Chapter Text
Needed context please read or it will make no sense !!!!
I cant be asked to write a starter or whole context but in a summary this isn’t canon in the timeline but its between the point where they’ve met the recoms and got caught or whatever but before they decide to go to the metkayina and neteyem, kiri, tuk and lo’ak are finally after days allowed outside and they are just walking about and playing but still have some lingering fear from the capture before, anyway
Enjoy!
“bro hurry up I wanna show you the place where we were caught” lo’ak half jogged – half walked ahead desperate but considerate about the slower pace of his siblings behind him.
Neteyem was similar in terms of pace. His sisters sulked but stayed in line with him and his brother was eager in front of him so he settled at a speed in the middle to keep a wary eye on them.
Ever since the encounter with that demon, as his mother had described, his protectiveness for his siblings had increased rapidly. The one time he refused to ‘play’ with them all because his parents had invited him to an ikran ride – that had happened.
He wanted to be accepted by the clan dearly, he wanted to be seen as an adult. A trusted warrior who would be up for anything with adrenaline. That’s who he wanted to be.
But that had betrayed him at the worse of times. His parents invitation had blinded him from the inclusion his siblings had wanted him to endure, and by not keeping an eye on them some dreamwalkers had grabbed them with their filthy demon blood.
“why do you even want to go back anyway lo’ak!” tuk whined from further behind.
She had never encountered a ‘mean avatar’ before.
She had seen all the science guys do it, and they looked funny at first compared to their human bodies. She wasn’t stupid she knew this wasn’t the same. But to see such cold looks behind the face of a na’vi was unsettling in a way that grinded her bones.
She could still feel the sterile hands of the recom who had detained her.
And the skip of her breath and heart as they emerged hastily from a tree. She hated being jumpscared and lo’ak was repeatedly told throughout his life to stop hiding behind trees or lab doors just to make her scream.
But that hadn’t been as bad as that was. At least lo’ak was kind.
At least he didn’t hurt her, he would never.
“because I want to show neteyem where we all escaped fucking demons!” his voice shook at the word demons.
His pride and ego was high at the fact that he and his siblings had mostly escaped the sky people who wore skin of their planets indigenous. Yet the word demon rolled off his tongue a little too easy.
And he reminds himself that that isn’t a bad thing, yet he cant help but feel he doesn’t have the right due to his natural blood. His blood that was contaminated with sick and twisted thoughts he couldn’t escape.
He also restrained himself from feeling too proud; as spider had been taken from them.
Kiri made it clear they shouldn’t forget.
She wasn’t exactly yelling or verbally giving them constant reminders, in fact she hadn’t said a word but the stationary sulk on her face made twist guilt in just about every person who looked at her face’s gut fill with dread and guilt.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the old shack.
Lo’ak slowed suddenly but they had enough time to dig their heels into the floor as a halt instead of running into him.
The shack hadn’t changed – obviously. It had been roughly two eclipses since the incident but the atmosphere felt heavier still.
Or maybe that was just their emotions tangling with the mood of the air.
“this is where it happened.” Lo’ak added to the silence. His pride seemed to nerve him now. The words came out with a thick strain of effort visible through the tone. He was panting through clenched teeth trying to actively steady it as there was no reason for anxiety in this moment.
Tuk pressed closer to kiri instinctively, manually wrapping her big sisters arm around her shoulder for comfort, and not that she ever would, but still she didn’t pull away.
Which tuk felt greatly fortunate for.
Neteyem was about to try and make them feel good. Say some inspiring message about how brave they were et cetera, when a sharp whistle hauled through the wind.
Each of their heads snapped simultaneously towards the noise, ears drooping in sync.
They could practically feel the radiating worry attached to eachother, and able to read eachothers mind.
There wasn’t any creature who was in this area at this time, it couldn’t be anything of eywa overall as the na’vi avoided the human structure that was left stranded in the undergrowth.
“what is that” tuk whimpered nervously, head tilting upwards, trying to associate any sort of recognition of understanding between any of her three siblings yet they all looked equally startled and confused as she was.
“its probably just an ikran, the noise must have carried through the trees.” Kiri forced the reassurance out, yet you could her the stutter and reluctant lie in her voice.
Kiri knew it wasn’t an ikran but there was no other possibility that would be believable to a very nature educated child.
All four of them were still looking in the direction of the mysterious sound, none bothered to turn away due to sheer confusion.
That was why the sound was the perfect distraction.
All of a sudden, hands grasped at them from all sides.
There was at least ten different soldiers who had emerged into the clearing. They were dripping with sweat and dew, clearly had been waiting for a couple days or at least been out in the wild for a while.
It began with one for each kids, then increased to two from neteyem and he thrashed and kicked with precise and forceful hits.
Tuk screamed and tears began staining her face, she tried to be strong like her daddy would want. But she gave into the grabbing as the fingernails of the recom dug into her dainty blue arm.
Kiri yelled in na’vi. The recoms couldn’t make out a lot of it. They didn’t know if it was comfort for the other kids or a cry for help for anyone who could hear them.
She was roughly jabbed in the back of her knees by a boot, until she was forced to the floor and grabbed firmly at the base of her queue, which to her demise made her fighting slow unwillingly.
Lo’ak fought too, but it was useless due to his lanky posture and undefined muscles. Strong for his age maybe but not compared to armed adults swarming him.
Each one eventually had a hand tightly merged to their neural braid.
The sensation itself felt static all over. Like you slept on a limb wrong for a very very VERY long time. Yet it was worse.
Way worse.
The feeling sent disorientation fluttering through your bones and muscles aching with the strain to move.
It wasn’t just hair it was the base of their entire nervous system as they knew it and it was being compressed roughly against their will.
Tuk was full on child sobbing now.
Sore red eyes flooded with salty tears, that still streamed infinitely down her face in an endless supply. Her nose was wet with snot combined with her droplets of water from her eyes. And her lips were shaking and parting as if she anted to speak but was at a loss for words.
And If the the situation couldn’t worsen as it was, the figure that revealed itself next escalated this to a whole new wave of terror.
Miles Quaritch.
In a recom body, that was clear. But since there last encounter it was obvious he was still the same empowering sociopath he was before as described briefly by their dad.
“well look what we got here, a little pack of half-bloods.” His grin was smug as shit. Thin and cold and intentional for a reaction.
His gaze swept at all kids before pausing on the eldest of the group.
He could tell by the height of him and the way he held himself defensively with a brave face.
“well we got another one, shame we had the unfortune of not meeting before professionally.”
Neteyem didn’t break eye contact nor respond with anything louder than breath.
“you were the mighty warrior that shot my guy a couple days ago aint that right?” Quaritch continue mockingly.
The nickname mighty warrior was very explicitly meant to be humiliation and mocking toward neteyems kill. But the irony of the name for neteyem made him sick despite Quaritch being unaware.
It was the name his dad always called him. Only his dad.
Eywa.
It made him sick thinking about his dad right now.
And the sickness grew and he felt the urge for him rise, he wanted this tp be over with everyone safe and happy, and his dad praising them for being so brave In the face of the demons.
But they never called, they couldn’t now even if they wanted too.
I think they all realised they were fucked and no one knew about it or where they even were.
A thought occurred to him rapidly and he didn’t process the consequence fast enough before completing the action.
He spat hard in defiance right in quaritch’s face.
The man recoiled slightly wiping a hand down his face roughly, his lip baring to a snarl as he roughly intercepted the other soldiers hold of neteyems braid and took it himself.
His breath caught and an involuntary sound trilled painfully through his throat at the contact.
“FUCKING LET HIM GO” lo’aks shouted in English to make his point covalent and clear and it echoed through the air as he struggled vicously against the grip of the recom behind him. Yet still had no give.
Quaritch ignored the yell of the screaming teenager and put his focus into the defiant little shit in front of him.
“whats your name kid.” He asked surprisingly in a neutral manner. But neteyem could tell this wouldn’t be the only question.
He was about the answer, his lips rubbing together as he swallowed bile as if he had to take a moment to physically hunt for the words but he was interrupted by a shake that jolted his whole body.
As he swayed, the colours faded to white briefly and he barely caught his eyes as they drooped.
“neteyem.” He forced out quickly. There was no harm in the answer and it would stop the pain was the only logic that made him say it.
Quaritch was honestly surprised it wasn’t an American name and grasped at his knowledge of the na;vi language to make sure he wasnt being a smart ass at him.
“and how old are you son, as you seem to think your so mature.” Quaritch continued on.
The rest of the sully kids were drowned in worry but still confused at the pointless and stupid questions from the threatening figure.
Even some of the recoms were confused by it too.
“15.” Neteyem replied, his strong act was wearing off and crumpling right there and then. He didn’t give Quaritch the courtesy of eye contact as he answered, and instead kept his gaze low towards the moss covered floor that tickled his skin.
Quaritch was again shocked internally by the answer.
Jesus, sully wasted no time with that hell of a beast he mated with.
“and where is your father, neteyem.” Quaritch kept his voice steady to try and get a better answer, but it came out as mocking which he didn’t exactly bother correcting as any type of cruelty was okay in his books.
Neteyem swallowed heavily and sneaked a glance at his siblings.
Kiri not fighting but tense under her calm face.
Tuk shaking but other than that no resistance whatsoever.
And lo’ak, who as well stopped fighting but kept his face unhidden and raging with anger and fire practically burnt his eyes.
After a couple seconds it was clear to the soldiers he didn’t plan on answering the supposedly simple question.
“that’s how you wanna play it?” Quaritch snapped back to a harsh voice he had suppressed before not for comfort but obedience. “would It motivate you if your precious siblings were hurt?”
The honesty and enjoyment made neteyem nauseous at the threat,
He was completely and utterly torn in a dilemma between his clan or family.
Whichever was chosen to be kept a secret would not even risk but confirm the adjacent would die.
Apparently such a big decision didn’t get a big amount of time to think.
Quaritch threw neteyem back into the grasp of the previous solider as he turned swiftly towards the littlest of the bunch.
Tuk anxiously glanced up at the towering figure who and hurt her powerful and brave brother infront of her.
A series of yells emerged from the other three. They were mixed with various words.
Na’vi, English, either way they were pleads.
‘stay away from her!’
‘Stop please!’
‘I’ll kill you!’
Each were pointless given the state they were all in.
The recoms understood it was irritating and shut them all up with a twist of their hold on their queues and it seemed to silence the pleads effectively.
Quaritch crouched directly in front of the child who looked at him with yellow eyes that were bulging out of her face in worry.
Her little tail and ears were frozen and negotiating the fact that she was terrified as fuck.
Tuk couldn’t help but think that this was worse.
Her oldest brother, neteyem. The warrior who wasn’t afraid of anything was just intimated and hurt. what Would that mean for her?
Quaritch tilted his head in a mocking sympathetic way. “do you want your daddy right now?”
Tuk’s English wasn’t advanvced enough to understand everything but she managed to piece together daddy and want; that was enough for her.
She nodded as much as she could with the hold on her braid and a low whimpering sound was emitting from her throat.
“well that’s too bad as he don’t love you enough to save you.”
The initiative was clear as day for tuk and all the hope that was shining before, flickered to a dull apprehension.
Quaritch fiddled with his soldier jacket that seems heavy enough to carry multiple things before revealing a retrieved device no bigger than tuk’s forearm.
The strange metal that was now gripped in his sweaty palm caused every sully kid to edge forward and get a glimpse at it.
Lo’ak squinted and tried to place at least a vague memory of it from the lab but it was unrecognisable and nothing he had seen before.
“do you wanna be bad like your brother or a good girl for me?” Quaritch teasingly asked as he watched her tiny face scrunch in confusion.
Neteyem wasn’t bad she thought.
He was always following rules and sneaking her extra yovo fruit when mama said no more and he always scared away the monsters when they played.
“tell me where that idiot of your father is and this,” he gestured towards the device vaguely by shaking the fist it was clenched it, “wont have to be used.”
Tuk began breathing heavily.
She couldn’t say - she couldn’t.
And even if she could there was no name for it that she could rmeber, it was just home. and she didn’t know the way, she would just follow whoever was in charge. she didn’t know she really didn’t know.
Her heart boomed rapidly against her chest as her lip wobbled in fear and confusion.
“i-I don’t know!” she cried trying to edge away from him but the hold was too strong.
“well.” Quaritch begun as he squeezed a button at the base of the device. “you’ve been a bad girl then haven’t you?”
“LET GO!” neteyem rasped furiously at the man.
“STOP PLEASE STOP” Kiri’s voice followed, anger was threaded through in a way tuk had never heard before.
“YOU ASSHOLES SHES A KID” lo’ak added In intended anger but it just came out as a scared plead.
They continued and overlapped eachother, they all fought ot get free but couldn’t and tuk squeezed her eyes shut hard, unaware what it would do but terrified no matter the outcome.
Quaritch twisted her around aiming for her neck when he was pulled backwards by a confident yet weak force.
Lo’ak had managed to break free for just a second to grab him but it wasn’t long before he was re captured and this time by two in similarity to neteyem.
Unfortunately, this just delayed Quaritch’s aim. And instead of the neck, the static device pressed against her lower back.
Tuk let out a crying scream, her throat cracking her voice as she felt pain beneath her to the point it got so bad she could hardly focus on it.
Despite her back being hit her whole body convulsed. Hard. She spasmed and cried and tried to wriggle out but couldn’t and up ended laying down, seizing and rapidly and unwillingly shaking on the floor
She could hear her siblings yelling for her, something about looking at someone and staying awake was ringing through her eardrums but not enough to motivate her brain into latching onto it.
She was still screaming is despair and anguish when she felt a sudden heavy pressure spread through her lower body, specifically her legs.
It was unnatural and freezing in a way she couldt explain if she wasn’t in pain but it was wrong and that was clear.
Yet it had a sense of relief.
As it spread the pain that was radiating at the base of the impact and her legs eased to a jittering numbness that was bad very bad, but not painful at least.
The convulsing drained out without option and her screams became broken cries purely from the shock and feeling beneath her.
Talking about the feeling beneath her.
She couldn’t move.
Her arms were fine and still holding the mud beneath her with a grip so tight she couldn’t believe it was her.
But her legs remained unmoving beneath her.
It was a repulsively strange feeling she automatically wanted to leave her legs.
She knew they were there she could feel it. The damp moss that clung to the sweat on her legs from the effort her body was using to seize seconds ago and the delicate beaded anklet kiri crafted with her a couple weeks ago before all the ‘scary stuff’ happened. But there was no movement.
She tried and tried so hard to the point it only took 2 seconds of attempt to give her a headache as if the pain wasn’t provoking her body to its limits already.
“TUK! Tuk are you okay?!” neteyems voice urgently called out to her. They all were that just happened to be the only one that got through to her.
“neteyem I cant move my legs!” she choked out in bursts as she sobbed. “they wont move!”
Neteyem looked horrified matching kiri and lo’aks anger and dreadfulness.
Quaritch tucked away the device and pressed his lips into a sick smirk as he stared at her with pleasure.
The recom that was holding her hauled her up slightly from her laying position by dragging her into a seated position by holding her armpits.
It wasn’t for comfort – why would they care?
But purely so she was forced to meet Quaritch’s eyes.
“aint that cute” Quaritch begun, no slither of regret was revealed in his voice.
He invaded her by prodding her thigh and glancing for a reaction.
Sadly for tuk she obviously flinched, she had no intention on hiding how she felt as her emotions were too strong.
For eywa’s sake shes 8.
“just like your daddy” he continued, amused with the parallel he had unintentionally made thanks to her stupid brother.
Before signalling to the recom to hold her up, he stomped down on her leg with a lot force.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Again.
Before stopping.
Tuk yelled after each one.
Tears didn’t even appear as heavily as the energy had been drained and the water supply had been drained.
The inability to move them away from the thick leather that kept crushing them made her want to run, but she couldn’t.
Even if she physically could she musnt,
Daddy and mama told her to always be brave even when she cant be.
They had to be coming soon she hoped desperately to distract herself from everything overstimulating thing around her.
All four kids hoped in unison for there parents.