After spending an hour or so with Monk Gyatso, I left him alone because he needed his rest, although he constantly acted like he didn't; his long blinks were an obvious indicator of his tiredness.
For the remainder of the day, I taught a few other classes, did some light meditation and training, and ended the day by sleeping against Appa's fluffy body. It did wonders for keeping me warm, and let's not even mention the softness that would put a pillow to shame.
This was how my days have progressed for the past two years; I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't a bit bored, but I did enjoy the peace, so there is that. After all, I can't have the cake and eat it as well. However, that was also how my days continued to progress for the next two and a half months, at least until the fateful day that I dreaded so much, yet I knew it was only a matter of time until it arrived
… And arrived it did.
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"Silura. I can see you're lacking behind your brothers. Did you practice as I had tasked you to do?" Asked Aang with an inquisitive gaze as he approached the young, slightly plump boy, who struggled to create a vortex.
"O-Of course, M-Monk Aang." Said Silura hesitantly as he awkwardly rubbed his head while averting his gaze, causing Aang to skeptically raise an eyebrow.
While my earth bending was mediocre at best, which prevented me from sensing if Silura was lying to me via seismic sense, we air benders had our own way of detecting if someone was lying. If someone were lying, their breathing pattern would most likely change, whether that be because of nervousness, stress, or a different emotion, but master air benders would be able to sense the subtle change in the air.
Of course, it suffered the same drawback as seismic sense: It would be useless if used against a professional liar, though it was also next to useless against most airbenders since even an average airbender could control the airflow around them.
Unfortunately for Silura, though, he wasn't even a novice yet, so his lias had no chance to hide from me.
"Ho, is that so, Silura?" Asked Aang with a faint smirk as he squatted down towards Silura's eye level while he rapidly nodded.
"I see; well, I do trust you; after all, you're my student." Added Aang softly as he gently patted Silura, who heaved a sigh of relief while smiling.
"Hehe, but of course, Monk Aang, I would never lie to y-" Said Silura with a grin as he clasped his hands, only for Aang to interrupt him.
"However, if I do find out you were lying, I will use you as my test subject for my next prank. Though since you're telling the truth, you shouldn't have to worry at all." Remarked Aang with a tender smile as he looked at Silura, who sported a mortified expression, his bald head profusely sweating.
Standing up, I watched with mirth as Silura constantly stammered his words, yet before he was given a chance to confess, I spotted Monk Pasang approaching in the distance yet instead of the usual calm expression, he looked weary and…
'... Somewhat sad.' Thought Aang with a slight frown as he furrowed his brows, an ominous feeling emerging within his heart while he cleared his throat.
"Children, our class shall end a bit early today. Phenomenal work by all, but remember to continue practicing—Silura, especially you. I expect you to be able to create a vortex by the next class." Remarked Aang as he gazed at the tens of children, who all clasped their hands and bowed in respect.
"Thank you, Monk Aang." Said the numerous children simultaneously as they bowed before quickly grabbing their bo-staffs off the ground, some taking to the skies while others ran off.
Watching the children scatter like wildfire, I turned and approached Monk Pasang, giving him a slight bow before quickly questioning his expression.
"Monk Pasang, why the expression?" Asked Aang lightly as he looked at Pasang, who heaved a deep sigh before gently smiling while shaking his head.
"Brother Gyatso… He's passed on." Replied Pasang softly as he gazed at Aang, who remained frozen in place, shocked by such revelation.
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Sitting beside the open coffin, I gazed at Monk Gyatso, who was peacefully asleep, though seeing him like that didn't cause me to smile; however, I also wasn't crying. I was sad; that was true.
Monk Gyatso was like a father to me, and when I got older, he also became a friend, someone I could ask for advice and laugh with late into the night. However, he passed on happily; maybe he had a few regrets in life regarding the choices he's made as an Elder, but he's always had the best interest of the Air Temples in mind, and in the end, despite what challenges we faced, we emerged standing.
To me, crying would seem like disrespect to everything he had achieved in his life; besides, he wasn't truly dead. He has passed on to the other world and will enter the cycle, only to be reborn again; some may call it death, but instead, we Air Nomads try to see it as the birth of a new life. Of course, that is hard to do when I know I'll never be able to speak with Monk Gyatso again.
Gently patting the coffin, I raised my head, looking at the massive cloth-covered Flying Bison that was Monk Gyatso's companion; shortly after he passed, so did Monk Gyatso's companion; I didn't even get to say my farewells to him either. The Flying Bison had no coffin as it would dramatically increase its weight; his coffin was already at Monument Mountain, where the Remembrance festival is held every year for those who sacrificed their lives protecting their home.
If they haven't already, every Air Nomad and Flying Bison that fought during the invasion will eventually be buried there.
"Aang, it is time." Said Jun softly as he approached Aang, who softly sighed before nodding while gesturing to Gyatso.
"So, who shall carry him?" "You, of course, Aang." Said Aang and Hitsugaya, respectively, as the latter approached Jun with a faint, which slightly damped his mood when he glanced at Gyatso.
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, I pointed at myself, causing both Monk Jun and Monk Hitsugaya to nod.
"Me? Are you sure?" Asked Aang skeptically as he looked at the two, only for Hitsugaya to lightly chuckle while nodding.
"Such a humble soul you are, Aang. There is no one more deserving to carry Brother Gyatso. Sure, we knew him much longer than you've been alive, Aang, but you two were closer than any one of us." Remarked Hitsugaya earnestly as he looked at Aang, who shifted his gaze to Gyatso, only to faintly smile while nodding.
"If that is so, please excuse me. I must equip the correct harness for Appa." Said Aang with a bow as he quickly approached Appa, who was lying on the opposite side of Gyatos' companion, occasionally whimpering.
Nearing Appa, I gently rubbed his head; just like how I was close with Monk Gyatso, the same was said for our companions. From what Appa would try to convey to me, he was akin to an elder brother.
"C'mon, Appa, you must equip the harness to carry Monk Gyatso to Memorial Mountain." Said Aang softly as he scratched underneath Appa's chin, only for him to suddenly growl as he shook his head, surprising him.
Furring my brows in confusion at his refusal, Appa then gestured to the clothed Flying Bison, causing my eyes to soften as I sighed deeply.
"You wish to carry him to Memorial Mountain?" Asked Aang as he looked at Appa, who nodded his head while looking at him with glistening eyes, causing him to rub his face.
"Haa, well, I can make something work for Monk Gyatso; the coffin isn't too heavy. However, do you think you could carry him all by yourself? It usually takes at least three Flying Bison, and even then, there will be many breaks in between." Remarked Aang softly as he muttered to himself, only to skeptically glance between the Flying Bison and Appa, who stood up while confidently growling.
As I had promised all those years ago, once I regained my ability to walk, I first put Appa on a strict diet and training regime. At first, he hated it, and it was a pain as I had to practically force him to stick to it, but after a few months, when he finally began to notice the benefits of training, he stopped refusing it; he still growls in annoyance, but other than that he'll eat his food.
Over the years, he's stuck to his training regime, and the benefits have been absolutely stellar; although a thin layer of fat mostly hides it, as I think Appa is just naturally a little on the heavier side, he's packing serious muscle.
When it came to raw strength, it took two fully healthy and grown male Flying Bison to match his strength in a contest of pulling; I do believe if it lasted long enough, he would've beaten them given his greater endurance, but that wasn't the test so I don't know. However, when it came to flying, not even three Flying Bison could overpower him; his raw strength, combined with the improvements in air bending that I helped him with, has turned him into a terrifyingly powerful beast, which is saying something since Flying Bison, in general, were extremely strong.