CHAPTER 2 - Two Legs are Better than Four
"KORRA!" yelled a very angry Tenzin from the training grounds.
Korra awoke with a start, a sickening feeling in her stomach building as she realized she was late for her air-bending lesson. She'd only slept a few hours after wandering back to her bed after sunrise, and the fatigue clung to her body like wet clothing. She threw on her air-bending uniform and rushed through the kitchen to pick up a few pieces of fruit before flying out the back door. She scarfed down the last apple-pear as she skidded to a stop in front of Tenzin, whose face glowered above her.
"Rey, Renzan," she mumbled with a mouth full of fruit.
"I'm glad you decided to join us this morning, Korra," said Tenzin, moving to the side to reveal his three children patiently waiting behind him.
"Morning, Korra!" The three air-bender kids yelled, their excitement level far exceeding that of their fellow trainee.
Korra swallowed the rest of her food and said, "How do you guys have so much energy?"
"I go to sleep early and wake up early the same time every day. Once it becomes a habit, you don't have work too hard it," answered Jinora.
"That's not true! You stay up reading grandpa's journals—" said Ikki, who was blown off to the side by her older sister's air-bending before she could finish.
"Jinora!" yelled her father, rushing off to retrieve his youngest daughter.
Everyone stopped to look at Meelo, who was staring aimlessly at the birds overhead. Then suddenly, "I wanna fly like a turtle-duck!" he screamed, pulling his shirt over his head and flapping the sides around as he started quacking.
Korra and Jinora exchanged a look before dropping their heads and saying in unison, "The mornings are so evil."
Once Master Tenzin returned with Ikki in tow, the morning lessons began. Korra woke up little by little as they went through morning calisthenics and basic bending movements. However, during the meditation before the lunch break, Korra found it difficult to concentrate. Thoughts of Amon, Mr. Sato and the other Equalists ran rampant through her mind. Every corner of her mind seemed to be infected with images of Amon's infamous mask, whether memories of her encounters or scraps of posters on the streets, she couldn't shake her thoughts from him – his hand slowly reaching towards her to take her bending away, forever.
"NO!" she screamed, startling everyone, even little Meelo who had fallen asleep, bursting his snot bubble in the process. Korra's heavy breathing filled the room while beads of sweat clung to her skin and dripped down her face. She felt the stares of the others mounting on her, the pressure building to the point that her ears were ringing. "I need air," she mumbled, moving to exit the gazebo.
"But Korra, you're already outside," said Jinora, who looked concerned.
"Different air, then," she said and continued to walk out.
"Alright, children, go eat your lunch. Tell your mother I'll be there eventually," said Tenzin as he children flew out of the meditation space and raced for Pema's cooking. He chuckled at their carefree dispositions and wished his young Avatar could share in their little joys. But it seemed much troubled the brave Water Tribe girl, and Tenzin thought he had an answer to her troubles.
Korra sat on the shore, playing with the sand between her fingers and watching the waves lazily roll over the edge of her toes. She had recently found this little patch of shore on one of her adventures around the island and when it wasn't dark enough for her windowsill, this had become one of her favourite places to meditate. However, her thoughts were still clouded and as her frustration grew, the sand and waves rose. Until a large gust of wind sliced through her wave and blew away the dust, catching Korra off guard. She whipped around and pushed herself into a fighting stance, one of her favourite pro-bending positions that she had developed herself. Feet firmly on the ground and arms in a boxing style, Korra faced her aggressor and was shocked to see Master Tenzin.
"Tenzin!" she said, the words barely having time to leave her mouth before she was blown in the face with another gust of wind. Digging her feet into the ground, she managed to stand her ground, pulling the water from the sea to form a shield. A slice of wind easily tore threw her defense, spraying her with water. She shook her head, jumping to a rock behind her to gain the higher ground just as Tenzin threw another attack. Eyeing her escape route up the side of the hill, Korra jumped and sent two kicks of fire in Tenzin's direction as a distraction, not wishing to hurt him.
"Tenzin! I'm sorry! Can't we talk about this?" she called as landing on another boulder. Not hearing a response, she looked over the edge of the rock, just long enough to see Tenzin soar above her, powerful cyclones of wind supporting him. "Guess not!" she yelled, earth bending the rock in front her to block the force. She back flipped to another one, sending a flurry of fire punches in his direction, but his mini-tornadoes extinguished them. He's gotta be possessed or something, the young Avatar feared. "Tenzin, buddy! You gotta snap out of it! It's me, Kor—" she yelled before being thrown off her ledge by an even more powerful gust of air. She bended the sand below her to catch her fall, however, now Tenzin had the higher ground. Korra ran into the ocean, building a cyclone of her own to match Tenzin's.
Their tornados of air and water clashed, twisting and breaking against one another. Tenzin absorbed everything Korra threw at him whether it be water, sand or fire and quickly gained the advantage. Korra's fatigue from training and lack of sleep were obviously affecting her fighting and Tenzin took advantage of her poor concentration, seeing an opening in her defense. He maneuvered his cyclone around her water one, cutting off its source. Before Korra could correct her mistake, Tenzin had grabbed her from the air. She yelled as his hand descended on her face, just like Amon's, crying out as his thumb connected with her forehead, "No!"
All the water and sand plummeted to the ground, and Tenzin descended to the shore with Korra in his arms. She whimpered, fearing her bending was gone forever. Tenzin gently shook her shoulders, "Korra, Korra, you're alright. Look at me."
She gingerly opened her eyes, fearing she might be attacked again, and raised her arms to defend her face. She was surprised to hear fire crackle in her fists. "My bending!" she exclaimed, still shocked that her bending hadn't been stolen.
"Of course, Korra. I'm not Amon," answered Tenzin.
"But you. With the hand. And all the attacking. And. . . " she blundered. "And what was that all about?"
"I thought a good fight might help you clear your head," he said with a smile.
"Well, a warning would have been nice," retorted Korra.
"You think Amon announces his surprise attacks?" he said.
"Oh," said Korra feebly at the mention of his name.
"I know you're afraid of him, Korra. And I'm glad you've admitted it, but we have to move on to the next steps. You have people counting on you and a city to defend. We can't defeat Amon without you. You're the Avatar," he said.
Korra sighed. "I know, I know. As everyone keeps reminding me," she said. "I just. . . I just, I'm just so afraid of losing my bending. Sometimes, it seems like that's all I have. Without it, I wouldn't be the Avatar. I wouldn't really be anyone."
"That's not true, Korra. You are much more than your bending. You have your mind, your heart, your body, your friends, your family," Tenzin said.
"But I wouldn't be able to defend anyone, including myself without my bending," said Korra.
Tenzin sighed and said, "Korra, what are you more afraid of? Amon taking over the city or. . . taking away your bending?"
Korra hesitated. She hated that she was hesitating. She knew the answer Tenzin wanted was that she wanted to protect the city, but the truth was she was more scared that she wouldn't even be able to protect herself. "I. . . I don't know," she answered weakly.
"I see," he said, stroking his beard as he often did.
"I want to be strong enough to defend everyone, but I need my bending to do that," she said. "If that makes me selfish, then . . . I don't know. I guess, I'm selfish," she finished, rather indignantly.
"Well, then how do we make sure you don't lose your bending?" asked Tenzin.
"I don't know, tie Amon's hands behind his back?" Korra said with a chuckle. "Or better, yet, put him in a box? Ship him away to the Northern Water Tribe?" she added with a smirk.
Tenzin chuckled, "While I don't doubt that'd work, I believe the answer lies in your ability."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Amon can't take your bending if he can't touch you," said Tenzin.
"Yeah? And how am I gonna do that? Learn to metal bend and build a giant robot around my body?"
"While that's not a terrible idea, Lin is the only one capable of teaching you such a technique and she's busy hunting down her kidnapped officers."
"Right, so what was your plan?"
"Air-bending. Now, more than ever is vital that you focus on air-bending. And you can't do that if you can't concentrate on anything other than Amon. Master air-bending, Korra, and you'll be able to evade every attack he sends your way," said Tenzin.
Korra just stared at Tenzin, "No pressure, then," she said.
"I thought you did well in the last round with all the odds stacked against you. Or was that an imposter at the Pro-Bending Tournament?" said Tenzin, laughing.
Korra laughed along with him, "I guess you have a point," she ceded.
"And perhaps, a little more spiritual training will help you access the Spirit World. I fear we may need my father's help more now than ever," said Tenzin.
"Yeah, you and me, both," said Korra.
They stood there for a moment, the seriousness of the situation and the daunting tasks before them sinking in. Only to be interrupted by an enormous sounding rumble emitting from Korra's stomach.
"Oops," Korra said hastily, an apologetic grin on her face.
"But perhaps food is a more dire need at the moment. Let's join the others for lunch shall we?" said Tenzin.
"Yeah!" yelled Korra, only to be stopped in her tracks by Tenzin grabbing her shoulder.
"Now that your pro-bending practice is over, however, I think a few extra lessons may be in order. Eat well, you'll have a long day a training ahead of you," said Tenzin.
"Aw, man. . . " muttered Korra, as they walked together back to the house.
Korra collapsed to her bed with a thud. Tenzin had ordered two extra lessons, working well into the night. No amount of food or hot bathing water could replenish her energy. She just wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep. Training had never exhausted her body like this, not water, not fire, not even earth, which had been a little bit of a challenge. No, air bending would be the death of her, she knew it. "Stupid air. Why's it so important anyway?"
"Well, I don't know about you benders, but we non-benders like to use it to breathe," a voice said from her doorway. Korra painfully rolled over on her side, wincing ever so slightly so she could see who was talking. Asami stood in the archway, leaning against the siding.
"Yeah, well, breathing sucks," said Korra, her few bruised ribs agreeing with her.
"That so? Well, I think a few people might disagree with you, Avatar," said Asami, who moved into the room. "Isn't it a little early for you to be going to sleep anyway? The sun only went down an hour ago."
"I'm pretty exhausted," answered Korra.
"Yeah, I'd imagine so. You ate five bowls of rice, not even Bolin could keep up with you," she added with a chuckle.
Korra laughed as well, but it was strained due to the pain in her side.
"Oh, no! Are you hurt?" asked Asami, concern in her voice.
"Nope, nothing a little healing won't fix," Korra answered. She motioned her hand in the direction of a bowl of water on her dresser. Masterfully, the water danced through the air, over to Korra's hands, engulfing them in a shimmery light blue aura. Asami's eyes widened at the spectacle, she's never witnessed water-bending so up close before. Mako and Bolin had been more than happy to oblige to show off their bending powers, but since she didn't get much alone time with the Avatar, this was a rare treat.
"Asami?" Korra asked, snapping Asami out of her staring.
"Huh, yes?" she said.
"Can you help me out a little?"
"What do you—" she asked, a little confused by the request, until she noticed Korra nod her head towards her shirt. "Oh! Oh, of course!"
Asami carefully lifted Korra's shirt, just a few inches at first, not wanting to reveal any unnecessary skin, she didn't know if the young Avatar was shy or not.
"A little more, it's a pretty big bruise," Korra said.
Asami obeyed, revealing a rather nasty purple bruise on the Avatar's already dark skin. Asami couldn't help but admire the girl's peak physical form, toned abs and strong arms. But not without feminine hips and a beautiful face, shining from the blue healing light. Korra laid her hands on her side, and the glow intensified as it healed the broken skin and capillaries, quickly repairing the damage. The glow died down as she finished, sending the water back to the bowl.
"Thanks," said Korra, quickly pulling her shirt back down and laying back down on her bed, the wincing no longer necessary. "Hope that wasn't awkward or anything. I forget you city folk are pretty private about your bodies. With the exception of Bolin, of course," Korra said with a laugh.
Asami chucked as well, adding, "Yeah, he is quite the show of. And it was no problem, I'm glad I could help. That was quite the bruise."
"Yeah, Tenzin gave that to me during a sparring match."
"I see why they make you guys where protective gear at the tournaments, now."
"Yeah, bending's not always fun," said Korra.
"Yeah, it seems like more trouble than it's worth sometimes," said Asami.
Korra cringed, but held her tongue. She knew Asami meant no harm with her words, but they still stung. They reminded her of Pema's desire to have a "normal" non-bending child.
However, Asami sensed Korra's discomfort and quickly added, "Not that I think bending is wrong or unnatural! Just that it comes with a lot of responsibility. I don't think I'd want to bend, even if I could."
"Really?"
"Yeah. As long as I can drive, I'll probably always be happy. And that's one thing bending can't help you with."
"True. Even I don't stand a chance at beating you in a race," said Korra.
"Yeah, but I don't stand a chance at beating you in a fight," said Asami.
"I dunno, you got some pretty good moves, you know, for a girl," she said, both of them laughing.
"Nothing like that healing power of yours. That was beautiful," Asami said.
"Thanks, Master Katara taught me. She learned it way up in the Northern Water Tribe. They actually almost didn't let her practice any other form of water-bending until she challenged the Grand Master. Wanna talk about some girl with some moves, Master Katara kicks some serious butt," said Korra.
"Must be a Southern Water Tribe girl thing, then," said Asami. "They seem to be notorious for their strong women," she added with a wink.
"Yeah, Water Tribe!" Korra exclaimed with a pseudo-serious face.
Asami giggled and Korra's heartbeat quickened, a usual side effect of her sleep deprivation but something felt a little different this time. She laid down so as to stop herself from feeling too lightheaded.
"So I'm guessing you're too tired for story telling tonight, then?" Asami said with a smile, although a twinge of disappointment rang in her voice.
Korra was indeed tired, but she didn't want to sadden the other girl, "Well, it depends. . ." Korra began.
"Depends on what?"
"On who's telling the story."
"Oh, I see. I suppose listening doesn't take nearly as much energy," said Asami.
"Uh huh," Korra mumbled, curling up on her bed with her eyes closed.
"Let's see. . . there was once a little girl, in a far off land. She spent ever day exploring the forest behind her house. One day, she stumbled across a circle of animals, all discussing a race that was to take place the next day. A platypus-bear, a rabbit-beaver, a fox-ferret and a porcupine-cat all sat there yelling at each other over what the course should be.
The platypus-bear wanted to go up the mountains, the rabbit-beaver wanted to cut through the ponds, the fox-ferret wanted to go through the mud and the porcupine-cat wanted to cross over the dusty wastelands. Each wanting to play nothing but to their strengths. The little girl had always loved gallivanting through the woods and couldn't help but cry out, 'May I join your race tomorrow!'
'Most certainly not!' yelled the porcupine-cat.
'Absolutely not!' cried the fox-ferret.
'No, little human!' screamed the rabbit-beaver.
'You may not,' said the platypus-bear.
'Why not?" asked the little girl.
"Well, you only have two feet," said the fox-ferret.
'How can you ever expect to beat us four-legged creatures if all you have is half?' said the rabbit-beaver.
'But if you never let me try, how do you know?' answered the girl.
'Because will not want to wait for you to finish,' said the porcupine-cat.
'Hurry along girl, we have business to discuss,' said the platypus-bear.
'If I can pick a course that you all agree on. Will you let me join the race?' the little girl propositioned.
'What did you have in mind, little human?' said the porcupine-cat.
'Why don't you run only on the flat grass?' said the little girl.
'Yes, explain your reasons,' said the fox-ferret.
'All of you want to run on your favoruite ground, but no one can agree. If you choose a type that no one wants, then no one can complain,' said the little girl.
'And what if it is your favourite," asked the platypus-bear.
'I love the whole forest equally," answered the girl.
'Plus, I have only half as many legs as you,' she added.
'This is true,' said the fox-ferret.
'I agree,' added the rabbit-beaver.
'Then tomorrow at noon, we race on the flat grass,' said the platypus-bear.
'Don't keep us waiting, too long, little human,' said the porcupine-cat.
The next day, at noon on the dot, all the animals and the little girl took their places at the starting line. At the quack of a turtle-duck, they all cut loose. The platypus-bear lumbered across the field, but without the cool mountain air, his fur was too hot and slowed him down. The fox-ferret surged across the grass, but without mud to keep his paws wet, his feet began to crack, causing him to shout out in pain. The rabbit-beaver hopped along the flowers, but without water currents to ride, he couldn't keep up with the others. The porcupine-cat was in the lead, lunging through the grass, but all the bugs flying around, he was easily distracted and zigzagged, wasting valuable time. The little girl, however, having run through the flat crazy many times ran straight and true, keeping her eyes only on the finish line. When she won the race, the other animals asked how she could have possibly beaten them.
She simply answered, 'What good is four legs when only need two?'
Asami said, finishing her tale. She had been enjoying the memory of her mother telling her the story so much that she hadn't even noticed Korra snuggle up beside her. The younger girl looked so vulnerable yet peaceful. Asami was glad Korra was finally able to relax. "Goodnight and sweet dreams, Avatar," said Asami, as she gently stroked Korra's hair, the softness of which surprised her. But she knew she should let the young Avatar rest and any more movement might disrupt her. So Asami gingerly removed herself from Korra's hold and walked back to own bed, leaving the other girl to some well deserved rest.