~~~Superstes~~~UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITING

Toruk Makto

Then, as she spun around again, she looked at me. Her breathing progressed angrily for a second before it slowed to a steady, hard pace. 

In that moment, I felt immune to her stare. As long as dad survived it would be fine, and I was willing to make any sacrifice to make that dream come true. I thought about my siblings, how being this far away from them made my skin crawl and my body shake with fear for their safety. As long as they were okay, I was okay, dead or alive. The other morning while Sephora was braiding my hair, I had almost let myself panic when my Lo'ak, Kiri and Tuk left the mauri, I was worried they'd go too far and get taken again. It was stupid, I know, but the fear was nothing but real.  

I already had so much to live up to, anyway. Not so much Toruk Makto, but being Olo'eyktan was the most important position to ever hold, because your decisions effected hundreds of people permanently. 

I was going to do what I had to do. 

That ikran was dad and my ticket out of here. She was stronger than Paysiy, faster, and Paysiy couldn't carry dad and I for the impossible distance we travelled to get here. Not yet anyway. He was only my age, and I had put him through enough trouble to get here, flying through the fire, smoke and ashes. 

It wasn't like I had much of a choice. The venomous looking ikran was stalking towards me, exhaling a huge breath each step. 

I braced myself as she circled me. I studied her movements, how she blinked and how she dug the talons on the tip of her wings into the burned, grey ground. I watched not her eyes--but her limbs, those could give me a clue on where she'd move next. 

"You're odd looking." I uttered. 

I knew I had no chance if she made the first attack. So, I lunged forward and grabbed her kuru quickly while trying to avoid her huge, razor-sharp that teeth snapped at my face as I moved. Her head was almost as big as my entire torso. 

I had the advantage of speed and agility, though. Heart pounding, I jumped onto her back and reached behind my neck to grab my queue. I wrapped my legs around her jaw, which didn't quite work, but this ikran wasn't used to having things attack her.  

As I wrestled her, I struggled to connect the two queues together. She was bucking and twisting and turning, squawking. Her teeth ended up closing around my right forearm, the previously injured one. I gritted my teeth--but the tendrils were wisping and slithering, ready to be activated, so with one last effort, I shoved them together and closed my eyes. 

I felt her energy pulsing with mine, the sheer adrenaline, the fear, the shock. Her movements slowed and her breathing decreased in pace, her pupils dilated. 

Once the electricity wore off, I let myself breathe. "I need your help," I panted, "my dad needs your help. He's injured." 

                                                                                         ~~~ 

Dusk was settling over the horizon. The rain had stopped, but it was misty and foggy outside, leaving my skin slick with dew. Only a few of the hunters were still awake, sticking pegs into the ground to hoist up big mauri's and shelters, making sure their families were okay and healthy. I helped one of them move their belongings to their tent, a tall warrior with many accessories and weapons adorned to him over the years. He said his name was Imat'oi. 

"Mustn't you be with your family?" he asked. "Instead of helping me, you should help them." 

"They're fine. I have no idea where my dad even is, but my mom is helping with the wounded."

"And you are not?" 

"I don't really do that stuff, sir. I leave all that to Neteyam's mom and grandmother." 

"Ah," Imat'oi steps over a muddy patch of ground near the camp's edge. "Neteyam is a fine, fine young warrior." 

"I know, I hear it all the time." 

"He did well on leading the people here. I do not see him now; do you know where he went?" 

Remembering what he told me, I decide to go with it. "He went to go find his bow. Anyway--what do you have to do with him?" I hadn't meant to sound sharp as I said the words, but for some reason I was growing nosy over his knowledge of Neteyam. 

"I used to train him," the older warrior says, "only when his father was too busy. I was with him when he completed his rite of passing." 

"Maybe you should go look for him." 

"Maybe you should." 

The thing is, I would go look for him, but I know he's lying about his bow, and I don't know where he actually went. He'd be far gone by now, he left hours ago. The only thing I was almost certain about was that Neteyam's bow expedition had something to do with his father's absence. Instead of Jake, I'd seen Lo'ak helping his mother set up their temporary mauri in the rain. Lo'ak had an uneven stitch job along his side, while Neytiri only had a couple bruises and cuts littered across her striped skin. 

I reassured myself by mentally saying Neteyam was indestructible, and he'd fend for himself out there just fine. I was more worried about Jake, because if Tarsem was dead, and Jake was too...Neteyam was only fifteen. He couldn't take that role so soon. 

I couldn't think like that, but it was hard to stay positive when we'd just lost a battle against the RDA, Jake was missing, Tarsem was dead, and Neteyam was who knows where. 

                                                                                      ~~~

AN: This is kinda where the suffering ends maybe idk. For the next couple of chapters, I will add some 🌟emotion 🌟between Sephora and Neteyam there relationship is about to take off ya'll just wait. 

I wished I had added more Jake before this story really began. We all love Jake. 

BUT I have already started to write a sequel that takes place about three years after this one. It's got a lot of nice stuff in it lol. 

ALSO I've had some controversy about Sephora being a hybrid between a Metkiyana and a Omaticaya, she is a pure Omaticaya warrior, so I will be erasing the parts of my story where Neteyam is wondering about her blue eyes and sky-blue color. I know--the image of her isn't exactly correct, but everyone just ignores the colors and eyes, okay? lol.   

Micha 7:8-For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.