Khalo
"This is the boy you guys talked about?" Khalo shared his thoughts. He was confused about why Lo'ak talked so much about that guy if he looked like .. that.
"Yes." Lo'ak responded shortly before he shot his eyes back to the ocean. Khalo felt how tense Lo'ak was, and it scared him a bit, duo to the fact that Lo'ak was always the guy to make jokes.
The time they were cuffed wasn't long, but for Khalo it felt like forever, as the only thing he could do was think. There were good thinking types and bad thinking types for him. Good thinking times and types were these, in which he would have everything around him be quiet, and he could just let everything be. Good thinking times were those where he wouldn't necessarily have to think.
Bad thinking times and types were those in which he had to think. Meaning to be trapped with thoughts that aren't wanted. Meaning, he couldn't stop the thoughts from going in directions he definitely didn't want.
"They're here!" Lo'ak shouted as he spotted the Metkaina and his parents, bringing Khalo back out of his thoughts. "They're here to save us!"
"Dad!" Tuk's mood lit up as she saw him, she knew he would figure this situation out somehow. Khalo didn't. He looked over at Tsireya to make sure she was still there.
Tsireya looked back at him with despair in her eyes. Khalo slid a little over to her, as far as it was possible, to try to comfort her. He felt like he needed to. As a big brother.
He still made sure to not turn his back on Tuk, to not give her the feeling of being alone in this situation. He feels like he shouldn't turn his back on her. As the boyfriend of her protector. Her big brother.
Because she couldn't have her protector with her, her big brother.
He, of course, knew Lo'ak was with her, but he also knew that Lo'ak was not the best at letting people feel better or not alone.
He also knew that Neteyam was a kind of father figure to Tuk, or at least her biggest supporter in bad times. If that even made sense.
He watched the man who forced them out of the water, rip something off of Lo'ak's neck and out of his ear just to plug it in his own ear.
"Jake, tell your friends to stand down. You want your kids back, you come out alone." The man announced.
Khalo felt uneasy. Especially as he pulled out one of the many things that Khalo had never seen before. He figured it must be a gun. Neteyam once explained it to him.
"You know better than to test my resolve."
But he just assumed that it meant no good, as Tuk began to panic as he held it to Lo'ak's head.
He figured it must be a gun. Neteyam once explained it to him.
Tuk backed away, closer to Khalo, while Khalo and Tsireya tried to stop that man from whatever this thing could do to Lo'ak's head.
Khalo slowly realized that this man must be Quarritch. Neteyam told him about him. It was a short-lived conversation, and the only thing Khalo knew was that he was dangerous. Very dangerous.
Quarritch went on with his monologue, as it seemed to be for Tsireya and Khalo.
"You betrayed me. You killed your own. Good men. Good woman. I will not hesitate to kill your kid."
Khalo felt like everything around him was silent. Even though it wasn't, and he knew that. He noticed that Quarritch and this other man talked without fully noticing. He was too focused on Jake, who slowly came closer, and all the possibilities of how this day could end started to rush once again through his mind. He liked none of them.
That's when a huge shadow appeared above his and the others' heads.
"Payakan!" Tuk yelled out, and a smile made its way onto her face. Lo'ak's face also lit up as the huge Tulkun made its way down onto the ship.
Khalo grabbed Tuk as far as he could, to make sure she wasn't hurt, because, as he expected, as the Tulkun finally hit the ship, it rocked the ship (I have no idea how to say that).
Khalo made sure to keep Tuk close as the 'Na'vi' and sky people started to shoot at the Tulkun. He felt Tuk's body shaking in fear, and he immediately felt guilt building up inside him. Tuk was way to young to see and experience these kinds of scenes. Knowing she grew up in war, meaning this was probably not the first time she was in the middle of a shooting, made him feel sick to his stomach.
By now, everything seemed to be in chaos. Payakan slowly started to get off the ship while destroying it and some people on it.
When Payakan was actually off the ship. Quarritch left, and they were now alone. It seemed like the sky people and fake Na'vi had better things to do than watch them.
"What now?" Khalo asked Lo'ak. He thought Lo'ak stood the best chance of knowing what to do next.
"I don't know." Lo'ak sounded desperate, looking around, hoping to find something that could help them.
"Neteyam always knows." Lo'ak mumbled with Tuk agreeing with him. "Neteyam's always helping us and he always knows what to do." She said almost sounding proud.
"Guys." Tsireya interfered. "Why is this ship moving?" Tsireya looked around, not seeing a single person who could tell them what was happening
Khalo now realized, too, that they were moving.
"Oh shit." Lo'ak cussed. "Guys-" He was cut off by the ship hitting some rocks, making the ships and Khalo, Tsireya, Tuk and Lo'ak go fly.
"You okay?" Lo'ak asked after the ship was back in the water—of course not without a hard landing. Tuk nodded.
"We need to get off of here."
They tried to uncuff themselves, Khalo helping Tuk as Tuk's face suddenly lit up.
Khalo wondered how the girls' mood could light up so often in such a situation.
"Neteyam!" She called out, and Khalos head immediately shot to his right, spotting Neteyam.
Relief filled his body.
"Need help?" Neteyam grinned, uncuffing first Tsireya then Khalo then Tuk. "Get Tuk out of here and be safe, okay?"
"No, I'm not leaving you again, Neteyam." Khalo objected. "I did that once; I'm not doing it again."
"Khalo, I need you to be safe. You, Tsireya and Tuk need to get out of here now. I'll go with Lo'ak."
Khalo clearly hesitated, having a very bad feeling about this. "Neteyam." He tried again. "Please. Let me come with you." He begged. Of course, he didn't like to beg, but he did.
"Oe-l nga-ti kame and Nga yawne lu oer, I need you to do this for me, Khalo. I promise I'll be as soon as possible with you, okay?"
"Bro, can you do that in a minute?" Lo'ak interfered.
Neteyam and Khalo ignore him.
"Neteyam."
"Please Khalo. I need to know you're safe."
"But I'm safe with you." Khalo stepped closer, pointing his fingers at Neteyam's middle chest.
"You're safer out there. Nga yawne lu oer." Neteyam signed Tsireya to leave.
"Nga yawne-" Khalo began, cut off by his sister.
"Khalo, we need to go."
Neteyam placed a short kiss on Khalos lips before he pushed him into the water, smiling an excuse down at him. Tsireya and Tuk followed down.
"Mind to uncuff me now, bro?" Lo'ak complained.
"Who's the mighty warrior now, mh?" Neteyam playfully asked before he cut through Lo'ak's cuff.
"I have a bad feeling, Tsireya." Khalo swam behind Tuk and Tsireya, making sure they stayed close together.
"Me neither." Tsireya stopped, not knowing where to go.
"Look!" Tuk called out, pointing at the sky where Kiri was just carried over their heads in the claws of an Ikran to the ship.
"We've got to get her!" Tuk made her way back to the ship, while Khalo and Tsireya still hesitated. Tsireya didn't want to risk going back, while Khalo kept in mind that Lo'ak and Neteyam still had to be on board. They would have it way easier to save Kiri.
But both Tsireyas and Khalos doubts vanished a bit with the thought of Kiri and her being alone on that ship.
"Sully's stick together." Tuk explained while swimming back, leaving Tsireya and Khalo to follow her.
As soon as they reached the ship, Tuk pulled herself up, looking around the corner.
"Tuk, this is not a good idea." Tsireya expressed her few remaining doubts. Khalo nodded.
"We shouldn't do anything unplanned."
But Tuk did in fact not listen and just disappeared around the corner.
Khalo and Tsireya followed her, more by force than by want.
Khalo felt relieved as they instantly spotted Kiri, not so relieved about the fact that she was cuffed to a railing, but relieved again that no 'Na'vi' or Spider-kind-of-guy was near.
He took place on her left as Tuk took place on her right, while Tsireya climbed over the railing to help her.
Khalo didn't know where this Quarritch guy came from again, but suddenly he was next to him, grabbing his sister's arm to kick her off the ship. Khalo tried to reach out for her, but was stopped by Quarritch who grabbed his arm to pull him back.
With his left hand, he lifted Khalo, and with his left, he held Tuk.
"Can't hurt to have one of these." Quarritch spitted in Khalos face as he cuffed him to the railing next to Kiri, doing the same with Tuk right after.
Khalo hissed at Quarritch along with Kiri, but the man couldn't seem to care less. He left just a moment later, letting another man keep an eye on them.
"Where are my brothers?" Kiri asked.
Something in Khalo just felt so uneasy, as if in this particular moment something happened that he really wouldn't want to happen. He chose to ignore the feeling. Or to blame it on the fact that he didn't know where Ao'nung was and that his little sister, whom he should protect, just fell off this board and was now out there alone.
"I don't know. After we separated, we were caught by a net sealed to another railing. Neteyam came and freed us, but he before he freed Lo'ak he told us to go." Khalo explained.
"Sounds like him." Kiri mumbled, looking at her handcuffs, hoping to find a way to get rid of them.
"Do you know where Ao'nung is?"
"No. We came to the water's surface to catch a breath, but I was directly caught by this asshole and his Ikran. Why did he even have an Ikran? It's cruel. People like them don't deserve Ikrans. I could feel how Ikran wanted to be freed. It's scary. I've never felt that. Ikrans choose their Na'vi so they never regret it, but that one did. I could definitely feel it." Kiri over explained. It was her way of coping. Somehow.
Khalo only nodded. He lost himself in his thoughts. Wondering where Lo'ak and Neteyam were, if Tsireya was safe and if Ao'nung was back at home.
He wondered where his parents were. They disappeared, and he noticed it. When they were still cuffed to the railing, he could see his clan. But as soon as he was in the water, they weren't there anymore.
--
what if I tell you I have already written out about 1900 words (which would be a whole chapter) for a specific scene only dealing with mental stuff and not continueing the actions (fight scenes) and am still thinking about dropping it alone (which means it will come 2-3 weeks after the chapter before and the next chapter will come 2-3 weeks later)
But good news, I am currently thinking about adding chapters after I have finished this ff, which would maybe be shorter but would add more relation ship between Khalo and Lo'ak and Neteyam and Tsireya
Would these chapters be wanted?
These chapters would be added somewhere not in the end, for example after chapter 14 would be 14.5
Tomorrow school starts again, and I have an oral exam like in like three days, and I haven't even finished the novel we should have read for this, so please wish me luck