Just a oneshot I thought of late at night…I always thought it would be interesting if Zuko did join the group at some point (I'm not so sure now…) and how he'd react with Appa and the whole flying experience. Oh, and I don't own Avatar. Enjoy!
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The first time Zuko ever rode on Appa he was scared to death, he was ashamed to admit. As they got further and further away from the ground, he realized how little the saddle's barrier would protect him from falling off. He clung as tight as he could to anything he could grab. Zuko had no idea how any of them had survived riding through all the attacks with all the swerving.
"If your scared now, you should been on when we didn't have a saddle and we had to ride bareback!" Toph shouted over the roar of the wind.
"At least your blind and don't know how far up we are!" Zuko whimpered, trying to sound tough.
"Just because I'm blind doesn't make me stupid! Actually it's probably scarier without sight when you're up in the air." Toph told him. Zuko closed his eyes and he got a weird floating and nauseating feeling and immediately opened them.
Though, today as they were packing up camp, Aang yelled over to him, "Hey, Zuko! You want to steer Appa today?"
"Me? You want me to fly your bison? We'll end up dead in the middle of the ocean." Zuko growled.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure your not that bad. Even I have wound up in the ocean close to death!" Aang grinned reassuringly.
"And…that's supposed to encourage me how? If even you could kill us all, there's no doubt I'll kill us all." Zuko finished packing his mat.
"Appa wouldn't let you kill us all!" Aang encouraged him. The one thing he hated about Aang was that he never quit trying.
"If I drive him will you shut up?" Zuko asked.
"Yep!" Aang promised.
"Fine," Zuko mumbled.
Once everyone was packed and ready to go, Zuko clumsily climbed up on Appa's head.
"Okay, it's real easy. You just have to say 'yip, yip' to get him in the air—not yet buddy—" Aang told Appa who was about to take off at his words, "—and then you pull right to go right and left to go left and pull up to go down." Aang explained.
"It really isn't that hard." Katara reassured him. "I've done it millions of times and really—"
"Shut up!" Zuko hissed at her. The one thing he didn't like about Katara was that she wanted to make everyone feel better and some times just wouldn't shut up.
"Okay, go ahead." Aang told him.
"Yip, yip," Zuko mumbled. He felt stupid saying words that felt like they were made up by a three year old.
"He can't hear you if you say it like that! You have to say it confident." Aang instructed.
"Yip, yip." Zuko said a little louder.
"He still won't go…"
"YIP, YIP!" Zuko yelled at Aang frustrated. Appa took off startling Zuko who grabbed onto Aang with fear. Aang laughed and peeled him off.
"Come on, you have keep a hold of the reins." Aang handed him the reins. Zuko hesitantly took them.
"This isn't so bad." Zuko sighed. He looked over the side.
"Agni," he whimpered.
"Don't look beneath you, just look ahead in the clouds." Aang tried to help. Zuko breathed in and out as he stared at the clouds passing them. It was pretty relaxing. He shut his eyes and this time he didn't get a nauseous feeling. Zuko was about to fall asleep as he felt himself slipping. It was too late he couldn't grab onto anything.
"Hold on!" Aang jumped up with his glider and took off. They all stared (except for Toph) as they disappeared beneath the clouds. A few moments later Aang came up with Zuko clinging fast onto Aang, breathing hard and his eyes wide.
"N-never a-a-again." Zuko stuttered, drawing his knees beneath him, his gaze fixed ahead with a scared look.