Art Drawn By Me! The vote on the poll for Ayaan to have a pet? Well, there she is! Be prepared to meet her when they finally get to the North Pole!
(from now on the "future chap" quotes will be at the top of the chapter)
~FROM A FUTURE CHAPTER~
There was a girl with silver-white hair, an even lighter, brighter shade than his own, watching them. She had the same look on her face as he did when their eyes met for the first time. Something in his mind clicked, and he instantly felt like he knew her, or that they were close. Friends, Siblings.
It was a strange feeling he could not understand. By the confusion seen on her face, he could tell that she had experienced something similar.
For some reason, she reminded him of who he looked to every night in the starlit sky. She reminded him of the moon.
And for her, he reminded her of the vast ocean, a beautiful calm that hides a turbulent truth.
"Who..."
"...are you?"
~ON TO THE STORY~
Hala and Haru's home was a peaceful, quaint settlement. They had a one-story, comfortable little house, a barn large enough for Appa to rest in, and a small crop field. They lived just outside the village on the mountainside, which bordered the forest. The view from there was wonderful, and if the firenation weren't around it would be a nice place to relax. The atmosphere here was much better than in the marketplace. It was calm, and quiet, allowing one to briefly forget their worries to simple be.
In an odd way, it reminded Ayaan of his home, his heart missing their grandmother's warm little hut.
Being in close proximity with people made him realize once again how abnormal he was. Ayaan was over six feet tall. Everyone else barely passed five feet, if that. The elders in his village reasoned that it was because his body was blessed, pushing it past the norms. Being a child at the time, he just accepted it. Plus, his mother wouldn't stop praising him, boasting about her son one day outranking everyone in height.
He remembered his father being shocked the day that came true, and when they measured their heights together Ayaan was the taller one. From then on he just kept growing, like a tree. It was odd needing to look down to meet his dad's eyes.
"It's not much, but it's home. I know that isn't a lot..."
"No, it's perfect! Thanks, Mrs. Hala!" Aang said, looking at the barn with sparkling eyes. He and Ayaan shared a look after peeking at the barn. Fresh hay, open space, shade, it was perfect, "Imma go get Appa, he'll love it!"
"Appa?" Haru asked. He was confused by how happy they were. It was only a barn, without even a bed to sleep on. He was just like his mother, wanting to return the money Ayaan had paid them. It wasn't worth this sad excuse for lodging.
"Yes. Our flying bison. He is very fluffy."
"Excuse me? Your flying what now?" It was then he saw something coming in from the distance, "...Huh?" It just continued to get bigger, revealing a giant beast made of fluff, "HUH?!"
Appa comes flying in, a pleased airbender at the base of his neck. He jumps down to lead the bison to the barn where he'd be able to rest and eat. Before going in, though, the bison had priorities. He gave Ayaan a massive lick, essentially coating him in saliva from head to toe.
As usual, Ayaan was both disgusted and delighted at the gesture of love from the ten-ton animal, and waterbent the icky liquid from his clothes with practiced ease. When he turned to the earthbender, who had been saying 'huh?' for the past few minutes, he thought to introduce them.
"Haru. Hala. This is Appa."
Said persons' eyes were currently blown wide, mouths touching the ground as they stared, only able to say the intelligible word, "Huh?!"
Appa growled out what could only be interpreted as a hello before entering the barn. The moment he saw the mounds of hay, one could see the delight in his large, brown eyes. Ayaan caught sight of this, and quickly reprimanded him, "You must leave some for the other animals, Appa. That is not all yours."
Appa let out a growl of discontentment. Ayaan shook his head, "Don't be like that. I know you have five stomachs."
The next moment it seemed like lightning struck the young warrior.
You've most likely seen the legendary pleading eyes of a pup. Those are usually lethal in their effectiveness, correct? Well, have you ever experienced that same, legendary look on an already adorable, fluffy bison?
Ayaan was experiencing the lethality of that look. He tried to resist, he really did. But to this, Appa just adds even more power to it. A rumble-like purr escapes him as he nudges Ayaan with his large nose. The boy is bombarded with fluff, soft fluff, as he continues to look at him with that deadly cute gaze.
Ayaan's hand, like every other time, betrayed him to pet this adorable creature. This was a battle that no matter what he did, he would not win. Appa verses Ayaan; Appa's complete victory.
But, he could not let Appa eat all of the hay in the barn. They needed it for their own animals which provided them with food and materials. Thus, Ayaan made a compromise with the bison, "A satchel of apples. I will give you an extra satchel of apples as a treat."
Appa nudges him with his nose again, almost toppling the tall teen over in his delight. A roar of happiness leaves him, and the boy finds that he must waterbend saliva from his clothes yet again. Appa loves three things: Aang, Ayaan, and apples.
"I'm glad you're so happy, Appa," Ayaan whispered, but one could see the contentions in his gray-blue orbs.
Seeing this display, any fear Haru and Hala may have had of Appa disappeared like a lie. The same could be said for Ayaan. He was this tall, muscular warrior with a large spear on his back. From that argument he'd had with his sister, he'd taken on many enemies before, each time ending in his victory.
All in all, to people who didn't know him very well, Ayaan was intimidating. It didn't help that in a nation where a shorter stature was the norm he was a tree. Sokka, as the Ayaan-enthusiast that he is, always thought it was one of his manliest features.
But this 'intimidating' warrior was nothing but a soft giant right now. He wasn't smiling, nor had he since they met, but his entire aura screamed "I am very happy right now". One could see the adoration in his eyes and the care in his pats. Momo saw it as well and was writhing in jealousy. It wasn't one second later he joined them, demanding head pats too.
It goes without saying that Ayaan obliged, making two very happy animal companions.
Besides, they weren't blind to his side of the argument he'd had with his sister. For Hala, at least, his thoughts had been very clear, and it warmed her heart. He was thinking of their safety, not just their ability to fight. He had been thinking of her son's wellbeing, as well as her own and her village's. The long-term instead of the short-term.
She was still wanting to give him back this money he'd paid them though, but every time she tried to, he insisted that she keep it. He was a very kind lad. Enormous, intimidating, but kind.
Ayaan was being honest when he said it was not a lot of money to him. He'd sold his wares to many people along this journey during and after their stay on Kyoshi. Winter in the area mean they needed more materials, furs, and meats. All of this, Ayaan had in spades because he never missed a chance to hunt, and everything he hunted was on the larger side.
Coincidently, he hunted things that were popular as materials in the regions and got wonderful prices on them. Especially when he was approached by vendors, restaurant owners, and eccentrics. Through Oyaji's recommendation and help from Mr. Reeds and Mr. Lorry, he even had a permit that allowed him to sell his wares within the earth kingdom. It was valid in other places as well.
Needless to say, Ayaan was very, very well off. It also helped that, unknown to him, his cul—EHEM, fan club—were actively advertising his wares and great character wherever they went.
"Oh, and this is Momo," Ayaan announced, still being cuddled on either side by the animals. One extremely large, and the other small.
"It still amazes me how much Appa and Momo love you, Ayaan," Aang stated, smiling at the scene. "Well, you do dote on them a lot, so I should have expected it."
"I like taking care of them," He answered, still petting them. Something about the scene was heartwarming.
Day transformed into the evening, everyone was doing their own thing. Hala had some things to take care of, so she'd left the home for a bit. She most likely had to finish her rounds at the shop and properly close up. While sales were nothing like they used to be, people still came into her shop. She had to make sure to make what little money she could, despite the fortune that.
"My mom said you can sleep here tonight. But, you should leave in the morning." His mother didn't want to inconvenience them any more than this. She could barely take care of her son, she wasn't able to properly serve four more guests in addition to their pets. As much as she would have loved to originally... it was just too much for her to handle now.
The others understood that and were grateful that she was doing this much for them, "Thanks," Aang said. He looked towards Appa, who was happily eating hay, "Wow, Ayaan was right. We gotta keep you from eating all of the hay, buddy."
Appa really was munching on mouthfuls of hay. He and Aang lock eyes for a moment, only for him to continue chewing his hay. What? It was good stuff.
Though he did stop in lieu for a few satchels of apples that mysteriously appeared as he was going for another batch of hay. Ah, Appa felt the love.
Ayaan just shook his head, saying nothing about the bison's antics, "I'm going out for a bit. I will be back by nightfall." He told them.
"Alright," Aang said. "Be safe!" He said. To that, Ayaan didn't respond, but he nodded a bit.
What he was going to do wasn't exactly the safest.
"I'll keep them out of trouble," Sokka affirmed. When he said that, however, he had a trained eye on his sister. If it wasn't Aang, it was gonna be her.
"Hey!" Katara protested. She knew that look. It was painting her as a troublemaker.
Katara and Ayaan found their eyes meeting. There was a pause, and tensions rose just a bit. The argument they had before still lingered in the air. While they said nothing about it, both were solid in their stance and opinions, neither understanding the other's point of view enough to yield.
Since coming to Haru and Hala's home, they hadn't spoken a word to each other.
Ayaan's scar ached, but he said nothing. He turned away in silence and left. She frowned, but also didn't say anything.
"I'll be by the cliff's edge if you guys need anything. It's just beyond the forest, that way." Haru pointed out. With that, he made his way into the forest, disappearing into the thicket.
Sokka just continued to look in the direction Ayaan left, before turning to his sister who still wore that frown. With a sigh, he decided to pull out his 'big brother' card. "Katara." He called, getting her attention.
"Yeah?"
"Walk with me for a bit." He said, going in a random direction. He wanted to see a bit of the village, so why not talk with her while on his walk?
"Okay...?" Katara, though confused as to why he suddenly wanted to walk, complied.
"We'll be back in a minute Aang! Make sure Momo doesn't steal from my stash again!" He called.
At that, the airbender just laughed. Somehow, someway, Momo always found a way to steal food. "No promises!"
With that said, and a grumble from our resident boomerang enthusiast, the watertribe siblings went on their way. After a few extra moments of silence, Katara decided to speak up, "You wanted to talk to me, right?"
With a sigh, he begins, "It's this thing you got between you and Ayaan. You two have been clashing with each other for a while now. What's up?"
She was silent for a while before speaking, carefully trying to form her words, "He's been training us to fight for so long now. We've taken down countless fire nation soldiers together. This town has been oppressed for so long, and we're strong enough to liberate it! So... why is he hesitating?" She eventually said. "I can't understand him."
"You're thinking about the small picture." Sokka explained, "It would make sense that you wouldn't get it." To her scowl, he continued, "Ayaan isn't thinking about whether we can take on those soldiers, he was thinking about the village's wellbeing after that fact."
"If there are no fire nation soldiers, wouldn't everything be alright then?"
"Katara, it's not that simple." He shook his head. "Where are the captives being kept? What are the conditions they are being kept in? How many soldiers are there? If we defeat them, will more just take their place? How will this place pick up the pieces after the firenation leaves? Ayaan, more than likely, was thinking about all of these at once."
At that, her eyes widened. She hadn't thought it would be that deep. She, shamefully, was of the assumption that if the fire nation was out of the way, everything would just go back to normal for the people. In normal cases, this would be true.
But this place had been occupied for a very long time. People had been taken to who knows where, and their economy was completely shot. Just taking care of the fire nation wasn't going to be enough. A simple fight isn't what this place needed.
"I've looked up to him all my life. Ayaan, the way he thinks about things is different from you and me." Sokka said, trying to word it in a way she'd understand.
Katara sighed, "I wish he'd just explain that then! I look up to him too, Sokka." She said, frustration clear, "But I can't read his mind!"
"For Ayaan, it isn't about reading his mind." Sokka looked into the distance, watching as the sky took on the hues of dusk, "He's never been much of a talker, especially... after that day."
To this, they both go silent. They knew all too well how little he spoke after that day. Days and weeks of silence, a far away look in his eyes, bandages on his skin. He could barely move around, but even still, he did. He stubbornly refused to rest, he refused to put down his spear.
Sokka remembered those days very vividly.
It had only been a few days since Ayaan had been cleared to train again. He still had to keep his bandages on, coated with a special salve to help ease the burns. He'd hobble away to that open clearing every, single, day without fail. Every day, the men desperately tried to dissuade him from doing so.
"Ayaan," He'd heard Bato say, "I-I know it's hard, but you can't keep doing this to yourself." His voice was almost pleading, "You know what the healers said about your spear. With those burns... it will take time before you can wield it like you used to. Y-you training like this, it's too much for your body to handle right now."
The boy said nothing, hardly looking at the man. He simply kept holding on to it, tight enough that his knuckles had turned white. On its handle was Kya's gem, that simple, jade piece of opal he'd found... just weeks before her death.
The healers wanted him to trade his spear for a proper cane or crutch, as walking brought great pain to the young lad. Moving any of his muscles on that side alone was pure torture. They weren't sure if he'd ever properly recover from his injuries.
They didn't think he'd ever be able to train again.
Just having the spear was a painful reminder of everything he could no longer have. But the moment Bato tried to take the spear, trying to dissuade him from training to rest, he was met with a powerful punch to the face that broke his nose.
When they looked in his eyes, there was an icy glare that sent shivers down their spines. They knew that it wasn't from the cold. Ayaan walked out of the hut without so much as an apology, but that look in his eyes had been clear.
He'd vowed to never let his spear leave his side. Not for anyone or anything. Never again would he be without it, left vulnerable, weak.
'Never again.'
After that violent reaction, they stopped trying to dissuade him.
Days became weeks, and soon, everyone stopped trying to convince him to properly rest. They could only send him worried glances, praying to the spirits for solace and peace for him. Ayaan hadn't said anything, not a word, to anyone, since the incident. After a year of complete silence, some thought he'd completely lost the ability to speak. The scar went over his neck, it was possible that speaking was just as painful to him.
Sokka's eleventh birthday had passed, and he decided to follow his brother after mustering his courage. He wanted to know where his brother went every day and what he was doing that made everyone worry so much.
There, in that familiar clearing where they used to play, stood Ayaan. Sweat had drenched him as if he were in a desert, but he continued to pick up his spear. He would go for a lunge, a spin, a swipe, but the moment his arm extended he'd cry out in pain, collapsing to the snow.
He kept trying to move his spear. Again, again, and again. Each time ended in a painful failure until he was exhausted, barely able to move anymore. But even still, he'd get up, and try it again. Seconds, minutes, hours, even when his body screamed for rest he did not stop trying.
"Bro..." Sokka couldn't bear to keep watching. He could tell at a glance how much pain Ayaan was in just moving, let alone trying to train again. "Please! You have to stop!" He called, but Ayaan couldn't hear him over the wind and his own, painful breathing.
The moment Sokka was about to run towards him, a hand on his shoulder stops him, "Dad, what are you doing?! He's hurting himself!"
But Hakoda shook his head, continuing to watch his eldest son. One could see that his heart was aching, just as Sokka's was, but they continued to watch Ayaan struggle and fall again, and again. "Why...?"
"Wading through seas of despair and failure," Hakoda started, watching as Ayaan collapsed once again, "it's easy to want to give up." He watched as his son's body trembled, standing once again to repeat the same action, "It's an uphill battle, and discouragement comes easily."
"B-but I can't keep watching him hurt himself like this!" Sokka cried, begging his father to stop him, "You gotta talk some sense into him, Dad! I-I know he loved wielding his spear but... but...!"
He didn't understand why he'd go so far. He couldn't understand it.
"It isn't his spear he's trying to hold again. Your brother, he always looks at things from the bigger perspective," Hakoda said, his own tears falling. "That spear, it's a symbol of something more."
When they turned to watch him again, their eyes widened. Hakoda's face morphed into a tearful smile, something proud and heartfelt as he gazed at his eldest son's determined figure.
Ayaan raised the spear again.
"It's something that even if the sea knocks it away..."
He tossed it into the air, letting it gain its own rotation.
"It isn't ever truly lost unless you give up on it."
This time, unlike every other time, he caught it.
"Hope."
They watched as Ayaan shifted the rotation around his body. Through all of the pain, he persevered. Faster and faster, like a river's current on land, until he stopped it abruptly, the blade snapping at the air. Ayaan stood triumphant in the field of snow, his spear firm in his hand.
That special, familiar move took on a whole new meaning to Sokka that day.
Coming back to the present, Sokka's expression held so many emotions, but he settled for simple words, "Don't just listen to his words. Watch his actions. Fighting back against adversity? Doubt? Ayaan... there's no one who understands that more than he does."
With that, Sokka left for Hala and Haru's home, leaving Katara to think about his words. What Ayaan said back at the shop floated through her mind. She hadn't realized how hard he was holding his spear, or the subtle, complicated expression on his face.
'I understand what you're saying.'
He'd said he did, in that same blunt tone that he always spoke. Had he really been thinking about so much since they got there? She wished he'd just say something about it. Explain it. To just... talk to her. As much as she wanted to understand, it was proven time and time again that she wasn't great at reading him.
'If actions are how he speaks, then action is how I'll respond.'
She continued to think as she made her way to Haru. She needed to properly apologize to him for earlier. She had no way to know that this thought process would sow chaos later.
No one had any idea that Ayaan was already making his move in his plan to help the mining villages.
Honestly, these siblings were more alike than they realized.