DISCLAIMER: Korra isn't mine. Too bad.

I absolutely love Toph/Lin family fics; I think Toph would be a completely awesome mother. This oneshot is inspired by the scene where Mufasa teaches Simba to pounce.

Crouching in the trees, Lin watched her Aunt Katara by the shore. The older woman's eyes were closed, face calm and peaceful as she gracefully flowed from one Waterbending form to the next. The ocean responded to her movements, twisting and rippling and heaving as if in a storm. She was a sight to behold.

Too damn calm for Lin's liking, though. Grinning devilishly, the ten-year-old lifted her foot and stomped down hard, intending to send her aunt flying.

Nothing happened.

Growling, Lin repeated the movement. Again, no movement. She tried over and over with no success until finally the frustration became too much. Yelling, the young Earthbender kicked a nearby boulder and sent it flying with a deafening crash. The sound was oddly satisfying.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, lionturtle! You almost squished me." Toph came into view behind the newly displaced chunk of rock. She cocked her head in Lin's direction. "What's the matter? Your heart sounds like you just ran from here to the South Pole."

Lin scowled and crossed her arms before remembering that her mother couldn't see her. "Mom, I'm trying to surprise Aunt Katara, but I can't! Something's wrong with my earthbending." She bit her lip fiercely.

Toph nodded. "No wonder. Sugar Queen is on the beach, kiddo. Sand is hard to bend unless you know how." She grinned devilishly. "Let an old pro show you how it's done."

Lin perked up. "Okay, I'm listening." That was the number one rule of earthbending, Toph had always said: Listen. Toph nodded in approval.

"There are two tricks with sand, both effective: You can take the grains and crush them into a solid, or you can go beneath the sand and find the underlying rock. For your prank, I'd suggest method two." Toph gently set her hands on Lin's shoulders. "Go ahead, kiddo."

Lin closed her eyes and cast out her senses. The sand was like a pair of scratched up binoculars; it was hard to get a good grip on her target. Go beneath, Toph had said. Lin burrowed into the sand like an earthworm, frowning slightly. This was harder than she expected…

There. Solid rock met her probing senses. Lin opened her eyes, grinned and stomped as hard as she could.

"AAHHHHH!" Splash! Lin and Toph both fell over, howling with laughter, as an irate, sopping wet Katara screamed obscenities from the beach. "TOPH BEIFONG, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Gotta catch us first, Sugar Queen," the older earthbender singsonged, leaping to her feet and grabbing Lin's hand. "C'mon, kiddo, if she catches us there'll be hell to pay."

As they zoomed up towards the house on a giant slab of rock, Lin grabbed her mother's waist and hugged her tight. "You're the best mom ever," she giggled.

Toph smiled and rested a hand on her daughter's head. "You're not such a bad little bugger yourself."

Coming from Toph, it was as good as I love you.