"Whoa, you're a slobbery one, aren't you?" The little monk air-dried his robes.
"Hey, that's my shirt you're eating!" Another boy tugged against the calf's grip.
"I guess this means we'll always be together."
Sister Choden glanced at the idealistic boy, whose giddy laughter sounded muffled beneath the skybison calf's massive tongue. She remembered grooming this particular bison that morning, and now she would see him begin a new life with the little monk. She reflected on the union of these two lives and compared them in her mind to two streams of water that merge into a new, inseparable one.
The stream of water broke as Choden's watering pot was air-lifted in front of her. She smiled. "Mother," the airbender proclaimed as she stood from her garden. She turned to give the elder a low bow.
"You needn't get up," Mother Iio laughed. She looked where Choden did, at the bright-eyed boy. "He's named him 'Appa.' There is something very remarkable about those two; I just haven't figured it out yet."
"The bond between nomad and bison is very sacred. Perhaps I will meditate on my observation after garden duty."
The sage shook her head. "Not today, my sister. In fact, you and I should have a talk…"
It wasn't until the two had walked through the garden and entered an empty pagoda that their talk commenced. Choden inhaled a deep breath and sat beside her master, her mind expertly cleared of distracting thought.
"Your hair is coming in nicely." Iio's comment prompted Choden to gently stroke the chin-length dark tendrils that had grown over her fresh tattoo. She laughed softly.
"I know you didn't want to talk to me about my hair." She bent a gust of air from behind her head, turning silk into a wild mane. Her master smiled with her eyes.
"Clever girl," She grew more serious. "You have fulfilled the requirements of becoming an airbending master. And you did so at the top of your age-group, no less. I couldn't be more proud. Yet there is still one more journey to take." She paused and glanced at Choden, whose face was still quite calm. Iio was impressed by her pupil. "You will make your first pilgrimage as a master airbender, and it will be your first one alone." Choden's face lit up the pagoda as a cushion of air brought her to her feet.
"Yes! Finally, a chance to use what I've learned! Where will I go? I should prepare Jinjo for the journey." Choden's mind and the nearby tree branches whirled in her excitement. Iio remained seated, eyes focused.
"You won't be taking Jinjo." The leaves ceased their motion, and Choden collected herself. "I will bring you to your destination, and then I will leave."
"But isn't she supposed to be my companion? All the other nomads bring their bison." Mother Iio brought her gaze to her tattooed hands.
"This time is different, my pupil. You must spend your time in Gaoling alone. And you mustn't brazenly discuss who you are and where you come from. Your task is to keep your head down, not to stand out. You will serve yourself spiritually, and you will bring peace and balance to the lives around you, but you will do so quietly. Is that understood?" The master's voice was smooth, but Choden could hear a touch of despair underneath. She took a seat beside her once more.
"I don't understand." Iio's face was without surprise. "But if this is my path, I will take it. Hopefully by the end I will understand." Iio took a deep, airbender breath.
"There is a change of energy approaching us. I haven't the foresight to know what, but I can feel the air change when a storm approaches. A storm can threaten the balance of the four elements, and darkness in people can threaten the balance of the four nations. Choden, you mustn't let the imbalance of the world touch your inner peace."
"What does this have to do with keeping my air nomad origins quiet?" The depths of Choden's mind were working to keep dark thoughts from crowding the importance of what her master had to say.
"Hopefully by the end we will all understand."