Chapter 7 - And Away We Go

When Sokka woke up, his head was throbbing. He moaned and lifted his hand to his temple, only to find it bandaged. He sat up slowly, trying to keep his ragged breath steady. After a few moments, he was able to open his eyes. In doing so, he found himself lying under a tree; its branches served as shade from the early morning sun. As he listened closely, Sokka could hear a small bird chirping not too far away, and the sound of a stream gurgling quietly nearby. It took him a while to remember what had occurred, and when he did, he became worried.

What happened? He wondered.

Gathering up his strength, Sokka slowly stood up and leaned against the tree. He looked around again, this time noticing that he was not alone. Lying against another tree was Zuko; his eyes open and staring off into space. Suddenly, he become aware of the fact that Sokka was awake, and directed his attention toward him.

"Took you long enough," Zuko said bluntly. "I thought I was gonna have to carry you again."

"Oh, well I'm sorry I wasn't awake to carry you, your majesty," Sokka replied sarcastically.

"Be grateful, peasant," Zuko shot back as he got to his feet. "I didn't have to carry you around for 6 days you know."

Sokka stared at the banished prince with his mouth agape. "I was out for 6 days?"

Zuko laughed. "Do you honestly think I'd carry you around for more than an hour?"

"Actually," Sokka said, "I didn't expect you to carry me at all. Why'd you do it?"

Instead of answering, Zuko started to walk away.

"Where are we going?" Sokka asked, running a few steps to catch up with Zuko.

"What do you mean, we?" Zuko answered. "I'm going to the nearest docks, so I can find my uncle. I could care less what you're planning on doing."

"So you're just gonna leave me here?" asked Sokka incredulously. When he did not receive a reply, he abandoned the subject. Instead, he asked: "So… what happened back there?"

"None of your business," Zuko replied.

"What do you mean none of my business?" Sokka shouted. "I was almost killed by the maniac, so it is my business."

Zuko sighed. "Fine. Do you really want to know what happened?"

"Yes!" Sokka yelled.

"Okay," Zuko replied.

They walked on in silence.

"Well? Are you gonna tell me or not?" Sokka asked, annoyed.

Zuko glared at Sokka before answering. "Nope."

Sokka shouted. "Why not?"

"Because I don't owe you anything."

Sokka could barely control his anger. "You're too much, do you know that? I don't know how anyone stands you!"

Zuko, unlike Sokka, could not keep his temper under control. He yelled, turned around, and pinned Sokka to a tree. "I've had it with you!" He shouted, holding a fist of fire up to Sokka's chin. "I saved you, and all you can do is complain!"

Sokka looked at Zuko's fist with fear in his eyes. However, he refused to let it sound in his voice. "So… what are you gonna do?"

The two stood there for a moment, Sokka pressed against a tree with fire held under his chin. Then, Zuko let him free and continued walking. "I refuse to talk to you."

Sokka stared in amazement at the back of the fire prince's head. Of course, he was happy that he was alive, but he was also wondering why Zuko didn't try to capture him and use him as bait for Aang. Nevertheless, he was not willing to find out the hard way. "Fine!" He shouted, and kicked a stump, stubbing his toe. "Ow!"

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Zuko walked away feeling annoyed. As soon as I capture the Avatar and reclaim my throne, I'll make sure I take out his village first, He thought. It was then that he heard Sokka's exclamation of pain. Turning around, he saw the poor boy hopping around on one foot, muttering under his breath. He saw this, and couldn't help but smile. He stopped, however, when Sokka looked up at him. But it was too late, he had been spotted.

Sokka turned away in embarrassment. As if it wasn't it bad enough that he hurt his foot. Now Zuko, one of his sworn enemies, had seen him. He yearned with all his might to be able to sink into the ground, so he didn't have to feel the fire prince's eyes burning into the back of his head. And then, that awful feeling went away, and he turned around to see Zuko continue his walk to the docks. Looking around, Sokka noticed just how alone he was. He suddenly wanted to walk with the prince, rather than be stuck in a forest by himself.

"Wait up!" he shouted, as he ran to catch up with Zuko.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, letting his annoyance seep back into his voice. "I told you already, I refuse to speak to you."

"I don't care," Sokka replied. "I just don't want to be stuck here all alone. Besides, we have a better chance of getting out of this forest if we stick together."

"Fine," Zuko said. Actually, he hadn't been too excited about walking around by himself, either. Not that he would admit it…

The pair walked on in silence, until both realized that the gurgling of the small stream nearby was turning into a roar of churning water. They walked about another half mile before finally breaking free of the trees and underbrush, only to find themselves on the top of a huge precipice. The stream had led into a river, which had turned into a waterfall. Sokka looked over the edge, but all he could see was an enormous cloud of mist.

"Nice. Real nice," he said sarcastically. "How are we supposed to get down from here?"

Zuko ignored him as he looked for a way down. He didn't have to look long, however, as he saw a thin staircase leading downward.

"Over there," he said, pointing the path out to Sokka.

"No way," Sokka replied. "Nothing could make me walk down that death-trap."

It was then that the loud roar of a huge, hungry animal erupted behind them.

"I've changed my mind," said Sokka hurriedly, as he ran toward the stairway. Zuko laughed to himself as he followed closely behind.

A/N: Ok, it's not as short as my first few chapters, so I hope that's good anywayz, REVIEW!