Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the plots of Avatar!

Chapter 9: He is Not One of Us.

The woodland lit up in flames and he could hear the war cries coming from within the trees. Oh those war cries. What had he done? As the Metkayina scrambled from their huts, disturbed from their sleep, crying out at the sight. The hunters got their spears and were prepared to defend. Neytiri ran out of her hut and saw what was going on, as did Jake.

"Neytiri!" He yelled, throwing her her bow and arrow. Neytiri instantly ran to her Ikran, flying into the night sky to get better views. Jake grabbed his weapons and loaded them up.

"Go! Hide!" Lo'ak told Tsireya who had hold of their scared children, Kiri holding onto her children too. "Go! I will come find you!" Lo'ak told her, as his sister and wife went to hide with the other woman and children.

Tuk ran out of her hut and looked around, hearing the war cries. "Kauri." She whispered out, grabbing her bow before running to find him. People were scattered everywhere, trying to defend their home. Tonowari leading with Jake by his side. Another explosion causing Tuk to lose her balance but Kauri catching her.

"It's Kutawato." He told her.

"You have to leave." She told him. "They'll kill you."

"No. I'm staying and I'm fighting." He told her. Tuk swallowed hard and looked at him. Moving her forehead against his before they parted ways to fight. Tuk also flew on her Ikran as they fought, alongside her mother.

"The shadows!" She hissed to her daughter. Tuk just swallowed hard and grabbed her bow, she knew this was one big mess.

Kauri had ran towards the war cries until he found his sister. "Hanoa!" He yelled, "This has to stop, this isn't right." He told her. Hanoa looked at him.

"You betray us brother. For these people who think nothing but demon of you." She hissed.

"This isn't right. Stop this now." He told her calmly.

"This is the way of Eywa!" she hissed.

"You are lost!" He yelled at her, hissing back.

"If you do not stand aside I will kill you." she told him. His heart broke slightly, his own sister. This was just how much the shadows consumed her. What they did to people. Pulling out his knife.

"If that is my fate." He whispered. "But I will not let you destroy this village." He hissed before charging at her as the siblings fought on the floor.

Tuk looked down and saw, knowing she needed to help. As she shot another Kutawato that had climbed through the trees she had swooped down to Kauri and Hanoa. Seeing that she had got him in a chokehold, Tuk hissed and jumped on her from behind, pulling her off him. When the girls regained their balance, they hissed at one another.

"My Tuk!" Neytiri yelled, seeing her.

"Traitor." Hanoa hissed at her. Tuk just hissed back as Kauri lay on the floor, bleeding and trying to regain his focus. "You will die, just like your people." Hanoa added again.

"Then I shall take you down with me." She hissed before launching at her and battling on the ground with her. Jake, Lo'ak, Tonowari and the hunters had managed to keep the Kutawato from entering the village and so it was only the woodlands that were being damaged but it was still just as devastating. Huts were catching fire now too as wind allowed it to spread.

Tuk and Hanoa still fighting on the grounds, she would not give in. "You know this is wrong, Hanoa!" Tuk told her.

"The way of Eywa is never wrong." She hissed, throwing her arm in her direction, getting her pinned to the floor.

"You are not the way of Eywa!" Tuk said in a struggle as she tried to get her off her. Neytiri began to panic knowing she had to defend the woodlands too, but seeing her daughter fighting was awful. Kauri managed to regain his balance. "Enough!" He yelled to his sister, pulling her off her.

"You betray us!" Hanoa yelled, before plunging her knife into her brother's stomach.

"KAURI!" Tuk yelled, watching as he fell to the floor. This only infuriated her and she once more ferociously attacked Hanoa. The girls ended up with knives at each other's throats but not strong enough to keep it from piercing their skin.

"This could have been different." Tuk told her.

"You should have never come to our home." Hanoa hissed, she was so full of hatred. "Now you will not see yours again." She hissed, about to slash her with her knife before she was pierced by a huge arrow from behind. Then another and another. Tuk just dropped her knife and watched as the life in Hanoa's eyes began to fade and she fell to the ground. Tuk looked up and saw her mother with the bow in her hand, she had saved her life. Tuk fell to the ground in exhaustion and Neytiri ran straight to her.

"Why did you do that?" Tuk asked her mother.

"You are not a murderer, my sweet girl." She whispered, moving her hand to her cheek. "I will take your burdens and your pain…always." She whispered, kissing on her forehead. Tuk looked up at her, "I'm so sorry mom." She whispered out.

"Shhhh…my sweet girl. It is alright." She whispered, embracing her. Tuk held onto her until she realized Kauri was hurt.

"Kauri!" She yelled, shooting up and running to him, "You are bleeding." She said in a panic, moving her hands to his stomach.

"It is okay. It is okay…" He whispered to her. Neytiri watched on, remembering that moment with Neteyam.

"No. No…" She whispered, letting out a soft tear. "You cannot leave me. You cannot." She told Kauri. "We have to get you help." Tuk told him. Kauri just smiled and moved his hand to her cheek.

"I see you…" He whispered, before closing his eyes. Tuk just cried out and rested her forehead on his chest sobbing. Neytiri swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a moment.

"He is gone, Tuk." She said firmly.

"No! No he's not!" She yelled through her tears. Neytiri was angry because it was him who had brought the shadows here but she could see her daughter's pain and she hated it. Hissing slightly, she grabbed him and took him to one of the huts where he could be healed.#

The battle felt like forever and though it was mainly the woods that had been destroyed, some huts there were close to the woodlands had been too. They were devastated. It was the morning after and people were out early fixing everything from the battle. They were sad, they were angry but all Tuk could think about - despite her own wounds was Kauri who was resting in his hut. Going to see him, she smiled softly seeing that he was still alive. "Hi." She whispered.

"Hey…" He said weakly. Tuk swallowed hard and went to attend to his wounds that had been seen too. No words exchanged between them since all of this was so fresh. Tuk feared what would happen next. Lo'ak walked in then, he looked devastated. "Tonowari has called for Kauri…" he said simply, sadly knowing this wasn't going to end well. Tuk swallowed hard and nodded before looking at Kauri.

"It's going to be okay, Tuk." He whispered. She just clenched her jaw and helped him up.

As they walked through the people to the beach, they heard whispers. Angry whispers.

"He did this!"

"He brought them here!"

"He's not one of us!"

"Traitor!"

"Demon!"

"We don't want him here!"

"He's not one of us!"

All of it broke her heart, especially since they were beginning to accept him. Tonowari looked furious and when they arrived in front of him, both Jake and Neytiri pulled her away from Kauri knowing he had to stand this judgment alone. "Kauri.." Tuk called out sadly as her parents dragged her away. She could see who was sad by this from their expression and those who were angry.

"Tonowari, I had nothing to do with this. please." Kauri begged, holding onto his wound as he tried to stand up weakly.

"You don't belong here!" Tonowari yelled in anger.

"Please, I ask for your forgiveness." Kauri asked softly.

"Tonowari please, listen to him." Tuk called out. Only to be silenced by Neytiri.

"You will never be one of the people!" Ronal yelled.

"When you arrived you asked for judgment and I pass it now!" Tonowari yelled. Tuk's breathing heavy and panicking, her eyes filling with tears. Jake didn't know what to do. He had been in this exact situation with the sky people.

"Kauri…" Tuk whispered out through tears, as the people around her yelled terrible things at him.

"EXILE!" Tonowari yelled.

"NO!" Tuk yelled sadly. "Kauri!" She called to him. Neytiri stopped her daughter once more.

Kauri clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, devastated, before looking at her and feeling his eyes fill with tears too. He had messed up so bad. He just nodded and accepted his fate before turning to walk away.

"Kauri…" Tuk called out, escaping her mother's grasp, attempting to run towards him, but Lo'ak stepped in front of her this time.

"Tuk…" He told his little sister softly. "You can't…" He whispered, devastated for his sister but he could not overrule this.

"Kauri!" She called to him once more, before breaking down in her brother's arms. Lo'ak swallowed hard and held onto her, sinking to the sand with her as the people shouted more things in his direction. This was the worst day of Tuk's life. At least it felt like it.