaped.
“Why did let them escape?!” Monk Mendel shouted.
“They’re holding one of our ancient scrolls and warned us to burn it if we won’t let them go” a wind warrior answered.
Then a Wind Warrior wearing a different costume came. He wears a robe that looks like the ones that monks wear. But his robe is blue, and he’s wearing a cool armor. “Where are the bandits?” he asked angrily.
Then they explained what happened.
“Follow them! And don’t ever return unless you have them!” he commanded.
Then the Wind Warriors ran toward the woods and followed the bandits.
“So, how’s training with the avatar, brother?” he asked to Monk Mendel.
“Brother?” I asked.
