"Did you see his eyes?! They glowed green!" Sokka exclaimed. Aang scowled, trying to focus on nothing but his breath.
"Calm down Sokka. That always happens when Danny goes into the spirit world," Sam assured him.
"Really?" Katara inquired. Aang violently sighed before returning to his breath. He needed quiet. It was hard enough without being watched and trying to ignore a rather interesting conversation. He heard Katara hiss at Sokka to be quiet and he fought to keep his face relaxed. He took another deep breath and began to relax into the familiar meditation position.
A few minutes later, Aang felt a presence hovering over him. Then he was roughly grabbed by the arm and pulled to his feet. His eyes snapped open and he turned to who had grabbed him, annoyed. But his annoyance vanished when he saw Danny standing there. His eyes were glowing a bright green and he was smiling at him.
"Took you long enough," he remarked. Aang frowned before he glanced down at the fire and noticed that no one had moved including himself and Danny.
"So, that's all I needed?" Aang asked sceptically. Danny chuckled.
"Not exactly. Now you can astral project again. Come on, maybe you'll notice something at the shrine that I missed," Danny suggested. Aang raised an eyebrow.
"But what about the others?" Aang began. Danny shook his head.
"They'll be fine. Sam and Tucker are used to me disappearing off for hours at a time. Besides, they can handle anything that happens at the camp. Trust me," Danny replied. Aang ran after Danny.
"So, what's the difference between entering the spirit world and astral projecting?" Aang asked after a long silence. The camp fire had disappeared from view long ago. Danny glanced at him.
"You don't know the difference? Didn't the monks or Guru Pathik explain it?" Danny inquired.
"How do you know about Guru Pathik?" Aang retorted surprised. Danny laughed.
"Spirits. I checked in on you through the spirits the day before you "died" at Ba Sing Se," Danny answered.
"Oh, no. No one explained anything to me about all this spirit stuff. I didn't even know how to communicate with them until I met Hei Bai and it took me an entire day and help from Roku to get back in my body," Aang admitted. Danny nodded.
"I get it. Well, to answer your question, astral projection is releasing your spirit from your body to leave it behind and like now, explore. Entering the spirit world is similar except you leave the living world behind completely. It's easier to do at spiritual places like shrines or temples. If you can astral project, you can usually enter the spirit world," Danny explained.
Aang bit his lip and glanced at Danny.
"I guess you're disappointed," Aang ventured. Danny frowned and turned to Aang.
"What do you mean?" Danny inquired. Aang shrugged.
"You hear stories of what the world was like before the war and heard about all-powerful and wise avatars. Then you get to become a replacement for the avatar and I come back. Then you run around putting your neck on the line for me and when you finally meet me, I'm a kid and can't even do my own job," Aang guessed bitterly. Danny smiled.
"Couldn't be further from the truth Aang. I never wanted any of this. I may not have fought in the war but I'm happy that I could help," Danny replied. Aang blinked in surprise.
"So you aren't disappointed? It's okay to say if you are, I mean people usually are when they expect some powerful avatar and get a kid," Aang prompted. Danny laughed.
"Aang, I'm not disappointed. I'm honoured to meet you. I've heard about what you've done. The stories are impressive. Besides after a hundred years missing, I consider myself lucky to get to see the end of the war and play a part in helping the returning avatar, honest," Danny answered.
Aang scowled in thought, absorbing the meaning behind those words.
"How did you learn all this stuff? Did you have a teacher or something?" Aang asked. Danny shook his head.
"Not exactly. The first few months I spent learning how to control my abilities like I said and slipping in and out of the spirit world and astral projection. After that I started to explore the village and surrounding woods and fields while astral projecting. I came across a shrine and accidently got sucked into the spirit world. It took me ages to find a helpful spirit that could explain things to me. Spirits don't really go by names unless the names are important. Like Raava and Vaatu or Koh and Hei Bai. Anyway, the spirit explained to me where I was, how to get out and what I was. By the time I got back, apparently I had been meditating for two days. I got into a lot of trouble once I explained myself," Danny recalled with a sad smile. Aang gave him a sympathetic smile.
"You can't blame yourself for what happened to your village Danny. I blamed myself for what happened to the Air Nomads and the world because of the war. I blamed myself for Monk Gyatso's death. But you can't live if you keep thinking about what you should have done, what you could have done differently. By doing that, you're taking away any bravery your village had when they faced those fire-benders," Aang informed him softly. Danny glanced at him.
"And you say you're not wise and powerful?" Danny commented. Aang smirked and rubbed his bald head and shrugged. Danny sighed.
"I understand what you're saying Aang. But I guess I still blame myself. If I had warned them sooner or stayed then maybe more of the villagers and maybe my family might have survived," Danny confessed. Aang smiled comfortingly, this was something Danny had to come to terms with in his own time.
They came to a stop and Danny motioned a small stone statue in front of him.
"This is the shrine. Not much I know but this is it," Danny announced. Aang frowned at the statue.
"How did you even find it?" Aang muttered. Danny laughed.
"Lots of searching. This is what I've been doing all afternoon," Danny answered. Aang nodded and approached it. He examined the statue, trying to brush dust or leaves away a few times only to grumble in annoyance when his hand passed through it.
Aang turned back to Danny and shrugged.
"I can't see anything here. Might be able to see more tomorrow and in person," Aang admitted. Danny nodded.
"That's what I planned to do. But you see there," Danny replied and pointed to a small alcove in the statue. Aang nodded.
"I think it might be a candle holder. Might be worth lighting a candle and putting it there. The spirit was angry about its dying fire. Maybe giving it actual fire might help," Danny suggested. Aang frowned.
"Think that will work?" Aang inquired. Danny half-shrugged.
"Stuff like that has worked in the past. One spirit destroyed a farm because the farmer forgot to put an offering in its shrine. Luckily I was in the area and I stopped the spirit destroying the crops entirely and settled the miscommunication," Danny answered. Aang nodded thoughtfully.
"It's worth a try. So, do you mind if me and my friends join you at your camp tonight? I mean it's too dark now to find somewhere else to camp," Aang requested. Danny shook his head.
"Not a problem but I wouldn't be surprised if our friends have already sorted that out. You're welcome to bring Appa too," Danny answered. Aang grinned and they began the long trek back to the camp fire and their bodies.
A little bonding between Aang and Danny.
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Until the next chapter.