I'm with you either way

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

𝕀𝕋 was a sombre day as The People rode their tsurak through the cloudy waters, their journey interrupted by the sight of a dead tulkun surrounded by a pool of its brethren. Ronal's heart sank as she realized it was her Spirit Sister lying lifeless in the water. With tears welling in her eyes, she swam to the body and clung to its fin, mourning the loss seeing the calf lay with its mother, lifeless. As Tonowari approached Arya and Neytan, he solemnly announced, "Her name is Ro'a." Ronal's voice trembled with sadness as she shared, "She was my Spirit Sister."

Neytan, seated behind Arya, felt a pang of empathy for Ronal's grief, recalling the loss of his own ikran, Seze, during the war. "She was a composer of songs. Much revered. We would sing together," he reminisced. "She waited many breeding cycles to have this calf. The clan were so happy for her." Ronal's anguish grew as she looked at the lifeless calf beside its mother, her sorrow palpable. "What is this, Tonowari? What is this?!" she cried out in despair.

Arya, Neytan, and Ronal were drawn to the distressing sight, and as Arya inspected the tulkun's body, her heart sank further. With a heavy heart, she and Neytan discovered a tracker attached to the corpse, a grim indication of the looming threat.

༄༄

As the rain poured down upon the village, the anger and sorrow of the people were palpable. Ronal's voice trembled with emotion as she confronted Arya, "My Spirit Sister and her baby... have been murdered by the Sky People!" The villagers, fuelled by grief and rage, gathered around, ready for action. Tonowari's voice thundered above the rain, "This war has come to us. We knew about this hunting of our tulkun people. But it was over the horizon far away. Now it is here!"

Spears were brandished, and chants for battle filled the air. Yet, amidst the fervor, Arya's voice cut through the tumult, urging caution, "No, you don't... You gotta understand how the Sky People think. They don't care about the Great Balance." One Na'vi warrior vehemently declared, "We don't answer to Sky People!" But Neteyam, standing by his mother's side, interjected, his tone urgent, "Listen. Listen to her." Arya pressed on, her words urgent and resolute, "The Sky People are not gonna stop. This is only the beginning. You gotta tell your tulkun to leave. You gotta tell them to go far away!" Her plea hung heavy in the air, a sobering reminder of the harsh reality they faced.

"Leave? You live among us... and you learned nothing!" Ronal's voice was filled with frustration as she directed her words at Arya. A warrior, fueled by righteous indignation, added, "We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters!" The People echoed their support with fervent cheers.

But Arya, undeterred, raised her voice above the clamour, her tone urgent and commanding, "No, no, no. If you attack... if you fight... then they will destroy you! They will destroy everything that you love!" Her words hung heavy in the air, a stark warning of the consequences they faced.

As tension mounted, Ronal's hand instinctively went to her pregnant stomach, a silent plea for the safety of her unborn child. The villagers, stirred by emotion and the call of battle, began their chants once more.

But Arya, refusing to be drowned out, seized control of the moment. Neteyam's steady voice joined hers, urging calm and reason amidst the chaos. Neytan, holding his children close, watched with a mixture of concern and pride.

"Damn it!" Arya's frustration boiled over as she seized the tracker from Neteyam's hand. Standing tall on the platform, she held the device aloft, a symbol of both danger and defiance. "You tell the tulkun... this if they're hit by one of these... they're marked for death. And call for me... I'll silence it." Her words echoed across the village, commanding attention and respect. With a determined gaze, Arya addressed the gathered crowd once more, her voice ringing clear and resolute, "Saving their lives, that's all that matters. Right?" Tsireya nodded in agreement, and Arya continued, her words carrying the weight of conviction, "Saving your family. I may be Toruk Makto, but I am a mother and a wife, I will stand by my family, you should too." Her declaration resonated with the crowd, a rallying cry for unity and protection in the face of adversity.

Tonowari glanced at his wife, a silent exchange passing between them, before he turned his attention back to Arya and addressed his people with a solemn command, "Tell the tulkun." Ronal's voice, heavy with sorrow, urged their departure with a simple yet poignant directive, "Go." The warriors heeded the call, Lo'ak among them. Neteyam, however, hesitated. Observing his brother's departure, he felt a surge of determination and followed suit. Meanwhile, Arya moved forward with purpose, her steps steady and resolute.

As she walked, Neytan intercepted her path, his expression a mixture of concern and defiance. He grasped Arya's arm firmly, halting her progress, and implored, "We must fight, Ma Arya. I will not stand and do nothing." Arya met his gaze, her eyes reflecting a depth of understanding and resolve. "It's a trap. They want us to hit back. They're not hunting tulkun. They're hunting us. Hunting me, that is why...." Her voice trailed off, a weighty admission hanging in the air.

Neytan's eyes widened with realization, and he pressed for clarity, "Why? What?"

Arya's gaze faltered momentarily before she met his eyes once more, her voice firm yet tinged with sadness, "That is why I am going give them what they want... me." Neytan's grip tightened on her arms, his voice filled with urgency and desperation, "No. No, you will not." He refused to accept the notion, unwilling to entertain the idea of sacrificing his wife to the whims of their enemies.

Arya's resolve remained unshaken as she reiterated her stance, her words infused with determination, "It's me that they are after. If it means to protect my family, then I will." In a silent display of solidarity, Neytan enveloped Arya in a tight embrace, his commitment to her and their family unwavering. "I won't allow it. I won't," he vowed, his embrace a shield against the looming threat as his heartaches of the idea of losing his wife, his Arya.

༄༄

Lo'ak paused in his tracks, his hand gripping the saddle of his ilu who he called, as Neteyam's voice cut through the air, halting him. "No way you're rolling out of here, baby brother," Neteyam declared, his tone firm and resolute as he approached Lo'ak. Lo'ak turned to face his older brother, his expression reflecting a mixture of determination and frustration. "I have to warn Payakan about the pingers," he insisted, his sense of duty driving him forward.

Neteyam shook his head in disbelief, a hint of exasperation creeping into his voice. "No. You gotta keep your skxawng ass here," he countered, his words laced with a mixture of concern and frustration.

Lo'ak's resolve remained unyielding as he emphasized the urgency of the situation. "He's outcast. There's nobody to warn him but me," he argued, his determination unwavering. Neteyam placed a reassuring hand on Lo'ak's head, attempting to appeal to reason. "Bro... why do you always have to make things so hard?" he questioned; his frustration evident in his tone.

Lo'ak pushed Neteyam's arm away, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "No. You mean why can't I be the perfect son like you?" he retorted; his words tinged with resentment. "The perfect little soldier. Well, I'm not you! Okay?" Neteyam's expression hardened as he moved closer to Lo'ak, his own frustration evident in his demeanour. "Oh? He's your brother?" he challenged; his voice edged with anger. "No, I'm your brother."

"Lo'ak!" Tsireya's urgent call echoed through the air, capturing their attention. Lo'ak broke free from Neteyam's grip, casting a fleeting glance at his sister and friends. Without hesitation, he dove into the water and swiftly mounted his ilu's back, setting off with determination.

Neteyam called out after him, his voice filled with concern and urgency, but Lo'ak pressed on, driven by his sense of duty. With swift movements, Neteyam and the trio followed suit, diving into the water and trailing after Lo'ak's determined path. As they passed by Kiri and Tuk, Kiri's voice rang out, calling after her brother, "Lo'ak!" Neteyam quickly briefed them on the situation, "Lo'ak's going to find Payakan!" Responding to the urgency of the moment, Kiri and Tuk wasted no time. "Wait up! Hold on!" Kiri exclaimed, her determination matching that of her brother. With Tuk clinging onto her, they dove down in the water and swiftly joined the pursuit, their determination propelling them forward to support Lo'ak.

As Arya and Neytan frantically searched for their children, Lo'ak's urgent voice crackled through Arya's communicator, breaking the tension. "Mom. I mean, Devil Dog. Do you read me?" Neytan turned to a nearby Na'vi, seeking information, but Arya's grip on his arm stopped him as she listened intently.

"It's Eagle Eye, do you copy?" Arya responded quickly; her voice laced with concern. "Yeah, Lo'ak." Neytan listened closely as Lo'ak relayed the dire situation. "Mom! We're with a tulkun that's under attack. Killer ship's inbound. It's about two klicks out."

Arya's heart raced as she asked, "Who's with you?" Lo'ak's response sent a chill down their spines. "It's all of us. Aonung and Tsireya too. We're at Three Brothers Rocks." Neytan took charge, his voice firm with determination. "You get to cover, and you do not engage. Alright? You hear me? Do not engage. We're coming."

Lo'ak's acknowledgment was swift. "Yes, dad." With a sense of urgency, Arya and Neytan sprinted to find Ronal and Tonowari. "Kids are under attack! They were defending a tulkun. It's your kids too," Arya pleaded urgently. Tonowari's expression darkened as he processed the gravity of the situation. "The demon ship?" he inquired.

"Yes! We gotta go!" Neytan interjected, urgency colouring his voice. Together, they rushed to their hut as the alarm blared, signalling the warriors to prepare for battle.

Arya dashed into their hut, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. With swift movements, she reached for her weapons, the familiar weight of her bow and quiver comforting in her hands. Neytan followed closely behind, his steps echoing the urgency of the moment. He called out to his ikran, a powerful presence in the dimly lit space, as he retrieved his bow, a silent gesture of readiness.

As Neytan turned around, his gaze met Arya's, and in that shared moment, their resolve was palpable. Each of them harboured an unyielding determination to retrieve their children, to protect them at all costs. Drawing strength from one another, Neytan pulled Arya close to him, wrapping his arm around her waist, a silent vow passing between them. Their brief kiss conveyed a depth of emotion and determination, a silent promise to fight for their family with every fiber of their being.

With a final glance, Arya and the other Na'vi warriors, except Neytan, who rode onhis ikran, mounted their tsuraks, their synchronized movements reflecting the unity of purpose that fueled their mission. As they dove underwater, the rush of water enveloping them, their tsuraks spread their wings in the air, a majestic display of strength and resilience. The air was filled with the resounding battle cries of the Na'vi, a powerful declaration of their readiness to defend their kin. Arya tightened her grip on her weapon, her knuckles white with determination, her gaze fixed ahead with steely resolve. In that moment, she was not just a mother, but a warrior, Toruk Makto, ready to destroy any threat that dares to harm her children. With every beat of her heart, she vowed to protect them, to stand against any who dared to challenge the safety of their family who she would kill for.

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

By: SilverMist707

I hope you will enjoy it and leave a vote and comment <3