Korra awoke to the soft slanting of the sun on her face through the cave opening. She shifted, her bare feet protesting as she stretched them outward into the chill of the morning air. She drew her knees up to her chest, pressing back into the warmth behind her. A slow, half-conscious yawn took her mouth. Her toes brushed up against something smooth and sleek. Leather, like someone's boot. Korra frowned. Slowly, blearily, she opened her eyes.
An arm was curled around her, warm and heavy. Korra stiffened. Her mind raced back to events the night before. Amon. Amon moving beside her to give her warmth, now it was Amon's arm draped over her, loosely protective. Korra shivered when she realized his knuckles were brushing her bare stomach. In her sleep, somehow she'd moved so that her back was flush with his front, the two of them lying, their frames fitting smoothly together, side by side. She could feel the slow stirring of his breath along the back of her neck. A strange sensation fluttered in her stomach, sending goosebumps along her arms.
Korra slowly lifted her hands, gathering her fingers in his sleeve as she tried to slide his arm off of her. To her surprise, his fist clenched. In one fluid movement, he wrapped both of his arms around her, pulling her against him in a viselike grip.
Korra gasped, struggling. "What are you doing?"
The voice hissed in her ear, "Be silent, and don't move. We have company."
Korra stilled herself. She could feel his heartbeat racing against her back, and alarm coursed through her. Careful to make no sudden movements, she turned her head, peering across the smoldering remains of the fire. The crunch of huge footsteps through the snow outside made her tense. An enormous paw, covered in coarse white hair, came into view, just meters from the outside of the cave. Korra stiffened.
"Wolfbear," she whispered.
She felt a light tug on her ponytail. "Shhh."
Another foot came into view, then another. Korra felt the arms tighten around her, and suddenly saw the reason why. An enormous wolfbear, at least six meters tall at the shoulder, lumbered across the snow. Its great head was to the ground, snuffling around the entrance to the cave, and Korra shuddered when she saw the long, razor-sharp teeth protruding from its open jaws. Unconsciously she pressed herself back into Amon's chest. She heard him inhale, but ignored the reason for it. She clenched her fists, wishing she could launch a fireball at the monster, but she couldn't hold off a full-grown, eight-hundred pound wolfbear with simple firebending. Her stomach plummeted.
But instead of charging into their shelter, ripping and tearing, the wolfbear meandered away, its footsteps growing fainter on the still morning air. Finally, Korra let herself relax… although her heart still pounded faster than necessary with his arms wrapped around her like that.
"You can let go of me now."
The arms released her, and she rolled away, getting to her feet. She glanced around, looking at anything but him. Her eyes landed on the heap of clothes lying beside the fire. Grateful to find they were dry, she slipped on her blue overshirt and boots. She glanced over to see Amon tugging on his tunic, adjusting his hood over his mask. Korra felt the tension sweep through her again.
I'll be bringing you to headquarters to face justice.
Amon meant on kidnapping her. Korra racked her brain for an escape plan. Right now, he'd positioned himself between her and the cave exit. She'd have to fight him. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, gathering her strength and readying her muscles for combat. She felt the chi paths within her clearing, preparing for the deluge of bending she would unleash.
"Calm yourself, Avatar. I'm not going to attack you."
Korra froze. She lifted her eyes to his face, scrutinizing him. Was he playing her?
"I said I did not want to win underhand. I won't attack you in this weakened state. Like I told you before, I want many viewers present to your demise."
Korra flinched, but forced her fear not to show in her voice. "Well, I made no such promise. Right now, you're between me and my way out. So, if you'll kindly move, I won't be forced to reduce you to ash."
Amon chuckled. "As much as I'd look forward to seeing you try, now is not the time. You're drained from exhaustion and lack of food. I suggest a brief truce. Long enough to rebuild the fire and gather a bit of food. What say you?"
Korra glared at him, trying to find some hidden threat beneath the words. His eyes met hers steadily.
"Fine," she choked out. "I'll go hunting. You're staying here."
"You think I'm going to let you walk off by yourself in the middle of this wilderness? There's no guarantee you'll be coming back. No. I'm not losing my advantage over the Avatar. I'll go."
"And bring back more Equalist reinforcements to capture me? I don't think so. Either I'm going, or we're not getting food." Korra planted her feet, implementing the stubbornness she was known for. Amon's eyes narrowed beneath the mask. The two enemies stared each other down for a full minute, neither one wishing to budge. Then, finally, the Equalist leader relented with a small sigh.
"As you wish. But if you do not return by sunhigh, I'm coming out after you. And by then, our truce will be off."
Korra had to fight back a shiver at the steely coldness in those golden eyes. She forced her face to remain stoic, her lips pressed together, and nodded once. Her hands clenched instinctively at her sides as she stepped forward to move past him. For a moment, she half-expected him to move to block her way, but he remained stock-still, his eyes sliding in his mask to follow her.
She stepped out into the sunlight and blinked. The air was crisp and moist. A thin layer of fog had settled over the snow during the night, coating every wispy shrug with frozen dew. Korra inhaled the sharp, clean air, crunching out onto the snow. She glanced back at the cave to see Amon, still watching her from the entrance. She felt a sudden need to get as far out of his sight as she could.
Bending an ice-board beneath her, she propelled herself forward over the snow, a soft smile playing over her face as the air whisked by. Waterbending never failed to lift her spirits, no matter what frightful situations she found herself in. Her heart lightened even more when she felt the piercing gaze on her back dissolve into the distance behind her. The wind sang in her ears, whipping through her hair. It was slower going, since she wasn't sliding downhill, but she didn't stop until she was sure she'd traveled at least a half-mile from the cave.
Slowing, she let the ice-board melt back to the snow. Landing lightly on her feet, Korra lowered herself to a crouch, looking around and drinking in the scenery. The snow was dusted with glittering ice, causing it to crunch and crackle beneath her feet. Korra let herself breathe in, slowly, calming her quivering muscles. A faint rise of nausea swirled in her stomach, making her frown. But she shook it off. Any queasiness was probably just after effects from the grueling events of the day before.
A flicker of movement to her right made her freeze. Slowly, she swiveled her head, like an owl, to peer behind her. An arctic rabbit-fox shuffled over the snow, slinking along like a shadow. Korra licked her lips. She hadn't had rabbit-fox since her time in the White Lotus impound. Her arms tingled as she slowly raised them high, preparing to strike out with an ice blade and severe the creature before it could feel any pain. The rabbit-fox stiffened, rising to its haunches to sniff the air with a quivering nose.
Korra released the energy coiled inside her. But instead of the flawless execution of an ice blade, her waterbending crumpled backward on itself, drenching her. Korra cried out in shock and pain, dropping to her knees. Her stomach clenched, painful knots and cramps charging through her muscles. She gasped, doubling over. Vaguely, she heard the sound of the rabbit-fox skittering away.
What was wrong with her? Had she been injured deeper than she'd imagined when the ice river had collapsed? The world spun in a haze of white. Korra staggered to one foot, pushing herself back to an upright position. She took a swaying step forward, and then cried out as the world tipped. Her head hit the snow with an icy crunch. Slow pinpricks of white danced before her vision.
"Aang," she whispered. "Help me…"
… …. …
Amon paced in the darkness, his hands clasped behind his back as they so often were these days. What was taking that blasted girl so long? He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. He shouldn't have let her go alone. She'd probably run off and escaped, and was halfway to Republic City by now.
He glanced up at the sun through the watery cloud cover. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. He would have to go after her. Highly inconvenient, but crucial if he was to keep to his original plan. He'd catch up to her easily. The girl's weakness was her overconfidence—she'd leave obvious trails behind her through the snow, oblivious and unprepared for his pursuit. He felt his eyes roll back into his head. His life had been filled since he was a young boy with stories of the Avatar. How great this ancient being was, what raw power she contained.
"Don't ever underestimate her," Yakone had drilled into him since the time he was twelve years old. "Your destiny is to avenge me. You have more potential that your brothers. You will be the one to take down the Avatar and take your place in the history of the cosmos. You will pass down the legacy of our name. Do not fail me."
The Avatar was strong; there was no doubt about that. She was strong, she was bullheaded, she was fierce, and she was passionate—however misguided her beliefs. But still, she was breakable.
Amon closed his eyes, breathing in deeply through his nose. He remembered the feel of her in his arms, as if she'd fit so naturally there. The way the firelight played across her face. The warmth of her body, her strong young heartbeat against his ribs.
Amon pushed the thoughts out of his head. He would break her. He'd have to.
He left the cave a little after sunhigh. The truce was officially off. Once he found her, he would take her down. He'd take her bending, and deliver her to the Equalists. From there, her demise would be announced to the city. He'd said he'd wanted an audience. His followers would parade her powerless form through the streets, sending a clear message to the bending resistance of Republic City.
His breath came in crisp, white puffs on the wintry air, and he found himself irritated at the condensation on the inside of his mask. Finally giving in to his annoyance, he ripped it off, tucking it away into the pocket of his robes. It wouldn't matter if the Avatar saw his face now. She was on the verge of her defeat. Afterwards, anything she said to his followers or the media would hardly be believed. Besides… he wanted to look into her eyes when he took her power from her. He wanted to see the glory fade from behind those blue eyes, see the victory he'd wanted to see for so many years, without hiding behind a mask.
Her ice-board trail was easy enough to follow. She hadn't attempted any concealment of her tracks. A small smile tipped his mouth. The little fool. He almost felt sorry for her. She wouldn't stand a chance against him. She never had.
He came upon a hill of shattered ice shards, and stooped to examine them. He frowned. The ice looked clean-cut and smooth. They didn't look like they'd made contact with any sort of prey. Standing, he turned in a slow circle… and saw her.
She lay, curled and shivering, on her side in the snow. Her dark hair was plastered against her forehead, and her eyes writhed beneath the lids. Her breath came in ragged pants, and her forehead shone with sweat. Amon walked to her and knelt beside her huddled form, resting a hand against her forehead. She was burning up with fever.
The frown deepened across his brow. This was no fair fight. It was almost a shame to see his esteemed enemy in such a piteous condition. He allowed his fingers to brush against her cheek, tracing her smooth brow to rest on her forehead. It would be so easy to take her, right now. Strip her of the power she held over others. Destroy her. He hesitated a moment, the hand hovering just above her most vulnerable chi point, the center of her forehead.
Why didn't he just do it? This was what his whole revolution was bent on: the destruction of the Avatar. His followers were counting on him. If they were here, they'd expect him to take advantage of this opportunity. And he rightly should. He should take her down here and now. She was powerless, completely at his mercy, helpless before him. So why did he hesitate?
Korra whimpered in her unconsciousness. A crease flickered across her brow, and she tightened herself in her makeshift ball, turning her face into the snow. The small sound struck a nerve, somewhere in his chest. He closed his fingers into a fist, withdrawing his hand. Avatar or no, this girl was sick, and she needed his help. Quelling his doubts, he bent and scooped her into his arms. She murmured a little at his touch, then turned and buried her face in the collar of his robes, curling her fingers in his tunic. Amon sucked in a breath. His heart rate had accelerated far more than was normal… far more than was appropriate. Shaking aside the disturbing feelings, he turned and cut a path back toward the cave, the Avatar nestled securely in his arms.