Nayliä was a mighty warrior from the metkayina clan. She was one of the few of her tribe who fought in the first war against the sky people. Her strong personality caught the eyes of a newly mated pair who chose her to be their third mate. Now 15 ye...
Jake sighed but he was high off his own happiness. "You really love to bully me huh, ma?"
Nayliä tilted her head back with a half smile and her eyes were blazed with an emotion that Jake didn't think he would see so soon.
"Only because you enjoy it." She lazily wrapped her arms around his waist.
Jake looked down at her with one eyebrow raised. "You know what else I enjoy?"
Kiri playfully gagged while Lo'ak looked at them disgusted.
Neytiri rolled her eyes and groaned in disbelief.
"Can you two please stop scaring the children?"
Nayliä laughed and laid her head against Jake's chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
"Let's get you all inside."
♡
Nayliä had to take a deep breath walking into their home again but her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her Neteyam, Liia and Tuk sleeping.
She smiled to herself, they were always the heavy sleepers.
"Mama, we fixed a place up for Malík." Kiri's voice was hushed but clear.
"Thank you dear. I'll put him there to sleep now." She turned to Lo'ak who was still admiring the newborn.
Malík had wrapped his tiny hand around one of Lo'ak fingers.
Nayliä asked him softly for the baby he held but Lo'ak shook his head.
"I got him for now mama. You can go get some rest."
Lo'ak refused to put his brother down for a while. He needed the reminder that he was given a second chance to be a better brother to his siblings.
Nayliä only nodded and smiled at him. She understood his needs and would gladly help him with whatever he asked of her.
Kiri had already started to get settled back down but she didn't sleep in her usual spot. She wanted to be close to Nayliä so she laid at the bottom of her mom's sleeping mat.
"Do you need anything? Water? Food?" Neytiri watched Nayliä intensely.
All of them waited for Nayliä's answer, ready to get whatever she needed. The woman laughed quietly and waved them off.
"No, no, no, I just need sleep. I'm so exhausted."
At first the adrenaline made Nayliä feel invincible but now? She came to the conclusion that being murdered, coming back to life and then giving birth was maybe a little bit stressful for her body.
Jake grabbed her hand and led her to where she would be sleeping. He made sure she was comfortable while Neytiri constantly asked if she needed more pillows or blankets.
"Okay, you two that's enough. All I need is for you to come sleep with me."
Jake almost replied with a dirty joke but decided it wasn't worth it when Neytiri glared in his direction.
Kiri had already started to doze off by the time her parents got settled. She tried fighting her sleep in favor of keeping an eye on her mom but she was so relaxed. Having her there made Kiri feel extremely safe and calm so eventually the young girl lost her battle with sleep.
♡
Unlike Neytiri and Nayliä, Jake didn't fall asleep. He eyed Lo'ak who was standing in the entrance of their home, still holding Malík. The man knew he wouldn't be able to close his eyes until he made sure every family member was asleep first. He carefully unraveled his two mates from his body and stood up.
As he got closer he felt his heart break when he noticed that Lo'ak was silently crying.
He leaned against the wall next to his son and crossed his arms. They both then stared out at the unusually quiet environment surrounding them.
Lo'ak wasn't sure why he was crying. He was so grateful and happy but the wound of his pain was still too fresh. The mixture of emotions were overwhelming so he cried.
"You know, I hope he grows to be a lot like you."
Lo'ak hesitantly turned to look at his father. He was beyond confused on why his dad would say that considering how much he was chastised in the past.
Jake chuckled at his expression and glanced his way before looking back at the stars.
"You're a lot like me when I was younger and I'm pretty badass so.." He trailed off with a bright smirk on his face but it turned into a genuine smile when he heard Lo'ak laugh softly.
"But seeing so much of myself in you scares me. I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I have. As a father it's my job to protect you all to the best of my ability."
Lo'ak was shocked to hear his dad admit the fact he was afraid. It was almost so foreign that it made Lo'ak question if he heard wrong.
He had a feeling that Jake had more to say so he stayed silent and rocked his still sleeping baby brother.
"You're a strong kid, a lot braver than I was at your age that's for sure. I admire the way you stand for what you believe in even if it's against me. And I only want to guide you in the right direction but sometimes my delivery is bad. Your ma has me working on it though." He sighed and got off the wall. He then put a hand on Lo'ak shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"What I'm trying to say is that, I hope he loves and protects just like you do."
Lo'ak was still trying to process his words and stared at him in disbelief.
"I'm proud of you son."
Jake didn't expect a response and decided that as long as Lo'ak needed to be outside, he would stay with him. Even if it's in silence. He just wanted to be there for him.●
