Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!
Storytime at the Summer Cabin
Even though the Fire Prince didn't know how the Wendigo story itself went, he could feel the tension in the audience building minutely. They were all leaning closer to their respective neighbors despite their earlier mockery of the storytelling and leaning imperceptibly closer over the campfire, a reaction enhanced when he started to use his bending to subtly dim said fire.
"Through the blizzard, the young man could hear the whistling of the wind again, 'Wendigo . . .'" Sokka continued, "The old man could hear it, too, and cautioned the young man not to go, but the young man was scared. He thought the voice would find them even at the fire side, so he left, running off into the storm. Over the tundra, he ran, the wind at his back, carrying the call faster and faster." The campfire flickered in its fire pit as if it was being blown by an increasingly strong wind. "Gradually, he felt like even he was running faster, as if the wind was racing with him. He felt lighter and lighter, faster and faster, and the voice was getting closer and closer. 'Wen-di-go . . . Wendigo . . . Wendigo,'" his voice had started as a whisper, saying the name of the spirit slowly, but picking up speed just like in the story until he abruptly stood and shouted, "WENDIGO!"
At this cue, the campfire suddenly flared up and beyond its normal boundaries, erupting into an eight-foot tall monster of fire with horns and claws standing upright like an owl-bear. It radiated such heat so suddenly that even Toph, who understandably couldn't see it, was visibly frightened. The fire-Wendigo reared, roared with the strength of a raging bonfire and descended viciously upon the screaming audience, including a terrified Sokka, before it dissipated harmlessly, failing to burn anything.
Katara was the first to open her eyes, Aang still clutching her middle with his eyes tightly shut and Toph on his other side, still shaken, with Momo burrowed between them. The waterbender looked around the campsite as she gently extracted herself from the Avatar's grasp, "Is everyone alright?" she finally asked.
Sokka and Suki were both clutching each other with matching frightened expressions, "W-what was that?" the self-styled fearless Water Tribe warrior quaked while everyone else finally regained the courage to open their own eyes.
"You mean that wasn't part of the story?" Toph accused.
"Do I look like a firebender to you?"
"You have to ask?" snapped back the sarcasm.
"Shouldn't you guys be in bed?" came Zuko's no-nonsense comment out of nowhere, cutting off whatever snarky comment Sokka could have countered with. It was so unexpected that the group screamed again, and they zipped around the campfire to huddle completely together, still high-strung from earlier.
Again, Katara was the first one to calm down and remove herself from the huddled mass as the shaggy-headed firebending prince padded into the firelight, crate under one arm. "So that was you, huh? I should've known."
The corner of Zuko's mouth quirked upwards. He certainly felt better now. It was all he could do to stifle a grin of triumph that shouted "Ha! I got you!" to everyone around him, "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied obviously.
About this time, Aang remembered himself and straightened up enthusiastically, forcing a squeak from Momo as the lemur was displaced, "That was amazing! I haven't seen firebending like that since that fire festival we went to last winter!"
"No kidding," added Sokka appreciatively, "The timing was perfect, too."
"You have got to teach me how to do that!" continued Aang, not noticing the interruption.
"Wow, I was so wrapped up in the story, I didn't even know you were there," Toph commented, "You're almost as good at sneaking around as Twinkletoes!"
Zuko coughed into his free hand in an attempt to hide his discomfort at this sudden, unexpected praise before he composed himself again, scowling slightly, "It was nothing. You," he reached into the crate at his side and threw something to the tattooed boy between the earthbender and waterbender, "should be in bed already. We've got an early start tomorrow."
"What?" Aang caught the mysteriously wrapped package before it hit him in the face, "Why?" He looked at the package in his hands and quickly tore the plain paper from around it to reveal four white candles.
"Morning meditation," Zuko answered succinctly, "You'll need those. And this time, you'll get up at dawn if I have to drag you out of bed myself," he snorted, remembering times when he'd been up for hours at the Western Air Temple before the little airbender had even stirred, "I still can't believe your first firebending master didn't teach you how to feel the sun."
"He did!" Aang protested feebly, head hanging down over his lackluster present, "It just wasn't the same way you're talking about--"
Zuko cut him off impatiently, "Whatever. We can argue semantics in the morning. Bed." He pointed sternly to the open doorway, "Now."
"But I'm not ti—"
"Now."
As the Avatar reluctantly began to move, Katara took pity on him and interjected on his behalf, "How about a compromise? One more story, then Aang can go to bed. We'll all go to bed! Sound fair?"
Aang brightened, "Yeah, one more story! Pleeeeeeeeeease, Sifu Hotman?" the boy turned his big puppy-dog eyes on the hardened prince.
"No. It's late. And I thought I told you not to call me that?"
"Come on, I bet you know some good ones," chimed in Suki.
"Huh?" Zuko's scarred face snapped around to look at the Kyoshi warrior's smiling visage.
"Yeah!" Sokka said enthusiastically, "And you can use your firebending to make it more exciting, too!"
"Wait, when did this turn into me telling--?"
"Well, we haven't heard any genuine Fire Nation stories before," provided Aang who'd settled back down beside Katara as if the argument was already won, "This is a great opportunity! Plus, you can show me how you make those shapes out of the fire! I've always wanted to know how to do that! Think of it as another lesson," the tattooed boy grinned.
"I don't know any good stories," Zuko shook his head in discouragement, "Get someone else to tell you your ghost stories. I'm sure Sokka's full of them."
"You serious? He's full of a lot of things, but quality stories aren't one of them. Most of his stuff involves replacing various body parts with swords," snorted Toph to Sokka's "Hey!" of protest, "It's pretty predictable. We could do with another type of story by now," with that, the blind earthbender leaned back on her arms and stared sightlessly at the reluctant prince.
"Aang has a good point with the lesson part, too," Katara offered.
There were mutters of agreement from all around the circle, especially Aang. For all his logic, Zuko could see he was getting nowhere fast with this crowd. After more pleading from everyone, he finally caved in, "Alright! Fine, I'll tell you a story!" he declared in exasperation, the campfire leaping a few inches in response.
"And use your bending for illustration!" Sokka suggested excitedly.
Zuko closed his eyes in agitation. Creating specific shapes through the use of firebending was a difficult meditation exercise that for some reason he seemed to have an aptitude for. It was one of the few things that Azula hadn't tried to upstage him on, too, since it served no immediate or destructive purpose. She'd always shared their father's opinion of it, considering such practices frivolous and purely ornamental, so the princess had refused to learn more than the basics, whereas Zuko had been just as happy to learn about that as any other branch of firebending, especially since he had a knack for it. He worked as hard on it as he had on any of his fighting forms, but it ended up being just one more thing for his father to disapprove of. In reality, ornamental firebending was a demonstration of creativity and control, and a tool to hone both: the more intricate and smooth the image, the more precise the firebender, and precision had shown itself to be very useful to the Fire Prince over the last six months. One couldn't always rely on raw power alone, which was something that many firebenders, even masters, refused to believe.
In the wake of his banishment, though, Zuko had all but abandoned his "frivolous" practices. It was almost like the creativity in his bending had been stamped out, such energy instead being refocused into anger and single-minded determination in his hunt for the Avatar, trying to think where such a man could have hidden for 100 years. His meditation times found him doing only the basic breathing exercises instead of taking the flames and molding them into the spectacular images he would have loved to show his mother.
It was only recently, after he'd joined the Avatar at the Western Air Temple that he'd even given thought to shaping the flames again, making his meditation exercises more and more complicated each time he was by himself. He didn't even know why it had occurred to him then, but it had made sense at the time . . . like the rainbow of colors in the mix of dragonfire . . . profound, yet completely natural.
"Yeah, yeah, fine," Zuko relented, his frivolous secret laid bare, even though nobody realized it, "Aang had better pay attention to that part. But after this, bed for everyone, alright?" he made eye contact sternly with every member of the group around the campfire (not that it meant anything with Toph). They all mumbled grudging agreement before Zuko set down his small crate of candles and folded his legs underneath him into a lotus position for meditation. "I do know one story," he began, "It's about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin."