Half way through book 2 now!

This is the first chapter in ages to have action in it!

Special thanks to reviewers: Jokermask18, Xmidnight-rose and Tish246

I do not own Avatar

The First Avatar

Book 2: Heart

Chapter 15: A Lesson in Death

Team Korra had divided into two squads for the South Pole invasion. Mako, Tahno, Asami and Bolin would act as the Infiltration Team while Lin, Tenzin, Iroh, Bumi and Noatak acted as the distraction. The plan was to draw the brunt of the Black Lotus forces to the Compounds gates while Mako melted a hole in the wall, allowing the Infiltration Team to enter and attack from behind and capture the enemy.

The plan got off to a good start. Bumi used his new skill in energybending to blast at the gates with Kinetic Attacks to draw their attention. As the Gates opened and the Black Lotus Soldiers moved to attack, Lin and Tenzin attacked, capturing them in Metal cables and throwing them into the icy walls of the compound. Iroh began melting the snow at the enemies' feet while Noatak put them to sleep with bloodbending.

The Infiltration Team snuck around the side and melted a small hole, big enough for Mako to see through in order to check the coast was clear. He observed a group of bloodbenders heading for the gates.

"The Coast is clear but they've brought in the Bloodbenders. You're up Tahno." Mako told him as he melted the wall open enough for Tahno to slip through. The flamboyantly haired waterbender summoned Suzaku in bow form and pulled back on the string to conjure an arrow of ice. He took careful aim and fired the arrow into the centre of the bloodbender horde. The arrow exploded and froze them all solid, along with a good portion of their other soldiers.

"Great Shot Tahno!" Asami praised as she stepped through the whole, followed by Mako and Bolin.

"Thanks. I've been working on my Archery skills. Suzaku told me that the Technique I just used was called the Ice Phoenix Flare or something like that." Tahno boasted.

Lin and the others made short work of the remaining soldiers. Tying them up and knocking them out.

Team Korra kicked in the doors of the living quarters to find the elderly masters. One old man in particular drew their attention. He had been the man that branded Silver… Before he could attack the man, Lin tied Noatak's arms behind his back, warning him that they needed the masters alive.

"We'll take this one first." Iroh said, taking the man that branded Silver and had Bolin metalbend him to a chair.

"Now. You're a member of the Black Lotus so you know how this works. We ask you questions, you lie and we will know and we will hurt you. Understood?" Iroh asked, maintaining eye-contact with the man. He nodded quickly and swallowed hard.

"Ask your questions…" he said defeated.

"First, what is the purpose of those Crystal Pillars?"

"They Relay Spires. They absorb energy from the planet and will release it on Necros' command. Only someone with Avatar powers can activate them. When activated and releasing the energy, it will destroy everything alive."

"How do we stop them?"

"They're called Relays as they pass energy between themselves. Alone, they don't have the range or power to damage anything, but with the whole network you could kill everything. If enough towers are damaged and unable to hold the energy, then the plan will fail."

"Good. How can we damage them?"

"They aren't invulnerable. Any powerful bender could damage them."

"That's all we need on that. Where are you keeping The Avatars?"

"The North Pole. Master Necros is personally overseeing the construction of the last Relay. Korra and the First Avatar are there with him."

"Why refer to Korra by name and not Silver?"

"I…I was once her Firebending Teacher. Calling her Avatar never felt right."

"Last Question. How do you undo the Brand you put on Silver?

The man looked scared now, more so than before…

"It's impossible…"

"There must be a way!" Iroh roared.

"There is! But it isn't possible!"

"Tell us anyway before I let Noatak loose on you!"

The old firebender flinched at the evil look the former equalist was giving him. "fine I'll tell you! To undo the brand you must heal it with Spirit Water, you must also press a Misteria Crystal with her master's energy imprinted on it! It also requires you to use Avatar level energybending to extract the essence from her and place it in the crystal!"

"That doesn't sound impossible. We just need one of those crystals, some spirit water and an Avatar. We find a crystal, rescue Korra at the North Pole, get spirit water while we're there and we're all set." Bolin said.

"Misteria Crystals aren't natural, they were the invention of Alchemists and the secret has long been lost. None of them still remain from that time. You'd also need to find a way of making Necros put his essence in it which I doubt he'll do. On top of that, Korra doesn't know how to perform Avatar level Energybending and if you try and have Avatar Aang perform it then Necros will just enthral him again." The old man said.

Team Korra looked at each other. He was telling the truth…it was too risky to use Aang…plus they had no way of getting the crystal.

"Not to mention the Spirit Oasis is no longer there." Noatak grumbled. "It was returned to the Spirit World by Yue and La after a foolish Water Chief tried to use its power to conquer the other nations, he was defeated by Avatar Aang and his friends and the Chief was imprisoned but we no longer have access to Spirit Water."

"That's not true." Tenzin said. "My mother told me once that having any water blessed by Yue turned it into Spirit Water. She has a temple on Lunar Island, a few miles south of the North Pole. If we can contact her…"

"Then we can get Spirit Water!" Mako finished the sentence for him. "We have at least a small idea of what to do now. Let's liberate the Villages and the Southern Water Capital, we break the Spire there and it'll slow Necros down a bit and by us time."

Team Korra agreed and left the Compound, allowing Noatak to knock the remaining masters unconscious.

On the other side of the world, Korra was staring up at a large ice sculpture of Yue, in a courtyard of the palace that Necros had taken over. As usual, Tarrlok watched her carefully from a distance, eagerly waiting for any sign of disobedience so he could bloodbend her.

Korra had to admit, obeying Necros was much better than dealing with Tarrlok and watching his face pulling the same disappointed frown whenever she obeyed was too amusing. Necros had left Silver to watch the construction of the Spire while he had ordered Korra to wait in this courtyard. He had said he was, "going to teach her a lesson" but it hadn't sounded like a threat…

"Ah Korra, you seem to enjoy that Statue don't you?" Necros said as he floated down into the Courtyard. Korra was used to him flying around now but it still annoyed her when he just turned up.

"It is a nice sculpture. To think Princess Yue actually became the Spirit of the Moon…"

"Yes, she was among the first mortals to become a nature spirit. Others include Silver, myself and you. A mortal spirit can undergo complete or partial evolution into either a nature spirit or an Anima Aes. Partial evolution is where a mortal spirit becomes an Anima Aes or Nature Spirit without dying, like you and Ophi. Full evolution only occurs among immortals or at death, since we cease to be mortals, like Silver and Yue." He explained.

"I never knew that…" Korra said.

"Well learning new things is the point of the lessons. Your next instruction will be on…Dark Bending." Necros grinned.

Korra pulled a shocked face, looking at him like he was mad. "You want to teach me the Dark bending techniques!" she cried.

"Of course. I plan to keep you around as my apprentice, an immortal one. No different than what Silver was doing. You see, I can't use my soul to keep the Gates closed and the Seven Black Spirits sealed, so I will use yours. So I'll be you're teacher now."

"What's the point of keeping the gates shut if you're going to destroy the Boundary? Wouldn't the Black Spirits escape anyway?"

"Not quite…the inside of the gates are small sealed off parts of the Boundary, destroying the main thing won't break them." Necros explained. "Now Bloodbending will be the first…As a Water Spirit, you already possess the power to bloodbend at any time but do you know how it works?"

"Yes. A waterbender bends the water within the blood, controlling it." Korra recited, she had memorised a lot about Bloodbending when Katara was giving her cautionary lessons on the theory. Korra had never actually used it.

"That's true. Now tell me. Why is it so hard to perform Dark Bending? I mean it's just bending the Water, Earth, Fire and Air within the body. so why is it so hard?" Necros asked. Korra shrugged, having no answer.

"Because of Life Energy. Life Energy saturates the body, making bending the elements within it harder. A waterbender could use the power of the Full Moon to bypass the Life Energy barrier. A Water Spirit or someone with augmented energy can do it without the moon. I want you to attempt it now. Imagine my body as a giant water skin and bend the contents."

Korra and Tarrlok looked at each other before looking back at Necros.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Tarrlok asked.

"Of course. She's still a newbie at it so I'll be able to break her hold whenever I feel like it." He reassured his subordinate.

"What if I don't want to?" Korra asked defiantly.

"Hahaha! You are way too nice. That's the problem with Water Tribe Avatars; they are always loath to do hurt people. At least you aren't as bad as the Air Nomads. Why wouldn't you take this chance to hurt the man who caused so much trouble?"

"I don't like the idea of using Bloodbending…that's all! I don't actually care about you!" Korra snapped.

"Do it anyway. It's not like using it automatically turns you into a bad person. Bloodbending is vastly more effective than Waterbending for healing. Blood can heal larger wounds; you can stem the bleeding and help reseal wounds as well as remove blood clots and the like." Necros used a conjured shard of ice to slash his own leg, then using bloodbending to stop the bleeding and rapidly repair the cut, leaving a large scab like covering over it.

"Dark bending has many names Korra. Necromancy, the Forbidden arts and the Black Magic. It's least used name and probably the most accurate is Body Bending or Medical Bending. With Bonebending, you can set and speed up the recovery of broken bones; Nervebending can allow you to repair damaged nerves, curing paralysis and even stop any kind of pain. Even Breathbending can be used to solve respiratory problems. You will learn these techniques Korra. Even if I have to make you want them!"

Korra knew what he meant. He was going to hurt her and force her to use the dark bending to heal herself…she couldn't let herself be crippled before escaping!

"Fine, I'll learn these techniques." She said, kneeling in defeat, "Please teach me…Master Necros."

Please save me soon…Bolin…

Avatar Extra: Myths and Legends Pt. 2: The Fox and the Wolf

This tale is about the Fox and Wolf Spirits, as well as the living animals in the world. Many millennia ago, there were two brothers, one was named the Wolf and his younger brother was named the Fox. The two brothers competed throughout their lives and contested anything they could. The Elder Brother was stronger and wiser, a better warrior while his Younger Brother was quick and clever, a cunning being with a tongue as sharp as any blade. One day, they came across two coats of fur, one made from brilliant gold and the other of shining silver. Each brother wanted the gold coat for themselves and decided to have a contest to decide who would have it. They first battled in combat, the Wolf winning easily; they then had a war with words which the Fox won. With no clear winner, the two brothers decided to have a contest to see who could cross the world the fastest. The Wolf set off on his journey but the Fox was clever and waited until his brother was gone before claiming the coat. When the Wolf returned, he admitted defeat, believing his brother had won honestly and took the Silver coat. After many years, the golden coat began to lose its brilliance, becoming duller by the day while the silver coat remained in perfect condition. It is said that when the two brothers died, they became the first spirits of the Fox and Wolf, and later went on to create animals that had their traits. Wolves were born with Silver coats, strength and fairness while Foxes were born with their predecessor's cunning and cleverness as well as the discoloured golden coat. Some still say the original Fox and Wolf Spirits still wear their coats and it is disputed among scholars of the myth whether or not the Wolf ever learned of his brother's trickery and deception.

Next Chapter: United We Stand

Team Korra meet an old friend and prepare to rescue Korra and Silver.

Korra isn't really in the next chapter but we do meet a surprise character!

The Fox and the Wolf was a fun little fairy tale that i wanted to write, i plan to do a mix of myths and legends, some true and some just myths.

See if you can figure it out!

And Korra begins training with Necros! not a lot of on-screen training but it will explain stuff in the future.

Hope you enjoyed

Thanks for reading

Please Review