#tkn

A Merlin and Charlie for you my dear💜

Pengpeng's fur is much thicker than Longyan's. It's a bit more difficult to get the brush through her locks, but Pengpeng is much less picky about how her fur is brushed.

Lek is too antsy to sleep. He closes his eyes and sees a brilliant flash of blue, sees Kyoshi shaking, his body completely cold and empty and he watches Kyoshi writhe and listens to Rangi scream unlike anything he's ever heard before, and when Kyoshi's eyes glow white and she clenches her fists, Wong is the one to react first, grabbing Lek by the scruff and throwing himself over the smaller boy's body, burying the four of them into the ground as the wind began to howl and the people began to scream.

And now Kyoshi's hands are wrapped in layers of bandages and Rangi hasn't spoken in days and Kirima's voice is empty and Wong has tears slipping down his cheeks and--

A lot happened. Lek can't sleep.

There's a rumble, and with a start, Lek realizes he's been tugging too hard at Pengpeng's fur.

"Sorry, sorry," he mutters, shuffling his free hand through her fur and giving the sore spot a strong scratch. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault."

A low rumble and a flick of her ear. Pengpeng has forgiven him. He resumes brushing.

Pengpeng's fur is a brilliant white, like most flying bison from the Southern Temples. Her fur much thicker than Longyan's, and the Earth Kingdom's humidity is not treating her well, with all the matts in her undercoat. But Lek knows how to care for the flying bison, he's better than Kyoshi could ever be, and he expertly rubs the matts out, clumps of white fur falling to his feet.

Lek misses Longyan, he realizes dully. It's not a secret he's not the strongest of the group; Kirima and Wong are much more heavy-hitting, and Lek can only offer his perfect accuracy, but at least neither of them knew how to care for their previous flying bison. It was one of the things Hark noticed, with his sharp mind; if Lek couldn't be useful in fights, he could at least help take care of their team. He shadowed Jesa in her daily routines with Longyan, and for a while, he felt more similar to Longyan than anyone else in the Flying Opera Company. Always there, but never in your face.

Lek should go to sleep. Kirima's with Kyoshi, like she always is during the night, and he's supposed to take over in the morning. It'll be a long day for him, and he needs to be at his best. But he keeps brushing Pengpeng's fur.

Longyan's fur was a dusty brown, much like the fruit she was named after. Eastern flying bison tended to have brown fur as opposed to the white fur of the Northern and Southern flying bison, Jesa told him, and while Eastern and Western flying bison have shorter fur, Eastern flying bison have a distinctive mane around their neck.

Like a six-clawed lion's mane, Lek remembers. A shag around Longyan's neck, fur much longer than the rest of her body and a pain to brush through, but Lek always managed. Pengpeng's fur is long like that. He presses his face into her fur.

"I don't know what to do," Lek whispers. He can't say this to the others, but he couldn't protect Kyoshi, couldn't heal Kyoshi, couldn't fight Xu Ping An for Kyoshi, and all he can do is brush Pengpeng's fur. "I don't know what to do."

It's not fair. Lek wants to be able to bend lightning bolts and shoot down the mayor who locked his brother away, he wants to strike down the brothers who held Lek's life in their hands, he wants to be able to point a finger and keep his friends safe, but he can't. Lek buries his face deeper into the soft fur. I don't know what to do, he screams, but his voice is muffled by the thickness of her fur.

A rustling noise, and something hefty pushes Lek from behind, wrapping him in warmth. Lek startles and turns his head.

It's Pengpeng. She's wrapped her tail around, pushed Lek into the crook between her neck and front legs, and her ear flicks as she snuffles, slowly lifting her enormous head to give Lek a thick, sloppy lick.

Despite it all, Lek laughs as the drool drips from his chin. "Thanks," he says, bundling a fistful of her fur in his hand, and Pengpeng rumbles, using her nose to nudge Lek closer to her.

Lek understands. It's the same thing Longyan would do when he stayed up too late brushing her fur. He lets himself sink into the warm fur, and he closes his eyes.

Kyoshi will be okay, he tells himself. And when she gets better, he'll be known as her earthbending teacher, and he would do anything he wanted. Maybe care for the flying bison at the Air Temples. Maybe a more quiet life.