Panic flared inside Sokka's mind: what to do, what to do? How to put a stop to whatever Teo was thinking right now? The young man smiled brightly, as though he'd discovered the biggest revelation of all time, and it might be… but had he really discovered anything? For one thing, they were both clothed. For another, they hadn't been doing anything compromising when Sokka opened the door, so…
Wait. Had he just shouted that 'he knew it'?
"Hey! It worked, Dad!" Teo shouted down the hallway, grinning still.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Sokka exclaimed, willing the blood not to rush to his face as he heard Azula slapping her forehead with a hand. No doubt, she'd be feeling quite foolish for letting yet another person find out about them… but Sokka would fix it. He could do it somehow, he had no doubts about that! "What's that supposed to mean, huh? You knew… what, exactly?"
"Ah, that the Princess had a secret affair with someone" Teo smiled proudly "Though my initial guess was Rui Shi, but my Dad said she might like you better so I started to think maybe it was you… see, Dad? You were right!"
Down the hallway, the Mechanist approached with a gentle laugh and an awkward grin. Clearly, he had joined his son's scheme without as much certainty as Teo held, perhaps fearing that the consequences of snooping into Azula's business would be far costlier than they could afford…
"Oh, don't pay Teo much mind, he's just being quite silly…" the Mechanist said, wary over Sokka's reaction too. He had already seen the gladiator's wrath once before… and he deeply hoped he wouldn't have to reacquaint himself with it again anytime soon, let alone directed towards his son.
But instead, it seemed Sokka was absolutely shocked, his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably as he snarled at Teo…
"W-what the hell do you mean, you thought it was Rui Shi?" he said, and Azula groaned in disbelief behind him: of course he'd focus on that, wouldn't he?
"Oh, you know, he just looks like the perfect Fire Nation guy?" Teo shrugged "A lot of the girls in the Temple thought he was the most handsome of the guards. They even had a list to rank them, if you want to-…"
"W-well, that's just stupid!" Sokka squeaked, his voice cracking as it ever did "Why would Azula be with him just because he's Fire Nation and good-looking, huh?! M-moreover…!"
"Yeah, that was my dad's argument!" Teo grinned "He was sure that the Princess would want something much deeper and he thought she had that with you!"
"Wait, you thought what?" Azula asked, eyeing the Mechanist with disbelieving perplexity.
That they had been careless recently was true enough… but that the Mechanist would have picked up their romantic vibes since years ago was nothing short of distressing. No, they had never been all that good at hiding their love… but they had definitely been better at it when they were starting off, and the Mechanist was far from an observant man, as far as she could tell. Did this mean they had been so much worse than she realized…?
"Oh, don't take offense, ahaha! It was just a silly whim, a fantasy, you could say!" the Mechanist answered, his unease more apparent by the minute "Y-you know, it's just… when Sokka was mad at me, and then he stormed off, you came by to find him and then you went looking for him, right? And on the next day, he wasn't mad anymore and you were offering to help me with War Minister Qin, so I had wondered if maybe you had talked things over…"
"And on that basis, you decided we had to be in a romantic relationship?" Azula asked, biting her lip.
"Well, no! Like I said, it was a silly thought, a fantasy, an idea!" the Mechanist shook his head promptly "I'm not saying that's what was going on, of course not!"
"Maybe you're not, but I am" Teo said, grinning brightly.
"You… you thought it was Rui Shi" Sokka grunted, pointing at the young man in the wheelchair "Just so you know, Rui Shi…!"
"Sokka…" Azula interrupted him with a menacing voice, stepping closer in hopes he'd feel slightly threatened by her authoritarian attitude…
And it worked, to a fault. The gladiator froze in place, his eyes flickering towards Azula momentarily before he regained his composure, clearing his throat and standing upright again.
"Uh, Rui Shi is already in a relationship with someone else, is what I was about to say" he declared, with a dry grin.
"Oh? Then all the more reason she'd pick you!" Teo grinned, and Sokka huffed.
"What the hell, are you saying she settled for me?! She didn't…! F-for starters there's nothing going on, you're misunderstanding everything!" Sokka squeaked.
"I am?" Teo asked, puzzled now "But… see, I came by to check on you guys through the night, and your room was empty – if it was yours, I mean, your bags were there so I assumed as much anyways. The other prepared rooms weren't occupied, and the only one that was different was this one, but the door was locked! So I remembered how me and dad talked about whether or not you two could have a romance and I set up a trap just in case, thinking maybe we could catch you red-handed… my dad pushed me right up to the door and then walked away, see? As my chair isn't that noisy, I hoped you guys wouldn't notice it, and you didn't! You only opened the door after my dad's footsteps couldn't be heard anymore, therefore I conclude you were waiting to get out when it was less suspicious! And why would you do that? Because you and the Princess…!"
"Are really good friends!" Sokka declared, gritting his teeth right afterwards. Teo blinked blankly "Y-you see, I had to go to the bathroom, when you came by to check on us earlier"
"Wait… what?"
"And just now? It was a coincidence!" Sokka smiled wildly "I wanted to wake her early today, so we could have a proper, early start on our quest for dragons! See?"
"O-oh… wait, really?" Teo said, his face falling "B-but… but yesterday you guys were getting along so smoothly, I was so sure that…"
"Ah, I told you not to get too hung up on this, Teo" the Mechanist said, smiling sadly and patting his son's shoulder before turning to Sokka "He is an awfully clever one, my Teo, as you can tell… do forgive him for seeing things that weren't there, if you'd be so kind"
"U-uh… yeah. Sure" Sokka said, as Teo grimaced and bowed his head.
"I'm so sorry. I… damn. And I was so sure, too… shows me I shouldn't poke around into everyone else's business…" he sighed, raising his head to gaze at them apologetically "Did I commit some sort of massive treason against the Fire Nation, or…?"
To his surprise, Azula laughed behind Sokka before shaking her head. Teo released a breath as the Mechanist's smile relaxed at last. If the Princess was amused, perhaps all would be well… unless it was meant to be a menacing laugh. Oh, what on earth had they gotten themselves into…?
"If this were massive treason, there's quite a few others who have gotten away with the same crime up to date" Azula smiled, shrugging "You're far from the first person to accuse me of having a much more interesting love life than I do"
"Wha-… really?" Teo gasped, astonished as Azula chuckled again.
"I'm afraid my personal affairs are nowhere near as colorful as many people expect them to be" she said, lying with such casual ease Sokka could barely believe it. He knew all too well that she had to be at her most convincing if she hoped to get Teo and the Mechanist off their case.
"Huh, well… I guess it's not" Teo said, smiling in relief at the Princess's good-natured response "I'm glad you're not offended, though. I was pretty sure I was right, but if I wasn't, I kind of expected you to lash out because, well…"
"Because royals accused of such misdemeanor would be unreasonable?" Azula asked, and Teo shook his head.
"More like, I thought you'd say you had higher standards than that or so…" Teo said, and now Sokka yelped in outrage as Azula snorted and laughed far more freely.
"W-what is that supposed to mean?!" Sokka squeaked, as Azula repressed the urge to soothe him with a hug "What, am I not as handsome as Rui Shi?!"
"W-well, it's not that, but you're a Water Tribe guy, s-so I thought…!"
"Ah, and that is a very important thing to bring up too!" Azula declared, smirking at Sokka "A Water Tribe warrior, so strong and close to his roots… would he truly be likely to develop any sort of intimate relationship with the Princess of his enemy nation?"
"I…!" Sokka started, and Azula raised her eyebrows questioningly, amusement still plain across her face "W-well, I just…"
"Yeah, that's a fair point" Teo laughed, nodding.
"So it's not just I who would have to lower her standards, you see…" Azula smirked teasingly "Sokka as well must feel the same way. How could he have any sort of relationship with someone like me?"
"Indeed, Princess, it was a silly idea of Teo's" the Mechanist chuckled, patting his son's shoulders gently as the whole group laughed – except Sokka, who blushed wildly as he contained his impulsive outburst in Azula's favor. He knew, of course, that she was merely trying to lend further credibility to their lies… but it was outrageous that she'd have to do it by pretending he could never find her attractive "We can leave it all in the past, right?"
"Absolutely" Azula said, smiling and nodding graciously "Now, then, my gladiator did fetch me so we could get an early start on our trip today, so… if you'd excuse us"
Azula bowed her head curtly towards the Mechanist and Teo, and the two of them performed much deeper reverences in her direction before Azula started on her way to the dining hall. Sokka lagged behind briefly, watching her leave somewhat remorsefully: why would he be such a fool, longing to set the record straight and make sure that everyone knew he loved her? Why on earth would he prefer it when people thought he was crazy about the Princess, in a one-sided infatuation without future, rather than tricking them as thoroughly as they apparently just had tricked Teo and his father? Sokka gritted his teeth and shook his head, quickly sprinting into his room to clad himself in fresh clothes, his armor and weapons, and he raced out of the room at haste, hoping to catch up with Azula before she reached the dining hall.
To his relief and surprise, she had waited for him merely a few corridors down. She offered him a sincere grin, and he sighed, slouching once he reached her.
"I can't believe how many close calls we've had lately. We're really doing badly these days" Sokka groaned, shaking his head "You okay?"
"I'm fine, actually. You're the one who's moping about nearly getting caught, not me" Azula smiled, and Sokka scowled.
"Yeah, which is weird enough, Princess" he said, raising a finger to poke her shoulder probingly "What's gotten into you, huh? Weren't you the one with the common sense yesterday, saying I'd be crazy if I said I'd reveal our relationship to Teo and the Mechanist for convenience's sake? You're always the first one to deny our relationship because no one can know, so why are you so calm right now? Or… wait, is it part of being a good liar? Keeping your cool, taking things as humorous instead of flying into a blind rage…?"
"Uh, well, it is part of it, but that's not why I'm…" Azula said, breathing deeply and shrugging "It's not that. It's only… well, I guess the idea was subtly planted in my brain after we joked around yesterday. I don't know how to explain it, not without it sounding stupid. But on some level, so far, everyone who has found out has been harmless…"
"Except your uncle" Sokka said, folding his arms over his chest "You had to do some really crazy stuff to get him off your case, remember?"
"Of course I remember, and I succeeded, but my uncle is a special case" Azula sighed "Everyone else, though… they've always kept the secret, no matter what. And then, because we had a chance to wake up together today, I guess Shu Jing came to mind again and… is it that wrong of me to miss it? The chance of waking up beside you, without having to run to our rooms as fast as possible, to be around people who know about our love and don't judge us for it…?"
"Azula…" Sokka said, loosening his arms quickly: his previous moodiness had shifted altogether… just as Azula's previous, free flow of thought finally registered in her own head. She frowned out of nowhere, perplexed.
"Uh… yeah, you know what? I just heard myself, and I realize how stupid that must sound" she said, with a dry grin "Never mind, I'm being an idiot. We have to keep as few people in the loop as possible, comfort can't be a priority…"
"I guess it can't, but it's not wrong for you to want that" Sokka said, reaching out to take her hand in his "I want it too, as you must know already…"
"I know" Azula whispered, squeezing his fingers gently "That's why it's stupid for me to be fine with derailing everything we have because of a whim. I should know better"
"It's just… impossible, in some ways" Sokka said "I mean, if we're in a small group that knows about us, it's fine. Like it was in those two parties, remember? Well, we weren't all that safe in Ty Lee's wedding, it's true, but…"
"But it's either being in a small group of friends, or in a large group of strangers, like in Firelight Town, with people who have no idea who we are" Azula finished, with a shrug "There's no way we can be together openly while still being ourselves, it's true. So…"
"So?" Sokka said, as Azula drew back her hand and smiled knowingly at him.
"So we'd best not be fools and wait until we're ninety or so. We'll be safe by then" she said, and Sokka's jaw dropped.
"Hey! You always said it was until we were seventy! You've tacked on twenty extra years?!"
"Oh, it's only that, for safety's sake, it might be better if I hold the throne for a while before doing something impossibly controversial…" Azula teased him, restarting her way to the dining hall while Sokka gasped at her reasoning, indignant.
The day often started early in the Air Temple, so the dining hall was almost fully occupied even if Sokka and Azula had woken at dawn. They found a table to sit at together, and as much as their mood had improved after their latest banter, Sokka remained tense, wary of any eyes set on them, careful not to show himself too friendly with the Princess… a difficult task, seeing as he had always been too friendly with her, even before their relationship had begun in full.
Still, neither of them were remotely as tense as Teo: he had pushed his wheelchair absentmindedly, only realizing now what danger he could have put himself in – and his father, by extension – if his guess had been correct or if the Princess hadn't been so good-natured about the whole matter. For once, it seemed he had been the crazy, reckless one, while his father had been far more cautious and careful.
"I'm really lucky she didn't react any worse…" Teo sighed, lowering his head as him and his father slowed to a halt near the dining hall "You were right, I didn't think things through in all regards. And I mean… uh, yeah, figuring out a Princess's secrets is probably a very unhealthy idea.
"Don't beat yourself up about it that much, Teo, they didn't take it so badly" the Mechanist replied, but Teo grimaced.
"Well, she didn't. He looked… well, outraged. It's kind of funny how angry he was that I had thought she'd be with Rui Shi" Teo reasoned, stroking his beard "And… well, they really did look like they were panicking, you know? When he opened the door, and I was there…"
"I suppose they weren't expecting anyone at all" said the Mechanist, with a casual shrug.
"If that's the case, why did she smack her face with her hand?" Teo said, raising an eyebrow… and then he shook his head abruptly "No, no, no! Enough digging around! If they say nothing's going on, nothing's going on! I… I have to know my place!"
"It's safer if you do, I admit" said the Mechanist, smiling and patting his shoulder "I'd suppose it's not the first time anyone accuses them of being involved, what with their closeness… maybe that's why the Princess reacted as she did?"
"Maybe. Surely. That's all there is to it, right? Definitely" Teo sighed, nodding as he pushed his wheelchair again "Let's… eat. Probably at another table. I doubt they'll want to talk to me right now"
The Mechanist nodded and followed, offering only a curt nod in Sokka's direction as he and Teo fetched their own trays of food. The gladiator was nearly finished with his meal, though the Princess was taking her time with her own: she had requested a small kettle with which she had brewed her personal tea, and she had drained most of the cup by now.
"So… is Xin awake yet?" Sokka asked, and Azula nodded.
"And predictably sore" she said. Sokka chuckled "He'll be fine, though. He's so thrilled that… that he'll forget about it when we're out searching. Though we're not likely to get quick results, it's true, but still…"
"Yeah, might take a few days" Sokka said, breathing out slowly "Still, we should eat all we can, and pack supplies from their kitchen, if they have enough to spare. Who knows how long we'll be out there, after all…"
"I guess so" Azula said, biting her lip. There wasn't much point in delaying the inevitable, was there? "Can you go ask about that at the kitchens while I finish up here?"
"Yeah, no problem" Sokka said, grinning before pushing himself up to his feet.
They had to be mindful of a few factors once they began their search: hopefully they wouldn't bump into Rhone at any point of their search. There was also the strange area of the mountains that felt like death, a location where Azula deeply hoped they would find absolutely no sign of dragons… for, if there were any, it'd likely be signs of their corpses instead, and nothing could be quite as foreboding as that…
She forced herself to finish her plate, and she followed Sokka to Xin Long's courtyard by then: they packed supplies as best as they could, enough to ensure they'd survive a few days outside of the Temple even if they intended to return before nightfall. They found Xin Long lying awkwardly on the ground, twitching with discomfort until they arrived.
"Ah, I would've woken you to relieve you from your saddle and armor last night, but I couldn't stop you from chasing down your hippocows" Azula smiled, placing a hand over her dragon's long snout "But I hope you rested well, despite that"
Xin Long groaned softly and nodded, leaning close to drag his tongue lightly over Azula's cheek. The Princess flinched at that, but she smiled and patted his head gently as Sokka strapped their bags to the saddle.
"You'll be taking off now?" the Mechanist's voice reached them: he and Teo stood on the sidelines of the courtyard, along with a few others. Teo still looked rather apprehensive, even after Azula smiled in his direction.
"Yeah, we should be back by nighttime" Azula said "That being said, if we don't show up within, say… two or three days? Feel free to send a bird to Ba Sing Se so my guards can barrel into the mountains with the train-tank to find us"
"Well, that surely won't be necessary, Princess" Sokka pouted, but Azula laughed and shook her head.
"When it comes to us and our catastrophic ventures into nature, nobody knows what the outcome will be" she declared, hoisting herself into the saddle's seat with a hand. Sokka smiled and followed suit, settling right behind her as Azula turned her head to nod at the onlookers.
"We should be back soon" she said, and the Mechanist and Teo nodded, waving in their direction.
Azula smiled reassuringly at them before turning towards Xin Long: giddy and eager as he was, nervousness seemed to claw away at him now. Azula nudged him gently with a knee on his flank, and he groaned before taking off slowly, without riding into the sky as enthusiastically as he ever did.
"And… what's with you now?" Azula asked, slipping her uninjured hand into her dragon's mane.
Xin Long sighed, his tail swaying from side to side, betraying his deep uncertainties. Azula raised her eyebrows as his confusing jumble of thoughts coursed from his mind to hers: maybe Sokka was right and he should've listened instead of playing with the Knowledge Seekers.
"Sokka was right? About what, exactly?" Azula asked, amused. Behind her, the gladiator leaned in, curious upon hearing his name mentioned.
"What did I do now?" he asked, and Azula chuckled.
"If you don't know…" she said, as Xin Long finally managed to convey his thoughts, while traveling circularly through the air: he hadn't cared for any advice on how to do any mating rites, but what if they did find a female dragon and she hated him on sight?
His confession brought Azula to laugh out loud as Xin Long whined, begging her to take his predicament seriously. As much as Sokka had improved at reading the dragon's mood and thoughts, he hadn't made nearly enough progress to understand what was happening this time around.
"Oh, Xin… well, if anything, your two riders are evidence that even the worst first impression can still be remedied later" Azula chuckled, patting his armor's plates gently. Xin Long turned his head to glance at her with large, hopeful eyes "So rest assured, if we do find a female, even if you mess up, it's not going to be the end of the world. Alright?"
"Aha! I told him to study up on that, I did!" Sokka declared stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest as Azula laughed: by now, Xin Long had settled down slightly, grinning in his own way as he picked up speed and rushed through the mountains "Good thing I wrote down all that information too, even if he told me not to"
"I guess he's just shy" Azula smiled "Still, there's a chance there are more dragons in the wild than just one female, right? Even if we did find one, I'd like to think the perpetuation of your species won't hinge on you alone…"
Xin Long nodded: he hoped they'd find several dragons, or eggs, at least. If it was eggs, he'd be their father! And he hoped to be a better father than Azula's…
"Oh, that's not a high bar to overcome, I'm afraid" Azula smiled melancholically, a sigh leaving her lips: she had more than enough grievances with Ozai, but sometimes her rational disapproval of him was at blatant war with her lingering emotional attachment to the man… an attachment she deeply wished she could do away with as easily as it seemed Ozai did with his own.
But Xin Long would have a brand-new start with any dragons they found. Whether young or old, fully grown, dragonlings or eggs, he would have a new family soon enough, if there were more dragons out there. A new family that would, hopefully, be nothing like Azula's own.
"Alright, so…" Sokka said, looking through the stash of papers he'd brought for the trip. Azula smiled and glanced back at him as he searched for his notes on dragon mating "He must fluff his mane a lot, and do some sort of mating dance ritual, though the book didn't really detail how that's done. Also, if the dragoness runs away, it's supposed to be some sort of challenge, and he must give her chase to prove himself… hmm. Going by what this says, I think I can say I have a fair share of experience at mating with a dragoness"
"Ah? You fluffed up your mane?" Azula asked, smirking. Sokka snorted.
"What'd you think is the point of letting you see me with my hair down, Princess?" he smirked back "We both know you're terribly weak against that"
His words paralyzed her: it was true, as much as she hadn't thought of it that way. Sokka snickered, hands on her hips.
"And I think you can say we spent over a year doing a strange sort of mating dance ritual, you know? All the flirting and fighting and banter and making out in awkward situations…"
"All that counts?" Azula asked.
"Sure! Plus, we danced for real later too" Sokka grinned "With no music, but still…"
"And you chased me when I ran away?" Azula asked "When we first found Xin Long, you mean?"
"Yeah, that's probably what fits best" Sokka chuckled "For a man who vowed not to try to be with you romantically, I sure as heck blew that promise to smithereens…"
"You certainly did" Azula smiled, reaching for his hand over hers "In your defense, I'm grateful you did"
"Good to know" Sokka whispered, leaning close to kiss her neck softly.
"Be careful, now…" Azula said softly "The Temple's not that far away, and you never know if the Mechanist has a super powerful spyglass of some sort…"
"Heh, you say it as a joke, but he actually did have a project for that…" Sokka said, grimacing and pulling away from her to glance warily over his shoulder.
Xin Long had flown far enough that the Temple had shrunken in the distance, and the refugees could no longer be seen… but an ambitious spyglass could allow them to see what was happening on the saddle, even at a distance. Azula was right to say he'd do best not to do anything risky until there was at least one more mountain between them and the Mechanist's people…
The dragon flew lower as they finally reached the first mountain: they coursed around it, closely enough to find any potential crevices that might have been caves. Both Azula and Xin Long resonated continuously once they reached it, hoping to sense fire within… but so far, there was no answer from the mountains. Azula couldn't even sense heat underground: these mountains were old, perhaps too old. The lava that had formed them had long solidified, and sensing the earth's mantle from within those mountains wouldn't prove easy outside of deep caves, she surmised.
"Nothing yet?" Sokka asked, and Azula shook her head.
Finally, after they had progressed across several tall peaks, a sizable crevice in a mountainside beckoned them to fly towards it: Xin Long sped up at haste, resonating recklessly… to no avail, at least so far. He landed on the cave's entrance, finding unwelcome darkness within it.
"Alright, Xin. None of us are that fond of caves… but if you want to see for yourself if there's dragons here, you can't back down now" Azula said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. The dragon whined but nodded, trooping inside the cave slowly, his riders lowering their heads so they wouldn't bump them against the cave's low ceiling.
"Should we have climbed off the saddle…?" Sokka asked, and Azula shook her head.
"Best not. If this ends up being a situation as awkward as the one with the crazy buzzard-wasps, it's surely better for us to be ready to flee at haste… meaning, it's better not to dismount unless it's absolutely necessary" Azula declared. Sokka nodded in silent agreement.
Azula raised her uninjured hand, procuring a small but bright plum of fire that allowed them to see more clearly in the depths of the dark tunnel… and that was how they discovered, to their chagrin, that the cave wasn't anywhere near as deep as they had expected: it ended bluntly, in a round, natural chamber, and there were no signs of it spreading any further in any direction. Xin Long huffed, irritated.
"There, there. It's just the first one we've found" Azula said, gritting her teeth "Maybe we'll have better luck with the next one"
Xin Long groaned in response as he turned around, his head hung as they left the cave anew. Azula sighed, dreading her reassuring words wouldn't suffice. Yet, just as she lost hope to lift Xin Long's spirits, Sokka would slip his arms around her waist and kiss her neck softly, a tender, silent reminder that she wasn't fighting her battles alone: he stood behind her, holding her up whenever she might falter.
Further attempts to track down caves failed every time: some caves were too far up in the mountains, so dragons wouldn't have been likely to frequent them to lay eggs when the planet's heat couldn't be sensed easily from there. The others they found were far from complex tunnel mazes, nothing like Xin Long's own former home: they were often truncated merely a short walk from the entrance, and there were no signs of dragons anywhere near them.
"Alright, alright… this isn't everything I researched anyhow" Sokka said, looking through his papers once again "It's a good idea to look for signs of charred vegetation and rocks, obviously… but also, if we happen upon any animal bones, if they're slightly charred too, that's a sign of a dragon? So we should keep that in mind as well"
"Did you read anything about finding dragon tracks, perhaps?" Azula asked, glancing at the woodlands they were flying over "I suppose they generally fly everywhere… so maybe a pattern in the growth of tree branches, caused by fast dragon flight? Any particular types of food, or rather, prey, they liked better than others?"
"Well, there's wolfbats" Sokka said, shrugging, before smiling awkwardly "Figures that dragons like to eat wolves, huh…?"
"Wolfbats aren't wolves" Azula smiled, elbowing him gently at his weak joke "Either way, I suppose as far as diets are concerned, small critters would have to do. Right?"
"Probably" Sokka said "Bigger animals were likely to fight back, so I guess they may have stuck to smaller ones…"
With a dragon's diet in mind, as well as the signs of charred forests, they continued their journey with the constant, wary fear that Xin Long might lose his patience before long. Eventually, Sokka spotted what appeared to be the trail of a large animal below them, and he climbed off the saddle only to jump right back on it seconds later: the trail belonged to a gopher bear, rather than a dragon, and he seemed rather displeased about the trespassers in his territory. Xin Long, naturally, was encouraged by his riders to fly away at haste.
The day drifted past them gradually, and the keen weight of failure already hung heavily between them all. The humans did their best not to show their uncertainty, but the dragon was nowhere near as enthusiastic as they tried to be.
"It's just the first day, anyways" Azula declared "Maybe tomorrow will yield better results. We might just have picked the wrong area to scout today"
"Hopefully" Sokka pouted, his chin on her shoulder "Though… you know? There's one thing we haven't tried yet. Or, rather, Xin Long hasn't tried it"
"What is it?" Azula asked.
"Roaring" Sokka answered, simply "Apparently dragons of old communicated at large distances by roaring. Might not work, but…"
He couldn't finish his sentence before a loud, ferocious roar tore through the peaceful forests and mountains with the force of an avalanche. Both Azula and Sokka flinched, covering their ears while they failed to give them, and their eyes, any credit: Xin Long had opened his jaws, and instead of a barrage of fire, he had instead released a sound so loud it would have put the best of the Fire Nation's megaphones to shame.
"X-Xin! At least give us a warning…!" Azula scolded him once he had fallen silent. The dragon merely raised his head haughtily before offering her a quick warning indeed: he was going to do it again, so she'd better cover up "Ugh, he's doing it again! Sokka…!"
"Crap" Sokka said, grimacing. He really hoped this idea would work, otherwise he'd deeply regret risking being rendered deaf by the sheer force of Xin Long's mighty roars.
Birds flew away from the trees they had nestled in so comfortably, alarmed by the loud, rumbling noise that had poured out of the dragon's throat. It was truly astonishing that he could be so loud – he had never roared like this in the past, not that Azula could remember. But where he usually roared to intimidate, or for playful purposes, this time he wanted to be heard. And as frustrated as he clearly was, it seemed the roaring helped ease the dragon's aching, lonely heart.
Finally, he fell quiet again, and a tense silence settled around them. Azula and Sokka lowered their hands, which had been covering their ears so far, and they glanced at Xin Long questioningly. He couldn't offer them much more than a desolate, dejected silence now.
"Hey… maybe it was too long" Azula suggested "If your roars are shorter, we'll know for sure whether someone's listening, or replying… I hope"
Xin Long sighed but nodded, flying further before offering a quick warning again: when Azula covered her ears, Sokka did the same, though the rudimentary protection of their hands served little purpose when the dragon's roar was so loud and powerful.
Each attempt yielded the same result: birds flying away, creatures scurrying from the intimidating dragon that was coursing the skies. Xin Long cared little for whatever fear his voice might instill into the hearts of all the animals hiding within the mountain's woods: all he needed was an answer, any answer. And so far, he had heard nothing.
They progressed further, finding very little in the way of fire worth resonating against: at one point, Xin Long rushed towards a sudden burst of flames only to discover it came from a small shack deep in the mountains, where a chimney had been running. Frustrated, he had roared again in hopes his voice might scare whoever had tricked him by lighting that fire, regardless of being aware that the fire hadn't been lit for his sake.
"Maybe we're too close to the northern coast by now" Sokka said, holding a hand over his eyes as he scoured the horizon "Could be we ought to turn back and search the eastern side of this mountain range instead?"
"It's a possibility" Azula conceded, thumbing Xin Long's reins nervously "Though we probably should search as thoroughly as possible while we're already here, right?"
"I guess, but would dragons really come by this way?" Sokka asked, and Azula shrugged.
"Isn't this one of the locations in your notes?" she asked. Sokka bit his lip as he searched for his rudimentary map "You said there were many reported sightings around this area, so I figure…"
Again, Xin Long warned her he'd roar. Azula raised her hands and covered her ears, nudging Sokka with a foot to do the same. He scrambled with his papers, clutching them between his bicep and forearm as he covered his ears hastily as well: another loud, proud, yet heartbroken roar poured from Xin Long's throat, another desperate attempt in hopes that someone, anyone, might listen.
A muffled, soft sound paralyzed Xin Long in place just after he finished his roar. The dragon's gold eyes widened immediately, and he peeled his small ears for more…
"Something going on?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged, lowering her hands.
"He… he seems to have heard something?" Azula said "But I didn't hear…"
Again, Xin Long gathered his strength and roared. His humans, again, had covered their ears… and perhaps that was why they couldn't hear it.
Because, once again, his cry received an answer.
He flew at such haste Sokka's papers nearly flew off into the wind as they rushed to one of the furthermost peaks in the mountain range – his second cry was meant to pinpoint the direction of the muted sound as accurately as possible. Azula was still confused – she hadn't heard anything so far, so either Xin Long's hearing was that much better than hers, or he had lost his mind, or his frequent roars had actually damaged her hearing –, but she leaned over her dragon anyways, providing him with further versatility as he flew across the sky and winds as hastily as he dared.
Xin Long didn't stop until they reached the very last tall peak of the mountain range: the rocky coast at its foot received the northern ocean's waves, lapping back and forth regularly. The mountain the dragon had guided them to appeared no more impressive or extraordinary than the many others they had seen so far, but Xin Long flew at full speed only to stop there.
"Alright… feel anything?" Sokka asked Azula, raising his eyebrows. The Princess swallowed hard and closed her eyes, resonating as deeply as she could…
There was nothing in the mountain's heights. However, it wasn't the heights they had to test… so Xin Long descended rapidly towards the ground, resonating as desperately as his rider did.
A light, nearly imperceptible, burst of fire underground.
Azula gasped, and Xin Long whimpered in a very strange way, a sound neither human had ever heard from him before. He was frantic right away, flying at haste to find an entrance anywhere… while Sokka clung to Azula, his lips drawn back in a grimace.
"You did feel something this time?" Sokka asked, and Azula patted his hands gently.
"Fire… there's fire inside this mountain" she confirmed, and bothered as he was by Xin Long's sudden, chaotic flight, Sokka still had it in him to be amazed… and to understand why the dragon was behaving so frantically now "I don't know what it is, but… Xin heard something before. He did, so…"
"So, it can be an actual, living dragon…?" Sokka asked, eyes wide. Azula nodded.
"Not an egg, for an egg wouldn't have answered, obviously" Azula said, with an awkward smile "So… time to find a cave entrance in this big mountain, right?"
"Right" Sokka smiled, and now he hugged Azula in quiet celebration instead.
They studied the mountain carefully: the top of it featured no openings, nothing worth exploiting. Xin Long rounded the mountain slowly, moving lower and lower still… and as excited as they were, as thrilling as it was to sense that small warmth somewhere within the earth, the lack of an entrance was increasingly worrisome.
"Okay… so, if there's no way in, how did a dragon lay an egg in there?" Sokka asked, scratching his head as Xin Long finally landed, groaning in frustration "It makes no sense…"
"Maybe a rockslide blocked the natural entrances?" Azula suggested, with a sigh "We'll have to find an earthbender to help us, if that's the case…"
"That'll take a while" Sokka groaned "But… say, if Xin heard something, then his roars were heard within the mountain, right? And it wouldn't have happened if the caverns in there are completely blocked and isolated from the outer world…"
"Maybe a cluster of tunnels, starting from someplace else…?" Azula suggested, stroking her chin as she glanced about herself "Where, though…?"
"If the caverns are somewhat isolated, they still need a lasting supply of water and food" Sokka mused "There's no way a dragon would have survived without either thing… unless the cave-in was recent?"
Azula nudged Xin Long, asking if the voice he had heard sounded sickly, or weak. Xin Long shook his head briskly: it had been faint, because he couldn't easily hear it in the distance, but it had been powerful enough to travel across many mountains to where they were. No weak dragon could have roared that way.
"Then the cave-in mustn't be that recent, and the dragon is relatively healthy" Azula said, nodding "I'd say our best bet is looking for other possible caves and tunnels that might lead all the way to the mountain. Something's bound to work eventually"
Sokka nodded as Azula steered Xin Long back to midair. A quick scrutiny from above would be likely to help them pinpoint the best locations for secretive caves and tunnels.
There wasn't much to be found further inland – the forest was mostly even, and if there were any caves hiding within it, they might only be small burrows, if anything. They sped towards a cluster of rocks, hopeful that they might conceal an entrance… but it was merely rocks. Further towards the coast they found a grotto – a truncated cave, much like those they had frequented on their trip to Shu Jing – but there were no hidden tunnels in sight so far.
"How about we go back to the Air Temple and ask the Mechanist to lend us one of his drills?" Sokka asked, sighing "That way we could bust open the cave…"
"As long as it's not the Drill that was used to tear open Ba Sing Se's wall…" Azula said, with a dry grin "I suppose it'd be the right size to pierce through a mountain, but from what I've heard, it was so massive it took my father's factories half a year to build it and another half to send it all the way to the city"
"Heh, yeah, I read that blueprint too. It looked terrifying" Sokka admitted "Still, he devised smaller drills, so… can't we use one of those?"
"Might as well try and find earthbenders amongst the refu-… uh, what's that?"
Sokka had been glancing at the ground underneath them as Xin Long flew, disheartened, over further vegetation near the coast. But Azula's voice compelled both the dragon and the gladiator to raise their heads in the direction Azula was pointing at:
There was a massive crevice near the bay: an opening within the rocky ground.
"Is that it?" Sokka asked, gasping before Xin Long rushed towards their newest lead.
Flying low as he had been, Xin Long touched down on the ground and trotted up to the rim of the opening Azula had glimpsed: it was a surprisingly large hole, formed within the solid rock. And once they glanced into its depths…
"Water?" Sokka said, and their spirits fell just as fast as they had risen earlier.
"Wait, wait…" Azula gritted her teeth, scrutinizing the strange, natural formation beneath their feet "This can't be some sort of natural well, can it?"
"I don't know. I mean, the water comes from somewhere, I suppose, but…" Sokka answered, with a shrug.
"It's like… a sinkhole, of some sort?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows "I think we ought to take a closer look. Just in case there's a possible tunnel somewhere inside…"
Xin Long followed Azula's suggestion, drifting slowly down the dark sinkhole until he was hovering just above the calm water. The cave was humid, though the rock around them was as solid as could be. Sokka leaned down carefully, touching the water lightly with his fingertips only to bring them to his lips afterwards, tasting the water.
"It's… it's not fully fresh water" he said "But it's definitely not salt water either"
"A mix of both?" Azula asked "Does the pool have two sources of water, then? The ocean and…"
They had glanced in the direction of the sea, only to turn their heads slowly towards the opposite direction now. Xin Long groaned softly, a warning that he would do something rather risky now… Azula hardly had time to brace herself and clasp Sokka's hand before Xin Long descended, sinking his head and half his body into the pool of what proved to be remarkably cold water.
"Ah, shit! Xin!" Azula exclaimed, gritting her teeth as she clung to Sokka for safety's sake. Water Tribe as he was, Sokka as well was in clear discomfort against the icy water that seeped through their pants and boots.
Xin Long remained as impervious as could be to their discomfort, though: he swayed his head from side to side, searching avidly for the second source of water. He swam slowly towards the wall opposite to the ocean… the wall directed towards the mountain where they had felt the heat they had been chasing all along.
Deep, a few meters below the surface, he spotted a sizable enough gap in the rock… a gap he might just be able to fit through, if he was careful.
He broke out to the surface again with a cry of success, though he didn't explain what he'd found to his uncomfortable rider right away: the cold got to him too, and he had to fly out of the pool to reclaim his natural heat by landing on the edge of the rock within which the pool was encased, underneath the pale sunlight.
"Okay, please tell me we're not going to travel underwater to find the dragons you guys sensed…" Sokka said, shuddering as he and Azula climbed off Xin Long's saddle. The dragon focused on heating his body through his inner fire, much as Azula could. The Princess, however, had decided to warm up her hands instead and recover some of her legs' heat by rubbing her palms against them. When she did it for Sokka as well he smiled approvingly.
"Uh, well…" Azula said, kneeling before Sokka as she was "He hasn't been all that communicative, the cold got to him too. But I think he saw a tunnel, so… yeah, that's what it looks like"
"Fascinating" Sokka grimaced "So much for making my peace with caves, huh?"
"There, there" Azula smiled, pushing herself up to her feet "It's just one final hurdle, I hope…"
"The mountain is close by, but not that close" Sokka mused, raising his eyebrows "Do you think we can go with him? Won't we lose our breath down there?"
"Says the man who can hold his breath without a hitch when he uses his smoke bombs?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka blinked blankly.
"Huh…"
"I've always had good lung capacity, it's needed for all firebenders" she explained "So… I'd think we stand a chance. What worries me most is the cold temperature of the water, frankly…"
Sokka gulped, eyeing the cold pool of water down below with uncertainty. They had certainly gotten entangled in far too many strange situations over the past months: running through a desert, experiencing strange, surreal dreams because of a swamp, finding a cave about two legendary lovers like themselves, then a Spirit Library and now…
"We're going to need a break, a really good one, once this mess is over" he told Azula, who smiled and leaned close to kiss his cheek.
"We can bear with it. There's no challenge we can't face, is there?" she declared "We should eat something before we head underwater, though. And… for safety's sake, maybe we should leave our bags here. And, uh, our clothes?"
"Our clothes?" Sokka repeated.
"Our armor, at least" Azula said, raising her eyebrows "Remember what happened the last time we tried to swim in armor?"
"Ugh. True" Sokka grimaced.
"And wet, cold clothes aren't likely to be very healthy once we surface again after being underwater, so…"
"You want us to ride Xin Long nearly naked?" Sokka asked, with a smirk "That's a first…"
"A second, if anything" Azula smirked back "Forgot about the hot spring cove so soon? We were wearing about as many clothes as we will be now, if anything…"
"Huh. True enough" Sokka conceded "And… will Xin Long need to loosen up the armor too? He's the one who should be doing most the swimming, or am I wrong?"
"The armor…" Azula nodded, reaching out to touch her dragon's snout "And the saddle too, likely"
"So, all three of us will be nearly naked, huh?" Sokka asked, grinning awkwardly. Azula shrugged.
"Seems the safest bet to ensure our survival, so yes" she declared, jerking her head at their packs "Now, let's eat and we'll deal with the rest afterwards, shall we?"
Xin Long took to finding something to hunt, leaving the two humans to enjoy lunch while cautiously looking forward to their next venture. They sat by the edge of the large crevice in the rock, watching the shifting colors of the green-blue pool down below, that seemed to challenge them to brave its waters.
"Dragons, hidden inside a mountain, potentially behind a barrier of water" Sokka recited, once he finished the last of his currently allotted food "It sounds… well, surreal. Like everything we've been through lately"
"I suppose it's true, we haven't had the best of luck in many ways" Azula chuckled "But at least we can't possibly get bored if we're exploring underwater caves, finding dragons, meeting spirits and whatnot…"
"That's true, but I'm starting to wonder if the craziness will ever slow down" Sokka offered Azula a crooked grin, and she laughed softly, taking his hand in hers.
"It's us, Sokka. It never does" she said, placing her head comfortably on his shoulder just when Xin Long returned, with his freshly hunted prey dangling between his fangs.
They started their preparations once they finished eating: all armor and weapons were removed and gathered underneath a sturdy rock near a thicket of trees. Xin Long's saddle shared their fate, as well as all the bags that had been strapped to it – Sokka's papers, helpful as they had been, would have to stay behind as well, so the gladiator had given them a hasty, last minute read before putting them away for the time being. Their clothes were next, and Xin Long groaned awkwardly, telling his riders not to get any ridiculous ideas about mating when they were up to something so important – a concern he was most entitled to have, considering both Azula and Sokka had eyed each other greedily once their bodies had been exposed, stripped down to their underwear.
"Alright, alright… this is the really awkward part" Sokka said, swallowing hard as he stared at Xin Long's scaly back "We were fine, riding him without a saddle back when we first found him, but…"
"But we had clothes. This won't be comfortable" Azula said, biting her lip before carefully slinging a leg over her dragon's body. She did her best to find a good spot, but the scales dug into her skin no matter how she sat. She sighed in resignation before long "Yeah, not much to be done, this won't be pretty. Come on, Sokka"
The gladiator climbed behind her, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist immediately. As exposed as Azula was, the most private areas of her body remained hidden, as did her injured hand, still bearing the bamboo splint and bandages Song had wrapped it in merely two days prior. Yet the contact between their bodies was comforting, intimate, even if it took place on the back of a scaly dragon.
"Alright. Let's freeze" Sokka said, unenthusiastically. Azula laughed as Xin Long floated carefully again, hovering slowly towards the water that waited down below.
It was mid-afternoon by the time they were ready for what they hoped would be their final hurdle in finding dragons. Azula breathed deeply several times, and Sokka followed her example as Xin Long finally touched the water. His descent was gradual, and the two humans on his back flinched when the icy water touched their skin anew. Xin Long continued to move downwards, however, only keeping his head above the water to give Azula a meaningful glance, once she was up to her neck in the cold pool.
"O-okay… time to take a proper, deep breath, Sokka" Azula warned her secret husband, who clung to her tightly "Also… we'll lean against Xin Long, he might swim faster that way"
"Gotcha" Sokka nodded, leaning close to kiss her cheek softly "I love you"
"I know you do. You wouldn't have joined me in this mad quest otherwise" Azula smiled. Sokka snorted.
"This one, all of them… makes no matter. I'll be by your side through anything" he said.
"And I by yours. But now… we must be by Xin's, too" Azula declared, huffing softly "So we take a deep breath in three, two, and one…"
All three breathed as deeply as they possibly could: only once they were finished did Xin Long dare sink lower into the water, and as much as his initial slow descent had eased their bodies for the temperature, the cold was piercing every inch of their bodies by now. Azula, however, tightened her hold on Sokka's hands as she leaned forward, as she had told him they should: the water was opaque, difficult to see through, and all they could do by now was trust in Xin Long's better eyesight and judgment, for at least it seemed he outdid them when it came to the former, from what Azula could tell.
The dragon's body was far better conditioned to brave being underwater than theirs: he padded deeper into the pool, all four legs pushing quickly as he angled his body towards the large, gaping hole in the wall: his tail offered further impulse as well, swaying in perfectly timed circles that helped him speed up. Before long, they had entered the tunnel proper, and Xin Long did his best to continue gaining speed as he progressed through the rocky ridges underwater: there were stalactites and stalagmites throughout the tunnel, threatening to obstruct his path, but he sorted through them without as much trouble as he had feared he'd have, at first.
Nevertheless, as talented as all of them might be at holding their breath, it wasn't quite so easy to contain it after longer than two minutes under water. The tunnel was nowhere close to ending just yet, and turning back for air would be a waste of time, Xin Long knew…
Just then, the tunnel arched upwards. With a strong set of kicks, the dragon rushed through the water diagonally, hoping deeply that the upwards slope wouldn't end before they were above the water's level…
His snout broke out to the surface. Without a second thought, Xin Long pushed his body upwards, and Sokka and Azula's heads nearly crashed against the cave's ceiling. They gasped and coughed, desperate for the little respite they found within the small pocket of air within the tunnel.
"Shit… shit, this is so unpleasant…" Sokka grimaced, hugging Azula tightly. The Princess barely could speak at all, but she allowed her inner fire to flare, infusing her with temporary, helpful heat that she hoped to transmit to Sokka somehow.
"W-we can't stay here for too long" Azula told Xin, who couldn't even fit his whole head in the small air pocket "T-the sooner we get to the end of the tunnel, the better for all of us, so…"
Xin Long only whimpered softly as a response: he asked her to do her countdown again, and while Azula's body screamed at her not to sink underwater anew, she complied with Xin Long's request. Three, two and one… a deep breath, and once again, the wet coldness surrounded them completely, squeezing their bodies, almost coaxing them to release the air they had sought so desperately.
Xin Long started his kicks again, hoping to move faster this time. He flared his inner fire as well, but it was harder to do without the chance to breathe freely. He dodged more obstacles, swaying his tail carefully as he traversed the deep, dark, complicated tunnel… and again, the breathlessness got to them after a shorter time now: Xin Long struggled to find a new pocket of air for himself and his humans, but at last the tunnel arched upwards again and they could fill their lungs with fresh air… by then, the cold hurt as small knives might.
"A-again… we have to… again…" Azula gasped.
"How much further can it be…?" Sokka whispered breathlessly.
"I don't know. I don't know, but we can't stop. We can't…" Azula said, her voice cracking as she spoke "Let's… again. At least one more…"
They breathed, and they submerged. Xin Long cursed himself, wondering if he ought to have learned more effective ways to swim during his leisurely years of chasing critters in the Fire Nation. Maybe if he had, he would be swimming so fast they would have reached the end of the tunnel already. Then again, how could he have known he would ever have to travel underwater in this weird manner?
This time, when they were running out of breath, the tunnel seemed determined not to tilt upwards. Xin Long kicked faster, faster, rushing through the water without restraint, but nothing yet, and he could feel his rider wasn't quite alright on his back…
But worse yet was the gladiator behind her.
Azula clutched Sokka's hands throughout their underwater trip, and he had clutched her back through it all… but the sudden sight of bubbles right beside her head was a bad sign. Mere moments afterwards, the pressure of his hand on hers weakened.
She glanced back at him, panicking: was he still conscious? His face was right beside hers, but she couldn't see him in this dark, muddled water. The thought of kissing him to share their air crossed her mind… but her air was stale and useless already as it was. And if things continued as they were, she would lose her own, as well…
Desperation fueled Xin Long to kick faster, harder, rushing through the water as fast as his legs could carry him… until he found a tall wall.
He panicked, uncertain of how to traverse it: he rushed upwards, to the right first, then to the left: finally, he spotted a small hole through which he could fit with difficulty. The tunnel was cramped, and Azula's last bits of strength seemed to seep out of her as she held herself and Sokka as tightly against Xin Long's body as could be. The winding tunnel, small and cumbersome, ended not far away, Xin Long noticed, for that light had to mean that…
Light. That was light, up ahead: the water was changing in color.
Infused by bold eagerness, Xin Long sped up, broke through the tunnel's opening and shot upwards at haste. He knew he risked bumping their heads against a low ceiling, if there was one, but the light beckoned him to go faster…
The surface! He broke out, and this time it was far easier to breathe: the ceiling was higher up, and they were finally free from the constraints of the underwater tunnel. They were in a spacious cavern now, and an unusual glow on the ceiling fell upon the water, offering it a mystical color that would have been beautiful to look at, if they had been any healthier.
Azula coughed violently on Xin Long's back, but her main concern was Sokka: he had lost his breath far too soon, probably over a sudden slip-up, but whatever the reason, fear rose inside Azula's gut as Xin Long kicked as fast as he could towards the first sign of solid ground he could find: there was a rocky shore within the cavern, and Xin Long climbed on it quickly, breathing with difficulty as he braced himself to fight the cold that clung to his weary scales and bones by regaining the strength of his inner fire.
Azula dropped off Xin Long's back, disregarding the pain of the scales scratching her thighs: she dragged Sokka down as well, uncertain of what to do… but before she could even call his name, Sokka coughed water suddenly. It leaked out of his mouth, and Azula turned him on his side so he would release it at haste, hoping to prevent his potential choking by doing so.
"Sokka…" she called him weakly, rubbing her cold hands against his bare body "I'm sorry, I…"
"S-sorry…?" Sokka repeated, wiping his wet mouth with his forearm "W-what for…? Shit, I'm freezing, I… I'm the one who let the air out too soon. I'm the one who should be…"
Azula lunged for a hug hastily, and Sokka wrapped his arms around her as well, unable to return the affectionate gesture with the proper enthusiasm. The Princess, however, wasn't merely embracing him on an emotional whim: with every new breath she took, her inner fire flared more. Heat would rise within her soon, and she would provide Sokka with it, just as well. There were, of course, other ways to warm each other up, but she rather doubted it was the time, place or circumstance for such behavior right now.
It took several minutes for it to work in full, but Sokka was soothed by Azula's warmth soon enough: his embrace grew stronger, and he buried his face in her neck, pressing many soft kisses to her moist skin as she continued to warm their bodies. Xin Long did the same by himself, flaring up his body heat until he had chased away the cold altogether.
"You're… the best" Sokka smiled, laying on the ground underneath Azula's frame. The Princess raised her head to gaze at him longingly.
"You're feeling better now?" she asked, cupping his cheeks between her warm hands.
"Absolutely" he chuckled "Ah… that was nice. You're always so hot, but this time you were hot in a very practical way…"
"Well, that's good to know" Azula laughed softly, kissing his lips gently before glancing about herself with newfound curiosity "Alright, so… where are we?"
She didn't fail to notice there was light within the tunnel now: a glance upwards revealed there was a substance of some sort glued to the ceiling. It wasn't quite the same crystals as those in the Cave of Two Lovers, but they provided the dark tunnel with light all the same.
Sokka sat up: Azula was still wrapped in his arms, and he joined her in studying their surroundings. Xin Long groaned, calling their attention to himself only to gesture at a new opening in the wall, merely a few paces away from where they were resting right now.
"Well, at least that one's not in water" Sokka convened, smiling awkwardly "How much further do you think we have to go to find the dragon, then…?"
By now, Azula had nearly forgotten why they'd ventured out here in the first place. Xin Long as well had disregarded his obvious priority, and the two of them resonated right away, hoping to pinpoint the location of the fire source they'd felt earlier…
Both the dragon and his rider jumped in profound surprise, and Sokka blinked blankly at their reaction.
"Azula…?" he said, as the Princess covered her mouth, her eyes bearing into her astonished dragon's own.
"It's… it's not one source" she said, and Sokka raised his eyebrows "It's… there's more than one. There's…"
"Wait, what?" Sokka could barely finish voicing the second word when Xin Long sprinted off at haste, rushing to the new, ground tunnel.
Azula and Sokka struggled to stand up together, but they followed Xin Long steadily once they did. The tunnel was darker than the chamber where they had landed moments ago, so Azula raised her uninjured hand and procured a plum of fire for them to see their surroundings with further ease. There was something excitingly familiar about this situation… something that only made itself even more obvious when their bare feet kicked what appeared to be bones of small creatures and spines of long-devoured fish.
"Shit…" Sokka smiled, glancing at Azula with amazement. The Princes bit her lip and pressed forward, guiding Sokka to follow Xin Long through the narrow, winding tunnel "Doesn't this remind you of…?"
"Xin's cave? Absolutely" Azula answered, smiling nervously. They hadn't been in the best of shapes either when they had first found Xin Long: it seemed that any discovery of dragons would be preceded by ordeals unlike any they had faced before.
Finally, they spotted Xin Long again: he was glancing over his shoulder at them, just before taking a new bend in the tunnel. His eyes were reproachful, as good as demanding that they hurried up.
"We know, Xin, we're on our way…" Azula said, nodding…
Just then, movement behind Xin Long startled her.
Her eyes widened at what she'd glimpsed: the head of a small creature, lurking out past the twisting wall. But just as fast as it had showed up, it was gone.
"Xin!" Azula called: only she had glimpsed it, for Sokka had his head down, still recovering from his near-drowning experience, and Xin Long had been distracted scolding them for their slow pace.
The Princess's urgent voice prompted Xin Long to turn around at haste: he didn't spot whatever had startled Azula, but he rushed around the corner quickly anyways, and this time, Azula dragged Sokka faster yet, urging him to follow her dragon…
Into a new, massive, natural dome of earth: the secret hidden deep within the heart of the mountain.
Just as it was in the landing they had arrived through, there was a source of light above: but this time they found a myriad of plants as well, fungus and mold growing on the uneven walls and columns within the large chamber of the tunnels.
Yet the beautiful, exotic and curious location barely registered in the minds of the three newcomers: their eyes had found something far more incredible to gaze upon, after all.
A small, reptilian head, topped with truncated horns. Small whiskers, swaying in the air, much like the stubby tail, topped with fur as green as the scales that covered its body: the dragonling appeared curious, yet it was also taken aback by the sudden arrival of strangers… and it seemed every other occupant of the mysterious cavern in the mountains felt the same way.
For there wasn't just one, or two, or even three: an assortment of seven dragonlings, all with differently colored scales, with horns of variable shapes, were watching them keenly, their eyes large and intrigued. Out of the seven, only one was larger than the rest: a yellow creature tall enough to reach the level of Azula's waist.
The Princess nearly failed to stay upright now, failing to give her eyes credit: she had sensed more than one source of heat, but she had assumed most of them would be eggs, at best… Sokka's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her on her feet as Xin Long, breathless, astonished, stepped forward, his ears raised, his tail twitching.
"It can't be…" Azula gasped, though her lips eventually curled into a smile, as did Sokka's "It can't be"
He squeezed her gently, biting back the wild grin that nearly broke across his face as Xin Long finally stopped before the largest of the dragonlings: the green one had scurried away, seeking refuge from the large newcomer amongst the rest of its siblings. But Xin Long disregarded all caution, his long-broken heart finally mended: he rose to his full height, pride infusing him as he roared in reckless, careless celebration – his riders, again, covered their ears, but the echo of the dragon's voice was loud enough that their attempt to muffle the sound was nearly useless.
The small dragonlings appeared both excited and daunted: the larger one was curious, approaching Xin Long with interest before releasing a bold, yet not-so-loud roar of its own…
And then a larger, fearsome roar tore through the cavern, far louder than Xin Long's.
By sheer instinct, Sokka and Azula crouched down defensively, covering their ears still, as they felt the earth around them shaking over the tremor generated by such a roar. A roar whose source came from another tunnel, at the furthermost end of the cavern.
The first, and perhaps only, fully-grown dragon in the dwelling stepped into the light: its scales were pale, almost white, and from its horns grew multiple spikes in different directions. It bore its fangs towards the newcomers, a heavy brow drawn over small, dangerous, glaring eyes…
"T-that's…?" Sokka whispered, glancing at the great creature with uncertainty. Azula swallowed hard.
"A fully-grown dragon… probably the leader of the group. Surely" Azula answered, shivering against Sokka's hold.
"We're… trespassing? Like we were, when we first found Xin Long?" Sokka interpreted. Azula nodded weakly "T-then… what now?"
His question was answered when Xin Long raised his head, giddy determination fueling his heart. Azula swallowed hard, hoping the other dragon wouldn't find hers unimpressive… though, seeing as it was at least twice as big as Xin Long, it wouldn't be too surprising if it considered Xin Long unworthy of sharing his territory, after all.
Yet the dark dragon meant to face the pale one, infused by courage and eagerness alike. Once, a long time ago, a young, human woman had entered his territory: she as well had been smaller than him, but a powerful and skilled enough firebender to stand her ground against him. She had extended a friendly hand towards him, offering her fire, and she had changed his world altogether…
Xin Long would be damned if he allowed the other dragon's attempt at intimidation to dampen his excitement over succeeding at his lifelong quest. And just as his rider had, back in the day, Xin Long stepped forward with pride and certainty, determined to prove himself a worthy dragon to the brethren he had found, at long last.