I'm slowly getting back into some drawing and writing. Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)
In the bustling marketplace of Dan Tu, Takumi and Rai explored the variety of shops, each selling their impressive wares. "Oh, cool!" Takumi exclaimed, quickly rushing to one of the stores, which caught Rai's attention. Takumi entered the weapons shop and picked up one of the bows on display and drew back the bow, testing its quality.
"Do you even know how to use that?" she asked.
"Believe it or not, I do!" Takumi exclaimed. "Mom wanted me to join a sports team at school, but I wasn't really good at all those contact sports, so I chose archery. I got pretty good at it," he boasted confidently. Rai handed Takumi and arrow and motioned to the practice target set up nearby. Takumi took the arrow and nocked the arrow onto the bowstring and pulled back. He kept his arm straight, but relaxed as his fingers just gently touched the corner of his mouth. He carefully aimed at the target and released his hold on the bowstring, allowing it to roll right out form under his fingertips. The arrow whooshed through the air and struck the target on the first ring from the center.
"Hm, not bad," Rai said, genuinely impressed.
"Thanks, I'm a little out of practice though," he replied with a nervous chuckle at her compliment. "Ouch, I dunno if I'll be able to afford this," he said, looking at the price tag on the bow.
"Well, keep looking around and you might find something more in your price range." As they perused the market, the pair passed by a cloaked and hooded old woman hunched over a crystal ball.
"Ah, I see much within you, my dear," the fortune teller spoke, causing Rai and Takumi to stop and look at her.
"Are you talking to us?" he asked, but the woman continued on.
"I see much pain and strife in you, child," she said, pointing to Rai. As she spoke, her hands carefully hovered back and forth over the crystal ball. "But you bury your pain deep in the earth. You use rage as a shield; a rage that burns like Sozin's comet. Your path is like a mighty river and yours is not the only one. Other paths will merge with yours: a wanderer, a hero in blue and enemies new and old, familiar. And yet, I can see no end to your river. There will be suffering, there will be pain, and there will be death. But I also see joy, content, and family. The road ahead will be marred with much suffering and your resolve will be tested, but if you remain unbroken, you will emerge like a sword hammered and honed so that it will never break, more powerful than you could ever imagine."
"My future is what I make of it, not what some cooky fortune teller says it will be," Rai argued.
"The chains are broken, but are you truly free?"
Rai's expression suddenly shifted as this woman's words troubled her. She said nothing and sharply turned away from the fortune teller while Takumi followed after her, confused at the exchange between them. "What was she talking about?" he asked.
"Beats me. Those fortune tellers are all scam artists anyway. Just forget about it; it's nothing important," she said, continuing through the marketplace before stopping inside a small book shop. She carefully examined some books on the shelf before turning to the clerk and asking, "Do you have any airbending manuals?"
"Airbending? Sorry, ever since the Hundred Year War, any Air Nomad learning material was destroyed. And nowadays any airbenders who want to learn airbending just goes to the Air Nomads directly," the clerk answered. "I've got some manuals for firebending, earthbending and waterbending though, if you're interested."
"No, not waterbending," Rai answered firmly, which Takumi cocked an eyebrow in confusion at.
"Well, then I'm afraid I can't help you there. If you're keen on learning some airbending, there is an airbender in town! She usually hangs out in the town square giving out free lessons."
As Rai and Takumi exited the store, he ran up next to her and asked, "Why do you want an airbending manual? I thought you already knew how to airbend."
"I only know the simple moves like blasts of air, but I still have yet to learn any of the finer techniques."
"Then why not go see this airbender and learn from them?" he suggested.
"The same reason I haven't done that for the past six years. During Korra's time when the Air Nation was revived, they pledged their loyalty to the Avatar and vowed to assist with the Avatar's mission. I've been avoiding the Air Nomads just as much as I've been avoiding the White Lotus because of how close they are to the Avatar."
"But how are you going to learn more airbending if you avoid the Nomads?"
"The same way I learned firebending and earthbending," she whispered, "manuals and observation. And since the former isn't an option with airbending, I'll just have to stick with the latter."
"Wait, you mean you never got any formal training for earth or firebending?" Takumi asked quietly, shocked.
"That's right," she answered. "I couldn't risk any tutor or instructor figuring out who I was or seeing me bend another element."
"Maybe the airbender here isn't an Air Nomad; they might not be affiliated with them," Takumi reasoned.
"Sorry, but I won't risk the Air Nomads discovering me," she said, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Come on, how do you know this person is an Air Nomad? They might just be a regular airbender," Takumi reasoned. "I remember hearing a lot of stories about airbenders who didn't join the Air Nomads after Harmonic Convergence."
"It's still too much of a risk. If so much as a single Air Nomad or even airbender finds out about me, they'll all know and then the whole world knows."
"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you need the help. Come on, just go in and say that you're a novice airbender looking to tighten her skills. It'll be fine, trust me," he said with a reassuring smile.
Rai growled under her breath. "Fine, but then we leave. I don't want to stay any longer around an Air Nomad than I have to."
"Don't worry. I won't tell," he smiled with a cheeky wink.
Rai scoffed and rolled her eyes at Takumi's wink before returning to her stoic expression. They headed into the town square to find the supposed airbender, but when they spotted her, Rai quickly cursed under her breath and ducked behind the corner of a building. "Dammit! She's definitely an Air Nomad. She's got the wing suit and everything. Forget it, this isn't happening," she said firmly, making her way back the way they came.
"Oh come on, we're so close. You can't just back out now!" he exclaimed, grabbing the large sleeve of her shirt and pulling her back. "What happened to just pretending you're an airbender?"
"That was different! She's clearly an Air Nomad! Ever since the Air Nomads re-emerged, they've dedicated themselves to the Avatar. She finds out, then I lose the anonymity I worked very hard to keep…" Rai stood silently, thinking for a moment. "I have an idea. You," she said, pointing at him, "go up to her and ask her to show you some airbending techniques and I'll watch from afar."
"What? Me!? Why do I have to be your scapegoat?"
"Because this was your idea in the first place," she said, firmly poking his chest with her index finger, "and no one will raise an eye at a kid, especially a non-bender kid asking to see some airbender techniques. Just make up some excuse that you're a fan or something."
"But-"
"Just go!" she exclaimed, pushing Takumi out into the street while she hid behind the building to watch.
Takumi grumbled under his breath, but composed himself. He walked up toward the Air Nomad, who is in the middle of showing off her airbending skills to a group of school children. They giggled and watched in awe as she balanced a ball in the middle of a sphere of swirling air. When she finished and the children were led away by their teacher, he approached her at an excited pace with a grin plastered on his face. 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' he thought as the Air Nomad noticed his presence and turned around. She was dressed in the standard Air Nomad wingsuit and had a darker complexion and blue eyes, a clear sign of Water Tribe descent. Her hair was short and straight and only went to just over her shoulders.
"Wow, that was… uh, that was some sweet moves. Very...airbendery," he said awkwardly, mentally kicking himself while Rai slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and groaned.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed with a wide and warm smile. "I'm Sati! What's your name?"
Takumi stammered, unsure of how to take this friendly reaction to what he thought was dumb and nervous babbling. "Uh...Ta-ku-mi…"
"Takumi?" she clarified, able to hear him even though he was quietly mumbling his name. "That's a nice name. So what can I do for you today, Takumi?"
Takumi took a deep breath, feeling both embarrassed and guilty for what he was about to do. "Well, I'd just like to say that I'm a big fan… of airbending, that is! I mean, I haven't taken any of your classes or, you know, I can't bend, but, I just…
"Well, just because you can't bend doesn't mean you're not allowed to learn some of the techniques! In fact, it's all because of the Air Acolytes that the Air Nomad cultures still exists today!" she exclaimed with a wide smile.
"I suppose that's true," Takumi replied, nervously scratching the back of his head. But Takumi relaxed, seeing that Sati was very friendly and understanding, even to his fumbling and nervous babbling. "I was wondering if I could possibly see some?" he asked with a shrug, while giving an innocent smile.
"Of course!" she beamed, clapping her hands in excitement before taking a ready stance and encouraging Takumi to join her. "Now, airbending is all about moving with the wind, being light on your feet," she explained.
"Uh, ok…" he said, trying to mimic her stance. Rai continued watching from afar, trying to memorize the movements. "Like this?"
"Great!" she smiled encouragingly. "Just widen your stance a little and keep your shoulders relaxed." She gently adjusted Takumi's stance while giving a supportive smile.
Takumi couldn't help but blush with embarrassment as he whispered to himself, "I hope Rai ISN'T watching this…"
However, Rai was observing the entire thing vigilantly and groaned, "Ugh, unbelievable," shaking her head at how ridiculous she found Takumi to be behaving.
Takumi held the stance that Sati showed him and after a few seconds, he couldn't help but smile. "This is actually pretty cool! I feel...I don't know exactly."
"That's kinda the idea. You don't have to worry about overthinking anything. Just let things flow naturally, free like the wind."
"I think I get it. So uh, what next?" he asked.
"Now, let's try some arm movements. With this one, you want to keep your arms wide and loose. Try not to stiffen up and keep your muscles relaxed. Usually, we use this move to generate tornadoes. The more airbenders moving in conjunction with each other, the larger the tornado we can make!" she gleefully explained.
"But...I can't bend," Takumi replied with a brief smile and disappointed slouch.
"So what?" she asked, laying a supportive and gentle hand on his shoulder. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't get to learn the techniques! The Air Nomads help all people, benders and non-benders," she recited proudly.
"Wow, that's so cool," he smiled.
"I'm afraid that's all I can do today, Takumi. I need to get something to eat for myself and my air bison. But if you'd like, I'll be here tomorrow if you want to learn more!"
"Thanks! This was a lot of fun. It was nice meeting you, Sati," he said, extending his hand to shake hers.
"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Takumi!" Sati smiled back, shaking his hand as well. The two went their separate ways as Takumi reunited with Rai by the building she had been hiding behind.
"Way to play it cool," she remarked sarcastically.
"What?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"You're lucky she was so dense that she couldn't see you were so obviously hiding something. But," she said, cracking a brief smile, "you did good. I saw enough so I can take it from here." Rai began walking away, but Takumi spoke up.
"But, she said she'd be available for lessons tomorrow."
She stopped and looked at him from the corner of her eye over her shoulder. "Do I need to repeat myself?"
"Oh, come on. You haven't even seen her bend yet. At least wait for that? Plus, I dunno, but I feel like I'm even learning something," he muttered, nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
"If you want to go and learn airbending movements from her, that's your business. I won't stop you."
"Where will you be?" he asked as she walked away.
"Where else? Back at camp," she replied, not even turning around.
Just as Rai turned to leave, she jumped at the sight of Sati standing right in front of her and yelped in surprise. She quickly calmed herself and regained her composure while Sati stood there with her arms crossed and her face lit with a warm smile. "You know, if you wanted to learn too, you could have joined your friend here."
"Wah! Sati?!" Takumi exclaimed in shock.
"Hi, Takumi," she greeted, giving him a friendly wave before turning back to hardened and stoic Rai.
"Pass, now excuse me," she grunted, pushing Sati aside and pulling her hood over her head as she continued back through the marketplace.
Sati glanced back at Takumi with that same smile while he looked back and forth between both girls with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Uh, Rai. Wait for me!" he cried, jogging after Rai, while moving around Sati.
Back at their camp just beyond the edge of the town, Rai was practicing the movements she watched Sati and Takumi perform while Takumi simply watched her from the side. She wasn't airbending yet, but rather only practicing the movements to better remember and refine them to her fighting preference. "That Sati," he whispered to himself, "Did she know the whole time?"
"What was that?" Rai called, stopping her practice after just barely hearing Takumi say something.
"Oh, uh, nothing! Sorry to disturb you," he called back.
"Whatever," she scoffed, returning to her practice. As she practiced the wide arm movements, she had difficulty keeping her arms relaxed as Sati had suggested to Takumi. She was far more used to the stiff and strong movements in earth and firebending and she had managed to incorporate that into airbending, but all she managed to accomplish in that art was sudden bursts of air. The free flowing and relaxed movements were just so… foreign to her. She was pulled from her focus when she heard a twig snap nearby. Over the years, she had developed a very acute sense of hearing, always on alert for a potential attack. It made falling asleep very difficult. She had become such a light sleeper that the slightest sound was enough to rouse her. She stood still, not wanting to tip off their would-be ambushers that she was on to them. She stomped her foot on the ground, reading the seismic waves. 'Three,' Rai counted. She turned to Takumi and called out to him. "Takumi, come over here!"
"Why?" he asked.
"Just come over here!" she shouted more urgently.
Takumi sighed and got up from where he was sitting. "What?" he asked once he reached her. Rai quickly pushed Takumi behind her as she kicked her heel into the ground, sending a shockwave into the earth as a ridge of rocks rose up from the ground towards the thick trees that surrounded their camp. Three men cloaked in black, obscuring their faces, emerged from the cover of the trees brandishing weapons in their hands. The two in front wielded a pair of daggers and meteor hammer respectively while the third behind them had a bow at the ready.
"Get to cover!" she shouted quickly, jumping forward to engage the attackers while Takumi took cover behind a tree. He peeked out from behind the trunk protecting him and watched Rai fight the three attackers simultaneously.
She raised an earth barrier, shielding herself from the arrows shot by the third attacker. However, her barrier was broken by the meteor hammer as Rai backflipped away to avoid the blow. She saw the dual dagger wielding attacker advance towards her from the corner of her eye and quickly kicked three boulders up from the ground and kicked them towards him. He swiped two away, chipping at the rocks with his daggers, but the third struck him right in the chest, knocking him back. She heard the clinking of the chain behind her and just stepped back in time to avoid the brutish strike of the meteor hammer. As the assailant pulled the meteor hammer back and swung it over his head, preparing to throw it again, Rai metalbent the chain, pulling the attacker off his feet and pushing him into a nearby tree as the chain went around the trunk, securing him in place.
"Rai, look out!" she heard Takumi call. Rai whipped around in time to see the archer firing arrows at her, which she blocked with another earth barrier. Haku snarled angrily and spun around, knocking the archer to the ground with his thick tail. She pushed her foot into the ground, sending a fissure of earth directly at the archer. The earth directly beneath his feet suddenly shot up, catapulting the archer into the air as his bow and quiver of arrows fell to the ground.
"Fall back!" the dagger wielding one called as the archer roughly fell through the tree canopies while the bound attacker got loose from his bonds. Rai was ready to pursue them, but noticed a piece of paper they had dropped in their retreat.
"Do you think they were with the slavers?" Takumi asked, rushing to her side.
"Not quite. It looks these men were here for you," Rai said, handing Takumi the paper, which to his shock was a picture of himself.
"They were after me?" he asked in shock, taking the picture in his hands to examine it.
"Seems like being out of the city isn't enough to satisfy your father," she commented.
"I can't believe he wants me out of the picture so- Oh my god!" he exclaimed.
"What?"
"Y-you're hurt!" Takumi shouted, pointing at the small throwing knife that was plunged into her arm, crimson blood soaking into the gold yellow fabric of her shirt. He watched in shock and awe as she effortlessly pulled the knife from her arm, not even hissing or flinching at the pain. "You can heal that with waterbending, right?" he asked.
"I don't waterbend," she said firmly. Haku moved over to Rai and sniffed the bloody wound on her arm, carefully licking the blood away to clean the wound. Rai pulled a small satchel from one of the packs on Haku's saddle. She set it down on a large rock as she began taking off her pink and green wrap, quickly followed by her gold, floral shirt, leaving her only in a mustard yellow tank top. Takumi gasped quietly as his hand quickly flew to his mouth. Nearly every inch of her arms and shoulders were covered in old, faded scars. He was so distracted by staring at all her scars that he hadn't noticed Rai had already cleaned the blood from her arms and even stitched up the wound all by herself. He was doubly amazed that she managed to do it all by herself, not even visibly bothered by the pain.
"D-do you need any help?" Takumi asked as he watched her trying to wrap a bandage around her arm.
"Sure," she replied, handing him the roll. "Not too tight," she cautioned as Takumi began to wrap the bandage around her arm.
"How's that?" he asked, leaning back as he finished tying the bandage.
"Not bad," she replied. She reached for her floral shirt and, after washing it clean of blood in a nearby stream, began sewing a patch of dark green fabric over the hole. When she finished, she put her shirt and wrap back on.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Takumi asked.
"It's just a scratch. I've had worse," she replied casually.
"And here I thought we were done with these goons," Takumi sighed, kicking the dirt.
"It seems that your father really wants you dead. He might send more after this." As Rai said that, Takumi's eyes drifted over to the bow and arrow dropped by one of their attackers. "What are you doing?" she asked as he went over to the fallen weapon and picked it up.
"Well, I couldn't afford the one in the market," he said, pulling back on the bowstring to test its quality. "Every time we get attacked or in a fight, you're the one who has to do all the work while I run or hide. I want to be more useful," he said sincerely with a smile.
"Heh," Rai chuckled, cracking a smile of her own. "Then why don't you go get us something to eat? All that fighting has made me work up an appetite," she said, shooting a fireball at the pile of firewood they had gathered beforehand.
"So it's true…"
Rai and Takumi turned around sharply upon hearing a new voice. From beyond the bushes emerged a familiar Air Nomad with bright blue eyes and an eager smile on her face.
"S-Sati? What are you doing here?!" Takumi exclaimed in shock. He quickly noticed Rai stiffen as she shifted into an attack ready stance, holding the position strong despite the injury she had sustained just moments ago.
"It's really you!" Sati beamed excitedly, marching up to Rai. "I knew you were out there somewhere, but I never thought I'd be the one to find you!" Sati bent down to her knees and bowed respectfully to Rai.
However, Rai only responded to this act with a vicious glare. "Stop that!" she spat. Sati looked up from her kneeled position, her smile almost gone and replaced with a frown of unpleasant surprise and concern.
"Uh...Rai? She's just showing admiration," Takumi said, trying to diffuse the tension.
"Save for someone who actually wants it! You didn't see anything, you hear me?" she whispered to Sati threateningly.
"Wh-Wha...?" Sati stammered in shock.
"Did I stutter?" Rai narrowed her eyes viciously.
"Well, n-no. But-" Sati began, rising to her feet. "You're the Avatar, the one chosen to bring peace between the spirits and our world. I have to inform-"
"You so much as say a word about this to anyone and I will end you!" Rai shouted angrily, whipping her arms out as the metal plates on her bracers suddenly extended into long blades over her forearm and hands. .
"Whoa, whoa, Rai! Isn't that a little harsh?" Takumi asked. He looked at Sati and was shocked to see a completely different side to her, one more timid and scared.
"I've worked hard for my quiet life of anonymity and I won't have it be ruined by one giddy little airbender! You seem to be forgetting that I gave you a similar ultimatum the night I saved your life."
"You would threaten a child?" Sati cried in shock.
"Hey!" Takumi protested. "You're like a day older than me!"
"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, either of you. Please forgive me, Avatar…" Sati said, standing up straight and bowing forward with her hands together.
"Don't call me that!" Rai snapped.
"But you are the Avatar! Where have you been all this time? Why have you not come forward?"
"Not important. We're leaving," Rai said to Takumi, completely ignoring Sati. Rai got onto Haku and the duo left, followed closely by Kiwi and Takumi. However, as the two creatures rode off with their respective riders, Rai soon noticed Sati walking right beside them and keeping pace. Haku stopped as Rai turned around to address her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Well, you said we're leaving, didn't you?" she chuckled. Takumi couldn't help but let out a small snicker under his breath, but it didn't go unnoticed by Rai.
Rai growled under her breath, "I didn't mean you! Now get lost!"
"Sorry, but you've presented me with a once in a lifetime opportunity. How many Air Nomads can claim that they were the ones to discover the Avatar? As an Air Nomad, it is my duty to assist you in your duties of upholding balance. Plus, I doubt you'd actually kill a face as cute as mine," she said with her big blue eyes, "So I'm coming along!" she asserted, strutting proudly ahead of the Rai and Takumi.
Rai growled again and raised her fist, encasing Sati's lower legs in earth. "Let me make myself clear. I have nor ever will have any intention of becoming the Avatar. The way I see it, the world doesn't need the Avatar anymore and I have no interest in the job. You and your Nomads can do whatever they want as long as they don't interfere with my life!" When she finished, Haku took off with incredible speed into the distance. Takumi followed her lead, trailing a bit behind.
However, it wasn't long before he saw Sati zooming by him and catching up to Rai on an air scooter. Rai looked to her right in shock as their eyes met. "You like it?" she asked motioning to the air scooter and not losing the smile on her face. "Learned it from reading up on your predecessor. I can teach you more, you know."
"I said get lost!" Rai yelled, blowing a gust of wind while riding Haku in an attempt to knock Sati off, but she easily recovered on another air scooter.
"Not a bad attempt, but it could use some work," she complimented. Rai tried again, this time with firebending, her anger and annoyance fuelling the flames. But Sati simply leapt off the air scooter with the grace of a dancer, flipping and twirling until she landed firmly on the ground directly in front of Rai and Haku. The large lizard stopped in shock at this sudden act, leaving Rai and Sati to make eye contact once again. Still smiling, Sati said, "But I can see that you're starting to get serious, not to mention a bit more fun. So how about a friendly wager?"
"A wager?" Rai asked, eyebrow cocked in confusion.
"Yes, I do so love a good game every now and then. I challenge you to a duel, Avatar. First one to be knocked on her behind loses."
"Why would I even agree to this?"
"Well, it is obvious you can't catch me, and I doubt you're as cold hearted as you claim. So forgive me if I am not threatened by you. If I were to inform the other Nomads…" Sati trailed, letting the thought hang as Rai's glare intensified. "I knew it. But okay, I see you're not one for some theatrics. Sheesh, on top of teaching you airbending, I'm gonna have to teach you to smile more often. Anyway, here. Are. My. Terms!" she declared, posing dramatically.
"Oh, this should be good," Takumi muttered to himself.
"If you win, I return to my quiet life as an Air Nomad, you never hear from me again, and whenever someone comes asking about any possible Avatar sightings, I will feign ignorance."
"And if you win?"
"If I win, I get to travel with you and your companion...AND become YOUR teacher in the art of smiles and airbending!" she proclaimed, pointing dramatically at Rai. "What say you, Avatar?" she asked with the same smile, but with a bit more confidence in her eyes.
"Rai?" Takumi asked.
"I just washed my shirt, so I'd rather not get my clothes all bloody again, so if this is the only way to get rid of you, then fine," Rai agreed, stepping off Haku. She stepped forward, opposite of Sati in the small clearing they had stopped in as both girls took a battle ready stance. Rai and Sati circled each other, with Rai taking a serious fighting stance coupled with a hardened glare while Sati was far more relaxed and sported an excited smile.
Rai was the first to make a move, thrusting her arm forward to unleash a fireball, but Sati easily dissipated it with a gentle gust of wind. She tried to attack with the earth next, stomping her foot into the ground and raising pillars of rock towards Sati. Instead, Sati used the momentum of the rising earth to launch herself into the air. Rai then began attacking with gusts of air occasionally switching to launching small boulders while Sati effortlessly used her airbending to jump from tree to tree. As Sati leapt from tree to tree, she blew vertical and horizontal blades of wind towards Rai, who simply brought her hand down perpendicular to each blade, slicing through them. Rai raised her arm to strike Sati with a fireball, but a sharp pain shot through her arm from the wound the had received only moments before. She dropped her arm, unable to complete her attack as Sati blasted her with a swirling vortex of wind. The air struck her right in the chest and knocked Rai onto her back.
"You are beaten! I WIN! YIPEE!" Sati squealed as she jumped up and down in glee.
Rai angrily pushed herself off the ground, unable to say anything as her hand went to her arm, gently cupping the wound to try and ease the sharp pain. Takumi ran over to her in worry, but she gently pushed him back. "I'm fine," she insisted.
"You rely too much on your rage in a fight. That is why you were beaten. Oh, this is going to be so exciting! Me, traveling with the Avatar! It's going to be so much fun traveling the world and helping people and helping you become a fully realized-"
"ENOUGH!" Rai shouted, causing both Takumi and Sati to flinch at her sudden outburst. "You won this little wager, yes, but all that means is you get to travel with me and teach me airbending. But I have no intention of ever becoming your 'fully realized Avatar'. I never asked to be the Avatar so why should I accept a role that I didn't even want? I don't want to hear another word from you about how I should 'come forward', do I make myself clear, Air Nomad?" she whispered grimly.
"Y-yes ma'am," she squeaked. "The name's Sati. I believe I heard Takumi call you 'Rai'?" she asked, extended a hand for a handshake.
Rai ignored this gesture and darkly whispered, "And don't ever call me 'Avatar'."
"I won't have to now that I know your name, Rai," she said with a smile.
"You're not riding with me, let me make that clear," Rai said seriously.
"That won't be a problem!" Sati smiled. She pulled a white whistle from behind her back and blew into it, generating a low hum. Then, a large air bison appeared over the canopy of trees and landed with a great thud. "This is Daisy," Sati introduced, rubbing the large black nose of the air bison affectionately. "I think she's very excited to be traveling with you guys."
Daisy bellowed loudly and licked Rai's arm and face. "Ugh, disgusting!" Rai shook her arm to whip off the thick saliva that cling to her before wiping her face with a cloth.
"Wow, she's huge!" Takumi said in awe.
Rai simply scoffed as Haku turned away and the continued down their path. Takumi caught up next to her on Kiwi as Sati flew on Daisy above them. "Well, look at the bright side, at least this way you can make sure she doesn't tell anyone about you."
And with that, one more joins the group! Once again I must give a big thank you to my friend Powershade117 for his help with this chapter. We joked about this earlier, but it's pretty much true now, so I might as well just call him my co-author XD
Next chapter: Rai begins her airbending training with Sati, but the student doesn't respond well to her teacher's methods.