Kora: Mata Nui

Chapter Three:

Air Spirits

The air was clean, but not crisp. It had a mix of so many hundreds of smells, the air was warm and cool at the same time. It had moisture in it too. Not that Lee was much aware of that. She was too distracted at finding how far down the ground was, laying flat on her stomach she goggled after peeking over the edge of the floor.

That was a long way down! The tree this small temple was in, as well as the surrounding ones had to be at least sky scraper sized. She was hundreds of feet up, and there was still more tree up above.

Lee carefully edged away from the edge and as she did so a strong wind rolled through the temple. It was clearly visible by all the pollen, small flowers and leaves chasing each other in swirls on the floor then out the flat edge of the other side of the temple. The gust brought new smells of a healthy rainforest. New smells but at least it was right, it did smell like a rain forest, if not the one she'd lived by and in for the past few years, but still a rainforest. That was good, she new how to survive in a jungle.

The vivid sunlight dimmed and the girl, no older then twelve or thirteen, looked to the nearest open side. After it notability darkened again there was an unmistakable crack of thunder and, true to the term 'rain forest,' it started to rain. No, it started to poor.

At least that was familiar too. It rained in rainforests after all.

Lee looked up and waited for a half a minute to see if there were any leaks in this temple place. There were none and the girl was thankful for that. Getting wet wasn't a high priority for her. Besides the humidity was already thick enough as it was.

With out much to do, and strangely not panicked over her situation, she sat down with her back to a pedestal that was the only thing really in this place. No that wasn't true there were shelves up near the roof, a good seventeen or eighteen feet up. It looked like there were things up there but the girl couldn't see from her angle.

This place was circular in shape, at least twenty five feet or so wide. The floor was one was an interesting mix of stone and wood, making so many patterns that crawled up the 'walls' that were little more then three supports that were two feet thick and four wide. Most of the chamber was wide open to the air and sights of the other skyscraper sized trees like this 'small' temple. It seemed really big, but in comparisons to others on the island it was considered small.

The pedestal in the middle was rounded, five feet high and made of stone. It had a flat square, also stone with an engraved emblem of some kind on both sides.

Lee shifted so she was laying down on her side, head resting on her arm. For a while, she just watched the rain and listened to the sound of it hitting not only the roof but the wide leaves that framed the 'back' and one side of the temple (yet were still out of reach).

Then strange...birds?

Yes, four winged and biomechanical bird like animals that almost looked like humming birds. Only this flock that winged past the temple and into another massive tree, were huge. Someone could easily put a saddle on them...wait. Was there a saddle on that one with seeming longer wings?

The girl scrambled up and then to the edge of the air temple again. Flattening out and gripping the edge she watched these strange, yet some how pretty 'birds' as they vanished into their chosen tree. Trilling calls were heard before them must have settled to wait out the storm.

The wind shifted, blowing some fat droplets of rain on Lee. The water was warm but she still squeaked in protest and scooted back. The roof extended beyond the edge of the floor so she didn't get as wet if it was even. Standing and walking back to the middle, Lee inspected the pedestal.

"Hmm," Lee made an interested sound as she found the square wasn't fixed in place. A careful poke proved that it could move, and smoothly. Curiously the girl gripped one side and move it a few inches so the engraving fully faced her.

For a moment, Lee stared at the emblem. That strange feeling one got when they knew they've seen or heard something before settled on her.

Some faint memory nagged at her awake mind, but it was fuzzy and somewhat distorted. A different world and someone bigger then her but not her parents had reached down to lift her up. Voices of others speaking and another person that was hot like a fire.

"Nata..." Lee said, frowning, "Where have I heard that before?" she asked the stone plate in front of her, that emblem was still just so familiar. She rested her left hand on it, like the edge the middle wasn't cold.

The inlayed carving glowed.

Yelping Lee bounced away, holding her hands against her as if expecting to be burned. But she wasn't, and the emblem continued to glow a soft bottle green shade.

After a moment of nothing more happening, when nothing popped out of the floor or thin air and leapt at Lee to bit, poke or eat her, she relaxed. Just as Lee was reaching for the plate again she stopped and turned into a new wind.

It came from a completely new direction then before, bringing with it the smell of not only the rain but something else that was like over ripe fruit and clean, slightly cool are.

Lee closed her eyes, enjoying it before the smell linked to a memory of another mix of scents like this. "Nanu." Lee said looking around, the name bring a feeling of safety. But like before, Lee knew that she knew but it was just outside of her grasp.

Frustrated, she shifted her attention back to the pedestal. Putting her hand on it again had no reaction. It continued to glow no mater how many times she touched it, where or what was it was turned.

The more then loud thud of something landing on the rood made the girl freeze, eyes wide. But before she could hope it was just a fallen branch, she distantly heard a step. It was no normal human stride but long and had the sound of a great weight.

A giant swung down, holding on the end of the roof with one hand and reaching out to catch the end of a large foot on the edge of the floor. The other hand grasping one of the supports as the being pulled himself into the temple, his temple or Suva as it really called.

The Suva that had been so big was suddenly much, much smaller now that this being filled it up. He stood a good eighteen, maybe nineteen tall and was remarkably streamlined. His armor shined a vivid green, but looking like the metal was that color not painted. Under the armor was strange, it wasn't skin but slightly. More like a hide almost that was colored light gray, yet it integrated with the armor and mechanical looking joints. Twin swords where clasp on his back and visible over his shoulders, easy to grab if the need arose.

Water dripped off him as multi-colored eyes that were white in the middle, sky blue 'irises' on a light green backdrop. Those eyes were glowing in the dim light and were scanning around before settling on a foot.

As if on a cue the bare, human foot was yanked out of sight where the owner was hiding behind the pedestal.

Toa Lewa got a very strange look on his mask that moved like a face, not rigid. "Who seekcalls Toa of air?" he asked as he couched down until he could balance his weight on all fours, leaning forwards and peering around the pedestal.

Lee looked up and screamed as she scrambled away.

Lewa yelped and scrambled back himself, startled. Not used to getting the reaction of fear from anyone smaller then him.