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Italics: (Na'vi language, or Metkayina sign language, and Jake's inner thoughts)

A/N: Hi! Before we start, I just want to say that I hope you guys enjoy the prologue! Also, don't forget to comment :,) Don't be ghost readers, I love reading your replies and they make me so happy. I see them all and they truly make my day 🤍

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The fire crackled and ignited small flames that illuminated Jake's features. He stard at the logs burning and dissipating slowly with the heat, along with the ashes that erupted from it hypnotized him as he sat in front of the fire, yearning for heat to keep him warm during this cold night in the Pandoran forest. His mind was blank and empty, with no other thoughts and feelings other than denial and confusion coursed through him without stopping.

As hard as it was to do, Jake let his eyes trail to his four children sleeping each on their own individual mats. Tuk was the hardest one to get to fall asleep, but Kiri helped her little sister through it, despite how much she was hurting deep on the inside. He was the only one awake right now, knowing that every time he closed his eyes, the same image that was making his heart crumble with every second would resurface the moment he tried to sleep.

The Sully family wasn't in their usual home right now, and were now residing in a small and haphazardly organized camp by the orders of Mo'at earlier that night. It was temporary, but the fact that they were staying here, only reminded the family of what they've lost. Jake stared with emptiness at the fire that was keeping his entire family warm. It had been hours after the kids fell asleep and it was nearing dawn, but Jake still remained awake.

His eyes were dead set on everything around him. The chattering of the animals outside the hut, the sky slowly getting a bit lighter as the sun started to rise, and the fire slowly started to fade after being lit up for so long. He had no idea how much time he had been awake, or when the sun even started to come up, but nothing of it made sense to him anymore.

The way that the evening turned out was nothing like he had hoped. He had been forced to end his date night with Neytiri far more earlier than he would've wanted. What he thought was just another star in the night sky ended up tearint his life apart, as well as his family. He had failed. Jake failed in every conceivable way to protect the one he loved the most, and now, his future was decided for him. His kids were absolutely devastated after hearing what happened to their mother, crying hours on end and grieving over the loss of the woman who gave them life in this world.

Jake had allowed himself to get separated from Neytiri on the run back to the Omaticaya fortress and base camp, and now regretted every second that passed where things could've been and looked different than they are now. Jake didn't know this, but he expected his kids to resent him, but none of them did. All of them; Neteyam, Lo'ak, Kiri, and Tuk were extremely grateful for their father being the person that was with their mother in her last moments, and that he didn't let her be alone when she perished. Neytiri died peacefully along with someone that she loved by her side.

Jake truly felt empty. Feeling like he no longer had a purpose in life and that a part of him was missing. The moment that the love of his life passed away, a part of him left with her. The bond snapped and he couldn't feel anything anymore. Now, it was just a matter of trying to figure out what to do from here on out.

The Sky People were back, and he needed to think about his family. He had his kids to worry about, and it's what Neytiri would've wanted. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't grieve right now even if he wanted to. He had to keep moving forward, and the circumstances did not allow him to feel the way he wanted to. War was once again in the horizon, but his mind was plagued with all but one thought that kept deteriorating him slowly.

The contrast between of what felt like fire and daggers piercing into him was only worsening with every hour that passed. His only thought that kept circling back into his mind was how he could avenge Neytiri and make her death mean something, and make sure it wasn't in vain. He had to make her proud, and he will. It only broke him more as he remembered one of the last few words that she said to him.

"Find someone. Live on, Jake," She had said, and Jake looked at her with perplexity as tears were streaming down his cheeks. How could she possibly ask that of him? At the time, that request felt so trivial, because how could he live on when he felt like he couldn't go on anymore the moment their bond broke. He didn't feel like he could ever love someone the way he loved her, and love like the one he had with her only came once in a lifetime. He had stayed in Pandora for her, and fell in love in the process. Then, he started to think; What if it's just one person for the rest of your life, and that was it?

How can he ever hope to love somebody else as much as he loved her if not more? Those words that she said only kept replaying in his head in continuation, as if trying to convince him that it's what he should do, but his conscience only kept denying it over and over. The memories he had with Neytiri kept him up at night, wondering if he would ever find someone to love again like he did with her. Beneath it all, Jake was refusing to let himself fall in love again. Now, all he wanted was to take care of his children and watch them grow up, even if it meant that he didn't find anyone else.

Maybe he would feel differently in the future, but today was not that day. All his mind was centered in was making his mate's death count and not have it be for nothing. He'd make the Sky People pay for what they've done and create a world where his children can live in peace and have long lives without living in fear.

The more that Jake looked at the fire, he felt himself being ignited with more and more feelings of anger mingled with grief that he had been holding back for the sake of his kids. Now, it seems his body could not withstand it anymore and silent tears began to fall from Jake's eyes. His gaze was fixated on what was left of the burning logs in front of him, with the fire reflecting on his amber eyes, and all the while having simply one goal in mind.

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The sun was beginning to set on Awa'atlu and you were riding on your Skimwing, Pua, back to the village after spending the afternoon by the reef. You had been so tired from the day you've had of teaching the young Metkayina kids the ways of their people, also being their guardian for the day, so all you wanted to do was go back to your hut and reunite with the most important person in your life, and that you've been waiting all day to see. Your mate, Hahona, should be back with the warriors any minute now and you were beyond ecstatic.

As you reached the village, you approached the nearest entrance while riding on Pua and when you were close enough, you hopped off and leaped onto the weaved path above the water. You kneeled down and watched as your Tsurak poked his head out of the water, looking for affection most likely and you laughed softly while petting his snout with appreciation.

As you stood up again, you watched as your Skimwing went back into the water and disappeared beneath the surface. You heard footsteps behind you, and when you turned around and saw Tonowari and Ronal standing there, you smiled and walked over to them. When you reached them and got a look at their sullen expressions, your heart started to race. Did something happen? You started to wonder.

"I see you, Tonowari. Ronal" You said formally, greeting the Olo'eyktan and Tsahik with respect. They've both served as parent figures for you over the years, and you were always grateful for their presence, so you never missed out on being as respectful towards them as you could. "Did the warriors arrive already?" You asked with inquiry, but at your words, Ronal and Tonowari visibly tensed at your question.

"Y/n. We need to talk to you. Come," Tonowari said as he gestured with his head for you to follow him as he and Ronal began to walk back. You stayed in place for a few seconds but quickly started follow behind them. It was starting to get darker in the village so all families were gathered in their huts at the moment, preparing for the night.

"Is everything okay?" You asked, and you could see Tonowari and Ronal look at each other warily before continuing to look forward without saying anything else. Your nerves were skyrocketing at how they were continuing to stay silent, but I guess it only makes sense to waig until you've reached the place theyre leading you to, but you were too impatient.

Soon enough, you had followed Tonowari and Ronal over to the place that they wanted to take you to. You had assumed it would be at their hut, but your assumptions were wrong when they stopped in their tracks on the shores of one if the many beaches of the village. It was deserted for the day, so it was probably something serious if they didn't want anybody else to know or hear what they'd say to you.

After what felt like an eternity, Tonowari spoke up. The suspense was killing you. "Y/n. The warriors arrived not too long ago, and..." The Olo'eyktan paused, looking at his wife briefly but she was looking down, not able to look at your face when you pieced together what happened. "And...Hahona didn't return," He said, and your eyes widened while you felt as if you had gotten your stomach punched and all of the air was knocked out of your body.

"What?" You whispered loud enough for Tonowari and Ronal to hear. It was the sound of denial and despair wrapped up in a single word. "Are you certain? What did the others say? Niriko? Rai'uk? A'tok? Otanu? None of them saw him?" You asked with desperation laced into your voice, refusing to believe that your husband didn't come back with the war party. He was the strongest warrior you knew, and he wouldn't let himself perish, would he?

"Y/n. Hahona was killed in battle today," Tonowari said abruptly, knowing that he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. You needed to know, and you didn't deserve to be lied to just for the sake of protecting your feelings. The moment the Olo'eyktan said those words, you stilled in place and your arms dropped to your sides as tears started to brim your eyes and cloud your vision. Your breath hitched as you let out a shaky breath.

"We thought you should know," Ronal said as she stepped closer to you and pressed both of her hands on your arms, rubbing them up and down your skin with comfort. But nothing could make the anguish inside your body that was begging to come out. This was why they didn't want you near anyone else when they told you the news. You'd surely crumble like you're about to do now and you could confide in nobody else but Tonowari and Ronal. They've seen you at your worst and known you the longest. It was the necessary step to take.

You eventually dropped to your knees and your shins hit the sand. You raised both of your hands up and cupped your mouth as tears started to overflow and your eyes began to close shut. The tears were so heavy that they went from your cheeks to going over the palms of your hands that cupped your face. You began to sob quietly, refusing to let anyone else hear your pain, even if more than half of the village knew about this already. Ronal kneeled down by your side and hugged you, letting you tuck your head in the crook of her neck.

Tonowari continued to stay up on his feet, looking down at his feet in the sand sullenly. Hahona was a dear friend of his, and he felt like there was nobody else that connected with you as well as he did. Tonowari was protective of your life as if you were his own, having to raise you alongside of Ronal since you were a teenager. There was nobody else more deserving of you than Hahona, and it pained Tonowari to see you so vulnerable and broken in just a matter of seconds. It wasn't easy for him to deliver the news, but he cared about you, and leading you on and hiding away the truth would only be awfully cruel.

Suddenly, the death of your husband only made more sense as you continued to cry and Ronal whispered comforting words into your ear. The pang to your entire body that you felt earlier that day made sense now. The bond had broken and you had dismissed it as something that didn't matter. Turns out, that moment was a lot more significant than you thought and it was tearing you apart. Who knew that when Hahona left this morning, it would be the last time he kissed you goodbye? The last time he'd promise to come back to you in one piece like he did before every mission he went out to, and the very last time you woke up by his side.

Tonowari didn't specify what it was that killed Hahona, because not even he knows. None of the warriors know how it is that he went out. He was alone. The injuries on his body indicated that he had been imapled severely in some way, but no one could recognize what was the cause. The warriors only said that they had found his body and that was the end of it. What you didn't know is that the last thoughts on his mind before he died were all about you.

You didn't stop crying for a long time, and to prevent anyone from asking any questions and to avoid going through the village, Ronal helped you go through a shortcut around the reef to get you to your hut. Knowing that this would be your first night alone without him, she offered to stay with you. Tsireya, being the sweetheart that she is, wanted to stay to and bring you as much comfort as possible. Ao'nung stayed with Tonowari back at their own hut. The Olo'eyktan figured you didn't want to be overwhelmed by too many people.

It was a long night. Ronal and Tsireya tried to get you to sleep, but every time you woke up, it was like your mind liked to torture you. The moment you closed your eyes, nightmares of how your husband might have gone out repeated over and over, making you wake up crying. Even so, the two girls didn't leave your side and helped you fall asleep, even if it was just for a couple hours that night.

Your world had turned upside down, and the more you envisioned your husband in your dreams, the more painful it was to accept that he was gone. You swore that you'd never fall in love again, not wanting to go through this agony every again. The world was cruel, and it would only rip you away from what you loved without mercy all over again.

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Hello! This prologue is sort of like a trial run to see if you guys like the main idea of the story, so please let me know what you think! I already have so much planned for this story :,) I'm so excited, and I hope you guys are too!

I only have about a month or so left of school so I don't have as many big assignments anymore, and that means daily and weekly updates will be happening and I cant wait!

Also, I didn't run this chapter through grammarly yet like i've done with the others in the past, but I figured it was okay since I would spend time revising the book anyway after they're done. Besides, grammarly was glitching and it was really annoying lmao

There's not much I have to say now, but as always, I'll add other news in future chapters if there are any at all, Anyway, I'll see you all in the next one! 🤍 Have a good rest of your week everyone!

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