Fandom 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖊 | 𝖎𝖈

Wind whipped and bit at his face, battering him from all around. From this height, it was to be expected. However, the loss of a sense of gravity or direction as well as the incessant way the wind bit and slammed at his body forced his eyes to open immediately. Weightlessness was among the first sensations to tell his body exactly what was happening. The other was the way his eyes saw nothing but an expanse of nothing but fog and cloud and open skies all around.

There was something else too, but the chief amongst these sensations was the lack of coordination, of balance, as one immediate and panicked movement sent him hurtling in a different yet random direction as he continued falling.

Gliding on nothing but air resistance and your own body’s fight against it proved to be troublesome if one had no idea how to handle it.

He righted himself, keeping all his limbs spread out and holding them that way, keeping his legs bent slightly as his arms were bent at an angle yet spread to catch the most air.

Something was below him. No, someone. That was most definitely a body with limbs.

Where had this happened before? How did he get here?

Did any of it matter?

Instantly, instinct took over whatever hesitation was in his body. He leaned in forward and collapsing his limbs together closer to his body, diving faster and faster.

He reached one hand out.

He had to get to him. He had to hurry. Nothing else mattered.

Hurry.

His eyes shot open once more. Awake. Awake from a dream he had only once or twice before, years ago. A welcome change of pace from the drowning. From the inability to move.

______________

Wind whipped and bit at his face, finding its way into the crevices of his clothes. From this height, it was to be expected. After all, not many came up this high in the mountains for fun. Well, no one at all except yours truly. The snow crunched beneath his fur boots as Nomura approached the edge of the worn yet steady cliff. He gazed outward, able to make out the Southern Water Tribe capital from this distance.

A bird’s eye view. It was beautiful. Perfect. That small child inside of every grown person’s body would yelp with joy at being king of the hill. This was no different nor was it an urge he suppressed. He embraced it.

Looking around and finding no one and nothing around his high perch except snow and stone, Nomura wished he could have shared this with the gang. Then again, they might have slowed him down either due to not being used to such long travel up the mountain or complaining about how dangerous it was or how one of them was bound to goof off and get hurt. He could think of a few that might not want to attend, not on such a serious day, and there was the fact he doubted his sister would be willing to leave anyone behind if she found out about his plans.

Besides, this little adventure was for him, to get away from it all. Something for his mind to focus besides the obvious and inevitable that would happen later today. Besides, with his recent hard work in the North and all the preparations he had gone through for this very day, Nomura believed himself deserving of a little break, right? Besides, today would be one of the last days spent with the gang, among family and friends. Soon, the young man would head off on his own into the great wide world, with no one else to rely on.

But instead of letting himself sit on those thoughts any longer, Nomura gazed down at the slope with a long wooden board in one hand. Straps yet to be attached to his feet sat loosely on the board.

He took a deep breath, swallowing before a grin crept onto his face. The straps tight around his feet as he leaned ever so over the edge, both with his body and the snowboard. He would have rolled his shoulders to offset any last-minute nervousness or hesitation if it wouldn’t risk throwing him over the edge.

“Screw it. I’m game.”

He leaned forward and disappeared.

He yelled. The sound echoing around the mountain.

And then there was laughter.

“WOOO-HOOOO!”

______________

The briefest of breezes brushed past his face as Nomura glanced at the whole group, taking in each of them. It had been a while since any of them had talked or met each other. And now the procession had started, which meant their time to talk and catch up would slowly come closer by the second.

Still, as eager as he may have been for the reunion, Nomura never liked going first, not unless he planned it or wanted to. He was content to sit back and watch the others do their thing and then pipe in when the time was right. Besides, it was that attitude that had Kameko’s soft singing fill the dead silence instead on their trek. He’d have to tell her later that she had a brilliant voice. (And that it was too bad she sounded so annoying any other time. He would be kidding of course. Probably earn himself a punch to the arm though.) After all, comedy was all about reading the room and timing. Same could be said about fighting and intimidation. Things he liked to think he had a good idea of as well, considering his travels and his more recent experiences in the military with his father and the training his mother had him undergo.

All in an effort to prepare him to prevent a similar fate to Avatar Aang’s. Well, worse than that. Not everyone could make their eyes glow and decide it was time for their second 100 year nap whenever a fatal mistake was made. Ye that was exactly what Avatar Aang had done. The only thing he could do, or that his body could do to save itself from a premature death.

The word always sounded rough, coarse, just simply wrong. Aang alone sounded good enough. None of this Avatar stuff needed to be enunciated on. He was family, even if his friends and family might just stare at him, like Aang was far away despite being right in front of them. Nothing but memories stitching his old friends together, even across continents. After all, everyone had their job to do after the war, moving on their separate ways or some of them finding their paths laid together with others of the group.

Would he ever be afforded such a luxury? Leaving behind Kameko and dad and mom would be hard. Everytime he came home because he had to, because it was the end of a trip or he was simply too young to move out on his own yet. Now? He was older. Old enough and trained well enough to fight and make it on his own. Experienced enough to not be so naive as a younger Nomura might have been. Scars had a funny way of ingraining such lessons into you.

And made you look badass. Win-win as far he was concerned.

So, while everyone else stepped forward with a frown or with a demand, Nomura stepped forward with a small smile, confident yet respectful, as he walked slowly. He never made fun of these events, never did anything to disrupt. As a child, he might have complained a little or had been tired, but, after it was explained to him, it became less of an occurrence. The year before he would have stood resolute, much more serious and grim than anyone else.

Not this time. This time was a little different. Besides the candle in one hand, he held a gift in his other. A small parcel, one wrapped in material that would withstand several seasons of snow well-enough and protect what lay within from the wet and cold. Wrapped tightly with rope that would serve a similar purpose of lasting long, there laid a metal emblem coated with resin to help it endure the harsh biome and the ropes attached themselves to it, tied to its openings. It was an Air Nation Symbol, three gusts blowing inside of a circle. He made it himself, the emblem that held it together, and cured the resin to help protect it from water and rust. The present inside the package he had made himself as well, although its creation required no forge nor any searing heat. It was crafted, like the wrapping around it.

Kneeling, he set the package down before blowing out and setting the candle next to it, just a little bit away.

“I hope you like your present. I put a lot of thought into it. It might be a while before I can visit like this again. I bet you’re going to miss my sparkling personality.”

He spoke, more for himself than anyone present. His head leaned towards the ground, sparing the occasional glance to Avatar-, no, just Aang, while scratching the side of his face. He didn’t want to drag this out, not when everyone was watching and waiting in the cold.

So, he’d keep it short and sweet, but nonetheless real.

“Uh, just wish me luck. And I hope you wake up soon. You’ve got a lot of birthdays and holidays to make up for. You don’t have to count mine. Figure I’d make it easy for you.”

He stood up, back on his feet again. Nomura turned away from the ice as he finished speaking.

“I’ll see you again, though. Thanks for everything.”

With him halfway between facing towards his friends and Aang, his final peace was said.

Nomura walked back to the group, settling away from them, and all with a small chuckle he kept suppressed as best he could and a shake of his head as his gaze quickly went over his sister. Nothing got past him, not much. Kameko and Lon-Fa were obviously having one of their girl talks, probably up to something mischievous, and Auntie Katara would most likely notice and give them a small frown to quiet them. No way was he getting caught up in that nor did he want any part of it. He could catch onto their schemes or plans later, but he rather not get dragged into it now with Auntie Katara around. Everyone else looked so glum, possibly either due to the seriousness of this walk or because of the force of respect Aunte Katara and each of their parents had instilled into them, no matter how much that respect may have whittled or changed. Yet he noticed something he had seen before.

Yuka, away from the group. Or perhaps the group was away from her. Nomura kept at his own pace and often kept his eyes on the scenery or the group during the walk, often switching his gaze between the two several times, so he didn’t notice much until his walk back. Especially with that beam of light from earlier, an easily explainable phenomenon but it certainly got the group to be a bit more energetic. Discarding that thought, Nomura focused on walking a little bit from the group but not too close to Yuka, since she absolutely loved her personal space and abhorred any prolonged contact, especially when it came to him.

In compliance with her sensitivities–for now at least–he gave a small wave, more of a quick salute really and a smile to her. Auntie Katara couldn't blame him or chastise for a small friendly greet, not like his knucklehead cousin and sister blabbering their mouths off. In fact, it might as well have been the perfect cover.

Then, he turned his eyes back, focusing on the ice and for the last of the procession. Maybe after this, he should-. No. No, it wasn’t the right time. It was never the right time.

Just focus on what was ahead for now. He’d have a lot of time to think once he was on the road.

Squad141 · Jun 19, 2022

Soyou Beifong

Procession Notes: Minor disturbance during journey to Iceberg Monument. Flash of light, most likely falling ice or some bright snow.

At least, that's what Soyou believed it to be. He hoped it was, anyway. Now was certainly not the time for some kind of ulterior motive or attack to unveil itself, especially when he was recording the yearly procession, as he had started doing around six ago. Putting his handheld ink back into its cylindrical container, Soyou rolled up the wooden slats that he had been writing on due to their prevalence in not getting ruined if wet. He observed the small huddle around the glowing beacon inside of the monument above them and thought back to when he first started coming here. Back then, he had barely started recording things, barely started thinking about scrolls and stories and libraries. Back then, Soyou only knew Aang as the Avatar, the hero that ended the War of a Hundred Years. But as time passed, and Soyou gained another skill, that of observation of those around him, his starry-eyed gaze changed. Aang was most definitely a hero. That was obvious, especially to a researcher of Aang's travels such as himself. But what came after was perhaps indeed something Aang could never have intended. Without war, it seemed like the Three Nations needed a different conflict in their lives. Political upheaval, argumentative leaders, exceptional crime rates, it was all something one from the war would believe could only happen under the rule of Fire Lord Ozai. But Aang...

Soyou sighed and looked at the concerned glowing eyes of the 200ormore-year-old boy. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Aang, but only about whether or not he is needed, whether people should give up on him or not. But that was Avatar Aang. What about Aang? Could people so easily say you should 'give up' on a child trapped on a deserted island? Whether or not Aang was even salvageable, it was simply unfair that many viewed his life as either stories (as Soyou himself once had), a drag, or a pedestal to speak their own mind.

A weight on Soyou's shoulder snapped him away from his thoughts. It was Teak, it seemed, who had slightly shaken under the warmth of his coat. Taking a small peak, Soyou was glad to see that Teak had already formed the frozen shell that Wood Frogs were supposed to obtain in colder regions. It acted as both a blanket of natural health and even a sort of exfoliation. Tearing his eyes away from his dear assistant, Soyou began watching the proceedings of those present.

The children of the Water Tribe relatives to Aang were certainly the ones that seemed to touch with Aang the most. Echoing the sentiments of Water Chiefess Katara, each of them either thanked or asked for hope from the frozen body. Soyou wondered what it was like, growing up with this physical deity of a family friend looming over them. In all their discussions, Soyou failed to ask. He wondered if he did it subconsciously. One of the Fire Princesses, the one that always reminded Soyou of some strange doll, slowly and near-perfectly set her candle down. Unlike the others, she whispered something quiet and to herself. Soyou wondered what it could be. Many others would likely presume it to be a curse, given who Yuuka was the daughter of, but Soyou never really believed that Yuuka would be at all like the infamous Lost Heiress. Then, of course, Zhao also went up. Soyou was prepared to roll his eyes, but was slightly caught off guard when Zhao actually began saying messages from Soyou's mother, something Soyou had not expected. It would have been a snarky comment or another thin message about hope, but this one... Zhao returned to his spot, and Soyou adjusted his slightly-frost glasses, looking at him.

Then he stepped forward, candle in hand, and approached Aang. Every step was a previous visit, a previous march, a previous look of grief in the eyes of Katara. A previous thought, about whether Aang was experiencing every second of every day, trapped in a world he could not escape, in a prison built by the ones he loved. Soyou cleared his throat.

"I have a short poem, transcribed from the deep regions of the Earth Kingdom by a traveling merchant named Zhuan Win. It is called, On the Tree of Life.

The sun beyond the mountains glows;
The yellow river seawards flows.
You can enjoy a grander sight，
By climbing to a greater height."

Soyou set down the small scroll of wooden slats with the other gifts and candles, and walked back to his spot silently.

Fill · Jun 20, 2022

♡design by sirnateunknown, coded by uxie♡

Nomura

Location

The Mountains (Formerly); Aang's Popsicle Stand (Currently)

Interactions

Soyou (

Squad141 ), Himari (

mi casa ) & Everyone Else

Nomura smiled at the next procession after him. He had smiled at the other ones as well, just a little as they each went with their candles. He was sill unsure as to whether it was appropriate considering all his past years of rather serious respectfulness and being rather resolute. Still, there had been a slightly bigger grin on his face when Zhao loudly recited words he learned from good, old Auntie Toph for all to hear. (Although, he would never call her old to her face or he’d be sparring her and facing a rather swift yet brutal smackdown. Let it never be said he did not learn that there were two questions you never asked a woman as well as those same two things with which you never insulted a woman about. Well, unless you really, really wanted to. Kidding! Kidding! Maybe . . . )

Ah, but that was neither here nor there! He was getting distracted, reminiscing on past memories. Nomura had given a small nod to Zhao on his return, and it seems he would give another towards Soyou. The bespectacled man had brought his own gift for Aang. Nomura smiled. It seems he was not the only one to think of bringing a gift, and his eyes held only slightly more respect for the man. There was already a strong foundation of that already. Soyou wasn’t someone who would not put little thought into his gift. Even if Avatar Aang was a stranger to most of everyone here, Nomura would trust it was a worthwhile gift.

That left only Himari, didn’t it? All that was left to do was for her to blow out the candle and say her peace.

Any second now. Any moment. Right now! Here! Huzzah!

. . .

Now would be good. Anytime now, really.

Let it not be said that Nomura was not a patient man, but he of all people could certainly tell when someone was off in their own dreamland. Well, that was not fair to say. Himari could have been thinking about the legislature and economic structure of the Fire Nation for all he knew and had simply been distracted by something like that. She was nearly as booksmart as Soyou or Yuka, and she certainly had her responsibilities back home. But his gaze found where she was staring, connecting the dots. Straight at the iceberg, like no one else existed. Was that what was on her mind? Possibly or it could be something else. He was not a mind reader, and, honestly, he never hoped to be.

Now, a mind pusher? Like, getting people to do things? Nomura could definitely go for that right now.

Come on. She had to go and do the candle thing! She would snap out of it, right? You can’t just not go and not do the thing? Everyone did the thing! Every year! Auntie Katar was usually serious about these things. How would she take Himari just standing there? Ask first? Snap her back to attention? Revoke her hot co

And, for what? To her embarrassment, deserved or not? To be deprived of the hot cocoa?

Yeah, not today. Everyone was having their hot cocoa, one way or another. No one was losing their hot cocoa privileges on his watch. Not now, not ever. Only one thing for Nomura to do, and it was what he did best.

Goof off.

Quickly, he gathered snow under one foot before stepping forward.

"WHOOOOAAA!"

And tripped. Or making the appearance of it at least, falling backwards before flinging snow at Himari. What? He was an improviser. Besides, some cold snow to the hair and face wouldn’t kill her. It’ll sort of sprinkle her soft eyes and softer eyelashes and be dashed all about her long straight hair. Like snow upon a dark tree.

Speaking of her hair and eyes, she’d owe him to show her haircare regiment after this. Seriously, how did she do it? Maybe he'd want long hair in the future. Oh, right, he needed to say something to cover his little "accident".

“Ah, sorry guys.”

His arms had stretched out behind him, catching himself and now had his one foot out that had launched the snow while his arms and legs carried the rest of his weight above the snow. A bit of an awkward position, but it looked like he was about to take another step doing the hermit crab walk.

“I must’ve slipped. You good, Himari? I didn’t mean to send early snow showers your way.”

His eyes slipped over to Auntie Katara. Maybe she would kill him (in more metaphorical sense, like with a quick glare or something at worst), but she also couldn’t prove that he didn’t slip. Even if he caught himself, Nomura could make it reasonable that maybe a piece of ice was under his new spot and sent him flying after a brief adjustment of his feet and weight. No need to think about the fact he was a perfectly capable gymnast or that he lived in similar conditions in the North Pole. Nope, no thinking needed here from anyone. He could fall just the same as anyone else.

Not too unreasonable of an explanation to say he slipped on some ice near the giant ice sculpture. Well, a lie all the same, but he could live with this one if it meant helping a friend one last time.

Hopefully, Himari would wake up, take the hint, and get going as he began setting his last foot down and pushing himself back up to his feet, brushing the snow off himself afterwards before standing again and watching with the same confident smile. Smirking her way for a brief moment, a bit of courage sent to her, before looking away and tempering it down before Auntie Katara caught on or decided to give him one of her world-class glares.

What? They were somehow scarier than his own mother's and Auntie Toph's fists! She had it down to a science, no, it was an art in of itself!

mi casa · Jun 20, 2022

♡design by sirnateunknown, coded by uxie♡

Princess Himari

daughter of Zuko & Mai

location

Aang's Iceberg

interactions

N/A

Mentions

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want..."

"Spirits, how does dad read this stuff everyday?" It was late at night, the sun had set hours ago and Himari was sure that the rest of her family was asleep or preparing to go to bed soon. Still here she was wide awake reading through old official Fire Nation documents. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Still she didn't move from her spot, studying the long text and writing down everything she didn't understand so that she could come back to it later for further inspection. Though it would be years before she ascended to the throne, all of her grandfather's had long reigns that lasted well into their old age and Himari had serious doubts that her father would be an exception, Himari was someone that one might call a workaholic. She thrived off of getting things done, learning new things, and most importantly proving herself. Those old geezers always thought they were being inconspicuous whenever they'd talk about her, but Himari always heard it all. The way they'd comment on how rowdy she was, how she always said what was on her mind without holding back, and that the one good thing she had going for her was that she was a bending prodigy. The mere memory made her want to scoff. She'd show them all, she was going to be the second best Fire Lord this nation had ever seen! The first obviously being her dad.

Though she was still just a girl, a girl with wants just like anyone else. Most girls her age were out with their friends having fun, getting into their first relationships, wondering what they were going to do once school was out for the summer. As selfish as it was she often wished she could be like those girls, if only for a day. She often found it funny when people would tell her that she was lucky to have been born a princess, the heir to the throne no less! And Himari would agree that she was a very lucky girl. After all she had two loving parents that adored her, she got to live in a huge palace with riches as far as the eye could see, she would one day be the most powerful person in the fire nation, plus ever little girl dreamt of being a princess right? All anyone else ever saw was the glitz and glamor, the perfect ideal life they assumed every princess had based off of fairytales but Himari knew her life was far from perfect. Rigorous training and studying schedules that lasted all day, having to live in constant worry of someone trying to harm her or her family, an estranged relationship with her sister that seemed to crumble more and more with each passing day. Often times she went to bed exhausted just to get back up to redo it all over the next day.

Himari did love her life though, and despite her slight inferiority complex a part of her knew that when the time would come she'd make a great fire lord. Still she was just a girl and if given the chance to be a normal girl for a day, yeah she'd probably take it.

Leaning her head back she sighed, "How selfish of me." She thought with a smile.

The sound of loud music tore her away from her thoughts. She glanced over to her window, out towards the village that was near the palace. Oh right, there was a festival going on today she could remember hearing some servants talking about going once their daily routines were done. It had been a while since the last time she snuck out to go to a festival maybe she could..

No. She looked back towards her papers, she had work to do.

But the next festival wouldn't be for a while, if she didn't go now who knows when the next time she'd be able to would be. She could always just stay up even later to finish reading her documents, plus she would kill (not literally) for a good batch of fire flakes.

That's it, her mind was made up. If no one else would allow her a chance at normalcy than she'd just have to do it herself. She was just a girl after all.

----------

As she stood off to the side of the group, the cold slowly seeping into her bones and making her wish for Katara's warm cocoa that was promised every year, first as bribery for them all to behave as kids and now part of their yearly tradition, Himari silently wondered why her mind had taken her back to that memory. It had no correlation to what was happening in the moment and a part of her felt bad for how badly her mind seemed to be wandering this year. Truth be told she did have a lot on her mind. This would be the first year she and Yuka were visiting the south pole without their parents. Mai was sick and their father had opted to stay behind to help care for her as well as any other duties he had and having to tell Aunt Katara that when they arrived was nerve racking to say the least but there was nothing that could be done about it.

Her eyes drifted to the iceberg that contained Aang, their gazes meeting and she found herself staring at him. Often times Himari wondered what life would be like if Aang had never gone back into his comatose state. She wondered if he would be someone she could relate to, both of them having a giant amount of pressure put on them from a young age. Of course Himari's was nowhere near as heavy as the one Aang had to carry as the firelord, especially from the young age of twelve but when Himari looked at him in the iceberg year after year she couldn't help but to see the younger version of herself.

Himari would never admit it outloud, mainly out of fear of angering Katara but because she was sure her opinion would be a minority one, but just like everyone else Himari did want Aang to awake from his coma but not so that he could be the avatar once more. Himari wanted him to have the chance for a normal life. When she looked at him she saw a war hero yes but she also saw a little boy, one that had already suffered and sacrificed so much for the rest of the world and what did it get him? Trapped in a block of ice for who knows how long? She never thought it was fair for the four nations to place the safety of world peace on the shoulders of one person.

At the end of the day though it was only wishful thinking. No matter how she felt Aang was the avatar, the world would always look to him and his future lives to keep the balance.

The unfortunate part about being trapped in your own head is how easily the outside world becomes void to your senses. Himari was so busy daydreaming and thinking to herself that she didn't realize that everyone else had gone to pay their respects to Aang but her. It wasn't until she heard a loud yell that she seemed to finally snap out of it, turning her head towards the noise just to be met with a small pile of snow to the face.

She looked down to see the culprit, Nomura, stuck in a hermit crab position and apologizing to her for what just happened. Lifting a gloved hand she quickly brushed the snow off from her face, already feeling the coldness turning her skin red. The last thing she needed was for her tomato princess nickname to be brought back up. Plus she was half way positive that Nomura had done this on purpose, she couldn't prove it but she had a small feeling and if her hunch was right she'd have to thank him later for helping her avoid getting in trouble with Katara because if she had been denied her delicious and warm hot cocoa she might have had a mental breakdown for the rest of the trip.

"I'm fine, Nomura. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

She sent him a small smile in thanks as he stood back on his feet. Seriously what was wrong with her today? It wasn't like her to zone out like that, especially not during something as important as Aang's memorial. She needed to get a grip on herself.

Not wanting to delay the rest of the ceremony any longer Himari made her way to the front of Aang's iceberg, candle in hand and her heart pounding. Once she had passed Katara to stand in front of everyone she calmly lit her candle. For a moment she stood there, saying something only Aang and herself could hear, "I'm sorry the world wasn't nicer to you. I hope wherever you are, you're in peace. Maybe one day you'll get out of that chunk of ice and finally get to be a kid for once." Himari was sure the world would always be a cruel place, there would always be a problem that needed the avatar to fix it but she hoped that should Aang one day wake he got to enjoy a bit of relaxation every once and awhile, it was something Himari was trying to bestil in herself to this day.

She knew that everyone there probably didn't hear what she said but that was fine with her, this was something meant for the two of them anyway. Blowing out her candle she carefully placed it down near Yuka's. Turning to go back to her spot she spared the boy one last glance, a warm smile falling on her lips. Giving Katara a respectful head bow both out of respect and as an apology for delaying the ceremony she made her way back to the rest of the group. On her way past him she caught Zhao's eyes and gave him a friendly smile. She felt bad for missing everyone else's speeches, but she was sure she could deduce what all of them where. Once you met up with the same group of people year after year you began to take notice of their habits and way of speaking. Himari was sure that this year was no different than the years before it or the years that would be coming in the future.

KaramelKarma · Jun 20, 2022

♡design by sirnateunknown, coded by uxie♡

Boscha

the spirit guide

location

Aang's Iceberg

interactions

Answer

Tears brimmed but never fell. She'd never felt such fear, nor such courage before in all her existence. Wan Shi Tong's verdict rang as clear and concrete as the marble engravings on the Library's doorways. Boscha's heart hammered as the Owl's closest ring of Knowledge Seekers began to run and circle around her.

What dwells in man?

The pace quickened. Bo's ears slowly flattened as she cowered back, instincts kicking in. Spirit blue eyes darted from face to face, a million questions racing through her mind. Was it really so soon? Where was Kanon? Couldn't she say goodbye? What was going to happen next?

What is not given to man?

A low, unified cacophony of howls began to reverberate off the walls of the Main Study, closing in on her. Together with the baying, the ceiling above groaned and shifted to life. A waterfall of light poured down, bathing her senses in a blinding shade of white.

"Boscha. Boscha!"

Kanon! There he was! His bark sounded so distant... In fact, the whole room seemed to pulse and ebb in a strange way, like ocean tides in the night. Or so she had read. The older fox spirit seemed to phase in and out of her sight too, as if her eyes were no longer worthy to behold his form.

What do men live by?

Urgency marked his every injured move, weaving past the flurry of fellow Seekers. In the last few moments, the scroll in his jaws flew across and made landfall right next to the young ex-Keeper's forelegs. Against the purifying, deafening whiteness it rolled, revealing the seal of the first Avatar.
Boscha's eyes widened.

Aang!

Time slowed to a crawl. The hall, the Library, her home, herself as she knew it; all dissipated away like sand against the whirlwind. A piercing light and a strange, biting cold beckoned from afar. She knew this was no ordinary transcendence, like those done by the Seekers all over the mortal realm. No, for her rare case it was either North or South, but it did not matter. She'd find her way. Boscha's eyes closed, the taste of ancient scroll in her mouth.

╾ 𓃥 ╼

Before she saw, she heard.
A high-pitched whistling, weaving through the air like arrows. After she heard, she felt. Sharp prickles of white from all sides, assaulting from all directions. After she felt, Boscha finally opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of her own puffs of breath, clashing against the winter air.

In and out, in and out it went. Enthralled, the young fox reached to capture the little bubbles of strange fog. Instead, a limb almost as pale as the snow itself came into view. Bo immediately gasped. The limb recoiled, falling away back to her side.
For a few moments, a muscle dared not move. Bo's eyes were wide, staring straight up at the dark, grey expanse above as she tried to psychologically feel for what she did and didn't have. Suddenly, her ears pricked, hearing the rustle of paper inches away. She clutched at it, sighing in relief, eyes closed. The scroll was safe.
Boscha opened her eyes. At the very edge of her vision, a light danced and sizzled. She rolled over, taking clumps of snow with her in her newfound fur at the top of her new head. Feet away, a long, brilliant tear of light stood, pulsing with raw spiritual energy. The southern gateway between worlds, keeper and taker of spiritual immortality, was open for the first time in centuries.

But something was wrong.

She wasn't alone. Out of the surrounding shadows and snow dunes, terrifying forms as black as charcoal emerged and began to prowl, senses fixed on the beam of light. The tear slimmed with each passing moment, but it was not enough. Bo's head shook frantically, eyes wide with horror. No, you need to close! Hurry! Close up! Or else they'll--

Bone-chilling caterwauling ripped through the air. They came in all shapes and sizes; some were hunched, upright beasts with elongated jaws of death. Desperate, hungry redness erupted from eyes, mouths, and chests. Licks of dark shadow trailed from their spines as they blazed across banks of white towards the light. Others careened on all fours, needle-sharp heads and maws split into dozens like carnivorous flowers, peppered with sets of ghost-like eyes.
Spiritual banishment was a scarce occurrence and an even rarer opportunity. Still, the reality of their number, their speed, the strength of their boldness all hit Boscha like a mountain of dusty, old books. With a pang, she remembered Kanon. It was one thing to stand by and listen in on reports of Seekers being attacked and coming home injured or not at all. It was quite another to truly witness what she spent moons listening in on, heartbroken at just how spiritually compromised the mortal world was.

You're mortal now, the alarm bell went off in her head. Dark spirits, you know are hard-wired to give like for like. So run! Run, while they are all still distracted!

Just then, one of the heads of a canine dark spirit swiveled in her direction. Breath caught in her throat, Boscha realized its eyes were not focused on her, but on the scroll in her hand. Light from the first Avatar's seal glowed through her fingers. Five of the other heads followed, zeroing in on the light, blood-curdling snarls growing in their throats.

Boscha glanced back at the gateway. Sparks of dark energy against the source flew off as the small horde tried to tear it apart. She took a deep breath and stood up, holding the scroll high up in the air.

"HEY!"

Most of the strength in her new voice was done away by the wind. But it was enough to give pause to their onslaught. Moments later, the portal was no more and Boscha was already off, animal instinct overriding the novelty of her new legs. Guided by the growing glow of the seal, she streaked across the snow with all the speed and grace of a catdeer. But like the portal itself, this frantic strength, Boscha knew, would soon disappear. Though it was a small mercy that not all the dark spirits gave chase, the few that were were closing in.
The shock of the transformation was wearing off. Soon, it was not only the bite of dark spirits but the bite of Southern winter that she felt was gaining on her. Creeping up from her feet and hands, numbness began to conquer further inwards. Still, Boscha clutched at the scroll, letting it lead her back to its reincarnated author, who she saw trapped in his own fortress of ice quarter of a mile away, surrounded by a small circle of humans.

Fatigue cramped every muscle as strength left her, stolen by the transformation. The air felt no better, escaping faster than she could ever catch it. The dark spirits felt so close, they could practically snap at her. Yet, as the iceberg grew larger and larger in size and the glow of the seal grew brighter and brighter, no attack ever materialized. Instead, the only darkness she felt was the one at the edges of her blurred vision, threatening to send her under. A distant part of her urged to keep going, but at this point it was inevitable. Through pockets of sight, she barely registered the expressions of shock and bewilderment written on the faces of two humans, dressed in what looked like Earth Kingdom attire, as they sensed her barreling towards them first.

Slowing down, the young girl's numbed fingers began to lose their grip on the scroll, the seal losing its shine alongside it. Her legs soon followed, giving way. With no other choice Boscha collapsed, welcoming the darkness.

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