( Rage + Razz )

[Rage]

"Good girl," Iroh smiled, petting Naga softly on the head. "Now watch, Prince Zuko. I'm going to show you the right way to remove an arrow... unlike what you're used to, this takes tender care and a kind heart to avoid injuring the animal." Uncle Iroh leaned down, examining the wound on the polar bear dog. "Now, now, girl... Naga, is it?" Iroh smiled, "It's okay... just trust me and we'll get through this." He took a closer look at the arrow and tapped his chin in thought.

Zuko, however, was busy with something else. He swapped his bloodied, burnt up fire nation uniform for a full-black stealth suit. The fabric was completely black and soft, dampening his footsteps and allowing him to perfectly blend into the shadows. For the finishing touch, Zuko pulled out a white and black theatre mask from a famous play... it was known as the Blue Spirit. Zuko's twin swords were strapped to his back, and he slowly slipped the mask over his face. His identity was completely hidden.

"Ha!" Iroh called, pulling the arrow out from Naga's leg. "Thank goodness that it wasn't really that deep or we'd be in bigger trouble." Iroh chuckled, petting Naga's head softly and throwing away the arrow. He then snatched a small pouch of special herbs from his belt and quickly applied it to the wound, wrapping a clean bandage over her leg.

"That should do it." Iroh smiled, petting Naga once more. "Who's a good girl?"

"That's enough, Uncle." Zuko growled behind his mask, walking up to the dog. "You're ready, right? Let's go."

 

[Razz]

Naga's tail wagged as the uncle stepped forth, petting her head and calling her a good girl. She licked his face as he spoke to is nephew, her ears perched back nervously keeping her left leg lifted and her eyes on him as he began to examine the wound. She was so trained on Iroh that she didn't notice what Zuko was doing. All she knew was that Iroh was the removing the arrow from her paw, and she was going to watch.

Then, in one quick thrust of the arm, he did it. Naga yelped out before leaning down and immediately starting to lick the wound, only moving her head away from it as the man started to add some herbs and a bandage to it, immediately relieving the pain and earning the old man another lick to the face before she stood, her attention now going back to Zuko.

For a moment, he startled her, as she hadn't expected to see him with the mask. But taking a good sniff in his direction clarified that it was still him, so without further delay, she stood and circled him, stopping behind him only to use her head against his rump to pop him up onto her back before she was off. Her powerful front legs allowed her to launch from the spot she once stood, her claws digging more fiercely into the forest floor as she ran with more purpose than before. While it was odd having someone other than Korra on her back, she didn't much care. All she cared about was finding her master.

Naga ran harder and faster than before, her leg not a problem thanks to the herbs Iroh had put on it. She dodged trees and jumped over fallen logs, sniffing the air as she went until they reached the clearing where she and Korra had been separated. Sniffing the ground now, she followed Korra's scent away from the clearing to the other side, soon coming across the spot where Korra must have fallen from the arrow piercing her leg because there was blood on the forest floor that Naga immediately picked up as Korra's.

Upon smelling her own master's blood her fur stood on end and the look in her eyes became feral. How dare those arrow-shooting pansy's make her master bleed! With an enraged howl, Naga was once again rocketing off into the woods towards Korra's scent, tearing through the trees and branches for what must have been at least an hour before slowing to a stop as she reached the edge of the woods. There, from where she now stood, she could see a large complex that was heavily guarded by firebenders. That must be where Korra was...

But Naga wasn't dumb. She understood that if she went out there, she would stick out like a sore thumb. She was a large polar bear dog, after all, and with the sun setting, her white fur would stand out in the reflection of the moon. Still.. her distress was clear. She paced the edge of the forest, inching a little closer to the edge of the treeline as she did, clearly unsure of what she should do now.

 

[Rage]

Zuko let out a cry when he flew through the air, landing roughly onto the back of the polar bear dog. He barely had time to grab hold of something when she darted away, rumbling through the trees and over the bushes. Uncle Iroh just left and gave a friendly wave, watching his nephew get taken away by Naga.

"Bring him back in one peace!" He joked, sitting down on a fallen log. "Now... I should make some tea before they get back."

Zuko gripped onto the beast's fur, gritting his teeth behind his mask. The trip was intense, and the wound was showing no signs of slowing down the polar bear dog. He could see that she was angry... did this mean that the Avatar had also been hit? Zuko guessed as much, the beast's fur ruffling angrily on the back of her neck. He was just as furious having to deal with both Azula and Admiral Zhao as well as re-capturing the Avatar. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was going to have to be done.

When the ride had finished, Zuko took a moment to pear out into the darkness. They were just outside of a heavily fortified Fire Nation fortress, and he could spot the Yu Yan archers patrolling the walls, their keen eyes on the outside world around them. The fire nation prince slipped off of the polar bear dog, giving Naga a nod before slowly creeping his way over to the fortress.

It was easy for him to slip into the shadows... his stealth outfit and nimble abilities allowed him to charge the fortress like a unnoticed breeze. He kept his eyes on the Yu Yan archers, memorizing their posts before finally charging up to the walls themselves. He reached back into his pack and pulled out his grappling hook, giving it a few spins before tossing it up to the wall. He gave it a quick pull to make sure it was secure before ascending up the wall, his feet silent against the stone.

As soon as he made it to the top he gathered his grappling hook and glanced left to right. The walls were lit by torches, and if he stayed it would only be a matter of time before he was spotted. He found a small wagon filled with hay inside of the compound and with a quick leap he dived straight at it. He landed quietly, and no one had even seen him infiltrate.

Now he needed to find the Avatar.

 

[Razz]

Naga, knowing she could go no further, simply laid down where she had been standing, hidden in the bush but waiting and watching for any sign of Korra.

Now awake enough to move around, at least as much as the chains would allow her to, Korra was thrashing and yanking and shouting as much as she possible could. "This is getting real' old!" She growled, talking more to herself than anyone else. Not even one day of freedom before she was back in chains. Only this somehow felt worse than when she had been on Zuko's ship. She was alone in the room, from what she could tell, but that didn't stop her from making a commotion, kicking fire every which way with her good foot, rattling and straining the chains, and shouting at the guards that were just outside the door. How'd she know they were there? She could see their shadows from beneath the door.

"I know you can hear me! What, are you too scared to come fight a 'helpless little girl'?!" She growled, more than just a little frustrated. "C'mon! I'll take all you wimps on, just come unchain me and we'll see who's stronger!"

Though the guards were no doubt getting annoyed, they weren't taking the bait and accepting her challenge, so she just sighed heavily and went back to trying to slip free of the shackle around her wrist.

 

[Rage]

Zuko was a shadow.

He snuck past the guards completely unnoticed, his black sheathes hiding the glimmer of his two swords. Although the mask was white, he made sure to keep it hidden in pure darkness. He wasn't about to give up his position any time soon... at least until he discovered the Avatar. He had an idea of the Avatar's personality... she would more than likely want to fight her way out. As much as he'd like to sneak back out, he knew that it was inevitable that they were going to get into trouble. He was also going to have to keep his identity a secret... if Zhao knew it was him, he was going to be in for it so he couldn't use his firebending.

He spotted a small vent in the main building of the fortress and quickly scaled the wall, quietly yanking it off and darting inside like a scurrying mouse. He quickly crawled through the thin metal vents, keeping his presence unknown. When there was a small opening, he dropped into the dimly-lit hallways. The fortress didn't have a designated holding cell, and Zuko guessed precisely where they would hide her. He sneaked down the hallway, stepping behind guards and hiding behind any crates or obstructions in the way.

Finally, he came across a long hallway with two guards posted at the end. He was still concealed in the darkness, and slowly slipped the swords out from his back. One of the guards blinked and squinted, thinking he spotted something.

"H-Hey!" He gasped, "W-Who's-"

Zuko didn't give him time to finish his sentence.

Zuko dashed down the long hallway in barely a second, his twin swords spinning about in his hands. The guards punched forward, sending powerful compacted fire blasts his way. Zuko leaped into the air, flipping into the darkness of the ceiling. Before the guard's could attack again, Zuko dropped down, his swords slicing through their spears. He kicked his leg out and spun, knocking the feet of one of the guards away to have him land painfully onto his back.

The other pulled his arm back, ready to send another fire blast at the strange attacker. Zuko charged in, smashing his head with the blunt side of his sword. The firebender was out cold when he hit the door.

"W-What are you?!" The guard on the ground gasped, trying to scramble to his feet. Zuko grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the wall, knocking him out completely. With the two guards down for the count, Zuko approached the door and quickly opened it.

The first thing that Korra would see would be his terrifying mask.

 

[Razz]

Korra froze when she head the slight commotion outside, watching as the shadows under the door moved away, followed by voices that she couldn't quite understand the words of, and then... silence. That is, until the large metal door swung open, catching Korra completely off guard as a man wearing a mask and wielding twin blades entered the room. Gulping, the hairs on the back of Korra's neck rose and her wide blue eyes quivered a bit before she quickly narrowed them and growled.

"Y-You wanna fight?!" She challenged, ignoring the fact that she was chained up as she lifted her good leg and send a wave of fire in his direction. Due to her position, though, it was painful to lift her leg like that, and the flames wouldn't even reach the masked man. Instead they would scorch the ground an inch or so left of his feet.

She didn't really understand who he was or why he was here. But he looked pretty damn mincing, and she felt extremely vulnerable without being able to move freely.

 

[Rage]

The Blue Spirit spun his swords around in his hands, making a quick dash over to her with his swords raised high into the air. When he was far enough away he raised them into the air, the blades shimmering in the dim torch light. Instead of cutting into her, the blades shredded the chains that held her back, letting her drop onto the floor. Zuko glanced around, making sure that no one else was around. He was positive that there weren't going to be more guards stationed around, but the next patrol would be in a few minutes. They'd have to act fast.

Zuko strapped his swords onto his back and helped up the Avatar, glancing at her wounded leg. He wasn't a decent healer like his uncle, and it didn't seem that she would be able to fight well in this condition. Zuko quickly grabbed her, holding her up in his arms as if she were a princess or a bride in a wedding. This was going to be the fastest way they could get out.

Zuko kicked open the door from her room and dashed out, ready to get out of the fortress as fast as possible.