Kea Am'a

2-9:Palulukanur syolaw Kxayu'lanti

I mounted this new friend with my father tied up in my lap. I bonded with her, and her first thought to me are.

"You're just like her. I will keep you safe for the rest of my days."

'I take it you were fond of my sister?'

"Very, she rescued me from a pa'li colt who was going to trample me."

'So you have business with me?'

"We will discuss this another time, now, we have the rest of a battle to fight."

"Warrior, will you be able to handle the rest?" I asked the closest warrior. He nodded and made a shooing motion to me. He knows my place isn't here.

We began bounding through the forest faster than a pa'li. We made it back in half the time. Night now dawned on the familiar, burning forest.

"This is the destruction you caused?" Isaiah accused me.

"No, this is what your people did."

"Your people? I'm your father!"

"Not anymore." I enunciated each syllable with a stern anger.

I finished off any living stragglers with the jaws of this Palulukan. I'll call her Kxayu'lan. I made my way into the valley on my new mount.

The hurt were healing and prisoners were nearly zero. I grabbed Isaiah by his nape and forced his head away from the view of the tree of souls. He doesn't deserve to glance at it.

"Sanuìti, where did you go? The battle ended hours ago, the remaining warriors have captured the sky people." Mo'at asked.

"I had to deal with a family matter." I dismounted Kxayu and pushed my father to the ground.

"This is my father. He's done terrible things to us and many people. He orders his forces to take the queues of the people." I kneeled over him and kept his head down in the dirt.

Mo'at spared him no words.

I readied a cage made of the bones from a sturmbeest. I looped the strings over and under the ribs and spine, weaving a strong cage for Isaiah.

I stuck it over him once he was in a cave. It was too heavy for him to lift.

"You'll have to take off your mask to eat. You should be thankful that I'm even going so far to keep you alive. We'll be sending you home with the others. If mother wants, she can stay to help find Kea." I said while weaving a harness for Kxayu.

"Kea is dead! There's nothing we can do about it, she's gone!" He pounded on the stone floor.

"No one is ever truly gone." I say monotonously, "Speaking of which, I have someone I have find."

I left him in silence as I went to find Tsu'tey.

"Tsahik, has Tsu'tey returned?" I asked as I came to a stop.

"I wondered when you'd ask. He is very weak and injured. Many will be moving to the sky people home to confirm their leaving and we will send scouts with the clan's to ensure their safe return home. Tsu'tey, you and I will stay behind with the injured." She guided me as she talked to a cave covered by a tarp, "I will leave you two alone." She let me in and left.

I looked down at Tsu'tey, his wounds were bandaged and his war paint was scrubbed off.

I got down onto his level onto my side off of the mat he was laying on.

"Sanuì, you were gone for long. I thought Eywa claimed you." He stirred and moved to try and face me.

"No, no. Don't move." I readjusted to sit up over him, "Eywa hasn't claimed me yet. I told you, I won't abandon you." I smiled at him. It looked like his heart was breaking. Like someone said it before and didn't return.

"Your wounds, they're worse, let me-" he strained to sit up.

"I'll treat them myself, I'm a healer." I pushed him back down into the plush "pillow".

I pulled a healing herb paste from Mo'at from my pouch. She had given it to all healers since it was made from the Syu'ezey or 'flower which heals'.

I cleaned each wound, put the paste on and bandaged the grazes, wounds, scratches and the cuts in my palms from the metal suit.

It would heal within the week if I'm lucky. But for now I need to rest.

Mini chapter to end of the battle.