The Sea of Ice (Sun and Moon Book 2)

Chapter 27 - To Eat or Not To Eat

He sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his hands buried in the folds of his thick blue coat. The fur lined hood kept his ears warm, but the bandanna over his nose and mouth only made his lips raw and chapped.

He breathed out carefully, drying the bandanna with a heated puff of air. With intense concentration, he kept his inner fire raging, keeping him as warm as possible in the frigid environment. They were only half a day's travel from the Southern Water Tribe, and already the temperature had dropped by about ten degrees.

In front of him, her arms moved back and forth without ceasing. He wondered if she ever got tired, but if she did she never showed it. He heard a rumble, low and almost hidden by the sound of the sled whooshing over the ice and snow. But he knew what it was--how could he not? He'd heard it countless times before.

Moving carefully, so as to preserve warmth and not rock the sled, he opened his pack and pulled out a small container. Inside was Jasmine Tea, and pulled off his gloves to warm it between his palms. Then he pulled out two cups and a small box with freshly made jerky and a loaf of fresh bread.

Kanna had set them up well--there were two more loaves and a large covered bowl with some kind of soup still in his pack, and he knew Katara had probably brought food of her own, too.

He set it all out in the bottom of the sled, arranging it carefully so none of it would tip over or spill. Then he spoke, raising his voice only a little, to make sure she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard him.

"Katara, stop a minute." When she didn't react, he sighed and reached over, grabbing her right wrist gently. She jerked away from him, the movement causing the sled to come to a halt as she stopped bending.

He caught the container of tea just in time. "What do you--" she stopped, frowning, when she saw the food.

"You should eat. You must be tired."

"I'm not hungry. Or tired." She crossed her arms and turned away, ready to start bending again.

"I heard your stomach growl." He was frustrated, and his voice showed it. She glared at him over her shoulder. "I'm NOT HUNGRY."

Then she started bending again, and with another deep sigh, Zuko put most of the food away. But he left out a piece of jerky and a piece of bread, and he set them on the seat beside Katara. Not where she could see them, because he was afraid she'd get mad and throw them off the sled, but where she WOULD see them, if she stopped bending long enough to stretch.

Then, she might not be so stubborn. She'd be REALLY hungry then, he knew. Zuko wrapped his arms back in his coat, and looked away from the beautiful waterbender. He felt conflicted about this journey.

He'd promised Toph, and he was worried about Aang. But he knew it would be hard enough with someone he trusted--making this journey with Katara was going to be difficult, and dangerous.

She didn't trust him, and she was still so angry that he didn't see how he could possibly trust her. He wished she'd just let it go, like he had. He still felt sad when he looked at her, but he was at peace with himself and the present. She was still stuck in the past.

Then, of course, there was the small part of him that had Sokka's words on replay in the back of his mind. Had the Water Prince been right? Was Katara only angry because she wanted to be?

But why would she want to be? Zuko had known she would hate him, but why was she still so angry? It had been over four years! Maybe Sokka was right. Maybe she was angry because she didn't know what else to feel.

Maybe she was as lost as Zuko had once been. Maybe... maybe she hated him because she was afraid of what else she might feel.

He couldn't blame her for that--he HAD lied to her. But had it been so bad? Would she have believed him if he'd told her the truth?

Zuko didn't know the answers. And even if Sokka WAS right, Zuko didn't know how to get through to her. How to get past her anger and make her see... make her see what? That he loved her?

Did he even love her anymore?

That thought depressed him, mostly because he didn't know the answer to that, either. A part of him said the answer was no.

But another part didn't want that to be a possibility. He'd loved her so much... no. He'd loved Kara. And Kara... Kara was gone.

Zuko hunkered down a little more, feeling more sad and depressed than ever. Maybe he shouldn't have let Sokka persuade him to do this.

Maybe--

Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud howl. It filled the air, sounding close. He looked around warily--the sound was unlike anything he'd ever heard before. Katara looked around as well, her bending form faltering for the barest of seconds.

The world was suddenly suspended, frozen. There was only the sound of the sled over the snow and the wind rustling their clothes and... and...

And nothing else.

Nothing... until a weight hit the sled from the side, sending Zuko and Katara toppling into the snow.

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Yaay! I got home an hour early, so this is my celebration present to y'all. Enjoy! ^-^