Chapter Text
our feet crunched against the wet earth as we navigated through the dense foliage of the forest. only the faint glow of polyphemus' light managed to pierce through the thick clouds, providing us with meager guidance. we hurried to take our positions, mindful of the rustling leaves and glowing trails that we left in our wake
my hand halted the group behind me, as i motioned for them to wait. slowly, i crouched down and crept towards the edge of the cliff, peering over its jagged edge. a sky-people camp, full of weapons and supplies. i knew jake and his team would be arriving shortly, ready to take out the guards silently from above.
“any news? over.”
i press the two buttons on my neck. “7 guards, armed, stationed. one open building, two tents. over.”
“good, any mechs? over.”
“no, sir.” casting my gaze behind me, neteyam and lo’ak looked at me expectantly. the mission marked their first real test, and jake placed his trust in me to ensure their safety, a challenge that proved more daunting than anticipated. lo’ak was impatient, stubborn and while his brother was the golden boy, he never backed down from a good competition.
“will be there in 5. keep them safe and be ready. understood?”
“yes, sir. over.” with a quick glance at the brothers, i turned my attention back towards the sky-people's camp. the lush foliage below provided ample camouflage, indicating that the enemy had not been there for long. i crouched down, feeling the weight of my bag digging into my shoulders, and motioned for the brothers to join me. together, we crept down the hill, our movements calculated and silent so as not to alert any guards that may be lurking nearby.
the trees towered above us, blocking out the shine of polyphemus. as we crept forward, a surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, reigniting the primal instincts that had lain dormant in me for over a decade. memories of the first war flooded my mind, of how the sky-people had taken everything from me, starting with my parents. but now, as we prepared to strike, they were the ones in our sights. my lips curled into a spiteful smile as i bit my tongue
i stop, cocking my head to the side, silently ordering them to get into position. without a word, they obey, knives in hand and waiting for their father to arrive. a familiar short yell pierces the pounding of rain. my muscles tighten.
the shriek came once again, marking the beginning of our ambush. the first arrow hit the nearest guard right in the chest, the second took his partner. i surged forward, neteyam and lo’ak close behind. i threw the bag on the floor just as the next arrow killed another. i pulled out a large matting and stretched it across the grass. the brothers have already cut through the ropes holding a horde of supplies and began throwing it all onto the mat.
i ran to another pile of boxes and crates. pulling my knife from its sheath i punched the tip between the crevice of one of the boxes and pushed down. in an instant the lock broke with a satisfying sound, revealing a cache of firearms and bullets. i smiled to myself, closing the box and chucking it into the pile. the rest followed and soon after the mat was full.
“jake, we’re rea-,” i scanned the area, 7 dead bodies on the ground, all pierced with arrows, but no sign of the two brothers. shit.
“y/n? is there an issue? over.”
“jake- sir, neteyam and lo’ak are gone and-,” gunfire broke through the air. i quickly took cover behind a stack of cargo boxes, my heart pounding in my chest. i only had my dagger to protect myself. my knuckles turned a bright blue as i gripped it.
“y/n! what’s happening?” jake's unease seeped through the mic. i took a deep breath in, straining my ears to hear for any sign of the man. he was coming nearer. braced myself, crouching low and waiting for the right moment to pounce. one, two-
shots fired, my hand reached for his arm, twisting it upwards. he let out a guttural howl, gripping the trigger tightly and unleashing a barrage of bullets into the starless night sky. i threw him to the side and as he landed on the wet mud i jumped on him, driving my knife into his belly. i hissed into his dying face, driving the blade deeper before letting my muscles relax.
i breathed and pressed the two buttons again. “i missed one…” as the soldiers in their tents began to stir and murmur, i knew that more trouble was on the way. i cursed silently. with my knife safely tucked away, i hurried back to the pile of boxes, scanning frantically for any sign of the brothers. they had run off like fools. my eyes landed on the open warehouse, and i realized where they had gone.
“where are lo’ak and neteyam?” i sprinted towards the warehouse, the bright light streaming out onto the darkened clearing like a beacon. the seconds ticked by, and i knew jake would fly down here any moment now if i didn't find those idiots quickly.
my breaths came out ragged and heavy as i spoke into the comm device. "not sure, but the rest of them are definitely awake. stay alert. over." i placed my trust in their ability to guard me from harm, or at the very least, ensure my survival as i set out to find his reckless sons. suddenly, a barrage of gunshots rang, this time from inside the warehouse. a sinking feeling ate at me; it could only mean one thing.
as i sprinted towards the entrance, my heart pounding against my chest, two figures suddenly burst out, narrowly avoiding a hail of bullets. lo'ak clutched a weapon in his hands, while neteyam had a rope of ammunition slung over his shoulder. my mouth gaped in surprise, but i quickly regained my composure. "this way!" i shouted, spinning on my heel and leading them back the way we came. the cacophony of footsteps and gunfire echoed through the camp and i prayed that jake and his team could handle the chaos.
soon enough, arrows rained down, hitting them with pinpoint accuracy when we finally reached the mat. “what the hell were you thinking?” i scolded, my voice sharp with frustration as i wrapped the cloth around the large pile and binding the tips at the top. “do you two have a death wish?!”
“we just thought- “ neteyam began but was cut off when i gave a short yell, signalling for the ikran to come carry the loot. we held onto the straps on the sides and secured our feet on the various boxes just as two claws latched onto the cloth. with a powerful tug and rapid flapping of their wings we took off into the air and for a second i felt weightless.
“you know what, i don’t want to hear it. jake will be so pissed.” i sighed. they looked away, down at the fading ground and the now empty camp. neteyam let out a sarcastic scoff, causing me to roll my eyes. despite the fact that i was only a few years their senior, it often felt as though i was tasked with babysitting two infants.
though my anger simmered inside me, my worry for what jake would say to them was stronger. i knew how rigid and uncompromising he could be, having been the first child he had taken under his wing after i was orphaned by the war. fueled by rage, i had begged him to train me. i admired him and tsu’tey. they were my idols. and i was sure it was the same for them.
the stronghold welcomed us with open arms as we descended onto the polished stone ground. the bustling of people filled the air, as loved ones reunited with hugs and kisses, while curious children clamored to hear about the elders' latest conquests. through the throngs of people, kiri made her way towards us, with tuk trailing closely behind. as we exchanged greetings, i couldn't help but cast a disapproving look at her brothers. kiri caught my glance and responded with a smirk, understanding my sentiments.
her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized her brothers, her eyes lingering on any signs of injury. once she was satisfied that they were mostly unharmed, she turned to them with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "what did you two do this time?" lo'ak shrugged her off, pushing her arms away from him.
“nothing-”
“yeah, what the hell did you two do?” jake’s voice interrupted any retort lo’ak was about to bring. both brothers' ears flattened and their eyes darted nervously. jake's stare was heavy and expectant, anger flattening his own ears and creasing his brows.
neteyam was the first to speak. “sorry sir, we saw more supplies in the building and thought it would be a good idea to take those too.” jake let out a long, deep sigh, his frown etched even deeper on his face. i inched away ever so slightly, hoping he wouldn’t notice. but it seemed eywa had a cruel sense of humour, for just then, he turned his steely gaze in my direction.
“and where do you think you’re going? what happened to ‘keep them safe’?” he gestured to his sons as he turned to me. i bowed my head, avoiding his eyes.
“i’m sorry, sir. it won’t happen twice.” i looked up. i couldn’t tell what emotions swirled in jake’s eyes but it made my stomach drop. i lowered my gaze again. jake sighed.
i hated these moments. the moments where jake didn’t have the mind or energy to hide his disappointment.
jake turned his attention back to his sons. “this was your first mission so i’ll let it slide but don’t let it happen again, got it?” half-hearted murmurs came from all three of us while kiri stood watching with her arms crossed and tuk reaching for her father’s hand.
“what was that?” jake asserted.
“yes, sir…!”
“that’s more like it. now, get that crap off your faces, you are dismissed.” with that we scurried off to where our ikran were, kiri and tuk trailing behind us. i gave lo'ak's queue a playful pinch, he hissed in response and i pulled away, chuckling to myself. yet the uneasy feeling persisted.
“y/n!” my head snapped back to jake and we all froze, expecting the scolding to continue. his face had softened into that of an understanding, yet still disappointed father, with his lips in a tight line and his brows raised. “tomorrow, dawn. don’t forget.”
with a brief nod, i made my way back to the group. "what was that about?" lo'ak couldn't resist playfully tugging at my tail as i passed by him, but i brushed his hand away with a flick of my tail. his jealousy was subtle, but i ignored it, knowing there were more important things to focus on. "it's nothing," i said with a dismissive wave of my hand, hoping to put an end to his questions.
the small ikran nest was nearly empty, a relief as we made our way towards it. no one would witness our walk of shame. tuk skipped ahead towards the entrance of the cave where several ikran were perched, waiting for their riders. she laughed, seemingly unfazed or perhaps accustomed to the way jake scolded her brothers. i envied her carefree spirit.
“that could’ve gone a lot worse,” i remarked, pulling out the saddles for everyone’s ikran from the wood hangers on the wall.
“what did you guys even do?” kiri caught her saddle, pulling it across her ikran’s head, pulling on the straps and rearranging loose strands of beads, feathers and fauna she’d found.
“these two-” i chucked lo’ak and neteyams saddles towards them “-thought it would be hilarious to go off and grab guns they don’t know how to use.”
“dad taught me how to use one.” i finally pulled the saddle of my ikran across her neck and tightened it properly. she leaned into my touch as i patted her muzzle and i smiled to myself.
"it hardly matters, does it?" i retorted, at last connecting our queues, feeling mayì's rhythm blend seamlessly with mine. the connection was pure bliss, a sensation i relished. her pulse synchronized with my own, calming my nerves as i rummaged through my saddle's compartments for a treat to reward her.
“you know, if you guys weren’t so careless this wouldn’t happen.” kiri hauled tuk onto her ikran with much strain.
“whatever. let’s not dwell on it.” neteyam dismissed, pulling his ionar down. “let’s go!” and with that we dove down into the abyss below.
we landed on one of the floating islands, where the pooled water fell and evaporated below. vines and roots wrapped around the edges and a tree provided some shade for tuk and kiri while we scrubbed the paint from our faces.
the water was clear as ever, my own face staring back at me.yellow and white paint adorned my skin, marking me as a proud member of the omatikaya clan. i felt a surge of pride wash over me, knowing that i was a skilled warrior and a skilled hunter. it was during battles like these that i felt a sense of belonging in my chest. jake trusted me. olo'eyktan, toruk makto trusted me. maybe that was enough. i cupped my hands and scooped up a handful of water, splashing it over my face.
despite everything, there were moments when loneliness seeped in. i had no blood ties, no parents or siblings. as i watched the brothers teasing each other, neteyam with a playful grin and lo’ak hissing in annoyance, i couldn't help but feel envious. they had each other, a large and loving family. even with the hurdles that came with that, it was obvious that they would run into fire for each other. and i would do that for them too; if they would return the favour, i wasn’t so sure.
i watched the paint stain the water, then float to the edge of the island and disappear into the mist. i felt oddly hollow. tuk had dragged lo’ak to play with her in the water. with a roll of his eyes and a resigned smile he joined her, splashing water and running after her. her laughter filled the air and shortly after, even kiri was giggling.
i dipped my feet into the water and laid back. the sky was still a bright blue and clouds floated lazily above us. the occasional ikran flew past, prey caught in between its teeth. i glanced back at them. kiri was also on her back, sleeping and with speckles of sunlight kissing her face. she looked so peaceful. but as soon as my eyes met those of neteyam's, that peace was shattered.
there was a bitterness in the way his forehead creased and his shoulders tensed. quickly, i averted my gaze. something was off. even though the mission had been a success, it seemed to have shattered a part of jake's trust in his own sons and me as well. but the contempt that reflected in his eyes couldn't be explained by that alone.
i stretched my limbs and rose from my spot. “i’ll head off.” i didn’t bother to look at them as i made my way to mayì and connected our queues.
“what- whyyy?” i heard tuk whine. lo’ak looked equally surprised. for a moment i reconsidered but neteyam’s subtle glare quickly shot that thought out of my head. i gave an apologetic smile before jumping onto mayì’s back.
“i need to help with the supplies.” a simple excuse. i waved goodbye, pulling my ionar over my eyes and plunging back into the open air. the cold on my skin and the swishing of air overflowed my senses and i breathed it all in. the air was fresher, denser in the mountains and i let it fill my lungs to the fullest.
i guided mayì above the treeline where i knew she could simply fly straight on and let myself fall onto her back. the mountains floated above, casting a perfect shadow on us. i could hear the subtle rustle of the leaves below as a breeze swept over us. the occasional cry from whatever creature lurked below. or mayì’s breathing when it hit the back of my ankles. i closed my eyes, and took it all in, for now at least.