Standard disclaimer applies to this chapter. The only thing that belongs to me is Admiral Tsao and Admiral Mushi, my OCs (who aren't actually OCs, but I just named the characters.)
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Chapter Two: Over a Full Moon Rising, Part II
Fire Nation Royal Palace, 5 years ago
Zuko awoke to the sound of birds singing their morning's greetings to Agni, the sun. As he got up, he stretched his arms back in preparation for the day before he collapsed to the floor. A shooting pain, coming from his shoulder blade, suddenly made itself known as yesterday's events came back to him in a flood of memories. He could remember kneeling in Agni's Gateway, awaiting his mark, then a burning pain in his shoulder blade. What had happened to him? As he tried to figure some sense of what had happened the previous day, a conflagration arose in his mind's eye.
Among the flames of his dream-vision, he dimly noticed himself roaring in pain as a series of images became apparent in the flames, flickering sometimes for only a moment, sometimes lingering and slowly fading away, like ashes drifting from a fireplace, slowly dying. He could see a burst of orange flame, and he felt a searing pain on his face. As the pain slowly faded, images flickered in and out: the back of a young man about his own age, standing at the prow of a ship, with a view of mountains rising from the horizon. The full moon, slowly climbing in the sky from in-between the branches of an old pine tree, reflected in a small pond with a single white koi fish with a black spot on its head. A wolf, hiding in the shelter of a cave, with glowing golden eyes staring out at him. A rich, coppery taste in his mouth as he looked onto the savaged corpse of an ostrich horse. Plains rushing by him at an incredible rate. A young woman and a man, both dressed in blue, walking through a forest. The man, dressed in armor vaguely resembling a wolf and carrying a club and boomerang, while the woman was wearing a simple blue parka. A pair of brilliant blue eyes, filled with compassion, caring and… love? The flames faded as the darkness set in, and Zuko was left with a single question. Who do those eyes belong to, and why are they looking at me like that?
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"Zuko! Prince Zuko!" Zuko was shaken awake by a firm, yet familiar hand.
"Mother? ..."Zuko asked hesitantly, uncertain of the identity of the person attempting to rouse him.
"No, Prince Zuko…. It is your uncle, Iroh" he heard a voice say in a sad voice. Iroh looked on the boy, laid out on the ground beside his bed. The boy's mother had disappeared under mysterious circumstances when Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord and Iroh's brother, had assumed the throne. Although he didn't have any proof, Iroh suspected that the previous Fire lord's death, Zuko's mother's disappearance, and Ozai's ascension were all related. Iroh knew that Zuko had never really gotten over Ursa's death, although he tried to hide it. Zuko had changed since that day, more than 3 years ago. He had used to be so open and cheerful. But ever since that day, he had slowly withdrawn more and more into himself, only letting himself free in the presence of those he truly trusted, like his uncle.
"Oh, uncle… I had the strangest dream. There was fire everywhere, then this pain in my-"
"NO, Prince Zuko. It wasn't a dream – what you saw was a vision from Agni himself. You mustn't tell me what you saw; not only is it forbidden, it brings terrible luck upon all who hear. And I don't need any more bad luck, do I?" Iroh laughed ironically – his retirement had been more forced after failing in his task to raid a heavily fortified city. They hadn't been told that there was a powerful earthbender contingent in the city, and in the ensuing siege, he had lost his sole heir, his son Lu-Ten. After an absence from the Fire Nation following this failure, he returned only to be asked to retire. It wasn't long after this that he adopted Zuko as his replacement son, and had treated him so ever since. Zuko had come to grudgingly accept this, as his own father had never shown him any real affection, instead showering his approval on Zuko's younger sister, Azula, who was a firebending prodigy.
"Agni… Uncle! What did I get marked with?" Zuko asked suddenly, remembering the consequences of the ceremony. He couldn't see it himself, because it was on his shoulder blade, just beyond the range of his vision.
"Hmm... let me see…" Iroh said as he turned Zuko's back to him. "You received… what appears to be a wolf howling in front of a full moon. A strong mark, nephew – the wolf is indicative of loyalty, cunning and compassion, while the moon is the mark of balance and renewal." What Iroh didn't tell him was that he suspected that it wasn't any wolf, but from the lightening on the wolf's head, he suspected that it was the Great Grey Wolf[1], one of the greatest of spirits. If so, he suspected that Agni might have had less of a hand in this than he thought. "The Fire Sages have already taken note of this – your personal crest is already being made, and your father informed. As a man, you have earned the right to attend the war sessions, if you so choose." Iroh hoped that he wouldn't choose to go – over the years, he had seen his nephew get punished for small acts of kindness to soldiers and servants, and he was afraid of what would happen if he saw some of his father's more brutal stratagems.
"Thank you, uncle" Zuko said, grabbing a change of pants and a sleeveless tunic "I'm going to go and practice my firebending now – could you come with me and give me a lesson or two?"
"Gladly, my prince. I'll meet you in the courtyard in an hour – I haven't had my morning cup of ginseng tea yet!"
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A few weeks later, against Iroh's recommendation, Zuko decided to attend his first war meeting. As he walked down hall towards the war room, assistants were lacing up his ceremonial armor. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the simple red curtain separating him from the War room. Shooting a small burst of flame from his fists to relieve tension, he pushed aside the curtains and walked into the room. As he entered the chamber, the various admirals turned to look at who entered as behind them, the sheet of flame guarding the Dragon Throne rose momentarily higher as the Fire Lord expressed displeasure at his nearly late entry.
Today, the Fire Lord was discussing a plan to raid a fortified village near Senlin Village. The admirals were gathered around a map of the Earth Kingdom, and were discussing different methods on how to assault the village with maximum efficiency. There were many suggestions, varying from pincer movements to night attacks, but it was Admiral Tsao, however, who suggested the unthinkable:
"There's been a rumor that a dangerous battalion of the Earth Kingdom's strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors are situated near here, so I am recommending the 41st division for an initial strike."
An older admiral, Admiral Mushi, looked vaguely disgusted and unsettled by the suggestion. "But the 41st is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"
Admiral Tsao gave the older admiral a cold look. "I don't. They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear with the 27th division. What better to use as bait then fresh meat?"
Zuko couldn't believe his ears. Was this admiral seriously suggesting that they simply throw away the lives of these young soldiers and benders for a tactical advantage? He couldn't stand for this, so he jumped up off the ground and gave that cocky Tsao a piece of his mind: "You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?" The other generals looked at him in surprise: even though he was officially a man and their crown prince, how dare he try and tell them what to do in this matter that he had no experience in?
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Iroh watched in horror that evening, for he knew very well the rules of the Agni Kai, as it was clearly apparent that Zuko didn't. With bile rising in his throat, he watched as Zuko, the tender boy of thirteen summers, take his place at the eastern edge of the courtyard. Wearing only a pair of black silk pants and his new Agni Kai standard; a black silk cloth with the howling wolf standard, Iroh saw him take a deep breath in preparation for the honor-duel. Iroh wouldn't be able to help his nephew with this duel – not against his current opponent.
With a confident grin on his face, Zuko turned as he stood, assuming a common firebending stance, right leg in front of the left, with both hands at chest height. As he turned, his opponent was revealed to him. It was not Admiral Tsao that was awaiting him – it was the shadowed figure of the Fire Lord. Upon seeing this, Zuko was shocked.
"Please, Father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart! I'm sorry that I spoke out of turn!"
The figure relentlessly moved closer, seemingly not at a moved by this show of emotion. The Fire Lord then spoke in a deep voice: "You WILL fight for your honor".
Dropping to his knees, Zuko pleaded with his father. "I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son."
Furious, the Fire Lord yelled at the young Crown Prince. "Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!"
Zuko, face on the floor, spoke out: "I won't fight you."
Looking on his cowering son in disgust, the Fire Lord Spoke the last words that he would speak to his son for more than 5 years: "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher."
As Iroh looked on, the Fire Lord walked right up to Zuko, as the Crown Prince raised his tear traced face to look up at his father. Knowing what was coming, Iroh looked away as a single tear escaped from his eye. He saw one of the Captains of the Red Fleet, Captain Zhao, looking pleased as can be, grinned a sick grin. Beside him, a young girl, the Princess Azula, raises her fist in anticipation of the punishment that her brother will be receiving. A single cry, full of unimaginable anguish, fills the courtyard as Lord Ozai slaps his son with a hand of fire. The scent of burning flesh fills the courtyard, and another tear escapes from Iroh's eyes. The Fire Lord then leaves the courtyard without so much as a backward glance, and no one stoops down to help the now sobbing prince. As soon as the courtyard was completely empty, Iroh vaults down and picks Zuko up in his arms. Looking at the boy who was as close to him as his own blood, he picks him up, barely looking at the horrific bow that will scar him for the rest of his life.
"My son…" Iroh whimpers as he rushes the boy off to the physician's wing.
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Three weeks later, Prince Zuko is standing at the prow of a small ship. Carrying nothing but the fine silken clothes on his back, and a few other essentials in his bag, he wears a bandage across the entire left side of his face. Iroh steps up from the shadows and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Nephew, I wish that I could accompany you on your …journey, but the Fire Lord has decreed that I must return to the Capital soon. If there's anything that I can offer you, Princ-"
"Don't call me that! I'm no longer a prince, nor any sort of royalty. Ozai made sure of that when he purged my name from the records, along with banishing me. Now I'm a nobody. Worthless. I'm not even good enough to be a slave in the coal mines."
"I think, Zuko, that you have a grander destiny ahead of you than you think. Just let life run its course. And be sure to take time to taste all the tea you pass. Haha! But nephew, in all seriousness, do not let the acts of a selfish fath-"
"He is NOT my father! I disown him as thoroughly as he disowns me!" Just then, the western shore of the Earth Kingdoms comes into view. With a growl and a short burst of flame from his hands, Zuko stalked back to his cabin for the last time to grab his bag. Iroh sighed as he went into the ship to get a cup of tea.
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Zuko looked on to the back of the retreating Fire Nation ship as it sailed back to Fire Nation waters. Propping his bag against his shoulder, he turned away from the great Inner Sea and slowly walked into the forest, determined to not cry as he saw the last traces of the only world he knew sail into the sunset. He looked to the east and saw the first traces of a full moon just rising on the horizon, and he got a strangely thrilling chill go up his spine. Looking around, he decided to set up camp near a small pond that he could see. Ignoring the instinct that it looked vaguely familiar, he unfurled his sleeping roll and prepared to eat a small repast. As he ate a simple meal of rice and dried komodo chicken, he saw a white koi swimming in the pond, and got a distinctly creepy feeling of déjà vu. Dismissing the thought with a shake of his head, he muttered something about listening to too many of uncle's crazy stories. Settling down for the night, he heard the distant sounds of wolf calls.
His dreams that night were haunted by the wolf calls and feelings of running free through the woods. Of stalking and killing prey for food, of the rich taste of coppery blood in his mouth. Of cold winter nights where his breath stood out, but he strangely wasn't cold. But most of a, he kept seeing that one white koi fish in the pond by his camp, but at a seemingly lower height.
When he awoke in the morning, he found himself not in his bedroll next to his fire, but at the opposite side of the pond, almost falling in. Taking a look in the pond to check his scar, he was horrified. He tried to cry out, but all that emerged was a throaty roar. For the face that looked back wasn't his own. Staring back at him was the face of a gigantic grey timber wolf with a band of white across the right eye and a patch of massive scar tissue across the right.
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A/S P.S.I couldn't figure out how the hell to end this, so oh well. Next up – we get to find out what the hell is going on with our favorite Water Tribe siblings. I couldn't help resist using Iroh's alter ego as the pseudo-decent "admiral" in the war room on that day. And yes, the "Great Grey Wolf" that Iroh refers to (at [1]) is indeed the gigantic wolf spirit from the Siege of the North (Pt. 2). As you can tell, it's not quite a werewolf story (my friend totally thought that it would be, but I like to prove them wrong), because 6 weeks have gone by, about, since he got his tattoo, so at least one full moon as already happened. So, not QUITE a traditional werewolf-esque story. You can really blame this story on a combination of being forced to watch the Brother Bear saga AND New Moon within three days. Gods, the horror…. Admittedly, though, the Twihards have pretty badass looking wolves, and Zuko looks kinda like that now. Don't worry, they have different "abilities" than Zuko has.