"We need to do something." Baatar said as he looked over his shoulder. "We can't keep running from them the whole time. What are we gonna do when we reach the city fight them their?"
Korra stopped turning around making the others stop as well. Looking around at everyone's tired face she knew they needed to stop for a minute and figure something out. She had been thinking that but there wasn't really much to go off on besides the trees. Then she got a idea. "I got it." She said looking over at Tenzin who Bolin had just put on a on the ground.
"For fucks sake what?" He asked glaring at her.
"I need you to be bait." She said sheepishly.
"Got dammit! What do you expect me to do? I can't really walk all that good." He rolled his eyes.
Korra threw her hands up in defeat. "All I need you to do is lay on the ground."
"Is that a wolf?" One of the men asked as they walked closer.
"Is- is- is that a person?" Another gasped.
"Oh shit. I thought they only did that in movies." The first man said.
"Well that doesn't seem to be true anymore." The second guy said.
"Enough! Let's just kill the damn thing and keep moving." Another said.
They couldn't really see much with Tenzin's propped up legs blocking the view. Then Naga raised her head showing off her red muzzle. She left out a growl as she backed up.
"Ha look at that the big bad wolf it's scare-"
Before one of the men could finish they gang dropped from the trees taking down a guy each. They used their knives as to not alert anyone to the whereabouts. The last one dropped his gun as he turned to run but he didn't make it far. Naga jumped out of seemingly no where and had her powerful jaws crushing his neck in a second. She snarled reeling back from the taste.
"Are you going to be ok?" Opal asked pointing towards Korra's wrapped up hand.
"How far do you think we've run? I haven't kept count." Jinora said looking at Kuriva.
"Over fifteen miles." Kuriva said stretching. When everyone loomed at her she looked at the ground. "What?"
"How did you know that?" Mako asked.
"I've always done that because it helps me push myself farther. That's how I'm good at running." She said shrugging.
"Alright let's get going." Korra said pulling the rolled up turtle neck over her mouth as the wind picked up. "We need to get to that city before the weather gets bad."
"Shit!" Korra said coming to a stop a few feet from the road.
"Dammit." Kuriva said hitting a tree.
"That wasn't on the fucking map." Tenzin huffed as Bolin put him down.
"Uh guys what's the problem? Is just a highway." Bolin said raising a eyebrow as he shivered.
"I swear to- Why the fuck did you not pay attention in class." Baatar seethed. "Right now we are covered by all these trees. Once we stepped on the highway we're easy target's. If we didn't know about it then there's a chance they did. They could be waiting to shoot us down the second we step onto the road."
"Oh." Bolin mumbled wide eyed as he lowered his head.
"Here's how were going to do this." Korra said drawing everyone's attention. "Naga and Jinora are going to go first and scout out the area. Jinora is the second best shot we have so we need her quick reactions in the front. We're going to make sure it's all clear and stays that way when they call us over."
Everyone nodded as they walked closer to the edge. Korra motioned for them to stop as she and Naga kept going. They stopped at the tree line. She kneeled looking around at the area as Naga listened to see if she heard anything that didn't belong in the forest. She bumbed Korra's neck with her nose when she didn't hear anything. Korra nodded without turning around. Naga looked back at Jinora before she started running to the road.
Jinora took off running across the highway with her eyes open. Naga was at her side in a instance at high alert. They walked around scouting out the area.
Kuriva kept giving nervous glances behind them. Making Baatar nervous.
"What is it?" He asked joining her side.
"I think I see something a few yards behind those trees over there." Kuriva said nonchalantly as she looked down at her weapons.
Baatar laughed as he scanned the trees. He wiped nonexistent tears away. "Your right. I see them to. They're bad at camouflage. How do you want to handle this?"
"If you guys make a run for it you'll have a chance." Kuriva said rolling her eyes as she put her hand on her hip looking annoyed.
"Are you not including yourself in the runaway party?" He asked as he exaggerated pointing between them smiling.
"Someone's got to shoot back or else we'll all be dead." She said throwing her hands up in the air looking angry.
"Then I guess you better count me in." Baatar said making her facade falter for a second before she recovered.
"You know we could possibly-" Kuriva said looking away as she tsked.
"I know but we're friends. And friends don't let other friends do stupid shit alone." He said his eyes brimmed with tears as he held out his fist smiling from ear to ear.
She turned back towards him and gasped. She connected her fist to he's as she nodded. "Yeah."
Their moment was broken when they realized all eyes except Korra's were on them. Kuriva turned her red stressed as to them as she gasped out. "What?"
Tenzin had wobbled over to tree by Korra and leaned on it heavily. Bolin, Mako and Opal were looking at them with horror faces. Opal stepped forward stopping short of her brother.
"We can always just run. And who knows maybe we'll make it." She said as her tears ran freely.
Baatar smiled at her as he pulled her closer wrapping her in his arms. "No matter what you may think I do love you. I know I'm a quiet standoffish guy and I don't express how I feel all that well. You are important of to me and there hasn't been a day that I haven't been proud of you. You didn't need to join the military to prove anything. I think if I told you that sooner or even mom. Then you wouldn't be in this mess." He kissed her head right as Kuriva pulled her into her arms.
Opal gasped as Kuriva buried her face in her hair. Then she let her go and kissed her. When she pulled back she smiled moving Opal's hair out of her face. "I know I promised I would wait to do that again until you graduated but well. This looks like it's it." Kuriva was crying freely now. "Your mom was very proud of you. You know. She was always talking about you but never showing that." Kuriva kissed her again pulling her close. "You're going to come out of this ok and I'm going to make sure if that."
"I love you." Opal said burying her face in Kuriva's neck.
"I love you to." Kuriva said pulling back. "So so much. Please go."
Opal took a step back nodding. Mako came and took her hand smiling at her. He nodded at Kuriva and Baatar before turning around.
"Thank you." Korra said as she stood up and took off running across the highway.
Bolin took off as well tackling Tenzin in a bear hold as he ran. Mako took off pulling Opal along. He gave her no time to look back not letting go of her hand.
As soon as the others ran Baatar and Kuriva heard twigs snapping. They immediately turned taking a knee as they started shooting.
"Fuck!" Jinora hissed as she turned around sprinting off towards the highway at the sound of bullets.
Naga skidded to a stop at the sight of the others. Jinora didn't when she saw that Baatar and Kuriva weren't. She risked a glance at Opal's tear stained face and pushed her legs harder. She started firing at the red lotus before she finished crossing the highway. She easily made her way to a shot up Baatar and Kuriva behind a boulder.
"You came back?" Kuriva panted as she threw her empty weapon to the ground.
"I came in with you idiots so I might as well die with you." Jinora said as she kept shouting the red lotus down.
The other two laughed as closed their eyes. They turned to each other at the same time.
"I got a grenade."
"I got a grenade."
They said at the same time causing them to laugh.
"Your both dumbasses." Jinora said as she dropped between them. "That was the last of them and I'm out of bullets."
"Well that makes this a hell of a lot easier." A voice said.
Jinora felt a gun being pushed into the back of her head stopping her from jumping up. She did however feel Kuriva and Baatar slide their grenade filled hands next to hers.
Tears filled her eyes as her fingers hooked onto the pins. "Dumbasses." She sobbed.
"Till the very end." Kuriva said smirking.
"Yeah." Baatar smiled and closed his eyes again.
BOOM!
The gang didn't stop running even add they heard the explosion. If anything they pushed harder to get to their destination.
"Guys I think I see something in the distance!" Bolin yelled breaking the silence of the last hour.
Naga stopped and her ears perked up before she let out a menacing growl. Howls answered her and she growled even more.
"Keep going!" Korra shouted over the howls as she stopped.
The gang didn't even question her as they kept going. They guessed that she was probably about to face a pack of wolves with Naga.
Korra walked back to Naga's side as she pulled out her knife. Naga circled her as the sounds of the other wolves got closer. The wolves stopped short growling and snapping at them. Naga jumped in front of Korra snarling back. The wolves looked at Korra and took a step back. They would have left but their alpha stepped forward. He circled the two but kept his distance as Naga matched him step for step. Then it happened. Korra was looking at nothing but a blur a white fur and fangs. Soon blood stained them both but she couldn't tell who was bleeding. A wolf snarled and leapt at a unsuspecting Naga. However Korra sliced through its neck stopping it before it happened. That distracted the alpha wolf long enough for Naga to tare it's heart out. The pack whimpered as Naga slung the piece of flesh in front of them. She growled challenging someone else to step up to her. They lowered their gaze and she howled making them disperse.
Korra watched as she shook out her fur. Naga looked at her before running off to catch up with the others. Korra naturally followed as she looked back at the corpse on the ground.