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Chapter 6: A Harsh Welcome

Tuk had made a protective shade out of a large leaf to protect his eyes from the daylight. "Better?" She asked as she finished fixing it to his head.

"Yes, Thank you." He said wiping away the water from his eyes was caused by the sensitivity of the sunlight against his pupils. Tuk nodded, looking down at the ground below them.

"We must leave. Find safety." She said softly.

"Where?"

"Within the Metkayina." She said softly. "They can help us." Kauri clenched his jaw.

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Why not?"

"The Metkayina and the Kutawato have never gotten along."

"It'll be okay. I can talk to them." She said softly.

"I really don't think so."

"Do you want to stay out here and get mauled to death by your people?!" Tuk asked him, a little frustrated at his refusal.

"Fine," he said with an eye roll.

"Then let's go." she said simply, climbing onto Pele.

"Aunt Tuk!" Lo'ak's daughter called to her auntie as she saw her land on one of the islands on the beach.

"Hi sweet girl." Tuk said with a smile, bending down to pick her up.

"I've missed you."

"I missed you too." She said with a smile nuzzling her nose.

"Little sister. You're home." Lo'ak said with a smile, approaching her. "Who's your friend?" He asked with a grin.

"Kauri and he is not my friend." She said with a mumble.

"Why are his eyes covered like that?" One of the other children asked. Kauri swallowed hard, a little nervous.

"His eyes are not adjusted to the light like ours, he must protect them." Tuk said with a smile to her nephew. Lo'ak clenched his jaw and grabbed her arm.

"He's from the shadows?!" He whispered, a little annoyed. "He cannot be here," he told her.

"It is not like that. He is not one of them." Tuk reassured him.

"Mom will go off." Lo'ak added once more.

"I've got it under control." Tuk responded with a nervous sigh.

"I hope you do." He said softly.

Kauri followed Tuk through the village, keeping his head down as people whispered and stared. Tuk knew all too well what that felt like and couldn't help but feel bad. "Mom? Dad?" She called out, as she walked through her hut.

"Tuk?" Neytiri asked, twitching her ears before smiling big. "My Tuk. You are home." She said embracing her daughter.

"I'm home." Tuk responded with a smile.

"It is so good to see you." Neytiri responded with a smile, before looking up at Kauri. Her smile instantly turned to a frown. "Who is this?" She asked, simply. Tuk clenched her jaw, she could tell her mom was angry.

"Mom…please, just let me explain first." Tuk said softly, trying to calm her mother who had begun pacing, keeping her eyes on Kauri.

"You bring this demon into our home?!" She hissed at her daughter. "What did I tell you of the shadows?!" She hissed once more.

"Mom, please just listen. He is not one of them. He fled." Tuk tried to explain.

"It is true, Mrs Sully I mean no harm…" Kauri said, holding his hands up in defeat. Neytiri couldn't hold in her rage before tackling him to the floor and moving her knife to his neck.

"You are not welcome here, Demon." She hissed.

"Mom!" Tuk yelled, panicking slightly.

"The demons of the shadows do not belong within Eywa light." She hissed, digging the knife into his neck slightly. Tuk didn't even think, she just tackled her mother off him. The two women fell to the ground and hissed at one another, "What are you doing?!" Tuk asked her mother, frustrated.

"You bring the shadows to us. To your family. To your clan. The children!" Neytiri yelled, standing up but still on the defense.

"He is not the shadows. He is not!" Tuk tried to explain, before Neytiri got closer to Kauri. Tuk just intervened and pushed her mother back slightly. "You are not going to hurt him." She hissed back at her. It was that moment that Jake walked in. "What the hell is going on?!" He asked, confused but also concerned as to why his wife and his daughter were hissing at one another.

"Mother attacked my guest." Tuk said simply, helping Kauri up before standing in front of him protectively.

"He is from the shadows. Kutawato…am I right?!" She asked Kauri with a snarl.

Kauri swallowed hard, "I was. That is not who I am anymore, I never was one of them." He explained.

"Yet you carry the debt of your people." She hissed. "You are not one of us and you should not be here." Neytiri hissed before leaving, Jake just clenched his jaw and ran his hand through his hair before following his wife.

"Neytiri!" He called out to her.

"Not now!" She hissed storming away. Jake caught up to her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! That's our daughter!" He asked her, a little annoyed.

"I tell you about my history. My family history, with the people from the shadows and this is your response?!" She yelled in frustration. "She has brought this demon into our home."

Jake looked at her, "There must be an explanation…"

"Then you deal with it. If I return, I will kill him." She hissed before walking away again.

"I'm so sorry about her." Tuk said softly, attending to his neck.

"It's okay. I was expecting it. I told you it was not a good idea for me to come here."

"But you cannot return home."

"Either way, I'm a dead man." He said softly. Tuk looked up at him.

"No you are not." She responded, the pair stared at each other for a moment before Jake interrupted. Swallowing hard, she looked at him. "Hi dad." she said with a small smile.

"What are you doing bringing him here, Tuk?!" Jake asked a lot softer, knowing he didn't want to yell at her, but knowing it wasn't a good idea. Kauri looked down and swallowed hard.

"Dad, please just let me explain it." She said softly. "He is not one of them, I promise you." She begged.

"He saved my life, he betrayed his people and saved my life. Now he is outcast and at the top of their kill list…as am I. I couldn't leave him there." She told her dad. He just sighed softly.

"He can't stay here, baby." he whispered, a little sadly. Disappointed for his daughter. Tuk swallowed and looked at Kauri.

"Then we will find somewhere else to go…"

"You can't go. It is not safe for you now. You have to stay here, where you are safe." Jake told her.

"He stays or we go..it's as simple as that." Jake clenched his jaw.

"The clan will now allow it."

"Then I will pack my things."

"Tuk…" Kauri said softly. "You mustn't leave your family. Your people. It is okay, I can go."

"No, no. You are in this mess because of me, I will not allow you to face it alone." Tuk told him.

Jake looked between them, he recognised that look. Love. Even if they didn't know it yet.

"I'll see what I can do. Just stay here." Jake said before leaving.

That evening, they stayed away from the Clan to ensure Kauri was safe as they sat by the fire and ate. "What did your clan do?" Tuk asked, knowing her mother's reaction was not normal.

"It's complicated Tuk." He said softly, playing with the sand.

"No it's not. Just tell me." She said simply.

"Just forget it." Kauri said back just as simple.

"You're so annoying." Tuk said with an eye roll.

"Hey, I was going to walk away!"

"Shut up." She said with a grin. Lo'ak walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"Hey…Tonowari has demanded you to join the clan. They're not happy, Tuk." Lo'ak said softly to his sister, a little worried. Tuk clenched her jaw.

"Well, We've faced much worse huh?" She said softly, standing up.

"No, this is different, Tuk..I.." He paused. "Let's just go." He said before turning back to walk towards the clan. Tuk looked at Kauri and swallowed hard. "Let's go." She said softly.

As the pair reached the clan, she could see the people were angry. They had their spears in their hands, Tonowari looked pissed. Ronal looked like she was ready to rip her in half and her father just looked disappointed, like he tried to do all he could. Neytiri had her fists clenched as she eyed up Kauri.

"I'm not worth all this…" He whispered to Tuk.

"Shut up." She whispered back, before standing before Kauri, bowing to him. She knew this wouldn't be good.