As Aang and Zuko finally made it back down the stairs the sun was setting all over again.
In spite of both their long climb and decline Zuko and Aang was clearly in a high mood as their friends came running in their direction.
"Was that… DRAGONS?!" Sokka screamed. "I could barely see anything you were so far away! But that looked dragons and fire! Lots of fire!"
"I only have Sokkas word for it! I can't see." Toph pouted annoyed.
"Are you guys all right?" Katara asked concerned.
"It was two dragons!" Aang shouted happily. "It was incredible!"
Zuko nodded. "They were… Amazing." he breathed.
"The female one even showed Zuko her eggs!"
"Ren did what?!" Chief Lau shouted and they turned to him everyone stunned looked at Zuko and Aang.
"You… You saw her eggs?" A woman asked bewildered as if she couldn't believe her own ears.
"Erhm… yeah." Zuko said. "And… We sort of. Linked minds kind of… I don't know how that works. But I know what she wants from me." he said. "Make sure that no one will be hunting dragons in the future so it will be safe for her to hatch those eggs." he smiled awkwardly. "Heh… I don't understand though." he admitted. "I thought… I thought my uncle had killed the last Dragon."
"Your Uncle?" Chief Lau asked. "Would that be a man called Iroh?"
Zuko raised his head. "Yes." he breathed. "It is… How did you know?"
Chief Lau smiled gently. "He was here. And he was searching for a dragon." he said. "How-ever when he finally met Ren and Shaw and also succeeded their test. He didn't kill either. He left us all in peace."
"So he… He lied." Zuko gasped and then he grinned. "He lied! Guys did you hear that! Uncle didn't kill the last dragon he protected them!"
"That's wonderful Zuko." Katara smiled.
"I knew it." Toph snorted. "There is no way that Iroh would ever kill a dragon." she pouted. "He wouldn't kill anyone."
Wisely did Zuko keep his own mouth shut on that one and didn't even mention Irohs more… complicated past as he coughed into his hand.
"I will admit when he was here I had sincere doubts that he would pass the test." Chief Lau said. "How-ever apparently the dragons saw something in him. Something worth protecting. You how-ever Prince Zuko. I will say I was pretty confident you were going to pass. It is absolutely remarkable to meet an outsider who understands the true nature of fire bending these days."
"Oh I can't take credit." Zuko said. "My uncle taught me!" he said. "He is the one who kept telling me that fire is life! I didn't really get it for the most part until I joined the Avatar but still. He taught me the fundamental principles of it. And looks like he got these ideas from you guys! So it came from here anyway."
"Zuko is just being modest." Aang stated as he suddenly jumped up on Zukos back like he was some sort of monkey. "Zuko totally figured it all out by himself and so much more! He's pretty amazing!"
"Perhaps there is hope for the fire nation yet." Chief Lau smiled. "I will freely admit… I didn't believe the fire nation could be saved and we would be better off closing ourselves off here."
"Heh. Thank you." Zuko blushed deeply as he looked down. "I'll do my best I… I know I can never make up for all the damage that has been done. But at least we can move forward to a better place."
Chief Lau smiled. "I got something else. This though might be more in the interest of the Avatar."
"Me?" Aang asked.
"Yes." Chief Lau said. "About eighty years ago. When the dragons were looking for places to hide… One dragon came here with a note attached to her claw. It was a letter… Written by the last air nomad."
Aang quieted then slowly he dropped down from Zukos back. "The last air nomad?" he asked. "But… Eighty years ago. So that person is probably."
"Yes." Chief Lau said. "She must be dead by now. The letter though did tell her story." and from behind Chief Lau did a sun warrior step forward with a box. "Her story.." Chief Lau breathed. "Was a sad one. She was an old woman already then and saw the eradication of the air temples. The few air nomads who remained were all lured into different traps by the fire nation, their open and trusting nature made it easy… Yaja how-ever. Yes that was her name. Decided she had one mission that was far greater than trying to follow some false hope of meeting other air nomads. Her job was to preserve the air nomad legacy.. She had found a pack of Sky bisons that had managed to flee the raids and she swore to keep those sky bison safes and out of harms way. At a place where the bisons wouldn't be lured away and the fire nation soldiers wouldn't be able to find them."
Aang gasped. "You mean?"
"The letter is eighty years old." Chief Lau reminded Aang. "how-ever in the letter Yaja says she has been guarding the bisons for twenty years. And she hope that the people who protects the dragons will keep their location safe. The location… Is in her letter. I believe it belongs to you now."
Aang swallowed as the sun warrior offered him the box and Aang took it in his hands as he opened it up and true enough, so an old yellow parchment filled with elegant thin writings and then he looked up with tears in his eyes. "Thank you."
Zuko smiled as he put a hand on Aangs shoulder. "When we have an opportunity. Let's go look together."
Aang nodded. "I would like that a lot." he whispered.
"Don't think you can leave us out of that one!" Sokka exclaimed. "If there are sky bisons out there! We demand to be part of the adventure!"
"YEAH!" Toph shouted.
Chief Lau shrugged. "A shame you can't go."
"What?!" They all turned to him.
"Well now that you know of our secret and the location of the last two dragons in existence we have to take you prisoner forever. You can't ever leave." Chief Lau commented.
Wide-eyed they all looked at him and Chief Lau laughed.
"Just kidding!" He laughed then turned serious again. "Seriously though don't tell anyone."
"Heh." Zuko laughed a nervous laughter. "Of course. Your secrets are safe with us." he said. "I'll outlaw the hunting of dragons as soon as I am fire lord. I promise! And then I can come back and tell Ren. She will finally be able to hatch her eggs." he smiled.
"That would be a good day indeed." Chief Lau nodded. "Now you two must be hungry. Why not join us for a feast tonight and listen to some of our spirit tales?"
Aang and Zuko looked at each other and then they looked up as they smiled. "We would love to!"
The next day as they finally left the island Zuko honestly felt a little wistful. He had had a lot more questions to ask. But sadly… Not enough time.
And Zuko kind of doubted that ones he would be fire lord he would have the time to just visit that island for half a year or more and he sighed.
"So what was it like being so close to dragons?" Sokka asked in a smirk as he laid down on his stomach resting his chin in his hands looking up at Zuko. Aang was on Appas head and chuckled amused.
"It was… as awe inspiring as it was terrifying." Zuko breathed. "And when they breathed fire at us… Ten times as much. For a second I thought I was going die. Seriously." he gasped. "But then they showed us." he smiled as he held out his hands allowing a small flame to appear. "The nature of fire. It is life itself… It fuels all of our emotions. Happiness and sadness. Greed and content… All of those things which drives us." he played around with two fist full of flames. "It's inside of us all… Drives us. It's uncontrollable but beautiful…" he breathed bringing the two flames together letting them dance to create a little mini tornado and Zuko tried to bring all of his emotions into it. So many things he had felt and rested in his heart. The hurt and anger, the wonder and happiness. The hurt and the love the…" Zuko blinked. He looked at his hands and the little...
"Wooooow!" Sokka gasped. "That's so cool!"
"Tui and La." Katara gasped. "It's beautiful."
That got Aangs attention and he turned his head. Then his eyes widened. "Colours! Zuko your fire has colours!"
Wide-eyed did Zuko look at his own creation. A small miniature version of the dragon flames and he gasped.
"Okay I have never seen fire bending like that before." Katara blinked. "Or fire!"
"It's like what the dragons made." Aang beamed. "Zuko you learned that from the dragons?"
"I… I guess I did." Zuko gasped and in his shock he dropped his flame and it just vanished into thin air.
"Awww." Katara pouted sadly.
"Eeh." Toph shrugged from where she was sitting leaning against the saddle. "Didn't look that special to me."
Katara sighed. "It's really too bad you couldn't see it Toph."
"Or the dragons." Sokka said.
"It's okay. Cause the next field trip is mine." Toph grinned.
"What… What do you mean?" Zuko asked in a blink.
"Well." Toph rolled her tongue in her mouth. "Sokka did his sword thing with Zuko. Katara got to do her spirit thing him. And Now Aang got to do a whole dragon thing with Zuko!" she exclaimed. "Next one is mine! What do I get?!"
"Eeeerhh." Zuko halted. "You do know… none of these were planned right. We're not really supposed to..." he tried.
"Next field trip is mine!" Toph demanded. "I was cheated out of my private Zuko time at Ba Sing Se! You can make it up to me now!"
"I mean… What exactly do you have in mind?" Zuko asked.
"I don't know." Toph said. "Just something!"
"It would kind of help if you had any idea what you want to do." Zuko commented dryly.
"I want us to have a thing." Toph stated. "Swords, spirits, dragons." she counted her three fingers. "Those things are cool! What do we get?"
Zuko shrugged. "I don't know."
Toph groaned deeply. "You're hopeless."
And Zuko smiled as he blushed a bit embarrassed…. Truth be told. You just never know what these people.
AN: ... No seriously. What am I supposed to do with Toph here?!
I mean... I guess I could do the Blind Bandit episode. But I don't really feel inspired by it at all...
It's funny in a situation like this you realize Toph didn't have a lot of episodes... I don't think the show creators always knew what to do with her either. So yeah... Any ideas are appreciated.
AAN: Yeah thus far in this story I have stuck to cannon as much as I can, merely diverging that which is all ready cannon. So this is my first time making a major change in background story in regards to how the Sky Bisons managed to survive those hundred years... Honestly. I thought my idea was both more poetic and less stupid than the Fire Lord having the bisons hidden in his basement for ALL of that time.
... Why? Why would Ozin, Azulon and Ozai have Sky Bisons hidden in their basement? What would they be doing with them? Why wouldn't they just kill them?
I'm sorry. But that was one of the DUMBER moments of Korra for sure.