Chapter Text
Jee is sure that later, when he has time to process what is currently happening , he would still never quite understand how things had progressed to this point.
“ Not too close. Not too close.”
“AHHH! IT ALMOST TOOK MY ARM OFF!”
“Stop yelling! You'll make it angrier, you idiot!”
And yet here he was.
“ Wave the meat at it again Jin. Hurry.”
“It’s not going for the damn meat. Haku.”
“Well try using your arm again. It seemed to like that.”
“Oh, Fuck you-”
It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission. Why had it not been a simple scouting mission?
The ground rumbles threateningly. All conversation ceases as the Sabre Tooth Moose Lion rises from its tense crouch, kicking up dust and pebbles as it stomps angrily It’s beady black eyes glare at the assembled group menacingly. It bears its teeth, a low snarl rising deep from its throat…
Jin drops the slab of meat and he, Haku and the handful of other crewmates huddled a bit further back, scramble to put some space between them and the Moose Lion.
Some of them trip. Some of them trip over each other.
Jee barely resists the urge to bury his face into his hands.
Agni, they were making complete fools of themselves.
In hindsight, he really couldn’t blame them, neither the crew nor Jee were adequately prepared to deal with such an….. unprecedented situation.
But the world works in mysterious ways when you follow a banished Prince chasing after a spirit tale.
Satisfied with the distance, the great hulking beast lowers back into her defensive crouch, careful not to crush the unconscious Prince she so fiercely guarded. The very same Prince they’d been trying to retrieve for the last hour.
And throughout it all, the Prince slept on, completely unaware of his precarious predicament.
That in itself was more worrying. It had been a good while since the Prince was knocked out and the cut on his head was still bleeding sluggishly. They needed to retrieve him so they could treat his head injury before it got worse.
Jee turns to the huddled group of trembling sailors who’d taken solace behind him.
“What are you doing!? Get back in there and retrieve your Prince!”
“Sir!” Jin squeaks, “ That thing almost took my arm off!”
Don't get angry, Jee. Be comforting. It improves morale.
“No it didn't,” Jee snaps, “ That was a warning nip at best. If it really wanted your arm, you wouldn’t have it anymore!”
Considering the fact that Jin’s face goes 4 shades paler, Jee would hazard that that fact wasn’t very comforting at all.
Coward. His men were a bunch of cowards.General Iroh could never know what happened here. They’d never live down the shame.
“Stop sniveling boy! So what if it takes your arm. Are you not a loyal citizen of the Fire Nation! It is your duty, your privilege, to risk life and limb for the Royal Family!”
“But it’s scary!” Haku wails. The man looks as if he would actually start crying.
Indeed, the beast was scary with her razor sharp tusks and colossal paws. She had yet to grow to her full size, but that just made her even more lethal. There was nothing more dangerous than an adolescent Sabre Tooth Moose Lion.
Still, Jee wasn’t moved, mainly because there was indeed reason to fear for their lives, but it was not because of the Beast before them.
“I can guarantee you that there are far scarier things than a temperamental Moose Lion, mainly an elderly General that was once the Dragon of the West.” Jee feels a very grim satisfaction at the way the men pale. Good. They should be afraid. Jee sure as hell was. “ Do any of you fancy explaining to General Iroh why we allowed his nephew to be ensnared by a vicious beast?”
“No sir.” the men say, suddenly looking a lot more motivated.
That was good. If they could just get the Prince they could probably salvage this situation. Explain away his injury as something else and make sure that General Iroh never knew what happened-
“Well, that is indeed good to hear, for I assure you that no explanation you could give me would be satisfactory.”
Jee doesn’t scream, because he’s better than that. His men, unfortunately, are not.
“GENERAL IROH!?” Jee wants to cry, did they have to sound so pathetically shrill?
General Iroh’s answering smile is all teeth.
“Yes, General Iroh.”
Angi preserve him, Jee would hazard he’d just lost a good ten years off his life at the General's tone alone.
“General Iroh,” Jee was not shaking, he was not! “ Sir, I thought you were going to wait on the ship.”
General Iroh regards him coolly and Jee loses an additional 5 years.
“ I was. But then I heard the sounds of a rockslide and I grew worried. It is indeed fortunate that I chose to track you down.” General Iroh surveys the scene with a solemn gaze. “Yes, a good thing indeed, because not only did you not send someone to inform me, immediately, that my nephew was in danger, but from what I just heard it also sounded like I would have never known about this incident otherwise. I would hope that you weren’t intending to lie to me about what happened here, Lt. Jee.”
“O-o-o-o-of course not sir.”
“Truly? Well in that case, would you care to tell me why my bloody and unconscious nephew is being held hostage by a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion or am I just to infer that your guardianship abilities are so horrendous you could allow such an unbelievable oversight to occur?”
Sweet Agni, Jee was going to die. He was going to die either by shame or Dragonfire. And he’d deserve it. He was a failure, a disgrace….
“Now, would be an appropriate time to tell me, Lieutenant.” Jee can't hold back a flinch at that.
“Well sir, let me assure you that the Prince currently isn’t in any danger.”
General Iroh raises a brow at that, and Jee sees his life flash before his eyes.
“I’m curious to know what you define as danger , Lt. Jee.”
“I understand your scepticism but, it’s really not what you think, sir.”
“Oh? What is it then?” Jee swallows. He throws a quick look at his useless crew before turning back to the General’s feet because looking him in the eye was currently impossible.
“It’s like this-”
000000000000000000000
“Hurry up!” Prince Zuko snapped for what was surely the 100th time. Jee barely resists snapping back at the little brat, the tremulous task of not slipping down the narrow mountain path doing much to hold his tongue. The mountain rumbles ominously with each step they take, fine tremors shaking the small foundation beneath their feet.
Jee bits back a curse as he loses his footing once again. He barely managed to snag hold of a tree branch, saving himself from a rather nasty tumble. Behind him, he hears a few of the men in their tiny search party grumble mutinously.
He can't blame them. The Prince had been absolutely unbearable( well, more so than usual) since he’d gotten a tip at the last outpost that could lead him to a spot the Avatar was said to have frequented. He’d damn broken the engine in his rush to get to the tiny Island, and had hopped off the boat before they had the chance to even properly dock, yelling for the entire crew to comb the Island.
It had only been the timely interference of General Iroh that had halted the Princes’ frenzied charge.
“A search party seems more prudent.” The General had said, because he was old and wise and should really be leading them instead. “Less of a waste of time and resources, wouldn’t you agree, my nephew?”
And thus the Prince had assembled a small group of men, which included Jee because the Spirits hated him, to map out a course for more in-depth exploration.
Which landed them on this damn mountain covered in rocks and misery.
Another tremor shakes the mountain, dislodging a few rocks. Jee hears Haku yelp behind him, followed by the sound of rocks crumbling and decides enough is enough. They need to get off this damn mountain.
“My Prince, perhaps we should -” But the Prince shushes him with a harsh hand wave.
“Shut up!” He hissed and Jee’s hackles raised. Disrespectful little-
However, before Jee could finish puffing up in anger, Prince Zuko pointed down towards an adjacent path.
“Look.” Jee begrudgingly followed his hand and felt his stomach drop.
Further down the path, was a raging Sabre Tooth Moose Lion. Jee’s brain temporarily forgets how to work as he takes in the beast’s giant frame and razor sharp tusks gleaming in the sunlight. There are a few things that the Earth Kingdom has to offer that can truly frighten him, and one of those things were Sabre Tooth Moose Lions. Extremely Dangerous and highly temperamental, Jee had heard horror stories about the beasts from some of his friends from the colonies. He would sooner take on a battalion of Earth Kingdom soldiers than wrestle with a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion.
His palms were already heating when he saw that the beast had not noticed them. In fact, Jee would doubt it would notice anything , what with it’s attention being solely focused on the giant boulder pinning its paw to ground. Jee watches as the beast struggles against the weight , it’s struggles growing more and more frantic as it slams it body against the cliffside..
At least he knew what the source of the tremors were.
“We should double back.Now.”
“Wait! “ Jee turned back and saw that the Prince was staring at him in outraged disbelief. “We can't leave it.”
“Wha- yes we can.”
“But it’s trapped!”
Jee failed to see why the Prince phrased that as if it was a bad thing. “Well, that’s good for us then. Less chance of getting maimed. Now, let's double back and get as far away from that beast as physically possible.”
“I’m not leaving it there.” Prince Zuko growled and the only thing that stops Jee from strangling the boy is the fact that assaulting Royalty is a crime worthy of imprisonment.
“Prince Zuko,” Jee said slowly, calmly, “ that is not a badgerfox kit with its paw stuck in a snare trap. It is a vicious monster that can snap your spine with a single click of its jaws. You ARE NOT going to get near it. We ARE going to double back, and you WILL return to the ship UNMAIMED.”
Prince Zuko’s looks like he’s rearing up for an epic tantrum, one Jee is ready to smack down, but any retort he can give is cut off as the Moose Lion lets out a thunderous roar. Heart thumping, Jee whips around to where the Moose Lion is still attempting to dislodge it’s foot. The beast has apparently grown desperate and is thrashing wildly, it’s great hulking mass slamming into the side of the mountain. The mountain lets lose a very ominous rumble, followed by a terrifying crack.
Jee has about five seconds to register why that is not a good thing, before his hands find Prince Zuko’s wrist. The boy lets out an indignant squawk as Jee slams him against the cliffside, before pressing his own body as close to the side as he can.
“PRESS AS CLOSE TO CLIFFSIDE AS YOU CAN!” he yelled at the rest of the party, “NOW!”
Another slam against the mountain, a louder rumble and suddenly an avalanche of rocks are raining down the mountainside.
‘I don't get paid enough for this.’ Is Jee's only thought as rocks the size of small houses fell mere inches in front of him. He can barely hear his own heart beat or the panicked yells of his men of the thunderous crash of rocks against earth.
“Oh no!” If Jee wasn’t so familiar with his Prince’s voice, he might've thought that horrified whisper came from someone else. He feels an unhealthy amount of vindication at the Prince’s fear.
‘Yes, this is what happens when you charge in head first, you little brat!’
But when he looks over at Prince Zuko he sees that the boy isn’t looking at the rocks. No, he’s looking at the Moose Lion! The Beast's furious roars have been replaced by loud high pitched yelps of fear and Jee would almost feel sorry for it… if it hadn't caused the avalanche in the first place.
Jee is more concerned with the safety and survival of his Prince and crew, which is why he has a miniature heart attack when Prince Zuko suddenly surges forward. Jee just barely manages to snatch onto his arm, pinning the suicidal idiot in place.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
“It’s stuck!” The Prince yelled back, fighting against Jee’s ironclad hold on his arm. ”We have to help it! It’ll be killed!”
What in Agni’s name was this child on!? “ You’ll be killed! Stay put-”
But the Prince is done listening. Before Jee even has a chance to register what is happening, the Prince breaks out of his hold and barrels down the mountain path at top speed, weaving through the rockslide. Jee curses viciously and presses back into the path’s wall unable to do anything else.
The Moose Lion roars as it spots Zuko approaching, it tusks flashing menacingly, but the Prince pays it no mind. He nimbly dodges a tumbling boulder, and without even pausing to think, brings his leg down in a mighty kick, effectively breaking the large rock trapping it’s paw into tiny pieces.
“Holy shit .” Jee hears Jin whispers. Jee would echo the sentiment, if he wasn’t worried out of his mind.
“Prince Zuko!” Jee can barely hear himself over the rumbling. “ TAKE COVER!”
But his warning has the opposite effect. Distracted by his yell, Prince Zuko, who’d been focusing on dodging boulders now that the beast was freed, abruptly loses his concentration and takes a well sized rock to the temple. Jee can only watch in horror as the Prince goes down, hard.
“PRINCE ZUKO!” Jee is dimly aware of the rest of the men letting out loud dismayed exclamations, but he barely registers it. All he could see was his Prince, lying motionless on the ground, helpless in the middle of a rock avalanche and at the mercy of a vicious beast.
TIme loses its meaning. The rocks are not letting up and Jee can not get to his Prince and the men are still screaming, and the mountain is still shaking and the beast is looming over Prince Zuko and the boy is no longer on the ground but clutched between lethal jaws and the beast is running, dodging the rocks and disappearing through the trees and Jee could only blink at the retreating beast, his body immobilized by horrified disbelief.
When Jee comes back to himself, the mountain is once again calm, the Prince is still gone and Jin is pulling at his arm, his face a mask of panic.
“Sir, the Prince was taken by that Beast!”
“WHAT DO WE DO!?”
“DO MOOSE LIONS EAT HUMANS?”
“OH SHIT! WHO'S GOING TO TELL THE GENERAL!?”
“NOT ME!”
“SILENCE!”
The men instantly quiet under Jee’s fierce glare.
“Panicking is not going to get the Prince back. Moose Lions usually take their prey back to their den. If we want to save him we need to move NOW. Pull yourselves together and follow me.”
It is not hard to track the beast, thanks to its huge footprints. As they follow the trail, Jee internally fumes, torn between worry and rage. They're gonna track down the Moose Lion, retrieve their Prince and when they got back to the ship he was going to tear that IDIOT CHILD a new one, Prince or not!
--------
Jee doesn’t know what he expects when they finally arrive at the Moose Lion den. Part of him thinks (hopes) the prince has regained consciousness and found a way to escape. Another part of him is terrified that he’ll find the Prince, but he won't find him alive.
“Sir,” Haku’s low whisper breaks Jee out of his morbid thoughts. “Look.”
Jee follows the other finger and nearly jumps as he spots the Moose Lion, pacing in front of its den, and just beyond its massive frame, pale and unmoving, is…..
“Prince Zuko!”
Unfortunately, Jee severely underestimates the Beast’s hearing. He barely refrains from squeaking in fear alongside his men as the Moose Lion’s head swivels in his direction.
Jee feels like he is rooted to the ground, as those beady black eyes bore into his and that lethal mouth shifts into a threatening snarl. He doesn’t move, doesn't even dare to breathe, least he angers the beast and seals the fate of the unconscious boy at its feet.
The tense stand-off seemed to go on forever, until in a move that contributed to the emergence of at least 50 new gray hairs, the Moose Lion broke eye contact with Jee and lowered its head down. No one dared make a sound as the beast gently pressed its snout against Prince Zuko’s cheek.
It took everything that Jee had not to lash out at the beast and drown it in fire. The little brat may get on his nerves but he was still his Prince and he was still a child. No self-respecting adult could watch a child get mauled by a beast and not want to save them.
But, as it turns out, the Moose Lion had no intention of mauling the Prince. Nope, no intention at all, if the way it was lovingly nuzzling his temple was any indication.
Jee couldn't tear his eyes away from the tender display.
Was the …. beast friendly? Was he wrong in his assessments? Could the violent, volatile nature the world associates with the creatures be false? Was everything he thought he knew about Sabre Tooth Moose Lions a lie?
Jee hesitantly takes a step forward….only to immediately retreat several paces when the Moose Lion lets out a ground-shattering roar.
Nope, not a lie then.
The Moose Lion glowers at him for a few more seconds before happily returning to nuzzling Prince Zuko’s cheek with a gentleness that one would only show their own offspring.
“What is happening?” Haku whimpers as Jee stumbles away from the shelter of the trees.
“I think a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion just abducted our Prince.”
0000000000000000
“.....And we’ve been trying to get him back ever since.”
To his credit, General Iroh doesn’t immediately drown Jee in Dragonfire for relaying such a ridiculous tale. Honestly, if Jee hadn’t lived it, he wouldn’t believe the story either. He still kinda doesn’t.
“You mean to tell me that a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion has adopted my nephew?”
Jee can only shrug helplessly.
“Yes sir. Like I said, the beast doesn't want to hurt him. She just….doesn’t seem to want to give him back and every attempt to retrieve him just seems to agitate her.”
As if in response to his words, the Moose Lion paws angrily at the ground once more, causing an assortment of tremors to shake the earth. Then, with a contradictory amount of gentleness, it carefully lays a mighty paw on their Prince’s chest. It keeps its glare on them the entire time.
General Iroh’s brow disappears behind his hairline.
“I…..see.” It takes everything in Jee not to start fidgeting like a new cadet as the General lapses into silence. He can practically see his credibility as a competent leader going up in flames.
“That’s it! Let’s just set the damn beast on fire and be done with it!.”
Apparently literally.
“ Yuji, please explain to me why you think it’s a good idea to flame the Sabre Tooth Moose Lion that is currently holding our prince hostage. It can't be because you might agitate the beast who would in turn trample the Prince and attack us. OR because you might accidentally hit the Prince.”
All of Yuji’s bravado abruptly disappears in the wake of Jee’s scathing glare.
“I-um-I-”
“I assure you gentlemen, there need not be any idiotic acts of violence. Allow me to handle this.”
“Sir?” General Iroh merely smiles at him. This time it’s more reassuring than terrifying.
“I believe this is all just a misunderstanding as well as a…. difference in opinion.”
Before Jee can ask what he means. General Iroh is breaking away from their group and walking purposely toward the Moose Lion’s den. It’s such an unexpected move Jee doesn’t register it until the General is mere inches away from the Moose Lion.
“What is he doing?!” Jin whispers, terrified. “ Why is he just walking up to it?”
Jee doesn’t answer. He’s too busy tearing at his hair.
The Moose Lion keeps a wary eye on Iroh as he approaches, but otherwise does react as he stops just a few inches before the mouth of the den.
“Good Afternoon, Madam.” Jee starts at General Iroh’s pleasant tone. “I must say, you’ve done a fantastic job of caring for my nephew and I do thank you for that, however I’m going to have to insist that you return my nephew to me.”
Jee cannot believe what he’s currently witnessing. Why was his General having a conversation with a wild animal? Were the rumors true? Did insanity truly run in the Royal Family!?
The Moose Lion regards General Iroh stoically for a few seconds before tossing her head.
“Your apprehension is appreciated but unfounded Ma’am. I understand you have not been shown the best example of the care that he receives with us, but I assure you , he is quite safe with us.”
The Beast regards him and to Jee's utter amazement the Moose Lion snorts.
Honest to Agni snorts.
General Iroh is unperturbed.
“That,” he points at Zuko, “Is my nephew. I care for him deeply and I would appreciate it if you return him to me, now.”
To Jee’s mounting disbelief it looks as if the beast is actually considering the General’s words. Then in a deliberate show of defiance the Moose Lion uses a paw to delicately slide Prince Zuko's body closer to her.
‘Try and take him.’ Her eyes seemed to say.
What …. Was happening?
”If that's how it’s going to be.” General Iroh shifts into a fighting stance, “ If I must take him back by force, I will.” There is a lethal promise in his words and Jee and the men instinctively scramble behind the cover of the trees, on principal.
Man and Moose stare each other down. After about five minutes into their tense exchange, the Moose Lion let out a slight huff. Her head tilts to the side, the hostility fading from her gaze, replaced with something almost looks like… respect.
Before Jee can contemplate the eerily humanlike expression, the Moose is shifting,the paw she was using to cover Prince Zuko now being used to push him toward General Iroh. The General slowly shifts out of his fighting stance, his fierce expression morphing into one of gratitude.
“Thank you.” Jee holds his breath as General Iroh steps forward and bundles the Prince into his arms. THe Prince stirs just a bit and Jee feels a bit of tension leave his shoulders. The Moose Lion doesn’t so much as twitch, though she does eye Jee menacingly out of the corner of her eye. Jee glares back with just as much force.
“You have my eternal gratitude for saving and looking after my nephew, Madam. Your protection will not go unrewarded.”
The General bows as formally as he can with his nephew in his arms and starts to head in Jee’s direction. Jee and the Moose Lion hold each other’s stare until the General passes him and continues on. Only then does Jee deem it safe enough to turn his back on the creature.
They make the trip back to the ship in silence, No one relaxes until they see the tip of the ship's burner peeking out over the trees.
Immediately the rest of the men stumble down to galley. No doubt to drown themselves in alcohol and regale the other crewmates with the fantastical events that took place. NOt that they would believe them.
Jee opts to follow the General down to The Prince’s quarters.
“Um, General Iroh, may I ask how you were able to outmaneuver that beast and retrieve Prince Zuko?”
“There was no out maneuvering on my part at all Lt. Jee.”
“Huh?”
“Contrary to popular belief Lt. Jee, Sabre Tooth Moose Lions are perfectly amicable and reasonable animals. While temperamental and territorial if they or theirs are threatened they are actually very parental. Most do not know this due to their fearsome reputation, but Moose Lions are known as nanny animals due to their natural disposition to care for and foster young of different species.”
“I don't see what that has to do with why the Moose Lion took the Prince or why she wouldn’t return him to us.” General Iroh momentarily stops tucking in the Prince and looks over at him. The smile on his face is a bit disconcerting.
“Apparently, Madam Moose Lion found your care of Zuko quite lacking, and was thus reluctant to release him back to you, lest he come to more harm. However, as I was prepared to challenge her head on, she saw that she could trust me to care for him and happily relinquished him.”
Jee takes a minute to process the meaning behind that revelation.
“You mean, she was protecting him…. from us?”
“Indeed.”
Jee’s pride had suffered a lot today but that, somehow, that was the worst hit of all. How bad of a Quartermaster was he if a vicious wild animal thought his Captain was safer with her than with him.
It would take awhile to get over that. Maybe he’d join the men in the galley for a drink, after all.
“ Do send the Doctor down, Lieutenant. “ General Iroh calls after his retreating form, “and make sure the ship stays docked for the time being . I would think my nephew would like to personally thank Madam Moose Lion.”
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The Prince does indeed jump at the chance to personally thank his Moose Lion Savior, once he stops seeing double, and the knot on his head shrinks. All thoughts on the Avatar lead are forgotten as they trudge through the forest to the Moose’ Lion den.
Jee tries and falls not to scream as the hulking beast outright tackles Prince Zuko the second she sees him.
It’s only the fact that the Prince is not screaming in agony from having his bones crushed that keeps Jee from going into cardiac arrest. In fact, the Moose Lion is cradling Prince Zuko in her paws as tenderly as one would a newborn Owlkitten. It's worth noting that Prince Zuko is not the slightest bit perturbed by these happenings.
“Uncle, did you bring the dried meat for Mango?” Prince Zuko calls over the Moose Lion’s loud happy purrs.
Jee blinks in confusion.
“Whose Mango?”
“The Moose Lion.” General Iroh as if it was obvious . As if most people went around naming dangerous animals after fruit. “It’s what Zuko decided to call her.”
“He named it?” Is what Jee says.
‘He named it MANGO?’ Is what Jee thinks. ‘You let him name it Mango!?’
“Well, we certainly couldn’t keep calling her Moose LIon.” General Iroh says with a chuckle. “That would be rude.”
Jee’s natural response to that would have been that wild animals have no concept of rudeness, but after the events of the previous day, he’s not so sure anymore. Jee watches as Prince Zuko happily feeds the Moose Lion scraps of dried meat and contemplates the most recent events.
Not only had the Prince down what until recently had seemed impossible and somehow tamed a Moose Lion but he’d also named it Mango. Mango the Moose Lion. Mango.
It hits him suddenly then, when he takes the time to think about it. By the time it registers Jee can’t even stop it, the smile is already pulling at his cheeks.
Mango the Moose Lion. Jee shakes his head with a soft chuckle.
Dammit, that was adorable.
(Jee really doesn’t feel like smiling, however, when Prince Zuko declares that they are to make yearly stops to visit Mango.)
(Just be grateful I talked him down from monthly visits, Lieutenant.)
_____
“And that’s the story of how Zuko was adopted by a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion.” Iroh takes a long satisfying sip of tea and basks in the young faces painted in various shades of disbelief. Aang is the first to break the silence , his eyes pinning a sheepish Zuko with an irritated glower.
“Why do you get all the cool pets?” he pouts , throwing a longing gaze at Druk, who's curled around Momo and Froggy, “It’s not FAIR!”
Zuko stares at him blankly.
“Aang… you have…. a flying bison.” Aang merely huffs as Katara gently pats his arm.
“Sparky, this is important. ” Toph says, turning to stare at Zuko intensely, “Did you go back and visit Mango and did she remember you?”
“Every year in fact.” Iroh answered for him, ignoring Katara’s soft whisper of ‘Of course’ , “ And she did indeed remember him and I unfortunately found myself having the same argument with her every time we visited. She grew even more insistent on keeping him with her after she had a litter of her own. “ Iroh takes another sip of tea. “ It drove Lt. Jee insane. They never did quite learn to get along.”
“Speaking of which, with everything that happened, we missed our visit with her this year. She must be so worried. I’m going to have to spend a few extra days with her to make up for it.”
“I’m surprised you haven't tried to move her to the Palace.” Zuko actually looks mildly offended at that.
“ I wouldn't do that to her Katara! Of course I’d like her closer but she’s meant to be in the wild. I’d have to put her in an enclosure and that would make her miserable! I am worried about her though. I hear Moose Lion hunting has increased over the past few months. I do hope King Kuei got my proposal about classifying Moose Lions as a protected species. Maybe I should send him another messenger hawk-”
As Zuko begins to fret, Katara turns to stare at Sokka, who’d been strangely quiet. After shifting under her intense gaze for a few minutes, Sokka couldn't take it anymore.
“WHAT?!”
“You're not going to say anything?” Katara asks incredulously, “ After all the fuss you made about Froggy and Druk and Blaze-”
“We don't talk about the Phoenix , Katara.”
“You’re really not gonna overreact and scream about ‘freaky spirit magic’ or tackle unsuspecting bards?”
“First off, I don’t appreciate your assasination of my character. I only tackled one bard, don't make it sound like it’s a reoccurring thing. Secondly, normally I would do all that , but I actually understand this one. There’s something sacred about the bond between a boy and his Sabre Tooth Moose Lion. That’s not freaky spirit magic, that’s just being claimed. You wouldn’t understand, Katara. It’s an ‘in the know’ kinda thing.” Katara rolls her eyes at Sokka’s haughty handwave.
“Yes, of course. We can't forget about little Foo Foo CuddlyPoops, can we.” Sokka flinches violently as Zuko stops his proposal planning and looks over at them curiously.
“Whose Foo Foo CuddlyPoops?” Sokka flinches even harder and pointedly looks away.
“Ummmmmm.”
Toph barks out a laugh as Aang giggles and a positively evil smirk spreads across Katara’s face.
“That’s the name of Sokka’s own little Moose Lion Cub. Isn't it sooo cwute?” Katara’s smirk widens as Zuko turns to stare at Sokka.
“You named a Sabre Tooth Moose Lion ‘ Foo Foo CuddlyPoops ’?”
And there it was. Sokka figured this would come back to bite him in the butt. Karma never let him get away with anything for too long. He’d gotten too comfortable making fun of Zuko’s naming skills and ignored the fact that his own weren’t any better. And now he was going to pay for it. The worst thing about it? Zuko deserved to throw this one in his face. He can’t even complain about it. He can only sit there and wait for the epic teasing to commence.
Nothing of the sort happens.
Instead a small smile devoid of any kind of mockery spreads across Zuko’s face.
“That is a cute name for a Moose Lion cub. You wouldn’t mind if I used that, would you?”
Sokka stares at Zuko blankly. He’s not the only one. Zuko begins to fidget as the weight of everyone’s eyes pin him down.
“Seriously Sparky?” Zuko flushes under Toph ‘s deadpan stare.
“ Well - I just - uh - AH!” Zuko squawks in surprise as Sokka suddenly rockets across the room and throws his arms around Zuko’s neck.
“Um, Sokka?” Sokka hugs him tighter and buries his face into Zuko’s neck.
“I don't deserve you.”