I"M ALIVE! I know I have been gone for so long! I was trying to update every month, but April became so hectic for me.

I got my wisdom teeth removed and then had an infection which took the rest of the month to sort out.

My car recently broke so all my free time is spent trying to find a new one cuz I need it for work. My poor mom has to drive me now. So much back and forth between home and work.

Enough about my problems I'm really trying to figure out how to expand the chapters more, but I'm having issues figuring out how to make them longer. Hopefully I'll be able to do that once we get closer to the canon plot line. How can some people do such long chapters?

Hadoka was torn. The look that Prince Zuko (it was hard thinking of him as a prince) sent him before he left sent a wave of concern through him. The boy (because that's what he was no matter how much he tried to say he was a man) was shocked! Shocked that Hakoda hadn't pushed for more details and had listened to Atka.

Bato was waiting down from the room leaning against the wall. His face was set, but the confusion swam in his eyes. Hakoda sighed approaching his closest friend. Hakoda passed him, and Bato pushed off the wall following him.

Hakoda quickly popped into a room of hammocks. Many would be resting there after the "excitement" of last night. Spotting the youngest there Hakoda called him over.

"Nanuq can you grab some food for two and yourself and take it to the infirmary, Atka and our," he paused, not wanting to call that hurt child a prisoner, "guest must be hungry."

The young man didn't look really happy, but nodded following the order of his chief. Bato still followed him as Hakoda left the room and went to his office.

"So what did you learn?" Bato broke the silence finally as they stopped in front of the door.

Hakoda shook his head entering the small room. There wasn't much room, most of it taken up by maps and supplies with a bed in the corner. Slipping onto his chair Hakoda finally breathed out heavily, like the whole situation was taking more of him then he realized. It was silent as Bato stared at him expectantly before he finally broke it.

"He's just a kid, Bato," Hakod ran a heavy hand over his head. "He's barely older than Sokka."

"So he's a child, but what does that have to do with what you learned?" Bato pressed for information.

"He doesn't think he's supposed to be alive," the words were heavy in his mouth and choked him up. "A child doesn't think he's supposed to live."

"He what-?" Hakoda cut him off, anger finally spilling out.

"He even said it wasn't another nation! That his Father," the word spat out like acid, "sent him away! He wouldn't say more than that, but what drove this kid to being banished, Bato."
"The Fire Nation has done worse than killing a child, you know that," Bato argued but it was half-hearted. "What concern would they show their own if they have no problem killing others?"

"But this is the prince, Bato. We may not have royalty, but we both know that a prince would have the greatest protection and he was so close to death."
"Hakoda, you just said it yourself, he didn't say more than that. It could be a much more elaborate plan to kill us all, or something else! Why would the Fire Lord banish and try to kill his own son?"

Hakoda sank down in his chair, anger finally leaving for uncertainty and worry. Bato took in his friend. He could read what Hakoda was thinking, but was also concerned with the situation. Hakoda was the kind of person who would take in a wounded wolf even if it meant he could get hurt.

"We need to discuss this as a tribe," Hakoda finally spoke. "We don't have all the information and I don't think Prince Zuko will be willing to admit to it with how he clammed up faster than a squid-clam."

"Hakoda you aren't suggesting we keep him!" Bato exclaimed, sounding horrified at the idea..

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. I don't want to imagine the worst case, but what if he was tossed out by his nation. He has nowhere to go, he's only a child, Bato."

"He's the Fire Nation prince, Hakoda! What do you think he'll turn and help us if we help him? Maybe spill some secrets on how to end this war? This fire child isn't going to turn on his people! He'll lead us to destruction!"

"We don't know that! He's hurt! He's a wounded child who's world has been thrown into his enemy's hands!"

"This isn't some spirit tale!"

"You don't think I know that! I just don't want to see another child destroyed by this war!"

Both stared down at each other, atmosphere heavy as neither wanting to back down. Hakoda knew that Bato had a point. They didn't know anything at all about the situation. All Hakoda did know was that a child was hurt. It didn't matter where the child was from, he was just that, a child.

"I'm going to check on him," Hakoda said, ending the stare down.

"Just think about what I said, Hakoda. This isn't some hurt polar bear-dog, this is a child," Bato spoke as Hakoda went to the door.

"I know," was all he said before leaving.

Leaving Bato didn't make him feel any better. This whole situation was not what he wanted to deal with at all. Bato did have a point, but this was a child. He wasn't even a teen just barely into puberty. Hakoda couldn't help but think of his own son when he looked at the prince.

But he was the chief, he would have to make a decision. For the better of the tribe. He couldn't do something that would put them in danger. This could lead to disaster, for the tribe or for the kid. There was no straight answer.

Hakoda leaned against the wall outside of the infirmary sighing. He wasn't expecting for Atka to exit the room. The healer approached him looking conflicted. The two looked at each other neither wanting to start the conversation they knew needed to be brought up.

Hakoda finally broke the silence, asking, "How is he?"

Atka let out a long breath of air, looking older than ever. "He is healing alright. Nanuq brought him food and he at least ate some. Hakoda this boy has been hurt, and badly. He believes he is a prisoner and that he should be dead."
The words seemed too real. The kid thought he should be dead. Just who could let a child think that. The words dead bounced around in his head.

"Chief, what are we going to do with him?" Atka asked.

Shaking his head, Hakoda had to admit to the healer he had no idea. Just what were they supposed to do with him? As a prisoner, he would be alive, but how would the men treat him? Would they want to use him as leverage or bargaining with the Fire Nation? If they killed him would it bring the end of the Southern Water Tribe when the Fire Lord found out? There was no easy answer to any of these questions.

"We need to have a meeting," Hakoda finally decided. "I can't make a decision without everyone's input. Can you gather everyone for a meeting in a bit?"

The healer nodded. Atka left to go spread the word of the meeting. Hakoda watched him go before slipping into the infirmary. The boy was laying in the bed still and looked to be sleeping. Nanuq was tidying up from dinner and looked up as Hakoda entered.

"How is he?" Hakoda couldn't help but ask again. He just looked so small in the infirmary bed, like it would swallow him up in a sea of blankets.

"He just fell asleep,"Nanuq said, tucking the blankets around the sleeping prince. "Chief what are we going to do?"

Hakoda sighed. This was the question everyone wanted to know the answer to, him more than anyone.

"For now we won't be doing anything," he said. "He's a child and hurt. We don't know enough to be able to make a decision so for now he'll be healed and then haven't been any reports of any other Fire Nation ship appearing, so it's not a trap, at least for now."

A trap had been the biggest concern. If they were to be attacked without warning could lead to their demise. They didn't have the ability to fight off several ships much less an ambush.

"And the rest of the men?"

"I'll have a meeting later. Would you be willing to watch him? I think Atka's advice will be helpful in swaying the men to listen."

"Of course."

Hakoda nodded his thanks to the young man. Leaving he knew it was time to go up and start the meeting. A heavy feeling settled in his chest as he walked through the ship. It hadn't taken long for all the men to gather on deck. The other ships, all a part of the small fleet, pulled up beside theirs. Everyone, and he knew everyone, had gathered on the decks of the ship.

The sun bore down on them, but the chill of the arctic made any possible heat disappear. The men all looked at him as he stood at the front of the ship. Everyone's attention was on him.

"As many know we found a life boat last night," Hakoda began. It was best to have everyone knowledgeable about what went down. "It was Fire Nation, and inside was a small boy. He is no more than 13 and was severely wounded. Atka has looked him over and stated that he wouldn't have survived the night if he wasn't found."

There were murmurs as people speculated who the boy was among them. Now was the hard part. He couldn't hide the boy's identity. Lies like that would have terrible consequences when the truth inevitably came out, but with the men knowing it could cause problems.

"The boy is Fire Nation," he continued causing the once quiet murmurs to erupt into shouts of disbelief. Hakdoa raised a hand, the men quieting down. "Yes, he is Fire Nation. He stated his name was Prince Zuko, and what little he revealed was that he had been banished. I do not believe he meant for us to know that, but remember he is a child, a hurt child."

"Let's just finish him off then!" a voice shouted from the far side. "If his own country doesn't want him then why should we keep him alive!"

There were agreements all around. Fear crept up in Hakoda. This was not what he wanted. He didn't want to murder a child, because thats what it would be, murder.

"Settle down," Bato called from his place in front of Hakoda. "Hakoda said he was a kid. Do you want to become like them and kill children now?"

That seemed to quiet the angerier ones. There were still many that were uneasy of the idea and frowned at their chief.

"Someone has hurt him badly. Many of his injuries were life threatening and left untreated." Hakoda motioned for Atka to explain.

Atka stepped up and faced the crowd, everyone's eyes on him.

"The boy had a severe case of hypothermia and after that a fever thanks to an infected burn over his left eye. He had bruises and various cuts all over. His left leg was broken as well. Most of his injuries have been taken care of but my main concern now is the burn. He will most likely not be able to see out of that eye and the ear might have been damaged as well. Someone purposely did that to him," Atka explained.

The men talked amongst themselves. Many looked angry at the list of injuries. Hakoda himself couldn't help the anger that filled him as he listened to the list again. He didn't think knowing that would ever not make him angry. How could someone do that to a child?

Hakoda grabbed everyone's attention again and continued.

"If he has been banished, which I think is true considering how fast he went quiet after that, then there is no worth in trying to make a deal with the Fire Lord," Hakoda brought up another idea someone would have shouted out. "He isn't worth anything to them, but what should we do? Killing him wouldn't make up any better than those bastards who abandoned and hurt him."

"Give him to the Earth Kingdom, they'll have use of him," someone offered up. "They could either let him live or keep him prisoner."

People seemed to agree on that. But a few of the more vengeful men looked unsatisfied.

Atka spoke up at this. "Perhaps, but we also don't know how well they'd treat him. I have heard rumors of them crushing the hands on any fire benders to prevent them from bending. There are also rumors of generals locking them up away from the sun and sending them into madness."
The faces turned pale and looked sick. There was no answer that would pacife everyone. Some wanted him dead, others wanted him away from them, and many of the fathers of the tribe just couldn't stop thinking about the fact he was a child, Hakoda included.

"Here is an idea," Hakoda spoke, bringing up an idea that had been forming in his head. "We'll keep him with us for the time being. Let him heal from his injuries. If we can get information out of him that would be beneficial, then wonderful. If not then we don't. But after the winter we can send word to the Earth Kingdom to see what they would do with him. We can either give him to them then or hold onto him, but doing so now wouldn't be wise. We have to get back home and finish preparations for the winter."

The men seemed to agree upon this. Some still looked unsatisfied, but didn't lash out. Hakoda heaved a sigh of relief. Finally a solution.

"Alright everyone back to what you were doing. Let's head home," Hakoda ordered. "Atka, inform me when Prince Zuko awakens, we'll need to have a discussion on what is going to happen."

"Of course," Atka nodded in agreement.

Atka left the deck and disappeared below. Hakdoa really hoped that the discussion would go smoothly, but something in his gut told him he still had many hurdles to face with the prince.