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Once, when she was a child of six years, she watched her cousin, Lu Ten, firebending. It seemed like magic when he did it. The flames spun and swirled around him like a waterfall. She loved watching him. But he never used blue fire, unless it was for life saving purposes.
"It's not worth it, Azula. What if the others don't have the same sort of power that we do? It wouldn't be fair." Lu Ten told her when she asked why. Then from that day on, Azula thought her cousin to be a fool. Who wouldn't want that power? They could be powerful forever and ever. It would be glorious!
But fear also crept into your body when other people started to envy your power. Then you would have to watch out, and eliminate anyone who you think would kill you for their gain and power. That's what Ozai had told her, and he was a successful Fire Lord, until the Avatar had bested him.
And that very same fear crept into her veins when she gasped at the blue aura beast. It was a wolf, just a wolf. But it was his wolf.
But the foolish Water Tribe boy hadn't notice, even when his sister gasped too.
"Hey...that fear in your eyes...so you've finally learned to respect the power of Mr Boomerang!" Sokka waved his weapon above his head, where the beast was growling down at him.
The Avatar airbended up, and swung his staff. "The wolf spirit must have left the Spirit World for a good reason! So, please, everyone be respectful!"
Respectful? The Avatar was insane. The beast coming to destroy them all, if he felt like it. And from the last visit, he certainly had rage shaking his entire body. Azula snarled in her head, and struggled to get free.
"Respectful? Your spirit just tried to eat my head!" Sokka shouted after the wolf had taken a snap at his head.
"Those markings," Zuko realized. "on the belly...they kind of look like a face."
No, no, no! Let me go! I order you!
The wolf snarled and paced towards the group.
"Aang, that's the face you've been making!" Katara said as she bended some water out of the creek. What about Azula? She had to be freed! She knew what to do!
"You're right! I think I get it now!" The Avatar shouted, and the beast growled. Then Aang leaped into the air with the help of his native bending.
"Stop, big wolf spirit! Listen to me!" The Avatar ordered. Azula nearly laughed. She would have snapped it with lightning, like Father told her to do.
"I felt your presence earlier, see?" The Avatar pulled on that face and continued. "Just like the design on your fur! I knew you were near because I'm the Avatar! My friends and I were travelling to the nearby village when one of us decided to go on her own way!" The Avatar gestured at Azula.
Ha! She had to leave, before Zuko realized everything! Then she could become Fire Lord without that pathetic peasant interrupting her. And Mother. Mother wouldn't be able to plot anymore. And then everyone would believe her letter.
"If we've disturbed you, please, accept our apologies." Aang pleaded.
The wolf spirit stared at the Avatar for a moment, as if to let the message sink it. Then he lunged forward and snapped his large jaws. Aang yelped and jumped up.
"Aang!" Katara shouted. Azula scoffed. The Avatar was fine.
"Your "respectful" tactic doesn't seem to be working!" Zuko said, and Azula couldn't have agreed more.
Here, she was, lying on the ground, when she knew how to defeat that spirit. They were treating her like an animal! How dare they! They had to fear her, respect her!
Katara and Zuko both shot water and fire at the beast, while Sokka threw his boomerang. Azula narrowed her eyes. It wasn't going to work. Zuko never paid attention, and she did!
The boomerang bounced off its nose, and the ice harmlessly hit him. Then it opened its mouth and swallowed the fire. Azula was expecting that. After all, Father had told her that's what it did.
"Did the wolf spirit just eat my fire?" Zuko demanded.
"And it burped! It ate your fire and burped at you!" Sokka confirmed it.
Azula wanted to scream at those fools at how simple it was! She glared at him, while trying to escape. No use. No! No! No! Mother, let me go!
"Come on, wolf spirit! I'm the great bridge between-" The Avatar tried to say but the spirit had nipped at his feet again and jumped with a loud roar.
Another roar joined them, and Azula struggled to see the sky bison. Perhaps it was good after all.
Appa and the wolf spirit leaped at each other, and snarled and clawed and bit.
Finally, with one large sweep of his tail, Appa pushed the wolf spirit away. It landed hard on the ground and Azula hissed in excitement. Perhaps it could be destroyed!
"Hoo-ooo! Sky bison, one, and wolf spirit, zero!" Sokka whooped.
Huffing, the wolf spirit stood on his legs. There was something wrong, Azula realized. Oh, no. It couldn't be. No.
"Appa, go easy on him." The Avatar eased his sky bison. "Are you all right, wolf spirit?" Then, with a loud sneeze, the wolf spirit let out a swarm of glowing pink things.
Moth-wasps.
"It just threw up a cloud of moth-wasps at us!" The Avatar shouted in disbelief.
"You are the grossest spirit ever!" Sokka declared, and the moth-wasps began to surround them. Azula knew what was going to happen.
They were going die soon.
"Free me, Zu-Zu!" Azula shouted at her brother. "I'll take care of those spirits for you." She could see the internal war in Zuko's eyes again. She could help them!
"We don't need your help, Azula!" Zuko said as he batted away some moth-wasps. Soon, more and more were surrounding the group.
Azula scoffed. "Oh, right. Because you and your friends have everything under control."
"Ow! Ow! Did they just eat my own arm? I can't see my arm!" Sokka panicked.
"Try not to hurt the creatures!" Aang said.
"Aang, its getter harder to breathe!" Katara swung her arm in an attempt to ward off the spirits.
"I know, but if you hurt them, it could get a lot worse!"
Azula had to try a different approach. "Alright, I'll admit I shouldn't have gone off on my own. After all, we made a deal." She stressed the word deal.
Zuko was fighting the war. He wanted to find mother and help his friends, and Azula was offering it right to him.
"And if you can't trust your family, then who can you really trust?" Azula drawled. She smirked as Zuko gave in, and blasted a column of fire at her. It melted the ice, and she sighed with relief as she quickly pulled lightning out.
Oh, the power! What wonderful freedom! Azula grinned briefly, but she reined the uncontrollable lightning in and pointed it upwards as she stood. It blasted off the moth-wasps, scattering them.
At least Father told her one useful thing so far.
The wolf spirit looked at her, and ran to the woods. Azula knew what it meant.
He was getting prepared.
Arms spread out, Azula smirked at the group. They were looking at her with admiration, fear and respect.
That's what if felt like.
Power.
"You're welcome." She said.
After that battle, Zuko decided to set up camp, and everyone agreed with him. Azula was getting nervous. What if they decided to came tonight? If they even found them. But it was too far away, it was hardly a chance.
The sun had fully set down, and Azula laid away from the group. She didn't want their sympathy. Or their fire.
She just wanted Mother to be gone.
Gone.
Forever.
Azula, you know I love you.
Azula shuddered in her sleep.
Go away! I don't need you! You lied! You called me a monster! You left me!
Azula, please.
"You turned my own mind against me. You turned my own mind against me." Azula's mutterings could be heard.
She had a broken soul, destroyed by so many.
