Author's Note: Here we go! Another one!
Tsyeyk curls up around a sleeping Tsu'tey, no doubt disturbing him despite Tsyeyk's best intentions to be soothing by softly running a finger up and down his best friend's little nose. Tsu'tey will occasionally smile in his sleep before his face slackens again. Arvok was up and out at lessons just before Tsyeyk arrived. It seems like Tsu'tey's parents were willing to let him sit out his own lessons this morning. Tsyeyk's going to be starting his own soon enough. Until he's old enough to take lessons, he goes with Neytiri to a carer that just looks after the kids that have parents whose jobs prevent them from being able to always look out for them.
Still, it's nice to be able to be here for Tsu'tey. He feels better about those feelings of fear from earlier now that he has Tsu'tey here with him. Tsyeyk cuddles closer, pressing into the other boy's warmth, being sure to pull his legs up so he doesn't accidentally kick Tsu'tey's wounded ankle - again. Thankfully the first time all he did was whimper and flinch, so the adults didn't hear, but Tsyeyk felt so bad. He pulled Tsu'tey into his arms and whispered no to the owies, catching Tsu'tey smiling a bit against his cheek.
Tsu'tey smiles a lot in his sleep, he's come to learn. Tsyeyk gets a giggle every time he sees it. He will nuzzle close, grinning brightly every time.
Daddy sticks around to talk to Tsu'tey's mommy and daddy. They spoke in quiet whispers, but Tsyeyk is able to pick out bits and pieces of what they are saying. They are worried about the strange monsters. They have never seen anything like them before. They don't know why they are here or what they could be doing out there. They are worried about what this could mean. They're scared - well, this they didn't say. That Tsyeyk felt all on his own.
Tsyeyk presses closer still to Tsu'tey, inching his little face closer to the other boy's, feeling the heat of his breath washing over Tsyeyk's chin. Tsu'tey puts an arm around him, no doubt sensing Tsyeyk seeking comfort. Tsu'tey's parents' hut is dark enough that Tsyeyk can feel himself start to doze, comforted by Tsu'tey being there for him. But that had always been the case, ever since the moment they met, Tsyeyk and Tsu'tey have always just clicked. They fit together perfectly.
Daddy's hand touches his ribs, pulling him faintly back into awareness, hearing his daddy say softly, "Tsyeyk, I knew you were going to do this. You woke up too early. Let Tsu'tey rest."
"He's okay," Ateyo says, a short distance away. "If Tsu'tey is asleep, he won't let Tsyeyk go anyway."
"That boy made himself a light sleeper to make sure he'd wake up if Tsyeyk pulled away from him," Tsu'tey's mommy - Artsut - says quietly. "After losing him that one time and him waking in a panic not able to find him? That was it. We can't so much as move about the hut without waking him and if he's holding his little brother and he has to go potty in the middle of the night? Tsu'tey will wake to him pulling away."
Daddy sighs, and Tsyeyk feels his daddy's fingers brush against a spot on his forehead pressed against Tsu'tey's. He must be petting down Tsu'tey's hair like he does to Tsyeyk and his sisters. "I remember it scaring him so bad. He was crying in a panic, came running out of the hut, searching wildly. Mo'at calls Tsyeyk a little escape artist. I still have no idea how he gets out of Hometree without anyone seeing him."
"Chief," Tsu'tey says softly, his hand gripping Tsyeyk's shoulder blade tightly. "Tsyeyk's sleeping..."
A small hiss from one of his parents makes Tsu'tey's forehead, still pressed to Tsyeyk's, crinkle a bit, but Daddy chuckles, petting Tsu'tey's hair again before running his hands down Tsyeyk's ribs, the action pulling the younger boy closer to unconsciousness once more.
"I see this. He was so worried about you, Tsu'tey. Will you be able to rest with him here? Or should I take him home to sleep?"
Tsu'tey's grip on him tightens a bit more. "No... no. Please, Olo'eyktan, please let him stay. I feel all better with him here."
A moment of silence before daddy quietly asks, "Is it okay? It won't be for long. I just need to check on a few things, then I'll take him home, if he's not already up for the day. If he wakes before I get back, just shoo him to Mo'at. She'll occupy him."
"He'll be fine," Ateyo says, voice soft. "We never have problems with Tsyeyk here."
Daddy leans down and kisses his temple before Tsyeyk falls off into slumber once more with Tsu'tey wrapped tightly around him.
Tsu'tey's owie wasn't so bad. He couldn't walk on his ankle for a few weeks, but Tsyeyk dutifully stayed by his side. They played games with toys Ateyo carved for them when Tsu'tey should have been in lessons, but he couldn't participate because of his ankle. They switched off on who sat with them. It was mostly Mo'at, who had them situated in the corner of her hut while she worked, but occasionally, Ateyo would swing by, put Tsu'tey on his back and bring the boys with him.
When lessons were over, Sylwanin, Neytiri - who was with a carer that technically Tsyeyk should be with too, but everyone was nice enough to let him stick around with Tsu'tey instead, and Arvok would all either go back to Tsu'tey's family hut or Tsyeyk's and they would play games for hours. Tsyeyk would run around chasing a laughing Neytiri until he fell down and cried in Tsu'tey's arms while Sylwanin would rub at his back. Arvok, thankfully, would keep Neytiri busy until Tsyeyk recovers. Tsu'tey would softly coo him, running a hand up and down his flanks until he was better and ready to play again.
Once Tsu'tey was all better again, things go back to normal. Tsyeyk misses being able to spend pretty much the entire day with Tsu'tey, but he was happy to see that his best friend was all better once more. It took some time, but Tsyeyk began to notice again that the adults were worried about something. About the monsters that were still out there in the forest. They weren't necessarily coming straight for Hometree, but they were steadily getting closer and closer. And despite how loud their strange ikran are, it took about three months for daddy's hunters to finally figure out where they had set their clan up.
Tsyeyk didn't get to see it, even though he heard his parents whispering about it when they thought that he was asleep, nestled between his sisters. Neytiri grumbles against his chest, face scrunching up as if her dreams have insulted her, before smoothing out again. Sylwanin shifts in her sleep. Then again. Then again. She presses her back to his and he wonders if she's awake too, listening to their parents talk.
"They are not Na'vi," daddy says, his voice low. "They are strange and small, but they hurt the forest. They destroy what they touch."
"They do not See," mommy says, her voice soft and raspy. He opens his eyes and looks over Neytiri to see his mommy's back as she sits up, talking with daddy. "The Great Mother has shown them to me. They are reckless. They are wild. But they are also young. They don't See as we do."
"So, on top of being destructive, they are also blind," daddy growls, somehow managing to keep his voice low despite the roughness in his tone. Sylwanin tenses behind Tsyeyk and now he knows that she's awake too. "They destroy what they touch. They threaten our very way of life, ma Mo'at. They are strangers in our forest. We should remove them before they dig in more like gurx worms. Disturb the very foundation we rest upon."
Mommy doesn't say anything for a moment, considering daddy's words.
"They could have killed Tsu'tey," mommy says, making Tsyeyk tense up. Sylwanin does too. She turns again, wrapping her arms around Tsyeyk's chest, pressing her forehead into the back of his shoulder. She gives him a comforting squeeze. "We have seen the things that they do. They could have killed him, but they didn't. You said one of them stopped them."
"That means nothing, my love," Daddy says sharply. He lowers his voice more, realizing his growing anger was affecting the volume of his voice. "Just because the worst thing didn't happen, doesn't mean we should see them as anything less than what they have shown us. They are strangers infiltrating our home and before they dig in too deep, we should do something to rid ourselves of their filth. Of their ignorance and their cruelty. They are destroying our home."
Mommy doesn't argue. She just sits in silence before reaching forward and running her hand down the side of daddy's face. His hand comes up and presses against her own, holding it there as he closes his eyes. He leans into her touch and Tsyeyk can see a look of worry crossing over his face as they lower down onto their sides, getting ready for bed.
"Did you speak with the Great Mother again?" Daddy asks softly. "Did she say anything else?"
"No," Mommy says just as softly. "They don't See. She's... quiet about them. There is something about them that doesn't settle well. It's like the Great Mother isn't sure what to do yet. Or if she does, she isn't saying for the moment." She sighs softly, leaning forward to press her forehead against his and Tsyeyk watches his dad's hand slide over her waist to hold her close. "Sometimes, ma Eytukan, we must figure out for ourselves what is right in front of us. Do you think I knew what to do when I saw Tsyeyk for the first time?"
"Yes," dad says easily. Sylwanin hugs him tightly.
Mom lets out a huff, shaking her head and pressing closer to him. "What I mean, is that the Great Mother didn't come out and say what I had to do. I just... knew. When I saw him, dirty and feral, wide-eyed and beautiful. He was so scared; he had never seen another like him before. But he let me close to him. He was so scared, yet he wanted this connection so badly. He let me touch him and hug him and hold him. He let me love him. He wanted it so bad despite being afraid. I just knew, holding him in my arms as I rocked him to sleep under the light of the Tree of Souls, that he was special. He wasn't clanless or abandoned. He was waiting there, for me."
Dad is quiet for a long moment, hand running up and down her side. "The Great Mother showed you nothing?"
"No," she says. "It was just a regular day. I had no indication, no feeling something like this would happen. I just went because it had been a long time since I went directly to the Tree of Souls to pray. And there he was. Maybe that decision alone was the Great Mother's will. Or maybe it was just an accident. He had to be out there for years, and we never crossed paths with him. He didn't know how to take care of himself, yet he survived all alone."
They are both quiet for a long moment before she continues, softly, "What I am trying to say, is that we don't always know until it's right in front of us. We have to learn more too. Who these strange beasts are. What they want. Maybe then we will have a clearer picture of what comes next."
"You are right, Mo'at," daddy says softly. "I will trust in your judgement. We will continue to observe. We will learn what we can about these strange beasts and decide what to do next when the time comes."
Tsyeyk had a dream a few weeks later. It wasn't a very interesting dream outside of it being about Tsu'tey. Tsyeyk could see him, but as a bigger version of himself. He was standing before the clan, giving a speech but Tsyeyk was too distracted by how pretty he was to hear what he was saying. But it was strange to see him wearing daddy's ceremonial cover. It was a surprise, but not a bad one, as usually Tsyeyk's dreams are about his reflection. Him, but not him. A boy, like him, living a life that isn't his own. In a place that is strange and unfamiliar. But this person... this him. He knows Him.
This dream about Tsu'tey wasn't like those dreams about his reflection. Those were hazy and tilted as if off-center. It's like he was looking at it from across a room. Or through some sort of obscuring film. The finer details unclear. With Tsu'tey's dream, Tsyeyk was just too enraptured to take in any of those finer details to say one way or the other. Tsu'tey was just so... eye catching. Tall and eloquent. His motions strong and sure. His expression stern and powerful. He was absolutely radiant.
He only woke to daddy returning to have breakfast with them before the rest of their day started. He had missed his sisters and mom waking up and moving about. The dream about Tsu'tey was still so fresh in his mind. He never imagined what an older Tsu'tey would look like - but if that was it? He was beautiful!
Mommy was quiet as she made breakfast with Sylwanin. And Neytiri was playing with their toys next to a sleeping Tsyeyk when daddy walked in. Neytiri immediately abandons Tsyeyk to rush over to daddy, crying out in joy at the sight of him and jumping into his arms when he knelt down to grab onto her. Mommy doesn't appear to notice that he was there until he leaned down to press a kiss into her hair. Then she smiled at him, but something about it made daddy frown.
Mom called for food, glancing over at Tsyeyk like she was about to go wake him, only to smile in acknowledgement as he sits up, rubbing his eyes groggily. As they were sitting around eating, daddy holding Neytiri on his lap, feeding her carefully when Tsyeyk finally looks over at his mom, having taken enough bites to come back to life once more, and says, "Tsyeyk see Tu'tey!"
Mom glances over at him, curiously. "You want to see him? You'll have to wait until after breakfast, then we can see if we can walk him to lessons."
Tsyeyk's tail swirls happily at the thought of getting to see his best friend. "And daddy's cover?" He wondered what Tsu'tey would look like now with it on. He's never seen anyone but daddy wear it. But it looked so nice on big Tsu'tey!
Mom tenses up, and dad frowns at him, then looks over at mom. But she's staring at Tsyeyk, her eyes wide. She sets her food to the side and stands up, slinking gracefully around the fire to lower next to him, reaching out to tuck a braid behind his ear. "You saw Tsu'tey wearing your father's ceremonial cover? When?" Despite her gentle actions, there is something about her expression that is more intense.
Tsyeyk scrunches his lips to the side, trying to think of what the word was. But he didn't know it. He points over to his little nest of blankets that he and his family sleep on the ground off to the side. "Nap time. Tu'tey at nap time."
Mom leans closer, pushing his braids over his shoulders, her eyes bright. "And you saw him? How did he look?"
"Pretty!" Tsyeyk gushes, tail twirling happily behind him. "Tu'tey pretty!"
Mom smiles, a glint sparkling in her eye as Sylwanin sweetly teases, "You love Tsu'tey, Tsyeyk. You always say he's pretty."
Tsyeyk giggles, turning cresting eyes to his older sister. "Tu'tey is pretty!" he stresses. Sylwanin laughs.
Mom touches his shoulder to make him look at her again. When he does, she asks, "How else did he look, Tsyeyk? Other than pretty? Did he look like himself?"
"Big," Tsyeyk says, eyes wide. He straightens up his spine and holds his arms up high above his head, measuring that Tsu'tey had to have been at least the height of his finger tips up. "Big, big, mommy."
A look crosses over her face before it softens. Then she leans down to kiss his braids and looks over at his dad who cuts up a piece of food to give to Neytiri. Her mouth having been wide open this entire time waiting for the food to come flying into it. "I had a dream about Tsu'tey last night. I saw him stand before the clan as the next Olo'eyktan."
"Mommy? Mommy saw Tu'tey?" Tsyeyk asks, eyes wider still. "Tsyeyk and mommy?"
"You saw him as Olo'eyktan?" Sylwanin asks, casting a look at Tsyeyk, then looking back over at their mom. "Daddy's heir? Not Tsyeyk?"
"Daddy's heir, not Tsyeyk?" Tsyeyk echoes, looking between them.
"Not Tsy, Daddy!" Neytiri says, looking up at their dad from his lap. He offers the youngest of them a gentle look before looking over at mom, studying her expression.
Mom, while maintaining eye contact with dad, answers Sylwanin, "My love, Tsyeyk was always meant for my position. He is spiritually so connected to the Great Mother that there was no way he wasn't going to be Tsahik. Although we had spoken about him perhaps being both Tsahik and Olo'eyktan, but..."
"Do you think this is the Great Mother trying to show us the path forward?" dad asks, carefully adjusting Neytiri on his lap. "Tsu'tey will be my heir?"
Mom blinks, looking down at her hands. Tsyeyk reaches out to touch some of the bracelets on his mom's wrist. She smiles at his actions, bringing her hand onto his lap so that he could play easier. He feels mom's eyes on the top of his head as she considers daddy's question. Finally, softly, she says, "I don't know yet. I will go and pray to the Great Mother. Perhaps she will show me more." A pause, then, softer, "Tsyeyk and I saw the same thing, I think. That means something."
"Daddy, bite?" Neytiri asks, opening her mouth and pointing to her food.
Daddy blinks out of his thoughts, staring at mom a beat longer before cutting up another piece of food to put into Neytiri's little hand. She promptly tosses it into her mouth and chews happily.
Tsyeyk leans into his mom's side, glancing over at Sylwanin, while his hands still play with his mom's bracelets. Sylwanin smiles at him. She leans forward a bit and she asks, "Do you want to go out and play after lessons, Tsyeyk? Neytiri?" She looks down at her little sister too.
"Play!" Neytiri cheers, clapping her hands and giggling happily.
Tsyeyk's expression brightens, his tail swinging behind him. "Yes! Yes!"
Mom smiles at her eldest daughter before looking over at her mate, giving him a look. They communicate for a moment before mom softly offers, "Maybe it has been long enough since we have all gone out together. Don't you think so, Eytukan?" Sylwanin perks up in surprise, not having expected their busy parents to consider coming with them on such short notice.
Daddy nods, pressing his lips into Neytiri's braids as she excitedly squeals, still clapping her hands. "I think you are right, Mo'at. Our children want to go play."
"That they do," mom murmurs, laughing as Tsyeyk crawls into her lap, cheering happily. She manages to maneuver Tsyeyk's food off to the side to keep it from scattering all over the place. She hugs him close as Sylwanin happily scoots into daddy's open arm, smiling brightly up at him as he nuzzled the top of her head. "Now finish eating, my children, if we want to go out and play tonight, then we must finish up all our lessons promptly."
"Come on!" Sylwanin calls, holding onto Neytiri's hand as they race around the small pond, neatly jumping up onto rocks and dodging the spray of water from the fish jumping around in the water. Tsyeyk laughs breathlessly, chasing after them. All three children scream in joy as Daddy sends a wave of water at them. Neytiri catches the brunt of it, soaking her, but she's too busy laughing hysterically, pushing wet braids from her face to care.
Sylwanin laughs, reaching down to pick up the smaller girl and continue running with Neytiri in her arms while Tsyeyk jumps into the water and runs over to his dad, wrapping his arms around his dad's leg. When his dad looks down at him, his smile grows as Tsyeyk playfully hisses up at him, flashing dual sets of tiny fangs. Daddy laughs down at him, scooping him up and cradling him in his arms. Daddy nuzzles him lovingly while mom grabs onto Sylwanin and Neytiri, laughing as Neytiri screams in glee and Sylwanin throws her head back to laugh.
They play around for hours. It's been so long since Tsyeyk has had some real quality time with his siblings and parents that wasn't in the little space of their home. Tsyeyk never minded whatever time they could spend with one another, but this was his favorite so far. They played around, then Tsyeyk and Neytiri got to watch as Sylwanin tried to use the bow for the first time, cheering each time she successfully managed to shoot the arrow, even if it never hit anything. Sylwanin was glowing with pride at being the center of attention, grinning with a flush to her cheeks every time Tsyeyk and Neytiri cheer for her from their mom's lap so that they don't run into the path of the arrow and risk getting hurt and mom would clap, a sweet smile on her face.
Finally, daddy caught dinner for them and even let Tsyeyk help carry some of it back to Hometree. Daddy stepped away for a bit to check in with the clan before returning to help mom finish up with dinner while Tsyeyk and his sisters played off to the side. After dinner Tsyeyk and his sisters curled up for bed after some more playing. And just before their parents were about to join them, one of the hunters appeared, apologized for the interruption before stepping closer with one look at Tsyeyk, Neytiri, and Slywanin, he lowered his voice and whispered something to daddy and mommy. Both looked troubled. Despite Sylwanin asking if everything was okay, mommy had them lay down and stayed with them until they were all drifting to sleep while daddy left with the hunter.
Tsyeyk dreamed of his reflection again, images jarred and detached - like he was used to. He wished that he could dream of Tsu'tey instead. At least then he could at least see things that were familiar to him, not things and places that don't make sense. But despite how weird this dream always is, this time it felt stranger. Like there was something more going on. Like between the threads of the dream, there was something more. Something flowing between it. It felt like Mother. Like somehow she was weaving the dream together.
Then, this pale skinned reflection of himself suddenly turns and looks right at him. His face, so similar to his own, comes in crystal clear. And it wasn't exactly his face! It was... different. Against the background of the distorting image, Tsyeyk sees spotted blues and purples and reds.
Then something hard hits him, making him jolt awake with a yelp of fear and pain at the explosion in his side.
Tsyeyk's eyes dart around in fear, panic swelling in him as he starts to cry, realizing he wasn't at home, in his family hut with his sisters. He was out in the darkened forest staring at something... strange. A set of strange... trees? Hometrees that are tiny and laid out behind massive fencing that is a cold stone color. There are lights on the Hometrees that are blocked and unnatural. There are swirling lights above the fencing the fire these long beams of white that hurt Tsyeyk's eyes in the darkness, one of which is heading right for him.
Tsyeyk cries out in terror when he realizes something is hauling him back, away from the light. It carries him dozens of feet, panting hard as the light gets closer and manages to make it into the forest before turning Tsyeyk around. The boy wasn't sure if he expected one of the scary monsters that could have hurt Tsu'tey but didn't or maybe one of the beasts of the forest, but daddy's face was such a relief that Tsyeyk cried out and wrapped around his daddy tightly, tears of fear and relief leaking from his eyes.
Daddy folds over him, face pressed into Tsyeyk's shoulder, rocking back and forth, holding him tightly, still panting and Tsyeyk can feel his heart racing from the pulse points on his neck and his chest that Tsyeyk's stomach is pressed against. Mom drops down behind him, pressing her face into the back of Tsyeyk's head, letting out her own shuttering breath, her hands running up and down daddy's sides, as if trying to ease his panic. It seems to help as his body sinks into her touch a bit, only fully relaxing when she rasps out an affirmation of, "You got him."
Tsyeyk opens his eyes, blinking through tears to see hunters gathered around, all their bows pulled taut aimed at the strange collections of tiny Hometrees, their faces lined with stress and worry.
"Hurt, daddy!" he whines, his side hurting from how hard daddy had slammed into him.
"I'm sorry, my son," daddy whispers, voice strained. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Tsyeyk pulls back a bit to look at his dad's face, closing his eyes when daddy leaned forward to kiss at them, and then his cheeks and then his forehead. He lightly squeezes his dad's shoulders, whispering, "Owie, daddy."
Daddy nuzzles his cheek, pressing another kiss there. "I'm sorry, Tsyeyk."
Tsyeyk twists his head around a bit to look towards the small Hometrees. The field leading up to them is filled with Mother, Atokirina, mom calls them, her soft glowing white lights fluttering around, lifting up into the sky and being blown away in the breeze. There are a few floating around them, dancing up and down, pulsating. One lowers down onto Tsyeyk's outstretched hand, letting him bring it down to his chest as he pulls back from daddy just enough for it to fit between them.
"Mother," he tells her, voice shaking, "Mother, scary!"
The atokirina twirls, tendrils reaching out to gently touch his skin, like tiny kisses in apology. He leans into daddy, pressing one shoulder into him, while being careful not to hurt Mother's atokirina. He sniffles, bringing it as close as he dares to his face, feeling the small tendrils run over his cheeks and his eyes, like it was wiping away his tears and trying to sooth him.
It glows brighter and Tsyeyk's second set of freckles light up and Tsyeyk feels her warmth washing over him. Greater than any physical touch, like she wraps around him in a loving hug, squeezing safety and love into him before loosening up. After a few moments, his light fades away and the atokirina dims back to normal. The rest of the atokirina are already being carried away once more until the one in his hands is the last one.
Mom places a kiss to his braids before holding her hand out for the atokirina. Tsyeyk passes it over to her and mom turns away sucking in a breath and pushes it away with her exhale, letting the wind carry it away.
"Bye bye, Mother," Tsyeyk rasps, wrapping his arms around his daddy, watching it hover for a moment longer before floating off.
After a few moments, daddy carefully climbs to his feet, accepting his offered bow by one of the hunters, the others slowly loosening the tension they were maintaining with their own bows, and follow mom and dad as they lead the way back to Hometree. Tsyeyk watches from where his head rests on daddy's shoulder as the lights from the strange Hometrees are swallowed up by the dense trees of their home forest.
A few minutes of silence passes before one of the hunters quietly asks, "Do you think that he followed us out here?"
"No," mom says, quietly, at dad's side. "He was sleepwalking again."
Dad's hand runs up and down Tsyeyk's back. "I can't figure out how he's getting out of Hometree. How he managed to make it this far in the dead of night with all the beasts about. I know the Great Mother protects him, but we can't just let him keep doing this. We have to find out what's letting him out without the guards noticing and plug it up. I don't want him out here again." His voice is hard, stern, angry. Tsyeyk can feel fear, though, seeping into his skin from his dad, radiating from him despite his tone.
Tsyeyk scared him. He didn't mean to. He feels horrible for it.
"Tsyeyk's sorry, daddy," Tsyeyk says softly into the skin of his shoulder, tail curling around his dad's arm as if to hold him closer to him. Daddy's not wearing his cover. Daddy squeezes him lovingly.
"I know, my son. I know you don't mean to."
"How did he make it this far without an ikran or pa'li?" one of the hunters asked. "Nevermind with the beasts wandering about, but there's no way his little legs could have taken him all the way here without one. Not in the time it took the Tsahik to get here. Not someone his size, sleepwalking."
Daddy heaves a sigh. "I don't know. Let's just call for the ikran and return to Hometree."
Mom removed her own bright red cover, placing it over Tsyeyk's shoulders, smothering him as she helped him into daddy's lap on his ikran before going to her own. He was nice and warm on the way back to Hometree even though the cool night air was biting at his exposed skin, cheeks, hands and feet. She took it back once they returned to the outside of the main entrance to Hometree, letting the ikran fly back to the top themselves.
Sylwanin is standing between the guards, her posture wound tight, hands kneading at her stomach, eyes wide in fear. Tears trickle down her cheeks at the sight of Tsyeyk in their dad's arms.
"I'm sorry," Sylwanin whispers, as if afraid to break the quiet as they approach. "I woke up and he was gone. I'm so, so sorry." He golden eyes turn to Tsyeyk. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She would be devastated if he was.
"No owies," Tsyeyk rasps, resting his head on daddy's shoulder as he was adjusted to one of daddy's arms. Dad passes mom his bow and once he reaches Sylwanin, he scoops her up into his arms and carries her on the other side, lovingly nuzzling her as he heads back to their hut.
"I'm sorry, daddy," Sylwanin whispers, pressing her face into his shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry."
"You didn't do anything wrong," daddy says softly. "One of us should have left someone to watch you three. We know he's crafty if anyone takes their eyes off of him. You did nothing wrong, my sweet Sylwanin. No one is angry at you."
Mom pulls Tsyeyk from him so that dad could comfortably carry her to their hut, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek as she wraps her arms around his neck, still softly apologizing to him - to them. The make it back and mom carries Tsyeyk in, carefully laying him down with a sleeping Neytiri, checking to make sure the youngest of them is still well, before pulling off her adornments and setting aside her cover before curling around Tsyeyk and Neytiri, holding them close. Tired enough of the day to put an end to it without a word.
Her body sags in exhaustion, her breath ghosting over Tsyeyk face as he stares out the opening of their hut to see daddy sitting outside it, carefully rocking Sylwanin back and forth on his lap, whispering softly to her and holding her close. Once she had calmed down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and carried her to bed, laying her down next to Neytiri and resting on her other side. Closing the gap between the parents and trapping their children tightly between them, resting their linked hands on Neytiri's side as she sleeps peacefully, unaware of anything that transpired that night.
Tsyeyk knew that daddy loved all of them. They were his kids, even Tsyeyk who wasn't born of either of them, yet he knew, always knew, that Sylwanin was always going to be daddy's favorite. He loved them all, cared for all of them and took care to always show them equal love and affection, but Sylwanin would always be daddy's baby.
And it was the same with Neytiri being mommy's favorite. Something about how similar they were was endearing to her. She loved them all, poured love and devotion on them freely, but Neytiri was mommy's baby. Neytiri was mommy's favorite.
And it was fine with Tsyeyk. He knew that they loved him. That they all did. That he was one of them and belonged with them. And it was okay that Sylwanin was daddy's favorite. That Neytiri was mommy's favorite. Because Tsyeyk? Tsyeyk was Mother's favorite.