Besides the arrival of Master Kelsag in the morning, the morning itself of the Yangchen Festival brought a rush of life to the Western Air Temple. High above the deep canyons, the quiet, upside-down corridors began to echo with a sound that only came once a year, the deep, rhythmic thrumming of dozens of sky bison tails beating against the mountain wind.
Out on the wide stone landing plazas, groups of elderly caretakers stood in their neat, brightly colored robes. Sister Silon stood near the edge, laughing as she swirled long silk ribbons through the air to greet the incoming travelers. Next to her, Elder Paarru watched with a steady smile, her weathered hands tucked into her sleeves.
Down from the white clouds descended the great, six-legged beasts. Their massive white-furred bodies glided gracefully beneath the cliff faces, flying down through the tricky mountain drafts with practiced ease.
The first to land were the pairings from the Eastern Temple. A large, grey-furred bison touched down smoothly, carrying an elderly nun whose forehead arrow had faded to a soft silver. Before the beast could even come to a full stop, she and her teenage student leapt lightly from the saddle together. They moved in perfect harmony, opening their wooden gliders in a single fluid motion to catch the rising air and land softly on the stone.
Right behind them came the heavy transport bison, their wide backs carrying entire classrooms. As soon as one massive beast settled onto the plaza, a Western master began guiding a dozen young novices down the leather climbing straps. The little girls, no older than six, tumbled onto the stone in a chaotic heap of bright yellow dresses and orange shawls. They giggled and chased after each other, completely hyperactive after the long journey and the sweet travel treats they had been given.
Amongst the many returned female monks and their students, a fleet of dark-furred bison began landing, bringing the monks and young boys from the Southern and Northern temples. It was a rare sight for the female-only Western Temple. The visiting male masters wore their robes draped traditionally over one shoulder.
The Northern monks walked with a stiff, uniform precision, keeping their students in neat lines, while the Southern monks moved with a looser, happier stride. A few of the youngest Southern boys immediately tripped over the long hems of their festival robes, prompting a hearty "hehehe" chuckle from Elder Paarru as she watched them scramble back to their feet.
Standing a bit further back from the welcoming crowd after she had long since landed, Master Kelsang leaned heavily against her thick, notched wooden glider staff. Her patched, travel-worn robes fluttered violently in the wind of a landing bison. She didn't look at the colorful decorations or the flutes warming up in the distance. Instead, her sharp eyes scanned the busy sky, watching the swirling mix of experienced masters and clumsy children filling the plazas.
The temple was completely alive, packed with thousands of voices from every corner of the world, all ready to begin the march up the mountain.
Tanza
Having regained her energy from the previous exercise of creating a pocket of hot air, she let out a huff and picked herself up to stretch and relax her limbs. But while she relaxed and limbered up to try a few other airbending techniques, her attention was quickly caught by the arrival of a flying bison making its way down along with its rider.
But that was not what caught most of her attention; besides the lone woman in the saddle of the bison flying in, there followed more flying bison and their riders coming in droves.
It was then she remembered that right now was supposed to be the day of Yangchen's festival. Strictly speaking, this would probably be the second time she was aware of the festival, the first time being when she heard about it from the elders looking after her and the rest of the toddlers.
Last year, Granny Reshi had taken the four-year-olds with her to the festival, while Granny Silon followed after to help look after the chaotic children, leaving it up to Grannies Pemi and Paarru to look after the younger toddlers.
She had yet to ask who Yangchen was, but now she was four years old, and she knew she didn't need to ask, knowing there'd be a lesson taught somewhere for her age bracket when the elders took her and the rest to attend the festival.
She also vaguely remembered this day from her second year, though it was hard to recall when her toddler body kept demanding constant naps. As for her first year, she hardly remembered the festival at all, having spent those early months slipping in and out of consciousness as a newborn baby, perpetually drunk on milk and sleeping non-stop.
But now, as she watched the incoming flow of flying bison traffic, the sight caught the hurried attention of her peers and the younger girls at recess. They all clamored to the stone railings to peek over the edges with her or peek through the small gaps. Around her, the female toddlers were screaming in awe and babbling excitedly at the sight of so many "Biseys."
Her attention was soon drawn to the young boys, men, and elderly monks arriving on the flying bison. Given that the festival centered around this 'Yangchen', it was obviously a massive pilgrimage, which perfectly fit this monastic culture. If she had to guess, Yangchen must have been either a major Dalai Lama-type figure of the past or a monk who had contributed significantly to Airbender history.
It did not surprise her at all; if anything, it was a given that there would be a dedicated pilgrimage day for such a massive historical figure.
"Alright, children," Granny Reshi called out, bringing everyone's attention to her as she hobbled over with a gait that matched her age. Tanza quickly shifted her focus to her elder caretaker, who looked at her and the rest of the toddlers through small, round spectacles perched on the bridge of her sharp nose. Her hair, a salt-and-pepper grey pulled back into a tight, incredibly neat braid, fluttered gently in the mountain breeze.
She gave them each a grandmotherly smile. "Now that it is the day of the festival, it's time for some of you to come with me! The rest can enjoy some fun games with Granny Silon!" she announced, making the girls clamor in excitement and express wonder.
Granny Reshi gestured for them to follow her. "Lushi, Neli, Piroh, Yishen, Tanza, Min, Kaya, Yoko. It is your fourth year amongst us! Come, come!" She gave Tanza and the rest of her peers a warm smile.
The crowd of younger girls giggled and waddled over to Granny Silon, who stood just a short distance beside Granny Reshi. "Come, children!" she smiled warmly, her bright, expressive eyes crinkled with mischief. Her hair, a chaotic mass of curly grey wisps escaping from her loose hair ties, constantly fluttered around her face in the breeze. "Who wants some mashed apple?" she asked the younger ones.
The younger girls giggled as they followed after Granny Silon, leaving just the eight of them with Granny Reshi.
Before long, Tanza and the rest of her peers followed Granny Reshi toward the outside stone staircase on the side of the upside-down building. All the while, the other girls let their mouths run with dozens of questions.
"Granny, granny, where are we going!"
"Are we going up like the other sisters did last year!?"
"Is there gonna be food!?"
"What's the festival about?"
None of those received answers yet, save for a soft chuckle from their granny as she led them up the stone staircase and into the upper floors of the building to climb higher. "So many questions, young ones! Be patient until we reach the very top!" she answered with mirth in her tone.
But Tanza remained silent. As she climbed more stairs with her peers, they made their way toward a cave with a staircase that led even higher, with a bright light visible some distance up.
'I can't help but be curious about how they built this monastery', She thought. 'Either through their airbending via wind erosion... which I highly doubt, or perhaps with the aid of elemental benders from the other nations. Logically speaking, it would have been done with the help of earthbenders.'
Though, strictly speaking, she had yet to hear, learn, or see anything about the other elements being bent, she highly doubted Airbenders were the only ones in existence on this world. Common sense dictated there had to be other elemental benders. That said, she could imagine the sheer ease of using earthbenders to help construct these temples under the guidance of the monks.
Or, for all she knew, it was done impossibly by hand somehow, but she highly doubted it. The death toll required to build this monastery using only manual labor and wooden scaffolding would be astronomical.
But as she, the rest of her peers, and Granny Reshi reached the top, stepping out onto a lush, grassy plateau, Tanza duly noted the reason why the bison and their visitors did not simply land topside. 'A reasonable flight system; there is no need to clutter the festival grounds with those big, heavy beasts. They'd easily make a mess of the place', she noted to herself while the wind whipped her orange shawl.
'By making it a common rule to have the incoming flying bison fleet land below to let their passengers off, it also lets the visitors get accommodated and view the monastery's sights. A tourist method really, if one thinks about it. Be welcomed first below by the local monks, before everyone is herded topside to enjoy the festival, while the bison fly off to enjoy their own day. '
Snapping out of her thoughts, Tanza observed her peers' reactions to the topside cliff. Min had immediately dropped to her knees and rolled around in the green grass, giggling and cheering at the sensation. "Ehehe! The green stuff feels funny and tickles!"
Kaya pointed eagerly toward the giant statue, which Tanza correctly guessed was the statue of honor. Bouncing in excitement with a wide, open-mouthed gasp, Kaya jumped up and down a few times. "Big, big! Big lady!"
Yoko, a competitive and outgoing girl whom Tanza had already figured as a wild card, broke into a sudden sprint toward the feet of the monument. "Bet I can climb it first!" she yelled energetically.
But Granny Reshi swiftly caught her by the hem of her shirt as she darted past. "Hehe, now now," she chided Yoko with a patient finger wag. Setting the girl back down, she patted her on the head. "I don't think that's quite the appropriate thing to do." She chortled and mussed up Yoko's hair, leaving the competitive toddler looking thoroughly embarrassed.
With that over with, Granny Reshi led Tanza and the rest of the girls to a quiet, shady spot beneath a wide tree, well away from the growing crowd that emerged from the cave stairway.
"Everyone, gather round! Come sit under the branches." Reshi called out. Her voice was calm but firm, the kind of tone that instantly made a group of rowdy children stop and listen. Her tight, salt-and-pepper braid swayed against her back as she turned to face them.
Min was still rolling in the grass, giggling and kicking her legs. "It tickles! It tickles!"
"Min, please sit up nicely," Reshi said gently. She held onto Yoko's arm for just a moment longer to make sure the energetic girl wouldn't try to bolt toward the giant statue again. "We need to stay together, Yoko. Sit down, please."
Tanza herself was the first one to smoothly walk over and sit on a flat, dry stone right at the edge of the shade. She neatly folded her small robes, keeping her back perfectly straight. Looking up at the sky, she noticed the sun was still low. They were early. 'Smart thinking', Tanza thought, looking at Granny Reshi. 'Getting us away from the main paths before the crowds get too thick.' It was reasonable as well. It made sure that Reshi wouldn't lose track of the girls she led up topside amongst the other monks.
Reshi took a heavy burlap bag off her shoulder and set it on the ground with a soft thud. "The festival grounds are going to get very busy soon. If we wait until later to find food, we might get lost or bumped around in the crowd. We will eat our snacks now so we can stay full and safe."
She reached into the bag and pulled out small, individual pouches made of rough string. She handed them out one by one. "Lushi. Neli. Piroh." Reshi said, passing the bags down. The girls tore into them immediately, dropping crumbs into the grass.
When Reshi reached Tanza, she stopped and looked down through her round, wire-rimmed glasses. Tanza offered the granny a kind smile as she handed her own little bag of nuts. "Thank you, granny Reshi." she accepted the bag, before Reshi smiled warmly and patted Tanza's shaved head.
"Such a good, patient girl, Tanza."
Tanza took her pouch and pulled the string open to see what was inside. There were no sweet cakes or sticky fruit treats that would make a mess or attract bugs. Instead, the bag was filled with roasted seeds, crunchy nuts, and small cubes of dried bean curd.
Tanza picked up a piece of the dried curd and took a bite. It was completely dry and light, meaning it would last a long time without spoiling and gave a lot of energy for its size.
'Perfect', Tanza thought, chewing the food. The dried pieces were tough and took a long time to chew, which quickly made the other children stop talking so they could focus on eating. 'A great choice for a long day outside. It keeps everyone full, and it forces these noisy kids to stay quiet while they chew'.
While the other girls complained that there weren't any honey sweets, Tanza happily crunched her nuts and seeds. She kept her eyes on the sky, watching the giant flying beasts land in the distance of another cliffside.
While more monks arrived at the topside of the monastery, Tanza turned a bit to glance at the large statue of the woman the festival is supposed to be about. 'Yangchen…'
The statue was huge, towering high above the grass and looking out over the cliffs. It was carved from a light-colored stone that had grown smooth from years of wind and rain.
Instead of the plain, simple robes that the regular nuns wore, this stone woman wore a long, sweeping dress and a heavy shawl layered over her shoulders. Tanza looked more at the stone carving. The shawl wasn't smooth; the sculptor had carved tiny, overlapping shapes into it that looked exactly like bird feathers. Lower down, the skirt was covered in a neat pattern of small, interlocking diamonds that looked just like the scales of a fish.
The woman's face was calm and peaceful, with her eyes half-closed as if she were looking down at the children with gentle care. On top of her head sat a tall, pointed crown. Tanza tilted her head, noticing that the sharp angle of the crown looked remarkably like the long beak of a bird pointing forward into the sky.
The statue stood perfectly straight and slender, with its large stone feet planted firmly on a wide base. Its hands were held out in front against its chest, one hand carved to be held in the other in a calm grasp.
Up around the statue's head and stone shoulders, several real, long-legged white birds were soaring in circles. A few of them had even built nests on top of the crown, their loud chirping mixing with the chatter of the arriving crowds. To everyone else, it was just a beautiful image of a past leader, but to Tanza's sharp eyes, the strange mix of feathers and fish scales made the whole monument look deeply unusual.
If anything, the statue looked less like an airbender monk and more like a high-ranking official. Though, perhaps since it had been so long since Yangchen's time, the statue simply reflected what people wore back then…
'But then, where are her airbender arrows?' Tanza thought, staring at the smooth stone. 'Aren't they supposed to be on the back of her hands and on her forehead?'
Perhaps it was an artistic decision? It still seemed incredibly odd. The giant stone lady looked absolutely nothing like a monk, or an airbender.
An hour had passed, and the quiet green plateau was now packed with people. Hundreds of orange and yellow shawls rippled in the mountain breeze as the arriving monks filled the space. The air hummed with low chanting and the scent of burning incense.
Nearby, a long, neat line of visiting monks had formed. One by one, they stepped forward, lowered themselves to the ground, and bowed deeply four times toward the giant stone feet of the lady statue.
But back with Tanza's group, Granny Reshi stood up, dusted off her robes, and clapped her hands to gather her small cohort. "Alright, girls, eyes on me!" Reshi called out, her voice easily cutting through the noise of the crowd. "Look at the big line. Soon, it will be our turn to step forward and give our four bows of respect."
The toddlers groaned slightly, wiping snack crumbs from their faces. Yoko looked at the long line with a sigh, while Min tried to look around Reshi's hip to see the giant feet again.
"Before we join the line," Reshi said, gathering the eight four-year-olds into a tight circle, "you must understand why we bow. Do you all know who this grand lady is?"
The girls all looked up at the massive stone monument, then back at Granny Reshi. They blinked blankly, shook their heads, or simply shrugged their little shoulders. To a group of four-year-olds, it was just a really big statue they weren't allowed to climb. Even the usually energetic Yoko just tilted her head in confusion, while Min went back to looking at a bug in the grass. None of them had any idea who the giant stone woman was supposed to be.
Granny Reshi chuckled softly, not at all surprised by their lack of answers. She sat back on her heels so she was at eye level with the children, her expression warm and patient.
"That is quite alright," Reshi smiled, her eyes crinkling behind her round glasses. "That grand lady is Avatar Yangchen. She was the greatest leader our people have ever known. Hundreds of years ago, long before any of us were born, the world was a very dangerous and scary place. There were angry spirits and big fights across the lands."
Tanza sat perfectly still, her hands folded neatly in her lap, listening intently to the history lesson. But inside, she mentally categorized the word 'Avatar', perhaps this world's Dalai Lama? Outwardly, she kept her ears open to listen and absorb this world's history.
"But Avatar Yangchen was incredibly brave and wise," Reshi continued, lowering her voice to a soft whisper that immediately made the toddlers lean in closer. "She traveled to far-off places, stood up to terrible dangers, and brought peace to everyone. She cared so much for the world that she made sure every nation could live without fear. That is why we bow four times, one bow for each of the four lands she protected, to thank her for keeping our skies safe."
While the other girls listened with wide eyes, Tanza began thinking about this world in a different light. 'An Avatar?' Tanza questioned internally.
Before deciding to be vocal, she made sure to act like an earnest, curious child. She sat up straight and raised her hand.
Granny Reshi took quick notice and nodded to her. "Yes, my child?" She smiled knowingly. "Are you curious about Avatar Yangchen?"
Tanza gave a single nod and asked earnestly, "Was Yangchen not an airbender like us? And what does it mean to be an Avatar?"
She certainly could have asked how a single individual could solve complex geopolitical issues across multiple nations, but that line of questioning could wait for later.
Granny Reshi's smile widened, clearly delighted by the question. She smoothed her robes and looked around the circle of girls, who were now leaning in, curious to hear the answer.
"That is a wonderful question, Tanza," Granny Reshi said, her voice warm and encouraging. "You see, Avatar Yangchen was an airbender, just like us! She grew up right here in these mountains, ate the same food, and wore the same clothes!"
She paused, lifting her hands to mimic the movement of the wind.
"But being the Avatar means something very special," Reshi explained, using simple gestures so the children could follow along. "Most people can only bend one thing. We bend air. The people in the valleys bend earth. The people in the cold ice lands bend water, and the people far across the sea bend fire. Just one thing each."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a gentle whisper.
"But the Avatar is different. The Avatar is a special protector chosen by the world. They are the only person in the whole wide world who can learn to bend all four things! Air, water, earth, and fire. Every single one of them."
Min's eyes went wide, and she stopped looking at the grass. "All four?" she gasped.
"Yes, all four," Reshi nodded with a chuckle. "And when one Avatar grows old and passes away, they are born again as a little baby in the next nation. It is like a great wheel that keeps turning. First an airbender, then a waterbender, then an earthbender, then a firebender. They keep coming back, over and over, to make sure the world stays safe and happy."
For Tanza, this lined up almost perfectly with the idea of a Dalai Lama situation, but on a worldwide level. Granny Reshi's explanation also proved her earlier thoughts correct: there were indeed benders of the other elements out there in the world.
But looking closer at the topic of the Avatar, and assuming her thoughts were right, the system had a lot of practical steps. A new Avatar would start out born in their home nation, never knowing they were anything special until something significant happened to reveal it. Even then, if they wanted to learn how to control the other elements, they would have to travel and seek out different teachers to learn how to bend each one.
If anything, each Avatar was forced to become a diplomat. To succeed, they had to learn and know how each nation lives, breathes, functions, and works, as well as how each nation's people bend their elements. That also meant they could never be chained down by the rules of just one country if they wanted to learn everything.
'An elemental person of the world,' Tanza supposed, watching the peaceful crowds. It was a massive amount of traveling and political balancing just to keep things running.
Granny Reshi clapped her hands cheerfully, interrupting Tanza's thoughts. "Alright, girls! Now that we know about Avatar Yangchen, let's stand up and practice our bows together so we are ready for the line!"
While Tanza followed as instructed though, one curious thought rang in her mind, who was the current Avatar?
Fortunately for Tanza, she did not even have to ask the next logical question. One of her peers, Neli, ever a curious little girl for her age, waved her hand high over her head as she stood up next to her friend. "Ooh, ooh! Who's the current Avatar, Granny!?" Neli asked innocently, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Granny Reshi smiled warmly, pleased by the children's eagerness to learn. She gently patted Neli's head to calm her excitement.
"The current Avatar is a very wise old man named Roku," Granny Reshi explained, her voice carrying a deep sense of respect. "He is a firebender born far away in the Fire Nation islands across the sea. He has already traveled the world and mastered all four elements long ago. In fact, he is an elder now, around my own wizened old age!"
For Tanza, she filed away the crucial fact that the current Avatar was a firebender, and moreover, an individual in his twilight years. This timeline meant it would not be long before a new Avatar was born. If the cycle truly rotated through the elements, the next one would be an airbender. She would likely be in her twenties or thirties by the time they even discovered their identity and began their training.
More importantly, this meant the global diplomatic deterrent would soon experience a complete transition of power. With an old Avatar passing away, that international safety net would be temporarily lost. Anything could happen within the span of ten or twenty years while the next global peacekeeper was still in diapers, and later, navigating their teenage years!
Not the best circumstance of an era to be born in, but she supposed it can be worse.