Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Viacom.
A/N: Takes place at the end of Book 3.
The Last Earthbender
100: Endings
The two benders standing on the bluff, not even old enough to be called teenagers, were tiny specks compared to the vast lowland valley that stretched beneath them. Just a young girl and an Air Nomad, enjoying the first nice day of spring.
"You should really try skipping the macahoni berries sometime," said Aang. He took a deep breath. "This view is great."
Toph smiled, and played with a pebble in her hand. "Eh, I believe you, Twinkle-Toes. Why don't you describe it to me?"
"Well," said Aang. "The sunshine is so bright! We didn't used to have many days like this, you know. But it's so clear today, and it's so blue! Lighter than the ocean. More like water tribe eyes! And everything is just warm and light…"
"What about the people?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah! There's lots of people! They're all busy, setting up houses and clearing the ground for farms. I see earth folk, and there's some Fire Nation helping out, and there's waterbenders helping to draw the water from the mud. There's even a few Air Nomads down there!"
Toph laughed. "Really? Better not tell the elders!"
Aang grinned. "But you wanna know the best part?"
"What?"
"The green. The whole valley floor, all the ground that was under water… it's covered in little green plants! It's so amazing, Toph! Do you think that the seeds were in the ground all this time, waiting for the sunlight?"
Toph brushed her hand over the blades of grass by where she sat. "I dunno. The earth is patient. It can wait a hundred years to grow again."
Aang nodded, and came to sit by Toph. "So, what do you… 'see?'
Toph tilted her head, as if listening. "I smell the new soil, and the dew. And I can see the roots of the plants, moving and pushing through the earth. I feel the sun, shining. And I see the bodies of the people walking over the ground. Their hearts, and their breaths. And I see the melting snow soaking into the ground, and flowing downhill to collect in the low spots."
"Is it pretty?" asked Aang.
Toph frowned. "Huh. I don't usually think of things I see as pretty, I guess. I mean, I like some things… like crystals. They look really nice. And, well, I guess campfires are nice too. And wind rustling in the trees. And waves. Those things are pretty. This is more… not pretty. I wouldn't say that. Pretty is such a little word! It's all dainty and tiny and neat and compact. This is something a lot more than that."
Aang tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"It's… I dunno, it's things that are right. Whole. Like when you touch a good strong rock, and you just know it's a good rock. It's a rock that you can depend on. It's not gonna crumble when you squeeze it. You could make a house out of rocks like that. And people are the same! Like when a person is healthy, their heat and their blood feels right and strong… like a river, or a good candle. So… I guess I'd say that it's not pretty. But it's right."
"I think it's beautiful," said Aang, and Toph could hear the smile in his voice.
"… Yeah. It is."