After a short tour around the northern edges of the temple, the duo landed on a large square square, which led to a large alley flanked with large stone bunkers. Darkness had already consumed most of the sun's light and the shadows of stone where covering most of the ground. The largest shadow was cast by a huge pristine statue of a Sky Bison. The gentle creature roared a warm welcome to any visitor kind enough to visit the Bison quarters. The two airbenders stood in the huge shadow of the Bison, taking a moment of silent to appreciate its craftmanship.
'Right. Lets pay good 'oll Meesa a visist, shall we?" boomed Mimus in his casual tone. Tuss frowned. Didn't he just mention he had something important to talk about? Or was that all just an excuse to visist the bison?
"What
are you starin' at, Tusker? Let's mosey!" Mimus said
cheerfully. Though his voice sounded like a rhytmic jazz tune, his
face was carved out of stone. Noticing Tuss's continous gaze, Mimus
curved his mouth in to a forced smile.
"Wha' are you yawnin'
at?"
Tuss stirred uneasily. Mimus gently took Tuss's glider
and retracted it. He dumped both gliders in a small basked with aged
sign saying 'Spare Gliders'
"Didn't you say you had
something important to say?" he asked timidly. Mimus waved away the
comment and began marching trough the alley connecting the bunkers.
Most Bison
where making preperations for the night. Mothers where guiding their
little treasures to shelter, and fathers where gathering soaring off
for a last evening stroll.
"Mimus...I already fed Meesa in the
late afternoon." Mimus grunted approvingly.
"I can take care
of my own Bison, you know."
Farther down the alleyway, the lane forked out into a crossroad. In the center of the crossroad was a large feeding trough filled to the rim with hay and fruits. Next to the trough was a large pound with fresh water. A group of Lemur where washing up, and a very aged Bison was slowly drinking from the pound with slow, steady gulps. Mimus located himself on the edge of the basin, and gently stroked one of the Lemurs, who purred approvingly.
"Remember
how we used to spend hours, days in 'ere, Tusker?" Mimus smiled
nostalgicly. Tuss held his distance and tapped his foot
impatiently.
"Why don't you just get to the point, Mimus?"
Mimus sighed deeply. The lemur lurched and fled from Mimus's huge
retracting arm.
The duo took a right and strolled trough in silence. As they walked trough the heart of the Bison Quarters, Tuss could not help but feel inferiour for walking. Several Bison and Lemurs soared to the sky, roaring and purring happily. Walking felt slow and sluggish compared to the Bison's freedom
"We're
in the right district, righ'?"
"Yes, Mimus. We're almost
there."
"To the righ'?"
"Left."
A awkward
silence gripped the duo again as they neared their destination. As
the darkness grew even more dominant, most Bison had now returned to
their respective homes and a comfortable silence descended on the
Quarters.
"Ah, we're here" Mimus smiled excitedly as he
recognized Meesa's shack and pointed at it.
"You are pointing
at the wrong bunker. Didn't I say she lived on the left? That's
right. Right?"
"Righ', sorry. It's the one facing it,
then?" Tuss frowned at Mimus with a face that said 'obviously'.
Meesa
was fairly small for a Bison. Her fur had a subtle shade of yellow,
and her arrow was smaller than that of most Bison. Her small, black
eyes and large ears sprung open when she recognized Tuss's voice.
She flung her tail with great agility and approached Tuss with a
timid interest.
"Hiya, girl! Had a nice meal?" Tuss whispered
softly as he petted Meesa on the head. She roared approvingly and
moved closer to Tuss.
"She sure looks pretty today. Had a nice bath today have we missus?" Mimus smiled as he inspected her fur.
"Yeah,
we visisted a hot spring down the mountains today."
"Which
one? You didn't take her to Devil's Mouth, did ye?" Mimus
inquired.
"I told you," Tuss snapped back 'I can take care
of my own Bison. Why would I take her to the hottest spring in the
entire world? I know she hates heat" Meesa backed off with a
sudden lurch, surprised by her master's aggression. "I know it
better than you". Mimus flinched a bit, and flung himself on top of
Meesa's back.
"Why don't we take her for a spin? It's a
lovely nigh"
"No!" yelled Tuss. "Can't you see she's
tired?"
"Righ', Righ'. Sorry" he appoligized to Tuss.
"And to you" he petted Meesa behind her ear.
"Do you remember our first ride with Meesa?" Mimus chuckled. "She was still just a wee 'lil lass, but you insisted on takin' her for a spin, with us two on her back. We could barely fit on 'er, and she could barely float an inch. But she kept tryin'… and now look at 'er. She's grown so much" Mimus sighed nostalgicly.
"Look"
Tuss snapped furiously "you brought me here for a reason.
Obviously, you have something off your chest. Why cant you just give
it to me straight? Is it that bad? Or are you still thinking of a way
to deny me some information? I'm no child anymore, I can take
it."
Mimus smiled uneasily.
"Always so straight to the
poin', eh Tuss? Even back when you could barely stand up straight,
you always made your point crystal clear. Denying you your wishes was
like inviting doom fo' dinner" Tuss glared at Mimus. He was
definitely getting impatient. For a moment, the three friends where
completely silent. The master, the sudent, and the Bison, united in
stillness. Then suddenly, Mimus broke the ice.
"The
Southern court of Masters is going to meet tommorow night. We are
discussing you, Tuss." Tuss's sneering glare melted almost
instantly. Meesa stirred uneasily.
"We've been keeping an
extra eye on you these last few weeks. The court has noticed your
airbending skills, your popularity amongst other pupils, but most of
all, your iron dedication." Tuss held his breath. He knew excactly
what was coming.
"You are going to be a Master."
Tuss
blinked his eyes wildly. He couldn't comprehend the situation at
all. He had been working up to this moning for all of his life. He
had struggled, climbing the ladder to the top with only one goal in
mind: the Master's Arrows. Mimus smiled faintly.
"Congratulations".
Tuss roared victoriously. He raised his arms and fell to his knees in
a way that reminded of dramatic theatre. Before Tuss could say
anything, Mimus interrupted.
"This moment belongs to you and
your Bison. I should…leave you 'ere. Good night, Tusker."
Mimus's face was heartbreaking. His eyes where wet, and his smile
was extremely forced. As he turned his back to Tuss, his smile broke
and a small pearly tear dropped to the ground. He swiftly exited the
bunker, whiping his eyes with a giant swirl with his arm.
Meesa
waggled her tail excitedly, and gave Tuss a bracing lick. Tuss pushed
her away and rose up, brushing the dirt off his tunic. Something
troubled him.
"Why was he so upset about this news?" Tuss
whispered to Meesa, his excitement faded. Suddenly, he felt extremely
tired. Meesa roared comfortingly.
"He's just asking like a
jerk. Probably jealous because I am going to beat his record of
earning the Arrows on the age of seventeen". Meesa stared at
Tuss.
"You disagree, huh? You think too kindly of people".
"Oh
well, I'm not going to let that jerk rain my parade". Tuss smiled
slyly at Meesa. He yawned deeply and jumped on Meesa's
back.
"Tommorow's going to be ledgendary." Tuss whispered.
Meesa shrugged softly and shut her eyes.
"Goodnight, girl".
"Say what?"
"This airbender right here is about to earn his arrows"
"Woah, mayor".
"Very mayor".
The two
airbending friends where discussing recent events under the enjoyment
of a nice bowl of grain mixed with fruits and dairy.
"Well"
Nytt said with his mouth full of strawberries, "don't start
thinking you can boss me around, because master or not, you are still
nothing compared to me". Nytt waved with his spoon to illustrate
his point. Tuss chuckled heartily.
"Don't worry, I wont ask
more than I already do. Like doing my laundry, for example. Speaking
of which, what's taking you so long with the socks?"
"Oh
ha-ha" said Nytt sarcasticly.
"What's
that, Tussie? Are you getting your arrows soon?" A young nomad had
approached the duo. He looked way too fragile to be asking anyone
anything, but nontheless his huge brown eyes where filled with
questions. Tuss grinned triumphantly.
"That's right, Jeet.
Soon, I will be off to the Northern Air temple for my tatoos!"
"Not
so fast Mr.Avatar" interrupted Nytt sharply. "the court hasn't
discussed anything yet. Anything could happen" Nytt nodded sagely.
Jeet looked dissapointed.
"Don't worry, Jeet," Tuss said
quickly, "I've got the Master's Council wrapped around my
finger. They'll vote positive, you'll see!" Jeet's face was
still set on depression.
"But…I don't want you to go,
Tussie!" Jeet said feebly. Tuss was stunned.
"Well, there's
still a fat chance that he is not going anywhere." Tuss glared at
Nytt for questioning his promotion, but he continued notheless. "But
we're going to be the first to find out."
"What do you
mean?" Tuss asked. Nytt pointed to the eavesdropping kid, and Tuss
kindly asked him to leave, which he obeyed immediately. Nytt's
voice dropped to a whisper. "Lets just say I ordered some first row
tickets."
"This is
stupid".
"No its not. Its genious"
Tuss and Nyt where
standing in the centre of a circular platform. Unlike most parts of
the temple, this particular, it looked crisp and sharp. There where
randomly placed trees or stray bushes with Lemur poking out of them.
The bricks where flawless and did not show the slightest trace of
age. The platform was located in one of the lowest parts of the
temple, near the centre. But somehow, it felt completely secluded
from the rest of it.
"So, according to your 'source', the
meeting's in there?" Tuss frowned.
"Oh yes,
definitely. I've got this information from one of my most reliable
sources." Nytt nodded full of confidence
"Which is?" Nytt
waggled his foot uncomfortably. After a few awkward seconds, his grin
returned.
"Lets just say I've got a man on the inside". Nytt
pointed his thumb forward. In front of them was one of the largest
strucutres of the Southern Air Temple, and by chance, one of the
newest. The pristine, white marble reflected the sunlight
brilliantly, giving the illusion that the building was emitting a
soft glow. Large, intimidating sculptures of past airbending masters
where guarding the entrance. Their gaze looked lively despite their
solid form.
"You
brought me all this way for nothing. I should have known". Tuss
sighed with a strong note of dissapointment in his voice.
"What
in fruitpie's name are you talking about, dude? Look, I know you
don't trust Master Yegg-"
"You can
barely call that wimp a master. Gehn merely has to snap his fingers
and he waggles his tail, ready to obey" Tuss said
loathingly.
"Well, that's besides the point, is it? He's a
master-"
"Barely"
"Stop
interrupting you twat" snapped Nytt, "he's a master and that
makes the information valid. Your fate, young one, is being decided
within these vast halls" Nytt waved his breakfast spoon dramaticly.
It wasn't excactly clear why he took it with him, but Tuss was used
to Nytt's weird hoarding of useless stuff.
"Look" Tuss began
ranting, "even if your information is correct for a change, its
still useless. How are we supposed to eavesdrop on the Master's
Hall? Its like an impenetrable fortress."
Nytt
sighed impatiently. "Don't worry, I've got it
covered.
"Covered?"
Nytt's manical grin was spreading
wider and wider. Clearly, he was plotting something.
"This
'impenetrable fortress' of yourse has a weak spot." Nytt paused
to ensure a maximum dramatic effect. Tuss snapped his fingers
impatiently and Nytt continued his scheming.
"These halls where
crafted by Earthbenders as a gift to the Southern masters who had
been their allies in some unimportant power struggle. Earthbending
architecture has more flaws than I can count. The bigger the
building, the more weakspots. Especially at the roof. Earthbenders
somehow never pay attention to the roof". Nytt paused again, and
Tuss coughed lightly.
"So, that's nice and all. But what are
you trying to say here, you've found a weak spot?" Tuss asked. He
said excactly what Nytt had wanted. He rose up, dusted off his
clothes and cackled wildly.
"Excactly".
Moments
later, the duo was climbing a rather vertical slope.
"This is
madness" Tuss sighed, "why don't we just fly up with some
airbending? Why didn't we bring a glider?" Nytt simply panted, as
he waved his legs in a sloppy attempt to boost himself upwards. He
smacked against the wall and barely had a chance to regain his grip.
Tuss chuckled.
"I've got a better idea". With a gracefull
swing of his arms, he places himself vertically, his legs directly
attached to the wall. Building on his momentum, he thrusted himself
forward with a airbending jolt and ran up the slope with suprising
speed. When he passed Nytt, who looked completely smashed, he swung
his arms upwards and launched Nytt trough the air, landing him on top
of the building. Microseconds after Nytt landed, Tuss gracefully
glided trough the air and landed right next to Nytt. He took a deep
breath, and posed his hands like he was about to start meditating.
Nytt simply grunted.
Shortly
after, the duo was strolling along side the roof. Nytt kept looking
downwards, searching for something. Tuss was getting increasingly
annoyed. Nytt had not opened his mouth since Tuss's little
airbending stunt back then. He was starting to think this little trip
really was a waste of time.
"Ah!" Nytt suddenly roar
brightly
"Ah, what?" Tuss tried to sound cool, but excitement
was leaking trough his voice. Nytt's grin returned.
"The weak spot!" Nytt pointed at the marble. At first, Tuss saw nothing, but upon closer inspection he saw a little smiley, painted in green.
"You've
been here before?"
Nytt shrugged. "How did you think I found
out about 'oll Gehn's secret tart stash?" the duo chuckled
heartily. After the short, cheerfull interruption, Nytt thrusted his
spoon right in the center of the smiley. A soft crack echoed from the
smiley, and Nytt carefully lifted a large brick, revealing a hole big
enough pair of eyes. Tuss could not help but to gasp in surprise.
"You really did think this trough, didn't you?"
But Nytt
wasn't listening. He was peering down the hole. Mumbeling could be
heard from beneath their feet, barely noticable.
"Hey, there's
good 'oll Gehn. Oh, and Yegg. That's my boy! And isn't that
Mimus…?" Tuss rudely pushed Nytt aside and captured the peeking
hole. The voices could be heard more clearly when he focused his
eyes. It was easy to ignore the scowling of Nytt.
