The fire and the flames, unrelenting, unbearable.
The Fire Ferrets watched on helplessly as their beloved pro-bending arena burnt to the ground. The red and orange flames glowed menacingly in the night sky, and the black smoke was barely visible as it floated and swirled throughout the skies.
"I can't believe this." Bolin said, barely audible above the roar of the flames and the shattering of glass windows around the arena. Pabu, nestled comfortably atop Bolin's shoulder, let out a tiny squeak of sadness.
Korra stared on into the flames, an expression of shock and horror clouded over her face. She nodded slightly, turning to Mako to gauge his reaction. Her heart plummeted into her stomach when she saw the look splayed upon his face.
The grief he felt was nearly undetectable on his face. His mouth was clamped tightly, for fear of letting out a loud, shaking, uncontrollable sob. His eyes were clouded and downcast, hardly any sign of emotion noticeable. He couldn't bare to show how broken he felt. No, not to them, and especially not to Bolin. He had to be strong, if only for him. He focused all his attention on the cold cement floor beneath him, trying to keep it all together. He took deep, heaving breaths, closing his eyes to block out the commotion going on around him. There have been so many memories in that arena. And now, they were all turned to ashes in just a matter of minutes. All the memories, gone.
"Hey, are you okay?" Korra asked gently, placing a hand on Mako's shoulder. She could feel the tenseness in his body, the grief overwhelming him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Mako replied, letting out a shaky breath. He relaxed a little when Korra offered her sympathy, feeling a tiny fragment of the sadness leave his body. It was a foreign feeling to him, having someone care about him, especially someone that he's known for such a short time.
"This never should've happened." Tenzin lamented as he came up from behind the three benders.
"And now we have no home." Bolin replied, a hint of fear in his voice. With the arena decimated, the only option for the brothers was to sleep on the streets, just like they did after their parents died. But no, Bolin refused to return to living like peasants: sleeping in the cold and having hardly any food. They needed to find another place to stay, there just had to be a place for them.
"Nonsense, come live with us on the island." Tenzin announced.
Korra widened her eyes in surprise to Tenzin's abrupt gesture. Bolin and Mako? In my house? All the possibilities of what could happen were making her head spin.
The bending brothers stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide and their mouths slack. "Yes, yes, yes a million times yes!" Bolin yelled excitedly.
Tenzin laughed at the brother's excitement, and even Korra was able to crack a smile. In a few moments, Tenzin walked the trio to a small boat waiting by the side of the dock. The three hopped inside while Tenzin stood at the front, sending gusts of air to propel them away from the burning arena. She hadn't noticed at first, hadn't felt a thing, but somehow by the time the boat had arrived at the island, Mako's head had found its way into Korra's lap.