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"Jin, ho!" HsienKo shouted abruptly while staring over the mountain pass not far from his new home. The forest below was filled with the low hum of the wildlife within, and the morning dew began creating mist. Above the canopy, birds were taking flight, spreading their wings to welcome the early coming of a new day. A forest floor would be less soggy in the river had it not been for the exorbitant mist rising from ground to heavens. The scenery was peaceful, akin to a halo protecting the entire wood of the Earth Kingdom in the coming days; or a water bender soon would appear in the resort . . .HsienKo and Jin didn't care either way, home was soon off, and the smells of food filled the air from the nearby villages.

"It's true," he thought to himself, "the early bird gets its grub first." It was then it occurred to HsienKo that he had not yet eaten. The many wonderous aromas filling his nostrils flood the young adrogen with a desire to be fed, but he only had sparingly little left. "My pardon, Jin," he addressed formally, as always.
"Breakfast seems to have surpassed us. Dinner was too long ago if this really is the new day." The boy had a tendency of getting lost in his own mind, and would often forget to eat; had it not been for his sturdy, trusty, and ever-hungry buffalo deer, HsienKo might be emaciated.

Reaching into his worn saddlebags, HsienKo pulled out a small loaf of now stale bread with two large chunks of salted meat and a chunk of cheese brilliantly ripe from the long trip. He chuckled a bit, smirking in the innocent, forgetful way he usually does, then cut the growing fungus away from his aged meal. "So it's a bit less than we thought, that's okay," he mentioned, "we're only half a day away from home." Of course Jin continued grinding the bits of plantlife he'd found beneath their feet only moments ago. The loyal mount didn't seem to collect as much slobber around his beard as many others do, but what bit he did was still abundant.

The two had just been traveling a parsel for the village mystic to Ba Sing Se for the past month, and missed the crisp, fresh air of the summit. True, a month is a bit long for a single package, but there were so many things to see along the way. HsienKo often walked side-by-side with Jin on long trips so that he didn't get tired, but he was feeling recluse and much more exhausted than usual. He'd been target practicing with a few pebbles earlier, and it seemed to take a lot out of him. There wasn't much more for a young person to do to occupy his time on the road alone.

"There it is," he said calmly, taking a bite out of his makeshift sandwich, "the road home! I told you I'd find it." He chuckled again as Jin groaned, spitting a bit of unedible twig from his mawing jaws. It seemed the animal had more personality than its rider . . .but they both cared for each other as siblings, and that's all that mattered to the them. HsienKo hopped off his steed once more for the travel down the north side of the mountain. The slope was steep, and they'd need to move slowly to get through it, but the fear lay in the fact that they were in hunting territory there, and people weren't the hunters.

With his bare feet against the stone, HsienKo was more capable of bending the world around him to ensure a safe return among the lower world. Though he isn't proficient at his capabilities, he could at least strengthen the stone beneath each step to be certain the cliffside would not fall from under them. He walked strong, both feet firmly pressed against the ground, holding tightly to the leather reigns wrapped around Jin's face and neck. Each foot slid from one motion to the next, staying against the ground, not so much bending, but more checking the stability of their next step. If he needed to, he could likely clear a walkable path without having to worry --though with as tired as the two were, the likelihood of it happening was little. They'd just have to make their trip moment by moment; or at least they'd hoped.

As they wrongfully thought the slow trip would make things easier, it came to be known that Jin was not as careful as his bipedal companion while traversing the mountainside. The slate began to crumble and crack beneath the weight of such large specimen of animal, and Jin's legs fell to the rock quickly, thrusting his weight uncontrollably against the already unstable cliff. Falling further, HsienKo was forced down the mountain much more quickly than desired, as he was tied to the reigns so firmly. Doing the best he could with the limited bending knowledge he had, HsienKo reached his free hand into the side of the mountain, all fingers spread and curled, digging his way into the rock.

It was his vein attempt at stopping both of them from their accelerated declivity. Being as tired as they both were though, and as malpracticed as HsienKo is, the endeavor was inane. He did manage to hold onto the reigns through the twisting and turning and tumbling, and flexed his free arm, still swimming deep within the unyielding earth. With a staunch exhalation and the quick, jerky motion of his arm, HsienKo hardened the ground around him, enforcing the strength behind his hold on Jin. It was finally over --the fall ended, and none yet too soon. While the two dangled back and forth from the rock held only by sheer determination and the power of the mountain itself, young Lee relaxed his breath just a bit. A slip. Then another; he knew he couldn't keep this up.

"Hold on, Jin. I've got you boy." It was obvious the now mature buffalo deer was unable to breathe while being hanged by his reigns so firmly wrapped around his face and neck --it was a noose of sorts, afterall. "I've got it," the boy grunted, pulling each of his legs to the earth beneath him. He was holding his breath almost as though it's the only thing keeping them both still, but with his feet firmly in place, he could have a better hold. With the right foot first, dug and planted beneath the stone, and the left second, the reigns were slipping loose from Jin's weight and rambunctious twitching; from his practical plea for his own life.

"HAAAAAA!" yelled a young man with little more than a whisper left in him. His voice was softer than quicksand, but the strength being displayed was from his heart, from the one place he knew he had enough energy for both to survive. Not without pain, obviously, but make it out nonetheless. He released his arm from the cliff, knowing his legs were more than strong enough to hold now that they were so well grounded. "Deep inhale," he thought, "then just let it go! Deep inhale, then let it go." HsienKo was working himself up to finally get that movement bend to become a shaping bend, but he just couldn't get it.

"Okay, Jin, new idea!" He let go of the mountain from all aspects, and released his single friend onto the flowing rock. "Let's just hope it works." He took in a deep breath, holding it in firmly, then dropped to the animal, grabbing him as tightly as he could, then began to prepare for the unavoidable strike from the rocks below. With a quick nudge of his knees, the earth softened beneath them both, and began to swallow the travelers whole. It isn't something they weren't used to, just a simple movement bending . . .just as long as he kept breathing. As the rock slid further down, the descent was slowed enough for a quick breath. The boulders were just too heavy to support on his own at his level. Without a second thought, HsienKo relaxed his grip on the buffalo deer, extended both arms outward, and as though rock himself, flexed his forearms back to blend his movement bending into a restraint motion --hopefully backing up the rock already on its way down.

Their motions slowed . . .even slower still, and gradually became a collected stop. They lay there resting, just for a moment, sighing with relief that it seemed to be over. "Hey, that's the fast way down. Great job, Jin." HsienKo was trying to laugh, but being crushed between the weight of an animal five times his size and the earth beneath him was not such a hysterical matter. "Let's just take it easy the rest of the way, shall we, boy?" He stood slowly with a painful grunt and a bit of disoriented dizziness to tend to his friend. Laying a gentle hand on the beast's fur, he wept, sure that everything would be okay. "Let's see about getting down the rest of the way. You got us this far, I can do the rest."

In fact they'd fallen nearly to the bottom of the mountain, but with the major obstacles out of the way, HsienKo really could carry the weight of them both. He lifted a simple slate, and rolled the poor, aching creature down what was left of the hill. The village was only a couple miles away, it shouldn't be too bad from there.