PARADOX

Chapter Two: Meeting Kovu

I had been at the South Pole for two years now. I was now accustomed to the cold. All the exercise I did to catch my food kept me thin, unlike the first time I grew up. I didn't have my parents around to hold my hand this time around. I didn't know if I would have survived if I was actually seven instead of just physically seven.

Over the years I had bettered my hunting skills. I found a place where Carribou-goats grazed on lichen and fox-hens helped themselves to moss and snowberries. I found tiger-seal breathing holes, and their cousins the zebra-seals' breathing holes too. I've found feral Polar bear dogs that joined packs of Lynx-wolves and Polar Leopards; who would allow me to hunt along side them, sometimes driving the prey to me and other times I would drive the prey to them. I've grown closer to a pack of Lynx-wolves that had a Polar bear dog as an alpha.

The alpha female was due to have her litter of cubs any day now. I was hunting so I would be able to watch the cubs so the rest of the pack could hunt too. I was just going to get a few fox-hens. Fox-hens were fox shaped animals with beaks like chickens and small short wings and had talons where each of its claws should be. They were a mostly docile animal, very timid but would defend their chicks to the death.

Another thing I had learned over the years was that I could waterbend. I was almost as good as a trained waterbender. I could make a water whip, freeze the water, unfreeze water, make a wave, and make daggers from ice. I could also do a very basic octopus, it only had two arms but it would work in a bind. I had read the firebending scrolls thoroughly. I used some of the basics to help me with my own element. Like using the breathing exercises and meditation techniques.

I waited patiently by the den of a fox-hen. Its white head poked out shyly clucking to itself nervously. Finally it took a step out and started searching for the layer of lichen under the thin sheet of snow. I made a fist and opened and closed it quickly. Like Gaara's sand coffin attack. The snow around the fox-hen jumped up and strangled it before it could move. I looked at the dead animal sadly. I had always hated killing things but it was kill or starve to death out here. Sure I could try to be a vegetarian, but I wouldn't survive long on snowberries and sea prunes alone.

I had to hurry if I wanted to make it in time to see Momma wolf give birth to her cubs. So I ran creating ice blades under my feet to skate like on ice. I reached the cave just as the Alpha male walked in carrying the leg of a Carribou-goat. It had obviously come from a male because the females had a muscle that attached to the udder on their legs. I followed shortly behind him. There were nine cubs. Eight normal sized ones and one runt. The runt was shoved away from the mother's nipples without milk due to its larger siblings. I looked at it sadly. It would probably die without the mother's care. And she had the other eight to look out for.

I knelt beside Momma wolf and gently petted her head as she rested after giving a hard birth. The runt whined and yelped for food but the others kept it pushed away. I looked at the cub sadly. If only I had a cow or something I could raise it myself. The only thing that gave milk out her were the carribou-goats and it would be extremely hard to catch them.

Extremely hard but not impossible. The only problem I would have would be taming it afterward, keeping it fed, and keeping my allies from hunting her. I thought about it. It could be done. And if it didn't save the cub I had a fresh source of milk. If I caught more than one I could raise my own herd too. Then I'd have lots of fresh milk as well as fresh meat. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. If I caught the fox-hens too I could get eggs as well.

Momma seemed to realize what I was thinking and nudged the runt towards me. I gently picked it up cuddling it to my coat. It whined cutely and I fell in love with it.

"Momma, I'm going to go catch some Carribou-goats for milk. Take care of little Kovu until I come back." I said softly setting him back beside his litter mates. Momma looked up at me and nodded intelligently.

I nodded back and left the cave at a run. If I hurried I could catch a Carribou-goat before they went to rest for the day. I reached my home, the abandoned ship and used waterbending to create a large pen out of ice, it was 20' by 20'. It touched the corner of the ship to form one of the corners. I took a deep breathe and made a large cave like structure in the corner where it touched the ship. Now they could go in there if a blizzard came up.

Now to catch them in the first place. I "opened" the fence in one spot just big enough for a Carribou-goat to slip through. I created a wall on each side of the opening and made it into a bottle neck. I would chase the Carribou-goats into the bottle neck and they would have no choice but to go into the fence.

It took me nearly four hours and ten failed attempts before I finally figured out how to drive the goats into the fence. I managed to catch three of them, two females and one male. The male ran at the fence furiously trying to break it down and I hurried to close the gate. I would have to create a fence to to separate the male and females when I went to milk the females. I would probably have to immobilize them with ice first too. Or else I'd get killed by an angry goat.

I went into the ship and came back with two metal buckets I quickly cleaned before heading to the pen. No time like the present to try to milk the goats. Either I would be able to or I would have to take time to tame them and the cub would die.

No pressure.

I created a raised wall blocking the male from the females. It went even madder trying to get back to them. I made the snow raise up and cover the legs of the females and froze it in place. I was a little worried about the antlers but I could avoid them as long as I kept out of range. Both animals shook their heads in fear and rage as I approached. I made sure my ice was going to hold before going to work. I had never actually milked anything in real life. I only knew how to do it due to my "Lost in Blue" DS game which had a mini game where you had to milk a goat if you played as the female.

After about an hour of my fumbling with milking I figured I had enough for right now. I had two half buckets because I wasn't very good and ended up pulling to hard or not hard enough. When on of the females finally got a leg free and took a kick at me I figured it was time to go.

I got out of the fence, closing it behind me with bending before unfreezing the females who walked around agitated before settling down next to each other for warm. The male finally managed to get back to the females after I let the wall down some. He laid in front of the females and they rested their heads on his back.

I went up to the ship and slowly poured the milk into one of the empty water barrels. I created a layer of ice around the outer edge of the barrel and put the lid on top. The ice would keep it cool and I could heat it up using coal and fire when I needed the warm milk for the cub.

I made my way over to Momma's den as I ate a dried piece of zebra-seal along the way. As soon as I reached the den I was surrounded by hungry younger wolves I sighed ripping what remained of my jerky into pieces and threw it out of the cave. All of the wolves barked like eager puppies and bounded out of the cave after the scraps of food. I approached Momma wolf and she once again picked the runt up depositing him in my arms.

"Hello little Kovu." I whispered the name I'd chosen just hours ago. "You can visit him when he grows up some." I told Momma as I left the cave. She howled an agreement.

"Say bye to Momma and your brothers and sisters, Kovu." I told him. He barked and whined snuggling into my coat trying to escape the colder air the outside offered.

I looked down at him and was suddenly uncomfortably reminded of my dog Angel. She had been a Labrador retriever. She had probably died by now. She had been eight when I had been dropped here two years ago so it was possible.

I shook the depressing thoughts away. Kovu needed me now. Angel was in a whole other world. Kovu was in my arms. I smiled down at him. I would take care of him and he would in turn take care of me.

I would have my very own herding dog-er wolf. He would help me hunt more food than I could on my own or with the pack. With the pack I would have to share the kill with the whole pack, with Kovu it would just be the two of us.

Yeah, just the two of us against the nearly barren lands of the South Pole.