Over the next few weeks, as Korra lived happily with her new family for once in her life, she actively took an interest in this power of hers. She didn't completely trust these people yet, this Tonraq and Senna, but she completely adored the polar bear-pup, who in her eyes could do no wrong and she affectionately named Naga.
She didn't show what power she had to these people, although she let it be known that she was a water bender. Senna, after hearing that, offered her two things. The first was if she wanted to live with them, and the second was if she'd like to learn some water bending tricks.
Korra didn't trust them, yet, but these people had so far treated her much better than her own family did. Perhaps she would stay here.
As Korra learned some simple things about water bending, the two people that she was growing to like learned some things about her. She could be very secretive when she wanted to be, and she wouldn't tell either of them about her what happened to her that caused her to wander around in a storm. And all the other details they tried to get from Korra were lies, for the most part, but they didn't know that, although they suspected it.
How old Korra was for example. Korra had always been short for her age, and she looked a lot younger than she was, so when Tonraq asked her, she told him she was four. Korra had thought at the time that maybe she should start over, although it was too late to change her name, and she had always loved her name anyways, so that worked out for her.
Senna and Tonraq also learned that Korra had a very independent personality, and she was almost shy, although in the weeks they spent learning about each other, Korra had started to come out of her shell a little bit. When she did, they found her a lively, charming, overwhelming little girl.
Korra was also clever, although you'd never suspect it by the way she acted. She had spent nights awake listening to the movements and breathings that were coming from the room next to hers, and had learned to tell when Senna and Tonraq were truly asleep. When she knew they were, she'd sneak out and work on more difficult and intricate water bending that she had seen other water benders doing. It took up a lot of Korra's concentration and energy, so by the time she was done she'd go to bed and fall asleep almost immediately.
Senna and Tonraq thought that she just liked sleeping in, and Korra would never let them know the truth of the real reason she slept in. She still didn't trust them.
More proof of Korra's cleverness came from when she began to train Naga a few tricks. She taught Naga the simple commands like stay, come, viciously maul something… Then she taught Naga how to let Korra ride upon her back and listen to the simple movements of the reins in Korra's hands.
Through her tactics, Naga and Korra became close, and it seemed on some occasions like they completely shared one mind, one doing something without the other having given any indication. Naga was just a polar-bear-dog, but she was clever, just like Korra.
Korra's moments with Naga she allowed Senna and Tonraq to watch, these small simple moments. She had to give them something, otherwise they'd wonder what she was doing all day and start to ask questions. Korra didn't want them to, under any circumstances, ask her questions.
She liked her privacy.
Unknown to her, Senna and Tonraq already asked questions, albeit silent one's to themselves. They were beginning to understand just how remarkable Korra really was. It was if she didn't even realize the significance of what she was doing.
They thought Korra knew that no one in the South Pole had ever been able to completely befriend, let alone tame, a polar-bear dog, which both were what Korra was doing with Naga. Senna was beginning to learn things about water bending from Korra, since Korra was a quick learner and caught on faster than Senna had thought possible. Korra was imaginative, and had an interesting way of looking at things, and seemed to take a particular interest when fighting with water bending.
Senna and Tonraq would never have guessed that such a shy, sweet little girl like Korra could be so aggressive.
But Senna had made it her personal business to make sure that Korra would fall out of her comfort zone and maybe, just maybe, become a little more confident in her abilities. Korra was determined enough, and hard-working and talented to boot. All Korra needed was a little push in the right direction sometimes, and then it was like Korra would just click with what was going on and push right through it.
Slowly, but surely, they each began to trust each other. They began to act easily around each other, and laugh and smile and talk like they had always been together. It was almost like they were actually a family, although technically Senna and Tonraq were before Naga and Korra showed up. Senna and Tonraq had just made room for them and adjusted easily.
But it surprised them all when Korra actually slipped up on what she called Tonraq one evening before bed. Tonraq had been carrying Korra into the guest room they gave her, since she had practically fallen asleep after playing, practicing, and scrapping some ice off of the sled that day. Senna was following just behind Tonraq, both smiling down at the little dark haired, warm colored blue-eyed girl falling asleep in Tonraq's arms.
As Tonraq laid Korra down in her bed, pulling the heavy blankets up, Korra mumbled something quietly, although both Tonraq and Senna heard. Korra had said, over half asleep, "Goodnight papa."
At those words, a large smile escaped Tonraq's lips, and he felt an over bearing joy bursting in his chest. He beamed over at his wife and whispered proudly, "She called me papa."
Senna smiled at those words too. Korra hadn't seen their exchange, or had even realized what she had said before falling asleep. The fact that they were in the same room as her when she did fall asleep spoke loud volumes to her, although she wouldn't think about its significance until the next day.
Even with her own parents, she never trusted anyone enough to sleep in the same room that other people were in, except Naga. But with Senna and Tonraq, she felt, for some unexplainable reason, safe.
The next day, Korra was back to calling Tonraq by his name, and acting somewhat distant around them, although between them now was some invisible bond that tied them together in a companionable, loving way.
And the next day, for the first time, on accident, Korra bended something other than water, and she realized that her power was really the Avatar's. Korra realized that she was the Avatar. She was the one person that her blood ties and her no longer friends had driven her from the small, forgettable village that had once been her home because of the extremely small, off chance she had of being.
Korra was the Avatar, and from the moment she accidentally fire bended, she had loved the act of fire bending.
It's sort of smallish, so I'm sorry for that, and I want to thank whatever Viewer reviewed on this that gave me the idea to have her learn her powers in secret. I hope it's okay with you that I adopted the idea, since I thought it really would be cool to implement it into this story somehow. I have an idea of some ties that I could work into this, although I'm honestly just righting this when I feel inspired and in the writing mood. Which I still feel that way, so maybe I'll be writing more tonight. Though, no promises. Please review if you have something to say, I'd really appreciate it. Anything you want to say or comment about. This is a learning experiience for me, and I'm as eager as you to see where this might go. So thanks for reading and please review.