"Oh, what, I'm not good enough to kidnap?" Sokka demands. The last of the pirates disappear into the trees, leaving Sokka alone in the middle of the campsite. Scrambling for his club and his boomerang, Sokka thunders after them, frantically searching for the trail in the thick foliage. "Hello! Hey! I stole your parrot!"

Nothing. The pirates have slipped from his grasp, and the only sounds in the trees are the titterings of some Earth Kingdom bird. Sokka heaves to catch his breath, blue eyes scanning the green around him, searching for any kind of movement.

"I hate pirates," he mutters, and he sets off toward what he hopes is the river. Katara has the waterbending scroll; that's probably where the pirates are headed. The question is where on the river they've ended up. And how long is it going to take for him to find them.

"Aang, this is all my fault," Katara says, looking over at her friend.

"No, Katara, it isn't."

General Iroh, hands tucked in his sleeves, regards them. "Yeah, it kind of is."

"Give me the boy," Zuko barks.

"You give us the scroll." The pirate captain's grip tightens on Aang's shirt, and the boy swallows hard.

"We'll meet in the middle," Zuko decides, and the captain nods once. Aang can feel himself being moved, but his heart is thumping in his ears and Katara's face has gone white. "Aang, no! Still tied to the tree, she begins to squirm. "Zuko, please! You don't have to do this!"

But the boy and the scroll are exchanged, with a bag full of gold for the pirates besides. For their troubles, the old man said. Aang is loaded on the small riverboat, but all he can hear is his heart. Zuko is better prepared this time, with metal shackles and a tight circle of guards that keep him in lockstep. "I'll be okay, Katara!" He looks over his shoulder, smiling as widely as he can, hoping she can see it through the armor that surrounds him.

"Let him go," she hisses, and he can just see the tears making tracks down her face as he is hauled over the side of the ship.

"I'm sorry," Zuko says, the earlier aggression in his voice replaced by a matter-of-factness Aang didn't know the older boy had in him. "I told you I need him to restore my honor."

Whatever else passes between them, Aang isn't certain. He is pulled into the dark maw of the riverboat, shackles clanking on his legs, and it is a few hours before he sees the sun again. They return back to port around midday, and Aang shifts restlessly in his cell as the soldiers stomp around the deck of the little boat above him.

He can hear them shouting orders. Directions for the crew on the larger ship, probably. He can hear chains attaching to the sides of the little riverboat, pulling it back inside the ship, and then he can hear the hatch clanging closed. Okay. This is okay. He'll wait until they move him to the ship. He'll have an opportunity to escape then.

The guards outside his cell have been quiet, so Aang twists his bound wrists around, just enough to get his fingers in his pocket. Fumbling a little, he can feel the bison whistle, its cold edges brushing his fingertips. Taking a deep breath, he breathes in hard, willing the whistle to rise from his pocket on the air current.

If he weren't chained to a wall, he'd leap for joy. The whistle has popped right into his mouth. One more deep breath, and he's blown on the whistle for all he's worth, willing Appa to come. "We'll ride out of here together buddy," he whispers. "And then we'll get Sokka and Katara and head straight for the North Pole."

"Let him go!" Katara bellows, but the order has already been given, and the riverboat begins to chug up the river. The pirate ship has launched as well, leaving her alone with Zuko and his uncle.

The prince glares at her. "I'm taking him back to the Fire Nation. If you and your brother have any sense, you won't come after us."

"Your boat is leaving," she snarls.

"We'll catch up."

He's too calm. "You think you've won? You'll never get him back there. Sokka and I won't stop until we've rescued him."

"We'll see about that."

"Prince Zuko," the old man interrupts. "You're never going to believe this. The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

Zuko smiles, almost indulgently. "I'm happy for you, Uncle."

The old man beams. "Perhaps I could talk you into a game of Pai Sho when we return?"

Zuko glances back at Katara. "No. I need to prepare to meet my father. And we'll need to track down the Avatar's bison."

Katara can feel the blood draining from her face. "You'll never find him."

"He's a giant, fluffy, flying bison. Of course I'll find him." Looking up at the sky, Zuko sighs. He bends down, pulling a knife out of his boot, and raises it in the air. Katara flinches as the sun glints off the steel. "I'm not going to hurt you." Then, with a quick swipe, he's cut through the ropes binding her to the tree. "Go find your brother. Go home. It's over."

"How am I supposed to go home?" She spits, rubbing her wrists. "Since you're taking Appa too."

Zuko shrugs. "I guess you shouldn't have crossed those pirates. Come on, Uncle. We're going."

The old man watches his nephew's back, then pulls a small bag out of his sleeve. "My nephew will not harm your friend," he says. "The Avatar will be treated with kindness."

Katara can feel tears welling in her eyes, but she won't let them fall. Not in front of the Fire Nation. "Oh, because he's treated him so kindly before."

"Take this," the old man says. "It will buy you passage back to the South Pole. Now, where is that brother of yours?"

Katara wheels around, looking into the trees. "Sokka!"

"Do not follow us. Your brother may think we have taken you also." The man chuckles. "I doubt that would make him very happy."

Seething, Katara watches as he follows his nephew up the river. She hates that he's right. She hates it, and she's going to get Aang back. See if she doesn't.

By the time Zuko and Uncle return to the ship, it's nearly sunset, and to Zuko's surprise, the bison is already on board. "Uncle," he says, his voice cracking enough that it's nearly embarrassing. "Is that the Avatar's bison?"

Considering the way Uncle's eyebrows are raised, he sees it too. "Well, Prince Zuko, luck is with you."

Zuko wants to grumble that he's never been lucky, never will be lucky, and certainly isn't lucky now. Something must be wrong. The Water Tribe girl found her brother and the bison first. They're springing the Avatar already. His banishment isn't over, may never be over. He'll never have an opportunity like this again, and he's blown it, and-

Oh. His booming stomps on the black deck come to such an abrupt halt that Uncle nearly bowls him over. "Prince Zuko?"

"The bison is chained, Uncle."

Uncle blinks once, twice. "That is good news, Prince Zuko. The crew must have apprehended him for you."

Zuko hadn't realized his crew was that intelligent, but in a rare moment of forethought, decides against saying so.

"Prince Zuko," Lieutenant Jee rushes down the stairs from the helmsman's station. "The Avatar is still in the riverboat. We were about to move him to a cell in the brig, but the bison-"

The bison growls, low and dangerous.

Jee straightens his shoulders. "The bison came out of nowhere, sir. We've managed to restrain it, but I don't know how long we'll be able to hold it down."

Zuko frowns. "What about the Water Tribe siblings? Were they with him?"

"No. The animal came alone."

Perhaps Uncle is right. Maybe, just once, he's gotten lucky. "Set a course for the Fire Nation immediately. I want to put as much distance between us and this port as possible before the bison escapes. And leave the Avatar in the riverboat. If we don't bring him into the open, there's less of a chance he'll escape."

Jee nods, retreating the way he came.

"I'm going home, Uncle."

"So it would seem, Prince Zuko." Uncle strokes his beard pensively. "So it would seem."

A/N: Do I have other projects I should be focusing on? Yes, yes I do. But in an interesting turn of events, having been too busy for fanfiction since something like October, I read a few stories from 2005 this week and caught a plot bug. It's interesting to read people's characterizations of Zuko from back before we knew he's just an awkward softie.

Also, can we talk about how The Hunter and The Prey is really, really cursed but also obscenely good? I was both gripped and horrified the whole time. Good grief.