Book 1 - Growth

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Chapter 1 - Two Fugitives

"Is there anything quite as heartbreaking as losing something we hold dear?"

"Uncle, it was just a teapot." Zuko snapped.

"It had sentimental value!" cried Iroh. Iroh and Zuko had been on the run from both their native Fire Nation and zealous Earth Kingdom bounty hunters for weeks. Zuko was tired of his uncle's overreacting to little things like this, yesterday it was his favourite book and today it was an old, stupid teapot. They had been walking a safe-looking mountainside path when the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed and sent them tumbling downhill. It was while they gathered their things that his uncle had noticed the broken ceramics: Iroh held one of the shards in his hand, staring at the faded paintwork.

"It was made for me by an old friend in my army days. How long ago that seems now." Zuko noticed that his uncle did genuinely seem upset by the loss of this simple little teapot, so he decided to try and soften his tone a little, "Come uncle, we have to move. I get feeling that was no natural landslip." Iroh nodded, wiped away a small tear from his eyes, and stood up.

"It's important to never forget where you've come from, Zuko. And what it's cost to get to where you are now."

"I'm more concerned with what's happening in the here and now, Uncle." Iroh stares at Zuko for a moment, places the small shard in his pocket, and begins walking.

"Which way should we go?" Asked Iroh. Their previous path was now in ruins and there didn't appear to be any easy way back up the mountain. Look at the path, the rest of it is completely untouched. No way did the section we were walking on just fall apart by accident. "I think we should head away from the mountain. That way." Zuko pointed to a nearby forest, the tall wooden sentinels looming over the landscape, offering a safe haven to anyone who dared break it's ranks. "A wise choice, I would say." Iroh smiled at Zuko; Zuko had always wondered why his uncle felt such pride in him. After all he was a failure in his father eyes, his sister's eyes and his own eyes. But not in his uncle's.

"Then let's move." Zuko hadn't gotten ten paces before he felt it; barely a shiver at first, but enough to let him know their day was about to get a lot worse very quickly. The shiver became a rumble, the rumble became a quake, and Zuko took up a defensive stance. Then; silence. "Remain calm, Zuko. Follow my lead." Iroh took up a similar stance at Zuko's side. The ground was still, as though it were listening intently to their conversation, waiting for a chance to strike. Zuko couldn't take the waiting any longer, "Show yourselves, cowards in the dirt!" The ground exploded, dirt flew into Zuko's eyes and for a moment he was in darkness. Wiping his eyes, he assessed the new situation: six of them. Earth Kingdom military, by their colours. Not open to negotiations, by the archer aiming at him. One of the soldiers stepped forward, "Iroh and Zuko of the Fire Nation-" Zuko glanced to Iroh and caught his eye; make a move old man, or I will, his glare said. Iroh let slip a quiet smile, and turned his eyes back to the soldier, "-by order of the Earth King you are to surrender immediately. We-" Iroh moved fast, and swept his hands upwards as he conjured a wall of fire; cutting them off from their pursuers. "Move, now!" Iroh slid to the right, blasting through the wall, and Zuko followed hastily.

Zuko couldn't remember the last time he saw his uncle move so fast, it was easy to forget that at one time in his life his uncle was a fire bender who was feared all over the world. No time for sentiment, Zuko thought to himself, as Iroh continued to dance around the soldiers. Iroh looked to be caught in the crossfire of two soldiers, but before Zuko could help Iroh floored them with a low sweeping kick; sending fire arcing along the ground. "Don't stare nephew, move!". Zuko had barely seen this side to his uncle, so his bemused attitude was nothing surprising, but he had to snap out of it. Observe, assess, react. Zuko scanned the area: Iroh had taken out two already, but their Captain was closing in, the archer was drawing his bow, and two other soldiers lifted the earth around them. He couldn't take them all on, so he took a page out of his uncle's book. Dropping to one knee, he threw forward two long walls of fire, separating the enemy group.

It was an opportunity to take the fight to them. "Zuko! Run!"

"What?!" Before he could react Iroh had him by the collar, pounding through the middle of the walls Zuko had just conjured, towards a nearby forest. Throwing Zuko ahead, Iroh sent the walls hurtling outwards;: directly towards the confused soldiers, who had lost their targets in the blaze. That wasn't enough to finish them, old man. Iroh ran towards Zuko, "Keep moving, now's our chance!" Zuko spat on the ground, and begrudgingly followed his uncle; both of them sprinted for their lives away from the fight.

Zuko peered a look over his shoulder, they aren't following us. "Uncle! They aren't chasing-" A dull thud knocked Zuko straight to ground, falling and tumbling. Bones cracked and his vision blurred, though he couldn't actually feel anything. For a moment there was only a cold numbness as he saw his Uncle turn back for him. His vision blurred further, he barely make out shapes. Then the numbness began to fade, and his vision began to sharpen, just in time to witness his uncle summoning arcing waves of icy-blue lighting, cutting off their pursuers. His vision blurred again, but the numbness was replaced by an urgency, a panic; an oncoming dread. It was a feeling Zuko had felt before, when he was a child on the beach: Zuko was drowning.

His body went into a fit, and Iroh picked him up. "Don't worry Nephew! We'll get help!" Iroh noticed the arrow protruding from Zuko's back: poison. "We'll get you a healer, don't fall asleep!". Zuko couldn't hear his uncle though, the only sensation his body could process was the the coughing, the spluttering, the shredding in his throat. Zuko was absolutely terrified. He wasn't scared of death; but to Zuko, drowning was a nightmare. Just as he felt like he couldn't take anymore, his vision blackened, and he fainted.