The night was perfect. Shou couldn't help thinking that the spirits wanted him to go and find a master. His shadow stretched out before him, flickering as the flames of the bonfire danced behind him. This was what he'd been waiting for, he stepped forwards and his shadow lengthened pulling him in the direction he needed to go.

Walking away from his village was nerve racking, the familiar sights were distorted in the dark. He carried on, having walked the path a thousand times he could have walked backwards. Soon he would get past the edge of his world into the world of strange tales that he had longed to see for so long.

He stoped near a small cottage that had belonged to a playmate years ago. The hut was deserted but he knew the significance of it. Another few meters and he would be out of the village. These steps would make his decision final. He lifted his chin and took one step, then another, at a run he made the final leap. He was through, it was happening, his heart leaped at the thought yet he didn't look back, it was to painful, everything he had ever known was gone and he wasn't coming back. He continued on and at the curve of the road he glanced over his shoulder, the last sight he got was a flicker of flame and then nothing, a tree had obstructed his view.

The forest was dark and mysterious, the leaves seemed to reach out to brush Shou as he walked. He could hear the high pitched call of wolf bats as they flew over head and wished he had more than a hunting knife to defend himself. Pulling his pack further onto his shoulders he trudged on.

Shou walked all night, he needed to put as much space between him and Shon Yu as he could before morning. It wasn't unusual for children to no come back until the morning of the spring fair, but when he was still missing at noon people would start to worry.

Finally in the soft morning light Shou came upon another village. The swinging sign told him that it was called Min Mura. Shou lifted his head and tried his best to look confident as he walked in. He nodded at a few people that showed him interest and made his way to the stable.

"Hello," he said, slightly startled at how small his voice sounded, "I would like to buy an Ostrich Horse."

The man stared at him hard, obviously trying to decide if the small boy in front of him was worth his time.

"How much you got?" he said shortly, "You need five silver pieces for my fully grown animals."

Shou looked doubtfully into his purse, he had thought that they would be a bit cheaper.

"I have two silver and 7 copper pieces, what can I get for that?" he said. Wincing as the vendor laughed.

"You know what kid, I like you, I can give you and old fire nation Dragon Moose for the tow silver and that nice looking bow you've got there," He said with a smile.

Shou thought about it for a second, transportation was definitely more important than a bow, and he still had the snares.

"Make that one silver and 5 coppers and you've got a deal."

The vendor laughed again and handed over the Dragon Moose.

Back on the road Shou thought about his first day away from home. He had lost a bow and most of his money but bows could be easily made and there was nothing he could do about the money. He had gained a mount, which would be useful and make everything faster. He decided to name the Dragon Moose, Min after the town he had bought it in. Min was a light brown colour with a dark mane, he had small spikes running down the length of his spine and large ears. Shou decided that though Min was going to be a good companion, he was disappointed, the Dragon Moose that he had heard of had glorious antlers that they displayed proudly. The only antlers that Min had were furry little stubs protruding about ten centimetres from either side of his head.

As dusk approached Shou settled down to sleep. He had ridden through more small villages like Min Mura and had tried the inn at each but all were too expensive. Finally he had chose to camp, he settled on a place away from the villages in a small clearing. He couldn't be seen from the road but he could hear when other travellers came past. The caution he was undertaking surprised him but he assumed that it was safer not to be reckless, especially still so close to home. Sleep overcame him quickly, and he slept soundly.

Shou woke with a jolt and looked around, birds were chattering in the trees and Min was grazing on the grass. It was real, everything had actually happened. Shou didn't know how to feel, happy that he was finally perusing his dream of becoming an earth bender, or devastated that he had abandoned he family.

Instead of thinking he called Min and set of on the road again. He knew that no matter how long it took he would find a master and, in time become a master. So pointing towards Ba Sing Se, he felt that he had started his journey and there was no going back.