"All I ever wanted was a single worth thing fighting for."
Jake held her close, his feet carrying him as fast as he could to Toruka; the only one who could potentially save her. She was loosing blood, not fast, but enough to have made her pale and unconscious.
"Do you see her?" Ay'u said, leaning over the edge with his eyes squinted. They had only a short window of time to find her body and recover it, or give up and retreat before the volcano erupted.
Jake was on the other side of Ay'u, right by the bridge before he fanned some smoke out of his face, coughing before he pointed to a figure trapped. Their foot was caught in between the planks to keep them from falling, but they weren't moving at all and any second they could fall.
"Toruka.." Jake breathed out, laying (Y/N) body down on the floor where he was at to see Ney'tiri. "I know you two aren't close, but please.." His eyes swelled up with tears as he looked at the woman.
With her eyes widen, she immediately sat down on her knees and overlooked her injuries. No matter what could happen, if she died, she wouldn't be able to come back alive and Jake didn't know that. "Ay'u, tell Jake about her. The truth."
Ay'u hesitated, but pulled Jake back. "She died already, if she doesn't make it through this Jake—" Even saying the last sentence pained Ay'u just as much. Jake shook his head and paced behind her, the world was spinning and nothing was making sense.
Jake never knew she had died before, he never she took that pathway and if he did he would've told her to stand down. She was so selfless and now she was dying because of his war.
"We have to get her back to Toruka!" Ay'u yelled out, watching as Jake pulled the bridge just a bit up to grab (Y/N)s unconscious body. It wasn't her that fell, it was Quaritch. Had the pain finally ended? With a knife jabbed in her side, he panicked and untangled her foot to free her before scooping her into his arms.
"What is the quickest way?"
"Where is mother." Toruka asked Ay'u with her back facing (Y/N), undoing the knots of her queue and connecting her to the ground. "Go find her, take Jake."
Jake shook his head, swiping at his tears. "I'm staying." Toruka shook her head and snapped it back, tears stained on her cheeks. "No! Go find the Tsahik." She said with a harsh tone that even made Ay'u jump back.
"She took in a lot of smoke and the knife didn't hit a bad artery, but we have to go now or else all three of us will die." Ay'u said, the three of them running down the mountain, the volcano shaking below their feet.
"This way!" Ay'u said, turning for an angle that would get them there faster, skipping stones and dodging small lava droplets that fell over top of them.
Sänume had arrived, Äoa fast on her heels as they heard what happened to both of their. Fawn already having been brought back and getting ready for his burial, but they had hope for (Y/N). Hope she would make it out alive.
"What happened." Sänume asked, her face screwed in something only a mother would wear as her heart was heavy with losing one child and on the brink of losing another. "She was fighting, she cut the bridge and took in a lot of smoke. She is bleeding a bit from the back of her head, but nothing too big. The knife here, it isn't too bad it will heal. She is unconscious from the smoke, but mom.." Toruka said, the word 'mom' coming out as painful as possible. "She is weak.."
Jake remembered the last time he was too late bringing someone for help, when Grace was dying in his arms and her wounds were too severe. The same words 'She is weak' played in his head for years, it was deja vu all over again.
"Dad?" Lo'ak whispered, Tuk and Kiri appearing with the eldest right by their father. By now, the best healers had arrived and rushed over to (Y/N). Her lifeless body just laying there, medicine being passed around and herbs placed by her side. "What happened.."
Jake moved to hold Lo'ak against his side, he knew it hurt just as much to see another person he cared for deeply dying and no one can help. He couldn't tell if it was him trembling or Lo'ak, but the two held onto each other with Kiri and Tuk in front of the two boys, hugging them both.
When the group all stood back, Toruka was over top of her head with her hands roaming around her body, just a single nod had everyone bowing their heads before leaving. (Y/N) laid there, in her clothes that were still bloody and tarnished from the fight. Jake moved over, moving down to his knees while the three kids all did the same.
Tuk placed a hand on the top of her leg while Kiri held her arm, Lo'ak was closest to her head as he placed a hand ontop of it. The four of them all looked to Toruka. "She is still unconscious, but she will be okay. We just have to wait at this point, my healers will come and watch over her every hour, give her fluids, but you mustn't be here."
Jake understood, but this was his mate and he had a right to want to stay. "Jake, I know she is your mate but right now I can not have any distractions. Please.. for her." Jake shut his down until he felt a hand ontop of his own, it was Tuk,
"Dad.." She whispered, all moving to stand before he gave (Y/N) one last kiss on her cheek before standing. "How long?"
Toruka shrugged, she was out of words. "We don't know."
𝟏 𝐃𝐀𝐘.
𝟏 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊.
𝟏 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇.
𝟔 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐒.
"Glad you could join us." Toruka chuckled, her hands helping (Y/N) sit up. "You were in a coma for 6 months." Toruka answered the question long before (Y/N) could even think to ask it. "Jake visited you everyday, at the same time, same place, with the same food."
She blushed, flinching a bit as her body was weak and hair was now shorter. "We cut your hair to help find anymore wounds, I also thought you'd like it be shorter for the healing process." She gave Toruka a soft look before hugging her.
"Thank you.." her words were raspy, having not talked for half a year. "For saving me.." Toruka returned the hug, the last time the two sisters ever hugged was years ago before their fight, before everything went down hill. "I'm sorry for everything I did. For keeping you locked away from seeing and moving on from him, you almost didn't survive because of me." Toruka admitted.
(Y/N) lightly shook her head, her eyes registering they were in Torukas home. "Jake should be coming, he brings someone with him everyday waiting for you to wake up."
(Y/N) tilted her head just in time to see Jake walk through the entrance with someone at his side. Both carrying a basket of food and both having gentle looks on their face. The boy looked at her first with wide eyes, Jake having his back turnt as Toruka slipped out, he was talking to a hunter and stepped outside for a quick second.
She ushered the boy over, moving a bit so she was sitting more upright. "Hello, I haven't met you before."
He chuckled, braids falling over his side with a bright smile. "My name is Neteyam, my father has told me a lot about you."
Don't worry y'all. We still got so many more chapters to go.