Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

As the carefully shot Yuyan arrow made contact with its target, Admiral Zhao nodded down to a tall, rather skeletal looking sentry waiting patiently outside the outer wall, ordering him to run ahead of the other armed men. The man immediately stretched his long gangly legs and sprinted toward the fallen thief and his captive.

Though it may not appear possible from his gaunt appearance, Shen Ting was impeccably fast. He believed this was unquestionably due to being pursued by his menacing and much beefier elder brothers as a child for years on end. He would have to thank them once they were released from prison.

Shen Ting reached the immense dust cloud after a half a minute of nonstop running along the dusty road. His feet ached inside his pointed black boots and begged to be at rest. He ignored his pain and quietly stepped through the dust cloud.

At first all he could make out through the dirt fog, was an exceptionally terrified looking Avatar. The airbender's gray eyes were the size of saucers and were staring fixedly at the unconscious Blue Spirit. Shen Ting blinked and followed the Avatar's gaze.

His mouth hung agape in a quite undignified manor.

Sprawled on the dirt road was none other than the banished Prince Zuko himself. His noble facial features, twisted in a look of pain and the angry red burn over his left eye exposing his identity. A foot away from the incapacitated Prince was the blue and white mask, its eternal smile grinning demonically up at Shen Ting.

Shen Ting only halted for a moment before leaping at the Avatar and Prince. As Shen Ting reached for the Avatar's collar, the bald boy looked up and met his gaze and jumped in fright. The Air Nomad boy took hold of Prince Zuko and his scattered belongings and scurried away, so swiftly and gracefully he appeared to simply glide alongside the piercingly icy winter breeze.

Shen Ting cursed to himself and attempted to follow the fleeting pair, however his aching feet and knees had a different idea. His knobbly knees buckled and Shen Ting fell flat on his face into the dirt.

Shen Ting coughed dust out of his lungs and lifted his head. He had to do something or he would most likely lose his head with such a failure.

A sharp pain in his side reminded him of the steel dagger, now cutting through its leather sheath and breaking his skin.

Shen Ting quickly removed a small dagger from the sheath and did his best to aim it at the retreating Avatar, not bothering to take heed to Admiral Zhao's command to capture the boy alive. After throwing with all the strength he could muster, he remained on the ground in silence, listening for the soft thud of the dagger falling to the ground. When none came he smiled.

Shen Ting slowly pushed himself off the ground. For a moment he simply stood on the dirt path, smiling stupidly at his triumph. He turned and sprinted toward the base.

OoOoOo

Of all the running Aang had done that day he could honestly say that running away from the Fire Nation base and a the thick forest while a stocky teenage prince lay sprawled on his back, drooling on his shoulder was the most tiring thing he'd done all day.

The sun was just beginning to rise as Aang decided he had made enough distance from the base. He sighed in relief at the prospect of having his back free once more and taking some time to rest while he waited for Zuko to wake up. He set Zuko on a pile of leaves beside one of the towering trees.

The size of his eyes multiplied tenfold.

Sticking out of the unconscious firebender's side was the hilt of a dagger. How had he not noticed that? Aang rushed over to Zuko, his eyes unable to leave the seeping blood emitting from the wound. He ripped the sleek black shirt around the wound. His eyes quickly roamed the pierced flesh. This did not look good at all.

Aang recoiled as dark blood ran across his hands. He abruptly sat up and rubbed the blood off on his ragged shirt. He did not remove the blade as to not cause Zuko to lose even more blood, but tried to awaken him.

"Zuko, Can you hear me?" Aang asked grabbing hold of the collar of Zuko's black shirt and shaking him.

When no response came Aang began to panic. He had to get Zuko to a healer. Where could Aang find one of those that would be close enough for him to get to before Zuko…..Well he'd prefer not to jump to conclusions.

There was that crazy herbalist he had visited. Perhaps Zuko could be patched up in time if she didn't doddle. Aang had no doubt in his mind that she would, but he had to try.

To his sore body's displeasure Aang pulled Zuko off of the pile of dry leaves and onto his back and made no hesitation before taking off and continued to run. He hoped he didn't get lost.

OoOoOo

Despite of what most people suspected Kaiku was not crazy. She simply put the needs of her beloved cat Miyuki before any of her demanding patients. Miyuki after all was her only companion after her four sisters had passed away. There is nothing crazy about loving her cat.

She had been sitting in her favorite chair beside the fireplace, weaving grass from her front lawn into a new hat for Miyuki in the late hours of night when she heard the sound of running footsteps reaching closer and closer to her door. She made no move from her work to greet her patient.

When she heard the ragged and tired voice of the young Avatar behind her back, Kaiku wasn't really surprised. The boy was no doubt here to pester her to make a 'proper medicine' since frozen frogs were not his friend's cup of tea. However she was surprised when she heard the words he spoke.

"Can you heal stab wounds?"

She quickly stood up from her chair and turned to face the voice, the woven grass hat still in her hands.

What she saw before made her sick to her stomach. The Avatar was standing before her, his clothes torn and his hands blood stained. He looked fatigued and close to collapsing. But the sight that worried her is the darkly clothed young man lying at the feet of the bald boy.

He was out cold, an expression of agony residing on his face. His torn shirt allowed Kaiku to easily see the wound. A leather hilt of a dagger had punctured his side and had no doubt caused the blue tint of the skin surrounding the wound.

The unfinished hat fell to the ground.

OoOoOo

The run back to Admiral Zhao's base took much longer due to the achiness in Shen Ting's legs. His throbbing feet pounded in time with his heart as he reached the towering building.

The expression on the greasy haired Admiral's face was murderous.

"Admiral, Admiral!" Shen Ting shouted, running through the halls.

Zhao turned his head from the balcony where he had been watching his troops chase after the Avatar Shen Ting trembled under the intimidating frown he received, "What is it, boy?"

"The Avatar has escaped with the thief."

Zhao's golden eyes narrowed, "I thought you were the fastest of the troop."

Shen Ting hands were quivering, "I am Sir. I just…I just."

"Spit it out boy!" Zhao shouted.

Shen Ting swallowed, "I was just in shock upon finding out the thief's identity."

Shen Ting sighed in relief as Zhao's golden slits of eyes widened and his expression became a fraction less threatening, "Who was the thief, boy?"

"Prince Zuko, Sir," he said unfalteringly.

Zhao's livid expression had disappeared entirely. On the contrary he smiled. The admiral did not have what Shen Ting would call a pleasant smile. Perhaps at one time in his life he did but the smile he cast the frightened sentry was cold and conniving. The smile terrified Shen Ting far more than his expressions of fury. He hoped Zhao would stop before he unintentionally summoned all the demons of the spirit world to rise from the ground and eat their flesh.

"Is that so?" He turned his head to the heavily robed old man sitting in at a metal desk on the other side of the room, "Tao."

Tao hurriedly perked his head up from whatever he had been writing, his large hat shaking and threatening to fall off, "Yes Sir?"

"Have a messenger hawk ready to be sent to the Firelord. I have some news he might find intriguing."

OOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Note:

Hello there, reader! Thank you so much for reading the very first chapter of my very first fanfiction! I already have the second chapter half written so I should be updating soon. It would mean a lot to me if you would review and tell me how I'm doing, especially if you have some criticism! I promise I won't bite.

Until next time lovely readers!

-MaddyTheFangirl