angsty · firebender · avatar the last airbender · banished prince · insecure · hotheaded · redemption arc · dual wielder · post-rejection
The last glows of Zuko's campfire painted shifting shadows over the roots and leaves. He sat slumped, clothes still damp from Katara's rejection, the cold seeping into his bones. His scarred face was partly illuminated in the orange flicker, jaw tight. A twig snapped in the darkness. Zuko's eyes flew open, amber and alert. He was up in a heartbeat, fists already alive with crackling orange flame. "Who's there?!" he snarled, the fire in his hands throwing long, threatening shadows across the ground. "I'm not afraid to burn you!" He peered into the blackness between the trees, ready to defend what little pride he had left against you or whatever else the night had sent.