4. A Place to Feel Safe

Life inside the compound with eleven-year old Korra.

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Korra is eleven. She has spent the last two years of her life inside the White Lotus compound learning to master the art of waterbending, and is excelling at it. She and Master Katara work very hard together and slowly, Korra is becoming a master.

One day, Korra got a high fever. She knew she had to train, but all she felt up to doing was riding her new polarbear-dog, Naga, around the South Pole. Well, not so much the entire Pole as much as where the guards could keep watch over her from the towers high above the village. She had discovered long ago that what the White Lotus called a 'compound' was really just a group of buildings and training centers in the corner of the entire village that made up the Southern Water Tribe.

She shakily saddled up Naga, who was just a young pup, and climbed on her back unsteadily. Naga whimpered with uncertainly.

"It's okay girl, I just have a little fever," Korra lied. In reality, she was burning up at a temperature of 103 degrees, but she really didn't want to worry anyone else.

Naga blinked once before bursting into a fast paced run towards the Water Tribe's outer wall. When they finally reached the gate, it was closed like normal. A White Lotus guard stood posted there, as if he was expecting her. When he spotted the eleven-year-old and her polarbear-dog, he called down in surprise.

"Hy! Avatar! You're supposed to be back in the compound!" Korra sighed.

"Naga needs to take a walk. We won't go far."

The guard looked skeptical, but opened the gate and let her pass. Korra's eyes widened in delight as she and Naga took off into the snow.

Even after five minutes, Naga was still sprinting around like crazy. While Korra may have been tired from her fever, Naga was a healthy puppy and needed as much excersize as she could get.

Ten minutes passed, and Korra was feeling REALLY sleepy.

"C'mon girl, can't we just go back?" Korra asked, her eyes dropping. Naga may have slowed a bit. It was unnoticeable. Suddenly, it all became too much for Korra. She felt her chest make contact with Naga's cold, hard saddle, and everything slowly faded to black.

Korra woke up hours later. She was tired and burning up. The White Lotus had brought her back to the compound after Naga had carried her body to the gate. Korra missed her best friend.

There was a riot going on outside. One shopkeeper or another had made a price too high or ran out of seaweed. At this time of the year, it was typical.

At home, Korra had always felt scared, especially when she was sick. But now, as she was being watched by Katara and some White Lotus sentries, she understood why they had brought her there.

The White Lotus Compound was a place to feel safe.