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Tuk crawled through the vines and branches, eyes wide as they flicked over the canopy above. As the darkness began to emerge, she had only one place in mind. Lo’ak, Kiri, and Neteyam were still out playing somewhere in the forest. Normally, she would have followed them without a second thought, but the heavy warmth of the air had made her bones feel slow and sleepy.
When she reached their family’s hut, Tuk paused. Instead of ducking inside, she settled onto her haunches just outside the entrance, letting the cooler evening breeze wash over her skin. She tilted her head back, watching the first hints of bioluminescence creep between the branches overhead.The wind kissed along her cheeks, and Tuk grinned.
From inside the hut came the soft crackle of fire. Shadows danced along the woven walls, and low voices drifted out with the smoke. Tuk’s ears twitched. Her father’s voice drifted along, low and rumbling. Her grin widened at its comforting nature, and she shifted to peer inside.
There was a small fire for light, crackling peacefully in the centre of the hut. Her father was curled back against the bedding, relaxed in a way Tuk rarely saw during the day, his eyes wide and soft as her mother leaned in close. Mother nuzzled the side of his neck, her movements slow and affectionate showings of bond and trust.
Tuk’s ears twitched when she heard it—the low, content purr rumbling from her father’s chest. It made something warm bloom behind her ribs. Tuk started forward, but paused when she saw what her mother was looking at. Neytiri was gently touching along her father’s arm, feeling along a deep scratch he’d gotten earlier in the day from warding off the Sky People. Tuk’s breath caught at that – her father rarely came back injured.
Neytiri answered the deep purr by pressing herself into his chest, an old, wordless response shared between mates. Tuk knew the pull of it well. That sound always made her seek him out, small hands and cheek finding his body so she could feel the rumble for herself.
Neytiri’s tail wrapped around his thigh as she continued to nose along the column of his neck. Her eyes weren’t on him, but on her hand as it explored a jar of oil. Tuk hugged her knees to her chest while she watched. Once her mother’s fingers were coated, Neytiri gently palmed along the jagged cut on his bicep. Her father inhaled tightly, the purr instantly cut off as his ears pinned back sharply. His tail lashed once, a hard slap on the bedding. Neytiri made a soft sound that Tuk knew as a calming one, and her other hand gently stroked his ribcage.
Tuk’s muscles coiled, ready to enter the hut, but her mother’s soothing sounds anchored her to the spot.
Tuk swallowed, and peered closer at the wound. It was deeper and longer than she thought – it was practically down to the bone.
Her mother traced the wound gently, letting his body adjust to the sensation, and her tail coiled further up his thigh. A low clicking sound echoed in her throat, a trust call between mates. A couple seconds later, Jake’s clicking sound returned hers. His head tipped back as the sound left him.
She lifted higher onto her knees and pulled his head into her chest as she gently massaged the oil into the wound. Jake’s ears were pinned flat to his head, but his tail was curled towards Neytiri’s hip.
Once Neytiri had finished, she gently held the scruff of Jake’s neck and urged him down onto the bedding. Her father followed her mother’s cue, and went stomach-first onto the cushions, easing himself down slowly with his good arm.
Neytiri tended to some more jagged scratches on his back. Jake let out a high-pitched whine, his face half-buried in the cushions.
From the entrance, Tuk could see everything: the tight coil of his muscles, the raw shine of the wound on his arm, the scattered cuts along his back—marks left by bark or stone, maybe where he’d been shoved hard into a tree or cliff-face. Her father’s muscles flexed as she dappled the oil, but he remained perfectly still.
Her mother’s tail gave a pleased flick.
She leaned over his back, pressed a small kiss to his shoulder, and made a short chuff of approval. Her father responded with a breathy chirp. A faint purr tried to restart. It faltered, then caught. A small sound slipped from Tuk’s throat at the sound—half a chirr, half a breath. It was the noise she made when she was torn between worry and wanting to help.
Jake’s muscles coiled as his good arm snapped up beneath him, torso lifting off the bedding. Neytiri immediately poised over Jake, tail lashing. A low rumble, a growl, rose in Jake’s throat, a distinctive, harsh male sound that made Tuk whimper. Her heart kicked hard in her chest. That sound meant danger, meant back away.
But both of her parents stilled as they saw her small figure, and the tension melted as quickly as it came. Her father’s growl cut off immediately, and Tuk instantly felt the relief. The tension drained from him all at once, his arms giving out as he sank back onto the cushions, exhaustion reclaiming him now that the threat was gone. Her mother made an apologetic sound, opening her arms to Tuk. T
uk quickly crawled forward, her feet and hands making soft ‘pip-pats’ against the wood. She melted into her mother’s embrace, wishing that her young body had the ability to purr.
"Tuktuktuk," her mother breathed into her hair, rocking her back and fourth. "Sorry, my 'prrnen."
Tuk nuzzled her face into her mother's shoulder. "S' okay."
Neytiri brushed Tuk's hair back, sitting back with a content sigh.
Tuk eyed her father’s tail – the only thing she could currently see of him – and noted it was still twitching and lashing in small, restless movements. She let out a soft croon, a sympathetic noise that made both her parents chuckle.
Neytiri took one of Tuk’s wrists and guided her hand to something small and hard – the pot of oil. Tuk lifted her head from her mother’s embrace, tail twitching excitedly. Her mother smiled, giving a small nod. Tuk looked over at her father, but his eyes were closed, and his face was half-hidden in the crook of his elbow.
She dipped her fingers into the oil, warming it the way she’d seen her mother do, and carefully followed Neytiri’s guidance as her hand was guided to one of the deeper scratches along her father’s back.
Jake let out a small wince, his back muscles tightening in response. Like her mother, Tuk put one of her small hands onto the side of his ribcage. His eyes fluttered open at that, unfocused but soft, and his tail curled around Tuk’s ankle with quiet fondness. Neytiri crooned softly, approval fluttering through the sound.
Now that she was paying attention, Tuk noticed that – although the cuts were centred around his upper-back – there were some deeper ones along the sides of his waist. She pouted her lips, trying to wonder what could’ve caused this.
With her hand curved into the dip of his lower-back, Tuk got some of the oil and dripped it into the one on the left. Her father’s shoulders tightened immediately, ears pinning. A small hiss rose into the back of his throat, and Tuk’s body instinctively froze at the sound.
Before she could pull away, Neytiri leaned in with a quiet click of her tongue, firm but gentle. Her hand smoothed along Jake’s side, steady and familiar. The hiss stuttered away as quickly as it came. His answering croon was one of apology, almost embarrassment as his ears pricked forward.
Neytiri hummed in response, a calm, reassuring note. “Easy,” she murmured. Her fingers traced a grounding path down his spine. She leaned forward over Jake’s body again, and rubbed her neck along his. Scenting him. Tuk watched, transfixed – her parents rarely ever did this in front of her.
Their tails softly intertwined as Jake’s breath stuttered and heaved. His eyes were closed again, and a faint tremor ran through him as Neytiri worked her scent into him. The calming scent flowed all throughout the hut, and Tuk inhaled it greedily. Jake’s pheromones mixed in hers, a rich scent that made Tuk chirp and quiver.
And the sound her mother made, it was soft, yet powerful. Calming, but it grabbed attention. Jake responded instantly at it, his body going limp and a small, answering trill at the sound.
But when Tuk moved her small hands along his waist, and Jake’s back tensed up again, she felt panic flicker through her chest. She didn’t think. She tried to copy it. A small, broken call made from her lips. Although she had little pheromones to release, she spread them as much as she could, urging for calm and protection. Both her parents stilled. Neytiri let out an encouraging chirp, a female sound that made Tuk’s embarrassment fade.
Her father didn’t really react, his eyes screwed shut and his hands braced against the bedding. Tuk looked up at her mother, who nodded encouragingly.
“From here.”
Neytiri pressed gently against Tuk’s stomach, guiding her in contact and rhythm. Her own croon rose softly, quiet, steady, threading through the hut. With Tuk’s hand still on Jake’s waist, she felt him respond to the sound—shifting subtly, muscles pulsing under her palms.
“Keep your teeth together,” her mother instructed quietly. She glanced down at her youngest child.
“Feel his breath.”
Tuk’s eyes fluttered closed. She concentrated on the rise and fall of his sides, the tiny shiver of muscle beneath her hands.
“Hear his calls,” Neytiri continued. Tuk pricked her ears, straining to catch the low vibrations—the subtle rumbles and trills that were his words without words.
“Feel his heartbeat.”
It was racing.
“Now answer him.”
Tuk’s small chest vibrated as she focused on her father, her throat wobbling as the sound made it’s way from her lips. His tail curled around her, brushing up her leg in a way that spurred her on. His body softened, and his eyes blinked open to look at her in fondness.
Neytiri’s croon layered over it, soft and rhythmic, steadying the vibrations. His tail continued it’s curl around her, a lazy coil that made Tuk giggle. His own cues were answering now—ears twitching back towards Tuk, a low, measured rumble. Neytiri leaned slightly closer, pressing a finger lightly to Tuk’s forearm.
“Listen to the difference,” her mother whispered. She gave a gentle croon again, this one higher and more lilting, a distinctly female calming cue.
Tuk felt the difference immediately: the sound was soothing, persuasive, but soft. It made her shiver.
Tuk mirrored it as best she could, her small voice wobbling. She tilted her head toward her father to see his reaction. Jake let out a low, approving hum—heavier, slower, more grounded. His mouth curled up into an amused smile. A small rush of pheromones crashed through her brain, and she inhaled sharply at the suddenness of it. It told her ‘yes’, ‘continue’. Neytiri smiled gently, letting Tuk feel the warmth of her body as she pressed against her back.
“Good,” she crooned. “You are learning. Listen to him. Let him teach you.” Tuk’s fingers gently ran over him again, but she continued with a steady stream of calming noises.
With her hands like this, she could feel the rumbles he was letting out rather than just hear them. The flick of his tail, and the slight tensing of his muscles as if to say, ‘steady, steady…’ Tuk leaned closer instinctively. She tried again, producing a more confident call, blending the female croon with the tremor of her own voice.
And finally, an answering call. A hum from deep in his chest, slow and rumbling. Neytiri pressed her cheek to Tuk’s head, inhaling deeply, and then her hand swept along Jake’s spine.
“Notice,” she said softly, “how he answers differently to your female sound.” She nuzzled into Tuk’s head, a small yawn escaping her mother’s mouth. “Don’t listen to just words, txanatan menari, but his body.”
Tuk leaned back against her mother, satisfied with the cuts on his waist. “Like his tail?” Neytiri smiled softly.
“Yes,” she murmured, playful and warm. “Males are all strength and stubbornness, but a clever female always knows what’s really going on.”
Jake lifted a brow at that, swivelling a little to look at them over his shoulder. “I guess I'm in good hands,” he said, voice a little raspy.
Tuk giggled.
Neytiri smiled wider, leaning over him again to nuzzle his face softly. His chin tilted up in response to her affection, and Tuk swore she felt the beginning of a purr.
“You, mate, need to not be such a baby,” Neytiri chuffed at him.
Tuk giggled again, louder. Jake’s lips curved into a grin, blinking fondly at his wife. His ears flicked towards Tuk, more deliberate, exaggerated in the lesson. His tail curled lazy, loose spirals around hers as he slowly eased up off of his stomach. Both her and Neytiri answered at the same time, small trills meant to say ‘careful’.
Jake’s answering chirp was a cocky male one, but the slight shake of his arms proved different.
She tried another soft call, blending her high, trembling croon with the warmth and rhythm she had been practicing.
“I’m okay, txanatan menari,” he said, leaning over to touch his forehead with hers.
Neytiri cuddled up against his side, scenting all along his torso possessively as Jake released his deep, male pheromones into the air. Tuk melted immediately into his hold when she felt it. She pressed closer, letting her small hands trace the gentle lines of his back, absorbing the warmth and steadiness of his presence. Jake’s tail curled lightly around her, a protective loop that made her chest hum with comfort. Neytiri’s hand landed on her back, drawing them all closer together to soak in the mix of pheromones and calming scent. It made Tuk dizzy, but in a good way.
Eventually, Jake shifted slightly, lowering himself onto his side. He didn’t make noise, but drew Neytiri to his chest protectively. Tuk was happily squished between them, tucked close into her father’s chest, and able to nuzzle her face into her mother at the same time. That small, rumbling feeling stirred up in his chest again, and Tuk couldn’t help but chirp excitedly. That was a purr. She loved it when her father purred. Tuk nestled as close as she could, eyes closing immediately as sleep was quick to claim her as it always did when her father did this. She woke only once, and it was about an hour later when the rest of their siblings joined them.
Lo'ak was quick to settle down on top of Jake, his lower half draped onto the ground behind Tuk. Kiri curled up with her mother, but with her legs wedged between Tuk and Jake. Neyetam was happy to settle close to Tuk, his head nestled in the crook of his father’s neck with Jake’s hand resting on his shoulder. She smiled as she went back to sleep. She'd been missing these family-nights.