Chapter 3

Winter winds slammed against the compound. Guards had to put up special heaters around their guard posts if they didn't want to freeze to death. The blizzard had tied itself to the South Pole and continued to batter it with ice and sleet and cold air. Korra's training was stopped for the winter because there was too much moisture in the air. She couldn't conjure a fireball and neither could the masters.

Guard posts had been narrowed down to one hour in the cold of the night. That way the cold was being equally shared between the men. Howl, however, had offered to take up two shifts. He didn't want to risk Korra sneaking out into the middle of the winter and getting lost. If she was going to run, he was going to watch her.

But it was nights like this when he really wished he hadn't. It was the winter solstice, the longest day of the South Pole. And night was everywhere; not even the sun could be bothered to wake up and warm them. Not that the snow would let it. A sharp wind full of frozen icicles stung his face. His teeth were chattering so badly that he could feel it deep in the roots of his gums. If he had known it would be this cold, he didn't think he would have volunteered.

"Howl!" He heard. He exhaled, thankful for his fellow guard relieving him of his duty. The man had furs lining his hood, almost as if he had been living in the Water Tribe all of his life. Instead of caring, Howl acknowledged him and nearly raced to the hatch, shivering as he walked to the bunks. A crack of unusual thunder echoed through the sky, and he heard a pitiful cry into the wind. He stopped and it happened again. With a sigh, he realized what it was. Naga.

He thought about waking Korra but decided better of it. He could comfort the polar bear-dog on his own and let Korra sleep. He knew it, and made up his tired mind to walk to the stable where the animal was kept.

The big white lump was pressed against the corner of the darkened pen, whining every time another crack of thunder echoed. Howl raised the lantern above his head and smiled, walking over to her. She started growling when she heard his footsteps in the fluffy pelted den. "Hey girl." He said, setting the lantern down on the ground and walking over to her. She barked angrily before another growl of thunder invaded her mind, making her shrink into the wall more. "It's okay. It's just me."

He settled down into the pelts closest to her, reaching out a hand to pet her. Naga yelped before she reacted. Her eyes were massive from the stormy weather and he smoothed her scattered fur. She looked like she had been through an electricity storm, but he knew that wasn't the case. He spotted a brush that Korra usually used to clean her. He made no sudden movements, knowing this massive beast could kill him without a second thought, and reached past the lantern. He grabbed the hairbrush before moving over to her and gently smoothing out her fur.

Naga stopped growling at him and started to whine, flinching every so often when another burst of thunder invaded the room. The cold winds didn't reach him and the dog, thankfully, and soon he grew hot. He shed his cloak and helmet, and another layer of his short. There was no telling if he should go back outside, not in the midst of a thunder-snow, but he didn't want to overheat either.

Suddenly, the dog started whining again, her voice higher pitched than before. "What is it, girl?" He questioned, rubbing between her ears. He didn't want her barking to wake Korra; she needed her rest. She was always so energetic during the day and, yes, he'd seen her only at peace when she was snoring away. A small grin appeared on his face and he felt himself blushing, the heat on his cheeks more than the heat the lantern was giving off.

"Howl?" Korra's voice startled him more than it should have. He turned and glanced up at her, smiling sheepishly. "Is Naga okay?"

"Yeah." Howl said, rubbing the dog's ears again. The silky soft fur reminded him of a long time ago and he slowly pulled away, not wanting to relive memories in front of her. Naga perked at the sound of Korra's voice, rushing forward to meet her. Then it happened all at once. Naga tipped over the lantern when she ran to meet Korra. The lantern fell over and erupted Howl's cape into flames. Howl cursed and jumped forward, while Korra waterbended some of the frozen snow onto the cloak. Effectively, it put out the flames, but the excess covered him. His clothes were soaked through and through, and his hair hung down in his eyes. He huffed, flicking the sodden black lengths out of his eyes.

Korra laughed. "Looks like you need a bath, Lotus boy." She teased, before she saw the uncomfortable look on his face. His cloak was a bit crispy around the edges but not enough to worry about. He started shivering though. She hadn't thought about the roaring wind. "Oh, Howl—"She started, sitting down on the pelted floor beside him. Her massive parka could cover the both of them if they huddled together; because there was no way he could go outside and live.

Naga had retreated to her corner with another crack of thunder when Korra realized. "You were in here calming her down?" She questioned, laying the parka down over them both and snuggling into Naga's silk soft fur. Howl didn't answer; he was too busy focusing on not freezing, but slowly he seemed to nod. "Here," Korra said, snuggling against him to keep him warm.

Howl suddenly grew very hot due to the thought that this was Korra snuggling against him, her own body so warm. His cheeks felt like they were in the pools of lava he'd seen on the main island of his home. Korra didn't like him like that; she just wanted him to be warm for the mess that she caused. Yes, that's what it was. "You can lean against Naga. She doesn't mind." Korra said softly. Not that the dog does, what if I get caught with Korra on my hip? He thought uncomfortably, but he lay against the softest thing he'd ever felt. Naga whined softly, but her actions weren't as vocal now that Korra was here.

Almost immediately, the warmth seemed to lull him to exhaustion. He glanced over at Korra and found her cyan gaze observing him. "What?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Korra smiled, tilting her head slightly. "You came to sit with her without being asked to." She whispered, a slight blush forming on her face. Howl watched her for a second and returned the smile, before turning away and yawning. "You had to keep watch before it, didn't you?"

"Maybe." He shrugged it off. "It wasn't anything important. Just an hour."

Korra's gentle grip on his arm tightened slightly. Her finger grazed his chest and he caught his breath, trying not to look at her. "You sat in the cold for an hour and then came to watch her." Her head leaned softly on his shoulder, making his chest tighten.

"Korra—" He started, but she cut him off with a wide yawn. Howl slowly peeked over at her, her eyes lazily dropping. "Just… get some sleep." He whispered, patting her knee through the parka. She nodded slowly, curling up against him. He smiled helplessly. He wanted to think that the guards wouldn't find them curled up against each other. He wished that, for once, he didn't have to worry about them. He wanted to relax around her, but he felt like he couldn't.

Because the Avatar needed to focus on training and not about falling for a certain guard on night duty.