Avatars & Animal Guides

[manzai]

I just wanted to know what people thought the deal is with animal guides, especially in regards to this question: Since Aang had Appa, a sky-bison, and Roku had Fang, a dragon, and those are the animals that taught the bending arts to their respective cultures, does the animal guide for every Fire Nation Avatar have to be a dragon, a badger-mole for every Earth Kingdom avatar, etc? Or can any sort of animal be an animal guide? Could it even be that the species of animal guide was different for every Avatar? Or maybe an animal guide is not obligatory for the Avatar, and only some Avatars have had them?

Personally I kind of like the second option, although I admit I have no evidence for it, except maybe to say that the waterbenders learned their art from the moon, so they have no analogous animal. I guess it could be argued that the moon took mortal form as a koi fish, so that would be the water tribe's animal, although that would be a pretty lousy animal guide compared to a sky bison or dragon. How would you even take it with you on your Avatar journey? Do you carry it in a little bag like when you win a goldfish at the fair?

What are your thoughts on animal guides?

[Horyo]

You wouldn't take the Moon spirit from its Oasis. >_> we saw what happened when it was bagged.

Personally, I believe the Animal guides were whatever they could use to carry/ferry them and survive through tough environments.

I believe the waterbenders might have use some sea-faring animal and the Earthbenders could use Ostritch-horses.

[manzai]

Thanks, but I didn't mean you'd take the moon spirit itself, just a koi fish, a normal one, but of the same species.

[teruri]

After seeing the finale I believe that Eelhounds can be used for transport on land on and on water. It could be the guide for either the watertribe or the earth kingdom. It isn't as usefull as flying beasts but Appa can't go trough tunnels so that's a drawback too.

[~*~WhItEsHeEp~*~]

I dont think EVERY avatar has to have some kind of animal with it, the one water tribe avatar (cant remember his name ) that aang talked to didnt have one, and neither did the airbender one, I forget her name too

[random bender]

am sure the other air bending avatar had a bison and the water bending avatar he road the water! Mabye the earth bendeing avatars can ride bager moles!