They always said that Firebenders rose with the sun, because the fire blessed by Agni in them was connected with it. That's why they were so strong in the daylight, their bending fueled by the nature's light.
Time difference was different here in the South Pole but Zuko managed to get up at the right time. He wore his boots, his parka and took his swords, just in case he needed them.
Zuko exited his tent when he heard snoring from the tent next to his. Sokka's tent. Zuko peaked inside and saw the young boy sleeping in a weird position. Zuko let out a smile. When he and Aang were getting up at dawn to begin their firebending lesson, Sokka would always sleep in the weirdest position of all the others did.
"Hey Sokka." Zuko shook his arm lightly. Sokka didn't budge.
"Sokka get up." Zuko tried again, raising his voice a little.
"Yawwwwwn what is it Zuko….let me get some sleep will ya…" Sokka said and turned side. Zuko sighed.
"Sokka it is sunrise. We are supposed to be leaving in some hour." Zuko said.
Sokka made a whining sound. "Uhhhh fine fine I am getting up." He said.
"Good." Zuko said and exited his tent. He breathed in the cold morning air that surrounded him. He let out a hot breath, which turned into steam immediately. It appeared that most of the men were up, getting ready to do their part in an everyday activity. Some of them were going fishing, some others were going to collect wood. It gave away a sense of community Zuko didn't know it existed. In the Fire Nation at least.
He stood outside the igloo, wondering if he could just get inside. He was a little hungry, after eating only a bowl of sea prunes yesterday (which he quite liked it). Kanna was probably in, and Zuko didn't want to scare her or bring himself in an awkward position. It wasn't a lie he avoided her.
"Good morning Zuko!" a voice said besides him. Zuko turned his head and saw Katara walking towards him.
"Good morning Katara. Um..why are you up so early?" Zuko questioned.
"Honestly, I don't even know. I was pretty tired last night…why are you standing here though?" she asked. Zuko felt embarrassed.
"For no reason." He managed to say shrugging his shoulders. Katara wasn't stupid though.
"You are hungry aren't you." She said with a smug. Zuko sighed in defeat.
"Well…a little. Not big deal. I can handle it fine." He said.
"Don't act all cool with me Zuko. You are supposed to go hunting in the freezing wild with Sokka and Dad. You must eat." She said.
"I said I am fine." Zuko insisted.
"Suit yourself. But hunting here requires a lot of energy, so you might as well eat something." She said as she entered the igloo. "If you don't want to die, that's it ." She gave him a smile. Zuko sighed. He followed her inside.
It appeared that Kanna wasn't there, as she was probably sleeping in another tent. The fire was already out, so the igloo was freezing cold.
"Zuko can you please light the fire?" Katara asked.
"On it." He said and with a swing of his hand, a flame flew out and lit the wooden sticks.
"Do you want tea?" Katara asked. Zuko turned his focus on her.
"Uh yeah. Sure." He said. Katara put a pot with water on the fire.
"So um, I was wondering." Zuko started.
"What?"
"How…important is hunting to you? As a… tribe thing?" Zuko asked. Katara gave him a confused look.
"Well…pretty much important in order for us to survive." She answered. "Why do you ask that?"
Zuko let out a sigh. "I just…don't want to mess it up." He said.
"You won't mess it up. Even if you do, there's nothing wrong with that."
"You just said it was a life or death matter." Zuko said.
"Well, kinda but it is your first time, so no one expects you to excel at it. Sokka was bad at it in the beginning, but he learned. So will you." Katara said. Zuko's eyes fell on the carpet.
"Zuko, there's nothing wrong about not being perfect." She said.
"I know that. I know, just…I think it would be better if I was." He said.
"No Zuko. That's wrong. No one must be the best at everything."
"But that's how you see it Katara, like the waterbender master that you are! How can you say the same for Sokka, who is a non bender?"
"I don't understand why you brought up me and my brother Zuko. Care to explain?" Katara said.
"What do you mean explain? It is quite obvious." Zuko said, getting more unstable by the second.
"No Zuko, it isn't. How you relate all of us with being perfect?"
"Siblings Katara! Siblings fighting for the attention of their father!" Zuko almost screamed, but he was more sad than angry. Katara opened her mouth to say him otherwise but Zuko started spilling out what he really meant.
"Look, I- I was never perfect! All my life I struggled to be in an even level with Azula! She was always good at everything! A prodigy in firebending. A clever kid! They said that she was favored by Agni! Fa-Ozai said that she was born lucky, meanwhile I was lucky to be even born!" Zuko said and started breathing faster. Katara quickly grabbed his hands, which began to shake.
"Zuko…please calm down. For me. Inhale. Exhale." She said, leading Zuko through big and calming breaths. After Zuko relaxed a bit, Katara poured hot tea for the two of them. Zuko took his cup, his hands trying not to shake.
He brought the cup up to his lips, taking a small sip. It was too hot, but in this climate it could get cold in a minute or two. The taste of the tea was nice, but it wasn't anything like his Uncle's tea.
"I know it is not like your Uncle makes it-" Speak of Vaatu "-but it is still calming." Katara said, taking a sip from her own cup.
"Yeah…Thank you for calming me down. I don't know why I am like this all of sudden." Zuko said. "I am sorry you get to deal with all of my fucked up bullshit."
"They are not bullshit Zuko! Dad told so yesterday; you are here to heal. And what are we doing right now; is healing." She said.
They stayed silent for a minute or two, quietly drinking their teas. Then Sokka walked in.
"Hey Zuko, Katara. Where's breakfast?" he asked. Of course his first concern was his empty stomach.
"On the table." Katara said. "Which reminds me, Zuko you were hungry right? Let's get you to eat something." She said and got up to the table next to Sokka. After some seconds, he returned next to him, holding a plate with seaweed noodles and seal jerky.
"Here. That will fix you." She said. Zuko looked at his plate. If he was going to stay for another week or two, he needed to get used to the food. Seaweed noodles huh…Must be salty and bitter. He took one bite, and tried his best not to make a grimace. "These people let you in their home, you have no right to complain about the food." He reminded himself. But to his surprise, it wasn't as bad as he expected them to be. Sure, the seaweed flavor was definitely there, but it didn't taste bad. On the other side, the seal jerky tasted delicious. It had a taste of meat, but not like a Komodo rhino kind of taste. It had a lot of fat, but that only added to the flavor. Needless to say, he ate it all.
"Good morning kids." Hakoda said as he entered the igloo.
"Morning dad." They all said. Zuko almost gave in to the intuition to call him dad too, but at the last minute he changed it to Chief. His face turned immediately red. It would not be the first time he called Hakoda dad by accident. Thank spirits the others didn't hear the 'Da' he spilled out.
"Did you make tea?" he asked grabbing a cup himself.
"Hwey dwad" Sokka said as his mouth was full with seaweed cookies. "Where are we going hunting today?"
"Not very far from here. This time of the year there are a lot of wild yaks around. Catching one or two of them, the village should be settled for some days." Hakoda said. "Sokka, you and Zuko go to the village entrance. I have left our gear there." Zuko perked up at the mention of his name.
"Sure thing. Zuko, come on." Sokka said. Zuko nodded and followed Sokka outside the igloo.
"Oh yeah Dad I packed you guys food and water. Here." Katara said as she gave his dad a large bag.
"Thanks sweetheart." Hakoda said and kissed her forehead. "We won't take too long." He said and followed the boys outside.
Hakoda, Sokka and Zuko were walking at least for an hour south of the village.
Zuko didn't know it could get any colder. He was dead wrong.
The air was freezing, and cutting through his skin like a knife. The snow was almost touching his knees. He was thankful for his parka. And for his gloves and boots. They were made for this kind of weather, so at least he could not get a frostbite. He heard that a frostbite hurt like a burn. He didn't want to experience that again.
It was very hard to move in the snow, the wet clothes and equipment weighing him down. But he did not stop. He watched how Sokka struggled too, but Hakoda on the other side, even if he was away from this terrain for 3 years, he didn't budge. He walked through the snow like a beast. How was he not tired?
Zuko bit his breath and tried to gain speed, catching up to the other men. He had to prove he was handling it.
His legs hurt, and so did his back. But he had to endure it.
Hakoda spotted a big yak just a little ahead of them. He quickly signaled the boys to get cover behind that pile of snow. The others nodded and managed to do so while crouching in the snow. As they stayed hidden, Hakoda started to explain.
"Ok boys. It is alone, so we are lucky. These yaks sometimes go with groups, and get really aggressive when so. This one is probably left behind by it's pack. Zuko, let me explain to you how to use your spear." Hakoda said and got next to Zuko. They both got up slowly, facing the yak that hadn't seen them yet.
"This spear isn't like the one's the Fire Nation has. It is made of light wood, and the spearhead is made from bone. Don't be fooled though, it is light and perfect for throwing. It can do plenty of damage too." Hakoda explained. Zuko recalled the moment when Sokka tried to hit him with one of these. He broke it with his bear arms into woodfire. Zuko tried to hide his smile. Sokka was already smiling, thinking the same thing. Good times.
"You hold it… like this." Hakoda said, showing how himself with his spear. Zuko tried to mimic his hand position and movements.
"Perfect. Now…." Hakoda said as he went behind Zuko's shoulder. Zuko could feel the man's hands guiding his own, teaching him how to throw it properly on the target. It was a weird feeling for Zuko.
"You want to hit the neck. A strong blow and it is down for us to deliver the final blow from close." He said. "When you are ready, throw it." He said.
Zuko felt a lot of pressure. It would be his first time, but he had to do it. And he had to do it perfectly. He heard Katara's words that tried to convince him otherwise. She had a point, but he wasn't close to try it her way. Zuko knew only one way, and that was that he had to be perfect. His hands were shaking. He cursed under his breath.
He inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled again. And then threw the spear.
Unfortunately, the spear didn't hit the target. It landed near it, on the snow, so close to it, but it didn't even touch the yak's skin. Not even a single hair from it's thick fur.
The yak saw the spear clearly and frightened as it was, tried to flee away. But then Hakoda, with reflexes of a fucking eagle, shot his spear with such power and speed, that it reached the yak's back and hit it. The yak screeched in pain and lost it's balance, landing roughly on the snow. It wasn't dead at all though.
"Sokka, Zuko! Let's go!" Hakoda said as he and Sokka grabbed their jaw machetes. Zuko just stood there, watching first his spear, then the yak. Then he gasped at the sudden feeling on his shoulder. He turned around his head and saw Hakoda's eyes.
"Zuko, grab your weapon and follow us." He said. Zuko tried to nod. His shaking hands grabbed the weird weapon and jumped over the snow pile. The others were faster, running towards the wild beast. Zuko managed to catch up with them, his breath heavy.
"Ok now that it is injured, all that it takes is the final blow. Zuko, watch Sokka to see how it is done." Hakoda said. Zuko's eyes widened in shock. Then he watched Sokka as he took his machete and pierced the animal's neck. The yak let a painful scream, his legs twitching violently in the snow, before relaxing and finally let his final breath escape his mouth. It was dead.
Sokka let out an exhausted sigh. So did Hakoda, swiping his forehead. Only Zuko's breath was getting faster. And it wasn't because of the cold.
He could feel his hands trembling. He landed on his knees. He cursed again, louder this time. The two Water Tribe men looked at him with worrying looks.
"Hey Zuko, buddy, what's wrong?" Sokka asked crouching next to him. Hakoda too quickly squatted to the former's prince other side.
"I…I…I failed.." Zuko said.
"What do you mean? We killed it." Sokka said. Zuko looked at him with tears on his eyes.
"No!...You killed it. I didn't…I couldn't…" he muttered.
Hakoda grabbed his shoulder. For a brief moment Zuko was expecting for the Chief to hit him, so he flinched hard.
Hakoda quickly let go of his shoulder and raised his hands in a surrendering way. To show him that he wouldn't do anything sketchy.
"I..I am sorry.." Zuko said, tears falling.
"You have nothing to be sorry for son…it is alright…I won't hurt you.." Hakoda said with his soothing voice. Sokka's face got very sad all of sudden.
"No no, please…I know that, It isn't your fault, just.." Zuko started to say, but he was too busy having his breath on check.
"If you want, can you explain to me what happened? How me and Sokka can help?" Hakoda asked. Zuko nodded anxiously.
"It is…well…I failed. I tried so hard to get it right, and I still failed. I am sorry! I-I will get better next time- I promise!" Zuko said with his eyes glimmering from the few tears he shed. Hakoda tried to not curse. Sokka took the lead from here.
"Zuko if you are talking about the spear you threw…it isn't a big deal." Sokka said. Zuko turned his head confused.
"What do you mean, of course it is!" Finally, he could speak without panting, and his shaking stopped a little.
"What Sokka tries to say…" Hakoda talked. "Is that you won't get hurt if you don't do something correctly. Needless to say if it is your first time." Hakoda said.
"You…really don't mind?" Zuko asked confused. "I failed and…it's alright?" Hakoda bit his lip. He wanted so bad to hug him and tell him that he isn't mad, that he would never even lift a finger on him, but instead he was proud of him to manage to even throw it.
"Zuko, when I started hunting, I couldn't even run in the snow. All the times I would throw my spear, I would miss my target. Even now I am not good at it. Why do you think you must?" Sokka asked. Zuko looked at his knees. After some moments of silence, he opened his mouth.
"When…when me and Azula were growing up, we had to be prefect. Well, she was naturally skilled at firebending, so Ozai adored her. Me on the other side…" he sighed again. "He would punish me when I didn't do things right. When my form was sloppy, or when I wasn't good enough like Azula. He would yell at me, hit me, burn me a little…" he continued. Sokka was shocked. Needless to say Hakoda was too.
"That monster…" he managed to say.
"I am going to kill him when I go to the Fire Nation…" Sokka growled.
"No son. You won't." Hakoda said. Sokka cursed under his breath.
"Because I am going to." He continued. Sokka perked up and let out a smile. Zuko even smiled.
"Zuko, I want you to remember this; I don't expect from you to excel at hunting, fishing, fighting, whatever. You are enough to my eyes. I won't ask you to give me the best. Alright? I am already proud of you. You don't have to prove me that." Hakoda said, finally giving in the temptation to hug the boy. Zuko embraced the hug, and honestly, he missed it so much. It was freezing cold, but in that hug there was the warmest feeling.
Then the words da- Hakoda said hit him.
He was proud of him.
Zuko failed miserably, but Hakoda not only didn't hit him, but he was proud of him.
Proud.
A word Zuko didn't know of. Never heard of. His uncle said it once before the Comet, and that moment was the happiest of his life. And this time the feeling wasn't any worse.
He couldn't hold his tears anymore. As he was hugging Hakoda, he rested his head on his shoulder, as the other man stroked his hair. His tears were soaking Hakoda's parka, but the older man didn't bring himself to care. He just smiled and gestured Sokka to join in the hug. The later obliged with a smile.
They stayed like this for some seconds. The weather didn't allow them to stay there for hours. Even if they wanted to.
"Ok boys." Hakoda said, breaking the hug. "Let's get this back to the village, ok? Zuko, can you please give me the rope? I'll show you how to do the knots….."
Zuko nodded happily.