Legacy

Chapter 8

It was late evening when Appa finally landed on Air Temple Island. With a tired sigh, eight-year-old Tenzin airbent himself to the ground. They had flown for hours, so it felt nice to be on solid ground again.

Tenzin started towards the house, his father close behind. When he opened the door, the smell of dinner teased his nose, making his mouth water. His mother looked up at them.

"Oh, good. You're home. Tenzin, go on and wash up. I need to talk to your dad for a minute."

Tenzin nodded and walked to the bathroom. He turned on the water and stared at himself in the mirror. He was covered head to toe in dust, his clothes were ragged, and he looked exhausted; he needed a change of clothes, a good meal, and a good night sleep.

He cleaned himself up, then went into his room to change. He pulled a fresh set of robes on, then returned to the kitchen, where the rest of his family was already seated.

He took the remaining seat, and once he was situated, his father gave a blessing on the food. Afterwards, they ate in silence. Tenzin noticed that, while all this was happening, his two older siblings never once looked at him or showed any sign that they knew he was there.

"So," his mother said, breaking the silence. "How was it? Did you learn a lot?"

"Yeah," he said, giving her a weak smile."The temple was great. I can't believe Dad grew up there."

Bumi snorted slightly, exchanging a smirk with Kya. Katara frowned.

"What's so funny?" she said, putting her fork down.

Bumi shook his head. "Nothing."

Katara continued to glare at them, arms folded across her chest. Aang gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Katara, I'm sure it's nothing."

She continued to stare at them, but she visibly relaxed. "Fine."

The meal continued on in silence until the end. As soon as they were excused, Kya and Bumi ran upstairs and locked themselves in Bumi's room. Tenzin followed at a slower place, heading toward his own room. When he passed the door to Bumi's room, he heard his name. He stopped and pressed his ear to the door, listening intently. He couldn't make sense of what they were saying, so he shrugged it off and went into his room. He found his staff and grabbed it, then left his room, shutting the door behind him. He didn't stop at Bumi's door on the way out, though he still heard plenty of whispering. He just continued walking until he was outside.

He took a deep breath of the cool night air, snapped his glider open, and took off. As he glided through the air, a small smile appeared on his face. Not much could thrill the boy, but flying could do just that. He felt connected with the element.

Tenzin flew up to the top of the air temple and landed on an edge. He sank to a sitting position, placing his staff beside him. From his position, he could see the city, and Yue Bay stretched out before him. His gaze settled on his father's statue, standing proudly on a small island.

As he stared at the statue, he couldn't help but compare his father to himself. His father, who saved the world from the wrath of Fire Lord Ozai. His father, master of all four elements, the man who was bringing back the Air Nomad Traditions. His father was a hero; but what was he?

Tenzin yawned, cutting the thought off. He then flew down to the stables, seeking comfort from his best friend.

He found Oogi fast asleep, curled up with the other bison calves for warmth. The two year old bison was not the tiny calf he once was. He was bigger now, right in between the size of a calf and a full grown bison. Tenzin could barely climb on him without using airbending.

He walked up to his bison and set his hand on Oogi's head.

"Oogi? Wake up."

The bison grunted but didn't open his eyes.

"Hey, wake up." Tenzin rubbed the bison's head roughly.

Oogi opened one eye and stared at him briefly. He then lifted his head and yawned.

Tenzin smiled. "Hey, Pal. Would you mind having some company?"

Oogi grunted and licked his owner.
Tenzin smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He sat down by his bison and leaned against his shoulder, Oogi's soft fur tickling his face. He watched the moon rise over the city, and before he could stop himself, was fast asleep.

Oogi stared at his young master softly, and then he too laid his head down and went to sleep.

The next morning, Aang walked to the stables, whistling "Secret Tunnel" with Momo perched on his shoulder with a peach. He walked in and immediately headed towards Appa, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glance of red and yellow. He whipped his head back around and stared at the scene before him for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.

There in front of him, he saw his youngest son curled up with his bison, covered in hay, and fast asleep. Aang chuckled softly, shaking his head, as memories were brought to the surface of his mind.

He continued forward until he was next to his own bison. Appa woke up when he heard him approach and opened his eyes. Seeing it was his master, he licked the Avatar happily, and pulled himself to his feet with a low groan.

"Hush, Buddy!" Aang whispered, gesturing to Tenzin and Oogi in the corner. "You'll wake them up!"

Appa stared at them for a moment, then nudged Aang forward.

Aang grinned. "I know, I know. We gotta go."

He led his bison out and got everything loaded. Then he went in to say goodbye to his wife.

"Hey," he said when he walked in. "I'm leaving."

"Okay," she said, turning from the food she was preparing to face him. He pulled her into a hug and gave her a kiss. She smiled up at him.

"I'll see you later. Good luck."

He smiled back. "Thanks. Love you."

"Love you, too." she said, turning back to her work.

When Aang got to the door, he paused.

"Oh, Katara?"

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know, Tenzin's out with Oogi."

She paused, turning to stare at him. "This early? Why?"

"I think he spent the night out there."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so if-when-he comes in covered with hay, dirt, and bison hair, take it easy on him. I remember doing the same thing with Appa."

She rolled her eyes at the last statement. "Why am I not surprised?"

He just grinned back. "Hey, we had the best sleepovers ever!"

"Why in the world did the monks let you do that?"

"They didn't know."

"Of course they didn't."

Aang just laughed at her disgruntled expression.

"Okay, I've really gotta go. See you tonight."

"Bye."

Little bit of Kataang cuteness there. ;) So, some feedback would be appreciated. Any advice or comments, anybody? Any ideas for later chapters?