Woo! Another chapter! I spent all of cooking class just mulling ideas around in my head. Ooh, and has anybody heard the rumors about the new series of Avatar they just put into production? It's not the live action movie, but some kind of…. spin off isn't the right word, but it's along those lines. Anyway, enjoy!
I do not own Avatar.
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The mountains never seemed to get any closer. They were seemingly a part of the horizon, a part of the sky, even.
Thankfully, Zuko had given Katara an old robe of his to wear. It was brown and unexciting, and she even had to wrap it around her torso twice for it to fit right, but the meager warmth was worth it. And it was designed for riding. It had slits all the way up the front and back, so she could comfortably spread her legs over the saddle. The sleeves opened up wide and trailed along the ground on the rare occasions that she was allowed to get off the rhino and walk.
Besides the robe, she had been given thick trousers, the same brown, which she tucked into soft, doeskin boots. Now all she wanted was her own rhino…
The only good thing about riding with Zuko was that he was like a furnace. His broad body seemed to produce heat like a fire, which kept Katara's back warm. But her front was exposed to the biting winds of the unforgiving tundra. He seemed to enjoy his place behind her. His legs shadowed hers, and his breath trailed down her neck, sometimes provoking a shudder down her spine.
No other person on this sick little expedition trembled from the cold besides her. They seemed to be fine with the deepening snow and the relentless hail. The weather had turned into a maelstrom of harsh winds and constant sleet, snow, and rain. Her lips turned blue at night, and her skin felt like ice, even the skin covered by the cloth.
And her expression relayed her thoughts perfectly. She wore a mixed expression. Flustered, miserable, irritated, and disgruntled all at once. But not a trace of sadness or worry, which endlessly perplexed Zuko.
"We'll be setting up camp soon." Zuko's voice broke the still air.
"Great." She mumbled, sarcasm dripping from her words, and Zuko loved why.
Nights were the worst part for Katara. In order to keep her from dying of cold, Zuko slept at her back, draping his arms over her and keeping her warm enough to survive the night.
It was the most spirit-dousing thing Katara had ever been forced to do. It wasn't physically painful, or even embarrassing. It was just…vexing.
"Well, you seem to be in a great mood today, Katara." She could hear the smirk on his voice.
"Stop using my name." She wasn't afraid to snap at him. Like an afterthought, she mumbled, "I shouldn't have even told you."
She continued, craving a way to pass the time, which crawled by like it was wounded. "You said you didn't want to be here, right?"
"It's none of your business." He sounded very conclusive.
"Whatever. Why are you here if you don't want to be?"
"…To make a certain person happy."
She was thrilled he was finally bothering to tell her anything. "Who?"
"This is where you stop talking" Again, the feeling of a giant wave over her head washed over her, threatening to crush her. "…"
"Sorry"
"What?"
"I said sorry, now stop talking"
Suddenly, all the rhinos halted, all at once. Katara was jarred forward, the horn of the saddle chaffing uncomfortably against the inside of her legs. Zuko clearly heard her hiss of protest.
The flustered rhinos stomped impatiently, grunting and sweeping their heads back and forth. Something was bothering them.
Zuko called out to his forerunners, growing irate. "What is it? Why have we stopped?"
His burly forerunner called out over his shoulder. "I don't know… they just-"
His words were cut off permanently by an arrow now protruding from his throat.
Frantically, the soldiers burst into acting, raising their spears and beggining to scan for the attacker.
Katara's heart thudded in her chest. Had her father outsmarted her? Or had she read the code wrong?
"Stay here!" Zuko's husky voice reverberated in her ears. She watched him leap on to the back of another rhino, and then she realized he hadn't been talking to her, he was addressing the rhino.
"Wait! Don't leave me here!!" Katara shrieked, but he was already gone.
Violently, she rattled the chains around her flimsy wrists. They were locked securely in the horn. "Hey, wait!"
He was already stampeding off into the distance.
Fear overcame her. What if it was her father?
--
Time passed painfully slowly.
Desperately cold, her wrists rubbed raw, and the rhino long ago falling asleep, Katara waited, more miserable than she had ever been in her entire life.
Slowly, the men were returning, regrouping around the supplies they had dropped in their hurry. Some were covered in cuts, like those made by thin, sharp blades. Others had arrows projecting from various parts of their body.
And others didn't come back at all.
Nearly all of the rhinos had fallen in the encounter, and any that did return had been pelted with arrows and licked by flames.
When Zuko finally emerged over the snow-covered knoll he had disappeared over, Katara's heart skipped a beat. Wearily, he came up to the rhino, roughly prodding it with his foot. The thing snorted, irritated until it looked upon its master. The beast bent his knees and came to rest on his belly, allowing Zuko to begin unlocking Katara's chains.
She couldn't wait, "What happened? Who was it?"
It took him a while to respond. "Just rebel Firebenders."
Her heart fluttered happily. Not Water Tribe warriors. She praised whatever entity watched over her.
"You look like you were chewed by a sea serpent."
"And you look like a glacier" He retort was blunt.
She pursed her lips. "Do you want me to set up the tent?" She sounded reluctant.
"…What did you say?"
"You heard me." The Waterbender turned her head away. Her kindness always got the best of her.
"…Of course." A faint, smile crossed his mud-speckled face.
--
Seeming an eternity later, Katara had finally assembled the tent and splayed out the thick furs. Her hands were cut in several places, and the cold had gotten the best of her.
It felt like her lungs were filled with icicles. And the soggy boots really did nothing to help.
Zuko had been resting comfortably against the rhino, sharing each other's natural warmth.
Shakily, Katara crawled into the tent, dropping like a stone against the warm furs.
Katara was busy peeling away her sodden boots when Zuko followed her, taking his place behind her. She impatiently entertwined their feet, savoring the heat that flooded up her legs. And for once, and probably the only time, Katara was relieved he was there. And for the strangest reason.
She was happy that he had returned.
She had been terrified for, not only her father, but for Zuko. She didn't want to be left with the other men. Zuko was the only one that showed her any kindness. He didn't need to keep her warm at night. He didn't need to give her new clothes to wear. And he especially didn't need to keep her alive.
As they drifted off to blissful slumber, Katara whispered "…Thanks Zuko."
"For what?"
"For coming back"
"…You're welcome, Katara."
And her name on his voice didn't vex her this time.
"But I still hate you" her tone was slightly playful. Very, very slightly
"And I still don't care." The smile verbally wafted off of his words.
--
"Katara, wake up!"
Zuko's excited voice stirred her awake. The sun wasn't up yet, in fact, the horizon showed no sign of brightness at all.
"What?" She sounded pestered as she rubbed her eyes and sat up.
"Come outside, hurry!"
She followed his voice, and she was taken aback by shock.
Millions of tiny light filled the air, floating like snowflakes caught in a breeze.
"What are they?" The sleep had completely left her tone.
"They're glowing mothbats. They never come together in such huge groups like this."
Katara's mouth hung open. Mothbats. She had never heard of the creature before. They looked like tiny stars in the gentle wind, flickering a soft, bluish silver. It took Katara a while to notice that several of the soldiers had also come out of their tents to witness the spectacle, the same awe plastered on their faces.
All eyes watched as a stray mothbat floated down to Katara, landing like an ash in her outstretched hands. Its body was covered in a seemingly thick fur, but a touch revealed that it was as thin as mist.
"It's…so pretty" Her eyes reflected the tiny thing's glow. She couldn't even tell where the glow was coming from; its furry little body was just giving off a celestial glitter. And its canvas-like wings were dusted with silver powder, like diamond dust.
The little bug looked at her with black eyes and launched itself over the side off her hand, returning to the placid flurry of silvery wings and luminosity.
"Where are they going?" Katara took a step toward the moving clouds of mothbats. When no one stopped her, she continued to take tentative steps, pursuing the departing masses. They seemed to be going lower, gathering around something on the ground. Zuko was tailing her closely. Was he curious too?
A few strides took her to the large mass of the glowing little bugs. When she got too close, then parted like water, revealing their attraction.
Corpses.
The sound of millions of tiny mouths chewing human flesh reached realization in Katara's ears. They were eating the remains of the rebel Firebenders.
The men's eyes were glazed over, and their flesh was a hideous shade of gray. Their faces were twisted in varying expressions, ranging from agonized, to expressionless, as though had hadn't seen death coming.
All color leaked from her skin, and she felt bile rise in her throat. The smell of decaying flesh and congealed blood reached her nose. Horror-struck, she slapped her hands over her mouth and gagged from the stench.
Zuko's hands were suddenly on her shoulders, guiding her back to the camp.
When they got back to the tent, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, facing Katara.
"Sorry. I didn't think that they did that."
She shrugged her petite shoulders, the nausea fading. "It's okay. They were still beautiful."
He chuckled lightly, "Yeah they were. Disgusting little things though."
"Eh, I've seen worse" She rolled over, facing away from Zuko.
Sensing whom she was talking about, Zuko prodded her. "Wait, what does that mean?"
"Shh!" was the only reply he got.
Giving up, he pressed himself against her back, and quickly fell into slumber. She was such a character. Nothing seemed to penetrate her outlook, and nothing seemed to dampen her spirit. Except the cold, of course.
Once again, Zuko found himself wishing that Firenation girls were like her.
--
I'm disgusting. Did you guys think the part with the mothbats would end up all lovey dovey? Hell no! Well, tell me what you guys think about it. I'm loving the reviews. And I apologize for any stupid mistakes. I'm tired, and very cold. And guess what? I'm already writing out some ideas for lemon. I'm just waiting for a chance to begin a non-murderous relationship between them without making the story turn so sharply. That would be silly. Thanks again!