Avatar: God Of Bending

"Haa, you and your stubbornness, Aang; sometimes I wonder whether you're secretly from the Earth Kingdom." Muttered Gyatso with a sigh as he shook his head while looking at Aang, who faintly smiled, causing him to sigh once more.

"Even if I'm on the same level as you, Monk Gyatso, you're an Elder and deserving of respect; besides, you're like a father figure to me. Even if I were to become an all-mighty god, I'd still bow before you." Declared Aang earnestly with a slight shake of his head as he looked at Gyatso, who lightly chuckled while smiling.

"Hoho, you sure know how to praise this old man." Said Gyatso softly with a smile as he rubbed his chin, only to turn around and leap onto his Sky Bison with the assistance of a small vortex.

"Now then, seeing as you're ready, let's not waste any more time; I'm sure even you must be somewhat eager to explore the vastness this world has to offer." Added Gyatso with a faint smirk as he looked down at Aang, only to gently pat his Sky Bison, causing him to lightly growl before flapping his large wing.

Watching Gyatso fly into the sky, I turned towards Appa, and even though he was still very young, he was more than capable of carrying a few grown men, let alone a single child such as myself, heck I'm pretty sure he could barely tell the difference.

Leaping atop Appa, I sat on his large, fluffy back and gently patted his head right beside his growing horns, one of his favorite spots, and underneath his ears.

"C'mon, Appa, yip yip." Said Aang softly with a slight smile as he sat meditatively, while Appa lightly growled before flapping his tail, summoning a gust of wind which he rode into the sky.

Feeling the wind rushing against my face as Appa flew through the sky, I enjoyed the pleasurable sensation and cleared my mind as I used this opportunity to further my comprehension of air-bending, and the best way to do that was to gain a deeper understanding of air or wind itself.

'So complex yet so fascinating at the same time.' Thought Aang lightly as he took long, deep breaths, circling the air throughout his legs before exhaling through his nose.

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Before I knew it, over a week had passed by, though, of course, besides the few breaks we took, I hardly noticed as I mainly stayed meditating, making steady improvements in my air-bending through meditating.

'We've been flying for ten days at least at least.' Mused Aang lightly as he stood up and slid down Appa's side before stretching.

"Sorry about that; you know I tend to get absorbed when it comes to bending." Said Aang lightly as he scratched underneath Appa's head, causing him to growl in pleasure.

Seeing how Appa was a little exhausted, I stopped scratching and looked around, hoping to find some berries or apples for him to eat, but when I looked around, I was surprised to find that we weren't within a forest; in fact, I couldn't see anything living within eyesight.

"A desert?" Muttered Aang softly with a raised eyebrow as he stood beside Appa and observed their surroundings, only for Gyatso to chuckle while approaching them.

"Hoho, aren't you late to the party, Aang. Though, this isn't just any desert; I've noticed you've been spending a little more time in the library of scrolls, so do you know where we are?" Remarked Gyatso lightly as he stood beside Aang while smiling, causing him to frown with a thoughtful expression.

'Not that helpful; a couple of widely known deserts within the Earth Kingdom exist. I suppose I might as well go big.' Thought Aang lightly as he observed the desert, spotting nothing but numerous sandy dunes for as far as the eye could see.

"I'm assuming the Si Wong Desert?" Asked Aang with a raised eyebrow as he turned and glanced at Gyatso, who nodded, causing him to frown slightly while looking up at the sky.

"Well, that explains the intense heat and the constant sweating, though could, you please tell me why we are in the Si Wong Desert of all deserts? After all, it's widely known for being the world's largest, most climate-extensive, and hottest desert." Added Aang with furrowed brows as he turned around and opened Appa's satchel.

Reaching inside, I grabbed a massive coat for Appa, which was meant precisely for situations like this; Sky Bison were meant more for colder weather, so I'm sure the desert and the constant heat were uncomfortable. Pulling the coat over Appa's head and horns, I covered the rest of his body in it, and almost instantly, I saw his face ease up, causing me to smile as I grabbed a few apples from the satchel and fed them to him.

"Seems like my extra desert coat was a waste." Said Gyatso lightly as he finished covering his Sky Bison in a desert coat, protecting them against the harsh heat and intense sun.

"So, regarding my question from earlier, Monk Gyatso?" Asked Aang lightly as he fed Appa the last apple before turning and looking at Gyatso, who chuckled before walking forward.

"Truthfully, no reason. It's merely the place where we landed for a break, but it can also let you glimpse into the life of the Earth Kingdom." Replied Gyatso calmly as he placed his hands behind him and walked along the endless desert, seemingly unbothered by the intense, unlike Aang, who was sweating.

Nodding at Monk Gyatso's words, I followed behind him while intently eyeing him, trying to figure out why he wasn't sweating like I was.

'Hmm, it must be similar to how I regulate my body heat, but instead of insulating it, I should be dispersing it.' Mused Aang with a thoughtful expression as he closed his eyes, focusing on himself.

Insulating our body heat was a basic technique Air Nomads learn; after all, it gets very cold during the winter; however, even during the summer, it at most gets warm, nothing hotter than that, so I've never bothered to do the opposite, but now was different. After a few failed attempts, I eventually succeeded in dispersing my accumulating body heat, and almost instantly, I felt a relief wash over me as I began to cool down quickly.

"A fast learner you are, Aang." Said Gyatso lightly with a faint smirk as he turned and glanced at Aang, who nodded before gesturing to Appa.

"They're airbenders as well; could they not learn the same?" Asked Aang curiously, only for Gyatso to chuckle while nodding.

"Hoho, they already are; though their thick fur coating diminishes its effects, that's why they only seemed to be uncomfortable. If not for that, they wouldn't survive an hour in this desert." Replied Gytso with a nod as he glanced at Appa before looking at his Sky Bison, his words causing Aang to raise an eyebrow.

'Heh, they are.' Mused Aang lightly while intensely gazing at Appa, only to shake his head as he silently followed behind Gyatso.

For tens of minutes, we silently walked through the Si Wong desert, and other than the sound of our footsteps and the howling of the wind, it was quiet, even relatively peaceful, given that I was no longer hot; halfway through our little walk, I had taken off my shoes, which had gotten filled with sand, though really, I just wished to feel the sand beneath my feet. However, soon after an hour passed, I suddenly noticed something in the distance, causing me to squint as I stared at what looked like a town in the middle of the desert.

"You knew that was there, didn't you, Monk Gyatso?" Asked Aang curiously as he turned and suspiciously looked at Gyatso, who merely chuckled, not bothering to elaborate.

Now that we had a destination in sight, we walked there, and after thirty or so minutes, we had finally arrived at the front of the town.

"Misty Palms Oasis." Muttered Aang lightly as he gazed at the sigh above, only to shift his focus to the large iceberg jutting out from the sandy ground, causing the place to be slightly foggy.

Eying the large iceberg emerging from the ground, I couldn't help but whistle in awe; it was such a surreal phenomenon to see in real life, to see ice emerging in the middle of the Si Wong Desert, one of the hottest places on earth, it was amazing, to say the least.

"Nature is always filled with wonders." Muttered Aang softly while gazing at the large iceberg, causing Gyatso to chuckle in amusement.

"Hoho, you're right about that; nature itself is a mysterious wonder." Said Gyatso while nodding in agreement, only for him to walk forward, entering Misty Palms Oasis.

Following Monk Gyatso, we entered the Oasis, and while doing so, we came across a few people, not many, but still, it was the first time I had seen a non-air-nomad, and it must've been their first time seeing one given how we stared at each other.

"You know it's not polite to stare, Aang." Said Gyatso lightly as he glanced at Aang, who nodded and shifted his focus to the front.

"My curiosity got the best of me." Said Aang lightly, though he still continued to observe the occasional passerby.

Misty Palms Oasis wasn't big; in fact, my earlier assumption of it being a town was completely wrong; if I had to guess, it seemed to be that of a tourist attraction, if anything. Approaching the iceberg, Monk Gyatso and I stood before it and silently watched as mist evaporated off the ice, creating a thin layer of fog.

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Alright, from now one, only expect one chapter a week, this is only my side novel I write on the side, so it doesn't get as much attention.