The Frozen Tundra

Karnok flicked his wrist to clear away the snow that had began to cover the entrance to his shelter. He squinted so he could better see through the light snowfall. To the west, he could make out a small herd of caribou-goats digging into the frozen ground for the springtime shoots of grass. The animals were too far away for Karnok to hit with his bow, and the snowfall was too light to conceal him if he attempted to move closer. So he remained in his little hideout as he watched the animals eat and socialize.

The sun moved across the sky, and after what Karnok assumed to be four hours of peaceful solitude he realized the caribou-goats were now close enough for him to shoot down. He carefully retrieved then knocked an arrow. Then, taking a steady breath, he pulled back the drawstring and aimed at one of the healthiest looking bucks. However, before he could let his arrow fly, the group of animals lifted their heads in alarm. Karnok's breath caught in his throat and he half-hiccuped, half-coughed trying to regain control of his lungs. The noise caused the herd to panic and the whole group ran off to the north.

Swearing under his breath, he sheathed his arrow and looked toward the south. His acutely developed eyesight allowed him to pick up the outline of the herd's initial alarm: a person coming out into the Tundra from the city. Karnok sighed. So much for his time alone, but he also knew from experience that two heads could bring in some dinner better than one. So he shouldered his pack and bow then slid his foot over the snow to create a ice-board. Then, with another flick of his wrists, he launched himself across the icy plains towards the person who interrupted his hunt.

Chiako had finally found a heard of something to eat, and then they had just ran away. He looked out and saw a man charging at something he could not make out because of the snow. With a single elegant movement, he flung a ball of fire hoping to hit the charging man. He realized that the man had a weapon but it was too late now. J's gaze went toward the figure he could not make out. "Is that a man," he thought to himself, then a great realization came to him, he had just shot at someone in the same situation he was in. He had just shot at a fellow hunter.

Karnok intercepted the oncoming orb of fire by lifting a small cluster of snow in front of it. He prepared to switch from defense to offense, but confusion prevented him from attacking further. His assailant was obviously a fire bender, but he looked like an authentic member of the water tribe. What surprised him even more is that he realized the fire bender was just a kid. It was basic practice that all parents advised their children to avoid the Tundra due to its harsh weather and dangerous landscape. Karnok knew that even he was a rare case as most adults would only venture into the area with a companion.

As he approached the boy, he took his appearance in. He had helped rescue idiotic teenagers that tried to prove their masculinity to their friends by going into the dangerous realm alone but gotten stuck in a storm or avalanche, but something told him that this was not the case with the boy before him. His expression was serious yet inquisitive, something Karnok figured was probably mirrored on his own face. Appearance-wise, the only thing that could betray the boy's misplacement in the Water Tribe was the rare reddish tones in his brown hair. But the thing that caught Karnok's attention the most was the teenager's eyes. The brown eyes were aged beyond the boy's years with a hardness that he recognized from looking in the mirror every morning. The boy's eyes told him that he was not a threat.

"Who are you? What are you doing all the way out here?" Karnok asked the kid.

Scared and confused, Chiako did not know what to do next. He had not anticipated that the man had been a water bender. With a shudder he answered "I'm....I'm Chiako....Chiako Ginju....... sir," he was not confident at all that his answer was good enough. "I was just..... trying to get some food sir....... you scared away the caribou-goats that I was hunting..."
He was entirely sure that he was about to fight the water bender. Also, somewhere in the pit of his mind, the man was vaguely familiar.....

The boy's reaction startled Karnok. He had forgotten his military training could make him appear intimidating at times. He relaxed his own expressions and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders to try and calm him down. "It's OK Chiako, I'm not gonna hurt you. You just startled me is all. When I saw you I coughed in surprise a bit and that's what spooked the caribou-goats. They have annoyingly good hearing," he added with a feeble laugh. He then took the boy's appearance in again and could only see a pack in his possession, no weapons. Karnok then moved one of his hands so that he could shake the boy's. "I am Captain Werrtak, but since I'm off duty, you can just call me Karnok."

The wind picked up and a few snow flurries directly struck his face. which caused him to shiver slightly. "I have a shelter nearby, would you care to join me while we wait for the herd to come back? I have plenty of food for us in the meantime. Plus, I always say that two heads are better than one in a hunt." He gave a slight smile to Chiako to convey that his offer was sincere.

J was surprised. He thought he recognized the man's face, but he didn't think he could be a captain of the Water Tribe Navy. This was amazing, he couldn't turn down such a kind offer. "Sure!" he said excitedly. He was indeed very hungry, so this hunting deal didn't seem bad at all. The only bad thing about it was, this man was a water bender. He was sure he would get killed if he were found to be a fire bender, so he was going to pretend to be a non-bender throughout this experience.

"My hut is over there," Karnok explained as he pointed towards the east. As the snow began to lick his face again he pulled his thick hood up. "We should probably walk fast," he said with a small laugh.

As he began walking towards the shelter, he looked at the young man again. "What all were you going to hunt the caribou-goats with anyway? Do you have some sort of weapon in that pack of yours, or were you planning to just hit them with fire-bending?"