Chapter Text
FIRE WAS RAGING. Trees splitting under relentless bullets. Rain whipping and drops hissing as they fell on dancing flames. Gunshots were the worst, each as loud as a small earthquake even with the howling wind. Storms on Pandora were said to be as though Eywa herself was unleashing some previously contained anger, lashing out at the Sky People. At least, that is what Amraë liked to think. Gook thing she wasn’t afraid of thunder.
Her speed was such that the floating mountains were reduced to a blur around her, Atanzaw’s large green wings barely visible even with their nightly glow. Another deafening sound came from behind, Amraë having barely the time to order her ikran to dive before the floating mountain above her exploded, lighting up the night in a deadly glow.
“Niwin!” She screamed, urging Atanzaw faster as rocks sharp as darts cascaded on her skin. If they could make it to the jungle, the Sky People wouldn’t be able to follow her.
Ignoring the burn in her legs and the slap on the wind, Amraë tighted her grip on her ikran’s saddle. Where are you, sister? Both had split up minutes earlier to make the Sky People’s task ever harder. Amarë knew that their machines could not work in the Ayram Alusìng, or the Hallejujah Moutains, as the human called it. But she had to admit; these skxawng where resilient and had every reason to be in view of what the sisters had just stolen. if they could make it back to her territory, they could just bring the death blow to the demons from above.
Despite the already overwhelming noise, she picked up the oh too familiar clicking noise of a chamber being loaded. Over the years and missions, the humans’ technology had barely any secret for Amraë ; her scars were living proof of it. Then the fire started. Bullets erupted around her as she dove on Atanzaw’s neck. Her ikran was as terrified as she was, her heartbeat as fast as the bullets missing them by inches. Mawey, Antazaw. We’re almost there.”
She banked left, remaining close to the smaller mountains, where the demons had the least chance of hitting her. She hissed as a projectile missed her by inches, resisting the urge to turn around and give these demons a taste of her arrows. The mission came first; she needed to find her sister. Feet solidly planted on the saddle, she contracted her muscles to stay in course, her visor and advanced eyesight allowing her to see clearly despite the pouring rain — the same could not be said for the Sky People following her, whom, in spite of their superior speed, had still not managed to shoot her down.
“Amraë!”
The latter looked up, eyes squinting under the rain, ears jerking up at the call. Another ikran came in sight slightly above her, rode by a familiar figure. Relief erupted in Amraë’s chest.
“Vahe!”
Her sister dived down to get to her sister’s altitude, her long braids whipping around in the wind. Her mask, which, unlike Amraë’s who only protected her eyes, covered her entire face, prevented her expression from being seen, but Amraë could picture her reassuring smile clearly. “This way, sister!”
Her ikran swooped down towards the woods, smoothly banking around the mountains. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Amraë noticed that they were entering Omaticaya territory. But she would pick their neighboring clan any day over the Sky People’s monsterous machines.
Amraë gasped at the sudden warning send by her ikran through their tsaheylu. Before she could open her mouth to warn Vahe, time stretched. Another flying machine rose before Vahe’s ikran, nose resembling that of an otherworldly monster. A lightning bolt tore the sky, casting blatant white light on the nightmarish scene.
Yellow sparkles flew with the deafening splitting sound; Amraë heart stopped dead in her chest. A guttural scream tore from her mouth as her sister and her ikran fell from the sky.
“NO!”
Antanzaw folded her wings and dived after them. The feeling of lightness usually associated with these vertical dives was now weighted by the gutting feeling of dread. Amraë coumd only make out two inanimate forms below her, so close yet so far. Vahe disappeared through the canopy, forcing Atanzaw to redirect her dive not to hit a tree. Then both entered the canopy — a second to late.
Atanzaw screeched, and Amraë’s world turned upside down, piercing pain tearing her limbs apart. It took her the mere seconds before she was falling to realize that she was not the one hit. Her limbs were paralyzed, mind numb. Her training took over, forcing her to slide down from leaves to leave, not quite delicately, but preventing her from falling to her death. She landed down in a crouch, mound half open and ears placated on her skull.
Vahe. Atanzaw. Her tail whipped around as she; the rain was too thick for her to find her sister’s scent. Putting aside her sore muscles, she raced in the direction of her sister’s crash, her mind refusing to admit what she would probably find. She spotted Nimal, Vahe’s ikran, first, her wings torn in an unnatural angle.
A sob tore from Amraë’s mouth as she rushed over her sister’s body, which turn into broken cries. Her skin was already cold, mask half broken revealing eyes forever closed. Amraë’s knees buckled as she collapsed next to Vahe, tears blurring her vision and rolling on her cheeks. She settled her sister’s head on her knees and cradled back and forth, repeating her name over and over again as if she was trapped in a nightmare. Maybe she was. Maybe she was dead as well, and Eywa had taken them both.
Loud voices nearby shook her back into reality. The Sky People were coming. The flower of rage erupted in Amraë’s chest as she seized her sister’s bow, her face crumbled by pain turning in her cold demeanour. They had to pay.
Then, Amraë’s eyes landed on Vahe’s satchel, still strapped on Nimal’s saddle. Yes, they would pay. Every single one of them. She strapped bow across her shoulders on her knife belt before grabbing the satchel. “I will avenge you sister, sister.” She whispered, pressing her forehead on Vahe’s cold cheek. “May Eywa be my witness.” Amraë then gently removed the broken mask and placed it in the satchel, the war paint already blurred by the rain.
Amraë let out a war cry, baring her teeth at the humans nearby as she led them away from her sister’s bdy. A bullet grazed her shoulder, and yet she ran, further and further into Omaticaya territory until she could not feel her limbs, until her body itself collapsed from exhaustion. She forced herself up on her elbows and knees, and dragged herself to the nearest tree, in front of which she buried the satchel, digging until her nails bled.
She then let her back fall against the mud, and looked up at the trees, hovering over her as if to welcome her in their arms.
Her last thought before everything tipped to black was for Vahe.
Tsmuke…