| By King Bumis Heir | Genre | Rating | Reviews | Updates |
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Overview[]
Rong Yan finally reaches the Southern Air Temple, and has an audience with the Southern Council of Elders.
Chapter 15: The Council[]
Book 1: Air
Chapter 15: The Council
Yong Ten's sky bison soared through the lavender lit sky hues of lavender and yellow-orange fill the dawn sky, the sun was surely rising soon a small peep of it rose in the eastern side of the sky. It had gotten just a bit colder these past few days the temperatures have been dropping and Rong Yan feels like he needs to buy himself a thicker set of clothing to withstand the winter's chill when the earth transitions from autumn to winter come the winter solstice. The chill air was freezing at the height they were flying at, it was still cold on the ground but it was tolerable. They had been flying through the Jongmu mountain range for the past hour, there were a few trees sprawled around with red leaves still clinging to the branches. The majority of the trees were bare and ready for winter. In the distance, Yong Ten could see people tending to the sky bison on the ground.
Jippo had seen his kin and let out a roar that echoed throughout the mountains, some of the shepherds on the ground had taken a good look up to see another sky bison fly toward the air temple they lived in. There were open fields of wheat and orchards of different fruits and vegetables with a handful of Air Nomads harvesting food while the children behind them were placing seeds and watering the holes for the next harvest. The holes that were left behind by the harvesters were covered up, and the children moved on to the next row to repeat the process.
Sky bison were coming in to land at the air temple and others were departing after all the Air Nomads were nomads. Some chose to live the nomadic lifestyle while others chose to remain in the air temples that were built around the world. History says there are only four temples but fictional stories indicate there was the lost temple. While some brush it off, others travel to try and locate the lost air temple which has been said to house airbender secrets. As they neared the Jongmu Air Temple, a flock of chickadee sparrow flew past Jippo giving the world their songs of praise as they continued on their way. Yong Ten prepared Jippo for landing, the bison grunted and hovered slowly lowering itself at the bison caves where the bison are kept. They finally landed Yong Ten hopped off Jippo and Rong Yan slid down his tail.
Jippo flying.
"Just stay here, I'm going to guide Jippo into the caverns and feed him," said Yong Ten grabbing Jippo by the reins walking off toward the caverns.
Rong Yan sat down cross-legged watching the older monks leaving hay bales for the sky bison they were tasked to tend to. Another monk in the distance wandered around with a walking stick with a herd of smaller sky bison calves guiding them to a pond of freshwater where they could end their thirst.
In the cave, Yong Ten had seen a mother sky bison laying down allowing her calves to feed on her while other sky bison cuddled next to each other. Yong Ten had led Jippo into a separate smaller cave and had emptied his pack which was full of watermelons, and cantaloupes.
"Alright Jippo, you earned everything in the pack. I'll come back soon, the tenders here will feed you well," Yong Ten told Jippo petting his head before walking out of the cave system that housed the sky bison of every Air Nomad that lived in the temples. Yong Ten met with Rong Yan again leading him up the mountain path and toward the courtyard of the temple grounds. The stone floors of the air temple were designed with stones of white with a pattern of blue stones placed sporadically.
Two Air Nomad children stood there talking when they had noticed Yong Ten and his guest, these boys were wearing long-sleeved yellow shirts, with loose orange shawls, brown pants the bottoms of the shirts extend lower and was cut at the buttock level of the airbender's body, and tall brown boots made of some cloth woven from plants. Air Nomads didn't use animal hides to make themselves clothing or footwear. The shirt was held in place by an orange, belt-like wrap, and the end of the leg draping was tucked securely into the top of the knee-high boots. Both the leg draping and the shawls could act as a parachute, catching air as the young bender fell to slow their descent.
Monks were walking about on the temple grounds.
They had gazed at the guest like they had never seen someone from the Fire Nation before. He was pale, his eyes weren't grey nor brown they were an amber color, the clothes he wore weren't of any of the shades of yellow, orange, or bright red. They were disgusted that his boots were made of black leather from some animal from wherever he came from. The mitre he wore on his head held some significance but not what they knew of.
"Novice-Master it's great to see you return to the temple, how were your travels?" one of the monk children asked him.
"They were rather alarming, while there was some good and fun during my travels through the Fire Nation when we reached the Earth Kingdom we had noticed a sudden change in safety. Something I must speak with the Council of Elders about," answered Yong Ten with an expression of concern on his face. The other boy who's been quiet the whole time speaks up and points at Rong Yan, "Where is your guest from?" asked the child.
"He's from the Fire Nation, boy," he replied, patting the child's head smiling.
"Woah, a firebender!" both of the boys had said excitedly at the same time as they had never seen a firebender before. It had been their first time seeing someone outside of the air temple they resided in, all monk children are restricted from leaving the temples unless they're traveling with a guardian monk or a novice-master.
"Not just any firebender boys, this is the Avatar," Yong Ten added, the boys look at Rong Yan then each other rubbing their eyes in disbelief that the visitor they have is the Fire Nation Avatar that they've probably heard so much about.
One of the boys fainted while the other attempted to catch him and stumbled to his knees kneeling before Rong Yan. As is customary of the Air Nomads they always bow to an Avatar. They're teachings believe the All High deity Tiandi created the First Avatar. The origins had been lost in time though the only person who would know the origins of the First Avatar was the Avatar themselves who could look deep inside themselves to connect with the First Avatar.
Yong Ten chuckles and kneels checking on the boy who fainted, "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, you said something about an Avatar?" the boy questioned Yong Ten, who pointed back with his thumb behind him at Rong Yan. The boy rubs his head and stands up bowing to Rong Yan. Both kids run off in a different direction laughing and having a good time.
"Come let me take you to your room where you'll be staying for the time being while you master airbending. I'll introduce you to some airbenders your age," Yong Ten pondered to Rong Yan leading him up a bridge and to the left where most of the novices like the children and novices in their late teens would sleep.
The airbenders without arrows were known as novices, once they received their airbender tattoos would they be known as monks. There were also people living amongst the airbenders who left their past lives behind to learn from the Air Nomads and pass on their teachings and beliefs. These men came from the other three nations and were known as oblates or Air Acolytes. They couldn't bend air so they cannot receive airbender tattoos that allowed the world to identify them Air Nomads. Most of them occupied the temples while others traveled the world living the nomadic lifestyle with their airbender companions.
There was a tall slender novice about Rong Yan's age sitting down on a stone bench eating rice with chopsticks out of a wooden bowl. He wore a novice attire and had no arrows covering his body. He had a big head and brown eyes, focusing on eating his food he felt a presence and looked up to see Novice-Master Yong Ten walking up to him with a guest from the Fire Nation. Setting his rice bowl aside he stood up to bow to Yong Ten with respect, Yong Ten had followed the bow back to the teenager.
"Novice-Master, you have returned! Who's your guest?" asked the Air Nomad with excitement, he waved hi at Rong Yan before turning his attention back to Yong Ten.
"Senge, this is Avatar Rong Yan, I wanted to introduce him to you and hope you'd be okay with showing him around the temple while I speak with the council," Yong Ten had introduced Rong Yan to Senge.
Rong Yan had bowed to Senge and in response, Senge knelt before Rong Yan, "It truly is an honor being in your presence, Avatar Rong Yan," he said.
Monk Senge.
He rose to his feet dusting off his pants of the dirt that might have brushed itself on when he knelt. Sitting back down on the bench he gave a nod of approval to Yong Ten who gave a light push to Rong Yan and walked in the opposite direction. Rong Yan sat next to Senge, Senge had picked up his bowl and continued eating speaking between bites.
"Are you excited to learn airbending, Rong Yan?" he asked Rong Yan with enthusiasm.
"Yes, a little terrified of learning a new element I don't know what it'll feel like though, how the energy would course through my body. I had read in one of the records left by my past life in the Fire Temple in the city of Yin La that the energy of the other elements feels completely different than from firebending," he explained looking at Senge as he continued to eat halfway through his bowl of rice.
"I'm not sure what firebending feels like but I'm going to assume it's warm, in reality, I don't feel the energy in airbending. Must be an Avatar thing or a master thing, unless it's the surge of air that conjures out of my palms." Senge explained, shrugging it off a little bit confused.
"What's the Fire Nation like?" questioned Senge wondering about the geography and weather of the country that's so foreign to him.
"Depending on the area the weather's always warm there, hotter near volcanoes and some areas are humid. At least where I lived it was normal weather, the winters aren't cold there they're just a timid temperature and not as hot. It rains in the humid islands during the winter, and the summers are the hottest in the world. I hear the only places that have hot summers similar to the Fire Nation are the Si Wong desert states of the Ba Sing Se territory of the Earth Kingdom," responded Rong Yan to the best of his ability and in detail.
"What about here?" he asked Rong Yan, as Senge had almost finished his bowl of rice.
"The winters here are cold but I couldn't say colder than the Poles, I've only been to the Southern Water Tribe with Novice-Master Yong Ten when I was younger. It snows every day, even in the summer it snows! But to answer your question, the winds pick up and it gets cold, the summers aren't as hot as what you described the Fire Nation to be. Sometimes during the spring it gets humid and it rains a lot during the spring," replied Senge, wiping whatever food was left on the corners of his mouth with his sleeve.
"Anyways, let's head up to our chambers where I'll introduce you to my best friend Jampo," offered Senge with a smile carrying his bowl with him pacing toward the left temple looking back hoping Rong Yan would follow they continued having a conversation while they had wandered over to their destination.
Senge led Rong Yan to an open courtyard where off a few yards from the courtyard there were giant wooden poles erected sporadically in a small area. There were two wooden goals, one on the opposite side of the other, two airbenders were playing some kind of game. The ball was a spherical shaped wooden contraption. It had no air and it was just wooden planks heated up to bend to form a ball which they had used glue to keep it in that shape. The gist of the game was to balance and hop around on the giant poles while trying to get the ball into the opponent's goal while defending your goal.
The airball court, that Senge had pointed out to.
"This is the western courtyard leading to the western tower of the Jongmu Air Temple, out over yonder is the airball court where we play airball then over there is where we play bison polo," pointed out Senge as he gave Rong Yan the tour. They had waddled up the steps of the left temple while Senge continued to explain the various areas of the Jongmu Air Temple.
"You Air Nomads sure know how to have fun," Rong Yan commented to Senge who chuckles with a smile.
Senge then mentions to Rong Yan, "Of course we do, having fun and having a sense of humor is what makes us Air Nomads."
"I won't take you around the entire temple, but I can surmise all the areas to you. The eastern tower houses all the adult monks from adulthood to elderhood. People like Novice-Master Yong Ten, Instructor Chuandan, and other semi-important members of the temple live there. The northern tower houses our Hegumen, the priors and the subpriors who govern our temple," surmised Senge almost reaching the top.
"So does every temple have a hegumen, priors, and subpriors?" asked Rong Yan.
"Yes and no, so only the Jongmu and Baiyan air temples have a hegumen, while the Sum Pa and Shang Qiao air temples have mother superiors, but every air temple has two priors or prioresses and two subpriors or subprioresses. They are the councils who run our temples and are the only ones who enforce our religion's authority, while the Hegumen and the Mother Superiors are the only ones involved in the world's politics. They are the ones who meet with the Earth King, the Tribal Chiefs or the Fire Lord," explained Senge, they had reached the top Senge opened the door for Rong Yan as he continued to lead him up the inside stairs to access the other floors of the western tower where their room was.
"The northern tower also houses our library, and classrooms the top of the tower houses the canopy where the Council of Elders meet to discuss things about our temple and govern us. The bottom of the northern tower has the dining area and kitchen. The southern tower is restricted to all of us but the Council of Elders who are the only ones that are allowed to walk inside. Another person who can access without permission is the Avatar, the sanctuary tower as some of us call it also contains the statues of all your past lives. From your previous incarnation to the very first Avatar, when your time comes to an end the Council of Elders will task monks to carve a sculpture of you and place it inside the sanctuary tower. Both the western and eastern towers have a bathhouse underneath them. We bathe in the big pond over by the grasslands near east of the bison caves," Senge continued asserting more information to Rong Yan about the temple.
"The southern courtyard is where most of us hang out, it's considered the recreational courtyard I guess you could say. Unofficially of course. The path leading down from the courtyard goes to the bison caves, the eastern courtyard is where Instructor Chuandan teaches gliding lessons, and the northern courtyard is used mainly for festivals," Senge finally had finished all that he knows, they had reached the door of their room. He knocked on the door and a fat Air Nomad had answered it.
He was overweight, bald like every monk, novice and oblate in the temple, he was of a pale skin tone and his eyes were grey. He wore the same clothing as Senge did, the outfits they wore were mostly worn by novices and oblates. Monks, novice-masters, and the council mostly wore different variants of robes. The council's robes covered the entire body below the neck and were long-sleeved, while monks and novice-masters wore sashes over their torsos and kilts below the waist or even togas.
"Rong Yan this is my best friend Jampo," he pointed with an open hand at Jampo introducing Rong Yan to Jampo.
"Jampo this is Avatar Rong Yan, Novice-Master Yong Ten has assigned him to our room so he'll be staying with us until he masters airbending," he had introduced Jampo back to Rong Yan, Jampo bowed in respect to Jampo and reached out his hand to shake Rong Yan's who met it with equal response.
"It is an honor to meet you, Avatar Rong Yan," Jampo said gesturing him to walk in Senge walked right behind Rong Yan. Who stopped five paces in scanning the room, the walls were made of stone they had two windows the sun shining in through the holes in the walls reflecting off the stone walls.
"Jampo's a gentle and kind-hearted Air Nomad, however, his appearance makes him look rather unapproachable and intimidating but he's quite the opposite," Senge observed Jampo's character and personality. In an instant, Jampo grabs Rong Yan and bear hugs him squeezing him.
In a grumbling tone, Rong Yan says, "Avatar...in...distress...," Rong Yan was struggling to break free from Jampo's grip. Senge tries to pry Rong Yan free but to no avail shouts, "Jampo!"
"Stop!" he shouts at Jampo again finally getting his attention, Jampo drops Rong Yan who falls on his hands and knees gasping for air.
Senge facepalms and shakes his head at a downhearted Jampo in disapproval. Jampo frowning whispers, "Oops sorry," covering his mouth. Rong Yan stood on his feet again now holding his head with his hand feeling a bit dizzy. They had heard a knock on the door, Jampo had walked toward the door to open it. Rong Yan was sitting on the empty cot, Yong Ten stood in the doorway when Jampo opened the door.
Yong Ten bringing Rong Yan a set of new clothes while he remains in the Jongmu Air Temple.
"Novice-Master you're back," Jampo said to Yong Ten who slightly bows his head at the teenager.
In his hands he carried an outfit it was the same long-sleeved yellow shirt, an orange shawl, brown pants and sized brown boots with an orange sash. Rong Yan placed his red mitre on a high shelf, where it would be put on display until he could wear it again. He had undressed and put on his new threads so that he fit in with the rest of the Air Nomad monks. His brown hair was still fashioned in a top knot, he grabbed the orange sash trying to figure out how to properly wear it. Senge grabbed the sash from him and wrapped it around his waist and tucking the shirt folded at the waist part behind the sash.
"Come, Rong Yan, we must go meet with the Council of Elders they seek an audience with you," Yong Ten said, Rong Yan, nodded and followed Yong Ten down the western tower and out onto the bridge that connects the tower to the northern and southern towers.
As they make their way over to the council room of the Council of Elders there are plenty of monk children and older monks passing by them greeting Yong Ten and waving at him as they continue on their daily lives attending to their chores and/or errands.
"Good afternoon, Novice-Master," an Air Nomad greeted Yong Ten slightly bowing his head in respect as he passed by them. Yong Ten had returned the respect with a slight nod and a smile.
Yong Ten was a popular monk in the Jongmu Air Temple, he's an instructor in airbending many of the older monks have had him when they were younger. He had watched them grow from young airbending novices to adult airbending masters. Yong Ten teaches a class of younger monks through the tenth to fifteenth levels of airbending. Most of the pupils in his class are around the ages of nine to fourteen.
"What sort of government does the Air Nomads have?" Rong Yan asked Yong Ten hoping to learn a bit more about them before meeting the council.
"An ecclesiastical committee, our elder monks or nuns are chosen by the All-High Tiandi, the dying hegumen or mother superior prays to Tiandi. Tiandi is omnipresent he can look into the future and show our dying head who will replace them as a strong spiritual leader," explained Yong Ten.
"You guys worship Tiandi too?" he questioned, "Yes, while every country has its pantheon all four nations revere Tiandi as the All-High or chief deity," Yong Ten replied.
"So then who else do you worship besides the All-High?" Rong Yan continued with the questions as both he and Yong Ten climbed up the northern tower steps.
"We worship Sasya the god of the harvest, without him, our crops will not make it through the changing of the seasons. Rati is the goddess of fertility, children, and air, the air we breathe and bend is because of Rati, she allows the nuns to conceive and carry healthy pregnancies, and the mother of all children, Gavala is the goddess of the sky bison she created the sky bison the very first airbenders who taught the Air Nomads to airbend, her mother is Rati. Gavala allows us airbenders to have a lifetime bond with our bison as if they're an airbender's best friend. Finally, Nam is the lion turtle of air back before the Era of the Avatar our people built their settlement on the back of Nam who was a flying lion turtle and never remained in one spot. He gave our ancestors the power of air to harvest food in the wilds of the world," explained Yong Ten to Rong Yan, when he had finished his explanation they stood in front of a wall with vines that had grown around across the wall. In front of them was a stone archway that was covered by an orange curtain with the Air Nomad insignia knitted into the curtain.
The Southern Council of Elders.
"We're here remember to bow before the Council of Elders, follow my lead," Yong Ten suggested to Rong Yan opening the curtain for him to enter.
Rong Yan had entered the council room where the temple elders met for meetings. In the large room surrounded by stone walls sat five older Air Nomad monks. Five wooden platforms on the back wall, they sat in nomad style on large comfortable pillows which meant that their knees were bent and their legs crossed each other. The Air Nomad in the middle had an umbrella over him to cover him from the sun, he must've been the Hegumen. The men to his left were the priors and the men to his right were the subpriors.
A lanky Air Nomad sat in the middle platform he was of a venerable age he wore an orange sash that ran across his torso and was tied across his waist, a yellow kilt around his legs and brown slippers on his feet. He was wrinkled, fair skin, grey eyes, a long thin white beard on the bottom of his chin. To his right was another Air Nomad younger than the hegumen but around the same age shorter than him but also thin, he wore a long-sleeved orange robes from torso to ankles, and also wore brown slippers. He had a moon face, shallow cheekbones, a white scraggly beard, and bushy white eyebrows. His skin was pale and he had grey eyes too.
Far-right from the Hegumen was another Air Nomad he was younger than the other four definitely in his mid-fifties. He showed visible wrinkles but not too many he was a darker tone than the council member closer to the hegumen. He sported bushy light brown eyebrows, a long fu manchu mustache, grey eyes, he wore a short-sleeve yellow undershirt and over this was the orange robes just like the council member next to him. He wore wooden prayer beads just like the others with a wooden medallion which had a carving of the airbender symbol. These prayer beads helped them communicate with their gods much easier.
The first Nomad to the left of the hegumen was a short flabby airbender younger than the hegumen and the first prior he too had a scraggly white beard and a white fu manchu mustache, he had pale skin and brown eyes. He wore a long-sleeved dandelion yellow shirt, and yellow trousers over the shirt was an orange shawl, he wore a brown sash around his waist and knee-high brown boots. His prayer beads had three blue feathers that decorated them.
The second subprior and the nomad to the far left was younger than three of the five but older than the youngest. He had more wrinkles than the youngest and looked closer to his early sixties, he had a long groomed brown goatee, he had grey eyes and yellowish tinge to his skin. And just like the far-right council member he had the same attire. These were the Council of Elders they sat gazing at the young Fire Nation Avatar, Yong Ten and Rong Yan bowed before the council. They had returned the bow to the Novice-Master and the Avatar.
The hegumen finally spoke after a moment of brief silence, "Welcome to the Jongmu Air Temple, Avatar Rong Yan. My name is Hegumen Geetsan, how do you like your stay so far?"
"Thank you, hegumen. It's a new place for me so right now I'm getting used to everything around," replied Rong Yan slightly nodding his head to thank the spiritual head.
"These are the priors and subpriors of the Council of Elders within our beloved temple, to my fight is Prior Ji, to my far right is Prior Li Shen, to my left is Subprior Shang Xi, and to my far left is Subprior Shaohao," introduced Geetsan pointing to each man as he introduces them to the Avatar each one gives a slight nod to signify who they are as their names are being called.
"Welcome almighty bender of four," Prior Shang Xi greeted Rong Yan, strangely at least.
Shang Xi welcome Rong Yan.
"Each one of us oversees and enforces the rules and teach the customs of our society. I am the spiritual and political leader of the council, Ji is the geographical instructor, Li Shen is the instructor of customs, and etiquette, Shang Xi is the instructor of literature and language, and finally, Shaohao is the historical instructor," explained Geetsan.
Somewhere in the Han Province
Meanwhile, in a remote village deep in the province of Han, Han villagers were running and screaming. Shrieking was heard, gurgling, fighting and clashing of steel, blood ran red on the streets and the stench of death filled the village. Children were hiding underneath houses, others hiding in crevices where they could fit but no adult could access because of their size. Holding and hugging each other themselves, closing their eyes from the horrific surroundings around them. Crying their eyes out hoping the nightmare would end, men in dark blue clothing were throwing makeshift bombs into homes and setting off explosions terrorizing the villagers. Homes on fire while the dirt roads around the village were littered with the corpses of adults and children. A village that had no guards or military only a small local militia to protect them, these men weren't skilled enough in battle to repel the invaders.
Two kids were shaken as they watched their father try to defend his home from a stranger. The only weapon his hands was a farming harrow which was no match for the northern invader's sword. The light produced by a burning home nearby they could witness their father's death as the shadows dancing in the light of the fire. The warrior swung while the villager's hoe made contact with the sword, the gardening tool didn't withstand the blows of the blade and snapped in half in the hands of the villager. The warrior thrust his blade into the belly of the villager, his cry echoed through the village. He had fallen to his knees and the warrior shoved him off his blade with his foot. The northern warrior cackled in laughter and continued to roam around the village looking for more victims. The children remained hidden keeping their crying to a whisper, they had just witnessed both of their parents being murdered in cold blood by invaders.
Villagers running away from the burning village.
There were villagers in dank and soaked clothing panicking and running off in different directions, some of them were being killed by arrows shot by archers, others were being impaled by swords, axes or icicles, a few were being drowned or clubbed to death with maces. There were men in dark blue or purple-colored threads with crimson red stains on their clothes after a fresh kill. Their weapons dripped with the crimson fluid of which flows through the veins of every living being on this earth.
A warrior was struck with a stalactite in the chest by an earthbender villager, a wall of ice had been frozen by waterbenders nearby a healer came through and dragged the fallen warrior. It was customary for northerners to pick up the body of their deceased in battle and drag them somewhere until the battle ended. They always picked up their dead, they would construct rafts for the body of the fallen and send it off to see an archer would then shoot a flame tipped arrow onto the raft and they would watch it burn. Such was an honorable death.
Boulders had been flung about the wall of ice that was frozen to protect the healer had shattered but it was enough time to pull out the body. The Han earthbenders were defending their villagers but one by one were falling they had known they were outnumbered three to one. They died without giving up the fight and in the end, they took a damned northerner with them. Another northern killed this time one of the waterbenders, in a rage another waterbender bended water from nearby vases of water and rose the water above the heads of the earthbenders freezing the large portion of water and separating it into icicles impaling those who didn't block themselves with a slab they could raise out of the ground. Two villagers fell, these men weren't skilled fighters like the military who are trained to use rock armor as an extra defense against enemies.
Palartok had spun in the air and kicked with left a surge of water shot off the ground from the puddle he bent and smashed into the head of a warrior knocking him to the ground. Palartok had heard the cries of a baby in the distance, he had jerked his head in the direction where he heard the wailing of the infant and ran toward it. Waterbender came to take Palartok's spot forming a sphere of water around the man's head concentration on the globe of water. Pressurizing the water and restricting the man from breathing air, he began to scream in the globe of water struggling to break his head free from it, the man ran around and waterbender focused on keeping the warrior's head in the ball of water. The man fell to his knees, the water falling on him, he had slumped to the ground dead. A remainder of water had escaped his lungs pouring out of his mouth.
On the ground, Palartok noticed a basket woven of wooden strips a green blanket wrapped around the crying infant. Next to the baby was the body of a young woman in a light green dress an arrow was plunged into her chest, he squatted down and with two fingers he closed the mother's eyelids. He picked up the child from the basket which continued to cry and he rocked it. Senlin strolled down the road to Palartok, he looked up a bit startled by the sudden appearance of Senlin.
In a worrisome tone, he asked, "Senlin, what do we do with the baby?"
"We'll take it with us and leave it in the next town," Senlin suggested, Palartok nodded in agreement to the suggestion.
Placing the baby back into the basket he had stooped to pick up the basket and carry it with him. Senlin had left and wandered off in a different direction seeing that many of the houses were looted and double-checked by the northerners. There was a larger house in the village must have the mayor's. Senlin sunk into the ground and burrowed through and emerged underneath the floorboards. He did a minimal and restricted amount of arm movements enough to allow him to move about raising a mound that burst through the floorboards of the home. Creating a hole where he once stood he climbed out of the ground and into the home.
The mayor of the burning village.
On the other side of the home, a middle-aged man in a white vest with gold accents, white trousers, and black slippers picked up his daughter who was clutching the doll of an Earth Kingdom girl and stuffed her inside a wardrobe. Before closing the door he gestured her with his index finger to his lips and uttered "shh" to her.
"Daddy will be back, okay sweetheart? I love you," the mayor had assured his daughter.
Tears began running down her face she quickly nodded to her father and he had shut the doors of the wardrobe. He grabbed the dagger in the drawer of his desk within the room they were open. He had slightly opened the door of the room and peeked out into the hall and had seen it was empty. Sneaking through the hall he screamed as Senlin snuck out of nowhere grabbing him by the vest and slamming him against the wall. In his terrified state, he dropped the dagger, turning his head from meeting eyes with Senlin like a coward flinching in fear. Senlin places his large hand around the mayor's neck and begins to strangle the mayor. After a few minutes, he slowly and gently drops the mayor and had skulked up the hall toward the mayor's office where the mayor's daughter hid. She heard the door slowly creak open holding in her screams and clutching her doll tighter than ever.
The little girl in the closet. As seen by General Senlin's seismic sense.
Senlin paced to the middle of the room and looked around he stood still waiting and listening, he rose his left foot up and stomped it on the wooden floors. Deep in his head, he could sense the earth beneath the wooden floors the seismic waves he conjured with his foot detected everything in the house. In the cabinet he could feel a heartbeat he had grinned and with his left foot again he slid it backward and kicked back formed an unnatural stalagmite that broke the floors and violently smashed through the wardrobe doors. A small cry emitted from the wardrobe falling silent. The doll had rolled out of the broken doors, Senlin had sunk the stalagmite and created a large hole big enough for him to fit through. He hopped into the hole and sealed it.
He emerges in front of the gated home a horn is heard in the distance, he runs toward it knowing that's the victory signal. Men are retreating from the village to continue marching on toward the state of Anlu to meet up with Lieutenant Arluq and his men, the winds pick up in the dead silent village as the northerners move on a few had remained behind to drown the survivors even if that meant children. Senlin was a monster and the men who supported him committed war crimes and killed civilians.
The courier that General Senlin and Admiral Palartok found.
A courier in a green vest and tan pants was seen in the distance running by, one of the northern warriors ran up to the courier to dispatch the poor boy. He had tripped the courier to the ground, his glasses had fallen off his face and onto the dirt. The scrolls and letters in his satchel had fallen out and spilled onto the earth. The warrior has raised his club and the courier had flinched knowing his life was about to end.
He was trapped in a cone of earth, his club has fallen to the ground next to the cone, he had pivoted his head to his right to see Senlin with his left arm extended and his right food extended back in a stance. The warrior frowned in disappointment, the courier had picked up his glasses and put them back on. Scanning the group a few feet in front of him. He had wondered to himself why a group of northerners were walking through the state of Han. The tall, hulking and intimidating earthbender had floundered over to him, the courier was afraid to move a muscle. Senlin had offered to help the young man to his feet, taking the hand he was yanked up and onto his feet. Stooping down to gather the scrolls and place them back into his satchel. Fear had consumed the courier's body and mind that he didn't plan on making any rash decisions are say anything to offend the men.
"You, you're a courier right?" the large muscular old man had questioned the poor courier who quickly and rapidly nodded in response.
"That's fantastic news, you're free to go after my request if you refuse I will free that bloodthirsty savage and he'll kill you. Speak to no one about this encounter, I need a message delivered to the Southern Air Temple, the recipient is the Avatar tell him I'm coming for him and no cowardly monks will protect him from me because I will kill every single one of them in that temple until I get my hands on him," he informed the courier who did not utter a single word and just nodded. He released the warrior out of the cone and the courier ran back south which was the direction he was coming in.
High Monk Geetsan.
Geetsan spoke to Rong Yan again throughout the hour that he had spent inside with the Council of Elders. Yong Ten and Rong Yan sat next to each other nomad style facing the council, Geetsan revealed, "I have been recently sensing turmoil within the Omashu territory, Avatar Rong Yan. Through my daily meditation, I have projected myself around the territory and have watched as a group of northern tribesman have been attacked remote villages within the Omashu territories."
"Before coming here those northerners attacked Xi Tong village in Tong province, we were told to flee from a soldier. I believe the military reinforcements who arrived repelled the invaders," commented Rong Yan.
"I've been sensing something else a faint aura right now but every day as I meditate the aura gets a bit stronger. I've heard news that an old enemy of yours has escaped the Upper Ring prison of Ba Sing Se. His escape of the city threw it into chaos after he slew the 41st Earth King, it's been about a month since this occurred. The government of the Ba Sing Se territory has crowned a new Earth King, his immediate successor his grandson named Qiang Zhen," reported Geetsan.
"I am aware of General Senlin now, I didn't know he assassinated the Earth King though, I wish I had been there to stop him!" said Rong Yan.
"You are much too feeble yet mighty bender of four, it is best if you remain an apparition to the general, while you train you must remain to yourself from harm's way," replied Shang Xi.
"But I have the Ava-" he argued before being cut off by Shaohao.
"Shang Xi is right, you are much too unskilled to even face someone like General Senlin, he's a great earthbender, of a high skill with an unknown amount of tricks up his sleeve," added in Shaohao.
"The Avatar State is a tool of emergency, Avatar, it should never be used in battle every time. Only when you run out of options as a last resort. Remember if you are killed in the Avatar State, the cycle will cease to exist," Li Shen broke in.
"We urge you to enter the sanctuary tower here in the temple and speak to your past life for advice on how to press on with this issue, if anyone knows Senlin better than what limited knowledge we know, it's Avatar Ku Tei," suggested Ji.
Flashback, of Avatar Ku Tei.
Rong Yan nodded, Geetsan looked to Yong Ten changing the subject to Rong Yan's airbending training, "We have chosen your master to be Novice-Master Yong Ten to help you master airbending. There will be others who will teach you other levels of airbending, every airbender must go through the thirty-seven levels of airbending to be considered an airbending master."
"Will I have to receive tattoos?" inquired Rong Yan.
"Heavens no, the tattoos are only for Air Nomad avatars. You will, however, be a part of the ceremony when we anoint others as airbending masters," answered Geetsan.
"If you fail your tests you will have to re-do all those levels of airbending again, young Avatar," mentioned Li Shen.
Rong Yan nodded, the entire council rose to their feet bowing to Rong Yan. Yong Ten and Rong Yan stood up as well returning the bow and they all walked out. It was late afternoon the sun was going down and everyone was heading to the northern tower to eat in the chow hall.
They had sat down with their meals, Rong Yan had gotten pleasing fruits and vegetables and some rice since there was no meat present in the kitchens or Air Nomads. Senge, Jampo, and Yong Ten sat with him and they all had begun eating then Yong Ten brings up that Rong Yan will start his training tomorrow, "I forgot to mention you start airbending training tomorrow, so be prepared."
"What if I can't bend air?" asked Rong Yan.
"Oh you'll bend air, I'll make sure of it I'll guide you every step of the way," Yong Ten assured Rong Yan with a smile. They had continued to feast, the large mess hall on the bottom floor of the northern tower had several tables with Air Nomads of different shapes and sizes enjoying their meals and having a great time.
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