"Goodnight baby Zuko." She placed the bundled baby in the red crib near the window. Zuko felt her long thin black hair against his cheek as she kissed him goodnight.
Zuko looked up at the shadow known as his mother. Her dark hair flowed gently with the wind. He watched her pale face and blinked slowly until he fell asleep.
Baby Zuko looked up at the open window. The night sky was dark and full of twinkling stars. His big brown eyes caught the sight of the ruby red star that gave of an aurora he had never seen before.
Zuko raised his hands towards the red light trying to grasp it in his hands. His baby coos filled the air and at last he had caught it.
The little red light twinkled and floated gently around him in a ball formation. Baby Zuko tried to grasp the little light but it was too quick. The light flew around him quickly as he had waiting in his crib.
It came down and rested at the opposite side of his crib. Baby Zuko got up with all his might smiling. He crawled towards the glowing light.
He was an inch far and his hands trembled trying to grasp the light. He reached as far as he could until he touched it. The light grew brighter.
Zuko closed his eyes. The air around him got warm as if he was surrounded by fire. He opened his eyes to a giant being that lay next to him pouring out of his crib.
Zuko gazed into the eternal fire that sparked in his eyes. The being drew its head close to Zuko's. Zuko almost hypnotized grabbed a falling red scale.
The being was a dragon. She puffed light smoke around Zuko. Zuko clapped in amazement. She dimmed the light in her eyes and she brought her head down in front of Zuko.
She rested her eyes.
Zuko climbed happily onto her head. She looked up at his tiny figure. He looked down tracing the scales of her body with his small fingers.
She opened her massive wings that spanned across the room. Zuko looked at the bright red panels burst into flames before him.
She watched him look outside towards the stars. She brought her body to rise in her full glory. Baby Zuko held the dragon tightly with his small hands.
He felt the pressure of her bolting through the window at once like lightening.
They were flying. She soared through the night skies like a kite. Her wings flapped gently and he watched her scales shimmer ever so brightly in the dark, as if she were made of metal.
His eyes glowed with happiness and he felt glee watching the wind rustle below them. His clothes flapped from the air and his short jet black hair gently swayed back as she flew.
The dragon went to great heights. Zuko saw a mountain that was covered in red rocks. Fire gushed out from above the mountain top illuminating the bodies of water below it.
Zuko watched everything glisten as red as fire when she soared around it. She rose up higher towards the skies and Zuko could almost touch the clouds in front of him.
She dove into a big grey cloud below them. Zuko felt drops of water tingle his every sense. The drops went through his flowing hair and he felt some on the tip of his tongue as he tried to bite into them.
The content dragon continued soaring far away from Zuko's home. Zuko turned back to look at the fire-mountain she had encircled. Everything behind him had begun to fade to black. All that Zuko could see was the dragon's tail that was lit up in fire.
He dropped his smile and looked below him. A vast ocean of twinkling blue waved roared heavily. He looked down to the reflection of the dragon.
Her bright red body began to lose color. Her scales began to rust to black coal. He looked back at the tail that lost its fire. He was now surrounded by smoke.
The dragon began to dive down to the ocean. The once glistening red dragon had lost its fire. She drove her giant body straight towards the water.
Zuko held tightly not being able to hold on. He screamed in agony as the pain of holding on became too great. The ocean had turned into an abyss and Zuko let go.
He closed his eyes falling deep without having anything to hold onto. His heart began to give out as did his lungs from screaming. Suddenly it all went black.
Zuko opened his eyes to daylight. "Good morning, Zuko! Tea?" Uncle stood bed side looking down at Zuko's half-sleeping face.
He rolled out of bed. A little black thing fell from his blanket and onto the wooden floors. He picked it up. Uncle glanced at the thing. "A black dragon's scale," he looked up at Zuko who still thought he was dreaming.
"What does this mean?" He looked up at Uncle. He gave a faint sigh and left the hut.
Zuko looked down at the black scale. It shined with a red tint as light hit it. He gripped the scale tightly and placed it in his satchel. He sat on his bed wondering.