hello~! so when i saw the episode 'The Firebending Masters', this idea just slapped me in the face, haha,

well i hope you like it

enjoy~ c:

Prologue

Darkness blanketed the sky as the last rays of the sun disappeared, replaced by the pale silvery glow of the stars and the thin sliver of the moon.

Night had arrived.

Small fingers clutched desperately at the mountain side, and the trembling body of a young child could be seen in the dim glow.

Fear threatened to shut her down, her breaths coming in quick, rapid gasps, sending clouds of darkness to gather at the edges of her vision. But she couldn't stop now. She'd been through too much and had come too far to give up now.

Her skin was bruised and scraped from scaling the mountain, and the burn scars that covered her body were aching. But she ignored her wounds and lifted her arm, grasping at the ledge above her.

No, she wouldn't let a little fear keep her from fulfilling her mission.

Sweat trickled down her brow and she winced as it dripped into a cut. She moved her head to wipe her face on her shoulder before catching sight of the ground, glittering coldly several hundred feet below, with nothing but rocks and dirt to catch her if she fell.

With a shudder she tore her gaze away, focusing instead on the cave that yawned over her head not a few handholds and boosts away.

She grit her teeth as she forced her fatigued body to drag her slowly up the mountainside, bit by bit until she grasped the edge of the cave and hauled herself onto the shelf of rock.

A low groan escaped her lips as she laid there, her over-worked body wracked with miniature convulsions as she tried to relax her cramped muscles.

Suddenly, a low growl filled the cave, sending vibrations through the rock.

She tensed, staring into the pitch-black mouth of the cave with wide eyes, unable to move away or defend herself from the unseen danger.

And as she watched, a pair of cat-like golden eyes materialized in the shadows, and then the world went black.

Chapter One:

It feels...somehow alive

Prince Zuko let out a long sigh as the sun beat down harshly overhead, making the land around him quiver and roll like ocean waves. The straw hat on his head helped, but not nearly enough.

The ostrich-horse squawked in alarm as it tripped underneath him and nearly sent the two sprawling across the dry Earth Kingdom dirt before it regained its balance. Zuko grimaced, pausing a moment to rub at his sore eyes before flicking the reins, and with sluggish steps, it started forward again.

The smell of something cooking wafted up towards him and his stomach growled loudly. With narrowed eyes he scoured the land around him, stopping on a small fire with meat roasting over it. There was a man in Earth Kingdom garb tending to it, and the prince could feel the saliva pooling in his mouth at the thought of sinking his teeth into the glorious looking meat.

He pulled the ostrich-horse to a stop and reached towards his dual swords. His Uncle's words about stealing were in the furthest corner of his mind, shoved back behind the urge to eat and fill his empty stomach.

Though movement caught his eyes and he turned his gaze to rest on a woman with a large belly, obviously very pregnant, and watched as the two exchanged loving smiles at each other, with both their hands resting on her swollen stomach.

Wordlessly, he took his hand off his swords and urged the ostrich-horse on.

.

The landscape never seemed to change, remaining bleak, brown, and barren with dry patches over grass every now and then. Though there was one thing the caught his attention and caused him to pull his steed to a stop for the second time that afternoon.

There was another ostrich-horse, but unlike the one he rode on, this one was at the bottom of a steep cliff, and very much dead.

And it looked like it had some supplies with it.

With a strange feeling in his gut he dismounted, tying the reins to a dead tree on the side of the path, and making his way down the cliff.

It was slow going, but he had no intention of ending up like that ostrich-horse.

He was nearly to the bottom when he slipped. With a gasp, he frantically raked his fingers over the cliff, trying to find a handhold as he slid, but ended up tumbling down the rest of the way and landing hard on his back at the bottom.

He coughed, spitting out dirt before rolling over onto his side. He was sore, but he didn't seem to have broken any bones. That was good at least.

He grit his teeth. Why did he even come down here in the first place? He could have died just because his curiosity got a head of him. How stupid.

Oh right, the supplies.

An aggravated huff left him as he got to his feet, sending a disgusted glare at the dead ostrich-horse.

But as he looked, his eyes caught onto a medium-sized chest beside the animal and he walked forward cautiously. As he came closer to inspect it, he spotted a leg thrown over the creature's back. He jumped back with a start, whipping out his dual swords and holding them protectively in front of him. Though when the leg didn't move, he slowly inched forward, peering over the animal's body.

...It was a man.

Zuko shivered slightly as he sheathed his swords, turning away from the crumpled and broken body to look back down at the chest. A part of him wanted to run back up the cliff and leave the bodies far behind, but instead he crouched down in front of the chest. He needed supplies, and he wasn't sure when the next town would pop up.

It was locked of course, but he retrieved one of his swords, and with a quick chop, the mangled lock fell to the ground, sending up a puff of dust that nearly made him sneeze.

He crinkled his nose, reaching over to the lid, wondering what the man had been hiding. Food? He certainly hoped so, but that wasn't realistic, it was probably gold and jewels. Maybe even water if he was lucky. Water sounded really nice right then.

A sharp golden light hit him as he opened the lid all the way and he winced, throwing his arms up to cover his eyes.

He squinted, lowing his arms a bit to see the cause behind the blinding light.

Well he was right on one of his assumptions.

A bright, shiny golden egg-like thing lay in the chest, reflecting the sun so that it had shone ferociously when he opened the chest.

Impressed, he reached forward and lifted it into his hands, marveling at the size and intricate markings.

He noticed then, that something felt different about the golden egg-thing. Something that caused fire to flicker and stir deep inside of him, as if reacting to the golden artifact in his hands. And as he knelt there, he could swear he felt it heat up in his hands, reaching out to the flames that raced through his veins with invisible fingers.

"It feels...somehow alive."

.

Everything was dark.

It surrounded her, holding her close like invisible arms.

She was nothing, and everything at the same time. She had no body. She had no thoughts. She just was.

Then without warning, a light shone through the darkness, followed by a warmth that filled her up and made her whole. It was a strange feeling, so comforting and alive. It was as if she was waking up from a deep slumber, and she found herself reaching for it. For the source of the light and warmth.

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, she opened her eyes.

i'd love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave a review!

thanks for reading, see you next chapter~! ^-^