A/N: First off, LOK isn't mine. Sadly. Now, I have to say that this is my favorite one so far. I don't know why. The lack of dialogue normally wouldn't be my thing, but this one was fun to write. I hope it'll be fun to read, too. Korra is seven years old in this chapter. - Immac
In Which Korra Meets Naga
Korra squatted behind a snow drift, determined to wait out the snow storm. She hadn't meant to be out in the snow so late, but somehow, her game of hide and seek with the other kids had ended a little too well for her, as nobody appeared to have found her. While the others were probably at home, safe and warm, she was hoping the snow would stop soon so she could find her way back to either her igloo or the compound she wasn't really supposed to have left in the first place. Korra shivered and pulled the collar of her jacket up over her nose and the hood down until she felt the furry lining graze her brows.
She tried to bend a small flame to warm herself, but as soon as she did, the torrential downpour of snow snuffed it out. Korra grunted in frustration.
The snow went on and on for what seemed like hours before Korra grew fed up with sitting and waiting. She decided that she'd find her way back home in the snow. It wasn't as if she was going to last much longer if she didn't go then. The only problem was that she'd been in her hiding spot for so long that she couldn't exactly remember which way to go. Besides, it had been the middle of the afternoon when she had found this spot to hide, and now, if she could see it, Korra was pretty sure the moon would be high above her. Of course, she wasn't the sort of girl who would let being lost in the woods stop her. She was the Avatar! She was awesome! No amount of darkness or snow would keep her from finding her way.
So, Korra set off into what she was pretty sure was the woods she'd come from when hiding from Cikuq, who had been 'it' in the game. Her stomach growled and she really wished she had brought something to eat with her when she snuck out of the compound with the other children. As a wolf howled somewhere off in the distance, she realized that she was also unarmed.
Great idea, Korra, the seven year old Avatar thought bitterly, just great.
She continued bending tiny flames to light her path, over and over as they kept being fizzled out by the snow. While irritating, it did manage to get her out of the woods and into a new clearing. Korra breathed a large sigh of relief. This clearing actually did look a bit familiar to her.
A low growl came from behind her.
While the clearing was familiar, Korra couldn't shake the feeling that the polar bear dog hadn't actually been there before.
It was small, white, probably just a puppy. But even as a puppy, it was almost Korra-sized, and if it wasn't, it would be if it stood on it's hind paws. It lowered the front half of its body and bared its teeth, growling at the little girl again. Korra put her hands up defensively, backing up. The polar bear dog followed her, until Korra found herself pressed against a tree with nowhere to go. She could barely see the dog through the snow, nothing except its dark black eyes and snout. Korra lit another flame, holding her hand over it to preserve it like she'd done when wandering through the woods moments ago. The dog paused, looking at it carefully, before lunging towards Korra as it was extinguished.
"No!" Korra yelped, diving behind the tree at the last second. The polar bear dog smacked face-first against the trunk, causing the snow piled in the branches above to come toppling down on both the Avatar and the dog.
Korra dug herself out as quickly as possible. She snuck a glance around the tree and saw the dog shaking snow off its head and back. She took advantage of the moment and ran in what she hoped was the right direction. The polar bear dog let out a bark, far too menacing for such a young creature, then took off after her. Korra panted as she ran, looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. As soon as she faced forward again, she smashed into a different tree.
The rough tree bark had scratched her face, and she could feel the warm blood oozing down her forehead and matting her eyebrows. Korra tried to ignore the pain as the dog gained on her, forcing herself to get back up and run. Unfortunately, the crash had eaten up her head start, and the dog gained on her quickly. The Avatar yelped as she was tackled to the ground by the dog. It sat between her legs, pinning her chest down with one paw and her left arm down with the other.
The polar bear dog growled in her face, licking at her cuts.
"No!" she said weakly, using her free arm to bend a small stream of water up and splash the dog in the face. The dog shook its head, startled. "No!" Korra repeated, more firmly, splashing it again until it was off of her. She sat up and propped herself up with her left arm, which was now sore and a little scratched from the creature's monstrous paws. The dog looked at her with disdain, as if to say How dare you?
The dog tried to bare its teeth again, but Korra splashed it again, firmly telling it, "No."
The snow began clearing, and Korra stood up, more than a little tired as she hobbled back towards the clearing, following the clearest path she could. Every now and then, she'd hear a confused growl behind her, but she'd just bend another stream of water and say, "No," exhaustedly. After a while, the growling stopped, but Korra heard it still following behind her. Eventually, it caught up with her, looking up at her with it's black eyes with confusion. It snuffed its nose against her hand, but before Korra could tell it 'no,' she realized that the dog didn't want to bite her, but rather support her.
The young Avatar gratefully placed a little bit of weight against the dog, throwing her arm over its back, and the dog walked with her until they could see the compound. Almost before Korra could even register that she'd seen it, the Order of the White Lotus ran up to them. Korra felt the dog grow tense at her side, and a loud snarl filled the air. They waved flaming torches at it, trying to scare it, and the dog was growling, trying to fight back. Weakly, and with no small amount of frustration, Korra bended another stream (smaller than the others, as she just didn't really have it in her much anymore) and splashed the dogs face (where ice crystals had began forming on its fur).
"No," she said impatiently.
Nobody seemed to understand why this wild beast was helping the Avatar, nor why it appeared to be listening to her commands. But the dog refused to leave Korra's side, so they let it into the compound for fear that it'd attack them.
Katara took Korra inside for healing, and the polar bear dog sat outside, laying on its stomach, watching through the open door. Nobody dared go near it, for if they did, the animal would just growl until Korra told her 'no.' She didn't even need the water anymore.
"Do I even want to know why you have a wild animal with you?" Katara asked as she began healing the cuts on the little girl's face.
"Probably not," Korra admitted wearily.
"Alright then," the elderly woman said with a nod. "I'll let you tell me tomorrow before we do extra work to make up for the training you missed today."
Korra nodded, not even upset that she'd be working long hours tomorrow. After she'd been properly fed and healed and put to bed, Korra looked at the moon, now clear above her. And then she heard a growl outside as the polar bear dog stuck its head in the first story window. Korra smiled faintly.
"Come on in, girl," she whispered encouragingly as the animal jumped through the window and curled up on the floor. "I'm gonna call you Naga, okay?"
The polar bear dog thumped her tail at this, licking her new master's fingers as Korra stroked her fur. Then, she sniffed at the water bending scrolls on the floor by the bed.
"Naga," Korra warned as Naga picked one up with her teeth. Naga looked up sheepishly and slowly dropped the scroll. "Good girl."
A/N: Just so you know, my intention with the whole splashing thing was to be like someone squirting a puppy with water when they're bad. Remember, I'll accept submissions. Blah, blah, blah, no Republic City characters, blah, blah, blah, good excuse for being in South Pole. - Immac