[center][h3][b]??????? - Lì Yang[/b][/h3][/center] [hr] [b][i]Fire Nation - AG 84 (Fall)[/i][/b] [hr] Several of the others had chosen to ask for the ability to remember everything from their past clearly. He wasn’t any different in that regard. Starting from scratch wouldn’t have bothered him; if anything, it would have been an even greater challenge, pushing for the top in an even harsher world with nothing but his natural talents once again. But this wasn’t something he could play like that, yet. The other gift he’d requested was one well-suited for him. It may have been a new life, but old habits die hard. He was the second to last one to go, and to be honest, he didn’t dig it. Awareness came slowly. An adult mind in a newborn body would have its perks eventually, he was sure. For now, though, all it served to achieve was making things very, very uncomfortable. Who knew being born was so, for a lack of a better word, revolting? He supposed it was a good thing babies weren’t exactly cognizant at birth. In any case, it was a small price to pay for salvation. Maybe. He didn’t cry at first, though he rectified that soon after. Better to let them know he was healthy the easier way. It took him only a scant few seconds to notice the ringing in his ears wasn’t normal if the reactions he could see were accurate. The vaguely humanoid blobs around him shifted in a way he instinctively recognised as discomfort. Huh. He had a good set of lungs on him. Why was it getting so– He jerked awake what felt like a second later, never even having noticed he’d fallen asleep. It wasn’t exactly a voluntary decision either, as he found. Someone was moving him, and not entirely gently. “Be more careful with him! He’s not a [i]brute[/i] like you.” Who was that? A boisterous laugh was the only response he received, though it wasn’t a response at all. “Don’t count our son out just yet! He has his grandfather’s blood!” Were these.... his parents? Once again, his tiny body was shuffled around, and a face peered down at him. Younger than he’d thought, but bearded, smiling and above all, [i]filled with warmth[/i]. He couldn’t help but wonder. Why? “Trust me, our little Lì Yang will be a [i]tiger[/i] unlike any other.” [i]Hell, yeah![/i] So, his name was Lì Yang, huh? It sure was nice.... to.... [hr] Consciousness came and went over the next few weeks. His mother remained mostly bedridden during that time, so he was held in her embrace for a lot longer than he was used to, with his father stopping by every once in a while to visit them, all smiles and laughs. It was odd to be sure, though.... not necessarily in a bad way. His parents, or rather, parent in his past life hadn’t been the most affectionate, if he were being generous. There was no resentment in his heart for such things, though, as it did allow him to become one of history’s greats. No, that wasn’t a boast. Why? Still, as welcome a change of pace as his parents’ affection was, it didn’t leave much time for training. It would take some time before he grew enough for them to leave him by his lonesome, at least for a while. At the moment, the only time he had to himself was bedtime; he hadn’t had one of those in a while. Today was no different, except for the singular window in his room being open, courtesy of his trying and failing to learn how to walk. He’d probably have to rectify that before anyone came to check up on him. It was– [i]Ssssss....[/i] [i]Huh?[/i] His tiny eyelids blinked. Was he hearing things? That sounded oddly familiar, and not in a good way. Then again, it wasn’t as if his senses were flaw– [i]Ssssss![/i] There it was again! This time, he was sure of it. Something in his room was hissing. He strained his eyes against the dimness of the room, and while at first he saw nothing, he eventually caught sight of the source of the sound. A grey, tubular form slithered across the floor, creeping up the leg of his crib. He watched the reptile as it moved closer and closer. His breath hitched, his body going still as the snake reached ever closer towards his– Quick as a flash, his hand lashed out, grabbing the grey snake by just below its head, fingers clasped tightly around its neck. Unfortunately, he both overestimated and underestimated himself. The door to the room opened suddenly, and, for the first time in this life, Lì Yang was at a complete loss. Thus, he decided to do as babies do. A smile of sorts stretched his pudgy cheeks apart, the viper dangling limp in his left hand. “.... Mmmbbllrr!” [hr] [b][i]Fire Nation - AG 85 (Summer)[/i][/b] [hr] Understandably, Lì Yang’s parents never let him leave their sight after that incident. It was less than convenient, but he couldn’t rightly blame them for it. His carelessness screwed him over there. It was pure dumb luck that his parents didn’t question how the snake got in through an [i]“unopened”[/i] window, and he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Fighting the horse, however.... Anyway, relying on luck alone wouldn’t work out in the long run. Caution was not his strong suit, but he was nothing if not adaptable. Everyone had to start somewhere. It’d been several months since then, and for the first time since he’d opened his eyes here, his parents decided to take him outside. It was about time. Being cooped up in one place for so long wasn’t his style, so it was a big relief. If only he hadn’t fallen asleep before they’d even left the building. His first thought upon blinking awake from the sweet embrace of oblivion? That’s a lot of animals. And if anything, that observation was an understatement. What exactly did his parents even do? “Ammmblrrt?” As always, his question went unasked and unanswered. Curse his baby vocabulary, or lack thereof, he supposed. Speaking with actual words wouldn’t come for a while, but walking was another story altogether. Which led to his current predicament. “Aba....” Little Lì Yang flexed his toes curiously. They were slow, barely responding to his will, but strangely, they weren’t as frail as he’d expected of them. It was obvious, in hindsight, that would be the case considering everything else. Now, all that was left was trying to use his legs. His previous attempt hadn’t been the most graceful, but he was used to failed first attempts. This time, it was going great, all things considered. Sure, he needed to use a tree to prop himself up, but other than that, he was doing pretty well for his age. All he had to do was keep up the momentum, and eventually– [i]CRACK![/i] Face meet floor, er, soil. .... Hm. This.... might be more inconvenient than he’d predicted. Fine motor control was nothing but a pipe dream for a toddler, so really, he should have seen this one coming. Pushing himself up to his feet—and being a lot more careful with his grip this time—Lì Yang wobbled for a moment before clumsily balancing himself. He made a pointed effort to avoid looking at the tree he’d just accidentally assaulted. A chunk of wood was torn from its trunk, the only silver lining being that no one would ever trace it back to him in any way.... he did feel bad about it, though. “Abaggabuga....” [i]Sorry, tree friend.[/i] Well, that could have gone better. Still, it was no matter. Few months old or whatever, that wouldn't stop him. He was going to overcome this challenge just like all the others. All he needed was time, and he had plenty of that right now. Already, he was itching to get back to the thrill of blood-pumping and bone-crunching. Oh, he was getting giddy just thinking about it! The world wasn’t ready for Lì Yang!