Chapter Five: The Master and the Avatar

Air
"Good. Avatar, try to follow what Yilai is doing. Match our movements," Abbess Jiyana was instructing her student. Two months later, Avatar Azuliona had still not quite gotten airbending, but Yilai had almost mastered all thirty-six tiers. She was working on the thirty-sixth while the Avatar tried to complete the sequences she was being shown. Zuli had progressed significantly since she had started, already having mastered twenty tiers.

"Like this, Zuli." Yilai showed her the sequence, and Zuli followed. It involved ducking and swerving around different things, and gusting air at her opponent, but the tricky part was making it fluid. If it wasn't fluid, then you could trip or be caught off guard, and you would lose.

Airbending was all about accepting what happens and moving past it, weaving it in with the predetermined. This part was the hardest part for Zuli. Letting go, and letting her body wander on the rhythm of air. She was used to focusing all of her energy on moves, and putting immense power into each; this forced the opponent to back down. However, Air was not like Fire in any way. The only way that Zuli had managed to master different parts of airbending was imagining herself as water. Besides fire, water was the easiest element for her. Many people had found it strange, as her natural opposite, but to Zuli, it felt right. It just felt normal.

Zuli took a deep breath and tried the sequence of moves as Kilona threw clumps of soil at her. She dodged and weaved, imaging herself as water. She was liquid, impossible to catch, flowing between the rocks in her stream. She kept this up until she got to Yilai, who was at the other end of the circular room.

"So? How did I do?" I think I did well." Zuli looked expectantly up at Yilai and Abbess Jiyana, waiting for criticism. Yilai gestured for Abbess Jiyana to go first, and stood to the side, thinking.

"You did well. That was only your third try, and you got all of the way here without getting hit. You stood up straight one or two times, and became rigid. But after those, you managed to get back into the flow. I think you should give it a couple more tries until you get it right. After that, depending on what time it is, we can work on some other techniques. Yilai, anything to add to that?"

"Not really. I think you did a good job Zuli, but you need to be even more fluid." Yilai offered her opinion while floating in the air. She was trying to master a complicated technique, and she was constantly practicing.

Yilai worked on her techniques, while Abbess Jiyana instructed Zuli. Kilona watched from a bench, her nose buried in a book.

From Yilai's Eyes
I practiced my airbending as Jiyana instructed Zuli. She had almost gotten it, but she needed to be more fluid, and open. I turned my head back to my practice. The thirty-sixth tier involved complicated techniques that were not even touched upon in the other tiers. I shot up on a column, riding the wind, until I was sixty feet above the ground. I walked around, shooting columns of air out of my soles as I stepped down into empty sky. It was exhilarating to be so high, and in control of everything around me. This must be what it is like for a waterbender swimming in the ocean, or a firebender bathing in flames of their own creation.

I walked around in the sky, combatting imaginary opponents. I imagined one of the columns as an earthbender, solid and rigid. I ducked and swerved, sending the occasional blast of air at the column, until I was right behind it. I would have done a kick in the back of their knee, but since it was stone, all that would accomplish was giving me a bruise.

I know that I will be getting my arrows soon; I have almost mastered all of the techniques used in the thirty-sixth tier, and all that is left is for Abbess Jiyana and the other elders to approve. That, and my anointment ceremony.

Tests
Abbess Jiyana strode forward until she was directly in front of Zuli and Yilai. "Who's first? The Avatar or the Airbending Prodigee?" At this point, no one denied that Yilai was a prodigee. Yilai hesitantly walked towards Jiyana.

"I'll go first." Yilai answered, raising her hand above her head.

"Actually, how about we test you together until the point where Azuliona has not trained. And then, Yilai, you will do it individually." She turned back over to face both of them, "First you must demonstrate proficiency in as many of the tiers as you have trained in. Yilai will be doing thirty-five, and then in front of all of the elders, the thirty-sixth. Azuliona, you will be doing them alongside Yilai until we get to the thirtieth, where you have not gotten to yet. Ok, let's go to the training gates and poles." Abbess Jiyana strode towards the airbending gates of doom and bruises. The first tiers were just getting the movement; the flow. The very first was the airbending gates.

Abbess Jiyana shot a fast moving burst of air at the gates to set them into motion. Yilai and Zuli walked towards it, each on different ends. They wove through it at the same time, avoiding both each other and the gates. It was incredible to watch.

They walked over to a set of poles, each thinner than a finger. They ran over the poles at the same time while Abbess Jiyana shot bursts of air at them. They never banged into each other or lost their balance when a pole fell.

They walked to and from different training areas, perfectly completing each task at the same time. This was until they got to the seventh tier. They would actually be air bending now. As they had walked by nuns and students alike, they had gathered quite a crowd watching the two perform their test. Now there was a massive crowd watching.

They shot bursts of air at different speeds, sizes, and forces. They contorted around flying objects, and calculated the air around them. They fought against each other, though there wasn't much fight. They dodged and ducked, adapting to their surroundings. They passed each tier with flying colors, quickly moving to the next. They only stopped to get a sip of water every now and then.

They kept going, on and on and on, until finally, they reached the thirtieth tier. Zuli had passed every tier up until then, and now she walked over and sat down next to Kilona. She thought she had done pretty well, considering she had only been training for two months in airbending.

She and the other students gazed with wonder up at Yilai, who was creating storms and funnels of air sixty feet above the ground. Yilai turned, and the entire thing moved with the slightest motion of her body. She was in complete control, unstoppable in her element. As she touched down onto the ground, her smile big and bright, Abbess Jiyana walked up to her. She kneeled in front of her student, her head bowed and her hands clasped in respect.

"You are a true Airbender, Master Yilai. It has been the honor of my lifetime to teach you. I expect you to do great things with your mastery, and I look forward to seeing you in two days time for your anointment." The other elders walked up behind the Abbess and bowed to Yilai, who was standing, shocked in front of them.

Zuli and Kilona ran up and hugged her with such force that they knocked Yilai to the ground.

"I can't wait to see those arrow's of yours, Master Yilai." Zuli smirked, but inside, she was truly happy for her friend.

The Ceremony
Zuli and Kilona took their seats in the front row of benches. Every single human who lived in the Western Air Temple, plus some others, seemed to be there, packing into the hall. On the raised platform in front of the attendees, stood the council of elders, a hooded Yilai, and the nuns who had been her airbending teachers previously to Abbess Jiyana. Yilai and Abbess Jiyana stood center stage, facing the crowd, with Yilai kneeling. The rest of the council of elders stood in a line to the right of Abbess Jiyana, while Yilai was on her left. Two long lines of incense burned, on at the front of the stage; one at the back. Yilai's previous airbending teachers stood in front of the line of incense that burned along the back of the stage.

"Today, you will witness Master Yilai, the youngest airbending master ever to be anointed at the Western Air Temple, reveal her arrows. She has constantly worked hard to achieve where she is today, and has helped the Avatar learn airbending. She stands trial to the fact that age means nothing if not backed by hard work. It has been an honor to teach you the final tiers of airbending." Abbess Jiyana bowed, her hands pressed together. One hand was a fist, and one was open. She raised her head, and stepped backwards.

Yilai stood up from where she had been kneeling in front of Abbess Jiyana and walked forward. The nuns standing at the back of the stage wove their hands, and bent the incense until it was swirling in a massive spiral in the air. It went by thousands of wind chimes, which tinkled in the breeze. Yilai brought her hands up to her chest, where the hooded cloak covering her was pinned. She undid the pin, and the cloak slid to the ground, revealing her with her new blue tattoos.Yilai was wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt, and plain orange pants. The robes that she would wear from now on were waiting for her in her room. Her arrows were a bright, sky blue, fairly plain, with only a single blue dot at the tip of the point on her forehead. In comparison, some of the nuns arrows around her had intricate patterns, each unique to the bearer.

"It is my honor to accept these arrows, the markings of my people. I will use my mastery to the benefit of everyone, not the wealth of my life. I have decided, along with Abbess Jiyana, that I will complete the Avatar's airbending training, and travel with her to the Water Tribe when she begins waterbending training. Thank you all." Master Yilai stepped down and walked over to Zuli, as everyone applauded.

"Avatar! Avatar Azuliona!" Two women in water tribe clothes shoved their way through the crowd until they were right in front of the Avatar.

"Who are you? What's wrong?" Zuli looked a little suspicious as she questioned them.

"Master, Avatar," the women bowed their heads in respect to Master Yilai and Avatar Azuliona, "There are riots in the capital of the Water Tribe. Kitala and I as well as many other female waterbenders had planned a series of peaceful protests. We want to be able to train in waterbending, at the very least healing if not fighting styles." The female who Team Avatar Zuli now knew to be a waterbender named Kitala continued where her companion left off.

"The Chief has responded by sending the army out to quell ‘the violence'! We were being peaceful, but now many of us are in prison, and only a couple escaped. We were sent to beg for the Avatar's aid, as you are a female who must learn waterbending. Please, Avatar, we need your help!"

"I... I don't know. I have to finish airbending training, and then waterbending-"

"You won't be able to learn waterbending if you don't come now!"Kitala argued.

"But..."

Kilona rested her hands on Zuli's shoulders, "Zuli. Yilai can teach you airbending at the North Pole. These people need your help, and it is your duty to them. Yilai, would that work?"

"It would work. Air is everywhere, not just at the two Air temples. And Kilona is right. The Water Tribe needs you." Zuli visibly conceded to her friends' judgement.

"Okay. But how will we get there? We need to get there as fast as possible, and I have a feeling that however you got here won't be fast enough." Zuli commented.

"Lucky for you, I am now a master airbender. When an Air nomad masters the thirtieth tier of airbending, you get to start training a sky bison. I wanted to keep it a surprise for you, but this is more important than any surprise. Her name is Ogluah, and she is full grown. I requested a teenage sky bison, instead of the usual baby, so by now she will be big enough to transport us to the North Pole. Will that work for you guys?" What they would do without Yilai, the others didn't know.

"Works for me, as long as I don't get airsick," Kilona offered her consent, "Zuli?"

"It will work. Will it work for you two?" Zuli turned to Kitala and her companion.

"Yes."

"Then everything's all set-"

"Wait! You guys are forgetting something." Abbess Jiyana ran towards them, hiding something behind her back.

"Well, two things, actually. Your clothes, and for Master Yilai, her robes. But most importantly, for Azuliona and Yilai," Abbess Jiyana drew her hands out from behind her back. She revealed two gliders, the wings folded up into the staff. "Your gliders. They will come in handy later. Remember my teachings, and travel safely, Team Avatar Zuli."

"Thank y- how did you know what our name is?" Zuli furrowed her brow and looked suspiciously at the Abbess.

"I know more than I let on, Avatar Azuliona," With this, Abbess Jiyana bowed and retreated from their line of sight.

"Everyone, meet me at the bison stables in five minutes. Be ready by then. Kitala and-"

"My name is Akatua." Akatua filled in the blank.

"Kitala and Akatua, follow the biggest bridge, and it should lead you to the bison stables. Wait there for us," Yilai explained.

The Journey
The three members of Team Avatar Zuli walked to the dormitory, while Kitala and Akatua walked towards the bison stables.

Zuli looked at her fire nation clothes. She had grown so much since she had last donned them, but it felt comforting to be back in them. Yilai changed into her new master robes in the bathroom. They had dark, bold colors, representing how the masters who wore them had put blood, sweat, and tears into what they became.

Kilona attached a sword sheath to her clothes when she got to the dormitory. She had been training under a master swordsman. She remembered what he had said the day before they left for the Western Air Temple

"Most of my fellow swordsmen would never train a girl to wield the sword, but I believe that you will become a master swordswoman. Keep up your training, and you will one day become a great master."

She had not practiced as much as she wished she had, but as she slid the sword into the sheath, she resolved to become a master. ''Yilai and Zuli will need it. And I need it. Just because I am not a bender does not mean I don't know how to protect myself.''

The three walked out of the dormitory, giving each other space to be alone with their thoughts. They walked to the bison stables, and Yilai led them to her bison, Ogluah. Kitala and Akatua were waiting beside an average-sized bison. This so-called sky bison was nuzzling Kitala and Akatua.

"Zuli, Kilona, this is Ogluah. Climb up, everyone." Yilai had plenty of practice getting on to sky bison, but the others, not so much. They hauled each other and the supplies up until everything was secured on Ogluah's saddle.

"Ogluah! Yip-yip!" Yilai sent Ogluah soaring into the air, and then they were off. To the water tribe. To Zuli's waterbending teacher. To Hikala, princess of the water tribe. To the future.