20 The dweller of the swamp and the one kissed by fire
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Zuko couldn't possibly read nor copy everything in the library.
Not in a regular human lifespan.
He opted to focus on bending, primarily anything related to spiritual energy.
He had found promising documents detailing each known Lion turtle's pattern of migration and their spiritual inclination.
The young emperor even had the time to grasp basic mindset and movement from every single one of the primary elements.
Thankful he had already surpassed any form of mastery in regards to fire, and its connection with dragons.
He had what one could describe as a limitless source of energy.
The young emperor needed to learn how to properly shape it to his will.
For water and earth he was pleased to locate very simple, yet very important, concepts of each bending art.
And already could feel with this brief introduction his own spirit becoming more adaptable while still gaining a great level of endurance.
As for Air…
Despite having his guesses, he couldn't believe how much of the air bending art and air nomads culture had been preserved, even legendary concepts like weightless were regularly seen amongst the vast section of the library.
That made his basic energy sensing grow even further as his body felt more nimble than ever before.
He had noticed compendiums citing a myriad of extinct and isolated cultures, and recollection of countless spirits that he didn't know even existed.
But interestingly, among his arduous work of cramming through everything that caught his eye and demonstrations of his dualistic flames, the young emperor found some time to share tales and have long conversations with the owl spirit.
Even though they were still far from calling each other friends, they were already playing Pai Sho together.
The owl seemed to like Zuko, for it stated that he had really good stories and a wise mind.
Interesting, the spirit made a point of differentiating knowledge and wisdom from one another.
Mostly that like it, knowledgeable individuals had memorized the names of almost everything in existence, while the wiser ones could have the power to discern and judge properly as to what was true or right.
Zuko told one story of a man in a cave in which the spirit stated that it was its favorite.
And the spirit returned the favor by talking about its past. With some interesting detail being revealed without it seeming to really care.
Wan Shi Tong was just a spirit until one of the Eight immortals came to it in the spirit world and shared with it some profound philosophies in regards to knowledge, after that, Wan Shi Tong's lust for knowledge and wisdom was flamed.
"Human."
"Yes, Spirit?"
"I want to hear that tale again."
"Sure." The owl started to lay out the Pai Sho pieces as Zuko poured more tea for the two. "There once were three men in a cave. They are all bound by their hands and feet to a rock in which all they could see was a wall. Behind them was a fire that was casting shadows on the wall. All of their life these men have been bonded there, never to move, staring at the same wall. To them, the wall was their whole life and they knew nothing outside of this wall. One day a great earthquake shook the land and one of the men became free from his bindings. After he was free he began to look behind him and noticed he was in a cave and that the shadows that he saw only came from the fire that blazed behind them. He then stood up and walked out of the cave to see this great big world living and going on all around him. Excited he rushed back to the other men still bonded. He told them of all the great things he had seen, but they didn't believe him."
"That's an excellent story, human."
"It's one of my favorites, and it made me realize my duty too."
"And what would that be?" The spirit questioned.
"I want to build a world where my people could finally be free. Not free from responsibilities or duties, but a place where we wouldn't be bound by our flawed concept of balance. A world where people are able to comprehend what can be, by freeing ourselves of this imposed stagnation, and finally reach into the future." Zuko replied.
"Hmmm, that is very noble of you! You are much wiser compared to other humans I've met before."
"I'm grateful for your kind words! But I would be a liar if I didn't state that I can only boast in regards to my wisdom because I've learned so much from other humans." Zuko stated. "New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old."
"Ah, I recognize this mantra. You are quoting an air bender of old. Interesting to see that your great grandfather attempted to exterminate that culture." The spirit remarked.
"Not his wisest moment I'm afraid, he had been so desperate to share prosperity and order with the rest of the world that he ordered the hunt of the Avatar without a proper plan." Zuko sighed. "And as if it wasn't terrible enough, my nation had taken the worst interpretation and lost its way in the past decades. That's why I've taken matters in my own hands, to cleanse the sins of the past and to bring us back to a righteous path."
As Wan Shi Tong stayed silent for a moment, the two continued to play.
Wan, having a very keen mind could see all its moves as soon as the other person played and was able to move immediately after Zuko, but Zuko on the other hand was still only human and had to think about his move longer than Wan Sha Tong did.
However, Zuko showed that never committed the same mistake twice.
And that just solidified his image in the spirit's mind.
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The Foggy Swamp Tribe is one of the three Water Tribes in the Avatar World.
The tribesmen are descendants of individuals who migrated from the South Pole to the Foggy Swamp in the Earth Kingdom, where they established a separate faction that eventually developed a distinct culture and bending style separate from those of the two polar tribes.
Thousands of years before the Hundred Year War, tribesmen migrating from the Southern Water Tribe came across the Foggy Swamp in the southeastern Earth Kingdom, and due to the availability of water in the swamp, the waterbenders felt at home and decided to stay.
The Foggy Swamp Tribe is a waterbending settlement situated in a wetland known as the Foggy Swamp, located in the southwestern part of the Earth Kingdom.
It remained relatively isolated to the polar Water Tribes and the rest of the world.
Although technologically unsophisticated, the tribe consists of powerful waterbenders who have developed a specialized bending style adapted for swamp use.
Specifically, the form employed by swampbenders differs significantly from conventional waterbending, as it primarily involves rigid bending motions and the manipulation of plant life.
The tribe members indulge mostly on small game and giant insects but refrain from consuming catgators, which they domesticate and keep as pets.
The members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are accustomed to their surroundings and have a deep appreciation of the workings of the natural world.
They follow the belief that all living organisms are interconnected and reliant on each other, based on their understanding of the sacred banyan-grove tree, from where some of the tribe members have reached enlightenment.
Members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe do not share any cultural characteristics or any other societal traditions with those of either the Northern or Southern Water Tribes.
For instance, the people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are light-skinned in comparison to many people from the Water Tribes, like Earth Kingdom inhabitants.
More so, the manner of speech used by the tribesmen is less sophisticated when compared to language used by other social groupings in the world.
Both genders are involved in combat.
In this way, the Foggy Swamp Tribe is more like the Southern Water Tribe than the Northern Water Tribe, as it exhibits a less patriarchal societal structure.
Although isolated from its sister tribes, the members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe regard other waterbenders as "kin".
Foggy Swamp tribesmen wear green clothing that incorporates swamp elements, such as plant life.
The male tribe members wear a giant leaf hat, loincloths, arm bands, and wrappings around their shins and forearms, while the women wear longer skirts and bands around their chests.
The tribe members do not use footwear and choose to use surrounding plants for clothing and camouflage as opposed to the hides of native fauna.
Like their polar cousins, tribe members have hair that is generally darker shades of brown and black, but eyes that are green instead of blue, like Earth Kingdom citizens.
The Foggy Swamp Tribe's waterbenders employ a different style of bending compared to their polar cousins.
While the Northern and Southern styles are more fluid in nature, the Foggy Swamp style is more rigid and straight, reflecting the stagnant nature of swamp water.
This is most evidently seen when swampbenders propel their skiffs using a much more straight-backed style than Northern waterbenders when they move their gondolas.
In addition, plant manipulation is also commonly used by the swampbenders, due to the diversity and abundance of flora available in the swamp.
During the Day of Black Sun, the swamp benders used their unique waterbending style effectively in combat, using long and powerful water whips.
Unlike polar benders, the swamp benders used noticeable foot movements to supplement their arm movements in order to shield themselves using water, before immediately stepping forward and performing an elegant punching motion to attack.
Swamp skiffs are small, canoe-like vessels developed by the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The small boats are used extensively by the tribe members to travel around the wetland.
The skiffs are propelled through the use of waterbending and guided by long poles that divert the vessels around obstacles present in the swamp's waterways.
Swampbenders primarily use these boats to hunt and fish.
The village in which the tribe members reside resembles the Southern Water Tribe during the Hundred Years War.
Swampbenders reside in a relatively small village made up of huts, which are raised up by medium-length wooden poles that are meant to protect the buildings from floods.
Near the center of settlements were fire pits where tribe members gathered to eat.
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The sun took no mercy on the vibrant green leaves as they glistened and reflected what light there was down into eerie depths of the Foggy Swamp that morning.
Tata's long, dark brown hair made like the leaves in absorbing what light could, from the seemingly impenetrable canopy of the swamp.
It was meditation time for the tribe, and all the people gathered around the trunk of the Banyan grove tree and nested themselves on and about its roots.
The idea is that the tribe can learn lessons from the swamp and ultimately try to reach enlightenment.
Understanding that the entirety of the swamp is but one living organism can supposedly help us understand the illusion of separation.
How all of humanity act separated, and yet, they are all one and the same people.
Tata however had trouble comprehending these thoughts, for you see, Tata, like anyone else from the tribe, had never seen any lands outside the swamp.
Water bending was not even considered an art in the swamp.
The people of the tribe were gifted in the ability, but none of it was ever taught between generations.
Tata did not have the patients for meditation today, so it was out of irony that she waited for the right moment to make her escape.
Meditation is hard to start off, first you must block out all the noises around you, and especially in the swamp, this could prove to be a whole challenge on it's own since the swamp was constantly littered with the sounds of rustling leaves, chirping birds and other animals around.
And so she waited for the perfect time, when everyone would have blocked all the background noise to make her move while still keeping her own wits on her.
She could feel the water lacing around her crossed legs as she sat in between two thick roots.
She could feel the moss on the small roots she sat on, vibrating to the rhythm of the breathing that was being done by the meditators.
And as time passed and the vibrations eased, Tata knew she could stand up and walk along out of the masses.
And as well as listening to the water and the roots she also listened to her stomach.
'I see no harm in passing by home to get something to eat' She thought as she ran merrily along the great roots of the Banyan, jumping and sliding over roots in her way.
She dived into one of the water ways she needed to cross to get home and swam to the other side where there were earth encampments where people had beds.
Privacy was a hard thing to find in the swamp for there were no walls and people were spread out all over.
Tata was rather tall for her age of 15, measuring up at more or less than 160 centimeters.
Like the large majority of the tribe, she had a slim build, with skinny arms, legs and fingers.
She had olive skin, not that she had ever seen olive oil before, or anyone with any other skin colour for that matter.
Her eyes glowed a vibrant and saturated shade of green, and eye colour came in many forms in the tribe, unlike skin tone and the one feature that mainly distinctly separated her was her hair.
It was tight, curly and shimmered while others didn't.
Everyone in the swamp had straight hair and no one ever cut their hair.
She walked across the beds and chests made of leaves and extinguished campfires making sure not to tread on any youngsters who were sleeping, and made her way to the back where a cliff face awaited her.
She climbed up over the cliff swiftly and precisely, using each root's different level of flexibility to her advantage while making sure the hair that went down just past her shoulders never interfered.
At the top the cliff awaited her even more encampments, amongst which one of them was her own family.
She shifted around until she saw the bush she always used to identify her encampment.
An encampment featured a couple of beds, some chests made of leaves for storage and place for a controlled campfire.
There were never any tents and more than often it was difficult to tell where each encampment started and ended.
Also, encampments were never placed on a two dimensional plane.
They were also among the trees and the bushes and in holes and vines.
Tribesmen were always taught at a young age how to navigate their way around the swamp by walking, climbing, jumping, swinging, swimming and by canoe, if you could get your hands on one.
Tata climbed upon the bush marker and reached her own encampment which was suspended in the air with vines.
The vines swayed at her touch as she climbed upon them making her way to the chest where food was stored.
But in Tata's cunning plan to evade meditation, there was one thing she forgot to take into account.
"Tata, what are you doing here, you fool." came a voice from behind.
She jumped and swayed, a piece of mushroom sticking out of her mouth, turning to face her captor.
It was her little 5 year old brother Tuk.
She must have woken him up when she shook the vines.
"You startled me." She said calmly after swallowing the mushroom.
"Why are you always so bad? Go meditate!"
Tata lost her cool. "Fuck off! You can't tell me what to do, you're like half my size!"
"Fuck you, I'll tell mum"
"I'll kill you." She said in a threatening way, but regained her cool.
"Then dad would kill you."
"Where is Wuk?"
"Sleeping"
"And you should be too. That makes you just as bad as me!"
"Nah uh!"
"How then? You should be asleep"
"If you go back now, I won't tell mum and dad."
"Alright, deal. Now go back to sleep!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Said Tuk as he took his leave and climbed back onto his bed of vines.
Wuk lay in the bed directly under him, sound asleep despite the commotion.
Tata closed both her eyes and pressed her hands on her chest as she took a deep breath to regain her equilibrium.
Swiftly and silently, she grabbed some cranberries and taro from the leaf chests and jumped down from the vines, running back to the cliff edge while nesting the food in her left arm.
Taking caution of the food and her hair, she made her way down the cliff and to the waterway bank where she walked along in the opposite way from which she came until she found a little nook in which she sat down and feasted.
The water way was only about 30-50 feet wide but it was very, very deep, and was home to a variety of flora and fauna.
There were no lakes or rivers in the swamp.
The waterways were simply passages where roots and non-water plants had failed to muster, and so water took their place.
Occasionally, the waterways would flow with the pull of the moon, and today according to Tata's calculations, was one of those days.
Tata walked along the bank as the waterway began to flow, faster and faster.
"Water flows" She said to herself as she pressed onwards. "And so must I."
After a decent walk along the banks and a bit of swimming she made it to the point where she recognised she must deviate from her path to reach her destination.
She turned and walked deep into the swamp where another waterway, much more modest than the last, was waiting.
She followed it along to her final destination.
It was a waterfall.
A waterfall that led down to a big, calm, shallow pool despite the crashing of the water.
Perfect for waterbending practice.
The pool was deepest where the water fell onto it, and so Tata would jump from the waterfall and swim in the pool.
She arose from the water and turned to face the harsh beating sounds of the water from above crash down from the roots holding the water way down the the tranquil pool.
Tata did a froggy stroke to the bank, beams of light came down from the edges of the hole in the canopy.
She placed her arms over each other on the bank of the water and pulled herself up so she was lying with her chest to the roots and her legs in the water.
She pulled one leg up and the other followed, as then she lay along the bank on her side.
She looked down into the water, the crashing of the fall could be heard as she did so.
As she looked, another Tata was facing her from the pool and returning the look.
Such a phenomenon was not really noticeable in the main parts of the swamp due to the lack of light.
Soon, Tata found that the face of the other Tata was slowly transitioning into another female face that eventually poked its head out of the water.
"You're so predictable." Said a warm female voice.
Tata stood up, ready to flee.
She examined the face before only to realise it was indeed Simcha.
"Damnit, what is it with everyone startling me today?" Asked Tata.
Simcha put her hands over the bank like Tata did previously, but this time Tata gave Simcha a hand out of the water as well as a hug.
"Let's practice together!" Exclaimed Simcha with a sparkle in her eye.
Unlike Tata, Simcha was already sixteen, but a fair bit shorter than her.
She had green eyes too and straight dark hair.
The pool was special to the girls for many reasons, and one of those is that it was so large and round, that the swamp could not keep it covered.
And today they could see the moon in all its glory, despite it being day time.
The fact that the pool was uncovered meant that it let the light in, which was cherished by the girls.
The water would sparkle and glisten in the soft sunlight, or at least, when the fog was absent.
Today was particularly special, because it was one of those rare occasions where there was not a single cloud to be seen, and the sky with it's strong blue struck down the young girls with awe.
It was a sight to be seen by too few from the tribe.
None of them even knew this place existed.
The girls took their stances by the banks, majestically pushing and pulling the water like a tide.
The girls got op on the bank of the pool, where they swayed their bodies, shifting their weightes, pushing and pulling along the water, acting like the moon creating the tides.
"I've been thinking…" Said Simcha lightly.
Tata tensed up in fear of what Simcha would say. "If the waterfall flows but the pool does not, where does the water in the pool go?"
This put Tata at ease.
"I don't know… but we don't have to follow it. We can create our own flow. That is why we are waterbenders." She said with pride emphasising the last word.
"But who says the flow we create is better than the flow offered to us?"
Tata took a deep breath. "You will come with me to the Southern Water Tribe when I turn sixteen tomorrow. Right?"
"Of course. I will follow you to earth's end and back." Said Simcha calmly, reaching her left hand to press her palm below Tata's right cheek so that the rest of her hand covered it.
"And so, a new chapter in our life will begin. Tomorrow!" Returned Tata by putting her left hand on Simcha's shoulder for a brief time before they returned to their routine.
"Do you remember when I first found this place?" Asked Simcha.
She had now stopped bending the water again and was staring coldly into the distance. "I once spotted it while I was on top of the canopy, trying to see if I could see the other parts of the world. But all I could see was swamp and fog."
Tata stopped bending the water and started staring at Simcha.
Simcha turned her head to look at her. "And this place."
"I fear the journey." Said Simcha, finally. "I want to see the world, yes. But I also want to survive!"
"I don't want to survive!" Stated Tata, starting to gain energy. She dramatically took a step forward towards the pool. "I wanna live!" She exclaimed, looking dead into the sky while opening her arms as though the sky would give her freedom and that she was ready to embrace it.
Simcha looked down into the pool.
"Shall we move on to the next form?" Questioned Tata while turning around to face Simcha.
Simcha nodded.
They both stepped into the pool towards the center, for this part of it was an easy slope, and they found where they would begin to practice the next technique, and the one after that and the one after that, and eventually the sun would go down, and the girls would lose track of time.
They would go back to the encampments, and everyone would be sleeping.
And they would silently crawl into bed and fall asleep.
"Wake up sleepyhead!" Tata opened her eyes.
The swamp came into formation around her.
Rain could be heard beating down upon the branches and the leaves of the canopy, but the inhabitants on the swamp would never be blessed with raindrops because the rain would just flow along the branches and down the trunks.
The swamp came into focus and so did her mum as she stood over her.
Her dad could be seen in the background as well as many other encampments above and below all waking up getting ready for a hard day of doing nothing but being spiritual.
"Happy birthday!" They said together as Tata sat up, now smiling as mum passed a plate of gecko meat, water chestnuts and lotus leaves to Tata.
"You stayed up late last night. Didn't you?" Asked dad.
But mum did not give time for a reply.
"We had some cranberries prepared for you too. But they seem to have disappeared"
Tata took the plate of her and ate some of the lotus leaves.
"Thanks mum and dad!" She said.
"Tuk… Wuk… you wouldn't happen to know anything about that… would you?" Questioned dad as the twins got out of their separate beds.
"No." Said Wuk.
But Tuk was quick to intervene.
"I'll bet Tata took them when she came here yesterday when she should have been meditating!"
"TRAITOR!" Shouted Tata. "We had a deal!"
"So that's why I didn't see you after meditation.." Said dad.
"HA! See! You didn't even go back!" Said Tuk.
Wuk slyly stole some meat off Tata's plate and made off with it.
"You didn't know that! You're still a traitor!"
"I'm not!"
"QUIET!" Shouted dad. "You did go back on your word, if this is true, Tuk."
Tata pointed at Tuk. "See!"
"We'll discuss your punishment later" Stated mum as Tuk started laughing devilishly.
But Tata smiled back even more devilishly. "You can't punish me. I'm sixteen. I'm an adult. I have independence"
"That is true. Well in that case, from tomorrow onwards enjoy living in your own encampment by yourself." Announced mum.
"And don't bother coming to us for food…" Said dad.
"That's ok. By tomorrow, I won't even be here any more."
"Oh, you still have that imbecilic idea about going to the South Pole?" Asked mum.
"You realise when you nearly die and decide to come home, we won't be here for you." Questioned dad.
Tata remained calm and kept her wits upon herself. "That's ok, because I won't be coming back."
And that statement marked the end of that conversation as silence took its place for the rest of the morning.
Tata finished her food and was about to leave to pay Simcha a visit at her encampment, when Tata's mother put her arm on her shoulder.
"I know I can't stop you from trying to go. But please, I beg you. Try and make yourself some appropriate clothing. I've heard that outside of the swamp is dangerously cold, you're much more likely to survive if…" But Tata cut off her mother as she saw Simcha coming in the distance.
"Oh look, there's Simcha. We'll be off now. Bye!" She said as she ran off, so as not to give her mother a chance to reply.
Tata jumped down the vines and onto the earth where she ran towards Simcha.
Simcha smiled and hugged her.
"Happy birth…" But Simcha was cut off as Tata grabbed her arm.
"Come now, we are going to see Amos!" She said as she ran off still grabbing Simcha's arm.
"Listen, Tata, I've been thinking." She said as she ran trying to catch her breath.
"Again? What about this time?"
"Let's go somewhere else instead!"
Tata stopped running.
"The pole is so far away, we couldn't possibly survive that journey! I've heard how dangerous the outside might've become."
"Huh?!… Have you been in cahoots with… Oh never mind."
"Why not?" Whined Simcha.
"Because there are no waterbenders outside of the poles. Because the southern water tribe is much closer than the northern one. Because there is nothing for us anywhere else!" She paused. "Listen, I never thought I would say this about anything, but we're better off staying here than going wandering around…"
"Alright!" Replied Simcha as the girls continued to walk to Amos's encampment.
Mr Amos was a wise old man.
His face was deformed and wrinkled of age, his wife left long ago.
Throughout his lifetime he had come into possession of many trinkets from the outside world, but there was only one in particular that Tata was currently interested in.
"Good morn' youn' ladies. Now who d'we 'ave here…" Asked Amos as they arrived at his encampment. He bent over to take a closer look, for his eyes were starting to fail him. "Why if it ain't Simcha n' Tata! Been years since I've seen ya Tata. How old are ya now?"
Tata smiled. "Sixteen".
"What!? Since when?"
Tata now blushed. "Since today sir." She said softly.
"Wow! Happy birthday t' ya!" He said with a gigantic grin. "Now how can I be helpin' ya ladies today?"
"We would like to take a look at your world map sir." Said Tata.
"Map? Hmmmm…. I… ahhh..."
"You told me Beeka gave it to you." Said Simcha.
"Why yes indeed! Hang on a sec…" He opened up a chest full of scrolls and pulled one out tied by a red ribbon.
He gently took the ribbon off and rolled it out on the earth, his hands trembling as he did so.
The ladies leant in to take a close look at the frail old but bright and colourful parchment paper presented before them.
"Look, here is the plan." Started Tata. "We follow the coast and swim across passages every now and then to save time. By the time we reach here we will have to go south without the help of the coast. We just need to make sure we walk in the right direction for the south coast of… this place." She pointed to the peninsula and isle respectively, but she could not name them because she did not know how to read.
"But how will we get to the South Pole from the coast to the pole? We can't swim that far."
"We can work a bit and pay someone to take us by boat from that city on the coast. I'm sure there is a port there… Right?"
And then Amos's voice interrupted them. "Listen, Tata, since it's ya birthday, and since I may end up gone any day now, I want you to 'ave the map."
Tata lit up with joy. "What!? Really sir?"
"Why ya! It's a birthday present for you!" He said with a smile as Tata hugged him. "Feel free to come and see me any time you like."
"Thank you so much sir!" Said Tata.
"Yes, thank you indeed, sir!" Said Simcha.
And Simcha rolled up the map and placed the ribbon back on as they walked away.
Fate was on the two young ladies' doorstep, and nothing would make it wait.
"Come now." Said Tata. "There's something I wanna to show you."
The ladies walked far through the swamp, to where there were no more encampments and no people to be found.
Tata found the bush she was looking for after a short while.
Simcha could not help but see something in this bush.
It was different from the others, it seemed to have a different colour.
Such an occurrence was very strange and very rare in the swamp.
Upon further examination, Simcha realised that the bush was dead.
Perhaps it had severed itself from the rest of the banyan?
In any case, Tata lifted the branches to reveal two backpacks made from twigs and leaves and well as two wide brim hats also made from leaves.
The leaves of the swamp are large, thick and sturdy.
Many things in the swamp are made from them. Tata opened one backpack and put the map inside.
"You stay here. I'll bring the blankets." Said Tata.
"No, let me go please. I insist"
"Alright then."
Soon after, Simcha returned with two blankets.
They each packed them in their bags, as well as some food that Tata was hoarding and began the walk to the hills which surrounded the swamp.
But the walk was cut short by Simcha.
"Stop." Said Simcha.
"What's up?"
"I'm… I'm not coming with you. I… I can't." She started to tremble.
Her eyes shut.
"Can't what?"
"I… I… I don't want to die! I won't do it! I won't walk to my doom! I can't stand to never see my family again!" She fell down on her knees.
Teers were now falling down her body.
"Fine then! Your pessimism will probably just slow me down anyway!" Said Tata as Simcha started to cry.
Tata turned quickly away from her, and ran off, trembling as she ran.
Tears started to come down from her own eyes as the sound of the rain felt like it was surrounding her.
It felt like she was going to suffocate from the world closing in on her.
And then… bam!
She tripped.
Quickly using her arm to protect her head, she softened the blow, but suffered a gash going all the way down her upper arm.
Blood drizzled down her arm falling onto the roots like little droplets of rain.
Tata stood up angrily. 'My first test!' She thought to herself. 'Onwards!' She thought as she wiped the blood but still it ran down her mouth and forearm now.
And before she got to the hills with her sense given to her from the swamp vines, she cleaned herself up and made herself presentable.
The hills looked big and daunting.
Like guardians of the swamp.
They were brown and wet, for the swamp did not climb on them.
Coated in mud and sticks and rocks, Tata did not waste time before climbing them, as though she was the conqueror of these great guardians.
But alas, the guardians would fight back.
Tata kept slipping as she tried to scale the hill, getting muddier and muddier.
She would fall on rocks and they would dig into her.
Nonetheless, she could now see the peak, and the sunlight coming over it.
She placed her hand over the peak and said. "Now is the next chapter in my life!" A tear falling down her face.
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The Sun Warriors were the people of the ancient civilization who first discovered firebending from the dragons.
The precursors to the modern-day Fire Nation, most of the rest of the world believed they had died out thousands of years before the Hundred Year War.
They are still alive, however, and live in secrecy near the ruins of their once-thriving city, where they retain their unique cultural and philosophical traits.
The Sun Warrior civilization is one of the earliest known firebending cultures on the Fire Islands, and predates the Fire Nation's formation by thousands of years.
Because of this, their philosophy regarding firebending is said to be pure and uncorrupted, based upon the life-giving and creative aspects of fire.
As their name suggests, they draw the power of their firebending from the sun's energy, focusing on physical heat as well as spiritual enlightenment and idealism.
The Sun Warriors also revered and guarded the two great firebending masters, Ran and Shaw, two dragons, one red and one blue.
These dragons passed on the secrets of firebending by breathing a multicolored flame over those they deem worthy.
The Sun Warriors developed all the original firebending forms, such as the Dancing Dragon, but their philosophy is radically different from the present-day Fire Nation.
While most consider firebending to be an instrument of destruction fueled by rage and hate, the Sun Warriors believe it represents life and energy, as if there is a sun within every firebender.
They are keepers of the Eternal Flame, a great fire that is said to be the first given to mankind by the dragons.
The Sun Warriors preferred to keep their society secret from the outside world, therefore, anyone who discovered their tribe and was deemed worthy to be taught the nature of firebending was instructed to never reveal the existence of the tribe to anybody else.
Iroh kept his promise and claimed to have killed the last dragons after Ran and Shaw taught him the virtue of temperance, while the Sun Warriors taught him the breath of fire.
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A thousand cycles have passed since Avatar Wan bonded with the primordial spirit of order, Raava.
It's been nearly a milenia and the people of the four nations have fought among each other to establish the earliest of the four nations' founding governments.
The great Lion Turtles housed the humans in the physical world and were their protectors giving humans temporary abilities over the elements while they were away from the cities of the Lion Turtles.
Yet even still not much is known about the origin or the amount of Lion Turtles that existed.
One thing humanity did know is that the Lion Turtles had first given them their abilities.
To the humans, the spirit world was a world of legend and the Lion Turtles were their gods.
Those with the power to bend the elements quickly rose to power.
Benders began to enslave non benders and then quickly turned on eachother.
Wars plaque the world and the Avatar was supposedly their only hope of bringing back balance.
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After the Lion Turtles parted the physical world the humans began to inhabit the wilds.
As the world was no longer inhabited by spirits, humans began to build civilizations and a religion based on the Lion Turles of old.
The Sun Warrior tribe were descendents of the Yang Fire Lion Turtle.
Every Lion turtle not only held its own element, but was also either male (yin) or female (yang) energies.
The Chi of the Great Turtles held power over how the societies of each civilization formed.
Yang represents the female energy, and in the Society of the Sun Warriors, the Dragon High Priestess was the head monarch.
She was the only one that could talk with the Great Dragons, Ran and Shaw.
The Sun Warriors had been the first civilization to leave their lion turtles before Wan was born, for the Sun people made a pact with the great winged Dragons that if they protected them against spirits, the Sun Warriors would protect the Dragons from humans and so they did.
As for everyday government, the Chieftain assumed the role of keeping order.
Ri Huo, was born to the Chieftain of the Sun Warrior tribe, Chief Taiyang, and she was to be his only child.
A strange prophecy was told by Ran and Shaw on the day of Ri Huo's birth.
The great masters, Ran and Shaw, said to the Chief. "Her mother will not live, for she gives birth to a great tremendous power. But, be warned, one day she will meet her match, someone that will fundamentally oppose the balance of the avatar."
The Chieftain was very confused by this prophecy and so were the people of the Sun Warriors.
The High Priestess decreed that she must never be harmed, for the prophecy was for Ri Huo to bear.
Growing up, Ri Huo was not treated like the other children of the Sun Warriors, and she didn't know why.
Though she assumed it was due to her status as the daughter of the Chieftain or her uncommon hair color, it always struck her the wrong way.
Nobody was nice to her, but on the other hand, nobody was mean to her either.
Nobody, except her best friend, Dhatu.
Dhatu was the youngest daughter to the old high priestess.
Dhatu's eldest sister being the current high Dragon Priest.
Everybody had always been more or less intimidated by the high stature her family was given in society and like Ri Huo, had nothing to do with them.
Those of the highest order of the Sun Warrior clan were treated like royalty or even 'gods'.
Respect was maintained in a very shut way.
Classism ruled the Sun Warriors.
Gardners, Berry pickers, and craftsmen held the lowest in the class, for they were not benders.
The Warrior class was the highest, they were the benders and they hunted the meat for their tribe.
The highest class of Sun Warriors are Chieftain and Dragon Priestess.
Married only by law, they never lay together, they took their own partners to have children with and society saw them in a form of marriage.
The monarchy of the Sun Warriors to the people of the sun warriors was first established by the great dragons that deemed a Chieftain or High Priestess worthy of the title.
At the age of twelve every Sun Warrior citizen must be tested to see if they are worthy of being taught the art of fire bending.
Each must take the immortal flame the long journey from the Sun Temple to be presented before Ran and Shaw, the Great Dragon Masters.
Every Sun Warrior citizen has gone through this tradition.
But for Ri Huo, she will never be tested, and she was purposefully not allowed to attend the ceremonies.
Her father, Chief Taiyang, made it law that no one would ever teach Ri Huo how to firebend.
After several years, and each day Ri Huo's best friend being taken away for school while Ri Huo is taken to private lessons, she begins to question the difference in their teachings.
Ri Huo's teacher and handler, Kausalya, was the old high priestess before her own eldest daughter assumed the mantle with the passing of the last chief.
Kausalya bring's Dhatu over to the Sun Temple hall where Ri Huo lives.
"Dhatu!" Ri Huo shouts down the great steps of the Sun Temple.
"Hey Ri Huo!" Dhatu replies smiling.
She then leaps up the steep stairs towards the top leaving her mother Kausalya behind as she scales the temple two steps at a time.
Breathless, she reaches the top of the steps.
"..hey...Ri Huo..." Dhatu says to Ri Huo as she puts her right hand on Ri Huo's back and the other on her own knee.
"Ri Huo, let's go, I want to show you a game I made." Ri Huo said to Dhatu.
They both sped off down the main hall of the Sun Temple right past Chief Taiyang as he came up to the end of the Main hall to peer down the steps.
By this time Kausalya had made it up and the two girls had already made it down the hallway to Ri Huo chambers.
"Hello my priestess..." Chief Taiyang gestured to Kausalya.
"Hi Chief..." Kausalya replied with a weary smile. "I'm never going to get used to those steps."
"Haha, I don't suppose any of us will ever do, and at our age, it only seems to get worse." The chief chuckled in response.
Kausalya laughed. "Yeah I suppose you are right... Well, let's not stand on social etiquette, I guess we have some business to discuss with the council."
"That is correct. Come, the great warriors have already gathered and we will discuss our plans before the high priestess takes our words before the Masters."
Kausalya noded in response and they both headed back down the main hallway to the Great Sun Room.
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" Ri Huooooo... I don't want to play your made up board game anymore..." Dhatu said while lazily tosin a wooden piece across the stone floor.
"Hey! Watch it! I carved these pieces by hand!" Ri Huo fires back in response as she crosses the room to retrieve the wooden piece.
She picked up the piece and began to dust it off.
All the while, she kept thinking about the other day when she saw Dhatu fire bend.
"Dhatu." Ri Huo asked softly.
"What?" Dhatu responded.
"Will you show me your fire bending?" Ri Huo questioned.
Dhatu sat up and looked at the back of Ri Huo's head as she still absent mindedly rubbed her foot across the stone floor of her chambers.
"Why?" Dhatu asked with slight curiosity.
Ri Huo swiftly turned around. " Cause I love to see it!"
She had responded with such glow and fascination in her eyes that Dhatu couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, why do you care so much? Can't you do it?"
"No… for some reason I can't." Ri Huo said while losing all the excitement that had just filled her face. "And I don't understand why, I'm the chieftain's daughter, I'm the daughter of the Sun Chief and the High Priestess, I should be able to bend!"
"It's okay Ri Huo! Not everyone can bend!" Dhatu replied, trying to calm her friend.
"Easy for you to say, you can bend!" Ri Huo responded, now getting teary eyed.
Dhatu thought for a moment and then she leaped up.
"Come on Ri Huo, let's try one more time. Together."
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"Chief Taiyang, Priestess Kausalya, we thank you for your presence in resolving this manner." The head of the High Order of the Sun Council, Counselor Yan, addresses the Chief and Kausalya as they enter the Sun Room.
"We love more than to do so Counselor Yan." Kausalya replies.
They all took seats at a long stone desk decorated with Sun Warrior tablecloths and a map of the known world.
Which hadn't been updated since the time of Avatar Wan.
Five sat on the council including the Counselor.
They are joined by the High priestess who sits at the head of one end and the current Chieftain who sits at the other end.
The Counselor sits in the middle and the past High Priestess sits at the right hand of the current High Priestess.
The Sun Warriors greatest warrior sits at the left hand of the Chief and the other two are the personal protectors of the Counselor, Speaker of the Sun people.
"As you may have heard, our shameful branch of the fire nation has been disturbing the balance of the world while tarnishing our pure art of fire bending. We were tasked as protectors of the great dragons. And we failed. We can no longer let this go on without intervention." The Counselor started.
"I understand the need to correct our branch civilization, counselor, but we are already weak and spread thin as the centuries went by and we secluded ourselves. We don't have enough fighters to even talk to the patron that lives there in equal terms." the chief replied. "Forget about submitting them to our will."
"We may be running thin on warriors, chief, but let us not forget it was the great dragons that built this city! Let's not forget that they trusted US with the protection of them and their sacred knowledge! Let's not for..."
The chief cuts in "- LET'S NOT FORGET THAT PART OF THAT BARGAIN IS THAT THEY WOULD PROTECT US FROM THE SPIRITS!"
The Sun room grew quite as his words echoed through the great halls.
After a short pause, the high priestess, Chanan responded. "Gentlemen, we must understand that you are both right. We've failed to protect the dragons, and now we must protect ourselves. Let us seek council with the Masters so we may find the best course of action to overcome this dilemma." The High Priestess, Chanan, spoke with such lovely and soft tones, that the men couldn't help to feel childish for getting worked up.
"She's right, we must seek council with the Masters. Tonight is the night of Eternal Flame, after the ritual, the masters may be sought so that they are not disturbed more than they have to." The Counselor says.
"Very well." The chief replies. "We will conveign again tomorrow to discuss the masters' words."
They all nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of the Ceremony of Eternal Flame, is this the year your youngest daughter is to be judged Kausalya?" Asked the Counselor.
"It is." She responded.
"A marvelous time that is! And how about you Chief, when will Ri Huo take the test?"
"She won't." The chief said bluntly.
"Oh... that's a shame that the only daughter to the chieftain won't be seen if she is chosen to be worthy by the masters."
The chief cut his eyes at the counselor.
"...TH-that's because the Chief was already told of her worth at her birth, Counselor." Kausalya cut in in order to stop another emotional outbreak by the chief. "As the masters have foreseen, the balance has recently been even more threatened."
"Oh, how could I have forgotten!" The counselor sneered. "The Great Prophecy!" He said in a sarcastic tone. "I guess we'll just all see about that someday, won't we? Or as most of us think, will never see. And you will have let your daughter and her abilities waste away."
"Counselor, that isn't for you to decide." High priestess Chanan intervened.
"Either way..." The counselor corrected his harsh tone. "Until tomorrow evening, may the sun ever shine on it's people."
"May the Sun ever shine on it's people"
—————————————————————
Ri Huo and Dhatu raced around the Sun Garden in the back courtyard of the Sun Temple kicking a red bouncy ball filled with air.
In the back garden there were two walls with hoops at the very top middle part of the walls.
The girls attempted to kick the ball through the hoops but always kept getting just a little short of the hole.
"Shoot, when are we gonna get a goal?!" Dhatu said, defeated.
"I know, that's why I wish I could fire bend! I would shoot it off like a dragon with fire coming from it's butt!" Ri Huo exclaimed.
The girls burst into laughter and as they fell on the ground together in the middle of the court.
They stared at each other as they picked at each other's garments and hair.
Dhatu and Ri Huo had always thought of themselves as sisters.
What they didn't know is they were half sisters.
But the way they were always together, most had never thought they were blood related at all.
Other than each other's eye color and height, the two girls looked nothing alike.
Dhatu had black short hair and was thicker, Ri Huo had long ginger hair and lighter tone of skin.
Ri Huo kept a small pony tail while the rest of her hair fell a little past her shoulders, while Dhatu kept all of her hair up in a bun.
They both wore tunics made of crimson red with gold trimming.
The clothing was very light and exposed the girls bellies.
Gold bands adorned the upper arms and ankles of the girls and only Ri Huo had gold bracelets at her wrists as well.
"What if you heated up the air in the ball?" Ri Huo asked Dhatu.
"What do you mean?" Dhatu questioned back.
"Like when you have a lantern over a candle and it floats." Stated Ri Huo.
"Hmm, do you think it would work?" Dhatu asked.
The girls got back to their feet.
"Try this, I'll kick it to you, and when you kick it, just slightly heat the air in the ball just enough for it to be lighter." Ri Huo explained.
"Okay, I'll try." Responded Dhatu.
The girls got in formation, standing a few feet away from each other.
Ri Huo placed her foot on top of the ball and dragged it downward towards the ground making the ball roll backwards and up on top of her foot.
At the same time she popped her toe up causing the ball to fly up waist level.
She then juggled the ball up with her knees.
"Get ready!" Ri Huo said to Dhatu who was watching, knees bent and eyes fixed on the ball.
As Ri Huo watched the ball towards her feet she kicked it straight towards her Dhatu.
Dhatu heard Ri Huo give the cue and she took in a quick breath, clapped her hands and stepped back on her left foot.
Ri Huo kicked it and Dhatu whipped her left leg around backwards in a 360 degree motion kicking the ball up towards the hole.
The ball sailed towards the hoop at the top of the south wall and hit right in the center.
"THUDDD!"
"Ahhh man, Ri... hahahaha, WE GOT THE BALL STUCK!" Dhatu proclaimed.
They both then fell down on the ground laughing and crying because the excess heat in the ball had caused the ball to expand and no longer fit through the hole.
"Wow, who would have thought..." Dhatu said.
"I know..." Ri Huo replied, but with a tone that hinted that boredom was setting in again. "Hey, let's go listen in on the Sun Warrior Council.
"Phfftt, those old hags sitting around talking about nothing? Why?" Dhatu replied, picking herself back up off the ground and dusting the dirt from her crimson and gold trimmed robes.
"Mmm I don't know." Ri Huo fiddled with a small pebble on the ground. "Something to do?"
"I guess we can. I want to be there as soon as mom is ready anyhow, I can't wait for the Ceremony of the Eternal Flame tonight." Dhatu said.
"Whatever, are you still going to stay with me tonight after the ceremony? I want to go fire fly catching." Ri Huo said, unenthusiastically.
"Duhhh! But I don't know why you aren't going to the ceremony too." Dhatu responded.
"...Who cares about that old ceremony... anyways, lets go." Ri Huo returned with a voice of envy.
The girls went up the curvy stairs of the back of the Sun Temple out of the Court Yard to make their way back to the interior of the Sun Temple and made their way back to the main hall and continued down towards one of the outer rooms of the main Sun Room.
"I wonder how long they're all gonna talk this time." Dhatu said to Ri Huo.
"I don't know. I gues..." She was cut off by the sound of her father shouting.
"PART OF THAT BARGAIN IS THEY PROTECT US FROM THE SPIRITS!"
Ri Huo had stopped mid sentence by the sound of her father shouting.
It was something she herself had never heard before.
Her father had always seemed quiet and serious to her and truth be told she was very intimidated by her father.
So when she heard her father shout for the first time it sent a chill up her spine.
"Wow, I guess things are already getting serious." Dhatu said in a way that sounded like she didn't really care.
Dhatu speaking brought Ri Huo back to the real world.
She didn't know what Dhatu said, but she was glad she said something.
Ri Huo had a bad feeling in her stomach and didn't know why.
Dhatu had started talking to Ri Huo again but she didn't really "hear" anything her friend was saying.
"Shh!"
"What?"
"SHH!" Ri Huo motioned with her finger. "I want to hear what they're saying."
Ri Huo pressed her head against the door between them and the Sun Room.
"Speaking of the Ceremony of Eternal Flame, is this the year your youngest daughter is to be judged Kausalya?"
"It is."
"A marvelous time that is! And how about you Chief, when will Ri Huo take the test?"
"She won't."
"Oh... that's a shame that the only daughter to the chieftain won't be seen if she is chosen to be worthy by the masters."
"...TH-that's because the Chief was already told of her worthiness at her birth, Counselor."
"Oh, how could I have forgotten the Great Prophecy, I guess we'll just all see about that someday, won't we? Or as most of us think, will never see. And you will have let your daughter and her abilities waste away… Either way... until tomorrow evening, May the Sun ever Shine on it's people."
"May the sun ever Shine on it's people"
Ri Huo turned to Dhatu with a pale white face. "Did you hear that?" She asked.
"I did." Dhatu said with a surprised expression.
"What...why would the counselor even bring me up?" Ri Huo asked.
"I don't know... maybe he likes you." Dhatu mocked the counselor and made kissy faces towards Ri Huo.
"Shut up!" She replied at the smiling Dhatu, and decided to drop the subject.
Ri Huo knew that Dhatu wasn't really interested, but she always seemed to be distant and uninterested in everything.
Ri Huo envied this about her friend, because she worried all the time about things out of her understanding and she didn't know why.
"Well, I'm gonna go Ri. You should still come to the ceremony to see me, but if you don't I will understand." Dhatu interrupted.
"I might... I don't know. It's just, I don't get why I can't carry the fire and present it to the masters too." Ri Huo said.
"Either way, I'll see you after the ceremony. I promise I'll come right over to tell you about it." Dhatu said standing up.
"Good!" Ri Huo replied.
They both smiled and hugged as Dhatu turned to leave the room.
Ri Huo stayed in the room and pondered the counselor's words.
They echoed in her mind as the sound of her father's shouting voice came back to her.
She shook her head and the voices left.
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As nightfall approaches, so do the children chosen by the Sun Warriors to carry the Eternal Flame to the temple of the Masters.
The villages of the Sun Warriors had already gathered at the lower platform to play the sacred song.
As the young students approached the lower platform, the drums started up.
Deep and beating hard, the Warriors would jump high in the air and come down to hit the big drums.
The villagers danced around the great fire that the Greatest of the Sun Warriors had started from the Eternal flame.
The Sun Warriors took turns doing the motions of the Dance of the Dragons around the fire.
The young students started their ascent to the cross walk to be judged by the Masters.
Ri Huo was hidden high on a ledge of the rock face of the cavern in which the masters' temple is built.
Staying hidden in the ledge of a jut of rocks, she eyed her father, Kausalya, and Dhatu, the first in line up the stairs.
Once all the young ones had reached the top of the ledge, they all bowed and held out their offering of the sacred Eternal flame.
At once, the drums hit in unison and stopped.
The drums could be heard ringing off the walls of the canyon for several seconds.
Counselor Yan came to the base of the steps and held his arms up high above his head.
All of the earth seemed to have fallen silent.
"GREAT MASTERS, COME FORTH AND MAKE YOUR JUDGEMENT UPON YOUR PEOPLE!"
Silence again as the Counselor's words rang out in the canyon depths.
Then, the ground everywhere started to shake, tremble, and then quake.
Rocks started to fall from the sides of the Canyon and the drums started to play again.
This time twice as fast as they played before, and even faster and faster as the ground seemed to shake more and more.
Then all of a sudden out of the tops of the peaks on each side of the long platform and on each side of the canyon walls a giant red dragon and a giant blue dragon flew.
As they flew up they breathed their fire, great, wonderful, terrible, bright and blinding.
Ri Huo stayed frozen in place out of both fear and awe.
She dared not move because she could feel that the great masters already knew she was there, but the dragons continued flying in between the young students, spewing their fire as they flew.
The students then started to do the Dance of the Dragons form.
At the very end of the sequence, they were all in a circle facing outward as the Great Masters landed on the sides they had come out of.
They stared at the students.
They stared with cool, fiery eyes.
Eyes that seemed to judge them through their entire past lives.
Eyes that had seen all of time and could never be surprised by it's secrets.
Both of the dragon's mouths opened and fire started to build in their jaws.
Ri Huo saw and was terrified that they had been judged harshly.
Ri Huo screamed out right as the dragon's fire surrounded the young students.
She lost her footing in the rock and had lost all sense that she had been hiding in the wall the whole time.
She had lost where she was, then... she lost consciousness.
"You're lucky to be alive."
Ri Huo recognized her father's voice as she started to wake up.
Her eyes were blurry as she started to feel around where she was.
"Don't move." Her dad said. "You fell from the canyon wall and broke both legs and your back."
Tears started to flood Ri Yuo's eyes as she began to remember the ceremony and the thought that her best friend had been consumed in a fiery death.
"Is Dhatu okay?" She asked.
"Dhatu?! Of course she's okay, why wouldn't she be?"
"I saw..."
"You saw the ceremony and you had no idea what was happening. I told you not to come and you didn't listen. Now you see what has happened when you don't listen to your father and your chieftain. If any other villager had disobeyed my orders, you know what the result would be."
Ri Huo slumped back down. "I'm sorry.."
"No, you could have died! You will be guarded at all times. Don't disobey me again." Chief Taiyang stomped out of her bed chamber as two guards followed in behind him and stood watch.
She fell back to sleep.
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"Ri, it's been two months since your accident, when are you gonna walk again?" Dhatu questioned.
"I don't know, the shamans say I might never walk again."
"What do those old dirty hags know?" Dhatu jested. "Anyways, how's your training going?"
"Oh great... yeah, I sit and meditate, or I move my hands and think about breathing... It's super interesting let me tell ya." Ri Huo replied.
"Sorry, I wish I could come over more, but you know... with firebending training they don't let us have much of a break at first."
"Yeah, I know, it's alright." She sat cross legged on a pillow that she was put on 5 hours before.
She couldn't feel anything from the waist down so it didn't hurt to stay seated for that long.
But for the first time in a while she felt like getting up and walking.
"I don't understand why I can't make my legs just MOVE." Ri Huo said, poking at one of her legs. "Do you like having a dragon of your own now?
"Yeah, it's not too bad." Dhatu had received at the ceremony a dragon egg in which the Masters chose her flame to be the flame to heat and hatch the egg.
Each generation gets a dragon egg to be raised with the Sun Warrior the Masters choose and they will be bound by soul and life.
When the masters Ran and Shaw choose a warrior to be given an egg, that warrior get's the honorary title of "Dragon".
Much like the bond of the Avatar, the spiritual bond of the Dragons and the Sun Warriors has been as long as time.
And if the master of a dragon dies, so does their dragon.
"How about you? How do you like your Fire Bird?"
"Oh Foc?" She replied. "Foc is awesome. I mean, how can you not like a little chicken that crows fire?"
"Haha, Good point! And she is very beautiful!" Dhatu commented, stroking her breast feathers.
Foc gives a small crow that lets out a tiny flame.
"How CUTE?!" Dhatu expresed. "Ri, I'm sorry, I have to go. I have to get back to the fire fields for practice."
"It's alright, I'll see you soon." The two hugged and Dhatu left.
Ri Huo stared at the ground where Dhatu was once standing for a little while and then pet Foc.
"Alright Foc, time to go to the Spirit World."
Ri Huo moved her legs back to Lotus Position and put her hands together at the fingertips with her palms up.
She focused on her breathing and relaxed her body.
Her vision went into a vortex spin and when she shut and opened her eyes, she was in the Spirit World.
She stood up in the spirit world.
Here the rules that governed her body in the material world did not apply and she could walk.
Ri Huo started going to the Spirit world when she thought she had dreamed about being there when she had been knocked unconscious from falling from the canyon wall.
For a long time she didn't realize that the world that she played in was not her dreams, but a bigger real world filled with spirits that have been living there for more time than she could possibly comprehend.
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(27/12/2020)
*Hope this chapter is of your liking. Anything you wish to ask, feel free to do so.
Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.
Any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.
** Please don't hesitate to tell me if the quality is dropping. I really wish to continue trying to update fast, but I don't want to make it reflect badly on my writing.
*** Did you like the OC characters that I've been introducing? I wanted to flesh out the world of Avatar, and I noticed that some groups haven't been explored beyond a superficial appearance. But they won't in any way undermine the original character's importance... at least I don't plan to make it so.
