"K-Korra! Where are you taking me?" Howl's clumsy feet couldn't quite keep up with his friend's athletic stride as she pulled him along behind her. They weaved around shocked guards and bumped aside sentries shouting for someone to get their hands on the Avatar and her friend, this is the third time this week for Agni's sake! But none of them were quick enough to get a good grasp on the mischeivous young Avatar, for once she had her mind set on something, not even the walls of Ba Sing Se would stop her in whatever she'd dubbed her 'quest' for the day. Before they could get the manpower gathered to close the massive wooden doors, the two children had dashed through the crack between them. Around rocks and over logs they tumbled, and though Howl dared for a second to look back, his messy brown hair obscured his glance back at the quickly shrinking walls of the compound. But despite his stammering protests and warnings of how much trouble they would get in, the young Avatar led on, unstopping and, as always, refusing to tell the boy her plans. It really couldn't be helped, all he could do was duck his head, keep his eyes on the ground, and try his hardest not to faceplant into the snow. Because Korra wouldn't stop if he did. He'd just get dragged on like that. (That was one of life's lessons he'd learned the hard way.)
When she finally screeched to a halt, Howl's breath was ragged and, despite the snow all around, he was feeling rather warm. The compound, even with its high walls and impressive sentry towers, was now just a smear across the horizon, and Howl couldn't tell if the shaking in his knees was because of the biting wind or the fear of being dragged back through the walls by his ears. (Again.)
Oblivious to Howl's inner turmoil, Korra stood proudly in front of him, her stubby ponytail slightly mussed from the run over, and a slight pink tinting her rounded cheeks. "Okay, Twiggy, time to get you into shape!" she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder.
He raised one eyebrow, but hesitantly looked at what was behind her. It was a makeshift obstacle course, much like the ones used to train White Lotus guards, but obviously made (rather shoddily) by the young Avatar herself. When he turned his gaze, cocked eyebrow and all, back to Korra, she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Look, you want to be a White Lotus guard when you grow up, right?"
He didn't quite know how to respond. Though it was a dream of his to follow in his father's footsteps and protect Korra as a guard, he didn't recall ever telling her that. "H-how did you... I mean, w-what makes you think that?"
"Well, if your blushing didn't give it away, you left your journal open on your desk. I saw it the other day when I came looking for you. With a snowball." Her lips curled into a smirk at the memory of sneaking up on him in the dining hall and smashing the snowball into his curly hair.
His face reddened deeper than he could ever remember it being. "Y-you read my journal? K-Korra! You can't just... what did you... you didn't-"
A snowball to his face cut him off, letting him know that Korra would have none of his rambling right now. Apparently, there were much more important matters on the young Avatar's mind. "Not important right now!" she huffed, her impatience evident as she tapped her foot, her hands still set stubbornly on her hips. "Look, if you want to be one of my guards some day, then no offense, kid, but you've got a lot of work ahead of you." She took a few determined stomps forward through the snow and, once again, took his hand roughly in hers, dragging him to what he could assume was supposed to be the start line, judging by its makeshift flag waving feebly in the icy breeze. He looked ahead at the course in front of him. So he would be climbing over logs, between rocks, through ditches, and apparently sliding across an icy pond before the days end. This is what he signed up for, being friends with Korra. Never a dull moment.
She proved him right a second later, shouting "READYSETGO!" before unceremoniously shoving him forward. He stumbled a few steps, but, determined to prove that he could be a good guard when he grew up, regained his footing and set forward, his eyes locked onto the course ahead of him. Natural elegance and grace under fire were never his strong points though. As he struggled to muscle himself over logs that were his height (if he was lucky), Korra stood at the sideline, jeering and insisting he was "more of a lady than she would ever be". So on he went, meeting the snow-blanketed ground with his face more than once, scraping his knees on rough bark and jagged rocks, but never once stopping for breath, though his lungs were screaming in protest as he drew in icy breath after icy breath.
He barely even noticed he'd reached the icy pond... until his feet came out from underneath him, and sent him sprawling. Nervously, he sat motionless for a second, hoping his fall hadn't caused the ice to crack. Once the coast was clear, he cautiously wobbled to his feet, trying hard to stay upright. His gait forward was a slow, unsteady shuffle, his arms out wide and his shoulders hunched.
"YOU CALL THAT A HUSTLE?" Korra screamed indignantly from the sidelines. Howl just scowled and rolled his eyes, but kept his eyes and his motion forward, determined to get off this death trap as soon as possible... and as safely as possible. Another exasperated sigh came from Korra as she marched over to the pond. "Let me show you how it's done, Rookie," she said as she broke into a light jog.
Everything happened too quickly. He could see her gathering her energy as a pit formed in his stomach. Saw her coil down, knees bent and eyes alight. Reached out a desperate hand that would stop nothing. Watched as she took off with both feet. Both feet landed together.
Crrrracckk.
The ice split in all directions right where she landed. Though the panic across her features showed she realized her mistake a second too late, her feet were already slipping gracelessly underneath her, carrying her closer to the center of the pond and away from safety. Howl dodged the cracking ice beneath him, but sat back and watched, helpless yet hopeful.
But finally the weakened ice gave under her shifting weight, and the last thing he saw were a pair of scared blue eyes before she plummetted.
Bravery was never Howl's strong point, and he preferred to turn his head to dangerous situations. But once she went down, something clicked inside him. He dropped to all fours for stability, as well as to spread his weight out a bit better, and crawled over to the hole in the ice. More likely than not, the chill of the water had put Korra in shock, if what the books he'd read were anything to go by. He placed a tentative hand into the rippling abyss, and the sensation almost knocked all the air out of his lungs. If that's how he felt with one hand... Well, the air was probably already out of her lungs. He had to act fast. There was no time to go back for help. It was all him. His eyes scanned the water for any sign of her, but when vision failed him, he dug his teeth into his lip, closed his eyes, and plunged into the water.
Pain. All he knew was pain the second he was submerged. Every instinct of his told him to scream out, to stay still, to float back to the surface. But he fought it, instead slamming his eyes open and kicking down lower into the water, whipping his head around frantically in search for a little girl with a stubby ponytail.
It didn't take long for her to see her - it was a relatively small pond after all. She was clearly disoriented, trying feebly to make her way to the surface and find where she fell in. Once her eyes started to flutter shut, Howl became painfully aware of the fact that he hadn't been moving towards her at all. Can't have that, he thought, willing his feet to push him forward and down, though his muscles screamed for the surface. Just kick, just kick, don't lose sight of her, just kick.
His hand found the crook of her elbow, her eyes already shut and her body limp. No time to think about that. His air supply was running dangerously low, and he could feel his joints locking up already. Despite his lack of prowess as a natural swimmer, a mixture and pure adrenaline and needing to know that she was okay drove him to swim faster than he ever had in his short life. The swim up was one blue blur, but then he broke the surface, Korra in tow.
He never thought he would be glad for the air of the tundra, which always bit his cheeks and made his nose run. But now it seemed he couldn't breathe enough of it through his quivering blue lips. Dragging Korra onto the ice, he pressed an ear to her chest. She was still breathing. Slowly lifting her into his arms, he took slow, careful steps off the still-weak ice. "I'll have time to scold you for your 'little game' later..." he mumbled. And he would. He would give her a piece of his mind like he'd never done before. But for now, he just had to get her back to the compound.
It was the longest trek he'd ever taken, and an entire detail of sentries met him right outside the gates. After all, an unconscious, blue-tinted Avatar was never a sight they wanted to see. Howl's father saw to him, changing him out of his frozen clothes and trying to sit him down in front of a fire, but Howl shook his head vehemently. "I want to make sure she's alright," he muttered through chattering teeth. Howl's father let a slow smile spread across his lips before gently taking him by the hand and leading him to the tent where the other guards were seeing to Korra.
She was changed into fresh clothing as well, laying in a cot. The blankets wrapped around her and the fire blazing by the bed kept her warm while she slept. Howl quickly shuffled to the chair at her bedside, intent on being there to yell at her when she woke up. He heard a low chuckle from behind him as a blanket was draped over his narrow shoulders. His father leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "You'll make a fine guard one day, Howl," he whispered before leaving the tent.
Hours passed and Howl refused to move. He tried not to blink for a while, but that didn't really work in his favor, though he was able to fight sleep without any issue, as he planned the exact words he would use to let her know how awful she had been. When Korra's eyes finally fluttered open, it didn't take them long to find Howl at her bedside. A look of guilt painted her face as she realized what must have happened. As the young boy opened his mouth to give her the lecture he had so carefully planned, the look on her face twisted his heart around in ways unexpected, so all that came out was a smile and a relieved laugh. "You're okay," he mumbled, placing his hands on her hand.
"Yeah, yeah, don't let it get to your head," she grumbled. "I coulda gotten out of there without any help. I was... just testing you. You passed. Yay."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes again. This was what he'd signed up for, after all.