It was their curse. That those knowledge-seeking thieves would lose what they treasured most and spend eternity as simple beasts. Wan Shi Tong had decided long ago.
His first betrayal had so enraged him that he had sought to turn the man into a rat and gobble him up. But he could not forget the wonder in his eyes, at finding such a treasure-trove of knowledge and could not bring himself to eat him. Could not forget the intelligence in his words and the endless questions he had asked. Could not forget the way he looked up at Wan Shi Tong with eyes like a child upon his father. He could not forget and he could not bear to destroy such a mind so completely. So instead he turned him into a fox because fox spirits, he knew, were quick and clever, but they were also cruel.
They were selfish, the fox spirits. They liked to transform themselves into humans and used their disguises to play tricks or steal treats. What did those humans feel? When their new friend or handsome lover turned into an animal, gave them a grin full of fangs, and ran away. Wan Shi Tong thought he knew.
And so he watched the man's nose grow into a snout, his hands shrink down into paws. Watched as his ears grew long and pointed atop his head. Watched as his eyes, bright and frightened and so intelligent, dulled. And then he sent him to fetch a scroll. Because he was, after all, still a knowledge seeker.
Once he had thought to turn a betrayer into an owl. She was young and terrified and crying. Maybe as an owl she would be able to converse with him. Or maybe she would be able to understand the look he would sometimes get when the foxes came back with scrolls and sat in front of him begging for treats.
And so he watched the girl's nose lengthen into a beak and her feet shrink down into talons. Watched wings sprout from her back and fan out behind her. Watched as her eyes stayed bright and frightened and intelligent. Then she screeched and bit him hard. And he remembered that these creatures had once been humans and they were not like him. These were not his owlets, and even if he had let them into the library with the hope of taking them under his wing, they would never be. So he turned her into a fox like the others and sent her to get a book.
Once he had realized that the foxes would not live forever. His very first knowledge-seeker had fallen ill and he realized the transformations had not made them immortal, it had just kept them alive for a very long time. It was something he had not known and the shock of something he did not know had sent him to his nest to brood for days. When he finally emerged he found the fox perched on a chair, staring hard at a book about old Earth kingdom villages laying open on the table. In the following weeks Wan Shi Tong watched as his oldest companion grew more and more intelligent, more human. Until one day he walked down an aisle full of books on the Spirit World and came face to face with the first human to ever betray him, fox ears perched on his head. Frozen and unsure he had stood waiting for something to happen. He had expected to be attacked because humans, he knew, were vengeful creatures. Instead the man smiled a smile that was very small and very sad, but understanding, and dissapeared. He had not expected understanding and he had not known the fox would dissapear. It was because of the not knowing and for this reason only, he told himself, that he went back to his nest and did not come out for nearly a month.
It was their curse and his. That the foxes could not fully understand him. Wan Shi Tong had decided long ago as he turned to one, laughing and reading aloud the passage that had so amused him from an old Avatar's diary. The fox had only stared at him with the dull, golden eyes of a fire-bender and rolled over onto his back for a scratch.
Once the Painted Lady came to him, beautiful and desperate to find a way to cleanse her river. The humans were suffering and she wanted to help them, she had said. But the Painted Lady was only a water spirit and not nearly as old as he. So he spread his wings and motioned to the foxes and told her of humans. But the Painted Lady shook her head. Yet you still let them in. And for a moment Wan Shi Tong did not know which one of them was the spirit of knowledge.
Once he was visited by the Avatar. He knew he was being lied to, but he let them in anyway because the man from Ba Sing Se had eyes that reminded him so much of that very first fox. He was unsurprised when he heard the violent words of the stupid boy. Human wars were not his concern and yet he somehow always suffered their consequence. Wan Shi Tong remembered the man from the university and felt as if his life was an endless loop. He screeched, terrible and loud and sad. And sunk the library. When Katara remembers it, she remembers that the cries echoing around her sounded like betrayal. He could not catch the children and he could not take anymore, so when he noticed the man they had left behind he decided this fox would be the last.
And so he watched Zei's nose grow into a snout, his hands shrink down into paws. Watched as his ears grew long and pointed atop his head. Watched as the eyes that had been so excited grew dull. And then he did not send him anywhere, but stared at him for hours, trying to calculate how long until he would be alone.
It was their curse and his Wan Shi Tong decided long ago. That humans were so greedy.
Once Wan Shi Tong had a library full of seekers of knowledge. Now there were none and sometimes he would find himself speaking to air, where just seconds ago he swore there had been the tiny, mischevious face of a fox. Now he had a library that was full, but more empty than it had ever been.
It was his curse and theirs he decided.
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I got to thinking about Wan Shi Tong and how he really didn't do anything wrong. Like he wasn't a bad guy because he told them the rules. And he really just didn't want anyone to fight.
This is my first fic ever and I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with the end. I proof-read and all but probably missed all the mistakes. Let me know if you see any. Oh and this whole story is probably one huge pile of grammatical incorrectness.