Once again, the turn by the river bend proved to conceal nothing but wilderness behind it. Azula could only sigh in disappointment. They had been walking for far too long, much longer than she had expected them to, and so far, it had been to no avail. There was still no sign of civilization anywhere around.
"This is hopeless," she muttered under her breath, her footsteps slowing to a halt.
The surroundings seemed adequate for them to make their camp, or so it seemed to Azula. It was likely that Sokka would point out a few flaws for a campsite, since he knew more about the proper conditions for camping than she did. Yet it had been four days already since they had gotten stranded, and if there was still something Azula could take pride on in the middle of this complicated situation, it was her capacity to learn new things quickly.
"I think we should stay here," she said, scrutinizing the area carefully. "We're not bound to find a better camping spot for miles. You said clearings were a good place to camp, right?"
She heard only a strange whine as an answer. Azula frowned and turned around, confused by such strange response, which seemed unusual even from Sokka. The gladiator had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while, but Azula hadn't taken it to mean anything until now.
"S-Sokka…?" she asked, her eyes growing wider.
His skin was paler than she had ever seen it, save for the dark circles around his eyes. Sokka tried to say something, Azula could see how much effort he was putting into talking, but he was unable to utter another sound. The basket in his arms collapsed on the ground with a thud just as his eyes rolled back into his head.
"SOKKA!" Azula called out, reaching out to him just in time to catch him before he collapsed on the ground. "Sokka! What's the matter with you?! Sokka!"
He only made a few more sounds, which showed Azula that he wasn't completely unconscious… but he wasn't awake either. It was as if he were standing on the boundaries between the realms of reality and dreams. Azula shook him, growing desperate, before her mind supplied her with an explanation as to why Sokka might have blacked out as he had.
"You… when did you last sleep?" she asked, staring at his gaunt face.
In a few days, it would be a week since they had gotten lost in the forest, and Sokka had kept watch every night without fail. Upon remembering this, Azula had no trouble understanding why he had collapsed. It was a wonder that he hadn't blacked out sooner. She dragged his limp body towards a nearby tree, leaning his back against it. Sokka mumbled indecipherable sounds, his eyelids attempting to open but failing at it.
"Stay put," said Azula, gritting her teeth. "Though it's not like you'll be going anywhere in that state anyways."
"A-Azu…" he muttered, her stern voice making him open his eyes just to find hers in the center of the blurred shapes he could barely discern.
"Hush…" said Azula. "Sleep."
The words worked as a magic spell. Sokka's head tilted slightly to the left and his eyes closed shut now. Azula sighed at the sight of him, wondering why she hadn't noticed how tired he was until now. She had no idea how had he managed to endure all the exhaustion. She knew Sokka was built of something stronger than most people, else he would have perished in the Arena long before she found him again… but he was just human, after all. It was only natural he'd faint eventually if he had spent four nights and days without sleeping.
Azula took it upon herself to gather the firewood and cook their food, imitating what she had watched Sokka do several times now. The endeavor took her longer than she expected: night had already fallen by the time she was finally ready to begin cooking. She opened the basket, looking for the meat she had grown to despise so much… to find a nigh empty basket. Her eyes widened as she gaped at what remained. What little meat was left was coated with thick films of fat, and she had absolutely no idea how much of it was actually edible. Why were they left with such little provisions?
Her despair didn't subside even though her logic kicked in right away. After five days, it was only natural that their food supplies would run out, especially if they were eating three times a day. Actually… given the circumstances, their supplies had lasted far longer than she had expected. How…?
She glanced at Sokka, aghast, when realization kicked in. It wasn't only that he had kept watch all those nights… but he had shortened his shares of food to make sure she would have more, sacrificing himself so she could be as comfortable as possible in this dreadful situation.
"Why…?" she muttered, looking at him in utter disbelief. That was something significant… too significant, actually. She knew Sokka well enough to be aware of his love for eating. She had always thought one of his main priorities was to keep his stomach full. For him to go about their travels with a half-empty stomach and only an hour or less of sleep each day…
What baffled her most was that he hadn't voiced any complaints about how he was feeling. She was very familiar with his knack for whining, but ever since they had gotten lost in the forest he hadn't protested about anything… no, even before that. He had stopped complaining about things after his fight against the Savage Hook. Was it that he no longer believed he had the right to voice out his opinions? Or had his priorities shifted to the point that he would discard his own health just to keep her safe…?
Azula shook her head at that and picked at the meat in the basket, choosing the chunks that looked the least disgusting. Only four slabs of meat were left now… they would have to hunt, forage or fish if they were to survive at this rate. Azula sighed and set the wood on fire swiftly, starting to cook their dinner.
As she waited for the food to be done she removed the bandage on her right hand. She flexed and stretched her fingers repeatedly, pleased to discover that the pain that had plagued her the last few days had been fading away effectively. She lifted her index and middle fingers, and she allowed her power to surge through her arm and to the tip of the two fingers. The blue flame she ignited flickered against the breeze, and she felt an extraordinary sense of relief at that. She could bend with both hands again, finally…
She walked to the river and washed her hands, cleansing them from the dirt and blood that had dirtied them after she had set camp. Azula gritted her teeth when her skin was grazed by the cold water, as uncomfortable as ever by anything that could take away her bodily warmth. Yet this time she wished she could dive into the stream and wash away the filth of four days. She had never spent such a long time without bathing… the sweat, the dirt and the exhaustion were begging to be washed away. But, naturally, she wouldn't dare do such thing with Sokka nearby. He might be unconscious, but that didn't mean he couldn't wake up. Knowing him, he'd likely open his eyes in the most troublesome moment for her... he had no qualms about exposing his torso to her, savage as he was, but Azula wouldn't consent him to see her topless, let alone naked.
Just on cue, Sokka groaned behind her and brought her back to reality. Her bath would have to wait until they found civilization again, there was nothing else to be done about it. She walked towards the tree on which she had left Sokka to find him twitching and struggling to open his eyes.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," she said, kneeling by him. "How are you feeling?"
"W-what…?" he mumbled, tilting his head to the side. "What happened…?"
"You blacked out on me a few hours ago," said Azula, as Sokka tried to push himself up to a more comfortable position. "And for quite an obvious reason, I'd say… just how much sleep have you had these past few days, Sokka?"
Sokka frowned and raised an eyebrow, the world around him feeling like a blur as he tried to think of the answer to her question.
"I… I'm a little shaken up… can't exactly do math right now…" he replied.
"I guessed not," said Azula, sighing. "No matter, we can talk about it later. For now…"
Azula took one of their plates and walked to the river, filling it with water for Sokka. She had no idea if hydrating him was what had to be done, but she figured it wouldn't hurt. The Princess put the stone to Sokka's lips and he gulped down the water slowly, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling born when the cold water collided against his teeth.
"Better?" she asked, but Sokka didn't respond just yet. He was breathing heavily as the water made its way through him, strengthening him but also making him painfully aware of the emptiness of his stomach and the weakness of his body.
"A little… I'm more awake now, I guess," he said, smiling weakly.
"You… you're really a fool, aren't you?" said Azula, shaking her head. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me you were too tired to carry on?"
"I guess I am one," said Sokka, dropping his head against the tree. "I just… didn't think there would be any point in saying anything. I could rest once we found a village… in the meantime I just had to make sure you'd be safe."
"And it was such a wonderful way to keep me safe, by blacking out in the middle of day," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "I know you're trying to do things the way you feel is right, Sokka, but this isn't the way to do it. Your recklessness could cost both our lives if we keep up at this rate."
"I didn't mean to… to cause more trouble," said Sokka, sighing.
"I know you didn't," muttered Azula, shaking her head and heading to the fireplace to check on their meal. "But you can't be so careless anymore. If you're too tired to carry on, you need to rest. The same goes if you're too hungry."
"H-how did you…? How did you know?" Sokka asked, surprised.
"It's been too long already. I've been having three meals a day for all this time, yet we still weren't out of food?" she muttered. "I appreciate the sacrifice, Sokka, I know just how much you love to have a full stomach. But it was a very stupid move on your part to do what you did."
"I was just trying…"
"To protect me?" Azula asked, looking at him skeptically. "Seriously, Sokka?"
"I've caused you enough trouble as it is…" muttered Sokka. "I wanted to do things better this time around. I swore I'd get you out of here…"
"Well, you won't if you starve yourself to death just to watch out for me," said Azula. "If you really plan on keeping me safe maybe you should start by considering that, without you, I'd be done for in this forest. You are the savage, you're the one who knows how to survive. My life is in your hands… so you'd better make sure your hands are strong enough to hold it if you really want to get me out of here."
Sokka blinked slowly a few times before nodding. She was right, of course…
Azula brought him the larger piece of meat she had cooked, keeping the smaller one to herself. They had a hard time chewing through the fat, and they both found hard bones inside the meat, but they were past the possibility of complaining by now. Azula tossed the bare bone into the fire and she watched Sokka as he made it through his own meal. Color was returning to his face slowly, but he still looked as exhausted as ever.
"I'll keep watch tonight," she said, startling him.
"Huh? You'll…" muttered Sokka. "Azula, you don't have to…"
"I will," she growled. "You're not doing it anymore, at least, not until you've rested properly. Sleep a week if you will, but you're going to sleep nonetheless"
"But what about you?" said Sokka. "You need to rest too, Azula…"
"I get that you think I'm a Princess, and that hence I can't take care of myself…"
"I never said that."
"But it doesn't mean I can't do what must be done," Azula ignored him, glaring at him fiercely. "Indeed, I'm used to eating three times a day and sleeping as much as I need to, but in these circumstances, there's no point in expecting those things. We're trying to survive here, not to live the lives we had before. So, if I must give up my sleeping hours to make sure we'll survive, I will."
"How about… we take shifts?" Sokka asked.
"If that's the way you want it, sure. I'll take the first one" said Azula.
"You plan on extending your shift all the way to the morning, don't you?" Sokka asked, frowning.
Azula smiled as she stared at the fire.
"It would seem you're just as evil a mastermind as I am, aren't you?"
"Only evil masterminds can understand each other, is it?" asked Sokka, smiling too.
"I've always suspected as much," said Azula, stirring the fire.
Sokka watched her intently, admiring the way the light played on her features. Azula noticed he was watching her and she turned towards him again, hoping to break the awkwardness of the situation.
"You done with your food?" she asked.
"Yeah… I'd eat the bone, but I'm afraid I'll break a tooth," said Sokka, chuckling.
"Well, it seems the sense of humor is back," said Azula, walking to him and taking his plate. "Is food what provides your wit?"
"Might be," he said, as she walked away, flinging the bone into the fireplace and to wash both plates on the river.
Azula cleansed her hands as well and returned to the fireplace, trying not to pay much attention to Sokka. His eyes were still on her, she could feel them… and although it made her slightly uncomfortable, it also filled her chest with warmth she was sure had nothing to do with her firebending skills.
"You took off your bandage…" he muttered, startling her.
"Yes, I did," said Azula, doing her best to remain as steady as possible. "I can bend properly again."
"Good news…" he said, smiling.
"Amongst all the bad ones, I guess they are," said Azula, shrugging. "Somehow we're really managing to make it in this hellish forest."
"It's… it's not that bad," said Sokka, smiling weakly. "Sure eating rhino all the time is annoying, and walking non-stop every day, too… but I could get used to it, you know?"
"Of course you could, savage," grunted Azula.
"It's been awful, but it's been fun too…" muttered Sokka, his eyes fluttering shut. He was too tired to process Azula's retort, whereas she couldn't ignore the smile on his lips as he fell asleep.
She glared at him in disbelief, wondering what he had meant with those words… he could get used to it? Did he mean that he wouldn't mind not getting out of this forest ever again? Why, it was easy for him to say! He didn't have the responsibilities she did! He had no mission to accomplish, no nation to rule one day, nor did he have a father who was expecting only the best of him…
The thought of her father made her stomach churn. She brought up her knees to her chin, gritting her teeth as she began to think of what her father would say when he saw her again… if he ever saw her again, that was. His disappointment would be even worse than the one he felt towards Zuko, because Fire Lord Ozai held no expectations regarding his son. Yet when it came to her, he had been betting on her success. She always succeeded, she always made him proud… and this time she had shamed him. The Rough Rhinos had gotten away time after time, they had killed one of her guards and now she was stuck living with a savage in the middle of the forest. If her father knew… if only he knew…
She buried her face between her knees, feeling more dishonored than ever before. She had finally been given the chance to prove her worth, her prowess… and this was how she had used said chance. This was the best she could achieve. Her chest ached painfully as she finally understood what failure felt like. How could she face her father again after this?
She spent the whole night fighting against her sleepiness. She did her best to keep awake, but while she was, her mind would continue feeding her with thoughts of her unsuccessful mission, which prompted her to wish secretly to fall asleep just to forget about the matter, but with every moment she slept through, she woke up feeling guilty for dozing off. All she could do was wait for that dreadful night to end as quickly as possible, so that she and Sokka could get back on the road, so that she might get her mind off her disgraces…
She had fallen asleep heavily by the time the morning came and she awoke with a start when she became aware of the fact that she had been sleeping. The night was over indeed… but the skies weren't blue. Dark, grey clouds were swirling above them, threatening them with a powerful storm.
The fire had died a while before she had woken up, but even if she had managed to keep it strong it would have faltered when large pellets of water began dropping heavily on the ground. Azula bolted to her feet and ran to Sokka, feeling mildly guilty over waking him up but knowing she had no choice. What were they supposed to do if it was raining?
"Sokka… Sokka!" she called him, bringing him back to consciousness with her voice.
"W-what? What…?" he said, opening his eyes and looking around him in utter confusion.
"It's raining," said Azula. "Don't we have to find cover? Better cover than this?"
"We should… we should," said Sokka, when he noticed the rain drops falling around them. One of them buffeted him on the face, making him wince. "We have to move out before it gets worse."
"Alright, then…" said Azula, ignoring her stomach's complaints for food.
"Come on," said Sokka, getting on his feet and cradling the basket in his arms. "We'll have to walk in the rain for a while, but not for too long, I hope!"
Azula was desperate under these dire circumstances, but she couldn't help but feel relieved upon seeing Sokka back on track. He still wasn't as strong as he used to be, but he was in much better shape than the day before. She stayed close to him as they progressed through the riverbank, trying to flee from the rain before it got worse.
"We need to find something!" Sokka shouted. "A shelter of some sort! Maybe a pile of rocks, I don't know, anything…!"
"How about that?!" Azula exclaimed, pointing at the other side of the river.
Sokka turned to look at what Azula had seen, and he frowned at the sight of a gaping hole within a small range of mountains. The climb towards the cave shouldn't be much trouble… but they had to make it across the river first, which was becoming fiercer and fiercer, as if imitating the weather. Couldn't something come easy for them just for once?
"We'd have to cross the river!" Sokka said. "If we're trying not to get wet, that's just the way to get it done faster!"
"But there's nothing better for miles around!" said Azula. "We've walked down this riverbank for days now, and there's nothing to serve us as shelter back through where we came from! If there's nothing back there, there's probably nothing else ahead of us either!"
Sokka gritted his teeth as thunder roared in the sky. The rain was growing stronger now… they were going to get wet anyways, and the cave might help them dry up as they waited until the storm passed. It didn't matter if he wasn't too fond of caves… it was what needed to be done.
"Okay…" he muttered. "Alright. Let's do it."
Azula nodded and looked at the raging river, wondering why it was becoming so much fiercer when they had to cross it. Fortune kept laughing in their faces lately…
Sokka slid one of his feet into the river, gritting his teeth as the water pushed him strongly and tried to knock him off balance. He entered the water body completely, lifting the basket over his head before turning to Azula.
"Hold onto me!" he called out. "We'll make it through this thing together!"
Azula swallowed hard and nodded, uncertain but unwilling to waver. She had wanted to clean herself the night before… well, now the water was going to wash her, whether she wanted it or not. She walked into the river and grabbed Sokka's shoulder with one hand, and once she did he resumed his progress through the water.
The river was much deeper than he had expected, soaking him all the way to his chest with only six steps into the water. Azula's nails dug into his shoulder, as she fought the power of river that was trying to push her away from him. Sokka took notice of her struggle and he took a few steps back, pushing their bodies together.
"What are you doing?! We're supposed to move forward!" Azula shouted, desperate.
"Climb on my back!" he said, surprising her.
"You think you can stand your ground and carry me and the basket through this river?!" Azula asked.
"Yeah, I do!" Sokka declared. "Come on! Do it before it gets worse!"
Azula cringed and obeyed him unwillingly, surrounding his neck with her arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. She would have sworn her heart rate was increasing just because of the stressful situation, but deep down she knew that wasn't the only reason for it. Sokka continued walking through the river, doing his best to keep himself steady with every step he took. Fighting against nature was anything but easy, but Azula's weight on his back reminded him that he had to win this time around, there was no alternative. But at this rate, her arms would bring him down to the river floor…
Almost reluctantly, his hands released the basket he had been holding and his hands slid down towards Azula's legs, pulling them up so that he could hold her weight much better than before. Azula watched the basket drift down the river, horrified.
"What did you just…?!"
"It had to be done!" Sokka shouted. "It was our lives or the food! I can hunt something else later, but right now we have to survive!"
Azula cringed but said nothing. Their odds were growing worse with every passing moment, weren't they…?
To Azula's eventual respite, Sokka's efforts were fruitful. Soon enough the water was level with his waist again, and he could release Azula's legs without fearing she would be swept away by the river. She held on to his shoulders until they were out of the water body. They dropped on their knees on the riverside and panted, relieved to be back on steady grounds… but the rain's increasing intensity reminded them they had to continue. Azula looked around her and found the river had pushed them several meters away from the cave's opening.
"Sokka…! Come on!" she shouted, running towards the cave. "It's over here!"
Sokka gasped for breath and followed, unable to run after all the effort he had to exert earlier to get them both across the river. They would have to climb over a small part of the mountain to reach the cave. Azula didn't allow herself a moment of hesitation when she was faced with the challenge. She pulled herself up with her hands, using her feet for impulse, reaching out to the cave. She managed to hoist herself up, and the cave waited just a few strides away… but Sokka was still down below. He attempted to climb, but his legs gave way every time he tried to use them to hoist himself. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at himself. There was just a small climb keeping him from their shelter, and after all he had done he was going to falter now? It was so ridiculous it wasn't even funny…
"Sokka…" Azula gasped, looking down at him.
"Get inside the cave! I'll be there in a bit…!" said Sokka, trying to smile reassuringly.
He threw his hand up to the next crease in the rock, supporting all his weight on one hand as he tried to pull himself up somehow…
… And to his surprise, Azula's hand clasped his. Sokka's eyes widened as he watched her struggle to push him up, gritting her teeth and using all her strength to lift him. Sokka's hand gripped hers tightly, and for some reason his legs became more eager to respond now. With Azula's help, he managed to make it all the way to the top of the wall.
"T-thanks…" he said, on his knees right next to her.
"I owed you from the river," Azula replied, turning around and stumbling her way into the cave.
"Don't go… too deep inside," said Sokka, following her and panting heavily. "There could be something dangerous in here… you never know."
Azula gazed into the cave to little avail. It was so dark within that she couldn't see anything. She sighed and dropped on the ground against the wall of the cave, her chest heaving as her body returned to normality after their previous adrenaline rush.
Sokka dropped on the ground as well, staring at the storm with a frown on his face.
"It has to stop at some point…" he muttered. "But so long as it doesn't, we have to stay here."
"Should we make a fire?" Azula asked.
"With what? We don't have any firewood with us right now…" said Sokka. "We'd have to go out there to fetch it, and it would be so moist it won't be of much use."
"Then what are we going to do?" asked Azula, gritting her teeth.
"We'll figure something out… we always do," said Sokka. "I can go out there to find fruit or something once the storm ends…"
"Are you up for it?"
"Do I have a choice but to be?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "You can come too if that's what you're bothered by…"
"What bothers me is that we know nothing about the plants here, let alone their fruits," muttered the Princess. "How will we be certain that we'll be eating something that won't kill us?"
"We can't be, I guess…" replied Sokka, sighing. "Well, in the mean time we need to do something about our wet clothes…"
"W-what?" said Azula, staring at him in disbelief. "What are you…?"
"I… don't take this the wrong way, Azula," said Sokka, gulping. "But in circumstances like these, the safest way to keep us from catching a cold would be to…"
"Shed our clothes and huddle together?" she asked, her eyes widening as she stared at him with skepticism. "Not in this life, savage."
"Huh… on another one, then?" Sokka asked, smirking and earning himself a fierce glare. "Just joking, just joking… but honestly, Azula, it's the best we can do to keep from…"
"Not a chance, I said," she muttered. "I'd rather die of frostbite."
"I doubt that…" Sokka whispered, but he shrugged. "Fine, then. Suit yourself, but I'm taking this off, at least."
And without further ado, his chest was bare again. Azula rolled her eyes and looked away pointedly, willing her blood to stay away from her cheeks ineffectively.
"You have to do something, though," said Sokka, looking at her worriedly. "If you catch a cold…"
"I'm not going to catch anything," grunted Azula. "I can manipulate my body heat to get rid of my clothes' moisture."
"You really can do that?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You think I'd say I can if I couldn't?" Azula growled, closing her eyes.
Sokka watched her for a moment, not understanding what she was up to… until he started to sense that his surroundings were becoming warmer. His eyes widened and he stared at Azula in amazement, noticing the heat was coming from her. She was, indeed, manipulating her body's temperature at will.
"B-but isn't this unsafe?" he asked, worried. "You could also get sick by doing what you're doing!"
"Shut up," Azula snapped. "A firebender's own fire won't damage him."
"N-no?" Sokka asked, still watching her with concern.
After a few minutes of manipulating heat, Azula took a deep breath and the entire cave grew colder. She sighed and lifted her right hand, and a blue flame danced on it.
"What are you doing now…?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Manipulating heat isn't a simple matter," muttered Azula. "The wetness is almost gone by now, but I'm still somewhat cold… which is something I can fix with regular fire anyways."
"Huh…" said Sokka, watching eagerly as the fire danced on her hand.
"Your fascination with my 'blue fire' will always disturb me, if you want me to be honest…" muttered Azula, making Sokka blush.
"I'm not…!" he mumbled, at a loss to how to excuse himself. Azula couldn't help but smirk.
"But you're welcome to sit by me and use the warmth if it suits you," she said. "If you really want to get dry quickly, a fire, as small as it may be, ought to help."
Sokka stared at her blankly for a moment before smiling and nodding, moving towards Azula and sitting beside her. Azula was slightly relieved to be able to look forward without having to stare at Sokka's body, but now he was beside her, and that only made her more uncomfortable than before. She kept the fire as steady as she could, doing her best not to lose her focus as she eyed the storm outside the cave.
"It's coming down really heavy, isn't it?" said Sokka.
"When do you think it'll pass?" asked Azula.
"No idea," he replied. "But we should stay here until it does."
"It's not like we have anywhere to go to… well, inside the cave, perhaps," said Azula, gazing sideways at the darkness beside them.
"It's not a good idea," said Sokka. "Going inside caves isn't something I'd recommend unless you have no better choice."
"Why?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.
"W-well… let's just say it's my savage instinct speaking," muttered Sokka, dropping his head against the wall.
"But there might be something in there that could help us," said Azula. "Food, maybe even something we could burn…"
"It's too big a risk, Azula," said Sokka. "We'll be safer out here"
"You seem so sure…" she muttered, raising an eyebrow.
"It's for the best, Azula, believe me," said Sokka, gazing at her sideways.
Azula sighed and dropped her head against the wall as well, staring at the forest again. Thunder roared in the sky, and the rain dropped heavily on the ground. The sounds, the scents… they were mesmerizing for Azula even though she didn't know why. She kept listening to the rain, her fire in hand, as time passed them by.
Her stomach began hurting by midmorning, and she had no problem guessing Sokka was just as hungry as she was. Exhaustion, hunger and hopelessness made their way through her, and she struggled to keep her fire steady when she was succumbing to her drowsiness again.
Sokka noticed the way her hand had begun shaking. She had been holding that flame for too long now. In normal circumstances she would be able to keep a fire going for hours on end, he had no doubt about it, but she was so worn out at this point that she couldn't keep up anymore.
"Azula…" he whispered, and she moved her head towards him, her fire wavering even more.
"I didn't mean to…" she muttered, blinking hard to try and force herself awake.
She was surprised when Sokka took her hand in his. Her fire faded away the very moment his fingers touched her palm. Sokka intertwined their fingers and looked at Azula tenderly.
"It's okay now. You did great. Thanks for the fire," he muttered.
Azula nodded, still too drowsy to make any sense out of what was happening.
"You're… you're dry now?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm all good," he said.
"Then… you should put on that shirt already," she muttered.
"Makes you really uncomfortable, huh?" he asked, smiling at her.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you…?" replied Azula, her eyes closing as her head dropped on his shoulder.
Sokka's eyes widened. He lowered their hands, placing them on his thigh as he kept staring at Azula. Her eyes opened again, but surprisingly enough, she didn't seem to be about to push off him or separate their hands.
"Azula…?" he muttered.
"Maybe… maybe you were right," she whispered. "Maybe we could get used to it. Surviving is hard… but we could make it. It's really not that bad… could be so much worse."
Sokka stared at her in disbelief. What was prompting her to say such things? Why did it suddenly sound as if she were giving up on her quest? Was she saying she suddenly didn't feel like she had to get out of this forest as soon as possible? Why…? What could have possibly taken away all her hopes in such a manner…?
Azula closed her eyes again, wishing her mind wouldn't drift towards her failures anymore. There was nothing she could do about being lost with Sokka… it was all said and done by now. She had failed her father… she couldn't do anything to make amends for her mistakes. Even if she left the forest, she couldn't face Fire Lord Ozai like this. She had always told herself she would never let him down… and she had tripped and fallen upon the first hurdle standing in her way. How could she carry on with her former life like this…?
The single answer in her mind was that she couldn't. It was pointless to try and return to being Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. But she wasn't alone… she wasn't as lost as she could be, so long as she had Sokka by her side. Knowing he was with her gave her a sense of relief and joy she had never felt before. Her life as Princess Azula had been wealthy and comfortable… but it had been lonely. At least now, at least like this, she had someone by her side…
Those thoughts were unexpectedly comforting, to the extent that they helped her forget about her grief. She fell asleep on his shoulder, her chest heaving slowly with every breath she took. Sokka watched her in utter disbelief, unable to understand why she would let go of everything now… but her hopelessness served to fuel his own determination. He gripped Azula's hand even tighter, placing his chin on the top of her head as he told himself that he would definitely get her out of this forest. Perhaps she was fine with allowing her identity to fade away, maybe she wished to forget all about what had brought them here in the first place… but he wasn't. Azula had a life to get back to, a world she belonged in, and he would help her return to it, no matter the cost.
… Fire…
Fire…
Fire…
FIRE!
Azula woke with a start, causing her head to crash with Sokka's.
"Ow!" Sokka exclaimed, rubbing his face. "What was that for?!"
Azula's breathing was uneven and heavy, and she was looking around herself frantically. Sokka eyed her warily, confused by her behavior. She had been acting strangely since before, but this was even more unexpected than her falling asleep on his shoulder.
"Azula…? Are you okay?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I… I had a dream about fire…" she muttered, staring at the ground beneath them with a frown.
"Isn't that something you firebenders dream about all the time…?" Sokka asked.
"No, no, this is… this is nothing like anything I'd dreamt before," muttered Azula.
"Why?" asked Sokka, growing even more confused.
"Because this was… this was real," said Azula, staring at him sternly.
Sokka gaped at her in absolute bewilderment. He was suddenly reminded of old Water Tribe ghost tales… and he had no idea how to react but to smile at Azula reassuringly and shrug the matter off.
"Well, you nearly caught me there… you're a great actress, you know!" he said, chuckling and beaming at her.
"I'm not joking, you fool!" shouted Azula, bolting to her feet and staring at the darkness of the cave.
She was feeling it… she could feel it. The warmth that had beckoned to her in her dreams… it was somewhere within that darkness. She had no idea what it was, but there was a certainty within her very core that told her she had to find it.
"Azula? What are you doing?" said Sokka when she took a few more steps further into the cave.
"I need to find it," she muttered.
"Uh, didn't you say it was a dream?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it wasn't! I thought it was a dream, but somewhere within this mountain there's fire… powerful fire."
"You firebenders have some sort of ability to detect fire…?" asked Sokka, skeptical.
"Mock me all you want, you can stay here if you're too scared of going into the cave," she snapped at him. "But I'm going inside."
"Azula, no," said Sokka, growing stern all of sudden as he heard of her determination. "Don't do it. Caves aren't safe!"
"Neither are you, yet I'm still alive after being lost in a forest with you for as long as I have been," she grunted.
"You're stuck with me! It's not like you have a choice!" said Sokka. "But you have a choice about this weird fire of yours…"
"And I'm choosing to go inside and find out what it is," declared Azula. "Stay here, as I said. I can go alone."
"N-no, you…" grunted Sokka, growing irritated. "You can't go in there alone!"
"Well then, by all means, be my escort," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "If you're unwilling then I'll just go on by myself. But I'm going, no matter if you like it or not."
Sokka cursed her stubbornness mentally before shaking his head and walking towards her.
"You're crazy, Azula," he grunted. "You have no idea what problems could arise by going inside a cave! It could collapse on itself and we'd be goners!"
"Why are you so bothered by it?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would you care to explain? Because this sort of behavior is strange, even for you! What's your problem?"
Sokka cringed and dropped his gaze, gritting his teeth momentarily. There were memories he had discarded for good… this one being one of them. Returning to it was anything but pleasant.
"Back… back in the Water Tribe, a kid got caught within an ice cave when I was young," he muttered. "He was stuck in there for too long, and when he was found he was almost frozen to death. He had to be taken to the Northern Water Tribe for healing, because there was nothing to be done about him in the South."
"Uh… alright," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "We're not going to freeze in a rock cave, especially when I can sense there's fire within…"
"The reason why he got caught was because the cave collapsed," Sokka grunted. "You can't just trust a cave to stay put, Azula. In the best case, it'll turn out to be a dead end, but there could easily be a wild animal waiting to eat you in there, or there could be a cave in and you'd be certain to never get out of this mess, because no earthbender will come rescue you here if this happens!"
"Ugh, you always complained about me being so negative and raining on your parade…! I've gone with every little thing you've told me, and so far we have been stuck in this forest for days! We've survived, yes, but we're still lost and it doesn't look like we're going to get anywhere at this rate! So how about you go with my hunches for a change?!"
Sokka stared right back into her eyes, feeling slightly desperate.
"Azula… what do you think you'll accomplish by finding that fire?" he asked. "Will it get us out of this mess?"
"For all we know, it might," she replied. "Is it that hard for you to trust me? After all that's happened between us, I put my life in your hands. Is it that unreasonable for me to ask you to do the same?"
Sokka sighed and dropped his gaze in defeat at last.
"When you put it that way…"
"The storm is still falling," said Azula, staring at the forest over his shoulder. "We have nowhere else to go or anything else to do in the meantime. So? Are you coming or not?"
"I… I will," he muttered, nodding. "It's better than to stay here worrying about what you might find in there…"
"You don't have to worry about me," said Azula, sternly.
"It's hard not to when you can't trust caves…" grunted Sokka, picking up his shirt and putting it on again.
"You're incorrigible," said Azula, shaking her head and extending her left hand before her. She conjured a blue flame again, a stronger one this time. Her sense of curiosity was a far more powerful drive than she ever realized it could be.
Her fire lit up the darkness of the cave effectively, and she began treading into the tunnel slowly, but surely. Sokka couldn't help but hold on to the feeble hope that perhaps they'd find a boulder blocking their way soon enough… but to his disappointment, it didn't happen. The cave was covered by moss and carcasses of long-dead animals. Sokka guessed they couldn't see any living creatures just yet because Azula's fire scared them away. The tunnel led them downwards for a moment, spiraling in unexpected directions repeatedly, but Azula followed it dutifully, with Sokka right behind her. He peeked over his shoulder to notice, aghast, that he couldn't see the light from the cave's entrance anymore…
"We're going too deep," he muttered. "Where's the fire you're looking for? You sure you still feel it?"
"Yes, I do…" grunted Azula. "Stop worrying. We'll be fine."
"You keep saying that, but…" said Sokka, dropping his gaze and crashing into her when Azula stopped suddenly. "What is it? Why did you stop?"
"Can't you see for yourself?" Azula growled back, increasing the size of her fire so that Sokka would realize what the problem was.
Sokka gazed at the three tunnels in surprise, never expecting the cave to divide into several different pathways.
"That's not a good thing," he muttered. "We really could get lost in here, Azula. Isn't it bad enough that we're lost in a forest already?"
"I suppose… but we've come too far to stop just because there's a fork in the way," she stated. "Let's go."
"Go where?" said Sokka. "How do you know which one will lead us to your fire?!"
"It's not my fire, it's just fire… at least, I think that's all it is," she muttered, looking around herself. "Give me a moment to think."
"Yeah, please think about what we're doing, I beg you…" muttered Sokka, sighing.
"Shut up," grunted Azula, glaring at him momentarily before focusing on the warmth she could sense.
It wasn't her imagination… there was also a pulse, wasn't it? She could hear it, feel it… there was something within, something like a heart of fire, perhaps. And she needed to find it. Her body seemed to respond to the fire, to seek it… and by following instincts she didn't know she had, Azula walked to the pathway to the right. Sokka decided not to ask why she had decided to come this way, assuming blindly that she would have picked the right path.
Azula lifted the fire towards the tunnel and nodded.
"It's someplace towards this direction, I can feel it…" she muttered.
"Well, then, I guess we have to go with it," said Sokka, as Azula entered the tunnel.
Azula raised her fire, inspecting the walls to find they still looked the same as before… the tunnel seemed unchanged so far. She lowered her fire then to look at the ground below just as she took one more step forward…
… to find emptiness awaiting her instead of hard rock. But it was already too late to take back her step. She tried to turn around and her hand reached out towards Sokka, but he was so puzzled by what had happened to her that by the time he tried to seize her arm she was already out of reach. Azula shrieked as she fell into the hole in the ground, unable to do anything as she dropped through the tunnel.
"AZULA!" Sokka's eyes widened as she was swallowed by the hole, leaving him behind in the darkness, aghast. His eyes were locked on the spot through which she had vanished. Oh, he knew this damned cave would be their undoing! But she had to go chase the fire, of course she did…
He didn't even have to stop to think about what he had to do. He jumped into the hole that had claimed her, determined to find Azula no matter the cost. He had promised he would keep her safe… and he would. Somehow, he would… even if she brought them more problems than necessary, he would stick by her and fulfill his promise to her. It was the one thing he could do for the Princess's sake.
The fall was far bumpier than he thought it would be, he found himself colliding with the tunnel's walls repeatedly as gravity did its job. Eventually, when he started to suspect the tunnel wouldn't end, he crashed against the rocky ground heavily.
His senses were fuzzy after the journey he had just undertaken, hence he had a hard time realizing someone was shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to notice there was a blue light in the darkness… and it took him a moment to realize it was all Azula's doing.
"Sokka… Sokka, answer me, damn it…" she said, sounding slightly desperate.
"You… are insane," he grunted, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "Why didn't you look down?!"
"I did… when it was already too late," replied Azula, sighing in relief to see he was fine.
"Now we're stuck in here!" Sokka cried out, his voice cracking. "How do you propose we get out?! That tunnel twisted and turned, and we're in no condition to climb it!"
"I… I know," muttered Azula, dropping her gaze. "I didn't think this would happen…"
Sokka was taken aback by her response. He froze in the middle of his scolding as he watched her, and he proceeded to sigh and pat her shoulder.
"Never mind. We'll find a way out somehow," he said.
"But…" said Azula, hopeless. It took her a moment to realize that Sokka was as uncertain about finding an exit as she was… but he knew that telling her off would serve no purpose at this point. They could mope around and complain about their luck if they wanted, but that wasn't going to get them anywhere.
Azula nodded and got to her feet, still holding her fire in her hand. She led the way through the tunnels again, trying to ignore the guilt she was feeling. The tunnel would guide them someplace, she knew it… but what were they looking for now, she didn't know. Was it the warmth, or was it an exit…?
"Is it any closer now?" Sokka asked, startling her.
"W-what is…?"
"What, the fall made you forget why we ended up in here in the first place?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Right. Well, it's…" muttered Azula, frowning and stopping suddenly as she tried to locate the warmth.
"It's…?" asked Sokka.
"It's here," said the Princess, looking around herself in surprise. "I can feel it here…"
"In an empty tunnel?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"It is empty, isn't it…?" muttered Azula. "The ones above had animals and mold in them. Here… there's nothing here. It's like all life forms had fled…"
"W-wait… so the warmth you brought us to is like a deadly poison or something?" Sokka asked, shocked. "Like some weird poison gas?"
"From what I recall, you used to fight using gas bombs, didn't you…? I didn't think you'd be afraid of gasses of any kind," muttered Azula. "If there were poison here, the corpses of the animals would be here as well."
"Not if it's a trap from some creepy creature…" said Sokka "He could unleash his gas and get everything killed, and then he eats it all without leaving a crumb behind…"
"Oh, please…" said Azula, rolling her eyes. "Come on. Let's go."
"Go jump straight into the creature's jaws? Why, great idea!" said Sokka, grimacing as he followed her further into the tunnel.
Azula frowned at Sokka's insistence about a creature… a creature. Could there really be a creature of some sort down here? There might be. If she thought about it carefully, there was little chance that the source of the warmth she was feeling would be human. It had to be something else. But if it wasn't human, what could it be…?
"If… if there was a creature," she muttered. "There might not be one…"
"Well, for our sake, there better be none," said Sokka, gulping.
"But there's the possibility…" said Azula, thoughtful.
"The possibility…? What's that supposed to mean?!" asked Sokka, annoyed.
But Azula lifted her available hand, silencing him. Her fire lit the way, and she could see a turn awaiting right in front of them. Azula froze on her footsteps. The warmth, the pulse… it was there. It wasn't actually inside the tunnel they were in, but right past that turn in the tunnels. Her heart accelerated as her mind began connecting the dots until the puzzle started to make sense…
"Azula? What is it…?" Sokka asked, worried.
Azula lowered her hand and stepped forward with decision, keen to discover if her suspicions would be right…
"Azula!" said Sokka, chasing her closely. "What's the matter with you?"
"The warmth, Sokka! T-the warmth, it has to be…" she said, as she finally took the turn.
As she suspected, the tunnel opened to a wider room, in which she could feel the warmth that had brought her here in its entire splendor…
But she couldn't even think about the warmth anymore, it was a memory long gone along with the pulse. The flame in her hand flickered and shed light into the rock chamber they had just entered, allowing both her and Sokka to see what lay ahead. Sokka's eyes widened when his fears about the cave were confirmed in the least expected manner. His jaw dropped as Azula finally finished her sentence while staring into the most powerful and dangerous golden eyes she had ever seen…
"… A dragon."
A/N:
I do believe I mentioned there would be a surprise in this arc, didn't I…? ;)