Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter VII

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　Knowing Better　 ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

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At'anau had abandoned her banshee, submitting her to stay in her range, but out of trouble if it would occur. 

It was dark now, the eclipse's luminescent colours beamed through the dark leafs of treetops, giving her the advantage of blending in the trees. She hadn't caught sight of her siblings yet or notified her father of her position and was deciding which option to do first. 

Her father would instantly demand the girl to fall back which she would obey unwillingly, but if she'd find the children prior, she'd have leverage to provide support to the parents' search and lead them toward the right spot in double-time. Which was the plan the girl went for the moment she heard rustling beneath her.  

In the last stage of the eclipse the kids hissed and squirmed under the grasp of the tall strangers. Lo'ak growled as they dropped Spider on his back when he tripped. Kiri and Tuk whined as they had to endure their queue being tugged rootedly. 

Only then did the oldest girl locate the position of the scene, and stealthily swung from branch to branch dropping down under the dark shadow of the broadest stem. Her bow tightly around her torso, intercom under her fingers she pricked up her ears, looking down at too many different unidentifiable heads for her to confront unassisted. 

The girl defeated gravity with her tail around the stud of a branch and feet firmly planted on the side of the tree as she blended in with the bark, yellow eyes glistening in the shadows trailed on the man talking through a device she wasn't too familiar with. 

"Be advised, we're bringing high value prisoners."

 Was enough for At'anau to change her position on a stud of a branch that expanded and perk her whole body against the bark balancing herself on her toes as her tail supported her equilibrium from a fatal drop. Her cold fingers pressed the button of the intercom and waited a second before speaking. 

"I've got visuals" The girl hoped she was loud enough for her mic to pick up as she was so quiet she had to make out her own voice through the small breeze. 

She held the buttons pressed in so she couldn't be interrupted by her father. The girl turned her head firmly behind the branch, keeping her body steady while doing so. "the old dropship, double-time." she released the button and found it odd how it took a second before she received a reply. 

"Copied. Get out of there right, now."  Jake answered after looking at his son who had his ears turned down, unable to lie he wasn't formerly expectant of his sister's location.

At'anau clenched her jaw as she watched one of the men look behind them, gun in hand as he turned back toward one of his who held onto Kiri and Spider. "Watch our six." At'anau noticed the resemblance of speech of the one Jake taught them. 

At'anau didn't want to fall back and the moment she had turned her head back against the tree her ears twitched instinctively by the sound being carried through the wind. A throaty whistle resembling those of the animals in the rain-forest, she knew well enough belonged to her mother, echoed lowly between trees. 

All kids held hostage beneath her had the same intuition and tried not to look around for the source as it would become suspicious. 

Looking through the trees At'anau responded her mother echolocating herself once she had identified her silhouette behind large leafs. She didn't hear both of them on the intercom anymore which meant her father had to be somewhere close as well. 

Neytiri caught sight of her daughter who already held hers and wanted to motion her to get away from the scene. She didn't miss her mother's loaded weapon and could imagine what the was about to unfold when both parties opened fire. 

The girl wanted to comply and move herself away, but stopped once she saw her mother point an arrow underneath her. The girl followed where her mother was looking and watched a braided head walk around the tree At'anau stood against. Thus, moving away from her current stance wouldn't go unnoticed by them. 

Before the mother released the shot another silhouette turned from behind a bushwood. Impulsively and quietly the girl tightened one of her green feathered darts and strained it back. The girl looked at her mother from the corner of her eye who was already watching her and nodded her head at the girl before tilting it to the side. 

The two women released their arrow not exactly simultaneously, but well enough for both individual soldiers to drop down in sync without a sound. 

At'anau let out a breath she had been holding while steadying the arrow and was ready to leave the site. She had caught a better view of the weapons the opposite side was carrying and realised they would do more damage than just a sting. 

At'anau put her bow back around her shoulder, jumped up exerting her quads from the tip of her feet and latched herself on a lean branch high above her head that arched down, almost reaching those of another tree. With all her strength she pulled herself up on the stem and went down it conscientiously. 

When the branch started bending, warning her it wouldn't be serving steadiness any longer she took her momentum and leaped on another branched that reached out, but this didn't go unnoticed as the tendril she jumped off of broke and fell and rustled, catching the attention of all the strangers including the one holding Kiri by her head whose head Neytiri had been aiming at. 

Getting a clear shot she released the arrow letting it split the captor's skull from between his eyes without spending a second. No one could breath before The commander turned around opening fire. "Contact is made!" was being screamed from all sides as they all shot towards the source direction of the arrow. 

The foul odour of fire filled the forest and At'anau felt her heart beat through her chest as she hurried her way to the Ikrans where she knew her brother would meet her. 

The girl caught sight of the Ikrans who looked around reluctantly not knowing what was happening before noticing her brother was nowhere around his or both her parents' Ikran. 

At'anau cursed anxiously before looking back where the sound of gunshots shadowed her and where she yearned his brother not be, but by knowing him too well she was doubtful. 

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henlo 

I'm trying to make At'anau as realistic as possible and not this rebellious girl that knows how to fight every war en get away with everything no one even dared to do while being their parents favourite and Eywa's adoptive sister who has powers and can bring back the dead while being dead herself and the best swimmer out of all Metkayina and human. 

you know? 

but we'll get there, someday. 

fun fact: At'anau's Ikran is called Ma'tìlor, which means 'my beauty' bc I believe she serves. 

How am I doing 

If y'all find a typo lmk u know the drill, 12 dabloons if you win.