Hey people, this is a brief word from me. Lucky Rabbit Foot is going to be my first published fanfiction other than oneshots and poems. –cheers- Yup, I'm using my day off from school to get done some long-procrastinated school projects and type up a few stories. Go me! I'll try to post a new chapter or two every weekend, but no guarantees. Please, please, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease review!

Obviously, I don't own Avatar. Why? Because I don't think I could buy it with the little money I have in my bank account.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Chapter One: Lucky Rabbit Foot

Pain…Pain was the only thing he could feel. Sure, he could feel the ground underneath him. Zuko could feel the contrast between the cool shade of the trees and the brief splotches of sunshine that broke through. But he felt the pain in a different way, he felt it with every nerve and muscle and bone in his body. Somehow, Zuko got his mind to focus on even a little bit more than the overwhelming, stabbing, piercing pain to wrap it all up in four simple words.

"Damn it, I'm hungry!"

This statement was immediately proven by a rumbling gurgle from the boy's stomach. It seemed to echo off the trees and rocks around them. Iroh thought it sounded funny. Zuko thought it sounded like his stomach was eating itself.

His Uncle replied to his complaining in a calm voice, running his fingers through his gray-going-on-white beard. "We have no food, no money to buy food, and no way to catch food. If only I had a stream and a fishing pole…"

Up ahead on the trail Zuko caught sight of a small and white pile of fur nibbling on some green, leafy weed that was growing next to the path. Slowly a smirk formed on his lips as he held out a hand, silently signaling his Uncle to stand still. "No way to catch any food, huh?"

The black-haired boy took a stance, holding one arm out in front of him. He formed an L with his fingers, using them as a crosshairs, and took aim. The rabbit, sensing danger, looked up at him, wrinkling its nose in the air.

As soon as Zuko caught sight of black rabbit eyes staring into his own gold, he released a bolt of fiery red from his finger tips. It sizzled through the air and before you could even think about blinking nailed its target in its furry bunny leg. Before he could claim his prize and mean, however, the half-scorched hare took off into the woods as fast as a half-scorched hare could. Which, apparently, was pretty damn fast. The hunter took off at a sprint to chase after its prey, leaving the old man to stare after them in wonder and amusement.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Katara chugged down the last few gulps of water from her cup and sighed contentedly. They usually didn't stop for lunch, and instead just flew on Appa until late in the evening. Today, however, everyone had been hungry, so they'd stopped for a bit to eat a quick meal of bread, fruit, and dried meat. Eating while flying on Appa always made Katara nauseous.

Past the small, grassy clearing they had landed in there was only dense forest, as far as you could ever see. The sun over their heads shone bright and hot, dimming slightly whenever the occasional cloud would pass. The perfect beauty of it was almost mesmerizing.

The girl was shocked out of her thoughts as a small white rabbit came limping out of the woods and all but collapsed at her feet. Splotches of black and red marked its body, particularly badly around its leg. The others in the group came over to watch as the girl pulled out a canteen of water and formed her healing gloves. The water around her hands glowed with pale green luminance as she worked to heal her patient.

Minutes passed, and finally she withdrew her hands, the rabbit hopping away with a dazed and disturbed look on its face. Not a moment after she released the hare did the person she least expected come darting out from the trees. The boy skid to a stop, an incredulous look on his face.

Zuko glanced quickly back and forth from the Water Tribe girl to the Avatar behind her. He glared after the tail of the rabbit as the traumatized creature fled the scene before something even crazier happened to it. Both parties, equally surprised and for once synchronized, each blurted out the same thing in the same tone of disbelief.

"You!"