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"Neteyam!" Tuk came running into the mauri, Kiri and Spider not far behind. Tuk's small body crashed into Neteyam, knocking his breath out of his lungs for a second. Neteyam was quick to hug his youngest sister back.
"Tuk, be careful," Jake scolded softly, running a hand over her braids.
Tuk gave their father a wide smile before turning her face back into Neteyam's chest. He could feel his body warm up from the love his younger sister was giving him. Neteyam had always stepped up to keep his siblings safe, and Tuk was no exception. Lo'ak was always the one to go and do something reckless, with Neteyam having his back when things went sideways. Tuk, however, was always the one following with hesitant steps, but never wanting to be left behind.
She would follow them through trees and caves, always trusting her brothers to keep her safe. When they arrived at Awa'atlu, and their parents were training throughout the day, she began seeking comfort from Neteyam as well. It was never something that bothered Neteyam in the least, happy that their youngest sibling found the comfort she needed in him. He could only hope that she found that comfort in someone else after his death. The thought of her alone made Neteyam's heart twist painfully.
"Brother, how are you here?" Kiri asked in wonder, looking at her supposed-to-be-dead brother in shock. She sat down beside the rest of her family and joined the hug. Spider didn't join, but his face held shock and amazement. Neteyam didn't think much about it, grateful that his whole family was back together in one piece.
"You said you heard a voice, did you hear the Great Mother? Did she speak with you?" His mother asked him, looking down at him in wonder and relief.
Neteyam thought about the voice he heard, thinking back to the panicked minutes he was in the ocean. When he tried to pinpoint the voice that spoke to him and who it might be, he came up blank. It was not a voice he had heard before, but it did not feel like Eywa's either. It confused him greatly.
"No, I don't think so. I do not know who spoke to me, but it felt familiar. It felt safe," Neteyam hesitated, not knowing if his parents would be disappointed in the answer.
"What do you mean, it sounded familiar?" Jake asked, keeping his hand in his daughter's hair, twisting at her braids now and then. "How can it sound familiar if you didn't recognize it?"
Neteyam thought about his father's words, trying to figure out how to explain a voice he didn't know.
"When I was with Eywa," Neteyam began, when Lo'ak flinched at the words. Neteyam was quick to wrap an arm around him, but kept explaining. "When I first woke up, a warrior I had never met greeted me. He looked strong, but kind. When he spoke, his voice was familiar and safe, just like the voice I heard when I woke up. He introduced himself as Tsu'tey."
His mother and father gaped at him. Neteyam smiled at them in return. After all, he and his siblings had grown up hearing stories of their Uncle Tsu'tey.
"Tsu'tey was the one to show me how to feel at peace with being dead, even though the life we lived felt too short to be fulfilling. He helped me learn how to connect with what was around us, what was with Eywa. Being able to connect with the living helped a lot, even when I could not see. Tsu'tey explained to me how we can watch over those we care about by feeling their connection with Eywa. It was weird, even to those Eywa considered her children, though not of our kin." Neteyam looked at Spider and received a look of astonishment.
When Neteyam looked over at his parents once more, he found Neytiri giving him a fond smile. Jake had a small one on his face as well, but it did not seem to reach his eyes quite like it did on Neytiri.
"How was he? Did you like him?" She asked, her voice soft, with a teasing smile on her face.
"Yeah, he was strong. He held himself just as you told us he did, as if he were born to lead," Neteyam answered, smiling at his mom. "At first he seemed kind og scary, like he didn't really care, but after I got to know him, it turned out he was very kind."
"Was it Tsu'tey you heard then? The voice talking to you when you woke up?" Kiri asked, looking confused. Neteyam shook his head.
"No, this voice was different. It just felt so much like when I met Tsu'tey. Like I could feel it in my heart that they cared for me, for us." Neteyam answered, his ears lowering as he kept thinking of who it might be. "It reminded me of Uncle Tsu'tey, but also kinda like Dad, maybe?"
Jake flinched at the answer, making his family jump.
"I know who you heard," he said, giving us a pained smile.
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Lo'ak watched his dad in shock. He could not remember a time when he saw his father flinch like that. Who had spoken to Neteyam to get that kind of reaction out of their father?
"Who was he?" Tuk asked, looking at their father curiously from where she was tucked against Neteyam's chest. Lo'ak gave a small smile at the sight.
"I have not told you this story before, a story of the family I had before coming to Pandora." They all looked at Jake, confused.
His father had told them a lot about his home world, how it was dying, how the Sky People were destroying what was keeping them alive. As they grew older, with the exception of Tuk, who was still young at the time, they all began to wonder why their father never spoke about his old life. They had heard all the stories of the wars, hunger, greed, and pain the Sky People lived in as a society, but how was their father's life? Was he just as greedy before being able to open his eyes to the destruction they were causing?
"I was not born alone. While it is very uncommon here on Pandora, on Earth, many people have something called a twin. They grow in the womb at the same time and are born together. Tom, my brother, was always the good kid. He never got into trouble, did well at every task he was given, and grew up faster than I ever did. I was the problem child, always getting into trouble, causing havoc wherever I went. When we got to the age where that trouble turned into fights, Tom was always one step behind to go between me and the danger." Their father gave both Lo'ak and Neteyam a look, while the two brothers could only stare at each other, wide-eyed.
"What happened to him? Did you leave him to come here?" Tuk asked. Though the question meant no harm, Jake still winced at the words.
"No, I did not leave him. He died, a year before I came here," Jake explained, his voice choking up at the end of his sentence. Lo'ak could feel the blood drain from his head, leaving him light-headed. How come every older brother in this family dies?
"How did he die?" Neteyam asked, keeping all emotions from his face. It was a look Lo'ak had seen many times before—the look where Neteyam was trying to hold strong for their family.
"A few years before Pandora, I served in a war. It led to me losing my ability to walk." They all looked at their father in shock, though Lo'ak noticed that their mother did not seem surprised. "I joined the war to try and prove to my family that I could do something other than just cause trouble. Tom tried to convince me that our family saw me for more than that, but I didn't listen. I needed to prove myself. Tom was there for me when I recovered from my injuries. I was angry. I was angry at the world for doing that to me, angry at my family for never seeing who I really was... I was angry at myself. Tom died a year before I joined the Sky People on the journey to Pandora. He was just going to the store to get me more pain medicine when other Sky People cornered him. They wanted his money and stabbed him when he didn't comply."
"No," Kiri covered her mouth, looking pained.
Then Jake looked at Lo'ak, his face scrunched in guilt and regret.
"I have held the guilt of killing my brother ever since, and when I saw our story shine through you boys, I reflected those feelings onto you, and I am so sorry," Their father gasped out, and Lo'ak could feel a tear run down his cheek. "You did not kill your brother, Lo'ak, and I have never thought that you did either. I reflected my regret and guilt onto you because I am a coward."
"It's okay," Lo'ak whimpered, reaching out for his dad. Jake was quick to gather him into his arms. He could feel his mother wrapping her arms around them both.
"No, it's not," Jake replied, his voice leaving no room to argue. "It was unfair to you, to this family, that I reflected my shame and guilt onto you because I could not work through them myself. I will work to repair what damage I have done. And I want you to know, Son, that I am so proud of you."
Lo'ak let his tears fall, pushing his face into the crook of his father's neck.
"Ma Jake, your brother's death was not your fault," Mother soothed, holding onto them. "The fault lies with the Sky People, not with you. And if you are correct, and the voice Neteyam heard when he woke up was your brother, then he does not blame you either."
Lo'ak could feel warm tears fall onto his back, but he did not pull away. He could faintly hear Neteyam coerce his siblings out of the mauri, leaving the three of them alone. Lo'ak was grateful to have this moment with his parents after so long feeling alone.
"We'll work through this, right?" Lo'ak couldn't help but ask. Jake tightened his old.
"Of course we will, Son."
Lo'ak smiled at the answer, melting into is parents' touch.
This didn't fix the bonds that have been broken, far from it, but it was a good beginning. Lo'ak thought about his new Uncle and felt a wave of gratitude overwhelm him. Even though his Uncle died as a human back on earth, Eywa had found it in her to bring their Uncle here. Had it not been for him, this could have ended very differently than it did tonight.
Lo'ak smiled, glad that both their Uncles are looking over them and keeping them safe.