Chapter Text
“Appa, yip yip!” Tenzin shouted, shaking the reins.
“Wow, it’s so cool! We’re flying!” Nanami exclaimed, overjoyed by her first time on a sky bison.
Appa was flying over Capital City, towards the shopping district, carrying on board the two airbenders, Nanami, Shuu and Hiroki - who also lived in the same neighborhood. The latter was so scared of heights that he didn’t even dare to look over the saddle, keeping his eyes shut and his head down all along the way.
A nice breeze blew and cooled the city, making the evening flight even more pleasant for the passengers. What usually took them forty minutes by walk, only lasted ten minutes on Appa’s back.
“It was so fast!” Nanami said, thrilled, when they landed in front of the Red Dragon, after dropping Hiroki off first.
Seeing the little girl excited, Tenzin used his airbending to create an air spiral under Nanami to make her get off the bison.
“A mini tornado!! That was awesome!! Please do it again Master Tenzin!”
The young firebender was now bursting with energy, which was unthinkable a few hours ago, when she was still unconscious in the infirmary.
“Another time Nanami,” Tenzin chuckled, patting the little girl’s head.
Nanami then ran towards her family’s tea shop and opened the door wide. Her family was waiting for them, sitting at a round table, their faces saddened by worry.
“We’re home!”
Seeing the youngest lively walking in, they rushed to the door and warmly welcomed her in their arms.
“You’re safe!” Her mother exclaimed, hugging her as hard as she could. “We were so worried when the messenger told us you had passed out.”
“Mom, I can’t breathe like that,” Nanami whispered, breathlessly. “I’m sorry for making you worry, but I’m fine now!” she added, while looking at the others who looked relieved. “Avatar Aang and his son, Master Tenzin, came to talk to you.”
Aang then entered the old tea shop, followed by Shuu, waiting by the door for Tenzin to come in as he was taking care of Appa.
“I’m sorry to bother you late at night,” Aang apologized. “But I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“No, we’re the one who are sorry, Avatar Aang. Our daughter had caused you a lot of trouble and we’re grateful that you helped her. Please come in and have a seat,” Kouichi replied with a respectful voice, taking out two chairs for the airbenders.
Nobuo then brought some tea and served it to their visitors.
“Thank you,” Aang said, sitting down, then took a sip of the beverage. “So, as you would expect, we’re here to talk about Nanami’s singular ability. Do you happen to know anything about this?”
A silence descended over the room. The whole family looked at each other, looking for an answer but they were all clueless, aside from Masuko, the grandmother. She stepped forward and spoke in a calm tone.
“I might know something about this. I’m not sure if it is related though.”
Masuko then sat down, taking a teacup, and drank a bit before continuing.
“It’s an old legend that has been passed down for generations in my home village,” she began her story. “I am from a village on a small island in the East of Capital Island, but we were originally from another island in the North. This is the story my grandfather had told me so many times when I was still a child. It’s the legend of the Red Dragon.”
Everyone was carefully listening to each of her words. Masuko was narrating them the tale really slowly, taking a break from time to time to sip in her tea. Aang was staring at the elder woman, with a respectful gaze, and focusing on her silvery voice.
According to Masuko, the people that came to live on that island were non-benders that arrived from the main island of the Fire Nation, looking for a fresh start in life. The small island was full of nature; the fauna and flora were drawn as far as the eye could see and the green landscapes covered more than half the area.
A massive mountain, which was actually a sleeping volcano, dominated the entire island from its height. It was located in the center of the land, surrounded by endless forests. The villagers decided to build their village near the foot of the mountain, on a welcoming ground.
One day, a curious villager decided to climb to the top of the mountain. When he reached the summit, he was surprised to find a red dragon living in the crater of the volcano. The dragon, startled by the presence of the human, rose from his full height to intimidate the unwelcome guest.
However, seeing that the man didn’t want to hurt him, the dragon calmed down and accepted to listen to his story. After that, other villagers came to visit the dragon and the latter finally approved of the humans living on his island. Once in a while, the dragon would even come down and play with the children of the village, carrying them on his back to fly over the island.
The villagers managed to live in harmony with the master of the volcano and the peace lasted for many centuries. However, when Fire Lord Sozin commanded to slay all the dragons, balance had been broken. Soldiers came to track the Red Dragon but the villagers, who loved their companion, opposed the army and tried to protect their friend. But, the military was more powerful and firebenders destroyed the whole village, putting it to fire and the sword.
Overwhelmed with grief by the destruction of the village, the Red Dragon exerted its anger against the soldiers, engulfing them in clouds of fire and smoke. Only a few inhabitants survived that dramatic incident and decided to move away to protect the existence of the dragon, acting as if the whole island and its occupants had been annihilated from the world.
After they left, nothing remained on the island except for the lonely dragon and, as agreed with his friends, the red reptile made the land fade under a cloud of ash dust, disappearing forever.
Masuko stopped talking, letting the others think about the story she had just told.
“The dragon could, like all dragons, breathe fire but it was also said to possess additional abilities.”
She paused and remained silent for a few minutes. Her face was calm and she stared at her tea, in a relaxed attitude. She took a deep breath and then talked again.
“First, the fire blown by the Red Dragon could not be put out by water. Just like yours Nanami,” she declared.
Everyone looked at the little girl. Nanami was sitting at the table, attentively listening to her grandmother just like everyone. For once, she was rather quiet, compared to her usual loud self that greatly annoyed her family sometimes.
A fire that couldn’t be put out. Just like mine! Nanami thought, her eyes shining brightly with the desire to know more.
“Then, another thing my grandfather told me was that the dragon had healing powers. It could use his breath or energy – I don’t really know – to heal burns, but only burns. Other types of wounds couldn’t be healed,” Masuko continued, still talking slowly.
“Heal burns? Can you do that, Nanami?” her sister asked, raising her eyebrow.
“No, well, I don’t know actually. I’ve never tried,” Nanami replied, shrugging. “Is there anything else your grandfather told you, Grandma?”
“Let me think. Something about eating fire? I don’t remember well. Maybe that’s something all dragons could do,” Masuko replied, while looking at the ceiling to concentrate on her memories.
“That would be similar to what Nanami did in the infirmary,” Tenzin stated. “She kind of … absorbed the fire from the lights.”
“Do you know where the island is located?” Aang inquired.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know that. The location of the dragon had to be kept secret and has been lost through generations now,” she answered, shaking her head and wearing an apologetic expression on her face.
“That’s too bad. Luckily, I know some people who might know about this dragon,” Aang explained. “That’s the other reason I’m here tonight.”
He turned to Nanami and asked, “Nanami, would you like to go on a trip?”