To Kyoshi, there was no better feeling than that of flight. Travelling through the open air with nothing but her bison and her closest friends was the moment she felt most connected with her element- the wind filtering through her hair, nothing but the sky above and clouds below. It was close to paradise.

The sentiment was not shared by her companions.

“Kyooosshhiiiiiiiiii….” Yun whined as he clung to the saddle, holding on for his life. “Can we go lower?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the Avatar?” Rangi scoffed. She, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease in the clouds, leaning against the saddle walls with her head tilted at the sky. “You should get used to this, it won’t be the only time you’ll have to fly.”

“I’ve ridden a bison before.” Yun scoffed. “But I’ll have you know, I’m an earthbender. I’m not meant to be this far away from solid ground.”

“Yep. You’re going to have a blast with airbending with that attitude.”

From what Kyoshi could tell from the driver’s seat, Yun blew a raspberry at Rangi and the two burst out in laughter. She awkwardly turned around to face her friends. “Flying’s fun! You get to see the world from up high!” She leaned forward to scratch her bison on the forehead. “Huan agrees.” Huan let out a low roar in response, to which Kyoshi laughed.

“And it’s the most efficient form of travel.” Rangi added. “Made less efficient when we go further down. It defeats the purpose of flying anyways.”

Yun only scoffed and returned his gaze to the sky around them. It had been cloudy ever since they set off that morning, the conditions only worsening with time. While not the ideal weather to be flying in, it had made for a stunning sunrise view.

“Hey, look, there’s Kelsang and the others!” Kyoshi gestured to her left while simultaneously leading Huan in that direction. Kelsang’s bison, Pengpeng, emerged from the mist, carrying not only Kyoshi’s father, but Hei-Ran, Jianzhu and Amak.

Kyoshi waved to the other travelers as they passed, and was met by a returning greeting from Kelsang only.

“Why are we taking two bison, anyways?” Rangi crawled over to wave to her mother. “Isn’t it a bit excessive?”

“Yun wanted for us to travel alone.” Kyoshi shrugged. “Plus, Pengpeng’s an old girl, she can’t carry everybody.”

“When are we gonna get there?” Yun asked, already turning back to the sky as Pengpeng disappeared back into the clouds.

Kyoshi looked at the sky above her, illuminated by the sun behind all the clouds- they had left at sunrise, meaning a few hours had passed. It only took half a day’s worth of travel to get from the Eastern Air Temple to Yokoya, so she assumed it would take the same amount of time to get to the nearby city of Aringeru. “Only a few more hours.” She turned back to Yun. “Are you excited?”

Yun shrugged, still holding onto Huan’s saddle like his life depended on it. “I’m excited to get back on solid ground, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Strangely enough- it wasn’t exactly solid ground they reached after the rest of their flight, but a network of bridges, suspended above the water.

“Aringeru isn’t like most Earth Kingdom cities,” Jianzhu explained as the party disembarked from their respective bison. He side-eyed the wooden structures, as if he disapproved of them in some way. “In more ways than one. Built on top of an archipelago near the Shanu Reef, this region is well known for its… difference from the mainland Earth Kingdom.”

Kyoshi took a moment to glance at their surroundings. They had landed in the shallow piers of the city, far from the crowded heart square, though even on the outskirts of town she could notice the little bits of Coral Isles culture in the cityscape. Outside of being built over water instead of on solid ground for easy earthbending, there was a history written in the tapestries worn over the doorways and the rain canals lining the rooftops- in the canoes and gondolas anchored to nearly every empty post. Kyoshi knew that many of the original settlers of the area were indigenous to the distant islands of the eastern sea, somewhere so far from what she called home. When she had first visited the region years ago, she had appreciated the subtle influences of a unique culture, and now found it difficult to see Jianzhu’s perspective on the matter. “I think it’s nice.”

Jianzhu didn’t respond, his attention caught by someone approaching them. The man wore finery ill-fitting to the damp, wooden town around him, and had an appearance more akin to Jianzhu’s than that of the Coral Isles naives Kyoshi had met before.

“Master Jianzhu! Avatar!” The man clapped before bowing in front of the group. “I am Governor Hilmi, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you all to Aringeru.”

Jianzhu nodded at his student before returning the bow. “The pleasure is all ours, Governor.” Yun recited. Apparently, it was important that the Avatar handle this matter. “I thank you for your hospitality, and introduce the members of my ensemble.”

Each member of the party bowed as their name was called, in reverence to Governor Hilmi’s authority. Once the last of them had been announced- Kyoshi herself- Hilmi took a moment to look over the group. “You’ve assembled quite the team, Avatar. I trust that you and your companions will be able to solve this little issue in no time.” Kyoshi barely caught Yun’s glance before Hilmi spoke over her again. “Now come, follow me. We should get into town.”

Hilmi led the party through the city, occasionally stopping to point something out or apologize for the humidity, or the fog, or the locals. Kyoshi lagged behind at the back of the group, leading Huan through the water by his reins. The canal was just big enough for a bison, Kyoshi doubted the city was built to accommodate sky bison.

Rangi lingered in the crowd for a moment, letting Kyoshi catch up to her. “It’s pretty hot here…” the firebender complained, adjusting her armor.

“Isn’t the Fire Nation pretty warm?” Kysohi replied, to which Rangi shrugged.

“I haven’t been there in a while, and it’s not this humid there. Isn’t the Eastern Air Temple close by? I bet you’re used to this weather.”

Kyoshi hummed in reply. “Sort of, it’s much cooler at the higher elevations, which makes it nicer.” She paused to look around at the town’s scenery. “Have you ever been to one of the Air Temples?”

Rangi shook her head, causing her hair to slightly bounce. “I haven’t, not yet at least.”

“Maybe, if we have the time, I can take you and Yun to my home.” Kyoshi mused. Rangi didn’t have a chance to respond before they had reached what Kyoshi assumed to be Governor Hilmi’s estate.

During their short journey, they had at some point transitioned from walking over wooden boardwalks to solid ground and sanded paths, and now stood in front of a massive wooden building, build in the same architectural style as the town but on a larger scale, a mountain of wood emerging from the surrounding forest of palm trees. Kyoshi wondered why the structure hadn’t been earthbent.

As Hilmi started rambling about the history of the building- a topic that interested Jianzhu and seemingly no one else- a pair of attendants approached Kyoshi.

“We’ll be taking your bison for you, miss.” One of them said, bowing politely. “He’ll be kept in the Governor’s private stables, kept safe from harm.”

Kyoshi nodded and reluctantly gave the attendants Huan’s reins, then watched as they led both her bison and Kelsang’s to the stables. As soon as the bison had disappeared from view, she turned to enter the estate with the rest of the group.

The room they had given Kyoshi was no smaller than the one she occupied at the Avatar’s mansion, if much more decorated. After years, she was still having trouble getting used to the amount of finery in everyday Earth Kingdom decor. Kyoshi set down her travel bags on the floor next to the bed and opened the window, letting a soft spring breeze filter through the curtains. She leaned out the window to take in the courtyard view but turned around at the sound of her name.

“Hey, Yun.” Kyoshi turned around to face the Avatar as he stood in her door frame. “Have you unpacked yet?”

Yun nodded and entered the room when Kyoshi beckoned him in. He sat down on the bed. “You should come see the Avatar’s suite, it’s huge. Very extravagant.”

Kyoshi laughed and leaned back on the windowsill. “I bet it is. It’s so different from what it’s like at the Air Temples... though it’s nice to be so close to home again.”

Yun nodded, though not in agreement. Of any of her party, she was the only one who had gotten closer to her home (save for Amak, but that was only because they had traveled north). They had gone eastward- away from the Fire Nation and Yokoya to islands bordering a completely different part of the Earth Kingdom- the Earth Kingdom was so big that each region of it seemed foreign to each other. Even Kelsang was far from his homeland- they had been considerably closer to his home temple, the southern, back in Yokoya.

Kyoshi hesitated to respond. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Rangi and I were talking about, how if we have the time, we might be able to fly up to the temple and spend some time there, if you want.”

The idea seemed to brighten Yun’s mood. He jumped to his feet and left out the same door he came from. “Sounds great to me. We’re starting our investigation on the crop failures tonight, after dinner. Everyone’s gonna be there, but we’re all free till then.”

After eating dinner, they were all ushered out of Hilmi’s fine dining hall bu Jianzhu.

“Where are we going?” Kyoshi turned to her father as they walked together, following the Yun and Jianzhu.

Kelsang paused before responding. “Jianzhu hasn’t told me much, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to the Seer Stones.” When met with Kyoshi’s silence, he explained. “They’re stones, at the top of the island’s highest peak. They’re said to be connected to the spirits of the islands. If Yun can connect with the spirits, maybe he can commune with them and find out what’s happening to the crops, and why.”

“If this is some sort of Avatar-spiritual thing, then why do all of us have to be there?” Rangi huffed from behind them- she and her mother were walking directly after them.

“Hush, Rangi.” Hei-Ran chided, her voice calm. “I’m sure Jianzhu has a reason for it.”

Jianzhu led them to the top of the mountain, to a flat surface adorned with large, intricately carved stones covered in moss. A pool in the center of the clearing reflected the near-full moon above. Kyoshi would’ve suspected they had entered a different world if not for the golden light of Aringeru from the valley below.

As soon as the last of their procession, Amak, reached the peak, Jianzhu clapped his hands. “Alright, everybody. Places- find your element on the cardinal stones, Avatar in the center. We’ve only got so much of the night left.”

When Kyoshi inspected the stones, she found symbols adorning them. There were eight in total, and every other one had the symbol of an element. The one closest to he had the symbol of water.

It wasn’t long before Kyoshi found her own stone- the one carved with the symbol of air, directly across from the one Jianzhu sat under. To her left sat Rangi and Hei-Ran under the fire stone, and Amak under the water one. It was the elemental cycle. Yun stood in the center, ankle deep in the water.

Jianzhu glanced around to make sure everyone was in their proper places. “Alright. That’s good. We have excess of some elements but that doesn’t matter- everyone here knows how to mediate?” He seemed anxious.

Kyoshi, along with everyone else, nodded.

“Good- assume meditative positions.” Jianzhu nodded, sitting down on the grass. “The energy of all four elements will help Yun connect with the island spirits.”

“Sifu-” Yun hesitated before sitting down with everyone else. “In the water?”

“Yes, yes.” Jianzhu nodded hastily. “Get on with it. We’re wasting moonlight.”

Yun hesitated before sitting down in the water. Once she had made sure that her friend was alright, Kyoshi closed her eyes and focused.

Jianzhu had said that they needed to combine the elemental energies- was she supposed to think ‘air’ thoughts? Was she supposed to focus on her grip of the air around her like she did when she was bending? Was she just supposed to meditate? Whatever she was doing, she hoped it helped Yun.

Something interrupted Kyoshi’s focus. It was as if the entire world was calling to her, telling her a message. It was distorted, as if she was hearing it through a tunnel of wind. She figured she must’ve been doing it right- if this was what message she was getting, Yun must’ve been seeing the full picture.

“Stop- stop.” Jianzhu’s voice interrupted her moment of near-clarity. “Everybody stop. We’re doing it wrong.”

Kyoshi could hear Rangi scoff, “How does he know that?” Before being shushed by her mother, but the Earthbending master didn’t notice, or he didn’t care.

Jianzhu approached his student and turned him around, so that his back was to Kyoshi. “It’ll work better if you face your native element.” He looked up and made eye contact with each person. “I need you all to focus on your element, this has to work.”

After exchanging worried glances with Rangi and Kelsang, Kyoshi resumed meditation and was only met by the same distant cries over a howling storm. After five more trials and errors with no progress made, Jianzhu finally called it quits and decided to gather everyone up to head home.

As Kyoshi got up and passed around the pool of water in the center, she could’ve sworn she heard someone calling out her name.