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Everything was dark the last time she opened her eyes. There was no light. No sound. No smell. There was only emptiness. For a brief moment, the loneliness comforted her. There was nobody around to hurt her. To break her. To lie to her. But it didn't last long. Oh too quickly, that comfort faded and all she wanted was to get out. Her slumber made it feel as if she had been in there for an eternity, but now. Now she was awake.
Her eyes fluttered open, she could see light, even if was a small portion of it. It peeked through the leaves above her head. She could smell the ocean close by, mixed with the tropical aroma of fruits and the trees. The sound of birds filled her ears, musical chirping that eased her worried mind and spirit. Her body was no longer wet, by dry. Her cloths felt breezy, no doubt they had been torn when that monster swallowed her. Was she even alive? Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? Was she in paradise? No, no wasn't.
Slowly, she found the will to control her limbs and moved. Using her arms, she lifter her upper torso, rubbing her head with her hand as she did. She felt a bit woozy at first, but her vision cleared as did her mind. She looked around, she was most certainly not in heaven. Unless heaven was a large tree house covered in vines with flowers growing all around them, and humble furniture made out of wood and stone. Someone must live here, she wondered. But who? Was it the person who brought her hear? As if so, why did they help her? Why was she still alive?
"Good, you're finally awake!"
She heard a familiar voice coming from the open window. She managed to get up on her two legs and approach her three friends who all stood at the side of the window. She smiled with happiness.
"Rainbow! Sunset! Twilight! You're all alright!"
"So are you." said Twilight, equally happy, "Though, I can't say the same for your cloths." the dragon-bird gestured to the woman's outfit. Just as she suspected, it was torn up, her boots were goon, her pants were torn up from bellow, her small jacket was gone, her shirt was cut, exposing her midriff, she only had one arm-warmer and her two remaining front hair ties were gone. She gasped as she gripped around her neck but sighed once she felt the string and traced down towards the pendant. It was still there, thank goodness.
"So, what happened?" Korra asked, "Where are the others?"
"We were the only ones who managed to reach you." Sunset explained.
"Before that dark spirit swallowed us up." Rainbow concluded and Twilight continued next.
"Last thing we remember was us washing up on the beach. You were out could until she saved you."
"Wait, who saved me?" Korra asked.
"So it's true." the young woman gasped once she heard a voice coming from behind her. "You really are the child." the voice said, it was clear this person was a woman. Her voice was feminine, soft and gentle, but also carried a sense of firmness and security. She hid herself in a dark corner of the room, covered by a torn up tarp and several vines shielded half of her face, revealing only her eyes. Korra could see they were a stunning shade of brown, mixed with golden sunlight.
But regardless, Korra immediately got into a defensive stance. Her instincts took over, she wasn't about to allow herself to be deceived again.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know.
"Don't be scared." the woman responded, sounding sincere as if she understood the girl's reason to be suspicious.
"Scared? I'm not the one hiding in the shadows!" Korra's voice rose up, her anger already begging to take effect. She didn't like this stranger's cryptic nature.
"Please, if I wanted to hurt you I would have already."
"How did I get here?"
"I don't know. You were washed up on the shore so me and my husband brought you here."
"Your husband?"
"Yes, this island isn't as isolated as you think."
"Enough already, just tell me what you want with me!"
"Look, I know you've been through a lot recently, but you need to understand your negative energy is only going to hurt your heart."
"My heart's been hurt enough already." Korra stated coldly, "If you really want me to trust you, then come out into the light."
The woman was silent for a brief moment before responding, "If I do…then you will be afraid."
"No I won't. Nothings scares me anymore."
Hesitantly, the stranger moved, stepping one foot into the light that came through the roof. Korra slowly lowered her arms watching the stranger step out. She was tall, taller than anyone she had ever seen. Her body was covered in red clothing, adorned with a few golden accessories and a long old cape around her neck. Last but not least her face…Korra gasped.
The woman was pale, slender in features, long dark raven hair styled into a stunning braid, pierced ears with golden earrings, lips red as blood, eyes of gold and brown….and the tattoo of an eye rested on her forehead.
Korra took a step back, recognizing the image from the stories she was told as a child. "You're a…a combustion bender." she said, nearly out of breath.
Amazingly, the woman smiled kindly, "What, did you expect your fairy godmother?"
Korra didn't know how to react to this. In the tales her uncle Bumi had told her, combustion benders were people who could control fire with their minds. They cloud blast away a single building with just one thought, all coming out of their third eye.
"I told you you'd be afraid."
"How…how are you…?"
"It's a long story. But I haven't used my power in a really long time. I don't even think I have any of my old mojo left."
Korra was about to say something but found she didn't know what to say. Here she was, in a tree house, with a combustion woman who had lost her combustion, her cloths were torn, she was stuck in who-knows-where, and a war was still going on. On top of that, this woman certainly didn't seem like she wanted to harm her.
"Where am I?" was all she could ask, "Are we in the fire nation or the earth kingdom?"
"Neither. This island is hardly found on any map. Our own little paradise. Free from civilization."
"No, you don't understand, I need to get back! The water tribes are at war and-"
"I know all about the civil war. We all do."
"Wait, there are more people here?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call them people." Korra shook her head in disbelief, making the woman arc an eyebrow in amusement, "Hey, don't judge me, you were just talking to a couple of birds just now."
She had to admit, the tall lady had a point. "Can I know your name? If I'm going to really trust you, I think I should know a bit more about you."
"P'Li. My name is P'Li. And you're Avatar Korra, right?"
"Was my hair a dead give away?"
"More like the pendant around your neck?" P'Li gestured to the necklace, to which Korra gripped tightly. "I promise, I will explain everything. But first, let's get you into something a little more…appropriate. Hope you like green."
(~)
While she was healthy, Korra did not come unscarred. Her hands had cut marks on them, so P'Li handed her a few bandages to wrap them in. She currently wore a sleeveless dark green shirt with a single lighter green stripe across the center staring upwards to ending in a straight line at the end of the shirt. Her pants were darker in green, ending just a few inches bellow her knee, and she now wore green flats. Her pendant remain. Her hair was still tangled and messed up, and had grown much longer up to this point, reaching three inches past her shoulders. Having it loose in this tropical atmosphere would be a nightmare, no wonder P'Li kept her hair manageable.
Pulling her hair back, including the front pieces, revealing her hears and two small strands sticking out on the sides. She was never one to make a braid, but she felt now was as good as time as ever to have one. Seeing her struggle, P'Li stepped in and took over, softly stroking the white hair, trying her best not to take notice of the ebony piece, and began bradding the long white hair.
"Never done a braid before?"
"No. I usually wore ponytails. At least this way it won't get tangled on a branch or something."
"Well, lucky for you I happen to be quite the expert on this." she pouted her lips a bit in thought, "You know what, why don't we spice things up a bit. A pretty girl like you needs something to compliment this new look." she reached out her hand to one of the vines, which carried several flowers of bright and beautiful colors. She found the best ones that matched perfectly for Korra and began placing them into the stylized braid. Before long, she was done. P'Li took a piece of a broken mirror and placed it in front of Korra's face. Her eyes, once emotionless and stoic, slightly widened in her new look. She took the mirror, gazing into the image before her while P'Li smiled brightly.
"I know. I'm good, right?"
"Where did this come from?" Korra asked, addressing to the single dark piece of hair.
Before P'Li could answer another voice came out from outside, which grew stronger followed by footsteps that climbed upwards.
"So, she's awake now, isn't she?"
A man walked up from the opening on the wooden floor, a middle aged man of medium size with a bald head, adorned with an 'x' shaped scar, and wearing greet clothing while carrying a basket of deliciously fresh fruits that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Korra's stomach growled at the sight. She had nearly forgotten how hungry she was.
"Korra, this is my husband. Zaheer."
The man smiled warmly at the young woman, "An honor to meet you, Avatar."
"Likewise." she said politely.
"A polite little one, aren't you?" he said with a light chuckle, only to notice her ocean eyes were glued to the food he had brought. "And hungry too, I'm guessing." he handed the basket to her, placing it in her hands. "They're all yours. Fresh."
Korra smiled before taking one of the pears and took one big bite out of them. The couple watched as the teenager helped herself to the fruit, taking a bite out of each one like she hadn't eaten in days. The poor child must have been starving. Her face was covered in juices, which she wiped with her wrist or licked clean with her tongue, the fruit was unlike anything she had ever tasted. It was like heaven in her mouth.
"This is amazing!" she said with her mouth full, swallowing before she spoke again, "I've never tasted fruit like this before. What are these?" she picked up a strange looking fruit she had never seen before. It was small and red, shaped like a heart with seeds all around it and little leaves on the top.
"Those are strawberries." said P'Li, arching an eyebrow, "You've never had one before?"
"They don't normally grow on the island I grew up in." Korra took one bite and automatically she felt like fireworks exploded on her tongue. This fruit was unlike anything she had ever tasted. She began eating two at the same time, taking in the sweet sensation. She stopped for a moment once she heard the couple chuckling. The reality of her behavior caught up with her and she stopped eating like a wild animal. If that wild animal was a vegetarian. She blushed and placed the basket aside before standing up, formally thanking them. "Thank you, for your hospitality."
"Anytime, sweetheart." P'Li said kindly.
"I hate to be rude but, I should probably be heading back. You see, there's this-"
"Civil war." Zaheer finished for her, "We know. A friend informed us that Unalaq got you to open one of the portals."
"You know about the portal? And how do you know my uncle?" The couple was silent as they share looks of concern. Korra was already beginning to grow suspicious about these two. "What aren't you telling me? What do you know?"
Zaheer walked towards her and gently took her by the hand like a gentlemen. "Come with us."
Korra complied, she was already getting the sense these two were very kind individuals, but she was not about to let herself be deceived by false kindness again. She would give them a chance, but the minute they proved her otherwise, she would not hesitate to blast them right off of this island like there was no tomorrow.
(~)
With the dragon birds on her shoulders, Korra followed Zaheer and P'Li across the their jungle home, moving the palms and leaves that surrounded the place. Korra herself was awed by the beauty of the place. She'd never really been to any jungles before, so seeing one in person was astonishing. She was so entranced with the scenery that she didn't notice the palm tree Zaheer had just moved aside so he could pass, had hit her in the face.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, you gotta keep your eyes open around these parts. Lots of trees. Oh, and snakes."
"Snakes?!" Korra heard a hissing sound and saw one little field snake move in front of her. If there was anything Korra hatted more, it was snakes. The say their long slender bodies moved across the ground, and their long four tongues with their horrible hissing noises. She released a scream before jumping over the creature.
"Don't worry, they're not poisonous. But they do bite. You'll be scratching yourself for weeks."
Korra shuddered before walking along behind them. "So, how long have you two been living here?"
"Fifteen years and counting."
"And where did you come from?"
"Isn't that a conversation you should have had with your parents?" Zaheer replied jokingly.
Korra rolled her eyes, laughing sarcastically, "Ha, ha, very funny."
"P'Li grew up in the fire nation, I was born somewhere in the earth kingdom."
"And how did you guys find this place?"
"We've been trying to find somewhere we could call home. Away from civilization."
"What's wrong with civilization?"
"Oh, right I forgot. You were raised in the urban jungle. Maybe we should call you, Urban Girl."
Korra couldn't decide if she was annoyed or impressed by this man's charisma and wit. "Is he always this charming or am I just lucky?" Korra asked P'Li.
"Welcome to my life." the woman replied with an amused smirk.
Korra chuckled along, these folks weren't half bad. Then, she remembered she couldn't get too attached to these people. She changed the subject, "So, what exactly are we looking for?"
"We're here."
Korra walked up beside Zaheer, looking over the area. It looked like a large clearing, filled with various stones, decorated like some kind of garden-like setting, various flowers, and even empty bowls on the ground.
"Oooooooookay?" Korra and her dragon birds all shared the same confused expressions.
"I think these guys are crazy." Rainbow whispered to Korra, "We'll distract them while you run."
The Avatar flinched when Zaheer placed his hand on her shoulder, "Wait here. We'll be back in a moment."
"Wait, what? You're just going to leave me here by myself? You said there were snakes!"
"Relax, you won't be alone." P'Li responded while she and Zaheer made their way back into the jungle. "You'll have friends."
"No way! You are not going to leave me here! Hey! Do you hear what I just-Whoa!" Korra tripped over something but managed to regain her balance once more. She turned around, looked down and noticed she had tripped on a bowl. She scoffed. "They can't afford to clean up after themselves in the woods? Classy."
She squatted down, reaching her hand out to grab the bowl but stopped when she saw a shadow looming over her. She saw two large feet in front of her. But they were not of any human. Hesitantly, she started to look upwards, seeing more and more of the body covered in fur. It was colored gray, white and black. Long limbs with white stripes and sharp claws before she finally saw the face. The large yellow eyes with a white snow face and large gray ears looked at her, sniffing her face with its wet pink nose, which twitched as it looked at her.
"Hello."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Korra tumbled back, screaming her head off at the creature before her. It was some kind of humanoid lemur creature. The beast rose up his hand sin surrender.
"Please, m'lady. Calm down, I won't hurt you!"
"You-you can talk?! How can you talk!?"
"Well, my lips are moving and words are coming out."
Korra's only reaction to this things was fear. She had no idea what to do in this situation, she was far too stunned to think straight. When, finally, her mind began to clear up after he spoke.
"Wait, what did you call me?"
"M'lady. Would you have preferred something else? Like, your highness, or your ladyship, or perhaps something less formal like 'Miss' or 'girly', maybe."
"Just Korra is fine."
"Ah, the Maiden."
"What?"
"That's what your name means. Maiden, as in pure."
Korra blinked, her heart beast slowly calming down. The lemur thing extended his hand to help her up. She looked at it and then back at him once more.
"Don't worry, I won't bite."
Bitting her bottom lip, Korra allowed him to help her stand up. "Thank you." she examined her new companion closer, "You…you look…kind of familiar to me. Have we met before?"
"We have, actually."
The memories started to flow back. "Wait…at the wilderness. The portal…a cloaked man was shouting. He had these long…nails…" her eyes drifted back to the creature's hands, which were as long and sharp as from the hands of the cloaked being back at the south pole. Then, she remembered the lemur's fur she found from the cloak. "It was you! You were trying to warn me about Unalaq, weren't you?"
"To be honest, I didn't know who was really behind the events. I had been protecting that portal for decades. Centuries, even. But once you opened it, I felt a terrible wave of energy. Something bad was about to happen. I knew I needed to warn you but I needed to leave before I could become effected by the darkness. I quickly came to the one place I knew I could recharge and clear my mind. Oh, where are my manners?" the lemur clapped his hands twice and turned to the forest trees, "Come on out, everyone! It's safe!"
Korra could not believe her own eyes. All around her, colorful, bright, strange and unique creatures emerged from the leaves, underneath the rocks and even from holes in the tree trunks. There were of all shapes and sizes, some were yellow with leaves on their heads, others were shaped like insects, others looked like colorful rabbits with bug-like wings for ears, even several that looked like animals of all shaped and sizes.
"Spirits." she said breathless, "They're spirits! But wait, I thought you all lived in the spirit world."
"Technically, we do. But some had managed to live here in the human world. Though, the longer we stayed the less chances we had of getting back home."
Korra's shoulders dropped in sadness, "I'm so sorry. Whoa!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Move your foot, honey!"
"Oh, sorry!" Korra quickly moved from where she was standing, only to see a talking female meerkat, sticking out from the ground. The lemur creature placed his hand on Korra's shoulder and introduced her.
"Everyone, this is Avatar Korra."
All of the spirits began to cheer happily, making the young woman feel rather uncomfortable. Why were these spirits happy to see her? What did she do to make them like her so much. The female meerkat gasped while clapping her paws together, "Oh, how wonderful! You know, we always hoped you'd come one day."
"What's this about the Avatar?" a second meerkat, gray in coloring, popped out from the ground beside the female one. He looked up and down the human, sniffing her from afar. "This is it? A teenager with grandma's hair?"
"Hey!" Korra felt offended by that remark as she held her long braid, decorated with flowers. The female meerkat slapped the male one.
"Uncle Max, be nice! She's not here to be insulted, she's our guest. We need to make her feel welcome."
"Welcome? She's been missing for seventeen years, you'd think she would have at least given us a little warning if she was coming."
"Look, I didn't even plan on coming here." Korra stated, "I was swallowed up by a dark spirit and-wait, what am I doing talking to a meerkat?" she shook her head, trying to make sense out of all of this, "Okay, I really appreciate your hospitality and all, but I'm still a little confused. What is this island and how are you spirits even here?"
"Where else are spirits suppose to live?" the lemur creature said, "Pretty much everywhere is filled with so much strife and discord, it's hardly a place for us to stay. Thankfully, we found this place and made it our home."
"So, Zaheer and P'Li know about you?"
"Of course. Why else would they have entrusted us with you."
Korra felt a tug on her leg, looking down she saw a small little yellow spirit with an adorable smile and two little leaves sticking up from its head. "I heard stories about you." she said in the sweetest little voice that reminded Korra of her younger sister, Ikki. "You're prettier than I imagined."
This innocent little think was enough to make Korra's heart melt. More younger spirits surrounded her, one in particular looked like a purple slug. He looked up at Korra, rather skeptically. "You sure she's the Avatar? I thought she was suppose to have brown hair and wear a lot of blue."
"My old cloths were ruined so P'Li let me borrow these and I did have brown hair but now it's white."
"Will you be staying with us?" the yellow spirit asked in a hopeful voice. Korra really didn't want to disappoint this sweet little angel, but she knew she couldn't stay for long.
"Well, I, um…you see, there's this…I mean…" she looked all around her. The spirits awaited eagerly for her to say she would stay. She couldn't let herself be sucked into their innocence but…it was one thing to say no to a person but these guys? Especially the little ones?
"I…don't see why I can't."
"Did you hear that, everybody? She's staying!" the lemur shouted out happily, making the other spirits cheer happily. But Korra knew they had taken this out of context.
"Wait, you don't understand lemur guy."
"Call me, Aye-Aye."
"Aye-Aye, okay. Look, I will stay for a day or two, but I really need to get back to civilization and-"
"You want to leave?" the little spirit asked sadly.
"No! No, that's not it, it's just…I don't belong here."
Aye-Aye arched an eyebrow, "Don't belong? Everybody belongs here, child. Korra, listen to me. The human world is nothing but a big mess. Life here on the isle, is better than anything you can find out there."
They say the grass is always greener
Near somebody else's lake
You dream about going back there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the jungle floor
Such wonderful things around you
What more are you looking for?
Korra smiled when a few of the children spirits flew around her, making her long braid dance in the wind, making her look graceful
Here on the isle
Here on the isle
Darling, it's better
Here where it's sweeter
Take it from me
Back in the city, there's too much sin
No one feels satisfied within
While we're devoting
Full time to floating
Here on the isle
Korra sat on a nearby rock with the younger spirits on her lap while Aye-Aye, and the other spirits, played their wooden, leave and various naturally organic instruments and explained to the young Avatar why they loved this place.
Down here all the souls are happy
As off through the winds we soar
The folks at the states 'aint happy
They're sad cause they're lives are a bore
The material things they pursue
They're worth much as an old burned shoe
When all the luck has run out
You might as well be in a zoo
Oh, oh!
Here on the isle
Here on the isle
Nobody is needy
Antsy, or uneasy
Here we are free
Folks like them may call us loons
But really, we've got nothing to lose
We got no troubles
The fun always doubles
Here on the isle!
(Here on the isle)
Here on the isle
(Here on the isle)
And life is sweet here
We've got to be here
Naturally!
(Naturale-e-e-e)
Every year feels like a day
And we get the urge to start to play
We've got the spirit
You got to hear it
Here on the isle
Aye-Aye pulled Korra up, inviting her to dance. Korra loved to dance, and the music was just too upbeat not to. Before long, the spirits were entranced by the Avatar's movements, the way her body swayed from place to place like a wave, her long braid dancing and twirly around with her in perfect sync while the music continued to play. She and Aye-Aye danced together as the music played on. The entire jungle area had turned into an all out music festival.
Yeah!
Here on the isle!
(Here on the isle)
Here on the isle
(Here on the isle)
Everyone's beaming
Singing and gleaming
It's music to me
Friendships and love, here they expand
This is our own promise land
Each little clam here
Knows how to jam here
Here on the isle
Each little slug here
Cutting a rug here
Here on the isle
Each little sin here
Never remains here
That's why it's hotter
Here by the water
Yeah, we're united
Never divided
Here on the isle!
The music came to an end and Korra, for the first time since she had arrived, was having the time of her life. It was life all of her troubles were fading away. "That was fun!" she said between giggles.
"You see, Korra? Why would you want to leave this place? We've got no problems, no worries, for the rest of our days!"
The words he said triggered something within Korra's mind and a familiar moto came to mind, "Hakuna Matata…" she said, nearly breathless.
"What's Ahuna Tamata?" the yellow spirit asked.
"No, sweetie, Hakuna Matata. It's something a friend of mine use to say." the memory of the vivacious young earthbender only led to her thinking of her best friend and the one man she thought she had ever truly loved. The memory of their betrayal, their words, stroked her heart like an arrow. It was then, she was reminded of her new vow. Not to get sentimental about things, not now. Her feelings needed to be pushed aside.
The sound of rustling bushes was heard and the tall woman appeared along with her shorter husband. "I see you met Aye-Aye." said Zaheer with a smile once they arrived.
"Where have you too been?" Korra asked, demanding to get more answers out of them. Playtime was over for now, she needed to know the truth and now.
"We were looking for someone." P'Li said, "He's been waiting a long time to meet you."
Korra looked at them curiously when a third figure began to emerge from the tall grass. It was a male, almost as tall as Zaheer, but not nearly as tall as P'Li. His skin was a dark mocha tan, his arms bare and well toned wearing blue clothing, consisting of water tribe origin, and long dark brown hair that fell over his shoulders. His face had sharp masculine features and adorned a beard. His eyes were a piercing dark blue, almost as dark as the ocean on a raining storm, but what really caught Korra's eyes…was the pendant around his neck.
It looked remarkably similar to her own, only it was not shaped like a heart but was still colored in white and blue with the four inch star on the center.
The man's eyes widened when he saw the young woman, almost as if he had seen a ghost. Korra was confused until…she recognized the face. Having seen it in a photograph her uncle had shown her. She could barely move, or think straight. This had to be a dream, this couldn't be real. The man moved in closer, their eyes locked on one another as he reached out his hand slowly towards her face, cupping her cheek. For a moment, Korra felt his soft gently yet strong touch. It felt so familiar and new all at the same time. The man's eyes became watery and a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"It's you…" he said softly, still in shock but clearly showing signs of happiness, "Korra…my Korra."
Korra gasped when the man wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace while sobbing. Tears threatened to come out of her eyes as well, no matter how hard she tried to keep them from coming.
This man…this stranger…was her father.
(~)
Anyone else's mind blown right now? P'Li and Zaheer being the good guys, Tonraq living with them, Aye-Aye making an appearance and singing a parody of "Under the Sea", a cameo from Ma and Uncle Max from the Lion King 1/2? Korra's hair now in a braid with flowers like Rapunzel's and wearing her book 4 earth kingdom cloths?
*Inhale*!…..sorry it's short, I've been working my flank off this weekend on homework, and I still need to get started on a commission request. That's why this is so short, I needed to relive some stress and so you can know what's going to happen next. Until then, God bless, *kiss kiss*