Darn... I thought I'd get some comments with having old-Zuko in the story. Guess not.

Hope this one goes over better. Chapter 10. And thanks again for reading everybody, and especially for commenting. :D

10: The Harness

There were days when Katara's only access to Korra was at mealtimes. She did her best to be understanding and flexible—Water Tribe trait, after all—and she knew there were times when one had to immerse oneself in a subject of study in order to understand it. She bided her time.

She also thought Korra could stand to see some Water Tribe patience in action as an example. She thought.

Not that the thirteen-year-old seemed inspired to do likewise.

One day during lunch, Korra slapped her hand down on the table. "You know what—I'm gonna do it."

Katara tilted her head. "Do what?"

"I just got done with a cultural lesson on the Earth Kingdom. You know, how they ride ostrich horses? I didn't think much of it until I remembered another lesson I had on the Northern Water Tribe, how they put saddles on their animals up there."

"Okay…"

"I wanna make a saddle for Naga."

"Oh, sweetie, I don't know if that's a good idea." Katara looked at Korra with concern. "I know you've pretty much tamed Naga, but polar bear dogs are wild animals. They're not used to being ridden at all. Naga might not want to do that."

Korra's confidence hadn't dimmed. "She will—after I teach her."

"Korra—"

"Look, I've got it figured out. I'll ask the leatherworkers to make Naga a saddle. I'll let her wear it so she can get used to it, then I'll slowly get her used to the idea of carrying me. Then we can go on from there."

Katara was still skeptical. "Well, at least you aren't making the saddle yourself. That'd be asking for even more trouble."

"Well, of course not! I'm not a Leatherbender—doi!"

"Well, doi yourself!"

Korra made a face at Katara, which she returned. They laughed.

"No, I know I oughta leave that to somebody who knows how," said Korra. "Naga's pretty big. This thing has to be sturdy."

"That's one way of putting it," said Katara, frowning. "Korra, this saddle has to be more than sturdy. If Naga throws you…"

"I know, I know…"

"And nobody's even trained a polar bear dog to ride before."

"Hey, nobody rode an ostrich horse before either. But somebody did, eventually. I figure I'll be the one to do it with Naga!"

Katara narrowed her eyes. "If you go and break your neck out there…"

Korra put her hands out to the side and grinned. "Hey, that's what Waterhealing's for, right?"

Katara scowled at her.

o o o

It turned out that some of the leatherworkers' families originally came from the Northern Water Tribe, and they were familiar with making harnesses and saddles for buffalo yaks in the north. They rather relished the challenge of making one for a polar bear dog. As a matter of fact, between the visits of Avatar Aang to the South Pole and now those of his son Tenzin, the leatherworkers were also familiar with sky bison saddles. They added enhancements from that work to the "Northern" design.

Naga sniffed inquisitively at the leatherworkers as they measured her, but nothing untoward happened otherwise. Korra soon had her saddle.

That was the easy part.

Katara tried to keep her chuckles to herself as she watched what happened after. Naga growled at the leatherworkers as they tried to strap on the harness, and she snapped at one of them as they tried to fit and tighten the belly strap. Further attempts only annoyed Naga more—and made the leatherworkers value their fingers. It wasn't going to work.

So Korra tried fitting Naga with the saddle herself. Now Naga knew Korra, loved Korra, trusted Korra, but this… this was unusual. And uncomfortable. It made her itch, and she liked her belly scratched, not… whatever this was. That tightness around her middle had to go, along with everything else. And she told Korra so, in no uncertain and ever louder tones—but Korra wasn't listening. So the moment that belly strap started really getting tight…

Up came the right hind foot, forward came the right hind foot, and off went the saddle over Naga's head, harness and all.

Korra was wide-eyed. "Naga!"

Naga gave herself a good hard shake then, when that didn't get rid of the itch, flopped over in the snow and wiggled to scratch the itch.

Katara chuckled.

Korra folded her arms. "Naga…"

What followed was a test of wills.

Korra threw a blanket over Naga's back (at the suggestion of one of the leatherworkers). Naga didn't react. Korra then started to manhandle the saddle into a lifting position, only to watch Naga walk off, blanket and all. Korra lowered the saddle and frowned.

Later, Korra came up to Naga and put the blanket on her. No reaction. Korra praised her and scritched her chin. Korra maneuvered the saddle into pace, hoisted it, and set it on Naga as gently as she could. No reaction. Korra praised Naga again, giving her back a good scratch under the blanket. She leaned down to tighten the straps. At the strap got tight around the middle, though… hind foot to back of saddle, and foop! off went the whole assembly. Naga contented herself with more backscratching in the snow.

"Naga!"

Korra then approached Naga with a bucket of fish and tossed her a fish as a gesture of good faith. Naga eagerly gobbled it up. Again the blanket went on with another fish going to Naga. No reaction beyond Naga looking at the bucket. Korra grinned. The saddle went on, and another fish. Nothing. Korra grinned a little wider and began to tighten the straps.

Up went the hind leg, foop! went the saddle, and away went Naga with the bucket of fish. Korra yelled at Naga, then stomped off fuming.

This went on over the next several days.

One morning, though, soon after breakfast, Su Lao came to see Katara. "Have you seen Korra?"

"Korra? No. I didn't expect to see her until lunch." Katara put down her book. "Did she not show up for Earthbending practice?"

"No. She didn't."

"Have you checked her room?"

The Earthbending Master looked sheepish. "No."

"Why not?"

Even more sheepishness. "I've never had to before. She's always been there for practice."

Katara got up. "If you like, I'll be happy to go with you—"

"Master Katara—if… you would, please… could you please check to see if she's there?"

Katara didn't understand the Earthbending Master's uneasiness, but she didn't want to make it worse for him. "I can, Master Su Lao. I'll let you know if I find her."

Su Lao looked relieved. "Many thanks, Master Katara."

With a light heart, Katara went to go check on Korra. She wasn't sure if it was a girl's bedroom that gave Su Lao pause or what exactly it was, but certainly she would do her part to help out. She went to Korra's room and knocked on the door.

And got yelled at in response. "Go away!"

Her voice is strong enough, Katara thought to herself. "Korra, it's Katara. Can I come in, please?"

"No! Go away!"

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!"

Katara thought for a moment. "Korra, what happened?"

"She ran away!"

"Who? Who ran away?"

"Naga! She ran away!"

"Naga…" Katara looked at the door, concerned.

"She ran away! I went to her stable this morning to get her her food, and she wasn't there! She ran away!"

Katara was hesitant. "Are you sure someone didn't… take her somewhere else? Someone might have—"

"No! I checked! She's gone!" Katara could hear the tears in Korra's voice. "She's gone! She's gone…"

"But why didn't you…?"

Katara ground to a halt. There were plenty of things she could have said, things she could have tried, but right now, from her own experience…

Sadly, she nodded. "All right. All right, I will let the others know. We'll look for her."

Nothing. Only crying.

"I will come back for you. Korra, you let me know…" She put a hand on the door. "I will be back. Korra, I will be back."

Silence. Then, weakly, "Okay…"

Katara went to tell the others.

o o o

The days that followed were painful.

Korra did come back to study with her masters eventually… but her heart wasn't in her work, or anything else for that matter. Most days she just looked out the window, silent and sad.

Katara knew not to push. She did know, though, that one day she would have to bring Korra around to what had happened, and why. How Korra herself had to learn how far to push, and when not to. How some actions have consequences and costs. How in this case she had pushed too hard, too often, and as a result, someone she loved was gone.

Those were things Katara didn't say. She didn't say much in general, really; she just supported Korra, listened when Korra had things to say… and slipped a sea prune into Korra's dish when she wasn't looking. Korra hated them—that much she had in common with Aang. Now, she ate them without notice or comment. Katara shook her head.

Korra did eventually come around—though not for the reasons Katara expected. Katara was walking toward their practice area, her mind on other things, when she was barreled into and knocked down by Korra.

"Oooof!"

The resulting impact—with Korra and the ground—wasn't enjoyable either, but Korra had a grin on her face as wide as her face would let her.

"I'm so sorry Sifu but I had to run and find you she's back she's back she's back!"

"My back! I'm going to have a bruise for a week if I don't—wait. Who's back?"

"Naga's back! I went down to her stall as I sometimes do, you know, and I saw her! She's curled up all safe and sound!"

Katara sat back, supporting herself with her hands. "Well, isn't that good news." She smiled warmly. "I'm so glad for you. I'm so glad for you, Korra." She leaned forward and gathered Korra into a hug. Korra gladly returned it.

And started to cry. "She's back. Sifu, I was so worried. She's back."

"Now, now, dear." Katara patted her back. "She's back now. You take care of her. You take care of her, she'll take care of you." They parted. Katara held up a finger. "And you… I'd lay off the riding lessons for a while, huh?"

Korra laughed. "Oh, Sifu." She hugged Katara again.

o o o

Korra did as Katara suggested and waited for her relationship with Naga to heal before doing anything else. After trying the saddle with Naga again and watching her continue to kick it off over her head, Korra also admitted she needed help in training Naga. Fortunately for her, some of the people who made Naga's saddle also had helped train buffalo yaks at the North Pole—although admittedly the teeth of the buffalo yaks didn't look quite as sharp.

With a lot of trust-gaining work (and a lot of fish and backscratching before and afterwards), Naga grew accustomed to carrying first a tied-on blanket, then a pretend-saddle, then the full saddle. Naga then was trained what it felt like to have a weight in the saddle, then Korra herself in the saddle, then Korra mounting the saddle onto Naga. The local fish population steadily declined, and Korra found herself spitting out snow more than a few times—as well as coming to Katara for sessions in Waterhealing. Those were fairly quiet.

Eventually Korra and Naga rode together, first around a small paddock, then inside the walled compound, and finally, at long last, they were let loose on the open tundra. Thundering across the icy plains of the South Pole together became something they both enjoyed. It was something that was satisfying to Korra on several levels: the exhilaration of galloping across the ice and snow. The accomplishment of something no one else had done. The meeting and beating of the challenge involved. The showing of patience and persistence in meeting that challenge. Korra felt it spoke volumes about who she had now become.

Katara, for her part, was glad she hadn't had to get into the teachable lessons Naga's flight had to teach. She too knew that Korra had learned from the whole experience. But… given how stubborn Korra had proven to be in her Earthbending training and during her Waterbending followups with Katara… Katara wondered if those lessons still lay in wait for Korra. Again.