oh my gosh, you guys...

you guys are great x3

enjoy~ c:

Chapter Seven:

Fire is the element of power

"Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression." The Uncle explained, lifting the handle of the tea kettle and pouring the steaming tea into a teapot. He placed it back over the fire and filled a cup before continuing, "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightening the cold-blooded fire, it is precise and deadly, like Azula. To preform the technique requires peace of mind."

"I see." Zuko remarked as he took the cup that was offered, looking down at the liquid thoughtfully, "That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind."

"Oh yeah, good point!" Iroh exclaimed, taking a sip of his tea before correcting himself with a grin, "I mean, yes."

Kinri sighed, picking idly at the small patch of singed fabric on Zuko's pants.

As much as she loved being near her person, she was starting to grow bored of all the talking being swapped above her. She didn't understand most of the gibberish of lightning or firebending anyways.

Her person shifted below her and she blinked as she was set on the ground, both Zuko and the old man getting to their feet and walking out of the partially collapsed building.

She followed after them curiously, scampering across the wooden floor until she reached the stairs. Zuko and the Uncle were already at the edge of the cliff and she huffed, attempting to jump and glide down the steps, but a breeze blew in from her side causing her wings to waver in the air and she ended up tumbling horns over tail into the dirt below.

Squawking laughter erupted to her right and she glared with heated scales over at the ostrich-horse, who looked very much amused at her tangled and dirt covered self.

"What are you laughing at, you big turkey?" Kinri growled, the words feeling foreign on her forked tongue and sharp canines. What even was a turkey anyway? She blinked in confusion before getting to her talons and shaking out her long body, sending little clouds of dust every which way.

"You, little lizard." The ostrich-horse snorted, ruffling the feathers around its head and stomping the ground with a large clawed foot.

"I'm a dragon, not a lizard." She retorted, sitting regally on the ground in front of the steps and arching her neck proudly.

After all her wondering and guessing, she'd finally found out what she was.

A dragon.

And if what she had seen in her strange vision was really a dragon, then she was going to look pretty cool when she grew up.

"A dragon?"

"Yup!"

The hybrid stared at her, and she puffed out her chest.

"What's that?"

She fell on her side, all her haughtiness gone with that simple question.

"You don't know what a dragon is?" She asked incredulously, and at the shake of the creatures head she continued with an excited flap of her wings. "Its a huge awesome scaly thing that can fly and breathe fire!"

"Riiight," the ostrich-horse drawled, blinking slowly at her, "and my tears are used in healing potions."

"Really?"

"No."

Her wings drooped onto the dirt as her excitement plummeted. How was she supposed to know that other creatures weren't as extraordinary as dragons? Then again, now that she thought about it, she didn't really know that much about dragons and other creatures.

All she knew came from her own experiences, and from the faint vision she'd had, which wasn't very much considering she'd only hatched the day before. Literally.

A sudden surge of lighting arched over the side of the cliff, and she jumped nearly a foot into the air, the hybrid snorting in surprise right next to her.

"What the-"

The ostrich-horse started to say, but she was already racing off towards the old man and her person. They looked alright from a distance, but she had to make sure her person wasn't hurt.

Just before she reached them, Zuko had shot out his hand, and an explosion launched him backwards, nearly colliding with her as he landed, skidding back to land just in front of her and the Uncle.

She cried out, leaping on top of him and scouring every inch of him that she could get to as she searched for an injury, worry causing her scales to itch and prickle.

"Get off, Kinri." Zuko growled angrily, ignoring her whine as he got to his feet and handed her over to Iroh. "Hold her, I don't need her getting in the way."

Hurt pierced through her chest when the Uncle's warm calloused hands wrapped around her, gentle but firm as she tried to reach for Zuko, who walked away from them.

"Easy now," Iroh's soft voice rumbled above her and she looked up at the old man with dejected eyes, "he just needs time to sort this out."

She settled uneasily into his arms as the two gazed after the prince, smoke from the explosions billowing up into the sky.

.

"Why can't I do it?!" Zuko snapped finally, whirling to face his uncle. "Instead of lightning it keeps blowing up in my face...like everything always does."

Iroh sighed, getting up from the ground and approaching the prince. "I was afraid this might happen." He admitted, and the little dragon shifted in his arms, looking worriedly over at Zuko. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko fumed stubbornly.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

"But I don't feel any shame at all," Zuko argued, "I'm as proud as ever."

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but it's source." Iroh explained steadily, "True humility is the only antidote to shame."

"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately..." The prince muttered wearily, turning away from Iroh and the dragon.

The old man paused for a moment, thinking over something briefly before looking back at his nephew.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know." Iroh grinned widely as Zuko turned to look at him curiously, "Because I made it up myself."

The prince sent his uncle a small smile, and the tense atmosphere was lifted.

.

Kinri was laying on the ground in between her person and Iroh, who had found a long stick and was drawing strange shapes in the dirt.

She looked longingly over at Zuko, wanting to crawl into his lap like she usually did, but his words from earlier came back to her and she scrunched herself further into the dirt.

"Fire is the element of power." The Uncle started above her, sliding his stick through the dirt. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

She blinked curiously at the little box the old man had drawn in the dirt. It didn't look anything like fire. She stretched her neck forward, sniffing at the symbol. But instead of the smokey heat scent from the other fire, she only got a nose full of dirt. She sneezed, and Iroh chuckled overhead, continuing on with his explanation.

"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring..."

Kinri sighed, curling into a tight ball and sticking her nose under one of her wings as the Uncle talked on, his soothing voice drifting her off into sleep.

.

When she woke, the sky had darkened to a fiery orange, and Zuko and Iroh had moved a little ways off, making strange gestures with their arms and fingers.

She stretched out her body, wincing only slightly at the ache that clouded her mind for a brief moment before fading. As she was starting to get to her talons a sharp voice cut through the air and made her jump.

"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightening at you!"

Blinking in confusion, Kinri turned towards the two, watching as the Uncle said something else before he turned away.

She started towards them, but stopped when her person stomped towards the ostrich-horse and hopped on its back while the old man bowed his head with closed eyes.

It was only when he raced off across the dirt in the direction of gathering storm clouds did she break out of her stupor.

"Wait! Kinri!"

But she was already gone, flapping her wings ferociously as she tried to follow her person, though the ostrich-horse was much faster than her, and she was soon left behind in a cloud of dust.

She coughed as the dust clouds settled, lowering herself to the ground as her injured side started to protest, but when footsteps sounded behind her she gritted her teeth and lifted herself into the air again. Her short legs weren't meant for running, and even though her wings were still too small for her body, she wasn't about to be taken back to the building when her person was racing off without her.

Her wings weren't yet large or strong enough to carry her over large distances, so every time she grew too tired to keep flying, she dropped to the ground to rest for a few precious moments before once more taking to the air.

The sky grew darker as menacing clouds rolled in overhead, blocking out the warm sun and further draining her energy.

And to make things worse, rain started to fall, pelting her scales angrily as the wind picked up, catching her unfurled wings and buffeting her this way and that in the air before slamming her back down onto the ground.

Her bruised side protested along with the rest of her body as she dragged herself to a sitting position and squinted through the pouring rain.

Where was her person?

Her tail wrapped over her talons and she hunched her shoulders, but it didn't seem to do much against the storm.

She couldn't stop now, what if her person was lying hurt somewhere and needed her?

Shivering, she stood, bracing herself against the wind as she pushed onwards, this time on the ground, her sore wings folded tightly against her sides as she followed the ever fading tracks of the ostrich-horse.

.

Zuko stood on the top of a small rocky cliff that jutted into the angry sky, glaring into the gray abyss that rolled with sinister clouds.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it, and now I can give it back!" He shouted, but the clouds ignored him, lighting flashing tauntingly in the grey depths, but came no closer to the fuming prince.

"Come on, strike me!" Zuko roared as the storm raged around him, "You've never held back before!"

Golden eyes searched the rolling clouds, but no more lighting flashed across the sky. The prince closed his eyes tightly as tears began to stream down his cheeks and he screamed wordlessly at the unyielding sky, then fell to his knees in anguish as the rain continued to pour and the wind grasped unceasingly at his clothes.

.

There was no telling how long he stayed up there, slouched against the retreating storm. He couldn't think or feel, his mind and body both numb from his emotional breakdown. And at first he didn't comprehend the scrabbling sound behind him was something small climbing up the side of the cliff. That is, until a weak cry reached his ears.

Zuko raised his head slowly, his body stiff and unresponsive from remaining in the same position for so long, and turned towards the edge of the cliff, eyes blinking in confusion at what he saw.

But it couldn't be...could it?

"Kinri?"

The little golden dragon heaved her mud-covered body over the edge, whimpering as she dragged herself towards him.

With a gasp he lunged towards her, ignoring his screaming muscles as he drew her into his arms, grimacing at the scratches and scrapes that covered her dirty scales and wings.

The dragon relaxed instantly, body shuddering against his chest as her exhausted eyelids slid closed.

"Stupid dragon...why can't you just do as I ask?" His voice caught in his throat, and tears started to leak out of his eyes once more as he looked down at the sleeping creature.

With a shaky breath, he wiped at his eyes and got to his feet, climbing back down to the ostrich-horse who was hunched against the rocks below.

It huffed at him as he came closer and he sent it a tired smile, patting its side with a hand before leading it back towards their shelter, the unconscious dragon tucked tightly against his chest.

heh...big turkey...

well anyways xD

thanks for reading~! ^-^