"sister.. I knew it was you who holds a special power.
you have to find me.. find us sister" she said.
"Where are you Kiri?.." I asked.
"Beyond a familiar place.. but its not safe for any of us here" she said.
The soft female's voice echoed in my head, repeating the same thing over & over again. My sister, my dearest sister Kiri was speaking to me in an angelic tone. But the ominous feeling of something pulling her away from my fingertips suddenly jerked me awake.
"Kiri!" I gasped, gripping my chest piece for air.
Waking up to the sound of heavy sacks filled with fruits being put down by the corner of my pod. Neytiri was cutting fresh caught fishes while Tuk was beside her, crying over Kiri's absence. Neteyam rushed over to me as if he was waiting for my eyes to open-
"Ma'Vi! you're okay! im here, look!" he said, pulling me to face him.
"She has been moving alot & speaking of Kiri's name" Neytiri looked up at her son, lifeless & expressionless.
"W-what was I saying?" I asked her.
"You were sweating profusely, mouthing 'Kiri' & something about 'What power?'" she replied.
Neteyam knelt beside me, checking my forehead for signs of fever & my eyes for anything out of the ordinary. He knew something about me, they all do, but they refused to answer me. So still, I am left here with nothing to fill my true doubts.
"What am I?.." I mumbled.
"Try to stand up my love, Im taking you somewhere near for fresh air" he said.
Neytiri had not a single worry on her expression even after that. After countless tragedies, the loss of one son & now, a daughter. I would be paranoid if anyone I love steps out into the open for anything now. But deep down I figured that she couldn't show her pain for loss in front of her youngest.
The Neytiri we know, would go a rampage by now. But towards who? she couldn't risk it all with fragile little Tuk in need of her comfort & protection. It hurt deeply to see a mother suffer in silence.
As we walked towards the shore, Tsireya & Rotxo were waiting for us. Aonung was seen in the distant corner with the fishermen, looking at us like he wanted to come along for whatever that we had planned.
"How are you feeling Vi?" Tsireya touched my cheek.
"Im okay, what's going on? why do you all look distraught?" I asked them.
"We might know where Kiri & Rey'ek is" Neteyam suddenly said.
My heart came to sudden stop & the beating resumed, pounding to his blinks. The gasped I let out almost made my eyes well up in tears but I can't starting crying just yet.
"W-where?" I asked ask looked at all of them again.
"Aonung was previously taken to an Island just beyond the Cove of the Ancestors. A solitude island where no Metkayina villager can swim pass unless they are small & slippery enough to go though the thick seaweeds" Rotxo said.
"While you were resting, we circled the perimeter for any clues & we found something strange" Neteyam followed.
"But we have to come from high above to reach that island again" Tsireya said.
"How are we going to do that? we have no ship or-"
"Did you forget my love? we have our ikrans" Neteyam smirked.
3 ikrans then flew down from the high rock. Gorgeous & majestic as they always were, I had indeed forgotten that they were always sitting by the rocks above the shores, waiting for their rider to come. Mine, Neteyam's & -
"Lo'ak's Ikran.." Tsireya said as her eyes filled with tears.
"We have to tell someone where we're going" I said.
"Already done. My dad & Norm is on standby at Tonowari's pod" Neteyam said, gently fixing a headset & a throat mic on me.
"What about your mother?" I asked Neteyam.
He looked down & shook his head, a way of saying that she preferred to stay indoors for now with Tuk out of danger. Neytiri placed full trust in her husband & son, the people too but-
She was definitely planning something in her head.
"Mira & the other warriors will stay here, taking shifts & guarding the people if anything goes wrong while we are way again" Tsireya said.
Tsireya turned to stroked Lo'ak's ikran without any fear. 'Each ikran only has one rider for the rest of its life', but in this case, it looked like it understood Tsireya without Tsaheylu. The bond between her & Lo'ak was so strong that his ikran was instantly drawn to her.
"My sweet boy, I see you" she closed her eyes, placing her forehead on the ikran's frontal bridge.
I walked towards my ikran, my girl. We went through so much together many months ago & I had neglected her presence because of what happened during my rite of passage back at Hometree.
"Im sorry.." I stroked the side of its head gently, making my ikran close its eyes in contentment of finally reuniting.
Tsaheylu was made after a long time, my ikran understood my intentions, my rage, sorrow, physical pains that I've went through. It shrieked at the massive wave of intensity, wings up almost taking flight recklessly.
"Tam tam!.. tam tam (Okay okay!.. okay okay) you're safe!" I hushed my ikran gently & carefully this time.
Rotxo sat behind Neteyam while Tsireya was on Lo'ak's ikran, we were ready & set to find our sister & my son. But at the back of our minds, we knew that this would take a village's might for who we assume we are about to face.
"Everyone got their bows, daggers & spears?" Rotxo checked.
"Yes, we have enough to carry" Tsireya reassured.
"Alright then, Kivä ko! (Let's go!)" Neteyam howled.
Leading us to the grey waters beyond the underwater sacred tree, everything was so dull & empty, even the air was drier here. Flying above the solitude rocks carefully, it looked like thick dark vines with thorns was wrapped around the perimeter & all over the ground surface.
I then noticed at the edge of the cliff, a rope with dark dried blood stains. I assumed that was where Aonung was last kept prisoner before he was saved & returned home.
"This wasn't here before.." Tsireya said, eyes widened.
"Someone was definitely here" Neteyam said warily.
"We can't land here, it'll put our ikran's in danger" I looked over to them.
The area had been swarmed, cleaned up with foot tracks allover. Familiar devices were beeping on the vines, It was definitely well thought out by what looks like the.. Military Marine Corps-
"Guys! we have to get ou-"
Suddenly our ikran's shrieked from the loss of balance, the wind pressure was too much that some of us were blown away in different directions. We then looked up to see a large grey shadow covered the sky on top of us.
"ENEMY SHIP!" Neteyam yelled in horror.
"They knew we were going to come here!" I shouted back.
The forces of the wind formed a small tornado right above the sea level, pulling us upwards to the 4 separate rotor blades in a circular rapid speed.
"Hold on!!" Rotxo yelled at Tsireya.
"Im losing control!" she yelled back in distressed.
I retrieved my bow & arrow hung tight behind my back, aiming it at one of the blades above Tsireya & took my shot with one eye as I was balancing on my ikran, shrieking in fright of the foreign ship.
One of the blades came to a stop with a small fiery explosion, the wind pressure was steady & Tsireya flew straight to a flat surface on another rock just far enough but still visible on our end.
Neteyam did the same, aiming his pointed arrow at the rotor blades above me while i aimed for the ones over them. Rotxo on the other hand, squinted his eyes to see who was in the cockpit & what he saw, drive fear to shook his core.
With the pressures of the rotor blade now slowing down, I reached for my throat mic, screaming into the whirl of wind to pull my arm towards myself as my ikran flew to a flat surfaced ground where Tsireya was waiting at.
Bullets were shot from assault rifles, hitting the waters & the lone trees surrounding her.
"Where are you kids?!" Mr Sully's voice came from Neteyam's headset.
"Dad! Beyond the sacred tree! We're under attack! its a C-21!" Neteyam panicked
The signal got cut off before Mr Sully could give him the instructions.
While heading to Tsireya, Neteyam & I turned back as he aim his bow again. Then I had a glimpse of a grown Na'Vi male with greenish army wear standing in the cockpit, holding a knife to Kiri's throat.
"NETE NO!" I held out my hand to stop him.
"It's Kiri!" Rotxo cried out as he pointed to the cockpit window.
The menacing smile of the man reminded me of Lauako. At that very moment, I thought that It couldn't get any worse. But-
Xenía stepped forward, now standing beside the man, she had my son in her arms.
"Fayerrtep! (Demons!)" i hissed.
Violent rage grew over me, consuming my head, all I saw was red. My newborn in her arms & Kiri held hostage in front of us. In front of me.
"Ma'Vi!" Neteyam yelled.
"Vi you can't get to them! they'll kill you!" Rotxo cried out again.
"They have my fucking child!, you're telling me to stand down?!" I growled, now standing up on my ikran's back.
My hands balled up in a fist, knuckles as white as a cloud, I tilted my head with nothing but brutal blood war in my mind. My teal eyes turned dark, hair blowing in the wind, I was breathing in the foul stench of Xenía's presence.
"What the hell do you want from us?! haven't you taken enough?!" I called out to the psychotic bitch now dressed in military wear.
She laughed maniacally as she always does, her finger poking my newborn's cheek like he was hers. It made my blood boil just by looking at how comfortable she was holding our sister hostage & carrying my child.
"You" she mouthed.
She nodded her head to the man. He pushed the blade into Kiri's neck, drawing a drop of blood to get a reaction out of Neteyam.
"Don't you fucking dare Xenía!" he yelled, now bringing himself closer to the ship with his ikran.
& from below, spears were launched upwards at the floating damaged aircraft. Mr Sully, Dad & Tonowari leaded the male mentors around the sea to face where the entrance & exit doors were on the ship. All aiming their arrows & spears up.
Smiles shone bright on their faces as they aimed, taking their shot, the arrows hit the door inwards, causing some of the Marines to yelp as they scurry to safety. But its always too good to be true, isn't it?
One of the marines aimed his assault rifle downwards, aiming at the 'weak' looking one. My dad.
"NO!-"
Another spear shot up, piercing through the man's abdomen like a shark out of water.
All heads turn to see Aonung racing forward on a Tsurak (Skimwing), another spear gripped tight in his hand, he flung the spear at the next Marine in sight who was retrieving the fallen soldier's body.
Rotxo & Tsireya's eyes widened at her brother, cheering him on as he went around his father with such valour. Tonowari nodding in approval, it was his son after all.
The entrance door was now opened & cleared to enter, this was the perfect chance to get my son back.
"Now!" I signalled Neteyam.
Our ikrans made a final shriek before taking flight towards the aircraft that was now lowering down onto the sea. Eyes darting at Xenía as I flew forward with my arrow, she ran inside with my newborn. While the man dragged Kiri along with him, he pushed her out of the aircraft.
"Get her son!" Mr Sully voiced to Neteyam.
He ducked the bullets swiftly as the mentors shot their arrows at the aircraft, avoiding him as he flew towards Kiri's falling body in the air. Crouching her body & bracing for impact, Neteyam caught her before she touched the water.
"That's my boy!" Mr Sully cheered.
My ikran pierced the men that came forward to the ship's opening with its sharp claws, slashing their bodies as I looked in for a possible sneak in.
"Ma'Vi! you can't go alone!" Neteyam yelled out.
"Violet! they will kill you onboard! you have to listen to us!" Mr Sully yelled after him through the headset.
The mixed decision of getting my child & die trying was pushing forward. Before I could step foot onto the aircraft, alarms rung from the inside. Systems failures & red lights were going off, setting my ikran off in distress.
"No! we have to go back!" I yelled out.
Neteyam then flew towards me next, pulling me away from my ikran so that I wouldn't make any rash decisions to go alone again.
"Let go of me! I have to get him!" I screamed, scratching his arms as I tried to throw myself off his ikran.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched Xenía & a few other men escape in a smaller aircraft with my newborn, while everyone on their ilus & tsurak left the scene as fast as they could. The ship then exploded on the sea, causing a loud boom & parts flying all over.
"We have to get home!" Tonowari ordered.
"No please! my child! they have my child! we have to go back & get him! are you all fucking blind?!" I screamed at him as we left.
I turned to meet Neteyam's eyes, pleading him as my body soon felt weak & I couldn't fight back anymore. He had numbed himself quick from the sight of his son being taken away from him.
"Ma'Teyam please I beg of you, that's our child!" I sobbed in his arms.
"We will get him. W-we, just can't right now" he said in a sombre tone.
"Wha-what? why?! wh-"
"Look behind" he turned his head slightly, gesturing to what's behind us.
To my horror, another ship, thrice as large as the ship that exploded emerge down from the clouds to collect Xenía's escape pod. The ship was heavily armed & filled with both human & recom soldiers looking out at us from the cockpit.
"They will kill all of us if we head there now" Neteyam said.
I let out air from my lungs as my chest heaved, lips quivering knowing that this was never going to end until she gets to me.
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