Note: Okay so apparently my story is good; well I'm very pleased to hear this so hopefully everyone who reads it will like be impressed by it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Avatar: Last Airbender characters or the story line.
Chapter Five
Zuko felt his foot hit something hard in the ground making tears swell in his eyes, from the blow to his unprotected limb. Reaching into the sand he pulled out a decent size oyster, he smiled to himself, food. They had been on the island for three days now and the only manner of food they had eaten was roots and the occasional fruit when the tree appeared, it was about time they ate some meat even if the meat was as pathetic as oyster. He dug a hole in the sand then managed to pour salt water in it to keep the shellfish fresh. Once he had combed the beach for any more oysters it was time for business. Taking a deep breath he shot twelve fireballs into the air, rested, then did again over a period of several hours.
The sun was in the middle of the sky by the time he went to camp to rest, Katara was holding his shirt above the embers of the fire he had made the following morning.
"What are you doing?" he inquired dropping the oysters on the soft grass next to the fire pit.
"Drying your shirt, what else?" her voice was warmer than before but he could see she still blamed him, she threw his shirt at his face, "Here, its dry."
"Thanks," he mumbled, almost like a scolded child, and then added hesitantly, "I found some oysters we can eat."
"Good!" she exclaimed dropping her barrier that she had so carefully put up, but just as fast as she dropped it she put it back, "I'll prepare them."
"Do you need a bigger fire?"
"Fire? No, at home we eat oysters raw."
"Ew, raw! Why? That sounds gross."
"Well," her voice was dangerous now, "if you don't like the way we make oysters make them yourself!"
"No," he tried to correct himself; "at the palace we always roasted them and ate them with cheese and bread."
Katara thumped her index finger impatiently on her leg, "We don't have cheese or bread."
"I'll eat them any way you cook them," her eyes flashed, correcting himself he said, "Prepare them."
"Alright, do you have something I can pry them open with?"
"No."
"That's okay," she pointed two of her fingers toward the pool pulling a small thread of water away from it, with a quick snap of her wrist the water sliced through each shell forcing them open, "I got it."
He poked the meat inside the shell with his finger then wiped the juices on his shirt, noticing Katara glaring at him, he almost involuntarily asked, "What?"
"I know you just didn't do that."
"Do what?"
"Wipe oyster's juice on the shirt I just washed."
"It looks like boogers," he said changing the subject from his abuse of the cleansed shirt.
"Ew! Zuko I'm trying to eat!"
He didn't reply, but stared disgusted at the small clam like creature in his hands.
How can people eat these things raw?
He swirled the shell some before allowing the meat to slide down his throat; the taste lingered on his tongue making him want to vomit.
"Its not that bad," she laughed at the face he was currently making.
"No, its horrible!" he yelled running over the pool of water, gulping it down as if he hadn't had water in days.
She calmly slurped down another oyster asking as she did so, "Do you want me to catch a fish for you so you can eat?"
Gulping down some more water he replied, "I'll get them."
She let out a low snort.
"What?" he asked defensively, knowing her snort was out of disbelief that he could catch a fish, "I can catch one!"
"Uh-huh," she sarcastically agreed, finishing off the last of the oysters he had brought, "This I want to see."
He took off his shirt hanging it on a low branch, so that it wouldn't get wet, rolled up his pant legs, and entered the icy water. The mud on the floor of the pool sunk some under his weight as tiny and large silver fish swam by.
"This isn't to hard," he mumbled to himself watching the fish with his acute eye.
Katara sat on the bank in front of him, forgetting both the war and his betrayal, for that one moment, time seemed to have frozen in place and nothing existed but them, a smile stretched across her face, "Okay fire boy, lets see you catch a fish."
He struck the water like a snake striking its prey, closing his hand he brought it out to reveal nothing but brown mud, he heard Katara laughing from the bank hysterically.
"I could have caught a fish," he informed her taking the last bite of the three silver fish she had bended out of the water.
"You're a horrible fisher," she laughed standing up.
He leaned back against the old oak, now that he had pleased his stomach, "That was my first time fishing."
Katara's face became serious now, "Hey what did that guy mean by soon?"
"Nothing," he repeated his answer from last night, "I'm going to sleep."
"Hmmm," she looked at him long and hard even making him believe, for a minute, that she was actually reading his soul.
Why does she do that? He asked himself closing his eyes allowing the sun's rays to beat the back of them relaxing him almost instantly, "What?"
"Nothing," her voice mimicked in a song, "I'm going to wash in the pool so don't look!"
He rolled his eyes, "Don't flatter yourself."
She grunted, stuck her tongue out, and went behind the tree he was lounging on. The next time he woke up was to the sound of a siren's voice, her lyrics filling his ears like the water flowing down the stream; he focused his mind on her words as the wind tossed his hair gently:
"When the night is gone,
And we can no longer hear her song,
I will be there for you.
When the moon is shattered,
And our souls become tattered,
I will be there for you.
So never fear, my dear,
I will always be near,
I will be there for you."
The song stopped as the sound of splashing water replaced it, she reappeared from around the tree and quietly stalked over to the pit, he was unable to control his curiosity so he questioned, "What was that song you were singing?"
She jumped at the sound of his voice, "I thought you were asleep!"
"I was."
"Well don't do that!"
"Do what?"
"Pretend to be sleeping then ask me something; you scared me!"
He opened his eyes, "I can see that."
The sounds of twigs snapping in the forest was lost in their voices, and the low, base growl of a wolf mixed in the sound of the bubbling stream so close to them.
She let out a sigh; "The song was a lullaby my mother use to sing to me before she died."
"Oh," he closed his eyes once more the forest becoming still, though a pair of bright yellow eyes appeared out of the brush.
"Zuko!" a panicked voice yelled jerking him awake from his dreamless sleep. His eyes snapped open to the sound of a growl, a low dangerous growl. To his dismay a large wolf-like creature had cornered Katara against a tree on the edge of the forest, his ivory fangs bared with his lips pulled back in a snarl.
He jumped to his feet, "What is that?"
"Stay where you are fire heathen," the creature barked, hair on end.
"Help me!" Katara whispered shaking violently in her fear.
"What do you want?" Zuko demanded of the wolf, stalling for time so he could think of a plan.
I could hit it with a fire attack, he pondered, but then I could also hit her and I don't want to risk the wolf attacking her before my attack makes contact with him.
"Let her go," the beast turned on Zuko as Katara fell to the ground, "fire scum, she will do your people no harm."
"What?" both, the bender of fire and bender of water, were startled by the beast's concern for her safety.