Okay, hopefully it's not horrible; I'm still new to the writing thing . I tried to make sure I did well with grammar and spelling, but if I messed up please let me know. Constructive criticism welcome.

I had a funny uncle. I suppose there are many out there with a funny uncle; however, I like to think my uncle was funnier. Both in the eccentric fashion and the haha fashion as well. On my sixth birthday he got me a pet, but it wasn't a bird or a cat or a dog. No, it was a panda. One I named Joca. Two birthdays before that though, he got me a staff. One I could use to fight with or walk with if I should choose, though at the time it completely dwarfed me. He said the staff was made out of a special material called Joca, which I've never actually heard of, thus where I got my name for my panda. I always loved receiving presents from my uncle, he gave me the funnest yet strangest of things.

My family didn't approve of him very much, a for a time the only reason he was allowed around was because his brother, my father, thought he was harmless. Things changed, however, when my father passed away. I didn't see my uncle for three years after that. Then he started coming back around, my mother was too scared of the big burly man to do anything drastic like get a restraining order, so she tolerated him. If barely. I loved him, whenever he came by we'd have a game of Pai Sho, and then he'd tell me stories of the Avatar.

The many tales of the Avatar and his reincarnates always fascinated me, but that was about it. I needed to concentrate on the real world after all.

I was walking home from school, my staff strapped to my back like a sword might be. Yeah, I took it everywhere I went. The family didn't exactly approve but for father. He thought it was a good method of protection. And one of the few useful things his brother, my uncle, has ever come up with.

"Hey, Jin!" I turned around smiling in recognition of the voice, it belonged to a close friend, Kai Fong. A spunky but awesome girl.

"Don't forget the concert this weekend!" she called out and I grinned. Kai had started her own little band, and tomorrow would be their first concert.

"I wont!" I yelled back with a wave before turning to go back home. Joca must be driving Mother nuts, probably pacing in the front yard again; and low and behold, I was not wrong. As soon as I was in view Joca ran out of the front yard and charged me, Mother screaming at him to come back, the neighbors laughing, used to it after all these years.

"Hey Joca!" I greeted the huge beast as he leaped at me. I laughed as he basically pushed me down, he was pretty big for a panda.

"Get off of me your furry beast!" I laughed as Joca gave playful growls and, yes, licked my cheek, much like a dog might. Then just to spite me he stretched out and lay down, covering my whole body but for my head.

"Come on boy get up!!" I complained trying unsuccessfully to push him off of me. Joca yawned and looked around, studiously ignoring me. Then mom came up a bit winded.

"Joca! Get off my daughter, off!" she ordered him sternly. He just stared at her blankly and I chuckled.

"Ah its alright mom, don't yell at Joca." I whined from my position on the ground, and under the huge ball of fur and well, muscle. I'm actually kinda comfortable, except you know, my bag is in the road, and my staff's digging into my back . . . But yeah otherwise I was pretty comfortable.

"No its not alright! Your pet just knocked you to the ground and has you pinned! I keep telling you to discipline him but you wont! I swear Jin if you don't get this beast under control soon I will send him to the pound or zoo, or wherever it is these things go!" she snapped back angrily. At this Joca growled, he hated it when ever someone yelled at me, for any reason.

"You see what I mean? Control him Jin, you've got a week." she said before storming off. Mother never liked the idea of a panda for a pet, she'd much rather let me have three dogs and a cat under the same roof. My father was much more taken with the idea. Mom however could never really stand Joca, ever; and this past month she'd kept threatening to get rid of him, or having him put down or this or that, and now I've actually got a time limit.

"Come on Joca, get up boy." I murmured and he complied ambling over on all fours to my bag before picking it up. Joca was essentially a very tame animal. Only my father and I didn't want him to be a perfect house pet, it wouldn't be fair to the guy, so we introduced him to the wild side of his nature.

He had his instincts in tact, and could fight like any panda, become as vicious as any wild one. But pandas in general were also very calm beasts, so its not like we have a monster in the house. But mom doesn't think that, she thinks he is exactly a monster living in the house. Even though, he's not just a great beast and a pet, he's a great watch panda as well. I can't count the times he's scared away burglars, and actually assisted the cops in capturing them. Joca is pretty fast, and pretty strong. He did it all without killing the people either. He has perfect self control for an animal, he's smarter than one might think.

Mom still doesn't see it that way.

Every time he comes racing towards me when I come home, she always thinks immediately thats hes charging for the kill. She always panics, every single time, even though I personally raised him; even though, Dad and I raised him. But she needs to take out her fears and angers, and just about everything else, out on something. And Joca is her scape goat, it's gotten especially worse since dad died and uncle started showing up again.

She's terrified of him more than Joca, she keeps thinking he's gonna steal me away and something terrible is gonna happen. Although my uncle may have a few screws loose, I'm pretty sure he isn't into kidnapping.

I sighed as I reached over and petted Joca's head.

"Thanks boy." i murmured as he carried my backpack for me. He was great like that, Joca. It was kinda like having my own servant, only he was like my best friend. If a little protective, and when I say a little I mean a lot, generally speaking if he can help it, he doesn't let guys anywhere near me. Unless they're family. Which by the way I find hilarious. I think thats the only thing mom appreciates about Joca. I patted the panda's head i walked in the front door of my house.

"Hey kiddo." I looked up and smiled.

"Hey uncle whats up?" I asked taking my staff and setting it on the floor beside me as I sat across from him. Mom was fluttering about nervously in the kitchen while she made tea.

"I think I gave your mother a heart attack. The door was open so I walked in and set up the table." he said with an amused smile.

"Uncle, you're supposed to call before you come over." I sighed as I moved the next piece. It was traditional for uncle and i to go at a game of Pai Show whenever he came over.

"I know sorry." he always said that, but he still almost never called, unless he was saying that he couldn't make it after all which is always a surprise because we didn't even know he was coming in the first place...

"How are you and Joca?" he asked pushing out the next tile. I smiled bemused before placing my lotus tile.

"We're good." I smiled innocently as he looked down at the board and cursed. I laughed

"Jin, don't curse in front of my daughter please." my mother said stepping into the room a moment before disappearing into the kitchen again. She really was nervous around uncle. Encase you didn't notice, Uncle Jin and I have the same name. I was named after him, back when he was still in the family's good graces.

"Right, sorry Rue." he nodded but I could tell he was annoyed. My uncle was a good natured man, but he was also strong and dangerous, maybe one of the reasons my mother was afraid of him, there wasn't really anything stopping him from doing whatever he wanted in this house now that father was gone. But I trusted him. Uncle was a good guy, a little weird, but a good guy.

"So any more stories about the avatar?" I asked him eagerly. So far we had gotten to the part were he recently appeared again, as a boy named Aang. He was stuck in a storm. He'd run away from the monk temples reluctant to accept that he was the one who was gonna save the world.

"Maybe." uncle Jin teased.

"Oh tell me, tell me please!" I said eagerly.

"Jin, I think your uncle should leave." my mother said then and I frowned turning to her.

"But why? Mom he's just gonna tell me another story. It's not a big deal." I said.

"I think he should go." she said firmly.

"Well your mothers right of course, I should go. But how about you come with me Jin? I promise I'll have you back in just an hour or two. I didn't bring the stuff back with me anyway." he confessed.

"Oh mom can i?" i asked turning to face her earnestly.

"I don't think-"

"It's settled then. come on Jin." he said helping me up.

"But mo-"

"Hurry up so I can have you back by dinner."

"wait Jin!!" my mother cried out alarmed as my uncle all but dragged me out the door. Joca gave a whining growl as he tried to come after us.

"It's okay Joca I'll be right back." I smiled at him as I stumbled to keep up with my uncle before hopping in the jeep.

"Later mom. Be back soon!" I called out to her.

"so is it another one of your plays? Is it gonna be a team of actors again or will it be one of your famous puppet shows?" I asked him eagerly.

"You'll see, you'll see. But I promise it'll be so real you'll freak out at first." I just laughed. He always said that. I sat with him a while as he drove out of town, watching the scenery closely before we stopped out before a forest.

"Ha! Uncle, the scenery already gives you away. I can already guess what happens next, Aang is gonna be fine isn't he?" I smirked. My uncle merely chuckled amused. It made me all the more curious, since when was he so secretive? Finally we stopped out on a cliff face.

"Wah! its amazing here!" I cried out looking around.

"Thought you might like it. Your father and I used to sneak out and come down here all the time when we were kids. I believe he showed this place to your mother when the sun set before he proposed." he told me.

"yeah, i heard about that." I nodded looking around as I stepped closer to the edge to look down. Before me stretched out a huge lake, maybe half a mile down from where I stood. And over to my left maybe only just three miles away was a waterfall. It was amazing.

"Isn't there a cave behind that?" I asked my uncle.

"You bet. We'd hike down there and camp out whenever our parents came looking for us. It was the perfect hiding spot. We found it when we were competing to see who could stand beneath the falls the longest." Uncle Jin told me. I chuckled.

"That sounds like something you guys would do." I said bemused.

"Oh really?" Jin raised a brow looking over at me.

"Really." I replied haughtily and he just chuckled.

"Man I missed this place." he said literally just falling back onto the ground.

"Hey! Don't go to sleep! What about the Avatar?" I demanded.

"Just wait a bit. Theres something real cool that'll happen in an hour or so, its perfect for how the story goes." he told me.

"Really what happens?" I asked sitting down beside him. For a moment I thought I saw a flash of guilt, but I couldn't be sure because not even in half a second and it was gone replaced by the same goofy smile I'd always used to see on my father, and still always saw on Uncle Jin. That was something they had in common, their smile. Shamefully, I'll also admit it was another reason as to why I loved my uncle so much. His smile reminded me of Father.

"Oh you'll see." he replied evasively. I sighed, obviously I'd be getting nothing out of him until it happened. Finally an hour had passed and the sun was beginning to set.

"Uncle!" I whined and he merely chuckled.

"You'll see you'll see. So impatient" he said with a smile. I glared at him playfully and he simply rolled his eyes.