Ravenous Hydra (Lvl Up)

Korra had grown paler from the second cast of her magic, glad that she didn't have to try for a third, she would probably mind down if that was the case. She slumped a little, visibly exhausted but she couldn't pass out just yet. Seeing the creature's heads burned at the stumps, she brought her fingers to her lips again, her hand a little shake-y, her melody a little weaker, but even so she let out that sharp whistle that was more akin to a screech as she blew through her fingers. She tried to whistle the Hydra's song the best she could, though blood dripped down from her moist lips or even flew from how hard she was trying to whistle, she managed to make the notes work as she whistled the song once more. She hurt all over, even Kirin was in rough shape to some extent, clearly injured but not worse for ware unlike Korra.

The effect of the song was different from before though, the song that once made the Hydra heads a bit more docile now seemed to bring a measure of intelligence to the once rage and despair filled eyes of the snake monster. It's docile heads swinging down to watch Korra closely as if trying to remember, or get a word out that was on the tip of it's tongue. Even as the first hostile head slowly worked it's way out from the burn suddenly pushing through the burn mark Parvati had left, as it began to take shape as a replacement head little by little, that hostile rage that it once roared with was gone. After a while of reforming from bone to flesh and tendons to carapace once more, it would watch Korra carefully like the other heads. It was only when the song was over that the Hydra would inch forward giving Korra a gentle nudge, enough to push her back onto the ground as it inhaled sharply with a huff still trying to remember. Korra's pale figure shuddered from the pain of being pushed back, but reached a hand out to pat one of the Hydra's faces with a soft hand. She meant to use more strength but she didn't have much left in her.

"I know I know-- You're sorry right?" She complained with a forced laugh that made her visibly wince. "You chased me out of here a lot before, and I'd always get hurt just like this. This was the first time I could actually get close to Teacher you know and you still beat me up." Korra complained, but her breathing was getting more rapid the more she spoke as if she couldn't get the air in fast enough to hold a conversation. "I... I can't grow back-- Back parts like... Like you can you know." She spoke, her panting getting worse as she let out a tired laugh, her upper body swaying a little causing Kirin some concern.

 

Korra tried to steady herself, the larger creature simply watching idly, not hostile any more but at the same time not connected like Kirin was. It was familiar for Korra, she'd interacted with Hydra like this when she was a child, back when she first started learning to play with her family, her teacher who was the friend who taught her the way leading her down this path in life. Korra couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic looking at the large creature that had been hunting them earlier like they were mortal enemies. "It's not funny... I almost died-- dumb snake." Korra complained, but the Hydra didn't seem to understand her words, it was for this reason Korra often complained that she wasn't strong enough, Hydra couldn't understand everything, she could only at the very least remind it that they weren't enemies after she got rid of the angrier more suspicious heads.

Reaching towards Parvati, Korra's hand was shake-y but she tried to grab onto the woman's pants leg. She had trouble reaching higher then Parvati's ankle, her body felt heavy. "Can you help me up?... I wanted to get closer." She spoke trying to drag herself up to her feet using Parvati's pants as a ladder, though she could only make it up as far as her waist before resting her head against Parvati's hip trying to lift herself high with legs that wouldn't quite respond. Between pain, injury and almost being mind down, she was in a tough spot, Hydra had simply pushed her too much. "We can't stay much longer, it'll get angry again but it would be nice to say good bye." She spoke as she tried to spit red from her lips to make talking easier.

 

Korra couldn't help a faint giggle at the girl's words about dying under her, the word choice was just too delightful. "No-- I'd rather die on top." She murmured her reply, though it made the red stain her lips a bit more laughing, she couldn't help such a sweet sounding phrase. When Parvati helped her up though, she nodded looking towards the statue once more, leaning against Parvati, she tried to walk towards it as she spoke. "Bleeding? We're lucky it was only one head, if it was more then one, I probably would have died-- I don't think I would've been able to bump you far enough away either." She admitted with a pale expression. After all, Hydra's power came from working in tandem with it's heads, fighting a single head was enough to do this much to her when it was at it's weakest possible point.

Though she tried to approach the black statue to get a good look at her teacher again, it was for this reason she wanted to come, she wasn't strong enough yet to face Hydra and win the creature over, but she could at least keep it distracted as it was now with enough help and the right conditions. If it had been anyone else helping her she likely wouldn't have been able to succeed, she needed Parvati's magic to slow Hydra's healing. "I haven't really seen him since I was small, It's not good to forget about the people who are important right?... Usually I only get to see it from the cave entrance but now I can get up close." She commented trying to drag her body towards her teacher's statue with Parvati's help.

 

Korra shook her head just a little knowing what Parvati meant, certainly when the fighting started there were two, but Hydra only ever got the chance to fight back with one. "Hydra didn't really get a chance to use both to hurt us right?" She explained, but hearing Parvati talking about going home and leaving, Korra nodded back though knowing it would be good for them to get back soon so she could rest, but first she at least wanted to finish her business.

Approaching the statue once more naturally made Hydra apprehensive. Getting up closer, she tried to get a closer look at the man's waist, though she sighed a little when she got closer, she could see it, the only thing that wasn't blighted black on his body, it was a small hand flute, it still looked new, though a little dusty from years. Korra couldn't help trying to reach towards it, but the moment she lifted a hand, Hydra reacted with a heavy stomp, rather then just one or two heads, all of them jerked forward in unison causing Korra to withdraw her hand quickly. Holding her stomach she gestured to Kirin. "We should go-- We should go now." She spoke as Hydra began to roar again as if thinking Korra intended to do damage to her teacher it was getting ready to rear back for a strike as Kirin charged forward to try and reach them.

 

Korra nodded, walking the best she could, though it was difficult to make good time with the strain of her injury. The moment the creature's patience seemed to be wearing thin though Kirin finally arrived. Without waiting, Korra haphazardly flopped onto the creature's back, using an arm to make sure Parvati was with her whether her boarding was more graceful or not. It hurt having her mid-section resting against the creature's back while it ran, but the sound of the ground breaking beside them was enough to stop her from thinking about pain as the heads one by one crashed into the stone and soil with open mouths. Two striking where they had been causing Kirin to speed up, the Majestic horse wasn't displaying it's usual pride in this situation as it took only a few short sprinted steps forward before suddenly pushing itself back as another trio of heads struck down in front of it cutting it off.

Korra gripped the mane tightly, as well as Parvati's clothing to make sure the girl didn't slip off. Her frail grip wasn't of much help probably, but that didn't stop her from trying. It was more thanks to Kirin that Korra didn't get flipped off as the beast remained ever cautious of it's summoner's position at it's back making sure not to suddenly buck her off in it's effort to dodge Hydra's blows. More heads began do crash down trying to pursue them, the escape was far too chaotic as route after route away were sealed by the snake heads and strikes tore up more and more of the dirt. Korra couldn't help coughing more red the more Kirin shook beneath her in it's effort to escape the nightmare cage that was encountering Hydra at close range. Turning her body, she tried to lift her crossbow, it was heavy, she wouldn't be able to make a very good shot in this situation, she knew that, but she didn't need to succeed. Hydra was a creature of combat and aggression, provoking it had natural results they were already experiencing. Trying to loose the bolt, the arrow only antagonized that creature, but in that one brief moment of building rage, Kirin managed to break loose from the heads that had been trying to slowly close off it's escapes and break into a run.

 

Korra, still panting in pain even as Kirin galloped away from Hydra, though it still darted away from the crashing heads, it was clear that Hydra no longer had the advantage of being able to surround the steed as it struggled to stretch to try and catch it off guard in some way. Korra glanced back to see Hydra's despair ridden roars of anger, but there wasn't any more sympathy in the bard's eyes, she knew that Hydra was hurting from the loss, but the sadness left it confused and berserk. It was a danger now to the people who would come after, it was for that reason Korra resolved herself to be stronger, even if she didn't need 'power' she needed to be better.

Once Kirin managed to run out of the large monster's reach, Korra calmed a little, her complexion still pale, though she wasn't forcing up blood like she once was, instead she was simply trying to maintain her current condition and not let it get worse as they approached the small slope they'd walked down from. Korra began leaning into Parvati a little bit more, her voice hushed from the pain and discomfort but still sweet. "Thanks for coming with me... I wasn't able to get Teacher's Flute, but I got to see him and Hydra again... Even if it was really scary." She murmured, a silent laugh coming from her lips that almost made her cough red again. Restraining the urge with a few hastened gasps trying to choke it back into her body, she eventually calmed again as Kirin began the slow climb back to the surface. Korra wasn't looking forward to the cold again. "The cold will only make this worse for me... Want to keep me warm?" She asked in jest despite the thought of her injuries suffering from the cold being a reality.

 

Korra only flashed a gentle smile, hearing Parvati reassure herself was cute, but Korra could only think that way because she'd seen the terror that had done all of that damage in the first place. After seeing something like that, Korra had been somewhat scarred, her mellow nature in times of crisis was in part due to that memory, few terrors could compare to the sight of the punitive force being struck down in such a way that they turned to dust.

Feeling Parvati's cloak though, she held onto it closely, inhaling the girl's scent briefly before trying to recline into her hoping to stay closer to her for warmth. The cold would be treacherous after all, but she had to brave it to get back for medical attention, she was hurting, but not dying, she understood that, but the consciousness she felt fading tried to disagree with her. It wasn't mind down, but exhaustion and adrenaline wearing off, fear subsiding all combining together to make her drowsy. She couldn't help trying to reach a hand back, to take Parvati's hand in her own as she gave it a soft squeeze.

"Don't let me fall asleep." She murmured as Kirin approached the surface, she tried to brace herself thinking about the cold. "Okay?" She asked giving the girl's hand a harder squeeze, the fact that she was bracing herself rather clear.

 

Korra stayed awake, though she closed her eyes from time to time, she was stopped by Parvati's efforts causing a small smile to come to her face each time. She'd have to go back and make sure her ribs and chest was okay, though it didn't feel like her limbs were broken, there might be ribs that were, she was only glad that the bleeding wasn't from her lungs as she relaxed beside Parvati, if that was the case she might have ended up drowning.

Kirin made it to the ditch, glancing up at the slope knowing that it would be a harsh climb to make it to the snow, climbing up the steep incline was tough for the summon, Kirin wasn't a creature that could make such a climb without flying. Climbing up from the ditch, forcing it's body up the steep walls, it's weight dragged more debris down under it that helped it make it to the surface eventually. By the time they made it back into the cold, Korra was curled up in Parvati's cloak pressed tightly to the girl, preparation for a return home for help