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Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: My cultural framework for naming a sky-bison would probably be very different if I were an Air Nomad in their world rather than British in this one. Maybe something generic like Fluffy. Or maybe Swiftsure.

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Yue found Taiyo alone in the camp, sitting against a tree. He had got himself cleaned up since they had returned from the battlefield, and was now wearing a white uniform like those Jet's soldiers wore. His hair was still wet, and he had a towel in his hands. He looked up and saw her as she approached.

"Oh, hello."

"Are you alright?" Yue asked.

"Fine," Taiyo told her. "Just getting used to the new look. And to being free again."

"Jet based that uniform on me," Yue told him. "I didn't tell him to."

"Sure," Taiyo leaned against the tree and smirked at her. "Of course you had everyone dress like you."

He didn't say anything for a second.

"Thank you," he said. "Again. For everything. For giving me a second chance and making sure I didn't have the dam on my conscience."

"You're welcome," Yue shifted. "Actually, I've come to ask you a favour."

"Oh? The mighty Avatar needs me? What for?"

"Nobody's called me mighty before," Yue smirked.

"Haven't they?"

"Not unironically."

"Oh," Taiyo nodded. "Well, in that case they still haven't."

Yue frowned at that, but pressed on.

"Remember when I said I needed an earthbending teacher?"

Taiyo nodded.

"I know a few teachers in my home town," he said, "but I haven't been there since I got conscripted. They might have left, or..."

"No," Yue interrupted him. "I wasn't asking for recommendations. I was asking you. Come with me. Travel the world, teach me earthbending, and help me beat the Fire Nation."

Taiyo blinked. He was so surprised he dropped the towel he had been holding on the ground, where it lay, forgotten.

"...Me?"

"Yes, you," Yue leaned against the tree.

"But... Taiyo looked like he was flailing. "Why me? You're all Princes and Princesses and elite warriors. I'm the son of a blacksmith."

"Look, I don't care about your social status," Yue told him. "I care about your earthbending abilities."

"Have you even seen me earthbend?"

"Once," Yue admitted. "But I know you can do it. The Fire Nation wouldn't have chosen you for their dam mission otherwise. And I believe... I believe our meeting was foretold."

The earthbender didn't look sure.

"I... don't know," he said. "This is a big responsibility. You're the Avatar. You can get any teacher you want. Every master in the land will be tripping over themselves to teach you."

"Then why aren't you?"

"Because I'm not a master," Taiyo told her.

"You said you were decent before," Yue pointed out.

"I am decent," Taiyo folded his arms. "But I think the teacher of the Avatar has to be a bit better than decent, don't they?"

"You know I've only ever earthbent once," Yue told him. "And that was on instinct. I know you can help me. You'll be a great addition to the Yuad."

"The Yuad?" Taiyo frowned. "What's the Yuad?"

"Oh, it's- it's our group," Yue explained, feeling increasingly sheepish as she continued. "It's Sokka's special name for us. My name, Yue, plus 'squad.'"

"Oh." Taiyo didn't look like he knew what to do with this information.

"Alright," Yue gestured to him. "Teach me."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now. Just something basic. And then you'll know if you can be a teacher."

She extended a hand to him.

"Please?"

Taiyo got up and stretched.

"Alright," he said. "If you insist."

He stepped away from the tree and turned to face her.

"Alright, first..." he thought for a moment. "First you're going to want to get in a proper stance. Like this."

He demonstrated by standing with his feet apart and lowering his stance slightly. Yue copied him.

"Is this right?"

"Looks fine to me!" Taiyo told her. "Now, what do you want to do?"

"Just... move a rock, to start with."

Taiyo moved his hand, causing a small crack to form in the ground, out of which a small pebble floated. He reached out and caught it, holding it in his outstretched palm in front of Yue.

"Move this rock," he told her. "Away from me, obviously."

Yue focussed on the rock, closing her eyes and imagining it sat there. Then she brought her hand up and flicked her wrist.

She opened her eyes again. Nothing had happened.

She frowned.

"Why didn't that work?"

"I think your arm movement was wrong," Taiyo told her. "You're not supposed to flick your wrist, do it more like this."

He demonstrated a technique which seemed to involve straightening the elbow rather than flicking the wrist. Yue assumed her bending stance again and fixed her eyes on the pebble.

"Alright," she said. "Let's try this then..."

She did her best to replicate Taiyo's arm movement this time, keeping her wrist more still.

"It moved!" Taiyo cheered.

This was news to Yue.

"It did? It didn't look like it..."

"It definitely trembled," Taiyo said. "I felt it. Look, maybe try again."

Yue did. Nothing seemed to happen. She tried again, and again, and again, until finally, just as she was beginning to lose hope, the stone wrenched itself out of Taiyo's hand and slammed itself against a tree with a sudden cracking sound that made them both jump.

"You did it!" Taiyo told her happily.

"We did it!" Yue corrected him. "See, you can do this teaching thing!"

"Maybe I can," Taiyo said. He seemed to be weighing up his options, looking around as if deep in thought. He didn't say anything for a while. Yue just let him think, knowing that the moment of decision had come.

Finally, Taiyo's face set. He turned to her.

"Alright," he said. "If you want me to teach you, I'll do my best."

"You'll come with us?"

"I'll come with you," Taiyo nodded. "I'll be a part of the 'Yuad'.

Yue hugged him.

"Thank you," she said into his ear.

"Don't mention it," came the slightly muffled reply. "I just hope I can live up to your expectations."

Together, the two of them turned around and walked back towards Jet's command tent, where the rest of the Yuad were waiting. Yue felt elated, and relieved, as if a huge weight had been taken off. She finally had the earthbending teacher she had been looking for since she had left the South Pole to liberate Kyoshi Island. Now the real work of becoming a proper Avatar could begin.