It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Zuko managed to pull his uncle into a secluded clearing.
"Come on, hurry! I need to talk to you!"
"Well, this had better be important. I want to get some sleep. My eyes feel heavier than my stomach."
"It's about my honor. And the, um, Avatar."
That got his attention. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you!"
"You're asking me? Why would I-"
"You give me advice all the time!"
"Yes, and it always goes over well." Iroh was still smiling.
"Look, I wasn't asking for advice then. I'm asking now."
The older man tapped his chin thoughtfully and leaned against a tree. "Very well: imagine a squirrel. The squirrel does not-"
"Don't you understand how serious this is?!" Zuko threw out his hand and a nearby bush burst into flame. "This is my entire life we're talking about! My family, my mission, my honor. I don't need jokes, or confusing stories! I need a DECISION, you crazy old man!"
Iroh smacked him. He wasn't smiling anymore.
"Do you always insult those you ask for guidance?"
Zuko's face crumpled as his anger faded. "I'm sorry. I'm just… confused. I need your help."
His uncle's expression softened. "As you said, Prince Zuko, this is your life. I cannot make the decision for you. You are your own man. You, and only you, must decide what the right thing to do is, and you must stand by your decision."
He bowed and walked away, leaving his nephew to put out the bush alone.
…
"Next stop, Ba Sing Se!" called Sokka as they packed to board Appa once more.
"With any luck, we should be there by nightfall," added Katara.
"Yeah, great." Zuko's voice was too low to be heard by anyone, including his uncle. "Hey, guys?" he added at a more normal volume. "I'm done packing my stuff. Can I go check out the river for a few minutes before we go? I have to, uh…"
"Take a leak? Why, take your time!" said Sokka as everyone else tried very hard not to look too amused or uncomfortable. "We've got a long day ahead of us, so you should probably go now anyway."
Zuko nodded once in acknowledgement and headed into the forest.
"What's his problem?" asked Toph.
…
"What is taking him so long?" Zuko had been gone for well over an hour. Sokka couldn't stop pacing. Katara was absentmindedly bending water from her canteen. Aang sat cross-legged on the sky bison's back, failing to suppress a yawn of boredom as Momo chittered and searched for bugs on the outskirts of their campsite. Toph was kicking a rock, an action made unusual only by the fact that she wasn't touching said rock. Even Appa had flopped down with a loud growl after twenty minutes. The only one who didn't look impatient was Iroh, who had unpacked his tea set and was humming over some jasmine leaves.
Then they heard the crackling of leaves in the distance. It sounded as though someone was running towards the camp. Instantly thinking of Zuko, they renewed their packing efforts, much to Iroh's chagrin. Aang grabbed his glider and excitedly flew up to see if he could spot the firebender, and while he was confused about the presence of actual flames in such a flammable area, he assumed that it was just a firebender thing.
…
Zuko was trying to meditate, but he couldn't seem to focus. Every time it looked as though he was about to gain some perspective, he'd hear some small animal chirping or the light would change or the wind would start up again and he'd get cold or… something. Had he been honest with himself, he'd have admitted hours ago that the decision he was trying to make was, ironically, distracting him from his decision-making process.
As he once again settled into his favorite meditative position, a low crouch, he heard some branches cracking. He closed his eyes tighter and ignored it.
A minute later, he heard a chorus of high birdcalls. He ignored that, too.
He almost opened his eyes when he heard the crash of a tree trunk hitting the forest floor, but he forced himself to keep focused.
It was the smell that finally got his attention. He didn't even notice it at first, so intent was he upon the task at hand. His nostrils started to twitch as he noted the smell in the back of his mind. It was a fairly familiar scent, so he didn't bother to place it as he tuned it out. Feeling the involuntary twitching of his muscles as they recognized what he was smelling, he devoted a little more of his attention to it. As his eyes began to tear, he reluctantly rose from his crouch and absentmindedly wiped them off, still more or less lost in thought.
'Wait a minute…' His eyes widened as they registered the thick clouds of smoke that hung in the air.
"Forest fire," he whispered.
Hey! At the request of my readers, I tried to make this chapter a little longer. Sorry that I took two weeks to get to it.
Anyway, I'm sure that I'm going to get comments about this, so a) no, it's not her, b) yes, I considered the idea, and c) yes, I'm making this deliberately vague (though I'm sure you'll pick up on it anyway). Thanks for reading and reviewing!