The Avatar made us breakfast that morning, which honestly, for a kid, wasn't that bad. "Okay, I'm ready to learn Firebending," he said after eating his last forkful. I shoved the last bite in my mouth. "Of course."
After a few minutes, we were standing in a clearing in the temple. "Just remember, fire is nothing to be scared of," I reminded him.
"Yeah, nothing to be scared of," he sighed.
"But you have to respect it. If you don't, it'll chew you up and spit you out like a mad Komodo Rhino!"" I warned.
The Avatar shows a hint of fear but quickly swallows it back. "Good. Now show me what you got. Any amount of fire." He nods. He takes a deep breath and punches the air. The only thing that came out was a small smoke cloud. "Maybe I need a demonstration?" he suggested.
"Alright, step back," I said. I take a deep breath as he backs away. I punch the air and the tiniest flame comes out. The Avatar clapped. "What was that?" I cried. "That was literally the worst Firebending I have ever seen!"
"I thought it was…cool. And kind of cute," he said.
"Firebending isn't supposed to be cute!" I exclaimed as I punched the air some more. I tried three more times, with no luck. "Why is this happening?" I asked.
"It could be the altitude," The Avatar suggested. "We are higher than usual and I haven't seen you fight up here before."
"Could be," I said. I glance down below. The cliff looks endless. "I might as well try again. Maybe I'll get used to the altitude."
"All right, Zuko," The Avatar said, sitting down on a broken pillar. "If you insist."
I tried a few more punches, each with no improvement from the first. In fact, they seem to be getting smaller. "Just breathe," I told myself before I threw another punch. Another small flame came out and died.
The Avatar stood, excited. "That one felt hot!" he tried.
"You know what it's supposed to look like!" I said. "Don't say that!"
"Sorry, Hotman," he said. I stared at him for a second. He just smiled at me. Sokka walked up to us with an apple. "Hey, jerks! Mind if I watch you two do your jerkbending?" he asked.
"Get out of the way or you'll be set on fire," I said, pointing to the pillar The Avatar is sitting on. "Take it easy!" he said, waving a hand. He joined The Avatar on the pillar.
The whole day, no fire. The Avatar and his friend left after a while, but I didn't care. If I can't Firebend, then what can I do? I left the Fire Nation just to help The Avatar defeat my father! If I can't do that, how am I supposed to fulfill my destiny! I left to keep him out of my way but now…
I joined the group later after I gave up. They are sitting by a fire. The bison is eating hay and keeping the lemur away. I sat down next to the fire. "Look, guys. I lost my stuff." The group all looked at the bun girl, Toph. "Don't look at me! I didn't touch his stuff! I've been out here all day! I don't even know where his room is!"
"No, I mean my Firebending," I said, correcting her. "My Firebending's gone." The whole group looked at me, even the three that found their way into the temple without The Avatar and his friends knowing. Katara laughs.
I glare at her. "What? Is it funny that The Avatar can't stop this war?" I asked.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony!" she exclaims. "I was just thinking how funny it is that you lost your Firebending now instead of before when you were attacking us!"
"Its not exactly gone," I said, looking at her, "it's just weaker."
"Maybe you're not as good as you say you are!" Katara said.
"Oof," Toph says, laughing a little. "Apparently, this is a joke to you all?" I asked. "Apparently, it's funny that I can't teach The Avatar Firebending? Apparently, it's funny that we can't stop this war?"
That made everyone quiet. Toph even stopped laughing. What do they want me to do? Go back to attacking them? Wait, that's it! "Maybe it's because I switched sides!"
"That's crazy," Katara said, rising her bowl. The Avatar looked at me. "He might actually have a good point!"
"Really? How?" Sokka asked.
"Before, his Firebending was fueled by anger. Maybe he just doesn't have enough anger to fuel it like he used to."
"So, we have to make Zuko mad?" Sokka asked. "Easy enough!"
He leaned closer to me and started poking me with the hilt of his sword. I glare at him and his smile faded. "Or not," he said, moving away.
"No, what I mean is that he has to find a new source to fuel his Firebending," The Avatar said.
"A new source?" I asked. "Where am I going to find that at this time? The comet is getting closer and I still have to teach you Firebending!"
"What about its original source?" Toph asked, licking her bowl.
"The original source?" Sokka asked. "What's that?"
"For Earthbenders, the original source was Badgermoles," Toph said.
"What?" Sokka asked.
"I ran away from home one day, into a cave of Badgermoles. They are the ones who taught me to sense the world. They helped me become the most powerful Earthbender in the world."
"That's cool, Toph!" The Avatar exclaimed. "I didn't know that at all!"
"Yep! That's why I can see! They sensed the world as well!"
"The original benders for us were the Sky Bison," The Avatar said. I look up at the mural of three Sky Bison, circling in the symbol of the Airbenders. "Explains that mural," Sokka said.
"Yep!" The Avatar said, smiling, "So, Zuko, who was the first Firebender?"
"Dragons," I said.
"Dragons?" Sokka asked. "As in the lizards that have wings and breathe fire?"
"Yes, Sokka. Dragons. However, they're extinct now."
"But, Avatar Roku had a dragon," The Avatar said.
"Well they're gone now," I said. "This isn't going to take us anywhere."
"Well, uh, I'm sorry," he said.
"The first people to learn Firebending from them were the Ancient Sun Warriors?"
"Sun Warriors?" Sokka asked. "What a fun name, being named after the sun! It'll be like if the first Waterbenders called themselves the Moon Warriors!"
"They died off a while ago, but they have ruins near here," I said.
"For real?" The Avatar asked. "Maybe we can go there! We might learn something!"
"Maybe you'll learn Firebending by standing where they stood centuries ago?" Sokka asked.
"Maybe," I said. I looked at The Avatar. "Either I learn to Firebend or The Avatar has to find a new teacher."
"That's it?" Toph asked. "If it doesn't work, you're just giving up?"
"If it doesn't work, I can't teach him Firebending!" I replied. "If he can't find a new teacher, this war will rage on forever and my father will win. And we don't want that to happen, do we?" She said nothing. "Great, we'll head out for their ruins tomorrow," I said, looking at The Avatar again. "We'll learn Firebending together."