Chapter 40. A Breather [FIXED]
Wan Shi Tong sent me straight to the Spirit Oasis. This time, the height was fine—I appeared a meter above the ground—but I'll still make him pay for all my suffering. As I left the Oasis, a polar bear-dog puppy was waiting for me.
"Okay, okay, I missed you too, Balto," I said, trying to push his head away from my face. He's too fond of showing affection by licking. "How are you growing so fast? I thought I'd still be able to carry you around." Just recently, he was knee-high, and now he's already reaching my chest. "Who's the good boy who smelled me so quickly?" I started petting his belly—or rather, his massive belly, which he promptly offered.
Once, I wanted to try breeding at least one polar bear-dog hybrid in our tribe, but I never got around to it. Six months ago, on my way to the capital, I met a pregnant female on her last legs. I couldn't just walk past her. She was badly hurt, but her belly was the only unharmed spot—even unconscious, she shielded it with her paws. It was all worth it; none of her pups were injured.
With my waterbending, she recovered by the next day. Earning her trust wasn't easy, especially when her mind was focused solely on protecting her unborn pups. But persistence pays off. After a month, she only let me near her. I earned her trust by bringing her the juiciest, freshest meat. Honestly, no one else wanted to approach her—for the rest of the tribe, she was a natural enemy of our hunters.
At least no one tried to quietly get rid of her. The complaints about her presence were limited to words. People thought even earthbending-reinforced walls couldn't stop a bear-dog, but she had no intention of leaving. Maybe on the first day, she thought about it, but seeing the free food, she decided not to resist. Or maybe she was scared by the thousands of human scents around her. It seemed to me that she saw her enclosure as a form of protection.
With the arrival of Nai's—that's what I named her—puppies, the first visitors started coming. Her pups were too adorable—kids could watch their antics for hours. Some children came despite their parents' bans. Luckily, I locked the enclosure tightly when I was away, or there would've been trouble.
Time passed, and people grew accustomed to living near dangerous predators. Nai got used to being around two-legged creatures. The growing bear-dogs became everyone's favorites. They adapted to being around humans faster than anyone—probably because they'd never known any other life.
Over time, it became clear they were more dog-like. Every day, they eagerly awaited the children's arrival, melted at petting, and were well-socialized, as if they hadn't lived on the other side of the barricades for millennia. It was hard to keep them locked up, but better safe than sorry. I only took them out under my supervision until I was confident in them.
An unexpected twist was their resemblance to Naruto's Ninken from the anime. Balto, Nai's son, started following me like a shadow, recognizing me as his close friend. At first, I thought it was because of our frequent playtime, but no—he wasn't as responsive with others. Once could be a coincidence, but three times is a pattern. Balto's two sisters became shadows to Katara and Yui. Now I wonder if Korra truly tamed Naga, or if Naga herself decided to stay with her...