Chapter 98 - Chapter 100

Name:A New Path Author:Vallori
"Hey, kid, wake up!" Dragon sent a gust of wind that flipped the eagle around. It cried out in surprise and shock at being flipped on its back.

"It is time to move. We have a long walk today." Dragon in his ripped monk robe said to his new partner. Even if his partner wasn't the most willing participant.

"KAA" It screamed at Dragon and turned its body around and stood up. It looked majestic with its white and silky fur moving in the wind. Its broad body really gave it a manly and alpha-like feeling.

"ye, ye, I apologize, I should not have flipped you. And I know you are injured. But you refused to wake up when I called you. So I had no choice."

"KAA"

"Whatever, let us not argue about this. We need to move." Dragon shook his head and wished he met a less stubborn eagle.

"KAA"

"Drop it! Now, before we move out. We have to name you. I can not keep calling my partner you all the time. So what do you think?" Dragon looked at his partner.

"KAA" It clearly didn't seem happy when Dragon mentioned a name.

"Too bad! Or do you want me to start calling you roasted chicken?" Dragon said with an evil glint in his eyes.

"kaa" A much less threatening scream came from the eagle this time.

"I thought so. Let me think of something good. I promise you will like it." Dragon cupped his chin and started thinking.

"How about earl? That is quite nice, right?"

"KAAA, KAAA" It started flapping its wings in anger and screamed in his face.

"I was kidding! You are a hundred years old, learn to take a joke." Dragon had to raise his arms in surrender to get the eagle to calm down.

"KAA!"

"Ye, ye, calm down, will you." He started thinking for real this time.

"How about, Baxter?"

"KAA!" It shook its head strongly.

"No? hm, then how about, Bobo?"

"KAA!" It shook its head again.

"oh, I know something perfect! How about Orlando? Is that not the best?" Dragon nodded at his own suggestion. And he really liked the name.

"Kaa, kaa," it didn't seem to disagree completely.

"So you like it! I told you we were are the perfect partners! We even have the same taste." Dragon smiled and pointed at his partner with a smile on his face.

"KAA!" It flapped its wings and started a mini storm again.

"Great! It is decided. Welcome to the family, Orlando." Dragon and Orlando shared a gaze as the storm died down.

"Now we need to go, this naming event wasted a lot of time, come on now." Dragon started walking towards the path that led down the mountain.

"KAA!" Orlando followed behind Dragon leaving giant footprints wherever he stepped.

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Dragon and Orlando were traversing the path back to his mountain. It was a narrow path so Orlando could just about walk here without falling off. Dragon was very amused by how much Orlando struggled to walk.

"You could see this as payment for ignoring me yesterday. And it is not very far now." Dragon said while also laughing at how funny Orlando looked when he was walking.

"KAA" Orlando wanted to get physical, but he couldn't do that while walking here.

"No, I am not lying. My mountain is just over there." Dragon pointed at the mountain in the distance.

Dragon had started to really understand Orlando. He wasn't really aware how strange it was for him to understand a screaming eagle. It felt natural to him.

"KAA"

"That would be a horrible idea. Flying right now would definitely lead to your death." Dragon turned his head around and looked at the sad-looking eagle. Not being able to fly took away the one thing that made Orlando who he was.

"But don't worry about it, I have a friend that will help you with the wound."

"KAA" Orlando started becoming agitated.

"Calm down. What do you mean others are not allowed to touch you? I have done so." Dragon looked at Orlando with a questionable look.

"KAA!"

"I am flattered that you think I am special and all. But my friend is not a bad human, so why is he not allowed?"

"KAAAA!"

"Fine! I will stop asking. I will just take care of the injury myself." Dragon turned back and looked in front just in time to notice he was about to step off the edge of the path.

"Woah! that was close, why didn't you warn me I was about to walk off the path?" Dragon stopped and asked Orlando.

"kaa!" Orlando looked away in an innocent manner.

"Yeah sure, like I would believe you didn't see anything. Now you are definitely getting rocks for dinner." Dragon started walking again and both of them started ignoring the presence of the other.

After another hour of walking, the duo returned back to his mountain. And without saying a word they made their way up the mountain.

And when they took that final step onto the top plateau, they both saw a little boy practising air bending. And an elderly that man sat near him and meditated. But as Dragon and Orlando arrived he opened his eyes.

"Aang, you need to coordinate better than that. Each time you move, you need to already know the next five actions you are going to take. Right now you look like a drunk old man with no coordination or plan in mind."

"Work on connecting each movement with another. Bending is a balance. And martial arts is about coordination and forward-thinking. Do not ever throw a random punch. Every movement needs a purpose to it."

"Yes, Temple Guardian!" Aang answered and turned around to bow. But what he saw when he turned around froze him in place.

"Did you have to go and force him to say it too?" Dragon glared at Gyatso.

"Dragon, how did you meet him?" Gyatso was almost as shocked as Aang.

"On another mountain, you know anything about him?"

"You could say that again." Gyatso looked Orlando up and down with a strained smile.

"That is a King Eagle. Eagles have a somewhat common history with the air nomads. Let me explain." Gyatso said and took a second to collect himself.

"It is about the first air nomads..." Gyatso started explaining to both Dragon and Aang.

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End