Chapter One: The Phoenix
The prince paced back and forth on the dock, his eyes firmly set on the ground.
"Calm down, Prince Zuko. We are almost there; when we land you can go shopping. Just stop being so anxious." smiled his uncle, sipping his Ginseng tea. Steam floated lazily before his dark eyes, before he blew it away.
Zuko paused, glaring at his uncle, "Shopping? This isn't why we are docking at Minseng. The purpose of making this stop is to look for the Avatar. I got word he made his way there." Zuko watched his uncle shrug and laugh, "Well you never know, maybe you had your eyes on a vase or a-" The prince growled, feeling the intense heat of fire on his fists, "Uncle Iroh! Please!"
Iroh lifted his free hand in mock defeat, "You win, you win. Now why don't you sit down and drink some tea with me." Zuko scoffed angrily, walking off toward his quarters, "Tea? Bah. Tea won't help me catch the Avatar, especially Ginseng tea."
The ship stopped slowly, it's stern now half-way on the sand. They have landed at Minseng, and Zuko was itching to get away from his annoying uncle. Four large Komodo Rhino stepped off the ship. They rhino bore three sharp horns which shone slightly in the sun. The Komodo Rhinos also wore armor around the tender and vulnerable spots on them, almost making then invincible.
The prince sat at the lead, waiting for the rest of the warriors at his command sit on the others. After a few long minuets, they moved onward toward the village. His uncle called out behind him, before he got out of hearing range, "Buy some tea when your there, Prince Zuko."
Tea, tea, tea. That's all I hear from him. Ugh, burn it all… Zuko sighed, wondering what went through his uncle's mind when he joined him. I was banished by my own father, and my uncles choose to come with me… What a nut-case.
By the afternoon, they reached the village. "What the hell happened here?" exclaimed Zuko, seeing the village in ashes and smoke. He looked at the others, to see they were shocked too. Usually they did this… Zhao. That bastard…always one step ahead of me.
Zuko walked through the smoldering streets, searching for survivors. He paused, hearing a faint groan not to far away.
Zuko jumped off his mount, and motioned for the others to stay put, as he made his way toward the sound. His footsteps echoed through the desolate streets and rubble, he paused, seeing a tuff of silver hair stick out. Zuko walked toward it, pushing some rubble away to reveal a tired face.
"T-thank y-you." the old man stammered, as he got up slowly. Zuko had no time for formalities; he grabbed the man's collar and growled angrily, "What the hell happened here?" The man winced in shock from this action, "You firebenders are all the same. Rude and uncaring. But I'll tell you, for you might find this of interest. For some time there has been a rumor about a thief, who calls herself 'The Phoenix.' Are village refused to listen to these warnings from are neighboring villages….thinking this was just a joke. But we were wrong… She came silently to are village, stealing valuables and so on. This continued for months…until something new happened. The Phoenix stole the Pendant of Truth. This pendant was given to our village by Avatar Roku. It is are shinning light…and now looked what happened next. Flames burned from her hand to our houses. All is now lost…"
Zuko frowned, releasing the man from his grip, "Very well. I give you my thanks, peasant." The man gasped in horror, how could someone be so rude? "I say, your lucky I'm not as spunky as you kids these days…cause I would of given you a piece of my mind." the man growled in anger, putting up his fists which were shaking violently.
Zuko sighed and turned around, heading back to his mount. I hope Iroh won't act like this when he gets older. Then again…it is quite amusing. He climbed gracefully on his mount, pausing for a moment, just picturing Uncle Iroh in the peasant's position. Zuko chuckled softly, only to remember why he was here. Tea. Screw it; I'm not buying him anything. I bet he puts drugs in those things…that would explain a lot.
The man realized Zuko was leaving, "Hey! Wait! I'm not finished. You come back here and I'll teach you a lesson!" Zuko rolled his eyes and turned his mount southward, heading back to the ship. "I'm glad to know this trip was a total waste of time." he muttered, his thoughts on the Avatar and his cruel father.