A/N: Thank you SenSen-Chan for leaving your review about animals in the Avatar universe. I've gone back and made changes to chapter 2, not just about the animals but also about several other life-style points.

Chapter 3: Prince Zuko

They'd been riding on Appa's back for perhaps five minutes when a question seemed to occur to Katara.

"Hey." She caught Aang's attention. Aang had moved from the saddle so he was lying on Appa's head.

"Hey. Whatcha thin' about?" Aang asked.

"I guess I was wondering – you being an air bender and all – if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar?" Katara asked.

I winced; I really should have seen that question coming. Katara had been fascinated with Gran's tales of the Avatar. Every time Gran led story time it was the tale of the Avatar that Katara would request.

"Uhh… no." Aang answered, his face looking sad and disconcerted for a moment before he was able to hide it. "I don't know him… I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry."

"Aang, you should get some rest. I'll carry you into the village if you don't wake when we arrive." I suggested. The boy had been trapped in the ice for a hundred years, likely using his power as an Avatar to achieve such a state which would have likely drained him of energy. I'm surprised that he was able to stay awake for as long as he had since I broke him from the ice.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that." Aang laid back down.

They settled into silence while Appa continued swimming. It took another ten minutes before we reached shore. I hadn't realised how far out the current had taken us. Normally, I never fished more than twenty minutes from shore, and Appa could cover more distance in a shorter amount of time. If I'd been canoeing back that would have likely taken over an hour.

I jumped from Appa's back and moved in front of him. "Follow me, big guy." I placed a hand on Appa's nose for a moment before I began walking.

I led Appa across the snow until we came to the village. The village was built on strong ice, that would not melt, but it had not been built right at the edge of the ice because they didn't have a defence from siege and it was safer to have some distance from the water so that only a ship with an eye braker on the front could reach them without landing. Since Appa didn't want to fly over the low wall, I was glad that Sokka hadn't gotten around to closing the opening at the front of the village so that Appa could pass through. I didn't particularly feel like water bending in order to create a large enough opening for him, and giving the villages undeniable proof that she was a water bending – something they didn't have yet because they hadn't seen her bend with their own eyes.

"Wera, what…!" Gran met us as we passed into the village; the rest of the villages were watching wide eyes having never seen anything like Appa before.

"We met a friend out on the ice." I said simple. Appa sat down, allowing Sokka and Katara to slide down. I climbed onto Appa's back so I could pass Sokka the canoe, then I picked up Aang and returned to the ground. "I'm going to let him sleep on my bed. Katara, could you start dinner. Make sure to cook an excess of fish for Appa. Sokka, you need to finish your snow wall at the front of the village. There's a chance the fire nation saw that light and will come investigating. Gran, could you please help Katara. Children, mediation classes under Elder Fuku."

Everyone split to do their chores while I took Aang into my igloo. I'd lived on my own since father had left, while Sokka and Katara shared an igloo with Gran. I took Aang's staff from his back and rested it against the wall before I covered the boy in my furs.

I left the igloo to go ensure that the village was functioning as it should be. Sokka was working on his ice wall, Katara was with Gran and several of the adults cooking, while the kids were sat together. Judging by the giggling and shifting, they weren't mediating.

There were thirty-three children in the village, aged between five and twelve. Those who were five had been new born when the warriors had gone off to the earth kingdom, leaving only a handful of mothers behind to look after them – those mothers who had only just given birth.

"Alright kids, you know the drill. Eyes closed." I ordered, kneeling before them. The kids did as I ordered immediately. "Focus only on my voice, breath in four five and hold for four. Then breathe out for six. In five, hold four, out six." I repeated softly, gentle coaching the children until all of them had settled into the same breathing pattern.

Getting up I approached Fay, who was one of the mothers who had remained behind. "When they're finished, they have English lessons. I'll take them for fighting after that."

"Of course, chief Ware." Fay smiled. Gran was the only person in the village who didn't call me by this title as much as I wished they wouldn't. Despite taking on the responsibility of chief, I didn't want the title because I knew it wouldn't be long before I left for a while and I hadn't wanted the villages leaning on me to solve problems – it was one of the reasons why I had strived to make the villages as independent without a chief as possible.

Now the Avatar had arrived, I could no longer remain in the village. Aang couldn't remain in the south, he needed to travel to the Northern Water kingdom and master water bending. He was their only hope at stopping the fire nation before they crush the last of the residence in the Earth Kingdom or break their stalemate with the north.

I returned to my igloo to find that Aang was tossing and turning, like he was caught in a nightmare.

"Aang," I placed a hand on his shoulder and gentle shook him.

His eyes snapped open, they glowed blue briefly, before they settled back into his normal brown colour.

"It's okay, we're in the village. You're safe." I promised.

"Sorry." Aang muttered, rubbing his eyes to get the tiredness out.

"Come on." I handed him a brown clock which I used when I ventured out from the villages. "Put that on. It will keep you warm, also, it will stop people staring."

"Why would people stare?" Aang asked confused.

"Because an air bender hasn't been seen for such a long time. It was thought you were extinct. My village, we don't get outsiders. They'll be wary of you at first, and confused, but they'll settle down." I explained.

"Oh," Aang muttered with a frown, grabbing his staff on the way out.

"What is this, a weapon?" Sokka demanded, grabbing Aang's staff. His loud voice caught everyone's attention and the village gathered around. "You can't stab anything with this."

"It's not for stabbing," Aang held out his hand, manipulating the air to create a vacuum and pull the staff back to him. "It's for air bending." Aang gentle tapped the staff against the ground, and the sides opened to reveal the red wings of a glider.

"Magic trick!" Fryer, a young five-year-old cheered. "Do it again!"

"Not magic, air bending." Aang corrected gentle. "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

"You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly." Sokka said doubtfully.

"Check again!" Aang smiled smugly before he took off into the sky. He started doing loops and tricks, laughing the entire time. Clearly, he was enjoying himself greatly.

"Alright," I clapped my hands. "Now that everyone has met Aang we need to get back to lessons. Children you've got an English lesson to get too before lunch is ready."

"Ahh," they complained but obediently trudged off to their lessons.

Aang landed, twirling his glider in order to shut it.

Katara went off with Gran to finish making the food. I looked to Aang. "Aang, I would advise you joining in the English lesson, since we cover resent history at the same time." I proposed before I grabbed some skins so I could see about fixing the canoe.

As the night approached, I gathered all the children together and set them to exercising. The five- and six-year-olds were set to running through an obstacle course I'd set up for them, the seven- and eight-year-olds were going through a basic kata set, while I had the nine and older working through a more advanced kata set.

Once each of the young children had run the course, I set them to throwing stones at a target, while the seven- and eight-year-olds were set to run a harder obstacles course and the nine and up were moved on to kata with staff, club or knife depending on which they were most comfortable with.

Eventually, I sent the youngest children and the seven- and eight-years olds off to play with Aang, while I had the oldest practise their aim before cooling down and heading off to play before dinner.

That night I let Aang take my bed, while I left the village to do a petrol. I wanted to make sure that there wasn't a fire nation raid in the middle of the night after the bright light that had appeared so close to the village. By three o'clock, I returned to the village and settled down on a chair in my home to catch a few hours of rest.

In the morning, the children were playing. They'd discovered that Appa's tail made for a really good slide. I smiled, looking up from the laundry to see the joy on the children's faced. Despite trying to keep the children safe and happy, they had been affected by the loss of so many of their parents. I rarely made them do any lessons or chores in the first part of the morning, giving them that time to play and be children, but they hadn't laughed like this in many years - not since I could remember.

Eventually, a penguin wondered around outside the village, visible through the opening.

"PENGUIN!" Aang shouted happily, using his air-bending skills to propel himself across the snow.

"Katara," I sighed. "Please go keep an eye on him. But stay close to the village."

"Of course." Katara smiled, pleased to get away from her chores to go and be a child with Aang.

"Aang?" Katara asked, approaching the boy who hadn't managed to capture his penguin.

"Haha!" Aang laughed, trying to capture another penguin. "Hey, come on little guy. Wanna go sledding?" he lunged, but ended up falling flat on his face when the penguin moved out of the way.

"Aang." Katara repeated.

He scrambled to his feet and smiled. "Heh heh, I have a way with animals." He placed his arms at his side, and waddled, imitating the penguins. "Yarp! Yarp! yarp!."

"Hehhha…" Katara giggled. "Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me water bending."

"You got a deal!" Aang said at once. "Just one problem. I'm an air bender, not a water bender. Can't your sister teach you? She said you were her apprentice."

Katara looked down. "Wera already has so much responsibility. She doesn't have the time to dedicate to teaching me properly."

"Isn't there anyone else?" Aang asked.

"Well, me and Wera are the last two water benders in the whole south pole." Katara admitted.

"This isn't right. Who taught Wera?" Aang was very confused.

"She taught herself. That's why she won't call herself a water bending master, because she doesn't believe she is. Once she believes the village can sustain without her, she was going to travel to the North Pole and look for a master there." Katara explained.

"Well, why don't you go with her? Surely there would be someone there willing to teach you?" Aang said encouragingly.

"I've never left the south pole before. We haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly 'turn right at the second glacier.' It's on the other side of the world. That's why Wera hasn't left yet. If she goes, she'll be gone for a year or more."

"But you forget: I have a flying bison." Aang pointed out. "Appa and I can personally fly you to the north Pole. Katara, we're going to find you a master!"

"That's" Katara began happily before uncertainty overtook her. "I mean, I don't know. I've never left the village before."

"Well, think about it. But in the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of these penguins?"

"Okay, listen closely my young pupil." Katara said in a mock teacher tone. "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art. Observe." She pulled a small fish, that she had grabbed before leaving the village, from her pocket and threw it at Aang.

Immediately, he was surrounded by a group of hungry penguins. Since the tribe never hurt them, they hadn't developed a true wariness around humans, so if they had food the penguins came running.

They spent hours sledding down ice banks on the penguins, Katara laughing more than she had done in years. Not since her parents were alive and still in the village. Eventually, they took a jump and disembarked from the back of the penguins with a laugh.

"I haven't done that since I was a kid!" Katara admitted with a wide smile and a laugh.

"You still are a kid!" Aang pointed out, before he turned and looked over the horizon. There was a huge ship, trapped in the ice, with the symbol of the Fire Navy on the ruined flag.

"Whoa… what is that?"

"A Fire Navy ship, and a very bad memory for my people." Katara said deadly serious, her smile disappearing instantly. She should have realised where they were going. Wera took all the children, once they turned eight, out to here and explained the last raid of the Fire Nation on their people and the consequences.

Aang began to walk towards the ship, but paused momentarily when Katara called after him.

"Aang, stop! We're not allowed to go near it. Wera explained that the ship contains booby traps, and without her we don't know how to avoid them." Katara said worriedly. Wera never went through and disabled all of the traps, since the ship stood as a monument to all we had lost and how hard our people fought. Katara wasn't even sure if Wera could disable all the traps, but she did know her sister had past safely through the ship before since that was where she had gotten her sword and some of the other weapons that the children were being trained to use.

"If you wanna be a bender, you have to let go of fear." Aang said before he continued walking.

Katara hesitated, but her sister had been saying something similar ever since she had started bending. About her needing to let go of her emotions.

I was about to head out and retrieve Katara and Aang when a bright flare was sent up into the sky. My breathing stopped for just a moment as I watched the flare travel through the sky. I remembered those flares. It was how the fire nation signalled they had found a village.

"Gran, Sokka, gather everyone immediately." I ordered, shooting out of the village at a run.

I came across Katara and Aang about a mile from the village. Saying nothing, I grabbed the both of them and dragged them back to the village in silence.

"Aang, I need you to pull up your hood and remain inside my igloo. Do not leave." I ordered grimly. "Elders, Mothers, you will gather with the children. You will remain close to the green houses. If the village falls, Sokka will lead you through the exit tunnels."

I'd spent the last three years carving exit tunnels under the ice, linking each of the villages together. This way they could travel between the villages in safety without getting lost across the icy-tundra. By going under the ice, it was quicker, and it was how the messengers travelled between the villages.

"What? No! Dad ordered me to protect the village." Sokka protested.

"No, dad asked you to protect the villagers, not the village. The Fire Nation is coming, and if I can't turn them away, you will take the villagers to safety." I reminded him sternly. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," he bowed his head in defeat.

"Good. Katara, you will remain with Aang. If the village falls, use the exit tunnel under my chair."

Katara nodded her head solemnly, choosing no to argue since she knew that this was her fault. She should have stopped Aang from going on the boat, she knew the dangers.

"When you reach the next village, Aang take Katara and go to the northern Tribes. They will be able to help." I locked eyes with Aang.

"How…?" Aang started to ask how I knew that he was the Avatar as I was clearly implying, before he changed his mind. "Why are you talking like you're preparing for an attack?"

"Because I am preparing for an attack. That flare would have signalled the Fire Nation, and although our boarders have not been raided for six years, there are still Fire Nation vessels that patrol the southern waters." I suddenly paused, head snapping to the side. "Aang, get inside the igloo, everyone else move."

They did as I ordered. Katara dragging Aang inside while Sokka took a defensive position in front of the villagers who had moved to the side of the village. I moved so I was stood in the very centre of the village.

A Fire Nation ship had cut through the thick ice that made up their land, and it was now looming over the wall that Sokka had built. The ship came to a stop just before crushing the wall, but then the front bridge dropped down, destroying the tower.

"My tower," Sokka whimpered slightly.

I said nothing, simple drawing my staff and holding it at my side. The staff had been held by the Southern Village Chief for near four hundred years. There were intricate carvings of benders around the staff, and resting in a cradle at the top was an aqua gem. The origins of the gem had been lost in the years since the staff was made, but that didn't make the gem any less important.

From the ship, eight Fire Nation warriors descended, before taking up guard positions and a teen left the ship. From the deferential positions of the guard, this teen was clearly the one in charge.

"Prince Zuko," I identified the teen. Despite his helm, the red burn scar over his left eye was unmistakable. "Why have you come to my village?"

"I'm looking for the Avatar. An air bender. I know he is here, so where are you hiding him?" Zuko demanded angrily.

"There is no air bender here." I informed him simple.

"Do not lie to me." Zuko snapped. "I saw him use his air bending in order to get out of the old Naval Ship. This is the only village close to it. So, he must be here."

"There is no air bender here." I repeated. "Now leave, before I force you out."

"Force us out?" Zuko repeated scornfully. "What can you do against us?" he motioned one of his men who quickly followed the silent order.

I heard the village's screams and the sound of my name being shouted by both Katara and Sokka but I didn't look away from Zuko, nor did I flinch. The fire stopped short of my person. This was a warning shot, meant to scare not harm.

"I was too young to fight the last time the Fire Nation came to my village and murdered my mother." I informed Zuko coldly. "But now I stand as the protector of this village. I do not know where the avatar is, nor do I know an air bender. Now, leave my village" I finished my order with frost in my tone.

"Search the village. Find him." Zuko ordered his men.

The moment Zuko chose to ignore my warning I was moving. With the element of surprise on my side I took down the first two guards. But then they got wise, and started attacking back. But they were only using their fire bending skills.

Sweeping my staff through the snow I lifted up the snow to block the fire coming from my left while I rolled under the fire coming from my right. I came up between the two guards, and swept the feet from the one who was now on my left. With that one temporarily disabled, I regained my feet and swung at the other guard. He was able to dodge the first blow but didn't anticipate the water powered kick that followed. He was sent rolling and I quickly hit the one that was still on the ground with the butt of my staff to knock him out. The other two guards were very wary now that I'd shown them that I was a water bender.

"A Water bender. I was informed there were no more water benders in the southern tribes." Zuko motioned his two guards back while he fell into an offensive stance.

"It seems that the Fire Nation is too arrogant to realise the truth." I said simple, standing my staff in the ice so it would stand without support. I then moved forward and fell into my own stance. I could water bend with my staff in hand, bit was easier to flow offensively without it. If I was solely on the defence, I would keep the staff in hand, but this was not a situation that could for defence.

"I will not let you stop me. I have trained for years, and some teenage water bender is not going to stop me." Zuko snapped, firing blast after blast of fire from his fist.

I countered each blast with a water whip, causing a lot of steam to form, but with the villagers at my back I couldn't let the fire past me for fear of it hitting one of them. Making a decision, I chose to take a hit of fire to the arm while I slammed my foot into the ground. This caused a thick ice wall to form behind me so as to protect the villages from any stray fire balls.

With that done, I moved in using my water to remove the threat of fire until I got close enough to engage Zuko in hand-to-hand combat. He didn't even falter at the change in their medium of combat, easily adjusting which showed that he hadn't limited his training like so many benders did. Although they were mostly using hand to hand, one of them would occasionally get a blast of water or fire in which the other blocked or dodged.

I was forced to disengage when I felt the flames approaching from behind. I dropped and rolled, moving so I could put the two guards in my sight while also keeping an eye on Zuko. Disengaging gave Zuko the opportunity he needed to return to pure fire bending, and so I was forced to use water bending to defend.

I rose a water pillar to block the fire blast from Zuko while sending ice straight at one of the guards. He didn't manage to dodge completely and ended up captured in a frozen prison. I was forced to make my own ice protection from the flames that was sent at me from two directions. When there was a brief pause, I sent the ice flying in shards towards my two opponents. Unfortunately, they were able to either dodge or melt the projectiles.

Before the fight could continue, there was a strong blast of air which sent the last guard head over tail and Aang came to land beside me.

"I believe you were looking for me?" Aang asked Zuko.

"You're a child." Zuko demanded furiously.

"Aang, I told you to remain hidden." I didn't take my eyes from the furious prince.

"I'm not going to let you fight my battles." Aang answered completely serious for the first time. "Besides, reinforcements are coming from the ship."

I looked at the ship from the corner of my eye. And indeed, there was perhaps five more armoured soldiers leaving the ship.

"Since you're a master air bender, I assume you can fight?" I asked seriously.

"Ah, sort of. In theory. Maybe." Aang answered hesitantly.

"It will have to do. I'll deal with the guards." I turned from Aang and ran to engage the soldiers while Zuko furiously began to attack Aang.

It seemed the reinforcement were better than the initial guards who I had been fighting, or these ones had dealt with a water bender before, since they weren't as easy to take down. I danced between the blasts of fire, as well as the occasional sword, staff or fist. Countering and attacking with my own water and the sword that I'd drawn from my hip. I only managed to knock out two soldiers, and injure a further four when I heard Aang.

"Enough, if I come with you will you leave the village alone?"

The soldiers and I both stopped our fight and turned to face Aang. He'd stopped fighting, and had looked towards where Sokka and Katara were stood next to my ice wall which had clearly taken a few hits. There were cracks along the wall, and with a few more blasts there was a chance it would crumble.

Zuko dropped his bending stance and nodded. "Leave the water bender." He commanded his soldiers who also dropped their fighting stance although they moved around me vary warily.

"Aang." It was just the one word, but all the questions I had were conveyed to the younger boy without problems.

"I can't let you or the village get hurt, not for me."

"Very well," I dropped my fighting stance and put my sword back in its scabbard.

Aang's staff was taken from him and his hands were handcuffed. Two soldiers escorted him onto the ship, while the soldiers I had knocked out had to be carried. Zuko was the last to make his way to the ship, and since he had to pass me in order to reach it, I stepped into his personnel space and grabbed his arm. The teen tensed, and I could feel the heat building as he prepared to attack me but he wasn't skilled enough yet to fire bend without technique and stances.

"Congratulations you have captured the Avatar, and can now return to the Fire Capital. But do you honestly think, Prince Zuko, that word of your capture will not spread? There are many ambitious generals and captains out there who will not hesitate to attack the disgraced prince's ship in order to take your prize. The Fire Nation has grown greedy in these past one hundred years, and you cannot see the true destruction and devastation because you are blinded by your own pride and ego. But you are no longer a child. You need to open your eyes prince Zuko, before you find yourself burned and forced to do something you will regret." I whispered to the prince before letting the teen go.

He shot me a glare before marching stiffly onto his boat.

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