Arriving Home

With his walking stick in hand, Kun, was walking along the path to the Southern Air Temple. The sun was shinning down, not a cloud in the sky to cover it up. It was hot and dry out, but it felt great. He continued up the path and heard some shouts and laughter. Then a stern voice hushing them. He looked around and saw through the trees some little ones and a monk in front of them showing the basics to bending air. He smiled at the sight and then memories started to play in his head. He shook himself back to the world and continued up the path. Now he was out of the area with forest and now was on his way up a path to the Temple.

With the Temple in sight he started to remind himself why he left. His mission to become a better airbender and soon a monk. He was sent by the Council to learn the cultures of the different nations. He was going to be somewhat of a keeper in the Air Nomads. Since the one they had was old in age and died one night in his sleep, they made Kun the new keeper. Kun accepted the position was given a bag, some ink, quills, paper, and was sent out into the world to visit leaders and the nations.

He looked ahead and heard some laughter, but no stern voice to quite them. It was some children they did not look like Air Nomad children. They were probably visiting he stopped and watched them play a bit and one after another they would stand still and stare back at Kun talking to each other.Kun gave them a smile and then a little boy walked up and asked, "Are you an airbender?" He pointed to the tattoo on his forehead. Kun nodded and said, "Yes I am an aidbender, and I travel the world." The boy smiled showing some missing teeth and said softly, "That is neat, we were just wondering that is all." Kun smiled again and said, "Ok now go back and play." The boy quickly went back and Kun started on the path again.

He arrived at the first building and looked around, not that many people were here. Kun decided that most of the monks are out teaching or meditating. He shrugged and sat down leaning on a wall. Kun dug through his bag a bit and then pulled out a small piece of bread. He ate it very slowly and then had some of his water. He looked up and closed his eyes and felt the warm sun hit his face.

Trira had been at the southern air temple for a while. Now she was sitting in the sun, it seemed like she was meditating. But she was remembering. The last years of peace had been really good, she did not even missed the wars that had been before. She was glad that in her time as Avatar so much peace had been. And she also hoped that it would take longer now.

Suddenly she felt that somebody was leaning down at the wall of the building as she was near to. Trira knew that it could not be one of the monks. Slowly she stood up. Even if her hair was beginning to turn into silver, she had perfect condition, all due to the training. Even if she was a master in all elements, she still had training and even tried to learn new things if it was possible. She smiled at that thought while she went around the building to see who had just decided to sit in the sun too.

When Trira saw the man, she looked closely at him. After all she had heared, she suspected that this had to be the new keeper. She herself had never met him, but somehow she thought it had to be him. But she decided she would do like she even did not have a clue who he could be. "Why are you sitting in the sun when there is so much to do in this temple?", she asked with a strikt voice. Inside herself she had to smile a little bit. She asked herself how this young man would react.

Kun kept his eyes closed, it may have looked like he was meditating but he was not Kun was just trying to rest from such a long trip back home. His body relaxed and he rested his head on the wall and kept his eyes closed. The sun was warn and welcoming, the rays hitting his face and making his feel at home. He was lucky to be born at the end of the war, when the Earth Kingdom went rouge and attacked the Light Kingdom with the Dark Nation at their side. He still felt a little strange when he had the short visit to the Light Kingdom. They were almost done with the rebuilding, it all looked to amazing. Then something shocked him and brought him out of his memories.

Kun opened his eyes and then saw a woman asking him a question in a strict voice, his face changed a bit to startled and worried. "Sorry miss," Kun looked her up and down and then continued, "I just got here from the Fire Nation." He stood up and bowed to her, she was a lot older then him and he was taught to bow to his elders no matter who it was. His facial expressions changed to calm and then he said "I am the new keeper, I don't know if you know what that is. But I am sent to all the Nations looking for new information, meeting royalty, and soon I will have to make maps and other things for the Air Nomads." He sighed but smiled after it.

Kun then moved his attention back to the woman, she looked a little familiar maybe he has seen her once or twice. He then decided to break the little seconds of silence, "I am Kun by the way, who are you?" He asked at the end waiting for the woman who startled him with the question to reply to his. He moved side to side fiddled with his bag and Finlay put on and looked back at the woman.

Trira listened to the young man and nodded. "Yeah, I know what a keeper is. Somehow we both have the same job, only that you go to the royalties in the peace and I in times of war. And also not only for the air temples.", she said while she looked past the keeper. She asked herself how all the royalities were now. She had not met many royals for a really long time. She decided it would be time to do that again.

"My name is Trira. I am the Avatar if you do not know it.", she said to Kun. Somehow she had the feeling less and less young people knew who she really was. It had been some time since she had really been needed, so most somehow seemed to forget that she still was there. Trira asked herself if her old friends still knew her or if they also had forgotten her.

"So, you had been in the fire nation now. How is it there right now? You have to know, I had not visited it for a long time.", she said to Kun. Sadly she remembered herself why she had not been travelling for a long time. Cada, her flying horse, had died 17 years ago. Since then she had no new animal. She never wanted a new one. She had done so much with Cada, they had protected each other so often, it seemed not right for Trira to get a new animal. Trira got out of her memory again and tried to hold back her tears.

Kun nodded and wondered what she meant by that she goes in times of war. Maybe she is a diplomat for the Air Nomads I am sure they would need someone to keep them out of the wars. He shrugged it off and listened to the rest of what she had to say. At times he would shift feet and move side to side. It was something he did at times, he just can't stand still for to long. It has been something that has been with him since he was little, because of this it takes a while for him to meditate.

Kun's mouth opened up and then he closed his quickly and asked, "You are the avatar?" He just knew she was serious and he bowed again. "Nice to meet you Avatar Trira." He smiled, he finally got a chance to meet the avatar before she died. That was something he wanted to do, he knew the avatar was an air bender he just had no idea where he or she was. "So since you are the avatar, you know all the bending styles?" He asked and then asked another question before letting her reply, "So that means you have been between many of the wars between the nations. Were you alive when the Waterbenders were taken out by the Fire Nation or when the rebels attacked the Upper Ring in Ba Sing Se?" He has only heard short stories about the most recent wars. Most of the Air Nomads who were alive do not wish to speak of it, because those times were hard and they don't want to take the trip down memory lane.

Kun said, "When I went there it was perfect. In my opinion it did not even look like there was a war at all. Their docks were full of boats coming in and out, the markets were busy with people trading and buying, and the citizens were living their lives. Sadly, the Fire Lord was to busy so I was not able to speak to him. I am thinking about heading to the Earth Kingdom, visit Ba Sing Se or Omashu. I don't know yet, I heard that there are still people there that carry the beliefs of the late Earth King, Li. It does not sound that safe." He shrugged and then noticed she was somewhat out of it. Kun looked at her facial expressions and then asked, "Are you ok? You look sad?"

Trira laughed a little bit as Kun started to ask all these questions. "You are asking much questions, and also the right ones. Now I understand why they have made you the keeper.", she said to the young man. "Yeah, I have learned all bending styles. And I have been at most of the wars. I had only heared of the waterbenders, because at that time I did not knew that I was the avatar. But I had been there when the rebels attacked the upper ring. I have been there when they killed the old earth king. And I had no chance to save him.", she told Kun, getting more quiet with every word she spoke. This memories of her earthbending teacher were still the worst in her whole brain. She hated them really much. And what was worse, she somehow felt that she had to tell Kun. As she had said, he asked the right questions, and she somehow had to answer the right questions.

"All my life the earth kingdom had not been really safe. Maybe I should go there again and show the people that I will help them if they need me. Give people something they can trust, and everything will be better.", she said to Kun. When she found out that the young man had found out that she was in her memories, she breathed out. "I had been just remembering of an old friend of mine.", she then explained to Kun. She thought he did not have to know more about Cada.

"How do you like your job as keeper?", she finally asked the young man. She was really interested in this, because she knew that this job also had great power with it, even if most did not saw it at the beginning. But when a keeper brought wrong information, everything could get really bad.

Kun laughed a bit and nodded, "I guess what is why, I just like asking questions." He shrugged and then smiled softly while looking at the Avatar. "What one of the bending styles do you like the most? I have only seen one and that is fire, when I went to the Fire Nation I passed by a school and some students were outside training and they sent fire everywhere. I was kinda scared by it really, I hope I never have to fight a fire bender." He gulped at the though, he would be burnt to a crisp in a matter of seconds.

"Oh ok," He nodded and then listened to what she had to say. "I am sorry to hear that, I am sure you tried your best to save him." He gave her a reassuring smile and then shifted his feat and played with his bag and moved his attention back to her. "That sounds like a good idea, go to the kingdom and give them some hope. People now a days need a lot of hope." He sighed and then though about visiting some of the small Fire Nation towns where the people almost ran him out of the village for being an Air Nomad.

"I love it!" Kun said and then lowered his voice remembering the Monks were probably still meditating nearby. "I like going to different places, sure at times it is hard. Some people don't really answer, and others are just rude." He shrugged and then continued, "I can't wait to continue though. I only have a little bit of new information. I still have to read the old Keepers information see what he left out and then start writing down the new things I am learning. It is a lot of work, but I am sure I can do it."

Trira thought for a moment. She had never thought which style she liked most. She even had no idea now, because she thought all of them were really good. "I like all the bending styles. Every is different, and you should not say this one is bad or not. It all depends on how you use your bending.", she said to Kun. "You have mentioned this school in the fire nation. Then you have only seen a little part of fire bending. I have learned most of this art by myself, because my teacher said it is the best when I make myself the techniques.", she told him further. Trira found out that she getting away from the theme more and more. "Believe me, you do not have to fear fire benders.", she then concluded.

Trira smiled at Kun. "I am also sure you can make this job. When I have seen you I have thought that you have to be the keeper.", she then told the young man. Sometimes she asked herself what she would have done when she had not been the Avatar. What job she had and how good she was at it. Now she asked herself if she had ever done her job as good as she supposed this keeper would do his job.

"Do you know what is the worst of travelling around very much? Coming home again and then stay there for a longer time. You do not want to do that, you want to travel further soon after you got home. Maybe you should take care about that.", she said. It looked like she was talking to herself, but she ment it for Kun. She herself did not needed this advice anymore.

Kun nodded, he knew she would say she liked them all. He then heard her say 'You do not have to fear fire benders.' he shoook hie head and said, "I do not fear the fire benders, I just fear fire in general." He shrugged and said, "Just something I have always been afraid of, something I guess will never go away."

Kun smiled and said, "Thanks, everyone else I know had the same feeling. They knew I was going to get the job." He looked around and heard some bells, the meditation hours must be over. Soon all the monks would be coming back from their places of meditation and get on with their lives. Maybe a few of them would stay back and continue meditating. He watched as some kids wearing the same colored clothes as him passed by and an elderly monk following behind him. Kun said hello to the monk and he said hello back and went on his way.

"I feel that right now!" Kun exclaimed and got some looks from some people passing by. He lowered his head and felt a little embarassed and then lifted his head again and continued, "As I walked up the path leading here I was sad that I am stopping on my travels, I just don't really know where to go right now. I may actually go to the Northern Water Tribe insted of the Earth Kingdom."

Trira could understand as Kun said he feared the fire. As she had begun to learn fire bending she had also feared it. But it had passed soon. Maybe she could somehow help him, even if she did not knew if it would work. "Do you trust me?", she asked the young boy. She had her hand behind her back, already making some fire. If Kun would allow her to try something, she would do anything she could to get some of his fear of fire away. She knew it was good to fear, but sometimes it was better not to fear.

As the monk passed, Trira only looked at him to say hello and bow. Then she listened to what Kun was saying. "Wherever your journeys will lead you, take care of yourself. And I am sure that we two will meet again sometime after we parted.", she said to Kun. "As it is said `You meet each other two times in life.´", she then finished. She liked it to use some wise sentences, now that was getting older she used them more often.