Chapter Text
“No lightning today? What’s the matter? Afraid I’ll redirect it?”
“I’ll show you lightning!”
A spark of lightning.
A twitch of gold eyes to the side.
“NOOO!”
CRACKABOOM!
“ZUKO!!!”
“Agh!” Zuko yelled as he snapped awake, clutching his chest as he struggled to calm his nerves. He breathed heavily, initially struggling to calm himself down, but managing to ease himself after the intensive things he saw. “W-Was that a dream?”
He looked down at his hands, they were void of any injuries or signs of struggle. He looked to his abdomen, no signs of injury or where he had felt the lightning had struck from facing his sister. He was completely physically fine, but his clothes were not. They were burned and torn in many different places, clear signs of the Agni Kai he had been through. But if he did just have an Agni Kai with Azula, how was he still alive? Why was he uninjured? Did Katara heal-
“Katara!” Zuko yelled as he remembered the dear friend that had come with him to face his sister. The same one he had taken the lightning for. He was about to get up, but froze as he realized he wasn’t on the hard ground of the front grounds of the Fire Nation Palace. He was sitting on soft warm sand, feeling it between his fingers. He reached down and grabbed a handful of sand, letting it pour out of his hands.
As he did, he saw just a few feet in front of him were the coming and retreating waves that led to a vast and pristine ocean and clear blue sky. He was on a beach. How was he on a beach? Where was Sozin’s Comet? Where was the fire and destruction?
“...mmmgh…”
The sound of a familiar groan reclaimed Zuko’s attention. He turned back, looking for the source of the groan, and his eyes went wide as he saw five familiar figures laying in the sand behind him. From left to right were the members of Team Avatar- Toph, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki. The people he had come to consider his closest and dearest friends (his only friends). The last time he saw most of them was when they went off their separate ways to face the forces of the Fire Nation that were to cause great destruction with the power of Sozin’s Comet. Part of him had been worried he would never see them again. That they would perish in flames at the hands of his father.
And yet they were here, and by the moving of their chests, they were alive.
Without another thought, Zuko moved towards the closest person to him- Katara. She was the one to come with him upon his request to face his sister, only for him to stupidly accept her challenge for an Agni Kai. He thought he could beat her, and part of him truly believed it, but then he just had to goad her into using lightning. She used it alright, but not at him, at Katara. Zuko wasted no time in catching the lightning and taking it all into himself in order to save her. He was sure he should have died because of this.
And yet, if given the chance, he would do it again in a heartbeat.
“Katara?” Zuko said as he kneeled down next to Katara and carefully raised her in his arms. She seemed completely unharmed, no signs of injuries or burn marks, but like his clothes, hers were torn and singed in various places. There was a distinct cut across her tunic, reaching down to her bindings, giving Zuko a view of her surprising cleavage. He flushed at the sight before snapping himself back into what he was doing. “Katara, please wake up. I need you to wake up.”
“Hmrmgm,” Katara groaned as her blue eyes fluttered open, staring at Zuko. She blinked a few times, looking at him in confusion. “W-Who are you?”
Zuko thought she must’ve hit her head before offering a small smile. “Come on, Katara. Do you need me to save you from pirates again to jog your memory?” he said lightly. Never would he thought he could use that memory teasingly, but then again, he was nowhere near the same person he was before.
Katara gave him a confused glance before her eyes went wide. “Z-Zuko?” she said in utter shock. Before he could even react, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “You stupid fucking moron! Don’t you EVER do that to me again!”
“K-Katara?” Zuko exclaimed, confused by both her words and her actions. “W-What did I do?”
“JUMP IN FRONT OF LIGHTNING!” Katara screamed into his ear, refusing to let him go. She held him tight, and he felt her shudder. He could feel cool tricks on his bare shoulder, and Zuko came to a realization- Katara was crying. “Y-You stupid, selfless, prideful, ridiculous, wonderful, dumbass firebender.” She cried into his shoulders, holding him tightly as if he would vanish the second she released him.
Zuko smiled softly before wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry Katara,” he said softly as he held her. “I shouldn’t have goaded Azula like that. I shouldn’t have accepted the Agni Kai, but I was stupid and prideful, like you said. But I couldn’t have let her hurt you. You…you are too important for me to lose.”
“And you don’t think you’re important to me too?” Katara said softly, her sobs finally subsiding. “You are important, Zuko. To me, to your uncle, to all of our friends. What do you think we would do if we lost you?”
“Um…Uncle would take the throne?” Zuko said.
“Fuck the throne! I don’t care who’s the next Fire Lord, I care about you!” She pulled back and stared back at him directly. Blue eyes meeting gold in an intense stare. “You are what’s important, Zuko. You're important to Aang, to Toph, to Sokka and Suki. And me! You’re important to me! After everything we went through to become friends, after what you did for me to help me face my mother’s killer? I’m not losing you, ya got that, Zuko?”
Zuko stared into Katara’s beautiful blue eyes, and he could see no lies in her words. Even after becoming so close with Team Avatar, there was always a part of him that didn’t think he could be part of their group. That he was an imposter that didn’t belong there. Katara had been the hardest to earn forgiveness from, and yet she did. She forgave him, came with him to fight Azula, and was telling him he was important to her and their friends. His friends.
I…I’m sorry, Katara,” Zuko said, his voice low. “I-I never meant to hurt you. I…”
“It’s okay, Zuko,” she said, holding his right cheek. She gave him a teary smile. “I’m just glad you’re alive.” Zuko looked at her, and found himself giving her a similar smile.
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, their eyes locked on one another as they held each other. The only sounds around them being the soft movement of waves.
As Katara stared at him, she gazed at the rest of his face. She let out a gasp, making Zuko look at her in concern. “Katara?”
“Z-Zuko,” she said, her tone stunned as she moved her right hand away from his shoulder and reached for the left side, the scarred side, of his face. “Your scar.”
His scar? What about it? Did it look worse after his fight with Azula? Was it-
Katara’s hand touched his face, in a place he had not been able to feel for years. Zuko’s eyes went wide, and suddenly he realized his left eye felt like it was fully widened, matching his right, something that should not be possible. His left ear, which had left him partially deaf after his father burned him, was able to clearly hear the world around him more so than he could remember.
“It’s gone.”
His left hand quickly went to his face, to where his scar should be, meeting Katara’s hand. He hesitantly touched the skin around his eye and ear.
No roughness.
No dullness.
Just soft skin.
Zuko quickly got back up, careful not to knock Katara over, before rushing towards the water. He needed to see. He needed to see for himself. He nearly tripped on the sand, ignoring Katara’s concerned cries. He landed with a splash in the water, landing on his knees. He looked into the crystal clear water, a perfect reflection of him staring right back at him.
It was him.
There was no scar.
His mark of shame, of dishonor, of pain, of chosen destiny, of redemption.
It was completely gone.
Zuko felt something in him snap, and a shudder ripped through him as tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes. He held his face, held the side that had been marred for years, that he could barely recognize. He couldn’t recognize himself anymore without the scar that marked everything about him for so long. But at the same time, it was as if a massive weight, one that held him down for who knows how long, had finally been lifted.
Before he could even realize, Zuko let out a sob before the tears fully began to cascade down his cheeks. He gripped himself with his right arm while his left hand clung to where his scar once was. Tears freely ran down his cheeks and hands as he let years of repressed emotions all be released at once.
He felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and a body pressed against his back. Zuko didn’t have to guess who this was. Katara held Zuko close, letting him go through his intense emotions. She rested her cheek against the back of his head, giving a soft understanding smile. She held Zuko as he sobbed and let out everything he was holding in, not saying a word. She would hold him for as long as he needed. He was there to help her heal from her greatest pain, she would be here for him.
Zuko’s sobs eventually subsided, and his shudders turned into small sniffles. It took a few gasping breaths, but he was able to calm himself down. “K-Katara…I-I-”
“It’s okay, Zuko,” Katara whispered as she held him close. Zuko had no words to respond to that, he just let himself be held, matching Katara’s expression of closed eyes and smiles. They stayed like that, letting the sounds of waves fill the void.
“....nnnghh…oogies…”
Katara and Zuko both turned to the sound of Sokka’s voice. The brown-haired male groaned in his sleep, flipping onto his side without a care. The two broke into soft laughter as Sokka once more proved why he lived up to the nickname “Snoozles”.
“Always has to ruin the moment, doesn’t he?” Katara said playfully as she released Zuko and stood up. She was honestly thankful for her brother’s impeccable timing, as it was a reminder that he was alive and here with them rather than off trying to fight giant Fire Nation airships.”
“He wouldn’t be Sokka if he didn’t,” Zuko said as he moved to stand up, taking Katara’s offered hand. “But we should probably wake up the others now. We need everyone up if we’re going to figure out what happened.”
“Right,” Katara agreed. “I’ll wake up my brother and Suki. Do you mind getting Aang and Toph up?”
“Of course,” Zuko replied before taking hold of Katara’s hand gently in his. “And Katara? Thank you.”
Katara smiled warmly at him. “Of course, Zuko,” she said. “And for the record, I always thought you looked handsome with your scar.” She quickly turned away, screaming in her mind as she realized what she just said. Zuko’s head turned a bright shade of red and began to steam from the top, but he also couldn’t stop the small smile that crept up his face.
Quickly snapping him out of that train of thought, Zuko turned his attention to the younger members of their group. He first went to Aang, kneeling down next to the boy he had hunted for over three years, and ended up becoming one of his dearest friends. ‘Uncle always did say that destiny was a funny thing,’ Zuko thought before gently nudging Aang’s shoulder. “Aang? Aang, wake up.”
“Hmmm…five more minutes, Zuko. The sun’s not up yet,” Aang grumbled in his sleep. That lasted five seconds before Aang’s gray eyes shot open and he sat up. “Zuko! What? Where? Ozai! I-”
“Aang,” Zuko said, putting his hands on Aang’s shoulder to calm him down. “It’s okay, we’re okay.”
Aang blinked at Zuko a few seconds before his eyes widened in further as he stared at Zuko’s scarless face. “Z-Zuko? Y-Your scar-”
“Y-Yeah, I noticed,” Zuko said, trying his best to keep himself from breaking into tears again. “I promise I’ll try to explain everything once we’re all up. First, are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any pain?”
Aang quickly checked himself, and to his surprise he was completely fine. “I think I’m good. Nothing feels broken or hurts.”
“Oh good.”
*SMACK!*
“OW!” Aang yelped as he rubbed his head after Zuko hit him upside it. “What was that for?”
“That was for running off again and scaring us half to death, you airheaded monk!” Zuko barked in half anger. “Do you have any idea how worried we all freaking were? We woke up and you were gone and had no idea if you were alive or if you had put yourself into another 100 year coma!”
“I-I-I-” Aang stammered, but was silenced as he was suddenly pulled in by Zuko into a strong and firm hug. Aang flushed as he realized just how muscular Zuko really was, his face pressed up against his firebending teacher’s ample chest.
“You had all of us worried sick,” Zuko said, more tears threatening to fall despite how much he cried already. “We…I was scared something had happened to you Aang.”
“I…I’m sorry Zuko,” Aang said softly, moving to return the embrace and wrapping his arms around Zuko’s waist. “I didn’t mean to make everyone freak out, I was just so mixed up on what to do about the Fire Lord. I thought no one understood what I was going through, and I didn’t even fully realize I left when I did. I was just so desperate to find another way. I thought I did find another way. I tried to take away Ozai’s bending, but something went wrong and everything went red. I…I can’t remember anything after that.” Aang shut his eyes harder. “I’m sorry, Zuko.”
“It’s okay, Aang,” Zuko said warmly, rubbing Aang’s back comfortingly. “I’m just…so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry if anything I said made things hard or if it was the reason you left.”
“No, Zuko. It wasn’t you, it was just…everything,” Aang replied, tears forming in his eyes. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but I never wanted to be the Avatar. So much was changing because I was revealed as the Avatar earlier than normal, and then when things got too much…I ran away, and ended up getting frozen for a hundred years. Everytime I felt things get too much, I ran away, like a coward.”
Zuko pulled back and gently cupped Aang’s face to make the airbender look at him. “Aang, you are many things, but you are by no means a coward,” he said softly, smiling at Aang. “You are very brave for being able to face those challenges when it mattered. You faced my father when the world needed you most. You tried to find a different way to end the war without breaking your morals. You are one of the strongest people I know, and it’s not because you can bend all four elements.”
“It’s not?” Aang asked.
“Well, it helps,” Zuko said, getting a snort of laughter out of Aang. “But the real reason I think you’re one of the strongest people I know is because you don’t give in. Even when things look bleak, you try to find a way to still win. And somehow, it always ends up working out. It is one of your best, and also most annoying, qualities.”
“Annoying?!” Aang squawked.
Zuko smirked. “Oh yes,” he said. “Do you have any idea how infuriating you were when I was chasing you across the world? How you always seemed to get your way away when I had you so close? Not to mention all those irritating quips. There were times I wasn’t sure if I wanted to capture you so that I could take you back to my father, or just capture you so I could shut you up.”
“Hey!” Aang said in indignation.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Sokka was still more annoying,” Zuko said, still smiling. “Both then and now.”
Aang tried to frown, but found himself snickering. “Yeah, he can be a lot,” he said. He then smiled warmly at Zuko. “I’m glad we became friends, Zuko.”
Zuko smiled back, “Me too, Aang. Me too,” he said.
“So,” Aang said, looking around in confusion. “Where are we? Where are the others?”
“No idea on where we are,” Zuko replied. “The last thing I remember was facing my sister with Katara in the Fire Nation. I woke up and found everyone passed out on this beach. I woke Katara up first, she’s over there waking up Sokka and Suki. I came over to wake you and Toph.” He then turned to the slumbering earthbender. “Speaking of.” Zuko released Aang from his embrace and the two went over to Toph. Zuko gently moved her shoulder. “Toph, Toph wake up.”
“Mmgmgh…” Toph groaned as she began to wake. “Sparky, quit moving me unless you want the Sokka Special.”
“Sokka Special?” Zuko repeated in confusion.
“It’s what she calls what she does to Sokka when he tries to get her up before sunrise,” Aang explained. “First she buries him up to his neck, then launches him into the air. Don’t worry though, she always makes sure he lands somewhere…relatively safe?” Zuko gave him a raised eyebrow.
“You got that right Twinkletoes,” Toph said. After a few seconds, realization hit her and her eyes flew open. “Twinkletoes?! Aang! You-AAH!” Toph hands went up to her eyes, covering them as she rapidly sat up.
“Toph!” Zuko and Aang exclaimed, worried for the small earthbender.
“Ah! M-My eyes! S-Somethings wrong?” Toph said in confusion. “I-I opened them and everything was just so-so-I don’t know how to explain it.”
“It’s okay Toph, it’s okay,” Zuko said, moving in front of her to calm her down. “Just move your hands down and let me see.” Toph slowly moved down her eyes and let them flutter open. Zuko’s eyes went wide as he saw not the milky white blank irises he came to know with the petite earthbender. Instead what he saw were a pair of beautiful vibrant green irises and a set of dilating pupils.
“W-What’s going on?” she said in stunned stupor. She blinked in confusion as she stared forward, seemingly looking directly at Zuko. She moved her head towards the sky, then to the sand she was sitting on. She grabbed a handful of it, and let it flow out of it, all the while her face seemingly locked on it.
“You okay, Toph?” Aang asked, and Toph immediately turned her head towards him, her eyes widening. Carefully, she moved up her hands and grabbed his face. “Uh…Toph?”
“A-Aang?” she said, her voice quivering in disbelief. “Is…Is this you?”
“Uh yeah? Of course it’s me?” Aang said, still confused.
Toph’s head then tilted up, and then she pointed at the arrow on his forehead. “W-What’s this?” she asked.
“That? That’s my arrow?” Aang said in confusion. Why was Toph acting so strange? He had no idea what was going on with her, but Zuko did.
He had an idea what caused that reaction. It was the same kind of reaction he had to when he found his scar healed. The way she was turning her head, pointing directly at Aang’s forehead. He had an idea what was going on.
“Toph,” Zuko said, causing the earthbender to turn to him. “Toph…can you…see me?”
Toph and Aang’s eyes went wide at Zuko’s question, one in shock and the other in equal realization. Zuko moved closer to the two and held up his hand to Toph. Toph looked at it, she really looked at Zuko’s hand. Hesitantly, she raised her own away from Aang and met Zuko’s hand with hers. She carefully let her hand glide down Zuko’s arm to his chest, almost as if she was analyzing every single cell of his skin. Her hand stopped at the center of his chest before she looked up, emerald eyes meeting gold.
“Z-Zuko?” she said hesitantly. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.
“It’s me Toph,” Zuko said, a warm and gentle smile forming on his face. He was sure of it now. There was no doubt about it.
“I-I see you,” Toph said, her voice trembling in utter disbelief. “I-I can actually s-see…” The normally strong and independent girl quivered before lunging forwards and wrapping her surprisingly strong arms around Zuko’s waist and letting out a sob into him. She clutched onto him like her life depended on it.
Zuko was surprised, but found him smiling as he held her, letting her get out all of those big emotions, which he guessed themed to be the theme of this strange day. He wondered if Katara was dealing with this kind of reaction from Sokka and Suki.
Aang moved over and joined the hug, the two boys holding Toph as she let out years worth of withheld emotions of being unable to see the world the same way others did. She always acted strong, and was proud of her ability to see the way she could with her earthbending. But a secret part of her, one that she always kept hidden even sometimes to herself, always longed to be able see the way the others could. To see the wonders and sights that she was often left out of because she needed her feet firmly on the ground.
And now, after so long, she finally had it. She didn’t know what to do with it, but she had it.
Eventually, Toph’s cries subsided and she pulled back. Both boys let her, and watched as she wiped her eyes of the tears. “F-Fuck,” she muttered to herself. “I-I can’t believe I’m getting all mushy just because I can see things like the rest of you dopes.” Despite her words, her face showed a bright smile.
Zuko chuckled. “Well, I think you’ll have other things to worry about than that,” he said, confusing both Aang and Toph. “You won’t be able to make blind jokes anymore.”
“Oh crap! You’re right! But they were so fun!” Toph bemoaned.
“Why are you bringing that up, Zuko?” Aang asked. “You never fell for Toph’s blind jokes.”
“Yes, for two reasons,” Zuko said. “The first one being that when I had my scar, I was partially blind and deaf, so I could understand what she was going through.”
“You were part-bling?” Toph asked, which Aang was equally surprised by. “Wait, ‘had’ your scar?”
“That’s right,” Zuko said, gesturing to his face. “When I woke up, my scar was gone. I was somehow healed. Whatever caused this must’ve done the same for your eyes, Toph.”
“Whoa,” Toph said in awe. She stared at Zuko’s unmarred face and found herself flushing brightly. ‘W-What the heck? Why is my heart pounding so much?’
“And what was the other reason?” Aang asked, bringing the conversation back to the previous topic.
Zuko smirked. “I’m not as gullible as you and Sokka,” he said, getting a snort of laughter out of Toph.
“He’s got you there, Twinkletoes!” she said laughing. Aang pouted for a moment before laughing as well.
“Oy! I’ll have you know I am not gullible!” a familiar voice called from behind. The three of them turned to see Katara, Sokka and Suki walking towards them. “I’m just…very curious and willing to indulge,” Sokka said.
“Oh you indulge yourself alright,” Katara said with a roll of her eyes. “Indulge yourself into trouble.”
“Hey!”
“Sorry Sokka, but she’s right,” Suki said with a giggle, earning a squawk of indignation from Sokka.
“Katara! Sokka! Suki! You’re all okay!” Aang exclaimed in joy as he quickly ran over to greet them. He first ran to Katara and hugged her tightly.
“Aang! Katara said as she met Aang, pulling him into an embrace. “I’m so glad you’re alright. You made us worried sick.”
“I know, Zuko told me as much,” Aang replied. “I even got the bump to prove it.”
“Good, cause if he wasn’t going to, I would have,” Sokka said, smiling despite his words. “I’m glad to see you’re okay buddy.” He joined in on hugging the airbender with his sister.
Suki went over to Toph and Zuko. “Zuko, I’m glad to see you’re alright. And wow, when Katara told us your scar was healed, I almost didn’t believe it,” she said.
“I still don’t believe it,” Zuko replied, touching his own scarless cheek. “It’s good to see you alright as well, Suki.
“You too,” Suki said in return. “And Toph, whoa. Your eyes are so bright! They really suit you.”
“T-Thanks, Fangirl,” Toph said, flushing slightly as she twiddled her hair. “Y-You look pretty great too. Definitely way above Snoozle’s league.”
Suki giggled. “Maybe,” she said. “Don’t know how we got here, but it’s better than falling off an airship towards our doom.”
“Excuse me, what?” Zuko said in confusion.
“Yeah, about that,” Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head after he, Katara and Aang separated from their hug. “See, things kinda went sideways when we were taking out the ships. We managed to destroy them, but we kinda, um…”
“We fell off and were about to go splat,” Toph said bluntly.
“Y-Yeah, that,” Sokka said, doing his best not to look at Katara who was staring at him in disbelief. “B-But we’re okay now. My leg is not broken anymore either?”
“Wait, your leg was broken?” Zuko and Aang said at the same time.
“Yeah, but when Katara woke me up, it was fine. See?” Sokka said before doing a little jig on the leg that had been hurt.
“...Kinda wish I couldn’t now,” Toph said.
“Whatever happened to us, it seemed to change some of us,” Katara said as she crossed her arms. “Aang’s back scar is gone from where Azula shot him too.”
“It is?” Aang said, trying to look behind him, but failing. “Huh, nice.”
“So Aang’s back is better. My leg’s all good. Toph got her sight, and Zuko got his scar healed. “Suki, Katara? Did you have anything different?”
“Not really?” Suki said with a shrug. “I’ll admit I twisted my wrist during the chaos, but I was okay for the most part. It feels good now.”
“I was mostly okay, just exhausted after fighting Azula and trying to save Zuko after she shot him in the chest with lightning,” Katara said, shocking the others.
“What?!” they all exclaimed looking at Zuko. “B-But why didn’t you redirect it?” Aang asked, shocked that Zuko could have gotten hit.
“Because he was saving me,” Katara said, walking over to Zuko with a smile. “Zuko was actually starting to beat her on his own, but Azula aimed her lightning at me. He didn’t have time to do it properly and just took most of the lightning into himself.” She bumped his side. “You big dumb heroic jerkbender.”
“H-Hey,” Zuko said, flushing brightly as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Oh come the fuck on!” Sokka groaned. “He was already roguishly handsome before with his scar, now he’s got an adorable blush and a beautiful face. Not to mention a master firebender and swordbender, and stealthy. And has that body? Zuko, can you leave some attractiveness for the rest of us?”
“I-um-huh-I-wha?” Zuko stammered incoherently.
“Okay, okay,” Suki said, stepping into the center of the group. “While we can all agree Zuko is handsome, both with and without his scar-”
“W-Wha?”
“Suki!”
“-I think we have bigger things to worry about,” Suki said, mischievously ignoring her boyfriend. “For one thing- where even are we?” The group looked around and saw nothing but a long coastline of beach, sea, and a jungle of palm trees behind them. There were some large rocks here and there. “I’m not as well traveled as the rest of you, so I don’t recognize any of this.”
“Yeah, no idea,” Sokka said with a shrug. “I don’t have my maps on me, and without some landmarks I can’t discern where we are.”
“That’s another thing- a lot of our items are missing,” Suki said. “My weapons and supplies are all gone.”
“I don’t have my waterskins,” Katara said.
“I left my staff back with you guys,” Aang said.
“I don’t have my swords,” Zuko stated.
“And I’m missing my awesome space sword and…NOOOO! MY BOOMERANG!” Sokka wailed in pain. Everyone winced for Sokka, knowing how close he and his boomerang were.
“Right, so we have no idea where we are, how we got here, how we’re all healed, and our supplies are gone,” Suki said, trying to retake control of the situation while patting Sokka on the back. “The first thing we need to do is figure out where we are. Maybe there’s a town nearby.”
“I’ll check,” Aang said. “I may not have my glider, but I should still be able to airbend my way up high enough to find any towns.” Aang readied himself and jumped-
A total of one foot before landing back on the ground.
“Huh?” Aang said in confusion. He tried to jump again, but barely got any higher. Getting annoyed, he tried a third time, flapping his arms wildly as he did so, only to land face first in the sand.
“Aang, quit messing around and airbend your butt up there,” Sokka said in an annoyed tone.
“I…I can’t,” Aang said, the realization hitting him with horror. “I can’t airbend.”
That statement, words that should have been an impossibility for Aang, horrified the group. Immediately, Katara, Toph and Zuko tried to see if their natural elements heeded their call. Zuko thrusted his fists to summon a flame, Toph stomped her feet into the sand, Katara waved her arms at the water. None of their elements heeded their call. They could not bend.
“N-No,” Katara said in terror, looking at her hands as if they didn’t belong to her.
“No way. This can’t be happening!” Toph exclaimed, stomping her feet, but nothing happened. She closed her eyes and continued her actions. “My seismic sense is still working, but the earth won’t move!”
“So wait, you guys all lost your bending?” Sokka said he and Suki worried about their bender friends.
“It’s not lost,” Zuko said, looking at his flameless fist. “I can still feel my connection to my inner fire, it’s there. But I just can call upon it.”
“Same for me,” Toph said. “Like I said, my seismic sense works and I can feel the earth, but it’s just not doing anything!”
“Katara?” Suki asked the waterbender.
“I…I can feel the water, but it’s not reacting,” She said, calming herself down.
“I can still feel the air, but I can’t feel any of the other elements,” Aang said as he tried performing the other bending elements, but none reacted. He focused his mind and found no solution. “I can’t reach into my past lives either or the Avatar State. I can’t even feel them. Only my airbending.”
“Ooookay,” Sokka said, only partially worried (he would say). “So, we have no idea where we are. No idea how we got here or how we all got changed. No weapons or supplies. And no bending. Any other surprises this place wants to spring on us?”
*Gre-Gre-Gre*
At the sound of a noise the group had never heard before, Toph walked over and glared at Sokka. “You had to say something, didn’t you, Snoozels,” she said before punching his side.
“Ow!”
“Shush,” Zuko said, narrowing his eyes as he took a defensive position in front of the group. He spotted some rustling bushes just outside the jungle and prepared himself to fight if needed. He may not have had his bending, but he was far from defenseless. The others saw where he was looking and prepared themselves in case they needed to fight, even if three of them had no real way to fight without their elements. They watched the bushes rustle before a creature emerged from them.
It was short.
It was round.
It had feathers and short wings.
A short lizard tail and small clawed toes.
And it had a bulbous beak with two small tusks.
“Groo-Groo?” the creature chittered as it saw the group, staring at them for a while before moving away and going to another bush and eating the berries from it.
“....what in the wide world of creatures is that thing?” Toph said in utter confusion.
“I…I have no idea,” Katara said in equal confusion.
“It kinda reminds me of Hawky, or the Iguana-Parrot those pirates had, but…fatter,” Sokka said, though he was partially salivating at the sight of the plump lizard-bird.
“I’ve never seen one, not even from 100 years ago,” Aang said.
“It kinda looks more closely to a Gecko-Chicken, but it has tusks, and doesn’t look like it can fly,” Suki said. “Zuko, do you know…Zuko?”
Everyone looked at Zuko, and they had to do a double take at his expression. His eyes were wide and he had a blinding grin. They could almost swear they saw stars in his eyes.
“No. Fucking. Way,” he said in a strangely giddy tone. “T-That’s a Lystro-Dodo!”
“A what?” Katara repeated.
“A Lystro-Dodo!” Zuko exclaimed. “They’re a prehistoric species dating all the way back to the age of Dynosaurs!”
“Dyno-what?” Sokka said.
“Dynosaurs!” Zuko said. “Ancient creatures said to be older than even the lion-turtles! They lived millions of years ago and ruled the earth until something caused them all to go extinct. Lystro-Dodos were supposedly herbivorous and used their beaks and tusks to crack open large hard nuts. They’re flightless, but they could run deceptively fast.” The entire time he was gleaming with excitement.
“Whoa…” Toph said before giggling. “Who knew, Sparky’s a Dyno-Nerd.”
Zuko suddenly realized how he was acting and flushed brightly, trying desperately to regain his composure. “N-No. I just happened to be interested in ancient history,” he said. “P-Particularly involving ancient and current animal species.”
No one was buying it.
“Buuooon!” a new noise bellowed behind the group. They all turned their heads and went wide-eyed as another strange creature emerged from the jungle. This one was far bigger than the Lystro-Dodo. It had a large head with two long horns over its eyes and another shorter one on top of a small beak, and a large pony frill on the back of its head. It had a large bulky quadrupedal body with a back lined with large diamond-shaped plates running all the way down to its tail, which was tipped with several large pointy spikes. And it wasn’t just one, but several lumbering their ways down to the beach, all of different colors and some variations of sizes.
“T-Those are Stegoceratops!” Zuko cried out, his eyes gleaming with excitement again. “One of the most well known Dynosaur species of all! They are some of the ultimate defenders with their horns in the front, thagomizers in the back, and armored plates. Some researchers even believed they used their plates to regulate their body temperature, like how firebenders and airbenders can with their bending.”
“That’s…a LOT of spiky bits,” Sokka said nervously.
“At least they seem to be herbivores,” Suki said, pointing to how some of the Stegoceratops were eating the ferns and bushes by the coast.
“Maybe we shouldn’t test to see if they have other appetites,” Katara said, matching her brother’s nervousness.
“Uh, guys?” Toph said. “I think my new eyes are messing with me, because I think I see something flying over us.”
Everyone turned their heads up and saw what Toph was seeing. There was a small flock of medium-sized reptilians flying over them. They had long beaks and large sail-like head crests, long wings made of leathery membranes, a set of back fins, and long tails with vertical tailfins.
“T-Those are Ichthy-Pteras!” Zuko said in awe and disbelief. “Not Dynosaurs like the Stegoceratops, but a species of amphibious reptiles that could fly and swim.” The Ichthy-Pteras squawked before diving into the ocean with swiftness. They swam under the water with each before catching some fish in their sharp beaks and then flying out of the water with ease. “Amazing! They can dive and fly out of water with ease while hunting fish.”
Sokka leans next to Aang and Katara. “I don’t know how to feel right now,” he said. “On one hand, I’m worried about all the giant supposedly extinct lizard-monsters that could quite easily murder us. On the other hand, who knew Zuko could be so adorable when talking about said murder-lizards.” This got a snicker from Aang and roll of the eyes from Katara.
“That aside, Sokka does have something of a point,” Katara said. “Zuko, you said these creatures are supposed to be extinct?”
Zuko, snapping out of his gushing, nodded to Katara. “Yes, while there’s no real proof of what caused the mass extinction of Dynosaurs and the species that lived alongside them, there should not be any living anymore. If there were, people would know. Some of the more dangerous species would be difficult to deal with even with bending.”
“Wait, dangerous species?” Sokka repeated. “What kind of dangerous species?"
“GRYYYAAA!”
“Can you stop opening your mouth for ONCE in your life?!” Toph yelled at the sounds of something large and predatory coming front the jungle.
The jungle rustled violently before a pack of five very dangerous-looking Dynosaurs emerged. They were bipedal with long snouts full of sharp teeth, and a pair of long crests over their eyes and tucked in frills along their necks. They were bipedal with long arms, each sporting sharp claws, strong legs with three-toed claws, each foot having a retractable hook claw, and a long tail with frills at the tips. The creatures hissed and growled at the group, looking at them like prey.
“Uh, Zuko?” Suki said nervously. “W-What are those?”
“Di-Dilo-Raptors,” Zuko said hesitantly. “Very smart. Very fast. Very deadly.”
“Really? What gave it away,” Sokka said. “Was it the sharp teeth or the claws?” One of the Dilo-Raptors hissed before spitting a glob of green acidic spit at him. Sokka screamed and dodged, letting the glob hit a rock and causing it to hiss as the acid ate it up. “They spit acid?! Why do they spit acid?!”
“Maybe you can ask them while they digest us,” Toph said, a foreign feeling of fear taking her. Without her bending, she really didn’t have any other ways to defend herself. She wasn’t alone as Aang took a step back from the sharp-toothed reptiles.
“Not today,” Zuko said, his eyes narrowing. While he may have been living a childhood dream of seeing living Dynosaurs, he wasn’t about to let them turn him or his friends into lunch. He spotted some nearby rocks and grabbed them. He slammed them hard together, causing them to break and become sharp like daggers. “Grab what you can to defend yourselves. We did not just get reunited to die at the claws of these things.”
“Zuko’s right,” Suki said, determination filling her voice as her Kyoshi Warrior training kicked in. She quickly grabbed a pair of nearby strong looking fallen tree branches and held them like dual staffs. She joined Zuko in defending the others, glaring at the Dilo-Raptors.
Sokka, not wanting to be left behind, grabbed a large bulky branch with a spiky top and held it like his old club. The three of them formed a wall to defend the now bendingless trio from the acid-spitting lizards.
The five raptors growled at the defiance of their prey. The leader, the one with the largest crests, lunged towards Zuko. Zuko’s eyes narrowed as he side stepped and thrust one of his stone daggers at the beast. It jumped back, evading his strike. This was enough for the other four Dilo-Raptors to attack.
“Not today,” Suki yelled as he lunged forward, meeting two of the Dilo-Raptors head on. She swung her branches with refined skill, making the reptiles jump back. One tried to spit her in the face with its acidic spit, but Suki blocked it with her branches, letting it sizzle. The other tried to attack her with its arm claws, but Suki was able to use the now acid-tipped branch and hit the raptor with it. The beast was not immune to its species spit and hissed in pain as its side burned. This allowed Suki to hit it upside the chin with her other branch, causing it to topple over. Even though she knocked down one, she didn’t forget about the other who was lunging at her with snapping jaws. Suki brought up the acid-tipped branch and let the raptor bite it. It didn’t scream in pain, telling her that their mouths were at least immune to the acid. Instead, Suki quickly forced the raptor to the side and delivered a harsh kick to its ankles causing it to tumble onto its side. She grabbed the other branch and used it to slam it into the Dilo-Raptor’s head, disorienting it hard.
“Whoa! Watch it you evolutionary reject!” Sokka yelled at the lone Dilo-Raptor attacking him. He swung his club as best he could to force it back, but the beast was quicker than him. It swiped its claws at him, but he was able to block. It then leapt back before jumping high and lunging its hooked toe-claws at him. Sokka yelped and dodged to the side. The beast missed him, and instead ended up lodging its claws into his forgotten branch-club. As it struggled to get its claws out, Sokka raised a large rock and slammed it onto the Dilo-Raptor’s head. The beast grunted in pain before collapsing to the ground in a heap. “Oh yeah! Sokka style baby!”
Zuko was staring down the head of the pack with what he could only figure was its second in command. The two Dilo-Raptors hissed violently at him, flashing their claws and teeth at him as their neck-frills flared. The two beasts spat out globs of acidic spit but Zuko evaded them with relative ease. It was clear these creatures had never fought humans before, as they weren’t sure what to do with him. Zuko however wasn’t going to let them take a bite out of him or any of his friends. He moved rapidly around them, lunging his makeshift daggers at the smaller raptor. The beast dodged back, and tried to snap at him, but he was quicker and swiped its leg, breaking its root like he would do when firebending. The creature toppled over, but the leader took the opportunity to lunge at Zuko. The prince rolled on the sand out of the way to avoid the hook-claws and jumped back to his feet. “HAAAH!” He roared, swiping his dagger across the raptor’s side. The Dilo-Raptor leader screeched in pain as its right side was gashed by the dagger. The other tried running at Zuko to help its leader, but Zuko jumped back and let out a roundhouse kick, hitting both raptors in the head and knocking them away. The raptors groggily got up and glared at Zuko who glared back. “Leave,” he said, daring them to continue the fight.
The leader of the pack hissed at him before letting out a bark and turning around before running back into the jungle. The other four raptors recovered and joined it, running away from the pack of humans that defended themselves.
“Whoo!” Sokka cheered excitedly. “That’s right ya evolutionary-rejects! That’s what you get when you mess with Team Avatar!”
“That…was close,” Suki said as she let out a few heavy breaths. “Those Dilo-Raptors are no joke.”
“We got lucky,” Zuko said as he straightened up. “Those Dynosaurs clearly never saw humans before so they didn’t know how to hunt us. We were able to surprise them this time, but that might not be the case next time.”
“Still, you guys were pretty impressive,” Aang said, genuine awe at tri’s cohesive teamwork in fighting off the Dynosaurs.
“Are you guys hurt?” Katara said, going over and checking everyone in the group to see if they are okay. She checked over Suki, Sokka, and then Zuko.
“No, we managed to get off without a scratch, but I doubt it will stay like that,” Zuko said. He looks out at the jungle and the herbivorous Dynosaurs roaming about. “We’re definitely not in any of the four nations anymore. The Dynosaurs, our bodies, our bending. It’s all so strange.”
“At least you guys can defend yourselves without your bending,” Toph growled out. “I’ve never felt so useless! What’s the point of having eyesight if I can’t see myself kicking butt.”
“Our bending isn’t fully gone,” Katara tried to raise. “It’s just…locked away. But I agree with you on feeling useless. I can’t even heal anyone if they get hurt.”
“I’ve never been without my bending,” Aang said nervously. “I don’t think I can protect myself if we get in trouble.”
“Don’t worry guys, you have Sokka to defend ya,” Sokka said confidently.
“We’re doomed,” Toph groaned.
“Don’t fret too much Toph,” Suki said, putting a hand on the shorter girl’s shoulder. “We can make some makeshift weapons for you all to defend yourselves. Zuko, Sokka and… Zuko and I can teach you how to use your weapons.”
“Hey!”
“Not just weapons,” Zuko said. “We need to prepare a lot if we intend to survive here- shelter, food, water. We need to be ready for whatever this island throws at us.” He looked at the group, all of them looked uncertain, but they shared that determined expression that made him smile. “But to be honest, I can’t think of a better group of friends to do it with.”
“Aww, Zuko,” Katara said with a smile.
“Wow Sparky, when did you get so mushy,” Toph said, but was also smiling widely.
“Heh, who knew the jerkbender could give a pep talk,” Sokka snickered.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Suki agreed with pride.
“I knew you liked us, Zuko!” Aang exclaimed as he ran over and tackled Zuko into the sand.
“Ooof! Aang, get off!” Zuko said, trying to push the hugging airbender off him.
“Nope! Bear-Dog Pile on Zuko!” Aang exclaimed, and the rest of the Gaang grinned at each other before joining him.
“Ooof! Ooof! Ooof! Ooof! Ooof!” Zuko grunt each time another body landed on him. The others all laughed as they piled on top of him. “Hey! Get off me before I turn you all into charcoal!” he yelled, though there was no real heat to his words. He was smiling, feeling a special comfort he only got from the group when they were together like this. They may have been on an island full of prehistoric beasts with no bending, but he knew one thing-
They never gave up without a fight as long as they were together.