Chapter 87: A past lifes scars

Six years later, in the foggy swamp.

“Do you see that bullfrog?” asked Mi and pointed toward a beast with the body of a bull and legs of a frog, which just caught a possum chicken with its long tongue.

“Yes, I will go to the other side. Bro, help me prepare the net.” commanded Atlas, and vanished.

A minute later, a bit downstream, Bro shot an arrow with a long line to the opposite side of the river. Atlas caught the arrow with a water whip, and within seconds, a net covering the whole river was prepared.

Atlas gave Bro a few handsigns before walking up the river back to the bullfrog. He was covered by a bush where he could observe the bullfrog, who had his body half submerged into the river, appearing smaller than it actually was.

Atlas could see Bro on the other side, readying his bow, and Mi preparing something that resembled a gong, with the difference that it wasn’t perfectly circular and had a few rough edges. It looked like a badly shaped shield.

Atlas readied his bow too and aimed at the bullfrog. He gave Bro and Mi a signal with his pinky finger, and the second he clenched his grip around the bow, he and Bro released the arrows. The two arrows were aimed at the bullfrog's eyes.

The moment Mi saw the arrows fly, she used a small hammer to create an ear-shattering gong, causing several beasts in the area to flee in fear.

The frog, which survived the two arrows that would have pierced the brains of most animals, screamed in pain and jumped forward in a frenzy. Its giant, half-ton-heavy body was flying through the air like a cannon ball. Without the ability to see, the frog simply jumped forward multiple times.

Atlas and Bro immediately shot another few arrows at the bullfrog's back.

Wherever it landed, the riverwater was colored red for a brief moment before he jumped again, and the blood was washed away.

“We need to chase him! The net won’t hold him for long!” Yelled Atlas and jumped in the river, freezing the water under his feet and jetting forward like a motorboat was pulling him.

“I swear, I will learn that too.” Said Bro as he pushed the skiff into the river, while Mi jetted herself on the skiff before hammering the gong again, before Bro started to accelerate the skiff too.

Atlas chased the frog for three jumps that were over a hundred feet long until the frog jumped into the net. The trees screeched dangerously as they stopped the frog’s momentum, and a few of the ropes from the net snapped instantly.

Atlas stopped his charge toward him and sent a wave of water, which instantly froze the moment he caught the frog.

The giant frozen frog couldn’t even struggle, as he was completely frozen. They could only watch as the bullfrog was trying to breathe or escape the ice, but without the ability to build up momentum, the frog didn’t have the strength to shatter the ice.

Within two minutes, the frog suffocated in the ice.

“Good job, guys.” Said Atlas, proud that the team worked so well together.

“We did it, Atlas; we are finally hunters, said Bro, and jumped at him, clinging to him like a coala.

“Yes, we did it!” said Mi, and tackled the two of them so that they fell into the water.

“Haha, yes, we did hunt the bullfrog. But our exam is only over when we deliver it back to the village. So, let's get moving. Today we will feast.” Said Atlas, not the least bit bothered by Mi’s and Bro’s antics.

He was also quite happy with how everything went. They had searched the swamp for two days to finally find their prey. And it was the first hunt he had to lead without Tar breathing down his neck and commenting about not doing everything perfectly. Even now, he could hear Tar’s rants in his mind about how he should have waited a bit longer for Mi and Bro in case the bullfrog turned around, despite the loud noise that scared him. Or maybe he would just fault him for not timing his shot perfectly so that his arrow landed a quarter of a second later than Bro's, which caused him to only damage the eye but not totally blind it.

Well, all that was over now. They just needed to get the frog back. But a large block of ice was easy to transport inside the river. He just needed to push it with his bending, and the frog would be as easy to move as a skiff. Well, not as easy, but after adjusting the shape of the iceblock, even pushing their prey upstream wasn’t a problem.

The only problem was that they needed to circumvent one specific part of the swamp. The death area. It wasn't an area where all animals who entered it would die within a few minutes. His swamp believed it was due to the will of the swamp, and it was the place where they made the burials for their dead. But he suspected it was just that over thousands of years, a lot of CO2 had formed on the bottom of the swamp, and this area was the ventile of the swamp where the gas leaked, which caused big bubbles to pop up from time to time. The problem was that it was most likely a gas that was heavier than normal air, which caused the people who entered it to get dizzy and then suffocate.

But even if the river didn’t naturally avoid this area, the tribe had built a small water route around it. It just took an hour longer than it normally would. But the path was tight, and Atlas needed to be careful to navigate the big bullfrog through the canal.

“Bro, you did it! Do you see it, that my son! He became a fullfletched hunter at 12!” yelled Bro’s father, who was more bullish than even the bullfrog. Well, he was less hairy than the frog, but he was definitely the most muscular man in the tribe.

“Your son was just lucky to be in a team with my daughter! Mi, your papa is proud of you!” Said a man who was of a much smaller frame than Bro’s father but equally confident in his abilities.

Atlas looked at the people who gathered as they rode the big bullfrog toward the village. More and more people gathered. He even saw his own mother, who just stood there winking and crying out of happiness. Next to her was Ti, who was yelling something, but Atlas couldn’t understand her because many people were already shouting congratulations.

Atlas winked back, but their journey wasn’t at its end yet. He navigated the frog through the newly built canal system in the village, while the people followed them.

During the past six years, the tribe has undergone massive changes. A few large mills were next to the river, a few people were moving wooden boxes through the canal system, and fields were on all edges of the village, which had grown massively in size. The style of the new houses was a bit more symetric and modern than previously, and the people looked healthier.

The idea of using waterbending and a canal system was Atlas' take on the transportation system in Omashu, the second largest city in the earth kingdom ruled by King Bumi.

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The canal system naturally wasn’t as extensive as the system in Omashu, but as the tribe was much smaller, that wasn’t really a problem. The major benefit was that the people realized that they could also use these canals to transport heavy tools and objects around the village. So wood wasn’t transported by hand anymore, and the buildings were built with standard plates that were cut in the sawmill. It was one of Atlas plans to make the village prosper while creating a foundation for future trade with the earth kingdom.

Within a few minutes, Atlas, Mi, and Bro reached the butchery. Now they had officially completed their test. Their first hunt of something that was considered a predator in the swamp. And despite the ease with which the bullfrog was hunted, it was definitely right to call it that because an adult bullfrog could fell small trees if it jumped against them. With an acceleration faster than most cars, its jumps were absolutely deadly. Not to mention that its tongue was sticky and could easily tie down a lone hunter.

Instead of the butcher, Tar greeted them at the entrance. In the past few years, his hair had thinned, and he grew a little thin, but his eyes were still full of vigor. “You didn’t disappoint, kids. A bullfrog isn’t an easy prey. But now go and celebrate with your friends. I will take care of the frog for you. Just this once. See it as a reward from me.”

Atlas was barely able to mumble a soft “will do, old man,” before he was pulled into a crowd of the celebrating crowd. The hunters were naturally the earliest to congratulate them, patting them acknowledgingly on the shoulders and throwing them in the air. Today was their special day. Today, they would be treated like heroes, as was tradition in the village.

At the end of the day, Atlas didn’t know how often he had to listen to Mi and Bro bragging about the hunt. He didn’t know how often his mother hugged him, saying he would make his father proud, or how often he had to decline the ricewine the village had started to produce lately. The party for the new hunters ended traditionally at midnight. The reason for that was that by becoming hunters, they officially became adults and thus had the chance to become enlightened on the Banyan Grove tree protected by a few fellow hunters. As the only enlightened in the tribe, it was Huu’s duty to guide the new hunters on that journey.

Atlas heard a knock on his door just minutes before the sun went up. In front of his door stood Bro, Mi, their fathers, Tar, Huu, Tho, and Due, who were part of Huu’s hunter team.

Before he could step outside, his mother grabbed him on the shoulder. “Atlas, I know you probably expect to be enlightened since the first time you heard about it, but just know that I will be proud of you no matter what happens.”

“I know, mom. But I will definitely become enlightened. I can feel that I’m already close to getting there, even without the tree.” Answered Atlas with confidence. In the past six years, his mother had become even more protective, but as he mastered any challenge the tribe and aging had to offer him, it felt like she wanted to prepare him for eventual failure. He wasn’t sure if it had something to do with the trauma she had since his father’s disappearance or if she was just generally pessimistic, but he was always glad to show her that there was no need to worry about him.

With those words, Atlas left his mother behind and entered the loose military formation the hunters had formed. The only hunters not reeking of alcohol were Huu and Tar, but Atlas wasn’t worried. Just Huu alone would be able to take care of most beasts inside the swamp, and Tar would never navigate them into a situation where they were at a disadvantage in a fight. In the past six years, Tar has become somewhat of a mentor to Atlas. More so than Atlas had expected, but the planning, the traps, and the genius the hunter showed when hunting inspired Atlas. Even if Bro had called more than half of the strategies cowardly, they were what Atlas needed to learn if he planned to continue fighting heroes who were far stronger than him.

The hunters boarded three boats, and Bro, Mi, and Atlas entered the same as Huu and Tar, making it a bit overcrowded. Tar, a bit unconventionally, moved his hands in fluid motions to guide the boat forward.

On their way towards the Banyan Grove tree, Huu began a small lecture.

“I know you three are very talented benders, and that you became hunters at your age surely shows that your talent is not limited to just that. But as you age, gather experiences, and become even more skilled, you will realize that normal beasts won’t be a challenge anymore. A few hunters in the tribe have reached that stage. Each one is the most talented in their generation. Some are even more talented than me. They are the pillars of our tribe, and yet they aren’t enlightened. I tried to teach them; they tried to meditate under the tree; they tried to cover themselves in seeweed for multiple days; yet they were unable to grasp the ability to extend their bending towards plants. Even I didn’t immediately grasp the ability and only got enlightened after returning to the banyan tree multiple times to meditate. So, what I want to say is, don’t get frustrated, don’t start to expect to get it on the first try, and instead try to focus on feeling the tree and its connection to the swamp; only then will you have a chance at getting enlightened.”

Atlas listened attentively to Huu. He had tried for many years to bend plants, but without success. He could bend the water around seeweed to make it look like plant bending, but, in the end, it was just a cheap imitation. His success in the other aspect of bending had been much more rewarding. Even his secret attempts at bloodbending during a full moon were somewhat successful, but something was always preventing him from bending even the smallest of weeds. He hoped that meditating under the Banyan Grove tree would finally give him the inspiration he needed to take his first step into plantbending.

“Don’t worry, Mi, I will still hunt with you even if I become enlightened.” Mumbled Bro towards Mi.

“Who would want to hunt with you, dumbass?” Answered Mi and rolled her eyes.

Atlas sighed when he heard that. The two had never once stopped their bickering unless they were in a critical moment during a hunt. The funny thing was that Atlas noticed that the bickering had changed in the last year. At least Bro’s bickering hat changed. It was less demeaning than before, and Atlas noticed that Bro stared at her a bit too often.

Mi, on the other hand, was, despite her wits, ignorant of this change and just tried desperately to become a better hunter, a better bender, and, to Atlas surprise, even a better farmer. She had even asked him to help her set up her own field for training purposes, and frequently visited him for guidance. Atlas didn’t really know what caused her to be so driven, despite the general competitiveness the three of them had shown, but he was glad that Mi and Bro turned out to be quite competent. While he hadn’t really mentioned it yet to them, he wanted to take them with him when he left the swamp.

“Huu, do you think that plantbending is something one needs to be chosen for, or do you think it’s just a lack of understanding?” asked Atlas, trying not to focus on the quarrel happening in the background.

“Well, I guess the answer to that isn’t so simple. When I became enlightened, I was sure it was just a lack of understanding, but after my attempts to teach the others, I began to doubt it. Maybe the swamp really chooses one; maybe it's something one needs to be born with; or maybe my explanations weren’t as accurate as I thought. But, in the end, it doesn’t matter to you. At least not for now. You just need to assume that you can, because if you think you will fail, you have already failed.” explained Huu, not really giving Atlas any new information.

“We are there.” Said Tar and pointed at a gigantic root covered in moss and vines.

As the boats closed on the root, with a flick of Huu’s hand, vines entangled the boats and created a small bridge to the root.

The group walked on the ever-expanding enourmous root until the Banyan-Grove-Tree came into sight. When they arrived at the tree trunk, Huu bended the vines to pull them up one after another.

Atlas was mesmerized by the view above the jungle. A green ocean of trees extending farther than the eye can see. Small clouds of fog move over the trees like waves, and birds and bats sometimes hastily move away from one tree only to quickly delve back into the jungle.

“It’s beautiful.” Said Mi as they stood on the largest branch of the Banyan Grove tree.

“It is.” Agreed, Atlas and Bro simultaneously.

"Okay, kids, enough sightseeing. You can look as much as you want when it’s your turn to guard the next generation. Now it's time to meditate. And don’t worry about any bats, birds, or baboons. We take care of everything for the next three days.” Interrupted them Tar, while knotting a few vines together to create a few additional escape paths down the tree.

“He is right. You can come here whenever you want afterwards to meditate, but today is a full moon, and it would be better if you are already meditating when the moon rises.” Said Huu.

“Mi, my little angel, I already secured the best spot for you to meditate; come here.” Yelled Mi’s father, causing Huu to shake his head.

“You all sit in the same place. So don’t worry.” Said Tar, his disapproval apparent.

Atlas, Mi, and Bro quickly moved where Tar pointed.

Only then did Atlas realize that they were walking hundreds of meters in the sky without any safety features on an admittedly large branch of a thousands-year-old tree. For a moment, he thought about what Adam would do to him if he died because he slipped down a big tree. It was almost comical if the danger of that happening wasn’t so real.

The three gathered in the center of the tree, where their predecessors had built something like a small nest out of vines and moss. In the center stood a small pot of water with seaweed that they could use to practice. According to Huu, it was easier to use seaweed than vines, so the hunters had prepared some for practice.