Chapter 2 :Ty Lee.
Kyoshi island was a rather unusual place to say the least. For one thing, the island was originally not an island and was at one time, apart of the main land Earth Kingdom and the people were very loyal to there nation. But that soon all changed when the earth warlord , "Chin the Great/ Chin the Conqueror"threatened to subjugate them with his massive armies and bring them under his harsh, unforgiving rule. But it was only when Avatar Kyoshi used her bending skills and separated the peninsula from the rest of the earth Kingdom ( 'accidently' killing Chin) and moving them far out in to the southern sea, were they finally free to live out there lives in peace and for many years, they had done just that. The people of the newly founded island were very thankful for what Avatar Kyoshi had done for them and as a show of gratitude, they founded a new village one the very spot where she had separated the peninsula from the main land and named it after her.
Due to the islands relative isolation, the island and it's population began to develop a culture all it's own, far different than what was found on the main land. Every thing, from the construction of there homes and buildings,which were made out wood and designed in such a way that when it snowed, it would not cause there homes to collapse . To the clothes that they wore, which were generally light blue in color, rather than the normal dark greens, were all a far cry from what any one would have found in other Earth Kingdom villages. They even began to trade with some of the Southern water tribes, as well as began growing there own crops and they had a healthy fish supply to rely on for food. . As a result, Kyoshi island did not only survived its isolation, but thrived as well.
But don't think that for one minute that just because they were isolated, that they were defenceless. Oh no, for other than the elephant Koi that swam the waters off the island, Kyoshi was also the home of the Legendary Kyoshi Warriors. Named after and founded by Avatar Kyoshi herself, they were a group of highly skilled warriors, who's sole mission was to defend their island home from all that might want to conquer the island and enslave the people and they were quite the outfit. For one thing, they were all women! Every single member of the team were female in gender and they utilized a number of weapons to their advantage. From retractable shields, which they used defending them selves from an head on attacks, to metal fans which they used as their primary weapons. But quite possibly, their most effective ( and frighting) weapon they had at their in there arsenal, were their very apparence. They wore dark green armor kimonos, with a small katana like blade holstered at their side. But their most notable feature, was that there faces were painted white while their eye lids were painted red in color, giving them an almost demonic look. And what is more frighting than a group of enraged women coming at you with sharp weapons, that have every intent to do you bodily harm!
Now traditionally speaking, every single person that had dawned the uniform of the Kyoshi Warrior were native to Kyoshi island. But in recent years, there had been only 2 exceptions to this. The first person not of the island to be accepted by them, was a young warrior from the southern Water tribe who came to their island with the avatar. But even though he was willing to train with them, he decided to train some where else and soon left. The next outsider to join them was a young, energetic acrobat with a bubbly, outgoing ( possibly air headed) personality, who was not only invited in to the group, but was all to happy to join and become friends with them. She even enjoyed dressing up like the rest of them , which was kind of odd considering that for a very long time, she struggled to be different from every body else. Even taking up acrobatics as a profession just so that she could be noticed by every one. But now, here she was. Living on an island in the middle of the South Sea and she was now apart of the legendary Kyoshi Warriors. This was something far different from the life Ty Lee had while in the circus.
Dawn was now breaking on Kyoshi island. The dark sky of the previous night was giving way and retreating to the west, as the bright orange glow of a slowly rising sun arose from the east, bathing the island with its warmth. The morning air was moist and cold, a result of the rain storm that had showered the island last night. While the sounds of the local while life which were now waking up from there nights slumber, filled the moist air. In the villages that dotted Kyoshi, some of the townsfolk were now leaving their homes to start their daily routines, while others had already been up for hours getting ready to start their day's sales at the market. While still others just decided to wake up at a more 'godly' hour.
Soon, the sun's rays approached a house that was located at the edge of said town. The house itself, was a relatively new structure, for it had only been constructed 1year ago. But other than that, it resembled every other home on Kyoshi. An average home by their standards any way, but the occupant of said house, was far from an average Kyoshi and not just because she was a member of the Famous Kyoshi Warriors. For you see, she was from the Fire Nation.
Ty Lee laid asleep in her bed. The young acrobat had been living on the island for over a year. She first came to Kyoshi not too long after the end of the 100 year war, as the Warriors newest member and for the last 16 months, she had been training along side her new friends, as well as, teaching them how to 'Chi Block' so they could include it into their already deadly arsenal. As the sun's rays began to peek into acrobats room, her eyes began to twitch and slowly open, revealing her dark brown eyes. Slowly (and reluctantly) she arose from her bed, while her long brown hair hung from her head , messy and unruly. But dispite it being morning, she still did not want to leave the warm comfort of her bed, but after about 20 minutes she finally convinced her self to leave the sanctity of her beloved bed and begin her day. Rather reluctantly, she sat up in her bed with her bare feet hanging off the side, slipped on her slippers and made her way to her bath room to freshen up. 'Why did I have to wake up so early. Why did I leave my bed?' she thought to herself, as the cool morning air bit at her exposed skin, see that she had slept in the buff last night. She cursed her self for that as well.
After about 30 minutes, she emerged from her bath room and now, she was fully dressed. But instead of her Kyoshi uniform or her trade mark pink circus outfit, she wore a light blue shirt with matching baggy pants with brown shoes,while her hair was done up in its normal style. But most notably, her mood had most certainly changed. She was now her bubbly, carefree self. Ar far cry from her sour, dark mood that she had when she woke up. As she made her way to the kitchen to get her self some breakfast when something caught her eye. On the wall of her bedroom was a standard calender and on it, was a date that was circled. A little curious, she walked up and just looked at it. 'I know I'm supposed to remember something.' she thought to her self, as the analyzed the calender. But then, after standing there for 5 minutes, it finally hit her...
"Oh! Today's the day!" she exclaimed, remembering the significance of that date. She then sped into her room and slammed her door shut. A few moments later, she came out with a large bag hung under her right arm, exited her home with a speed and made her way to the village. Today was a special day for Ty Lee, for you see, today was the day of the big fishing trip and get together that was being held by the Kyoshi Warriors at a local beach.
The "Get Together'" itself was simply a beach party and fishing trip the Kyoshi warriors would have once a year, just so that they could take a break from there daily training, as well as to have an opportunity to just have a good time. They had held such get togethers every year, for a number of years. The only time that they didn't have such a gathering, was last year when the Kyoshi's went to war and were subsequently, captured by then Princess Azula and her traveling companions. Of which, Ty Lee was one of them. But that was a long time ago, Ty Lee had made her peace with them and now, she proudly dawned the uniform of the Kyoshi Warrior's. And now... she was going on her first official 'Beach Party' with her new team mates and friends.
Quickly running through the still damp and slightly muddy streets of the village, Ty Lee made her way to the spot where she would meet up with the others members of her group. With all the skill that came with her many years of being a circus acrobat, Ty Lee made her way up the main street, passing a number of the village folk that were already up and were now getting their places of business ready for their days sales. All the while, performing acrobatic tricks when the opportunity presented it self. At one point, she did a flip over a vendor's fruit cart and snatched up an apple and ran off as she landed. The vendor was about to call her back and demand that she pay for it, but as he moved to go after her, it was only then that he noticed that she had dropped a few copper pieces and paid for it. He could only look in a stunned silence and wonder just who was that crazy woman as she vanished out of sight.
It was not long until she arrived to the 'rally point' where she would meet up with the rest of her team, which happened to be at the base of the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. As she approached said statue, she noticed that rest of her group had already showed up and were waiting for her...
" Glad to see that you finally decided to join us," one of them names, Kora said, " what happened?"
" Well, I would have come sooner, but my bed didn't want me to leave! It said it would miss me if I left, but I convinced it that I would come back." Ty Lee replied sounding a bit guilty. This brought about some giggles from the rest of the group.
" Well, as long as you promised it that you would return. Now... lets head to the beach! I don't want us to be the last group there, all the good spots would be taken by then!" replied Kora
"You mean all the good 'boys' would be taken by then, don't you?" another one named Yuki said, this brought even more giggles from the group.
" That too! Come on, let's get going." the entire group cheered and with that, they were off.
The walk to said beach did not take too long and within fifteen minutes, they had all arrived to there destination. The beach itself was a very impressive sight, it was located in a relatively secluded bay and was about 2 ½ miles in length. The sand was fine and white, while the waters were a clear blue and you could see all the way to the sandy bottom, which was as white as the sand on the beach. At the mouth of the bay, was a semi-submerged reef that barely broke the surface, but was still keeping the rough waters of the open sea away. This ment that the waters inside the bay, were always calm, making it the perfect place for a beach party.
The group arrived and soon found a suitable spot to set up their 'camp', which consisted of a small tent so they can change it to their bathing suits in privacy, as well as, they set up some beach chairs so they could just chill out and rest. (As well as to allow any boys in the area to check out the merchandise). One by one, the girls went in the tent and changed it to their suits, while they waited for the rest of the party to arrive and begin. Most of the girls suits were simple one piece outfits with short skirts so that it would hinder them when if they decided to go swimming. They all looked very attractive in their swimsuit, which were the latest styles to come out of the Earth Kingdom, but it was Ty Lee's swim suit that stole the show. Her swim suit , was a 2 piece outfit that showed off her well toned stomach, while the short skirt complimented her long legs and her top showed off her ample bosom. She was 'Eye Crack' basicly.
" Whoa girl! Who are you trying to impress?" Kora asked.
" Hey, if you got it, flaunt it!" Ty Lee replied, as she struck a pose.
"Well, you certainly got it! Come on, the others should be here any minute." Kora said, as she grabbed Ty Lee's arm and made her way to where a large group of people were emerging from a path. Ty Lee just laughed and allowed herself to be taken by her friend to greet the others.
As the day went by, the party began to pick up steam as more and more people arrived and soon, the beach was packed! It was like the entire island had shown up, all the Kyoshi Warriors from all the villages were there. The only one that was not there to enjoy the festive atmosphere was the most famous of all of them,Suki, ans that was only because she was visiting her boy friend at the southern water tribe village. But that fact did not put a damper on things one bit, the party just continued on. All through out the day, Ty Lee enjoyed her self. Taking part in a number of the day's events such as the sand castle competition, where she and her group came in second place, and the fishing cometition, where she brought home the gold for the team when she came up to the shore, riding on the back of a large Elephant Koi. Needless to say, she won that competition hands down. But what was even more interesting was the fact that she had also gained the attention of several 'boys' that had gone there as well. Much to the dismay of their girl friends. But even though she enjoyed all the attention that she was getting, she kindly turned down their offers to either take her for a swim, or to go for a walk. But other than that, they day went one without any incidents.
The sun was now beginning to set on the day's festivities. The beach was bathed in the slowly descending sun's amber light as small camp fires added to the evenings atmosphere. But this point, every one had come out of the water and were now settling in for that evenings festivities. Ty Lee, along with the rest of her group, were now sitting around the small fire that they had started and they were just talking and bantering about their day's exploits and feasting on the dinner they had made out of the Elephant Koi that Ty Lee caught.
As she sat there, Ty Lee could no help but to think about how lucky she was to be apart of such a close team. She never felt such a feeling of belonging in her life, even when she live with her family, she never felt like she was ever special to them, seeing that she was the youngest of 7 sisters that all looked alike. That was why she ran away and joined the circus, to gain the attention that she was denied growing up. But now she was apart of a team that was willing to forget the past and allow her to be in their group. Ty Lee would never admit it, but she was very greatful for the kindness and friendship that the Kyoshi had shown her.
" Attention!" a voice called out, " Everyone, may I have your attention please?" the voice belong to Tara, one of the senior Kyoshi warriors on the island. " I would like to that every one that came out today. This has been one of the most successful get togethers that we have had for a long time, and I am happy to see that every one has had a good time." Every one there cheered at he statement, she continued to talk from on top the small stage that had been set up, " But know, I want to introduce some one that have not only proved that she has what it takes to be a Kyoshi Warrior, but has also gained the respect and admiration of her hole team. As well as I. During the war, she along with the rest of her team were captured by the fire nation forces and were imprisoned in one of there many P.O.W. Camps. While there, they were treated with the most up most brutality by there captors in an attempt to break their spirit. But like the true Kyoshi's that they were, they were able to over come their hardships and were able to resist their captors. Then one night, one of the fire nations guards came to one of their cells and proceeded to beat her unmercifully, but what was worse, he tried to... rape her. But luckily, she was saved by a person who was not only responsible for capturing them in the first place, but was also sent to prison herself for turning on her Princess. That night, she risked her own life to save a former adversary in her time of distress and as a result... she ensured that, that guard would never again hurt another person. That night, she did not only save a Kyoshi from a horrible fate... but she also saved my little sister." she said , as Kora came up to her,
" And know, I want to all of you to meet and welcome her to our family." ass she said that, Kora went out and pulled in a now stunned Ty Lee. Ty Lee remembered that night very well, she had heard the beating from her cell and was able to escape it and go to the aid of her friend. When she got there, she saw the huge guard standing behind Kora and his pants was down. With out thinking twice, she charged the fire bender and used her 'Chi Blocking' moves on him to great effect. But unlike her normal attack, she did hers in such a way that for the rest of his life, the would be rapist would be paralyzed from the neck down. Needless to say, that night was not one of her favorite memories.
Ty Lee just walked up to the elder Kyoshi with Kora pulling her by the hand, " Every one, this is Ty Lee. The one that saved my sister, and although she is not from our Island, she is forever one of us and I an eternally greatful for what she had done and has clearly shown that she is truly one of us. Now... I want all of you to give her a classic Kyoshi welcome to our ranks and I would be very proud, if not fortunate to fight at he side!
As Tara finished her speech, the crowed began to cheer and congratulate the young acrobat. Ty Lee for her part just stood there in a stunned silence, never in her wildest dreams did she ever think that she would have so much people chanting her name. All she could do was stand there and allow a small tear to escape her eye and run down her cheek and for the first time in her young life...
Ty Lee felt Special.