1 Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 1
158 AG - Year of the Horse
[Nanuk Village, South Pole]
Five years after the death of the previous Avatar, rumors spread of a young girl in the Southern Water Tribe demonstrating the ability to use each of the four elements.
Though they had been led astray more than a hundred times since the death of the previous Avatar, Aang, the Order of the White Lotus had no choice but to confirm whether or not the rumors were true.
Upon reaching Nanuk, an isolated village located just a few hundred kilometers away from the southernmost point of the South Pole, the Elders of the White Lotus were astonished to find a chubby young girl with dark-brown hair, brown skin, and icy blues eyes showing a basic mastery over the elements of Water, Earth, and Fire.
While all Avatars were able to manipulate the elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Wind, it ordinarily took years, if not decades, to do so. It was unheard of for an Avatar to exhibit the ability to manipulate three of the four elements when they were a mere five years old.
Witnessing the young Avatar's, Korra's power, the three elderly members of the White Lotus all had the same thought. Korra may very well have the greatest potential among all Avatars throughout history.
As excited as they were to learn of Korra's talent, the trio of Elders quickly lost their enthusiasm upon realizing just how much of a troublemaker their new Avatar was.
While most children were a handful, Korra was in a league of her own. She was so enamored with her ability to bend multiple elements that she had developed a habit of blowing holes through the icy walls of her igloo-style house rather than walking through the door like a normal person.
Though Korra's parents, Tonraq and Senna, supported their daughter with all their hearts, the bags under their eyes revealed the truth of the matter. Their attempts to curb Korra's destructive tendencies had failed. To make matters exponentially worse, the children and even several adults within the village had been inflating Korra's ego by showering her with praises and letting her get away with all manner of mischief.
In Korra's mind, the position of Avatar was a license that allowed her to do whatever she pleased. Before the arrival of Elders, Tonrag and Senna had absolutely no idea how they were going to rein Korra in and raise her as an Avatar.
Fortunately, shortly after the arrival of the Elders, the friends and family of the former Avatar quickly converged on the South Pole. This included the former Avatar's wife, Waterbending Master Katara, her brother, Chief Sokka, their eldest son, Airbending Master Tenzin, and one of Aang's old enemies turned allies, Fire Lord Zuko.
Though Korra was initially suspicious of the strange group, especially the old man with a burn mark on his face, it wasn't long before she opened up to each of them. Katara, in particular, filled her with a bubbly and strange feeling that she could only equate to happiness...
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"Chief Tonraq. Senna. Though I understand your reluctance, Korra is not safe here in the South Pole. The enemies of the Avatar are too numerous to count. If we do not move you and your family someplace safe, a place where Korra can train and study in peace, an irreversible tragedy will befall this village."
Despite standing a mere 164cm tall and possessing a head of snow-white hair, the aura exuding from Katara's body was enough to intimidate even a Polar Bear Dog into running away.
Standing opposite the elderly Katara was a rather heroic-looking figure with a tall, muscular frame, long locks of brown hair, thick eyebrows, icy blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed goatee. At his side was a young woman with features not all that dissimilar to Korra's.
"We can't just leave the village and abandon our people. As a member of the Southern Water Tribe, you should understand just how dangerous it is for a village to lack a capable leader. I love my daughter, but I cannot just abandon my duties. If the Order of the White Lotus wishes to protect her, they can safeguard the entire village."
"Tonraq..."
Grabbing her husband's sleeve, Senna attempted to be a voice of reason, saying, "Master Katara is only thinking about what's best for Korra and the world at large. If you're serious about staying to protect the village, let me go with Korra. I will watch over her, and we can both come back to visit in the Summer..."
Unamused by his wife's suggestion, Tonraq was about to refuse when a bald man with a bright blue arrow tattooed on his head stepped forward, suggesting, "You and your daughter are more than welcome to come and stay on Air Temple Island. As the home of the former Avatar, my father, it is one of the safest places in the Four Nations. Korra will eventually need to stay there when she is endeavoring to master Air Bending. As the only element she has not shown a basic proficiency in, I believe it would be for the best to have her stay there and learn the ways of the Air Nomads."
Shifting his gaze to the bald man, Tonraq's expression remained stern as he answered, "Master Tenzin...before she is the Avatar, Korra is mine and Senna's one and only daughter. The South Pole is her home. If you want what's best for her, you will let her live and grow here, among her people."
Though he could empathize with what Tonraq was trying to say, Tenzin's expression became equally stern as he warned, "The people who target your daughter will not concern themselves with such sentiments. I won't deny it. If Korra had been an ordinary girl, staying in the South Pole would be the best possible choice. The simple fact of the matter, Chief Tonraq, is that she is far from ordinary; she is the most extraordinary person in the entire world..."
Balling his hands into fists, Tonraq was seriously considering punching the tall and limber Tenzin square in his jaw. Unfortunately, ever since his exile from the Northern Water Tribe, he had always done his best to try and see matters from both sides. He could understand where Tenzin and Katara were coming from, so, after a moment of silence, he begrudgingly replied, "Very well...I will allow Korra to go and train with the White Lotus. However, I must be made aware of where she is staying at all times. The moment something happens, I want to be informed as soon as possible..."
Though Tenzin would have preferred if Korra came to stay on Air Temple Island, he didn't attempt to press the matter. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief before looking towards his mother, Katara.
Nodding her head in approval, a grandmotherly smile developed across Katara's face as she said, "You're making the right decision, Tonraq. Don't worry. Until Korra has completed her water and firebending training, she will not leave the South Pole. With a Polar Bear Dog or a snowmobile, you will never be more than a day's travel away from her."
Exhaling a sigh of his own, Tonraq resisted the urge to question the need to move Korra at all if she wasn't going to leave the South Pole. In truth, he already knew the answer. It was because the village, its people, and the environment would be detrimental to Korra's growth. She was a very impressionable young girl, and, even though she was only five years old, her desire to show off had nearly resulted in the deaths of three children when she accidentally bent a hole through the ice...
"I understand..."
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Since Korra's enemies would have learned about her existence around the same time as the Order of the White Lotus, Katara convinced Tonraq and Senna to move her that evening. They would use the cover of darkness to transport Korra to one of the larger villages, specifically one with a large port and an Airship Dock. From there, several dummy convoys would set out by air, land, and sea while Korra would be moved via an underground passage to one of the White Lotus's many safe houses.
So that he would know exactly where his wife and daughter would be staying, Tonraq insisted that he be among the group escorting them to safety. Katara and the Elders of the White Lotus had no problems with this, as, before becoming a Chief-in-Name of the Southern Water Tribe, Tonraq was both a General and a Master Waterbender of the Northern Water Tribe. Having him on their side only increased the chances of their mission completing without a hitch.
"Mommy...daddy...where are we going...?"
Like many children who were incredibly rambunctious throughout the day, Korra generally slept like a log. The persistent sound of snowmobiles and frigid temperatures, however, made it difficult for even someone as robust as Korra to remain sleeping.
Smiling in response to her daughter's words, Senna removed one of her gloves to caress Korra's head before asking, "Remember what I told you earlier? We're moving to a super-secret base so you can train to become strong enough to beat up all the bad guys..."
"Mmm..."
Nuzzling against her mother's hand, Korra was about to fall back asleep when a panicked shout sounded over the harsh winds, declaring, "Enemy attack! Protect the Avatar...!"
"Wha-"
Before Korra could ask why she would need protection, a boulder-sized stone smashed into the armored Satomobile she was being transported in. A powerful impact rocked the cabin's interior. Fortunately, Korra was largely unaffected as her mother held her close to her chest...
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Seeing a boulder smash into the vehicle his wife and daughter were being transported in, Tonraq's vision blurred along the edges as he charged at a dark-skinned man with brown hair that extended past his shoulders, thick, angular eyebrows, and a horseshoe mustache. His outfit resembled the characteristic green robes of an Earth Kingdom native, but that was the least of Tonraq's concerns. He wanted blood.
"You bastard! You'll pay for that...!"
Dodging a large block of dirt-laden ice, Tonraq twisted his body in a fluid motion, his feet creating a smooth, circular arc as a large section of the surrounding snow and ice became liquid. In the same motion, the water formed into an exceptionally long and snaking whip that threatened to separate the man's head from his body.
Clicking his tongue, the Earth Bender lurched forward in an attempt to duck under the fierce whip of water as he cursed, "I hate fighting in this frozen hell hole. Not enough earth..."
Rolling to his feet, the man adopted a rigid stance with his hands near his waist. The whip of water doubled back to form a spear of ice, but, before it could find purchase, the ground beneath his fractured before erupting into a massive plume of steam.
Waving his hand, Tonraq converted the heated water particles into two nebulous balls of frigid water before paling slightly when a wave of fiery hot, liquid earth attempted to bury him.
Erecting a wall of ice, Tonraq shouted, "This one's a Magma Bender...!" at the top of his voice. The other Masters were busy dealing with their own opponents, but sharing information was never a bad idea.
Demonstrating this was the case, a bolt of bluish-white lightning pierced through the cloud of steam as Fire Lord Zuko rushed over, saying, "Leave this one to me. Go protect your wife and child."
Though he wasn't particularly fond of people from the Fire Nation, Tonraq nodded his head with an appreciative expression as he said, "Thanks for the assist. I owe you one."
Returning a nod of his own, Fire Lord Zuko shouted, "Now go...!" before sliding forward and thrusting out his left index and middle fingers as if they were the tip of a spear. A powerful bolt of bluish-white electricity emerged from the ends of his digits, completely shattering the boulder flying towards him.
Seeing how easily Zuko was dealing with his attacks, a scowl developed across the face of the long-haired Earth Bender as he groaned, "Just my luck. I accept a job to kidnap a brat and end up facing off against one of the most potent Fire Benders in the world..."
Ignoring the man's remark, Zuko managed to chain together a series of sweeping kicks that belied his advanced age. Several crescents of flame hot enough to melt iron barreled towards the man. Most of these crashed ineffectively against a hastily constructed earth wall, but, as the reigning Fire Lord, Zuko wasn't going to be deterred by such a shoddy defense...
