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Chapter 10: Following The Heart

Lo'ak rushed into his parents hut in a panic. The events of the last few hours had knocked everyone but with the Metkayina people okay, his main concern now was Tuk.

"Dad, she took Pele!" Lo'ak told him, not even making it to the door. Jake's ears perked quickly as he looked straight up. "Tuk, she's gone!" He added once more.

"What?" Jake asked in a panic, he was worried for his daughter. Neytiri looked up in panic too.

"Tuk?" She whispered, standing up.

"Stay here." Jake told his wife, as he and Lo'ak ran to their Ikran's.

"She's gone to find him dad." Lo'ak said worried as they jumped on.

"I know. We have to find her, the Kutawato are still out there." Jake said simply, before the pair flew off.

Tuk, despite her injuries, had spent the last few hours flying around the plains, the forests, everywhere she could think of. Kauri wouldn't have made it back to the shadows yet, it was a long way by foot and he had only been gone a few hours. She'd been searching for so long and she didn't know why but she felt like her whole world had shattered, all she wanted was to find him.

"Kauri, where are you?" She whispered to herself as she searched the grounds.

"She'll be considered a traitor." Lo'ak said sadly, he worried for his little sister.

"I know..we just, we just have to find her first." Jake responded, he couldn't bear losing his youngest baby but he also knew the power of love and how strong it consumes you. Neytiri had sacrificed a lot to be with him, Tuk was much like her mother. She followed the heart.

It was beginning to get dark which made things a little harder since everything lit up around her meaning that she would not be able to see Kauri's eyes so easily. Though something was telling her to bank left, something she did. "Come on…" She whispered out. Letting out a breath she feared she would not find him again, that they would never be together again and this shattered her. This was not something her heart could handle. When she was beginning to give up hope, Pele had called to her slightly before swooping down at her own command. Tuk twitched her ears before she saw him, in the distance but she saw him. "Good girl, good girl Pele." Tuk said in relief, stroking her neck.

As they got closer to the ground, Tuk jumped down and ran behind him. "Kauri!" She called out. He turned when he heard his name and his eyes widened.

"Tuk?" He asked, seeing her get closer to him. He didn't even have a chance to process it before she had jumped in his arms. "Owww…" He grunted slightly, but held onto her tightly.

"Sorry, sorry." She whispered out, moving her hand to his wound on his stomach as she found her feet on the floor again.

"What…what are you doing here?" He asked, moving his hands to her cheeks. Both their breaths deep and intense and the situation.

She swallowed hard looking at him, "You once said that if I died, you died." She said looking up at him. "Well it's the same for me, you go…I go." She whispered.

"Tuk, that is your home, your people." He told her softly, holding her face gently. Her hands placed on his waist.

"And I love it so much, but I cannot be there without you. I must follow my heart." She whispered.

"And what does your heart tell you?" He asked, looking down at her. Tuk paused slightly.

"That I love you. More than you could ever know…" She whispered. Kauri looked at her and smiled softly, leaning down to kiss her gently before moving his forehead to hers.

"And I love you…" He whispered once more.

They just took each other in for a moment, holding one another in the middle of the woodlands.

Tuk attended to his wounds a little later on, when they had finally settled in the woods. A shelter under a large hollow tree. It would do for the night. She applied some of the natural oils from the flora around her as she soothed his stitched wound. "What now?" Kauri asked, watching her attend to his wounds.

"I do not know." She whispered.

"There is nowhere for us to go." Kauri told her softly.

"Then I guess we will live as outcasts." She whispered. "We will find a safe place to live. Start a new life." Tuk added.

"Tuk…I can't ask that off you. Your family, your people." He whispered, moving his hand to her shoulder. She just swallowed hard and looked at him.

"I will always see my family, I will just not be one of the people." She whispered. "It is time I begin my life away from my home. All I know is that without you, I cannot breathe. I have never felt such things." She whispered. "Also annoying because I never wanted these things either, skawng." She teased.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "You never wanted to marry? Nor children?" He asked curiously.

"No…but now I think that has all changed."

"I never wanted that either, I never wanted to raise children within the shadows, never wanted to raise them to live the way of the Kutawato." He told her.

"And now?"

"Now that has all changed for me too." He whispered. She smiled softly looking at him.

"Is it all over now?" She asked.

"I think so. Hanoa is dead, they may look to a new leader now…a new Tsahik. I am not sure what they will do in the future but for now, I know they will not risk their numbers again." Kauri explained.

"I hate them…" She whispered.

"Me too." he mumbled, knowing it was hard for him because that was his family but he most definitely did not like them.

"Let's just rest." Tuk whispered, laying down next to him.

The following morning, Tuk had gone out for a hunt knowing his eyes were not protected from the light and also he was still wounded. With her bow and arrow she searched the woodlands, in hopes for something to eat. Neither of them had eaten in over 24 hours, they were starving, weak. As she focused on one specific target, she crouched down and got into her hunting position, preparing her bow and ready to fire it but as she did, two large ikran's landed, scaring it away.

Withdrawing her bow she clenched her jaw and looked at the two familiar Ikran's, she knew this would happen and she couldn't hide from it. She watched as her father jumped down from his banshee looking around, Lo'ak shortly following after. "Tuk!" Jake called out, all he wanted was to find his daughter.

"Do you think she's here?" Lo'ak asked.

"I know she is. I can feel her." He said softly. Tuk swallowed hard and fought back her tears, before debating what to do. After a moment, she walked from behind the bushes towards them. "Tuk…" Jake whispered out, going over to hug her tightly.

"Hi dad…" She whispered out, sadly.

"Baby you have to come home." Jake whispered. Tuk bit her lip looking up at him.

"Not without him.."

"He can't Tuk." Lo'ak said softly.

"Then neither can I…" she told them. Jake just sighed sadly.

"Baby, I know how you feel. I understand it and this kills me. But you cannot stay out here, it is not safe. This isn't your home." Jake whispered, almost begging her.

"He is my home…" She whispered out sadly. "I cannot explain it, I cannot be without him." She whispered. "And he is innocent father, he did not do this. He fought back, he was willing to kill his sister. He tried to stop them and…" She couldn't even finish her sentence before she just began crying. Jake just pulled her to his chest, comforting her.

"It's okay." He whispered. "I know baby girl, I know." He said softly. He knew because this happened to him with the sky people. Lo'ak swallowed hard, he hated seeing her like this.

"I don't know what to do." Tuk whispered out.

"Do whatever it is your heart is telling you to do." Jake asked her, moving his hands to her cheeks. He clenched his jaw knowing this meant he would probably lose his daughter forever, but her happiness was his priority. Tuk looked up at him and swallowed hard.

"We will always be family." She whispered. "And we will always see each other." She said softly. "But I must stay with him…I love him." She told the men. Lo'ak swallowed hard and wiped his tears slightly.

"It's going to be really strange without you around, Tuk…" He said to his sister with a small smile.

"I guess you'll have to visit often then." She said with a smile, before pulling her big brother into a hug. Jake watched and fought back his own tears. This was what was best. As a parent it was about sacrifice, he had to sacrifice his needs for his daughters.

After saying her emotional goodbyes, she headed back to the hollow hole in the tree and swallowed hard. She was so out of it.

"Tuk?" Kauri asked, sitting up slightly. "You didn't find a hunt?" He asked. Tuk looked down to see she had come back empty handed.

"Oh…uhm…" she ran her hand through her hair.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"My dad and Lo'ak came for me…asked me to return home." She said softly, "I couldn't…I couldn't…" She whispered out before breaking down again, that's all she felt like she did lately, just cry. Kauri didn't even hesitate and took her in his arms, ignoring his pain and soothed her. Kissing on the top of her head. He hated this, he truly did but he knew it would all work out in the end, this was truly Eywa's plan after all.