𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗔 𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢𝗢 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗥.
I was once born with the sky people, but I chose the right life path. I was now connected with Eywa, and she had given me a second chance.
A second chance to a new life.
With all the hardships, I wouldn't have it any other way.
But I'm many things. I'm a survivor, a leader, a warrior, a lover but amongst all of those things, I was about to become a father.
Ney'tiri is my force of life, my will to live and now, she was to bring something greater into my life.
A daughter.
Jake casually held his newborn, Mo'at comforting her daughter after her painful birth. He couldn't believe what he was looking at, the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.
She was named after my grandmother, McKenzie. Of course Neytiri agreed. But when it rolled off her tongue, it sounded way better.
Jake was too scared to hold her in his arms, afraid that he might hurt her tiny body. There was no doubt she was special.
The child fluttered her eyes open, meeting her father for the first time.
Jake stared in awe into her beautiful crimson eyes, resembling his features in a female version without being fully grown.
Her eyes were the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life, Mo'at said she got the ancestor's eyes.
The eyes were known as the most powerful warrior in Pandora. And I'm glad Eywa blessed my daughter with this amazing gift.
He held his pinky towards the newborn, a small yawn escaped from her lips as she babbled towards her father. Her small four-fingered hands, wrapped around his pinky caused a smile to creep up his face.
*⁂᯽⁂*
It wasn't long after a year when we had our first son, Neteyam. Life began to piece itself together when he was born.
The one-year-old child was in her father's baby carrier, admiring the Tree of Souls that she once connected to. The Omaticaya clan gathered around the tree, all sitting down with their arms on each other, it was a true celebration.
Jake held Neteyam as Mo'at helped the father connect the baby to the tree.
And following along was, Grace's Avatar who had miraculously managed to bear a child, Kiri.
Ney'tiri smiled as she cooed Kiri in her arms, following her husband. The two glanced at each other.
We took her in as our own, she wasn't direct blood but she was a blessing, and she was ours.
Then there were three.
*⁂᯽⁂*
Happiness is simple.
The couple played with their children, the two eldest uncontrollably giggled at their mother's ridiculous mimic of an ikran.
Who would've thought a jarhead like me, could break the code?
The eldest daughter playfully waggled her tail before pretending to bite her younger brother, Lo'ak.
Lo'ak was our fourth, another blessing in our lives. I'd never thought in a million years, I'd get to live a life like this.
One where I truly belonged.
*⁂᯽⁂*
McKeñzie rested her head against Neteyam above their father's head, as Lo'ak laid on his shoulder and Kiri in his arms.
The children listened to their parents telling how they met each other.
"When I first met your father, I was trying to kill him." She tried to make herself around fierce and scary, trying to keep her children's attention on her.
"It was love at first sight." Jake nuzzled his head against Ney'tiri, a smile grew on her face, as she held the newborn baby in her hands. The children began to giggle.
Before I knew it, we had five.
*⁂᯽⁂*
And then, there was Spider. He was just stuck here, too young for a cryo capsule.
A curly blonde toddler in a diaper ran around the lab, he chuckled going through all the scientists.
The war had taken his parents, so he was raised by the lab guys.
A female scientist noticed the toddler run around, recklessly. "Spider!
Spider!" She exclaimed, catching up and grabbing the boy as he chuckled.
He wasn't part of our family, he was more like a stray cat that was always around.
Jake and Ney'tiri watched their children play with the human boy, they were all at a small pond near the village. They each released happy screams, echoing through the tall trees of the forest, as they began to play fight with each other.
He was inseparable from our children.
The children begin to chase after the human boy, and he turns to hiss at them, believing that he is Na' vi himself. He begins to tug at Loak's tail, only to have McKenzie defend her younger brother and drag him.
Her siblings began to laugh. Jake watched with slight glee, but Neytiri stayed alert. She was truly scarred by the sky people.
He would always be a stranger to Neytiri. One of them.
"He belongs with his kind," Ney'tiri spoke up, keeping her eyes on the boy.
She still had high suspicions of the child, despite being so close with her children. Jake glances towards them at her words.
꧁ꕥ꧂
"It's mine!" Lo'ak booming screams hit
Jake's ears. He begins tugging at an object, going back and forth with Kiri over it as they begin to fight."I had it first!"
"Why should I let you have it?" Kiri argues back, trying to pull the object closer to her.
"It's mine!" Lo'ak exclaims at her. Jake kept a close distance between the two.
It took a few years to get the
language through my thick skull.
"Lo'ak, you liar! Give it back!" The girl screams at the top of her lungs.
But now when I hear it, it might as well be English.
"I hate you!" Loak growls at his sister, still trying to rip her hands off what he wants.
Kiri glares more before stopping for a second, still holding onto the object. "Well, I hate you times infinity, Lo'ak!
Penis face!"
Jake's ears twitch at her cursing, "Hey!
That's enough." He yells at them, giving them a warning look. "Don't make me come over there."
*⁂᯽⁂*
"Papa! Papa! Look!" Mckañzie circled her father, Jake smiled watching her be filled with so much happiness. "Go on, show him." Ney'tiri encouraged her daughter.
Ney'tiri decided to give Mckenzie lessons on how to fend for herself since she had the strength for it. It was always amazing, to see her be so proud of herself.
McKenzie nodded at her mother's words, before glancing at Jake to make sure he was looking at her and began to posture herself with the bow and arrow. She squinted her eye and aimed towards a random fish, it shot through perfectly. "Very good! Well done!" She jumped in his arms, as he attacked her with kisses.
She was a great shooter, just like Ney'tiri.
*⁂᯽⁂*
Jake set up the camera, clicking on the second's clock as Ney'tiri pulled in a groaning Kiri to get in the picture.
They were all much older, McKenzie and Neteyam were the same height practically, and Loak was just a couple of inches away from reaching them.
The eldest laughed and pushed in Lo'ak, getting in between her brothers.
They each placed an arm around her, as Jake placed his around Tuk- their youngest. "Smile," Ney'tiri says to them.
Just as the flash was going off, with each smiling beside Kiri, both McKenzie and Neteyam said- "Smile, skowang." To Lo'ak
———