REMEMBRANCE ━━ 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒓

𝒙𝒙𝒊. family is all that we got

Le'ah worriedly gazed at Lo'ak and back to Tuk, who was peeping under the gap of the tent, and at her parents. Neytiri stared at Jake, her tail swishing side to side. Jake saw the emotions plastered in her expression, "I can not. You can not ask this," The woman said, "I can not leave my people."

"He's hunting us," He stated to Neytiri, his eyes not leaving her figure, "he's targeting our family."

Neytiri gaped up at her husband, quickly standing from where she crouched as she yelled, trying to change the mind of stubborn Jake, "you can not ask this!" She seethed, "the children, everything they've ever known, the forest. This is our home!" She exasperated, her emotions lurking in her voice.

Jake shook his head sternly, having his mind set that the only way his family was going to be safe was to leave, "he had our children. He had them under his knife!" Jake seethed through his teeth. His voice came out low, but the kids outside the tent heard it clearly. Le'ah had her eyes on the floor, harshly staring.

Neytiri took a breath of realisation, yet the corner of her eyes caught sight of her father's bow on display. Without saying anything, Neytiri grabbed the bow off its pedestal and held it in front of Jake, "my father gave me this bow as he lay dying," Jake lowered his head in guilt. He carried those deaths with him everything, feeling as though he was the fault of them all, "and he said 'protect the people'. You're Toruk Makto! Juniper died for you!"

Jake paused at the little girl's name. I saved Toruk Makto, but—but more importantly, I saved y—you, Jake, her final words played through his head like a song stuck in his head. Yet, this song didn't have a beautiful melody. Instead, it had the sound of death, wavering in its tone, "this will protect the people. Quaritch has Spider, and that kid knows everything. He knows our whole operation. He can lead them right in here. If the people harbour us, they will die. Do you understand?"

The twins glanced at each other at the mention of Spider, meeting the gazes of Kiri and Neteyam. Le'ah sighed, knowing that her father wasn't going to change his mind. He was set on leaving, and something nagged at the Sully girl that it was going to happen. Quicker than any of them thought it was going to be.

Neytiri sighed, gazing down at the floor of their tent. Jake flayed his arms, slightly shrugging, "look, I got nothing. I got no plan. But I can protect this family that I can do," Neytiri peered up at her mate, taking in a shaky breath as she placed a hand on her head—eyes filling with waterworks. Jake stepped forward, clasping his hands against the woman's shoulders, "but I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress ... Juniper goes where ever we go."

Neytiri couldn't control the sobs leaving her throat, and Jake was quick to pull her into his hold, wrapping his arms securely around his mate. Whilst outside, Le'ah shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to think about leaving their home. She knew it had to be done, but it still pained her, nonetheless.

By the end of the week, the Sully family was off. After Jake had given up his role of Olo'teykan to Tarsem—a young yet wise man—they mounted their ikrans and left with a final gaze at their home before it faded within the distance. They flew through the harsh conditions of the storm raining down on them, the fatigue they felt catching up to them.

Le'ah undoubtedly almost fell off Menari about a dozen times, and every time Lo'ak was there to wake her up whilst laughing at his twin sister. She'd always end up darting a glare his way. Yet, after flying for days on end, Le'ah felt relief when she followed her dad to the land below them. Le'ah kept her eyes down at the Na'vi she saw in the water—taking in their different appearances to her family. Menari landed by Lo'ak's ikran, and Le'ah quickly dismounted the creature.