Hello! Sorry for the late update, but here's the next chapter! Thank you to those who have left me reviews!

I would also like to give you all a heads up that for the purpose of this story, I'm going to be changing/adding some different cultural aspects to the Southern Water Tribe, for example, in this story they will have the same cultural ideals of the Northern Water Tribe.

Many thanks to PurseMonger for her help!

AtLA is not mine.

Chapter Three

In Which the Dragon Comes to the Rescue

Panting softly, Katara tiredly raised her hand in order to ward off the strong wind blowing snow into her face. She had been using her waterbending to shove the snow away, but her arms were beginning to strain with the effort. As soon as she had reached the base of the mountain, she had sent a quick prayer of thanks to the gods for her safety. There had been several times when she had lost her footing and feared she would have tumbled to her gruesome death. She had begun to run—as much as was possible in the deep snow—to the edge of trees until her lungs began to burn from both the strain and the cold air.

She glanced back over her shoulder for what seemed like the hundredth time to see if she was being pursued. The image of the large red dragon coming after her in rage, his golden reptilian eyes glinting, and white fangs bared, fire shooting from his mouth, only made her force her body to move on. Another icy blast hit her chest like battering ram and threw her onto her back. With a small curse, Katara shook her head and slowly stood up, wiping the wet snow from her face and shivering uncontrollably, before she dragged herself forward.

At first, she had been happy that her plan had worked and she was able to escape without alerting the dragon. She had walked resolutely for a few minutes, determined to find her friends so they could reach their destination. She had even been eager to tell her friends about her unusual encounter with the dragon. But then an hour passed and the weather grew worse. Her mood had then changed into anxiety and even a little anger that the dragon had not come looking for her. Was she really that insignificant? Maybe the dragon decided she was too bothersome to make a meal out of her.

Stupid dragon, she muttered mentally, though she knew her anger wasn't really directed at him, but at the whole situation and the way her life had changed a few months ago.

She shook her head firmly and shoved those thoughts away. She did not want to think about that right now—or ever.

She gasped when the snow beneath her feet caved in and she fell into a hole. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for a painful impact, but her feet met the bottom quickly. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she had only been submerged up to her torso. Using her waterbending, she made the snow beneath her rise until she was out of the hole only to stumble forward when another large gust of wind hit her back. Swiping her hair away from her face, she shivered and rubbed her gloved hands together as she scanned her surroundings once again. All she could see were countless trees and snow.

The dire situation she found herself in began to make her question her plan of escape. How was she going to get out of there? How was she going to find her friends? How would she even survive?

Teeth chattering, she glanced back to gaze uncertainly at the looming mountain at a distance. She had not realized she had walked that far. Maybe she should return to the cave. There she had been warm and she had been feed. Maybe she had let her paranoia get the best of her and the dragon didn't even want to eat her. If he had wanted to eat her, he would have done so already instead of providing food for her, right? Had she been too harsh in her judgement just because it was a dragon? She bit her lip. But would the dragon even welcome her back? Maybe he was still asleep and he hadn't noticed her absence, so she could probably sneak back in without alerting him. She hoped. Another strong gust of cold wind blasted into her and it made the decision for her.

She took a step forward to return to the mountain only to freeze when a low growl sounded to her left. Stiffening, she slowly turned her head toward the sound and her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Two panther-wolves, large and powerful, bristled at her. Their sharp teeth were bared and their dark eyes stared at her with both menace and hunger. Heart pounding in her chest, Katara forced herself to calm down as she slowly raised her arms to the side, calling forth a line of melting snow to her. The animals snarled at her warningly, but Katara did not wait for them to make the first move as she threw the snow at them. They yelped when they were buried in the snow, but they quickly sprang to their feet with loud growls of fury, shaking the wet snow from their fur and snarling viciously at her.

Narrowing her eyes, Katara raised her arms again only to cry out when something heavy suddenly collided into her back. She fell hard against the cold snow and a sharp pain shot up her right ankle all the way to her spine, but she did not have time to dwell on that when she realized that whatever had hit her was pushing her down into the snow with two large, heavy paws. Her eyes widened when she felt hot, wet breath on the back of her neck and a low growl echoed harshly in her ears. With a cry, Katara flicked her wrist and a torrent of snow collided against the side of the third panther-wolf that was holding her down. Quickly springing to her feet, the waterbender gasped in pain and fell back onto her knees when her right ankle collapsed under her.

Frantic, breath coming out in quick pants, Katara looked up and her eyes darted around. Her heart almost stopped when she realized that it wasn't just three panther-wolves, but an entire pack, of more than a dozen snarling canines, surrounded her from all sides. They all growled at her, eyeing her ravenously, but she could tell that they were being more wary of her than they were before. Some of the youngest, frenzied by the hunt and hungry, would pounce forward before they were driven back by their elders with loud, sharp snaps of their fangs.

Katara swallowed thickly as she suppressed the fear that wanted to overwhelm her, because although it shamed her to admit it, she wasn't as great a warrior as she wished. No matter how much she had pleaded, the only thing she had been allowed to learn was how to heal with her waterbending because of her gender and her station in life. She forced back hot tears of anger, frustration, and fear as the animals began to close in on her.

Determined to take a stand, she narrowed her eyes at them as she swept her hair away from her face. Even if she ended up dying by their fangs and claws, she was going to fight back however she could. She would not die a coward.

Pacing anxiously in his dark cave, Zuko looked toward the exit for the millionth time before he glanced once again at the spot the young woman had sat before the now dead fire. A little over an hour had passed since she had disappeared and she had not returned. He had told himself many times that he should not care, that it was none of his business, but he could not seem to stop the concern that crept up on him. What if something terrible did happen to her? If she were to die, it would be his fault for allowing his pride to get the best of him.

Growling at himself, he decided to stop overthinking and just do what he knew was right. He could not let her die out there in the cold wilderness. Moving swiftly toward the entrance, he crawled through the tunnel then launched himself into the air. His leathery wings quickly caught the wind and he was soaring over the frozen ground, his dark hair ruffling behind him. Large, snowy gusts of air hit his eyes as the storm worsened, but he ignored the discomfort in his search for the girl. He hoped he wasn't too late.

His sharp eyes spotted her small footprints a moment later, although they were quickly being covered by the snow. As he neared the edge of the tree line, he heard the sound of several loud growls and yelps. Flapping his wings more quickly, Zuko flew toward the commotion only to narrow his eyes at what he saw.

A large pack of panther-wolves was attacking the young woman, but to his surprise, she was fending them off by erecting walls of snow or throwing piles of snow or balls of ice at the angry animals. He was amazed to find out she was a waterbender, but he soon became concerned when he noticed that she was favoring her right foot. When he saw one of the panther-wolves sneak up on her from behind, preparing to launch itself at her, Zuko growled and flew faster, causing large gusts of wind to blow snow up into the air behind him. A fierce protectiveness he had never experienced before exploded in his chest, almost overwhelming his mind.

Katara panted heavily as she swept her arm to the side to throw a wave of snow at two panther-wolves that were about to spring toward her. She was getting tired and she knew she was not going to last much longer. There were too many and they refused to give up, sensing her weakness. She threw herself to the side with a cry when one of them managed to get close to her, but she had not anticipated that another of the animals had launched itself at her at the same time. Eyes wide, she waited for it's sharp teeth to sink into her flesh when suddenly a huge talon smacked the panther-wolf, throwing it against a tree. The beast collided against the rough tree trunk with a pained yelp.

Her heart jumped to her throat when a fierce roar pierced her ears, seeming to cause the very ground to tremble beneath them, before a huge shadow loomed over her. Snapping her head up, Katara's eyes widened when she realized it was the red dragon, standing protectively over her.

She could have wept at the relief that coursed through her. The dragon had come back for her!

Zuko snarled at the pack of panther-wolves as he crouched protectively over the woman, his fangs bared menacingly as he glared at them. The animals growled back at him, but did not immediately attack, their instincts telling them they were facing a dangerous opponent. A few stepped forward bravely, the hunger in their bellies driving them, but Zuko spat a fireball at their feet and they jumped back with frightened whimpers at the scorching heat.

One daring animal launched itself at him, but Zuko swiftly smacked it aside, only to roar in anger when another panther-wolf snuck up behind him and tried to snatch the wide-eyed woman from beneath his large body. Before he could react, however, the waterbender quickly took care of it by driving a torrent of snow against the animal's side, effectively throwing it a few feet away. Zuko bent down and snapped his fangs at two panther-wolves that had tried to snatch her from between his legs.

"Watch out!" he heard the woman shout in alarm.

Before Zuko could straightened himself a panther-wolf sprang up and clamped its sharp fangs onto the back of his neck. He heard the woman gasp, but the dragon only snorted at the pitiful bite. His scales were too hard to be penetrated by the teeth of the smaller animal. With a growl, Zuko jerked his head fiercely to the side and the panther-wolf sailed in the air only to collide back with a few of its companions. More irritated now, Zuko straightened to his full height and let out another ferocious roar.

The waterbender's eyes widened in awe as the dragon spewed a blast of fire into the air in a magnificent display of power that caused some of the animals to crouch low or jump back, their ears slicked back against their heads. With a few more fireballs aimed at them, the panther-wolves finally retreated with loud yelps, their tails tucked between their legs.

Well, that was easy, Katara grumbled mentally as she watched them go.

Zuko moved back so he was no longer standing over the young woman and looked down at her. He watched as she slowly lifted her head and gave him a sheepish smile. He snorted at her.

Katara could see the disapproval in the dragon's eyes and for some reason she felt ashamed. She had to press her lips together to keep herself from blurting her apologies to him. But when she saw him continue to give her that look, her temper flared a little.

"I know, I know, it was stupid of me to have left!" she grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But can you blame me for running away? Geez!"

Despite the irritation he was feeling for her stunt, and the worry still coursing through him, Zuko could not help feeling amused at her temper. Here he was, saving her, and she was annoyed with him. She was indeed interesting. He cocked his head to the side since he could not respond to her and he watched as she dropped her arms and sighed.

"Sorry. It's not fair for me to take out my frustrations on you," she said quietly.

Zuko was once again surprised by her words and he stared silently at her in wonder.

"Why am I even bothering explaining myself?" he heard her mumble a moment later.

Gathering her strength, Katara carefully got to her feet, wincing when her right ankle throbbed in pain. She was sure it wasn't broken, maybe just sprained, but she would be able to heal it with her waterbending. Careful of not putting too much weight on her injured foot, Katara finally turned to face the silent dragon. He was watching her again with those intense golden eyes and it was all she could do not to look away in sudden nerves.

"Um...thank you…" she muttered, still sure he couldn't understand her, but needing to say it anyway.

She stiffened when she saw one of the dragon's large clawed-hands move toward her. Before she could scream, thinking he was going to strike her, she felt the dragon wrap his talon around her middle and lifted her. She gaped in surprise and stiffened before she relaxed once she realized he was just carrying her. She marveled at the gentleness he was handling her with, almost as if he was afraid he would crush her if he wasn't careful, and she could not help but smile gratefully up at the dragon.

The sweet smile the brunette gave him caused strange sensations to Zuko's chest and it took all his concentration to keep moving and not just stand there staring at her like a fool. A smile from a woman had never affected him as much as this young waterbender's smile did. What in the world was wrong with him?

Growling softly at his thoughts, he spread his wings and sprang into the air. He heard the woman gasp as she clutched tightly onto his claw with both hands and he glanced down to see her with her eyes tightly closed. He growled a soft apology, though he was sure she would not understand. He wished he could fly slowly so as not to frighten her more, but the snowstorm was getting worse and he knew he needed to get her to the warmth and protection of the cave.

Once they neared the entrance of his home, he carefully perched onto the rock face and brought her closer to his chest as he crawled through the small tunnel just like he had the first time he carried her unconscious body back. Once they entered the larger cavern, he gently deposited her by the ashes of the dead fire. He would have to get more wood.

"Thank you," Katara said softly when the dragon placed her on the ground before a sneeze interrupted her. "Excuse me."

When the young woman let out another soft sneeze, Zuko's eyes soften before he became concerned. He had to make sure she didn't get sick. When she sniffled and shivered almost violently, he once again lifted her within his large clawed-hand.

Katara wondered where the dragon was taking her when he picked her up again, but she soon realized that he was walking to the opposite side of the cave entrance. She had not bothered to explore the cave before because the light from the small campfire didn't reach very far. Since she was sure the dragon wouldn't understand her, she didn't bother asking him what he was doing. For some reason, probably because the dragon had rescued her twice and was carrying her gently, she no longer feared him. She could not explain it, but she was sure this dragon was good. She felt safe with him. Did all dragons have a good side or was this dragon unique? Soon she realized they had entered another chamber and her eyes widened at the sight that greeted them.

"Oh, how lovely," she breathed as she stared at the softly running water that ran down the smooth wall and into a small, serene pool which seemed to sparkle. She lifted her eyes and gasped softly at the many glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling.

Zuko was pleased at the woman's awed expression. Never before had he felt satisfaction at another person's delight. Again, he wondered what the strange feelings he was suddenly experiencing meant. He walked toward the pool and carefully placed her at its edge, making sure to keep her steady as she tried not to put too much strain on her injured foot as she sat down. Once she was settled, he then walked back to the main cave.

Katara watched him go in curiosity, but a moment later, he reappeared with her pack, which he placed next to her.

"Oh, thank you," she said, amazed at his actions.

She looked at the water uncertainly. She was sure it was going to be freezing, so she was not sure if bathing was a good idea. She was interrupted from her thoughts when she saw the dragon lower his head toward the water and blow a small stream of fire along its surface until the water was steaming nicely.

"Oh, how convenient," Katara said with a pleased grin. "You would've been of so much help back home."

She took the dragon's snort as indignation and she laughed quietly. Maybe he did understand her, after all. After narrowly escaping death, she was in such a good mood. But she was cold and tired and very much in need of a warm bath to soothe her aches and chilly body. Her appreciation for the dragon grew. Not only had he saved her, fed her, and kept her warm, but now he was providing her with another comfort when he didn't have to. Really, if he wanted to kill her, the dragon wouldn't be preparing a bath for her, would he?

"Thank you," she said again. "A nice hot bath sounds wonderful."

She reached for her thick wet parka and pulled it over her head, dropping it beside her. Then she began to work on the ties that held her tunic closed.

Zuko's eyes widened when he saw her begin to take her clothes off. He knew she didn't know she was really undressing in front of a man, so he turned away and quickly walked back to the larger chamber to give her privacy.

Katara looked over her shoulder to see the dragon leaving. She wondered why he had left in such haste when she began to undress. She blushed at the thought that he knew it wasn't proper for her to stand naked before him before she shook her head and laughed at her thoughts. She didn't even know for sure if "he" was a male. It was a dragon, for La's sake! It didn't know about modesty and such things.

"The events of today must've really affected your brain, Katara," she laughed at herself.

She finished taking her tunic and under-wrappings off and folded them neatly beside her. She pulled off her left boot and then winced when she carefully took off the right one before taking off her pants and her lower wrappings. She examined her sprained ankle, noticing the small swelling, before nodding at her correct assessment. She could heal it in an instant.

She rummaged through the pack and pulled out the bar of soap. Shivering at the cold, she carefully scooted closer to the edge of the pool and slipped into it. The water only reached to mid-thigh, so she lowered herself until she was sitting at the bottom with the water barely covering her breasts. A soft sigh of contentment fell from her lips as the hot water warmed her cold body and soothed her aches. Concentrating on her element, she made the water around her sprained ankle glow into its healing abilities. A minute later, the pain was gone and she let out a relieved breath before she sat back to lean her head against the rocky edge.

Now that she found herself alone, her thoughts returned to the events of a few minutes ago. Her happy mood soon made way to darker emotions.

If only she had been trained to defend herself like she had always wanted, she would have been able to chase the panther-wolves away. But as a woman, her waterbending was only limited to the healing arts. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists as her anger and resentment once again resurfaced. It was only when she noticed that the water was trembling around her that she forced herself to calm down.

She could only hope that with this journey she had undertaken with her friends she would be able to achieve what she wanted, that she would find a place where she could be herself, a place where she felt she belonged.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Zuko lowered himself back down on his grassy bedding as he waited for the young woman to finish bathing and remembered the sight of her taking off her clothes. He had gone out to gather more wood and returned as quickly as possible. Now a large campfire blazed nicely, warming the rocky chamber, if only a little. There was a part of him—a loud part of him—that demanded he should have stayed and watched the woman undress, but he quickly squashed that irritating voice. Even if he was currently in the form of a dragon, he still had honor and he would not disrespect an unsuspecting woman while she undressed.

Yet, he could not stop wondering how she looked under all those layers of clothes…

Growling, he shook his head and ordered himself to forget the incident. Besides, what could he do about it in his current form? Nothing, that's what. He closed his eyes as anger and frustration over his situation once again consumed him, causing him to curse his fate as he had done every day since his misfortune all those years ago. If only he had not been such a trusting fool, if only he had been more careful, he would still be human. He would now have been Fire Lord.

A low growl of rage rumbled in his chest as memories of that terrible day slipped into his mind once again. If he could go back in time, he would kill those who placed this horrid curse on him before they could betray him. Even now, he wished he could enact his revenge with every fiber of his being. But he could not go back to the Fire Nation. He would be killed on sight for just resembling a dragon. Even if he managed to reach the Fire Nation Palace, he would not stand a chance.

He was so lost in his dark thoughts that he did not notice the woman enter the main cave until she was close to the blazing fire. He immediately made to stand up in order to help her, but was amazed to see that she was walking normally without any pain showing on her lovely features. She looked at him with an uncertain smile and he gazed at her questioningly, but since he had no way of communicating with her, he let it go. He wondered if there were other surprises with this small woman that he still did not know.

He took a deep whiff and immediately froze. Now that she had taken a bath, her natural scent —a blend of soothing lavender and refreshing rain—tantalized his senses, but it was his reaction to it that caused alarm to shoot up his spine. It was as if an invisible force was trying to pull him toward her, making him want to pull her close to him...to claim her.

He shook his head. What the hell was going on? It felt as if his instincts were going wild, causing strange urges and sensations to spring forth. Was this another effect of being a dragon? But what did it mean? He again shook his head, forcing the sudden haze that seeped in his mind to go away, before he commanded himself to lie back down and calm himself before he alarmed her.

Oblivious to his problem, Katara watched as the dragon settled back on his nest of grass and she felt her nerves settle a little. The dragon was quite intimidating, even if he had saved her. Clearing her throat lightly, she moved toward the warmly blazing fire and pulled out her brother's bedroll. Too bad it was a little too big for her smaller frame because it wasn't as snug and warm as her own sleeping bag. Once she had it arranged to her liking, she sat down on it and rummaged within the pack for her comb before she began to brush her hair, which she had dried with waterbending.

Once he felt himself again, Zuko glanced back at the woman. He watched silently as the waterbender slowly brushed her long, brown locks until it shone and fell in soft waves down her back. Her soothing movements were almost hypnotizing and he felt himself beginning to doze off before the sound of her voice brought him back to the waking world.

"I know you probably don't understand a word I'm saying, but...thank you," Katara found herself saying again.

She looked at the dragon and saw that he was staring at her again. His intense stare made her feel as if he was really interested in hearing what she had to say, and without knowing why, everything she had been holding back rushed out of her like gushing water from a broken dam. Maybe it was because she knew the dragon didn't fully understand her, maybe it was because she needed to talk to someone even if they couldn't help, but she found herself talking about things she had never told anyone else.

"If only Father would have let me train as a waterbending warrior, I could've defeated those panther-wolves," she said as she clenched her hands on her knees. "But no, as a woman, I'm only supposed to be a healer. I'm supposed to be demure, and delicate, and...and weak."

Zuko stared at the angry young woman as she glared at the fire, noticing the way her hands clenched on her lap. He had heard that women in the Water Tribes were prohibited to fight, that they were only supposed to be good daughters, wives, and mothers. If they were benders they could only be trained as healers. Their views were so different from his culture. In the Fire Nation, women were trained to be warriors if they so wished. His younger sister was one of the best firebenders of their time. He growled at the thought of his family before he dismissed the memories as he focused on the waterbender. He watched as she continued glaring at the fire.

"I had to resort to sneaking into the training arena to watch the warriors train," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was able to learn a few moves by observing them, but without proper guidance, it took me months to master them. But then Father caught me and I was placed under the watchful eyes of several guards, so I was no longer able to go and watch."

Zuko frowned at her words. Guards? Her life sounded so restricted, more than he would have guessed. Did every woman in the tribes go through that? He could only imagine what she must have gone through. Although their circumstances were different, he knew how it felt to be restrained against his will, to be stripped of his dignity, and chained down to restrict his movements. The dark memory made him growl softly before he forced it out of his mind, not wanting to dwell on that nightmare.

Katara glanced up to see the dragon was once again staring at her. She wished she could read the expression in his eyes, even wished he could understand her just so she could have someone to talk to. She glanced back to the dancing flames and sighed. The silence was almost depressing. She missed her friends and their chatter and the sounds of them setting up camp. Heck, she even missed Sokka's annoying antics, his inflated ego, and overprotectiveness. And she was sure her father must be worried sick. Although she was still upset with him, she loved him and didn't want to cause him problems.

But she also could not have remained at home. She refused to have her life dictated for her, especially when it concerned something so important to her. She had felt so stifled, so restrained, and resentful when she had been prohibited from doing things such as learning to use her waterbending for combat. Her older brother had been trained as a warrior and just because he was male he had freedom to do lots of things, even travel to other parts of the world. But she had not complained—much—because she knew it was because her father wanted the best for her, because he wanted to see her happy and safe after what happened to her mother. Her chest ached at the memory as she placed her hand over her throat where her mother's necklace rested, covered by her parka's fur-lined collar, before she quickly shoved the memories away.

But then everything had changed when that Earth Kingdom ship had arrived. She could no longer sit back and let things go according to other people's plans. She pleaded with her father to listen to her concerns, but he had calmly told her that everything he was doing was for her own good and that she was too young to understand. She had wanted to scream and lash out at him. He still treated her as if she were a child who didn't know what was best for her.

The only solution she could think of was to travel to the Northern Water Tribe to seek assistance and refuge. She hoped that with her defiance her father would see that she was serious. That he would see that she was no longer a child, that he couldn't dictate her life, even if he thought it was for her own good. Sokka had been against her plan at first, saying it was insane and dangerous, but when she threatened to go alone, he had reluctantly relented to go with her. Aang and Toph had been visiting at the time and they had been enthusiastic to help her. So one night, they had snuck out, climbed on Appa and flew away. It had been an interesting journey.

Their first stop had been to Kyoshi Island where they had encountered the Kyoshi warriors. She had been fascinated by and slightly envious of the female fighters, but she had been mostly amused when Sokka had been bested by their leader, Suki, after he had bragged about his masculine superiority. Sokka had been angry and humiliated at first that he sulked for a whole day, but that had quickly changed when Suki had told him she was impressed by his skills and would be honored to teach him a few of their fighting techniques. By the time Katara and her friends were ready to depart, she was sure Sokka had become infatuated with Suki—though he always denied it when Katara and Toph teased him about it.

They had then stopped in Omashu, though they made sure to be inconspicuous during their stay, before visiting a few other major cities. However, she had been adamant in avoiding Ba Sing Se and her friends did not argue over it considering the reason she had left the Southern Water Tribe in the first place. She quickly changed her thoughts before she became more upset. She had learned and seen so many things when they stopped near villages to gather supplies or flew over mountains, forests, and deserts.

But now she had become separated from her friends. She was stuck in a cave to wait out the blizzard. She felt so alone, so lost. Maybe she should have stayed home and tried to make her father understand once again.

A sound from the dragon snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up. The dragon was staring intently at her again and she could almost see the question in his eyes. Then he cocked his head to the side, and for some reason, it made her think of a curious puppy. She smiled.

"Well, on the bright side, I got to meet a dragon, right?" she said with a grin. Even if she had nothing else, she had hope and a will to live.

If he could, Zuko knew he would be returning her grin with a smirk of his own. He did not completely understand what this young woman had gone through that had made her leave her home, but he could see that she had courage, optimism, and determination. He wished he could offer a word of comfort—something he had never done in his life before—but the damn curse impeded him from speaking. The only thing he could do was nod his head and hope she somehow got his meaning. It seemed she did because she gave him another sweet smile that caused that strange warmth to appear on his chest.

If only he could have her optimism.

Katara was bored.

Days had passed since she found herself in the cave with a dragon hovering over her and all she had done was bathe in the small pool, sit by the fire, doze off, eat, and sleep. She glanced over at the dragon to see that he was still sleeping after he had brought her more meat. Sighing, she looked away to stare at the fire. Her thoughts once again returned to her brother and friends' whereabouts. She hoped they were all right and wondered when she would be reunited with them. The snowstorm was still raging outside so she could not leave to search for them.

Her thoughts then shifted to her father. She knew he must be upset and worried after discovering that she had snuck out of the Southern Water Tribe. She had left him a letter telling him her reasons why she had to leave, although she made sure not to give hints as to where she was going. She hoped her letter and her actions could make him see her point of view, but she had a feeling they had not and he was at that moment searching frantically for her. She loved her father dearly, but he was a stubborn man and was very protective of his children, especially her. He thought that he knew what was best for them even when they thought otherwise. She knew all of his worries and overprotectiveness stemmed from what happened to her mother. She just had to hope that this journey could somehow make things better. Perhaps her actions were childish, but she could not think of another plan that could help her in her situation. Talking to her father upfront had not helped at all.

Dismissing her thoughts for the moment, Katara looked back at the slumbering dragon. She admired its gleaming red scales and wings, wondering why she felt like there was something unique about him. He was not like the vicious monsters she had read and heard about. She wondered why a dragon was living in such a cold region of the Earth Kingdom and not in the warm climate of the Fire Nation like the rest of its kind. He seemed to be intelligent by the way he seemed to read her moods and intentions. Though it still unnerved her when she caught him staring at her. Was she the first human he had seen in years or something? Which wouldn't surprise her since there weren't any villages around this part of the country that she knew of. Which once again made her think of her brother and friends and where they could be, and if they had found shelter somewhere.

Another sigh from the young woman had Zuko lifting his head to stare in her direction. He knew she was bored, but he did not know what to do since he was used to just lounging around and sleeping when he wasn't out in search of food. He could not entertain her by talking to her and he could not let her go outside because of the storm. He had thought of using his claws to scribble something on the rocky walls or ground, but decided it would be too much of a hassle. Besides, she would be leaving soon anyway.

By what he had gathered when she talked, he knew she liked to be active, she enjoyed being a waterbender, although she wished she could be a master in it, and she sometimes missed her home. He also knew she wished for spices and herbs to cook the meat with and a thicker blanket. However, what he really wanted to know was her name, the reason why she was in the valley, why she left her home...what she liked and disliked.

A small snort escaped him at his last thought.

Really, he was a fool.

"Why didn't I think of it before?!"

The excited exclamation from the woman brought Zuko out of his thoughts and he stared at her in curiosity when she jumped to her feet and grinned at him.

"I can keep practicing my waterbending at the small pool," Katara found herself explaining when the dragon cocked his head at her.

Zuko watched as she turned around and headed toward the other chamber. Curious, he rose to his feet and followed after her. He stopped near the entrance and watched as the woman stood at the edge of the pool and stared determinedly at the trickling waterfall. She moved into a position he had seen waterbenders use many years ago when he had visited the Northern Water Tribe as a representative of his country. He heard her let out a soft breath and his golden eyes watched her intently. Her arms moved in a series of slow, smooth moves and he watched as a tendril of water rose from the small pond. Sparkling almost ethereally under the light of the glowing crystals, it twirled gracefully in the air before it curled almost sensually around the blue-eyed woman's curvy frame.

Zuko did not know how much time had passed as he continued to watch her waterbend, mesmerized by her graceful actions and the way her body moved. He did not think he had ever been so enthralled by just watching a person use their element. If she thought she was untrained now, he could only imagine how much better she would be when she became a master waterbender.

The sound of her frustrated growl snapped him of his thoughts and he watched as she scowled angrily when she couldn't get a move the way she wanted. Her grumbles and angry mutters amused him a little and he was glad he could not laugh because he was sure she would have turned her anger on him.

"Ugh, why can't I get it right?" Katara groaned as she glared at her hands before she muttered, "I wish I had someone to train with. I think that would help."

If only he was a man again, Zuko would have been more than happy to grant her wish. He was no expert in waterbending, but his Uncle Iroh had taught him a few techniques that were inspired and used by waterbenders. He shook his head when the thought of his uncle brought a pang of grief to his chest. No, he did not want to think about the past. Focusing back on the woman, he watched her concentrated expression as she summoned a small wave of water.

A smile began to spread on Katara's face when a ball of fire suddenly flew over her head and collided against the wave, causing her to jump back in shock. Her startled squeak was drowned out by the sound of sizzling water as steam flew up to the glowing ceiling. She whirled around to see the dragon looking calmly back at her. If she didn't know any better she would say that she could see amusement in his golden reptilian eyes.

"You could have hit me, you jerk!" she yelled as she placed her hands on her hips and glared up at him.

Zuko inwardly found himself laughing at the woman's indignant expression. She was amusing. He did not remember the last time he had found anything amusing. He did not know what he would do when he found himself alone again.

No, he did not want to think of that right now.

Suddenly, a ball of water hit his face. Shaking his head to get rid of the water from his eyes, Zuko growled as he fixed a glare on the woman.

She was staring at him in innocence before she started laughing.

"Ha, serves you right!" she taunted as she grinned at him.

Zuko's shock and irritation quickly vanished at her teasing. Nobody had teased him in such a way before, not even when he was human. It was...nice. He found himself liking the sound of her laughter as much as he did her singing voice. She must really trust him now or else she wouldn't have dared thrown water at the fearsome dragon. He wondered how she could be so at ease with him.

He wondered, not for the first time, if she could be the one to break his curse.

"I just want to go outside for a little bit," Katara tried to cajole the dragon who was standing guard in front of the exit. She had come to the conclusion that the dragon could somehow understand her. To what extent, she didn't know.

Zuko firmly shook his head and refused to budge, even when her sweet smile fell and she glared at him. He watched as she placed her hands on her hips and intensified her glare, even going so far as impatiently tapping her foot on the ground. Ever since the little incident in the pool chamber a few days ago, he had seen her use the same stance many times. It seemed she had a bit of a temper on her, which only increased his interest. The snow was falling heavily outside and the wind was blowing strongly. She would be buried in snow before she could walk a few feet.

"I promise I won't get myself into trouble or run away! I just need to get out before I go crazy!" Katara growled exasperatedly.

When the dragon snorted and shook his head once again, Katara threw her hands up in the air.

"Ugh, why do I even bother arguing?" she muttered to herself in frustration, "Damn stubborn dragon."

Zuko inwardly smirked. Oh, if only she knew how right she was about him.

Katara spun around and stomped back to the blazing fire and dropped herself on her sleeping bag with a huff. She glanced over her shoulder to throw one more glare at the stubborn dragon before she turned her attention to her forgotten meal. The dragon had arrived a few minutes ago with another small piece of meat for her, but she had been more focused on going outside than eating. Picking up her dagger and the meat, she sighed heavily. Perhaps the dragon was right in not letting her go outside in such weather. It was kind of cute the way he took care of her. It was too bad there was nothing she could do or give him to show her appreciation.

Since there was nothing else to do, she decided she could start drying more strips of meat for when she had to leave. She frowned at the thought. She wanted to leave to search for her friends, but she felt a little bad for the dragon. He would be all alone. But maybe he enjoyed his solitude and wouldn't mind her absence. She glanced back to peek at the red dragon and was startled to see he was staring at her again.

"Ow!" she exclaimed when the dagger slit the palm of her hand in her distraction. She dropped the items to clutch her hand when a thin line of blood seeped out. Luckily, it wasn't a deep wound and could easily be healed with her waterbending, she mused.

Hearing her pained cry and smelling her blood, Zuko rushed toward the woman without thinking about it. He watched as she jumped in surprise when he appeared close at her side, but before she could speak, he nudge her other hand with his snout. When she moved her hand uncertainly and revealed the wound on her palm, Zuko stuck out his tongue and slid it along the cut, causing her to gasp.

"W-what are you doing?" Katara stammered in shock.

She tried to move her hand away, but a low growl from the dragon made her freeze.

Zuko rumbled his approval when she remained still. He had found out his saliva had healing properties years ago when he had been attacked by a group of dragon hunters. Dragons' hides were almost impenetrable, one reason why they were so hard to kill, but their underbellies were very vulnerable and he had found that out the hard way when one of the hunters had been able to slash at his chest. Once he had dispatched of them, he hid in a cave to nurture his wounds. His injury had been painful and he had not known what to do to heal it. Fortunately, he had thought of how animals licked their wounds and wondered if it would help if he did the same. To his surprise, his saliva had sealed the wound in just a few seconds. It had saved his life many times during his years in exile. He hoped it worked the same with humans. He did not like the thought of this woman being in pain.

He licked her wound one more time and found that her blood tasted…nice. Unlike the almost bitter taste of the animals he hunted and ate, this woman's blood was sweet. His mind became a little dazed, almost as if he were in a dream, and an electric current seemed to race down his spine. It was strange. It must be another dragon side effect, he mused absentmindedly.

Wide-eyed, Katara watched as the dragon's eyes became almost half-lidded as he licked her cut one more time. For some strange reason, the sensation was actually soothing and she could feel some kind of tingling along the wound. Her body felt a little warm and her mind felt hazy. What was going on? She blinked when the dragon lifted his head to stare at her. She stared back, admiring the golden flecks of his eyes and the slit pupils before she shook her head and glanced down at her hand. She gaped when she realized the cut was healed. There wasn't even a trace of a scar!

"Wha...How?" she muttered in awe.

She looked back at the dragon questioningly before she shook herself out of her stupor. Who knew dragons had a healing side?

"Uh, thanks," she said before she added, "though you didn't need to do that."

"Well, it wouldn't do to have you bleeding all over the ground, now would it?" Zuko grumbled mentally.

"Hey!" Katara exclaimed indignantly.

"It's not like I hurt myself on purpose, you jerk!" she huffed mentally.

"I didn't mean it like that," Zuko replied.

"Well, it sure sounded…" Katara began before she trailed off.

Their eyes widened and they stared at each other in disbelief when they finally realized she heard him and he heard her.

"Did you...Did you just talk?" Katara asked unbelievingly.

Was she going crazy? Was being cooped up in a dark cave with no one else as company but a silent dragon for days finally took a toll on her mental health? But no, she was sure she heard the voice correctly. It sounded male, a velvety baritone that seemed to caress her senses. What was going on?

"You...heard me?" Zuko mentally replied as he stared intensely at the woman, observing her reactions, hoping she had and it hadn't just been his imagination.

"Yes," the waterbender replied slowly as her eyes landed on the dragon's fanged mouth before she stared back into his eyes. "Well, not really...It's more like I heard your voice…" she began before she mentally added, "in my head."

"I...can hear you in my head, too," Zuko responded slowly, still trying to understand what was going on.

She really heard him? Or at least his thoughts? And he could somehow hear her thoughts, too? How was that even possible? But if she truly could understand him somehow, it would make things so much easier. He would get to know her better. And she would get to know him and perhaps one day she would...He quickly cut off the thought and squashed the hope that rose within him at the possibilities.

"Wait, this means you understood me since the beginning and you didn't let me know?" Katara exclaimed as she narrowed her eyes at the dragon that could apparently mentally communicate with her. Why didn't he do so since the beginning?! He had her babbling to herself like an idiot for days!

Zuko huffed at her and a plume of smoke curled around his mouth.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I really couldn't talk to you before. Believe me, if I had known it was possible I would've done so since the moment you woke up."

"So not all dragons can communicate like this?" Katara asked curiously.

"I don't know," Zuko replied gruffly, hating the fact that she still thought he was a beast.

"Okay," Katara said, feeling like she had somehow upset him but not understanding why. "So...why can we hear each other's thoughts?"

Zuko shook his head and managed to somehow shrug his shoulders, causing his large wings to rustle against the hard scales of his draconic body.

"I'm not sure," he responded truthfully, his tone conveying his confusion and wonder. "But since you started hearing me after I healed your cut, I think perhaps that's the answer. Dragons are magical creatures and perhaps my saliva penetrating into your wound and your blood entering my system may have caused our...minds to somehow...connect."

Katara frowned at his words. It sounded so strange and unreal, so...fantastical. Yet, what other explanation could there be? On the bright side, at least she had someone to talk to while she waited for the snowstorm to calm down.

"Okay, that makes sense...I guess," she said uncertainly before she added, "So what now...uh, Sir Dragon?"

"I do have a name," Zuko growled out in a low tone.

"Really?" the waterbender asked. "Do all dragons have names?"

"I don't know."

Katara frowned.

"Okay, well, are some dragons nice like you or are you an exception? Is it true that all dragons are evil?"

"I don't know."

The frown on the waterbender's face deepened.

"You know, for a dragon, you don't seem to know much about them," she stated.

"Of course I don't," Zuko growled. "I wasn't born a dragon."

"What?" Katara asked in confusion. "What do you mean you weren't born a dragon?"

A sound like a sigh fell from Zuko's mouth as painful memories clashed in his head. He looked away from the curious woman and stared for a moment at the dancing flames, losing himself in memories of another lifetime. When he heard the waterbender shift uncertainly, he glanced back to stare into her curious, blue eyes. Somehow, he had a feeling he could trust her and before he knew it, he was telling her his story.

"I wasn't always a dragon. I used to be...a man."

A/N: Ah, small cliffy! Did you guys catch the small reference to Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"?

For those of you waiting for the next chapter of MHBFY, I apologize for the long wait! I'm having a bit of writer's block, but I'll post the chapter up as soon as I can!

Thank you for reading!

~alwaysZutarian