She tumbled across the strangely fibrous ground, seeing nothing but a bright light. Just for a moment, her mind was a blank slate in the whiteness and she remembered nothing. Slowly, a trickle began to return, then everything all at once. Names, faces, events, they all fell back into place as she rose from the ground, which was covered in what Korra now recognized as grass.

Trying to come up to her knees, she slipped back again as something hard and round rolled out from under her legs. Her vision was returning slowly, and she could make out the image of her glider staff lying across the ground. She pulled it out from under her and struggled to her feet, using the staff to prop herself up.

Korra rubbed her eyes, not recognizing the sunlit scenery around her. Last she knew, she had been in the spirit world, meditating in the Tree of Time, but now she was standing on a grassy mountainside, somewhere in what looked a bit like the mountains outside Republic City. She had felt something… odd in the Tree, like a little crack, and when she reached out to examine it, it had pulled her and Asami inside and–

Asami! Korra looked around in a sudden panic and found the CEO lying on the grass, not far from where Korra had been herself. She rushed to the fallen girl's side; Asami was breathing, but still unconscious. They were both unharmed and there was no immediate danger, so Korra sat back down on the grass, taking stock of her surroundings.

She and Asami had been deposited from who-knows-where onto a clearing at the side of a large mountain, surrounded by trees on all sides except for where a dirt path created two gaps in the forest. Mountains rose all around her, their bases carpeted by trees, and Korra suspected she was somewhere in the United Republic of Nations, probably the northeast, but she couldn't be sure.

One mountain a ways to the north caught her eye. Its distinctive cone shape and flattened peak marked it as a volcano. That would have implied she was in the Fire Nation, but Korra recognized that particular peak. It was Mount Makapu, a lone volcano in the northeastern corner of the United Republic of Nations. That put her several hours away from Republic City. If she had been alone she would have just flipped out her glider and flown off, but Asami was still unconscious, and while Korra could easily carry the older girl on her glider, that required Asami to be holding on, which wasn't about to happen.

Asami stirred next to her, groaning as she rolled across the ground, snuggling up next to Korra as if they had just woken up from a pleasant nap. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting in the sunlight.

"Korra?" Asami looked up at the Avatar, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the bright daylight and her vision came into focus. Korra wrapped her arm around Asami and lifted her up to a sitting position, pulling the older girl next to her. "Weren't we in the spirit world a minute ago?"

Korra leaned back on her hands and looked around them. "Yeah, at the Tree of Time. But we're not anymore."

Asami gave a small chuckle. "So I can see. But where are we then?"

"We're in the United Republic, I think." She pointed to the volcano in the distance. "I'm pretty sure that's Mount Makapu."

Asami squinted at the distant cone, her vision not quite cleared yet. "I think you're right. We're not too far from Republic City then. But how did we get back from the spirit world? We're nowhere near the poles."

Korra punched the air and a long burst of flame shot out from her hand, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. They were physically here at least. If only their spirits had been here, she wouldn't be able to bend. "That's a good question."

She felt a stirring in the back of her mind and closed her eyes. A calm, feminine voice that was not her own spoke from within her. 'Korra. Be wary, something is not as it seems.'

"What's wrong?" Asami asked, sensing her girlfriend's sudden concern.

Korra shook her head. "It's Raava. She senses something wrong, but she doesn't know what."

Asami looked down at the grass, unsure of how to respond. Everything around them seemed peaceful, but when the ancient spirit of light was anxious, it was wise to stay alert. She rested her hand comfortingly on the Avatar's, eliciting a loving smile.

"How are you feeling? I was pretty out of it when I first woke up."

"Mostly better. Well enough to get moving." To prove her point she stood up and raised her arms up over her head in a languid stretch. "Come on, we can follow that path towards Makapu Village," she said, referring to the secluded village at the volcano's base. It was near Republic City, but almost impossible to reach by Satomobile, and there was no train, so the small town had gained a reputation as a quiet getaway location. "We can radio someone to send an airship to pick us up."

"Oh. Yeah, we could walk, I guess." Korra stood next to Asami and shed her dark parka, stuffing it into their pack, which had landed next to Asami. It was winter, but much too warm here for heavy winter clothing. "Or…" Korra held out her glider. It would be much faster to fly than to walk, and by air, they could head straight to Republic City.

Asami looked at the staff, reluctance clear on her face. She wasn't averse to the flying itself, but the city was several hours away, and that was a long time to be clinging to Korra in the sky, with nothing but empty air below her. She looked back up at Korra. "I know it's slower, but I'd really prefer to walk."

Korra shrugged. A walk with Asami was never a bad thing, and the staff could double as a walking stick. "Okay then. I guess it's a nice day for a hike anyway." She reached out her hand to Asami. "I can take the pack."

Asami straightened her backpack on her shoulders. "I've got it." She looked up at the sun, judging the time by its position in the sky. "We should get moving though. We'll want to be at the village by nightfall."

Korra nodded her agreement and the two set off down the path. As time passed and the simple road wound its way through the mountains Korra silently hoped an airship would pass overhead so she could fly up and get them passage back to the city, but the skies remained stubbornly airship-free.

Makapu village wasn't so far from where they had woken up, but the path was windier than either girl had expected, and the sun began to set over the mountains while they were still a couple miles from their destination. Neither of them was overly worried, but they kept a cautious eye on their surroundings as night fell. This area was known to be home to be platypus bears, and while either girl could have easily handled one of the creatures, it was best to avoid the fight entirely, especially if there really was something wrong.

As the village appeared from around the mountain they found an old man out on the road, a watchman of some sort, though that seemed odd, given that they were in the heart of United Republic territory and the areas around Republic City were relatively safe. He could hardly have been finding many bandits.

He wore an old fashioned Earth Kingdom robe and a mistrustful scowl on his face, both of which were revealed in the light of the lamp he carried. He raised the lamp up, trying to get a better look at Korra and Asami.

"Who goes there?" He shouted at the girls as they approached. They strolled into the light, trying their best not to look like bandits.

"I'm Korra, and this is Asami. Who are you?"

The old man pointed a crooked finger at them threateningly, "Now you mind your business, missy." He looked up and down Korra, then Asami, and his scowl deepened. "Water Triber, huh? Seem to be a lot of you folks round these days." He turned back to Asami, eyeing her suspiciously. "Yer not a firebender, are ye?"

Asami turned to Korra in confusion at the old man's strange question. "Um, no? I'm not any sort of bender."

Korra stepped forward, trying to be helpful. "Do you need a firebender? I'm the Avatar, so– "

"Bwahahaha! Avatar, huh? Sure ye are, missy," he laughed, a grating, rasping sound that set the young couple on edge. His mocking smile vanished, and he glowered at them again. "What's yer business in Makapu?"

Asami answered carefully, not fully trusting this strange old man. "We're just looking to stay the night, then get passage back to Republic City."

"Republic whatnow?"

The girls turned to each other, exchanging confused expressions. It was beginning to look like the old man was just crazy. Korra attempted to bring the conversation to an end. "Listen, we're not here to cause any trouble, we just want to get into town."

He eyed them again, then lowered his lamp. "Ah, ye look 'armless enough to me. Go on through. Ye'll want to speak to Dhari up at the inn. She'll set'cha up for the night."

Asami nodded to the old man in thanks, though she was slightly insulted at being dismissed as harmless. She walked up behind Korra, chuckling from the odd encounter. "That was… interesting."

"Yeah," Korra agreed, "strange. Kinda weird not to be recognized everywhere I go. Kinda nice, though."

They left the old man to his patrolling and continued on into the night. Makapu village itself came into view as the last light of the sunset faded over the horizon, but something immediately seemed off in the old village. Whatever Raava had sensed, the two girls were beginning to feel it as well.

Asami leaned to Korra, keeping her voice quiet, "Why is it so dark?"

Korra glanced around the buildings. She was right, not only were the streets darkened, but hardly any of the buildings had light coming from the windows, leaving the town eerily dark. Makapu wasn't the most developed town around, given the rugged terrain that surrounded it, but last time Korra had been here they had at least had streetlights.

"Blackout maybe? Come on, that's the inn. Maybe they'll have a phone we can use." She pointed to one building with glowing windows, though the light from inside flickered and wobbled, probably cast by a fire rather than an electric light.

"The phone won't work in a blackout…" Asami muttered as she jogged to catch up with Korra who had already started for the inn. There was something else wrong here, but Asami couldn't put her finger on it in the darkness, and talking to someone would be a good place to start.

The inside of the inn was about what Asami had expected. Simple wooden floors, old-timey furniture, the pervasive smell of alcohol, everything one might expect from a rural Earth Kingdom tavern. But still, Asami couldn't shake then nagging sense that suspicion was missing. She stepped past the upturned chairs on the tables to the bar, where Korra was waving down a middle aged woman in a simple green dress.

The woman glanced worriedly at Asami as she spoke, but her voice was friendly and welcoming, if a bit tired. "Evening, ladies. I'm afraid the bar's closed for the night, but we've plenty of rooms to rent."

Korra returned her cheerful attitude, "Yeah, we'll take a room. But first, do you mind if we use your phone? We got kinda lost earlier, and we should tell our friends where we are."

"I'm sorry, my what?" the woman inquired, and Korra looked questioningly at Asami. Sure, Makapu was remote, but they had to have a phone, didn't they? The lady pulled a key from under the bar and slid it to Korra. "Room's three copper a night. Third door on your right at the top of the stairs."

Copper? Not many places in the United Republic accepted anything but yuans anymore. Korra turned back to Asami, who was still carrying their pack. Fortunately, they had been in the Southern Water Tribe before going to the spirit world, and had some old fashioned money in the bag. "Oh, right. 'Sami, can you pass me the Water Tribe money?" She looked back around to the woman at the bar. "That's all right, isn't it?"

She nodded. "So long as it's made of copper."

Asami sifted through the bag and dug out the pouch of coins. "I'm sorry, we don't have any copper. Here's a sliver. Don't worry about the change."

"Thank you kindly miss." She took the silver coin appreciatively. "My name's Dhari. Just ask if you need anything, okay?"

Korra took the key from her and shook the older woman's hand. "I'm Korra, and this is Asami. It's nice to meet you."

"Korra?" The Avatar braced for what was about to come next. Fame's appeal had long ago worn thin, and now the inevitable 'you're the Avatar and I'm so honored to meet you' conversation was just irritating. But Dahri's sentence took a very different turn. "That would explain it. You're from the Water Tribe, aren't you? Are you a waterbender?"

"Uh, yeah. I am," Korra responded, taken aback. "Actually, I'm the…" She stopped herself. That was twice in a row that someone had failed to identify her as the Avatar, even though her face seemed on the front page of the newspaper at least once a month. It would be nice to stay anonymous for a little while, and until they figured out what Raava had sensed it was probably best not to advertise their presence.

"Been a lot of you about, haven't there?" the lady said idly as she wiped down a mug.

Asami took the key from Korra and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going up to the room, I'll meet you there."

Korra smiled up at Asami and nodded. "Be up in a minute." She turned back to Dhari, curious about the other Water Tribe visitors. People from the Water Tribes must have come here all the time, but both Dhari and the old man had mentioned it as though it were a significant event. "Who else from the Water Tribes came here?"

Dhari shrugged. "Don't remember their names, just a couple of kids travelling with the Avatar. Saved us from the volcano when it blew its top."

"Wait, the Avatar?"

Asami hadn't bothered to pack proper sleepwear on what was supposed to be a simple trip the spirit world, so she simply released her hair from its clip, folded her jacket up next to the low bed, and sat down to remove her boots. She whipped around as the door burst open and Korra rushed through, a look of mild panic on her face. "We need to talk."

Author's Note: So here it is, the first chapter of my first ever fanfiction! Just to be clear, this is set a bit after the events of the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe"and will follow Korra and Asami as they navigate the world of Aang's time and, of course, get involved in the Gaang's adventures, as well as having a few of their own. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!