Ren grunted as a chain made a shot of discomfort race through him. The sixteen year old half dragon's senses were being overrun while on the boat; the constant rocking, the creaking, the sound of the water all around them from the level he was imprisoned in made it hard to focus- but if this was going to be his new home for however long was necessary he'd get used to it... eventually. He knew Aang was somewhere else on the ship- the Firebenders wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the brothers too close to each other.
As the ship bumped into something- probably some ice- Ren slid towards the wall but was yanked to a stop by the collar and chain around his neck that was attached to the opposite wall of his cell, making him choke a bit as the metal blocked off his air for a split second. Ren righted himself and leaned against the wall quietly, letting out a sigh of smoke and sparks that trailed up into the air.
He could only hope that Aang was alright… and giving his own wardens a run for their money.
Aang was walked deeper into the bowels of the ship after they had locked Ren away. He had to get out and save his brother, but how?
He got an idea.
"I'll bet you've never fought an Airbender before… Betcha' I can take you two with both hands tied behind my back~!" "When in doubt, channel your Inner Kid, squirt." Ren always told him. "Make people pissed off at your nonstop talking and they'll underestimate you. If that succeeds, then you can really kick their asses." As the guard in front of him told him to be quiet, Aang took a deep breath and let it out, slamming the guard into the door while ramming the other one behind him backwards and into the ground.
Taking his chance, Aang jumped onto the deck and looked at Amaru. The light black dragon looked up before blinking at the Airbender in understanding and Aang smiled worriedly. The dragon was saying not to worry about them.
Turning, Aang blasted a door open and began the hunt for his brother and his staff.
=›◊‹=
Ren shot up when he heard the rapid pounding of feet approach his cell and the scent of skies and mountain ranges. The door slammed open in a gust of wind and Aang stood there loud and proud, with an extra emphasis on the loud, to break him out.
"REN! I'VE COME TO RESCUE YOUUU!" The half dragon blinked and winced at the volume of his exclamation. "Sooo, I guess subtlety is off the table?" Aang tittered sheepishly as he used Airbending to move the inner mechanisms of the locks and shackles of his chains around, unbinding him.
"Yeah," Aang said, glancing up at Ren with mirthful eyes. "Sneaking wasn't always my best trait…" With his bindings on the ground or hanging from the walls, Ren stretched, silver fire running up and down his arms, and smirked. The protector slammed a fist into his palm, a sign he was ready and raring for a fight. "Then let's go with plan 'T', yeah?" Aang grinned as he spun his staff. "Take em' by storm? I'm ready to go!"
The two barreled out of the cell and made their way through the maze that was the ship, knocking over Firebenders with gusts of wind or sucking down their fire attacks thanks to Ren's ability as a kin to dragons. "Soldiers coming on the right!" Ren said as a foot came into the corridor. "I got it." Aang spun and used his staff to Airbend a blast of wind into the man's chest sending him back into the hall he was coming from.
"Go, go!"
At his brother's command, Aang ducked under Ren's wing and continued down the hallway, looking for the exit. Ren's cell had been deeper than his intended one, and he hadn't fully memorized the way back out. when they paused at a four-way intersection Ren's eyes were darting to and fro.
"Which way, squirt?" Aang scratched his head as he wracked his brain.
"Ummm, well...?"
"Wait, you're lost?!" Ren barked in annoyance and Aang frowned at Ren's attitude while he spotted a trio of soldiers approaching from behind. "This ship is huge, it's not my fault!" Aang airbent the group of three before they could effectively attack, smacking them around on the walls, ceiling, floor, and then finally through a door that slammed shut and clicked its lock tightly.
Ren paused and sniffed the air. "Fresh ocean wind is this way!" Grabbing Aang's wrist he raced through a hallway and into a door that slammed shut behind them. In front of them was an opened pipeline letting a fresh breeze run through the ship, and the half-dragon knew instantly they had been tricked. Cursing under his breath and spinning around, Ren shoved Aang behind him and spread his wings to shield the younger as best he could.
"Looks like I underestimated you two… who knew a monster was capable of thinking?"
Zuko was waiting for them both.
Ren snarled, tail lashing at the ground while Aang looked around the room for anything they could use to escape. "You're not getting your hands on him!" the half dragon growled. Summoning forth his fire, the half dragon stomped the mat on the ground and sent a wave of silver flame towards the scar-faced teenager. Unfortunately, he had just jumped onto the wall where a hanging emblem was on display to wait out Ren's blanketing attack.
"Aang, you need to get off of this ship." He said while he continued the onslaught.
The boy looked at his brothers back worriedly. "But you can't fly, not while you're-!" "Aang, just listen! This guy is dangerous… it's the way he's focused on you, specifically. He'll do anything to get to you." Gold eyes glared hatefully into an ash and ember dragon gaze as Ren pushed what power he had into continuing the shielding attack- the guy couldn't get down if the floor was covered in fire and molten metal.
"You're a kid, Aang- not to mention practically a pacifist. If there's one thing I agree with about this 'Protector' business, it's that I will protect you. Besides… I promised I wouldn't try to escape; I wouldn't try to run or fight back… I didn't say anything about you." Aang's eyes widened.
That's why Ren hadn't so much as thrown a punch until now, he realized. And even now, he's just aiming at the ground- he's keeping this guy away, not trying to hurt him!
Zuko hung onto the drape with a silent snarl on his face. The beast was leveling him with an unblinking look, black scales glittering in the blaze he was sending out on the ground and wings unmoving, almost as if he were daring him to try and get past him- this was a challenge.
The Avatar grit his teeth. "But I don't want to leave you or Amaru here! They had you both chained up!" The Protector smiled and reached out. Zuko blinked as he saw the thing raise a clawed limb and gently pull the Avatar forwards, pressing their foreheads together in an apparently tender moment- all the while though, it never took its eyes from him. Then it spun around and shoved the Avatar towards the door, coating its fist in fire the Protector reared back and slammed a fist into the wall, successfully blasting a massive hole into the metal in a ringing explosion.
But the Avatar wasn't having it and grabbed the Protector's wing to drag him along.
Ren let out a cry as the sudden movement jostled his wing and sent his scars exploding with pain. However, he pushed it down and bit his lip to muffle anymore noises. Smacking against the wall of the hole, Ren forced himself to his feet and gripped Aang's wrist, pulling him higher as they ascended to the lookout point of the ship from the opening.
Spotting light coming in through the inside windows, Ren shoved Aang ahead of him. "Go! Fly as far as you can, and don't look back!" Aang whipped open his glider and blasted off the wall, bending his knees and taking off through the shattered openings with Ren gliding behind him on shaky wings.
Ren and Aang were almost to the edge of the ship when something rammed into the dragon kin's back and sent him falling from the upper level to crash onto the lower deck with a shout of pain. Amaru's eyes widened when he saw his flame brother's condition and began thrashing, making the soldiers around him ready their bending to attack.
Vision blurry and back sending off small explosions of pain from the landing, Ren cracked his eyes open to see Aang's orange form swooping lower to grab him- he wanted to scream at the little lemur to just fly the hell away- what the young Airbender didn't see was the scar-faced Firebender jumping off the Crow's Nest, successfully within distance to grab onto Aang's ankle when he came close enough and drag him back down to the ship. Ren gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, fire curling around his mouth and heating his skin in his frustration.
"Dammit, Aang! I told you to get away from here!"
The Avatar's head whipped back and glared at the older boy, grey eyes burning with a matching frustration. "And I told you I'm not leaving you or Amaru here!" A wave of fire came at the Avatar and Aang used his staff to deflect it.
Suddenly a familiar scent reached Ren's nose, and he jolted upright, pain nearly forgotten as the scent filled his heart with hope. Zuko, facing the opposite direction of Aang and Ren, paused and looked at the sky in confusion.
"What is that?"
A grown reached Aang's ears and the boy cheered. "It's Appa!" Amaru roared lowly in greeting while Ren cackled gleefully. "About time your giant furball learned to fly again!" Zuko grit his teeth and growled, shooting fire more and more rapidly at the Airbender. Aang was knocked closer and closer to the edge of the boat and Ren's eyes widened. "Aang look out-!" With two final blasts, Zuko knocked Aang's staff away and then pushed the boy off the edge of the boat.
Ren gawked as his brother vanished over the edge and splashed into the freezing waters below.
The half-dragon couldn't breathe.
His heart thundered in his chest as he watched Scarface peer over the edge with a vague look of disappointment on his face, as if he wanted a different outcome but it couldn't be helped. He could hear Katara screaming his brother's name. The sound of fire and thunder and lightning, the screech othe metal on the ship, the whispering of shadows and the hum of light crashed and roared in Ren's ears and something inside of him snapped.
With a scream Ren went up in flames. The scars he'd gotten from the lightning strike lit up in a brilliant display of pulsing gold and violet just as a bluish white light shone from the waves below. Lightning and fire crackled over Ren's body, connecting the scar marks in arcs of energy as an animalistic growl rippled from the Protector's chest. His eyes were no longer that ashfallen grey and orange, but shifted with a brilliant, unearthly gold color, becoming almost lava-like and he fell forwards on all fours and carved gouges into the metal sheets of the deck of the ship.
His face was contorted in a ferocious snarl as his wings flared and the membrane hardened to become jagged and razor-sharp. The ends shone with metal, the points of the claws making the deck screech as if the very ship protested the treatment, producing a metallic ringing sound that had Zuko on edge.
A primal part of his human brain knew that this was a predator, one that had its sights set on him and wasn't happy about seeing him.
From the black glow in the ocean, Aang re-emerged on a waterspout, Waterbending and controlling it as if it was his prime element while Ren arched his back, wings spreading wide and the glowing golden marks thrumming with power that made a strange hum as the aura of yellow lightning and silver flames surrounded him.
Standing up and flapping his wings to lift off and hover beside the Avatar back to back, the Protector and the Avatar moved as one; one controlling an extension of an element and a core one while the other one of the main four. The Avatar sent the icy brine towards the deck of the ship, soaking all the soldiers who were there or sending them into the water. The water amplified Ren's lightning, and with a deafening crash and a shriek like a banshee's scream, a breath of lightning exploded from the half dragons mouth and slammed into the ship.
The resulting voltage was conducted by the salt water and electrified everything on the deck save for Amaru. The attack sent nearly every Firebender on the ship overboard with a scream ripping from their lips, even the Prince. As Aang lowered himself on his waterspout to the ship Ren flapped just behind him, a branch of lightning escaping his jaws as he clicked his mouth shut and ejected a jet of steam from between his fangs. As he did the golden lines that were his scars pulsed softly, a steady beat almost like the thumping of a heart weaving in the air as his lava-light gaze swept over the field of conflict.
Finally deeming themselves safe for now, a low growl thrummed from the half dragon's chest before both silver and gold completely faded, and the two crashed to the deck wearily. While Aang was out of it, Ren managed to blink and clear the golden light from his eyes before looking around to regain his bearings. Looking up and seeing Appa with his two passengers, then looking over the edge to see several Fire Nation soldiers still stranded in the water, Ren had a choice to make.
Either keep his dragon honor intact, try to protect his brother from afar and stay here... or go with Aang and the others, keep close and fulfill that small part of him that is the Protector of the Avatar.
But, a voice said in the back of his mind. With Katara and Sokka there, does Aang really need you there constantly? There are other duties that a Protector must fulfill, Little Spitfire. Ren's eyes widened slightly. Laing…? The old silver Dragon's chuckle echoed through Ren's mind. Follow your heart, Spitfire… Where the Avatar cannot do so for himself, you must do it for him...
Forcing himself to his feet, Ren grabbed Aang and dragged him to Amaru.
Using his strength and heat to melt or snap the chains holding the black dragon down, he unchained Amaru and gently laid Aang down onto a taloned paw. "Get him out of here then come back; we have a mess to clean up… and our word to keep." With a growl, the black dragon lifted off into the sky towards the Sky Bison. Ren looked around the ship and saw more Firebenders were coming but had been observing him and Amaru warily for a while.
Not wanting to choose between fighting them and saving their people, Ren limped to the railing of the ship while holding his right shoulder- the fall from earlier did jolt the wing pretty badly, and the residual pain wasn't helping matters. Taking a breath, Ren jumped overboard and shakily spread his wings out to glide unsteadily towards the water behind the ship, seeing the thrashing armored men's movements slowly becoming slower and slower as the cold set in.
Grabbing onto their armor Ren landed in the water as gently as he could and began paddling towards an ice raft a few yards away- where the prince was standing with a couple other pf the soldiers. "W-why are you h-helping us?" one chattered as the half dragon hauled him onto the raft. Ren blinked before huffing and turning away to look at his image in the water.
It's the first time in a long while he stopped and looked at himself. People like the Air Nomads and his mother didn't judge him for his appearances, but in this new world he and Aang found themselves in, that wouldn't be the case at all. Sharp teeth poked from his lips and scales ran over his cheekbones. The scarring that extended to his face left ugly trails over the scales and skin that he traced with his eyes and fingers as he looked at his reflection. Finally, Ren let out a sigh and looked out at the horizon. "…Just because I look like a monster, doesn't mean I am one." Lifting his face to the sky where Aang and the others were still hovering, Ren nodded to his brother and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Find out what happened, Aang!" he shouted. "Find out what's going on with this crazy world we found ourselves in and fix it. Amaru and I will catch up with you later… hopefully!"
With one last moment of hesitancy, Aang directed Appa to fly away, leaving Amaru to swoop down towards the six Firebenders marooned on the ice raft. "If you wanna get back to the ship, get on the dragon." Amaru snorted and glared at the foreign humans, likely still very displeased that he was put in chains.
«Calm down, Amaru,»Ren chided in dragon-tongue. «A promise is a promise.» turning back to the soldiers, Ren tacked on, "He won't hurt you, not unless I'm attacked, or he's attacked first." The two clambered onto his back and secured themselves for the brief flight. Before the dragon took off, Ren asked them to tell their leader that Amaru was going to have to come back and get him. Patting his dragon on the foreleg, Ren watched as he flew off and came back a moment later.
When his feet landed back on the ship's deck, he had the leader of this little invasion- who had been on the first trip to the ship- waiting for him. "Why didn't you escape with the Avatar?" he asked angrily. Ren shrugged, tugging on the strange collar. "I promised I wouldn't escape, not Aang… and a dragon keeps their promises." Golden eyes traced the strange scarring trailing over the Protector's wings, shoulders, and arms as well as the old, scorched hole in the center of his shirt.
Zuko scowled before turning his back. "Take him back to his cell and have three guards outside the door at all times."
"Wait, what's going to happen to Amaru?"
Zuko paused and looked back at the beast. "What?"
The Protector took a breath and licked his lips hesitantly. "The dragon… what are you going to do with him?" Zuko eyes at the magnificent beast with its wings weighed down by iron and steel, though it was free to walk about the deck it wouldn't be flying away at all. The dragon turned its head and glared into his eyes with ashfallen orbs almost identical to the Protector's... The Protector that had kept it's- his, promise even when he had the chance to run away with the Avatar... the one that saved his life and those of his men with the dragon's assistance. "…Nothing, so long as you behave like you promised." A hand landed on Ren's shoulder and yanked him away, sending him back to the cell where he was chained in before, bands of steel around his limbs once again.
"Can one of you get into Amaru's saddlebags for me?" Ren asked before the guards left. "It's just... I have a couple of instruments in there, a flute and a zither. They belonged to my mother… Can I have them at the very least?"
The guard paused for a moment before wordlessly leaving and Ren sighed and leaned back. "Guess not…" He muttered.
Hours after he was locked back into place, Ren heard one of the soldiers walk past his cell for the night. But when the footfalls paused and keys jingled, the half dragon looked up in surprise. The door creaked open, and a leather bag was slid across the floor to bump into Ren's tail. His eyes widened when he saw the sunset-orange metal items gleaming dark black in the moonlight and jerked his head up in astonishment to the doorway. The guard stared back, and Ren could swear he saw the man's brown eyes looking at him with a sense of gratitude. The man turned away and shut the door, but not before muttering something.
"For saving my brother's life… now we're even."
Ren purred lowly in his chest- too low for the human ear to discern- as he tapped his tail against the wall of the cell languidly.
Nine days after his 'capture, Ren had behaved as he hadc promised, and as a reward, he was listening to the breathing of a wizened elder as he sat in his chair playing a game of pai sho on the other side of the bars. Iroh was an interesting character to be sure; Ren had detected no deceit or ill will from him in the time he had been on this ship. Things had been fairly quiet since Aang's escape about a week and a half prior, save for the brief bouts of action where Zuko would storm into the cell and interrogate him on Aang's whereabouts.
Aside from that, as far as hospitality was concerned, the half dragon had no complaints- some of the soldiers were a bit growly over being shoved overboard, but they paid him back by not giving him his meals when it was their shift to do so- a hungry belly spanning two or three days was nothing Ren couldn't handle, after all.
The half dragon hadn't seen much of the scarred guy, Zuko, he had learned his name was, either, but Iroh had made a habit of sitting in the cell with Ren to just talk, play a game of Pai Sho or even simply listen to Ren's rhythmic rapping of his tail against the walls of the prison he was situated in… like he was doing today. As Ren let out a sigh his eyes slid to the zither and flute in the corner; he hadn't played either yet out of fear of them being taken away… but that fear was slowly dwindling as he became used to his situation, and changed into boredom as more time went by. Right now, the moon was up, sending silver beams through the window.
"You play this strange instrument and the flute?"
Ren blinked and looked up at Iroh, the old man smiling gently towards the boy and nodding at the satchel of leather settled carefully in a corner. "Yes, actually… the zither was a gift from my father to my mother before she gave it to me, and the flute was hers as well. It was a gift on my 12th birthday…"
Iroh hummed and reached over to the instruments. Picking them both up carefully, he turned the zither over, as if examining it, before handing it and the flute over to Ren- he had sat up abruptly to keep an eye on the old man handling his most valuable items.
"Would you do me the honor of playing something, then?"
Raising an eyebrow, Ren took the woodwind and string hesitantly and sat up straight, his wings rustling as he moved them into a more comfortable position. "Why? Don't you have someone to play music on the ship?" Iroh chuckled. "My nephew saw no use for something like music and denied any of the musicians who volunteered to accompany us."
Brown eyes looked out at the sea through the window sadly and Ren leaned away when he saw the man was telling the truth. "…If I can walk around and get some fresh air outside every once and a while, I'll play as much as you want."
Ren did miss the wind, despite his lack of complaints. A dragon unable to so much as see the sky isn't a dragon at all- he'd be a snake, as the old saying went. Iroh nodded pleasantly and stood, knocking on the door to get the guards there.
"That sounds reasonable."
One of the men opened the door and Iroh stepped out before turning and waiting for Ren to follow. The half dragon held his treasured items tightly as he padded over the threshold and glanced around the corridor. "Do you have anything in particular you want to listen to?" the winged boy asked as Iroh led him to the exit. The old man shook his head. "I have no requests, so you play what you wish."
Ren smiled softly as a particular tune came to mind, one his father, mother, or auntie sang when he was still a hatchling trying to fall asleep himself- especially after a nightmare or if he was being too fussy. As the two and their entourage reached the first set of steps a sudden roar made the ship tremble. Shouting came from the deck above and Ren's eyes widened when he smelled the sudden fear and anguish rolling through the air.
Amaru.
Leaping over Iroh, the half dragon bounded up the stairs, fluttering his wings to close more distance despite the stiffness and pain it gave him. Ren heard orders being yelled the closer he got, the shouts of "Bind it tighter!" and "Tie it down!" making his blood burn with rage.
Breaking through the door and into the fresh air, Ren saw Amaru writhing around the deck of the ship and keening in pain and fear, but there was no trace of blood or anything that could cause him any physical pain… then Ren saw his flame-brother's eyes- they were squeezed shut and rolling under the lids. Ren clenched a clawed hand and sighed sadly.
Amaru was in the throes of a nightmare- a bad one by the looks of it.
Moments later Zuko came storming up from below deck with his face murderous and looking for someone to holler at. "What in Agni's name is going on?!" he demanded an answer and a voice he hadn't heard from in a week and a half answered. "He's having a nightmare… everything must've finally caught up with him."
Spinning around, the banished prince saw the tense form of the Protector somehow out of his cell. "Why are you out of your cell?!" The Protector merely scoffed, already tired of the prince's dragon dung. "Your uncle was kind enough to strike a deal with me- If I'm allowed to walk around on deck sometimes, I'll play a tune for some of the time I'm out here." Another thrash from the chained dragon rocked the ship again; this time, Amaru had the whole vessel listing slightly to the left and causing several men to slide.
Ren dug his talons into the metal to keep his footing and caught whoever slid his way. Before the prince could shout at him to fix the situation the Protector raised a hand. "Tell your guards to back away. I'm going to calm him down, but the beginning is gonna get a bit rough."
Zuko's eyebrow twitched, but after ducking a tail coming in from out of nowhere, he begrudgingly followed instructions. Iroh stood back and watched the actions being taken with a critical eye.
When every Firebender aside from Ren was clear, the half-dragon backed up ten large paces before taking a running start. Jumping high, Ren gripped a horn on Amaru's head and was suddenly a contender in a wrestling match. In Dragon-Tongue he began shouting at his flame-brother while being tossed about and struggling to pin the black dragon's head to the deck in a firm hold. What he was speaking, only the dragons and those who lived among them could understand, but to the humans who haven't seen a dragon or lived in their midst of society it was a rolling garble of unfamiliar words and grunting roars.
«Amaru, ochitsuku! Anata have akumu o motte imasu!» The dragon let out a wild and feral keen before it suddenly bucked, throwing Ren into the wall with a grunt of pain and a stomach-turning crunch that made even Zuko flinch. The smell of blood stung Ren's nose but he didn't pay it any mind- 'Someone must have gotten hurt before I made it up here,' he reasoned.
Ren sucked in a breath and unleashed a torrent of silver fire onto the dragon's black scales, heat waves rippling the air and distorting the view of the stars. At first Iroh thought Ren was harming the dragon, but as more fire was being blown over its form, its thrashing grew less and less in strength, and a low moaning- not one of pain but one of longing- became audible from the creature.
Ren cut off the flow of fire and shakily stood before stumbling drunkenly over once more, and grabbing the black horns a second time. Digging his feet into the deck, Ren let out a horse roar and tensed, his muscles flexing and tendons and joints popping as he prepared for the last resort to waking the anguished dragon.
With a large heave, the much smaller dragon's spirit kin lifted his flame-brother's head and front half of his body, before slamming it down onto the deck with a resonating thud that sent the dragon's matching eyes snapping open.
Tears welled up in the larger eyes, and Ren's hands moved from their grip on Amaru's horns to cradle his jowls gently, stroking the scales and fur softly with his thumbs and murmuring quietly to the distressed creature.
Iroh looked on as the dragon proceeded to make several rolling and guttural noises towards the young dragon kin- some he could pick out as actual words, some he couldn't, but was absolutely positive was a different language.
A low rumble shook the deck under the crew's feet. Zuko raised an eyebrow at the hunched figure of the half dragon as he leaned further down and pressed his forehead against the furry scaly brow of the dragon he held. The prince tilted his head, listening in as best he could. "Shhhh… It's alright, hush now. Brother's here… It was just a bad dream, Amaru, it's alright." The dragon moaned and pressed into the Protector's chest, almost as if it were trying to hide itself. Glowing ash and ember eyes flickered up to bore into the prince's own burning gaze, defiance pulsing in the viridian lights within. "I'm staying up here tonight."
Zuko scowled. "How do I know you won't try to-?" Ren gritted his teeth and stood sharply, wobbling a bit as a sudden headache swept through his skull. Even so he concentrated on keeping contact with his flame-brother the whole while. "Unless you want to capsize this boat with my flame brother's night terror, you will let me stay up here! I've catered to your demands, now I ask is that you let me comfort him when he needs it!"
Zuko scoffed. "I thought your brother was the Avatar, and anyways if a creature as strong as a dragon can't handle a small nightmare then it's no better than a lamb-gecko."
A fist wreathed in silver fire smashed into the ship's deck, making the men around them jump. "Anyone under my wing, be it a dragon, human, or even as you say it, a Lamb-Gecko, is family to me. I'm in charge of their safety, as the eldest and last connection to the dragons, even if they're the danger to themselves. I don't care if you drag me back to that cell and lock me in chains, I'll find a way to break out and be with Amaru if you won't let me of your own will."
Clashing gold and ashfallen ember glared at each other before Iroh deemed it appropriate to interject. "Zuko, this young man has done what he's promised to do thus far. I think we can grant him this much, yes?" the prince growled before narrowing his eyes. without averting his gaze he called for a soldier. "Bring me a chair."
Ren snorted, fire coming from his nose as he rolled his eyes. "You can't take my word for it now, even if you have so far? Has all that fire gone to your brain and made you that hot-headed?" a low whimper cut off whatever Ren wanted to say next, and he sighed, actually seeming to droop. His shoulders slumped as he looked at Amaru's long serpentine body giving off small tremors here and there. "Look, Firefly-." Zuko jolted and scowled even harder, if it were possible. "What did you just call-?!"
"Just let me stay with him until he falls asleep again." That made Zuko fall silent again. The look in the Protector's eyes was defeated, but still determined if that were possible. Silently the prince looks at the Protector a few beats longer before sitting down on the chair brought for him.
Taking that as the go-ahead Ren sits cross-legged on the deck, easily lifting Amaru's large head to settle into his lap. The half dragon's tail curled around the two and rested on the black dragon's muzzle.
Iroh leaned forwards as those still on the deck grew silent. The very air and sea seemed to be holding its breath, the waves lapping gently along the iron and steel sides of the ship. Then a flicker of silver and violet fire sprang to life in Ren's claws. Looking at the colors fondly the half dragon sighed before holding his cupped hands out and letting the embers flutter around those among them. Zuko narrowed his eyes into suspicious slits and tensed, leaning forwards after his uncle to prepare for any strike that could follow.
A fleck of pulsing purple fluttered in front of the prince before turning into a small purple dragon before his eyes.
Then, with a soft hum, Ren began to sing.
Ren's gaze flicked to his audience as if seeing if they were still there- eyes of varying warm colors and hues were staring at him wide-eyes as his tenor-baritone rolled from his lips. The fire sparks he'd set was a little trick Auntie taught him to help himself and the other younger dragons to calm down- with 'Firefly' being a royal pain in the ass, the half dragon figured it would do the job long enough to put Amaru back to sleep.
Soshite Bouya wa Nemuri ni Tsuita,
Ikizuku Hai no Naka no Honoo, Hitotsu, Futatsu to…
Ukabu Fukurami Itoshii Yokogao,
Daichi ni Taruru Ikusen no Yume, Yume…
Iroh had asked for the boy to play something, but this wasn't like any tune or music he had heard before. It soothed the troubled parts of his mind as a lullaby should, but it didn't seem as though it had originated from the Fire Nation at all nor from any other part of the world that he knew of- it felt old, very old… Even so, it was beautiful coming from the mouth of the dragon boy… and sad. Oh, so sad, and lonely…
Gin no Hitomi no Yuragu Yoru ni,
Umare Ochita Kagayaku Omae, Ikuoku no Toshitsuki ga…
Ikutsu Inori wo Tsuchi e Kaeshitemo,
Ren picked up the flute and brought it to his lips, playing the soothing tune his mother and auntie had sung or played to him. Amaru was no longer shaking and instead was trying to keep his eyes open. Ren smirked through his playing. 'Sorry, flame brother,' he thought. 'Once it has you, this song can put even a rhino-lizard to sleep.'
Watashi wa Inori Tsuzukeru,
Douka Konoko ni ai wo…
Tsunaida te ni Kisu wo~
Zuko would be lying if he denied that the Protector had a minutely soothing voice- it was surprisingly harmonious with the underlying purrs and rippling growls. His eyes focused on a small whisp of gold that was in the shape of a dragon. It flew towards the purple shape that had been floating in a small spiral in front of him and started to dance and spin with the violet apparition.
Watashi wa Inori Tsuzukeru,
Douka Konoko ni ai wo…
Tsunaida te ni Kisu wo~
The low rumbles that signified Amaru's fall into sleep were prominent by the time the sing was nearly done. Ren ran one last stroke down Amaru's cheek before gently lifting the dragon's head and setting it tenderly back onto the ship's surface. He ran a wing over his snout as he slid his tail off and leaned over one more time to press his forehead against his brother's.
Watashi wa Inori Tsuzukeru,
Douka Konoko ni ai wo…
Tsunaida te ni Kisu wo~
Amaru was out now, and Ren sighed as he stood. With a quiet hum from the kpirit kin of the dragons, the small embers went out all around the deck and plunged everything into the light of the moon. The half dragon turned away after a moment longer of looking at the slumbering dragon, and looked at the gobsmacked prince's expression.
"Well? I told you I'd go back once he fell asleep so let's go." Ren began his trek back to the cell he's called home, ignoring the murmurs of the firebenders as he descended the stairs to the lower levels. With every rock of the ship, Ren was unsteady and had to support himself against the wall but with the assistance of a guard they made it to his cell. 'Funny,' he thought absently. 'My cell doesn't smell like herbs and linens…?' the sounds of voices faded in and out before a shout of alarm pierced through the half dragon's growing haze. A bit too late though, because darkness swallowed the vision of the Protector, and he knew no more.
{ Ren opened his eyes to see a landscape very familiar to him- where young dragons go to prove themselves, the poisonous crags of the Fire Nation's volcanoes. There was a tense thrum in the air, as if something was very wrong, and the half dragon looked to the west where the southern volcano's slope ran down towards the ocean. }
Avatar Roku was surrounded by a cloud of ash, sulfuric fumes, and poisonous gas. Another man and his dragon, this one a dark, almost cold blue color, was standing a ways ahead. His mouth was moving, but Ren couldn't make out the words. Then the man with his darker dragon flew away and left Roku and his red there. The previous Avatar's red dragon then curled around the fire-born Avatar as they were slowly being buried under lava, rock, and soot- an agonizing death to be sure, even for those who were dragons. Even with a dragons armor, the acidic fumes and poison air around them could make them succumb.
A man with jet-black hair and ruby colored eyes clad in an Earth Kingdom's Dai Lee uniform then appeared, bursting from the side of the volcano covered in burns and molten rock, the remnants of his clothes smoldering as he staggered over to the dying Avatar and stood over him. Ren could see tears streaking the dust and ash that caked his skin.
The dull glow of what must have been the melting of iron embedded into his arms and legs could barely be made out and when the volcano behind them erupted completely he let out a bestial roar of rage and agony. Earthy plates formed on his skin and swiftly changed into a strange shining and scaly armor. With a powerful punch to the ground, the earth shook, and more stone fell in an attempt to make a wall. Avatar Roku's dragon stared sadly at the man with a single golden eye and the man's red gaze met it head on. The age-wizened creature knew that the wall was pointless as tongues of lava trickled through the haphazardly made construct.
"The next cycle will right this, Roku. I'll make sure of it." he croaked, a shaking iron-covered hand petting the dragon gently. "Even if I have to push myself to the front of the next Protector's mind to do it, I promise on my spirit... they won't get away with this." Pressing his body into the dragon's snout as a final farewell, the three vanished under the wave of lava without a sound.
The next morning the chains of Ren's cell were melted to unsalvageable lumps and the more human skin of his arms were pinker than usual.
On the other side of the ocean, Aang is just snapping out of the strange state he was thrown in during his escape, held by Katara as he wept before the bones of Monk Gyatso and a woman with Ren's mother's headdress, found in the crumbling remains of their old home.
Was it cheesy and overdone to add the song? Yes, yes it was.
Do I regret it? No, no I do not lol.
A little fun fact for my improvised language of Dragon-Tongue/Draconian Sun Warriors: It's just Japanese lol! The Fire Nation is based off of the militaristic and honor-driven culture of Japan, it makes sense that their ancient language/dead language would be Japanese, since A:tLA is an American cartoon (okay it doesn't make sense on paper but it did in my head).