Metanoia || Avatar: The Last Airbender

𝐱𝐢𝐢. 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦

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❝ One of the best lessons you can learn in life is how to remain calm. ❞

Bruce Lee

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"I DON'T NEED TO REMIND you that we have a time limit," Iroh said to Zhao, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable."

Zhao remained as confident as ever, surveying the carnage from afar with a smug smile. "I assure you, I have everything under control. I intend to remove the moon as a factor."

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Zuko pursed his lips as he wrapped his arms around himself more tightly, attempting to conserve what little heat he had. The heat given off by the small fire he'd started was weak and overwhelmingly little in the face of the bitter cold of the north, leaving him with frozen fingertips and misty breath. Aang was unconscious, still, breathing deeply as his tattoos glowed an eerie white. Zuko cast a suspicious glance over Aang, eyes weary, before returning his gaze to the blizzard outside the cavern.

"... I guess we'll be here a while."

Just as he spoke, a pale silhouette emerged from the depths of the snowstorm.

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Appa soared through the blizzard with ease, thick fur protecting him from the unforgiving elements. Atop him were Sokka, Katara and Yue.

"Don't worry," Yue reassured Katara, "Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."

Katara looked away from the princess, her eyes darkening with anxiety. "I'm not worried they'll get away in this weather... I'm worried they won't."

"What about that Shia girl you mentioned?" Sokka questioned from the front, where he was steering the bison, "from what you said, it sounds like she was going after them..."

"She was," Katara agreed, crossing her arms. "She said she didn't plan to hurt us, and that she was only there to protect the prince for his uncle. Hopefully, she gets to them before the blizzard does."

"Even if she doesn't, they're not going to die in this place," Sokka reassured. "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

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Shia reached the entrance of the cave eventually, after struggling up the incline through the deep snow. She squinted her eyes, blinking a few times to get rid of a snowflake that'd landed in them, before taking another step forward. Before she could call out to the prince, however, she was tackled to the ground by a blur of white.

Struggling to ignore the cold seeping into her clothes, Shia glanced up towards her attacked wearily. Zuko stood above her with his fist poised to fire, clearly having mistaken her for an enemy. Shia had to yell to be heard over the wailing of the storm.

"Calm down, Prince Zuko! It's just me!"

Zuko squinted down at her, before slowly letting his fist fall and stepping away from her. Shia got up slowly, dusting the snow off of her clothes, before looking over to the prince curiously.

"So... you've captured the Avatar?"

"Yes," Zuko responded tersely, turning away from her to re-enter the cave. Shia had a feeling he was frowning. She noticed the small fire he'd lit and the unconscious Avatar bound up against the opposite wall as she followed him into the cavern, brushing her hood back. Zuko turned back to face her, crossing his arms as his voice took on an accusatory edge. "Why are you here?"