Withering Hope:
Chapter One:
Her chest fails to rise. His sobs reverberate off of the canyon walls. Pabu crawls up onto Mako's shoulder to comfort him. This does little. Though Mako is on his knees, he barely notices the snow seeping in through his trousers. The only things he notices are the various cuts and bruises on her skin.
"She was the world's only hope." Bolin whispers, shifting to his knees beside Mako and in front of Korra.
"I never got to tell her." Mako whispers, before the lump in his throat chokes the voice out of him. Bolin puts a hand on his shoulder.
Three friends sit on a blanket of soft blue and bright white. Their laughter echoes about the canyon. The food sitting on the blanket is untouched. Bolin reaches for a small pastry. Mako picks up a carrot. Korra eats a small sandwich containing sea prunes and Moonberry.
A branch snaps in the small grove of trees to the left of Mako. They all freeze and get to their feet. Mako takes a protective stance in front of the young Avatar. A band of Equalists emerges from the trees. Soon enough, the Equalists and the group of three friends get involved in a not so friendly brawl.
Angry streaks of fire fly across the sky—both from Mako and the Avatar. Team Avatar is outnumbered two to one. The Equalists finally gain the upper hand. Bolin sits in the corner, grasping his mangled arm. Mako leaves a gap between him and Korra; he moves up to attack three Equalists.
Soon, one of the masked men slips past Mako. He places his gloved hand on her chest—right where her heart should be. Korra twitches violently. The masked man lets a smile slip onto his face. He signals. The pack—as well as the man—retreat back into the woods and leave Mako to sob over Korra's mangled, lifeless body.
The pain Mako had been feeling for the better part of ten minutes begins to surface on his face. He starts to gasp for air. Mako's lungs had no relief, they continue to burn with devastation.
Snapping Mako out of his flashback, Bolin rises, walks to the edge of the canyon, and screams his voice raw. It's the same word over and over again: help. No one comes. No one seems to care. Defeat hunches Bolin's shoulders. "It's no use. No one's gonna come." He says, returning to the side of his brother.
"No! Someone has to come! I'm not just going to let her die!" Mako exclaimed with new found determination.
He stood. Without a second's hesitation, he bolts far outside the canyon. Mako screams at the top of his lungs, the same word at first: help. He then decides to let them know the reason he needs help. A healer comes to Mako's side. "Show me to her."
A mixture of leaves and snow crunch beneath their feet. Mako and the healer fall to their knees upon the second of reaching Korra. The healer inspects the Avatar's mangled body for a long time. "There's not much I can do without taking her to the other healers."
"Okay. Can you give me a minute?" Mako asks in a voice not too unlike a child's.
The healer nods her head. "Make it quick, she doesn't have long."
Mako nods and turns to Bolin. His brother instantly gets to his feet and walks from the canyon. "Korra. Korra. You can't leave me. Tell me you won't leave me." Mako pleads, knowing that the only sound he will hear is the wind rustling against the leaves.
The healer returns. "We need to move her now." She says in a strong voice.
Mako can only nod. He doesn't want his younger brother to hear his cracking voice. Another thing Mako doesn't want is Bolin to see the tears that threaten to spill over onto his cheeks.
Her chest moves up and down. Slowly. Mako chews his nails to their beds in a chair to the left of Korra's bed. The white wash outside the window doesn't do much to help the anxious mood. A grumbling in Mako's stomach tells him he is hungry. Thankfully, Bolin enters with rectangular containers of Chinese food.
Mako's shaky hand reaches up to grab one of the containers. "Thanks." He mumbles, opening the box and plucking pieces of food from it in quick pecks with chopsticks. The grumblings in his stomach cease.
"How is she?" Bolin asks around a mouthful of fried rice.
Mako swallows his food as well as the lump in his throat. "The doctors say she's doing well, but I'm not so sure."
"Oh." Bolin says softly. Mako nods and turns his attention back to Korra. Her eyes slowly flutter open.
She looks confused. "Where am I?" she asks. "More importantly, who are you?"
"You are in a healing center." Bolin says, putting a hand on Korra's knee.
She instantly shakes it off. "What happened? Who are you?" she asks, concern rising into her voice.
Now Mako is truly in danger of crying. When he speaks, his voice is shaky. "I'm Mako and this is Bolin. We are your friends and teammates."
"What happened?"
Bolin begins, knowing his brother is not strong enough at the moment to tell Korra. "We were having a lovely picnic in the canyon and we were attacked by some Equalists."
"Woah, woah. Equalists?" Korra asks, confusion entering her eyes.
Mako looks at his brother. "Let's take this slow, bro. The Equalists are non-benders who fight to end bending."
"Okay, so you are Mako and he's Bolin, but who am I?" Korra asks in a hurried tone.
Mako swallows his food. "You are the Avatar. The one who will bring peace and serenity to these chaotic times."
Korra sighs. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"You will master all the elements." Bolin says without hesitation.
Korra is shocked. "Woah, woah. I don't even know if I can bend one element."
Noodles fly from Bolin's mouth in surprise. "Of course you can bend!" he says. "You have to be able to bend!"
"I don't know if I can." The Avatar says, holding her hand in front of her and flicking her fingers to create fire. Nothing happens.
Korra is the world's withering hope.