A/N: at the end of the chapter.

OOO

Zuko rose with the sun. Eyes open, staring at the sun-streaked horizon; he sat up, stretched and yawned. He had fallen asleep sometime during the night after many tales of arctic hens, platypus-bears and even one account of a leopard-seal participating in unsavory acts with an iceberg. He was pretty sure that one was some sort of Water Tribe joke but he wasn't quite sure and he was too embarrassed to ask.

Note to self. Sokka doesn't shut up when he's on a roll.

He glanced over at the snoring boy who was muttering about someone named Momo and stolen peaches. Just as in the firelight of the evening, the rising sun did nothing to soften the warrior's appearance. He still looked terrible. Zuko's eyes lingered on the burn. He knew from first hand experience that it would not heal unblemished but leave a thick, rippled scar. Just like his.

However, Sokka's scar would be seen as a mark of bravery by his people. He'd be honored for it, revered. When he became an old man, he'd sit around with his chubby grandchildren at his feet and regale them with the story of how he had gotten his remarkable wound at the hands of the Fire Nation Princess. At his funeral, the tale would be repeated and he'd be sent to the spirit world as a war hero of the Water Tribes.

Zuko absently touched the flesh around his eye and bowed his head, remembering that the people of the Fire Nation saw his as a mark of shame. He'd be lucky to be remembered at all. Giving himself a mental kick and to try to redirect his maudlin thoughts, he stood and began to take inventory by the light of day.

Surprisingly much more had survived than he originally had thought: a few pairs of clothes, though some were Iroh size and would make better bandages, blankets, soap, his swords, a bit of food and some water. He picked up one of the three water skins left and took a small sip. He didn't know how long it would take them to find a fresh water supply and decided water conservation was their biggest concern.

Biggest concern next to his firebending prodigy sister, earthbending masters, a nearby sea serpent, and their already lengthy list of injuries. He sighed heavily. This was going to be a long journey.

By the time Sokka was stirring awake, Zuko had already packed up the camp. By using some rope and pieces of timber he was able to fashion a backpack to carry their things. When Sokka sat up, he got hit in the face with fabric.

"Put those on," Zuko softly commanded. "We'll blend in better."

Sokka pulled the Earth Kingdom clothes off of his head and scowled. He noticed Zuko already had changed into a sleeveless green tunic and drab brown pants. He had brushed his long hair down over his scar partially concealing it but some of the pink, meaty flesh could still be seen.

Grumbling, Sokka pulled on the clothes, wincing as the action pulled on his injuries and tested his stiff joints.

"Any food?" he asked. The bag of jerky smacked him in the forehead. He picked it up and shot Zuko a glare. "Would you quit aiming for my head?"

Zuko said nothing but Sokka swore he saw the corners of Zuko's mouth quirk slightly.

After having a quick breakfast and rolling up his blanket, Sokka stood on one leg and handed his supplies off to Zuko. The other boy attached them to the makeshift pack and slung it over both of his shoulders.

"So, where are we going?" Sokka asked as he attempted to put his weight on his wounded knee.

"I promised my Uncle I'd reunite you with the Avatar," Zuko replied simply.

There were a few minutes of tense silence while Zuko studied Sokka's vaguely panicked features.

"You do know where the Avatar is? Right?" Zuko prodded.

Sokka stood there and tried to avoid Zuko's annoyed gaze. He absently scratched the back of his head and whistled.

"You don't know where he is?" Zuko growled.

"Look, we didn't exactly exchange itineraries while I was jumping off the back of Appa!"

Zuko flopped to the ground and put his head in his hands. "What kind of idiot jumps off a ten ton flying bison without a plan?"

Sokka jerked his thumb towards his own chest. "This kind of idiot!" When he realized what he had just said he became more animated in his justification, throwing his hands up in the air. "I mean, I had a plan," he amended, his voice cracking. "I had the bison whistle."

Zuko looked up, incredulous. "A whistle? That was your plan?"

"Not just any whistle. It's a bison whistle to call Appa. We've used it many times to escape…you."

Zuko bit his tongue to keep from responding to the taunt about his inability to capture them on several different occasions. "So you were going to wander around the world blowing on a whistle hoping that the bison heard it?"

"Well it does sound stupid when you say it like that!" Sokka accused, crossing his arms over his chest and half turning away.

"It sounds stupid any way you say it!"

Sokka pointed a finger at the sitting boy and frowned. "Well you were so good at tracking us. Why don't you employ some of those skills now? Huh?"

"To track someone," Zuko said biting off each word, trying to keep his temper in check, "you need a place to start. Somewhere they've been recently."

Suddenly, Sokka smacked his forehead. "Chameleon Bay!" he exclaimed. "My dad's ships are there. Katara definitely would've taken Aang and Toph there too!"

Zuko stood and brushed the sand from his pants. "Chameleon Bay then," he said with a sigh, reluctant to go walking into a camp of Water Tribe warriors. "Can you walk?"

Sokka stuck out his chin. "Of course." He took one step and fell.

Zuko rolled his eyes. Grabbing Sokka none to gently by the bicep, he pulled him off the ground and slung Sokka's arm around his shoulders.

Sokka gave him a glare. "We are still not friends."

"Never thought otherwise," Zuko shot back.

Maneuvering the pass was hard to begin with but was much more difficult carrying a large makeshift pack of supplies and half supporting an injured companion. With the sun at its zenith, its warmth bearing down on Zuko's laden back, his patience was thin. Sweat dripped off of him, his skin slick and despite the several attempts to get Sokka to walk in some type of cadence, his steps were still uneven. Zuko resisted multiple temptations to grab a water skin and pour it down his throat and over his head.

Sokka wasn't faring much better. Every step sent pain lancing up his knee. His bruises ached. His burn stung from the salt of the seawater and the salt of his own sweat. He desperately wished to pour water over his head and on his hurtful burn.

Head bowed, eyes closed, he took a misstep on a rock, his ankle twisting and he began to fall.

Zuko, who had not been paying much attention, was surprised when Sokka grabbed the front of his shirt. The other boy's body weight combined with the sudden forward motion of the supplies on his back caused him to tumble as well.

They landed in an undignified heap.

"I guess it's time for a break," Sokka mumbled pushing himself into a sitting position.

Zuko looked up from where his nose was touching the dirt and gave Sokka an intense glare. He scrambled into a more noble position and slipped the pack from his shoulders, relieved to not have the rope biting into his flesh.

Sokka rolled up his pants leg to inspect his leg. It was as swollen and purple as it was the night the damage occurred.

Zuko nodded toward it before taking a sip of water. "How'd you do it?" he asked, passing the water skin off to the other boy.

Sokka took a small gulp and pushed the stopper back down. "When I jumped, I landed wrong. It's been like this since."

Leaning in, the prince took a long look at the disfigurement. "It didn't seem to hurt when you were using a paddle as a weapon," he said, frustrated accusation in his voice.

The warrior's eyes narrowed. "You're lucky it didn't hurt when I was swimming either."

Zuko's expression darkened his hands clenched, smoke seeping through the cracks in his fingers. He hated being reminded of his weaknesses and he was not about to let this boy flaunt them in front of him. He snatched the water back and tied it to the supplies again. Standing, he walked off.

"Hey!" Sokka called. He gingerly got to his feet and limped after the retreating exile. "Hey!"

Zuko turned around and pointed at his companion. "Sit!" he commanded.

Sokka flopped back to the ground, annoyed. Crossing his arms over his chest, he scowled and waited.

A few moments passed and Sokka was beginning to wonder if Zuko would return, when the other boy came trudging back, two sticks in his hands, driftwood from a close by dip in the pass. Kneeling by the injured limb, Zuko placed the sticks on either side of the grotesque joint. He pulled one piece of the larger sized clothes from the sack and ripped it into strips.

Sokka's eyes were wide. He thought Zuko was leaving him, not looking for materials to actually help him.

"Should've done this sooner," Zuko grumbled as he tied the cloths to stabilize the splint.

"We were a little busy running for our lives," Sokka commented, letting out a small grunt when Zuko was too zealous with his knots.

Zuko smirked. "Knowing Azula, we are not done running."

"Your sister is scary," Sokka replied frowning.

Pulling back away from his work, Zuko shrugged into his contraption. "Your sister is too."

Sokka laughed. "I am so telling her you said that!"

Offering Sokka his hand, Zuko pulled the other boy to his feet. "Let's get going then."

They continued, with Sokka sharing stories from the gang's misadventures more to break up the silence than to encourage the burgeoning camaraderie between him and the prince. They walked for the rest of the day and kept going even when the moon was high. Once they were both beyond the point of exhaustion, they slumped to the ground. Not bothering with a fire and only taking enough time to unroll the blankets they fell asleep instantly.

It took another half of a day before they finally saw a sign that the end of the pass was near. Looking into the distance, they could see the swaying treetops of a forest.

"Finally," Zuko muttered.

Sokka said nothing. In fact, he had been strangely silent since the morning.

Despite wishing he'd shut up for the last two days, Zuko was finding that a silent Sokka was very disconcerting. Zuko turned his head slightly and studied him. His eyes were glassy and sweat rolled down his flushed face. His lips were pressed in a thin line as if he were trying to keep his breakfast in his body.

"We should rest," Zuko stated, slowing down.

"No," Sokka gasped, "we're almost there."

Zuko breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stepped off the pass an hour later. Finding a shady spot underneath a tree, the boys collapsed. Sokka curled into a ball and fell asleep almost immediately.

Zuko took a few minutes to set up camp and scout around before giving into fatigue himself.

OOO

A/N: Ok, I know it's short but I'm going away on vacation next week and I wanted to post something before I left. So…I'm a little disheartened at the lack of reviews I received for the last chapter. (Thanks to all those that did review by the way. You are great)

Am I boring you guys? Seriously, I need to know. It takes a lot of effort to write these things and if people aren't interested then that's something I need to know.

So…I hope to post again before I leave but I highly doubt I'll be able to. See you when I return on the 28th.