Nanami followed Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, looking excitedly around her. For a little girl who had never left her hometown, this picturesque village, representing an entire supposedly-lost civilization, was a marvelous entertainment. The countless traps that still worked despite being so old aroused her curiosity and fueled her excitement.
"Be careful of the traps, Nanami," Fire Lord Zuko warned her, as they passed by an unsettling, quiet path. "They got us when we first came here."
Remembering her mother's words about listening to the adults, Nanami stopped wandering around on her own, and came back to the group rapidly, walking behind Aang and Zuko.
"Why are we here, Avatar Aang?" she asked, lifting her head on her left to look at him.
"We'll go meet the true masters of firebending. They know every form of firebending. Surely, they'll know about your power too," Aang replied to her, a gentle smile on his lips.
Nanami nodded and looked back in front of her. Her legs were shorter, so she was lagging behind. Tenzin slowed down to wait for the little girl, and matched his pace with hers. He didn't talk much, but Nanami liked him; he was nice with her.
They arrived in a large court where a crowd of people wearing nearly nothing formed a circle. Nanami raised her eyebrow, surprised by the paint on their faces and their weird clothes. A large man with the upper part of his face painted in red and white stepped forward. He had a goatee beard, and was wearing a big hat, colored in both yellow and red, with a pear-shaped insignia in the middle of his forehead. The top of the hat was covered with something that looked like fur, but Nanami was not sure what it really was.
"A tattooed man and a scarred-face man," the stranger said thoughtfully, a hand on his chin. "We know you. You are the Avatar and the Fire Nation Prince."
"Fire Lord now," Zuko corrected, pointing at his headpiece.
"Sun Warrior chief," Aang began. "We came here to meet the firebending Masters, Ran and Shaw."
"Why do you want to meet them?" the chief inquired, squinting his eyes.
Aang and Zuko moved to the sides, letting a space between them for Nanami to come forward. Tenzin gently gave her a little push in the back to reassure her, as she was feeling nervous and didn't budge from her place. The little girl stepped forward, her head hung low, and stood still between the Avatar and the Fire Lord.
Nanami looked up at the chief, a restless expression drawn on her round, baby face. The Sun Warrior chief stared at her intently, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Nanami could feel her heart beat really fast. The man was making her uncomfortable with his inspection. His face was unfriendly, and a little bit scary. His tribe was giving her the same impression, and she gulped from all the pressure.
"I hope for you that your ancestors were nice people."
Nanami raised her eyebrow, wondering why he talked about her ancestors. Anyway, she had absolutely no idea whether they were good people or not. She didn't really know anything about them, apart from what her grandmother had told them the other day.
The Sun Warrior chief motioned to them to follow him with his head. They ascended a long set of steps, at the top of which they found a giant flame burning in the hollow of something that looked like a small sanctuary.
Nanami contemplated the fire in fascination, as if it was calling out to her. She could feel deep within herself the pulsation of the blaze, beating at the same tempo as her heart. She felt some sort of connection between her and the fire, her hairs standing on end.
"This is the Eternal Flame," the chief presented. "It is the first fire acquired by humans. It was given as a gift to us by the dragons. We, Sun Warriors, have been keeping it alive for thousands of years now."
A gift by dragons… that they had kept for thousands of years… Nanami thought, overawed by all of this.
The Sun Warrior chief stood in front of Nanami, looking serious.
"To meet the firebending masters, you will have to take a piece of the Eternal Flame and bring it to their cave over there," he explained, pointing to a distant mountain. "If they deem you worthy of learning the true nature of firebending, they'll teach you; else, you'll be destroyed on the spot."
Nanami shuddered upon hearing the last part of his sentence. Destroyed on the spot? How could she know whether she was worthy of learning the true nature of firebending or not? A chill ran down her spine, as stress built up inside of her, making her sweat a lot.
Aang quietly came closer and, kneeling down next to her, he put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be alright, Nanami."
Avatar Aang's voice was nice and soothing, putting Nanami's mind at ease. She nodded at him, and looked back at the Sun Warrior chief, waiting for him to continue. The latter observed her behavior closely, perceiving a change in her aura. Fear had left her, and was replaced by determination.
"If you're ready, then here you are."
He faced the Eternal Flame, and extending his arms, he took a flame out of it. He turned his hands around the piece of fire, and presented it to Nanami.
"This ritual illustrates the Sun Warriors' philosophy perfectly. You will have to maintain a constant temperature. The flame will die if it's too small; and if it's too big, it might go out of control."
The young firebender held out her hands timidly to receive the flame, for fear of not being able to control it. As soon as the chief passed the Eternal Flame to her, Nanami's eyes opened wide. Her body's temperature rose, and her five senses went on alert.
The small flame in her hands immediately increased in size when it came in contact with her, and made her bright golden eyes light up. It soon transformed into a fireball that enveloped her entire body, lifting her in the air.
A heavy silence hung over the ancient city. The Sun Warriors tribe stayed speechless in front of what was happening. Surprise was depicted on everyone's faces, and they had their mouths agape. Aang, Zuko and Tenzin, although amazed, showed less astonishment. Nanami's power was unknown and unpredictable; this reaction didn't seem out of place to them.
The fireball slowly dispelled, and as if the fire fused with Nanami, it turned into amber lines drawing on her skin – just like the other day in the infirmary. As her feet touched the ground, a distant roar arose behind them.
All heads turned in that direction, looking for the cause of the loud sound. At this distance, Tenzin couldn't see well, but he perceived two animals coming out of the caves. They looked like long snakes with wings. One was blue, and the other was red. They were dancing around a bridge that connected the two caves.
"The Masters…" the Sun Warrior chief murmured.
The two aforementioned masters breathed fire, which made Tenzin understand immediately. They were not winged snakes; they were dragons. The Firebending Masters were two dragons.
Nanami, her eyes still lit up, walked towards the Masters' caves. She seemed unconscious, as if she was driven by a force. However, her gait was resolute, taking rapid, confident steps. The Sun Warriors tribe, Aang, Zuko and Tenzin followed her quietly, until they reached the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Masters' caves.
The Sun Warriors usually performed a ceremony to summon the Masters and tell them they had visitors wanting to learn the true essence of firebending. But this time, the dragons were already out, waiting for the firebender to join them on the bridge. The tribe could only stay and watch as Nanami slowly climbed the steps one by one.
When she arrived at the top, Ran and Shaw were already waiting for her. They could feel a special connection to this strange little girl. No need to observe her, nor deem her worthy of learning the true firebending form; her presence and aura felt familiar. They surrounded her by a colorful spiral to transmit their knowledge, the way they did with Aang and Zuko many years ago.
After passing on their wisdom and technique, Ran and Shaw stood in front of Nanami, who returned back to a normal state. The young firebender bowed to them, thanking them for their teachings.
"We have been waiting for you, young girl," the red dragon said. "You must be looking for Tai Long, the Red Dragon."
"Tai Long," Nanami repeated. "Do you know where I can find him?"
"The island Tai Long has been living on was attacked a long time ago. He hid it, so no humans could find him anymore," the blue one explained.
"Does that mean I can't meet him?"
"We will tell you where his island was located. But, meeting with him will depend on you. You will have to show him you're worthy of meeting him."
"How do I show him I'm worthy of meeting him?"
"Only you can answer this question," the Masters responded in unison.
Nanami listened to their words carefully, recording everything in her memory.
After explaining everything to her, Ran and Shaw returned to their respective caves, leaving the little firebender alone on the bridge.