Chapter 3

A huge crowd had gathered around by the pond in the central mountain, it looked like a real event. They found Liane hopping from foot to foot, her eyes darting back and fourth.

"I can't believe it!" She cried out when she saw them. "Those little kids from the Southern Air Temple are going to do a show! They're just seven!"

Kaiee groaned. "It's those kids? I'm sorry I came."

"Is there anything wrong with them?"

"No, no, it's just…" she was cut off the by the soft ringing of bells, as Monk Gyatso and the five benders marched onto a clear area in the courtyard. They all looked a little worn out, all except one, a bright-eyed kid with a round head and big ears. He was spinning a marble between his fingers and craning his neck to see the crowd. He caught Kaiee's eye and waved, like he knew her. Kaiee looked away, embarrassed, and made a little face at Halay.

"Yeah? What is it?"

Kaiee motioned towards the boy with her head. "That kid just waved at me. Who is he?"

"Huh?" Liane asked, looking over. "Oh, that's Aang. He's supposed to be really good, he's already on the sixteenth step."

"I think I heard about him…" Kaiee hesitated, "but he's so young!"

"They all are."

With another ring of the bell, Monk Gyatso stepped back, and the boys began to perform. First two of the not so good students did some basic forms, but still, it was smooth and strong, they're motions beautiful and unfaltering. Next another two boys rode air currents on their gliders, swirling off the balcony and doing some flips. Kaiee was impressed; it was hard to remember that these boys were so young. Then Aang went. It was spectacular, the way he swooped on his glider, sending tunnels of air around the crowd, jumping from the balcony and rising back up on just his breath.

The younger girls gasped happily and ran over when he had finished, flushed with excitement and clamoring for a conversation. Liane rolled her eyes, and when the noise had subsided, she and Halay started to leave.

"You coming, Kaiee?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, "Yeah."

But just as she was starting to turn, the little boy ran over excitedly.

"Are you Kaiee?"

She looked down at him in shock. "Y-yeah, I'm Kaiee."

"Oh, I saw you with the bison the other day. You're the one who asked Monk Gyatso for help with your bending a while ago, right?"

She blushed furiously, "Yeah…but I'm getting better."

"I know, Gyatso told me all about you. He's a great teacher, isn't he?"

"He told you about me?" she blushed harder, "Yeah, he's a good teacher. And you're a good student; you did great."

It was Aang's turn to blush now. "I'm not all that. Monk Gyatso's just really good. So…" the boy's eyes started to glitter and he leaned in closer, "any tips on bison? Which one should I pick? Are they really fun? What do they eat? Do they take training? Should I name mine Gyanai or Appa? Is Appa a bad name? Will my bison hate me? Oh my god, what if he hates me???"

Kaiee blinked and pushed Aang back to arms length. "Okay, calm down. Why are you asking me this?"

Aang sighed deeply. "Because, I see you with the bison all day, and so you obviously know a lot about them. What's yours called?"

"Oh…" she blinked again, "I don't have one. I mean, not yet. But I do know a lot about them…"

Aang looked disappointed, but nodded. "Okay, so any tips?"

"Well," Kaiee thought for a second. "Bison have five stomachs, so they eat a lot, but they're really sweet. No, you don't need to train them, and they eat anything and everything…you have to clean out between their toes. They have sixteen toes, so that's a lot."

"Anything else?"
"You should play with them all the time, and they do like getting names. Appa's a good name. You'll have a lot of fun, and the rest will come naturally. Don't be nervous."

"I'm not nervous!"

Kaiee grinned. " 'course you're not!"