The wrong star

Battle

Everyone is alerted and the kids are demanded to stay in the pods, everyone else gathers their weapons and has to meet at the beach.

I hurry up to get my axes in my belt and look for the Spear that the clan gave me the other day, Miles is putting on his vest and charging the pockets with I don't know what.

"Listen, you stay there. Don't do anything stupid. You decided not to leave, well, stay put!," Miles tells spider, a finger pointed at his face in warning.

Spider pouts and I know he's about to say something but we don't have time for this.

"Spider! This is very important, everyone needs to be focused and for that, we need to know that everyone that's not fighting is safe. Go with my cousins and don't do anything stupid," I warn him.

Miles is the one to take him as fast as he can to where all the other kids are, I go to the front line.

Ronal is holding her baby in a fabric that wraps around her body.

"Ronal! please don't fight, we all know you can but-"

"I'm not fighting, I'm not. Right now I have to protect my baby," she says and I am more calm.

"Please go with the others, now," I say.

"Not until I really see a threat," she says. I don't know how to argue with this woman so I just whisper to some of the warriors to keep and eye on her and make sure that she gets safely to somewhere else.

The sun still has some hours to come out so the light we're getting is mainly from torches that have been lit up one by one.

There's a big crowd of all of us reunited at the beach.

"Listen! Our brothers gave us a warning, the enemy visited the islands to the east, they're just hours from here, maybe less! We need to be prepared!" Tonowari announces.

"Do you think they told him how many they were?" Miles asks coming behind me, I shiver a little, I'm very on edge.

"I guess, you can go ask him," I reply.

Miles gives my hand a squeeze and I see him disappear with Tonowari and Jake to talk.

I pace the sand nervously, my tail imitating the beating of my heart, fast and strong, back and forth.

The warriors are slowly taking their positions, three groups on the water with their Ilu's and spears, some on the shore, the ones that make spears that appear more like tridents, and a mix of us on land. I can see Neytiri from the corner of my eye going to where the kids are.

"Aunt!" I call behind her but follow because she didn't listen.

We get to a place where all my cousins and Spider is.

"Kids, this is not a game and none of you have permission to participate. Not like the missions back home, okay? I need you to promise that you'll stay here. Safe," she says.

Lo'ak looks like he wants to talk back but his eyes flash toward Neteyam and he shuts up. He probably still feels guilty.

"If we see that you're in trouble then we can help," Neteyam says.

"Neteyam! All of you, listen to me. I thought-" Neytiri covers her mouth and I hear her voice breaking. She lowers herself so she's closer to all of them. "I thought we lost you and the pain of that... I could never go back from, I could never go back from losing any of you," Neytiri says looking to all her kids, even Kiri's mouth trembles a little with her words. 

"So please, please, stay here. Give me the gift of tranquility so me and your father can take care of this knowing that you're safe. Please," Neytiri says.