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He lost track of the days since his banishment from his former lion turtle city. Has it been a week? A month? He knew it couldn't have been a year, that's for sure; it never seemed like he's been communing with the spirits for long. Still, the days did seem to blur together, as Wan and the spirits could only do so much to pass the time. Most days were spent foraging, hunting, improving his firebending techniques, and protecting the spirit oasis from other humans. Wan tried his best to get to know the spirits who frequent the oasis, and while many were more than happy to chat with him, there were still a small few who were aloof with his presence. One spirit in particular he hoped to win over the longer he stuck around, but the aye-aye spirit was the most stubborn of them all.
The aye-aye was reluctant at first to allow such a smelly, disgusting human in their domain, let alone live with them. But over time, he ever so slowly warmed up to Wan, though saw him more as his little, human pet rather than a guardian of the spirits and their home. Still, he saw something special in Wan. He saw how much stronger Wan has become over time. Even he was surprised how Wan manipulated fire as an extension of himself, after learning to do so from that white dragon, rather than use it as a destructive tool or weapon. This didn't stop him from calling him by his pet name, of course; the aye-aye had too much fun doing that.
One day, upon his return to the oasis from a foraging trip into the wilds, Wan noticed all of the spirits were either laying on the ground or against a rock or tree in the oasis. Panicking and thinking they were somehow dead or unconscious (are spirits even capable of that?), he and his cat-deer companion, Mula, rode over the smooth, stone bridge.
"Hey! Is everything okay?" He asked, hopping off Mula. No one seemed to stir when he arrived.
"Oh we're fine," said one spirit that looked like a glowing, pale-green blob with a face that resembled some kind of bug.
"We're booooored," whined another, larger spirit. This one was also a greenish blob, but had a flat, pale face and large leaves out of its head resembling hair.
"Bored?" He asked.
"The spirits have been complaining for a while now while you were gone," the aye-aye chimed in, suddenly appearing behind him. "It's not uncommon they get this way, but it does happen."
Wan thought for a moment. "I could show you some new moves I've been working on!"
"We're bored of that too," whined another spirit.
He just scowled in annoyance at them.
"You know, Stinky, I've been thinking about how you've grown since you arrived," said the aye-aye. "You've come a long way with your fire, but I want to see something."
"What do you me--aahhh!"
Suddenly, the aye-aye tossed him off the bridge and into the shallow water below without warning, much to Wan's annoyance. He rubbed his head and scowled at his assailant, annoyed that his foragings were now strewn about. "Owww...what was that for?!"
"Just as I thought," he teased, giving Wan a smug grin with his lanky fingers folded behind his back.
Wan stood up and climbed out of the water as the aye-aye spoke, still feeling the bump on his head as he picked up what is supposed to be his lunch.
"You still haven't grasped the concept of combat without your fire. How did you survive in your lion turtle city without it? From what you've shared with us so far, all you did was run and hide if you were caught."
"I just used my wits and cunning," he replied proudly.
"And if you were cornered? Then what?"
He went silent at that. The aye-aye did have a point: anytime he'd get caught by the Chu's, he never fought back. He'd always let them throw him out of the city every time that happened, even for the instance that got him banished for using fire within the city.
"That's what I thought." The aye-aye crossed his lanky arms as he looked at Wan in disappointment. "We may need to fix that."
"Okay, how?"
A wicked grin slowly appeared on the aye-aye's face as he stared Wan down. "We should have a little sparring session. You don't use your fire; I don't use my abilities. Just our own, raw strength."
Wan finished up drying himself off as his cocky attitude came to the front. "A little sparring session, huh? Never done one of those before, but it sounds like a good opportunity to get back at you for all the times you've tossed me off this bridge."
The aye-aye waved for him to follow. "Come, Stinky. I know a good spot where we can do this." He then cupped his mouth with his hands. "Anyone who wants to watch me beat up this human can come along if they want!" He shouted, immediately getting the attention of all the spirits present and annoying Wan further.
Wan, Mula, and all the spirits followed the aye-aye into the forest. Everyone but Wan knew where he was taking them, but he'd soon find it wasn't too far from the oasis.
Traversing the spirit wilds was much safer this time around. The aye-aye seemed to have taken them down a path that didn't have the same hazards Wan encountered before. In fact, there were hardly any for that matter. Their little audience seemed to grow the further along they traveled, as other spirits and creatures began to join the group out of curiosity. Wan did wonder if the aye-aye was the "leader" for them, and that might be a reason why many began following without question.
It wasn't before long until the aye-aye led them to a wide, open clearing that appeared to be secluded by the surrounding trees. It looked like it was already set up for what they were about to do, as there was a crude barricade made up of thick branches and tree trunks that formed a near perfect circle. The matted and worn ground inside this sparring ring showed how frequently they used this space; there was even a thin ring of matted grass and dirt around the outside from all the times there was an audience present.
As soon as they arrived, the aye-aye leaped over the barricade and waved for his human pet to join him, giving him a cheeky grin. All the other spirits and Mula stood around just outside the makeshift ring.
Wan was about to do the same but the aye-aye held up a hand.
"Hold it!" He then pointed down towards his feet. "Take off those, eh...coverings you humans like wearing on your feet first."
Wan just cocked an eyebrow and took off his sandals without a word before climbing over the barricade himself.
"I never understood why you humans wear those. The ground feels so nice under your feet and you get a better grip!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," he retorted, getting into his fighting stance. "Huh...this does feel kind of nice, actually!"
The aye-aye smirked and got into a fighting stance himself. "Alright, Stinky. Show me what you got!"
The two slowly crept around the ring, eyeing each other up and down for only a brief moment. The aye-aye was the first to attack, leaping towards Wan as if he was going for a takedown, but juked around behind him at the last minute and yanked his legs out from under him.
"Ow!" Wan cried out as his chin hit the hard, worn ground. "Hey! I thought we weren't using anything other than our raw strength!" He complained as he slowly stood back up.
"I wasn't," the aye-aye replied, shooting a kick into Wan's lower back to force him back on the ground again. He then grabbed one of his legs and wrapped his lankier ones around it, pulling upward and twisting his foot in an ankle lock.
"Agh! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Wan screamed as his ankle got twisted and torqued, pounding his fist on the ground.
"Oh please! This is only the beginning of your torment!" The aye-aye said, twisting it a little more.
Wan looked behind him as much as he could to glare at his opponent. "We'll see about that."
With a sudden, swift swipe of his free ankle, he managed to down the aye-aye this time and forced him to let go. He took advantage of this to finally get to a standing position, quickly turning around to find his opponent was already on his feet.
"Clever..." The aye-aye commented, flashing a toothy grin. "Very clever..."
Wan just panted but smiled a little. As they circled around the ring once more, he noticed how much that simple hold messed up his ankle.
But he wouldn't let that bother him one bit.
Trying to hold back his instinct to trigger his firebending, he lept towards the aye-aye in a spinning heel kick, forcing the aye-aye to back off a little. Using his spinning momentum, Wan went for another kick aimed towards his opponent's body, then came back around for a leg sweep.
The aye-aye kept his focus, but began to panic as those kicks kept coming. He managed to dodge all but the leg sweep, knocking him back on the ground again.
"I think I felt a little heat coming off those, Stinky," he commented, leaping back on his feet. "Are you sure you're not trying to use your firebending?"
Wan let out a breath and smiled. "Heh...I may have been a thief, but I'm not a cheat."
The aye-aye gave him the 'I'm watching you' gesture before getting back in his stance. He wondered how long they'll just have these little, intermittent exchanges before actually going at it in a proper fight.
Meanwhile, the surrounding audience was cheering on the aye-aye and jeering Wan.
"Yeah! Kick his butt!"
"Show that human who's boss!"
"Hey Stinky! You suck!"
He suddenly turned towards the direction of whoever said that. But right when he was about to retort, a lanky foot came crashing against the back of his head and made him stumble a bit. Yet right as he regained his focus, the aye-aye came at him with another kick to his stomach, knocking him on his back and sliding towards the barrier a little.
The aye-aye leaped near him and grabbed for his legs again, only this time stepping over and forcing Wan on his stomach to put him in a lobster crab hold. He pulled back on the hold, torquing his back.
"Agh! Why you!"
"Oh pipe down! You're fine!"
He noticed the bottom of Wan's feet and cocked an eyebrow. For someone who's living in the Spirit Wilds, he had some fairly soft-looking soles. The aye-aye then got an idea and grinned, looking back down at Wan for a moment.
"I hope you won't mind this, Stinky," he teased.
"Wha--" His face suddenly scrunched up as he trashed and and curled his toes. "Is he seriously licking my...ugh!"
The aye-aye was mostly doing this as a joke, but found himself enjoying it a little too much. He shook his head to snap himself out of it and cranked back on the hold as far as he could, getting some more cries of agony from Wan.
He looked at the one ankle he tormented earlier and grabbed that, letting the other one drop to the ground. He positioned it the same as before, only this time dropping down on the ground and pushing an arm up into the tendon, keeping the rest of his foot pinned under his small armpit. The aye-aye annoyed Wan further by wiggling his long feet and toes in his face as he wrecked the human's ankle more.
"Agh! Stop it!" Wan yelled, batting away those black feet with his hands. It was a struggle to not suddenly shoot fire blasts, especially since he found how much his fire was influenced by emotions. He noticed he had a bit of give with his other foot and began tossing short kicks to the aye-aye's head as hard as he could.
"Agh! You stop it!" The aye-aye yelled back, immediately letting go of the hold.
There was no way Wan could come back after that, and it was clear how much he struggled to stand back up or even put weight on his feet. But his adversary had no patience and yanked him upward by his long, black hair. "On your feet soldier!"
The aye-aye was about to platypus bear hug him, but Wan punched him in the gut and locked him in one instead.
Wan growled as he let out his inner platypus bear as he squeezed the life out of the aye-aye with his powerful arms. This wasn't too difficult given how much thinner the spirit was compared to him, though he worried his ankle would betray him. "Not so tough now, are ya!?"
The aye-aye growled as he wiggled and thrashed about, even though his lanky arms were bound to his sides from the hold. "Ngggh! Still tougher than you!" He then headbutted Wan as a counter, forcing the human to drop him, stumbling back against the barricade.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, brushing his fur to straighten it out as he slowly approached the human. "Still cocky and hot-headed as always."
As if his attitude towards Wan flipped a 180, he extended a lanky hand down to him and smiled. Hesitant, and a bit shaky from the fight so far, Wan slowly took the aye-aye's hand. After being hoisted up, he put his other hand against Wan's chest while still gripping his wrist.
"But there is one thing I admire about you humans, though."
"What's that?" He asked, giving a cocky grin despite how this fight was going for him so far.
"You humans are really...really gullible!"
Suddenly, the aye-aye pushed Wan back, only to yank him forward into a short-arm lariat.
"Owww!" He screamed, holding the back of his head after it ricocheted off the hard, worn, earthen ground. He was about to use the barricade to aid himself upward, but was yanked further towards the center of the ring.
Of course the aye-aye wasn't going to stop tormenting him some more.
But right as he was about to grab the human's legs for a hold, Wan suddenly snatched the aye-aye's head between his ankles and tossed him to the ground on his side. He then yanked his opponent closer by the tuft of fur on his head, then quickly re-adjusted his legs into a figure-four around the aye-aye's neck.
He let out a huff and chuckled. "Who's the gullible one now!?"
The aye-aye glared back at him, then his face scrunched up. "Ugh! You humans really do stink!"
"Don't care," he replied, keeping the hold nice and tight, despite the spirit's squirming.
The aye-aye grabbed, hit, even clawed at Wan's legs to force him to let go. He did admit it made it harder for him to keep the hold on, but this spirit has been tormenting him the majority of this match. It's about time he gets his comeuppance.
"Gah! Let go of me!" He screamed, hitting and squirming more.
"Nope," Wan replied, trying not to show any signs of him giving in to letting go.
He sucked in what little breath he could, then let it out. "You asked for it..." He rolled himself on his hands and knees while getting Wan on his back, despite those legs clinching around his neck. As he stood up, he picked up Wan by his butt to lift him high in the air above his head. All while the human's legs were still desperately clinging onto him.
Without warning, the aye-aye slammed Wan on his back as hard as he could, making him immediately let go as he bounced off the ground. He gritted his teeth as he arched his back and held it with a hand, feeling part of his body go numb for a brief moment.
But the aye-aye wasn't done. Not at all.
He rolled Wan on his stomach and quickly grabbed both his wrists. He then slammed a foot down onto the small of his back while pulling back on his arms, letting out a scream from Wan.
"Oh stop whining! You'll feel much better after this!"
After crushing his back some, he removed his foot from his back but still kept a hold of his wrists. But as if in one swift motion, he sat on Wan's back while grabbing his chin for a camelphant clutch.
"Ngggg! Gah!" Wan cried out as he kicked his legs in frustration, shaking his head a bit.
While in the hold, his eyes wandered up towards his tormentor, then to the audience briefly, then towards the ground. For some reason, his eyes fixated on one of the aye-aye's lanky, dexterous feet, then they swapped to the other one. He wasn't sure why he suddenly became so...fascinated with them. Is it just because they're so alien to him compared to human feet? Is there a secret fascination awakening inside him? Or is he just losing his mind from getting beat on by a spirit?
Whatever the case may be, the aye-aye took notice and got as close as he could to whisper in his ear.
"You like 'em, Stinky?" He asked in an almost sultry tone. "They're all natural, by the way; I take great care of them too."
Wan was still fixated on them, so much so he nearly forgot how much his back and neck hurt from this hold, let alone how much his ankles and legs ached from earlier.
"I can let you have a closer look if you'd like," the aye-aye continued in the same, sultry tone.
He blinked a couple times then shook his head and legs violently. "Never!" He then reached for the aye-aye's paws around his chin, but couldn't even reach those no matter how hard he tried.
The spirit just laughed as he kept the camelphant clutch on. "Just give up! There's no way you can get out of this!"
Wan just screamed the longer and harder his opponent cranked on his back. While the aye-aye wasn't very heavy, it definitely disguised how strong he really was.
He then took in a breath and started to lift up his hips, managing to get one of his arms out of the hold; there was no way the spirit was going to take him down this easily.
While the aye-aye noticed himself rising, he couldn't quite keep the human down and was losing his grip. He was then suddenly high in the air, legs gripping around Wan's body as his paws kept on his chin, but started to panic.
"Hmmmph...though I would've gotten ya with tha--OW!"
After Wan fell back to slam the spirit to the ground, he got up as fast as he could while holding his back. Rather than going after his opponent while he was down, he waited for the aye-aye to get back up himself.
"Gonna take a lot more than that to beat me!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he replied, waving dismissively at him as he hopped back up. "I'm still not done tormenting you yet," he teased, getting in a fighting stance and flashing a cocky grin.
They only circled each other for a moment until the aye-aye was the first to strike. But when he did, Wan was still quick on his feet and got behind him. He threw a kick at the back of one of those skinny legs then snatched the spirit in a full nelson.
The aye-aye growled and thrashed about, though it only seemed to make Wan crank down on his neck more. He stomped down on the human's feet but couldn't land those counters.
"Gaaaah!" He cried out, thrashing about some more.
Wan kept him locked in the nelson, gaining a bit more confidence after finally besting the spirit. He noticed his opponent wasn't thrashing about anymore. Both of them seemed to take this opportunity to pause for a moment, breathing hard and heavy.
Eventually, the aye-aye thought of a surefire way to get out of this predicament.
"What was that about tormenting me more?" Wan teased.
"Grrr...I'll show you torment!"
He then kicked Wan in the shin to break out, quickly spinning around his opponent to snatch him in a sleeper hold. However, the aye-aye wasn't quick enough, allowing Wan to reverse it.
This back and forth went on for a while, both combatants reversing standing sleeper holds on each other.
As if in one, fluid chain, Wan kicked the aye-aye in the shin to break out of the hold, hooked his ankle to flip him on his stomach, then went for an armbar. He pulled and twisted that thinner limb, crossing his legs in a figure four, and planted his bare, human foot against the aye-aye's face.
"Gaaah! Stinky! You really stink! Ugh!" He cried out, thrashing about.
"Admit it! You like this don't you!?"
Despite the spirit's protesting, Wan cranked on that arm more, squishing his bare foot against the aye-aye's face. He wanted to make him submit right then and there, but his ankles began to bother him again from earlier and he had to release the hold.
He didn't waste any time, however. Quickly flipping the aye-aye on his stomach, he climbed on top of him and planted his weight down. Locking his legs and pinning the aye-aye by the shoulder in a grapevine pin, he was determined to not release this time, no matter how much his opponent squirmed.
"Come on! This fight's over!" Wan sneered, keeping the aye-aye firmly planted beneath him.
Despite this, the aye-aye thrashed about under Wan. "Grrr! It's over when I say it's over!" He went for a swift headbutt but the human was too quick, countering with a headbutt of his own.
He shook his head a bit post-impact. "As if!"
He quickly slid his hands to keep the aye-aye's wrists pinned down. In one, swift motion, he used his grip to push himself up enough to kick his legs forward, sitting on his opponent's stomach. He then pulled on the spirit's arms and shoved his feet into his face.
"Not so tough now are ya!"
The aye-aye just thrashed and complained, kicking his legs in frustration.
"I bet you love these getting shoved in your face, don't ya?"
"You...agh! Filthy HUMAN! Mffff!"
Wan simply shoved his feet in his face even more, if only to get him to shut up. "I'm gonna sit here until you give up!"
"Gaaahhh! Nomfff!" He squirmed and thrashed about some more, panting hard as the fight was slowly leaving him.
Wan just sat there, flashing a cocky grin. It was only a matter of time at this point. The aye-aye's wrists were pinned to the ground, and his bare, dirty feet were planted against his face. There was no way he'd get out of this.
Though he tried to hold his breath so as to not breath in the stench of those dirty, human feet, that strategy went against him. But once he let his head fall back a bit, that seemed to bring some relief. He then thought of another trick he could play on his pet, letting his eyes close and his breathing slow down so he'd appear knocked out.
Seeing this and thinking he won, Wan smirked and pushed off the aye-aye and stood back up. He faced the crowd, back turned against his unconscious opponent.
Among the cheers and jeers of the other spirits in the audience, however, he didn't notice the aye-aye get right back up and began sneaking up behind him. No one in the audience made a mention of it until it was too late.
"Ack!"
Once again, Wan got put in a sleeper hold, though he felt one of his arms wrenched and pinned behind his back. The aye-aye's grip around his throat was so tight he struggled to breath and his vision ever so slowly faded.
"You think you can best me? NONE of you smelly humans can!" His grip tightened.
"Besides..." He then leaned closer to one of his ears, lowering his voice. "I think you're a bit jealous of my feet. I bet you wished yours were as dexterous as mine," he teased.
Wan couldn't get a word in or even speak; he was too focused on trying not to pass out so soon with how much his throat got constricted.
"Fully submit to me. Acknowledge that the spirits are better than humans. Admit you wished your feet were like mine." He grinned as he just barely loosened his grip to allow Wan to speak. But only just enough to not let him slip out again.
"I-I..." Wan struggled to say the words. "I-I..."
"Say it!"
"I-I f-fully submit to you..."
"And?"
"The spirits a-are b-better than us...f-filthy humans..."
"And what else?"
"I-I w-wish..." Wan struggled to take in a breath as he noticed his vision faded more and more. "I-I wish I had your...f-feet...on me..."
With his last breath, his vision faded and his conscious mind shut down.
The aye-aye gently let him down on his back and pressed a foot on Wan's stomach with his paws on his hips.
"I knew you weren't a match for me, Stinky," he jeered, looking down at his unconscious opponent.
He then moved his paw up to Wan's chest, pressing down again. This must've woken him up a bit but not enough to bring him back to fully conscious yet. The aye-aye did a bit of posing in victory to the roaring crowd around them, then smushed Wan's face with his foot. He put his paws on his hips again, though stood tall and proud above him looking downward.
The feeling of that bare, animalistic foot paw woke Wan up somewhat, or at least enough for him to swat it away. He was still exhausted from the fight as he slowly breathed more air into his lungs. He wasn't lying on the ground for too much longer when someone lifted him up over their shoulder and carried him out of the ring.
His eyes slowly opened as he took in his new surroundings, albeit it was a familiar sight. Wan could feel the rocky wall of the spirit oasis pool against his back as the healing waters seeped through his skin, easing any sore muscles or strained joints. He rubbed his head and groaned as he put together what just happened not a moment ago. He was about to ask when he felt the small, wet nose of his catdeer nuzzling his cheek.
"Hey Mula..." He said, petting his animal companion in return. He strained to talk and could feel his head throbbing as if someone was banging two, small rocks against it over and over. Wondering how much the oasis pool could heal, he dipped his head under for a second and then resurfaced, rubbing his hair dry. It didn't do much, but at least it helped ease things a little faster.
"Weeeeell! Look who finally woke up!" The aye-aye jeered, hopping into the pool next to him, splashing anyone nearby.
"You cheater!" He growled. He hadn't noticed his sudden burst of rage began to bring the pool to a boil.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Simmer down, Stinky!" The aye-aye and any other spirits in the pool jumped out as soon as Wan heated it up. "I don't mind a nice hot spring, but I ain't getting boiled alive!"
As soon as he said that, Wan took a moment to calm and center himself. The waters stopped bubbling immediately after, though it would take some time for the water to cool down again.
"Sorry." He pushed himself up and out of the pool and sat on its edge, submerging his legs up to his knees. He had to admit, that was where most of his pain resided. "You did cheat, though."
"Debatable," the spirit replied. "I didn't use my abilities like we agreed on, did I?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
Wan just pouted. "...No," he sneered.
"Then I didn't cheat!" He exclaimed, clapping one of his paws on Wan's shoulder as he sat down next to him. "And I know you didn't cheat either."
"Yeah! Cuz I fight with honor and respect!"
"Says the former thief and con artist."
Wan just glared at the aye-aye, but that quickly became that of confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The spirit just chuckled. "Because I see you have potential, Stinky. Not only in fighting without using your fire, but controlling it. Quelling it. Keep it hidden until the moment is right and not just lashing out fireballs everywhere."
He smiled back, then looked absentmindedly at the water and his submerged feet. "You really think so?"
"I know so, Stinky."
He looked back to his friend. "Thank you."
The aye-aye chuckled and stood up, slowly walking behind Wan. "Now..." he said, kicking him in the back so he'd splash face-first into the pool. "Rest up. I want to play with my pet some more."
With that, the aye-aye spirit walked away to tend to other matters. During the time he's known Wan, he sensed more and more there was something special about him; as if he was destined for something greater. But what that destiny is, he had no idea. All he knew was that his destiny was to take care of him, teach him, and do a little tormenting on the side for his own fun.
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He lost track of the days since his banishment from his former lion turtle city. Has it been a week? A month? He knew it couldn't have been a year, that's for sure; it never seemed like he's been communing with the spirits for long. Still, the days did seem to blur together, as Wan and the spirits could only do so much to pass the time. Most days were spent foraging, hunting, improving his firebending techniques, and protecting the spirit oasis from other humans. Wan tried his best to get to know the spirits who frequent the oasis, and while many were more than happy to chat with him, there were still a small few who were aloof with his presence. One spirit in particular he hoped to win over the longer he stuck around, but the aye-aye spirit was the most stubborn of them all.
The aye-aye was reluctant at first to allow such a smelly, disgusting human in their domain, let alone live with them. But over time, he ever so slowly warmed up to Wan, though saw him more as his little, human pet rather than a guardian of the spirits and their home. Still, he saw something special in Wan. He saw how much stronger Wan has become over time. Even he was surprised how Wan manipulated fire as an extension of himself, after learning to do so from that white dragon, rather than use it as a destructive tool or weapon. This didn't stop him from calling him by his pet name, of course; the aye-aye had too much fun doing that.
One day, upon his return to the oasis from a foraging trip into the wilds, Wan noticed all of the spirits were either laying on the ground or against a rock or tree in the oasis. Panicking and thinking they were somehow dead or unconscious (are spirits even capable of that?), he and his cat-deer companion, Mula, rode over the smooth, stone bridge.
"Hey! Is everything okay?" He asked, hopping off Mula. No one seemed to stir when he arrived.
"Oh we're fine," said one spirit that looked like a glowing, pale-green blob with a face that resembled some kind of bug.
"We're booooored," whined another, larger spirit. This one was also a greenish blob, but had a flat, pale face and large leaves out of its head resembling hair.
"Bored?" He asked.
"The spirits have been complaining for a while now while you were gone," the aye-aye chimed in, suddenly appearing behind him. "It's not uncommon they get this way, but it does happen."
Wan thought for a moment. "I could show you some new moves I've been working on!"
"We're bored of that too," whined another spirit.
He just scowled in annoyance at them.
"You know, Stinky, I've been thinking about how you've grown since you arrived," said the aye-aye. "You've come a long way with your fire, but I want to see something."
"What do you me--aahhh!"
Suddenly, the aye-aye tossed him off the bridge and into the shallow water below without warning, much to Wan's annoyance. He rubbed his head and scowled at his assailant, annoyed that his foragings were now strewn about. "Owww...what was that for?!"
"Just as I thought," he teased, giving Wan a smug grin with his lanky fingers folded behind his back.
Wan stood up and climbed out of the water as the aye-aye spoke, still feeling the bump on his head as he picked up what is supposed to be his lunch.
"You still haven't grasped the concept of combat without your fire. How did you survive in your lion turtle city without it? From what you've shared with us so far, all you did was run and hide if you were caught."
"I just used my wits and cunning," he replied proudly.
"And if you were cornered? Then what?"
He went silent at that. The aye-aye did have a point: anytime he'd get caught by the Chu's, he never fought back. He'd always let them throw him out of the city every time that happened, even for the instance that got him banished for using fire within the city.
"That's what I thought." The aye-aye crossed his lanky arms as he looked at Wan in disappointment. "We may need to fix that."
"Okay, how?"
A wicked grin slowly appeared on the aye-aye's face as he stared Wan down. "We should have a little sparring session. You don't use your fire; I don't use my abilities. Just our own, raw strength."
Wan finished up drying himself off as his cocky attitude came to the front. "A little sparring session, huh? Never done one of those before, but it sounds like a good opportunity to get back at you for all the times you've tossed me off this bridge."
The aye-aye waved for him to follow. "Come, Stinky. I know a good spot where we can do this." He then cupped his mouth with his hands. "Anyone who wants to watch me beat up this human can come along if they want!" He shouted, immediately getting the attention of all the spirits present and annoying Wan further.
Wan, Mula, and all the spirits followed the aye-aye into the forest. Everyone but Wan knew where he was taking them, but he'd soon find it wasn't too far from the oasis.
* * *
Traversing the spirit wilds was much safer this time around. The aye-aye seemed to have taken them down a path that didn't have the same hazards Wan encountered before. In fact, there were hardly any for that matter. Their little audience seemed to grow the further along they traveled, as other spirits and creatures began to join the group out of curiosity. Wan did wonder if the aye-aye was the "leader" for them, and that might be a reason why many began following without question.
It wasn't before long until the aye-aye led them to a wide, open clearing that appeared to be secluded by the surrounding trees. It looked like it was already set up for what they were about to do, as there was a crude barricade made up of thick branches and tree trunks that formed a near perfect circle. The matted and worn ground inside this sparring ring showed how frequently they used this space; there was even a thin ring of matted grass and dirt around the outside from all the times there was an audience present.
As soon as they arrived, the aye-aye leaped over the barricade and waved for his human pet to join him, giving him a cheeky grin. All the other spirits and Mula stood around just outside the makeshift ring.
Wan was about to do the same but the aye-aye held up a hand.
"Hold it!" He then pointed down towards his feet. "Take off those, eh...coverings you humans like wearing on your feet first."
Wan just cocked an eyebrow and took off his sandals without a word before climbing over the barricade himself.
"I never understood why you humans wear those. The ground feels so nice under your feet and you get a better grip!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," he retorted, getting into his fighting stance. "Huh...this does feel kind of nice, actually!"
The aye-aye smirked and got into a fighting stance himself. "Alright, Stinky. Show me what you got!"
The two slowly crept around the ring, eyeing each other up and down for only a brief moment. The aye-aye was the first to attack, leaping towards Wan as if he was going for a takedown, but juked around behind him at the last minute and yanked his legs out from under him.
"Ow!" Wan cried out as his chin hit the hard, worn ground. "Hey! I thought we weren't using anything other than our raw strength!" He complained as he slowly stood back up.
"I wasn't," the aye-aye replied, shooting a kick into Wan's lower back to force him back on the ground again. He then grabbed one of his legs and wrapped his lankier ones around it, pulling upward and twisting his foot in an ankle lock.
"Agh! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Wan screamed as his ankle got twisted and torqued, pounding his fist on the ground.
"Oh please! This is only the beginning of your torment!" The aye-aye said, twisting it a little more.
Wan looked behind him as much as he could to glare at his opponent. "We'll see about that."
With a sudden, swift swipe of his free ankle, he managed to down the aye-aye this time and forced him to let go. He took advantage of this to finally get to a standing position, quickly turning around to find his opponent was already on his feet.
"Clever..." The aye-aye commented, flashing a toothy grin. "Very clever..."
Wan just panted but smiled a little. As they circled around the ring once more, he noticed how much that simple hold messed up his ankle.
But he wouldn't let that bother him one bit.
Trying to hold back his instinct to trigger his firebending, he lept towards the aye-aye in a spinning heel kick, forcing the aye-aye to back off a little. Using his spinning momentum, Wan went for another kick aimed towards his opponent's body, then came back around for a leg sweep.
The aye-aye kept his focus, but began to panic as those kicks kept coming. He managed to dodge all but the leg sweep, knocking him back on the ground again.
"I think I felt a little heat coming off those, Stinky," he commented, leaping back on his feet. "Are you sure you're not trying to use your firebending?"
Wan let out a breath and smiled. "Heh...I may have been a thief, but I'm not a cheat."
The aye-aye gave him the 'I'm watching you' gesture before getting back in his stance. He wondered how long they'll just have these little, intermittent exchanges before actually going at it in a proper fight.
Meanwhile, the surrounding audience was cheering on the aye-aye and jeering Wan.
"Yeah! Kick his butt!"
"Show that human who's boss!"
"Hey Stinky! You suck!"
He suddenly turned towards the direction of whoever said that. But right when he was about to retort, a lanky foot came crashing against the back of his head and made him stumble a bit. Yet right as he regained his focus, the aye-aye came at him with another kick to his stomach, knocking him on his back and sliding towards the barrier a little.
The aye-aye leaped near him and grabbed for his legs again, only this time stepping over and forcing Wan on his stomach to put him in a lobster crab hold. He pulled back on the hold, torquing his back.
"Agh! Why you!"
"Oh pipe down! You're fine!"
He noticed the bottom of Wan's feet and cocked an eyebrow. For someone who's living in the Spirit Wilds, he had some fairly soft-looking soles. The aye-aye then got an idea and grinned, looking back down at Wan for a moment.
"I hope you won't mind this, Stinky," he teased.
"Wha--" His face suddenly scrunched up as he trashed and and curled his toes. "Is he seriously licking my...ugh!"
The aye-aye was mostly doing this as a joke, but found himself enjoying it a little too much. He shook his head to snap himself out of it and cranked back on the hold as far as he could, getting some more cries of agony from Wan.
He looked at the one ankle he tormented earlier and grabbed that, letting the other one drop to the ground. He positioned it the same as before, only this time dropping down on the ground and pushing an arm up into the tendon, keeping the rest of his foot pinned under his small armpit. The aye-aye annoyed Wan further by wiggling his long feet and toes in his face as he wrecked the human's ankle more.
"Agh! Stop it!" Wan yelled, batting away those black feet with his hands. It was a struggle to not suddenly shoot fire blasts, especially since he found how much his fire was influenced by emotions. He noticed he had a bit of give with his other foot and began tossing short kicks to the aye-aye's head as hard as he could.
"Agh! You stop it!" The aye-aye yelled back, immediately letting go of the hold.
There was no way Wan could come back after that, and it was clear how much he struggled to stand back up or even put weight on his feet. But his adversary had no patience and yanked him upward by his long, black hair. "On your feet soldier!"
The aye-aye was about to platypus bear hug him, but Wan punched him in the gut and locked him in one instead.
Wan growled as he let out his inner platypus bear as he squeezed the life out of the aye-aye with his powerful arms. This wasn't too difficult given how much thinner the spirit was compared to him, though he worried his ankle would betray him. "Not so tough now, are ya!?"
The aye-aye growled as he wiggled and thrashed about, even though his lanky arms were bound to his sides from the hold. "Ngggh! Still tougher than you!" He then headbutted Wan as a counter, forcing the human to drop him, stumbling back against the barricade.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, brushing his fur to straighten it out as he slowly approached the human. "Still cocky and hot-headed as always."
As if his attitude towards Wan flipped a 180, he extended a lanky hand down to him and smiled. Hesitant, and a bit shaky from the fight so far, Wan slowly took the aye-aye's hand. After being hoisted up, he put his other hand against Wan's chest while still gripping his wrist.
"But there is one thing I admire about you humans, though."
"What's that?" He asked, giving a cocky grin despite how this fight was going for him so far.
"You humans are really...really gullible!"
Suddenly, the aye-aye pushed Wan back, only to yank him forward into a short-arm lariat.
"Owww!" He screamed, holding the back of his head after it ricocheted off the hard, worn, earthen ground. He was about to use the barricade to aid himself upward, but was yanked further towards the center of the ring.
Of course the aye-aye wasn't going to stop tormenting him some more.
But right as he was about to grab the human's legs for a hold, Wan suddenly snatched the aye-aye's head between his ankles and tossed him to the ground on his side. He then yanked his opponent closer by the tuft of fur on his head, then quickly re-adjusted his legs into a figure-four around the aye-aye's neck.
He let out a huff and chuckled. "Who's the gullible one now!?"
The aye-aye glared back at him, then his face scrunched up. "Ugh! You humans really do stink!"
"Don't care," he replied, keeping the hold nice and tight, despite the spirit's squirming.
The aye-aye grabbed, hit, even clawed at Wan's legs to force him to let go. He did admit it made it harder for him to keep the hold on, but this spirit has been tormenting him the majority of this match. It's about time he gets his comeuppance.
"Gah! Let go of me!" He screamed, hitting and squirming more.
"Nope," Wan replied, trying not to show any signs of him giving in to letting go.
He sucked in what little breath he could, then let it out. "You asked for it..." He rolled himself on his hands and knees while getting Wan on his back, despite those legs clinching around his neck. As he stood up, he picked up Wan by his butt to lift him high in the air above his head. All while the human's legs were still desperately clinging onto him.
Without warning, the aye-aye slammed Wan on his back as hard as he could, making him immediately let go as he bounced off the ground. He gritted his teeth as he arched his back and held it with a hand, feeling part of his body go numb for a brief moment.
But the aye-aye wasn't done. Not at all.
He rolled Wan on his stomach and quickly grabbed both his wrists. He then slammed a foot down onto the small of his back while pulling back on his arms, letting out a scream from Wan.
"Oh stop whining! You'll feel much better after this!"
After crushing his back some, he removed his foot from his back but still kept a hold of his wrists. But as if in one swift motion, he sat on Wan's back while grabbing his chin for a camelphant clutch.
"Ngggg! Gah!" Wan cried out as he kicked his legs in frustration, shaking his head a bit.
While in the hold, his eyes wandered up towards his tormentor, then to the audience briefly, then towards the ground. For some reason, his eyes fixated on one of the aye-aye's lanky, dexterous feet, then they swapped to the other one. He wasn't sure why he suddenly became so...fascinated with them. Is it just because they're so alien to him compared to human feet? Is there a secret fascination awakening inside him? Or is he just losing his mind from getting beat on by a spirit?
Whatever the case may be, the aye-aye took notice and got as close as he could to whisper in his ear.
"You like 'em, Stinky?" He asked in an almost sultry tone. "They're all natural, by the way; I take great care of them too."
Wan was still fixated on them, so much so he nearly forgot how much his back and neck hurt from this hold, let alone how much his ankles and legs ached from earlier.
"I can let you have a closer look if you'd like," the aye-aye continued in the same, sultry tone.
He blinked a couple times then shook his head and legs violently. "Never!" He then reached for the aye-aye's paws around his chin, but couldn't even reach those no matter how hard he tried.
The spirit just laughed as he kept the camelphant clutch on. "Just give up! There's no way you can get out of this!"
Wan just screamed the longer and harder his opponent cranked on his back. While the aye-aye wasn't very heavy, it definitely disguised how strong he really was.
He then took in a breath and started to lift up his hips, managing to get one of his arms out of the hold; there was no way the spirit was going to take him down this easily.
While the aye-aye noticed himself rising, he couldn't quite keep the human down and was losing his grip. He was then suddenly high in the air, legs gripping around Wan's body as his paws kept on his chin, but started to panic.
"Hmmmph...though I would've gotten ya with tha--OW!"
After Wan fell back to slam the spirit to the ground, he got up as fast as he could while holding his back. Rather than going after his opponent while he was down, he waited for the aye-aye to get back up himself.
"Gonna take a lot more than that to beat me!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he replied, waving dismissively at him as he hopped back up. "I'm still not done tormenting you yet," he teased, getting in a fighting stance and flashing a cocky grin.
They only circled each other for a moment until the aye-aye was the first to strike. But when he did, Wan was still quick on his feet and got behind him. He threw a kick at the back of one of those skinny legs then snatched the spirit in a full nelson.
The aye-aye growled and thrashed about, though it only seemed to make Wan crank down on his neck more. He stomped down on the human's feet but couldn't land those counters.
"Gaaaah!" He cried out, thrashing about some more.
Wan kept him locked in the nelson, gaining a bit more confidence after finally besting the spirit. He noticed his opponent wasn't thrashing about anymore. Both of them seemed to take this opportunity to pause for a moment, breathing hard and heavy.
Eventually, the aye-aye thought of a surefire way to get out of this predicament.
"What was that about tormenting me more?" Wan teased.
"Grrr...I'll show you torment!"
He then kicked Wan in the shin to break out, quickly spinning around his opponent to snatch him in a sleeper hold. However, the aye-aye wasn't quick enough, allowing Wan to reverse it.
This back and forth went on for a while, both combatants reversing standing sleeper holds on each other.
As if in one, fluid chain, Wan kicked the aye-aye in the shin to break out of the hold, hooked his ankle to flip him on his stomach, then went for an armbar. He pulled and twisted that thinner limb, crossing his legs in a figure four, and planted his bare, human foot against the aye-aye's face.
"Gaaah! Stinky! You really stink! Ugh!" He cried out, thrashing about.
"Admit it! You like this don't you!?"
Despite the spirit's protesting, Wan cranked on that arm more, squishing his bare foot against the aye-aye's face. He wanted to make him submit right then and there, but his ankles began to bother him again from earlier and he had to release the hold.
He didn't waste any time, however. Quickly flipping the aye-aye on his stomach, he climbed on top of him and planted his weight down. Locking his legs and pinning the aye-aye by the shoulder in a grapevine pin, he was determined to not release this time, no matter how much his opponent squirmed.
"Come on! This fight's over!" Wan sneered, keeping the aye-aye firmly planted beneath him.
Despite this, the aye-aye thrashed about under Wan. "Grrr! It's over when I say it's over!" He went for a swift headbutt but the human was too quick, countering with a headbutt of his own.
He shook his head a bit post-impact. "As if!"
He quickly slid his hands to keep the aye-aye's wrists pinned down. In one, swift motion, he used his grip to push himself up enough to kick his legs forward, sitting on his opponent's stomach. He then pulled on the spirit's arms and shoved his feet into his face.
"Not so tough now are ya!"
The aye-aye just thrashed and complained, kicking his legs in frustration.
"I bet you love these getting shoved in your face, don't ya?"
"You...agh! Filthy HUMAN! Mffff!"
Wan simply shoved his feet in his face even more, if only to get him to shut up. "I'm gonna sit here until you give up!"
"Gaaahhh! Nomfff!" He squirmed and thrashed about some more, panting hard as the fight was slowly leaving him.
Wan just sat there, flashing a cocky grin. It was only a matter of time at this point. The aye-aye's wrists were pinned to the ground, and his bare, dirty feet were planted against his face. There was no way he'd get out of this.
Though he tried to hold his breath so as to not breath in the stench of those dirty, human feet, that strategy went against him. But once he let his head fall back a bit, that seemed to bring some relief. He then thought of another trick he could play on his pet, letting his eyes close and his breathing slow down so he'd appear knocked out.
Seeing this and thinking he won, Wan smirked and pushed off the aye-aye and stood back up. He faced the crowd, back turned against his unconscious opponent.
Among the cheers and jeers of the other spirits in the audience, however, he didn't notice the aye-aye get right back up and began sneaking up behind him. No one in the audience made a mention of it until it was too late.
"Ack!"
Once again, Wan got put in a sleeper hold, though he felt one of his arms wrenched and pinned behind his back. The aye-aye's grip around his throat was so tight he struggled to breath and his vision ever so slowly faded.
"You think you can best me? NONE of you smelly humans can!" His grip tightened.
"Besides..." He then leaned closer to one of his ears, lowering his voice. "I think you're a bit jealous of my feet. I bet you wished yours were as dexterous as mine," he teased.
Wan couldn't get a word in or even speak; he was too focused on trying not to pass out so soon with how much his throat got constricted.
"Fully submit to me. Acknowledge that the spirits are better than humans. Admit you wished your feet were like mine." He grinned as he just barely loosened his grip to allow Wan to speak. But only just enough to not let him slip out again.
"I-I..." Wan struggled to say the words. "I-I..."
"Say it!"
"I-I f-fully submit to you..."
"And?"
"The spirits a-are b-better than us...f-filthy humans..."
"And what else?"
"I-I w-wish..." Wan struggled to take in a breath as he noticed his vision faded more and more. "I-I wish I had your...f-feet...on me..."
With his last breath, his vision faded and his conscious mind shut down.
The aye-aye gently let him down on his back and pressed a foot on Wan's stomach with his paws on his hips.
"I knew you weren't a match for me, Stinky," he jeered, looking down at his unconscious opponent.
He then moved his paw up to Wan's chest, pressing down again. This must've woken him up a bit but not enough to bring him back to fully conscious yet. The aye-aye did a bit of posing in victory to the roaring crowd around them, then smushed Wan's face with his foot. He put his paws on his hips again, though stood tall and proud above him looking downward.
The feeling of that bare, animalistic foot paw woke Wan up somewhat, or at least enough for him to swat it away. He was still exhausted from the fight as he slowly breathed more air into his lungs. He wasn't lying on the ground for too much longer when someone lifted him up over their shoulder and carried him out of the ring.
* * *
His eyes slowly opened as he took in his new surroundings, albeit it was a familiar sight. Wan could feel the rocky wall of the spirit oasis pool against his back as the healing waters seeped through his skin, easing any sore muscles or strained joints. He rubbed his head and groaned as he put together what just happened not a moment ago. He was about to ask when he felt the small, wet nose of his catdeer nuzzling his cheek.
"Hey Mula..." He said, petting his animal companion in return. He strained to talk and could feel his head throbbing as if someone was banging two, small rocks against it over and over. Wondering how much the oasis pool could heal, he dipped his head under for a second and then resurfaced, rubbing his hair dry. It didn't do much, but at least it helped ease things a little faster.
"Weeeeell! Look who finally woke up!" The aye-aye jeered, hopping into the pool next to him, splashing anyone nearby.
"You cheater!" He growled. He hadn't noticed his sudden burst of rage began to bring the pool to a boil.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Simmer down, Stinky!" The aye-aye and any other spirits in the pool jumped out as soon as Wan heated it up. "I don't mind a nice hot spring, but I ain't getting boiled alive!"
As soon as he said that, Wan took a moment to calm and center himself. The waters stopped bubbling immediately after, though it would take some time for the water to cool down again.
"Sorry." He pushed himself up and out of the pool and sat on its edge, submerging his legs up to his knees. He had to admit, that was where most of his pain resided. "You did cheat, though."
"Debatable," the spirit replied. "I didn't use my abilities like we agreed on, did I?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
Wan just pouted. "...No," he sneered.
"Then I didn't cheat!" He exclaimed, clapping one of his paws on Wan's shoulder as he sat down next to him. "And I know you didn't cheat either."
"Yeah! Cuz I fight with honor and respect!"
"Says the former thief and con artist."
Wan just glared at the aye-aye, but that quickly became that of confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The spirit just chuckled. "Because I see you have potential, Stinky. Not only in fighting without using your fire, but controlling it. Quelling it. Keep it hidden until the moment is right and not just lashing out fireballs everywhere."
He smiled back, then looked absentmindedly at the water and his submerged feet. "You really think so?"
"I know so, Stinky."
He looked back to his friend. "Thank you."
The aye-aye chuckled and stood up, slowly walking behind Wan. "Now..." he said, kicking him in the back so he'd splash face-first into the pool. "Rest up. I want to play with my pet some more."
With that, the aye-aye spirit walked away to tend to other matters. During the time he's known Wan, he sensed more and more there was something special about him; as if he was destined for something greater. But what that destiny is, he had no idea. All he knew was that his destiny was to take care of him, teach him, and do a little tormenting on the side for his own fun.
Commission for meeper23
Story © yours truly
Avatar: The Legend of Korra & associated characters/locations were created and written by Michael Dante DeMartino & Bryan Konietzko and © Nickelodeon
Story © yours truly
Avatar: The Legend of Korra & associated characters/locations were created and written by Michael Dante DeMartino & Bryan Konietzko and © Nickelodeon
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Male
Size 120 x 120px
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