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

A/N: We are starting off this story with Jake's point of view, giving us perspective of what his life is like before arriving to the reef clans and what lead his family to leave the forest.

Soon, the MC will meet Jake so don't worry :,) I want to make this a slowburn-type story. Also, please read Author's Note at the end! <3 I disclose a few things I wanted to add.

Hi! Before we start, I just want to say that I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter to this story! 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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A year. It's been an entire year and it hasn't gotten any easier to be without Neytiri. Jake has spent all this time raising his children the way that him and his mate were planning to, and as of now, they were shaping up to be amazing kids with bright minds. He held all of them dear and close to his heart, and watching them grow up is the greatest gift he has. Still, seeing them naturally adopt those mannerisms that Neytiri used to have didn't make it easier to try and move on like she wanted Jake to do.

Neteyam, the oldest, and the most spirited warrior Jake has ever known. He's just like his father in every way, with quick wit and very smart. Being the oldest of the Sully children gives him the opportunity to be a role model for his siblings, helping to shape them into being the best possible versions of themselves that they can be. Neteyam is also very kind and compassionate, deeply cares about others. He loves his siblings and his father, never ever forgetting the moments he spent with his mother that molded him into the gentle and sweet boy that he is now at only 15 years old.

Then comes Kiri. She's the adoptive daughter of Jake, and was born from Grace's Avatar who is still in her comatose state. Her birth is a complete mystery, nevertheless, Jake never failed to make her feel like as if she's his own flesh and blood. She is connected with everything around her, especially in the forest when she feels like she's connected to the Great Mother the most. Kiri is very close with Spider, a boy who was raised by the humans who stayed in Pandora after the war. She's smart, witty, kind, and has so much knowledge. She takes care of her siblings with love and adoration, keeping them close to her heart.

Lo'ak is probably the one who takes after Jake the most. The boy reminds Jake so much of how rebellious and careless he used to be, and because of that, he tries his best to keep Lo'ak out of the trouble as best as he can. He's a teenage boy so it's understandable, but that doesn't stop Jake for worrying constantly about him, his whereabouts and well-being. Jake tends to be hard on him the most, and with Neytiri gone, it's even harder to keep him from getting into trouble. Even with all of that, Lo'ak is sweet, compassionate, and has a soft heart, so he cares deeply for those he loves.

And lastly, there's Tuktirey, or as she's nicknamed, Tuk. The best way to describe tye youngest Sully is a bundle of joy and sunshine. The little girl is so full of life and with so much to give, also very curious. She's joined at the hip with Jake, having a strong bond with her father from an early age. It's impossible not to love Tuk. Her temperament and mannerisms make it hard not to 'aw' at the girl. Tuk radiates young innocence and an adventurous spirit, taking after her older siblings in that way.

With that being said, Jake truly couldn't imagine his life without any of his children. They all had small bits and pieces from both of their parents deep inside them, so Jake vowed to protect them from the cruel world that awaited them as they grew up. Each of them lightened up his life in a different way that he wouldn't exchange for anything. The way the kids took care of each of other even in dire situations made Jake feel like he truly did something right. They never left one another behind, and were always there for each other. As Jake always said, 'Sully's Stick Together', and the children never, ever, forgot that. Jake has something worth fighting for, and would go straight into danger for those he loves with absolutely no hesitation. It's who he is.

Now, It's been a year since the Sky People invaded Pandora once again, disrupting the peace that had been built over the last 15 years. Nowadays, Sky People had been fully settled into the forest of Pandora. There were new bases, railroads, and buildings that were not built the first time around, or that were restored from the first war years before.

Jake promised himself he would take revenge upon the Sky People for the damage and destruction that they ensued. He was never okay with any of the advancements humans were making where it didn't concern them, so  Jake took it upon himself to start to intercept their attacks and strip the humans of everything they had inside cargo shipments, and so on. He was the leader of the Na'vi resistance, or insurgency so to speak. Whether it was weapons, ships, resources, and anything that they could use to get the Sky People to leave Pandora, Jake was always there to prevent them from advancing any further.

It was almost time to go and begin the mission. In the Hallelujah Mountains, the kids were right outside the family hut socializing while Jake stayed inside preparing his weapons in complete silence. He had to make some maintenance before the group left, and that included adjusting his rifle to a better state. After months of leading the Na'vi insurgency, Jake had begun to feel his weapons dull a bit so that was the good thing about ransacking the trains with supplies that could give the clan an advantage to advance over the Sky People.

As much as he didn't want to have his sons out there in battle, Jake knew that they aspired to be warriors too and wanted to get in the action. He assigned them the easiest task that would let them be a part of the mission, but away from direct danger. Jake assigned Lo'ak and Neteyam to be spotters and call in their father if there are any threats that would prompt the mission to fail. He convinced himself that that it was the best way to make sure they're safe, and that way, he could feel at ease.

Jake continued to adjust the controls of his gun, but slowly started to lower the rifle onto the ground as he let out a defeated sigh and rubbed his forehead. It was already hard enough to ignore the fact that he was feeling like he wasn't good enough to care of his children alone, but to send them into battle felt even worse. He had warned Neteyam and Lo'ak about this, but they insisted that they can be trusted out there, but it only made Jake's anxiety rise even more. It didn't get easier.

"Who am I kidding?" Jake muttered to himself, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He wanted all of his kids to have peaceful childhoods but it was hard when they lived in the world that they did. The Sky People won't stop, and Jake swore to himself that he would fight to make this a better world for them.

After a few more minutes of silence, Jake exhaled and continued to make last minute touches to his weapon. When checking that everything was in order, he packed up everything he needed, put on his trusty military vest, and loaded up on ammunition. He would need as much as possible in case of an emergency. He kept his worries in the back of his head and focused on what was at hand, no matter how deteriorating his thoughts were.

Eventually, Jake was ready and on his way out the hut, he made sure that the other warriors were ready to depart as well. He double checked that everything was in order and that preparations for both the ground teams on their Pa'li's and sky teams with their Ikrans, which was Jake's group, were completely ready. He walkd through the camp, and had one more stop to make before leaving. Norm was the leader of the ground team so he had to meet up with him to review the mission.

Before arriving at the hut where Norm was, Jake saw in the corner of his eye something that made his heart churn with a bittersweet feeling. Lo'ak and Neteyam were standing side by side while prepping their banshees and laughing. Jake knew that his sons were strong, and he never doubted that, but losing them was his greatest fear and battle was unpredictable. Jake turned his head away and walked into the hut that Norm was in. Upon entering, Jake saw the man in his Avatar form going over battle plans with a couple of scientists and warriors.

"Norm," Jake called, catching the said man's attention. The scientist in his Avatar form turned around and noticed his friend approaching, quickly dismissing the scientists he was talking to and walking over to Jake. The two men greeted each other and got right into business. Norm led Jake over to one of the monitors that was tracking the path of the train they were supposed to raid, showing its exact location thanks to spotters that same morning.

"By what we see here, the train is heading North, and the railroad seems to lead directly to an RDA base not to far away," Norm explained, and Jake nodded, seeing the train move in the hologram monitor. "Okay, so what we do is intercept them first through the ground, and then the group on their Ikrans strike from above to stop the train. Right?" Jake said, recalling what they had discussed in a meeting a few days ago. Norm nodded, already feeling very familiar with the plan.

The two continued to talk for a few more minutes and then decided it was time to finally get going. Jake bid his goodbye to Norm, letting him go and start rounding up the warriors on their Pa'li's while Jake headed over to his sons that looked just about ready to go. He needed to tell the boys what he did before every mission. It's the only thing that would keep him at ease during this whole thing.

"Lo'ak. Neteyam. Come here," Jake said, and both boys turned around at the sound of their father's voice calling. The two boys walked over to their dad, standing in front of him, and by the look on Jake's face, they both knew what it was about. Lo'ak and Neteyam exchanged looks for a second before looking at their dad again. "I need you two to be safe, alright? No messing around. Your job is to keep a lookout from above, understood?" Jake said sternly in order to get his point across to them.

"Yes, sir" Lo'ak and Neteyam said at the same time with sure expressions on their faces. Jake sighed but he would only be at ease until the mission was over and his sons came out of it unscathed and in one piece. "Alright. We'll be leaving in a few minutes. Stay close to me at all times. Don't stray off" Jake said, earning nods from both boys as they went back to their Ikrans. Jake watched them sullenly for a few seconds before walkiny the opposite way to head over to his banshee. He had already prepped and readied the saddle earlier that morning, so all they needed to do now was take off when the signal to go was given by him.

Before Jake mounted his saddle, Jake connected his queue to his Ikran, earning a chirp from the flying creature. He looked over to his hut in the distance to see Kiri and Spider sitting in front of one another talking, while Mo'at kept Tuk company. At least his both of daughters were in the base safe and he could count on the Tsahik to take care of his children.

After double checking that everything was ready, Jake talked to Norm through his coms to let him know that the Ikran group was about to depart. Jake moved his Ikran so that it was right next to his son's banshee's and the three of them could take off all at once, letting Lo'ak and Neteyam follow their dad's lead. Once Jake yipped and raised his gun in the air, he was the first to leap out of the edge of their cave and start flying out of their fortress. The warriors, along with Neteyam and Lo'ak were quick to follow as well, hollering and yelling war cries that lifted everyone's spirit for the mission.

The Na'vi were quick to take to the skies and make their way over to the railroad that had a train incoming. Jake was on his Ikran, with his son's staying above the trees while keeping a clear sight of one another, flying through the jungle with many warriors behind him, following his lead. Jake's plan to seize the shuttle and stop it from advancing had been coming along for weeks, and now it was finally time to take action and get what they needed.

As he flew with his rifle, which he had taken from an enemy ship, and the one that he was fixing that very morning, Jake had all of his gear strapped to his chest in a jacket. He had green and black paint on his face, that was put on himself. He had assisted Lo'ak and Neteyam with theirs, too. Jake flew right in front of the Ikran group, turning back to hold his rifle in the air and yelling war cries to his fellow warriors behind him. It got their spirits up, given that they responded by yipping and cheering as they all neared the railroad tracks.

Eventually, when finally leaving the forest behind and reaching an open space, the railroad with the train was accelerating fast. The warriors on their Ikrans cornered the railcar on their Ikrans by flying above it. While the air team continued to get closer, Jake pressed a button on his coms and relayed the next message. "Ground team, go!" He said, referring to those who were riding up to the train on their Pa'li's, and that Norm was leading, The group were also in possession of a variety of weapons and ammunition. Some had rifles and bomb launchers, others simply remained with their bows and arrows.

The helicopters from the RDA that were riding amongst the Ikrans up in the air, were taken aback by the impact of the fired bombs at the railway, making it explode. They had been alerted that Na'vi were inbound to stop the train, but it obviously backfired. The train immediately strayed off course and its sides were screeching loudly against the metal of the railroad, consequently making sparks appear.

Because of the blown-up train tracks, the train itself crashed against the broken rails and the caboose. It created some sort of a domino effect, so to speak, crashing into each other. After one cabin broke off, all of the others went flying into one another. This left the perfect chance for the Na'vi Ikran group to raid what was inside the train, giving them leverage.

Having one of the RDA helicopters in sight, Jake dove down from above toward one of them and aimed his gun with a strong battle yell. His canines were fully showing as he screamed, shooting a barrage of bullets at the helicopter, which eventually lost its course and steered off somewhere to crash and implode.

The warriors on the ground riding their Pa'li's stopped in their way to witness what their leader did, cheering for Jake as they raised their weapons in the air with pride. Looking down at them, still, in the air, Jake smiled proudly with a laugh. He raised his rifle in the air, yipping and hooting back at them. It reminded him of that one time he hunted for the first time with the Omaticaya. Good times.

Before Jake knew it, the train was completely intercepted and taken down, so the Na'vi proceeded to open the compartments of the train to take whatever they could. They were all moving swiftly to make this as quick as possible, knowing that reinforcements would arrive soon. They distributed the guns and other weapons amongst everyone so that they could be taken back to their base.

Jake dismounted his Ikran while watching the mission go as planned, looking over a small hill, overlooking the rest of the operations to make sure everything went smoothly. He still held his gun tightly, ready for any emergency. He didn't let his guard down. His eyes scanned the area, seeing everyone was taking whatever they could in their hands from the boxes inside the train. It was truly a jackpot for them.

"Let's go, two minutes, people. Let's go," Jake said, pressing onto his coms and relaying the messages to those in charge of each team, both ground and air forces. There was a time limit because by now, the Sky People were probably aware of the train destruction and had more attacks on the way. Because of that, it made sense that they raided what they could, when they could, and then return without any further conflict or casulaties than they needed.

Meanwhile, as assigned before, Lo'ak and Neteyam were given the jobs of being lookouts and notifying Jake immediately if there were any threats that impeded the mission of going the way it should. The two brothers were flying on their Ikrans side by side, passing over the flames and smoke from the destroyed train and railroads. Lo'ak turned to his older brother, letting his curiosity get to him and forgetting his dad's words that very same morning.

"Bro, we have got to get down there!" Lo'ak said, gesturing with his head down to the crash site. Neteyam didn't hesitate to shake his head in disagreement, looking at his brother as if he had two heads. That was not a good idea at all. They were both warned by their father to stay out of the danger below, staying out of the way. Neteyam was also aware that he would ultimately have to take the blame for this too.

"No way! Dad will skin us! You heard what he said, Lo'ak" Neteyam said, refusing to be a part of Lo'ak's crazy and dangerous ideas. He was always getting him out of dangerous situations like these, and he always ended up taking the blame because he was older and knew better.

"Come on! Don't be a wuss! He'll never know" Lo'ak grinned, steering his Ikran downwards to land towards the chaos happening below him. Neteyam's eyes widened at his brother once again heading straight toward danger without thinking about it twice. It was typical of Lo'ak to do something as impulsive and reckless as this, not truly thinking of the consequences that came with what he did.

"Lo'ak! Stop! Get back here you- Argh!" Neteyam groaned, having no choice but to steer his Ikran to head down and go after his brother. This wouldn't end well for anyone.

Norm was with some warriors down at one of the opened crates, guiding the Na'vi to take the most essential things and leaving behind what they already had. "Taking the whole case, alright? We're taking mags, the RPG'S, the stingers," Norm said, carrying out boxes loaded with supplies along with the other Omaticaya.

When Lo'ak had his Ikran land with an ear-piercing screech, Neteyam landed shortly after him. The youngest Sully brother hopped off his banshee and taking his bow and arrow with him. Neteyam dismounted his Ikran shortly after and ran after his brother, trying to get him to go back to their original tasks. This would end badly if they didn't get going.

"Bro, let's go! Come on!" Lo'ak urged, turning around for a second to face his brother while running backward, then turned back around to head straight towards the chaos ensuing behind him. "Lo'ak! We have to get out of here!" Neteyam called after his brother, but it was like it went in one ear, and out the other.

Lo'ak reached the crowd of warriors that were unloading weaponry from the carts and handing it out to anyone from the tribe. Their theory is, the more they could carry, the more efficient the mission will be. A man that was handing out guns saw Lo'ak approaching and handed him a rifle. "Take it. Take a weapon, kid," He said, and Lo'ak grabbed it, raising it in the air and hooting with the others.

Neteyam came from around the corner, concerned that he was seeing his little brother with a gun. It was dangerous enough that he was in an active battlefield, but now Lo'ak had a lethal weapon in his hands made it worse. Neteyam grabbed Lo'ak's arm and pulled him to the side. "You don't even know how to use it," Neteyam said, but it didn't phase the younger Sully brother as he cocked the gun and prepare to shoot as if he had done it a million times before, but hadn't even held one.

"Dad taught me," Lo'ak said with confidence, aiming somewhere. Neteyam rolled his eyes, doubting how true that statement was. He was skeptical but decided not to question it.

Speaking of which, with a voice in his head telling him that something was wrong, Jake turned his head as he surveyed the area and his eyes widened when he saw his two sons on an active battlefield, with Lo'ak holding a rifle and aiming it somewhere while Neteyam tried to stop him. He had told his sons to be lookouts from above and to stay away from danger, and seeing them down on the ground made him worry to unimaginable lengths. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised by this at all.

Before Jake could do anything about his son's breaking out of the tasks they were given, he heard yipping and yelling from warriors behind him, so he turned around to see that there was an incoming ship inbound directly to where they were. Right on cue, huh? It was the reinforcements Jake was expecting this entire time and tried to avoid. Unnecessary fighting was the goal. "Gunships inbound! Fall back!" Jake yelled through his coms to the warriors.

While Neteyam and Lo'ak were running back to their Ikrans, out of nowhere, another missile was launched behind them from the incoming helicopter. The impact sent the two boys flying off, separating them, along with other warriors in the vicinity who died on the blast.

To prevent another missile from being launched, a nearby warrior pointed a bomb launcher up in the sky and shot directly at the wing of the aircraft, making it lose control and crash into a mountain nearby. That threat was taken care of, but the group needed to get a move on before another one came along.

Well aware that Neteyam and Lo'ak were near the blast, Jake took off running toward them to look for them. He would never forgive himself if something happened to them. God, he couldn't lose anybody else. "Lo'ak! Where are you? Neteyam!" Jake yelled, hoping to get some sort of verbal response from the chaos.

Jake was running through the clouds of smoke and damaged train parts, hoping that his sons' were alive after a blast like that. Soon enough, Lo'ak came into Jake's view. The younger Sully brother stood up amongst the debris and dusted himself off while his dad approached him and placed both hands on his shoulders. Jake began inspecting Lo'ak, hoping he wasn't hurt. The ex-marine sighed in relief when he saw no open wounds, just a few scratchesc but still had a look of concern when he realized that Neteyam was nowhere to be found.

"Easy, easy. Are you okay? Where is your brother? Did you see him?" Jake asked frantically, and Lo'ak pointed to the direction where he saw Neteyam last. "He's over there," Lo'ak said, earning a nod from his father. "Get outta here!" Jake yelled desperately, not wasting any moment to go and look for his oldest son, looking through the smoke and debris scattered everywhere. He trusted Lo'ak to get out of there while he searched for his eldest son, not prolonging the problem further.

"Neteyam!" Jake called out for his son, but he not receiving a response. Jake climbed over a crashed helicopter and when he got to see what was on top, his blood ran cold. There were streaks of blood that were in the same direction Lo'ak pointed at. His mind went into frenzy.

It still looked like fresh blood too, so Jake worried that it was his sons'. "Oh, no..." Jake muttered, jumping over the crashed helicopter and back down to the ground to check the bodies, seeing if any of them were Neteyam's. Jake's heart rate accelerated with every single second that passed by, worried that any of the scattered bodies around him could be his son. If he actually found him, he hoped Neteyam would be conscious enough to go back and get treated as fast as possible. Jake refused to lose anyone else. The guilt still ate away at him even a year after the death of his wife, not allowing him to live with a clear mind.

He flipped over a couple of bodies until from afar, he recognized a familiar head of hair. Jake rushed over to the body laying on its stomach. Jake flipped the person over and it was Neteyam. The older Sully brother groaned as his eyes opened. He was covered in dirt and had some wound, but nothing too severe. At least it was good to know Neteyam's life wasn't in extreme peril like Jake thought. To make sure, Jake worriedly checked his son's face and then turned him over slightly to check his back to see if he had any exit wounds, and luckily, he didn't. It was just a couple of scratches, and Jake couldn't be more relieved. "Dad?" Neteyam muttered, feeling woozy and dizzy.

Still, he was exasperated at his son's for jumping carelessly into danger when he told them clearly that it was the opposite of what he wanted for them during the mission.

He worried so much for Neteyam and Lo'ak because they reminded him so much of Jake when he was younger and he simply just doesn't want them to repeat the same mistakes he did. If he could prevent his boys from going down a dangerous path, he would feel like he'd done his job as a dad well. Jake eventually finished checking his son and then turned his head back to face Neteyam with an angry and irritated expression, but also full of worry.

"What are you doing here, boy? What the hell were you thinking?" Jake said with gritted teeth, pulling Neteyam to sit up and then throwing his son over his shoulder to carry him back. "I'm sorry. Sorry, sir..." Neteyam said weakly as Jake hauled him over his shoulder, quickly getting him out of there. He would talk with both of them later. Their lives were on the line today, and luck was on their side for that missile to have missed them just by a bit.

If you asked Jake, he could never express how much fear he felt at that moment when seeing his sons in such a situation. He was so close to losing not only one, but two, of the most important people in his life once again. He had genuinely thought he lost them for good. It was one of the scariest moments of his life, and he never wanted to go through that again.

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Hi! This chapter was not as nearly as long as I wanted it to be but I have been extremely burned out recently. School is ending for me in about a month and I haven't had time to rest. Next chapter will be more eventful tho, I promise.

The MC and Jake will meet in a couple of chapters, okay? I just want you guys to get a feel of Jake's life alone with the kids first, so you guys have more perspective and understanding of how he feels before moving onto meeting someone new and a love interest.

I hope you guys enjoy slowburns because I'm planning to make this story one of those! I have been brainstorming so much for this book and I hope you're as excited as I am for what Im writing!

For the first chapter I feel like this wasn't too shabby shsj Things will start to pick up chapter after chapter, leading up to things gradually 🤍 Please bare with me through this :,) The next few chapters will be longer tho, at least for what I have planned so far.

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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