February: Zuko the Exiled Oneshot

It was a small trek out of the village to the shipwreck. The sun was setting now.

Chief Hakoda approached the slope of snow near a wall of ice facing the shipwreck, looming ominously over everything like a dark reminder of all the horrors taking place out in the world. There, as Bato said, were six warriors, all hiding behind the curve of the snow in their heavy coats. it wasn't a perfect cover, but the only place on the ship that would have a clear view of them was from the upper levels of the command tower.

"Any activity?" Hakoda asked, crouching down in the snow with them.

"A shadow every now and then, some echoes. Nothing telling. They don't seem to know they're being watched yet," one of the warriors answered grimly.

"Good. Hopefully, they're still too busy making a shelter to keep watch," Hakoda said with a frown. "We'll wait for the sun to finish setting. We'll be able to sneak in unseen and they'll be weaker at night, and in the cold."

"What do you think they're doing here, Chief?" another asked in concern and dread…Heno, Hakoda recalled. He lost a few family members in the raids as well.

"Who knows? The new Firelord has been on the throne for barely two years now. Maybe he decided to finish where his father left off," Hakoda remarked darkly.

That was another thing the world was still getting a handle on. Firelord Azulon had been ruling the Fire Nation and commanding its war effort for seventy years. Then, a year after Kya's death, Hakoda heard the news, as did the rest of the world: The Firelord was dead. They said he passed away from old age in his sleep, but many liked to believe the news of the Fire Nation's defeat at Ba Sing Se, and the death of his grandson, had caused his miserable black heart to give out.

After all, it left too bitter a taste for most to think a man like Azulon passed away peacefully after all he had led the Fire Nation to do.

Still, a change in the enemy leadership threw everything they knew into question. There was probably even a brief, naïve hope around the world at the time that the Firelord, Ozai, might actually end the way. Hakoda didn't see the Fire Nation even considering a ceasefire until the hundredth year of the war ended, and only if the war had become too stalemated.

Which was why Hakoda had decided to risk going on the offensive; the goal was to end the war, end it with the Fire Nation having anything less than total victory. Realistically, turning the tide entirely was a pipe dream. The Earth Kingdom would never be able to retake the colonies the way things currently were.

But going on the offensive might not be possible if this situation turned out for the worse.

"Chief! Chief!" another warrior called as he raced over, a bit too loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" Hakoda hissed, the other men doing similarly.

"Sorry, sorry!" he said, panting as he held his knees. "I just ran...back to the village... then back here...to find you."

"Ran from where?" Hakoda questioned.

The exhausted warrior pointed in the direction of the coast. "My wife...we found something on the coast, west of here. Must have been a quarter mile. It was a metal ship."

"Fire nation!?" another whispered urgently. "How many?!"

"None!" he gasped out. "It was small, like a metal canoe almost. A dozen men could barely fit in it, less with supplies!"

"That explains how they got here," Hakoda stated, narrowing his eyes at the shipwreck. "Be careful. If they're well supplied, they might have some extra tricks for us to worry about."

They all grimly waited until the sun's last rays were peaking down before they journeyed over the crest of the slope. Each one of them routinely looked up for any sign that they were being watched or had been spotted.

Entering the belly of the beast wasn't hard. Waterbenders long ago managed to make a hole in the side with a path to climb to it, likely to better deal with the forces inside the ship itself.

The true troubles were navigation and stealth. Hakoda and some others knew a bit of the basic layout. They had to, in case anyone really did get lost in this death trap. And metal that was cold and breaking did not lend to a quiet environment. Mercifully, the ship groaned and creaked on its own. So long as they didn't make too much noise, they wouldn't-

They all froze as a loose piece of the wall fell off and landed on the floor with an echoing bang.

-alert anyone.

Hakoda cursed by the spirits as everything fell disturbingly silent. Too silent. They waited, and waited, for any sign of a reaction.

Someone started running on the level above them.

"They've heard us!" Hakoda called as they all started rushing forward, searching for a way up with spears gripped tightly for whatever they might face.

They reached the hall and were greeted by an empty corridor, filled only with patches of snow and ice.

And a fiery glow from one room.

The air grew thick in anticipation as they slowly crept forward, checking each room for any potential enemies. They found none, but that only increased their tension, knowing they were getting closer and closer to a fight. Hakoda could feel the sweat forming on his brow, making the chill bite just a bit more.

It was still too quiet.

They reached the lit room, and at last, his men formed up behind him. He couldn't see anyone from this angle. If they were still in here, they knew what angle they were coming from.

With a deep breath and a quick nod to the warrior, they sprang forth!

Instincts took over in that crucial moment, rushing forward and ready to strike at anyone before him, to dodge a fireball or spear. Seeing nothing to fight made them quickly check the corners before the adrenaline wore off into anticlimactic numbness.

There was no one here, but someone definitely had been.

A fire was in the middle of the room. In it was burning some paper, a bit of oil if he was right, and a broken piece of wood. And some leather was thrown in there, judging by the stench undercutting the room.

"Maybe they ran off to the top levels?" Heno suggested while he and two other warriors stayed with the chief and the rest kept searching the rooms.

"Without their coat?" Hakoda asked doubtfully, picking up a thick coat of black and red, tossed over the corner. "Fire Nation aren't built for the cold like we a-"

"What is it, Chief?" one of the others asked as Hakoda came to a stop.

"I'm not sure," he answered with a scowl, opening one of two small chests that had been concealed under the coat. Inside, he found small jars and strange supplies. "I think this is medicine?" he said, uncertain and confused.

"Why would a scouting group be lugging around medicine?" Heno asked in confusion.

"I don't think it was a scouting group," Hakoda said, about to check the other.

"Chief, take a look at this," one of the warriors called over curiously.

"Hmm, what is it?" the chief asked as he approached, seeing the man staring at a wall.

"Take a look," he said, pointing to a mark on the wall.

Hakoda blinked. Clearly someone with gloves had brushed a layer of frost off the wall, leaving behind a gloved handprint. It almost didn't seem that important until he held up his own hand to compare it to the print.

It was much too small.

They all leaped to attention at the soft thump that echoed through the room. But all of them played the part well of pretending to not know where it had come from, looking around warily.

"I swear this place is haunted," Heno remarked, leaning his arm against the wall as he saw Hakoda casually move around the room to discretely get over to the other side of the room…namely, to the vent. "I mean, think about it? How many people had to have died in here when it got trapped in the ice? If that doesn't spell a recipe for angry spirits, I don't know what does."

He would have kept rambling on, but Hakoda managed to quietly climb on the bench just below the vent, bracing himself. He had to time this perfectly...

There was a gasp in the vent as he reached in, faster than a viper-centipede, and ripped the vent-lurker out with all his might.

However, Hakoda had expected to be pulling out a skinny yet full-grown man from the metal tunnel, landing them on the ground. So, he did not anticipate that his target was actually much smaller and lighter, his throw sending them slamming into the opposite side of the room, collapsing against the cold wall.

All spears were pointed at the interloper, but they were all stunned in disbelief as they laid eyes on their adversary.

They barely even registered the small knife, held at them with a small and trembling hand. It was a boy, no older than thirteen of age. He was dressed far too thinly for the cold of the south, his ragged breath coming out in clouds against the fridge air. His hands were obviously showing signs of frostbite. He was pale, his hair was black, and one side of his face was covered in many bandages, holding some kind of medical cloth in place over his eye.

But the one eye he did have visible was golden.

Unmistakably Fire Nation, and clearly filled with terror.

But more importantly...

"It's a kid?" one of the warriors said in shock, relaxing his spear.

"Don't let your guard down!" Heno hissed, glaring untrustingly at the child.

"Heno, are you seriously scared of a child?" the other warrior asked with a scowl.

"I don't trust anyone Fire Nation, especially with a weapon," Heno retorted, prompting the boy to turn the trembling knife at him. "Don't point that at me you ashspitter!" he yelled, hitting the boy in the head with the bottom of his spear.

"Heno, that's enough! He-" Hakoda started, only to stop as the fire in the room grew larger and hotter. The boy bit back a scream, clutching his face in agony with the knife falling to the ground.

"See! He's a Firebender! We-" Heno started, only to be grabbed from behind in a headlock.

"Stop panicking, you half-mooned polar bear-dog."

"Gilak?" Hakoda greeted in surprise.

The large man nodded, releasing Heno. He glared at the younger warrior with distaste. "Get your head out of the snow, Kid. Panicking and lashing out like that will get you nowhere."

"It's a Firebender, by the spirits!" Heno retorted in frustration.

"Heno, that's enough. Go help the others search the ship," Hakoda ordered sternly. Heno looked ready to argue but thought better of it as he stalked off. "I'd ask what you're doing here, Gilak, but we can discuss that later. Right now..." he paused, looking back to the boy.

He was clutching his bandaged face in agony, staring at them like a wounded animal…which wasn't unwarranted after Heno's assaults.

Gilak nodded as Hakoda came down, taking a knee to stare into the frightened child's eye. Without saying a word, he slowly offered the red coat to the boy. The child's face went through a range of emotions: Confusion from lack of comprehension, shock from understanding, doubt at the offer, and suspicion of all other large men wielding weapons. Still, finally, he took it and quickly wrapped it around himself to get even a bit of warmth back.

"What is your name?" Hakoda asked, keeping his voice a neutral middle ground between authoritative and soft, hoping to prompt some answers from the boy without scaring him into shutting down on them.

"Z...Zuko," he answered with a pained voice, holding his bandages again.