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Italics: (Na'vi language, Metkayina sign language, and Jake's inner thoughts)
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You and Jake ran out of your hut and saw that all warriors were already jumping into the water and onto their respective creatures, whether it was an ilu or a Skimwing. Tonowari was the first of the crowd to leap in the water, immediately mounting his Skimwing with a powerful war cry that rallied up the others. Ronal did the same, and even if pregnant, she rode her Tsurak with tenacity and strength, holding her spears tightly in her hand.

While Jake jumped onto the water along with the other warriors to get on his Skimwing, you yipped and called for Aio, who came from above and landed right in front of you. You quickly mounted your Ikran, connected your queue and you snarled menacingly, to which your Ikran reciprocated with a loud screech because of the bond. You held on tight before beginning to fly high up in the air, catching up with the rest. When you reached the others, you looked down and saw that all of the Skimwings of the warriors below you, including Tonowari, Ronal, and Jake, all opened their wings and took flight.

The only sounds that could be heard were the spirited war cries of the warriors who followed behind Tonowari and Ronal. Riding Aio, you lifted your bow in the air and let out a war cry, and after Jake heard this, he reciprocated by doing one of his own too. As she rode her Skimwing, Ronal moved to be on one knee while she held her spear beside her, aiming it. They were all ready to fight. For their children, for the Tulkuns, and to protect their home.

As for the Sky People themselves, in the SeaDragon, the entire staff and crew were preparing themselves for battle. Ships, boats, and submarines alike were being prepped, and guns and rifles were being loaded, along with bombs and rifles as well. The teams that were supposed to go after Payakan were preparing the inflatable anchors and the explosive harpoons, ready to repeat the same process.

Men and women were boarding their submarines and preparing the controls accordingly, ready to hunt another Tulkun. Scoresby was walking along the area along the lower deck, inspecting and checking that everyone was getting ready. "Submarines, close the hatches! Two-minute warning!" The hunter announced, giving everyone the heads up at they'd all be commencing the hunt soon. Those who were in the Crab Suits connected their hands to the sensors that controlled the robotic hands of the suit, testing their functionality.

Meanwhile, the kids were still with Payakan trying to get the tracker off. Nothing was working, even when six of them were pulling on it at the same time. Neteyam's eyes quickly landed on his ilu on standby, and he came up with an idea. The Sully brother took the rope he brought with him and called over the ilu. When the creature came closer, he wrapped the rope around the ilu's body and then turned to look at the Metkayina prince, who was still helping Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Rotxo pull.

"Ao'nung!" Neteyam called, getting the said boy's attention, and tossing him to the other end of the rope. Neteyam quickly turned around and tightened the rope as much as he could, but being careful to not hurt the ilu. Ao'nung proceeded to wrap the end of his rope on the beeping tracker while Neteyam got the other side ready. "Bro, hurry up!" Lo'ak said with urgency, noticing what his brother was trying to do. It was their best shot at getting it off. When both sides were tied, Ao'nung and Neteyam looked at other and nodded. "Go, go, go!" The prince urged, and Neteyam did not waste any time in mounting the ilu.

From the docked SeaDragon, both Picador and Matador boats were beginning to disembark from the lowered ramp on the ship. Soldiers were ready and armed at their posts, whether it was by manning a gun, or the sound wave machine that distorts echolocation. Either way, the kids were running out of time and the boats would reach them at any moment now.

Neteyam started to command his ilu through the bond to start swimming in place, using as much force as possible to pull off the tracker. The creatures' fins splashed in the water harshly, showing just how much strength and effort the ilu was putting in. "Go! Now!" Neteyam yelled to the others, who began pulling on the tracker at the same time. "Everybody! Pull! All at the same time!" Tsireya yelled out, pushing the tracker with her feet as hard as she could while Ao'nung pulled on the device itself and Lo'ak and Rotxo pulled on the rope. They started to feel that it was slowly coming off, but they needed to endure it just a little more.

From the main platform next to the propellers on the SeaDragon, Quaritch was looking through the lens of the binoculars attached to a gun on the side of the boat, smirking with disbelief at what he saw. With the Tulkun, the Colonel could see all of yours and Jake's kids trying to get the tracker off the Tulkun. He zoomed in and saw Lo'ak with Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung while Neteyam continued to ride and urged the ilu to go faster.

"Well I'll be damned," Quaritch muttered, looking away from the lens of the binoculars to look up at Lyle, who had a mirrored expression to his. They finally had leverage over you and Jake knowing your kids were right there. Spider was confused as to what Quaritch was since he could barely see from a distance, but his next words shocked the human boy. "Sully's kids," Quaritch sneered maliciously, and Spider's eyes widened. Were his friends really right there? Lo'ak? Neteyam? Tuk? Even Kiri?

"Let's roll," Quaritch said, starting to walk towards the main deck but raising his eyebrow at Spider coming along too. "Not you," He said to the boy, making the boy stop in his tracks and watch with frustration as Quaritch and Lyle headed inside, announcing to the rest of the Avatar group to saddle up on their Ikrans.

The Metkayina warriors officially left the reef and were beyond the borders of their village. You were still flying up in the air on Aio, looking down at Jake every once in a while. Even from up in the sky, you could see simply that from his stance on one knee and the way he was holding his gun, he was determined to get the kids back. No matter what it took. The ocean began to grow rougher and choppier since they weren't on the reef anymore or the shores of their village's beach. It was unknown territory from here at this point forward.

Soon enough, all boats that were on the SeaDragon were on the water and were heading straight toward Payakan and the kids. The choppy waters made the boat bounce with every landing. Scoresby was on the main Matador boat like he was on last time, and he was looking straight at a scan of where the tracker showed that their targeted Tulkun was. "Range is 700 meters. The signal is good and clear" Garvin, who was on the boat this time around, said, earning a nod from Scoresby.

As the kids continued to pull, Tsireya was the first to notice that the demon ships were getting closer and closer. Her eyes widened and she relayed the message to the others. "They're coming! Pull harder!" She yelled, prompting Neteyam to guide his ilu to put more strength into the pull. "Pull!" Neteyam yelled out, making everyone pull harder than they'd ever done before. They did start to see it come loose.

Before they knew it, the tracker was pulled out, but the kids were all sent to the water because of the pressure they were putting and strength in. Noticing that the device had come out, Tuk smiled widely as she looked at Kiri. Both girls were floating right Payakan's eye-line, sitting on his fin, hushing and comforting the Tulkun. "It came out! Kiri! It's out!" Tuk exclaimed excitedly, seeing the tracker fall into the water.

Kiri turned to look, and she saw that the device had been indeed removed. "Go, Tuk! Go!" Kiri said, guiding her little sister to their ilu. As for the older kids, Neteyam had the tracker in his grasp, holding it while everyone else came up to the surface. "Come on, get out of here!" Neteyam urged the Metkayina kids and his younger brother, swimming right behind them to get away together from this area.

Neteyam positioned himself better on the ilu, watching Kiri and Tuk start to mount their own while Lo'ak, Tsireya, Ao'nung, and Rotxo began to swim underwater to find their ilu's on the kelp and algae forest beneath them. "Go that way! I'll drive them off!" Neteyam called out, earning a nod from Lo'ak. "Okay!" Lo'ak replied, seeing his brother go underwater.

"Lo'ak! Come!" Tsireya called out to him, but the boy was already making his way over to Payakan to stand on his fin. He was relieved that they were finally able to get it out in time, feeling eternally grateful for the kids and now his Tulkun brother could escape. "Payakan! Go, go!" Lo'ak said, and the creature did as told, immediately feeling safer now that he could escape without being tracked. Payakan let out a high-pitched sound, submerging underwater.

Kiri was the first one to get to the ilu, with Tuk swimming close behind. Kiri got on the saddle and held out her hand to her little sister. "Tuk! Grab on!" Kiri exclaimed and then felt her sister grab onto her hand and mount the ilu behind her. Tuk held onto her older sister as they both went underwater, and when they were below the surface, everyone had already found their own ilu's and were riding them far away from the area while Payakan was in the background swimming deeper into the ocean.

While everyone escaped, Neteyam was swimming on his ilu by himself on the opposite way with the tracker in his right hand as he held the saddle holder with his left. It continued to beep relentlessly, and it hadn't stopped even after pulling it away. The rope they used to pull it off was still wrapped around it, dragging behind Neteyam on his way. He still made sure not to stray too far off so that he could regroup with the others later on.

As the boats continued to get closer, but this time, after Scoresby noticed that they had removed the tracker from the Tulkun and now Neteyam had it as he swam away. They were after the boy now rather than Payakan, on Quaritch's orders to capture the kids. The Matador boat Scoresby was in continued to pursue Neteyam in the direction that the tracker was taking them. "300 meters. Depth charges ready," Garvin said, making Scoresby turn to the man manning the bomb launcher behind him to bark out the next orders.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Scoresby yelled out, and not even two seconds later, sound wave bombs were launched onto the water directly in Neteyam's direction. When the bombs landed near the boy's vicinity and they exploded underwater, Neteyam was thrown off of his ilu for a second before he got back on to it to continue making his way through the reef.

Quaritch was on his Ikran from above, watching to see if he could spot the boy himself, watching Scoresby continue to order his soldiers to fire more sound bombs at the water. "No depth charges. Scoresby, you copy? These kids are worthless to me dead," Quaritch said through his coms to the Tulkun hunter. Scoresby rolled his eyes at the Colonel's words, annoyed beyond measure. "Hold your fire," The man commanded begrudgingly.

Noticing that bombs stopped being thrown at him, Neteyam swam above a cluster of corals so as he passed by, he dropped the tracker on it. The boy continued on his way to meet up with the others unknown of the fact that Quaritch was already sending search squads to find Lo'ak and the others. The Colonel flew on his Ikran above the reef, relaying messages to those soldiers that had the job of searching for the kids amongst the forest of algae and kelp.

"Circle them. Send the subs in the water," Quaritch said to Scoresby, who knew that the Colonel was referring to the Crab Suits and the Mako Submersibles. Scoresby was used to being the one giving orders, but even if he didn't like being ordered around, the man relayed the message to the others. "Sub teams, get wet!" Scoresby ordered loudly through the noise of the boat running through the water.

From below, Lo'ak, Tsireya, Ao'nung, Rotxo, Kiri, and Tuk were all hiding in the algae, watching as the boats circled above them. The ilu's chirped, reciprocating the worry that each of these kids was feeling about being found. The kids were starting to see the boats suddenly start to drive off somewhere else, making them all look at each other in confusion. Kiri and Tuk looked at each other, puzzled as well.

From the SeaDragon, the Crab Suits were walking off the platforms of the ship and dropping onto the water, tucking their robotic arms to their sides, and began to cruise through the reef as they propelled themselves. The same thing was happening with the Mako submersibles. The submarines dropped one by one from the lower deck of the ship, instantly and immediately starting to head straight to the forest of kelp where the kids were hiding.

Noticing that the Crab Suits and submarines were approaching, Lo'ak took it upon himself to lead the group, he was the first one to start swimming on his ilu further into the kelp forest with Tsireya following behind, prompting the others to do the same. Tuk has held on close to Kiri, not daring to let go of her older sister.

The soldiers and pilots inside the suits already had a clear view of the movement through the algae, and they knew those were the kids that Quaritch was looking for. The Sullys and the Metkayina kids continue to swim through every nook and cranny available to them in hopes of escaping the incoming threat of submarines coming straight at them. It didn't help that these machines had bright and strong light to shine directly where the kids were trying to camouflage themselves.

No matter how fast the ilu's were, the submarines were quick to catch up to the kids. Even when they all tried to do some sort of maneuver to divert the subs, it was impossible to shake them off completely because they found their way back to being on their trail. Because of how fast they were going trying to escape, Tuk was beginning to slip off Kiri's hold behind her, but the girl was quick to notice and before she could fall off, she grabbed onto her little sister tighter, bringing her back closer.

The Sullys and the Metkayina kids wordlessly communicated with each other, deciding to split off and then meet back up again if they managed to lose the fleet behind them. The group separated, making the submarines do so too, chasing after them separately. "Crabs, flank right! Get around!" One of the pilots for the submarines relayed a message to the other soldiers on machines in his vicinity.

Lo'ak turned his head back to see that the fleet of submarines was getting closer, but when the boy turned his head back around, he saw a bigger forest clump of algae that the group could pass through and that maybe the submarines couldn't get through. Seeing that the kids were moving further into the kelp, the men manning the submarines tried their best not to lose sight of the group of young kids.

"Don't lose them, don't lose them. Stay on them," One of the men relayed. Knowing that they couldn't get through the forest with the submarines blades on the sides, all of them made their machines tuck the blades to the sides of their submarines so that they turned into a torpedo-like shape that could easily pass through the algae and continue the chase. "Oh hell yeah!" One of them exclaimed, feeling more excited about their sudden advantage.

Lo'ak continued to lead the group through the clump of algae, and as he passed through the giant underwater leaves, he continued to bump his face into every single one which made him place his arm in front of him to prevent that. Lo'ak was so focused on keeping his arm in front of him so that he could pass by, that when he turned around to see if the rest were still with him, he didn't realize that at the end of the forest, there was a man in a Crab Suit waiting to ambush him when he came out the other side.

As expected, when he turned back around, Lo'ak's eyes widened when he saw a Crab Suit lunging right at him. As a warning, the ilu screeched and Lo'ak was able to swerve the clutches of the robotic suits just in time. The others who were right behind Lo'ak also were to divert their ilu's away from the claws of the suit, swimming expertly around the clunky machine and avoiding it altogether.

Since Kiri and Tuk were the last ones of the group to come around, and even if they managed to swerve the suit once, when they tried to swim away, they ended up straying from the group and going in another direction with the Crab Suit close behind them. As the girls tried to escape, the suit behind them was able to tear its way through the leaves and branches of the algae with so much ease.

Tuk was still struggling to hold onto Kiri's arm as they had no other choice but to continue to speed up to lose the giant machine. Eventually, they passed through a big leaf, and because Tuk was only hanging onto Kiri's arm, the little girl was hit by the leaf and was forced to tear her hand away from Kiri's as Tuk let out a small startled squeal and fell behind. What's worse is that the Crab Suit came in behind her and made Tuk twirl and spin in the water, making the little girl attempt to gain her balance and bearings once again.

While Kiri was still on the ilu, the girl's eyes widened in fear as she turned her back to see her little sister alone trying to swim away. Kiri would have to pull an evasive maneuver if she wanted to swim around the Crab Suit without being caught and get Tuk back. Her 8-year-old sister was alone right now, relying on the breathing techniques she was taught. Not only that but another one of those Crab Suits would be able to find Tuk before she did.

As for Tsireya, she was escaping one of the submarines all by herself, having diverted herself from the group a few minutes ago. She had a distressed look on her face, not knowing if she'd be able to shake them off behind her. She continued to swerve through the water until she met up again with Ao'nung, but before she could get very far, the man on the submarine had entirely different plans.

"On lock. Launch!" The man said, pressing a button that ejected an inflatable anchor that is used for Tulkuns. That anchor shot directly at Tsireya's ilu and attached to its back fins. The creature wailed as it was being elevated up to the surface, leaving Tsireya alone in the water without her ilu. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that many Crab Suits were coming at her at the same time, flashing their frontal lights directly in her face. Her eyes widened as she gulped, looking around desperately for help.

Thankfully, from around the corner, Lo'ak noticed Tsireya's situation and came to her rescue. He swam in his ilu until he was close to her, extended his hand for her to take, which she did, and pulled her with him. Tsireya avoided the clutches of the Crab Suit in the nick of time thanks to Lo'ak. As the two rode together, she moved herself to sit behind him as he grabbed onto her thigh and began to ride quickly through the kelp forest, but this time, with a different plan in their heads.

When they were far enough, knowing that the submarines would come after them, both Tsireya and Lo'ak dismounted and left the ilu, letting it swim freely somewhere while they hid in a wall of algae beside them. At least they had lost them for now, and their ilu wasn't in danger of suffering the same fate as Tsireya's. They were in the clear in the meantime.

Kiri had eventually done the same thing and left her ilu behind, then shortly met up with Ao'nung and Rotxo. The tree of them found this plant that they could use as a refuge in the meantime. It was a plant that was upside down and had a hollow spot in the middle where they could breathe for a few seconds. When the three of them were inside, Kiri did not hesitate to express the worry she felt for her little sister. "Where's Tuk? Did you see her?" Kiri asked Ao'nung and Rotxo, but the two boys looked at each other and then back at Kiri, shaking their heads in denial.

What Kiri didn't know is that Tuk had found a similar plant to the one she was in. The youngest Sully swam up to it, seeing submarines in the distance, and then poked her head up from the water inside the plant. From the lack of air, Tuk began to pant and breathe heavily. So her legs weren't seen, she climbed up a big and rested her feet and hands against the wall of the plants inside. Tuk was tired and didn't know what to do now. She could only hope that someone would find her.

As if her prayers were answered, someone suddenly popped their head from the water behind her. The girl squealed at the sudden appearance but relief washed over her when she saw that it was Lo'ak. When the Sully brother noticed his little sister's presence, he was more than glad to see her. "Tuk!" Lo'ak exclaimed, then turning to see when Tsireya would come up since she was behind him.

As a submarine outside was patrolling the area to see if there were any signs of the kids, in the corner of his eye, he could see one of the kids. It was Tsireya swimming up inside the plant where Lo'ak and Tuk were, and all of their legs could still be seen. Target in sight," The man said, heading straight for the plant.

When Tsireya came up to the surface of the hollow plant, she greeted Tuk and asked if she was alright. Lo'ak was taking a second to think about what to do next, but they didn't have much time to debate because bright lights started to come closer below them. "It is coming!" Tsireya said with worry. Lo'ak's eyes widened but he made a quick decision. "We gotta go!" Lo'ak said, taking deep breaths to prepare to go underwater again. Tuk and Tsireya did the same thing, and soon, they all submerged at the same time.

Just as the Crab Suit began to approach the plant, tearing others in the process, the trio began to swim away together as Lo'ak looked back at it. Tsireya held Tuk's hand as she helped her swim along. When the three of them came into a clearing, a submarine suddenly appeared from their right side, prompting the group to start moving the other way. The submarine only got closer, and the woman controlling it was ready to capture them.

"Reset. Switching. Fire," The woman said, and a second later, a capsule was launched which opened into a net and was shot directly at the group. Not having time to react, Tsireya, Tuk, and Lo'ak were trapped inside it. Lo'ak was able to slip out, but the two girls were still inside it. The princess noticed Tuk's distress and held her hand, helping her calm down.

Before they could even attempt to escape, Lyle and Quaritch suddenly dove down below the water on their Ikrans, heading straight for the net. The Colonel reached the net and had his Ikran grab onto it, starting to drag the kids up to the surface with Lo'ak hanging onto the side of it, refusing to let go and leaving Tsireya and Tuk to be taken by Quaritch like this. He still had his dagger so maybe he could cut them out.

When they were above the surface, the Ikrans screeched and shook off the water by flapping their wings with strained motions. Lyle had his Ikran hold another side of the net while Quaritch held the other, and that way, the kids had no openings to escape as they took them back to the ship. "Hold on!" Lo'ak yelled out as Tsireya and Tuk screamed for help.

Lo'ak took out his dagger from the holder on his hip and began cutting through the rope of the net. "Watch out! Move your hand!" Lo'ak warned, not wanting to hurt them in the process. They were getting closer to the SeaDragon, and once they got there, it would be a lot harder to get out. It was probably full of soldiers and they were just kids. "Hurry! Hurry!" Tsireya called out, seeing the net approach the big ship more and more.

Spider was watching this happen through the window of the base of the operations room, and when he saw Lo'ak, Tuk, and Tsireya being brought over in a net by Quaritch and Lyle, he took this as his chance to finally escape. His eyes widened at the sight of his friends and began to run through the room, pushing anyone who got in his way. His technique worked because he was able to get to the exit unscathed. "Hey, kid! Get back here!" One of the employees called out, chasing after Spider.

Unfortunately, Lo'ak couldn't cut the net in time. Lyle and Quaritch were able to bring the net over the top deck and began lowering it down. Tuk screamed in fear as this happened. Lo'ak was still hanging onto the side. When the net was lowered onto the deck, Tsireya and Tuk were still tangled up in it. Since Lo'ak was outside, he turned around to see soldiers closing in on him with guns. The boy held his dagger tight, hissing at anyone who came close.

"Drop the weapon! Put it down!" One of the Avatar soldiers said, but Lo'ak did no such thing. He only hissed at them and attempted to strike, but was unfortunately caught by his arm, forcing him to drop his knife as a soldier continued to push him down by his shoulder. Lo'ak was forced to lay on his stomach, all while another Avatar soldier came around and put a foot in his back, telling the boy to stay down, even as he fought his restraints.

Meanwhile, Spider had been able to breach the exit and was now running through the stairway of the ship to get to the main deck where Lo'ak was. Two men were chasing after him, and before they could catch him because the stairway reached a dead end, Spider slipped in through the railing and continued running.

Tsireya and Tuk eventually freed themselves of the net but when they did, they were met with soldiers clamoring at them to stop resisting. "Put the weapons down!" An Avatar soldier yelled out, trying to grab ahold of Tsireya as she tried to fight back but she ended up being forced down to the ground by her neck, groaning in discomfort and pain. As for Tuk, she hissed and took out her small knife, baring her baby teeth to the female Avatar who was trying to get ahold of the young Sully girl. "Drop the knife! Drop it!" The woman said, grabbing Tuk's forearm harshly, forcing the girl to drop the knife and scream in resistance.

Out of the corner, Spider came running into the scene. Quaritch, who was still on his Ikran, wasn't surprised to see Spider down here. If anything, he'd be surprised if he didn't try to fight his way down to see his friends. "Hey! Hey! What are you doing? Stop!" Spider yelled as he ran to the Sullys but before he could get there, various soldiers held him back. "Stop! Don't hurt them!" Spider exclaimed, fighting with everything he could to save them.

Lo'ak hissed while being continued to be forced down by his shoulders with a gun pointed at him. "Stop moving!" The Avatar soldier who was holding him said, not sensing any forfeit from Lo'ak at all. When Lo'ak saw Spider, surprise and relief filled his mind. He knew he was taken by Quaritch, so Lo'ak was glad to see him again. "Spider," Lo'ak managed to say.

"Bro, are you okay?" Spider asked, which was a bit ironic considering the situation. Was he okay? He was being held down by two soldiers with a gun pointed at his head. So yeah, okay pretty much about covers it. "Yeah, great cuz'. Never better," Lo'ak forced out with his cheek pressed against the cold floor of the deck.

In the background, Tuk was resisting more than ever and wouldn't go down without a fight. The woman who was handling the 8-year-old looked as if she was flailing the poor girl around, but that was just Tuk trying to get free. The girl was forced onto her knees, along with Tsireya who realized it was pointless to even fight back at this point.

Spider nodded hesitantly before noticing that Quaritch hopped off his Ikran and unlatched his braid from the queue of the creature. The Colonel's view landed on Lo'ak first as he walked up to the boy, but then turned to look at Spider who was still being held back.

"Get back to the bridge," Quaritch ordered, and the soldiers did as told, pushing Spider back the other way. "Keep him there!" Quaritch exclaimed, watching as Spider was taken back. Spider was already annoyed as it is, so as he was taken back inside, he shook off the hold that the soldiers had on him. "I'm going! I'm going," He said with irritation, walking himself back inside, as much as he didn't want to.

Even if Lo'ak was being held down, he looked up at Quaritch with venom in his eyes. The boy hissed with menace, but it didn't faze Quaritch in the slightest. "Yeah, I remember you," Quaritch started, seeing the soldier behind Lo'ak starts to bring the boy up on his knees. He could see that Lo'ak took after you in many ways, and the boy resembled Jake a lot as well. The Colonel didn't say anything more, except bark out his next orders and commands.

"Cuff em' to the rail. All of them," Quaritch ordered, and with that, each soldier that was holding onto Tsireya, Tuk, and Lo'ak moved them closer to the railing of the deck. "Let's go! Move!" The woman who was holding Tuk said, already exasperated and angry by how much the little girl continued to resist even now.

Tsireya was the first to be cuffed down to it. She was brought over and a steel cuff attacked to a rod in between was placed on her right arm. "Over here," The man who was holding her glowered, kicking the back of her knees so she was kneeling. "Get on your knees," The man said, forcing her to be in that position as she groaned in discomfort and tried to break free. As for Tuk, the woman was able to cuff the little girl down even with her screaming and resistance. When Tuk was on her knees and the woman had already attached the cuffs on one side, the female Avatar grabbed her other wrist, moved it to be below the pole, and attached the other side of the cuff to her wrist. "No," Tuk groaned, trying to pull on them even after being secured.

Lo'ak was the one who least tried to fight against the cuffs. He had other plans in mind. He saw how Tsireya and Tuk were being treated, and all he could think about was the fact that they cannot show that they were breaking into their vulnerability and fear. They have to rise above monsters to defeat them. "Be brave," Lo'ak said, and Tuk and Tsireya heard him say this, stayed silent for a few seconds but then nodded hesitantly. Their parents were coming eventually, and they'd be saved.

As if on cue, from around the farthest rock, the Metkayina warriors had arrived just in time. Yips and cries could be heard even from a distance, and the Skimwings were soaring through the air. At the sound of war cries, Lo'ak, Tuk, and Tsireya turned to see their people coming from around the corner. Your son and daughter could see you flying above the others on your Ikran, as well as Jake who was right in the front lines, and smiles couldn't help but come upon their faces.

They really had come for them. Relief washed over the three kids, and not only did those cries catch the attention of the kids but of Quaritch and his entire team on the top deck. "Na'vi inbound!" Lyle called out, raising his gun and suddenly making all soldiers straighten up to prepare for the battle that may begin at any time. "Weapons up! Lose left, spread out" Lyle ordered to the rest as they got into position.

"Dad!" Tuk beamed with a smile, knowing that her dad was right there. She then looked up and saw you on Aio, circling the air above. "Mama!" Tuk cried out with a smile. The Skimwings began to lower their wings and descend onto the water, using their tails to level their steering and maneuvering.

The warriors, including Tonowari, Ronal, and Jake, all raised their weapons. From above, seeing your two youngest children chained up like that made your entire being flooded with fear. Your heart dropped at their expressions full of terror about what might happen to them.

Jake was riding right beside Tonowari. Your mate was holding his gun and the clan leader was holding his Olo'eyktan spear high in the air. Seeing from afar that they were getting into position, Jake turned to Tonowari. "Stop. Stop them," Jake said, and the chief did as told, raising his spear, which made all of the warriors, including Ronal behind her mate, lower their Skimwings to the water and quiet down a bit for now. They needed to go about this smartly and not just jump into action when their children were right there.

Scoresby and Garvin were watching from the Matador boat not too far away after hearing the commotion. The hunter was looking through his binoculars and recognized Jake. "It's Sully," The man said, turning to Garvin.

From the SeaDragon, Quaritch moved to stand behind Lo'ak and proceeded to rip away the boy's coms from his neck, and the earpieces that allowed the boy to communicate with his father. The Colonel placed it in his ear and pressed the button in the coms to talk to Jake through them. "300 yards," Lyle said from afar.

Jake raised his gun and through the lenses of the weapon, he could see up close who exactly was up on that ship. Dread started to seep inside him, but now was not the time to let his fear come in. He zoomed in and saw Lo'ak and Tuk huddled close together, warming his heart and making concern set inside of him. "They got our kids," Jake started, pausing before preparing to say the next few words. "Your daughter," He said to Tonowari, making the chief hiss with anger, along with Ronal as well. The Tsahik had a pained expression, not believing that her previous daughter was really up there in the clutches of Sky People.

"Tuk, Lo'ak," Jake continued, no matter how much it hurt him to admit that his kids were in so much danger. How could he let this happen? Jake moved the lens to look a bit upwards and he saw Quaritch wearing his son's coms.

"Jake, tell your friends to stand down," Quaritch said, making Jake's eyes waver and his eyebrows furrow. You were listening to the entire conversation as well, fear setting in for your children held hostage. Just hearing Quaritch's voice again made your blood boil. "If you want your kids back, you'll come out alone" Quaritch threatened, and his words made your eyes widen. Even Lo'ak was shaking his head 'no' at his dad. Is Jake going up to Quaritch alone? Against that entire fleet? Anguish mingled with distress inside you, hoping Jake would try to find another way. He can't go alone. You wouldn't bare it.

"You know better than to test my resolve," Quaritch said, pulling out a gun and pointing it straight at the back of Lo'ak's head. Tsireya's eyes widened and she immediately started fighting her restraints, deeply begging Quaritch not to hurt the boy. "Lo'ak, no..." Tsireya muttered, pleading that this man doesn't shoot.

Jake's face scrunched slightly in anger with inner conflict and turmoil. He still had his gun raised as he looked through the lens. Jake lowered his gun as he hissed and his eye widened at such a cruel and unfair proposition. "I took you under my wing, Jake. You betrayed me. You killed your own. Good men, good women. I will not hesitate to execute your kid," Quaritch started, to which his expression suddenly began to grow dark.

The words of Quaritch made your heart drop to your stomach. How can somebody be so vile? To kill a kid just to get back at somebody else? You feared for your children's lives, but also for Tsireya's. She must be scared out of her mind too, not to mention Tonowari and Ronal must be worried sick for her daughters' life. The Colonel's words made Jake suddenly press the buttons on his coms to reply. There had to be another way to resolve this. He loved Lo'ak too much to subject him to something like this. You and Jake would not be able to live with any of your children missing. It's torture.

"Just wait one..." Jake started, staying silent for a few seconds as he breathed heavily with stress and anxiety. He turned to look at Tonowari and Ronal, who was looking straight at him to see what he would do. Jake turned back to look at the warriors and finally made his decision. This was his fight, not the Metkayina's. He couldn't bring anyone else into it, or more lives would be lost in the process.

"Hold here," Jake said, holding his hand up, and hesitantly starting to move forward on his Skimwing alone. Before he could get any further, Tonowari put his spear in front of Jake, blocking his path. "They are killers of Tulkun. They must die. Here, today" Tonowari said sternly and with resolve. Anyone who hurt his people had to come through him first.

"It's me that they want. That's what all this had been about. Right? The hunting of the Tulkuns, the taking of our kids," Jake trailed off, and Tonowari stayed silent. Ronal didn't hesitate to speak what she had in her mind. "You brought this upon us! You!" Ronal said, and Jake looked down in shame but knew, even more, he knew what was the right thing to do now. "Well, then it's me who has to do this," Jake said, looking at Tonowari. The clan leader nodded and moved his spear to point up.

From the ship, Lo'ak continued to look at his father, not knowing what he was saying or what he was trying to do. "Offers fixing to expire, Sully. What's it gonna be?" Quaritch said, pressing the gun more to Lo'ak's head.

"Check your fire. I'm coming out," Jake said as he pressed the button in his coms, and this time you could hear what he was saying. He moved his gun to be behind his back. His decision made your face pale. You watched as he started to come forward on his own while the clan waited behind him. "Ma Jake," You called to him through your coms. From your tone, Jake knew you were scared for his life. This was the only way, and your heart twisted at your mate. If he had to do it alone, he'd do it a million times over when it came to his kids.

"What is happening? What are you doing?" You talked to him through the coms, but he stayed silent on the other line, making your mind going to a frenzy of questions. What was the plan? Why was he going alone? He was obliging to Quaritch's request in return for the kids, but you couldn't lose him like that. You wouldn't allow that demon to take him away. What kind of ultimatum was this? You knew he was surrendering to prevent further deaths, but there had to be another way. There had to.

From the Matador, Scoresby was still watching from his binoculars with a cocky smile on his face. "Stay tense everybody. All weapons," The hunter said, to which everyone on the boat followed and prepared their ammunition.

What was unknown to absolutely everybody on the surface, was the Payakan was swimming below the SeaDragon. The Tulkun came around the ship and from below the surface, he could see Lo'ak being held at gunpoint, along with some of the kids who helped get the tracker off of him. The Tulkuns' eyes narrowed at his Na'vi brother being in danger and began to circle below the ship for impulse.

Lyle was watching Jake through the lens of his gun, just like Jake did before. "Easy shot," The man said, preparing to aim. He was soon stopped by Quaritch lowering his gun. "You hit him now, they attack. Wait until he's on board," Quaritch said, and the fact that Jake was willingly giving himself up for his kids and Tsireya made him groan in frustration.

To gain some strength, Payakan rubbed his head in the sand, knocked over some corals, and then finally started to make his way up to the surface with as much power as he could. Soon enough, the Tulkun leaped out of the water. Lo'ak's eyes widened at the presence of his friend, while Tuk and Tsireya smiled. "Payakan!" Tuk beamed happily and relieved.

As Payakan began to fall on the deck, many soldiers tried to shoot at him, but it was pointless. After slamming down on its foredeck, Payakan landed and killed the Recon crew and some of the RDA soldiers. The impact of Payakan's weight on the boat made the kids stumble, but they quickly got back up and watched Payakan take care of the soldiers.

"Open fire! Open fire!" A soldier yelled out, making every soldier around start to shoot but Payakan blocked the bullets with his plated skin. Noticing that a soldier was really close to him, Lo'ak called out to the Tulkun. "Brother!" He yelled, pushing the robotic legs of the soldier, making the man stumble forward. The soldier fell so far that Payakan was able to crush him with his fin. Payakan wailed and let out a high-pitched howl. Garvin watched with amazement from the boat, but Scoresby had a completely different reaction.

The hunter moved around the boat and stood in front of the harpoon launcher. "Come about! Get me a round! Get me a shot" The man yelled out as the boat started to circle the SeaDragon to get a clear shot of Payakan. Meanwhile, it was a complete mess on the main deck. Payakan was managing to toss Crab Suits everywhere, which knocked into soldiers and killed them after being crushed.

Jake wouldn't waste this opportunity. He let out a war cry as he moved his gun around to hold it in front of him again and commanded through the bond for his Skimwing to move forward. After riding in the water for a few seconds the Skimwing took flight and Jake got on one knee on his saddle, yelling out as he aimed his gun forward directly at the ship.

Shortly after, Ronal, Tonowari, and the other warriors took this as a sign that the battle had finally started. They raised their spears and the Skimwings took flight along the air and letting their tails graze the water. Now, war had officially begun, and there's no turning back.

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The fact that I finished this at 4 AM is astounding to me- I hope it was worth it and that you guys liked it JSJSGS If it got a little sloppy at the end, now you know why lmao Ill edit it later I promise

As I said  before, we are nearing the end! Im writig just a couple morechapters for the big battle and we'll be done! Trust me, I really trying to find a loophole for a happy ending and Neteyam but no promises :,) Although, as promised, ill make an alternate ending!

I've actually already got a few ideas on how I could go about this, but Ill think about it as I write, so hope you guys like what I have planned!

I decided that I would make a Jake X OC/Reader after this, and then most likely a Neteyam fic! My new Jake story is already up and Ill post the first chapter after this story is done! Im really excited about the plot, and I hope you guys like it too. It's called "Your Existence" if you're interested!

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 weekend everyone!

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