Burnt Out - Zuko x OC

Blood Traitor

The rain stopped pouring by the time Kai closed the door behind her, the same seafoam green wooden door with the iron knocker that had looked inviting not too long ago. She willed the stone at it's sides over it as retribution. That seemed to be enough to put the anger inside of her at ease.

A dangerous amount of fog still lingered around the cliffs. Far too thick for them to safely start back out toward the ocean. Which was a shame, Kai wanted nothing more than to sail as far away from this place and never look back. Nero had settled into a peaceful looking slumber at the cave's edge. She nudged him awake gently, her damaged back and shoulder muscles screaming at her in the process.

"Come on, boy. We can't stay here tonight." She said as the crawler stirred. He was slow to start, but welcomed her onto his back. Kai was made aware of all the damage she'd suffered as she clung to Nero's body. The fingernails she'd caught on the floorboard had been nearly ripped off completely, the other hand had a fractured wrist connected to it, deep burns on her back were still cooling off, and the pain in her scorched ankle was almost unbearable.

Nero carried them up the cliff walls to the top of the small island. He lowered his body to the ground so the fall wouldn't cause her any more pain. It was like he was in tune with the girl. She couldn't bear to turn over onto her back, knowing that the pressure of her own weight against the burns would've been immense. So she remained on her stomach with her face nestled against the cold, wet grass. Nero fell asleep beside her, like he always did. But Kai laid awake for hours that night.

She laid in the dark, listening to the insects chip and far off animals "baaah"-ing in the distance. Another emotion was growing inside of her. One that both surprised and frightened her even more than when the anger made its appearance. Loneliness. Vast, painful loneliness with a hint of emptiness lacing it's edges. And for the first time she felt exactly how her mother had described her. Devoid of any light at all. Like it'd all been vacuumed right out of her. But instead of darkness rushing in to fill the empty space, she just felt hollow.

Kai was stirred awake early in the morning by the sound of Nero's jaw snapping shut. The crunching of bones echoed over what she could now see was an open pasture. Amongst the rolling green hills sat her "pet", covered in blood and feasting on an unfortunate koala sheep.

"I see you've already helped yourself to breakfast." She groaned as she struggled to pull herself to her feet. Every inch of her body fought waking up for the day, but it had to be done. She still had one more journey to start and finish before seeking out the gaang again.

Nero gobbled up his meal and crawled back over to his master. He was up and at 'em for the day, bouncing off his heels like a puppy that was ready for a walk.

"Nuhuh, you can't come with me this time, babe." She said while leaning down to scratch him between the nostrils. He seemed to understand her just fine and didn't like what he was being told. The crawler dropped to the ground in front of her feet and offered up the sappiest pair of beggar's eyes a beast of his kind was capable of.

A sad smile forced its way across Kai's face. She joined him in the grass, stroking the hair on his neck as she spoke to him. "You've shown me more humanity than most of the actual humans I've ever met, y'know that?" He rolled onto his back for a belly rub and shimmied across her lap, forked tongue snaking its way through his canines to give her monstrous kisses.

"It would be selfish of me to take you where I'm going, and dangerous. I can't risk your life just because I don't want to be alone." She said while indulging in his polite request for affection, "Besides, you'll like it here. You'll be able to find food easier than at the Great Divide and there are tons of caves for you to explore."