To The Falls
Korra had lost the track of time and reality a long time ago. She just remembered her vision blurring while desperately trying to hold the speech Tenzin had prepared for her. That must have been in front of the earthen Parliaments. Suddenly liquid fire had surged through her body and she had felt her seventh Chakra almost bursting open through sheer spiritual force from beyond the vail. The light had been so unbelievingly bright and pure it dazzled her. Raavas embrace had been warm and comforting. And then she did not remember anything, who she was, if she was and if she had a body. While immersed in the warm light only sudden flashes had interrupted her bliss like suicidal moths diving into the flame. Images from her childhood, her first wooden spinning top, which was thrice as large as her small brown fists. She clutched it firmly until it again turned into a caressing, whitish glowing tentacle that whisked her back into oblivion. Pain, screams, smoke a mans face. Ma Ko was staring at her just to morph into a white porcelain mask that stared into her soul, oddly terrifying the avatar who retreated back into the white light. Currently Korra was running through a huge fungi forest, which smelled unbelievably fruity. Even a pine-plum lover like herself found the sweet smell almost too overwhelming. The avatar stopped in her tracks and the yellow glowing sandy soil shifted under her bare foot. She looked down to see herself stained by the luminescent dust. She panted and concentrated just to notice that she wasnt even breathing. Nevertheless, the smells were way more enthralling and potent than what she had smelled before. Weird bird like noises notified the whole fungi forest of her presence. "Oh girl..." she muttered in disbelief as she tried to ignore the tempting and stimulating smells, which shifted to a sensual, muskier note that remembered her of certain child- unfriendly activities. Korra wanted to grin but noticed that she did not have a face, which was weird. Wait...I dont have a face...why am I not terrified? The mighty avatar marvelled while the mushroom forest faded into swirling colours and she felt as if she was yanked upwards by an invisible force. While feeling like quickly rushing to the water-surface from a way to deep dive she also felt as if some heavy, sticky mud was being glued to herself at the same time. Panic flooded the youngg woman, while she fought for a breath that just did not come. No matter what she tried there was no air streaming into her lungs. While it felt that way, Korras consciousness was way to muddy to understand what happened. Slowly a nebulous scheme formed in front of her and she found herself in a crystal lit cave. The cave felt familiar, as if she had spent a whole lifetime in it. Finally, the Avatar drew a deep, sweet breath. The air was stale, earthy and a bit mouldy, like cave- air was supposed to be. "Oh, spirits be blessed." She yelled, while being ecstatic that she could breathe again, and actually could look at her hands while being sure they were just that – and not some of Raavas tentacles that sort of were hers. Nevertheless, Korra felt cold, hungry and sort of battered as she sat down on the slightly wet stone floor. Water was dripping from the caves ceiling somewhere and now, as her eyes had adapted to the dim light, she could spot a small wooden bridge that spanned over a little stream that was flowing silently through the endless seeming cave. "Hello? Is somebody here?" Korra asked in the darkness. There was no direct answer, but she imagined hearing the crackling of a fire in the distance. And since she was shivering and hungry the Avatar got back on her feet, which seemed was weirdly numb as her whole body. It was as if she was sedated or very drunk. Miraculously Korra did not stumble as she walked towards the small bridge, as if her muscles already remembered every nook and cranny of the uneven stone beneath her feet. She didn't even need to employ her bending to prevent her from falling. Finally, she reached the small stream which was looked a dark maroon to her. The water reflected the greenish glow of the crystals. No plants or living beings were visible in the stream. The bridge had been bent from the stone of the cave around her, it was smooth as if polished by an expert craftsman and described a perfectly symmetric half circle. Her path was wide enough for two or three people to cross the stream. The outer radius of the half-circle was interrupted by perfectly rectangular steps that allowed the avatar to comfortably pass the water. The more Korra walked away from the place where she had woken up the more prominent the light became. The colour also changed towards a more welcoming yellow and the luminous crystals became so numerous that moss was able to survive. Korra was very tempted to rip off some of the green patches that stuck to wet spots in the walls and stuff them into her mouth to quench the stinging hunger she felt. Her mothers' words rang in her skull. What a hunter doesnt know he doesnt eat! Better to heed the old saying, especially in regards to weird plants she had never seen before. The walls ran closer and closer together until they formed a – passage. Yes, the stone felt distorted, bended against its will. And finally, the Avatar felt the presence of another human being. There were ornaments drawn into the stone, carved by the trace of a single finger. Korra noticed that the finger was much larger than her own that had carved the mandala like patterns that reminded her of lady Kataras tapestry that had fascinated the young avatar whenever she had sneaked herself into the old woman's hut to receive some extra snacks like sweetly pickled sea-prunes, seal-jerky, blubber or even dried moss-berries. Hm, good times, the avatar recalled while she followed the intricate, somewhat floral patterns towards the light. The path wound itself multiple times, while leading upwards and downwards repeatedly, but the young woman followed it persistently while wondering which madman was stubborn enough to spent half a life on building a path through a mountain. When she saw the end of the path, she wouldnt believe it at first and wiped her slightly sweaty brow. In the meantime, she didn't feel as cold and hungry anymore, which was a pleasant but weird change. In front of her a large circular chamber could be seen which showed huge and intricate mandalas covering the walls. The complex geometrical patterns had been painted in ochre colours and covered the whole chamber which was illuminated from the floor. Hundreds of luminescent crystals, as large as Korra herself had been embedded in the bedrock in a pattern of numerous intersecting circles. Every circle was intersected by three other circles. In the centre of this weird, temple like chamber a camp had been erected in front of a huge Owl statue that loomed into the darkness like a spooky warden. Wan Shi Tong – the keeper of knowledge, Korra furrowed her brow. Aang hadnt been on best terms with this spirit and most likely the great owl would make no difference between her former incarnation and herself... If it actually was here. Wherever HERE was! The camp looked rather usual and not spirit world like, there was a Simple hunting stove (a metal ring with three attached metal rods) that towered over the glowing embers which crackled and occasionally released a few lazy sparks. A clay pot was resting on this simplee construction. The avatar smelled boiling cabbage, peppers and other vegetables with a hint of fermenting soy paste. Besides a small stack of firewood and a large backpack a bedroll was laying next to the fireplace. Korra turned around and looked for the person that had decided to make camp in this weird place as soon as she had left the tunnel. The avatar was alert, her heart pounding. "Hello?" she yelled into the dome. Korre still filched when a voice boomed down on her. "Welcome child!". The avatar ducked herself and erected an earthen tent around herself. But no enraged spirit shattered the maybe on hand thick walls that protected herself from the world. Instead, just a humoured chuckle could be heard, while the squeaking of wooden rolls and the slipping of coarse rope could be heard. Due to the lack of imminent danger the avatar squeezed the distorted stone back into the floor with a determined movement of her arms.
She looked upwards where a large figure was descending from the ceiling of the house. It was a rather common looking water-tribe woman. That was until Korra noticed how high the cavern was – because this woman was truly gargantuan. She easily measured fifteen foot and had the stature to match these dimensions. "Hi... ummm Im Korra." The avatar introduced herself, while her mind was racing through the occult knowledge the white lotus had shared with her. She didn't know of any spirits that looked like gigantic humans. The woman removed the rope from her climbing harness and looked at the avatar. It seemed as if she had been expecting the avatar. "My name is Tajikka Indra daughter. Its a joy to meet you, Korra." She responded while lowering herself to the avatars eye level. The eyes of Tajikka were of an almost glowing azure blue that Korra had never seen before. Apart from these eyes and her size the woman looked very common. She wore a betrothal necklace alongside the traditional fur clothing of the southern tribes. This was conformed by the dark blue patterns that coloured her exposed forearms. Korra tried to inconspicuously study these tattoos, because they usually contained very specific tribal symbols that allowed to attach a tribe or even clan to the person. "Um, what are you doing here in the spirit world? And why are you so tall." Blurted Korra, while cringing internally. The woman snorted. "Thats because the camp is for you, since you might stay for a while. While this place is very spiritual its still in the material world." She grinned. Korra frowned and an electric jolt shot through her head. She remembered where she was. After the big scandal of Ba Sing Se she had continued her tour through the kingdoms. Master Feng and his students Bao Zhi and Meng Lu had accompanied her despite the protest despite the royal guardsmen that had been assigned as her guardians during her stay in the earthen union. She also was planning on visiting the ominous Lady of the falls that ruled Wuji Shije. While the three mountain dwellers looked comparably ordinary in their plain clothing and comparably crude manners, they were excellent warriors. Master Feng's students walked around with several stones of lead bars tied to their arms and legs and still were able to best her bodyguards in hand-to-hand combat during their sparring routine. Of course, Bo and Chang were nor happy to be bested by the dirty mountain apes. It had been master Feng who had led her through the vast caverns beneath Omashu to this very special place which he called the "Heavenly plum-blossom spring". "But youre a spirit? Right?" Korra asked. While the southern tribes had some legendary figures that were described to be literal giants none of them had been a woman or been called Tajikka. The woman nodded eagerly. "Sort of, I am just a humble follower of the great Wan Shi Tong. Ive spent millennia in my lord's grand libraries to study the spirits and their secrets. After all Ive been a shaman of the Iskir before I passed through the veil." She responded. "The what?" Korra scratched her head. While the wort giant – iskra adam – was somewhat similar to Tajikkas tribal name Korra had never heard it before. Also, the word didnt hold any meaning in modern Inuktitut. The huge womans eyes held a sly gleam as she cleared her throat and continued in her very deep voice. She almost sounded like a man, a man with a very sexy, vibrant voice. Most likely her timbre was a side effect of her hugeness. "Youre brimming with questions Korra. No need to hold back." The woman stated while patting the avatars head. Korra felt like a baby, since Tajikkas hand was easily large enough to cover her whole head – face included. "Well yeah – I mean, why have you been waiting here for me? Why does the southern water tribe not remember your clan? Why are you so tall? Do I have to do something?" the avatar could have thrown many more questions at the woman who had seated herself in the lotus position in the meantime. She still was significantly taller than the standing Avatar. She fixed Korra with her azure eyes. "Ive been waiting for you to be your teacher. My master has made it very clear that your education on spirituality is lacking. The reasons for that are various, but the most grave one is the lack of a capable teacher in the mortal realms." Korra rose an eyebrow. Tajikka continued "You may not be able to grasp this, but much knowledge about the spirits has been lost through the ages of separation. And even the age of separation only came about after the thirteen cities had fallen and demonic beasts ravaged the world for thousands of years. With the great barrier being pierced and torn between the worlds it is of vital interest to the great spirits that you – as the avatar – learn how to guard your people. And that youre able to teach others to protect humanity from the otherworld. "The huge woman spoke as an invisible weight almost crushed Korra. Again! Again, she had to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, because she was the only one who could... Duties be damned, there were things that didnt leave her with a choice. She wanted to cry so badly... but it was not possible. Only the warm glow of the crystals turned a bit darker. "Youre not alone child, there are many eager to learn and eager to protect." She chided Korra, and somehow that was what made silent tears well from her eyes. "Well, then better get started with the lectures." The avatar stated in a flaw, almost weak voice, not caring about her wet cheeks. The huge lady chuckled. "Oh no I cant exactly teach you what to do, since I do not have my own chi anymore. But I can show you where to find remnants of the ancient temples and books that were written more than hundred millennia ago." Korra felt a piercing pain in her forehead as the spirit stared into her very soul and images flashed through the avatars mind. A strange, looking spear like building that pierced the heavens in a snow-covered wasteland and looked as if broken by a god's unbridled fury, a descend to the depths of the earth, hidden lights flaring to live in endless catacombs of glass, steel and ice. Suddenly the scenery changed and the avatar found herself in the middle of a dense, foggy forest and stared down into a valley from a high cliff. In the centre of the valley was a city, a city that defied anything Korra had ever seen. Buildings build/ bent from trees, trees that were easily as tall as the walls of Ba Sing Se. Yet the trees looked tiny, and only the large tree agglomerate that seemed to be a temple or palace could be seen clearly. Everything was dwarfed by the water falls that were below her, almost half a mile wide and so high most of the water dissipated into the fog that made the moss-covered vegetation prosper. It was such a harmonious sight that the Avatar felt a sudden longing to go where the waters fell. Finally, she saw another image, which was far less beautiful. An ash covered wasteland with the coaly broken remnants of houses and trees covered by metres of volcanic, grey ash. She stood amidst ruins that seemed a lot like Tenzins home. Well, the architecture seemed like air temple island but was much larger and even more ethereal, hewn from white stone that had been broken by the scorching heat of the volcanic caldera that had exploded almost directly above the huge complex that had been erected on the huge flank of the mountain. However, even in the wake of this devastating catastrophe Korra could see a broken, tablet directly in front of her feet. It was a covered in ancient seeming glyphs that looked a bit like the formal characters of imperial Guang Zhu. She blinked after hearing a dry snipping sound that brought her back to Tanjikka. The Giantess looked pleased. "Uhh...what was that?" Korra asked startled. While she was used to visions from her past, or moving through the spirit reals without using her feet these particular visions had been very strange. The strange part had been that she herself had been present in them. Or at least the person that had been in these visions had exactly felt like Korra herself, which was not the case when she revisited her past lives – o gods had it felt weird and creepy to be an almost seven-foot-tall man for once! Her self-proclaimed mentor was not startled at all. "That were some of my memories that I conveyed a bit...less crude... than Raava does it." She responded dryly. "WHAT!? How can you be, me in your memories!" Korra yelped, while a twinge of – fear – surged through her chest. What other kinds of mind-boggling tricks did this servant of Wan Shi Tong have up her sleeves. "Humans are self-aware and hence self-centred beings, which makes you immediately envision yourself, or even another person when somebody tells you a story." Tanjikka paused. "And no matter how much effort the narrator puts into describing what you should imagine, youre not following their instruction when it comes to persons." She shook her head. "Believe me, I gave up being a storyteller and became a shaman because it was so - so infuriating that nobody understood my stories as I wanted them to!" she sighed. "It took me close to a hundred years to become able to see with my mind without inserting myself, or another person. And its the same for most people, since almost nobody is born with the godly eyes that really see JUST a stone when they look at it." She smiled wryly. "And these people are so utterly beautiful, since they do never judge, nor interpret – they just describe and SEE what is." She had a faraway look in her eyes, which perked Korras interest for tragic romance stories instantaneously. No, thats not what youre here for, she chided herself. "And I should try to see like that?" she responded wondering. Tanjikka chuckled and poured herself a cup of stew. "If you want, yes. But if Im right about you Korra youre far, far away from being like my mentor. But youll easily learn other things. I for one would start with something fundamental." She pointed to a leathery backpack that was lying not too far from the avatar. "In there is a lot of coal pens and paper. Youll need it because I will teach you the alphabet of the jade emperor. Since it was the first alphabet we know and definitely the one that scholars that are worth their salt use most frequently." "Äh, cant you just transfer it like...you know?" Korra tried. The giantess eyebrows furrowed in distaste. "Knowledge demands respect Korra. Just because somebody else can give you a bow a hunter still should learn how to replace a string or even make one themselves." She pointed out with a high held finger. "You really DO learn more if we walk the laborious path. While memories can be transferred, they tend to fade very quickly, which is not the case if you make these memories yourself. Nobody know why it is this way, but it makes it not less true." Her eyes darkened. "After all it was laziness, greed and zealotry that ended the golden days and there is one thing in the spiritual and natural world that you should NEVER forget." The shaman paused. "Nothing good happens without effort. The only things that can – and I say can because its very rarely the case - occur on their own are loss of order and descend into chaos and discord." The shaman paused. "This is directly true for mind a soul and, less clearly visible, also for the natural world and things like crystals." She smirked superior." After all chi and matter are two sides of the same coin, as are space and time." Korra just scratched her head; the young woman had no idea what this weird woman was saying anymore. Tanjikka shrugged. "Dont worry little one, with time comes wisdom. Let's start with the first sign, shall we?" The avatar agreed.
Authors note: While Ive been on a long hiatus Ill see this story through,jno matter how long it takes... Its just that I have a very busy professional life (aka project PhD) which leaves not much time for writing. At least if youre not willing to abandon what social circle stays with you when you go and do your thing without compromise :).
