It's been four years since that night. Asami and Haru became good friends and Hiroshi kept his promise and had a forge built at the back of the Beifong estate.
Despite Lin's worry Haru was very proficient for a self-taught blacksmith, he made all sorts of things and inventions that could help people just like he wanted. It disappointed Toph and Lin that he still couldn't metal-bend, but they didn't love him any less. Recently Haru has been sneaking about the house and staying up is his room for long periods of time. This caused Lin to be very concerned.
"Haru!" Lin called throughout her house, she managed to get off work early and decided to take Haru around the city, she had looked in the forge and saw that it was empty which wasn't normal for Haru, he was always in there doing something.
"Mother?" Lin called from the base of the stairs, the sound of movement confirmed that Toph was awake.
As Toph walked down the stairs she had an all-knowing stern look on her face.
"What happened?" Lin asked sitting in a chair. As Haru grew older it seemed that he had a knack for getting into trouble, not that he meant to, just that he sometimes made mistakes, but every time it happened Lin and Toph would help him when he needed them. Now most of the time he managed to avoid trouble.
"You know how we seem to miss a few cods and trout whenever we buy them?" Toph asked. Lin's face faltered.
"He's stealing food? Why on earth would he do that?" Lin said aloud.
Food was never a problem for the Beifong's both their salaries could buy food for an entire village. Even though Haru was on the skinny side, he had the biggest appetite next to Toph in the whole house. So why was he sneaking food out of the kitchen?
"Think about it, a young boy, taking food without his mother knowing?" Toph said, grinning as her daughter struggled to figure it out.
After moments of thinking Lin made the connection.
"He has a pet?" Toph nodded in confirmation.
"Nice work detective, took you a bit but you got it." Tooth said smiling, Lin wasn't amused, Haru repetitively asked for a pet, although Toph didn't mind the idea, Lin was against it to say the least.
She was about to go into the boy's room to scold him, asking for a pet was one thing, but getting one, feeding it, and not telling her was something different altogether.
"Before you go skin the boy alive, let him explain himself." Toph said.
"Mother he went behind my back and he has to face the consequences, plain and simple." Lin said with a steel gaze.
"If you keep putting walls up he's just gonna find a way around them, that's what I did. I mean sure he goes to school, but the only other friend he has lives so far way. Can you blame him for being lonely from time to time?" Toph countered.
That made Lin stop dead in her tracks, she had met her grandparents of course and she immediately saw why Toph ran away, they literally put boundaries up between her and the real world, and she wasn't going to do that to Haru. She continued up the stairs.
Toph smirked, Knew that'd work.
Haru's room stood at the end of the hallway, Lin took a breath and opened the door. Drawings scattered the desk and toys spread out on the floor, Haru himself was in bed sleeping, with a good amount of drool on his face. Lin walks over to the end of his bed and sat down.
"Haru, wake up." she said as she gently shook the boy. Haru slowly awoke from his slumber.
His green eyes immediately went wide seeing his mother was home, putting on his best smile he figured if he acted vary good his mom wouldn't be as mad.
"Hi mommy." He said with a big smile.
"I know about the pet." Lin stated. Haru's smile fell.
"How did you know?" he asked disappointed.
"Doesn't matter how I know, the point is you stole food from the kitchen and you're keeping a pet in the house without my permission." Lin scolded.
"I'm sorry it won't happen again." Haru said looking down.
"Good now tell me about the pet."
"Well a few days ago on our field trip in the mountains there was a lightning storm. I decided to go and explore away from the group. At the top of the mountain I saw a round black rock. When I went to go touch it, a lightning bolt hit it and I fell down. I looked up and there he was covered in eggshells. I decided to bring him home with me and feed him. He's just a baby he doesn't know how to survive by himself. His mommy didn't come for him when he hatched." Haru explained.
"Haru, I'm very disappointed in you not only did you risk your life, you could have been killed! Do you know how that would make me and your grandma feel?" Lin was furious.
"I'm sorry mommy I didn't mean to, it just happened."
"Promise me you won't do anything like this ever again."
"But-"
"Promise." Lin said looking him in the eye. Haru sighed and relented.
"I promise."
Lin nodded, "Good, now let's see him." Haru's head shot up and he looked at her confuse.
"You heard me, just because I'm mad doesn't mean you can't keep him." she said, a small smile tugging on his lips, Haru threw off his covers and gave her a platypus-bear hug.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" he repeated with joy in his voice.
Haru dropped from the side of his bed and looked under it. "Toothless come out!"
A small reptile, a tad bigger than a lemur came out, Lin at first thought it was a cat at first but saw the wings on its back. She was speechless to say the least.
"A dragon?" Tenzin asked in the living room.
"It's not even hostile towards Haru, the thing adores him." she said looking out front. Haru had taken Toothless outside and was playing, or training him, to fetch to no avail.
"It... he doesn't mind me or mother at all, in fact he likes us." Lin said looking towards Tenzin.
"Only my father and Fire lord Zuko have ever seen a dragon and they were nothing like this one." Tenzin said stroking his beard in a contemplative fashion.
"What do you want to do?" he asked. Lin shook her head.
"I told him he could keep him, the poor thing is to young since he can't fly, so Haru won't wake up one morning to a missing pet, but I'll keep an eye on him just in case."
As they talked Haru burst into the room with Toothless in tow.
"Mom! Uncle Tenzin! Watch this!" he exclaimed he turned to his new dragon.
"Toothless, smile." he commanded, the dragon opened his mouth, showing his sharp teeth, which retracted into his gums, much to the grownups surprise, and curved his mouth into a smile. Lin thought it was one of the cutest things she had seen.