The filtered light of the forest is bright enough that I can see every minute detail on the forest floor, but not so bright to hurt my eyes. The forest soil is dampened from the recent rains, but the soil isn't as absorbent as what we have back at the village. The soil here absorbs sound and mutes my movements.

Perfect, I think to myself as I loosen the arrow.

No, not perfect. The arrow misses by mere inches and startled, the rabbit flees.

"Close," Rori says encouragingly. I roll my eyes. He's too optimistic for my liking.

"I don't understand why I can't just use waterbending. I have no feel for these stupid weapons," I complain, throwing down the bow.

Rori winces.

"Sorry," I say, sighing, picking up Rori's bow. "You take it – you know I hate having things in my hands when I walk. And the arrows." I unbuckle the sheath that's strapped to me.

"Not feeling too well today?" Rori frowns.

I sigh. "You know how I get sometimes. Cooped up here. I'm just getting paranoid – there hasn't been an attack in months! I keep getting the feeling that something's going to happen. Something really big."

Rori pats my arm sympathetically. The side of his mouth quirks up with a bit of a grin. "Or maybe they're just afraid of you! I heard you had a nickname … the Wolf?" he teases.

I roll my eyes, but what he says certainly calms my nerves a little. Yes, maybe our victory last time was enough to scare off the other tribes for a while.

"Let's head back," Rori suggests gently. I nod.

::~::

When we get to the wooden posts that mark our land, I notice something is wrong. There's nobody at the main entrance, where a guard usually sits.

My high-strung nerves tighten again.

Before Rori can pull me back, I'm rushing through the muddy paths, ignoring the mud that splashes up and splatters all over my legs.

I don't know what to think when I see the lack of evidence of violence, though the empty homes and the playground that is usually holding at least a few toddlers is unnerving.

Then suddenly, I see motion. It comes from Chief Dai's office-home.

I duck behind a tree, not knowing what to do. Is this a hostage situation?

I almost scream when a hand clamps down on my shoulder.

"Rori!" I hiss, and I realize he has finally caught up to me. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He blinks. "Yuna, calm down. Let's go inside and figure out what's going on." My face must show a pretty incredulous expression, because Rori raises an eyebrow. "It's not an attack, if that's what you're thinking. How would they have managed to do it so quietly, and so efficiently? My guess is that we've got company, and Dai's just brought them to his home to welcome them."

Rori's words do make sense, but the fear in my chest doesn't lessen at all as we come out of hiding and walk to the door.

I cringe as Rori knocks, making our presence known.

When Chief Dai opens the door with a look of joy written plainly on his face, I have to take a step back.

"I told you nothing was wrong," Rori mutters to me out of the corner of his mouth.

"Rori, Yuna, how happy I am to see you! Come in, we have some esteemed visitors I'd like to introduce you to."

Almost the entire village is gathered in Dai's home, the biggest home in our village. I check each villager's face, making sure nobody is hurt or being manipulated.

Then I see the guests.

"I'd like for you both to meet the Avatar."

::~::

My eyes widen in shock, but I swallow my surprise quickly, bowing my head in customary respect. "What an honour to meet the Avatar," I murmur, and I'm not sure whether I had intended the note of sarcasm.

The Avatar. The figurehead of hope. The harbinger of peace.

"They were attacked by the Talu tribe very close to our borders. They managed to fight them off, and we witnessed the last part of the battle. All of them are very commendable fighters."

Always spoken of in such high esteem, and yet all that stands before me is an ordinary-looking girl – albeit a bit more muscular than most girls. Her choice of companions surprises me as well: two boys, bordering on manhood, looking as if they might be brothers; and a girl only a bit older than me. My eyes rest on the girl first, because she surprises me more than the two boys. She's gorgeous, which is why I had been shocked, and there's something that suggest much more frailty than even her slender looks give away. I frown, wondering if the reason she's with the Avatar is because she's an airbender. She certainly doesn't look like an earthbender or a waterbender. Chief Dai had said all of them had fought, but it's hard for me to imagine this girl fighting. As for the other two, the prospect is much more possible. The younger brother has a stout figure, yet he looks friendly and approachable – like a bear cub – and despite his youthful appearance, he certainly appears to be capable of protecting himself. The older brother seems much more dangerous in my eyes, mainly because he looks so much less so. He certainly looks handsome, and his body is much leaner than that of his brother … but for all the lack of obvious strength, I sense that there's a fire brewing beneath that calm, collected exterior. There's something that sets him apart from the rest of the group, and my curiosity burns to know why.

I feel Rori elbow me, bringing me out of my musings. I turn to him in confusion.

He roll his eyes, shaking his head. "My name is Rori, and this is Yuna."

Whoops, forgot to introduce myself before I started thinking. I bow, following Rori's lead. He's always made the better impression on guests.

"My name is Korra," the Avatar says, bowing back to me.

The younger brother speaks up, smiling. "I'm Bolin, and that's my brother Mako, and that's Asami."

"An honour to meet the comrades of the Avatar," I say, bowing again.

Chief Dai smiles and turns back to the crowd. "Let us conclude our introductions here, and return to daily business. We will have a feast in honour of the Avatar and her comrades, but before that, I have much to discuss with our young heroes."

As the villagers mill out of Dai's home, I hear snippets of conversation.

"Did you hear about the Avatar's polar bear dog? I hear she's massive!"

"That lady with them was really pretty!"

"Are you kidding me? That guy was handsome beyond belief!"

Rori and I are the last to leave, and I shoot a glare over my shoulder at Dai. He isn't facing us and doesn't see it. I scowl.

"So, looks like they were a nice bunch of heroes, huh?" Rori teases, knowing exactly how I feel. That's one of the many good things about him: he knows me so well that I don't need to explain my anger or my frustrations and spell them out loud anymore. Then softer, "You don't believe that their arrival here is a good thing, do you?"

"Of course not," I snap. "The longer they stay here, the longer we'll be watched by the Talu tribe. They're not exactly the easiest to fend off."

The Talu tribe is one of the few tribes that consists of waterbenders, earthbenders, and firebenders, which is what makes them so dangerous. Our waterbenders have a lot of trouble with the earthbenders in particular, even with our terrain. We're known to others as the River tribe, notably because we're situated very close to the large river that runs through the forest. The proximity to water has come in extremely handy for our waterbenders, but the enemies have learned to attack from different fronts now.

"I know you don't believe in much anymore," Rori says, even more quietly, "but I think the Avatar's being here signals a better tomorrow for us. That everything is going to change for the better."

I scowl. Rori is too idealistic. Naïve. I can't say he hasn't suffered much, because he has lost his father to the ceaseless territorial squabbles between our tribe and those surrounding us, but he certainly hasn't learned that in order to survive, it's not a matter of luck, good fortune or omens of peace, but rather being more powerful and ruthless than your enemy. I don't tell him this, not this time, because I've done so many times before and he's merely laughed it off.

"Yuna!" come a shout to my right. I feel my face form a smile. Kana's the only one who can do that to me, at any given time.

I catch her as she barrels into me for a hug. "Kana, you're getting too old for this," I say, but I'm laughing despite my words. Kana has her hair done up in braided pigtails, and she's wearing a dress that flutters down to her ankles. She's more than a head shorter than me; she's always been quite small for her age. When I'd been her age, I was about the same height as I am now.

"Am not," she pouts, and hugs Rori too. "Did you two have a nice day together? I can't believe the Avatar is here!"

Rori glances as me as I feel my face become stony again. "Come on, Kana, let's let your sister wash up in time for dinner. I'll teach you how to do some knots, how's that?"

I watch as they walk away cheerfully. Rori's always been good with people in general, and I'm glad that he's stuck by me, because he's one of the very few people who I've actually found to be tolerable, and who finds me tolerable in return. At least Kana seems to be taking along the same path as Rori – her personality is certainly a contrast with mine, which means she's much friendlier, and has more friends than I did at her age. She idolizes Rori, I think even more than she idolizes me, which is somewhat of a good thing.

At least she isn't haunted by the past. She was too young back then to remember it now.

::~::

I sit with Kana and Rori during the dinner, and I purposefully seat us far away from our guests and Chief Dai. Even as it is, it's irksome to see the village girls fawning over the brothers, and even the prepubescent boys making eyes at Asami. The Avatar is off-limits, it seems.

"Eat up, Yuna," Rori says, eyeing my still-full plate. "It's not like you to refuse good food." He smiles.

I sigh. "I know," I say, stabbing my fork into a potato chunk. "I just think we're a bit too low on rations to be having a feast." I glare at the huge polar bear dog that's being tossed food – too much food, wasted like that.

Soon the music starts and the villagers get up to dance – it's customary. Kana is asked away by one of the boys who studies with her at school, and she blushes before taking his hand.

"Care for a dance?" Rori asks me, pushing away his empty plate. I smile at him and he leads me through the throng of dancers. The song is medium in tempo, and I follow Rori's lead effortlessly. It's a traditional dance for our people, and I learned it when I was very small. It's simple, but with a sort of timeless grace.

The first song ends, and a boy I know by face asks me to dance. Rori smiles at me encouragingly and leaves me. This song is slower, less traditional and more intimate. The boy holds me somewhat closely to him. It's nothing, really – all the villagers are dancing with each other. I glance over to the head of the table to see only a few people still eating or talking, but the Avatar and her friends are still there, having refused to dance. But as I watch, Rori takes the hand of the girl named Asami, and she blushes as they head over.

I roll my eyes. Of course he would. It wasn't anything personal, of course, because Rori has always been a kind and polite sort of person, but I could tell the girl thought it was something more. Truthfully, Rori was quite handsome, and I knew many of the village girls have crushes on him. Some, even now, looked at him and Asami enviously.

I stifle a laugh. The song ends, and I thank the boy for the dance politely. I'm ready to go back to the table, but someone stops in my path. It's the younger brother.

"May I have this dance?" he asks, a twinkle in his eye. He bows extravagantly, smiling up at me. My first instinct is to scowl and walk away, but this boy's open friendliness is a bit disarming. Inwardly, I shrug – what harm could this bring?

I force a smile that I swear must look more like a grimace, and take his hand.

"Uh," he says as the music starts again, slow-paced again, "I don't actually know that dance you guys were doing – "

Despite myself, I laugh at this. "Don't worry, this one is easy."

I place his hands on my waist and my hands on his shoulders, which is easy since we're about the same height. With Rori, I have to reach up just a little bit to do that.

"You're Yuna, right?"

I'm surprised he remembers my name, mostly because I don't remember his. I nod. "Sorry, but I don't recall yours."

"Bolin," he says, giving me a smile. No wonder I couldn't remember it. It's such a strange name, like the rest of his companions' names. I only remember the girl's name.

"Are you an earthbender?" I ask out of genuine curiosity. His build certainly suggests it.

"Hell yeah!" he says, beaming. "How could you tell?"

"Just the way you look," I say, smiling at him. I'm surprised I can actually be friendly with an earthbender, even though I've fought off countless bloodthirsty and cruel earthbenders.

He looks a little amazed. "That's pretty cool. How about you? Are you an earthbender too?"

"No," I say, with a bit of a smile. If it had been anyone else, that would have been an insult. "I'm a waterbender. There are only waterbenders in our village."

"Cool! So I bet you guys are pros at it, with all the knowledge and stuff passed down. Korra was a waterbender first, but of course she learned earth and fire from these old dudes they say are masters. She's only started on air now."

Korra. Okay, one more name down. "Right," I say, squinting as I try to remember. "Because Avatar Aang was an airbender."

"Yup! Just between the two of us though," he says conspiratorially, "Korra's not a very good airbender."

I only just notice the song coming to an end, and I thank Bolin for the dance quite sincerely before a friend of Kana's tugs on his sleeve, giggling.

I'm ready to retire, but I am stopped by Chief Dai.

"Don't tell me you want to dance with me," I say, eyes narrowed. I'm still not over the fact that he's throwing a feast, even though this means we might not have enough food next week. My good mood from talking to Bolin disappears at the sight of him.

He laughs good-naturedly. "Of course not. This old man doesn't dance. I just wanted a word with you. And Rori, but he looks busy right now." He glances at Rori, who I notice is dancing with the Avatar now. I fight the urge to scowl.

I follow Dai through the crowd, somewhat annoyed. Can't I just get some rest now?

We sit at a secluded table.

"I'm glad you are getting along with the Avatar's friends. For some reason, I thought you might not like them, but you proved me wrong." I bite back a retort. "So this only makes my job easier when I ask if you and Rori would be willing to volunteer as bodyguards for the Avatar and her friends."

I frown at him in confusion. "Bodyguards? What are you talking about?"

He sighs. "The Avatar is on the run from criminals who have taken over Republic City, and understandably they need our help getting through the forest. They may be a strong group, but their styles of combat don't fare well with the other tribes that live here, especially not against the rogues."

My frown deepens. "Did they ask you for help or did you offer?"

He raises an eyebrow at me and sighs. "It's the Avatar, Yuna. Show some generosity."

Anger bubbles inside me – I'd show generosity if the Avatar actually did something for us! Instead, it's our people that rescue their little team and have to stow them away in what little space we have, risking the little wafety we've accomplished, and take care of them with the very few hands we have to spare! And not to mention, feed their polar bear dog.

But by sheer force, I manage to repress my anger. It's never to my advantage to fight with Chief Dai – he can be a manipulative bastard when he needs to, but up to now he's never used it to harm the village. In fact, his tricky nature has manoeuvred us out of some very bad situations.

"Look," I say, "I'd totally do this, but then the village would be left completely unprotected for weeks and I can't risk that. The village is my primary responsibility – anything else comes second to me."

I get up, brushing dirt off my pants and turn to leave.

"Yuna," Dai says from behind me, and I stop. There's a hint of something I don't like hearing in his voice. "You know who the only other capable waterbender is." My heart skips a beat. "And you know how dangerous the trip may turn out to be."

"Don't be daft," I hiss, whirling back to face him. "She's much too young, and you know it."

"Twelve isn't too young," Dai says, face void of emotion. "That's how old the previous Avatar was when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai. I will leave the decision to her is you refuse."

Oh Kana, I sigh, gritting my teeth. So strong-willed and wanting to prove her worth to the world. I'm proud of her progress as a waterbender, but she's no natural at it. She isn't so weak that I would worry myself sick when I am away anymore, but I know that she isn't strong either. Even at her age, I could have overpowered someone like her with both arms bound. She doesn't know the desperation and the adrenaline that one must use in battle to cinch a win. She doesn't understand pain and loss.

I close my eyes.

"I'll do it," I whisper, and even without seeing him, I know Dai is smiling coldly.

I know I'm going to regret this.

Hey!

So this is the first chapter to a story I've been thinking of ever since I finished the Legend of Korra, Season 1. I cannot believe they're making us wait a year before putting out Season 2. Anyhow, I'm excited to be publishing this first chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy the story.

A note on the names of my OCs. I know the Avatar world has been using some Asian-ish names, namely from Chinese and Japanese (well, for example the Sato family, as well as Mako's name), but I don't really like the Chinese names they've been using. T-T So not to be a rebel or anything, but yes, Yuna is a Korean name. It's a pretty common name, but I thought the syllables aren't too complicated and it could pass as an Avatar-world name. They do have pretty weird names though, like Yuna says – what's with the names Bolin and Tarrlok? O-o Anyhow, I purposely didn't spell Yuna's name as Yoona, mainly because I didn't want to divert people's attention to SNSD. :S If you haven't read my profile, let me just tell you that I don't really like Yoona, or SNSD in general, haha. Rori doesn't have too much to explain – it's just a pretty uncommon name I made up (if it didn't exist before) and that I like :)

Please review and follow, and favourite if you're feeling super-nice!

-Jennifer *huggles*