𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 | prince zuko

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CHAPTER FIVE

     THE OCEAN WAVES CHURNED and spun anything that was in the water as if it were a whirlpool. The force of the waves proved difficult to swim in, especially for Yan. She struggled to keep her head above water; the water seemed to latch onto her and tug her down every time she broke through the frothy surface. Her head shot up above the water as she sucked in some oxygen before she was slapped by a wave and pulled under once again.

As she struggled to stay afloat, Yan felt a tug on her arm as she was pulled in a random direction. She soon felt the soft sand below her as she realized she was dragged to shore. She coughed and spit away the sand that clung to her wet face, sighing in relief, glad to be out of the water. She sat up, seeing Zuko sitting a few feet away from her. He blew hot air into his hands in an attempt to get warm.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she pulled herself away from the lapping waves. They were sitting in a cave that had a small shoreline that provided shelter from the sun and other forces of nature. Yan was relieved that the entrance of the cave was large enough for her and Zuko; even if it wasn't, her bending could've fixed that problem.

"We need to find firewood to start a fire," Zuko suggested, already standing. Yan watched as he exited the cave in a hurry. She sat in her spot, trying to recollect her thoughts; she really just jumped from a cliff and now she and the prince of the Fire Nation are inhabitants of an abandoned cave. What a day it has been.

She sighed and stood up, following Zuko out of the cave. Her boots made squishing sounds as they walked across the beach in search of any driftwood that might be used as firewood. As if by some stroke of luck, they were able to find a good amount of dry wood to start a small fire that would keep them warm.

Yan and Zuko sat across a small fire, Yan rubbing her hands and holding them up to the warm orange flames. She would occasionally squeeze and wring her clothes of the ocean water in an attempt to get some parts dry; it would take hours for her clothes to completely dry, but she wasn't complaining. It was better than being up on the cliff where the Fire Nation soldiers waited, still searching the water for the prince and the soldier.

Yan stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave. She put her fingers into her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Zuko walked over to her and tugged her arm away from her face, his eyes wide at the stupid gesture she had done; was she out of her mind? Anyone could hear her and they'd be discovered!

"What are you doing? Those soldiers could still be around here. For being a soldier, you sure don't think clearly." he scolded her. She jerked her arm out of his grip, shaking her head.

"Would you relax? I highly doubt they're going to look down here. They most likely think we're dead anyway. Did you fail to notice how strong the ocean is? Trust me, Fire Nation soldiers aren't exactly the brightest flame on the candle," she said with a scoff. She looked around at the beach before sitting beside the fire, Zuko huffing in disbelief at her blatant disrespect.

The sun was already setting over the horizon, the wild day coming to a close. Yan wondered if the Earth Kingdom army was still alive. They were probably being sent to a prison as she sat and thought about it. She looked up when she heard something scratching at the cave walls. As she stood up, her shirshu rushed into the cave at the scent of his owner. True, she smelt of seawater, but the mole-like creature knew his owner best. A smile spread across Yan's face as her pet entered the cave seemingly unharmed.

"What is that thing?" Zuko grimaced as the star-nosed creature growled at him. He had never seen such a creature before and he personally thought it was incredibly ugly to look at, let alone have as a pet. Yan tapped the shirshu's snout for it to back off, giving him a harsh hiss as a warning.