"There is no point in staying here anymore. We found her, now let's go back home.." Neteyam tried to reason with his parents.
"Son, it is very rude to leave without informing them about our decision. Why don't we stay here for another day or 2 to learn more about them & how Violet coped here" Neytiri replied.
"But mom! Aonung is-"
"Enough. Both of you end that childish dispute with that boy & focus on our family, we don't need any more complications on our stay here. Got it?" Mr Sully silenced his youngest son.
Sniffing in dismay & turning to the side, Lo'ak nodded & stayed silent to his father's words.
"Its okay baby brother" Neteyam placed his palm on Lo'ak's head.
But Neteyam didn't give up, still trying to convince his mother even after Mr Sully left the pod to meet with Tonowari. Telling her that this place wasn't safe & not as trustworthy as it portrays to be.
"Hold your tongue, this place holds so much value like our home Omatikaya & i will not let anyone talk down on it. If it's that boy Aonung, it is only his fault. Not this wonderful place" Neytiri turned to her oldest son.
"Mother I am sorry. But someone was spying on us while we were out last night & no one is admitting to it" Neteyam said trying to meet his mother's eyes.
Neytiri eyes scanned her children for bluff, then looking at me who was now wrapped in a thick cloth.
"Your heart is telling you that its the son of Olo'eyktan?" she asked her oldest son.
"I know its him mother" Neteyam replied.
"His behaviour is very odd towards Violet mom. Its like he is attached to her in some way" Lo'ak said.
Neytiri's ears perked up as soon as those words fell out of her youngest son's mouth. Fully understanding that during my heat, some complications happened between me & Aonung. She then rush to my side-
"My child! are you okay? tell me did he hurt you?" she searched my body for unfamiliar scents & scars.
"Why did you not tell us anything my child? did he threatened you not to?" Neytiri asked.
"N-no! no! we did not mate mother. By Eywa's grace, we were pulled apart before the worse could happen" i sunk into her arms.
Neytiri's eyes were blood shot red, thinking about another man touching one of her children. Especially after experiencing the whole predicament with Lauako.
I wanted to tell Neytiri at least about the pregnancy but I was holding myself back. I didn't want anyone to over react or think that Aonung had something to do with it. Tonowari made some valid points but as of now, it is not the right time.
My facial expressions soon turned unease & it made both Kiri & Neteyam look at me in disorientation.
"Okay, then its decided. We are leaving this place" Neytiri said, standing up to take her bow.
"Mother, where are you going?" Kiri & Tuk chased after her.
"To talk to your father & then Tonowari about this" Neytiri said as she rushed out.
"No wait! you can't-"
But it was too late, Neytiri had already leaped across from the pod to the roots before anyone could grab hold of her arm. Neytiri can't find out about anything from Tonowari because at this point, he wouldn't wait on my permission to reveal my pregnancy.
They have to hear it from me. But Neteyam then turns to me to ask why was I silent about the situation with his family.
"Ma'Vi? why won't you tell anyone beside me?" he asked.
"Tell us what?" Lo'ak's eyes landed on me.
The 4 siblings crowded around me like they did with Aonung & soon, the air around me was tightening.
"What? no, there's nothing! everything that Neteyam needed to know was already told to him last night. Please no more questions!" I pleaded for the siblings to move way.
"Wait, Violet!" Kiri tried to stop me as I stood up.
"What is it? We all knew your heat cycled has passed but I sense that something still feels off with you, what is going on?" she asked me with distressed eyes.
Neteyam walked towards me slowly, cupping my cheeks & looking at me with furrowed brows-
"Ma'Vi, are you hiding anything from me? whatever it is, I will not get mad. I promise my love" he said softly.
I can't just tell them right now like its nothing, I wanted it to be a special moment with him & everyone..
But as Neteyam tried to get an answer out of me, I pushed his hand away-
"I have to find your mother!" I said rushing out of my pod like she did.
I knew that I made it suspicious & it would've been easy to tell the Sullys but- other speculations would come in & it would make things worse for them if they were to know the truth from anyone else besides me. Along with Aonung & Neteyam's dispute, how can I just-
"Ma'Vi come back! why are you-" Neteyam chased after me.
I called out to my ilu, getting on its slippery back with the intention of finding Neytiri before she gets to Tonowari & Ronal to question them about their son.
"I promise I'll tell you everything after I fix this!" I shouted before leaving his sight.
I rode to further down to find Tsireya sitting on a rock with Mira & the other girls from her clan, picking out pretty shells for her mother.
"Reya! get on! Neytiri is going to talk to your parents about your brother & me!" I panicked.
"What?!" she stood up as the rest of the girls exchanged confused looks.
"There's no time! we have to go!" I yelled.
She abandoned the girls & quickly dove into the water, getting on my ilu's back.
"What is going on?! how does she know? does she know that you're pregnant?!" Tsireya shouted over the splashing water.
"No one knows! I told only Neteyam about the incident but the rest are getting suspicious over Aonung's behaviour & I fear that someone might reveal to the Sullys about the baby before me!" I shouted back.
"We have to get to her!" Tsireya panicked too.
She guided my Ilu to her family's hut & from a distance, we spotted Neytiri with Mr Sully just a few steps away from Tsireya's parents.
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Tsireya & I pulled ourselves up to the front of the walkway, rushing over to Neytiri as Tsireya distracted her parents.
"Mother! why did you leave?" I asked Neytiri as I panted for air.
"My child, I came to speak with Jake about leaving. Why did you come after me? is something the matter?" she asked back.
Before I could answer, Tonowari overheard Neytiri's question-
"You are leaving?" he asked.
Mr Sully & Neytiri turned to face him in anger of his son's behaviour towards me during my heat, not knowing that he was in rut too.
"Yes we are. I think Violet shouldn't be around your boy considering what he did to her" Mr Sully voiced out.
"My son? my son was in rut, the same time as Violet. Some things we out of our control" Ronal came forward with furrowed brows.
Tsireya & I were standing in the middle of this soon to be conflict as my dad came out from the roots with his equipment for samples.
"Why is everyone looking so tensed up" my dad took notice of Neytiri gripping her battle bow with a provoked look on her face to Aonung standing at the entrance of the pod.
As we held the adults back from throwing a spear or launching an arrow, Neteyam & the others soon emerged from the other side of the roots with Rotxo as their guide.
"We have decided to leave, thank you for your hospitality & 'looking' after our Violet. But we will be taking our leave" Mr Sully said.
"Wait why are we leaving?" my dad innocently asked as he watched the Sullys & Tsierya's family stand separately & in a distance from each other.
Tonowari met my eyes, signalling me one last time to tell everyone what is going with me & why Aonung is acting the way that he is around me. I was caught in a dilemma, looking everyone as my hand slowly reached for my chest.
"I..I-i uhm.. im-"
"You're what Ma'Vi?" Neteyam stepped closer, now joining me in the middle of the 2 families.
"I can't leave the Metkayina" I said facing down.
"What? why not" he asked pulling me to face him.
"Is it because of him?" Neteyam asked again as his eyes indignantly met Aonungs.
"No! what?! this isn't about him" I said as i pulled his cheek to face me.
"It would hurt us & especially my children to see Violet leave, she is one of the best mentors we have here. The warriors & the young ones in Metkayina would be disappointed to see their friend go" Tonowari reasoned with Mr Sully & Neytiri.
"Besides, the girl cannot travel" Ronal stood beside her husband.
"Why not?! she belongs to our family" Neytiri hissed.
"Careful" Ronal hissed back.
The men held their wives back, Neteyam pleaded me to come home with him. As his lips quavered thinking that I was involve in Aonung, I tried to whisper the words with my palm on his chest.
"Nete.. please don't hate me, but Im pr-"
"Because a soon to be mother is not fit to travel for hours on an Ikran's back" Tonowari spoke out.
All fell silent.
Tsireya finally lets go of her father's arm to the sudden revelation in between this mess, while Ronal turned her back to bring her son Aonung into the pod. The Sullys were taken aback by the words that they all stood still like that for a good minute.
"Oh Great mother.." Neytiri stopped to look at me as her eyes widened & a smile slowly growing on her face.
"Why did the tall scary man call our sister a mother?" Little Tuk tugged on Kiri's arm. But Kiri couldn't answer her little sister as both her hands were already covering her mouth.
"What did he mean by soon to be mother?!" Lo'ak turned to me in horror, his eyes scanned my belly & back up to me.
"Wait, did he say mentor?" Mr Sully had his hand on hip, looking at Tonowari.
"A.. m-mother?" Neteyam titled his head to Tonowari then back at me.
Neteyam swallowed the dry air before he looked into my eyes for confirmation, eyes widened as he gently placed his palm on my belly. Tears soon welled up as he realised that this wasn't a dream.
"Ma'Vi.. is- is this true? are you really?" he asked as he his braids fell to his face.
"Yes Nete, im pregnant. You're going to be a father" I said as my voice quavered in fear of him disapproving.
But a smile bursted across his face, lifting me up in pure bliss as I gripped his shoulders for balance. Spinning me once as he couldn't contain his excitement.
"Y-you don't hate me my love?" I asked as he puts me down carefully.
"Never my love! you have no idea how happy this makes me, you are carrying our baby!" he kissed my forehead softly.
The rest of the Sullys ran forward, crowding me in joy as Mr Sully apologised to Tonowari for the way he spoke to him earlier.
"You are bearing a child this whole time! Thank you great mother!" Neytiri cried.
"Am I going to be a grandfather?!" my dad hysterically crying over how the little girl he once knew, was now expecting a little one.
"I knew something was off with you! you had a scent that only pregnant women had!" Kiri bumped my arm cheekily.
Lo'ak was standing next to Tsireya, giggling over how cute it was that she was taking care of me this entire time, protecting my secret & being a wonderful sister to his big brother's mate.
Neteyam was ecstatic, hands still on my cheeks as he was tearing in merriment.
"You were hiding this because you thought I wasn't going to be happy about it my love? You silly girl, I love you so much" he said, hugging me with the rest of his family.
"Well! it looks like we aren't leaving any time soon, the Sullys are here to stay" Mr Sully & Tonowari announced to the beaming family, arms over each other's shoulders with a belly laugh.
As I looked at my Neteyam, I was tearing up along with him. Us, as parents. How crazy is that.
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