"Lo'ak slow down!" A young teen was chasing her best friend who laughed at her struggle. It was the middle of the night and the two had snuck away from the village.
"You know when you said you wanted to sneak away, I thought we'd be doing something a little more exciting." The forest was lit by the multiple bioluminescent life surrounding them. The two were walking high among the ground on a large branch.
Lo'ak turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Nîryni, we're both fourteen."
She playfully tugged his tail making him finally stop walking," That's not what I meant but it's cute you think I look at you in that way."
"So you're saying you think I'm cute?"
"Again, that's not what I meant, but sure you're decent looking I guess."
He shook his head with a smile and started to climb up their tree. It wasn't too special to look at but the memories were unforgettable. It was their safe place whenever life got too hard.
She followed his lead and climbed after him.
"I see you wore the beads I made you." Along the first few braids of his hair there were wooden beads in different sizes and shapes. He had even worn his hair down to show them off. They were a gift from the girl behind him for when he tamed his own Ikran.
"Duh, it was your day, why wouldn't I?"
Earlier this morning, marked the day she accomplished that same feat.
At the time she was nervous and almost wanted to back away with all the Ikrans staring at her but then she locked eyes with him. He looked at her with unwavering confidence that calmed her rapid heartbeat. And that grin he wore was so contagious that she returned it twice as big. Even her dad's comforting words had nothing on the effect the boy in front of her did.
"Well it meant a lot to me." The sincerity in her voice made the boy's lips quirk upwards and a rush of confidence made him boldly look down at her.
"You mean a lot to me." He reached a hand down to pull her on top of another large branch.
"Careful pretty boy, it's starting to sound like you have feelings for me." Her golden eyes twinkled with fondness as she firmly grabbed his hand.
"And if I do?" He pulled her up to sit next to him and waited for her response.
Nîryni only cheekily grinned at him, thinking that he was joking.
A comfortable silence encased them and they sat closely together while subconsciously intertwining their tails.
Lo'ak hesitantly reached inside the pouch he carried and turned to look at Nîryni. "I have something to give you."
Her ears perked up and she looked over at him with her hair falling over her shoulder.
"I know you've been training with my mom so I- "A beam of different shades of orange caught his attention.
"Wait, do you see that?"
Nîryni looked to where his eyes seemed to be glued to.
They both saw a rapid approaching wave of pure fire spreading across the forest, eating away everything in their path. They could see these large and unfamiliar ships landing nearby.
Out of instinct, Lo'ak put a protective arm out in front of the girl next to him. She gripped it with wide eyes and a small hiss leaving her.
"We need to get back. Now."
The gift he made her, completely forgotten.
♡
The people were in chaos. There were many screams of fear as they hurried to pack and evacuate.
The two teens had just arrived on the scene and Nîryni searched the crowd for her father.
"I need to find my dad, go find your family!"
She was about to run off when she was pulled into a warm chest.
"Stay safe."
She didn't have to process it before the boy had ran off. A loud shout pulled her back to reality and she shot off towards her home.
"Father? Father!"
All she received was silence and she could see it looked like he had left in a hurry.
With a small growl she left and began to search through the village for the person who meant the world to her.
Her heart refused to allow her to leave without finding him even if the whole forest burned to the ground.
♡
The fire continued to burn brighter every second and the smoke suffocated anything that dared to stay in its embrace.
Her body stumbled across the forest floor and her eyes became dazed with unclarity due to her lack of clean air.
While searching for her dad she got cut off by the spreading flames and she mindlessly searched for a way back.
She heaved her chest painfully trying to get more air yet each inhale took her one step closer to death.
All she could manage was small wheezes and coughs.
It felt like torture to not be able to breathe when she so desperately needed to. She decided she hated this feeling more than anything.
Her yellow eyes teared up as she crumpled to the floor. Is this how her life ended?
The instinct to survive forced her to crawl away from the fire getting closer to her exhausted body.
When her eyes started to close, her mind and body completely relaxed. The heat from the flames licked her skin and she was ready for it to swallow her whole. Her vision was slowly being clouded by black and her ears were ringing.
"Nîryni!" A voice that she knew meant safety.
She couldn't see him but she could feel his hands picking her up. The comfort she found from feeling the extra finger glide along her body, made her eyes finally close.
Even though he had found her, she wondered if maybe things would have been different had they both stayed home that night.
"Come on Ryn, I got you." He hurriedly got her settled onto his back.
The only thing keeping Lo'ak together was feeling her warm breath gently hitting his neck. His ears were pinned back as he looked around wildly for an escape route. The smoke was blinding him and the fire made him feel cornered.
His own eyes started to tear up involuntarily from the thick air flowing into them.
Then like a miracle from their Goddess herself, he saw a pathway opened up by the strong breeze of the wind.
At first he stumbled from the extra weight but he quickly found his footing and jogged as fast as he could towards where their people had evacuated to.
♡
The light from the orange plague illuminated the relief on Lo'ak's face when he saw his family and the others close by.
"Hey, we made it." He gently moved her from his back and into his arms bridal style.
He glanced down at her when he didn't receive a response. Nîryni was cuddled into his chest but she was so still. Too still. He shook her gently.
"Nîryni?" That's when he noticed her chest barely rising and falling. The fear and adrenaline that rushed through his veins shocked him to his core.
"Shit, hold on Ryn."
He forced his legs to carry him and her at an impossible rate until he reached the center of the huge crowd.
Immediately, Jake and Neytiri ran over to him ready to make sure he was okay but also to scold him from running off.
They paused when they saw their son lower himself to the ground with a familiar body close to his own.
"She needs help!" He cradled the back of Nîryni's head and wrapped his other arm around her tightly.
Jake immediately crouched down to check her pulse and instantly he could tell what was wrong with her.
Neytiri was busy checking her body for wounds. "What happened to her?"
"Smoke inhalation. Being in the clean air will help her but we should get Norm or Mo'at to check her," he looked to his wife, "Tell her dad, we found her."
She nodded and walked off at a fast pace.
Jake then began to pull Nîryni's limp body away from his son.
Lo'ak growled at him with a quick snap of his jaws and pulled his girl closer to him. His mind was on overdrive and he needed to keep her close.
Jake glanced at him warily, "We need to get her to your grandmother. Too much smoke in her lungs can make her slip into a coma. Alright?"
"I'll take her." He didn't leave it up for debate and picked her back up carefully.
Along with running on adrenaline, he was feeling guilty. If he had never suggested they leave then she would've never had to go search for her father.
♡
It wasn't until two days later that Nîryni woke up. She slowly sat up and looked at her unfamiliar surroundings. Her head was pounding and she winced from the bright light. It looked like she was laying inside a tent.
She could hear voices but couldn't make out who they were. The last thing she remembered was Lo'ak picking her up and then nothing.
"You're awake." Her body flinched from the sudden voice and she craned her head to the left to see her father sitting next to her.
He looked tired and worn out yet she knew a long lecture was coming.
"What were you thinking? Sneaking out with that boy? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you?" She didn't miss the strain of his deep voice meaning he had been yelling for a long period of time. Probably when he was looking for her.
His tone was accusatory and she couldn't look him in the eye anymore.
He sighed and grabbed onto one of her hands, "You could have died Nîryni." He placed his free hand on her cheek, "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had lost you."
Nîryni leaned into his palm and both of their ears drooped lowly.
"I'm sorry dad. We would've never gone if we knew."
"I know you care about him a lot but I don't think it's wise to continue spending-"
A harsh snarl interrupted him. Nîryni moved away from him like he had burned her. Her nose was scrunched up and her eyes were wide in disbelief.
Sìkve wasn't having it and growled at her lowly as a warning. He wasn't surprised by his daughter's reaction but it still annoyed him to some extent.
Nîryni only glared at him, "Father, he saved my life."
"He's the one who put you in danger in the first place."
She scoffed and shook her head, "That wasn't his fault! I went with him on my own free will. I know you're angry and worried but we both decided to sneak out. He didn't force me to and you can't hold that against him."
Sìkve frowned but nodded. This conversation wasn't over but he didn't want her to be so worked up right after waking up. He loved her too much to cause her stress so he backed down for now.
She sighed in relief and slowly inched her way closer to him. "I see you." It was her way of trying to apologize for snapping at him.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of his head. "I see you, my daughter."
♡
The tent slowly opening caught Nîryni's attention. Her dad had left a few minutes ago and she assumed that maybe he decided to come back.
That wasn't the case since Lo'ak stepped in quietly and when he saw Nîryni awake, he froze.
They took a moment to observe each other. He was looking for any sign of her being unwell. She was looking for wounds that might've occurred after she slipped unconscious.
When they deemed each other okay, Lo'ak wasted no time in scooping her up into his arms.
She pulled him in closer and rested her head against his chest. His rapid heartbeat was music to her ears. Although she knew he was beating himself up over it.
"It's okay Lo'ak. I'm okay."
He hugged her even tighter, "You dumbass, you scared me."
"Aw, the brave and mighty Lo'ak was scared for me?"
The boy pulled away and looked into her eyes with a genuine smile, "I told you, you mean a lot to me."
She grabbed onto his pinky finger, a habit she's had since they were kids, and returned his gaze, "You mean a lot to me too."
Unknowingly to them, a small star twinkled in the sky, waiting to be found by them.●
{A/N}
{I'm aging them up by a year. The plot will also have a few minor changes :P}