Short one-shot, only 413 words, but took me forever to write. I'm rusty.

It's Azula's birth. Seems like I write a lot of these sort of "younger" stories. Whatever.


Little Glutton

When the midwife gave me my child, wrapped in a blanket like a cocoon, I couldn't help but smile.

It was a girl, they told me.

And I nodded, unable to speak. I held the baby closer to me, cradling it in my arms.

"You're beautiful."

The baby blinked at me in response and stared at me curiously.

But the midwife edged over and announced, "Something's wrong," She was already reaching for the child, a tinge of panic in her voice, "She's not crying."

I held up a hand and the woman stopped. "No, it's alright."

My daughter looked up at me, her eyes open and her mouth in a circle, like she was caught surprised.

"No, it's not alright!" The midwife declared, wringing her hands as she drew closer. "Is she breathing?!"

I gave the fretting woman a frown, but held a finger just over the little girl's lip and sure enough I could feel her breath.

"Yes, like I said, she's fine."

She, the baby, stared at me, her eyes still peeled wide open. Her perfect gold eyes looked into mine and then I felt it.

A chill, as if I had been thrown into a blizzard, struck me.

There was a presence, hollow, dark, like a swarm and swirling with a fury, that peered into me. And the chill grew into a frozen feeling, as I felt myself rooted. Her eyes spun like a blackened hurricane and I knew then that it was a force meant to consume endlessly. An insatiable hunger for everything it could have and its first prey would be….

"Ursa! Ursa, are you alright?" The midwife looked at me, nervously touching my arm.

I was in the doctor's room again. I looked up at her and blinked, the sweat was coming down into my eyes. "I'm… yes… yes, I'm fine."

"Do you need me to hold her?"

The baby giggled loudly, squirming with delight in my stiffened arms.

I swallowed, not wanting to look down again and held her out.

The benevolent woman took my child gently, rocking her slightly while cooing. "Hello there!"

I turned away and slowly my racing heart calmed.

What… what was that?

Hesitantly, I looked at my daughter again. Her eyes were trained on me just the same as before and although no chill or fire was inspired inside of me, I still felt its presence.

The Monster.

And although I had just given it life, it was already demanding more.