Renegaded Spirits

Attached

"Wake up, we're moving," Zuko shook Kataras shoulder gently yet enough to wake her up.

"It's not even dawn," she yawned sitting up from her side and blinked at Zuko confused.

"We'll be able to go to the market less busy if we start moving now," he whispered not taking pity on her tired self.

"Okay okay," she laid back down snuggling into her blanket.

"You have ten minutes to be walking around, I'll be back by then with fresh water," Zuko stood and and yanked the blanket off of her as he walked away. Katara sat up again and flipped him off from behind glaring.

"Rivers aren't that fresh," she mumbled to herself.

Katara sighed and stood up and began packing up her stuff but heard a shuffling from the side and looked over at their food supplies.

Katara raised an eye brow walking over as there were leafs and dirt under the food supplies but something bright red caught her eyes. She grabbed the bag and let out a fearful shriek.

"Zuko!" She screamed as a long slithering reptile with four legs attached to clawed feet and red scales and wings. A dragon.

"Katara what happened- whoa!" Zuko ran back but jumped when he almost stepped on the small dragon. It turned and hissed viciously up at him puffing a breath of fire as he backed up to Katara while she hid behind him.

"Is that a dragon?!" She screamed while hiding behind him.

"No it's a turtle duck! Yes it's a dragon!" Zuko snapped at her but she punched his arm and he tumbled forward only to cry out before the dragon could attack him.

"Kata-" he turned to her but saw katara climbing up a tree as the dragon was between the two of them.

"Do something!" She cried out.

"It's a damn dragon, I can't just step on it like a worm," Zuko growled to himself as he grabbed a larger stick as he knelt down to the dragon.

"Please don't bite me," he prayed to himself as he tried to move the dragon from their supplies in hope it does burn it all up. The dragon violently turned to him with a hiss and snarled fire at the stick as it started to burn instead. Zuko screamed as the dragon chased him but he jumped up onto the tree and crawled to a branch that was out of reach of the dragon.

"My hero," katara looked at him unamused.

"Your turn," he shot back snarky.

"Your a firebender, can't you do something?" Katara gulped as the dragon curled on their belongings and rummaged through their food and supplies.

"What? Being a fire bender has nothing to do with taming dragons, only person I know in history who did it was avatar roku, and he's the avatar! Not just a fire bender," Zuko glared at her and katara stuck out her tongue at him.

Suddenly they saw the dragon nibbling on a blue piece of stone but katara gasped seeing it was her mothers necklace she kept hidden.

"No! Stop that! Drop it!" She yelled in anger and fear but the dragon didn't listen.

"Please stop!" Katara had tears in her eyes. Suddenly Zuko jumped down from the tree and used the stick from before as he scooped the dragon with it and tossed it to the side as he reached down grabbing Kataras necklace. But they both didn't dismiss the sound of the dragons cry of pain.

"Here," Zuko handed her the necklace as katara jumped down and walked over.

"Thanks..." She grabbed the necklace as she held it to her heart with a sigh. Zuko walked to the dragon that snarled again and hissed at him but Zuko saw his wing was in a unusual position from the joints.

"Hey, I think his wings broken or something," Zuko knelt close to the dragon but kept his distance. "Think you could heal him?"

"Probably," katara looked seeing the wing was most likely dislocated.

"Grab some of the jerky," Zuko said and she did, he grabbed what she handed him and put a piece on the ground near the dragon.

"We're not going to hurt you... Again," Zuko watched the dragon as katara got water and snuck up on the dragon from behind so he wouldn't attack.

"Yep, it's just food," zuko gulped looking at katara when she had water surrounding her hands, he fed the dragon the last piece and katara touched the dragons wing as she shushed him gently when she applied some pressure to put it back into place. Zuko held its jaw together softly before it could turn and bite her but he stroked his head.

"See, better," Zuko smiled as katara finished and the dragon shook out his wings with a small chirp.

"Ok let's go, I don't want another one to get our stuff," katara rubbed her arms as zuko let the dragon finish the jerky.

"And stop feeding him, he'll probably follow or something," she gulped nervously and zuko stood up looking at her with a shrug.

"There's no other dragons, they're extinct," Zuko said dryly.

"Obviously not," katara raised an eye brow at the dragon who sat by her feet and made a small sound at her.

"They should be, he's probably the last one or very very very close to it," Zuko sighed picking up his bag.

"How do you know?" Katara asked.

"Cause my uncle killed the last one," he said flatly and set a piece of jerky in front of the dragon and left it there. Katara grabbed her bag as well that she traveled with and followed Zuko through the forest.

They heard the dragons churp and glanced seeing the dragon two feet behind them watching.

"Go home," Zuko waved him off. They walked a little more and katara glanced and stopped.

"Shoo," she motioned the opposite direction. Zuko looked to see the dragon was two feet from them again.

"Just keep walking," Zuko turned her back by her shoulder and took a few steps only to cry out when the dragon flew to his wrist and crawled up his arm to his shoulder, laying his body across the back of his neck to the other shoulder.

"H-hey!" Zuko looked at the dragon.

"You still hungry little guy?" He smiled a little.

"Oh no, no no no no, we are not keeping that food stealer," katara pointed at the two but the dragon chirped at her again.

"I don't know katara, maybe Durk doesnt know where home is," Zuko scratched his chin gently and Kataras eyes widen.

"No don't name him! You'll get attached and he won't leave," katara whined crossing her arms.

"I don't think he's leaving either way," zuko shrugged and started to walk with Durk on his shoulders.

"But the name Durk?" She question following.