My Child
By SparklyTree3876
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Pairing: Tonowari/Ronal (mentioned) and Jake/Neytiri (mentioned)
Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I would like to present an Avatar one shot. It is set during Avatar: The Way of Water and shows Ronal reflecting on her current pregnancy and the loss of three children she and Tonowari suffered after they had Tsireya. It actually occurs before the arrival of the Sully family. The idea for this one shot came to mind when I thought about Ronal's pregnancy in Avatar: The Way of Water. I do believe that she and Tonowari lost several children since Tsireya is a teenager. When I saw her for the first time in the teaser trailer, I fell in love with her. Kate Winslet established her as being fierce, intimidating, strong, and compassionate. I hope you enjoy this one shot. Constructive criticism is welcome.
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I stand on the beach staring at the sunset not far from the ocean. I see three black-backed dolphins leap through the air in the distance. Their sleek dark-and-light gray bodies seem to move in slow motion. It is almost as if they are about to freeze in midair. Their playful clicks fill my ears. I cannot help but smile at their beauty and gracefulness. The dolphin is the most sacred animal to my fellow Metkayina and me along with the other oceanic clans. When the first Na'vi came to these reefs, they encountered these animals and were astonished at how friendly and curious they were. A pod even protected swimmers from prowling sharks. These Na'vi made a vow never to harm dolphins and help them if they are ever in danger. This vow has been passed through the generations. Eywa has blessed us in so many ways that we have lost count.
I look down at my small baby bump. I lay both of my hands on it. My smile grows wider. I feel so grateful to have been blessed with a new child, as does Tonowari. When I told him I was pregnant, he was so happy. Aonung and Tsireya were thrilled they would have a new brother or sister. All three of them hope this one will make it, though they are cautious about it. Tonowari and I lost three children after our daughter came into our lives. Our son was still in my womb when a new Toruk Makto calling himself Jake Sully and his mate, the Omaticaya princess Neytiri, came to us requesting help to fight invaders calling themselves humans or sky people as they came from another world he referred to as Earth. We turned them down because we follow the tulkun way. We would rather not fight because we consider war horrible.
The ocean is a dangerous place to live. We have to contend with violent storms and predators that would not hesitate to snatch us up for meals. Tonowari and I were raised to be tough by our parents. You have to be in order to survive out here, regardless of age or gender. Nature does not like weakness. It will root the weak out, so the strong can survive and pass on to the next generation. It can be very cruel at times, but it can also be beautiful. Our reliance on the ocean is very important to us. We are very careful not to catch too much prey others rely on for food. White-striped dolphins are known to drive fish to us, so we can catch them. They are black across their entire bodies with a pair of white stripes on their sides starting from behind their eyes to the base of their tails. They are very beautiful. Being a tsahik can have a big advantage. I am very in tune with my surroundings as well as the thoughts and feelings of others. My connection to Eywa is very strong. I am not just a tsahik. I am a warrior too. I would do anything to protect my family, especially my children. A mother protecting her young is the most dangerous creature ever.
Three years after Tsireya's birth, I found I was pregnant for the third time. Tonowari was happy when I told him. Tsireya was not thrilled because she would no longer be the baby of the family. Aonung teased her about it. Unfortunately, I began bleeding and cramping just a month later. My mate and I were enjoying a walk when both started without any warning. He rushed me to Hi'i, our main healer. She was unable to save the baby. I miscarried our little one. We were both devastated, more me than him. I became very depressed. I refused to interact with anyone, including my own children. Tonowari confronted me over my behavior after three months. I finally broke down crying. He hugged me and rocked me from side to side for the longest time like my father would after I had a bad dream as a little girl. We had hope Eywa would bless us with another child and soon. Our baby was to be a boy. We named him Tstew.
It was another four years before I became pregnant again. Tonowari and I were uncertain at first, but we relaxed after the second month passed. Our children felt similar feelings both ways. They were eager to be big brother and sister. The pregnancy went very well. The baby moved around a lot. I was just four weeks away from giving birth when I went into labor all of a sudden while sitting with him on the beach. He took me to Hi'i. She touched my stomach and could not feel the baby moving much. I prayed to Eywa for it to be okay. At the same time, I was fearful I would lose it like I did the one before. I gave birth, but none of us heard any crying or breathing. Hi'i found the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. She unwrapped it and tried to help the baby breathe by slapping its butt. Nothing happened. She tried other ways, but none of them worked. She told us the baby was gone.
Tonowari and I broke down crying. We hugged each other for the longest time. We did not know it at the time, but Aonung and Tsireya were outside. They were crying too. We felt so bad for them because their dream of being big brother and sister had been dashed again. After I delivered the afterbirth, Hi'i wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed it to me. It was a little girl. She looked just like me. Tonowari remarked she was really beautiful. We agreed to name her Hapxi. It is never easy to bury a child. The People say parents are not supposed to outlive their children, but it happens more often than we think. The chances of dying young are rather high. The pain of losing a child never really goes away. It just gets better with time. I did experience some depression, but I was able to focus on caring for my mate and children.
Two years later, I found I was pregnant once more. Like before, my family was uncertain about this child. Once the second month had passed, they became more relaxed. This pregnancy went just as well as the one before. The baby was born right on time in a birthing ceremony we perform underwater. It is reserved for the mothers who are healthy enough to participate. Mothers with high-risk pregnancies are forbidden from participation due to the danger it would pose to both them and their babies. The ritual consists of underwater swimming with graceful moves in every direction. It often feels like we are in slow motion. I performed this ritual with Aonung and Tsireya without any issue whatsoever. This baby was a boy. Tonowari and I decided to name him Awkx.
For seven months, Awkx grew up healthy and strong. He managed to sit up without any issues whatsoever. He even began to crawl around. Aonung and Tsireya loved playing with him. They were always asking if they could watch him. The only thing they did not like was changing him. They nearly fainted a few times to my and Tonowari's amusement. Everything changed when Awkx woke us up crying really loud after he turned eight months old. He began having trouble breathing right after I picked him up in hopes of comforting him. We took him to Hi'i, who discovered he was suffering from a lung infection. She gave him some medicine. We prayed to Eywa. He seemed to be recovering from the infection two days later. Unfortunately, he deteriorated rapidly the next day. By nightfall, he passed away. The entire family was greatly saddened by this news. We could not understand why this kept happening, especially me. I kept wondering if I was meant to be a mother to just two children. I was depressed a little more over this loss. Despite that, I was able to focus on caring for my family.
I run my hands over my stomach. Though I am cautious about this child's survival, I am very hopeful as well. Aonung has been training hard to be a hunter and a free diver over the last few years, as has Tsireya. They have never forgotten the brothers and sister they lost. Tonowari and I think about Tstew, Hapxi, and Awkx every moment of every day. We wonder what might have been. However, we can't think about the what-ifs constantly. We must focus on our children who are still here. They need us just as much as we need them. My child will have to be tough to survive in this environment like we have. Whatever the future holds, I have hope it will grow up healthy and strong. There is nothing like a mother's love for her child.
THE END