COLLISION - a zuko and yue centric tale

Chapter four

Iroh and Zhao stand in the breeze on Zhao's ship. The Fire Nation's flag ripples, the brilliant red a warning sign to all who see. The ship is not alone. A huge fleet makes way for the Northern Water Tribe. Coming from all over the world, they have come a long ways from the warm lands of the Fire Nation to this icy domain. The cold sinks in through their metal armour, stifling their firepower. A soldier lets loose a fire blast. He defies the cold. The universe. Nothing will keep him from capturing his prey.

"Princess Yue, how are you today?" Hahn asks. The pair are having lunch.

"I'm doing well. And you?" Yue replies, smiling politely. Hahn grins.

"Excellent. With my recent promotion, I have been drilling my warrior band. The Ice-Wolves."

"The Ice-Wolves?" She frowns.

"Yes. The Ice-Wolves! I have a dozen warriors under my command. No second-in-command yet. None of them are good enough yet. But in a few weeks, I think one will come ahead of the pack. I have been drilling them both before and after regular training so they've been advancing quicker than any of the other men." Hahn boasts of his command of the Ice-Wolves. Yue wasn't one to say anything... but Ice-Wolves? Anyways, it didn't matter her feelings on the subject. It was his band of warriors that he worked for.

"Aren't you worried that you'll burn them out?" Training them so hard... even warriors needed breaks.

"Of course not! Besides, if they need breaks, they don't belong as an Ice-Wolf."

"Of course." Yue stuck a fork into a piece of seal-turtle meat. She gnaws on the tough meat. Tough like this conversation. Hahn hasn't even mentioned their betrothal. Yue doesn't know whether to be happy or sad at this. She saws into another piece of meat. Out the window, it's a beautiful sunny day. Unnaturally warm as well. The window itself may even start melting, due to it being made of snow and all. The city is bustling. People going about their daily business, children playing in the street, canoes gliding through the water. One canoe carries a slick, gray mass that a hunter must have caught.

"So they don't have palaces in the Southern Trube?" Yue asks brightly.

"Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. It's not exactly a cultural hub." Sokka sits on the rail over the canal. Yue laughs, placing a hand on his shoulder. She compares this to Hahn's Ice Wolves. The smile leaves her face. She pulls her hand back.

"Sokka, this is wrong."

"What's wrong? We're taking a walk!" Sokka argues. It had worked earlier. Yue had let Sokka drag her out here with those puppy eyes and sarcastic jokes. It's just a walk, right! Wrong!

"I'm engaged. It just... feels..." Like I'm betraying my people. Sokka's smile wanes. Yue turns to leave. She has studying to do anyways.

"I know what you need!" Sokka hops down and jumps next to her. "You need to meet my good friend Appa!"

"Who?" Yue tilts her head. Sokka has successfully convinced her.

Sokka drags Yue through the city next to the palace. Yue laughs as they dodge merchants and kids playing outside. They get odd stares, the duo. Sokka takes Yue to the stable where the reindeer are kept. Yue remembers the sky bison they rode in on as they enter the feeding area and the sky bison —Appa, she presumes— is eating a giant pile of hay that dwarfs the reindeer.

"Appa and I go way back. Don't we boy?" Sokka spreads his arms wide. Appa grunts and thunders towards him. Yue panics for a split second as he pins Sokka down and gives him a big, slobbery lick.

"Ahh! Easy!" Sokka protests. "Down boy! Ahh! No! Up!" He tries to get the large sky bison to get up off of him.

"Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention," Yue comments.