The Honeymoon Trips
Chapter 13
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The list of characters mentioned in this story belong to the various authors that created them. This is a fan-fiction story.

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We take off the satchels and put them in a safe location on the ground. We turn around and walk back to where we were.

“Water is the flowing element. Water is the element of change. To master water, you must release your emotions to where ever they lead you. Water teaches us acceptance. Let your emotions flow like water. Remember these words.”

We let Master Pakku’s words sink deep in our minds.

“The first motion to learn is the push and pull. Watch me do it, then you copy my moves.” He pushes his hands toward the water. Little waves on the water get pushed away from him. He then points his fingers down and pretends he is holding an imaginary piece of rope. He pulls back. Little waves of water are brought toward him.

“Remember your connection to the water. Get far apart as best you can. That way you can see your own efforts.”

My fairies spread apart and hover above the water. When they push and pull with their hands, little waves of water get pushed and pulled back toward them. They smile that they can do it. Brianna and I are also able to do it as well.

Master Pakku looks around and sees that we are successful with the first motion. “That’s very good. You need to do that each day. This will allow you to keep your water bending talent fresh in the mind. Now we are ready for the second motion. Watch how I do it, then you copy my moves and arm motions.”

“Yes, Pakku.”

Pakku gets into a familiar stance that I have seen many times at the Peaceful Dragon. He turns his right foot out so that it is perpendicular with his left foot. He slightly bend the knees. Then he moves his arms in a swinging motion. While the right arm makes the motion, the right wrist is flexed toward the water, as if to draw water out of the Oasis Pool. As he completes the arc, the wrist flexes and straightens out the hand to open the palm. When the arc is finished, the palm is totally open with the three fingers pointing away from him.

The same motion is applied to the left arm and the left hand. Once both motions are complete, some water is drawn up from the Oasis Pool and fall back in. “Now you try it. Remember your connection to the water. See if you can do it without having your eyes lit up with the bluish white light.”

My fairies get into position by standing near the rock ledge or hovering above the water. They remember the connection they made with the water. Immediately twelve streams of water rise up from the surface and fall back into the water. They even did it without having their eyes become bluish white.

“We did it, father, mother, Omega!”

“Yes you did, my fairies. Now let’s see if Brianna and I can do it.”

Brianna and I stand side by side looking at the water. We think about the water connection we just made. We position our feet and flex our knees like Pakku. Brianna and I mimic each other with the same arm and hand motions. Immediately two water streams come straight up.

Pakku speaks up, “Now hold it there if you can with your mind for a count of ten.”

The fairies quickly bring up their own water streams again. We look at the water stream and concentrate. We hold it while we count out loud.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” We move our arms down to our sides. The two water streams fall back into the water. All of the fairies’ water streams fall back into the water as well.

“Whew! That took some concentration, Master Pakku.”

“Yes, it did, Richard and Brianna. You need to practice it as much as you can each day. You need to keep your mind very alert and aware. You both did very good. It will get easier as you continue the practice.”

Aang speaks up next, “Hopefully, by the fifth day, this will be automatic for all of you. As much as water can be used to preserve life, it can take away life by a simple drowning.”

“I do agree with you there, Aang. We try to teach the children how to swim so they won’t drown.”

“That is very important, Richard. Water can also be used to create ice weapons that can cut metal, ice claws on the finger tips and ice cages that can’t be broken.”

“But, if I had some fire, I could melt the ice cage.”

“You could, Richard. That is the check and balance between fire and water bending.”

“If I remember right, if lightning is used against a water bender, it could go either way.”“

“That is true, Richard. Water does conduct electricity. A water bender could get a fire bender caught in an ice trap. It is just how Katara was able to defeat Azula, Zuko’s sister.”

“So, let’s continue with the exercises. After we are comfortable with the second move, we’ll then go into the third move by creating a sphere of water and holding it in the air.”

We continue with the second move until we are comfortable with it for another half mark. We hold the water stream up in the air and let it fall back into the water. Slowly our minds get used to it. We then realize we are making our minds stronger.

“Richard, I’m really getting used to this. I think I will be able to earn the white sash with some very good confidence.”

“That’s good, my love. We’ll just take it step by step.”

“Okay, it is now time for the third move. Watch my moves again.” Pakku swings his arms as before to bring up a stream of water. Then with the right hand he opens his palm with all four fingers pointing at the stream. He brings it up slowly. The stream breaks off. He moves the right hand upward to the left hand as he brings it down. The section of water comes together and forms a ball of water. He holds it up in the air. Then he releases the hold with his mind and moving his hands apart. The ball of water falls into the water.

“I think I see a pattern here, Master Pakku.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Basically, you are a pottery maker. You are using your hands and mind to form the water into what you want.”

Pakku smiles, “That is correct, Richard. If you just use your mind, the water form is very undefined. Your body is the conduit to the water bending because your own body is 60 percent water at birth. It will go down to 45 percent as you get older. Now, let’s see you try it.”

We slowly do the motions that Master Pakku showed us. Soon, we are able to draw up some water and form a ball of water in the air. We hold it in the air as long as we can, which is about a quarter-mark. We then release the balls of water back into the Oasis Pool.

“That is very good for the first day. Come, it is time for the evening meal.”

I look at the koi fish in the water. La, Brianna and I have been talking about going vegetarian. This is because I am the Omega Unicorn Dragon. Is it okay to eat fish and bird?

I understand your misgivings, Richard. Fish have always understood their lot in life to provide meat for others. Not only for the other sea life, but for the land dwellers as well. They will still come to your aid if you ask them to help you. They will count it as a high honor in helping your family in your time of need. It is still okay to be a vegetarian.

I then recall the time I had on the island to prevent the soldiers from taking me on the island where the Rescue Mission is located.

I just received a memory from you concerning your time on the island. That is the way it will be for you and your family.

Thank you, La. What about the birds that are used for food? I picture in my mind meals of chicken and turkey for La to see.

Bird is okay as well. Again, they know they are providing food for the land dwellers.

However, I can not eat red meat and shell fish.. That is because of the illness I got from eating those meats.

That is good, Richard. There is no harm to them when you do abstain from eating their meat. You can teach the dangers of eating the red meat and the shell fish. This has been an ongoing battle for eons on all worlds. Eventually, when the Ultimate Last Battle is over with, everyone will be a vegetarian.

Thank you, La, for your words of encouragement. We look forward to talking to you and Yue in the future.

We look forward to it as well.

Brianna and I look at each other. Did you hear that, Bri?

I heard it all, Richard. Thank you for talking to La about it. It does help in the long run. I never did like eating red meat and shell fish while growing up. It takes a long time to digest red meat. It is easy to gain weight with it. Shell fish didn’t agree with our family as well. We’ll do just fine.

We walk over to where we put our satchels down. We put them on our shoulders and follow everyone back up the tunnel. Once the door is closed, we are standing together on the second level landing.

“Since you are our guests here for five days, we’ll provide rooms for you to stay in.”

We follow them through the tunnels and back out to the second level landing. We walk down the steps to the main ground level. We walk past several buildings and cross over several bridges. Master Pakku then opens a door to a three story building. We walk up a flight of stairs to the second floor. He opens the second door on the left. We all enter inside the room. We find it is a very warm room to be in. There are windows with curtains, beds, dresser drawers. The room is kept warm with a small fire nation furnace. The fuel is stored in a metal container with a hose connected to it.

My fairies take a peak out from the pockets as they look around. “This looks good, mother.”

“Yes, it does, Esmeralda.”

“Since we are located in the northern arctic region. The time of day is hard to determine. Therefore, we use these mechanical clocks to determine the time of day.” Pakku points toward a small box on a dresser top. It is about one foot square and three inches deep. “It has a pendulum and a metal spring. It needs to be wound up every other day. If you happen to forget to wind it, it will start to slow down. You can reset the clock to the correct time from the main clock in this building. It is found near the entrance to this building.”

We put our satchels on the bed. I leave my fairies’ satchel on my shoulder. We follow our hosts to another building down the street. We see people entering and leaving a building.

“This is one of our eateries here. Two silver coins is more than enough to pay for two people. There are only three metals used on the Avatar world for currency. Copper is the cheapest. Silver is the second best metal. Then there is gold. One gold coin can take care of a group of four people easily. Since there are eight of us, I will use two gold coins. Did you bring any precious metals with you, Richard?”

“I have a small bag of coins, Ratook. It contains only silver and gold. My fairies have their own food in this satchel that I’m carrying. They just need some table space to eat with us.”

“That’s fine, Richard.”

We follow them inside. Ratook opens the door for us. Once we get inside, the din quickly dies down. They see the council members are here to eat the evening meal. The din quickly goes back up in volume.

Then a lady at the front desk greets us. “Welcome to Bran-li’s Fish House. We are honored to have you here. It looks like we’ll need three tables for you. Follow me, we’ll put you in the conference room where it is more quiet for you.”

We get greeted by many people along the way. I nod my head up and down with a smile. Brianna has a big smile on her face.

“That was a marvelous demonstration of air bending.”

“Thank you and you’re welcome, sir.”

We get a few more compliments along the way before we enter the private dining area. Brianna and I are sitting together. I look toward the waitress who is sitting us.

“I need table places for my fairies.” I place their satchel on the table next to me. My fairies quickly fly out of the pockets once we get our coats off. They land around two sets of plates.

“What do they eat, sir?”

“I have a selection of nuts, fruits and honey in the satchel.”

“That’s good, sir. We do serve up fish and shell fish here, sir.”

“Thank you for telling me that. Please serve up only fish to Brianna and I.”

“I’ll let the kitchen staff know, sir.”

We sit in the chairs. My fairies quickly open the satchel and open the bags. They take a selection of nuts and fruits out and place them on the plates. They also use the honey bottle to create their own honey water cups. Levi and Shiri quickly warm up the drinks, the nuts and the fruit for a warm meal.

The first dish that is brought out is a salad of several different kinds of seaweed. We see that it has a selection of nuts and cold sea prunes sliced up on it. It is not seasoned with the spices and a dressing on top.

We talk among ourselves while we eat the salad.

“Richard, you displayed an amazing talent of air bending. I’m sure your hand to hand combat is very good as well. What level are you at?”

“I have been studying the martial arts since I was eight. In ten years I graduated from my high school. By that time I earned the purple sash in Shaolin discipline. I then proceeded to earn the higher degree sashes of brown and black. There are ten black sashes before one earns the title of Shaolin Dragon Master. It all depends on how fast you want to achieve it. The desire of most shaolin masters is to earn it quickly. It is not unheard of to be a master at the age of 26. Most of them earn the title by the time they are 50. Then they become teachers for the next generation. Right now, I have the first black sash. I will learn many animal fighting styles and how to use over 600 weapons.”

“That’s a commendable goal, Richard. It will be interesting for you and your family. For us, our bending can be passed down to the next generation. While for you it has to be earned with hard work and desire.”

“That is right, Master Pakku.”

We get done with the seaweed salad in about fifteen minutes. Then table help comes in to pick up our empty plates. Then they come out to serve the main dish. It is fish with more seaweed on the side. This time, there is light spice on the fish dish. Brianna and I taste the fish together at the same time. We look at each other and smile.

This is very good, Brianna.

Yes, it is, Richard. The spice is just right for this fish.

“Ratook, I have a question about your food here.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Have you given any thought about serving up vegetables with your dishes? I’m just curious.”

Every one smiles. “I understand your question, Richard. We can serve vegetables with our dishes. However, we don’t grow our own vegetables here. It is too cold to grow them here. There is only one cave here, that is the Oasis Pool. We purchase our vegetables from the Earth Kingdom on a periodic basis. It can be expensive to serve up the vegetables here. We have several storage buildings with different temperature zones so the vegetables won’t get any damage from the sub zero temperatures.”

We continue eating the meal in relative quiet. Some of the council members quietly talk to each other. When we get done, Aang is asked to give the thanks for evening meal. Once we get done, we all rise up from the chairs. I see each of the council members put a silver coin on the table. I open my coin bag and take out two silver coins and place on the table. Immediately, two silver coins are replenished in the coin bag.

We put our coats back on and gather up our belongings. We exit the establishment. We are escorted by the council members back to our guest lodgings. Aang walks with the other council members. They will have their own meetings while we are spending our time with Master Pakku.

“That eatery also serves up breakfast as well. It will be fish, sea prunes and seaweed again.”

“I’ll meet you after my session with Hahn tomorrow morning at the third mark in the morning. Be prepared to learn more water bending. In the afternoon, you will meet with the healers. My study room is located in that building across the street.” Pakku points to it.

“Thank you, Pakku and Ratook. Thank you for your hospitality. We’ll see you at the third mark in the morning. “

We walk back up to the second floor. We enter the room. Once we unbutton the coats, the fairies fly out to inspect the room.

“This is not too bad, father. Is there a wash room here?”

I open another door, we see a wash room, the toilet, a shower, and some piping. I touch the surface of the metal pipe. “It is warm to the touch. They must use it for the water and the toilet.”

“Richard, it looks like the fairies will have to use the dresser drawer for their beds.”

“You’re right, Bri. We’ll give them the two top drawers in each dresser.”

We open our satchel and remove our clothes and towels. My fairies take their bed items from their satchel and place them on top of the towels. They set warm spells on their bed coverings to keep warm during the night.

I set the alarm on the clocks to wake us up at the first mark in the morning. I see the usual markings on the clock are similar to ours on Earth and Twainor.

Brianna and I get undressed. We put on our night clothes. Brianna pulls down the covers. She feels the covers are very cold. She quickly puts a warm spell on the covers and the bed itself. Once we get under the covers, we all feel nice and warm.

“Hmm . . . this is nice and warm now.”

“Yes it is, Brianna. It will be tough getting out of bed in the morning.”

“Perhaps, but then I know your libido is still in check.”

I smile back at her. “I can wait for it.”

Then we all start to giggle and laugh. We settle under the covers and soon fall asleep. We only get peaceful dreams during the night. We wake up refreshed and ready for another day.

Brianna sets a cleaning spell on the dresser to clean our clothes. When she opens the drawer, she finds the clothes are smelling nice and look very clean. We put on the clothes. This time I leave my armor in the room. Once the multi-pocket coat is on, my fairies fly in to stay warm again. Then we put on the thick outer coat and button it up.

We exit the building and walk toward the eatery again. I pay for our meal with two silver coins again. We are served a different kind of fish this morning. We enjoy its unique flavor. My fairies have another warm meal with their nuts, honey water and fruits.

After we gave thanks to the owner and to the Creator, we exit the building together. I noticed the clock inside the eatery, the time is about quarter mark before the third mark on the clock.

We walk over to Pakku’s study room. We see Hahn walking out looking a bit unsettled. He quickly looks at us and walks away from us.

We see Pakku standing at the doorway. “Don’t worry about him, Richard. He just realized he will be starting all over from scratch. I gave him some homework to do. Follow me, please.”

We follow Master Pakku to an open area near his building. We review the first three moves we learned yesterday. Pakku can sense it is becoming easier for us.

The next set of moves is learning how to move the water streams around us and to project it away from us. We then played a game of catching and throwing the water ball.

Pakku is pleased that the fairies are using a group effort to control the water ball that is thrown to them. They stop it in mid-air and toss it back to us.

Then we learn something new. How to freeze the water and unfreeze it.

This took some doing to figure out. We have to project our mind onto the water ball and drop the temperature of the water.

Once we figured that out in our minds, we begin freezing and unfreezing multiple water balls floating in front of us.

“If you were to toss a water ball at me while my back is turned. I will know before it hits me. I can sense the water getting closer because my sensory perception is now farther away from me.”

We then start to learn to increase our sensory perception distance. It took a few trial and errors. There were a few times we got wet in the beginning. Slowly we start to feel it coming closer to us in time. We turn around and raise our hands to stop the water ball coming at us from Master Pakku. We slowly increased our distance to the point that we sense the water ball in Pakku’s hand before he tosses it in our direction.

“That’s very good. You’re indeed fast learners. Come, it is time for the noon repast. Afterwards, it is classes with the healers. Tomorrow morning, it will be time to learn the weapons of offense and defense.”

We have the noon repast at the same eatery as this morning. Again it is fish, sea prunes and seaweed. After the noon repast, Master Pakku brings us to a local healer. She gives a bright smile once she sees us.

“Welcome, I’m honored to be their teacher, Master Pakku. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, madam. You have the afternoon until the evening repast.”

“I’ll be sure to teach them well.”

Master Pakku turns and leaves us with the healer.

“My name is Regina. I’ll teach you the basics today. That will be the cuts and bruises. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on the bones. Then on the third day, it will be illnesses to the body. The first thing to do is to put your hands in the laver here. We need to get the healing touch to your hands. Watch me.”

Regina puts her hands into the laver on the table. My fairies quickly fly out of the pockets once we unbutton the coats. We all watch her carefully. Soon, her hands to begin glow.

“Wow, that is amazing.”

“Yes, it is. Now let’s see you try it.”

“Is there a certain thinking process here?”

“Yes, there is, Brianna. You need to think of your hands as instruments to heal. Water gives us life. Your body has water. Let your emotions and mind flow to your hands. This is ordinary water. There is nothing special about it.”

My fairies try it first. Quickly all of their hands begin to glow. They are glad they have the ability to heal.

Brianna and I do the same thing. It takes a little longer for us. But once we get the right thinking, our hands begin to glow as well.

“That’s very good. It took some time, but that is the purpose. You need to train your mind. Now, I’m going to prick myself with a pin and cause it to bleed. Watch how I get it to heal.”

She pricks her finger with a metal pin. She is able to get a few drops of blood coming out. I see the blood is red in color, like ours. She puts a finger near the cut with her left hand. She concentrates on the left hand, it begins to glow. Then we see the cut close up and the skin gets renewed without a scab.

“That is very good, Regina.”

“Yes, it is, Richard. Now let’s try it ourselves. Hmm . . for you fairies, you will try to heal a pin prick on Richard and Brianna.”

“That’s sounds good to us, Miss Regina.”

Brianna and I get pin pricked on our fingers. Each fairy quickly learns how to do it themselves. They are pleased to learn how to heal a cut. They know it will be different for the more complex injuries.

Then Brianna and I try it ourselves. We quickly learn how to heal the pin prick just as fast.

Then we learn how to heal bigger cuts. This took some doing to get it right. We needed to concentrate on stopping the bleeding before the skin could get healed. But once the steps are told us by Regina, we begin to heal bigger cuts with no problems.

“Regina, does it take energy to heal the bigger injuries?”

“Yes, it can, Richard. But you need to tap into your chi so you won’t deplete your own energy.”

We then start to learn how to heal bruises, Those are blood vessels broken under the skin. We have to learn how to see under the skin to find the broken or cut blood vessel.

Again, it took some time to see the blood vessels under the skin. But once we got jt figured out, healing bruises proved a lot easier to do than we thought. There is no worry about healing the skin as well.

We used up the time allocated to us very quickly. We return back to the eatery for the evening meal. After having the evening meal, we retire back to our guest lodging.

The next day proved to be another challenge for us. How to use water to defend ourselves and to create weapons with water and ice.