((Chapter 2! Yay! I'm not going to threaten you with no updates unless you review, but I would appreciate reviews. I love the feedback you guys give me~ If you have the spare moment, I would really appreciate it!
Enough of me begging. Let's start this chapter~))
. . .
The sun was barely rising over the horizon as Korra packed up their supplies. She packed lightly, but with enough to get them by for the trip. She attached the bags to Naga's saddle containing the food, blankets, and other emergency supplies. Senna brought out a water skin for Korra.
"I know you typically don't use these, but if you need water in a hurry, it will be useful," she insisted.
"I understand. Thank you, Mom," she said, going to pack it in the bags. And with that, they were ready to go. She made sure Naga had something to eat so that they could get a good start.
Korra looked to her home as Mako brought out Bolin. The ill Earthbender tightly held onto his brother's arm for support, slowly making his way over. Bolin was already bundled up in warm clothing and an insulated jacket with a hood. He was well prepared for the South Pole's cold. "Alright, so how are we going to do this?" the older brother asked, looking sullen.
"Well, typically you seat the injured or sick person in front to hold onto them," Korra said.
"You'll be traveling long distance, though. His head will need support if he falls asleep. Otherwise his throat could get worse from his head falling forward," Senna said.
"But if I seat him behind me, he could slip off," Korra replied.
"We'll just have to secure him to you," Asami suggested. "Do you have any strong cloth or rope?"
"I think we have something," Senna said, rushing back into the house. A minute later, she came back with Tonraq. He has a strong strap of hide that would work just fine. He showed her the proper technique to tie it around themselves, making an X-crossed shape across Bolin's back, with the strap going over Korra's shoulders and under her arms like a backpack.
"This will work," Korra said with a confident smile.
"Good. You just be very careful, Korra," Senna said, coming over to hug her daughter.
Tonraq took Bolin over to Naga, the polar bear dog lying on the ground to make getting up on her easier.
"Korra," Mako said, stepping forward after she was released from her mother's embrace. He unwrapped his scarf from his neck, going to wrap it around her neck instead.
"Mako, if anyone needs this, it's your brother," she protested.
"It's alright, he has Pabu," he said.
Korra looked over, noticing the fire ferret going to stick his head out from Bolin's drawn-up hood. He was curled around the back of Bolin's neck, taking shelter in his hood. "Mako," Korra went to protest with a worried look. She was worried about Pabu getting hurt, lost, or maybe even frozen. He was so small, and not built for the cold despite his fur.
"Please… Korra…" Mako quietly let out, with a pleading look in his eyes.
Korra sighed, looking back to Bolin and Pabu, then back to Mako. She smiled a little bit, tightening the scarf around her neck. "… I feel safer already," she softly let out.
Mako went to embrace her, touching his forehead to hers. "Take care of him… Please…"
"Of course," Korra said. She broke away from Mako, heading over to Naga. Bolin was already seated towards the back of the saddle, allowing enough room for Korra in front of him. She got up into her usual spot, having him shuffle a bit closer so she could tie him to her. Once he was secured, she had Naga slowly stand up.
"You remember the way, don't you?" Korra father asked her. They had been on numerous hunting and trading trips to the port. As least, before they started secluding Korra at the compound. He couldn't help but worry, since it had been so many years.
"I do. Don't worry," she confidently reassured him.
Tonraq dug into his pocket, pulling out his special compass attached to a strong cord. He offered it to Korra, who hesitantly took it.
"Dad… your compass," she said, worried about taking it.
"You need it more than me," he insisted. "Now get going, make the most of the daylight."
She nodded, putting the compass around her neck and tucking it into her jacket. Korra took one last took at her friends and family, before urging Naga forward.
Naga broke out into an even run. Korra couldn't bear to look back at everyone as they grew further and further away. Especially Mako, who was having the hardest time letting go. Of the both of them.
. . .
The first few hours went pretty well. Naga managed to run pretty smoothly through the snow, without jostling her riders too much. This would be the easiest part, running across the relatively flat tundra. Another few hours would bring them closer to the cliffs and jagged ice, where they would have to be incredibly careful.
Bolin kept his arms wrapped around Korra's waist. She could tell whenever he went to sleep by how loose or tight his grip was. He was really quiet, though, whether he was awake or asleep.
Pretty soon, Korra would stop for just a little bit so they could have lunch. Naga needed a rest, too, even though she knew that the polar bear dog would push herself to keep going if Korra really wanted her to. The jagged ice wasn't too far away now. They could find cover there while they rested.
So far, so good.
Within another two hours, they reached the first hazardous area in their trip. The area was full of sharp frozen water, chasms, and slippery slopes. Korra slowed down Naga as they got closer. Finding a familiar entrance, she directed her towards it. They reached an empty shelter, Korra recognizing this area as a camping space that she, her father, and their other tribe members stopped in. There was the pathway at the other end leading deeper into the jagged ice.
Korra stopped Naga inside, having her lay down. She carefully untied Bolin from her, quickly catching him before he slid off.
"Bolin, wake up. We're stopping for a little bit," she said.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking around confusedly. Korra helped him down, seating him on the ground so that he was lying back against Naga. She went to dig through their provisions, looking for something light to eat. With a smile, she took out a tin of fish stew for Bolin, and some preserved sea prunes for herself.
"I hope the stew is for me," he hoarsely joked, not really liking the taste of sea prunes.
Korra chuckled in response. "I know, it's an acquired taste," she said, putting them aside for the moment. She first used her Firebending to heat up the stew. Almost forgetting the spoon, she looked through the bags again to find one. Fortunately, her mother remembered to pack it. With their lunch prepared, Korra took a seat beside Bolin. She carefully handed the tin to Bolin, along with the spoon.
The young Avatar kept a close eye on her friend as she started eating her prunes. He was a bit shaky and slow, but was managing to feed himself. He even gave a few spoonfuls to Pabu, who instantly lapped it up.
After only managing to eat about a quarter of it, he handed the tin back to Korra. "I'm finished…" he let out.
"You should eat a bit more. You need to keep your strength up," Korra insisted. "We still have a long way to go."
"… It hurts to swallow," he admitted.
"I see…" Korra let out. "Hold on." She took the tin and put it aside. Returning back to the saddlebags, she retrieved the waterskin her mother gave her. Recalling Katara's teachings last night, she drew a bit of water out of it and charged it a bit with healing. Kneeling in front of Bolin, she directed, "Here, drink this."
Bolin opened his mouth obediently, allowing her to bend the water into his mouth. He carefully swallowed as he was told, grimacing just a little. He then sighed in relief. "That helped. Thank you," he said.
"Good. Now eat some more," Korra demanded with a smile, handing the tin and spoon back to him.
. . .
After a short rest, Korra packed up their things again, returning them to the saddlebags. She carefully shook Bolin a bit, as he was starting to drift off to sleep.
"Not yet. Let's get going first," she chuckled. She got him back up onto the saddle, and then mounted in front of him. She made sure to secure him to her again, knowing that this would be one of the worst places for a mishap. Feeling a bit bored around Bolin's neck, Pabu got out to sit on Naga's neck as she rose up again.
"Pabu, you be careful. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you," she said, though she didn't even know if the fire ferret understood. After double-checking to make sure they had everything, she urged Naga forward into the jagged ice. She made sure to take it slow, knowing there could be slippery patches of ice buried anywhere under the thin layer of snow.
Bolin was asleep again, his grip on Korra slackening a bit. Korra sighed, thoroughly worried about him. They seemed to be making good time so far, but anything could happen out here.
They made their way carefully, following the narrow paths through the ice, sharp and icy cliffs on either side. They eventually reached a big open area, Korra remembering this path.
She was dismayed to find a huge chasm had opened up in the clearing since the last time she had been here. Looking to the left and the right, she wasn't able to see where they could get across. "What do you think, guys?" she asked the animals, though they couldn't really respond. Though, Pabu and Naga looked to the left. The path was much narrower around the chasm that way, but perhaps it was the right way to do.
"Alright. Let's give this a shot," she said, trusting animal instinct and allowing Naga to head to the left. Korra had to admit to herself that she was a bit frightened. Usually she was the adventurous type, and things like this didn't daunt her. It was the fact that she had a practically debilitated friend right behind her that worried her. If anything happened here… Korra didn't even want to think about it.
The path grew even narrower as they went along, though fortunately it wasn't very slippery. Up ahead, though, there seemed to be a way across. Her furry companions were right in taking this way, which was a great reassurance.
But as they reached the bridge, it became apparent that it wasn't fully formed. There was a gap between the ice protruding over the chasm and the other side. Naga would typically be able to jump this, having easily jumped with four people on her back. Though it was just Korra and Bolin this time, it might jostle Bolin a bit too much. Korra looked back, realizing that there was no room to turn around.
She sighed, going to pet Naga's neck. "Be very careful, girl. You have fragile cargo here," she said. Korra made sure to check that the saddlebags were secured and Bolin was firmly attached to her. "Alright, let's go."
Naga headed forward, getting to the beginning of the bridge. Pabu quickly scampered up on Korra's shoulder, wrapping himself around her neck and grabbing tight to Mako's scarf. As soon as Korra spurred her, Naga bolted across the bridge. She got a good running start, fully capable of jumping over the 10-15 foot gap at this rate.
Korra's eyes widened as she heard the sound of cracking beneath them. Just as Naga jumped, the bridge under her shattered, dropping down the deep chasm. The polar bear dog had managed to get a relatively good push off the edge as it had begun to crumble.
But it wasn't enough.