Korra was only four years old when she was taken from her family to train as the avatar. Since she was already able to bend three of the elements, the masters decided it was best if she was trained early and thoroughly.

However, she was still a child, and a precocious one at that. There were no walls that could hold that girl.

At first, she threw herself into learning everything she could. She was a quick learner, and her teachers were pleased with her progress. Waterbending came as easily as breathing, and earth and fire not far behind.

Eventually, though, the excitement and newness of learning wore off, and she had to find other ways to entertain herself when she was not in lessons.

Sneaking into the kitchens was first, where she could sneak in snacks after lessons and before dinner. She learned the schedule of the cooks there, and knew exactly when to slip in, grab a sweet meat bun, and slip out unnoticed… save for the sticky glaze on her cheek.

After that, she spent her time getting into various teachers' quarters, simply to see if she could.

Security measures increased somewhat after that, as well as her workload.

By the time she was eight, she old enough to take her studies more seriously, but also old enough to realize how isolated she was. There were no other young children in the academy, and the White Lotus Guards in training, though still young, were too old to want anything to do with her, even if she was the avatar.

Lonely and desperate for a friend, she began looking for a way to sneak out of the compound, thinking she could find a friend in the nearby village.

Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well.

When she tried to make friends with a group of girls her own age by showing off her bending skills, they laughed at her and told her to go back to the compound where she belonged.

With unshed tears in her eyes, she ran back towards the compound, but wasn't ready to go in yet. Instead, she walked around, not looking for anything in particular, just avoiding any more undesirable encounters.

Finally, she got tired and just curled up against a glacier wall and stared out at the village below her and the compound beside her, wishing for just one friend she could talk to, and let the tears fall.

She let herself sulk for a moment, but stopped when she heard a high-pitched cry. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and went to investigate.

The sound was coming from a small cave, hidden behind a snow bank. She crept up the bank and peered in, spying a little ball a white fluff

"Oh!" she shrieked in excitement, her tears forgotten. She watched, entranced, as the fluff ball uncurled its tiny body, revealing thick forelegs and a furry tail that thumped against the snow. The creature pointed it's black nose to the opening of the cave and squeaked another cry.

"A polar bear pup!" Korra whispered to herself, her heart racing. The villagers were always warned to stay away from the giant dogs, but Korra didn't think that applied to a pup. "You're probably waiting for your momma, aren't you?" She asked softly. "I'm away from my mother, too. I wonder if you could be my friend."

Korra waited impatiently, but determined. It was unusual for a mother polar bear dog to leave her pup alone.

Hours passed and the sun was starting to set, but there was no sign of the pup's mother and it continued to cry, hungry.

Korra frowned. The pup needed to eat. Where was its mother?

She decided to take matters into her own hands and find something for the pup to eat. She raced back inside the compound and to the kitchen where she filched a couple fish, hoping the baby wasn't a picky eater.

Back in the cave, there was still no sign of the mother, and the pup's cries had gotten louder.

The girl didn't pause at the entrance, convinced something was wrong and the mother wasn't coming back, she simply ran inside and crouched beside the pup, dangling one of the fish in front of its face.

The pup yipped and growled, snatching up the treat and immediately going to work tearing the meat off the bones.

Korra giggled and tossed another fish in its direction, cooing and smiling, her earlier tears forgotten.

"I'm going to call you Naga," she declared. "And you are going to be my new best friend."

Korra didn't leave until the moon was high, and though she got a sound scolding for missing dinner and leaving the compound, she did the same thing the next three days until it was undeniable that the pup's mother wasn't coming back, and unless she did something, it was unlikely the poor thing would survive on its own.

"You can't stay here alone," she said, scratching the pup behind her ears. "I bet I could get you into my room. It'd be a lot easier to feed you there, too."

Naga rolled on her back, exposing her belly and letting her tongue lull out.

The girl smiled, and the next day brought a large satchel and blanket to sneak the pup in.

Sneaking in with a squirming polar bear dog pup was no easy task, though, and just as Korra crawled back through, one of the guards caught her.

"Hey, what have you got there?" he called as Korra scrambled to escape, but he had a grasp of her coat. The satchel slipped and the pup wiggled out with a yip, and starting bounding down the hall.

"Naga!" Korra slipped out of her coat and chased after the pup.

"Korra!" the guard called, taking up the chase as well. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Help me catch her!"

The guard sighed, used to the trouble Korra was always getting into, and caught up with Naga, snatching her by the scruff of her neck and holding her out at arms length.

"Is this a… polar bear dog?" He asked incredulously.

"Maybe? Can I keep her?" She clasped her hands together and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Er, you know that's not up to me to decide. You'll need to go to the masters."

Korra's shoulders slumped.

"What's up to the masters now?"

"Master Katara!" Korra shrieked. If anyone would let her keep a polar bear dog, it would be Katara. "I found a baby polar bear dog and its mom is gone and it's all alone and I'll take care of it I promise please can I keep her?"

Katara blinked at the panting dog, then looked at the girl's shining face. Katara knew that Korra didn't have any friends in the compound and could only imagine how lonely the girl was feeling. She also remembered how close the former avatar had been to his pets, and how that bond had saved his life – and hers – on more than one occasion.

"You will be its sole caretaker, do you understand?" Katara said firmly, a twinkle in her eye. "No one else will feed or exercise or train it, that will all fall to you."

Korra's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really," the older woman cracked a smile. "If anyone can train a polar bear dog, I have a feeling it'd be you."

With a yelp, Korra scooped the dog up from the guard's hands and ran back to her room, eager to make a bed for her new pet.

Over time, when Naga grew too big to share Korra's room, she was given shelter outside, but Korra never wavered in her care. Through snowstorms and housebreaking, the girl was determined to do everything she could for Naga. She trained the dog with patience not shown in any other of her studies, and was rewarded with the most loyal friend she could have asked for.

Which is really what she both wanted and needed in the first place.

a/n Thanks to the prompt from ninjafallow for getting me to write this one out. We'll probably find out how Korra met Naga later, but for now, this is my headcanon.