Chapter 13: Kill me softly

Akitri's Point of View

I awoke at around what I assumed to be midday. The night before had been a hellish one, I had brought Aswang back. There was no sign of our mother, Aswang was curled up next to me. I refused to leave her side, no matter what I was going to be there for my big sister. I was hungry though. I rose from the pallet we were laying on and went to go get some food. I went out the entrance to the den we had slept in, and I was met with the faces of Neytiri, Ninat, and Jake Sully. Before I could say anything Neytiri spoke up. "Is she okay?" she asked concerned. "She's fine." I lied, on the inside I felt the opposite, and this was Aswang, my big sister, the woman I idolized. When our father and older brother Kantu died and our mother was stricken with grief Aswang took over acting as our mother, especially to me.

She is what I felt a woman should be, strong, proud, beautiful these were the things she was. And now she was reduced to this sorry state. She woke up several times during the night screaming, and I had to hold her down until she calmed down and went back to sleep. I felt tears running down my face, so I knew I must have started crying at some point. Neytiri pulled me into a hug "It's going to be alright, whoever did this is going to pay dearly for their crimes." Neytiri told me. "damn right." Jake Sully said.

I broke the hug between me and Neytiri, and stared at him intensely. "You why are you here now?" I asked him firmly. "I am here because whoever did this to that poor woman deserves to die because that is just barbaric." He said not backing down, not breaking eye contact. I nodded at him.
"We brought you some food." Ninat said as she held out a bunch of food wraps in a package. "Thank you." I said nodding. "No need to thank." Ninat said finally. "Well I should get back to Aswang. I'm not leaving her side. Neytiri can you tell Ashara to come up here eventually." I asked and Neytiri nodded. "And you Jake Sully, I hear your Iknimaya is coming up soon, know that I will be watching." I said to him. "Sure thing, I'd be honored if you'd be there." He said nodding, as I turned to go back into the den.

Aswang's point of view

I awoke to the smell of food, I was hungry, but I refused to turn over. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. But my stomach eventually put its' foot down, and I turned to see my brother Akitri eating a food wrap. He turned and looked at me, and smiled warmly at me, smiling is something he didn't do that often. "Hungry?" he asked, I shook my head glaring at him. "That's a lie, why are you giving me that look?" he said through a mouthful of food. I still just glared at him. "If you don't eat, I will force feed you." He said. "And I'll bite off your fingers." I snapped back, while he held out his hand with a wrap in his hand. "Wow your mean." He said mockingly offended. I snatched the food wrap from his hands, and devoured it quickly.

"See I told you, you were hungry." He said laughing "Your humor is annoying." I grumbled. "Wow Aswang, I was honestly having a nice time, and right now I am feeling so attacked." He said pretending to be offended. "Normally I'd laugh but the fact that I heard Ashara say that to you a few months ago it isn't funny, it's just dumb." I said brushing off his poor humor. "Anyway take me to the lake, I want to bathe, but I don't want to be there by myself." I said to him. "Okay no problem." He said as he scooped me up in his arms. "I can walk just fine." I protested "To bad" was his response.

He carried me out of the den, and down the inner spiral of Kelutral. He took me out the back entrance of Kelutral, the one nearest the lake. "I need soap, oils for my hair, and clothes dumbass." I said to him. "Do you want me to go to Illica or something. "No!" I exclaimed shaking my head frantically. "Take me to Ashara; I don't want to deal with mother right now." She said, "As you wish." He said turning and going to Ashara's family hut. A few of the people were staring at me, but then they continued to go on about their day. Looks of pity, it disgusted me. We came to Ashara's family hut, and her younger sister Aonhi was sitting in front of it messing with a bead necklace.

"Hey Aonhi is Ashara home?" Aktiri asked "Yes she is." She said looking up at Akitri, with annoyance from being distracted from her work. "Our father is home as well." She said warningly. "oh okay, can you get her for me?" Akitri asked cautiously. "No I can't because I am not a messenger. You can go in she is in the den." Aonhi said indifferently. Akitri sighed "Fine, thanks for nothing." He grumbled as he walked into the hut.

As we walked in the smell of ground herbs, and burning incense filled my nostrils. I knew he was over protective, but after the hell of a night yesterday, I don't blame him, he was truly a hero to me. When we got to the den we heard arguing. It was Ashara and her father. "Ashara you are completely wasted on him." Her father said, Akitri stiffened. "No father you are wrong, he makes me happy." She said back. "Enough, I forbid you from being around him anymore." Her father said with finality. Then Ashara came walking out the room, crying and visibly upset.

"Hey Ashara, can we get some help?" Akitri asked dumbly. "Yeah sure, what?" she said trying to make it sound like she was fine. After Akitri explained what we needed, we began to leave. She asked to come with us, and I looked at Akitri and shrugged. She was completely oblivious to the whole situation. I guessed the less people knew the better. We walked to the lake, Akitri still didn't put me down. Once we got to the lake, and we saw nobody was there. I stripped to nothing and got in the lake, while Akitri and Ashara went nearby to talk.

Akitri's point of view

"So Ashara what were you and your father arguing about?" I asked. "Oh nothing, it's just he doesn't like you. At all." Ashara said, I didn't like that, but it didn't matter to me. "He doesn't want me to see you anymore." She said tears falling down her gentle cheeks. I took her face in her hands "Ashara as long as you want to see me nothing will keep me from you, and nobody we are one now. That is for life." I said to her wiping the tears from her cheeks. Then I kissed her lips softly. "It's not just that Akitri. It's more complicated than that." She began "what do you mean Ashara?" I asked "Akitri remember the night before?" she asked. "yeah why?" I said. "I felt something stirring inside of me. Akitri I think I am pregnant."

To be continued…

A/N sorry for the cliffhanger, not really I just thought I should end this chapter on this. Things are about to become very complicated. Yours truly The Last Dragonborn Warrior.