Chapter Text
Cold wind filled his aching lungs.
Ice left his lips on every shaky breath.
Zuko's heart drummed a panicked chorus in the frigid night. The air tore at his skin, digging it's icy claws into his face as he pushed his muscles to their limits. Blood thundered, pumping relentlessly in his veins. Each footstep felt like he was racing closer to his early grave, yet he could not stop. He could not refrain from this maddening pace or else death itself will catch him.
He pushed on, forcing his body to its limits as it screamed in agonizing protest. He could not hear the heavy tread of prints pelting the earth behind him. The ghostly spasm of muscles in his back was the only knowledge he had to go by that his pursuers were hot on his tail. He did not look behind himself. Only the waterfall roar of blood in his ears and his own frantic breaths filled the air around him. The bitter cold parched his throat and choked his aching lungs further. Swallowing did little to salvage it.
'Just a little further!' Zuko told himself because it's the only thing he could do now. 'Just a little more.'
He had no goal in sight. He had no set line or boundary of safety ahead. Only a reminder that if he stopped now, he was as good as dead. If he paused to catch his breath, if he changed direction, if he so much as looked back over his shoulder, it would be the end. He could only look forward, staring into the endless darkness of the night and the fresh, pristine snowfall that taunted him with it's wide open range. It betrayed him, printing every frightened step he laid like a signal flag to his pursuers.
He wasn't safe.
Nowhere was safe.
No one was coming to save him.
All he could do was keep running and not look back. The sparse trees that broke up the terrain offered little protection. Their skeletal branches reached out at him, tugging at his snow damp armor in passing like the deathly hands of the long dead. His sash tangled around one branch, whipping him back with the force as the knotted icy end got caught in the forked branches. Zuko hit the snow hard as his momentum snapped back. The branch cracked but failed to give completely, still frozen deep in the icy earth and reluctant to abide by his whims. The thunderous stampede of his pursuers quickly closed in.
Numb clumsy fingers tried to free himself from the snag but it was hopeless. He drew his knife to cut the sash, sheering away the crimson cloth from its anchor point. His armor loosened in places, freeing itself to the cold bite of the bitter wind as it crept up along his body. Zuko threw himself forward as he scrambled across the snow on his hands and knees. His aching legs refused to give him the strength to rise back up. His boots slipped in the snow, fruitless in their task. He taxed his body beyond its limits.
His pursuers approached as if riding a winter gale. The cold wind scorched his exposed skin with its crisp bite. It wracked Zuko's body in shivers he could not smother. The sweat that soaked him beneath his armor had started to cool. He felt winded and damp right down to his very bones.
Several riders loomed before him, the beasts they mounted were like nothing Zuko had ever seen before. Four large antlered beasts trailed behind the lead rider, who's mount was even more bizarre than his companions. A white furred humped thing with a long neck that snorted at him. The creature bellowed out its displeasure while large dark eyes bore into him with disdain. The rider upon its back was just as formidable as his beast at first glance. Snow battered fur, windswept cloaks billowing out around their large striking figures. Their eyes- every riders' eyes glowed with an eerie inhuman light.
The more prominent rider did not budge from his position as he silently inspected Zuko where he was knelt.
The large warrior at his side was the first to speak up. They spoke in a language Zuko had never heard before. It wasn't Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom common, or even High Earth Kingdom which was more commonly spoken in Ba Sing Se. This sounded guttural and ancient. It rumbled in their chests as the second warrior dismounted his antlered beast- stag- thing . He approached Zuko, towering over the young soldier like a massive bear as he sniffed the air around them. The hood of this man's cloak had slid back to reveal his face to the night air. His head was shaved short along the sides with a singular strip going from front to back, wrangled up into what looked like an intricately braided ponytail with blue beading woven through it. He showed no acknowledgement towards the rustling wind that danced through the trees racking their barren branches together in an eerie song.
Shivers rolled through Zuko's body in waves. The warrior inspected him, kneeling closer to Zuko to study his face carefully. The soldier met those glowing eyes as they shined their ethereal light back at Zuko and felt something inside himself give like a branch finally breaking under an immense strain. His body felt like it was sinking into the snow. A blink and then there was an arm around him. The rider scooped him up with ease and carried him back to its large antlered mount. The wind swept cloak was wrapped around Zuko's limp motionless body as he was cradled firmly against the warrior's chest. The group chattered in their distinctly bizarre language, going back and forth as they turned back towards the direction they had come from. The rider that held him flashed a sharp toothed predatory smile down at him. Zuko felt helpless to do anything in retaliation as his body threw in the proverbial towel.
'I'm going to die.' He wanted to scream but no sound could form in his frost nipped throat. He could barely keep his eyes open as the steady pace of the animals raced back in the direction they had all come. Snowflakes clung to his lashes as the fierce shivering started to subside. Every inch of him felt so terribly numb and just as tired. The occasional growl would rumble from the rider's chest, vibrating through Zuko's back where he was tucked, but it meant nothing to the soldier.
Warm.
It was warm and Zuko hurt all over.
His limbs felt almost too heavy to move, as if they were weighed down by some great pressure. Sluggishly, his eyes opened.
'Where-' His confusion scrunched his eyebrows up as he squinted against the warm amber light that filled the room. The back of his skull throbbed. 'ooow my head.'
A groan left his parched throat. It was replaced by a stuttering achy cough. It scraped at his lungs as he hacked to get some leverage against it. The throbbing in his head worsened as Zuko squirmed and rolled over to bury his face into the soft material cradling his body. It was warm and cozy, like a large pelt spread beneath him. It tickled at his whole body, caressing his back, hips and thighs with its warmth. He snuggled into it as his body sank into the thick fluffy pelt, his face pressed against the warm curve where it seemed to be draped over something soft and squishy. At first he assumed it was a pillow of some sort until he situated his head so his cheek was pressed against it.
His eyes flew open when he heard the loud steady thump of what sounded like a heartbeat. The pillow rose a little under his head, a scratchy sound rustled further up from where he was resting. Freezing in place, the soldier hesitantly lifted his head to crane his neck up and see where exactly the sound was coming from. Hot breath tickled his brow as his eyes fell on the wolfish maw of a large beast. The shiny black nose and long doglike whiskers nosed against the side of his head. The elongated snout led up to the black furred face of the dozing beast, with its large pointed ears drooped lazily where its head rested against the actual pillows of the massive bed they were lying in. It was unlike anything Zuko had ever seen before, sprawled across the mattress like any human would in the comforts of their own bedroom. One large clawed paw was resting close to his exposed hip.
It was then, as the soldier surveyed his surroundings more clearly, shaking the grogginess from his vision as he went, that he realized both he and this creature were in the nude. The only possible fabric that could have concealed their modesty was a large woven blanket that appeared to have fallen off of them and bunched up around the creature's knees from Zuko's earlier squirming.
The beast inhaled deeply, its chest rose suddenly filling with its great breath then it exhaled. Zuko stared, golden eyes wide with alarm when its head shifted, the large ears twitched then perked up before a pair of the deepest most mesmerizing blue eyes opened to stare back at him. He felt his gut tighten with fear and anticipation. The beast's mouth was most likely full of large sharp teeth and was a hair's breadth away from Zuko's face. It would only take seconds for it to reach his throat and end his life if it so pleases.
He couldn't hide the fluttering fear that drummed up a panicked beat in his chest, mimicking the melody of terror that danced through his veins when he fled the mysterious riders. Had they thrown him to some pet monster?
Zuko couldn't move. He was frozen in place as the wolfish beast gazed at him, its eyes alight with intrigue. It raised its paw as a single claw brushed along his cheek. The fuzzy knuckle was careful in its tender touch so as not to drag the nail against his sensitive skin. It lowered along his jaw to catch Zuko's chin and gently lift it up. The wolf monster's nose pressed against his neck as it inhaled deeply, sniffing along his throat and the nape of his neck as if searching for something. The wolf made no auditory sound, only the little whisper of air from its cold wet nose as he was carefully inspected. A warmer wet tongue licked along his neck after a moment.
A frightened whine squeaked out of Zuko's throat when he felt the scrape of its sharp teeth so close to his airway. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to Agni that it won't eat him.
The wolf drew its nose away a heartbeat later. Zuko dared to peek out at the beast and found those inquisitive eyes staring back at him, bright and vibrant with that seemingly otherworldly glow about them. As if moonlight shone through sheet ice, it was phenomenal and breathtaking. There was a mane of long hair tangled up into delicate braids that bore a similar style and beading to the rider that Zuko vaguely recalled being picked up by. It was woven through the beast's fur with care. Perhaps that rider was this creature's owner of sorts.
Their stare down didn't last long as the wolfish monstrosity shifted its weight, causing Zuko to slide off of its chest where he had been snuggled up to it. He slid a little ways down the beast's chest so he was almost straddling its broad waist. It posted its elbows on either side of its body to sit upright, jostling Zuko forward as its knees pushed him back up, startling him as he tried to shift and steady his own weight. It all happened in an instant, far faster than the soldier could comprehend. As if his eyes had been forced to look away from the furry body that was stretched beneath him. One moment it was there then the next, it was not. Black muscular furry legs were replaced by dark skin and winter padding.
The low rumble from deep in the beast's chest changed into a guttural cry that jerked Zuko in place with the surprise of it all. He whipped his head up in time to realize his mistake. The behemoth sized wolf creature became a very large, very familiar man. But with that shift in size came one little flaw. Where much of Zuko's weight had been kneeling on the beast previously as he straddled its thighs, was now the exact place he had one knee resting with the full weight bearing down on the stranger's unprotected groin. Strong hands grabbed him with an inhuman strength as Zuko was hoisted off the man's naked lap and dropped unceremoniously on the open space of bed at his side. The stranger rolled over with a sharp intake of breath, turning his back on the soldier as he covered his wounded bits.
Zuko winced in sympathy for the stranger, but those feelings were brief as he opted for the opening this moment presented. He searched the large spacious room of what looked like a hut of some kind, for his clothes or a weapon he could use to defend himself against the monster. Vaulting off the edge of the bed, he spied his packs strung up around the mantle across the room where a fireplace burned hot enough to dry his soaked garments and warm the rest of the room with a comfortable heat. Staring up at how all of his belongings were hung high above his head where he'd need a stool or a step ladder to reach, he grumbled in frustration at his newest obstacle. His thoughts raced to find a solution, but unfortunately they weren't fast enough as a large hand fell upon Zuko's shoulder.
He jolted at the startling touch and turned quickly to face the- the- he didn't even know what exactly this man or beast thing was! Wide golden eyes searched his pursuer for a warning sign of danger, but the man was dressed now in a furry sort of underwear looking garment. The front was bulging with a large fluffy patch of animal skin going down the center. There was a bone choker fixed around his throat that reminded Zuko of a sort of fancy collar with its delicately carved links interconnected all the way around. The man either didn't have the time or inclination to cover himself with anything else before approaching the soldier. He shared no clear intent to harm him. His strange eyes were transfixed on the smaller man with quiet consideration before his strong hands settled upon Zuko's back to half coax, half drag him towards the bed. The man spoke but the language was still confusing and unfamiliar as he pointed at the spot for Zuko to rest on.
The soldier obliged. It took all of his years of self discipline to keep his creeping panic from crying out as the stranger loomed over his tiny figure. The man had lost a good third of his previous height, shrinking down to a less monstrous height that was maybe only a little bit taller than Zuko's own father. It was still a formidable difference as Zuko bore the brunt of Uncle Iroh's unfortunate hidden genetics. Whatever side of their bloodline that made Uncle so short compared to the rest of the men in the royal family had found its way to Zuko as well. Not even Lu Ten was as small as Zuko unfairly ended up being. He was at least lucky enough to be taller than uncle but that wasn't a great feat when Azula topped him by several centimeters and continued to lord that knowledge over him since he was a teenager.
The man held his hands up as if to placate Zuko. He gestured towards a table near the fireplace where several vials and bowls were laid out then returned his attention to the soldier. Zuko didn't understand what the man was trying to say but he held his position. Seemingly satisfied with his compliance, the stranger quickly rushed to the table to rummage through the items, giving each bowl a quick sniff until he appeared to find what he was looking for. He didn't linger long before darting back over to where Zuko sat, baffled by all of this as the stranger set the bowl on the mattress then knelt before the soldier.
"What are you doing?" He asked in his native tongue, knowing well it probably meant nothing to this man. It came out uncomfortably raspy as his throat protested its use. The man inspected Zuko over, instilling that brief moment of shyness that crept back over the soldier with the distinct lack of modesty. He used his hands to cover himself as he waited for the stranger to make his move. To Zuko's bewilderment, the warrior's attention settled on his arms as he took the soldier by the wrist, drawing one of Zuko's hands away just far enough to expose the irritated redness of his inner arm. His hands were dry and cracked along the knuckles and his skin was chafed and raw in places all along his arms. This appeared to be what the man was looking for as he dipped two fingers into the oily substance of the wooden bowl, and began to apply it to his skin.
It was pungent and greasy feeling but cool for his inflamed skin as the warrior massaged the salve-like substance into the weather affected areas. He didn't stop with Zuko's arms. He took the utmost care to spread the oily medicine along the chafed and swollen welts on his calves from running in his boots with wet clothes. His heels, the top of his feet, his ankle joints, the curve of his calves, the backs of his knees. The stranger was thorough in treating all these places that ached and itched from the dampness of his garments and the bitter cold he endured. When he reached Zuko's thighs, that's when things got awkward. The stranger obviously lacked any sense of boundary in this situation as he offered a hand to treat the marks on his upper thighs and hips where his belt straps had left their own bitter bite in his pale skin.
Zuko shoved the man's hand away when he reached out to treat the injured area. A low growl rumbled in his throat, appearing conflicted now by the sudden refusal. The soldier grabbed the bowl by his side and patted his own chest before pointing at the salve inside the vessel.
"I'll do it myself." He insisted. "Me."
The man's head tilted to the side, confused. Zuko repeated the declaration in High Earth Kingdom. It still held the same bewildered reaction. Quickly, he flipped through his resume of languages and tried the Omashu variation of common Earth Kingdom. Since that was the last place he had been in the vicinity of before the riders began their pursuit.
"I can do it." Zuko clarified slowly. "Please."
The stranger's head perked up as his eyes sharpened with recognition. He bobbed his head in agreement and backed up from his kneeling position to give Zuko a little more space to address the remaining area himself. To the soldier's surprise, the man even turned around to fix his attention on feeding more wood into the fire. As Zuko spread the salve along the inflamed skin where his thigh met his groin, he probed lightly at the space as he inspected the bruising there. It was tender and sore, most likely from his heavy scouting equipment and the tight leather straps biting into his leg. Wet clothes and extensive running weren't necessarily the best combination, and throw in a freak mountain snow storm on top of that and-
And-
That didn't make sense.
Zuko set the bowl aside when he finished tending to the last of his wounds. He inspected the dried skin on his knuckles and could have sworn he had the early signs of frostbite on his fingers while he was running through that field. He could feel it in his face and his exposed neck. The way the wind burned at his flesh until it was completely numb to any and all sensation. He should have severe frostbite and…..and hypothermia. From the looks of it, one had led to him naked cuddling a furry monster in its giant bed for warmth but the rest?
The fact that there was even such a thing as a giant furry monster that could look like a man too?! He had to be going insane. He took a knock to the head or- or that cave collapse outside of Omashu had some toxic fumes deep in the tunnels and he had walked right into them and now he was probably hallucinating or unconscious and having a wild coma dream that he'll eventually die in.
Giant furry monsters that look and sound like people don't exist! They just don't. They're spirit tales told by drunks and are meant to make children behave.
Zuko buried his face into his palms as he swallowed back a scream of frustration. Nothing made sense. Nothing at all made sense about this whole wild situation. He should be in Omashu right now helping repair and reconstruct some damaged bridges with the rest of his unit. But he was here, in a snowstorm that really shouldn't be happening for another two months, facing-
Facing what, he didn't even know what to call this stranger- monster thing that saved him? Imprisoned him? He was getting so many mixed signals from this whole situation.
He just needed to-
"Are you alright?" The voice was deep, growly and terrifying at first as Zuko jolted on the bed as his head snapped up to search for the source of those words. It was Omashu common tongue. The strange rider stooped down before him to get on Zuko's eye level as he studied the soldier with concern. His words were stiff, growled out between his lips like he was trying to form entirely new sounds. "You smell distressed."
He choked on his words as the sound that came instead became closer to a snort than anything coherent at all. Zuko tried again to sound like a reasonable human being, but the fact of the matter was that he was very much distressed and he didn't need a wolf creature to point that out.
"I'm just trying to figure out how I got here." He carefully enunciated every word. Less for the stranger's sake and more for his own.
"Oh." The stranger scratched his brow in thought. "We found you lost in the snow."
"Not-" Zuko tried to correct, pausing, struggling to find the right words to do so without sounding like a dick to this large beast man that could most likely eat him in four bites and not even blink on the matter. He took a deep calming breath before continuing. "Not here as in this room with you. I meant here as in-" He struggled once more.
"This world." The man filled in the blank with a knowing look. "I'm not sure but my Gran Gran might know the answers you seek. There was an old story about one of your kind coming here before."
"My kind?" Zuko blanched.
"A human." The stranger seemed to wrinkle his nose with the word. He flashed a pleased smile as he continued. "You're like a lost little kitten."
Zuko wasn't impressed with that comparison.
"It's rare that a human comes to our world." The stranger explained. The more he spoke, the more his words seemed to find their pace away from the aggressive sounds of his native language. The man's eyes flashed with a spark of delight as he spoke with more enthusiasm that rumbled from his chest. "I am Sokka, son of Chief Hakoda."
The soldier was a little taken aback by the sudden introduction, but was grateful for something to call the odd monstrous man by. "Oh uh- Zuko. I'm…..Zuko." He didn't feel the need to bring his tired old title into the mix. It really wouldn't matter in a place like this.
The wolf extended a hand towards Zuko, to which he dumbly stared at it. Sokka coaxed his hand into mirroring the motion as they clasped arms together. "This is how we greet each other in my pack."
"Pack?" He wasn't very enthusiastic about that word.
"Yes." The wolf purred. "My pack."
'You mean to tell me there's more of you?!' The soldier choked back his alarm and replaced it with a strained, silent smile.