Book 2 Chapter 16

Stuck Between a Flying Bison and a Hard Place

The morning came too fast for Mako. He wasn't scheduled to go into work till later in the afternoon so he enjoyed the extra time he got to spend with Korra lying in bed.

"Bro! Hey Makoooooooooo!" Bolin yelled outside his door.

"Gahhh... Bolin..." Mako opened his door to see why his brother was bothering him.

"What do you want Bo?" He asked.

"Just letting you know Tenzin's looking for Korra. She here?" Bolin told him as he peered his head in the room.

"Bolin, do you mind" he snapped then pushed his little brother's head back.

"And yea she's in here. I'll wake her up" he shut the door and turned around and started to head back to bed.

"Just a few more minutes" Korra said groggily as Mako shook her softly.

"Sorry hun but Tenzin's looking for you. Sounds urgent" he said giving her a little kiss on her head. He got up and started looking through his closet for clothes.

Korra stretched her arms above her head and yawned before she got out of bed. She walked over to Mako and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug before she left his room.

Everyone began gathering around for breakfast. It's been a while since all the seats were full. Usually the boys had school or work and left early, Korra would be busy meditating in the mornings, and Tenzin would leave early for council meetings. But this morning there were no distractions.

"So Tenzin, what were you wanting to tell me?" Korra inquired.

"Ahh yes, you'll be quite excited to hear this. You're father sent us all invitations to attend the Southern Water Tribe's Glacial Spirits Festival" he said.

"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot that it was coming up!" she exclaimed.

"Glacial Spirits Festival?" Mako said unsure of what the excitement was about.

"It's a celebration held that brings together the northern and southern tribes in a time of peace and tranquility to preserve the balance between them and the spirits" Tenzin stated.

"And there are fun games and delicious food and dancing and animal shows. Ahhh can't wait! We're definitely going!" Korra said with excitement.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Bolin added.

"Then it's settled. We'll be going to the Southern Water Tribe at the end of the month" Tenzin declared.

After breakfast, Mako headed to police headquarters to receive his assignment for the day and Bolin took the kids to Republic City to show them the new pro bending arena.

Korra on the other hand, began her meditation. She was distracted very easily due to her excitement with the festival coming up and it made it hard for her to concentrate.

"Come on Korra, clear your mind" she said under her breath.

She closed her eyes and suddenly all she felt was the energy around her. She felt her heart beating but in unison to the leaves falling off the trees. Her breath flowed with the quiet breeze. She was connected with the earth now.

As she was sitting, she felt a small tremor. Almost as if an earthquake was coming. Something was disrupting the peace. She could tell something was wrong.

*What is going on?* she thought.

Something is happening that won't let her be fully spiritual. Something is keeping her from fully traveling to the Spirit World. Something didn't feel quite right.

And then that feeling hit her again. The air got heavier. Her breathing got faster. Her heart was racing. She saw that familiar darkness.

Instead of seeing what she saw before, this time she heard it. Something or someone let out a screech. A sound so deafening Korra clasped her hands over her ears. She quickly snapped out of her meditative state and when she did the sound stopped.

She looked around and saw the lemurs still sleeping and the mother bison feeding her young as if nothing happened. She took a deep breath and tried to think of what could have caused a sound that horrifying but though of nothing. She got up quickly and ran to find Tenzin.

"Why do you always find the need to bring that story up Lin..." Tenzin embarrassingly asked the Chief of Police over the phone.

"I need to talk to you" Korra said urgently barging through the doors to his office.

"Erm, alright. I'll see you at the council meeting first thing in the morning Lin" he said before putting the telephone down.

"Alright Korra, have a seat" he motioned to the chair in front of him.

She sat down and began to speak, "I was outside meditating earlier, like you suggested. I feel as though I'm becoming more spiritual. I've felt a connection between everything around me..."

"That's wonderful" said Tenzin cutting her off.

"Wait there's more. Every time I feel like I'm close to the spirit world, something stops me. I feel this weird energy, almost as if it's a presence, and I heard it. It was loud and angry, like it was screaming at me" she said uneasily.

"Hmmm.. that is quite odd" Tenzin stated while playing with his beard.

"Oh, and this wasn't even the first time. Earlier this week I saw something. I don't know, it was weird. Like something walking in the shadows... and it glowed" she added.

"That's very strange. I'm not sure what it could be. I remember my father telling me when he had troubles with the spirits he would go to a spiritual place, like the air temples to figure out what is going on. Maybe I should take you there" he said.

"Maybe.. but I think I'll take a break from meditating. When we get back from the festival I'll go with you to try and figure this out" she said.

"Alright Korra, do what you believe is best" he said supportively.

She left his office and made her way back outside to practice her air bending.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I cannot wait for the new season of Korra! Anyone else glad they FINALLY gave us a release date? My goal is to try to tie my story in as much as possible to the series so I can continue writing once season 2 begins. Thanks again for all of you who follow my story. Keep the reviews coming in :)