Ayunerak

Mama Ayunerak, sometimes known by the codename Mama, was a very high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus during the early era of Yangchen. Publicly, Ayunerak ran a food kitchen for the unemployed of Bin-Er.
== History ==
Ayunerak was originally from the Northern Water Tribe. At some point, she joined the Order of the White Lotus, and became a very high-ranking member of the Order. She read White Lotus reports from the Western Air Temple during the childhood of Avatar Yangchen, and learned about the young Avatar's extremely intense memories of her past lives. She had long been running a shelter that provided meals to workers caught without work in Bin-Er, and had been doing so before the shang system was truly underway; when the International Quarter was still called the Inner Corridor. Ayunerak was an acquaintance of Tayagum, who was once one of Chief Oyaluk's most trusted warriors. She had seen the city double in size due to mass migration to the shang cities, but wasn't going to let the customs of Water Tribe hospitality be forgotten. She got to know Kavik, a young man who lived in the Water Tribe Quarter, and got to know him on a personal basis, and had talked to Kavik about his breakup with Meihua. Ayunerak also read reports about Yangchen's actions as a fully-realized Avatar, thinking her to be amateurish, as she did too many things herself during an operation and expected results too quickly.
In year 17 of the era of Yangchen, Ayunerak opened the door to Kavik, noticing a dopey grin on his face. The young man said he had something for her, and scooped a large amount of money out of his pockets and into her hands, donating to the shelter and telling her to visit her 'cousins' in Port Tuugaq as it had been a while since she last visited. Ayunerak was completely stunned, with Kavik giving her a nuzzle on the cheek before he ran back around the corner. Ayunerak did go to Port Tuugaq soon after receiving Kavik's money, as she had heard reports from the White Lotus of bright lights and loud noises along the tundra around the city.
Ayunerak found a sleeping Avatar Yangchen in Port Tuugaq, after a junior member of the White Lotus reported to her about the airbender repeating the White Lotus recognition codes. Yangchen had taken the unconscious bodies of men who tried to apprehend her to the qarmaq, and they were taken to a secure place. She woke Yangchen, explaining what had happened, and introduced herself as "Mama". After handing Yangchen meatless soup, Ayunerak explained that the paths of the White Lotus and Avatar normally only intertwined during moments of generational import, not because someone needed to stash a few bodies. She knew that Yangchen had gotten the recognition codes through one of her past lives, and told her that the White Lotus deemed the young Avatar far too proactive. However, Yangchen deduced that Ayunerak was investigating something, as she was high-ranking and was from the North, not the South, offering an information trade. Ayunerak was exasperated, telling her to think about what kind of Avatar she wanted to be, as she could inspire people with the truth other than making use of spying, intelligence, and deception, especially when she had the gift of knowledge and wisdom at her fingertips. Yangchen was shocked how Ayunerak could know that, and Ayunerak realized she had made a mistake by letting on that the White Lotus had someone inside the Western Air Temple, with Yangchen sternly reminding her that it had been her home. Ayunerak flatly apologized, and Yangchen told her that she had tried to speak with past Avatars, and most of them regretted that they had not acted sooner than they did. Ayunerak proceeded to tell Yangchen for her reason for coming to Port Tuugaq; while Yangchen was unimpressed hearing about lights and noise, she did tell the woman everything she knew about the Unanimity project, the shangs' secret plan to use a weapon of mass destruction to break free of the heads of state of the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Water Tribes. Ayunerak absorbed the information, but told the Avatar that she had not seen any records of the Sunbeam, the ship the Avatar was supposedly looking for. Realizing she had been too dismissive, Yangchen asked Ayunerak to see the site of the spiritual disturbances.
Ayunerak waved at a pair of gate guards, having enough influence to easily walk out of Port Tuugaq late at night with a guest in tow. When they were far enough away, Yangchen whistled for her bison Nujian, and they flew further inland, reaching a large hill on the island. Yangchen sensed no spirits, but Ayunerak pointed out a series of strangely regular and spaced-out depressions in the landscape. Yangchen entered the Avatar State to rapidly clear all the snow from the landscape so that she and Ayunerak could better investigate. While Yangchen investigated up close, Ayunerak took notice of the glittering rocks that placed a grid. While the depressions looked like they were far beyond the abilities of the war machines of the four nations or regular bending, Ayunerak deduced that the area was a target range. Yangchen soon left Port Tuugaq and Mama, concluding that her source had been wrong about the Sunbeam.
Ayunerak returned to Bin-Er, with Yangchen having apprehended all members of Unanimity, the first combustionbenders in recorded history. Afterward, Ayunerak took down a Thin Claw who was tailing Kavik, taking him out with an unseen weapon in her parka. She scouted through his pockets, explaining who he was to the young man, and explained that his involvement in Unanimity and its secrets was uncomfortably close to reaching the light of day. Kavik was confused how she could know this, but Ayunerak stated it was her job to know a great deal of many things, and that it was high time he joined her and her "friends".
== Physical description ==
Ayunerak was a woman with a weathered face and pale blue eyes. 
== Appearances ==
=== Chronicles of the Avatar ===
==== The Dawn of Yangchen ====
== Trivia ==
* Ayunerak is the first known female member of the Order of the White Lotus to be mentioned.
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Major characters (Yangchen novels)
Category:Northern Water Tribe characters
Category:Order of the White Lotus
Category:Water Tribe characters
Category:Yangchen novels characters