A spirit adventure (part 5)

She felt hollow. Because something had been taken out. Taken from her heart. Korra was pacing back and forth at the mouth of the forest. They had ruined the town in their search. Toppled carts and torn through homes. The monk's were not please with what they did at the temple. She wasn't anywhere. Or at least, anywhere close by that Lin could detect. Which left one other place to search.

Standing in front of the dark hungry mouth of trees were smaller hungry mouths lay hidden inside. Korra hugged herself. Because at the moment someone else wouldn't give her the time of day. The tears still hung from where they had been shed.

Her body shook.

Lin had been talking to one of the monks. Who had been filling her in on the details. Before they parted with a bow.

Lin came over to Korra. Attempted to reach for her hand. But Korra shied away. "Why?" She quivered. "Why can't I come with you?" A long sniff to suck the boogies back in.

Lin sighed. She sagged and tried to reach for her wife's arm again. Korra let her. Though the warmth of her wife's hand running up and down was turning her stomach. "You have to stay here Korra. That spirit could target the village again. So It's better if you stay here."

Lin was shoved back. "She's out there Lin! She's scared and she's lost. She could be hurt. We can cover more ground if I help. Please...just let me help."

No matter how much it pained her. Lin knew what needed to be done. Even though it broke her heart to see her wife scrunch her face in such pain; at her no less. It had to be done. "I'm a better tracker than you Korra. All you'd do is get yourself lost. I can cover more ground if I use my sense too. So-please, stay here-watch over the village." Nodding behind her.

Everyone else had left. None had offered to help; because no one wanted to go into the woods. Not in the dark. Not with a dark spirit in there. Their doors had simple locks. But on this night heavy things were thrown in front of them as well.

The small pack of supplies both food and medical was pulled tighter around Lin's shoulders. Cutting the circulation and making a well deserved and distracting pain bloom.

The two exchanged a look. Lin wanted to lean in for a kiss. To calm her wife; and herself. Instead she turned on her heels. Walked to the edge of the forest where she stopped. Shutting her eyes to let her other sense strengthen.

The whole forest came alive. Nothing escaped her. From the movement of ghostly branches to the hopping of a badgerfrog. The night life was open to her closed eyes.

"Bring her back Lin."

The women turned to the sound. Putting on a believable smirk to assuage her wife's fears. And not even opening up her eye's Lin took her first steps into the forest. "I'll bring her back. I promise."

. . .

The lights and noise of the village had long since gone. It had either been at that tree that looked like a giant bug or the actual swarm of bugs she had walked into. Attacking her skin and getting stuck in her hair. She had even eaten a few when she screamed for them to leave her be.

The first thing her momma had told her when there was danger was to get as far away from it as she could. So, when she couldn't keep up, she decided it would be best to go back to the house and wait for her mother's return.

It had been a moonless night. Nothing but the fires from the torches could light the way. The buildings looked much bigger in the dark. More intimidating without her mother's there to bring them down to size. She panicked. Ran. Hoping that the direction she was heading would lead her there.

When she opened her eyes there was no light. Just the darkened outline of the trees. And the crunching of dirt, and sticks. Including the sounds of things hiding from her. The monsters that lived in the forest at night. Like the were-penguins her mommy told her stories of from her childhood. Swearing she had seen one. But she had to be safe since there wasn't a full moon. They only came out then.

Not even its slick sheen reflected when Yee-Li pulled the comb from her pocket. Thumbing the teeth made a comforting twang to assuage her fears. Till the reverberant sound was twisted. Elongated by the oppressing forest around her. Turning into a hiss of displeasure at being touched.

Yee-Li dropped the comb out of fright. Holding herself and rocking on the balls of her feet. She looked at the comb on the ground. Shook herself to clear the bad thoughts, the fears, that she had made up. There was nothing to worry about. As her mommy had said they were on an island. They would find her.

Reaching down Yee-Li picked up the comb. Turning the teeth away from her and bringing them to her head. That wasn't a hissing sound she was hearing from it. No, certainly not. Only her making it up. The first time the comb bit into her hair it trembled. The next few strokes became more confident. Till Yee-Li found the strength to move on.

. . .

Shirshu were some of the best trackers in all the four nations. They could smell a person miles away. It was one of the reasons they had employed them. Or rather, Mako had decided to add the unit of specially trained animals. To help search for missing children or criminals. There keen sense was good. But they couldn't see like Lin could. What if the smell had faded? What if the kid they were looking for was trapped behind an air tight wall. You can't smell anything through that. Lin muffled her attempts to shout her displeasure. Biting her lip till it bruised.

It had been a good move on chief Mako's part to create such a unit. Who was she to shoot down a brilliant idea. Frustrated at her current predicament for one. Out in the wide open those shirshu's would of been perfect to track Yee-Li down.

There were no foot prints so far. No hints at any other kind of activity besides the usual forest sounds. Which unfortunately were throwing Lin's senses off. The whole forest lit up in a white haze. She could see too much now. It kept her from focusing.

Lin shouted. Stomping her foot on the hard ground. It shifted outward sending a pulse. Which for a few seconds made everything go dark. Till slowly piece by piece the forest came back to her sense. Stronger than before. She swore the forest was laughing at her helplessness.

When I find you...She bowed her head. Scuffed the ground; and continued on. Maybe it was a mothers silent plea that made the insects quite down.

. . .

The bark cut into her back each time she took a shuddering breath. In each hand were the half's of her comb. Why did momma have to always be right? Just when she thought it was going to be ok. Just when she thought she could do it. She could actually find her way out of the forest and back to her mothers. This. Her one security blanket had gone up in flames.

Snot dribbled over her mouth and dripped off her chin in long gooey strings. Yee-Li blew a disgustingly huge green bubble when she exhaled. It popped in front of her. Raining down on a small flower.

She wiped her eye's to clear them. Still not helping her to see in the dark; and stood. Because-because that is what her mother's would of done. That's what a Beifong does. They keep going. They cry: yes, her mother said a Beifong could cry; but they keep going. Get up. Dust themselves off.

She let the pieces fall. The soft clack was drowned out by the sounds of a thousand insects. Wiped her eye's again, and moved in what she hoped to be the right direction.

. . .

It had almost gone unseen. Such a huge clue. Lin never could of lived with herself if she had missed it. She traced her thumb over the broken edge. How did it break? Did she fall? Was she hurt now? How long ago did this happen. So many questions; not enough evidence. She needed more evidence. Needed to know. What had happened. Lin sniffed the air. No copper smell. Not even a trace. No blood. She wasn't injured. There were no dents in the earth to suggest she had fallen. Just the imprint of her feet in front of a tree.

Lin called for her. But the noise didn't go far. It bounced off a couple of trees before it was lost. Lost in the noise of the forest.

She's fine. Lin said to herself. Nothing to suggest she was injured. Only turned around. And unfortunately heading further away from the village. Deeper. Possibly closer to danger. Lin tried to yell louder this time. Make herself heard. Stomping her foot to make the ground shake. Maybe she would know it was her. That this was her mother's way of calling out to her.

The spirits had Lin's deepest thanks. The ground was soft. She traced one of the indents with her finger. Lovingly. Longingly. Wishing it were the real thing as she tickled it. The foot prints could be picked up by her sense with ease. So Lin stowed the two half's of the comb in her pack. And quickened her steps.

. . .

With confidence returning. Yee-Li's strides became more solid. More defined. A greater purpose was put into them. She had to find her parents. Her mother's were probably worried about her. No doubt tearing the village apart in their search. Which helped to shed some of this depression.

For she couldn't help but remember the incident when she was seven and had lost her stuffed badgermole. Crying over a toy was childish now. Then however, it had been the most important thing in the world. Momma had moved all the furniture. Torn everything out of the cabinets. Even though Yee-Li tried to tell her he wouldn't be in there. And mommy got out her glider for a quick trip to uncle Tenzin and Aunt Pema's house because Yee-Li didn't know if she had left it there either. Turns out he was in the back yard. The one place they searched last. Having Forgotten that she had taken him out there with her momma to play while she practiced bending.

Shu was still in her closet. Hidden deep enough so neither of her mother's could discover her secret. That sometimes at night she'd take it out of hiding to cuddle.

Yee-Li had been straddling the side of a hill she couldn't see the bottom of when the ground beneath her shook. The earth slipped under her feet and she went with it. Down on her side. Whipped by fallen branches. Leaves clinging to the wet dirt that splattered her dress. It felt like minutes before the world stopped spinning. The stars disappeared from her eyes. Only to open them and see more through the thicket of trees she stared up at. Groaning Yee-Li pushed herself onto her butt.

She cried out. Reaching for her ankle. It burned so badly. Get up! Said a little voice in her head. Sometimes gruff but always gentle; her mother. Come on squirt; get up! A Beifong never quits.

The pressure built as she crawled onto her knees. When she got up the white hot shot of pain brought her back down. Back to the ground. Sitting there. Now sporting some sort of nature headdress; all manner of what she thought was disgusting about the forest was in her hair. Yee-Li thumped the ground. Again. And again. Cursing her ankle. Cursing herself for not being strong enough. Cursing her mother's for not being there. For running ahead and leaving her behind to go be hero's. If they were hero's then why had they...

"Momma-Mommy. Help me." She cried as she rubbed her sore ankle.

Unfortunately, someone took notice of her predicament. "So..."

The voice was like the person had swallowed gravel. It made Yee-Li jump. She gripped her ankle and spun around on the spot. "Hello?" She called out meekly. "Momma? Are you there?" She saw them. Two gleaming pearls from afar. Something was behind a tree and watching her.

"Are you calling for reinforcements now that you found me?" It asked. The eyes disappeared. "This momma of yours..."

Yee-Li turned. The eyes were behind her. Closer now. In the pit of her stomach she was starting to get the feeling that this person wasn't someone her mother's wouldn't of liked her to be around.

"Are they the only one? That won't be enough you know. Not against me. I'm strong I'll have you know." It cackled.

For a moment Yee-Li fought against her fear. Fought against that drop in her stomach when this person laughed at her momma. Because no one laughs at her momma. "She's the strongest bender in the world." Yee-Li retorted.

"Oh-a bender. That would be a challenge wouldn't it. Tell me though. Small thing." Yee-Li stuck he tongue out. "Why just the two of you? Hmm, surely there were more people in that village. Tsk-tsk." Clicked what sounded like a very large and wet tongue against the roof of its mouth. "Your kind already has so much land already. Why do you need to take what is mine away from me?" It's body was bulky. The head seemed sunken into its stomach.

It glided on four amble limbs. Around her. Quicker than she could follow. An expert hunter. Circling her. Till she felt its breath on her neck. "No comment then?" Drawing back. "Fine I guess your kinds arrogance knows no limits. You just take what you want and feel no guilt."

"I just want to go home." Yee-Li mumbled. Pushing the tips of her fingers together.

"Listen to me." The creature hissed. Something wiped the air. Several something did in fact. Loud cracks deafened Yee-Li as tress around them were struck. "I want you, all of you, off my island. This is not your home. This is mine." It growled.

Yee-Li looked at it. Saw the square jaw of its muzzle. Gaping. Dripping wet. Several thin snake like vines slithered through the air. Inching towards her. Yee-Li covered her head. And let herself fall to the ground. Defenseless. What could she do in this situation. She wasn't strong. Not like her mothers.