The White Jasime's Howl

Part 1: Introspection

Chapter 3: Exertion

Hours passed and Liling waited until she was sure that the air scooter races would have ended before she rose from under her comforter, tucked the sleeping dragonfly rabbit spirit in and headed into the stone maze. Even though the maze was somewhat underground it felt as though the fresh air flowed through with a slight nip of the quickly approaching fall evening. The tunneled paths were lit by the windows carved into the wall side at regular intervals, the floor was flat and well cleaned thanks to the acolytes but the wall without windows and the ceiling was un evenly carved and rounded.

Liling walked, until she reached a corner, which she slowly peaked around the first before heading down. Not a single person was in the hallways, they were mostly likely in the dining hall for dinner, just like Liling preferred it. Finally she reached an exit that took her to an open cliff shelf, it was out of the way and one of the first places Liling had found when she moved to the western air temple earlier in the week.

"Okay," she sighed. She stretched her legs, her back and her arms before spreading her legs wide and swirling her hands on top each other. "Ball, ball, ball…." She whispered as she spun her hands faster and faster. A ball of air started to form with in her grasp, she smiled and in a quick motion tried to place it from her hand to the ground with one of her feet in it, by the time her foot got there the remains of air was gone.

She sighed, resumed her stance and spun the air once again. Only to fail again, again and again. Each time she sighed and tried again. After several more failures she started having to wipe the sweat off her forehead and the uncomfortable feeling of tears in her eyes.

Again and again and again she tried.

"Your stance is to wide," a voice called from behind.

Liling's air ball disintegrated from her hands and she jumped to turn the voice.

"You're hard to find, you know?" It was Fu Fen standing by the cave entrance with a small smile. "You know, if you keep skipping meals you're never going to grow any?"

"I'm…." Liling started but just mumbled inaudibly to herself.

Fu Fen stood beside Liling, "To make the air scooter you stand with just a slightly large base of support, you want to have just enough to shift your weight back and forth." She then demonstrated at which Liling imitated. "Now, we start making an air ball…" Fu Fen slowly demonstrated and spoke the steps to Liling.

After a couple more attempts a solid air ball formed within Liling's hands.

"There we go, now we step onto it with one foot like this…" again Fu Fen demonstrated at which Liling attempted but fell off. "That's okay, that happens to everyone on their first try," Fu Fen smiled.

Liling rubbed the dust off her face and created the ball and when she stepped onto it she was spun off and landed on her back towards the edge of the cliff shelf. "Ugh," She moaned, before standing up and dusting herself off and trying once again.

Fu Fen again walked her through how to get on the ball and demonstrated. The two repeated the exchange without Liling saying a true word, just trying more and more. Finally, Liling managed to stay on the ball, she used she tiny hands to cover her mouth as she made a strange garbled noise between a cry and a laugh.

"To move…" Fu Fen explained and demonstrated. It was a process of shifting weight in the desired direction.

Liling leaned forward slightly and at full speed rammed into the cliff wall, so hard she lift an awkward body print in the wall.

"Uhh do you want to keep going or is that enough for tonight?" Fu Fen asked, looking up to the moon and stars in the clear sky, watching her breath rise.

Liling peeled herself from the wall and dusted her face off again, "Uhm… Fu… Fen…." She looked down at the ground and twiddled her feet. "Thank you…" and then bowed respectfully.

"Sure if you ever need anything, just ask." Fu Fen grabbed her stomach, "Right now, I think I need some food though," she laughed, "Oh I hope the acolytes will humor me and give me some food." Fu Fen started walking towards the entrance to the tunnels, "I'm not begging by myself, common." She waved towards Liling.

Liling turned on her heels towards the entrance away from the wall and the ground came up to welcome her and enclose her feet. "Gwah!" she squeaked before bending at the knees and falling on her butt, "Oh ow, ow, ow…." She whine stuck in an uncomfortable position.

Fu Fen came running over, "What happened?"

"Feet… stuck…" Liling moaned trying to readjust herself.

Fu Fen pulled Liling back up off her bottom before examining her feet. It stone of the cliff shelf had twisted itself over her feet and locked them in place, "I saw this once before…." She mumbled, knocking on the hard stone, "It's an earth bending technique… I saw it when I was traveling in the earth kingdom and a friend asked me to spare….You we literally just air bending…. How is something like this even possible?" Fu Fen started pulling on Liling's calf trying to get the foot free. "Something Like this should be impossible."

Liling was trying to throw herself into pulling her foot free.

"No one has found the avatar yet, but if they are alive they should be an earth bender, not an air bender…" Fu Fen grumbled and then stopped pulling on Liling's calf."Wait! THAT'S IT!"

Fu Fen hopped up to her feet and clasped Liling's hands, "You're eyes are green right? So you were born with earth nation blood. You've got to be the missing avatar right?!"

Liling looked away from Fu Fen's star struck gaze, "They… the white lotus…. Tested me…. Before I came…. To air nation…. They said it was… impossible."

"You can both air bend and earth bend there is no other living person in the world that can do that other than the avatar!" Fu Fen was basically jumping, holding onto Liling's hands and staring at her face.

Liling just shook her head, continued to try pulling her feet free and have Fu Fen release her grasp. Too much touching going on, and too little personal space present. "I'm… not…." She whispered.

"Yes you are! Your feet is the proof! Oh my god, we should get someone, I should get someone. Head monk Ikki would know what to do, her grandfather was the avatar and so was one of her best friends." Fu Fen released Liling's hands and started backing towards the tunnels, "Just a second.."

"NO!" Liling shouted , tears in her eyes, "No, No, please… no… just… No," tears streaming down her face. "I just want to be unnoticed…. Please.. don't tell anyone…" she sobbed and awkwardly squatted with her feet still imprisoned in stone.

Fu Fen stopped heading towards the tunnels and slowly walked back to Liling, "Are you sure, you don't want me to get someone who will understand?" and she knelt to be eye level with Liling.

Liling had covered her eyes, she was sniffed loudly, "mhm.." she moaned and nodded.

Fu Fen sighed, "I'm sorry, I lost myself there. Let's get your feet out."


A/N: Who's ready for eight to twelve inches of snow and below zero wind chills before thanks giving? Not this girl! I should have been studying instead of writing this… Oh well. I hope to have the next chapter ready Thursday evening after exams and while I wait to pick up the new Pokémon game coming out on Friday. Not sure when the next update will come after that… I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I sincerely appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you.