Who liked The Great Divide? I personally kind of did, but a lot of people apparently didn't care for it? I mean, I think I got the point of the episode. Was that the one that introduced Earthbending officially? I feel like it was, but tbh I can't be sure. This was fun to write! Now I can start work on other chapters again lol~
The Great Divide
"You're supposed to put the tarp on top of tent."
Zuko looked up from the twigs Aang was trying to light. He had been struggling for the last few minutes, hands hovering around the twigs. He'd managed to control the candle flames that Zuko would conjure for him but he'd yet to produce a flame he could control himself for more than a few moments. Sometimes he could grasp lighting a flame and other times it eluded him. He turned away from the siblings, already hearing the beginnings of a squabble.
"Focus," Zuko said sternly.
"..so we don't get rained on?" Katara prompted further.
"Ordinarily you'd be right," Sokka began.
Zuko looked up and turned Aang's head back in his direction. "Hey, focus. We gathered the food so that you had time to practice, remember?"
"I remember, it's just—"
"They're going to have to figure out how to work together without fighting so often at some point," Zuko says. He didn't feel he had too much of a right to judge them, given how bad his temper could get, but he at least could keep his head cool long enough to pitch a proper tent.
"Well, if you don't like my firewood-!" Katara screamed, throwing the kindling at Sokka. He shot up, puffing up his chest to look bigger than he was.
"Fine by me! If you're not gonna do your job—! Ugh!"
Sokka pulled down the tent, the entire structure falling to the dirt. Zuko sighed, dropping the meager amount of twigs that they had to practice on. He rested his head in his hands, nodding towards the two. Aang got the hint, Bending his way up and making his way over to them.
"Hey, guys. What's going on?" he asks.
"Why don't you ask Ms. Know It All, Queen of the Twigs?" Sokka asks bitterly. Katara whirled back around.
"Oh, yeah? Well, you're Mr. Lazy Bum, King of the… the Tents!" Katara shouted, throwing a twig at Sokka's head. Aang chuckled at that. He stepped between them before they could go any further.
"Okay, guys, listen. Harsh words don't solve problems, actions do. Why not switch jobs?"
"Fine by me."
"Sounds good."
"You see that?" Aang asks, sounding rather proud of himself. "Settling feuds and bringing peace… all in a day's work for The Avatar."
Zuko buried his face in his hand, barely suppressing a groan. Was he this insufferable as a kid? He had almost 100% certainty that Azula would say that he was. He was 100% sure that she had been, as well. He kicked the pile of twigs so any lingering coals or ash wouldn't start the flames up. He was sleeping under the stars again if he could. He had to agree with Sokka that it didn't look like it would rain tonight. Even if it did, he was content to just get up and go in the tent before he got drenched.
He made his way to Appa, motioning for the bison to lay back down. He was chewing on something, likely the rest of the fruit that Momo was currently munching on. He climbed back up to the saddle and grabbed his duffel bag. He slid down Appa's tail, his feet hitting the ground the same instant that Aang came up in his peripheral.
"Hey, Zuko—"
"No."
Zuko ignored Aang's disappointed look. It didn't matter if the boy was actually going to ask for more practice to Firebend or if he was going to ask Zuko about what happened on The Crescent Island again. Zuko wasn't in the mood and Aang's tone was the same tone he'd carried the last few times he'd pried Zuko about the incident on the island. Zuko was one part grateful that Katara and Sokka were remaining respectfully tight-lipped. He was also one part angry that they had told Aang he had to ask himself rather than give the boy a hint. He was seriously considering if he'd have preferred that they told him something if it meant he wasn't going to be pestered multiple days in a row.
Zuko picked a spot near the fire pit they'd already dug out and started rummaging through his duffel bag. He pointedly ignored Aang's gaze that was still on his back as he did so. He could hear him asking Katara something; but couldn't make out what. Based on Katara's apologetic tone, though, he could make an educated guess. He really didn't feel like having a true heart-to-heart with them just yet. Regardless of the fact Iroh had trusted them enough to let him travel with them—the old man never let him out of his sight unless he knew it was safe or Zuko had a few soldiers with him, after all—he still felt sour after leaving The Freedom Fighters.
He found Iroh's last letter and pulled it out, re-reading it for anything he had to address directly. His eyes flitted to the tree line, where the messenger bird was perched and preening its feathers, waiting for his reply. It had been a whole day or so since he'd gotten the letter, but he hadn't had a moment to really look at it between travel and setting up camps and teaching Aang.
The letter itself had mostly just been benign updates on the ship, to feign that Zuko was actually interested in it like a captain. Really, it was an excuse to lay out their course with a few choice mentions of landmarks to let him know they were still close, but off course of them. More that they were travelling parallel.
He started to write out a response, getting stuck a few lines in, his brain preoccupied by Aang's pacing. He sighed heavily, turning sharply to him.
"Would you stop it?" he asks. Aang paused, giving him what was meant to pass a confused look, but he could see right through it. The kid was terrible at lying. Zuko's glare hardened and Aang's shoulders deflated.
"Sorry."
"Stop trying to ask," Zuko says.
He turned back to the letter, which looked like it was worded all wrong now that he was looking at it again. The sentences were cut too short—curt. His agitation was shining through. He sighed and crumped it up, tossing it away. The bird swooped down to snatch it, only to get into a chase with Momo, who got it first. The pair had been doing that each time Zuko tried to throw away a botched letter attempt. It was a good way to exercise Momo, he had to give it that. It seemed the two had become friends rather quickly.
It wasn't long before Katara was calling for dinner. Zuko was almost grateful to give up trying to put any of his thoughts into words for Iroh to read. Much less in a way that wouldn't be revealing to who he was traveling with. He shoved everything back into his duffel, putting it off for another day.
Zuko jolted awake when Appa landed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stretching. Katara and Aang were the first ones off the bison and Zuko was left wondering why they'd stopped at all. He slid off the bison's back, pausing when he came around him to the view that Aang was presenting.
"There it is… the Great Divide," Aang says, looking over the massive canyon.
The canyon itself stretched out for miles. Zuko couldn't even see the other side. Aang must have stopped to admire the view from the ground rather than the air.
And he'd missed it from the air.
Zuko almost smacked himself for letting himself fall asleep when they were going through such a diverse Nation.
"Wow… I could stare at it forever," Katara mused. It almost reminded her of the ice flows in the South Pole with their layered irregularity.
Zuko stared out over it and found himself agreeing. The formations in the rock weren't like anything he'd seen before. Flying over the Earth Kingdom, he'd seen something he could describe that way almost every day. It was nothing like the Fire Kingdom. Given the abundance of Earth Benders, he wondered if they'd had something to do with it, centuries in the past, or if it was Nature's doing.
"Okay, I've seen enough," Sokka says abruptly, snapping them both out of the mysticism. Zuko tore his gaze away, looking past Sokka to the building that had escaped his notice until now. He wondered who had lived there.
"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka? This is the largest canyon in the world," Katara says, arcing her arms over the expanse of land.
"And I'm sure we'll be seeing it very well when we fly," Sokka says, already trying to undo Appa's reigns to get him going again. Zuko couldn't exactly disagree that the view would be amazing, but he'd have preferred to see the canyon valley from this angle a little longer.
"Hey!"
Sokka lurched forward, the man who had run into his back racing towards them.
"If you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!"
You most definitely were not, Zuko thought. The man was dressed in golden robes, looking incredibly lavish, and Zuko was more than ready now to get on Appa like Sokka wanted.
"Ooh, Canyon Guide."
No. Zuko turned to Katara sharply. She was oblivious to him, hands already clasped in that curious way she had.
"Sounds informative," she says.
Katara, no.
"Katara—" Zuko started lowly.
"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide," the man says. Zuko tried to hide his glower, stomping off towards Appa instead.
"He's an Earthbender and the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help."
Sokka was mocking him behind his back, moving his hand like a yapping mouth. He looked back at Zuko, who was currently trying to hide his smile and stifle his laughter into Appa's fur.
"And he's taking my tribe across next."
"Oh, relax, we know you're next," Sokka says, walking past the man.
"You wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee," the man said harshly.
Zuko stiffened beside Appa. Aang's eyes flicked in his direction for a brief second. Zuko turned away, his stomach turning into knots. He gripped Appa's fur within his fingers. Momo landed on his shoulder, trying to peer into his face. He didn't have the mental energy to try and shake the lemur off. He wanted the weight to ground himself, anyway.
"My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se."
"You're a refugee," Katara surmises.
The name of the city sounded familiar, though Zuko wasn't entirely sure why at first. The memory of Iroh talking about it was at the back of his mind—an old war story he'd shared years ago. As far as Zuko knew, the city hadn't fallen yet.
"Is that your tribe?" Katara asks. Zuko pulled himself away from Appa long enough to look around the bison's tail at the group of people coming their way. They were dressed in furs and rags—looking about as different from this man as possible. The stark contrast took a second to get used to.
"It most certainly is not. That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low life thieves. They've been enemies of my tribe for a hundred years."
Zuko didn't care to hear about it. He walked along Appa's side until he came upon the bison's face. Appa nuzzled him gently, almost knocking him off balance without even trying.
"Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think about stealing it!"
Zuko couldn't believe the audacity. Truly, the man was looking for a fight. Or he was woefully incompetent. The Zhang woman who approached him, possibly the leader, was well built and Zuko made a note not to get into a fight with her. He had to give the idiot props for arguing with the woman. Zuko was content to ignore them until he heard more of the Zhangs shouting. Something the preppy man had said had set them off. Then, the mass of rocks at the edge of the small landing lifted to the air and moved to the side. An elderly looking man walked through, patting himself down.
Elderly man. Earth Bender. A man that had clearly spent more than a single night camping in the open. Yep, that was The Guide.
"Sorry about the wait, youngsters. Who's ready to cross this here canyon?" The Guide asks, presenting it.
"Uh, one of them, I think," Katara says, pointing to the groups. The preppy man rushed up.
"I was here first! My party is on their way."
"I can't guide people who aren't here," The Guide says. Zuko blinked at the back of the man, wondering how he hadn't thought that part through.
"Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow," the Zhang leader says.
Zuko had half a mind to stop Aang from offering to help them cross—it'd take all day, not to mention how long it could take to actually wait for the group to arrive—until he heard a large group approaching and turned. More similarly dressed people came around the corner of a boulder. The aura around them reminded Zuko uncomfortably of the Fire Nation Palace. Many of them poised, dressed fancily—far too fancily for such a long travel—and the pompous looks on some of their faces. He wanted to punch one man who shot him a sideways glance as they passed him and Appa.
"Wait! Here they come!"
"You're not seriously going to cave to these spoiled Gan Jins," The Zhang leader says.
Ah, so that was their tribe name.
"I mean, we're refugees, too, and we've got sick people who need shelter."
"I, uh, well…"
"We've got old people who are weary from traveling," the Gan Jin man shot back.
"Sick people got priority over old people."
"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs," one of the oldest of the Gan Jins says. Zuko snorted, smacking his hand over his mouth. To his relief no one had heard him.
"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, maybe you wouldn't live to be so old."
That was a bad thing? Zuko wondered. The two went back and forth, resorting to more personal insults. Zuko came up behind the trio, following Appa as the bison nudged him towards them, and grabbed Aang's shoulder.
"Don't even think about it," he says. Katara turned to him, scowling.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks.
"I can tell he wants to stop them from fighting," Zuko says.
"So? What's wrong with that?" Katara asks.
"Are you kidding? Look at how many there are!" Sokka says, waving his arm across them. The Guide seemed to have stepped back, content to letting the two groups fight each other.
"Plus, he's twelve," Zuko stressed.
"Well, are you ready to put your peacemaking skills to the test?" Katara asks.
"U-uh, I don't know. I mean, chores are one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years," Aang says. Zuko sighed in relief. Right before he caught that determined look in Katara's eyes and his hopes died at his feet.
"Everyone listen up!"
No
"This is the Avatar."
Please no
"And if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy," Katara says confidently.
He's twelve, you idiot! Zuko thought.
"Uh, we could share the Earthbender and travel together," Aang suggests. It wasn't the worst idea, in Zuko's opinion. And would have worked, if…
"Absolutely not. We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves," the older man says, pointing accusingly at the Zhang leader.
Zuko felt his hands grow hot, hiding them behind himself and ducking behind Appa's side, trying to disperse the smoke before anyone could notice. His anger had flared faster than he could get a cap on it. Iroh's many words of calming assurances ran through his head. It was slow to it, but it started to calm him down. He missed the irked expression that crossed Aang's face when the comment had been made. The ensuing arguing didn't help matters. Aang's shouting snapped Zuko out of his daze and he looked up in time to see him demanding the compromise with an exception.
"—Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across. Does that seem fair?" he asks loudly.
Zuko didn't hear any objections from either side. He wordlessly climbed up Appa's tail and started to sort through their belongings to pick what they needed. He caught sight of the messenger bird waiting in the trees. He hoped that no one noticed it was a Fire Nation bird. It seemed to be intelligent enough to stay out of sight. Or, perhaps it was trained to. He wouldn't be surprised if it got shot down if it didn't stay out of sight when it wasn't too high to be identified. He'd gotten reports of that happening in the past and rather recently.
Katara came up to him, climbing into the saddle to grab the satchel with the Waterbending scroll. She paused, noticing Zuko was shoving things into his duffel back rather harshly.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Zuko stopped, looking at her, dumbfounded.
"Whats—are you serious?" he asks.
"…Um."
"Katara," Zuko hissed, leaning closer so she could hear him. "You can't just throw Aang into situations like that."
"What? He's the Avatar, and he did great!" she says.
"Just because he's the Avatar doesn't mean that magically makes him a great negotiator," Zuko snaps. Katara grimaced. She hadn't thought of that, clearly, with her confidence in him likely overriding the logical train of thought. "He's still a kid. You think he can handle two feuding tribes?"
"He… I didn't think about it like that, but… he did great! This is the best compromise. They can't fight over who goes first if their reasons are already across the canyon."
"I know that. And Aang knows that too, or he wouldn't have suggested it, probably," Zuko says. He turned back to his duffel bag. Katara hesitated a moment. She climbed fully into the saddle and sat with him, starting to pack their own duffel bags.
"Are you mad with me?" she asks quietly. She looked up to see Aang herding the elderly and sick over to Appa, assuring them that the bison wouldn't bite.
"…No," Zuko says. It was true. His anger had subsided rather quickly. It was done already—he couldn't do much about it. "Besides, I kind of owe you and your brother one."
"What for?"
"Not spilling to Aang why you guys kidnapped me. Yet," Zuko tacks on. Katara shoved him lightly. It was a playful gesture and Zuko shoved her back.
"Haha, hey!"
"You started it."
"I did," Katara said, smiling. She zipped up the duffel bag and paused. Aang had reached Appa's tail and was sorting out who sat where with the bickering guests Appa was about to ferry. She turned to Zuko quickly. "You should be the one to tell him. If you ever want to."
She threw the duffel over her shoulder and slid down Appa's tail. Zuko finished with the other two bags quickly, throwing them down to Sokka. Afterward, Sokka was the one who helped most of the elderly or sick onto Appa. Zuko had taken it upon himself to get their most essential supplies off the saddle to both make room and ensure they'd at least have a camp. The duffels were few and light, which was only good for their long trip through a canyon that size. It was no doubt going to be beautiful to see—if he didn't have to do it with a group like this.
Aang came up in his peripheral. Zuko focused on repacking the last duffel bag—his own—instead of looking up at him when he came up.
"You're going to make me travel with them, aren't you?" Zuko asked. There was a bitterness to his voice that had Aang feeling guilty.
"Not if you don't want to," he says.
Zuko could hear the hope in his voice regardless. He looked up at Appa and then back at Aang. He sighed, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. He didn't feel right leaving the three of them with a volatile group this large. Not with an Avatar that couldn't do more than remedial Water Bending and had only mastered Air.
"No. Appa can handle himself." Zuko says. He ignored Aang's hopeful eyes—they were practically shining. "You, however…"
"Wh—hey!"
Zuko passed him, rubbing at his bald head as he did. "I'm kidding."
Aang huffed, but smiled, and followed him.
"Kind of."
"Hey."
"Iroh, sir."
"Yes?"
Iroh took a long drag from his tea, sighing contently. The soldier paused uneasily before speaking, deciding to rip the metaphorical band-aid off quickly rather than drag it out.
"General Zhao… is here to speak with you, sir…"
Iroh scowled, sighing in aggravation this time, and set his half-full teacup down. "Send him in."
Zhao shoved the soldier to the side on his way in. Iroh wasn't surprised that he'd been waiting in the hall rather than back on the top deck like he was meant to.
"Tea?" Iroh offered. To no surprise, Zhao didn't even acknowledge the offer.
"Where is your nephew?" he asks bitterly. Iroh didn't let the smile drop from his face.
"Whatever do you mean?" he asks. "He's traveling, of course!"
"Don't play dumb with me. Where is he? He isn't in Fire Nation waters, anymore, and the only way he could have left without any of my men noticing was if he left with The Avatar on that—that flying—thing."
Iroh laughed. Both because Zhao apparently hadn't bothered to commit to memory that it was a flying bison, and that he really thought he'd get anything out of him without a fight. Iroh was old, but he was neither a fool or easy to intimidate.
"Don't be silly! He is trying to capture The Avatar. My nephew knows that is the only way to restore his honor. He wouldn't ally with The Avatar, General Zhao," Iroh says, picking his tea up again to sip.
He could see the rage boiling behind Zhao's face. He was, almost, certain that Zhao wasn't going to try and fight him given his reputation. Oh, how good it was to see Zhao's face twisting like it was. Iroh saw his fists starting to smoke and refilled his tea calmly.
"It would do you no good getting angry here, General Zhao," Iroh reminds him.
"Your nephew is walking a thin line," Zhao warns. "I will not allow him to get in my way—"
"General Zhao, I can assure you he is not planning to do any such thing," Iroh says easily. No, he was going to do it by circumstance; if anything. Iroh was sure of it. Zuko's loyalty was one of the best things about him. And he was so proud.
Zhao was still fuming when Iroh's attention came back to the situation at hand. He had finished his tea kettle and would have to start a new one. He contently set the cup down and smiled up at Zhao in that way that made someone want to punch him straight in the face.
"Now, if there is nothing else, I suggest you find your way off the ship. I'm sure you have more important duties to attend to," Iroh reminded him.
His voice was kept largely even, save for the commanding tone underlying it, leaving very little room for further discussion or argument. Zhao sized him up for a long moment. With two soldiers at the door and the Dragon himself in front of him, he had fairly low odds at winning the battle. Given that Iroh had been the one to teach Zuko his odds continued to get even lower.
"Fine."
Zhao shoved his way past the guard at the door, knocking the man into the wall on his way by. Iroh shook his head once, picking up his kettle to refill. It wasn't particularly comforting that his snide jab at Zhao after he and Zuko's battle still remained correct. The man was dangerous with that temper of his.
He'd have to write Zuko about this once the messenger bird returned.
Zuko looked at Aang's back. He'd been watching where Appa had disappeared to in the sky since the bison had left. Zuko really hoped that none of the passengers on Appa's back had a heart attack on liftoff. He stopped at the edge of the cliffside with the trio.
"Aang, are you sure about this?" Sokka asks. "This is serious business. Is it really ok to be involved in all this?"
"No," Zuko said immediately. Katara glowered at him, but the glare lasted only a few seconds.
"Look, Aang can do this. I believe in him," Katara says.
"After you volunteered him for it," Zuko points out bluntly. Katara scowled at him. Zuko glanced her way and shrugged. "Just saying."
"He has a point," Sokka says.
"Ok, now comes the bad news." The Guide calls out, drawing all their attention.
Because why not, Zuko thought. With a volatile group like this, nothing could go wrong.
"No food allowed in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators."
The immediate complaints started to roll in. Really, Zuko wasn't surprised.
"Oh, you babies can go a day without food. Would you rather be hungry or dead?" The Guide asks. He bended himself a pillar to stand on, shouting over the groups. "Now, we're heading down in 10 minutes. All food better be in your gut or in the garbage!"
Zuko couldn't rightfully blame him for the precaution. The entire group was ready to descend within the 10 minute mark—something of a feat and a regrettable waste of food in Zuko's opinion—and the Gaang lead the pack. Zuko was fine by that. He didn't want to walk within a giant mass of people who would probably try to throw him off the side of the canyon. He wondered if he should have just ridden Appa. The group halted when The Guide put up his hands. He Bended a bridge into place to allow them all to cross. Aang rushed up to him after they'd started to cross.
"Nice Bending."
"The job's much more than Bending, kid. Folks want information."
Zuko perked up at the prospect. The Guide started talking about the canyon's formation being made from the rage of Earth Spirits and started to tune back out. He should not have been surprised—spirits were given the credit for a lot of the natural formations of the world—but he kept listening regardless. Iroh would have found it rather interesting if he were there. Zuko made a note to bring him to the canyon one day.
He heard the rock-slide before he saw it. His body seized up, ready to jump into the proper stance, but he really didn't know what fire could do to a mass of rocks tumbling down the canyon towards them. A fire blast would do practically nothing. The Guide was quick on his feet, jumping into the appropriate stance to Bend the rocks over their heads. Barely. He sidled up closer to Sokka after that, ignoring the joke that The Guide gave.
"This is more dangerous than I thought it'd be," Zuko mumbles. Sokka looked as dejected as he did.
Looking down the side of the canyon he could see the zigzag formation of the pathway. Sliding down the side of the cliff was definitely an option. The grade was steep, however. Steep enough that he'd have to use his Bending to slow his descent when he started to reach the bottom. Given their present company, he wasn't very open to that idea. Sokka seemed to be assessing the path himself. He leaned away from the side of the cliff and sighed.
"Nope, that ain't gonna work," he grumbled.
"Going to have to agree with that," Zuko sighed. "I don't see why he can't bend us down the side of the mountain."
"This many people?" Sokka asks. "Look how old he is! I'd rather walk!"
Even with the amount of changes in the path? Zuko thought. While the descent took less time than he'd initially thought it would, he still would have preferred bending his way down if they didn't have to escort all these people. He contemplated going ahead, for just a second, before he realized he would get lost. Easily.
Once they'd reached the bottom of the canyon Zuko saw the faint hint of a shadow roam over the dirt. He looked up to see the messenger bird circling them overhead. It was at least attempting to keep a tab on him, it seemed. It made sense; it wouldn't be able to find them again until they reached the other side if it didn't continue tracking them now.
"Ok. Everyone stand clear of the wall," The Guide says. Zuko stepped further away, past a large boulder at the base. The Guide Bended it up to the bridge he'd crafted before, shattering the rocks. They slid down the cliffside, hitting old gouges in the cliffside on the way down that diverted their course.
"Why'd you do that?" Aang asks.
"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they? I've got to make sure we can't be followed," The Guide says.
Zuko looked up at the bird as he spoke, the mention of the Fire Nation forcing his brain to focus on the one thing that belonged to his old home. He furrowed his brow, watching the bird circle one last time before hastily flying higher and away towards a tall pillar. That was a little strange, given he'd seen them circle the ships for hours without rest before. He returned his attention The Guide in time to see the large shadow rush through the massive dust cloud from the rocks.
The beast had four limbs and was massive. About the same size as Appa, if Zuko had to guess. One of its limbs reached through the smoke and snatched The Guide up, swinging him around. Aang Bended the smoke away with a wave of his glider. The monster had The Guide in its mouth by the time the smoke had cleared, shaking him this way and that by the back of his collar. Zuko's arms came up instinctively to start Bending. Katara caught the movement, cutting off the motion before he could bring them up past his waist.
"Hey—"
"No!" she whispered frantically.
Sokka threw the boomerang blade, hitting the monster across the temple. It worked to get The Guide out of the beast's mouth, only to have it turn its attention to Sokka instead.
"Uh! Ah! Can you help me?!"
Zuko followed Sokka to a small embankment. If he couldn't Bend, then he was going to have to think smarter. Evasiveness seemed to be a good idea given the size of the… thing chasing Sokka. He pulled him off before he could make the climb and risk slowing down enough that the monster would catch up with him. The beasts didn't catch on to the sudden shift in position fast enough, making it up the embankment before it started to turn. Katara came up next, Bending water to whip it in the face. Zuko snatched at a handle in Sokka's bag. He would take any weapon he could get at this rate considering the boomerang was still making its rounds back to them.
Katara jumped out of the way of the monster's jaws—her water whip apparently doing very little to deter it. Zuko pulled up Sokka's club. He would have preferred the machete, but he'd take what he could get. Sokka ran back to Katara, pulling her up from the rock she'd landed on. Zuko took a swing when the monster's jaws came at them again, intent on snagging the water pouch off her back. The sphere of the club hit the mark with a satisfying whack and the monster reared back a moment. Zuko threw the club it at the monster next, back pedaling so Aang could take up the space he'd occupied.
Aang Bended a tornado that turned midair to his will to ensnare the monster in a spinning trap. Right up until he flung it to the canyon wall and the beast disappeared into a large crack. That… did not bode well for the hidden crevices across the canyon. Zuko's tension didn't ease until he saw the bird circling overhead again. He spotted Katara tending to The Guide, who'd landed some ways off. He came up to them, ignoring Aang's own shouting.
"Canyon Crawlers…" The Guide groans. "Oh, there's sure to be more."
"Your arms… both are broken," Katara says, gently holding one of The Guide's arms.
"Ugh… without my arms, I got no Bending," The Guide says. Zuko felt his stomach plummet. "In other words…"
"We're trapped in this canyon," Aang surmises.
With those monsters.
Zuko tried not to let his panic overtake his rational thinking. He really did. But, when you're trapped in a maze of a canyon with no way to call the bison back towards you because there was no chance of it hearing the whistle from this distance and one couldn't risk Fire Bending without being mobbed by angry refugees… panicking started to seem pretty rational. He instead focused on just keeping his headspace in the present. He didn't need to start thinking about what being eaten alive might feel like.
Katara was whispering something to The Guide, who just grunted in response. She took a breath and laid his arm out on a wooden board. She felt around with her arm and shifted the muscle. Zuko could hear the sound of the bones setting back into place. The Guide, to his credit, held back the scream with impressive will power. Katara did the same to the other arm. She glanced up, catching sight of the growing panic in Zuko's surprisingly stoic face.
"Lee, can you help me with this?" she asks.
Zuko snapped himself back to attention. He grabbed the cloth she was holding out to him and started to mimic how she was demonstrating wrapping up The Guide's arm in a makeshift brace and sling. It was awkward, given the man needed two of the braces, but it kept his brain and his hands busy.
"I thought the whole point of no food was so that we wouldn't have to deal with something like Canyon Crawlers," Sokka says.
"It's the Zhangs! They took food down here even after The Guide told them not to," the older Gan Jin said.
"What? If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's these pampered Gan Jins!" the Zhang leader said harshly.
Zuko sighed, blocking out the arguments. Aang was trying to resolve it, but he quickly gave up for suggestions. Zuko had zero ideas. The Guide was spiraling and adding fuel to the fire simultaneously. Zuko shook his shoulder until he turned his attention to him.
"You are not helping," Zuko says flatly. He stood next to Aang, grabbing his shoulder before he could try Bending out of his reach, by the looks of it. "Aang, they're not going to go peacefully."
"I'm starting to see that," Aang admits, sounding rather dejected. He got a look of resolve on his face and Bended his way up to the top of a lengthy pillar splitting the pathway in two. "We're splitting up! Gan Jins on this side, and Zhangs on this side. We'll travel in two lines."
The tribes started on their way down the paths. Aang joined them at the ground again, sighing.
"What about The Guide?" Zuko asks, looking back at the man. He seemed to be coming back to his senses, at least.
"He'll come, we'll just have to go more carefully. He can shout the directions up to me and I'll lead whatever tribe is going the wrong way back to the proper direction," Aang says. He pointed up to the pillar to indicate he'd be returning soon. "Sokka, you go with the Zhangs, and Katara, you go with the Gan Jins. Try to see why they hate each other so much."
"You're still going to try and patch up their feud?" Zuko asks incredulously. Aang shrugged, smiling.
"Why not?"
Zuko didn't have a response for that. Aang leapt back up to the top of the pillar, jumping from perch to perch down the length of the pathways. Zuko walked back to The Guide, setting his hand on the man's shoulder to guide him down the Gan Jin path.
Zuko set The Guide down in one of the prepared tents. The sun was starting to set and Aang was stationed up on the top of the pillar overlooking both of the camps. Zuko highly suspected that Aang was going to be on watch until morning. He could afford one night of lost sleep, if the trip didn't last two or more. Zuko resolved that he'd take the next watch if it did. He could get away with using his Bending at least once if something attacked before anyone else would wake.
He busied himself by helping set up several of the tents. The Gan Jins started to put up the tarps. Perhaps Aang knew she'd get along well with the Gan Jins. The boy had a knack for that sort of thing sometimes, it seemed. He joined Katara at the fire. The flames were hypnotizing, so he instead looked up at the stars, listening to the broken-up conversations around him.
After a few hours, when the sun had completely set, Zuko spotted The Guide walking towards where Aang was stationed. There was an incline that he could hike up. He caught Zuko's gaze on his way out of the camp and shook his head when Zuko gestured to help. Zuko watched him go until he couldn't make out his form in the dark. He heard Katara gasp. He turned and narrowed his eyes at the food being passed around the tribe.
"It was you who had the food!"
"Oh, come now, do you really think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food?" the older Gan Jin asks. "Why should my people go hungry when those sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?"
Ah, so he was the leader, then. Zuko didn't think he particularly acted like one, but neither did the Zhang leader. Perhaps they were better behaved away from the other tribe.
"Well… I guess it's ok if everyone's doing it," Katara mumbled. Zuko caught the guilty look on her face. It quickly passed when she turned back to the Gan Jin leader. "So why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?"
"You seem like a smart girl, Katara. Perhaps you would enjoy hearing some history…"
The story of the gates wasn't one Zuko had heard before. It was unsurprising considering that Iroh was his only source of Earth Kingdom mythology tales or history. He grew suspicious by the end of the tale. He caught the distrustful look on Katara's face as she turned towards the Zhang's campsite.
"I'm going to be right back," Zuko says.
He patted Katara on the shoulder and started over to the other camp. He was vigilant for any scorpions in the dark, thankfully finding none in his path, and found Sokka rather easily by his blue clothes among the fire. Sokka turned and waved him over.
"Z—Lee! Did you get bored on the Gan Jin side?" Sokka asks. The Zhang leader raised a brow at the name but didn't comment. Zuko spotted the meat being passed around the camp. Oh, the irony.
"I heard an interesting story on their side," he says. He turned his attention to the Zhang leader. "Why do you hate the Gan Jin so much? Over a hundred years of hatred is a long grudge."
Hearing the story for a second time is just about what Zuko had expected. He hadn't expected to hear such a radically different story. That said, he started to piece together where the confusion had begun. Once the story had ended, he stood there and blinked.
"That's just terrible," Sokka says.
"What?" Zuko asks. Both looked up at him. Sokka looked confused and the Zhang leader looked affronted. "Have you tried to ask the Gan Jins about their side of the story?"
"Why would I ever ask those pompous Gan Jins about the injustice they committed?" she asks. She stood up abruptly. Zuko didn't back down, glowering at her. Sokka flicked his eyes between the two.
"Uh, hey, let's just focus on the trip for tomorrow, huh?" he suggested nervously. Zuko narrowed his eyes at the Zhang leader.
"I'm going to check on Aang," Zuko says.
He stormed away towards the pillar that he'd seen Aang land on earlier. He could see why neither tribe had ever tried to mend fences before, metaphorically speaking. With leaders as stubborn as these two, it was never going to happen on its own. Aang had his work cut out for him.
When he got there, Aang was looking over the camps with The Guide snoring at the back of the small area he was sitting in. At first, he looked bored. After a moment of further observation, however, Zuko could see that Aang was looking wistful instead. The bird landed on a stone nearby, dropping a dead lizard at its feet, and started preening its feathers. He cleared his throat, getting the boy's attention and sat down next to him.
"Hey."
"Hi."
Zuko rubbed at his temple, a headache starting to form. "I don't know if you can get these two groups to get along."
"No?" Aang asked dejectedly. Zuko hated to be the one to break the news to the boy. Zuko shook his head, still rubbing the headache away. He spent a few moments like that until he noticed Aang's stare. Zuko sighed. Aang turned away. "Sorry."
"Oh, just ask," he says. Aang was silent for a moment longer before turning to him slowly.
"Why did Katara and Sokka bring you along?" he asks.
Zuko wasn't sure how he expected Aang to ask, but that wasn't how. Looking at him, the boy really looked much older than he appeared in the eyes sometimes. Zuko knew there was no malice in Aang's question. Surely the thought had been on his mind for a while. Certainly, since the pirates. He looked out over the two fires of the campsites, enjoying the temperature of the night before he decided to answer.
"I panicked when we were thrown in the cells and I brought up my father," he says. Aang perked up a bit, a little surprised by the actual compliance. The intense stare of attention was making him nervous.
"But why…?"
"My father banished me," Zuko says quickly. "I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near The Crescent Island, or in Fire Nation waters. I was going to be brought back to him, and I didn't want that."
Aang sat up, resting his glider against his shoulder. "But, I don't understand. Why'd he banish you? I don't think the monks have ever banished anyone."
No shit, they're monks, Zuko thought. He kept his mouth shut, however. He didn't want to upset Aang, especially when it concerned the Airbenders. Something instinctual in his gut told him to avoid the subject altogether.
"I spoke out of turn in a war meeting. I lost the Agni Kai against my father. He banished me afterward," Zuko said curtly. He turned away, scowling. He was beginning to understand why Iroh got so tight-lipped about the topic whenever a soldier or crewmate on the ship would ponder about it when they thought Zuko couldn't hear. Or, more often, when they thought he wasn't around.
"Lost the what?" Aang asks. Zuko blinked at him a second, caught off guard that that was what Aang had latched onto. It took him a moment to remember that he was speaking to a hundred-year-old Airbender.
"Right. Agni Kai. It's an old Fire Nation tradition for settling disputes," Zuko says, leaning against the large rock behind him to look at the stars. His hand absently drifted up to touch his scar. "You win when you burn your opponent—"
"Wait, what?!" Aang shouted, popping up into his view in seconds. Zuko screamed, shoving him away.
"DON'T DO THAT!"
"Your dad gave you that scar?!" Aang asked angrily.
Angrily, Zuko noted. It too him a moment to register it. He had started to wonder if Aang truly ever got angry. Warning bells started in his brain. He had seen Aang frustrated. He'd yelled at the two tribes who were causing them so much headache just this morning. But, he hadn't seen true anger as of yet. Zuko's brain ran through a few facts. Firstly, he didn't have any idea what Aang's parental circumstances were, being raised by monks, apparently. Secondly, he only had a vaguely tenuous idea for the water siblings' parents. The lack of adult warriors in their village said as much as was needed, however. Thirdly, Aang wouldn't have heard about the "banished, burned prince". Of course he wouldn't have, the boy had been trapped in ice.
Zuko snapped out of his stupor when Aang was invading his personal space once again. The kid really didn't comprehend things like that sometimes.
"Zuko?"
"I—I mean, yes, he did—" Zuko cut himself off when Aang wrapped his arms around his shoulders in a hug. Oh, no, this was far from what he had expected coming up here. "Uh… what are you doing?"
"Hugging you," Aang says. Zuko had half a mind to shove him off. He pinched his brow—hard to do when the boy was pinning his arms so well, but he'd managed to reach around him to do so.
"No. Why are you doing it?"
"Because—" Aang's grip tightened. Zuko didn't move.
Finally, Aang let him go, his grip twisting around his glider. Zuko kept Aang at arm's length so he couldn't jump-hug him again. He wasn't used to the contact or the gesture. It felt weird and out of place. Iroh would hug him, when he was drawing too far into himself some days and needed a wake-up call that wasn't surrounded in fire or loud noise. But otherwise, no one touched him outside of training or a fight. He couldn't rightfully blame any of them. He had lost control of his fire more than once while on the ship over the years. Iroh seemed to be the only one who didn't mind the flames when they came out. Zuko looked back at Aang, who was hunched over his glider, scowling.
"…Aang?"
"He shouldn't have done that," Aang says quietly.
Oh, yes, he was still angry. It wasn't an open anger. More the kind that simmered under the surface. Zuko settled back against the rock. He looked away from Aang towards the bird. It stared at him, unwavering. He turned away.
"Look, I didn't want to sleep in either camp, so, can I do watch with you, instead?" Zuko asks, desperate to change the subject. Aang perked up a little and nodded.
"I'll go first," he says.
"We're almost to the other side!" The Guide calls out. Aang watched the two groups pass his perch. He slid down to where Zuko was waiting, at the height of the plateau that was close enough to climb onto it as Katara and Sokka caught up with him.
"Katara, Sokka, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" Aang asks.
"I don't think so, Aang. The Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Ghin Wai and stole the sacred orb."
"What are you talking about?" Aang asks.
"Yeah, Katara, what are you talking about?" Sokka asks. "Wai Ghin didn't steal the orb, he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."
"Not punished enough, if you ask me." Katara retorted. Zuko groaned, pinching his brow.
"You're both wrong," Zuko snapped. "Did either of you think to ask if either tribe even have the orb? What if this is a made-up tale that they've been feuding over for the last century? Does the orb even exist?"
Both siblings paused, looking at each other a moment. Zuko face palmed. "…Seriously? Neither of you thought to ask that?" Zuko pressed.
"U-um… well, no," Katara confessed. Sokka rubbed the back of his head.
"Um… no…" he said slowly. Zuko wanted to smack them.
"No, of course, you didn't," Zuko sighed. He pushed past them, waiting at the back of the tribes while Aang soared overhead and landed at the front of the pack.
"Please, everyone, as soon as we get out of here, we can eat and then go our separate ways. But I need you all to put your heads together and figure out a way up this cliff," Aang announces.
"Maybe the Zhang can climb the walls with their long, disgusting fingernails."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot that to the Gan Jin, unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail."
"Guys, focus! How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, actions will."
"Perhaps The Avatar is right," the Zhang leader said slowly. Zuko had a bad feeling. A bad feeling that only grew at the Gan Jin's response.
"Yes, perhaps he is."
Aang looked rather pleased with himself. Zuko, on the other hand, quickly rushed up to Sokka's side.
"Harsh words will never solve our problems."
"Wh—Z—Lee?"
"Give me this," Zuko said quickly, taking Sokka's machete out of the satchel.
"Action will," the Gan Jin leader says.
Zuko dodged around Sokka, making the boy spin and stumble on his way past. Both leaders drew their blades and brought them down. Zuko threw his arm up, the machete catching both blades in the center, forcing a rather precarious triangle of blades at the indent of the machete's blade. There was an awkward, blissful, pause. The Zhang leader looked at him, just as surprised as the Gan Jin leader.
"UH! Y-ya know what? I take it back! Harsh words aren't so bad!" Aang says hastily.
Zuko shot him a glare—too little too late in his opinion—and felt the blades shift at the connecting point. He quickly fixed his footing and forced his arm up to push the leaders away. He could tell he had no time to spin out of the range of either weapon. He focused on what came naturally. Parrying the Gan Jin's sword strike and continuing his momentum to spin and parry the Zhang's scythe-like blade next. Unsurprisingly, the Gan Jin leader recovered first. Zuko wasn't sure what to do to dodge their next oncoming attacks.
He ran through a few facts that he could see in front of him. Firstly, they were slashing wildly in practiced motions—more practice than he'd ever gotten with the machete. Secondly, he was still stuck between them. Thirdly, it appeared they had no qualms about going through him to get to each other. Using fire was not an option, as of yet, when he was still stuck in a canyon with no clear exit. He doubted Katara could use her water to separate the two without risking accidently pushing a blade into someone else.
Zuko caught the sight of metal glinting and spun again, parrying the Gan Jin leader. He could remember some of the quick foot work Aang had done while Airbending and found it surprisingly helpful with the dodging. He pressed his back into the Gan Jin leader, forcing them both back as the Zhang leader slashed, cutting his shirt. Zuko had enough time to push away from the Gan Jin leader and put distance between himself and the two of them when Aang slammed his glider on the ground, forcing air up to separate the two. Zuko felt his feet skid on the ground and knelt down, trying to center his weight to keep himself from being blown away.
Once the air current stopped, he rubbed the dirt from his face and stood up. Sokka caught his shoulder. Zuko handed the machete back. "Here."
Sokka stared at it a moment. "You keep it. Nutso."
"I'm quick on my feet."
"That's enough!" Aang roared. He was breathing heavily, glaring at the two tribes. "It's one thing to fight, it's another to draw your weapons! Especially against one of my friends!"
Wouldn't it have been just as bad if he were some random person? Though, he had purposefully gotten between them. But, still. Zuko snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Aang hadn't kept continuing his lecture. He caught the slack jawed look and already knew.
"Is that… food?" Aang asks.
Ah, yes, the hypocrisy was revealed. He had managed to forget about the food.
"I'm backing up," Zuko whispers, taking a few steps back in case Aang decided to slam his glider again.
"You all smuggled food down here?! Unbelievable! You put our lives in danger because you couldn't go a day without a snack?!"
Aang paused and Zuko followed his gaze to a custard desert. He gaped. This little shit—
A shadow passed over them and he looked up. The messenger bird circled them once, its head jerked to the side, and then it was flying away.
"Is that egg custard in that tart?" Aang asks hopefully. Zuko ran up and smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"
"Don't even think about it!" Zuko growled. He pulled Aang up, turning to where the bird had been fleeing from to catch sight of the Crawlers. "…Oh."
Dozens. There were dozens of them, all full grown, by the looks of them. And all of them attracted to the food that was now scattered across the entire canyon floor. Zuko started to push Sokka towards a tower of rock. Katara was close behind them.
"Okay, stay here," Zuko orders. He caught sight of the Canyon Guide and pulled him behind a different pillar. "You. Stay here."
"They're after me—"
"Not if they can't find you, so stay."
He could hear Aang Bending. He peered around the pillar to see him come down on a pile of them. It appeared they had all convened at the food and gotten tricked into dogpiling one another. Clever. Zuko wished Aang wouldn't have brought down his glider, though, because all it really accomplished was spreading them out across the canyon. The situation quickly fell into every man for themselves. Zuko lost track of the siblings quickly in the chaos. He couldn't have been any more thankful that Sokka left the machete with him.
He was able to slide under one Crawler escaping from another. To his dismay, it did little to actually slow them down. He wondered, really wondered, why Earth Benders hadn't Bended a bridge yet. He was going to have to write a letter or something. He ducked behind a pillar to catch his breath. He could see The Guide a few yards away.
"Everybody! Watch me and do what I do!"
Zuko looked up to see Aang's wrangling of a Crawler. He had to admit, using the sacks was a good idea. Zuko rushed past a few Zhang to snatch a sack and dumped the food from it. A Crawler caught him in its sights and headed for him. He climbed a pillar, waiting at the top. Once the Crawler's face was closer enough, he aimed the sack and let himself jump down. The sack fell around the Crawler's mouth, with Zuko's own weight drawing the strings shut as he landed against its back. Turning himself over and into a seated position on top wasn't exactly easy, but he managed to do it without entangling his fingers.
The odd lack of resistance once the mouth was shut was… odd. He wasn't about to complain but it was strange. Once their main mode of attack was rendered null, the Crawlers were just large bugs, unable to bite anyone's limbs off. He directed the beast to The Guide, using the draw strings as reigns, and pulled the man onto its back.
Riding the Crawlers up the side of the cliff was, to put it mildly, anxiety riddled. He far, far preferred flying. He would fly on Appa's back without a saddle before he would do this again, he could bet on that. The Crawlers stunk, badly. And he was not keen on riding a beast that could tear his arm off with one chomp longer than he absolutely had to. Once they'd cleared the top, he was all too happy to dismount when Aang gave the order.
"Everyone! Get off!"
Zuko grabbed at The Guide's neckline, pulling him off with him to the ground. The Guide grunted in pain once they hit. Their Crawler turned back around almost immediately to follow the flung sack of food back down the cliffside. Zuko was sure that they'd figure out how to get the sacks off somehow to eat. He turned to The Guide, sitting him up.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize, boy. You just rode a Canyon Crawler like a common mount," The Guide said, stumbling up to stand. He turned to Zuko, bowing as best as he could with one arm in a sling. "I thank you."
"Oh… um, you're welcome?" Zuko offered.
The Guide gave him another bow and started towards the groups, who were, blessedly, standing and listening to Aang for something. Suspiciously peaceful, as it were. Zuko didn't feel like going over to them just yet. He looked up, catching sight of the messenger bird in the trees. It caught his gaze and flew off the branch, circling once and headed down the length of the cliff. Zuko followed it, coming across Appa rather quickly. The bison looked up at him as he neared, baying and getting up to join him.
"There you are," Zuko sighed. He grabbed at the reigns. "You didn't let anyone die, right?"
"No, we're all here," a voice said from above. Zuko looked up at them all in the saddle. It appeared they'd gotten rather cozy with one another.
"No fighting?" he prompted.
"Oh, sonny, we're too old and too sick for any of that," A Zhang called down.
Zuko smirked, pulling Appa along. They came across the tribes just as quickly. Aang was skirting across the cliff side, Bending his way back and forth faster and faster with each cross.
"Did anyone see him?" Aang asked. Zuko raised a brow. Katara was turned away, turning in his direction. Her shoulders relax and she smiled, waving him over.
"There he is! With Appa!"
Aang looked up and ran over, jumping on Appa's head. "Appa! Good boy! You kept them all safe for us, thank you!"
Sokka climbed up Appa's tail, helping the passengers dismount.
"Seems they all came to an understanding easier than the lot we got stuck with," Zuko mumbled. Aang looked up at the passengers and smiled. He rubbed his cheek against Appa's arrow.
"Atta boy. Good, Appa."
Appa gave an appreciative roar. Zuko could tell that he wanted to slap his tail on the ground, but he thankfully refrained. Shortly, the groups were splitting off together. Zuko watched them go, confused to see them walking side by side so amicably. He walked up to the trio, watching the two tribes until they started to merge with the trees.
"Pretty lucky you knew Wai Ghin and Ghin Wai," Sokka says. Zuko turned to Aang sharply.
"What?" he asks. Aang snorted.
"You could call it luck, or you could call it lying," Aang says slyly.
"What?!"
"I made it all up!" Aang announced proudly.
"You did not. That is so wrong," Katara teased.
"You lied successfully? And I missed it?!" Zuko asks. Aang shot him a glower, ignoring the giggling from the two siblings.
Zuko caught sight of the bird's shadow before he heard the wings. He held his arm up, the bird landing on it, and regarded it a moment. Perhaps he could try writing that letter one more time.
Iroh looked over the ocean. The waves had grown choppier and choppier for the last few hours. It wasn't looking good, and they'd have to sail around the storm before it really started to hit if they didn't want to risk capsizing. The captain had already made the order for the crew to be on their toes. This far out to sea meant they'd be astronomically lucky to make it to land in the midst of the storm if it captured them.
"Iroh, sir."
Iroh turned to the captain. "Ah, yes, hello. I do hope you don't have more news from Zhao. The man needs a new hobby."
The captain fought back a smirk. "No, sir. But I do have concerns to bring up. From myself and the crew."
"The storm?" Iroh guesses, nodding towards the darkening clouds. "It's headed for land. We should be able to bypass it if we—"
"No, sir, that's not it."
Iroh paused and turned to the captain.
"…My apologies. I wanted to voice a concern among the crew. About Prince Zuko."
Iroh felt anxiety starting to rise in his core. He put on a smile and started to walk back to the ship's entrance with the captain.
"What concern?" he asks.
"Sir, we're wondering where the Prince is. He's been gone for longer than we all assumed he would be."
Iroh could hear the implications the captain wasn't willing to voice. Iroh felt he would never understand why none of the crew simply said anything to him. He couldn't have been that intimidating, could he?
…Perhaps. When he thought about it, his reputation did precede him rather well.
"My nephew is doing fine, I assure you. We're exchanging letters," Iroh says confidently. "He is on a journey of self-reflection and discovery."
The captain seemed mostly convinced but hadn't been clinched just yet.
"I convinced him to take some time to himself. Travel," Iroh says calmly. The captain got a look on his face that Iroh knew well. The look of 'I'm not 100% convinced, but I'm not going to question you just in case'. Iroh had taken advantage of that look well in the past and he would do so now. "You do not need to worry. I appreciate the concern. It's nice to see you all care."
"We—I—he is our priority, of course."
"Of course! You are a good man. Remember that," Iroh says. He left the captain in the hall, returning to his own room. He could still hear the storm brewing outside.
Unbeknownst to him, the messenger bird was still kilometers away. It spotted the growing storm cell in the distance. The ship was not far off. The bird paused, contemplating, and banked away, content to wait the storm out on nearby land and find the ship another day.
Zuko hummed, making a note to grab another notebook when they reached a marketplace. He'd wasted too much paper trying to think of what to write Iroh and was left with a laughably low among of paper to use for future letters until he could replenish it. He contemplated if he'd have to steal any paper. How much money did they have again? He should have seen if the ship had a store of any Earth Kingdom currency before he'd left.
"Zuko?"
Zuko looked up at Aang's voice. The boy sat beside him at the fire, glider resting against his shoulder. Seeing the glider so close to fire was starting to give Zuko anxiety. If nothing else, Katara could at least bend some water onto it to douse whatever flame might try to spark from a stray ash piece.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
Zuko blinked at him, suspicious. Really, he just wanted to eat and pass out, but he had the strange feeling that Aang wouldn't let him that easily.
"...Yeah," he says slowly. Aang settled into his place and stared at the ground a moment. Zuko could feel the atmosphere growing a little tenser and glanced at Katara and Sokka, who were avoiding looking at either of them. "What?"
"…What did you object to in the war meeting?" Aang asks. Zuko turned to him, caught off guard.
"Does that matter?" he asks.
Aang looked just as confused as he felt. It didn't look like the kid knew how to respond. Zuko felt guilty, deciding to take pity on him.
"The general who I spoke out against was proposing using new Fire Nation soldiers on a suicide mission. He was betraying their trust. And he thought it was a justifiable idea," Zuko said bitterly. He clapped a hand over Aang's mouth when he saw the kid starting to take a deep breath. Zuko stared into the fire, refusing to look at him. "My father ordered me to engage in an Agni Kai. I didn't know it'd be him. I thought it was going to be against the general. …he wasn't lenient."
Aang smacked Zuko's hand away. Zuko waved the sting off, staring at him, shocked.
"He shouldn't have done that!" Aang shouted. Without the threat of anyone overhearing them, it appeared Aang wasn't concerned about letting his anger show. Loudly. Could Airbenders amplify their voices? Zuko was starting to wonder.
And he was incredibly confused.
"Of course I was going to be punished, how else would I learn—"
"That's not learning!" Katara snaps, throwing down the shirt she'd started to repair for him onto her sleeping bag. Zuko could see her fists shaking as she clutched at the fabric of the shirt, the needle and thread forgotten. Sokka was staring out across the canyon with a rather upset look stuck on his face.
"It was over the line," Katara says. She tried to breath, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Severely over the line."
Zuko hadn't expected to see the reaction. He'd assumed they'd processed it. Why were they still angry about it? Was it that strange? He looked at Sokka for confirmation and the boy laid out on his sleeping bag, staring at the stars.
"Family doesn't do that to one another," he says simply. "You're supposed to protect your family."
Zuko just stared at them. There was a similar underlying anger about them. Sokka was much more practiced at hiding it, however. Katara stared working on the shirt again, if just to busy her hands. She paused a moment later.
"How long have you had it? It looks like it's been healed for a while," she says quietly.
"Over two years."
Katara bit back a scream. She was going to murder his father if she ever saw him. Zuko's attention was taken away from her by flickering light beside him. He turned, seeing the arrows on Aang flickering white. His first instinct was to get as far way as possible. Sokka sat up, crawling out of his sleeping bag and setting a hand on Aang's shoulder. It seemed to ground Aang just enough for him to come back to them.
"Aang, you're scaring him," Sokka says. Zuko felt his face go red.
"Hey."
Aang breathed a heavy sigh, the glowing flickering out. Zuko would never admit that his anxiety lowered when he did.
"I changed my mind," Aang says. Zuko regarded him curiously. "…Most life is sacred."
Zuko snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth before he could actually laugh. He was not about to laugh at that. He had already been banished, he really didn't need that on his conscious, either.
"You're just saying that because you're mad," Zuko says, using his hand to play with the fire. It felt good to Bend something after so many days. Sokka crosses his arms.
"Of course he is! We all are! You can't go home because of him—"
"He gave me a condition," Zuko points out. "If I brought back The Avatar—"
"Zuko, no one knew if The Avatar was even alive!" Sokka screamed. "No one knew if Aang would ever come back! Hello!"
Zuko grit his teeth. He knew that. He'd always known that. It was easier to believe that wasn't the case. It was easier to cling to something—even something that felt impossible—just to stay sane. Sokka's voice brought him back again.
"You're not going back, alright," he says. Katara shot them all a smile. Sokka laid back in his sleeping bag, looking proud. "Because you're on Team Avatar now."
Aang leaned against him a moment. "That's right."
Zuko hummed, settling down on his own mat. Aang laid out on the dirt, content to just sleep on the bare ground if not in Appa's saddle.
Sokka's words, Katara's smile, and Aang's affirmation played in his head. Perhaps he was.