Avatar Zuko

Chapter 26

Appa was flying high about a day after they had picked up Toph, and would soon be tiring. The sun was just setting in the west horizon and Zuko was just about to suggest the others sleep for the night (Appa included) and he’d keep watch. However, Katara beat him to it.

“We should probably rest a while- there’s a clearing down there we can camp in before we set off again tomorrow morning.” She suggested sensibly, rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes before yawning lightly.

Though, to be honest, Zuko himself was feeling very energetic since he hadn’t had too many nightmares ever since that last really bad one (Sokka seemed to be under the impression that it was his presence that was staving off the bad dreams, which was completely ludicrous since the firebender had definitely not been sleeping using his spare parka as a blanket- that would just be unimaginably embarrassing). Which meant he’d probably be the best one to keep watch- but again, he was beaten to it.

“I’ll stay up in case we’re attacked, but you should all sleep after we unpack.” Decided Sokka, jumping off of the bison’s saddle first and laying out his sleeping bag to sit on.

“What’s the point? If we are attacked they’ll wake us up anyway.” Remarked Toph, clapping her hands together and creating a tent made of two slabs of rock. Well, she did have a point… Maybe it was pointless to have someone stay up all night.

“The point, Toph, is to do our level best to stay safe. Sure, it’s annoying to give up a few hours of sleep but when thought of altogether it actually reflects our teamw-” Preached Katara, going into the ‘power of friendship’ speech that Zuko had never thought he’d have the displeasure of hearing, since for most of his life he hadn’t even had friends.

“Yadda yadda yadda, I don’t need one of you bozos watching out for me when I can easily take care of myself, okay?!” She spat, sitting in her earth hut and bringing another slab of rock up as a door, to shut the rest of them out, probably.

The Prince took very little offence to this since he understood well what it was like to want alone time and to take care of oneself- heck, when he’d first been banished he had shut everyone and everything out for the first six months before he even began to listen to his Uncle’s advice. Of course, that didn’t mean he followed it. So yeah, Toph had just run away from home and was going on a potentially life threatening adventure, he’d probably be more surprised if she wasn’t in a bad mood.

“Urrgh, can you believe her?! She’s part of the group now but she’s acting like she would rather be alone! I never even said that she had to be on watch as some point, she just presumed that’s what I meant! And even if I had, so what? She should realise she can’t be a selfish brat when we’re trying to defeat the freaking Fire Nation!” Ranted Katara, not that Zuko paid her harsh words too much attention after ‘believe her?!’.

“Come on, Katara, she’s probably just a little grumpy from being tired, we all are, let’s just get some sleep and deal with this all in the morning.” Chipped in Aang softly, patting the waterbender’s arm before nudging her slightly in the direction of her sleeping bag.

Then they all sorted out camp (and sweeped up some of Appa’s shed fur that was in their way), Zuko doing admittedly little work, until Katara had deemed them prepared enough to sleep. The firebender allowed himself, a little tentatively, to get comfortable under his red sheets (and Sokka’s parka that was, okay fine, very cosy), but he was interrupted before he could obtain even the slightest wink of sleep.

“Guys! Someone’s coming at us! Well, a vehicle is- only it doesn’t feel like a tank: it kind of feels like an avalanche!” Called Toph, bursting out of her little hut and pointing into the distance. Zuko couldn’t see anything at first, none of them could, but after a few moments a long, metallic caterpillar-shaped thing appeared in the far off distance.