Chapter 10

Did You Miss Me?

Zuko knelt down in the grass by Katara's body. He turned her over and breathed deep as he saw the arrow stick out from her back beneath her left shoulder blade. Please don't wake up he thought. He tugged the foreign object as best he could until it gave way. He threw the arrow down the stream. His face twisted with pain as he coddled his side. That mace to his side left a huge bruise.

She moaned in her unconscious state. He turned to her over to see her face in agony. He tightly wrapped her in his shirt and put her on his back slowly in piggy back style. Her arms dangled over his shoulders. He had to lean forward to balance her weight. He gathered his strength and took off back to the camp.

Aang awoke to the sound of crunching leaves. He looked up and saw the stars were disappearing. The first rays of reds and oranges sparkled through the trees. He looked to where the sound was coming from to find a huge dark figure proceeding through the forest. He looked to the others members for support but found they were all sleeping...and Katara and Zuko were missing. He squinted his eyes at the figure that was coming closer. He staggered up and held his staff vertical so one end rested on the ground. The faint light hit Zuko as he came out of the trees with the young water tribe girl. He noticed the avatar looking at him and he stiffened but still continued.

"What did you do?" Aang asked in a very threatening tone. He pointed his staff at Zuko.

"She's bleeding badly." Zuko said indifferently. "Here." He took Katara off his back and held her in front of him. He adjusted himself as he cradled her body.

Aang looked like he was going to cry. "What did you do?" he asked again.

"We were attacked." Zuko answered. He was going to give Katara to Aang but he noticed he was too little to hold her weight. He decided to simply walk past him to the bag that held supplies.

"Put her down." Aang said as turned to Zuko.

Zuko didn't take well to obliging to demands but he decided starting a fight was not the best timing. He laid her body down. Leaving her there with the avatar. Aang jumped to Katara's side and turned her to find the blood soaking her back. Tears filled his eyes, then hot anger.

As Zuko walked nearer and nearer to the campsite he made loud crunches over dried leaves. Sokka awoke to Zuko leaning looking through the supplies gathering up some bandages. He turned to Sokka and then to Aang and Katara without a word. As he sat up and walked back to the unconscious girl.

Sokka focused on the place he was walking as searing fury swelled within him as he took in the body lying on the ground. Sokka quickly got up and in a fit of rage ran at Zuko. The Prince couldn't turn around quickly enough, he dropped the supplies as he was knocked to the ground. "You bastard!" He started pounding the already weak prince. Zuko set his hands aflame and placed them on Sokka's back who reacted with a loud yelp. He sat back breathing hard as he tried to rub his back. He looked with complete disgust at Zuko who was rubbing his bruised side.

I am - yet what I am, none cares or knows:
My friends forsake me like a memory lost:
I am the self-consumer of my woes --
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shadows in love's frenzied stifled throes
And yet I am, and live-like vapours tost

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life or joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteem:
Even the dearest that I love the best
Are strange-nay, rather, stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
there to abide with my creator God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below, above, the vaulted sky.

--John Clare

This poem reminded me of Zuko and thought of the hostilities between him and Sokka how he just doesn't want to get to know him.