The storms had yet to completely subside, mirroring the gloom that was felt all through the air. You vaguely remembered an old saying that Jake used to use all the time when on Earth, especially during the more grueling days during his deployment to Venezuela. It was something that all soldiers used to echo to each other in the days before being shipped out to some fresh hell to fight in.
"It's a damn good day to die."
You never really understood what Jake had meant by it, even when you fought at your brother's side in the floating mountains that saying never really resonated with you. There was nothing but pure adrenaline then, and while you lost many good friends you ever really looked at anything with that sort of cynicism before. But now you understood it perfectly.
It really was a good day to die it seemed.
There was a quiet in the air that was unnatural to the seas around Awa'atlu, even this far out away from the mainland there was always some sort of noise. Even as the ocean moved around you, and the carrion birds screeched all around you, you heard nothing. Nothing but static, it drowned out everything else and that's why you jumped so fiercely when you heard a broken scream fill the air.
You've heard that cry before, it was one that spoke of grief and death.
Ronal had let out that anguished cry. She looked so confused, but you could tell she wasn't confused at all. The Tsahik moved as if she were on autopilot, her hand outstretched as if trying to grasp at something that wasn't there. In all the time you knew Ronal, she had never once hesitated in her actions, she was always so confidant and so sure of herself. So to see her hesitate as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing killed you. The pure grief she voiced had pierced your heart and you turned your head downwards, trying not to cry with her.
"Her name is Roa," Tonowari said, the words came out solemnly as you sat in front of Tonowari on his tsurak, his voice unyielding in the face of such a horrifying display. You could hardly keep the tears off your face as you stared blankly at the corpse of Roa and her son Sunu in front of you. Carrion birds pecked at the two tulkun, eating them as if they weren't individuals with personalities and thoughts and hopes and dreams. All around them were the bright orange inflatables that the RDA deployed to keep Roa on the surface.
Roa had promised that when she returned with the tulkun once more that she would bring another baby to be a spirit sibling to your own child, and promised Ronal that Sunu would become the spirit brother of either Ao'nung or her unborn baby. She had rejoiced in the thought of providing the majority of Ronal's children with spirit siblings.
But now, Roa was dead and so was Sunu and any promises that had been made was null and void.
The wet season had begun recently, and everyone had been caught off guard when the horns sounded, indicating that there were tulkun in the distance. The tulkun had returned when Roa had been separated from the pod with Sunu, since the mother would not leave her son even in the face of such danger. You remembered Oare clicked to Tonowari, and his face fell with such grief as anger began to well up in him. Having a mother and calf separated from the pod could only mean one thing and he was terrified to think of what it was, but the tulkun had confirmed that they were being hunted. That Roa and Sunu were most likely dead, since the Sky People had hunted them relentlessly for the better part of a day.
Eventually the tulkun would have had to rest, and more bloodshed would have come of it.
Ronal, on the other hand, did not believe that her spirit sister was gone, and demanded to be brought to her. She was all snarls and teeth, refusing to believe that Roa could have been hunted like some random prey, and you could only watch in sorrow as Ronal tried hard to stay strong and hopeful. You, along with many others in the village, began the long journey to find Roa.
Your brother and Neytiri had joined in as well, if it had to do with the RDA then Jake was one of the only people that could find any signs of what happened. He and Neytiri rode on Jake's mount while you were seated in front of Tonowari, who held you close to him. Ronal had chose to ride alone, desperate for answers and rode out as fast as she could, following the tulkun.
It was an hour long ride before you had finally lay eyes on Roa.
Jake and Neytiri had come to a stop next to you and Tonowari, they could only watch Ronal as she made her way to Roa. Your own mate kept one hand on your thigh and rubbed your skin with his thumb, while his other hand was gripping the saddle tightly, his hand going pale from the strength of his grip.
The sob that come from Ronal was heartbreaking as she launched herself from her mount as swam towards Roa, she pulled herself onto an unmoving fin. Her hands scrambling around Roa's milky white eye as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Ronal had turned to see Sunu, dead in the water next to his mother, and cried out as she turned back to Roa.
"She-she was my spirit sister," Ronal stuttered, "She was the Composer of Songs! Naturally we would sing together."
Ronal gasped as if she were short of breath, and almost as if she were talking to herself she continued, "She waited many breeding cycles to have this calf, I- the clan was so happy for her."
Her tears flowed freely down her face as she turned back to you and Tonowari, her blue eyes glittering in the low light of the rainy day with tears. "What is this Tonowari?" her voice came lowly.
You jumped when she screamed out, "What is this!?"
Your strong mate crumpled against Roa's side as she screamed and cried, grief overshadowing her completely. It was nothing short of heartbreaking to see Ronal so downtrodden and full of grief, while she could be stern and unyielding you have never once seen her crumple as she did now.
Movement from the corner of your eyes caught your attention and you turned to see Jake and Neytiri circle around Roa, looking for something while you and Tonowari went to comfort your mate. You went to sit with Ronal, gathering her into your arms as she cried her heart out, and she held onto you just as fiercely. It was such a change from the last time you and Ronal had sat with Roa.
You remembered how she clicked with laughter at the way you floundered in the water, not able to fully flip yourself backwards like Ronal was able to with ease. She brought so much happiness to those she was around. Her singing was beautiful, and often accompanied by the other tulkun, but you always knew that she was the lead singer. Sometimes her beloved Sunu, who brought so much joy to those he interacted with, would try to sing too. His tune off but it was endearing to hear him join in with the other tulkun even though he couldn't vocalize like they could.
How could this happen to them? How could humans look at magnificent creatures like Roa and Sunu and kill them?
"Ronal," you teared up as she clung to you, you didn't mind as her blunt nails scraped down your back and the sides of your arms as she clawed for something to hold onto, no doubt drawing blood from the burn that you felt. "Ma'Ronal, I'm so sorry," she didn't reply to you as Tonowari came to a standstill next to the two of you.
Neither you nor him knew what to say to her, this was a pain that struck deep and would remain with her for the rest of her life. All either of you could do was be there for her, and even then it felt cheap knowing that nothing you could do would ever bandage this wound for her.
A steady beeping signal got your attention and you looked up to see Jake and Neytiri return, a large tracker with a sharpened harpoon tip was help in Jake's hands. With every beep there was an accompanying light that pulsed, and you paled. "Is that?" you asked, unable to form words you looked helplessly at Jake.
"It is, they were tracking her, specifically her," he said with a grim look on his face. "We're gonna go back first, give her some space."
You nodded at Jake, "It's probably for the best. I-she needs a bit longer."
Jake handed the tracker to Neytiri to hold on to and nodded at you, urging his tsurak back to Awa'atlu and with him the majority of the Metkayina tsamsiyu went with them. Only a handful remained with the three of you, unwilling to leave their leaders and their mate alone in the open waters, especially since one of their precious tulkun siblings ended up murdered and her calf left for dead as well.
It seemed like an eternity, sitting there on Roa's cold fin and holding Ronal in your arms, on the other side of her Tonowari sandwiched her in between the two of you. He sang softly, the familiar tune of Ronal's songcord slowly calming down the distraught Tsahik. Her blue eyes devoid of light as she stared off into the distance, looking for something but seeing nothing all the same.
Eventually, as the rain began to pelt down in a torrent, you began whispering to Ronal that it was time to go. It was the last thing you wanted to make her do, and if you had it your way you would let her stay with Roa for as long as possible, but you knew that this rain would be hard to navigate in. Making the return to the village so much harder to endure.
"Ronal, it is time to go," you cooed at her, patting her wet hair down, "Ronal? Can you hear me?"
She looked to you taking in your own red eyes, from crying with her, and the welts her nails left on your skin, her voice hoarse as she responded finally to you, "I hear you, I See you."
"I See you," you parroted back, Tonowari doing the same for her.
Tonowari was encouraging Ronal to return to Awa'atlu as well, and helped her slide off Roa's fin for the last time. She pressed herself into the cold skin of her spirit sister, and spoke prayers. Begging Eywa to allow both mother and child to rest easy, and promising that she would one day see Roa again. The Tsahik used her hands to close Roa's eyeslids on that side of her face, before going over to the other side and close the remaining eyes as well. She swam over to Sunu, doing the same for him, "I will give them the dignity in death that the Sky People refused them in life."
She called her mount and got on it easily, turning to you and Tonowari, the grief in her eyes overshadowed by pure rage. "I will see to it that she is avenged, that Sunu is avenged." Her voice seethed, nothing like the stern or kind voice you knew she was capable of, "I will make these demons learn my rage, they will see the wrath that the water can bring to them."
Your blood ran cold as your mate spoke, "I will see the water red with their blood, all those demons will know my pain."
You felt the blazing heat of Tonowari's hands as he pulled you back onto his mount with him, you could only hold on as Ronal and everyone else began the long track back to Awa'atlu. Despite the warmth Tonowari gave you, you felt the freezing realization hit you all at once, and you were scared.
Ronal, and by default the rest of the Metkayina, will retaliate against the RDA for what they did to Roa and Sunu. They would fight to protect the rest of the Tulkun, to avenge their fallen spirit sister, and they had no real idea of what they were up against. They had stayed out of the conflict that waged between humans and Na'vi for so long that they didn't have a real idea of what the humans were capable of.
They had no idea what Quaritch and the RDA had been capable of when destroying the Kelutral, and you had no doubt that the RDA would seek to eliminate the Metkayina before going after the Tulkuns.
It would end with a bloodbath.
You looked up at the gray sky and wondered morbidly whose blood would be spilled first. Who would end up with the most blood spilled? The gloom of the day seemed to grow heavier as the storms raged on all around you, you could only hope that it wasn't a bad omen of things to come.
All around you the Metkayina raged, their cries filling the open marui as they gathered together. You stood in the middle of it all with Ronal and Tonowari, watching helplessly as the Metkayina called for retaliation, they called for the blood of the demons that dared hunt their tulkun brethren. You tried to hold onto Ronal's hand but she was too incensed to take yours like she normally would have.
"My spirit sister and her baby were murdered by the Sky People!" she cried out, tears falling down her face.
You could see in the crowd how Tsireya cried along with her mother, while Ao'nung looked down with rage. His shoulders shook minutely and you felt for the young boy you came to call son, for him he had lost what was effectively an aunt. Roa had meant much to Ao'nung, a constant fixture he could seek out whenever the Tulkun returned from their migration. His grief was different than that of his sister's, as was Tonowari's.
Tonowari, such a calm Olo'eyktan, was murderous, he hissed and roared when Ronal spoke and shook his spear in the air. "We knew about this hunting of our Tulkun brethren, but it was over the horizon! Far away from us, and now- Now this war has come to us! Now it is here!"
He slammed his spear on the flooring and you jumped in surprise when the Metkayina warriors around you joined in, their calls and roars echoed that of their leaders' voices. All were spoiling for a fight, and you tried to step in when Ronal stalked forwards to Jake, who took the brunt of their anger and pains. You also felt guilt and found yourself partially responsible.
If the Sully family had not come to Awa'atlu then maybe, just maybe, they would have never had to fight against humans. Maybe the Tulkun wouldn't have been targeted like they were. Maybe Tonowari and Ronal would never have had to face such dire straits, and they would be safe.
But that greedy part of your brain and heart said that if you didn't come then you would have never found such wonderful mates, then you would never have a family of your own. They were yours and that horrible part of you would never want to trade this for anything else, despite everything you were glad that you had them.
"No-no! You gotta listen to me!" Jake yelled above the chaos, "The Sky People don't care about the great balance! This is only the beginning! They will continue to hunt your Tulkun, you-you gotta tell them to leave! Tell them to get far away from here!"
Ronal gasped, her brows furrowing downwards as she snarled at Jake, "Leave? You- Brother of my mate, have you learned nothing? You lived among us and learned nothing?"
"We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters!" a young warrior hollered near you, causing a chain reaction of similar threats.
"No-nonononono," you whimpered, grabbing Tonowari's arm and pulling at him to look at you, "Ma'Tonowari, I- They-!"
You gulped when he turned his sharp gaze to you, "I know the Sky People, they will stop at nothing to destroy all that you love! They will hunt you down to the ends of the world! We have to keep the Tulkun safe!"
His gaze softened, the sight of you pleading with him tempered his anger a bit, but you turned when another young Metkayina woman hissed at you, "Demon! You and your family are demons! You have caused this! You are the reason they are here!" When she made to take a step close to you, both Ronal and Tonowari pulled you behind them, and she laughed in a snarky tone, "You are not a true Na'vi, none of you are!'
"My mate has done no harm, she has tried to do nothing more than help us!" Ronal hissed, "To say she caused this mess is a lie! She didn't kill my spirit sister and her baby, the Sky People did! They are the ones we need to fight, not my pregnant mate!"
Tonowari bared his fangs, and flexed his fingers menacingly, daring the Metkayina to say anything.
You felt your breathing get faster, shorter, and you could feel the pins and needles begin to stab at your fingertips. It was your fault wasn't it? You would never be a true Na'vi? Would you? You choked out a sob and tried to say you were sorry but the words were clogged in your throat. There were too many people yelling at you, around you, at each other. The sight of them fighting was getting drowned out by black spots creeping into your vision.
Distantly you could hear Jake yelling, "Everyone calm down!"
Tonowari, upon noticing your escalating panic, ushered you out to the edges of the crowd, "Calm, mawey, it will all be okay."
You sobbed pitifully, "I-I-I didn't, I don't-!"
He cut you off as he steered you to a quieter part of the pathways, "Shhh, I know, I know. You are not to blame here, they are all just mad but cannot control their anger well." When there was a sudden hush amongst the crowd he looked back worried, "Stay here, I'll go back, but please just try to calm yourself down." Tonowari kissed you briefly before going back to join Ronal.
Jake's voice sounded so distant now, but you could tell that he was slowly getting to the people, warning them of what was to come. You could hear the low beeping of the tracker, hopefully it was disable by then, and the beeping was just a sound that you thought you heard. As the chatter started up again, with people yelling and calling out to Jake, you slowly began to calm yourself.
"Lo'ak! Lo'ak wait!" you sniffed as you looked up in time to see your young nephew barrel passed you, headed for the pen that the ilus were normally kept in and readied for use. Behind him Ao'nung, Rotxo, Kiri, Tuk, Tsireya, and Neteyam followed, all of them trying to call out to Lo'ak. He ignored all of them, grunting out a call for an ilu to come to him before diving into the water. The others made it to where you were by the time he got on the animal and took off.
You stood on shaky legs, and stumbled in the direction he was headed. "What's going on?" you asked one of the passing kids, "Where is Lo'ak going?"
"To Payakan! He's going to warn Payakan!" Tuk cried out, her hand grabbing onto yours and pulling you along with her and the others, "C'mon we gotta help him!"
They ran faster than you, but you tried your best to keep up with them. One hand in Tuk's and the other holding the bottom of your swollen belly, as the kids called for their own ilus to mount up on. Tuk dragged you over the edge of the pathways with her, and you acted on autopilot, making tsaheylu easily and pulling Tuk to sit in front of you. Her little body was pushed against your stomach in an uncomfortable way, making the baby kick against you.
Out of all the kids Kiri was the one to follow him the easiest, her innate connection with the world was able to guide her to where she needed to go and the rest of you followed her blindly. You didn't leave the reef often, and had no clue as to where Payakan could be found at any given time. In fact you were having trouble just navigating the ocean waves, the way that the ilu moved made your body roll uneasily. The baby kicked to show its displeasure and you could only hold onto Tuk and the reins a little tighter, trying to dispel the tightening pain that you were experiencing.
You were grateful when, in the distance, Three Brothers Rock came into view, and with it Lo'ak.
Your nephew was sitting atop a Tulkun's back, trying his hardest to pull out the large transmitter that was imbedded in it. "Lo'ak!" you called out along with the others, bringing your ilu to a stop next to the massive creature. Tuk slid out of your grip and joined her brother on Payakan's back along with the other children, Neteyam motioning for you to stay on the ilu.
"Come on! Help me out please!" Lo'ak begged his brother and sisters, Ao'nung and Tsireya also joining in to help Lo'ak. Rotxo was with Kiri trying to get a good grip on the device to no avail.
Tuk roared as she pulled with all her might, "It's not working! Lo'ak!"
Payakan let out a loud whine of pain as the kids all pulled at the device, the way that they could hardly get a good grip on the metal was jarring it around and causing more pain to the tulkun. You wrung your hands, horribly anxious and worried, as you watched the kids struggle. The pain in your body ramping up as well, but all that was overshadowed by the blaring of a horn.
You turned your head to watch as an RDA ship sped around a large rock formation, headed directly for your location.
"Call it in!" you called out to the kids, "Call it in! Just do it!"
Lo'ak looked like he wanted to protest but the sounds of smaller boats hitting the water was all that it took to convince him to call Jake for backup. He left the device and stood on Payakan's back, hurriedly calling his father. Behind him Ao'nung had pulled out some rope that he carried in his hunter's pouch and gave it to Neteyam to tie around the device.
You were panicking as the boats began to start moving in your direction.
"Auntie!" Neteyam yelled, "Catch! Wrap it around the saddle horn!" You were barely able to catch the long bit of rope that he threw towards you, and did your best to follow his instructions. You wrapped it multiple times around the horn and through the leash, and when you finished you nodded to him. "Okay! On three, one. Two. Three!" he counted down.
The ilu made pulling a lot easier, but the device was still stuck and you could hear the loud engines of the RDA boats come closer to you, the larger RDA boat was quick to follow and you were horrified to see perched on top of the vessel was a small gathering of ikrans. All of them were being suited up by recombinant Na'vi soldiers. The situation was getting more and more dire by the minute.
"Again!" you screamed.
"One! Two! Three!" Neteyam called out.
When he hit three you urged the ilu under you forwards desperately, the sudden jolt from the you and the ilu helped wriggle out the device enough for the kids to pull it free. The second it fell out of Payakan, Lo'ak used his hand to tap the tulkun's side, "Dive brother! Dive!" Neteyam grabbed the device as the large tulkun grunted in ascent before beginning his dive downwards.
All of the kids jumped off the side of the tulkun, and quickly mounted onto the first ilu they could see. You were quick to grab Tuk and hold her close to you, and you dived down without a second thought, following Tsireya into the kelp forests. Around you, the children all scattered. Neteyam and Lo'ak going off closer to Payakan, while Ao'nung lead both Rotxo and Kiri forwards towards a coral filled part of the island's reef.
Sonic blasts were being detonated all in the water, causing your ears to ring painfully. Your maneuvering was awful, your body was hurting, and your breath was pitifully short. To make matters worse, there were crab like diving boats following you and Tsireya as you tried to lose them in the kelp. Your lungs were screaming at you, and whatever breath you had was stolen from you when a sonic blast detonated right next to you and knocking you from the ilu.
Tuk managed to grab onto your middle as you swam upwards, finding a large air pocket in an aquatic plant that would shield you and her from sight. You broke the water's surface and coughed, you did your best to try and not breath in any water, but you were terribly exhausted and the walls of the plant were slippery. It was all you could do to keep both you and Tuk above the water.
When she started crying you were quick to shush her, and it broke your heart to see her so terrified.
Though her tears and crying started up again when both Tsireya and Lo'ak surfaced suddenly, scaring the two of you to the point where you actually screamed.
"Are you two alright?" you asked through a grimace.
They nodded, and you sighed in relief, "Good, good."
No other words were spoken, nor were they needed.
The lights from the diving machines illuminated your hiding place and you urged the children down. It was futile, now that none of you had a mount to swim through the water for you, and only Lo'ak was fast enough to dodge the net that was deployed. You were curled against Tuk and Tsireya, using your body to try and shield them, while Lo'ak clung to the ropes, trying to cut it with a knife.
You all were pulled upwards by the machines, before the large talons of an ikran caught the netting and dragged you all from the water. Both Tuk and Tsireya screamed as they wriggled, and begged for Lo'ak to cut the nets around them. And bless Lo'ak, it took all his strength not to fall to the waters below, but he wasn't fast enough to cut the ropes to free you.
The ikran that grabbed you all had released its grip the second it was above the deck of the RDA ship, and the wind was knocked out of you when you back hit the asphalt deck. Poor Tsireya had landed on your shin, causing it to snap painfully while Tuk's added weight on your chest, and thankfully not your stomach, made it hard for you to catch your breath.
Your gasps were ignored as all four of you were pulled up but the tswins, you breathless cries of pain were so quiet. You thought you were dying.
The baby was frantic, kicking you in response to the panic and pain that was flooding your system.
The cold muzzle of a gun was pressed to the back of your head while a burning hand grabbed your face in a bruising grip.
"Dr. Sully, it's been a while hasn't it? Huh sweetheart?"
You locked eyes with the one man had ever feared more than your father, and you began to hyperventilate. He chuckled to himself as he took in the state of you, behind you the children were screaming for him to leave you alone while they were trapped against their restraints. You turned your head to see them all locked up against the railing, but all you could manage was a quick glance before blunt nails dug into your face and you were forced to face your tormentor again.
"Come now Doctor, don't you miss me? Last time I saw you, you were getting the hell out of dodge, and it broke my heart. My favorite little doctor leaving me with a broken nose and a broken heart."
Miles Quaritch hummed thoughtfully as he pressed the barrel of his pistol against your stomach as he continued, "Though it seems like you've gotten a little...busy since I've been gone huh? Got some half-breed growing in there, don't you? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Leave her alone asshole! Auntie! Auntie!" Lo'ak hissed as he pulled at his restraints.
"Shut it!" he hissed at Lo'ak, and in retaliation the gun that was pressed to your head slammed into the side of it instead, "Or she gets it!" Blood began dripping down your face and neck, and distantly you remembered that head wounds tended to bleed the most, even if the cut wasn't all that deep.
Stars burst in your vision as that bruising grip on your face turned gentle, and Quaritch was oddly kind as he holstered his gun to wipe the blood from your face. A crazed smile flitted across his face, "Oh you just had to go and get fucked by some savages didn't you? Was what I had to offer you not enough?"
You spat blood and saliva at his feet, you tried not to slur any words "Seen what you- you did to Paz. Never knew why-why she put up with it. Didn't wanna end up like her."
Fury crossed his face and he backhanded you harshly, you were only kept upright by the hand gripping your tswin. But he looked passed you, to the horizon and that demented fucking smile was back as you glared at him. He met your gaze with a laugh before leaning in close to your face.
"Now then, what are we gonna do with you dear Doctor?"
We're getting close to done, only a few ish more chapters!