The Burning Truth-Peace

Part 26~Fuzzy

Isu dipped her hands in the water, cleaning the dirt off her fingers. Katara folded the sleeping blanket as the little rabbits picked at the ground much to Sokka's enjoyment.

Iroh stood his hands behind his back. "Good Zuko. You're improving exponentially."

Zuko jumped out, sending a blast of fire to the air. He spun around, punching forward, his fire brighter and stronger than ever before. Hachi clapped his hands proudly, gently feeding the oldest rabbit Zuko had taken.

"Take a break nephew, you've done well." Iroh squeezed Zuko's shoulder, stepping back as Zuko went to Hachi's side.

"Good job Zuko." Hachi smiled, holding out the rabbit for Zuko to take. He hummed, whispering love to the rabbit. "You should really name her and her kids."

Zuko frowned, looking at the rabbit. "What's a good rabbit name?"

"Carrot!" Isu turned her head around, shouting over her shoulder.

"No," Hachi snapped. "What about Fuzzy?"

Zuko snorted, picking up one of the little bunnies, the black spots making her distinctive from her brothers. "This can be Fuzzy."

Hachi chuckled, picking up the little bunny. "And that one can be Snowflake." Hachi pointed to the pure white mother as Zuko smiled, nodding with Hachi's suggestion.

"What about Midnight for this little one? He reminds me of the night sky." Zuko pointed to the little black rabbit with small white dots in his fur.

Hachi grinned, nodding as he ran his hands through Fuzzy's fur. "What about our last little one?" The final rabbit was pure black and tiny compared to his siblings.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, about to say something when the earth quaked. The rabbits squeaked in shock, stumbled over one another as they went to hide in Zuko's arms.

Sokka turned around, staring in the direction the noise came from. "What was that?"

Zuko stood up, letting the rabbits snuggle in his arms when the ground shook again.

Hachi held Fuzzy closer, pointing to the side. "It's coming from over there!" Hachi placed Fuzzy in the special rabbit carrier they had built out of the branches they had found. The second Zuko had put the other in, Hachi closed the lid, ensuring they would be safe.

Isu charged after the sound, Katara following after her.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms, not towards them?" Sokka gaped as he charged after them.

Down in the ravine, a young boy Earthbending rocks into the air and punching them to the side.

"An Earthbender!" Isu's eyes sparkled as she stared at the Earthbender.

"Let's go meet him!" Katara grinned, walking towards the boy. "Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?"

The boy gasped, dropping the boulder he was holding. He spun around, running away as he blocked the path behind him.

Hachi rolled his eyes. "Nice to meet you too."

Katara lowered her head. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Hey, he's got to be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village?" Isu perked up as Zuko shook his head.

"I don't think it's a good idea to follow him." Zuko shifted his gaze away as he spoke.

Hachi tilted his head. "Why not? He is the first Earthbender we've met that didn't try to kill or encapture us."

Zuko shared a look with Iroh before sighing heavily. "Let's just say my people don't take too kindly to benders in their territories. I've been watching the map. If we are where I think we are, this is Fire nation territory. If that guy is an Earthbender and is found out, it won't end well."

A long pause followed as Isu frowned. "I'm going to find him."

"Isu! Don't!" Katara tried to stop her but she ran over the barricade.

~~~

Bursting through the door, Isu found the Earthbender boy standing inside. "Found you!"

The boy turned around in horror. "What?"

"You're the one we saw in the ravine!"

Gulping, the boy stepped back. "You must have me confused with some other kid."

"Nope. Don't worry, I ain't a crab. I just want to know where you learned 'cause we're looking for an Earthbender master to train our friend." Isu grinned as the boy and his mother gasped in horror.

"They saw you," the mother screamed as the others burst through the door in pants and huffs.

"Why are you so fast," Katara grumbled between breaths.

The boy held up his hand in defence. "She's crazy, Mom! I mean, look at her friends!"

"You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending!"

Before the fight could continue, a loud banging hit against the door. "Open up!"

Sokka peeked through the window blinds, jumping back in horror. "Fire Nation! Act Natural!" Zuko and Iroh stepped to the back, covering their faces in the darkness of the room.

The mother opened the door, allowing the Fire Nation tax collector to walk inside. He stared at the other members of the ground, Katara and Isu pretended to have a conversation while Sokka eyeballed an apple.

"What do you want?! I've already paid you this week!" The mother glared at the tax collector who grinned arrogantly.

"The tax just doubles. And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?" The tax collector summoned a fireball in his hands. "Fire is sometimes so hard to control."

Sighing, the mother approached the store counter. She opened the small chest, passing the meagre handful of money to the tax collector. Zuko had to grit his teeth to ensure he didn't end up killing the man.

"You can keep the copper ones." The tax collector threw four coppers onto the ground as he left.

Sokka growled, glaring at the door. "Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?"

Zuko tapped his chin, closing his eyes slightly. "Five years, right?"

The mother nodded before slowly turning back to Zuko. "You... You're... You're Prince Zuko!" The mother gaped as the boy stepped behind her in fear.

"Wait, it's okay." Hachi stepped between Zuko and the family. "Zuko's good. He's not working for the Fire Nation."

The family clearly didn't believe him. "Your father uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships. I assume you do too. That's why you're here."

Zuko shook his head. "We're here because Isu spotted your son and ran off despite my warnings that we would be unwanted."

Isu shrugged. "Got to get the message out there somehow."

Sharing a look, the family hesitated before asking the question. "What message?"

Isu grinned manically. "The avatar has returned."