A/N- Takes place after Zuko joins the gAang.
Diclaimer: ... I do not own.
Ominously, the dark forest loomed overhead, casting long shadows in the dim moonlight, twisting harmless shrubs and trees into dangerous, bloodthirsty predators.
Frightening.
Intimidating.
Large.
Much too large for a small, defenseless air-wolf pup. Abandoned by its mother and pack, the whelp wandered aimlessly through the wood, searching for a place to sleep.
Silently.
He had cried himself out in the morning when he had awakened to an empty den. Confused, the pup searched for his missing pack until high noon to no avail. His mother, father, siblings, everyone was gone.
Without a trace.
Their scent trail ended abruptly; they had traveled through a stream to ensure that the whelp could not find them. He had panicked and taken off looking for the group.
To no avail.
And now, with ears pressed against the ashen arrow on his head and tail drooping, the jet-black pup started to nod off while walking.
Until…
He wailed before he felt the pain. There was a moment after the cool, sharp metal bit into his flesh and snapped the bone of his front left leg that there was nothing.
No pain.
No sensation.
Nothing.
The air-pup struggled to escape the steel trap's cold, unfeeling teeth only to wince and cry from the searing pain shooting up his leg. It throbbed violently, the bones grinding against each other, and a warm substance tricked down the injured leg. He had no idea what was cascading down his leg to his front paw, and frankly, at the moment didn't care. But then it hit him.
Blood.
His blood.
It smelled like the blood of the porcupig they had taken down and eaten three days ago, yet different.
Because it was his.
He yowled harder, out of panic, out of fear, out of pain. Unbeknownst to him, the ruckus had aroused another being right outside of the woods.
The banished Fire prince awoke to an unearthly howling not too far into the woods behind their shore-side campsite. Strangely, the soft pounding of the waves on the sandy coast seemed to mask the uproar for his sleeping comrades. He got up, falling into stance.
Suspicious.
On guard.
Slowly and quietly, he made his way to the edge of the forest.
"Who's there?"
The words hung in the air like must in an old closet. Then, the silence consumed him.
For a lifetime.
"Who's there?"
This time a little more boldly, he stepped into the foliage. The yowling continued. Before he knew it, trees completely surrounded him, towering over the teen.
The cries grew louder, more pitiful. Occasional gasping was audible.
Then, he stepped around a bush and happened upon a small, injured creature.
He couldn't hear the approaching being over his own desperate wailing. His mind was in a frenzy, on autopilot, driven solely by instinct. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, momentarily ceasing the pain as he continued to thrash about wildly, doing more damage to his leg and oblivious to anything and everything around him.
Which is why he was as surprised and frightened as he was.
In a split second, he froze. Before him loomed a human, frightening and large, just like the shadows cast by the trees.
Except he was real.
Now the pup could only sit and tremble before the man glaring down at him, helpless. He couldn't move.
Couldn't whimper.
Could hardly even breathe.
The human kneeled down, his gaze softening, and inspected him. Taking the trap in hand, he opened it carefully, releasing the young air-wolf who still gawked at him. Then, the creature scooped the whelp up and he went limp in his hands.
For a moment, upon finding the whelp struggling in the hunter's trap, Zuko could only stare. So this was the source of all the uproar. He glared down at it, who was still oblivious of the firebender's presence. Suddenly, the air-pup froze, trembling, and looked at him. The teen kneeled down to free the beast, lest he endure that noise for the rest of the night, when his gaze softened.
Matted fur.
Bloody.
Eyes radiating fear.
Carefully, the bearer of the trademark scar released the black pup and inspected the injured leg.
Broken.
Sympathy got the best of the prince and he scooped the young wolf into his hands. It went limp, whimpering softly, pleading with its warm, amber eyes.
Retracing his steps, he headed back to camp, occasionally glancing down at the submissive puppy.
Arriving at the sea-side encampment, Zuko lay the terrified pup down and started a small fire. The teen felt its eyes on him as he took a straight stick and rummaged through the group's belongings, searching for bandages and a clean rag.
He approached the animal, which took to convulsing, and tried to grab its leg. It wailed. Quickly clamping its mouth shut, lest his companions awake, the sixteen-year-old worked swiftly at tending to the injured leg. As the pup whimpered through closed jaws, he pitied the creature.
Young.
Defenseless.
Injured.
Alone.
He thought of this as he worked, making a splint for the air-wolf.
The canine had absolutely no idea what this human was trying to do to him. All he wanted was to get away from this pain, this place. He wanted to wake up from this horrible dream and be in his den, snuggled against his mother and siblings.
Warm.
Full.
Content.
Yet the pain told him that this was no dream. He was there, with this foreign creature in this foreign place, where a bright, hot, orange light danced dangerously to the right, threatening to burn him to a crisp.
It didn't help that the man could create this light at will; it made him all the more powerful and terrifying. And he was here, clamping the poor pup's mouth shut, inducing agonizing pain and discomfort by deliberately toying with his hurt leg.
Life right now was mot kind to him.
But before he knew it, he was freed, with an unnatural thing on his leg. He sniffed it. It stank of human and made it difficult to move.
Why did life hate him? Had he done something wrong and unforgivable?
The pup sat and whimpered, only for a growl to sound.
The Fire teen froze at the sound. The pup also got quiet. Then, it sounded again. This time, he realized it came not form the woods or canine's jaws, but from its stomach.
Hesitantly, Zuko went to a bag and pulled out some jerky. The firebender held it out and the pup eyed it suspiciously, staying at a distance.
"Do you want it or not?" he said a bit irritated at the animal.
Whether or not it understood, the creature limped toward him and sniffed at the treat. Reluctantly and without taking its eyes off of him, the pup gingerly took the jerky in his teeth, waiting for a reaction. When Zuko loosened his grip slightly, the whelp snatched it up greedily, tail swishing slowly.
Then, it licked his hand and lay down beside him. The faintest trace of a smile was visible on the teenager's face.
Zuko had carried the pup out into the forest after it had gone to sleep, thinking by morning it would be back with its pack somewhere, moving on.
Because of the activity the night before, he had slept later than usual. Apparently, he didn't feel the pup limp back over to him, and, to the best of its abilities, curl up against him.
Which was why when he was woken up and questioned about the whelp, he groaned inwardly.
He would never hear the end of this.