Author's notes: have decided to set the story in spring/summer instead of winter. So made some adjustments to the first chapter as well
For reference On Denali: The average expedition is 17 to 21 days, round trip. It is possible to reach the summit on day 12 or 13 (and that's without bending).
Encouragement is always appreciated.
Breath of Fire: Chapter 2
From her perch on the snow-capped peak, she looked down at the compound. The people were so small down below that they looked like ants. She took another bite of seal jerky. At her left side, Massak munched happily on her share of the jerky. Korra ripped off another small piece and fed it to Tikku who sat curled up in her lap, his tail twitching back and forth.
Sighing, she tipped her head back. She had been gone from the compound for eleven days now. It was getting dark, she should probably just camp here on the ledge for the night. "I thought I'd be at the top by now," she said to Tikku with a pout. Tikku turned his head to the side and twitched his long ears back and forth. She gently lifted him up and scooted him off of her lap.
Picking up her pack, she made her way to the small cave further back on the ledge. She had examined the area carefully to be sure she wasn't moving into an animal's home. The last thing she wanted was to wake up in the middle of the night face to face with an angry snow leopard eagle.
Her father had been taking her out on camping and hunting trips since she was a small child. She smiled as she recalled the first time she had used bending to start a fire on one of their trips. His face had split into a huge grin and he had wrapped her up in a giant hug, "My girl," he had said proudly as she buried her face against his warm neck.
Her eyes clouded over a bit with tears. It had been months since she had seen him. She frowned as she realized how worried he must be. She rubbed fiercely at her eyes and gathered what little wood she could find. She arranged the wood over a bed of rocks near the mouth of the cave and quickly lit the fire. Tikku and Massak wasted no time in curling up beside the small blaze. The fire would burn down to coals and heat up the rocks which would keep her warm all night. Her father had taught her that.
Days were long this time of year and it would only remain dark for a few hours so she quickly went to work settling in for the night. She had a big day ahead of her tomorrow if she expected to make it over the mountain. She had never summited this highest peak though she had always dreamed of it. Master Lian had taken her out on many trips to help improve her strength and stamina but whenever Korra had asked the woman about the tallest peak in sight, the one that loomed over the compound, Lian had smiled and shaken her head. "Not yet, little Avatar."
Korra set out a small dish of water for the snowshoe foxes and drank some herself from the water skin that hung at her hip. Nobody would expect her to have come this way over the mountain. It would have been far easier to take the five day trip across the tundra to the capital city and from there sneak on a freighter bound for Republic City. Or to head the other way up the coast and take a boat across the straight to the village where all the big fishing boats gathered.
But nobody would have expected her to go over the mountain ridge. The wind howled outside the cave and snow began to fall gently. She swept her hand outward in an arcing fashion and bent a stone covering partway over the cave entrance, leaving a path for the smoke from the fire to make its way out of the cave.
Once she was over the mountain she would make her way to the taiga. There were Tribe who lived along the river there, operating barges that joined up with the sea. She had never traveled there herself but her mother had tucked her in at night with stories of huge, looming trees and large herds of bison-elk. Instead of individual igloos, large families lived in long wooden buildings.
Korra smiled to herself as she envisioned the tall carved poles she had only heard about in stories. She curled up in her heavy fur coat and pulled the two little foxes close to her.
The higher she climbed, the more difficult it was to breathe. She sucked in a long breath and squinted up at the bright sky. A snow leopard eagle circled off in the distance. Airbending would definitely come in handy right now. She paused momentarily, gripping her gloved hand on the rocks in front of her. She closed her eyes and sucked in another deep breath. She blew outward and swept away an open palm in a gesture she had seen Tenzin use. Nothing. Furrowing her brow, she pulled back and tried once more. Still nothing.
Massak poked her head out of the rucksack and licked Korra along her cheek as if in consolation. Korra paused and bowed her head down, taking some more breaths. "Don't look down," she muttered to herself as she looked upward toward the peak. She shrugged her shoulders, readjusted her pack and continued her slow steady climb.
The tops of her thighs were burning with the effort of each step. She had taken a break from bending and was making the climb on her own. But she found that she had to stop more frequently than the day before as waves of nausea and dizziness began to pass over her. She shook her head clear and continued to climb. At this rate, she was just a few hours to the summit. There was a path she had found that would bring her over the mountain but she wanted to stand at the very top.
The air around her was condensing into clouds. She could all but hear Master Lian's voice in her head, "Not a very bright move, little Avatar." Korra continued to climb, letting her mind wander a bit while her well-conditioned body seemed to climb almost of its own volition.
Master Lian's family had been instructors of the fire nation royal family for generations. Lian's father had instructed Princess Izumi and her son, Prince Iroh. Lian herself had grown up with Iroh in court and her father had taught her the family trade. With Iroh's training complete, Lian had come to the compound in order to train Korra. At only 28, she was much younger than most of Korra's masters. Initially the girl had been skeptical that she had anything to learn from a non-bender but the feeling was dispelled as she watched Lian quickly and efficiently take down a squad of White Lotus benders with her bare hands. She looked so small and delicate but she was fast and precise.
Korra stopped for a moment and bowed her head. Her vision was starting to get a little blurry. She had reached the path that looked like it headed down over the mountain. There were tracks from Big horned goats along the path. She walked out onto the path and slid her pack off. Bending over, she placed her hands on the tops of her legs and sucked in some slow deep breaths. Her whole body was trembling slightly. She had been drinking plenty of water but had been concentrating on conserving her food supply and hadn't yet eaten today.
The two foxes poked their heads out of the top of the rucksack, wondering why the ride had suddenly stopped. She huffed and looked upward at the peak again. It would be a shear climb, maybe an hour or so. The safer, smarter thing to do would be to simply ignore the summit and take the path to start heading downward toward the taiga.
Korra set her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in agitation. She just couldn't do it. Even if nobody ever knew that she had given up and not reached the summit, she would know. She wanted to be the first and the best even if it was only she who knew it.
"Stay," she said in a firm voice to the foxes. She removed her thick coat and lay it over her pack. Closing her eyes, she took some more slow deep breaths through her nose and could feel a warmth begin to build in her belly and spread outward toward her limbs. She balled her hands up into little fists and turned to the shear rock wall with a steady look of determination. With a stomp of her feet, she bent two rock platforms and stood solidly on top of them, grinding her feet down into them a little. She flexed her legs and began to swing her arms upward steadily, rising one leg after the other as if she was climbing stairs. As she felt the warmth spread out from her core, she picked up speed.
Her legs burned, her vision swayed, she felt as if she was breathing once every second. Can't stop, can't stop. She furrowed her brow and shook her head. If she stopped now she would never make it to the top. Her legs no longer burned, they were numb and cold, they felt like two blocks of wood.
She opened her eyes as she felt warmth filter over her face and the darkness fade. She had broken through the cloud bank and was at the summit of the mountain. There was a wooden pole there with about a dozen or so colored flags hanging from it. She clambered off the sheer rock face and toward the flat ground where the pole was positioned. The little flags had pictures and names on them. People who had made the summit before her had left their mark. Instead of disappointment, Korra felt pride. All of these people had stood where she was standing now and had felt the same things she had felt as she pushed herself up that peak. She knelt by the pole and examined each of the flags carefully, imagining the faces of those who had been here before her. It was then that she finally turned and looked down.
The cloud bank that hovered before her had parted and she felt as if she could see the entire South. The huge expanse of white tundra, broken up by small peaks and stands of trees. The dark waters of the ocean and the ice-flow just past the shore. Small villages were mere specks and she could see the capital itself in the distance. It all lay below her, behind her. She rose from her knees and pulled off the dark blue band that was wrapped around her right lower arm. She lay it on the mountain and, heating up the tip of her finger, burned her name into the band. She split the edge of it and tied it tightly to the pole along with all the other flags.
She held it in her hand for a moment then let go, watching it snap in the wind. Grinning, she turned to look down the other side of the peak. Instead of white she saw green. Vast tracts of forest, cut by turquoise colored rivers. A second range of mountains lay in the distance past the forest. Hidden within these mountains lay jewel colored lakes and waterfalls; the land of her mother's people from a few generations back. She sat for a while, catching her breath and looking down at her future.
Going down had been a whole lot easier than climbing up. And a lot more fun. Once she had negotiated through the pass and found herself facing a snowy slope, she lashed her snowshoes together and lay her rucksack down on top of them. She climbed on the back and edged over the slope, sliding down and picking up speed as she did.
The two foxes peeked their noses out of the rucksack. Korra smiled down at them and squinted her eyes and the wind whipped past her face. Her warriors wolf-tail had come loose and her dark hair whipped around her face freely. She let out a loud "whoop!" and sped down the mountainside.
Trees sped past her as she picked up momentum sliding down the icy face of the mountain. Ice leaped up and bit at her cheeks, making her smile even wider. She waved a hand outward creating an ice ramp that she flew off of, catching air and landing again with a thump.
The exhilarating ride was short, and eventually she ran out of snow and ice. She slowly waved her hands backwards, slowing down and bringing herself to a stop. Jumping off her makeshift sled she pumped a fist in the air. She was only sad she had nobody to share the feeling with. Two sets of long white ears popped out of her pack and twitched before being followed by the two small pointed faces.
Korra laughed out loud, her voice echoing through the trees. She rubbed at their heads and they popped back into the pack. She lifted the pack and unstrapped the snowshoes, fixing them again to the outside of the pack. Hoisting the pack onto her shoulders once more she continued her descent down the mountainside.
It had taken about half the time to make her way down the peak. By her estimate she had been gone now for just over two weeks. Her food had just about run out thanks to the two little thieves who had spent most of the journey down the slope tucked into the warm pack.
She now found herself hiking on level ground through a grove of tall pine trees. The forest floor was covered with a thick coat of pine needles, muffling each of her steps. Pausing, she took off her pack and set it against one of the trees. She needed to find water. If she found water she would find people.
Taking a seat on the soft, pine needle covered ground she folded her legs inward and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she did. She smirked as she remembered the first time she had done this. She had been so excited, thinking that it was somehow a spiritual thing. I stink at all that stuff, she frowned. "I can close my eyes and feel where the water is!" she had told Master Yuan. But he had told her politely, no, it had nothing to do with the spirit world.
Master Katara had seemed impressed though, and had asked Korra for a demonstration once when they were out on a walk. It had been mid summer, the tundra had melted leaving streams and water flows dispersed over the sparse grassy plane. She had sat and with eyes closed, sensed a flow of water, pointing her hand they continued the walk in the direction indicated. After half a mile they had come across a mid sized creek feeding into a large river.
Katara had hugged her and together they sat at the creek's edge eating their lunch. Katara had looked down at the six year old and admitted that she herself was not able to do that until her mid twenties. "A connection to the water like that, it's a special thing," Katara had assured her.
But not a spiritual thing. Korra frowned once more. No airbending, no spirit stuff. Some Avatar I am, she thought as she took a deep breath, reaching out to feel the water.
And there it was, calling to her just northwest of where she was sitting. "Not too far!" she said to her two traveling companions who had now worked themselves out of the pack. She lifted the pack onto her shoulders once more and moved through the silent forest toward the slow moving river that lay less than a mile away.
"Wolf girl," A voice called behind her. She turned quickly and found herself facing a dark man with a mohawk. He stood as tall has her father, wearing a pair of dark blue pants and fur skirt. Intricate tattoos covered his right arm all the way up to his shoulder and upper chest. He gripped a spear in his hand. He was smiling broadly at her.
She smiled back and dropped her pack. She recognized the hair, he was a Borcupine warrior. But he looked older, with creases in his smile. "You've traveled far for one so young, wolf girl," He said as he approached, his feet moved silently over the pine needles.
No wonder I didn't hear him, Korra thought as she looked down at his leather boots with the soft bottoms. "Yes, uncle, I've had a long journey," she nodded her head to him. The title 'uncle' was one of respect only.
He stepped to within a few feet of her. "It will be dark soon. Here, let me take your pack, we can go to my family's home. It's not far."
"Thank you, uncle," she nodded her head, allowing him to take the heavy pack. Part of her wanted to protest, to prove to him that she may be small but she could carry her own pack. But she knew the man was just trying to be respectful and friendly so she allowed him to hoist the rucksack onto his broad back. Tikka poked his head out of the top of the pack and licked the man on the cheek. He blinked in surprise and looked sideways at the small snowshoe fox.
"Is he with you?" he asked with a smile in his eyes.
"Yes," Korra grinned as Massak's head emerged as well. "I am Korra from the wolf people, my father's name is Tonraq. My mother is Senna of the snow leopard eagle tribe."
The man's eyes widened with respect, "A very powerful lineage, small one. I am Inkuk of the Borcupine warriors," he brushed a hand against his mohawk and grinned at her.
"Thank you for inviting me into your home, uncle," she said as she moved to follow him. She looked up at the darkening sky through the trees. "Snow is coming soon," she told him as she reached his side.
His brow quirked in confusion as he looked up at the clear sky. He adjusted the pack on his back and lifted his spear. A chill was in the air but it had not snowed in weeks. The girl beside him seemed so matter of fact about it, so sure. She walked beside him now, keeping pace with his long strides through the forest.
Inkuk's booming laughter filled the forest as the little girl at his side finished recalling her penguin sledding tale. Korra's face split into a huge smile as she looked up at the tall man. She was hit suddenly with a pang of sadness as she thought about her father. She hadn't seen him in months. The smile faded slowly.
"When my brothers and I were young we would climb the trees and try and lasso bison-elk. Then we'd drop down onto their backs for a ride!" Inkuk shook his head and smiled again with the memory.
Korra grinned. After two weeks of having only snowshoe foxes to talk to she had really missed the company of actual people. But it was more than that, she realized as she furrowed her brow. Being with him, with a member of the tribe, it felt like home in a way the compound never could.
As they entered a clearing, Korra could hear the nearby river. A number of log buildings came into view each with columns of smoke curling from its top. Soft flakes of snow began to drift down from the sky and landed on the two travelers.
Inkuk lifted a hand over his head, catching some of the flakes. He turned and looked down at her, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Sorry I doubted you, little one. You must be a powerful bender."
Her heart swelled at the complement. For all her training and teaching, it was rare that she would receive a complement like this. She knew she was supposed to be humble. Shrug her shoulders or say she was just average. Instead, she simply smiled up at him.
The looked up at the tall, carved, brightly colored pole that stood beside the house he was approaching. "My family's totems," he explained as he pointed each out to Korra. She nodded and examined the carvings, they were the protectors of his home and his family.
He climbed the wooden ladder up to the door of the home. Moving the leather flap that covered the entrance he ducked into the home. "Everybody!" he called out as he set his spear down beside the entrance. "I've brought a guest."
Korra followed him into the warm, dimly lit home. There were lofts near the ceiling with beds and ladders to each. More beds with soft fur covers lined the walls. A large stone fireplace in the back with a fire crackling. A second one on the far wall opposite. Together they kept the large room very warm and cozy. The floor was covered with thick, dark brown furs. There were about six people who approached. Two older looking men, an elderly looking woman and two younger women each cradling a small child. They were all smiling at Korra.
"Wolf girl, this is my family," he introduced her to each of them and she gripped their forearms in the traditional greeting of the Tribe.
"This is Korra," Inkuk gestured down to her. "Her mother comes from the show leopard eagle tribe."
The oldest of the men hobbled forward, leaning against his cane. "Welcome to our home, Korra. We were about to have our evening meal. Please join us." He smiled at her, a toothless, wrinkled grin and shuffled toward the ladder near the entrance that lead to the common area below.
Inkuk set her pack down beside one of the bunks. "Will your friends be joining us" he asked as he gestured to the pack. As if on cue, two sets of long white ears popped out of the pack. Korra clicked her tongue and the two foxes bounced out, their big padded feet propelling them toward her open arms. Together they bounced up into her arms and she deposited them into her coat.
Inkuk's family all laughed at the appearance of the two foxes. Tikku's tale popped out of her coat and brushed against her face. She followed the family as they made their way down the ladder. She was a bit concerned that the oldest of them wouldn't be able to make it down but they handled it with apparent ease.
The bottom floor was covered with furs as well. There were two additional fire places, a large iron pot bubbled over one of them, a delicious smell filling the room. Two more middle aged women and a small boy rose to join them.
"This is Korra," Inkuk gestured to the girl as he approached one of the women and gave her a large hug and kiss. "Wolf girl, this is my wife, Aluki and our grandson, Pakak." The little boy grinned as Korra opened her coat and the two snowshoe foxes came tumbling out.
"This is Tikku and Massak," Korra introduced them as they bounded over to Pakak.
"My best friend's name is Pakku," Korra said to the boy as she approached him and watched him squat to pet the foxes.
Aluki smiled at the two of them together, sitting on the rug petting the foxes.
"Aw, you two kids are so cute together," Inkuk said with a smile as he took a seat at the low wooden table.
Korra frowned at the statement and looked at the little boy across from her petting the fox. He actually wasn't that little, he was at least as tall as her and looked about her age in fact. But the instant she had seen him she had thought of him as a little kid. In her mind, she wasn't anything like him at all.
"How old are you?" Korra asked as she moved over to the table, following Pakak and taking a seat beside him. He wore his long brown hair loose and to his shoulders, not old enough to wear the mohawk of a warrior.
"Seven," the boy answered, smiling at Tikku who had curled up in his lap.
Korra was shocked. They were the same age. She had worn the wolf tails of her people since she was six and had defeated her first white lotus squad. She hadn't thought of herself as a little kid in quite a while.
The entire family had gathered around the table and started eating together. Korra looked around the table. Older people, a few younger woman with small babies and a seven year old child. Where were the warriors? Where were the other children?
Everybody chatted amongst themselves, passing baskets of food. Korra ate and watched them move. None of them were benders, she was almost sure of it. Where were the benders?
Dinner was wonderful; roasted fish, dried bison-elk, wild rice and flatbread. And everybody was so friendly. But something was wrong. No benders, no young people…what was going on?
For dessert they had some sweet cakes with blackberries. Aluki reached down more than once to wipe Pakak's berry covered face. Korra fought hard to hide her disgust, trying her best not to be rude. Tikka and Massak snuggled together below the table sharing some dried bison-elk strips.
"So what brings you traveling so far, Korra?" Inkuk asked, taking a sip of tea.
She didn't want to lie. These people had been so nice to her. "I'm going to go to my mother's old village to spend the summer with her people." As soon as she said it, Korra realized how much she actually did want to do that.
She ate her cake, not oblivious to the look shared between Inkuk and his wife. "Where are your parents? Aren't you a little young to be traveling on your own?" Aluki asked gently.
Korra just smiled and shrugged.
Aluki looked at her with some confusion. "Did you come up the river in one of the ships?"
Inkuk shook his head, "No, you couldn't have, I met you in the grove…did you come over the mountain?" he asked, clearly in disbelief.
Korra blushed and looked down at her plate. Not sure what to say. Lying just seemed to lead to more lying.
The faces around the table each seemed equally shocked.
"I…yes, I came over the mountain," she admitted.
Inkuk nodded his head, "How long have you had your wolf tails for, Korra?"
Korra fidgeted a bit, glancing down at Tikku now in her lap, "Uh, since last year."
Inkuk glanced over to his wife. A girl who got her wolf tails that young, maybe a girl like that could climb the peak alone.
Pakak broke the silence with a long, loud yawn.
Aluki looked down at him and rubbed his head, "Maybe Pakak is right, it's time for bed I think."
Inkuk nodded and everybody rose. The two younger women handed their infants to the elderly looking woman who tucked them into the satchel on her back, heading up the ladder to the sleeping area. They helped Aluki clear and begin to wash the dishes. As Korra watched them wash the dishes by hand, she felt her suspicions confirmed; no water benders.
Aluki then stepped away, laying a hand on Korra's shoulder. "Follow me, Korra, I'll show you to your bunk."
Korra rose and with a click of her tongue the two white balls of fur jumped up into her coat once more.
Pakak laughed and grinned, clapping his hands together like a baby.
Korra resisted rolling her eyes as she followed Aluki up the ladder.
Still awake, Korra pretended to sleep as she listened to Aluki tell stories to Pakak in the bed below her loft.
The kind older woman had offered for Korra to join them but Korra had declined politely, saying she was very tired.
Instead she had laid awake, Tikku and Massak snuggled close to her face, listening and missing her mother.
The tale Aluki told wasn't one she was familiar with. It was about a boy who had transformed himself into a tiger seal to sneak past a blockade and save his sister and then his whole tribe.
Korra had liked the story. But if he had been the one to tell it she wouldn't have made the sister be so dumb and helpless. Why couldn't they save their tribe together?
Grumbling to herself a bit, she settled deeper into bed, sleep filtered through her and she drifted off.
She dreamt of golden dragons. Riding on their backs, flying through the sky. The sky flipped upside down and the sea was above her. She plunged in with her dragon and together they came out, the dragon now blue. She shivered and awoke.
She shifted in her covers, disoriented momentarily. Massak stirred beside her. She remembered where she was as she blinked in the semi darkness. The fires were now burning low and it was a bit chilly in the room. Everybody was curled up under their furs.
Korra rubbed at her bare arms. She was wearing her usual sleeveless light blue top and dark blue pants. Throwing the fur covers off, she hopped out of bed and slid down the ladder, landing softly on bare feet. She made her way over to one of the fire places. Taking a moment, she looked around the room and listened intently. Everybody was asleep.
She grinned and narrowed her eyes at the embers in the fireplace. Lifting a few more logs, she placed them on the fire then moving smoothly onto one leg she balanced and threw a hand out, a small stream of fire lighting the logs. They crackled and came to life, the warmth reaching her face, making her cheeks flush.
Somebody stirred awake in one of the beds. Korra quickly made her way back to the ladder and climbed up into her loft, jumping back into bed and pulling the furs over herself. She remained still, waiting, listening.
Soft little sobs cut through the silence. It was coming from below her, from Pakak's bed. Somebody else rose from bed and crawled in with him. "Pakak, Pakak, wake up, little one," Korra recognized Aluki's soft voice.
"I had a bad dream," he sobbed, sitting up in bed. Aluki hugged him and rocked him back and forth.
"They're coming! They're coming," he was sobbing again, rocking with Aluki.
It was just a silly dream, Korra huffed and lay her head back down on her pillow. She closed her eyes and began to think of dragons again.
"They're coming tomorrow," he sniffled.
Aluki shushed him, "I know, I know."
Dragons. Dragons.
"But it will be all right. I know they're coming, but it will be all right. They'll take you and you will be safe. You'll be with your brother."
Korra's eyes shot open. What was Aluki talking about? She sat up and listened more closely.
"But I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you and Grandpa," he buried his face into her shoulder. Korra had to strain to hear him.
Aluki rubbed his back and shushed him again, "I know, I know."
"They're coming," Pakak sniffled again.
Korra lay back down. Staring up at the wooden ceiling, eyes open. Who were they? Who was coming?
End Part 2.