Tenzin leaps up the mountain followed by Jinora, Kai, who stumbles, and the remaining airbenders, who grunt as they prop themselves up the plateaued summit.

"Nothing like a ten-mile hike first thing in the morning." Tenzin says.

Yung shivers, "Don't these robes come in a warm bison fur version?"

"No! Of course not."

Yung scowls and looks away as Bumi slumps onto the floor, "If it weren't so cold, I'd go right back to sleep."

"Then, this is the perfect time to learn meditation and proper breathing technique. Airbenders are able to warm themselves only with their breathing." Tenzin sits down, "Everyone get into the lotus position. Ah, this is so much more refreshing than sleeping."

Bumi crawls to his brother, "You know when I said that thing about an iron fist-"

"Hush! Meditation time. Focus."

Bumi sighs and returns to meditation. After finishing meditation, they return to the temple, where multiple thin wooden posts are sticking up from the ground. The airbenders all sport dark circles from fatigue.

"Can we go back to bed now?" Bumi asked.

"Now that we're refreshed and loose from our hike and meditation, it's time for a balancing exercise." Tenzin leaps onto a post, standing on one leg, "The key is to maintain your heaven and earth connection." He pulls out a feather and levitates it with airbending, "Now you try."

The students struggle to balance on the wooden posts.

"Back up your posts! It's not hard if you concentrate." Bumi struggles to balance, before falling off, "Get back up! What's the matter, you can't handle it, soldier?"

Bumi glares and slides slowly out of view on his back as the feather drifts down to rest on his face.

"Don't you think you're a little hard on them." Jinora says.

"Don't worry, they can take it. You'll see. " He turns to Otaku, "Ignore the lemurs digging in your ears. Concentrate on your breathing and, you won't even know they're there!"

Otaku loses his balance and falls off, the lemurs take over his post. Later at mid-morning at another courtyard, Tenzin shaves Daw's head, who looks sad as his hair drops off, "When the head is shaved, an airbender is able to feel the wind around him. It is both humbling and freeing."

"Hey, you want to go sneak away and check on the baby bisons?" Kai whispered to Jinora.

"Shhh. You should be paying attention." Jinora replies. Kai looks slightly surprised, but shrugs and walks away.

Tenzin polishes Daw's scalp, which shines, "All right, who's next?"

"I'm not sure I want to shave my head." Yung said.

"That's fine, shaving your head is a personal choice."

"Wait, what?" Daw asks, shocked.

"Anyone else?" Everyone shakes their head, "Fine! Then we can get to our next training exercise: obstacle course."

Everyone moans.

"You're pushing too hard. Maybe we should give them a break." Jinora says.

"Jinora, I have this under control."

A female airbender weaves through the spinning bells at the obstacle course.

"Concentrate!" Tenzin instructs, "Remember, airbenders move like the wind."

The airbender weaves through the bells and smiles, before she is struck by a watermelon, plunging into the mud. Ikki loads a watermelon into a cannon while Meelo smirks and continues firing the cannon. At a rope obstacle, Otaku hangs for dear life, while the previous female airbender crosses before being struck by another watermelon. Kai runs through the rope, causing Otaku to lose his grip. Kai runs up the course and confronts the next obstacle: a cactus-ridden balancing obstacle.

"Stay light on your feet, and you'll never feel the stinging rash cactus."

Kai easily leaps through the balancing poles, before crashing into Yung and causing both to fall into the cactus patch. Cut to the cliff, where Kai leaps up with ease, overtaking Bumi and Otaku.

"Everyone is waiting for you, Bumi. If you don't make it over the next thirty seconds, they'll all have to run through the course again!"

"You can do it, Bumi! Come on!" Airbenders cheer.

Bumi leaps to the next ledge, loses his grip, and plunges into the mud.

"Get back up the wall, recruit! You're letting your fellow airbenders down."

"I'm finished! I've never wanted to be an airbender and I'm too old to be back in boot camp." Bumi says angrily walks away, "Count me out!"

"Fine, quit! We don't need your attitude in the new Air Nation."

"Master Tenzin, when do we get to go home and visit our families?" Daw asked.

"Go home? You just got here."

"When's dinner? I'm starving."

"Can I change out of my robe now? It's itchy." Yung asked.

"This is just as bad as the Earth Queen's prison." Kai says.

"I'm tired of all this complaining! Jinora, take over!" Tinzin snaps.

"Does this mean, I'm the master now?" Jinora asks.

"Yes, just lead them through some basic exercises."

"Well, since I'm a master, when do you think I can get my tattoos?"

"What brought this on?"

"I was just talking to Kai, and he was asking me, so-"

"Kai!" Kai awkwardly slides behind the airbenders as Tenzin continues, "What does he know about when you should get tattoos? The answer is 'no'! You're just a little girl."

"I'm not a little girl anymore. I can airbend just as well as you. I know everything about our culture and history, and I have a stronger connection with the spirits that you ever will." She Storms off, "Lead your own class!"

"Ikki, Meelo, you're up. Just lead them through the Bagua circle." Tenzin says to his other kids.

"Look to your left! Look to your right! One of those people will not make it out of here alive." Meelo said.

----

Jinora, dejectedly watches a flying bison herd as Kai walks up to her.

"Sorry what I said got you into trouble with your dad." Kai said.

"It's not your fault. He just can't believe that I'm growing up now and I don't need him telling me what to do like one of his recruits."

Kai smiles, "I know something that'll cheer you up."

Jinora and Kai fly to the valley where they found the bison herd, only to find it empty.

"Where did all the spirits go?" Jinora asked.

"Where are the babies?"

Jinora is caught by a fired net. Kai turns and airbends the rustler away. He turns to help Jinora, but is blocked by an earth wall. A rustler fires a net at him. They two struggle as they are taken to the rustlers' camp. The rustlers throw Jinora and Kai onto the ground in front of their leader.

"What are these kids doing in my camp?" Ganbat asked.

"We caught them sneaking around. Thought they might tell someone we're here."

"They're the new airbenders. Must be living up in the temple. Hurry up and gather the rest of the gang and let's get out of here before someone comes looking for these kids. I'll take them to Ba Sing Se, with the rest of the fresh meat."

Jinora and Kai listen to the proposition with fear.

----

Back at the temple, Tenzin meditates after his fight with his daughter, "Tattoos. How could she think? Focus. Breathe. Bumi ruins everything. Inhale. Focus."

"Taking a little break from teaching?" Pema asks as she walks in.

"I've failed. Bumi quit, the rest of the airbenders want to go home. Can't they see that I'm trying to rebuild an entire culture?"

"You know, just because these people can airbend, it doesn't automatically make them Air Nomads."

"Tell me about it."

"I remember when I moved down my parents' house to become an Air Acolyte. That first night I was so scared and lonely and the bed was so hard."

"It's actually better for your back." Pema scowls at him, "Sorry."

"The point is: I really wanted to be there, but it still took time for me to adjust to feel like I was a part of it all. The people are probably feeling the same way. You have to be patient."

"Now I know how Korra feels when I'm talking to her." He kisses Pema, "Thank you, Pema."

Tenzin goes outside where his brother is talking to two airbenders, "Bumi, I want to apologize for losing my patience." He said as he walked up to him.

Bumi folds his arms, "I'm not talking to you." He walks away.

"Hey! Get back here." He sighs and turns to the airbenders, "Where's Jinora?"

"I saw her fly off on her glider with her boyfriend." Yung replies.

"What?" Tenzin says, alarmed. He narrows his eyes, "Her boyfriend? Kai!"

----

"How can you steal these bisons? They're endangered." Jinora says to her and Kai's captors, who also had bison calves locked in cages.

"Well, that's why they're worth so much. The Earth Queen and her fancy friends pay big money for bison steaks and other rare meats. I even heard she ate her dad's pet bear." Ganbat replied.

"You're disgusting."

"Hey, do that spirit beaming thing you did to find me. Go to the temple for help." Kai says after Ganbat walks away.

"I can't. I'm all cramped in here and I need quiet and time to focus. But, maybe I can send a message." She focuses, "Spirits, I need your help." A spirit appears in front of her, "Go find Bum-Ju, tell him we're in trouble."

The spirit flies out of the cage and goes to the temple. Meanwhile, Bum-Ju chitters to Bumi.

"No, I don't think I should apologize. Tenzin just wants to boss everybody around. I'm too old for that. " Bum-Ju chitters a reply, "Well, let's face it. I'm just not cut out to be an airbender!" Bum-Ju chitters again, "Well, that's your opinion."

Bum-Ju curls up and sleeps. The spirit that Jinora summoned flies next to Bum-Ju and the two spirits converse. Bum-Ju jumps onto Bumi.

"Wait, Jinora sent this spirit? Is she in trouble?" Bumi asked. Bum-Ju and the spirit fly off, while Bumi gives chase.

"Jinora's in trouble. We have to go get her." Bumi said to the airbenders being trained by Meelo.

"How do you know?" Yung asked.

"Bum-Ju's friend told me."

"You're able to communicate with the spirits?" Otaku asked.

"More or less, I get the gist. Let's go."

"Shouldn't Master Tenzin be dealing with this? I don't want to get into trouble." Daw said.

"Master Tenzin isn't here. It's up to us. Ikki and Meelo, grab some bison. Airbenders, move out!"

The airbenders follow the spirit on two flying bison, where they land on a cliffside overlooking the camp. Bumi jumps off the bison and spys on the rustlers with a telescope.

"Bison rustlers. They've got Kai and Jinora locked in crates. Looks like they're getting ready to leave, we'll have to move fast."

"I don't know if I'm ready to get in a fight with some bison rustlers. I can tell without that telescope that they're mean-looking." Daw said.

Bumi turns to the airbenders, "Listen, this is what we've been training for."

"We haven't been training that long."

"That's not important now. Remembered how we persevered together on that obstacle course?"

"You actually quit." Otaku said.

"Well, I'm not quitting now. I know we've had a tough time, me more than anyone, but we're airbenders, and there aren't many of us so we've got to stick together. They've got two of our own in cages out there, and we're not leaving until we bring them home."

"Leave no airbender behind!" Meelo exclaims.

A rustler closes and locks a cage with a bison calf. As the calves whimper, Kai takes two twigs and picks the lock.

"In. Down. And twist." Kai manages to free himself and the calf tumbles free of the cage. He proceeds to free Jinora.

"Free the bison first." Jinora says.

A bison rustler grabs Kai, "Hey! What are you doing out?"

Kai airbends the rustler away, alerting the other rustlers, who run up to him. Meanwhile, the other airbenders charge into the camp. The rustlers, noticing the airbenders, defend themselves from the air blasts with an earth wall. Kai prepares to attack Ganbat, who is able to detect the attack and knocks Kai away with earthbending.

Daw is nearly captured by a net, though he is able to feel the wind coming from the fired net, allowing him to narrowly dodge the attack before counter-attacking. Ganbat splits the airbender group with earthbending, but Meelo is able to leap up the earth wall and knock him off. Two airbenders, riding on Ikki's air scooter, sneak up behind another rustler and managed to ambush him.

Bumi lets out a war cry and the airbenders charge the camp. While Meelo defeats the final rustler, Ganbat enters the truck and drives it away.

"Kai!" Jinora calls. Kai grabs his glider and pursues the truck.

Tenzin rides on Oogi when three adult bison fly past them and watches the bison approach a truck, "What's going on down there?"

Then he hears Jinora yelling from the truck and directs Oogi to the truck, ""I'm coming Jinora."

Kai catches up and enters the truck, knocking Ganbat down, though he is able to regain control and restrains Kai. The rustler looks in shock as he sees adult bison approaching the truck.

"What the..."

Tenzin directs Oogi to knock against the truck. Kai leaps off the truck and onto Oogi. An adult bison stops in front of the truck and airbends, stunning Ganbat. Kai leaps off Oogi angrily.

"You got me. I give up."

Kai aggressively sweeps a gust of air at Ganbat, flinging him against the truck.

"You think you can kidnap Jinora, and all these baby bisons?!" Kai says angrily.

He throws Ganbat upward before slamming him against the truck once more. Before he can attack, Tenzin stops him by grabbing his staff.

"Kai, that's enough! An airbender never attacks a defenseless opponent." Then he smiles, "But that was very good technique."

Back at the valley, now evening, spirits roam about once more. Bumi locks the cage, which contains a sullen Ganbat.

"Maybe you boys haven't heard, but there's some new airbenders on these parts. And you never mess with an airbender's bison." Bumi said.

"Without my shaved head, I'd never could have dodged that net. I really felt it coming at me. You guys should totally get shaved." Daw said to the other airbenders.

"I'm proud of you. Your connection with the spirits, natural leadership, you remind me of Dad." Tenzin said to Bumi.

"I'm sorry I've been causing you so much trouble. I guess I was just scared of not being able to measure up as an airbender. You know, even though I'm Aang's son, I never really felt that I was a part of the Air Nation before. Dad tried his best to make me feel like I belonged, but it wasn't the same as being able to actually bend air."

"You've always been apart of it." Tenzin reassures.

Ikki and Meelo play with the calves in the bison herd while Jinora and Kai snuggle the mother bison. The mother bison licks Jinora.

"They're so friendly now." Kai said.

"The bison are the original airbenders. They recognize their own kind." Tenzin said.

Jinora hugs her father, "I'm sorry for running off."

"I'm just lucky no one's hurt."

"I know."

"But I also realized that perhaps I was too harsh on you."

"Does that mean I can get my airbender tattoos?"

"It's hard for me to believe that my little girl is grown up enough to have her tattoos. I'll promise I'll think about it. Fair enough?"

"Yeah."

"Jinora, look. They're flying!" Kai exclaimed. The calves awkwardly ascend, bleating and kicking their feet aimlessly.

"I guess everyone is growing up." Tenzin said, watching the bison calves.