Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > Magma
I've been caught up on other projects and haven't updated this one in a while, but I do have a plan to finish it. Here's a little summary in case you've forgotten where the story is at.
A mischievous pixie became friends with Iroh and caused trouble for Zuko by turning him into a cat, which Toph adopted and named Lucky. Thanks to Iroh they made peace with the pixie and Toph received a magical necklace that allowed her to turn Zuko into a human by saying "I love Zuko" and into a cat by saying "I love Lucky. The pixie transformed Iroh into Zuko so that he may take his nephew's place managing the Fire Nation while the real Zuko went on a romantic get away with Toph.
After visiting her parents Toph began having second thoughts about getting married and ran off to consult Katara in the South Pole. Since she didn't want Zuko to follow her before she sorted things out, she had a friend trick him into thinking she was at the North Pole. Zuko went to the North Pole looking for Toph but Aang told him Katara was taking a break from all the political peace keeping meetings visiting her grandmother at the South Pole.
Zuko set off to begin his travel to the other side of the world, but he only moved a few feet before he was turned into a cat. At the South Pole, a drunken gambling Toph had expressed her love for her lucky dice, something she would not remember the next morning, leaving Zuko stuck as a cat in the other side of the world.
Magma
Eruption 52: Divergence
A terrified meowed echoed in the North Pole as Zuko felt the world become bigger, only to realize he was becoming smaller. He battled with the multitude of clothing and coats in various shades of red. He hated the cold and wore plenty of layers that now suffocated him in his smaller size.
The little black cat peeked out from under the pile of fine clothing, tweaking his ears curiously to the side. He listened for anyone near by, "meow?" He was calling Toph's name but his throat produced no discernable words. As far as he knew, Toph was on the other side of the planet, was this an accident, a malfunction of pixie magic, or mischief from Toph? Zuko could not decide.
He attempted to move dragging his coat along, least he suddenly changed back and didn't have it on hand, but the thick garment was simply too heavy for the little cat. His tiny paws felt numb on the frozen floor. He wasn't freezing to death, he did have a thick shiny black fur coat, but it wasn't enough so he was still quite cold.
"Meow!" Zuko frowned, he wished Toph would appear and change him back, preferably before anyone saw him, but that wish was not granted.
The Avatar himself had heard the distraught meowing and being the protector of the world and all its living creatures, he set out to find the source of the agonized cries. His orange attire contrasted greatly with the white icy walls of the building as Aang rounded a corner and spotted a little black cat along with a pile of red clothes.
Ever since the world became peaceful people had started wearing more colors outside of their respective nation's identifying colors. However, such clothes were still rare and used mainly for special occasions when people wanted to stand out. On a daily basis, they wore their usual native colors, different shades of blue and a little white with the less common black and gray here and there in the case of the inhabitants of the North Pole. That and the fact that Aang had seen clothing suspiciously similar to those now on the floor being worn by the suspiciously absent Zuko not too long ago, made the avatar come to a conclusion.
"I know what's going on around here," Aang stepped forward, much to Zuko's relief and picked him up off the cold floor, struggling to pile up all the clothing and carry them in a big bundle in one arm, holding the cat with the other.
"Meow, meow, meow!" 'Aang, I knew I could count on you!' For one blissful moment Zuko thought he was saved, Aang probably had Avatar spiritual powers or something that allowed him to recognize all living creatures for what they really were.
"No doubt about it, Zuko must be seeking one last extreme thrill before getting married, he's going to dive from the tallest waterfall naked." Aang theorized. "Who am I to stop him, it was what that guy did last week did and he survived... after the healers got him out of the water... I mean sure his girl dumped him, but at least he made his feelings for her clear. I should at least take his clothes to Zuko."
Zuko's jaw dropped as Aang carried him off in cat form, along with the pile of clothes, occasionally adjusting his grip on the massive amount of crimson fabric so he wouldn't drop anything, though he did end up dropping a boot several times, and went back to pick it up, only to drop the other.
xoxox xox xoxox
Slowly but surely and with some difficulty, Aang made it to the waterfall where he expected to find Zuko, but the place was rather quiet and peaceful, devoid of any news of calamities or birthday suited princes. There was however one person there, a young girl building a snowman with the outmost care, smiling at it and patting the snow gently. Her blue eyes shone with appreciation and Aang wondered if she was pretending the snowman was her beloved. Then the girl gathered a good portion of water from the river near by, on which the tallest waterfall fell and created a rustic sword of ice using it to stab the snowman repeatedly with such force her hood slipped off her head and her dark blond locks blew in the breeze and momentum.
Aang jumped back in shock, a little startled squeak escaping his throat. The girl noticed his presence and her murderous look was replaced by a sweet one, "hi Avatar Aang!" She cheerfully greeted. "What are you doing over here and carrying all those clothes, don't tell me you're here to do laundry."
"Um... no I just..." Aang composed himself, "I was wondering if you've seen another naked guy running around here with plans of jumping off the waterfall?"
"Nope, not since the last one," the girl replied, sounding a little bored. "By the way, you have a really cute kitty, does he have a name?"
"He's not my cat, I found this little guy along with the clothes. Anyway, I really need to find," he decided to keep Zuko's identity a secret, "my friend and return these," Aang set out on his search again, but the girl rushed to stand in front of him.
"Wait!" She exclaimed suddenly excited, "can I hold your kitty?"
Zuko shook his head frantically, but Aang replied, "I suppose so, in fact, you can keep this little one until the owner turns up."
The girl tried to take Zuko from Aang, but the cat prince sunk his little claws into Aang's arm, causing the Avatar to yelp in pain. Pull as she might, the girl could not detach the cat, but did succeed in causing the orange sleeve of Aang's coat to become a little torn. "I guess he's a too attached to you. Well good luck finding the weirdo you're looking for." The girl then went back to her previous task of building snowmen and massacring them.
xoxox xox xoxox
After they were at a distance that Zuko deemed as safe, he loosened his grip and breathed deeply. Aang returned to his room and put away Zuko's clothing for safe keeping until the fire prince came to reclaim them. He then set the cat down on the bed and laid down himself, having forgiven the little fellow for his clingy tantrum already. "I'm really tired kitty, maybe you should take a nap too, I'm sure your owner will come asking for you soon," the Avatar promptly fell asleep.
Zuko shook his head; maybe it was exhaustion that was making Aang think of such silly farfetched ideas as the fire prince doing anything similar to a crazy stunt such as jumping off a freezing waterfall, let along without a thick coat. Zuko looked around the room for a means of communication and spotted a desk with parchment and ink, perfect. Although that was not all he saw, for a glance out the window revealed Appa and Momo near by.
Momo flew into the room by the open window and landed near Zuko, 'who are you?'
Zuko nearly jumped out of his fur, 'you can talk!'
'Of course I can and so can you, I hear. Why are you so surprised?' Momo had never met anyone who so such shocked by simple words. The lemur made himself comfortable on the soft bed, running his paws on the sky blue covers. 'I'm guessing you're a friend of Aang, maybe we should talk after I take a nap.'
'Wait, Momo, don't fall asleep now!' Zuko urged, he had found hope where he least expected it.
The lemur's green eyes opened curiously, he went from laying down to sitting and tilted his head to the side in puzzlement. 'How do you know my name?'
'I know because I'm Zuko,' the little black cat revealed, his golden eyes showed sincerity, but the tale was just too much to be easily believed.
'Hmm...' Momo mused over the possibility, why not? Strange things happened sometimes. Deciding to give the mysterious cat the benefit of the doubt, the lemur took a deep breath, perceiving the scent in the air around Zuko, 'hmm...' He sniffed the cat curiously, as if wanting to confirm beyond a doubt that the scent was indeed what he thought it was.
'What are you doing?' Zuko backed away.
'It is you! I thought your scent was familiar, but I didn't think too much of it because I didn't recognize you. Wait 'til I tell Appa, let's go show him!' Momo became excited, all thoughts of taking a nap instantly forgotten. He grabbed the cat by the fur on his back with his hind legs and flapped his wings to transport the complaining cat out the window away from the deeply slumbering and snoring Avatar.
xoxox xox xoxox
Eruption 53: Feelings
Outside, Appa looked at the being that had been dropped before him by a very excited Momo. The little black cat was certainly easy to see, shivering in the contrasting cold white snow. 'It's Zuko!' Momo announced happy that a novelty had come into his life after the series of dull meetings Aang had been having.
'You're Zuko's friend?' Appa greeted, 'nice to meet you, I'm Appa, what's your name?'
'No, no!' Momo flew around in circles in front of Appa, above the shivering cat. 'He's Zuko as in the Zuko, the real one, just smell him!'
Appa breathed in deeply, creating a breeze which was not welcomed by the already cold Zuko. 'It is you!' The flying bison happily exclaimed, 'I would lick you, but it feels strange to lick another animal, it's different with humans. Just so you know; it's not that I don't like you anymore or anything, I still appreciate you all the same.'
'Thank you, and I would appreciate it if you don't lick me, but I do need a favor to ask," finally, Zuko found his ticket back to Toph. 'I need to go to the South Pole, I know it's far, but I really need to go there so I can find Toph, change back into a human and comfort her and reassure her so she will marry me and we can live happily ever after,' Zuko himself could not believe he just blurted all of that out, but it was indeed his wish and he realized it now more than ever.
'You have a lot to do,' Appa concluded, 'what about Aang? I don't want him to worry if we leave all of a sudden... Wait, let me guess,' Appa looked somewhat amused, 'you can talk to us but you can't talk to humans anymore?'
'You guessed right,' Zuko nodded, 'but I can still leave a note. It's going to be hard writing with these paws but I can do it.'
'I saw some papers and ink on the desk in Aang's room, let's go, let's go!' Momo was clearly itching for adventure. He picked up Zuko in the same way as before and took him to the desk inside Aang's room by the nearby open window.
After landing on the desk, thankful to be able to land on his feet so easily, Zuko observed the documents there. They certainly looked important, but this was an emergency and the documents could be rewritten if needed, plus he was only writing in the back anyway.
After several tries and messy inky paws, not that it was too noticeable in his black fur, Zuko finally managed to write a readable note, signaling to Momo that it was alright to wake Aang.
The Avatar was sleeping soundly on his back, mouth slightly open, when Momo jumped on his stomach and knocked the wind right out of him. Aang woke with a start and sat up, "who? What? Where? When?" He looked at Momo, appeared to be excited and not the least bit sorry to have woken him up. The sleepy Avatar also noticed that the cat was not on the bed, but on the desk where he had left some important document. "Oh no, kitty, what did you do?"
The peace keeper rushed to the desk but stopped cold upon seeing a note written messily in the back of one of the documents. 'Turned into cat, must find Toph, -Zuko'
Aang stared at the cat, "did you wrote this?" The cat nodded. "So you're Zuko?" Aang received another nod for a reply. "Okay... I guess stranger things have happened... Then again, maybe this is the strangest."
Zuko lifted his little paw pointing at the dresser where Aang had stored his coat, then out the window where Appa was looking in. Momo flew over standing at the window as if waiting for Aang and Zuko to follow.
"You'll have to tell me the full story when you're a human again," Aang picked up the little cat, took the clothes and headed off to meet his other two furry companions, making a quick exit by the window.
Outside Momo was already on Appa's saddle, where Aang soon joined him, noticing that it looked like Momo and the feline Zuko were exchanging a few words and it also seemed that Appa understood Zuko's meows, which was convenient in the situation. The Avatar grinned, he would have to ask Appa and Momo all his curiosities on the way, then Zuko could translate the conversation once he was human again.
xoxox xox xoxox
The trip to the South Pole took several days even in a flying bison; it was as far as they could travel from their previous location. When they did arrive, they found that Sokka and Suki were there, looking around all over the snow along with Katara, Toph and several others.
The arrival of Appa was an event that brought all eyes to the Avatar, who greeted Katara and was about to tell the story of what had happened to Zuko when Toph exclaimed, "Zuko?" She sensed Aang carrying a cat, a familiar cat, but Zuko should have been human. She approached, taking the cat from the Avatar who went on in a long speech about true love and how its power made it so that one's appearance did not matter.
"Meow! Meow, meow!" Zuko tried to tell Toph to change him back; he didn't like her worries expression. He then noticed something that worried him more, Toph was not wearing her magical necklace, the black cat shape onyx with golden eyes was no where to be seen. "Meow?"
Toph knew right away Zuko's worried meow must mean he realized what was going on, "I'm sorry, I lost it. That was the last time she went on a drunk gambling spree with Katara's friends in the South Pole, though she did obtain some fine winnings out of it.
It was when she was heading back to Katara's place one night, singing loudly along with a few water tribe girls that Toph dropped the necklace without realizing it and never saw it again. She remembered having it that evening and some witnessed seeing her wearing it when she left, but it was now gone. Though many tried to find the necklace to return it to Toph, with only Katara, Sokka and Suki knowing its true importance, Toph knew it was a wasted effort because she could not sense the necklace anywhere. She concluded that it must have fallen in the water where she couldn't feel it, which made it very difficult to recover it.
"I'm sorry Zuko, it looks like you're stuck until we find the necklace," she hugged the cat, wishing they would find it soon, she didn't know when he changed, but she didn't mean to leave him stuck like that.
"Meow," Zuko had many worries, what if they necklace wasn't found? Would the pixie still be able to help? Furthermore, he had a lot to say but he couldn't say it if Toph didn't understand his words.
Night was falling and a blizzard approached, thus the reunited group headed to Katara and Sokka's house to wait it out with no other choice, though Toph was clearly tempted to go out and search for the necklace, least the blizzard make it even more difficult to find. Katara had suggested going straight to the pixie for help, which was the best choice given their situation, if not for the nagging doubt in the back of their minds wondering it the necklace was somehow vital to undoing the spell.
xoxox xox xoxox
Toph sat in the guestroom with Zuko, the others agreeing to give them some space. "I feel really bad about making you get stuck as a cat and about running off. I just didn't want things to change. It's scary, thinking about all those responsibilities and everything. But you know; it worries me even more thinking that I won't have that. I know I shouldn't think that way, you'll be alright; you'll be human again."
Zuko tried to comfort Toph, however he could, he wasn't angry at he, he was glad things might finally fix themselves. "Meow, meow!"
"I'll try to be optimistic and after this is over, I think I'm ready. I did all the thinking I needed to do during this time," Toph concluded.
xoxox xox xoxox
Eruption 54: Wedding
"Let me in! Let me in! The weather out there is bad!" The voice was small and child-like though it would be unusual for a little girl to be outside when everyone knew a blizzard was coming. Katara opened the door to see a little light fly in, carrying a necklace with some difficulty, it was Toph's necklace.
At the same time as Katara close the door behind the pixie to block out the harsh cold out side, while still not getting over her stunned to silence surprise, Toph emerged from the guest room with the cat in her arms. Everyone was still, their heads tilted in the same direction. "What are you guys staring at? I don't see anything there."
"Meow!" Zuko exclaimed happily.
"It's me!" The pixie announced, flying kept her out of the reach of Toph's vibration sensing abilities, but she could still tell her location when the pixie spoke. "Here you go, you can have this back now." The pixie put the necklace on Toph.
"You took it? I should have known, you are mischievous, very mischievous," Toph pouted.
"But I make a great matchmaker, well, I guess I'll wait out the blizzard here, then head back to the Fire Nation for some tea before I go home to the spirit world. By the way, it's much more peaceful there now that this world is more balance," the little pixie seated herself on the table were Sokka's sea prune stew sat half eaten. "Got any more of that, it smells good." Everyone got over their shock at once, asking a multitude of questions about the unusual shiny little being.
xoxox xox xoxox
"It was fun while it lasted, but I did miss managing the tea shop," Iroh, now back to normal, was serving tea to his guests, Zuko, Toph, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and the mischievous pixie who would go home soon.
"Are you sure you can't bring the necklace back? It would be fun to have something like that?" Toph inquired, the original necklace had been disintegrated for safety by the pixie after Zuko changed back.
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Zuko protested.
"No worries, even without pixie magic I sense that you shall have an adventurous future," she finished her teacup, which was bigger then her, making everyone wonder how she could consume that much liquid. "Well then, I should get going now, thanks for the tea and the fun times!" The pixie faded away among calls of good bye and well wishes, closing over to the spirit world where she belonged.
All those present finished their tea with joyful conversations and plans, with no more doubts in the air, the wedding of Zuko and Toph approached.
xoxox xox xoxox
It was a grand event, much better received than anyone ever thought. The wedding was celebrated in the Fire Nation palace, which was open to the public so they may see their new queen on her wedding day. People poured in from all over the world the Fire Nation had never been so crowded before, but it was such a peaceful and happy occasion that it went without incident despite so many different people being so close.
Leaders, dignitaries and royals from various lands journeyed to the Fire Nation to witness the historical event of the union of the prince with a girl from the Earth Kingdom. It was truly a symbol of peace and hope, a show of how the people of the different nations were no longer enemies as in the past, but part of one world. At that moment, Zuko and Toph, filled with pure bliss, knew they would have their happily ever after, however, as the pixie had predicted, becoming Fire Lord and Lady did not signify the end of their adventures.
End of Volcano II
Disclaimer, I don't own Avatar.
A mischievous pixie became friends with Iroh and caused trouble for Zuko by turning him into a cat, which Toph adopted and named Lucky. Thanks to Iroh they made peace with the pixie and Toph received a magical necklace that allowed her to turn Zuko into a human by saying "I love Zuko" and into a cat by saying "I love Lucky. The pixie transformed Iroh into Zuko so that he may take his nephew's place managing the Fire Nation while the real Zuko went on a romantic get away with Toph.
After visiting her parents Toph began having second thoughts about getting married and ran off to consult Katara in the South Pole. Since she didn't want Zuko to follow her before she sorted things out, she had a friend trick him into thinking she was at the North Pole. Zuko went to the North Pole looking for Toph but Aang told him Katara was taking a break from all the political peace keeping meetings visiting her grandmother at the South Pole.
Zuko set off to begin his travel to the other side of the world, but he only moved a few feet before he was turned into a cat. At the South Pole, a drunken gambling Toph had expressed her love for her lucky dice, something she would not remember the next morning, leaving Zuko stuck as a cat in the other side of the world.
Magma
Eruption 52: Divergence
A terrified meowed echoed in the North Pole as Zuko felt the world become bigger, only to realize he was becoming smaller. He battled with the multitude of clothing and coats in various shades of red. He hated the cold and wore plenty of layers that now suffocated him in his smaller size.
The little black cat peeked out from under the pile of fine clothing, tweaking his ears curiously to the side. He listened for anyone near by, "meow?" He was calling Toph's name but his throat produced no discernable words. As far as he knew, Toph was on the other side of the planet, was this an accident, a malfunction of pixie magic, or mischief from Toph? Zuko could not decide.
He attempted to move dragging his coat along, least he suddenly changed back and didn't have it on hand, but the thick garment was simply too heavy for the little cat. His tiny paws felt numb on the frozen floor. He wasn't freezing to death, he did have a thick shiny black fur coat, but it wasn't enough so he was still quite cold.
"Meow!" Zuko frowned, he wished Toph would appear and change him back, preferably before anyone saw him, but that wish was not granted.
The Avatar himself had heard the distraught meowing and being the protector of the world and all its living creatures, he set out to find the source of the agonized cries. His orange attire contrasted greatly with the white icy walls of the building as Aang rounded a corner and spotted a little black cat along with a pile of red clothes.
Ever since the world became peaceful people had started wearing more colors outside of their respective nation's identifying colors. However, such clothes were still rare and used mainly for special occasions when people wanted to stand out. On a daily basis, they wore their usual native colors, different shades of blue and a little white with the less common black and gray here and there in the case of the inhabitants of the North Pole. That and the fact that Aang had seen clothing suspiciously similar to those now on the floor being worn by the suspiciously absent Zuko not too long ago, made the avatar come to a conclusion.
"I know what's going on around here," Aang stepped forward, much to Zuko's relief and picked him up off the cold floor, struggling to pile up all the clothing and carry them in a big bundle in one arm, holding the cat with the other.
"Meow, meow, meow!" 'Aang, I knew I could count on you!' For one blissful moment Zuko thought he was saved, Aang probably had Avatar spiritual powers or something that allowed him to recognize all living creatures for what they really were.
"No doubt about it, Zuko must be seeking one last extreme thrill before getting married, he's going to dive from the tallest waterfall naked." Aang theorized. "Who am I to stop him, it was what that guy did last week did and he survived... after the healers got him out of the water... I mean sure his girl dumped him, but at least he made his feelings for her clear. I should at least take his clothes to Zuko."
Zuko's jaw dropped as Aang carried him off in cat form, along with the pile of clothes, occasionally adjusting his grip on the massive amount of crimson fabric so he wouldn't drop anything, though he did end up dropping a boot several times, and went back to pick it up, only to drop the other.
xoxox xox xoxox
Slowly but surely and with some difficulty, Aang made it to the waterfall where he expected to find Zuko, but the place was rather quiet and peaceful, devoid of any news of calamities or birthday suited princes. There was however one person there, a young girl building a snowman with the outmost care, smiling at it and patting the snow gently. Her blue eyes shone with appreciation and Aang wondered if she was pretending the snowman was her beloved. Then the girl gathered a good portion of water from the river near by, on which the tallest waterfall fell and created a rustic sword of ice using it to stab the snowman repeatedly with such force her hood slipped off her head and her dark blond locks blew in the breeze and momentum.
Aang jumped back in shock, a little startled squeak escaping his throat. The girl noticed his presence and her murderous look was replaced by a sweet one, "hi Avatar Aang!" She cheerfully greeted. "What are you doing over here and carrying all those clothes, don't tell me you're here to do laundry."
"Um... no I just..." Aang composed himself, "I was wondering if you've seen another naked guy running around here with plans of jumping off the waterfall?"
"Nope, not since the last one," the girl replied, sounding a little bored. "By the way, you have a really cute kitty, does he have a name?"
"He's not my cat, I found this little guy along with the clothes. Anyway, I really need to find," he decided to keep Zuko's identity a secret, "my friend and return these," Aang set out on his search again, but the girl rushed to stand in front of him.
"Wait!" She exclaimed suddenly excited, "can I hold your kitty?"
Zuko shook his head frantically, but Aang replied, "I suppose so, in fact, you can keep this little one until the owner turns up."
The girl tried to take Zuko from Aang, but the cat prince sunk his little claws into Aang's arm, causing the Avatar to yelp in pain. Pull as she might, the girl could not detach the cat, but did succeed in causing the orange sleeve of Aang's coat to become a little torn. "I guess he's a too attached to you. Well good luck finding the weirdo you're looking for." The girl then went back to her previous task of building snowmen and massacring them.
xoxox xox xoxox
After they were at a distance that Zuko deemed as safe, he loosened his grip and breathed deeply. Aang returned to his room and put away Zuko's clothing for safe keeping until the fire prince came to reclaim them. He then set the cat down on the bed and laid down himself, having forgiven the little fellow for his clingy tantrum already. "I'm really tired kitty, maybe you should take a nap too, I'm sure your owner will come asking for you soon," the Avatar promptly fell asleep.
Zuko shook his head; maybe it was exhaustion that was making Aang think of such silly farfetched ideas as the fire prince doing anything similar to a crazy stunt such as jumping off a freezing waterfall, let along without a thick coat. Zuko looked around the room for a means of communication and spotted a desk with parchment and ink, perfect. Although that was not all he saw, for a glance out the window revealed Appa and Momo near by.
Momo flew into the room by the open window and landed near Zuko, 'who are you?'
Zuko nearly jumped out of his fur, 'you can talk!'
'Of course I can and so can you, I hear. Why are you so surprised?' Momo had never met anyone who so such shocked by simple words. The lemur made himself comfortable on the soft bed, running his paws on the sky blue covers. 'I'm guessing you're a friend of Aang, maybe we should talk after I take a nap.'
'Wait, Momo, don't fall asleep now!' Zuko urged, he had found hope where he least expected it.
The lemur's green eyes opened curiously, he went from laying down to sitting and tilted his head to the side in puzzlement. 'How do you know my name?'
'I know because I'm Zuko,' the little black cat revealed, his golden eyes showed sincerity, but the tale was just too much to be easily believed.
'Hmm...' Momo mused over the possibility, why not? Strange things happened sometimes. Deciding to give the mysterious cat the benefit of the doubt, the lemur took a deep breath, perceiving the scent in the air around Zuko, 'hmm...' He sniffed the cat curiously, as if wanting to confirm beyond a doubt that the scent was indeed what he thought it was.
'What are you doing?' Zuko backed away.
'It is you! I thought your scent was familiar, but I didn't think too much of it because I didn't recognize you. Wait 'til I tell Appa, let's go show him!' Momo became excited, all thoughts of taking a nap instantly forgotten. He grabbed the cat by the fur on his back with his hind legs and flapped his wings to transport the complaining cat out the window away from the deeply slumbering and snoring Avatar.
xoxox xox xoxox
Eruption 53: Feelings
Outside, Appa looked at the being that had been dropped before him by a very excited Momo. The little black cat was certainly easy to see, shivering in the contrasting cold white snow. 'It's Zuko!' Momo announced happy that a novelty had come into his life after the series of dull meetings Aang had been having.
'You're Zuko's friend?' Appa greeted, 'nice to meet you, I'm Appa, what's your name?'
'No, no!' Momo flew around in circles in front of Appa, above the shivering cat. 'He's Zuko as in the Zuko, the real one, just smell him!'
Appa breathed in deeply, creating a breeze which was not welcomed by the already cold Zuko. 'It is you!' The flying bison happily exclaimed, 'I would lick you, but it feels strange to lick another animal, it's different with humans. Just so you know; it's not that I don't like you anymore or anything, I still appreciate you all the same.'
'Thank you, and I would appreciate it if you don't lick me, but I do need a favor to ask," finally, Zuko found his ticket back to Toph. 'I need to go to the South Pole, I know it's far, but I really need to go there so I can find Toph, change back into a human and comfort her and reassure her so she will marry me and we can live happily ever after,' Zuko himself could not believe he just blurted all of that out, but it was indeed his wish and he realized it now more than ever.
'You have a lot to do,' Appa concluded, 'what about Aang? I don't want him to worry if we leave all of a sudden... Wait, let me guess,' Appa looked somewhat amused, 'you can talk to us but you can't talk to humans anymore?'
'You guessed right,' Zuko nodded, 'but I can still leave a note. It's going to be hard writing with these paws but I can do it.'
'I saw some papers and ink on the desk in Aang's room, let's go, let's go!' Momo was clearly itching for adventure. He picked up Zuko in the same way as before and took him to the desk inside Aang's room by the nearby open window.
After landing on the desk, thankful to be able to land on his feet so easily, Zuko observed the documents there. They certainly looked important, but this was an emergency and the documents could be rewritten if needed, plus he was only writing in the back anyway.
After several tries and messy inky paws, not that it was too noticeable in his black fur, Zuko finally managed to write a readable note, signaling to Momo that it was alright to wake Aang.
The Avatar was sleeping soundly on his back, mouth slightly open, when Momo jumped on his stomach and knocked the wind right out of him. Aang woke with a start and sat up, "who? What? Where? When?" He looked at Momo, appeared to be excited and not the least bit sorry to have woken him up. The sleepy Avatar also noticed that the cat was not on the bed, but on the desk where he had left some important document. "Oh no, kitty, what did you do?"
The peace keeper rushed to the desk but stopped cold upon seeing a note written messily in the back of one of the documents. 'Turned into cat, must find Toph, -Zuko'
Aang stared at the cat, "did you wrote this?" The cat nodded. "So you're Zuko?" Aang received another nod for a reply. "Okay... I guess stranger things have happened... Then again, maybe this is the strangest."
Zuko lifted his little paw pointing at the dresser where Aang had stored his coat, then out the window where Appa was looking in. Momo flew over standing at the window as if waiting for Aang and Zuko to follow.
"You'll have to tell me the full story when you're a human again," Aang picked up the little cat, took the clothes and headed off to meet his other two furry companions, making a quick exit by the window.
Outside Momo was already on Appa's saddle, where Aang soon joined him, noticing that it looked like Momo and the feline Zuko were exchanging a few words and it also seemed that Appa understood Zuko's meows, which was convenient in the situation. The Avatar grinned, he would have to ask Appa and Momo all his curiosities on the way, then Zuko could translate the conversation once he was human again.
xoxox xox xoxox
The trip to the South Pole took several days even in a flying bison; it was as far as they could travel from their previous location. When they did arrive, they found that Sokka and Suki were there, looking around all over the snow along with Katara, Toph and several others.
The arrival of Appa was an event that brought all eyes to the Avatar, who greeted Katara and was about to tell the story of what had happened to Zuko when Toph exclaimed, "Zuko?" She sensed Aang carrying a cat, a familiar cat, but Zuko should have been human. She approached, taking the cat from the Avatar who went on in a long speech about true love and how its power made it so that one's appearance did not matter.
"Meow! Meow, meow!" Zuko tried to tell Toph to change him back; he didn't like her worries expression. He then noticed something that worried him more, Toph was not wearing her magical necklace, the black cat shape onyx with golden eyes was no where to be seen. "Meow?"
Toph knew right away Zuko's worried meow must mean he realized what was going on, "I'm sorry, I lost it. That was the last time she went on a drunk gambling spree with Katara's friends in the South Pole, though she did obtain some fine winnings out of it.
It was when she was heading back to Katara's place one night, singing loudly along with a few water tribe girls that Toph dropped the necklace without realizing it and never saw it again. She remembered having it that evening and some witnessed seeing her wearing it when she left, but it was now gone. Though many tried to find the necklace to return it to Toph, with only Katara, Sokka and Suki knowing its true importance, Toph knew it was a wasted effort because she could not sense the necklace anywhere. She concluded that it must have fallen in the water where she couldn't feel it, which made it very difficult to recover it.
"I'm sorry Zuko, it looks like you're stuck until we find the necklace," she hugged the cat, wishing they would find it soon, she didn't know when he changed, but she didn't mean to leave him stuck like that.
"Meow," Zuko had many worries, what if they necklace wasn't found? Would the pixie still be able to help? Furthermore, he had a lot to say but he couldn't say it if Toph didn't understand his words.
Night was falling and a blizzard approached, thus the reunited group headed to Katara and Sokka's house to wait it out with no other choice, though Toph was clearly tempted to go out and search for the necklace, least the blizzard make it even more difficult to find. Katara had suggested going straight to the pixie for help, which was the best choice given their situation, if not for the nagging doubt in the back of their minds wondering it the necklace was somehow vital to undoing the spell.
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Toph sat in the guestroom with Zuko, the others agreeing to give them some space. "I feel really bad about making you get stuck as a cat and about running off. I just didn't want things to change. It's scary, thinking about all those responsibilities and everything. But you know; it worries me even more thinking that I won't have that. I know I shouldn't think that way, you'll be alright; you'll be human again."
Zuko tried to comfort Toph, however he could, he wasn't angry at he, he was glad things might finally fix themselves. "Meow, meow!"
"I'll try to be optimistic and after this is over, I think I'm ready. I did all the thinking I needed to do during this time," Toph concluded.
xoxox xox xoxox
Eruption 54: Wedding
"Let me in! Let me in! The weather out there is bad!" The voice was small and child-like though it would be unusual for a little girl to be outside when everyone knew a blizzard was coming. Katara opened the door to see a little light fly in, carrying a necklace with some difficulty, it was Toph's necklace.
At the same time as Katara close the door behind the pixie to block out the harsh cold out side, while still not getting over her stunned to silence surprise, Toph emerged from the guest room with the cat in her arms. Everyone was still, their heads tilted in the same direction. "What are you guys staring at? I don't see anything there."
"Meow!" Zuko exclaimed happily.
"It's me!" The pixie announced, flying kept her out of the reach of Toph's vibration sensing abilities, but she could still tell her location when the pixie spoke. "Here you go, you can have this back now." The pixie put the necklace on Toph.
"You took it? I should have known, you are mischievous, very mischievous," Toph pouted.
"But I make a great matchmaker, well, I guess I'll wait out the blizzard here, then head back to the Fire Nation for some tea before I go home to the spirit world. By the way, it's much more peaceful there now that this world is more balance," the little pixie seated herself on the table were Sokka's sea prune stew sat half eaten. "Got any more of that, it smells good." Everyone got over their shock at once, asking a multitude of questions about the unusual shiny little being.
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"It was fun while it lasted, but I did miss managing the tea shop," Iroh, now back to normal, was serving tea to his guests, Zuko, Toph, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and the mischievous pixie who would go home soon.
"Are you sure you can't bring the necklace back? It would be fun to have something like that?" Toph inquired, the original necklace had been disintegrated for safety by the pixie after Zuko changed back.
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Zuko protested.
"No worries, even without pixie magic I sense that you shall have an adventurous future," she finished her teacup, which was bigger then her, making everyone wonder how she could consume that much liquid. "Well then, I should get going now, thanks for the tea and the fun times!" The pixie faded away among calls of good bye and well wishes, closing over to the spirit world where she belonged.
All those present finished their tea with joyful conversations and plans, with no more doubts in the air, the wedding of Zuko and Toph approached.
xoxox xox xoxox
It was a grand event, much better received than anyone ever thought. The wedding was celebrated in the Fire Nation palace, which was open to the public so they may see their new queen on her wedding day. People poured in from all over the world the Fire Nation had never been so crowded before, but it was such a peaceful and happy occasion that it went without incident despite so many different people being so close.
Leaders, dignitaries and royals from various lands journeyed to the Fire Nation to witness the historical event of the union of the prince with a girl from the Earth Kingdom. It was truly a symbol of peace and hope, a show of how the people of the different nations were no longer enemies as in the past, but part of one world. At that moment, Zuko and Toph, filled with pure bliss, knew they would have their happily ever after, however, as the pixie had predicted, becoming Fire Lord and Lady did not signify the end of their adventures.
End of Volcano II
Disclaimer, I don't own Avatar.
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