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01

Alyara doesn't remember much from the day. She had been with Jake, her father, helping people grab sky-people weapons and ordering others where to go. 

She was fierce, face painted in yellows and blues that matched her parents. She yipped as the warriors continued to grab supplies, stepping away from the group as she made sure no stragglers were left behind or hurt.

A warrior handed her a gun of her own, and she cocked it, checking to make sure nothing was wrong with the weapon. She passed by groups of soldiers and checked in with them, ordering them to go certain places or to patrol around for any ships. 

Then, she spotted her brothers. With a soft groan, she made her way over to them, cuffing Lo'ak on the head as he let out a war cry. He turned around to hiss at the assailant before stopping himself, ears lowering at the sight of Alyara's glare. 

"Seriously? Dad's gonna murder you both when he sees you two here." She hissed, turning around to make sure the mentioned man hadn't found them. Her ears lowered as she spotted the aircraft, turning around and pushing the two back towards their Ikran. Her movements were jerky, and she made sure to be in front of them both. 

Alyara knew what was going to happen. She'd seen it in her vision the day before, of course. 

"Go. Go." She urged, hearing the missiles touch down on the ground around them. They were so close, almost to the flying animals, before a missile exploded right behind Alyara. They were all thrown into the air, Alyara (thankfully, though only she thought that it was a good thing) taking most of the damage. She was airborne for what felt like hours before she hit the back of a piece of metal, feeling something lodge into her stomach before promptly blacking out.

Jake was frantic, jumping over his fallen comrades as he called out for his sons. He found Lo'ak first. He checked him over, bringing the boy's head to his chest before ordering him to leave, beginning to look for Neteyam. "Wait," Lo'ak called out, standing up shakily. Jake turned back to him, face hardening with worry. 

"What? What is it? Are you hurt?" He asked, and Lo'ak shook his head. 

"Alyara, she was here too." He said weakly, and Jake felt his stomach drop. He ordered Lo'ak to follow, calling out for Neteyam and Alyara, more frantic than before.

He found Neteyam second. The boy was knocked out, but after a few shakes he was awake. Jake checked him for damage and found a large gash on his back, telling Lo'ak to take him back to the Ikrans and leave. Once he watched them leave, he turned back around, calling out for his eldest daughter.

He could've thrown up at the sight in front of him. She was impaled on a piece of shrapnel, barely breathing, and Jake let out a growl of anguish at the sight. He was quick to get over to her, assessing the state of the wound before picking her up, pressing his hands to the now bleeding hole in Alyara's stomach. She wouldn't last long like this, he knew, and though there was a tiredness deep in his bones he picked her up. She felt scarily light in his hold.

He got her to his Ikran quickly, flying faster than he ever had before. They were at High Camp after a few short minutes and Jake brushed past everyone waiting for him, getting to Kiri and Mo'at in record time. He laid Alyara down and told Mo'at what had happened, stepping back to watch his other daughter and her grandmother work diligently. 

Once his two sons arrived at base, he turned to them, face drawn into a worried scowl. "Boys!" He called out, watching as Neteyam and Lo'ak turned to him with guilty expressions. He let out a huff, pacing slightly in anger. Neytiri was cradling Tuk in her arms, cooing to her quietly. If he wasn't so anxiety-ridden, he would've stared at the sight and wished it existed for all eternity. 

"You're supposed to be spotters. You spot bogeys and call them in– from a distance!" He yelled, motioning Lo'ak closer. "Does any of this sound familiar? Get here!" He ordered, and Kiri appeared from the healer's tent with a worried expression, looking over her oldest brother with careful eyes. "Jesus, I let you two geniuses fly a mission and you disobey direct orders." He groaned in exasperation and turned to Kiri. "Kiri, can you go help your grandmother with the wounded." He ordered, and Kiri turned to him with an indignant expression.

"My siblings are wounded. Grandmother is working on Alyara as we speak." She said firmly, and Lo'ak and Neteyam looked at her with worried gazes. They began to ask her questions before Jake sent her off with Tuk at her side, turning to them with a firmer expression.

"Sir, I take full responsibility." Neteyam said softly, and Jake looked to him, angry. 

"Yeah, you do, because you're their older brother. You gotta act like it!" He barked out, eyes trailing up to Neytiri who stood behind the two of them. Neteyam's expression blanked, and he looked down at his feet, wincing at the pain in his back. 

"Ma Jake, your son is actually bleeding. I'm sure they both want to be by their sister's side right now." She said firmly, not leaving any room for argument. Jake sighed and turned away from the three. 

"Go get patched up. Lo'ak, you're grounded for a month. Dismissed." His voice rang out, and the two boys did not wait to go rush to their sister. 

She looked so... small. Lo'ak held her hand in his own as he sat next to her side, face grim as he realized this was his fault. Tuk was at his side, leaning against him as she stared down at Alyara. 

"She is alright, my children. Just tired from the battle." Mo'at said soothingly, working on Neteyam's back. He yowled with pain as she pressed ointment to the gash on his back, Kiri by her side. They debated on which herb to use for the pain as Spider was at Kiri's side, watching them work silently. 

Jake and Neytiri walked in after some time, the man sitting on the other side of Alyara as he watched her sleep. She looked scarily alike to Kiri, and it made him think of his own twin, Tommy. He shook off the thought as he turned to look at Neteyam, who was snickering at Spider's remark. They were okay, he reminded himself.

He just hoped Alyara woke up soon.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered a few minutes after they had finished eating, Lo'ak at her other side as he wiped the war paint off her face with gentle hands. She stirred, opening her eyes to look up at her younger brother with a calm expression. 

"Aly!" He gasped, pressing his hand to her face as she blinked at him. "Are you okay? Why did you- are you hurt? Do you need anything?" He asked, firing one question after the other. Soon, Jake and Neytiri were next to her, and she looked at them with the same calm expression.

"I'm fine." She said simply, Lo'ak helping her sit up. "I knew this would happen," She said matter-of-factly at their alarmed expressions, thinking she had a concussion based on how... normal she was acting. "That's why I pushed you two out of the way." She explained, squeezing Lo'ak's hand in her own.

Jake let out a snort, shaking his head at his daughter's words. "You..." His words died on his tongue as he looked at her, the same anxiety from before gripping his throat tightly. He pushed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "I thought I lost you. Please don't... don't ever do that again." He whispered, and he opened his eyes to see Alyara staring at him with a glint in her eyes, as if she knew something he didn't.

And she did. Alyara knew that soon enough, she'd die, and Jake would not have to give her this speech anymore. Until then, she just nodded, smiling at him softly. "I won't, Sa'nok." She said simply, leaning back once he let go of her into Lo'ak's hold. 

After a few minutes of talking to her other siblings, she drifted back to sleep, Lo'ak pressed against her back in the same comforting way they always slept. They were joined at the hip, their parents often joking that they were the twin siblings, and not her and Kiri. 

In Lo'ak's arms, she didn't have a vision that night. It was a blessing, Alyara thought.

How wrong she was.