The Forsaken Hero

A/N: Please check out the Author’s note at the end of the Chapter.

Fable’s leap carried us over the rim of Blue Canyon and into the darkening sky beyond. The sudden acceleration was nothing I’d experienced before, eclipsing any of the times Soltair or Trithe dragged me along. The drop from the initial rim of the canyon to the lower levels was the largest recorded cliff on the northern continent, nearly a half-mile of empty terror.

Korra’s excited holler danced in my ears for a breath before the rushing wind tore it away, drowning out everything but the roar of our descent. Wind grabbed at my hair and clothes like vicious, groping hands, snatching the breath from my lungs and buffering my face. As our acceleration grew, and with it the wind resistance, black spots danced in front of my eyes. For the briefest moment, I wavered on the edge of consciousness, my grip on Fable’s fur slipping, before my scattered instincts pulled together.

”Wind Shield!”

As the words vanished into the screeching wind, four magic circles sprang up around me. A second later, the great buffets of the wind ceased, the air falling strangely still. The sudden change left me stunned for a second before I took an experimental breath, and I nearly let out a grateful sob as sweet breath filled my lungs. Wind Shield was the wind attribute variant of Fire Shield, a spell I’d come across in Thron’s spellbooks.

I glanced back, considering casting the spell on Korra, but one look at her face convinced me otherwise. She was actually enjoying this! With her fifth-level constitution, a little wind and pressure were hardly worth noticing, allowing her to fully embrace the joy of the experience.

Seeing the pure delight on her face evoked a strange sensation in my heart. Against my better judgment, I took a deep breath and peeked over Fable’s shoulder, stealing a glimpse of the scenery. Perhaps now that the wind was gone, I could actually–nope. Not happening. Scarcely had I opened my eyes then I squeezed them shut again, burrowing as deep into Fable’s fur as I could. My entire body trembled violently, my tail going still with fear. That brief sight alone was more than enough to convince me that nothing was exciting or beautiful about heights. Korra was just insane.

It was one thing to know the initial drop was a half-mile, and another to see it first-hand. In that single heartbeat I’d looked, I’d felt as though I was in the arms of the archon once more, soaring over the darkened sea. The canyon was no less vast or endless, nor any less terrifying. The light of the evening sun fell only on the peaks of the crests and ridges within the canyon, dyeing them a sinister red. They were like white-toped waves on a stormy sea. The rest of the canyon was plunged into shadow, the darkness surely hiding a thousand more mysteries and terrors.

Without the rush of the wind in my ears, it was almost tranquil, like we were drifting slowly to earth. Unfortunately, the rapidly nearing peaks testified of anything like that. The seconds passed slowly, filled with the painful thump of my rapidly beating heart. Any moment and we’d hit the ground. Any moment and we’d surely–

A tremendous burst of mana erupted from Fable’s soul, exploding through his veins with the force of a volcano. Golden static crackled throughout his fur, dancing between my clenched hands and legs, sending tingling jolts through my body. A second later, we struck the ground.

The force a fifty-foot-long wolf generates by falling half a mile can not be understated. Before I even realized what was happening, I slammed into Fable’s back, getting a faceful of silver fur. The sudden whiplash sent a painful tremor through my body, but his fur was thick and soft, directly absorbing most of the impact.

The ridge Fable had chosen as his landing place wasn’t so lucky. The ground directly beneath his paws crumbled into dust, literally vaporized by the force of the impact. The resulting shockwave shattered the house-sized boulders nearby into shrapnel, all of which blasted out in a cloud of razors, scything down trees and destroying rock formations for hundreds of feet in all directions. When the dust finally settled, I cracked an eye open, stiffening in surprise to find that the ridge had turned into a crater nearly a hundred feet deep.

I stared down at my hands, unsurprised to find them shaking uncontrollably. We were alive? Despite the tremendous impact, there’d been little more than a rough jerk. Did it have something do to with the pulse of mana he’d gathered beforehand? I’d never seen a technique like that, but it might be worth asking about later.

While I continued to marvel at our survival, Korra leaped to her feet. ”That was incredible!” she cried, clapping her hands together. ”Way better than the cliffs at Heartland!”

Fable shook himself in a shrug, the motion traveling through his massive pelt like a wave, lifting us into the air before gently lowering us back down. Before I could react, he bunched his legs beneath himself and leaped out of the crater. I bit back a yelp and dove down, clutching his fur to prevent it from being shaken off.

”Fable!” I cried, terrified.

He landed easily enough, strutting for a few steps before lowering himself to the ground. I wasted no time scrambling off his back, collapsing to my knees and hugging myself tightly. Korra’s light footfalls sounded beside me, but I refused to look up even as her hand fell on my uninjured shoulder.

”See? Nothing to worry about!” she exclaimed. ”I told you it’d be fine.”

”N-never again,” I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut.

Her head canted to the side in confusion. ”What was that?”

I clenched my hands in my lap, gripping the folds of my skirt tightly to keep them from trembling. I looked up into Korra’s deep green eyes, barely holding back a sob. ”Korra, I...why can’t there just be a road? Isn’t it supposed to be a trade route?”

She blinked several times, then coughed and looked away quickly. My eyes narrowed, not missing the flash of guilt across her face.

”Korra...there wasn’t a road, right?”

”W-what? Why would you ask that? Don’t you think I would have mentioned it if there was a road?”

I continued to glare at her until her shoulders slumped, and she rubbed the back of her head.

”It may have...slipped my mind,” she responded weakly. She looked at me, desperately searching my eyes for any sign of excitement. ”But it was fun, right? It was just like we were flying!”

A shudder ran through me, and I sat down heavily. There had been a road the whole time, yet she let us jump half a mile into unknown territory. What if there had been a demon or Brithlite patrol nearby? I pulled my knees to my chest and stared at the ground, my hands still trembling. She knew I didn’t like it, that I was terrified, yet she still...I bit my lip, holding back tears.

”Xiviyah...?” Korra shifted hesitantly, wringing her hands together, and nervously asked, ”Are you mad?”

I ignored her, too afraid I’d start crying if I tried to speak, but the agitated twitch of my tail said it all. Fable, his soul exhausted by whatever magic he’d used to protect our landing, shrunk in a cloud of stars. He padded over to me and curled around my back, squirming under my arm until my hand rested on his head. I glanced at him and instinctively stroked him between his horns. He whined softly and shot Korra a reproachful look.

”Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she huffed, glaring at the wolf. ”Don’t pretend like you didn’t want to do it as much as I did. I saw you notice the road, yet you didn’t hesitate to jump.”

Fable gave her a disdainful sniff and turned away, nuzzling my cheek tenderly. I shied away, afraid he might try and lick me, but he just whined softly and rested his large head in my lap, letting me pet him as I wished.

Korra rolled her eyes and muttered, ”Traitor,” before stalking away into the darkness.

I remained motionless for what felt like forever, just silently running my fingers through Fable’s fur. At first, my hand was stiff and rough, but with every stroke, my agitation melted away, swallowed up by my wolf’s comforting presence and warmth. In my heart, I knew I was being unfair to Korra, but I refused to admit it to myself until my hand finally fell still, resting on Fable’s head.

”Did you really know too?” I asked softly, gazing down into Fable’s golden eyes. My eyes.

He peered up at me innocently, tilting his head in confusion. I smiled wryly and patted his cheek.

”You know I can feel your guilt, right? There’s no point trying to hide it.”

There was the barest flicker of amusement in his eyes before he raised his head and nuzzled me again. Before I could react, his tongue shot out and dabbed my cheek. I squeaked, trying to push him away, but it was too late. Within the space of a single breath, one of his massive paws gently pinned me to the ground while his tongue covered my face in wet kisses.

”Fable! Get off me!!” I cried, conscious of just how futile my protests were.

After a while, he finally let me up, watching me innocently as hurriedly whipped my sleeve across my face. ”Not funny,” I muttered.

He nudged my leg once more before twirling away, his tail wagging smugly behind him. I shook my head, baffled, before turning my head toward the sound of approaching footsteps.

”Perhaps that’s his way of apologizing,” Korra said. She stopped a pace away and sighed, smoothing a lock of short brown hair behind her ears. ”That’s something I should do as well. I’m sorry, Xiviyah. I convinced myself that this was a way I could help you overcome your fears, but after some thought, I think it was just me being selfish. Will you forgive me?”

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. Her eyes widened in surprise as ran forward and threw my arms around her. She took a step back before she regained her composure, and I sighed and rested my head on her shoulder as her arms settled around me. Caught in her embrace, the lingering hurt in my heart faded entirely, and I looked up, meeting her worried eyes, my own wet with tears.

”I...I forgive you, Korra. Just...not again. Please.”

She nodded and slid her hand up my back, caressing my hair in long, tender strokes. ”I’ll be more mindful and considerate of your feelings, but I can’t promise I won’t hurt you again. You’re like a sister to me, Xiviyah. Hurt and pain are a part of any relationship, the more so the closer you get. Just trust me when I say I’m doing my best, and I’ll never intentionally hurt you. And one day...I hope you’ll see me like a sister too.”

”I think I already do,” I murmured, drawing her into another hug.

She smiled at me, her eyes shining with moisture. ”That makes me happier than you can imagine. Now, what do you say we put this behind us and find a place to camp? Fable left quite the mess when landing, and I’d hate for a demon or soldier to come poking around to find out what happened.”

I giggled as she shot Fable a snide glare, who returned it with a smug, toothy grin. ”Thank you. For everything.”

Korra’s laugh joined mine, and she gave me a final squeeze before finally breaking away. ”I found a place a little bit away that I think you’ll like. Not a cliff in sight.”

I nodded, giving one final look at the rim wall towering behind us. ”I’d like that. Lead the way.”

Still smiling, we vanished into the canyon. The next phase of our journey was about to begin, but they were there to face it with me. Together, we could handle whatever came our way, whatever humans or demons we faced.

For the first time, I didn’t just know I wasn’t alone; I felt it.