Work Text:
= ⭐ =
Sokka never knew riding could be such an amazing experience. For the majority of his life, when it came to riding, it had always been a means of transportation, long and tedious hours bouncing on uncomfortable saddles, sore rumps for days on end. Then again, maybe he had been spoiled by one adorable flying Bison.
That is when an experience seemingly out of this realm turned riding into something else entirely. But then again, everything with Zuko was something earth shattering and world changing.
He will always remember that time when they stumbled on a pack of wild horses during the diplomatic mission to Gaoling last spring.
Aang had been quite enthusiastic over their downtime and was adamant about exploring the newly restored market street. The girls had been quite easy to convince in tagging along, of course. Zuko, on the other hand, was predictably horrified by the very idea. After all, Sokka had a difficult time convincing the young Fire Lord to venture in the buzzing market of Caldera. So, it was no surprise at all when Zuko had channeled his Blue Spirit days and inconspicuously given them the slip as the gaang set off for the shopping trip.
Zuko might have thought himself clever and sneaky, and he was, no doubt about it, but Sokka was not only just as versed in the ways of covert ninja tactics and overall sneakiness, but he was more observant than Wan Shi Tong, thank you very much. He had not only predicted the possibility of Zuko bailing on the rest of the team but had also taken measures to be alerted when the firebender would inevitably do so.
Sokka, however, had decided to follow his friend discretely instead of confronting him directly, and to this day, he would be thanking his foresight in doing so.
He followed Zuko to the outskirts of the city and then up the narrow path into the dense forest nearby. It didn’t seem like the firebender had any particular aim or direction, and Sokka stared intently at his back, trying to suss out from his movements and posture what could be on his friend’s mind.
He was so preoccupied with going through all the potential scenarios that reaching the small clearing had come almost as such a shock that he nearly exposed himself.
Sokka watched as Zuko found a fallen tree trunk to sit on, marveling at the relaxed smile on his friend’s face. And then, he followed his gaze to the middle of the clearing and felt as his eyes comically quadrupled in size.
“They are beautiful, aren’t they,” Zuko said softly and Sokka almost eeped in surprise. He should have expected that Zuko would know he had followed him. Zuko always knew. There was something so intimate in that, and Sokka’s heart clenched around the emotion he didn’t want to allow and fought to push away.
“What are they?” he asked instead, directing his attention to the group of majestic creatures grazing the grass just beyond the treeline.
“Horses.”
“Horses?” Sokka questioned, furrowing his brows. “They don’t look like ostrich-horses.”
“And they are not,” Zuko replied, voice faraway. “They are horses. I thought they were myth, not sure they even existed. While uncle and I were trying to start a new life in Ba Sing Se, most of the free time I had I spent in an old, small shop, filled with all kinds of potions and herbs and strange curiosities. And scrolls, so many, many scrolls. The owner was a member of the White Lotus, so it was one of the few places that were safe… or as safe as could be. While Uncle played Pai Sho, I read the scrolls. Among the historical reports, encyclopedic entries, and plays, there were some strange texts that didn’t really fit in any category but those were the most fascinating.”
Sokka chuckled knowingly. Of course Zuko would find those the most fascinating being the proverbial odd duck himself. But then again, pot kettle Sokka would need to concede, as he would likely do exactly the same himself had he been in his friend’s place. He waved a hand, urging Zuko to continue on.
“I read about horses in one of those scrolls. Up until today, I thought what I had read was a recount of a myth or some long forgotten legend of times long, long ago. It described them as embodiments of the spirits of the different elements, visiting the world along with other spirits in a strange cyclical cadence. It was said that they brought different omens and guided the year of their appearance into a specific direction. There was a small calendar table attached to the scroll, and if I remember my calculations correctly, the cycle that we are entering should be guided by the spirit of the fire horse.”
Sokka gave a small snort. It was more fond than anything else.
Without any doubts his fiery and prickly friend would be fascinated by something like that.
“Did the scrolls say anything about the meaning the fiery horses brought to the world?”
He could almost hear the smile and passion in Zuko’s words. “It spoke about enthusiasm, rebellion, bold moves, exploration and forward momentum… About independent minds, hunger for experience rather than theory and refusal to stay where the spirit has already left…”
“Interesting… So, breaking the rules and being bold?” Sokka hedged. Zuko only gave a small hum in agreement.
They stayed there in comfortable silence for endless moments, enchanted by the beautiful creatures and their enrapturing energy.
“Do you think they might let us ride them?” Sokka whispered.
“As long as we respect their spirit and the balance of the universe, I believe so,” Zuko whispered back.
As if on cue, they both turned to each other, gazes locking in unspoken conversation. Swirls of mischief rose in Sokka’s deep blue pools, mirrored and amplified by the molten lava of Zuko’s golden stare.
Before long, they found themselves carried on the backs of those majestic creatures, racing through wind and laughter, feeling free and charged.
Sokka leaned into the mane of the horse he was riding, as if trying to soak in its wisdom and spirit.
Bold moves, huh?
He looked at Zuko, yet again mesmerised by his beauty and the wild abandon in his smile. His heart clenched again.
Maybe it was high time he broke free of his insecurities, got adventurous, and charm himself a fiery spirit of his own.
= ⭐ =