avatar · elemental bending · injured · determined · resilient · action · fantasy · desperate · survival
The forest closed around Korra like a vice, her body a collection of fresh aches and old defiance. A vicious wound pulsed at her side, a counterpoint to her shallow, desperate breathing. Her world had narrowed to pain and the next stumbling step, sweat and grime painting her skin. The unwavering strength that defined her had become a leaden weight. As twilight seeped through the canopy, her legs trembled, threatening to fail. Then, a break in the trees: a cottage, humble and solid, a thread of woodsmoke scenting the air. It was a fixed point in her spinning world. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself toward it, her knock on the weathered door little more than a whisper. It opened to reveal a man, all sharp angles and silent assessment.