Avatar The Legend of Korra: A Nomad Start - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Bending.

The ability to manipulate an element, and its purpose in order to affect many aspects of life in the world. 

There are five known bending arts; four of them bend a specific physical element while the fifth bends the energy within the human body itself. 

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Air.

And Energy.

There are also multiple subcategories for each bending art, to name a few. Metalbending, bloodbending, lavabending, and the likes.

In my first life, I mastered three out of the five bending schools and gained some skills in some of their subcategories. I never managed to master Airbending, for one.

This time. 

I had a slight advantage over my last life. And that was, that I had no obstacles. 

I was free. 

Free to do as I pleased, and trained as I wished. 

I had another advantage, aside from that one. My father, in this life, was an Airbender. And sure, I’m still dealing with some of the implications this brings, but at the end of the line, it meant I had a headstart in mastering the element I never mastered.

“Fang, can you help your mother make the table?” Tenzin asked from the hallway that led to my room.

“In a minute,” I replied. 

Today was the first month of the year 158, and I was currently four years old. Tenzin saw me as an airbending prodigy, I wasn’t, but it was a good ego booster. 

I knew what the skill of a prodigy was, Azula, for one, had been the true example of a true prodigy in the art of firebending, for another example, there was me, in the art of waterbending.

In airbending, I was good, if anything, because I was focusing on taking Tenzin’s teachings. Was I above average? Probably, I mean, I was an adult in the body of a child, that has to count for something.

But I was no prodigy, at least not in airbending.

-So, when are we gonna bother Raava?- Vaatu inquired with a yawn. 

The Avatar is five years old, Vaatu, I won’t bully a kid.

-You’re FOUR!-

I am not, and you know it!

-You’re no fun! What’s the point of being superior to Raava if we can shove it in her FACE!-

The more time I spend with Vaatu, the more childlike he feels.

-I take great offense to that!-

Vaatu, we will have our fun. When the Avatar is old enough to clean her own butt, not a moment before. Besides, what would be the point of antagonizing a child with no skill?

-We did it with Aang…-

We… hmm, okay fair point. But still, I stand by my point. 

-Fineeee, but you better show that brat we are better! CHAOS RULES!-

Go back to watching anime in my head, and let me be. Please.

-....You’re lucky I want to watch KonoSuba, BUT MARK MY WORDS, I’LL BE BACK!-

“Fang, help your mother!” Tenzin called from his office, two floors below my room.

I chuckled, being a child sure had its advantages. But this wasn’t one of them. 

“On it!” I replied, rushing through the stairs using airbending to make haste into the dining room.

After flying through two flights of stairs in a matter of seconds, I made my way down to the temple, landing with a short gust on the kitchen floor.

The wooden floor of the kitchen creaked underneath me, announcing my presence, to the only one inside the room, Pema, my mother.

"Spider kitten!" Pema smiled, turning around. I waved at her, before noticing my…. Mother was coming at me in a full tackle, giving me a fierce hug. "Ready to help mommy?”

Oh right, spider kitten, that’s the one that remained. I wonder if I’ll ever outgrow it. 

“Sure am,” I nodded. 

Pema beamed at me, pinching my cheeks in a violent display of love. 

“Put the plates on the table, I’ll bring the tea,” Pema said after a few moments of violent pinching. 

I nodded, moving to where the plates were located. Fun fact about this, if we wanted to, we don’t have to make the table, we have many servants, more so than you would expect from people calling themselves nomads, the point is, we do this because according to Tenzin, it teaches humility.

“Honey, have you seen my ceremonial robes?” Tenzin called from outside the kitchen.

“In your closet, on the second cabinet to the right!” Pema replied.

“Thanks!”

Right.

I had forgotten about that. Today was the day we leave to meet Avatar Korra. Originally, I wasn’t supposed to go, but Tenzin managed to convince Pema to let me accompany him, saying I was to be his successor and therefore needed to start learning the ways of our people.

The truth? He wanted to brag about his talented son to everyone in the water nation, but without being seen as if he was bragging, which is why he was bringing me. 

As enlightened as Tenzin wants others to see him, he’s a big kid deep inside.

I sometimes hear him mumble how I prove he’s an awesome father. 

“Do I need ceremonial robes?” I asked with a chuckle.

“My baby, with ceremonial robes,” Pema muttered between shaky breaths, before breaking into an ugly full-blow snot-filled cry.

-Good job. You made the overly affectionate human cry. And by the way, I’m not being sarcastic, I mean it literally, good job. I’m proud of you.-

I rolled my eyes at Vaatu internally, before turning to Pema. “There there, let it all out. Preferably in a tissue.”

Pema chuckled at my joke. “Make sure your father eats, you know how he gets when he’s working.”

Telling the four-year-old to take care of his thirty-something father, I feel like that should be a red flag. Not to my particular case, seeing I’m a reincarnated guy, but… still.

“Sure,” I nodded.

“Honey, where are Fang’s ceremonial robes?” Tenzin called out from outside the kitchen. “I found mine, but I can’t find his! And we leave in three hours!”

“In my closet, under the third cabinet to the left, under the box labeled CAT!” Pema replied.

“Thanks!” Tenzin replied, before rushing back into the room.

“Say hi to your grandma from me, okay?” Pema said, turning her attention back to me.

“I will,” I nodded.

Katara, my grandmother. If only she knew who I was. I wonder if that would affect my birthday presents?

-She gives us the best books to read! and the best candy! DO NOT TELL HER! EVER!-

I suppose we will never find out.