"Are you ready?"

Korra finished tying the laces of her boots into a knot before responding. "I lived here for twenty summers, Asami. I'm used to the air being this cold. I'll be fine." She stood up and pulled her fur lined hood onto her head before lending a critical eye to the outfit Asami was wearing. She was dressed in the same manner as the first time the two of them had met. Possibly even the very same gray canvas jacket and pants as that time. More troubling though was the wool cap on her head."I'm more worried about you. Don't you have anything with a hood you can wear?"

Asami faltered, her hand on the door handle. "I have a coat with a hood on it, but it's made for the rain, not running around in the South Pole..."

"That's fine. You can wear the coat underneath this thing and pull the hood through here." Korra explained as she examined the collar of Asami's jacket then her cap. "This cap will help keep your ears and the top of your head warm. The hood's for protecting your face from the wind. You'll thank me when the wind starts blowing hard."

"Oh, that makes sense." Asami said as she loosened the straps to her backpack and set it down at the top of the stairs. "That actually happened to me during the katabatic storm now that I think about it. I'll be right back." Asami flattened herself against the wall as she squeezed by Korra then hurried down the stairs and out of sight. When she came back a black hood was pulled tight on top of her head. "Better?"

"Much." Korra said approvingly. "Come on, let's go." She pulled on the door and walked through it. For the first time in a week there was something beyond the endless stretch of blue seas. Land. The shores in front of her stood in stark relief to the last ones she had seen. Gone were the dense forest and glittering towers of Republic City. Instead there was a barren plain of ice hiding beneath a thin dusting of snow waiting to be carried away by the next gust of wind. Korra glanced around the bay their ship was anchored in. The curve of the shoreline. Those icebergs floating nearby had lost some of their mass, but Korra could still easily recognize an archway she had once passed beneath. "Wait, is this-"

"The area where I found you? Yes, it is." Asami said with a slight grin as she finished Korra's question for her. "I got lucky here once so I figured I'd try again and hope it'd happen a second time. Come on, let's go radio the freighter and see how long it'll take them to get here."

Asami locked the door shut then headed forwards along the side of the ship and Korra followed after her. Their path took them up and soon they had reached the cabin. Asami sat down in the pilot's chair and picked up a square handset with a button on the side, which she pressed. "This is RCV Entropy calling RCV Fram. Over."

Silence ensued momentarily before the radio crackled and a man's voice came over the radio. "This is RCV Fram. We read you loud and clear, Entropy. What is your status? Over."

Asami hit the button a second. "We're at the rendezvous point and awaiting your arrival. What is your ETA? Over."

"Approximately an hour, Entropy. Any icebergs or other obstacles in the bay we should be aware of? Over."

"Some icebergs on one side, but it's clear other than that and the shelf is nice and deep. Request you send over a specialist after you arrive. Running low over here. Over."

Korra suppressed the urge to snort at that. Asami might have called it a specialist, but what she really meant was lightning bender. Korra shrugged after a moment's consideration. Asami trying to avoid upsetting her was a thoughtful gesture and not one she wanted to tarnish by acting annoyed.

"Roger that, Entropy. We'll send someone over as soon as we arrive. Over and out."

"Over and out." Asami repeated before setting the handset back onto its rest.

"Why did both of you say over at the end of every sentence?" Korra asked, her curiosity piqued by the curious use of the word.

"It's radio protocol. Saying over means that we're done talking and waiting for a reply. Keeps us from interrupting each other since we're in different locations and can't actually see each other."

Near an hour later, after Korra and Asami had finished breakfast, another ship joined them in the bay. The vessel was a third the height of and half again as long as the Entropy. Its hull was painted a cheerless gray and the name 'Fram' painted on the bow in large blocky letters. A pair of broad cylinders rose from its deck and white mists surrounded their peaks. The Fram slowed to a halt and a pair of boats hanging from one side of the ship descended until they were in the water. Asami stood up and stretched her arms into the air. "All right, there's our ride. Are you ready, Korra?"

Korra glanced through the windows at the approaching boat before following Asami out of the cabin. Asami locked the door behind her then headed down the stairs. "So what's the plan, here? I don't know how much stuff that ship is carrying, but we can't carry it all to the villages by ourselves."

"You're right. There's too much food and the ovens and windmills are too heavy and bulky for us to move ourselves." Asami said as she reached the first deck. "I thought about bringing trucks, but there's too many drawbacks for that to work. I ended up settling on bringing sled kits that can be assembled. Only problem with that is getting something to pull them. We have draft animals in the United Republic, but none that could survive the weather down here. I saw those camels when I was down here last time though and I figured those would work."

Once the barrage of words was over Korra glanced towards the other ship before it disappeared from view as they went down a second flight of stairs. "So the plan is to make contact and bring a bunch of camels back here then use them to haul everything inland?"

"Yes."

That meant walking. Possibly quite a lot of it depending on whether they made it all the way to the nearest village or if a patrol spotted them first. And she hadn't even bothered to stretch yet. By the time they made it the rear of the ship the boats were drawing closer. The first had six people in it, five in the middle and one in the rear between a pair of oars. The other had a single occupant and she dragged her oars in the water until her boat came to a halt further out. The first boat pulled alongside the yacht and one of the men leaned out, grabbing hold of the wooden platform at the rear of the yacht. Korra jumped down into the boat then turned to help Asami. Her boots hit the deck and Asami swayed as the boat lurched to the side. Her arms flailed in the air before she grabbed onto Korra's arm to steady herself. Korra glanced towards the people already present. Asami was wearing an outer layer of canvas, but these men had declined to do the same. Instead they had opted for garments akin to what Korra was wearing. Heavy jackets with misshapen hoods and pants tucked over their boots. All of which were covered in long fibers of black and brown fur from some animal she had never seen before. Korra glanced down at the bottom of the boat. Between their boots sheathed swords lay next to several long spears and swords and wooden handled tools along with a bulky pack for each man. "Who are you guys?"

The person to answer Korra's question was the oldest among them if the lines on his bare scalp and a face weathered by a lifetime of exposure to the elements were any indication. His gray focused on her as he spoke in a deep voice belying his small stature. "I am Ansen, captain of the Fram, and these are my men." He turned to point as he rattled their names off. "Herrg, Slin, Strud, Lisom and Osting. We are many things. Explorers, scientists, sailors, traders, and more. During this expedition, we serve at the behest of Miss Sato."

Korra turned her head to conceal a frown as she leaned towards Asami. "Who are these guys?" She whispered. "You didn't say anything about bringing other people along."

Asami shot an apologetic look towards Ansen. "Just a moment." She said before likewise turning her head as she whispered back. "I couldn't find any captains who were willing to risk taking their ship here. People are still afraid of the Fire Nation's navy. I ended up asking the UR Geographical Society for help and they recommended Ansen. He agreed to making the trip in exchange for a couple of favors. He wants to map the shoreline and to trade. I said I'd speak on his behalf, but neither happens unless your people agree to it."

Korra fought back the urge to scowl as she glanced at Ansen out of the corner of her eye. Mapping the shoreline wasn't an issue. Him wanting to trade meant his actions were driven by a desire for profit though. It wasn't the most trustworthy source of motivation, but if it was greed or this shipment not being delivered, then greed it was. "Okay, fine." Korra said loudly enough for them to hear. "I'm not making any promises, but you can come with us." She looked at Osting, the man between the oars. "Let's get moving."

Osting shoved against the yacht and waited until they were clear before dipping his oars into the water. He began to pull on them and the boat moved towards the shore. Korra glanced at the others as she collected her thoughts. "You can come with us, but if you want to live then you'll do what I say. You might have noticed it's cold here, but it'll get colder as you head inland. If you're not sure what you're wearing is warm enough then now's the time to say something because you won't get another chance."

None of the men moved or said anything. They just continued to look at her without fear in their eyes as they waited for more. Korra shrugged mentally before resuming her lecture. "Once we're on land, be careful where you step. The plains aren't completely solid. There's giant crevasses and cracks in the ice. If you aren't paying attention you'll fall in one and no one will ever find your body. Now I notice you brought spears. Were any of you soldiers?"

All six of them raised a hand, including Osting, though his quickly gripped the oar and continued to row. "Good, that means you know how to use those then. Any benders?"

Slin gestured at himself and Herrg. "Both of us are earthbenders."

"Good. If you need dirt or rocks then get some while we're at the shore. You won't find any once we get going since there's nothing but ice further inland. Now hopefully we won't have to use the spears or your bending, but predators are most active at this time of year so it's better to be safe than sorry."

Everyone on the boat lurched in the same direction as the boat ground to a halt in the shallow water. Strud and Lisom leaped out onto the shore and the others in the boat, without a word being spoken, grabbed their packs and tools and tossed them over to the duo. In less than a minute the boat had been emptied of gear and men. Korra moved to the front of the boat and hopped out before extending a hand to Asami to help her do the same. Once they were out, Ansen and his men grabbed the boat and dragged it several meters inland. Herrg flourished his arms in the air and a large mass of small stones and dirt from the shore floated upwards and landed in the boat. He shrugged upon seeing Korra and Asami watching him. "Don't want it going anywhere while we're away."

Asami reddened and turned away and Korra managed to stop herself from laughing. Almost. A small chuckle managed to work its way out and Asami reddened even further, the memory of what had happened to her boat no doubt in her mind. "Okay then." Korra said, hoping to avoid any future embarrassment. "We have a couple days of walking ahead of us. Get your stuff and let's go."

Ansen and his men each slung a pack onto their backs and hooked a sword and one tool onto their belts. Their spears rested on one shoulder while they held the shaft with one hand. Once they had finished donning their equipment they fell into a loosely spaced line with the earthbenders at the front and rear. Ansen turned his head towards Korra. "Do you want to take point? You know the terrain."

Korra tugged on the strap of her pack to check for any slack before moving to take the lead. The explorers fell in behind her though three of them hung back until Asami had joined the line, placing her in the middle. The bay dwindled behind them and the ground sloped upwards into a ridge. A gust of wind whipped at their clothes as it flowed over and between them. No sooner than it had died down when a second, stronger gust came from the opposite direction. Korra came to an abrupt halt and she sniffed at the air. It had been more than a month since she had left for Republic City, but there was no mistaking that musk.

"Predator or prey?"

Korra turned at Ansen's question and was greeted by the sight of his men already springing to action. They unbuckled their packs, letting them fall to the ground and pulled their spears off their shoulders. Each man turned to face outwards in a different direction as they formed a ring with Asami at its center. "Predator." Korra said, taken by surprise at the speed of their reaction to what had to be an unfamiliar scent. "The worst we could've run into."

Ansen's head continued to scan the horizon for any signs of movement. "Will it attack?"

"I'm not sure." Korra bent her knees as waved her palms up into the air and the ice at her feet dissolved into liquid before reforming into icy spikes that floated upwards. "Depends on whether it's a pack out there. If it's just one then it'll stay away from this many people unless it's starving."

"There!"

The group turned at Herrg's cry. His spear was pointed at the top of the ridge where a creature with fur almost as white as the snow had appeared. A polar bear dog and a large one at that. Its massive front legs were taller than Korra at the shoulder and the paws at the end wider than her torso. The beast's broad chest was thick with muscles and the creature had a great hump in its back. A pair of jaws large enough to engulf a person's head opened wide and a resounding bellow came forth.

"Stay where you are. If we try to run then it'll chase after us." Korra said as she swirled her wrist. The spikes in the air turned until they were pointed at the beast. Its black eyes remained fixed on them, but it kept to the top of the ridge. Even so, its muscles remained tense, ready to spring forwards or to retreat. Korra's heart thumped harder as she watched for signs of any more of its kind. The gusts of wind picked up, bringing the creature's scent to her once again, but only from a single direction. "It's nice and healthy looking so it's probably not hungry. I'd guess it's been hunting penguins or seals since we're at the shore. Let's move. Slowly. If it doesn't follow then we're fine. If it advances then get ready to fight."

Ansen's men retrieved their packs, two at a time, the others maintaining their vigilant watch. When they had all been fastened into place the group began to move. Korra led them perpendicular to their original path and after painstaking minutes, the beast turned away and disappeared behind the ridge. Mist covered Korra's face as she exhaled in relief. That could have gone a lot worse. If that had been a pack then they would have attacked, desperate from starvation or not. Korra gave the others an uneasy grin. "Welcome to the South Pole. Hope you enjoy your stay."

That might be too much to ask. Right now she would settle for it not trying to kill them all.