Stupid, stupid, stupid! Toph forges ahead, letting the faded warmth of Zuko's footprints in the earth lead her through the crags and brush he fled through, why can't they see the solution to all their problems was right in front of them! I know Snoozles is smarter than that, and since when does Twinkletoes turn down an offer of friendship?
Zuko had moved beyond her ability to sense hours ago and honestly Toph couldn't blame him for making distance from Sugar Queen, but she really, really hoped he hadn't given up and started off already. She could usually tell what people were likely to do by how they held themselves, but Zuko…
He was… his feet were heavier, more rooted to begin with, The precocious earthbender mused to herself, remembering his opening gaff with a short exhale of amusement, he started off determined, but it shattered right. His stance shifted, and he was suddenly lighter almost like… Twinkletoes in a panic, brows furrowed between unseeing eyes, like he was looking for an escape, if only he knew which way to run.
But he hadn't run. He stayed and pleaded for a chance to prove himself, even offering himself as a prisoner. Having Zuko as a prisoner would be inconvenient, sure, but the greatest earthbender in the world could definitely keep the prince contained. It was a pretty sweet deal to her ears.
"But not to them," She muttered, and I wish I knew why. Nothing they told me he did was so terrible it couldn't be overlooked.
So he was determined, sort of, but he stayed and persevered until Katara attacked him. He'd felt as flighty as Aang then, but he didn't leave until he was forced to, so he probably hadn't left. Probably.
And wasn't that weird, he was so light on his feet I almost couldn't feel him coming in, thought, recalling the moment she informed the party of their guest.
And came to a halt with a sudden realization.
I didn't feel him coming in. He was just… behind Appa, and I didn't even notice until his feet suddenly felt like lead, Toph's startled expression faded, replaced with a frown of intrigue, recalling her memories and the feeling of his weight suddenly appearing on the cold stone floor, did he do it on purpose? It's obvious I'm blind, but it's not obvious I can "see." How did he sneak up on the Greatest Earthbender in the World? Does he even know?
Toph knew she had another reason to seek Zuko out besides needing to procure a firebending master for Aang.
I really want to know how he snuck up on me.
Nobody snuck up on the Blind Bandit, and that wasn't a boast. It simply hadn't been possible, at least until today, and certainly not with their feet on solid earth like Zuko had apparently done. When had that changed? Had it always been possible for some sneaky firebender to waltz into their camp without detection? It was as worrying as it was impressive, now that she was thinking about it. If Azula could do that…
Toph focused on one of the heat-steps she was following, ignoring the warmth for a moment and simply feeling the dirt. There was a footprint there, just barely. If it was barely noticeable to her, she doubted anyone else could tell. If he pathed over solid rock, I'd never be able to track him without the heat, she thought, I didn't even notice the actual footprints until I looked for them, but here, she felt a much more distinct footprint, his right foot, toes pressed into the ground, his left foot landed over… here? Toph pursed her lips, mulling it over, then snickering as realization hit her, Prince FumbleFoot tripped, how undignified.
It didn't look like he was sneaking on purpose, or he would've covered this evidence of his embarrassment. Was it his habit to move unnoticed? It makes sense, she supposed, he did stalk them around the world before I joined up. He wouldn't have been a problem if he stomped around everywhere like a komodo-rhino.
The steps continued, no longer winding around rocks and trees, until she felt those trees recede around a patch of earth at the edge of her senses. Campfire. And there's Fire Lord Junior himself.
…I don't think he'll appreciate that nickname. I'll keep thinking of a better one, after I decide how to tackle this.
Zuko awoke with relief as his nightmares faded away.
But never for long.
He knew he was under attack, holding his Uncle's dagger is a tight grip, remembering the tremor in the earth that stirred him from slumber.
Earthbender.
He was grateful to the intruder, truly. Steel flashed, and he rolled out of the ruined sleeping-sack and over the campfire, stealing the flames for himself as he went.
It's a shame I'm going to kill them.
Wreathed in his bonfire's flames he came to his feet in a rotation, arm snapping out a circle of flame around him that expanded to fill the clearing and breaking on a suddenly upturned wall of stone and dirt. The stolen fire encircled him like a cloak, without singing a thread of his outerwear as he honed in on his attacker.
Two punches and a sweeping leg sent two fireballs and a crescent blade of flames where he knew they had to be. He prepared himself to leap over the wall, knowing an earthbender always hunkered behind his walls… only to stop short as this one didn't get the memo and bent their wall into a circle, rolling it in front of them as they strafed his position.
"Hey! Angry Prince guy! I'm not here to-"
I can't root my stance like this, Zuko leapt into the air, not when they can snare my feet in a heartbeat,' he completed his flip, holding one leg out in an axe kick and sending a focused ball of fire over the top of the earthbender's moving cover
Impact. A wash of heat. A crash of toppling stone.
Zuko remained wary as he touched back down. He didn't smell cooked flesh. I'm not that lucky.
Screeching rock to his left, and a cold plume of air cutting upwards through the heat in the clearing alerted him to the enemy's presence. Gathering the flames he wore around him in one hand, he aimed at the lip of the now revealed tunnel and-
"Timeout!"
Raised an eyebrow at his opponents suggestion. Did they really want to play innocent after sneaking into his camp?
"I think we got off on the wrong foot," she said.
She. A girl? Zuko cocked his head to one side in intrigue. The Earth Kingdom doesn't train female earthbenders, so how was she so good? She was quite creative for an earthbender, and young, Zuko realized.
Have I been fighting a child?
"I'm Toph Bei-Fong, of the Bei-Fong family. I'm also…"
Suddenly Zuko understood as memory rushed back to him. He was at the Western Air Temple. He had offered to teach the Avatar firebending. He had been rejected.
They were nowhere near the Earth Kingdom, so this must be…
"… the Avatar's Earthbending master."