(A/N: This story seems to be moving along fast. I mean, I'm only on chapter five and look how far along my story is. Oh well, as long as I get it all on paper.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 5: Learning

Today, Katara had brought Zuko up to the top of a mountain. She hadn't told him the purpose of their journey, merely for him to follow her. Physical activity wasn't anything new to the Fire Prince, but the cold made it difficult.

Finally Katara came to a stop and pulled a strange device out of her pocket that Zuko didn't get a good look at. She held it to her lips and blew. Zuko didn't hear anything, but something else did. A few moments later, a large hairy beast came flying down from the sky and landed beside the two benders.

"Holy shit!" Zuko gasped. "Is that a flying bison?"

Katara petted the large furry beast. "His name is Appa."

"I thought taming flying bison was a trade of the Air Nomads."

She nodded. "It is, but long ago they taught us their ways." She climbed on top of the large creature. "A friendship forged between a bison and a human is sacred. You become life partners. One day, you will tame a bison as well."

The thought of flying around on one of these creatures was both thrilling and scary. "When?"

Katara smirked at his excitement. "When you are ready. Yip, yip!"

The bison jumped off the mountain with Katara still on his back and began flying around. Zuko watched in fascination as the two flew about, Appa seeming to literally swim through the air while Katara emitted a battle cry from on his back.

"Show off!" Zuko shouted.

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The days rolled by and Zuko's training continued. Katara was a great teacher, though very strict. She accepted nothing less than perfection. Zuko had to basically start from scratch. He even had to relearn his Firebending. In the past, he relied on his anger to Firebend, but Katara would not allow that. She told him that bending was a part of him, and he had to learn to use it as such.

"You can't let your anger take control of your bending. Do so, and it's destructive."

"All fire is destructive." Zuko told her. "All it can do is destroy."

She disagreed. "That's only if you let it. All bending is related to nature. When nature is angry, no matter what form of bending it is, it's destructive. The burning flames of a forest fire, the unforgiving flooding of water, the untamed force of an earthquake, the cruel wind of a tornado, it doesn't matter. Your bending is your passion. Use your passion to control your bending. Even with Firebending. Control fire properly, and it gives life and warmth to those around it."

It went against everything Zuko had ever believed, but he couldn't argue with that. He had been forced to learn to Firebend all over again. It was a real pain. At first, he couldn't even bend at all, but slowly his skills returned without him having to rely on his anger.

He also had to learn to fend for himself. Being the prince of the Fire Nation, he had been pampered most of his life. After his honor had been lost, he had gotten a taste of the real world, but out here, he truly had to learn how to survive. He had to hunt, track, build, make things, do whatever it took to survive.

But he couldn't be careless about it either. The Water Tribe was very proud of its ability to live with nature rather than just off of it. Zuko had been lectured for hours on how all nature is connected to each other and needed to learn to live together. He had to learn to respect all things, whether plant, animal, or human.

"Do you think that simply because you were fortunate enough to be born as a human that you're special?" Katara had asked him. "All life feels. You must respect that. We're all equals."

It was all very annoying, at least in the beginning. Perhaps it was because he hadn't been able to understand at the time, or wasn't able to do what was demanded of him, but as time went on, things began to change. The things Katara demanded of him seemed to become a way of life rather than a chore he had to do.

Zuko learned to hunt. He was careful about his kills, making them as quick and painless as possible, and saying a prayer for the parted animal's spirit as he took its life.

He learned how to understand the animals that the Water Tribe lived with. He could soon read them and understand their emotions. Though he never did become all that good at riding the elephant koi, he did manage to come to some sort of truce with the giant fish.

The cold was no longer a problem either. His body had adapted to the low temperature. His Firebending allowed him to change his body's temperature, happening on reflex until it was no different than breathing. Now Zuko didn't even notice when his body temperature automatically changed to allow him to stay in such a cold climate.

His Firebending skills had returned to. He was soon bending just as good as he was before. No, it was even better now. It felt stronger, more in control, and Zuko found himself enjoying it.

But his relationship with the Water Tribe and their ways wasn't the only thing that changed. Zuko had also become very close to the people he worked with back at camp. Iroh had become the father he never had, and the two had become very close. And Zuko had even managed to talk Hakoda into letting the old man into the village.

Aang's attitude had improved, and he and Zuko became friends. The young Airbender helped Zuko understand things about the Water Tribe that he struggled with. As it turned out, the Air Nomads and the Water Tribe shared many similar viewpoints about life.

Mai was still Mai, still the dull moody girl with an attitude, but she did become friendlier. She smiled and talked more, and even openly said that Zuko and the others were now tolerable.

It was hard to believe that it had only been three months.

One day Katara demanded a demonstration of Zuko's Firebending. He complied without complaint, performing for her to the best of his abilities. Katara watched, not saying anything, her face an emotionless mask.

Finally, Zuko finished his demonstration and bowed to her. When he looked up, he saw something in Katara's eyes that he could quite identify. Pride?

"A flawless performance." She told him. "You are ready."

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It should have been embarrassing. Here he was, climbing up a mountain with a couple of kids to pass a test that he should have taken six years ago. Meeting the bison was something all ten year olds that wanted to fly went through in the Water Tribe. And here he was, sixteen years old, about to perform this test with some children.

But Zuko didn't feel embarrassed or discouraged. He felt excited, and perhaps a little nervous. But he would be damned if he let Jet see him afraid. Currently, the young warrior was leading him and the others up the mountain to where the flying bison dwelled. Katara flew by on Appa, watching them as they climbed.

They finally came to a stop. Katara landed Appa nearby and hopped off. Zuko greeted her with a smile and a nod, which she returned with an affectionate smile of her own. The look didn't go by unnoticed by Jet, and he frowned in disapproval. Looking at Zuko and the children, he saw them all tired and out of breath, as was he. Yet a cruel arrogant smile crept up his face as he stepped in front of Zuko.

"The Firebender will go first." He announced.

Zuko looked up, seeing the smirk on Jet's face, just daring him to ask for a moment to rest. But the Fire Prince didn't back down. He merely nodded and stepped past Jet. Katara gave Jet her own disapproving frown before following Zuko.

Here, on a large edge of the mountain lay several dozen flying bison. Zuko eyed them curiously, wondering which one would be his. Katara came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Remember, a bison is a companion for life. They can sense what type of person you are. Only one will choose you, and you must choose him."

Zuko looked at the bison. There were at least fifty. "How will I know which one chooses me?"

Katara hesitated. "Normally, the ones that don't choose you, will merely ignore you, but since you're Fire Nation, they'll sense the difference and be more… hostile."

Well that told him absolutely nothing. "Meaning?"

"Basically, the one that chooses you, will be the only one not trying to kill you."

Zuko felt his stomach drop. Great, so out of fifty flying bison, only one wouldn't want to kill him. "Outstanding."

He slowly crept out on the ledge. Several bison turned to him, sensing his presence. They immediately began growling, regarding him with distrust. One of them even took a step towards him and snarled.

Jet laughed. "That idiot is going to get himself killed."

A jolt of fear ran through Zuko. The urge to Firebend hit him, but he didn't. If he did, he would either provoke the bison into attacking or scare them off. Either way, he would lose his only chance to get a bison of his own, and lose this opportunity to connect further with the Water Tribe.

So, taking a deep breath, he walked out onto the ledge. Several more bison began snarling at him, some backing away, other lowering their horns threateningly. Zuko did his best not to look intimidating, but he didn't think he was getting the message across.

With a roar, one of the bison charged. Zuko lunged out of the way, but his sudden movement set off others. Zuko soon found himself in a pile up of bison. He dodged bucking horns, snapping teeth, flapping tails, and stomping feet, all while trying his best not to fight back.

Finally, Zuko found himself backed into a corner. The bison surrounded him, their heads bowed, ready to impale him on their horns. Over their growls, he heard Katara scream his name, the laughter of Jet, and the encouragements of the others. Not that any of them could help him now.

One rather large, rather scruffy looking bison stepped forward, growling at Zuko. It bowed its head, displaying its horns, ready to run Zuko through. But Zuko refused to back down.

"Lets dance." He told it.

The bison roared and charged. Zuko took a fighting stance, ready to defend himself. It appeared he wouldn't be getting a bison of his own after all. But just before he prepared to Firebend, another bison appeared in front of him, shielding him from the charging bison. It roared loudly, and the one charging stopped. The two stared at each other for a few moments, making animals noises, almost as if they were talking.

Finally, the bison that had charged, and the others, turned away, no longer seeming to feel threatened by Zuko now that one of their own had accepted him. The bison that had defended him turned to the Fire Prince, looking at him almost curiously.

"I guess… you're mine." Zuko said to it.

Almost as if to reply, the bison gave him a big wet lick. Wiping away the massive amount of saliva, Zuko turned to the others. The children were cheering and Jet was looking disappointed, but Katara was beaming proudly.

(A/N: We're up to the banshee scene of Avatar. A few more chapters to go before everything goes to hell. So tune in for that.)