This is my first Avatar fic so be nice. It's set early Book 2 since I've not seen the episodes after chapter 9. That's also why i'm not including Toph - because i haven't got use to her character yet. Well, i hope you enjoy it!

Writing in italics is cat talk.

An Avatar and his Cat

Chapter 1

"Why are you stopping Uncle?" Zuko asked as he noticed his uncle had taken a seat on the ground.

"We have been walking for hours Prince Zuko," Iroh replied wearily. "Is it not time we took a break?"

"Have you forgotten that Azula is right behind us?" Zuko shouted angrily. "We can not stop; we must find the Avatar!"

"Avatar, Avatar – that's all he ever talks about," Iroh muttered to himself.

Zuko hadn't heard what his uncle said but he knew he had been complaining about him. His face set in its eternal scowl, Zuko stormed ahead through the forest leaving his uncle behind. That was Zuko's biggest and most wonderful mistake ever.

Zuko only stopped walking when he came out into a clearing. It was vast and nothing but thin grass grew there. Zuko looked around, wondering if he should wait here for his uncle. He jumped when he heard a voice right behind him. "Hello Zuko."

Zuko turned around to face the girl that looked about the age of the Avatar. "Who are you? How did you sneak up on me like that?" he demanded of her.

She smiled and didn't answer his questions. "Many think your heart is cold Prince Zuko but I know the truth. There is good in you that you have needed to quash to survive. You survive but you are alone. Before you had hope of ending this loneliness but now that your father has ordered your capture you are loosing that hope. I don't think you should suffer Zuko; that is why I am here – to help."

"I don't need your help," Zuko sneered, pretending that this strange girl didn't bother him. It was a mask though, what she said disturbed him deeply.

"I think you do," was the girl's calm reply. In answer to this Zuko jumped back and sent a jet of fire straight towards her. The girl evaded it without seeming to move. She scowled for the first time. "If you attack the one offering you help then you really do need my help."

"No I don't!" Zuko shouted, letting forth another burst of flames. The girl dodged. Where was uncle Iroh? This would be a good time for him to show up and lighten the mood with one of his annoying proverbs.

The girl sighed as if she was tired. "I see you're not going to co-operate even though what I'm doing is in your best interest. It looks like I'm going to have to do this the hard way." An evil smirk appeared on her face. "That doesn't mean that this isn't the more amusing way though."

Zuko lashed out, knowing for certain now that this girl was nothing but trouble. However, the fiery kick he aimed at her did not connect. In fact he suddenly felt his fire-bending powers disappearing. There was something else too. Was the girl always as tall as him?

The next thing Zuko knew he only came up to the girl's knee. He felt really strange, as if he was no longer in his own body. He didn't understand it; what had this girl done to him?

The girl kneeled down and pulled a mirror out of nowhere. Hesitantly, Zuko looked at a reflection that he couldn't believe was his. Before him was a cat, black in colour, with a mahogany patch over its left eye.

Zuko opened his mouth and demanded that he be turned back. Even to his ears the words were only the sounds cats made.

The girl smiled at her handiwork. "You'll remain like that until you've helped yourself with your loneliness problem. In other words: until you fall in love and they have fallen for you."

Zuko's amber eyes widened. She had got to be kidding. How was he supposed to fall in love when he was a cat? Was he supposed to get another cat to love him? Zuko refused to entertain that very disturbing image.

"Do you want me to give you a hint which way you go?"

The cat reluctantly nodded, angered that it had to get help from the witch which had disfigured it.

The girl pointed to the right. "Go that way through the trees and you'll find a bunch of humans. In that group is the one your heart is destined for."

The cat's features changed into an expression that clearly said 'you've got to be kidding'. 'The one your heart is destined for'. What a load of crap.

The girl seemed to sense the direction his thoughts were going in. "You better go before they leave," she said before standing up and disappearing in a gust of wind that brought up bits of dirt and blinded Zuko for a second. When Zuko's eyes opened there was no trace of her. With nothing left to do he headed in the direction she had pointed out.

It wasn't long before Zuko walked out into another clearing. He stared at the group that had taken up residence there. This has got to be some sick joke. Why else would I come upon the Avatar and his tag-along friends when I'm like this!

As if hearing Zuko's exclamation, the Avatar looked up from his game with the white lemur. Zuko tried to back away into the foliage of the bush behind him without being seen but luck was not on his side. The Avatar walked over smiling. "Hey there, don't be scared," he said in that goofy voice of his.

I'm not scared of you Avatar. All the same Zuko darted into the bush behind him.

Aang frowned then grinned mischievously. He divided into the bush, searching for the cat he had seen. Something screamed indignantly ahead of him and he reached out for it. He caught hold of something thin and furry. Aang pulled it to him and a second later his face was attacked by sharp claws.

Katara looked up from the sleeping bag she had been unrolling. She sighed when she saw that it was Aang that was crying out in pain. Well, if he was going to go diving into bushes without checking that they had thorns then it served him right.

Eventually Aang disentangled himself from the bush and held his prize at arm's length. The cat was still not happy about having its tail pulled and was swiping its clawed paws at Aang. Aang however was not bothered by this and ran off to show Katara.

"Katara look at this cat I found in the bushes!"

Katara stood up and looked at the cat being held out to her. Was it her imagination or was in scowling at her? "That's nice Aang but maybe you should put it down; I don't think it likes being held like that."

"Don't be silly Katara, of course it does." Aang brought the cat closer to him and was promptly scratched. Aang pouted when Katara gave him the 'I told you so' look. "Fine, I'll put him down."

As soon as Zuko's paws touched the ground he ran a few feet away from the two benders. He hissed at them but then stopped when he realized what he was doing. Princes didn't hiss at people! He'd only been this way for a few minutes and already he'd started to act like a cat! Stupid Avatar.

Aang turned to Katara. "Do we have any food?"

Katara shook her head. "Sokka went to find some nuts and berries."

"But it'll take forever for Sokka to find anything and by that time we'll be starving!" Aang whined.

"I know Aang but we just have to deal with it until we find another town."

Aang's frown immediately disappeared when he noticed the cat was still there. He bent down and went, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

Yes Avatar, that's really going to make me want to go over to you. Zuko said sarcastically.

"Hey guys; guess what I found!"

Zuko spun around. The water peasant boy was coming through the tress with…HIS RUCKSACK!

Sokka was smiling proudly as he waved the bag in the air. "I went into this clearing and there was this bag and it's got loads of food in it! No nuts tonight!" Sokka stopped when he noticed the cat at his feet was glaring at him. "What's this ugly thing doing here?"

UGLY! Zuko hissed and attacked Sokka's leg. Sokka cried out in alarm and ran to hide behind his sister. That won't save you, you vile water peasant!

Aang laughed at the look on Sokka's face. Katara smiled as well. "I didn't know the brave warrior was scared of a little cat," she taunted.

Sokka immediately stood up straight, trying to look impressive and fearless. "I wasn't scared; I was just protecting our food."

"Of course you were."

While the two siblings were busy arguing Aang took the opportunity to once again approach the golden eyed cat. It looked at him wearily but didn't move. Aang squatted down next to it and smiled the overenthusiastic smile he normally wore. "Hi, I'm Aang. I'm sorry I grabbed your tail before. Want to be friends?"

Zuko considered him. He knew he couldn't give a direct reply and neither was he going to demean himself by rubbing up against the Avatar's leg like he'd seen other cats do. He hoped the Avatar realised all this too.

Zuko needed to make up his mind about what he was going to do. He could either go look for that witch and get her to show him where he was supposed to go, or he could assume that she had meant for him to go with the Avatar. It wasn't an easy decision.

The witch could be anywhere and he really didn't want to run into his sister when he was like this. But did he really want to stay with the Avatar and the other idiots? Decisions, decisions.

Zuko sat down, hoping the Avatar would get that this meant he was staying with them. Apparently he did understand since Zuko was swept up into the boy's arms a moment later.

Aang ran over to Sokka and Katara and said, "The kitty's decided to join us!"

"Don't you have enough pets?"

Aang glared at Sokka. "They're my friends, not my pets."

Katara decided to get away from that subject. "What are you going to call it?"

Aang looked at Zuko in silence for awhile, thinking hard for a suitable name. "I got it! Zuko!"

Zuko jumped, thinking the Avatar had discovered how he had shamefully been turned into a cat. His fear was eradicated, however, when Sokka said, "Why would you want to name a cat after that jerk?"

"Because of the patch over his eye!" Aang said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world; which, technically, it was.

"I still think it's a stupid idea," complained Sokka.

"Sokka, Aang's the one who's going to be looking after the kitty so he can call it what he likes," Katara told her brother sternly.

"Thanks Katara," Aang said with a small smile. Katara smiled right back.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm starving! I'm going to light a fire so that we can eat a decent meal for once," Sokka said as he walked towards the woods.

Katara went to help him while Aang sat down with Zuko. "Don't worry Zuko, you're going to be happy here," Aang said cheerfully.

I hope you're right because if you're not I'm going to be stuck like this forever.

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