"Wow Sokka, way to trust your instincts!"
His right eye twitched.
"Okay, okay, fine we're lost! You happy?" He glared at her sister as Aang and her snickered behind his back. "Okay, okay whatever we're lost. So what? I just didn't want to take Appa knowing that..."
"Knowing that there's a firebender out for blood who you ticked off last night?"
Sokka threw a pebble at her.
"Hey, not cool!" She grimaced while rubbing her arm.
"Look, I didn't think that Zuko was going to...." Sokka trailed off, ears picking up low murmuring. He shot his sister and Aang a look before slowly bringing his finger to his lips. There was somebody there and by the sounds of things it was more than one somebody. He slinked forward to the bushes up ahead, taking point as the other two trailed him as silently as possible. With shaking hands, Sokka slowly parted the thick bushes, eyes widening as he spot what seemed to be a whole garrison of firebenders. Quickly retreating he turned around to the others, only to spot a soldier standing behind them with his sword poised.
"Run!" He screamed, taking Katara's hand and leaping over roots and logs. As they ran the other way he couldn't help a distinct feeling of dread when he spotted another hulking body covering their escape route. They were cornered.
He drew his boomerang out, holding it close to his chest as Katara and Aang readied themselves as well. With a shout, he tossed the boomerang at the closest soldier, smirking when they fell to the ground with a groan. His attack seemed to spur the other two on, Aang was leaping through the air with a master bender's grace and Katara was hard at work on taking men twice her size down. Still, Sokka panted as he looked around, they just didn't have enough manpower.
"Need some help?" He looked up to see a tall boy with spiky hair swing from a vine down to the ground, two unrecognizable weapons in his hands. Many other people, no children, seemed to materialize from the underbush or the trees, their weapons ready. Sokka could only imagine his face right now.
What the hell?
=====
Zuko's eyes rolled in their sockets, panic gripping his chest.
Where was he? How did he get here? Was he back with...with Zhao?
No. They're different, they're children.
Awareness slowly trickelled back to him as Zuko trashed, immovable from the pressure. The pressure, how didn't he notice it before? The pressure! His bones in his hand creaked against the giant object that was crushing them slowly. Something wasn't only on his hands, but his face as well. A gag. They gagged him. Zuko summoned the fire in his stomach, thank god they don't know how to chi block, and tried to prop his jaw open as much as possible.
Cmon, why wasn't this working? He knew that he could melt, rock, now why wasn't it working. Tears pricked his eyes as claustrophobia kicked in and he panted against the rough rock covering his face. The area he was in was dark, damp, and cold. There seemed to be a boulder crushing his hands (which were probably broken by now) and somebody had gagged him with a damn rock. Nausea coiled in his stomach as he grunted weakly against the gag. If only he had stayed with those damn kids.
"Hey, don't be pissed at me!" Zuko's heart leapt into his throat as he saw the shorter boy take a step closer, looking up at him with determination in his eyes, "your uncle is the one that told me to try and get closer to you, to see the good in you! It's not my fault that there's nothing to see!"
YOU ARE READING
Pretty Little Monster
Fanfiction(ORIGINALLY POSTED ON AO3 by ME under the username: zimny) Zuko is a monster. He's known this since the moment he was old enough to know. His father had whispered it in his ear as held Zuko's clawed hand in his own. Azula used the word like a whip...
