-.-Split-second Decision-.-

Nix awoke to being forcibly shaken.

"Mom? MOM!"

"Christ, Nix-"

"MOM!"

"What, what is it?" She cried, shooting up into a seated position, swiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands, trying to rub away the sleep.

She found the entire squad staring panicked back at her. "What? Bloody hell, what?"

"Mom! I thought I'd lost you!" Spider suddenly attacked her in a hug, his voice trembling. "Your mask!"

That was when she realized that when she touched her face, her fingers met skin, not a shield. Her mask, her breathing mask - which she had forgotten to put back on last night.

Well shit...

"Your mask, you're breathing without it," Spider cried, no doubt voicing everyone's thoughts. "How is that possible?"

"I-I don't know..." She reached up and patted her cheek - yup, only skin, no shield.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

Spider was crying. "I don't understand-"

"I don't either-" That part was at least somewhat the truth. "-But I'm fine, that's what's important, right? Even if it doesn't make any sense."

"I-I guess... I thought I lost you," he said again, tears painting streaks in the dirt on his face. His voice was trembling, and barely a whisper.

"No, you're not losing me," she promised. "You'll never lose me."

After the initial shock of her mysterious maskless existence outdoors in the poisonous Pandora air wore off - some at least, a little - the group started the day.

Nix started out how she did every day, by whispering a prayer she had taken to repeating every morning and every night: "Great mother, please watch over my daughter while I can't, and until I can do so again myself..."

Q, impatient as always, urged them to get going. Today it was set that the rest of the squad who had not yet succeeded in bonding with their own Ikran do so. Again, it was going to be a long day. A very long day.

"Are you kidding me?" Spider called down to where the Recombs were - once again - very behind, in the ascent of the mountain. "Haven't you idiots learned anything yet? Come on, you have two pretty awesome teachers!"

Q was actually keeping up with them pretty good, but she didn't point that out. She hated that she had noticed it, picked up on that little detail. Keep your gaze up, Nix. Ahead, not down.

"Hey," she said to Spider when they once again reached the top of the mountain and thus the nest. "No more flights."

"Yeah, and no more falling off cliffs."

She scoffed. "Damn right."

And so it began. It was Fike's turn. The other Recombs watched from the sidelines - making sure to stand way, way, way back. Maybe they were learning just a little. They cheered in encouragement.

Idiots was right. But they already knew that.

Nix sat off to the side, with Augustine thankfully, watching but not taking anything in, distracted, unfocused. She had been that way a lot lately.

Q strode over from where he had been standing with Cupcake. Augustine hissed as he approached and Nix couldn't help but smile a little at that. She would hiss too, but figured it wouldn't have quite the same effect over if an Ikran did it.

"I don't believe you."

Her gaze snapped up towards him. "I beg your pardon?"

"I don't believe you 'don't know' about your whole no-mask business."

"Well what do you want me to say?" she shot back, grinding out the words through gritted teeth.

"Tell the truth."

She scoffed. "Oh, that's rich, coming from you."

"I haven't lied ot you."

"Yes you ha-" Oh, she saw what he did there: he may not have lied to her, while Miles definitely had. Sneaky bastard.

"I know you, Nix. You're too smart not to know. In fact, I think it's because of something you not only know about, but chose."

Here, even years later, even in a new body, he knew her so well. Far too well.

She looked away, face hot. "Even if I did tell you the truth, it's none of your concern."

They were cut off - thankfully - by the joint hissing and squawking of Augustine and Cupcake.

"What are they doing?" Spider asked, drawn over by the noise.

"I don't know..." She hadn't seen Ikrans act like this before.

They were facing each other, wings stretched out, hissing into each other's faces.

"Are they like, into each other?" Spider now asked, nose scrunched up.

"I don't know..." But maybe he had a point... "Maybe we should give them some privacy..." She turned away, Spider and Q following.

She went back to her perch, plus Spider now and minus Augustine, while Q went back to observing his squad.

That was when she realized the Recombs were all distracted, focused on the task of bonding with their Ikrans. They weren't paying the two humans any attention.

A rare moment. One that could not afford to be wasted.

Her motherly instinct was kicking in again: you have a chance, get away from the danger - no matter what.

No matter what.

They knew this land - the Recombs didn't. And Augustine was here - another ally. It would be way more difficult without her queue and Na'vi body, but it could work.

It could work...

It might just work...

Her heart skipped and leapt - was she really considering this?

Oh, she was past considering it - was she really going to attempt this?

For the chance of freedom, particularly from the Recombs, oh yes.

It would be dangerous, but if it did indeed grant them freedom, a chance to go home and reunite with their loved ones, then it would be worth it.

And so she made a split-second decision.

"I have an idea," she spoke softly to Spider before she could reconsider any further.

"Yeah? About what?"

"About getting out of here."

Now he stared back at her, wide-eyed. "How?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay." Now she lowered her voice even further. "Go towards the edge of the cliff, like you're just watching everything. Leave the rest to me."

"Okay." Glancing back at her he made his way towards the cliff's edge, just as instructed, standing behind the group of Recombs. No one noticed him.

With Spider now in position all they needed was Augustine. Nix whistled for him the way one might whistle to a dog. "Hey, Augustine! Get away from her, leave her alone!" He and Cupcake were still at - well, whatever it was they were doing. The Ikran equivalent of flirting? Well, whatever it was, it seemed to be working for them.

That was all she needed: for her Ikran to mate with Q's.

She whistled again. Then, low in the back of her throat, as quietly as she could, she went from whistle to call, a Na'vi call, one that Augustine recognized. He turned his head, staring at her.

Slowly, she approached. He knew it was her, but just to be extra cautious, before proceeding any further, she reached out towards him and let him sniff her hand and rub his snout against it.

Then, when she was sure he was okay, she threw her arms around his neck and swung herself up onto his back, cursing her small stature the whole way. Easier with her Na'vi body indeed!

Augustine didn't seem upset at all by what she was doing. Cupcake gave a confused squawk, however.

Hanging on for dear life, arms clinging to Augustine's neck, Nix leaned down so that her lips were right by his ear and spoke a single word. "Tawng!"

Dive!

I'm afraid I'm still feeling a little stuck with this story - but we're getting there! I just have to figure out where my plot twist will best fit and it's hard not knowing where things are going to start off in the next movie! Hopefully more details of Avatar 3 will be released soon!

Anyways, I hope this is worth the wait! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)