Avatar: Shadows (Zuko x reader)

Chapter 17

You say your peace to the library keeper and he agrees to leave the library standing tall next to the village in case you wish to return. You collect your pendant from the metal statue in the village and travel with Zuko and the Avatar to the small village with the pit you had been to when you first met zuko.

You're on the back of Appa now with Aang and Zuko. Zuko is pouting because he wants to go home, but he hasn't said this because he knows you don't want to go back yet. Appa stops in a clearing in the forest next to the stream just past omashu.

"if I'm right then we have about 30 minutes of walking in that direction. Following the stream, we should end up at the village."

"that pit was massive. And deep and dark..." Zuko grumbles. "it'd be difficult for anyone in the air to miss. Why didn't we just keep flying?"

"because the villagers will see Appa." You grumble. Zuko's annoying nit picking of all of your decisions was starting to drive you insane. "stop questioning me and just follow me... and if you're going to keep being impossible then just stay here and I'll go with Aang."

Zuko follows silently with his arms crossed.

When you reach the village you cloak yourself in shadow and sneak around leaving Aang and Zuko to wait in a tree so they won't be seen.

Zuko huffs. "crazy lady." He grumbles to Aang.

Aang smirks. "but you like her."

Zuko blushes fiercely. "i-I do not. she's insufferable and intolerable and..."

"your using big words." Aang points out. "that means you do like her."

Zuko pauses for a moment then he sighs. "y-your right... but I can't just tell her that I think she's amazing. For some reason every time she speaks i... I get confused and can't think of anything to say..."

"so you just act like a jerk because you'd rather say something then nothing?" Aang chuckles. "yeah Sokka does that too. He refuses to say anything nice to his sister. That's why they always get into fights. But I know he cares about his sister even if he doesn't say it."

Zuko peers at the village trying to find where you went. "you think she'll be ok by herself?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Aang nods. "we need to keep an eye out for other people." Just then they are ambushed.

You creep your way to the village to see what is there. The village is no different than it was before however there is now a statue made of mud in the center of town with leaves on its head. You see one person kneeling before the statue but the rest of the village seems abandoned. Still cloaked in shadow you sneak closer to the man as you are curious about the village. "pessssst." You hiss.

"hm?" the villager looks up and around but sees nothing. "who is there?"

"what's up with the mud statue?" you hiss masking your voice.

"the guardian deity of the pit." The villager questions. "it showed itself just recently and we built this statue to honor it."

Now that your closer you notice the leafs on the head resemble the hat you made from leafs when you had rescued Zuko.

"are you a spirit?" the villager asks. "are you hear to visit judgment upon our village?"

"maybe." You hiss. "but first mortal, tell me... what special secrets does this village hold?"

The villager believes you're a spirit so he quickly downs onto on knee in front of the statue. "we are humble people of Shadow the few remaining of what was once a great and powerful people."