I See You (N. Sully)

Chapter 6

"What happened?" An avatar ran over, fussing over Spider. His five fingers and clothing were big giveaways.

"He was shot in the hand, exit wound and it's bleeding pretty heavily." Neteyam ran through it all like a checklist.

"What do you mean he was shot?" Jake had appeared. Neytiri was not far behind, stern looks on both of their faces, both with a different sign of readiness to fight at any time. It was not the look Ahurewa's people wore. Jake and Neytiri were seasoned warriors.

Neteyam stood from his crouched position next to Spider. "We went to the old crash site, and Ahurewa found a gun." His eyes flicked over to where she was standing, out of the way, just staring at where Norm tended to his injuries, "it was an accident."

Jake turned his attention to her then, a little more apprehensive of what way to go about it since she wasn't a familiar member of the clan and they were only nearing the end of the second day of her being here. Neytiri wasn't so forgiving. "What if that was Tuk? Hm?" Her eyes flicked between Jake and the two children, just out of earshot from the others. "What if it was Lo'ak, or Kiri?"

Jake held her arm, taking over the scolding they were getting. "Any one of your siblings could have gotten hurt. You should have been watching everyone closely." He gestured to Ahurewa, though not looking at her. "She is your responsibility. I've allowed you to go out that far because it was supposed to be safe." His voice rose with anger, "if I can't trust you to watch one little girl, then how can I trust you with three of your siblings?"

The 'little girl' part is what struck her the most - but she didn't dare speak. His voice was that of an Olo'eyktan, he had too much anger and authority in him for her to argue back. This wasn't like arguing with Neteyam at all.

"And you," he turned to Ahurewa, "what do you have to say for yourself, knowing how dangerous their weapons can be."

Her head lowered, pondering the right words to say, staring at the floor as she whispered, "I did not know."

"Speak up!" A few people looked over then, Neytiri noticing, but remaining silent.

"I didn't know," Ahurewa lifted her head weakly, hands shaking behind her back.

Neteyam had noticed her discomfort, good, he'd thought. She needs to understand how things are around here.

"I had seen them around but I didn't know it would do that." Her breathing became shaky, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Jake scowled, "It wouldn't be a mistake for me to take away some of your freedoms here as an outsider." He glanced at Neytiri for a second, then turned back to face both of them with a deep breath. "I will let you both off gently this time, I will choose to believe your excuse."

"Thank you, sir–" Neteyam began.

"Don't thank me yet. Neteyam you will be taking the night shift for the next three nights on top of your other duties, and Ahurewa, you will assist the Tashik in cooking and anything after that until night." He looked between them before leaving, "understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes Olo'eyktan."

All Ahurewa did that night was help the Tsahik, Mo'at, in preparing dinner for them all. And she did so silently. There was no protest when asked to gather more meat from further in the cave. No sound left her mouth when her hand was swatted away from the food cooking on the fire. Ahurewa didn't utter a single protest throughout the whole thing.

By the time she'd made it to bed, Neytiri was just sorting Tuk out. It wasn't Ahurewa who had said anything at first. It was in fact Neytiri who had spoken first, not looking in her direction. "He is hard on them; stricter with them than anyone else."

Ahurewa just sat quietly – watching.

"You could have killed one of them." Her braids fell at her shoulders as she turned, the glow in her yellow eyes being the only light in the tent amidst dim reflections. "I would never have forgiven you if you had." The silence was painstaking. Neytiri waited for her to say something, but there wasn't much Ahurewa could say that she hadn't said already. Sighing, she slid over something, a small cushion of some sorts. It was the one thing she was missing from her spot in the tent that everyone else had – not that she was complaining. In her home clan, the Kukunan slept on light, airy moss beds that sank inwards as you lay on them, the gentle glow would help lull her to sleep as a child. They did not have that here. "Do not do anything like that again. If you would not die for them then you should not wield death around them like a baby."

Ahurewa nodded, needing to say nothing. In her clan she was a woman, respected as a member of the people. She didn't stand out like anyone else, or excel at anything in particular like she should have, but she knew everything there was to know, and she was treated at the most basic level – as an equal. Here, she didn't know anything – know anyone, so she really was a baby, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt when people said it.

Neytiri left shortly after, her footsteps light so to not wake Tuk. The moment she left, Ahurewa's head hit her new cushion and she passed out almost immediately. Though it was early, she had finished her duties, and she was emotionally drained.

Neteyam had spent the whole night sitting in a tree not too far from the camp, listening to the sounds of crying thanators and the faint flapping of ikran wings settling down. The night shift meant he'd get only a few hours sleep before he had to be up to patrol with his father, and preparations had to be made for the raid scheduled at midday.

By the time he had walked back into camp, he was struggling to keep his eyes open, slinging off his gear before he entered and woke everyone up, it wouldn't bode well after everything that had already happened.

Walking in, careful to shut the flap quietly by buttoning it, he stopped for a moment when he saw her. He knew she was staying with them, she'd stayed the night before. His mother had said it was to help her adjust quickly, and was only until they could make room for her, but he knew it was to keep an eye on her, he would've done the same if he was them. Maybe it was how tired he was and he'd forgotten all about it, or maybe it was the way she slept so peacefully. There was no crease between her eyebrows like she had so often throughout the day, her chest rose and fell softly, as opposed to the chaotic anxious breathing she usually did. In sleep she actually seemed to have more control, and for some reason, it made him smile, knowing that she could find peace with his family after what happened to her clan, despite the events earlier today. Things like that were only temporary, and he could deal with the consequences.

Ahurewa was woken by the sound of shuffling, balancing on the edge of sleep, she listened as Neteyam came back. He stopped, staring at her for a while, before continuing his way over to his sleeping mat, as if forcing himself to ignore her. She knew it would be difficult for him to have another responsibility, but he had taken it up by choice, and he clearly didn't like her staying here, both in the tent and in the clan, but he would have to deal with it. He would never know what it was like to know true loss, and that's what held an irrational grip on her heart. How could she accept someone who would never understand her, who would always be making judgements about her life and how she does things, just because she had a different experience. She could trust no one's decisions but her own. Whether it was wrong of her to hold a grudge against someone who committed no sin against her, didn't matter, all that mattered was her being able to escape the sky people and stopping them from finishing off the only thing left of her clan, and if the opportunity arose, she would fulfil her desire for revenge. If Neteyam or anyone else was a barrier to those things she would simply move forwards without them. This is why she could never truly see him. They would never understand each other. To see him would mean letting go of her grudges, because he went against every single one of them.