Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter 1

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　The Great Mother's Gift　 ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

{edited}

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Eywa gifted Neteyam from her love to the people, a healthy baby boy, hands full of fingers and a tail wrapped strongly around another pair of ankles. The clan watched in awe and adoration as the parents separated the two small creatures. Two pairs of the same glistening big yellow eyes met those of many more.

Jake held his firstborn daughter high but secure, showing her off with pride, as did Neytiri, with an almost identical copy.
"At'anau."

The whole clan met the eyes of the child, head full of hair, as if she were their own.

"At'anau!"

The love Eywa put into gifting the children was reciprocated within a second. Gratitude from the parents themselves was enough to gift Eywa with many more.

The Tree of Souls beamed from above them, lights reflecting in the eyes holding brand-new life. The small boy's hands reached up, trying to catch the little light raining down on him from above.

"Neteyam," Neytiri announced in euphoria. The clan rejoiced.

"Neteyam!"

Mo'at held her daughter before accepting both her firstborn grandchildren in her arms. She looked down at both children holding up four fingers on each hand, their unique dark markings on their entire bodies identical down to the last stripe, and bioluminescent dots on their faces blinking in sync like the stars in the sky. They were so pure, innocent, and loving. The future of the people, as they called it.

As part of the ritual, it was only right to introduce to Eywa the children she had given them. Both parents guided their children's queues toward a branch of the tree as the clan sang for them. Both children's pupils dilated, drool dripping onto Jake's hand as At'anau seemed to see her future flash through her small mind.

It only took until they knew how to crawl before the two noticed the looks they shared. Neteyam would forever have a scar on his forehead from a wild battle he would never tell anyone about, a scar from his sister trying to scratch a speck from his face when she was sick of their father mixing them up.

At'anau and Neteyam couldn't speak yet, but had made it clear they understood each other. They were bound at the ankle, as their hips were too wide for the span of each other's tail.

The children were calm, almost too perfect. Truly what parents would wish for a hundred times over. Neteyam, a born warrior, ready to learn everything from his father to rule the clan in the future. At'anau, a born teacher, ready to stand by her brother for as long as he stood by her.

Did they fight? Of course. Many murders were attempted. Tails stretched out to trip, and, in the night, to choke if Jake wouldn't step in.

"Trick children" is what the clan called them, as they both succeeded in tricking everyone into thinking children were as easy as them. Until they had their own, and learned parenting was not that simple.

Kiri and Lo'ak joined soon after the twins turned two years old, and they all loved each other unconditionally. Baths were shared, hugs were given, and braids were tugged.

"I hate you!"

"I hate you times infinity, Lo'ak, penis-face!"

"Hey!"

"Wah!" A machete cut down the middle of the little leaf-painted Toruk Ikran both kids were tugging at.
"At'a! Where'd she get that?!"

The father chased his daughter, who was holding a knife almost the size of her body, and Neytiri caught her the moment she tried to run past her mother.

At dinnertime, Neteyam and At'anau would hunt with their father.

"Dad, look!" Neteyam held the impaled fish high for his father to see. "It was by the rocks, like you said." Proud of his son for listening and executing it perfectly, Jake congratulated him and turned toward his oldest daughter.

"Atan, how's it going over there?"

The little girl, who had let herself slip between the rocks, climbed up toward her father and reached for his hand once she stood beside him.

Facing his palm upward, she brought it to her mouth, spitting the semi-living creatures into his receiving hand. Saliva strings detached as she proudly pointed to the rocks she'd sat between.
"Current between rocks," she wiped her mouth with her wrist. "Like you said."

At'anau looked at her brother as she succeeded in making him laugh, and giggled herself as their father was still in awe of what he had created.

Right before bedtime, At'anau would help her mother with all three kids' hair and attempt to do her father's while he told them all sorts of stories from before they were born.

"When I first met your father, I tried to kill him."

The kids were all lying in one hammock, entangled with their parents, as their mother spoke about their love story.

"It was love at first sight."
The kids laughed at their father, and the oldest girl grabbed her mother closer, knowing this was just a way with words to win her over again.

All the kids would sleep separately, except for the twins. It only took the sight of a back for one or the other to crawl into the other's space.

Looking down at the identical children, Jake took the opportunity to study his firstborns down to their last birthmark. At'anau had been noticeably more active with her tail since birth, causing it to be shaped differently from her brother's. This small difference, the only way Jake could visually tell them apart, was something he didn't always like to admit.

The two seemed to share a connection different from the other siblings. All of them loved each other unconditionally in time, but these two seemed unable to breathe without knowing where the other was.

Jake smiled to himself as memories with Tommy unlocked from an old, dusty box in his head, and he unlatched Neteyam's foot from At'anau's tail, only for the boy to grab onto hers immediately instead.

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tysm for choosing my story to read :)

This story will follow the movie and hint a lot towards female rage; if there are decisions the characters make you do not agree with please keep in mind this is a work of fiction :)

Romance will be slow burn and the second main priority of the story.

I know I've already written a little about who At'anau is, but would you like to guess what kind of character she is going to have in this story?

(after futuristic events it will change due to...reasons)

anyways I'm all over the place. Enjoy!