( Rage + Razz )

[Razz]

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• • • • • • Korra was still pretty unsure of what was going on. Katara and Sokka, the two that found her in the iceberg, did their best to explain it to her over and over again, but it still seemed so.. so impossible!
            
            "So tell me one last time," She sighed, rubbing her temples as she sat across the fire pit from the siblings in one of the small huts, looking as lost as she did when they first explained it to her. "I've been missing for 100 years? And during that 100 years, the Fire Nation started some kind of war and is trying to, what, take over the world?"
            
            Korra sighed, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back a little. Sokka and Katara just nodded, confirming her questioning for what had to be the hundredth time.
            
            "I know it sounds really out there, but, well, the avatar has been missing for 100 years, and considering you don't know anything about the war, I think it's safe to assume that you were frozen for the whole time." Katara speculated sympathetically, folding her hands in her lap and frowning softly at Korra, who looked like she was definitely still struggling to believe any of this.
            
            Shaking her head, Korra opening her mouth to speak only to be cut off by the sound of Naga outside barking and growling viciously. Sharing a concerned glance, the trio jumped to their feet and ran outside, shocked at what they saw.
            
            A Fire Navy warship, heading right at the small tribe. The whole tribe, consisting of women and children plus Sokka, gathered at the center of the village, watching in horror as the ship easily crashing through their wall of snow, skidding to a stop only after the wall had been demolished.
            
            Being the only warrior in the tribe, Sokka grabbed his boomerang and stood before the women and children, ready to fight whoever came off the ship. Korra and Katara remained in the crowed, Naga still growling but lingering behind her master, waiting for the order to strike.
            
            "What do you think they want?" Korra asked, placing a hand on her hip and glaring at the ship. She wasn't scared of some punk fire benders. That is, until Katara answered her question in a rather terrified tone.
            
            "You."

 

[Rage]

As soon as that word left Katara's lips, the large metal landing ramp of the ship dropped onto the icy earth, rattling the ground and sending a powerful shockwave that echoed over the snowy landscape. The villagers all watched in fear as Sokka made his way forward, standing as strong as he could with a quivering hand grasped around his boomerang. The ship, completely made from metal, was enough to quake the villagers with fear, their hearts freezing as cold as the ice beneath their feet. With no men to protect them from such a threat, they knew that they stood no chance against whatever was inside that firebending ship.

The atmosphere was tense when the small group of firebending soldiers made their way down the ramp, the skull-masks over their faces completely hiding their identities with the symbolism of death. The one in front appeared to be their leader, stomping his way down onto the snow. However, there was something that stood in his way... something that he never would have expected...

Sokka.

"Hyaaah!" Sokka cried out, sprinting at the firebenders with his boomerang in one hand and his club in the other. With a flick of his arm his boomerang soared straight for the firebender in charge, spinning like a dangerous blade through the air-

The firebender caught it effortlessly and kept charging forward.

"Okay," Sokka blinked "so you proved that you have decent hand-eye coordination..." Sokka let out an another battle cry, raising his southern water tribe club over his head. His legs propelled him forward, his teeth grinding together in anticipation, his heart threatening to burst out from his chest. When there was a little less than a meter distancing him from the lead bender, Sokka leaped, holding his club high above him in the air to bring it down with full force on the head of the-

The firebender snatched the club in the air and reared back his fist, ramming it into Sokka's stomach. Sokka hit the ground, holding onto his belly with a green face. "Ughhh..." He groaned, "I think I'm gonna..." Each of the soldiers stepped over his body like it was garbage, not even looking down at him.

The firebenders stopped right before the villagers and their leader stepped forth. "We know you have the Avatar," He growled, his voice making him sound no older than Korra. "Where is he? Where are you hiding him?!" His fists clenched, noticeable steam rising from his hands.

 

[Razz]

"Sokka!" Katara cried, rushing to her brother's aid as she did, helping him sit up as her blue eyes moved to fearfully glare at the back of the firebender's head. "Monsters!" She spat, though her words went ignored. The firebenders were too busy demanding to know where the Avatar was.

"Easy girl..." Korra murmured under her breath to Naga, not wanting the Polar Bear dog to jump into action and wind up burned by one of these jerks. Korra's eye twitched when the firebender, apparently their leader, assumed the Avatar was a he. Clutching her first she gently patted Naga's head to tell her to stay back as she herself stepped forward, her strong shoulders held high and her eyes glaring directly into the mask of the leader.

Of course, she was pretty nervous. She didn't know why they were looking for her, but she'd be damned if she left these soldiers hurt anyone else.

"If you were smart," Korra lifted her hands and popped her knuckles, shifting into a fighting stance. "You'd leave while you had the chance." She grinned a little at that, a daring look in her shimmering blue eyes. Naga stepped forward and let out an ear-splitting roar, her ears pinched back and lips tugged back into a viscous snarl. If the large dog wasn't so well trained, she would have pounced long before now.

 

[Rage]

The lead firebender instantly glared, his hands clenching so tight that they nearly bled. Who was this girl? She wore the southern water tribe clothes, and the fire nation had been told that there were no longer any water benders that lived in the south. They had all been either taken captive or killed, so why was she looking so defiant? He hated defiance more than anything, and this girl was actually standing up to a powerful firebender like him? He didn't like it... not. One. Bit.

"If you were smart," He snarled, "then you'd watch what you'd say around the fire nation." He opened his the palm of his hand, a hot blaze of fire instantly forming above his skin. The other firebenders behind him followed his example, raising the flames from their bodies.

"If you try in any way to resist," He growled, pointing his finger towards Katara and Sokka, "then I'll have no choice but to burn down the village, and hurt all these villagers..." The firebenders started spreading out, moving to different huts and surrounding some of the villagers to make his point, their hidden faces hiding whatever dark emotions they were showing on their faces.

"Last chance," He dug his foot into the icy earth. "Where is the Avatar?!"

 

[Razz]

Oh, he was pissed! The way he snarled his words, the way steam rose from his armor, the way he clutched his fists... yep, he was ma-a-ad! Normally Korra would have chuckled at succeeding to make someone so mad with such little effort, but this was no laughing matter. Her grin was wiped clean off her face as he threatened to burn the village down and hurt the occupants. Korra could probably take them on, or at least try, but was it really worth getting anyone else here hurt? Or having their homes destroyed??

Growling, she backed out of her stance, clearly backing down so he wouldn't see her as a theat any longer. It wasn't until he again demanded to know where the Avatar was before she took a step forward and lifted her hand to motion at herself with her thumb, her deep glare keeping steadily on him.

"I am the Avatar!" She snorted, planting her hands on her hips and puckering her lips in mild annoyance as some of the firebenders chuckled at her words. Obviously, they didn't believe her.

"Korra.." Katara murmured uneasily, keeping her arm behind her brother's back to support him as the twins stared at Korra with a look of regret. They wanted to save her, but they had their village to worry about.

"So, if I go with you fire-freaks, you gatta swear on your life to leave these people and their homes unharmed." She stated, Naga growling her agreement.

 

[Rage]

The firebending leader couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the girl, cocking his head slightly in confusion. This was the Avatar? This was the being that could bend all four elements? His uncle had some that the Avatar had disappeared over one hundred years and would have been around his own age, so it made sense that she could be. Still, he was expecting the Avatar to be some sort of boy from what he had heard... either she was lying, or the information was wrong. There was only one way to find out...

"Prove it." The leader stepped forward, coming up face to face with Korra, his golden eyes barely seen from the darkness of his skull-mask. "Bend at least two elements right now, or I'll consider you a liar and leave you for dead." He raised his hand, his men nodding and positioning themselves. If this girl attacked their leader, they would attack the homes and the villagers without any second thoughts. They didn't have to be told this.

 

[Razz]

A small chill ran down her spine as he stepped closer to her so they were face to face, her knees feeling weak for a fraction of a second before she clenched her fists, swallowed her fears, and stood up tall as she could to glare up into his eyes. Due to their closeness she could now detect a hint of gold in them, but his eye color was of little concern to her at the moment.

Naga seemed to be made uneasy by the way the firebender got close to her master as well, as she took a defined step forward and let out a warning howl.

"Naga, down." She said simply, keeping her eyes on the firebender's own as she took a small step back to put a bit of room between them so she could 'prove it' to him that she was who she said she was.

Taking a small breat to calm her nerves, she buried her foot into the frozen ground below, causing the cold, hard ground to quake before jutting out and forming earth spikes between herself and the man. She didn't stop there. Lifting her foot, and swung it over the spikes, emmiting a powerful flame from the heel of her foot to smash the earth scorch the spikes she had created before lifting her arms and forming thin whips of water from the snow to slice the weakened spikes in half.

There. She had used not just two, but three elements. There was no way he could deny her being the Avatar now... though she wasn't sure she was relieved at that.

"Was that proof enough? Now call your men off!"

 

[Rage]

A small chill ran down her spine as he stepped closer to her so they were face to face, her knees feeling weak for a fraction of a second before she clenched her fists, swallowed her fears, and stood up tall as she could to glare up into his eyes. Due to their closeness she could now detect a hint of gold in them, but his eye color was of little concern to her at the moment.

Naga seemed to be made uneasy by the way the firebender got close to her master as well, as she took a defined step forward and let out a warning howl.

"Naga, down." She said simply, keeping her eyes on the firebender's own as she took a small step back to put a bit of room between them so she could 'prove it' to him that she was who she said she was.

Taking a small breat to calm her nerves, she buried her foot into the frozen ground below, causing the cold, hard ground to quake before jutting out and forming earth spikes between herself and the man. She didn't stop there. Lifting her foot, and swung it over the spikes, emmiting a powerful flame from the heel of her foot to smash the earth scorch the spikes she had created before lifting her arms and forming thin whips of water from the snow to slice the weakened spikes in half.

There. She had used not just two, but three elements. There was no way he could deny her being the Avatar now... though she wasn't sure she was relieved at that.

"Was that proof enough? Now call your men off!"

The lead bender stared at her for a startling moment before turning around, not even giving her or the villagers one more glance. Underneath the terrifying skull mask, the bender showed an expression that he hadn't shown in a very, very long time.

He smiled.

"Take her away." He ordered already walking back to his ship. The firebenders were immediately on her, grabbing her arms and fitting her wrists tightly into cold metal cuffs behind her back. This would do until they got onto the ship where they would completely strap her in motionless so that they couldn't bend. He stopped, at the bottom of the ramp, watching his benders herd Korra over to the ship.

"And grab that beast thing." The leader commanded, "It'll make a nice house-warming gift as a rug..." Naga growled, but was prodded forward by firebenders wielding long, sharp spears.

The firebenders started to roughly shove Korra over to the ship, nudging her up onto the metal ramp. An elderly man stood at the top of the ramp, giving her what looked like eyes of sympathy... and admiration. He watched her get shoved into the ship along with the polar-bear dog, with the leader being the last one walking up the ramp.

"After years of being gone from this world, it appears that the Avatar has finally been found." The old man stated, "and now you can go back to your kingdom. Right, Prince Zuko?" Zuko said nothing, disappearing into the impeding blackness of the Fire Nation ship.

 

[Razz]

"Hey!" Korra growled, angry but not attempting to fight back as her arms were forced behind her back to fit into cold handcuffs. She grumbled, but moved along anyways, stumbling as she was roughly shoved forward. Naga, panicked to see her master being taken away, needed no prodding. She trotted right after Korra even before Zuko gave the order to bring her along. She'd be damned if she would leave her master alone with these men. Still, the dog was growling angrily the entire time, snapping at the soldiers if they got too close with the spears.

"Shove me again and I'll snap your neck! Jeez, I'm walking, aren't I?!" She snapped back at the men urging her up the ramp, her glare shifting to the old man before her gaze softened into a somewhat confused look. Why'd he look at her like that? He felt sorry for her? Her eyes narrowed at the though and she continued aboard the ship, being taken down to the prison cells once she was aboard. Naga trotted on past the old man without looking at him, and she too was lead to a cell to be chained up out of the way.

Before she was taken down to the cell, though, Korra managed one last glare back at Zuko, then looking past him at Katara and Sokka just as the large metal ramp was closing.

 

[Rage]

"Get this ship off of this iceberg." Zuko commanded, his skull-faced helmet still sitting atop his head. "If the Avatar tries anything and we're in distance, immediately fire the catapults. I want her arms and legs binded together in the cell to cut off her bending." The firebenders all nodded, sprinting down the ship in their appointed directions. Zuko glared around before making his way down the dark halls of the ship, his uncle behind him with a frown.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked, "the Avatar's purpose is to bring balance to the world. If we take her to the fire nation, then who knows-"

"Quiet, Uncle!" Zuko snapped, glancing back at the older man. "You know what my father told me! As soon as I take her back to the fire nation, I'll restore my honor and I'll be a prince again." Zuko's gaze suddenly cast down to the floor. "And... maybe he'll finally accept me as his son." Iroh reached forward, placing his arm onto Zuko's shoulder. Zuko roughly pulled away, stomping back down the hallways of the metal ship to speak with his prisoner.

 

[Razz]

Sokka, Katara, and their entire tribe watched with sorrow in their eyes as the large door was shut and Korra was taken away. What more could they do? Katara was a novice water bender, very novice, and and Sokka couldn't even lay a finger on Zuko. They had a duty to their village, not to the Avatar, even if they knew she was the world's last hope at peace.

Despite her threats and irritated shouts and growls as she was forcefully shoved and dragged down the narrow, cold hallways, the soldiers didn't listen to a single word she said. In fact, they simply ignored her, telling her to be quite as they shoved her into a small cell that was crowded even with just Korra and the two men inside. There were chains on the wall, chains that were used to shackle her wrists together behind her back with an iron clamp that was attached firmly to the wall with similar shackles around her ankles, forcing Korra to sit on her butt with her knees against her chest and her arms uncomfortably behind her back.

The guards said nothing else to her, they simply left as soon as she was restrained, leaving Korra to immediately try and figure a way out of here. She didn't know why the heck this guy was so determined to bring her to the fire nation,but after learning about the war from Sokka and Katara, she knew the reason wouldn't benefit her in any way.

Immediately she started to squirm, pulling at her wrists as hard as she could while twisting them, only stopping when she heard the sound of someone stomping in her direction. If she had to guess, it was the hot-tempered guy who was apparently in charge here.

 

[Rage]

Zuko opened the door, slamming it into the wall beside its frame. The mask of his helmet stood out in the dimly lit cell, his form looking as imposing as it had been outside of the Southern Water Tribe. He took a few steps in, and doubled checked the Avatar's chain bindings. Satisfied with the work of his crewmates, he finally reached up to his helmet. He slowly lifted it off of his head, his long dark hair framing his face as it always had, the burn scar on his eye completely revealed.

"Finally, I've found you..." He held the helmet at his side. "I've been searching a long time for the Avatar... and who would have guessed that you've been hidden away at the Southern Water Tribe this whole time?" The ship jerked slightly, signalling that the boat was getting on course.

"I'm Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation," he stated proudly, "and with you... I can finally go home." There was a knock on the metal door behind him and Zuko scowled, turning to open up the door. One of the guards whispered something to him and Zuko growled, looking back at Korra. "I'm not done with you..." He quickly left, slamming the door shut firmly behind him.

 

[Razz]

The next few days, Korra say neither hide nor hair of Zuko. The prince. That made sense, really, so she wasn't too shocked. She was, of course, still confused about what they wanted her for... but when she thought about it, it wasn't too confusing at all. As the avatar, it was her job to bring peace to the world, and peace was likely NOT what the fire nation was after. What really left Korra uncertain was what Zuko meant when he said that with her, he could 'finally go home'. What, could he not go home without the avatar? Or did he just mean that now that the search was over he could rest? She wasn't sure, but with nothing else to do day in and day out, she was left wondering...

Within those few days, words spread that prince Zuko may or may not have found the avatar. Fire Lord Ozai realized that it could be some far-fetched rumor, but he wasn't about to risk losing the avatar if he were under Zuko's watch. So he sent his favored child, Azula, to retrieve the avatar from him.

It was a dark, misty night. Korra was asleep, and it was entirely likely that so was Zuko and MOST of his men, with one of course controlling the ship and another on guard duty. The ship, however, came to a rather abrupt stop that woke Korra from her sleep, the sound of the engines squealing and straining to stop the ship as quickly as possible echoing throughout her cell, causing the avatar to wince. What in the world was going on...?

"We're being blocked!" A guard shouted, staring up wide-eyed at the much large fire navy ship that was currently blocking her path. Unable to really stop their ship, which was still creeping forward, the crew had to brace themselves as Zuko's smaller ship bumped to a stop against the side of the larger ship, which immediately released a bridge between the two ships so the soldiers from the larger ship could board Zuko's ship, dressed in similar armor. They were followed, however, but Azula, who had a particularly wicked grin on her face. She wasn't sure if she believe the avatar was on this cruddy little ship or not; all she cared about was seeing Zuko again... and wiping the floor with him.

"Where is the avatar? We know you have him!" She called out to Zuko's soldiers, who were left speechless. "Also, where is my big brother?" She asked mockingly.

 

[Rage]

Zuko was lying onto his bed when the ship violently rocked, sending him off of his bed and onto his metal floor. He climbed to his feet, a burning anger already boiling in his heart. He rushed over to his small window and glanced outside, his fist clenching at the sight of his sister's war ship. "No," He growled, "not now... why does she have to do this?!" No doubt she was after the Avatar. His only ticket home was going to be taken by his 'perfect' little sister..." Zuko grinded his teeth together before storming out of his room. Not today. She wouldn't win today.

Zuko stomped down the hallway, his soldiers already rushing to the dock. "Prince Zuko!" Uncle Iroh called from behind, "Where are you going?!"

"I'm getting the Avatar out of here!" Zuko snarled back, looking back at his uncle. "I'd rather have the Avatar free again rather than have Azula rip her from my hands." Iroh watched his nephew rush down the hallway before spinning on his heels, heading to the dock. With his power, even Azula would be no match against Iroh... but this was Zuko's fight.

Zuko kicked open the door to Korra's holding cell, the iron key in his hand. "You're getting to run," He commanded, "You're going to get as far away from this ship as possible." He made his way over to her, jamming the key into her metal shackles.

 

[Razz]

Korra was of course already awake when Zuko stormed inside. She could see he was clearly distressed about something, but all she could bring herself to wonder what was going on. "Uh... what?" She blinked at his words, clearly confused. "Sooo... you're setting me free? That doesn't make much sense. What's going on?" She arched a brow, slowly getting to her feet with a small grunt and rubbing her sore wrists and ankles. Jeez, her back sure did hurt from sitting so long.

Of course, Korra wasn't really too eager to remain his prisoner. Who knew if he would change his mind or not? She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't really plan to stick around to find out, and the look on Zuko's face made it obvious that he was going serious.

So, with a small nod, Korra headed out the door and didn't look back. First, she needed to locate Naga... which wasn't hard. The polar bear dog was howling and barking at the sound of all the commotion. All but kicking the door open, Korra grinned at the sight of her friend and ran to her side, using a concentrated flame to melt and snap the metal shackles off of the large fierce beast.

"Don't worry, girl... we're getting out of here!" Korra reassured her, petting the dog's head before hopping up onto her back. From there, the dog lunged from the cell and bulldozed down the hallway, knocking over a few soldiers that were in her way...

"Ah, Uncle." Azula huffed when Iroh appeared on deck, folding her hands behind her back and sneering at the man she considered to be a weakling and a traitor like her brother. "I'd love to catch up with you, but I've got bigger matters to worry about... such as the whereabouts of avatar. I will only ask once more: Where is he?!" She growled, her eyes narrowed deeply as she sunk into a fighting stance, ready to attack when suddenly there was a beastly howling sound coming from the open door behind Iroh.

Then, without much warning, out came Korra atop the polar bear dog. Clearly the princess was taken off guard, as her eyes widened and mouth fell open. Naga lunged clear over Iroh's head, not wanting to knock the man over, as both Naga and Korra sense that there was great good in the man. Instead, Naga landed clear on top of Princess Azula, knocking her down clear onto her back.

Korra hadn't forgotten Zuko's words. If he wanted her to get as far from the ship, she would do so. After all, it felt good top be free again.

"That way, girl!" Korra chimed, and the dog was again off, racing down the center of the deck with Azula's soldier's sending a harsh wave of fire. Korra, however, was having none of that. With ease, she shifted her arms and lifted a wave of water from the wide river around them and used it to put out the fire before it reached her and to knock the firebenders off their feet long enough for Naga to jump clear over the edge of the ship and into the water, Korra on her back with a grin on her face. The two disappeared beneath the water, and using her waterbending, Korra created bubbles of water around hers and Naga's heads to give them air until they reached the bank of the river.

Slowly, Korra slid off of Naga's back and let the animal shake dry as Korra herself squinted to try and see what was now happening on deck.

Of course, Azula was furious at this point. She had just been ran over by a huge dog, who was being rode by the avatar apparently. Getting to her feet, she rushed over to the edge of the ship and glared towards the shore where Korra was now standing before glaring back at her own men.

"What are you waiting for?! Go get her before I have you all executed for allowing the avatar to escape!" By now she had completely forgotten about Zuko being aboard the ship... she wanted to capture Korra, and make her pay for running her own like that. "And kill the giant mutt while you're at it!!"

 

[Rage]

"AZULA!" Zuko snarled, kicking open the metal door to the dock. With a quick breath and a swift punch, a powerful blast of fire cut through the air aiming for his little sister. Azula simply smiled, ducking down to the dock floor to let the blast sail harmlessly overhead.

And that was when the battle started.

Their crews, loyal to both the prince and princess, went on the attack. They launched bursts of fire from their kicks and punches with their vicious yells. Zuko and Azula were locked in combat, the two siblings trading their blows back and forth. But with Zuko's rage kept him from thinking clearly, and it was obvious that Azula was taking advantage of him in such a state. After only a few moments of fighting Zuko was already being pushed back, his sister's blue fire blasts becoming harder and harder to avoid. Uncle Iroh was strangely nowhere to be seen, and his crew was getting beaten one after another.

A powerful blast of fire knocked Zuko onto the deck of his ship, his back slamming onto its metal surface. With a grunt he managed to climb to his feet, his arms covered in mild burns and scratches. He panted, his fist clenching in unbelievable rage at his sister's cocky smile.

"I'm sorry I had to ruin your fun, Zu-Zu." She smirked, "but father got impatient with you. And I'm sure he'd be disappointed to learn that you let the Avatar escape. So any last words, big brother?" A blue ball of fire emerged from Azula's hand, ready to strike him down. The last of Zuko's crew fell unconsciously onto the deck of the ship, leaving him alone to face his sister.

Zuko coughed, wiping a smudge of blood from his lip. "Just one," he glared. "...NOW!"

A huge explosion rippled through the ship, creating a giant tremor that knocked everybody off of their feet. More explosions burst from the ship's hull, shooting flames and debris high into the air. A powerful wall of fire now separated Zuko from Azula, the ship slowly tearing itself in half.

"I told Uncle to destroy the ship," Zuko clenched his fist. "And if I'm going to die... You're going to die with me!"

One last explosion ripped through the ship, shooting fire and heavy smoke into the sky. The shockwave managed to send Azula flying back onto her ship, landing roughly onto her back. Most of her crew weren't as lucky, and barely a handful managed to safely run back to their ship. Azula coughed and stood up, watching her brother's ship sink in a funeral of burning flames.

 

[Razz]

Korra couldn't hear much of what was happening on the ship, but from the looks of it, Zuko was fighting the girl and the other fire benders with her own. Korra watched the fire fight for a moment, taking a few small steps back and nudging Naga into the dense forest beside the river bank so they would be less noticeable. Korra figured the smart thing to do would be to leave. Who cared about Zuko? He just wanted to bring her to the fire nation, where she was now certain she would be help prisoner for the rest of her life, seeing as how killing her would just cause another avatar to be born that needed to be searched for.

Still, imprisonment for the rest of her life sounded bad, so she turned, about to step into the forest as well, when suddenly there was an explosion. Gasping sharply, Korra turned and looked back at the ship as it went up in flames. She could still make out what looked to be Zuko and the girl, but then there was another more powerful explosion.

Korra's heart immediately sunk, her gut twisting and blood running cold in shock as the ship pretty much exploded, the flaming pieces that were left sinking into the river.

Without having to put much thought into what she should do, Korra turned and jumped back into the river, giving Naga a sharp command to stay put as she trudged through the knee-deep water as it got deep and deeper, finally able to dive into it and swim forwards the wreckage. She was upset at Zuko for taking her prisoner to begin with, but she couldn't just let him die! Not after he let her go like he had.

At first, though, Korra was afraid that she wouldn't find him in the sinking debris. She was able to use water bending to again form a safe bubble of air around her head, but that didn't make it easier to weave and swim around the chunks of ship that were now sinking.

Suddenly, though, amidst the burn and sinking steel, she spotted a figure. Swimming closer, she recognized it as Zuko and immediately grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged, dragging him with her as she swam back towards the shore line, where she immediately pulled him from the cold water and onto the grassy. First thing she did was use her bending to clear his lungs of the water, then, with a sharp whistle to Naga, she put her arms under the unconscious young man's arms and hoisted him up into the polar bear dog's back before the trio turned and headed into the trees to avoid being spotted.

Korra was quiet all the while, until finally, a safe distance from the river, she stopped Naga at a clearing and pulled Zuko from her back to put him against a tree. He was pretty beat up, so she was nervous to leave him alone...

"Maybe we should watch him for little while and make sure he's gonna be alright.." Korra said with a heavy sigh, earning a small grunt from Naga, who wanted to get as far from the prince as possible.

 

[Rage]

Zuko was completely out, his body bleeding from all the metal debris in the explosion. There were burn marks littering his body, and the fire nation armor that he had been wearing was practically torn to shreds. The fight with Azula had been nasty, and there was nowhere either of them was going to be completely unscathed from that fight. Zuko coughed slightly, the water still clogging up his lungs. He finally started breathing right and tried opening his eyes, his body feeling exhaustion and pain.

"Uncle..." He called out, looking around. "Where... where is Uncle?" He coughed a little again, letting out some of the water that refused to leave. He leaned his head back against the tree, his eyes deliriously glancing about until he finally spotted Korra.

"Avatar..." He breathed, "I told you to leave." He coughed again, fighting a state of unconsciousness constantly.

 

[Razz]

Korra sand down to sit on her knees in front of him, wincing as all of his wounds became evident. None of it looked really life threatening, but he definitely did seem worse for ware. She didn't particularly want to leave him alone, not in this condition. But when he started to mumble about where his uncle was her head shot up and she quickly glanced back in the direction of the river. She could vaguely remember Zuko calling someone uncle... was it that old guy? The one who had seemed nice...? Korra swallowed and shook her head, sitting back on her haunches as he seemed to be coming to.

"Yeah, yeah." She said softly, frowning at how he managed to be himself even in his current condition. "You should get some rest. I don't think talking is very good for you right now." Leaning a little closer she examined the burned on his face, the many scratches and bruises that littered his bare skin beneath the torn bits of clothing.

Hesitantly, she inched a little closer, wanting to see how close he would even allow her to get. After all, if she could at least try and address his wounds, she would feel a bit more comfortable leaving him... but she was on her toes. She had seen his temper before, and knew he could just flare out at her at any second.

Slowly she reached out to try and lift a piece of his sleeve to get a better look at a rather deep gash on his arm, wincing as she saw all the blood.

 

[Rage]

"Stop..." He growled back, still weak to really do anything. "Or... I'll..." He coughed a little more to spit out more of the water. He could still talk big, but there was no way he was going to do anything to fight back. His body heart, his ears were still ringing from the explosion, and his mind was anywhere but on the earth. His life had just flashed before his eyes, and he felt pitiful for his failure to die. He looked over at Korra, trying to lift his arm to push her away but he couldn't gather the strength.

"Just go..." He breathed, his head still leaning on the tree. "I captured you... there's no reason for you to do this..." When she lifted his sleeve he couldn't help but seethe in pain. He felt a few jolts of pain run down his side... it felt like there were some ribs broken.

He managed to catch sight of the burning ship in the distance... did Uncle survive? Of course Azula survived... she was too perfect to die so young. She probably got a few scratches, but that was it. Zuko shook his head. "Azula..." He panted, "She's... gonna come after you..."

 

[Razz]

"Or you'll what?" She sighed, finally sitting on her butt next to him. It was obvious. He wasn't going to fight back. He couldn't, no matter how big he tried to talk, she could see how pained he was just from breathing. Healing him was probably a bad idea. But she couldn't leave him here like this, and she couldn't sit around forever and risk being captured by this Azula girl. After all, if she did get caught by her, it would mean that Zuko's near-death sacrifice would have been in vain. So her only solution was to heal him, then leave.

"You captured me, but you also let me free. I don't care about your motives, all I know is that right now I'm no one's prisoner, and you're hurt because of it. So just... close your eyes and stop talking." She murmured, motioning Naga over and taking a water container from her saddle. Uncorking the lid, she poured the water out onto her hand. forming a solid ball in her hand, before scooting closer and staring with the gash in his arm. The water shimmer and glowed faintly as she used it to redirect his chi to the wound, cleaning and healing it in a matter of minutes before moving to the next wound. She noticed the way her had seethed when she moved his arm, and curiously, she moved the orb of water to his ribs. Sure enough, there were a few shattered ribs there. Now, Korra wasn't extremely skilled at healing, but she knew enough to use the water to reset the bones.

"This is gonna hurt really bad, but you can't scream unless you do want us both to be discovered. Okay?" She asked, allowing her words to hopefully sink in before doing it in one swift motion, molding the water over his skin to press the bones back in the places they belonged, able to concentrate his chi well enough to weakly bond the bones back together before being forces to move to his burns on his neck and face. While she couldn't heal the old scar over his eye, she could easily heal the new burns before letting the water drop and taking a different canteen from a bag dangling from Naga's saddle.

She set in in Zuko's lap before hopping onto Naga's back and giving Zuko one last, almost regretful, glance. "That's water, drink it... and.. don't get yourself killed, Prince Zuko. I think I understand what you meant before, maybe. You said that, with me, you would finally be able to return home. Well, as long as I'm free, your chance to go home exists still. Stay alive so you can catch me again and then finally go home, right?" She said, grinning a little finally before Naga turned and vanished into the forest, the sound of her heavy footprints slowly vanishing into the distance.

 

[Rage]

"...RRGGHHHHH!" Zuko growled in pain, his fists and body tensing up from the pain in his ribs. This lasted for just a few moments, but it felt like a good minute. Zuko could feel his ribs aligning themselves once again, slowly healing back together. When it was finished he panted, sweat pouring from his body. That definitely was one of the most painful experiences in his life, under his father burning his face. Zuko watched her go to work on the rest of his burns and cuts, knowing he didn't have to strength to do anything... even if he did, she was the Avatar after all.

He watched her get up ready to leave. "Just go..." He said quietly, "but... I swear that I will get you again. Just don't let Azula get to you... before I do..." The last of his strength finally evaporated, and the last thing he saw was the Avatar running away into the forest before it all went black.




"Prince Zuko..."

"Ugh...."

"NEPHEW! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Zuko blinked his eyes open, looking around. The daylight was gone, the bright full moon shimmering in the ocean. He could still hear the waves of the ocean creep up onto the beach, the smell of sand and salt entering his nostrils. Uncle Iroh was crouched next to him, giving him a small bowl of water.

"Uncle..." Zuko blinked, "you're okay?..." His body no longer hurt, and he could move around feeling no pain.

"I managed to get out in time, but you?" Uncle Iroh frowned, "Prince Zuko, that was a very arrogant thing that you did... but I'm proud that you let the Avatar go." He smiled, offering more water to Zuko. The prince took another sip before standing up, quickly finding the footprints of Korra's polar bear dog.

"So... she went that way, huh?" He clenched his fist. He wouldn't let her go free for long.

 

[Razz]

Korra had put quite the distance between herself and Zuko by the time he woke up, with Naga running at full speed, stretching her legs after being locked in a room for so long without much movement. Korra was just glad to be free again. The sun was just barely peeking up over the horizon, it's golden beams peeking down at the girl and the polar bear dog through the leave and branches above, causing the young avatar to grin happily and stretch her arms above her head to catch the crisp morning air between her fingers.

"Whooooo!!!" She shouted excitedly, unable to contain herself any longer. Naga howled as well, both of them happy to be off of that ship and back on dry land without chains binding them. Sure, Korra was worried about Zuko. He had been banged up real bad, but she was confident that she had done well enough to heal him that when he woke up he'd be nearly as good as new. She just hoped he didn't go back to fight that girl who had done the damage to him to begin with.

Naga, with her powerful legs, leapt clear over a fallen tree stump and into a wide clearing, galloping carelessly through it before things went from great to terrible.

Suddenly, just as they were reaching the center of the clearing, Korra was aware of the distinct sound of something slicing through the air. Before she could even look in the direction, though, Naga let out a howl of pain. Gasping, Korra looked down and realized that there was an arrow now sticking out of Naga's front left leg. Now aware that they were under attack, Korra hopped off of Naga just as a whole swarm of arrows burst free from the forest to their left, swinging her foot around as she flung herself off of Naga's back and reducing the barrage of arrows to ash. Then, in one swift motion, she lifted a wall of earth from the ground to create a shield to cover them from the arrows that seems to be pretty damn accurate.

"Naga, go back that way. When I whistle, come to me, but until then stay outta sight. Got it?" Naga stared at Korra and whined, but obeyed her master and turned to run back for the cover of the woods. Just as Naga did that, Korra dove out from the other side of the shiled and made a break for the other side of the clearing. Just as she had hopped, the archers ignored Naga and emerged from the trees to chase Korra. Naga was wounded, and while she would survive, Korra didn't want to risk her being filled with arrows. If these guys were chasing her, she wasn't going to risk the life of Naga as well. Naga was the only friend she had now.

But she wasn't thinking of that as she ran, diving back into the forest and ducking behind some tree to again avoid the arrows that were sent after her. She didn't know it, but her pursuers were the Fire Nation's elite Yuu Yan archers, sent by none other than Admiral Zhao.

"Stop fighting like cowards and face me directly if you wanna fight at all!" She growled back at them, answered by an arrow grazing just past her face, slicing her cheek. She hissed in pain and took off again, only to stumble and crash as an arrow pierced her leg, sending a fierce burning pain up her leg and causing her to scream out before angrily swinging her other leg around and again producing a thick burst of fire. After that, though, everything went dark. The archers pounced, with their frightening accuracy pinning her down and pressing her pressure point on her neck to cause her to black out and make their own jobs that much easier.

After she was out, it was easy for them to bind her and drag her back to the fortress where Zhao was waiting...

Meanwhile, Naga was retracing her steps through the woods, stressed and completely lost without Korra. After a few minutes the polar bear dog huffed and plopped down along the path she had taken to escape Zuko. She knew something was amiss, but with the arrow in her arm, she wasn't going far, so she just sat and hoped Korra would whistle for her soon.

 

[Rage]

"Is this wise, Prince Zuko?" Uncle Iroh asked, both him and his nephew carrying what they could scavenge from the destroyed ships in bags slung over their shoulders. "It's only been an hour since you've woken up, and you already want to hunt the Avatar? Even if we do capture her, we have nowhere to put her. Our ship is gone, and your father sent your own sister to hunt you down. Don't you think that this is the time to start living a normal life?" Zuko huffed, scraping ahead with his eyes staring at the polar bear dog's footprints.

"I can never live a normal life, Uncle." Zuko answered, the twin dao swords on his back shifting underneath the bag of items. "If I have to capture the Avatar and defeat Azula in the process I'll do it. Azula always wins... but she won't this time." Zuko was still deadset on capturing the Avatar... right now it was his life's purpose. He was going to catch her, and he would take his rightful place at his father's side. It was the only thing that mattered to him... and he would capture her successfully or die trying.

A sound of whimpering stopped the duo in their tracks. Zuko froze, crouching down and steathily moving behind a set of bushes. He peeked over them, spotting the large polar bear dog lying down, bleeding from an arrow wound in its leg.

"No..." Zuko growled, "that arrow... the Yuu Yan?"

"Admiral Zhao..." Iroh frowned, "I heard he was after the Avatar as well... it looks like he may have found her." Zuko stood up, making himself known to the large polar bear dog.

"You," he growled, taking a step toward the beast. "Your master has been taken away. If you want her back, you're going to have to help me." Zuko crossed his arms, staring at the beast straight in the eyes.

 

[Razz]

Naga's ears twitched when she heard the rustling of the leaves as Zuko stood, not even needing to glance at him to know who it was, as his scent was burned into her nostrils from the time she and Korra were on his ship. Immediately, the dog rose and spun around, her tail between her legs, fur standing on end, and lips pulled back into a snarl as she stared right back into the prince's glare. Still growling viciously, she took a limping step towards him before her front half lowered and ears pulled back, looking like she was about to pounce and attack him until he spoke. She may have been an animal, but she understood his words well enough.

She remained in that position for a long moment before easing up. Slowly, she stood upright, her stiff muscles relaxing, her lips sinking back over her fangs and her posture going back to how it normally was when she wasn't in attack mode. The fact that he had been so willing to stand his ground like that against her, without so much as blinking or flinching at her harsh growls, was enough to prove to her that he could be strong enough to help save her master.

First thing was first though. Her ears drooped and she lifted the arm with the arrow in it from the ground, whimpering a little as if suggesting he remove the arrow before they do anything else. There were gnaw marks on the length of the arrow, proving she had tried to remove it herself with her mouth, but had been unable to do so without risking snapping the thing in half and getting it stuck in her arm.

Meanwhile...

Korra stirred, groggily lifted her head and wincing at the bright lights shining down at her. Where was she..? With a grunt, she tugged at her arms, only to realize that she was once against chained up. Her arms were over her head, chained to a pillar on either side of her, while the rest of her body was limp, the chains being the only thing keeping her on her feet.

"So, you're the Avatar." A voice rang out from across the room, but Korra was too hazy to see clearly. "Funny... I expected you to be an old man. Master of the elements. But you're just some girl. A child... but I supposed that's irrelevant, right?" The man laughed, his arms folded behind his back s he turned on his heels to circle Korra, eying her up and down, 'tsk'ing at the wound in her leg.

"I told them to go easy on you. But as long as you're still alive, I guess I really don't care about your condition."

Korra growled, struggling to lift her head and squint her eyes to try and see him better, but he was already leaving the room.

"We'll have plenty of time to become acquainted later, Avatar. After all.. you'll be here for a very, very long time. I'll make sure of it." And with another sinister laugh, he was gone, and Korra was left struggling just to maintain her consciousness.