Disc: I DO NOT own any of the characters from LOK. They belong to Brike. I do however own anyone you don't recognize, along with the idea for this story.
Enjoy!
A/N: This Senraq one shot came to mind after watching the first episode of ALTA. I started thinking about Senna/Tonraq's dating years and this little plot penguin showed up.
"The Romantic Side of Penguin Sledding"
Senna smiled warmly as she finished healing the young girl sitting on the cot in the healing hut.
"There you go, sweetie," Senna patted the nine-year-old's shoulder.
The girl beamed and gave Senna a hug.
"My wrist doesn't hurt anymore! Thanks, Miss Senna."
"You're welcome, Keita. Just remember to be careful next time you penguin sled," she advised as Keita's mother came to escort her home.
"I will!" The young girl called back.
Shaking her head, Senna put the supplies away before sitting down for a minute.
"You're really good with them," a familiar male voice stated.
Senna whirled around to find Tonraq standing there. She smiled at him.
"How long were you standing there?" She teasingly asked. Walking over to him, she allowed him to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her in for a kiss. Pulling away, she raised her eyebrows.
"Long enough," her boyfriend replied.
"I've always liked working with kids. They're sweet and they almost always tell the truth. I enjoy helping them feel better."
"You're great at it," he complimented.
Senna smiled. She got a curious look on her face as she turned to face Tonraq.
"Have you ever been penguin sledding before?"
Tonraq shook his head.
Senna was surprised.
"Don't they have penguins in the Northern tribe?"
"Yes, but I guess I never had time for it," Tonraq shrugged.
"Well, it's time you experienced it" with that, Senna lead Tonraq out of the healing hut. They walked for a few minutes until they reached a spot where a dozen or so penguins were hanging out.
"Where are we?" Tonraq inquired.
"The best spot for penguin sledding," Senna replied.
It was Tonraq's turn to raise his eyebrows as though to ask why are we here.
Senna answered him by going over to one of the penguins and coaxing it over to where Tonraq was standing. She held a fish in her hand, drawing the creature towards her immediately. Once she had fed it the treat, she patted its head. Straightening up, she turned her attention to Tonraq.
"Senna, what are you doing?" TOnraq asked.
"Teaching you the art of penguin sledding," she replied. With that, she led him over to the penguin. The penguin immediately started sticking his beak in TOnraq's parka. Senna giggled. "I think he's looking for some more fish!"
Tonraq smiled despite himself. The penguins were cute. Glancing back up at Senna, he shook his head.
"There's no way you're getting me on one of those things," he declared.
"Wanna bet?" Senna winked at him.
"But I'm not exactly a kid anymore," he tried in an effort to get out of it.
"So what. I still penguin sled every once in a while and I'm around the same age as you," she pointed out.
"But you've been doing it longer than I have," he assumed.
Senna shook her head. She frowned as her gaze travelled to the ground.
"No I didn't. At least not much. The first time I Tried it was when I was twelve."
"You mean you didn't go penguin sledding as a kid?"
"No," Senna said simply. Trying to push unpleasant memories out of her mind, she returned to the task at hand. "But I've done it enough so I can teach you. Come on. You don't have to be afraid. These little guys are pretty gentle most of the time."
Tonraq rolled his eyes.
"Who said anything about being afraid? I'm not afraid of anything."
It was Senna's turn to roll her eyes.
"Yeah right," she scoffed. With that, she was about to mount her own penguin when Katara came towards them. She was frowning, which made Senna furrow her eyebrows in concern.
"Katara, what's going on?" Senna walked over to her mentor and friend.
"There's been an accident," Katara explained, "at least four people were injured. I need you and Lena in the hut in ten minutes."
Senna nodded. She walked over to Tonraq, pecked him on the cheek and followed Katara in the direction of the healing hut.
Once Senna was gone, Tonraq glanced at the penguins. His cobalt eyes landed on the penguin Senna had been about to mount. He had watched how she had positioned herself. How hard could it be? Walking over, he held out his hand. The penguin came over and started pecking at it. When it didn't find any treats, it started walking away. Tonraq waited until the creature stopped a few feet away. Approaching the penguin again, he tried to remember what he had seen Senna do. Mounting the penguin, Tonraq pushed off like he had seen the kids and adults do while watching them penguin sled. As he slid down the hill, he smiled. This was kind of fun. Maybe Senna was right. But as quickly as the joyous feeling had come, it disappeared as TOnraq felt the penguin swerving from side to side. As they continued to coast down the hill, he started losing his grip. As the penguin sailed over a pond, Tonraq flew off its back. Trying to use waterbending to break his fall, he landed in a snow bank. Sitting up, he brushed himself off. Once he concluded he hadn't broken anything major, he stood. Heaving a sigh, Tonraq made a mental note to never get on another penguin again. He also decided to keep this little escapade to himself. There was no reason Senna had to know. Walking back to the healing hut, Tonraq soon felt a throbbing sensation start in his right wrist. He sighed in frustration. Now he would have to tell Senna what he had done. Getting closer to the hut, Tonraq saw through the slit in the opening that Senna was hard at work. She was trying to heal a nasty cut on a little girl's arm. TOnraq couldn't hear what Senna was saying, but the expression on her face was full of concern and gentleness.
"Tonraq?"
The water tribe man turned around to find Senna's best friend, Lena, standing there. She frowned when she saw how swollen his right wrist was. "What happened to you?"
"It was an accident this time," he admitted.
"You should have Senna look at it after she's done with Amaia," Lena suggested.
Tonraq shook his head.
"I don't want her to know how it happened," he confessed. He could feel a blush creeping up his cheeks.
Lena raised her eyebrows.
"It was a stupid mistake," he admitted. He was about to say something else when they were joined by the for mentioned healer.
"Hey you two," Senna greeted them. She glanced from one to the other before her gaze returned to her boyfriend. "Are you ready to go, honey? Katara almost kicked me out," she smiled softly at him.
"Yeah," Tonraq replied.
Lena frowned at him.
"I'll leave you two alone," she walked by Tonraq and hissed, "Show her."
"Show me what?" Senna frowned in concern as she looked TOnraq over.
"It's nothing," he tried. "Let's get home so we can have dinner."
Senna raised her eyebrows.
"Tonraq, what's going on?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
Tonraq sighed.
"It's really nothing," he insisted.
Senna shook her head. Glancing down, she caught sight of his right wrist. Reaching out, she gently took it in both of her hands.
"Honey, what happened?"
Tonraq sighed. He allowed Senna to lead him back towards a single healing hut that wasn't being used. Once inside, he watched as she filled a basin with water and dipped her hands in it. Tonraq hissed in pain before a content sigh escaped his lips as her water gloved hands touched his injury. "How does that feel?"
"Better," he admitted.
"I'm glad," Senna leaned up and kissed him on the lips. Pulling away, she raised her eyebrows once again. "I still want to know what happened. How did you get hurt?"
"Believe it or not it was an accident," he started.
"Strangely enough, I do believe that, " Senna admitted. She sat down on a pile of furs in the corner of the room and gestured for Tonraq to join her. He did so, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her onto his lap.
"After you left, I…I…"
"Yes?" She prompted. She kissed his cheek this time before resting her head against his chest.
Sighing, Tonraq Continued his explanation.
"I tried penguin sledding."
"And…?" Senna prompted yet again.
"That penguin was crazy!" He declared.
Senna tried hard not to laugh at the expression on her boyfriend's face.
"They're not that bad," she countered, "you just need to know how to control them."
Tonraq nodded.
"I fell off as we reached the bottom of the hill," he finished.
Senna gasped.
"Tonraq, I'm sorry," she glanced up at him.
"It's my fault," he admitted, "I should have waited for you to come back and teach me."
Senna nodded in agreement. She locked gazes with him, her cyan depths reflecting nothing but love for the ex-general who had stolen her heart a year ago.
"You can tell me anything," she reminded him.
"I know. I guess I was embarrassed," he admitted to his girlfriend.
"Tonraq, you don't have to feel embarrassed around me," Senna leaned up and captured Tonraq's lips in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
Once they had pulled away, Senna got off Tonraq's lap. Standing, she extended her hand to help him up.
"Thanks," he replied, excepting her offered hand.
"You're welcome," she smiled lovingly at him. "Why don't we go home and I'll make one of your favorite meals. Then after dinner we can have a more romantic healing session…" she smiled at him in a way that made a flame of passion ignite in his heart.
"Sounds good to me," he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. And as he walked beside her on the mile trek back to their igloo, he smiled. Despite the fall he had experienced, he wouldn't' have traded this day for anything. Glancing lovingly over at Senna, Tonraq realized just how fortunate he was to have her in his life. He couldn't wait until they were done eating dinner. He enjoyed spending time with the woman he loved. No matter what kind of day he had, it was all worth it at night when she was in his arms and they were spending some quality time together.
THE END
