"Let's just throw the piece of meat overboard," Aonung said.
Tsireya, perched behind Loak on his ikran, smacked her brother's head.
"Do not, Aonung. Spider is a friend, a brother of the Sullys," she hissed, unimpressed.
"Spider is not a threat. He is one of us," Loak said firmly.
Katiya glared at Aonung from behind Neteyam as they flew level with Aonung and Rotxo on the other side of Aonung's skimwing.
Aonung scoffed. "Are you blind? What shade of blue do you see on him?"
Katiya looked him in the eyes, her gaze unwavering.
"You don't know him like we do, so I don't really care for your opinion," she said. "He's been a part of our family for years, and we know he will never betray us."
Aonung wasn't convinced, but he had no real evidence to contradict her. So he remained silent, his gaze fixed on hers.
He knew it was pointless to argue, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The others could feel tension brewing between them.
From above, Spider and Kiri were unaware of the conversation below. They were too busy sightseeing and joking around like they always do.
Rotxo tightened his grip on Aonung's shoulder and gave Neteyam a worried look. A sigh escaped Neteyam's lips as he spoke to ease the tension.
"Look, I know it's been a long day of flying and we're all exhausted. The most sensible thing we can do for now is take Spider with us and let my parents decide what to do from here on out," he said, making eye contact with each person. "We'll stop at Three Brothers Rocks and then fly the rest of the way home. Aonung, how long until we reach Awa'atlu?"
Taking his eyes off Katiya, Aonung tightened his jaw and stared into the distance.
"A few minutes before eclipse, give or take," he replied, advancing on his skimwing.
"Great, let's not waste any more time then." Neteyam smiled, dissipating the tension in the air.
With that, the conversation was terminated.
They traveled in silence for the remainder of the journey, each reflecting on what had just been discussed.
By the time they reached their destination, the sky was awash in a deep red hue and small speckles of stars.
Taking the opportunity to stretch their muscles, they dismounted from their ikrans and settled on a large stranded rock, letting the cool evening breeze brush against their faces.
"Ow," Katiya winced as Kiri reapplied healing serum to her burn.
"Sorry," Kiri mumbled, careful with her movements.
The sisters were situated separately on another rock, away from the others for privacy.
"So... um, Aonung treated your wound?" Kiri asked, giving Katiya a strange look as she finished replacing the old fabric with a fresh white bandage from her pouch.
Katiya shifted uncomfortably, her gaze shifting away from her sister's.
"I won't tell Mom," Kiri continued.
At the mention of their mother, Katiya's face became hot with embarrassment.
"What? What does Mom have to do with this? Kiri!"
"What? I mean, your burn is like..." Kiri paused and looked around before lowering her voice. "Really low to your chest, Kati. I know Aonung saw—"
"Do not say it," Katiya hissed. "I was too out of it to realize what was happening."
Kiri looked at her sister for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Okay, that sounds more like you. I thought you allowed him to do it," she said, smiling. "Did you give him a hard time? Did you give him another nosebleed?"
Katiya rolled her eyes. "No, but I gave him a hard kick."
A little further down, Loak and Tsireya were in the water as he called for Payakan. She was initially frightened to meet the rogue tulkun, but he soon convinced her of Payakan's kind nature.
It wasn't long before Payakan emerged from the shadows of the water, splashing them playfully with his large fin.
"Bro!" Loak laughed.
Tsireya giggled as she watched him interact with the tulkun. Soon, they swam underwater where corals and sea plants shimmered with bioluminescence, a variety of vivid colors reflected in their eyes.
I'm going to get the others to join us, she signed to him.
Although uncertain at first, Loak nodded and watched as she swam away. When she returned with her brother and Neteyam, they stopped in their tracks upon witnessing Loak swimming into Payakan's mouth.
As Tsireya held her breath, a concerned expression crossed her face.
Neteyam's eyes grew wide with alarm and he reached for Loak, but Aonung stopped him.
Wait, Aonung signed.
Above the surface, Spider and Rotxo sat beside the three ikrans engaged in a conversation.
"So what's it like to be a human?" Rotxo asked, genuinely curious.
"Boring... and small," Spider replied, chuckling. "What's it like being a Na'vi?"
Rotxo cracked a grin. "Fun... and big."
"I'm sure it is," Spider said, looking enviously at Rotxo. "I wish I could experience that."
Rotxo nodded sympathetically. "You can, right? Wasn't Kiri's father originally a human too?"
"Yeah," Spider replied, turning his gaze to the night sky. "I don't have my own Avatar though."
Silence lingered between them briefly before Spider let out a heavy sigh.
"I guess I'll just have to find a way to get one," he said.
Rotxo smiled and nodded. "You'll find a way, I'm sure."
A while later, the gang regrouped and resumed their journey home from Three Brothers Rocks.
When they finally spotted the glowing seawall terraces of Awa'atlu up ahead, they were relieved to finally be home.
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"Your father and I are just happy you made it back safely," Neytiri said softly.
The Sullys reunited inside their Marui with Spider, who was welcomed back cheerfully.
Katiya glanced at her father and beckoned for Tuk to sit on her lap. He was clearly upset by her reckless behavior which resulted in the burn injury.
Although he gave her brothers an earful too, she could still feel her father's anger brewing toward her.
Jake met her gaze and she looked away, not wanting to confront him.
Jake sighed and forced a smile. "Your mother's right. You made it home together, and that's all that matters."
"Yeah, Sullys stick together!" Tuk grinned.
"That's right, Tuk," Jake chuckled, ruffling the little one's hair.
"So when will we celebrate Spider's return?" Loak asked excitedly. "I say we have another family feast."
"Maybe later," Jake laughed. "For now, your mother and I have to discuss this situation with Tonowari and Ronal."
"Aw, come on, Dad," Kiri said. "We finally got Spider back with us. We have to celebrate his return."
"I know," Jake nodded, smiling. "And we will. But that's not important right now, guys. If you want, you guys can start planning something."
Katiya scoffed. "Typical."
Everyone paused as uncomfortable silence draped over them for a second. The joy and light atmosphere from earlier dissipated into thin air.
"What was that, Kati?" Jake asked, his smile gone.
"Don't," Neteyam warned, nudging Katiya's elbow.
She glared at her brother and pulled away from his touch. Turning her gaze back to her father, she frowned.
"I said it's typical," she repeated.
"Ma Kati," Neytiri said softly, looking between her husband and her daughter.
"Why would you say that?" Jake asked.
"Spider was never of importance to you. That's why you left him to the demons that day in the forest, didn't you?" Katiya confronted, the elephant in the room now clearly visible. "Even now that he's back with us, he's still not treated as such. Why didn't you fight for him too?"
Spider, who was the subject of the conversation, suddenly felt comfortable and a little guilty.It was never his intention to put Katiya and her father at odds.
Jake's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared in anger at her accusation. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath before speaking.
"We had no choice, Kati," he replied, his voice quivering with rage. "There were too many of them, and your siblings were in danger. If we had fought, things could have taken a drastic turn."
"That is enough, both of you," Neytiri pleaded. "Please."
"Well, you could have tried. Spider wouldn't have been tortured by them," Katiya said, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh, and by the way, he never gave them any information."
Jake raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"You weren't there, you have no say in this," he said firmly. "You were too occupied with your anger issues to know your siblings were even in danger. You did nothing!"
She looked at him, her eyes filled with rage. "And what did you do?" she said. "At least now, I did what you didn't do in that forest when they took Spider!"
Jake looked at Spider for a moment, guilt and shame written clearly on his face. But it was quickly replaced by anger as he averted his gaze back to Katiya.
"And where did that take you, huh, Kati? Look at yourself, baby girl. You got hurt."
"Alright, everyone out. Come on," Neytiri beckoned her children and Spider to exit the Marui. She knew there was no stopping them now.
"I didn't die, did I?" Katiya continued, her gaze firm.
"You could have!" Jake exploded, letting his frustration get the better of him.
"Well, I didn't!" Katiya shouted angrily, her voice cracking slightly. "Sullys stick together, right? Isn't that what you always taught us? I wasn't going to leave him behind to die like you did!"
Her breathing accelerated and she took a deep breath to calm herself.
Jake paused and looked at her with realization.
"This isn't about Spider, is it?" He asked, his voice toned down.
Katiya's gaze faltered as she felt a sharp pang in her chest.
"Swana could have lived. We had the technology," she replied, desperation and pain laced in her voice.
Jake's face softened as he reached for her, but she didn't spare him another minute. Katiya turned around on her heels and left the Marui.
He watched her go, his heart heavy with guilt and regret.
Under the starry sky, Katiya found herself seated on a mangrove tree root, tears glistening in her eyes.
The pain of her burn was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She never had the chance to grieve for Swana.
She wanted to scream and cry out all her feelings, but she was too afraid to make noise. She buried her face in her hands, letting tears fall.
At that moment, she allowed herself to feel the pain she had kept inside for so long.
Now living in a foreign place among strangers, she could never bond with another ikran again. As sea people, they no longer belong to the forest.
She had lost her home and the life she had known. The memories of the past, now distant, only brought more sorrow.
Her ears perked up when she heard soft footsteps behind her. Indifferent to who it was, Katiya didn't turn around to look.
"Leave me alone," she muttered.
Silence.
Then, more shuffling and she felt a sturdy back pressed against her own as the person sat behind her.
Katiya's eyebrows furrowed in irritation when she saw the black armband adorned with white stones around a bulging bicep.
"Go away," she murmured, without any strength left to argue with the Metkayina boy.
Aonung remained silent, and he stayed where he was, his back pressed firmly against hers as he placed his hand on top of hers.
The corner of his lips twitched upward into a smile when she didn't complain or pull away. Although it wasn't his intention for things to turn out this way, he couldn't walk away when he noticed she was grieving.
He closed his eyes and just listened to her rapid breathing, feeling the warmth of her body, the calmness of her presence for a change.
Katiya might not have minded his presence either, and it crossed her mind that perhaps he wasn't so terrible after all.
They stayed like that for a while, under the starry night sky.
While marching along the shore of Awa'atlu, Aonung couldn't help but think about the moment he had just shared with Katiya.
Initially, he intended to bother her, but instead, he saw another side of her he hadn't seen before. Though it felt strange, he admitted he enjoyed the moment.
He wondered if she felt the same.
Perhaps not.
Aonung snickered to himself as he approached his family's Marui. The time had come to discuss the details of what happened in Ta'unui with his parents.
"I'm here," he said, lifting the curtain.
However, his brows furrowed in confusion when an unfamiliar reef girl turned around with wide eyes.
"Oh..." she gasped, startled by his presence.
Aonung looked around and realized she was the only one inside.
"Oh shit, sorry," he apologized. "Wrong Marui."
She laughed, lifting a hand over her mouth as she did so.
"No, don't be. You're not in the wrong room at all," she said, gazing nervously at him. "This is your family's Marui, Aonung. I was just returning the knitted blanket your mother had lent me."
"Ah," Aonung nodded, his lips curling into an awkward smile. "Do I know you? I don't think we've met before, right?"
She shook her head, her smile still visible. As she opened her mouth to respond, her eyes shifted from Aonung to Ronal standing behind him.
"I see you two have met already," Ronal said, startling Aonung as he turned around to face his mother.
She walked past him and entered the Marui as she beckoned for the reef girl to join her.
"Aonung, this is Narini. She is from Ta'unui. She is the daughter of one of my closest friend, and she will be your future mate."