Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar, or the original characters, but I do own this plot and the characters that do not appear in the original show. Believe me if i owned Avatar, things would turn out differently than they are heading to. (Like the fact that Zuko and Katara aren't together)
Ling wrapped the sleeping child in a fine wool blanket colored red and black, wary the whole time of how precious the child he held was.
The boy's grandfather stood in the doorway, watching with dismay in those golden eyes.
Ling gazed into his face and asked, "Are you sure about this? It doesn't have to be this way."
But the old man nodded solemnly "Yes, it does. This is the way the seers said it had to be, or else the world would be destroyed."
Ling looked again at the child, at nearly a year old he was innocent and peaceful. He almost couldn't believe the weight that lay on the child's shoulders at such a young age.
"Does the Avatar know?"
The old man shook his head, "No, and he would probably object. I cannot put this on him to decide when he's already been through so much."
Ling licked his lips and asked cautiously, "And what about the prince, does he know?"
Again the old man shook his head, "His instincts would blind him into making the wrong decision. And if the seers are correct, then he won't even know he is gone."
Ling looked fearfully to the old man he had come to respect and honor and said, "Then it will happen tonight?"
For once the old man nodded, "Or early tomorrow, one cannot be sure."
Ling gave a weary sigh, "I don't think i can do this. How can this task be left to us alone?"
The old man walked into the shadows of the nursery and placed a reassuring hand on the young soldier's arm. "It's going to be difficult, but it is something i beg of you. Please, my friend, save him, and save us."
He fiddled with something about his neck before pulling a silver chain over his white haired head. Dangling on the chain were two shadowed objects, Ling could not see them in the dark light, but he did not have to, "My Lord, i could never-."
"Take them, they will protect you, and when it is safe, bring these and the boy back to his home. Make sure he has these, or else he will not be recognized."
Just then they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the stone corridor.
Ling looked fearfully to his master who assured, "I will distract them, it is probably just the patrols. Take one of the Wolf-Horses, they are swift and will get you past the guards silently. But be careful, there's a whole other army out there that wants to destroy us all."
And without saying anything more the old man slipped through the doorway and into the hall.
Ling listened to the halfhearted jokes he made with the guards until the voices slowly faded away.
Pressing the child close to his chest he too slipped through the door and into the night that was now thick with intrigue and tension. In the halls he pulled the hood of his black cloak up to hide his face to any who might actually see him. But if his master was right, then no one would be out to catch him. He made it through the halls without incident, down the elaborate stairs and through the kitchens where some servants and a few soldiers slept fitfully on the floors.
The stable hands slept deeply, unaware of Ling's silent and treacherous footsteps. He glided past the rumbling Warhinoes and the restlessly prancing Ostrich-Horses, and into the back room of the stable where the noble new breed of Wolf-Horses slept warily.
They would have just looked like oversized wolves if not for the extra long horse legs and the wide nostrils. They were all saddled for battle when needed.
Ling could not help but take a moment to reflect on what he was about to do, only the noblemen were allowed to ride the magnificent beasts. And he was just about to steal one, it would surely be noticed.
But then he shrugged and grabbed the reins of the nearest canine. A gray and black dappled one with long shaggy wolf fur.
Tightening his grip on the precious child in his arms he pulled himself into the uniquely small saddle that was designed for speed. Whoever the nobleman was who owned the Wolf-Horse was a skilled fighter but very careless since Ling found an extra pair of Dao swords hanging off of the saddle.
He led the wary beast out by the stable hands on its silently padded predatory feet. It wasn't difficult to get past the guards who were nodding off with sleep, and as soon as he was beyond their sight he urged the beast into a faster pace.
He did not get far when an alarm was sounded, fear felt like a cold stone in his stomach, not of getting caught, but of failing in his final task. He urged the Wolf-Horse to lope through the forest, dodging trees, both fallen and standing, and jumping over tiny streams. The cold wind made his nose and cheeks red with chill and his dried eyes water.
Off somewhere behind him another Wolf-Horse howled, and since the beast was a social animal it opened its mouth to answer.
The reins he held were a strange combination of muzzle and bit, pulling on the second pair he closed the muzzle, silencing the return call.
And during all this the child sleeping in his arm was silent. Unaware of how the world was changing, and how he would change it back to the way it was supposed to be.